CHAPTER ELEVEN SAYSHELL
第11章 赛协尔
JANOV PELORAT WATCHED, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS LIFE, AS THE bright star graduated into an orb after what Trevize had called a “micro-Jump.” The fourth planet--the habitable one and their immediate destination, Sayshell--then grew in size and prominence more slowly--over a period of days.
太空艇完成一次所谓的“微跃”之后，原先一颗闪亮的小星星，逐渐变成一个球状天体。詹诺夫·裴洛拉特目不转睛地盯着显像屏幕，这是他生平第一次见到这种景象。他们的第一个目的地——住人的赛协尔行星、该行星系的第四颗——也慢慢变得更大更显眼。
A map of the planet had been produced by the computer and was displayed on a portable screening device, which Pelorat held in his lap.
裴洛拉特膝上放着一个手提显像装置，上面映着电脑画出的赛协尔行星地图。
Trevize--with the aplomb of someone who had, in his time, touched down upon several dozen worlds--said, “Don’t start watching too hard too soon, Janov. We have to go through the entry station first and that can be tedious.”
崔维兹曾经访问过数十个世界，因此表现得分外沉着。“别急着拼命看个不停，詹诺夫。我们得先经过报关站，手续可能很冗长。”
Pelorat looked up. “Surely that’s just a formality.”
裴洛拉特抬起头来。“当然只是例行手续吧。”
“It is. But it can still be tedious.”
“是的，不过仍然可能很花时间。”
“But it’s peacetime.”
“但如今是太平岁月啊。”
“Of course. That means we’ll be passed through. First, though, there’s a little matter of the ecological balance. Every planet has its own and they don’t want it upset. So they make a natural point of checking the ship for undesirable organisms, or infections. It’s a reasonable precaution.”
“当然，但这只保证我们可以通过。不过，他们至少要注意到生态平衡的问题，每一颗行星都有各自的生态，谁也不希望受到破坏。所以他们有充分的理由检查每艘入境的船舰，看看上面有没有不受欢迎的生物或传染病。这是一种合理的预防措施。”
“We don’t have such things, it seems to me.”
“我觉得，这些东西我们都没有。”
“No, we don’t and they’ll find that out. Remember, too, that Sayshell is not a member of the Foundation Federation, so there’s certain to be some leaning over backward to demonstrate their independence.”
“没错，我们没有，而他们将会确定这一点。但是你还要记住一件事，赛协尔并非基地联邦的成员，为了展现独立自主的地位，他们一定无所不用其极。”
A small ship came out to inspect them and a Sayshellian Customs official boarded. Trevize was brisk, not having forgotten his military days. “The Far Star , out of Terminus,” he said. “Ship’s papers. Unarmed. Private vessel. My passport. There is one passenger. His passport. We are tourists.”
一艘小型太空船飞了过来，不久，一名赛协尔海关官员登上他们的太空艇，准备进行检查。崔维兹没忘记军旅生涯的训练，用利落的口气说：“这是远星号，来自端点星，相关证件在此。它毫无武装，是私人航具。这是我的护照，还有一名乘客，这是他的护照，我们两人是观光客。”
The Customs official wore a garish uniform in which crimson was the dominating color. Cheeks and upper lip were smooth-shaven, but he wore a short beard parted in such a way that tufts thrust out to both sides of his chin. He said, “Foundation ship?”
海关官员穿着一件以深红为主色的俗丽制服。他的两颊与上唇刮得干净，下巴的左右两侧则蓄着两簇短须。他问道：“基地的太空船？”
He pronounced it “Foundaysun sip,” but Trevize was careful neither to correct him nor to smile. There were as many varieties of dialects to Galactic Standard as there were planets, and you just spoke your own. As long as there was cross-comprehension, it didn’t matter.
他的发音很不正确，但崔维兹既没有纠正他，也不敢露出笑容。银河标准语分化出许多方言，每颗住人行星都不太一样。大家各有各的口音，只要互相能沟通就行了。
“Yes, sir,” said Trevize. “Foundation ship. Privately owned.”
“是的，长官。”崔维兹答道，“基地注册的航具，由私人所拥有。”
“Very nice. --Your lading, if you please.”
“非常好。你的装载呢？请告诉我。”
“My what?”
“我的什么？”
“Your lading. What are you carrying?”
“你的装载，你载了些什么东西？”
“Ah, my cargo. Here is the itemized list. Personal property only. We are not here to trade. As I told you, we are simply tourists.”
“啊，我的货物。这里有一份清单，全是私人用品。我们不是来做生意的，我刚才说过，我们是观光客。”
The Customs official looked about curiously. “This is rather an elaborate vessel for tourists.”
海关官员好奇地四下打量了一番。“对观光客而言，这艘太空船未免太精巧了。”
“Not by Foundation standards,” said Trevize with a display of good humor. “And I’m well off and can afford this.”
“就基地的标准还好。”崔维兹故意表现得兴高采烈，“而且我很富裕，买得起这种好货。”
“Are you suggesting that I might be richified?” The official looked at him briefly, then looked away.
“你是说，我可能因此致富吗？”官员很快瞥了他一眼，随即移开视线。
Trevize hesitated a moment in order to interpret the meaning of the word, then another moment to decide his course of action. He said, “No, it is not my intention to bribe you. I have no reason to bribe you--and you don’t look like the kind of person who could be bribed, if that were my intention. You can look over the ship, if you wish.”
崔维兹犹豫了一下，才想通那句话的言外之意。他又考虑了一下，才决定了行动方针，于是说：“不，我并不打算贿赂你，也没有理由这样做。即使我真有这个打算，你看来也不像那种金钱能收买的人。若有必要，你可以仔细检查这艘太空船。”
“No need,” said the official, putting away his pocket recorder. “You have already been examined for specific contraband infection and have passed. The ship has been assigned a radio wavelength that will serve as an approach beam.”
