CHAPTER FOUR SPACE
第4章 太空
THE SHIP LOOKED EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN TREVIZE - WITH HIS memories of the time when the new cruiser-class had been glowingly publicized-had expected.
远星号远比崔维兹想象中更为先进。他依稀记得，当这类新型太空艇正式公开时，有关单位曾大肆宣传，但百闻果然不如一见。
It was not the size that was impressive-for it was rather small. It was designed for maneuverability and speed, for totally gravitic engines, and most of all for advanced computerization. It didn't need size-size would have defeated its purpose.
令他惊叹不已的并非太空艇的尺寸，因为它的确相当小。它的设计强调机动性、高速度、完全重力推进，以及最重要的一点——尖端的电脑化操控。所以它不必造得太大，否则反而会令性能大打折扣。
It was a one-man device that could replace, with advantage, the older ships that required a crew of a dozen or more. With a second or even a third person to establish shifts of duty, one such ship could fight off a flotilla of much larger non-Foundation ships. In addition, it could outspeed and escape from any other ship in existence.
过去类似的太空艇，必须十几个人才能伺候，远星号却只需要一名驾驶员，而且能表现得更好。如果还有一两个人轮班执勤，单单一艘这种太空艇，就能击败异邦大型星舰所组成的小型舰队。此外，它的速度天下第一，能轻易摆脱任何船舰的追击。
There was a sleekness about it-not a wasted line, not a superfluous curve inside or out. Every cubic meter of volume was used to its maximum, so as to leave a paradoxical aura of spaciousness within. Nothing the Mayor might have said about the importance of his mission could have impressed Trevize more than the ship with which he was asked to perform it.
整个船体光润如玉，里里外外没有任何多余的线条。每一立方米的容积都发挥到极限，使得内部空间宽广得不可思议。不论市长原先如何强调这趟任务的重要性，崔维兹如今最感惊讶的一点，是自己竟然要亲自驾驶这艘太空艇。
Branno the Bronze, he thought with chagrin, had maneuvered him into a dangerous mission of the greatest significance. He might not have accepted with such determination had she not so arranged matters that he wanted to show her what he could do.
他悲愤不已地想，铜人布拉诺利用诡计，迫使自己从事一项重大无比却危险至极的任务。若非她精心策划这样一个圈套，让他主动表示自己能证明些什么，他或许根本不会接受这个安排。
As for Pelorat, he was transported with wonder. "Would you believe," he said, placing a gentle finger on the hull before he had climbed inside, "that I've never been close to a spaceship?"
至于裴洛拉特，现在则惊奇得心神恍惚。“你相信吗？”在登上远星号之前，他伸出一根手指轻抚着船体，“我从来没有这么靠近一艘太空船。”
"I'll believe it, of course, if you say so, Professor, but how did you manage it?"
“教授，凡是你说的话，我当然都相信，不过为什么会这样呢？”
"I scarcely know, to be honest with you, dear fel-, I mean, my dear Trevize. I presume I was overly concerned with my research. When one's home has a really excellent computer capable of reaching other computers anywhere in the Galaxy, one scarcely needs to budge, you know. -Somehow I expected spaceships to be larger than this."
“老实跟你说，我自己也不大清楚，亲爱的伙……我是说，亲爱的崔维兹。我想，是因为我对研究工作太过投入吧。一个人家里如果有一台非常精良的电脑，能够和银河各个角落的电脑联线，你知道吗，他就根本不必走出家门。可是，我总以为太空船应该更大一点。”
"This is a small model, but even so, it's much larger inside than any other ship of this size."
“这艘是小型的太空艇，不过，和同样大小的船舰比起来，它的内部空间已经大了许多。”
"How can that be? You are making fun of my ignorance."
“怎么可能呢？你是看我什么都不懂，故意跟我开玩笑。”
"No, no. I'm serious. This is one of the first ships to be completely graviticized."
“不，不，我没有开玩笑。这是第一批完全重力推进的船舰。”
"What does that mean? -But please don't explain if it requires extensive physics. I will take your word, as you took mine yesterday in connection with the single species of humanity and the single world of origin."
“那又是什么意思？但如果牵涉到太多的物理学，请你不必解释，我相信就是了。就像昨天，我们在讨论人类是单一物种，发源于单一世界时，你无条件接受我的说法一样。”
"Let's try, Professor Pelorat. Through all the thousands of years of space flight, we've had chemical motors and ionic motors and hyperatomic motors, and all these things have been bulky. The old Imperial Navy had ships five hundred meters long with no more living space in them than would fit into a small apartment. Fortunately the Foundation has specialized in miniaturization through all the centuries of its existence, thanks to its lack of material resources. This ship is the culmination. It makes use of antigravity and the device that makes that possible takes up virtually no space and is actually included in the hull. If it weren't that we still need the hyperatomic……"
“裴洛拉特教授，咱们试试吧。在数万年的太空飞航史中，人类曾经使用过化学能发动机、离子发动机、超原子发动机，这些都是庞然大物。旧帝国舰队的星舰，动辄长达五百米，内部的活动空间却小得可怜，顶多一个小房间的容积。好在基地自从建立以来，一直致力于微型化的研究，这都要拜资源缺乏之赐。这艘太空艇便是我们的登峰造极之作。它使用反重力作为推进动力，推进系统根本不占任何空间，因为完全隐藏在船体中。若不是我们仍然需要超原子……”
A Security guard approached. "You will have to get on, gentlemen!"
此时一名安全警卫走了过来。“两位，你们该上去了！”
The sky was grooving light, though sunrise was still half an hour off.
天色正逐渐明亮，不过距离日出还有半个小时。
Trevize looked about. "Is my baggage loaded?"
崔维兹四下张望。“我的行李都装上去了吗？”
"Yes, Councilman, you will find the ship fully equipped."
“是的，议员，你将发现里面一应俱全。”
"With clothing, I suppose, that is not my size or to my taste."
“我猜，衣物可能不太合身，也不合我的品味。”
The guard smiled, quite suddenly and almost boyishly. "I think it is," he said. "The Mayor had us working overtime these last thirty or forty hours and we've matched what you had closely. Money no object. Listen," he looked about as though to make sure no one noticed his sudden fraternization, "you two are lucky. Best ship in the world. Fully equipped, except for armament. You're swimming in cream."
警卫突然露出带着稚气的笑容。“我想不至于。”他说，“过去三四十个小时，市长命令我们连夜加班。我们根据你原有的衣服，尽量搜购类似的服装，毫不考虑费用。我跟你们说……”他忽然变得十分亲切，同时赶紧环顾四周，仿佛要确定没有人在注意他。“你们两个运气实在太好了，这是全世界最棒的船舰。除了没有武装，设备一应俱全。你们简直太走运了。”
"Sour cream, possibly," said Trevize. "Well, Professor, are you ready?"
“也可能是走霉运吧。”崔维兹说，“好了，教授，你准备好了吗？”
"With this I am," Pelorat said and held up a square wafer about twenty centimeters to the side and encased in a jacket of silvery plastic. Trevize was suddenly aware that Pelorat had been holding it since they had left his home, shifting it from hand to hand and never putting it down, even when they had stopped for a quick breakfast.
