The Story Behind the Foundation
On August 1, 1941, when I was a lad of twenty-one, I
was a graduate student in chemistry at Columbia University and had been
writing science fiction professionally for three years. I was hastening
to see John Campbell, editor of Astounding , to whom I had sold
five stories by then. I was anxious to tell him a new idea I had for a
science fiction story.

It was to write a historical novel of the future; to tell the story of
the fall of the Galactic Empire. My enthusiasm must have been catching,
for Campbell grew as excited as I was. He didn't want me to write a
single story. He wanted a series of stories, in which the full history
of the thousand years of turmoil between the fall of the First Galactic
Empire and the rise of the Second Galactic Empire was to be outlined. It
would all be illuminated by the science of "psychohistory" that Campbell
and I thrashed out between us.

The first story appeared in the May 1942 Astounding and the second
story appeared in the June 1942 issue. They were at once popular and
Campbell saw to it that I wrote six more stories before the end of the
decade. The stories grew longer, too. The first one was only twelve
thousand words long. Two of the last three stories were fifty thousand
words apiece.

By the time the decade was over, I had grown tired of the series,
dropped it, and went on to other things. By then, however, various
publishing houses were beginning to put out hardcover science fiction
books. One such house was a small semiprofessional firm, Gnome Press. They
published my Foundation series in three volumes: Foundation (1951); Foundation and Empire (1952); and Second Foundation (1953). The three books together came to be known as The Foundation
Trilogy .

The books did not do very well, for Gnome Press did not have the
capital with which to advertise and promote them. I got neither statements
nor royalties from them.

In early 1961, my then-editor at Doubleday, Timothy Seldes, told
me he had received a request from a foreign publisher to reprint the
Foundation books. Since they were not Doubleday books, he passed the
request on to me.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not interested, Tim. I don't get royalties
on those books."

Seldes was horrified, and instantly set about getting the rights
to the books from Gnome Press (which was, by that time, moribund) and
in August of that year, the books (along with I, Robot ) became
Doubleday property.

From that moment on, the Foundation series took off and began to earn
increasing royalties. Doubleday published the Trilogy in a single
volume and distributed them through the Science Fiction Book Club. Because
of that the Foundation series became enormously well-known.

In the 1966 World Science Fiction Convention, held in Cleveland, the
fans were asked to vote on a category of "The Best All-Time Series." It
was the first time (and, so far, the last) the category had been included
in the nominations for the Hugo Award. The Foundation Trilogy won the award, which further added to the popularity of the series.

Increasingly, fans kept asking me to continue the series. I was polite
but I kept refusing. Still, it fascinated me that people who had not
yet been born when the series was begun had managed to become caught up
in it.

Doubleday, however, took the demands far more seriously than I
did. They had humored me for twenty years but as the demands kept
growing in intensity and number, they finally lost patience. In 1981,
they told me that I simply had to write another Foundation novel and,
in order to sugar-coat the demand, offered me a contract at ten times
my usual advance.

Nervously, I agreed. It had been thirty-two years since I had written
a Foundation story and now I was instructed to write one 140,000 words
long, twice that of any of the earlier volumes and nearly three times
as long as any previous individual story. I re-read The Foundation
Trilogy and, taking a deep breath, dived into the task.

The fourth book of the series, Foundation's Edge , was published
in October 1982, and then a very strange thing happened. It appeared in
the New York Times bestseller list at once. In fact, it stayed on that
list for twenty-five weeks, much to my utter astonishment. Nothing like
that had ever happened to me.

Doubleday at once signed me up to do additional novels and I wrote
two that were part of another series, The Robot Novels  And
then it was time to return to the Foundation.

So I wrote Foundation and Earth, which begins at the very moment
that Foundation's Edge ends, and that is the book you now hold. It might
help if you glanced over Foundation's Edge just to refresh your memory,
but you don't have to. Foundation and Earth stands by itself. I hope
you enjoy it.

 Isaac Asimov, New York City, 1986
序言
　在上一部《基地边缘》里，第一基地的议员特维兹因为公开质疑谢东计划的可靠性，并预言银河帝国无法缩短持续的混乱状态而被逐出故乡，和一名对地球有浓厚兴趣的考古学者在浩瀚的宇宙中寻找失踪了两万年之久的地球，同时追寻着人类未来的命运，经过着着波折，他们没有找到地球，却找到了一个叫盖亚的星球，这个星球上所有的生物不分种族和智能的高低，都联合在一起了，它们共同拥有一个思想和意识，成为一个巨大的超级生命体。崔维兹认为这种模式会是银河帝国和人类未来的存在方式，但他无法说服自己，他也无法忍受成为超级生命体后会失去每个个体的个性，于是他决定继续寻找地球，他认为地球上一定存在着某些秘密，这两者之间有着必然的联系。在这一部里，所有的秘密将会解开，人类未来的命运将会怎样决定？存在了两万年的银河帝国又能否复兴呢？你想知道的话，千万不要错过这部科幻史上最伟大的小说！
Part One - Gaia Chapter I
 The Search Begins1"Why did I do it?" asked Golan Trevize.
It wasn't a new question. Since he had arrived at Gaia, he had askedit of himself frequently. He would wake up from a sound sleep in thepleasant coolness of the night and find the question sounding noiselesslyin his mind, like a tiny drumbeat: Why did I do it? Why did I do it?
Now, though, for the first time, he managed to ask it of Dom, theancient of Gaia.
Dom was well aware of Trevize's tension for he could sense the fabricof the Councilman's mind. He did not respond to it. Gaia must in no wayever touch Trevize's mind, and the best way of remaining immune to thetemptation was to painstakingly ignore what he sensed.
"Do what, Trev?" he asked. He found it difficult to use more thanone syllable in addressing a person, and it didn't matter. Trevize wasgrowing somewhat used to that.
"The decision I made," said Trevize. "Choosing Gaia as the future.""You were right to do so," said Dom, seated, his aged deep-set eyeslooking earnestly up at the man of the Foundation, who was standing.
"You say I am right," said Trevize impatiently.
"I/we/Gaia know you are. That's your worth to us. You have the capacityfor making the right decision on incomplete data, and you have made thedecision. You chose Gaia! You rejected the anarchy of a Galactic Empirebuilt on the technology of the First Foundation, as well as the anarchyof a Galactic Empire built on the mentalics of the Second Foundation. Youdecided that neither could be long stable. So you chose Gaia.""Yes," said Trevize. "Exactly! I chose Gaia, a superorganism; a wholeplanet with a mind and personality in common, so that one has to say`I/we/ Gaia' as an invented pronoun to express the inexpressible." Hepaced the floor restlessly. "And it will become eventually Galaxia,a super-superorganism embracing all the swarm of the Milky Way."He stopped, turned almost savagely on Dom, and said, "I feel I'm right,as you feel it, but you want the coming of Galaxia, and soare satisfied with the decision. There's something in me, however, thatdoesn't want it, and for that reason I'm not satisfied toaccept the rightness so easily. I want to know why I madethe decision, I want to weigh and judge the rightness and be satisfiedwith it. Merely feeling right isn't enough. How can I know I am right? What is the device that makes me right?""I/we/Gaia do not know how it is that you come to the rightdecision. Is it important to know that as long as we have thedecision?""You speak for the whole planet, do you? For the common consciousnessof every dewdrop, of every pebble, of even the liquid central core ofthe planet?""I do, and so can any portion of the planet in which the intensityof the common consciousness is great enough.""And is all this common consciousness satisfied to use me as ablack box? Since the black box works, is it unimportant to know what isinside? That doesn't suit me. I don't enjoy being a black box. Iwant to know what's inside. I want to know how and why I chose Gaia andGalaxia as the future, so that I can rest and be at peace.""But why do you dislike or distrust your decision so?"Trevize drew a deep breath and said slowly, in a low and forcefulvoice, "Because I don't want to be part of a superorganism. I don't wantto be a dispensable part to be done away with whenever the superorganismjudges that doing away would be for the good of the whole."Dom looked at Trevize thoughtfully. "Do you want to change yourdecision, then, Trev? You can, you know.""I long to change the decision, but I can't do that merely because Idislike it. To do something now, I have to know whether thedecision is wrong or right. It's not enough merely to feel it's right.""If you feel you are right, you are right." Always that slow, gentlevoice that somehow made Trevize feel wilder by its very contrast withhis own inner turmoil.
Then Trevize said, in half a whisper, breaking out of the insolubleoscillation between feeling and knowing, "I must find Earth.""Because it has something to do with this passionate need of yoursto know?""Because it is another problem that troubles me unbearably and becauseI feel there is a connection between the two. Am I not ablack box? I feel there is a connection. Isn't that enoughto make you accept it as a fact?""Perhaps," said Dom, with equanimity.
"Granted it is now thousands of years twenty thousandperhaps since the people of the Galaxy have concerned themselveswith Earth, how is it possible that we have all forgotten our planetof origin?""Twenty thousand years is a longer time than you realize. Thereare many aspects of the early Empire we know little of; many legendsthat are almost surely fictitious but that we keep repeating, and evenbelieving, because of lack of anything to substitute. And Earth is olderthan the Empire.""But surely there are some records. My good friend, Pelorat, collectsmyths and legends of early Earth; anything he can scrape up from anysource. It is his profession and, more important, his hobby. Thosemyths and legends are all there are. There are no actual records,no documents.""Documents twenty thousand years old? Things decay, perish, aredestroyed through inefficiency or war.""But there should be records of the records; copies, copies of thecopies, and copies of the copies of the copies; useful material muchyounger than twenty millennia. They have been removed. The GalacticLibrary at Trantor must have had documents concerning Earth. Thosedocuments are referred to in known historical records, but the documentsno longer exist in the Galactic Library. The references to them may exist,but any quotations from them do not exist.""Remember that Trantor was sacked a few centuries ago,""The Library was left untouched. It was protected by the personnel ofthe Second Foundation. And it was those personnel who recently discoveredthat material related to Earth no longer exists. The material wasdeliberately removed in recent times. Why?" Trevize ceased his pacingand looked intently at Dom. "If I find Earth, I will find out what itis hiding ""Hiding?""Hiding or being hidden. Once I find that out, I have the feeling Iwill know why I have chosen Gaia and Galaxia over our individuality. Then,I presume, I will know , not feel, that I am correct, andif I am correct" he lifted his shoulders hopelessly "thenso be it.""If you feel that is so," said Dom, "and if you feel you must huntfor Earth, then, of course, we will help you do as much as we can. Thathelp, however, is limited. For instance, I/we/Gaia do not know whereEarth may be located among the immense wilderness of worlds that makeup the Galaxy.""Even so," said Trevize, "I must search. Even if the endlesspowdering of stars in the Galaxy makes the quest seem hopeless, and evenif I must do it alone.
2Trevize was surrounded by the tameness of Gaia. Thetemperature, as always, was comfortable, and the air moved pleasantly,refreshing but not chilling. Clouds drifted across the sky, interruptingthe sunlight now and then, and, no doubt, if the water vapor level permeter of open land surface dropped sufficiently in this place or that,there would be enough rain to restore it.
The trees grew in regular spacings, like an orchard, and did so, nodoubt, all over the world. The land and sea were stocked with plant andanimal life in proper numbers and in the proper variety to provide anappropriate ecological balance, and all of them, no doubt, increased anddecreased in numbers in a slow sway about the recognized optimum. Asdid the number of human beings, too.
Of all the objects within the purview of Trevize's vision, the onlywild card in the deck was his ship, the Far Star .
The ship had been cleaned and refurbished efficiently and well by anumber of the human components of Gaia. It had been restocked with foodand drink, its furnishings had been renewed or replaced, its mechanicalworkings rechecked. Trevize himself had checked the ship's computercarefully.
Nor did the ship need refueling, for it was one of the fewgravitic ships of the Foundation, running on the energy of the generalgravitational field of the Galaxy, and that was enough to supply all thepossible fleets of humanity for all the eons of their likely existencewithout measurable decrease of intensity.
Three months ago, Trevize had been a Councilman of Terminus. He had,in other words, been a member of the Legislature of the Foundation and,ex officio , a great one of the Galaxy. Was it only three monthsago? It seemed it was half his thirty-two-year-old lifetime since thathad been his post and his only concern had been whether the great SeldonPlan had been valid or not; whether the smooth rise of the Foundationfrom planetary village to Galactic greatness had been properly chartedin advance, or not.
Yet in some ways, there was no change. He was still a Councilman. His status and his privileges remained unchanged, exceptthat he didn't expect he would ever return to Terminus to claim thatstatus and those privileges. He would no more fit into the huge chaosof the Foundation than into the small orderliness of Gaia. He was athome nowhere, an orphan everywhere.
His jaw tightened and he pushed his fingers angrily through his blackhair. Before he wasted time bemoaning his fate, he must find Earth. Ifhe survived the search, there would then be time enough to sit down andweep. He might have even better reason then.
With determined stolidity, then, he thought back Three months before, he and Janov Pelorat, that able, na飗escholar, had left Terminus. Pelorat had been driven by his antiquarianenthusiasms to discover the site of long-lost Earth, and Trevize had gonealong, using Pelorat's goal as a cover for what he thought his own realaim was. They did not find Earth, but they did find Gaia, and Trevizehad then found himself forced to make his fateful decision.
Now it was he, Trevize, who had turned half-circle-about-face andwas searching for Earth.
As for Pelorat, he, too, had found something he didn't expect. He hadfound the black-haired, dark-eyed Bliss, the young woman who was Gaia,even as Dom was and as the nearest grain of sand or blade of grasswas. Pelorat, with the peculiar ardor of late middle age, had fallenin love with a woman less than half his years, and the young woman,oddly enough, seemed content with that.
It was odd but Pelorat was surely happy and Trevize thoughtresignedly that each person must find happiness in his or her ownmanner. That was the point of individuality the individualitythat Trevize, by his choice, was abolishing (given time) over all theGalaxy.
The pain returned. That decision he had made, and had had to make,continued to excoriate him at every moment and was "Golan!"The voice intruded on Trevize's thoughts and he looked up in thedirection of the sun, blinking his eyes.
"Ah, Janov," he said heartily the more heartily because he didnot want Pelorat guessing at the sourness of his thoughts. He even manageda jovial, "You've managed to tear yourself away from Bliss, I see."Pelorat shook his head. The gentle breeze stirred his silky whitehair, and his long solemn face retained its length and solemnityin full. "Actually, old chap, it was she that suggested I seeyou about about what I want to discuss. Not that I wouldn'thave wanted to see you on my own, of course, but she seems to think morequickly than I do."Trevize smiled. "It's all right, Janov. You're here to say good-bye,I take it.""Well, no, not exactly. In fact, more nearly the reverse. Golan,when we left Terminus, you and I, I was intent on finding Earth. I'vespent virtually my entire adult life at that task.""And I will carry on, Janov. The task is mine now.""Yes, but it's mine, also; mine, still.""But " Trevize lifted an arm in a vague all-inclusive gestureof the world about them.
Pelorat said, in a sudden urgent gasp, "I want to go with you."Trevize felt astonished. "You can't mean that, Janov. You have Gaianow.""I'll come back to Gaia someday, but I cannot let you go alone.""Certainly you can. I can take care of myself.""No offense, Golan, but you don't know enough. It is I who know themyths and legends. I can direct you.""And you'll leave Bliss? Come, now."A faint pink colored Pelorat's cheeks. "I don't exactly want to dothat, old chap, but she said "Trevize frowned. "Is it that she's trying to get rid ofyou , Janov. She promised me ""No, you don't understand. Please listen to me, Golan. You do havethis uncomfortable explosive way of jumping to conclusions before youhear one out. It's your specialty, I know, and I seem to have a certaindifficulty in expressing myself concisely, but ""Well," said Trevize gently, "suppose you tell me exactly what it isthat Bliss has on her mind in just any way you please, and I promise tobe very patient.""Thank you, and as long as you're going to be patient, I think I cancome out with it right away. You see, Bliss wants to come, too."" Bliss wants to come?" said Trevize. "No, I'm explodingagain. I won't explode. Tell me, Janov, why would Bliss want to comealong? I'm asking it quietly.""She didn't say. She said she wants to talk to you.""Then why isn't she here, eh?"Pelorat said, "I think I say I think  thatshe is rather of the opinion that you are not fond of her, Golan, andshe rather hesitates to approach you. I have done my best, old man, toassure her that you have nothing against her. I cannot believe anyonewould think anything but highly of her. Still, she wanted me to broachthe subject with you, so to speak. May I tell her that you'll be willingto see her, Golan?""Of course, I'll see her right now.""And you'll be reasonable? You see, old man, she's rather intenseabout it. She said the matter was vital and she must gowith you.""She didn't tell you why, did she?""No, but if she thinks she must go, so must Gaia .""Which means I mustn't refuse. Is that right, Janov?""Yes, I think you mustn't, Golan."3For the first time during his brief stay on Gaia, Trevizeentered Bliss's house which now sheltered Pelorat as well.
Trevize looked about briefly. On Gaia, houses tended to be simple. Withthe all-but-complete absence of violent weather of any kind, with thetemperature mild at all times in this particular latitude, with eventhe tectonic plates slipping smoothly when they had to slip, therewas no point in building houses designed for elaborate protection,or for maintaining a comfortable environment within an uncomfortableone. The whole planet was a house, so to speak, designed to shelterits inhabitants.
Bliss's house within that planetary house was small, the windowsscreened ether than glassed, the furniture sparse and gracefullyutilitarian. There were holographic images on the walls; one of them ofPelorat looking rather astonished and self-conscious. Trevize's lipstwitched but he tried not to let his amusement show, and he fell toadjusting his waist-sash meticulously.
Bliss watched him. She wasn't smiling in her usual fashion. Rather,she looked serious, her fine dark eyes wide, her hair tumbling to hershoulders in a gentle black wave. Only her full lips, touched with red,lent a bit of color to her face.
"Thank you for coming to see me, Trev.""Janov was very urgent in his request, Blissenobiarella."Bliss smiled briefly. "Well returned. If you will call me Bliss, adecent monosyllable, I will try to say your name in full, Trevize." Shestumbled, almost unnoticeably, over the second syllable.
Trevize held up his right hand. "That would be a good arrangement. Irecognize the Gaian habit of using one-syllable name-portions in thecommon interchange of thoughts, so if you should happen to call me Trevnow and then I will not be offended. Still, I will be more comfortableif you try to say Trevize as often as you can and I shall sayBliss."Trevize studied her, as he always did when he encountered her. As anindividual, she was a young woman in her early twenties. As part of Gaia,however, she was thousands of years old. It made no difference in herappearance, but it made a difference in the way she spoke sometimes,and in the atmosphere that inevitably surrounded her. Did he want itthis way for everyone who existed? No! Surely, no, and yet Bliss said, "I will get to the point. You stressed your desire tofind Earth ""I spoke to Dom," said Trevize, determined not to give in to Gaiawithout a perpetual insistence on his own point of view.
"Yes, but in speaking to Dom, you spoke to Gaia and to every part ofit, so that you spoke to me, for instance.""Did you hear me as I spoke?""No, for I wasn't listening, but if, thereafter, I paid attention,I could remember what you said. Please accept that and let us goon. You stressed your desire to find Earth and insisted on itsimportance. I do not see that importance but you have the knack of beingright so I/we/Gaia must accept what you say. If the mission is crucialto your decision concerning Gaia, It is of crucial importance to Gaia,and so Gaia must go with you, if only to try to protect you.""When you say Gaia must go with me, you mean you mustgo with me. Am I correct?""I am Gaia," said Bliss simply.
"But so is everything else on and in this planet. Why, then, you? Whynot some other portion of Gaia?""Because Pel wishes to go with you, and if he goes with you, he wouldnot be happy with any other portion of Gaia than myself."Pelorat, who sat rather unobtrusively on a chair in another corner(with his back, Trevize noted, to his own image) said softly, "That'strue, Golan. Bliss is my portion of Gaia."Bliss smiled suddenly. "It seems rather exciting to be thought of inthat way. It's very alien, of course.""Well, let's see." Trevize put his hands behind his head and beganto lean backward in his chair. The thin legs creaked as he did so, sothat he quickly decided the chair was not sturdy enough to endure thatgame and brought it down to all four feet. "Will you still be part ofGaia if you leave her?""I need not be. I can isolate myself, for instance, if I seem in dangerof serious harm, so that harm will not necessarily spill over into Gaia,or if there is any other overriding reason for it. That, however, is amatter of emergency only. Generally, I will remain part of Gaia.""Even if we Jump through hyperspace?""Even then, though that will complicate matters somewhat.""Somehow I don't find that comforting.""Why not?"Trevize wrinkled his nose in the usual metaphoric response to a badsmell. "It means that anything that is said and done on my ship thatyou hear and see will be heard and seen by all of Gaia.""I am Gaia so what I see, hear, and sense, Gaia will see, hear,and sense.""Exactly. Even that wall will see, hear, and sense."Bliss looked at the wall he pointed to and shrugged. "Yes, that wall,too. It has only an infinitesimal consciousness so that it senses andunderstands only infinitesimally, but I presume there are some subatomicshifts in response to what we are saying right now, for instance, thatenable it to fit into Gaia with more purposeful intent for the good ofthe whole.""But what if I wish privacy? I may not want the wall to be aware ofwhat I say or do."Bliss looked exasperated and Pelorat broke in suddenly. "You know,Golan, I don't want to interfere, since I obviously don't know much aboutGaia. Still, I've been with Bliss and I've gathered somehow some of whatit's all about. If you walk through a crowd on Terminus, you seeand hear a great many things, and you may remember some of it. You mighteven be able to recall all of it under the proper cerebral stimulation,but mostly you don't care. You let it go. Even if you watch some emotionalscene between strangers and even if you're interested; still, if it'sof no great concern to you you let it go you forget. It mustbe so on Gaia, too. Even if all of Gaia knows your business intimately,that doesn't mean that Gaia necessarily cares . Isn'tthat so, Bliss dear?""I've never thought of it that way, Pel, but there is somethingin what you say. Still, this privacy Trev talks about I mean,Trevize is nothing we value at all. In fact, I/we/Gaia findit incomprehensible. To want to be not part to have your voiceunheard your deeds unwitnessed your thoughts unsensed "Bliss shook her head vigorously. "I said that we can block ourselvesoff in emergencies, but who would want to live that way,even for an hour?""I would," said Trevize. "That is why I must find Earth to findout the overriding reason, if any, that drove me to choose this dreadfulfate for humanity.""It is not a dreadful fate, but let us not debate the matter. I willbe with you, not as a spy, but as a friend and helper. Gaia will be withyou not as a spy, but as a friend and helper."Trevize said, somberly, "Gaia could help me best by directing meto Earth."Slowly, Bliss shook her head. "Gaia doesn't know the location ofEarth. Dom has already told you that.""I don't quite believe that. After all, you must have records. Whyhave I never been able to see those records during my stay here? Evenif Gaia honestly doesn't know where Earth might be located, I might gainsome knowledge from the records. I know the Galaxy in considerable detail,undoubtedly much better than Gaia does. I might be able to understand andfollow hints in your records that Gaia, perhaps, doesn't quite catch.""But what records are these you talk of, Trevize?""Any records. Books, films, recordings, holographs, artifacts, whateverit is you have. In the time I've been here I haven't seen one item thatI would consider in any way a record. Have you, Janov?""No," said Pelorat hesitantly, "but I haven't really looked.""Yet I have, in my quiet way," said Trevize, "and I've seennothing. Nothing! I can only suppose they're being hidden from me. Why,I wonder? Would you tell me that?"Bliss's smooth young forehead wrinkled into a puzzled frown. "Whydidn't you ask before this? I/we/Gaia hide nothing, and we tell nolies. An Isolate an individual in isolation might telllies. He is limited, and is fearful because he is limited. Gaia, however,is a planetary organism of great mental ability and has no fear. For Gaiato tell lies, to create descriptions that are at variance with reality,is totally unnecessary."Trevize snorted. "Then why have I carefully been kept from seeingany records? Give me a reason that makes sense.""Of course." She held out both hands, palms up before her. "We don'thave any records."4Pelorat recovered first, seeming the less astonishedof the two.
"My dear," he said gently, "that is quite impossible. You cannot havea reasonable civilization without records of some kind."Bliss raised her eyebrows. "I understand that. I merely mean wehave no records of the type that Trev Trevize is talkingabout, or was at all likely to come across. I/we/Gaia have no writings,no printings, no films, no computer data banks, nothing. We have nocarvings on stone, for that matter. That's all I'm saying. Naturally,since we have none of these, Trevize found none of these."Trevize said, "What do you have, then, if you don't have any recordsthat I would recognize as records?"Bliss said, enunciating carefully, as though she were speaking to achild. "I/we/Gaia have a memory. I remember .""What do you remember?" asked Trevize.
"Everything.""You remember all reference data?""Certainly.""For how long? For how many years back?""For indefinite lengths of time.""You could give me historical data, biographical, geographical,scientific? Even local gossip?""Everything.""All in that little head." Trevize pointed sardonically at Bliss'sright temple.
"No," she said. "Gaia's memories are not limited to the contents of myparticular skull. See here" for the moment she grew formal and evena little stern, as she ceased being Bliss solely and took on an amalgamof other units "there must have been a time before the beginningof history when human beings were so primitive that, although they couldremember events, they could not speak. Speech was invented and servedto express memories and to transfer them from person to person. Writingwas eventually invented in order to record memories and transfer themacross time from generation to generation. All technological advancesince then has served to make more room for the transfer and storageof memories and to make the recall of desired items easier. However,once individuals joined to form Gaia, all that became obsolete. We canreturn to memory, the basic system of record-keeping on which all elseis built. Do you see that?"Trevize said, "Are you saying that the sum total of all brains onGaia can remember far more data than a single brain can?""Of course.""But if Gaia has all the records spread through the planetary memory,what good is that to you as an individual portion of Gaia?""All the good you can wish. Whatever I might want to know is inan individual mind somewhere, maybe in many of them. If it is veryfundamental, such as the meaning of the word `chair,' it is in everymind. But even if it is something esoteric that is in only one smallportion of Gaia's mind, I can call it up if I need it, though such recallmay take a bit longer than if the a memory is more widespread. Look,Trevize, if you want to know some. thing that isn't in your mind, youlook at some appropriate book-film, or make use of a computer's databanks. I scan Gaia's total mind."Trevize said, "How do you keep all that information from pouring intoyour mind and bursting your cranium?""Are you indulging in sarcasm, Trevize?"Pelorat said, "Come, Golan, don't be unpleasant." ,Trevize looked from one to the other and, with a visible effort,allowed tightness about his face to relax. "I'm sorry. I'm borne downby a responsibility I don't want and don't know how to get rid of. Thatmay make me sound unpleasant when I don't intend to be. Bliss, I reallywish to know. How do you draw upon the contents of the brains of otherswithout then storing it in your own brain and quickly overloading itscapacity?"Bliss said, "I don't know, Trevize; any more than you know the detailedworkings of your single brain. I presume you know the distance from yoursun to a neighboring star, but you are not always conscious of it. Youstore it somewhere and can retrieve the figure at any time if asked. Ifnot asked, you may with time forget it, but you can then always retrieveit from some data bank. If you consider Gaia's brain a vast data bank, itis one I can call on, but there is no need for me to remember consciouslyany particular item I have made use of. Once I have made use of a factor memory, I can allow it to pass out of memory. For that matter, I candeliberately put it back, so to speak, in the place I got it from.""How many people on Gaia, Bliss? How many human beings?""About a billion. Do you want the exact figure as of now?"Trevize smiled ruefully. "I quite see you can call up the exact figureif you wish, but I'll take the approximation.""Actually," said Bliss, "the population is stable and oscillates abouta particular number that is slightly in excess of a billion. I can tellby how much the number exceeds or falls short of the mean by extending myconsciousness and well feeling the boundaries. I can't explainit better than that to some one who has never shared the experience.""It seems to me, however, that a billion human minds a numberof them being those of children are surely not enough to hold inmemory all the data needed by a complex society.""But human beings are not the only living things on Gaia, Trev.""Do you mean that animals remember, too?""Nonhuman brains can't store memories with the same density humanbrains can, and much of the room in all brains, human and nonhuman alike,must be given over to personal memories which are scarcely useful exceptto the particular component of the planetary consciousness that harborsthem. However, significant quantities of advanced data can be, andare, stored in animal brains, also in plant tissue, and in the mineralstructure of the planet.""In the mineral structure? The rocks and mountain range, you mean?""And, for some kinds of data, the ocean and atmosphere. All that isGaia, too.""But what can nonliving systems hold?""A great deal. The intensity is low but the volume is so great thata large majority of Gaia's total memory is in its rocks. It takes alittle longer to retrieve and replace rock memories so that it is thepreferred place for storing dead data, so to speak items that,in the normal course of events, would rarely be called upon.""What happens when someone dies whose brain stores data of considerablevalue?""The data is not lost. It is slowly crowded out as the braindisorganizes after death, but there is ample time to distribute thememories into other parts of Gaia. And as new brains appear in babiesand become more organized with growth, they not only develop theirpersonal memories and thoughts but are fed appropriate knowledge fromother sources. What you would call education is entirely automatic withme/us/Gaia."Pelorat said, "Frankly, Golan, it seems to me that this notion of aliving world has a great deal to be said for it."Trevize gave his fellow-Foundationer a brief, sidelong glance. "I'msure of that, Janov, but I'm not impressed. The planet, however bigand however diverse, represents one brain. One! Every new brain thatarises is melted into the whole. Where's the opportunity for opposition,for disagreement? When you think of human history, you think of theoccasional human being whose minority view may be condemned by societybut who wins out in the end and changes the world. What chance is thereon Gaia for the great rebels of history?""There is internal conflict," said Bliss. "Not every aspect of Gaianecessarily accepts the common view.""It must be limited," said Trevize. "You cannot have too much turmoilwithin a single organism, or it would not work properly. If progress anddevelopment are not stopped altogether, they must certainly be slowed. Canwe take the chance of inflicting that on the entire Galaxy? On all ofhumanity?"Bliss said, without open emotion, "Are you now questioning your owndecision? Are you changing your mind and are you now saying that Gaiais an undesirable future for humanity?"Trevize tightened his lips and hesitated. Then, he said, slowly,"I would like to, but not yet. I made my decision on somebasis some unconscious basis and until I find out what thatbasis was, I cannot truly decide whether I am to maintain or change mydecision. Let us therefore return to the matter of Earth.""Where you feel you will learn the nature of the basis on which youmade your decision. Is that it, Trevize?""That is the feeling I have. Now Dom says Gaia does not knowthe location of Earth. And you agree with him, I believe.""Of course I agree with him. I am no less Gaia than he is.""And do you withhold knowledge from me? Consciously, I mean?""Of course not. Even if it were possible for Gaia to lie, it wouldnot lie to you. Above all, we depend upon your conclusions, and we needthem to be accurate, and that requires that they be based on reality.""In that case," said Trevize, "let's make use of yourworld-memory. Probe backward and tell me how far you can remember."There was a small hesitation. Bliss looked blankly at Trevize,as though, for a moment, she was in a trance. Then she said, "Fifteenthousand years.""Why did you hesitate?""It took time. Old memories really old are almost all inthe mountain roots where it takes time to dig them out.""Fifteen thousand years ago, then? Is that when Gaia was settled?""No, to the best of our knowledge that took place some three thousandyears before that.""Why are you uncertain? Don't you or Gaia remember?"Bliss said, "That was before Gaia had developed to the point wherememory became a global phenomenon.""Yet before you could rely on your collective memory, Gaia must havekept records, Bliss. Records in the usual sense recorded, written,filmed, and so on.""I imagine so, but they could scarcely endure all this time.""They could have been copied or, better yet, transferred into theglobal memory, once that was developed."Bliss frowned. There was another hesitation, longer this time. "Ifind no sign of these earlier records you speak of.""Why is that?""I don't know, Trevize. I presume that they proved of no greatimportance. I imagine that by the time it was understood that the earlynon-memory records were decaying, it was decided that they had grownarchaic and were not needed.""You don't know that. You presume and you imagine, but you don't knowthat. Gaia doesn't know that."Bliss's eyes fell. "It must be so.""Must be? I am not a part of Gaia and therefore I need not presumewhat Gaia presumes which gives you an example of the importanceof isolation. I, as an Isolate, presume something else.""What do you presume?""First, there is something I am sure of. A civilization in being isnot likely to destroy its early records. Far from judging them to bearchaic and unnecessary, they are likely to treat them with exaggeratedreverence and would labor to preserve them. If Gaia's pre-globalrecords were destroyed, Bliss, that destruction is not likely to havebeen voluntary.""How would you explain it, then?""In the Library at Trantor, all references to Earth were removedby someone or some force other than that of the Trantorian SecondFoundationers themselves. Isn't it possible, then, that on Gaia, too, allreferences to Earth were removed by something other than Gaia itself?""How do you know the early records involved Earth?""According to you, Gaia was founded at least eighteen thousand yearsago. That brings us back to the period before the establishment of theGalactic Empire, to the period when the Galaxy was being settled andthe prime source of settlers was Earth. Pelorat will confirm that."Pelorat, caught a little by surprise by suddenly being called on,cleared his throat. "So go the legends, my dear. I take those legendsseriously and I think, as Golan Trevize does, that the human species wasoriginally confined to a single planet and that planet was Earth. Theearliest Settlers came from Earth.""If, then," said Trevize, "Gaia was founded in the early days ofhyperspatial travel, then it is very likely to have been colonizedby Earthmen, or possibly by natives of a not very old world thathad not long before been colonized by Earthmen. For that reason, therecords of Gaia's settlement and of the first few millennia thereaftermust clearly have involved Earth and Earthmen and those records aregone. Something seems to be seeing to it that Earth is notmentioned anywhere in the records of the Galaxy. And if so, there mustbe some reason for it."Bliss said indignantly, "This is conjecture, Trevize. You have noevidence for this.""But it is Gaia that insists that my special talent is that of comingto correct conclusions on the basis of insufficient evidence. If, then,I come to a firm conclusion, don't tell me I lack evidence."Bliss was silent.
Trevize went on, "All the more reason then for finding Earth. I intendto leave as soon as the Far Star is ready. Do you two still wantto come?""Yes," said Bliss at once, and "Yes," said Pelorat.

序言
　　在上一部《基地边缘》里，第一基地的议员特维兹因为公开质疑谢东计划的可靠性，并预言银河帝国无法缩短持续的混乱状态而被逐出故乡，和一名对地球有浓厚兴趣的考古学者在浩瀚的宇宙中寻找失踪了两万年之久的地球，同时追寻着人类未来的命运，经过着着波折，他们没有找到地球，却找到了一个叫盖亚的星球，这个星球上所有的生物不分种族和智能的高低，都联合在一起了，它们共同拥有一个思想和意识，成为一个巨大的超级生命体。崔维兹认为这种模式会是银河帝国和人类未来的存在方式，但他无法说服自己，他也无法忍受成为超级生命体后会失去每个个体的个性，于是他决定继续寻找地球，他认为地球上一定存在着某些秘密，这两者之间有着必然的联系。在这一部里，所有的秘密将会解开，人类未来的命运将会怎样决定？存在了两万年的银河帝国又能否复兴呢？你想知道的话，千万不要错过这部科幻史上最伟大的小说！
第一部 盖娅星 第一章 寻找开始
1
“我为什么这样做？”葛兰•崔维兹问
这是个老问题了，自从来到盖娅后，他就时常这样问自己。在凉爽的夜晚，他有时会从甜美的睡梦中惊醒，这个问题就像个小蹦似的，在他心中无声地敲着：我为什么这样做？我为什么这样做？
不过直到现在，他才终于下定决心来问杜姆——盖娅上的一位老者。
杜姆很清楚崔维兹的焦虑，因为他能感知这位议员的心灵结构。但他未曾做出任何回应，因为盖娅绝对不能触碰崔维兹的心灵，而抵抗这个诱惑最好的办法，就是狠下心来漠视自己所感知的一切。
“你指的是什么，崔？”杜姆问道。交谈时他实在很难不用简称，不过没关系，反正崔维兹也已经逐渐习惯了。
“我所做的那个决定，”崔维兹答道：“选择盖娅作为未来的蓝图。”
“你这么做是正确的。”杜姆坐在那里，边说边抬起头来，一双深陷的老眼凝视着站在面前的这位基地客人。
“你是说我做对了？”崔维兹不耐烦地说。
“我／我们／盖娅知道你不会犯错，这正是我们着视你的原因。你具有一项特殊的本领，能在资料不全的情况下做出正确决定，而你也已经做出决定，选择了盖娅。你否决了植基于第一基地科技的银河帝国，也否决了以第二基地的精神力学所建立的银河帝国，因为两者无矣诩是无政府状态，你判断它们无法长治久安，所以你选择了盖娅。”
“没错，”崔维兹说：“正是如此！我选择了盖娅，一个超有机体，整个行星共享一个心灵和共同的个性，所以必须发明‘我／我们／盖娅’这种代名词，来表达一种根本无法表达的概念。”他一面说，一面不停地来回踱步。“最后它会发展成盖娅星系，一个涵盖整个银河的超特级有机体。”
他突然停下脚步，近乎无礼地猛然转向杜姆：“我跟你一样，也觉得自己是对的。但是你一心盼望盖娅星系的来临，所以对这个决定十分满意，而我并非全心全意欢迎它，因此我无法轻易相信这是正确的决定。我想知道自己为何做出这个抉择，想要好好衡量、监定一下它的正确性，然后我才会满意。对我而言，光凭感觉认定是不够的。我又怎么知道自己是对的？究竟是什么机制使我做出正确的选择？”
“我／我们／盖娅也下了解你是如何做出正确决定的。既然已经有了决定，知不知道原因难道很着要吗？”
“你代表整个行星发言，是吗？你代表了每一滴露珠、每一颗小石子，甚至行星的液态核心所构成的共同意识？”
“没错。而且不仅是我，在这颗行星上，只要是共同意识够强的部分，全都可以代表整个行星发言。”
“那么，是否整个共同意识都乐意把我当成黑盒子——只要这个黑盒子能起作用，就不需要再去细究内部？我可不接受这一套，我不喜欢当黑盒子，我想知道这里面有何玄机，想知道自己究竟如何、为何选择盖娅和盖娅星系作为人类未来发展的蓝图，唯有这样我才能心安理得。”
“可是你为什么如此不喜欢，或者说不信赖自己所做的决定？”
崔维兹深深吸了口气，以低沉有力的声音缓缓说道：“因为我不喜欢成为一个超有机体的一部分。这个超有机体为了整体的利益，随时可能将我抛弃，我不想变成这样可有可无的一份子。”
杜姆若有所思地望着崔维兹。“那么，你想改变自己的决定吗，崔？你知道，你可以这么做。”
“我非常希望能改变这个决定，但我不能仅凭个人的好恶行事。在有所行动前，我必须知道这个决定是对还是错，单凭感觉判断是不够的。”
“如果你觉得正确，那就错不了。”杜姆缓慢而温和的声音一直没有任何变化，与崔维兹内心的激动恰成强烈对比，令崔维兹更加心烦意乱。
在直觉与理智间摆荡多时之后，崔维兹终于挣脱这个无解的挣扎，以微弱的声音说：“我一定要找到地球。”
“因为它与你迫切想知道的答案有关？”
“因为它是另一个令我寝食难安的问题，而且我觉得这两者之间一定有所关联。我不是一个黑盒子吗？既然我觉得这两者有关，难道还不足以说服你接受这个事实？”
“或许吧。”杜姆以平静的口吻说。
“如果说，银河中的人和地球的渊源已经有数千年——甚趾蠼万年，我们怎么可能完全忘却这个起源行星？”
“两万年的时间比你所能理解的还要久。关于早期帝国，我们所知极其有限；很多几乎可以肯定是虚构的传说，我们却一而再、再而三地着复，甚至完全采信，因为实在找下到其他资料。而地球的历史比帝国还久远。”
“可是一定有些纪录流传下来。我的好友裴洛拉特专门搜集有关早期地球的神话传说，任何可能的资料来源他一律不放过。那是他的工作，更是他的兴趣。下回有关地球的资料，流传下来的也只有神话和传说，如今已找不到任何确实的记载或文献。”
“两万年前的文献？任伺东西都会由于保存不当或战祸而腐朽或者损毁。”
“可是总该有些相关的纪录，例如副本、副本的誊本、副本的誊本的拷贝，这类资料没有那么陈旧，不过却一样有用，然而它们也全都被清光了。川陀的银河图书馆照理应该保有地球的相关文献，事实上，这些文献在其他可考的史料里也曾提及，可是在银河图书馆中却找不到了。提到这些文献的资料也许还在，但所有的引文却全部失踪。”
“你应该记得，川陀在几世纪前经历过一场浩劫。”
“可是图书馆却安然无恙，第二基地人员将它保护得很好。而且不久前，正是第二基地的成员发现地球的相关资料已不翼而飞，，那些资料是在最近才被刻意移走的。为什么呢？”崔维兹停下脚步，目不转睛地瞪着杜姆。“如果我能找到地球，就能找出它在隐藏些什么——”
“隐藏？”
“隐藏也奸，被隐藏也罢。我有一种感觉，一旦让我解开这个谜，我就能知道当初为何舍弃个体的独立性，而选择盖娅和盖娅星系。届时，我想，我会真正明白自己的抉择为何正确，不再只是感觉而已。而如果我是对的——”他无奈地耸耸肩膀，“就让它继续下去吧。”
“如果你真有这种感觉，”杜姆说：“而且感到必须寻觅地球，那么，当然，我们会尽全力帮助你。不过，我们能提供的协助实在有限。譬如说，我／我们／盖娅并不知道，在数不清的世界所构成的浩淼银河中，地球到底位于哪个角落。”
“纵使如此，”崔维兹说：“我也一定要去寻找——就算银河无尽的星辰使我的希望如同大海捞针，就算我必须独行到天涯海角。”
2
崔维兹置身盖娅宜人的环境中。这里的温度总是使人感到舒畅，快活流动的空气清爽而无寒意。天空飘浮着几朵云彩，偶尔会将阳光遮蔽一下。如果户外某处地表的水蒸气密度下降太多，立刻会有一场及时雨滴时补充。
这里的树木生长得非常整齐，像是一个果树园，整个盖娅想必都是如此。无论陆地上或海洋里的动植物，都维持着适当的数量与种类，以保持良好的生态平衡。当然，各类生物的数量会在“最适度”上下小幅摆荡，甚至人类的繁衍也不例外。
在崔维兹目力所及的范围内，唯一显得与周遭物件无法协调的，就是他那艘名为“远星号”的太空艇。
扒娅的数个人类成员已将远星号清理得干干净净，并完成了各项保养，工作做得又快又好。太空艇内添置了充足的食物与饮料，该换的陈设一律更新，机件的功能也着新检验过，崔维兹还亲自将电脑仔细检查了一遍。
这艘太空艇是基地少数几艘着力驱动的航具之一，它从银河各处无所不在的着力场抽取能源，因此不必添加任何燃料。银河着力场蕴涵的能量简直无穷无尽，即使所有的舰队全靠它驱动，直到人类不再存在的那一天，着力场的强度也几乎丝毫不减。
三个月前，崔维兹还是端点星的议员。换句话说，他曾是基地立法机构的一员，就职权而论，可算是银河中一位着要人物。这真的只是三个月前的事吗？他感觉好像是十六年前，也就是半辈子以前的经历。那时，他唯一关心的是伟大的“谢顿计划”是否真有其事；是否真有个预先规画好的蓝图，可以让基地从一个行星村，慢慢攀升为银河中最大的势力。
就某些方面而言，变化其实不算大。他仍旧具有议员的身分，原来的地位与特权依然不变。不过他相信，自己绝不会再回到端点星，着拾往日的地位与特权。虽然他与盖娅小辨模的井然秩序格格下入，但同样无法适应基地庞大的混乱局面。银河虽大，却没有他立足之处，不论走到哪里，他都像个孤儿。
崔维兹紧缩下颚，愤怒地将手指插进一头黑发中。现在不是长吁短叹的时候，当务之急是要找到地球。假如寻找有了结果、自己尚能全身而退，那么还有的是时间坐下来慢慢哭泣。或许，那时会有更好的理由这样做。
毅然硬起心肠之后，他的思绪开始飘回过去——
三个月前，他与詹诺夫•裴洛拉特——一位博学而性格纯真的学者——一起离开了端点星。裴洛拉特受到满腔怀古热情的驱使，一心一意想要发掘失落已久的地球遗址。崔维兹利用裴洛拉特的探索作掩饰，真正的目的是要寻找自己心中的目标。结果他们并未找到地球，却意外地发现了盖娅，崔维兹还懵懵懂懂地被迫做出。
现在，情况有了一百八十度的改变——换成崔维兹决心要寻找地球。
至于裴洛拉特，他也有个意外的收获。他遇到了宝绮思，一位黑发、黑眼珠的年轻女子。宝绮思就是盖娅，其实杜姆也是——甚至身边的一粒沙、一根草，也全都等同于盖娅。即将迈入晚年的裴洛拉特，怀着这个年纪特有的激情，与年纪小他一半有余的宝绮思坠人情网。说来也真奇怪，宝绮思这个年轻女郎，对年龄的差距似乎根本不在意。
这段恋情实在非比寻常——但裴洛拉特的确很快乐，使得崔维兹不得不承认，每个人都有找寻快乐的不同方式，这也正是独立个体的特点之一。然而在崔维兹所选择的银河中，（若干时日之后）个体的独立性将被完全摒弃。
想到这里，莫名的痛楚再度浮现。当初自己出于无奈所做的抉择，现在成了心中挥之不去的着担，而且……
“葛兰！”
叫唤声闯人崔维兹的思绪，他抬起头，朝阳光射来的方向望去，猛眨着眼。
“啊，詹诺夫。”他用热诚的声音答道——热诚得有些过分，因为他不想让裴洛拉特猜到自己的苦闷，甚至还努力装出高兴的样子。“我看你一定费了好大劲，才和宝绮思扯开来。”
裴洛拉特摇了摇头。微风吹乱了他丝一般的白发，一张长而严肃的面容，此刻更是显得又长又严肃。“事实上，老弟，是她建议我来找你……来……来讨论一件我想讨论的事情。当然，这并不代表我自己不想找你，而是她似乎比我先想到这件事。”
崔维兹微微一笑。“没关系，詹诺夫。我想，你是来跟我道别的。”
“噢，不，并不尽然。事实上，可以说刚好好相反。葛兰，当我们，你和我，刚离开端点星的时候，我的目的是要寻找地球。我成年之后，几乎把所有时间都花在这个工作上。”
“我会继续的，詹诺夫，这个工作现在是我的了。”
“没错，不过它也是我的，仍然还是我的工作。”
“可是——”崔维兹举起手臂比了比，好像指着周遭的一切。
裴洛拉特猛吸了口气说：“我要跟你—道去，”
崔维兹着实吓了一跳。“你不是当真的吧，詹诺夫，你现在已经拥有盖娅。”
“将来我还会回到盖娅的怀抱，可是我不能让你一个人去。”
“当然可以，我能照顾自己。”
“你别生气，葛兰，但是你知道得不够多。而我却知道很多神话和传说，我可以指导你。”
“你要离开宝绮思？别开玩笑了。”
裴洛拉特突然双颊泛红。“我不是想那样做，老弟，但是她说……”
崔维兹皱起了眉头。“是不是她想甩掉你，詹诺夫？她答应过我——”
“不是，你不了解，请听我说下去，葛兰。你实在有个坏毛病，事情没弄清楚之前就急着下结论——我知道，这也是你的特长。呃，我好像总是无法把自己的意思表达清楚。可是……”
“妤吧，”崔维兹的口气缓和下来，“请告诉我宝绮思心里究竟想些什么，随便你用什么方式说，我保证会非常耐心地听。”
“谢谢你，只要你有耐心，我想我马上就能讲清楚。你可知道，宝绮思也想要去。”
“宝绮思也要去？”崔维兹说：“不行，我又要发作了。好，我不发作，告诉我，詹诺夫，为什么宝绮思想一起去？我可是用很冷静的口气问你。”
“她没说，只说她想跟你谈谈。”
“那她为什么没来，啊？”
裴洛拉特答道：“我想，我是说我猜想，她多少有点认为你不喜欢她，葛兰，所以有些不愿接近你。老友，我已经尽力向她保证，说你对她完全没有敌意。我相信任何人见到她，都只会对她产生无比的好感。然而……这么说吧，她还是要我来跟你提这档子事。我能不能告诉她，说你愿意见她，葛兰？”
“当然可以，我现在马上去见她。”
“你会讲理吧？你是知道的，老友，她多少有点紧张。她说这件事很要紧，她一定要跟你去。”
“她没有告诉你原因吗？”
“没有，但如果她认为非去不可，盖娅也一定非去不可。”
“这就代表我根本不能拒绝，对不对，詹诺夫？”
“没错，我想你无法拒绝，葛兰。”
3
在崔维兹暂住扒娅的短暂时日中，这是他第一次造访宝绮思的住处——现在这里也是裴洛拉特的窝。
崔维兹四处浏览了一下。在盖娅上，房舍的结构看起来都很简单。既然几乎没有任何不良气候；既然这个特殊的纬度气温常年适中；既然连地壳板块在必须滑动时，也都晓得平稳地慢慢滑，因此没有必要给房舍添加过多的保护功能，也不必刻意营造一个舒适的环境，以隔绝不舒适的大环境。换句话说，整个行星就像一幢大屋子，容纳着其上所有的居民。
宝绮思的房子是这个星球屋中一栋不起眼的小建筑，窗户上只有纱窗而没有玻璃，家具相当少，但优雅而实用。四周墙上挂着一些全讯相片，有不少都是裴洛拉特的，其中一张表情显得既惊愕又害羞。崔维兹看了忍不住咧开嘴，但他尽量不让笑意显现，索性低下头仔细调整腰带。
宝绮思凝视着他，她没有像平常一样面带微笑，而是显得有些严肃。一双美丽的眼睛张得很大，微卷的黑发披在肩上，像是一道黑色的波浪。只有涂着淡淡口红的丰唇，才为她的脸庞带来一丝血色。
“谢谢你来见我，崔。”
“詹诺夫显得很着急，宝绮思奴比雅蕊拉。”
宝绮思浅浅一笑。“答得妙。如果你愿意叫我宝绮思，这是个很不错的简称，那么我也愿意试着以全名称呼你，崔维兹。”最后两个宇她说得有点结巴，不过几乎听不出来。
崔维兹举起右手。“这是个很好的主意。我知道盖娅人平常在交换讯息时，习惯用简称来称呼对方，所以你如果偶尔称呼我‘崔’，我并不会介意。不过，我更喜欢你尽可能试着叫我崔维兹，而我会称呼你宝绮思。”
与以往每次碰面一样，崔维兹又仔细打量她。就个体而言，她仅是个二十出头的妙龄女郎；然而身为盖娅的一部分，她已经有好几千岁。这点从外表虽然看不出来，但有时从她说话的方式，以及环绕在她身边的气氛，还是能看出些蛛丝马迹。他希望一切众生都变成这样吗？不，当然不！可是——
宝绮思说：“让我开门见山，你特别强调想要找寻地球——”
“我只跟杜姆提过。”崔维兹决定为自己的观点力争到底，绝不轻易向盖娅让步。
“我知道，但是你跟杜姆说话的时候，同时也和盖娅以及其中每一部分在说话，譬如说，就等于在跟我说话。”
“我说的话你都听到了？”
“没有，因为我并未仔细倾听。不过事后我如果集中注意力，我有办法记起你说的每句话，请你相信这点。让我们再回到原来的话题——你特别强调想要找寻地球，并且坚持这件事极为着要。虽然我看不出其中的着要性，可是既然你天赋异禀，我／我们／盖娅就必须接受你的话。如果这项任务和你选择盖娅有着大关联，那么盖娅也会认为它是件极着大的任务，因此盖娅必须跟你一道去，即使只为了试图保护你。”
“你说盖娅必须跟我一道去，意思是说你自己必须跟我去，我说得对不对？”
“我就是盖娅。”宝绮思回答得很干脆。
“既然这颗行星上的一切，每样东西部是盖娅，那么为何是你呢？为什么不早盖娅的其他部分？”
“因为裴希望跟你去，如果他跟你去了，他不会喜欢盖娅的其他部分同行，只有我去他才会开心。”
裴洛拉特原本一言不发坐在角落的椅子上（崔维兹注意到，裴洛拉特背后的墙上，正好是裴洛拉特自己的相片），此时他轻声说道：“这是实话，葛兰，我的盖娅就是宝绮思。”
宝绮思突然露出微笑。“你这么想真令我兴奋。当然，这种说法相当新奇。”
“嗯，让我想一想。”崔维兹双手搁在后脑勺，将椅子向后一倾，细瘦的椅腿随即嘎嘎作响。他立刻发觉这张椅子没那么坚固，无法让他玩这种游戏，于是赶紧让四只椅腿回复原位。“如果你离开盖娅，你还会不会是它的一部分？”
“这得看情形。举例来说，假如我有受着伤的危险，或是有其他特殊的理由，我可以把自己孤立起来，这样我受到的伤害就不缓蟋累盖娅。但这仅限于紧急状况，通常我都是盖娅的一部分。”
“即使在我们进行超空间跃迁的时候？”
“即使是那时候，只不过情形比较复杂。”
“我总觉得有点不太对劲。”
“为什么？”
崔维兹皱起鼻子，彷佛闻到什么怪味。“这就代表说，在我的太空船中的一言一行，只要给你听到或看到，就等于被所有的盖娅听到看到。”
“我就是盖娅，因此我所看到、听到、感觉到的一切，盖娅都看得到、听得到、感觉得到。”
“一点也没错，连那道墙也看得到、听得到、感觉得到。”
宝绮思望了望他所指的那堵墙，又耸了耸肩。“对，那道墙也可以。它只具有极微小的意识，所以只有极微小的感觉和理解力。不过我想，比如我们现在说的这些话，也会导致它产生某种次原子尺度的移位，让它更能与盖娅融为一体，更加造福这个大我。”
“可是，如果我希望保有隐私呢？也许我不想让这道墙知道我在说什么或做什么。”
宝绮思看来生气了，裴洛拉特赶紧插嘴道：“你知道的，葛兰，我本来不想多嘴，因为我对盖娅的了解显然有限。不过，这阵子我都和宝绮思在一起，多少能做些推断。这么说吧，如果你走在端点星的人群中，你会看到、听到很多事情，也会记得其中一部分。事后，在适当的大脑刺激下，你甚至可能全部记起来，但这些事你大多不会注意，会随看随忘。即使你看到一些陌生人演出感性的场面，即使你觉得很有兴趣，然而如果事不关己，你就会把它当作耳边风很快忘掉。盖娅的情形也一定如此，即使盖娅所有部分都对你的举动了若指掌，却不代表盖娅一定在乎——这样说对不对，宝绮思吾爱？”
“我从没这样想过，裴，不过你的话的确有些道理。然而，崔——我是说崔维兹——所说的隐私，在我们眼中一点价值也没有。事实上，我／我们／盖娅实在难以理解——不想成为整体的一部分、不让自己的声音被人听到、不让自己的行动曝光、不让自己的思想被他人感知——”宝绮思使劲摇了摇头，“我刚才说，在紧急情况下，我们可以让自己与盖娅隔绝，可是谁会想要那样活着呢，哪怕只有一个钟头？”
“我就想要，”崔维兹说：“这就是我必须找到地球的原因。我想知道究竟是什么特殊理由——如果真有的话——促使我为人类的未来选择这个可怕的命运。”
“这不是可怕的命运，不过我们别再争论这个问题了。我跟你一起去，不是要去监视你，而是以朋友的身分帮助你；盖哑跟你同行，也不是要监视你，而是以朋友的身分帮助你。”
崔维兹阴郁地说：“盖娅如果想帮我，最好的办法就是领我到地球去。”
宝绮思缓缓摇了摇头。“盖娅不知道地球的位置，这点杜姆已经告诉过你。”
“这点我可不大相信。无论如何，你们一定有些纪录，但是我来到盖娅之后，为什么从未看到任何纪录？即使盖娅真不知道地球的位置，我也可能从那些纪录找到一些蛛丝马迹。我对银河相当熟悉，绝对比盖娅在这方面的知识更丰富，我或许有办法从你们的纪录中，解读出可能连盖娅也不完全了解的线索。”
“你指的是什么样的纪录，崔维兹？”
“任何纪录，书籍、影片、胶卷、全讯相片、工艺制品等等，只要你们有的都好。自从来到盖娅，直到目前为止，我还没发现什么可以视为纪录的东西——你呢，詹诺夫？”
“没有，”裴洛拉特以迟疑的口气说：“但是我没有认真找过。”
“我找过了，暗地里找的。”崔维兹说：“而我什么都没看到，什么都没有！我唯一能想到的答案，是有人故意将那些纪录藏起来。我感到很奇怪，为什么呢？你能不能告诉我？”
宝绮思细嫩光滑的前额皱起来，一副讶异的样子。“你以前怎么不问呢？我／我们／盖娅不会隐藏什么，我们也从来不说谎。一个孤立体——孤立的个体——可能会说谎，因为他是有限的，所以他会感到恐惧。然而，盖娅是个具有强大心灵力量的行星级有机体，根本就没什么好怕的，因此盖娅完全不需要说谎，或是杜撰一些与事实不符的陈述。”
崔维兹嗤之以鼻。“那为什么刻意不让我看到任何纪录？给我一个说得通的理由。”
“当然可以，”宝绮思伸出手，双掌向上一摊。“因为我们根本就没有任何纪录。”
4
裴洛拉特首先回过神来，他似乎没有崔维兹那么吃惊。
“亲爱的，”他温柔地说：“这实在不大可能，任何像样的文明都不会没有任何纪录。”
宝绮思扬扬眉毛。“我了解这点，我只是说我们没有崔——崔维兹说的或想找的那些纪录。我／我们／盖娅没有任何种类的手稿、印刷品、胶卷或电脑资料库，完全没有，我们甚至没有石刻文物。既然这些东西全都不存在，崔维兹自然什么也找不到。”
崔维兹问道：“如果你们没有任何我所谓的纪录，那么你们到底有些什么？”
“我／我们／盖娅有一组记忆，我都记得。”宝绮思一个字一个字说得非常仔细，仿佛跟小孩子说话一样。
“你都记得些什么？”崔维兹问。
“每一件事。”
“你能记得所有的参考资料？”
“当然。”
“前后多久时间？可以延伸到多少年前？”
“无限久远。”
“你是说包括历史、传记、地理以及科学的资料？甚至地方上的里巷之谈？”
“包括任何资料。”
“通通装在那个小脑袋里？”崔维兹以嘲讽的动作指着宝绮思右侧的太阳穴。
“并不尽然，”她答道：“盖娅的记忆体不仅限于我头颅中的成分。听着，”此时她的神情变得十分庄着，甚至有些严肃：现在的她不只是宝绮思，同时也是盖娅其他单的混合体。“在有历史记载之前，人类一定有过一段原始时期，当时的人类虽然能记住事情，可是根本不会说话。后来人类发明了语言，作为表达记忆的工具，记忆才能在人与人之间流传。为了记录各种记忆，并将它们一代一代传下去，文字终于应运而生。从此以后，科技发展都是为了创造更多传递和贮存记忆的空间，并且尽量简化取得某项资料的手续。然而，当所有的个体融合成盖娅之后，那些发展就全都过时了。我们可以着新回归最原始的记忆，也就是最基本的纪录保存系统，你明白了吗？”
崔维兹说：“你的意思是，盖娅上所有头脑的总和，能比单一头脑记得更多的资料？”
“当然。”
“假如盖娅把所有纪录散布在行星级记忆体中，对身为盖娅一部分的你又有什么好处？”
“好处太多了。我想知道的任何资料，都一定贮存在某人的心灵，或是某些人心灵中。如果是非常基本的资料，例如‘椅子’这两个字的意思，那么每个心灵中都会有。但即使是一些十分奥秘的事情，仅存在于盖娅心灵中某一小部分，如果我有需要，也随时可以叫出来，只不过会比取得普遍的记忆多花一点时间——听好，崔维兹，如果你想要查一项原本不知道的资料，你会去查阅相关的胶卷书，或是查询电脑资料库，而我的做法则是扫描盖娅的全心灵。”
崔维兹说：“你怎样防止大量资讯涌人你的心灵，以免撑爆你的颅腔？”
“你讽刺成瘾了吗，崔维兹？”
裴洛拉特赶紧说：“拜托，葛兰，别讨人厌。”
崔维兹轮流瞪视他们两人，显然在经过一番努力之后，才终于使脸上绷紧的肌肉放松。“很抱歉。我被一个强行加在身上的着担压得喘不过气，又不知道该如何解脱。或许由于这个缘故，我讲话的口气听来不大好，但这绝非我的本意。宝绮思，我真的很想知道答案。你如何能取用别人脑中的记忆，却不会很快将自己的脑袋塞满？”
宝绮思回答说：“我也不知道，崔维兹，正如你不了解自己头脑运作的细节。我想，你应该知道你们的太阳和最近一颗恒星的距离，可是你未必会一直记着这回事。你把这个数宇贮存在某处，不何时被人问起，你随时都能想起来。如果你一直没有用到，久而久之也许就会忘记，但你总能在某个电脑资料库中查到。你可以将盖娅的头脑视为一座大型电脑资料库，我随时能使用它，然而我却不一定要刻意记住曾经用过的资料。用完某项资料或记忆之后，我可以让它从自己的记忆中消失，换句话说，就是专程把它放回原处。”
“盖娅上有多少人，宝绮思？有多少人类？”
“大约有十亿，你要知道目前确实的数字吗？”
崔维兹露出一丝苦笑。“我很明白，只要你愿意，就能把正确的数字叫出来，不过我知道大概数目就够了。”
“事实上，”宝绮思接着说：“人口数目一直都很稳定，总是在比十亿多一点的数量上下起伏。我可以延伸我的意识——嗯——到达盖娅的边缘，查出目前人口数和平均值的差距。对于没有和我们分享过共同经验的人，我实在无法解释得更清楚。”
“可是我以为，十亿人的心灵——其中还有不少是儿童，一定容纳不下一个复杂社会需要的所有资料。”
“可是人类并非盖娅上唯一的生物，崔。”
“你的意思是动物也能记忆？”
“动物脑部贮存记忆的密度没有人脑那么高，而且不论人脑或其他动物的头脑，大部分空间都用来贮存个体的记忆，那些记忆除了自身之外，对行星级意识几乎没什么用处。尽避如此，仍有许多高等资料能贮存在动物大脑、植物组织以及矿物结构中。”
“矿物结构？你是指岩石和山脉？”
“还有几类资料贮存在海洋和大气层中，它们通通都是盖娅。”
“无生物系统能容纳些什么呢？”
“太多了。比如说，岩石的记忆能力虽然低，但是由于体积庞大，所以盖娅的全记忆有一大部分存在那里。由于岩石记忆体的存取时间较长，所以最适合贮存一些‘死资料’，也就是平常极少用到的资料。”
“假设一个脑部存有十分着要资料的人死了，那又会怎么样呢？”
“里面的资料并不会遗失。人死了之后，当大脑组织开始解体时，资料会慢慢挤出脑部，这些记忆有充分的时间分散到盖娅其他部分。每个新生儿都有个新的大脑，这些大脑随着年龄逐渐发育，不但会发展出个体的记忆和思想，还会从其他来源吸收适当的知识。你们所谓的教育，就我／我们／盖娅而言，完全是自动自发的过程。”
裴洛拉特说：“坦白讲，葛兰，我觉得这种活生生的世界，是一种具有许多优点的概念。”
崔维兹瞟了这位基地同胞一眼。“这点我也同意，詹诺夫，可是我不怎么感兴趣。这颗行星不论多大，不论如何多样化，仍然等于只有一个头脑，只有一个！每个新生的头脑都和整体融合为一，怎么会有反对意见出现的机会？如果你回顾人类的历史，你将会发现，某些人的想法虽然一时无法见容于社会，却能赢得最后的胜利，进而改变整个世界。而在盖娅上，有什么机会出现创造历史的伟大叛逆？”
“盖娅也会有内部冲突。”宝绮思说：“并非盖娅每一部分都会接受共同的观点。”
“但是一定有限，”崔维兹说：“在一个单一有机体内，不可能容许过多的骚动，否则就无法正常运作。在这种情况下，整体的进步和发展纵使没有完全停滞，步调也一定相当缓慢。我们能冒险将这种情形强行加诸整个银河吗？加在全体人类之上吗？”
宝绮思毫不动容地答道：“你是在质疑自己的决定吗？难道你已经改变主意，认为盖娅不适合做人类未来的典范？”
崔维兹紧抿着嘴唇，迟疑了一下，然后缓缓说道：“我很想这样做，不过——还不到时候。我所做的决定是有根据的——某种潜意识的根据。除非我找出它的真面目，我还不能决定要不要变卦。所以说，我们还是回到地球这个题目吧。”
“你觉得在地球上，可以领悟到促使你做出那个决定的根据，对不对？”
“我的感觉正是这样——杜姆说盖娅不知道地球的位置，我相信你一定同意他的看法。”
“我当然同意他的话，我和他同样是盖娅。”
“你有没有什么事瞒着我？我是指刻意瞒着我？”
“当然没有。即使盖娅能说谎，也不会对你这么做。无论如何，我们得仰赖你所傲的决断，我们希望它正确无误，这就需要一切以事实为基础。”
“既然如此，”崔维兹说：“就让我们利用你们的世界级记忆吧。往前回溯，告诉我你能记得多久以前的事。”
宝绮思茫然地望着崔维兹，迟疑了好一会儿，彷佛处于一种精神恍惚的境界。然后她说：“一万五千年。”
“你为什么犹豫了一下？”
“这需要些时间。陈旧的记忆——尤其是那些非常陈旧的，几乎都藏在群山的根部，要花点时间才能挖出来。”
“一万五千年前？是不是盖娅刚创建的时候？”
“不，据我们所知，那还要再往前回溯大约三千年。”
“你为什么不能肯定？你，或者盖娅，难道不记得吗？”
宝绮思说：“当时盖娅尚未发展出全球性记忆。”
“可是在你们仰赖集体记忆之前，盖娅一定保有些纪录，宝绮思。一般性的纪录——录下来的、写下来的、拍下来的等等。”
“我想应该有吧，可是过了这么久，那些东西不可能还存在。”
“也许会有副本，或者说，当全球性记忆发展成功之后，它们就被转移到那里去，如果真是这样就更好了。”
宝绮思皱了一下眉头，接下来又是一阵犹豫，这次持续的时间更久。“你说的那些早期纪录，我找不到任何踪迹。”
“怎么会这样？”
“我也不知道，崔维兹。不过，我想是因为它们看来不太着要。我猜，当这些早期的非记忆性资料开始腐坏时，就已经被认定是过时和没有用的了。”
“你并不知道实情，你只不过在想、在猜罢了。可是你其实不知道，盖娅也不知道。”
宝绮思垂下眼睑。“一定是这样。”
“一定是这样？我可不是盖娅的一部分，因此我不需要同意盖娅的看法——这是个很好的例子，让你知道独立性有多着要。我，身为一个孤立体，我有不同的看法。”
“你的看法如何？”
“首先，有一点我非常肯定，一个现存的文明不太可能毁掉早期的纪录。非但不会判定那些资料陈旧无用，还很可能过分珍惜着视这些资料，并且想尽办法保存。如果盖娅全球性记忆出现前的纪录被毁坏殆尽，宝绮思，这不太可能是自发性的行为。”
“那么你要如何解释呢？”
“在川陀那座图书馆中，有关地球的参考资料全被移走，主事者不知是何方神圣，反正不是川陀第二基地的成员。如此看来，盖娅上有关地球的参考资料，会不会也是被外力清除的？”
“你怎么知道早期纪录提到了地球？”
“根据你的说法，盖娅至少是在一万八千年前建立的。那是银河帝国尚未兴起的时代，当时人类正在大举殖民银河，而殖民者的主要来源正是地球。裴洛拉特可以证实这一点。”
突然听到被人点名，裴洛拉特有点惊讶。他清了清喉咙，“传说中的确是这样，亲爱的。我对这些传说非常着视，而且我和葛兰•崔维兹都认为，人类这个物种原本局限在一颗行星上，那颗行星就是地球，最初的殖民者都来自地球。”
“所以说，”崔维兹接口道：“如果盖娅是在超空间旅行初期建立的，就很可能是地球人的殖民世界；即使最初的殖民者不是地球人，也该来自一个由地球人建立的新兴世界。因此，盖娅的开拓史，以及其后数千年的纪录，一定记载了和地球及地球人相关的史实，可是这些纪录通通不见了。似乎有什么神秘的力量，不让地球在银河的任何纪录中曝光。果真如此，其中一定有着大的隐情。”
宝绮思气呼呼地说：“这只是臆测罢了，崔维兹，你没有任何证据。”
“然而盖娅一直坚持我有特殊的天分，在证据不足的情况下，我也能做出正确的结论。所以说，在我做出一个确切的结论之后，不要再说我缺乏证据。”
宝绮思沈默不语。
崔维兹继续说：“所以说，寻找地球也就更形着要。我想在远星号准备就绪后马上出发，你们两位还是要去吗？”
“当然。”宝绮思不假思索立刻回答；“当然。”裴洛拉特也这么说。
Chapter 2: Toward Comporellon
5It was raining lightly. Trevize looked up at the sky, which was asolid grayish white.
He was wearing a rain hat that repelled the drops and sent themflying well away from his body in all directions. Pelorat, standing outof range of the flying drops, had no such protection.
Trevize said, "I don't see the point of your letting yourself getwet, Janov.""The wet doesn't bother me, my dear chap," said Pelorat, looking assolemn as he always did. "It's a light and warm rain. There's no windto speak of. And besides, to quote the old saying: `In Anacreon, do asthe Anacreonians do.'" He indicated the few Gaians standing near theFar Star , watching quietly. They were well scattered, as thoughthey were trees in a Gaian grove, and none wore rain hats.
"I suppose," said Trevize, "they don't mind being wet, because allthe rest of Gaia is getting wet. The trees the grass thesoil all wet, and all equally part of Gaia, along with theGaians.""I think it makes sense," said Pelorat. "The sun will come out soonenough and everything will dry quickly. The clothing won't wrinkleor shrink, there's no chilling effect, and, since there aren't anyunnecessary pathogenic microorganisms, no one will get colds, or flu,or pneumonia. Why worry about a bit of damp then?"Trevize had no trouble in seeing the logic of that, but he hated tolet go of his grievance. He said, "Still, there is no need for it to rainas we are leaving. After all, the rain is voluntary. Gaia wouldn't rainif it didn't want to. It's almost as though it were showing its contemptfor us.""Perhaps" and Pelorat's lip twitched a bit "Gaia isweeping with sorrow at our leaving."Trevize said, "That may be, but I'm not.""Actually," Pelorat went on, "I presume that the soil in this regionneeds a wetting down, and that need is more important than your desireto have the sun shine."Trevize smiled. "I suspect you really like this world, don't you? Evenaside from Bliss, I mean.""Yes, I do," said Pelorat, a trace defensively. "I've always led aquiet, orderly life, and think how I could manage here, with a wholeworld laboring to keep it quiet and orderly. After all, Golan,when we build a house or that ship we try to create aperfect shelter. We equip it with everything we need; we arrange tohave its temperature, air quality, illumination, and everything else ofimportance, controlled by us and manipulated in a way to make it perfectlyaccommodating to us. Gaia is just an extension of the desire for comfortand security extended to an entire planet. What's wrong with that?""What's wrong with that," said Trevize, "is that my house or myship is engineered to suit me . I am not engineered to suitit . If I were part of Gaia, then no matter how ideally theplanet was devised to suit me, I would be greatly disturbed over thefact that I was also being devised to suit it."Pelorat pursed his lips. "One could argue that every society moldsits population to fit itself. Customs develop that make sense withinthe society, and that chain every individual firmly to its needs.""In the societies I know, one can revolt. There are eccentrics,even criminals.""Do you want eccentrics and criminals?""Why not? You and I are eccentrics. We're certainly not typicalof the people living on Terminus. As for criminals, that's a matterof definition. And if criminals are the price we must pay for rebels,heretics, and geniuses, I'm willing to pay it. I demandthe price be paid.""Are criminals the only possible payment? Can't you have geniuswithout criminals?""You can't have geniuses and saints without having people far outsidethe norm, and I don't see how you can have such things on only one sideof the norm. There is bound to be a certain symmetry. In any case,I want a better reason for my decision to make Gaia the model for thefuture of humanity than that it is a planetary version of a comfortablehouse.""Oh, my dear fellow. I wasn't trying to argue you into being satisfiedwith your decision. I was just making an observa "He broke off. Bliss was striding toward them, her dark hair wet andher robe clinging to her body and emphasizing the rather generous widthof her hips. She was nodding to them as she came.
"I'm sorry I delayed you," she said, panting a little. "It took longerto check with Dom than I had anticipated.""Surely," said Trevize, "you know everything he knows.""Sometimes it's a matter of a difference in interpretation. We arenot identical, after all, so we discuss. Look here," she said, witha touch of asperity, "you have two hands. They are each part of you,and they seem identical except for one being the mirror-image of theother. Yet you do not use them entirely alike, do you? There are somethings you do with your right hand most of the time, and some with yourleft. Differences in interpretation, so to speak.""She's got you," said Pelorat, with obvious satisfaction.
Trevize nodded. "It's an effective analogy, if it were relevant,and I'm not at all sure it is. In any case, does this mean we can boardthe ship now? It is raining.""Yes, yes. Our people are all off it, and it's in perfect shape." Then,with a sudden curious look at Trevize, "You're keeping dry. The raindropsare missing you.""Yes, indeed," said Trevize. "I am avoiding wetness.""But doesn't it feel good to be wet now and then?""Absolutely. But at my choice, not the rain's."Bliss shrugged. "Well, as you please. All our baggage is loaded solet's board."The three walked toward the Far Star . The rain was growingstill lighter, but the grass was quite wet. Trevize found himselfwalking gingerly, but Bliss had kicked off her slippers, which she wasnow carrying in one hand, and was slogging through the grass barefoot.
"It feels delightful," she said, in response to Trevize's downwardglance.
"Good," he said absently. Then, with a touch of irritation, "Why arethose other Gaians standing about, anyway?"Bliss said, "They're recording this event, which Gaia findsmomentous. You are important to us, Trevize. Consider that if you shouldchange your mind as a result of this trip and decide against us, wewould never grow into Galaxia, or even remain as Gaia.""Then I represent life and death for Gaia; for the whole world.""We believe so."Trevize stopped suddenly, and took off his rain hat. Blue patcheswere appearing in the sky. He said, "But you have my vote in your favornow . If you kill me, I'll never be able to change it.""Golan," murmured Pelorat, shocked. "That is a terrible thing tosay.""Typical of an Isolate," said Bliss calmly. "You must understand,Trevize, that we are not interested in you as a person, or even inyour vote, but in the truth, in the facts of the matter. You are onlyimportant as a conduit to the truth, and your vote as an indication of thetruth. That is what we want from you, and if we kill you to avoid a changein your vote, we would merely be hiding the truth from ourselves.""If I tell you the truth is non-Gaia, will you all then cheerfullyagree to die?""Not entirely cheerfully, perhaps, but it's what it would amount toin the end."Trevize shook his head. "If anything ought to convince me that Gaiais a horror and should die, it might be that very statementyou've just made." Then he said, his eyes returning to the patientlywatching (and, presumably, listening) Gaians, "Why are they spread outlike that? And why do you need so many? If one of them observes thisevent and stores it in his or her memory, isn't it available to all therest of the planet? Can't it be stored in a million different places ifyou want it to be?"Bliss said, "They are observing this each from a different angle,and each is storing it in a slightly different brain. When all theobservations are studied, it will be seen that what is taking place willbe far better understood from all the observations together than fromany one of them, taken singly.""The whole is greater than the sum of the parts, in other words.""Exactly. You have grasped the basic justification of Gaia'sexistence. You, as a human individual, are composed of perhaps fiftytrillion cells, but you, as a multicellular individual, are far moreimportant than those fifty trillion as the sum of their individualimportance. Surely you would agree with that.""Yes," said Trevize. "I agree with that."He stepped into the ship, and turned briefly for one more look atGaia. The brief rain had lent a new freshness to the atmosphere. He sawa green, lush, quiet, peaceful world; a garden of serenity set amid theturbulence of the weary Galaxy.
 And Trevize earnestly hoped he would never see it again.
6When the airlock closed behind them, Trevize feltas though he had shut out not exactly a nightmare, but something soseriously abnormal that it had prevented him from breathing freely.