“不必了。”官员一面说，一面收起袖珍记录器，“你们这艘船已经通过检查，上面没有任何法定传染病。我们会指定一个波长给你，再以这个波长送出导航波束。”
He left. The whole procedure had taken fifteen minutes.
说完他就走了，整个程序只花了十五分钟。
Pelorat said in a low voice. “Could he have made trouble? Did he really expect a bribe?”
裴洛拉特压低声音说：“会不会有什么麻烦？他是不是真想要红包？”
Trevize shrugged. “Tipping the Customs man is as old as the Galaxy and I would have done it readily if he had made a second try for it. As it is--well, I presume he prefers not to take a chance with a Foundation ship, and a fancy one, at that. The old Mayor, bless her cross-grained hide, said the name of the Foundation would protect us wherever we went and she wasn’t wrong. --It could have taken a great deal longer.”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“打赏海关人员是老规矩，这种传统简直跟银河一样古老。他只要再暗示一次，我就马上出手了。结果，嗯，我猜他不敢冒这个险，因为这是一艘基地太空艇，尤其还是新型的。我们那位老市长——银河保佑她死硬的老命——曾说不论我们走到哪里，基地的名号都能保护我们，这句话并没有错。通常，这种手续要花很多很多时间。”
“Why? He seemed to find out what he wanted to know.”
“为什么？他好像把该做的检查都做完了。”
“Yes, but he was courteous enough to check us by remote radioscanning. If he had wished, he could have gone over the ship with a hand-machine and taken hours. He could have put us both in a field hospital and kept us days.”
“没错，但是他对我们相当礼遇，只用电波遥测而已。如果他找麻烦，大可用手提仪器从头到尾搜寻一番，这得花上好几个小时。他还能把我们两人送到境外医院，留置我们好几天。”
“What? Mydear fellow!”
“什么？我亲爱的伙伴！”
“Don’t get excited. He didn’t do it. I thought he might, but he didn’t. Which means we’re free to land. I’d like to go down gravitically--which could take us fifteen minutes--but I don’t know where the permitted landing sites might be and I don’t want to cause trouble. That means we’ll have to follow the radio beam-- which will take hours--as we spiral down through the atmosphere.”
“别紧张，他并没有那么做。我本来以为他会，不过他没有，这就表示我们可以着陆了。我很想用重力推进降落，那只需要十五分钟的时间，但我不知道许可着陆的位置在哪里，而我又不愿意惹麻烦。这代表我们必须跟着导航电波束，花上好几个小时，在大气层中盘旋而下。”
Pelorat looked cheerful. “But that’s excellent, Golan. Will we be going slowly enough to watch the terrain?” He held up his portable viewscreen with the map spread out on it at low magnification.
裴洛拉特却显得很开心。“可是这样好极了，葛兰。不知道我们会降落得多慢，能不能趁机看看地形地貌？”他举起手提显像屏幕，屏幕上显示着以低倍率展开的地图。
“After a fashion. We’d have to get beneath the cloud deck, and we’ll be moving at a few kilometers per second. It won’t be ballooning through the atmosphere, but you’ll spot the planetography.”
“多少能看到些。我们得先钻到云层下方，再以每秒几公里的速度运动。虽然不会像乘坐热气球，但你仍然能够观察行星的地貌。”
“Excellent! Excellent!”
“太好了！太好了！”
Trevize said thoughtfully, “I’m wondering, though, if we’ll be on Sayshell Planet long enough to make it worth our while to adjust the ship’s clock to local time.”
崔维兹又深思熟虑地说：“不过我正在想，我们到底会在赛协尔行星待多久，是否值得把太空艇的时钟调成当地时间。”
“It depends on what we plan to do, I suppose. What do you think we’ll be doing, Golan?”
“我想，那得看我们打算做什么。你认为我们会做些什么事，葛兰？”
“Our job is to find Gaia and I don’t know how long that will take.”
“我们的工作是寻找盖娅，我不知道这要花多少时间。”
Pelorat said, “We can adjust our wrist-strips and leave the ship’s clock as is.”
裴洛拉特说：“我们可以把腕表的时间调过来，太空艇的时钟则维持不变。”
“Good enough,” said Trevize. He looked down at the planet spreading broadly beneath them. “No use waiting any longer. I’ll adjust the computer to our assigned radio beam and it can use the gravities to mimic conventional flight. So! --Let’s go down, Janov, and see what we can find.”
“好主意。”崔维兹一面说，一面俯视下方逐渐扩展开的行星表面，“不用再等下去了。我会让电脑校准那个属于我们的电波束，它就能用重力推进来模仿传统飞行。就这么办！我们降落吧，詹诺夫，看看我们能找到什么。”
He stared at the planet thoughtfully as the ship began to move on its smoothly adjusted gravitational potential-curve.
太空艇开始沿着校准的“重力势曲线”运动，崔维兹若有所思地盯着下方的行星。
Trevize had never been in the Sayshell union, but he knew that over the last century it had been steadfastly unfriendly to the Foundation. He was surprised--and a little dismayed--they had gotten through Customs so quickly.
他以前从未来过赛协尔联盟，可是他晓得，过去一世纪间，它对基地的态度一向不友善。他们能够那么快通关，实在令他感到诧异，甚至有点心虚。
It didn’t seem reasonable.
这似乎不太合理。
2
2
The Customs official’s name was Jogoroth Sobhaddartha and he had been serving on the station on and off for half his life.
