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<center>''Are you looking for [[Halo: The Cole Protocol]], the sixth Halo novel?''</center>
{{Quote|It would take ''years'' to ram this down the throats of the politicians, but as far as my battle group was concerned it was ''law''.|Admiral Cole on his first draft of the Cole Protocol.<ref name="HWG">'''Halo Wars: Genesis''', ''page 8''</ref>}}


<center>''Looking for [[Halo: The Cole Protocol]], the sixth Halo novel?''</center>
'''Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1''', also called '''General Order 098831A-1''' and known commonly as the '''Cole Protocol''', was a command enacted by [[Admiral]] [[Preston Jeremiah Cole|Preston Cole]] to prevent the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] from finding the location of [[Earth]] or any of the other [[Inner Colonies]]. In practice, it was intended to prevent Covenant's retrieval of data that contained the location of Earth; it forbade retreating vessels from setting a direct [[Slipstream space|slipspace]] course toward any human population center, as the Covenant were able to track slipspace travel vectors and calculate the evacuating ship's destination. The policy also stated that to prevent capture, any [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] or civilian vessel, in the event of an emergency evacuation, was to self-destruct, after wiping all data matrices, to prevent the advance of the Covenant.
{{Quote|It would take ''years'' to ram this down the throats of the politicians, but as far as my battle group was concerned it was ''law''.|Admiral Cole on his first draft of the Cole Protocol.<ref name="HWG">'''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]''', ''page 8''</ref>}}


The '''United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1''', otherwise known as the '''Cole Protocol''', was a command enacted by [[Admiral]] [[Preston Cole]] to prevent the [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] from finding the location of [[Earth]] or any other core world location. It was an order preventing [[Covenant Empire|Covenant]] retrieval of data that contained the location of Earth, and forbids retreating vessels from setting a direct slipspace course towards any human population center, as the Covenant were able to track [[Slipspace|Slipspace travel vectors]] and calculate the evacuating ship's destination. The policy also stated that to prevent capture, any [[UNSC]] or Human vessel, in the event of an emergency evacuation (an "Abandon Ship" order), was to self destruct, after wiping all data matrices, to prevent the advance of the Covenant.
All UNSC personnel were commanded to read the Cole Protocol each day "by the letter" under an [[UNSC Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1 (transmission)|emergency transmission]] issued by the [[UNSC Naval Command]]. The Cole Protocol ensured that in nearly twenty-seven years of interstellar warfare, the Covenant never discovered the human presence on Earth, and only found other population centers either by accident,by tracking devices left aboard ships,<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page ???''</ref> or by the presence of [[Forerunner]] artifacts.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''page ???''</ref> Unfortunately, the Cole Protocol ceased to be effective when, on [[2552#October|October 20, 2552]], Covenant forces invaded Earth; however, the protocol presumably remained in effect for the other remaining Inner Colonies.


All UNSC personnel were commanded to read the Cole Protocol under [[NAVCOM]] [[UNSC Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1]]. The Cole Protocol ensured that in nearly 27 years of interstellar warfare, the Covenant never discovered the Human presence on Earth, and only found other population centers either by accident, tracking devices left aboard ships,<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'''</ref> or presence of [[Forerunner]] artifacts.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]'''</ref> Unfortunately, the Protocol eventually outlived its usefulness when the Covenant discovered Earth, as well as nearly all large population centers, by 2552.
==Hypodermic-FXT-J==
[[File:Genesis1.jpg|thumb|250px|Preston Cole writing Hypodermic-FXT-J.]]
 
Hypodermic-FXT-J contained the basic instructions set in the final draft of the first articles of the Cole Protocol.<ref name="HWG"/> The report's contents are as follows:


==The Protocol==
[[Admiral]] [[Margaret O. Parangosky|Parangosky]]/Office of Naval Intelligence/Routing Sequence: Hypodermic-FXT-J<br />
'''CODE NAME CLASSIFIED: Pied Piper'''<br />
(Continued from previous page)...
 
