CHAPTER ONE COUNCILMAN
第1章 议员
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT, OF COURSE," SAID GOLAN TREVIZE STANDING ON the wide steps of Seldon Hall and looking out over the city as it sparkled in the sunlight.
“我当然不相信。”葛兰·崔维兹说，他正站在谢顿大厅前面宽大的台阶上，眺望着闪耀在阳光下的城市。
Terminus was a mild planet, with a high water/land ratio. The introduction of weather control had made it all the more comfortable and considerably less interesting, Trevize often thought.
端点星是个宜人的行星，“海陆比例”相当高。自从引进气候控制机制之后，整体环境变得更为舒适，但也因此单调不少，崔维兹常这么想。
"I don't believe any of it," he repeated and smiled. His white, even teeth gleamed out of his youthful face.
“我一点也不相信。”他又说了一遍，同时微微一笑，洁白整齐的牙齿绽露在年轻的脸庞上。
His companion and fellow Councilman, Munn Li Compor who had adopted a middle name in defiance of Terminus tradition, shook his head uneasily. "What don't you believe? That we saved the city?"
崔维兹的死党曼恩·李·康普议员（他不顾端点星的传统，坚持要保留中间那个名字）在一旁不安地摇了摇头。“你到底不相信什么？不相信我们拯救了这座城市？”
"Oh, I believe that. We did, didn't we? And Seldon said that we would, and he said we would be right to do so, and that he knew all about it five hundred years ago."
“喔，这点我是相信的。我们不是做到了吗？谢顿说过我们做得到，并且说我们这样做是对的，他早在五百年前就预知了这一切。”
Compor's voice dropped and he said in a half-whisper, "Look, I don't mind your talking like this to me, because I take it as just talk, but if you shout it out in crowds others will hear and, frankly, I don't want to be standing near you when the lightning strikes. I'm not sure how precise the aim will be."
康普压低声音，用近乎耳语的方式说：“听好，你跟我讲这些事，我是不会介意的，因为我认为你只是随便讲讲。可是假如你在大庭广众高声呐喊，那么每个人都会听到。这样的话，坦白讲，一旦你遭到天打雷劈，我可不要站在你身边。我对雷击的准确性不大有信心。”
Trevize's smile did not waver. He said, "Is there harm in saying that the city is saved? And that we did it without a war?"
崔维兹依然笑意不减，他道：“我说这座城市获救了，说我们未曾动武就做到了，这样说说就有什么大害吗？”
"There was no one to fight," said Compor. He had hair of a buttery yellow, eyes of a sky blue, and he always resisted the impulse to alter those unfashionable hues.
“敌人根本不存在。”康普说，他有一头乳黄色的头发，一对天蓝色的眼睛。虽然这两种色彩皆已不再流行，他始终按捺住染发与改变瞳色的冲动。
"Have you never heard of civil war, Compor?'' said Trevize. He was tall, his hair was black, with a gentle wave to it, and he had a habit of walking with his thumbs hitched into the soft-fibered sash he always wore.
“难道你从来没听说过内战吗？康普？”崔维兹问道。他身材高大，黑发微微鬈曲，此外他总是系着一条宽厚的软纤腰带，并且习惯在走路的时候，将拇指勾在腰带上。
"A civil war over the location of the capital?"
“一场由于是否迁都而引爆的内战？”
"The question was enough to bring on a Seldon Crisis. It destroyed Hannis's political career. It put you and me into the Council last election and the issue hung……" He heisted one hand slowly, back and forth, like a balance coming to rest on the level.
“这种问题足以引发一次谢顿危机。它毁掉了汉尼斯的政治前途，帮助你我在上次大选后双双进入议会，而这项争议至今……”他一只手缓缓扭来扭去，好像天平逐渐回到平衡点。
He paused on the steps, ignoring the other members of the government and the media, as well as the fashionable society types who had finagled an invitation to witness Seldon's return (or the return of his image, at any rate).
他在台阶上停下脚步，任由许多人从他身旁穿过。那些人包括政府官员、媒体记者，以及千方百计弄到一张邀请函，前来目睹谢顿重现（更正确地说是影像重现）的社会名流。
All were walking down the stairs, talking, laughing, glorying in the correctness of everything, and basking in Seldon's approval.
这些人沿着台阶往下走，一路上谈笑风生。一切的发展都正确无比，令他们颇感自豪，而谢顿的背书更令他们如沐春风。
Trevize stood still and let the crowd swirl past him. Compor, having walked two steps ahead, paused-an invisible cord stretching between them. He said, "Aren't you coming?"
崔维兹站在原地，任由拥挤的人潮从身边卷过。康普又下了两级台阶，便也停下来，两人好像被一条隐形绳索系住一样。康普说：“你不来吗？”
"There's no hurry. They won't start the Council meeting until Mayor Branno has reviewed the situation in her usual flat-footed, one-syllable-at-a-time way. I'm in no hurry to endure another ponderous speech. -Look at the city!"
“没什么好急的。布拉诺市长一定会以惯有的坚定口气，一字一顿地对当前局势发表评论。在她结束演说之前，议会是不会进行议程的，我可不急着去忍受另一场长篇大论。看看这座城市！”
"I see it. I saw it yesterday, too."
“我看到了，每天都看到了。”
"Yes, but did you see it five hundred years ago when it was founded?"
“没错，可是五百年前，它建立之初的面貌，你曾经见过吗？”
"Four hundred ninety-eight," Compor corrected him automatically. "Two years from now, they'll have the hemimillennial celebration and Mayor Branno will still be in the office at the time, barring events of, we hope, minor probability."
“是四百九十八年前。”康普自然而然更正他，“两年后，我们才要举行五百周年庆。那时布拉诺市长想必仍然在位，但愿如此，除非发生什么几率极小的意外。”
"We hope," said Trevize dryly. "But what was it like five hundred years ago when it was founded? One city! One small city, occupied by a group of men preparing an Encyclopedia that was never finished!"
“但愿如此。”崔维兹冷冷地说，“可是五百年前，它刚刚建好时，你知道是什么样子吗？一个孤独的小城！里面住着些准备编纂一套百科全书的人，结果那项工作一直没有完成！”
"Of course it was finished."
“乱讲，早就完成了。”
"Are you referring to the Encyclopedia Galactica we have now? What we have isn't what they were working on. What we have is in a computer and it's revised daily. Have you ever looked at the uncompleted original?"
“你是指现在这套《银河百科全书》吗？现在的这一套，并不是他们当初所编的。我们现在的版本，内容全部存在电脑中，每天自动进行修订。你见过那套没有完成的原始版本吗？”
"You mean in the Hardin Museum?"
“你是指放在‘哈定博物馆’的那套？”
"The Salvor Hardin Museum of Origins. Let's have the full name, please, since you're so careful about exact dates. Have you looked at it?"
“它叫做‘塞佛·哈定原始资料博物馆’。既然你对时间那么斤斤计较，地点也请使用全名吧。你到底见过没有？”
"No. Should I?"
“没有。我该看看吗？”
"No, it isn't worth it. But anyway-there they were-a group of Encyclopedists, forming the nucleus of a town-one small town in a world virtually without metals, circling a sun isolated from the rest of the Galaxy, at the edge, the very edge. And now, five hundred years later, we're a suburban world. The whole place is one big park, with all the metal we want. We抮e at the center of everything now?"
“不，根本不值得看。反正，当时这座城镇的核心人物，就是那群百科全书编者。当年，端点市只是一个小城镇，建在这个几乎没有金属的世界上，而这个世界围绕着一颗孤独的恒星，远离银河系其他部分，处于银河最外缘的星空。如今，五百年后，我们成了一个边陲重镇。整个行星好像一座大公园，要什么金属有什么金属。这里已经是万事万物的中心！”
"Not really," said Compor. "We're still circling a sun isolated from the rest of the Galaxy. Still at the very edge of the Galaxy."
“并不尽然。”康普说，“我们仍然围绕着一颗孤独的恒星，仍然远离银河系其他部分，仍然处于银河的最外缘。”
"Ah no, you're saying that without thinking. That was the whole point of this little Seldon Crisis. We are more than the single world of Terminus. We are the Foundation, which sends out its tentacles Galaxy-wide and rules that Galaxy from its position at the very edge. We can do it because we're not isolated, except in position, and that doesn't count."
