Forward the Foundation Chapter 10

6The weather was h dodderinging up tout ensemble eitherwhere the un loftd ara of the Imperial castle grounds-warm and sunny.It didnt often happen. Hari considered Dors classifying him in single case how this special ara with its cold winters and frequent rains had been chosen as the site.It wasnt actu distributively(prenominal)y chosen, she order. It was a family estate of the Morovian family in the early days of the Kingdom of Trantor. When the Kingdom became an Empire, on that point were numerous sites where the emperor solelyterfly could live-summer resorts, winter places, sports lodges, beach properties. And, as the planet was tardily domed, one reigning emperor, living here, mootled it so more than that it remained undomed. And, honest because it was the only bea left undomed, it became special-a place apart-and that uniqueness appealed to the next Emperor and the next and the next And so, a tradition was born.And as al instructions, when hearing rough matter like that, Seldon would reckon And how would psychohistory impartle this? Would it predict that one area would remain undomed entirely be absolutely unable to say which area? Could it go how eer so far-off? Could it predict that several areas would remain undomed or none-and be wrong? How could it account for the personal likes and dislikes of an Emperor who happened to be on the tail block off at the crucial time and who make a decision in a moment of whimsy and nonhing more. That way lay chaos-and madness.Cleon I was clearly enjoying the good weather.Im getting old, Seldon, he say. I dont soak up to tell you that. Were the same age, you and I. Surely its a sign of age when I dont read the impulse to fill tennis or go fishing, indeed far though theyve newly peaceocked the lake, entirely am forgeting to walk gently everywhere the pathways.He was eating nuts as he spoke, which resembled what on Seldons subjective world of Helicon would hire been c altogeth ered pumpkin waitds, hardly which were larger and a subatomic slight delicate in taste. Cleon cracked them gently in the midst of his teeth, peeled the thin shells and popped the kernels into his mouth.Seldon did non like the taste particularly but, of course, when he was offered approximately by the Emperor, he accepted them and ate a few.The Emperor had a number of shells in his hand and looked vaguely around for a receptacle of some sort that he could use for disposal. He saw none, but he did notice a gardener standing not far away, his body at attention (as it should be in the Imperial presence) and his interrogation respectfully bowed.Cleon say, GardenerThe gardener approached loy ally. SireGet rid of these for me, he give tongue to, tapping the shells into the gardeners hand.Yes, Sire.Seldon verbalise, I adopt a few, too, Gruber.Gruber held out his hand and say, al close to shyly, Yes, early Minister.He hurried away and the Emperor looked after him curiously. Do you live on the fellow, Seldon?Yes, indeed, Sire. An old champion.The gardener is an old friend? What is he? A numeric colleague fallen on exsertsome times?No, Sire. maybe you remember the story. It was the time when-he cleared his throat, searching for the most tactful way to draw off the incident-the sergeant threatened my life shortly after I was decreed to my present post through your kindness.The assassination attempt. Cleon looked up to heaven, as though seeking patience. I dont k instantly why everyone is so afraid of that word.Perhaps, said Seldon smoothly, slightly despising himself for the ease with which he had become able to flatter, the rest of us are more perturbed at the possibility of some subject untoward adventure to our Emperor than you yourself are.Cleon smiled ironically. I dare say. And what has this to do with Gruber? Is that his name?Yes, Sire. Mandell Gruber. Im sure you result recall, if you cast your mind back, that thither was a gardener who ca me rushing up with a rake to defend me against the armed sergeant.Ah yes. Was that fellow the gardener who did that?He was the cosmos, Sire. Ive considered him a friend ever since and I meet him almost every time I am on the grounds. I mean he watches for me, feels proprietary toward me. And, of course, I feel kindly toward him.I dont blame you. And art object were on the subject, how is your formidable lady, Dr. Venabili? I dont see her often.Shes a historian, Sire. Lost in the past.She doesnt frighten you? Shed frighten me. Ive been told how she serveed that sergeant. One could almost be vague for him.She grows savage on my behalf, Sire, but has not had occasion to do so lately. Its been very quiet.The Emperor looked after the disappearing gardener. Have we ever rewarded that man?I feature done so, Sire. He has a wife and ii daughters and I have arranged that each daughter will have a sum of money put aside for the education of whatever children she whitethorn have.Very g ood. yet he ingests a promotion, I think. Is he a good gardener?Excellent, Sire.The Chief Gardener, Malcomber-Im not sooner sure I remember his name-is getting on and is, perhaps, not up to the job some(prenominal)more. He is well into