"There's natural size, a natural complexity, some optimum quality for everything, whether star or atom, and it's certainly true of living things and living societies. I don't say the old Galactic Empire was ideal, and I can certainly see flaws in the Foundation Confederation, but I'm not prepared to** say that because total Isolation is bad, total Unification is good. They each** may both be equally horrible, and an old-fashioned Galactic Empire, however imperfect, may be the best we can do."
Bliss shook her head. "I wonder if you believe yourself, Trevize. Are you going to argue that a virus and a human being are equally unsatisfactory, and wish to settle for something in-between-like a slime mold?"
"No. But I might argue that a virus and a superhuman being are equally unsatisfactory, and wish to settle for something in-between-like an ordinary person. There is, however, no point in arguing. I will have my solution when I find Earth. On Melpomenia, we found the co-ordinates of forty-seven other Spacer worlds."
"And you'll visit them all?"
"Every one, if I have to."
"Risking the dangers on each."
"Yes, if that's what it takes to find Earth."
Pelorat had emerged from the room within which he had left Fallow, and seemed about to say something when he was caught up in the rapid-fire exchange between Bliss and Trevize. He stared from one to the other as they spoke in turn.
"How long would it take?" asked Bliss.
"However long it takes," said Trevize, "and we ought find what we need on the next one we visit."
"Or on none of them."
"That we cannot know till we search."
And now, at last, Pelorat managed to insert a word. "But why look, Golan? We have the answer."
Trevize waved an impatient hand in the direction of Pelorat, checked the motion, turned his head, and said blankly, "What?"
"I said we have the answer. I tried to tell you this on Melpomenia at least five times, but you were so wrapped up in what you were doing-"
"What answer do we have? What are you talking about?"
"About Earth. I think we know where Earth is."
Part Six Alpha
Chapter 16 The Center of the Worlds
69.
TREVIZE stared at Pelorat for a long moment, and with an expression of clear displeasure. Then he said, "Is there something you saw that I did not, and that you did not tell me about?"
"No," answered Pelorat mildly. "You saw it and, as I just said, I tried to explain, but you were in no mood to listen to me."
"Well, try again."
Bliss said, "Don't bully him, Trevize."
"I'm not bullying him. I'm asking for information. And don't you baby him."
"Please," said Pelorat, "listen to me, will you, and not to each other. Do you remember, Golan, that we discussed early attempts to discover the origin of the human species? Yariff's project? You know, trying to plot the times of settlement of various planets on the assumption that planets would be settled outward from the world of origin in all directions alike. Then, as we moved from newer to older planets, we would approach the world of origin from all directions."
Trevize nodded impatiently. "What I remember is that it didn't work because the dates of settlement were not reliable."
"That's right, old fellow. But the worlds that Yariff was working with were part of the second expansion of the human race. By then, hyperspatial travel was far advanced, and settlement must have grown quite ragged. Leapfrogging very long distances was very simple and settlement didn't necessarily proceed outward in radial symmetry. That surely added to the problem of unreliable dates of settlement.
"But just think for a moment, Golan, of the Spacer worlds. They were in the first wave of settlement. Hyperspatial travel was less advanced then, and there was probably little or no leapfrogging. Whereas millions of worlds were settled, perhaps chaotically, during the second expansion, only fifty were settled, probably in an orderly manner, in the first. Whereas the millions of worlds of the second expansion were settled over a period of twenty thousand years; the fifty of the first expansion were settled over a period of a few centuries-almost instantaneously, in comparison. Those fifty, taken together, should exist in roughly spherical symmetry about the world of origin.
"We have the co-ordinates of the fifty worlds. You photographed them, remember, from the statue. Whatever or whoever it is that is destroying information that concerns Earth, either overlooked those co-ordinates, or didn't stop to think that they would give us the information we need. All you have to do, Golan, is to adjust the co-ordinates to allow for the last twenty thousand years of stellar motions, then find the center of the sphere. You'll end up fairly close to Earth's sun, or at least to where it was twenty thousand years ago."
Trevize's mouth had fallen slightly open during the recital and it took a few moments for him to close it after Pelorat was done. He said, "Now why didn't I think of that?"
"I tried to tell you while we were still on Melpomenia."
"I'm sure you did. I apologize, Janov, for refusing to listen. The fact is it didn't occur to me that-" He paused in embarrassment.
Pelorat chuckled quietly, "That I could have anything of importance to say. I suppose that ordinarily I wouldn't, but this was something in my own field, you see. I am sure that, as a general rule, you'd be perfectly justified in not listening to me."
"Never," said Trevize. "That's not so, Janov. I feel like a fool, and I well deserve the feeling. My apologies again-and I must now get to the computer."