Name of Ship: UNSC
JanusHome Universe/Name of Franchise: Halo
Role: Heavy Cruiser; optimized for Command and Attack functions
The
Janus is a Marathon-Class heavy cruiser, and like most human ships, has an incredibly industrial design. The
Janus is a modification on the class; considered to be something of a halfway point between the usual Marathon-classes and the later Infinity-class carriers. The ship is wrapped in 304 centimeters of titanium A battle plating, and features an angular design, appearing somewhat like a tiered cake if viewed from engine housing upwards. The ship was designed for function over aesthetic -- it has multiple protruding gunports, missile silos, and a forward facing MAC cannon fused into the ship's superstructure.
Physical Size (roughly): The
Janus is slightly over the typical size of a Marathon-class cruiser, coming in at 1200 meters long, 300 meters wide, and 400 meters tall.
Armament:
-x1 Mark IX Heavy Coil MAC: Serving as Janus' showstopper is the ship's heavy coil MAC cannon. The MAC, or Magnetic Accelerator Cannon, is a massive coilgun based on railgun technology. A modification of the standard MAC cannon, it fires an 800 ton projectile made from part ferrous tungsten and part depleted uranium at an astonishing 60 kilometers per hour. The Heavy Coil MAC takes a dramatic amount of time to charge, and can typically only be used once per fight, sparing only the most drawn out engagements. The Heavy Coil is powerful enough that it was fused directly into the ship's skeleton to enable its use, and can only be fired directly from the front of the ship.
-x2 MAC Cannons: Smaller, more standardized versions of the Janus' big gun, affixed to the ship's center on the top and bottom. They fire a slightly smaller 600 ton projectile at 30 kilometers per hour. These cannons can be used much more frequently during engagements compared to the Heavy Coil, but their use is relatively infrequent compared to typical ship-to-ship arms.
-x300 Oversized M58 Archer Missile Pods: Carrying 40 missiles per pod, Archer missiles are some of the most frequently used in the Janus' arsenal. Targeted by shipboard AI, missiles are typically fired in a massive burst at the target. The Archer's have typically proven ineffective over the course of Janus's tenure. They have trouble penetrating shields, are easily taken down by point defense lasers or guns, and are vulnerable to jamming to disable their guidance functions. However, the missiles have proven to be devastatingly effective against armor.
-x10 Rapier Missile Pods: A new missile variant being tested by the UNSC aboard the Janus. They are a marked improvement over the Archer in many ways, but steps backward in others. With only 15 missiles to a pod, a Captain must be much more careful about their application. The Rapiers are infused with small amounts of plasma technology appropriated from Covenant vessels, and are quite effective against shielding compared to the standard Archers -- but in gaining this strength, the Rapiers sacrifice their specific usefulness against armor. The Rapiers also share the Archer's weakness against point defense weapons and jamming.
-x400 M965 50mm Point Defense Guns: Lining much of the ship's surface, the M965 Defense Array fires 50mm high explosive ammunition. The guns are not terribly effective against enemy vessels and are entirely useless against shielded opponents -- however, the guns main purpose is to shoot down missile-based assaults and enemy fighters/bombers.
-x2 HAVOK Tactical Nuclear Weapons: A devastating nuclear weapon intended only for the most dire of circumstances. Most UNSC vessels are only given one, if any at all, but HIGHCOM appropriated an additonal one for Janus for it's role in the Battle of Earth. With a thermonuclear yeild of 30 megatons, it can be activated remotely or, in desperate situations, manually.
-x5 Fusion Rockets: Relatively inefficient kinetic strikes. They've proven largely useless against shielded opponents and have no guidance system. They are largely utilized against stationary targets.
Complement:
-800 Naval Personnel: Responsible for management of the ship and repairs, as well as manning of Longswords and Pelicans.
-200 UNSC Marines: Standard greenhorn marines, typically armed with assault rifles, but also known to carry rocket launchers, rail guns, and a variety of weaponry.
-5 Orbital Drop/Shock Troopers(ODSTs): Elite troopers, outstanding from the Marines. The best of the best of regular human beings; these five are the only ones left onboard after most of Janus' complement dropped into battle.
-3 SPARTAN II Super Soldiers: Augmented super soldiers dressed in MJOLNIR powered armor. Superior to regular human beings by a long shot, SPARTANs are fast, strong, and hyperlethal.
-24 Longsword Interceptors: Standard interceptor, primarily used for combat against other fighters. The Longsword can be modified to serve in a bombing role, but it does not excel in this function.
-10 Pelican Dropships: Troop Transports that carry up to fifteen soldiers. Affixed with a nose gun used for personal defense. Pelicans can also be utilized to carry and drop in Warthog LAVs and Scorpion MBTs.
-12 Warthog LAVs: Three man light assault land vehicle with chain gun, rail gun, or missile pod attachment in the back gunner seat.