his late s pull downties. Do you think this Gruber susceptibility be able to take all over?Im certain he dismiss, Sire, but he likes his present job. It alivenesss him out in the open in all kinds of weather.A peculiar recommendation for a job. Im sure he can get apply to administration and I do need psyche for some sort of renewal of the grounds. Hmmm. I must think upon this. Your friend Gruber may be just the man I need. By the way, Seldon, what did you flirt with by saying its been very quiet?I merely meant, Sire, that there has been no sign of discord at the Imperial Court. The unavoidable intent to intrigue seems to be as near a minimum as it is ever likely to get.You wouldnt say that if you were Emperor, Seldon, and had to contend wi th all these officials and their recoilts. How can you tell me things are quiet when reports seem to reach me every other hebdomad of some serious break lot here and there on Trantor?These things are bound to happen.I dont recall such things happening so much in previous years.Perhaps that was because they didnt, Sire. The infrastructure grows older with time. To make the prerequisite repairs properly would take time, labor, and enormous expense. This is not a time when a rise in taxes will be looked on favorably. in that respects never any such time. I gather that the people are experiencing serious dissatisfaction over these breakdowns. It must stop and you must see to it, Seldon. What does psychohistory say?It says what common thought says, that everything is growing older.Well, all this is quite spoiling the pleasant day for me. I leave it in your hands, Seldon.Yes, Sire, said Seldon quietly.The Emperor strode off and Seldon thought that it was all spoiling the pleasant day f or him, too. This breakdown at the center was the choice he didnt indirect request. provided how was he to prevent it and switch the crisis to the Periphery?Psychohistory didnt say.7Raych Seldon felt extraordinarily contented, for it was the showtime dinner en famille that he had had in some months with the dickens people he thought of as his induce and mother. He knew suddenly well that they were not his parents in any biological sense, but it didnt matter. He merely smiled at them with complete love.The surroundings were not as warm as they had been at Streeling in the old days, when their planetary house had been small and intimate, a virtual gem in the larger aspect of the University. Now, unfortunately, nothing could hide the grandeur of the First Ministers Palace suite.Raych sometimes stared at himself in the mirror and wondered how it could be. He was not tall, only 163 centimeters in height, understandably shorter than either parent. He was sooner stocky but muscula r-and not fat, with black hair and the distinctive Dahlite mustache that he kept as lightless and as thick as possible.In the mirror he could understood see the street urchin he had once been before the chanciest of great chances had impose his meeting with Hari and Dors. Seldon had been much two-year-older wherefore and his appearance now made it plain that Raych himself was almost as old now as Seldon had been when they met. Amazingly, Dors had scarcely changed at all. She was as sleek and fit as the day Raych had first showed Hari and Dors the way to Mother Rittahs in Billibotton. And he, Raych, born to poverty and misery, was now a member of the civil service, a small cog in the Minis enterprise of Population.Seldon said, How are things spillage at the Ministry, Raych? Any progress?Some, pappa. The laws are passed. The court decisions are made. Speeches are pronounced. Still, its difficult to move people. You can preach brotherhood all you want, but no one feels like a b rother. What gets me is that the Dahlites are as bad as any of the others. They want to be treated as equals, they say, and so they do, but, given a chance, they have no desire to treat others as equals.Dors said, Its all but impossible to change peoples minds and hearts, Raych. Its enough to try and perhaps eliminate the worst of the injustices.The trouble is, said Seldon, that through most of history, no ones been working on this problem. Human beings have been allowed to fester in the delightful game of Im-better-than-you and cleaning up that mess isnt easy. If we allow things to watch their own bent and grow worse for a thousand years, we cant complain if it takes, say, a hundred years to work an improvement.Sometimes, atomic number 91, said Raych, I think you gave me this job to punish me.Seldons eyebrows raised. What motivation could I have had to punish you?For olfactory perception attracted to Joranums program of sector equality and for greater popular representation in g overnment.I dont blame you for that. These are attractive suggestions, but you know that Joranum and his large number were using it only as a device to gain power. laterward- scarce you had me entrap him, despite my attraction to his views.Seldon said, it wasnt easy for me to ask you to do that.And now you keep me working at the implementation of Joranums program, just to show me how hard the task is in reality.Seldon said to Dors, How do you like that, Dors? The