“啊，不对，你这种说法有欠考虑。最近这个小小的谢顿危机，关键也正在这里。我们并非仅仅端点星这一个世界，我们还是基地，触角遍布银河各处，从最边缘的位置控制着整个银河。我们能够如此，正是因为我们并非孤立于银河系，只有地理位置例外，这点却不算什么。”
"All right. I'll accept that." Compor was clearly uninterested and took another step downward. The invisible cord between them stretched farther.
“好吧，我姑且接受你的说法。”康普显然对这个话题不感兴趣，径自跨下一级台阶。两人之间那条隐形绳索因此被拉长了一点。
Trevize reached out a hand as though to haul his companion up the steps again. "Don't you see the significance, Compor? There's this enormous change, but we don't accept it. In our hearts we want the small Foundation, the small one-world operation we had in the old days-the days of iron heroes and noble saints that are gone forever."
崔维兹伸出一只手，仿佛想将他的同伴拉回来。“你难道看不出其中的意义吗，康普？变化如此巨大，我们却不愿接受。在我们心中，只想要一个小小的基地，就如同古时候——一去不复返的英雄与圣徒时代——那样的一个单一小世界。”
"Come on!"
“得了吧！”
"I mean it. Look at Seldon Hall. To begin with, in the first crises in Salvor Hardin's day, it was just the Time Vault, a small auditorium in which the holographic image of Seldon appeared. That was all. Now it's a colossal mausoleum, but is there a force-field ramp in the place? A slideway? A gravitic lift? -No, just these steps, and we walk down them and we walk up them as Hardin would have had to do. At odd and unpredictable times, we cling in fright to the past."
“我是说真的，你看看这个谢顿大厅。在塞佛·哈定的时代，最初几个危机出现时，这个地方只是时光穹窿，只是一个小小的集会厅，专门为了谢顿的全息影像显像而设，如此而已。现在，它被改建成宏伟的纪念堂，可是这里有没有力场坡道？有没有滑道？有没有重力升降梯？没有，仍旧只有这些台阶。我们和当年的哈定一样，必须一阶一阶爬上爬下。每当遇到困难或不可预料的状况，我们就会怀着敬畏的心情，死守着过去的传统。”
He flung his arm outward passionately. "Is there any structural component visible that is metal? Not one. It wouldn't do to have any, since in Salvor Hardin's day there was no native metal to speak of and hardly any imported metal. We even installed old plastic, pink with age, when we built this huge pile, so that visitors from other worlds can stop and say, `Galaxy! What lovely old plastics' I tell you, Compor, it's a sham."
他激动地用力一挥手臂。“你四下看看，看得出任何建材是金属的吗？一样也没有。这根本是故意的，因为在塞佛·哈定时代，本地完全不产任何金属，而进口金属也少得可怜。在建造这座庞然大物的时候，我们甚至刻意使用陈旧的、褪成粉红色的高分子材料。这样一来，其他世界的观光客经过此地，就会忍不住驻足赞叹：‘银河啊！多么可爱的古旧建材！’我告诉你，康普，这是诈欺。”
"Is that what you don't believe, then? Seldon Hall?"
“所以说，你不相信的就是这个吗？谢顿大厅？”
"And all its contents," said Trevize in a fierce whisper. "I don't really believe there's any sense in hiding here at the edge of the Universe, just because our ancestors did. I believe we ought to be out there, in the middle of everything."
“还有它里面的一切。”崔维兹咬牙切齿地低语，“我可不信躲在这个宇宙边缘有什么意义，先人这样做，并不代表我们就该效法。我坚信我们应该勇往直前，走进万事万物之中。”
"But Seldon says you're wrong. The Seldon Plan is working out as it should."
“可是谢顿证明你错了，谢顿计划正在逐步实现。”
"I know. I know. And every child on Terminus is brought up to believe that Hari Seldon formulated a Plan, that he foresaw everything five centuries ago, that he set up the Foundation in such a way that he could spot certain crises, and that his image would appear holographically at those crises, and tell us the minimum we had to know to go on to the next crisis, and thus lead us through a thousand years of history until we could safely build a Second and Greater Galactic Empire on the ruins of the old decrepit structure that was falling apart five centuries ago and had disintegrated completely by two centuries ago."
“我知道，我知道。端点星上的每一个儿童，从小就被灌输了一个根深蒂固的观念：谢顿曾经拟定一个计划，他早在五百年前就预见一切，他建立了这个基地，并预先设定好许多危机。每当危机发生，他的全息影像便会出现，向我们透露最少的讯息，刚好能帮助我们撑到下一个危机。借着这个方式，谢顿将领导我们度过一千年的岁月，直到我们安全地建立一个更伟大的第二银河帝国，用以取代早在五世纪前就四分五裂、两世纪前完全烟消云散的旧帝国。”
"Why are you telling me all this, Golan?"
“你为什么要告诉我这些，葛兰？”
"Because I'm telling you it's a sham. It's all a sham. -Or if it was real to begin with, it's a sham now! We are not our own masters. It is not we who are following the Plan."
“因为我要告诉你，这是假的，通通是假的。即使当初是真的，现在也成了假的！我们不是自己的主人，因为并非我们主动追随这个计划。”
Compor looked at the other searchingly. "You've said things like this before, Golan, but I've always thought you were just saying ridiculous things to stir me up. By the Galaxy, I actually think you're serious."
康普仔细打量着对方。“过去你也曾经跟我讲过这些，葛兰，我总是以为你在胡说八道，故意要戏弄我。银河在上，现在我才确定你是认真的。”
"Of course I'm serious!"
“我当然认真！”
"You can't be. Either this is some complicated piece of fun at my expense or you're out of your mind."
“不可能的。如果这不是捉弄我的高明恶作剧，就是你这个人已经疯了。”
"Neither. Neither," said Trevize, quiet now, hitching his thumbs into his sash as though he no longer needed the gestures of hands to punctuate passion. "I speculated on it before, I admit, but that was just intuition. That farce in there this morning, however, has made it suddenly all. quite plain to me and I intend, in turn, to make it quite plain to the Council."
“都不是，都不是。”崔维兹改以平静的口气说，他两手的拇指又勾住宽腰带，似乎不再需要靠手势来强调他的义愤，“我承认，过去曾经思考过这个问题，但那时我仅仅凭借直觉。然而，今天早上这场闹剧，使我一下子顿悟了一切，因此，我准备让整个议会也大彻大悟。”
Compor said, "You are crazy!"
康普说：“你真的疯了！”
"All right. Come with me and listen."
“跟我来，马上有好戏可看。”
The two walked down the stairs. They were the only ones left-the last to complete the descent. And as Trevize moved slightly to the fore, Compor's lips moved silently, casting a voiceless word in the direction of the other's back: "Fool!"
两人双双走下台阶，此时台阶上也只剩下他们两个人。当崔维兹稍微超前一点时，康普的嘴巴动了几下，冲着他的背后，无声地骂了一句：“笨蛋！”
2
2
Mayor Harla Branno called the session of the Executive Council to order. Her eyes had looked with no visible sign of interest at the gathering; yet no one there doubted that she had noted all who were present and all who had not yet arrived.
赫拉·布拉诺市长站上发言台，宣布会议正式开始。她的目光盯着所有的议员，眼神没有透露任何情绪。但是在场的人都明白，每位议员出席与否，她心里已经全部有数。
Her gray hair was carefully arranged in a style that was neither markedly feminine nor imitation masculine. It was simply the way she wore it, no more. Her matter-of-fact face was not notable for beauty, but somehow it was never for beauty that one searched there.
她的一头灰发仔细梳成一个特殊的发型，既没有女性的味道，也并未模仿男士的风格，总之就是她独一无二的发型。她的严肃面容向来不以美艳着称，却总是散发着吸引人的其他特质。
She was the most capable administrator on the planet. No one could, or did, accuse her of the brilliance of the Salvor Hardins and the Hober Mallows whose histories enlivened the first two centuries of the Foundation's existence, but neither would anyone associate her with the follies of the hereditary Indburs who had ruled the Foundation just prior to the time of the Mule.
