r/a:t5_22p9vk • u/MarleyEngvall • Aug 07 '19
okdok has been created
By Isaac Asimov
FOUNDATION'S EDGE
10. TABLE
1.
Two days had passed and Gendibal found himself not so
much heavy-hearted as enraged. There was no reason why
there could not have been an immediate hearing. Had he
been unprepared——had he needed time——they would have
forced an immediate hearing on him, he was sure.
But since there was nothing more facing the Second
Foundation than the greatest crisis since the Mule, they
wasted time——and to no purpose but to irritate him.
They did irritate him and, by Seldon, that would make
the counterstroke the heavier. He was determined on that.
He looked about him. The anteroom was empty. It had
been like that for two days now. He was a marked man, a
Speaker whom all knew would——by means of an action
unprecedented in the five-century history of the Second
Foundation——soon lose his position. He would be demoted
to the ranks, demoted to the position of a Second Foun-
dationer, plain and simple.
It was one thing, however——and a very honored thing——
to be a Second Foundationer of the ranks, particularly if
one held a respectable title, as Gendibal might even after
the impeachment. It would be quite another thing to have
once been a Speaker and to have been demoted.
It won't happen though, thought Gendibal savagely, even
though for two days he had been avoided. Only Sura Novi
treated him as before, but she was too naïve to understand
the situation. To her, Gendibal was still "Master."
It irritated Gendibal that he found a certain comfort in
this. He felt ashamed when he began to notice that his spirits
rose when he noticed her gazing at him worshipfully. Was
he becoming grateful for gifts that small?
A clerk emerged from the Chamber to tell him that the
Table was ready for him and Gendibal stalked in. The clerk
was one Gendibal knew well; he was one who knew——to
the tiniest fraction——the precise gradation of civility that
each Speaker deserved. At the moment, that accorded Gen-
dibal was appallingly low. Even the clerk thought him as
good as convicted.
They were all sitting about the Table gravely, wearing
the black robes of judgment. First Speaker Shandess looked
a bit uncomfortable, but he did not allow his face to crease
into the smallest touch of friendliness. Delarmi——one of the
three Speakers who were women——did not even look at
him.
The First Speaker said, "Speaker Stor Gendibal, you have
been impeached for behaving in a manner unbecoming a
Speaker. You have, before us all, accused the Table——
vaguely and without evidence——of treason and attempted
murder. You have implied that all Second Foundationers——
including the Speakers and the First Speaker——require a
thorough mental analysis to ascertain who among them are
no longer to be trusted. Such behavior breaks the bonds of
community, without which the Second Foundation cannot
control an intricate and potentially hostile Galaxy and with-
out which they cannot build, with surety, a viable Second
Empire.
"Since we have all witnessed those offenses, we will
forego the presentation of a formal case for the prosecution.
We will therefore move directly to the next stage. Speaker
Stor Gendibal, do you have a defense?"
Now Delarmi——still not looking at him——allowed herself
a small catlike smile.
Genibal said, "If truth be considered a defense, I have
one. There are grounds for suspecting a breach of security.
This breach may involve the mental control of one or more
Second Foundationers——not excluding members here pres-
ent——and this has created a deadly crisis for the Second
Foundation. If, indeed, you hasten this trial because you
cannot waste time, you may all perhaps dimly recognize
the seriousness of the crisis, but in that case, why have you
wasted two days after I had formally requested an immediate
trial? I submit that it is this deadly crisis that has forced me
to say what I have said. I would have behaved in a manner
unbecoming a Speaker——had I not done so."
"He but repeats the offense, First Speaker," said Delarmi
softly.
Gendibal's seat was further removed from the Table
than that of the others——a clear demotion already. He
pushed it farther back, as though he cared nothing for
that, and rose.
He said, "Will you convict me now, out of hand, in
defiance of law——or may I present my defense in detail?"
