Foundation And Chaos by Greg Bear Read Free Book Online Page A

populated Sector?”
    “No, sir. ”
    “The largest planet in the known Galaxy?”
    “No. ” The major frowned as if he were being mocked.
    “Most people are ignorant of these things. They don't care to know; tell them and they
     forget. The larger vision is lost in the day-to-day minutiae, which they know well enough
     to get along. What about the basic principles of hyperdrive travel?”
    “Sky, no... Pardon me. No sir. ”
    “I'm ignorant of that myself. No curiosity at all about such things. ” He smiled
     pleasantly. “Have you ever wondered why Trantor seems so run-down nowadays?”
    “Sometimes, sir. It is a nuisance. ”
    “Have you thought to complain to your neighborhood council?”
    “Not my place. There's so much to complain about, where to begin?”
    “Of course. Yet you're known as a competent and perhaps even an exceptional officer. ”
    “Thank you, sir. ”
    Sinter looked down at the polished copperstone floor. “Are you curious why I am so
     interested in this woman, this girl?”
    “No, sir. ” But the major thought it worth a small, conspiratorial wink.
    Sinter's eyes widened. “You believe I'm interested in her sexually?”
    The major straightened abruptly. “No sir, not my place to think anything of the sort. ”
    “I would be frightened even to be in her presence for long, Major Namm. ”
    “Yes, sir. ”
    “She never had brain fever. ”
    “We don't know that, sir. No records. ”
    Sinter dismissed that with a shake of his head. “I know that she never had brain fever, or
     any other childhood disease. And not because she was an idiot. She was more than merely
     immune, Major. ”
    “Yes, sir. ”
    “And her powers can be extraordinary. And do you know how I know that? Because of Vara
     Liso. She first detected this girl in a Dahlite market a week ago. A prime candidate, she
     thought. I should send Vara Liso with you on your rounds now, just to refine the hunt. ”
    The major said nothing, merely stood at parade rest, eyes
    fixed on the opposite wall. His Adam's apple bobbed. Sinter could read the man well enough
     without seeing into his mind; the major did not much believe all this, and knew little or
     nothing of Vara Liso.
    “Can you find her for me, without Vara Liso's aid?” “With sufficient numbers of officers,
     we can find her in two or three days. My small crew, by itself, would probably take two or
     three weeks. Dahl is not in a cooperative mood right now, sir. ”
    “No, I suppose not. Well, find her, but do not attempt to arrest her or attract her
     attention in any way. You would fail, as her kind has made so many others fail... ” “Yes,
     sir. ”
    “Tell me what she does, whom she sees. When I give you the order, you will shoot her with
     a large-bore kinetic-energy gun, from a distance, in the head. Understood?” “Yes, sir. ”
    “As you have so faithfully done before. ” “Yes, sir. ”
    “Then you will bring her body to me. Not to the criminalists, but to me, my private
     chambers. Enough, Major. ” “Sir. ” Major Namm departed.
    Sinter did not much trust the competence of any police, in any Sector. They could be
     bribed easily enough, yet Sinter's extended police patrols had not yet managed to bring
     down one robot; all of their targeted individuals had been humans, after all. The robots
     had deceived them very cleverly.
    But Klia Asgar... a young girl, in form at least. How did a robot manage to appear to
     grow? There were so many mysteries Sinter looked forward to solving.
    Brain fever's effect on curiosity, and on civilization in general, was not the most
     interesting of those mysteries, not at all. No mystery at all. Sinter strongly suspected
     that robots had created the disease, perhaps millennia before, after their banishment from
     the worlds of humans-their goal to subtly
    reduce intellectual capacity, creating an Empire that so seldom rebelled against the
     Center...
    His mind whirled at the