Commodore Helix
Disintegrations done dirt cheap.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: to create a repeating blaster weapon for Helix Solutions
- Image Source: Sendoa Bergasa
- Canon Link: DLT-19
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Wookiepedia, DLT-19
- Manufacturer: Helix Solutions
- Affiliation: Helix Solutions
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: DLH Herald
- Modularity: No
- Production: Limited
- Material: Blaster components
- Classification: Blaster
- Size: Large
- Weight: Heavy (Very Heavy with Backpack)
- Ammunition Type: Rad-laced blaster gas
- Ammunition Capacity: Large (Blaster packs) Very Large (Backpack, Vehicle Mount)
- Effective Range: Long Range
- Rate of Fire: Extremely High
- Damage Output: Very High
- Recoil: Extreme
- Withering rate of fire.
- Can be used with blaster packs, or a backpack ammo supply.
- Can be attached to vehicles.
- Storm Herald: The Herald possesses an extremely high rate of fire, with the individual sound of shots not being discernable. It is capable of projecting a deadly hail of toxic bolts that can sweep a trench clean or even batter down light vehicles under the sheer volume of blaster fire.
- Rad-Laced Shots: Much like most Helix Solutions blaster weapons, the DLH uses tibanna gas that has been laced with small quantities of Chemical X16, leading to increased range and deadliness, with shots carrying both a powerful incendiary and radiotoxic after-effect.
- Versatility: The DLH is intended to be the general-purpose repeater for Helix Solutions, and thus may be as easily mounted on a stationary emplacement or vehicle as carried by hand.
WEAKNESSES
- Back-breaker: Using this weapon on the move is difficult for all but the mightiest soldiers, as the extreme rate of fire leads to punishing kick and muzzle climb. It is best used from a prone stance, or mounted on a vehicle/emplacement.
- Heat: The weapon's rate of fire is such that the barrel will glow blue with the buildup of incendiary chemicals, and eventually need to be changed out if sustained fire is kept up too long. This process is relatively swift, but the near-molten prior barrel is dangerous to handle without proper training.
DESCRIPTION
The Herald was first conceived after battles with larger organic armies during the invasion of the Rimward Trade League. The carnage that ensued convinced Helix Solutions of the value of equipping its standard soldiers with squad support weapons. This marked a move toward investing more in individual soldiers, rather than relying entirely on larger droids or vehicles to provide heavy weapons support. As such, the weapon was commissioned to be general-purpose, carryable by individual droids as well as mountable on vehicles.
The weapon itself is long, heavy, and somewhat cumbersome to use for organics. Helix troops quickly learned to love it, however, just as much as enemy troops learned to loathe it. Earning nicknames like "Helix's Keyboard" or simpler titles like "screamer" or "howler", the repeater quickly earned a reputation for deadliness.
Possessing a rate of fire hovering near 1500 rpm, an incautious hand can empty this weapon in seconds should they be using standard E-5H blaster packs (which the rifle can accept, allowing it to share ammo with the standard infantry rifles). The weapon is occasionally issued with backpack power supplies to extend its ammunition capacity, though this adds to the problem of its weight. This high ROF serves well, though, to repel enemy assaults, as even very large forces can be butchered or pinned down by one of these weapons in the right place.
This brisk rate of fire, coupled with the tendency of phosphorus blasters to emit a high-pitched wail while firing, causes the weapon to sound an almost constant scream while in operation. The noise becomes such that it rises above even the din of battle, often having a deleterious effect on enemy morale. Helix droids, however, tend to find the noise amusing.
The individual blaster bolts, too, are especially lethal, mixed as they are with X16 per standard Helix practice. They fly further and hit harder than those created by standard tibanna gas mixtures (often leaving blazing toxic chemicals in their wound channels) and even relatively minor, glancing wounds should be quickly inspected and treated. As ever with X16, this can lead to the sickness and death of soldiers even long after the battle has ended.
For all its virtues and dark reputation, the Herald does possess some challenges. Its rate of fire and hitting power, while deadly, lead to a particularly bone-shaking recoil even for a heavy weapon. Even strong operators must typically stand still and adopt a solid, braced firing stance, though ideally it is used from a prone or crouching position, rested on cover.
Additionally, such is the rate of fire that the weapon leaves a slight buildup of X16 in the barrel, which over extended use can impair function or even become dangerous. As such, the weapon is designed to quickly and easily swap barrels, and droids assigned these often carry several spares. This, however, can be dangerous, as removing and replacing a glowing, radioactive chunk of semi-molten metal while under enemy fire is a challenge all its own.
Last edited:
