Verpine shatter gun

Verpine shatter guns were handheld projectile weapons produced by the Verpine. They ranged in size from small handguns to powerful sniper rifles. The weapon was based on a magnetic field principle, similar to a rail gun. When shot, the weapon would make no sound, but would cause great kinetic damage like a slugthrower despite the small caliber pellet it fired.
Shatter guns launched metal alloy projectiles using advanced magnetic fields. They were nearly silent, had excellent range and accuracy, and inflicted extremely large amounts of kinetic damage. Verpine shatter guns were easy to use, and an inexperienced gunman could do massive damage with a single projectile. As such they were sometimes favored by assassins who wished to kill their target in one shot without giving away their position. Custom versions of the weapon also had the ability to fire nearly any kind of small (less than an inch in diameter) projectile, due to a very expensive feature: multicaliber magazine and bore. Kal Skirata, who owned several of these custom shatter guns, once joked that one could fire rocks out of them if they had to. The weapon's projectiles were nearly impossible to block with a lightsaber due to their small size and extreme speed.
==Variants==
===Verpine Sniper Rifle===
The Verpine sniper rifle was an expensive, top-of-the-line sniper rifle based on the Verpine shatter gun design.Republic Commando: Triple Zero The Mandalorian bounty hunter Kal Skirata favored Verpine sniper rifles, personally owning several expensive models. Omega Squad used Verpine sniper rifles during an anti-terrorism mission on Coruscant to eliminate several Separatist terrorist cells who had infiltrated the capital. The original variant of the Verpine weapon, the Shatter Gun, used magnetic coils to launch their projectiles, and according to Kal Skirata, could "even be loaded with rocks, if necessary". The weapons use gravity coils to accelerate projectiles at extremely high velocities, allowing it to be capable of inflicting heavy damage even on armored targets.
The commandos used the rifles to tag suspect terrorists with Dust in order to track them.
==Behind the scenes==
Raymond Ramirez, a U.S. soldier and fan with a special connection to Karen Traviss, made a custom-made Verpine Sniper Rifle with a bipod at Traviss' request, which she posted on her website. Ramirez's blog has been featured on StarWars.com, where a smaller image of the Verpine sniper rifle with bipod can be found. One of his blog entries goes deep into the weapon's functions.
==Appearances==
*Republic Commando: Hard Contact 
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*Republic Commando: Triple Zero
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*Republic Commando: True Colors
*Order 66: A Republic Commando Novel
*Imperial Commando: 501st
*Dark Nest II: The Unseen Queen
*Dark Nest III: The Swarm War
*Legacy of the Force: Bloodlines
*Legacy of the Force: Sacrifice
*Legacy of the Force: Invincible 
*Fate of the Jedi: Apocalypse 
==Sources==
*Galladinium's Fantastic Technology
*Arms & Equipment Guide
*The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*The Unknown Regions
*Strongholds of Resistance
==Notes and references==
Category:Magnetic acceleration weaponry
Category:Projectile pistols