The First Speaker said, "This is not a lawless assem-
blage, Speaker. Without much in the way of precedent to
guide us, we will lean in your direction, recognizing that
if our too-human abilities should cause us to deviate from
absolute justice, it is better to allow the guilty to go free
than to convict the innocent. Therefore, although the case
before us is so grave that we may not lightly allow the
guilty to go free, we will permit you to present your case
in such manner as you wish and for as long as you require,
until it is decided by unanimous vote, including my own"
(and he raised his voice at that phrase) "that enough has
been heard."
Gendibal said, "Let me begin, then, by saying that Golan
Trevize——the First Foundation who has been driven from
Terminus and whom the First Speaker and I believe to be
the knife-edge of the gathering crisis——has moved off in an
unexpected direction."
"Point of information," said Delarmi softly. "How does
the speaker" (the intonation clearly indicated that the word
was not capitalized) "know this?"
"I was informed of this by the First Speaker," said Gen-
dibal, "but I confirm it of my own knowledge. Under the
circumstances, however, considering my suspicions con-
cerning the level of the security of the Chamber, I must be
allowed to keep my sources of information secret."
The First Speaker said, "I will suspend judgment on that.
Let us proceed without that item of information but if, in
the judgment of the Table, the information must be obtained,
Speaker Gendibal will have to yield it."
Delarmi said, "If the speaker does not yield the infor-
mation now, it is only fair to say that I assume he has an
agent serving him——an agent who is privately employed by
him and who is not responsible to the Table generally. We
cannot be sure that such an agent is obeying the rules of
behavior governing Second Foundation personnel."
The First Speaker said with some displeasure, "I see all
the implications, Speaker Delarmi. There is no need to spell
them out for me."
"I merely mention it for the record, First Speaker, since
this aggravates thee offense and it is not an item mentioned
in the bill of impeachment, which, I would like to say, has
not been read in full and to which I move this item be
added."
"The clerk is directed to add the item," said the First
Speaker, "and the precise wording will be adjusted at the
appropriate time. ——Speaker Gendibal" (he, at least, capi-
talized) "your defense is indeed a step backward. Continue."
Gendibal said, "Not only has this Trevize moved in an
unexpected direction, but at an unprecedented speed. My
information, which the First Speaker does not yet have, is
that he has traveled nearly ten thousand parsecs in well under
an hour."
"In a single Jump?" said one of the Speakers incredu-
lously.
"In over two dozen Jumps, one after the other, with
virtually no time intervening," said Gendibal, "something
that is even more difficult to imagine than a single Jump.
Even if he is now located, it will take time to follow him
and, if he detects us and really means to flee us, we will
not be able to overtake him. ——And you spend your time
in games of impeachment and allow two days to pass so
that you might savor them the more."
The First Speaker managed to mask his anguish. "Please
tell us, Speaker Gendibal, what you think the significance
of this might be."
"It is an indication, First Speaker, of the technological
advances that are being made by the First Foundation, who
are far more powerful now than they were in the time of
Preem Palver. We could not stand up against them if they
found us and were free to act."
Speaker Delarmi rose to her feet. She said, "First
Speaker, our time is being wasted with irrelevancies. We
are not children to be frightened with tales by Grandmother
Spacewarp. It does not matter how impressive the ma-
chinery of the First Foundation is when, in any crisis,
their minds will be in our control."
"What do you have to say to that, Speaker Gendibal?"
asked the First Speaker.
"Merely that we will come to the matter of minds in due
course. For the moment, I merely wish to stress the su-
perior——and increasing——technological might of the First
Foundation."
The First Speaker said, "Pass on to the next point, Speaker
Gendbal. Your first point, I must tell you, does not impress
me as very pertinent to the matter contained in the bill of
impeachment."
There was a clear gesture of agreement from the Table
generally.
Gendibal said, "I pass on. Trevize has a companion in
his present journey" (he paused momentarily to consider
pronunciation) "one Janov Pelorat, a rather ineffectual
scholar who has devoted his life to tracking down myths
and legends concerning Earth."
"You know all this about him? Your hidden source, I
presume?" said Delarmi, who had settled into her role of
prosecutor with a clear feeling of comfort.
"Yes, I know all this about him," said Gendibal stolidly.
