Halo: The Cole Protocol

Looking for the Cole Protocol, a military law of the UNSC?

Halo: The Cole Protocol is the sixth novel based on the Halo Universe. It is written by Tobias S. Buckell. The Cole Protocol is the the last novel under the contract with Tor Books and has been available to public since November 25th, 2008.

Press Release
"Halo: The Cole Protocol is the sixth novel set in the Halo Universe. Tobias S. Buckell, author of Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin will write the novel, which reveals the location of the Spartan Gray Team and "puts readers into an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War where unlikely alliances are formed and shattered..."

From The Author's Website
"Buckell continues an excellent tradition that's now a solid aspect of the Halo novels, bringing a fresh new perspective to a limitless universe and bringing his prodigious writing talents to bear in ways that will surprise and engage fans of the series and newcomers alike."

- Frank O'Connor.

Halo: The Cole Protocol is the sixth novel set in the Halo Universe. Tobias S. Buckell, author of Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin has written the novel.

Plot
"...which reveals the location of the Spartan Gray Team and "takes readers into an unexplored conflict of the Human-Covenant War where unlikely alliances are formed and shattered..."

- The Cole Protocol Announcement

''In the first, desperate days of the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC has enacted the Cole Protocol to safeguard Earth and its Inner Colonies from discovery by a merciless alien foe. Many are called upon to rid the universe of lingering navigation data that would reveal the location of Earth. Among them is Navy Lieutenant Jacob Keyes. Thrust back into action after being sidelined, Keyes is saddled with a top secret mission by ONI. One that will take him deep behind enemy lines, to a corner of the universe where nothing is as it seems.''

''Out beyond the Outer Colonies lies the planet Hesiod, a gas giant surrounded by a vast asteroid belt. As the Covenant continues to glass the human occupied planets near Hesiod, many of the survivors, helped by a stronghold of human Insurrectionists, are fleeing to the asteroid belt for refuge. They have transformed the tumbling satellites into a tenuous, yet ingenious, settlement known as The Rubble–and have come face-to-face with a Covenant settlement of Kig-Yar. . . yet somehow survived.''

''News of this unlikely treaty has spread to the warring sides. Luckily for the UNSC, this uneasy alliance is in the path of the Spartan Gray Team, a three man renegade squad whose simple task is to wreak havoc from behind enemy lines in any way they see fit. But the Prophets have also sent their best—an ambitious and ruthless Elite, Thel, whose quest for nobility and rank is matched only by his brutality... and who will do anything to secure his Ascendancy and walk the Path.''

The time line of this book takes place primarily in between 2534 and 2536, though the date is not mentioned frequently in the book, as it was in older Halo novels.

However it possibly took place when the Mark IV MLJONIR armor was introduced to the Spartan Super-Soldiers, before the Fall of Reach. It was mentioned in Halo: The Fall of Reach when Dr Halsey was briefing the Spartans on the Covenant. It is mentioned that the three spartans in Halo: The Cole Protocool that the Spartans in the book were far from UNSC space.

Summary
The story begins with an attack by Jackals in the Rubble, an Insurrectionist asteroid base which was constructed as a refugee base during the Siege of Madrigal. The Jackals are attempting to steal navigation data from Ignatio Delgado and his friend Melko Hollister. Melko manages to escape the fighting at Delgado's insistence that the last remaining navigation data leading to Earth must be kept safe. While holding off the Jackals, Delgado is almost killed, but is saved by Adriana, SPARTAN-111 of Gray Team. She hands him a beacon, which will send a signal to her team to retrieve the data if he should no longer be capable of keeping it safe. She then orders him to keep Gray Team a secret from the Security Council.

Later, at Chi Rho, Lieutenant Jacob Keyes meets with Commander Dmitri Zheng and is transferred from teaching at the Academy to enforce the newly written Cole Protocol with the stealth frigate, the Midsummer Night. He returns to his ship with a new pilot, and Zheng in command.

Back at the Rubble, Delgado looks for clues, suspecting that someone within the Rubble's Security Council is attempting to sell the navigation to the Jackals, which would cause the Covenant to no longer require the Insurrectionists. Delgado learns of the Kestrel, a ship under the command of Bonifacio, a known smuggler and who is also on the Security Council. While trying to obtain information about the Kestrel, he meets Adriana again in a small bar, Eddie's in the Rocks. They are both attacked by Insurrectionists, who overhear the questioning. After being saved again by Adriana, he is taken to the Spartan's ship to meet Jai and Mike.

Jai explains that Gray Team has been working to destroy any navigation data as per the Cole Protocol, and that they are causing general havoc against the Insurrectionists. As Delgado leaves, he is instructed to find out more about the Security Council leak.

