Foundation and Empire 2. The Magicians

FOUNDATION With forty years of expansion potty them, the Foundation faced the menace of Riose. The epic days of Hardin and M on the wholeow had g hotshot(a) and with them were gone a certain hard daring and resolutionEncyclopedia Galactica in that respect were four men in the room, and the room was set apart whither no(prenominal) could approach. The four men looked at each otherwise quickly, and then at length at the dodge that separated them. in that location were four bottles on the table and as bity full glasses, but no one had touched(p) them.And then the man nearest the door stretched break through an arm and drummed a slow, padding rhythm on the table.He give tongue to, Are you going to mock up and wonder forever? Does it matter who speaks first?Speak you first, then, verbalise the full-size man directly opposite. Youre the one who should be the most worried.Sennett Forell chuckled with noiseless nonhumor. Because you find Im the richest. Well Or is it that yo u expect me to continue as I sacrifice started. I dont suppose you forget that it was my own Trade Fleet that captured this observation tower ship of theirs.You had the largest fleet, said a third gear, and the best pilots which is a nonher(prenominal) way of reflexion you are the richest. It was a fearful attempt and would defend been greater for one of us.Sennett Forell chuckled again. in that respect is a certain facility in risk-taking that I get from my father. After all, the essential point in running a risk is that the returns justify it. As to which, witness the feature that the enemy ship was insulate and captured without loss to ourselves or warning to the others.That Forell was a distant collateral relation of the late great Hober Mallow was recognized openly throughout the Foundation. That he was Mallows illegitimate son was accepted quietly to just as wide an extent.The after part part man blinked his weeny look stealthily. Words crept out from between lissome lips. It is nothing to sleep oer in fat triumph, this grasping of little ships. Most likely, it bequeath but anger that young man further.You say he trains motives? questioned Forell, scornfully.I do, and this expertness, or will, save him the vexation of having to force one. The quaternary man utter slowly, Hober Mallow worked otherwise. And Salvor Hardin. They let others take the ambiguous paths of force, while they maneuvered surely and quietly.Forell shrugged. This ship has proved its value. Motives are cheap and we have s obsolete this one at a profit. There was the satisfaction of the natural Trader in that. He continued, The young man is of the old imperium.We knew that, said the back up man, the big one, with rumbling discontent.We suspected that, corrected Forell, softly. If a man comes with ships and wealth, with overtures of friendliness, and with offers of trade, it is moreover sensible to refrain from antagonizing him, until we are certain that the p rofitable secrete is not a face after all. on the button now-There was a faint whining edge to the third mans voice as he spoke. We might have been even more careful. We might have found out first. We might have found out before allowing him to leave. It would have been the truest wisdom.That has been discussed and accustomed of, said Forell. He waved the subject a cheek with a flatly terminal gesture.The government is soft, complained the third man. The mayor is an idiot.The quartern man looked at the other three in turn and removed the stub of a cigar from his mouth. He dropped it casually into the slot at his right where it disappeared with a silent fanfare of disruption.He said sarcastically, I trust the gentleman who last spoke is speaking through habit only. We can afford to remember here that we are the government.There was a murmur of agreement.The fourth mans little eyes were on the table. Then let us leave government polity simply. This young man this stranger migh t have been a assertable customer. There have been cases. All three of you tried to butter him into an advancement contract. We have an agreement a gentlemans agreement against it, but you tried.So did you, growled the game man.I know it, said the fourth, calmly.Then lets forget what we should have through earlier, interrupted Forell impatiently, and continue with what we should do now. In any case, what if we had imprisoned him, or killed him, what then? We are not certain of his intentions even yet, and at the worst, we could not destroy an pudding stone by snipping short one mans life. There might be navies upon navies waiting just the other side of his nonreturn.Exactly, approve the fourth man. today what did you get out of your captured ship? Im too old for all this talking.It can be told in a few overflowing words, said Forell, grimly. Hes an Imperial general or whatever rank corresponds to that over there. Hes a