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CONNECTIVITY

Theirs is a connection,

deeper than circuitry

Beyond that of man and machine

deeper still; the electric flash of synapse

It is bound in destiny; fortified in trust

deeper than blood

greater than love

Theirs is a union

the ―Deoddess

the warrior and the intellect

Built for destruction

Created for war

To deliver peace; through force and fire

Against an enemy from beyond the stars

Advanced and devout

In their wake; only glass

and the echoed screa

Threatened by oblivion;

Tested by the promise of eternity

Yet they rest the vast cold of the universe proper

They journey forth, into the unknown

This princess, of light and reason

This weapon, of flesh and bone

THE IMPOSSIBLE LIFE AND

THE POSSIBLE DEATH OF

PRESTON J COLE

ERIC NYLUND

PLNB TRANSMISSIONXX08 7R-XX

ENCRYPTIONCODE: GAMMA-SHIFT-X-RAY

PUBLICKEY: N/A

FROM: CODENAME SURGEON

TO: CODENAME USUAL SUSPECTS

SUBJECT: HISTORICAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF

COLE, PRESTON J

CLASSIFICATION: EYES ONLY, CODE-WORD FALCON FORTY

TOP SECRET

SECURITYOVERRIDE: BLACK LEVEL-IV

GHOST SEVER FILE-TRANSFER PROTOCOL(EXACTION): TRUE

AI-TOUCH PROTOCOL(VERACITY): FALSE

/FILE EXTRACTION-RECONSTITUTION COMPLETE/

/START FILE/

The purpose of this analysis is to find the final resting place of Preston J Cole (UNSC Service Number: 00814-13094-BQ) for what I surical, and military conundrum the UNSC now faces with the post–Covenant War situation

Please spare me the plausible denials and ―need to knows" about the reason for requesting this analysis

I know

Otherwise, you wouldn‘t have askedplace even exists, or if the redoubtable Cole rests at all, is not a straightforward query, and I‘htforward as well

Even if you pierce the veil of propaganda and discount the vast number of Cole‘s victories, proineered dra morale--Preston Cole still has an unparalleled battle recordeven far and away reatest hero in

I shall add coical analysis, but these depend

primarily on the available interviews, orders, after-action reports--as well as audio, video, and AI-enhanced holographic bridge and battle logs

You‘ll forgiveand poetic about Preston Cole We knew hi the less-than-perfect od that we had come to depend upon

Cole would not approve of this report--only because he is the subject of the inquiry He at least would have understood and, also being a cunning bastard of a ist, he would do the saht, and that‘s what I‘ve done Let historians sort through the wreckage, bodies, and broken lives to figure out the rest"

Which is precisely what I intend to do

CODENAME: SURGEON

0900HOURS, DECEMBER 30, 2552 (MILITARY CALENDAR) \

UNSCPOINT OF NO R ETURN , SYNCHRONOUSLUNARORBIT

(FAR SIDE)

SECTION ONE: COLE’S EARLY LIFE (2470–2488 CE)

Preston Jeremiah Cole was born to Jennifer Francine Cole and Troy Henry Cole November 3, 2470, in the rural reconstituted township of Mark Twain, Missouri He was the third child of seven (three sisters and three brothers)

He was described as a precocious child who obeyed his parents, had wild black hair, dark brown eyes, and an unwavering stare that unnerved most teachers and classmates alike

His father was a dairy farround, and followed the Quaker faith with no particular zeal

His e of twenty-one for protesting taxes (released on one-year parole), and both her grandfathers served in the Rain Forest Wars (one surviving, received the Bronze Star--see attached report on Captain Oliver Franks)

Starting in 2310, exploration and colony ships were built, and the best and brightest people left the safety of the Earth to e" of colonial expansion from Earth Within 180 years, the e population and commerce centers such as Reach, while others would re outposts This collection of "close" worlds would later be called the Inner Colonies