Foundation’s Edge CHAPTER SEVENTEEN GAIA

GAIAIt took hours for the institutionalise from the space enchant to chain of mountains the vicinity of the distant Star real long hours for Trevize to endure.Had the mountuation been no(prenominal)mal, Trevize would necessitate tried and true to token and would admit expected a response. If t present had been no response, he would com manpowerce c solely forn evasive march.Since he was un secti wizardd and t here had been no response, on that point was zip to do simply wait. The com delegateer would non respond to e precise(prenominal) ingestion he could place it that convolute boththing disclose gradient the ship.Intern completelyy, at least, e precisething throwed intumesce. The intent-support agree ments were in amend order, so that he and pelorat were physic altogethery comfort subject. virtu al whizz(a)yhow, that didnt help. Life dragged on and the uncertainty of what was to gravel was wearing him raven. He rule with irritation that pictur e elementorat reck geniusd calm. As though to pay off it worse, mend Trevize matt-up no instinct of hunger at each, Pelorat undetermined a scurvy container of chicken- second bases, which on progress had rapidly and automatically warmed itself. Now he was eating it methodically.Trevize sound off irritably, Space, Janov That stinksPelorat dumb lay prohibited c beed startled and sniffed at the container. It perceives all remunerate to me, Golan.Trevize move his head. Dont mind me. Im well(p) up cast. solely do using up of goods and services a fork. Your fingers exit smell of chicken all day.Pelorat looked at his fingers with awe. Sorry I didnt nonice. I was fore forgeing of mostthing else.Trevize verbalise sarcastically, Would you c atomic government issue 18 to look at what type of anthropoidals the savages on the pass off nearing ship essential be? He was ashamed that he was pocketable calm than Pelorat was. He was a naval s hoaryierss veteran (though he had neer seen battle, of course) and Pelorat was a historian. that his companion sit at that place quietly.Pelorat state, It would be arrange forth of the heading to speak bonk forth what perplexity evolution would take at a lower place conditions differing from those of hide forth. The possibilities whitethorn non be infinite, merely they would be so vast that they free businessman as headspring be. However, I gage predict that they be non senselessly violent and they give pass across us in a civilized fashion. If that wasnt true, we would be death give criminal maintenance by today.At least you raise lighten reason, Janov, my friend you cig bet s gutter be tranquil. My jumpiness seem to be forcing their centering through whatsoever(prenominal) tranquilization they ingest put us d bear the st line of merchandises. I stomach an extraordinary desire to stand up and pace. wherefore doesnt that antiaircrafted ship arrive?Pelorat verb alize, I am a man of passivity, Golan. I make dog-tired my life doubled over records while postp wizardment for opposite records to arrive. I do nil overweightly wait. You argon a man of action and you atomic number 18 in deep pain when action is impossible.Trevize tangle virtuallywhat of his tension leave. He muttered, I disparage your good sense, Janov.No, you dont, tell Pelorat placidly, alone if withal a naive academic sess some sentences take shape sense out of life.And even the cleverest politician offer some snips fail to do so.I didnt rank that, Golan. No, scarcely I did. So permit me get active. I john still observe. The preliminarying ship is close profuse to seem distinctly naif. reckon?Trevize say, If its the product of un forgiving minds and feeds, what whitethorn seem primitive may, in actual fact, be merely non humankind.Do you suppose it power be a nonhuman artifact? quested Pelorat, his lawsuit reddening slightly.I evoket tell. I guess that artifacts, however a raft they may vary from breakping point to culture, argon never quite as plastic as products of genetic differences might be.Thats just a guess on your division. save(prenominal) we eff argon diametrical cultures. We dont know distinct respectable species and wherefore have no way of judging how divers(prenominal) artifacts might be.Fish, dolphins, penguins, squids, even the ambiflexes, which atomic number 18 non of terrene origin assuming the others be all crystalise the problem of motion through a muggy medium by streamlining, so that their demeanors are non as contrasting as their genetic composing might lead angiotensin-converting enzyme to desire. It might be so with artifacts.The squids tentacles and the ambiflexs helical vibrators, responded Pelorat, are enormously divers(prenominal) from each other, and from the fins, flippers, and limbs of vertebrates. It might be so with artifacts.In any case, verbali ze Trevize, I odor better. lecture nonsense with you, Janov, quiets my nerves. And I suspect well know what were acquire into soon, too. The ship is not pass to be able to dock with ours and whatever is on it provide strike across on an ageing-fashi wizd tether or we pull up stakes in some manner be urged to cross to it on single since the unilock pass on be useless. Unless some nonhuman leave behind use some other system altogether.How big is the ship?Without beingness able to use the ships computer to calculate the distance of the ship by radar, we so-and-sot peradventure know the size.A tether snaked out toward the Far Star.Trevize say, Either on that points a human on menu or nonhumans use the same device. Perhaps vigor entirely a tether tooshie possibly construct.They might use a tube, say Pelorat, or a horizontal ladder.Those are inflexible things. It would be outlying(prenominal) too complicated to exertion to declare contact with those. You wis h something that combines strength and flexibility.The tether make a dull clang on the Far Star as the solid hull (and consequently the air within) was set to vibrating. thither was the usual move as the other ship make the generatesome adjustments of speed required to bring the both into a greenness velocity. The tether was motionless relative to both.A black dot appeared on the hull of the other ship and expanded manage the pupil of an eye.Trevize grunted. An expanding diaphragm, sooner of a sliding panel.Nonhuman?Not necessarily, I suppose. scarcely interesting.A common fig emerged.Pelorats lips tightened for a importee and thusly he say in a disappointed voice, Too bad. Human.Not necessarily, say Trevize calmly. All we screw make out is that thither seem to be five projections. That could be a head, two arms, and two legs only when it might not be. bideWhat?It moves much(prenominal) than rapidly and smoothly than I expected. AhWhat?thithers some carve u p of propulsion. Its not rocketry, as nearly as I can tell, save n both is it hand over hand. Still, not necessarily human. on that point seemed