CHAPTER FIFTEEN GAIA-S
第15章 盖娅之阳
SURA NOVI NOW STEPPED INTO THE CONTROL ROOM OF THE SMALL AND rather old-fashioned ship that was carrying Stor Gendibal and herself across the parsecs in deliberate Jumps.
一艘旧式的小型太空船，在太空中谨慎地跃迁许多秒差距，载着史陀·坚迪柏与苏拉·诺微朝向目的地前进。
She had clearly been in the compact cleaning room, where oils, warm air, and a minimum of water freshened her body. She had a robe wrapped about her and was holding it tightly to herself in an agony of modesty. Her hair was dry but tangled.
诺微正走进驾驶舱。她显然刚从袖珍盥洗室出来，利用油脂、暖空气与最少量的水洗了一个澡。她身上裹着一件浴袍，双手紧紧抓牢，生怕多露出一寸肌肤。她的头发已经干了，但纠缠成乱糟糟的一团。
She said in a low voice, “Master?”
她低声唤道：“师傅？”
Gendibal looked up from his charts and from his computer. “Yes, Novi?”
正埋首于电脑与航线图的坚迪柏抬起头来。“什么事，诺微？”
“I be sorrow-laden……” She paused and then said slowly, “I am very sorry to bother you, Master” (then she slipped again) “but I be loss-ridden for my clothing.”
“恳请师傅恕罪……”她忽然打住，又慢慢地说，“请原谅我打扰你，师傅，”然后她又说溜了嘴，“但我系为遗失衣物所苦。”
“Your clothing?” Gendibal stared at her blankly for a moment and then rose to his feet in an access of contrition. “Novi, I forgot. They needed cleaning and they’re in the detergent-hamper. They’re cleaned, dried, folded, all set. I should have taken them out and placed them in clear sight. I forgot.”
“你的衣服？”坚迪柏茫然地望着她一阵子，然后才站起来，露出自责的神情。“诺微，是我忘记了。那些衣服需要洗了，现在都在洗衣器中，已经洗净、烘干、叠好，一切处理完毕。我应该把它们拿出来，放到一眼就看得见的地方，可是我忘了。”
“I did not like to--to……” (she looked down at herself) “offend.”
“我并不想要……要……”她低下头来，“惹你生气。”
“You don’t offend,” said Gendibal cheerily. “Look, I promise you that when this is over I shall see to it that you have a great deal of clothing--new and in the latest fashion. We left in a hurry and it never occurred to me to bring a supply, but really, Novi, there are only the two of us and we’ll be together for some time in very close quarters and it’s needless to be--to be--so concerned--about……” He gestured vaguely, became aware of the horrified look in her eyes, and thought: Well, she’s only a country girl after all and has her standards; probably wouldn’t object to improprieties of all kinds--but with her clothes on.
“你没有惹我生气。”坚迪柏高高兴兴地说，“听好，办完这件事之后，我保证会替你张罗一大堆衣服——不但都是新的，而且是最流行的款式。我们走得太匆促，我竟然没想到多带几件换洗衣物。可是说实在的，诺微，现在只有我们两个人，我们将在这个小空间共处一段日子，所以不必……不必……太过在意……那个……”他做了一个含糊的手势，马上发觉她眼中露出惧色，于是想到：嗯，她毕竟只是个乡下姑娘，心中自有一套规范；也许并非所有不合礼数的事全部反对，但衣服是一定要穿的。
Then he felt ashamed of himself and was glad that she was no “scholar” who could sensehis thoughts. He said, “Shall I get your clothes for you?”
他突然感到羞愧不已，同时庆幸她并不是“学者”，无法感知他的想法。他连忙说：“要我替你把衣服拿来吗？”
“Oh no, Master. It be not for you-- I know where they are.”
“喔，不要，师傅。这不系你做的事，我知道衣物在哪里。”
He next saw her properly dressed and with her hair combed. There was a distinct shyness about her. “I am ashamed, Master, to have behaved so improper--ly. I should have found them for myself.”
当她再度出现时，全身上下都穿戴整齐，头发也梳好了。她带着羞答答的神情说：“我感到羞愧，师傅，我竟然表现……得这么不识大体。我应该自己把衣物找到。”
“No matter,” said Gendibal. “You are doing very well with your Galactic, Novi. You are picking up the language of scholars very quickly.”
“没关系。”坚迪柏说，“你的银河标准语说得非常好了，诺微，学者的语言你学得非常快。”
Novi smiled suddenly. Her teeth were somewhat uneven, but that scarcely detracted from the manner in which her face brightened and grew almost sweet under praise, thought Gendibal. He told himself that it was for that reason that he rather liked to praise her.
诺微突然微微一笑。她的牙齿不怎么整齐，但在他的赞美下，她显得分外容光焕发，脸蛋也有几分甜美，牙齿的缺陷也就不算什么了，坚迪柏这么想。他告诉自己，正是由于这个原因，所以自己挺喜欢赞美她。
The Hamish will think little of me when I am back home,” she said. “They will say I be--ama word-chopper. That is what they call someone who speaks--odd. They do not like such.”
“可是当我回家之后，阿姆人会轻视我。”她说，“他们会说我系……是一个咬文嚼字的人，他们总是这样叫那些说话……古怪的人，他们不喜欢那样子。”
“I doubt that you will be going back to the Hamish, Novi,” said Gendibal. “I am sure there will continue to be a place for you in the complex--with the scholars, that is--when this is over.”
“我相信你不会再回到阿姆世界去了，诺微。”坚迪柏说，“我确定你能继续留在银河大学，跟学者们住在一起。我是说，当这件事结束之后。”
“I would like that, Master.”
“我喜欢这样，师傅。”
“I don’t suppose you would care to call me ‘Speaker Gendibal’ or just-- No, I see you wouldn’t,” he said, responding to her look of scandalized objection. “Oh well.”
