Type-1 Directed Energy Gauntlet

"If there's one thing this gauntlet can't do, it's make me breakfast."

- 'Blackstone' commenting on the capability of the Arc Gauntlet.

The Type-1 Directed Energy Gauntlet, more commonly known as the Arc Gauntlet, was an Android infantry weapon, repurposed and used by the resistance group known as the Preachers.

Design Details
The Arc Gauntlet is an Android Covenant, directed-energy weapon, engineered from technology that uses a superheated ionised gas called Plasma, instead of projectile ammunition. The weapon has a power output of 100-150 KV @ 2~3 dA, and can fire 360 to 540 rounds per minute. It's firing modes are enabled by its dual plasma collimator design. Placed atop the gauntlet adjacent to one another, these collimators fire in a "stagger" taking the slow automatic fire of each individual collimator and combining it, this design allows a faster rate of fire and more rounds per second, which adds to the lethality of the weapon. Taking fire from the Type-1 DEG can cause severe second, third, and in some cases, fourth-degree burns (a fourth-degree burn completely burns away all flesh, leaving only bone tissue).

The Type-25 DEG is the primary weapon of the Commander of the Preachers, known as 'Blackstone'. Against flesh targets, the Type-1's lethality is considerably greater than ordinary projectile weaponry, due to the faster rate of fire, injuries inflicted to the victim are severe third-degree burns, with the wound being cauterised instantly upon impact. Even near misses will produce severe burns and heat trauma. Should the plasma impact an object, the impact can create fragments that may come into contact with a victim, with a crippling or lethal effect. Generally, two hits from either projector of the weapon will kill a light or non-armoured target. Over-extended periods of firing can overheat the weapon, causing it to become unusable for a short period of time.

Advantages
The Arc Gauntlet is meant for close to medium range engagements, and as such can inflict very high damage at range. The Gauntlet can also be used at long range if the user fires slowly and aims carefully by leading the target. The Gauntlet is extremely efficient at killing "soft" targets, while doing lethal amounts of damage to a heavily armoured target. Humans have the ability to dual-wield the Gauntlets on either forearm, doubling their efficiency in close to medium range combat situations. The Gauntlet's high velocity bolt coupled with its kinetic impact to a target can temporarily stun a target like a T-50.

Disadvantages
The Arc Gauntlet, when fired continuously, overheats very quickly because of the rapid cycling, loading, ignition, and release sequence of energy; to prevent the weapon from being damaged, the Type-1 DEG temporarily shuts down and opens heating vents to allow the excess heat to dissipate before the weapon reactivates. This process leaves the weapon inoperable and useless. Careless infantry who are not aware of the function of the Gauntlet can get themselves killed because of this. Human military experts and scientists do not understand how the plasma weapons work, or how they are recharged; as such, when the battery is depleted, the rifle must be discarded or replaced. At 10% charge level, the plasma rifle will begin to misfire, this is due to the battery's inability to deliver enough energy to start and complete the ignition and release phase of operation, hampering the operator's use of the weapon. However standard battery units for an Android T-25 can be stripped and modified to be accepted by the Gauntlet, enabling further usage and power.

Although the Gauntlet can strike a target at longer ranges, it is not suited for long range combat, due to two distinct properties of the weapons operation. The first is the rate of thermal expansion which is determined by the rate of the bloom of the bolt. The second factor is speed: the faster the bolt goes, the farther the bolt will travel before the magnetic field begins to weaken, causing the temperature of the bolt to cool before the magnetic field becomes unstable and finally dissipates. The bolt also loses velocity and kinetic impact with longer travel distance.

Preacher Remarks

 * “I realise that it uses a battery instead of a magazine, but nobody has figured out how to swap it or recharge it yet? Don’t we have scientists working for us or something?”
 * “It’s got no sight-line, it’s awkward to hold, and if it overheats it’ll cook the hair right off of your wrists.”
 * “You know, it looks delicate and so it looks like you need to wear it kind of gingerly—but then you see him crack a T-25's head with one. The thing is built tough.”
 * "Those things are huge—but I guess they are too, so it sorta makes sense."