Foundation's Edge - Isaac Asimov [51]
What would be the other end of the Galaxy, in that light? The other Foundation's edge? Why, the oldest world of the Galaxy? And according to the argument Pelorat had presented--without knowing what he was presenting--that could only be Earth. The Second Foundation might well be on Earth.
Yet Seldon had said the other end of the Galaxy was "at Star's End." Who could say he was not speaking metaphorically? Trace the history of humanity backward as Pelorat did and the line would stretch back from each planetary system, each star that shone down on an inhabited planet, to some other planetary system, some other star from which the first migrants had come, then back to a star before that--until finally, all the lines stretched back to the planet on which humanity had originated. It was the star that shone upon Earth that was "Star's End."
Trevize smiled and said almost lovingly, "Tell me more about Earth, Janov."
Pelorat shook his head. "I have told you all there is, really. We will find out more on Trantor."
Trevize said, "No, we won't, Janov. We'll find out nothing there. Why? Because we're not going to Trantor. I control this ship and I assure you we're not."
Pelorat's mouth fell open. He struggled for breath for a moment and then said, woebegone, "Oh, my dear fellow!"
Trevize said, "Come on, Janov. Don't look like that. We're going to find Earth."
"But it's only on Trantor that--"
"No, it's not. Trantor is just someplace you can study brittle films and dusty documents and turn brittle and dusty yourself."
"For decades, I've dreamed--"
"You've dreamed of finding Earth."
"But it's only--"
Trevize stood up, leaned over, caught the slack of Pelorat's tunic, and said, "Don't repeat that, Professor. Don't repeat it. When you first told me we were going to look for Earth, before ever we got onto this ship, you said we were sure to find it because, and I quote your own words, 'I have an excellent possibility in mind.' Now I don't ever want to hear you say 'Trantor' again. I just want you to tell me about this excellent possibility."
"But it must be confirmed. So far, it's only a thought, a hope, a vague possibility."
"Good! Tell me about it!"
"You don't understand. You simply don't understand. It is not a field in which anyone but myself has done research. There is nothing historical, nothing firm, nothing real. People talk about Earth as though it's a fact, and also as though it's a myth. There are a million contradictory tales--"
"Well then, what has your research consisted of?"
"I've been forced to collect every tale, every bit of supposed history, every legend, every misty myth. Even fiction. Anything that includes the name of Earth or the idea of a planet of origin. For over thirty years, I've been collecting everything I could find from every planet of the Galaxy. Now if I could only get something more reliable than all of these from the Galactic Library at--But you don't want me to say the word."
"That's right. Don't say it. Tell me instead that one of these items has caught your attention, and tell me your reasons for thinking why it, of them all, should be legitimate."
Pelorat shook his head. "There, Golan, if you will excuse my saying so, you talk like a soldier or a politician. That is not the way history works."
Trevize took a deep breath and kept his temper. "Tell me how it works, Janov. We've got two days. Educate me."
"You can't rely on any one myth or even on any one group. I've had to gather them all, analyze them, organize them, set up symbols to represent different aspects of their content--tales of impossible weather, astronomic details of planetary systems at variance with what actually exists, place of origin of culture heroes specifically stated not to be native, quite literally hundreds of other items. No use going through the entire list. Even two days wouldn't be enough. I spent over