“带着这个，我就算准备好了。”裴洛拉特一面说，一面举起一个银色塑胶封套，里面装着一个正方形晶片，边长大约二十公分。崔维兹这才想起来，自从离开家门，裴洛拉特就一直拎着这个东西，左手换到右手，右手又换到左手，始终不肯放下来。当他们在半途匆匆吃了一顿早餐的时候，那东西也没有离开他的手。
"What's that, Professor?"
“教授，那是什么？”
"My library. It's indexed by subject matter and origin and I've gotten it all into one wafer. If you think this ship is a marvel, how about this wafer? A whole library! Everything I have collected! Wonderful! Wonderful!"
“我的私人图书馆。我所拥有的一切资料，全都放进一片晶片中，按照主题和出处分门别类。如果你认为这艘太空艇巧夺天工，这个晶片又如何？我所有的藏书！我所搜集的一切！太妙啦！太妙啦！”
"Well," said Trevize, "we are swimming in cream."
“嗯，”崔维兹说，“我们的确正在走运。”
2
2
Trevize marveled at the inside of the ship. The utilization of space was ingenious. There was a storeroom, with supplies of food, clothing, films, and games. There was a gym, a parlor, and two nearly identical bedrooms.
崔维兹对太空艇的内部设计也赞不绝口，空间的利用简直巧妙至极。储藏室里装满食品、衣物、影片与游戏器材，此外还有一间健身房、一间起居室，以及两间几乎一模一样的寝室。
"This one," said Trevize, "must be yours, Professor. At least, it contains an FX Reader."
“这间寝室一定是你的，教授。”崔维兹说，“至少，里面有一台特效阅读机。”
"Good," said Pelorat with satisfaction. "What an ass I have been to avoid space flight as I have. I could live here, my dear Trevize, in utter satisfaction."
“太好了。”裴洛拉特志得意满地说，“我以前真是一头笨驴，竟然一直排斥太空飞行。原来，亲爱的崔维兹，我可以心满意足地住在这里面。”
"Roomier than I expected," said Trevize with pleasure.
“比我想象中还要宽敞。”崔维兹高兴地说。
"And the engines are really in the hull, as you said?"
“引擎真的装在船体中，如你所说的那样？”
"The controlling devices are, at any rate. We don't have to store fuel or make use of it on the spot. We're making use of the fundamental energy store of the Universe, so that the fuel and the engines are all-out there." He gestured vaguely.
“至少控制装置一定是的。我们无需储存燃料，也不必用任何燃料。我们使用的是宇宙本身所蕴涵的基本能量，因此可以说，燃料和引擎——全都在外面。”他随手指了指。
"Well, now that I think of it-what if something goes wrong?"
“嗯，我突然想到，万一发生什么故障，又该怎么办？”
Trevize shrugged. "I've been trained in space navigation, but not on these ships. If something goes wrong with the gravitics, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about it."
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“我受过太空飞航训练，但不是在这种太空艇上。如果重力子装置出了问题，只怕我根本束手无策。”
"But can you run this ship? Pilot it?"
“但是你会开这艘太空艇？我是说，驾驶它？”
"I'm wondering that myself."
“我自己也不禁怀疑。”
Pelorat said, "Do you suppose this is an automated ship? Might we not merely be passengers? We might simply be expected to sit here."
裴洛拉特说：“你想这会不会是一艘全自动太空艇？我们有没有可能只是乘客？或许我们只要乖乖坐着就行了。”
"They have such things in the case of ferries between planets and space stations within a stellar system, but I never heard of automated hyperspace travel. At least, not so far. -Not so far."
“在恒星系之内，往返行星和太空站之间的太空交通船，的确是有全自动的。但我从来没听过全自动的超空间航行，至少目前为止——目前为止。”
He looked about again and there was a trickle of apprehension within him. Had that harridan Mayor managed to maneuver that far ahead of him? Had the Foundation automated interstellar travel, too, and was he going to be deposited on Trantor quite against his will, and with no more to say about it than any of the rest of the furniture aboard ship?
他再次环顾四周，心中突然感到些许不安。那个巫婆市长是否早已布置好一切？基地已经拥有全自动星际航行能力了？难道他就像太空艇内的陈设一样，毫无选择余地，只能乖乖地等着被送到川陀？
He said with a cheerful animation he didn't feel, "Professor, you sit down. The Mayor said this ship was completely computerized. If your room has the FX Reader, mine ought to have a computer in it. Make yourself comfortable and let me look around a bit on my own.
他故意装出快活的声调，说道：“教授，你先坐一下。市长曾经说过，这是一艘完全电脑化的太空艇。既然你的舱房有特效阅读机，我的舱房就该有电脑。你先好好休息一会儿，我一个人到处查看一下。”
Pelorat looked instantly anxious. "Trevize, my dear chap- You're not getting off the ship, are you?"
裴洛拉特立刻露出忧虑的神情。“崔维兹，我亲爱的兄弟，你不是想溜走吧？”
"Not my plan at all, Professor. And if I tried, you can count on my being stopped. It is not the Mayor's intention to allow me off. All I'm planning to do is to learn what operates the Far Star." He smiled, "I won't desert you, Professor."
“教授，我绝对没有这种打算。即使我真要开溜，你也大可放心，我一定会被挡驾的，市长可不想让我轻易溜掉。我现在唯一想做的，只是找到操纵远星号的装置。”他微微一笑，“我不会丢下你的，教授。”
He was still smiling as he entered, what he felt to be his own bedroom, but his face grew sober as he closed the door softly behind him. Surely there must be some means of communicating with a planet in the neighborhood of the ship. It was impossible to imagine a ship deliberately sealed off from its surroundings and, therefore, somewhere - perhaps in a wall recess-there would have to be a Reacher. He could use it to call the Mayor's office to ask about controls.
当他进入那间想当然是自己的寝室时，还一直把笑容挂在脸上。等到他将舱门轻轻关上之后，表情却渐渐变得严肃。照理说，太空艇上一定装有某种通讯设备，以便跟附近的行星联络。因为实在很难想象，会故意将一艘船舰密封起来，使它与外界完全隔绝。所以说，在某个地方——也许是在哪个壁槽中——配备有联络器。只要找得到，他就可以联络市长办公室，询问操纵装置究竟在何处。
Carefully he inspected the walls, the headboard of the bed, and the neat, smooth furniture. If nothing turned up here, he would go through the rest of the ship.
他仔细查看每一面舱壁，又检查了床头板与其他各种光洁的陈设。如果这里找不到，他决定搜遍太空艇的每个角落。
He was about to turn away when his eye caught a glint of light on the smooth, light brown surface of the desk. A round circle of light, with neat lettering that read: COMPUTER INSTRUCTIONS.
正打算转身离去时，他突然看到淡棕色的平滑桌面发出闪烁的光芒。那是一圈光晕，里面映着一行整齐的字迹：电脑界面。
Ah!
啊哈！
Nevertheless his heart beat rapidly. There were computers and computers, and there were programs that took a long time to master. Trevize had never made the mistake of underestimating his own intelligence, but, on the other hand, he was not a Grand Master. There were those who had a knack for using a computer, and those who had not - and Trevize knew very well into which class he fell.
