第6章 宠臣
The tiny ships had appeared out of the vacant depths and darted into the midst of the Armada. Without a shot or a burst of energy, they weaved through the ship-swollen area, then blasted on and out, while the Imperial wagons turned after them like lumbering beasts. There were two noiseless flares that pinpointed space as two of the tiny gnats shriveled in atomic disintegration, and the rest were gone.
在深邃空虚的太空中，出现了数艘小型星际战舰，以迅疾的速度冲入敌方的舰队。它们并未立即开火，而是先穿越敌舰最密集的区域，然后才发动攻势。帝国舰队巨大的星舰立即转向，像疯狂的巨兽般开始追击。不久之后，两艘如同蚊蚋的星舰消失在核爆中，两团烈焰无声无息地照亮太空深处，其他几艘则纷纷急速逃逸。
The great ships searched, then returned to their original task, and world by world, the great web of the Enclosure continued.
巨型星舰搜索了一阵子，又继续执行原来的任务。一个世界接着一个世界，巨大的包围网建构得愈来愈致密。
Brodrig's uniform was stately; carefully tailored and as carefully worn. His walk through the gardens of the obscure planet Wanda, now temporary Imperial headquarters, was leisurely; his expression was somber.
布洛缀克的制服威严而体面，那是细心剪裁加上细心穿戴的结果。现在，他正走过偏僻的万达行星上的花园，这里是帝国远征舰队的临时司令部。他的步履悠闲，神情却有些忧郁。
Bel Riose walked with him, his field uniform open at the collar, and doleful in its monotonous gray-black.
贝尔·里欧思与他走在一起，他穿着野战服，领子敞开，浑身单调的灰黑色令他显得阴沉。
Riose indicated the smooth black bench under the fragrant tree-fern whose large spatulate leaves lifted flatly against the white sun. "See that, sir. It is a relic of the Imperium. The ornamented benches, built for lovers, linger on, fresh and useful, while the factories and the palaces collapse into unremembered ruin."
他们来到一株吐着香气的大型羊齿树下，竹片状的巨叶遮住了强烈的阳光。里欧思指了指树下一把黑色的长椅。“大人，您看，这是帝国统治时期的遗迹。这把装饰华丽的长椅，是专为情侣设计的，如今仍然屹立，几乎完好如新。可是工厂和宫殿，都崩塌成一团无法辨识的废墟了。”
He seated himself, while Cleon II's Privy Secretary stood erect before him and clipped the leaves above neatly with precise swings of his ivory staff.
里欧思自己坐了下来。克里昂二世的枢密大臣屹立在他面前，精准地挥动着手中的象牙手杖，将头上的叶子利落地斩下一片又一片。
Riose crossed his legs and offered a cigarette to the other. He fingered one himself as he spoke, "It is what one would expect from the enlightened wisdom of His Imperial Majesty to send so competent an observer as yourself. It relieves any anxiety I might have felt that the press of more important and more immediate business might perhaps force into the shadows a small campaign on the Periphery."
里欧思跷起二郎腿，递给对方一根香烟。他自己一面说话，一面也掏出一根。“大帝陛下英明，派来一位像您这么能干的监军，真是不作第二人想。我本来还有些担心，生怕有更重要、更急迫的国家大事，会把银河外缘这桩小战事挤到一边。”
"The eyes of the Emperor are everywhere," said Brodrig, mechanically. "We do not underestimate the importance of the campaign; yet still it would seem that too great an emphasis is being placed upon its difficulty. Surely their little ships are no such barrier that we must move through the intricate preliminary maneuver of an Enclosure."
“大帝的慧眼无所不在。”布洛缀克公式化地说，“我们不会低估这场战事的重要性，话说回来，你却似乎过分强调它的困难。他们那些小星舰绝不可能构成任何阻碍，我们犯不着费那么大的功夫，进行布置包围网的准备。”
Riose flushed, but he maintained his equilibrium. "I can not risk the lives of my men, who are few enough, or the destruction of my ships which are irreplaceable, by a too-rash attack. The establishment of an Enclosure will quarter my casualties in the ultimate attack, howsoever difficult it be. The military reasons for that I took the liberty to explain yesterday."
里欧思涨红了脸，但是仍然勉力维持镇定。“我不能拿部下的生命冒险，他们的人数本来就不多；我也不能采取太过轻率的攻击行动，那样会损耗珍贵无比的星舰。一旦包围网完成，无论总攻击如何艰难，我军伤亡都能减低到原先的四分之一。昨天，我已经趁机向您解释了军事上的理由。”
"Well, well, I am not a military man. In this case, you assure me that what seems patently and obviously right is, in reality, wrong. We will allow that. Yet your caution shoots far beyond that. In your second communication, you requested reinforcements. And these, against an enemy poor, small, and barbarous, with whom you have had not one' skirmish at the time. To desire more forces under the circumstances would savor almost of incapacity or worse, had not your earlier career given sufficient proof of your boldness and imagination."
