Summary[]
A battery cell used to store astral "beamer" energy
At the dawn of the 23rd century, Keo unleashed a new type of technology to the world: beamer tech. This technology enabled offensive channelers to store destructive astral energy in batteries, which could later be projected from specially-designed weapons as beams that dissolved virtually anything in their path. This was a game-changing development for the Unum Vires; traditional firearms were ineffective against larger slag with thick body mass, but beamers were capable of tearing slag apart in seconds. The Keonic Research and Development Division (KRDD) used this technology to create a multitude of weapons and equipment, including handheld "beamers" of various sizes and strength and heavy beamer turrets. However, storing this astral energy in larger quantities (such as what would be required to power piercer blasts) proved to be risky and unstable, so piercers continued to be powered by offensive channelers.
A runner slag being blasted by a beamer
Beamer tech, while useful, did have its limitations. Considering its ability to pierce even heavily fortified barriers, beamer use within ships of any kind was banned. To mitigate the risk of a beamer compromising any ships' hull, bullet-projectile weapons continued to be standard issue for ship security personnel.