Ranged Weapon Review YTU-921 "Deviance" Crystallizer Rifle

[Helix]

OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION

• Intent: To create a marksman's weapon for Dzara personnel
• Image Source: ChatGPT-edited version of this
• Canon Link: N/A
• Permissions: N/A
• Primary Source: N/A

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

• Manufacturer: Helix Privateers
• Affiliation: The Dzara
• Market Status: Closed-Market
• Model: YTU-921 Deviance
• Modularity: Yes
• Production: Minor
• Material:
  • Receiver/General Construction: Helsteel
  • Optics/Electronics: Helglass
  • Exterior Finish: Shiftsteel
  • Ammunition: Tarnicite

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Classification: Rail
• Size: Average
• Weight: Average
• Ammunition Type: Tarnicite Crystal Shards
• Ammunition Capacity: Small (20 Shots)
• Effective Range: Battlefield
• Rate of Fire: Very Low
• Damage Output:
  • Average (Initial Kinetic Impact)
  • Very High (Crystal Conversion Effect)
• Recoil: Low

SPECIAL FEATURES

• Aftershock-Integrated Optics
• Carrion-Integrated Internal Sensor Package
• Select-Fire

STRENGTHS

• Crystal Tumbler: The Deviance fires chunks of solid Tarnicite, introducing this self-replicating substance into its victims' bodies. It is very effective against infantry of all sorts, organic or otherwise.
• Accurate: The Deviance enjoys superb long-range stability and accuracy.

WEAKNESSES

• Scalpel: The Deviance is a precise marksman's weapon, with a fairly low rate of fire and small magazine capacity. It is often unsuitable for use in close quarters.

DESCRIPTION

Adapted from a Xylax-designed weapon, the Deviance is issued to Dzara-aligned marksmen and sharpshooters.

The weapon's Xylax heritage is easily visible in its smooth, alien design and almost organic appearance. It is somewhat awkward to use for most typical humanoid anatomies, but what it lacks in ergonomic comfort, it more than makes up for in accuracy and versatility.

The Deviance utilizes solid, Tarnicite-based darts as ammunition, some of which are visible on the exterior of the weapon. These are kept in magnetic suspension, with no part of them physically touching the weapon's mechanisms at any time. Each is covered in a thin, self-contained magnetic shroud, which also helps the weapon's projectiles remain stable and accurate in flight. As such, the Deviance's darts experience little in the way of a traditional ballistic trajectory, instead flying in a near-perfect straight line over significant distances.

When the trigger is pulled, the weapon cycles one of its darts into a vacuum-sealed magnetic induction chamber, and launches the solid crystalline chunk at some 1100 meters per second. The weapon is capable of both automatic and semi-automatic firing modes, but the second is by far the most commonly used, as automatic fire can quickly deplete the rifle's miniscule magazine.

This relatively-slow projectile speed for a weapon of this type leads to a damaging profile somewhere in the neighborhood of a large-caliber slug rifle (at least at first impact) rather than the devastating, vehicle-gutting impacts more typically associated with railguns. When used as intended against lightly or moderately-armored foes, the crystalline projectiles most commonly penetrate deep into flesh or armor before stopping, often leaving grisly, uneven wound channels and causing significant hydrostatic shock.

This, of course, would typically be more than bad enough. Few organisms (or mechanisms, for that matter) fare well with a jagged foreign object lodged in their innards, much less one launched at significantly-supersonic speeds. Unfortunately for its victims, the effects seldom stop there.

As Tarnicite is highly matter-reactive, the crystalline projectile behaves how it always might when contacting another object: it spreads.

An imbedded crystal-dart quickly begins colonizing the surrounding flesh, extending jagged, needle-fine protrusions that usually lead to further internal trauma. This also has the effect of making the projectile very difficult to surgically remove, as it quickly enmeshes itself with the target's surrounding meat and bone.

Thus, haste is called for in any such attempted treatment. A dart left within a wound for even a minute or two can necessitate the removal of great swathes of crystal-corrupted flesh, and great care should be taken to prevent the effect from reaching vital organs.

Repeated impacts from these weapons can occasionally even crystallize their unlucky victims entirely, and it is not unknown for Dzara-involved battlefields to be dotted with perfect, transparent crystal statues, their posture one of incredible agony.

Against heavier armor or vehicles, the Deviance is substantially less effective, with its crystals tending to shatter on impact with such surfaces. Nonetheless, even these brief impacts can gradually weaken the armor's surface, as such hits can potentially introduce the crystal's corruptive properties over time.