刚才那位海关官员名叫久勾洛斯·索巴达尔萨，他已经在这个报关太空站断断续续干了半辈子。
He didn’t mind the life, for it gave him a chance--one month out of three--to view his books, to listen to his music, and to be away from his wife and growing son.
平均每三个月，他就有一个月待在太空中。他对这种生活并不在意，反正刚好借此机会看看书，听听音乐，并且远离他的老婆，以及愈长愈大的独子。
Of course, during the last two years the current Head of Customs had been a Dreamer, which was irritating. There is no one so insufferable as a person who gives no other excuse for a peculiar action than saying he had been directed to it in a dream.
不料两年前，海关主管换成了一个梦想家，令他感到难以忍受。这位主管常常无缘无故做些惊人之举，理由只是他在梦中接到指示，这种家伙最令人受不了。
Personally Sobhaddartha decided he believed none of it, though he was careful not to say so aloud, since most people on Sayshell rather disapproved of antipsychic doubts. To become known as a materialist might put his forthcoming pension at risk.
索巴达尔萨本人根本不相信这一套，不过他表现得十分谨慎，从不张扬自己的想法，因为大多数赛协尔人都有唯心论的倾向。如果让人认为他是唯物论者，就快到手的退休金也许便会泡汤。
He stroked the two tufts of hair at his chin, one with his right hand and the other with his left, cleared his throat rather loudly, and then, with inappropriate casualness, said, “Was that the ship, Head?”
他用双手抚着下巴的两簇胡须，右手抚着右边，左手抚着左边。然后他大声干咳一下，再用很不自然的口气，假装随口问道：“就是那艘太空船吗，主管？”
The Head, who bore the equally Sayshellian name of Namarath Godhisavatta, was concerned with a matter involving some computer-born data and did not look up. “What ship?” he said.
主管也有个典型的赛协尔式名字：纳玛拉斯·盖迪撒伐塔。他正埋首研究电脑中的资料，连头也没有抬起来。“什么太空船？”他问道。
“The Far Star . The Foundation ship. The one I just sent past. The one that was holographed from every angle. Was that the one you dreamed of?”
“就是远星号，那艘基地太空船，我刚刚放行的那一艘，我们从各个角度做过全息摄影的那一艘。它是不是你梦见的那艘太空船？”
Godhisavatta looked up now. He was a small man, with eyes that were almost black and that were surrounded by fine wrinkles that had not been produced by any penchant for smiling. He said, “Why do you ask?”
盖迪撒伐塔马上抬起头来。他身材矮小，双眼几乎被黑眼珠占满，周围布满细碎的皱纹，却没有一条是笑口常开的结果。他又反问：“你问这个做什么？”
Sobhaddartha straightened up and allowed his dark and luxuriant eyebrows to approach each other. “They said they were tourists, but I’ve never seen a ship like that before and my own opinion is they’re Foundation agents.” --
索巴达尔萨立刻板起脸孔，两道漆黑浓密的眉毛锁在一起。“他们自称观光客，可是我以前从没见过这样的太空船，我认为他们是基地间谍。”
Godhisavatta sat back in his chair. “See here, my man, try as I might I cannot recall asking for your opinion.”
盖迪撒伐塔上身靠向椅背。“听好，小子，不论我怎么努力回想，也想不起来曾经要你提供意见。”
“But Head, I consider it my patriotic duty to point out that……”
“可是主管，我认为指出这一点，是尽忠爱国的……”
Godhisavatta crossed his arms over his chest and stared hard at the underling, who (though much the more impressive in physical stature and bearing) allowed himself to droop and take on a somehow bedraggled appearance under the gaze of his superior.
盖迪撒伐塔将双臂交握胸前，以严厉的目光瞪着他的手下。在顶头上司的瞪视下，这位下属（虽然他的外形与仪态都比顶头上司出色）赶紧低下头，装出一副灰头土脸的神情。
Godhisavatta said, “My man,if you know what is good for you, you will do your jobwithout comment--or I’ll see to it that there will be no pension when you retire, which will be soon if I hear any more on a subject that does not concern you.”
盖迪撒伐塔说：“小子，如果你知道好歹，就该多做事少开口，否则就准备提早退休。而如果我再听到你发表事不关己的高论，我保证让你领不到退休金。”
In a low voice, Sobhaddartha said, “Yes, sir.” Then, with a suspicious degree of subservience in his voice, he added, “Is it within the range of my duties, sir, to report that a second ship is in range of our screens?”
索巴达尔萨低声下气地说：“遵命，长官。”接着，他用不大诚恳的卑微语气补充道：“长官，在我的职责范围内，我是否应该向您报告，又有一艘太空船进入监视幕的范围？”
“Consider it reported,” Godhisavatta said irritably, returning to his work.
“算你报告过了。”盖迪撒伐塔没好气地说，便继续原来的工作。
“With,” said Sobhaddartha even more humbly, “characteristics very similar to the one I just sent through.”
“而且它的特征，”索巴达尔萨用更卑下的声音说，“跟我刚刚放走的那艘非常相似。”
Godhisavatta placed his hands on the desk and lifted himself to his feet. “Asecond one?”
盖迪撒伐塔双手在办公桌上使劲一撑，猛然跳起来。“又有一艘？”
Sobhaddartha smiled inwardly. That sanguinary person born of an irregular union (he was referring to the Head) had clearly not dreamed oftwo ships. He said, “Apparently, sir! I will now return to my post and await orders and I hope, sir……”
索巴达尔萨在心中暗笑，这个残酷的老杂种（他指的是主管）显然没有梦见会有两艘这样的太空船。他又说：“看来没错，长官！我现在就回到岗位待命，但愿，长官……”
“Yes?”