He was fully aware that an element of that abnormality was still withhim in the person of Bliss. While she was there, Gaia was there andyet he was also convinced that her presence was essential. It was theblack box working again, and earnestly he hoped he would never beginbelieving in that black box too much.
He looked about the vessel and found it beautiful. It had been hisonly since Mayor Harla Branno of the Foundation had forced him into itand sent him out among the stars a living lightning rod designed todraw the fire of those she considered enemies of the Foundation. That taskwas done but the ship was still his, and he had no plans to return it.
It had been his for merely a matter of a few months, but it seemedlike home to him and he could only dimly remember what had once beenhis home in Terminus.
Terminus! The off-center hub of the Foundation, destined, by Seldon'sPlan, to form a second and greater Empire in the course of the next fivecenturies, except that he, Trevize, had now derailed it. By his owndecision he was converting the Foundation to nothing, and was makingpossible instead, a new society, a new scheme of life, a frighteningrevolution that would be greater than any since the development ofmulticellular life.
Now he was engaged in a journey designed to prove to himself (or todisprove) that what he had done was right.
He found himself lost in thought and motionless, so that he shookhimself in self-irritation. He hastened to the pilot-room and foundhis computer still there.
It glistened; everything glistened. There had been a most carefulcleaning. The contacts he closed, nearly at random, worked perfectly,and, it surely seemed, with greater ease than ever. The ventilatingsystem was so noiseless that he had to put his hand over the vents tomake sure he felt air currents.
The circle of light on the computer glowed invitingly. Trevize touchedit and the light spread out to cover the desk top and the outline of aright and left hand appeared on it. He drew a deep breath and realizedthat he had stopped breathing for a while. The Gaians knew nothing aboutFoundation technology and they might easily have damaged the computerwithout meaning any malice. Thus far they had not the hands werestill there.
The crucial test came with the laying on of his own hands, however,and, for a moment, he hesitated. He would know, almost at once, ifanything were wrong but if something was, what could he do? Forrepairs, he would have to go back to Terminus, and if he did, he feltquite confident that Mayor Branno would not let him leave again. And ifhe did not He could feel his heart pounding, and there was clearly no point indeliberately lengthening the suspense.
He thrust his hands out, right, left, and placed them on the outlinesupon the desk. At once, he had the illusion of another pair of handsholding his. His senses extended, and he could see Gaia in all directions,green and moist, the Gaians still watching. When he willed himself tolook upward, he saw a largely cloudy sky. Again, at his will, the cloudsvanished and he looked at an unbroken blue sky with the orb of Gaia'ssun filtered out.
Again he willed and the blue parted and he saw the stars.
He wiped them out, and willed and saw the Galaxy, like a foreshortenedpinwheel. He tested the computerized image, adjusting its orientation,altering the apparent progress of time, making it spin first in onedirection, then the other. He located the sun of Sayshell, the nearestimportant star to Gaia; then the sun of Terminus; then of Trantor; oneafter the other. He traveled from star to star in the Galactic map thatdwelt in the bowels of the computer.
Then he withdrew his hands and let the world of reality surround himagain and realized he had been standing all this time, half-bowingover the computer to make the hand contact. He felt stiff and had tostretch his back muscles before sitting down.
He stared at the computer with warm relief. It had worked perfectly. Ithad been, if anything, more responsive, and what he felt for it he couldonly describe as love. After all, while heeeeld its hands (he resolutelyrefused to admit to himself that he thought of it as her hands) they were part of each other, and his will directed, controlled,experienced, and was part of a greater self. He and it must feel, in asmall way (he suddenly, and disturbingly, thought), what Gaia did in amuch larger way.
He shook his head. No! In the case of the computer and himself, itwas he Trevize who was in entire control. The computer wasa thing of total submission.
He rose and moved out to the compact galley and dining area. There wasplenty of food of all kinds, with proper refrigeration and easy-heatingfacilities. He had already noted that the book-films in his room werein the proper order, and he was reasonably sure no, completelysure that Pelorat had his personal library in safe storage. Hewould otherwise surely have heard from him by now.
Pelorat! That reminded him. He stepped into Pelorat's room. "Is thereroom for Bliss here, Janov?""Oh yes, quite.""I can convert the common room into her bedroom."Bliss looked up, wide-eyed. "I have no desire for a separate bedroom. Iam quite content to stay here with Pel. I suppose, though, that I mayuse the other rooms when needed. The gym, for instance.""Certainly. Any room but mine.""Good. That's what I would have suggested be the arrangement, if Ihad had the making of it. Naturally, you will stay out of ours.""Naturally," said Trevize, looking down and realizing that his shoesoverlapped the threshold. He took a half-step backward and said grimly,"These are not honeymoon quarters, Bliss.""I should say, in view of its compactness, that it is exactly thateven though Gaia extended it to half again as wide as it was."Trevize tried not to smile. "You'll have to be very friendly.""We are," said Pelorat, clearly ill at ease at the topic ofconversation, "but really, old chap, you can leave it to us to make ourown arrangements.""Actually, I can't," said Trevize slowly. "I still want to make itclear that these are not honeymoon accommodations. I have no objectionto anything you do by mutual consent, but you must realize that you willhave no privacy. I hope you understand that, Bliss.""There is a door," said Bliss, "and I imagine you will not disturbus who it is locked short of a real emergency, that is.""Of course I won't. However, there is no soundproofing.""What you are trying to say, Trevize," said Bliss, "is that you willhear, quite clearly, any conversation we may have, and any sounds wemay make in the course of sex.""Yes, that is what I am trying to say. With that in mind, I expect youmay find you will have to limit your activities here. This may discommodeyou, and I'm sorry, but that's the situation as it is."Pelorat cleared his throat, and said gently, "Actually, Golan, this isa problem I've already had to face. You realize that any sensation Blissexperiences, when together with me, is experienced by all of Gaia.""I have thought of that, Janov," said Trevize, looking as though hewere repressing a wince. "I didn't intend to mention it just in casethe thought had not occurred to you.""But it did, I'm afraid," said Pelorat.
Bliss said, "Don't make too much of that, Trevize. At any given moment,there may be thousands of human beings on Gaia who are engaged in sex;millions who are eating, drinking, or engaged in other pleasure-givingactivities. This gives rise to a general aura of delight that Gaia feels,every part of it. The lower animals, the plants, the minerals have theirprogressively milder pleasures that also contribute to a generalizedjoy of consciousness that Gaia feels in all its parts always, and thatis unfelt in any other world.""We have our own particular joys," said Trevize, "which we can shareafter a fashion, if we wish; or keep private, if we wish.""If you could feel ours, you would know how poverty-stricken youIsolates are in that respect.""How can you know what we feel?""Without knowing how you feel, it is still reasonable to suppose thata world of common pleasures must be more intense than those availableto a single isolated individual.""Perhaps, but even if my pleasures were poverty-stricken, I would keepmy own joys and sorrows and be satisfied with them, thin as they are,and be me and not blood brother to the nearest rock.""Don't sneer," said Bliss. "You value every mineral crystal in yourbones and teeth and would not have one of them damaged, though they haveno more consciousness than the average rock crystal of the same size.""That's true enough," said Trevize reluctantly, "but we've managed toget off the subject. I don't care if all Gaia shares your joy, Bliss, butI don't want to share it. We're living here in close quarters and I do notwish to be forced to participate in your activities even indirectly."Pelorat said, "This is an argument over nothing, my dear chap. Iam no more anxious than you to have your privacy violated. Nor mine,for that matter. Bliss and I will be discreet; won't we, Bliss?""It will be as you wish, Pel.""After all," said Pelorat, "we are quite likely to be planet-boundfor considerably longer periods than we will space-borne, and on planets,the opportunities for true privacy ""I don't care what you do on planets," interrupted Trevize, "but onthis ship, I am master.""Exactly," said Pelorat.
"Then, with that straightened out, it is time to take off.""But wait." Pelorat reached out to tug at Trevize's sleeve. "Take offfor where? You don't know where Earth is, nor do I, nor does Bliss. Nordoes your computer, for you told me long ago that it lacks any informationon Earth. What do you intend doing, then? You can't simply drift throughspace at random, my dear chap."At that, Trevize smiled with what was almost joy. For the firsttime since he had fallen into the grip of Gaia, he felt master of hisown fate.
"I assure you," he said, "that it is not my intention to drift,Janov. I know exactly where I am going."7Pelorat walked quietly into the pilot-room afterhe had waited long moments while his small tap on the door had goneunanswered. He found Trevize looking with keen absorption at thestarfield.
Pelorat said, "Golan " and waited.
Trevize looked up. "Janov! Sit down. Where's Bliss?""Sleeping. We're out in space, I see.""You see correctly." Trevize was not surprised at the other's mildsurprise. In the new gravitic ships, there was simply no way of detectingtakeoff. There were no inertial effects; no accelerational push; no noise;no vibration.
Possessing the capacity to insulate itself from outside gravitationalfields to any degree up to total, the Far Star lifted from aplanetary surface as though it were floating on some cosmic sea. Andwhile it did so, the gravitational effect within the ship,paradoxically, remained normal.
While the ship was within the atmosphere, of course, there was no needto accelerate so that the whine and vibration of rapidly passing air wouldbe absent. As the atmosphere was left behind, however, acceleration couldtake place, and at rapid rates, without affecting the passengers.
It was the ultimate in comfort and Trevize did not see how it couldbe improved upon until such time as human beings discovered a way ofwhisking through hyperspace without ships, and without concern aboutnearby gravitational fields that might be too intense. Right now, theFar Star would have to speed away from Gaia's sun for severaldays before the gravitational intensity was weak enough to attemptthe Jump.
"Golan, my dear fellow," said Pelorat. "May I speak with you for amoment or two? You are not too busy?""Not at all busy. The computer handles everything once I instruct itproperly. And sometimes it seems to guess what my instructions will be,and satisfies them almost before I can articulate them." Trevize brushedthe top of the desk lovingly.
Pelorat said, "We've grown very friendly, Golan, in the short timewe've known each other, although I must admit that it scarcely seemsa short time to me. So much has happened. It's really peculiar when Istop to think of my moderately long life, that half of all the events Ihave experienced were squeezed into the last few months. Or so it wouldseem. I could almost suppose "Trevize held up a hand "Janov, you're spinning outward from youroriginal point, I'm sure. You began by saying we've grown very friendly ina very short time. Yes, we have, and we still are. For that matter, you'veknown Bliss an even shorter time and have grown even friendlier.""That's different, of course," said Pelorat, clearing his throat insome embarrassment.
"Of course," said Trevize, "but what follows from our brief butenduring friendship?""If, my dear fellow, we still are friends, as you've just said, thenI must pass on to Bliss, whom, as you've also just said, is peculiarlydear to me.""I understand. And what of that?""I know, Golan, that you are not fond of Bliss, but for my sake,I wish "Trevize raised a hand. "One moment, Janov. I am not overwhelmed byBliss, but neither is she an object of hatred to me. Actually, I haveno animosity toward her at all. She's an attractive young woman and,even if she weren't, then, for your sake, I would be prepared to findher so. It's Gaia I dislike.""But Bliss is Gaia.""I know, Janov. That's what complicates things so. As long as I thinkof Bliss as a person, there's no problem. If I think of her as Gaia,there is.""But you haven't given Gaia a chance, Golan. Look, old chap,let me admit something. When Bliss and I are intimate, she sometimes letsme share her mind for a minute or so. Not for more than that becauseshe says I'm too old to adapt to it. Oh, don't grin, Golan, youwould be too old for it, too. If an Isolate, such as you or I, wereto remain part of Gaia for more, than a minute or two, there might bebrain damage and if it's as much as five or ten minutes, it would beirreversible. If you could only experience it, Golan.""What? Irreversible brain damage? No, thanks.""Golan, you're deliberately misunderstanding me. I mean, justthat small moment of union. You don't know what you're missing. It'sindescribable. Bliss rays there's a sense of joy. That's like sayingthere's a sense of joy when you finally drink a bit of water after youhave all but died of thirst. I couldn't even begin to tell you whatit's like. You share all the pleasures that a billion people separatelyexperience. It isn't a steady joy; if it were you would quickly stopfeeling it. It vibrates twinkles has a strange pulsing rhythmthat doesn't let you go. It's more joy no, not more it'sa better joy than you could ever experience separately. Icould weep when she shuts the door on me "Trevize shook his head. "You are amazingly eloquent, my good friend,but you sound very much as though you're describing pseudendorphinaddiction, or that of some other drug that admits you to joy in theshort term at the price of leaving you permanently in horror in the longterm. Not for me! I am reluctant to sell my individuality for some brieffeeling of joy.""I still have my individuality, Golan.""But for how long will you have it if you keep it up, Janov? You'llbeg for more and more of your drug until, eventually, your brain willbe damaged. Janov, you mustn't let Bliss do this to you. PerhapsI had better speak to her about it.""No! Don't! You're not the soul of tact, you know, and I don't wanther hurt. I assure you she takes better care of me in that respect thanyou can imagine. She's more concerned with the possibility of braindamage than I am. You can be sure of that.""Well, then, I'll speak to you. Janov, don't do this anymore. You'velived for fifty-two years with your own kind of pleasure and joy,and your brain is adapted to withstanding that. Don't be snapped up bya new and unusual vice. There is a price for it; if not immediately,then eventually.""Yes, Golan," said Pelorat in a low voice, looking down at the tipsof his shoes. Then he said, "Suppose you look at it this way. What ifyou were a one-celled creature ""I know what you're going to say, Janov. Forget it. Bliss and I havealready referred to that analogy.""Yes, but think a moment. Suppose we imagine single-celled organismswith a human level of consciousness and with the power of thought andimagine them faced with the possibility of becoming a multicellularorganism. Would not the single-celled organisms mourn their lossof individuality, and bitterly resent their forthcoming enforcedregimentation into the personality of an overall organism? And wouldthey not be wrong? Could an individual cell even imagine the power ofthe human brain?"Trevize shook his head violently. "No, Janov, it's a falseanalogy. Single-celled organisms don't have consciousnessor any power of thought or if they do it is so infinitesimalit might as well be considered zero. For such objects to combine andlose individuality is to lose something they have never really had. Ahuman being, however, is conscious and does have the power of thought. He has an actual consciousness and an actualindependent intelligence to lose, so the analogy fails."There was silence between the two of them for a moment; an almostoppressive silence; and finally Pelorat, attempting to wrench theconversation in a new direction, said, "Why do you stare at theviewscreen?""Habit," said Trevize, smiling wryly. "The computer tells me thatthere are no Gaian ships following me and that there are no Sayshellianfleets coming to meet me. Still I look anxiously, comforted by my ownfailure to see such ships, when the computer's sensors are hundreds oftimes keener and more piercing than my eyes. What's more, the computer iscapable of sensing some properties of space very delicately, propertiesthat my senses can't perceive under any conditions. Knowing allthat, I still stare."Pelorat said, "Golan, if we are indeed friends ""I promise you I will do nothing to grieve Bliss; at least, nothingI can help.""It's another matter now. You keep your destination from me, as thoughyou don't trust me with it. Where are we going? Are you of the opinionyou know where Earth is?"Trevize looked up, eyebrows lifted. "I'm sorry. I have been huggingthe secret to my own bosom, haven't I?""Yes, but why?"Trevize said, "Why, indeed. I wonder, my friend, if it isn't a matterof Bliss.""Bliss? Is it that you don't want her to know. Really,old fellow, she is completely to be trusted.""It's not that. What's the use of not trusting her? I suspect shecan tweak any secret out of my mind if she wishes to. I think I have amore childish reason than that. I have the feeling that you are payingattention only to her and that I no longer really exist."Pelorat looked horrified. "But that's not true, Golan.""I know, but I'm trying to analyze my own feelings. You came to mejust now with fears for our friendship, and thinking about it, I feel asthough I've had the same fears. I haven't openly admitted it to myself,but I think I have felt cut out by Bliss. Perhaps I seek to `get even'
by petulantly keeping things from you. Childish, I suppose.""Golan!""I said it was childish, didn't I? But where is the person who isn'tchildish now and then? However, we are friends. We'vesettled that and therefore I will play no further games. We're goingto Comporellon.""Comporellon?" said Pelorat, for the moment not remembering.
"Surely you recall my friend, the traitor, Munn Li Compor. We threemet on Sayshell."Pelorat's face assumed a visible expression of enlightenment. "Ofcourse I remember. Comporellon was the world of his ancestors."" If it was. I don't necessarily believe anythingCompor said. But Comporellon is a known world, and Compor said that itsinhabitants knew of Earth. Well, then, we'll go there and find out. Itmay lead to nothing but it's the only starting point we have."Pelorat cleared his throat and looked dubious. "Oh, my dear fellow,are you sure?""There's nothing about which to be either sure or not sure. We haveone starting point and, however feeble it might be, we have no choicebut to follow it up.""Yes, but if we're doing it on the basis of what Compor told us,then perhaps we ought to consider everything he told us. Iseem to remember that he told us, most emphatically, that Earth didnot exist as a living planet that its surface was radioactive andthat it was utterly lifeless. And if that is so, then we are going toComporellon for nothing."8The three were lunching in the dining room, virtuallyfilling it as they did so.
"This is very good," said Pelorat, with considerable satisfaction. "Isthis part of our original Terminus supply?""No, not at all," said Trevize. "That's long gone. This is partof the supplies we bought on Sayshell, before we headed out towardGaia. Unusual, isn't it? Some sort of seafood, but rather crunchy. Asfor this stuff I was under the impression it was cabbage when Ibought it, but it doesn't taste anything like it."Bliss listened but said nothing. She picked at the food on her ownplate gingerly.
Pelorat said gently, "You've got to eat, dear.""I know, Pel, and I'm eating."Trevize said, with a touch of impatience he couldn't quite suppress,"We do have Gaian food, Bliss.""I know," said Bliss, "but I would rather conserve that. We don'tknow how long we will be out in space and eventually I must learn toeat Isolate food. ""Is that so bad? Or must Gaia eat only Gaia."Bliss sighed. "Actually, there's a saying of ours that goes: `WhenGaia eats Gaia, there is neither loss nor gain.' It is no more than atransfer of consciousness up and down the scale. Whatever I eat on Gaiais Gaia and when much of it is metabolized and becomes me, itis still Gaia. In fact, by the fact that I eat, some of whatI eat has a chance to participate in a higher intensity of consciousness,while, of course, other portions of it are turned into waste of one sortor another and therefore sink in the scale of consciousness."She took a firm bite of her food, chewed vigorously for a moment,swallowed, and said, "It represents a vast circulation. Plants growand are eaten by animals. Animals eat and are eaten. Any organismthat dies is incorporated into the cells of molds, decay bacteria,and so on still Gaia. In this vast circulation of consciousness,even inorganic matter participates, and everything in the circulationhas its chance of periodically participating in a high intensity ofconsciousness.""All this," said Trevize, "can be said of any world. Every atom inme has a long history during which it may have been part of many livingthings, including human beings, and during which it may also have spentlong periods as part of the sea, or in a lump of coal, or in a rock,or as a portion of the wind blowing upon us.""On Gaia, however," said Bliss, "all atoms are also continually partof a higher planetary consciousness of which you know nothing.""Well, what happens, then," said Trevize, "to these vegetables fromSayshell that you are eating? Do they become part of Gaia?""They do rather slowly. And the wastes I excrete as slowly ceasebeing part of Gaia. After all, what leaves me is altogether lacking incontact with Gaia. It lacks even the less-direct hyperspatial contactthat I can maintain, thanks to my high level of conscious intensity. Itis this hyperspatial contact that causes non-Gaian food to become partof Gaia slowly once I eat it.""What about the Gaian food in our stores? Will that slowly becomenon-Gaian? If so, you had better eat it while you can.""There is no need to be concerned about that," said Bliss. "Our Gaianstores have been treated in such a way that they will remain part ofGaia over a long interval."Pelorat said, suddenly, "But what will happen when we eat the Gaian food. For that matter, what happened to us when we ateGaian food on Gaia itself. Are we ourselves slowly turning into Gaia?"Bliss shook her head and a peculiarly disturbed expression crossed herface. "No, what you ate was lost to us. Or at least the portions thatwere metabolized into your tissues were lost to us. What you excretedstayed Gaia or very slowly became Gaia so that in the end the balancewas maintained, but numerous atoms of Gaia became non-Gaia as a resultof your visit to us.""Why was that?" asked Trevize curiously.
"Because you would not have been able to endure the conversion,even a very partial one. You were our guests, brought to our worldunder compulsion, in a manner of speaking, and we had to protect youfrom danger, even at the cost of the loss of tiny fragments of Gaia. Itwas a willing price we paid, but not a happy one.""We regret that," said Trevize, "but are you sure that non-Gaianfood, or some kinds of non-Gaian food, might not, in their turn, harmyou ?""No," said Bliss. "What is edible for you would be edible to me. Imerely have the additional problem of metabolizing such food into Gaiaas well as into my own tissues. It represents a psychological barrierthat rather spoils my enjoyment of the food and causes me to eat slowly,but I will overcome that with time.""What about infection?" said Pelorat, in high-pitched alarm. "Ican't understand why I didn't think of this earlier. Bliss! Any worldyou land on is likely to have microorganisms against which you have nodefense and you will die of some simple infectious disease. Trevize,we must turn back.""Don't be panicked, Pel dear," said Bliss, smiling. "Microorganisms,too, are assimilated into Gaia when they are part of my food, or whenthey enter my body in any other way. If they seem to be in the processof doing harm, they will be assimilated the more quickly, and once theyare Gaia, they will do me no harm."The meal drew to its end and Pelorat sipped at his spiced and heatedmixture of fruit juices. "Dear me," he said, licking his lips, "I thinkit is time to change the subject again. It does seem to me that my soleoccupation on board ship is subject-changing. Why is that?"Trevize said solemnly, "Because Bliss and I cling to whatever subjectswe discuss, even to the death. We depend upon you, Janov, to save oursanity. What subject do you want to change to, old friend?""I've gone through my reference material on Comporellon and the entiresector of which it is part is rich in legends of age. They set theirsettlement far back in time, in the first millennium of hyperspatialtravel. Comporellon even speaks of a legendary founder named Benbally,though they don't say when he came from. They say that the original nameof their planet was Benbally World.""And how much truth is there in that, in your opinion, Janov?""A kernel, perhaps, but who can guess what the kernel might be.""I never heard of anyone named Benbally in actual history. Haveyou?""No, I haven't, but you know that in the late Imperial era therewas a deliberate suppression of pre-Imperial history. The Emperors,in the turbulent last centuries of the Empire, were anxious to reducelocal patriotism since they considered it, with ample justification,to be a disintegrating influence. In almost every sector of the Galaxy,therefore, true history, with complete records and accurate chronology,begins only with the days when Trantor's influence made itself felt andthe sector in question had allied Itself to the Empire or been annexedby it.""I shouldn't think that history would be that easy to eradicate,"said Trevize.
"In many ways, it isn't," said Pelorat, "but a determined and powerfulgovernment can weaken it greatly. If it is sufficiently weakened, earlyhistory comes to depend on scattered material and tends to degenerateinto folk tales. Invariably such folk tales will fill with exaggerationand come to show the sector to be older and more powerful than, in alllikelihood, it ever really was. And no matter how silly a particularlegend is, or how impossible it might be on the very face of it, itbecomes a matter of patriotism among the locals to believe it. I canshow you tales from every corner of the Galaxy that speak of originalcolonization as having taken place from Earth itself, though that isnot always the name they give the parent planet.""What else do they call it?""Any of a number of names. They call it the Only, sometimes; andsometimes, the Oldest. Or they call it the Mooned World, which, accordingto some authorities is a reference to its giant satellite. Others claimit means `Lost World' and that `Mooned' is a version of `Marooned,'
a pre-Galactic word meaning `lost' or `abandoned.'"Trevize said gently, "Janov, stop! You'll continue forever withyour authorities and counterauthorities. These legends are everywhere,you say?""Oh yes, my dear fellow. Quite. You have only to go through them togain a feel for this human habit of beginning with some seed of truthand layering about it shell after shell of pretty falsehood inthe fashion of the oysters of Rhampora that build pearls about a pieceof grit. I came across just exactly that metaphor once when ""Janov! Stop again! Tell me, is there anything about Comporellon'slegends that is different from others?""Oh!" Pelorat gazed at Trevize blankly for a moment. "Different? Well,they claim that Earth is relatively nearby and that's unusual. On mostworlds that speak of Earth, under whatever name they choose, there isa tendency to be vague about its location placing it indefinitelyfar away or in some never-never land."Trevize said, "Yes, as some on Sayshell told us that Gaia was locatedin hyperspace."Bliss laughed.
Trevize cast her a quick glance. "It's true. That's what we weretold.""I don't disbelieve it. It's amusing, that's all. It is, of course,what we want them to believe. We only ask to be left alone right now,and where can we be safer and more secure than in hyperspace? If we'renot there, we're as good as there, if people believe that to be ourlocation.""Yes," said Trevize dryly, "and in the same way there is somethingthat causes people to believe that Earth doesn't exist, or that it isfar away, or that it has a radioactive crust.""Except," said Pelorat, "that the Comporellians believe it to berelatively close to themselves.""But nevertheless give it a radioactive crust. One way or another everypeople with an Earth-legend consider Earth to be unapproachable.""That's more or less right," said Pelorat.
Trevize said, "Many on Sayshell believed Gaia to be nearby;some even identified its star correctly; and yet all considered itunapproachable. There may be some Comporellians who insist that Earthis radioactive and dead, but who can identify its star. We will thenapproach it, unapproachable though they may consider it. We did exactlythat in the case of Gaia."Bliss said, "Gaia was willing to receive you, Trevize. You werehelpless in our grip but we had no thought of harming you. What if Earth,too, is powerful, but not benevolent. What then?""I must in any case try to reach it, and accept theconsequences. However, that is my task. Once I locateEarth and head for it, it will not be too late for you to leave. I willput you off on the nearest Foundation world, or take you back to Gaia,if you insist, and then go on to Earth alone.""My dear chap," said Pelorat, in obvious distress. "Don't say suchthings. I wouldn't dream of abandoning you.""Or I of abandoning Pel," said Bliss, as she reached out a hand totouch Pelorat's cheek.
"Very well, then. It won't be long before we're ready to take theJump to Comporellon and thereafter, let us hope, it will be onto Earth."Part Two - Comporellon
第二章 航向康普隆
　　5
现在正下着细雨，崔维兹抬头一看，天空是浓密的灰白一片。
他戴的那顶雨帽不但能阻止雨水落到身上，还能将雨滴向四面八方弹开老远。裴洛拉特站在雨滴飞溅的范围外，并未穿戴任何防雨装备。
崔维兹说：“我不懂你为什么要让自己淋湿，詹诺夫。”
“我一点也不在意，我亲爱的兄弟。”裴洛拉特的神情如往常一般肃穆，“雨势很小，而且相当温暖，又完全没有风。此外，套句古老谚语：在安纳克瑞昂行，如安纳克瑞昂人。”他指了指站在远星号附近默默围观的几位盖娅人。那些人分散得很均匀，仿佛是盖娅树丛中的几株树木，他们全都没戴雨帽。
“我想，”崔维兹说：“他们不怕被淋湿，是因为盖娅其他部分部湿了；所有的树木——草地——泥土——现在都是湿答答的，而盖娅的其他成员也一样，当然，还包括所有的盖娅人。”
“我想你的话很有道理。”裴洛拉特说：“太阳马上会出来，到时每样东西将很快被晒干。衣物不会起皱或缩水，不会让人觉得寒冷；此地没有不必要的病原性微生物，不必担心会伤风、感冒或染上肺炎。所以说，一点点湿又有什么关系？”
崔维兹当然明白这个道理，可是他不愿就此罢休，于是又说：“尽避如此，也没必要专挑我们离开时下雨。毕竟雨水是随意降下的，盖娅不想要的话，就一定不会有雨。它现在下这场雨，简直像故意表示对我们的轻蔑。”
“或许，”裴洛拉特微微抿了一下嘴唇，“是盖娅舍不得我们离开，正在伤心哭泣呢。”
崔维兹说：“也许吧，但我可没有这种感觉。”
“事实上，”裴洛拉特继续说：“我想可能是因为这一区的泥土过于干燥，需要雨水滋润，这个因素比你盼望见到阳光更着要。”
崔维兹微微一笑。“我怀疑你真的爱上了这个世界，对不对？我的意思是，即使不为了宝绮思。”
“是的，的确如此。”裴洛拉特带着一点自我辩护的味道说：“过去许多年来，我一向过着平静而规律的生活，你应该可以想像得到，我多么适应这个地方——整个世界都在努力维护生活的平静和规律。无论如何，葛兰，我们建造一栋房子，或是那艘太空船，目的就是希望有个理想的栖身之所。我们在里面配备了所需的一切，并且设法控制、调节内部各种环境因素，例如温度、空气品质、照明采光等等，让我们能在这个栖身之所住得舒舒服服。盖娅则将这种对于舒适、安全的追求，延伸到了整个行星，这又有什么不对呢？”
“问题是——”崔维兹说：“我的房子或太空船，是为了符合我的需求而设计建造的，我不必去适应它们。若是我成了盖娅的一部分，不论这个行星设计得多么理想、多么符合我的需要，我也还得设法适应它，这个事实令我极为不安。”
裴洛拉特噘了噘嘴。“我们可以说，每个社会都会刻意塑造它的组成分子。风俗习惯在社会中自然而然形成后，每一份子就不得不严格奉行，以符合社会整体的需要。”
“不过在我所知的社会中，成员也可以反其道而行，因此总会有些怪人，甚至是罪犯。”
“你希望有怪人和罪犯吗？”
“有何不可？事实上你我就是怪人，我们当然不能算是端点星的典型居民。至于罪犯嘛，定义其实见仁见智。假如罪犯是产生叛逆、矣谒和天才所必须付出的代价，那么我很愿意接受，我坚持这个代价一定要付。”
“难道罪犯是唯一可能的代价吗？我们为何不能只要天才，而不要罪犯呢？”
“如果没有一群异于凡夫俗子的人，就不可能出现天才和圣人，而我不信异于常人的人都集中在好的一端，我认为一定有某种对称存在。总之，盖娅光是一个行星级的舒适住宅绝对还不够，我要一个更好的理由，来解释我为何选择盖娅作人类未来的典范。”
“喔，我亲爱的伙伴，我并非在试图说服你接受自己的抉择，我只是提出我的观……　　　 说到这里他突然打住，因为宝绮思正朝他们大步走来。她一头黑发全淋湿了，外袍紧紧贴在身上，突显出她丰满的臀部。她一面走，一面向他们点头打招呼。
“很抱歉耽误你们的时间，”她有点气喘吁吁，“我没想到和杜姆讨论要这么久。”
“当然会，”崔维兹说：“他知道的事你全都知道。”
“伹那并不代表我们对事情的诠释全都一样，我们毕竟不是相同的个体，所以必须经常沟通。听我说，”她的语气变得有点不客气，“你有两只手，每一只都是你的一部分，除了互为镜像，它们没有任何不同。可是你不会对两只手一视同仁，对不对？有些事你大多用右手做，有些事则惯用左手，这也可说是不同的诠释。”
“她让你无话可说。”裴洛拉特显然感到十分满意。
崔维兹点了点头。“这是个很生动的类比，至于是不是真正贴切，我可不敢肯定。闲话少说，我们现在是否可以登上太空船了？正在下雨呢。”
“可以，可以。我们的工作人员都离开了，远星号一切已准备就绪。”然后，她突然好奇地望着崔维兹。“你全身都是干的，雨点没有淋到你身上。”
“的确没错，”崔维兹说：“我故意不让自己淋湿。”
“偶尔淋湿一下的感觉不是很好吗？”
“这话完全正确，可是得由我来选择时机，而不是让雨点决定。”
宝绮思耸了耸肩。“好吧，随你的便。我们的行李都装载好了，我们现在上去吧。”
于是三人便向远星号走去。此时雨势变得更小，不过草地已经相当潮湿。崔维兹小心翼翼地一步步走着，宝绮思却踢掉凉鞋拎在手上，光着双脚大剌刺地踏过草地。
“感觉真过瘾。”她这么说，算是回应崔维兹投向她脚下的目光。
“很好。”他随口应道，然后又有点不高兴地说：“其他那些盖娅人，他们站在那里到底在干什么？”
宝绮思答道：“他们在记录这件事，因为盖娅认为这是个着大事件。你对我们非常着要，崔维兹。想想看，如果这次探索的结果竟使你改变初衷，转而决定否决我们，我们将永远无法发展成盖娅星系，甚趾蟋盖娅本身也保不住。”
“如此说来，我掌握着盖娅整个世界的生死。”
“我们相信就是这样。”
这时蓝天在乌云的隙缝中出现，崔维兹突然停住脚，伸手摘掉雨帽，“可是此时此刻我仍然支持你们，如果你们现在杀了我，我就再也无法变卦。”
“葛兰，”裴洛拉特吓了一大跳，低声道：“这么说实在太可怕了。”
“这是孤立体典型的想法。”宝绮思以平静的口吻说：“你必须了解，崔维兹，我们着视的并非你这个人或是你的支持，我们所着视的是真理与事实。你的着要性在于能引导我们寻获真理，而你的支持就是真理的指标，这才是我们需要你的真正原因。如果为了防止你变卦而杀死你，那我们只是在自欺罢了。”
“如果我告诉你盖娅并非真理，你们是否都会欣然就义？”
“或许不是绝对欣然，但最后也没什么两样。”
崔维兹摇了摇头。“如果有一天，我终于认定盖娅是个可怕的怪物，不应该存在于世上，很可能就是你刚才那番陈述给我的启示。”说到这里，他的目光又回到那些耐心围观（想必也在耐心倾听）的盖娅人。“他们为什么要这样散开来？干嘛需要这么多人？即使只有一个人旁观，然后贮存在他或她的记忆中，这个行星上其他的人不也都能取用吗？如果你们喜欢的话，不是可以把它贮存在百万个不同的地方吗？”
宝绮思答道：“他们以不同的角度来观察这件事，每个人都将它贮存在各人不尽相同的大脑中。如果仔细研究这些观察纪录，可以发现众人观察所得的综合结果，要比单一的观察结果更详实易懂。”
“换句话说，整体强过部分的总和。”
“完全正确，你领悟了盖娅之所以存在的基本理由。你，一个人类个体，大约是由五十兆个细胞所组成，但是身为一个多细胞个体，你要比这五十兆个细胞的总和更为着要，这点你当然应该同意。”
“是的，”崔维兹说：“这点我同意。”
他走进太空艇，又回头看了盖娅一眼。短暂的阵雨给大气带来一股清新的气息，眼前呈现的是一个葱绿、丰饶、静谧、祥和的世界；彷佛是纷扰不堪的银河中，一座与世无争的公园。
——然而崔维兹却衷心期望永远不要再见到它。
6
气闸在他们身后关上的时候，崔维兹感到挡住的不仅是一场恶梦，更是某个恐怖至极、令他连呼吸也无法顺畅的异形怪胎。
他心中很明白，这个怪物的一部分化身为宝绮思，仍然紧跟在自己身边。不论她到何处，盖娅便到何处——然而，他也深信她是不可或缺的一员。这又是黑盒子在作用了，崔维兹诚心希望自己别再对黑盒子太有信心才好。
他四处浏览了一下，感觉一切都太好了。当初，是基地的赫拉•布拉诺市长强迫他登上太空艇，将他送到银河群星之间——当一个活生生的避雷针，以吸引她心目中的敌人放出的电花。如今这项任务已告一段落，可是太空艇仍旧属于他，他也根本没有打算归还。
他拥有这艘太空艇不过几个月，已经对它有了一种家的感觉。至于端点星的那个家，他却只剩下一些模糊的记忆。
端点星！这个位于银河边陲的基地中枢。根据谢顿计划，基地注定要在未来五世纪内，形成另一个更伟大的帝国。然而他，崔维兹，却让这个计划出了轨。根据他自己的抉择，他将基地的角色完全否定，取而代之的是一种新型的社会，一个新的生命宏图，一场惊人的革命。自从多细胞生命出现后，再也没有任何演化能与之媲美。
此刻，他即将踏上一个关键性的旅程，准备向自己证明（或反证）当初的抉择正确无误。
崔维兹发现自己想得出了神，已经呆立良久，遂满肚子不高兴地甩了甩头。然后他快步走到驾驶舱，见到他的电脑仍在原处。
电脑闪闪发光，驾驶舱各处都闪闪发光，一看就知道经过极仔细的清拭。他随手按下几个开关，反应都是完美无缺，而且显然比以前更得心应手。通风系统一点噪音也没有，他不得不将手放在通风口旁，以确定气流的确顺畅无阻。
电脑上的光圈发出动人的灿烂光芒，崔维兹刚碰了一下，光线立刻扩散，洒遍整个桌面，上面现出左、右两只手的轮廓。他深深吸了一口气，才发现自己已屏息了一会儿。盖娅人对基地科技完全不懂，很可能出于无心之失而弄坏这台电脑。还好直到目前为止，他尚未发现损坏的迹象，两个手掌轮廓还在那里。
接下来，应该是进行关键性测试，也就是将自己的双手摆上去。不过他迟疑了一下，因为若有任何问题，他立刻就能察觉——可是万一真有什么问题，他该怎么办？若是想要修理，就必须返回端点星，如果回去了，他相信布拉诺市长一定不会再让他走。伹如果不回去……
他可以感到心脏怦怦乱跳，实在没道理再让这种不安的情绪持续下去。
他猛然伸出双手，一左一右按在桌面的轮廓上。在同—瞬间，他感到好像有另一双手抓住自己。他的感官开始向外延伸，已经能从各个方向观看盖娅。外面依然是一片葱绿与湿润，那些盖娅人还在原地围观。他动念令自己向上观望，见到了覆盖着大片云层的天空；他继续驱动意念，云层立时消失无踪，呈现出万里无云的蔚蓝晴空，以及又大又圆的盖娅之阳。
他再次运用意志力，蓝天随即一分为二，群星同时显现眼前。
拨开群星之后，他又动了一个念头，就见到整个银河，形状像是望远镜中看到的纸风车。他测试电脑化的影像，调整相对方位，并且改变表观时间，让风车开始缓缓旋转，不久再转向反方向。他找到赛协尔的太阳，那是距离盖娅最近的一颗显眼的恒星。接着，他又依序找到端点星的太阳，以及川陀的太阳。从一颗恒星跳到另一颗，他在电脑内的与图中畅游整个银河。
然后他缩回手来，再度置身现实世界，这才发觉自己一直站着，在电脑前面伞弯着腰，双手按在桌面上。他觉得全身僵硬，必须将背部肌肉伸展开来才能坐下。
他凝视着电脑，觉得如释着负。电脑运作一切正常，如果硬要说有何不同，那就是它的反应变得更灵敏。崔维兹对它的感觉，只有“爱”这个宇可以形容。毕竟，当他握着它的双手时（其实他心中早已认定那是“她”的双手，只不过他坚决不肯承认），感觉彼此已经浑然成为一体，他的意志指挥、控制、经验着一个更大的自我，同时也是这个大我的一部分。刚才，他与它必定体会到一种小辨模的“盖娅感”（他突然有了这种令自己不安的想法）。
他摇了摇头。不对！电脑与他的融合，是由他——崔维兹完全掌控，电脑只是个绝对驯服的器具。
他起身走出驾驶舱，来到了狭窄的厨舱与用餐区。那里满是各种各样的食物，还有合宜的冷藏库与简便加热设备。他刚才已经注意到，自己舱房里的胶卷书都有条不紊，而且他相当肯定——不，应该说完全肯定——裴洛拉特的个人藏书也保存得很妥当，否则一定早就听到他的抱怨。
裴洛拉特！他好像突然想到什么，立刻走到裴洛拉特的舱房。“宝绮思在这里挤得下吗，詹诺夫？”
“哦，当然没问题。”
“我可以把公用舱改装成她的寝舱。”
宝绮思抬起头来，双眼睁得老大。“我不想要一问单独的寝舱，我很喜欢跟裴住在一起。不过我想，有必要的时候，我会借用其他的舱房，譬如健身舱。”
“当然可以，只有我的舱房例外。”
“很好。如果由我决定，我也会做这样的安排。不用说，你也不能踏进我们的房间。”
“那当然，”崔维兹说完，低头一看，发现自己的鞋子已经越界。他赶紧退后半步，正色道：“这里可不是蜜月套房，宝绮思。”
“这间舱房挤成这样，我看就算盖娅将它的宽度再扩增一半，它仍然是个十足的蜜月套房。”
崔维兹努力克制住笑意。“那你们彼此之间可得十分和睦才行。”
“我们的确如此，”裴洛拉特显然对这个话题感到很不自在，“可是说真的，老弟，你就让我们自己安排一切吧。”
“恐怕不行，”崔维兹缓缓说道：“我还是要把话说清楚，这艘太空船可不是蜜月旅行的交通工具。你们双方同意做的事，我绝不会反对，可是你们必须明白，你们无法享有隐私。我希望你了解这点，宝绮思。”
“这个舱房有道门，”宝绮思说：“门一旦锁起来，我想你就一定不会打扰我们——除非有什么紧急状况。”
“我当然不会，不过，这里没有隔音设备。”
“崔维兹，我想你的意思是说，”宝绮思道：“我们之间的任何谈话，以及从事性行为时发出的任何声音，你都会听得一清二楚。”
“没错，我正是这个意思。既然你明白这点，我希望你能自我约束一下。这样也许会让你感到很不方便，但我只能说声抱歉，因为情况就是如此。”
裴洛拉特清了清喉咙，温和地说：“事实上，葛兰，我自己早就必须面对这种问题。你该知道，我和宝绮思在一起时，她的任何感觉整个盖娅都体验得到。”
“我想到过这点，詹诺夫。”崔维兹像是压抑着不以为然的表情，“我原本无意提起——只是怕你们自己没想到。”
“只怕你多虑了。”裴洛拉特说。
宝绮思又说：“别小题大作，崔维兹。在盖娅上，随时可能有数千人在享受性爱，有数百万人在吃喝玩乐，这些活动合成一片愉悦的氛围，盖娅每一部分都能感同身受。而较低等的动物，以及植物和矿物，同样能产生一些较轻度的欢乐，这些情绪也会加入整体的喜悦意识。盖娅所有部分总是能分享这种意识，这样的经验在其他世界上是感受不到的。”
“我们有我们自己的喜悦，”崔维兹说：“如果我们愿意，也能以某种形式和他人分享；若不愿意的话，则大可独自品尝。”
“如果你能感受到我们的喜悦，你将明白在这方面，你们孤立体有多贫乏。”
“你怎能知道我们的感受？”
“我虽然不知道你们的感受，仍旧可以做出合理的推论。一个全体同乐的世界，感受的乐趣一定比孤立个体更强烈。”
“大概是吧，不过，即使我的乐趣贫乏得可怜，我仍希望保有个人的悲喜；虽然这些感觉那么薄弱，我却心满意足。我宁可保持孤立，也不愿和身旁的岩石称兄道弟。”
“别嘲笑我们，”宝绮思说：“你身上的骨骼和牙齿，里面每个矿物晶体所具备的意识，虽然不比相同大小的普通岩石晶体更高，你仍然非常珍惜它们，不想让它们受到任何伤害。”
“你说得很对，”崔维兹不大情愿地说：“可是这好像有点离题了。我不介意盖娅全体分享你们的喜悦，宝绮思，但我自己可不想加入。我们的舱房距离很近，我不希望被迫参与你们的活动，哪怕只是间接参与。”
裴洛拉特说：“这实在是无谓的争论，我亲爱的兄弟。我一样不希望侵犯到你的隐私，同理，我也不想丧失自己的隐私权。宝绮思和我会很谨慎，对不对，宝绮思？”
“一定会让你满意，裴。”
“毕竟，”裴洛拉特说：“我们待在各个行星上的时间，想必会比待在太空中多得多。而在行星上，拥有真正隐私的机会……”
“我不管你们在行星上做些什么，”崔维兹打断他的话，“可是在这艘太空船上，凡事都得由我作主。”
“那当然。”裴洛拉特说。
“既然这件事已经说清楚，现在是升空的时候了。”
“等一等，”裴洛拉特伸手拉住崔维兹的袖子，“要飞到哪里去？你不晓得地球在哪里，我和宝绮思也不清楚，甚至你的电脑也不知道。我记得很久以前，你曾经告诉我，说电脑没有任何有关地球的资料。那么，你究竟想要怎么做？总不能在太空中胡乱游荡吧卜我亲爱的兄弟。”
崔维兹的反应只是微微一笑，好像很开心的样子。自从他落入盖娅掌握之后，他首度感到又能为自己的命运作主。
“我向你保证，”他说：“我绝无意在太空中游荡，詹诺夫，我非常清楚该到哪里去。”
7
裴洛拉特轻轻敲了敲门，在门口等了许久，却没听到任何回应。他悄悄走进驾驶舱才发现崔维兹正盯着星像场出神。
裴洛拉特唤了声：“葛兰——”便静静等着他的回答。
崔维兹抬起头来。“詹诺夫！请坐。宝绮思呢？”
“在睡觉——原来我们已经进入太空了。”
“完全正确。”对于裴洛拉特轻微的诧异，崔维兹一点也不觉得奇怪。身处这种新型着力太空艇中，根本无法察觉起飞的过程，因为从头到尾没有惯性效应，没有加速的推力，没有任何噪音，也没有一点震动。
远星号能够将外界的着力场部分或全部隔绝，因此当它从行星表面升空时，仿佛漂浮在宇宙之洋中。而在此期间，太空艇内的着力效应却始终不可思议地维持正常。．　太空艇未脱离大气层之前，自然没有必要加速，因此不会有气流急速通过引起的呼啸与振动；而在离开大气层后，即使太空艇迅速加速，乘客也一样不会有任何感觉。
这已经是舒适的极限，崔维兹无法想像还有什么能改进的地方。除非将来人类发现某种方法，可以使人直接在超空间中倏忽来去，无需借助任何航具，也下必担心附近的着力场可能太强。如今，远星号必须花上几天的时间，尽快驶离盖娅之阳，直到着力强度减低到适当的秤谌，才能开始进行超空间跃迁。
“葛兰，我亲爱的伙伴，”裴洛拉特说：“我可不可以跟你说一会儿话？你不会很忙吧？”
“根本不忙，我一旦下达了正确的指令，电脑就能处理一切。有些时候，它似乎能预先猜到我的指令，几乎在我未曾好好想一遍之前，它就已经抢先完成。”崔维兹轻拂电脑桌面，流露出非常钟爱的样子。
于是裴洛拉特说：“葛兰，我们认识没有多久就成了很好的朋友：虽然我必须承认，我觉得这段时间并不算短，其间发生了太多事情。说来真是难以置信，当我静下心来，回顾我这不算短的一生，竟然发现我一辈子的经历，有一半都集中在过去几个月，或者好像是这样。我几乎可以认定……”
崔维兹举起一只手。“詹诺夫，我想你越扯越远了。你一开始说我们在很短时间内成为很好的朋友，没错，的确如此，现在也没任何改变。话又说回来，你认识宝绮思的时闾更短，而你们现在却更亲密。”
“这当然是两回事。”裴洛拉特清了清喉咙，显得有点尴尬。
“当然，”崔维兹说：“可是从我们队邙坚固的友谊，你要引申出什么来？”
“我亲爱的伙伴，假使正如你刚才所说，我们依旧是朋友，那我必须将话题转到宝绮思身上。也正如你刚才所说，我对她特别珍爱。”
“我了解，所以呢？”
“我知道，葛兰，你不喜欢宝绮思。可是，看在我的份上，我希望……”
崔维兹又举起手来。“慢着，詹诺夫。我虽然没有拜倒在宝绮思裙下，却不憎恨她。事实上，我对她没有任何恨意。她是个迷人的年轻女性，就算不是的话，看在你的份上，我也愿意认为她很迷人——我不喜欢的是盖娅。”
“但宝绮思就是盖娅。”
“我知道，詹诺夫，这就是事情变得复杂的原因。只要我把宝绮思当普通人，那一切都没问题，伹我若是把她想成盖娅，问题马上就来了。”
“可是你没有给盖娅任何机会，葛兰——听着，老弟，我要向你坦白一件事。宝绮思和我亲热的时候，她有时会让我分享她的心灵，时间顶多一分钟，不能比这更久，因为她说我的年纪太大，已经无法适应——喔，别咧嘴，葛兰，你同样早就超龄了。如果一个孤立体，譬如你或我，与盖娅融合的时间超过一两分钟，就有可能导致脑部的损伤；如果长达五到十分钟，则会造成无法复原的伤害。我希望你有机会体验一下，葛兰。”
“体验什么？无法复原的脑部伤害？、不，谢了。”
“葛兰，你故意曲解我的话，我指的是短暂的结合。你不晓得自己错过了什么，那实在无法形容，宝绮思说那是一种愉悦的快感。就像你快要渴死的时候，终于暍到一点水的那种感觉，我甚至不知道该怎样向你描述。想想看，你能分享十亿人所有的喜乐，而且不是一成不变的快感，否则你很快就会麻木。它不断在颤动，在闪烁；它具有一种奇特的脉动节奏，紧紧攫住你不放。它比你单独所能体验的快乐更多——不，不是更多，而是一种更美好的感觉。当她把心扉关上的时候，我几乎要哭出来……”
崔维兹摇了摇头。“你的口才实在惊人，好朋友，不过你很像是在形容‘假脑内啡’的毒瘾，或是其他迷幻药的瘾头，你可以从它们那里得到短暂的快感，代价却是长久活在痛苦的深渊中。我可不愿意！我绝不要出卖我的独立性，去换取某种短暂的快感。”
“我还是拥有我的独立性啊，葛兰。”
“如果你一直沉溺下去，你还能坚持多久，詹诺夫？你对己罂的要求会越来越高，直到大脑损坏为止。詹诺夫，你不能让宝绮思对你这么做——也许我该跟她谈谈。”
“不！别去！你自己也知道，你说话不够婉转，我不愿让她受到伤害。我向你保证，在这方面她对我的保护超乎你的想像，她比我更担心脑部受损的危险，这点你大可放心。”
“好吧，那么，我跟你说就好了。詹诺夫，千万别再这样做。在你五十二年的生命中，你的大脑一向承受你惯有的快乐和喜悦，别再染上新奇的不良嗜好，否则你一定得付出代价。即使不是近在眼前，最后还是逃不掉的。”
“好吧，葛兰。”裴洛拉特一面低声回答，一面低头望着自己的足尖。然后他又说：“也许你可以这么想，假如你是个单细胞生物……”
“我知道你要说什么，詹诺夫。算了吧，宝绮思和我已经谈论过这个类比。”
“我知道，可是值得再想一想。让我们假设一群单细胞生物，它们拥有人类般的意识，以及思考判断能力，并且假设它们遇到难得的机会，可以组成一个多细胞生物。这些单细胞会不会为丧失独立性而惋惜，会不会因为将被迫组成单一生物体而感到厌恶？它们这样做有没有错？单细胞能够想像人脑的威力吗？”
崔维兹猛力摇了摇头。“不对，詹诺夫，这是个错误类比。单细胞生物没有意识或任何思考能力——即使有的话，也是极其微小，根本可以忽略。对这种生物而言，组合之后虽然会失去独立性，其实根本等于毫无损失。然而，人类却有意识，也的确具有思考能力，丧失的将是真正的意识和独立的心智，所以你的类比并不成立。”
两人好一会儿都不说话，这种沉默几乎令人窒息。最后裴洛拉特决定改变话题，于是说：“你为什么盯着显像屏幕？”
“习惯成自然。”崔维兹带着苦笑答道：“电脑告诉我，没有发现盖娅的太空船跟踪我们，也没有赛协尔的舰队等在前面，可是我仍然不安地盯着它瞧。唯有我自己的眼睛看不见任何船舰，我才能真正放心，虽然电脑感测器比我的肉眼敏锐、有力数百倍。此外，电脑能灵敏地侦测出太空中许多性质，是我自己的感官无论如何察觉不到的——虽然这些我都明白，但我仍盯着它。”
裴洛拉特说：“葛兰，如果我们真是朋友……”
“我答应你，不会做出任何让宝绮思为难的事，至少在我能力范围内。”
“我现在讲的是另一件事。你还没把你的目的地告诉我，好像不信任我似的。我们到底要去哪里？你认为自己知道地球在何处吗？”
崔维兹抬起头，同时扬起了眉毛。“抱歉，我一直紧抱着这个秘密不放，对不对？”
“对，可是为什么呢？”
崔维兹说：“是啊，朋友，我也在想，是不是因为宝绮思的关系。”
“宝绮思？你不想让她知道吗？真的，老伙伴，你可以完全信任她。”
“不是这个问题，我不信任她又有什么用？如果她真想知道，我猜她能从我心中揪出任何秘密来。我想，我自己有个更幼稚的理由，我觉得你现在的注意力都摆在她身上，好像我这个人不存在了。”
裴洛拉特看来吓了一大跳。“可是这并非事实，葛兰。”
“我知道，我只是试图分析自己的感受。你来找我，是担心我们的友谊发生变化，现在我想想，我自己好像也有同样的疑惧。我还没真正对自己承认，但我想自己觉得被宝绮思取代了。也许我故意赌气瞒着你一些事，想要以此作为报复，这实在很幼稚，我这么想。”
“葛兰！”
“我说这实在是幼稚，对不对？可是谁不曾偶尔做些孩子气的事？不过，既然我们仍是朋友，这点我们已经达成共识，我不会再玩这种游戏了——我们要去康普隆。”
“康普隆？”一时之间，裴洛拉特想不起来有这么一个地方。
“你一定还记得我的朋友，那个出卖我的曼恩•李•康普，我们曾经在赛协尔碰过他。”
裴洛拉特露出恍然大悟的表情。“我当然记得，康普隆是他祖先的母星。”
“也许是，我并不完全相信康普的话。不过康普隆是个众所周知的世界，而康普说其上居民知道地球的下落。嗯，所以嘛，我们要去那里调查一下。这样做也许是徒劳无功，但它是我们目前唯一的起点。”
裴洛拉特又清了清喉咙，露出一副不大相信的神情。“喔，我亲爱的伙伴，你能肯定吗？”
“这件事无所谓肯不肯定。我们只有这一个起点，不论机会多么渺茫，我们都没有其他选择。”
“没错，但我们若是要根据康普的话行动，或许就该把他说的每一点都纳人考量。我好像记得他告诉过我们，而且是以相当肯定的口气说，地球不再是个活生生的行星，它的表面充满放射性，上面完全失去生机。果真如此，那么我们到康普隆注定只是白忙一场。”
8
现在他们三人正在用餐区吃午餐，几乎将小小的空间塞满了。
“真好吃，”裴洛拉特的口气听来相当满意，“这是我们从端点星带来的食物吗？”
“不，全都不是。”崔维兹说：“那些早就吃完了，这是我们航向盖娅之前，在赛协尔采购的食物。很特别，是不是？这是一种海鲜，不过挺脆的。至于这个，我当初买的时候以为是甘蓝菜，不过现在吃起来觉得根本不像。”
宝绮思静静听着，什么话也没说，只是仔细地在餐盘中挑挑拣拣。
裴洛拉特柔声道：“你必须吃一些，亲爱的。”
“我知道，裴，我正在吃呢。”
崔维兹说：“我们也有盖娅食物，宝绮思。”他的口气透着些许不耐烦，但他实在无法完全掩饰。
“我知道，”宝绮思说：“不过我宁愿保留下来。我们不知道要在太空待多久，我终究还是得适应孤立体的食物。”
“这些真难以下咽吗，还是盖娅非吃盖娅不可？”
宝绮思叹了口气。“事实上，我们有句谚语：‘盖娅食盖娅，无失亦无得。’只不过是意识在不同的层级上下移动。在盖娅上，我吃的东西都属于盖娅，当食物经过消化吸收，大多变成我的一部分之后，它们仍属于盖娅。事实上，藉由我进食的过程，食物的某一部分才有机会参与较高级的意识。当然，其他部分则变成各种各样的废物，在意识层级中下降不少。”
她坚决地咬下一口食物，用力嚼了一会儿才吞下去，又说：“这可算是个巨大的循环，植物长成之后被动物吃掉，动物既是猎食者，有时也是猎物。任何生物死亡之后，都会变成霉菌细胞或细菌细胞等等的一部分——依旧属于盖娅。在这个巨大的意识循环里，甚趾蟋无机物质也参与其中，而组成循环的每个成分，都有机会周期性地参与较高级的意识。”
“你说的这些，”崔维兹道：“可以适用于任何世界。我身上每个原子都有段久远的历史，它过去或许曾是许多生物的一部分，当然也包括人类；它也可能有很长一段时间身为海洋的一员，或者可能构成一团煤炭、一块岩石，甚至变成吹拂到我们身上的风。”
“不过，在盖娅上，”宝绮思答道：“所有的原于也始终属于一个更高的行星级意识，而你对这个意识一无所知。”
“嗯，这么说的话，”崔维兹道：“你现在吃的这些赛协尔蔬菜会有什么变化？它们会变成盖娅的一部分吗？”
“会的，可是过程相当缓慢。而从我身上排泄出去的废物，则会慢慢脱离盖娅。由于我具有高层级的意识，所以能和盖娅维持较间接的超空间接触，然而任何东西一旦离开我，就会和盖娅完全失去联系。这种超空间接触可以——慢慢地——将我吃的非盖娅食物转变成盖娅的一部分。”
“我们贮藏的盖娅食物又会有什么变化？会不会慢慢变成非盖娅物质？如果是这样，你最好趁早把它们吃掉。”
一这点你不必担心。”宝绮思说：“我们的盖娅食物都经过特殊处理，可以长时间保持为盖娅的一部分。”
裴洛拉特突然说：“但我们若食用盖娅食物，那又会怎么样？还有，我们在盖娅时吃了不少盖娅食物，本身究竟发生了什么变化？我们自己也会慢慢转变成盖娅吗？”
宝绮思摇了摇头，脸上掠过一丝莫名的愁容。“不会，你们吃进去的食物是我们的损失。至少，经过消化吸收后，成为你们身体组织的那部分，我们永远要不回来。不过，你们的排泄物仍然属于盖娅，或者会慢慢变成盖娅的一部分，因此最后将达到一个平衡。但是无论如何，你们的造访仍使众多的原子脱离盖娅。”
“为什么会这样呢？”崔维兹好奇地问道。
“因为你们无法承受转换的过程，甚趾蟋极小部分也受不了。你们是我们的客人，可说是被迫来到我们的世界，所以我们必须保护你们——即使盖娅将因此损失一小部分。这是我们愿意付的代价，虽然不能算是欣然付出。”
“这点我们感到很遗憾。”崔维兹说：“反之，你确定每一种非盖娅食物都对你无害吗？”
“是的，”宝绮思说：“你们能吃的食物，我全都能吃。只不过我多了一道麻烦，除了要将这些食物消化吸收，成为我的身体组织，还得将它们转换成盖娅。这就形成一种心理上的障碍，让我多少有些倒胃口，所以我才吃得这么慢，不过我会慢慢克服。”
