Kitabı oku: «The Foundation Trilogy», sayfa 4

‘You can’t propose any such—’

‘There’s no necessity for looking so alarmed, Dr Pirenne. There’s plenty for all of us. If it comes to what it comes, and you co-operate, we could probably arrange it so that you lose nothing. Titles can be conferred and estates granted. You understand me, I think.’

Pirenne sneered: ‘Thanks!’

And then Hardin said ingenuously: ‘Could Anacreon supply us with adequate quantities of plutonium for our atomic-power plant? We’ve only a few years’ supply left.’

There was a gasp from Pirenne and then a dead silence for minutes. When haut Rodric spoke it was in a voice quite different from what it had been till then:

‘You have atomic power?’

‘Certainly. What’s unusual in that? I imagine atomic power is fifty thousand years old now. Why shouldn’t we have it? Except that it’s a little difficult to get plutonium.’

‘Yes … yes.’ The envoy paused and added uncomfortably: ‘Well, gentlemen, we’ll pursue the subject tomorrow. You’ll excuse me—’

Pirenne looked after him and gritted through his teeth: ‘That insufferable, dull-witted donkey! That—’

Hardin broke in: ‘Not at all. He’s merely the product of his environment. He doesn’t understand much except that “I got a gun and you ain’t”.’

Pirenne whirled on him in exasperation. ‘What in Space did you mean by the talk about military bases and tribute? Are you crazy?’

‘No. I merely gave him rope and let him talk. You’ll notice that he managed to stumble out with Anacreon’s real intentions – that is, the parcelling up of Terminus into landed estates. Of course, I don’t intend to let that happen.’

‘You don’t intend. You don’t. And who are you? And may I ask what you meant by blowing off your mouth about our atomic-power plant? Why, it’s just the thing that would make us a military target.’

‘Yes,’ grinned Hardin. ‘A military target to stay away from. Isn’t it obvious why I brought the subject up? It happened to confirm a very strong suspicion I had.’

‘And that was what?’

‘That Anacreon no longer has an atomic-power economy. If they had, our friend would undoubtedly have realized that plutonium, except in ancient tradition is not used in power plants. And therefore it follows that the rest of the Periphery no longer has atomic power either. Certainly Smyrno hasn’t, or Anacreon wouldn’t have won most of the battles in their recent war. Interesting, wouldn’t you say?’

‘Bah!’ Pirenne left in fiendish humour, and Hardin smiled gently.

He threw his cigar away and looked up at the outstretched Galaxy. ‘Back to oil and coal, are they?’ he murmured – and what the rest of his thoughts were he kept to himself.

3

When Hardin denied owning the Journal, he was perhaps technically correct, but no more. Hardin had been the leading spirit in the drive to incorporate Terminus into an autonomous municipality – he had been elected its first mayor – so it was not surprising that, though not a single share of Journal stock was in his name, some 60 per cent was controlled by him in more devious fashions.

There were ways.

Consequently, when Hardin began suggesting to Pirenne that he be allowed to attend meetings of the Board of Trustees, it was not quite coincidence that the Journal began a similar campaign. And the first mass meeting in the history of the Foundation was held, demanding representation of the City in the ‘national’ government.

And, eventually, Pirenne capitulated with ill grace.

Hardin, as he sat at the foot of the table, speculated idly as to just what it was that made physical scientists such poor administrators. It might be merely that they were too used to inflexible fact and far too unused to pliable people.

In any case, there was Tomaz Sutt and Jord Fara on his left; Lundin Crast and Yate Fulham on his right; with Pirenne, himself, presiding. He knew them all, of course, but they seemed to have put on an extra special bit of pomposity for the occasion.

Hardin half dozed through the initial formalities and then perked up when Pirenne sipped at the glass of water before him by way of preparation and said:

‘I find it very gratifying to be able to inform the Board that since our last meeting, I have received word that Lord Dorwin, Chancellor of the Empire, will arrive at Terminus in two weeks. It may be taken for granted that our relations with Anacreon will be smoothed out to our complete satisfaction as soon as the Emperor is informed of the situation.’

He smiled and addressed Hardin across the length of the table. ‘Information to this effect has been given to the Journal.’

Hardin snickered below his breath. It seemed evident that Pirenne’s desire to strut this information before him had been one reason for his admission into the sacrosanctum.

