Commodore Helix
Disintegrations done dirt cheap.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To create a short-ranged but deadly heavy weapon for Helix Solutions
- Image Source: Link
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: N/A
- Manufacturer: Helix Solutions
- Affiliation: Helix Solutions
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: PLK Fellwind
- Modularity: Yes
- Production: Limited
- Material: Durasteel, Impervium, railgun components.
- Classification: Rail, Shotgun, Incendiary
- Size: Average
- Weight: Heavy
- Ammunition Type: Condensed X16
- Ammunition Capacity: Large
- Effective Range: Average (Suppression Mode) Personal (Scatter Mode) Long (Overcharge Mode)
- Rate of Fire: Extremely High (Suppression Mode) Average (Scatter Mode) Very Low (Overcharge Mode)
- Damage Output: Very High (Suppression Mode) Extreme (Scatter Mode) Extreme (Overcharge Mode)
- Recoil: Extreme (Suppression Mode) Average (Scatter Mode) Average (Overcharge Mode)
- Extremely high rate of fire in primary mode.
- Multiple firing modes for well-placed, shotgun-like blasts, a sustained spray of toxic projectiles, or a single, explosive burst.
- Able to be mounted to vehicles for in-close support.
- Hurricane: The PLK possesses a rate of fire in excess of 1000 rounds per second, launching condensed shards of X16 at close ranges. This makes it an excellent (if inaccurate and hard to use) weapon for assaults and indoor combat.
- Battering Ram: Such is the weapon's capacity for destruction that even those capable of surviving the blizzard of projectiles (no easy feat given the force of their impact) can often find it difficult to advance or move under the assault.
- Firing Modes: The Fellwind can also be used in a shotgun-like capacity, firing a single, simultaneous scatter of projectiles rather than an automatic spray, or to lob a single explosive blob of blazing chemicals over a longer range.
- Bullet Hose: The weapon is fully capable of emptying its ammunition reservoir in seconds in inexperienced hands, leaving the user vulnerable.
- Short Range: The PLK is not a precision tool, designed simply to dump a massive volume of fire over a wide area in a short time, and such possesses both limited range and a punishing recoil in its primary two firing modes.
- Unstable: As is sadly typical of weapons utilizing X16, the user should prioritize avoiding damage to the weapon, lest they be the target of its pent-up wrath.
One of Helix's more unpleasant and innovative weapons, the PLK is a specialized tool designed to dig out enemy forces in close-quarters situations, or provide support for infantry forces over longer ranges.
The PLK is somewhat heavy for something intended to serve the role it does, being essentially a grid of miniature railguns arranged in a man-carryable form. It possesses three firing modes, offering a wide range of tactical flexibility.
Firstly, the standard firing mode uses an electronic triggering mechanism to supercondense and fire small chips of X16 at nearly 30km/s, not unlike the much larger KJK Flamehammer in mechanical operation. Unlike that weapon, however, each of the barrels (between four and sixteen, depending on configuration) fires simultaneously. The result is a howling storm of supersonic toxic shards at close range, with the weapon launching multiple of these projectiles before their predecessors have even left the barrel. A firing rate of around 1000 rounds per second ensures unarmored targets caught with the full brunt of a spray will often be quite literally liquefied, and armored ones capable of withstanding the countless impacts often are hurled backward. Given the speed and profusion of the incoming fire, the projectiles can be very difficult to evade (or for saber-wielders, block), and as such this mode excels at keeping enemy infantry pinned down.
The secondary firing mode is more similar to a traditional "shotgun" with each barrel firing a single condensed chemical chip. Though far more controllable than the suppression setting, and more lethal on a shot for shot basis, the rate of fire is not quite as extreme, requiring more careful aiming of shots. Typically, the spread is fairly tight, but the user must ideally still be quite close to use it to best effect.
The third and final firing mode condenses a larger chunk of magnetically-contained chemicals, before launching it from the top barrel. The resultant projectile travels more slowly, to the point where a quick eye can see its movements, before impacting. When it does so, the magnetic containment breaches, causing a large incendiary, armor-melting explosion that allows this weapon to function in the role usually filled by grenade launchers. It is capable of tackling packed infantry or light-medium vehicles.
In all three cases, the projectiles launched are highly radiotoxic and burn at extreme temperatures. As is typically the case with X16 weapons, the resultant wounds can be very difficult to treat, and troops expected to face down these weapons are advised to wear heavy thermal, chemical, and radiological protection.
For all that the Fellwind is a nightmare to face on the field, it is also quite short-ranged in its primary modes of use. Suppression mode is nearly uncontrollable unless the user fires in short bursts, and not exactly precise enough to hit a target at more than relatively short ranges. The Scatter mode, too, kicks quite robustly, and users are advised to have a steady stance (or a vehicle/heavy droid mounting) for both.
The Suppression mode is also quite vulnerable to running dry, as an overenthusiastic user can empty the inherently-inaccurate weapon in seconds with nothing to show for it.
The Incendiary mode, while the most controllable of the three, requires a lengthy recharge between uses, ensuring the user cannot simply hose down the enemy with explosive blasts.
Last but certainly not least, as an X16 weapon, it can often be as deadly to the user as the enemy if breached, as the fuel is highly pressurized. If damaged, it can often detonate, showering all nearby in ignited chemicals.
Last edited:
