  If a quark-nova occurs inside a collapsar, the interaction between the
quark-nova ejecta (relativistic iron-rich chunks) and the collapsar envelope,
leads to features indicative of those observed in Gamma Ray Bursts. The
quark-nova ejecta collides with the stellar envelope creating an outward moving
cap
  (Gamma ~ 1-10) above the polar funnel. Prompt gamma-ray burst emission from
internal shocks in relativistic jets (following accretion onto the quark star)
become visible after the cap becomes optically thin. Model features include:
(i) precursor activity (optical, X-ray, gamma-ray), (ii) prompt gamma-ray
emission, and (iii) afterglow emission. We discuss SN-less long duration GRBs,
short hard GRBs (including association and non-association with star forming
regions), dark GRBs, the energetic X-ray flares detected in Swift GRBs, and the
near-simultaneous optical and gamma-ray prompt emission observed in GRBs in the
context of our model.
