The Star Patrol is a shorthand term for the combined forces of the Terran Star Navy and the Neptunian Skyguard on either side of the Asteroid Belt. The primary work force of their respective planets, the Star Patrol perform the gruntwork of enforcing their worlds' order in the common space of the Sol system. Since no other world maintains an extraplanetary military force, Terra and Neptune alone supply the chief antagonists for our misfit bands of crooks and thieves. Despite often working together, each has their own distinct kits, practices and jurisdiction in space- when you're planning a job, it's good to know where you're going and what kind of Star Patrol presence you're bound to run into along the way.
While they have their differences, there are a few common elements between the two forces' kits. Designed to provide moderate protection from weapon fire, all Star Patroller kits come with sturdy helmets and ceramic-alloy upper body plating to ensure the important parts are covered. The uniforms are loose-fitting to allow common stock to fit a range of body types, and obstructive visors ensure captured uniforms can be used by adventurous crews to sneak into restricted areas, although helpful individual nametags are provided to mitigate these cases of misappropriation. Built-in comms radios ensure the uniform's wearer can stay alert to Star Patrol movement and, if they're borrowing the uniform, know when the jig is up. Advanced Star Patrollers will often remove the helmet from their uniform, as they can be cramped and uncomfortable; the soldiers who do so are often seasoned combatants and should be regarded with extra caution.
Wearing blue and white, Terran Star Patrollers answer to the Grand Admiral and are a regular sight in the Inner Belt. In addition to following orders, Terran soldiers are motivated by the Grand Admiral's bounty board to pursue big-name targets. A nice promotion is all but guaranteed should they bag a big one, so Terran troops tend to be a lot more proactive and tenacious in pursuing notable villains. As part of their standard kit Terrans carry a Pulse Wave Rifle, an easy to use weapon which fires charged pulses of energy similar to forcefield technology, cutting dazzling blue lines across space. The Pulse Wave Rifle is effective against soft targets and can disrupt forcefield waves with concentrated fire. Energy is provided by a rectangular battery pack which can be popped out and swapped with the push of a lighter rectangular button adjacent to the battery seat; soldiers are encouraged not to cinematically discard spent batteries during firefights, as the cells they use are valuable and they can be easily recharged. To supplement the weapon's primary fire, a Kinetic Munitions Barrel is fitted beneath the front stock of the weapon, allowing a soldier to load specialized individual shells that can defeat hardened armor or flush their targets out of cover. A standard kinetic Leadcaster sidearm completes the Terran Star Patroller's kit.
Clad in orange and black, Neptunian Star Patrollers control the Outer Belt on behalf of their home planet. Encountering Neptunian forces are generally a mixed bag- while overall not as persistent as their Terran counterparts, it's hard to tell whether a squad of troops shares their Patriarch's vision for control of space or the Vice-Patriarch's ideas about the Solar community and this could greatly impact how motivated they are to chase bank robbers and the like. The Neptunian standard kit is designed to accommodate the two different species of their homeworld with as much common resource as possible to minimize material redundancies. Their helmets and uniforms are all-encompassing, keeping them protected from gas or other atmospheric hazards while enabling Neptunian rogues to very easily steal a uniform for themselves. This full enclosure offers protection at the cost of some of the Neptunians' natural abilities- Medileer need to roll their feathers around their arms so they can't glide while in uniform, and Zephyleer roll their ears back in their helmets so they can't sense vibrations in solid surfaces as easily. The Neptunian kit includes two variants of Photon Cannon, weapons which are strong against soft and hard targets but struggle to defeat projected forcefields. Both variants use the same type of photon magazine rod, designed with a ringed end cap, so both types of Neptunian can share the same supply of ammunition. They also share the same circular breathing filters, as each soldier carries a compliment of blast capsules capable of filling a starship corridor with debilitating chemical clouds.
While Star Patrollers do not have official jurisdiction on Titan Garden- considered its own neutral ground with its own security forces- both Terran and Neptunian variants are common sights in the space station. Terran Star Patrol will find their way to Titan Garden while off-duty in pursuit of big bounty targets, and Neptunian Star Patrol work the space around Saturn so entry into and exit from Titan often require starfarers to deal with their inquiries. Both Red Raven and Timberwolf have enjoyed their respective shares of encounters with both flavors of Star Patrol; they're the spice that makes a life of crime interesting when you're not on a job and a consistent source of stress the crews shouldn't underestimate when they are on a job. Individually they might not be a match for a seasoned villain but they have incalculable numbers and the backing of two outsized planets to give them some serious teeth. Tread carefully, starfarer, and may fortune's wind fill your sails.