Foundation

Back on Trantor, Brother Dawn (Cassian Bilton) chases after the guards marching with a shackled Sareth, wondering what is going on. Demerzel tells him that Sareth’s people were behind the assassination attempt, and questions his ability to be impartial. (Of course, she knew that Dawn and Sareth were plotting to conceive their own child.) “There will be no Empress, nor future heir whose line is marred with ill-intent,” she intones. “All is once again as it should be.” As she turns away, Dawn notices the green paint on her neck, left as a warning by Dusk—he know Dawn would correctly interpret the sign, since earlier they’d looked at a mural together with an image of green paint marking a betrayer from Empire’s past. Demerzel knows almost everything—but she doesn’t realize the paint is there until it’s too late. That gives Dawn enough time to swoop into Sareth’s room, grab her, and take off running.

Elsewhere on Trantor, a panicky underling is watching a transmission that’s showing the entire fleet folding in on itself—including the vessel that Day was on (at least, prior to being booted into open space). The crisis gets worse as the feed cuts to Dawn and Sareth addressing the crowds, telling them of Day’s death and announcing their own planned nuptials. To her horror, Demerzel realizes it’s not really Dawn and Sareth making the transmission… it’s Sareth’s servants, disguised by facial scramblers. Dawn calls Demerzel, telling her he knows she killed Dusk. She warns him her programming means she will be forced to hunt them down, and says they’ll just decant another Dawn clone and people will forget about this version of him. Sareth’s not so sure—and she breaks the news that she’s pregnant with Dawn’s child. Demerzel almost sobs as Dawn calls Demerzel “the closest thing to a mother I’ve ever had,” and Sareth and Dawn zoom away to parts unknown.