Editing Halo: The Cole Protocol

{{Status|RealWorld}}

{{Center|''Looking for the [[Cole Protocol]], a military law of the [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]]?''}}

|publisher=[[Tor Books]] (original)<br>[[Gallery Books]] (2019 edition)

|publication=[[2008|November 25, 2008]] (original)<br>April 16, 2019 (2019 edition)

|length=358 pages (original)<br>368 pages (2019 edition)

|ISBN=[[Special:BookSources/076531570X|076531570X]], [[Special:BookSources/978-0765315700|978-0765315700]], [[Special:BookSources/978-1982111717|978-1982111717]]

'''''Halo: The Cole Protocol''''' is the sixth [[Halo novels|novel]] based on the [[Halo universe|''Halo'' universe]]. It is written by [[Tobias Buckell|Tobias S. Buckell]] and was released on November 25, 2008.<ref>[http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=14284 The announcement of ''Halo: The Cole Protocol'']</ref>

{{Article quote|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 [[Covenant|a merciless alien foe]]. Many are called upon to rid the universe of lingering [[Astrogation|navigation]] data that would reveal the location of [[Earth]]. Among them is [[UNSC Navy|Navy]] [[Jacob Keyes|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 [[Glassing|glass]] the human occupied planets near Hesiod, many of the survivors, helped by a stronghold of human [[Insurrectionist]]s, 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-II program|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 [[Hierarchs|Prophets]] have also sent their best---[[Thel 'Vadam|an ambitious and ruthless Elite]], 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.}}

{{Spoiler/begin}}

Back at the Rubble, Delgado looks for clues, suspecting that someone within the Rubble Security Council is attempting to sell the navigation to the Jackals, which would cause the Insurrectionists to outlive their usefulness to the Covenant. Delgado learns of the ''[[Kestrel (freighter)|Kestrel]]'', a ship under the command of [[Peter Bonifacio]], a known smuggler 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 Rock]]. They are both attacked by Insurrectionists, who overhear the questioning. After being saved again by Adriana, he is taken to the SPARTANs' ship, the ''[[Petya]]'', to meet [[Jai-006]] and [[Michael-120]].

Back on the ''Midsummer Night'', Jacob Keyes attempts to enforce the Cole Protocol on a [[Finnegan's Wake|civilian freighter]]. When the Lieutenant and a group of [[Orbital Drop Shock Trooper]]s board the freighter, the Insurrectionist captain detonates a bomb in a container, killing a number of ODSTs, including their commander, [[First Lieutenant]] [[Canfield]]. 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 applying Newton's 3rd law. 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 along with most of the ODSTs, including [[second Lieutenant|2nd Lieutenant]] [[Faison]], despite the dramatic explosion.

On [[Sanghelios]], the recently appointed [[Sangheili]] [[kaidon]] of clan [[Vadam]], [[Thel 'Vadam]]ee lies in wait for the inevitable attack by someone with doubts as to his capability as kaidon. He soon gets what he is waiting for as three assassins attempt to dispatch him; however, he quickly slays all three of the assassins. He then orders an assembly with all of his clan's [[elder]]s. 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, [[Koida 'Vadam]]. Knowing the person responsible he calms down and explains his supremacy to all the elders. He then confronts Koida who foolishly tells Thel that he has sent the assassins. Thel then kills him and banishes his lineage from the [[Vadam keep]]. Thel then tells the elders that he is to be sent to a human colony, [[Charybdis IX]], by the [[Hierarchs]].

The ''Midsummer Night'' arrives at Charybdis in order to prevent a group of Insurrectionists from gaining a shipment of [[Okarda'phaa-pattern plasma rifle|plasma rifles]] and [[Type-25 plasma pistol|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 rioters. Major Watanabe is killed, and Keyes barely escapes the planet. As they escape the system, a [[Covenant fleet]] led by the [[Prophet of Regret|High Prophet of Regret]] eliminates the three destroyers defending the planet and starts to glass the surface.

Meanwhile, upon Delgado's return to the Rubble, he is detained by Bonifacio's private forces. The Council suspects him for dealing with the Kig-Yar for the NAV data, since he was the only one apart from them who knew its location. While conversing with a guard, Delgado learns that Bonifacio's smuggling ship, the Kestrel, was sabotaged by the SPARTANs and its NAV data was destroyed; as a result, Bonifacio needs Delgado's data in order to continue his smuggling operations back to the [[Inner Colonies]]. Delgado is subsequently taken to meet with the Security Council, where he learns of the existence of the [[Exodus Project]]. While the Council refuses to tell Delgado what the Exodus Project is, [[Diego Esquival]] reassures Delgado that it is for the good of the Rubble and requires NAV data. This convinces Delgado to retrieve the data for the council. Diego and Bonifacio decide to accompany him to retrieve the data from Delgado's ship, ''[[Distancia]]''.

*[[Michael-120]] {{1st}}

*[[Thel 'Vadam]]ee

****[[Habitat El Cuidad]] {{1st}}

**[[Fall of Madrigal]] {{Fm}}

**''[[Kestrel (freighter)|Kestrel]]'' {{1st}}

*{{Pattern|Wik|light destroyer}} {{Mo}}

*[[Drop pod]]

*{{Pattern|Dextro Xur|Spirit}}

*{{Pattern|Okarda'phaa|plasma rifle}}

|title-8=Technology and equipment|

*[[Combat harness|Sangheili combat harness]]

*This book is the only novel that does not feature an assault rifle from the [[MA5 series]]. The BR55 Battle Rifle is almost exclusively used by UNSC forces in the book.

*The novel is the first canon source to call a [[Anskum-pattern plasma grenade|plasma grenade]] a "sticky grenade", which is a common nickname for the weapon in multiplayer.

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