CNFS Sydney

The CNFS Sydney is a Marathon-class heavy cruiser named after the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney II of Second World War fame. Built above the colony world of New South Wales, the Sydney saw heavy action during the Human-Covenant War as one of the UNSC's few ships capable of taking on a Covenant vessel. Due to the heavy losses suffered by the Marathon-class heavy cruisers during the early stages of the conflict, the Sydney was withdrawn to the Inner Colonies, along with the UNSC's remaining capital ships, in the 2540s. Participating in the Battle of the Sol System, the Sydney would suffer heavy damage, leading to her abandonment. Recovered and repaired in 2553, she would be transferred to the nascent nation the Commonwealth of New South Wales in late 2554, serving in multiple conflicts and operations, such as the Nexus War.
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==Service History==
===Background & Construction, 2520-2524 ===
In 2520, the UNSC Marathon was commissioned into the UNSC Navy, causing a huge shift in cruiser design. The most popular and modern vessel in the fleet, every admiral that led a task force wanted at least one, to replace their older Halcyon and Elysium-class ships. Task Force Quebec, the fleet assigned to defend colonies in the Antipodes Sector of the Inner Colonies, was no exception, as the commander, Rear Admiral Sarah Macintosh, saw firsthand what they could do when the Marathon was on trials above Reach. As such, Macintosh cashed in several political favours throughout 2520, to attempt to get at least one Marathon-class for her battlegroup, which was mainly composed of Gladius-class corvettes, three Hillsborough-class destroyers, and a single Halcyon-class light cruiser. Her attempts were successful, and the Marathon-class cruisers with the hull numbers CA-943 and CA-951 would be dispatched to Task Force Quebec when commissioned.
These cruisers, which would be named the UNSC Sydney and UNSC Determination, would be built in the shipyards over Mars, due to SinoViet's Reach shipyards already assigned over 50 new orders for capital ships. The Sydney would be completed by January 2524, and ran trials around Luna, Europa and Titan for two months, before she was declared fit for duty. Her first commander, Captain David Francis, would take her on her maiden voyage to the colony of New South Wales, where the headquarters of Task Force Quebec was located. They would arrive on July 8th, to be joined by the Determination several months later.
=== Early-War Service, 2525-2530 ===
The Sydney and the Determination would provide the backbone for Task Force Quebec, as newer, more modern replacements for escorts arrived to replace the older, aging corvettes and frigates. However no new cruisers or capital ships would arrive for the remainder of task Force Quebec's existence. In 2525, first contact with the Covenant occurred and contact with several Outer Colonies was lost. However, Task Force Quebec would remain in position, as other assets would be pulled from other sectors: Local Insurrectionist cells had become too fierce in their activities in the Antipodes Sector to remove any UNSC forces from the area.