Eliza looked over the chaos of light and electronic displays before her as the pounding rhythm of an ancient Terran rock song vibrated the walls, seemingly utterly at peace amid the violent cacophony. Indeed, she only distantly heard the music, thanks to the noise-dampening earbuds she presently wore. Among the debris scattered across the Witch's workbench were several beam pistols and a pair of beam rifles, all in various states of disassembly and of no less that three different species' designs, and a seemingly nonsensical array of notes that didn't even appear to all be in the same language. To all but the most discerning eyes, the sight would be nothing short of chaotic ramblings, mutterings of the insane. For Eliza, however, it was perfectly well-ordered, encrypted in ways only a smart AI could even hope to discern.



In truth, she found herself once again wanting for weapons effective to the missions she was sent into. First, the recon mission had needed to be broken off when Ridley of all beings had turned up, and while the Witch fully intended to revisit the distant world to complete the task she'd been given, she had known then that her present arsenal was not up to the demands of such a mission. No sooner had she returned, however, than a strange alien who had called himself Mon'Toane, a Yaujta he'd said his people were called, had tracked her down, seeking to have her serve as a guide on a ground force on the ill-fated world of TX-611. She still wasn't entirely certain what the creatures that had destroyed the colony and the Kromus that had attacked it were, but the memory of her rushed escape was enough to send a powerful sense of deep unease through her body. Her weapons had proven effective enough on that occasion, but the sheer numbers meant that kinetic weapons would be a poor choice other than as a backup. Thus, Eliza had spent the weeks since her meeting with Mon'Toane attempting to design and have ready an effective energy weapon to hunt the strange and horrifying creatures with, and with any luck, to defend herself with on the distant world she'd entered the orbit of, but never landed on.



The principle was simple enough, she thought to herself. Humanity had developed particle accelerators more than a millennium ago, after all, and with the advent of fusion reactors, providing the raw power to accelerate highly energized particles to velocities that would be harmful to most things in the path had become relatively easy. Plasma weaponry certainly had its benefits, but a tightly bound cluster of particles accelerated to well over Mach 5 was a far more useful weapon for someone that valued precision over distance. The first prototype to be test-fired was currently set up on a stand, keeping it aimed downrange at a plate of Titanium-A alloy, measured at 6 inches thick, and had several power conduits attached to weapon to feed it power and measure power draw.



"Test firing Prototype Mark 1 Beam Cannon. Date is 5 September 2978, 1954 hours Zulu Time. Commence firing now," she intoned calmly, recording herself with the use of a rather clever microphone that utterly ignored the blaring of Sabaton's End of the War to End All Wars. Power thrummed as the prototype discharged a single incandescent bolt of hypervelocity particles into the slab of ship grade armor plating, scoring the exterior, though little more. That was to be expected, however. "Initial test firing successful. Systems all appear to be operating within desired perimeters," she stated with a calm she most certainly did not feel. If she could crack the mystery of the Machine Empire's particle beam weaponry, the ramifications could prove incredible, perhaps even historic, she realized. "Rapid fire test, Prototype Mark 1 Beam Cannon. Same date, 2005 hours Zulu Time. Set rate at 60 shots per minute. Commence firing now." Eliza held her breath in anticipation, awaiting failure or success as the power began to thrum once more..


Eliza held her breath in anticipation, awaiting failure or success as the power began to thrum once more..and unleash the distinct high-pitched whine-crack of multiple particle bolts discharging into the metal slab. "House, stop music," she called out to the otherwise empty room, silencing the usually amusing lyrics of AC/DC's Big Balls. "House, contact Lieutenant Balkus, urgent message. Message begins, Lieutenant Balkus, I may have just made a breakthrough concerning research and development of Machine Empire-based particle beam weaponry. Attached is all relevant documentation of prototype testing, to include design schematics and audiovisual recording of initial test firings. Be advised, further messages are likely, as testing is ongoing, due to time constraints regarding an upcoming assignment. Contact me if there are any further questions. End message," she stated, wholly bereft of her usual accent, then resumed recording. "Rapid fire test results conclude 60 shots per minute functioning well within desired perimeters. Note 15 minute pause for prototype to be linked to microreactor power system for Iron Man Mark 1 Combat Hardsuit," she added as she then moved to begin making the adjustments to her old armor set.



"Testing armor integration and overcharge capacities for emergency circumstances," she eventually announced, feeling positively giddy. If she somehow managed to succeed with her first working prototype, she might make the journey to TX-611 with a smile on her face. Such strokes of luck were nearly unheard of, after all. "Same date, 2041 hours, Zulu Time. Gods I hope this works.." she added more quietly as she watched carefully, half-expecting her work thus far to explode any moment. Those expectation never occurred, however, to Eliza's considerable surprise. Instead, an especially intense bolt of highly excited particles discharged into the slab of Titanium-A, scoring the resilient alloy slightly more than the previous shots had. Such success, however dubious it might be for field testing, was remarkable, and had she not a mission that would likely require some manner of energy weapon to avoid being weighed down by a large quantity of ammunition, she doubted she'd be able to calm herself enough to sleep. As it stood, however, there was little more she could test in practical terms. "All systems remained within optimal perimeters. Further testing will be conducted in the field due to time constraints regarding upcoming mission. Prototype will be installed into right gauntlet of Iron Man Mark 2 Combat Hardsuit for field tests on mission location. Data will be recorded and transmitted for research and development purposes to Department of Advanced Warfare point of contact to safeguard against potential loss of assets," she stated, speaking of her own potential demise with a clinical dispassion. "House, send all additional data and test footage to Lieutenant Balkus's inbox. End recording," she then ordered before setting to uninstalling the prototype weapon in order to begin the task of properly installing it into her current set of armor, trying not to think too much about the creatures she'd seen on the lost colony. Perhaps her luck would hold. If not, she doubted she would have long to regret it.