from unknown

Notes - circa 2286:

     No other design embodies what the Orion do best quite like the Industrious class - copy others. The Industrious class is in fact a rare well built copy of a heavy patrol ship designed by the Romulans for the loyalist forces of the MCA. The original design, which was half the size of the Industrious class, was contracted to Orion firms in exchange for much needed mining equipment. The Orions built the requested 35 patrol vessels, and immediately began work on what is considered a capable and powerful light freighter.
     The original A-1 mounted the OWA-1 drive, which proved inadequate for the designers goals. Only 6 were completed and sold before the A-2 model was placed into production. The A-2 used the larger and more powerful OWA-2 drive, which gave the vessel excellent handling characteristics. The OWA-2 also allowed the Industrious class to maintain it’s safe cruising speed even while fully loaded. But by far the best selling point was the weapon system. Designers deliberately placed a heavy weapon load that could cover all possible avenues of attack against the freighter. The A-2 also mounted a fore and aft torpedo, giving the class firepower equal to some destroyers of the era. The Industrious became an instant success. But the Romulans proved to be difficult patent holders. While few Orions paid any attention to patents, the Industrious was not easy to build. Shipyards that constructed the vessels were forced to charge substantial overhead to ensure that other lucrative Romulan contracts would no suddenly disappear.
     By 2272, the Romulans released some rights to the patent and the following year the A-3 was fielded. The A-3 used the larger OID-1 impulse drive, giving the vessel even greater overall power. The A-2 had required several extra engineers to service the torpedo system. Designers replaced the torpedoes tubes and storage racks with two additional disruptors. Along with a more efficient shield system, the A-3 became the preferred model and by 2275, orders were pouring in. The A-3 became popular with smaller companies who couldn’t afford the massive freighters but needed a more defensible platform than the light haulers.
     Yet for high risk adventurers and those who traded near war zones, even the heavy firepower of the A-3 was insufficient. In 2280, designers presented the Romulans with the B-1. As powerful as some light cruisers, the B-1 had heavy weapons and even greater power with the addition of the OID-2 impulse system. The Romulans further lightened the patent charges on the B-1 to ensure volume sales to help pay their debt to the Klingons. The Romulans still insisted on strict records of each ship built, though. In 2282, Trando Independent Shipbuilders attempted to launch several Industrious vessels without Romulan approval. The Romulans retaliated in typical fashion, obliterating the mining operations in the system asteroid ring, destroying all seventeen of the companies sub-light ore carriers, the orbital refining station and dry docks. The Romulans also destroyed the entire city surrounding the Trando headquarters, but left the corporate building standing. Needless to say, no one else has attempted to build a vessel even resembling the Industrious without Romulan permission.
     The Industrious is built almost exclusively in the Triangle, although nearly 50 were constructed by Orion interests in the Outmarches. To date, over 700 have been built. Because most individuals in the Triangle are aware of the Trando incident, only about 50 or so odd vessels have been purchased by know pirate cartels. Because of its significant combat capabilities, intelligence reports that only 6 A-2’s, 17 A-3’s and 5 B-1’s have been destroyed over the years. Details concerning the remaining vessels are difficult to obtain. Intersystems Extraction, Inc. own the single largest group of Industrious class freighters - 25 A-3’s and 15 A-2’s. Rumors abound that the IKS is looking to sell a number of its older or damaged vessels for fully outfitted B-1’s. Several intelligence agencies are keeping a close eye on this possibility.