Devers bent1 over the little dead globe, watching for a tiny sign of life. The directional control was slowly and thoroughly2 sieving3 space with its jabbing tight sheaf of signals.
Barr watched patiently from his seat on the low cot in the comer, He asked, "No more signs of them?"
"The Empire boys? No." The trader growled4 the words with evident impatience5. "We lost the scuppers long ago. Space! With the blind jumps we took through hyperspace, it's lucky we didn't land up in a sun's belly6. They couldn't have followed us even if they outranged us, which they didn't."
He sat back and loosened his collar with a jerk. "I don't know what those Empire boys have done here. I think some of the gaps are out of alignment7."
"I take it, then, you're trying to get to the Foundation."
"I'm calling the Association ?or trying to."
"The Association? Who are they?"
"Association of Independent Traders. Never heard of it, huh? Well, you're not alone. We haven't made our splash yet!"
For a while there was a silence that centered about the unresponsive Reception Indicator8, and Barr said, "Are you within range?"
"I don't know. I haven't but a small notion where we are, going by dead reckoning. That's why I have to use directional control. It could take years, you know."
"Might it?"
Barr pointed9; and Devers jumped and adjusted his earphones. Within the little murky10 sphere there was a tiny glowing whiteness.
For half an hour, Devers nursed the fragile, groping thread of communication that reached through hyperspace to connect two points that laggard11 light would take five hundred years to bind12 together.
Then he sat back, hopelessly. He looked up, and shoved the earphones back.
"Let's eat, doc. There's a needle-shower you can use if you want to, but go easy on the hot water."
He squatted13 before one of the cabinets that lined one wall and felt through the contents. "You're not a vegetarian14, I hope?"
Barr said, "I'm omnivorous15. But what about the Association. Have you lost them?"
"Looks so. It was extreme range, a little too extreme. Doesn't matter, though. I got all that counted."
He straightened, and placed the two metal containers upon the table. "Just give it five minutes, doc, then slit16 it open by pushing the contact. It'll be plate, food, and fork ?sort of handy for when you're in a hurry, if you're not interested in such incidentals as napkins. I suppose you want to know what I got out of the Association."
"If it isn't a secret."
Devers shook his head. "Not to you. What Riose said was true."
"About the offer of tribute?"
"Uh-huh. They offered it, and had it refused. Things are bad. There's fighting in the outer suns of Loris."
"Loris is close to the Foundation?"
"Huh? Oh, you wouldn't know. It's one of the original Four Kingdoms. You might call it part of the inner line of defense17. That's not the worst. They've been fighting large ships previously18 never encountered. Which means Riose wasn't giving us the works. He has received more ships. Brodrig has switched sides, and I have messed things up."
His eyes were bleak19 as he joined the food-container contact-points and watched it fall open neatly20. The stewlike dish steamed its aroma21 through the room. Ducem Barr was already eating.
"So much," said Barr, "for improvisations, then. We can do nothing here; we can not cut through the Imperial lines to return to the Foundation; we can do nothing but that which is most sensible ?to wait patiently. However, if Riose has reached the inner line I trust the wait will not be too long."
And Devers put down his fork. "Wait, is it?" he snarled22, glowering23. "That's all right for you. You've got nothing at stake."
"Haven't I?" Barr smiled thinly.
"No. In fact, I'll tell you." Devers' irritation24 skimmed the surface. "I'm tired of looking at this whole business as if it were an interesting something-or-other on a microscope slide. I've got friends somewhere out there, dying; and a whole world out there, my home, dying also. You're an outsider. You don't know."
"I have seen friends die." The old man's hands were limp in his lap and his eyes were closed. "Are you married?"
Devers said, "Traders don't marry."
"Well, I have two sons and a nephew. They have been warned, but ?for reasons ?they could take no action. Our escape means their death. My daughter and my two grandchildren have, I hope, left the planet safety before this, but even excluding them, I have already risked and lost more than you."
