"Mule…"
Summary: My AU version of the Asimov tale from his collection of Foundation and Second Foundation tales.
Even as civil war threatens the mighty but flawed Foundation, the Galaxy's greatest power since the Fall of the great Galactic Empire, its road to eventual triumph as the reuniting force in the Galaxy yet (supposedly) guaranteed by the quasi-mystical Seldon Plan, a mysterious warlord of a new and rapidly rising power is maneuvering to seize domination of the Galaxy in defiance of Seldon.
Part XXVIII…
Flavia De Santis, a distant descendant of the great Gaal Dornick herself, and while making no claim to her ancestor's, or Hari Seldon's, or even her contemporary, Ebling Mis', brilliance, was a leading scientist in Terminus' elite and one who passed for enough of an expert on Psychhistory to be a select member of Indbur III's scientific staff. Indeed, one of the few Mis did not use quotes in describing as "scientific" staff.
One of her, to her mind at least, few vanities being her strong resemblance to her ancestor, Dornick, Seldon's most brilliant assistant and one of the founders of Terminus, indeed the designer and builder of the Time Vault. Perhaps more important, De Santis was Anton Sessons' teammate/rival as one of the team of government scientists the Indburs had given support to, largely as a counter to the supposedly more independent, and therefore, supposedly more brilliant, scientific elite. Definitely more important, she was secretly one of Sessons' five, though like Sessons himself, only allowed so much knowledge of the anti-mentalic project. And in spite of the fact that her ancestor had largely sided with Seldon on the creation of the Second Foundation to protect the unfolding Seldon Plan and later to steer the new Galactic Empire on its course.
Unlike Sessons, in his own personal views, she honestly felt the Foundation's scientists were the rightful and natural guides and rulers of the new Galaxy. However, despite that or perhaps because she felt it so strongly, whatever her ancestor's beliefs, De Santis, like Sessons, was doubtful of a system that would leave the Foundation and the Galaxy pawn and puppet of a clique of mind-masters. So, when tentatively recruited for the anti-mentalic project by one of the last generation of five leaders, she'd accepted, despite it meaning she'd have to forego any continuing work with the brilliant Ebling Mis and his team, and further, accept a degree of contempt from her fellow scientists by joining Indbur's government as a scientific advisor, now junior minister. Like Sessons, she'd grasped the value of being concealed in plain sight, a fairly prominent aide to the ruler and his elite, considered therefore at best a lightweight in Science and something of a bureaucratic flunkey, at worst, a traitor to Science and the ideals of the Foundation's (somewhat) democratic roots and associated with the worst of Indbur's via Intelligence and his secret police.
As far as Mis went, despite her oft-concealed admiration for his genius, which she could (secretly) appreciate outside the glare of publicity and hype about his image, she could bear the need to divorce herself from his team, she having already divorced his self in marriage thirteen years ago. Not only due to that reflected glare from being wife to the most prominent scientist in the Foundation and of course, therefore, the Galaxy, or his tendency to neglect the people around him with the excuse of his brilliance, but the annoyance of too often finding him taking a bit too close an interest in his students, female.
So it was that she had been skeptical about Sessons' plan to reveal the existence of the anti-mentalic project to her ex-, however much she acknowledged the brilliance of his work on unraveling Seldon's mathematics in his attempt at recreating the Seldon Plan to properly understand it. Mis was not only too prominent, he tended to use his work and fame as a lure for brilliant young minds, preferably female, preferably quite young and quite impressionable, she felt. And so, the details of his work leaked constantly in dribs and drabs.
Not that Eb, the vain (despite his posed indifference to fame) old fool, minded. It kept his name prominent without forcing him to reveal too much.
And while Sessons could note that that was in a way a clever strategy of its own, she had difficulty allowing it so. In short, with, under the very tightest of wraps, the anti-mentalic work just barely beginning to achieve some faint promise in the development of Mind-Static, a generalized mental field or shield that seemed in testing on selected volunteers deemed by tests to possess slight mentalic gifts to hold out hope that mentalics could one day be defended against, it seemed crazy to her to bring a publicity hound like Mis into the group. Whether or not the Mule represented an actual new threat or the Second Foundation doing its bit to keep the Plan on track, MIs was a beacon that would draw any and all comers. It was far better to let Mis work on his own and get the results, both those he chose to release, and those that could be stolen, if necessary using their connections to Indbur and his secret police.
Perks of being a reasonably trusted member of an autocratic government…
"I've not revealed your role to Mis." Sessons explained to her as they sat, in another section of the storage level area he'd taken Mis a couple of days ago. "And there's no need to…"
"He may well guess I'm involved." Flavia glared. "I'm a logical choice and he's always been troubled by my joining the government."
One thing I have to confess (to myself) makes me rather pleased…
'Well, he might…" Sessons shrugged. "But he has no proof. You're quite safe."
"I'm not afraid for myself but for the project." She noted, annoyed.
"That continues, always, and regardless of us." Sessons, calmly. "And Mis knows nothing that could compromise things."
"He knows we exist,now. And we are a critical early stage. We finally seem to be on track, at last."
"All of which could come to nothing if the Mule is not the Second Foundation."
"I don't say he couldn't be a natural mutant or outside the Plan. But isn't it more logical to assume he is?" she noted.
"As I've said since we're learned about him…What would be the point? A mere warlord could have joined with the Traders." Sessons insisted.
