Affairs of the Poliverse

By Harold King

A collection of short sci-fi stories in Harold King's Poliverse series. Among them are: The Perfect Solution, Cripples, Dark Truth, Candyman, The Triumph Token, Yummy Mummy, The Real Gold, Mouse God, The Waste Princess, The Legacy, The Fugitive Groom, Rock Music, Matt & Kayam and History.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9780244004606

Book preview

Affairs of the Poliverse

AFFAIRS OF THE POLIVERSE

A collection of short stories

by

Harold King

Copyright © 2017 by Harold King

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced

or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written

permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations

in a book review or scholarly journal.

ISBN: 978-0-244-00460-6

Publisher: Lulu.com

Table of Contents

AFFAIRS OF THE POLIVERSE

The Perfect Solution

Cripples

Dark Truth

Candyman

The Triumph Token

Yummy Mummy

The Real Gold

Mouse God

The Waste Princess

The Legacy

The Fugitive Groom

Rock Music

Matt

Kayam and History

Afterword

The Perfect Solution

I dedicate this work to the memory of Isaac Asimov.

There once lived, a few thousand billion years ago, in another Universe, a woman who was called Brixi. She therefore did not live on Earth, and her ancestors were not from Earth either. No, for she came from a planet of intelligent beings, called Runya. Among the hekirs. These beings looked just like us humans, except for a few minor differences. For example their whole body was covered in feathers, because on this planet intelligent beings evolved from large, flightless wading birds. They also had tails, though they were only a small feathered coccyx. Their eyes were large and bulging on two sides, in fact they also had a long beak like a stork.

But apart from these minor trivialities, they really were completely like us, even similar in that they had a love of children, had sex, families, raised children, although they reproduced with eggs.

Their culture had also evolved similar to ours. They had a Stone Age, Middle Age, Inquisition, cannibalism, religious wars, an atomic bomb, and all kinds of other achievements of civilization like we have, so they really can be said to be intelligent beings. Only writing had not been invented, but they had no need for this, being telepaths, because even the embryo in the egg already possessed as much as half of this capability—they couldn’t yet transmit thoughts, but they could receive them. It is not necessary to think about thought transfer as a mystical miracle, it is simply the radio waves of one of the special wavebands being able to modulate without devices.

So Brixi lived in this world, in the age of advanced technology, and her profession was quite common and understood by us: she had been working as a psychologist, at a large, thriving microelectronic company. Her work was not easy at all. Her primary duty was not looking after the mental health of the employees, but rather making sure the products were saleable. After all, business was very important in their world too, because they knew about money.

Recently video had kept the dwellers of their planet in a frenzy. Film had been known about for a long time already—each secluded village had a cinema—but their techniques had only just now entered the necessary development level so that the video player, the home cinema could be made. Huge progress! From now on, everybody could have a home cinema, take many films home, which could be watched comfortably from bed. People could create their own video library, which was such a great advancement. Up till this moment only the richest people could afford their own private cinema, but now everyone could share in this luxury.

In addition, the films would be cheap, because it was possible to produce them in large quantities. There was certainly a demand for it. So far, only as many copies were needed of one film as there were villages, at most a few more, because in some places there were several movie theaters. Now however, there would be almost as many needed as were members of the population. Incredible prospects!

There were those in cartridge manufacturing, film production who were trying to make a profit, but Brixi’s company, MicRobot, were involved in the manufacturing of video players. But here there was a great amount of competition.

On the very day when the Chief called together a meeting, the employees could already see from the droop in his tail that he was in a bad mood. Despite this he radiated such strength, as his thoughts broke out like a tennis ball bouncing back and forth around the room. Big trouble! announced the Chief in a disgruntled manner. The MacRobot company has developed a player that not only produces images onto cassettes, but also reproduces the recorded environmental noises. They have named it the new audiovisual technology. I expect a group of scientists to construct our player so that it can also do this, because MicRobot can not lag behind MacRobot. And ensure that our player is able to do more, and do it better than the MacRobot brand. Please have the proposals concerning the developing trends ready in one week. Get on with it!

