***UPDATE: I fixed the buggy animation on the previous page, and added some minor-but-necessary things to make it easier to follow, so if you're interested in seeing the fixed version, just click back one page to check it out. I also fixed the text on the comic page, which was not formatted very well. It is now up to standard!
Finally, the cavalry have arrived! Unit Zulu Six – the Scorpion Eaters – are the Nova Dagon Commerce Authority's equivalent of a S.W.A.T. team. As you can see, they pack a lot more firepower than the lightly armed and outmatched security personnel. And their four-legged K-9 bots may look familiar to you:
WEAPON PROFILE: Ar-X Longbow
I don't think I've done any in-depth write-ups on the weapons in this comic, so this should be a fun first. Today, we'll be taking a look at the iconic – and enormous – battle rifle favored by the Nova Dagon Security Forces (NDSF): the Ar-X Longbow.
The Longbow is a very old model; its earliest incarnation saw action on inner solar system battlefields 150 years ago. However, the version used by the NDSF is very much a neutered version of that battle-tested weapon. The original version fired a beefy 9.3x62mm rifle cartridge typically used for hunting large game like moose, bears, and giraffes. The secondary barrel functioned as a shotgun for close range fighting, or could be outfitted to function as a grenade launcher.
The NDSF adopted the Longbow due to its fearsome reputation and intimidating looks, but their “peace rifles” fire nonlethal “stun” ammo from their secondary barrel rather than grenades or buckshot. Instead of the heavy hard-hitting 9.3x62mm cartridge fired by the original Longbow, the peace rifle shoots a much smaller 5.56x45mm NATO cartridge. The 5.56x45mm NATO is still a respectable intermediate anti-personnel round, however the NDSF's “safety cartridge” is a specially made (and legally required) low velocity frangible ammunition. It is designed not to overpenetrate the target, and to break apart on contact with hard surfaces. This makes it safe to use in crowded urban environments and in the docking facility, however it's notoriously ineffective against armored aggressors (or genetically modified killing machines like Nascha).
It's a grim joke among the NDSF that their nonlethal ammo is more lethal than their peace rifle's primary cartridge. There's a shred of truth to that: more criminal suspects die each year from unintended surges and electrical interference caused by the stun ammo, than are killed by being shot with the safety cartridges.
Despite its impractical and unwieldy size – or possibly because of it – the Longbow continues to be a favorite of security forces on numerous colonies throughout the Neptune-Triton Commonwealth. However, its bark is very much worse than its bite. You won't see it being used by elite response teams like Zulu Six, for instance, who need weapons that are more combat effective.
That's all for today, gals and gents. See you next week!
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