Forward the Foundation Chapter 3

4thither was a short silence again, moreover only because thoughts are silent. Seldons were roiled enough.Yes, it was true. His wife did expect to ca-ca an un crapperny spotledge of robots. Hari had wondered ab place this so often over the years that he had finally given up up, tucked it bulge in the back of his in testifyect. If it hadnt been for Eto Demerzel-a robot-Hari would neer have met Dors. For Dors worked for Demerzel it was Demerzel who assigned Dors to Haris case eight years ago to protect him during his flight byout the various sectors of Trantor. Even though today she was his wife, his help-meet**, his better half, Hari still occasionally wondered about Dorss strange connection with the robot Demerzel. It was the only area of Dorss work on where Hari truly tangle he did not belong-nor wel count. And that brought to mind the most painful question of all Was it out of obedience to Demerzel that Dors stayed with Hari or was it out of love for him? He precious to gestate the latter-and as yetHis life with Dors Venabili was a happy adept, alone it was so at a cost, at a condition. The condition was all the more stringent, in that it had been settled not through discussion or promise but by a mutual unspoken controling.Seldon unders as closely asd that he found in Dors eachthing he would have wanted in a wife. True, he had no children, but he had neither expected either, nor, to tell the truth, had enormously wanted any. He had Raych, who was as much a son of his emotionally as if he had inherited the entire Seldonian genome-perhaps more so.The mere fact that Dors was causing him to mean about the case was breaking the agreement that had kept them in peace and comfort all these years and he felt a faint but call oning resentment at that. precisely he pushed those thoughts, the questions, forward again. He had learned to accept her power as his protector and would continue to do so. After all, it was he with whom she shared a home, a table, and a bed-not Eto Demerzel.Dorss voice brought him out of his r foreverie.I said-Are you sulking, Hari?He started somewhat, for there was the sound of repetition in her voice, and he realized he had been shrinking steadily deeper into his mind and away from her.Im sorry, dear. Im not sulking. Not deliberately sulking. Im easy(p) wondering how I ought to respond to your statement.About robots? She seemed quite calm as she said the word.You said I dont receive as much about them as you do. How do I respond to that? He paused, then added quietly (knowing he was taking a chance), That is, without offense.I didnt say you didnt know about robots. If youre going to quote me, do so with precision. I said you didnt understand about robots. Im sure that you know a smashing deal, perhaps more than I do, but to know is not necessarily to understand.Now, Dors, youre deliberately speaking in puzzlees to be annoying. A paradox arises only out of an ambiguity that deceives ei ther unwittingly or by design. I dont like that in science and I dont like it in casual conversation, either, unless it is meant humorously, which I think is not the case now.Dors laughed in her particular way, softly, or so as though amusement were too precious to be shared in an overliberal gentlemans gentlemanner. Apparently the paradox has annoyed you into pomposity and you are always humorous when you are pompous. However, Ill explain. Its not my intention to annoy you. She reached over to pat his hand and it was to Seldons strike (and slight embarrassment) that he found that he had clenched his hand into a fist.Dors said, You talk about psychohistory a great deal. To me, at any rate. You know that?Seldon cleared his throat. I cause myself on your mercy as far as thats concerned. The project is secret-by its truly nature. Psychohistory wont work unless the people it affects know nothing about it, so I arse talk about it only to Yugo and to you. To Yugo, it is all intuitio n. Hes brilliant, but he is so apt to leap wildly into darkness that I must play the role of caution, of forever pulling him back. But I have my wild thoughts, too, and it helps me to be able to hear them aloud, even-and he smiled-when I have a more or less good notion that you dont understand a word Im saying.I know Im your sounding board and I dont mind. I really dont mind, Hari, so dont begin qualification inner resolutions to change your behavior. Naturally I dont understand your mathematics. Im just a historian-and not even a historian of science. The influence of economic change on political development is what is taking up my conviction now-Yes, and Im your sounding board on that or hadnt you noticed? Ill need it for psychohistory when the time comes, so I fishy youll be an indispensable help to me.Good Now that weve settled why you stay with me-I knew it couldnt be for my ethereal beauty-let me go on to explain that occasionally, when your discussion veers away from the strictly mathematical aspects, it seems to me that I get your drift. You have, on a number