不过他的心跳随即加快。各式各样的电脑种类实在太多，相关程序需要花费许多时间才能熟练。崔维兹从未低估自己的智慧，可是，他也并非万事通。有些人天生有操作电脑的本事，却也有人刚好相反——崔维兹非常清楚自己属于哪一类。
In his hitch in the Foundation Navy, he had reached the rank of lieutenant and had, on occasion, been officer of the day and had had occasion to use the ship's computer. He had never been in sole charge of it, however, and he had never been expected to know anything more than the routine maneuvers being officer of the day required.
在基地舰队服役时，他官拜上尉，有时需要担任值日官，所以偶尔得使用星舰上的电脑。然而，他从来没有独力操作电脑的经验，而且，除了值日官必须懂得的例行程序之外，他向来不必知道更多的细节。
He remembered, with a sinking feeling, the volumes taken up by a fully described program in printout, and he could recall the behavior of Technical Sergeant Krasnet at the console of the ship's computer. He played it as though it were the most complex musical instrument in the Galaxy, and did it all with an air of nonchalance, as though he were bored at its simplicity-yet even he had to consult the volumes at times, swearing at himself in embarrassment.
他想起那些厚重的程序手册，上面密密麻麻印着写满注解的程序，一颗心不由得往下沉。他还记得那位名叫克拉斯乃特的电脑技术士官，每次坐在星舰电脑控制台前的样子。他操作电脑的方式，仿佛在演奏银河间最复杂的乐器，而且每次都流露出冷漠的神情，似乎嫌它太过简单。但他难免也需要翻查那些手册，而且一面翻，一面骂自己笨蛋。
Hesitantly Trevize placed a finger on the circle of light and at once the light spread out to cover the desk top. On it were the outline of two hands: a right and a left. With a sudden, smooth movement, the desk top tilted to an angle of forty-five degrees.
崔维兹迟疑地伸出食指触摸那圈光晕，光芒立刻扩散到整个桌面，上面显现出两只手掌的轮廓：一左一右。此时桌面突然动了起来，平稳而流畅地形成四十五度的斜面。
Trevize took the seat before the desk. No words were necessary. It was clear what he was expected to do.
崔维兹赶紧在桌前坐下。根本无需任何说明，他该怎么做再明显不过了。
He placed his hands on the outlines on the desk, which were positioned for him to do so without strain. The desk top seemed soft, nearly velvety, where he touched it-and his hands sank in.
他将双手放到桌面的手掌轮廓上，无论距离或角度都恰到好处。桌面摸起来似乎很柔软，近乎触摸天鹅绒那种感觉，而且他感到手掌陷了进去。
He stared at his hands with astonishment, for they had not sunk in at all. They were on the surface, his eyes told him. Yet to his sense of touch it was as though the desk surface had given way, and as though something were holding his hands softly and warmly.
他吃惊地瞪着自己的双手，手掌明明还摆在桌面上。但那只是视觉送来的讯息，对触觉而言，桌面似乎被穿透了，而双手仿佛已被某种轻柔温暖的质料所包裹。
Was that all?
怎么回事？
Now what?
现在该怎么做？
He looked about and then closed his eyes in response to a suggestion.
他四下张望，随即感受到一个讯息，便将眼睛闭了起来。
He had eard nothing. He had eard nothing!
他什么也没听到，什么都没有听到！
But inside his brain, as though it were a vagrant thought of his own, there was the sentence, "Please close your eyes. Relax. We will make connection."
可是在他的脑海，仿佛自行冒出一个飘忽的念头，内容是：“请闭上眼睛，放轻松，我们即将进行接触。”
Through the hands?
借着一双手？
Somehow Trevize had always assumed that if one were going to communicate by thought with a computer, it would be through a hood placed over the ead and with electrodes against the eyes and skull.
崔维兹一向认为，若要藉由思想和电脑直接沟通，就必须戴上特制的头罩，同时在头颅与眼睛上贴满电极。
The hands?
用手？
But why not the hands? Trevize found himself floating away, almost drowsy, but with no loss of mental acuity. Why not the hands?
为何不能用手呢？崔维兹觉得有点恍惚，几乎昏昏欲睡，可是神智依旧敏锐无比。又为何不能用手呢？
The eyes were no more than sense organs. The brain was no more than a central switchboard, encased in bone and removed from the working surface of the body. It was the hands that were the working surface, the hands that felt and manipulated the Universe.
眼睛只不过是一种感官，大脑只不过是中央交换机。大脑藏在头盖骨中，与身体的工作界面相距甚远。双手才是真正的工作界面，人类就是依靠万能的双手，来感知和操控整个宇宙。
Human beings thought with their hands. It was their hands that were the answer of curiosity, that felt and pinched and turned and lifted and hefted. There were animals that had brains of respectable size, but they had no hands and that made all the difference.
人类是利用双手来思考的动物。唯有双手可以满足人类的好奇心，可以感触、掐捏、扭转、抬举。许多动物的脑容量也不小，但是它们没有手，这就天差地远了。
And as he and the computer held hands, their thinking merged and it no longer mattered whether his eyes were open or closed. Opening them did not improve his vision nor did closing them dim it.
当他与电脑“手牵手”的时候，两者的思想融合为一，他的眼睛是睁是闭不再重要。睁开双眼并不能增加视力，闭起来也不会模糊不清。
Either way, he saw the room with complete clarity-not just in the direction in which he was looking, but all around and above and below.
反正，他能将这个舱房看得一清二楚。并不仅限于正前方，而是包括上下左右和四面八方。
He saw every room in the spaceship and he saw outside as well. The sun had risen and its brightness was dimmed in the morning mist, but he could look at it directly without being dazzled, for the computer automatically filtered the light waves.
此外，他能看见太空艇的每一间舱房，甚至看得到外面的景象。如今太阳已经升起，阳光在晨雾中有些曚昽。他能直接逼视太阳的光芒，并不会感到刺眼，因为电脑已经自动将光波过滤一遍。
He felt the gentle wind and its temperature, and the sounds of the world about him. He detected the planet's magnetic field and the tiny electrical charges on the wall of the ship.
他感觉到微风的吹拂、空气的温度，还有周遭所有的声音。他探触到了这颗行星的磁场，以及太空艇外壳的微弱电荷。
He became aware of the controls of the ship, without even knowing what they were in detail. He knew only that if he wanted to lift the ship, or turn it, or accelerate it, or make use of any of its abilities, the process was the same as that of performing the analogous process to his body. He had but to use his will.
他终于明白了如何操纵这艘太空艇，那些繁杂的细节根本不重要。他只需要知道，若想让太空艇上升、转向、加速，或者执行任何一项功能，过程就像让自己的身体做出类似的动作，只要运用自己的意志即可。
Yet his will was not unalloyed. The computer itself could override. At the present moment, there was a formed sentence in his ead and he knew exactly when and how the ship would take off. There was no flexibility where that was concerned. Thereafter, he knew just as surely, he would himself he able to deride.
