ELG-3A
| ELG-3A | |
| |
| Class | Projectile |
| Designer | SoroSuub Corporation |
| Manufacturer | MandalTech |
| Stats | |
| Type | Physical |
| Effective Range | 0 - 5 |
| Zeroed | 2 |
| Rate of Fire | 4 |
| Weight | 1.3 kg |
| Capacity | 50 |
Official service sidearm of the Mandalore military, the ELG-3A is a compact pulse blaster acclaimed for its outstanding performance. Known as "the Diplomat," it has a recognizable sound and produces green bolts, although dirtier tibanna gas will cause blue.
Origins
While Theed Arms supplied the Royal Naboo Security Forces with excellent military hardware, the Royal Houses of Naboo and aristocratic members of the Advisory Council required something much more elegant for themselves. The patricians needed a weapon that was attractive enough to display but compact enough to be carried secretly. Readily concealed in clothing or hidden compartments, it also needed to have the power and precision of a combat blaster. Fueled by the tremendous wealth of the Royal Houses, Merr-Sonn Munitions was able to deliver the perfect design.
Prototype
A shrewd touch was to model the appearance of the new prototype after the line of Naboo starships: rounded, with soft contours, and clad in polished chromium. This gave the new Model Q2 a cool, urban sophistication balanced by the warm tones of a fin-like wooden handle that was surprisingly comfortable and easily grasped. Holographic gunsights left the tubular receiver completely smooth, with no edges that could snag while drawing. Internally, the Q2 was a triumph of engineering, creating powerfully charged bolts by combining six much smaller beams in a way that was similar to older pulse-wave technology. While the Royal Houses were delighted with the design, some nobles complained about the limited capacity of the power pack.
The Diplomat
The SoroSuub Corporation was approached to see if the design could be improved, and their engineers implemented a number of key modifications. Principally, the receiver was extended in order to accommodate a larger power supply, and a tuned focusing ring was added to permit the barrel length to be drawn out for enhanced range and firepower. The result was an entirely different weapon: the ELG-3A, or as it was fondly coined, "the Diplomat." Naboo's elite were so impressed, that the largely aristocratic Navy even adopted the Diplomat as an officer's sidearm.
The ELG-3A and its shorter predecessor were also extremely popular among covert operatives and espionage agents. But as the events of the First Galactic Civil War led to the rise of the Galactic Empire, the ability to hide such a destructive weapon came to be viewed as a threat to the Imperial peace, and the patented designs were suddenly confiscated before Merr-Sonn and SoroSuub could react to the change in the political climate. The ELG-3A remained on the list of armaments banned by the Empire until the plans were sanctioned for release to Mandalore, a military member of the Imperial Union at the time.
The Elegance
Although the ELG-3A became a proprietary Mandalore design, its Merr-Sonn prototype remained strictly banned by the Empire. After withdrawing from the Imperial Union in Year 13 CGT, MandalTech engineers began experimenting with a modified variant that would highlight the more popular aspects of the now illicit Q2 while incorporating the advancements made by SoroSuub. In Year 16, the Model ELG-Q1 "Elegance" was introduced, featuring a significantly shorter barrel, a variable trigger, and a dallorian alloy jacket.
