Ferret

Specifications
Use	Scout/Recon Gear
Production Code	HACS-02LG-SCT
Manufacturer	Keimuri Gear
Height	3.2 meters
Speed	Walker: 36 kph SMS: 80 kph

The Ferret is one of the most unique Gears ever put in service on Terra Nova. Its design was probably influenced by that of the Bobcat, the first dedicated scout Gear of the Northern forces. The Bobcat featured a problematic secondary movement system based around oversized wheels powered by core motors on each of its knees. Bobcat pilots only had to kneel their machines and engage the core motors to acquire both low signature and great speed.

Despite the structural flaws of the Bobcat this combination of stealth and speed seduced the military and they asked for a more specialized scout machine that could match these features and resolve its difficulties. Two prototypes were submitted to the military. The first, called the Fennec, was presented by Northco; although well designed, it was nothing more than a revamped Bobcat and the military refused it. The work on the Fennec would later be refurbished for the development of the Wildcat general purpose combat Gear. The Fennec’s competition was an even more unique design proposed by the then largely unknown Keimuri Gear, which had built itself in the market of high performance motorcycles and custom Gear refits.

The Ferret that was proposed by Keimuri showed the unique outlook of he young company. Led by Liayna Keimuri, owner and mechanical design genius, the Keimury team created a machine that had the traits of both a Gear and a motorcycle. The Ferret was capable of two quite distinct modes of travel, which were referred to as Gear and Cycle. In Gear mode, the Ferret stood about 3.6 meters tall and walked on small, sturdy legs. In Cycle mode, the machine “sat” on a rear-mounted oversized drive wheel and locked its legs together, dropping its height to a mere 1.79 meters and assuming the characteristics of an oversized motorcycle.

Designed as a light scout and recon vehicle, the Ferret was lightly armed, wielding almost identical weaponry as the Bobcat, namely a M25 pack gun and RP-109 Pepperbox rocket pod, supplemented by a vibroknife and one M-2A hand grenade. Like the Bobcat the Ferret also wielded a laser target designator, allowing it to tag targets for fire-support units.

Usage

The Ferret was an innovative design, but was far from perfect. Notably, the size of the cockpit, which was extremely cramped, requiring the use of pilots of very small stature. The unique design also displayed a certain lack of the flexibility associated with the Hunter’s humanoid design. Nevertheless the machine filed a need in the Northern market and it was the standard light Gear used throughout the nineteenth Terranovan century. The heyday of the Ferret was the middle of the century, when it was paired with fire support units such as the Bear to devastating effect against Southern units.

When the Cheetah was introduced, however, many saw the Ferret as instantly obsolete. Featuring technology from a century in the past, the little “butt wheel” design could not compete with Shaian’s high-technology recon Gear. Chronic financial difficulties at Keimuri had also guaranteed that little effort was being put into modernizing the Ferret, making it even more obsolete. Keimuri has returned to the Gear development stage, however, and has entered into a strategic alliance with their old competitors at Northco. While much of the new partners’ energy is focused on the high-technology Weasel line of Gears — which was derived from the Ferret — a new edition of the Ferret has been released to positive reviews.

Despite the Gear’s military origin, the Ferret has acquired a phenomenal following among Northern civilians. Mass-market editions — stripped of weaponry of course — have been available for generations, but the Ferret never seems to go out of style. Customized versions are in many a well-to-do person’s garage and jet-black “racing Ferrets” featuring chrome highlights and oversized tires are the traditional result of a Norlight mid-life crisis. Customized Ferret shows are very popular and adolescents who get access to modified and refurbished models often hold drag races. Keimuri Gear also sponsors a series of animated holofilms and morning trideo shows featuring the adventures of Freddy The Ferret, presumably a (according to the advertising text) “highly evolved and precocious Gear and his cavalcade of amazing friends.” Freddy the Ferret action figures and video games are consistent top sellers with Northern children and rumors of a “Freddyland” amusement park being built outside Franklin Harbor are currently running rampant.

Variants

• Saboteur Ferret
• Wild Ferret
• Rabid Ferret
• Mauler Ferret
• Ferret Mk2

Media

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External links

• Weasel Miniature - DP9 Store