“我想，你大概不会愿意称我‘坚迪柏发言者’，或者光是……”他突然看到她露出坚决的表情，像是反对什么大逆不道的行为，于是赶紧说，“对，我知道你不会的，算了。”
“It would not be fitting, Master. --But may I ask when this will be over?”
“那样做不合宜，师傅。但我能否请问，这件事何时才会结束？”
Gendibal shook his head. “I scarcely know. Right now, I must merely get to a particular place as quickly as I can. This ship, which is a very good ship for its kind, is slow and ‘as quickly as I can’ is not very quick. You see” (he gestured at the computer and the charts) “I must work out ways to get across large stretches of space, but the computer is limited in its abilities and I am not very skillful.”
坚迪柏摇了摇头。“我也不大清楚。目前我必须做的，是尽快前往某个特定地点。这艘太空船的状况虽然极佳，可是仍嫌太慢，即使‘尽快’也快不到哪里去。你看，”他指着电脑与航线图，“我必须计算出跨越广阔太空的航道，但是电脑能力有限，而我也不怎么熟练。”
“Must you be there quickly because there is danger, Master?”
“是不是因为有危险，所以你必须尽快赶去，师傅？”
“What makes you think there is danger, Novi?”
“你怎么会想到有危险呢，诺微？”
“Because I watch you sometimes when I don’t think you see me and your face looks--I do not know the word. Not afeared--I mean, frightened--and not bad-expecting, either.”
“因为有时候我认为你没看到我，那时我看着你，你的脸看起来……我不知道怎么说。不是惊吓——我的意思是，不是害怕——也不是期待什么坏事。”
“Apprehensive,” muttered Gendibal.
“那叫忧虑。”坚迪柏喃喃道。
“You look--concerned. Is that the word?”
“你看起来好像——挂心。这样说对吗？”
“It depends. What do you mean by concerned, Novi?”
“视情况而定。你所谓的挂心是什么意思，诺微？”
“I means you look as though you are saying to yourself, ‘What am I going to do next in this great trouble?”
“我的意思是，你看起来好像在自言自语：‘在这件大麻烦中，我下一步应该怎么办？’”
Gendibal looked astonished. “That is ‘concerned,’ but do you seethat in my face, Novi? Back in the Place of Scholars, I am extremely careful that no one should see anything in my face, but I did think that, alone in space--except for you--I could relax and let it sit around in its underwear, so to speak. --I’m sorry. That has embarrassed you.. What I’m trying to say is that if you’re so perceptive, I shall have to be more careful. Every once in a while I have to relearn the lesson that even nonmentalics can make shrewd guesses.”
坚迪柏显得相当震惊。“那的确是‘挂心’，可是你能从我脸上看出来吗，诺微？在学者之地的时候，我一向极为小心，不让任何人从我脸上看出任何事。但我的确曾经想到，如今独处在太空中，只有你在一旁，我可以松懈一下。就像一个人回到寝室，会穿着内衣裤行动一样——对不起，这样说害你脸红了。我想要说的是，如果你的感知力那么强，今后我就得更加谨慎。我经常需要重温一个教训：即使不懂精神力学的人，也能作出极佳的猜测。”
Novi looked blank. “I don’t understand, Master.”
诺微现出茫然的表情。“我不懂，师傅。”
“I’m talking to myself, Novi. Don’t be concerned. --See, there’s that word again.”
“我是在对我自己说话，诺微，你不必挂心——瞧，我也用到这个字眼了。”
“But is there danger?”
“到底有没有危险呢？”
“There’s a problem, Novi. I do not know what I shall find when I reach Sayshell--that is the place to which we are going. I may find myself in a situation of great difficulty.”
“诺微，的确有个问题尚待解决。我不知道到达赛协尔之后，我会碰上些什么——赛协尔就是我们要去的地方。到了那里之后，我也许会遇到很棘手的情况。”
“Does that not mean danger?”
“是否表示会有危险呢？”
“No, because I will be able to handle it.”
“不会，因为我有能力应付。”
“How can you tell this?”
“你又怎么知道呢？”
“Because I am a--scholar. And I am the best of them. There is nothing in the Galaxy I cannot handle.”
“因为我是一位……学者，而且是最棒的一位，银河中没有我应付不了的事。”
“Master,” and something very like agony twisted Novi’s face, “I do not wish to offensify--I mean, give offense--and make you angry. I have seen you with that oafish Rufirant and you were in danger then--and he was only a Hamish farmer. Now I do not know what awaits you--and you do not, either.”
“师傅，”诺微面容扭曲，好像极为苦恼的样子，“我不希望令你冒犯——我是说冒犯你——而惹你生气。我曾经亲眼看到那个笨瓜鲁菲南为难你，当时你就身处险境，而他只是一个阿姆农夫。现在我不知道有什么在等待你，你自己也不知道。”
Gendibal felt chagrined, “Are you afraid, Novi?”
坚迪柏感到十分无奈。“你害怕吗，诺微？”
“Not for myself, Master. I fear--I am afraid--for you.”
“不是为我自己，师傅。我怕——我感到害怕——是为了你。”
“You can say, ‘I fear,” muttered Gendibal. “That is good Galactic, too.”
“你可以说‘我怕’，”坚迪柏喃喃地说，“那也是正确的银河标准语。”
For a moment he was engaged in thought. Then he looked up, took Sura Novi’s rather coarse hands in his, and said, “Novi, I don’t want you to fear anything. Let me explain. You know how you could tell there was--or rather might be--danger from the look on my face--almost as though you could read my thoughts?”
他沉思了一阵子，然后抬起头来，抓住了苏拉·诺微粗糙的双手，对她说：“诺微，我不要你为任何事感到害怕。我来解释一下，你知道如何从我的表情看出有危险——或说可能有危险，有点像是能看透我的心思，对不对？”
“Yes?”
“嗯？”
“I can read thoughts better than you can. That is what scholars learn to do and I am a very good scholar.”
“我看透他人心思的本事，比你还要高强。这就是学者的本事之一，而我是一名极优秀的学者。”
Novi’s eyes widened and her hand pulled loose from his. She seemed to be holding her breath. “You can read my thoughts?”
