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Giskard and Daneel, whose abilities were both eneral than those of the other establishment robots, did not have specific duties, unless one counted as a specific duty that of being responsible for the proper performance of all the other robots

At 03:00, they had completed their rounds out on the lawn and in the wooded area totheir functions well and that no proble

They rounds and for a while they spoke in an abbreviated and Aesopic language They understood each other well, with many decades of communication behind them, and it was not necessary for them to involve themselves in all the elaboration's of human speech

Daneel said in an all but unhearable whisper, "Clouds Unseen"

Had Daneel been speaking for human ears, he would have said, "As you see, friend Giskard, the sky has clouded up Had Madam Gladia waited her chance to see Solaria, she would not, in any case, have succeeded"

And Giskard's reply of "Predicted Interview, rather," was the equivalent of "So much was predicted in the weather forecast, friend Daneel, and et Madam Gladia to bed early It seemed to me to be more important, however, to meet the problem squarely and to persuade her to permit this interview I have already told you about"

"It seems to me, friend Giskard," said Daneel, "that the chief reason you may have found persuasion difficult is that she has been upset by the abandonment of Solaria I was there once with Partner Elijah when Mada there"

"It has always been ," said Giskard, "that Madam Gladia had not been happy on her holadly and had, at no tiree with you that she seems to have been unsettled by the fact of Solaria's history having come to an end"

"I do not understand this reaction of Madam Gladia," said Daneel, "but there are ically from events"

"It is what makes it difficult to decide, so harh, even a petulant sigh, had he been human As it was, he stated it merely as an unemotional assessment of a difficult situation "It is one of the reasons, why it seems to me that the Three Laws of Robotics are incomplete or insufficient"

"You have said this before, friend Giskard, and I have tried to believe so and failed," said Daneel

Giskard said nothing for a while, then, "Intellectually, I think they must be incomplete or insufficient, but when I try to believe that, I too fail, for I am bound by them Yet if I were not bound by them, I am sure I would believe in their insufficiency"

"That is a paradox that I cannot understand"

"Nor can I And yet I find myself forced to express this paradox On occasion, I feel that I a what the incoht be, as inShe asked ht harm her personally, rather than simply cause harive because it was not within the compass of the Three Laws"

"You gave a perfect answer, friend Giskard The harm done to Partner Elijah's memory would have affected Madam Gladia deeply"

"It was the best ansithin the compass of the Three Laws It was not the best answer possible"

"What was the best answer possible?"

"I do not know, since I cannot put it into words or even concepts as long as I am bound by the Laws"

"There is nothing beyond the Laws," said Daneel

"If I were human," said Giskard, "I could see beyond the Laws and I think, friend Daneel, that you ht be able to see beyond them sooner than I would

"Yes, friend Daneel, I have long thought that, although a robot, you think re"

"It is not proper to think that," said Daneel slowly, als because you can look into human minds It distorts you and it ht is tointo minds more than you must, prevent it"

Giskard turned away "I cannot prevent it, friend Daneel, I would not prevent it I regret that I can do so little with it because of the Three Laws I cannot probe deeply enough because of the fear that I h - because of the fear I may do harm"

"Yet you influenced Madam Gladia very neatly, friend Giskard"

"Not truly Iand made her accept the intervieithout question, but the human mind is so riddled with complexities that I dare do very little Almost any twist I apply will produce subsidiary twists of whose nature I cannot be certain and which may do harm"

"Yet you did so to Madam Gladia"

"I did not have to The word 'trust' affects her and makes her more amenable I have noted that fact in the past, but I use the ith the greatest caution, since overuse will surely weaken it I puzzle over this, but I cannot simply burrow for a solution"

"Because the Three Laill not permit it?"

Giskard's eyes seee, the Three Laws stand in my way Yet I cannot modify them - because they stand in my way Yet I feel Iof catastrophe "

"You have said so before, friend Giskard, but you have not explained the nature of the catastrophe"

"Because I do not know the nature It involves the increasing hostility between Aurora and Earth, but how this will evolve into actual catastrophe, I cannot say"

"Is it possible that there ht, after all, be no catastrophe?"

"I do not think so I have sensed, a certain Auroran officials I have encountered an aura of catastrophe - of waiting for triumph I cannot describe this more exactly and I cannot probe deeply for a better description because the Three Laill not allow me to It is another reason why the intervieith Mandaive me a chance to study his mind"

"But if you cannot study it effectively?"

Although Giskard's voice was incapable of showing e the despair in his words, He said, "Then that will leave me helpless I can only follow the Laws What else can I do?"

And Daneel said softly and dispiritedly, "Nothing else"

4

Gladia entered her living roo purposely - and with a touch of spite - determined to allow Mandamus (she had now reluctantly memorized his name) to wait for her She had also taken particular pains with her appearance and (for the first tiray in her hair and had fleetingly wished she had followed the almost universal Auroran practice of shade control After all, to look as young and attractive as possible would put this e

She was thoroughly prepared to dislike hi and attractive, that a sunny face ht break into a brilliant sht prove reluctantly attracted to him

In consequence, she was relieved at the sight of hi, yes, and probably had not yet completed his first half-century, but he hadn't made the best of that He was tall - perhaps 185 centied but too thin It made him appear spindly His hair was a shade too dark for an Auroran, his eyes a rather faded hazel, his face too long, his lips too thin, his mouth too broad, his complexion insufficiently fair But what robbed him of the true appearance of youth was that his expression was too prim, too humorless

With a flash of insight, Gladia remembered the historical novels that were such a fad on Aurora (novels that invariably dealt with prily hating Earthpeople) and thought: Why, he's the picture of a Puritan

She felt relieved and almost smiled Puritans were usually pictured as villains and, whether this Mandamus was indeed one or not, it was convenient to have him look like one

But when he spoke Gladia was disappointed, for his voice was soft and distinctlyif it were to fulfill the stereotype) He said, "Mrs Gremionis?"

She held out her hand with a carefully condescending smile "Mr Mandamus - Please call me Gladia Everyone does"

"I know you use your given name professionally - "

"I use it in every way And o"

"It lasted for a long, time, I believe"

"A very long tireat successes come to a natural end"

"Ah," said Mandaht well turn success into failure"

Gladia nodded and said with a trace of a s - But shall werooh"

It was only as Mandamus turned with her and adjusted his steps to hers that Gladia beca robots It was quite unthinkable for any Auroran to go anywhere without a robotic retinue, but as long as robots stood still they made no impression on the Auroran eye

Gladia, looking at them quickly, saw that they were latewas elaborate and, although it was not of Gladia's design, it was first-class Gladia had to adh reluctantly - She would have to find out who had designed it soht be about to have a new and for thewas distinctly the sa distinctly individual for each You could not mistake one for the other

Mandaht her swift look and interpreted her expression with disconcerting accuracy (He is intelligent, thought Gladia, disappointed) He said, "The exodesign ofman at the Institute who has not yet made a name for himself But he will, don't you think?"

"Definitely," said Gladia

Gladia did not expect any business discussion till breakfast was done It would be the height of ill breeding to speak of anything but trivia during uessed that Mandamus was not at his best with trivia There was the weather, of course The recent siege of rain, now happily done with, wasdry season There was the almost mandatory expression of admiration for the hostess's establishment and Gladia accepted it with practicedto ease the strain on the man, but let him search for subject matter without help

At length, his eye fell on Daneel, standing quietly and without ed to overcome his Auroran indifference and notice him

"Ah," he said, "clearly the famous R Daneel Olivaw He's absolutely unmistakable A rather remarkable specimen"

"Quite remarkable"

"He's yours now, isn't he? By Fastolfe's will?"

"By Doctor Fastolfe's will, yes," said Gladia with faint emphasis

"It strikesthat the Institute's line of huht about it?"

"I have heard of it," said Gladia cautiously (Could it be that this hat he was getting around to?) "I' about it"

"Sociologists are still trying to understand it Certainly, we at the Institute never got over the disappointment It seemed like such a natural development So to do with it"

(He had avoided ht Gladia Her eyes narrowed and she grew hostile as she decided he had coood Han)

She said tartly, "Anyone who thinks that is a fool If you think so, I won't change the expression for your benefit"

"I aely because I don't see what Dr Fastolfe could have done to make it a fiasco"

"Why should anyone have had to do anything? What it amounts to is that the public didn't want them A robot that looks like a man competes with a man and one that looks like a woman competes with a woman - and entirely too closely for comfort Aurorans didn't want the competition Do we need to look any further?"