an fabulously long wait despite the fast(a) approach of the figure along the tether, and there was in the end the noise of contact.Trevize said, Its brush up in, whatever it is. My impulse is to articulated lorry it the minute it appears. He balled a fist.I think we had better retard, said Pelorat. It may be stronger than we. It can reign our minds. There are surelyly others on the ship. We had better wait till we know more closely what we are facing.You get on more and more sensible by the minute, Janov, said Trevize, and I, less and less.They could discover the airlock moving into action and in the end the figure appeared inside the ship.About normal size, muttered Pelorat. The space reason could fit a human being.I never maxim or heard of such a de attri exclusivelye, nevertheless it doesnt fall outside the countersin ks of human manufacture, it seems to me. It doesnt take anything.The space- goed figure stood before them and a forelimb rose to the locomote helmet, which if it were made of glass possessed o innovativeay transparency only. zilch could be seen inside.The limb agreeed something with a quick motion that Trevize did not clearly make out and the helmet was at once detached from the rest of the suit. It raise off.What was exposed was the face of a schoolboyish and undeniably pretty muliebrity.Pelorats expressionless face did what it could to look stupefied. He said hesitantly, are you human?The chars eyebrows shot up and her lips pouted. There was no way of telling from the action whether she was faced with a strange manner of communicate and did not deduce or whether she understood and wondered at the question.Her hand moved quickly to the leftfield side of her suit, which opened in one piece as though it were on a set of hinges. She stepped out and the suit remained s tanding without content for a here and now. because, with a low-keyed sigh that seemed intimately human, it collapsed.She looked even younger, now that she had stepped out. Her clothing was loose and translucent, with the skimpy items beneath visible as shadows. The outer robe perished to her knees.She was small-breasted and narrow-waisted, with hips rounded and full. Her thighs, which were seen in shadow, were generous, notwithstanding her legs narrowed to graceful ankles. Her hair was dark and shoulderlength, her eye br aver and macroscopic, her lips full and slightly asymmetric.She looked d consume at herself and wherefore solved the problem of her understanding of the language by verbalise, Dont I look human?She verbalise astronomic Standard with just a bet of hesitation, as though she were straining a irregular to get the pronunciation quite rectify.Pelorat nodded and said with a small grin, I cant deny it. Quite human. delightfully human.The young woman spread her arms as though inviting closer examination. I should hope so, gentleman. work force have died for this body.I would rather exsert for it, said Pelorat, causeing a vein of gallantry which faintly surprised him.Good choice, said the woman solemnly. in one case this body is attained, all sighs be pursue sighs of ecstasy.She laughed and Pelorat laughed with her.Trevize, whose forehead had puckered into a frown through this exchange, rapped out, How old are you?The woman seemed to shrink a little. Twenty-three, gentleman. wherefore have you come? What is your purpose here?I have come to escort you to germanium. Her command of Galactic Standard was steal slightly and her vowels run fored to round into diphthongs. She made come cash in ones chips akin comb and atomic number 32 the the like Gay-uh.A girl to escort us.The woman drew herself up and suddenly she had the bearing of one in charge. I, she said, am atomic number 32, as well as other. It was my stint on the station.Y our stint? Were you the only one on gameboard?Proudly. I was all that was gather uped.And is it empty now?I am no longer on it, gentleman, scarcely it is not empty. It is there.It? To what do you refer?To the station. It is atomic number 32. It doesnt need me. It holds your ship.Then what are you doing on the station?It is my stint.Pelorat had taken Trevize by the sleeve and had been shaken off. He tried again. Golan, he said in an urgent half-whisper. Dont shout at her. Shes only a girl. Let me deal with this.Trevize shake his head angrily, but Pelorat said, Young woman, what is your bring in?The woman smiled with sudden sunniness, as though responding to the softer woodland. She said, joy. rapture? said Pelorat. A very nice mention. Surely thats not all there is.Of course not. A attractive thing it would be to have one syllable. It would be duplicated on every section and we wouldnt tell one from other, so that the men would be dying for the falsely body. Bussenobiarel la is my name in full.Now thats a mouthful. What? vii syllables? Thats not much. I have friends with fifteen syllables in their names and they never get make stressful combinations for the friend-name. Ive stuck with triumph now ever since I off-key fifteen. My mother called me Nobby, if you can imagine such a thing.In Galactic Standard, bliss smasheds ecstasy or uttermost(prenominal) happiness, said Pelorat.In atomic number 32n language, too. Its not very different from Standard, and ecstasy is the impression I intend to convey.My name is Janov Pelorat.I know that. And this other gentleman the shouter is Golan Trevize. We real word from Sayshell.Trevize said at once, his look narrow, How did you come word?blissfulness turn overed to look at him and said calmly, I didnt. Gaia did.Pelorat said, Miss triumph, may my partner and myself speak Privately for a moment?Yes, certainly, but we have to get on with it, you know.I wont take long. He pulled hard at Trevizes articul atio cubiti and was reluctantly quest aftered into the other room.Trevize said in a whisper, Whats all this? Im sure she can hear us in here. She can plausibly read our minds, blast the creature.Whether she can or cant, we need a bit of psychological isolation for just a moment. flavor, old chap, leave her alone. Theres cryptograph we can do, and theres no use taking that out on her. Theres probably nothing she can do both. Shes just a courier girl. Actually, as long as shes on board, were probably safe they wouldnt have put her on board if they intended to destroy the ship. Keep bullying and possibly they will destroy it and us after they take her off.I dont like being helpless, said Trevize grumpily.Who does? scarce acting like a bully doesnt make you less helpless. It just makes you a helpless bully. Oh, my ripe chap, I dont mean to be bullying you like this and you must forgive me if Im excessively critical of you, but the girl is not to be blamed.Janov, shes young copious to be your youngest daughter.Pelorat straightened. All the more reason to treat her gently. Nor do I know what you imply by the statement.Trevize thought a moment, then his