"Mule..."
Summary: My AU version of the Asimov tale from his collection of Foundation and Second Foundation tales.
As she consolidates her new Empire, the First Citizen, Magnifica Gigantica, i.e. Bobo the Clown/Musician is one step away from Galactic conquest. But that step requires the locating and defeat of Seldon's hidden Second Foundation.
Book III: "Foundation and Union..."
Part IV...
"Do we have everything?" Pritcher eyed Iriana as they stood by the doorway of their Kalgan official residence, a fairly new townhouse, but built in High Imperial style. Both in formal Court dress, he in his uniform, she in her robes of office...She with Marus in her arms, looking over a holofile emanating from her compad.
"Yes, we're all set." She nodded smiling, though perhaps a bit sad. Her Converted devotion to the Mule, a layer of love and loyalty much like Pritcher's own, preventing her from resentment, even urging her to delight in Pritcher's being chosen to lead the new expedition, but did not prevent her from feeling a degree of sorrow at the thought of losing him again for who knew how long, perhaps even forever.
But today he was here, back...And they had a day together, once the necessity of the morning weekly Imperial reception was dealt with. And after all, not only was the tedium somewhat relieved by the beauty and pageantry, and the kindly charm of Emperor Dagobert, but they'd be in the presence of the First, a profound treat, who would surely be delighted in turn by the presence of Marus, her godsson. There was, after all, nothing that seemed to lift the Mule's spirits more than an infant, despite her own sterility. Though that sad fact, her sterility, which brought sorrow to those who loved her, oddly never seemed to trouble her...Despite its threat to her creation, the Union. But, ever kind, she took the attempts by those around her, Unconverted as well as Converted, to avoid the subject, as well-intentioned. Only the memories of her past as nurse to Toran Dartell, Torie Jr., ever seemed to bring a moment's sorrow...And even those were more likely to bring a warm smile to her lips...A smile that brought joy to all Converted and even pleasure to those not.
Yes, today would be a happy day, Iriana beamed. And tomorrow, well...Tomorrow would come when it must.
...
"Imperial Minister Iriana Pritcher, her husband General Han Pritcher, their child, Marus Pritcher..." the heavily bemedaled majordomo pronounced in the crowded hall.
"Ah, Minister...General..." the dignified Emperor Dagobert rose from his throne to greet them, both Iriana and Han bowing to him.
"Please, please..."Dagobert urged them to lift heads. To his side, as unobtrusively as possible, just past his aides, standing, the First Citizen and Chief Minister.
"Our First Citizen, dear Magnifica here..." Dagobert waved to a beaming Magnifica in her white robes... "Told me you'd returned at last from your voyage, General. And that you would be here as well, my dear Minister..." He smiled at Iriana who smiled and bowed sightly.
"Majesty." Pritcher intoned, bowing. "Majesty." Iriana echoed.
"And little Marus...What a wonderful surprise. Ah, look, dear..." Dagobert to Magnifica who stepped forward, offering an extended hand to each of the Pritchers which they took eagerly. "They've kindly brought our little Marus."
"Yes, indeed, your Majesty." She agreed, warm smile. "And hasn't he grown?"
"Thank you, First Citizen, your Majesty." Iriana to each in turn.
"May I...?" The Mule, gently...
"Of course..." Iriana offered the infant which Magnifica eagerly took in her spindly arms.
Strong if spindly arms, Pritcher contentedly noted.
"What joy it is to have you back, General. As much to me and my dear First as to your wife, I may venture to say. Though I know she would dispute it." Dagobert smiled.
"Thanks so much, Majesty." Pritcher earnestly. "It's very good to be back, though I must be departing again shortly."
"Really? No?" Dagobert sighed. "Is it so, my dear?" he turned to the First, still contentedly holding Marus.
"I'm afraid so, your Majesty. The General has an important mission to accomplish. But I am thinking perhaps he should delay one more day, to let his son see his father." The Mule noted, eyeing Pritcher who nodded.
