Entering the production line of Ketsurui Fleet Yards in YE 41 the Aether Sidearm was intended as a lighter alternative to the monstrous Heavy Aether Pistol. As less of a hand cannon, the Aether Sidearm fits more into its namesake’s role as a secondary weapon. Due to its innovative recoil compensating system and relatively low output, the aether sidearm can be used by unarmored personnel, though it is strongly advised to avoid doing so as the recoil will still cause injuries straight down to the bone.
After the release of the Heavy Aether Pistol, an intelligence officer named Candon Howard Suites became fascinated with the weapon and incurred a head injury while training, attempting to dual-wield heavy pistols. During a maneuver the massive recoil from one of the pistols caused him to hit himself in the face, crushing the weapon and causing a minor explosion in his face. Although his Mindy 4 powered armor protected him from the blast with only a minor head injury, it gave him an idea for a counterpart to the heavy pistol that was less extreme.
After months of designing a detailed schematic of his idea he submitted it to the Star Army Research Administration which accepted the project and completed the design. The result was a moderately accurate, low recoil, semi and fully automatic pistol with minimal power requirements and appreciable punch.
The entire design is built around an innovative application of graviton manipulation technology. When the trigger is pulled power is sent to a part called the ‘gravity brake’ which consists of a miniature, durandium-wrapped graviton projector connected to a shock absorber. The graviton projector momentarily infuses the durandium with gravitons to artificially increase its weight by 1000 times. As the pistol jumps back the shock absorber compresses against the durandium. By the time the shock absorber is fully compressed the majority of the force of recoil has been absorbed and the gravitons in the durandium weight have dissipated. The shock absorber returns to its original position at a quick but controlled rate with no noticeable feedback to the user.
To shooters wearing powered armor the pistol recoil is easily controlled, smooth, and makes it possible for the shooter to maintain tight groupings while on the move. To unarmored nekovalkyrja and military Minkan the recoil is barely controllable without the integrated stock deployed, a miniature device loosely related to the Kalamari manipulator arm system that deploys a form-fitting Yarvex stock. For exceptionally strong Humans it is possible to handle this weapon, however, it is considered bad for one's health due to its borderline bone bruising recoil.
The following section contains general information about the Ke-M2-W4100 Aether Sidearm, such as its designer, its nomenclature, its intended role, and its dimensions.
The ke-m2-w4100 aether sidearm is a beefy pistol with a blocky Yama-Dura frame topped by a sleek Osmiridium cover from which the barrel protrudes. Just below the barrel is the service cap to the shock absorber and directly below that is the camera sight. There is an ambidextrous on/off switch near the thumb. At the rear of the gun, above the grip is a small opening in which a collapsing Yarvex stock can extend to convert the pistol into a carbine. Unpainted, the gun is generally polished to a gleaming finish though can be requested in cornflower blue.
The following section contains information about the Ke-M2-W4100 Aether Sidearm's firing characteristics, including but not limited to rate of fire, degree of recoil, and effective range.
The following section contains information about the Ke-M2-W4100 Aether Sidearm's energy source and capacity.
The mode selector is fully mechanical. An ambidextrous on/off switch is on the side. The trigger has two stages, the first fires in Semi-automatic and has a light trigger pull while the second stage fires in full-auto and has a trigger weight too heavy for a Neko to pull.The attachments and components which can be installed on or within the Ke-M2-W4001 Heavy Aether Pistol are listed below.
