Crossed Circuits: Sci-Fi Short Stories - Volume II

By Gage Axtin

Book Summary:
This is not merely a book of science fiction short stories. It’s about sci-fi stories that tell of the impact of technology on the human condition. As with all things, there are repercussions of creating, manufacturing, developing, implementing and using technology. For some things, the results are good; for others, they are not.
Whichever the outcome, these short stories will make you think and consider the limitations of and the opportunities and the threats posed by technology. Where science and humans fail to integrate, you will often find crossed circuits.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue M Publishing
• Release date: Dec 21, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463969656

Gage Axtin

Gage Axtin is a pen name used by the author for his science fiction novels and short stories. Mr. Axtin has written many books of various genre.He lives with his family in Chicago.

Book preview

This is not merely a book of science fiction short stories. It’s about sci-fi stories that tell of the impact of technology on the human condition. As with all things, there are repercussions of creating, manufacturing, developing, implementing and using technology. For some things, the results are good; for others, they are not.

Whichever the outcome, these short stories will make you think and consider the limitations of and the opportunities and the threats posed by technology. Where science and humans fail to integrate, you will often find crossed circuits.

*****

Crossed Circuits II

Three Wishes

Part I

Max was a junk dealer. He had been one for over thirty-four years, and he had built his reputation for being the supreme dealer of junk in the tri-quadrant area. Robo-parts were sometimes hard to come by, but he specialized in them. The harder the part to find, the harder he worked to find it, and the more popular his little part shop became. His customers sought him out to buy parts they needed to fix their robo-line units. If a robot needed a part – he had it.

This day, a regular customer came to him with a trunk of old, rusted parts. It was Xion from the town of Moquet V, only one stop farther down on the JetTube that connected all the major cities, towns and boroughs in the eastern sector of Chavan.

Xion lugged the trunk in and dropped it down on the sand in front of Max’s stall. There were long poles sticking up around the merchant mart strip intended to shade visitors from the intense heat of the binary suns overhead – an FVb and a smaller KVa.

Whata-you-got? asked Max, chewing on a piece of Lulu bark that had an addictive and mildly narcotic effect.

Treasure! said Xion, smiling broadly. His business was officially called repossession, even though most in town referred to it as theft. Xion was a loan shark in the area and known for charging upwards of 300 percent or more in interest on monies he loaned to people. Backing him was the notorious Uxzron gang that would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. In their sector of the city, it was considered a calm night if there were only twenty or thirty bodies found in the morning. On a regular night, they would eliminate upwards of seventy or eighty for not paying their bills or stiffing the mob of their cut of profits from illegal mineral or spice sales. It was estimated that the Uxzron empire made upwards of 120 billion dracons per year – that at a time when the average merchant was lucky to pull in 40 – 50 thousand.

Treasure, my ass! mumbled Max, glancing over his tall, wooden counter and looking down on what Xion had fetched.

I tell you, it’s treasure all the same, said Xion, calmly. Look at this marvelous 42nd century Pycomor vase. It alone is worth at least 30,000 dracons.

It’s not worth shit! said Max. I’ll give you 2,000 for it.

5,000.

Deal. What else do you have?

Xion rummaged through the trunk, pulling out each piece and showing it to Max as though it were the Arc of the Covenant.

This one is priceless. It’s an authentic gold bracelet from the Emperor Ontus III. He reportedly paid 3 million dracons, but I will sell it to you for only 800,000.

Max chewed some more on the Lulu bark and began coughing; however, when he’d finished he took the bracelet and weighed it on his metallic analyzer. This isn’t even solid gold, he spat. It’s not even 25 percent gold. There’s other stuff in here – iron, copper, nickel, and other things. The emperor certainly got ripped-off if he paid that much for it. It’s worth 15,000.

25,000.

20,000, but that’s as high as I’ll go, said Max.

Xion tossed the bracelet over to Max and continued with his last piece. This is the rarest of rare, he exclaimed. This comes from the planet Tumzek. It’s a Galyn Crystal.

