Prelude to Foundation Chapter 2 Flight

TRANTOR- The capital of the First Galactic Empire Under Cleon I, it had its crepuscule glow. To all appearances, it was then at its peak. Its land surface of 200 million squ are kilometers was entirely domed (except for the over-embellished Palace area) and lowlaid with an endless city that elongate beneath the continental shelves. The population was 40 billion and although the signs were plentiful (and clearly visible in hindsight) that t here were gathering problems, those who lived on Trantor undoubtedly ground it unbosom the Eternal World of legend and did non expect it would everEncyclopedia Galactica6.Seldon looked up. A green man was standing to begin with him, looking good deal at him with an expression of amused contempt. Next to him was anformer(a) young man-a bit younger, perhaps. Both were large and appeared to be strong. They were dressed in an extreme of Trantorian fashion, Seldon judged-boldly clashing colors, broad laciniate belts, round hats with wide brims all ab divulge and the deuce ends of a b right pink ribbon extending from the brim to the back of the neck.In Seldons look, it was amusing and he smiled.The young man before him snapped, Whatre you grinning at, misfit? Seldon ignored the manner of address and said gently, Please pardon my smile. I was merely enjoying your costume.My costume? So? And what are you wearying? Whats that awful asideal you call clothes? His hand went by and his finger flicked at the lapel of Seldons jacket-disgracefully heavy and dull, Seldon himself thought, in comparison to the some others take firehearted colors.Seldon said, Im afraid its my Ou dickensrlder clothes. Theyre all I be possessed of. He couldnt help notice that the few others who were sitting in the junior-grade park were rising to their feet and walking moody. It was as though they were expecting trouble and had no desire to endure in the vicinity. Seldon wondered if his new friend, Hummin, was leaving too, but he felt it injud icious to take his eyes apart from the young man who was confronting him. He teetered back on his chair slightly.The young man said, You an Out institutioner?Thats right. Hence my clothes.Hence? What lov adequate of words that? Outworld word?What I meant was, that was why my clothes seem peculiar to you. Im a visitor here.From what satellite?Helicon.The young mans eyebrows drew to run shorther. Never heard of it.Its not a large planet.why dont you go back there?I intend to. Im leaving tomorrow. sort of NowThe young man looked at his partner. Seldon followed the look and caught a glimpse of Hummin. He had not left, but the park was right run into empty except for himself, Hummin, and the two young men.Seldon said, Id thought Id spend today sight-seeing.No. You dont want to do that. You go home nowadays.Seldon smiled. Sorry. I wont.The young man said to his partner. You deal his clothes, Marbie?Marbie stave for the first while. No. Disgusting. Turns the stomach.Cant let him g o around procedureing stomachs, Marbie. Not penny-pinching for batchs health.No, not by no means, Alem, said Marbie.Alem grinned. Well now. You heard what Marbie said.And now Hummin spoke. He said, Look, you two, Alem, Marbie, whatever your names are. Youve had your fun. Why dont you go a guidance?Alem, who had been leaning slightly toward Seldon, straightened and morose. Who are you?Thats not your business, snapped Hummin.Youre Trantorian? asked Alem.Also not your business.Alem frowned and said, Youre dressed Trantorian. Were not concerned in you, so dont go looking for problems.I intend to stay. That means there are two of us. Two against two doesnt sound uniform your kind of fight. Why dont you go away and get both(prenominal) friends so you skunk handle two populate?Seldon said, I actually conjecture you ought to get away if you bunghole, Hummin. Its kind of you to try to protect me, but I dont want you h progressed.These are not dangerous hoi polloi, Seldon. Just ha lf-credit lackeys.Lackeys The word seemed to infuriate Alem, so that Seldon thought it essential start a more insulting meaning on Trantor than it had on Helicon.Here, Marbie, said Alem with a growl. You take care of that other motherlackey and Ill rip the clothes off this Seldon. Hes the one we want. Now-His hands came down sharply to seize Seldons lapels and jerk him upright.Seldon pushed away, instinctively it would seem, and his chair tipped slow. He seized the hands stretched toward him, his foot went up, and his chair went down.Somehow Alem streaky overhead, spring uping as he did so, and came down hard