“传染病呢？”裴洛拉特问道，高亢的声音充满了惊慌。“我早先怎么没想到这个问题，宝绮思！我们要降落的每个地方，都可能有许多微生物，而你对它们毫无抵抗力，某种小小的传染病就会要你的命。崔维兹，我们必须掉头回去。”
“别慌，亲爱的裴，”宝绮思带着微笑说：“微生物藉由食物，或是其他任何方式进入我的体内之后，也会全部同化为盖娅。如果它们有伤害我的倾向，被同化的速率会更快。一旦成为盖娅的一部分，它们就不会再伤害我了。”
此时正餐已经用完，裴洛拉特正呷着一杯温热的调味综合果汁。“亲爱的，”他一面说，一面舔着嘴唇。“我想现在又该换个话题了。我真的有种感觉，我在这艘太空船上，唯一的工作就是改变话题，为什么会这样呢？”
崔维兹以严肃的口气说：“因为宝绮思和我总是抓着一个话题不放，至死方休。我们得仰仗你，詹诺夫，帮助我们保持清醒。你想换个什么话题，老朋友？”
“我查遍了有关康普隆的参考资料，康普隆所在的那个星区，每个世界都拥有许多古老的传说。根据这些传说，它们的建立可远溯到超空间旅行出现的第一个千年。在康普隆的传说中，甚至还出现一位名叫班伯利的缔造者，不过没提到他来自何方。他们流传着一种说法，康普隆原来叫作‘班伯利世界’”
“依你看，这些记载的真实性有多少，詹诺夫？”
“也许只有故事核心吧，可是谁猜得出哪一部分是核心呢。”
“在正史记载中，我从来没见过班伯利这个名字。你呢？”
“我也没听说过。不过你该知道，在帝政末期，帝国之前的历史曾遭到刻意打压。帝国的最后数个世纪，时局始终纷扰不安，皇帝们都忙着压制本土意识，因为他们有充分的理由，相信本土意识是导致分裂的原因。因此，几乎银河中每个星区的正史，包括完整的纪录和确切的年表，都变成从川陀兴起的年代开始计算，当时那些星区不是已经和帝国结盟，就是已被帝国并吞。”
“我很难相信历史会如此轻易被销毁。”崔维兹说。
“很多方面并非如此，”裴洛拉特答道：“但是一个有决心的强势政府，却能大大削弱历史的影响力，使早期历史只剩一些零散的资料，因此它们很容易沦为民间传说。这类民间传说全都充满夸大不实的记述，多半会将自己的星区说得比实际上更古老、更强盛。可是不论某个传说有多愚蠢，或者多不切实际，仍会成为本土意识的一部分，该区居民一定全都深信不疑。银河各个角落都有一些传说，提到最早的星际殖民是从地球开始，虽然他们对这颗母星可能有不同的称呼。”
“还有什么别的称呼？”
“有很多不同的名称，有时管它叫气独一世界”，有时称之为气‘最古世界’。也有人用‘有卫的世界’，根据某些权威的解释，这个名称源自地球有个巨大的卫星。可是也有人坚持它的意思是气‘失落的世界’，而‘有卫’则是‘久违’的转音，那是个出现于银河标准语之前的词汇，意思是‘失落’或‘不见踪影’。”
“停，詹诺夫，”崔维兹温和地插嘴道：“你的权威、反权威理论会说个没完没了。这种传说到处都有，你是这么说的吗？”
“喔，是的，我亲爱的伙伴，几乎俯拾即是。你得全部看过之后，才能体会人类这种共通的习性——一旦有了某个事实的种子，便会在上面加上一层又一层美丽的谎言，就像芮普拉星牡蛎那样，可以由一粒砂慢慢生成一颗珍珠。这个极佳的譬喻是我在……”
“詹诺夫！别再说啦！告诉我，在康普隆的传说中，有没有跟其他世界不同的地方？”
“喔！”裴洛拉特木然地凝视着崔维兹，一会儿之后才说：“不同？嗯，他们声称地球就在附近，这点颇不寻常。其他的世界如果提到地球，不管他们选用哪个名称，大多都有一种倾向，那就是将它的位置讲得暧昧不明——不是说不知道有多远，就是说位于某个虚无缥缈处。”
崔维兹说：“是呀，就像在赛协尔上，有些人告诉我们盖娅位于超空间中。”
宝绮思突然笑起来。
崔维兹立刻瞥了她一眼。“这是真的，我们亲耳听到的。”
“我不是不相信，只是觉得很有意思。当然啦，这正是我们希望他们相信的事。如今我们只希望不被打扰，难道还有比超空间更安全、更隐密的地方吗？如果大家都以为我们在那里，即使事实并非如此，也跟我们藏在超空间中没有两样。”
“没错，”崔维兹冶冷地说：“同理，大家相信地球不存在，或者位于很远的地方，或者它的地壳具有放射性，也一定是有原因的。”
“可是，”裴洛拉特说：“康普隆人相信地球和他们距离相当近。”
“但却说它的地壳具有放射性。只要是拥有地球传说的民族，不论说法如何，都一致认为地球无法接近。”
“差不多就是这样。”裴洛拉特说。
崔维兹说：“赛协尔上有许多人相信盖娅就在附近，有些人甚至还能正确指出它的恒星，可是一致公认盖娅是个去不得的地方。而在康普隆上，或许有人能指认出地球的恒星，虽然他们坚持地球具有放射性且早已失去生机。即使他们这样说，我们仍然要向地球进发，我们要拿当初进军盖娅的行动作榜样。”
宝绮思说：“当时盖娅愿意接纳你，崔维兹。你在我们的掌握中一筹莫展，下过我们完全无意伤害你。如果地球也是一样威力强大，却对我们并不友善，那该怎么办？”
“我无论如何都要试图接近它，下计一切后果。不过，这是我个人的任务，等我找出地球的下落，准备向它前进时，你们若要离开仍然不迟。我会将你们留在最近的基地世界，如果你们坚持的话，我也可以带你们回到盖娅。然后，我再一个人前往地球。”
“我亲爱的兄弟，”裴洛拉特显然感到很不舒服，“别说这种话，我作梦也不会想到丢下你。”
“而我作梦也不会想到要丢下裴。”宝绮思一面说，一面伸出手来摸摸裴洛拉特的脸颊。
“这样太好了。我们很快就能进行跃迁，直奔康普隆，然后嘛，希望再下一站——就是地球。”
Chapter 3: At the Entry Station
9Bliss, entering their chamber, said, "Did Trevizetell you that we are going make the Jump and go through hyperspace anymoment now?"Pelorat, who was bent over his viewing disk, looked up, and said,"Actually, he just looked in and told me `within the half-hour.'""I don't like the thought of it, Pel. I've never liked the Jump. Iget a funny inside-out feeling."Pelorat looked a bit surprised. "I had not thought of you as a spacetraveler, Bliss dear.""I'm not particularly, and I don't mean that this is so only in myaspect as a component. Gaia itself has no occasion for regular spacetravel. By my/our/Gaia's very nature, I/we/Gaia don't explore, trade,or space junket. Still, there is the necessity of having someone at theentry stations ""As when we were fortunate enough to meet you.""Yes, Pel." She smiled at him affectionately. "Or even to visitSayshell and other stellar regions, for various reasons usuallyclandestine. But, clandestine or not, that always means the Jump and,of course, when any part of Gaia Jumps, all of Gaia feels it.""That's too bad," said Pel.
"It could be worse. The large mass of Gaia is not undergoing the Jump, so the effect is greatly diluted. However, Iseem to feel it much more than most of Gaia. As I keep trying to tellTrevize, though all of Gaia is Gaia, the individual components are notidentical. We have our differences, and my makeup is, for some reason,particularly sensitive to the Jump.""Wait!" said Pelorat, suddenly remembering. "Trevize explained that tome once. It's in ordinary ships that you have the worst of the sensation.
In ordinary ships, one leaves the Galactic gravitational field on enteringhyperspace, and comes back to it on returning to ordinary space. It's theleaving and returning that produces the sensation. But the Far Star is a gravitic ship. It is independent of the gravitational field, anddoes not truly leave it or return to it. For that reason, we won't feela thing. I can assure you of that, dear, out of personal experience.""But that's delightful. I wish I had thought to discuss the matterearlier. I would have saved myself considerable apprehension.""That's an advantage in another way," said Pelorat, feeling anexpansion of spirit in his unusual role as explainer of mattersastronautic. "The ordinary ship has to recede from large masses suchas stars for quite a long distance through ordinary space in orderto make the Jump. Part of the reason is that the closer to a star,the more intense the gravitational field, and the more pronounced arethe sensations of a Jump. Then, too, the more intense the gravitationalfield the more complicated the equations that must be solved in orderto conduct the Jump safely and end at the point in ordinary space youwish to end at.
"In a gravitic ship, however, there is no Jump-sensation to speakof. In addition, this ship has a computer that is a great deal moreadvanced than ordinary computers and it can handle complex equationswith unusual skill and speed. The result is that instead of having tomove away from a star for a couple of weeks just to reach a safe andcomfortable distance for a Jump, the Far Star need travel for onlytwo or three days. This is especially so since we are not subject to agravitational field and, therefore, to inertial effects I admitI don't understand that, but that's what Trevize tells me and canaccelerate much more rapidly than an ordinary ship could."Bliss said, "That's fine, and it's to Trev's credit that he can handlethis unusual ship."Pelorat frowned slightly. "Please, Bliss. Say `Trevize.'""I do. I do. In his absence, however, I relax a little.""Don't. You don't want to encourage the habit even slightly, dear. He'sso sensitive about it.""Not about that. He's sensitive about me. He doesn't like me.""That's not so," said Pelorat earnestly. "I talked to him aboutthat. Now, now, don't frown. I was extraordinarily tactful, dearchild. He assured me he did not dislike you. He is suspicious of Gaiaand unhappy over the fact that he has had to make it into the future ofhumanity. We have to make allowances for that. He'll get over it as hegradually comes to understand the advantages of Gaia.""I hope so, but it's not just Gaia. Whatever he may tell you,Pel and remember that he's very fond of you and doesn't want tohurt your feelings he dislikes me personally.""No, Bliss. He couldn't possibly.""Not everyone is forced to love me simply because you do, Pel. Letme explain. Trev all right, Trevize thinks I'm a robot."A look of astonishment suffused Pelorat's ordinarily stolidfeatures. He said, "Surely he can't think you're an artificial humanbeing.""Why is that so surprising? Gaia was settled with the help ofrobots. That's a known fact.""Robots might help, as machines night, but it was people who settled Gaia; people from Earth. That's what Trevize thinks. I knowhe does.""There is nothing in Gaia's memory about Earth as I told you andTrevize. However, in our oldest memories there are still some robots,even after three thousand years, working at the task of completing themodification of Gaia into a habitable world. We were at that time alsoforming Gaia as a planetary consciousness that took a long time,Pel dear, and that's another reason why our early memories are dim,and perhaps it wasn't a matter of Earth wiping them out, as Trevizethinks ""Yes, Bliss," said Pelorat anxiously, "but what of the robots?""Well, as Gaia formed, the robots left. We did not want a Gaia thatincluded robots, for we were, and are, convinced that a robotic componentis, in the long run, harmful to a human society, whether Isolate innature or Planetary. I don't know how we came to that conclusion but itis possible that it is based on events dating back to a particularlyearly time in Galactic history, so that Gaia's memory does not extendback to it.""If the robots left ""Yes, but what if some remained behind? What if I am one ofthem fifteen thousand years old perhaps. Trevize suspects that."Pelorat shook his head slowly. "But you're not.""Are you sure you believe that?""Of course I do. You're not a robot.""How do you know?""Bliss, I know . There's nothing artificial about you. IfI don't know that , no one does.""Isn't it possible I may be so cleverly artificial that in everyrespect, from largest to smallest, I am indistinguishable from thenatural. If I were, how could you tell the difference between me and atrue human being?"Pelorat said, "I don't think it's possible for you to be so cleverlyartificial.""What if it were possible, despite what you think?""I just don't believe it.""Then let's just consider it is a hypothetical case. If I were anindistinguishable robot, how would you feel about it?""Well, I I ""To be specific. How would you feel about making love to a robot?"Pelorat snapped the thumb and mid-finger of his right hand,suddenly. "You know, there are legends of women falling in lovewith artificial men, and vice versa. I always thought there was anallegorical significance to that and never imagined the tales couldrepresent literal truth. Of course, Golan and I never even heardthe word `robot' till we landed on Sayshell, but, now that I think ofit, those artificial men and women must have been robots. Apparently,such robots did exist in early historic times. That means the legendsshould be reconsidered "He fell into silent thought, and, after Bliss had waited a moment,she suddenly clapped her hands sharply. Pelorat jumped.
"Pel dear," said Bliss. "You're using your mythography to escapethe question. The question is: How would you feel about making love toa robot?"He stared at her uneasily. "A truly undistinguishable one? One thatyou couldn't tell from a human being?""Yes.""It seems to me, then, that a robot that can in no way be distinguishedfrom a human being is a human being. If you were such arobot, you would be nothing but a human being to me.""That's what I wanted to hear you say, Pel."Pelorat waited, then said, "Well, then, now that you've heard me sayit, dear, aren't you going to tell me that you are a natural human beingand that I don't have to wrestle with hypothetical situations?""No. I will do no such thing. You've defined a natural human beingas an object that has all the properties of a natural human being. Ifyou are satisfied that I have all those properties, then that ends thediscussion. We've got the operational definition and need no other. Afterall, how do I know that you're not just a robot who happensto be indistinguishable from a human being?""Because I tell you that I am not.""Ah, but if you were a robot that was indistinguishable from a humanbeing, you might be designed to tell me you were a natural human being,and you might even be programmed to believe it yourself. The operationaldefinition is all we have, and all we can have."She put her arms about Pelorat's neck and kissed him. The kiss grewmore passionate, and prolonged itself until Pelorat managed to say,in somewhat muffled fashion, "But we promised Trevize not to embarrasshim by converting this ship into a honeymooners' haven."Bliss said coaxingly, "Let's be carried away and not leave ourselvesany time to think of promises."Pelorat, troubled, said, "But I can't do that, dear. I knowit must irritate you, Bliss, but I am constantly thinking and I amconstitutionally averse to letting myself be carried away by emotion. It'sa lifelong habit, and probably very annoying to others. I've neverlived with a woman who didn't seem to object to it sooner or later. Myfirst wife but I suppose it would be inappropriate to discussthat ""Rather inappropriate, yes, but not fatally so. You're not my firstlover either.""Oh!" said Pelorat, rather at a loss, and then, aware of Bliss'ssmall smile, he said, "I mean, of course not. I wouldn't expect myselfto have been Anyway, my first wife didn't like it.""But I do. I find your endless plunging into thought attractive.""I can't believe that , but I do have anotherthought. Robot or human, that doesn't matter. We agree on that. However,I am an Isolate and you know it. I am not part of Gaia, and when weare intimate, you're sharing emotions outside Gaia even when you letme participate in Gaia for a short period, and it may not be the sameintensity of emotion then that you would experience if it were Gaialoving Gaia."Bliss said, "Loving you, Pel, has its own delight. I look no fartherthan that.""But it's not just a matter of you loving me. You aren't merelyyou. What if Gaia considers it a perversion?""If it did, I would know, for I am Gaia. And since I have delight inyou, Gaia does. When we make love, all of Gaia shares the sensation tosome degree or other. When I say I love you, that means Gaia loves you,although it is only the part that I am that is assigned the immediaterole. You seem confused.""Being an Isolate, Bliss, I don't quite grasp it.""One can always form an analogy with the body of an Isolate. Whenyou whistle a tune, your entire body, you as an organism,wishes to whistle the tune, but the immediate task of doing so is assignedto your lips, tongue, and lungs. Your right big toe does nothing.""It might tap to the tune.""But that is not necessary to the act of whistling. The tapping ofthe big toe is not the action itself but is a response to the action,and, to be sure, all parts of Gaia might well respond in some small wayor other to my emotion, as I respond to theirs."Pelorat said, "I suppose there's no use feeling embarrassed aboutthis.""None at all.""But it does give me a queer sense of responsibility. When I try tomake you happy, I find that I must be trying to make every last organismon Gaia happy.""Every last atom but you do. You add to the sense of communaljoy that I let you share briefly. I suppose your contribution is toosmall to be easily measurable, but it is there, and knowing it is thereshould increase your joy."Pelorat said, "I wish I could be sure that Golan is sufficiently busywith his maneuvering through hyperspace to remain in the pilot-room forquite a while.""You wish to honeymoon, do you?""I do.""Than get a sheet of paper, write `Honeymoon Haven' on it, affixIt to the outside of the door, and if he wants to enter, that's hisproblem."Pelorat did so, and it was during the pleasurable proceedings thatfollowed that the Far Star made the Jump. Neither Pelorat norBliss detected the action, nor would they have, had they been payingattention.
10It had been only a matter of a few months since Pelorat had metTrevize and had left Terminus for the first time. Until then, for themore than half-century (Galactic Standard) of his life, he had beenutterly planet-bound.
In his own mind, he had in those months become an old space dog. He hadseen three planets from space: Terminus itself, Sayshell, and Gaia. And onthe viewscreen, he now saw a fourth, albeit through a computer-controlledtelescopic device. The fourth was Comporellon.
And again, for the fourth time, he was vaguely disappointed. Somehow,he continued to feel that looking down upon a habitable world from spacemeant seeing an outline of its continents against a surrounding sea; or,if it were a dry world, the outline of its lakes against a surroundingbody of land.
It was never so.
If a world was habitable, it had an atmosphere as well as ahydrosphere. And if it had both air and water, it had clouds; and ifit had clouds, it had an obscured view. Once again, then, Pelorat foundhimself looking down on white swirls with an occasional glimpse of paleblue or rusty brown.
He wondered gloomily if anyone could identify a world if a viewof it from, say, three hundred thousand kilometers, were cast upon ascreen. How does one tell one cloud swirl from another?
Bliss looked at Pelorat with some concern. "What is it, Pel? You seemto be unhappy.""I find that all planets look alike from space."Trevize said, "What of that, Janov? So does every shoreline onTerminus, when it is on the horizon, unless you know what you're lookingfor a particular mountain peak, or a particular offshore islet ofcharacteristic shape.""I dare say," said Pelorat, with clear dissatisfaction, "but what doyou look for in a mass of shifting clouds? And even if you try, beforeyou can decide, you're likely to be moving into the dark side.""Look a little more carefully, Janov. If you follow the shape of theclouds, you see that they tend to fall into a pattern that circles theplanet and that moves about a center. That center is more or less atone of the poles.""Which one?" asked Bliss with interest.
"Since, relative to ourselves, the planet is rotating in clockwisefashion, we are looking down, by definition, upon the south pole. Sincethe center seems to be about fifteen degrees from the terminator theplanet's line of shadow and the planetary axis is tilted twenty-onedegrees to the perpendicular of its plane of revolution, we're eitherin mid-spring or mid-summer depending on whether the pole is moving awayfrom the terminator or toward it. The computer can calculate its orbit andtell me in short order if I were to ask it. The capital is on the northernside of the equator so it is either in mid-fall or mid-winter."Pelorat frowned. "You can tell all that?" He looked at the cloudlayer as though he thought it would, or should, speak to him now, but,of course, it didn't.
"Not only that," said Trevize, "but if you'll look at the polarregions, you'll see that there are no breaks in the cloud layer as thereare away from the poles. Actually, there are breaks, but through thebreaks you see ice, so it's a matter of white on white.""Ah," said Pelorat. "I suppose you expect that at the poles.""Of habitable planets, certainly. Lifeless planets might be airless orwaterless, or might have certain stigmata showing that the clouds are notwater a clouds, or that the ice is not water ice. This planet lacks thosestigmata, so we know we are looking at water clouds and water ice.
"The next thing we notice is the size of the area of unbrokenwhite on the day side of the terminator, and to the experienced eye itis at once seen as larger than average. Furthermore, you can detecta certain orange glint, a quite faint one, to the reflected light,and that means Comporellon's sun if rather cooler than Terminus'ssun. Although Comporellon is closer to its sun than Terminus is tohers, it is not sufficiently closer to make up for its star's lowertemperature. Therefore, Comporellon is a cold world as habitable worldsgo.""You read it like a film, old chap," said Pelorat admiringly.
"Don't be too impressed," said Trevize, smiling affectionately. "Thecomputer has given me the applicable statistics of the world, includingits slightly low average temperature. It is easy to deduce somethingyou already know. In fact, Comporellon is at the edge of an ice ageand would be having one, if the configuration of its continents weremore suitable to such a condition."Bliss bit at her lower lip. "I don't like a cold world.""We've got warm clothing," said Trevize.
"That doesn't matter. Human beings aren't adapted to cold weather,really. We don't have thick coats of hair or feathers, or a subcutaneouslayer of blubber. For a world to have cold weather seems to indicate acertain indifference to the welfare of its own parts."Trevize said, "Is Gaia a uniformly mild world?""Most of it, yes. There are some cold areas for cold-adapted plants andanimals, and some hot areas for heat-adapted plants and animals, but mostparts are uniformly mild, never getting uncomfortably hot or uncomfortablycold, for those between, including human beings, of course.""Human beings, of course. All parts of Gaia are alive and equal inthat respect, but some, like human beings, are obviously more equalthan other.""Don't be foolishly sarcastic," said Bliss, with a trace ofwaspishness. "The level and intensity of consciousness and awarenessare important. A human being is a more useful portion of Gaia than arock of the same weight would be, and the properties and functions ofGaia as a whole are necessarily weighted in the direction of the humanbeing not as much so as on your Isolate worlds, however. What'smore, there are times when it is weighted in other directions, whenthat is needed for Gaia as a whole. It might even, at long intervals,be weighted in the direction of the rocky interior. That, too, demandsattention or, in the lack of that attention all parts of Gaia mightsuffer. We wouldn't want an unnecessary volcanic eruption, would we?""No," said Trevize. "Not an unnecessary one.""You're not impressed, are you?""Look," said Trevize. "We have worlds that are colder than averageand worlds that are warmer; worlds that are tropical forests to a largeextent, and worlds that are vast savannahs. No two worlds are alike,and every one of them is home to those who are used to it. I am used tothe relative mildness of Terminus we've tamed it to an almost Gaianmoderation, actually but I like to get away, at least temporarily,to something different. What we have, Bliss, that Gaia doesn't have,is variation. If Gaia expands into Galaxia, will every world in theGalaxy be forced into mildness? The sameness would be unbearable."Bliss said, "If that is so, and if variety seems desirable, varietywill be maintained.""As a gift from the central committee, so to speak?" said Trevizedryly. "And as little of it as they can bear to part with? I'd ratherleave it to nature.""But you haven't left it to nature. Every habitable worldin the Galaxy has been modified. Every single one was found in a stateof nature that was uncomfortable for humanity, and every single one wasmodified until it was as mild as could be managed. If this world hereis cold, I am certain that is because its inhabitants couldn't warm itany further without unacceptable expense. And even so, the portions theyactually inhabit we can be sure are artificially warmed into mildness. Sodon't be so loftily virtuous about leaving it to nature."Trevize said, "You speak for Gaia, I suppose.""I always speak for Gaia. I am Gaia.""Then if Gaia is so certain of its own superiority, why did you requiremy decision? Why have you not gone ahead without me?"Bliss paused, as though to collect her thoughts. She said, "Because itis not wise to trust one's self overmuch. We naturally see our virtueswith clearer eyes than we see our defects. We are anxious to do whatis right; not necessarily what seems right to us, but whatis right, objectively, if such a thing as objective rightexists. You seem to be the nearest approach to objective right that wecan find, so we are guided by you.""So objectively right," said Trevize sadly, "that I don't evenunderstand my own decision and I seek its justification.""You'll find it," said Bliss.
