SCA: Self-Charged Automatic Blaster

The standard plasmatic weapon of the Starship Marines.
It is not very effective in an atmosphere because an atmosphere tends to degrade the plasma and dissipate its energy very quickly - significantly reducing effective range. In a vacuum the energy will degrade suit systems and cause heat damage very effectively without ricochet risks or risking damaging hull integrity.

Main types

SCA I - hand held weapon - about the size of a large pistol. Standard issue for combat robots. Can be used by individuals in spacesuits, or unarmoured personnel.

SCA II - hand held SCA I weapon used in conjunction with space armour. The armour's electronics and power supply gives the SCA II greater range and effectiveness.

SCA III - A heavy version of the SCA II that can overload its power supply to create a slightly increased 'punch'.

SCA IV - a large weapon that requires space armour and an additional power pack. This creates a large plasmatic blast (a bit like a flamethrower). However the technology is unreliable and the weapon itself is prone to catastrophic containment failures.

See also APGW Combat Robot Fusilier Robot.