on his neck and back behind Seldon.Seldon twisted as his chair went down and was quickly on his feet, staring down at Alem, then looking sharply to one side for Marbie. Alem go under unmoving, his face twisted in agony. He had two soberly sprained thumbs, excruciating pain in his groin, and a backbone that had been badly jarred. Hummins left arm had grabbed Marbies neck from behind and his right arm had pulled the others right arm backward at a vicious angle. Marbies face was red as he labored uselessly for breath. A knife, glittering with a small laser inset, lay on the ground beside them.Hummin eased his grip slightly and said, with an air of honest concern, Youve hurt that one badly.Seldon said, Im afraid so. If he had fallen a little differently, he would draw snapped his neck.Hummin said, What kind of a mathematician are you?A Heliconian one. He stooped to pick up the knife and, after examining it, said, Disgusting-and deadly.Hummin said, An ordinary blade would do the job with step to the fore requiring a power source.-But lets let these two go. I doubt they want to continue whatever further.He released Marbie, who rubbed first his shoulder then his neck. Gasping for air, he turned hate-filled eyes on the two men. Hummin said sharply, You two had better get out of here. Otherwise well bring to give evidence against you for assault and a ttempted murder. This knife can surely be traced to you.Seldon and Hummin watched while Marbie dragged Alem to his feet and then helped him stagger away, still bent in pain. They looked back once or twice, but Seldon and Hummin watched impassively.Seldon held out his hand. How do I thank you for coming to the aid of a stranger against two attackers? I doubt I would spend a penny been able to handle them both on my own.Hummin raised his hand in a deprecatory manner. I wasnt afraid of them. Theyre just street-brawling lackeys. All I had to do was get my hands on them-and yours, too, of course.Thats a pretty deadly grip you adopt, Seldon mused.Hummin shrugged. You too. Then, without changing his tone of voice, he said, Come on, wed better get out of here. Were wasting cartridge clip.Seldon said, Why do we have to get away? Are you afraid those two get out come back?Not in their lifetime. But some of those brave muckle who cleared out of the park so quickly in their eagerness to sp are themselves a disagreeable sight whitethorn have alerted the police.Fine. We have the hoodlums names. And we can describe them jolly well.Describe them? Why would the police want them?They committed an assault-Dont be foolish. We dont have a scratch. Theyre virtually hospital bait, especially Alem. Were the ones who will be charged.But thats out of the question. Those people witnessed the fact that-No people will be called.-Seldon, get this into your head. Those two came to scrape up you-specifically you. They were told you were wearing Heliconian clothes and you must have been described precisely. Perhaps they were however shown a holograph. I suspect they were sent by the people who happen to control the police, so lets not wait any longer.Hummin hurried off, his hand engrossing Seldons upper arm. Seldon found the grip impossible to shake and, feeling like a child in the hands of an impetuous nurse, followed.They plunged into an arcade and, before Seldons eyes grew accusto med to the dimmer light, they heard the burring sound of a ground-cars brakes. on that point they are, muttered Hummin. Faster, Seldon. They hopped onto a moving corridor and lost themselves in the gang.7.Seldon had tried to persuade Hummin to take him to his hotel room, but Hummin would have none of that.Are you mad? he half-whispered. Theyll be waiting for you there.But all my belongings are waiting for me there too.Theyll just have to wait.And now they were in a small room in a pleasant apartment structure that might be anywhere for all that Seldon could tell. He looked close to the one-room unit. Most of it was taken up by a desk and chair, a bed, and a computer outlet. There were no dining facilities or washstand of any kind, though Hummin had directed him to a communal washroom down the hall. Someone had entered before Seldon was quite an through. He had cast one brief and curious look at Seldons clothes, kind of than at Seldon himself, and had then looked away. Seldon ment ioned this to Hummin, who shook his head and said, Well have to get rid of your clothes. Too bad Helicon is so far out of fashion-Seldon said impatiently, How some(prenominal) of this might just be your imagination, Hummin? Youve got me half-convinced and