“好吧，好吧，反正我不是军人。在这个问题上，你已经让我相信，表面上明显的事实，其实根本是错误的。这点我们可以接受。可是，你的小心谨慎也太过走火入魔。在你传回的第二份奏章中，你竟然要求增援。对付那么一撮贫穷、弱小、野蛮的敌人，在尚未进行任何接触战之前，你竟然就先做这种要求。在这种情况下要求增援，若非你过去的经历充分证明你的英勇和智慧，你一定会被视为无能，甚至引起更糟的联想。”
"I thank you," said the general, coldly, "but I would remind you that there is a difference between boldness and blindness. There is a place for a decisive gamble when you know your enemy and can calculate the risks at least roughly; but to move at all against an unknown enemy is boldness in itself. You might as well ask why the same man sprints safely across an obstacle course in the day, and falls over the furniture in his room at night."
“我很感谢您，”将军冷静地答道，“但是请让我提醒您，勇敢和盲目是两回事。倘若我们了解敌人的虚实，而且至少能够大致估计风险，那就大可放手一搏。但是在敌暗我明的情况下贸然行动，却是一种冒失的行为。您想想看，为什么一个人，白天能在充满障碍物的道路上奔跑，晚上却会在家里被家具绊倒。”
Brodrig swept away the other's words with a neat flirt of the fingers. "Dramatic, but not satisfactory. You have been to this barbarian world yourself. You have in addition this enemy prisoner you coddle, this trader. Between yourself and the prisoner you are not in a night fog."
布洛缀克优雅地挥了挥手，把对方的话挡回去。“说得很生动，但是无法令人满意。你自己曾经去过那个蛮子世界。此外你还留着一个敌方的俘虏，就是那个行商。你从那个俘虏口中，多少也该问出些什么了。”
"No? I pray you to remember that a world which has developed in isolation for two centuries can not be interpreted to the point of intelligent attack by a month's visit. I am a soldier, not a cleft-chinned, barrel-chested hero of a subetheric trimensional thriller. Nor can a single prisoner, and one who is an obscure member of an economic group which has no close connection with the enemy world introduce me to all the inner secrets of enemy strategy."
“是吗？我祈求您别忘了，针对一个孤立发展了两个世纪的世界，不可能仅仅探查了一个月，就能计划出一个精密的军事行动。我是一名军人，而不是次乙太三维惊险影片中，那些满脸刀疤、浑身肌肉的英雄。至于那名俘虏，他只是一个商业团体中的小角色，而且那个团体和敌方世界并没有太密切的关系，我不可能从他口中，问出敌军的重大战略机密。”
"You have questioned him?"
“你审问过他吗？”
"I have."
“审问过了。”
"Well?"
“结果呢？”
"It has been useful, but not vitally so. His ship is tiny, of no account. He sells little toys which are amusing if nothing else. I have a few of the cleverest which I intend sending to the Emperor as curiosities. Naturally, there is a good deal about the ship and its workings which I do not understand, but then I am not a tech-man."
“有点用处，但不算太重要。他的那艘太空船很小，没有任何军事价值。他所兜售的那些小玩具，顶多只能算是新奇有趣。我拣了几件最精巧的，准备献给大帝赏玩。当然，那艘船上有许多装置和功能我都不了解，然而我又不是技官。”
"But you have among you those who are," pointed out Brodrig.
“但是你身边总有些技官吧。”布洛缀克明白指出。
"I, too, am aware of that," replied the general in faintly caustic tones. "But the fools have far to go before they could meet my needs. I have already sent for clever men who can understand the workings of the odd nuclear field-circuits the ship contains. I have received no answer."?
“这我也晓得。”将军以稍带挖苦的口吻回答，“但是那些笨蛋太差劲，根本就帮不上我的忙。我所需要的专家，必须懂得那艘船上古怪的核场线路，我也已经派人去找了。目前为止，还没有任何回音。”
"Men of that type can not be spared, general. Surely, there must be one man of your vast province who understands nucleics."
“将军，这种人才十分难求。可是，在你所统治的广大星省中，总该有人懂得核子学吧？”
"Were there such a one, I would have him heal the limping, invalid motors that power two of my small fleet of ships. Two ships of my meager ten that can not fight a major battle for lack of sufficient power supply. One fifth of my force condemned to the carrion activity of consolidating positions behind the lines."