诺微睁大眼睛，双手赶紧抽了回去，似乎连呼吸都屏住了。“你能看透我的心思？”
Gendibal held up a finger hurriedly. “I don’t, Novi. Idon’t read your thoughts, except when I must. I donotread your thoughts.”
坚迪柏连忙举起一根指头。“没有，诺微。除非有必要，我不会窥视你的心思，我真的不会窥视你的心思。”
(He knew that, in a practical sense, he was lying. It was impossible to be with Sura Novi and not understand the general tenor of some of her thoughts. One scarcely needed to be a Second Foundationer for that. Gendibal felt himself to be on the edge of blushing. But even from a Hamishwoman, such an attitude was flattering.--And yet she had to be reassured--out of common humanity--)
他心里明白，严格说来自己是在撒谎。跟苏拉·诺微相处在一起，多少总会察觉到她大概在想什么，就连普通人也几乎做得到。坚迪柏觉得自己差点要面红耳赤。虽然只是个阿姆女子，她这种态度也会令人飘飘然。但即使是基于人与人之间的关怀，也该让她安心……
He said, “I can also change the way people think. I can make people feel hurt. I can……”
他继续说：“我还能改变别人的想法，能让别人感到痛苦，能……”
But Novi was shaking her head. “How can you do all that, Master? Rufirant……”
诺微却一直摇头。“师傅，你怎能做到这些呢？鲁菲南……”
“Forget Rufirant,” said Gendibal testily. “I could have stopped him in a moment. I could have made him fall to the ground. I could have madeall the Hamish……” He stopped suddenly and felt uneasily that he was boasting, that he was trying to impress this provincial woman. And she was shaking her head still.
“别再提鲁菲南了。”坚迪柏急躁起来，“我可以在一瞬间制住他，我可以叫他在地上乱爬，我可以让所有的阿姆人……”他突然煞住，对自己这种言行感到不屑。为了说服这个乡下女子，他竟然这样自吹自擂。这时，她仍旧不停摇头。
“Master,” she said, “you are trying to make me not afraid, but I am not afraid except for you, so there is no need. I know you are a great scholar and can make this ship fly through space where it seems to me that no person could do aught but--I mean, anything but--be lost. And you use machines I cannot understand--and that no Hamish person could understand. But you need not tell me of these powers of mind, which surely cannot be so, since all the things you say you could have done to Rufirant, you didnot do, though you were in danger.”
“师傅，”她说，“你这么讲是想让我别害怕，但我害怕只是为了你，所以你不必这样做。我知道你是个伟大的学者，可以让这艘船一路飞过太空。在我看来，不论是谁到了太空，除了迷路之外一无是处——我的意思是一事无成。而且你会使用我不懂的机器——其实没有一个阿姆人懂得。但是你不用告诉我那些心灵力量，那当然是不可能的，因为你声称能对鲁菲南做的事，你一样都没有做到，当时你却身处险境。”
Gendibal pressed his lips together. Leave it at that, he thought. If the woman insists she is not afraid for herself, let it go at that. Yet he did not want her to think of him as a weakling and braggart. He simply didnot .
坚迪柏紧紧抿起嘴唇。就这样吧，他想。如果这个女子坚持并非她自己害怕，那又何妨。但他不愿被她看成懦夫和吹牛大王，总之就是不愿意。
He said, “If I did nothing to Rufirant, it was because I did not wish to. We scholars must never do anything to the Hamish. We are guests on your world. Do you understand that?”
于是他道：“若说我没有对付鲁菲南，实在是因为我不愿意那样做。我们学者绝不能对阿姆人造成任何伤害，我们是你们那个世界的客人。这点你了解吗？”
“You are our masters. That is whatwe always say.”
“你们是我们的主人，我们一直都是这么说的。”
For a moment Gendibal was diverted. “How is it, then, that this Rufirant attacked me?”
坚迪柏总算稍加释怀。“那么，这个鲁菲南又为何会攻击我？”
“I do not know,” she said simply. “I don’t think he knew. He must have been mind-wandering--uh, out of his mind.”
“我不知道，”她答得很干脆，“我想连他自己也不知道。他一定是理智出走，喔，失去了理智。”
Gendibal grunted. “In any case, we do not harm the Hamish. If I had been forced to stop him by--hurting him, I might have been poorly thought of by the other scholars and might perhaps have lost my position. But to save myself being badly hurt, I might have had to handle him just a small bit--the smallest possible.”
坚迪柏咕哝道：“不论在任何情况下，我们都不会加害阿姆人。如果我为了阻止他，而被迫——伤害他，其他学者就会瞧不起我，我还可能因此被解除职位。但是为了避免自己受到重创，我也许不得不略施一点手段——尽可能小的手段。”
Novi drooped. “Then I need not have come rushing in like a great fool myself.”
诺微垂头丧气。“那么，我根本不用像个大傻瓜一样冲出来。”
“You did exactly right,” said Gendibal. “I have just said I would have done ill to have hurt him. You made it unnecessary to do so.You stopped him and that was well done. I am grateful.”
“你做得完全正确，”坚迪柏说，“我刚才说过，如果我伤害他，将会造成不良后果。是你替我免去这个麻烦，是你阻止了他。这等于帮了我一个大忙，我心中一直感激万分。”
She smiled again--blissfully. “I see, then, why you have been so kind to me.”
她又展现了笑容——充满喜悦的笑容。“我懂了，怪不得你会对我这么好。”
“I was grateful, of course,” said Gendibal, a little flustered, “but the important thing is that you must understand there is no danger. I can handle an army of ordinary people. Any scholar can-- especially the important ones--and I told you I am the best of all of them. There is no one in the Galaxy who can stand against me.”