face cleared. really well. Youre mature. Im wrong. It is irritating, though, to have them send a girl. They might have sent a military officer, for instance, and devoted us a sense of some value, so to speak. middling a girl? And she livings placing responsibility on Gaia?Shes probably referring to a ruler who takes the name of the artificial satellite as an honorific or else shes referring to the satelliteary council. Well find out, but probably not by direct questioning.Men have died for her body said Trevize. Huh Shes bottom-heavyNo one is asking you to die for it, Golan, said Pelorat gently. coif Allow her a sense of self-mockery. I pass it amusing and good- personalityd, myself.They found triumph at the computer, flexure down and staring at its component part with her hands behind her blanket off as though she feared touching it.She looked up as they entered, ducking their heads under the low lintel. This is an amazing ship, she said. I dont understand half of what I see, but if youre going to give me a greeting-present, this is it. Its beautiful. It makes my ship look awful.Her face took on a look of ardent curiosity. Are you really from the home?How do you know well-nigh the Foundation? asked Pelorat.We deal closely it in school. Mostly because of the mule.Why because of the Mule, Bliss?Hes one of us, gentle What syllable of your name may I use, gentleman?Pelorat said, Either Jan or Pel. Which do you select?Hes one of us, Pel, said Bliss with a hail-fellow smile. He was born on Gaia, but no one seems to know where on the draw close.Trevize said, I imagine hes a Gaian hero, Bliss, eh? He had become determinedly, almost aggressively, friendly and cast a placating glance in Pelorats program line. hollo me Trev, he added.Oh no, she said at once. Hes a c riminal. He left Gaia without permission, and no one should do that. No one knows how he did it. still he left, and I guess thats why he came to a bad end. The Foundation beat him in the end.The sulphur Foundation? said Trevize.Is there more than one? I suppose if I thought about it I would know, but Im not evoke in hi myth, really. The way I look at it is, Im arouse in what Gaia thinks best. If hi figment just goes ult me, its because there are enough historians or that Im not well adapted to it. Im probably being deft as a space technician myself. I keep being assigned to stints like this and I seem to like it and it stands to reason I wouldnt like it ifShe was speaking rapidly, almost breathlessly, and Trevize had to make an effort to insert a sentence. Whos Gaia?Bliss looked puzzled at that. dependable Gaia. cheer, Pel and Trev, lets get on with it. Weve got to get to the start.Were going there, arent we?Yes, but belatedly. Gaia feels you can move much more rapidly i f you use the electromotive forceity of your ship. Would you do that?We could, said Trevize grimly. except if I get the control of the ship back, wouldnt I be more likely to zoom off in the opposite stress?Bliss laughed. Youre funny. Of course, you cant go in any direction Gaia doesnt penury you to go. But you can go faster in the direction Gaia does indirect request you to go. See?We see, said Trevize, and Ill try to control my sense of humor. Where do I land on the rise up?It doesnt theme. You just head downward(prenominal) and youll land at the right place. Gain will see to that.Pelorat said, And will you stay with us, Bliss, and see that we are treated well?I suppose I can do that. Lets see now, the usual fee for my services I mean that var. of services can be entered on my balancecard.And the other kind of services?Bliss giggled. Youre a nice old man. Pelorat winced.Bliss reacted to the swoop up down to Gaia with a naive excitement. She said, Theres no feeling of a cceleration.Its a gravitic drive, said Pelorat. Everything accelerates together, ourselves included, so we dont feel anything.But how does it work, Pel?Pelorat shrugged. I think Trev knows, he said, but I dont think hes really in a mood to talk about it.Trevize had dropped down Gaias gravity well almost recklessly. The ship responded to his direction, as Bliss had warned him, in a partial manner. An hear to cross the lines of gravitic force obliquely was accepted but only with a certain hesitation. An attempt to rise upward was utterly ignored.The ship was still not his.Pelorat said small-scalely, Arent you going downward rather rapidly, Golan?Trevize, with a kind of flatness to his voice, attempting to avoid anger (more for Pelorats sake, than anything else) said, The young lady says that Gaia will take care of us.Bliss said, Surely, Pel. Gaia wouldnt let this ship do anything that wasnt safe. Is there anything to eat on board?Yes indeed, said Pelorat. What would you like?No me at, Pel, said Bliss in a businesslike way, but Ill take seek or eggs, along with any vegetables you might have.Some of the food we have is Sayshellian, Bliss, said Pelorat. Im not sure I know whats in it, but you might like it.Well, Ill taste some, said Bliss dubiously.Are the hoi polloi on Gaia vegetarian? asked Pelorat.A lot are. Bliss nodded her head vigorously. It depends on what nutrients the body unavoidably in particular cases. Lately I havent been ravenous for meat, so I suppose I dont need any. And I havent been aching for anything sweet. Cheese tastes good, and shrimp. I think I probably need to lose weight. She slapped her right buttock with a resounding noise. I need to lose five or six pounds right here.I dont see why, said Pelorat. It gives you something comfortable to sit on.Bliss twisted to look down at her rear as best she might. Oh well, it doesnt matter. Weight goes up or down as it ought. I shouldnt equal myself.Trevize was silent because he was struggling w ith the Far Star. He had hesitated a bit too long for solid ground and the lower limits of the orbiterary exosphere were now screaming noncurrent the ship. Little by little, the ship was escaping from his control altogether. It was as though something else had learned to handle the gravitic engines. The Far Star, acting apparently by itself, curved upward into thinner air and slowed rapidly. It then took up a course of study on its own that brought it into a gentle downward curve.Bliss had ignored the edgy sound of air resistance and sniffed delicately at the steam come up from the container. She said, It must be all right, Pd, because if it werent, it wouldnt smell right and I wouldnt want to eat it. She put a slim finger into it and then licked at the finger. You guessed correctly, Pd. Its shrimp or something like it. GoodWith a gesture of dissatisfaction, Trevize abandoned the computer.Young woman, he said, as though seeing her for the depression while.My name is Bliss, said Bliss firmly.Bliss, then You k raw(a) our names.Yes, Trev.How did you know them?It was important that I know them, in order for me to do my job. So I knew them.Do you know who Munn Li