The End of the Stars

Galaxy 20,000 Years Later Series

Part 1：Dream of the Foundation
Part VI：Bayta Darell
Chapter 20：End of the Galaxy
Episode 46

Outside the home of Lee Senter late at night, he looked up at the soft blue streak of the galaxy hanging in the sky and spoke to his daughter, Wanda, who stood beside him.

“Well, well, that’s good. I must say, it’s perfect,” Lee murmured.

“Dors’s offer weighed on my heart, but it was the ending I wanted. At first, I never thought the Mule was a mutant who could manipulate others’ emotions. That was a shock . . . “

Wanda, with a slightly dissatisfied expression, interjected, “Father, isn’t that a bit too self-congratulatory? In the end, you didn’t really do anything!”

Lee smiled and looked over at his daughter. “Wanda, that’s a case of ‘a parent’s heart unknown to their child.’ I’ve been preparing for years. I wrote the script.”

Wanda furrowed her brows, looking a bit unsatisfied, and said, “Since I played such a big role this time, you could at least share it with me as a reward.”

Lee was silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, then gave a faint smile. “You’d probably only end up resenting me again, but fine, I’ll tell you. There’s an old saying from the home planet of humanity: ‘Be as shrewd as a serpent and as innocent as a dove.’ And Foundation’s Salvor Hardin also said, ‘Don’t let petty morals stand in the way of doing good.’ That’s the Zeroth Law. Hari Seldon learned that here from Demerzel—or rather, from Daneel Olivaw.”

Wanda, though confused, was intrigued. “What do you mean, Father? Specifically?”

Lee, pleased by his daughter’s curiosity but still leaving a bit of mystery, answered, “You’ll have to figure the rest out yourself. Dors’s body should already be collected by either Demerzel or perhaps Mr. Daneel, or Leonardo. And as for Bayta, she must have reached Haven, the territory of my rival, Randu, by now.”

Lee turned his gaze to a hologram displayed in the corner of the study and nodded quietly. “Everything fell into place with only a few seconds to spare.Mr. Poor Mis, but I’m sure it was a comfort to her that, just before her death, she realized this is the Second Foundation.”

“People of the Second Foundation need more than just empathy. They also need a talent for acting.”

Wanda’s eyes widened in surprise. “Then… does ‘the Edge of the Stars’ mean the Second Foundation here?”

Lee smiled contentedly. “Yes. The galaxy’s spiral distorts space. You’d understand this if you study astrophysics. And here, the beginning is also the end, Wanda. Take my teachings and look toward the future of the galaxy.”

Wanda kept her father’s words close to her heart, and before long, her expression turned to one of deep resolve.

To be continued…