He said evenly: ‘Leaving vague expressions out of account, what do you expect Lord Dorwin to do?’

Tomaz Sutt replied. He had a bad habit of addressing one in the third person when in his more stately moods.

‘It is quite evident,’ he observed, ‘that Mayor Hardin is a professional cynic. He can scarcely fail to realize that the Emperor would be most unlikely to allow his personal rights to be infringed.’

‘Why? What would he do in case they were?’

There was an annoyed stir. Pirenne said, ‘You are out of order,’ and, as an afterthought, ‘and are making what are near-treasonable statements, besides.’

‘Am I to consider myself answered?’

‘Yes! If you have nothing further to say—’

‘Don’t jump to conclusions. I’d like to ask a question. Besides this stroke of diplomacy – which may or may not prove to mean anything – has anything concrete been done to meet the Anacreonic menace?’

Yate Fulham drew one hand along his ferocious red moustache. ‘You see a menace there, do you?’

‘Don’t you?’

‘Scarcely’ – this with indulgence. ‘The Emperor—’

‘Great Space!’ Hardin felt annoyed. ‘What is this? Every once in a while someone mentions “Emperor” or “Empire” as if it were a magic word. The Emperor is fifty thousand parsecs away, and I doubt whether he gives a damn about us. And if he does, what can he do? What there was of the imperial navy in these regions is in the hands of the four kingdoms now and Anacreon has its share. Listen, we have to fight with guns, not with words.

‘Now, get this. We’ve had two months’ grace so far, mainly because we’ve given Anacreon the idea that we’ve got atomic weapons. Well, we all know that there’s a little white lie. We’ve got atomic power, but only for commercial uses, and darn little at that. They’re going to find that out soon, and if you think they’re going to enjoy being jollied along, you’re mistaken.’

‘My dear sir—’

‘Hold on: I’m not finished.’ Hardin was warming up. He liked this. ‘It’s all very well to drag chancellors into this, but it would be much nicer to drag a few great big siege guns fitted for beautiful atomic bombs into it. We’ve lost two months, gentlemen, and we may not have another two months to lose. What do you propose to do?’

Said Lundin Crast, his long nose wrinkling angrily: ‘If you’re proposing the militarization of the Foundation, I won’t hear a word of it. It would mark our open entrance into the field of politics. We, Mr Mayor, are a scientific foundation and nothing else.’

Added Sutt: ‘He does not realize, moreover, that building armaments would mean withdrawing men – valuable men – from the Encyclopedia. That cannot be done, come what may.’

‘Very true,’ agreed Pirenne. ‘The Encyclopedia first – always.’

Hardin groaned in spirit. The Board seemed to suffer violently from Encyclopedia on the brain.

He said icily: ‘Has it ever occurred to this Board that it is barely possible that Terminus may have interests other than the Encyclopedia?’

Pirenne replied: ‘I do not conceive, Hardin, that the Foundation can have any interest other than the Encyclopedia.’

‘I didn’t say the Foundation; I said Terminus. I’m afraid you don’t understand the situation. There’s a good million of us here on Terminus, and not more than a hundred and fifty thousand are working directly on the Encyclopedia. To the rest of us, this is home. We were born here. We’re living here. Compared with our farms and our homes and our factories, the Encyclopedia means little to us. We want them protected—’

He was shouted down.

‘The Encyclopedia first,’ ground out Crast. ‘We have a mission to fulfil.’

‘Mission, hell,’ shouted Hardin. ‘That might have been true fifty years ago. But this is a new generation.’

‘That has nothing to do with it,’ replied Pirenne. ‘We are scientists.’

And Hardin leaped through the opening. ‘Are you, though? That’s a nice hallucination, isn’t it? Your bunch here is a perfect example of what’s been wrong with the entire Galaxy for thousands of years. What kind of science is it to be stuck out here for centuries classifying the work of scientists of the last millennium? Have you ever thought of working onward, extending their knowledge and improving upon it? No! You’re quite happy to stagnate. The whole Galaxy is, and has been for Space knows how long. That’s why the Periphery is revolting; that’s why communications are breaking down; that’s why petty wars are becoming eternal; that’s why whole systems are losing atomic power and going back to barbarous techniques of chemical power.

‘If you ask me,’ he cried, ‘the Galaxy is going to pot!’

