Aeolus-class cruiser

"Too late for the inner-colony wars, too damn old and outdated by the time the insurrection would have called for them... yet somehow not all of them scrapped even after the war."

The Aeolus-class cruiser was the predecessor to the Halcyon-class light cruiser. Built following the inner-colony wars when it became apparent to the UEG that conflict deeper into space was an inevitable reality the Aeolus would act as one of the first true space-born warships. Its design and features were ideally a preemptive measure to deter and quell conflicts in the future and its many features would carry over into future UNSC ship designs as the UEG became more seasoned in space-battles.

Specifications
Measuring 1,400m long the Aeolus was one of the larger warships the UNSC had at the time of its inception. Originally lacking a primary magnetic accelerator cannon the Aeolus featured a nose mounted bridge which offered superior battle-field visibility as much so as it offered a critical weak point in the capitol ship. This also made the eventual addition of a MAC just below the bridge to cause rattling of the bridge. In addition the added MAC and limited power improvements lead to MAC firing necessitating non-essential power system to be temporarily turned off, for this reason the bridge and passageways of the Aeolus usually had emergency lighting engaged when anticipating combat operations. Since the Aeolus saw little combat during its technological prime it spent the majority of its service years well behind the technological bell curve of the era.

Complement
Intended as a capitol ship the Aeolus did carry multiple armories, a marine detachment, several small fighters and dropships, along with ten bumblebee lifeboats in the event that traditional exfiltration vehicles were inaccessible.

Armament
While later iterations did include a MAC the original vessel contained only missile systems and point defense weapons. Carrying six Archer Missile Pods and numerous point defense guns. The underside of the ship also featured modular bays which could be outfitted with two Shiva nuclear-class missiles or several carpet bomb platforms which sheds light on the prediction of the type of warfare the Aeolus would participate in being a far stretch from where actual capitol ship battle tactics would end up.

Service History
Utilizing mark II fusion engines the Aeolus was considered a fast vessel, likely designed in tandem with its carpet bombing module for quick assaults over large terrestrial battlefields. Out of the thirty constructed only fifteen would receive magnetic accelerator cannons while others received considerable missile pod additions, at the time adding both was a far flung dream for naval captains due to limited power supplies.

The Aeolus did see deployment during several small-scale terror conflicts within the inner colonies specifically the Callahan Moon Terror Event which saw the ships deployed across the moon chain utilizing their carpet bombing to great effect putting down a large terror group which had amassed a coup along the moons of a gas giant which were used to as mining outposts.

Insurrection
By the time of the insurrection at the end of the 2490's the Aeolus was experiencing the effects of its outdated systems. Seven of the original thirty were rendered unfit for duty thanks to unforgiving power failures which costing more than their worth to repair, later being scrapped. The remaining twenty three included only ten of those equipped with MACs while the rest sported the additional missile pods.

During the insurrection the Aeolus did participate in light engagements with all of those participating in large battle arenas being lost totaling ten losses by the time the Halcyon had officially replaced it. The remaining thirteen vessels were retired as Halcyon's were produced to replace them. While many criticized the Halcyon for its shortcomings, former Aeolus captains help counter this negative attention with the sheer amazement at the Halcyon's capabilities and structural integrity compared to the Aeolus.

MAC Equipped Aeolus-class cruisers
Thirteen total Aeolus remain out of thirty which have not been scrapped or destroyed in combat or due to power related failures.

Ten remain out of fifteen original Aeolus equipped with MACs Three remain out of fifteen original Aeolus equipped with additional missile pods.
 * UNSC Aeolus (C-500): Destroyed
 * UNSC Phaethon (C-503): Destroyed
 * UNSC Pharaoh Unturned (C-505) Destroyed
 * UNSC Pilgrims Respite (C-507) Decommissioned/Replaced by Halcyon-class cruiser
 * UNSC Kings Anchor (C-509) Decommissioned/Replaced by Halcyon-class cruiser
 * UNSC Line of Sight (C-511) Decommissioned/Replaced by Halcyon-class cruiser
 * UNSC Shield of Eden (C-513) Destroyed
 * UNSC Nutcracker (C-515) Decommissioned/Replaced by Halcyon-class cruiser
 * UNSC Sol's Conquest (C-501) Destroyed
 * UNSC Wars Conductor (C-502) Decommissioned/Power Failures
 * UNSC Playmaker's Will (C-504) Decommissioned/Replaced by Halcyon-class cruiser
 * UNSC Fortress Buster (C-506) Decommissioned/Power Failures