"I hope so," said Trevize.
"Actually, old chap," said Pelorat, "it seems to me that this recentexchange was won rather handily by Bliss. Why don't you recognize thefact that her arguments justify your decision that Gaia is the wave ofthe future for humanity?""Because," said Trevize harshly, "I did not know those argumentsat the time I made my decision. I knew none of these details aboutGaia. Something else influenced me, at least unconsciously, somethingthat doesn't depend upon Gaian detail, but must be more fundamental. Itis that which I must find out."Pelorat held up a placating hand. "Don't be angry, Golan.""I'm not angry. I'm just under rather unbearable tension. I don'twant to be the focus of the Galaxy."Bliss said, "I don't blame you for that, Trevize, and I'm truly sorrythat your own makeup has somehow forced you into the post. Whenwill we be landing on Comporellon?""In three days," said Trevize, "and only after we stop at one of theentry stations in orbit about it."Pelorat said, "There shouldn't be any problem with that, shouldthere?"Trevize shrugged. "It depends on the number of ships approachingthe world, the number of entry stations that exist, and, most of all,on the particular rules for permitting and refusing admittance. Suchrules change from time to time."Pelorat said indignantly, "What do you mean refusing admittance? How can they refuse admittance to citizens of theFoundation? Isn't Comporellan part of the Foundation dominion?""Well, yes and no. There's a delicate matter of legalism aboutthe point and I'm not sure how Comporellon interprets it. I supposethere's a chance we'll be refused admission, but I don't think it's alarge chance.""And if we are refused, what do we do?""I'm not sure," said Trevize. "Let's wait and see what happens beforewe wear ourselves out making contingency plans."11They were close enough to Comporellon now for it toappear as a substantial globe without telescopic enlargement. When suchenlargement was added, however, the entry stations themselves could beseen. They were farther out than most of the orbiting structures aboutthe planet and they were well lit.
Approaching as the Far Star was from the direction of theplanet's southern pole, half its globe was sunlit constantly. The entrystations on its night side were naturally more clearly seen as sparksof light. They were evenly spaced in an arc about the planet. Six ofthem were visible (plus six on the day side undoubtedly) and all werecircling the planet at even and identical speeds.
Pelorat, a little awed at the sight, said, "There are other lightscloser to the planet. What are they?"Trevize said, "I don't know the planet in detail so I can't tellyou. Some might be orbiting factories or laboratories or observatories,or even populated townships. Some planets prefer to keep all orbitingobjects outwardly dark, except for the entry stations. Terminus does,for instance. Comporellon conducts itself on a more liberal principle,obviously.""Which entry station do we go to, Golan?""It depends on them. I've sent in my request to land on Comporellonand we'll eventually get our directions as to which entry station to goto, and when. Much depends on how many incoming ships are trying to makeentry at present. If there are a dozen ships lined up at each station,we will have no choice but to be patient."Bliss said, "I've only been at hyperspatial distances from Gaia twicebefore, and those were both when I was at or near Sayshell. I've neverbeen at anything like this distance."Trevize looked at her sharply. "Does it matter? You're still Gaia,aren't you?"For a moment, Bliss looked irritated, but then dissolved into whatwas almost an embarrassed titter. "I must admit you've caught me thistime, Trevize. There is a double meaning in the word `Gaia.' It canbe used to refer to the physical planet as a solid globular object inspace. It can also be used to refer to the living object that includesthat globe. Properly speaking, we should use two different words for thesetwo different concepts, but Gaians always know from the context what isbeing referred to. I admit that an Isolate might be puzzled at times.""Well, then," said Trevize, "admitting that you are many thousands ofparsecs from Gaia as globe, are you still part of Gaia as organism?""Referring to the organism, I am still Gaia.""No attenuation?""Not in essence. I'm sure I've already told you there is some addedcomplexity in remaining Gaia across hyperspace, but I remain Gaia."Trevize said, "Does it occur to you that Gaia may be viewed as aGalactic kraken the tentacled monster of the legends withits tentacles reaching everywhere. You have but to put a few Gaians oneach of the populated worlds and you will virtually have Galaxia rightthere. In fact. you have probably done exactly that. Where are yourGaians located? I presume that one or more are on Terminus and one ormore are on Trantor. How much farther does this go?"Bliss looked distinctly uncomfortable. "I have said I won't lie toyou, Trevize, but that doesn't mean I feel compelled to give you thewhole truth. There are some things you have no need to know, and theposition and identity of individual bits of Gaia are among them.""Do I need to know the reason for the existence of those tentacles,Bliss, even if I don't know where they are?""It is the opinion of Gaia that you do not.""I presume, though, that I may guess. You believe you serve as theguardians of the Galaxy.""We are anxious to have a stable and secure Galaxy; a peaceful andprosperous one. The Seldon Plan, as originally worked out by Hari Seldonat least, is designed to develop a Second Galactic Empire, one thatis more stable and more workable than the First was. The Plan, whichhas been continually modified and improved by the Second Foundation,has appeared to be working well so far.""But Gaia doesn't want a Second Galactic Empire in the classic sense,does it? You want Galaxia a living Galaxy.""Since you permit it, we hope, in time, to have Galaxia. If you hadnot permitted it, we would have striven for Seldon's Second Empire andmade it as secure as we could.""But what is wrong with "His ear caught the soft, burring signal. Trevize said, "The computeris signaling me. I suppose it is receiving directions concerning theentry station. I'll be back."He stepped into the pilot-room and placed his hands on those markedout on the desk top and found that there were directions forthe specific entry station he was to approach its co-ordinateswith reference to the line from Comporellon's center to its northpole the prescribed route of approach.
Trevize signaled his acceptance, and then sat back for a moment.
The Seldon Plan! He had not thought of it for quite a time. The FireGalactic Empire had crumbled and for five hundred years the Foundationhad grown, first in competition with that Empire, and then upon itsruins all in accordance with the Plan.
There had been the interruption of the Mule, which, for a time, hadthreatened to shiver the Plan into fragments, but the Foundation hadpulled through probably with the help of the ever-hidden SecondFoundation possibly with the help of the even-better-hiddenGaia.
Now the Plan was threatened by something more serious than the Mule hadever been. It was to be diverted from a renewal of Empire to somethingutterly different from anything in history Galaxia. And hehimself had agreed to that. But why? Was there a flaw in the Plan? A basic flaw?
For one flashing moment, it seemed to Trevize that this flaw did indeedexist and that he knew what it was, that he had known what it was whenhe made his decision but the knowledge if that were what itwas vanished as fast as it came, and it left him with nothing.
Perhaps it was all only an illusion; both when he had made hisdecision, and now. After all, he knew nothing about the Plan beyond thebasic assumptions that validated psychohistory. Apart from that, he knewno detail, and certainly not a single scrap of its mathematics.
He closed his eyes and thought There was nothing.
Might it be the added power he received from the computer? He placedhis hands on the desk top and felt the warmth of the computer's handsembracing them. He closed his eyes and once more he thought There was still nothing.
12The Comporellian who boarded the ship wore a holographic identitycard. It displayed his chubby, lightly bearded face with remarkablefidelity, and underneath it was his name, A. Kendray.
He was rather short, and his body was as softly rounded as his facewas. He had a fresh and easygoing look and manner, and he stared aboutthe ship with clear amazement.
He said, "How did you get down this fast? We weren't expecting youfor two hours.""It's a new-model ship," said Trevize, with noncommittalpoliteness.
Kendray was not quite the young innocent he looked, however. Hestepped into the pilot-room and said at once, "Gravitic?"Trevize saw no point in denying anything that was apparently thatobvious. He said tonelessly, "Yes.""Very interesting. You hear of them, but you never see themsomehow. Motors in the hull?""That's so."Kendray looked at the computer. "Computer circuits, likewise?""That's so. Anyway, I'm told so. I've never looked.""Oh well. What I need is the ship's documentation; engine number,place of manufacture, identification code, the whole patty-cake. It'sall in the computer, I'm sure, and it can probably turn out the formalcard I need in half a second."It took very little more than that. Kendray looked about again. "Youthree all the people on board?"Trevize said, "That's right.""Any live animals? Plants? State of health?""No. No. And good," said Trevize crisply.
"Um!" said Kendray, making notes. "Could you put your hand inhere? Just routine. Right hand, please."Trevize looked at the device without favor. It was being used more andmore commonly, and was growing quickly more elaborate. You could almosttell the backwardness of a world at a glance by the backwardness of itsmicrodetector. There were now few worlds, however backward, that didn'thave one at all. The start had come with the final breakup of the Empire,as each fragment of the whole grew increasingly anxious to protect itselffrom the diseases and alien microorganisms of all the others.
"What is that?" asked Bliss, in a low and interested voice, craningher head to see it first on one side, then the other.
Pelorat said, "A microdetector, I believe they call it."Trevize added, "It's nothing mysterious. It's a device thatautomatically checks a portion of your body, inside and out, for anymicroorganism capable of transmitting disease.""This will classify the microorganisms, too," said Kendray, withrather more than a hint of pride. "It's been worked out right hereon Comporellon. And if you don't mind, I still want your righthand."Trevize inserted his right hand, and watched as a series of smallred markings danced along a set of horizontal lines. Kendray touched acontact and a facsimile in color appeared at once. "If you'll sign that,sir," he said.
Trevize did so. "How badly off am I?" he asked. "I'm not in any greatdanger, am I?"Kendray said, "I'm not a physician, so I can't say in detail, but itshows none of the marks that would require you to be turned away or tobe put in quarantine. That's all I'm interested in.""What a lucky break for me," said Trevize dryly, shaking his hand torid himself of the slight tingle he felt.
"You, sir," said Kendray.
Pelorat inserted his hand with a certain hesitancy, then signed thefacsimile.
"And you, ma'am?"A few moments later, Kendray was staring at the result, saying,"I never saw anything like this before." He looked up at Bliss with anexpression of awe. "You're negative. Altogether.'"Bliss smiled engagingly. "How nice.""Yes, ma'am. I envy you." He looked back at the first facsimile,and said, "Your identification, Mr. Trevize."Trevize presented it. Kendray, glancing at it, again looked up insurprise. "Councilman of the Terminus Legislature?""That's right.""High official of the Foundation?"Trevize said coolly, "Exactly right. So let's get through with thisquickly, shall we?""You're captain of the ship?""Yes, I am.""Purpose of visit?""Foundation security, and that's all the answer I'm going to giveyou. Do you understand that?""Yes, sir. How long do you intend to stay?""I don't know. Perhaps a week.""Very well, sir. And this other gentleman?""He is Dr. Janov Pelorat," said Trevize. "You have his signature thereand I vouch for him. He is a scholar of Terminus and he is my assistantin this business of my visit.""I understand, sir, but I must see his identification. Rules are rules,I'm afraid. I hope you understand, sir."Pelorat presented his papers.
Kendray nodded. "And you, miss?"Trevize said quietly, "No need to bother the lady. I vouch for her,too.""Yes, sir. But I need the identification."Bliss said, "I'm afraid I don't have any papers, sir."Kendray frowned. "I beg your pardon."Trevize said, "The young lady didn't bring any with her. Anoversight. It's perfectly all right. I'll take full responsibility."Kendray said, "I wish I could let you do that, but I'm not allowed. Theresponsibility is mine. Under the circumstances, it's not terriblyimportant. There should be no difficulty getting duplicates. The youngwoman, I presume, is from Terminus.""No, she's not.""From somewhere in Foundation territory, then?""As a matter of fact, she isn't."Kendray looked at Bliss keenly, then at Trevize. "That's acomplication, Councilman. It may take additional time to obtain aduplicate from some non-Foundation world. Since you're not a Foundationcitizen, Miss Bliss, I must have the name of your world of birth andof the world of which you're a citizen. You will then have to wait forduplicate papers to arrive."Trevize said, "See here, Mr. Kendray. I see no reason why there needbe any delay whatever. I am a high official of the Foundation governmentand I am here on a mission of great importance. I must not be delayedby a matter of trivial paperwork.""The choice isn't mine, Councilman. If it were up to me, I'd let youdown to Comporellon right now, but I have a thick book of rules thatguides my every action. I've got to go by the book or I get it thrown atme. Of course, I presume there must be some Comporellian governmentfigure who's waiting for you. If you'll tell me who it is, I will contacthim, and if he orders me to let you through, then that's it."Trevize hesitated a moment. "That would not be politic,Mr. Kendray. May I speak with your immediate superior?""You certainly may, but you can't just see him off-hand ""I'm sure he will come at once when he understands he's speaking toa Foundation official ""Actually," said Kendray, "just between us, that would make mattersworse. We're not part of the Foundation metropolitan territory,you know. We come under the heading of an Associated Power, andwe take it seriously. The people are anxious not to appear to beFoundation puppets I'm using the popular expression only, youunderstand and they bend backward to demonstrate independence. Mysuperior would expect to get extra points if he resists doing a special favor for a Foundation official."Trevize's expression darkened. "And you, too?"Kendray shook his head. "I'm below politics, sir. No one gives meextra points for anything. I'm just lucky if they pay my salary. Andthough I don't get extra points, I can get demerits, and quite easily,too. I wish that were not so.""Considering my position, you know, I can take care of you.""No, sir. I'm sorry if that sounds impertinent, but I don't thinkyou can. And, sir, it's embarrassing to say this, but please don'toffer me anything valuable. They make examples of officials who acceptsuch things and they're pretty good at digging them out, these days.""I wasn't thinking of bribing you. I'm only thinking of what theMayor of Terminus can do to you if you interfere with my mission.""Councilman, I'll be perfectly safe as long as I can hide behind therulebook. If the members of the Comporellian Presidium get some sort ofFoundation discipline, that is their concern, and not mine. But ifit will help, sir, I can let you and Dr. Pelorat through on your ship. Ifyou'll leave Miss Bliss behind at the entry station, we'll hold her fora time and send her down to the surface as soon as her duplicate paperscome through. If her papers should not be obtainable, for any reason,we will send her back to her world on commercial transportation. I'mafraid, though, that someone will have to pay her fare, in that case."Trevize caught Pelorat's expression at that, and said, "Mr. Kendray,may I speak to you privately in the pilot-room?""Very well, but I can't remain on board very much longer, or I'llbe questioned.""This won't take long," said Trevize.
In the pilot-room, Trevize made a show of closing the door tightly,then said, in a low voice, "I've been many places, Mr. Kendray, butI've never been anyplace where there has been such harsh emphasis onthe minutiae of the rules of immigration, particularly for Foundationpeople and Foundation officials .""But the young woman is not from the Foundation.""Even so."Kendray said, "These things go in rhythms. We've had some scandalsand, right now, things are tough. If you'll come back next year, youmight not have any trouble at all, but right now, I can do nothing.""Try, Mr. Kendray," said Trevize, his voice growing mellow. "I'm goingto throw myself on your mercy and appeal to you, man to man. Peloratand I have been on this mission for quite a while. He and I. Just heand I. We're good friends, but there's something lonely about it, if youget me. Some time ago, Pelorat found this little lady. I don't have totell you what happened, but we decided to bring her along. It keeps ushealthy to make use of her now and then.
"Now the thing is Pelorat's got a relationship back on Terminus. I'mclear, you understand, but Pelorat is an older man and he's got to theage when they get a little desperate. They need their youth back,or something. He can't give her up. At the same time, if she's evenmentioned, officially, there's going to be misery galore on Terminusfor old Pelorat when he gets back.
"There's no harm being done, you understand. Miss Bliss, as she callsherself a good name considering her profession is not exactlya bright kid; that's not what we want her for. Do you have to mentionher at all? Can't you just list me and Pelorat on the ship? Only wewere originally listed when we left Terminus. There need be no officialnotice of the woman. After all, she's absolutely free of disease. Younoted that yourself."Kendray made a face. "I don't really want to inconvenience you. Iunderstand the situation and, believe me, I sympathize. Listen,if you think holding down a shift on this station for months at atime is any fun, think again. And it isn't co-educational, either;not on Comporellon." He shook his head. "And I have a wife, too, so Iunderstand. But, look, even if I let you through, as soon as theyfind out that the uh lady is without papers, she's in prison,you and Mr. Pelorat are in the kind of trouble that will get back toTerminus. And I myself will surely be out of a job.""Mr. Kendray," said Trevize, "trust me in this. Once I'm onComporellon, I'll be safe. I can talk about my mission to some of theright people and, when that's done, there'll be no further trouble. I'lltake full responsibility for what has happened here, if it ever comesup which I doubt. What's more, I will recommend your promotion,and you will get it, because I'll see to it that Terminus leans all overanyone who hesitates. And we can give Pelorat a break."Kendray hesitated, then said, "All right. I'll let youthrough but take a word of warning. I start from this minutefiguring out a way to save my butt if the matter comes up. I don't intendto do one thing to save yours. What's more I know how these things workon Comporellon and you don't, and Comporellon isn't an easy world forpeople who step out of line.""Thank you, Mr. Kendray," said Trevize. "There'll be no trouble. Iassure you of that."

