Modern Firearms, First Era
Black powder, just like many other basic technologies had to be reinvented on multiple worlds where its recipe did not survive after the Exodus. Still, some worlds provided their human inhabitants with completely new ways to make advanced weapons. For example, on Ekhaya colonists found a species of Bamba-Berries that when dried could easily explode after a modest concussion.
Still by the time of the First Era, people of both Federal and Imperial Space have invented advanced hand-held ranged weapons that exceed the lost technology from the Old Earth. Below are some examples of firearm types that are used around the Mirror Wars, by both sides of its conflict.
Standard Projectile Weapons
These are the basic firearms that are fed with cartridges that include a casing, explosive and a bullet. Just like firearms of the Old Earth, SPW are pretty noisy, and provide plenty of waste in form of excessive gas and empty casings. Still, such personal weapon systems are so cheap and reliable, that most military personnel, law enforcements and civilians are using SPW as their weapons of choice.
Space-Grade Projectile Weapons
Space have provided a bunch of challenges to weapon’s manufacturers, as spaceship interiors were very susceptible for damage with empty casings. Also, air-cooled weapons tended to overheat in the vacuum. Last, but not least, recoil force from shooting a conventional weapon in zero-G could lead to unpredictable consequences for the user. Some and all of these problems were tackled by weapon designs that included such inventions like caseless ammunition, active cooling systems and recoilless solutions.
Alternative Projectile Weapons
These are mostly recoilless weapons that step aside from the explosive principle that powers SPWs. Most of APW are either a modernized crossbow-derivatives, magnetic railguns, or gas-operated launchers. APW are usually used by either civilian hunters, or military operatives that value silence and concealment above everything else.
Focused Beam Weapons
A relatively new and underdeveloped type of weapons. In Federal space a large Beam Weapons Program was launched by the government, to provide soldiers with an efficient zero-G friendly firearm. Unfortunately, the amount of energy that was needed to supply one beam rifle was too expensive to compete with widely adopted SPW.
In the Imperial Space on the other hand, a technology of an Expanding Particle Beam was developed. EPB weapons generate a beam of charged particles that intensifies after collision with living matter. During the collision, the particle beam begins an atomic reaction that creates a small fiery sphere at the place of the contact. This way EPBW provide a powerful option for spies and elite operatives who prefer not to leave any traces behind them.
Sources
Federal News Network
Imperial Informatorium