“我当然很感激你，”坚迪柏的对答显得有些慌乱，“但最重要的是，你必须了解我不会有任何危险。我可以对付一大群普通人，任何学者都办得到，地位高的学者更是轻而易举。而我告诉过你，我是其中的佼佼者。放眼当今银河，没有任何人能与我为敌。”
“If you say so, Master, I am sure of it.”
“只要你这么讲，师傅，我就绝对相信。”
“I do say so. Now, are you afraid for me?”
“我的确这么讲。好了，现在你还为我感到害怕吗？”
“No, Master, except-- Master, is it onlyour scholars who can read minds and-- Are there other scholars, other places, who can oppose you?”
“不会了，师傅，只不过……师傅，是不是只有我们的学者才能看穿心灵？在别的地方，有没有别的学者能和你对抗？”
For a moment Gendibal was staggered. The woman had an astonishing gift of penetration.
坚迪柏突然吓了一大跳。这女子的确拥有惊人的洞察力。
It was necessary to lie. He said, “There are none.”
现在不得不撒个谎，因此他说：“完全没有。”
“But there are so many stars in the sky. I once tried to count them and couldn’t. If there are as many worlds of people as there are stars, wouldn’t some of them be scholars? Besides the scholars on our own world, I mean?”
“可是天上的星星那么多。我曾经试着数过，怎么数都数不清。如果有人住的世界和星星一样多，难道别的世界都没有学者吗？我的意思是，除了我们那个世界的学者之外？”
“No.”
“没有了。”
“What if there are?”
“万一有呢？”
“They would not be as strong as I am.”
“那么，他们也不会像我这么厉害。”
“What if they leap upon you suddenly before you are aware?”
“如果他们趁你尚未发觉之前，突然向你偷袭呢？”
“They cannot do that. If any strange scholar were to approach, I would know at once. I would know it long before he could harm me.”
“他们办不到。若有任何陌生学者接近，我会立刻察觉。早在他对我不利之前，我就已经知道了。”
“Could you run?”
“你跑得掉吗？”
“I would not have to run. --But” (anticipating her objection) “if I had to, I could be in a new ship soon--better than any in the Galaxy. They would not catch me.”
“我根本不需要跑。”他马上料到她不会接受这句话，“反正，我很快就要登上一艘新的太空船，是全银河最优秀的一艘。假如我必须跑，他们也不可能抓得到我。”
“Might they not change your thoughts and make you stay?”
“他们会不会改变你的思想，让你留下来？”
“No.”
“不会的。”
“There might be many of them. You are but one.”
“他们可能人多势众，而你只有一个人。”
“As soon as they are there, long before they can imagine it would be possible, I would know they were there and I would leave. Our whole world of scholars would then turn against them and they would not stand. And they would know that, so they would not dare do anything against me. In fact, they would not want me to know of them at all--and yet I will.”
“只要他们一出现，我立刻就能察觉，可以马上离开，他们绝对想象不到我的反应会那么快。然后我们整个世界的学者会联手对付他们，他们一定抵挡不了。而他们想必了解这种结果，所以不敢对我怎么样。事实上，他们根本不希望我发现他们的踪迹，但我会做到的。”
“Because you are so much better than they?” said Novi, her face shining with a doubtful pride.
“因为你比他们棒很多吗？”诺微问道，她脸上还闪着一种迟疑的骄傲。
Gendibal could not resist. Her native intelligence, her quick understanding was such that it was simple joy to be with her. That softvoiced monster, Speaker Debra Delarmi, had done him an incredible favor when she had forced this Hamish farmwoman upon him.
坚迪柏不禁肃然起敬。她天生的智慧与敏捷的领悟力，都令他感到与她相处是一大乐事。那个口蜜腹剑的怪物黛洛拉·德拉米发言者，当初逼他带着这个阿姆农妇同行的时候，绝对想不到是帮了他一个天大的忙。
He said, “No, Novi, not because I am better than they, although I am. It is because I haveyou with me.”
他答道：“不，诺微，并不是因为我比他们棒，虽然这也是事实，而是因为有你在我身边。”
“I?”
“我？”
“Exactly, Novi. Had you guessed that?”
“就是你，诺微。你曾经猜到这一点吗？”
“No, Master,” she said, wondering. “What is it I could do?”
“从来没有，师傅，”她感到很困惑，“我又能做什么呢？”
“It is your mind.” He held up his hand at once. “I am not reading your thoughts. I see merely the outline of your mind and it is a smooth outline, an unusually smooth outline.”
“是你的心灵。”说到这里，他突然抬起手来，“我并没有透视你的思想。我只是观察你的心灵表层，它看起来极为平滑光润。”
She put her hand to her forehead. “Because I am unlearned, Master? Because I am so foolish?”
她将手按在额头上。“因为我没有学问，师傅？因为我很笨吗？”
“No, dear.” He did not notice the manner of address. “It is because you are honest and possess no guile; because you are truthful and speak your mind; because you are warm of heart and--and other things. If other scholars send out anything to touch our minds-- yours and mine--the touch will be instantly visible on the smoothness of your mind. I will be aware of that even before I would be aware of a touch on my own mind--and I will then have time for counteractive strategy; that is, to fight it off.”
“不，亲爱的。”这个称呼脱口而出，“因为你很诚实，没有半点狡诈；因为你很纯朴，从不口是心非；因为你有一颗热情的心，还有……还有其他种种因素。假如别的学者发射任何力量，想要碰触我们的心灵——你我的心灵——你那光滑的心灵表面立刻会显出痕迹。我自己在尚未感到那股力量之前，就会先察觉那个痕迹，然后便能及时采取反击策略，也就是击退那股力量。”
There was a silence for long moments after that. Gendibal realized that it was not just happiness in Novi’s eyes, but exultation and pride, too. She said softly, “And you took me with you for that reason?”
他这番话讲完之后，两人维持了良久的沉默。坚迪柏注意到诺微眼中不只盈溢着喜悦，还掺杂着得意与骄傲。最后，她终于轻声说：“这就是你带我同行的原因？”
Gendibal nodded. “That was an important reason. Yes.”
