Kekethan-Class Carrier

Kekethan-Class Carrier After the breakup of the Covenant, the Kig-yar found themselves in an unusual position. On the one hand, the fractioning meant that they were able to make unprecedented profits as privateers or mercenaries in the service of the various factions. On the other, the Kig-yar's own interests were threatened. Without the Covenant Navy to protect their colony and trade routes, the Kig-yar were forced to adapt. To this end, they developed a number of unique ship designs, incorporating formerly Covenant technology into Kig-yar design and aesthetics.

The most well known of these was the Kekethan-class carrier. Rather than dedicated fighter transport, the Kekethans carried large numbers of boarding craft, each ferrying over squads of privateers to board and capture a vessel. They carried a number of fighters, ostensibly to disable the vessel's thrusters and slipspace drive, as well as whatever limited armaments they possessed, but in practice they were mostly used as protective escorts for the boarding craft. Built for long-range raids, the Kekethans would prey on a number of UNSC, Sangheili, New Covenant and Blood Covenant territories until the Battle of Y'Deio virtually wiped out the Kig-Yar Privateer Alliance.