Chapter 2

Two weeks gone! Two weeks wasted.
One  week to  reach Askone, at  the extreme  borders of which  the vigilantwarships  speared out  to meet  him in  converging¹ numbers.  Whatever theirdetection system was, it worked ?and well.
They  sidled  him  in  slowly, without  a  signal,  maintaining their  colddistance,  and pointing  him  harshly towards  the central  sun  of Askone.
Ponyets could have handled them at a pinch. Those ships were holdovers fromthe  dead-and-gone Galactic  Empire ? but they  were sports  cruisers, notwarships; and  without nuclear  weapons, they were so  many picturesque² andimpotent ellipsoids.  But Eskel  Gorov was a  prisoner in their  hands, andGorov  was   not  a  hostage  to  lose.   The  Askonians  must  know  that.
And then  another week ?a  week to wind a weary  way through the clouds ofminor officials  that formed  the buffer³ between  the Grand Master  and theouter world. Each little  sub-secretary required soothing⁴ and conciliation⁵.
Each required careful and  nauseating⁶ milking for the flourishing signaturethat was the pathway to the next official one higher up.
For  the  first  time, Ponyets  found  his  trader's identification  papersuseless.
I Now, at last, the Grand Master was on the other side of the Guard-flankedgilded door ?and two weeks had gone.
Gorov was  still a prisoner and Ponyets' cargo  rotted useless in the holdsof his ship.
The Grand Master was  a small man; a small man with a balding head and verywrinkled  face, whose  body seemed  weighed down  to motionlessness  by thehuge, glossy⁷ fur collar about his neck.
His fingers moved on  either side, and the line of armed men backed away tofor  a passage,  along which  Ponyets strode  to the  foot of the  Chair ofState.
"Don't speak,"  snapped the Grand Master,  and Ponyets' opening lips closedtightly.
"That's right," the Askonian ruler relaxed visibly, "I can't endure uselesschatter. You cannot threaten  and I won't abide⁸ flattery. Nor is there roomfor injured  complaints. I have lost count of  the times you wanderers havebeen warned that your  devil's machines are not wanted anywhere in Askone.""Sir," said Ponyets, quietly, "there is no attempt to justify⁹ the trader inquestion. It  is not  the policy of  traders to intrude¹⁰ where  they are notwanted. But the Galaxy¹¹ is great, and it has happened before that a boundaryhas   been  trespassed   unwittingly.   It  was   a  deplorable   mistake.""Deplorable,  certainly," squeaked  the  Grand Master.  "But mistake?  Yourpeople on  Glyptal IV  have been bombarding  me with pleas  for negotiationsince  two hours  after  the sacrilegious  wretch¹² was  seized. I  have beenwarned  by   them  of  your  own  coming  many   times  over.  It  seems  awell-organized  rescue campaign. Much  seems to  have been anticipated  ?alittle too much for mistakes, deplorable or otherwise."The Askonian's black eyes were scornful. He raced on, "And are you traders,flitting from  world to world like  mad little butterflies, so  mad in yourown right that you can land on Askone's largest world, in the center of itssystem,  and consider it  an unwitting  boundary mixup? Come,  surely not."Ponyets winced  without showing it.  He said, doggedly¹³, "If  the attempt totrade was deliberate, your Veneration¹⁴, it was most injudicious and contraryto the strictest regulations of our Guild¹⁵.""Injudicious,  yes," said  the  Askonian, curtly¹⁶.  "So much  so,  that yourcomrade is likely to lose life in payment."Ponyets' stomach knotted. There was no irresolution¹⁷ there. He said, "Death,your Veneration, is so absolute and irrevocable a phenomenon that certainlythere must be some alternative."There was  a pause before the  guarded answer came, "I  have heard that theFoundation is rich.""Rich? Certainly.  But our  riches are that  which you refuse  to take. Ournuclear goods are worth?
"Your goods  are worthless in  that they lack the  ancestral blessing¹⁸. Yourgoods  are  wicked  and  accursed in  that  they  lie  under the  ancestralinterdict."  The  sentences  were intoned;  the  recitation  of a  formula.
The Grand  Master's eyelids  dropped, and he  said with meaning,  "You havenothing else of value?"The meaning  was lost  on the trader,  "I don't understand. What  is it youwant?"The Askonian's  hands spread apart, "You  ask me to trade  places with you,and make known to you my wants. I think not. Your colleague, it seems, mustsuffer the punishment set for sacrilege by the Askonian code. Death by gas.
We are  a just people. The  poorest peasant, in like  case, would suffer nomore. I, myself, would suffer no less."Ponyets mumbled¹⁹ hopelessly, "Your  Veneration, would it be permitted that Ispeak to the prisoner?""Askonian law," said the Grand Master coldly, "allows no communication witha condemned²⁰ man."Mentally,  Ponyets held  his  breath, "Your  Veneration,  I ask  you to  bemerciful towards a man's soul, in the hour when his body stands forfeit²¹. Hehas been separated from spiritual consolation²² in all the time that his lifehas been in danger.  Even now, he faces the prospect²³ of going unprepared tothe bosom²⁴ of the Spirit that rules all."The Grand  Master said  slowly and suspiciously,  "You are a  Tender of theSoul?"Ponyets  dropped a  humble  head, "I  have been  so  trained. In  the emptyexpanses of  space, the wandering traders need men  like myself to care forthe  spiritual  side of  a  life  so given  over  to  commerce and  worldlypursuits."The Askonian ruler sucked  thoughtfully at his lower lip. "Every man shouldprepare his soul for  his journey to his ancestral spirits. Yet I had neverthought you traders to be believers."

