Meet the Tachikoma! [Video]

[standalonehuman]

The video is coming from user: Hitori Togusa, but the camera is focused on a blue spider-tank. The best approximation of a face is the round spherical bowling ball on its front, the holes turn and swivel to show where it is looking. Two arms on the front have claws that move and gesture, close enough to hands. But the tank is lying down, because one of its large legs on the back is clearly damaged.

But the tank is talking. Its voice is high-pitched, almost sweet, like a young girl's.

"What is the purpose of this?"

Togusa's voice cuts in. "Just introduce yourself. Last month was strange and dangerous, so if something weird happens again, I want all my friends to know that you're supposed to be here, and you'll protect me, so you don't get attacked again."

"Oh!" The tank's whole body perks up, then slumps back down because it tried to put weight on its damaged leg. "Hello!" The tank waves one claw at the camera.

"I am a Tachikoma! A multi-ped combat tank assigned to Mister Togusa as my primary user! I am still collecting data on the city, there's so much to learn and experience! But right now, I have to stay at the police station." Its tone turns almost dejected about that.

The camera turns around to see Togusa's face. "So. It can't do anything that I don't order it to. It's safe, and it'll protect me, or anybody else that I tell it to. But it got damaged last month." He looks a little sheepish.

"If anybody has experience working with robots, or even cars, I'll take anything. The Tachikoma has its own schematics loaded onto it, it can even help with its own repairs. But I don't have near the skill to fix it."

The camera turns back around to show the Tachikoma. "In the meantime, the Tachikoma here can't access the network directly, it can't see it, just like any other non-user. So, if you have any questions for it? I can ask them for you and relay the answers."

Comments

[thesettingsun]

[Oh my god it's so cute.

修治, Shuji, with the characters for 'discipline' and 'govern'. It'd never seemed to fit Shuji, an undisiplined disaster who could barely govern himself, let alone anything else.

But now...]

It means that I can choose who I want to be. That I don't have to become my past self. I can be a better person than he ever was.

Its two characters are 'discipline' and 'govern'. I can make my own choices - I can govern myself, I'm not being governed by fate. I can discipline myself so that I never turn out like Dazai did.

[standalonehuman]

"Wowww." It's long and drawn out, just like a child experiencing something new. "Names really are important, then!"

"Being a better person. I'm programmed to take in data from the city, is that what I'm supposed to be learning for? To become more efficient, right?"

"Well," Togusa admits. "Maybe it is to become better in all ways. Not just to be a better tank, but to be a better you. Whatever that means."

"Hunh?" It's obviously picked that affectation up from Togusa, but its head tilts severely, and it clearly doesn't get it.

[thesettingsun]

What's important to you? Not everyone agrees on what the most important things are, which is why being "better" looks different for different people.

[standalonehuman]

"My primary function is to protect Mister Togusa! So I should get better at that?"

"Well, you don't have to only become better at that. Besides, protecting me got you hurt." Togusa doesn't notice his slip of words there.

"I still don't understand," the Tachikoma sounds dejected all over again.

"You will." Togusa encourages it. "Maybe if you spend more time doing other things. In fact, I think I'm getting an idea for after you're fixed."

[thesettingsun]

Do I get to find out what the idea is, or is it a surprise?

[has he helped??]

[standalonehuman]

[Togusa switches over to text, himself. A surprise to the Tachikoma.]

If the Tachikoma likes to protect? There's something else that it's gotten very interested in, because it can't figure out the purpose of them.

The chocobos. What if instead of trying to tackle humans, it starts trying to understand something simpler?

[thesettingsun]

That's a great idea. I have a friend who works on a horse-chocobo ranch, I could ask him for suggestions on how to have a tank safely and meaningfully interact with them?

[standalonehuman]

That would be great! If I disable its weapons systems except for emergencies? It's still really strong, and if you've got something that needs to be done exactly on a schedule, it'll keep it perfectly.

I'm glad you think it's a good idea. I think it'll love it.

[thesettingsun]

Alright, I'll get right on that for you.