但他的意志并非完全独立，电脑随时能凌驾其上。此时此刻，他的脑海中又浮现了完整的一句话，使他明白太空艇将在何时以及如何升空。这些过程毫无商量的余地。而从现在开始，他完全确定自己已经能决定一切。
He found-as he cast the net of his computer-enhanced consciousness outward-that he could sense the condition of the upper atmosphere; that he could see the weather patterns; that he could detect the other ships that were swarming upward and the others that were settling downward. All of this ad to be taken into ac, count and the computer was taking it into account. If the computer had not been doing so, Trevize realized, he need only desire the computer to do so-and it would be done.
当他将电脑辅助的意识向外投射时，发现自己能感测到高层大气的状况，能看出气候的形态，还能探知周围上上下下各艘船舰的活动。所有这些情况都必须纳入考虑，而电脑的确在详加分析。此外崔维兹领悟到，即使电脑没有做到，他只要希望电脑那么做，就再也不用操心了。
So much for the volumes of programming; there were none. Trevize thought of Technical Sergeant Krasnet and smiled. He had read often enough of the immense revolution that gravities would make in the world, but the fusion of computer and mind was still a state secret. It would surely produce a still greater revolution.
过去那些大本大本的程序手册，现在完全没有必要了。崔维兹又想到技术士官克拉斯乃特，不禁会心一笑。虽然许多报道都在强调，重力子学将会带来重大的科技革命，其实，电脑与心灵的融合才是基地的最高机密，而它势必引起一场更伟大的革命。
He was aware of time passing. He knew exactly what time it was by Terminus Local and by Galactic Standard.
他也意识到时光的推移，并且知道现在的精确时间，包括“端点星当地时间”与“银河标准时间”。
How did he let go?
可是他怎样离开呢？
And even as the thought entered his mind, his hands were released and the desk top moved back to its original position-and Trevize was left with his own unaided senses.
就在这个念头闪入脑海之际，他的双手已经被松开，桌面也回复到原先的位置。下一瞬间，崔维兹便只剩下原先的感官。
He felt blind and helpless as though, for a time, he had been held and protected by a superbeing and now was abandoned. Had he not known that he could make contact again at any time, the feeling might have reduced him to tears.
他顿时感到孤独无助，仿佛在体验了神力的拥抱与保护之后，突然又遭到遗弃。若非晓得随时能够重建接触，那种绝望感足以令他痛哭流涕。
As it was he merely struggled for re-orientation, for adjustment to limits, then rose uncertainly to his feet and walked out of the room.
现在他只需要调整自己的心态，重新适应局限的感官。然后他茫然地站起来，走出了那间寝室。
Pelorat looked up. He had adjusted his Reader, obviously, and he said, "It works very well. It has an excellent Search Program. -Did you find the controls, my boy?"
裴洛拉特显然已经把特效阅读机调整完毕。他抬起头来，对崔维兹说：“这个装置非常好用，具有优异的搜寻程序。好孩子，你找到操纵装置了吗？”
"Yes, Professor. All is well."
“找着了，教授，一切都很顺利。”
"In that case, shouldn't we do something about takeoff? I mean, self-protection? Aren't we supposed to strap ourselves in or something? I looked about for instructions, but I didn't find anything and that made me nervous. I had to turn to my library. Somehow when I am at my work……"
“既然如此，我们是否该做些起飞前的准备工作？我的意思是，一些安全防范？我们是不是该绑上安全带，或者做些什么别的？我想找这方面的说明，却什么也没找到，这令我神经紧张。我得专心安装我的图书馆，万一我在工作的时候……”
Trevize had been pushing his hands at the professor as though to dam and stop the flood of words. Now he had to speak loudly in order to override him. "None of that is necessary, Professor. Antigravity is the equivalent of noninertia. There is no feeling of acceleration when velocity changes, since everything on the ship undergoes the change simultaneously."
崔维兹伸出双手推了推老教授，希望喋喋不休的他赶快闭嘴，可是一点用也没有。崔维兹只好提高音量，以便盖过对方的声音。“通通没有必要，教授。反重力和零惯性是等效的，当太空艇改变速度时，我们不会感到任何加速度，因为艇上每一件物体，都会同时改变速度。”
"You mean, we won't know when we are off the planet and out in space?"
“你的意思是，当我们由这颗行星起飞，进入太空的时候，我们会毫无感觉？”
"It's exactly what I mean, because even as I speak to you, we have taken off. We will be cutting through the upper atmosphere in a very few minutes and within half an hour we will be in outer space."
“我正是这个意思，因为在我跟你讲话的时候，我们已经升空了。再过几分钟，我们即将切入高层大气，半小时之内，我们就会进入外太空。”
3
3
Pelorat seemed to shrink a little as he stared at Trevize. His long rectangle of a face grew so blank that, without showing any emotion at all, it radiated a vast uneasiness.
裴洛拉特瞪着崔维兹，似乎有些畏缩。他那张长方形的脸孔一片空洞，除了显得极不自在，完全看不出任何情绪。
Then his eyes shifted right-Left.
然后，他的眼珠向右瞥，又一路转到最左侧。
Trevize remembered how he had felt on his own first trip beyond the atmosphere.
崔维兹马上想起来，当初自己首次离开大气层时，曾有过什么样的感受。
He said, in as matter-of-fact a manner as he could, "Janov," (it was the first time he had addressed the professor familiarly, but in this case experience was addressing inexperience and it was necessary to seem the older of the two) "we are perfectly safe here. We are in the metal womb of a warship of the Foundation Navy. We are not fully armed, but there is no place in the Galaxy where the name of the Foundation will not protect us. Even if some ship went mad and attacked, we could move out of its reach in a moment. And I assure you I have discovered that I can handle the ship perfectly."
他尽可能以轻描淡写的口气说：“詹诺夫，”这是他第一次如此亲昵地称呼老教授，不过这回是老手安慰新手，自己确有必要装得“老大”一点，“我们绝对安全无虞，我们是在基地战舰的肚子里头。虽然它毫无武装，可是我们跑遍银河，基地的名号都足以保护我们。即使有哪艘船舰发了狂，想要攻击我们，我们也能在瞬间脱身。而且我向你保证，我发现自己完全能掌控这艘太空艇。”
Pelorat said, "It is the thought, Go-Golan, of nothingness……"
裴洛拉特说：“我只是突然想到，葛……葛兰，想到那种空无……”
"Why, there's nothingness all about Terminus. There's just a thin layer of very tenuous air between ourselves on the surface and the nothingness just above. Ail we're doing is to go past that inconsequential layer."
“哎，端点星周围同样是一片空无。我们生活在行星的表面，和头上空无的太空之间，隔的也只是一层稀薄的空气。我们现在的行动，只是穿过那薄薄的一层而已。”
"It may be inconsequential, but we breathe it."
“那或许只是薄薄的一层，却是我们呼吸的空气。”
"We breathe here, too. The air on this ship is cleaner and purer, and will indefinitely remain cleaner and purer than the natural atmosphere of Terminus."
“我们在这里照样能呼吸。相较于端点星的自然大气层，太空艇的空气更清洁、更纯净，而且会永远保持这般清洁和纯净。”
"And the meteorites?"
“那么流星呢？”
"What about meteorites?"