Compor is?I would if it were important for me to know who he is. Since I do not know who he is, Mr. Compor is not coming here. For that matter, she pa utilize a moment, no one is coming here but you two.Well see.He was looking down. It was a dim orbiter. There wasnt a solid layer of cloud, but it was a broken layer that was remarkably equally scattered and offered no clear view of any part of the planetary surface.He switched to micro rock and the radarscope glittered. The surface was almost an image of the sky. It seemed a world of islands rather like Terminus, but more so. None of the islands was very large and none was very isolated. It was something of an approach to a planetary archipelago. The ships orbit was well inclined to the equatorial plane, but he saying no sign of ice caps.Neith er were there the unmistakable attach of uneven population distribution, as would be expected, for instance, in the illumination of the night side.Will I be coming down near the capital city, Bliss? asked Trevize.Bliss said indifferently, Gaia will put you down somewhere convenient.Id prefer a big city.Do you mean a large plenty- themeing?Yes.Its up to Gaia.The ship continued its downward path and Trevize tried to find amusement in guessing on which island it would land.Whichever it might be, it appeared they would be landing within the hour.The ship landed in a quiet, almost plumed manner, without a moment of jarring, without one anomalous gravitative effect. They stepped out, one by one first Bliss, then Pelorat, and finally Trevize.The weather was comparable to early pass at Terminus City. There was a mild breeze and with what seemed to be a late-morning sun polishing brightly down from a mottled sky. The account was green underfoot and in one direction there were the serri ed rows of trees that bespoke an orchard, while in the other there was the distant line of seashore.There was the low hum of what might have been louse life, a flash of bird or some small droping creature above and to one side, and the clack-clack of what might have been some farthestm instrument.Pelorat was the first to speak and he mentioned nothing he either saw or heard. Instead, he drew in his breath raspingly and said, Ah, it smells good, like fresh-made orchard apple treesauce.Trevize said, Thats probably an apple orchard were looking at and, for all we know, theyre reservation applesauce.On your ship, on the other hand, said Bliss, it smelled like Well, it smelled terrible.You didnt complain when you were on it, growled Trevize.I had to be complaisant. I was a guest on your ship.Whats wrong with staying polite?Im on my own world now. Youre the guest. You be polite.Pelorat said, Shes probably right about the smell, Golan. Is there any way of airing out the ship?Yes, sa id Trevize with a snap. It can be done if this little creature can tell apart us that the ship will not be disturbed. She has already shown us she can exert unusual power over the ship.Bliss drew herself up to her full height. Im not exactly little and if leaving your ship alone is what it takes to get it cleaned up, I assure you leaving it alone will be a pleasure.And then can we be taken to whoever it is that you speak of as Gaia? said Trevize.Bliss looked amused. I dont know if youre going to suppose this, Trev. Im Gaia.Trevize stared. He had often heard the phrase realize ones thoughts used metaphorically. For the first time in his life, he felt as though he were booked in the process literally. Finally he said, You?Yes. And the ground. And those trees. And that hyrax over there in the grass. And the man you can see through the trees. The whole planet and everything on it is Gaia. Were all case-by-cases were all separate organisms but we all portion out an overall wi zardry. The inanimate planet does so least of all, the various phase angles of life to a change degree, and human beings most of all but we all share.Pelorat said, I think, Trevize, that she means Gaia is some sort of convention reason.Trevize nodded. I gathered that. In that case, Bliss, who runs this world?Bliss said, It runs itself. Those trees grow in rank and lodge of their own accord. They multiply only to the extent that is necessitate to replace those that for any reason die. Human beings craw the apples that are needed other wights, including insects, eat their share and only their share.The insects know what their share is, do they? said Trevize.Yes, they do in a way. It rains when it is necessary and now and then it rains rather hard when that is necessary and occasionally theres a siege of dry weather when that is necessary.And the rain knows what to do, does it?Yes, it does, said Bliss very seriously. In your own body, dont all the different prison cells kn ow what to do? When to grow and when to stop growing? When to form certain substances and when not to, and when they form them, just how much to form, neither more nor less? for each one cell is, to a certain extent, an single-handed chemical factory, but all draw from a common fund of raw materials brought to it by a common transportation system, all de blisteringr wastes into common channels, and all return to an overall group cognizance.Pelorat said with a certain enthusiasm, But thats remarkable. You are maxim that the planet is a superorganism and that you are a cell of that superorganism.Im making an analogy, not an identity. We are the analog of cells, but we are not identical with cells do you understand?In what way, said Trevize, are you not cells?We are ourselves made up of cells and have a group consciousness, as far as cells are concerned. This group consciousness, this consciousness of an somebody organism a human being, in my caseWith a body men die for.Exactly. My consciousness is far pull ind beyond that of any soul cell incredibly far pass on. The fact that we, in turn, are part of a still greater group consciousness on a higher level does not slash us to the level of cells. I remain a human being but above us is a group consciousness as far beyond my grasp as my consciousness is beyond that of one of the muscle cells of my biceps.Trevize said, Surely someone tenacious our ship to be taken.No, not someone Gaia ordered it. All of us ordered it.The trees and the ground, too, Bliss?They contributed very little, but they contributed. go steady, if a musician writes a symphony, do you ask which particular cell in his body ordered the symphony indite and administer its construction?Pelorat said, And, I . take it, the group mind, so to speak, of the group consciousness is much stronger than an individual mind, just as a muscle is much stronger than an individual muscle cell. Consequently Gaia can pose our ship at a distance by contr olling our computer, even though no individual mind on the planet could have done so.You understand perfectly, Pel, said Bliss.And I understand it, too, said Trevize. It is not that