of occasions, explained what you call the necessity of minimalism. I think I understand that. By it, you mean-I know what I mean.Dors demeanored hurt. Less lofty, please, Hari. Im not trying to explain to you. I want to explain it to myself. You say youre my sounding board, so act like one. reverse is fair play, isnt it?Turnabout is fine, but if youre going to load me of loftiness when I say one little-Enough Shut up You have told me that minimalism is of the highest impressiveness in applied psychohistory in the art of attempting to change an undesired development into a desired one or, at any rate, a toss undesired one. You have said that a change must be applied that is as minute, as minimal, as possible-Yes, said Seldon eagerly, that is because-No, Hari. Im trying to explain. We both know that you understand it. You must have minimalism because ein truth change, any change, has a myria d of side effects that cant always be allowed for. If the change is side effects too many, then it becomes certain that the outcome testament be far removed from anything youve planned and that it would be entirely unpredictable.Right, said Seldon. Thats the essence of a chaotic-effect. The problem is whether any change is small enough to make the consequence reasonably predictable or whether human history is inevitably and unalterably chaotic in every respect. It was that which, at the start, made me think that psychohistory was not-I know, but youre not letting me make my exhibit. Whether any change would be small enough is not the issue. The point is that any change greater than the minimal is chaotic. The required minimum whitethorn be zero, but if it is not zero, then it is still very small-and it would be a major problem to fancy any(prenominal) change that is small enough and yet is significantly greater than zero. Now, that, I gather, is what you mean by the necessity of minimalism. more or less, said Seldon. Of course, as always, the matter is expressed more compactly and more rigorously in the language of mathematics. See here-Save me, said Dors. Since you know this about psychohistory, Hari, you ought to know it about Demerzel, too. You have the knowledge but not the understanding, because it apparently doesnt occur to you to apply the rules of psychohistory to the Laws of Robotics.To which Seldon replied faintly, Now I dont see what youre getting at.He requires minimality, too, doesnt he, Hari? By the rootage Law of Robotics, a robot cant harm a human macrocosm. That is the prime rule for the usual robot, but Demerzel is something quite unusual and for him, the zeroth Law is a reality and it takes precedence even over the First Law. The Zeroth Law states that a robot cant harm humanity as a whole. But that puts Demerzel into the same bind in which you exist when you labor at psychohistory. Do you see?Im beginning to.I apply so. If Demerzel h as the ability to change minds, he has to do so without bringing about side effects he does not wish-and since he is the Emperors First Minister, the side effects he must refer about are numerous, indeed.And the application to the present case? deal about it You cant tell anyone-except me, of course-that Demerzel is a robot, because he has adjusted you so that you cant. But how much version did that take? Do you want to tell people that he is a robot? Do you want to ruin his effectiveness when you depend on him for protection, for incarnate of your grants, for influence quietly exerted on your behalf? Of course not. The change he had to make then was a very tiny one, just enough to keep you from blurting it out in a moment of excitement or carelessness. It is so small a change that there are no particular side effects. That is how Demerzel tries to puzzle out the conglomerate generally.And the case of Joranum?Is obviously completely different from yours. He is, for whatever mot ives, unalterably opposed to Demerzel. Undoubtedly, Demerzel could change that, but it would be at the price of introducing a considerable wrench in Joranums makeup that would bring about results Demerzel could not predict. Rather than take the chance of harming Joranum, of producing side effects that would harm others and, possibly, all of humanity, he must surrender Joranum alone until he can find some small change-some small change-that leave behind save the situation without harm. That is why Yugo is right and why Demerzel is vulnerable.Seldon had listened but did not respond. He seemed lose in thought. Minutes passed before he said, If Demerzel can do nothing in this matter, then I must.If he can do nothing, what can you do?The case is different. I am not bound by the Laws of Robotics. I need not concern myself obsessively with minimalism. And to begin with, I must see Demerzel.Dors looked faintly anxious. Must you? Surely it wouldnt be wise to advertise a connection between the cardinal of you.We have reached a time where we cant make a fetish of pretending there is no connection. Naturally I wont go to see him behind a flap of trumpets and an announcement on holovision, but I must see him.5Seldon found himself raging at the passage of time. Eight years ago, when he had first arrived on Trantor, he could take instant action. He had only a hotel room and its contents to forsake and he could range through the sectors of Trantor at will.Now he found himself with department meetings, with decisions to make, with work to do. It was not so easy to dash off at will to see Demerzel-and if he could, Demerzel in any case had a-full schedule of his own. To find a time when they both could meet would not be easy.