"Ponyets! They sent you?""Pure chance," said Ponyets, bitterly, "or the work of my own personalmalevolent demon1. Item one, you get into a mess on Askone. Item two, mysales route, as known to the Board of Trade, carries me within fiftyparsecs of the system at just the time of item one. Item three, we'veworked together before and the Board knows it. Isn't that a sweet,inevitable set-up? The answer just pops out of a slot.""Be careful," said Gorov, tautly2. "There'll be someone listening. Are youwearing a Field Distorter?"Ponyets indicated the ornamented3 bracelet4 that hugged his wrist and Gorovrelaxed.
Ponyets looked about him. The cell was bare, but large. It was well-lit andit lacked offensive odors. He said, "Not bad. They're treating you with kidgloves."Gorov brushed the remark aside, "Listen, how did you get down here? I'vebeen in strict solitary5 for almost two weeks.""Ever since I came, huh? Well, it seems the old bird who's boss here hashis weak points. He leans toward pious6 speeches, so I took a chance thatworked. I'm here in the capacity of your spiritual adviser7. There'ssomething about a pious man such as he. He will cheerfully cut your throatif it suits him, but he will hesitate to endanger the welfare of yourimmaterial and problematical soul. It's just a piece of empiricalpsychology. A trader has to know a little of everything."Gorov's smile was sardonic8, "And you've been to theological school as well.
You're all right, Ponyets. I'm glad they sent you. But the Grand Masterdoesn't love my soul exclusively. Has he mentioned a ransom9?"The trader's eyes narrowed, "He hinted ? barely. And he also threateneddeath by gas. I played safe, and dodged10; it might easily have been a trap.
So it's extortion, is it? What is it he wants?""Gold.""Gold!" Ponyets frowned. "The metal itself? What for?""It's their medium of exchange.""Is it? And where do I get gold from?""Wherever you can. Listen to me; this is important. Nothing will happen tome as long as the Grand Master has the scent11 of gold in his nose. Promiseit to him; as much as he asks for. Then go back to the Foundation, ifnecessary, to get it. When I'm free, we'll be escorted out of the system,and then we part company."Ponyets stared disapprovingly12, "And then you'll come back and try again.""It's my assignment to sell nucleics to Askone.""They'll get you before you've gone a parsec in space. You know that, Isuppose.""I don't," said Gorov. "And if I did, it wouldn't affect things.""They'll kill you the second time."Gorov shrugged13.
Ponyets said quietly, "If I'm going to negotiate with the Grand Masteragain, I want to know the whole story. So far, I've been working it tooblind. As it was, the few mild remarks I did make almost threw hisVeneration into fits.""It's simple enough," said Gorov. "The only way we can increase thesecurity of the Foundation here in the Periphery is to form areligion-controlled commercial empire. We're still too weak to be able toforce political control. It's all we can do to hold the Four Kingdoms."Ponyets was nodding. "This I realize. And any system that doesn't acceptnuclear gadgets can never be placed under our religious control?
"And can therefore become a focal point for independence and hostility14.
Yes.""All right, then," said Ponyets, "so much for theory. Now what exactlyprevents the sale. Religion? The Grand Master implied as much.""It's a form of ancestor worship. Their traditions tell of an evil pastfrom which they were saved by the simple and virtuous heroes of the pastgenerations. It amounts to a distortion of the anarchic period a centuryago, when the imperial troops were driven out and an independent governmentwas set up. Advanced science and nuclear power in particular becameidentified with the old imperial regime they remember with horror.""That so? But they have nice little ships which spotted15 me very handily twoparsecs away. That smells of nucleics to me."Gorov shrugged. "Those ships are holdovers of the Empire, no doubt.
Probably with nuclear drive. What they have, they keep. The point is thatthey will not innovate and their internal economy is entirely16 non-nuclear.
That is what we must change.""How were you going to do it?""By breaking the resistance at one point. To put it simply, if I could sella penknife with a force-field blade to a nobleman, it would be to hisinterest to force laws that would allow him to use it. Put that baldly, itsounds silly, but it is sound, psychologically. To make strategic sales, atstrategic points, would be to create a pro-nucleics faction at court.""And they send you for that purpose, while I'm only here to ransom you andleave, while you keep on trying? Isn't that sort of tail-backward?""In what way?" said Gorov, guardedly.
"Listen," Ponyets was suddenly exasperated, "you're a diplomat17, not atrader, and calling you a trader won't make you one. This case is for onewho's made a business of selling ?and I'm here with a full cargo18 stinkinginto uselessness, and a quota that won't ever be met, it looks like.""You mean you're going to risk your life on something that isn't yourbusiness?" Gorov smiled thinly.
Ponyets said, "You mean that this is a matter of patriotism19 and tradersaren't patriotic20?""Notoriously not. Pioneers never are.""All right. I'll grant that. I don't scoot about space to save theFoundation or anything like that. But I'm out to make money, and this is mychance. If it helps the Foundation at the same time, all the better. AndI've risked my life on slimmer chances."Ponyets rose, and Gorov rose with him, "What are you going to do?"The trader smiled, "Gorov, I don't know ?not yet. But if the crux21 of thematter is to make a sale, then I'm your man. I'm not a boaster as a generalthing, but there's one thing I'll always back up. I've never ended up belowquota yet."The door to the cell opened almost instantly when he knocked, and twoguards fell in on either side.
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1
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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2
tautly
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| adv.绷紧地；紧张地； 结构严谨地；紧凑地 | |
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3
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4
bracelet
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| n.手镯，臂镯 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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6
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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7
adviser
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| n.劝告者，顾问 | |
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sardonic
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| adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的 | |
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9
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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10
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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11
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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12
disapprovingly
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| adv.不以为然地，不赞成地，非难地 | |
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13
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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14
hostility
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| n.敌对，敌意；抵制［pl.］交战，战争 | |
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15
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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16
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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17
diplomat
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| n.外交官，外交家；能交际的人，圆滑的人 | |
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18
cargo
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| n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物 | |
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19
patriotism
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| n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义 | |
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20
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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crux
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| adj.十字形；难事，关键，最重要点 | |
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