Prelude to Foundation - Isaac Asimov [109]
"I was told that."
"And do you know that no woman is at any time-or for any reasonallowed to dress in masculine garb? That holds, within the borders of Mycogen, for tribeswomen as well as for Sisters."
"I was not told that, but I am not surprised."
"Good. I want you to understand all this. Now, why did you want to see the robot?"
Seldon said with a shrug, "Curiosity. I had never seen a robot or even known that such a thing existed."
"And how did you come to know that it did exist and, specifically, that it existed here?"
Seldon was silent, then said, "I do not wish to answer that question."
"Is that why you were brought to Mycogen by Tribesman Hummin? To investigate robots?"
"No. Tribesman Hummin brought us here that we might be secure. However, we are scholars, Dr. Venabili and I. Knowledge is our province and to gain knowledge is our purpose. Mycogen is little understood outside its borders and we wish to know more about your ways and your methods of thought. It is a natural desire and, it seems to us, a harmless-even praiseworthy-one."
"Ah, but we do not wish the outer tribes and worlds to know about us. That is our natural desire and we are the judge of what is harmless to us and what harmful. So I ask you again, tribesman:
How did you know that a robot existed in Mycogen and that it existed in this room?"
"General rumor," said Seldon at length.
"Do you insist on that?"
"General rumor. I insist on it."
Sunmaster Fourteen's keen blue eyes seemed to sharpen and he said without raising his voice, "Tribesman Seldon, we have long cooperated with Tribesman Hummin. For a tribesman, he has seemed a decent and trustworthy individual. For a tribesman! When he brought you two to us and commended you to our protection, we granted it. But Tribesman Hummin, whatever his virtues, is still a tribesman and we had misgivings. We were not at all sure what your--or his-real purpose might be."
"Our purpose was knowledge," said Seldon. "Academic knowledge. Tribeswoman Venabili is a historian and I too have an interest in history. Why should we not be interested in Mycogenian history?..
"For one thing, because we do not wish you to be. -In any case, two of our trusted Sisters were sent to you. They were to cooperate with you, try to find out what it was you wanted, and-what is the expression you tribesmen use?-play along with you. Yet not in such a way that you would be too aware as to what was happening." Sunmaster Fourteen smiled, but it was a grim smile.
"Raindrop Forty-Five," Sunmaster Fourteen went on, "went shopping with Tribeswoman Venabili, but there seemed nothing out of the way in what happened on those trips. Naturally, we had a full report. Raindrop Forty-Three showed you, Tribesman Seldon, our microfarms. You might have been suspicious of her willingness to accompany you alone, something that is utterly out of the question for us, but you reasoned that what applied to Brothers did not apply to tribesmen and you flattered yourself that that flimsy bit of reasoning won her over. She complied with your desire, though at considerable cost to her peace of mind. And, eventually, you asked for the Book. To have handed it over too easily might have roused your suspicion, so she pretended to a perverse desire only you could satisfy. Her self-sacrifice will not be forgotten. -I take it, tribesman, you still have the Book and I suspect you have it with you now. May I have it?"
Seldon sat in bitter silence.
Sunmaster Fourteen's wrinkled hand remained obtrusively outstretched and he said, "How much better it would be than to wrest it from you by force."
And Seldon handed it over. Sunmaster Fourteen leafed through its pages briefly, as though to reassure himself it was unharmed.
He said with a small sigh, "It will have to be carefully destroyed in the approved manner. Sad'. -But once you had this Book, we were, of course, not surprised when you made your way out to the Sacratorium. You were watched at all times, for you cannot think that any Brother or Sister, not totally absorbed, would not recognize