X4-R

By Hawk and Young

X4-R is a robot, a Zarook, on a planet at the edge of the Hawthorn nebula. He’s a mop. You can call him Xar. His job becomes more complicated when he recieves a small shock and must report to the Diagnostics bay. On his way he meets T1-N4, or Tina, who also malfunctions and teaches him about a ship he never could process before. His directives change, leading to a sequence of events that nearly gets them all shut down.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hawk and Young
• Release date: Jun 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463988800

Hawk and Young

We are two authors, joined by a single mission - to bring you epic tales of young heroes up against insurmountable odds, but with nerve, nudges by friends and foes, by accident, or by sheer dumb luck, they prevail.We are building a compendium of short stories across time and space all based in one 'world' from a galaxy far far away that keeps interfering with ours. Why can't they leave us alone, huh? :)To learn more about us, visit our website. http://hawkandyoung.com

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X4-R

BY: Hawk and Young

Copyright 2017

By Hawk and Young

Smashwords edition

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In a forgotten corner of space, on the fringes of the Hawthorn nebula, mechanized creatures called Zarook moved in a rhythm, working to a melody and harmony tuned to the very core of their planet. For several centuries the Zarook had maintained the cultivation of this life force, keeping it exactly the same, exactly the way the Carbies instructed them to.

Xar had been manufactured only a century ago, making him a relatively new Zarook compared to most. He was male in shape, barrel-chested with four limbs. His arms could extend, ending in appendages similar to the ancient Carbies’ hands. His legs ended in triangular pyramids fitted with three retractable wheels so he could roll or step and stand when necessary.

His function was a mop. His protocol required he clean the floors of the huge Willestria Building Number Four. He had one rule: he was not allowed to cross the threshold of any exit that led outside. He remembered the day he was activated just as clearly as yesterday. His drives had never needed to be rebooted. The Carbies who created him had done a magnificent job.

It had been nearly one hundred years since he’d interacted with a Carbie. From the farthest corner of his assigned room he began; spraying, agitating with a rotating mop that looped inside his body cavity for decontamination before being applied again, and blow drying the area. He’d come upon a significant amount of Carbie fluids. He bumped into the dangling appendage of a Carbie lying upon a bed.

Excuse me. I was just cleaning. Would you like for me to go around?  His politeness protocol for bumping into a Carbie engaged. He had waited for a command of yes or no. The Carbies sometimes said, ‘of course’, ‘sure’, ‘excuse me’, or ‘please continue’ when they meant yes. Or they might say, ‘later’, ‘not now’, ‘go away’, or ‘no, come back later’ when they meant no. This Carbie said nothing.

The appendage did not move. Xar logged a full fifteen minutes where they were at a stalemate. He would ask his