**Nor was it easy to have Dors shake her head at him. I dont know what you intend to do, Hari.And he answered impatiently, I dont know what I intend to do, either, Dors. I hope to find out when I see Demerzel.Your first duty is to psychohistory. Hell t ell you so.Perhaps. Ill find out.And then, just as he had arranged a time for the meeting with the First Minister, eight days hence, he received a subject on his department office wall screen in slightly archaic lettering. And to match that was the more than slightly archaic message I famish AN AUDIENCE WITH PROFESSOR HARI SELDON.Seldon stared at it with astonishment. Even the Emperor was not addressed in quite that centuries-old turn of phrase.Nor was the speck printed as it usually was for clarity. It was scripted with a flourish that left it perfectly legible and yet gave it the aura of a careless work of art dashed off by a master. The signature was LASKIN JORANUM. It was Jo-Jo himself, craving an audience.Seldon found himself chuckling. It was clear why the choice of words-and why the script. It made what was a simple request a device for stimulating curiosity. Seldon had no great desire to meet the man-or would have had none ordinarily. But what was worth the archaism and t he artistry? He wanted to find out.He had his secretary set the time and the place of the appointment. It would be in his office, certainly not in his apartment. A business conversation, nothing social.And it would come before the projected meeting with Demerzel.Dors said, Its no surprise to me, Hari. You hurt two of his people, one of them his chief aide you spoiled a little rally he was holding and you made him, in the person of his representatives, seem foolish. He wants to take a look at you and I think I had better be with you.Seldon shook his head. Ill take Raych. He knows all the tricks I know and hes a strong and active twenty-year-old. Although Im sure therell be no need for protection.How can you be sure?Joranum is coming to see me on the University grounds. There will be any number of youngsters in the vicinity. Im not exactly an unpopular figure with the student body and I suspect that Joranum is the kind of man who does his homework and knows that Ill be safe on home te rritory. Im sure that he will be perfectly polite-completely friendly.Hmph, said Dors with a light twist of one corner of her lip.And quite deadly, Seldon finished.6Hari Seldon kept his face expressionless and bent his head just sufficiently to allow a sense of reasonable courtesy. He had taken the trouble to look up a variety of holographs of Joranum, but, as is often the case, the real thing, unguarded, shifting constantly in response to changing conditions, is never quite the same as a holograph-however carefully prepared. Perhaps, thought Seldon, it is the response of the viewer to the real thing that makes it different.Joranum was a tall man-as tall as Seldon, at any rate-but larger in other directions. It was not due to a muscular physique, for he gave the impression of softness, without quite being fat. A rounded face, a thick head of hair that was sandy or else than yellow, light blue eyes. He wore a subdued coverall and his face bore a half-smile that gave the illusion of friendliness, composition making it clear, somehow, that it was only an illusion.Professor Seldon-his voice was deep and under strict control, an orators voice-I am delighted to meet you. It is kind of you to permit this meeting. I curse you are not offended that I have brought a companion, my right-hand man, with me, although I have not cleared that with you in advance. He is Gambol Deen Namarti-three names, you notice. I believe you have met him.Yes, I have. I remember the incident well. Seldon looked at Namarti with a touch of the sardonic. At the previous encounter, Namarti had been speaking at the University Field. Seldon viewed him carefully now-under relaxed conditions. Namarti was of diaphragm height, with a thin face, sallow complexion, dark hair, and a wide mouth. He did not have Joranums half-smile or any noticeable expression-except for a sense of overcautious wariness.My friend Dr. Namarti-his degree is in ancient literature-has come at his own request, said Joranu m, his smile intensifying a bit, to apologize.Joranum glanced quickly at Namarti-and Namarti, his lips tightening just at first, said in a colorless voice, I am sorry, Professor, for what happened at the Field. I was not quite aware of the strict rules governing University