Tibanna Laser

Purpose:

Tibanna Laboratories created the self-named Tibanna Laser system for two different reasons. The first reason was to find a way to deal with the large stockpile of dimensional reactor resin they had accumulated. The second reason was to make a product they could sell on the military-industrial market to recoup their losses from when they unwisely decided to handle and store tsoukactive (dimensionally 'radioactive') materials. The cost of operating their waste reclamation and handling facilities was forecast to bankrupt the corp within three years if something wasn't done to manage the increasing levels of highly volatile materials AND find a way to profitize it beyond the meager stipend the New Earth Governments were willing to pay.

Basic:

The Tibanna Laser is a scalable weapon system that differs from the traditional laser by using a gas cartridge to power the mechanism rather than tapping into an existing power system such as a fusion reactor or dimensional reactor. The end result is a laser weapon system that has ammunition, and thus, limited combat endurance. The ammunition uses a gasified form of enriched Kirkite (dimensional reactor resin), so a small amount can be used to power a laser, but it still presents the risk of an ammo explosion if overheated, abused, or otherwise poorly treated.

Aside from the ammunition aspect, Tibanna Lasers perform as normal laser systems, in terms of range, heat generation, and so forth. Damage remains the same at the base level, but there is a difference in the logistics/infantry phase of dealing with these weapons. The resonance and alien nature of the fuel remains, so Tibanna lasers are kinda dirty weapons. Surviving a wound from such a weapon also incurs a serious chance at contracting a mutagenic disease or radiation-related cancer. The fuel cells, the used weapons, and wreckage that has taken a lot of damage from Tibanna weapons can become contaminated and thus tsoukactive (treat as mutagenic radiation)

Tibanna lasers have a distinctive actinic green color.

Hurdles:

Tibanna lasers were created in a corporate crush research blitz. The use of 3rd part research sinks allowed Tibanna Laboratories to overcome most of the basic issues when creating a chemical-fueled laser system. The only real problems broke down into setting up centrifuges and processing centers to turn Federation spaceship waste into cartridges for energy weapons, safe handling or 'Tibanna Gas' (proprietary name of gasified and enrich Kirkite resin), and finding someone willing to buy gas powered laser systems when conventional reactor tap based lasers exist and do not have the inherent danger and limitation of using ammo.

Most of the materials handling issues were met by using autons and the relatively common industrial ABC protective suit (Tomlinson Heavy being the most common). Packing the material into fuel cells was basic automation, and setting up a breech-loader beam weapon was basic engineering. The gas-powered lasers are cheaper and less complicated than many conventional beam weapons. The gas lasers do not need access to a large power source to work, so can be easily carried by infantry and power armor. Vehicles and mechs can also easily equip these weapons.

But why? Why use a weapon with limiting ammo and some serious side effects?

The answer would be a number of far-distant customers, almost all operating beyond the orbit of Jupiter. These customers had bleeding-edge tech, deep pockets, and were willing to accept all the limitations of gas-based chemical lasers. Several of these interests saw fit to modify their own weapons to use Tibanna Labs loaders and cartridges. What the engineers and technicians saw left them gobsmacked. Whoever these people were, they had enhanced beam weaponry that the Inner System and Earth could really only fantasize about. This went beyond extended range and pulse lasers, they had variable speed lasers, X-pulse lasers, and ready access to THASERs. These weapons, equipped with Tibanna receivers, proved to be absolutely horrific. Instead of the typical red thaser beam, the Tibanna thasers unleashed a torrent of bright green radio-mutagenic fire.

Problems:

The Tibanna Laser has one significant problem, it is an energy weapon that uses ammo. So long as the ammo can be supplied, and there are protocols to mitigate ammunition explosions, its all good. Ammunition storage systems, ammo hardening, and logistics can offset most of this. This is also offset by the fact that a vehicle or trooper using a Tibanna based laser doesn't have a large EM signature from running a power generator, and energy weapons not tied to a reactor of some sort already have ammunition limitations based on how many batteries they carry. The gas cartridge is lighter than any battery, and they are much cheaper and far less complicated than arcanotech dimensional batteries. 

Field Performance:

Tibanna Lasers have proven to be valuable and effective, although this information has largely not been passed on to Tibanna Labs. The factions using the chem lasers are operating in the Deep Solar System and are using the weapons to deal with DFEs and incursions from extradimensional entities. The tsoukaactive factor of the lasers has proven a boon because many a regenerating cosmic horror has been blasted with a green THASER and found its healing factor charbroiled to ineffectiveness. Wideband direct energy transmitters have also been chem cell powered and been used to sear eyeballs and antennae of alien species with vomit-inducing effectiveness.

Variants:

Any laser system can be configured to use gas cartridges. The weight generally stays the same as the mass of the capacitors and connections to a high-energy power source are equivalent to the weight of the autoloader and chemical cartridges.

Maintenance:

Tibanna lasers are generally easier to manage and maintain. Loaders and ammo boxes are safer and easier to handle than high discharge capacitors and direct feeds from reactors.

Service Record:

Largely unavailable, the crews using the mutacarcinogen lasers are fighting cosmic horrors so it is high attrition, high rate of loss with a lot of classified material not being reported. Are the effective?  The Anunaki aren't talking, but they are ordering plenty of ammunition and refit kits for regular lasers, pulse lasers, and heavy lasers.