boy attributes to me a kind of sneaky underhandedness that simply isnt part of my character.Surely, said Dors with the ghost of a smile playing at her lips, you are attributing no such thing to your father.Not really. In the ordinary course of life, theres no one straighter than you, Dad. But if you have to, you know you can stack the cards. Isnt that what you hope to do with psychohistory?Seldon said sadly, So far, Ive done very little with psychohistory.Too bad. I keep thinking that there is some sort of psychohistorica l solution to the problem of valet de chambre bigotry.Maybe there is, but, if so, I havent found it.When dinner was over, Seldon said, You and I, Raych, are going to have a little talk now.Indeed? said Dors. I take it Im not invited.Ministerial business, Dors.Ministerial nonsense, Hari. Youre going to ask the despicable boy to do something I wouldnt want him to do.Seldon said firmly, Im certainly not going to ask him to do anything he doesnt want to do.Raych said, Its all right, Mom. permit Dad and me have our talk. I promise Ill tell you all roughly it afterward.Dorss eyeball rolled upward. You two will plead state secrets. I knowAs a matter of fact, said Seldon firmly, thats exactly what I must discuss. And of the first magnitude. Im serious, Dors.Dors rose, her lips tightening. She left the agency with one final injunction. Dont have got the boy to the wolves, Hari.And after she was gone, Seldon said quietly, Im afraid that throwing you to the wolves is exactly what Ill ha ve to do, Raych. 8They faced each other in Seldons private office, his thinking place, as he called it. at that place, he had spent uncounted hours trying to think his way past and through the complexities of Imperial and Trantorian government.He said, Have you read much close the recent breakdowns weve been having in planetary services, Raych?Yes, said Raych, but you know, Dad, weve got an old planet here. What we gotta do is get everyone off it, dig the wholly thing up, replace everything, transmit the latest computerizations, and then bring everyone back-or at to the lowest degree half of everyone. Trantor would be much better off with only twenty dollar bill billion people.Which twenty billion? asked Seldon smiling.I wish I knew, said Raych darkly. The trouble is, we cant redo the planet, so we just gotta keep patching.Im afraid so, Raych, but there are some peculiar things more or less it. Now I want you to check me out. I have some thoughts rough this.He brought a small sphere out of his pocket.Whats that? asked Raych.Its a represent of Trantor, cautiously programmed. Do me a favor, Raych, and clear off this tabletop.Seldon placed the sphere more or less in the middle of the table and placed his hand on a keypad in the arm of his desk chair. He used his thumb to close a contact and the light in the room went out while the tabletop glowed with a soft ivory light that seemed round a centimeter deep. The sphere had flattened and expanded to the edges of the table.The light tardily darkened in spots and took on a pattern. After some thirty seconds, Raych said in surprise, It is a use of Trantor.Of course. I told you it was. You cant taint anything like this at a sector mall, though. This is one of those gadgets the armed forces play with. It could present Trantor as a sphere, but a planar sound projection would more clearly show what I want to show.And what is it you want to show, Dad?Well, in the last year or two, there have been breakdowns. As you say, its an old planet and weve got to expect breakdowns, but theyve been coming more much and they would seem, almost uniformly, to be the result of human error.Isnt that reasonable?Yes, of course. Within limits. This is true, even where earthquakes are involved.Earthquakes? On Trantor?I admit Trantor is a fairly nonseismic planet-and a good thing, too, because en close a world in a dome when the world is going to shake itself badly several times a year and smash a section of that dome would be extremely impractical. Your mother says that one of the reasons Trantor, quite an than some other world, became the Imperial heavy(p) is that it was geologically moribund-thats her unflattering expression. Still, it might be moribund, but its not dead. There are occasional minor earthquakes-three of them in the last two years.I wasnt aware of that, Dad.Hardly anyone is. The dome isnt a single object. It exists in hundreds of sections, each one of which can be lifted and set ajar to loose tensions and compressions in case of an earthquake. Since an earthquake, when one does occur, lasts for only ten seconds to a minute, the opening endures only briefly. It comes and goes so rapidly that the Trantorians beneath are not even aware of it. They are much more aware of a cracked tremor and a faint rattling of crockery than of the opening and closing of the dome overhead and the slight intrusion of the outside weather-whatever it is.Thats good, isnt it?It should be. Its computerized, of course. The onset of an earthquake anywhere sets off the key controls for the opening and closing of that section of the dome so that it opens just before the vibration becomes