“怎么样？”
Sobhaddartha could not resist, pension-risk notwithstanding. “And I hope, sir, we didn’t send the wrong one through.”
索巴达尔萨实在忍不住了，尽管会危及退休金，他还是脱口而出：“但愿，长官，我们没把不该放的放走了。”
3
3
The Far Star moved rapidly across the face of Sayshell Planet and Pelorat watched with fascination. The cloud layer was thinner and more scattered than upon Terminus and, precisely as the map showed, the land surfaces were more compact and extensive--including broader desert areas, to judge by the rusty color of much of the continental expanse.
远星号正急速飞过赛协尔行星上空，裴洛拉特看得如痴如狂。跟端点星比较起来，此地云层较为稀薄和零星，而且正如地图所示，陆地较为辽阔而集中——连沙漠地带都比端点星更广，这可以从大陆中的赭红色部分看出来。
There were no signs of anything living. It seemed a world of sterile desert, gray plain, of endless wrinkles that might have represented mountainous areas, and, of course, of ocean.
放眼望去不见任何生命迹象，仿佛这个世界只有不毛的沙漠、灰暗的平原，以及山脉所形成的无穷皱褶，此外当然还有海洋。
“It looks lifeless,” muttered Pelorat.
“看起来好像毫无生气。”裴洛拉特嘀咕道。
“You don’t expect to see any life-signs at this height,” said Trevize. “As we get lower, you’ll see the land turn green in patches. Before that, in fact, you’ll see the twinkling landscape on the nightside. Human beings have a penchant for lighting their worlds when darkness falls; I’ve never heard of a world that’s an exception to that rule. In other words, the first sign of life you’ll see will not only be human but technological.”
“在这种高度，别指望看到任何生命迹象。”崔维兹说，“我们再降低些，你就会看到陆地逐渐变成一块块的绿色。但在此之前，你会先看到夜面地表的闪烁光芒。人类有一个共通的倾向，总喜欢在黑夜降临时，用灯火照亮他们的世界，我从来没听过有任何例外。换句话说，你将看到的第一个生命迹象，其实不只是人类，还包含了科技文明在内。”
Pelorat said thoughtfully, “Human beings are diurnal in nature, after all. It seems to me that among the very first tasks of a developing technology would be the conversion of night to day. In fact, if a world lacked technology and developed one, you ought to be able to follow the progress of technological development by the increase in light upon the darkened surface. How long would it take, do you suppose, to go from uniform darkness to uniform light?”
裴洛拉特意味深长地说：“毕竟，夜伏昼出是人类的天性。我认为，人类最早发展出的科技，就包括了将黑夜变为白昼的方法。事实上，假设某个世界正在发展科技文明，你就可以拿夜间照明的程度，作为它的科技进展指标。将一片黑暗转变为处处灯火通明，你认为得花多久时间？”
Trevize laughed. “You have odd thoughts, but I suppose that comes from being a mythologist. I don’t think a world would ever achieve a uniform glow. Night light would follow the pattern of population density, so that the continents would spark in knots and strings. Even Trantor at its height, when it was one huge structure, let light escape that structure only at scattered points.”
崔维兹哈哈大笑。“你常有些古怪的想法，我想这是因为你是神话学家吧。我认为不会有任何世界能变得一片光明。夜间照明随着人口密度而各地不同，所以在各个大陆上，灯光的分布都是块状或条状。即使川陀在发展到巅峰，整个世界成为一个庞大建筑时，也只会露出稀疏的光芒而已。”
The land turned green as Trevize had predicted and, on the last circling of the globe, he pointed out markings that he said were cities. “It’s not a very urban world. I’ve never been in the Sayshell union before, but according to the information the computer gives me, they tend to cling to the past. Technology, in the eyes of all the Galaxy, has been associated with the Foundation, and wherever the Foundation is unpopular, there is a tendency to cling to the past-- except, of course, as far as weapons of war are concerned. I assure you Sayshell is quite modern in that respect.”
陆地果然渐渐变成绿色，跟崔维兹预测的一模一样。在最后一周的环球飞行中，崔维兹指着一些细小的斑点，说那些就是城市。“这不是个非常都会化的世界。我从未来过赛协尔联盟，可是根据电脑提供的资料，他们有抱残守缺的倾向。银河各个角落的居民，都会把科技和基地联想在一起，因此只要是不欢迎基地的地方，必定都有怀古的倾向。当然，跟武器有关的科技例外。我向你保证，赛协尔在这方面绝对十分先进。”
“Dear me, Golan, this is not going to be unpleasant, is it? We are Foundationers, after all, and being in enemy territory……”
“乖乖，葛兰，不会发生什么不愉快的事吧？我们终究是基地人，却来到敌人的领域……”
“It’s not enemy territory, Janov. They’ll be perfectly polite, never fear. The Foundation just isn’t popular, that’s all. Sayshell is not part of the Foundation Federation. Therefore, because they’re proud of their independence and because they don’t like to remember that they are much weaker than the Foundation and remain independent only because we’re willing to let them remain so, they indulge in the luxury of disliking us.” --
“这里并非敌人的领域，詹诺夫。他们会表现得极为客气，你别害怕，他们只是不太喜欢基地罢了。赛协尔并非基地联邦的一部分，不过，由于他们一来对独立的地位感到骄傲，二来又不愿想到自己比基地弱小许多，保持独立只是出于我们的默许，因此才故意极尽能事地讨厌我们。”
“I fear it will still be unpleasant, then,” said Pelorat despondently.
