Asimov, Isaac Cleon the Emperor

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

shoulder on either side of your gardeners.
No. Again, we'll end up with nothing. Security will be in place, but not in
evidence. The gardeners in question must think they have a clear hand to do
whatever it is they plan to do. Before they can do so, but after they have made
it quite plain what they intend we'll have them.
That's risky. It's risky for Raych.
Risks are something we have to take. There's more riding on this than
individual lives.
That is a heartless thing to say.
You think I have no heart? Even if it broke, my concern would have to be
with Psycho
Don't say it. She turned away as if in pain.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
I understand, said Seldon, but you mustn't be there. Your presence would
be so inappropriate that the conspirators will suspect we know too much and
will abort their plan. I don't want their plan aborted.
He paused, then said softly, Dors, you say your job is to protect me. That
comes before protecting Raych and you know that. I wouldn't insist on it, but
to protect me is to protect Psychohistory and the entire human species. That
must come first. What I have of Psychohistory tells me that I, in turn, must
protect the center at all costs, and that is what I am trying to do. Do you
understand?
Venabili said, I understand, and turned away from him.
Seldon thought: And I hope I'm right.
If he weren't, she would never forgive him. Far worse, he would never forgive
himself. Psychohistory or not.
24.
They were lined up beautifully, feet spread apart, hands behind their backs,
every one in a natty green uniform, loosely-fitted and with wide pockets.
There was very little gender differential and one could only guess that some of
the shorter ones were women. The hoods covered whatever hair they had, but
then, gardeners were supposed to clip their hair quite short, either sex, and
there could be no facial hair.
Why that should be, one couldn't say. The word tradition covered it all, as it
covered so many things, some useful, some foolish.
Facing them was Mandell Gruber, flanked on either side by a deputy. Gruber
was trembling, his wide-open eyes glazed.
Hari Seldon's lips tightened. If Gruber could but manage to say, The
Emperor's Gardeners greet you all, that would be enough. Seldon himself
would then take over.
His eyes swept over the new contingent and he located Raych.
His heart jumped a bit. It was the mustacheless Raych in the front row,
standing more rigid than the rest, staring straight ahead. His eyes did not
move to meet Seldon's; he showed no sign of recognition, however subtle.
Good, thought Seldon. He's not supposed to. He's giving nothing away.
Gruber muttered a weak welcome and Seldon jumped in.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
He advanced with an easy stride, putting himself immediately before Gruber
and said, Thank you, Acting First Gardener. Men and women, Gardeners of
the Emperor, you are to undertake an important task. You will be responsible
for the beauty and health of the only open land on our great world of Trantor,
capital of the Galactic Empire. You will see to it that if we don't have the
endless vistas of open, undomed worlds, we will have a small jewel here that
will outshine anything else in the Empire.
You will all be under Mandell Gruber, who will shortly become First
Gardener. He will report to me, when necessary, and I will report to the
Emperor. This means, as you can all see, that you will be only three levels
removed from the Imperial presence, and you will always be under his benign
watch. I am certain that even now he is surveying us from the Small Palace,
his personal home, which is the building you see to the right the one with the
opal-layered dome and that he is pleased with what he sees.
Before you start work, of course, you will all undertake a course of training
that will make you entirely familiar with the grounds and their needs. You
will
He had by this time, moved, almost stealthily, to a point directly in front of
Raych, who still remained motionless, unblinking.
Seldon tried not to look unnaturally benign and then a slight frown crossed
his face. The person directly behind Raych looked familiar. He might have
gone unrecognized if Seldon had not studied his hologram. Wasn't that Gleb
Andorin of Wye? Raych's patron in Wye, in fact? What was he doing here?
Andorin must have noticed Seldon's sudden regard, for he muttered
something between scarcely opened lips and Raych's right arm, moving
forward from behind his back, plucked a blaster out of the wide pocket of his
green doublet. So did Andorin.
Seldon felt himself going into near-shock. How could blasters have been
allowed onto the grounds? Confused, he barely heard the cries of Treason
and the sudden noise of running and shouting.
All that really occupied Seldon's mind was Raych's blaster pointing directly at
him, and Raych looking at him without any sign of recognition. Seldon's mind
filled with horror as he realized that his son was going to shoot, and that he
himself was only seconds from death.
25.
A blaster, despite its name, does not blast in the proper sense of the term. It
vaporizes and blows out an interior and, if anything, causes an implosion.
There is a soft, sighing sound, leaving what appears to be a blasted object.
a
a
T
T
n
n
s
s
F
F
f
f
o
o
D
D
r
r
P
P
m
m
Y
Y
e
e
Y
Y
r
r
B
B
2
2
.
.
B
B
A
A
Click here to buy
Click here to buy
w
w
m
m
w
w
o
o
w
w
c
c
.
.
.
.
A
A
Y
Y
B
B
Y
Y
B
B
r r
Hari Seldon did not expect to hear that sound. He expected only death. It was,
therefore, with surprise that he heard the distinctive soft, sighing sound, and
he blinked rapidly as he looked down at himself, slack-jawed.
He was alive? (He thought it as a question, not a statement.)
Raych was still standing there, his blaster pointing forward, his eyes glazed.
He was absolutely motionless as though some motive power had ceased.
Behind him was the crumpled body of Andorin, fallen in a pool of blood, and
standing next to him, blaster in hand, was a gardener. The hood had slipped
away; the gardener was clearly a woman with freshly clipped hair.
She allowed herself a glance at Seldon and said, Your son knows me as
Manella Dubanqua. I'm Imperial Guard. Do you want my identification, First
Minister?
No, said Seldon faintly. Security personnel had converged on the scene. My [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Odnośniki