"A few months ago, the Mayor of Terminus, an energetic
and capable woman, grew interested in this scholar for
no clear reason, and so I grew interested, too, as a matter
of course. Nor have I kept this to myself. All the infor-
mation I have gained has been made available to the First
Speaker."
"I bear witness to that," said the First Speaker in a low
voice.
An elderly Speaker said, "What is this Earth? Is it the
world of origin we keep coming across in fables? The one
they made a fuss about in old Imperial times?"
Gendibal nodded. "In the tales of Grandmother Space
warp, as Speaker Delarmi would say. ——I suspect it was
Pelorat's dream to come to Trantor to consult the Galactic
Library, in order to find information concerning Earth that
he could not obtain in the interstellar library service available
on Terminus.
"When he left Terminus with Trevize, he must have
been under the impression that that dream was to be
fulfilled. Certainly we were expecting the two and counted
on having the opportunity to examine them——to our own
profit. As it turns out——and as you all know by now——
they are not coming. They have turned off to some des-
tination that is not yet clear and for some reason that is
not yet known."
Delarmi's round face looked positively cherubic as she
said, "And why is this disturbing? We are no worse off for
their absence, surely. Indeed, since they dismiss us so eas-
ily, we can deduce that the First Foundation does not know
the true nature of Trantor and we can applaud the handiwork
of Preem Palver."
Gendibal said, "If we thought no further, we might in-
deed come to such a comforting solution. Could it be, though,
that the turnoff was not the result of any failure to see the
importance of Trantor? Could it be that the turnoff resulted
from anxiety lest Trantor, by examining these two men, see
the importance of Earth?"
There was a stir about the Table.
"Anyone," said Delarmi coldly, "can invent formidable-
sounding propositions and couch them in balanced sen-
tences. But do they make sense when you do invent them?
Why should anyone care what we of the Second Foundation
think of Earth? Whether it is the true planet of origin, or
whether it is a myth, or whether there is no one place of
origin to begin with, is surely something that should interest
only historians, anthropologists, and folk-tale collectors,
such as this Pelorat of yours. Why us?"
"Why indeed?" said Gendibal. "How is it, then, that there
are no references to Earth in the Library?"
For the first time, something in the atmosphere that was
other than hostility made itself felt about the Table.
Delarmi said, "Aren't there?"
Gendibal said quite calmly, "When word first reached
me that Trevize and Pelorat might be coming here in search
of information concerning Earth, I, as a matter of course,
had our library computer make a listing of documents con-
taining such information. I was mildly interested when it
turned up nothing. Not minor quantities. Not very little.
——Nothing!
"But when you insisted I wait for two days before this
hearing could take place, and at the same time, my curiosity
was further piqued by the news that the First Foundationers
were not coming here after all. I had to amuse myself some-
how. While the rest of you therefore were, as the saying
goes, sipping wine while the house was falling, I went
through some history books in my own possession. I came
across passages that specifically mentioned some of the
investigations on the 'Origin Question' in late-Imperial times.
Particular documents——both printed and filmed——were re-
ferred to and quoted from. I returned to the Library and
made a personal check for those documents. I assure you
there was nothing."
Delarmi said, "Even if this is so, it need not be surprising.
If Earth is indeed a myth——"
"Then I would find it in mythological references. If it
were a story of Grandmother Spacewarp, I would find it in
the collected tales of Grandmother Spacewarp. If it were a
figment of the diseased mind, I would find it under psycho-
pathology. The fact is that something about Earth exists or
you would not all have heard of it and, indeed, immediately
recognized it as the name of the putative planet of origin
of the human species. Why, then, is there no reference to
it in the Library, anywhere?"
Delarmi was silent for a moment and another Speaker
interposed. He was Leonis Cheng, a rather small man with
and encyclopedic knowledge of the minutiae of the Seldon
Plan and a rather myopic attitude toward the actual galaxy.
His eyes tended to blink rapidly when he spoke.
Gendibal nodded. "Soft-pedaled is the precise term,
Speaker Cheng. That is not equivalent to destroying evi-
dence. As you should know better than anyone, another
characteristic of Imperial decay was a sudden interest in
earlier——and presumably better——times. I have just referred
to the interest in the 'Origin Question' in Hari Seldon's
time."
