A MARRIAGE OF WORLDS
Summary: Shortly after the events of FOUNDATION'S EDGE, some folks from Gaia, Terminus and Trantor have a few conversations.
GAIA
It looked like a simple picnic on the world called Gaia. Sura Novi, Bliss and her man Janov Pelorat, and a dozen others sat under the pavillion sharing a fruit platter.
But it was more than a party. The entire planet partook of this conference, for all of the people were joined on the telepathic level. In fact, all of the animal and plant-life were part of the planetary group-mind. Even the rocks, elements, atoms.
And some of those members were a bit unhappy.
"OK, so you managed to get control of those Foundations and get Golan Trevize to decide that the groupmind of Gaia, or Galaxia, will be the future of Mankind. Mind telling me how you're going to make this happen?
Opinions came in on the mentalic level, from all around the planetary groupmind. Some sarcastic, some earnest, some impassio
"Impose by force? Yes, I suppose you could. Crunch up those Foundations like potato chips."
"Is it going to be a simple takeover, just start grabbing planets? Or will it be more stealthy...a person here and a person there?"
A slim, white-haired elder stood up. They called him 'Dom', but that was just the first of the 200 syllables of his name. The more syllables, the more status and experience. Though everyone was part of Gaia, Dom had probably the largest share.
"I think we made a big mistake," he said. "We sent the Foundationers home with their minds wiped, so they had no memory of what had just happened. How are they going to trust us now? What kind of way is that to begin a journey to a cosmic groupmind? I think we need a do-over."
"What? Go through all that mind-manipulation again? That stuff is hard work," said Bliss
"Nonsense. Let's give it another try," said Dom. "Only this time no mind-control. Let's be open about what we're doing and what we're offering."
"That might work with some of the more laid-back worlds. The more spiritual-minded ones maybe. But those Foundations...they are used to thinking of themselves as being in charge.
"Yes. If you ask me, that's the whole problem. That Seldon Plan is just another example of someone trying to be in control. The arrogance of Seldon, thinking he could pull the Galaxy's strings, for the next 1000 years!"
"I don't see too many people in Terminus accepting our agenda. They like being closed-off individuals, with the option to use powerful weapons should they desire."
"Not sure about those Trantor people either. They like knowing they can be in control of their own minds—and everyone else's, should they take a notion."
Novi spoke up. "The answer is right in front of us. There's only one way, and we've already made a good start. I'll be going back to Trantor and see what I can accomplish."
TRANTOR
Sura Novi and Stor Gendibal walked along the path at the edge of Library Village. This tree-lined path was the unofficial border between the nearby Hamish farms, and the "Scholars' Village" where the Second Foundation made its headquarters.
Since Stor had returned from his trip to Sayshell, he was about as happy as a man could be. He had faced down Mayor Branno of Terminus and made a delicate mentalic adjustment, causing her to abandon her dreams of empire and settle for a commercial treaty with Sayshell. (At least that was what he thought had happened, since Gaia had erased the real memories.) He had finally been elected First Speaker. And it was a lovely spring day to walk with the person most important to him: Sura Novi.
He sneaked a look at the sturdy Hamishwoman who walked with him. Hers was the beauty of a strong tree, not a delicate flower. And yet her expression held such serene simplicity, mirroring the calm generosity of her mind. This simple farm woman had such tremendous courage too: she had faced down bullies who would have killed him, and stepped into a jump ship and followed him out into the void, trusting his guidance.
He could no longer pretend that his feelings for her were merely "comradely" or "friendly" or "fond", or that he simply "enjoyed the symmetry of her mind" the way a person admired a work of art.
So what did he feel for Sura Novi? Do I love her because she worships me so much? Am I an egotistical fool?
Her innocence made her loveable. The serenity of her mind made her beautiful and spread over to his mind as well. She found beauty and happiness in being alive, not in ego games or stepping over someone else to get to the top. For her there were none of the subtle digs, the jockeying for position that occurred at the Speaker's Table. Being powerless, she had no guile. This was how a human being should be: open, trusting.
Was it not the Seldon's Plan to evolve a change in the human mind? Evolving into a humanity that shared minds...that gave up ego-fights and arrogance…? Yes, because those were the same disease that could blow up into wars, tyranny, all the horrors of the old regime that Seldon wanted to improve on.
About this point, Stor came to an uncomfortable realization that Sura Novi was a mirror held up to himself—and he did not like what he saw.