坚迪柏点了点头。“是的，这是一个重要的原因。”
Her voice sank to a whisper. “How can I help as much as possible, Master?”
她将声音压得更低，几乎接近耳语。“我要怎样做，才能尽量帮忙呢，师傅？”
He said. “Remain calm. Don’t be afraid. And just--just stay as you are.”
他回答说：“保持冷静，不要害怕。只要……只要维持你原来的心境。”
She said, “I will stay as I am. And I will stand between you and danger, as I did in the case of Rufirant.”
她说：“我一定会这样做的。我要站在你和危险之间，就像上次挡住鲁菲南那样。”
She left the room and Gendibal looked after her.
说完她就离开了驾驶舱，坚迪柏目送着她的背影。
It was strange how much there was to her. How could so simple a creature hold such complexity? The smoothness of her mind structure had, beneath it, enormous intelligence, understanding, and courage. What more could he ask--of anyone?
她真是个深不可测的女人。这么单纯的一个人，怎能包容如许的复杂度？在她光滑的心灵表层之下，蕴藏着巨大的智慧、悟性与勇气。他还能再要求什么？还有谁能给他更多？
Somehow, he caught an image of Sura Novi--who was not a Speaker, not even a Second Foundationer, not even educated-- grimly at his side, playing a vital auxiliary role in the drama that was coming.
此时，他心中又出现了苏拉·诺微的影像。她不是一名发言者，也不是第二基地分子，甚至没有受过正规教育。她面色凝重地站在他身旁，在即将上场的压轴戏中，扮演着一名不可或缺的配角。
Yet he could not see the details clearly. --He could not yet see precisely what it was that awaited them.
但他现在还看不清楚其中的细节，还无法预料等待他们的是什么。
2
2
“A single Jump,” muttered Trevize, “and there it is.”
“只不过一次跃迁，”崔维兹喃喃地说，“它就遥遥在望了。”
“Gaia?” asked Pelorat, looking over Trevize’s shoulder at the screen.
“盖娅吗？”裴洛拉特一面问，一面抬头望向崔维兹身前的屏幕。
“Gaia’s sun,” said Trevize. “Call it Gaia-S, if you like, to avoid confusion. Gaiactographers do that sometimes.”
“盖娅的太阳。”崔维兹说，“为了避免混淆，你可以称它为‘盖娅之阳’。有些时候，银河地理学家会这么做的。”
“And where is Gaia itself, then? Or do we call it Gaia-P--for planet?”
“那么盖娅又在哪里呢？或者我们应该称它为‘盖娅行星’？”
“Gaia would be sufficient for the planet. We can’t see Gaia yet, however. Planets aren’t as easy to see as stars are and we’re still a hundred microparsecs away from Gaia-S. Notice that it’s only a star, even though a very bright one. We’re not close enough for it to show as a disc. --And don’t stare at it directly, Janov. It’s still bright enough to damage the retina. I’ll throw in a filter, once I’m through with my observations. Then you can stare.”
“那颗行星称为盖娅就行了。然而，我们还无法看见盖娅。行星不像恒星那么容易观察，而且我们距离盖娅之阳还有一百微秒差距。请注意它只是一颗恒星，虽然相当明亮，但我们的距离仍旧太远，所以它看起来还不是圆盘状。可是不要直接瞪着它，詹诺夫，它的亮度还是足以损伤视网膜。等我作完观测之后，我会插进一片滤光镜，那时你爱怎么瞪着它都可以。”
“How much is a hundred microparsecs in units which a mythologist can understand, Golan?”
“如果换算成神话学家懂得的单位，一百微秒差距等于多少呢，葛兰？”
“Three billion kilometers; about twenty times the distance of Terminus from our own sun. Does that help?”
“等于三十亿公里，大约是端点星距离端点之阳的二十倍。这么讲有点帮助吗？”
“Enormously. --But shouldn’t we get closer?”
“帮助可大了。但我们不应该再凑近一点吗？”
“No!” Trevize looked up in surprise. “Not right away. After what we’ve heard about Gaia, why should we rush? It’s one thing to have guts; it’s another to be crazy. Let’s take a look first.”
“不行！”崔维兹抬起头，露出惊讶的表情，“现在还不可以。我们既然听说了有关盖娅的传闻，为何还要冒失？有胆量并不等于疯狂，让我们先来观察一番。”
“At what, Golan? You said we can’t see Gaia yet?”
“观察什么，葛兰？是你说的，我们还看不到盖娅。”
“Not at a glance, no. But we have telescopic viewers and we have an excellent computer for rapid analysis. We can certainly study Gaia-S, to begin with, and we can perhaps make a few other observations. --Relax, Janov” He reached out and slapped the other’s shoulder with an avuncular flourish.
“肉眼当然还看不到。可是我们有望远显像仪，还有一台杰出的电脑，可以进行高速分析。我们当然可以先来研究盖娅之阳，或许还能再作些其他观测。放轻松吧，詹诺夫。”他伸出手来拍拍对方的肩膀，像个长辈一样。
After a pause Trevize said, “Gaia-S is a single star or, if it has a companion, that companion is much farther away from it than we are at the present moment and it is, at best, a red dwarf, which means we need not be concerned with it. Gaia-S is a G4 star, which means it is perfectly capable of having a habitable planet, and that’s good. If it were an A or an M, we would have to turn around and leave right now.”
顿了一下之后，崔维兹又说：“盖娅之阳应该没有伴星，即使有，那颗伴星也非常遥远，远超过我们目前和它的距离。而且它顶多是红矮星，这表示我们根本不必顾虑。盖娅之阳是一颗Ｇ４型恒星，代表它的行星很有可能适宜住人，这是个好现象。假使它的光谱型是Ａ型或Ｍ型，我们现在就该向后转，没有必要再前进了。”
Pelorat said, “I may be only a mythologist, but couldn’t we have determined the spectral class of Gaia-S from Sayshell?”
