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.