I'm an arrogant man. I love her, like I would love a pet that adores me. Meanwhile, I strove to become First Speaker before I was 40-"because I'm the best…"
And now his self view expanded to take in everyone at the Speaker's Table. His shame deepened. How had these leaders of the Second Foundation strayed so far from their ideals? Their Foundation was to be the seed of a society based on the 'mentalic arts'. What did that mean...a bunch of egotists sending mental barbs at each other, giving each other headaches? No. A mentalic society meant a soul community. A level of universal empathy and sharing with no lies or deceptions. A community bound by empathic Listening, as taught by the great Speaker Minna, daughter of Preem Palver.
And all of these great ideals had dissolved in a room full of petty academic "Scholars" who were no better than first-year students fighting for their teacher's approval, jockeying for status, consumed with jealousy and squabbling, one upmanship and little mentalic 'finger snaps' against those considered of a lesser rank.
Not to mention, the Scholars' lofty disdain of the Hamish! They didn't deserve someone like Sura Novi. I'll show them!….
But wait, thought Stor Gendibal: Is that the only reason I want to marry Novi? To spite the Table?
All of this passed through his head in the one second before he blurted out: "Novi, will you marry me?"
NOVI
She looked at Stor, or as she always called him, "Master". Because after all, he was a fine and noble Scholar of great dignity and wisdom who had allowed her to leave her grubby farmstead, to come study at the Place of Scholars, to uplift herself.
Even though a tiny part of her was more than just a Hamish farm girl.
There was a tiny part of her connected to Gaia, like a transparent string attached to a very far away kite. Most of the time it trailed off, barely registering. Aside from that connection, she had the memories and perceptions of a Hamish woman who had grown up in a country cottage, weaving cloth, feeding chickens and pitching hay...and gazing at the far off Library where the "scowlers" lived, thinking lofty thoughts which Novi wished she could know. After all, there must be more to life than this little farmstead. Seeing the ruined spires of ancient Trantor that still arched so gracefully...they were like mute reminders: there is a universe full of knowledge and secrets. The ancient Trantorites knew how to build these spires, how to fly through space, how to...how to…
The Hamish woman named Sura Novi could scarcely even imagine all that it was possible to know. Did she love Stor because he brought her into the wonders of the Scholar's world? Starting with simple things like clean clothing and food a little better than coarse grains. Did she love him because he gave her books, and taught her a little of the Scholars' mind-touching art? (here she felt a twinge of guilt, knowing how she has deceived him, concealing that little string stretching across the expanse, connecting her to Gaia.)
Because to be honest, Novi's entire persona was a sham: a cover, to hide the connection with Gaia.
But mostly she just loved him for his kindness. He could have had one of those fine, lofty Scholar women. He was just as brilliant and majestic as them, but he bent to raise me up, not even knowing about the Gaia link. He was just the kind of person who would be kind to someone when he didn't have to.
Kindness and compassion: those were the very qualities Gaia needed to unite a galaxy.
SPEAKERS' TABLE
He stood before the Council. "Colleagues, you can already sense what is in my mind, so let me not draw this out unnecessarily. I intend to marry the Hamish woman, Sura Novi."
He braced for the blowback of outrage from the Council.
"Unheard of. Scandalous."
It was not really a shock, of course. You can't hide something like that from a society of mind-readers.
"The Hamish are un-intelligent clods of dirt," said Speaker Delarmi. "They would not know an equation from a clucking chicken."
"You may as well marry a cow."
He weathered the storm, smiling. "This has been a test, Colleagues. And some of you have failed. Allow me to quote our Founder, Wanda Seldon."
"We envision a future where all partake of the gift of mentalic awareness. all will live within a sphere of harmony and empathy with their fellow humans, partaking of a comity where there can be no hatred, arrogance or prejudice.' Respected Colleagues, when you hold yourselves superior to others, and view other human beings as animals, you dishonor the memory of our beloved Mother Wanda."
Those were some strong words indeed. The murmurs faded to silence. One thing about a mentalic society: you cannot lie, and you cannot main a deceit for long, and you also cannot maintain a self-deception. Nor can you keep nurturing a mental fantasy structure such as a myth of grievance, superiority or any of the other psychic poisons that have plagued humanity. Not when everyone's soul was bared to everyone else's.
At last Speaker Noam stood. "You have shown us ourselves, First Speaker Gendibal. We are humbled and sorrowed and we resolve to do better."
