S5A Service Rifle

Production Information

 * Manufacturer: Karavin Concern
 * Model: S5A Service Rifle
 * Affiliation: Closed-Market | Eternal Empire
 * Modularity: No
 * Production: Mass-Produced

Technical Specifications

 * Material: Durasteel


 * Classification: Blaster rifle
 * Size: Large
 * Weight: Heavy
 * Ammunition Type: Standard Power Cell consisting of a battery and Tibana gas canister in a single package
 * Ammunition Capacity: 60 Shots
 * Reload Speed: Fast
 * Effective Range: High
 * Rate of Fire: Average
 * Stopping Power: High
 * Recoil: High

Advanced Features

 * Composite Power Cells: The S5A Service Rifle uses a composite power cell design, storing the tibana gas and battery in the same container, enabling faster reloading
 * Simple Design: Unlike the other S-series rifles produced by Karavin Concern, the S5A has a dramatically simplified design, utilizing parts that are easy and cheap to manufacture, such as stamped sheet metal receivers. The simplicity of the design, makes the S5A a rugged, cheap and fairly reliable weapon

Strengths

 * Accurate: The S5A Service Rifle is a fairly accurate weapon if a reasonable trigger discipline is maintained, although its accuracy is negatively impacted during intense firefights, if fired at a high rate, due to the fairly heavy recoil
 * Rugged Simplicity: The S5A's simplistic design makes it a reliable, low-maintenance weapon, ideal for situations where spare parts and servicing equipment are not available

Weaknesses

 * High Recoil: The S5A packs a heavy punch, requiring trigger discipline to be maintained in order to preserve accuracy, as such it is not a well-suited weapon for untrained individuals
 * Bulky: The simplicity and reliability of the S5A Service Rifle come at the cost of size. The Rifle is noticeably larger and heavier than comparable weapons, utilizing larger components that are easier to manufacture

Description
Although the rapid industrialization of Kalidan in the wake of the Eternal Empire's colonization efforts has brought with it many of the staples of modern civilization, large swathes of the planet remain relatively isolated and untamed, as a consequence of the relatively low population. As such, settlements are few and far between, which means that military forces could sometimes take hours to respond to a crisis.

Due to the harsh environment of the Kalidani wilderness, large predators pose a serious threat to many of these smaller settlements, which forced the Eternal Empire to take measures to address the problem. Because of the low population, the Eternal Empire could not afford to establish a dedicated law enforcement branch to tackle such issues, so a militia known as the Settlement Defense Force was established instead.

Because of how SetDef operates, it required simple and reliable equipment and the task of developing it, fell to Karavin Concern, a Kalidani military-industrial conglomerate which had previously supplied armament to the Eternal Empire's forces. The conglomerate's engineers selected the S-series of blaster rifles as a template, due to its efficient power cell configuration, which enables faster reloading.

The design of the weapon was drastically simplified, replacing many complex components with ones that had a more rugged, albeit bulkier design. This resulted in a cheap, low-maintenance weapon that can withstand extended periods of use without servicing.

The S5A is a fairly accurate weapon, packing the heavy punch required to deal with the dangerous fauna of Nelvaan at a reasonable range, at the cost of size, weight and recoil. It requires a disciplined shooter to properly use, as firing it too soon after a previous shot will dramatically reduce accuracy, due to its recoil. It features the same composite power cell design found in the rest of the S-series rifles, although its receiver and internal layout have little in common with the S3A and S4C.

Adopted as the standard service rifle of SetDef forces, the S5A is also sold on the civilian market, being a fairly popular weapon on Kalidan, due to its characteristics. It is also available for purchase amongst many retailers in the Unknown Regions and has been pitched as a cheap weapon for worlds that do not have the funds to outfit their defense forces with more sophisticated equipment.