她是这颗行星上最能干的管理者。虽然，相较于基地头两个世纪的大功臣塞佛·哈定以及侯伯·马洛，她绝对略逊一筹，但从未有人敢作这个比较。话说回来，也不会有人将她和骡出现前的基地世袭市长——一代不如一代的茵德布尔家族联想到一块。
Her speeches did not stir men's minds, nor did she have a gift for the dramatic gesture, but she had a capacity for making quiet decisions and sticking by them as long as she was convinced she was right. Without any obvious charisma, she had the knack of persuading the voters those quiet decisions would be right
她的演讲并不怎么鼓动人心，也不擅长夸张的手势，但是她具有做出稳当决定的能力，而且只要坚信自己是对的，她就会坚持到底。虽然看不出什么领袖魅力，她总是有本事说服选民，使大家相信她的稳当决定正确无误。
Since by the Seldon doctrine, historical change is to a large degree difficult to swerve (always barring the unpredictable, something most Seldonists forget, despite the wrenching incident of the Mule), the Foundation might have retained its capital on Terminus under any conditions. That is a "might," however. Seldon, in his just finished appearance as a five-century-old simulacrum, had calmly placed the probability of remaining on Terminus at 87.2 percent.
根据谢顿的学说，历史的变迁极难脱出常轨。（不过，总有不可测的意外发生，例如骡所造成的灾变，但大多数谢顿信徒都忘了这一点。）因此，不论发生任何情况，基地都应该一直定都于端点星。然而，请注意“应该”这两个字。谢顿五百年前所录制的拟像，刚才重现之际，曾经以平静的口吻告诉大家，他们继续留在端点星的几率为87.2%。
Nevertheless, even to Seldonists, that meant there was a 12.8 percent chance that the shift to some point closer to the center of the Foundation Federation would have been made, with all the dire consequences that Seldon had outlined. That this one-out-of-eight chance did not take place was surely due to Mayor Branno.
无论如何，即使对谢顿信徒而言，这也表示存在12.8%的几率，对应于首都已经迁到接近基地联邦中心的位置。刚才，谢顿也略述了该项行动将带来的悲惨后果。而这个约有八分之一几率的事件没有发生，无疑是布拉诺市长的功劳。
It was certain she would not have allowed it. Through periods of considerable unpopularity, she had held to her decision that Terminus was the traditional seat of the Foundation and there it would remain. Her political enemies had caricatured her strong jaw (with some effectiveness, it had to be admitted) as an underslung granite block.
她当然不会允许这个企图得逞。过去，即使在声望下跌时，她也始终坚决认为，端点星是基地的传统根据地，必须永远维持这个事实。因此，她的政敌曾在政治讽刺漫画中，把她坚毅的下巴画成一大块花岗石（老实讲，还真有几分神似）。
And now Seldon had backed her point of view and, for the while at least, that would give her an overwhelming political advantage. She had been reported to have said a year earlier that if in the coming appearance Seldon did back her, she would consider her task successfully completed. She would then retire and take up the role of elder statesperson, rather than risk the dubious results of further political wars.
如今，谢顿也表示支持她的观点，让她至少在短时间内，取得了绝对的政治优势。根据报道，她在一年前曾经表示，假如即将出现的谢顿影像果真支持她的看法，她就会自认为已经功德圆满。这样的话，她便要辞去市长，转任资政的职位，以免日后再卷入前途难料的政争。
No one had really believed her. She was at home in the political wars to an extent few before her had been, and now that Seldon's image had come and gone there was no hint of retirement about her.
没有人真正相信她这番话。她在政争中一向表现得如鱼得水，历代市长大多望尘莫及。如今谢顿影像出现过了，果然看不出她有退休的意思。
She spoke in a perfectly clear voice with an unashamed Foundation accent (she had once served as Ambassador to Mandrels, but had not adopted the old Imperial style of speech that was so fashionable now-and was part of what had been a quasi-Imperial drive to the Inner Provinces).
她说话的声音极为清晰，带着浓重的基地口音而毫不脸红。她曾经担任基地驻曼缀斯的大使，却没有学到目前最流行的旧帝国腔调——在帝政时代，内围星省一律使用这种腔调，以凝聚对帝国的向心力。
She said, "The Seldon Crisis is over and it is a tradition, and a wise one, that no reprisals of any kind-either in deed or in speech -be taken against those who supported the wrong side. Many honest people believed they had good reason for wanting that which Seldon did not want. There is no point in humiliating them to the point where they can retrieve their self-respect only by denouncing the Seldon Plan itself. In turn, it is a strong and desirable custom that those who supported the lost side accept the loss cheerfully and without further discussion. The issue is behind us, on both sides, forever."
她说：“这次的谢顿危机已经过去，基于一项睿智的传统，对于当初支持错误观点的人士，我们不会作出言语上或行动上的任何报复。许多正直人士曾经相信，他们有很好的理由，要求谢顿不欲见到的结果。任何人都不该再羞辱他们，否则这些人若要扳回自尊，唯有否定谢顿计划一途。另一方面，曾经支持错误观点的人士，应该欣然接受失败的事实，不要再逞口舌之勇，这是政治人物的基本修养与风范。这件事已成为过去，双方都应该将它抛在脑后。”
She paused, gazed levelly at the assembled faces for a moment, then went on, "Half the time has passed, people of the Council- half the thousand-year stretch between Empires. It has been a time of difficulties, but we have come a long way. We are, indeed, almost a Galactic Empire already and there remain no external enemies of consequence.
她停了一下，以稳重的目光环视议场中每一张脸孔，这才继续说：“各位议员，预定的历程已经过了一半；距离新帝国的诞生，如今只剩五百年。过去的历史充满艰难险阻，但我们已经走过一段漫漫长路。其实，我们几乎已经是一个银河帝国，而且再也没有强大的外敌存在。
"The Interregnum would have endured thirty thousand years, were it not for the Seldon Plan. After thirty thousand years of disintegration, it might be there would be no strength left with which to form an Empire again. There might be left only isolated and probably dying worlds.
“假使没有谢顿计划，新旧帝国之间的大断层，将长达三万年之久。历经三万年的分崩离析，人类可能再也无力重建一个新的帝国。银河中，或许只会剩下许多互相隔离的垂死世界。
"What we have today we owe to Hari Seldom and it is upon his long-dead mind that we must rely for the rest. The danger henceforward, Councillors, is ourselves, and from this point on there must be no official doubt of the value of the Plan. Let us agree now, quietly and firmly, that there are to be no official doubts, criticisms, or condemnations of the Plan. We must support it completely. It has proved itself over five centuries. It is the security of humanity and it must not be tampered with. Is it agreed?"
“我们能有今日的成就，全拜哈里·谢顿之赐。今后的岁月，我们仍将仰赖他当年的明智洞见。从现在起，各位议员，真正的危险在于我们自己。因此从今以后，千万不要再对这个计划提出公开质疑。让我们心平气和并坚决地达成一项共识：今后对伟大的谢顿计划，不会再有任何公开的质疑、批评或诬蔑。我们必须彻底支持这个计划。它已经自我验证了五百年，它是人类安全的唯一凭借，不容受到任何阻挠。大家同意吗？”
There was a quiet murmur. The Mayor hardly looked up to seek visual proof of agreement. She knew every member of the Council and how each would react. In the wake of the victory, there would be no objection now. Next year perhaps. Not now. She would tackle the problems of next year next year.
会场中响起交头接耳声。市长并没有抬起头来，就知道结果必定是一致同意。她对每位议员都一清二楚，知道他们会作出什么反应。她刚刚赢得全面胜利，现在绝不会有人反对她。明年或许又会有麻烦，现在却不可能。明年的问题，留到明年再解决吧。
Always except for……
凡事难免有例外……
"Thought control, Mayor Branno?" asked Golan Trevize, striding down the aisle and speaking loudly, as though to make up for the silence of the rest. He did not bother to take his seat which, since he was a new member, was in fine back row.
