CTD - Heavy Laser Rifle

[[Mad]]

Looks mostly done to me. Any opinions on this?

 

XLW-07 "BROILER" Heavy Laser Rifle

X-Net://Pegasus.net/Weapons/Heavy Laser Rifle

 

The Broiler Heavy Laser Rifle is basically an improved Laser Rifle, featuring increased power and accuracy at the expense of rate of fire. The Heavy Laser Rifle’s damage potential is great enough to punch through even heavy Alien armor, making it a valuable asset against the more resilient Alien races.

 

“Commander Schultsky told me and my research team to create a more powerful version of the Laser Rifle for our operatives to use. The word from the front was not good; our soldiers were getting pasted. In an attempt to tip the scales in our favor, we tried making a more powerful model, but the standard rifle frame simply did not have enough space. It was Jessica’s idea to use a frame salvaged from a Repeater Cannon. From there we just crammed the components in. A month later we unveiled the Broiler Heavy Laser Rifle. That same day I proposed to Jessica, and she accepted.” - Head physicist Dr. George Schlieffen.

 

The Broiler is currently the most advanced Terran personal weapon available, with its range being significantly increased from the earlier pistol and rifle models. In an evolutionary move, X-Corps designers have abandoned the one-handed rifle concept and embraced the larger two-handed frame currently used in our Repeater Cannons. The larger frame allows space for additional components to increase the weapon’s functionality. The Broiler consists of six distinct components: laser core, firing mechanism, primary capacitor, secondary capacitor (safety circuit), tertiary capacitor, and computer-assisted targeting system.

 

The oversized laser core within the weapon allows for larger, more powerful streams of synchronized light energy to be released every firing cycle, making the Heavy Laser Rifle capable of vastly increased penetration and damage over previous designs. However, even with the advanced heat sinks embedded in the weapon’s frame, the heat generated from continuous firing results in irreparable deformation of the laser core. As a result, the the rate of fire of the Heavy Laser Rifle has been capped and the “auto-fire” mode disabled.

 

The firing mechanism differs significantly from that of previous laser weapons. Due to weight and balance issues, the weapon is supported from the hip instead of the shoulder elbow. The forward grip of the weapon provides the additional stability for a weapon of this size, while the rear grip contains the thumb-operated trigger. The Heavy Laser Rifle's unique design is equally effective in the hands or right- and left-handed individuals.

 

The primary capacitor stores the energy used to excite the laser core and initiate the emission of high-energy photons. Once the trigger is pressed, the weapon must charge briefly before firing. The XLW-07’s primary capacitor is larger and more robust than the earlier laser designs, significantly decreasing the chances of weapon malfunction. The secondary capacitor, located below the forward grip, regulates the primary capacitor; it prevents an excess charge from accumulating and grounds the user from premature discharges. The tertiary capacitor can, in the event of a failure of the primary capacitor, store a limited amount of laser energy. While the weapon can still fire at reduced strength, it will need to be recharged quickly, unlike previous weapon designs where if the primary capacitor failed the weapon was out of commission.

 

The integrated targeting computer is a high-grade target acquisition system which emits a low-powered targeting laser when the safety is released. This targeting laser is aligned with the main laser beam and acts as an aiming reference. The soldier’s HUD is sensitive to the targeting laser’s wavelength, allowing the soldier to determine when the weapon is on target with point-and-click accuracy.

 

“I was one of the first ones to field test the Broiler, and it was love at first shot. The damn thing nearly fires by itself! The only thing I had to do was center the Grey in my HUD, twist the handle and wham! One less bug polluting the universe! It’s powerful too; it actually burned through the bug and went on to melt a foot-wide hole through a boulder! I hope I never have to use a normal gun again!” - Sgt. Alex Dupont.