Questions on drone weapons Options

[ReverendMo]

While thumbing through Arsenal and looking over the weapon mods, I was struck by an interesting concept that intrigues me as a player and a GM, but I'd like some further input from all you wiser folk.

If a character were to use two pistols at once they'd have to split their die pool, take any Off-Hand mods (if not Ambidextrous), lose Smartlink bonuses, and (if they have just 1 IP) use their two Simple actions, firing on the character's initiative. Now, here's the setup...

Both SmartGun pistols have Upgraded Pilot programs and a Limping propulsion system (1 meter/minute) as well as decent ClearSight and Targeting autosofts. The wielding character is also a technomancer with access to Machine sprites. As drones, they would have lower initiative but 3 IPs.

Here's the questions:

Would the character wielding the pistols be using both Simple actions, or a Free action and a Simple, if they had the drone/sprite firing the weapon?

Would the drone/sprite attack die pool be split akin to two-weapon firing even though they are individual drones?

Would the SmartGun +2 still be lost, or would the drone/sprite get that bonus?

Added Bonus Question: Using a TacSoft program, would the drones be eligible to count towards users if subscribed?

I'm sure there are other potential questions or thoughts I haven't come up with yet, so toss out any ideas or concerns. I'm curious to see how other GMs might handle such a situation arising.

[DireRadiant]

Would the character wielding the pistols be using both Simple actions, or a Free action and a Simple, if they had the drone/sprite firing the weapon?

It takes a simple action to "Issue a Command" to a drone. Either two simple actions, one command to each drone if it's different enough, or a single one to both if it's a simple enough command.

Once given a command, the drone acts on it's own initiative and uses it's own actions.

Would the drone/sprite attack die pool be split akin to two-weapon firing even though they are individual drones?

Each drone uses it's own pool.

Unless you've subscribed the drones as a group of drones, in which case I have no idea.

Would the SmartGun +2 still be lost, or would the drone/sprite get that bonus?

Whose smartgun link? The character can't benefit from a smartlink, they are not firing the weapon. Can the Drone Pilot? If the image link is available to the drone, and the smartlink system is installed, it's certainly possible for the benefit to be conferred. Does a sprite have the smartlink aro complex form? Probably not. On the other hand, the sprite may have other means of increasing it's pool of dice.

Added Bonus Question: Using a TacSoft program, would the drones be eligible to count towards users if subscribed?

Depends on if the drones are only counting as sensor sources for the tacnet, or are actual subscribers to the tacnet. If the Drone pilots are part of the net as part of the team, rather then simply acting as sensor channels, then there's no reason they couldn't, though they would each need their own copy of the tacsoft, and be sure of providing enough of their own channels.