He paused and dropped into his chair to catch his breath, paying no attention to the two or three that were attempting simultaneously to answer him.

Crast got the floor. ‘I don’t know what you’re trying to gain by your hysterical statements, Mr Mayor. Certainly, you are adding nothing constructive to the discussion. I move, Mr Chairman, that the speaker’s remarks be placed out of order and the discussion be resumed from the point where it was interrupted.’

Jord Fara bestirred himself for the first time. Up to this point Fara had taken no part in the argument even at its hottest. But now his ponderous voice, every bit as ponderous as his three-hundred-pound body, burst its bass way out.

‘Haven’t we forgotten something, gentlemen?’

‘What?’ asked Pirenne, peevishly.

‘That in a month we celebrate our fiftieth anniversary.’ Fara had a trick of uttering the most obvious platitudes with great profundity.

‘What of it?’

‘And on that anniversary,’ continued Fara, placidly, ‘Hari Seldon’s Vault will open. Have you ever considered what might be in the Vault?’

‘I don’t know. Routine matters. A stock speech of congratulations, perhaps. I don’t think any significance need be placed on the Vault – though the Journal’ – and he glared at Hardin, who grinned back – ‘did try to make an issue of it. I put a stop to that.’

‘Ah,’ said Fara, ‘but perhaps you are wrong. Doesn’t it strike you’ – he paused and put a finger to his round little nose – ‘that the Vault is opening at a very convenient time?’

‘Very inconvenient time, you mean,’ muttered Fulham. ‘We’ve got some other things to worry about.’

‘Other things more important than a message from Hari Seldon? I think not.’ Fara was growing more pontifical than ever, and Hardin eyed him thoughtfully. What was he getting at?

‘In fact,’ said Fara, happily, ‘you all seem to forget that Seldon was the greatest psychologist of our time and that he was the founder of our Foundation. It seems reasonable to assume that he used his science to determine the probable course of the history of the immediate future. If he did, as seems likely, I repeat, he would certainly have managed to find a way to warn us of danger and, perhaps, to point out a solution. The Encyclopedia was very dear to his heart, you know.’

An aura of puzzled doubt prevailed. Pirenne hemmed. ‘Well, now, I don’t know. Psychology is a great science, but – there are no psychologists among us at the moment, I believe. It seems to me we’re on uncertain ground.’

Fara turned to Hardin. ‘Didn’t you study psychology under Alurin?’

Hardin answered, half in reverie: ‘Yes, I never completed my studies, though. I got tired of theory. I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing – I went into politics. It’s practically the same thing.’

‘Well, what do you think of the Vault?’

And Hardin replied cautiously, ‘I don’t know.’

He did not say a word for the remainder of the meeting – even though it got back to the subject of the Chancellor of the Empire.

In fact, he didn’t even listen. He’d been put on a new track and things were falling into place – just a little. Little angles were fitting together – one or two.

And psychology was the key. He was sure of that.

He was trying desperately to remember the psychological theory he had once learned – and from it he got one thing right at the start.

A great psychologist such as Seldon could unravel human emotions and human reactions sufficiently to be able to predict broadly the historical sweep of the future.

And that meant – hm-m-m!

4

Lord Dorwin took snuff. He also had long hair, curled intricately and, quite obviously, artificially, to which were added a pair of fluffy, blond sideburns, which he fondled affectionately. Then, too, he spoke in overprecise statements and left out all the r’s.

At the moment, Hardin had no time to think of more of the reasons for the instant detestation in which he had held the noble chancellor. Oh, yes, the elegant gestures of one hand with which he accompanied his remarks and the studied condescension with which he accompanied even a simple affirmative.

But, at any rate, the problem now was to locate him. He had disappeared with Pirenne half an hour before – passed clean out of sight, blast him.

Hardin was quite sure that his own absence during the preliminary discussions would quite suit Pirenne.

But Pirenne had been seen in this wing and on this floor. It was simply a matter of trying every door. Half-way down, he said, ‘Ah!’ and stepped into the darkened room. The profile of Lord Dorwin’s intricate hair-do was unmistakable against the lighted screen.

Lord Dorwin looked up, and said: ‘Ah, Hahdin. You ah looking foah us, no doubt?’ He held out his snuff-box – over-adorned and poor workmanship at that, noted Hardin – and was politely refused whereat he helped himself to a pinch and smiled graciously.