Based on the data revealed by [[Subject 386|the alien]], these new protocols must be immediately implemented:
#All UNSC and civilian which come in contact with alien assets must have NAV computer/AI erased--destroyed if necessary--to prevent capture of core world locations.
#ALL Human vessels fleeing from alien forces must do so on a randomly generated vector away from UNSC core world locations.
#ONI Section II to immediately begin Slipstream space attenuated broadcast of pre-recorded human carrier signals from antiquity to prevent triangulation of Earth.<ref>'''Halo: Evolutions''' - ''The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole'', ''page 468''</ref>
 
==The protocol==
===Article 1===
===Article 1===
<!-- Do not change the content of the following section, as it is written verbatim.-->
:'''United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1'''
:'''United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1'''
:'''[[Encryption Code]]:''' Red
:'''[[Encryption code|Encryption Code]]:''' Red
:'''Public Key:''' file/ First light/
:'''Public Key:''' file/ First light/
:'''From:''' [[UNSC]]/[[NAVCOM]] Fleet [[H.T. Ward]]
:'''From:''' UNSC/NAVCOM Fleet [[H.T. Ward]]
:'''To:''' ALL UNSC PERSONNEL
:'''To:''' ALL UNSC PERSONNEL
:'''Subject:''' General Order 098831A-1 ("The Cole Protocol")
:'''Subject:''' General Order 098831A-1 ("The Cole Protocol")
:'''[[Transmission Classification|Classification]]:''' RESTRICTED (BGX Directive)
:'''[[Transmission classification|Classification]]:''' RESTRICTED ([[BGX Directive]])


:'''The Cole Protocol'''
:'''The Cole Protocol'''
Line 24: Line 38:
:1. Activate selective purge of databases on all ship-based and planetary data networks.
:1. Activate selective purge of databases on all ship-based and planetary data networks.
:2. Initiate triple-screen check to ensure all data has been erased and all backups neutralized.
:2. Initiate triple-screen check to ensure all data has been erased and all backups neutralized.
:3. Execute [[Viral Data Scavengers|viral data scavengers]] (Download from [[UNSCTTP://EPWW:COLEPROTOCOL/Virtualscav/fbr.091]])
:3. Execute [[viral data scavengers]] (Download from [[UNSCTTP://EPWW:COLEPROTOCOL/Virtualscav/fbr.091]])
:4. If retreating from Covenant forces, all ships must enter [[Slipspace|Slipstream]] space with randomized vectors NOT directed toward Earth, the Inner Colonies, or any other human population center.
:4. If retreating from Covenant forces, all ships must enter Slipstream space with randomized vectors NOT directed toward Earth, the Inner Colonies, or any other human population center.<ref group="note">Following the [[Fall of Reach]], [[Wagner|Lieutenant Wagner]] defied Article 4, initiating a slipspace jump straight to Earth in order to warn HIGHCOM of Reach's fate as quickly as possible. No punitive action was taken against him.</ref>
:5. In case of imminent capture by Covenant forces and boarders, all UNSC ships '''MUST''' self-destruct.
:5. In case of imminent capture by Covenant forces and boarders, all UNSC ships '''MUST''' self-destruct.
:Violation of this directive will be considered an act of TREASON and pursuant to UNSC Military law articles [[JAG 845-P]] and [[JAG 7556-L]], such violations are punishable by life imprisonment or execution.
:Violation of this directive will be considered an act of TREASON and pursuant to UNSC Military law articles [[JAG 845-P]] and [[JAG 7556-L]], such violations are punishable by life imprisonment or execution.
''*It should be noted that [[Lieutenant Wagner]] broke Article 4, but no action was taken against him as it warned Earth about the state of Reach sooner.''


===Article 2===
===Article 2===
<blockquote>''Destruction or capture of a shipboard AI is absolutely unacceptable.''</blockquote>


This article is never directly stated, though [[Captain Keyes]] uses it in Halo: Combat Evolved while his ship is crashing on [[Installation 04]]. Captain Keyes says, "I'm initiating the Cole Protocol, Article 2. We're abandoning the ''[[UNSC Pillar of Autumn|Autumn]]''. That means you, too, [[Cortana]]." Later saying, "Destruction or capture of a shipboard AI is absolutely unacceptable."<ref>'''[[Halo: The Flood]]''', ''page 25''</ref>
Article 2 mandates the procedure for erasing a ship's data, primarily navigation data, as well as all backups, in case of potential compromise by the Covenant. In such situations, a ship-board [[artificial intelligence]] must be secured; if extraction is not possible, the AI must be purged. It is possible that Article 2 also governs protocol in terms of abandoning a vessel.
 
It is possible that Article 2 governs protocol in terms of abandoning a vessel. Article 2 could be theorized to mandate the removal, not destruction, of a shipboard AI if the ship in question will still be intact and its crew is able to protect the AI in question. This does seem to contradict Article 5 of the Cole Protocol, which states that ships in danger of being overtaken by Covenant forces must self-destruct.
 