“无论如何，我担心还是会不太愉快。”裴洛拉特垂头丧气地说。
“Not at all,” said Trevize. “Come on, Janov. I’m talking about the official attitude of the Sayshellian government. The individual people on the planet are just people, and if we’re pleasant and don’t act as though we’re Lords of the Galaxy, they’ll be pleasant, too. We’re not coming to Sayshell in order to establish Foundation mastery. We’re just tourists, asking the kind of questions about Sayshell that any tourist would ask.
“绝对不会。”崔维兹说，“别这样，詹诺夫，我刚才讲的是赛协尔政府的官方态度。这颗行星上的居民也是人，只要我们堆满笑容，不要表现得像银河主宰，那么他们也会笑脸相迎。我们不是来替基地征服赛协尔的，我们只是观光客。我们所问的有关赛协尔的问题，任何观光客都会那么问。
“And we can have a little legitimate relaxation, too, if the situation permits. There’s nothing wrong with staying here a few days and experiencing what they have to offer. They may have an interesting culture, interesting scenery, interesting food, and--if all else fails--interesting women. We have money to spend.”
“此外，如果情况许可，我们还能借这个机会轻松一下。我们大可在这里待上几天，体验一下他们的待客之道。他们也许拥有引人入胜的文化、美丽的风景、可口的食物，即使这些都找不到，至少还有可爱的女人。我们的钱足可挥霍。”
Pelorat frowned, “Oh, mydear chap.”
裴洛拉特皱起眉头。“喔，我亲爱的兄弟。”
“Come on,” said Trevize. “You’re notthat old. Wouldn’t you be interested?”
“得了吧。”崔维兹说，“你还没那么老，难道真的不感兴趣？”
“I don’t say there wasn’t a time when I played that role properly, but surely this isn’t the time for it. We have a mission. We want to reach Gaia. I have nothing against a good time--I really don’t--but if we start involving ourselves, it might be difficult to pull free.” He shook his head and said mildly, “I think you feared that I might have too good a time at the Galactic Library on Trantor and would be unable to pull free. Surely, what the Library is to me, an attractive dark-eyed damsel--or five or six--might be to you.”
“我可没说自己从不来这一套，但当然不是现在。现在我们有任务在身，我们要寻找盖娅。我绝不反对享乐，真的，可是我们一旦开始放纵，也许就会难以自拔。”他摇了摇头，又好言劝道：“我想你当初一定担心，怕我一头栽进川陀的银河图书馆，从此无法自拔。没错，那个图书馆对我的吸引力，就等于一个——甚至五六个黑眼珠的美艳少女对你的吸引力。”
Trevize said, “I’m not a rakehell, Janov, but I have no intention of being ascetic, either. Very well, I promise you we’ll get on with this business of Gaia, but if something pleasant comes my way, there’s no reason in the Galaxy I ought not to respond normally.”
崔维兹说：“我并不是花花公子，詹诺夫，但我也不想做苦行僧。好吧，我答应你立刻开始查问盖娅的下落，可是如果刚好碰到什么艳遇，绝对没有理由不准我作正常反应。”
“If you’ll just put Gaia first……”
“只要你把盖娅摆在第一位……”
“I will. Just remember, though, don’t tell anyone we’re from the Foundation. They’ll know we are, because we’ve got Foundation credits and we speak with strong Terminus accents, but if we say nothing about it, they can pretend we are placeless strangers and be friendly. If we make apoint of being Foundationers, they will speak politely enough, but they will tell us nothing, show us nothing, take us nowhere, and leave us strictly alone.”
“我会的。不过你得记住，别对任何人说我们来自基地。其实他们都看得出来，因为我们使用基地信用点，而且带有浓重的端点星口音，可是如果我们绝口不提，他们就会把我们当成普通游客，友善对待我们。万一我们表明自己是基地人，他们虽然仍会和颜悦色，却什么都不会告诉我们，也不会让我们看任何资料，或是带我们到哪里去，我们就会变得孤独无助。”
Pelorat sighed. “I will never understand people.”
裴洛拉特叹了一声。“我永远无法了解人性。”
“There’s nothing to it. All you have to do is take a close look at yourself and you will understand everyone else. We’re in no way different ourselves. How would Seldon have worked out his Plan-- and I don’t care how subtle his mathematics was--if he didn’t understand people; and how could he have done that if people weren’t easy to understand? You show me someone who can’t understand people and I’ll show you someone who has built up a false image of himself--no offense intended.”
“没这回事。你只需要好好观察自己，就能了解每一个人，因为我们彼此没有什么不同。姑且不论谢顿的数学多么精妙，假如他不了解人性，又怎能拟出那个计划呢？再说，假如人性并不容易了解，他又如何能精通呢？无论你告诉我谁不了解人性，我都能证明其实是他并不了解自己——我不是在说你。”
“None taken. I’m willing to admit I’m inexperienced and that I’ve spent a rather self-centered and constricted life. It may be that I’ve never really taken a good look at myself, so I’ll let you be my guide and adviser where people are concerned.”
“没关系。我愿意承认自己欠缺这方面的经验，我的生活相当自我中心，而且相当狭隘。或许我从未真正好好检视过自己，所以凡是牵涉到人性之处，我都要让你当我的向导和顾问。”
“Good. Then take my advice now and just watch the scenery. We’ll be landing soon and I assure you you’ll feel nothing. The computer and I will take care of everything.”
“好，那么接受我的忠告，安心观赏风景吧。我们很快就要着陆，我保证你不会有任何感觉，我和电脑会负责一切。”
“Golan, don’t be annoyed. If a young woman should……”
“葛兰，可别不高兴。如果真有妙龄女子……”
“Forget it! Just let me take care of the landing.”
