but that is the price one must pay for the ability to induce novelty and change. —On the whole, it’s a reasonable price.”
Bliss’s voice rose a notch. “You are quite wrong if you think Gaia vegetates and fossilizes. Our deeds, ourways, our views are under constant self-examination. They do not persist out of inertia, beyond reason. Gaia learns by experience and thought; and therefore changes when that is necessary.”
“Even if what you say is so, the self-examination and learning must be slow, because nothing but Gaia exists on Gaia. Here, in freedom, even when almost everyone agrees, there are bound to be a few who disagree and, in some cases, those few may be right, and if they are clever enough, enthusiastic enough,
right
enough, they will win out in the end and be heroes in future ages—like Hari Seldon, who perfected psychohistory, pitted his own thoughts against the entire Galactic Empire, and won.”
“He has won only so far, Trevize. The Second Empire he planned for will not come to pass. There will be Galaxia instead.”
“Will there?” said Trevize grimly.
“It was
your
decision, and, however much you argue with me in favor of Isolates and of their freedom to be foolish and criminal, there is something in the hidden recesses of your mind that forced you to agree with me/us/Gaia when you made your choice.”
“What is present in the hidden recesses of my mind,” said Trevize, more grimly still, “is what I seek. —There, to begin with,” he added, pointing to the viewscreen where a great city spread out to the horizon, a cluster of low structures climbing to occasional heights, surrounded by fields that were brown under a light frost.
Pelorat shook his head. “Too bad. I meant to watch the approach, but I got caught up in listening to the argument.”
Trevize said, “Never mind, Janov. You can watch when we leave. I’ll promise to keep my mouth shut then, if you can persuade Bliss to control her own.”
And the
Far Star
descended a microwave beam to a landing at the spaceport.
14.
KENDRAY LOOKED GRAVE WHEN HE RETURNED TO the entry station and watched the
Far Star
pass through. He was still clearly depressed at the close of his shift.
He was sitting down to his closing meal of the day when one of his mates, a gangling fellow with wide-set eyes, thin light hair, and eyebrows so blond they seemed absent, sat down next to him.
“What’s wrong, Ken?” said the other.
Kendray’s lips twisted. He said, “That was a gravitic ship that just passed through, Gatis.”
“The odd-looking one with zero radioactivity?”
“That’s why it wasn’t radioactive. No fuel. Gravitic.”
Gatis nodded his head. “What we were told to watch for, right?”
“Right.”
“And you got it. Leave it to you to be the lucky one.”
“Not so lucky. A woman without identification was on it—and I didn’t report her.”
“
What?
Look, don’t tell
me
. I don’t want to know about it. Not another word. You may be a pal, but I’m not going to make myself an accomplice after the fact.”
“I’m not worried about that. Not very much. I
had
to send the ship down. They want that gravitic—or any gravitic. You know that.”
“Sure, but you could at least have reported the woman.”
“Didn’t like to. She’s not married. She was just picked up for—for use.”
“How many men on board?”
“Two.”
“And they just picked her up for—for that. They must be from Terminus.”
“That’s right.”
“They don’t care what they do on Terminus.”
“That’s right.”
“Disgusting. And they get away with it.”
“One of them was married, and he didn’t wanthis wife to know. If I reported her, his wife would find out.”
“Wouldn’t she be back on Terminus?”
“Of course, but she’d find out anyway.”
“Serve the fellow right if his wife did find out.”
“I agree—but
I
can’t be the one to be responsible for it.”
“They’ll hammer you for not reporting it.
Bliss’s voice rose a notch. “You are quite wrong if you think Gaia vegetates and fossilizes. Our deeds, ourways, our views are under constant self-examination. They do not persist out of inertia, beyond reason. Gaia learns by experience and thought; and therefore changes when that is necessary.”
“Even if what you say is so, the self-examination and learning must be slow, because nothing but Gaia exists on Gaia. Here, in freedom, even when almost everyone agrees, there are bound to be a few who disagree and, in some cases, those few may be right, and if they are clever enough, enthusiastic enough,
right
enough, they will win out in the end and be heroes in future ages—like Hari Seldon, who perfected psychohistory, pitted his own thoughts against the entire Galactic Empire, and won.”
“He has won only so far, Trevize. The Second Empire he planned for will not come to pass. There will be Galaxia instead.”
“Will there?” said Trevize grimly.
“It was
your
decision, and, however much you argue with me in favor of Isolates and of their freedom to be foolish and criminal, there is something in the hidden recesses of your mind that forced you to agree with me/us/Gaia when you made your choice.”
“What is present in the hidden recesses of my mind,” said Trevize, more grimly still, “is what I seek. —There, to begin with,” he added, pointing to the viewscreen where a great city spread out to the horizon, a cluster of low structures climbing to occasional heights, surrounded by fields that were brown under a light frost.
Pelorat shook his head. “Too bad. I meant to watch the approach, but I got caught up in listening to the argument.”
Trevize said, “Never mind, Janov. You can watch when we leave. I’ll promise to keep my mouth shut then, if you can persuade Bliss to control her own.”
And the
Far Star
descended a microwave beam to a landing at the spaceport.
14.
KENDRAY LOOKED GRAVE WHEN HE RETURNED TO the entry station and watched the
Far Star
pass through. He was still clearly depressed at the close of his shift.
He was sitting down to his closing meal of the day when one of his mates, a gangling fellow with wide-set eyes, thin light hair, and eyebrows so blond they seemed absent, sat down next to him.
“What’s wrong, Ken?” said the other.
Kendray’s lips twisted. He said, “That was a gravitic ship that just passed through, Gatis.”
“The odd-looking one with zero radioactivity?”
“That’s why it wasn’t radioactive. No fuel. Gravitic.”
Gatis nodded his head. “What we were told to watch for, right?”
“Right.”
“And you got it. Leave it to you to be the lucky one.”
“Not so lucky. A woman without identification was on it—and I didn’t report her.”
“
What?
Look, don’t tell
me
. I don’t want to know about it. Not another word. You may be a pal, but I’m not going to make myself an accomplice after the fact.”
“I’m not worried about that. Not very much. I
had
to send the ship down. They want that gravitic—or any gravitic. You know that.”
“Sure, but you could at least have reported the woman.”
“Didn’t like to. She’s not married. She was just picked up for—for use.”
“How many men on board?”
“Two.”
“And they just picked her up for—for that. They must be from Terminus.”
“That’s right.”
“They don’t care what they do on Terminus.”
“That’s right.”
“Disgusting. And they get away with it.”
“One of them was married, and he didn’t wanthis wife to know. If I reported her, his wife would find out.”
“Wouldn’t she be back on Terminus?”
“Of course, but she’d find out anyway.”
“Serve the fellow right if his wife did find out.”
“I agree—but
I
can’t be the one to be responsible for it.”
“They’ll hammer you for not reporting it.
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