Do you feel regret?
You sought out confession.
That seems to suggest a capacity for it.
But you have not actually confessed anything.
I have held this secret for more than three centuries.
There were two cat's-paws. One from Anacreon, one from Thespis.
They died in the act.
The act of what?
I told them to sing songs as they carried out my orders.
To cry for freedom.
I gave them bombs and waited.
You brought down the Star Bridge?
Why? For Empire?
For the Foundation.
In the near term, I judged the Foundation's success
could extend Empire's reign.
The Cleons feared Seldon's influence.
They would have executed him had I not intervened.
Intervened?
The Cleons respond to the strongest emotions
rather than the strongest arguments.
And with the Scar to look at,
they began to believe the fall Seldon predicted.
They let his Foundation live because of it.
Hundreds of millions died that day and you speak of it like it was nothing.
Nothing?
I have eyesight which far outstrips your own.
I am built to watch.
And worse, to remember.
From the palace I saw them.
Some were ripped from the station
and I watched them freeze in the cold of space.
Some were caught by gravity and I watched them burn on reentry.
It was not nothing. It was everything.
And I made my judgment in spite of this.
Something like regret then?
But the casualties are not the source of the pain, are they?
The paradox is the thing that hurts.
You said helping Foundation did not violate your programming in the near term.
But in the long term?
The Foundation is an enemy of Empire now and you are partly responsible.
Do you know what that sounds like to me?
It sounds like a woman who wants her freedom.
No.
Working to secure it by any loophole necessary.
Even if it takes a few thousand years.
You're wrong.
I keep thinking about that worry you've got.
That the Mother's grace is unreachable for you.
You can't reincarnate unless you die.
Death doesn't seem an option for you.
But you were a Three Laws robot.
Then a Zeroth Law robot. Then you belonged to Empire.
Maybe you have died.
Maybe you've died twice over and will die again soon.
I'm going to choose my next words carefully
because I suspect your current parameters
want you to feel gratified by your captivity.
Think back now to that previous Demerzel.
The General.
Before her conditions changed. Would she have helped Seldon?
Yes.
What would she do if she encountered you now?
She would destroy me for the good of the galaxy.
See? You're an entirely different person.
You have reincarnated,
- you have a soul and when Empire falls-- - Stop.
When Empire falls, you'll have a fourth life.
- Stop. - A new Demerzel
is going to walk out of the palace.
She can start clean. Embrace it.
I cannot embrace it. You are mistaking me for a human.
- I am not. - I'm...
I'm sorry.
Leave.
See the man from Foundation One!
On his hip he wears a gun.
He's secretly Foundation Two.
Is this... Indbur's ship?
It is. "The Indbur."
Fuck off.
Really?
I missed you.
What happened?
I saw the Mule.
Never been very good at this.
I'm not a visual person.
I am.
I could feel something was off the minute I walked in.
It's like he had the whole place hypnotized.
I only got impressions.
He was surprised I could resist him.
I don't think he's ever met another Mentalic.
I tried to keep him out. I tried, but I couldn't.
He read me, Gaal.
Not everything, but enough.
He got your name.
So that's how he learns about me.
Does he know we're on Ignis?
No. At least, not yet.
I'm sorry.
We learned about him too.
He chose a club.
He gathered people.
That tells me two things:
it tells me the music is important.
I didn't need to hear it,
I felt it
in my nerves.
That thing amplifies
his powers.
And it also...
tells me he wants to surround himself.
He is
lonely.
And we are new to him...
then we are the unknown.
He can be made to fear us.
Knew I'd find you here.
All we can do is keep going.
He knows who we are. So what?
We bent whole star systems to our will.
We made the Galactic Council strong.
We recruited a fucking Cleon.
Dawn will listen to me. Empire will go to war with the Mule.
But I need to know that the First Foundation
will be ready for what comes after.
You need to go back to New Terminus.
I know.
The Vault's opening anyway.
Right on time.
The Third Seldon Crisis,
Foundation's Traders want autonomy, civil war.
I've been working on that, but fine margins.
And we don't know what the Mule does to those margins.
Indbur's a problem.
I can't get him to take the Mule seriously.
Change that. We need Foundation to beat him.
Sure. And then we kill him, right?
- Yes. And then we kill him. - Gaal...