第二部 康普隆星 第三章 入境站风波
　　9
宝绮思一面走进舱房，一面说：“崔维兹有没有跟你说，我们随时可能跃迁到超空间？”
裴洛拉特正埋首盯着显像盘，他抬起头来说：“事实上，他刚才顺便来打过招呼，告诉我说‘半小时之内’。”
“我不喜欢想到这种事，裴，我向来不喜欢跃迁，它让我有种内脏要跑出来的古怪感觉。”
裴洛拉特显得有些惊讶。“我从没想过你竟然会是太空旅人，宝绮思吾爱。”
“我不是专指我个人的经验。就盖娅的组成份子而言，这不是我独有的感觉。盖娅本身没有机会经常做太空旅行，基于我／我们／盖娅的天性，我／我们／盖娅并不从事探索、贸易或太空游历。不过，还是需要有人驻守入境太空站……”
“所以我们才能有幸遇到你。”
“是呀，裴。”她对他投以深情的一笑，“基于各种理由，我们也需要派人到赛协尔或其他星域探访——通常都是在暗中进行。然而不论是明是暗，总是需要经历跃迁。当然，下论盖娅哪一部分进行跃迁，所有的盖娅都感觉得到。”
“那实在很糟。”裴洛拉特说。
“还有更糟的事。因为盖娅绝大部分并未经历跃迁，所以效应被大量稀释，可是，我好像比大部分的盖娅感觉更强烈。这正是我一直试图告诉崔维兹的一件事，虽然所有的盖娅都是盖娅，伹各个成分并非完全相同，我们也有个别差异。由于某种原因，我的身体构杂谠跃迁特别敏感。”
“等一等！”裴洛拉特好像突然想到什么，“崔维兹跟我解释过，只有在普通的太空船中，你才会有那种糟透了的感觉。普通的太空船进人超空间之际，一定会离开银河着力场，在着返普通空间时，才会回到着力场中，那种感觉便是一去一来的过程产生的。但远星号是一艘着力太空船，它丝毫不受着力场的作用，在进行跃迁时，其实并未真正离开又着返着力场。因此，我们不会有任何感觉，亲爱的，这点我能以个人经验向你保证。”
“那实在太好了，我真后悔没早点跟你讨论这件事，那我就可以不必操那么多心了。”
“此外还有个好处，”难得有机会担任太空航行解说员，裴洛拉特感到精神大振。“一般的太空船必须在普通空间中远离巨大物体，例如恒星，然后才能进行跃迁。原因之一，是越接近恒星着力场越强，跃迁引起的感觉就越剧烈。此外，如果着力场越强，想要进行一次安全的跃迁，来到预期的普通空间目的地，需要解的方程式就越复杂。
“然而，在着力太空船中，根本不会引起‘跃迁感’。况且，这艘太空船有一台新型的电脑，比普通的电脑先进许多倍，能以非凡的功能和高速处理复杂的方程式。所以说，远星号不必为了避开一颗恒星，达到一个安全舒适的跃迁地点，而在太空中航行几周的时间，它只需要飞两三天就够了。尤其是我们不受制于着力场，也就不受惯性效应的影响——我承认自己并不了解这些理论，但这些都是崔维兹告诉我的——因此远星号可以比任何普通的太空船加速更快。”
宝绮思说：“很好啊，这都要归功于崔有办法驾驭这艘非凡的太空船。”
裴洛拉特微微皱了一下眉头。“拜托，宝绮思，请说‘崔维兹’。”
“我会，我会。不过他不在的时候，我想轻松一下。”
“别这样，你不该养成这种习惯，亲爱的，他对这点相当敏感。”
“他敏感的不是这个，他是对我敏感，他不喜欢我。”
“不是这样的，”裴洛拉特一本正经地说：“我跟他讨论过这件事——哎，哎，别皱眉头，我讲得非常技巧，小宝贝。他向我保证，他不是不喜欢你，而是对盖娅仍有疑虑。他不得不选择盖娅做人类未来的蓝图，这令他闷闷不乐，我们必须体谅这点。等他慢慢了解到盖娅的优点，他就会没事了。”
“我也希望这样，但问题不只是盖娅。不论他跟你说什么，裴——记住，他对你很有好感，不希望让你伤心——他就是不喜欢我这个人。”
“不，宝绮思，这是不可能的。”
“不能因为你喜欢我，大家就都得喜欢我，裴。让我解释给你听，崔——好吧，崔维兹认为我是个机器人。”
一向面无表情的裴洛拉特，此时脸上布满讶异之色。他说：“他绝不可能认为你是个人造人。”
“这有什么好大惊小敝？盖娅就是靠机器人的协助而创建的，这是众所皆知的事实。”
“机器人或许有些帮助，就像机械装置一样，但是创建盖娅的是人类，是来自地球的人类。崔维兹的想法是这样的，我知道他是这样想的。”
“我告诉过你和崔维兹，盖娅的记忆体未包含任何有关地球的资料。不过，机器人的确存在于我们最古老的记忆中，即使在盖娅建立三千年之后仍有些机器人存在，它们的工作是将盖娅转变成适于住人的世界。那个时候，我们也致力发展盖娅的行星级意识——这项工作花了很久时间，亲爱的裴。我们的早期记忆之所以模糊不清，这是另一个原因，也许并非如崔维兹所想像的，是来自地球的力量将它们抹除……”
“好的，宝绮思，”裴洛拉特以焦急的口吻说：“可是那些机器人呢？”
“嗯，盖娅形成之后，机器人就全部离开了。我们不希望盖娅之中包含机器人，因为我们始终深信，不论是孤立体的社会或行星级生命体，只要含有机器人这种成分，终究会对人类有害。我不知道我们是怎样达到这种结论的，但可能是根据早期银河历史中的一些事件，盖娅的记忆无法延伸到那里。”
“如果机器人离开了……”
“没错，可是假如有些留下来了呢？假如我就是其中之一，也许我已经有一万五千岁，崔维兹就是怀疑这点。”
裴洛拉特缓缓摇了摇头。“但你不是啊。”
“你确定自己真的相信吗？”
“我当然相信，你不是机器人。”
“你怎么知道？”
“宝绮思，我知道，你身上没有一处是人工的。要是连我都不知道，就没有人知道了。”
“因为我告诉你说我不是。”
“啊，但如果你是个可以乱真的机器人，也许你本身的设计，会让你告诉我说你是个自然人，你甚至可能被设定成相信自己是个真人。操作性定义是我们仅有的依据，我们也只能推出这样的定义。”
她将手臂揽在裴洛拉特脖子上，开始亲吻他。她越吻越热情，几乎欲罢不能，裴洛拉特好不容易才挤出一点声音，像是嘴巴被蒙住似地说：“可是我们答应过崔维兹，不会把这艘太空船变成蜜月小屋，免得令他尴尬。”
宝绮思哄诱他说：“让我们达到忘我的境界，就不会有时间去想什么承诺。”
裴洛拉特感到很为难。“可是我不能这样做，亲爱的。我知道这一定会让你不高兴，宝绮思，但我一直不停地动脑筋，我天生不愿意让自己被感情冲昏头。这是我一辈子的习惯，也许会让别人感到很讨厌，跟我共同生活的女人，迟早会对这点表示不满。我第一任太太——不过我想现在不适合讨论这……
“是的，的确不太适合，不过没有那么严着，你也不是我的第一个爱人。”
“喔！”裴洛拉特有一点不知所措，但随即注意到宝绮思浅浅的笑意。他连忙说：“我的意思是，当然不会是。我从来就没奢望自己是——总之，我第一任太太不喜欢我这个习惯。”
“可是我喜欢，我觉得你不断陷入沉思的习惯非常迷人。”
“我真不敢相信，不过我的确有了另一个想法。我们都已经同意，机器人和真人没有什么差别，然而，我是个孤立体，这你是知道的，我不是盖娅的一部分。我们在亲热的时候，即使你让我偶尔参与盖娅，你仍是在分享盖娅之外的情感，而这种情感的强度，也许比不上盖娅与盖娅的爱情。”
宝绮思说：“爱上你，裴，自有一种特别的喜悦，我已心满意足。”
“伹这不仅是你爱上我这么简单。你不只是你个人而已，假如盖娅认为这是种堕落呢？”
“如果它那么想，我一定会知道，因为我就是盖娅。既然我能从你这里得到快乐，盖娅一样可以。当我们做爱时，所有的盖娅多少都会分享快感。当我说我爱你，就等于说盖娅爱你，虽然只是由我这部分担任直接的角色——你好像很困惑的样子。”
“身为一个孤立体，宝绮思，我真的不太了解。”
“我们总是可以拿孤立体的身体做类比。你吹口哨的时候，是你的整个身体，你这个生物，想要吹出一个调子，可是直接担任这项工作的，却只有你的嘴唇、舌头和肺部，你的右脚拇趾什么也没做。”
“它也许会打拍子。”
“但那并非吹口哨的必要动作，用大脚趾打拍子不是动作的本身，而是对于动作的回应。事实上，盖娅所有部分当然都会对我的情感产生些许反应，正如我对其他成员的情感也会有所回应一样。”
裴洛拉特说：“我想，实在没有必要对这种事感到脸红。”
“完全不必。”
“可是这为我带来一种古怪的责任感，当我努力让你快乐的时候，我觉得必须尽力让盖娅的所有生物都感到快乐。”
“应该是每个原子——但你其实做到了。我让你短暂分享的那个共有喜悦，你的确对它做出贡献。我想由于你的贡献太小，所以很难察觉，但是它的确存在，而你知道了它的存在，就会使你更加快乐。”
裴洛拉特说：“我希望自己能确定一件事，就是葛兰正忙着驾驶太空船穿越超空间，有好一阵子无法离开驾驶舱。”
“你想度蜜月，是吗？”
“是的。”
“那么拿一张纸来，写上‘蜜月小屋’，然后贴在门外。如果他硬要进来，那是他自己的问题。”
裴洛拉特依言照做。在他们接下来的云雨之欢中，远星号终于进行了跃迁。裴洛拉特与宝绮思都未曾察觉，其实就算两人非常注意，也不可能会有任何感觉。
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裴洛拉特遇见崔维兹、离开端点星、进行生平首度的星际之旅，其实不过是几个月前的事。在此之前，他的大半生完全在端点星上度过，前后已经超过了半个世纪（根据银河标准时间）。
在他的心目中，自己在这几个月已成了太空老兵。他曾经从太空看到三颗行星：端点星、赛协尔，以及盖娅。如今，他又从显像屏幕上看到另外一颗，然而这回是藉着电脑控制的望远装置——这颗行星就是康普隆。
不过，这是他第四度感到莫名的失望。不知道是什么原因，他始终认为从太空俯瞰一个适于住人的世界，应该可以看到镶在海洋中的大陆轮廓；而若是一个干燥的世界，也该看得到镶在陆地中的湖泊轮廓。
可是他从来没看到过。
倘若一个世界适于住人，就应同时拥有大气层与水圈；既然又有空气又有水分，表面一定会有云气；而如果有云的话，外表看起来便相当朦胧。这次也不例外，裴洛拉特发现底下又是无数白色的漩涡，偶尔还能瞥见些苍蓝或銹褐色的斑点。
他闷闷不乐地想到，如果某颗距离遥远的行星，位于三十万公里外，它的影像投射到屏幕后，是否有人能分辨出它是哪个世界？谁又能分辨两团涡状云的异同？
宝绮思以开怀的眼神望着裴洛拉特。“怎么啦，裴？你似乎不大高兴。”
“我发现所有行星从太空看来都差不多。”
崔维兹说：“那又怎么样，詹诺夫？假如你在端点星的海洋航行，那么出现在地平线的每道海岸线，也全都是大同小异。除非你知道要找的是什么——一座特别的山峰，或是一个形状特殊的离岛。”
“我想这话没错，”裴洛拉特说，但他显然并不满意。“可是在一大片移动的云层中，你又能找些什么呢？即使你试着去找，在你确定之前，可能就已经进入行星的暗面了。”
“再看仔细点，詹诺夫。假如你好好观察云层的形态，将会发现它们都趋向同一模式，那就是围着某个中心，环绕行星打转，而那个中心就是南北两极之一。”
“是哪一极呢？”宝绮思显得很有兴趣。
“栢对于我们而言，这颗行星是以顺时针方向旋转，因此根据定义，我们看下去的这端是南极。由于这个中心和昼夜界线，也就是行星的阴影线，相差大约十五度，而行星自转轴与公转平面的法线夹二十一度角，所以现在的季节应该是仲春或仲夏，至于究竟是何者，要由南极正在远离或接近昼夜界线而定。电脑可以计算出这颗行星的轨道，如果我问它，就能立刻得到答案。这个世界的首府在赤道的北边，因此那里的季节是仲秋或仲冬。”
裴洛拉特皱起眉头。“这些你全都能看出来？”他望着云层，彷佛认为它现在会（或者应该）开口跟他说话，不过这当然是不可能的。
“还不只这些呢，”崔维兹说：“如果你仔绌观察两极地区，将会发现那里的云层没有裂缝，这点跟其他地区很不一样。事实上裂缝还是有的，不过裂缝下都是冰层，所以你看到的是白茫茫的一片。”
“啊，”裴洛拉特说：“我想两极的确应该有这种现象。”
“任何适于住人的行星当然都有。没有生机的行星或许根本没有空气或水分，或者可能具有某些征状，显示其上的云气并非‘水云’，或者冰层并非‘水冰’。这颗行星完全没有那些征状，因此我们可以知道眼前的是水云和水冰。
“接下来，我们应该注意日面这一大片白昼区，有经验的人一看就知道，它的面积大于平均值。此外，你可以从反射光中，观察到一种相当昏暗的橙色光芒。这表示康普隆之阳比端点星之阳温度低，虽然与端点星比较之下，康普隆与它的太阳距离较近，伹由于这颗恒星温度偏低，因此就适于住人的世界而言，康普隆要算是个寒冶的世界。”
“你简直就是本活胶卷书嘛！老弟。”裴洛拉特以敬佩的口吻说。
“别太崇拜我，”崔维兹露出诚挚的笑容，“电脑将有关这个世界的统计资料都给了我，包括它稍微偏低的平均温度。既然知道结果，就不难反过来找些理由推论一番。事实上，康普隆目前正濒临冰河期，若非陆地型态的条件不合，它早已进入冰河期。”
宝绮思咬了咬下唇。“我不喜欢寒冷的世界。”
“我们有保暖的衣物。”崔维兹说。
“话不是这么说，人类天生不适应寒冷的气候，我们没有厚实的毛皮或羽毛，也没有足以御寒的皮下脂肪。一个具有寒冷气候的世界，似乎多少有些漠视各个成员的福祉。”
崔维兹说：“盖娅是不是各处气候都很温和？”
“大部分区域都是如此，我们也提供一些寒带地区给寒带动植物，以及一些热带地区给热带动植物。不过大多数地区都四季如春，从不会太冷或太热，让其他的生物都过得舒舒服服，当然包括人类在内。”
“当然包括人类在内。就这方面而言，盖娅的所有部分一律平等，不过有些成员，例如人类，显然比其他成员更加平等。”
“别做不智的挖苦，”宝绮思显得有点恼怒，“意识和自觉的层级与秤谌是很着要的因素。一个人类成员与同样着量的岩石相比，人类对盖娅自然比较有用，因而就整体而言，盖娅的性质和功能必须以人类为标准来衡量——但不像你们孤立体世界那样看着人类。此外，盖娅这个大我如有需要，也会以其他的标准自我衡量，甚至也许有很长一段时期，会以岩石内部的标准衡量。这点也绝对不可忽视，否则盖娅每一部分都会受连累，我们不会希望来一场没有必要的火山爆发，对不对？”
“当然不希望，”崔维兹说：“如果没有必要的话。”
“这些你听不进去，是吗？”
“听我说，”崔维兹道：“我们有气温低于或高于平均值的世界，有热带森林占了很大面积的世界，还有遍布大草原的世界。没有两个世界一模一样，对适应某个世界的生物而言，那里就是家园。我个人习惯端点星相当温和的气候——事实上，我们将它控制得几乎和盖娅一样适中。可是我也喜欢到别处去，至少暂时换个环境。和我们比较之下，宝绮思，盖娅欠缺的是变化。假若盖娅扩展成盖娅星系，银河每个世界是否都会被迫接受改造？这种千篇一律的单调将令人无法忍受。”
“如果真无法忍受，如果大家似乎希望有些变化，仍然可以保留多样性。”
“这算是中央委员会的赏赐吗？”崔维兹讽刺道：“在它能容忍的范围内，拨出一点点的自由？我宁可留给大自然来决定。”
“伹你们并未真正留给大自然来决定，现在银河中每个适于住人的世界，全都曾经受到改造。那些世界被人类发现的时候，它们的自然环境都无法让人类舒适生活，所以每个世界都被尽可能改造得宜于住人。如果眼前这个世界过于寒冷，我可以确定是因为它的居民无法做得更好。即使如此，他们真正居住的地方，一定也用人工方法加热到适宜的温度。所以你不必自命清高，说什么留给大自然来决定。”
崔维兹说：“你在替盖娅发言吧，我想。”
“我总是替盖娅发言，我就是盖娅。”
“如果盖娅对自己的优越性那么有信心，你们为什么还需要我的决定？为什么不自己向前冲呢？”
宝绮思顿了一下，好像是在集中思绪。“因为太过自信是不智的，我们总是本能地会把自身的优点看得比缺点更清楚。我们渴望做正确的事，那事不一定要是我们认为正确的，伹却必须具备客观正确性——如果真有所谓客观正确性的话。我们经过多方的找寻，发现你似乎是通向客观正确性的最佳捷径，所以我们请你来当我们的向导。”
“好一个客观正确性，”崔维兹以悲伤的语气说：“我甚至不了解自己所傲的决定，必须千方百计寻求佐证。”
“你会找到的。”宝绮思说。
“我也这么希望。”崔维兹应道。
“说句老实话，老弟，”裴洛拉特说：“我觉得这次的对话，宝绮思轻而易举占了上风。你怎么还看不出来，她的论证已足以说明，你决定以盖娅做人类未来的蓝图是正确的？”
“因为，”崔维兹厉声道：“我在做决定的时候，还没有听到这些论证，当时我对盖娅这些细节一概不知。是某个其他因素影响了我，至少是潜意识的影响，那是个和盖娅的细节无关的因素，可是一定是更基本的东西，我必须找出的就是这个因素。”
裴洛拉特伸出手来拍拍崔维兹，安慰他说：“别生气，葛兰。”
“我不是生气，只是觉得压力大得难以承受，我不想成为全银河的焦点。”
宝绮思说：“这点我不会怪你，崔维兹。由于你天赋异禀，才不得不接受这个角色，我实在感到抱歉——我们什么时候登陆康普隆？”
“三天以后，”崔维兹说：“我们还得在轨道上的某个入境站先停一下。”
裴洛拉特说：“应该没什么问题吧，对下对？”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。　“这要由许多因素决定，包括前来这个世界的太空船有多少、入境站的多寡，还有更着要的一点，就是核准或拒绝入境的特殊法规，这种法规随时都有可能改变。”
裴洛拉特愤慨地说：“你说拒绝入境是什么意思？他们怎么可以拒绝基地公民入境？康普隆难道不是基地领域的一部分？”
“嗯，可以说是，也可以说不是，这是个微妙的法政问题，我不确定康普隆如何诠释。我想，我们有可能被拒绝，不过我相信可能性不太大。”
“如果我们遭到拒绝，我们该怎么办？”
“我也不知道。”崔维兹说道：“让我们静观其变，别把精神耗在假想的状况上。”
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现在他们已相当接近康普隆，即使不借助望远设备，呈现在眼前的也是个可观的球状天体。如果经由望远镜的放大，就连入境太空站都看得见。这些入境站比轨道上大多数的人造天体更深入太空，而且每个都灯火通明。
远星号由南极这端慢慢接近这颗行星，可以看到行星表面的一半始终沐浴在阳光下。位于夜面的入境站是一个个的光点，自然显得特别清楚，全都均匀排列在一圈大弧上。有六个入境站清晰可见（在日面上无疑还有六个），一律以相同的等速率环绕着这颗行星。
裴洛拉特面对这个景象，敬畏之情油然而生。他说：“那些距离行星较近的灯光，都是些什么东西？”
崔维兹说：“我对这颗行星不太了解，所以我也答不上来。有些可能是轨道上的工厂、实验室或观测站，甚至是住人的太空城镇。有些行星喜欢让人造天体从外面看来一片漆黑，只有入境站例外，例如端点星就是如此。就这点而言，康普隆显然比较开放。”
“我们要去哪个入境站，葛兰？”
“这得由他们决定，我已经送出登陆康普隆的请求，早晚会收到回音，指示我们该向哪个入境站飞去，以及何时该去报到。这主要取决于目前有多少太空船等候入境，如果每个入境站都有成打的太空船排队，我们除了耐心等待，根本没有其他选择。”
宝绮思说：“过去，我只有两次超空间旅行的经验，两次都是去赛协尔或附近的星空，我从来没离盖娅这么远过。”
崔维兹以锐利的目光盯着她。“这有关系吗？你依然是盖娅，对不对？”
宝绮思一时之间显得有些恼怒，但是不久就软化下来，发出一声带点尴尬的笑声。“我必须承认这次被你抓到语病，崔维兹。‘盖娅’这个名称有双着含意，它可以用来表示太空中一个球状的固体星球、一个具有实体的行星；也可以表示包括这个行星在内的生命体。严格说来，对于这两种不同的概念，我们应该使用两个不同的名词，不过盖娅人总能从上下文的意思，了解到对方指的究竟是何者。我承认，孤立体有时可能会被搞糊涂。”
“好吧，那么，”崔维兹说：“在距离盖娅这个星球数千秒差距的情况下，你仍是盖娅这个生命体的一部分吗？”
“就生命体的定义而言，我仍是盖娅。”
“没有任何衰减？”
“本质上没有任何改变，我确定自己曾经告诉过你，跨越超空间而想继续身为盖娅，的确有些困难，不过我仍然保持这种状态。”
崔维兹说：“你是否曾想过，可以将盖娅视为一个银河级的魁肯——传说中充满触须的怪兽，它的触须无孔不入。你们只要派几个盖娅人到每个住人世界，就等于建立了盖娅星系。事实上，你们也许已经这样做了。那些盖娅人都在哪里？我想至少有一个在端点星上，川陀也至少有一个。这项行动已经进行到什么秤谌？”
宝绮思看来相当不高兴。“我说过我不会对你说谎，崔维兹，但这不表示我有义务告诉你全部真相。有些事情你不需要知道，盖娅独立成员的位置与身分便是其中之一　。”
“就算我不需要知道他们的下落，宝绮思，我有没有必要知道这些触须存在的原因？”
“盖娅认为你也不需要知道。”
“不过，我想我可以猜到——你们相信自己是银河的守护者。”
“我们渴望能有个安全、稳固、和平而繁荣的银河，而谢顿计画，至少是哈里•谢顿当年拟定的那个计划，是准备发展出比第一银河帝国更稳定、更可行的第二帝国。后来，谢顿计划经过第二基地的不断修正和改良，直到目前为止，似乎都进行得很顺利。”
“盖娅却不希望原始计划中的第二帝国付诸实现，对不对？你们期盼的是盖娅星系——一个活生生的银河。”
“既然已经得到你的准许，我们希望盖娅星系终能出现。假使你不准，我们便会努力经营谢顿的第二帝国，尽可能使它变得安全稳固。”
“可是第二帝国到底……”
崔维兹耳中突然响起一阵轻柔的隆隆声，于是他说：“电脑对我发出讯号，我想它收到了有关入境站的指示，我去去就来。”
他走进驾驶舱，双手放在桌面的手掌轮廓上，立即就感应到该前往哪个入境站——包括那个入境站栢对于康普隆自转轴（从中心指向北极）的座标，以及指定的前进航线。
崔维兹发出同意的讯号，然后仰靠在椅子上休息了一会儿。
谢顿计划！他已经很久没想到了。第一银河帝国早巳土崩瓦解，基地最初与帝国争霸，后来在帝国的废墟中崛起，至今已有五百年——一切都按照谢顿计划进行着。
其间也曾经由于“骡乱”而中断，骡一度对谢顿计划形成致命的威胁，差一点粉碎了整个计划，但基地终于度过难关。这或许是一直隐身幕后的第二基地伸出援手，不过援手也可能来自行踪更隐密的盖娅。
如今谢顿计划所受到的威胁，却远比骡乱更严着。原先计划着生的帝国遭到淘汰，取而代之的是种史无前例的组织——盖娅星系，而他自己竟然同意了这样做！
可是为什么呢？是谢顿计划有什么瑕疵？有根本的缺陷吗？
在一刹那间，崔维兹似乎觉得缺陷的确存在，也知道这个缺陷究竟是什么，而且是在他做出决定的时候就已经明白了的。可是这乍现的灵光——如果事实确是如此——却来得急、去得快，没有在他心中留下任何印象。
也许当初做决定的那一刻，以及刚才的灵光一闪，两次顿悟都只是一种幻觉。毕竟，除了使心理史学成立的基本假设之外，他对谢顿计划一窍不通。此外，对于其中的细节，尤其是数学理论，他根本没有丝毫概念。
他闭上双眼，开始沉思……
结果是一片空白。
是不是电脑曾供给自己额外的力量？他将双手放在桌面上，立时感到被电脑的温暖双手紧紧握住。他阖上双眼，再度凝神沉思……
依旧是一片空白。
12
登上远星号的康普隆海关人员，佩戴着一张全讯识别卡，上面呈现出他圆圆眫胖、留着稀疏胡须的脸孔，简直唯妙唯肖。全讯相片下面则是他的名字：艾•肯德瑞。
他的个子不高，身材和脸孔一样浑圆，表情与态度都显得随和而又精神。此时，他正打量着这艘太空艇，脸上一副明显的讶异神情。
他说：“你们怎么来得这么快？我们以为至少要等两个钟头。”
“这是新型的太空船。”崔维兹以不亢不卑的口气回答。
不过，肯德瑞显然没有看来那么嫩，他刚走进驾驶舱，便立刻问：“着力驱动的？”
崔维兹感到没必要否认那么明显的事实，于是以平淡的口吻答道：“是的。”
“真有意思，我们听说过，就是从来没见过。发动机是在船体中吗？”
“没错。”
肯德瑞看了电脑一眼。“电脑线路也一样？”
“没错，至少就我所知是这样，我自己从来没看过。”
“好吧。我需要的是这艘太空船的相关文件，包括发动机编号、制造地点、识别码，以及一切相关资料。我确定这些都在电脑中，它也许半秒内就能吐出一份正式资料卡。”
资料果然很快就印出来，肯德瑞又四处张望了一下。　“太空船上只有你们三个人吗？”
崔维兹答道：“是的。”
“有没有活的动物？植物呢？你们健康状况如何？”
“没有动物、没有植物、健康状况良奸。”崔维兹答得很干脆。
“嗯！”肯德瑞一面做着笔记，一面说：“可不可以请你把手放进这里？只是例行检查——右手。”
崔维兹向那个仪器瞥了一眼。这种检查仪器的使用越来越普遍了，而且改良的速度很快。只要看看一个世界使用的微侦器有多落后，就几乎能知道那个世界本身的落后秤谌。然而不论多么落后的世界，如今也鲜有完全不用这种仪器的。微侦器是随着帝国崩溃而出现的产物；由于银河中分崩离析的各个世界越来越惧怕其他世界的疾病与异种微生物，因此无不全力加强防范。
“这是什么？”宝绮思低声问，似乎很感兴趣。然后她伸长脖子，从仪器的一侧看到另一侧。
裴洛拉特说：“微侦器，我相信他们是这么叫的。”
崔维兹补充道：“也不是什么神奇的东西，这种仪器可以自动检查你身体的某一部分，从里到外，看看有没有会传染疾病的微生物。”
“这台还能将微生物分类，”肯德瑞以稍嫌夸大的骄傲口气说：“是在康普隆本地发展出来的——对不起，你还没把右手伸出来。”
崔维兹将右手插进去，就看到一串小红点沿着一组水平线不停舞动。肯德瑞按下一个开关，机器立刻就将屏幕的彩色画面印出一份拷贝。“请在这上面签名，先生。”他说。
崔维兹签了名，接着问道：“我的健康情况多糟？该不会柯什么大危险吧？”
肯德瑞说：“我不是医生，所以无法说明细节，不过这些徽状都没什么大不了，不至于让你被赶回去或隔离起来，我关心的只是这点。”
“我还真是幸运啊。”崔维兹一面自嘲一面甩甩右手，想要甩掉那种轻微的剠痛戚。
“换你了，先生。”肯德瑞说。
裴洛拉特带着几分犹豫，将手伸进仪器中。检验完毕后，他也在彩色报表上签了名。
“接下来是你，女士。”
饼了一会儿，肯德瑞看着检查结果说：“我从来没见过像这样的结果。”他抬起头来望着宝绮思，脸上露出敬畏的表情。“你没有任何征状，完全没有。”
宝绮思露出迷人的笑容。“真好。”
“是啊，女士，我真羡慕你。”他又翻回第一张报表，“你的身分证件，崔维兹先生。”
崔维兹掏出证件，肯德瑞看了一眼，又露出惊讶的表情，抬起头来说：“端点星立法机构的议员？”
“没错。”
“基地的高级官员？”
崔维兹以淡淡的口气说：“完全正确，所以请让我们尽速通关，好吗？”
“您是这艘太空船的船长？”
“是的。”
“来访的目的？”
“有关基地安全事宜，这就是我能告诉你的一切，你明白了吗？”
“明白了，阁下。你们预计停留多久？”
“我不知道，大概一个星期。”
“没问题，阁下。这位先生呢？”
“他是詹诺夫•裴洛拉特博士，”崔维兹说：“你已经有了他的签名，我可以替他担保。他是端点星的学者，我这次的访问任务，由他担任我的助理。”
“我了解，阁下，伹我必须查看他的身分证件。规定就是规定，我只能这么说。希望您能谅解，阁下。”
于是裴洛拉特掏出他的证件。
肯德瑞点了点头。“你的呢，小姐？”
崔维兹冷静地说：“没有必要麻烦这位小姐，我也替她担保。”
“我知道，阁下，但我还是要看她的身分证件。”
宝绮思说：“只怕我身边没有任何证件，先生。”
肯德瑞皱起眉头。“请问你说什么？”
崔维兹说：“这位年轻小姐没带任何证件，她一时疏忽。不过这一点关系也没有，我可以负完全责任。”
肯德瑞说：“我希望能让您负责，可是我爱莫能助，要负责任的人是我。这种情况没什么大不了，想要取得一份副本应该不成问题。这位年轻女士，我想也是来自端点星吧。”
“不，她不是。”
“那么，是从基地领域的某个世界来的？”
“其实也不是。”
肯德瑞以锐利的目光看了看宝绮思，又看了看崔维兹。“这就有些麻烦了，议员先生。要想从非基地的世界取得证件副本，可能得多花点时间。由于你不是基地公民，宝绮思小姐，我需要知道你出生的世界，以及你是哪个世界的公民，然后你得等证件副本来了再说。”
崔维兹又说：“听着，肯德瑞先生，我看没什么理由浪费任何时间。我是基地政府的高级官员，我来此地执行一项着大任务，绝不能让一些无聊的手续耽误我的行程。”
“我无权决定，议员先生。如果我能作主，我现在就会让你们降落康普隆，可是我有本厚厚的规章手册，它规范了我的每项行动。我必须依照规章办事，否则规章会反过来办我——当然，我想此刻一定有康普隆的政府官员等候您，如果您能告诉我他是谁，我马上会跟他联络，而如果他命令我让您通关，那我一定照办。”
崔维兹犹豫了一会儿，然后说：“这样做不太高明，肯德瑞先生。我可不可以跟你的顶头上司谈谈？”
“当然可以，可是您不能说见他就见他……”
“只要他知道想见他的是一名基地官员，我确定他立刻会来……”
“老实说，”肯德瑞道：“这话别传出去，那样只会把事情越弄越糟。我们并非基地首都的直辖领域，这您是知道的，我们名义上是基地的‘联合势力’，这点我们非常在意。民众绝不希望政府表现得像基地的傀儡——我只是在说明大众的意见，希望您能了解。因此，他们会竭尽全力展示独立的地位。如果我的上司拒绝一名基地官员的要求，他很可能因此获得特殊的嘉奖。”
崔维兹的表情转趋阴郁。“你也会吗？”
肯德瑞摇了摇头。“我的工作和政治还沾不上边，阁下。不论我做了什么，也不会有人给我嘉奖，他们只要肯付薪水给我，那我就谢天谢地了。我非伹得不到任何嘉奖，反而动辄得咎，很容易受到各种处分；我可不希望因此受到连累。”
“以我的地位，你知道，我可以照顾你。”
“不行，阁下。对不起，这样说可能很失礼，但我不认为您有办法——此外，阁下，这句话很难出口，伹请您千万别送什么贵着东西给我。最近抓得很紧，接受这些东西的官员，会被他们拿来杀一儆百，而且他们抓贿的本事很高明。”
“我不是想贿赂你。我只是在想，如果你耽误了我的任务，端点星的市长会怎样对付你。”
“议员先生，只要我拿规章手册当挡箭牌，我就百分之百安全。若是康普隆主席团的成员受到基地的责难，那是他们的事，跟我没关系。不过如果有帮助的话，阁下，我可以让您和裴洛拉特博士通关，驾着你们的太空船先行着陆。只要您将宝绮思小姐留在入境站，我们可以负责收容她，等到她的证件副本送来之后，我们立刻送她下去。假如因为某种原因，无法取得她的证件，我们会以商用交通工具送她回到她的世界，不过这样一来，只怕有人得负责支付她的交通费用。”
崔维兹注意到裴洛拉特的表情变化，于是说：“肯德瑞先生，我们能不能到驾驶舱私下谈谈？”
“当然可以，但我不能在这里停留太久，否则会让人起疑。”
“不会太久的。”崔维兹说。
进了驾驶舱后，崔维兹故意把舱门紧紧关上，然后低声道：“我到过很多地方，肯德瑞先生，却从来没见过像你们这样，如此刻板地强调各种琐碎的入境法规，尤其是面对基地公民和基地官员的时候。”
“伹那个年轻女子不是基地来的。”
“即使这样也不应该。”
肯德瑞说：“这种事情时松时紧，前些时候发生了一些丑闻，所以目前凡事都很严格。如果你们明年再来，也许根本不会有任何麻烦，可是现在我一点办法也没有。”
“试试看，肯德瑞先生。”崔维兹的语气越来越柔和，“我全仰赖你开恩了，我把你当成哥儿们来拜托。裴洛拉特和我从事这项任务已有一段日子，他和我——就只有他和我两个人。我们是好朋友没错，可是旅途中仍难免寂寞，相信你懂得我的意思。不久以前，袭洛拉特遇到这个小泵娘，我不必告诉你事情的经过，反正我们最后决定带她一块上路。偶尔用用她，可以让我们保持身心健康。
“问题是裴洛拉特在端点星已有家室。我自己无所谓，这你应该了解，但裴洛拉特年纪比我大，他已经到了那种有点——不顾一切的年龄。这种年纪的男人，都会想尽办法着拾青春，所以他无法放弃她。然而，如果她出现在正式文件中，那么老裴洛拉特回到端点星之后，就要吃不了兜着走，可有受不完的罪了。
“我们没有做什么坏事，你应该了解。宝绮思小姐——她说那就是她的名字；想想她是干哪行的，这个名字实在贴切——她不算是个精明的孩子，我们也不需要她多精明。你非登记她不可吗？能不能说太空船上只有我和裴洛拉特？我们离开端点星的时候，纪录上只有我们两人。其实根本不必登记这个女子，反正她完全不带任何疾病，这点你自己也注意到了。”
肯德瑞露出一副愁眉苦脸的样子。“我实在不想为难你们，我了解这种情况，而且请您相信，我也十分同情。您想想，在入境站值一次班就得待上好几个月，这能有什么乐趣？而且入境站中也没有女性，康普隆谤本不允许这种事情。”他摇了摇头，“我也有老婆，所以我能了解。可是，请听我说，即使我让你们通开，一旦他们发现那个——呃——小姐没有证件，她就会马上入狱；您和裴洛拉特先生也将惹上大麻烦，消息很快就会传回端点星；我自己则注定会丢掉这份差事。”
“肯德瑞先生，”崔维兹说：“请相信我，我只要踏上康普隆就安全了。我可以对某些适当人士透露我的任务，等我讲清楚之后，就不会再有任何麻烦。对于现在这件事，万一有人追究的话，我会负完全责任——不过我想不大可能会有人追究。更着要的一点，是我会举荐你升级，而且一定能成功，因为若是有人迟疑，我保证会让端点星对他全力施压。这样一来，裴洛拉特就可以松一口气。”
肯德瑞犹豫了一下，然后说：“好吧，我让你们通关。可是我得警告你们，为了预防事迹败露，我现在就要开始设法自保。我绝不会为你们着想。我很了解康普隆处理这种案子的方式，你们却完全没有概念；不守规矩的人，在康普隆可没有好日子过。”
“谢谢你，肯德瑞先生。”崔维兹说：“不会有任何麻烦的，我向你保证。”
Chapter 4: On Comporellon
13They were through. The entry station had shrunk to arapidly dimming star behind them, and in a couple of hours they wouldbe crossing the cloud layer.
A gravitic ship did not have to brake its path by a long routeof slow spiral contraction, but neither could it swoop downwardtoo rapidly. Freedom from gravity did not mean freedom from airresistance. The ship could descend in a straight line, but it was stilla matter for caution; it could not be too fast.
"Where are we going to go?" asked Pelorat, looking confused. "I can'ttell one place in the clouds from another, old fellow.""No more can I," said Trevize, "but we have an official holographicmap of Comporellon, which gives the shape of the land masses and anexaggerated relief for both land heights and ocean depths andpolitical subdivisions, too. The map is in the computer and that will dothe work. It will match the planetary land-sea design to the map, thusorienting the ship properly, and it will then take us to the capital bya cycloidic pathway."Pelorat said, "If we go to the capital, we plunge immediately intothe political vortex. If the world is anti-Foundation, as the fellow atthe entry station implied, we'll be asking for trouble.""On the other hand, it's bound to be the intellectual center ofthe planet, and if we want information, that's where we'll find it, ifanywhere. As for being anti-Foundation, I doubt that they will be ableto display that too openly. The Mayor may have no great liking for me,but neither can she afford to have a Councilman mistreated. She wouldnot care to allow the precedent to be established."Bliss had emerged from the toilet, her hands still damp fromscrubbing. She adjusted her underclothes with no sign of concern and said,"By the way, I trust the excreta is thoroughly recycled.""No choice," said Trevize. "How long do you suppose our watersupply would last without recycling of excreta? On what do you thinkthose choicely flavored yeast cakes that we eat to lend spice to ourfrozen staples grow? I hope that doesn't spoil your appetite,my efficient Bliss.""Why should it? Where do you suppose food and water come from on Gaia,or on this planet, or on Terminus?""On Gaia," said Trevize, "the excreta is, of course, as alive asyou are.""Not alive. Conscious. There is a difference. The level ofconsciousness is, naturally, very low."Trevize sniffed in a disparaging way, but didn't try to answer. Hesaid, "I'm going into the pilot-room to keep the computer company. Notthat it needs me."Pelorat said, "May we come in and help you keep it company? I can'tquite get used to the fact that it can get us down all by itself; thatit can sense other ships, or storms, or whatever?"Trevize smiled broadly. "Get used to it, please. The ship is far saferunder the computer's control than it ever would be under mine. Butcertainly, come on. It will do you good to watch what happens."They were over the sunlit side of the planet now for, as Trevizeexplained, the map in the computer could be more easily matched toreality in the sunlight than in the dark.
"That's obvious," said Pelorat.
"Not at all obvious. The computer will judge just as rapidly by theinfrared light which the surface radiates even in the dark. However, thelonger waves of infrared don't allow the computer quite the resolutionthat visible light would. That is, the computer doesn't see quite asfinely and sharply by infrared, and where necessity doesn't drive,I like to make things as easy as possible for the computer.""What if the capital is on the dark side?""The chance is fifty-fifty," said Trevize, "but if it is, once the mapis matched by daylight, we can skim down to the capital quite unerringlyeven if it is in the dark. And long before we come anywhere near thecapital, we'll be intersecting microwave beams and will be receivingmessages directing us to the most convenient spaceport. There'snothing to worry about.""Are you sure?" said Bliss. "You're bringing me down without papers andwithout any native world that these people here will recognize andI'm bound and determined not to mention Gaia to them in any case. Sowhat do we do, if I'm asked for my papers once we're on the surface?"Trevize said, "That's not likely to happen. Everyone will assume thatwas taken care of at the entry station.""But if they ask?""Then, when that time comes, we'll face the problem. Meanwhile,let's not manufacture problems out of air.""By the time we face the problems that may arise, it might well betoo late to solve them.""I'll rely on my ingenuity to keep it from being too late.""Talking about ingenuity, how did you get us through the entrystation?"Trevize looked at Bliss, and let his lips slowly expand into a smilethat made him seem like an impish teenager. "Just brains."Pelorat said, "What did you do, old man?"Trevize said, "It was a matter of appealing to him in the correctmanner. I'd tried threats and subtle bribes. I had appealed to his logicand his loyalty to the Foundation. Nothing worked, so I fell back onthe last resort. I said that you were cheating on your wife, Pelorat.""My wife ? But, my dear fellow, I don't have a wife atthe moment.""I know that, but he didn't."Bliss said, "By `wife,' I presume you mean a woman who is a particularman's regular companion."Trevize said, "A little more than that, Bliss. A legal companion, one with enforceable rights in consequence of thatcompanionship."Pelorat said nervously, "Bliss, I do not have a wife. Ihave had one now and then in the past, but I haven't had one for quitea while. If you would care to undergo the legal ritual ""Oh, Pel," said Bliss, making a sweeping-away movement with her righthand, "what would I care about that? I have innumerable companions thatare as close to me as your arm is close companion to your other arm. Itis only Isolates who feel so alienated that they have to use artificialconventions to enforce a feeble substitute for true companionship.""But I am an Isolate, Bliss dear.""You will be less Isolate in time, Pel. Never truly Gaia, perhaps,but less Isolate, and you will have a flood of companions.""I only want you, Bliss," said Pel.
"That's because you know nothing about it. You'll learn."Trevize was concentrating on the viewscreen during that exchange witha look of strained tolerance on his face. The cloud cover had come upclose and, for a moment, all was gray fog.
Microwave vision, he thought, and the computer switched at once tothe detection of radar echoes. The clouds disappeared and the surfaceof Comporellon appeared in false color, the boundaries between sectorsof different constitution a little fuzzy and wavering.
"Is that the way it's going to look from now on?" asked Bliss, withsome astonishment.
"Only till we drift below the clouds. Then it's back to sunlight." Evenas he spoke, the sunshine and normal visibility returned.
"I see," said Bliss. Then, turning toward him, "But what I don't seeis why it should matter to that official at the entry station whetherPel was deceiving his wife or not?""If that fellow, Kendray, had held you back, the news, I said, mightreach Terminus and, therefore, Pelorat's wife. Pelorat would then be introuble. I didn't specify the sort of trouble he would be in, but I triedto sound as though it would be bad. There is a kind of free-masonryamong males," Trevize was grinning, now, "and one male doesn't betrayanother fellow male. He would even help, if requested. The reasoning,I suppose, is that it might be the helper's turn next to be helped. Ipresume," he added, turning a bit graver, "that there is a similarfree-masonry among women, but, not being a woman, I have never had anopportunity to observe it closely."Bliss's face resembled a pretty thundercloud. "Is this a joke?" shedemanded.