Max took interest in this one. He hopped off his stool and lumbered around the corner of the counter. All told, Max was no taller than a meter high and had a girth of that and more. His scaly skin and extraordinarily large, pointed ears suggested that he was Rorik, but in reality, he was only half-Rorik, as his mother was Ampusatic – that was why he had no hair. His eyes were large and perfectly round, showing the bright tangerine-colored pupils that were a trademark of the Rorik breed. But what was unusual was his tail. Typical of both Roriks and Ampusatics, his tail was unusually stubby – as if it had been clipped at an early age due to a fungus or parasite.

Taking the deep maroon crystal in his webbed hands, he rolled it over and over. Then, he held it up to the light of the dueling suns, watching for the marker that validated its authenticity.

Yeah, he admitted, there’s a star burst in the center of the crystal, just as I’d expect. It’s authentic all right. What do you want for it?

Normally, I’d ask three million dracons, but this one is even more special. It comes from the Belarian mines of southern Tumzek. It’s nearly impossible to get there and even if you do, you’re likely to die from the blistering heat or the marauders who will steal everything and anything from you – including your life.

How did you come by this, then?

I won it in a poker game with some Mistruthians, who were trying to cheat me. I caught them red-handed and before I lopped off their hands, they offered me the crystal.

So, what do you want? asked Max.

Five million.

I’ll give you 50,000, said Max.

300,000.

Deal, said Max, holding out his hand.

Xion walked away with his dracon credits, more than satisfied with his trades. As for Max, he continued to look at the Galyn Crystal. It’s color and sparkle were intoxicating – even more so than the Lulu bark he was chewing. This was a piece he wouldn’t keep out in the open where it could be lifted without notice. It was, indeed, too rare and expensive. He knew someone who would pay handsomely for it, but it would be three days before his customer would land in the city. He would have to wait.

*****

Part II

The Galyn Crystal stayed locked away in a wooden trunk in the back of Max’s shop for several days. His customer didn’t show up when he had said he would, and Max now worried that he might not be able to unload the crystal for more than he paid for it. After another week, he began talking to prominent members in the community to see who might be interested.

The crystal was known to have special powers, but no one truly believed those legends. They were archaic, dating back centuries. Still, there was something in there that even Max noticed – something far different than anything else that had come across his counter in recent memory.

Weeks passed, and no one seemed interested in the crystal when he pulled it out and had it on display. Thinking that people just didn’t know what it was, he posted a large sign telling everyone that it was a Rare, Galyn crystal and that it came from the deep mines in the Copan region of Tumzek, about 2.15 parsecs away. But, still there was no interest.

After two months, Max needed to unload it, so he vowed that to the next customer who strolled by he would offer them a deal they couldn’t refuse.

Hey! he exclaimed, shouting out at two young lads who happened by, could I interest either of you in a Galyn crystal?

One of the young men was no more than eighteen while the other was likely in his early twenties. They looked similar, suggesting they were brothers or otherwise related. The younger one was orange-haired with a broad forehead and small ears. His hair grew long on one side but not the other – something of an inherited trait. Tall, but stout, the youngster looked capable of heavy lifting or menial type labor while the older one was tall, but thin, as if he weren’t fit to lift a box of neo carbonic plastic, air filters if his life depended on it.

Still, Max could see similarities in their hair color, the shape of the head, the thinness and contour of their lips and their eyes – most certainly, their eyes. Both had an unusual color of pupil – a pinkish-yellow. He had never seen such eyes before, and they stood out.

What the hell is that? asked the older one, coming over to the counter.

You’ve never heard of a Galyn crystal? asked Max, drawing him in.

No, said the older man.

What about you, young man? Have you heard of a Galyn crystal before?

The younger one looked at Max with his bewildered pinkish-yellow eyes. Uh, well, maybe.

Maybe? said the older one, looking at the other with astonishment. What kind of answer is that? Maybe?

I think I have, but it was a long time ago.

Well, then tell me what you know? asked Max.

