Unreviewed PRS-692 "Cavalier" Superheavy Ion-Plasma Cannon

[Helix]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a heavy-duty non-lethal disabling weapon for the Dzara
• Image Source: Link
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Helix Privateers
• Affiliation: Helix Privateers / The Dzara
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: PRS-692 Cavalier
• Modularity: Yes
• Production: Minor
• Material:
  
  • General Construction: Helsteel
  • Organic Components: Formgel
  • Self-Repair Lattice: Blightsteel
  • Exterior Finish: Helglass
  • Primary Disabling Payload: Otherplasma

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Otherplasma/Radiation
• Size: Very Large
• Weight: Very Heavy
• Ammunition Type: Otherplasma-Charged Ionizing Radiation
• Ammunition Capacity: Very Large
• Effective Range: Battlefield
• Rate of Fire: Low
• Damage Output: Low
• Recoil: High

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Integrated Aftershock Software
• Integrated Carrion Software
• Significant ammunition reserve
• Cripples sensitive shipboard electronics

STRENGTHS

• Hide-Piercer: The Cavalier is very effective against energy shielding of virtually any variety.
• Opening Volley: These weapons excel at inflicting lingering disabling effects on enemy vessels at great range, and far exceed traditional ion weapons in this capacity.
• Thousand Cuts: The effects of the Cavalier's disruptive bolts are cumulative, rendering this weapon more dangerous the longer the fight drags on.

WEAKNESSES

• Slow Death: The Cavalier can certainly be deadly, but generally lacks the quick-kill potential of many other starship weapons.
• Hulking: Cavalier cannons are too large to be placed on ships smaller than frigates.

DESCRIPTION

A unique form of capital ship weapon, the Cavalier is typically used to attack and disable particularly-formidable warships.

Given their sheer size and power requirements, these mighty armaments are usually found attached to fixed housings, their length occasionally even running the whole of the ship. Most vessels simply lack the size and mass to mount such a weapon in any other way, though they can occasionally be found in massive, turreted surface-to-orbit configurations (as pictured).

The Cavalier is the preferred weapon of many Dzara pirate crews, where it is seen jutting aggressively from the prows of such vessels. This front-and-center placement sends a clear message: heave ho, and prepare to be boarded.

The Cavalier operates by launching a crackling bolt of disruptive energy along a highly-conductive Otherplasma channel, creating a localized ionizing radiation storm at its impact point. Most often, this visually presents as a strange, light-absorbing patch of negative-radiance along the targeted starship's hull or shielding barricade.

Under ideal circumstances, this can mostly or entirely disable shielding around the targeted area, subjecting it to not just one disruptive jolt, but a lingering degradation effect that can span a significant amount of time.

These small, extremely dense surface-storms cling to starship hulls, slowly roaming around the vessel's surface and potentially damaging any electronic systems they come anywhere near. Wiring frequently melts, then evaporates, while consoles spark and explode. Electrical fires regularly rage anywhere this weapon's beams impact.

The effect on most vessels' operative state is quite debilitating, as without some way to clear the micro-storms from the hull, the ship probably won't be moving anytime soon. As every single shot to an unprotected hull creates a new storm, a ship armed with these weapons can potentially take on and whittle down far larger vessels, given time.

Such is the power of these systems that they most frequently feature as a given starship's primary weaponry. While it lacks the immediate destructive power of some other weapons, its ability to end a fight quickly endears it to many Dzara slaving and raiding crews.