The phaser cracks with the short discharge and the double kick that the Science Rifle had earlier. The grip is quickly noticeably, but not uncomfortably, warm. Less mass to dump any extra heat into.

Still punches holes like the big ones though. There are priorities. Spider tanks go down like a domino stacking demo.

Robo's rant - "So god awful fired they'll never work as an Action Scientist again-" is punctuated by the sounds of high speed metal sculpture work.

"I think that's most of them," says a young woman in the ubiquitous overalls (the decorative patch is a wrench - support maybe), "Who can see any more?"