“流星又怎么样？”
"The atmosphere protects us from meteorites. Radiation, too, for that matter."
“大气层可以阻挡流星的侵袭，同理，也可以挡住放射线。”
Trevize said, "Humanity has been traveling through space for twenty millennia, I believe……"
崔维兹说：“人类从事太空旅行，至今已有两万年之久，我相信……”
"Twenty-two. If we go by the Hallblockian chronology, it is quite plain that, counting the……"
“两万两千年。如果我们根据《霍尔布拉克年表》，显然可以追溯到……”
"Enough! Have you heard of meteorite accidents or of radiation deaths? -I mean, recently? -I mean, in the case of Foundation ships?"
“够了！你可听说过由于流星的袭击或放射线的伤害而造成的太空意外吗？我是说最近有吗？我的意思是，基地船舰遭遇过这种意外吗？”
"I have not really followed the news in such matters, but I am a historian, my boy, and……"
“我倒是从未真正注意这些新闻，但我是历史学家，好孩子，所以……”
"Historically, yes, there have been such things, but technology improves. There isn't a meteorite large enough to damage us that can possibly approach us before we take the necessary evasive action. Four meteorites-coming at us simultaneously from the four directions drawn from the vertices of a tetrahedron-might conceivably pin us down, but calculate the chances of that and you'll find that you'll die of old. age a trillion times over before you will have a fifty-fifty chance of observing so interesting a phenomenon."
“历史上，没错，的确发生过这种事，可是科技在不断进步。凡是大到足以危害我们的流星，只要接近到某个距离，我们都会采取必要的闪避措施。假使有四颗大流星，同时从四个不同方向袭来，就像来自正四面体的四个顶点，而太空艇位在正中心，那倒有可能被击中。不过如果计算这种事件的几率，你将会发现，想要观察到这种有趣的现象，在你老死一兆兆次之后，几率还不会超过百分之五十。”
"You mean, if you were at the computer?"
“你的意思是，如果由你控制电脑的话？”
"No," said Trevize in Scorn. "If I were running the computer on he basis of my own senses and responses, we would be hit before I ever knew what was happening. It is the computer itself that is at work, responding millions of times faster than you or I could." He held out his hand abruptly. "Janov, come let me show you what the computer can do, and let me show you what space is like."
“不对。”崔维兹以轻蔑的口气说，“如果我凭本身的感官和反应操纵电脑，那么在我还浑然不觉的时候，我们可能就被流星击中了。其实，真正在工作的就是电脑，它的反应比你我快上千百万倍。”他突然伸出手来抓住对方，“詹诺夫，来，我让你看看电脑能做些什么，并且让你看看太空是什么样子。”
Pelorat stared, goggling a bit. Then he laughed briefly. "I'm not sure I wish to know, Golan."
裴洛拉特张大眼睛，眼珠转个不停。然后，他笑了两声。“葛兰，我不确定自己想不想知道。”
"Of course you're not sure, Janov, because you don't know what it is that is waiting there to be known. Chance it! Come! Into my room!"
“你当然会犹豫，詹诺夫，因为你不晓得将会知道些什么。试试看！来啊！到我的舱房去！”
Trevize held the other's hand, half leading him, half drawing him. He said, as he sat down at the computer, "Have you ever seen the Galaxy, Janov? Have you ever looked at it?"
崔维兹抓着对方的手，将他半推半拉到自己的舱房。等坐到了电脑前面，崔维兹又说：“你曾经见过银河吗，詹诺夫？你曾经仔细看过吗？”
Pelorat said, "You mean in the sky?"
裴洛拉特说：“你是指天上的那个？”
"Yes, certainly. Where else?"
“当然啦，还有另外一个吗？”
"I've seen it. Everyone has seen it. If one looks up, one sees it."
“我见过，每个人都见过。只要抬起头来，就能够看到。”
"Have you ever stared at it on a dark, clear night, when the Diamonds are below the horizon?"
“你曾经在晴朗的黑夜，当‘钻石群’降到地平线之下的时候，仔细端详过银河吗？”
The "Diamonds" referred to those few stars that were luminous enough and close enough to shine with moderate brightness in he night sky of Terminus. They- were a small group that spanned a width of no more than twenty degrees, and for large parts of the night they were all below the horizon. Aside from he group, there was a scattering of dim stars just barely visible to the unaided eye. There was nothing more but the faint milkiness of the Galaxy-the view one might expect when one dwelt on a world like Terminus which was at the extreme edge of the outermost spiral of the Galaxy.
所谓的钻石群，是指几颗距离端点星不远，而且光度够强，因而能在夜空显出中等亮度的恒星。在天球中，这一小簇星辰范围不超过二十度，而且夜晚大部分时间都处于地平线之下。除了这个钻石群，夜空各处还散布着一些黯淡的星辰，肉眼仅能勉强看见。此外，就只剩下模糊的乳白色银河。由于端点星位于银河旋臂最外环的端点，其上居民夜晚见到的天象，必然就是这个样子。
"I suppose so, but why stare? It's a common sight."
“我想有吧，可是为何要仔细端详呢？那只是个普通的景象。”
"Of course it's a common sight," said Trevize. "That's why no one sees it. Why see it if you can always see it? But now you'll see it, and not from Terminus, where the mist and the clouds are forever interfering. You'll see it as you'd never see it from Terminus-no matter how you stared, and no matter how clear and dark he night. How I wish I had never been in space before, so that-like you-I could see the Galaxy in its bare beauty for the first time."
“当然只是个普通的景象。”崔维兹说，“正因为如此，谁也没有好好看过。如果你随时都看得到，又何必刻意仔细观察呢？不过现在你有机会好好看一看，而且是从太空中眺望，你将看到前所未见的新面貌。从端点星表面观察天象，总是会受到云雾的干扰，不论你如何发挥目力，不论星空多么晴朗，不论周围多么黑暗，你以前所看到的银河，保证都无法媲美这一回。我多么希望自己从未到过太空，这样就能像你一样，今天首次目睹银河赤裸的美感。”
He pushed a chair in Pelorat's direction. "Sit there, Janov. This may take a little time. I have to continue to grow accustomed to the computer. From what I've already felt, I know the viewing is holographic, so we won't need a screen of any sort. It makes direct contact with my brain, but I think I can have it produce an objective image that you will see, too. -Put out the light, will you? -No, that's foolish of me. I'll have the computer do it. Stay where you are."
他推了一张椅子给裴洛拉特。“坐下来，詹诺夫。这得花点时间，我必须慢慢适应这台电脑。根据我已经感觉到的，我知道显像是全息式的，所以不需要任何屏幕。显像会直接输入我的大脑，但我想可以叫它再产生一个客观影像，让你也能看到。请你把灯关上好吗？不，我真笨，我可以叫电脑做这件事，你坐在那里就行了。”
Trevize made contact with the computer, holding hands warmly and intimately.
崔维兹开始与电脑接触，感到电脑热情而亲切地握住他的双手。
The light dimmed, then went out completely, and in the darkness, Pelorat stirred.
灯光逐渐暗下来，终至完全熄灭，裴洛拉特在黑暗中坐立不安。
Trevize said, "Don't get nervous, Janov. I may have a little trouble trying to control the computer, but I'll start easy and you'll have to be patient with me. Do you see it? The crescent?"
