“Bacchus was a combat robot that was widely used throughout the galaxy for a while. Here, you can actually enter the cockpit! Please give it a try.”
“Well, in that case……”
Crossing the ramp, I boarded the cockpit.
When I tapped the console, I saw an OS logo followed by an unfamiliar notification.
“Are you over 20?”
“Yes”
“What’s this?”
“You can just press ‘Yes’, it’s just a formality.”
She continued her explanation as she peeked through the open cockpit hatch.
“The Bacchus is characterised by the particles emitted by its special power reactor. They are just a by-product of the power reactor’s mechanism, but the particles have an alcohol like effect that makes people in the surroundings ‘drunk’. This caused the robot to become popular for the purpose of improving morale and dulling the sense of pain.”
I pressed ‘Yes’.
The OS itself was quite normal.
“This effect not only affected people in the surroundings but also the pilots themselves. Long term use would cause impairment in judgement, strong intoxication and, in the worst cases, death. The robot was strongly supported by the younger generation as it helped to suppress their sense of fear. However, they also became intoxicated faster and, due to their lack of experience, were unable to grasp the timing of when to stop fighting, so it was quickly subject to regulation. It seems there was a considerable amount of backlash with some saying that ‘it was better than drugs’.”
In a corner of the cockpit, there was a small poster.
“War starts when you turn 20.”