Plasma rifle (Chalybs)

This unnamed plasma rifle was a prototype plasma weapon created by Chalybs Defense Solutions, a human arms manufacturer, during the Human-Covenant War.

Design details
The energy rifle prototype had an appearance consisting of multiple parts that appeared to be cobbled together, in a "bizarre" configuration - suggesting the prototype was still a ways off final trialling. When attempting to use the weapon, Victor Gallardo noted that it was impossible to tell if he was holding it correctly. The weapon has a shoulder stock and is noted to be heavier than the marksman rifle he had previously learned to shoot with. The prototype present in the workshop of Saskia Nazari's father was fitted with a night-vision scope, which could be zeroed to allow for targeting at range.

When fired, the weapon emits a flash of plasma, which is capable of destroying a tree and turning it into a large number of smaller splinters upon impact. The weapon's firing generates a considerable amount of recoil. This mechanism is achieved thanks to the reverse-engineering of Covenant technology captured in the war, which had been integrated into the rifle in some capacity. The weapon is fitted with a safety mechanism, and is capable of being fired on a semi-automatic setting.

The weapon's exact model designation remains unknown; at the time of the Covenant invasion of Meridian, Saskia Nazari could only recall that it was a "string of letters and numbers".

Development history
The prototype was created by Saskia Nazari's father, a contractor for Chalybs Defense Solutions at the company's Angoulême facility. As of 2548, the weapon was still in prototyping stages and had not been greenlit for full production yet. Saskia was unsure whether the weapon was slated for use by the United Nations Space Command or other human military/ paramilitary organisations, given Chalybs' propensity for supplying various armed groups across the colonies.

List of appearances

 * Halo: Battle Born