Rick

**Rick** is a character in Gamedec.

#### The Faulty YT-C Series

*I'm an ex-SEAL, currently a retired mercenary. You won't learn my real name. You can call me Owen.*
*I'm going to tell you about the robots from the faulty YT-C line, and then I'll explain why I'm doing it.*
*The name of this series comes from the "You Too, Combatant!" slogan. The original purpose of these machines was combat support for infantry units, injured soldier and supply transport (ammunition, tools, tents, etc.), and explosive disarmament.*
*Some eggheads who'd never held a gun in their life equipped the YT-C series with a heavily advertised psychological support module and a self-teaching AI. The YT-C robots were supposed to turn into self-improving soldiers and compassionate comrades.*
*Unfortunately, just like with many other "solutions" created not by soldiers, but by "cheerful fairies" working in warm offices, the YT-C learning algorithms turned them into violent, ruthless killers, and their "psychological support" fed with soldier shoptalk made them spit swear words and bad jokes.*
*They quickly stopped sending YT-Cs into battle, as they were too unpredictable… but that doesn't mean the machines disappeared from bases and barracks. The clever soldiers started turning them into majordomos that looked after FOBs. (In case you're a little snot, that stands for "Forward Operating Base.") The disarmed YT-Cs did quite well in this role, and because they were still learning, they grew soft while their wit grew sharper.*
*I did hear stories about YT-Cs saving people's lives… But I also heard ones where they did terrible things.*
*As a civilian, I saw a couple of these robots used in various ways: as a warehouse assistant, mini-crane, crushing machine, even once or twice as waiters.*
*Now, onto why I'm writing this. If you ever come across a YT-C unit, regardless of how it behaves, be sure of this: the person who smuggled it out of the army has a close, emotional bond with it. That's the only reason you'd risk transporting this junk into the civilian world.*
*So, no matter how the robot behaves, you should always respect its bond with its owner.*
*And never judge soldiers, even if they're robots. Only the ones that have seen battle know what it's like.*
*"Among bullets."*
*Blog*
*Author: Owen*
### News

#### The Belize Massacre

*We bring you the latest news from Belize, a district of the Free States of the Americas, where for the past five years, drug cartels and corporate forces have been at war with each other.*
*The biggest manufacturer of wooden products, the "Green Power" company, relies on timber from the ABB-enclosed district of Belize. They hired a private army called Crystal Dust, who promised to "clean things up" within two months…*
*But that was over two years ago, and there's no end in sight. Today, we were shocked by footage that was leaked to the media from within Crystal Dust ranks.*
*It shows the massacre committed by one of CD's mercenaries, sergeant Herman T. of Warsaw City, and his YT-C series combat robot. We need to warn you that the footage contains graphic images.*
*We can see how sergeant T. and his robot engage a group of children and murder them in cold blood. Yes, children. Why did they do it? Have Crystal Dust lost their moral compass? One might say that the children were armed and also opened fire, but we have to remember that it's Sergeant T. and his YT-C unit who attacked their village, not the other way around.*
*We see the sergeant kill at least ten boys with one burst from his heavy plasma rifle. What a degenerate. Let's remember to give him a "warm" welcome when he comes back to Free Europe.*
*12.04.2197,*
*Warsaw City News*