"Many times, ma'am. But given my mission is crucial..."
"Nothing's more crucial than letting your son know he has a father." Magnifica insisted. "As I'm sure His Majesty would agree. But your Majesty..." she eyed Dagobert with a smile. "Our general no doubt requires an order to persuade him to defer his duty one day."
"Indeed...And that order is proclaimed." Dagobert nodded, returning smile. "You shall stay your mission one more day, General. As our beloved First and Chief Minister says, letting the child know his father is more crucial than even an Imperial mission. Stay, please. I know it will delight your wife."
"It will, Majesty." Iriana beamed. "And thank you, for your kindness, First Citizen." She nodded to the Mule who smiled.
"Well, you had better take this sweet one back before I get too attached." Magnifica noted. "He is such a dear one." She gently offered Marus back, Iriana taking him. "And sorry it can't be more than one day, General, your work is vital. But you did hear his Majesty's order." Coy smile to Pritcher.
"Indeed...Well, pardon us, General and We wish to speak more with you later if We can..." Dagobert noted. "But We must greet the rest of our guests."
"Of course, your Majesty." Pritcher bowed. Iriana bowing as well. "And thanks to you, First Citizen." He added, nodding to Magnifica who nodded and smiled. They continued on down the reception line, shaking hands and allowing other dignitaries to acknowledge them and Marus.
"Majesty..." Bail Channis now came on in the line after his being pronounced as "Captain Bail Channis of the Union of Worlds Fleet" by the majordomo. "It is an honor. First Citizen..." he nodded to Magnifica who nodded to him.
"Captain...Channis..." Dagobert, a very slight vagueness. "Yes, a pleasure. Welcome. How have you been received previously?"
"Only at the Grand Restoration reception, Majesty, but the First Citizen was kind enough to arrange my reception today, given I am to leave with General Pritcher shortly."
"One extra day's grace, Captain. His Majesty wishes General Pritcher to have a little time with his son and wife." Magnifica noted. "So, you benefit as well."
"That's very kind, First Citizen, your Majesty. I'm sure General Pritcher and his family appreciate it." Channis nodded, smiling. "Well, again...It is an honor, Sire. All glory to the Empire and your Throne!" he bowed and moved on, quickly sizing up and shaking hands with the most prominent of the remaining officials.
"That boy seems quite at home at Court..." Dagobert noted to Magnifica who smiled.
"Indeed. He's very charming, Majesty. But I think General Pritcher will provide excellent ballast for his mission."
"No man better, my dear." Nod. Turning to the next official in the line with smile.
...
The Executive Council of the Second Foundation was in session. Though not all of that Council were present on the site, the home planet of that Foundation. Some transmitting and receiving via subspace, though only via the encrypted codes of still independent Galactic states and in codes that if broken would be recognized as trading negotiations, in some cases as military appraisals but nothing not to be expected among such states. Given the power of the First Citizen and her steadily growing network of gifted if only mildly so mentalics to listen, no long-range transmission by mental communication, say telepathy, was secure...
Despite that stricture, the meeting locally was conducted in such a way, though not strictly telepathy, was largely a series of mental images, gestures, and few words, with several transmitted for those using the subspace connections.
Nor, strictly speaking, can we even consider an exact reproduction of any part of the session, unless we wish to sacrifice completely the true substance of what was discussed, the point being made is that the minds assembled understood thoroughly the workings of each other, not only by general theory but by the specific application over a long period of these theories to particular individuals. Speech as known to us was unnecessary. A fragment of a sentence amounted almost to long-winded redundancy. A gesture, a grunt, the curve of a facial line, even a significantly timed pause yielded informational juice. The Mule would have well understood this conversation were it conducted within range of her mentalic power, though even she would need a moment to adjust to its conditions. And having adjusted, her own power would easily have overwhelmed those present.