裴洛拉特说：“也许我只是个神话学家，但我想请问，难道我们不能在赛协尔上，测量出盖娅之阳的光谱型吗？”
“We could and we did, Janov, but it never hurts to check at closer quarters. --Gaia-S has a planetary system, which is no surprise. There are two gas giants in view and one of them is nice and large--if the computer’s distance estimate is accurate. There could easily be another on the other side of the star and therefore not easily detectable, since we happen--by chance--to be somewhat close to the planetary plane. I can’t make out anything in the inner regions, which is also no surprise.”
“当然可以，而且做过了，詹诺夫，但在近距离再做一次又有何妨。盖娅之阳拥有一个行星系，这点并不令人惊讶。目前可以看到两颗气态巨星，其中一颗又大又亮，除非电脑对距离的估计错误。在这颗恒星的另一侧，很可能还有一颗类似的行星，可是不容易侦测到，因为我们刚好相当接近行星轨道面，这纯粹是巧合。我还无法发现内围有些什么，这也是理所当然的事。”
“Is that bad?”
“这样很糟吗？”
“Not really. It’s expected. The habitable planets would be of rock and metal and would be much smaller than the gas giants and much closer to the star, if they’re to be warm enough--and on both counts they would be much harder to see from out here. It means we’ll have to get in considerably closer in order to probe the area within four microparsecs of Gaia-S.”
“并不尽然，我早就料到了。适宜住人的行星都是由岩石和金属构成，体积比气态巨星要小很多，而且都极为接近恒星，否则不可能有足够的温度。上述这两个条件，都使我们难以在这么远就观测到。这就代表说，若想探测盖娅之阳周围四微秒差距的区域，我们必须移到相当近的距离。”
“I’m ready.”
“我准备好了。”
“I’m not. We’ll make the Jump tomorrow.”
“我还没有，我们明天才要进行另一次跃迁。”
“Why tomorrow?”
“为何等到明天？”
“Why not? Let’s give them a day to come out and get us--and for us to get away, perhaps, if we spot them coming and don’t like what we see.”
“有何不可？我们缓上一天，一来让他们出来抓我们，二来如果我们侦察到他们的踪迹，发现情况不妙，也许还能溜之大吉。”
3
3
It was a slow and cautious process. During the day that passed, Trevize grimly directed the calculation of several different approaches and tried to choose between them. Lacking hard data, he could depend only on intuition, which unfortunately told him nothing. He lacked that “sureness” he sometimes experienced.
第二天，崔维兹一丝不苟地指挥电脑工作，要它计算出数种前进航线，再试着从中选择一个最佳方案，整个过程缓慢而谨慎。由于缺乏精确数据，他只能凭借直觉行事，可惜直觉未能提供任何帮助。他时常体会到的“自信”，这回始终未曾出现。
Eventually he punched in directions for a Jump that moved them far out of the planetary plane.
最后，他终于将跃迁指令注入电脑，太空艇随即远离行星轨道面。
“That will give us a better view of the region as a whole,” he said, “since we will see the planets in every part of their orbit at maximum apparent distance from the sun. Andthey --whoever they may be--might not be quite as watchful over regions outside the plane. --I hope.”
“这样我们就能有较佳的整体视野。”他说，“因为不论那些行星在轨道的哪一部分，我们都能取得它们和盖娅之阳的最大视距。而他们——不论他们是何方神圣——也许不会对轨道面以外的区域侦察得太仔细，至少我希望如此。”
They were now as close to Gaia-S as the nearest and largest of the gas giants was and they were nearly half a billion kilometers from it. Trevize placed it under full magnification on the screen for Pelorat’s benefit. It was an impressive sight, even if the three sparse and narrow rings of debris were left out of account.
目前他们距离盖娅之阳将近五亿公里，和那颗最内围、最庞大的气态巨星几乎相同。崔维兹将那颗行星以最大倍率显像在屏幕上，好让裴洛拉特尽情观赏一番。即使忽略周围三道稀疏而狭窄的碎石环，那仍是极其壮观的画面。
“It has the usual train of satellites,” said Trevize, “but at this distance from Gaia-S, we know that none of them are habitable. Nor are any of them settled by ‘human beings who survive, let us say, under a glass dome or under other strictly artificial conditions.”
“它照例拥有一串卫星，”崔维兹说，“但它距离盖娅之阳这么远，因此所有的卫星都不适宜住人。而且，也没有哪颗卫星上有人类的踪迹，比方说在玻璃穹顶内，或是其他极端人工化的环境中。”
“How can you tell?”
“你又怎么知道？”
“There’s no radio noise with characteristics that point them out as of intelligent origin. Of course,” he added, qualifying his statement at once, “it is conceivable that a scientific outpost might go to great pains to shield its radio signals and the gas giant produces radio noise that could mask what I was looking for. Still, our radio reception is delicate and our computer is an extraordinarily good one. I’d say the chance of human occupation of those satellites is extremely small.”
“因为我们接收到的无线电杂讯，并不具备人工波源的特征。当然，”为了避免以偏概全，他补充道，“上面还是可能有科学观测站，只不过他们费尽心血将无线电讯号屏蔽起来，再加上气态巨星产生的无线电杂讯，便足以掩盖他们的踪迹。话说回来，我们的无线电接收装置极为灵敏，我们的电脑又非比寻常，所以我敢说，那些卫星上有人类居住的几率小得可怜。”
“Does that mean there’s no Gaia?”
“这是否表示盖娅并不存在？”
“No. But it does mean that if thereis a Gaia, it hasn’t bothered to settle those satellites. Perhaps it lacks the capacity to do so--or the interest.”
“不，这表示盖娅即使存在，也没有在这些环境恶劣的卫星上殖民。也许是它没有能力，或者只是兴趣缺缺。”
“Well,is there a Gaia?”
“好吧，那么究竟有没有盖娅？”
“Patience, Janov. Patience.”
