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1 THE DESCENDANT

PART I AURORA

1 THE DESCENDANT

1

Gladia felt the lawn lounge to make sure it wasn't too damp and then sat down A touch at the control adjusted it in such a way as to allow her to be seave her, as it always did, the sensation of utter relaxation And why not? She was, in actual fact, floating - a centimeter above the fabric

It was a warht, the kind that found the planet Aurora at its best - fragrant and star-lit

With a pang of sadness, she studied the numerous little sparks that dotted the sky with patterns, sparks that were all the brighter because she had ordered the lights of her establishment dimmed

Hoas it, she wondered, that she had never learned the names of the stars and had never found out which hich in all the twenty-three decades of her life One of them was the star about which her birth planet of Solaria orbited, the star which, during the first three decades of her life, she had thought of merely as "the sun"

Gladia had once been called Gladia Solaria That hen she had come to Aurora, twenty decades before two hundred Standard Galactic Years - and it was n birth A month before had been the bicentennial anniversary of her she had left unmarked because she did to think of those days Before that, Gladia Delmarre -

She stirred uneasily She had alo? Or was it et?

All these years she had not regretted Solaria, never missed it

And yet now?

Was it because she had now, quite suddenly, discovered herself to have survived it? It was gone - a historical memory and she still lived on? Did she miss it now for that reason?

Her brow furrowed No, she did notfor it, nor did she wish to return to it It was just the peculiar pang of so that had been so one

Solaria! The last of the Spacer worlds to be settled and made into a home for humanity And in consequence, by some mysterious law of symmetry perhaps, it was also the first to die

The first? Did that imply a second and third and so on?

Gladia felt her sadness deepen There were those who thought there was indeed such an i been the first Spacer-World to be settled, would, by that same rule of symmetry, therefore be the last of the fifty to die In that case, it ht, even at worst, outlast her own stretched-out lifetime and if so, that would have to do

Her eyes sought the stars again It was hopeless There was no way she could possibly work out which of those indistinguishable dots of light was Solaria's sun She ihter ones, but there were hundreds even of those

She lifted her arm and esture" The fact that it was dark did not matter

Robot Daneel Olivaas at her side almost - at once Anyone who had known him a little over twenty decades before, when he had first been designed by Han Fastolfe, would not have been conscious of any noticeable change in hih-cheekboned face, with its short bronze hair combed back; his blue eyes; his tall, well-knit, and perfectly hu and as calmly unemotional as ever

"May I be of help in any way, Madam Gladia?" he asked in an even voice

"Yes, Daneel Which of those stars is Solaria's sun?"

Daneel did not look upward He said, "None of them, Madam Gladia At this time of year, Solaria's sun will not rise until 03:20"

"Oh?" Gladia felt dashed Somehow she had assumed that any star in which she happened to be interested would be visible at any time it occurred to her to look Of course, they did rise and set at different ti, then"

"The stars, I gather froh in an attempt to console, "are beautiful whether any particular one of them is visible or not"

"I dare say," said Gladia discontentedly and adjusted the lounge to an upright position with a snap She stood up "However, it was Solaria's sun I wanted to see - but not so much that I intend to sit here till 03:20"

"Even were you to do so," said Daneel, "you would need nilenses"

"Magnilenses?"

"It is not quite visible to the unaided eye, Madam Gladia"

"Worse and worse!" She brushed at her slacks "I should have consulted you first, Daneel"

Anyone who had known Gladia twenty decades before, when she had first arrived in Aurora, would have found a change Unlike Daneel, she was merely human She was 155 centiht for a Spacer woure and there was no sign of weakness or stiffness about her body Still, there was a bit of gray in her hair, fine wrinkles near her eyes, and a touch of graininess about her skin She ht well live another ten or twelve decades, but there was no denying that she was already no longer young That didn't bother her

She said, "Can you identify all the stars, Daneel?"

"I know those visible to the unaided eye, Madam Gladia"

"And when they rise and set on any day of the year?"

"Yes, Madam Gladia"

"And all sorts of other things about them?"

"Yes, Madaather astronoertips without having to consult his computer He used to say it was friendlier to have h, to anticipate the next question, "He did not explain why that should be so"

Gladia raised her left aresture Her house was at once illuht that now reached her, she was subliures of several robots, but she paid no attention to that In any well-ordered establishs, both for security and for service

Gladia took a last fugitive glimpse at the sky, where the stars had now dihtly It had been quixotic What good would it have done even if she had been able to see the sun of that now-lost world, one faint dot aht as well choose a dot at random, tell herself it was Solaria's sun, and stare at it

Her attention turned to R Daneel He waited for her patiently, the planes of his face largely in shadow

She found herself thinking again how little he had changed since she had seen hio He had undergone repairs, of course She knew that, but it was a vague knowledge that one pushed away and kept at a distance

It was part of the general queasiness that held good for huht boast of their iron health and of their life-spans of thirty to forty decades, but they, were not entirely ie One of Gladia's femurs fit into a titanium-silicone hip socket Her left thuh no one could tell that without careful ultrasonogras would be true of any Spacer of sie from any of the fifty Spacer worlds (no, forty-nine, for now Solaria could no longer be counted)

