Asimov’s Future History Volume 14
Page 64
“And now, Seldon” he said, waving all the others away, “the tennis court is as private a place as we can find and the weather is glorious, so let us not go indoors. I have read the Mycogenian message of this Sunmaster Fourteen. Will it do?”
“Entirely, Sire. As you have read, Joranum was denounced as a Mycogenian Breakaway and is accused of blasphemy in the strongest terms.”
“And does that finish him?”
“It diminishes his importance fatally, Sire. There are few who accept the mad story of the First Minister’s robothood now. Furthermore, Joranum is revealed as a liar and a poseur and, worse, one who was caught at it.”
“Caught at it, yes,” said Cleon thoughtfully. “You mean that merely to be underhanded is to be sly and that may be admirable, while to be caught is to be stupid and that is never admirable.”
“You put it succinctly, Sire.”
“Then Joranum is no longer a danger.”
“We can’t be certain of that, Sire. He may recover, even now. He still has an organization and some of his followers will remain loyal. History yields examples of men and women who have come back after disasters as great as this one–or greater.”
“In that case, let us execute him, Seldon.”
Seldon shook his head. “That would be inadvisable, Sire. You would not want to create a martyr or to make yourself appear to be a despot.”
Cleon frowned. “Now you sound like Demerzel. Whenever I wish to take forceful action, he mutters the word ‘despot.’ There have been Emperors before me who have taken forceful action and who have been admired as a result and have been considered strong and decisive.”
“Undoubtedly, Sire, but we live in troubled times. Nor is execution necessary. You can accomplish your purpose in a way that will make you seem enlightened and benevolent.”
“Seem enlightened?”
“Be enlightened, Sire. I misspoke. To execute Joranum would be to take revenge, which might be regarded as ignoble. As Emperor, however, you have a kindly–even paternal–attitude toward the beliefs of all your people. You make no distinctions, for you are the Emperor of all alike.”
“What is it you’re saying?”
“I mean, Sire, that Joranum has offended the sensibilities of the Mycogenians and you are horrified at his sacrilege, he having been born one of them. What better can you do but hand Joranum over to the Mycogenians and allow them to take care of him? You will be applauded for your proper Imperial concern.”
“And the Mycogenians will execute him, then?”
“They may, Sire. Their laws against blasphemy are excessively severe. At best, they will imprison him for life at hard labor.”
Cleon smiled. “Very good. I get the credit for humanity and tolerance and they do the dirty work.”
“They would, Sire, if you actually handed Joranum over to them. That would, however, still create a martyr.”
“Now you confuse me. What would you have me do?”
“Give Joranum the choice. Say that your regard for the welfare of all the people in your Empire urges you to hand him over to the Mycogenians for trial but that your humanity fears the Mycogenians may be too severe. Therefore, as an alternative, he may choose to be banished to Nishaya, the small and secluded world from which he claimed to have come, to live the rest of his life in obscurity and peace. You’ll see to it that he’s kept under guard, of course.”
“And that will take care of things?”
“Certainly. Joranum would be committing virtual suicide if he chose to be returned to Mycogen–and he doesn’t strike me as the suicidal type. He will certainly choose Nishaya, and though that is the sensible course of action, it is also an unheroic one. As a refugee in Nishaya, he can scarcely lead any movement designed to take over the Empire. His following is sure to disintegrate. They could follow a martyr with holy zeal, but it would be difficult, indeed, to follow a coward.”
“Astonishing! How did you manage all this, Seldon?” There was a distinct note of admiration in Cleon’s voice.
Seldon said, “Well, it seemed reasonable to suppose–”
“Never mind,” said Cleon abruptly. “I don’t suppose you’ll tell me the truth or that I would understand you if you did, but I’ll tell you this much. Demerzel is leaving office. This last crisis has proved to be too much for him and I agree with him that it is time for him to retire. But I can’t do without a First Minister and, from this moment onward, you are he.”
“Sire! “exclaimed Seldon in mingled astonishment and horror.
“First Minister Hari Seldon.” said Cleon calmly. “The Emperor wishes it.”
25.
“Don’t be alarmed,” said Demerzel. “It was my suggestion. I’ve been here too long and the succession of crises has reached the point where the consideration of the Three Laws paralyzes me. You are the logical successor.”
“I am not the logical successor,” said Seldon hotly. “What do I know about running an Empire? The Emperor is foolish enough to believe that I solved this crisis by psychohistory. Of course I didn’t.”
“That doesn’t matter, Hari. If he believes you have the psychohistorical answer, he will follow you eagerly and that will make you a Good First Minister.”
“He may follow me straight into destruction.”
“I feel that your good sense–or intuition–will keep you on target... with or without psychohistory.”
“But what will I do without you–Daneel?”
“Thank you for calling me that. I am Demerzel no more, only Daneel. As to what you will do without me–Suppose you try to put into practice some of Joranum’s ideas of equality and social justice? He may not have meant them–he may have used them only as ways of capturing allegiance–but they are not bad ideas in themselves. And find ways of having Raych help you in that. He clung to you against his own attraction to Joranum’s ideas and he must feel torn and half a traitor. Show him he isn’t. In addition, you can work all the harder on psychohistory, for the Emperor will be there with you, heart and soul.”
“But what will you do, Daneel?”
“I have other things in the Galaxy to which I must attend. There is still the Zeroth Law and I must labor for the good of humanity, insofar as I can determine what that might be. And, Hari–”
“Yes, Daneel.”
“You still, have Dors.”
Seldon nodded. “Yes, I still have Dors.” He paused for a moment before grasping Daneel’s firm hand with his own. “Good-bye, Daneel.”
“Good-bye, Hari,” Daneel replied.
And with that, the robot turned, his heavy First Minister’s robe rustling as he walked away, head up, back ramrod straight, along the Palace hallway.
Seldon stood there for a few minutes after Daneel had gone, lost in thought. Suddenly he began moving in the direction of the First Minister’s apartment. Seldon had one more thing to tell Daneel–the most important thing of all.
Seldon hesitated in the softly lit hallway before entering. But the room was empty. The dark robe was draped over a chair. The First Minister’s chambers echoed Hari’s last words to the robot: “Good-bye, my friend.” Eto Demerzel was gone; R. Daneel Olivaw had vanished.
Sources of Dates
(For Volume 14)
AD =Anno Domini
GE =Galactic Era
FE =Foundational Era
Pebble in the Sky Stated in the novel.
“Blind Alley” Stated in the story.
Prelude to Foundation Stated in the novel.
“Eto Demerzel” Eight years after Prelude to Foundaton
Table of Contents
Title page
Copyright
Table of Contents
Pebble in the Sky
Thirteen: Spider Web at Washenn
Fourteen: Second Meeting
Fifteen: The Odds that Vanished
Sixteen: Choose Your Side!
Seventeen: Change Your Side!
Eighteen: Duel!
Nineteen: The Deadline th
at Approached
Twenty: The Deadline that was Reached
Twenty-One: The Deadline that Passed
Twenty-Two: The Best is Yet to Be
Blind Alley
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Prelude to Foundation
Mathematician
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Flight
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
University
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Library
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Upperside
21.
22.
23.
24.
Rescue
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
Mycogen
31.
32.
33.
34.
Sunmaster
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
Microfarm
41.
42.
43.
44.
Book
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
Sacratorium
50.
52.
53.
54.
55.
Aerie
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
Heatsink
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
Billibotton
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
Undercover
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
Officers
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
Wye
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
Overthrow
87.
88.
89.
90.
Dors
91.
92.
93.
94.
Eto Demerzel
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
Sources of Dates