TAWR 88

*"This is a gift from Lord HAV'OC himself, an icon of fear among all of whom oppose of what it stands for. Treat it well and i swear on my own purity that it will not falter in destroying your enemies."*

***~Unknown Talon Officer***

## Tabular Data

**Ammunition:** TABA 1

**Length :** 0.945 mm (Bayonet retracted)

**Weight :** 3.3 kg

**Rate of fire :** 600 - 1,000 rds/min

**Magazine :** 45 rounds

## Overview

Utilized by all Talon troopers as the backbone of the War machine’s arsenal, the Talon All purpose War rifle 88 (TAWR 88) is the primary weapon of the Talon trooper serving as the official service rifle of the non-pure military force of the War machine. The TAWR 88 was designed during the beginning of Lord General HAV’OCs Chosen Crusade, mimicking the design of many contemporary human assault rifles in order to maximise compatibility between the weapon system and the Human user. Although the exterior design looks rather primitive in human form, the interior actions and components of the weapon are far inferior. Since its commission, the TAWR 88 has never been updated, improved or changed. The weapon has proved itself through countless environments, battlefields and situations and has never been in need of improvements; it is the perfect rifle for an Infantry trooper.

The TAWR 88 is the official service rifle of the Talon trooper ranks including the Command Crusaders. On any formal occasion such as a parade or ceremony the TAWR 88 is always equipped.

## Operation

The TAWR 88 was designed to operate similar to a Human Assault rifle. When the magazine is loaded the TAWR 88 powers up, detecting it’s user’s TID ensuring that it is authorized to use this weapon. The cocking handle is pulled allowing the first round to feed into the chamber ready for firing. Once the trigger is pulled, a controlled amount of Star energy is released into the chamber. The energy creates a violent but controlled reaction which propels a projectile through the rifling and into flight. Some of the remaining energy is left behind to cycle through the weapons recycle system, allowing the working parts to move back and load another round ready for firing. When the magazine is depleted the weapon displays an alert letting the user know that it must be reloaded otherwise it will be powered down.

## Ammunition

The TAWR 88 fires the Talon All-purpose Battle Ammunition (TABA 1). The TABA 1 is a caseless projectile that is used for penetrating all types of armour, in order to transfer star energy from the weapon into the bodies of targets where it will fatally wound or kill it. The TABA 1 projectile is constructed completely of grade III stalbrilium and features millions of tiny fins on its body which aid in the storage of star energy while on flight to its target.

The purpose of TABA ammunition as a whole is to penetrate rather than to kill, it is the star energy that is stored on the round whose purpose is to kill or wound its target. Once the projectile hits a target the star energy is transferred from the projectile and into the target violently expelling hot explosive energy throughout its victim causing devastating damage.
TABA 1 is the standard caliber of ammunition for all infantry weapon systems in the Talon War machine. Larger weapons will utilize other variants such as TABA 1,2,3,4 etc all varying in size and diameter.

## Magazine

Due to the caseless nature of the TABA 1 ammunition, the magazine features a large magazine capacity of 45 rounds. The TAWR 88 magazine utilizes a triple feed method; projectiles are stacked 3 ways one in front of the other and fed into the rifle from back to front of the magazine. The magazine itself is split vertically into 2 parts

**Part A:** Holds the TABA 1 projectiles in the triple feed method

**Part B:** Stores Star energy used to power the weapon, propel the ammunition and create devastating damage on the targets.

## Optics

Optical sighting options are limited on the TAWR 88, this is due to the immense all purpose usability of the standard sighting system; being the TOSS. Essentially the sighting systems on the TAWR 88 are linked up in sync with the Trooper’s ocular augmentations, allowing the trooper to see a holographic aiming HUD above the top picatinny rails of the TAWR 88. This is a sight that only a trooper can see, without the appropriate ocular augmentations the top picatinny rails will appear empty. However the TAWR 88 also features emergency iron sights if the weapon must be fired in a degraded state.

### Trooper Ocular sighting system (TOSS)

The TOSS is the standard sighting system for almost all infantry weapon systems in the Talon War machine. It utilises the ocular augmentations built within all non-pure to display a targeting display that only those with the augmentations can see. The system is in complete sync with its user. The TOSS is an immensely well rounded sighting system that serves all purposes from Close quarters combat to long distance low lighting engagements. It allows Talon soldiers to enhance their weapon system to be effective and accurate at all ranges. **Listed are the notable capabilities of the Trooper Ocular sighting systems:**

* Thermal/infrared targeting mode
* Talon Identification Designation targeting mode (all targets that do not have a TID are marked as enemy and targeted)
* Dynamic magnification zooming (from x0.0 to x10 magnification)
* Target range finder (displays accurate range of sighted target)
* Highlights known weak points and unarmored zones of known targets (Hyperborg soldier without a helmet will have his head highlighted)
* Ammunition counter and weapon temperature display

## Bayonet Fighting System

### Tabulated data

**Material:** Grade 3 Stalbrilium

**Compartment length**: 35cm

**Blade length (activated):** 32 cm

**Blade type:** Doubled edged, pointed

Perhaps the most iconic feature of the TAWR 88 is the retractable bayonet fighting system. The bayonet system is fitted under the weapon is a sheathe like compartment that sits along the hand guard and under the barrel. The bayonet system is activated by a small button located at the bottom of the compartment where the user naturally holds the weapon by. Once activated the bayonet is violently shot out of its compartment where it will then remain out until it is retracted back into its compartment by pressing the button one again.

The Bayonet blade itself is sharpened on both sides, as well as being pointed at the end. This allows troopers to attack opponents using both stab and slash attacks making it a well rounded melee weapon. The Bayonet is rather thin in shape allowing troopers to aim for precise weak points in armoured foes. It would be foolish to assume it’s thin structure to be rather flimsy or delicate, the bayonet blade is fabricated from Grade III Stalbrilium and hard coated in auxiliary chemicals to ensure that it is unbreakable, making it almost as deadly as the weapon itself.

## Trivia

* The TAWR 88 mimics the design of the Human AK-12, apart from human compatibility there are no official reasons to as why it was specifically chosen
* There is a smaller variant of the TAWR 88, known as the TAWR 14