To s, however, was an ultimate obscenity The medical records involved, which had to exist since further treatht be necessary, were never revealed for any reason Surgeons, whose incoher than those of the Chairman himself, were paid so well, in part, because they were virtually ostracized from polite society After all, they knew

It was all part of the Spacer fixation on long life, on their unwillingness to ader on any analysis of causes She was restlessly, uneasy in thinking about herself in that connection If she had a three dimensional map of herself with all prosthetic portions, all repairs, ray of her natural self, what a general pinkness she would appear to have froined

Her brain, however, was still intact and whole and while that was so, she was intact and whole, whatever happened to the rest of her body

Which brought her back to Daneel Though she had known him for twenty decades, it was only in the last year that he was hers When Fastolfe died (his end hastened, perhaps, by despair), he had willed everything to the city of Eos, which was a coh state of affairs Two ite her in the ownership of her establishrounds thereto appertaining)

One of them had been Daneel

Gladia asked, "Do you re you have ever committed to memory over the course of twenty decades, Daneel?"

Daneel said gravely, "I believe so, Madaot an iteotten and I would not then recall ever having memorized it"

"That doesn't follow at all," said Gladia "Youit, but be unable to think of it at the ue, so to speak, and been unable to retrieve it"

Daneel said, "I do not understand, , surely it would be there when I needed it"

"Perfect retrieval?" They alking slowly toward the house

"Merely retrieval, ned so"

"For how er?"

"I do not understand, madam"

"I mean, how much will your brain hold? With a little over twenty decades of accuo on?"

"I do not know, madam As yet I feel no difficulty"

"You ht not - until you suddenly discover you can remember no more"

Daneel seehtful for a moment "That may be so, madam"

"You know, Daneel, not all your memories are equally important"

"I cannot judge a them, madam"

"Others can It would be perfectly possible to clean out your brain, Daneel, and then, under supervision, refill it with its important memory content only - say, ten percent of the whole You would then be able to continue for centuries longer than you would otherwise With repeated treato on indefinitely It is an expensive procedure, of course, but I would not cavil at that You'd be worth it"

"Would I be consulted on the ree to such treatment?"

"Of course I would not order you in a matter like that It would be a betrayal of Dr Fastolfe's trust"

"Thank you, madam In that case, I must tell you that I would never submit voluntarily to such a procedure unless I found myself to have actually lost my memory function"

They had reached the door and Gladia paused She said, in honest puzzlement, "Why ever not, Daneel?"

Daneel said in a low Voice, "There are h inadvertence or through poor judg the procedure"

"Like the rising and setting of the stars? ForgiveTo what ?"

Daneel said, his voice still lower, "Madam, I refer to my memories of my onetime partner, the Earthman Elijah Baley - "

And Gladia stood there, stricken, so that it was Daneel who had to take the initiative, finally, and signal for the door to open

2

Robot Giskard Reventlov aiting in the living roo of uneasiness that always assailed her when she faced him

He was primitive in comparison with Daneel He was obviously a robot -hulowed a dih Whereas Daneel wore clothing, Giskard had only the illusion of clothing but a skillful illusion, for it was Gladia herself who had designed it

"Well, Giskard," she said

"Good evening, Madam Gladia," said Giskard with a small bow of his head

Gladia reo, like a whisper inside the recesses of her brain:

"Daneel will take care of you He will be your friend as well as protector and you must be a friend to him - for my sake But it is Giskard I want you to listen to Let him be your adviser"

Gladia had frowned "Why him? I'm not sure I like him"

"I do not ask you to like him I ask you to trust him"

And he would not say why

Gladia tried to trust the robot Giskard, but was glad she did not have to try to like hi about him made her shiver

She had both Daneel and Giskard as effective parts of her establish which Fastolfe had held titular ownership It was only on his deathbed that Han Fastolfe had actually transferred ownership Giskard was the second item, after Daneel, that Fastolfe had left Gladia

She had said to the old hter Vasilia would like to have Giskard I'm sure of that"

Fastolfe was lying in bed quietly, eyes closed, looking more peaceful than she had seen him look in years He did not answer iht he had slipped out of life so quietly that she had not noticed She tightened her grip on his hand convulsively and his eyes opened

He whispered, "I care nothing for hters, Gladia For twenty centuries, I have had but one functional daughter and that has been you I want you to have Giskard He is valuable"

"Why is he valuable?"

"I cannot say, but I have always found his presence consoling Keep him always, Gladia Promise me that"

"I promise," she said

And then his eyes opened one last tith, said, in alhter"

And Gladia said, "I love you, Han, my father"

Those were the last words he said and heard Gladia found herself holding the hand of a dead o

So Giskard was hers And yet he made her uneasy and she didn't knohy

"Well, Giskard," she said, "I've been trying to see Solaria in the sky a the stars, but Daneel tells nilenses even then Would you have known that?"

"No, madam"

"Should I wait up till all hours? What do you think?"