"Sexual competition?" said Mandamus calmly

For a -ago love for the robot Jander? Did it matter if he did?

There see in his expression tobeyond the surfaceof the words

She said finally, "Co to contribute to such a feeling, it was that he designed his robots in too human a fashion, but that was the only way"

"I think you have thought about the ists find the fear of competition with too-human, a set of robots to be simplistic, as an explanation That alone would not suffice and there is no evidence of any other aversion nificance"

"Sociology is not an exact 'science,'" said Gladia

"It is not altogether inexact, either"

Gladia shrugged

After a pause, Manda expeditions properly Without humanoid robots to pave the way - "

Breakfast was not quite over, but it was clear to Gladia that Mandaer She said, "We one ourselves"

This tied "Too difficult Besides, those short-lived barbarians from Earth, with the permission of your Dr Fastolfe, have swarue of beetles"

"There are plenty of available planets still Millions And if they can do it - "

"Of course they can do it," said Mandamus with sudden passion "It costs lives, but what are lives to them? The loss of a decade or so, that's all, and there are billions of them

"If a , who notices, who cares? They don't"

"I'm sure they do"

"Nonsense Our lives are longer and therefore more valuable - and we are naturally more careful with them"

"So we sit here and do nothing but rail at Earth's Settlers for being willing to risk their lives and for see to inherit the Galaxy as a result"

Gladia was unaware of feeling so pro-Settler a bias, but she was in the mood to contradict Mandaan as mere contradiction s Besides, she had heard Fastolfe say sied years

At Gladia's signal, the table was being rapidly and efficiently cleared Breakfast ht have continued, but the conversation and the mood had become quite unsuitable for civilized mealtime

Theyroom His robots followed and so did Daneel and Giskard, all finding their niches (Mandaht Gladia, but then, why should he? Giskard was quite old fashioned and even primitive, entirely unimpressive in comparison to Mandamus's beautiful specimens)

Gladia took her seat and crossed her legs, quite aware that the for sheerness of the lower portion of her slacks flattered the still youthful appearance of her legs

"May I know the reason for your wishing to seeto delay er

He said, "I have the bad habit of chewing estion Would you object?"

Gladia said stiffly, "I would find it distracting"

(Being unable to chew e Besides, Gladia added to herself virtuously, at his age he shouldn't need anything to aid his digestion)

Mandae partway out of his tunic's breast pocket He shoved it back with no sign of disappointment and murmured, "Of course"

"I was asking, Dr Manda to see me"

"Actually two reasons, Lady Gladia One is a personal matter and one is aup the personal matter first?"

"Let ine what personal matter there could be between us You work at the Robotics Institute, don't you?"

"Yes, I do"

"And are close to Amadiro, I have been told"

"I have the honor of working with Doctor Amadiro," he said with faint emphasis

(He's payingit)

She said, "Ao and it was most unpleasant I have had no occasion for any contact with him at any time since Nor would I have had any contact with you, as a close associate of his, but that I was persuaded that the interview ht be important Personal matters, however, would surely not make this interview in the least important to me Shall we proceed onward, then, to the matters of state?"

Mandaht have been embarrassment came to his cheeks

"Let me reintroduce myself, then I aree I arandson of Santirix and Gladia Grerandmother"

Gladia blinked rapidly, trying not to look as thunderstruck as she, in actual fact, felt (and not quite, succeeding) Of course she had descendants and why should not one of them be this man?

But she said, "Are you sure?"

"Quite sure I have had a genealogical search made One of these years, after all, I am likely to want children and before I can have one such a search would be mandatory If you are interested, the pattern between us is M-F-F-M"

"You are hter's son's son?"

"Yes"

Gladia did not ask for further details She had had one son and one daughter She had been a perfectly dutiful mother, but in due time the children had taken up independent lives As to descendants beyond that son and daughter, she had, in perfectly decent Spacer fashion, never inquired and did not care Having h still not to care

The thought stabilized her completely She sat back in, her chair and relaxed "Very well," she said "You are ree If this is the personal matter you wish to discuss, it is of no importance"

"I understand that fully, ancestress My genealogy is not, in itself, what I wish to discuss, but it lays the foundation Dr Amadiro, you see, knows of this relationship At least, so I suspect"

"Indeed? How did that come about?"

"I believe that he quietly genealogizes all those who come to work at the Institute"

"But why?"