yet it may be merely a kind of of-Are you groping for the word paranoia?All right, I am. This may be some strange paranoid notion of yours. Hummin said, Think more or less it, will you? I cant argue it out mathematically, but youve seen the Emperor. Dont deny it. He valued some intimacy from you and you didnt give it to him. Dont deny that each. I suspect that details of the future are what he wants and you refused. Perhaps Demerzel esteems youre only pretending not to have the details-that youre holding out for a higher price or that someone else is bidding for it too. Who bashs? I told you that if Demerzel wants you, hell get you wherever you are. I told you that before those two splitheads ever appeared on the scene. Im a journalist and a Trantorian. I know how these things go. At one point, Alem said, Hes the one we want. Do you remember that?As it happens, said Seldon. I do.To him I was only the other motherlackey to be kept off, while he went about the real job of assaulting you.Hummin sat down in the chair and pointed to the bed. Stretch out, Seldon. Make yourself comfortable. Whoever sent those two-it must have been Demerzel, in my opinion-can send others, so well have to get rid of those clothes of yours. I think any other Heliconian in this sector caught in his own worlds garb is going to have trouble until he can prove he isnt you.Oh come on.I mean it. Youll have to take off the clothes and well have to atomize them-if we can get close enough to a disposal unit without being seen. And before we can do that Ill have to get you a Trantorian outfit. Youre smaller than I am and Ill take that into account. It wont matter if it doesnt fit exactly-Seldon shook his head. I dont have the credits to feed for it. Not on me. What credits I have-and they arent much-are in my hotel refuge.Well worry about that another time. Youll have to stay here for an hour or two while I go out in search of the necessary clothing.Seldon spread his hands and sighed resignedly. All right. If its that important, Ill stay.You wont try to get back to your hotel? Word of honor?My word as a mathematician. But Im really embarrassed by all the trouble youre taking for me. And expense too. After all, despite all this talk about Demerzel, they werent really out to hurt me or carry me off. All I was threatened with was the removal of my clothes.Not all. They were also going to take you to the spaceport and put you on a hypership to Helicon.That was a silly threat-not to be taken seriously.Why not?Im going to Helicon. I told them so. Im going tomorrow.And you still plan to go tomorrow? asked Hummin.Certainly. Why not?There are enormous reasons why not.Seldon suddenly felt angry. Come on, Hummin, I cant play this game any further. Im finished here and I want to go home. My tickets are in the hotel room. Otherwise Id try to exchange them for a trip today. I mean it.You cant go back to Helicon.Seldon flushed. Why not? Are they waiting for me there too?Hummin nodded. Dont fire up, Seldon. They would be waiting for you there too.Listen to me. If you go to Helicon, you are as good as in Demerzels hands. Helicon is good, safe Imperial territory. Has Helicon ever rebelled, ever fallen into step behind the banner of an anti-Emperor?No, it hasnt-and for good reason. Its surrounded by larger worlds. It depends on the Imperial two-eyed violet for security.Exactly Imperial forces on Helicon can therefore count on the full cooperation of the topical anesthetic government. You would be under constant surveillance at all times. Any time Demerzel wants you, he will be able to have you. And, except for the fact that I am now warning you, you would have no knowledge of this and you would be working in the open, filled with a false security.Thats ridiculous. If he wanted me in Helicon, why didnt he simply bring out me to myself? I was going there tomorrow. Why would he send those two hoodlums simply to hasten the matter by a few hours and risk position me on my guard?Why should he think you would be put on your guard? He didnt know Id be with you, immersing you in what you call my paranoia. plain without the question of warning me, why all the fuss to hurry me by a few hours?Perhaps because he was afraid you would change your mind.And go where, if not home? If he could pick me up on Helicon, he could pick me up anywhere. He could pick me up on on Anacreon, a good ten thousand parsecs away-if it should fall into my head to go there. Whats distance to hyperspatial ships? Even if I find a world thats not quite as submissive to the Imperial forces as Helicon is, what world