3788 Scale Jindarian Medium Strike Cruiser (MSC)

The Jindarians have been in space for perhaps 100,000 years, while the other species of the Star Fleet Universe have been in space (more correctly, traveling between stars) for as little as two centuries. This history, plus their nomadic lifestyle and their long individual lives, gives them a decidedly disinterested view toward events around them. They do not form alliances or take part in wars simply because they consider all such affairs to be transitory in nature and of no real relevance to their lives.

The Jindarians have no known homeworld (or indeed, no known “national government”) and have been encountered throughout known space. It is not known if they originated within our sector of the Galaxy or arrived from elsewhere. They appear to have no real interest in contact with any of the governments, or interest in the affairs of the governments, beyond some occasional trading. To some extent, the Jindarians appear to operate as “Gypsies,” establishing themselves in a system’s asteroid field and later moving on. The Jindarians appear to operate in groupings referred to as “caravans,” which can be anywhere from three to twelve of their asteroid ships. Each caravan is led by a Jinbaro (often translated as “king”) who recognizes no senior authority beyond himself (or herself) and no particular obligation to come to the aid of any other caravan (although this has happened).

The larger Jindarian ships are built from asteroids, riddled with tunnels, and fitted with warp engines and other systems. These asteroid ships are virtually indistinguishable from other asteroids, at least until they start moving or fighting. Their asteroid ships have only “minimal” shields, using rock and anti-transporter fields for defense. Their weapons include phasers and warp-augmented rail guns, which have an offensive capability with a single large energized projectile and a defensive capability that can flood regions near their ship with tons of projectiles that, while harmless to ships, are deadly to fighters and seeking weapons. Their smaller ships are more traditional metal ones.

Jindarians began using this ship about two-thirds of the way into the General War. It was literally a half step between the heavy and light strike cruisers, but in one sense, it was more heavily armed, having three medium railguns in its forward centerline. There were design tradeoffs, as the hull of the light strike cruiser on which the ship was based was already very close to its limits. This is reflected partly in the fact that there was no increase in the storage of defensive mode ammunition. Replacing the center warp engine with two smaller engines made the ship one of the liveliest of the heavy war cruiser type. The ship was a dangerous opponent.

This ship is available in a variety of materials. Ships are unpainted, use standard flight stands available from many sources, and, while designed for gaming, make fine display pieces.