Devers was morosely25 savage26. "I know. But that was a matter of choice. You might have played ball with Riose. I never asked you to?
Barr shook his head. "It was not a matter of choice, Devers. Make your conscience free, I didn't risk my sons for you. I co-operated with Riose as long as I dared. But there was the Psychic27 Probe."
The Siwennian patrician28 opened his eyes and they were sharp with pain. "Riose came to me once; it was over a year ago. He spoke29 of a cult30 centering about the magicians, but missed the truth. It is not quite a cult. You see, it is forty years now that Siwenna has been gripped in the same unbearable31 vise that threatens your world. Five revolts have been ground out. Then I discovered the ancient records of Hari Seldon ?and now this 'cult' waits.
"It waits for the coming of the 'magicians' and for that day it is ready. My sons are leaders of those who wait. It is that secret which is in my mind and which the Probe must never touch. And so they must die as hostages; for the alternative is their death as rebels and half of Siwenna with them. You see, I had no choice! And I am no outsider."
Devers' eyes fell, and Barr continued softly, "It is on a Foundation victory that Siwenna's hopes depend. It is for a Foundation victory that my sons are sacrificed. And Hari Seldon does not pre-calculate the inevitable32 salvation33 of Siwenna as he does that of the Foundation. I have no certainty for my people ?only hope."
"But you are still satisfied to wait. Even with the Imperial Navy at Loris."
"I would wait, in perfect confidence," said Barr, simply, "if they had landed on the planet, Terminus, itself."
The trader frowned hopelessly. "I don't know. It can't really work like that; not just like magic. Psychohistory or not, they're terribly strong, and we're weak. What can Setdon do about it?"
"There's nothing to do. It's all already done. It's proceeding34 now. Because you don't hear the wheels turning and the gongs beating doesn't mean it's any the less certain."
"Maybe; but I wish you had cracked Riose's skull35 for keeps. He's more the enemy than all his army."
"Cracked his skull? With Brodrig his second in command?" Barr's face sharpened with hate. "All Siwenna would have been my hostage. Brodrig has proven his worth long since. There exists a world which five years ago lost one male in every ten ?and simply for failure to meet outstanding taxes. This same Brodrig was the tax-collector. No, Riose may live. His punishments are mercy in comparison."
"But six months, six months, in the enemy Base, with nothing to show for it." Devers' strong hands clasped each other tautly36, so that his knuckles37 cracked. "Nothing to show for it!"
"Well, now, wait. You remind me? Barr fumbled38 in his pouch39. "You might want to count this." And he tossed the small sphere of metal on the table.
Devers snatched it. "What is it?"
"The message capsule. The one that Riose received just before I jacked him. Does that count as something?"
"I don't know. Depends on what's in it!" Devers sat down and turned it over carefully in his hand.
When Barr stepped from his cold shower and, gratefully, into the mild warm current of the air dryer40, he found Devers silent and absorbed at the workbench.
The Siwennian slapped his body with a sharp rhythm and spoke above the punctuating41 sounds. "What are you doing?"
Devers looked up. Droplets42 of perspiration43 glittered in his beard. "I'm going to open this capsule."
"Can you open it without Riose's personal characteristic?" There was mild surprise in the Siwennian's voice.
"If I can't, I'll resign from the Association and never skipper a ship for what's left of my life. I've got a three-way electronic analysis of the interior now, and I've got little jiggers that the Empire never heard of, especially made for jimmying capsules. I've been a burglar before this, y'know. A trader has to be something of everything."
He bent low over the little sphere, and a small flat instrument probed delicately and sparked redly at each fleeting44 contact.
He said, "This capsule is a crude job, anyway. These Imperial boys are no shakes at this small work. I can see that. Ever see a Foundation capsule? It's half the size and impervious45 to electronic analysis in the first place."
And then he was rigid46, the shoulder muscles beneath his tunic47 tautening visibly. His tiny probe pressed slowly?