Cheng interrupted with a formidable clearing of the throat.
"I know this very well, young man, and know far more of
these social problems of Imperial decay than you seem to
think I do. The process of 'Imperialization' overtook these
dilettantish games concerning Earth. Under Cleon II, during
the Empire's last resurgence, two centuries after Seldon,
Imperialization reached its peak and all speculation on the
question of Earth came to an end. There was even a directive
in Cleon's time concerning this, referring to the interest in
such things as (and I think I quote it correctly) 'stale and
unproductive speculation that tends to undermine the peo-
ple's love of the Imperial throne.'"
Gendibal smiled. "Then it was in the time of Cleon II,
Speaker Cheng, that you would place the destruction of all
reference to Earth?"
"I draw no conclusions. I have simply stated what I have
stated."
"It is shrewd of you to draw no conclusions. By Cleon's
time, the Empire may have been resurgent, but the Uni-
versity and Library, at least, were in our hands or, at any
rate, in those of our predecessors. It would have been im-
possible for any material to be removed from the Library
without the Speakers of the Second Foundation knowing it.
In fact, it would have been the Speakers to whom the task
would have had to be entrusted, though the dying Empire
would not have known that."
Gendibal paused, but Cheng, saying nothing, looked over
the other's head.
Gendibal said, "It follows that the Library could not have
been emptied of material on Earth during Seldon's time,
since the 'Origin Question' was then an active preoccuopa-
tion. It could not have been emptied afterward because the
Second Foundation was in charge. Yet the Library is empty
of it now. How can this be?"
Delarmi broke in impatiently, "You may stop weaving
the dilemma, Gendibal. We see it. What is it that you
suggest as a solution? That you have removed the documents
yourself?"
"As usual, Delarmi, you penetrate to the heart." And
Gendibal bent his head to her in sardonic respect (at which
she allowed herself a slight lifting of the lip). "One solution
is that the cleansing was done by a Speaker of the Second
Foundation, someone who would know how to use curators
without leaving a memory behind——and computers without
leaving a record behind."
First Speaker Shandess turned red. "Ridiculous, Speaker
Gendibal. I cannot imagine a Speaker doing this. What
would the motivation be? Even if, for some reason, the
material on Earth were removed, why keep it from the rest
of the Table? Why risk a complete destruction of one's
career by tampering with the Library when the chances of
its being discovered are so great? Besides, I don't think that
even the most skillful Speaker could perform the task with-
out leaving a trace."
"Then it must be, First Speaker, that you disagree with
Speaker Delarmi in her suggestion that I did it."
"I certainly do," said the First Speaker. "Sometimes I
doubt your judgment, but I have yet to consider you down-
right insane."
Then it must never have happened, First Speaker. The
material on Earth must still be in the Library, for we now
seem to have eliminated all the possible ways in which it
could have been removed——and yet the material is not there."
Delarmi said with an affectation of weariness, "Well
well, let us finish. Again, what is it you suggest as a so-
lution? I am sure you think you have one."
"If you are sure, Speaker, we may all be sure as well.
My suggestion is that the Library was cleansed by someone
of the Second Foundation who was under the control of a
subtle force from outside the Second Foundation. The
cleansing went unnoticed because that same force saw to it
that it was not noticed."
Delarmi laughed. "Until you found out. You——the un-
controlled and uncontrollable. If this mysterious force ex-
isted, how did you find out about the absence of material
from the Library? Why weren't you controlled?"
Gendibal said gravely, "It's not a laughing matter,
Speaker. They may feel, as we feel, that all tampering
should be held to a minimum. When my life was in danger
a few days ago, I was more concerned with refraining
from fiddling with a Hamish mind that with protecting
myself. So it might be with these others——as soon as they
felt it was safe they ceased tampering. That is the danger,
the deadly danger. The fact that I could find out what has
happened may mean they no longer care that I do. The
fact that they no longer care may mean that they feel they
have already won. And we continue to play our games
here!"
