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A weapon made famous by the smuggler turned diplomat Han Solo, the Bastech DL-44 heavy blaster pistol packs the formidable punch of a high-powered rifle into a small sidearm not much bigger than a standard pistol. Favored by gunmen and smugglers - dangerous people with quick reflexes, keen peripheral vision, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to survive - it causes even the bravest to duck for cover when they find themselves staring down its barrel
Designed for close-quarters combat, this portable and very lethal blaster was often carried by Rebel soldiers because it reliably punched through stormtrooper armor. In addition to the DL-44, two popular heavy blaster pistols are the Merr-Sonn "Flash" 4 (a knockoff of BlasTech's design) and the more compact Merr-Sonn "Power" 5. A weapon favoring brute force over finesse, the DL-44 delivers tremendous damage, yet is small enough to be fired one-handed; its range is twenty-five meters with a maximum of fifty meters, however. The DL-44's XCiter consumes energy at four times the rate of a blaster pistol, draining a power pack after only twenty-five shots. The user must carfully target shots instead of "filling the air with energy" (indiscriminately firing in the general direction of a target). Because of the excessive power consumption, the DL-44's grip has a vibrating "cautionary pulser" that silently alerts the user when the pack is down to five shots or less. A quick release lever and the power pack's convenient location - immediately in front of the trigger - allow very quick replacement of drained packs. Soldiers bringing heavy blaster pistols into battle normally caryy at least a dozen power packs. Just as the Millenium Falcon is far from being a "stock" freighter, Han Solo's DL-44 is custom-crafted and greatly enhanced. Solo added a scope with motion sensor software and computer-enhanced low-light sighting. The galven circuitry is extensvely modified to deliver increased damage without draining additional power. Solo carries the blaster in a quick-draw holster, giving him an added edge when speed counts.
While Solo has retired from the smuggling game - or "gone almost respectable," as he would put it - he insists on keeping his customized DL-44 close by. Often he is the last person standing in harm's way, protecting the New Republic's chief of state, Leia Organa Solo. His still-sharp reflexes, combined with his deadly weapon, have repeatedly shielded her and their children from injury. |
In his younger days Han Solo was as famous for his blindingly fast draw as for his outrageous smugglering exploits. Time and again he outdrew - and outsmarted - some of the galaxy's most ruthless individuals, including the bounty hunter Greedo, the Tiss'shar assassin Uul-Rha-Shan, and the infamous gunman Gallandro.