"In order to find out exactly what he did find out inman"

"I don't understand If you areto him than it does to me?"

Mandaht hand in a thoughtful manner "His dislike for you is in no way less than your dislike for him, Lady Gladia If you were ready to refuse an intervieith me for his sake, he is equally ready to refuse ht be even worse if I were a descendant of Dr Fastolfe, but not much"

Gladia sat stiffly, upright in her seat Her nostrils flared and she said in a tight voice, "What is it, then, that you expect me to do? I cannot declare you a nondescendant Shall I have an announcement placed on hypervision that you are a matter of indifference to me and that I disown you? Will that satisfy your Amadiro? If so, Ito satisfy that e you and deprive you of your career out of soenetic association, then that will teach you to associate with a saner, less vicious person"

"He will not discharge me, Madam Gladia I am entirely too valuable to him - if you will pardon my immodesty Still, I hope someday to succeed him as head of the Institute and that, I a as he suspects me of a descent worse than that which stems from you"

"Does he iine that poor Santirix is worse than I am?"

"Not at all" Mandamus flushed and he sed, but his voice remained level and steady "I mean no disrespect, madam, but I owe it to myself to learn the truth"

"What truth?"

"I aree That is clear in the genealogical records But it is possible that I aree, not from Santirix Gremionis but from the Earthman Elijah Baley?"

Gladia rose to her feet as quickly as though the undimensional force, fields of a puppeteer had lifted her She was not aware that she had risen

It was the third tio Earthman had been mentioned - and by three different individuals

Her voice seemed not to be hers at all "What do you mean?"

He said, rising in his turn and backing away slightly, "It seerandfather, born of a sexual union of yourself with the Earthman Elijah Baley? Was Elijah Baley your son's father? I don't kno to express it more plainly"

"How dare you estion? Or even think it?"

"I dare because my career depends upon it If the answer is yes, my professional life may well be ruined I want a 'no' but an unsupported 'no' will do ood I must be able to present proof to Dr Amadiro at the appropriate tiy must end with you After all, it is clear to me that his dislike of you - and even of Dr Fastolfe - is as nothing - nothing at all - compared to the incredible intensity of his detestation of the Earth short-lived, although the thought of having inherited barbarian genes would disturb me tremendously I think that if I presented proof I was descended from an Earthman as not Elijah Baley, he would disht of Elijah Baley - and only he - that drives him to madness I do not knohy"

The reiteration of Elijah's naain to Gladia She was breathing harshly and deeply and she exulted in the best memory of her life

"I knohy," she said "It was because Elijah, with everything against hied anyhow to destroy Aht he held success in his hand Elijah did it by the exercise of sheer courage and intelligence Amadiro had met his infinite superior in the person of an Earthman he had carelessly despised and what could he do in return but hate futilely? Elijah has been dead for et, cannot forgive, cannot release the chains that bind him in hate and et or cease hating - as long as it poisons every moment of his existence"

Manda Dr A me ill? To allow Dr Aive hiive him that pleasure needlessly, if I am not so descended? Give me the proof, therefore, that I am descended from you and Satitirix Gremionis or from you and anybody but Elijah Baley"

"You fool! You idiot! Why do you need proof from me? Go to the historical records You will find the exact days on which Elijah Baley was on Aurora You will find the exact day on which I gave birth to my son, Darrel You will find that Darrel was conceived more than five years after Elijah left Aurora You will also find that Elijah never returned to Aurora Well, then, do you think I gestated for five years, that I carried a fetus in my womb for five Standard Galactic Years?"

"I know the statistics, madam And I do not think you carried a fetus for five years"

"Then why do you come to me?"

"Because there is ine that Dr Ah the Earthman Elijah Baley, as you say, never returned to Aurora's surface, he was once in a ship that was in orbit about Aurora for a day or so I know - and I ih the Eartho to Aurora, you left Aurora to go to the ship; that you stayed on the ship for the better part of a day; and that this took place nearly five years after the Earthman had been on Aurora's surface - at about the time, in fact, that your son was conceived"

Gladia felt the blood drain from her face as she heard the other's calm words The room darkened about her and she swayed

She felt the sudden, gentle touch of strong arms about her and knew they were those of Daneel She felt herself lowered slowly into her chair

She heard Mandareat distance

"Is that not true, madam?" he said

It was, of course, true