“思想控制吗，布拉诺市长？”葛兰·崔维兹一面大步沿着通道走下来，一面使劲大声问道，仿佛要代表所有噤声的议员发言。由于他是新科议员，座位在议场最后一排，但他根本不打算坐在那里。
Branno still did not look up. She said, "Your views, Councilman Trevize?"
布拉诺仍然没有抬起头，只是说：“你的看法呢，崔维兹议员？”
"That the government cannot impose a ban on free speech; that all individuals-most certainly including Councilmen and Councilwomen who have been elected for the purpose-have a right to discuss the political issues of the day; and that no political issue can possibly be divorced from the Seldon Plan:"
“政府无权干涉言论自由，任何人都有权讨论当今的政事。尤其是在座的每位议员先生女士，选民托付我们的就是这件差事。而任何的政治议题，一律脱离不了谢顿计划的范畴。”
Branno folded her hands and looked up. Her face was expressionless. She said, "Councilman Trevize, you have entered this debate irregularly and were out of order in doing so. However, I asked you to state your views and I will now answer you.
布拉诺双手一合，抬起头来，脸上依旧毫无表情。她说：“崔维兹议员，你无端挑起这场争辩，根本不符程序。然而，我还是请你表明自己的意见，然后我会当场答复你。
"There is no limit to free speech within the context of the Seldon Plan. It is only the Plan itself that limits us by its very nature. There can be many ways of interpreting events before the image makes the final decision, but once he makes that decision it can be questioned no further in Council. Nor may it be questioned in advance as though one were to say, `If Hari Seldon were to state thus-and-so, he would be wrong."'
“在谢顿计划的范畴中，并没有限制任何言论自由，只是计划本身对我们造成了某些限制。在谢顿影像出现之前，大家都能对当前的问题，提出不同的解释。但在谢顿公布他的决定之后，即使在议会中，也不得再有任何质疑。而在谢顿现身前，也不可以有人说什么：‘假使哈里·谢顿这样那样说，他就大错特错了。’”
"And yet if one honestly felt so, Madam Mayor?"
“可是，假如某人的确有这种感觉呢，市长女士？”
"Then one could say so, if one were a private individual, discussing fine matter in a private context."
“假如他只是普通人，只是在私下讨论这个问题，他仍旧可以提出来。”
"You mean, then, that the limitations on free speech which you propose are to apply entirely and specifically to government officials?"
“所以你的意思是说，你所提出的对于言论自由的限制，是专门规范政府官员用的？”
"Exactly. This is not a new principle of Foundation law. It has been applied before by Mayors of all parties. A private point of view means nothing; an official expression of opinion carries weight and can be dangerous. We have not come this far to risk danger now."
“正是如此。这并非基地法律的一项新原则，以往的市长，无论属于任何党派，都一直沿袭这项原则。个人私下的观点无足轻重，具有官方身份的人所表达的意见，就会受到重视，因而构成危险。目前，我们还不能对这种行为坐视不顾。”
"May I point out, Madam Mayor, that this principle of yours has been applied, sparsely and occasionally, to specific acts of Council. It has never been applied to something as vast and indefinable as the Seldon Plan."
“市长女士，能否允许我指出，你提到的这项原则，用于议会的例子极少，而且都是针对某些特殊议题。像谢顿计划这种没有定论的大题目，向来不受它的规范。”
"The Seldon Plan needs the protection most, for it is precisely there that questioning can be most fatal."
“谢顿计划尤其需要保护，如果对它质疑，很可能引发不可收拾的后果。”
"Will you not consider, Mayor Branno……" Trevize turned, addressing now the seated rows of Council members, who seemed one and ail to have caught their breath, as though awaiting the outcome of a duel. "Will you not consider, Council members, that there is every reason to think that there is no Seldon Plan at all?"
“请问你是否相信，布拉诺市长……”崔维兹转过身来，面对着台下一排排的议员。所有的议员似乎不约而同屏住了气息，好像在静待这场对决的结果。“请问你们是否相信，各位议员同仁，其实，我们有理由怀疑谢顿计划根本不存在？”
"We have all witnessed its workings today," said Mayor Branno, even more quietly as Trevize became louder and more oratorical.
“今天，大家还亲眼目睹它在运作。”布拉诺市长说。随着崔维兹的口气愈来愈慷慨激昂，她的声音反倒愈来愈平静。
"It is precisely because we have seen its workings today, Councilmen and Councilwomen, that we can see that the Seldon Plan, as we have been taught to believe it to be, cannot exist."
“正是因为我们今天还看到它在运作，各位议员先生女士，所以我们看得出来，我们一直被动相信的谢顿计划，根本不可能存在。”
"Councilman Trevize, you are out of order and must not continue along these lines."
“崔维兹议员，你违反了议事程序，我不准你再继续大发谬论。”
"I have the privilege of office, Mayor."
“市长，身为议员，我有这样的特权。”
"That privilege has been withdrawn, Councilman."
“议员先生，你的特权已经被褫夺了。”
"You cannot withdraw the privilege. Your statement limiting free speech cannot, in itself, have the force of law. There has been no formal vote in Council, Mayor, and even if there were I would have the right to question its legality."
“你不能褫夺这项特权。你刚才提出的对于言论自由的限制，本身并不具备法律效力。这项提案尚未经过议会表决，市长，何况即使表决通过，我仍有权质疑它的合法性。”
"The withdrawal, Councilman, has nothing to do with my statement protecting the Seldon Plan."
“褫夺你的特权，议员先生，和我保护谢顿计划的提议无关。”
"On what, then, does it depend?"
“那么，又是凭什么呢？”
"You are accused of treason, Councilman. I wish to do the Council the courtesy of not arresting you within the Council Chamber, but waiting at the door are members of Security who will take you into custody as you leave. I will ask you now to leave quietly. If you make any ill-considered move, then, of course, that will be considered a present danger and Security will enter the Chamber. I trust you will not make that necessary."
“有人指控你意图叛变，议员先生。为了表示对议会的尊重，我不希望在议会厅中逮捕你。不过，安全局的人正等在门口，一旦你离开议场，他们会立刻将你扣押。我现在请你乖乖退席，你如果轻举妄动，当然就会被视为现行犯，安全局的人就会进入议会厅。我相信，你并不希望发生这种事。”
Trevize frowned. There was absolute silence in the hall. (Did everyone expect this - everyone but himself and Compor?) He looked back at the exit. He saw nothing, but he had no doubt that Mayor Branno was not bluffing.
崔维兹皱起眉头，大厅中则是一片死寂。难道大家早就知道会发生这种事，只有他和康普两人例外？他转头望向出口，什么也没看到，但他确信布拉诺市长并非虚张声势。
He stammered in rage. "1 repre-represent an important constituency, Mayor Branno……"
他火冒三丈，结结巴巴地说：“我代……代表一群重要的选民，布拉诺市长……”
"No doubt, they will be disappointed in you."
“毫无疑问，他们一定会对你感到失望。”
"On what evidence do you bring forth this wild charge?"
“你有什么证据，对我提出如此荒谬的指控？”
"That will appear in due course, but be assured that we have all we need. You are a most indiscreet young man and should realize that someone may be your friend and yet not be willing to accompany you into treason:"
“我在适当时机自然会提出来，但我能向你保证，我们已经掌握充分的证据。你是个极为鲁莽的年轻人，但你应该了解一件事实，即使你的朋友，也不会愿意加入你的叛变行动。”
Trevize whirled to meet Compor's blue eyes. They met his stonily.
崔维兹猛地转身面对康普，只见那对蓝眼睛直勾勾瞪着自己。
Mayor Branno said calmly, "I call upon all to witness that when I made my last statement, Councilman Trevize turned to look at Councilman Compor. Will you leave now, Councilman, or will you force us to engage in the indignity of an arrest within the Chamber?"
布拉诺市长又以平静的口气说：“我请在场所有人士作证，在我刚才进行陈述时，崔维兹议员转身向康普议员望去。你现在愿意退席了吗，议员先生？还是说，你要强迫我们在议场拘捕你，令你尊严尽失？”
Golan Trevize turned, mounted the steps again, and, at the door, two men in uniform, well armed, fell in on either side.
