Obedience-class cruiser

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The Obedience-class cruiser is a capital warship classification that came into prominence in the years shortly after the end of the. First constructed by Vandun Forges within the reclusive Imperium of Clarity on the former Covenant Empire's fringe region, the cruiser's design proved to be a popular one and would eventually be marketed to independent forges on other Sangheili colony worlds. Trading mass and storage capacity for firepower and maneuverability, the Obedience-class would soon become effective as both a patrol vessel and mainline warship that could be fielded in fairly large numbers at a relatively low cost compared to some former Covenant ships.

With a dramatic shift away from the more traditional Sangheili design that had existed in the Covenant for centuries, the Obedience-class was partly inspired by the more utilitarian approach favoured by the human. As such, it possessed a distinctively boxy shape that stood out from the sleeker, rounded warships fielded by the Covenant. This lowered its profile and allowed the cruiser to bring its full arsenal to bear quicker than most ships of its size. However, the weaker energy shielding of the Obedience-class meant that could only operate at peak efficiency in groups, massing plasma fire for great effect.

The cruiser would operate largely against lightly-armed pirate forces for the first few years after its mass production, though as it spread to other manufacturers it proved to be able to punch above its tonnage when used properly in the field even against larger human and Sangheili-made warships. However, the Obedience-class was never particularly effective when engaging in atmospheric engagements, lacking an excavation beam and possessing only a few hundred troops aboard for ground deployments. As such, it would often send out its fighter and dropship complements almost immediately before focusing on fighting enemy vessels. The largest known deployment of Obedience-class cruisers was in the brief Imperial War of 2558, where it served as the backbone of the Imperium of Clarity's space fleet.