Alliance Magellan-Class Corvette

-7 flight crew

-7 engineering and maintenance staff

## Technical Specifications

### Armament

-1 Lancet-class light spinal cannon-Dual battery of GARDIAN anti-fighter lasers Modular design; varying incorporation of cyberwarfare suites, torpedo-bays, or other equipment.

### Defenses

-Myrmidon-Class Basic Armor Systems-Standard Alliance Ray-Shielding Systems

-Advanced SHAI-class long-range scanning equipment

## Description

Developed at the height of human colonial expansion, and in some ways a direct response to the Batarian attack on the planet Mindoir, the Magellan-class was the second variant of corvette designed and produced by the Systems Alliance, phasing out the older Columbus-class. It served as the Alliance’s primary exploration and light-scouting vessel until the development of the Drake-class corvette in the early 2180s. Production ceased and most vessels were retired following the Reaper war in 2187, in which corvettes played an important part as part of the Alliance’s flash-traffic emergency warning system. Like all Alliance corvettes, the Magellan-class was named for a famous human explorer or inventor.

The Magellan class was designed as a multi-purpose vessel, filling multiple empty roles in the Alliance fleet. It is generally slightly larger than most other classes of corvette, in order to house a larger crew that could facilitate a wider range of tasks. Alongside the twenty crewmembers needed to maintain necessary systems, a Magellan can house a complement of scientists, surveyors, or even a squadron of marines. Although slightly slower than its older Columbus-class counterpart, the Magellan is one of the fastest and most maneuverable vessels in the Alliance fleet, balanced by a severe lack in armor and armament. Aside from simple baseline barriers and kinetic-ablative armor, the vessel has no additional protective systems.

Unlike the Columbus and Drake class corvettes, however, the Magellan is armed with either a single very-light spinal main gun and a dual-battery of GUARDIAN anti-fighter lasers. The weapons-systems were tacked on near the end of the production and design process, in part as a response to the Batarian attack on Mindoir, where an armed scouting vessel could have prevented the attack entirely by destroying the unarmed slaver vessels in orbit. Over time, the Magellan was updated to include modular ports for additional cyberwarfare suites, torpedo tubes, or start-up equipment for long-term planetary habitation. However, even with these systems, the Magellan-class is not a vessel designed for war; rather, it is made for light, long-range work, scouting the boundaries of the galaxy, probing for weaknesses, or leading frigate wolfpacks into an enemy’s supply lines. Notably, the Magellan can land on the surface of most terrestrial planets or planetoid without issue.

The Magellan served many, many uses aside from those for which it was originally designed. These include, but are not limited to use as training craft for pilots, bases for Alliance research and design projects, diplomatic vessels, minesweepers, escorts for colonial surveys, and for use in atmospheric parades. In addition, decommissioned Magellan-class corvettes often find their way into merchant or mercenary fleets, although they are *typically* disarmed prior to this. Typically is an important word for after the rush of war-production during the Reaper war, the Alliance sold a surplus of armed Magellan-class corvettes to a wide range of customers…