UOAF Pulse Rifle

Common pulse rifle, displaying unit colors and individual user markings.

The UOAF Pulse Rifle was the United Orcs Armed Forces standard issue rapid-fire all purpose rifle. Boarding parties, colonial security and the army used these during the early stages of the Peace Station Era.

The trigger is located in the large handle of the weapon, which also serves as the controller of the rifle's "smart aiming" mechanism. Motion assist servo motors in the handle allow for subtle aim adjustments without moving the bulk of the rifle; this along with the mounted laser sight improved reaction times and accuracy by a noticable margin.

An improved version with more efficient magnetic field coils was later designed by Aljak Hiks, an expert in plasma weaponry.

Technology

The UOAF Pulse Rifle utilises pulsed induction fields to propel lethal micro-bursts of plasma over long ranges.

The bulk of the barrel is surrounded by coils of conductive material, which produce a solenoid. When current is passed through them, these coils generate a magnetic field oriented along the barrel. Within the stock is the clip, or power cell, which is able to provide up to 99 shots before it needs to be replaced.

Diagram displaying a supressive fire position, UOAF operations manual.

A Pulse Rifle works by electromagnetically accelerating a plasma shell down its barrel. Though this electromagnetic field continues to keep the plasma together until impact, residual plasma is expelled from the barrel to produce the weapon's considerable muzzle flash. Without the electromagnetic field, the plasma would all dissipate at the barrel mouth, producing a weapon with a range of approximately twenty centimetres.

The power required to generate these immense electromagnetic fields comes from the clip which is effectively a very powerful and dense rechargeable battery located in the weapon's stock.

The electromagnetic field that holds the charge together flattens on impact slightly before breaking, which causes the resulting impact to spread over a wider area than would otherwise be possible. The speed at which the plasma projectile is launched is so extreme, that in some cases, it has been known to "light the air on fire", due to its velocity being close to the speed of light.

Clips

One clip typically contains 99 bursts of plasma. Also available are Stun Clips and EMP Clips.