"Common? Then other Solarians also have these death chambers?" asked Trevize.
"Oh yes, we all do, but mine is the best, the most elaborate, the most perfectly preserved."
Trevize said, "Do you have your own death chamber already prepared?"
"Certainly. It is completely constructed and appointed. That was done as my first duty when I inherited the estate. And when I am laid to ash-to be poetic-my successor will go about the construction of its own as its first duty."
"And do you have a successor?"
"I will have when the time comes. There is as yet ample scope for life. When I must leave, there will be an adult successor, ripe enough to enjoy the estate, and well lobed for power-transduction."
"It will be your offspring, I imagine."
"Oh yes."
"But what if," said Trevize, "something untoward takes place? I presume accidents and misfortunes take place even on Solaria. What happens if a Solarian is laid to ash prematurely and it has no successor to take its place, or at least not one who is ripe enough to enjoy the estate?"
"That rarely happens. In my line of ancestors, that happened only once. When it does, however, one need only remember that there are other successors waiting for other estates. Some of those are old enough to inherit, and yet have parents who are young enough to produce a second descendant and to live on till that second descendant is ripe enough for the succession. One of these old/young successors, as they are called, would be assigned to the succession of my estate."
"Who does the assigning?"
"We have a ruling board that has this as one of its few functions-the assignment of a successor in case of premature aching**. It is all done by holovision, of course."
Pelorat said, "but see here, if Solarians never see each other, how would anyone know that some Solarian somewhere has unexpectedly-or expectedly, for that matter-been laid to ash."
Bander said, "When one of us is laid to ash, all power at the estate ceases. If no successor takes over at once, the abnormal situation is eventually noticed and corrective measures are taken. I assure you that our social system works smoothly."
Trevize said, "Would it be possible to view some of these films you have here?"
Bander froze. Then it said, "It is only your ignorance that excuses you. What you have said is crude and obscene."
"I apologize for that," said Trevize. "I do not wish to intrude on you, but we've already explained that we are very interested in obtaining information on Earth. It occurs to me that the earliest films you have would date back to a time before Earth was radioactive. Earth might therefore be mentioned. There might be details given about it. We certainly do not wish to intrude on your privacy, but would there be any way in which you yourself could explore those films, or have a robot do so, perhaps, and then allow any relevant information to be passed on to us? Of course, if you can respect our motives and understand that we will try our best to respect your feelings in return, you might allow us to do the viewing ourselves."
Bander said frigidly, "I imagine you have no way of knowing that you are becoming more and more offensive. However, we can end all this at once, for I can tell you that there are no films accompanying my early half-human ancestors."
"None?" Trevize's disappointment was heart-felt.
"They existed once. But even you can imagine what might have been on them. Two half-humans showing interest in each other or, even," Hander cleared its throat, and said, with an effort, "interacting. Naturally, all half-human films were destroyed many generations ago."**
"What about the records of other Solarians?"
"All destroyed."
"Can you be sure?"
"It would be mad not to destroy them."
"It might be that some Solarians were mad, or sentimental, or forgetful. We presume you will not object to directing us to neighboring estates."
Bander looked at Trevize in surprise. "Do you suppose others will be as tolerant of you as I have been?"
"Why not, Bander?"
"You'll find they won't be."
"It's a chance we'll have to take."
"No, Trevize. No, any of you. Listen to me."
There were robots in the background, and Bander was frowning.
"What is it, Bander?" said Trevize, suddenly uneasy.
Bander said, "I have enjoyed speaking to all of you, and observing you in all your-strangeness. It was a unique experience, which I have been delighted with, but I cannot record it in my diary, nor memorialize it in film."
"Why not?"
"My speaking to you; my listening to you; my bringing you into my mansion; my bringing you here into the ancestral death chambers; are shameful acts."
"We are not Solarians. We matter to you as little as these robots do, do we not?"
"I excuse the matter to myself in that way. It may not serve as an excuse to others."
"What do you care? You have absolute liberty to do as you choose, don't you?"
"Even as we are, freedom is not truly absolute. If I were the only Solarian on the planet, I could do even shameful things in absolute freedom. But there are other Solarians on the planet, and, because of that, ideal freedom, though approached, is not actually reached. There are twelve hundred Solarians on the planet who would despise me if they knew what I had done."
"There is no reason they need know about it."
"That is true. I have been aware of that since you've arrived. I've been aware of it all this time that I've been amusing myself with you. The others must not find out."