arms away from his weapons and said, "I greet you."
The young woman considered that for a moment, and said, "I greet thee and I greet thy companions."
Pelorat said joyfully, "How wonderful! She speaks Classical Galactic and with a correct accent."'
"I understand her, too," said Trevize, oscillating one hand to indicate his understanding wasn't perfect. "I hope she understands me."
He said, smiling, and assuming a friendly expression, "We come from across space. We come from another world."
"That is well," said the young woman, in her clear soprano. "Comes thy ship from the Empire?"
"It comes from a far star, and the ship is named Far Star."
The young woman looked up at the lettering on the ship. "Is that what that sayeth? If that be so, and if the first letter is an F, then, behold, it is imprinted backward."
Trevize was about to object, but Pelorat, in an ecstasy of joy, said, "She's right. The letter F did reverse itself about two thousand years ago. What a marvelous chance to study Classical Galactic in detail and as a living language."
Trevize studied the young woman carefully. She was not much more than 1.5 meters in height, and her breasts, though shapely, were small. Yet she did not seem unripe. The nipples were large and the areolae dark, though that might be the result of her brownish skin color.
He said, "My name is Golan Trevize; my friend is Janov Pelorat; the woman is Bliss; and the child is Fallom."
"Is it the custom, then, on the far star from which you come, that the men be given a double name? I am Hiroko, daughter of Hiroko."
"And your father?" interposed Pelorat suddenly.
To which Hiroko replied with an indifferent shrug of her shoulder, "His name, so sayeth my mother, is Smool, but it is of no importance. I know him not."
"And where are the others?" asked Trevize. "You seem to be the only one to be here to greet us."
Hiroko said, "Many men are aboard the fishboats; many women are in the fields. I take holiday these last two days and so am fortunate enough to see this great thing. Yet people are curious and the ship will have been seen as it descended, even from a distance. Others will be here soon."
"Are there many others on this island?"
"There are more than a score and five thousand," said Hiroko with obvious pride.
"And are there other islands in the ocean?"
"Other islands, good sir?" She seemed puzzled.
Trevize took that as answer enough. This was the one spot on the entire planet that was inhabited by human beings.
He said, "What do you call your world?"
"It is Alpha, good sir. We are taught that the whole name is Alpha Centauri, if that has more meaning to thee, but we call it Alpha only and, see, it is a fair-visaged world."
"A what world?" said Trevize, turning blankly to Pelorat.
"A beautiful world, she means," said Pelorat.
"That it is," said Trevize, "at least here, and at this moment." He looked up at the mild blue morning sky, with its occasional drift of clouds. "You have a nice sunny day, Hiroko, but I imagine there aren't many of those on Alpha."
Hiroko stiffened. "As many as we wish, sir. The clouds may come when we need rain, but on most days it seemeth good to us that the sky is fair above. Surely a goodly sky and a quiet wind are much to be desired on those days when the fishboats are at sea."
"Do your people control the weather, then, Hiroko?"
"Did we not, Sir Golan Trevize, we would be soggy with rain."
"But how do you do that?"
"Not being a trained engineer, sir, I cannot tell thee."
"And what might be the name of this island on which you and your people live?" said Trevize, finding himself trapped in the ornate sound of Classical Galactic (and wondering desperately if he had the conjugations right).
Hiroko said, "We call our heavenly island in the midst of the vast sea of waters New Earth."
At which Trevize and Pelorat stared at each other with surprise and delight.
***
THERE was no time to follow up on the statement. Others were arriving. Dozens. They must consist of those, Trevize thought, who were not on the ships or in the fields, and who were not from too far away. They came on foot for the most part, though two ground-cars were in evidence-rather old and clumsy.
Clearly, this was a low-technology society, and yet they controlled the weather.
It was well known that technology was not necessarily all of