At some place and some time…
In tomorrow's uniform and ready for bed, a cup of chamomile tea on her desk and a detective novel in hand, Dawn jumped as Verdant's voice echoed out of nowhere. "Seeing as how you've been out of action for the better part of a generation, the Admiral thinks that you should catch yourself up on current equipment and doctrine."
"Wait wha-" was all Dawn could get out before a stack of books fell on her head. Well, more accurately, several gigabytes of data forcibly downloaded themselves into her memory banks, but the sensation was much the same as her knees buckled and she sat down heavily on her bunk. "That hurt! Fucking rude!"
"You'll thank me later. There's headache pills in the drawer and the tap water is drinkable. Oh, you have tea! I hear it activates the medication better." Verdant's abstract green avatar rippled in a gesture Dawn had learned was supposed to be a farewell. "I'd recommend the warships section first. Ta-ta!"
"You can be a real piece of work sometimes, you know that?" Rubbing her temples, Dawn set her book aside, begrudgingly manifested a datapad, located the ibuprofen, and opened her newly downloaded files to the warships section. "But she's right. I don't recognize half of these ships. Better get learned while theres time. Lets see… let's start right here…"
Ships — Warships — UNSC
Corvette — BLACKBIRD-class (Series: BLACKBIRD, VIPER, SHARK, WASP)
Length: 210 meters
Width: 75 meters
Height: 70 meters
Mass: 32.000 metric tons
Crew: 50-75
Main Propulsion: 2 x SinoViet/Boglin Mk II SL-5D
Armor Protection: 30 cm Composition-A4 plating, 6 cm Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 4 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 4 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 3 x Mk 2563/Mod V QR/AO Torpedo Launch System
Missile Armament: 10 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 14 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 4 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 4 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 6 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 14 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 2 x D 80-TC Pelican, 15 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example members: UNSC Blackbird, UNSC Asp, UNSC Hammerhead, UNSC Yellow Jacket
Note: Blackbird-class corvettes are not a ground-up unique design, but rather militarized versions of a common civilian and naval utility craft. The original pattern is designed to be skeletal and to accept upgrades and mission modules as needed. The Blackbird-class and associated series are equipped with modules designed for patrol, reconnaissance, and light skirmishing duties. Blackbird-class corvettes possess the highest thrust-mass ratio of all UNSC ships, and their outsize torpedo armament allows them to punch much higher than their weight class.
Frigate — SWORD-class (Series: SWORD, TOWN, STORM, GHOST)
Length: 515 meters
Width: 130 meters
Height: 160 meters
Mass: 1.5 million metric tons
Crew: 200-260
Main Propulsion: 3 x SinoViet/Boglin Mk II SL-5D
Armor Protection: 50 cm Composition-A4 belt, 12 cm Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 1 x 1 Series 8 Mk 6 Mod III, Light Coil, QF - 55618E MAC, 5 x Mk 2563/Mod V QR/AO Torpedo Launch System
Secondary Armament: 4 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 4 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 50 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 28 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 4 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 4 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 28 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 20 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 28 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 6 x F 49-AS Rapier, 4 x D 80-TC Pelican, 50 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example Members: UNSC Excalibur, UNSC San Francisco, UNSC Hurricane, UNSC Spectre
Note: Despite attempts to integrate the roles of frigates and destroyers, compromises between swift, heavily armed, independent raiders equally capable of taking the frontline or flanking the enemy (destroyers) and cheap, rapidly manufactured multipurpose fleet and ground support vessels (frigates) have generally been unsatisfactory. Thus, the Excalibur-class exists as a development of Strident-class frigates, cheaper, more heavily armed, and more maneuverable at the expense of a great deal of endurance and protection.
Note: In a waterless environment, the distinction between torpedoes and missiles is hazy at best, and many believe that torpedoes should be classified as superheavy missiles. The current convention is that a torpedo is a large, self-propelling, guided weapon which approaches under stealth and only accelerates when within ten thousand kilometers of its target, as opposed to a missile which typically sustains acceleration throughout its entire approach. In addition, torpedoes are large enough be fired from MACs in emergencies, though tubes are generally preferred to keep tactical options open. Each Mk 2563/Mod V Quick-Reload Adaptable-Ordnance Torpedo Launch System can store up to seven torpedoes ready for firing at a time.