“耐心点，詹诺夫，耐心点。”
Trevize considered the sky with a seemingly endless supply of patience. He stopped at one point to say, “Frankly, the fact that they haven’t come out to pounce on us is disheartening, in a way. Surely, if they had the capacities they were described as having, they would have reacted to us by now.”
崔维兹以近乎无穷无尽的耐心望着这片天宇沉思。但他终于停了下来，说道：“坦白讲，他们到现在还没有出来抓我们，可真有点令我灰心。照理说，如果他们拥有传说中的能耐，早该对我们有所反应了。”
“It’s conceivable, I suppose,” said Pelorat glumly, “that the whole thing is a fantasy.”
“依我看，”裴洛拉特闷闷不乐，“整件事有可能只是一种幻想。”
“Call it a myth, Janov,” said Trevize with a wry smile, “and it will be right up your alley. Still, there’s a planet moving through the ecosphere, which means it might be habitable. I’ll want to observe it for at least a day.”
“姑且称之为神话吧，詹诺夫，”崔维兹露出一抹苦笑，“这刚好合你的胃口。话说回来，还是有一颗行星位于天文生物圈内，这就代表它也许可以住人。我准备至少花一天时间观察它。”
“Why?”
“为什么？”
“To make sure it’s habitable, for one thing.”
“原因之一，为了确定它是否适宜住人。”
“You just said it was in the ecosphere, Golan.”
“你刚才明明说它位于生物圈内，葛兰。”
“Yes, at the moment it is. But its orbit could be very eccentric, and could eventually carry it within a microparsec of the star, or out to fifteen microparsecs, or both. We’ll have to determine and compare the planet’s distance from Gaia-S with its orbital speed--and it would help to note the direction of its motion.”
“没错，此刻它的确在其中。但是它的轨道可能具有很大的离心率，也许有时距离恒星只有一微秒差距，也可能偶尔跑到十五微秒差距之外，或者两者都会发生。我们必须测定这颗行星和盖娅之阳的距离，再将这个距离和它的轨道速率相比，这将有助于了解它的运动方式。”
4
4
Another day.
又过了一天。
“The orbit is nearly circular,” Trevize said finally, “which means that habitability becomes a much safer bet. Yet no one’s coming out to get us even now. We’ll have to try a closer look.”
“轨道接近圆形，”崔维兹终于找到答案，“这就表示适宜住人的可能性更大了。但直到目前为止，还是没有人出来抓我们，我们得试着再凑近一点。”
Pelorat said, “Why does it take so long to arrange a Jump? You’re just taking little ones.”
裴洛拉特问道：“准备一次跃迁为何要花那么长的时间？你只不过是要进行微跃罢了。”
“Listen to the man. Little Jumps are harder to control than big ones. Is it easier to pick up a rock or a fine grain of sand? Besides, Gaia-S is nearby and space is sharply curved. That complicates the calculations even for the computer. Even a mythologist should see that.”
“听听这人讲的什么话。微跃比普通的跃迁更难控制，你想想看，抓起一块石头和捡起一粒细沙，哪件事比较容易？此外，盖娅之阳就在附近，因此空间弯曲得厉害，即使对电脑而言，计算都会相当复杂。就算是神话学家，也该明白这层道理。”
Pelorat grunted.
裴洛拉特嘀咕了一阵子。
Trevize said, “You can see the planet with the unaided eye now. Right there. See it? The period of rotation is about twenty-two Galactic Hours and the axial inclination is twelve degrees. It is practically a textbook example of a habitable planet and itis life-bearing.”
崔维兹又说：“现在，你可以用肉眼看到那颗行星了。就在那里，看到没有？自转周期大约是二十二个银河标准小时，轴倾角十二度，简直就是可住人行星的教科书范例。而且，上面的确有生物存在。”
“How can you tell?”
“你怎么知道？”
“There are substantial quantities of free oxygen in the atmosphere. You can’t have that without well-established vegetation.”
“因为大气层具有大量的自由氧。如果没有发展出繁茂的植物群落，不可能出现这种情形。”
“What about intelligent life?”
“有没有智慧生物呢？”
“That depends on the analysis of radio-wave radiation. Of course, there could be intelligent life that has abandoned technology, I suppose, but that seems very unlikely.”
“那就需要分析无线电波辐射了。当然，我想也或许有完全放弃科技的智慧生物，但是这种情形似乎非常不可能。”
“There have been cases of that,” said Pelorat.
“并非没有这种例子。”裴洛拉特说。
“I’ll take your word for it. That’s your department. However, it’s not likely that there would be nothing but pastoral survivors on a planet that frightened off the Mule.”
“我愿意相信你，好歹这是你的专长。然而，上面如果只有一些游牧民族，当年不太可能把骡吓跑。”
Pelorat said, “Does it have a satellite?”
裴洛拉特又问：“它有卫星吗？”
“Yes, it does,” said Trevize casually.
“的确有一颗。”崔维兹随口答道。
“How big?” Pelorat said in a voice that was suddenly choking.
“多大？”裴洛拉特突然显得透不过气来。
“Can’t tell for sure. Perhaps a hundred kilometers across.”
“说不准，直径或许有一百公里吧。”
“Dear me,” said Pelorat wistfully. “I wish I had some worthier set of expletives on instant call, my dear chap, but there was just that one little chance……”
“乖乖。”裴洛拉特叹道，“我真希望脑袋多装几句更够味的感叹词，我亲爱的兄弟，可是本来的那么一点机会……”
“You mean, if it had a giant satellite, it might be Earth itself?”
“你的意思是，假如它有一颗巨型卫星，就可能是地球了？”
“Yes, but it clearly isn’t.”
“没错，但它显然不是。”
“Well, if Compor is right, Earth wouldn’t be in this Galactic region, anyway. It would be over Sirius way. --Really, Janov, I’m sorry.”
“算啦，如果康普说得没错，地球根本不在这一带，它应该位于天狼星区。说真的，詹诺夫，我十分遗憾。”
“Oh well.”
“喔，谢了。”
“Look, we’ll wait, and risk one more small Jump. If we find no signs of intelligent life, then it should be safe to land--except that there will then be no reason to land, will there?”