The liberty is taken, therefore, of freely translating a small portion of the conference into the extremely specific word combinations necessary to minds oriented from childhood to a physical science philosophy, even at the risk of losing the more delicate nuances.
There was one "voice" of sorts predominant, and that belonged to an individual known simply as the First Speaker. Though that individual himself was not currently present on the home planet and his "speech" of sorts was passed on via subspace.
He noted, "Agreed. It is apparently quite definite now as to what stopped the Mule in her first mad rush. I can't say that the matter reflects credit upon...Well, upon the organization of the situation. Apparently, she almost located us, by means of the artificially heightened brain-energy of what they call a psychologist on the First Foundation. This psychologist was killed just before he could communicate his discovery to the Mule. The events leading to that killing were completely fortuitous for all calculations below Phase Three. Suppose you take over."
It was the Fifth Speaker who was indicated by an inflection of the voice. She said, in grim nuances: "It is certain that the situation was mishandled. We are, of course, highly vulnerable under mass attack, particularly an attack led by such a mental phenomenon as the Mule. There is no question she is not only a natural mutant unknown heretofore and on an unprecedentedly powerful scale. She far surpasses us both individually and we believe, collectively."
"Shortly after she first achieved Galactic eminence with the conquest of the First Foundation, half a year after to be exact, she was on Trantor. Within another half year or less she would have been here and the odds would have been stupendously against us 96.3% plus or minus 0.05% to be exact. We have spent considerable time analyzing the forces that stopped her. We know, of course, what was driving her on so in the first place. The internal ramifications of her physical deformity and mental uniqueness are obvious to all of us. But it was her connection to the Lord Rox and his desire to reconstruct the old Empire, along with his knowledge and hatred of the two Foundations, that focused her attention on us. She is undoubtedly brilliant and has fully sized on the fact that we constitute potentially her greatest foe, despite our relative weakness in both the physical sciences and even mentalics. However, it was only through what one of us referred to as 'good old intelligence work'... "The mental equivalent of mild laughter... "That we could determine, after the fact, the possibility of her anomalous action in the presence of another human being who had an honest affection for him."
The Third Speaker was now gestured to, to "speak"...
"And since such an anomalous action would depend upon the presence of such another human being at the appropriate time, to that extent the whole affair was fortuitous. Our agents are certain that it was another woman who killed the Mule's psychologist, a woman for whom the Mule felt trust out of sentiment, and whom she, therefore, did not control mentally, simply because she liked him."
"Since that event, and for those who want the recorded details, a mathematical treatment of the subject has been drawn up for the Central Library, we have held the Mule off by unorthodox methods with which we daily risk Seldon's entire scheme of history. Worse, the Mule is steadily cutting off any possibility of new recruitment. Even if she fails to locate our central nexus, and our calculations suggest it is inevitable that she will, with her growing network, we will face the same fate she does, namely within one generation, our own, our organization will disappear. And let us face perhaps the worst of all...Some of us...I do not say who...Have considered the Mule's efforts may offer a new Path that we should consider. That means in fact, we have members who would agree that the Plan has failed. That it, and our role now and in its ordained future, should be questioned and reconsidered. That the Mule's scheme of galactic reunification without the Seldon Plan, and therefore, without a mentalic guardianship, is a worthy one. That is all."
The First Speaker paused an instant to allow the individuals assembled to absorb the full implications. He said, though subspace, his "speech" passed on by various intermediataries... "The situation is then highly unstable. With Seldon's original scheme bent to the fracture point, and I must emphasize that we have blundered badly in this whole matter, in our horrible lack of foresight, we are faced with an irreversible breakdown of the Plan. Time is passing us by and the Mule gains. I think there is only one solution left us, and even that is risky."
"We must allow the Mule to find us, and defeat us, in a sense."
Another pause, in which he gathered the reactions, including a wide range of emotions, then... "I repeat, in a sense!"
...