Pirenne scowled and Hardin met that with an expression of blank indifference.

The only sound to break the short silence that followed was the clicking of the lid of Lord Dorwin’s snuff-box. And then he put it away and said:

‘A gweat achievement, this Encyclopedia of yoahs, Hahdin. A feat, indeed, to rank with the most majestic accomplishments of all time.’

‘Most of us think so, milord. It’s an accomplishment not quite accomplished as yet, however.’

‘Fwom the little I have seen of the efficiency of yoah Foundation, I have no feahs on that scoah.’ And he nodded to Pirenne, who responded with a delighted bow.

Quite a love feast, thought Hardin. ‘I wasn’t complaining about the lack of efficiency, milord, as much as of the definite excess of efficiency on the part of the Anacreonians – though in another and more destructive direction.’

‘Ah, yes, Anacweon.’ A negligent wave of the hand. ‘I have just come from theah. Most bahbawous planet. It is thowoughly inconceivable that human beings could live heah in the Periphewy. The lack of the most elementawy wequiahments of a cultuahed gentleman; the absence of the most fundamental necessities foah comfoht and convenience – the uttah desuetude into which they—’

Hardin interrupted dryly: ‘The Anacreonians, unfortunately, have all the elementary requirements for warfare and all the fundamental necessities for destruction.’

‘Quite, quite.’ Lord Dorwin seemed annoyed, perhaps at being stopped midway in his sentence. ‘But we ahn’t to discuss business now, y’know. Weally, I’m othahwise concuhned. Doctah Piwenne, ahn’t you going to show me the second volume? Do, please.’

The lights clicked out and for the next half-hour Hardin might as well have been on Anacreon for all the attention they paid him. The book upon the screen made little sense to him, nor did he trouble to make the attempt to follow, but Lord Dorwin became quite humanly excited at times. Hardin noticed that during these moments of excitement the chancellor pronounced his r’s.

When the lights went on again, Lord Dorwin said: ‘Mahvelous. Twuly mahvelous. You ah not, by chance, intewested in ahchaeology, ah you, Hahdin?’

‘Eh?’ Hardin shook himself out of an abstracted reverie. ‘No, milord, can’t say I am. I’m a psychologist by original intention and a politician by final decision.’

‘Ah! No doubt intewesting studies. I, myself, y’know’ – he helped himself to a giant pinch of snuff – ‘dabble in ahchaeology.’

‘Indeed?’

‘His lordship,’ interrupted Pirenne, ‘is most thoroughly acquainted with the field.’

‘Well, p’haps I am, p’haps I am,’ said his lordship complacently. ‘I have done an awful amount of wouk in the science. Extwemely well-wead, in fact. I’ve gone thwough all of Jawdun, Obijasi, Kwomill … oh, all of them y’know.’

‘I’ve heard of them, of course,’ said Hardin, ‘but I’ve never read them.’

‘You should some day, my deah fellow. It would amply repay you. Why, I cutainly considah it well wuhth the twip heah to the Pewiphewy to see this copy of Lameth. Would you believe it, my libwawy totally lacks a copy. By the way, Doctah Piwenne, you have not fohgotten yoah pwomise to twans-develop a copy foah me befoah I leave?’

‘Only too pleased.’

‘Lameth, you must know,’ continued the chancellor, pontifically, ‘pwesents a new and most intewesting addition to my pwevious knowledge of the “Owigin Question”.’

‘Which question?’ asked Hardin.

‘The “Owigin Question”. The place of the owigin of the human species, y’know. Suahly you must know that it is thought that owiginally the human wace occupied only one planetawy system.’

‘Well, yes, I know that.’

‘Of cohse, no one knows exactly which system it is – lost in the mists of atiquity. Theah ah theawies, howevah, Siwius, some say. Othahs insist on Alpha Centauwi, oah on Sol, oah on 61 Cyngi – all in the Siwius sectah, you see.’

‘And what does Lameth say?’

‘Well, he goes off along a new twail completely. He twies to show that ahchaeological wemains on the thuhd planet of the Ahctuwian System show that humanity existed theah befoah theah wah any indications of space-twavel.’

‘And that means it was humanity’s birth planet?’

