Become the Crisis
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To develop a standard heavy beam cannon for use as the primary armament on Star Destroyers and Star Cruisers.
- Image Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8RHNF5stR-s/VY7nIXLKLTI/AAAAAAAANkE/FXNNUgg4NkE/s1600/Star%2BWars%2BDeath%2BStar%2Bgun.JPG
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Defiance Consolidated Multipurpose Manufacturing
- Model: LBeam(Large Beam)
- Affiliation: Closed-Market (Select Sith Empire ships)
- Modularity: No
- Production: Minor(Select Sith Empire and other ships)
- Material: Energy Crystal(power source), Duranium-Adamithium composite(framework), Diatium(internal circuitry and electronics)
- Classification: Beam Weapon
- Size: Extreme
- Weight: Extreme
- Ammunition Type: Ship Reactor
- Ammunition Capacity: Infinite(connected to ship's reactor)
- Reload Speed: Very Low(30 seconds)
- Effective Range: Average
- Rate of Fire: Very Low
- Stopping Power: Very High
- Recoil: None(Beam Weapon)
- Beam weapon
- The LBeam is capable of causing tremendous damage to enemy warships of Star Destroyer size and below.
- The LBeam's focusing of the weapon's power to a single point means more likelihood of hull and shield penetration given the focus on a single shield quadrant, draining it more effectively than a turbolaser barrage spread across the entire ship. This also has the effect of focusing the power of the beam at a very specific point on the ship's hull, allowing for pinpoint damage to ship subsystems.
- The LBeam's damage over time is comparable to a couple hundred turbolasers firing over the same timespan, meaning that the per-shot damage is incredibly high for the weapon's size and capabilities.
- Beam cannon technology is still in its infancy with regards to being mass-produced. As an intermediate sized beam cannon and the largest standard sized beam cannon sold by Defiance, the LBeam is more available than a LRBBeam, but still far less available when compared to more common weapons such as turbolasers or mass-drivers.
- Unless fitted in a dedicated turret, which would minimize the armament on the rest of the warship, the weapon is semi-fixed within the side/top/bottom of the ship and will have an extremely limited field of traverse(approximately 10 degrees in any direction for a 20 degree 'cone' of fire that increases at maximum range). In some ships, the weapon may be properly fixed and unable to move. This requires the ship to maneuver and ensures that even a non-turreted ship fitted with beam cannons will never be able to bring its full armament to bear on a single target.
- Being rather large weapons in contrast to turbolasers and other primary armament of warships, the LBeam will realistically be more likely targeted by enemy bombers and warships. The elimination of a single beam cannon deprives a warship fitted with the weapons of far more of its effective primary armament.
- The rate of fire in comparison to a turbolaser battery is abysmal. It takes half a minute for the weapon to recharge after a burst, a far cry from the second or so for most turbolasers.
- Smaller and more maneuverable ships, such as some corvettes and frigates, can outmaneuver the beam, as it will remain static while firing.
Vanessa Vantai had for years researched prototypical beam weaponry. From the composite beam lasers used as turret armament on the LAAT gunship and the great superlaser weaponry used by the Death Star to Geonosian handheld beam cannons and prior capital ships fitting beam weaponry, both larger and smaller in size(as well as particle beams like the Emeritus Rad-Rifle), the rediscovery of beam cannon technology as a useful anti-ship weapon was slowly but surely realized. Early prototypes of beam weaponry, primarily proton type, found themselves mounted on Subach-Innes ships, while the refined variation relies more on a beam generated using a sudden power surge from an energy crystal fitted within the cannon, drained of power in a four second burst before being reenergized by the ship's main reactor after half a minutes. Initially, there is a sign the weapon is firing - a gleam of greenish plasma begins to form at the end of the barrel before the beam exits the end of the array, flying out a vast distance into space before impacting an enemy ship's shield and boring through it and the hull with intense potency.
The LBeam is the largest standard-sized beam weapon produced by DCMM. Slightly smaller than the LRBBeam, its power has been reduced by an order of magnitude, reducing strain on otherwise vital components and allowing for a slightly quicker refire rate(30 seconds compared to 35 for the LRBBeam). The LBeam is, however, an order of magnitude weaker, and has less range when compared to the LRBBeam. The LBeam is intended to be the primary armament for Heavy Cruiser and Star Destroyer-class warships, being more producible and less unlikely to be unavailable for mounting when compared to the LRBBeam, which is more costly. The device is a potent piece of equipment overall, though whether it will be enough to see a shift to powerful beam weaponry compared to masses of turbolasers is still very much under speculation.
