The trip left him with an oppressive realization2 of the vastness of thekingdom. It was a little splinter, an insignificant3 fly speck4 compared tothe inconceivable reaches of the Galactic Empire of which it had onceformed so distinguished5 a part; but to one whose habits of thought had beenbuilt around a single planet, and a sparsely6 settled one at that,Anacreon's size in area and population was staggering.
Following closely the boundaries of the old Prefect of Anacreon, itembraced twenty-five stellar systems, six of which included more than oneinhabited world. The population of nineteen billion, though still far lessthan it had been in the Empire's heyday was rising rapidly with theincreasing scientific development fostered by the Foundation.
And it was only now that Hardin found himself floored by the magnitude ofthat task. Even in thirty years, only the capital world had been powered.
The outer provinces still possessed7 immense stretches where nuclear powerhad not yet been re-introduced. Even the progress that had been made mighthave been impossible had it not been for the still workable relics8 leftover9 by the ebbing10 tide of Empire.
When Hardin did arrive at the capital world, it was to find all normalbusiness at an absolute standstill. In the outer provinces there had beenand still were celebrations; but here on the planet Anacreon, not a personbut took feverish11 part in the hectic12 religious pageantry that heralded13 thecoming-of-age of their god-king, Lepold.
Hardin had been able to snatch only half an hour from a haggard and harriedVerisof before his ambassador was forced to rush off to supervise stillanother temple festival. But the half-hour was a most profitable one, andHardin prepared himself for the night's fireworks well satisfied.
In all, he acted as an observer, for he had no stomach for the religioustasks he would undoubtedly14 have had to undertake if his identity becameknown. So, when the palace's ballroom15 filled itself with a glittering hordeof the kingdom's very highest and most exalted16 nobility, he found himselfhugging the wall, little noticed or totally ignored.
He had been introduced to Lepold as one of a long line of introducees, andfrom a safe distance, for the king stood apart in lonely and impressivegrandeur, surrounded by his deadly blaze of radioactive aura. And in lessthan an hour this same king would take his seat upon the massive throne ofrhodium-iridium alloy with jewel-set gold chasings, and then, throne andall would rise maestically into the air, skim the ground slowly to hoverbefore the great window from which the great crowds of common folk couldsee their king and shout themselves into near apoplexy. The throne wouldnot have been so massive, of course, if it had not had a shielded nuclearmotor built into it.
It was past eleven. Hardin fidgeted and stood on his toes to better hisview. He resisted an impulse to stand on a chair. And then he saw Wienisthreading through the crowd toward him and he relaxed.
Wienis' progress was slow. At almost every step, he had to pass a kindlysentence with some revered noble whose grandfather had helped Lepold'sgrandfather brigandize the kingdom and had received a dukedom therefor.
And then he disentangled himself from the last uniformed peer and reachedHardin. His smile crooked itself into a smirk17 and his black eyes peeredfrom under grizzled brows with glints of satisfaction in them.
"My dear Hardin," he said, in a low voice, "you must expect to be bored,when you refuse to announce your identity.""I am not bored, your highness. This is all extremely interesting. We haveno comparable spectacles on Terminus, you know.""No doubt. But would you care to step into my private chambers18, where wecan speak at greater length and with considerably more privacy?""Certainly."With arms linked, the two ascended19 the staircase, and more than one dowagerduchess stared after them in surprise and wondered at the identity of thisinsignificantly dressed and uninteresting-looking stranger on whom suchsignal honor was being conferred by the prince regent.
In Wienis' chambers, Hardin relaxed in perfect comfort and accepted with amurmur of gratitude20 the glass of liquor that had been poured out by theregent's own hand.
