by Isaac Asimov
Trevize said, “You are telling me that you would not abandon him?”
“If you assume that I am a robot, then you can see for yourself that by First Law I could never abandon him, unless he ordered me to do so and I were, in addition, convinced that he meant it and that I would be hurting him more by staying than by leaving.”
“Would not a younger man—”
“What younger man? You are a younger man, but I do not conceive you as needing me in the same sense that Pel does, and, in fact, you do not want me, so that the First Law would prevent me from attempting to cling to you.”
“Not me. Another younger man—”
“There is no other. Who is there on Gaia other than Pel and yourself that would qualify as human beings in the non-Gaian sense?”
Trevize said, more softly, “And if you are not a robot?”
“Make up your mind,” said Bliss.
“I say, if you are not a robot?”
“Then I say that, in that case, you have no right to say anything at all. It is for myself and for Pel to decide.”
Trev said, “Then I return to my first point. I want my reward and that reward is that you will treat him well. I won’t press the point of your identity. Simply assure me, as one intelligence to another, that you will treat him well.”
And Bliss said softly, “I will treat him well—not as a reward to you, but because I wish to. It is my earnest desire. I will treat him well.” She called “Pel!” And again, “Pel!”
Pelorat entered from outside, “Yes, Bliss.”
Bliss held out her hand to him. “I think Trev wants to say something.”
Pelorat took her hand and Trevize then took the doubled hand in his two. “Janov,” he said, “I am happy for both of you.”
Pelorat said, “Oh, my dear fellow.”
Trevize said, “I will probably be leaving Gaia. I go now to speak to Dom about that. I don’t know when or if we will meet again, Janov, but, in any case, we did well together.”
“We did well,” said Pelorat, smiling.
“Good-bye, Bliss, and, in advance, thank you.”
“Good-bye, Trev.”
And Trevize, with a wave of his hand, left the house.
5.
DOM SAID, “YOU DID WELL, TREV. —BUT THEN, you did as I thought you would.”
They were once more sitting over a meal, as unsatisfactory as the first had been, but Trevize did not mind. He might not be eating on Gaia again.
He said, “I did as I thought you would, but not, perhaps, for the reason you thought I would.”
“Surely you were sure of the correctness of your decision.”
“Yes, I was, but not because of any mystic grip I have on certainty. If I chose Galaxia, it was through ordinary reasoning—the sort of reasoning that anyone else might have used to come to a decision. Would you care to have me explain?”
“I most certainly would, Trev.”
Trevize said, “There are three things I might have done. I might have joined the First Foundation, or joined the Second Foundation, or joined Gaia.
“If I had joined the First Foundation, Mayor Branno would have taken immediate action to establish domination over the Second Foundation and over Gaia. If I had joined the Second Foundation, Speaker Gendibal would have taken immediate action to establish domination over the First Foundation and over Gaia. In either case, what would have taken place would have been irreversible—and if either were the wrong solution, it would have been irreversibly catastrophic.
“If I joined with Gaia, however, then the First Foundation and the Second Foundation would each have been left with the conviction of having won a relatively minor victory. All would then have continued as before, since the building of Galaxia, I had already been told, would take generations, even centuries.
“Joining with Gaia was my way of temporizing, then, and of making sure that there would remain time to modify matters—or even reverse them—if my decision were wrong.”
Dom raised his eyebrows. His old, almost cadaverous face remained otherwise expressionless. He said in his piping voice, “And is it your opinion that your decision may turn out wrong?”
Trevize shrugged. “I don’t think so, but there is one thing I must do in order that I might know. It is my intention to visit Earth, if I can find that world.”
“We will certainly not stop you if you wish to leave us, Trev—”
“I do not fit on your world.”
“No more than Pel does, yet you are as welcome to remain as he is. Still, we will not hold you. —But tell me, why do you wish to visit Earth?”
Trevize said, “I rather think you understand.”
“I do not.”
“There is a piece of information you withheld from me, Dom. Perhaps you had your reasons, but I wish you had not.”
Dom said, “I do not follow you.”
“Look, Dom, in order to make my decision, I used my computer and for a brief moment I found myself in touch with the minds of those about me—Mayor Branno, Speaker Gendibal, Novi. I caught glimpses of a number of matters that, in isolation, meant little to me, as, for example, the various effects Gaia, through Novi, had produced on Trantor—effects that were intended to maneuver the Speaker into going to Gaia.”
“Yes?”
“And one of those things was the clearing from Trantor’s library of all references to Earth.”
“The clearing of references to Earth?”
“Exactly. So Earth must be important—and not only does it appear that the Second Foundation must know nothing about it, but that I must not, either. And if I am to take the responsibility for the direction of Galactic development, I do not willingly accept ignorance. Would you consider telling me why it was so important to keep knowledge of Earth hidden?”
Dom said solemnly, “Trev, Gaia knows nothing about such clearance. Nothing!”
“Are you telling me that Gaia is not responsible?”
“It is not responsible.”
