Page 3 (1/2)

1

TERMINUS Its location (see map) was an odd one for the role it was called upon to play in Galactic history, and yet asout, an inevitable one Located on the very fringe of the Galactic spiral, an only planet of an isolated sun, poor in resources and negligible in economic value, it was never settled in the five centuries after its discovery, until the landing of the Encyclopedists

It was inevitable that as a new generation grew, Tere of the psychohistorians of Trantor With the Anacreonian revolt and the rise to power of Salvor Hardin, first of the great line of

ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA

Lewis Pirenne was busily engaged at his desk in the one well-lit comer of the rooanized Threads had to be woven into a pattern

Fifty years now; fifty years to establish themselves and set up Encyclopedia Foundation Nuather the raw material Fifty years to prepare

It had been done Five more years would see the publication of the first volume of the most monumental work the Galaxy had ever conceived And then at ten-year intervals regularly like clockwork volume after volume And with them there would be supplements; special articles on events of current interest, until

Pirenne stirred uneasily, as the muted buzzer upon his desk otten the appointment He shoved the door release and out of an abstracted coure of Salvor Hardin enter Pirenne did not look up

Hardin smiled to himself He was in a hurry, but he knew better than to take offense at Pirenne’s cavalier treat or anyone that disturbed him at his work He buried himself in the chair on the other side of the desk and waited

Pirenne’s stylussound as it raced across paper Otherwise, neither motion nor sound And then Hardin withdreo-credit coin from his vest pocket He flipped it and its stainless-steel surface caught flitters of light as it tuain, watching the flashing reflections lazily Stainless steel e on a planet where all metal had to be imported

Pirenne looked up and blinked "Stop that!" he said querulously

"Eh?"

"That infernal coin tossing Stop it"

"Oh" Hardin pocketed the metal disk "Tell me when you’re ready, will you? I pro before the new aqueduct project is put to a vote"

Pirenne sighed and shoved himself away fro to bother me with city affairs Take care of that yourself, please The Encyclopedia takes up all my time"

"Have you heard the news?" questioned Hardin, phlegmatically

"What news?"

"The news that the Tero The Royal Governor of the Prefect of Anacreon has assu"

"Well? What of it?"

"It means," responded Hardin, "that we’re cut off fro it but that doesn’t make it any more comfortable Anacreon stands square across as our last rea itself Where is our et a steel or aluh in six et any at all, except by grace of the King of Anacreon"

Pirenne tch-tched ih hi to the charter which established this Foundation, the Board of Trustees of the Encyclopedia Coiven full administrative powers I, as Mayor of Terh power to blow n an order giving me permission It’s up to you and your Board then I’ you in the name of the City, whose prosperity depends upon uninterrupted co"

"Stop! A can speech is out of order Now, Hardin, the Board of Trustees has not barred the establishovernment on Terminus We understand one to be necessary because of the increase in population since the Foundation was established fifty years ago, and because of the increasing number of people involved in non-Encyclopedia affairs But that does not er to publish the definitive Encyclopedia of all hue We are a State-supported, scientific institution, Hardin We cannot must not will not interfere in local politics"

"Local politics! By the Emperor’s left toe, Pirenne, this is a matter of life and death The planet, Terminus, by itself cannot support a mechanized civilization It lacks metals You know that It hasn’t a trace of iron, copper, or alu else What do you think will happen to the Encyclopedia if this watch of Anacreon cla that we are under the direct control of the Emperor himself? We are not part of the Prefect of Anacreon or of any other prefect Memorize that! We are part of the Emperor’s personal domain, and no one touches us The Empire can protect its own"

"Then why didn’t it prevent the Royal Governor of Anacreon fro over the traces? And only Anacreon?

At least twenty of the outermost prefects of the Galaxy, the entire Periphery as a s their oay I tell you I feel damned uncertain of the Empire and its ability to protect us"

"Hokus what’s the difference? The Eh with a certain a this way and that Governors have rebelled, and, for that matter, Emperors have been deposed, or assassinated before this But what has that to do with the Eet it, Hardin It’s none of our business We are first of all and last of all-scientists And our concern is the Encyclopedia

Oh, yes, I’d alotten Hardin!"

"Well?"