I remember something about wishes, said the younger man. That’s all I remember. It was our Uncle Remis who told me, I think. Don’t you remember him telling you those stories when you were little? He looked straight at his companion.

No, said the older one, flatly and impatiently. Come on. We have to get home.

He’s right, you know, said Max. There is the legend about the three wishes. Even I was told about that when I was young.

The older man turned to Max and challenged him. Okay. Then tell me what the legend is all about. What are the three wishes then?

Max handed the younger man the crystal and began his tale – partially true and partially fabricated.

"The Galyn Crystals were said to have been mined in the southern part of Tumzek, a planet not far from here. The ground and the atmosphere of the planet are like no other in the galaxy. Rich in heavy minerals, the mines were excavated for millennia using the slave labor from Bytania. It was the Bytania ruler, Iztoc III who pushed his slaves to dig millions of tons of rock just to find a few kilograms of crystals. The crystals they find were so exquisite that they were worth more than half of Iztoc’s entire kingdom. The seven crystals unearthed were held in a safe in Iztoc’s palace, but one of his trusted servants betrayed him and killed him in his sleep. The servant stole the seven crystals and tried to sell them to a merchant trader by the name of Orph.

Orph promised the servant trillions in dracons for the seven crystals, but when the servant brought them to the trade, Orph turned on him, slicing off his head with one stroke of his electron sabre.

"In the hold of Orph’s ship, the crystals began to glow, and no one could figure out what was happening. Afraid his ship would explode, Orph, started to beam them to the surface of another planet to rid himself of them. However, before he did, a mysterious force streamed out of one of them.

It is said that it was a demon which lived inside the crystal and was freed by a magnetic force surrounding the planet they were orbiting.

What happened to Orph? asked the younger man, full of interest.

No one knows that either, said Max, increasing the drama. He disappeared after that. No one knows what happened to him. But the legend is that he got richer than anyone in the galaxy and flew off to another planet to live a life in seclusion.

Why would you do that if you had all the money in the galaxy? asked the older man.

Max only shrugged. He knew when to leave the story alone and let the imagination of the audience take its course.

Come on, said the older man, Let’s go.

No, I want to know more about these, said the younger one, holding the crystal in his hands and staring at it, mesmerized by its uniqueness.

The older of the two pulled down his friend’s hands. We have to go, he said, tugging on his buddy’s sleeve.

I tell you what, said Max, realizing he was about to lose the deal, I will offer you that crystal for only three million dracons.

Are you crazy! shouted the older man, looking astonished. That’s more than both of us make in ten years. There’s no way we could pay that for this piece of natural junk.

I understand, said Max, putting his elbow on the counter. What if I offered you the crystal for 500,000 dracons? That’s a huge discount.

Sorry, said the older man.

Alright, said Max, leaning in toward them, I’ll offer you the crystal for 300,000 dracons – 10 percent of what they’re worth -- but with the stipulation that you cut me in on half of all the riches you make from the wishes you’re given. The legend says that people make a lot of money from these deals, and I think getting half is only fair.

The young man stuck his hand quickly before the older one knew what had happened. It’s a deal, he said.

The die had been cast.

*****

Part III

The two men walked away from Max’s stall as the owner smiled, counting his money. He had only gotten back what he had invested in the crystal, but that was all right. He didn’t have to make a ton on each transaction – only earn a living based on all his deals. He didn’t really even care if the young man made good on his promise to give him 50 percent of the riches he got. Max

What do you think? asked Ewan, the younger man, holding up the burgundy crystal and gazing into it.

It’s a shiny rock. What’s the big deal? said his older brother, Radek. You paid way too much money for some stupid rock. Actually, I think you’re the stupid one, if you ask me.

Ewan didn’t answer. He was still absorbed by the crystal and the inner star that burned within. They continued walking as Ewan tucked the crystal under his arm. I think I got a great deal, he said with a smile.

When they arrived home, their mother came out of the house. It was a small, white, mud-packed home with round windows on both sides of an arched front door. There were no glass windows– everything in the town was open to the forces of nature on the outside.