Trevize thought for a while, the tip of his tongue moving slowly and meditatively over his lips. “Who was responsible, then?”
“I don’t know. I can see no purpose in it.”
The two men stared at each other and then Dom said, “You are right. We had seemed to have reached a most satisfactory conclusion, but while this point remains unsettled, we dare not rest. —Stay a while with us and let us see what we can reason out. Then you can leave, with our full help.”
“Thank you,” said Trevize.
THE END
(for now)
AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHOR
THIS BOOK, WHILE SELF-CONTAINED, IS A CONTINUATION of The Foundation Trilogy, which is made up of three books: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation.
In addition, there are other books I have written which, while not dealing with the Foundations directly, are set in what we might call “the Foundation universe.”
Thus, the events in The Stars, Like Dust and The Currents of Space take place in the years when Trantor was expanding toward Empire, while the events in Pebble in the Sky take place when the First Galactic Empire was at the height of its power. In Pebble, Earth is central and some of the material in it is alluded to tangentially in this new book.
In none of the earlier books of the Foundation universe were robots mentioned. In this new book, however, there are references to robots. In this connection, you may wish to read my robot stories. The short stories are to be found in The Complete Robot, while the two novels, The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun, describe the robotic period of the colonization of the Galaxy.
If you wish an account of the Eternals and the way in which they adjusted human history, you will find it (not entirely consistent with the references in this new book) in The End of Eternity.
All the books mentioned existed as Doubleday hardcovers, to begin with. The Foundation Trilogy and The Complete Robot are still in print in hardcover. Of the others, Pebble in the Sky and The End of Eternity are i
ncluded in the omnibus volume The Far Ends of Time and Earth, while The Stars, Like Dust and The Currents of Space are in the omnibus volume Prisoners of the Stars. Both omnibus volumes are in print in hardcover. As for The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun, they are included in the omnibus volume The Robot Novels, still available from the Science Fiction Book Club. And all are in print in softcover editions, of course.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ISAAC ASIMOV began his Foundation series at the age of twenty-one, not realizing that it would one day be considered a cornerstone of science fiction. During his legendary career, Asimov penned over 470 books on subjects ranging from science to Shakespeare to history, though he was most loved for his award-winning science fiction sagas, which include the Robot, Empire, and Foundation series. Named a Grand Master of Science Fiction by the Science Fiction Writers of America, Asimov entertained and educated readers of all ages for close to five decades. He died, at the age of seventy-two, in April 1992.
Be sure not to miss
any of these unforgettable books
by
ISAAC ASIMOV
Now available from
Bantam Books
THE FOUNDATION NOVELS
Prelude to Foundation
It is the year 12,020 G.E. and Emperor Cleon I sits uneasily on the Imperial throne of Trantor. Here in the great multidomed capital of the Galactic Empire, forty billion people have created a civilization of unimaginable technological and cultural complexity. Yet Cleon knows there are those who would see him fall—those whom he would destroy if only he could read the future.
Hari Seldon has come to Trantor to deliver his paper on psychohistory, his remarkable theory of prediction. Little does the young Outworld mathematician know that he has already sealed his fate and the fate of humanity. For Hari possesses the prophetic power that makes him the most wanted man in the Empire … the man who holds the key to the future—an apocalyptic power to be known forever after as the Foundation.
Foundation
For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. Only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future—a dark age of ignorance, barbarism, and warfare that will last thirty thousand years. To preserve knowledge and save mankind, Seldon gathers the best minds in the Empire—both scientists and scholars—and brings them to a bleak planet at the edge of the Galaxy to serve as a beacon of hope for future generations. He calls his sanctuary the Foundation.
But soon the fledgling Foundation finds itself at the mercy of corrupt warlords rising in the wake of the receding Empire. And mankind’s last best hope is faced with an agonizing choice: submit to the barbarians and live as slaves—or take a stand for freedom and risk total destruction.
Foundation and Empire
Led by its founding father, the great psychohistorian Hari Seldon, and taking advantage of its superior science and technology, the Foundation has survived the greed and barbarism of its neighboring warrior-planets. Yet now it must face the Empire—still the mightiest force in the Galaxy even in its death throes. When an ambitious general determined to restore the Empire’s glory turns the vast Imperial fleet toward the Foundation, the only hope for the small planet of scholars and scientists lies in the prophecies of Hari Seldon.
But not even Hari Seldon could have predicted the birth of the extraordinary creature called the Mule—a mutant intelligence with a power greater than a dozen battle fleets … a power that could turn the strongest-willed human into an obedient slave.
Second Foundation
After years of struggle, the Foundation lies in ruins—destroyed by the mutant mind power of the Mule. But it is rumored that there is a Second Foundation hidden somewhere at the end of the Galaxy, established to preserve the knowledge of mankind through the long centuries of barbarism. The Mule has failed to find it the first time—but now he is certain he knows where it lies.
