In 2202 the Centauri introduced the Sentri Medium fighter, the most
advanced fighter of the day (except for the Minbari, and the Ancients). At
that time all the Centauri were concerned with were pathetic little Belt
Alliance (and Raider) Gamma and Delta IV variants, EA Star Fox fighters, and
some lame League fighters. The Nial was never something they even thought
about facing. And the Narn weren't an issue at all.
But by 2255 the galaxy had changed. The EA had the Aurora Starfury,
the Narn had the Frazi, the Drazi had super heavy fighters, and the League
were even making real fighters. These fighters had weapons that could blast
apart a Sentri in one or two bursts, and had the armour and structure to
shrug off most volleys from a Sentri. Even the Sentri's maneuverability was
a very narrow advantage against these newer fighters.
A new fighter began development. Based strongly on the Sentri, it
was made with advanced materials and equipment. The structure was stronger
and lighter, the fire control was smaller (although not quite as accurate),
and the engine was more powerful. A little armour was taken off the side to
free up some space and weight, and improved guns installed (two Medium
Particle Guns). The more powerful engine combined with a slightly better
mass to thrust ratio resulted in a slight increase in available thrust as
well.
The new fighter - dubbed the Sentra - was 33% more expensive to
build than the Sentri, and so was ignored by the Ministry of Defense after
the prototypes were completed in early 2259. But by the end of the year,
the conflict with the Narn was in full swing, and while the Centauri were
winning, many brave fighter pilots were becoming Fallen Heroes of the
Republic. Too many.
The Sentri was just not holding it's own against the Frazi. It was
decided to dust off the Sentra and bring it into production. By early 2260 the
Sentra was in production. There were still plenty of Sentris available, and
many military officers (in the tradition bound Centauri military) still
preferred the older fighter. But the Sentra began to see service, and it
acquitted itself very well. Many Narn (and later, League) fighter pilots
were very surprised to discover that what they though a lightly armed Sentri,
was much more. This was often the last realization many of these pilots would
ever make. The Centauri military will use Sentris for many years, but the
Sentra will slowly take their place.
Sentra Rules:
The Sentri and Sentra are physically identical in appearance.
A Sentra can only be distinguished from a Sentri if it does something a
Sentri cannot, like expend 13 points of thrust, or hit a target with the
more powerful weapon. If a Centauri player chooses to 'disguise' his
Sentras as Sentris, he must record which flights are which in advance, and
display this to his opponent once all fighters have been correctly
identified, or the game is over.
The Medium Particle Gun cannot be 'under-loaded' to simulate a Light
Particle Gun.
