Syfon-pattern assault carrier

Syfon-pattern
Class attributes
Identification:	UNSC Three-letter code: CAS
Operators:	Covenant; The Banished;
In service:	Third Age of Discovery - present
General characteristics
Type:	Examiner; Assault carrier;
Length:	5,346 meters (17,541 ft)
Mass:	2.1 billion tonnes
Power plant:	Pinch fusion reactor
Maneuver drive:	Repulsor engine
Slipspace drive:	Borer
Hull:	Nanolaminate hull plating
Shielding:	Energy shielding
Armaments:	1× Infernus-pattern superheavy excavation beam; 2× Urpeon-pattern superheavy plasma lances; 8× Luxor-pattern heavy plasma beam emitters; 24× Mictix-pattern heavy plasma torpedo silos; 700× Ferriel-pattern pulse lasers;

The Syfon-pattern assault carrier (UNSC three-letter classification: CAS-class assault carrier) is a design pattern variation of assault carrier employed by the naval forces of the Covenant.^[2] The Syfon served the Covenant (and continues to serve its remnants) as a commonly-employed configuration of the design, complementing the much rarer Kerel-pattern assault carriers which could only be constructed with explicit Hierarch approval.^[4]

Overview

Design details

Syfon-pattern vessels can be most easily distinguished from their Kerel-pattern counterparts by their more segmented hull plating. Of particular note, the Syfon-pattern features numerous skyscraper-like protrusions extending from the dorsal surfaces of the ship, where the Kerel has an extremely consistently smooth hull covering. The Syfon is a commonly-seen variation of the assault carrier design.^[4]

Syfon-pattern assault carriers can also carry large nature preserves on board, similar to those housed on Mjern-pattern agricultural support ships. One such example was used by the Prophet of Regret aboard Solemn Penance as a place to carry out his official duties.^[5]

Power and propulsion

Syfon-pattern carriers are powered by a large deuterium-tritium pinch fusion reactor housed in the central mass of the ship, inside a large and cavernous space.^[3]

Armaments

The Syfon boasts an identical armament loadout to its Kerel counterpart. Its primary weapon is an Infernus-pattern excavation beam, with an additional two Urpeon-pattern plasma lances for heavy anti-ship work. The class is additionally fitted with eight Luxor-pattern heavy plasma beam emitters and twenty-four Mictix-pattern heavy plasma torpedo silos, alongside an array of 700 Ferriel-pattern pulse laser turrets.^[2]

Ships of the line

Day of Jubilation - Served in the Fleet of Sacred Consecration during the Battle for Earth, and was destroyed in the opening hours by John-117.^[3]
Enduring Conviction - Served in the Fleet of Recalcitrant Ire, before going on to join the Banished. Destroyed over Installation 00 during the Second Ark Conflict.
Solemn Penance - Served in the Fleet of Sacred Consecration as the personal flagship of the Prophet of Regret.

Operational history

Syfon-pattern carriers came into service during the Third Age of Discovery.^[2] They served the Covenant as a more common pattern of assault carrier until the empire's end in 2552. The twin Syfons Day of Jubilation and Solemn Penance - the latter personally commanded by the Prophet of Regret - led the Fleet of Sacred Consecration in a campaign to glass dozens of human colony worlds during the Human-Covenant War, and were ultimately the ones responsible for beginning the Covenant attack on Earth in October 2552.^[1] Day of Jubilation was destroyed in the opening actions of the campaign, and Solemn Penance was forced to flee the engagement, ultimately escaping to Installation 05 and beginning the Battle of Installation 05.^[6]^[7]

Following the Covenant's collapse, at least one Syfon-pattern, Enduring Conviction, fell into the hands of the Banished. Conviction was persuaded to abandon the Fleet of Recalcitrant Ire and ultimately served Atriox as the flagship for the force brought to Installation 00 in late 2558. Months later, the ship would be destroyed thanks to actions by the UNSC Spirit of Fire.^[8]^[9]

In-game information

Halo: Fleet Battles

Covenant Assault Carrier (Fore Section)		Capital Ship, Massive (750 PTS)
		Movement	5"	Systems Loadout
		Damage Track	10 • 8 • 7	Glide (3) Labyrinthine Point Defence (7) Defence Array (8)
		Build Rating	5
		Hangars	3
		Boarding Craft	3
		Security Detail	6
Primary Weapon	Range	Weapon Loadouts	Arc	Dice
Plasma Lance	20/40"	Plasma	Forward or Port + Starboard	20
(OR) Plasma Beam	12/-"	Beam/ Plasma	Forward or Port + Starboard	15/15/15
Secondary Weapon	Range	Weapon Loadouts	Arc	Dice
Plasma Torpedoes	12/24"	Missiles/Plasma	Forward	10

