Grand Admiral, First Order Central Command
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION- Intent: To make a snazzy new long-range consolidation weapon for the First Order.
- Image Source: Elite: Dangerous
- Canon Link: Turbolaser Pulsor
- Restricted Missions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: First Order Corp of Imperial Engineers (FOCIE)
- Model: Mark 91 'Particle Lance' Phased Array Pulse Turbolaser
- Affiliation: The First Order
- Modularity: N/A
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Standard Turbolaser components, turned up to 11.
- Classification: Advanced Turbolaser
- Size: Ship-Mounted
- Length: 43m
- Weight: ~200 tonnes
- Ammunition Type: Power Cell, Gas Canister,
- Ammunition Capacity: Effectively Unlimited
- Effective Range: Marginally better than a Long-Range Turbolaser
- Phased Array gives the Mk 91 a coherent beam for an extended length of time, around 1-3 seconds.
- Turbolaser Pulsor significantly increases the power of the Mark 91 compared to a standard Long Range Turbolaser.
- Equivalent to 50 Turbolasers.
Weapon fires as a long coherent beam that strikes the target. Compared to normal turbolasers, it releases less energy on impact and is focused on a much smaller surface area, giving it less damage overall to armor but an increased chance to penetrate armor at a small point. If penetration is achieved the Mark 91 has the potential to release energy inside the target vessel, which can result in catastrophic damage to key systems or wreak havoc on crew. Against shields, it's basically the same as the equivalency number of turbolasers.Strengths:
- Long-range, high precision weapon. The Mark 91 is 'reach out and stroke someone' personified in warfare.
- The Mark 91 uses a much tighter and more contained compression field that allows it, when striking armor, to sometimes penetrate a small section of armor and release the 'bolt' energy inside the ship. Alternatively, it may penetrate the ship entirely, achieving a 'piercing' effect.
- Extended beam duration means that it's somewhat easier to keep the weapon on target, or redirect onto the target if you missed the initial shot.
- Lacks of the explosive destructive power of equivalent-sized weapons. As the energy is focused on piercing shields and armor and penetrating the hull it simply lacks the overall impact. While the penetration and piercing effect have the capability to inflict devastating damage to internal components, they could also basically pass through an non-essential area and basically waste a shot.
- Not significantly more effective against shields than a comparable amount of Long Range Turbolasers.
- Slow charge time, though this is more driven by blaster gas compression time than power.
- Greater risk of friendly fire, you can't exactly volley this weapon in sequence with a bombing run, for example.
- Scale of weapon means it has difficulty targeting fast frigates and smaller vessels.
FIRING LOOKS LIKE THIS (more or less)
The Mark 91 is the brainchild of the First Order's Naval Weapons Department. Acknowledging a deficiency in the realm of long-range firepower compared to their main opponents, Special Projects R&D was tasked to develop an alternative to known weapon systems, to provide the Navy with something that would give them an edge against the Galactic Alliance. The Mark 91 utilizes no new technology or secret tricks, but combines existing techniques into a devastating long-range weapon.
The weapon uses a three-stage process to create its effect. The first phase is the conventional process followed to fire a turbolaser 'bolt.' The prismatic crystals and gas used are all particularly well-refined and of the highest quality, and the inspection and certification process to have those basic materials marked for use in the Mk 91 is extensive and time consuming.
The second stage is the pulsor, which focuses and amplifies the bolt to give it massively increased power. The last stage is the most unusual, and involves a set of arrays that modulate the bolt, reducing it's overall surface area and focusing its power down to a narrow beam. The beam retains coherency and is generated continuously over the course of several seconds. While firing the beam appears to fluctuate a bit, growing and losing strength over the course of a few seconds.
Upon striking its target it does not immediately convert all its energy into an explosion like a traditional turbolaser bolt, but retains bout 50% power for a few moments after impact. This doesn't dramatically change anything when striking shields, but on striking armor it gives it a sort of 'cutting' appearance. More dramatic is if the tightly focused beam is able to penetrate armor, in which case the bolt has a chance to release inside the target vessel, or potentially blow straight through it in a piercing effect.
Dubbed the 'Particle Lance' the Mark 91 passed initial and certification tests with flying colors and was quickly slated for production and outfitting on newer First Order vessels.