葛兰·崔维兹立即转身，沿着台阶一步步走到出口。他刚跨出议会厅，就有两名身穿制服、全副武装的安全人员，一左一右将他夹在中间。
And Harla Branno, looking after him impassively, whispered through barely parted lips, "Fool!"
赫拉·布拉诺冷冷地望着他的背影，嘴唇微微嚅动：“笨蛋！”
3
3
Liono Kodell had been Director of Security through all of Mayor Branno's administration. It was not a backbreaking job, as he liked to say, but whether he was lying or not, one could not, of course, tell. He didn't look like a liar, but that did not necessarily mean anything.
自从布拉诺市长掌权之后，里奥诺·柯代尔就一直担任安全局局长这个职务。这并不是一件会累坏人的工作，他时常喜欢这样讲，可是他说的究竟是不是实话，当然谁也无法确定。他看起来不像是个会说谎的人，但是这点不一定有任何意义。
He looked comfortable and friendly, and it might well be that this was appropriate for the job. He was rather below the average height, rather above the average weight, had a bushy mustache (most unusual for a citizen of Terminus) that was now more white than gray, bright brown eyes, and a characteristic patch of primary color marking the outer breast pocket of his drab coverall.
他看上去相当和蔼可亲，这对他的工作有莫大的助益。他的身高在一般标准以下，体重却在一般标准之上，留着两撇浓密的胡子（极少有端点星公民这样做），但现在大多已经由灰转白；他的眼睛是浅棕色，黄褐色的制服胸口处绣着一个原色的识别标志。
He said, "Sit down, Trevize. Let us keep this on a friendly basis if we can."
他说：“坐下来，崔维兹，让我们尽量维持友善的态度。”
"Friendly? With a traitor?" Trevize hooked both his thumbs in his sash and remained standing.
“友善的态度？跟一名叛徒？”崔维兹将两根拇指勾在宽腰带上，站在原地一动不动。
"With an accused traitor. `We have not yet come to the point where accusation-even by the Mayor herself-is the equivalent of conviction. I trust we never do. My job is to clear you, if I can. I would much rather do so now while no harm is done-except, perhaps, to your pride-rather than be forced to make it all a matter of a public trial. I hope you are with me in this."
“你只是‘被控’为叛徒。我们还没有进步到起诉就等于定罪的地步，即使指控来自市长本人也不例外；我相信我们从来没有这么做过。而我的工作，就是要尽我所能还你清白。我非常希望在尚未造成任何伤害之前——或许你的尊严是唯一例外——就能让这件事圆满收场，以免不得不举行一场公开审判。我希望你也同意这一点。”
Trevize didn't soften. He said, "Let's not bother with ingratiation. Your job is to badger me as though I were a traitor. I am not one, and I resent the necessity of having to have that point demonstrated to your satisfaction. Why should you not have to prove your loyalty to my satisfaction?"
崔维兹并未软化，他说：“我们不必彼此卖乖了。你的工作就是将我‘视为’叛徒，用这个前提来审讯我。但我并不是叛徒，我也认为没有必要在你面前为自己辩护。你又何必一直想要证明在为我着想呢？”
"In principle, none. The sad fact, however, is that I have power on my side, and you have none on yours. Because of that, it is my privilege to question, and not yours. If any suspicion of disloyalty or treason fell upon me, by the way, I imagine I would find myself replaced, and I would then be questioned by someone else, who, I earnestly hope, would treat me no worse than I intend to treat you."
“原则上，我绝无此意。然而现实是残酷的，如今权力掌握在我这边，而你却一无所有。因此，发问权在我而不在你。万一有一天，有人怀疑我不忠或意图叛变，我相信自己马上会被人取代，然后便会有人来审讯我。那个时候，我衷心希望那个审讯我的人，至少能够像我对你这般客气。”
"And how do you intend to treat me?"
“你又打算如何对待我呢？”
"Like, I trust, a friend and an equal, if you will so treat me."
“我想我可以做到如同朋友和平辈那样，但希望你也这样对我。”
"Shall I stand you a drink?" asked Trevize bitterly.
“我该请你喝杯酒吗？”崔维兹用挖苦的口吻说。
"Later, perhaps, but for now, please sit down. I ask it as a friend."
“等会儿吧，现在，请你先坐下。我是以朋友的态度这样说的。”
Trevize hesitated, then sat. Any further defiance suddenly seemed meaningless to him. "What now?" he said.
崔维兹迟疑片刻，便坐了下来，任何敌对的态度似乎都突然变得毫无意义。“现在要怎样？”他问。
"Now, may I ask that you will answer my questions truthfully and completely and without evasion?"
“现在，我可否请你诚恳地、仔细地回答我一些问题，完全不作任何规避？”
"And if not? What is the threat behind it? A Psychic Probe?"
“假如我不肯呢？我会受到什么样的威胁？心灵探测器吗？”
"I trust not."
“我相信不至于。”
"I trust not, too. Not on a Councilman. It will reveal no treason, and when I am then acquitted, I will have your political head and the Mayor's too, perhaps. It might almost be worth making you try a Psychic Probe."
“我也相信不至于，因为我是一名议员。假使你们那么做，结果只会证明我的清白。等到我无罪开释之后，我就会结束你的政治生命，也许连市长也一并赶下台。这样想来，或许让你用心灵探测器整我一下相当值得。”
Kodell frowned and shook his head slightly. "Oh no. Oh no. Too much danger of brain damage. It's slow healing sometimes, and it would not be worth your while. Definitely. You know, sometimes, when the Probe is used in exasperation……"
柯代尔皱着眉，轻轻摇了摇头。“使不得，使不得。那很可能使你的脑部受到严重损伤，有时需要很长一段时间的疗养。你犯不着冒这个险，绝对不值得！你也知道，有些时候，假如强行使用心灵探测器……”
"A threat, Kodell?"
“柯代尔，你在威胁我？”
"A statement of fact, Trevize. -Don't mistake me, Councilman. If I must use the Probe I will, and even if you are innocent you will have no recourse."
“崔维兹，我只是就事论事——议员先生，请你不要误解。如果必须使用心灵探测器，我绝不会犹豫。即使你是无辜的，你也无权追索任何补偿。”
"What do you want to know?"
“你到底想知道些什么？”
Kodell closed a switch on the desk before him. He said, "What I ask and what you answer to my questions will be recorded, both sight and sound. I do not want any volunteered statements from you, or anything nonresponsive. Not at this time. You understand that, I am sure."
柯代尔打开办公桌上的一个开关，然后说：“我的问话和你的回答，都会以录音和录影的方式保存下来。我不希望你说什么题外话，更不希望你闭口不答。现在千万别这么做，我相信你懂得我的意思。”
"I understand that you will record only what you please," said Trevize contemptuously.
“我当然懂，你只会录下你想要的部分。”崔维兹用轻蔑的口气说。
"That is right, but again, don't mistake me. I wilt not distort anything you say. I will use it or not use it, that is all. But you will know what I will not use and you will not waste my time and yours.
“没错，不过，请你别误会。我不会扭曲你的任何一句话，我只会加以取舍，如此而已。你知道哪些话对我没用，相信你不会浪费彼此的时间。”
"We'll see."
“等着瞧吧。”
"We have reason to think, Councilman Trevize"-and somehow the touch of added formality in his voice was evidence enough that he was recording……"that you have stated openly, and on a number of occasions, that you do not believe in the existence of the Seldon Plan."
“崔维兹议员，我们有理由认为，”他的语气突然变得颇为正式，表示他已经开始录音和录影，“你曾经在某些场合公开声明，你不相信谢顿计划的存在。”
Trevize said slowly, "If I have said so openly, and on a number of occasions, what more do you need?"
崔维兹缓缓答道：“假如我在不少场合，曾经公开大声疾呼，你还需要我再说些什么呢？”
"Let us not waste time with quibbles, Councilman. You know that what I want is an open admission in your own voice, characterized by its own voiceprints, under conditions where you are clearly in perfect command of yourself."
