AM58 sidearm

The AM58 Personal Defense Energy Weapon System (PDEWS), or AM58 for short is a designed by Augmentix Heavy Industries, a CybCell Intelligence Systems subsidiary in 2558. Augmentix participated in a 2557 defense contract competition which requested the design and creation of a small directed-energy weapon for the to compete against designs like the and pistols encountered during the Human-Covenant War and in Post-War conflicts.
While enthusiastic, Augmentix ran into a number of problems during the design process. Despite receiving declassified military documents from the UNSC regarding the reverse engineering and specifications of Covenant technology and advisory councils on how to properly handle and re-engineer the technology, the development of the AM58 was plagued with severe delays and technical issues for the duration of its development cycle. UNSC servicemen who were familiar with using Covenant weaponry cited unreliability and poor handling with early models of the AM58, with their concerns turning deadly when an Army trooper was killed when the sidearm inexplicably exploded in her hand during a weapons test in November 2557.
Unfortunately, Augmentix lost the competition to the defense contractor, with the UNSC adopting their directed-energy sidearm in May 2558 after being displeased with the AM58. This loss strongly affected Augmentix, who felt bitter with aversion that yet again the weapons juggernaut controlled another slice of the UNSC's defense capabilities. A month later however, tensions between Misriah and Augmentix's parent company reached an all-time high, in which documents were released accusing Misriah Armory of tampering with the development of the AM58 and conducting corporate espionage in order to preserve their monopoly over the arms industry. Following these accusations, CybCell drastically increased the budget of Augmentix Heavy Industries, writing them a blank check and vowing to dethrone Misriah within the next decade as the UNSC's primary defense contractor. 
Following this, the AM58 underwent extensive redesigns, in which the sidearm's appearance began to look strikingly similar to Misriah's , specifically the . By October 2558, the AM58 was seeing moderate use among CybCell's own security force and other private security companies, with limited use being introduced to the later that month. 
==Development==
==Operational and Service History==
==Design==
===Design and Specifications===
The AM58 features a wide array of experimental and dangerous technology that has yet to be tested on a large scale. While humanity may never phase out ballistic arms for energy-based weaponry, the AM58 intends to prove itself useful to military and security forces across human space. It is powered by a battery cell with a power output of 85 kilovolts (kV), but has been known to reach as high as 200 kilovolts (kV) depending on user modification. This allows the user to fire the AM58 an average of fifty times before needing to replace the battery or discard the sidearm. Due to its reliability always being in question, it is recommended that users use care and caution at all times, as continuous fire exceeding ten plasma bolts runs the risk of severely damaging the interior components and raises the chances of catastrophic plasma discharge. 
As expected, development quickly ran into a wall regarding heat resistance, as most early models suffered failures regardless of whatever heat resistant material was available. Despite extensively studying recovered Covenant weaponry, many remained unsure how the Covenant managed to design their infantry weapons with remarkable heat resistance. Eventually researchers discovered that the Covenant utilized the same material as a thin coating around the interior of most of their weapons. The nanolaminate worked in tandem with the cooling system, ventilating heat and preventing the plasma from melting through the weapon's body.
Augmentix procured large quantities of nanolaminate and applied it to the body and barrel of the sidearm. The barrel, was made from a composite of reinforced carbon-carbon, alloy steel, and nanolaminate coating. It was also attached to a fairly new invention that was introduced in the current model of the AM58, known as a coolant buffer, connects the battery to the barrel providing active cooling to both in order keep plasma alignment and to prevent damage to vital components when firing. The addition of the coolant buffer greatly improved its reliability and accuracy in the field, as it negated negative effects such as failing to fire or misfiring during a low battery, issues that were commonly seen with Covenant weapons during the war. 
Acting similar to the Covenant's Type-25 plasma pistol, the AM58 features a mechanism on the rear of the grip, similar to many grip safeties seen with many civilian-owned and some military firearms. This acts as both the activation mechanism and safety, in which the sidearm will not fire unless the user maintains their grip. Lights built into the sights, batter cell, and in the bottom of the grip act as indicators to warn the user when the weapon is in danger of overheating. The AM58 typically doesn't overheat unless it is fired more than ten times in quick succession. 