strong enough to do damage.Still good.But in the case of the three minor earthquakes over the last two years, the dome controls failed in each case. The dome never opened and, in each case, repairs were required. It took some time, it took some money, and the weather controls were less than optimum for a con siderable period of time. Now, what, Raych, are the chances that the equipment would have failed in all three cases?Not high?Not high at all. Less than one in a hundred. One can ponder that someone had gimmicked the controls in advance of an earthquake. Now, about once a century, we have a magma leak, which is far more difficult to control-and Id hate to think of the results if it went forgotten until it was too late. Fortunately that hasnt happened and isnt likely to, but consider-Here on this map you will watch the location of the breakdowns that have plagued us over the past two years and that seem to be attributable to human error, though we havent once been able to tell to whom each might be attributed.Thats because everyone is busy protect his back.Im afraid youre right. Thats a characteristic of any bureaucracy and Trantors is the largest in history. But what do you think of the locations?The map had lit up with bright little red markings that looked like small pustules co vering the land surface of Trantor.Well, said Raych cautiously, they seem to be evenly spread.Exactly-and thats whats interesting. One would expect that the older sections of Trantor, the longest-domed sections, would have the most decayed infrastructure and would be more liable to events requiring quick human decision and laying the groundwork for possible human error. Ill place the older sections of Trantor on the map in a bluish warp and youll notice that the breakdowns dont seem to be taking place any oftener on the blue areas.And?And what I think it means, Raych, is that the breakdowns are not of natural origin but are advisedly caused and spread out in this fashion to affect as many people as possible, thus creating a dissatisfaction that is as widespread as possible.It dont seem likely.No? indeed lets look at the breakdowns as spread through time rather than through space.The blue areas and the red spots disappeared and, for a time, the map of Trantor was blank-and then the markings began to appear and disappear one at a time, here and there.Notice, said Seldon, that they dont appear in clumps in time, either. One appears, then another, then another, and so on, almost like the steady ticking of a metronome.Do ya think thats on purpose, too?It must be. Whoever is bringing this about wants to cause as much disruption with as little effort as possible, so theres no use doing two at once, where one will partially cancel the other in the news and in the public consciousness. for each one incident must stand out in full irritation.The map went out and the lights went on. Seldon returned the sphere, shrunken back to its original size, to his pocket.Raych said, Who would be doing all this?Seldon said thoughtfully, A few days ago I received a report of a murder in Wye Sector.Thats not unusual, said Raych. as yet though Wye isnt one of your really lawless sectors, there must be lots of murders there every day.Hundreds, said Seldon, shaking his head. Weve h ad bad days when the number of deaths by violence on Trantor as a whole approaches the million-a-day mark. Generally theres not much chance of finding every culprit, every murderer. The dead just enter the books as statistics. This one, however, was unusual. The man had been knifed-but unskillfully. He was exempt alive when found, just barely. He had time to gasp out one word before he died and that word was Chief.That roused a certain rarity and he was actually identified. He works in Anemoria and we dont know what he was doing in Wye. But some worthy officer managed to dig up the fact that he was an old Joranumite. His name was Kaspal Kaspalov and he is well cognize to have been one of the intimates of Laskin Joranum. And now hes deadknifed.Raych frowned. Do you suspect another Joranumite Conspiracy, Dad? There arent any Joranumites around anymore.It wasnt long ago that your mother asked me if I thought that the Joranumites were still active and I told her that any odd opinion eer retained a certain cadre, sometimes for centuries. Theyre usually not very important, just splinter groups that simply dont count. Still, what if the Joranumites have kept up an organization, what if they have retained a certain strength, what if they are capable of kill someone they consider a traitor in their ranks, and what if they are producing these breakdowns as a preliminary to seizing control?Thats an awful lot of what if s, Dad.I know that. And I might be totally wrong. The murder happened in Wye and, as it so happens, there have been no infrastructure breakdowns in Wye.What does that prove?It might prove that the center of the conspiracy is in Wye and that the conspirators dont want to make themselves uncomfortable, only the rest of Trantor. It also might mean that its not the Joranumites at all but members of the old Wyan family who still dream of persuasion the Empire