The 273-meter Scout is the smallest JumpShip in common use in the Inner Sphere. As its name suggests, the Star League-era Scout was designed as an independent reconnais- sance and exploration vessel. During the Succession Wars, many Scouts were pressed into military service. The vessel's small emergence signature made it especially well suited for covert operations such as transporting small surgical strike teams deep behind enemy lines.
         The Scout has comfortable quarters and a large medical bay. The design lacks a gray deck, however, and must use the acceleration method, or gravity maneuvering, to produce artificial gravity. Modern Scouts carry fuel tanks large enough to do this for periods of time with little problem.
         The Scout's bulbous nose houses most of the vessel's crew quarters, as well as the spacious bridge, jump-computer, life-support system, and a series of back-up generators. The back-up generators can power the Scout's life-support system for up to three months, allowing the crew to survive in the event the main fusion plant fails.
         An expanded set of cargo bays and a small-craft bay are sandwiched between the fragile drive core and the hull. Generally, the cargo bay is partially used to store additional supplies for the JumpShip and its crew, but many crews also use it for hauling cargo between star systems.
         The aft end of the ship houses the Scout's power plant, fuel tanks and transit drive. The fragile jump-sail mechanism is also located in the aft section. Four large pylons ensure that the 890-meter sail does not come into contact with the vessel's hull, should it be unfurled.
         The Quetzalcoatl-Scout is difficult to discern from a normal Scout, as most owners of them wish them to blend into normal Scout traffic. They do provide for full scale support of 20 fighters of any size though, and keep their cargo bays full of extra fuel and supplies to maintain them at peak operating efficiency. Almost all Quetzalcoatl-Scouts also sport a small weapons grid, just enough to protect them from unwary enemies, but if any Quetzalcoatl-Scout is forced to fall back on its weapons grids, its fighters have hopelessly failed to keep the enemy at bay. Usually seen patrolling the borders of the Successor States, they are also sometimes sent to support raids as their 20 fighters can clear a path through many defenses.