To serve as a new alternative to a plasma accelerator, what about a mass driver? Mass Drivers certainly have enough power (a coil gun is being researched in space launches, and a rail or coil gun could destroy a large building with a refrigerator-sized piece of ice)

Rail Gun: The rail gun reloads about every 1.5 seconds. It fires Rubbish (yes, finally a use for Rubbish!). When one runs out of rubbish, it automatically switches to the next least expensive cargo. (warning you, of course, so you don't start firing luxuries while attacking another ship). It would be smaller than a small pl. acc.

Further Suggestions: While firing a rail gun, a small display should be added to the top left corner telling what you are firing. An audible warning should sound, warning that ammo is being switched.

A rail gun propels a projectile on two rails that conduct electricity and create plasma that propels the projectile. However, the sliding of the projectile and the heat of the plasma melts and rips the rails, so they have to be replaced every one or two uses. Even so, the US military is developing a rail gun tank. To use rail guns in TEP, we must assume that superior cooling technology and stronger metal rails have been developed in the future. A TEP rail gun would be unable to fire radioactives, as it would still be susceptable to heat, and the rails are ablative - but very strong. Rail replacement is included in the usual 6-12 monthly service.

Coil gun: This coil gun reloads about every .5 seconds. It fires Radioactives first, the automatically switches to the next least expensive cargo. (warning you that it is doing so) The damage of this coil gun while firing Radioactives (and nothing else) is doubled from any mass driver firing anything else. It is larger than the rail gun. It would be smaller than a large pl. acc.

Further suggestions: While firing a coil gun, a small display should be added to the top left corner telling what you are firing. An audible warning should sound, warning that ammo is being switched. Also possible for the coil gun only would be a slide (in any top corner) that would adjust the projectile speed: reload time ratio. It would allow a player to decide whether they want to fire many projectiles quickly (but projectiles are less damaging) or allow acceleration time, so each projectile is massively damaging (but it takes longer to reload).

A coil gun suspends the projectile in a magnetic field and uses magnetic fields for propulsion of the object. Only the friction of the atmosphere and of air within the coil gun would cause heat to build up (assuming the gun doesn't have a design flaw that causes it to build up heat). Coil guns are currently being researched as a satellite launcher. One roller coaster uses a (partial) coil gun to accelerate the coaster.

Mass Drivers would have several advantages and disadvantages that could add to gameplay.

On one hand, it would have the power of large plasma accelerator (while firing radioactives), even though it would be less expensive. On the other hand, you CAN run out of ammo.

On one hand, it would be an awesome turret weapon on a large crusier. On the other, it would be useless to crafts barely able to stow it (unlike a pl. acc.).

On one hand, it would come in handy as a brake (due to recoil). On the other, it could be annoying continually getting farther away from the object of your aggressions.

On one hand, you could go on bombing missions without nukes ** (or if you nuke something else, you could use it in its stead). On the other, if you fire it near a population, you'd get a double charge (littering and firing a weapon).

** Note: Plasma Accelerators should also to be able to be used in the place of nukes.

Thanks to Rob for his contributions.

A plasma stream is basically the plasma accelerator from FFE, only it is a) more powerful and b) less effective. How?

A) It is far more powerful at close range then the plasma accelerator. At distances of less than .3 km, it may be used in the place of a tactical nuke.

B) It is less effective because it has an annoying tendency to disperse at distances over .3 km, becoming utterly useless against sheilded ships at distances of more than 3 km. Between .3 and 3 km, the dispersion rate increases, so it is less of a weapon at longer ranges.

In the the time of TEP nuclear weapons are no longer a threat to humanity. Remember how they were given out like candy in FFE? I believe in addition to the futility of 'only' causing a nuclear holocaust on one planet, that some countermeasure to nuclear warfare has occured. After all, in the unstable society created in FFE, don't you think some nutso would have taken the time to lob a few nukes at, well, just about every major planet? Because of this, I think that nuclear weapons no longer pose a significant threat (maybe military satellites would be an exception, as they would have data to be wiped by an EMP... that is, if they are unshielded).

But in the turbulent environment we will create in TEP, certainly someone has a need of planetary assault, and surely has developed a means... but if not nukes, then what?

My solution:

A modified coil gun that: accelerates objects much faster than a 'civilian' coil gun and fires specially made military missles that can withstand the acceleration. This weapon would literally blow off a chunk of the atmosphere, and would kill nearly all unprotected life on the planet (I assume that this weapon would only be used on a habitable planet, as it would be overkill for a single station or base). After that, nuclear weapons could be used to take out the ground bases that have sealed atmospheres (like the 'moon bases').

This could graphically intense and spectacular if we put some effort in it, and all the weapon effects need to be done differently than FFE.

It is not available for sale, and is only offered to high ranking military officers after they volunteer for a planetary assault squad. Use on a planet other than the one targeted: demotion. After using the weapon and completing the mission, you would be allowed to keep the Naval Coil Gun (whatever it's called), but the missles, which pack the most punch, would be strictly on a per mission basis.