Shroud

The Shroud is a type of civil construction-turned-stealth aircraft used by the Jiralhanae.

History
The basic design of the Shroud and its derivatives date back to before the First Immolation. They were developed as a more manageable alternative for Jiralhanae spacesuits, as the issues with containing Doisac-standard atmospheric pressure were exceedingly difficult to engineer, much less work in. In this guise, they were used for all general space activity, including conducting missions and transportation from and from motherships.

Over the centuries, the Shroud has found use as a construction vehicle and also a vessel of war, particularly when the Warlords were so strapped for vessels that they were reduced to boarding and capturing starships from their rivals. The Brutes experimented with using stealth Shrouds to infiltrate starports in the Covenant frontier, to pillage valuable supplies or simply to commit sabotage. After the Jirlhanae-Covenant War, it gradually fell out of mainline use. It was only during the onset of the Great Schism that the Shroud and other Jiralhanae-native vehicles began to make a comeback, and saw action during the very last years of the Human-Covenant War.

Design features
The Shroud is the Jiralhanae's primary civil industry vehicle, optimized for conducting all manner of construction and demolition work. Its basic design consists of a cramped cabin with small thrusters for space travel and appendages controlled by the operator. Most of the hull is ruggedly reinforced to contain Doisac-standard atmospheric pressure, with is devoted to the life support, thrusters, and reactor systems. There is no room allocated for cargo inside the cabin; it must be carried on the Shroud's exterior.

Underneath the Shroud are an assortment of mechanical appendages, with most modern models featuring six pairs. The forelegs are modular and directly controlled by the operator, able to use a wide variety of tools depending on what work needs to be performed. The usual arrangement includes cutting saws, welders, and mechanical claws for manipulating objects. A second, much smaller set of legs are used for delicate tasks. The hindlegs are used for latching the Shroud to a steady surface, be it a mothership or a space platform, or for carrying large completed modules for final installation. As its control system is more comparable to an exoskeleton than a conventional aircraft, Shrouds are difficult for most pilots to fly.

Though Shrouds are capable of atmospheric flight, they are far too slow and cumbersome to make for an effective attack vehicle and are usually reserved for support or peaceful purposes. Their armament is solely used for self-defense, with a computer-aided Spiker only able to shoot down missiles or reply with small-arms fire. Some Shroud pilots have used the forelegs to batter aside infantry and rip apart vehicles.

Since contact had been made with the Covenant, a number of enterprising warlords have experimented with installing active-camouflage emitters to hide them and other vehicles around them.