The NAM Armor Pilebunker APB-01a is a powered armor melee weapon developed by Nepleslian Arms and Munitions in YE 41 to equip powered armors for the Star Military of the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia. Normally handheld, the APB uses railgun technology to drive a Nerimium spike forwards at high velocities. Neccessarily heavy because of the tolerances it is built to, the Armor Pilebunker is a weapon that is highly specialized towards using kinetic force to kill the pilot of enemy power armors.
The Armor Pilebunker is a very Nepleslian solution to the problem of close range combat with power armor equipped with Zesuaium armor and Aether weaponry. Zesuaium would render attacks all but useless, while aetheric weaponry ensured that any counterattacks would be completely lethal. With Zesuaium's limits, two separate concepts were developed: mass deployment of antimatter; or using the material's lack of give and transfer of kinetic energy when struck to kill the pilot. With the dangers and collateral damage that would come from the former, the latter was chosen.
Pure kinetic force with enough energy, concentrated enough, will certainly kill almost any living creature if applied to it. This is the theory behind the Armor Pilebunker: the weapon is built around a guidance shaft containing a hyperdense spike of Nerimium around a ferrous iron core, including a recoil spring made of nerimium built into the shaft. The shaft is the center of a mass driver using electromagnetic rails to propel objects up to incredibly high speeds. When triggered, the rails propel the spike forwards at very high velocity till the spring is compressed and the spike has reached its stop, at which point the spring pushes it back into the firing position. This whole process takes roughly 1/10th of a second, but computer controls prevent it from being fired for a short period of time.
The weapon is ungainly to use, regardless of the configuration it is in: in its handheld form it resembles a two handed long arm such as a rifle, requiring the user to jam the tip of the nerimium spike into the target before pulling the trigger and holding on for dear life. The mounted version is little better, as it still requires an armorsuit to ram the spike in close before triggering it. This is worth it though, for the amount of damage it can do, both to non-zesuaium armored targets and to the pilots inside.
The Armor Pilebunker was developed by Nepleslian Arms and Munitions, has the designation APB-01a, and does Tier 5 Damage.
The Armor Pilebunker uses comes in two forms: a self contained unit that is used as a handheld weapon, and a version for integrating onto armorsuits. Both versions are noted for the large, dull metallic grey of the spike and the heft of the weapon.
The handheld version uses the same basic furniture as the NAM Light Coil Autocannon, but with the barrel and magazines completely replaced with the firing mechanism of the weapon and the spike. The weapon's stock has been reinforced with additional padding to protect the user.
The armorsuit version mates the weapon directly to its own minimalist housing, with a more visible spike.
The Armor Pilebunker discharges a large metallic spike.
The Armor Pilebunker uses electromagnetism to accelerate the spike it uses.