Raptor

Raptors were Forerunner warships built prior to the Forerunner-Flood war for use by Builder Security at the behest of the Master Builder Faber-of-Will-and-Might. Initially, their combination of speed and power made raptors excel in naval combat, but as the Flood grew in influence, vulnerabilities surrounding the ancilla used to control them caused raptors to be reassigned away from the front lines.

Superstructure and hull
Characterized by their unique arrow-shaped profile, raptors made extensive use of restricted and otherwise rare materials in their construction.

Ship systems
Known for their speed and elegantly sophisticated weapon systems, raptors heavily relied on the use of metarch-level ancilla for fleet synchronization and strategic collaboration. While their combination of speed and power made raptors ideal for quick strikes on enemy warships, these attributes also made them effective mobile command centers and transports. One variant of the raptor, the second-order fast frigate, was fitted with highly advanced navigational techniques and slipspace core configurations that allowed it to make rapid intragalactic transits under reconciliation conditions unmanageable by lesser vessels.

Types

 * Second-order fast frigate

Creation
Manufactured within the Summus Assembler Vats decades before the start of the Forerunner-Flood war, raptors came into existence largely due to the efforts of Master Builder Faber-of-Will-and-Might, who wanted the powerful vessels as part of his Builder Security forces. Raptors proved to be highly effective in strike campaigns against larger capital ships, using their combined speed and lethal offensive capabilities to descend on enemy warship with ruthless precision.

Vulnerable to the Flood
As the Flood spread throughout the galaxy and began to adapt to Forerunner naval tactics, it was discovered that the metarch-level ancilla that raptors relied on for coordination in battle were susceptible to the logic plague. In response to these newfound vulnerabilities, the Forerunners repurposed raptors as command-and-control nodes or tasked them with vital transport missions through contested regions of space, moving Council members and Myrmidons. Due to the extreme navigational capabilities of the raptors referred to as "fast frigates," these vessels notably saw use in the final days of the war and were among the few ships authorized to travel within the Burn.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Silentium