Chapter 4, Page 7
Invoice 01298:
Twelve (12) NT-10 Hunter-Seeker Security Drones
To: Nex Coast / Dr. Kalei,
Thank you for your recent purchase of our latest Hunter-Seeker security drone models. Horizon Global Solutions prides itself as one of the top industry leaders in cutting-edge security technology. All of our products are guaranteed to meet your needs and we look forward to your continued interest in our company’s future releases. Please be aware that the NT-11 model drones will be coming out in the spring (we are already accepting pre-orders from select buyers). If you are interested, please let me know.
Faden Hoskk
Consumer Relations
Horizon Global Solutions
Danger Zone One. Story by Midnight. Art by Salaiix.
Smart call on shooting one of the lifting fans. Without its counter-rotation, the remaining fan will cause the whole thing to spin out-of-control. On top of which, you just cut its lifting ability in half. Very smart.
Oh, and minor technical quibble: only one barrel from a Gatling Gun type weapon should be firing (indeed, it’s the whole point to having a rotating multi-barrel system). Usually, this is the barrel at the top.
Interesting that it has a mic on it as well. My 1st thought was that wouldn’t make sense since the drone operates at a distance. However, the more I thought of it (distance microphones, noise-cancellation technology, quiet lifting fans during flight), the more I decided this was actually do-able.
As I speculated in the last strip, the multi-barrel design is likely to be more of an aesthetic design than anything else, just something to intimidate people. If that’s the case, then it is entirely conceivable (although impractical) that they could have designed it to fire out of all the barrels.
Especially since, as I think about it, the most reasonable way for it to operate would be to use the Metal Storm design of electronic ignition. That way the drone could store a lot more ammo by keeping much of it within the barrels themselves. In which case, yes, all of the barrels WOULD be firing.
Pepperbox pistols went the way of the matchlock with the invention of Colt’s revolver.