-4 Scorpion Main Battle Tanks: Large, heavily armored tanks with large main cannon and supporting chain gun. One driver and one turret operator -- up to four soldiers can ride on the Tank's treads.
-25 HEVs: Human Entry Vehicles, or Drop Pods, designed to be used by ODSTs -- dropped from orbit to deliver the soldiers to ground.
-6 Falcon Gunships: A tilt and reverse rotor helicopter with occupancy for up to five troops inside, excluding pilot. Two machinegun turrets are affixed to either door side. Falcons also come with a standard M638 autocannon affixed to the chin of the craft.
-1x Huragok Engineer: One from a race of biological supercomputers. Used entirely in secret, usually for repair work.
-1x "Smart" AI: Responsible for major ship duties, navigation, targeting algorithms, etc. Has been known to leave the ship inside a SPARTANs helmet.
History of the Ship:
The
Janus is a relatively new ship, commissioned by ONI as a testing grounds for some of their pet projects, particularly the new Huragok acquisition. For a time it was staffed only be a skeleton crew, one captain Hurst, and a handful of ONI Operatives. After a few months of service, usually putting around Outer Colonies,
Janus received notification about the Battle of Reach and was deployed to aid in the combat efforts. Though the Janus ultimately arrived too late to be of service, she was given a full crew and standing orders to stay in or near the Sol System, as HIGHCOM feared an attack on Earth. When that fateful day arrived, the
Janus was able to deploy most of it's payload of ODSTs and fight valiantly against the Covenant menace. However, the Captain, Hurst, ultimately proved disloyal on the arrival of a fourth wave of the Covenant fleet, and began powering up the Translight engine in an escape attempt. He was immediately shot by the resident ONI Officer, but then things got... Weird. They were now in uncharted space, with no planet like Earth around for lightyears...
Notable Crew:
Crew Name: Archibald "Archie" Stevenson
Crew Role: Ship Captain
Crew Description: Archie hails from the planet of Carrow, where he lived for all his life until the fateful day of the Covenant's attack. He joined OCS immediately, wishing to destroy the Covenant with as much firepower as he could get his hands on -- and that happened to be aboard a Heavy Cruiser. For most of the war's duration, Archie has served on either Halcyon Class or Marathon Class vessel. During The Battle of Earth, when the former Captain expired, Archie found himself suddenly promoted.
Crew Name: Maisie Villarreal
Crew Role: ONI Agent
Crew Description: A representative from the Office of Naval Intelligence whose purpose is to keep track of all experimental tech employed by the Janus and keep an eye on the Huragok. She likes to keep out of people's way, keeping her head down and doing her job, and she rarely makes any time for small talk or pleasantries. This has earned her a reputation as a stone cold bitch. She is fiercely, relentlessly loyal to the UNSC.
Crew Name: Janus, or "JJ"
Crew Role: AI
Crew Description: Named for the ship he was ultimately placed on, JJ is a Smart AI that was designed along with and specifically for the Janus. He's a relatively new AI, and hasn't had as much experience as the now famous Cortana. Still, his processing speeds and function is incredible. He's deeply curious and has something of a minor God complex. A common adage of his is "I am the ship, and the ship is me." He has been disconnected from time to time, but he never recalls it as a pleasant experience.
Crew Name: Elise-096
Crew Role: SPARTAN II Super Soldier
Crew Description: Along with Graham-024 and Thalia-133, she is the leader of Green Team, deployed on a number of ONI-assigned missions for most of the Human-Covenant War. Like most Spartans, Elise is reserved and quiet, usually only speaking when spoken to. Among her fellows she is creative and a free thinker, and probably would have been something of a flower child if she hadn't ended up in the Spartan program. She's prone to want to question orders, but has had such practices beaten out of her. Still, in her private moments, she wonders if she's doing the right thing.
Crew Name: Cain Shaw
Crew Role: ODST Commando
Crew Description: Leader of the last ODST squadron scheduled to deploy from the Janus, Cain is pissed he and his team didn't get a chance to defend Earth and her peoples. He is loud, brash, and in-charge, characteristic of most ODSTs. Shaw has spent his career as an ODST getting screwed over, not deployed to any major conflict locations, always being ferried to a new locale as back-up, and he's fed up with it.
Crew Name: Inconsistent Buoyancy
Crew Role: Huragok Engineer
Crew Description: An Engineer acquired by ONI for service on the Janus. It was a truly remarkable find, and a clandestine operation to get the damned thing on board and keep it hush hush. Inconsistent is content to float around the ship, being corralled by Maisie, fixing whatever he(if it can even be called a 'he') can find.
Unique Technology:
-Shaw/Fujikawa Translight Engine: Means of entering slipstream space for fast transit.
-MAC Cannons
Crew Size: 1008 human beings on board
Class: Marathon-Class
Faction/Operator/Owner: The United Nations Space Command