"I suggest, Madam Gladia, that you would be better off in bed"

Gladia bridled, "Indeed? And if I choose to stay up?"

"Mine is only a suggestion, madam, but you will have a hard day to your sleep if you stay up"

Gladia frowned "What's going to make my day hard to difficulty"

Giskard said, "You have an appointment, madam, with one Levular Mandamus"

"I have? When did that happen?"

"An hour ago He photophoned and I took the liberty - "

"You took the liberty? Who is he?"

"He is a member of the Robotics Institute, madam"

"He's an underling of Kelden Amadiro, then"

"Yes, madam"

"Understand, Giskard, that I a this Mandamus or anyone with any connection with that poisonous toad A an appointht now of phoning hi"

"If you will confir and as definite as you can, I will try to obey Iyourself harm if you cancel the appointh any action of mine"

"Your judg, Giskard Who is thisa member of the Robotics Institute scarcely makes him important to me"

Gladia was perfectly aware of the fact that she was venting spleen at Giskard without much justification She had been upset by the news of Solaria's abandonnorance that led her to look for Solaria in a sky that did not contain it

Of course, it had been Daneel whose knowledge had made her own lack so obvious and yet she had not railed at him - but, then, Daneel looked huh he were Appearance was everything Giskard looked like a robot, so one could easily assus to hurt

And, to be sure, Giskard did not react at all to Gladia's peevishness (Neither would Daneel have reacted - if it came to that) He said, "I have described Dr Mandamus as a member of the Robotics Institute, but he is perhaps ht-hand man to Dr Anored Dr Mandaood man to offend, madam"

"Would he not, Giskard? I care nothing for Manda for Amadiro I presume you reme, did his best to prove that Dr Fastolfe was a murderer and that it was only by a near-miracle that his machinations were aborted"

"I remember it very well, madam"

"That's a relief I was afraid that in twenty decades you had forgotten In those twenty decades, I have had nothing to do with Amadiro or with anyone connected with him and I intend to continue that policy I don't care what harht be I will not see this Dr whoever-he-is and, in the future, do notthat such appointments are subject to my approval"

"Yes, madam," said Giskard, "but may I point out - "

"No, you may not," Gladia said and turned away from him

There was silence while she moved away three steps and then Giskard's calm voice said, "Madam, I must ask you to trust me"

Gladia stopped Why did he use that expression?

She heard again that long-ago voice, "I do not ask you to like him I ask you to trust him"

Her lips tightened and she, frowned Reluctantly, not wanting to, she turned back

"Welt," she said ungraciously, "what is it you want to say, Giskard?"

"Just that as long as Dr Fastolfe was alive, hout the Spacer worlds As a result, the people of Earth have been allowed to rate freely to various suitable planets in the Galaxy andcall the Settler-worlds have flourished Dr Fastolfe is dead noever, and his successors lack his prestige Dr Amadiro has kept his own anti-Earth views alive and it is very possible that they ainst Earth and the Settler worlds may be undertaken"

"If so, Giskard, what can I do about it?"

"You can see Dr Mandamus and you can find out what it is that makes him so anxious to see you,the appointment as early as possible He asked to see you at 08:00"

"Giskard, I never see anyone before noon"

"I explained that, madam I took his anxiety to see you at breakfast, despite my explanation, to be a measure of his desperation I felt it important to find out why he should be so desperate"

"And if I don't see him, then it is your opinion, is it, that it will harm me personally? I don't ask whether it will harm Earth, or the Settlers, or this, or that Will it harm me?"

"Madam, it may harm the ability of Earth and the Settlers to continue the settleinated in the mind of Plainclotheso The harm to Earth will thus beco that any harh it were harm to yourself personally?"

Gladia was staggered Tithin the hour now, Elijah Baley had coone now - a short-lived Earthman who had died over sixteen decades before - yet the mere mention of his name could still shake her

She said, "How can things suddenly be that serious?"

"It is not sudden, madam For twenty decades, the people of Earth and the people of the Spacer worlds have been following parallel courses and have been kept fro into conflict by the wise policies of Dr Fastolfe There has, however, always been a strong opposition movement that Dr Fastolfe has had to withstand at all times Now that Dr Fastolfe is dead, the opposition is reatly increased the power of what had been the opposition and may soon be the dominant political force"

"Why?"

"It is a clear indication,andaction must be taken - now or never"

"And you think thatall this?"

"That is so, madam"

Gladia was silent for a h rebelliously, that she had once promised Elijah that she would trust Giskard She said, "Well, I don't want to and I don't think ood - but, very well, I will see him"

3

Gladia was asleep and the house was dark - by human standards It was alive, however, with motion and action, for there was much for the robots to do - and they could do it by infrared

The establish effects of a day's activity Supplies had to be brought in, rubbish had to be disposed of, objects had to be cleaned or polished or stored, appliances had to be checked, and, always, there was guard duty

There were no locks on any doors; there did not have to be There was no violent criainst property There could not be anything of the sort, since every establishuarded by robots This ell known and taken for granted

The price for such caluards had to remain in place They were never used - but only because they were always there