崔维兹说：“别紧张，詹诺夫。我正在试着控制这台电脑，也许会碰到些小麻烦，不过我会步步为营，所以你得耐心一点。你看到了没有？那个新月形？”
It hung in the darkness before them. A little dim and wavering at first, but getting sharper and brighter.
黑暗中，那个新月形悬垂在他们眼前。起初有点黯淡，也有些晃动，不过愈来愈清晰明亮。
Pelorat's voice sounded awed. "Is that Terminus? Are we that far from it?"
裴洛拉特的声音充满着敬畏。“那就是端点星吗？我们距离它那么远了？”
"Yes, he ship's moving quickly."
“对，太空艇飞得很快。”
The ship was curving into the night shadow of Terminus, which appeared as a thick crescent of bright light. Trevize had a momentary urge to send the ship in a wide arc that would carry them over the daylit side of the planet to show it in all its beauty, but he held back.
此时，太空艇正沿着弧形轨道飞入夜面阴影，因此端点星看来是一弯明亮的半月形。崔维兹突然起了一股冲动，想要以大弧度飞到这颗行星的日面，看看它整体的美感，不过总算按捺住了。
Pelorat might find novelty in this, but the beauty would be tame. There were too many photographs, oo many reaps, oo many globes. Every child knew what Terminus looked like. A water planet more so than most-rich in water and poor in minerals, good in agriculture and poor in heavy industry, but the best in the Galaxy in high technology and in miniaturization.
裴洛拉特也许会觉得那是新奇的经验，不过那种美感实在很平凡。它在数不尽的相片、地图和天体仪上屡见不鲜，每个小孩都晓得端点星像什么样子。它是一颗多水的行星——多于大多数的行星——水源丰富而矿藏贫乏，适宜农业而不利重工业。但是，它却拥有全银河最先进的精密科技与微型化工业。
If he could have the computer use microwaves and translate it into a visible model, they would see every one of Terminus's ten thousand inhabited islands, together with the only one of them large enough to be considered a continent, the one that bore Terminus City and
他若能让电脑分析微波数据，再转成一个可见光模型，端点星上一万个住人岛屿都能一览无遗。其中只有一个岛比较大，勉强可以算是大陆，端点市便位于其上……
Turn away!
转向！
It was just a thought, an exercise of the will, but the view shifted at once. The lighted crescent moved off toward the borders of vision and rolled off the edge. The darkness of starless space filled his eyes.
只不过是一个念头，一个意念的运用，显像就瞬间改变了。有如新月的端点星移到了视线边缘，随即完全消失。现在他眼中只有黑暗的太空，连一颗星星也看不见。
Pelorat cleared his throat. "I wish you would bring back Terminus, my boy. I feel as though I've been blinded." There was a tightness in his voice.
裴洛拉特清了清喉咙。“我希望你能把端点星找回来，好孩子，我现在感觉像个瞎子。”他的声音中透着紧绷的气息。
"You're not blind. Look!"
“你并没有瞎。看！”
Into the field of vision came a filmy fog of pale translucence. It spread and became brighter, until the whole room seemed to glow.
一团半透明的薄雾，陡然跃入他们的视野。薄雾渐渐扩散，变得愈来愈耀眼，直到整个舱房好像都燃烧起来。
Shrink!
缩影！
Another exercise of will and the Galaxy drew off, as though seen through a diminishing telescope that was steadily growing more powerful in its ability to diminish. The Galaxy contracted and became a structure of varying luminosity.
又是一次意念的运用，银河随即向后退却，仿佛是将望远镜倒转过来看，并且不断增加缩小的倍率。银河不停地收缩，最后变成一个光度变换不定的圆盘。
Brighten!
调高亮度！
It grew more luminous without changing size, and because the stellar system to which Terminus belonged was above the Galactic plane, the Galaxy was not seen exactly edge-on. It was a strongly foreshortened double spiral, with curving dark-nebula rifts streaking the glowing edge of the Terminus side. The creamy haze of the nucleus-far off and shrunken by the distance-looked unimportant.
圆盘变得愈来愈亮，尺度则始终固定。因为端点星所属的恒星系位于“银河盘面”上方，他们看到的并非银河的正侧面。如今呈现他们眼前的影像，是缩小了无数倍的银河双螺旋。在靠近端点星的一侧，许多黑暗星云的缝隙呈现弧形暗纹。核心处则是乳脂状的雾气，由于距离太远，几乎收缩成了一点，看起来毫不显眼。
Pelorat said in an awed whisper, "You are right. I have never seen it like this. I never dreamed it had so much detail."
裴洛拉特以敬畏的口吻，悄声道：“你说对了，我从未见过这样子的银河，我做梦也想不到它的结构那么复杂。”
"How could you? You can't see the outer half when Terminus's atmosphere is between you and it. You can hardly see the nucleus from Terminus's surface.''
“你怎么可能看到过呢？端点星的大气层挡在你和银河之间，你根本看不见外面那一半。而且你从端点星上，也几乎看不到银河的核心。”
"What a pity we're seeing it so nearly head-on."
“真可惜，我们只能从侧面来看。”
"We don't have to. The computer can show it in any orientation. I just have to express the wish-and not even aloud."
“并不一定，电脑能显现出各个方向所见的银河。我只要表示出这个愿望，甚至不必使劲想。”
Shift co-ordinates!
转换坐标！
This exercise of will was by no means a precise command. Yet as the image of Galaxy began to undergo a slow change, his mind guided the computer and had it do what he wished.
这个意念等于一个明确的指令。当银河的影像开始慢慢改变时，他的心灵继续指导着电脑，让它依照自己的心意运作。
Slowly the Galaxy was turning so that it could be seen at right angles to the Galactic plane. It spread out like a gigantic, glowing whirlpool, with curves of darkness, and knots of brightness, and a central all-but-featureless blaze.
整个银河缓缓转向，终于使得银河盘面垂直于他们的视线。现在，银河展成一个闪烁的巨大漩涡，其中有许多黑暗的曲线与光灿的节点，中心处则是近乎无形的炽焰。
Pelorat asked, "How can the computer see it from a position in space that must be more than fifty thousand parsecs from this place?" Then he added, in a choked whisper, "Please forgive me that I ask. I know nothing about all this."
裴洛拉特问道：“这样的景象，必须在距离此地超过五万秒差距的太空中才见得到，电脑怎么有办法显现出来？”但他随即压低了声音说，“请原谅我这么问，我对这一切一无所知。”
Trevize said, "I know almost as little about this computer as you do. Even a simple computer, however, can adjust co-ordinates and show the Galaxy in any position, starting with what it can sense in the natural position, the one, that is, that would appear from the computer's local position in space. Of course, it makes use only of the information it can sense to begin with, so when it changes to the broadside view we would find gaps and blurs in what it would show. In this case, though……"
崔维兹说：“我对这套电脑的了解，比你多不了多少。然而，即使是一台简单的电脑，也具有调整坐标的功能，可以从它真正的位置——也就是电脑在太空中的方位——变换到其他任何方位，再来显示银河的景象。当然，电脑只能利用它观测得到的资料，所以在转换成广角镜头时，显像中就会出现缝隙和模糊之处。不过，现在……”
"Yes?"