is in actual rebellion? The Empire is at peace. Even if some worlds are still resentful of injustices in the past, none are going to defy the Imperial armed forces to protect me. Moreover, anywhere but on Helicon I wont be a local citizen and there wont even be that matter of principle to help keep the Empire at bay.Hummin listened patiently, nodding slightly, but looking as grave and as imperturbable as ever. He said, Youre right, as far as you go, but theres one world that is not really under the Emperors control. That, I think, is what must be disturbing Demerzel.Seldon thought a while, reviewing recent history and finding himself inefficient to choose a world on which the Imperial forces might be helpless. He said at last, What world is that?Hummin said, Youre on it, which is what gather ins the matter so dangerous in Demerzels eyes, I count on. It is not so much that he is anxious to have you go to Helicon, as that he is anxious to have you leave Trantor before it occurs to you, for any reason-even if only tourists mania-to stay.The two men sat in silence until Seldon at last said sardonically, Trantor The capital of the Empire, with the home base of the fleet on a space station in orbit about it, with the best units of the army quartered here. If you commit that it is Trantor that is the safe world, youre progressing from paranoia to outright fantasy.No Youre an Outworlder, Seldon. You dont know what Trantor is like. Its forty billion people and there are few other worlds with even a tenth of its population. It is of unsufferable technological and cultural complexity. Where we are now is the Imperial Sector-with the highest standard of living in the Galaxy and populated entirely by Imperial functionaries. Elsewhere on the planet, however, are over eight hundred other sectors, some of them with subcultures totally different from what we have here and nigh of them untouchable by Imperial forces.Why untouchable?The Empire cannot seriously exert force against Trantor. To do so would be bound to shake some facet or other of the applied science on which the w hole planet depends. The technology is so interrelated that to snap one of the interconnections is to cripple the whole. Believe me, Seldon, we on Trantor observe what happens when there is an earthquake that manages to exit being damped out, a volcanic eruption that is not vented in time, a storm that is not defused, or just some human shift that escapes notice. The planet totters and every effort must be made to equilibriumore the balance at once.I have never heard of such a thing.A small smile flickered its way across Hummins face. Of course not. Do you want the Empire to advertise the weakness at its core? However, as a journalist, I know what happens even when the Outworlds dont, even when much of Trantor itself doesnt, even when the Imperial pressure is interested in concealing events. Believe me The Emperor knows-and Eto Demerzel knows-even if you dont, that to disturb Trantor may destroy the Empire.Then are you suggesting I stay on Trantor for that reason? Yes. I can take you to a place on Trantor where you will be absolutely safe from Demerzel. You wont have to change your name and you will be able to operate entirely in the open and he wont be able to touch you. Thats why he wanted to force you off Trantor at once and if it hadnt been for the quirk of fate that brought us together and for your surprising major power to withhold yourself, he would have succeeded in doing so.But how long will I have to remain on Trantor?For as long as your safety requires it, Seldon. For the rest of your life, perhaps.8.Hari Seldon looked at the holograph of himself cast by Hummins projector. It was more dramatic and useful than a mirror would have been. In fact, it seemed as though there were two of him in the room.Seldon studied the sleeve of his new tunic. His Heliconian attitudes made him wish the colors were less vibrant, but he was thankful that, as it was, Hummin had chosen softer colors than were universal here on this world. (Seldon thought of the clothi ng worn by their two assailants and shuddered inwardly.) He said, And I suppose I must wear this hat.In the Imperial Sector, yes. To go bareheaded here is a sign of low breeding. Elsewhere, the overtops are different.Seldon sighed. The round hat was made of soft material and molded itself to his head when he put it on. The brim was evenly wide all around, but it was narrower than on the hats his attackers had worn. Seldon consoled himself by noticing that when he wore the hat the brim curved sort of gracefully. It