The fate of the Foundation now rests on young Arcadia Darell, only fourteen years old and burdened with a terrible secret. As its scientists gird for a final showdown with the Mule, the survivors of the First Foundation begin their desperate search. They too want the Second Foundation destroyed … before it destroys them.
Foundation’s Edge
At last, the costly and bitter war between the two Foundations has come to an end. The scientists of the First Foundation have proved victorious; and now they return to Hari Seldon’s long-established plan to build a new Empire on the ruins of the old. But rumors persist that the Second Foundation is not destroyed after all—and that its still-defiant survivors are preparing their revenge. Now two exiled citizens of the Foundation—a renegade Councilman and a doddering historian—set out in search of the mythical planet Earth … and proof that the Second Foundation still exists.
Meanwhile, someone—or something—outside both Foundations seems to be orchestrating events to suit its own ominous purpose. Soon representatives of both the First and Second Foundations will find themselves racing toward a mysterious world called Gaia and a final, shocking destiny at the very end of the universe.
Foundation and Earth
Centuries after the fall of the First Galactic Empire, Mankind’s destiny lies in the hands of Golan Trevize, former Councilman of the First Foundation. Reluctantly, he had chosen the mental unity of Galaxia as the only alternative to a future of unending chaos.
But Mankind as massmind is not an idea Trevize is comfortable with. So he sets off instead on a journey in search of humanity’s legendary home—fabled Earth—hoping to find a solution to his dilemma there.
Yet Earth has been lost for thousands of years, and no one can say exactly where it is—or if indeed it exists at all. More important, Trevize begins to suspect that he might not like the answers he finds.…
Forward the Foundation
As Hari Seldon struggles to perfect his revolutionary theory of psychohistory and ensure a place for humanity among the stars, the great Galactic Empire totters on the brink of apocalyptic collapse. Caught in the maelstrom are Seldon and all he holds dear, pawns in the struggle for dominance. Whoever can control Seldon will control psychohistory—and with it the future of the Galaxy.
Among those seeking to turn psychohistory into the greatest weapon known to man are a populist political demagogue, the weak-willed Emperor Cleon I, and a ruthless militaristic general. In his last act of service to humankind, Hari Seldon must somehow save his life’s work from their grasp as he searches for its true heirs—a search that begins with his own granddaughter and the dream of a new Foundation.
THE ROBOT NOVELS
I, Robot
They mustn’t harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence … but only so long as that doesn’t violate rules one and two. With these Three Laws of Robotics humanity embarked on a bold new era of evolution that would open up enormous possibilities … and unforeseen risks. For the scientists who invented the earliest robots weren’t content that their creations should remain programmed helpers, companions, and semi-sentient worker-machines. And soon the robots themselves, aware of their own intelligence, power, and humanity, weren’t either.
As humans and robots struggle to survive together—and sometimes against each other—on Earth and in space the future of both hangs in the balance. Here human men and women confront robots gone mad, telepathic robots, robot politicians, and vast robotic intelligences that may already secretly control the world. And both are asking the same questions: What is human? and Is humanity obsolete?
The Caves of Steel
A millennium into the future two advances have altered the course of human history: the colonization of the Galaxy and the creation of the positronic brain. Isaac Asimov’s Robot novels chronicle the unlikely partnership between a New York City detective and a humanoid robot who must learn to work together.
Like most people left behind on an overpopulated Earth, New York City police detective Elijah Baley h
ad little love for either the arrogant Spacers or their robotic companions. But when a prominent Spacer is murdered under mysterious circumstances, Baley is ordered to the Outer Worlds to help track down the killer.
The relationship between Lije and his Spacer superiors, who distrusted all Earthmen, was strained from the start. Then he learned that they had assigned him a partner: R. Daneel Olivaw. Worst of all was that the “R” stood for robot—and his positronic partner was made in the image and likeness of the murder victim!
The Naked Sun
On the beautiful Outer World planet of Solaria, a handful of human colonists lead a hermitlike existence, their every need attended by their faithful robot servants. To this strange and provocative planet comes Detective Elijah Baley, sent from the streets of New York with his positronic partner, the robot R. Daneel Olivaw, to solve an incredible murder that has rocked Solaria to its foundations.
The victim had been so reclusive that he appeared to his associates only through holographic projection. Yet someone had gotten close enough to bludgeon him to death while his robots looked on. Now Baley and Olivaw are faced with two clear impossibilities: Either the Solarian was killed by one of his robots—unthinkable under the Laws of Robotics—or he was killed by the woman who loved him so much that she never came into his presence!
The Robots of Dawn
Detective Elijah Baley is called to the Spacer world Aurora to solve a bizarre case of roboticide. The prime suspect is a gifted roboticist who had the means, the motive, and the opportunity to commit the crime. There’s only one catch: Baley and his positronic partner, R. Daneel Olivaw, must prove the man innocent. For in a case of political intrigue and love between woman and robot gone tragically wrong, there’s more at stake than simple justice. This time Baley’s career, his life, and Earth’s right to pioneer the Galaxy lie in the delicate balance.
