Most of us carry knives, but a handgun works pretty close. At least in my experience. [ And this is something he can actually explain, he thinks, so he tries. ] You could call it light, but it's more like what makes light. Plasma's just really high energy matter, it can produce immense heat. A controlled burst can cut right through titanium armor and the person inside -- the trick is powering the weapons. Humanity hasn't quite figured that out yet but we can use alien tech if we're careful.