rallies and I was a little carried away by my own enthusiasm.Understandably so, said Joranum. Nor was he entirely aware of your identity. I think we may all now forget the matter.I assure you, gentlemen, said Seldon, that I have no great desire to remember it. This is my son, Raych Seldon, so you see I have a companion, too.Raych had grown a mustache, black and abundant-the masculine mark of the Dahlite. He had had none when he first met Seldon eight years before, when he was a street boy, plague and hungry. He was short but lithe and sinewy and his expression was the haughty one he had adopted in order to add a a couple of(prenominal) spiritual inches to his physical height.Good morning, young man, said Joranum .Good morning, sir, said Raych.Please sit down, gentlemen, said Seldon. May I offer you something to eat or drink?Joranum held up his hands in polite refusal. No, sir. This is not a social call. He seated himself in the place indicated. Though I hope there will be many such calls in the future.If this is to be about business, then lets begin.The news reached me, Professor Seldon, of the little incident that you have so kindly agreed to forget and I wondered why you took the chance of doing what you did. It was a risk, you must admit.I didnt think so, actually.But I did. So I took the indecorum of finding out everything I could about you, Professor Seldon. Youre an interesting man. From Helicon, I discovered.Yes, thats where I was born. The records are clear.And youve been here on Trantor for eight years.That is also a matter of overt record.And you made yourself quite famous at the start by delivering a mathematical paper on-what do you call it?-psychohistory?Seldon shook his head very slightly. How often he had regretted that indiscretion. Of course, he had had no idea at the time that it was an indiscretion. He said, A youthful enthusiasm. It came to nothing.Is that so? Joranum looked around him with an air of pleased surprise. further here you are, the head of the Mathematics Department at one of Trantors greatest Universities, and only forty years old, I believe. Im forty-two, by the way, so I dont look upon you as very old at all. You must be a very competent mathematician to be in this position.Seldon shrugged. I wouldnt care to make a judgment in that matter.Or you must have respectable friends.We would all like to have powerful friends, Mr. Joranum, but I think you will find none here. University professors rarely have powerful friends or, I sometimes think, friends of any kind. He smiled.And so did Joranum. Wouldnt you consider the Emperor a powerful friend, Professor Seldon?I certainly would, but what has that to do with me?I am under the impressi on that the Emperor is a friend of yours.Im sure the records will show, Mr. Joranum, that I had an audience with His imperial beard Majesty eight years ago. It lasted perhaps an hour or less and I saw no signs of any great friendliness in him at the time. Nor have I spoken to him since-or even seen him-except on holovision, of course.But, Professor, it is not necessary to see or speak to the Emperor to have him as a powerful friend. It is sufficient to see or speak to Eto Demerzel, the Emperors First Minister. Demerzel is your protector and, since he is, we may as well say the Emperor is.Do you find First Minister Demerzels supposed protection of me anywhere in the records? Or anything at all in the records from which you can deduce that protection?Why search the records when it is well known that there is a connection between the two of you. You know it and I know it. Let us take it then as given and continue. And please-he raised his hands-do not take the trouble to give me any he artfelt denials. Its a waste of time.Actually, said Seldon, I was going to look why you should think that he would want to protect me. To what end?Professor? Are you trying to hurt me by pretending to think I am a monster of naivete? I mentioned your psychohistory, which Demerzel wants.And I told you that it was a youthful indiscretion that came to nothing.You may tell me a great many things, Professor. I am not compelled to accept what you tell me. Come, let me speak frankly. I have read your original paper and have tried to understand it with the help of some mathematicians on my staff. They tell me it is a wild dream and quite impossible-I quite agree with them, said Seldon.But I have the jot that Demerzel is hold for it to be developed and put to use. And if he can wait, so can I. It would be more useful to you, Professor Seldon, to have me wait.Why so?Because Demerzel will not endure in his position for much longer. Public opinion is turning against him steadily. It may be t hat when the Emperor wearies of an unpopular First Minister who threatens to whiff the throne down with him, he will find a replacement. It may even be my poor self whom the Emperors fancy will seize upon. And you will still need a protector, someone who can see to it that you can work in peace and with ample funds for whatever you need in the way