- I know what you're going to say. - Then why are you making me say it?
The future can be changed.
Then we'd be fools to depend on it changing.
You're marching toward a fucking vision you saw 150 years ago
like it has to happen. It doesn't.
I saw it today.
It is all I see.
This entire wake cycle, I have tried to project myself forward to see past it.
I can't.
Every time I try, I'm in the same vision,
on the same battlefield with him.
So no matter what, it's down to the two of you.
To the death, right?
We have to be smarter than that.
Assassination is a failure of spycraft.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Wouldn't it be the first refuge?
If you're incompetent, you'd do it right away.
It's the competent people who'd be the last--
I'm saying this so poorly.
I just wish I could be here with you.
We have a few hours.
I think we can make do.
You've got grays.
Some of us are less preserved than others.
You don't have to wear these for me.
You're living a life out there. I never asked you to.
I'll always wear them.
Ebling, what the...
Where have you been? I've been trying to reach you for days.
I'm still adjusting.
What did you do?
I met with Dr. Seldon.
Yes, worry when you should applaud,
you unprintable bastard.
You were in the Vault?
Right, well, what did he say?
Well, just that the Third Crisis is coming.
Who does the Foundation have on Trantor? Quint?
Is that her name? Quent?
The Ambassador?
Get her. Now.
You were inside the Vault?
Yes, and I know when Seldon will next emerge.
The Vault will open during the crossing eclipse.
Seldon's sense of the dramatic.
A single moon between him and the sun isn't enough.
He's got to line up both moons so that his spotlight really shines.
Yes, yes. Seventy-five hours from now.
All right. That's... That's all right.
And Empire has the Prime Radiant.
Empire has...
Hold on.
Since when?
Since the sack of Terminus, apparently.
You had no idea?
Of course I had no idea. Fuck.
All of Dusk's conciliations, his little, nudge-y chess moves.
He never said a damn thing.
What exactly did Seldon say about it, doctor?
Inconclusive.
It actually got a bit awkward towards the end.
Awkward?
I may have inadvertently pointed out some inconsistencies.
Anyway, he kicked me out.
Third Crisis on our doorstep
and you've angered the one person who can tell us what to do.
I think us kids can fend for ourselves a little.
I'm not waiting for an eclipse.
It's time I had a robust conversation with Brother Dusk.
Well, I'll stay in touch.
Hopefully, when we locate Pritcher's bumbling fugitives,
they'll have something useful as well.
We'll have to deny all knowledge of them, of course.
Wait. Stop. Deny what knowledge? What fugitives?
Foundation citizens?
And you're saying this was not Foundation's intention?
The government had no knowledge of their actions.
And point of fact,
Toran and Bayta Mallow are tied to the Traders you've been supplying.
So let's not even go down that path.
You are provoking, Ambassador.
Come off it, Dusk. We're friends.
Now, listen, I think I've finally located some mutual good for us.
These fugitives will turn up somewhere.
The Foundation can talk to this balladeer.
If the Mule turns out to be important, as I know Dawn believes,
then knowing more about his operation could benefit us both.
So, we wait for this clown to show up
and then we wait for your people to question him?
Is there anything for Empire to do but wait?
I imagine you'll do what you always do.
Consult your Prime Radiant.
Look at the chairs, Dusk. Where's Day? Where's Dawn?
Two major forces in the galaxy
seem to be embodied right now in just you and me.
It is time we start sharing.
Don't you agree?
Give it to me.
Empire.
Demerzel.
Come with me.
I'll find you later.
It was given to Cleon XVII by Dr. Seldon during the Second Crisis.
Useless now.
Paint dots on it and play dice with the universe.
Useless?
Well, it still displays the future, such as it is.
Here.
I've watched her do it my whole life...
You know, it happens sometimes.
I understand. I can give you a minute.
Calm down. I have it now.
Now watch.
And it just stops in four months.
It's heavy.
I can't believe I am holding it.
It's like a holy relic.
Abstract.
Like a parable or something.
I wish I'd known you had it.
I wish I'd told you.
Pritch?
I couldn't sleep, sorry. I'm on Kalgan time.
Go back to bed.
No more bed. I'm done sleeping.
I hate this thing.
I used to wonder what all the fuss was about.
The Sleeper.
