Halo_ Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe - Eric Nylund [191]
SECTION PREFATORY REMARKS
I start this section with the Sierra-3 After-Action Report as it was the catalyst for what happened next (or so I believe).
Cole had to have seen the report. He was in charge of military operations in Sector Three, and a man of his exacting detail would not let a report—a report of a UNSC victory no less—pass his desk without a glance.
Cole’s analytical mind likely came to two possible explanations for the sighting of the Bellerophon, aka Bellicose. (1) The Bellerophon was incorrectly identified. Or (2) the Bellerophon escaped or faked falling into the gravity well of a gas giant and its subsequent destruction twenty-nine years prior.
The captain of the Bellicose, clever enough to face Cole thrice in battle and live, might have been able to engineer such a deception (although an in-atmosphere FTL jump while accelerating was only a theoretical possibility at that time).
And given the ONI revelation in 2503 of the public identity of the Bellicose’s insurgent captain, it also makes perfect sense that she would want to drop off their radar in such a permanent and unequivocal fashion.
But why would Bellicose rescue Sierra-3? Had the remnants of the Outer Colony insurgency resurfaced to unite with their former enemy to face a greater threat?
Or was Lyra Castilla’s reason personal? Did she reappear to send a message to Cole? Or am I stretching the limits of my analysis with romanticism?
That we will never know.
Cole’s personal logs cease after February 2533. His normal pattern of behavior also altered—nothing overtly suspicious, and all within the prerogative of a vice admiral—but as we will soon see, seemingly innocuous actions and orders would culminate in the momentous death of Preston Cole.
Restricted communiqué from Vice Admiral Preston
Cole to REACH LOGISTICS \ March 9, 2543
(Military Calendar)
UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND TRANSMISSION 116749-09
ENCRYPTION CODE: RED
PUBLIC KEY: FILE / VEGAS-ANACONDA-MOCKINGBIRD-ZERO /
FROM: VICE ADMIRAL PRESTON COLE, COMMANDING OFFICER UNSC EVEREST / (UNSC SERVICE NUMBER: 00814-13094-BQ)
TO: ADMIRAL DALE KILKIN, UNSC CENTRAL COMMAND, REACH LOGISTICS OFFICE / (UNSC SERVICE NUMBER: 007981-63882-GE)
SUBJECT: REQUISITIONS, TRANSFERS, AND FAVORS
CLASSIFICATION: RESTRICTED (BGE DIRECTIVE)
Dale,
Recent prowler reports indicate a Covenant armada massing in Sector Three. I need my ships repaired, refitted, and battle-ready ASAP. Code these orders CRIMSON, and pull in favors people owe me to make it happen. You know what I mean.
1. Requisition: 600 tungsten-layered titanium-A armor plates (radiation-absorption rating: 5), replacement and upgrades for degraded armor plates on Everest, et al.
2. Requisition: Additional “smart” nav AI. Sealed and un-booted. Back-up for Everest. Current AI operating at 68% capacity.
3. Order: Pull the Io out of space dock and tow her to my position. Too far gone to repair, but Captain Wren has an idea to use her as a fire ship.
4. Requisition: Ordnance: 105 Shiva nuclear missiles (VE-3 type), 2400 Archer missiles, 45,000 blocks Helix System ammunition (see additional nonordnance supplies in Attachment A).
5. Requisition: Detailed stellar survey of Section Three, sub-volume D-6. Emphasis on systems with proto-brown dwarf gas giants.
6. Transfers: I can’t lead my fleet into battle when half my officers are on the verge of collapse from fatigue. List of crew transfers in Attachment B. List of requested crew replacements in Attachment C.
7. Favor: I have a theoretical Shaw-Fujikawa manifold calculation that needs crunching through the ONI AI network on Reach. They’re the only ones in the Outer Colonies with the raw power to get the job done.
8. Wish me luck.
UNSC Everest
Preston J. Cole
COPY TO: LOGISTICS OFFICE, NAVCOM, REACH.
OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE, SECTION-III, REACH
0915 APRIL 18, 2543 (MILITARY CALENDAR)