Where have you two been? their mother screeched, wiping her hands on a plaid, blue towel. She was tall and broad – more like her younger son than her older one. Her hair was red too, but it was long, braided and curled up in a ball on top of her head. Her fingers were short and stubby, and when she walked, the skin under her arms flapped in the wind – only one of many parts of her that were well overextended.

We were out, said the elder son, practically ignoring her challenge.

Out where? she pressed but was silenced when she heard the bedroom door slam in the back of the home. Both sons knew the routine with her by then, and they were also old enough to know how to handle it.

In Radek’s cramped bedroom, the two brothers sat wondering what they would do with this piece of shiny rock, as Radek had called it.

So, what are you going to do with it? asked Radek, looking at his brother.

Ewan picked up the crystal. I don’t know exactly. Maybe I can sell it for more than I paid for it, he said.

Ewan grabbed a white cloth and began rubbing the strange, smooth, shiny rock to polish it. He took extra care to scrub off extra dirt that had deposited itself on the flat parts. It was important to him to make it shine like a jewel.

But before he could finish, the rock grew hot in his hands as the light from within seemed to split it apart like a blooming hibiscus flower. Dropping the crystal as it burned, Ewan jumped up from the bed.

What have you done? shouted Radek. You broke it, you idiot!

But as the crystal lay still in one piece on the floor, it melted like a burgundy candle, spreading across the sandy ground. In the center remained the white-hot ember that continued to glow eerily, flickering light and shadow as if it were a hot coal in a blacksmith’s fireplace.

What the … said Radek.

The ember suddenly exploded, shooting smoke and flame all over the room. So thick was the gray plume that neither brother could see the other.

Radek? shouted Ewan.

I’m right here, answered the elder, reaching out.

But as quickly as the fumes had come, clarity returned, and in their midst emerged a strange figure indeed. It had a head like a white octopus that sat upon a feathery body and thick, broad wings. It was an odd-looking beast, not something found elsewhere on the planet or perhaps the galaxy. With its large head and big, yellow eyes blinking stiffly, the creature held no emotion.

Good day to you both, said the creature. Its voice was deep and resonated, as it spoke slowly and deliberately.

Ewan looked at Radek, hoping his brother had some words of wisdom to say. But alas, Radek stood as dumbfounded as he was.

Tell me, said the creature, who was it that polished the crystal?

Each brother pointed to the other nervously, but the animal seemed to know. It looked directly at Ewan but didn’t say another word.

All right, said Ewan. It was me. I did it. Do to me as you will. I will spare my brother any fate you have in store for me.

Radek sat next to his brother, nodding and pointing to his own flesh and blood next to him. It was him. It was all him, he said, frightened.

So, it is you, then, said the creature.

Yes, said Ewan, take out your wrath on me.

Instead, said the creature, I will grant you three wishes.

What? asked Radek, now incensed that he hadn’t spoken up earlier. Why does he get the wishes? I was there when he bought the crystal. I told him he should …

No, you didn’t, said the beast. I am aware of many things in this world – many things that you don’t know and will never know. I come from a place not of this world. Now, Ewan, what are your three wishes?

Ewan fidgeted nervously. I … I don’t know.

Come on, Ewan! You have to go big on this, said Radek, his eyes wild with fantasy. Control the universe or all the money on the planet, or …

I think I’m fine. My family is safe and happy. We have no worries – no complaints. I really can’t ask for anything more, can I? Ewan answered.

What? his brother yelled, of course, you can, you idiot! All you have to do is ask for it!

Ewan shook his head. No, I’m good. But I appreciate the opportunity. Maybe you should give the wishes to my brother. It seems he needs them more than I do.

Then, you must wish them to him, said the creature, giving no emotion.

Yeah! Wish them to me! said Radek. I’ll take care of you, brother. I swear I will.

Okay, said Ewan, then, I wish for the wishes to be given to my brother, Radek.

Very well, said the animal. It shut its eyes, but nothing seemed to happen.

I didn’t feel anything, said Radek. Do I have the wishes now?

Yes. The three wishes are now yours.

