Ion Guns

Ion guns are rare & powerful weapons, regularly mounted on vehicles & starships, as well as issued to smaller special forces. They fire a directed stream of plasma at the target in a beam.

Mechanics & Inner Workings

Each gun has a supply of H+ fuel cells attached, whether to one side and fed through a hopper on larger guns, or as modified magazines directly fitted to it. When the trigger is pulled, a densely cooled H+ 'parcel' is released into a magnetised chamber. The longer the trigger is held, the greater the beam of energy can be produced, though can (in rare cases) cause the gun to explode. The magnetised chamber holds it in place while it is heated in it with pressure artificially applied by dense tungsten pads near the back & sides. This causes the H+ to try to escape, and the barrel is the only direction possible.
At the same time, the barrel is lined with a thin layer of tungsten, which is modified to add more pressure to keep it moving. It helps to force the beam out towards the target. All the while, there is a tungsten valve at the back wired to a nanosized microchip that causes it to close if held too long. Holding the trigger causes this to open, and repeatedly forcing it open can damage this process creating errors and the magazine to explode.

Manufacturing process

Most if not all of these weapons are built by machines with little manual input from the manufacturer. The machines are able to drill, assemble and load the gun correctly on production lines that can be programmed for length, weight, power outage or any other variable. There are quality control checks carried out by AI and/or human (or equivalent) experts who randomly pull components & finished products out of the line to check.
Most factories will have the facilities to smelt the metals needed, program the chips, and process the hydrogen chemically to prepare it. They make sure that it is of high quality to prevent contamination of it and any that aren't are either scrapped or reprocessed. The same factories will have the facilities to produce the polymers / plastics to fit / mount the main components too.

History

Ion guns have been around for some time now and the primary use is still in the surface sciences (chemistry & physics). These have been used to penetrate enough of a layer or substance to map out chemical reactions, chemicals, and the relevant shapes of them. About the year 2063, the US Department of Defence mysteriously filed a patent for a new version of the ion gun. This used a directional stream of positive Hydrogen particles in a plasma stream at a target in a hyperfocused beam lasting a few seconds. When it hits a target, the plasma is under that much pressure it reacts violently with the target, stripping molecules off it and overexciting them. This causes an excessive build-up of heat, and breakdown of the target at the molecular level.
Over the years since the creation of the prototype, it has been constantly refined and industrial espionage has led to other companies getting the basic blueprints of each stage. So far, collections of Stunts are in the process of employing highly advanced versions on some of their warships & military vehicles. Many nations & groups are looking into the application of handheld rifles too, with at least some having Mark 1 & Mark 2 of such weapons used by more advanced groups. At the same time some mining companies are adapting the technology to mining equipment to use as a new form of drilling.

"I've seen them used those Ion rifles. A Black Ops team had arrived in the base and were going on to the Gate. One gave a demonstration of how it worked. Nasty to say the least. Had a pig carcass hanging up with the usual flack armour most people could get. Vapourised a hole right through to the carcass & armour like nothing you had seen. Barely any beam at all. A slight shimmering in the air and a slight bluish-white to it, and that was it. A hole the thickness of a thumb burned right through, and the area around it looked as if it was slightly warped too on top of the scorch marks.
What's worse though is the sound and smell of it when it fired. A slight ozone smell at most from it, and no real sound either. Wasn't built with mufflers or anything in or on it. Nearly completely silent. And that beam, nearly invisible as I've said. Would hate to see it scaled up to a warship mounted version. Could easily wreak another ship, let alone destroy a city from orbit."
Arman Floyd, resident slaughterman and butcher on the Plutonian Waystation.

Item type

Weapon, Ranged

Creation Date

2063

Rarity

Rare. The technology for basic industrial ion guns is common enough, but the military capable weapons are much more expensive overall. This makes the weapons more expensive.

Weight

Varies

Dimensions

Varies

Base Price

Varies

Raw materials & Components

The internal casings are general tungsten, while the rest is a mix of composite material to offset the heat, electricity, and the weight (especially if it is man portable). The latter is usually an artificial polymer or plastic depending on the manufacturer. The nanosized microchip is usually built inhouse by the same manufacturer. The Hydrogen has to be manufactured either by a related subsidiary or bought from a trusted source.