This could also imply that Article 2 directs personnel, or at least those with sensitive information, to avoid capture. Whilst it is not apparent to what lengths UNSC personnel are to go to ensure this, apparently in the case of [[Artificial intelligence|AI]]s the worst case scenario only allows them to be hidden rather than terminated. Strangely, in ''[[Halo: First Strike]]'' there does not seem to be any attempt to recover any potentially surviving AIs. In any case, preserving Cortana proved to be inextricably linked to the survival of the crew of the Pillar of Autumn and the success of its mission.


===Subsection 7===
===Subsection 7===
<blockquote>''No captured Covenant craft may be taken to human controlled space without an exhaustive search for tracking systems that could lead the Covenant to Human bases.''</blockquote>
<blockquote>''No captured Covenant craft may be taken to human controlled space without an exhaustive search for tracking systems that could lead the Covenant to Human bases.''</blockquote>


Few had even heard of Subsection Seven because it was little more than a technicality before ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' was captured by [[John-117]] and his team. This was due to the chances of capturing even a severely crippled Covenant ship were minuscule, as the ship's crew would usually activate their self-destruct function before the completion of such attempts. Because ''Ascendant Justice'' could not be thoroughly searched, [[John-117]] and [[Lieutenant (UNSC)|LT]] [[Elias Haverson]] instead planned to take the ship to Reach (a world already known to the Covenant) and try to return with a more prepared team.<ref>'''[[Halo: First Strike]]''', ''pages 93-94''</ref>
Subsection 7 dictates that captured Covenant matériel and ships may not be taken back to human-controlled space due to concerns that they might contain tracking devices; as such, it is likely part of Article 4. Bringing a Covenant weapon back to any UNSC installation or Inner Colony is considered an act of treason.<ref>'''Halo: The Cole Protocol''', ''page 99''</ref> [[SPARTAN-III Program|SPARTAN]] [[Emile-A239]] possessed a large collection of contraband Covenant equipment which he acquired in the field. While possessing this matériel was a gross violation of Subsection 7, his superior, [[UNSC Army]] [[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]], refused to report the Spartan; Holland claimed that the Army does not need to follow Navy protocol. The SPARTAN-IIs had standing orders from the [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] to seize Covenant weapons and technology whenever possible.<ref>'''Halo: The Fall of Reach''', ''page 192''</ref>


This rule also encompassed Covenant weapons and equipment. As the Covenant have been known to plant tracking devices on materials to learn their origin (e.g. the {{UNSCShip|Iroquois}}), this would be considered a violation of this law. Bringing a Covenant weapon back to any UNSC installation or Inner Colony was considered an act of treason.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''', ''page 99''</ref>.  [[Emile-A239]]'s impressive collection of Covenant equipment captured after battle was also in violation of this rule. It should also be noted that [[UNSC Army]] [[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]] was against reporting Emile for this offense, claiming that the Army does not need to follow Naval laws. Also, SPARTAN-IIs had standing orders from ONI to seize Covenant weapons and technology whenever possible.<ref>'''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]''', ''page 192''</ref>
Few have even heard of Subsection 7; it was little more than a technicality before ''[[Ascendant Justice]]'' was captured by SPARTAN [[John-117]] and his team soon after the [[Battle of Installation 04]]. This was due to the chances of capturing even a severely crippled Covenant ship being minuscule, as the ship's crew would usually activate their self-destruct function before the completion of such attempts. Because ''Ascendant Justice'' could not be thoroughly searched, John-117 and ONI [[Lieutenant]] [[Elias Haverson]] instead planned to take the ship to Reach, which had already been compromised by the Covenant, and then try to return with a better prepared team.<ref>'''Halo: First Strike''', ''pages 93-94''</ref>
 
==Usage==
The Cole Protocol's core aim was to prevent the Covenant from locating the precise vectors of Earth or any of the other remaining UNSC colonies. As such, its usage is universal - from warships, to freighters, to even stationary space stations in inertial orbit. For structures that are incapable of leading Covenant forces to a colony, the purging of their navigational data banks is still mandatory, and self-destruct options exist to prevent the capture of any remaining data or crew.
 
==Hypodermic-FXT-J==
[[File:Genesis1.jpg|thumb|250px|Preston Cole writing up Hypodermic-FXT-J.]]
 
Hypodermic-FXT-J contained the basic instructions set in the final draft of the first articles of the Cole Protocol.<ref name="HWG"/> In it, the report contained:
 
[[Admiral]] [[Margaret O. Parangosky|Parangosky]] /[[Office of Naval Intelligence]]/Routing Sequence: Hypodermic-FXT-J<br />
'''CODE NAME CLASSIFIED: Pied Piper'''<br />
(Continued from previous page)...
 