And Gendibal was relieved: the Second Foundation had not yet degenerated beyond redemption. This was how a mentalic society should work.
NOVI
But Novi wasn't done.
"Master, I be sorry I cannot marry you," she said, in her quaint Hamish dialect.
"No?" He tried to control his crushing disappointment.
"Not until you be true-seeing about me. Watch and listen."
Slowly, she opened her mind. That smooth and harmonious surface which he so enjoyed, turned out to be like the surface of a luminous pond.
"Now let me show you the world beneath," she said, losing her Hamish accent and phrasing. "If you marry me, dear Stor, you will be marrying a world."
It took him several hours to take in the enormity of what she showed him. Marrying a world? Gaia was an entire world linked in mentalic awareness. Gaia-consciousness included the consciousness of every human and animal, and the slow nurturing thoughts of trees, the single flashes of insects, the meditations of rocks and mountains.
A telepath did not rely on words. But the expressions 'lost for words' or 'beyond words' described the emotional impact of his glimpse of the Planetary Overmind.
"Incredible," he finally said. "We Second Foundationers...we are also sometimes a world, when we join our minds. But nothing like the wonder of Gaia, of course."
They went back to the Council. This time the Speakers saw no humble Hamish woman, shy and barely literate. They saw the outline of a woman with a whole world inside.
The Speaker's Council had never been so quiet, in words or thoughts. Normally it would take an instant to express on the mentalic level what would have taken hours in words. As for the reality of Gaia, it took the Council weeks to absorb.
"It is a thing of wonder, to be sure. One would always be a part of something greater."
Some of them fought very hard for their pet mind-structure.
"I'm sorry," said Delarmi, "but this doesn't appear in accordance with the Seldon Plan. Show me where in the Radiant it says we are to merge with a planetary overmind?"
"Agreed. For how many centuries have we struggled, and died, to keep the Seldon Plan on course?"
"You are basically asking us to shut our Foundation down. The Fifty Martyrs would be rolling in their graves!"
"Really?" said Noam. "What do you think the Martyrs died for...to save a parochial little group that thought it was better than the rest of humanity?"
"Agreed. What have we been working toward...the happiness and well-being of humanity, or the ascendancy of our little group?"
"Surely this is the most majestic expression of galactic one-ness. Really the ultimate goal of the Seldon Plan I believe."
Stor Gendibal stood and listened to all of this, with Novi's hand clasped in his.
"If I might address the learned Council of Scholars" she said, "the folk of my village would also forbid that I should marry one so far above our clan. 'The Scowlers be too high and mighty."'
"Yes," said Stor Gendibal. "It is difficult to get rid of a cherished, hard-won, hard-built mental house of beliefs. I have a feeling it will take awhile for you to accept this. Let us visit your world, Sura Novi, I mean your true world. I should like to meet this Overmind of yours. I'll send a full mind-link report to the Council."
"We hoped you would say that," said Novi. "Gaia wishes to meet with representatives of the Foundations. This time, without any trickery or coercion, and without any memory wipe afterward."
The Speakers had a few final words for Stor Gendibal. In the end they dropped their facade of dignity and talked just like regular human beings.
"We will take this Gaia proposal under consideration, but don't ask us to give up our Prime Radiant."
"That's right. Don't ask us to blindly accept what you're offering. We've got to verify it all with calculations."
"Oh, and make sure those trigger-happy lunatics on Terminus keep away from us with their bang-bang ships, you hear? Trantor was sacked once; we don't care to re-live the experience."
"And don't think you're going to run off and live in some barefoot paradise. You've still got your duties here on Trantor."
DOM
"Fellow Beings," Dom addressed them all, "that one was relatively easy. Now comes the real challenge. I believe I will have to handle this one myself."
The explorer Golan Trevize had left communication equipment on Gaia, and Dom sent a hyperwave message to the Mayoral palace of Terminus. "Requesting private communication with Mayor Branno, top priority."
Mayor Branno smoothed her iron-gray hair. "Who the hell are you?"
"I apologize for this intrusion, but your presence is requested in the vicinity of Sayshell."
"Sayshell?" Branno had recently returned from that sector, where she had brokered a commercial treaty with the previously hostile planet. (At least that was what she thought had happened, since Gaia had erased the real memories.) "Why? Are they breaking their treaty?"
"No. But there is some delicate negotiation required. Please come unarmed."
