For the entirety of the Human-Covenant
War, the United Nations Space Command Navy faced a numerical and qualitative disadvantage. In nearly every engagement, UNSC fleets suffered
disproportionate losses, and it was only through overwhelming numbers that even individual Covenant
ships were reliably destroyed. The enormous disparity between the two sides guaranteed
that near total Covenant space superiority was achieved after predictable one sided fleet
actions. Identifying space warfare imbalances and overcoming this disparity was the primary
focus of the UNSC Navy in the post war period. Their cardinal success was the
Infinity-Class Supercarrier. The largest ship class ever commissioned into
service within the UNSC Navy, the Infinity represents a foundational leap over the preceding
Epoch and Punic class carriers. Its primary role is carrying, arming, deploying and recovering
both spacecraft and marine expeditionary forces. Its capabilities however, extend beyond those
of the traditional carrier or assault ship. Its heavy armament makes the Infinity Class
suitable for space-control or denial operations, able to directly supplement the
offensive power of its carrier air-wing. Its flag facilities allow the Infinity Class to
accommodate a fleet commander and their staff, acting as a command and control center
for a larger battlegroup or task force. It can also assist in coordinating the actions
of Marine or Army units, both those deployed directly from the Infinity, and others that might
be present within the ship’s area of operations. The Infinity class is equipped with substantial
scientific, diplomatic and medical facilities, making it a key component of UNSC exploration
efforts, power projection, and naval strategy. Ships of the Infinity class are built to a length
of 5694.2 meters, have a beam of 833.3 meters, and a height of 1041.2 meters. Its standard loadout
gives it a mass of 907 million metric tons. The angular hull of the design is reminiscent of
earlier UNSC carriers but without the “wings'” commonly affixed to the port and starboard
sides. The spaceframe’s primary modules are instead comparatively well integrated, resulting
in a more aesthetically streamlined appearance. The ship's propulsion is provided at
translight speeds by a Shaw-Fujikawa Mark 10 “Macedon'' prototype drive. Although given a UNSC
designation, the engine is primarily Forerunner in origin and incompatible with human technology on
its own. It is accordingly linked into the ship’s power and data feeds by a series of Engine Module
Interlocks, themselves based on Covenant designs. During slipspace jumps, the engines are charged
by a vacuum energy siphon, which draws power from the underlying background energy of the
universe. The class is propelled at maneuver speeds by a conventional fusion powered set of one
primary and two secondary repulsor engines. Both the sublight engines and translight drive extend
outwards from the primary hull beneath the stern. The armament of an Infinity class is
iterative rather than evolutionary, consisting of the magnetic accelerator cannons, missile systems and gun batteries that are
the mainstay of UNSC forces. Its primary offensive element are four 27 meter bore CR-03
Series 8 MAC Cannons mounted on the ship’s bow. Their standard ammunition includes the ferric
tungsten rounds that proved their worth against Covenant capital ships, but can additionally fire
a myriad of other munition types. Autonomous kill vehicles, cargo packages and even small spacecraft
can likewise be launched from each CR-03. Secondary armaments include M42 Archer,
M75 Rapier and M96 Howler missiles distributed across the length of
the ship in 1,100 separate pods. Each has between 24 and 30 missiles depending on
their type. An additional 10 Onager Mac guns are mounted dorsally on rotating weapon mounts.
