Aeonic beam weapons

Aeonic beam weapons (Æ weapons for short) are catastrophically destructive weapons which fire a high cohesion beam of weaponized aeons in a special condition called degeneracy. In this state, an aeon is able to do very strange things to electromagnetism - robbing photons of charge and capturing it for themselves and then on command returning it under vast wavelength and amplitude.

Most noticably, they gobble up gluons on contact which is hugely destructive to matter, leading to their collapse back into aeons, releasing huge amounts of energy back into photons as gamma radiation.

There are many types of aeonic beam weapons but most follow a relatively simple idea of compressing a lattice into the previously mentioned degeneracy state.

Further compressed and stored into a semi-stable lattice state giving rise to temporarily inertness and noninteraction. A gravioelectrical scalar discharge (gravitational interaction causing massive electrical potential very briefly) can use naturally forming faults in the lattice to propel the degeneracy aeon lattice from the barrel, leaving behind a trail of light.

In an atmosphere, a round can often be seen triggering a brief nuclear decay (with its gluon gobbling behavior) in air. The resulting released radiation leaves a huge tunnel of superheated plasma, giving the impression of a larger beam than the one fired (which is usually microscopic), while dealing secondary damage to targets.

With no grip on its own bosons and a neutral charge of bosons, the shot is no longer affected by electromagnetism and an aeonic beam will pass through another – or an energetic defensive field (shields).

On impact, the effect of an aeonic beam is devistating. When the lattice arrangement is broken, its stored energy potential is unleashed, usually destabilizing the nucleus of a target. This can trigger a chain reaction, leading to total nuclear annihilation of a target.

Further compressed and stored into a semi-stable lattice state and stored inside hardlight, a degeneracy round can be stored long-term lasting weeks, months, or years. This is usually how beam weapons are dealt out in the field as the equipment required to form a shot is often enormous - being a major component of battleships. These special degeneracy cartridges are colloquially known as 'magnums' and different types are rated for different filling and emptying rates, capacity and other tolerances.

Some beam weapons alter the lattice as it leaves the barrel, further stabilising it into a small spherical pellet rather than a beam. This pellet is much harder to spot and usually has a far higher round velocity - ideal in combat against powered-armour or in space over massive distances. This higher density but much much smaller size however is less likely to disperse and can pass clean through larger targets.

An example of a 'pellet' style aeonic beam weapon would be the Aeon Gatling Rifle, a weapon which uses multiple barrels to discharge an extremely high number of shots at a very small size. While technically weaker (chipping away armour), the higher number of shots has obvious advantages enjoyed by conventional gatling weapons. It is also much less unwieldy than a beam weapon, since the stream of weapons fire is constant rather than brief, making it ideal for the high speed high mobility combat of powered-armour.

Being a widely used weapons-system in the old war, countermeasures were quickly adapted and deployed for the purpose of protection against degeneracy weapons:

The blending of seeded aeons with a physical structure using electromagnetism. It can be thought of as a “cap” on the electrical potential of matter, often rendering it far less chemically reactive to outside sources but otherwise still influenced by energy exchange (heat, light, kinetic impact, etc).

Entropy weapons also use very similar techniques to achieve their desired effect but require specific topology that is not cost-effective on large armor plates without serious investment or a very dedicated weaponsmith.

Multiple layers of high-specific-heat-capacity material which are aeon infused are added ontop of armor which evaporate at a high temperature which is then wrapped with a layer of gluons. This rapid heating and expansion coupled with aeon infusion can often “push” a beam away. This sacrificial ablative protection can defend with great effectiveness but ABC can only tolerate a few hits to the same spot and needs re-treatment between sorties.

Able to absorb some of the vast gamma energy of degeneracy strikes, aeon absorption coating (AAC) connects layers of aeons to the exterior of a target. The natural repulsion means once collapsed from degeneracy, the collapsed aeons are pushed away at high speed, capturing the radiation with them and into the coating and the amount of damage done molecular is very thin. Not perfect, if a shot strikes with enough velocity (either because of the output or sheer closeness – 97% of a beam's velocity being lost inches from the barrel) or the sheer thickness, density or strength of the beam, the AAC can be penetrated entirely.