Energy Weapons

Energy weapons are a unique class of military technology based on plasmified matter. Plasmatrons are an exotic particle that impart volatile properties onto atoms they become a part of; many common solids behave similar to a gas or typical plasmas when plasmified. Whereas standard plasmas consist of a gas of ions and free electrons, plasmified matter consists of atoms that contain plasamtrons in their configuration, and can theoretically exist at any energy state, unlike typical plasmas that must be superheated.

Phase differences of plasmified matter are difficult or impossible to define, and all elements react differently. Plasmified matter may behave closest to a solid, liquid or gas, or combination of any two, or somewhere in between all three. It may exist as a more docile slag, or become explosively violent.

Delivery

Energy weapons require a catalyst to transfer plasmatrons onto a target. Free-floating plasmatrons cannot be used by themselves, and are instead stored separately from a catalyst which is plasmified immediately before firing. For catalysts there exist certain materials that are relatively stable when plasmified, and which will transfer their plasmatrons into a target on impact. Such materials must be magnetic when plasmified, a feature utilized in their containment and firing mechanism, though the maximum launch speed is considerably slower than a similarly-sized mass driver would be capable of due to limitations in stability and containment technology.

Energy weapons rely on a difference in plasmatron binding properties in order to function as effective weapons. A plasmatron bond must exist at a lower energy state than its target atoms, which will result in the plasmatrons transferring to the target on contact. Many energy weapons are ineffective in atmosphere, as the released plasma matter will simply react with the gas, but some delivery catalysts are manufactured specifically for use in gaseous environments.

Use

Plasma weapons are most commonly used in open space, where the vacuum provides little resistance for the plasmified material. However, handheld plasma guns are also utilized to some extent. A strategy used inside spacecraft is to shield or protect inner walls against plasma of the same type used by personnel on the craft such as law enforcement, allowing them to use their handheld plasma firearms against threats without worry of collateral damage.

Defense

There are various defenses against plasma weapons, including range and ionized hull plating. Range is a key defense against plasma weapons, as the magnetic delivery mechanism has a distinct upper bound on acceleration beyond which the plasmified matter is simply blown apart or not fired on an effective course. This speed is low enough that plasma weapons are considered a close-range weapon.

Energy shielding consists of ionizing the exterior hull plating of a spacecraft, which prevents incoming plasmatrons within matter from corroding the hull by absorbing them and whisking them away instead.

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Catalyst Types

Slagulates

Slagulates are a general category of solid-state catalysts that, when plasmified, are relatively solid and easily controlled but will immediately impart their plasmatrons into surfaces they come into contact with, after which the catalyst remains as a solid slag.

• Phosphoridines are phosphorus-based slagulates, consisting of various phosphorus compounds with properties ideal for this use. Phosphoridines are manufactured into layered materials with structure that accommodates their use as plasma catalysts, suc as calcetium, a calcium variant with highly magnetic properties that forms naturally when vaporized calcium atoms are subjected to intense magnetic fields and bombarded with introns. Phosphoridines are stored inert, and only plasmified when fired.

• Fluoritine-A23 is a viscous compound of fluorine and cobalt. Unlike typically cobalt fluoride, fluoritine-A23 is a gooey coagulate under standard conditions (due to containing a cobalt variant, rather than standard cobalt) and strongly magnetic.

• Zincurine is an organic acid compound that contains both zinc and sulfur variants, excreted by a class of sulfur-solvent life from the planet Kerrelii-IV in sector A78-Y37-D47. The lifeforms were found to thrive well in labs, and many such labs now exist to produce zincurine. The variants produced can be manufactured into alloys very responsive to magnetic crystallization methods, which behave as a liquid in vacuum but a magnetic solid-gas when plasmified.

Gasulates

Gasulates are gas-based catalysts. The atoms will clump together while plasmified, maintaining shape and momentum for firing, but will then be released as non-plasmified gas after transferring their plasmatrons into the target.

• Næon is a neon variant that contains four outrons and acts as a gas under standard conditions and vacuum. It forms within stars and can be released in solar ejecta, after which at cold temperatures it can become trapped within certain carbon configurations from which it is extracted. Næon tends to hold two plasmatrons, which it releases into a target before escaping as free-floating næon atoms.

Di-Plasmas

Di-plasmas are plasmified materials with more than one plasmatron per atom/compound, which will impart less than their number of plasmatrons onto a normal target, remaining in a plasmified state after reacting.

• Fluorine-C17 is a di-plasma with four plasmatrons and twelve outrons. It is an extremely congealed gaseous mass, but its low magnetism makes it difficult to contain and fire. Upon contact with non-plasmified matter, it can form chain reactions transferring up to three of its plasmatrons into target atoms, becoming less stable after each reaction until it’s left with only a single plasmatron in a volatile gaseous state.

• Mercurim is a variant of Mercury that can hold two or four plasmatrons. It forms under high temperature and pressure from some mercury variants that are able to remain liquid under those conditions. While plasmified it behaves like a slag, a property it maintains after impacting a target as it tends to hold on to one of its plasmatrons.