First published in Foundations Friends: Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov (1989), by Harry Turtledove. This Science Fiction Short Story is an Interquel, taking place between the events of "The General (Foundation)" and "The Mule", describing the "Great Sack".
Emperor Dagobert VIII, the latest in a long line of galactic emperors living on the City Planet Trantor, is losing ground against Gilmer, a galactic warlord intent on taking Trantor so that he can Sack the planet of its valuables. With only one other sector on the planet still fighting Gilmer's forces, he evacuates, leaving the University to fend for itself against a military intent on pacifying the entire planet.
With Dagobert VIII gone from Trantor, Gilmer considers himself "Emperor of the Galaxy and Lord of All", with only one remaining threat to his throne, the University. The students and faculty, having turned warriors for the cause of defending what they consider more precious than their lives, have proven remarkably effective but offer a cease-fire to discuss terms of surrender.
"Trantor Falls" provides examples of:
- Badass Bookworm: Gilmer, a Galactic Conqueror with an army large enough to take most of Trantor is impressed by the students-turned-soldiers when he visits the University, which is the one sector of the City Planet that he hasn't won by force. These college students had fought his soldiers back multiple times, and he was invited to discuss terms for peace. The Dean of the university is their general, the head librarian is their chief of staff, and their dietician is their quartermaster.
- Covert Group with Mundane Front: The library is actually the Second Foundation, hiding under the nose of the First Galactic Empire. Their knowledge of esoteric lore comes in handy when trying to convince people to leave them alone.
- Decoy Protagonist: The narration is first from the perspective of Emperor Dagobert VIII, but then it shifts to one of his advisors, Dr Yokim Sarns, as the emperor chooses to flee from Trantor, while Dean Sarns remains behind to defend his University. Their mutual antagonist is Galactic Conqueror Gilmer, who is trying to Sack Trantor.
- Dramatic Irony: The end of the story have the Second Foundation characters remarking how unlikely it would be for someone else to discover the mind-touch, which is exactly what happens in "The Mule".
- Galactic Conqueror: Gilmer wants to be the first warlord to take Trantor and exploit its riches, yet he's aware that others will try to attack him while he's weak, and must begin fortifying the defenses that he's just destroyed.
- Going Down with the Ship: With Trantor nearly conquered, Emperor Dagobert VIII extends an invitation to Dr Yokim Sarns to take him along as they evacuate the planet. Dr Sarns politely refuses, saying that his duty is to stay with the University because he is the Dean of the school.
- Great Big Library of Everything: To convince Gilmer, a galactic warlord intent on sacking the entire planet of Trantor, not to destroy their library, the administration offers him a tour to see what they do, and lean heavily on their secret knowledge being something they could willingly share, as long as their library was left intact, of course. They show him around the enormous stacks of old material, and explain how this is only a fraction of the knowledge that they would provide his subordinates for free if he doesn't try to blow up the library.
- King Bob the Nth:
- Emperor Dagobert VIII must evacuate Trantor, referencing the appearance of Dagobert IX in "The Mule".
- Now that he has conquered Trantor, the warlord Gilmer calls himself Gilmer I, comparing himself to luminaries such as Dagobert VIII (whom he has just defeated), Cleon II (from "The General (Foundation)"), and Stannell VI (mentioned in "The Merchant Princes")
- Interquel: This story takes place between the events of "The General (Foundation)" and "The Mule", telling how the Dagobert dynasty had to evacuate Trantor yet the University survived.
- Magic Librarian: The people from the University, especially Dean Sarns, try their best to subtly intimidate Gilmer by their vast stores of knowledge and promises to train his military in repairing and operating the technological marvels they've got. When Gilmer returns to his Imperial palace with a peace treaty between equals, his consort, Billye, complains that he must have been enspelled by the "wizards".
- The Magnificent:
- Now that he has conquered Trantor, the warlord Gilmer compares himself to luminaries such as Ammenetik the Great. He also grants himself titles such as "Emperor of the Galaxy and Lord of All".
- Mockingly, Gilmer names Dean Sarns as "the scourge of the lecture halls".
- Only One Name:
- In Dagobert VIII's court, he and Marshal Rodak never use any additional names.
- In Gilmer I's court, he and his consort, Billye, never use any additional names.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: Gilmer describes the women his soldiers have captured much the same way that he describes the gems and wine available on Trantor. Even his lowest-ranking members can be choosy about what they take from the enormous City Planet. In contrast, Dean Sarns is aware that they have forty-two rape victims (37 women and 5 men) in their medical clinic (and an unknown number around the planet), and doesn't particularly care what "treasures" they take, as long as the University is left alone.
- Resolved Noodle Incident: This story describes the "Great Sack", mentioned by Dagobert IX and the Encyclopedia Galactica in "The Mule".
- The Reveal: At the end of the story, we learn what secret the University has been protecting, They're the Second Foundation, and they're trying to minimize the number of times warlords like Gilmer take over Trantor.