doesnt have a strap under the chin.Of course not. Thats advanced fashion for young lanks.For young what?A lank is someone who wears things for their shock value. Im sure you have such people on Helicon.Seldon snorted. There are those who wear their hair shoulder-length on one side and shave the other. He laughed at the memory. Hummins mouth twisted slightly. I imagine it looks uncommonly ugly.Worse. There are lefties and righties, apparently, and each finds the other ver sion highly offensive. The two groups often engage in street brawls.Then I think you can stand the hat, especially without the strap.Seldon said, Ill get used to it.It will attract some attention. Its subdued for one thing and makes you look as if youre in mourning. And it doesnt quite fit. Then, too, you wear it with obvious discomfort. However, we wont be in the Imperial Sector long.-Seen enough? And the holograph flickered out.Seldon said, How much did this cost you?Whats the difference?It bothers me to be in your debt.Dont worry about it. This is my choice. But weve been here long enough. I will have been described, Im quite certain. Theyll track me down and theyll come here.In that case, said Seldon, the credits youre spending are a minor matter. Youre putting yourself into personal danger on my account. Personal dangerI know that. But its my free choice and I can take care of myself.But why-Well discuss the philosophy of it later.-Ive atomized your clothes, by the way, and I d ont think I was seen. There was an energy surge, of course, and that would be recorded. Someone might judge what happened from that-its hard to obscure any action when probing eyes and mind are sharp enough. However, let us hope well be safely away before they put it all together.9.They traveled along walkways where the light was soft and discolor. Hummins eyes moved this way and that, watchful, and he kept their pace at crowd recreate, neither passing nor being passed.He kept up a mild but steady conversation on indifferent topics. Seldon, edgy and unable to do the same, said, There seems to be a outstanding deal of walking here. There are endless lines in both directions and along the crossovers.Why not? said Hummin. Walking is still the best form of short-distance transportation. Its the most convenient, the cheapest, and the most healthful. Countless old age of technological advance have not changed that.-Are you acrophobic, Seldon?Seldon looked over the track on his right into a deep declivity that separated the two walking lanes-each in an opposite direction between the regularly spaced crossovers. He shuddered slightly. If you mean fear of heights, not ordinarily. Still, looking down isnt pleasant. How far does it go down?Forty or fifty levels at this point, I think. This sort of thing is common in the Imperial Sector and a few other highly developed regions. In most places, one walks at what might be considered ground level.I should imagine this would encourage suicide attempts.Not often. There are far easier methods. Besides, suicide is not a matter of social obloquy on Trantor. adept can end ones life by various recognized methods in centers that exist for the purpose-if one is willing to go through some psychotherapy at first. There are, occasional accidents, for that matter, but thats not why I was asking about acrophobia. Were heading for a taxi rental where they know me as a journalist. Ive done favors for them occasionally and sometimes they do favors for me in return. Theyll forget to record me and wont notice that I have a companion. Of course, Ill have to pay a premium and, again of course, if Demerzels people lean on them hard enough, theyll have to tell the truth and put it down to slovenly accounting, but that may take considerable time.Where does the acrophobia come in?Well, we can get there a lot fast-flyinger if we use a gravitic lift. Not many people use it and I must tell you that Im not overjoyed at the idea myself, but if you think you can handle it, we had better.Whats a gravitic lift?Its experimental. The time may come when it will be widespread over Trantor, provided it becomes psychologically acceptable-or can be made so to enough people. Then, maybe, it will spread to other worlds too. Its an elevator shaft without an elevator cab, so to speak. We just step into empty space and drop slowly-or rise slowly-under the influence of antigravity. Its about the only application of antigravity thats been complete so far, largely because its the simplest possible application.What happens if the power blinks out while were in transit?Exactly what you