We made it to the campsite. As we dismounted, I looked around, noticing a wide-open plain with some trees forming an L shape. "Arwen, I will be using those trees for targets. Can you tell everyone to try to stay away from the area?" I asked her, making her tilt her head. I wasn't doing a quest as I wanted to make sure my drone had most of the issues worked out before I got to the capital.
"Okay, but can I watch?" She asked. She wanted to know more about what Colt was doing, and after last night, she wanted to know more about him. She didn't understand why she'd given him her first time, but he seemed not even to remember it, which made her somewhat unhappy.
"Sure, just make sure you stand behind me. As it wouldn't be safe in front of me." I said, making her nod as she walked towards the convoy, as the women watched me. As I walked towards the trees, I summoned the Hunter-Killer Drone and the ammo box. I powered up the drone as I gave the command. "Reload."
The drone walked forward and slightly lowered itself as the underside opened, locking onto the box. As the M134 spins, six barrels start to spin as the metal belt pulls the rounds up into it. As the 5.56 rounds reach the minigun, the barrels stop, and the remaining rounds are pulled into the storage area before the drone stands back up and closes the bottom.
"Lie down," I commanded as I pulled the mini gun cover out. As the drone lay down, I climbed onto its back, then placed the thin metal cover over the motor and the firing control part of the M134. Making a dome-like shape over it. Before I got off it and spoke.
"Standby for next order," I said before walking over to the trees and stripping the bark off four of them, making three hand-sized circles, then a palm-sized circle inside each spot, and finishing by stripping a place, as I marked them with numbers 1 through 4. As I finished up, I noticed the girls, all 11 of them, standing behind the drone while I walked back.
Pulling out my laptop as I got there and hooked it up, I opened the targeting and firing program as I wrote the firing pattern. Making four firing parameters for the test before installing it, unhooking the laptop, and storing it.
"What are you doing, Colt?" Liliana asked me as I smiled.
"I am testing the M134 minigun and the accuracy of it, which is firing and moving to targets," I said before walking behind the Hunter-Killer Drone and speaking.
"Execute, firing test 1," I said as the drone started to load the mini gun completely, as I walked forward and scanned the four trees before opening fire. It had to target. Number two, four, one, then finally three within 3 seconds, and land all twelve rounds inside the palm-sized circle.
The drone began firing as I timed it, finishing just after three seconds, and I started rewriting the firing program to time it. "Standby," I ordered, and walked towards the targets —the trees. The first target contained all 12 rounds. Moving to the next one, two were outside the target, followed by the next one having four outside of it. But the last one had them all, so I started thinking about how to fix that.
The reason I did twelve rounds was to take into account barrel movement; if I did six rounds, it wouldn't get out of the first spin of the barrel. This way, I can account for rapid changes in targeting, as once I fix the twelve rounds, I will cut it down to only six rounds, so the drone knows its target limits.
Six rounds would be more than enough to take down the beings I have run into that don't need the magic rounds. And these drones will be only really used when I am outnumbered, so that they can deal with the less threatening monsters. The .50 caliber and above would deal with the ones I need help with.
As I walked back and started to fix the control and stabilization of the mount the M134 was on. I realized that was most likely what was throwing off the rounds, since the first and last rounds hit the target. More people joined, watching in shock as the Cat women got closer and stood with the women I woke up with.
After updating the firing system and fixing the mount and stabilizers, "Carry out firing test two," I said. This time, the order was reversed in the firing; as it stopped firing, it was under three seconds. Making me smile as I walked over to the trees, all but one round had landed on the right target.
Doing one last change of the stabilizers, "Fire test three." I said it still hit under three seconds, so I didn't need to worry about the firing rate, since once I cut it down to six rounds, that time will decrease.
All the rounds hit the target within the palm-sized circle —good. Now I can move on. "Standby," I yelled, making the drone go into standby as I began to make circles on the trees before entering the next row of trees and doing the same. I made over two dozen circles on trees before walking back to the drone.
This test will fire while moving the drill as I readied the drone. I spoke, "Firing test four, begin." I said as the drone started to move towards the end of the L shape before it started to run.
As it sped off, the first target came into sight, and the drone moved the M134 at a 60-degree angle and fired, hitting it with twelve rounds as the next target came into sight. The test lasted a little less than a minute as the drone returned, and I ordered it to stand by. Walking through the woods, looking at the targets, all the rounds hit the circles, making me smile as I nodded.
I ran and fired a dozen more tests on both sides of the drone to make sure its legs could withstand the force of running and gunning. As it came back empty of rounds, I spoke. "Unload spent rounds," I ordered as I went over to the box and mounted it, the underside opening and pouring out the brass and links.
Hooking up the laptop to the drone and running a diagnostic check on the internal parts —everything came back green. Doing a walk around it, I didn't see any signs of wear and tear. I nodded to myself. It was a work of pure art. As it finished unloading, I powered it down and stored it, as it was getting late. I reabsorbed the spent brass and links, giving me half the mana back.
Making me ammor as I was full on mana now, I had three thousand rounds. Not enough to arm it, but I would have that before I go to bed. As I finally finished my work, I noticed about 200 people watching in wonder. "That was amazing, Colt," Arwen said, walking over, never seeing such a fighting being before.
"You made that?" She asked me, and I nodded.
"Where I am from, you can think of me as a weapon-making genius. Maybe even a weapon-making god, that's what my country was known for." I said proudly. As with this test, I had all the basic information I needed for the other ones. All I need to do is factor in the rounds' power before making the firing control program and the mount's stabilization.
As I talked to the girls, Ha-eun couldn't wait any longer and grabbed my arm. "Now that your tests are done, I think you need to relax a little. Here, let me bring you to the tent, Dear." She said with a seductive grin on her face. Oh, boy, she wants some loving.
Well, I am done with everything I need to do for now. Let's enjoy a little rest, I thought to myself.