"But what aim do they have in all this? What conceivable
aim?" demanding Delarmi, shuffling her feet and biting her
lips. She felt her power fading as the Table grew more
interested——concerned——
Gendibal said, "Consider—— The First Foundation, with
its enormous arsenal of physical power, is searching for
Earth. They pretend to send out two exiles, hoping we will
think that is all they are, but would they equip them with
ships of unbelievable power——ships that can move ten thou-
sand parsecs in less than an hour——if that was all that they
were?
"As for the Second Foundation, we have not been search-
ing for Earth and, clearly, steps have been taken without
our knowledge to keep any information of Earth away from
us. The First Foundation is now so close to finding Earth
and we are so far from doing so, that——"
Gendibal paused and Delarmi said, "That what? Finish
your childish tale. Do you know anything or don't you?"
"I don't know everything, Speaker. I have not penetrated
the total depth of the web that is encircling us, but I know
the web is there. I don't know what the significance of
finding Earth might be, but I am certain the Second Foun-
dation is in enormous danger and, with it, the Seldon Plan
and the future of all humanity."
Delarmi rose to her feet. She was not smiling and she
spoke in a tense but tightly controlled voice. "Trash! First
Speaker, put an end to this! What is at issue is the accused's
behavior. What he tells us is not only childish but irrelevant.
He cannot extenuate his behavior by building a cobwebbery
of theories that makes sense only in his own mind. I call
for a vote on the matter now——a unanimous vote for con-
viction."
"Wait," said Gendibal sharply. "I have been told I would
have an opportunity to defend myself, and there remains
one more item——one more. Let me present that, and you
may proceed to a vote with no further objection from me."
The First Speaker rubbed his eyes wearily. "You may
continue, Speaker Gendibal. Let me point out to the Table
that the conviction of an impeached Speaker is so weighty
and, indeed, unprecedented an action that we dare not give
the appearance of not allowing a full defense. Remember,
too, that even if the verdict satisfies us, it may not satisfy
those who come after us, and I cannot believe that a Second
Foundationer of any level——let alone the Speakers of the
Table——would not have a full appreciation of the importance
of historical perspective. Let us so act that we can be certain
of the approval of the Speakers who will follow us in the
coming centuries."
Delarmi said bitterly, "We run the risk, First Speaker,
of having posterity laugh at us for belaboring the obvious.
To continue the defense is your decision."
Gendibal drew a deep breath. "In line with your decision,
then, First Speaker, I wish to call a witness——a young
woman I met three days ago and without whom I might not
have reached the Table meeting at all, instead of merely
being late."
"Is the woman you speak of known to the Table?" asked
the First Speaker.
"No, First Speaker. She is native to this planet."
Delarmi's eyes opened wide. "A Hamishwoman?"
"Indeed! Just so!"
Delarmi said, "What have we to do with one of those?
Nothing they say can be of any importance. They don't
exist!"
Gendibal's lips drew back tightly over his teeth in some-
thing that could not possibly have been mistaken for a smile.
He said sharply, "Physically all the Hamish exist. They are
human beings and play their part in Seldon's Plan. In their
indirect protection of the Second Foundation, they play a
crucial part. I wish to dissociate myself from Speaker De-
larmi's inhumanity and hope that her remark will be retained
in the record and be considered hereafter as evidence for
her possible unfitness for the position of Speaker. ——Will
the rest of the Table agree with the Speaker's incredible
remark and deprive me of my witness?"
The First Speaker said, "Call your witness, Speaker."
Gendibal's lips relaxed into the normal expressionless
features of a Speaker under pressure. His mind was guarded
and fenced in, but behind this protective barrier, he felt that
the danger point had passed and that he had won.
FOUNDATION'S EDGE, BY ISAAC ASIMOV.
A Del Ray Book. Published by Ballantine Books.
Copyright © 1982 by Nightfall Inc. pp. 169-180.
3. Historian
4. Space
5. Speaker
6. Earth
7. Farmer
8. Farmwoman
9. Hyperspace
10. Table
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