User:Impurest Cheese/Type 71 Covert Operations Transport

Type 71 Covert Ops Transport


 * The Type 71 Covert Ops Transport or Nightshade as it is known by the UNSC is a joint Human-Sangheili project to create a Dropship capable of delivering operatives behind enemy lines undetected.

History

 * Although the newest model of the Nightshade is a joint Human –Sangheili project it was originally designed in 2542 by the Covenant. Like the newer versions it was designed to be a dropship with optional stealth abilities. It was meant to replace the previous line which included the reliable Spirit Dropship. The first five prototypes of the Nightshade were created and deployed to eliminate high ranking UNSC officials on Baja III. The prototypes were equipped with Active Camo and engine dampening systems to allow the vehicle to get in and out.


 * Unfortunately for the Covenant the planet had recently had a major Industrial Incident and air pollution sensors had been set up to monitor air quality. These same sensors were able to pick up the exhaust trail of the Nightshades and all five were shot down by Longsword Fighter-Bombers before they touched down. While two of the ships had been annihilated the remaining three were relatively intact and were delivered to ONI for study. Due to the Nightshade’s failure the project was scrapped and replaced with the very successful Phantom Dropship.


 * After the Great Schism the Sangheili were surprised to find that the UNSC had used the three Nightshades in Anti Covenant Operations without detection. Due to this evidence the project was restarted and was one of the first joint military projects. The final Nightshade model was equipped with more stealth enhancing features including an emission analyzer, radar jammer and the E-Reaper Sabotage System as well as now being painted black instead of purple. Despite these enhancements at least one Nightshade is known to have gone missing and a similar system to the E-Reaper can be found inside the Covenant Remnant Blue Bottle. Unlike the Blue Bottle the Nightshade was not produced in large numbers with around forty being built.

Stealth Systems

 * The original Nightshades were designed with a filter to reduce engine sound and heat so they could not be detected by enemy sensors or missiles. In addition it also contained an Active Camo System so pilots could not get a visual lock. In the eyes of the Covenant this should have been enough to bypass human technology and land the troops. As history shows however, the Covenant repeatedly underestimated Human Ingenuity and the Nightshade incident is just one of these. Tests by ONI officials detected a second fault which was unknown until the ships were in UNSC custody. When landing the Active Camo seemed to weaken till a sharp eye could detect the vague outline of the ship.


 * One of the many modifications that ONI did to the Nightshade was to implant a Smart AI into the computer. This boosted the ability of both ship and AI and made the life of the Pilot much easier. As the war progressed the Nightshade was forgotten until the fall of the Covenant. After the end of the war the Arbiter and Rtas Vandum were given a tour of the captured technology and were surprised to see one of the Nightshades with the new sensor package.


 * After the tour more new additions were made to the Nightshade including a device to scramble missile locks and communications as well as a filter to convert the emissions to a more standard atmospheric configuration. The deadliest system was the new E-Reaper device that in conjunction with an AI enters an enemy ship on a coded radio wavelength and infects the ship’s computer to reduce the threat level. With this ability the Nightshade could silence a fleet without ever making it self visible to the enemy. Despite these advances the Nightshade cost a lot of money and was produced in reduced numbers with the Fledgling Sangheili Empire buying the most of these deadly vehicles. Of the 40 Nightshades produced seven are missing or have been destroyed. Four have been destroyed by enemy capital ships, one by an Anti Air Wraith and one from an unexplained accident were a Drone was sucked into the engine compartment.

Weaponry & Troop Deployment

 * Along with the E-Reaper System the UNSC fitted the MD7 or ‘Waterfall’ Missile to the Nightshade alongside it’s battery of Plasma Torpedoes. These munitions were designed to drop a couple of miles and then ignite to look like it had been fired from that spot. The design of the waterfall makes it more useful then the plasma torpedoes that leave a vapor trail that leads back to the Nightshade. Both munitions are lethal to ships although in open combat the plasma torpedoes are favored due to a shorter activation time.


 * Unlike the Phantom were troops are deployed down the Gravity Lift or a Pelican Dropship which deploys troops directly onto the ground the Nightshade uses repelling cables. These cables made of a light but strong fibre which is coated with cameras to create a sense of invisibility as the passengers usually equipped with Active Camo deploy. In addition the Nightshade’s passengers can also perfom a High Altitude Low Opening (HALO) jump using a jet pack to slow the decent. The reason a Grav Lift can’t be used is that the ship does not have the power to cover up the gravitational change.