“假如真有这样的人才，我早就叫他帮我修理我们的发动机了；我的小小舰队中，有两艘星舰上的发动机根本不灵光。在我仅有的十艘星舰中，就有两艘由于动力不足，无法投入主要的战役。换句话说，我有五分之一的军力，只能用来担任巩固后方这种无关紧要的工作。”
The secretary's fingers fluttered impatiently. "Your position is not unique in that respect, general. The Emperor has similar troubles."
大臣的手指不耐烦地拍动着。“将军，这方面的问题并非你的专利，就连大帝也有同样的困扰。”
The general threw away his shredded, never-lit cigarette, lit another, and shrugged. "Well, it is beside the immediate point, this lack of first-class tech-men. Except that I might have made more progress with my prisoner were my Psychic Probe in proper order."
将军把捏得稀烂却从未点燃的香烟丢掉，点着了另一根，然后耸耸肩。“嗯，这并非燃眉之急的问题，我是指缺乏一流技官这件事。不过，假使我的心灵探测器没有失灵，应该就能从那名俘虏口中获得更多情报。”
The secretary's eyebrows lifted. "You have a Probe?"
大臣扬了扬眉。“你有心灵探测器？”
"An old one. A superannuated one which fails me the one time I needed it. I set it up during the prisoner's sleep, and received nothing. So much for the Probe. I have tried it on my own men and the reaction is quite proper, but again there is not one among my staff of tech-men who can tell me why it fails upon the prisoner. Ducem Barr, who is a theoretician of parts, though no mechanic, says the psychic structure of the prisoner may be unaffected by the Probe since from childhood he has been subjected to alien environments and neural stimuli. I don't know. But he may yet be useful. I save him in that hope."
“一个古董。早就过时了，我需要用的时候，它偏偏失灵。当那个俘虏熟睡时，我试着使用那个装置，结果什么也没有探测到。这并非探测器的问题。我拿自己的部下做过实验，反应都相当正常；可是我身边那些技官，却没有谁能够向我解释，为什么偏偏在那个俘虏身上就不管用。杜森·巴尔虽然不是工程师，对于理论却很精通，他说或许那名俘虏的心灵结构对探测器具有免疫性；可能是由于他自孩提时代起，就处于一种异常环境中，并且神经受过刺激。我不知道这种说法对不对。但是他仍然可能有点用处，所以我把他留了下来。”
Brodrig leaned on his staff. A shall see if a specialist is available in the capital. In the meanwhile, what of this other man you just mentioned, this Siwennian? You keep too many enemies in your good graces."
布洛缀克倚着手杖。“我帮你找一找，看看首都有没有哪位专家有空。不过，你刚才提到的另外一个人，那个西维纳人，他又有什么用处？你身边养着太多敌人了。”
"He knows the enemy. He, too, I keep for future reference and the help he may afford me."
“他很了解我们的敌人。我把他留在身边，也是为了他还能提供许多建议和帮助。”
"But he is a Siwennian and the son of a proscribed rebel."
“但他是西维纳人，他的父亲还是一名遭到放逐的叛徒。”
"He is old and powerless, and his family acts as hostage."
“他已经年老力衰，家人还都被我当做人质。”
"I see. Yet I think that I should speak to this trader, myself."
“我明白了。但我认为，我应该亲自和那名行商谈一谈。”
"Certainly."
“当然可以。”
"Alone," the secretary added coldly, making his point.
“单独谈。”大臣以冷峻的口气特别强调。
"Certainly," repeated Riose, blandly. "As a loyal subject of the Emperor, I accept his personal representative as my superior. However, since the trader is at the permanent base, you will have to leave the front areas at an interesting moment."
“当然可以。”里欧思温顺地重复了一遍，“身为大帝的忠实臣民，钦命代表就是我的顶头上司。然而，因为那个行商被关在固定的军事基地，想要见他，您需要在适当时机离开前线。”
"Yes? Interesting in what way?"
“是吗？什么样的适当时机？”
"Interesting in that the Enclosure is complete today. Interesting in that within the week, the Twentieth Fleet of the Border advances inward towards the core of resistance." Riose smiled and turned away.
“包围网今天已经完成了；一周内，‘边境第二十舰队’就要向内推进，直捣反抗力量的核心。这就是我所谓的适当时机。”里欧思微微一笑，转过头去。
In a vague way, Brodrig felt punctured.
布洛缀克有一种模糊的感觉，感到自尊心被刺伤了。