There was no green to be seen; no green, no soil, no life other than man. Somewhere on the world, he realized vaguely, was the Emperors palace, set amid one hundred square miles of natural soil, green with trees, rainbowed with flowers. It was a small island amid an ocean of steel, but it wasnt visible from where he stood. It might be ten thousand miles away. He did not know.
Before very long, he must have his tour!
He sighed noisily, and realized finally that he was on Trantor at last; on the planet which was the centre of all the Galaxy and the kernel of the human race. He saw none of its weaknesses. He saw no ships of food landing. He was not aware of a jugular vein delicately connecting the forty billion of Trantor with the rest of the Galaxy. He was conscious only of the mightiest deed of man; the complete and almost contemptuously final conquest of a world.
He came away a little blank-eyed. His friend of the elevator was indicating a seat next to himself and Gaal took it.
The man smiled, My name is Jerril. First time on Trantor?
Yes, Mr Jerril.
Thought so. Jerrils my first name. Trantor gets you if youve got the poetic temperament. Trantorians never come up here, though. They dont like it. Gives them nerves.
Nerves! my names Gaal, by the way. Why should it give them nerves? Its glorious.
Subjective matter of opinion, Gaal. If youre born in a cubicle and grow up in a corridor, and work in a cell, and vacation in a crowded sun-room, then coming up into the open with nothing but sky over you might just give you a nervous breakdown. They make the children come up here once a year, after theyre five. I dont know if it does any good. They dont get enough of it, really, and the first few times they scream themselves into hysteria. They ought to start as soon as theyre weaned and have the trip once a week.
He went on, Of course, it doesnt really matter. What if they never come out at all? Theyre happy down there and they run the Empire. How high up do you think we are?
He said, Half a mile? and wondered if that sounded naïve.
It must have, for Jerril chuckled a little. He said, No. Just five hundred feet.
What? But the elevator took about?
I know. But most of the time it was just getting up to ground level. Trantor is tunnelled over a mile down. Its like an iceberg. Nine-tenths of it is out of sight. It even works itself out a few miles into the sub-ocean soil at the shore-lines. In fact, were down so low that we can make use of the temperature difference between ground level and a couple of miles under to supply
us with all the energy we need. Did you know that?
No, I thought you used atomic generators.
Did once. But this is cheaper.
I imagine so.
What do you think of it all? For a moment, the mans good nature evaporated into shrewdness. He looked almost sly.
Gaal fumbled. Glorious, he said, again.
Here on vacation? Travelling? Sightseeing?
Not exactly. At least, Ive always wanted to visit Trantor but I came here primarily for a job.
Oh?
Gaal felt obliged to explain further, With Dr Seldons project at the University of Trantor.
Raven Seldon?
Why, no. The one I mean is Hari Seldon the psychohistorian Seldon. I dont know of any Raven Seldon.
Haris the one I mean. They call him Raven. Slang, you know. He keeps predicting disaster.
He does? Gaal was genuinely astonished.
Surely, you must know. Jerril was not smiling. Youre coming to work for him, arent you?
Well, yes, Im a mathematician. Why does he predict disaster? What kind of disaster?
What kind would you think?
Im afraid I wouldnt have the least idea. Ive read the papers Dr Seldon and his group have published. Theyre on mathematical theory.
Yes, the ones they publish.
Gaal felt annoyed. He said, I think Ill go to my room now. Very pleased to have met you.
Jerril waved his arm indifferently in farewell.
Gaal found a man waiting for him in his room. For a moment, he was too startled to put into words the inevitable, What are you doing here? that came to his lips.
The man rose. He was old and almost bald and he walked with a limp, but his eyes were very bright and blue.
He said, I am Hari Seldon, an instant before Gaals befuddled brain placed the face alongside the memory of the many times he had seen it in pictures.
4
Implicit in all these definitions is the assumption that the human conglomerate being dealt with is sufficiently large for valid statistical treatment. The necessary size of such a conglomerate may be determined by Seldons First Theorem which A further necessary assumption is that the human conglomerate be itself unaware of psychohistoric analysis in order that its reactions be truly random
The basis of all valid psychohistory lies in the development of the Seldon Functions which exhibit properties congruent to those of such social and economic forces as
ENCYCLOPEDIA GALACTICA
Good afternoon, sir, said Gaal. I I
You didnt think we were to meet before tomorrow? Ordinarily, we would not have. It is just that if we are to use your services, we must work quickly. It grows continually more difficult to obtain recruits.