“别提啦！让我专心操纵太空艇。”
Pelorat turned to look at the world at the end of the ship’s contracting spiral. It would be the first foreign world upon which he would ever stand. This thought somehow filled him with foreboding, despite the fact that all the millions of inhabited planets in the Galaxy had been colonized by people who had not been born upon them.
裴洛拉特转身向外望，太空艇正在进行最后一圈盘旋。他即将首度踏上另一个世界，这个想法带来一种古怪的感觉——虽说事实上，银河中上千万颗住人行星，最初的殖民者都不是当地土生土长的。
All but one, he thought with a shudder of trepidation/delight.
只有一颗行星例外，想到这里，他一则以喜，一则以忧。
4
4
The spaceport was not large by Foundation standards, but it was well kept. Trevize watched The Far Star moved into a berth and locked in place. They were given an elaborate coded receipt.
就基地的标准而言，此地的太空航站并不算大，但是维护得相当好。远星号被拖到停泊区并锁牢之后，他们便收到一张印着密码的精致收据。
Pelorat said in a low voice, “Do we just leave it here?”
裴洛拉特低声说：“我们就把它留在这里啊？”
Trevize nodded and placed his hand on the other’s shoulder in reassurance. “Don’t worry,” he said in an equally low voice.
崔维兹点了点头，并伸手按在裴洛拉特肩上。“别担心。”他也压低声音说。
They stepped into the ground-car they had rented and Trevize plugged in the map of the city, whose towers he could see on the horizon.
他们跨进租来的地面车，崔维兹便将赛协尔城的地图插入车内电脑。远方的地平线上，隐隐浮现城中的一些尖塔。
“Sayshell City,” he said, “the capital of the planet. City--planet--star--all named Sayshell.”
“赛协尔城，”他说，“这颗行星的首府。城市、行星、恒星，都叫赛协尔。”
“I’m worried about the ship,” insisted Pelorat.
“我还是担心那艘太空艇。”裴洛拉特再度强调。
“Nothing to worry about,” said Trevize. “We’ll be back tonight, because it will be our sleeping quarters if we have to stay here more than a few hours. You have to understand, too, that there’s an interstellar code of spaceport ethics that--as far as I know--has never been broken, even in wartime. Spaceships that come in peace are inviolate. If that were not so, no one would be safe and trade would be impossible. Any world on which that code was broken would be boycotted by the space pilots of the Galaxy. I assure you, no world would risk that. Besides……”
“没什么好担心的。”崔维兹说，“我们晚上就会回来，因为我们得睡在太空艇上，除非我们只想在此地待几个小时。而且你也应该了解，太空航站必须遵循星际间的一个惯例：凡是没有敌意的船舰，就不会遭到任何侵犯。据我所知，从来没有人敢打破这个惯例，即使战时也不例外。否则的话，人人的生命财产都没有保障，星际贸易便无法维持。任何打破这个惯例的世界，都会遭到全银河飞航员的抵制，我向你保证，没有哪个世界敢冒这个险。何况……”
“Besides?”
“何况什么？”
“Well, besides, I’ve arranged with the computer that anyone who doesn’t look and sound like one of us will be killed if he--or she-- tries to board the ship. I’ve taken the liberty of explaining that to the Port Commander. I told him very politely that I would love to turn off that particular facility out of deference to the reputation that the Sayshell City Spaceport holds for absolute integrity and security--throughout the Galaxy, I said--but the ship is a new model and I didn’t knowhow to turn it off.”
“嗯，何况，我已经跟电脑交代过，若有任何外人试图登上太空艇，不论男女老幼，只要容貌或声音不像我们，一律格杀勿论。我还当面向航站指挥官解释过；我用非常礼貌的方式告诉他，说我很想关掉这个特殊装置，因为我敬重赛协尔城太空航站在安全和清廉这两方面的声誉——我还强调全银河数一数二——问题是这艘太空艇过于新颖，我不知道怎样关掉。”
“He didn’t believethat , surely.”
“他不会相信的，一定不会。”
“Of course not! But he had to pretend he did, as otherwise he would have no choice but to be insulted. And since there would be nothing he could do about that, being insulted would only lead to humiliation. And since he didn’t wantthat , the simplest path to follow was to believe what I said.”
“当然不会！可是他得假装相信，否则就等于被我羞辱了一番。由于他对我根本无可奈何，即使被我羞辱也只好认了。既然他不想白白受辱，最简单的作法就是相信我的话。”
“And that’s another example of how people are?”
“这也是人性特色的另一个例子？”
“Yes. You’ll get used to this.”
“没错，你迟早会习以为常。”
“How do you know this ground-car isn’t bugged?”
“你又如何确定这辆地面车没有窃听器？”
“I thought it might be. So when they offered me one, I took another one at random. If they’re all bugged--well, what have we been saying that’s so terrible?”
“我的确想到这种可能，所以并未接受他们为我准备的那辆，故意随便挑了另一辆。万一每辆车都装了窃听器——嗯，我们刚才说了什么不得了的话吗？”
Pelorat looked unhappy. “I don’t know how to say this. It seems rather impolite to complain, but I don’t like the way it smells. There’s an--odor.”
裴洛拉特露出不舒服的神情。“我不知道该怎么说，这样抱怨似乎相当不礼貌，但我并不喜欢这里的气味。有一种——怪味道。”
“In the ground-car?”
“车子里面？”
“Well, in the spaceport, to begin with. I suppose that’s the way spaceports smell, but the ground-car carries the odor with it. Could we open the windows?”
“嗯，在太空航站就有了。我本来以为是航站特有的味道，不料车子带着那种味道一起走。我们能不能开一扇车窗？”
Trevize laughed. “I suppose I could figure out which portion of the control panel will do that trick, but it won’t help. This planet stinks. Is it very bad?”
