Cerys Aynia gan Ymlerith Ithlinne
Writer note: It should be noted that despite the described qualities, behavior and materials that go into this submission damage or harm done within a narrative is as always determined by the authors who could make the submission as strong or feeble as their creative freedom and narrative dictates and comply with website rules.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: Create the futuristic and devastating ballistic ammunition commonly used in conjunction with weapons based on Inertial Accelerator Technology.
- Image Source: N/A
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Mono-molecular edge, monomolecular blade.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
- Designer: Unified Gwerin Ecumene
- Designed: 397,109 BBY-397,103 BBY
- Manufactured: 397,103 BBY-Current
- Manufacturer:
- Current:
- Past:
- Affiliation: Closed-Market (Controlled technology)
- Governments & Organisations:
- Individuals:
- Model: Mono-molecular Disgen Ammunition
- Modularity: Yes (caliber, material, jacketing, velocity)
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Ferromagnetic Metals, Ferromagnetic Organic Polymer
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Discus-design.
- Mono-molecular edge.
- Inert ammunition.
STRENGTHS
- Hemorrhaging | Distinguishing itself from "civilized" directed energy weapons the injuries caused by the Disgen ammunition on organic targets can inflict life-threatening damage to multiple organs and soft tissue. Unlike plasma-based weapons wounds are generally not cauterized unless the ammunition is super-heated by an outside force such as friction, meaning that exsanguination from injuries created by Disgen ammunition is a serious threat.
- Inert Ammunition | Unlike the "primitive" ammunition used in firearms, slug-throwers or related weapons technology the Mono-molecular Disgen Ammunition is by its' nature inert and doesn't contain any kind of chemical compound that could be exploited or "cook off" thus it is extraordinarily safe by comparison and stable for use at a greater range of extreme temperatures.
- Lightsabers | Like many other projectile weapons the Mono-molecular Disgen Ammunition cannot be deflected in the same manner as magnetically-contained plasma and this provides it a very distinct advantage when its' target is someone or something wielding a light-saber. The ammunition velocity also poses a threatening challenge and in large volumes at high-velocity could quickly overpower even the most formidable force users.
- Minimal Recoil | When used in conjunction with the inertial accelerator technology the ammunition produces negligible perceptible recoil which contrasts it to ammunition accelerated by propellant detonation. As a result, this allows weapons constructed using that technology and this ammunition to near flawlessly keep themselves on-target. In this respect it could be considered superior even to directed energy weapons.
- Monomolecular Disgen | Mono-molecular disgen ammunition is typically shaped as a flat sphere with a mono-molecular edge along its' rim when accelerated the ammunition will convey massive kinetic energy and is capable of penetrating a variety of modern materials such as durasteel, duraplast and even impervium with ease like a hot knife through butter as its' edge is mono-molecular and easily squeezes through the grain structure of extremely dense materials with little difficulty.
- Ray Shields | As Ray shields are concerned with preventing penetration by energy and radiation as often scene with directed energy weapons they are completely useless against Mono-molecular Disgen Ammunition alone and the ammunition can pass straight through them.
- Shattering | As mono-molecular substances are typically quite brittle it should come as no surprise that upon penetrating hard materials the ammunition is likely to fragment as high velocities and while this may sound undesirable it creates the possibility for ghastly injuries and hemorrhaging that is generally difficult to nigh impossible to control. When applied to mechanical targets the shards of high-velocity ferromagnetic metal or polymer can wreak havoc on electrical circuits such as those found within droids.
WEAKNESSES
- Coriolis effects affect | When used on a celestial body such as a planet that is rotating in its' orbit the ammunition in its' flight is impacted by the centripedal and centrifugal forces of the celestial body causing the ammunition to deviate horizontally when firing over a great distance, this effect becomes more pronounced with a longer flight time.
- Fragility | One of the significant downsides of the ammunition when compared to cartridge-based ammunition is that the Disgen's edge is brittle and can be damaged by poor handling in field conditions. Disgens must be free of cracks in their grain structure otherwise when they are accelerated to very high velocity the cracks can propagate and cause the Disgen to lose its' penetrating effectiveness at best and shatter inside the weapon system accelerating the Disgen at worse potentially harming the operator.