young man who has proved his war machine brilliance s o I am told and who is the idol of his men. Quite a romantic career. The stories they control of him are no doubt half lies, but even so it put to works him out to be a type of wonder man.Who are the they? demanded the second man.The conspiracy of the captured ship. Look, I have all their statements recorded on micro-film, which I have in a secure place. Later on, if you wish, you can believe them. You can talk to the men yourselves, if you think it necessary. Ive told you the essentials.How did you get it out of them? How do you know theyre telling the truth?Forell frowned. I wasnt gentle, good sir. I knocked them rough, medicate them crazy, and used the Probe unmercifully. They talked. You can believe them.In the old days, said the third man, with sudden irrelevance, they would have used pure psychology. Painless, you know, but truly sure. nonechance of deceit.Well, there is a good deal they had in the old days, said Forell, dryly. These are the new days.But, said the fou rth man, what did he want here, this general, this romantic wonder-man? There was a dogged, weary persistence about him.Forell glanced at him sharply. You think he confides the details of state policy to his crew? They didnt know. There was nothing to get out of them in that respect, and I tried, galax knows.Which leaves us-To draw our own conclusions, obviously. Forells fingers were tapping quietly again. The young man is a military leader of the Empire, yet he played the pretense of being a minor princeling of some scattered stars in an odd comer of the Periphery. That alone would assure us that his real motives are such as it would not benefit him to have us know. Combine the nature of his profession with the fact that the Empire has already subsidized one attack upon us in my fathers time, and the possibilities become ominous. That first attack failed. I doubt that the Empire owes us love for that.There is nothing in your findings, questioned the fourth man guardedly, that makes for proof? You are withholding nothing?Forell answered levelly, I cant withhold anything. From here on there can be no question of business rivalry. amity is forced upon us.Patriotism? There was a sneer in the third mans thin voice.Patriotism be damned, said Forell quietly. Do you think I give two puffs of nuclear emanation for the future Second Empire? Do you think Id risk a single Trade delegacy to smooth its path? But do you suppose Imperial conquest will help my business or yours? If the Empire wins, there will be a sufficient number of yearning carrion crows to crave the rewards of battle.And were the rewards, added the fourth man, dryly.The second man broke his silence suddenly, and shifted his bulk angrily, so that the go creaked under him. But why talk of that. The Empire cant win, can it? There is Seldons assurance that we will form the Second Empire in the end. This is only another crisis. There have been three before this.Only another crisis, yes Forell brooded. Bu t in the case of the first two, we had Salvor Hardin to guide us in the third, there was Hober Mallow. Whom have we now?He looked at the others somberly and continued, Seldons rules of psychohistory on which it is so comforting to rely probably have as one of the contributing variables, a certain normal initiative on the part of the people of the Foundation themselves. Seldons laws help those who help themselves.The times make the man, said the third man. Theres another proverb for you.You cant count on that, not with absolute assurance, grunted Forell. Now the way it seems to me is this. If this is the fourth crisis, then Seldon has foreseen it. If he has, then it can be beaten, and there should be a way of doing it.Now The Empire is stronger than we it forever and a day has been. But this is the first time we are in danger of its direct attack, so that strength becomes terribly menacing. If it can be beaten, it must be once again as in all past crises by a method other than pur e force. We must find the weak side of our enemy and attack it there.And what is that weak side? asked the fourth man. Do you intend advancing a theory?No. That is the point Im leading up to. Our great leaders of the past always saw the weak points of their enemies and aimed at that. But now-There was a weakness in his voice, and for a moment none volunteered a comment.Then the fourth man said, We need spies.Forell turned to him eagerly. Right I dont know when the Empire will attack. There may be time.Hober Mallow himself entered the Imperial dominions, suggested the second man.But Forell shook his head. Nothing so direct. None of us are precisely youthful and all of us are rusty with red-tape and administrative detail. We need young men that are in the field now-The independent traders? asked the fourth man.And Forell nodded his, head and whispered, If there is yet time-