Chiron-class light cruiser

History
The Chiron-class was one of the earliest class of ships in the UNSC to operate shipboard Magnetic Accelerator Canons, and the first to house two. Designed in 2497 and produced starting 2502, at the time they were considered one of the most well armed ships in the Navy. Armed with two MAC cannons, almost a dozen point-defense guns, and over two hundred missiles it superseded the Gorgon-class heavy destroyers with their heavier tonnage and armaments, outgunning almost any ship in the Navy and served well against the Insurrection.

However in 2518 production of Chirons had ceased and by the early 2520's it's age was apparent as MAC technology improved and it's once fearsome arsenal were now considered paltry. They were replaced by the far mightier Marathon-class heavy cruisers and the Chirons fell out of use and most of them were eventually slated for decommissioning. However the remaining Chirons were called back into service when the Human-Covenant war erupted. Their obsolete Mk 1 MAC cannons were inadequate against the Covenant's superior technology but the final few remaining Chirons were refitted and served until their destruction.

Layout
The Chiron-class followed the traditional "monolithic" style of UNSC cruisers being composed of a single octagonal section that was comparatively shorter than later cruisers such as the Halcyon-class. The bridge was embedded into the face the ship and a small hangar was housed underneath the ship. Finally, mounted on the front sections of the ship, two "horns" held the ship's two MAC canons, one was housed on the very upper part of the ship while the other on the very bottom.

Strangely, the Chiron class' fusion reactors were housed farther forward the ship than normal and was clearly denoted by the unmistakable circular patch of external armor that dominated that section of the ships.

Armament
The Chiron-class was the first ship in service to hold two Magnetic Accelerator Cannons making them some of the most heavily armed ships in the Navy. As well as two MACs, the Chirons possessed twelve archer missile pods or three hundred sixty missiles in total. Finally, nine AAA Helix Guns provide point-defense against single ships and boarding craft. The Chirons also were also complemented by a squadron of Longswords who could defend the ship and granted the class some degree of flexibility.

During the Covenant War the Chirons were called back into service and eventually received refits and upgrades to their arsenal. All remaining Chirons were refitted with modern cannons, thirty Missile Pods, extra armor, and new reactors.

Advantages
The Chirons were some of the most well armed ships at their time, especially during the tumultuous times of the Insurrection. They provided strong fleet security and weapons to bear during bloody ship-to-ship combat that the rebels could not counter. On top of having two MAC cannons, the Chirons could devote all energy to recharge one cannon more quickly in the heat of battle.

Disadvantages
Despite being so well armed, the Chirons were never the fastest cruisers in the fleet, being considered under powered even in their heyday. Their armor was fairly light and that made them more vulnerable to ship-to-ship fire and enemy interceptors than the Halcyon-class who could absorb damage better. While they had nine point defense guns, their field of fire proved to have weak spots that can be exploited by single ships as demonstrated by Insurrectionist fighters multiple times, though the presence of a Longsword squadron helped to balance this.

The obvious location of their reactors did not help matters during the Insurrection or Human-Covenant War as they made obvious targets.

Ships of the Line

 * UNSC Chiron
 * UNSC Gaugamela
 * UNSC Field of Heaven
 * UNSC Fredericton
 * UNSC Crete
 * UNSC Capable
 * UNSC Hopalite
 * UNSC Magistracy
 * UNSC Caspian
 * UNSC Thera