Foundation's Edge - Isaac Asimov [131]
Kodell said, "Gaia? I never heard of it."
"Indeed? That's not strange." Branno pointed to the spot in the air where the map had been. "Upon the map in this room, I can set up, at a moment's notice, every star--supposedly--around which there circles an inhabited world and many prominent stars with uninhabited systems. Over thirty million stars can be marked out--if I handle the controls properly--in single units, in pairs, in clusters. I can mark them out in any of five different colors, one at a time, or all together. What I cannot do is locate Gaia on the map. As far as the map is concerned, Gaia does not exist."
Kodell said, "For every star the map shows, there are ten thousand it doesn't show."
"Granted, but the stars it doesn't show lack inhabited planets and why would Trevize want to go to an uninhabited planet?"
"Have you tried the Central Computer? It has all three hundred billion Galactic stars listed."
"I've been told it has, but does it? We know very well, you and I, that there are thousands of inhabited planets that have escaped listing on any of our maps--not only on the one in this room, but even on the Central Computer. Gaia is apparently one of them."
Kodell's voice remained calm, even coaxing. "Mayor, there may well be nothing at all to be concerned about. Trevize may be off on a wild goose chase or he may be lying to us and there is no star called Gaia--and no star at all at the co-ordinates he gave us. He is trying to throw us off his scent, now that he has met Compor and perhaps guesses he is being traced."
"How will this throw us off the scent? Compor will still follow. No, Liono, I have another possibility in mind, one with far greater potentiality for trouble. Listen to me--"
She paused and said, "This room is shielded, Liono. Understand that. We cannot be overheard by anyone, so please feel free to speak. And I will speak freely, as well.
"This Gaia is located, if we accept the information, ten parsecs from Sayshell Planet and is therefore part of the Sayshell Union. The Sayshell Union is a well-explored portion of the Galaxy. All its star systems--inhabited or not inhabited--are recorded and the inhabited ones are known in detail. Gaia is the one exception. Inhabited or not, none have heard of it; it is present in no map. Add to this that the Sayshell Union maintains a peculiar state of independence with respect to the Foundation Federation, and did so even with respect to the Mule's former realm. It has been independent since the fall of the Galactic Empire."
"What of all this?" asked Kodell cautiously.
"Surely the two points I have made must be connected. Sayshell incorporates a planetary system that is totally unknown and Sayshell is untouchable. The two cannot be independent. Whatever Gaia is, it protects itself. It sees to it that there is no knowledge of its existence outside its immediate surroundings and it protects those surroundings so that outsiders cannot take over."
"You are telling me, Mayor, that Gaia is the seat of the Second Foundation?"
"I am telling you that Gaia deserves inspection."
"May I mention an odd point that might be difficult to explain by this theory?"
"Please do."
"If Gaia is the Second Foundation and if, for centuries, it has protected itself physically against intruders, protecting all of the Sayshell Union as a broad, deep shield for itself, and if it has even prevented knowledge of itself leaking into the Galaxy--then why has all that protection suddenly vanished? Trevize and Pelorat leave Terminus and, even though you had advised them to go to Trantor, they go immediately and without hesitation to Sayshell and now to Gaia. What is more, you can think of Gaia and speculate on it. Why are you not somehow prevented from doing so?"
Mayor Branno did not answer for a long time. Her head was bent and her gray hair gleamed dully in the light. Then she said,