RPV-class light destroyer

{|style="width:100%; color:#FFF;"
|
The Veranax-pattern light destroyer, classified as the RPV-class destroyer, is a formidable that is utilised by the now-defunct and its . A nimble and dangerous escort for their larger and , the Veranax-pattern holds the title as the largest ship manufactured by the Covenant's .
The Veranax-pattern light destroyer is a fast and agile vessel, with an armament that is nearly identical to that on the Sinaris-pattern of , and exhibits a similar frame layout. Where it deviates is its focus on speed and agility over survivability, with light destroyers stripping away excess bulk and survivability to keep mass to a minimum. Although most Covenant tacticians complain about this, skilled have proven that it can weld its weapons far more efficiently than conventionally-built vessels, harassing far larger attackers and pursuing fleeing starships. Although capable of bombarding enemy worlds into submission, the lack of a large ground complement and ventral render it unsuitable for invading enemy worlds. Instead, it features an assortment of augur and surveying dishes to alert the Covenant to enemy movements and locations of interest, thereby granting its status as a Reverence-class vessel.
The Veranax-pattern destroyer has been a common sight during the war, outnumbering its close cousin by magnitudes but is outnumbered itself by smaller vessels, such as the and . Because they had proven they could stand up to the UNSC , the Veranax performed the bulk of the reconnaissance efforts, spearheading scout missions into territory too hostile for other ships. They were also seen as a pursuit ship, chasing down the UNSC's evacuating battle groups and finishing them off when they exited slipspace. This latter action saw the destroyers becoming highly-desired positions for advancement, with politically-savvy ship masters using them to cut the time needed to command a . After the war, these ships became popular with Covenant remnants and pirates, as their powerful weapons complement, speed and above all low crew count saw them providing the bulk of their heavy firepower - a job they are destined to serve for the foreseeable future.
__NOTOC__
Table of Contents
#Operational History
##Human-Covenant War
#Role
#Variants
##Gorgut-pattern escort destroyer
#Ships of the Line
#Trivia
#Gallery
== Operational History ==
=== Human-Covenant War ===
== Role ==
== Variants ==
=== Gorgut-pattern escort destroyer ===
The Gorgut-pattern escort destroyer is a much newer model of the RPV line, dating back to only a few years after the . It was originally designed by Sangheili shipwrights in an attempt to circumnavigate the restrictions and stigma attached to the CPV-class heavy destroyers. Unfortunately, their uncanny resemblence to the larger ships meant that they were unpopular postings for Sangheili officers, with the vast majority instead having some portion of their crew being made up of Jiralhanae instead.
The Gorgut-pattern escort destroyer closes most of the gap between light and heavy destroyers, and alleviates much of the deficiencies of their contemporary design patterns but loses some of their advantages as well. Its hull is considerably thicker, particularly on the shield-like extensions on the destroyer's aft. This is a conscious decision to enable the ship to take terrible hits without being outright crippled from the impact, although this means that it is far heavier and slower as a result. The armour is thinnest at the base of the city-like basin that runs from one end to the other, which are made up of crew amenities and light plasma cannons, and the plasma torpedo silos at the base of the teardrop-like prow. These structural weaknesses were never fully resolved, and they remained a major contributor to the destruction of several Gorgut-pattern destroyers. Meanwhile, its weapons are both considerably more effective thanks to a larger reactor, which allows it to almost outgun the larger CCS-class battlecruiser. Ultimately, power restrictions due to its smaller volume were still exhibited, and it had far weaker shields than a ship of its size should have had. Taken as a package, the Gorgut-pattern was powerful enough to represent a threat to both heavy destroyers and larger cruisers, and is usually able to inflict damaging wounds before it was eventually defeated.
The Gorgut-pattern escort destroyer was considered a failure prior to the Human-Covenant War, with only a token number built. During the Human-Covenant War, it would be secretly revisited on the orders and built by a handful of small shipyards. As most of these facilities were commanded by Sangheili officers, few were made aware that the new ships were handed over to Jiralhanae crews. The few that found out proceeded to deliberately sabotage the destroyers, either by removing specific systems such as the gravity lifts, hollow out the armour plating, or by corrupting the software of their armaments. This caused an otherwise powerful ship to be significantly outmatched by Sangheili forces during many of the opening engagements of the . By the time the issues were identified and fixed, the Gorgut-pattern earned a reputation among the Covenant for unreliability, and most were swiftly decommissioned or outright destroyed within five years of the hegemony's fall.
== Ships of the Line ==
Name 	Pattern	Commissioned	Destroyed	Notes
Fortune's Revenant 	Veranax	Unknown 	 	Participated in the Siege of Chi Rho.
Omniscient Spirit 	Gorgut 	May 27, 2510	Unknown 	Operated by Cronus' master-pack during the Human-Covenant War.
Reaper of Penance 	Veranax	Unknown 	 	Participated in the Siege of Chi Rho.
Surveyor of Transgression	Veranax	Unknown 	 	Participated in the Siege of Chi Rho.
Tenacious Thunder 	Veranax	Unknown 	 	Participated in the Siege of Chi Rho.
Triumph's Inquisitor 	Veranax	Unknown 	 	Participated in the Siege of Chi Rho.
Valorous Spirit 	Veranax	Unknown 	 	Participated in the Siege of Chi Rho.
== Trivia ==
*Some of the information, as well as the model made for the Veranax-pattern destroyer, was sourced from malcontent1692 from the Sins of the Prophets mod team.
== Gallery ==
Category:Covenant ships
Category:Destroyer classes