Antiquity name:       a Proton Ripper antipersonnel cannon
Description:          Clad in heavy lead-plated armor, the boxy central shaft of this handheld cannon is bulky enough to make it much more difficult to maneuver than the blasters favored by soldiers in the modern day. Its square barrel yawns wide, aglow with the blue-white radiance of complicated light-emitting arrays embedded into its inner surface, packed tightly into precise grooves and fixtures wherever room can be made. A spherical chamber at the rear of the cannon is layered even more thickly with lead plating to prevent the stesium-enriched slug inside from irradiating the weapon's wielder. A series of gas compression turbines and replaceable battery slots flare out above the spherical core menacingly, capturing air to compress into some internal chamber. Reinforced legs unfold from the base of the shaft to help support the cannon when emplaced, and horizontal handles on either side of the butt suggest that the device was held with at least two hands.

Shulamit pulls out a honkingly heavy Proton Ripper antipersonnel cannon, placing it on the table. A small drone flies around, taking a picture of it. "Clad in heavy lead-plated armor, the boxy central shaft of this handheld cannon is bulky enough to make it much more difficult to maneuver than the blasters favored by soldiers in the modern day. Its square barrel yawns wide, aglow with the blue-white radiance of complicated light-emitting arrays embedded into its inner surface, packed tightly into precise grooves and fixtures wherever room can be made. A spherical chamber at the rear of the cannon is layered even more thickly with lead plating to prevent the stesium-enriched slug inside from irradiating the weapon's wielder. A series of gas compression turbines and replaceable battery slots flare out above the spherical core menacingly, capturing air to compress into some internal chamber. Reinforced legs unfold from the base of the shaft to help support the cannon when emplaced, and horizontal handles on either side of the butt suggest that the device was held with at least two hands."

Shulamit says, "This cannon was found in Ishbi. Mostly by finding a loooot of stesium slugs."

Shulamit says, "Of which are still all...radioactivey.
"
Picram says, "I trust you took some steps to ensure this thing won't irradiate us?"

Shulamit says, "Well, the ones stored in storage are in this."

Shulamit points at the extremely heavy lead lined boxes along one wall.

Tuesday says, "Ain't the first time I played with stesium. Gloves on."

Shulamit says, "When this one, the cannon, is on display the display case is built in with sensors and ways of redirecting the radioactivity stuff."

Shulamit says, "So no! But it shouldn't hurt us for one session."

Shulamit says, "Well, no, not while it's not in the case is more accurate."

Shulamit acknowledges the point with a grave nod of its head.

Picram says, "Were there any actual battles on Ishbi that this could have been used in?"

Shulamit ponders the situation.

Shulamit says, "Unsure! I don't know if the Historial Nergal knows. I think he only works with Gunurash stuff."

Tuesday says, "Likely predates the gang wars."

Shulamit says, "Perhaps an old weapon from the penal colony, brought with them to deal with very large insects?"

Shulamit nods its head slowly, looking very wise.

Tuesday ponders the situation.

Picram says, "It seems highly unpractical. Do you think this is a weapon of ancient Human making, or could it have been in use by the Free Fleet, and given to the Humans to use in their... assignments?"

Shulamit ponders the situation.

Shulamit says, "Unsure. I honestly know very little about human history, other than small furry creatures in pictures."

Shulamit acknowledges the point with a grave nod of its head.

Tuesday says, "Don't look the run and gun sort. Y'know if them legs come off? Surprised it ain't attached to some sorta car."

Shulamit says, "I watched all their movies!"

The corners of Tuesday's mouth turn up in a mischievous grin.

Shulamit says, "The legs fold and unfold. They were not on the cannon when found, but nearby. But were they broken off or simply folded away?"

Shulamit shrugs helplessly.

Picram reaches for the handles of the gun and lifts it up with great effort, then places it down again. "I think it's safe to say you wouldn't do much running with this. Which begs the question how it got to the battlefield in the first place, if it was ever used there."

Shulamit says, "Hoo, if one could run with that, without heavily modified B.E.A.S.T. armour, they should...not be doing that, and doing something else very scary."

Tuesday breaks into hearty laughter.

Shulamit says, "Perhaps they brought it to Ishbi to set it up in an emplacement, and realized...Ishbi did not need emplacements? The the...creatures that roam there are not very evil."

Shulamit says, "Maybe ancient critters were very shaggy and bitey."

Shulamit says, "But this cannon would hoo...destroy all the meat. Useless."

Picram says, "Maybe they took it there for decomissioning?"

Shulamit says, "Hoo, could be! They did a bad job."

