Second Foundation 12. Lord

Of wholly the worlds of the beetleweed, Kalgan undoubtedly had the intimately unique history. That of the planet Terminus, for instance, was that of an near uninterrupted rise. That of Trantor, once capital of the Galaxy, was that of an almost uninterrupted f exclusively. But Kalgan-Kalgan first gained fame as the enjoyment world of the Galaxy both centuries before the birth of Hari Seldon. It was a pleasure world in the sense that it make an industry and an immensely profit adequate one, at that out of amusement.And it was a stable industry. It was the most stable industry in the Galaxy. When all the Galaxy perished as a civilization, small(a) by minute, simply a feathers lading of catastrophe fell upon Kalgan. no(prenominal) proceeds how the economy and sociology of the neighboring sectors of the Galaxy changed, in that respect was eternally an elite and it is always the trait of an elite that it possesses leisure as the wide reward of its elite-hood.Kalgan was a t the service, therefore, successively and success lavishy of the effete and perfumed dandies of the Imperial coquet with their sparkling and libidinous ladies of the rough and rowdy warlords who ruled in iron the worlds they had gained in blood, with their unb disengageled and lascivious wenches of the plump and lush businessmen of the installation, with their lush and flagitious mistresses.It was instead undiscriminating, since they all had money. And since Kalgan serviced all and barred no(prenominal) since its commodity was in unfailing prerequi investe since it had the wisdom to interfere in no worlds politics, to stand on no ones authenticity, it prospered when nada else did, and remained fat when all grew thin.That is, until the scuff. Then, somehow, it fell, to a fault, before a conqueror who was impervious to amusement, or to anything nonwithstanding conquest. To him all planets were alike, as yet Kalgan.So for a decade, Kalgan found itself in the strange con stituent of Galactic metropolis mistress of the sterling(prenominal) pudding stone since the end of the Galactic imperium itself.And then, with the death of the scuff, as sudden as the zoom, came the drop. The al-Qaida broke away. With it and after it, overmuch of the rest of the Mules dominions. Fifty years afterwards there was left merely the bewildering store of that short space of situation, like an opium dream. Kalgan neer quite recovered. It could n invariably return to the nonchalant pleasure world it had been, for the spell of power never quite releases its bold. It lived instead nether a succession of men whom the derriere margin called the Lords of Kalgan, but who styled themselves initiatory Citizen of the Galaxy, in fictive of the Mules just call, and who maintained the fiction that they were conquerors too.The current Lord of Kalgan had held that point for five months. He had gained it originally by virtue of his position at the head of the Kalganian navy, and through a lamentable lack of caution on the part of the previous lord. Yet no one on Kalgan was quite boneheaded profuse to go into the question of legitimacy too hanker or too closely. These things happened, and atomic number 18 best accepted.Yet that class of survival of the fittest in addition to put a premium on bloodiness and evil, once in a while allowed capability to tot to the fore as well. Lord Stettin was competent enough and non easy to manage.Not easy for his eminence, the start-off Minister, who, with fine impartiality, had served the last lord as well as the present and who would, if he lived prospicient enough, serve the close as honestly.Nor easy for the skirt Callia, who was Stettins more than friend, but less than wife.In Lord Stettins close apart(predicate)ments the three were alone that evening. The starting signal Citizen, abundant and glistening in the admirals uniform that he affected, scowled from out the unupholstered chair in whic h he sat as stiffly as the plastic of which it was composed. His First Minister Lev Meirus, organisation him with a far-off unconcern, his long, nervous fingers slash absently and rhythmically the deep railroad line that curved from hooked nose on gaunt and sunken cheek to the point, nearly, of the decrepit-bearded chin. The Lady Callia disposed of herself gracefully on the deeply furred covering of a foamite couch, her full lips trembling a bit in an unheeded pout.Sir, said Meirus it was the wholly title adhering to a lord who was styled only First Citizen, you lack a certain st ar of the continuity of history. Your experience life, with its tremendous revolutions, leads you to theorize of the course of civilization as something evenly amenable to sudden change. But it is non.The Mule showed otherwise.But who bed follow in his footsteps. He was more than man, remember. And be, too, was not whole successful.Poochie, whimpered the Lady Callia, suddenly, and then shrank into herself at the vehement gesture from the First Citizen.Lord Stettin said, harshly, Do not interrupt, Callia. Meirus, I am fatigue of inaction. My predecessor spent his life embellish the navy into a finely-turned instrument that has not its equal in the Galaxy. And he died with the impressive machine lying idle. Am I to continue that? I, an Admiral of the Navy?How long before the machine rusts? At present, it is a drain on the Treasury and returns nothing. Its officers long for dominion, its men for loot. All Kalgan desires the return of Empire and glory. Are you capable of understanding that?These atomic number 18 but words that you use, but I grasp your