The E-11 is a larger and heavier version of the BlasTech DH-17. The compact-design and the payload that it delivers made the E-11 a very favourable blaster rifle. Indeed, it was declared the official weapon for Imperial stormtroopers. Excellent at long-range as well as short-range, the rifle was the bane of many a Rebel infantry unit.
A range of three hundred metres, with an optimum one of one hundred, the E-11 has almost three times the range of hand-held pistols. The design of the rifle allows this range to be achieved, since the barrel runs almost the entire length of the weapon. This means that the bolt that is fired is very focused and extremely powerful. The long-range is achieved by the aid of an extendable stock and a computer-enhanced scope. The scope gives enhanced vision in low-light conditions, and filters out smoke and haze. This means that enemy troops who think they are concealed by smoke grenades, or who believe that the dark is hiding them, had better think again.
Unlike other rifles, the only components that sit behind the long barrel are the prismatic crystal housing and the actuating blaster module. The rest of the components are placed either underneath the galven circuitry, or on the side of the rifle. That is except for the gas chamber, which are located on the back in a single module that can slide out of the rifle. The gas is fed into the weapon via a special tubular design which also sits on the slide out module. Sliding out the module makes it easy to replace or repair the chamber and tubes.
A liquid cooling agent called freelol is force-fed, by the blaster’s cooling coils, through a capillary system in order to take heat away from any vital components. The excess heat is dispersed through the forward vent capacitor. All this prevents a problem that dogged many other blasters, in that the E-11 hardly ever over-heats and melts or explodes.
The power pack located on the side has enough power for one hundred shots. Like most other blasters, the E-11 has different power settings, ranging from stun to full blast. The semiautomatic setting is the one most commonly used, although some troopers prefer full automatic, or even pulse settings, for some missions. The main problem with the automatic setting is that after prolonged use, the barrel can be moved to a different position, thus throwing off the sights. The semiautomatic is the most power-conserving setting. The quarter-centimetre bore on the E-11 makes it a heavy-duty blaster, and at full blast it can deal out a lot of damage.
The Empire had an exclusive deal for the E-11 blasters, but thousands fell into the hands of the Rebels, through black market trading and battles. It soon became a favourite of the Alliance army, and stormtroopers found themselves facing their own weapons. The E-11 was cloned many times, but none of them were nearly as good as the BlasTech version. SoroSuub, however, did come up with the Stormtrooper One, later named the Freedom One, which became the E-11’s little brother. Nice to know that such weapons of destruction have families.