“It's really gear”
“Sometimes you just need that 'what the hell!?' edge”
Look, you don't go to Mick's for chips and irons and that workaday crap. The reason I trot down to that poky rat-hole every once in a while is for an edge. Mick's genius, if you wanna call it that, is laying his servo-hands on kit that no scummer nor rent-a-cop nor Mister Johnson ever considered you might have.
"Holdout gun? Always a solid option. Not always easy to get to when things turn sour, mind. The trouble is, turning coat only takes a moment and typically they've got you bang to rights.
What's tricky is, your average betrayal isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing; it's a set-up. Vehicles get hacked, scripts overwritten. Tools get sabotaged. And of course, that old classic - ammo gets swapped out.
Only a handful of these boys got made before the company wiped in the '13 Unpleasantness. Never on the open market, but I managed to lay my hands on this beauty. Someone pulls that smirk on you mid-run? You don't need to worry what's in the magazine before you let 'em have it."
Rakotoarisoa Industries 'You Bastard' Baobab++
This ultra-rare prototype shotgun was designed for the truly discerning (well, paranoid) runner. Superficially indistinguishable from the Baobab - itself a clone of popular Indonesian models - its additional features justify an eye-watering price tag. Discreet reinforcing mesh massively enhances the weapon's resilience, allowing it to survive low-powered direct hits and use as an impromptu shield without impeding its firing capabilities. The chamber and barrel are hardened and shaped to redirect explosive force, reducing the chance of a fatal misfire - accidental or otherwise. More importantly, its heavy frame conceals an emergency secondary firing mode driven by magnetic pulse. If the owner has sudden doubts about their ammunition, a simple flick of the finger activates the backup mode, allowing sections of the barrel to be launched as spinning projectiles. Though the range is short, the ammunition very limited and the lethality low, it can still take down an unprepared traitor or buy time to reach cover and draw a backup weapon.
The barrel's construction divides it into a small number of sections cunningly fitted together. When one is launched, the magnetic impulse system adjusts itself to select the next section for firing. Fitting new barrels is time-consuming and costly, but worth the price.
Specs
(system-neutral and therefore vague)
The Baobab++ functions as a normal shotgun when firing its main ammunition. Its reinforcement reduces the damage it suffers when used to parry attacks or the chance of it breaking when struck.
The adapted chamber and barrel reduce the chance of a misfire occurring naturally. If tampered ammunition is fired, it is only half as effective as normal in damaging the weapon.
Switching to the secondary firing mode is a quick and easy matter: treat this as equivalent to flicking a safety or ammo selector. In this mode, any chambered ammunition is ignored entirely (bypassing the chance of a misfire). The magnetic pulse fires sections of steel barrel with effect equivalent to a heavy handgun (including range and rate of fire). The razored edges reduce the effectiveness of soft armour but otherwise rely on speed and impact. Each barrel provides ammunition for four shots. Once any barrel segments have been fired, the accuracy and lethality of the standard firing mode for that barrel is decreased by a cumulative 20%.
The Baobab++'s sturdy construction allows it to be wielded as an effective club. Once the barrels have been fired off, the exposed electrical elements can deliver any remaining charge as a taser.
The rarity and subtle design of the Baobab++ make it extremely difficult to distinguish these additional features from any mundane shotgun of its type simply by examination. Appropriate scanning tech can identify the presence of the battery.
A Baobab++ weighs twice as much as a normal shotgun of its type due to its construction and battery requirements. Replacing the barrels after use takes approximately one hour with appropriate tools.
