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The laughter was pleasantly reassuring. "Every voting system has undesir-
of Democracy, spelled with a big D. "
Grumbles came from a gentry faction predictably. "So do their oppo-
nents! History teaches us " He paused to let a small ripple spread through the
crowd, up-
turned faces speculating Was he going to at last speak of psychohis-
tory? only to dash their hopes by calmly continuing, " that such mantles come
in many fashions, and all have patches. "We have many minorities, many spread
among Sectors large and small. And in the entire Galactic spi-
ral. Zones of varying weight. Such groups are never veil depicted in our
politics if we elect representatives strictly by majority vote in each Sector
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or
Zone. "
"Should be happy with what is!" cried a prominent member.
"I respectfully disagree. We must change history demands it!"
Shouts, applause. Onward. "Therefore I propose a new rule. If a Sector has,
say, six contested seats, then do not split the Sector into six districts.
Instead, give each voter six votes. He or she can distribute votes among
candidates spreading them, or casting them all for one candidate. This way, a
cohesive minority can capture a representative if they vote together.
"
A curious silence. Hari gave weight to his last words. He had to get the
Hari had always felt that, as his mother always said, "If a man has any
greatness in him, it comes to light not in a flamboyant hour but in the ledger
of his daily work. " This was usually intoned when Hari had neglected his
daily chores in favor of a math book.
Now he saw the reverse: greatness imposed from without.
In the grand reception rooms he felt himself whisked from knot to knot of
sharp-eyed delegates, each with a question. All assumed that he would parley
with them for their votes.
He deliberately did not. Instead, he spoke of the tiktoks, of Sark. And
waited.
Cleon had departed, as custom required. The factions gathered eagerly around
Hari.
"What policy for Sark?"
"Quarantine. "
"But chaos reigns there now!"
"It must burn out. "
"That is merciless! You pessimistically assume "
"Sir, 'pessimist' is a term invented by optimists to describe realists. "
"You're avoiding our Imperial duty, letting riot "
"/ have just come from Sark. Have you?"
By such flourishes he avoided most of the grubby business of soliciting
resentation could alter the fate of the Empire. But it could alter his
fate....
Hari had assumed, despite mounting evidence to the contrary, that hard work
and punishingly high standards are demanded of all grown men, that life is
tough and unforgiving, that error and disgrace were irreparable. Impe-
rial politics had seemed to be a counterexample, but he was beginning, as talk
swirled all around him
Word came by Imperial messenger that Lamurk wished to speak with him. "Where?"
Hari whispered. "Away, outside the palace. "
"Fine by me. "
And exactly what Daneel had predicted. Even Lamurk would not attempt a move
again inside the palace, after the last one.
12.
On his way, he caught a comm-squirt.
A wall decoration near the palace sent a blip of compressed data into his
wrist-sponder. As Hari waited in a vestibule for Lamurk he opened it.
Fifteen Lamurk aides and allies had been injured or killed. The images were
immediate: a fall here, a lift crash there. All accumulated over the last few
hours, when the confluence of the High Council made their probable locations
known.
Hari thought about the lives lost. His responsibility, for he had assem-
bled the components. The robots had targeted the victims without knowing
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them, eating up time. Apparently Lamurk had not yet heard that his allies were
gone.
Daneel had said he needed five minutes to "bring off the effect, " what-
ever that meant.
He parried with Lamurk as more moments slipped by. He carefully used a
nonaggressive body posture and mild tones to calm Lamurk; such skills he now
understood, after the pans. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]