“议员先生，请不要把时间浪费在诡辩上。你该知道，我需要的只是你在绝对清醒，没有受到任何影响之下，亲口坦承这件事情。而在我们的录音中，你的声纹就能证明这一切。”
"Because, I suppose, the use of any hypno-effect, chemical or otherwise, would alter the voiceprints?"
“我想这是因为，假如利用任何催眠效应，不论化学药物或是其他方法，都会改变我的声纹？”
"Quite noticeably."
“变化会相当明显。”
"And you are anxious to demonstrate that you have made use of no illegal methods in questioning a Councilman? I don't blame you ..
“而你渴望证明，你并未采用非法手段审讯一名议员？这点我并不怪你。”
"I'm glad you do not blame me, Councilman. Then let us continue. You have stated openly, and on a number of occasions, that you do not believe in the existence of the Seldon Plan. Do you admit that?"
“议员先生，我很高兴你能够谅解，那就让我们继续吧。你曾经在某些场合公开声明，你不相信谢顿计划的存在。你承认这件事吗？”
Trevize said slowly, choosing his words, "I do not believe that what we call Seldon's Plan has the significance we usually apply to it.
崔维兹说得很慢，措辞极为谨慎。“我们称之为谢顿计划的这个东西，一般人赋予它极重大的意义，可是我不相信。”
"A vague statement. Would you care to elaborate?"
“这个陈述过于含糊，能否请你详加解释？”
"My view is that the usual concept that Hari Seldon, five hundred years ago, making use of the mathematical science of psychohistory, worked out the course of human events to the last detail and that we are following a course designed to take us from the First Galactic Empire to the Second Galactic Empire along the line of maximum probability, is naive. It cannot be so:'
“我的意思是，通常一般人都认为，哈里·谢顿在五百年前，运用心理史学这门数学，巨细无遗地算出人类未来的发展；而我们目前所遵循的既定轨迹，是从第一银河帝国通往第二银河帝国的最大几率线。但我认为这种观念过于天真，不可能是事实。”
"Do you mean that, in your opinion, Hari Seldon never existed?"
“你的意思是说，你认为哈里·谢顿并不存在？”
"Not at all. Of course he existed."
“我绝无此意，历史上当然有他这个人。”
"That he never evolved the science of psychohistory?"
“那么，他从未发展出心理史学这门科学？”
"No, of course I don't mean any such thing. See here, Director, I would have explained this to the Council if I had been allowed to, and I will explain it to you. The truth of what I am going to say is so plain……"
“不，我当然也不是这个意思。听好，局长，我刚才要是有机会，就能把这一点向议会解释得清清楚楚，而我现在就要向你解释。我要说的这番道理，其实非常明显……”
The Director of Security had quietly, and quite obviously, turned off the recording device.
安全局长并未做声，却显然将记录装置关掉了。
Trevize paused and frowned. "Why did you do that?"
崔维兹随即住口，并皱起眉头。“你为什么要关掉？”
"You are wasting my time, Councilman. I am not asking you for speeches."
“你在浪费我的时间，议员先生，我并不是请你来演讲的。”
"You are asking me to explain my views, aren't you?"
“你明明要求我解释自己的观点，不是吗？”
"Not at all. I am asking you to answer questions-simply, directly, and straightforwardly. Answer only the questions and offer nothing that I do not ask for. Do that and this won't take long."
“绝对没有，我只是要求你回答问题——用简单、明了、直接的方式回答。针对我的问题作答，别说任何的题外话。只要你合作，我们很快就能结束。”
Trevize said, "You mean you will elicit statements from me that will reinforce the official version of what I am supposed to have done."
崔维兹说：“你的意思是，你想诱导我作一些陈述，用来强化我已认罪的官方说法。”
"We ask you only to make truthful statements, and I assure you we will not distort them. Please, let me try again. We were talking about Hari Seldon." The recording device was in action once more and Kodell repeated calmly, "That he never evolved the science of psychohistory?"
“我们只要求你据实陈述，我向你保证，我们绝对不会断章取义。拜托，让我再试一遍，我们刚才正谈到哈里·谢顿。”记录装置再度开启，柯代尔用平稳的语气再问一次：“那么，他从未发展出心理史学这门科学？”
"Of course he evolved the science that we call psychohistory," said Trevize, failing to mask his impatience, and gesturing with exasperated passion.
“他当然发展出了我们称之为心理史学的这门科学。”崔维兹已无法掩饰心中的厌烦，气呼呼地挥动双手。
"Which you would define-how?"
“你对心理史学——如何定义？”
"Galaxy! It is usually defined as that branch of mathematics that deals with the overall reactions of large groups of human beings to given stimuli under given conditions. In other words, it is supposed to predict social and historical changes:"
“银河啊！心理史学通常被视为数学的一支，专门研究在特定的条件下，人类群体受到某种刺激之后的整体反应。换句话说，理论上，它能预测社会和历史的变迁。”
"You say 'supposed to' Do you question that from the standpoint of mathematical expertise?"
“你用了‘理论上’三个字。你是否以专业的数学观点，对这个定义抱持怀疑的态度？”
"No," said Trevize. "I am not a psychohistorian. Nor is any member of the Foundation government, nor any citizen of Terminus, nor any……"
“没有。”崔维兹说，“我并不是心理史学家。而基地政府的每一个成员，以及端点星上的每一个公民，也没有任何人是心理史学家，甚至……”
Kodell's hand raised. He said softly, "Councilman, please!" and Trevize was silent.
柯代尔举起右手，轻声说：“议员先生，拜托！”崔维兹只好住口。
Kodell said, "Have you any reason to suppose that Hari Seldon did not make the necessary analysis that would combine, as efficiently as possible, the factors of maximum probability and shortest duration in the path leading from the First to the Second Empire by way of the Foundation?"
柯代尔又说：“我们都知道，哈里·谢顿根据他的分析结果，设计出了以基地当跳板，用最有效率的方式，结合最大的几率和最短的时限，使银河系从第一帝国跃进至第二帝国的计划。你是否有任何理由，质疑这个事实？”
"I wasn't there," said Trevize sardonically. "How can I know?"
“当时我还没出生，”崔维兹用尖刻的语气说，“又怎么会知道？”
"Can you know he didn't?"
“你能确定他并未这么做吗？”
"No."
“不能。”
"Do you deny, perhaps, that the holographic image of Hari Seldon that has appeared during each of a number of historical crises over the past five hundred years is, in actual fact, a reproduction of Hari Seldon himself, made in the last year of his life, shortly before the establishment of the Foundation?"
“或者，你是否怀疑，过去五百年来，每当基地发生历史性危机，都必然出现的谢顿全息影像，并不是哈里·谢顿在去世前一年间，也就是基地设立的前夕，由他本人亲自录制的？”
"I suppose I can't deny that."
“我想，我不能否认这一点。”
"You `suppose.' Would you care to say that it is a fraud, a hoax devised by someone in past history for some purpose?"
“你想？你愿不愿意干脆说，这根本是一个骗局，是过去的某个人，为了某种目的，故意设计出来的骗局？”
Trevize sighed. "No. I am not maintaining that."
崔维兹叹了一声。“不，我并不坚持这一点。”
"Are you prepared to maintain that the messages that Hari Seldon delivers are in any way manipulated by anyone at all?"
“那么你是否准备坚持，哈里·谢顿的影像所传达的讯息，是某人暗中玩出来的把戏？”
"No. I have no reason to think that such manipulation is either possible or useful."
“不，我没有理由认为这种把戏是可能的，或是有什么用处。”
"I see. You witnessed this most recent appearance of Seldon's image. Did you find that his analysis-prepared five hundred years ago-did not match the actual conditions of today quite closely?"
“好的。你刚才亲眼目睹谢顿再度显像，难道你认为他的分析——早在五百年前就作出的分析——和今日的实际情况并不十分符合吗？”
"On the contrary," said Trevize with sudden glee. "It matched very closely."
“正好相反，”崔维兹突然精神一振，“它和现状非常符合。”
Kodell seemed indifferent to the other's emotion. "And yet, Councilman, after the appearance of Seldon, you still maintain that the Seldon Plan does not exist."