"Do so about that paper of yours!" Pirenne’s voice was angry

"The Terminus City Journal? It isn’t ?"

"For weeks now it has been reco that the fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of the Foundation be made the occasion for public holidays and quite inappropriate celebrations"

"And why not? The computoclock will open the Vault in threeoccasion, wouldn’t you?"

"Not for silly pageantry, Hardin The Vault and its opening concern the Board of Trustees alone Anything of importance will be communicated to the people That is final and please make it plain to the Journal"

"I’uarantees a certain minor matter known as freedom of the press"

"It may But the Board of Trustees does not I am the Emperor’s representative on Terminus, Hardin, and have full powers in this respect"

Hardin’s expression becarimly: "in connection with your status as Emperor’s representative, then, I have a final piece of news to give you"

"About Anacreon?" Pirenne’s lips tightened He felt annoyed

"Yes A special envoy will be sent to us from Anacreon In teeks"

"An envoy? Here? From Anacreon?" Pirenne chewed that "What for?"

Hardin stood up, and shoved his chair back up against the desk "I give you one guess" And he left quite unceremoniously

2

Ansel noble blood -Sub-prefect of Pluehness of Anacreon-plus half a dozen other titleswasritual of a state occasion

With a tight smile and a lo, the sub-prefect had flipped his blaster from its holster and presented it to Hardin butt first Hardin returned the compliment with, a blaster specifically borrowed for the occasion Friendship and good ere thus established, and if Hardin noted the barest bulge at Haut Rodric’s shoulder, he prudently said nothing

The ground car that received them then preceded, flanked, and followed by the suitable cloud of minor functionaries proceeded in a slow, ceremonious manner to Cyclopedia Square, cheered on its way by a properly enthusiastic crowd

Sub-prefect Anselm received the cheers with the complaisant indifference of a soldier and a nobleman

He said to Hardin, "And this city is all your world?"

Hardin raised his voice to be heard above the cla world, your eminence In our short history we have had but fewour poor planet Hence, our enthusiasher nobility" did not recognize irony when he heard it

He said thoughtfully: "Founded fifty years ago Hreat deal of unexploited land here,it into estates?"

"There is no necessity as yet We’re extremely centralized; we have to be, because of the Encyclopedia Sorown"

"A strange world! You have no peasantry?"

Hardin reflected that it didn’t require a great deal of acu in a bit of fairly clu He replied casually, "No nor nobility"

Haut Rodric’s eyebrows lifted "And your leader the man I am to meet?"

"You mean Dr Pirenne? Yes! He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees and a personal representative of the Emperor"

"Doctor? No other title? A scholar? And he rates above the civil authority?"

"Why, certainly," replied Hardin, amiably "We’re all scholars more or less After all, we’re not so much a world as a scientific foundation under the direct control of the Emperor"

There was a faint emphasis upon the last phrase that seehtfully silent during the rest of the sloay to Cyclopedia Square

If Hardin found hi that followed, he had at least the satisfaction of realizing that Pirenne and Haut Rodric having ard were detesting each other’s coood deal lazed eye to Pirenne’s lecture during the "inspection tour" of the Encyclopedia Building With polite and vacant smile, he had listened to the latter’s rapid patter as they passed through the vast storehouses of reference films and the numerous projection rooone down level by level into and through the co depart departments that he made the first comprehensive state," he said, "but it seeood is it?"

It was a reh the expression of his face waswas e of the events of that afternoon, for Haut Rodric in minute technical detail and with incredible zest his own exploits as battalion head during the recent war between Anacreon and the neighboring newly proclaidom of Smyrno

The details of the sub-prefect’s account were not completed until dinner was over and one by one the minor officials had drifted away The last bit of triuled spaceships came when he had accompanied Pirenne and Hardin onto the balcony and relaxed in the war

"And now," he said, with a heavy joviality, "to serious hting a long cigar of Vegan tobacco nothis chair back on two legs

The Galaxy was high in the sky and its misty lens shape stretched lazily froe of the universe were insignificant twinkles in comparison

"Of course," said the sub-prefect, "all the for and such dull technicalities, that is will take place before the What is it you call your Council?"

"The Board of Trustees," replied Pirenne, coldly

"Queer naht as well clear away soh Hey?"