Destroyer — CONSTELLATION-class (Series: CONSTELLATION, BATTLE, RAVAGER)
Length: 738 meters
Width: 210 meters
Height: 270 meters
Mass: 2.4 million metric tons
Crew: 370-430
Main Propulsion: 4 x SinoViet/Boglin Mk II SL-5D
Armor Protection: 1.1 m Composition-A4 belt, 20 cm Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 2 x 1 Series 8 Mk 6 Mod III, Light Coil, QF - 55618E MAC, 3 x Mk 2563/Mod V QR/AO Torpedo Launch System
Secondary Armament: 8 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 7 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 75 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 40 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 8 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 7 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 40 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 25 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 40 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 4 x F 49-AS Rapier, 2 x D 80-TC Pelican, 40 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example Members: UNSC Auriga, UNSC Stalingrad, UNSC Corsair, UNSC Marauder
Note: Constellation-class destroyers can be modified with stealth packages thanks to their sleek, heavily sloped, and faceted hulls, inspired by the lines of Halberd-class destroyers. They are favored by UNSC Special Forces who anticipate a need for heavy firepower that Prowlers and corvettes cannot supply, but cannot rely on more experimental stealth vessels.
Refit Note: An emergency refit was ordered in the opening years of the Abyssal War due to reports that Series 8 Light Coil MACs were ineffective against Abyssal defenses. This lead to the addition of three torpedo launchers to the Constellation-class' main armament, as well as the development of MAC rounds with more efficient energy transfer characteristics which enabled a greater percentage of the round's kinetic energy to be delivered against enemy defenses, increasing power without necessitating complete rebuilds of main batteries.
Cruiser — Light — NELSON-Class (Series: NELSON, HERACLES)
Length: 1000 meters
Width: 290 meters
Height: 370 meters
Mass: 8.2 million metric tons
Crew: 370-430
Main Propulsion: 4 x SinoViet/Boglin Mk VI SL-10HF
Protection: 2.0 m Composition-A4 belt, 30 cm Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 2 x 1 Mk IX/B, Heavy Coil, RC/QF - 66913B MAC, 2 x Mk 2563/Mod V QR/AO Torpedo Launch System
Secondary Armament: 10 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 10 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 130 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 80 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 10 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 10 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 80 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 40 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 80 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 6 x F 49-AS Rapier, 2 x D 80-TC Pelican, 50 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example Members: UNSC Zhu Ge Liang, UNSC Hannibal Barca, UNSC Achilles, UNSC Cu Chulainn
Note: Nelson-class light cruisers were the first design to integrate expendable missile pods and energy weaponry with kinetic point defenses. This comprehensive point defense strategy, adopted in varying forms on all UNSC warships, is more effective at long ranges and at disrupting directed-energy weapons such as plasma torpedoes than traditional kinetic defenses, and in some cases has been used to actively mitigate the impact of energy projector-type ordnance.
Cruiser — Heavy — AUTUMN-Class (Series: AUTUMN, DAYBREAK, PIONEER)
Length: 1430 meters
Width: 380 meters
Height: 431 meters
Mass: 11.0 million metric tons
Crew: 700-900
Main Propulsion: 4 x SinoViet/Boglin Mk VI SL-10HF
Armor Protection: 3.2 m Composition-A4 belt, 45 cm Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 2 x 1 Mk IX/B, Heavy Coil, RC/QF - 66913B MAC, 1 x Lethbridge Mk III MF/G, QF E100-C Energy Projector
Secondary Armament: 14 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 14 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 260 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 160 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 14 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 14 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 160 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 80 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 160 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 15 x F 49-AS Rapier, 12 x D 80-TC Pelican, 120 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example Members: UNSC Hope Springs Eternal, UNSC Thy Will Be Done, UNSC Farewell at Twilight, UNSC First Through the Breach
Note: Honeycombing, extreme compartmentalization, and overlapping shield sectors give the Autumn-class its reputation for deceptive durability, hard-won in close quarters fleet actions. Designed around the principle that no armor short of molecularly reinforced and field-strengthened battleship plating can consistently deflect modern capital ordnance, the Autumn instead focuses on compartmentalizing the effects of inevitable kinetic and energy penetrations while maintaining sufficient passive protection against lighter, lower energy, and missile weaponry. Despite its age, the Autumn-class still plays a vital role in the fleet and is one of the most manufactured classes in human history.
