Efreet Super-Heavy Command Lander

The is a Covenant war machine utilised in their ongoing war with humanity. The Efreet hails from an older era of the Covenant, where conversion fleets sometime had to commit to long term ground campaigns. For these campaigns, the Covenant required vehicles to spearhead the orbital landings, and to continue command and control operations on the ground. To this end, the Efreet was designed, leading the way for forces descending from orbit. 
The Efreet continues to be used today, albeit in smaller numbers. Poorly understood by the modern Covenant, the Efreet's systems seem incomprehensible and strange, but powerful and esoteric. Deployed from low orbit, they carry a large invasion force to the ground, where it secures a landing zone by force. Once secured, it switches to a command platform, directing the ground battle, while providing artillery support and resupplying aircraft. 
==History==
The Efreet was first designed in the 14th Age of Conflict, where several bloody conversions created dissent amongst the Converted and the Convertors. With small civil wars breaking out across the Covenant's domain, the need to safely and quickly mass-land troops, and dominate the battlefield became readily apparent. To this end, several Ministries issued a Writ of Ordnance, with several manufacturers tendering designs. The ultimate winning design was the Achoem Weapon's design, though the need for mass manufacture meant that several workshops built the Efreet. 
Initially, the Efreet was mass produced, with over two thousand being built for the peace keeping forces stomping out small bushfire civil wars, mass dropping a squadron of them to stamp out disobedience. However, as the civil disturbances escalated into outright rebellion, the Efreet was used in a more direct role. The Efreet would be the front line of landing forces, descending from orbit to take the field. The tactics once used to stomp out civil disturbances and fight poorly armed guerillas were insufficient for dealing with armed and organized rebels. During the landings at Geddan, nine Efreets were destroyed by ground based anti-ship weapons during their descent. At Kadeel, rebel commandos managed to board one during the night and destroy it in a suicidal assault. During the cataclysmic battle of Sadenna no less than fifty were destroyed. Many commanders had enjoyed dropping them onto rioters with impunity now discovered that any measure of anti-ship weapons meant this tactic was no longer viable, but many felt it was an insult to their honour to deploy them to safer landing grounds. 
When the 14th Age of Conflict was over, the Efreet's numbers had been reduced drastically, and was no longer in great need. Such aggressive machines were not needed in times of peace. Efreets were mothballed, or relegated to Tithe fleets, or used for simple police duties. While still manufactured, it was in increasingly lower and lower numbers. Many of the secrets of its design became lost, becoming strange and esoteric to later generations. 
Even so, it persisted into the modern era. As the conflict with humanity began, the Efreet once again came into use, being deployed to land troops en-masse, and lead the assault from the ground. Such fearsome vehicles dwarf anything humanity can muster, and are rightly feared. Most notably, they were used during the Battle of Briar where of the seven deployed, six were destroyed, abandoned, or captured during the course of that tumultuous conflict.
==Design==
===Layout===
The Efreet, to the casual viewer, looks like a dreadful and ungainly beast. In truth, part of its biomimetic design is modelled of Sangheili tales of chimeric creatures, sharing appearances from several creatures. The vehicle is divided into three primary sections, the nose, the flight deck, and the tail. 
The Nose is the heavily armoured prow of the Efreet, containing the majority of the weapon systems, and command systems. The Nose carries the two primary weapons on grand arches held over its head, and the esoteric directional shield generator. The grand command centre, and communication systems, are held within, allowing an officer to direct a whole theatre from within it's armoured confines. It also has several exposed outer walkways or firing ports, for crew to operate close in weapons, or fire personal weapons in defence. Underneath this is the loading ramps, and the main grav lift. On either side of the nose are the primary lift engines, used to keep the mighty war machine airborne. 
The flight deck is somewhat of a misnomer, as while it carries the flight deck, it also carries other war materiel, such as vehicles, and supplies, as well as housing the complement of ground troops. These are carried in protected passageways above the flight deck, and they can descend to that deck by internal grav lifts, or descend via a ramp into the Nose, to use the primary grav lift. The flight deck itself has seven hangar doors on either side, and allow for a wide variety of aerospace assets to be loaded, and deployed, with the necessary facilities to repair, rearm, and refuel them. 
To the rear is the Tail, where the pinch fusion reactor is contained in an armoured enclosure. It carries the secondary armour mounts, as well as some outer walk ways that crew can man for defence. It also has the manoeuvring engines, used to turn and propel the Efreet back and forth. 
===Protection===
===Armament===
The Efreet is very heavily armed with a variety of weapons, most of which are leant towards supporting fire. Held above the main body, are four primary weapon mounts used to attack and defend itself. Mounted on the top of these arches are two Odenna-pattern Dual Purpose Anti-Air/Artillery Cannons. Each is a fast firing cannon with moderate range, and high elevation. The cannons have two firing modes, for dealing with aircraft, or for artillery fire. The anti-air mode produces a purposefully destabilized plasma orb, that break into smaller fragments which explode violently, filling the air with thick blankets of plasma flak. When used for artillery fire, they become lethal cannons meant to shell buildings and fortifications into oblivion. 
Mounted beneath these are the Phanae-pattern Anti-Fortress Cannons, which are used in a direct fire mode to destroy enemy fortifications. These are slow firing, and fire a fast, and highly compacted plasma munition that penetrates deeply before exploding. These are designed exclusively to destroy fortresses, bunkers, keeps, and other defences, but also work well when pressed into anti-armour role. 
At the rear of the vehicle is the mighty Sukedi-pattern Super-Heavy Plasma Mortar. Used elsewhere as siege weapon, this mighty cannon can rain down hails of fire meant to level forts on its own. These cannons are very slow firing, but with indescribably destructive potential, once firing begins. These are often used at extreme ranges, before they switch to the fore weapons to use once the target has been substantially softened up. 
Thirteen Type-26 Shade turrets are mounted around the exterior of the Efreet in strategic positions, used for close-in defence against aircraft and infantry threats. They are kept in hidden recesses when not in use, or hidden behind shield doors, then are deployed out to fire upon threats that get close to the Efreet. 
Lastly, the Efreet has seven Lokpheel-pattern anti-air guns, which are used to tear apart air assault threats that slip by the main guns. These weapons are mounted externally on ball mounts, and each unit carries two rapid fire plasma flak guns capable of ending most threats quickly and lethally. However, there are blind spots where such weapons are no longer capable of protecting the Efreet. 
===Complement===
===Equipment and Esoterica===
==Use with the Covenant==