崔维兹哈哈大笑。“我想我可以在控制盘上找到正确的开关，但不会有什么用处，整个行星都有这种味道。真的非常难闻吗？”
“It’s not very strong, but it’s noticeable--and somewhat repulsive. Does the whole world smell this way?”
“倒不是非常强，不过闻得出来，而且令人不太舒服。难道整个世界都是这种味道吗？”
“I keep forgetting you’ve never been on another world. Every inhabited world has its own odor. It’s the general vegetation, mostly, though I suppose the animals and even the human beings contribute. And as far as I know,nobody ever likes the smell of any world when he first lands on it. But you’ll get used to it, Janov. In a few hours, I promise you won’t notice.”
“我总是忘记你从未到过别的世界。每个住人世界都有特殊的气味，主要是由各种植物散发出来的，不过我猜动物应该也有贡献，甚至人类也不例外。而且据我所知，任何人刚刚踏上别的世界，都绝对不会喜欢当地的味道。但你很快会习惯的，詹诺夫。几小时后，我保证你就不会注意到。”
“Surely you don’t mean that all worlds smell like this.”
“你该不会是说，所有的世界都有这种怪味道吧。”
“No. As I said, each has its own. If we really paid attention or if our noses were a little keener--like those of Anacreonian dogs--we could probably tell which world we were on with one sniff. When I first entered the Navy I could never eat the first day on a new world; then I learned the old spacer trick of sniffing a handkerchief with the world-scent on it during the landing. By the time you get out into the open world, you don’t smell it. And after a while, you get hardened to the whole thing; you just learn to disregard it. --The worst of it is returning home, in fact.”
“不是，正如我刚才说的，每个世界都有自己特殊的味道。如果我们真的很留意，或者鼻子再灵敏一点，就像安纳克里昂犬那样，或许我们只要轻轻一闻，就能判断站在哪个世界上。我刚进舰队的时候，每到一个新的世界，头一天一定吃不下东西。后来我学到了太空前辈的绝招，在降落的时候，就拿一条沾了当地气味的手帕捂着鼻子。这样一来，当你走出太空船的时候，就什么也闻不到了。等你在太空中跑久了，对这种事就会麻木，能够置之不理。事实上，最糟的反而是回家的时候。”
“Why?”
“为什么？”
“Do you think Terminus doesn’t smell?”
“难道你以为端点星上没有怪味？”
“Are you telling me it does?”
“你的意思是说真有？”
“Of course it does. Once you get acclimated to the smell of another world, such as Sayshell, you’ll be surprised at the stench of Terminus. In the old days, whenever the locks opened on Terminus after a sizable tour of duty, all the crew would call out, ‘Back home to the crap.’”
“当然有。一旦你适应了其他世界的气味，比方说赛协尔吧，你就会对端点星上的怪味惊讶不已。从前，每当一次长期任务结束，船舰回到端点星，当气闸打开的那一刻，所有人员都会大叫：‘又回到粪坑啦！’”
Pelorat looked revolted.
裴洛拉特现出恶心的表情。
The towers of the city were perceptibly closer, but Pelorat kept his eyes fixed on their immediate surroundings. There were other ground-cars moving in both directions and an occasional air-car above, but Pelorat was studying the trees.
他们已经可以清楚看到城中的尖塔，裴洛拉特却凝视着周遭的环境。路上有不少来来往往的地面车，偶尔还有飞车从头顶呼啸而过，但裴洛拉特只是专心望着路旁的树木。
He said, “The plant life seems strange. Do you suppose any of it is indigenous?”
他说：“这些植物似乎很奇怪，你猜其中可有原生品种？”
“I doubt it,” said Trevize absently. He was studying the map and attempting to adjust the programming of the car’s computer. “There’s not much in the way of indigenous life on any human planet. Settlers always imported their own plants and animals-- either at the time of settling or not too long afterward.”
“我猜应该没有。”崔维兹心不在焉地说，他正忙着研究地图，同时试着调整车上的电脑。“凡是有人类居住的行星，固有生物都不太可能还有生存空间。银河殖民者总是引进他们自己的动植物，即使不是在殖民之初，也会在不久之后开始进行。”
“It seems strange, though.”
“不过，这好像有点奇怪。”
“You don’t expect the same varieties from world to world, Janov. I was once told that the Encyclopedia Galactica people put out an atlas of varieties which ran to eighty-seven fat computer-discs and was incomplete even so--and outdated anyway, by the time it was finished.”
“你总不会认为每个世界的生物品种都一样吧，詹诺夫。我曾经听说，那些编纂《银河百科全书》的学者，出版过一套生物品种地图集，全部资料占了八十七张厚厚的电脑磁碟，但还是不算完整——何况做好的那一刻，就已经过时了。”
The ground-car moved on and the outskirts of the city gaped and engulfed them. Pelorat shivered slightly, “I don’t think much of their city architecture.”
地面车继续前进，不久就被城市外环所吞没。裴洛拉特打了个冷战：“我并不太欣赏这个城市的建筑。”
“To each his own,” said Trevize with the indifference of the seasoned space traveler.
“人人都只欣赏自己的故乡。”崔维兹随口答道，他有丰富的太空旅行经验，早已明白这个道理。
“Where are we going, by the way?”
“对了，我们要去哪里？”
“Well,” said Trevize with a certain exasperation, “I’m trying to get the computer to guide this thing to the tourist center. I hope the computer knows the one-way streets and the traffic regulations, because I don’t.”
“嗯，”崔维兹的声音带着几分懊恼，“我试着让电脑操纵车子，把我们送到旅游中心。我希望电脑懂得交通规则，知道哪些路是单行道，因为我没有任何概念。”
“What do we do there, Golan?”
