Forward the Foundation

"I-I-I couldn't quite make out what you said," the hologram replied. "There's a bit of fighting going on. It's sort of exciting, actually," Raych said, breaking into that grin again. "So I'm going to sign off now. Remember, find out what happened to the Arcadia VII going to Anacreon. I'll be back in touch as soon as I'm able. Remember, I-" The transmission broke off and the hologram faded. The holoscreen tunnel collapsed in on itself so that Seldon and Wanda were left staring at a blank wall.

"Grandpa," said Wanda, "what do you think he was going to say?"

"I have no idea, dear. But there is one thing I do know and that is that your father can take care of himself. I pity any rebel who gets near enough for a well-placed Twist-kick from your dad! Come, let's get back to that equation and in a few hours we'll check on the Arcadia VII."

***

"Commander, have you no idea what happened to the ship?" Hari Seldon was again engaged in intragalactic conversation, but this time it was with an Imperial navy commander stationed at Anacreon. For this communication, Seldon was making use of the visiscreen-much less realistic than the holoscreen but also much simpler.

"I'm telling you, Professor, that we have no record of that hypership requesting permission to enter the Anacreonic atmosphere. Of course, communications with Santanni have been broken for several hours and sporadic at best for the last week. It is possible that the ship tried to reach us on a Santanni-based channel and could not get through, but I doubt it.

"No, it's more likely that the Arcadia VII changed destination. Voreg, perhaps, or Sarip. Have you tried either of those worlds, Professor?"

"No," said Seldon wearily, "but I see no reason if the ship was bound for Anacreon that it would not go to Anacreon. Commander, it is vital that I locate that ship."

"Of course," the commander ventured, "the Arcadia VII might not have made it. Out safely, I mean. There's a lot of fighting going on. Those rebels don't care who they blow up. They just train their lasers and pretend it's the Emperor Agis they're blasting. I tell you, it's a whole different game out here on the fringe, Professor."

"My daughter-in-law and granddaughter are on that ship, Commander," Seldon said in a tight voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor," said an abashed commander. "I'll be in touch with you as soon as I hear anything."

Dispiritedly Hari closed the visiscreen contact. How tired I am, he thought. And, he mused, I'm not surprised-I've known that this would come for nearly forty years.

Seldon chuckled bitterly to himself. Perhaps that commander had thought he was shocking Seldon, impressing him with the vivid detail of life "on the fringe." But Seldon knew all about the fringe. And as the fringe came apart, like a piece of knitting with one loose thread, the whole piece would unravel to the core: Trantor.

Seldon became aware of a soft buzzing sound. It was the door signal. "Yes?"

"Grandpa," said Wanda, entering the office, "I'm scared."

"Why, dear?" asked Seldon with concern. He didn't want to tell her yet what he had learned-or hadn't learned-from the commander on Anacreon.

"Usually, although they're so far away, I feel Dad and Mom and Bellis-feel them in here"-she pointed to her head-"and in here"-she placed her hand over her heart. "But now, today, I don't feel them-it feels less, as if they're fading, like one of the dome bulbs. And I want to stop it. I want to pull them back, but I can't."

"Wanda, I really think this is merely a product of your concern for your family in light of the rebellion. You know that uprisings occur all over the Empire all the time-little eruptions to let off steam. Come now, you know that chances of anything happening to Raych, Manella, or Bellis are vanishingly small. Your dad will call any day to say all is well; your mom and Bellis will land on Anacreon at any moment and enjoy a little vacation. We are the ones to be pitied-we're stuck here up to our ears in work! So, sweetheart, go to bed and think only good thoughts. I promise you, tomorrow, under the sunny dome, things will look much better."

"All right, Grandpa," said Wanda, not sounding entirely convinced. "But tomorrow-if we haven't heard by tomorrow-we'll have to-to-"

"Wanda, what can we do, except wait?" asked Hari, his voice gentle.

Wanda turned and left, the weight of her worries showing in the slope of her shoulders. Hari watched her go, finally allowing his own worries to come to the surface.

It had been three days since the hologram transmission from Raych. Since then-nothing. And today the naval commander at Anacreon denied ever having heard of a ship called Arcadia VII

Hari had tried earlier to get through to Raych on Santanni, but all communication beams were down. It was as if Santanni-and the Arcadia VII-had simply broken off from the Empire, like a petal from a flower.