For Honor
- Intent: To create a flexible transport cruiser for the Corellian Confederation
- Image Source: "Vaulters" by Ronan Berlese
- Canon Link: None
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Starbound Industries
- Affiliation:
- Corellian Confederation
- Closed-Market
- Model: Marathon-Class Heavy Assault Cruiser
- Production: Minor
- Material: Various Starship Materials
- Classification: Assault Cruiser
- Length: 950 Meters
- Width: 600 Meters
- Height: 450 Meters
- Armament: High
- Quad-Turbolaser Turrets
- Quad-Laser Cannon Turrets
- Concussion Missile Batteries
- Ventral Laser Cannons
- Ventral Quad-Turbolaser Batteries
- Defenses: Low
- Deflector Shields
- Armor Plating
- Point-Defense Lasers
- Chaff
- Dampner Aerosol Missiles
- Hangar Space: Extreme: 9
- Port and Starboard Hangars
- Ventral Hangar
- Ventral Troop Deployment Ramp
- Invasion Configuration
- Starfighters: 4
- Support Craft: 5
- Starfighter Corps./ Fighter Carrier Config
- Starfighters: 7
- Support Craft: 2
- Maneuverability Rating: Low
- Speed Rating: Low
- Hyperdrive Class: 0.3
- Standard Cruiser Targeting Systems
- Standards Communications and Encryption Suites
- Holonet Tranciever
- Life Support
- Standard Safety Features
- Escape Pods
- Tractor Beams
- Misc. Standard Features
- Various Sized Drop Pods
- Planetary Invasion: The Marathon-Class was able to move large amounts of troops, vehicles, and starfighters quickly between conflict zones and deploy them efficiently.
- Starfighter Carrier: The Marathon held several vast hangars and loading bays that took up most of the interior space of the vessel which allowed room for nearly a dozen squadrons of fighters and support craft.
- Maneuverability: A large, slow, and poorly maneuverable target, the Marathon suffered from flanking maneuvers when unsupported.
- Defenses: Weak shields and armor despite its modest weapons compliment left the Marathon's defensive capabilities with much to be desired.
- Slave Rigging: Ion weapons and computer viruses could severely hamper the vessel's capabilities in combat with Ion weapons able to disable slave rigged systems on top of shields and weapons, and viruses could send the slave rigged systems haywire.
The Marathon-class heavy assault cruiser was introduced after the Battle of Balmorra. The battle was a lesson in fleet composition to the Corellian Navy as the force relied heavily on its flagship, the Starchild, which was itself a large carrier battlecruiser. It made Corellian High Command realize they were spending an exorbitant amount of credits staffing, constructing, and in cases like the Resurgent, Bulwark, and Ferrata classes, refurbishing large vessels that themselves were few in number. A more flexible navy would be required as tensions between the Core Imperial Confederation and the Corellian Confederation threatened war.
Thus the Marathon-Class heavy assault cruiser was born. The Marathon was staffed by a crew of six hundred and fifty and propelled by four large ion engines and supported by 8 small ion engine clusters. Its unique blade-like prow section and the wing-like structures protruding from either side gave it the appearance of a bird to some, leading to the vessels being affectionately referred to as Gulls. The bridge tower of the Marathon-class featured a double-deck design with the lower deck featuring as a typical bridge and the second level functioning as a communications and flight coordination hub. Similar to many assault landing cruisers, the Marathon also lacked windows on its bridge tower, instead opting to rely on advanced holo screens and avionics to observe the environment. With the advent of Virtual Intelligence in the Corellian Navy, the Marathon was future-proofed, equipped with hundreds of slave rigged systems and advanced droid brains which were able to process and interact with sample code from Project S.M.I.L.E. though no version of the sophisticated Virtual Intelligence was yet available for smaller vessels. The slave rigged systems still drastically reduced the needed crew size, allowing for more space to be used for barracks and cargo storage.
While its main mission was to land and disgorge its entire invasion force on an enemy world, the Marathon was intended to also serve competently as a combat vessel. Armed with an impressive array of quad-turbolasers, laser cannons, and ventral quad-turbo laser batteries for use in planetary bombardment, the Marathon could comfortably engage most light warships, even posing a threat to cruisers and command vessels when properly supported or in groups. Its greatest weakness however was its shields and armor, which drastically limited the time the Marathon could engage in heavy combat, despite its name inferring otherwise. If the vessel were to find itself cut off from support or worse, engaged in direct combat alone with a large capital vessel it could result in a devastating loss for the Corellian military.
The primary purpose of the Marathon was to serve as a super heavy troop deployment craft for the Corellian Army, using its ability to land in hostile territory and deploy its embarked complement of Corellian troops. These soldiers were supported by a plethora of mechanized walkers, droids, and vehicles which were also stored aboard the Marathons. In zones that were too difficult or too dangerous to land in, the vessel also came with several drop pod bays of varying sizes which allowed the atmospheric deployment of soldiers, logistical assets, and even mechanized units and vehicles.
The incredibly fast hyperdrive engine allowed the Marathon to be quickly dispatched throughout the Corellian Sector and beyond, rapidly deploying legions of troops to respond to developing threats or reinforce strongholds. Because of its hyperdrive, it was often used as an escort for supply convoys and was widely liked and used by several Corellian Starfighter Corps Generals as command vessels for their fleets and squadrons. Though the vessel was initially made for the Corellian Confederation, Starbound Industries managed to secure contracts with several other organizations and planetary defense fleets throughout the Galaxy, allowing the Marathon to ferry millions of souls to and from battle.
Last edited:
