The Barghosa Submachine Gun (Disposable, Model 12) is just that. Disposable. Made of cheap ultra-lightweight plastics and polymers with an absolute minimum of metal parts, the weapon is designed to fire a few hundred rounds with low to middling accuracy. Typically used for suppression fire, the SGD-12 persists in space security and related fields for two very simple reasons – first, it’s less than half the weight of the lightest equivalent durable SMG, and second, the low weight and poor build quality come with an equivalent price.

Weapons of this type are typically carried by long endurance spacecraft, where the low mass and long shelf life are considered key selling points.

While the Sabrosa has real guns in its armory, Grij orders the troops deployed to Earth equipped with the lowest quality kit on board – he expects casualties, and doesn’t want the good stuff falling into the hands of a less advanced civilization.