"Locris wine, Hardin," said Wienis, "from the royal cellars. The real thing? two centuries in age. It was laid down ten years before the ZeonianRebellion.""A really royal drink," agreed Hardin, politely. "To Lepold I, King ofAnacreon."They drank, and Wienis added blandly21, at the pause, "And soon to be Emperorof the Periphery22, and further, who knows? The Galaxy may some day bereunited.""Undoubtedly. By Anacreon?""Why not? With the help of the Foundation, our scientific superiority overthe rest of the Periphery would be undisputable."Hardin set his empty glass down and said, "Well, yes, except that, ofcourse, the Foundation is bound to help any nation that requests scientificaid of it. Due to the high idealism of our government and the great moralpurpose of our founder, Hari Seldon, we are unable to play favorites. Thatcan't be helped, your highness."Wienis' smile broadened. "The Galactic Spirit, to use the popular cant,helps those who help themselves. I quite understand that, left to itself,the Foundation would never cooperate.""I wouldn't say that. We repaired the Imperial cruiser for you, though myboard of navigation wished it for themselves for research purposes."The regent repeated the last words ironically. "Research purposes! Yeeeeeetyou would not have repaired it, had I not threatened war."Hardin made a deprecatory gesture. "I don't know.""I do. And that threat always stood.""And still stands now?""Now it is rather too late to speak of threats." Wienis had cast a rapidglance at the clock on his desk. "Look here, Hardin, you were on Anacreononce before. You were young then; we were both young. But even then we hadentirely different ways of looking at things. You're what they call a manof peace, aren't you?""I suppose I am. At least, I consider violence an uneconomical way ofattaining an end. There are always better substitutes, though they maysometimes be a little less direct.""Yee. I've heard of your famous remark: 'Violence is the last refuge of theincompetent.' And yet" ?the regent scratched one ear gently in affectedabstraction ?I wouldn't call myself exactly incompetent23."Hardin nodded politely and said nothing.
"And in spite of that," Wienis continued, "I have always believed in directaction. I have believed in carving24 a straight path to my objective andfollowing that path. I have accomplished25 much that way, and fully26 expect toaccomplish still more.""I know," interrupted Hardin. "I believe you are carving a path such as youdescribe for yourself and your children that leads directly to the throne,considering the late unfortunate death of the king's father ?your elderbrother and the king's own precarious state of health. He is in aprecarious state of health, is he not?"Wienis frowned at the shot, and his voice grew harder. "You might find itadvisable, Hardin, to avoid certain subjects. You may consider yourselfprivileged as mayor of Terminus to make ... uh ... injudicious remarks, butif you do, please disabuse yourself of the notion. I am not one to befrightened at words. It has been my philosophy of life that difficultiesvanish when faced boldly, and I have never turned my back upon one yet.""I don't doubt that. What particular difficulty are you refusing to turnyour back upon at the present moment?""The difficulty, Hardin, of persuading the Foundation to co-operate. Yourpolicy of peace, you see, has led you into making several very seriousmistakes, simply because you underestimated the boldness of your adversary27.
Not everyone is as afraid of direct action as you are.""For instance?" suggested Hardin.
"For instance, you came to Anacreon alone and accompanied me to my chambersalone."Hardin looked about him. "And what is wrong with that?""Nothing," said the regent, "except that outside this room are five policeguards, well armed and ready to shoot. I don't think you can leave,Hardin."The mayor's eyebrows28 lifted, "I have no immediate desire to leave. Do youthen fear me so much?""I don't fear you at all. But this may serve to impress you with mydetermination. Shall we call it a gesture?""Call it what you please," said Hardin, indifferently. "I shall notdiscommode myself over the incident, whatever you choose to call it.""I'm sure that attitude will change with time. But you have made anothererror, Hardin, a more serious one. It seems that the planet Terminus isalmost wholly undefended.""Naturally. What have we to fear? We threaten no one's interest and serveall alike.""And while remaining helpless," Wienis went on, "you kindly helped us toarm ourselves, aiding us particularly in the development of a navy of ourown, a great navy. In fact, a navy which, since your donation of theImperial cruiser, is quite irresistible29.""Your highness, you are wasting time." Hardin made as if to rise from hisseat. "If you mean to declare war, and are informing me of the fact, youwill allow me to communicate with my government at once.""Sit down, Hardin. I am not declaring war, and you are not communicatingwith your government at all. When the war is fought ?not declared, Hardin,fought ? the Foundation will be informed of it in due time by the nuclearblasts of the Anacreonian navy under the lead of my own son upon theflagship, Wienis, once a cruiser of the Imperial navy."Hardin frowned. "When will all this happen?""If you're really interested, the ships of the fleet left Anacreon exactlyfifty minutes ago, at eleven, and the first shot will be fired as soon asthey sight Terminus, which should be at noon tomorrow. You may consideryourself a prisoner of war.""That's exactly what I do consider myself, your highness," said Hardin,still frowning. "But I'm disappointed."Wienis chuckled30 contemptuously. "Is that all?""Yes. I had thought that the moment of coronation ? midnight, you know ?
