Plasma pistol
From Halopedia, the Halo wiki
- "[The plasma pistol] is the bread and butter of Covenant small arms—almost as common as the MA5 is with the UNSC. After the Covenant Carrier jumped there were some areas of Mombasa where plasma pistols covered the ground like leaves—that maneuver killed a bunch of dudes on both sides."
- — Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[1]
Plasma pistols are a class of single-handed, semi-automatic Covenant infantry directed-energy sidearm manufactured by Assembly Forges and Iruiru Armory.[2][3] The Covenant and its remnants formally designated the plasma pistol as simply pistols,[4][5] while the United Nations Space Command's Office of Naval Intelligence has typically type-classified encountered plasma pistols under the designation of Directed Energy Pistol.[6][7] Nicknames for the plasma pistol include The Little C, Green, Greenboy, Greenie, P-Pistol, and PP.[8][9]
Overview[edit]
Design details[edit]
- "It’s just the right size and it feels good in your hands, but give me an em seven or an em eh five any day of the week."
- — Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[1]
The general design of the plasma pistol remains consistent across different variants; the weapon is made up of two main components: the upper component, which includes the main rear grip and a firing coil, and the lower component which doubles as the weapon's foregrip—though only humans have been observed to wield the weapon with two hands.[6] As a directed-energy weapon, the plasma pistol fires superheated plasma from its muzzle, where, when the weapon is active, the upper and lower charging poles constantly generate a surge of plasma; on certain variants, the charging poles take on a claw-like appearance.[10][11] The charging poles tend to emit a deep green glow; even at the lowest setting, the firearm is an effective source of light.[12] The top of the weapon contains the upper firing coil; the coil is covered by a hatch, which opens as a venting port,[2] as it lifts and exposes the internal components when the weapon overheats, either from repeatedly firing at its semi-automatic bolts or after discharging a scaled burst.[13] The rear grip features the holographic charge display—a circular progress bar that indicates the weapon charge as it is fired—the display indicates when the weapon is about to overheat from its semi-automatic bursts, or when the weapon is fully charged for a scaled burst.[14][15][16] There is a small button on the left side of the weapon; this exposes the upper firing coil and allows access to the weapon's internal components.[17] Certain variants of the plasma pistol also feature a tracking sight.[13]
The plasma pistol is powered by a battery cell. This battery can be recharged using a variety of power sources,[Note 1] including United Nations Space Command generators, provided an appropriate adaptor is at hand.[2] Plasma pistols have a core power output of 100-150 KV at 2~3 dA, but when overcharged, the power output can reach 1.5 MV @ 2~3 dA.[1]
Operation[edit]
- "The trigger is soft—no feedback—there’s no break that tells you when the overcharge is gonna kick in. First time I did it was on accident and it damn near sprained my wrist."
- — Anonymous UNSC E2-BAG/1/7 serviceman[1]
While weak on its own, the plasma pistol has a wide variety of functions and becomes deadly in large numbers. The plasma pistol has two modes of fire. The first option is rapidly firing the semi-automatic short bursts of plasma; these plasma bolts are capable of quickly degrading dissipative energy shields or vaporizing flesh.[3] The second option is holding down the trigger to overcharge the weapon's energy output and, upon releasing the trigger, the weapon fires a scaled burst—a blast of plasma that briefly tracks a targeted enemy.[6][13] The large bolt from the scaled burst has increased damage, but notably carries a devastating short-range EMP effect that can disabled capacitors in electronic equipment, armor, and vehicles on impact.[2][6] However, after the overcharged bolt is fired, the pistol will automatically overheat. Until it cools down, the pistol cannot be fired again, giving an enemies enough time to counterattack.[10]
Semi-automatic bursts[edit]
When rapidly tapping the trigger, the plasma pistol will fire small bolts of plasma at an exceptional rate of fire.[6] The semi-auto firing mode can be used until the weapon overheats, after which it must cool down for a few seconds before it can be used again. As the weapon approaches low battery, it may sputter and fail to fire.[16] These bolts deal little damage to targets protected by energy shields, though still more than most kinetic weapons. Against unarmored targets, though, the lethality of the plasma pistol is extreme. Injuries inflicted to a victim are severe third-degree burns, this level of injury causes the wound to be cauterized instantly upon impact.[18] Body fluids would be subjected to flash vaporization,[3] inducing a strain or a shock on the body after impact.[19] Fluids trapped in organs or arteries, in addition to the rapid expansion of heat, would cause ruptures or small explosions causing additional damage to the target.[citation needed] Should the plasma bolt strike cover, the impact can cause splash damage by flinging heated debris, though the blast radius is smaller than most Covenant explosive weapons.[20]
