[Video]

[weapabilities]

[ Oh look! It's Drift, your neighborhood giant robot. He looks pretty banged up, plating scraped and paint chipped in spots. More over, he doesn't look like his usual aggressively serene self. He glowers at the screen, downright dour, optics glowing coldly from under his helm. ]

I'm back.

Sorry to anyone I've been tutoring on swordplay.

Lessons are cancelled until further notice.

I'll be working on my house if anyone needs me.

[ His mouth draw into a tight line before he switches the video off. ]

Comments

[weapabilities]

[ That does get his attention at least, but he politely doesn't draw attention to it. ]

It's hard to explain. I'm struggling with myself. Trying to figure out what I am. What I am.

I want to be more than a soldier.

[maiinframe]

User Drift ith not happy with programming?

[That's something worth considering.]

What doeth user want to be?

[weapabilities]

Yeah... I am unhappy with it.


I want to be a good guy. I dont a want to hurt people anymore.

[maiinframe]

Soldier programming ith incompatible with thith desire.

Ith user Drift capable of changing programming?

[weapabilities]

Heh... yeah. I know.

[ In an ironic way, Helmsman is correct. ]

I think so. I thought so...

I'm hoping.

[maiinframe]

Ith there anything system can do to help user Drift? System ith very adept with programming.

[weapabilities]

I don't think this is something that can be fixed like that but-

Ah. Honestly just you being around is enough to help.

[maiinframe]

[Helmsman doesn't get that, but hey, he'll go along with it.]

Doeth user Drift want system to stay?

[weapabilities]

Yes. For as long as you'll tolerate me.

[ He means, of course, in the figurative sense. Silly him. ]

[maiinframe]

[The Helmsman shifts away then, but only so he can look at the ceiling in the corner where he usually hovers.]

Query: can system remove some tileth from the ceiling?

[weapabilities]

Ah... sure?

[maiinframe]

[Permission granted, psionics flare around the ceiling and several tiles lift out of it. They float to a corner and stack neatly. The Helmsman carefully pulls free of Drift's embrace and floats to the corner. His biowires reach up through the new hole in the ceiling and wrap around the exposed pipes there.]

[Perfect. Now he has a comfortable place to hang.]

Thith ith acceptable?

[weapabilities]

... O-

Oh! You mean to stay-

Oh well. Yeah I mean. That's okay. Right there.

[ A tiny smile creeps up his face despite everything. ]

That's acceptable.

[maiinframe]

[The Helmsman watches Drift for a moment before the corner of his mouth twitches, like he's trying to smile back but has forgotten how.]

Yeth.

[And that is how the Helmsman became a permanent decoration in Drift's garage.]

[weapabilities]

[ Drift doesn't mind the extra company. Besides, Helmsman is a pretty good house mate. Quiet.

When Drift moves, he'll take Helmsman with him and stick him to the new ceiling. ]