“我们去那里干吗，葛兰？”
“To begin with, we’re tourists, so that’s the place where we’d naturally go, and we want to be as inconspicuous and natural as we can. And secondly, where would you go to get information on Gaia?”
“第一，我们既然是观光客，自然会去那种地方，而且我们希望做得尽量自然，不引起任何人的注意。第二，你又打算到哪儿去询问盖娅的资料？”
Pelorat said, “To a university--or an anthropological society--or a museum-- Certainly not to a tourist center.”
裴洛拉特说：“到某个大学，或是某个人类学会，或者某个博物馆，总之我不会去旅游中心。”
“Well, you’re wrong. At the tourist center, we will be intellectual types who are eager to have a listing of the universities in the city and the museums and so on. We’ll decide where to go to first andthere we may find the proper people to consult concerning ancient history, galactography, mythology, anthropology, or anything else you can think of. --But the whole thing starts at the tourist center.”
“哈，那你就错了。到了旅游中心，我们装作是那种很有求知欲的观光客，想要取得一份文化重镇清单，包括城中所有的大学和博物馆等等。然后我们再决定去哪里，而在那里，我们就能找到合适的人，可以询问有关古代史、银河地理、神话学、人类学，或是你想象得到的任何问题。可是，旅游中心必须是第一站。”
Pelorat was silent and the ground-car moved on in a tortuous manner as it joined and became part of the traffic pattern. They plunged into a sub-road and drove past signs that might have represented directions and traffic instructions but were in a style of lettering that made them all-but-unreadable.
裴洛拉特终于闭上嘴，此时车子已经加入市区的车流，跟着其他地面车一起蜿蜒前进。不久他们转到一条小路，一路上有许多可能是指示方向或交通的标志，不过由于上面的字体风格特殊，两人几乎都看不懂。
Fortunately the ground-car behaved as though it knew the way, and when it stopped and drew itself into a parking spot, there was a sign that said: SAYSHELL OUT-WORLD MILIEU in the same difficult printing, and under it: SAYSHELL TOURIST CENTER in straightforward, easy-to-read Galactic Standard lettering.
幸好车子仿佛自己认识路，最后停进一个停车场。入口处有一个招牌，上面用同样古怪的字体写着：赛协尔外星处。下面还有一行字：赛协尔旅游中心，是用浅显易读的银河标准字体写成。
They walked into the building, which was not as large as the fa?ade had led them to believe. ft was certainly not busy inside.
他们走进那栋建筑物，发现它并没有外表看起来那么宏伟，而且显然生意冷清。
There were a series of waiting booths, one of which was occupied by a man reading the news-strips emerging from a small ejector; another contained two women who seemed to be playing some intricate game with cards and tiles. Behind a counter too large for him, with winking computer controls that seemed far too complex for him, was a bored-looking Sayshellian functionary wearing what looked like a multicolored checkerboard.
大厅中有一排排供旅客使用的小隔间，其中一间坐着一个男子，正在阅读传讯机吐出的新闻报表。另一间被两位女士占据，两人似乎在玩一种复杂的牌戏，桌上摆满纸牌与筹码。此外，有位职员坐在一个稍嫌过大的柜台后面，旁边有个对他而言似乎太过复杂的电脑控制台。这位赛协尔籍职员一脸无聊的表情，身上的花衣服看起来像是五彩棋盘。
Pelorat stared and whispered, “This is certainly a world of extroverted garb.”
裴洛拉特瞪大眼睛，悄声说：“这个世界的衣着显然很夸张。”
“Yes,” said Trevize, “I noticed. Still, fashions change from world to world and even from region to region within a world sometimes. And they change with time. Fifty years ago, everyone on Sayshell might have worn black, for all we know. Take it as it comes, Janov.”
“没错，”崔维兹说，“我也注意到了。话说回来，每个世界的时装都各有特色，而且在某些世界上，不同的地区甚至也会各有不同。此外流行还会随着时间改变，说不定五十年前，赛协尔上人人都穿黑色呢。别大惊小怪，詹诺夫。”
“I suppose I’ll have to,” said Pelorat, “but I prefer our own fashions. At least, they’re not an assault upon the optic nerve.”
“我想我必须克制些。”裴洛拉特说，“但我还是比较喜欢我们的服装，至少不会骚扰别人的视神经。”
“Because so many of us are gray on gray? That offends some people. I’ve heard it referred to as ‘dressing in dirt.’ Then too, it’s Foundation colorlessness that probably keeps these people in their rainbows--just to emphasize their independence. It’s all what you’re accustomed to, anyway. --Come on, Janov.”
“因为我们大多数人，身上除了灰色还是灰色吗？其实有些人很讨厌这种流行，我就听过有人形容为‘穿了一身尘土’。而且，也许正是因为基地流行无色的服装，这些人才故意穿得五颜六色，用以强调他们的独立地位。反正，这些你都得学着适应。来吧，詹诺夫。”
The two headed toward the counter and, as they did so, the man in the booth forsook his news items, rose, and came to meet them, smiling as he did so.His clothing was in shades of gray.
当两人向柜台走去时，原先在隔间里看新闻报表的男子突然起立，向他们迎面走来。他脸上堆满笑容，身上的衣服刚好也是灰色系的。
Trevize didn’t look in his direction at first, but when he did he stopped dead.
崔维兹起初并未望向那人，没想到他一转头，整个人就僵住了。
He took a deep breath, “By the Galaxy-- My friend, the traitor!”
他深深吸了一口气。“银河在上——詹诺夫，是那个叛徒！”