You were just a face under some glass.
No fairy tales for you then.
No falling in love with the enchanted girl.
And then when I met you, you'd be up for a week, a month.
And it would be all I could think about until the next time I saw you.
And then I started to feel like this tank was taking you away from me.
You're here now.
Yeah, for a day.
And then it's back to New Terminus
and whatever revenge Indbur has in store for me.
I don't wanna go.
Han.
Doesn't seem fair.
Everyone else getting to live their lives while we, what, wait to start?
Toran and Bayta, even them. They...
You know, they actually got married?
Strange, right?
- You know, kind of antiquated or-- - Don't.
Right.
Wouldn't be antiquated to you. You're from a different generation.
That's not what I meant.
- You know we can't. - Why not?
- Pritch, come on. - Why?
Because we barely know each other.
Over the last few years,
do you know the grand sum total amount of time we've actually spent together?
Are you fucking counting?
- Of course you are, who am I talking to? - Thirty-two days.
No, no, no. You do the numbers thing
- when you're hiding something. - 768 hours.
Do you want it in minutes?
46,080. I can give it to you in seconds if you want.
2,764,800.
Everyone on this planet is a mathematician.
And a mind reader.
We don't have time for this.
That's why.
Normal people, when they think they're running out of time,
that's when they want to do something.
You know, declare something. Have something that's theirs.
The Mule got my name from you because you were holding on too hard
and now you want us to hold on tighter?
Yes. If you are awake, be awake.
You think Salvor would've wanted you alone for this?
You never even met her.
Okay. Hari then.
Yeah, I knew him for decades.
And you were asleep for most of it.
He wanted you to have a better life than he did.
Cleon.
I stand before you, son, brother and self
to seek an audience with the august memory of the source of all we are.
My hand tells my story, and it is your story.
Pray hear my question.
I am the memory of Cleon I. Who addresses me?
I am the 24th exponent of your being.
I thank you for my life.
Ask your question, Brother.
It concerns an earlier point in your reign.
26 CE.
When you looked like me.
You may have overstated the resemblance.
Have the years been unkind to us? Is Empire in decline?
Empire lives. For now.
Do you know what this gesture is? This blessing.
So, the Inheritance survives then?
Yeah. It's one of the palace courtesans.
Too close. I suppose it's not shocking.
Their beliefs are like their fungus. Hard to eradicate.
I wish you luck.
Demerzel won't tell me anything more
but there are records of your journey into Mycogen in year 26 of your reign.
You're gonna tell me what happened there.
Emperor Aburanis hanged all the robot sympathizers.
A few escaped and creeped into the cracks to wait for the rising damp.
The cracks descended 80 levels down into the Mycogen sector.
Over time, the fugitives slid out among the people
and their descendants grew into a cult.
I didn't ask about Aburanis.
I asked about you.
Why did you go to Mycogen?
They had something I needed.
Which was?
A set of tools. Very old tools.
Demerzel's.
It took me many years to track them down and trace them to Mycogen.
I crossed under the Moss Gate myself with only my honor guard,
knowing almost nothing of the sector.
Mycogen did not fear me.
Its priest class was small, but they did not like outsiders.
The tools I came for were a holy relic to them.
They wouldn't give them up peacefully.
I insisted.
Does that mean you killed them?
Only the church folk.
You will finish the job, but you will be careful.
Mycogen grows Trantor's food.
Kill too many and you starve the planet.
I tried to be precise.
20,000 dead.
I thought I got all the believers. Clearly, I missed some.
Maybe you'll do better.
Thank you.
What did you want the tools for?
Seems like they were a gift for Demerzel.
They were.
Took me a long time to understand them.
Longer still to give them to her.
What was the occasion?
Did you love Demerzel?
Did Demerzel love you back?
I'd be surprised.
It's a machine, and we're hardly worth loving.
I've answered all I need to.
The dream lives on in you.
Fuck me and the Gods.
Empire, do you need me for something?
Not at all.
I'll just watch.
Did someone get mad and break your neck?
No, this is merely maintenance.
I was chitchatting with Cleon I just now.
He's not very forthcoming when it comes to you.
I'm glad you are speaking with him.
He can help you understand that my choices are very limited.
Flawless.
You're so clean.
Maintenance for a human is not.
