A sophisticated starship-to-starship ranged weapon created and sold on the galactic black market, and employed by several mercenary and outlaw organisations. The Astrum Lance comprises a molecule-sharp spike, a mechanism to generate a powerful electric charge and a two-metre shaft to ensure flight stability. The Astrum Lance is designed to pierce a starship’s AIM Drive and energise the Astrum-36 within, usually resulting in a large, dramatic explosion or the sudden propulsion of the vessel in a random direction at FTL speed.
The Astrum Lance’s development remains largely undocumented, but underworld rumours hold that it was inspired by the highly publicised destruction of the planet Harthoe. Since its creation numerous arms dealers have stocked the Astrum Lance, and it has rapidly become one of the most feared munitions in the age of escalating violence on the starlanes.
Its ability to remove even large cruisers from the battlefield makes the Astrum Lance incredibly valuable to spacebound combatants, both as crowd-control and as a way to swiftly and effectively shake pursuers. However, the complexity of the weapon’s functionality means that it requires extreme skill and precision on the part of the shooter. For this reason, many groups find that it is not worth the price to have more than a handful of Astrum Lances in their arsenal, instead using more conventional weapons to breach a starship’s armour plating before firing a Lance into its engine room. However, as the instrument of a shock and awe attack, the Astrum Lance’s effectiveness cannot be denied.
SEE ALSO:
Lodestone [Orbital Station]
The Syndicate Beyond [Criminal Organisation]
Mag-Screen [Weapon]
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