Refit Note: Highly increased automation, implemented in the latter series of the class and retroactively fitted to the original, enabled a decrease in crew complement despite an increase in capabilities. The saved space was given over to increased point-defense and aerospace handling facilities, as well as additional internal bracing, enhancing the Autumn-class' fleet-support role and survivability while keeping its main armaments up to par.
Battleship — PANTHEON-Class (Series: PANTHEON)
Length: 3300 meters
Width: 600 meters
Height: 760 meters
Mass: 52 million metric tons
Crew: 4000-5200
Main Propulsion: 5 x Boglin X/Naoto C813-Mk X/III-SL
Armor Protection: 7.2 meter Composition-A4 belt, 1.5 m Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 4 x Series 10 Mk 4, Superheavy Coil, RC-OC/QF 68112-A MAC, 2 x Lethbridge Mk III MF/G, QF E100-C Energy Projector
Secondary Armament: 35 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 35 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 800 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 400 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 35 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 35 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 400 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 200 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 400 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 50 x F 49-AS Rapier, 9 x D 80-TC Pelican, 350 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example Members: UNSC Zeus, UNSC Odin, UNSC Horus, UNSC Shiva
Note: The immensely thick, molecularly reinforced and field-resonant armor, and powerful shielding of the Pantheon-class makes them the lightest UNSC warships capable of withstanding multiple strikes from a modernized Glory-class supercarrier's main energy projectors. The hard lessons of the Covenant War have resulted in deliberately over-engineered systems redundancy, multiple independent automated pathways, and complex internal bracing and compartmentalization, ensuring survival and function of vital systems even in the face of near complete structural failure and crew loss.
Note: Pantheon-class battleships are capable of recovering recoil energy from salvos to accelerate the reload of the next salvo, or of firing rounds one at a time in order to use recoil energy to overcharge the next round. Several treaties and UEG law forbid the use of overcharged rounds in planetary bombardment.
Carrier — Assault — DAUNTLESS-class (Series: DAUNTLESS, INVINCIBLE)
Length: 3000 meters
Width: 640 meters
Height: 690 meters
Mass: 41 million metric tons
Crew: 4000-8400
Main Propulsion: 4 x Boglin X/Naoto C813-Mk X/III-SL
Armor Protection: 3.0 meter Composition-A4 ablative belt (7.5 meter ventral), 80 cm Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 2 x Series 10 Mk 4, Superheavy Coil, RC-OC/QF 68112-A MAC, 1 x Lethbridge Mk III MF/G, QF E100-C Energy Projector
Secondary Armament: 30 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 30 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 480 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 250 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 30 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 30 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 250 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 200 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 250 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 350 x F 49-S Rapier, 150 x S 10-A Claymore, 100 x D 80-TC Pelican, 3000 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example Members: UNSC Daring, UNSC Audacious UNSC Indomitable, UNSC Implacable
Note: Dauntless-class assault carriers are the largest UNSC warships capable of in-atmosphere operations and are designed to provide long-duration close support to ground forces. They have reinforced ventral armor belts and shields, and a majority of their secondary armaments are biased towards a ventral firing arc and contained in more heavily armored mounts. A Dauntless-class' presence over a battlefield provides a nearly invincible obstacle to enemy ground deployment and air power, as well as a base of supply and an artillery platform.