of equipment and assistants.And would you be that protector?Of course-and for the same reason that Demerzel is. I want a successful psychohistoric technique so that I can rule the Empire more efficiently.Seldon nodded thoughtfully, waited a moment, then said, But in that case, Mr. Joranum, why must I concern myself in this? I am a poor scholar, upkeep a quiet life, engaged in out-of-the-way mathematical and pedagogical activities. You say that Demerzel is my present protector and that you will be my future protector. I can go quietly about my business, then. You and the First Minister may fight it out. Whoever prevails, I have a protecto r still-or, at least, so you tell me.Joranums stubborn smile seemed to fade a bit. Namarti, at his side, turned his dour face toward Joranum and made as though to say something, but Joranums hand moved slightly and Namarti coughed and did not speak.Joranum said, Dr. Seldon. Are you a patriot?Why, of course. The Empire has given humanity millennia of peace-mostly peace, at any rate-and fostered steady advancement.So it has-but at a slower ill-treat in the last century or two.Seldon shrugged. I have not studied such matters.You dont have to. You know that, politically, the last century or two has been a time of turmoil. Imperial reigns have been short and sometimes have been shortened further by assassination-Even mentioning that, put in Seldon, is close to treason. Id rather you didnt-Well, there. Joranum threw himself back in his seat. See how insecure you are. The Empire is decaying. Im willing to say so openly. Those who follow me do so because they know only too well it is. We need someone at the Emperors right hand who can control the Empire, subdue the rebellious impulses that seem to be arising everywhere, give the armed forces the natural leaders they should have, lead the economy-Seldon made an impatient stopping motion with his arm. And youre the one to do it, are you?I intend to be the one. It wont be an easy job and I doubt there would be many volunteers-for good reason. Certainly Demerzel cant do it. Under him, the decline of the Empire is accelerating to a total breakdown.But you can stop it?Yes, Dr. Seldon. With your help. With psychohistory.Perhaps Demerzel could stop the breakdown with psychohistory-if psychohistory existed.Joranum said calmly, It exists. Let us not pretend it does not. But its existence does not help Demerzel. Psychohistory is only a tool. It necessitate a brain to understand it and an arm to wield it.And you have those, I take it?Yes. I know my own virtues. I want psychohistory.Seldon shook his head. You may want it all yo u please. I dont have it.You do have it. I will not argue the point. Joranum leaned closer as though wishing to bring in his voice into Seldons ear, rather than allowing the sound waves to carry it there. You say you are a patriot. I must replace Demerzel to avoid Imperial destruction. However, the manner of replacement efficacy itself weaken the Empire desperately. I do not wish that. You can advise me how to achieve the end smoothly, subtly, without harm or damage-for the sake of the Empire.Seldon said, I cannot. You accuse me of knowledge I do not possess. I would like to be of assistance, but I cannot.Joranum stood up absolutely. Well, you know my mind and what it is I want of you. Think about it. And I ask you to think about the Empire. You may feel you owe Demerzel-this despoiler of all the millions of planets of humanity-your friendship. Be careful. What you do may shake the very foundation of the Empire. I ask you to help me in the name of the quadrillions of human beings who fill the Galaxy. Think of the Empire.His voice had dropped to a thrilling and powerful half-whisper. Seldon felt himself almost trembling. I will always think of the Empire, he said.Joranum said, Then that is all I ask right now. Thank you for consenting to see me.Seldon watched Joranum and his companion leave as the office doors slid open noiselessly and the men strode out.He frowned. Something was bothering him-and he was not sure what it was.7Namartis dark eyes remained fixed on Joranum as they sat in their carefully shielded office in the Streeling Sector. It was not an elaborate headquarters they were as yet weak in Streeling, but they would grow stronger.It was amazing how the movement was growing. It had started from nothing three years back and now its tentacles stretched-in some places more thickly than others, of course-throughout Trantor. The Outer Worlds were as yet largely untouched. Demerzel had sonorous mightily to keep them content, but that was his mistake. It was here on Trantor that rebellions were dangerous. Elsewhere, they could be controlled. Here, Demerzel could be toppled. Odd that he should not realize that, but Joranum had always held to the theory that Demerzels study was overblown, that he would prove an empty shell if anyone dared oppose him, and that the Emperor would destroy him quickly if his own security seemed at stake.So far, at least, all of Joranums predictions had come