by Robots
Baley said apologetically, "I haven't really been ignoring you, Giskard. I simply haven't had the opportunity to be alone with you. I don't rate highly on Earth and I cannot order my comings and goings."
"I have, of course, understood that, sir, but we will have some time together now."
"Good. Dr. Fastolfe tells me that Gladia is doing well. He may be saying that out of kindness, knowing that that is what I want to hear. I order you to be truthful, however, is Gladia, in fact, doing well?"
"Dr. Fastolfe has told you the truth, sir."
"And you remember, I hope, my request when I last saw you on Aurora that you guard Gladia and protect her from harm."
"Friend Daneel and I, sir, are both mindful of your request. I have arranged it so that when Dr. Fastolfe is no longer alive, both friend Daneel and I will become part of Madam Gladia's establishment. We will then be in an even better position to keep her from harm."
"That," said Baley sadly, "will be after my time."
"I understand that, sir, and regret it."
"Yes, but it can't be helped and a crisis will come-or may come- even before that and yet still be after my time."
"What is it, sir, that you have in mind? What is this crisis?"
"Giskard, it is a crisis that may arise because Dr., Fastolfe is a surprisingly persuasive person. Or else, there is some other factor associated with him that is accomplishing the task."
"Sir?"
"Every official that Dr. Fastolfe has seen and interviewed now seems to be enthusiastically in favor of emigration. They were not in favor earlier or, if they were, it was with strong reservations. And once the opinion making leaders are in favor, others are sure to follow. This will spread like an epidemic."
"Is this not what you wish, sir?"
"Yes, it is, but it is almost too much what I wish. We shall spread out over the Galaxy-but what if the Spacers don't?"
"Why should they not?"
"I don't know. I advance it as a supposition, a possibility. What if they don't?"
"Earth and the worlds its people settle will then grow stronger, according to what I have heard you say."
"And the Spacers will grow weaker. There will, however, be a period of time during which the Spacers will remain stronger than Earth and its Settlers, though by a steadily diminishing margin. Eventually, the Spacers will inevitably become aware of Earthpeople as a growing danger. At that time the Spacer worlds will surely decide that Earth and the Settlers must be stopped before it is too late and it will seem to them that drastic measures will have to be taken. That will be a period of crisis that will determine the entire future history of human beings."
"I see your point, sir."
Baley remained in thoughtful silence for a moment, then said, in very nearly a whisper as though dreading being overheard, "Who knows of your abilities?"
"Among human beings only yourself-and you cannot mention it to others."
"I know well I can't. The point is, though, that it is you, not Fastolfe, who has engineered the turnaround that has made every official with whom you've come in contact a proponent of emigration. And it is to bring that about that you arranged to have Fastolfe take you, rather than Daneel, to Earth with him- you were essential and Daneel might have been a distraction."
Giskard said, I felt it necessary to keep personnel to a minimum in order to avoid making my task harder by abrading the sensitivities of Earthpeople. I regret, sir, Daneel's absence. I fully sense your disappointment at not being able to greet him."
"Well---", Baley shook his head. I understand the necessity and I rely on your explaining to Daneel that I badly missed him. In any case, I am still making my point. If Earth embarks on a great policy of world settlement and if the Spacers are left behind in the race to expand, the responsibility for that-and therefore for the crisis that will inevitably arise-will be yours. You must, for that reason, feel it your further responsibility to use your abilities to protect Earth when the crisis comes."
"I will do what I can, sir."
"And should you succeed there, Amadiro-or his followers -may turn on Gladia. You must not forget to protect her, too.
"Daneel and I will not forget."
"Thank you, Giskard."
And they parted.
When Giskard, following Fastolfe, entered the module to begin the voyage back to Aurora, he saw Baley once again. This time there was no opportunity to speak to him.
Baley waved and mouthed one soundless word: "Remember.
Giskard sensed the word and, in addition, the emotion behind it.
After that, Giskard never saw Baley again. Never.
Giskard had never found it possible to flip through the sharp images of that one visit to Earth, without then following it with the images of the key visit to Amadiro at the Institute of Robotics.
It had not been an easy conference to arrange. Amadiro, with the bitterness of defeat heavy upon him, would not exacerbate his humiliation by going to Fastolfe's establishment.
"Well, then," Fastolfe had said to Giskard. "I can afford to be magnanimous in victory. I will go to him. Besides, I must see him."
Fastolfe had been a member of the Institute of Robotics since Baley had made possible the crushing of Amadiro and of his political ambitions. In return, Fastolfe had passed over to the Institute all the data for the building and, maintenance of humaniform robots. A number had been manufactured and then the project had come to an, end and Fastolfe had chafed.