“怎么样？”
"We have an excellent view. I suspect that the computer is outfitted with a complete map of the Galaxy and can therefore view it from any angle with equal ease."
“我们看到一个逼真的显像。我猜这台电脑储存有完整的银河地图，所以不论从哪一个角度显像，都能做得一样好。”
"How do you mean, a complete map?"
“完整的银河地图，那是什么意思？”
"The spatial co-ordinates of every star in it must be in the computer's memory banks."
“银河中每一颗恒星的空间坐标，电脑记忆库里一定都有。”
"Every star?" Pelorat seemed awed.
“每一颗恒星？”裴洛拉特不禁肃然起敬。
"Well, perhaps not all three hundred billion. It would include the stars shining down on populated planets, certainly, and probably every star of spectral class K and brighter. That means about seventy-five billion, at least."
“嗯，也许并不是三千亿颗都有。但是，一定包括每个住人行星所属的恒星，也可能每一个属于Ｋ型光谱，以及更热的恒星都包括在内，这就代表至少有七百五十亿颗。”
"Every star of a populated system?"
“每一个住人行星所属的恒星？”
"I wouldn't want to be pinned down; perhaps not all. There were, after all, twenty-five million inhabited systems in the time of Hari Seldon-which sounds like a lot but is only one star out of every twelve thousand. And then, in the five centuries since Seldon, the general breakup of the Empire didn't prevent further colonization. I should think it would have encouraged it. There are still plenty of habitable planets to expand into, so there may be thirty million now. It's possible that not all the new ones are in the Foundation's records."
“我可不想打包票，也许不是全部。总之，在哈里·谢顿的时代，已经存在二千五百万颗住人行星。听起来虽然很多，其实只是所有恒星的一万二千分之一。而谢顿时代距今已有五个世纪，帝国的崩溃并没有阻碍人类继续殖民，我认为反倒有鼓励作用。银河中还有许多适宜住人的行星，所以如今或许已有三千万颗有人居住。在基地的记录中，有可能漏掉一些新的世界。”
"But the old ones? Surely they must all be there without exception."
“但是那些老的呢？它们当然应该都在里面，不会有任何例外。”
"I imagine so. I can't guarantee it, of course, but I would be surprised if any long-established inhabited system were missing from the records. Let me show you something-if my ability to control the computer will go far enough."
“我的确这么想，当然我也无法保证。可是，如果有哪个历史悠久的住人行星，在记录中竟然查不出来，我会感到十分惊讶。让我给你看一样东西，希望我有足够的能力控制电脑。”
Trevize's hands stiffened a bit with the effort and they seemed to sink further into the clasp of the computer. That might not have been necessary; he might only have had to think quietly and casually: Terminus!
崔维兹双手微微用力，手掌便似乎陷得更深，而且被电脑抓得更紧。或许他没有必要那么做，或许他只需要随随便便、轻轻松松地默念：端点星！
He did think that and there was, in response, a sparkling red diamond at the very edge of the whirlpool.
他动的正是这个念头，电脑也立即有了反应，在巨大漩涡的极边缘处，出现一颗闪亮的红宝石。
"There's our sun," he said with excitement. "That's the star that Terminus circles."
“我们的太阳在那里，”他兴奋地说，“它就是端点星所环绕的恒星。”
"Ah," said Pelorat with a low, tremulous sigh.
“啊。”裴洛拉特发出低沉而颤抖的叹息。
A bright yellow dot of light sprang into life in a rich cluster of stars deep in the heart of the Galaxy but well to one side of the central haze. It was rather closer to the Terminus edge of the Galaxy than to the other side.
接着，在银河心脏地带的群星丛聚之处，突然迸现一个闪亮的黄色光点。这个光点并非位于正中央，而是较偏向端点星那一侧。
"And that," said Trevize, "is Trantor's sun."
“那一颗，”崔维兹说，“是川陀的太阳。”
Another sigh, then Pelorat said, "Are you sure? They always speak of Trantor as being located in the center of the Galaxy."
又叹了一声之后，裴洛拉特才说：“你确定吗？可是人们总是说，川陀位于银河的中心。”
"It is, in a way. it's as close to the center as a planet can get and still be habitable. It's closer than any other major populated system. The actual center of the Galaxy consists of a black hole with a mass of nearly a million stars, so that the center is a violent place. As far as we know, there is no life in the actual center and maybe there just can't be any life there. Trantor is in the innermost subring of the spiral arms and, believe me, if you could see its night sky, you would think it was in the center of the Galaxy. It's surrounded by an extremely rich clustering of stars."
“就某个角度而言，它的确如此。在所有的可住人行星中，川陀是最接近中心的一颗，远比任何主要的住人星系更为接近。银河系真正的中心，被一个巨大的黑洞占据，它的质量超过百万颗恒星，所以银河中心是个可怕的地方。根据我们现有的资料，那个实际的中心没有任何生命迹象，也许根本就不容许有生命存在。川陀位于银河旋臂的最内环，而且请你相信，你若有机会目睹它的夜空，必定认为它的确位于银河中心，因为它被无比稠密的星丛层层包围。”
"Have you been on Trantor, Golan?" asked Pelorat in clear envy.
“你到过川陀吗，葛兰？”裴洛拉特带着明显的羡慕问道。
"Actually no, but I've seen holographic representations of its sky."
“其实也没有，但我观赏过川陀夜空的全息模型。”
Trevize stared at the Galaxy somberly. In the great search for the Second Foundation during the time of the Mule, how everyone had played with Galactic maps-and how many volumes had been written and filmed on the subject
然后，崔维兹怀着忧郁的心情，凝视着面前的银河影像。在骡的时代，整个银河都在寻找第二基地，当时曾有多少人绞尽脑汁参研银河地图？后来，记载、讨论、演义这段历史的书籍又有多少？
And all because Hari Seldom had said, at the beginning, that the Second Foundation would be established "at the other end of the Galaxy," calling the place "Star's End."
这都是因为哈里·谢顿一开始就说，第二基地将建立在“银河的另一端”，一个名为“群星的尽头”之处。
At the other end of the Galaxy! Even as Trevize thought it, a thin blue line sprang into view, stretching from Terminus, through the Galaxy's central black hole, to the other end. Trevize nearly jumped. He had not directly ordered the line, but he had thought of it quite clearly and that had been enough for the computer.
银河的另一端！崔维兹闪过这个念头之际，一条细微的蓝线已经出现，以端点星为起点，穿过中心黑洞之后，又一路延伸到对角的尽头。崔维兹差点就跳起来，他并未下令叫电脑画出这条线，却曾经清楚地想到这一点，这对电脑而言已经足够了。
But, of course, the straight-line route to the opposite side of the Galaxy was not necessarily an indication of the "other end" that Seldom had spoken of. It was Arkady Darell (if one could believe her autobiography) who had made use of the phrase "a circle has no end" to indicate what everyone now accepted as truth
不过，当然，这条跨越银河的直线，不一定就是指向谢顿所说的“另一端”。艾卡蒂·达瑞尔曾经使用“圆没有端点”这句话（只要你愿意相信她的自传），来说明一个目前公认的事实……
And though Trevize suddenly tried to suppress the thought, the computer was too quick for him. The blue line vanished and was replaced with a circle that neatly rimmed the Galaxy in blue and that passed through the deep red dot of Terminus's sun.