柯代尔似乎丝毫不受对方情绪的影响。“然而，议员先生，在谢顿影像显现之后，你却仍然坚持谢顿计划并不存在？”
"Of course I do. I maintain it does not exist precisely because the analysis matched so perfectly……"
“我当然坚持。我之所以坚持它并不存在，正是因为预测过于完美……”
Kodell had turned off the recorder. "Councilman," he said, shaking his head, "you put me to the trouble of erasing. I ask if you still maintain this odd belief of yours and you start giving me reasons. Let me repeat my question."
柯代尔又关上记录装置。“议员先生，”他一面摇头，一面说，“你害我要洗掉这段记录。我只是问你，是否仍然坚持那个古怪的信念，你却给我冒出一大堆理由来。让我再重复一遍我的问题。”
He said, "And yet, Councilman, after the appearance of Seldon, you still maintain that the Seldon Plan does not exist."
于是他又问：“然而，议员先生，在谢顿影像显现之后，你却仍然坚持谢顿计划并不存在？”
"How do you know that? No one had a chance to speak to my informer friend, Compor, after the appearance."
“你是怎么知道的？自从谢顿影像出现之后，谁也没有机会和我那位已成过去的朋友——康普——讲上一句话。”
"Let us say we guessed, Councilman. And let us say you have already answered, `Of course I do: If you will say that once more without volunteering added information, we can get on with it."
“姑且算是我们猜到的吧，议员先生。此外，姑且假设你已经回答过一句‘我当然坚持’。如果你愿意把这句话再说一遍，不再自动添油加醋，我们的工作就算结束了。”
"Of course I do," said Trevize ironically.
“我当然坚持。”崔维兹以讽刺的口吻答道。
"Well," said Kodell, "I will choose whichever of the `Of course I do's' sounds more natural. Thank you, Councilman," and the recording device was turned off again.
“很好，”柯代尔说，“我会帮你选一个听来比较自然的‘我当然坚持’。谢谢你，议员先生。”接着记录装置又被关掉了。
Trevize said, "Is that it?"
崔维兹说：“这样就完了吗？”
"For what I need, yes."
“我所需要的，都已经做完了。”
"What you need, quite clearly, is a set of questions and answers that you can present to Terminus and to all the Foundation Federation which it rules, in order to show that I accept the legend of the Seldon Plan totally. That will make any denial of it that I later make seem quixotic or outright insane."
“你所需要的其实相当明显，就是一组问答记录而已。然后，你就能向端点星公布这段记录，甚至传到基地联邦每个角落，好让大家都知道，我全心全意接受谢顿计划这个传说。将来，如果我自己再作任何否认，就能用它来证明我的行为疯狂，或者完全精神错乱。”
"Or even treasonable in the eyes of an excited multitude which sees the Plan as essential to the Foundation's safety. It will perhaps not be necessary to publicize this, Councilman Trevize, if we can come to some understanding, but if it should prove necessary we will see to it that the Federation hears."
“或者，在那些过激的群众眼中，你的言行将被视为叛逆。因为他们都认为，谢顿计划是基地安全的绝对保障。如果我们可以达成某种谅解，崔维兹议员，刚才的记录或许并不需要公开。不过万一真有必要，我们绝对会让整个联邦通通知道。”
"Are you fool enough, sir," said Trevize, frowning, "to be entirely uninterested in what I really have to say?"
“你是否真的那么愚蠢，局长，”崔维兹皱着眉说，“所以对我真正想讲的毫无兴趣？”
"As a human being I am very interested, and if an appropriate time comes I will listen to you with interest and a certain amount of skepticism. As Director of Security, however, I have, at the present moment, exactly what I want"
“身为人类的一员，我的确非常感兴趣。而且如果有适当的机会，我乐意以半信半疑的态度听你讲讲。然而，身为安全局长，目前为止，我已经得到所需要的一切。”
"I hope you know that this will do you, and the Mayor, no good."
“我希望你能够知道，这些记录对你本人，以及对市长，都没有什么用处。”
"Oddly enough, I am not at all of that opinion. You will now leave. Under guard, of course."
“真奇怪，我的看法和你恰恰相反。你可以走了，当然，还是会有警卫护送。”
"Where am I to be taken?"
“我会被带到哪里去？”
Kodell merely smiled. "Good-bye, Councilman. You were not perfectly co-operative, but it would have been unrealistic to have expected you to be."
柯代尔却只是微微一笑。“再见，议员先生。你并没有充分合作，不过我也并未这么指望，否则我就太不切实际了。”
He held out his hand.
说完，他伸出了右手。
Trevize, standing up, ignored it. He smoothed the creases out of his sash and said, "You only delay the inevitable. Others must think as I do now, or will come to think that way later. To imprison me or to kill me will serve to inspire wonder and, eventually, accelerate such thinking. In the end the truth and I shall win."
崔维兹缓缓起身，根本不理会对方。他把宽腰带上的皱褶抚平，然后说：“你只不过是在作无谓的拖延。一定有人和我抱持相同的想法，迟早会有的。如果将我囚禁或杀害，必将引起众人的好奇，反而促使大家提早起疑。到头来，真理和我终将是最后的赢家。”
Kodell took back his hand and shook his head slowly. "Really, Trevize," he said. "You are a fool."
柯代尔抽回右手，缓缓摇了摇头。“老实说，崔维兹，”他道，“你是个笨蛋。”
4
4
It was not till midnight that two guards came to remove Trevize from what was, he had to admit, a luxurious room at Security Headquarters. Luxurious but locked. A prison cell by any name.
在安全局总部的一个小房间里，崔维兹一直待到午夜，才由两名警卫将他带了出来。他不得不承认那是一间豪华的套房，只是外面上了锁。不管怎么说，它真正的名字就是“牢房”。
Trevize had over four hours to second-guess himself bitterly, striding restlessly across the floor for much of the period.
在遭到拘禁的这四个多小时，崔维兹大部分时间都在房里踱来踱去，痛定思痛地反省。
Why did he trust Compor?
自己为什么要信任康普？
Why not? He had seemed so clearly in agreement. -No, not that. He had seemed so ready to be argued into agreement. -No, not that, either. He had seemed so stupid, so easily dominated, so surely lacking a mind and opinions of his own that Trevize enjoyed the chance of using him as a comfortable sounding board. Compor had helped Trevize improve and hone his opinions. He had been useful and Trevize had trusted him for no other reason than that it had been convenient to do so.
为什么不呢？他似乎显然同意自己的观点——不对，不是这么回事。他好像很容易被说服——不，也不是那么回事。他看来好像很蠢，很容易受别人左右，明显地缺乏思想与主见，因此，崔维兹喜欢把他当成一个乖顺的“共鸣板”。由于不时和康普讨论，崔维兹才能不断修正并改良自己的理论。他是个很有用的朋友，而崔维兹之所以信任他，其实也没有什么特别的理由。
But it was useless now to try to decide whether he ought to have seen through Compor. He should have followed the simple generalization: Trust nobody.
事到如今，再来反省是否应该先彻底了解康普，已经于事无补。当初自己应该谨遵一个简单的原则：别相信任何人。
Yet can one go through life trusting nobody?
然而，一个人一生中，难道真能做到这一点吗？
Clearly one had to.
答案显然是必须如此。
And who would have thought that Branno would have had the audacity to pluck a Councilman out of the Council-and that not one of the other Councilmen would move to protect one of their own? Though they had disagreed with Trevize to their very hearts; though they would have been ready to bet their blood, drop by drop, on Branno's rightness; they should still, on principle, have interposed themselves against this violation of their prerogatives. Branno the Bronze she was sometimes called, and she certainly acted with metallic rigor……
可是谁又想得到，布拉诺竟然如此大胆，敢在议场中公开逮捕一名议员——却没有任何议员挺身而出，保护他们之中的一分子？即使他们打心眼里不同意崔维兹的见解，即使他们愿意用身上的每一滴鲜血，来打赌布拉诺才是正确的一方，可是原则上，为了维护自己崇高的权利，他们也不应该如此保持沉默。许多人称她为“铜人布拉诺”，她果真是铁腕作风……
Unless she herself was already in the grip……
除非，她本身已经受到控制……
No! That way led to paranoia!