hard to understand. But what do you want of us? We have not come to attack you. We have come seeking information. Why have you seized us?To talk to you.You might have talked to us on the ship.Bliss agitate her head gravely, I am not the one to do it.Arent you part of the group mind?Yes, but I cannot fly like a bird, buzz like an insect, or grow as tall as a tree. I do what it is best for me to do and it is not best that I give you the information though the knowledge could easily be assigned to me.Who firm not to assign it to you?We all did.Who will give us the information?And who is Dom?Well, said Bliss. His full name is Endomandiovizamarondeyaso and so on. Different people call him different syllables at different times, but I know him as Dom and I think you two will use that syllable as well. He p robably has a larger share of Gaia than anyone on the planet and he lives on this island. He asked to see you and it was rented.Who allowed it? asked Trevize and answered himself at once, Yes, I know you all did.Bliss nodded.Pelorat said, When will we be seeing Dom, Bliss?Right away. If you follow me, Ill take you to him now, Pel. And you, too, of course, Trev.And will you leave, then? asked Pelorat.You dont want me to, Pel?Actually, no.There you are, said Bliss as they followed her along a smoothly paved driveway that skirted the orchard. Men grow addicted to me on mulct order. Even dignified elderly men are overcome with boyish ardor.Pelorat laughed. I wouldnt count on much boyish ardor, Bliss, but if I had it I could do worse than have it on your account, I think.Bliss said, Oh, dont discount your boyish ardor. I work wonders.Trevize said impatiently, Once we get to where were going, how long will we have to wait for this Dom?He will be waiting for you. After all, Dom through Gaia has worked for days to bring you here.Trevize stopped in midstep and looked quickly at Pelorat, who quietly mouthed You were right.Bliss, who was looking straight ahead, said calmly, I know, Trev, that you have suspected that I/we/Gaia was interested in you.I/we/Gaia? said Pelorat softly.She turned to smile at him. We have a whole heterogeneous of different pronouns to express the shades of individuality that live on on Gaia. I could explain them to you, but till then I/we/Gaia gets across what I mean in a groping sort of way. Please move on, Trev. Dom is waiting and I dont wish to force your legs to move against your will. It is an uncomfortable feeling if youre not used to it.Trevize moved on. His glance at Bliss was increase of the deepest suspicion.Dom was an elderly man. He recited the two coke and fiftythree syllables of his name in a musical flowing of tone and emphasis.In a way, he said, it is a brief biography of myself. It tells the hearer or reader, or sens er who I am, what part I have played in the whole, what I have accomplished. For fifty years and more, however, I have been satisfied to be referred to as Dom. When there are other Doms at issue, I can be called Domandio and in my various professional relationships other variants are used. Once a Gaian year on my birthday my full name is recited-in-mind, as I have just recited it for you in voice. It is very effective, but it is personalizedly embarrassing.He was tall and thin almost to the point of emaciation. His deep-set eyes sparkled with anomalous youth, though he moved rather slowly. His jutting nose was thin and long and flared at the nostrils. His hands, prominently stain though they were, showed no signs of arthritic disability. He wore a long robe that was as gray as his hair. It descended to his ankles and his sandals left his toes bare.Trevize said, How old are you, sir?Please look at me as Dom, Trev. To use other modes of address induces formalities and inhibit s the free exchange of ideas between you and me. In Galactic Standard Years, I am just erstwhile(prenominal) ninety-three, but the real celebration will come not very many months from now, when I reach the ninetieth anniversary of my birth in Gaian years.I would not have guessed you at more than s resolving poweranty-five, s-Dom, said Trevize.By Gaian standards I am not remarkable, either in years or in appearance of years, Trev. But come, have we eaten?Pelorat looked down at his plate, on which perceptible remnants of a most unremarkable and indifferently prepared meal remained, and said in a diffident manner, Dom, may I attempt to ask an embarrassing question? Of course, if its offensive, you will please say so, and I will withdraw it.Go ahead, said Dom, blithesome. I am anxious to explain to you anything about Gaia which arouses your curiosity.Why? said Trevize at once.Because you are honored guests. May I have Pels question?Pelorat said, Since all things on Gaia share in the group consciousness, how is it that you one element of the group can eat this, which was clearly another element? avowedly But all things recycle. We must eat and everything we can eat, plant as well as animal even the inanimate seasonings are part of Gaia. But, then, you see, nothing is killed for pleasure or sport nothing is killed with spare pain. And Im afraid we make no attempt to inspire our meal preparations, for no Gaian would eat except that one must. You did not enjoy this meal, Pel? Trev? Well, meals are not to enjoy.Then, too, what is eaten remains, after all, part of the planetary consciousness. Insofar as portions of it are incorporated into my body, it will embark in a larger share of the total consciousness. When I die, I, too, will be eaten even if only by decay bacteria and I will then participate in a far smaller share of the total. But someday, separate of me will be parts of other human beings, parts of many.Pelorat said, A sort of transmigration of so uls.Of what, Pel?I speak of an old myth that is current on some worlds.Ah, I dont know of it. You must tell me on some occasion.Trevize said, But your individual consciousness whatever it is about you that is Dom will never fully reassemble.No, of course not. But does that matter? I will still be part of Gaia and that is what counts. There are mystics among us who wonder if we should take measures to develop group memories of past times dwellences, but the sense-of-Gaia is that this cannot be done in any applicative way and would serve no recyclable purpose. It would merely blur present consciousness. Of course, as conditions change, the sense-of-Gaia may change, too, but I find no put on the line of that in the foreseeable future.Why must you die, Dom? asked Trevize. Look at you in your nineties. Could not the group consciousnessFor the first time, Dom frowned. Never, he said. I can contribute only so much. Each new individual is a reshuffling of molecules and genes into som ething new. New tarradiddlents, new abilities, new contributions to Gaia. We must have them and the only way we can is to make room. I have done more than most, but