Chapter 3

In the  ancient days when the Galactic Empire  had embraced the Galaxy, andAnacreon had  been the richest of the prefects  of the Periphery, more thanone emperor had visited the Viceregal Palace in state. And not one had leftwithout at least one  effort to pit his skill with air speedster and needlegun  against  the  feathered   flying  fortress  they  call  the  Nyakbird.
The fame  of Anacreon had withered to nothing with  the decay of the times.
The Viceregal  Palace was a drafty  mass of ruins except  for the wing thatFoundation workmen  had restored. And no Emperor  had been seen in Anacreonfor two hundred years.
But Nyak  hunting was still the royal sport and a  good eye with the needlegun still the first requirement of Anacreon's kings.
Lepold I, King of  Anacreon and ?as was invariably, but untruthfully added?Lord  of the Outer Dominions,  though not yet sixteen  had already provedhis skill many times over. He had brought down his first Nyak when scarcelythirteen; had  brought down his tenth  the week after his  accession to thethrone; and was returning now from his forty-sixth.
"Fifty  before I  come of age,"  he had  exulted. "Who'll take  the wager?"But  Courtiers don't  take wagers  against the  king's skill. There  is thedeadly danger  of winning. So no  one did, and the  king left to change hisclothes in high spirits.
"Lepold!"The king  stopped mid-step at the one voice that could  cause him to do so.
He turned sulkily.
Wienis stood  upon the threshold of  his chambers and beetled  at his youngnephew.
"Send   them  away,"   he   motioned  impatiently.   "Get  rid   of  them."The king  nodded curtly and the two chamberlains  bowed and backed down thestairs. Lepold entered his uncle's room.
Wienis  stared  at the  king's  hunting  suit morosely.  "You'll have  moreimportant   things   to   tend  to   than   Nyak   hunting  soon   enough."He turned his back  and stumped to his desk. Since he had grown too old forthe rush  of air, the perilous dive within wing-beat  of the Nyak, the rolland climb of the  speedster at the motion of a foot, he had soured upon thewhole sport.
Lepold appreciated his uncle's  sour-grapes attitude and it was not withoutmalice that  he began enthusiastically,  "But you should have  been with ustoday, uncle. We flushed one in the wilds of Sarnia that was a monster. Andgame as they come. We had it out for two hours over at least seventy squaremiles of ground. And then I got to Sunwards ?he was motioning graphically,as  though he  were  once more  in his  speedster ?and  dived torque-wise.
Caught him  on the rise just  under the left wing  at quarters. It maddenedhim and  he canted athwart. I took his dare  and veered a-left, waiting forthe plummet.  Sure enough, down he  came. He was within  wing-beat before Imoved and then ?
"Lepold!""Well!?I got him.""I'm sure you did. Now will you attend?"The king  shrugged and  gravitated to the  end table where he  nibbled at aLera nut  in quite  an unregal sulk.  He did not  dare to  meet his uncle'seyes.
Wienis  said,  by  way   of  preamble,  "I've  been  to  the  ship  today.""What ship?""There is only one  ship. The ship. The one the Foundation is repairing forthe navy.  The old Imperial cruiser. Do  I make myself sufficiently plain?""That one?  You see, I told you the Foundation would  repair it if we askedthem  to. It's  all poppycock, you  know, that  story of yours  about theirwanting to attack us.  Because if they did, why would they fix the ship? Itdoesn't make sense, you know.""Lepold, you're a fool!"The king, who had  just discarded the shell of the Lera nut and was liftinganother to his lips, flushed.
"Well  now,  look here,"  he  said,  with anger  that  scarcely rose  abovepeevishness, "I don't think you ought to call me that. You forget yourself.
I'll be of age in two months, you know.""Yes, and  you're in a  fine position to assume  regal responsibilities. Ifyou spent half the  time on public affairs that you do on Nyak hunting, I'dresign the regency directly with a clear conscience.""I don't care. That  has nothing to do with the case, you know. The fact isthat even  if you  are the regent and  my uncle, I'm still  king and you'restill my subject. You oughtn't to call me a fool and you oughtn't to sit inmy presence, anyway. You  haven't asked my permission. I think you ought tobe   careful,   or  I   might   do   something  about   it  pretty   soon."Wienis'  gaze   was  cold.  "May  I  refer   to  you  as  'your  majesty'?""Yes.""Very well! You are a fool, your majesty!"His dark eyes blazed from beneath his grizzled brows and the young king satdown slowly. For a  moment, there was sardonic satisfaction in the regent'sface, but  it faded quickly. His thick lips parted in  a smile and one handfell upon the king's shoulder.