meaning. Dominion, loot, glory pleasant when they are obtained, but the process of obtaining them is ofttimes uncollectible and always unpleasant. The first fine hot flash may not last. And in all history, it has never been wise to attack the Foundation. make up the Mule would have been wiser to refrain-There were we eping in the Lady Callias blue, empty eyes. Of late, Poochie scarcely saw her, and now, when he had promised the evening to her, this horrible, thin, gray man, who always looked through her rather than at her, had forced his way in. And Poochie let him. She dared not say anything was frightened even of the poop that forced its way out.But Stettin was utterance now in the voice she hated, big(p) and Impatient. He was saying Youre a break ones back to the far past. The Foundation is niftyer in volume and population, but they are slackly knit and go away fall apart at a blow. What holds them together these geezerhood is merely inertia an inertia I am strong enough to smash. You are hypnotized by the old age when only the Foundation had atomic power. They were able to dodge the last hammer blows of the expiry Empire and then faced only the unbrained anarchy of the warlords who would counter the Foundations atomic vessels only with hulks and relics.But the Mule, my dear Meirus, has changed that. He expand the chicaneledge, that the Foundation had hoarded to itself, through half the Galaxy and the monopoly in science is gone forever. We can match them.And the heartbeat Foundation? questioned Meirus, coolly.And the Second Foundation? repeated Stettin as coolly. Do you know its intentions? It took ten years to distributor point the Mule, if, indeed, it was the factor, which some doubt. Are you unaware that a good many of the Foundations psychologists and sociologists are of the judgement that the Seldon Plan has been completely disrupted since the old age of the Mule? If the Plan has gone, then a vacuum exists which I may cope with as well as the next man.Our knowledge of these matters is not great enough to warrant the gamble. Our knowledge, perhaps, but we have a Foundation visitor on the planet. Did you know that? A Homir Munn who, I understand, has written articles on the Mule, and has expressed exactly that opinion, that the Seldon Plan no longer exists.The First Minister nodded, I have heard of him, or at least of his writings. What does he desire?He asks permission to enter the Mules palace.Indeed? It would be wise to refuse. It is never advisable to stir up the superstitions with which a planet is held.I will consider that and we will speak again.Meirus bowleg himself out.Lady Callia said tearfully, Are you untamed with me, Poochie?***Stettin turned on her savagely. Have I not told you before never to call me by that ridiculous name in the presence of others?You used to like it.Well, I dont any more, and it is not to happen again.He stared at her darkly. It was a mystery to him that he tolerated her these days. She was a soft, empty-headed thing, comfortable to the touch, with a pliable affection that was a well-to-do facet to a hard life. Yet, even that affection was becoming wearisome. She dreamed of marriage, of being First Lady.RidiculousShe was all rattling well when he had been an admiral only but now as Fi rst Citizen and future conqueror, he mandatory more. He needed heirs who could unite his future dominions, something the Mule had never had, which was why his Empire did not survive his strange nonhuman life. He, Stettin, needed someone of the great historic families of the Foundation with whom he could fuse dynasties.He wondered testily why he did not rid himself of Callia now. It would be no trouble. She would whine a bit- He dismissed the thought. She had her points, occasionally.Callia was cheering up now. The influence of Graybeard was gone and her Poochies granite face was softening now. She lifted herself in a single, fluid motion and melted toward him.Youre not going to scold me, are you?No. He patted her absently. Now just sit quietly for a while, will you? I want to call.About the man from the Foundation?Yes.Poochie? This was a pause.What?Poochie, the man has a little girl with him, you said. Remember? Could I notice her when she comes? I never-Now what do you think I wa nt him to bring his little terror with him for? Is my audience room to be a grammar school? Enough of your nonsense, Callia.But Ill mother care of her, Poochie. You wont even have to lecture with her. Its just that I hardly ever find oneself children, and you know how I hunch them.He looked at her sardonically. She never commonplace of this approach. She loved children i.e. his children i.e. his legitimate children i.e. marriage. He laughed.This detail little piece, he said, is a great girl of fourteen or fifteen. Shes believably as tall as you are.Callia looked crushed. Well, could I, at least? She could tell me about the Foundation? Ive always wanted to go there, you know. My grandfather was a Foundation man. Wont you take me there, sometime, Poochie?Stettin smiled at the thought. possibly he would, as conqueror. The good genius that the thought supplied him with made itself felt up in his words, I will, I will. And you can see the girl and talk Foundation to her all y ou want. But not near me, understand.I wont bother you, honestly. Ill have her in my own rooms. She was happy again. It was not very often these days that she was allowed to have her way. She put her weapons about his neck and after the slightest hesitation, she felt its tendons relax and the large head come softly down upon her shoulder.