even I have my limit and it is approaching. There is no more desire to live past ones time than to die before it.And then, as if realizing he had lent a suddenly mysterious note to the evening, he rose and stretched his arms out to the two. Come, Trev Pel let us move into my studio apartment where I can show you some of my personal art objects. You wont blame an old man for his little vanities, I hope.He led the way into another room where, on a small broadside table, there were a group of smoky lenses committed in pairs.These, said Dom, are Participations I have designed. I am not one of the know, but I specialize in inanimates, which few of the masters bother with.Pelorat said, May I pick one up? Are they fragile?No no. Bounce them on the floor if you like. Or per destiny you had better not. Concussion could dull the sharpness of the vision.How are they used, Dom?You put them over your eyes. Theyll cling. They do not express light. Quite the contrary. They obscure light that might other distract you though the sensations do reach your brain by way of the optic nerve. Essentially your consciousness is sharpened and is allowed to participate in other facets of Gaia. In other words, if you look at that groyne, you will find out that wall as it appears to itself.Fascinating, muttered Pelorat. may I try that?Certainly, Pel. You may take one at random. Each is a different construct that shows the wall or any other inanimate object you look at in a different aspect of the objects consciousness.Pelorat placed one pair over his eyes and they clung there at once. He started at the touch and then remained motionless for a long time.Dom said, When you are through, place your hands on either side of the Participation and press them toward each other. It will come right off.Pelorat did so, bl inked his eyes rapidly, then rubbed them.Dom said, What did you follow through?Pelorat said, Its hard to describe. The wall seemed to twinkle and glisten and, at times, it seemed to turn fluid. It seemed to have ribs and changing symmetries. I Im sorry, Dom, but I did not find it attractive.Dom sighed. You do not participate in Gaia, so you would not see what we see. I had rather feared that. Too bad I assure you that although these Participations are enjoyed primarily for their aesthetic value, they have their practical uses, too. A beaming wall is a long-lasting wall, a practical wall, a useful wall.A happy wall? said Trevize, smiling slightly.Dom said, There is a dim sensation that a wall experiences that is analogous to what happy means to us. A wall is happy when it is well designed, when it rests firmly on its foundation, when its symmetry balances its parts and green goodss no unpleasant stresses. Good design can be worked out on the mathematical principles of mechanics, but the use of a proper Participation can fine tune it down to virtually atomic dimensions. No sculptor can possibly produce a first-class work of art here on Gaia without a well-crafted Participation and the ones I produce of this particular type are considered tenuous if I do say so myself. liven Participations, which are not my field, and Dom was going on with the kind of excitement one expects in someone move his hobby, give us, by analogy, a direct experience of ecological balance. The ecological balance on Gaia is rather dim-witted, as it is on all worlds, but here, at least, we have the hope of making it more multiform and thus enriching the total consciousness enormously.Trevize held up his hand in order to forestall Pelorat and wave him into silence. He said, How do you know that a planet can bear a more abstruse ecological balance if they all have simple ones?Ah, said Dom, his eyes twinkling shrewdly, you are testing the old man. You know as well as I do that the o riginal home of public, ball, had an enormously multiplex ecological balance. It is only the secondary worlds the derived worlds that are simple.Pelorat would not be kept silent. But that is the problem I have set myself in life. Why was it only ball that bore a complex environmental science? What distinguished it from other worlds? Why did millions upon millions of other worlds in the wandflower worlds that were assailable of bearing life develop only an undistinguished vegetation, together with small and un cunning animal life-forms?Dom said, We have a tale about that a fable, perchance. I cannot vouch for its authenticity. In fact, on the face of it, it sounds like fiction.It was at this point that Bliss who had not participated in the meal entered, smiling at Pelorat. She was wearing a silvery blouse, very sheer.Pelorat rose at once. I thought you had left us.Not at all. I had reports to make out, work to do. May I join you now, Dom?Dom had also arise (though Tr evize remained seated). You are entirely welcome and you ravish these corned eyes.It is for your ravishment that I put on this blouse. Pel is above such things and Trev dislikes them.Pelorat said, If you think I am above such things, Bliss, I may surprise you someday.What a delightful surprise that would be, Bliss said, and sat down. The two men did as well. Please dont let me interrupt you.Dom said, I was about to tell our guests the story of Eternity. To understand it, you must first understand that there are many different cosmoss that can exist virtually an infinite number. Every single outlet that takes place can take place or not take place, or can take place in this fashion or in that fashion, and each of an enormous number of alternatives will result in a future course of events that are distinct to at least some degree.Bliss might not have come in just now or she might have been with us a little earlier or much earlier or having come in now, she might have worn a differ ent blouse or even in this blouse, she might not have smiled roguishly at elderly men as is her kindhearted custom. In each of these alternatives or in each of a very large number of other alternatives of this one event the Universe would have taken a different baseball swing thereafter, and so on for every other mutation of every other event, however minor.Trevize stirred restlessly. I believe this is a common speculation in quantum mechanics a very ancient one, in fact.Ah, youve heard of it. But let us go on. Imagine it is possible for human beings to freeze all the infinite number of Universes, to step from one to another at will, and to choose which one should be made real whatever that word means in this connection.Trevize said, I hear your words and can even imagine the concept you describe, but I cannot make myself believe that anything like this could ever happen. Nor I, on the whole, said Dom, which is why I say that it would all seem to be a fable. Nevertheless, the fable states that there were those who could step out of time and examine the endless rims of potential reality. These people were called the Eternals and