It was noiseless when it came, but Devers; relaxed and sighed. In his hand was the shining sphere with its message unrolled like a parchment tongue.
"It's from Brodrig," he said. Then, with contempt, "The message medium is permanent. In a Foundation capsule, the message would be oxidized to gas within the minute."
But Ducem Barr waved him silent. He read the message quickly.
FROM: AMMEL BRODRIG, ENVOY48 EXTRAORDINARY OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY49, PRIVY50 SECRETARY OF THE COUNCIL, AND PEER OF THE REALM.
TO: BEL RIOSE, MILITARY GOVERNOR OF SIWENNA. GENERAL OF THE IMPERIAL FORCES, AND PEER OF THE REALM. I GREET YOU.
PLANET #1120 NO LONGER RESISTS. THE PLANS OF OFFENSE51 AS OUTLINED CONTINUE SMOOTHLY52. THE ENEMY WEAKENS VISIBLY AND THE ULTIMATE ENDS IN VIEW WILL SURELY BE GAINED.
Barr raised his head from the almost microscopic53 print and cried bitterly, "The fool! The forsaken54 blasted fop! That a message?"
"Huh?" said Devers. He was vaguely55 disappointed.
"It says nothing," ground out Barr. "Our lick-spittle courtier is playing at general now. With Riose away, he is the field commander and must sooth his paltry56 spirit by spewing out his pompous57 reports concerning military affairs he has nothing to do with. 'So-and-so planet no longer resists.' 'The offensive moves on.' 'The enemy weakens.' The vacuum-headed peacock."
"Well, now, wait a minute. Hold on?
"Throw it away." The old man turned away in mortification58. "The Galaxy59 knows I never expected it to be world-shakingly important, but in wartime it is reasonable to assume that even the most routine order left undelivered might hamper60 military movements and lead to complications later. It's why I snatched it. But this! Better to have left it. It would have wasted a minute of Riose's time that will now be put to more constructive61 use."
But Devers had arisen. "Will you hold on and stop throwing your weight around? For Seldon's sake?
He held out the sliver62 of message before Barr's nose, "Now read that again. What does he mean by 'ultimate ends in view'?"
"The conquest of the Foundation. Well?"
"Yes? And maybe he means the conquest of the Empire. You know he believes that to be the ultimate end."
"And if he does?"
"If he does!" Devers' one-sided smile was lost in his beard. "Why, watch then, and I'll show you."
With one finger the lavishly63 monogrammed sheet of message-parchment was thrust back into its slot. With a soft twang, it disappeared and the globe was a smooth, unbroken whole again. Somewhere inside was the tiny oiled whir of the controls as they lost their setting by random64 movements.
"Now there is no known way of opening this capsule without knowledge of Riose's personal characteristic, is there?"
"To the Empire, no," said Barr.
"Then the evidence it contains is unknown to us and absolutely authentic65."
"To the Empire, yes," said Barr.
"And the Emperor can open it, can't he? Personal Characteristics of Government officials must be on file. We keep records of our officials at the Foundation."
"At the Imperial capital as well," agreed Barr.
"Then when you, a Siwennian patrician and Peer of the Realm, tell this Cleon, this Emperor, that his favorite tame-parrot and his shiniest general are getting together to knock him over, and hand him the capsule as evidence, what will he think Brodrig's 'ultimate ends' are?"
Barr sat down weakly. "Wait, I don't follow you." He stroked one thin cheek, and said, "You're not really serious, are you?"
"I am." Devers was angrily excited. "Listen, nine out of the last ten Emperors got their throats cut, or their gizzards blasted out by one or another of their generals with bigtime notions in their heads. You told me that yourself more than once. Old man Emperor would believe us so fast it would make Riose's head swim."
Barr muttered feebly, "He is serious, For the Galaxy's sake, man, you can't beat a Seldon crisis by a far-fetched, impractical66, storybook scheme like that. Suppose you had never got hold of the capsule. Suppose Brodrig hadn't used the word 'ultimate.' Seldon doesn't depend on wild luck."