1 converging   

adj.收敛[缩]的，会聚的，趋同的v.（线条、运动的物体等）会于一点( converge的现在分词 )；（趋于）相似或相同；人或车辆汇集；聚集

参考例句：

• Plants had gradually evolved along diverging and converging pathways. 植物是沿着趋异和趋同两种途径逐渐演化的。 来自辞典例句
• This very slowly converging series was known to Leibniz in 1674. 这个收敛很慢的级数是莱布尼茨在1674年得到的。 来自辞典例句

2 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

3 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

4 soothing   

adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的

参考例句：

• Put on some nice soothing music.播放一些柔和舒缓的音乐。
• His casual, relaxed manner was very soothing.他随意而放松的举动让人很快便平静下来。

5 conciliation   

n.调解，调停

参考例句：

• By conciliation,cooperation is established.通过调解，友好合作关系得以确立。
• Their attempts at conciliation had failed and both sides were once again in dispute.他们进行调停的努力失败了，双方再次陷入争吵。

6 nauseating   

adj.令人恶心的，使人厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I had to listen to the whole nauseating story. 我不得不从头到尾听那令人作呕的故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• There is a nauseating smell of rotten food. 有一股令人恶心的腐烂食物的气味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

8 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

9 justify   

vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护

参考例句：

• He tried to justify his absence with lame excuses.他想用站不住脚的借口为自己的缺席辩解。
• Can you justify your rude behavior to me?你能向我证明你的粗野行为是有道理的吗？

10 intrude   

vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰

参考例句：

• I do not want to intrude if you are busy.如果你忙我就不打扰你了。
• I don't want to intrude on your meeting.我不想打扰你们的会议。

11 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

12 wretch   

n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人

参考例句：

• You are really an ungrateful wretch to complain instead of thanking him.你不但不谢他，还埋怨他，真不知好歹。
• The dead husband is not the dishonoured wretch they fancied him.死去的丈夫不是他们所想象的不光彩的坏蛋。

13 doggedly   

adv.顽强地，固执地

参考例句：

• He was still doggedly pursuing his studies.他仍然顽强地进行着自己的研究。
• He trudged doggedly on until he reached the flat.他顽强地、步履艰难地走着，一直走回了公寓。

14 veneration   

n.尊敬，崇拜

参考例句：

• I acquired lasting respect for tradition and veneration for the past.我开始对传统和历史产生了持久的敬慕。
• My father venerated General Eisenhower.我父亲十分敬仰艾森豪威尔将军。

15 guild   

n.行会，同业公会，协会

参考例句：

• He used to be a member of the Writers' Guild of America.他曾是美国作家协会的一员。
• You had better incorporate the firm into your guild.你最好把这个公司并入你的行业协会。

16 curtly   

adv.简短地

参考例句：

• He nodded curtly and walked away. 他匆忙点了一下头就走了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The request was curtly refused. 这个请求被毫不客气地拒绝了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 irresolution   

n.不决断，优柔寡断，犹豫不定

参考例句：

• A lack of certainty that often leads to irresolution. 疑惑缺少肯定而导致犹豫不决。 来自互联网
• Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? 我们迟疑不决、无所作为就能积聚力量吗？ 来自互联网

18 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

19 mumbled   

含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话，可我没太听清楚。
• George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。

20 condemned   

adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He condemned the hypocrisy of those politicians who do one thing and say another. 他谴责了那些说一套做一套的政客的虚伪。
• The policy has been condemned as a regressive step. 这项政策被认为是一种倒退而受到谴责。

21 forfeit   

vt.丧失；n.罚金，罚款，没收物

参考例句：

• If you continue to tell lies,you will forfeit the good opinion of everyone.你如果继续撒谎，就会失掉大家对你的好感。
• Please pay for the forfeit before you borrow book.在你借书之前请先付清罚款。

22 consolation   

n.安慰，慰问

参考例句：

• The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
• This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。

23 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

24 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。