The next day's hearings were entirely different. Hari Seldon and GaalDornick were alone with the Commission. They were seated at a tabletogether, with scarcely a separation between the five judges and the twoaccused. They were even offered cigars from a box of iridescent2 plasticwhich had the appearance of water, endlessly flowing. The eyes were fooledinto seeing the motion although the fingers reported it to be hard and dry.
Seldon accepted one; Gaal refused.
Seldon said, "My lawyer is not present."A Commissioner3 replied, "This is no longer a trial, Dr. Seldon. We are hereto discuss the safety of the State."Linge Chen said, "I will speak," and the other Commissioners sat back intheir chairs, prepared to listen. A silence formed about Chen into which hemight drop his words.
Gaal held his breath. Chen, lean and hard, older in looks than in fact, wasthe actual Emperor of all the Galaxy4. The child who bore the title itselfwas only a symbol manufactured by Chen, and not the first such, either.
Chen said, "Dr. Seldon, you disturb the peace of the Emperor's realm. Noneof the quadrillions living now among all the stars of the Galaxy will beliving a century from now. Why, then, should we concern ourselves withevents of three centuries distance?""I shall not be alive half a decade hence," said Seldon, and yet it is ofoverpowering concern to me. Call it idealism. Call it an identification ofmyself with that mystical generalization5 to which we refer by the term,'humanity.'""I do not wish to take the trouble to understand mysticism. Can you tell mewhy I may not rid myself of you, and of an uncomfortable and unnecessarythree-century future which I will never see by having you executedtonight?""A week ago," said Seldon, lightly, "you might have done so and perhapsretained a one in ten probability of yourself remaining alive at year'send. Today, the one in ten probability is scarcely one in ten thousand."There were expired breaths in the gathering6 and uneasy stirrings. Gaal feltthe short hairs prickle on the back of his neck. Chen's upper eyelidsdropped a little.
"How so?" he said.
"The fall of Trantor," said Seldon, "cannot be stopped by any conceivableeffort. It can be hastened easily, however. The tale of my interruptedtrial will spread through the Galaxy. Frustration7 of my plans to lightenthe disaster will convince people that the future holds no promise to them.
Already they recall the lives of their grandfathers with envy. They willsee that political revolutions and trade stagnations will increase. Thefeeling will pervade8 the Galaxy that only what a man can grasp for himselfat that moment will be of any account. Ambitious men will not wait andunscrupulous men will not hang back. By their every action they will hastenthe decay of the worlds. Have me killed and Trantor will fall not withinthree centuries but within fifty years and you, yourself, within a singleyear."Chen said, "These are words to frighten children, and yet your death is notthe only answer which will satisfy us."He lifted his slender hand from the papers on which it rested, so that onlytwo fingers touched lightly upon the topmost sheet.
"Tell me," he said, "will your only activity be that of preparing thisencyclopedia you speak of?""It will.""And need that be done on Trantor?""Trantor, my lord, possessss the Imperial Library, as well as the scholarlyresources of the University of Trantor.""And yet if you were located elsewhere?, let us say upon a planet wherethe hurry and distractions of a metropolis9 will not interfere withscholastic musings; where your men may devote themselves entirely andsingle-mindedly to their work; 杕ight not that have advantages?""Minor10 ones, perhaps.""Such a world had been chosen, then. You may work, doctor, at your leisure,with your hundred thousand about you. The Galaxy will know that you areworking and fighting the Fall. They will even be told that you will preventthe Fall." He smiled, "Since I do not believe in so many things, it is notdifficult for me to disbelieve in the Fall as well, so that I am entirelyconvinced I will be telling the truth to the people. And meanwhile, doctor,you will not trouble Trantor and there will be no disturbance of theEmperor's peace.
"The alternative is death for yourself and for as many of your followers11 aswill seem necessary. Your earlier threats I disregard. The opportunity forchoosing between death and exile is given you over a time period stretchingfrom this moment to one five minutes hence.""Which is the world chosen, my lord?" said Seldon.
"It is called, I believe, Terminus," said Chen. Negligently12, he turned thepapers upon his desk with his fingertips so that they faced Seldon. "It isuninhabited, but quite habitable, and can be molded to suit the necessitiesof scholars. It is somewhat secluded13?
Seldon interrupted, "It is at the edge of the Galaxy, sir.""As I have said, somewhat secluded. It will suit your needs forconcentration. Come, you have two minutes left."Seldon said, "We will need time to arrange such a trip. There are twentythousand families involved.""You will be given time."Seldon thought a moment, and the last minute began to die. He said, "Iaccept exile."Gaal's heart skipped a beat at the words. For the most part, he was filledwith a tremendous joy for who would not be, to escape death. Yet in all hisvast relief, he found space for a little regret that Seldon had beendefeated.
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1
adjournment
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| 休会； 延期； 休会期； 休庭期 | |
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iridescent
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| adj.彩虹色的，闪色的 | |
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commissioner
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| n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员 | |
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galaxy
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| n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物) | |
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generalization
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| n.普遍性，一般性，概括 | |
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gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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8
pervade
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| v.弥漫，遍及，充满，渗透，漫延 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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11
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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12
negligently
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secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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