A two-stage missile, the Star Slug featured four solid-fuel boosters for initial launch and a nuclear salt water rocket primary thrust stage. Two twin launchers for the BAE Systems 'Star Slug' Common Exoatmospheric Proximal Kill Vehicle were the primary anti-space armament of the Sachsen.

While entropy sinks were available by the time the Sachsens entered service, conventional thermal radiator surfaces were technologically mature and much more reliable. To keep purchase price down for ships that were not intended for heavy combat, as many COTS (commercial off the shelf) components were used as possible, ranging from the CEDI Gen1 jump drive to the Tata-Weyland fusion thrust and cooling array to the Orsteel structure and exterior cladding. They soon acquired the moniker 'colonial sloops' due to their mission into the middle and outer Verge, and a number of smaller navies adopted that as their official classification. With large crew spaces and forgiving maintenance cycles they were seen as happy ships to serve on - so long as one didn't plan to return to civilization anytime soon.

Contemporaneous to the Canopus system defense ships, the Sachsens are built to civilian standards as opposed to the more stringent (and evolving) warship standards of their larger but shorter-ranged fleetmates. The Sachsen series offworld patrol vessels were designed in the first decade of the 22nd century to act as long-duration guardships for the EU's Verge colonies and the expanding transnational frontier.

Nebula class starship model