It was a short, but concise meeting. Brixi had to think over all this. How could she use psychology in relation to video players to awaken the customer’s desire to buy? Not primarily concerning the advertising campaign, but the ergonomics of the device?

At the end of the week the Chief came to Brixi for her proposal. The new device was going to be smaller, more energy-efficient. A dust-repellent plastic casing would replace the existing metal case (this was also advisable as protection against electric shock). It would not only have the analogue forward and rewind buttons, but also a counter, be able to run step by step or back and forth to spin the film, and would pay particular attention to noiseless functioning, because the tape’s friction was a very annoying distraction from the enjoyment of it.

The new video was a huge smash hit. They promoted Brixi for her excellence, and she also received a salary increase. But already three months later there was trouble. Another meeting. The Chief was disheartened yet again. His tail was no longer swinging, but now he was nervously twisting at least six of his fingers in a circular motion. (The hekir race possessed such joint flexibility of their fingers that they could do this.)

That damned MacRobot has come out with remote control video! Come on, think of something as fast as possible, otherwise you will all be fired! Anyway, we will go bust if we do nothing. MacRobot will gain the entire market. Get to work!

Brixi thought it over again. Naturally a remote switch must be included with their video, but what else could be provided?

She of course came up with a solution. Following her proposal they developed a device, which was programmable by the user, a point could be set on the counter of each individual cassette, and as per the user’s wish, the device would roll the tape to that specific point with just one push of a button. The speed-reeling of the new device took place with much greater speed, so the user needed to spend less time waiting. It was smaller and cheaper too, thus everything worked out well...

For three months. Because then MacRobot came out with a new device, which could store eight cassettes at the same time, and also had a headphone output.

MicRobot responded by inventing stereo sound.

To this MacRobot enlarged the viewing screen, and somehow managed to halve the energy consumption of MicRobot’s device, therefore it became portable, although it still required quite a lot of batteries.

The Chief at MicRobot was foaming with rage. But it was fortunate that he had the brilliant Brixi working for him. Because Brixi’s lengthy investigations revealed that customers were really bothered by having to wait while they wound the tape from one spot to another, and therefore she suggested that they let go of the damned current tape technology, switching instead to magnetic tapes using magnetic disc drives. This would allow for much faster access. It is true that the current films would not yet be able to play on these devices, but the quality and the convenience would later convince the customers, and moreover, everyone would be a potential customer, also those who already have one of the older video players.

Due to the huge cost and risk, the Chief was reluctant for a long time, but when MacRobot released an even cheaper player, and was threatening to bankrupt them, he had no choice but to go ahead with it.

And what do you know... it was a success! Soon they became market leaders. Already everyone had to have the new device that resembled a CD-ROM, and the old videotape players were a thing of the past.

But MacRobot did not leave it there. They also switched to the new design. They developed the portable version, which had a much more powerful battery. However, watching a single film would drain the battery.

In response to this, MicRobot developed an apparatus that could also be used in black-and-white mode, it used less power, and a single battery would be sufficient for ten films. Though this was a failure, as nobody had any need for it—customers were used to color film. In contrast, MacRobot released a water and shock proof version: this could be watched in the bath, in fact even under the sea.

MicRobot was in trouble again. But on Brixi’s advice they developed a device which produced not only stereo sound, but also stereo image: a helmet was mounted on the head, and each eye was supplied with a slightly different image, creating a stereoscopic view. It was a great business venture, but became difficult to manage because to control it, instead of a simple off switch, it was necessary to take off the helmet. And the video watcher, who was accustomed to being able to use the device on long train and bus rides, regularly forgot to get off the vehicle on time because they couldn’t see their real environment.

MacRobot tried to remedy this problem by giving the helmet remote control, which could be attached to the belt, in fact this firm even organized courses on how to operate it blindly, without it being necessary to look at it in order to know one’s way around the number of regulator buttons and keys. Meanwhile, MicRobot had begun the development of a video helmet, which at the press of a button pauses the movie playing, and moreover, the display becomes transparent so the user can take a look at their environment, without needing to take off the helmet. Everything is about the consumers!