Great! So, my first wish is …

Radek, be careful, said Ewan. You tend to be rash and rush into things like this. You just need to think about …

I want to control the planet, said Radeck, puffing out his chest.

Your wish is granted, said the strange animal, after shutting its eyes.

Radek looked around again and shrugged. But I still don’t feel any different. I think you did anything.

Radek left his room and went outside, but still nothing seemed to have changed.

This is all a sham! he shouted. I don’t think you have the power to grant wishes, do you? he continued angrily, moving menacingly toward the creature which had followed Radek out the door.

You won’t feel the difference here, said the beast, but you will control the planet in the universe I’m from.

Universe you’re from? What the hell does that mean?

It means that … began Ewan, trying to explain.

Shut up! shouted Radek at his brother. I control the planet, and you’ll do as I tell you! Then, turning back to the animal he said in a demanding and harsh tone, Explain yourself!

When Ewan rubbed the crystal, he engaged the fire inside, which split the space-time continuum, allowing me to squeeze through into this universe.

What is your universe like, then?

It’s just like yours, except for a few things.

Like what? asked Ewan.

They’re minor … inconsequential, really, said the creature.

Radek ignored the flippant response. So, how do I get to your universe?

Ewan looked at his brother. You don’t mean that, brother. You’re not going there. Don’t wish for that! You’ll never get back!

So what! his brother shot back. I’ll rule a planet over there – a whole planet, for god’s sake. What do I have here? A family that’s poor, and you’re both losers – you and mom. There’s nothin’ here for me … nothin’.

If you really want to trans-migrate, then you’ll need to use one of your wishes, said the creature.

But that will only leave him with one? said Ewan.

The animal didn’t move and didn’t answer.

"Fine. Then, I wish I were in your universe, said Radek. Take me there!"

As you wish, answered the animal.

Instantly, Radek and the creature vanished. Ewan stood outside their house alone. Both his brother and the creature were gone, and so was his crystal.

*****

Part IV

When Radek opened his eyes, he found himself standing just outside their white, mud home, just as he had moments before, except his brother wasn’t there. He looked around to find the strange creature that had granted him the two wishes he had used, but it too was gone.

It didn’t matter, Radek smiled and breathed deeply. He controlled the planet, he thought to himself. He was the ruler – the supreme one – and everyone had to do his bidding.

He ran down the sandy road that led into town but found no one traveling the usually heavily trodden way. As he got closer to town, there were still no signs of life.

Where is everybody? he mumbled to himself.

From there he ran back into town to find the ruler’s palace and discover all the riches and treasure waiting for him. This universe seemed to be an exact copy of the one where he lived. His house was the same; the town was the same – everything physically looked the same. Except, it appeared no one was there.

Where he came from the road to the palace was broad and lined with silver-gilded poles that held huge wreaths of flowers. But here, the poles were gray and barren – there was no lush foliage or golden decorations that the emperor of his planet had demanded be hung. And as Radek walked down the avenue, he watched as the only thing moving were billowing clouds of sand that tumbled across the road, disappearing into the vastness of the desert around him.

Along the avenue to the palace was the town square. It was there that his brother had purchased the crystal. The marketplace was there, it was true, but it was abandoned. The shops were vacant with only the tents and their empty shelves remaining. The once-colorful enclosures now flapped mournfully in the stiff winds.

Max! Where are you Max? Radek called out in frustration as he walked around the counter where the merchant in his universe had conducted business. There was no one there.

Where the hell are you? Where the hell is everyone!

Radek ran back into the street and began sprinting up and down cobbled way, trying to find someone, anyone, in town. Where is everybody? he screamed again.

It was then that the air fluttered and the clarity was filled with the body of the creature with its white, octopus-like head and big yellow eyes. There aren’t any people on this planet anymore in this universe. It’s true that it is a mirror image of yours, but this planet is what yours will look like in just one year’s time.

Then, how am I supposed to rule this planet if there aren’t any people here? asked Radek.

"You didn’t say you wanted to rule the planet or people on the planet. You said you wanted to control the planet.