ACS-class Covenant Supercruiser

The ACS-class supercruiser was a line of warship used by the Covenant, most notably during the Human-Covenant war, with two having been in service amidst the fleet of the Swords of Sanghelios after the Great Schism. While the ship itself was small in comparison to the more massive ships such as the CAS and CSO classes, it was by no means tiny. Measuring at 4,805 meters long, 2,032 meters wide, and 546 meters tall, the ACS dwarfed a majority of the mainline ships used in the Covenant Navy. They were unrivaled in terms of firepower by anything similar in size, and became known as fleet killers by the UNSC. The reputation of the ACS-class supercruisers grew to the point where the UNSC would go out of their way to avoid a confrontation, or throw everything available at these dreadnoughts with the hope of destroying or incapacitating them. These tactics proved moderately effective, eventually destroying three of the seven ACS supercruisers used in the Covenant navy.
Though it bears some resemblances to other Covenant ships, the design of the ACS supercruiser is unique compared to the rest of the navy, and with good reason. Because of the success of the Hekar-Taa, despite being a Sangheili design, and an old one at that, the San'Shyuum decided to green-light a project led by Sangheili shipbuilders, allowing them to create a vessel that resembled the ships of their people prior to the forming of the Covenant. While the project was led by the Elites, not every aspect of the ACS would be Sangheili in design. Certain changes were made to the ship in an attempt to maintain some manner of uniformity with the rest of the Covenant navy, and the ship would still use the same technologies found in the modern Covenant vessels.
Covered in various patterns of plasma weapons and heavy shields, the ACS housed five Pinch fusion reactors, with all but one of these being used to power weapons and shielding. Unfortunately, with 7 meters of nanolaminate armour plating covering almost the entirety of each ACS, these ships quickly became too costly to mass produce, especially when smaller vessels such as the ORS and CCS were still quite effective, and significantly less costly. Because of this, only seven ACS-class supercruisers were constructed, being deemed overkill for most situations. Several of these supercruisers became the flagships of their respective fleets, and when commanded by some of the most revered Sangheili Shipmasters, were used to extreme effect during the war with Humanity.
Aside from the ACS’s wide array of medium and heavy plasma cannons, the ship was equipped with much heavier torpedoes than the main-line covenant cruisers, as well as an impressive quantity of pulse laser PDCs. Most notable however, is the vessel’s dual Corbec-pattern ultra-heavy plasma cannons, which had previously only been found on Sanghelios-class dreadnoughts. These two cannons were more than capable of tearing through multiple UNSC ships at once, should the opportunity present itself. One of the curious features of the ACS supercruiser was its lack of ship-to-ship plasma emitters. This was a conscious choice, allowing the shields to iris open for a much shorter period of time compared to a plasma emitter, as the hull was more vulnerable during the firing of an emitter than it was when firing basic plasma weaponry. However, the ACS was equipped with a ventral super-heavy excavation beam, and was more than adequate for a glassing operation.
At the time of the Great Schism, only three ACS supercruisers were left functional. Three of the original seven had been destroyed by the UNSC, and a fourth had been forced to scuttle to deny a flood infestation that had made its way on board. Of the remaining three, two of the supercruisers were captured by the Swords of Sanghelios, and after being heavily upgraded, went on to be used in the campaigns against the Covenant Remnant. Both of these vessels were present at the Battle of Sunion, with the Reverent Penance, already severely damaged, being destroyed when the Forerunner Guardian was activated. The last known remaining supercruiser, the Merciless Judgement, survived the encounter, and is still in service. The final ACS was declared MIA, and was assumed to have been commandeered by the Banished just prior to the civil war at High Charity. Years later during the conflict with the Banished and UNSC, a similar ship was sighted above Installation 07, and is presumed to be the Banished refit of the Divine Absolution.