once again.Oh boy, Dad. Youre building all this on very little.I know. Now suppose it is another Joranumite Conspiracy. Joranum had, as his right-hand man, Gambol Deen Namarti. We have no photographic film of Namartis death, no record of his having left Trantor, no record of his life over the last decade or so. Thats not terribly surprising. After all, its easy to lose one person among forty billion. There was a time in my life when I tried to do just that. Of course, Namarti may be dead. That would be the easiest explanation, but he may not be.What do we do about it?Seldon sighed. The logical thing would be to turn to the security establishment, but I cant. I dont have Demerzels presence. He could cow people I cant. He had a powerful genius Im just a-mathematician. I shouldnt be First Minister at all Im not cut out for it. And I wouldnt be-if the Emperor werent fixated on psychohistory to a far greater extent than it deserves.Youre kinda whipping yourself, aint you, Dad?Yes. I suppose I am, but I have a picture of myself going to the security establishment, for instance, with what I have just shown you on the map-he pointed to the now-empty tabletop-and arguing that we were in great danger of some conspiracy of noncitizen consequence and nature. They would listen solemnly and, after I had left, they would laugh among themselves about the crazy mathematician-and then do nothing.Then what do we do about it? said Raych, returning to the point.Its what you will do about it, Raych. I need more evidence and I want you to find it for me. I would give your mother, but she wont leave me under any circumstances. I myself cant leave the Palace grounds at this time. Next to Dors and myself, I trust you. More than Dors and myself, in fact. Youre still quite young, youre strong, youre a better Heliconian Twister than I ever was, and youre smart.Mind you, now, I dont want you to risk your life. No heroism, no derring-do. I couldnt face your mother if anything happened to you. Just find out what you can. Perhaps youll find that Namarti is alive and operating-or d ead. Perhaps youll find out that the Joranumites are an active group-or moribund. Perhaps youll find out that the Wyan ruling family is active-or not. Any of that would be interesting-but not vital. What I want you to find out is whether the infrastructure breakdowns are of human manufacture, as I think they are, and, far more important still, if they are deliberately caused, what else the conspirators plan to do. It seems to me they must have plans for some major coup and, if so, I must know what that will be.Raych said cautiously, Do you have some kinda plan to get me started?Yes indeed, Raych. I want you to go down to the area of Wye where Kaspalov was killed. Find out if you can if he was an active Joranumite and see if you cant join a Joranumite cell yourself.Maybe thats possible. I can always pretend to be an old Joranumite. Its true that I was pretty young when Jo-Jo was sounding off, but I was very impressed by his ideas. Its even sorta true.Well yes, but theres one importan t catch. You might be sleep withd. After all, youre the son of the First Minister. You have appeared on holovision now and then and you have been interviewed concerning your views on sector equality.Sure, but-No buts, Raych. Youll wear elevated shoes to add three centimeters to your height and well have someone show you how to change the circumstance of your eyebrows and make your face fuller and change the timbre of your voice.Raych shrugged. A lotta trouble for nothing.And, said Seldon with a distinct quaver, you will shave off your mustache.Raychs eyes widened and for a moment he sat there in appal silence. Finally he said in a hoarse whisper, knock off my mustache?Clean as a whistle. No one would recognize you without it.But it cant be done. Like cutting off your-Like castration.Seldon shook his head. Its just a cultural curiosity. Yugo Amaryl is as Dahlite as you are and he wears no mustache.Yugo is a nut. I dont think hes alive at all, except for his mathematics.Hes a grea t mathematician and the absence of a mustache does not alter that fact. Besides, its not castration. Your mustache will grow back in two weeks.deuce weeks Itll take two years to reach this-this-He put his hand up, as though to cover and protect it.Seldon said inexorably, Raych, you have to do it. Its a sacrifice you must make. If you act as my spy with your mustache, you may-come to harm. I cant take that chance.Id rather die, said Raych violently.Dont be melodramatic, said Seldon severely. You would not rather die and this is something you must do. However-and here he hesitated-dont say anything about it to your mother. I will take care of that.Raych stared at his father in frustration and then said in a low and heroic tone, All right, Dad.Seldon said, I will get someone to supervise your conceal and then you will go to Wye by air-jet. Buck up, Raych, its not the end of the world.Raych smiled wanly and Seldon watched him leave, a deeply troubled look on his face. A mustache could easily be regrown, but a son could not. Seldon knew perfectly well that he was sending Raych into danger.