In the early stages of development, the AM58 had accumulated a flurry of blueprints that made it look too alien or too bulky for normal use. This was a consequence of human inexperience with engineering energy weapons, which needed to have cooling systems to prevent it from overheating or being destroyed from the inside out, making it difficult to maintain the appearance of a traditional pistol. Nonetheless, Augmentix was keen on retaining the pistol aesthetic as to not intimidate potential buyers. In cooperation with her parent company, Augmentix created an innovative cooling system that also incorporated a specially designed heat sink attached underneath the barrel, cycling heat away from the user's hands and discharging it away from the user. This provided greater handling and was remarked as being more comfortable compared to earlier models, especially with the addition of the carbon plastic grip. 
Augmentix was heavily inspired by Misriah's M6 series when designing the firearm, even more so when they began to focus on bringing down Misriah's monopoly over the arms industry. Specifically designing the AM58 to look almost exactly like the M6 proved to be a highly profitable decision, as potential buyers became attracted by the simple design and praising its ease of use. 
===Ammunition===
The AM58 is among the first human firearms to fire as a projectile, setting a milestone for human technological achievement. Reverse engineered by recovered Covenant weapons, the plasma is generated from specially designed battery cells that holds the most vital components that allow it to fire. The cell powers the vital functions and various inner workings of the pistol, including the sights, cooling system, buffer, and heat sink. It also generates a magnetic containment field preventing damage to the pistol. It also houses the primary firing mechanism that launches the bolts of plasma out of the barrel, working in tandem with the buffer by maintaining plasma alignment for generating an ultra-thin bolt of plasma with high lethality. 
The AM58 uses battery cells primarily re-engineered from the , allowing it to fire bolts of blue plasma, keeping in line with its aesthetic blue look seen throughout the sidearm. Battery cells engineered from recovered plasma pistols are also used, allowing the AM58 to also fire green bolts. There are no major differences between both types of battery cells, and mostly boils down to personal preference or convenience of availability. 
===Benefits and Risks===
The AM58 has significantly reduced recoil compared to its counterparts, allowing its user to fire at its target with relative ease, and thanks to it being a directed energy weapon, its stopping power is greatly enhanced allowing it to inflict devastating wounds by easily burning through armor and flesh alike. 
The ammunition for the AM58 also produces an extremely dangerous "splash" effect similar to its Covenant counterparts, giving the chance for the it to still inflict damaging results even if it missed its target. Despite being the size of a human finger, the plasma bolt will still create a large enough splash to cover anything within a half meter radius and causing potentially fatal plasma burns. 
The accuracy of the AM58 has seen mixed results. A notable advantage is due to it being an energy weapon allowing the user to easily track the trajectory of its bolt and adjust accordingly. However, many users have claimed that the sidearm's bolts will randomly veer off course, missing its target often in frustratingly large gaps between the intended target and point of impact. This random accuracy issue remains unsolved and has been witnessed occurring in Covenant weapons during the war. Beginning in October 2558, Augmentix requested the aid of the UNSC in locating willing to assist in solving the mystery. 
==Variants==
===AM58B PDWS===
With massive production costs preventing the main directed-energy variant from entering mass production, the market still displayed considerable interest in the firearm. In response, Augmentix launched a traditional ballistic-firing variant available to military and security sectors, along with allowing sale to civilians. With the introduction of the Augmentix Model 2558 Ballistic Personal Defense Weapon System, this allowed Augmentix to mass-produce the AM58 and sink its teeth directly into the market in challenge to Misriah. 
Chambered in 10x22mm, the AM58B retains its original design albeit removing the cooling system and heat sink. The coolant buffer and battery cell have also been replaced, with the barrel and frame now rebuilt to fire conventional ammunition. By the middle of 2558, the AM58B was growing in popularity among all sectors, with the UNSC adopting a limited number for use with the Army in September. 
==User Remarks==
Category:Commonwealth Misc