- Gravity | The projectiles have greater mass when compared to directed energy weapon fields of plasma and as such gravity affects them to a greater degree to the point where the projectiles travel in a parabolic arc when in the presence of a gravitational field with the projectiles being pulled towards the gravity well's core. This means that the firing arc of the projectile can be curved or diverted and this can be a benefit or detriment depending on the circumstances. To a point artificial gravity wells could even be used to manipulate the firing arcs of these weapons in a vacuum, making the ammunition technology exploitable in space combat.
- Particle Shields | The mono-molecular Disgen ammunition cannot penetrate particle shields which are often featured in deflector shields, and are less effective at draining them than plasma weapons with their magnetic fields.
- Plasma Shields: The Gwerin Doeth's own plasma shields and photon shields are very effective at preventing penetration by Mono-molecular Disgen ammunition and stand as a solid and reliable defence against it.
- Training | Because of its' alien nature in the setting and its' vulnerability to environmental factors because of its' kinetic nature it is dramatically more difficult to become an expert or very proficient with the ammunition and thus on a tactical level it is less user friendly and more greatly impacted by user error when compared with a directed energy weapon.
DESCRIPTION
Mono-molecular Disgen Ammunition is a type of discus-shaped ammunition developed by the Gwerin Doeth species and used widely by that race from the height of their power to the present day. It is the apex of their kinetic munitions technological development or so it is oft cited. The ammunition's development was so ground-breaking that it eventually replaced plasma-based weapons in service with the Unified Gwerin Ecumene and spurred the Gwerin Doeth to develop plasma-based shielding for their personal armor and other active protection systems as traditional "passive" armor types became utterly obsolescent. The ammunition is constructed from ferromagnetic metals or polymer and its' lethal rounded edge forged into mono-molecular surface that slices through even the densest materials like a scalpel through flesh. Generally speaking only powersuits would be able to sport the requisite thickness of dense materials to have a chance of preventing penetration by the ammunition.
The ammunition comes with some very attractive benefits over many other directed energy and kinetic-based munitions such as its' inert nature which makes it more resistant to environmental and operational conditions. There isn't chemical or any other reactive propellant involved with its' acceleration and thus ammunition cannot "cook off" reducing the likelihood of accidental or negligent discharges and increasing the reliability and durability of the equipped weapon system by reducing the thermal energy generated by the ammunition's initial acceleration. When used as designed in conjunction with inertial accelerator technology the ammunition when discharged also produces negligible perceptible recoil if any at all and this allows less space and mass to be dedicated to recoil dampening and allows for weapon systems to be kept on target easily.
The Mono-molecular edge has certain benefits when coming into contact with hard and dense materials it generally shatters upon penetration and while that might sound beneficial that creates potentially dozens or hundreds of shards with at-least one mono-molecular edge that can push further through armor and thus this helps to diminish the effectiveness of layered or spaced passive armor. Another beneficial wounding side-effect of this behavior when striking hard surfaces is that the ammunition can cause grievous laceration and puncture wounds that are generally difficult to clot or treat with traditional dressings. Its' wounding potential is so repulsively devastating that the users of such ammunition are likely to be leveled scorn and derision but those on its' receiving end.
However effective and potent the Disgen ammunition is it comes with some significant drawbacks that is shares with projectile weapons and some that are unique to the Disgen by virtue of its' design. For example the ammunition itself is quite brittle when compared with cartridge-based ammunition and as such it can be damaged with rough handling or something as simple as dropping a sample on a hard surface they must be precision-engineered and perfect with regards to their molecular structure. A single fracture can cause the ammunition's structural integrity to degrade and cause it to lose effectiveness at penetrating through armor at best and shake apart on acceleration at worst particularly injuring the user or damaging weapon system. To be proficient with the ammunition or better yet a marksman or "sniper" is when compared to blasters extremely difficult and this is for a variety of reasons.
Because of the projectile mass being significantly higher than a magnetically contained field of plasma the ammunition is noticeably affected by gravitational fields and in a firefight context this appears as the ammunition exhibiting a parabolic arc on the y-axis while in flight. When on a celestial body this is further completed by the body's rotational movement as it orbits and this causes centripetal and centrifugal forces to act upon the ammunition causing it to noticeably deviate at range depending on the body's orbit and size this is known as a "Coriolis effect". This creates an incredible amount of variables that are either not present or as invasive with directed energy weapons. The ammunition as a kinetic-based ammunition is stopped from penetrating targets protected by the likes of particle shields and Gwerin Doeth plasma or photon shields and doesn't drain as much energy from those systems when compared with directed energy weapons. Though it is worth noting the ammunition will pass completely through ray shields.
