«This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.»
- Major General William H. Rupertus, the USMC Rifle Creed
In the early modern age, military combatants have wielded some form of high velocity projectile weapon, far outclassing anything else before it. In the past, muskets and bayonets ruled the battlefield, rifles rule the modern/information age, and energy weapons will rule the future. Throughout those ages, iconic service weapons include the Brown Bess musket, the Kentucky Long Rifle, the Dreyse Needle Gun, the Mosin Nagant, the Mauser 98, the Lee Enfield SMLE, the M1 Garand, the AK and AR weapons platforms, and, somewhere in some galaxies far far away, the E11, the DC-15, the Avenger, the Phaser and Disruptor, the Ma'Tok staff, the Lasgun and Bolter, and the Rheon carbine.
EXAMPLE
The standard issued Cellocian service rifle is the FN F2000. Built under license, the Cellocian-designed F2000s retain a modified polymer construction, specialized for tropical environments, especially heavily salinated areas (i.e. beaches). Chambering the 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge, its equipped with a computerized low powered telescopic sight, including a biometric lock, both to prevent unauthorized usage (i.e. friendly fire) and catastrophic failures (i.e. overheating and blockages). Connected to the Cellocian personal combat system, rangefinding data and ammunition count is fed between the weapon and the user's HUD, allowing its user to maximize the F2000's effectiveness and modularity in the field. Hence, it is affectionately nicknamed the Electric Eel.