Based on the data revealed by the alien, these new protocols must be immediately implemented:
#All UNSC and civilian which come in contact with alien assets must have NAV computer/AI erased--destroyed if necessary--to prevent capture of core world locations.
#ALL Human vessels fleeing from alien forces must do so on a randomly generated vector away from UNSC core world locations.
#ONI Section II to immediately begin Slipstream space attenuated broadcast of pre-recorded human carrier signals from antiquity to prevent triangulation of [[Earth]].<ref>'''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''', ''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]'', ''page 468''</ref>
 
==Trivia==
*[[SPARTAN-III Program|SPARTAN]] [[Emile-A239]] possessed a large collection of Covenant contraband. Although his superior, [[Colonel]] [[Urban Holland]], noted that the collection was in direct violation of the Cole Protocol's Subsection Seven, the latter ignored it on the basis of being part of the [[UNSC Army|Army]].<ref>[http://www.bungie.net/projects/reach/article.aspx?ucc=personnel&cid=24523 '''Bungie.net''' - ''Halo: Reach project page, Emile-239's profile'']</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
Line 75: Line 62:
File:Cole.jpg|Admiral Preston Cole, creator of his titular protocol.
File:Cole.jpg|Admiral Preston Cole, creator of his titular protocol.
File:ColesInterrogationAtGreatBear.png|The interrogation that inspired the Cole Protocol.
File:ColesInterrogationAtGreatBear.png|The interrogation that inspired the Cole Protocol.
File:ColeWritingProtocol.png|Preston Cole writing ''Hypodermic'', the progenitor of the Cole Protocol.
File:ColeWritingProtocol.png|Preston Cole writing Hypodermic-FXT-J, the progenitor of the Cole Protocol.
</gallery>
</gallery>
==List of appearances==
*''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]''
*''[[Halo: The Fall of Reach]]'' {{1st}}
*''[[Halo: The Flood]]''
*''[[Halo: First Strike]]''
*''[[Halo: The Cole Protocol]]''
*''[[Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe]]''
**''[[The Mona Lisa]]'' {{Mo}}
**''[[The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole]]''
*''[[Halo Wars: Genesis]]'' {{C|As Hypodermic-FXT-J}}
*''[[Halo Legends]]''
**''[[Prototype]]'' {{Mo}}


==Sources==
==Sources==

Revision as of 10:42, June 23, 2011

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 This article does not have enough inline citations and/or does not adhere to the proper citation format. You can help Halopedia by adding citations.
Are you looking for Halo: The Cole Protocol, the sixth Halo novel?

"It would take years to ram this down the throats of the politicians, but as far as my battle group was concerned it was law."
— Admiral Cole on his first draft of the Cole Protocol.[1]

Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1, also called General Order 098831A-1 and known commonly as the Cole Protocol, was a command enacted by Admiral Preston Cole to prevent the Covenant from finding the location of Earth or any of the other Inner Colonies. In practice, it was intended to prevent Covenant's retrieval of data that contained the location of Earth; it forbade retreating vessels from setting a direct slipspace course toward any human population center, as the Covenant were able to track slipspace travel vectors and calculate the evacuating ship's destination. The policy also stated that to prevent capture, any UNSC or civilian vessel, in the event of an emergency evacuation, was to self-destruct, after wiping all data matrices, to prevent the advance of the Covenant.

All UNSC personnel were commanded to read the Cole Protocol each day "by the letter" under an emergency transmission issued by the UNSC Naval Command. The Cole Protocol ensured that in nearly twenty-seven years of interstellar warfare, the Covenant never discovered the human presence on Earth, and only found other population centers either by accident,by tracking devices left aboard ships,[2] or by the presence of Forerunner artifacts.[3] Unfortunately, the Cole Protocol ceased to be effective when, on October 20, 2552, Covenant forces invaded Earth; however, the protocol presumably remained in effect for the other remaining Inner Colonies.

Hypodermic-FXT-J

File:Genesis1.jpg
Preston Cole writing Hypodermic-FXT-J.

Hypodermic-FXT-J contained the basic instructions set in the final draft of the first articles of the Cole Protocol.[1] The report's contents are as follows:

Admiral Parangosky/Office of Naval Intelligence/Routing Sequence: Hypodermic-FXT-J
CODE NAME CLASSIFIED: Pied Piper
(Continued from previous page)...