Back on the Midsummer Night, Jacob Keyes attempts to enforce the Cole Protocol on a civilian freighter. When the Lieutenant and a group of ODSTs board the freighter, the civilian captain detonates a bomb in a container, killing a number of ODSTs. Later, Keyes and the ODSTs are forced to leave the ship by exiting through a hull breach they created because the freighter was rigged to blow the moment the Midsummer Night was within the blast proximity of the freighter. Keyes leaves first, taking the armor of an ODST and jumping into space, using his rifle to maneuver. Keyes is able to contact the Midsummer Night. However, the Insurrectionists on the civilian freighter detonate the ship to kill as many of the escaping ODSTs as possible. Keyes is eventually recovered and along with most of the ODSTs despite the dramatic explosion.

Meanwhile, on Sangheilios, the Sangheili Kaidon of clan Vadam, Thel 'Vadamee (the Arbiter in Halo 2 and 3) lies in wait for the inevitable attack of someone who doesn't want him to be Kaidon. He soon gets what he is waiting for as three assassins attempt to dispatch him. He quickly eliminates the first two Sangheili with his energy sword. The third elite attempts to escape in an act of cowardice, but learns that Thel has been very prepared for his arrival and blocked all means of escape. In a final act of desperation he attempts to charge at Thel energy sword drawn. Thel quickly dispatches him with a well aimed shot from his plasma pistol to his head. He then orders the alert guards outside his door to call in a meeting with all the elders. When the elders finally assemble Thel discusses the recent attack that has happened to him. He first shows the elders that the attack clearly failed as he had no scratch on his body. He then explains that he killed the first two assassins with relative ease, but lies and claims that he let the third assassin live in order to learn who sent the attack. He almost immediately noticed the stirring of one of the elders. Knowing the person responsible he calms down and explains his supremacy to all the elders. He then confronts the elder who stupidly tells Thel that he has sent the assassins. Thel then eliminates him. Soon after the fight he grants his linage the right to live but no longer live in the Vadam keep. Thel then tells the elders that he is to be sent to a human colony, Charybdis IX by the Prophets.

The Midsummer Night arrives at Charybdis in order to prevent a group of Insurrectionists from gaining a shipment of plasma rifles and plasma pistols. Lieutenant Keyes and Major Watanabe go planetside to meet with an ONI group in order to complete their mission. However, the mission goes bad as the UNSC group gets attacked by Insurrectionists and protesters. Major Watanabe is killed, and Keyes barely escapes the planet. As they escape the system, a Covenant fleet led by the Prophet of Regret eliminates the three destroyers defending the planet and starts to glass the surface.

Meanwhile, the future Arbiter is called to meet with the High Prophet of Regret, who was traveling with the fleet to witness the burning of another Human world. Regret shows 'Vadamee a modified plasma rifle and says that such modifications of Covenant weaponry by any other than the prophets was heresy. He orders 'Vadamee to track down the weapons, which he believes originated in Librae 23 from Jackals that may be trading with humans. He also tells 'Vadamee that the Jackal ship A Psalm Every Day, along with a contingent of Brutes, will go with him on the mission. 'Vadamee isn't happy about the Brute involvement but is happy that he has received the promotion and may be on the way to becoming a Fleet Master. After 'Vadamee leaves, the Prophet states that the Hierarchs did not expect that the humans would be spread out on so many worlds. This may be the reason why the Covenant lingered so long around Harvest instead of trying to find other human worlds.

After a slightly uneventful voyage to Hesoid, the Jiralhanae and the Kig-Yar Ship Mistress betray 'Vadamee, destroying his ship, killing his crew, and taking him and his zealots prisoner.

Aboard the Midsummer Night everyone was on edge as a Covenant vessel was on radar and they had to be careful of detection. They followed the Kestrel to Hesoid to discover that the rebels were using asteroids as a hideout. They drifted closer and discovered that they were all connected as well as Jackal ships navigating through the asteroids. The Midsummer Night was brought up to battle ready status and began to make stealth maneuvers to avoid any patrolling ships.

Inside the Rubble, Thel 'Vadamee and his bridge crew had been captured by the Kig-Yar. Jora having thrown himself, unarmed, against the boarders had been wounded and asked Thel to kill him for his shame. After slamming a spike from a nearby bed into Jora's head, the remaining Zealots, led by 'Vadamee, decided to find out a way to strike at the Humans from inside the Rubble. Realizing that the Kig-Yar intended to gain a ransom for their captives, Thel and his warriors decided that while the Jiralhanae wanted the credit for finding the humans themselves they decide to go after Bonifacio whom they believe is their leader.

The Sangheili tricked the Unggoy guard, killed him, the rest of the guards, and escaped.

On the Midsummer Night, Commander Zheng discovers that the leaders of the Rubble know of their presence. The Rubble begins a bombardment of the ship, and Zheng orders that they head out to open space. However, the engines are taken offline via sabotage, and on the bridge Lieutenant Badia Campbell shoots Zheng fatally, and wounds Lieutenants Kirtley and Li before Keyes tackles her. She says that the "we" (the Insurrectionists) will win eventually before shooting herself in the head. With the engines out of commission and Zheng dead after locking down the nuclear warheads (rendering them unusable to the rebels), Keyes has no choice but to surrender the ship to the Rubble.