"Never  mind,  Lepold. I  should  not have  spoken  harshly to  you. It  isdifficult  sometimes to  behave with  true propriety  when the  pressure ofevents is  such as ?You  understand?" But if the  words were conciliatory,there was something in his eyes that had not softened.
Lepold said  uncertainly, "Yes. Affairs of  State are deuced difficult, youknow." He wondered, not  without apprehension, whether he were not in for adull siege  of meaningless details on the year's  trade with Smyrno and thelong,  wrangling  dispute  over  the sparsely  settled  worlds  on the  RedCorridor.
Wienis was  speaking again. "My boy, I had thought to  speak of this to youearlier, and  perhaps I should have, but I  know that your youthful spiritsare impatient of the dry detail of statecraft."Lepold nodded. "Well, that's all right?
His uncle broke in  firmly and continued, "However, you will come of age intwo months. Moreover, in the difficult times that are coming, you will haveto take  a full  and active part. You  will be king  henceforward, Lepold."Again Lepold nodded, but his expression was quite blank.
"There will be war, Lepold.""War! But there's been truce with Smyrno?
"Not Smyrno. The Foundation itself.""But,   uncle,   they've   agreed   to   repair  the   ship.   You   said?
His voice choked off at the twist of his uncle's lip.
"Lepold" ? some of the friendliness had gone ?we are  to talk man to man.
There is  to be  war with the  Foundation, whether the ship  is repaired ornot; all the sooner, in fact, since it is being repaired. The Foundation isthe source of power and might. All the greatness of Anacreon; all its shipsand its  cities and its people and its commerce  depend on the dribbles andleavings of power that  the Foundation have given us grudgingly. I rememberthe  time ? I, myself  ?when the  cities of  Anacreon were warmed  by theburning of coal and  oil. But never mind that; you would have no conceptionof it.""It seems,"  suggested the  king timidly, "that  we ought to  be grateful?
"Grateful?"  roared  Wienis. "Grateful  that  they begrudge  us the  merestdregs, while keeping space  knows what for themselves ?and keeping it withwhat purpose  in mind? Why, only  that they may some  day rule the Galaxy."His hand  came down on his  nephew's knee, and his  eyes narrowed. "Lepold,you are king of Anacreon. Your children and your children's children may bekings  of the  universe  ?if  you have  the power  that the  Foundation iskeeping from us!""There's something  in that." Lepold's  eyes gained a sparkle  and his backstraightened. "After  all, what right  have they to keep  it to themselves?
Not fair, you know. Anacreon counts for something, too.""You see,  you're beginning to understand. And now,  my boy, what if Smyrnodecides to  attack the Foundation for its own part  and thus gains all thatpower? How long do you suppose we could escape becoming a vassal power? Howlong would you hold your throne?"Lepold  grew excited. "Space,  yes. You're  absolutely right, you  know. Wemust strike first. It's simply self-defense."Wienis' smile broadened slightly. "Furthermore, once, at the very beginningof the reign of  your grandfather, Anacreon actually established a militarybase  on the  Foundation's  planet, Terminus  ?a  base vitally  needed fornational defense.  We were forced to  abandon that base as  a result of themachinations of  the leader of that Foundation, a  sly cur, a scholar, withnot  a drop  of  noble blood  in his  veins.  You understand,  Lepold? Yourgrandfather  was  humiliated  by  this commoner.  I  remember  him! He  wasscarcely older than myself  when he came to Anacreon with his devil's smileand devil's  brain ?and the power of the  other three kingdoms behind him,combined   in  cowardly   union   against  the   greatness  of   Anacreon."Lepold flushed  and the  sparkle in his  eyes blazed. "By Seldon,  if I hadbeen my grandfather, I would have fought even so.""No, Lepold. We decided  to wait ?to wipe out the insult at a fitter time.
It had been your father's hope, before his untimely death, that he might bethe one  to ? Well, well!" Wienis  turned away for  a moment.  Then, as ifstifling  emotion,  "He  was  my  brother.  And  yet,  if  his  son  were?
"Yes, uncle,  I'll not fail him. I have decided.  It seems only proper thatAnacreon  wipe  out  this nest  of  troublemakers,  and that  immediately.""No, not  immediately. First,  we must wait  for the repairs  of the battlecruiser to  be completed. The mere fact that  they are willing to undertakethese repairs  proves that they fear  us. The fools attempt  to placate us,but we are not to be turned from our path, are we?"And Lepold's fist slammed against his cupped palm.
