UNSC Relentless

"A forerunner for the future of space warfare."

- Anonymous

The UNSC Relentless was a revolutionary capital ship that entered service during the UNSC-CMA Cold War, and could arguably be considered the first modern cruiser. She was one of only two Relentless-class large command cruisers built, with the other being the UNSC Mirata.

Built during a time when the UNSC was actually far smaller than their CMA rivals, the Relentless simply had no equal or effective counter when it was introduced. Though a cruiser, unlike its contemporaries it was no mere escort, with the size and capabilities to act as a capital ship in its own right - something that had not been seen since the days of the Interplanetary Wars. This was combined with an unrivaled slipspace suite and high speed, along with the first MAC ever fitted to a warship, to enable it to strike at previously-unapproachable carriers or arsenal ships and destroy them. So effective was it that all future vessels were forced to consider fighting Relentless-like vessels, leading to the wider proliferation of naval arms and defenses across all ship classifications.

For such an effect on history, the Relentless herself led a comparatively disappointing history. Placed at the head of cruiser squadrons operating in contested regions, its purpose was more symbolic, being used for showing the flag to arouse UNSC support, and entice CMA fleets to leave by shadowing them constantly. It did see some action, most notably in detaining the ships behind the nuking of Far Isle, but by the turn of the century it had long been supplemented by newer ships. It was taken out of active service in 2509 to be used as a training ship, and then decommissioned in 2521 to serve as a barracks ship above Chi Rho. It was brought back into service when the Covenant was discovered, and was subsequently destroyed during the opening minutes of the Battle of Midvale.