“听着，我们先等一下，然后再冒险进行一次微跃。假如没有发现智慧生物的任何迹象，我们登陆就很安全——只不过这样一来，就根本没有必要登陆了，你说对不对？”
5
5
After the next Jump, Trevize said in an astonished voice, “That does it, Janov. It’s Gaia, all right. At least, it possesses a technological civilization.”
又做了一次微跃之后，崔维兹突然惊喜地大叫：“好啦，詹诺夫。这就是盖娅，它起码拥有科技文明。”
“Can you tell that from the radio waves?”
“你能根据无线电波看出来吗？”
“Better than that. There’s a space station circling the planet. Do you see that?”
“我有更直接的证据。有个太空站环绕这颗行星，你看到没有？”
There was an object on display on the viewscreen. To Pelorat’s unaccustomed eye, it didn’t seem very remarkable, but Trevize said, “Artificial, metallic, and a radio-source.”
显像屏幕呈现出一个物体的影像，在外行的裴洛拉特看来，似乎没有什么特殊之处，但崔维兹却说：“人工的，金属的，而且是个电波源。”
“What do we do now?”
“我们现在该怎么做？”
“Nothing, for a while. At this stage of technology, they cannot fail to detect us. If, after a while, they do nothing, I will beam a radio message at them. If they still do nothing, I will approach cautiously.”
“暂时不要轻举妄动。既然拥有这种科技水准，他们不可能没侦测到我们。如果一会儿之后，他们仍旧毫无动静，我就向他们发出一道无线电讯。假使他们依然没有反应，我就要步步为营地逼进。”
“What if theydo do something?”
“万一他们真有反应，又该怎么办？”
“It will depend on the ‘something.’ If I don’t like it, then I’ll have to take advantage of the fact that it is very unlikely that they have anything that can match the facility with which this ship can make a Jump.”
“要看是什么样的反应。若是我不喜欢的反应，我就准备仰仗这艘太空艇的高超跃迁能力，我不相信他们有什么办法追得上我们。”
“You mean we’ll leave?”
“你是说我们要溜掉？”
“Like a hyperspatial missile.”
“就像超空间飞弹那样。”
“But we’ll leave no wiser than we came.”
“但这等于是空手而归。”
“Not at all. At the very least we’ll know that Gaia exists, that it has a working technology, and that it’s done something to scare us.”
“乱讲。至少我们会知道盖娅的确存在，拥有实用的科技文明，而且故意把我们吓跑。”
“But, Golan, let’s not be too easily scared.”
“可是，葛兰，我们不要太容易被吓跑。”
“Now, Janov, I know that you want nothing more in the Galaxy than to learn about Earth at any cost, but please remember that I don’t share your monomania. We are in an unarmed ship and those people down there have been isolated for centuries. Suppose they have never heard of the Foundation and don’t know enough to be respectful of it. Or suppose thisis the Second Foundation and once we’re in their grip--if they’re annoyed with us--we may never be the same again. Do you want them to wipe your mind clear and find you are no longer a mythologist and know nothing about any legends whatever?”
“好啦，詹诺夫，我了解银河虽大，你却对地球情有独钟，愿意不计一切代价探寻它的下落。可是请你记住一件事，我可没有染上你那种偏执狂。我们是在一艘毫无武装的太空艇上，而下面那些人已经与世隔绝了好几世纪。如果他们从未听说过基地，不明白应该对这个名号肃然起敬；又如果这里正是第二基地，我们一旦落入他们手中，万一惹恼了他们，我们就再也不是原来的自己了。难道你希望他们掏空你的心灵，让你忘掉所有的神话传说，从此再也不能以神话学家自居吗？”
Pelorat looked grim. “If you put it that way-- But what do we do once we leave?”
裴洛拉特露出凝重的表情。“好吧，既然你这么说。但是我们离去后，又该怎么办呢？”
“Simple. We get back to Terminus with the news. --Or as near to Terminus as the old woman will allow. Then we might return to Gaia once again--more quickly and without all this inching along-- and we return with an armed ship or an armed fleet. Things may well be different then.”
“太简单了。我们回端点星去，向老太婆报告这个消息。如果她不准我们登陆，我们也要尽量接近端点星。然后，我们也许会再回到盖娅——以最快的速度回来，不像这样走走停停——而且会带来一艘战舰，甚至一支武装舰队。那时，情况当然就不同了。”
6
6
They waited. It had grown to be a routine. They had spent far more time waiting in the approaches to Gaia than they had spent in all the flight from Terminus to Sayshell.
他们又开始等待，这已经成了例行公事。他们在盖娅附近等待的时间，已经远比由端点星飞到赛协尔的时间更长。
Trevize set the computer to automatic alarm and was even nonchalant enough to doze in his padded chair.
崔维兹将电脑设定成自动预警模式，自己毫不紧张，甚至在厚实的座椅上打起盹来。
This meant he woke with a start when the alarm chimed. Pelorat came into Trevize’s room, just as startled. He bad been interrupted while shaving.
当警报响起时，崔维兹立刻惊醒。裴洛拉特胡子刮了一半，就赶紧冲进崔维兹的舱房。一时之间，两人都吓得不知所措。
“Have we received a message?” asked Pelorat.
“我们收到了什么讯息吗？”裴洛拉特问道。
“No,” said Trevize energetically. “We’re moving.”
“没有。”崔维兹中气十足地说，“是我们正在运动。”
“Moving? Where?”
“运动？往哪里运动？”
“Toward the space station.”
“朝那个太空站运动。”
“Why is that?”
“为什么会这样？”
“I don’t know. The motors are on and the computer doesn’t respond to me--but we’re moving. --Janov, we’ve been seized. We’ve come a little too close to Gaia.”
“我也不知道。发动机仍旧开着，但是电脑不再有反应，而我们却在运动。詹诺夫，我们被逮住了。我们和盖娅恐怕太近了一点。”