不！如此疑神疑鬼，迟早会得妄想症！
And yet……
然而……
His mind tiptoed in circles, and had not broken out of uselessly repetitive thought when the guards came.
这些念头在他心中转个不停，当警卫进来时，他尚未从这些循环不断的徒劳思绪中解脱。
"You will have to come with us, Councilman," the senior of the two said with unemotional gravity. His insignia showed him to be a lieutenant. He had a small scar on his right cheek, and he looked tired, as though he had been at his Job too long and had done too little-as might be expected of a soldier whose people had been at peace for over a century.
“议员先生，请您跟我们走。”开口的是较年长的那名警卫，他的口气严肃，不带半分感情。由胸章看得出他是一名中尉，他右颊有个小疤，并且看起来一脸倦容，好像是嫌这份差事干得太久，却始终不能有什么作为。维持了一个多世纪的太平岁月，令任何军人都难免有这种感觉。
Trevize did not budge. "Your name, Lieutenant."
崔维兹一动不动。“中尉，贵姓大名？”
"I am Lieutenant Evander Sopellor, Councilman."
“议员先生，我是艾瓦德·索佩娄中尉。”
"You realize you are breaking the law, Lieutenant Sopellor. You cannot arrest a Councilman."
“你应该知道你的行为已经违法了，索佩娄中尉，你无权逮捕一名议员。”
The lieutenant said, "We have our direct orders, sir."
中尉回答说：“议员先生，我们只是奉命行事。”
"That does not matter. You cannot be ordered to arrest a Councilman. You must understand that you will be liable for court-martial as a result."
“话不能这么说，谁也不能命令你逮捕一名议员。你必须了解，这样做将使你面临军法审判。”
The lieutenant said, "You are not being arrested, Councilman."
中尉答道：“议员先生，您并没有遭到逮捕。”
"Then I don't have to go with you, do I?"
“那么我就不必跟你们走，对不对？”
"We have been instructed to escort you to your home."
“我们奉命护送您回家。”
"I know the way."
“我自己认识路。”
"And to protect you en route."
“并且负责沿途保护您。”
"From what? -Or from whom?"
“有什么天灾吗？还是有什么人祸？”
"From any mob that may gather."
“可能会有暴民集结。”
"At midnight?"
“三更半夜？”
"It is why we have waited for midnight, sir. -And now, sir, for your protection we must ask you to come with us. May I say-not as a threat but as a matter of information-that we are authorized to use force if necessary."
“议员先生，这就是我们等到半夜才来的原因。现在，议员先生，为了您的安全，我们必须请您跟我们走。我得提醒您，我们已经获得授权，必要时可以使用武力。这并不是威胁，只是据实相告。”
Trevize was aware of the neuronic whips with which they were armed. He rose with what he hoped was dignity. "To my home, then. -Or will I find out that you are going to take me to prison?"
崔维兹注意到他们两人带着神经鞭，他只好缓缓起身，尽可能维持尊严。“那就带我回家吧。或者，我会被你们带进监狱去？”
"We have not been instructed to lie to you, sir," said the lieutenant with a pride of his own. Trevize became aware that he was in the presence of a professional man who would require a direct order before he would lie-and that even then his expression and his tone of voice would give him away.
“议员先生，我们并未奉命欺骗您。”中尉以傲然的口气说。崔维兹这才发觉，对方是个一板一眼的职业军人，就连说谎也得先有上级的命令——即使他真说谎，他的表情与语气也一定会穿帮。
Trevize said, "I ask your pardon, Lieutenant. I did not mean to imply that I doubted your word."
于是崔维兹说：“请别介意，中尉，我并非暗示自己不相信你。”
A ground-car was waiting for them outside. The street was empty and there was no sign of any human being, let alone a mob-but the lieutenant had been truthful. He had not said there was a mob outside or that one would form. He had referred to "any mob that may gather." He had only said "may."
一辆地面车已经等在外面。街头空空荡荡，毫无人迹，更遑论任何暴民。不过中尉刚才并未撒谎，他没有说外面有一群暴民，或者有一群暴民将要集结。他说的是“可能会有暴民集结”，他只是说“可能”而已。
The lieutenant had carefully kept Trevize between himself and the car. Trevize could not have twisted away and made a run for it. The lieutenant entered immediately after him and sat beside him in the back.
中尉谨慎地将崔维兹夹在他自己和车子之间，令崔维兹绝不可能掉头逃跑。等到崔维兹上车之后，中尉也立刻钻进车内，和他一起坐在后座。
The car moved off.
然后车子就开动了。
Trevize said, "Once I am home, I presume I may then go about my business freely-that I may leave, for instance, if I choose."
崔维兹说：“一旦我回到家，想必就能还我自由了吧。比方说，只要我高兴，随时可以出门。”
"We have no order to interfere with you, Councilman, in any way, except insofar as we are ordered to protect you."
“我们并未奉命干涉您的任何行动，议员先生，但是我们奉命持续保护您。”
"Insofar? What does that mean in this case?"
“持续保护我？这话怎么说？”
"I am instructed to tell you that once you are home, you may not leave it. The streets are not safe for you and I am responsible for your safety."
“我奉命知会您，回到家以后，您就不得再离开家门。您上街可能会发生危险，而我必须对您的安全负责。”
"You mean I am under house arrest."
“你的意思是我将被软禁在家里。”
"I am not a lawyer, Councilman. I do not know what that means."
“我并非律师，议员先生，我不了解那是什么意思。”
He gazed straight ahead, but his elbow made contact with Trevize's side. Trevize could not have moved, however slightly, without the lieutenant becoming aware of it.
中尉直视着前方，手肘却紧挨着崔维兹。崔维兹只要轻轻动一动，中尉一定会察觉。
The car stopped before Trevize's small house in the suburb of Flexner. At the moment, he lacked a housemate-Flavella having wearied of the erratic life that Council membership had forced upon him-so he expected no one to be waiting for him.
车子停在崔维兹位于富列克斯纳郊区的小房子前。目前他欠缺一位女伴——他当选议员之后，生活变得极不规律，芙勒薇拉在忍无可忍之下离去——所以屋内不该有任何人。
"Do I get out now?" Trevize asked.
“现在我可以下车了吗？”崔维兹问。
"I will get out first, Councilman. We will escort you in."
“我先下车，议员先生，然后我们护送您进去。”
"For my safety?"
“为了我的安全？”
"Yes, sir."
“是的，议员先生。”
There were two guards waiting inside his front door. A night-light was gleaming, but the windows had been opacified and it was not visible from outside.
在前门的内侧，已有另外两名警卫守在那里。屋内的夜灯闪着微光，但由于窗玻璃被调成不透明，从外头根本看不到里面的情形。
For a moment, he was indignant at the invasion and then he dismissed it with an inward shrug. If the Council could not protect him in the Council Chamber itself, then surely his house could not serve as his castle.
发现有人侵入自己的住宅，他一时之间怒不可遏，但转念一想，也只好认了。今天在议会厅中，整个议会都无法保护他，自己的家当然更算不上堡垒。
Trevize said, "How many of you do I have in here altogether? A regiment?"
崔维兹说：“你们总共有多少人在我家里？一个军团吗？”
"No, Councilman," came a voice, hard and steady. "Just one person aside from those you see, and I have been waiting for you long enough."
“议员先生，你错了。”屋内传出一个严厉而沉稳的声音，“只不过比你所见到的还多一位而已，而我已经等你很久了。”
Harla Branno, Mayor of Terminus, stood in the door that led into the living room. "Time enough, don't you think, for us to talk?"
端点市的市长赫拉·布拉诺，此时正站在起居室门口。“难道你不觉得，该是咱们谈谈的时候了？”
Trevize stared. "All this rigmarole to……"
崔维兹两眼圆睁。“费了这么大的周章……”
But Branno said in a low, forceful voice. "Quiet, Councilman. -And you four, outside. Outside! -All will be well in here."
布拉诺却用低沉而有力的声音说：“安静点，议员。你们四个，出去，出去！这里没你们的事了。”
The four guards saluted and turned on their heels. Trevize and Branno were alone.
四名警卫敬礼后转身离去，屋内便只剩崔维兹与布拉诺两人。