From the FASA Star Trek ROMULAN SHIP RECOGNITION MANUAL, circa 1985
P-2 (Ranajmar) Class II Cutter
Known Sphere Of Operation: Empire-wide use
Data Reliability: B
Major Data Source: Triangle sector intelligence
Common to the Romulan borders, P-2s also may be found in planetary systems where Romulan law is not fully established.  Usually assigned in groups of three to five, these cutters are quite capable of handling civil vessels.
        Type 1 is known to have entered service just prior to the outbreak of the Four Years War between the Klingons and the Federation; used to defend newly-acquired areas along the Triangle, it was reported to be underpowered and undergunned to handle its mission.  Types 2 and 3 had slight interior and cosmetic changes, but they did not really address the issue of mission suitability and represented no real improvement over the Type 1.  The Type 4 remedied this, however, and has not been changed in over 20 years; it has a larger, more powerful warp engine and impulse engine and upgraded weaponry.  By Stardate 2/0412, all vessels of this class still in service are thought to have been converted to Type 4.
        Of the approximately 1,500 P-2s built, about 950 are in active service, about 50 are assigned to reserve fleets, and about 350 have been lost or destroyed.  Best count shows 117 vessels operating in the civil sector; of these, two Type 1 s, one Type 2, and two Type 4s operate almost exclusively in the Triangle.
        The Eridam Papers indicate that the class derives its name from a small creature of Romulan mythology, a familiar kept by Monan the Seer.  The legend says that one day, while Monan was away, bandits attempted to enter his abode and steal his treasures.  They were surprised by this strange little reptile, which attacked without care for its safety.  Upon his return home, Monan found seven dead bandits and his familiar perilously close to death from the wounds it had received.  None of Monan's treasures had been taken.