Cole's personal log

Cole's personal log was an audio record kept by Vice Admiral Preston J. Cole of his private thoughts and musings. The log's files included Cole's recollections of his involvement in important events such as the Callisto Incident and the early naval campaigns of the Human-Covenant War. Cole began the log sometime before 2541 and made his last entry in February 2543.

An excerpt of and several quotes from Cole's personal log were included in the report Historical/Psychological Analysis of Cole, Preston J., sent by Codename: SURGEON to Codename: USUAL SUSPECTS in 2552. SURGEON cited one of these recordings as evidence that Cole "had reached the nadir of his spirits" by the time of the Battle of Psi Serpentis, suggesting this as evidence of conditions which might have prompted Cole to consider defecting from the UNSC.

Contents

Unknown date

In the report, SURGEON quotes Cole from an unspecified entry on the "Callisto Incident" of 2494, recorded sometime after the fact. Evaluating the tactics he used to force the surrender of the Insurrectionist-controlled UNSC Callisto, Cole noted that because of his violation of Common Space Law he could no longer plausibly send distress signals while in enemy territory: "No one would believe it. Surrender, quite literally, is no longer an option for me."

June 27, 2541

The audio recording of the log entry for this date was included in the report by SURGEON. It may be transcribed as follows:

Personal log (audio), Vice Admiral Preston Cole, Commanding Officer UNSC Everest \ June 27, 2541 (Military Calendar)

Tonight a bottle of Capellan Vodka and I reviewed some of the old battles.

The Origami Asteroid Field in 2526 - My fleet of one hundred seventeen UNSC ships of the line fought twelve Covenant vessels. We won that at the cost of thirty-seven ships.

Xo Boötis in 2528 - Seventy ships versus eight Covenant. Another "victory." That time I lost thirty ships.

Groombridge 2530 - Seventeen against three. We lost eleven destroyers. Still a win.

Leonis Minoris in 2537 - only ten UNSC ships lost, but the Covenant glassed the other two colonies in the system. God - I couldn't save them all; I had to make the choice.

Another twenty-three engagements (or was it twenty-four... does Alpha Cephei count?) like those over the past ten years... or is it fifteen? So much travel in slipspace. So much subjective time lost to damnable Heisenberg uncertainties and in cryosleep.

It's killing me... although I seem to have somehow, technically, lived through it all.

They told me to fight, and that's what I've done. Let historians sort through the wreckage, bodies, and broken lives to figure out the rest.

Yet, how many men and women have I had to watch die? How many would have perished on colony worlds if not for their sacrifice? I look into space and no longer see wonder and stars and the endless possibilities that I did when I was a cadet. I see nothing but a cold death.

I hope CENTCOM can see farther than I do and planned for all contingencies: including not winning this war.

If the unthinkable happens - Earth and her colonies reduced to ash as promised by that Covenant Elite - where can humanity escape to? Perhaps there are already plans in motion: a colony vessel en route to some distant world where we can start over.

So this sacrifice we endure has purpose.

List of appearances

• Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe
  • The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole (First appearance)