Parhelia

The Qwis-109* Parhelia is a highly-modified racing freighter built for Clan 'Umtalla.

History
Built by the Aanrar Shipyards during the Twentieth Age of Discovery, the ship that would become the Parhelia was intended as the first of seventeen freighters ordered for Quantol Mercantile Concerns. She was never delivered to the organization, as during construction, the Quantol clan were audited and fined by the government of their homeworld, and were unable to pay for the vessels. While the rest of her sisters were canceled and scrapped soon after work started, its advanced construction saw her being the only completed ship of the block. She remained at the docks for the next six years, with no buyers making a bid on the freighter until Rael 'Umtalla.

With his funding, the Parhelia was significantly modified by the shipwrights to his specifications, with many components being supplied by the businessman himself. Under his command, the former freighter led a very successful career in racing, and stories were still told of her victories within the competitive scene of Kantuon Edict Primary Domain by as late as the Ninth Age of Reclamation. Her most enduring legacy was cementing the trend of freighters-turned-sprint yachts that were later known as 'Second-Sundogs.'

After Rael's death, the Parhelia was laid up in the 'Umtalla dockyards of High Charity, and his descendants would only rarely use it in deep-space races. This was not because of its age, but rather because it required an extreme amount of skill on the part of the pilot to maneuver. By the time of the Great Schism, she had not left her berth in years. During the Fall of High Charity, she was passed over by the Jiralhanae occupying forces, and was instead spirited away by a Kig-Yar crew led by Quatch.

Specifications
Resembling the shape of the far smaller Spirit dropship but flying back to front, the Parhelia 's design oozes with its single-minded intent. Compared to other ships of its type, it is longer and less robust, and its hull has been thinned and streamlined to maximize atmospheric performance. It has a rather small bridge, at least by Sangheili standards, with the shipmaster residing on a raised platform while the stations for the pilot and copilot are recessed into the deck. The engine room could be found nearby. A small cargo bay is located at the bottom of its bow section.

The Parhelia 's incredible speed comes from a pair of advanced repulsor engines, designed for a Covenant ministry ship - the origin of which were taken to Rael's grave. The high-performance pinch fusion reactor also came from the same source, and requires a special coolant made with a sour mix with a metal powder catalyst to operate, and deuterium fuel for power. Less secretive was how he acquired the yacht's borer, which was taken from the wreck of the Pugilist, a notorious raider of 'Umtalla's shipping lines that was eventually defeated by Rael.

Because it was necessary to save as much weight as possible, the Parhelia did not have a formidable armament. While most freighters operated by the 'Umtalla Clan are equipped with four batteries of heavy plasma cannons, their addition would have added considerably to the yacht's mass and profile. Instead, the Parhelia only has a pair of much weaker models mounted on the front of each extending prong. These weapons are designed for bomber craft and dropships, so while capable of protecting the freighter against fighters and light pirate raids, it is an unsuitable defense against larger opponents. For this reason, Rael's descendants later mounted them on a retractable base, reasoning that it is better to make it appear disarmed than undergunned.

To make up for this deficiency, the Parhelia's shields are unusually strong. Its hull uses the extremely-expensive T'Soram-blend nanolaminate for protection, whose high strength-to-ton can take hard hits without adding unnecessary bulk. Its framework seems to be somewhat poor, as while the Parhelia would not fall apart mid-flight, high-G maneuvers will cause the hull to flex and alter its flight characteristics. This is one reason why it is difficult to fly at high speeds.

Known Crew
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Officers

 * Rael 'Umtalla - First shipmaster of the Parhelia, died during the 20th Age of Discovery.
 * Tennbau Quatch - Shipmaster, led the hijacking of the freighter during the Fall of High Charity.

Crewmen

 * Cam
 * Dith Oalarch - Keelworker
 * Dwe
 * Occetica Heik - Signalworker
 * Kess
 * Lan Esaki - Junior pipeliner, escaped with Quatch during the Sangheili attack.
 * Nak - Engine chief.
 * Pem - Keelworker
 * Sap - Deck crew, tailor
 * Taol - Member of the engine crew
 * Tur - Deserter of the Covenant Loyalists

Passengers
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 * P'thon 'Umtalla - Scion of Clan 'Umtalla.
 * Ihyera 'Rehestuf

List of Appearances

 * Not All Who Wander
 * Parhelia: Side Jobs
 * How The Upper Third Lives