would be the logical time to set the fleet in motion. Evidently, you wantedto start the war while you were still regent. It would have been moredramatic the other way."The regent stared. "What in Space are you talking about?""Don't you understand?" said Hardin, softly. "I had set my counterstrokefor midnight."Wienis started from his chair. "You are not bluffing me. There is nocounterstroke. If you are counting on the support of the other kingdoms,forget it. Their navies, combined, are no match for ours.""I know that. I don't intend firing a shot. It is simply that the word wentout a week ago that at midnight tonight, the planet Anacreon goes under theinterdict.""The interdict32?""Yes. If you don't understand, I might explain that every priest inAnacreon is going on strike, unless I countermand33 the order. But I can'twhile I'm being held incommunicado; nor do I wish to even if I weren't!" Heleaned forward and added, with sudden animation, "Do you realize, yourhighness, that an attack on the Foundation is nothing short of sacrilege ofthe highest order?"Wienis was groping visibly for self-control. "Give me none of that, Hardin.
Save it for the mob.""My dear Wienis, whoever do you think I am saving it for? I imagine thatfor the last half hour every temple on Anacreon has been the center of amob listening to a priest exhorting34 them upon that very subject. There'snot a man or woman on Anacreon that doesn't know that their government haslaunched a vicious, unprovoked attack upon the center of their religion.
But it lacks only four minutes of midnight now. You'd better go down to theballroom to watch events. I'll be safe here with five guards outside thedoor." He leaned back in his chair, helped himself to another glass ofLocris wine, and gazed at the ceiling with perfect indifference35.
Wienis suddenly furious, rushed out of the room.
A hush36 had fallen over the elite37 in the ballroom, as a broad path wascleared for the throne. Lepold sat on it now, hands solidly on its arms,head high, face frozen. The huge chandeliers had dimmed and in the diffusedmulti-colored light from the tiny nucleo-bulbs that bespangled the vaultedceiling, the royal aura shone out bravely, lifting high above his head toform a blazing coronet.
Wienis paused on the stairway. No one saw him; all eyes were on the throne.
He clenched38 his fists and remained where he was; Hardin would not bluff31 himinto action.
And then the throne stiffed. Noiselessly, it lifted upward ?and drifted.
Off the dais, slowly down the steps, and then horizontally, fivecentimetres off the floor, it worked itself toward the huge, open window.
At the sound of the deep-toned bell that signified midnight, it stoppedbefore the window ?and the king's aura died.
For a frozen split second, the king did not move, face twisted in surprise,without an aura, merely human; and then the throne wobbled and dropped tothe floor with a crashing thump39, just as every light in the palace wentout.
Through the shrieking40 din1 and confusion, Wienis' bull voice sounded. "Getthe flares41! Get the flares!"He buffeted42 right and left through the crowd and forced his way to thedoor. From without, palace guards had streamed into the darkness.
Somehow the flares were brought back to the ballroom; flares that were tohave been used in the gigantic torchlight procession through the streets ofthe city after the coronation.
Back to the ballroom guardsmen swarmed43 with torches ?blue, green, and red;where the strange light lit up frightened, confused faces.
"There is no harm done," shouted Wienis. "Keep your places. Power willreturn in a moment."He turned to the captain of the guard who stood stiffly at attention. "Whatis it, Captain?""Your highness," was the instant response, "the palace is surrounded by thepeople of the city.""What do they want?" snarled44 Wienis.
"A priest is at the head. He has been identified as High Priest PolyVerisof. He demands the immediate release of Mayor Salvor Hardin andcessation of the war against the Foundation." The report was made in theexpressionless tones of an officer, but his eyes shifted uneasily.
Wienis cried, "if any of the rabble45 attempt to pass the palace gates, blastthem out of existence. For the moment, nothing more. Let them howl! Therewill be an accounting46 tomorrow."The torches had been distributed now, and the ballroom was again alight.