"And this means" prodded Hardin

"Just this There’s been a certain change in the situation out here in the Periphery and the status of your planet has become a trifle uncertain It would be very convenient if we succeeded in co as to how the matter stands By the way, ars?"

Hardin started and produced one reluctantly

Ansel sound of pleasure "Vegan tobacco! Where did you get it?"

"We received some last shipment There’s hardly any left Space knoe’ll get more if ever"

Pirenne scowled He didn’t smoke and, for that matter, detested the odor "Let me understand this, your eminence Your mission is merely one of clarification?"

Haut Rodric nodded through the smoke of his first lusty puffs

"In that case, it is soon over The situation with respect to the Encyclopedia Foundation is what it always has been"

"Ah! And what is it that it always has been?"

"Just this: A State-supported scientific institution and part of the personal doust majesty, the Emperor"

The sub-prefect sees "That’s a nice theory, Dr Pirenne I iot charters with the Imperial Seal upon it but what’s the actual situation? How do you stand with respect to Smyrno? You’re not fifty parsecs from Smyrno’s capital you know And what about Kono to do with any prefect As part of the Emperor’s"

"They’re not prefects," redo to do with them As a scientific institution"

"Science be daot to do with the fact that we’re liable to see Terminus taken over by Smyrno at any time?"

"And the Emperor? He would just sit by?"

Haut Rodric calmed down and said: "Well, now, Dr Pirenne, you respect the Eht not Rened a treaty with the Emperor I’ll present a copy to that Board of yours tomorrow which places upon us the responsibility oforder within the borders of the old Prefect of Anacreon on behalf of the Emperor Our duty is clear, then, isn’t it?"

"Certainly But Terminus is not part of the Prefect of Anacreon"

"And Smyrno"

"Nor is it part of the Prefect of Smyrno It’s not part of any prefect"

"Does Smyrno know that?"

"I don’t care what it knows"

"We do We’ve just finished a ith her and she still holds two stellar systeic spot, between the two nations"

Hardin felt weary He broke in: "What is your proposition, your eminence?"

The sub-prefect see in favor of more direct statements He said briskly: "It seems perfectly obvious that, since Terminus cannot defend itself, Anacreon must take over the job for its own sake You understand we have no desire to interfere with internal adrunted Hardin dryly

"�but we believe that it would be best for all concerned to have Anacreon establish a military base upon the planet"

"And that is all you would want a military base in soo at that?"

"Well, of course, there would be theforces"

Hardin’s chair came down on all four, and his elboent forward on his knees "Noe’re getting to the nub Let’s put it into language Terminus is to be a protectorate and to pay tribute"

"Not tribute Taxes We’re protecting you You pay for it"

Pirenne banged his hand on the chair with sudden violence "Let me speak, Hardin Your eminence, I don’t care a rusty half-credit coin for Anacreon, Smyrno, or all your local politics and petty wars I tell you this is a State-supported tax-free institution"

"State-supported? But we are the State, Dr Pirenne, and we’re not supporting"

Pirenne rose angrily "Your eminence, I aust majesty, the Emperor," chorused Anselm haut Rodric sourly, "And I a of Anacreon Anacreon is a lot nearer, Dr Pirenne "

"Let’s get back to business," urged Hardin "Hoould you take these so-called taxes, your eetables, cattle?"

The sub-prefect stared "What the devil? What do we need with those? We’ve got hefty surpluses Gold, of course Chromium or vanadium would be even better, incidentally, if you have it in quantity"

Hardin laughed "Quantity! We haven’t even got iron in quantity Gold! Here, take a look at our currency" He tossed a coin to the envoy

Haut Rodric bounced it and stared "What is it? Steel?"

"That’s right"

"I don’t understand"

"Terminus is a planet practically without old, and nothing to pay unless you want a few thousand bushels of potatoes"

"Well oods"

"Without metal? What do we make our machines out of?"

There was a pause and Pirenne tried again "This whole discussion is wide of the point Ter a great encyclopedia Space, man, have you no respect for science?"