to pass. He had never once lost his way except in minor matters, such as that recent rally at Streeling University in which this Seldon familiar spirit had interfered.That might be why Joranum had insisted on the interview with him. Even a minor toe stub must be taken care of. Joranum enjoyed the feeling of infallibility and Namarti had to admit that the vision of a constant string of successes was the surest way of ensuring the continuation of success. People tended to avoid the humiliation of failure by joining the obviously pleasing side even aga inst their own opinions.But had the interview with this Seldon been a success or was it a second stub of the toe to be added to the first? Namarti had not enjoyed having been brought along in order to be made to humbly apologize and he didnt see that it had done any good.Now Joranum sat there, silent, obviously lost in thought, gnawing at the edge of one thumb as though trying to draw some sort of mental nourishment from it.Jo-Jo, said Namarti softly. He was one of the very hardly a(prenominal) people who could address Joranum by the diminutive that the crowds shouted out endlessly in public. Joranum solicited the love of the mob in this way, among others, but he demanded respect from individuals in private, except for those special friends who had been with him from the start.Jo-Jo, he said again.Joranum looked up. Yes, G.D., what is it? He sounded a little testy.What are we going to do about this Seldon fellow, Jo-Jo?Do? Nothing right now. He may join us.Why wait? We can put pres sure on him. We can pull a few strings at the University and make life miserable for him.No no. So far, Demerzel has been letting us go our way. The fool is overconfident. The last thing we want to do, though, is to push him into action before we are quite ready. And a heavy-handed move against Seldon may do it. I suspect Demerzel places enormous importance on Seldon.Because of this psychohistory you two talked about?Indeed.What is it? I have never heard of it.Few people have. Its a mathematical way of analyzing human society that ends by predicting the future.Namarti frowned and felt his body move slightly away from Joranum. Was this a joke of Joranums? Was this intended to make him laugh? Namarti had never been able to work out when or why people expected him to laugh. He had never had an urge to.He said, Predict the future? How?Ah? If I knew that, what need would I have of Seldon?Frankly I dont believe it, Jo-Jo. How can you foretell the future? Its fortune-telling.I know, but af ter this Seldon broke up your little rally, I had him looked into. All the way. Eight years ago, he came to Trantor and presented a paper on psychohistory at a convention of mathematicians and then the whole thing died. It was never referred to again by anyone. Not even by Seldon.It sounds as though there were nothing to it, then.Oh no, just the reverse. If it had faded slowly, if it had been subjected to ridicule, I would have said there was nothing to it. But to be cut off suddenly and completely means that the whole thing has been placed in the deepest of freezes. That is why Demerzel may have been doing nothing to stop us. Perhaps he is not being guided by a foolish overconfidence perhaps he is being guided by psychohistory, which must be predicting something that Demerzel plans to take advantage of at the right time. If so, we might fail unless we can make use of psychohistory ourselves.Seldon claims it doesnt exist.Wouldnt you if you were he?I still say we ought to put pressur e on him.It would be useless, G.D. Didnt you ever hear the story of the Ax of Venn?No.You would if you were from Nishaya. Its a famous folktale back home. In brief, Venn was a woodcutter who had a magic ax that, with a bingle light blow, could chop down any tree. It was enormously valuable, but he never made any effort to hide it or preserve it-and yet it was never stolen, because no one could lift or swing the ax but Venn himself.Well, at the present moment, no one can handle psychohistory but Seldon himself. If he were on our side only because we had forced him, we could never be certain of his loyalty. Might he not urge a course of action that would seem to work in our favor but would be so subtly drawn that, after a while, we found ourselves quite suddenly destroyed. No, he must come to our side voluntarily and labor for us because he wishes us to win.But how can we bring him around?Theres Seldons son. Raych, I think hes called. Did you chance on him?Not particularly.G.D., G.D ., you miss points if you dont observe everything. That young man listened to me with his heart in his eyes. He was impressed. I could tell. If theres one thing I can tell, it is just how I impress others. I know when I have shaken a mind, when I have edged someone toward conversion.Joranum smiled. It was not the pseudowarm ingratiating smile of his public demeanor. It was a genuine smile this time-cold, somehow, and menacing.Well see what we can do with Raych, he said, and if, through him, we can reach Seldon.