The Cole Protocol

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 last novel under the contract with Tor Books and has been available to the public since November 25th, 2008.

"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, most 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."

Tropes used in The Cole Protocol include:

Action Girl: Adriana-111.
Asskicking Equals Authority/Authority Equals Asskicking: Sangheili/Elite society is meritocratic, meaning that those who perform great deeds (re: military success) advance in society. Kaidons (feudal lords) accept assassination attempts as tests of their ability to lead, for "a kaidon who cannot defend himself is incapable of leadership". Also, Keyes' actions in the Battle of the Rubble convince Admiral Cole that he's too good to lose, and skip promotes Keyes from Lieutenant to full Commander.
Badass Abnormal / One-Man Army / Super Soldier: The book has Spartans, natch.
Death From Above: Standard Covenant glassing, which is what inspires Keyes to use the asteroids of the Rubble as weapons against the Jackals and Grunts on Metisette.
Doomed Hometown: Madrigal, which the Rubble inhabitants are survivors of, was glassed by the Covenant in 2528.
Driven to Suicide: Jora, a Zealot, is crippled in a fight, so he decides to kill himself rather than live with the shame. Somewhat justified, as living would compel his keep to kill his nephews to prevent the "genetic proclivities of failure" from spreading to future generations.
Dysfunction Junction: To suggest that Prophets should disagree with each other is heresy to the Covenant. The Irony is lost on no one.
Fate Worse Than Death: After Saal, a Zealot, tortures Reth in defiance of orders, Thel 'Vadamee orders him to scar himself with the Mark of Disobedience, which Thel says is worse than death. He'll allow Saal to kill himself later before they destroy his body to prevent him from bringing shame on his keep.
Heroic BSOD/Villainous BSOD: Zhar, one of the Elite Zealots, begins to basically shut down after learning that the Prophet of Truth went behind the Prophet of Regret's back. He even tries to kill them when it appears that they're going to order his execution, when all he did was follow their commands.
Honor Before Reason: The Elites are portrayed as this to the eleven.
La Résistance: The Insurrectionists.
MacGuffin: The Cole Protocol.
Mad Lib Thriller Title: As seen above. Justified, though, as the Cole Protocol has been referenced since the earliest Halo works.
The Mole: Lieutenant Badia Campbell.
Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Elites, taken to wall banger levels.
- Reth, the Jackal leader, even says that the Elites are insane. Then again he comes from a race of space pirates...
Right Hand Versus Left Hand: The Prophets competing plans smash HEAD on.
The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Averted along with The Revolution Will Not Be Vilified. The Insurrectionists have arguably justified intentions, but their attempts to continue the war during the genocidal Covenant War is rather stupid.
- In the other books, it's quite uncivilized, though.
- Definitely uncivilized with the rioting on Charybdis IX, wherein numerous ONI operatives, pilot Jeffries, and Major Watanabe all lose their lives to the mob.
Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Peter Bonifacio is left to die when he fails to get the navigation data to Reth.
Smug Snake: Peter Bonifacio. Actually, all of the Insurrectionists seem to be this. Their myopic independence-based patriotism and condescending attitude can really grate.
- Conversely, this is how the Insurrectionists see the UNSC, apart from basically considering them to be fascists.
Space Marine: Spartans, as above, alongside the more Badass Normal ODSTs.
Space Pirates: The Jackals.
Villain Protagonist: Thel 'Vadamee, the future Arbiter. At this point he is still a loyal and zealous servant of the Prophets.
Warrior Poet: Veer, one of the Elite Zealots, spends raids looking for oddities on human ships for his war poems.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Veer. He disappears partway through the novel to pilot a Jackal shuttle (or something similar), then is never mentioned again.