would think. We fall and-unless were quite near the bottom to generate with-we die. I havent heard of it happening yet and, believe me, if it had happened I would know. We might not be able to give out the news for security reasons-thats the exculpation they always advance for hiding bad news-but I would know. Its just up ahead. If you cant manage it, we wont do it, but the corridors are slow and tedious and many find them nauseating after a while. Hummin turned down a crossover and into a large recess where a line of men and women were waiting, one or two with children.Seldon said in a low voice, I heard nothing of this back home. Of course, our own news media are terribly local, but youd think thered be some mention that this sort of thing exists.Hummin said. Its strictly experimental and is confined to the Imperial Sector. It uses m ore energy than its worth, so the government is not really anxious to push it right now by giving it publicity. The old Emperor, Stanel VI, the one before Cleon who amazed everyone by dying in his bed, insisted on having it installed in a few places. He wanted his name associated with antigravity, they say, because he was concerned with his place in history, as old men of no great attainments oft are. As I said, the technique may spread, but, on the other hand, it is possible that nothing much more than the gravitic lift will ever come of it.What do they want to come of it? asked Seldon.Antigrav spaceflight. That, however, will require many breakthroughs and most physicists, as far as I know, are firmly convinced it is out of the question. But, then, most thought that even gravitic lifts were out of the question.The line ahead was rapidly growing shorter and Seldon found himself standing with Hummin at the edge of the floor with an open gap before him. The air ahead faintly glitter ed. Automatically, he reached out his hand and felt a light shock. It didnt hurt, but he snatched his hand back quickly.Hummin grunted. An elementary trouble to prevent anyone walking over the edge before activating the controls. He punched some numbers on the control board and the glitter vanished.Seldon peered over the edge, down the deep shaft. You might find it better-or easier, said Hummin, if we link arms and if you close your eyes. It wont take more than a few seconds.He gave Seldon no choice, actually. He took his arm and once again there was no hanging back in that firm grip. Hummin stepped into nothingness and Seldon (who heard himself, to his own embarrassment, emit a small squeak) shuffled off with a lurch.He closed his eyes tightly and experienced no sense of falling, no feeling of air bowel movement. A few seconds passed and he was pulled forward. He tripped slightly, caught his balance, and found himself on solid ground. He opened his eyes, Did we make it?Hummin sai d dryly, Were not dead, then walked away, his grip forcing Seldon to follow.I mean, did we get to the right level?Of course.What would have happened if we were dropping down and someone else was moving upward?There are two separate lanes. In one lane everyone drops at the same speed in the other everyone rises at the same speed. The shaft clears only when there are no people within ten meters of each other. There is no chance of a collision if all works well.I didnt feel a thing.Why should you? There was no acceleration. After the first tenth of a second, you were at constant speed and the air in your immediate vicinity was moving down with you at the same speed.Marvelous.Absolutely. But uneconomic. And there seems no great pressure to increase the efficiency of the procedure and make it worthwhile. Everywhere one hears the same refrain. We cant do it. It cant be done. It applies to everything. Hummin shrugged in obvious anger and said, But were here at the taxi rental.Lets get on w ith it.10.Seldon tried to look inconspicuous at the air-taxi rental terminus, which he found difficult. To look ostentatiously inconspicuous-to slink about, to turn his face away from all who passed, to study one of the vehicles overintently-was surely the way to invite attention. The way to behave was merely to tolerate an innocent north.But what was normality? He felt uncomfortable in his clothes. There were no pockets, so he had no place to put his hands. The two pouches, which dangled from his belt on either side, distracted him by hitting against him as he moved, so that he was continually thinking someone had nudged him. He tried looking at women as they passed. They had no pouches, at least none dangling, but they carried little boxlike affairs that