‘P’haps. I must wead it closely and wigh the evidence befoah I can say foah cuhtain. One must see just how weliable his obsuhvations ah.’

Hardin remained silent for a short while. Then he said, ‘When did Lameth write his book?’

‘Oh – I should say about eight hundwed yeahs ago. Of cohse, he has based it lahgely on the pwevious wuhk of Gleen.’

‘Then why rely on him? Why not go to Arcturus and study the remains for yourself?’

Lord Dorwin raised his eyebrows and took a pinch of snuff hurriedly. ‘Why, whatevah foah, my deah fellow?’

‘To get the information first hand, of course.’

‘But wheah’s the necessity? It seems an uncommonly wound-about and hopelessly wigmawolish method of getting anyweahs. Look heah, now, I’ve got the wuhks of all the old mastahs – the gweat ahchaeologists of the past. I wigh them against each othah – balance the disagweements – analyse the conflicting statements – decide which is pwobably cowwect – and come to a conclusion. That is the scientific method. At least’ – patronizingly – ‘as I see it. How insuffewably cwude it would be to go to Ahctuwus, oah to Sol, foah instance, and blundah about, when the old mastahs have covahed the gwounds so much moah effectively than we could possibly hope to do.’

Hardin murmured politely, ‘I see.’

Scientific method, hell! No wonder the Galaxy was going to pot.

‘Come, milord,’ said Pirenne, ‘I think we had better be returning.’

‘Ah, yes. P’haps we had.’

As they left the room, Hardin said suddenly, ‘Milord, may I ask a question?’

Lord Dorwin smiled blandly and emphasized his answer with a gracious flutter of the hand. ‘Cuhtainly, my deah fellow. Only too happy to be of suhvice. If I can help you in any way fwom my pooah stoah of knowledge—’

‘It isn’t exactly about archaeology, milord.’

‘No?’

‘No. It’s this: last year we received news here in Terminus about the explosion of a power plant on Planet V of Gamma Andromeda. We got the barest outline of the accident – no details at all. I wonder if you could tell me exactly what happened.’

Pirenne’s mouth twisted. ‘I wonder you annoy his lordship with questions on totally irrelevant subjects.’

‘Not at all, Doctah Piwenne,’ interceded the chancellor. ‘It is quite all wight. Theah isn’t much to say concuhning it in any case. The powah plant did explode and it was quite a catastwophe, y’know. I believe sevewal million people wah killed and at least half the planet was simply laid in wuins. Weally, the govuhnment is sewiously considewing placing seveah westwictions upon the indiscwiminate use of atomic powah – though that is not a thing for general publication, y’know.’

‘I understand,’ said Hardin. ‘But what was wrong with the plant?’

‘Well, weally,’ replied Lord Dorwin indifferently, ‘who knows? It had bwoken down some yeahs pweviously and it is thought that the weplacements and wepaiah wuhk wuh most infewiah. It is so difficult these days to find men who weally undahstand the moah technical details of ouah powah systems.’ And he took a sorrowful pinch of snuff.

‘You realize,’ said Hardin, ‘that the independent kingdoms of the Periphery have lost atomic power altogether?’

‘Have they? I’m not at all suhpwised. Bahbawous planets— Oh, but my deah fellow, don’t call them independent. They ahn’t y’know. The tweaties we’ve made with them ah pwoof positive of that. They acknowledge the soveweignty of the Empewah. They’d have to, of cohse, oah we wouldn’t tweat with them.’

‘That may be so, but they have considerable freedom of action.’

‘Yes, I suppose so. Considewable. But that scahcely mattahs. The Empiah is fah bettah off, with the Pewiphewy twown upon its own wesoahces – as it is, moah oah less. They ahn’t any good to us, y’know. Most bahbawous planets. Scahcely civilized.’

‘They were civilized in the past. Anacreon was one of the richest of the outlying provinces. I understand it compared favourably with Vega itself.’

‘Oh, but, Hahdin, that was centuwies ago. You can scahcely dwaw conclusions fwom that. Things wah diffewent in the old gweat days. We ahn’t the men we used to be, y’know. But, Hahdin, come, you ah a most puhsistent chap. I’ve told you I simply won’t discuss business today. Doctah Piwenne did pwepayah me foah you. He told me you would twy to badgah me, but I’m fah too old a hand foah that. Leave it foah next day.’

And that was that.