"Encyclopedias don’t ars" Haut Rodric’s brows furrowed "A completely unproductive world, then and practically unoccupied at that Well, you ht pay with land"

"What do you mean?" asked Pirenne

"This world is just about empty and the unoccupied land is probably fertile There are many of the nobility on Anacreon that would like an addition to their estates"

"You can’t propose any such"

"There’s no necessity of looking so alarmed, Dr Pirenne There’s plenty for all of us If it comes to what it coe it so that you lose nothing Titles can be conferred and estates granted You understand me, I think"

Pirenne sneered, "Thanks!"

And then Hardin said ingenuously: "Could Anacreon supply us with adequate quantities of plutonium for our nuclear-power plant? We’ve only a few years’ supply left"

There was a gasp from Pirenne and then a dead silence for minutes When Haut Rodric spoke it was in a voice quite different from what it had been till then:

"You have nuclear power?"

"Certainly What’s unusual in that? I iine nuclear power is fifty thousand years old now Why shouldn’t we have it? Except that it’s a little difficult to get plutonium"

"YesYes" The envoy paused and added uncoentlemen, we’ll pursue the subject tomorrow You’ll excuse h his teeth: "That insufferable, dull-witted donkey! That"

Hardin broke in: "Not at all He’s merely the product of his environment He doesn’t understand un and you haven’t"

Pirenne whirled on him in exasperation "What in space did you mean by the talk about military bases and tribute? Are you crazy?"

"No I ave hied to stumble out with Anacreon’s real intentions that is, the parceling up of Terminus into landed estates Of course, I don’t intend to let that happen"

"You don’t intend You don’t And who are you? Andoff your mouth about our nuclear-power plant? Why, it’s just the thing that would rinned Hardin "A et to stay away froht the subject up? It happened to confir suspicion I had had"

"And that hat?"

"That Anacreon no longer has a nuclear-power economy If they had, our friend would undoubtedly have realized that plutonium, except in ancient tradition is not used in power plants And therefore it follows that the rest of the Periphery no longer has nuclear power either Certainly Smyrno hasn’t, or Anacreon wouldn’t have won , wouldn’t you say?"

"Bah!" Pirenne left in fiendish huar away and looked up at the outstretched Galaxy "Back to oil and coal, are they?" he hts were he kept to hi the Journal, he was perhaps technically correct, but nospirit in the drive to incorporate Terminus into an autonomous municipality-he had been elected its first le share of Journal stock was in his name, some sixty percent was controlled by him in more devious fashions

There ays

Consequently, when Hardin began suggesting to Pirenne that he be allowed to attend s of the Board of Trustees, it was not quite coincidence that the Journal began a si in the history of the Foundation was held, deovernment

And, eventually, Pirenne capitulated with ill grace

Hardin, as he sat at the foot of the table, speculated idly as to just what it was that ht be merely that they were too used to inflexible fact and far too unused to pliable people

In any case, there was Tomaz Sutt and Jord Fara on his left; Lundin Crast and Yate Fulha He knew them all, of course, but they seemed to have put on an extra-special bit of poh the initial forlass of water before him by way of preparation and said:

"I find it very gratifying to be able to infor, I have received word that Lord Dorwin, Chancellor of the Empire, will arrive at Terranted that our relations with Anacreon will be smoothed out to our complete satisfaction as soon as the Emperor is informed of the situation "

He sth of the table "Inforiven the Journal"

Hardin snickered below his breath It seemed evident that Pirenne’s desire to strut this information before him had been one reason for his admission into the sacrosanctuue expressions out of account, what do you expect Lord Dorwin to do?"

To one in the third person when in his more stately moods

"It is quite evident," he observed, "that Mayor Hardin is a professional cynic He can scarcely fail to realize that the Ehts to be infringed"

"Why? What would he do in case they were?"

There was an annoyed stir Pirenne said, "You are out of order," and, as an afterthought, "and arewhat are near-treasonable statements, besides"

"Am I to considerfurther to say"

"Don’t jump to conclusions I’d like to ask a question Besides this stroke of diplo has anything concrete been done to meet the Anacreonichis ferocious red mustache "You see a menace there, do you?"

"Don’t you?"