It had been Fastolfe's intention, at first, to arrive at the Institute without any robot companion. He would have placed himself, without protection and (so to speak) naked, into the midst of what was still the stronghold of the enemy's camp. It would have been a sign of humility and trust, but it would also have been an indication of complete selfconfidence and Amadiro would have understood that. Fastolfe, entirely alone, would be demonstrating his certainty that Amadiro, with all the resources of the Institute at his command, would not dare to touch his single enemy coming carelessly and defenselessly within reach of his fist.
And yet in the end, Fastolfe, not quite knowing how, chose to have Giskard accompany him.
Amadiro seemed to have lost a little weight since last Fastolfe had seen him, but he was still a formidable specimen; tall and heavyset. He lacked the self-confident smile that had once been his hallmark and when he attempted it at Fastolfe's entrance, it seemed more like a snarl that faded into a look of somber dissatisfaction.
"Well, Kelden," said Fastolfe, making free with the other's familiar name, "we don't see each other often, despite the fact that we have now been colleagues for four years."
"Let's not have any false bonhomie, Fastolfe," said Amadiro in a clearly annoyed and low-pitched growl, "and address me as Amadiro. We are not colleagues except in name and I make no secret-and never have-of my belief that your foreign policy is suicidal for us."
Three of Amadiro's robots, large and gleaming, were present and Fastolfe studied them with raised eyebrows, "You are well protected, Amadiro, against one man of peace together with his single robot."
"They will not attack you, Fastolfe, as you well know. But why did you bring Giskard? Why not your masterpiece, Daneel?"
"Would it be safe to bring Daneel within your reach, Amadiro?"
"I take it you intend that as humor. I no longer need Daneel. We build our own humaniforms."
"On the basis of my design."
"With improvements."
"And yet you do not use the humaniforms. That is why I have come to see you. I know that my position in the Institute is a name-only thing and that even my presence is unwelcome, let alone my opinions and recommendations. However, I must, as an Institute member, protest your failure to use the humaniforms."
"How do you wish me to use them?"
"The intention was to have the humaniforms open up new worlds into which Spacers could eventually emigrate, after those worlds had been terraformed and made completely habitable, wasn't it?"
"But t
hat was something you opposed, Fastolfe, wasn't it?"
Fastolfe said, "Yes, I did. I wanted Spacers themselves to emigrate, to new worlds and to do their own terraforming. That, however, is not happening and, I now see, is not likely to happen. Let us send the humaniforms, then. That would be better than nothing."
"All our alternatives come to nothing, as long as your views dominate the Council, Fastolfe. Spacers will not travel to rude and unformed worlds; nor, it seems, do- they like humaniform robots."
"You have scarcely given the Spacers a chance to like them. Earthpeople are beginning to settle new planet seven rude and unformed ones. And. they do it without robotic help."
"You know very well the differences between Earthpeople and ourselves. There are eight billion Earthpeople, plus a large number of Settlers."
"And there are five and a half billion Spacers."
"Numbers are not the sole difference," said Amadiro bitterly. "They breed like insects."
"They do not. Earth's population has been fairly stable for centuries."
"The potential is there. If they put all their heart into emigration, they can easily produce one hundred and sixty million new bodies each year and that number will rise as the new worlds fill UP.
"We have the biological capability of producing one hundred million new bodies each year."
"But not the sociological capability. We are long-lived, we do not wish ourselves replaced so quickly."
"We can send a large portion of the new bodies to other worlds."
"They won't go. We value our bodies, which are strong, healthy, and capable of surviving in strength and health for nearly forty decades. Earthmen can place no value on bodies that wear out in less than ten decades and that are riddled with disease and degeneration even over that short period of time. It doesn't matter to them if they send out millions a year to certain misery and probable death. In fact, even the victims needn't, fear misery and death, for what else do they have on, Earth? The Earthpeople who emigrate are fleeing from their pestilential world knowing well that any change can scarcely be for the worse. We, on the other hand, value our well-wrought and comfortable planets and would not lightly give them up."
Fastolfe sighed and said, "I've heard all these arguments so often-May I point out the simple fact, Amadiro, that Aurora was originally a rude and unformed world that had to be terraformed into acceptability and that so was every Spacer world?"
Amadiro said, "And I have heard all your arguments to the point of nausea, but I will not weary of answering them.
Aurora may have been primitive when first settled, but Aurora was settled by Earthpeople-and other Spacer worlds, when, not settled by Earthpeople, were settled by Spacers that had not yet outgrown their Earth heritage, The times are no longer suitable for that. What could be done then, cannot be done now."
Amadiro lifted a comer of his mouth in a snarl and went on, "No, Fastolfe, what your policy has accomplished has been to begin the creation of a Galaxy that will be populated by Earthmen only, while Spacers must wither and decline. You can see it happening now. Your famous trip to Earth, two years ago, was the turning point. Somehow, you betrayed your own people by encouraging those half-humans to begin an expansion. In only two years there are at least some Earthpeople on each of twenty-four worlds and new ones are being added steadily."
