Most of the vessels that fall into this class are either designed or modified for speed and fire power. Built to engage in "pre-jump" combat, patrol craft make maximum use of speed and maneuverability to catch fleeing vessels before they can escape to hyperspace. System patrol craft contain no hyperdrive engines, instead relying on powerful sublight engines to make their way within a system.

Often, the crew of a system patrol craft spends long periods off-world in their vessel, patrolling the borders of their star system. They are called upon to respond quickly to any ships leaving the system with stolen or smuggled goods, so the crews must be constantly on watch for threats from within their system as well as those from beyond.

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