Foundation and Empire 23. The Ruins Of Trantor

The location of an objective upon the considerable existence of Trantor presents a problem peculiar in the Galaxy. in that location are no continents or oceans to locate from a metre miles distance. on that point are no rivers, lakes, and islands to sop up sight of through the cloud rifts.The coatlic ele custodyt-coered earthly concern was had been iodin colossal city, and only the darkened Imperial palace could be identify readily from outer space by a stranger. The Bayta circled the serviceman at closely air-car height in repeated saddle-sore search.From polar regions, where the icy coating of the metal spires were somber evidence of the breakdown or neglect of the weather-conditioning machinery, they worked southwards. Occasionally they could experiment with the correlations -(or spare correlations)- between what they saw and what the inadequate office obtained at Neotrantor showed.But it was unmistakable when it came. The scissure in the metal coat of the art ificial satellite was fifty miles. The unusual greenery stretch over hundreds of square miles, inclosing the mighty blow up of the ancient Imperial residences.The Bayta hovered and slowly point itself. in that location were only the huge supercauseways to level them. Long straight arrows on the map, smooth, glisten ribbons in that respect below them.What the map indicated to be the University area was reached by dead reckoning, and upon the right away area of what once must check been a busy landing-field, the ship displace itself.It was only as they submerged into the triumph of metal that the smooth beauty apparent from the air dissolved into the broken, twisted near-wreckage that had been leave in the wake of the Sack. Spires were truncated, smooth walls gouted and twisted, and dear for an instant there was the glimpse of a cropn area of earth by chance several hundred acres in extent dark and plowed. lee side Senter waited as the ship settled downward cautiously . It was a strange ship, non from Neotrantor, and inwardly he sighed. Strange ships and confused dealings with the men of outer space could mean the h sexagenarian back of the short days of peace, a precipitate to the old(a) grandiose times of oddment and battle. Senter was drawing card of the group the old books were in his charge and he had read of those old days. He did not want them. by chance ten minutes spent themselves as the strange ship came down to nest upon the flatness, but long memories telescoped themselves in that time. There was first the abundant fire of his childhood that remained in his mind still as busy crowds of raft. Then there was the trek of the young families to recent lands. He was ten, then an only child, puzzled, and frightened.Then the new buildings the great metal slabs to be uprooted and gobbler aside the exposed demesne to be turned, and freshened, and invigorated neighboring buildings to be tom turkey down and leveled another(prenomin al)(prenominal)s to be transformed to quick quarters.There were crops to be great(p) and harvested placid relations with neighboring ploughs to be established-There was growth and expansion, and the quiet efficiency of self-rule. There was the coming of a new propagation of hard, little youngsters born to the soil. There was the great day when he was chosen leader of the Group and for the first time since his 18th birthday he did not shave and saw the first stubble of his Leaders whiskers appear.And now the Galaxy might push out and put an end to the brief bucolic of isolation-The ship landed. He watched wordlessly as the port opened. Four emerged, cautious and watchful. There were three men, varied, old, young, thin and beaked. And a char striding among them like an equal. His hand left the two glassy black tufts of his offerd as he stepped forward.He gave the universal intercommunicate of peace. Both hands were before him hard, callous palms upward. The young man app roached two travel and duplicated the gesture. I come in peace.The punctuate was strange, but the words were understandable, and get. He replied, deeply, In peace be it. You are welcome to the hospitality of the Group. ar you hungry? You shall eat. Are you thirsty? You shall drink.Slowly, the reply came, We thank you for your kindness, and shall bear good report of your Group when we extradite to our world.A queer answer, but good. goat him, the men of the Group were smiling, and from the recesses of the surrounding structures, the women emerged.In his own quarters, he removed the locked, mirror-walled calamity from its hidden place, and offered each of the guests the long, plump cigars that were dumb for great occasions. Before the woman, he hesitated. She had sop upn a seat among the men. The strangers evidently allowed, raze expected, such effrontery. Stiffly, he offered the box.She accepted one with a smile, and drew in its smelling(p) smoke, with all the relish one could expect. Lee Senter repressed a scandalized emotion.The stiff conversation, in advance of the meal, touched politely upon the discipline of fanning on Trantor.It was the old man who asked, What active hydroponics? Surely, for such a world as Trantor, hydroponics would be the answer.Senter agitate his head slowly. He felt uncertain. His intimacy was the unfamiliar matter of the books he had read, schmaltzy fanning in chemicals, I think? No, not on Trantor. This hydroponics requires a world of industy for instance, a great chemical industry. And in war or disaster, when industry breaks down, the people starve. Nor can all foods be grown artificially. Some lose their food value. The soil is cheaper, still better always to a greater extent dependable.And your food depict is sufficient? capable perhaps monotonous. We have fowl that give eggs, and milk-yielders for our dairy products but our meat supply rests upon our foreign trade.Trade. The young man seemed roused to abr upt interest. You trade then. But what do you export?Metal, was the curt answer. Look for yourself. We have an unnumerable supply, ready processed. They come from Neotrantor with ships, demolish an indicated area-increasing our emergence space and leave us in exchange meat, canned fruit, food concentrates, farm machinery and so on. They carry off the metal and both sides profit.They feasted on bread and cheese, and a vegetable stew that was unreservedly delicious. It was over the dessert of frosted fruit, the only trade item on the menu, that, for the first time, the Outlanders became other than mere guests. The young man produced a map of Trantor.Calmly, Lee Senter studied it. He listened and said gravely, The University Grounds are a static area. We farmers do not grow crops on it. We do not, by preference, pull down enter it. It is one of our few relics of another time we would keep undisturbed. We are seekers afterward knowledge. We would disturb nothing. Our ship would be our hostage. The old man offered this eagerly, feverishly.I can take you there then, said Senter.That wickedness the strangers slept, and that night Lee Senter sent a message to Neotrantor.