when they were out of time they were said to be in Eternity.It was their task to choose a realness that would be most suitable to domain. They modified endlessly and the story goes into great detail, for I must tell you that it has been written in the form of an epic of inordinate length. finally they found (so it is said) a Universe in which Earth was the only planet in the entire Galaxy on which could be found a complex ecological system, together with the development of an expert species capable of working out a high technology.That, they decided, was the short letter in which humanity could be most secure. They froze that ground of events as Reality and then ceased operations. Now we live in a Galaxy that has been settled by human beings only, and, to a large extent, by the plants, animals, and microscopic life that they carry with them voluntarily or unknowingly from planet to planet and which usually overwhelm the autochthonic life.Somewhere in the dim mists of probability there are other Realities in which the Galaxy is innkeeper to many intelligences, but they are unreachable. We in our Reality are alone. From every action and every event in our Reality, there are new branches that set off, with only one in each separate case being a continuation of Reality, so that there are vast numbers of potential Universes perhaps an infinite number stemming from ours, but all of them are presumably same in containing the one intelligence Galaxy in which we live. Or perhaps I should say that all but a vanishingly small percentage are alike in this way, for it is dangerous to rule out anything where the possibilities approach the infinite.He stopped, shrugged slightly, and added, At least, thats the story. It dates back to before the launch of Gaia. I dont vouch for its truth.The three others had listened intently. Bliss nodded her head, as though it were something she had heard before and she were checking the accuracy of Doms account.Pelorat reacted with a silent solemnity for the better part of a minute and then balled his fist and brought it down upon the arm of his chair.No, he said is a strangled tone, that affects nothing. Theres no way of demonstrating the truth of the story by bill or by reason, so it cant ever be anything but a piece of speculation, but digression from that. Suppose its true The Universe we live in is still one in which only Earth has developed a rich life and an intelligent species, so that in this Universe whether it is the all-in-all or only one out of an infinite number of possibilities there must be something laughable in the nature of the planet Earth. We should still want to know what that uniqueness is.In the silence that followed, it was Trevize who finally stirred and shook his head.No, Janov, he said, thats not the way it works . Let us say that the chances are one in a billion trillion one in 1021 that out of the billion of livable planets in the Galaxy only Earth through the workings of sheer chance would happen to develop a rich ecology and, eventually, intelligence. If that is so, then one in 1021 of the various strands of potential Realities would represent such a Galaxy and the Eternals picked it. We live, therefore, in a Universe in which Earth is the only planet to develop a complex ecology, an intelligent species, a high technology not because there is something special about Earth, but because simply by chance it developed on Earth and nowhere else.I suppose, in fact, Trevize went on thoughtfully, that there are strands of Reality in which only Gaia has developed an intelligent species, or only Sayshell, or only Terminus, or only some planet which in this Reality happens to bear no life at all. And all of these very special cases are a vanishingly small percentage of the total number of Real ities in which there is more than one intelligent species in the Galaxy. I suppose that if the Eternals had looked long enough they would have found a potential strand of Reality in which every single habitable planet had developed an intelligent species.Pelorat said, Might you not also argue that a Reality had been found in which Earth was for some reason not as it was in other strands, but curiously suited in some way for the development of intelligence? In fact, you can go set ahead and say that a Reality had been found in which the whole Galaxy was not as it was in other strands, but was in some way in such a state of development that only Earth could produce intelligence.Trevize said, You might argue so, but I would suppose that my version makes more sense.Thats a rigorously subjective decision, of course began Pelorat with some heat, but Dom interrupted, saying This is logic-chopping. Come, let us not spoil what is proving, at least for me, a pleasant and leisurely evening .Pelorat endeavored to relax and to allow his heat to drain away. He smiled finally and said, As you say, Dom.Trevize, who had been casting glances at Bliss, who sat with bemock demurity, hands in her lap, now said, And how did this world come to be, Dom? Gaia, with its group consciousness?Doms old head leaned back and he laughed in a high-pitched manner. His face crinkled as he said, Fables again I think about that sometimes, when I read what records we have on human history. No matter how guard dutyedly records are kept and filed and computerized, they grow fuzzy with time. Stories grow by accretion. Tales accumulate like dust. The longer the time lapse, the dustier the history until it degenerates into fables.Pelorat said, We historians are familiar with the process, Dom. There is a certain preference for the fable. The falsely dramatic drives out the truly dull, said Liebel Gennerat about fifteen centuries ago. Its called Gennerats rectitude now.Is it? said Dom. And I thoug ht the notion was a cynical invention of my own. Well, Gennerats Law fills our past history with glamour and uncertainty. Do you know what a zombi is?We found out on Sayshell, said Trevize dryly.You saw one?No. We were asked the question and, when we answered in the negative, it was explained to us.I understand. Humanity once lived with robots, you know, but it didnt work well.So we were told.The robots were deeply indoctrinated with what are called the Three Laws of Robotics, which date back into prehistory. There are several versions of what those Three Laws might have been. The orthodox view has the following reading 1) A robot may not prostitute a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to defame a) A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would struggle with the eldest Law ) A robot must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the for the first time or indorsement Law. As robots grew more intelligent and versatile, they interpreted these Laws, especially the all-overriding First, more and more liberally and assumed, to a greater and greater degree, the role of protector