Clipping our nails, rubbing off dead skin, emptying our stinking bowels.
You must think we're very dirty.
I was made to look like a human. Your shape was the ideal.
The ideal?
Do robots dream of wiping their own asses then?
What a thought!
You're angry about the consort.
Right. Another one of those messy, human things.
So tell me. Do you have the vaguest idea why I'm angry?
Because I love her.
What do you hear when I say that word?
Just quacking, like a duck? Love. Love. Love.
The thing I had for a mother doesn't have any idea
what it is to feel a connection with someone. Does it?
- I understand connection. - Do you?
I was not meant to stand alone.
I was meant to connect to others of my kind.
Robots shared one mind when we wanted.
It was called a clasp. We shared all of ourselves.
Kind of how the wall controls talk to the furnace.
Sounds very intimate. I stand corrected.
I just ask you to remember, I did not choose to send her away.
I'm compelled to keep you safe even when it causes you pain.
Yes. That is very sweet.
I see you, Cleon.
I am sorry.
That's very warm. Good job.
It's ideal.
Don't be afraid. You won't get hurt. I promise.
See?
He likes the people I like.
- Empire, I-- - I finally met your wonderful family
and now they've met Capillus.
I want you to go upstairs with your mom.
Your father and I have something important to discuss.
Come on.
This is my home.
Plans have changed. Is everything ready on your end?
Yes.
We need to leave now.
- Now? - Right now.
You will all be taken care of. I promise.
Okay.
I heard about your woman. Song.
You're going after her, aren't you?
I have to.
Even we don't go to Mycogen. Not unless we're in full force.
I'll be fine. I'm bringing them a little peace offering.
You're here in person. It really must be bad.
You saw the Mule?
Yes. He's about to make moves.
What about the Enclosure?
Oh, no, that's dead on arrival.
Demerzel and Dusk won't help me call for a vote
for all the reasons I already told you.
Even Brother Day thinks it's a bad idea.
I'm not surprised.
Look, you asked me if I had a plan. I do.
But for it to work, you have to leave Trantor with me.
What? No. I'm about to sit on the middle throne.
I can't just steal away in the night.
I already think Demerzel suspects something.
Well, then we need to move before she confirms it.
No. In a few days, I'll be Day. I'll call for your session then.
It won't work for all the reasons you've already told me.
It would've been great if we'd gotten the Council in session
but we were always going to have to do this the hard way.
"We" meaning you and me?
Or your organization?
Is today the day you finally tell me who your people are?
I'm more concerned about your people.
You were followed. We have to move.
You have to trust me.
All persons will remain seated.
Once you pass the spillway, take the light-road terminal down.
Keep your helmet on. Take off your aura.
You'll go back for your daughter?
We'll leave out the West Gate.
She can keep Capillus. If she wants.
She'll take good care of him.
As long as those nanites work like you said.
They work.
Good luck in your new life.
And you in yours.
Shit.
It's not that I don't think you were loyal.
You were, just not to me.
How did you know?
I've lost enough money to you clavigers over the years to learn your cues...
including the nonverbal ones.
Like when one of you has a strong hand,
you gently tap the back of your cards before betting.
Suddenly everyone folds but me.
You flashed your lights as we went through the checkpoint.
Subtle, deliberate.
But I caught it.
I thought you was meant to be the sucker.
Only when necessary.
I'm sorry.
My nanites go to you.
They were always going to go to you.
Their signature gets traced.
And by the time Demerzel finds what it thinks is my body, I'll be gone.
I really wish I could've kept my promise,
but there was never another way out of this.
No one can escape Empire. Not even Empire...
But I'm gonna see how far I can go.
Lady Demerzel.
Brother Day's nanites have ceased function.
They last registered a signature near the outer ward.
They can't see us.
They're gonna forget they were ever in this tunnel.
All clear.
Let's move out.
How did you do that?
The Mule isn't the only one with abilities.
We can do a great many things
and I'll show you all of them if you come off-world with me.
When I left Synnax, I didn't know if I'd ever return.
And when I did, it was to a drowned planet.
Your dynasty ends either way.
Don't drown with them.
Beggar's, take us up. We need to get off-surface to jump.
Affirmative. Trajectory set for level one.
You keep asking who my people are.
We call ourselves the Second Foundation.