Binary Laser Cannon

The Binary Laser Cannon was a laser weapon previously considered ineffectual, but began to be reconsidered following the re-introduction of double heat sinks. Binary laser weapons, nicknamed Blazers, have existed in Rifle and Pistol form for some time, but the 'Mech-scale Binary Laser Cannon was widely considered a dead-end technology. Taking two large laser cores and fusing them together, the Blazer was designed to fire both cores at the same time, increasing damage penetration. In practice, damage yield proved low compared to the lasers firing separately, and the high heat generated by the Blazer severely taxed available heat sink technology of the time.

While research on the Blazer started in the Lyran Commonwealth in 2801, actual prototype models first showed up in the Free Worlds League in 2812.

With the re-introduction of double heat sinks, the Blazer cannon is now a viable weapon.

Optional rules
The Blazer is indeed bad compared to nearly any other alternative, its sole value being in headshots before better weapons such as the Clan ER PPC are available. As such, perhaps the following rule is in order to give some circumstantial usability and a meaning to the name: A Binary Laser can fire an additional time in a turn, but when doing so the user must roll a d6. If the result is less than an unmodified 6, after the second shot the weapon destroys itself, dealing 8 damage to the mounting section as an ammo explosion.