Freelance Traveller

by Colin Campbell

This article originally appeared in Issue #012, December 2010, of the downloadable PDF magazine.

Though mostly forgotten now, Survivor Tech LIC released a series of sealed, non-reusable firearms intended to supply new colonies or corporations in harsh conditions with reliable means of protection with minimal maintenance required. For the most part the carbine and rifle style weapons were declared too inaccurate for hunting and too low powered for protection from dangerous predators at close ranges. Additional concerns raised about the quality of production and risks to firers caused by chamber explosions caused the product line and the company to collapse and almost completely vanish - one portion of the product line was purchased and continued.

ST Arms (a wholly owned subsidiary of Blackhawk Industries, LIC of Rhylanor) now produces the ST Arms P-12 - a small, disposable autopistol marketed as a reliable, maintenance free weapon designed for use in hostile environments.

After purchase, the user need merely tear open the vacuum sealed package, remove the one-time trigger lock, and the weapon is ready to be fired. It comes fully loaded with an 11 round, 8mm magazine sealed in the pistol grip, and a single round chambered (for a total of 12 shots). The trigger is double action, there is no external slide to cock and there is no safety to release. The weapon itself is a polymer and aluminum frame - extremely lightweight but not suitable for extended service (or reloading), and the shells are caseless so there is no ejection port. The whole weapon is designed to be fired and then disposed of in a manufacturer approved facility. A sealable carrier envelope is included in the packaging, allowing the weapon to be safely wrapped and bulk shipped to a proper facility.

The P-12 is a small, flat, black plastic pistol, with no external ports or catches, save the trigger and the muzzle (a bonus could should be applied for attempts to conceal this weapon). All seams on the weapon have been sealed during manufacturing. The production quality has been variable; better-quality runs have been used as air-dropped weapons for resistance fighters. The poorest-quality production runs—sadly, this appears to be the majority of them, recently—somehow manage to find their way into the ‘grey’ market, where they are often popular among gangs looking for cheap firepower, criminals looking for a disposable weapon, and transients or people of limited means looking for any weapon at all. The grey-market weapons are somewhat unsafe for the firer; there is no way to clear jams or misfires as the weapon is not strippable (at least not in a way that will allow it to be used again). The rate of fire is slightly slower than an average autopistol, due to the harsh trigger pull, and range penalties are increased because of the substandard barrel. ST Arms does not advertise in exploration or speculative type venues, instead focussing on low-income areas and other “grey” media sources that might spread information about this weapon’s less savory uses. This weapon could be reloaded by a sufficiently skilled gunsmith, but most gunsmiths would have nothing to do with this firearm.

Mongoose Trav stats:

TL: 8, Pistol skill, Dmg: 3d6-3, Auto: 3, Recoil: 0, Mass: .2 kg, Magazine: 12, Cost 110 Cr
Ranges: Personal -1, Close +0, Short -2, Medium -4, Long -6

As the weapon is poorly made with minimal safety features, an optional malfunction table may be used for it:

On a natural 2 while firing, roll 2d6