Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Adams Douglas Autostopem przez galaktyke
Isaac Asimov Nastanie nocy
08 (159)
08 (259)
The Redemption of Althalus by Eddings
function.cal from jd
Vonda McIntyre Opiekun Snu
Aldiss Lato Helikonii (2)
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.""But that response will come-and with irresistible force.""Are you certain of that?" said Rashelle."We will be in the Palace.Trantorwill be ours and at peace.Why should the Imperial forces stir when, by mindingtheir own business, each petty military leader can have his own world to rule,his own Province?""But is that what you want?" asked Seldon wonderingly."Are you telling me thatyou look forward to ruling over an Empire that will break up into splinters?"Rashelle said, "That is exactly right.I would rule over Trantor, over itsoutlying space settlements, over the few nearby planetary systems that are partof the Trantorian Province.I would much rather be Emperor of Trantor thanEmperor of the Galaxy.""You would be satisfied with Trantor only," said Dors in tones of the deepestdisbelief."Why not?" said Rashelle, suddenly ablaze.She leaned forward eagerly, bothhands pressed palms-down on the table."That is what my father has been planningfor forty years.He is only clinging to life now to witness its fulfillment.Whydo we need millions of worlds, distant worlds that mean nothing to us, thatweaken us, that draw our forces far away from us into meaningless cubic parsecsof space, that drown us in administrative chaos, that ruin us with their endlessquarrels and problems when they are all distant nothings as far as we areconcerned? Our own populous world-our own planetary city-is Galaxy enough forus.We have all we need to support ourselves.As for the rest of the Galaxy, letit splinter.Every petty militarist can have his own splinter.They needn'tfight.There will be enough for all.""But they will fight, just the same," said Dors."Each will refuse to besatisfied with his Province.Each will feat that his neighbor is not satisfiedwith his Province.Each will feel insecure and will dream of Galactic rule asthe only guarantee of safety.This is certain, Madam Empress of Nothing.Therewill be endless wars into which you and Trantor will be inevitably drawn-to theruin of all."Rashelle said with clear contempt, "So it might seem, if one could see nofarther than you do, if one relied on the ordinary lessons of history.""What is there to see farther?" retorted Dors."What is one to rely on beyondthe lessons of history?""What lies beyond?" said Rashelle."Why, he.'"And her arm shot outward, her index finger jabbing toward Seldon."Me?" said Seldon."I have already told you that psychohistory-"Rashelle said, "Do not repeat what you have already said, my good Dr.Seldon.Wegain nothing by that.-Do you think, Dr.Venabili, that my father was neveraware of the danger of endless civil war? Do you think he did not bend hispowerful mind to thinking of some way to prevent that? He has been prepared atany time these last ten years to take over the Empire in a day.It needed onlythe assurance of security beyond victory.""Which you can't have," said Dors."Which we had the moment we heard of Dr.Seldon's paper at the DecennialConvention.I saw at once that that was what we needed.My father was too old tosee the significance at once.When I explained it, however, he saw it too and itwas then that he formally transferred his power to me.So it is to you, Hari,that I owe my position and to you I will owe my greater position in the future.""I keep telling you that it cannot-" began Seldon with deep annoyance."It is not important what can or cannot be done.What is important is whatpeople will or will not believe can be done.They will believe you, Hari, whenyou tell them the psychohistoric prediction is that Trantor can rule itself andthat the Provinces can become Kingdoms that will live together in peace.""I will make no such prediction," said Seldon, "in the absence of truepsychohistory.I won't play the charlatan.If you want something like that, yousay it.""Now, Hari.They won't believe me.It's you they will believe.The greatmathematician.Why not oblige them?""As it happens," said Seldom "the Emperor also thought to use me as a source ofself-serving prophecies [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