Keyes and his crew are taken aboard the Rubble and are permitted to join the population. Keyes gives a short speech urging them not to, and some stay with him, including Faison, Kirtley, and Li. Many others join the population. Keyes asks Faison why a number of ODSTs are joining, too, and Faison reminds him that ODSTs are first in everything, implying that they're going to be undercover in support of them.

United Nations Space Command

 * Lieutenant Jacob Keyes
 * Adriana-111
 * Jai-006
 * Mike
 * Major Akio Watanabe
 * Commander Zheng

Covenant

 * Kaidon Thel 'Vadamee
 * Zhar
 * Veer
 * Reth
 * Chur 'R-Mut
 * Jora 'Konaree
 * Saal

Insurrection / Other

 * Jason Kincaide
 * Peter Bonifacio
 * Ignatio Delgado
 * Diego Esquival
 * Maria Esquival
 * Juliana

United Nations Space Command

 * Lieutenant Badia Campbell
 * Lieutenant Rai Li
 * Lieutenant Dante Kirtley
 * Miranda Keyes
 * Corinthia Hansen
 * Josh Smith
 * Finlay
 * Petty Officer "Jeffries" Jefferson
 * Commander Faison
 * Lieutenant Canfield

Covenant

 * Koida 'Vadam
 * Deacon Pipit
 * Lak 'Vadamee
 * Prophet of Regret
 * Prophet of Truth

Insurrection/Other

 * Melko Hollister
 * Eddie Underwood
 * Owen

Observations From Cover



 * The Spartan is wearing the Mark IV MJOLNIR armor. However, this is not because Grey Team is stationed so far away that they cannot receive the new models. Rather it is because those models have not come out yet. The new Mark V armor was released just before the fall of Reach, a great deal of time after the Cole Protocol had gone into effect.
 * The Spartan's armor is Gray, signifying the Gray Team as a separate SPARTAN-II Group.
 * There is a piece of The Rubble in the background, and there is what appears to be an explosion is emanating from the structure, possibly a structure that Gray Team tried to destroy.
 * The visors on MJOLNIR helmets typically possess a golden color, but the visor pictured on the cover is almost mirror-like.
 * If one looks carefully at the Spartan on the new cover of The Cole Protocol, the torso armor pads seem similar to the CQB variation.

Trivia

 * The Cole Protocol is the only book that does not give the current military time at the start of every chapter. This makes it somewhat difficult to keep track of time when the setting shifts radically.


 * Gray Team is the designation for a mysterious team of three SPARTAN-IIs that are called Adriana-111, Jai-006 and Mike. They are said to be "On battlefields too distant to be easily recalled" by Chief Petty Officer Mendez in Halo: The Fall Of Reach.


 * This was the novel that revealed the Arbiter's real name to be Thel 'Vadam.


 * The Cole Protocol is the protocol that dictates what action ships are supposed to take in the event of a Covenant presence.


 * Amazon.co.uk released Halo: The Cole Protocol several days earlier than the official release date.


 * There are what seem to be seven thin but discernible beams of light in the background, possibly another seven reference. As with all the books the Marathon symbol is clearly visible, in the correct lighting, right in between the "A" and "L" of Halo.


 * The 'smart' AI, Juliana, is noted as being over seven-years-old and yet not rampant. This is in part explained by the fact that the AI was mentally fully occupied in those years with maintaining the Rubble. This may mean that if a smart AI is kept occupied mentally or has something (perhaps a person or object) which they can focus on, then perhaps rampancy can be held off for longer then the seven year limit. Although, as mentioned in the book, 7 years is not a deadline for rampancy, but instead the UNSC's mandatory life allowance for AI's because of the fear of rampancy. As seen with Cortana, the more information available to process makes it harder for AI to continue as normal. Completing only menial tasks for long periods of time may extend an AI's 'Life-limit'. It is mentioned that Juliana did not wish to part with the Rubble and in fact chose to 'die' with it.


 * Before the space battle of Charybdis IX, it is stated that Cole's fleet is still near Harvest, but at the end of the book, he is back inside the inner colonies. Due to the absence of dates at the start of chapters, it is difficult to confirm whether a great deal of time has past, or this is just an oversight by the author.


 * This book gave an extensive view into the life and honor system of the Elites.


 * On page 281, 6th Paragraph, last sentence; Zhar uses the term "years" when the correct term should have been units or cycles. It could be supposed that this was another piece of Halo unique to the book, The Author uses US measurements and also human measurement in the Covenant.


 * The Marines throughout this book use the term "Hoo-ah", which is an Army term. But in all the other books and games they say "Oo-rah". This could be a mistake from the author.


 * Grunts are said to have purple blood, rather than blue.


 * In chapter 71 the author describes a room occupied by Prophets discussing the previous events. The room is said to be filled with "drug-smoke". There are multiple references to Prophets using narcotics and not being "sober".


 * On page 332, 9th paragraph, second sentence, a miner who hands Karl a handgun is referred to as a "minder".


 * There is a chapter where it shows the training of the Spartans in Gray Team.


 * Out of all the Halo Novels this book has nearly four times as many chapters as in other novels.