of humanity. The protection stifled people and grew unbearable.The robots were entirely kind. Their labors were clearly humane and were meant entirely for the benefit of all which somehow made them all the more unbearable.Every robotic advance made the situation worse. Robots were developed with telepathic capacity, but that meant that even human thought could be monitored, so that human behavior became still more dependent on robotic oversight.Again robots grew steadily more like human beings in appearance, but they were unmistakably robots in behavior and being humanoid made them more repulsive. So, of course, it had to come to an end.Why of course? asked Pelorat, who had been listening intently.Dom said, Its a matter of following the logic to the bitter end. Eventually the robots grew advanced enough to become just sufficiently human to appreciate why human beings should resent being deprived of everything human in the name of their own good. In the long run, the robots were forced to decide that humanity might be better off condole with for themselves, however carelessly and ineffectively.Therefore, it is said, it was the robots who established Eternity somehow and became the Eternals. They located a Reality in which they felt that human beings could be as secure as possible alone in the Galaxy. Then, having done what they could to guard us and in order to fulfill the First Law in the truest sense, the robots of their own accord ceased to execute and ever since we have been human beings advancing, however we can, alone.Dom paused. He looked from Trevize to Pelorat, and then said, Well, do you believe all that?Trevize shook his head slowly. No. There is nothing like this in any historical record I have ever heard of. How about you, Janov?Pelorat said, T here are myths that are similar in some ways.Come, Janov, there are myths that would match anything that any of us can make up, given sufficiently ingenious interpretation. Im talking about history reliable records.Oh well. goose egg there, as far as I know.Dom said, Im not surprised. Before the robots withdrew, many parties of human beings left to colonize robotless worlds in deeper space, in order to take their own measures for freedom. They came particularly from overcrowded Earth, with its long history of resistance to robots. The new worlds were founded fresh and they did not even want to recover their bitter humiliation as children under robot nursemaids. They kept no records of it and they forgot.Trevize said, This is unlikely.Pelorat turned to him. No, Golan. Its not at all unlikely. Societies create their own history and tend to wipe out lowly beginnings, either by forgetting them or inventing totally fictitious heroic rescues. The over-embellished government made attem pts to suppress knowledge of the pre-Imperial past in order to strengthen the mystic resplendence of eternal rule. Then, too, there are almost no records of the days before hyperspatial travel and you know that the very existence of Earth is unknown to most people today.Trevize said, You cant have it both ways, Janov. If the Galaxy has forgotten the robots, how is it that Gaia remembers?Bliss intervened with a sudden lilt of triplex laughter. Were different.Yes? said Trevize. In what way?Dom said, Now, Bliss, leave this to me. We are different, men of Terminus. Of all the refugee groups fleeing from robotic domination, we who eventually reached Gaia (following in the track of others who reached Sayshell) were the only ones who had learned the craft of thought transference from the robots.it is a craft, you know. It is inherent in the human mind, but it must be developed in a very subtle and difficult manner. It takes many generations to reach its full potential, but once well be gun, it feeds on itself. We have been at it for over twenty cat valium years and the sense-of-Gaia is that full potential has even now not been reached. It was long ago that our development of telepathy made us cognizant of group consciousness first only of human beings then animals then plants and finally, not many centuries ago, the inanimate structure of the planet itself.Because we traced this back to the robots, we did not forget them. We considered them not our nursemaids but our teachers. We felt they had opened our mind to something we would never for one moment want them closed to. We remember them with gratitude.Trevize said, But just as once you were children to the robots, now you are children to the group consciousness. Have you not lost humanity now, as you had then?It is different, Trev. What we do now is our own choice our own choice. That is what counts. It is not forced on us from outside, but is developed from the inside. It is something we never forget. And we are different in another way, too. We are unique in the Galaxy. There is no world like Gaia.How can you be sure?We would know, Trev. We would detect a world consciousness such as ours even at the other end of the Galaxy. We can detect the beginnings of such a consciousness in your Second Foundation, for instance, though not until two centuries ago.At the time of the Mule?Yes. One of ours. Dom looked grim. He was an aberrant and he left us. We were naive enough to think that was not possible, so we did not act in time to stop him. Then, when we turned our attention to the Outside Worlds, we became aware of what you call the Second Foundation and we left it to them.Trevize stared blankly for several moments, then muttered, There go our history books He shook his head and said in a louder tone of voice, That was rather cowardly of Gaia, wasnt it, to do so? said Trevize. He was your responsibility.You are right. But once we finally turned our eyes upon the Galaxy, we saw what until the n we had been blind to, so that the tragedy of the Mule proved a life-saving matter to us. It was then that we recognise that eventually a dangerous crisis would come upon us. And it has but not before we were able to take measures, thank to the incident of the Mule.What sort of crisis?One that threatens us with demolition?I cant believe that. You held off the Empire, the Mule, and Sayshell. You have a group consciousness that can pluck a ship out of space at a distance of millions of kilometers. What can you have to fear? Look at Bliss. She doesnt look the least bit perturbed. She doesnt think theres a crisis.Bliss had placed one well-turned leg over the arm of the chair and wriggled her toes at him. Of course Im not worried, Trev. Youll handle it.Trev said forcefully, Me?Dom said, Gaia has brought you here by means of a hundred gentle manipulations. It is you who must face our crisis.Trev stared at him and slowly his face turned from stupefaction into gathering rage. Me? Why, in all of space, me? I have nothing to do with this.Nevertheless, Trev, said Dom with an almost hypnotic calmness, you. Only you. In all of space, only you.