Phaser?
It could use Radiation from putting it next to a Cell in a Nuclear reactor.
Some kind of Hand held Tesla gun? ;o
Electric Lightning wand ftw
I was thinking of a combat version of the mining laser (with a lightning theme). It should improve on the mining laser in three key areas:
1. Damage at range. The mining laser does neglible damage (1-2 points) at ranges of more than 10m or so, even on long-range mode. Maximum range is also rather short.
2. Muzzle velocity. The mining laser projectile is slow and it is difficult to hit distant targets with it.
3. Terrain damage. The mining laser causes a lot of collateral damage when it misses, which is often.