虽然崔维兹赶快将这个想法压下去，电脑却比他快了无数倍。那条直线随即消失无踪，取而代之的是环绕银河边缘的蓝色圆圈，它刚好穿过那个深红色光点，也就是端点星的太阳。
A circle has no end, and if the circle began at Terminus, then if we searched for the other end, it would merely return to Terminus, and there the Second Foundation had indeed been found, inhabiting the same world as the First.
圆没有端点，如果这个圆周的起点是端点星，若想找出另一端，最后势必回到端点星上。当年，果然在那里发现第二基地，它和第一基地竟然处于同一个世界。
But i€, in reality, it had not been found-if the so-called finding o€ the Second Foundation had been an illusion-what then? What beside a straight line and a circle would make sense in this connection?
可是，倘若事实上，根本没有真正找到它，万一所谓的“寻获第二基地”只是个幌子，那又该怎么办？针对这个谜语，除了直线与圆周，还能有什么合理的答案？
Pelorat said, "Are you creating illusions? Why is there a blue circle?"
裴洛拉特问道：“你在制造什么幻象吗？为什么有个蓝圆圈？”
"I was just testing my controls. -Would you like to locate Earth?"
“我只是在测试对电脑的控制。你想不想找出地球的位置？”
There was silence for a moment or two, then Pelorat said, "Are you joking?"
愣了一会儿或两会儿之后，裴洛拉特才说：“你在开玩笑吗？”
"No. I'll try."
“没有，让我试试看。”
He did. Nothing happened.
崔维兹试了试，并无任何反应。
"Sorry," said Trevize.
“很抱歉。”他说。
"It's not there? No Earth?"
“没有吗？没有地球？”
"I suppose I might have misthought my command, but that doesn't seem likely. I suppose it's more likely that Earth isn't listed in the computer's vitals."
“我猜大概是我没把命令想对，但这又不大可能。更可能的原因，我猜是电脑并未收录地球的资料。”
Pelorat said, "It may be listed under another name."
裴洛拉特说：“也许记录中是用另一个名称。”
Trevize jumped at that quickly, "What other name, Janov?"
崔维兹立刻追问：“什么另一个名称，詹诺夫？”
Pelorat said nothing and, in the darkness, Trevize smiled. It occurred to him that things might just possibly be falling into place. Let it go for a while. Let it ripen. He deliberately changed the subject and said, "I wonder if we can manipulate time."
裴洛拉特却什么也没说，崔维兹只好在黑暗中微微一笑。他突然想到，凡事必须等待时机成熟，才有可能水到渠成，姑且暂时不提这件事吧。于是，他故意改变话题说：“我想试试能否操纵时间。”
"Time! How can we do that?"
“时间！我们怎么办得到？”
"The Galaxy is rotating. It takes nearly half a billion years for Terminus to move about the grand circumference of the Galaxy once. Stars that are closer to the center complete the journey much more quickly, of course. The motion of each star, relative to the central black hole, might be recorded in the computer and, if so, it may be possible to have the computer multiply each motion by millions of times and make the rotational effect visible. I can try to have it done."
“整个银河系在不断旋转。端点星要花上将近五亿年的时间，才能绕行银河一大圈。当然，愈是接近中心的星体，转完一周的时间就愈短。每一颗恒星相对于中心黑洞的运动，或许电脑中都有记录，如果真是这样，就有可能叫电脑将运动速度加快千百万倍，让我们看得出旋转效应。我可以试着做做看。”
He did and he could not help his muscles tightening with the effort of will he was exerting-as though he were taking hold of the Galaxy and accelerating it, twisting it, forcing it to spin against terrible resistance.
他说做就做，当他驱动意念时，全身肌肉不自禁地紧绷起来。仿佛他只手抓住整个银河，用力推动它，扭转它，使它克服了骇人的阻力而开始旋转。
The Galaxy was moving. Slowly, mightily, it was twisting in the direction that should be working to tighten the spiral arms.
银河动了。缓慢地，庄严地，顺着将旋臂旋紧的方向，银河开始旋转了。
Time was passing incredibly rapidly as they watched-a false, artificial time-and, as it did so, stars became evanescent things.
时间以不可思议的脚步掠过两人眼前，那是一种虚幻的、人工的时间。随着这个人工时间迅速流逝，星辰全部化作过眼云烟。
Some of the larger ones-here and there-reddened and grew brighter as they expanded into red giants. And then a star in the central clusters blew up soundlessly in a blinding blaze that, for a tiny fraction of a second, dimmed the Galaxy and then was gone. Then another in one of the spiral arms, then still another not very far away from it.
各处都有一些较大的恒星，在逐渐膨胀成红巨星的过程中，颜色愈变愈红，光焰愈来愈强。然后在中央星丛里，一颗恒星无声地爆炸，发出眩目的光芒，令整个银河黯然失色，但下一瞬间随即烟消云散。接着，在某个旋臂中，又出现一次这般的爆炸，不多久附近又爆了一颗。
"Supernovas," said Trevize a little shakily.
“超新星。”崔维兹的声音微微发颤。
Was it possible that the computer could predict exactly which stars would explode and when? Or was it just using a simplified model that served to show the starry future in general terms, rather than precisely?
难道说，电脑有本事精确预测哪颗恒星会在什么时间爆炸？或者只是使用某种简化的模型，概略地显现群星未来的命运，而不是作出精准的预测？
Pelorat said in a husky whisper, "The Galaxy looks like a living thing, crawling through space."
裴洛拉特沙哑地悄声说：“银河看起来像个生物，正在太空中爬行。”
"It does," said Trevize, "but I'm growing tired. Unless I learn to do this less tensely, I'm not going to be able to play this kind of game for long."
“的确如此，”崔维兹说，“不过我却累了。除非学到一种不那么吃力的方法，这个游戏我没法再玩多久。”
Ire let go. The Galaxy slowed, then halted, then tilted, until it was in the view-from-the-side from which they had seen it at the start.
说完他就放弃了。银河随即慢了下来，然后趋于静止，接着又开始倾斜，最后回复到侧面的影像，这正是他们一开始见到的银河。
Trevize closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He was aware of Terminus shrinking behind them, with the last perceptible wisps of atmosphere gone from their surroundings. He was aware of all the ships filling Terminus's near-space.
崔维兹闭起眼睛，做了几次深呼吸。此时，他们正穿过大气层最外围，他能够感知端点星正在逐渐缩小，还能够感知附近太空中的每一艘船舰。
It did not occur to him to check whether there was anything special about any one of those ships. Was there one that was gravitic like his own and matched his trajectory more closely than chance would allow?
他并未想到要侦察一下，看看周围是否有哪艘船舰特别不同——是否还有一艘同样以重力推进的太空艇，和他们的轨迹太过接近，绝非只是巧合？