Wienis rushed to the throne, still standing47 by the window, and dragged thestricken, wax-faced Lepold to his feet.
"Come with me." He cast one look out of the window. The city waspitch-black. From below there were the hoarse48 confused cries of the mob.
Only toward the fight, where the Argolid Temple stood was thereillumination. He swore angrily, and dragged the king away.
Wienis burst into his chambers, the five guardsmen at his heels. Lepoldfollowed, wide-eyed, scared speechless.
"Hardin," said Wienis, huskily, "you are playing with forces too great foryou."The mayor ignored the speaker. In the pearly light of the pocketnucleo-bulb at his side, he remained quietly seated, a slightly ironicsmile on his face.
"Good morning, your majesty," he said to Lepold. "I congratulate you onyour coronation.""Hardin," cried Wienis again, "order your priests back to their jobs."Hardin looked up coolly. "Order them yourself, Wienis, and see who isplaying with forces too great for whom. Right now, there's not a wheelturning in Anacreon. There's not a light burning, except in the temples.
There's not a drop of water running, except in the temples. On the wintryhalf of the planet, there's not a calorie of heat, except in the temples.
The hospitals are taking in no more patients. The power plants have shutdown. All ships are grounded. If you don't like it, Wienis, you can orderthe priests back to their jobs. I don't wish to.""By Space, Hardin, I will. If it's to be a showdown, so be it. We'll see ifyour priests can withstand the army. Tonight, every temple on the planetwill be put under army supervision49.""Very good, but how are you going to give the orders? Every line ofcommunication on the planet is shut down. You'll find that neither wave norhyperwave will work. In fact, the only communicator of the planet that willwork ? outside of the temples, of course ?is the televisor right here inthis room, and I've fitted it only for reception."Wienis struggled vainly for breath, and Hardin continued, "If you wish youcan order your army into the Argolid Temple just outside the palace andthen use the ultrawave sets there to contact other portions of the planet.
But if you do that, I'm afraid the army contigent will be cut to pieces bythe mob, and then what will protect your palace, Wienis? And your lives,Wienis?"Wienis said thickly, "We can hold out, devil. We'll last the day. Let themob howl and let the power die, but we'll hold out. And when the news comesback that the Foundation has been taken, your precious mob will find uponwhat vacuum their religion has been built, and they'll desert your priestsand turn against them. I give you until noon tomorrow, Hardin, because youcan stop the power on Anacreon but you can't stop my fleet." His voicecroaked exultantly50. "They're on their way, Hardin, with the great cruiseryou yourself ordered repaired, at the head."Hardin replied lightly. "Yes, the cruiser I myself ordered repaired ?butin my own way. Tell me, Wienis, have you ever heard of a hyperwave relay?
No, I see you haven't. Well, in about two minutes you'll find out what onecan do."The televisor flashed to life as he spoke51, and he amended52, "No, in twoseconds. Sit down, Wienis. and listen."
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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realization
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| n.实现；认识到，深刻了解 | |
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insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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leftover
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| n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的 | |
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ebbing
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| （指潮水）退( ebb的现在分词 )； 落； 减少； 衰落 | |
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feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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hectic
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heralded
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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ballroom
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exalted
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smirk
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chambers
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ascended
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gratitude
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blandly
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periphery
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incompetent
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| adj.无能力的，不能胜任的 | |
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carving
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accomplished
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fully
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adversary
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eyebrows
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irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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chuckled
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bluff
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interdict
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countermand
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exhorting
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indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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hush
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elite
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clenched
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| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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thump
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shrieking
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flares
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| n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开 | |
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buffeted
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| 反复敲打( buffet的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续猛击； 打来打去； 推来搡去 | |
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swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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snarled
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| v.（指狗）吠，嗥叫， （人）咆哮( snarl的过去式和过去分词 )；咆哮着说，厉声地说 | |
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rabble
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| n.乌合之众，暴民；下等人 | |
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accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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supervision
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| n.监督，管理 | |
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exultantly
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| adv.狂欢地，欢欣鼓舞地 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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Amended
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| adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词 | |
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