Forward the Foundation (Page 25)

Namarti said, "And what happens when Demerzel proves he’s not a robot?"

"Really," said Joranum. "How will he do that? It would be impossible for him to do so. Psychologically impossible. What? The great Demerzel, the power behind the throne, the man who has twitched the strings attached to Cleon I all these years and those attached to Cleon’s father before him? Will he climb down now and whine to the public that he is, too, a human being? That would be almost as destructive to him as being a robot. G.D., we have the villain in a no-win situation and we owe it all to this fine young man here."

Raych flushed.

Joranum said, "Raych is your name, isn’t it? Once our party is in a position to do so, we won’t forget. Dahl will be treated well and you will have a good position with us. You’re going to be Dahl’s sector leader someday, Raych, and you’re not going to regret you’ve done this. Are you, now?"

"Not on your life," said Raych fervently.

"In that case, we’ll see that you get back to your father. You let him know that we intend him no harm, that we value him greatly. You can tell him you found that out in any way you please. And if you find anything else you think we might be able to use-about psychohistory, in particular, you let us know."

"You bet. But do you mean it when you say you’ll see to it that Dahl gets some breaks?"

"Absolutely. Equality of sectors, my boy. Equality of worlds. We’ll have a new Empire with all the old villainies of privilege and inequality wiped out."

And Raych nodded his head vigorously. "That’s what I want."

19

Cleon, Emperor of the Galaxy, was walking hurriedly through the arcade that led from his private quarters in the Small Palace to the offices of the rather tremendous staff that lived in the various annexes of the Imperial Palace, which served as the nerve center of the Empire.

Several of his personal attaches walked after him, with looks of the deepest concern on their faces. The Emperor did not walk to others. He summoned them and they came to him. If he did walk, he never showed signs of haste or emotional trauma. How could he? He was the Emperor and, as such, far more a symbol of all the worlds than a human being.

Yet now he seemed to be a human being. He motioned everyone aside with an impatient wave of his right hand. In his left hand he held a gleaming hologram.

"The First Minister," he said in an almost strangled voice, not at all like the carefully cultivated tones he had painstakingly assumed along with the throne. "Where is he?"

And all the high functionaries who were in his way fumbled and gasped and found it impossible to manage coherence. He brushed past them angrily, making them all feel, undoubtedly, as though they were living through a waking nightmare.

Finally he burst into Demerzel’s private office, panting slightly, and shouted-literally shouted- "Demerzel!"

Demerzel looked up with a trace of surprise and rose smoothly to his feet, for one did not sit in the presence of the Emperor unless specifically invited to. "Sire?" he said.

And the Emperor slammed the hologram down on Demerzel’s desk and said, "What is this? Will you tell me that?"

Demerzel looked at what the Emperor had given him. It was a beautiful hologram, sharp and alive. One could almost hear the little boy-perhaps ten years old-speaking the words that were included in the caption: "I don’t want no robot in charge of running the Empire."

Demerzel said quietly, "Sire, I have received this, too."

"And who else has?"

"I am under the impression, Sire, that it is a flier that is being widely spread over Trantor."

"Yes, and do you see the person at whom that brat is looking?" He tapped his Imperial forefinger at it. "Isn’t that you?"

"The resemblance is striking, Sire."

"Am I wrong in supposing that the whole intent of this flier, as you call it, is to accuse you of being a robot?"

"That does seem to be its intention, Sire."

"And stop me if I’m wrong, but aren’t robots the legendary mechanical human beings one finds in-in thrillers and children’s stories?"

"The Mycogenians have it as an article of faith, Sire, that robots-"

"I’m not interested in the Mycogenians and their articles of faith. Why are they accusing you of being a robot?"

"Merely a metaphorical point, I’m sure, Sire. They wish to portray me as a man of no heart, whose views are the conscienceless calculations of a machine."

"That’s too subtle, Demerzel. I’m no fool." He tapped the hologram again. "They’re trying to make people believe you are really a robot."

"We can scarcely prevent it, Sire, if people choose to believe that."

"We cannot afford it. It detracts from the dignity of your office. Worse than that, it detracts from the dignity of the Emperor, The implication is that I-I would choose as my First Minister a mechanical man. That is impossible to endure. See here, Demerzel, aren’t there laws that forbid the denigration of public officers of the Empire?"

"Yes, there are-and quite severe ones, Sire, dating back to the great Law Codes of Aburamis."

"And to denigrate the Emperor himself is a capital offense, is it not?"

"Death is the punishment, Sire. Yes."

"Well, this not only denigrates you, it denigrates me-and whoever did it should be executed forthwith. It was this Joranum, of course, who is behind it."

"Undoubtedly. Sire, but proving it might be rather difficult."

"Nonsense! I have proof enough! I want an execution."

"The trouble is, Sire, that the laws of denigration are virtually never enforced. Not in this century, certainly."