Patent Violations
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It's quite easy to come to the conclusion that the Silver Sentinels, as the premiere special forces unit, is intended for engagements against foes that can bring to bear an immense amount of force through strength of arms. It is only appropriate for the Sentinels to respond in kind with even stronger armaments. Recently, a proposal has come though which we believe to operate best within their niche.
The Plasma Pellet Anti-material Rifle, or PPAR (pronounced "par") for short, is an off-shot of ongoing developments in projectile weaponry. In a particular incident involving a 120mm coilgun (see attached files), the experimental solenoid used in the design ionized the ferromagnetic slug in the chamber during firing, destroying the gun, but not before the projectile was able to vaporize the side of a target tank 3 kilometers away.
While the incident showed the design to not be ideal as a tank gun, the astounding range traversed by the ionized projectile opened up the possibility of developing long-range plasma weapons. Through reproductions and repeated iterations of the incident, we were able to develop a "pellet" rifle that could withstand the massive heat and friction generated by the passing projectile.
These slugs are then ionized into self-containing plasma "pellets" that are accelerated down the barrel by a series of more solenoids before exiting the barrel at hyper-velocity speeds. By re-purposing components used for cooling and barreling in plasma guns, we were able to reliably fire 1,000 of such pellets before the barrel becomes unreliable for additional firing. With future iterations, the number is expected to grow to match standard life expectancy of plasma weapons. Until then, proper barrel maintenance must be heavily emphasized with this weapon.
In terminal ballistics testing, the rifle is able to create immensely lethal wounds and dismemberment in humanoid targets, and cause significant damage to ballistic-gel targets rated for Orks. While its anti-armor capabilities are severely diminished from standard plasma weaponry, penetrating shots against lightly-armored targets and vehicles remain lethal with hot, burning plasma from both the pellet and the vaporized armor burning the targets inside.
It should be noted, however, that the rifle in its current iteration is the size and length of an auto-cannon, and scaling in either direction has proven difficult. Which is why the PPAR comes in two variants:
- PPAR-V: A vehicle or tripod mounted variation that derives power from a fusion reactor. It also comes with a heavier barrel and cooling unit for sustained automatic fire.
- PPAR-S: A hand-held variation making use of standardized powerbacks such as those in a lasgun. It also comes with a stock and pistol grip.
The PPAR-S in particular is too heavy to be wielded by Sniper suits, but is not as cumbersome in the hands of an Astartes scout, hence this proposal. The PPAR-S offers a Space Marine the power of a plasma weapon with the range of a solid projectile weapon. The hyper-velocity of the projectile also ensures easy target acquisition that is rare in other long-range weapons. It is imperative that we give the Silver Sentinels every advantage we can afford. They will become the Bastion's greatest champions, and will need the finest battle implements with the challenges they will soon face.
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A/N: Yes, it's basically a Tau pulse rifle, just not the ones in 40k. Considering they were first invented to battle Orks, it seemed appropriate that this omake be produced. Though I'd imagine even the Tau had to go through several hoops before being able to diversify the weapon into vehicle-weapons and standard-issue rifles, hence why the PPAR is so heavily specialized. If you guys really hate the Tau, or someone invents a more effective or powerful weapon, it could always be non-canon.