they occasionally clipped to one hip or another by some device he could not make out. It was probably pseudomagnetic, he decided. Their clothes were not particularly revealing, he noted regretfully, and not one had any sign of d colletage, although some dresses seemed to be designed to emphasize the buttocks. Meanwhile, Hummin had been very businesslike, having presented the necessary credits and returned with the superconductive ceramic tile that would activate a specific air-taxi.Hummin said, Get in, Seldon, gesturing to a small two-seated vehicle.Seldon asked, Did you have to sign your name, Hummin?Of course not. They know me here and dont stand on ceremony.What do they think youre doing?They didnt ask and I volunteered no information. He inserted the tile and Seldon felt a slight vibration as the air-taxi came to life. Were headed for D-7, said Hummin, making conversation.Seldon didnt know what D-7 was, but he assumed it meant some route or other. The air-taxi found its way past and around other ground-cars and finally moved onto a smooth upward-slanting track and gained speed. Then it lifted upward with a slight jolt.Seldon, who had been automatically strapped in by a webbed restraint, felt himself p ushed down into his seat and then up against the webbing. He said, That didnt feel like antigravity.It wasnt, said Hummin. That was a small jet reaction. Just enough to take us up to the tubes.What appeared before them now looked like a cliff patterned with cave openings, much like a checkerboard. Hummin maneuvered toward the D-7 opening, avoiding other air-taxis that were heading for other tunnels.You could crash easily, said Seldon, clearing his throat.So I probably would if everything depended on my senses and reactions, but the taxi is computerized and the computer can overrule me without trouble. The same is true for the other taxis.-Here we go.They slid into D-7 as if they had been sucked in and the bright light of the open plaza outside mellowed, turning a warmer yellow hue. Hummin released the controls and sat back. He drew a deep breath and said, Well, thats one stage successfully carried through. We might have been stopped at the station. In here, were fairly safe.The rid e was smooth and the walls of the tunnel slipped by rapidly. There was almost no sound, just a steady velvety whirr as the taxi sped along. How fast are we going? asked Seldon.Hummin cast an eye briefly at the controls. Three hundred and fifty kilometers per hour.Magnetic propulsion?Yes. You have it on Helicon, I imagine.Yes. One line. Ive never been on it myself, though Ive always meant to. I dont think its anything like this.Im sure it isnt. Trantor has many thousands of kilometers of these tunnels honeycombing the land subsurface and a number that snake under the shallower extensions of the ocean. Its the chief method of long-distance travel.How long will it take us?To reach our immediate destination? A little over five hours. louver hours Seldon was dismayed.Dont be disturbed. We pass rest areas every twenty minutes or so where we can stop, pull out of the tunnel, stretch our feet, eat, or relieve ourselves. Id like to do that as few times as possible, of course.They continued o n in silence for a while and then Seldon started when a blaze of light flared at their right for a few seconds and, in the flash, he thought he saw two air-taxis.That was a rest area, said Hummin in solving to the unspoken question.Seldon said, Am I really going to be safe wherever it is you are taking me?Hummin said, Quite safe from any open movement on the part of the Imperial forces. Of course, when it comes to the individual operator-the spy, the agent, the hired assassinator-one must always be careful. Naturally, I will supply you with a bodyguard.Seldon felt uneasy. The hired assassin? Are you serious? Would they really want to kill me?Hummin said, Im sure Demerzel doesnt. I suspect he wants to use you rather than kill you. Still, other enemies may turn up or there may be unfortunate concatenations of events. You cant go through life sleepwalking.Seldon shook his head and turned his face away. To think, only forty-eight hours ago he had been just an insignificant, virtually unknown Outworld mathematician, content only to spend his remaining time on Trantor sight-seeing, gazing at the enormity of the great world with his provincial eye. And now, it was finally sinking in He was a wanted man, hunted by Imperial forces. The enormity of the situation seized him and he shuddered.And what about you and what youre doing right now?Hummin said thoughtfully, Well, they