Shulamit acknowledges the point with a grave nod of its head.

Picram says, "Did they? You had to assemble this thing here, right?"

Tuesday says, "Violence ain't new, peace is. Wouldn't surprised me if they were use'n it to defend a base there."

Shulamit says, "Well. Decommissioning the slugs by scattering them across Isbhi is a bad job."

Shulamit acknowledges the point with a grave nod of its head.

Picram says, "Not the slugs, but the gun. They might also have just disassembled the gun, tossed the shells into a hole and called it a decommissioning job well done."

Shulamit says to Tuesday, "Could be. There might have been fighting on Ishbi, it's something to look into."

Shulamit says to Picram, "Then they should know that that was silly on them. Oh well, guess we're doing cleanup and archaeological research now, hoo hoo."

Shulamit acknowledges the point with a grave nod of its head.

Picram says, "That would be surprising. Scatterhome has mostly stayed out of conflict, given their history."

Shulamit says, "I try and stay out of conflict too!"

Picram says, "You as an individual can do that. Scatterhome as a faction should really not, considering the conflict may very well come to them at some point. Not like the Ishvana cares much about your desire to avoid fighting."

Shulamit says, "Hoo, the hardest to find item is the geode stuffed with circuitry, which looks as such "Apertures and vents set into one side of this extremely heavy spherical chamber resemble the jagged opening of a split geode, allowing glimpses of once-precise lattices of internal circuitry now fallen into ruin. Scratched and battered by who knows what, the two and a half centimeter-thick surface of this object appears to be solid lead.""

Shulamit says, "That's the interior part of the...thingy."

Shulamit waves a branch end at the cannon.

Shulamit says, "The repair of the circuitry was helped by nanites and nice bots."

Tuesday says, "I wanna crack open one of them tanks... Those turbines what I think they are?"

Shulamit nods as the camera drone chirps in happiness.

Shulamit says to Tuesday, "What do you think they are? I don't know them so well."

Picram says, "Hm... ripping out the internal circuitry would likely be considered sufficiently destroying the gun. It would certainly stop it from firing."

Shulamit says, "Hoo, which is why we are not doing that today."

Shulamit says, "Only discussing it's shiny metal guts."

Shulamit says, "Maybe when we find a backup, we can fire it. Or pull the guts out."

Shulamit acknowledges the point with a grave nod of its head.

Tuesday says, "Hacked up ion compressor. Cute accelerate to shoot a shell."

Shulamit rubs its chin thoughtfully, raises its eyebrow and says, "I see..."

Shulamit nods as though it understands completely.

Shulamit says to Tuesday, "What is...hoo, that again?"

Picram says, "Do you think they used compressed air to propel those slugs? It seems terribly wasteful given the weight of stesium."

Tuesday says, "Them turbines, they pump atmo into a compressed chamber. Ya see where em batteries set up? You supercharge the gas to get er charged up, like a little sun. Kinda like an air gun, if you wanted to shoot er across space."

Shulamit says, "Humans really like guns though, so some of them have told me, hoo hoo."

Shulamit nods solemnly.

Shulamit says, "Or maybe the slugs cause less mess, but then again...radioactive..."

Picram says, "Given that both a superheated plasma and a radioactive supply of slugs would be dangerous to the user of this gun, it would seem a lot more sensible to at least remove one danger. Otherwise you end up killing more soldiers on your own side than your enemy does."

Shulamit says, "Maybe an emplacement had more shielding? But that kind of shielding would likely have not been thrown in a hole, and instead is likely making up the walls of the buildings on Ishbi."
Tuesday breaks into hearty laughter.

Tuesday says, "Thing looks like a stesium bomb. Ain't surprised it was found in pieces."

Shulamit says, "I think we should put it away for now, hoo hoo."

Picram says, "One can't help but wonder how these were employed in battle."

Shulamit says, "Probably a bit on the long side for it to be...out without protection."

Acknowledging Picram's point to be true, Shulamit nods its head gravely at it.

Shulamit says, "I will ask Akmara if he knows anyone that knows human fighty history."

Picram says, "Were they dropped from a ship onto the battlefield? Were they mounted on vehicles, as Tuesday suggested? I don't think they were carried by soldiers. With that weight, your platoon would have done all the fighting by the time you arrived."

Shulamit says, "Maybe they'll know more about ancient human fighty things."

Tuesday nods.

Shulamit carefully lugs the cannon back into a box, slapping the repulsor lifts on and sending it trundling out of the room to go back on display. The tiny flying drone takes note before turning off.