"And been crushed, with the Traders, by Indbur or more likely an ambitious officer." She noted. "We have a few, you know. Each sees themself as a better Indbur. And they could well be. The Mule could be a natural consequence."
"But Mis' calculations did not suggest the Mule earlier, while now that he has established himself upon Galactic history and influenced the lives of billions, he can't be withdrawn from the calculations without collapse of the Plan nor kept in without collapse and chaos. He's a unique factor, Flavia."
"I still sense danger letting Eb in. Why not give interviews and dare the Second Foundation to shut us down?" she frowned. Relenting at his stare… "Sorry, Eb is a sore point with me yet, I guess. I admit it."
"Well, I've no intention of revealing your status to Eb. I just wanted you to know, I'll surely need your help in reviewing what he gives us."
"So he has got much farther in Seldon then he revealed. I'm glad he had that much sense." She nodded.
"So am I, but we can't rely on that too much. He has too many on his team to keep everything mum. And every good tech intel person in the Galaxy keeps tabs, even legit ones on him. We have to try to keep up with him and ahead of everyone else. " Sigh… "I wish Han Pritcher were back, though it's likely now he'll face serious charges. He's a man who can see through a question to the prime points, even if he's not a scientist or one of the five."
"You think he's learned anything? About the Mule?" she eyed him.
"If anyone can, Han has. Though the price may be high. But that's why we couldn't ask him to join the five, he's too valuable a man of action. We need a few clever folks like you and incompetent hacks like me in such roles." Sessons smiled wanly.
"World's not fair sometimes." She noted. "But a few of us know your contribution."
"Stroke Indbur's ego, keep quiet, funnel some money our way, find the occasional recruit, pass on anything useful I overhear. Not much of a contribution." Wry grin.
"Protect our best and the whole project. We'd be dead but for you. Though I do my share of ego-stroking. I rather think Indbur enjoys bossing a Dornick descendant about." Smile. "Fortunately, the little fellow's not quite his father and it's not more than that. You know, I think Mis is actually fond of him in a way, he's almost the dim younger brother he never had. He has, after all, looked after him since his father made him his tutor and advisor."
"Indbur II was a brute but not without some brains." Sessons smiled. "Mis is certain the Vault will open in seven weeks…As much as I can, I concur…Do you still?"
"I do. But is Mis still sure the result will not be what Indbur's counting on?"
"He is. I can't reach any conclusion…I'm barely able to glean the idea of the Vault timing. Do you still disagree with Mis?"
"I don't know now, to be honest. I've seen the discrepancies that trouble Mis in the data, though his work is far more advanced. But Anton? What do we do if the Vault opens and Seldon mistakes the situation? If he has no allowance made for the Mule?" she eyed him.
"We do our duty and try to help Indbur paper over things, put the best face on it…In other words, deny, obfuscate, lie, as best we can, try to save the Foundation…Do what we can to reach the Second for help…And meanwhile we see the Project safe."
"Can I admit, I'm afraid?" Flavia eyed him. "I've prepared myself for the notion one day a Second Foundationer might clear my mind of the Project, leave me convinced the Plan is absolutely the right course and happily go on my way but the idea I might lost myself in total subjugation to this…Creature…" shakes head.
"You know I knew Enver Callier slightly." She noted. "He was no man to break under torture, but there he was on hologram eagerly proclaiming that the Mule's plan of Union would save the Galaxy and urging the Foundation to surrender. And it was his order that caused the fleet to surrender at Sagosa before the government capitulated. I don't believe it was force, he's a true believer now. I don't want to lose myself that way." Shudder. "I guess I am afraid of the Second Foundation too, some. I'll never understand why Gaal Dornick, who overcame so much to join Seldon, could cheer on an idea like the Second Foundation, even if she was gifted mentalically herself. Maybe only because I'm not, but I hope I'm better than that."
Sessons shrugged.
"Who knows her motives? It was a desperate time, the Empire was beginning a decline after thousands of years of steady growth and peace. Seldon, frankly, I've never cared for, you know that. That arrogant little genius, plotting to put his elites in control forever while denying individuals any role in history, even no control over their own lives, even though he himself changed that History forever. Dornick? I think she intended well but the times and Seldon convinced her the Second was a good safeguard. And she may have been right, if the Mule is a danger beyond the Second. Who knows?" he gave a wan smile. "Maybe if she ever had reservations…And after all she chose to work with the Foundation, not the Second…She hoped some folks like us would rise up over time and restrain them when they were no longer needed." He noted his compad buzzing and sighed.
"Our glorious Leader wants a chat. I'd best get going. Ota and Mora are always sniffing at my heels and if they sense anything suspicious you'll be looking for a new member of the five." Rueful grin.
"I'd best get back to my office…No doubt Indbur will either call me in to join you or call me later to review what you tell him." Smile. "Thanks for keeping me informed." She rose, pausing.
"Anton? What will you do if the Mule should be more than the Second and somehow wins? I don't mean about the Project. I mean…Personally?"
"Once I'm sure things are set to be secure as I can make them, I'll kill myself…Quickly as possible and quite painlessly, not being a hero. As leader of the Five, I've always had the means handy. It goes with the job, even if I don't know all, what little I know has to be kept secret." Wan smile. "One of the reasons, besides the sad fact that I could never land a mate, female or male, on my own, except possibly for some pathetic type seeking to hook up with a wealthy, powerful, and corrupt minister while he's still on top…And I couldn't take the risk even they might have been a Seconder concealed, I've never tried a relationship."
"The world's truly not fair sometimes…" she eyed him.