Rusty
Purveyor of Fine Weaponry
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a replacement for the late, lamented Gertrude
- Image Source: http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/news/a793746/take-a-closer-look-at-dooms-badass-weapons/
- Canon Link: N/A
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: [member="Rusty"]
- Model: N/A
- Affiliation: [member="Rusty"]
- Modularity: N/A
- Production: Unique
- Material: Alusteel, durasteel, ultrachrome heat sinks, cryogenic cooling components, blaster cannon components, gauss gun components
- Classification: Gauss augmented blaster cannon
- Size: Man portable
- Length: 1.5 meters
- Weight: 33 kg
- Ammunition Type: Proprietary power cell/gas canister cartridge
- Ammunition Capacity: 10 rounds
- Effective Range: <50 meters
- Rate of Fire: 1 shot per 5 seconds
- Proprietary Gauss-accelerated blaster bolts
- Unrivaled firepower
- Proprietary power cell/gas canister cartridge makes reloading easier
- Power- By using powerful magnetic fields to accelerate the already powerful cannon bolts, Shelby achieves power on a level previously unheard of for a weapon that can be fired from the hip. Has the potential to burn through heavy armor at any point in its effective range, and has the potential to penetrate materials like phrik or beskar at ranges under ten meters.
- Rapid reload- Rather than using a separate gas canister and power cell, Shelby uses proprietary cartridges that contain both the gas reservoir and power cell. Each cartridge is good for ten shots.
- Range- Though using Gauss gun technology to accelerate the bolts imparts tremendous velocity to them, it also makes them highly unstable. The probably won't prematurely detonate inside 10 meters. There's a decent chance they'll make it past 20. They absolutely cannot make it past 50 meters. The average bolt will last for between 30-40 meters before detonation.
- Slow- Shelby produces a tremendous amount of heat during the firing process. It's absolutely critical that she be given at least five seconds in between shots to cool down. Safety lockouts prevent her from firing any faster.
- Backscatter- Firing in an enclosed space can subject the user to backscatter radiation. Functionally, it's similar to muzzle blast, only with more cancer. Though Rusty isn't exactly susceptible to cancer, the backscatter carries a strong infrared component, and it throws off something like a mini-EMP as well. Trying to engage a target closer than 10 meters will simultaneously light his clothes on fire and fry any unshielded electronics on his person. Any organics in his party will likely want to get schedule a checkup as soon as possible. In other words, while Shelby has the potential to punch through restricted materials, attempting to do so is ill advised.
- Walking Bomb- The downside of the cartridge system is that Rusty has to carry with him several large, bulky items that, if struck by a sufficiently energetic attack, will explode with the force of about 30 pounds of detonite. Though a stray blaster bolt probably won't set them off, a succession of targeted bolts will. If they explode, so does Rusty.
- Target- Shelby throws off a lot of electromagnetic radiation when she fires, all across the electromagnetic spectrum. The burst is powerful enough to light up any half-decent sensor package within five kilometers.
Shelby represents the next evolution of portable, insanely impractical firepower. Her range is extremely short. She's nearly as hazardous to the person wielding her as she is to the target. Her handy cartridge reload system requires the user to carry the equivalent of several extremely powerful satchel charges on their back. Every shot makes her an inviting target to anyone with a sensor suite. She's also heavy as hell, and has a ridiculously slow rate of fire.
In exchange for all that, Shelby gives her wielder, aka Rusty, the ability to destroy nearly anything in his path, so long as it obliges him by getting close enough to be shot.
Shelby functions as a hybrid of a Gauss gun and a blaster cannon. The blaster cannon produces a bolt of equivalent strength to an E-web, which then passes through the powerful electromagnetic field and is accelerated to a much higher velocity than the average blaster bolt. The imparted velocity gives the bolts a much greater punch than normal.
The cost of the excess velocity is instability. The longer the bolts travel, the greater the chances that they explode midair, without striking anything. Though they probably won't explode within 10 meters, most detonate between 30-40 meters, and none will make it past 50 meters, even in a vacuum.
The act of firing produces a large bloom of energy all across the electromagnetic spectrum. The interaction of the bolt with the electromagnetic field creates an intense thermal bloom. Ultrachrome heat sinks help disperse the energy, while a cryogenic cooling system in turn cools them down to prepare for the next shot.
Though firing in an open area at targets greater than ten meters away doesn't pose much of a hazard to the user, if the energy doesn't have enough room to disperse harmlessly, it can wreak havoc, setting their clothes on fire and frying any unshielded electrical equipment nearby. Organics run the risk of flash burns, and the radiation emitted can cause cancer. Furthermore, anyone with the proper equipment can detect the bloom from up to 5 kilometers away.
Reloading is simple enough. At the press of a button, the spent cartridge, which is roughly 30 centimeters long and 8 centimeters wide, is ejected. A new one is inserted it, and another button locks it into place. It should be noted that, although the cartridges are lightly armored, they cannot sustain more than a few direct hits without exploding. If they explode while near the user, the user dies. This is worth noting because, in order to make use of Shelby, the user has to keep several reloads handy, usually in a backpack.