"If wild luck comes our way, there's no law says Seldon can't take advantage of it."
"Certainly. But ... but," Barr stopped, then spoke calmly but with visible restraint. "Look, in the first place, how will you get to the planet Trantor? You don't know its location in space, and I certainly don't remember the co-ordinates, to say nothing of the ephemerae. You don't even know your own position in space."
"You can't get lost in space," grinned Devers. He was at the controls already. "Down we go to the nearest planet, and back we come with complete bearings and the best navigation charts Brodrig's hundred thousand smackers can buy."
"And a blaster in our belly. Our descriptions are probably in every planet in this quarter of the Empire."
"Doc," said Devers, patiently, "don't be a hick tom the sticks. Riose said my ship surrendered too easily and, brother, he wasn't kidding. This ship has enough fire-power and enough juice in its shield to hold off anything we're Rely to meet this deep inside the frontier. And we have personal shields, too. The Empire boys never found them, you know, but they weren't meant to be found."
"All fight," said Barr, "all right. Suppose yourself on Trantor. How do you see the Emperor then? You think he keeps office hours?"
"Suppose we worry about that on Trantor," said Devers.
And Barr muttered helplessly, "All right again. I've wanted to see Trantor before I die for half a century now. Have your way."
The hypernuclear motor was cut in. The lights flickered67 and there was the slight internal wrench68 that marked the shift into hyperspace.
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1
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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sieving
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| 筛（选），筛分（法） | |
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4
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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belly
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| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
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7
alignment
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| n.队列；结盟，联合 | |
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indicator
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| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
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9
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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10
murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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laggard
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| n.落后者；adj.缓慢的，落后的 | |
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12
bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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13
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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14
vegetarian
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| n.素食者；adj.素食的 | |
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omnivorous
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| adj.杂食的 | |
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slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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17
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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18
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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neatly
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| adv.整洁地，干净地，灵巧地，熟练地 | |
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21
aroma
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| n.香气，芬芳，芳香 | |
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22
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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23
glowering
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| v.怒视( glower的现在分词 ) | |
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24
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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25
morosely
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| adv.愁眉苦脸地，忧郁地 | |
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26
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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psychic
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| n.对超自然力敏感的人；adj.有超自然力的 | |
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patrician
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| adj.贵族的，显贵的；n.贵族；有教养的人；罗马帝国的地方官 | |
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29
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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30
cult
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| n.异教，邪教；时尚，狂热的崇拜 | |
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unbearable
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| adj.不能容忍的；忍受不住的 | |
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32
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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34
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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35
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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tautly
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| adv.绷紧地；紧张地； 结构严谨地；紧凑地 | |
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37
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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38
fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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39
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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40
dryer
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| n.干衣机，干燥剂 | |
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41
punctuating
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| v.（在文字中）加标点符号，加标点( punctuate的现在分词 )；不时打断某事物 | |
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42
droplets
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| n.小滴( droplet的名词复数 ) | |
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43
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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44
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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45
impervious
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| adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的 | |
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46
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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47
tunic
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| n.束腰外衣 | |
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48
envoy
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| n.使节，使者，代表，公使 | |
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49
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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50
privy
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| adj.私用的；隐密的 | |
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51
offense
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| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
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52
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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53
microscopic
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| adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的 | |
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54
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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55
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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56
paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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57
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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58
mortification
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| n.耻辱，屈辱 | |
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59
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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60
hamper
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| vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子 | |
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61
constructive
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| adj.建设的，建设性的 | |
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62
sliver
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| n.裂片，细片，梳毛；v.纵切，切成长片，剖开 | |
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63
lavishly
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| adv.慷慨地，大方地 | |
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64
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 | |
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65
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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66
impractical
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| adj.不现实的，不实用的，不切实际的 | |
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67
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wrench
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| v.猛拧；挣脱；使扭伤；n.扳手；痛苦，难受 | |
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