Then MacRobot announced in a big press conference that it is not worth buying the product of MicRobot, because they will soon put their new machine on the market, which senses the movement of the viewer’s pupils, and if they fall asleep, the video player will turn off automatically, or if the settings are properly adjusted, during sleep it will send delightful music into the ears of the user.

The Chief was again foaming with rage. And then it occurred that Brixi requested a private meeting with him. The Chief agreed to see her. He had already intended to meet with the psychologist anyway, because Brixi hadn’t come up with a new idea for months, and when she was asked by somebody, What’s been happening? she always just smiled enigmatically.

But now it seemed she had come up with a result.

I have found the perfect solution! Brixi told him gleefully.

What is this a solution to?

Well, to how we can produce the absolutely perfect video.

Let’s hear it... I’m all ears! said the Chief, and he stared fixedly at Brixi.

The video, it seems, is ever decreasing in size. It will continue to become smaller and less energy-consuming. Ultimately we need a kind of video that is cheap enough to integrate with the cartridge. So the cartridge itself must be able to be played. Moreover, the energy demand is also reducing, so theoretically the perfect video player should require zero energy.

But then this means that the video player doesn’t exist!

Exactly my point, but that’s not all. It is already discernible that more and more people are using the video helmet in public places. But together with headphones, it doesn’t disturb others. So the perfect video is one that doesn’t disturb other people, and can be heard and viewed only by its user. Besides this, it must continue to be portable. And, so as to not have to bother with any sort of buttons or other controls, the perfect version of the video should not have any of these things at all, ideally it should work with thought-control.

But we can’t produce thought-waves artificially yet!

"That’s true, but this fact is able to be ignored in the bearings of my analysis. A perfect video player can only function with thought-control! In fact, even this is not enough. To a certain extent the cartridge must anticipate our wishes: for example, the projection must stop when we look away from it. And should start again as soon as our eyes return to it. The perfect version should not require a helmet, because due to this unnecessary hindrance, travelers often forget to get off at the required moment. So it must be turned on and off every second, if we want to view it while also being aware of our environment. Additionally, following our wishes, it should function faster or slower, allow us to ignore certain parts, and be able to jump back and forth in the story. And all this without any controls."

But this is impossible!

"No, it is not! And our claims don’t end there. The perfect version can not only do these things, but it can run a personalized film. In other words, apart from the essential elements of the story, the protagonist can be a man or woman who looks just as the viewer wants them to look, even in the smallest details. For example, the person’s height or weight, the clothes they are wearing, in fact, even the environment can be personalized: the room could have the viewer’s imagined furniture... or have no furniture at all if the viewer doesn’t want to think about such things. After all, if the viewer is only curious about the conflict between characters, what right do we have to overload their nervous system with completely useless information, say, about the appearance of a city? Our slogan: Everything is about the consumer! The adaptation is the duty of the cartridge, not of the customers."

This is just a dream! spat the Chief. If we could produce such a video, or cartridges, we would be world famous, I assure you, but producing this—it’s impossible! Personalized, mind-reading videos... come on! And if it was possible, they would be incredibly expensive!

Not at all! Brixi protested. In fact, I can prove that to produce a single one of these products, in mass-production of course, it would cost less than one percent of a modern, cheap video.

Don’t joke with me! A personalized cartridge, which...

Which requires no energy, plays itself, is mind-controlled, portable, doesn’t disturb anyone...

Come on Brixi, let’s hear the basis for this, demanded the Chief. Out with it, what is the cost of all these wonderful possibilities? Because in our world, nothing comes for free!

"Simple. People can only enjoy these cartridges if they have previously attended a course, developed by me. But there is already a video course by MacRobot, about how the helmet-remote can be controlled, right? Well, I have experimented, and developed a communication system that has already been taught to a group of children, voluntary students of Psychology. The essence is, that small symbols are drawn onto white pages, this is called 'writing'… and anything can be communicated to it by thought. If we record a story with this, then all we have left to do is to bind the pages, and behold... we have the perfect video-cartridge, customized, which—thanks to the thoughts and fantasies of the reader—will adapt to them. Yes, the final version is ready...