BRANNO
She arrived to find herself in a pleasant garden where a dozen or so people waited in a pavilion. A few brown ones, a few white ones, women, old men, a youngster or two. Casually-dressed people from Gaia, who wore simple wraparounds, one fellow she recognized as Janov Pelorat, an elderly white haired man, and then there was one couple from somewhere else, dressed in straw hat, long skirt, coverall, work boots.
"Wait- this isn't Sayshell! You've invinted me to a...picnic? What nonsense is this?"
"Welcome to Gaia." The elderly man held out a fruit platter. "Allow me to make introductions. My name is Endomandiov…" he rattled off a mouthful of syllables, "but people just call me Dom. You know Janov Pelorat, of course. These are my sisters Bliss and Sura Novi, and this is Storgendibal from the Second Foundation."
Branno gasped in horror. Her hands immediately went to her head. "This is a trap! You've led me into the hands of the Mind-masters!"
Stor Gendibal looked like an average middle-aged man from a rustic world, not a Mind-master. But that was how 'They' worked. Should have expected it. Stealth!
He approached her. "For Seldon's sake, Mayor, nobody is controlling your precious brain. I'm sure there's nothing in there worth seeing anyway. Except just a lot of self-regard, you thinking of yourself as the next would-be galactic emperor." A slight grin played about his lips.
Branno stood with her mouth open, the words having been whisked away. Sarcasm? From one of the Hidden Mind-Masters?
She sure hoped he hadn't sensed her emotions when she had looked into his deep eyes, and felt his aura of intelligence, tempered with gentleness. He was like no man she had ever encountered.
"Anyway," said the Scary Mind Master, "don't you have a detector for that, these days?"
Branno took out the small psychometer. "Sure, but that can probably be faked too. Let me warn you my crew is ready to fire on this planet and your ships if you try any funny stuff."
Stor Gendibal began to laugh. "'Funny stuff'! Ma'am, I know that you have no weapons and neither do I. I've come here in good faith. Please stop trying to start a war and just listen for once."
"Yes," said Dom. "You can't lie to Gaia. We know exactly what you two Foundationers are thinking. We're here to broker a solution. It's time for convergence."
Stor picked up a red fruit and took a bite. "Madam Mayor, I have been elected First Speaker of the Second Foundation, and let me just tell you on behalf of my Colleagues that we have decided to stop meddling with your minds, and let your Foundation find its own way. We've saved your existence a few times, which is what Seldon tasked us with, but now we wash our hands of you."
The Mayor looked up. Wait a minute: now she and her Foundation were being...dismissed? It was like when she was a kid caught sneaking cookies and her mom said Oh, go ahead, eat them all and get sick, who cares!
"Really? That seems too easy. The secret and lurking Second Foundation just curls up and stalks away?"
Oh yes, it was so easy, thought Gendibal. It's called Reverse Psychology. "Who wants to control your brain? Not worth the trouble."
Of all the insulting...The Mayor found herself tongue-tied. Stop smiling, damn you! The last thing she would have expected from the Second Foundation was...humor! "Is this 'Gaia' controlling you? That's it, isn't it?"
Gaia, in the form of Novi and Bliss and several others, watched the conversation with amusement.
"No Ma'am, there's something else controlling me," said Gendibal. "It's called 'common sense'. How are we ever going to get through the next few centuries, if we don't stop fighting and just listen to each other? Actually, you know, that was the basis of Seldon's idea for how to save civilization. Stop fighting and listen."
Dom stood up. "It seems like you folks are finally getting somewhere. Allow me to show you what Gaia really is."
It wasn't easy. Mayor Branno folded her arms and did a lot of "huh" and scowling. So, this entire world was conscious? Could they all read her thoughts? She felt a moment of intense embarassment. Did they sense the moment when she had looked at Stor Gendibal?
And how about this fellow 'Dom'? Only, of course, his real name was a lot longer, because the more syllables you had, the more important and distinguished you were. "You, sir...are you the boss of this planet? You have all of them in the palm of your hand?" She kind of liked that idea. For Seldon's sake, it seemed she was blushing.
There was nothing more attractive than power. Branno had never actually met a man who was her equal.
"I apologize, good Foundationers," said Dom, "this isn't your first visit to our planet. The last time you came around we did a bit of...memory erasure when you left. We thought it was safer at the time, to stop you from destroying each other. Now allow us to remove those memory blocks so you can see what really happened."
Harla Branno got a good look at her behavior on her previous visit. She saw an iron-fisted tyrant with her hands on weapons of destruction. We'll take care of Gaia, the bully shouted, and then we'll deal with Trantor. This time the orgy of destruction will not spare your organization!