Fastolfe said, "Do not exaggerate. Not one of those Settler worlds is truly fit for human occupation yet and won't be for some decades. Not all are likely to survive and, as the nearer worlds are occupied, the chances for settling farther worlds diminish so that the initial surge will slow down. I encouraged their expansion because I counted on ours as well. We can still keep up with them if we make the effort and, in healthy competition, we can fill the Galaxy together.
"No," said Amadiro. "What you have in mind is that most destructive of all policies, a foolish idealism. The expansion is one-sided and will remain so despite anything you can do. The people of Earth swarm unhindered and they will have to be stopped before they get too strong to stop."
"How do you propose to do that? We have a treaty of friendship with Earth in which we specifically agree not to stop their expansion into space as long as no planet within twenty light-years of a Spacer world is touched. They have adhered to this scrupulously."
Amadiro said, "Everyone knows about the treaty. Everyone also knows that no treaty has ever been kept once it begins to work against the national interests of the more powerful signatory. I attach no value to that treaty."
"I do. It will be held to."
Amadiro shook his head. "You have touching faith. How will it be held to after you are out of power?"
"I don't intend to be out of power for a while."
"As Earth and its Settlers grow stronger, the Spacers will grow fearful and, you will not remain long in power after that."
Fastolfe said, "And if you tear up the treaty and destroy the Settler worlds and slam the gates shut on Earth, will the Spacers then emigrate and fill the Galaxy?"
"Perhaps not. But if we decide not to, if we decide we are comfortable as we are, what difference will that make?"
"The Galaxy will not, in that case, become a human empire."
And if it does not, what then?"
"Then the Spacers will stultify and degenerate, even if Earth is kept in prison and also stultifies and degenerates."
"That is just the claptrap your party puts out, Fastolfe. There is no actual evidence that such a thing would happen. And even if it does, that will be our choice. At least we will not see the barbarian short-lifers fall heir to the Galaxy."
Fastolfe said, "Are you seriously suggesting, Amadiro, that you would be willing to see the Spacer civilization die, provided you can prevent Earth from expanding?"
"I'm not counting on our death, Fastolfe, but if the worst happens, why, yes, to me our own death is a less fearful thing than the triumph of a subhuman disease-riddled set of short-lived beings."
"From whom we are descended."
"And with whom we are no longer truly related genetically. Are we worms because a billion years ago, worms were among our, ancestors?"
Fastolfe, lips pressed together, rose to go. Amadiro, glowering, made no move to stop him.
Daneel had no way of telling, directly, that Giskard was lost in memory. For one thing, Giskard's expression did not change and for another, he was not lost in memory as humans might be. It took no substantial period of time.
On the other hand, the line of thought that had caused Giskard to think of the past had caused Daneel to think of the same events, of that past as they had long ago been recounted to him by Giskard. Nor was Giskard surprised at that.
Their conversation carried on with no unusual pause, but in a markedly new manner, as though each had thought of the past on behalf of both.
Daneel said, "It might seem, friend Giskard, that since the people of Aurora now recognize that they are weaker than Earth and its many Settler worlds, the crisis that Elijah Baley foresaw has been safely passed."
"It might seem so, friend, Daneel."
"You labored to bring that about."
"I did. I kept the Council in Fastolfe's hand. I did what, J could to mold those who, in turn, molded public opinion."
"Yet I am uneasy.
Giskard said, I have been uneasy through every stage of the process, although I endeavored to do no harm to anyone. I have touched- mentally- not one human being who required anything more than the lightest touch. On Earth, I had merely to lighten the fear of reprisal and chose those, particularly, in which the fear was already light and broke a thread that was, in any case, frayed and on the point of breaking. On Aurora, it was reversed. The policy makers here were reluctant to espouse policies that would lead to an exit from their comfortable world and I merely confirmed that and made the sturdy cord that held them a bit stronger. And doing this has immersed me in a constant-if faint turmoil."
"Why? You encouraged the expansion of Earth and discouraged the expansion
of the Spacers. Surely that is as it should be."
"As it should be? Do you think, friend Daneel, that an Earthperson counts for more than a Spacer, even though both are human beings?"
"There are differences. Elijah Baley would rather see his own Earthpeople defeated than see the Galaxy uninhabited. Dr. Amadiro would rather see both Earth and Spacers dwindle than see Earth expand. The first looks with hope to the triumph of either, the second is content to see the triumph of neither. Should we not choose the first, friend Giskard?"
"Yes, friend Daneel. So it would seem. And yet how far are you influenced by your feeling of the special worth of your onetime partner, Elijah Baley?"