"Not while I am king in Anacreon."Wienis' lip twitched sardonically. "Besides which we must wait for SalvorHardin to arrive.""Salvor Hardin!" The king grew suddenly round-eyed, and the youthfulcontour of his beardless face lost the almost hard lines into which theyhad been compressed.
"Yes, Lepold, the leader of the Foundation himself is coming to Anacreon onyour birthday ?probably to soothe us with buttered words. But it won'thelp him.""Salvor Hardin!" It was the merest murmur.
Wienis frowned. "Are you afraid of the name? It is the same Salvor Hardin,who on his previous visit, ground our noses into the dust. You're notforgetting that deadly insult to the royal house? And from a commoner. Thedregs of the gutter.""No. I guess not. No, I won't. I won't! We'll pay him back ?but...but ?
I'm afraid ?a little."The regent rose. "Afraid? Of what? Of what, you young? He choked off.
"It would be...uh...sort of blasphemous, you know, to attack theFoundation. I mean? He paused.
"Go on."Lepold said confusedly, "I mean, if there were really a Galactic Spirit,he...uh...it mightn't like it. Don't you think?
"No, I don't," was the hard answer. Wienis sat down again and his lipstwisted in a queer smile. "And so youreally bother your head a great deal over the Galactic Spirit, do you?
That's what comes of letting you run wild. You've been listening to Verisofquite a bit, I take it.""He's explained a great deal?
"About the Galactic Spirit?""Yes.""Why, you unweaned cub, he believes in that mummery a good deal less than Ido, and I don't believe in it at all. How many times have you been toldthat all this talk is nonsense?""Well, I know that. But Verisof says?
"Pay no heed to Verisof. It's nonsense."There was a short, rebellious silence, and then Lepold said, "Everyonebelieves it just the same. I mean all this talk about the Prophet HariSeldon and how he appointed the Foundation to carry on his commandmentsthat there might some day be a return of the Galactic Paradise: and howanyone who disobeys his commandments will be destroyed for eternity. Theybelieve it. I've presided at festivals, and I'm sure they do.""Yes, they do; but we don't. And you may be thankful it's so, for accordingto this foolishness, you are king by divine right ?and are semi-divineyourself. Very handy. It eliminates all possibilities of revolts andinsures absolute obedience in everything. And that is why, Lepold, you musttake an active part in ordering the war against the Foundation. I am onlyregent, and quite human. You are king, and more than half a god ?to them.""But I suppose I'm not really," said the king reflectively.
"No, not really," came the sardonic response, "but you are to everyone butthe people of the Foundation. Get that? To everyone but those of theFoundation. Once they are removed there will be no one to deny you thegodhead. Think of that!""And after that we will ourselves be able to operate the power boxes of thetemples and the ships that fly without men and the holy food that curescancer and all the rest? Verisof said only those blessed with the GalacticSpirit could?
"Yes, Verisof said! Verisof, next to Salvor Hardin, is your greatest enemy.
Stay with me, Lepold, and don't worry about them. Together we will recreatean empire-not just the kingdom of Anacreon-but one comprising every one ofthe billions of suns of the Empire. Is that better than a wordy 'GalacticParadise'?""Ye-es.""Can Verisof promise more?""No.""Very well." His voice became peremptory. "I suppose we may consider thematter settled." He waited for no answer. "Get along. I'll be down later.
And just one thing, Lepold."The young king turned on the threshold.
Wienis was smiling with  all but his eyes. "Be careful on these Nyak hunts,my  boy. Since  the unfortunate  accident to  your father,  I have  had thestrangest presentiments  concerning you,  at times. In  the confusion, withneedle guns thickening the  air with darts, one can never tell. You will becareful, I  hope. And you'll do as I say  about the Foundation, won't you?"Lepold's  eyes widened  and dropped away  from those  of his uncle.  "Yes ?
certainly.""Good!"  He  stared  after  his  departing  nephew,  expressionlessly,  andreturned to his desk.
And Lepold's thoughts as  he left were somber and not unfearful. Perhaps itwould be best to  defeat the Foundation and gain the power Wienis spoke of.
But afterward,  when the war was  over and he was  secure on his throne?Hebecame acutely conscious of  the fact that Wienis and his two arrogant sonswere at present next in line to the throne.
But he was king. And kings could order people executed.
Even uncles and cousins.