She had a sudden urge to shrink into herself and disappear.
"I believe that Storgendibal is making progress convincing his Colleagues, so the only problem left is to get you, Harlabranno, to convince yours."
The Mayor threw down the fruit rind. "Are you out of your mind? They'll never go for it. They'll put me in a padded cell, that's what!"
In her agitation, she pulled up a stalk of grass and began shredding it. Oh no, I'm hurting a piece of the planetary Gaia mind, she thought sarcastically. "Terminus will never go for it, unless...unless I can tell them something ridiculous, like: 'Councillors, this planet Gaia will help us defeat the Second Foundation.' Or how about this: "Gaia and the Second Foundation are joining up. That gives Terminus two options: try to resist both of them, or try to cut a deal."
"There you go, Madam Mayor. I knew you were stubborn but that you'd eventually see reason. There's an old expression: 'if you can't beat them, join them.'"
DOUBLE WEDDING
They sat there in a circle. Stor was holding Novi's hand, Janov Pelorat had his arm around Bliss, and Branno sat frowning, arms folded.
"It's those two women, Branno thought. Oldest trick in the book, for how to win over an enemy. Send pretty women to seduce the soldiers.
How come just them, and not me?The thought slipped through. Too old? Not worth seducing?
Dom stood up. "We were a little heavy-handed at our last meeting with the First and Second Foundations. We acted like this galactic unity thing was going to be an all-or-nothing event. Since then we've realized that it has to be free choice...for every planet, every individual. And, of course, the first step toward unity is when people love each other." He beamed at the two couples. "Am I right? You two have taken the step, haven't you?"
"Indeed," said elderly Janov Pelorat, gazing at young Bliss with moon-calf eyes.
"And you, Stor Gendibal?"
"We have." The Speaker's fingers intertwined with Novi's calloused ones
"Then I suggest we have a double wedding ceremony, to welcome our first new Fellowbeings."
Loads of food was served, and everyone wore beautiful robes and fanciful headdresses.
"Stor and Novi, do you take each other as life mates?"
"We do."
"And will you lead your colleagues of Trantor into the path of planetary unity, whenever they should be ready?"
"I will. I'll just keep showing them how it feels to be mentalically linked with a whole world. It's really...mind-expanding. Who would ever have thought how wonderful, to be linked with trees, insects, rocks, water!"
"And do you, Janov, take Bliss as life mates?"
"Well of course. We've been together for months already. Let's get on with it."
"What about Terminus?" Dom looked at the Mayor. She could swear he was giving her a wink! "Do you think you could persuade your people to join our galactic unity?"
Branno felt flustered and looked away. For gods' sake, this man was worse than a Second Foundationer! He could probably read her every twitch. And Branno did have a few twitches…
"Not right this second," the Mayor snapped. "For now, I'll just have another glass of that fermented fruit juice, thank you very much."
When Branno returned to Terminus, her prediction unfortunately proved correct. She was stripped of the Mayorship and pensioned off. She spent the rest of her life trying to talk sense into whoever would listen. "I discovered a planet named Gaia. All of them are part of a planetary group mind. Really a splendid idea, better than constantly fighting, and you don't have to worry about not having relatives to spend holidays with. And any of us are welcome to join."
Now that Branno didn't have to keep an iron grip on the Council, she couldn't help admitting that she would have liked to stay on Gaia a bit longer. She had liked the feeling of having thousands of brothers and sisters who accepted her. It was refreshing not having to constantly show who was boss, put up with all those backstabbers in the government, and be a hard-ass. It's really lonely being a hard-ass. Nobody wants to be your friend. I guess knowing when I'm a jerk is the first step.
The former Mayor found herself reduced to random conversations in the public square.
"Group mind? Sounds kinky." Some of the more adventurous thought it might be a good idea. "Sign me up."
But most weren't having it. "Mayor, with all due respect, I don't know what happened when you went on your space mission, but you must have flown too close to a black hole."
"I'm not crazy," said Branno. "The Second Foundation is joining them, and if we don't join up too we'll be left in the dust."
A listener twirled his finger around his ear. "There is no 'Second Foundation'."
"And if there is one," said an oldster with a cane, "they must have climbed right inside your brain and made themselves at home."
Branno sighed. Regrettably, the Second Foundationer was already spoken for...but that Dom fellow...she wouldn't have minded if he climbed right inside.