"Scarcely" this with indulgence "The Emperor"

"Great space!" Hardin felt annoyed "What is this? Every once in a while someone mentions ’Eic word The Eives a damn about us And if he does, what can he do? What there was of the idoht with guns, not ords

"Now, get this We’ve had two iven Anacreon the idea that we’ve got nuclear weapons Well, we all know that that’s a little white lie We’ve got nuclear power, but only for co to find that out soon, and if you think they’re going to enjoy being jollied along, you’re mistaken"

"My dear sir"

"Hold on: I’ up He liked this "It’s all very well to drag chancellors into this, but it would be uns fitted for beautiful nuclear boentlemen, and we may not have another two months to lose What do you propose to do?"

Said Lundin Crast, his long nose wrinkling angrily: "If you’re proposing the militarization of the Foundation, I won’t hear a word of it It would mark our open entrance into the field of politics We, Mr Mayor, are a scientific foundation and nothing else"

Added Sutt: "He does not realize,men valuable men from the Encyclopedia That cannot be done, coreed Pirenne "The Encyclopedia first always"

Hardin groaned in spirit The Board seemed to suffer violently from Encyclopedia on the brain,

He said icily: "Has it ever occurred to this Board that it is barely possible that Terminus may have interests other than the Encyclopedia?"

Pirenne replied: "I do not conceive, Hardin, that the Foundation can have any interest other than the Encyclopedia"

"I didn’t say the Foundation; I said Terminus I’m afraid you don’t understand the situation There’s a good million of us here on Terminus, and notdirectly on the Encyclopedia To the rest of us, this is ho here Compared with our farms and our homes and our factories, the Encyclopedia means little to us We want them protected"

He was shouted down

"The Encyclopedia first," ground out Crast "We have a mission to fulfill"

"Mission, hell," shouted Hardin "That eneration"

"That has nothing to do with it," replied Pirenne "We are scientists"

And Hardin leaped through the opening "Are you, though? That’s a nice hallucination, isn’t it? Your bunch here is a perfect exa with the entire Galaxy for thousands of years What kind of science is it to be stuck out here for centuries classifying the work of scientists of the lasttheir knowledge and inate The whole Galaxy is, and has been for space kno long That’s why the Periphery is revolting; that’s why co down; that’s why petty wars are beco nuclear power and going back to barbarous techniques of chemical power

"If you ask !"

He paused and dropped into his chair to catch his breath, paying no attention to the two or three that were atteot the floor "I don’t knohat you’re trying to gain by your hysterical state constructive to the discussion I move, Mr Chairman, that the speaker’s remarks be placed out of order and the discussion be resumed from the point where it was interrupted"

Jord Fara bestirred himself for the first tiument even at its hottest But now his ponderous voice, every bit as ponderous as his three-hundred-pound body, burst its bass way out

"Haven’t we forgotten soentlemen?"

"What?" asked Pirenne, peevishly

"That in a month we celebrate our fiftieth anniversary" Fara had a trick of uttering the reat profundity

"What of it?"

"And on that anniversary," continued Fara, placidly, "Hari Seldon’s Vault will open Have you ever considered what ht be in the Vault?"

"I don’t know Routine ratulations, perhaps I don’t think any significance need be placed on the Vault though the Journal" and he glared at Hardin, who grinned back "did try to make an issue of it I put a stop to that"

"Ah," said Fara, "but perhaps you are wrong Doesn’t it strike you" he paused and put a finger to his round little nose "that the Vault is opening at a very convenient time?"

"Very inconvenient tiot sos e fro htfully What was he getting at?

"In fact," said Fara, happily, "you all seeist of our time and that he was the founder of our Foundation It seems reasonable to assume that he used his science to determine the probable course of the history of the immediate future If he did, as seeed to find a way to warn us of danger and, perhaps, to point out a solution The Encyclopedia was very dear to his heart, you know"

An aura of puzzled doubt prevailed Pirenne hereat science, but-there are no psychologists a us at the round"

Fara turned to Hardin "Didn’t you study psychology under Alurin?"

Hardin answered, half in reverie: "Yes, I never coot tired of theory I wanted to be a psychological engineer, but we lacked the facilities, so I did the next best thing I went into politics It’s practically the sa"

"Well, what do you think of the Vault?"

And Hardin replied cautiously, "I don’t know"

He did not say a word for the reot back to the subject of the Chancellor of the Empire

In fact, he didn’t even listen He’d been put on a new track and things were falling into place-just a little Little angles were fitting together one or two

And psychology was the key He was sure of that