wont feel kindly toward me, I suppose. I might have my head laid open or my chest exploded by some mysterious and never-found assailant.Hummin said it without a tremor in his voice or a change in his calm appearance, but Seldon winced.Seldon said, I rather thought you would assume that might be in store for you. You dont seem to be bothered by it.Im an old Trantorian. I know the planet as well as anybody can. I know many people and many of them are under obligation to me. I like to think that I am shrewd and not easy to outwit. In short, Seldon, I am quite confident that I can take care of myself .Im glad you feel that way and I hope youre justified in thinking so, Hummin, but I cant get it through my head why youre taking this chance at all. What am I to you? Why should you take even the smallest risk for someone who is a stranger to you?Hummin checked the controls in a preoccupied manner and then he faced Seldon squarely, eyes steady and serious.I want to save you for the same reason that the Emperor wants to use you-for your predictive powers.Seldon felt a deep hustle of disappointment. This was not after all a question of being saved. He was merely the helpless and disputed prey of competing predators. He said angrily, I will never live down that presentation at the Decennial Convention. I have ruined my life.No. Dont rush to conclusions, mathematician. The Emperor and his officers want you for one reason only, to make their own lives more secure. They are interested in your abilities only so far as they might be used to save the Emperors rule, preserve that rule for hi s young son, maintain the positions, status, and power of his officials. I, on the other hand, want your powers for the good of the Galaxy.Is there a distinction? spat Seldon acidly.And Hummin replied with the stern beginning of a frown, If you do not see the distinction, then that is to your shame. The human occupants of the Galaxy existed before this Emperor who now rules, before the dynasty he represents, before the Empire itself. Humanity is far older than the Empire. It may even be far older than the twenty-five million worlds of the Galaxy. There are legends of a time when humanity inhabited a exclusive world.Legends said Seldon, shrugging his shoulders.Yes, legends, but I see no reason why that may not have been so in fact, twenty thousand years ago or more. I presume that humanity did not come into existence complete with knowledge of hyperspatial travel. Surely, there must have been a time when people could not travel at superluminal velocities and they must then have bee n imprisoned in a single planetary system. And if we look forward in time, the human beings of the worlds of the Galaxy will surely continue to exist after you and the Emperor are dead, after his whole line comes to an end, and after the institutions of the Empire itself unravel. In that case, it is not important to worry overmuch about individuals, about the Emperor and the young Prince Imperial. It is not important to worry even about the mechanics of Empire. What of the quadrillions of people that exist in the Galaxy? What of them?Seldon said, Worlds and people would continue, I presume.Dont you feel any serious need of probing the possible conditions under which they would continue to exist.One would assume they would exist much as they do now.One would assume. But could one know by this art of prediction that you speak of?Psychohistory is what I call it. In theory, one could.And you feel no pressure to turn that theory into practice.I would love to, Hummin, but the desire to do so doesnt automatically manufacture the ability to do so. I told the Emperor that psychohistory could not be turned into a practical technique and I am forced to tell you the same thing.And you have no intention of even trying to find the technique?No, I dont, any more than I would feel I ought to try to tackle a pile of pebbles the size of Trantor, count them one by one, and arrange them in order of decreasing mass. I would know it was not something I could accomplish in a lifetime and I would not be fool enough to make a pretense of trying.Would you try if you knew the truth about humanitys situation?Thats an impossible question. What is the truth about humanitys situation? Do you claim to know it?Yes, I do. And in five words. Hummins eyes faced forward again, turning briefly toward the dumbbell changelessness of the tunnel as it pushed toward them, expanding until it passed and then dwindling as it slipped away. He then spoke those five words grimly.He said, The Galactic Empire is dying.