Type-31 Rifle

The Type-31 Rifle is a older Covenant weapon used as a scout sniper rifle or a designated marksman rifle. Once on the verge of being phased out, it has now seen a resurgence in popularity in the bloody civil war raging from Sangheili space. 
==Description==
The Type-31 Rifle, also known as the Needle Rifle, is a high power, long range rifle, using a solid crystalline charger round loaded beneath the adjustable scope system, with four times night/day zoom. The crystals are coaxed out of the charger using a high energy lattice and into the external magazines. From here, the crystals are super accelerated, one by one, which the trigger is depressed. The crystals are self propelled by high power ion bursts, but unlike the smaller Needler, lack the self guiding capacity. This is because the larger rounds swap thermal guiding lattices for higher payloads and more powerful propulsion. The weapon has a larger range than the carbine, and is somewhat more accurate, but lacks the rate of fire, or the stability of the smaller weapon. Where it comes good is targeting heavily armoured foes, relying on super-combination to devastate them. When the rounds explode, they lodge crystalline fragments in the target, and shower the nearby area with them. The Rifle's charger and needle shards are incompatible with the Needler, and vice versa. 
==History==
The weapon served admirably in the Covenant, being one of the oldest built and used by them. It saw combat against humanity, where it proved itself an excellent weapon. However, it began to wane in popularity, as the Prophets brought focus to the introduction of the smaller, more versatile Carbine. This was in part to wean the Covenant off it's reliance on Blamite munitions, to more controlled materials. 
Despite this, the weapon remained popular, seeing large amounts of use in older units, special forces units and ceremonial units. Eventually, after the war, the Sangheili continued using the weapon. Though it had become unpopular in the role of a Designated Marksman Rifle, it saw much use as a Scout Rifle, being used by regular Sangheili snipers and Special Forces teams to great use against Brute forces. It had increased range and accuracy over the Carbine, and can be substantially deadlier in well trained hands. The weapon was also used in large amounts by the Remnant, who pulled many out of disused stockpiles, though the ammunition was often scarce and the weapons were often poorly maintained and rarely understood or cared for.
The secret of the weapon's production was almost entirely lost with High Charity, but was saved by the least likely of sources. A single Needler Rifle Forge had found its way into the unscrupulous hands of the Orioli Cartel, who ran the Maeleesh Bazaar. They replicated the forge, and began to manufacture the weapon. The Swords struck a deal to turn a blind eye to their illicit behaviour in favour of them being the sole buyer.
==Variants==
===Slayer===
The result of generations of tinkering, Slayer was passed from father to son in the Varasi lineage, each son taking the oath of the Envoys and journeying to the edge of known space to carve their life as a planet tamer and beast hunter. The design has since been emulated by other Envoys, the short barrel perfect for fighting through new environments. It features a short-ranged holographic sight, a short barrel, and match trigger. 
===Fell Deed===
The product of a mad and fevered dream, seeking to combine the lethality of two sister weapons, the Needle Rifle and the Needler. It has a prototype guidance package mounted over the barrel, and mastercrafted needle rounds, each hand carved and costing more than the empty rifle. It fires tracking needles, that maintain tracking and range across long distances. The weapon remains a rumour, and a prototype. 
===Unforgiven Sin===
Manufactured by the illicit weapon smiths at Maeleesh Bazaar, the modifications are intended to make the weapon more dangerous, but at the cost of making it more unreliable. It is fitted with a new fire control system that allows it to fire in 3 round bursts. These weapons have been distributed to a few, who have to team every fire fight with hours of tedious maintenance.
==UNSC Remarks==
Category:Canon Expansions
Category:Covenant weapons