Based on the data revealed by the alien, these new protocols must be immediately implemented:

  1. All UNSC and civilian which come in contact with alien assets must have NAV computer/AI erased--destroyed if necessary--to prevent capture of core world locations.
  2. ALL Human vessels fleeing from alien forces must do so on a randomly generated vector away from UNSC core world locations.
  3. ONI Section II to immediately begin Slipstream space attenuated broadcast of pre-recorded human carrier signals from antiquity to prevent triangulation of Earth.[4]

The protocol

Article 1

United Nations Space Command Emergency Priority Order 098831A-1
Encryption Code: Red
Public Key: file/ First light/
From: UNSC/NAVCOM Fleet H.T. Ward
To: ALL UNSC PERSONNEL
Subject: General Order 098831A-1 ("The Cole Protocol")
Classification: RESTRICTED (BGX Directive)
The Cole Protocol
To safeguard and protect the Inner Colonies and Earth, all UNSC vessels or stations must not be captured with intact navigation databases that may lead Covenant forces to human civilian population centers.
If any Covenant forces are detected:
1. Activate selective purge of databases on all ship-based and planetary data networks.
2. Initiate triple-screen check to ensure all data has been erased and all backups neutralized.
3. Execute viral data scavengers (Download from UNSCTTP://EPWW:COLEPROTOCOL/Virtualscav/fbr.091)
4. If retreating from Covenant forces, all ships must enter Slipstream space with randomized vectors NOT directed toward Earth, the Inner Colonies, or any other human population center.[note 1]
5. In case of imminent capture by Covenant forces and boarders, all UNSC ships MUST self-destruct.
Violation of this directive will be considered an act of TREASON and pursuant to UNSC Military law articles JAG 845-P and JAG 7556-L, such violations are punishable by life imprisonment or execution.

Article 2

Destruction or capture of a shipboard AI is absolutely unacceptable.

Article 2 mandates the procedure for erasing a ship's data, primarily navigation data, as well as all backups, in case of potential compromise by the Covenant. In such situations, a ship-board artificial intelligence must be secured; if extraction is not possible, the AI must be purged. It is possible that Article 2 also governs protocol in terms of abandoning a vessel.

Subsection 7

No captured Covenant craft may be taken to human controlled space without an exhaustive search for tracking systems that could lead the Covenant to Human bases.

Subsection 7 dictates that captured Covenant matériel and ships may not be taken back to human-controlled space due to concerns that they might contain tracking devices; as such, it is likely part of Article 4. Bringing a Covenant weapon back to any UNSC installation or Inner Colony is considered an act of treason.[5] SPARTAN Emile-A239 possessed a large collection of contraband Covenant equipment which he acquired in the field. While possessing this matériel was a gross violation of Subsection 7, his superior, UNSC Army Colonel Urban Holland, refused to report the Spartan; Holland claimed that the Army does not need to follow Navy protocol. The SPARTAN-IIs had standing orders from the Office of Naval Intelligence to seize Covenant weapons and technology whenever possible.[6]

Few have even heard of Subsection 7; it was little more than a technicality before Ascendant Justice was captured by SPARTAN John-117 and his team soon after the Battle of Installation 04. This was due to the chances of capturing even a severely crippled Covenant ship being minuscule, as the ship's crew would usually activate their self-destruct function before the completion of such attempts. Because Ascendant Justice could not be thoroughly searched, John-117 and ONI Lieutenant Elias Haverson instead planned to take the ship to Reach, which had already been compromised by the Covenant, and then try to return with a better prepared team.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ Following the Fall of Reach, Lieutenant Wagner defied Article 4, initiating a slipspace jump straight to Earth in order to warn HIGHCOM of Reach's fate as quickly as possible. No punitive action was taken against him.

Gallery

  • Cole.jpg

    Admiral Preston Cole, creator of his titular protocol.

  • ColesInterrogationAtGreatBear.png

    The interrogation that inspired the Cole Protocol.

  • ColeWritingProtocol.png

    Preston Cole writing Hypodermic-FXT-J, the progenitor of the Cole Protocol.

List of appearances

Sources

  1. ^ a b Halo Wars: Genesis, page 8
  2. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page ???
  3. ^ Halo: First Strike, page ???
  4. ^ Halo: Evolutions - The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole, page 468
  5. ^ Halo: The Cole Protocol, page 99
  6. ^ Halo: The Fall of Reach, page 192
  7. ^ Halo: First Strike, pages 93-94
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