C-14 Impaler: the Marine Corps' standard gauss rifle

The C-14 Impaler gauss rifle was the standard issue infantry weapon of the Confederate and later Terran Dominion Marine Corps, and the most common firearm in the Koprulu sector. It used gauss-assisted technology to accelerate ferromagnetic projectiles to hypersonic speed through magnetic induction, and was carried by the rank-and-file marines who formed the backbone of every terran ground force across the Guild Wars, the Great War, and the conflicts that followed. (StarCraft; StarCraft II unit profile: Marine; StarCraft: I, Mengsk)

Design and operation#

The C-14 was a gauss weapon, accelerating ferromagnetic projectiles to hypersonic velocity through a process of magnetic induction. The induction was produced by a magnetic accelerator pack built into the gun, which gave the rifle its class name. In use by 2478, the weapon typically fired hypersonic 8 mm armor-piercing metal spikes encased in steel, designed to penetrate two inches of steel plating. (StarCraft: I, Mengsk; StarCraft; StarCraft: Frontline Volume 1; StarCraft Compendium; StarCraft: Speed of Darkness)

Despite its gauss-assisted mechanism, the C-14 still relied on traditional propellant in the form of gunpowder, a holdover that caused the rifle to malfunction when its ammunition became wet. It was fully automatic, with a fire rate of thirty rounds per second, though fully automatic fire was discouraged in most circumstances. A capacitor system let the weapon fire in controlled short bursts, conserving ammunition and minimizing the power draw. The trade-off was severe recoil, which the CMC armor worn by marines was specifically designed to suppress. The armor could also supplement the rifle's own power supply. (StarCraft Field Manual; StarCraft: Speed of Darkness; StarCraft; StarCraft: I, Mengsk)

Ammunition#

The C-14 could chamber an unusually wide range of rounds, so one rifle could be tuned to many battlefield roles. Armor-piercing rounds were issued against heavily armored targets. Depleted-uranium rounds, built around U-238 shells, were the most popular variant among marines because they extended the rifle's effective range by up to a quarter. Hollow-point spread rounds flattened and expanded on impact for maximum wounding effect, a custom load attributed to the marine Ardo Melnikov. Incendiary rounds were turned against structures, and steel-tipped rounds were chosen to maim rather than kill. (StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade; StarCraft II unit profile: Marine; StarCraft: Frontline Volume 1; StarCraft: Speed of Darkness)

Variants#

The rifle was produced in more than one configuration over its long service life. The first variant was in use as far back as 2495 and remained the core version of the weapon. Its frame allowed a degree of customization, accepting a retractable bayonet, laser sights, or an underbarrel launcher, the last of which was forbidden under Dominion Marine Corps regulations. It carried a torch function and a scope with enemy-identification capability, could be paired with an M98 ballistic alloy combat shield, and held at least five hundred rounds per magazine. (StarCraft II: Heaven's Devils; StarCraft II unit profile: Marine; StarCraft: Frontline Volume 1; StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty; StarCraft Field Manual; StarCraft II: Shadow Wars)

A second variant saw service during the Great War. Although bulky, it was sleeker than later production models, and unlike most versions it did not require CMC armor to operate. This variant carried two grips: a smaller grip that an unarmored shooter had to brace with both hands to keep the barrel steady, and a larger grip that a CMC-armored soldier could fire one-handed, at some cost to accuracy. It featured an LED magazine-capacity indicator and could launch fragmentation grenades, accept a laser designator and rocket-propelled grenade components, and even fire grapples from the muzzle. (StarCraft: Speed of Darkness; StarCraft: Queen of Blades; StarCraft: Liberty's Crusade; StarCraft; StarCraft: Brood War)

The C-14 was sometimes confused with the AGR-14 rifle. Both were referred to as assault rifles, though the latter may have been a scaled-down version of the former. (StarCraft: Speed of Darkness; StarCraft II unit profile: Marine)