Kmiro'sish-pattern Lich

This article is about the mainline Lich model. For the variant used by the Banished, see Banished Lich.

The Deployment Platform T-56 Ground Support/Ultra Heavy, colloquially known as the Lich, is a Covenant matériel deployment vessel manufactured by Achoem Weapons.^[1] In keeping with the naming scheme of most Covenant vehicles, the Lich is named after a supernatural being.

Overview

The Covenant's largest airborne deployment platform, the Lich boasts heavy armament and is capable of mass deployments of up to forty soldiers. Because of this, UNSC encounters with Liches have almost always resulted in total destruction of the UNSC ground forces, resulting in a lack of available information on the craft.^[1] Like smaller Covenant dropships, the Lich is spaceworthy. It is also capable of traveling through slipspace, though presumably it cannot do so under its own power. Its shielding, at the very least, is strong enough to endure the radiation of slipspace while following in Mantle's Approach's wake.^[2]^[3]

Similar to the Type-44 and Type-52 Phantom dropships, the Lich sports a gravity lift on its ventral surface. It likewise has two large bay doors on either side of the hull and Type-52 plasma cannons are stationed at each doorway. The Lich's main gun seems to be an ultra-heavy focus cannon like that of the Scarab. Part of the craft's power core is exposed on an aft pylon.^[4]

Identified Liches

Upright Chalice - Used on the attack against UNSC's Alpha Base.

Deployment history

Though the Covenant used the Lich during the Human-Covenant War, it remained rarely seen due to it usually being used by civilian and security roles.^[5] Moreover, the vehicle's great effectiveness often resulted in the annihilation of its human opponents. Thus, it remained poorly documented by the UNSC until the post-war period.^[6] Following the Great Schism the need for troop transports outweighed the supply.^[7]

Jul 'Mdama's Covenant deployed multiple Liches during their initial foray on the Forerunner shield world Requiem in July 2557. After the UNSC Infinity's Marine and Spartan complement disabled an array of Forerunner particle cannons, they were attacked by a Lich. The Lich quickly disabled a Mammoth's Magnetic Accelerator Cannon and dropped off troops supported by Phantoms dropping in Wraiths and Ghosts. Spartan John-117 and a team of SPARTAN-IVs boarded the craft and destroyed it by destroying its reactor, causing it to explode.^[4]

Later, when the Didact set course for Halo Installation 03, several Liches followed his vessel through slipspace. One of them was commandeered by SPARTAN-117 and his AI companion Cortana.^[2] Due to a rampant episode, Cortana allowed this Lich to crash into ONI's Ivanoff Station.^[8]

In February 2558, a Lich was deployed when Fireteam Crimson activated a signal in Apex. Crimson boarded the Lich and stole its power core in order to power up the Harvester. This caused the Lich to become unstable, destroying it.^[9]

On March 5, 2558, Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group attacked attacked the peace conference between the UNSC, the Swords of Sanghelios, and Jiralhanae Chieftain Lydus' pack. During the battle one of the mercenaries' Liches was destroyed by Spartan Sarah Palmer when she threw her helmet full of grenades into the Lich's gravity lift.^[10] By May 2558, a band of Kig-Yar pirates had collected numerous Liches in a black market base on Ven III.^[11]

On October 27th, the Swords of Sanghelios sent a Lich to rendezvous with UNSC Infinity in the Urs System. Fireteam Osiris used the ship to reach Sanghelios, and then inserted to Nuusra aboard a Phantom deployed by the Lich.^[12] Arbiter Thel 'Vadam used Liches among his aerial forces during his assault against Covenant forces in Sunaion, travelling aboard one with Osiris until it landed in the city.^[13]

By April 2559 the Banished utilized their own variants of the Lich as transports for their Outposts during the Second Ark Conflict.^[14] They were later employed by Pavium and Voridus following their release of the Flood from the ruins of High Charity.^[15]

Trivia

The Lich occupies a remarkably similar gameplay niche to the Scarab in previous games. The Lich is likewise encountered in the campaign and Spartan Ops as a "boss" enemy that must be boarded and destroyed via firing into its power core. Its weaponry, internal layout, and size are also somewhat reminiscent of the Scarab.
When the Lich is first encountered in the level Reclaimer, Commander Lasky refers to it as an "unidentified Covenant vehicle" despite the craft being cataloged in 2556, though it may refer to him not seeing the vehicle until it was in sight.

Gallery

Halo 4 Concept Art by Albert Ng 04b.jpg

Concept art of a control panel that later became the Lich's control panel in Halo 4.
Lich control panel in Halo 4.
A Lich flying through space toward Ivanoff Station in Halo 4.
A Lich firing at an M510 Mammoth.
The Lich's plasma cannon.
A Lich flying through Apex.
A Lich hovering in place at the Apex on Requiem.
A destroyed Lich at Line Installation 9-12.
The underside of the aforementioned Lich.
The Lich's power core.
A corridor on the Lich.
The control room of the Lich.
Closeup of the Lich's core.
A Lich being used by Vata 'Gajat's mercenary group during the Battle of Ealen IV in Halo: Escalation.
A Type-56 Lich is destroyed during the Battle of Ealen IV by Spartan Sarah Palmer.
Several T-56 Liches and T-44 Phantoms are destroyed by F-41 Broadswords during the Mission to Ven III.
A Swords of Sanghelios Type-56 Lich in Halo 2: Anniversary.
Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Spartan Jameson Locke, along with their respective teams, prepare to exit a T-56 Lich.
A Swords of Sanghelios Lich preparing the Battle of Sunaion.
A Swords of Sanghelios Lich during the Battle of Sunaion.
Upright Chalice, a Covenant Lich used in the Battle of Alpha Base.
The Covenant Lich Upright Chalice.