According to William Dow Rieder [email removed]
> I was trying to design a better missile with the vehicle design
> rules (plus the robot rules from old book 8), and I came up with the
> following:
> Bighorn class Robot Drone/Missile, TL 13
The idea William provoked in me was kinda sneaky/nasty.
A rather effective terrorist weapon could be constructed quite
easily using the Bighorn.
Just design them to remain quiescent for a specified period of
time (to allow them to get out of your vicinity), and to 'wake up'
at random intervals after that time period and attack whatever
ship is closest. If no ship is 'in range', then it goes quiescent
for another random interval.
It's about the size of a meteor/asteroid, it has no fusion plant,
and would be virtually undetectable until it activated, at which
point it would probably be too late.
It's duration should be effectively infinite, because the launch
platform (any reasonably sized ship) brings it up to "cruising speed"
and sets it's course, not it's internal motors. Internal power isn't
used until it starts 'waking up', and even then, it doesn't use a lot
of power until it starts attacking.
Build zilions of them, and you've got a sort of 'doomsday/berserker'
weapon.
How's that for terror?
- --
Preferred: [email removed] Edwin Wiles, NetExpress Inc., Vienna, VA
Alternate: ...!grebyn!netex!elw
"Nitwit ideas are for emergencies. You use them when you've got nothing else
to try. If they work, they go in the Book. Otherwise you follow the Book,
which is largely a collection of nitwit ideas that worked."