A familiar voice spoke then-soft but firm and determined.

“Hello, Grandfather. We’ve been worried about you.”

Hari blinked several times, recognizing the voice, and then the outlines of his granddaughter.

“Hello, Wanda. I’m always pleased to see you. But I wonder about your priorities. The work on Trantor is at a critical stage, and I am just an old man. I hope sentimentality didn’t make you chase after me across the galaxy.”

Hari had already noticed several things. None of the soldiers from Ktlina were still standing. They couldn’tall be victims of the Earthlings’ surprise stoning. Sybyl, too, appeared subdued-though not quite unconscious. She sat on the ground nearby, resting her head in her hands, shaking it back and forth, like a person too confused to gather her thoughts.

“Please scold me later, Grandfather,” Wanda said, wearing an expression of intense concentration, as she looked at Mors Planch. “We had strong enough reasons to come all this way…but explanations can wait. Meanwhile, will one of you gentlemen please disarm this fellow? He’s very strong, and I don’t think I can hold him much longer.”

Biron Maserd let out a low cry as he lunged toward Mors Planch, who had drawn his blaster and was slowly raising it toward Wanda. Beads of sweat poured down the pirate captain’s brow, and he fought to bring his thumb down on the firing stud.

Maserd knocked his aim askew as a bolt shot forth, missing Hari’s granddaughter by a handbreadth, smashing the wall of an ancient university building. The nobleman pried the weapon free and turned it to bear on its owner… at which point both Wanda and Mors Planch suddenly relaxed, each giving up a deep sigh, their personal battle decided.

“He’s a tough one,” Wanda commented. “We’ve run into a number of them lately, especially among the Terminus exiles. It’s put a crimp in our calculations.”

Hari mused, “Someone told me Mors Planch is different in an odd sort of way, that he’snormal. Do you know what that means?”

Wanda shook her head. “It’s one of several reasons why I’m here, Grandfather. So don’t worry. I haven’t lost my priorities to pure sentimentality. There are pragmatic justifications for this rescue…though I’ll be glad to bring you home.”

Hari thought about that.Home? Back to living in a wheelchair, glancing at reports that his mind was no longer supple enough to comprehend? Back to being revered but useless? In fact, since finishing the Time Vault recordings, he had only felt truly alive during this adventure. In an odd way he was sorry to see it end. Turning to Mors Planch, he put the question directly.

“Well, Captain, can you shed some light on this? Why doyou suppose you are resistant to mentalic suasion?”

Though downcast at this reversal of fortunes, Planch showed no sign of surrender or defeat.

“Fiddle your own riddles, Seldon. If there are more people out there who are able to resist mind control, I’ll be damned if I’ll help you figure out why. You’d just plan a way to overcome them.”

Wanda nodded. “Yes, we would. For the good of humanity. Because the Plan will call for corrections…guidance.”

“Like the way youguided those poor Earthers into attacking us with rocks, distracting us until you could slip close and disable my men?” Planch said. “How many died? At least a robot would show remorse.”

Horis Antic joined the group standing by the airlock. “Wait a minute,” the small bureaucrat demanded. “I don’t get it! I thought Planch had defenses against robots!” He peered at Wanda. “You mean she’s human? You mean there arehuman mentalics?”

Mors Planch let out a sigh. “I remember now. I knew this once, but someone must have put a block on my memory.” He shrugged. “Perhaps the robot rulers of our universe feel they must share their great weapon with some of their slave soldiers, enabling their lackeys to help keep the rest of us under control This is my fault. I should have planned for that possibility. I’ll take it into account next time.”

“Bravely said.” Wanda clapped her hands, approvingly. “But alas, you are mistaken. We humans are the masters of this cosmos. It will take us a while to reach the point where we can move past the chaos obstacle and assert our sovereignty. In any event, you will remember none of this. I’m afraid the erasure will have to go deeper this time. Once we are in space, and everyone has calmed down-”

Mors Planch grimaced, his lips pressing thin with resignation. But Horis Antic groaned, taking yet another blue pill. “I don’t want my mind wiped. It’s against the law. I demand my rights as an imperial citizen!”

Wanda glanced at Hari. Perhaps weeks earlier, he might have responded with an indulgent smile, sharing amusement at the little bureaucrat’s naivete. But for some reason, Hari felt an unaccustomed emotion-shame. He looked away, without meeting his granddaughter’s eyes.

“We must get away from here now,” Wanda said, gesturing for everyone to start walking. Then Hari saw Gaal Dornick step out of the shadows. The portly psychohistorian, clearly uncomfortable, held a blaster rifle in two hands.

“What about these others?” Dornick asked, pointing to the soldiers of Ktlina, lying unconscious nearby, and to Sybyl, who still rocked back and forth, crooning to herself unhappily.

Wanda shook her head. “The woman is suffering from fourth-stage chaos rapture, and the others are hardly any better off. No one will believe their tall tales. Not enough to perturb the Plan. I don’t have the time to give selective amnesia to all of them. Just cripple their ship and let’s be on our way.”

Hari understood his granddaughter’s reasoning. It might seem cruel to leave Sybyl and the others on a poisoned world, with only mutated Earthlings for company. But members of the Second Foundation were used to thinking in terms of vast populations, represented as equations in the Plan, and treating individuals as little more than gas molecules.

I have thought in such terms myself,he pondered.

No doubt the robot Gornon would be back as soon as Wanda left. The Calvinians of Gornon’s sect might disagree with him on many levels, but they would take care of Sybyl and the others, while taking steps to maintain secrecy about what had happened.

“Well then, come along, my friend,” Biron Maserd said, putting an arm around the slim shoulders of Horis Antic. “It looks like we’re off to Trantor. Perhaps we’ll never know what an adventure we had. But rest assured that I’ll take care of you.”

The little Grey bureaucrat smiled meekly at the tall nobleman. Horis seemed about to speak his gratitude when abruptly his eyes rolled upward in their sockets. He keeled over and toppled to the ground at Maserd’s feet. Soon his snores echoed across the little vale.

Wanda sighed. “All right then. I wasn’t looking forward to meddling in his nervous mind anyway. If destiny puts him on Earth, so be it. The rest of us have serious traveling to do if we’re to reach Trantor within the week.”

Hari saw Maserd struggle briefly with himself. It was easy to tell what conflicted the nobleman. Whether to pick up Horis and carry him, or leave the Grey Man behind. The trade-offs were substantial. Hari wasn’t surprised when Maserd let out a sigh, took off his jacket, and laid it atop Horis Antic.

“Sleep well, my friend. At least if you stay here, your mind remains your own.”

Together they set off-Maserd, Planch, and Hari-following Wanda, while Gaal Dornick took up the rear. Hari glanced back to see a single source of light glowing amid the ancient university buildings, the cracked shell of the sarcophagus where R. Gornon had intended to send him…on an adventure that now would never happen.

Though Hari had doubted the whole idea, he nevertheless felt a wash of disappointment.It might have been nice to see the future.