Covenant Assault Carrier (Mid Section)		Capital Ship, Massive
		Movement	5"	Systems Loadout
		Damage Track	11 • 10 • 5	Carrier Action (3) Defence Array (9) Glide (3) Labyrinthine Point Defence (8)
		Build Rating	6
		Hangars	10
		Boarding Craft	5
		Security Detail	8
Primary Weapon	Range	Weapon Loadouts	Arc	Dice
Plasma Cannon Arrays	10/20"	Plasma	Port + Starboard	15
Secondary Weapon	Range	Weapon Loadouts	Arc	Dice
Plasma Torpedoes	12/24"	Missiles/Plasma	Port + Starboard	16

Covenant Assault Carrier (Aft Section)		Capital Ship, Massive
		Movement	5"	Systems Loadout
		Damage Track	10 • 8 • 7	Defence Array (8) Glide (3) Labyrinthine Point Defence (7)
		Build Rating	5
		Hangars	2
		Boarding Craft	2
		Security Detail	6
Primary Weapon	Range	Weapon Loadouts	Arc	Dice
Plasma Cannon Arrays	10/20"	Plasma	Aft	15
Secondary Weapon	Range	Weapon Loadouts	Arc	Dice
Plasma Torpedoes	12/24"	Missiles/Plasma	Aft	16

Special Rules

Cathedral of the Faithful: Each Section on a CAS can replace ONE of its listed Boarding Craft with a Zealot for NO POINTS! This bonus is in addition to the standard number of Zealots available to a Fleet.
Seraph Hosts: All Seraph Interceptor Wings launched by a CAS increase their maximum size to 6 rather than the normal 5.
Limited Resources: All CAS exist as individual Battle Groups and are not required to follow the standard rules for Battle Group creation. Whilst they are not Specialist Battle Groups, they are restricted by the size of the Fleet they are attached to. Therefore a single CAS can be included in a Fleet for every FULL 1250 Points being played.

Production notes

Syfon-pattern assault carriers were first introduced into the series as the assault carrier design featured in Halo 2: Anniversary, serving as the canon designs for the ships featured in that game. They were later heavily featured in the Fleet Battles tabletop game and the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition). Various alternate depictions, such as the Terminals or Halo: Spartan Strike cutscenes produced by Sequence, have depicted the ship in its original Kerel design - though these are considered artistic license.

Gallery

The dorsal energy projector of a Syfon-pattern assault carrier in the Halo: The Master Chief Collection announcement trailer.
An assault carrier's energy projector piercing the hull of a Marathon-class heavy cruiser in Halo 2: Anniversary.
Solemn Penance performs an in-atmosphere slipspace jump on Earth.
The Solemn Penance exiting slipspace.
A detailed view of a Syfon-pattern assault carrier's underside as it files past Cairo Station during the Battle for Earth.
Two Syfon-pattern assault carriers battle the UNSC Home Fleet during the disastrous initial assault of the Battle for Earth.
The internal pinch fusion reactor of an assault carrier in Halo 2: Anniversary.
A Syfon-pattern assault carrier holds position above the great city of High Charity alongside several Ket-pattern battlecruisers.
Several Syfon-pattern assault carriers close in on High Charity to join the battle above Installation 05.
A Syfon-pattern assault carrier leading a fleet in Halo: Fleet Battles.
A Syfon-pattern assault carrier and Ceudar-pattern heavy corvette.
A Syfon-pattern assault carrier to scale with other Covenant and UNSC vessels, outmassed only by the brigantine and the UNSC Infinity.
The crashed assault carrier Enduring Conviction on Installation 00 in Know Your Enemy.
Halo Wars 3 pitch artwork depicting a Marathon-class cruiser facing down a CAS-class carrier.
The Syfon model in Fleet Battles.

List of appearances

Halo 2: Anniversary (First appearance)
Halo: Fleet Battles
Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo
Halo: Rise of Atriox
Halo Wars 2

Sources

^ ^a ^b ^c Spartan Games, Covenant Assault Carrier (CAS) (Retrieved on Apr 20, 2021) [archive]
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 262
^ ^a ^b ^c Halo 2, campaign level Cairo Station
^ ^a ^b Halo: Warfleet, page 70-71: "The smooth hull and distinctive rear cowling marks the Shadow of Intent as a Kerel-pattern assault carrier, a rare Hierarch-approved variant of the more common Syfon configuration"
^ Halo 2: Anniversary, Terminal 14
^ Halo 2, campaign level Metropolis
^ Halo 2, campaign level Delta Halo
^ Halo Wars 2, campaign level The Foundry
^ Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 461

[Spartan-1] Spartan Games, Covenant Assault Carrier (CAS) (Retrieved on Apr 20, 2021) [archive]

[Enc22-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 262

[H2Cairo-3] Halo 2, campaign level Cairo Station

[WF-4] Halo: Warfleet, page 70-71: "The smooth hull and distinctive rear cowling marks the Shadow of Intent as a Kerel-pattern assault carrier, a rare Hierarch-approved variant of the more common Syfon configuration"

[h2a-5] Halo 2: Anniversary, Terminal 14

[6] Halo 2, campaign level Metropolis

[7] Halo 2, campaign level Delta Halo

[8] Halo Wars 2, campaign level The Foundry

[9] Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition), page 461

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