Carrier — Fleet — ENTERPRISE-class (Series: ENTERPRISE)
Length: 4600 meters
Width: 720 meters
Height: 750 meters
Mass: 96 million metric tons
Crew: 5600-8500
Main Propulsion: 5 x Boglin X/Naoto C813-Mk X/III-SL
Armor Protection: 3.1 meter Composition-A4 ablative belt, 65 cm Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 2 x Series 10 Mk 4, Superheavy Coil, RC-OC/QF 68112-A MAC, 2 x Lethbridge Mk III MF/G, QF E100-C Energy Projector
Secondary Armament: 20 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 20 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 600 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 400 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 20 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 20 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 400 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 250 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 400 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 800 x F 49-AS Rapier, 700 x S 10-A Claymore, 8500 x F990-UASV Sentinel
Example Members: UNSC Enterprise, UNSC Constitution, UNSC Dreadnought, UNSC Victory
Note: The advanced Forerunner-derived slip space drives mounted on Enterprise-class carriers are equally capable of generating standard portals for ship transition or numerous micro ruptures to facilitate aerospace strikes. Alternating launch and recovery decks allow for constant, near simultaneous deployment, recovery, and servicing of an enormous aerospace complement, while its 'tuning fork' shape preserves the structural integrity and protection of mission critical components. This class is also fitted with automated facilities to service up to two cruiser-size vessels at once, providing redundancy for dedicated mobile refit facilities.
Note: Rapier aerospace superiority fighters and Claymore bombers come standard-kitted with a drone operations suite capable of coordinating up to five F990 unmanned aerospace superiority vehicles with ease. In essence, this allows each fighter or bomber to become its own squadron, each manned craft supporting and supported by a swarm of robotic strike fighters. F990 UASVs also carry advanced network software and superluminal communications equipment which allows the formation of massive gestalt combat intelligences capable of coordinating fleet-wide aerospace operations in conjunction with human pilots and flight control personnel, enhancing tactical capabilities far in excess of what a simple arithmetic progression would allow.
Carrier — Super — INFINITY-class
Length: 5700 meters
Width: 833.3 meters
Height: 1041.2 meters
Mass: 971 million metric tons
Crew: 10500-13600
Main Propulsion: 3 x XR2 Boglin Fields: S81/X-DFR
Armor Protection: 6.7 meter Composition-A4 ablative belt, 1.0 m Composition-A4 structural plate
Main Armament: 4 x CR-03C Series 10 Mk 4, Superheavy Coil, RC-OC/QF 68112-A MAC, 3 x Lethbridge Mk III MF/G, QF E100-C Energy Projector
Secondary Armament: 45 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 40 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance
Missile Armament: 1300 x 40 M96 Mk III RGM Howler, 850 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Point Defense Armament: 45 x 2 Mk 2564/25 cm QF Coilgun, 40 x Mk 2567 QF Plasma Lance, 850 x 2 Mk 57/III Arena Point Defense Gun, 400 x Mk 13/II Firefly Pulse Laser Array, 850 x 40 M73 Mk IV RPM Dart
Aerospace Complement: 400 x F 49-AS Rapier, 250 x S 10-A Claymore, 3000 x F990-UASV Sentinel, 200 x D 80-TC Pelican
Independent Fleet Complement: 16 x Corvette or 8 x Frigate
Example Members: UNSC Infinity, UNSC Eternity, UNSC Light of Sol
Note: The Infinity-class' secondary armament may seem deceptively light for a vessel of its size, with only 130 barrels in its long range secondary suite. However, like all other UNSC vessels, the point defense armament may be easily repurposed as supplementary secondary armaments. Though point defense guns, pulse lasers, and micromissiles are ineffective against capital ships, the sheer volume of fire they output can gouge away at armor plating and rip through exposed modules like sensors and opposing point defense suites. The exact data are classified, but sustained fire by current point defense shells is known to penetrate the improvised armor plating commonly seen on Insurrectionist warships.
Note: Infinity-class vessels are classified as strategic assets, on the level of fleets, rather than tactical assets on the level of other warships, reflecting the immense levels of firepower and survivability they wield — nearly equal to that of a small fleet. While this emphasizes their importance, expense, and prevents haphazard deployment, it does tend to limit their ability to flex their unquestionable power where it is most needed. In general, they act as anchor points for entire sector offensive and defensive operations, locking down vital systems and strategic points as forces are built up. Controversy surrounding their designation continues. Their deployments are typically public knowledge, as a means of morale boosting. Infinity is currently deployed to the Inner Colony Front, Eternity is deployed to the Outer Colony Front, and Light of Sol is deployed to the Imperial Front.