The M965 “Fortress” point defense network, M85 “Scythe” anti-aircraft guns, and M97
“Lance” missile pods, constitute the Close In Weapon Systems equipped to the class, meant
to intercept enemy munitions and smaller craft. Both the propulsion and armament of an Infinity
class is highly dependent on its advanced sensors, again derived from Forerunner technology. Through
a combination of shipboard sensors and drones, hyper-accurate, real time data concerning the
surrounding space or planetary surfaces is fed directly into the ship’s systems and can be
displayed on the bridge’s main holotable. The aft mounted sensor array also
includes a long range hyperscanner, and a Forerunner Luminary, a device able to
scan for and identify other Forerunner relics. The Infinity Class has the distinction of being
the first UNSC design of its size to include an indigenously developed shield generator. Combined
with more traditional Titanium A-3 armor plating, the survivability of the class against even
sustained enemy fire is unparalleled. When compared to the Covenant ships that the Infinity
has been designed to directly compete with, it is the first UNSC ship to exhibit
a substantial advantage in this area. To rapidly deploy its air-wing and expeditionary
forces, 275 primary bays, 140 secondary bays, 108 material bays and ten sub-vessel deployment
bays are located throughout an Infinity’s hull. The latter of these are large
enough to carry UNSC frigates, enabling a small escort flotilla to make use
of an Infinity’s more precise translight drive. Additional transatmospheric craft
carried aboard include Albatross and Pelican heavy lift dropships together with
Longsword and Broadsword strike fighters. Terrestrial vehicles consist of M510
Mammoths, M12 Warthogs and M820 Scorpions. During a standard deployment the Infinity Class
has a complement of 17,151 sailors, marines, members of the intelligence community and civilian
specialists. The nature of the ship however means that representatives from the UEG government,
the other major branches of the UNSC military, and even foreign observers accompany
the ship’s standard personnel. The ship's total complement in practice
is therefore often much higher. Able to operate almost indefinitely, the Infinity
class includes a number of amenities typically only found aboard civilian or colonial vessels.
The largest of these, and one entirely unique, is a large atrium featuring a self-contained
biosphere complete with animal and plant life beneath an artificial skydome. Training
facilities have also been given special attention, providing everything from exercise rooms to
the ability to conduct war games on board. While fully commissioned into the UNSC
Navy, the lead ship of the Infinity Class is in many ways still an experimental design
and a starship technology demonstrator. Further refinements have the potential to greatly
affect the design’s general specifications and it is likely that subsequent vessels of the class
might have some or all of their unique Forerunner derived components removed or supplemented
with more readily available human technology. The construction of the Infinity class
was originally a closely guarded secret as part of Project Ouroboros. Research and
development was centralized entirely within Special Assembly Plant Concord, located in
the Oort Cloud surrounding the Solar System. It was originally designed to be a mobile colony,
allowing for the continuance of human civilization in the event that Earth was occupied by the
Covenant and the United Earth Government forced to capitulate. With the successful conclusion
of the war, the Infinity was instead repurposed as a warship and its design heavily modified
to reflect its new role. The UNSC Infinity, the lead ship of the class, was commissioned into
service within the Navy on February 21st, 2557. It was publically assigned to a mission of
peaceful exploration, but had in fact been active in supporting UNSC aligned groups within
the former Covenant for almost 4 years previously. Assigned as the Flagship of Expeditionary Strike
Group 1, the UNSC Infinity saw action against both remnant forces of the Covenant, and Prometheans,
warrior servants of the ancient Forerunners. During an engagement over Earth, it scored hits
on Mantle’s Approach, flagship of the Prometheans commander, contributing to its eventual
destruction. It was later stationed over Requiem, an artificial shield world first constructed
by the Forerunners. Following this tour, it underwent substantial refits over Earth,
incorporating modules from its sister ship, the still incomplete UNSC Eternity, to expedite
the Infinity’s return to active service. The ship was one of the few UNSC Naval vessels
to escape the Subjugation of Earth by a rogue AI, and believed to be on route to
Installation 07 when contact was lost. While the fate of the UNSC Infinity or
Earth itself remains unknown, the ship’s motto reflects the spirit with which it was
constructed and that of humanity itself. “To Dare is to Do.” From the moment the human species first
set out into the vast unknown of the universe, it has dared to do the impossible time and time
again. With ships like the Infinity, and the sailors, airmen, marines and citizens aboard
her, there is no limit to what might be done.