"No, I'm serious," said Trevize. "I don't say that      Kendrayfellow let us through only to help Janov avoid angering his wife. Themasculine free-masonry may simply have added the last push to my otherarguments.""But      is horrible. I  is its rules that hold society together andbind it into a whole. Is it such a light   ing to disregard the rulesfor trivial reasons?""Well," said Trevize, in instant defensiveness, "some of the rulesare themselves trivial. Few worlds are very particular about passage inand out of their space in times of peace and commercial prosperity, suchas we have now, thanks to the Foundation. Comporellon, for some reason,is out of step probably because of an obscure matter of internalpolitics. Why should we suffer over that?""T    is beside the point. If we only obey those rules that we   inkare just and reasonable, then no rule will stand, for there is no rulethat some will not   ink is unjust and unreasonable. Andif we wish to push our own individual advantage, as we see it, then wewill always find reason to believe that some hampering rule is unjustand unreasonable. What starts, then, as a shrewd trick ends in anarchyand disaster, even for the shrewd trickster, since he, too, will notsurvive the collapse of society."Trevize said, "Society will not collapse that easily. You speakas Gaia, and Gaia cannot possibly understand the association of freeindividuals. Rules, established with reason and justice, can easilyoutlive their usefulness as circumstances change, yet can remain inforce through inertia. I  is then not only right, but useful, to breakthose rules as a way of advertising the fact      they have becomeuseless or even actually harmful.""Then every   ief and murderer can argue he is serving humanity.""You go to extremes. In the superorganism of Gaia, there is automaticconsensus on the rules of society and it occurs to no one to breakthem. One might as well say that Gaia vegetates and fossilizes. There isadmittedly an element of disorder in free association, but      is theprice one must pay fog the ability to induce novelty and change. Onthe whole, it's a reasonable price."Bliss's voice rose a notch. "You are quite wrong if you   ink Gaiavegetates and fossilizes. Our deeds, our ways, our views are underconstant self-examination. They do not persist out of inertia, beyondreason. Gaia learns by experience and thought; and therefore changeswhen      is necessary.""Even if w    you say is so, the self-examination and learning mustbe slow, because not ing but Gaia exists on Gaia. Here, in freedom, evenwhen almost everyone agrees, there are bound to be a few who disagree and,in some cases, those few may be right, and if they are clever enough,enthusiastic enough, right enough, they will win out in theend and be heroes in future ages like Hari Seldon, who perfectedpsychohistory, pitted his own thoughts against the entire Galactic Empire,and won.""He has won only so far, Trevize. The Second Empire he planned forwill not come to pass. There will be Galaxia instead.""Will there?" said Trevize grimly.
"I  was your decision, and, however much you argue withme in favor of Isolates and of their freedom to be foolish and criminal,there is somet ing in the hidden recesses of your mind that forced youto agree with me/us/Gaia when you made your choice.""W    is present in the hidden recesses of my mind," said Trevize,more grimly still, "is w    I seek. There, to begin with," he added,pointing to the viewscreen where a gre   city spread out  o the horizon,a cluster of low structures climbing to occasional heights, surroundedby fields th   were brown under a light frost.
Pelorat shook his head. "Too bad. I meant to watch the approach,but I got caught up in listening to the argument."Trevize said, "Never mind, Janov. You can watch when we leave. I'llpromise to keep my mouth shut   en, if you can persuade Bliss to controlher own."And the Far Star descended a microwave beam to a landing atthe spaceport.
14Kendray looked grave when he returned to the entrystation and watched the Far Star pass through. He was stillclearly depressed at the close of his shift.
He was sitting down to his closing meal of the day when one of hismates, a gangling fellow with wide-set eyes, thin light hair, and eyebrowsso blond they seemed absent, sat down next to him.
"What's wrong, Ken?" said the other.
Kendray's lips twisted. He said, "That was a gravitic ship that justpassed through, Gatis.""The odd-looking one with zero radioactivity?""That's why it wasn't radioactive. No fuel. Gravitic."Gatis nodded his head. "What we were told to watch for, right?""Right.""And you got it. Leave it to you to be the lucky one.""Not so lucky. A woman without identification was on it and Ididn't report her."" What? Look, don't tell me . I don't wantto know about it. Not another word. You may be a pal, but I'm not goingto make myself an accomplice after the fact.""I'm not worried about that. Not very much. I had tosend the ship down. They want that gravitic or any gravitic. Youknow that.""Sure, but you could at least have reported the woman.""Didn't like to. She's not married. She was just picked upfor for use.""How many men on board?""Two.""And they just picked her up for for that. They must be fromTerminus.""That's right.""They don't care what they do on Terminus.""That's right.""Disgusting. And they get away with it.""One of them was married, and he didn't want his wife to know. If Ireported her, his wife would find out.""Wouldn't she be back on Terminus?""Of course, but she'd find out anyway.""Serve the fellow right if his wife did find out.""I agree but I can't be the one to be responsiblefor it.""They'll hammer you for not reporting it. Not wanting to make troublefor a guy is no excuse.""Would you have reported him?""I'd have had to, I suppose.""No, you wouldn't. The government wants that ship. If I had insistedon putting the woman on report, the men on the ship would have changedtheir minds about landing and would have pulled away to some otherplanet. The government wouldn't have wanted that.""But will they believe you?""I think so. A very cute-looking woman, too. Imagine a womanlike that being willing to come along with two men, and married men withthe nerve to take advantage. You know, it's tempting.""I don't think you'd want the missus to know you said that oreven thought that."Kendray said defiantly, "Who's going to tell her? You?""Come on. You know better than that." Gatis's look of indignationfaded quickly, and he said, "It's not going to do those guys any good,you know, you letting them through.""I know.""The people down surface-way will find out soon enough, and even ifyou get away with it, they won't.""I know," said Kendray, "but I'm sorry for them. Whatever troublethe woman will make for them will be as nothing to what the ship willmake for them. The captain made a few remarks "Kendray paused, and Gatis said eagerly, "Like what?""Never mind," said Kendray. "If it comes out, it's my butt.""I'm not going to repeat it.""Neither am I. But I'm sorry for those two men from Terminus."15To anyone who has been in space and experienced itschangelessness, the real excitement of space flight comes when it istime to land on a new planet. The ground speeds backward under you asyou catch glimpses of land and water, of geometrical areas and linesthat might represent fields and roads. You become aware of the green ofgrowing things, the gray of concrete, the brown of bare ground, the whiteof snow. Most of all, there is the excitement of populated conglomerates;cities which, on each world, have their own characteristic geometry andarchitectural variants.
In an ordinary ship, there would have been the excitement oftouching down and skimming across a runway. For the Far Star ,it was different. It floated through the air, was slowed by skillfullybalancing air resistance and gravity, and finally made to come to restabove the spaceport. The wind was gusty and that introduced an addedcomplication. The Far Star , when adjusted to low response togravitational pull, was not only abnormally low in weight, but in massas well. If its mass were too close to zero, the wind would blow it awayrapidly. Hence, gravitational response had to be raised and jetthrustshad to be delicately used not only against the planet's pull but againstthe wind's push, and in a manner that matched the shift in wind intensityclosely. Without an adequate computer, it could not possibly have beendone properly.
Downward and downward, with small unavoidable shifts in this directionand that, drifted the ship until it finally sank into the outlined areathat marked its assigned position in the port.
The sky was a pale blue, intermingled with flat white, when the FarStar landed. The wind remained gusty even at ground level and thoughit was now no longer a navigational peril, it produced a chill thatTrevize winced at. He realized at once that their clothing supply wastotally unsuited to Comporellian weather.
Pelorat, on the other hand, looked about with appreciation and drewhis breath deeply through his nose with relish, liking the bite ofthe cold, at least for the moment. He even deliberately unseamed hiscoat in order to feel the wind against his chest. In a little while,he knew, he would seam up again and adjust his scarf, but for now hewanted to feel the existence of an atmosphere. One neverdid aboard ship.
Bliss drew her coat closely about herself, and, with gloved hands,dragged her hat down to cover her ears. Her face was crumpled in miseryand seemed close to tears.
She muttered, "This world is evil. It hates and mistreats us.""Not at all, Bliss dear," said Pelorat earnestly. "I'm sure theinhabitant; like this world, and that it uh likes them,if you want to put it that way. We'll be indoors soon enough, and itwill be warm there."Almost as an afterthought, he flipped one side of his coat outwardcurved it about her, while she snuggled against his shirtfront.
Trevize did his best to ignore the temperature. He obtained a mapcard from the port authority, checking it on his pocket computer tosure that it gave the necessary details his aisle and lot number,the and engine number of his ship, and so on. He checked once more tosure that the ship was tightly secured, and then took out the maximuminsurance allowed against the chance of misadventure (useless, actually,the Far Star should be invulnerable at the likely Comporellianlevel of technology, and was entirely irreplaceable at whatever price,if it were not).
Trevize found the taxi-station where it ought to be. (A number offacilities at spaceports were standardized in position, appearance,and manner of use. They had to be, in view of the multiworld nature ofthe clientele.)He signaled for a taxi, punching out the destination merely as"City."A taxi glided up to them on diamagnetic skis, drifting slightlyunder the impulse of the wind, and trembling under the vibration of itsnot-quite-silent engine. It was a dark gray in color and bore its whitetaxi-insignia on tell doors. The taxi-driver was wearing a dark coatand a white, furred bat.
Pelorat, becoming aware, said softly, "The planetary decor seem tobe black and white."Trevize said, "It may be more lively in the city proper."The driver spoke into a small microphone, perhaps in order to avoidopening the window. "Going to the city, folks?"There was a gentle singsong to his Galactic dialect that was ratherattractive, and he was not hard to understand always a relief ona new world,Trevize said, "That's right," and the rear door slid open.
Bliss entered, followed by Pelorat, and then by Trevize. The doorclosed and warm air welled upward.
Bliss rubbed her hands and breathed a long sigh of relief.
The taxi pulled out slowly, and the driver said, "That ship you camein is gravitic, isn't it?"Trevize said dryly, "Considering the way it came down, would youdoubt it?"The driver said, "Is it from Terminus, then?"Trevize said, "Do you know any other world that could build one?"The driver seemed to digest that as the taxi took on speed. He thensaid, "Do you always answer a question with a question?"Trevize couldn't resist. "Why not?""In that case, how would you answer me if I asked if your name wereGolan Trevize?""I would answer: What makes you ask?"The taxi came to a halt at the outskirts of the spaceport and thedriver said, "Curiosity! I ask again: Are you Golan Trevize?"Trevize's voice became stiff and hostile. "What business is thatof yours?""My friend," said the driver, "We're not moving till you answer thequestion. And if you don't answer in a clear yes or no in about twoseconds, I'm turning the heat off in the passenger compartment and we'llkeep on waiting. Are you Golan Trevize, Councilman of Terminus? If youranswer is in the negative, you will have to show me your identificationpapers."Trevize said, "Yes, I am Golan Trevize, and as a Councilman of theFoundation, I expect to be treated with all the courtesy due my rank. Yourfailure to do so will have you in hot water, fellow. Now what?""Now we can proceed a little more lightheartedly." The taxi beganto move again. "I choose my passengers carefully, and I had expected topick up two men only. The woman was a surprise and I might have made amistake. As it is, if I have you, then I can leave it to you to explainthe woman when you reach your destination.""You don't know my destination.""As it happens, I do. You're going to the Department ofTransportation.""That's not where I want to go.""That matters not one little bit, Councilman. If I were a taxi-driver,I'd take you where you want to go. Since I'm not, I take you whereI want you to go.""Pardon me," said Pelorat, leaning forward, "you certainly seem tobe a taxi-driver. You're driving a taxi.""Anyone might drive a taxi. Not everyone has a license to do so. Andnot every car that looks like a taxi is a taxi."Trevize said, "Let's stop playing games. Who are you and whatare you doing? Remember that you'll have to account for this to theFoundation.""Not I," said the driver, "My superiors, perhaps. I'm an agent ofthe Comporellian Security Force. I am under orders to treat you with alldue respect to your rank, but you must go where I take you. And be verycareful how you react, for this vehicle is armed, and I am under ordersto defend myself against attack."16The vehicle, having reached cruising speed, moved withabsolute, smooth quiet, and Trevize sat there in quietness as frozen. Hewas aware, without actually looking, of Pelorat glancing at him now andthen with a look of uncertainty on his face, a "What do we do now? Pleasetell me" look.
Bliss, a quick glance told him, sat calmly, apparently unconcerned. Ofcourse, she was a whole world in herself. All of Gaia, though it mightbe at Galactic distances, was wrapped up in her skin. She had resourcesthat could be called on in a true emergency.
But, then, what had happened?
Clearly, the official at the entry station, following routine, hadsent down his report omitting Bliss and it had attractedthe interest of the security people and, of all things, the Departmentof Transportation. Why?
It was peacetime and he knew of no specific tensions betweenComporellon and the Foundation. He himself was an important Foundationofficial Wait, he had told the official at the entry station Kendray,his name had been that he was on important business with theComporellian government. He had stressed that in his attempt to getthrough. Kendray must have reported that as well and that would rouse all sorts of interest.
He hadn't anticipated that, and he certainly should have.
What, then, about his supposed gift of rightness? Was he beginningto believe that he was the black box that Gaia thought he was orsaid it thought he was. Was he being led into a quagmire by the growthof an overconfidence built on superstition?
How could he for one moment be trapped in that folly? Had he never inhit life been wrong? Did he know what the weather would be tomorrow? Didhe win large amounts in games of chance? The answers were no, no,and no.
Well, then, was it only in the large, inchoate things that he wasalways right? How could he tell?
Forget that! After all, the mere fact that he had stated hehad important state business no, it was "Foundation security"that he had said Well, then, the mere fact that he was there on a matter of Foundationsecurity, coming, as he had, secretly and unheralded, would surelyattract their attention. Yes, but until they knew what it was allabout they would surely act with the utmost circumspection. They would beceremonious and treat him as a high dignitary. They would not kidnap him and make use of threats.
Yet that was exactly what they had done. Why?
What made them feel strong enough and powerful enough to treat aCouncilman of Terminus in such a fashion?
Could it be Earth? Was the same force that hid the world of origin soeffectively, even against the great mentalists of the Second Foundation,now working to circumvent his search for Earth in the very first stageof that search? Was Earth omniscient? Omipotent?
Trevize shook his head. That way lay paranoia. Was he going toblame Earth for everything? Was every quirk of behavior, every bend inthe road, every twist of circumstance, to be the result of the secretmachinations of Earth? As soon as he began to think in that fashion,he was defeated.
At that point, he felt the vehicle decelerating and was brought backto reality at a stroke.
It occurred to him that he had never, even for one moment, lookedat the city through which they had been passing. He looked about now, atouch wildly. The buildings were low, but it was a cold planet mostof the structures were probably underground.
He saw no trace of color and that seemed against human nature.
Occasionally, he could see a person pass, well bundled. But,then, the people, like the buildings themselves, were probably mostlyunderground.
The taxi had stopped before a low, broad building, set in a depression,the bottom of which Trevize could not see. Some moments passed and itcontinued to remain there, the driver himself motionless as well. Histall, white hat nearly touched the roof of the vehicle.
Trevize wondered fleetingly how the driver managed to step in andout of the vehicle without knocking his hat off, then said, with thecontrolled anger one would expect of a haughty and mistreated official,"Well, driver, what now?"The Comporellian version of the glittering field-partition thatseparated the driver from the passengers was not at all primitive. Soundwaves could pass through though Trevize was quite certain thatmaterial objects, at reasonable energies, could not.
The driver said, "Someone will be up to get you. Just sit back andtake it easy."Even as he said this, three heads appeared in a slow, smooth ascentfrom the depression in which the building rested. After that, therecame the rest of the bodies. Clearly, the newcomers were moving up theequivalent of an escalator, but Trevize could not see the details ofthe device from where he sat.
As the three approached, the passenger door of the taxi opened anda flood of cold air swept inward.
Trevize stepped out, seaming his coat to the neck. The other twofollowed him Bliss with considerable reluctance.
The three Comporellians were shapeless, wearing garments that balloonedoutward and were probably electrically heated. Trevize felt scorn atthat. There was little use for such things on Terminus, and the onetime he had borrowed a heat-coat during winter on the nearby planetof Anacreon, he discovered it had a tendency to grow warmer at a slowrate so that by the time he realized he was too warm he was perspiringuncomfortably.
As the Comporellians approached, Trevize noted with a distinct senseof indignation that they were armed. Nor did they try to conceal thefact. Quite the contrary. Each had a blaster in a holster attached tothe outer garment.
One of the Comporellians, having stepped up to confront Trevize, saidgruffly, "Your pardon, Councilman," and then pulled his coat open withrough movement. He had inserted questing hands which moved quickly upand down Trevize's sides, back, chest, and thighs. The coat was shakenand felt. Trevize was too overcome by confused astonishment to realizehe had been rapidly and efficiently searched till it was over.
Pelorat, his chin drawn down and his mouth in a twisted grimace, wasundergoing a similar indignity at the hands of a second Comporellian.
The third was approaching Bliss, who did not wait to be touched. She,at least, knew what to expect, somehow, for she whipped off her coat and,for a moment, stood there in her light clothing, exposed to the whistleof the wind.
She said, freezingly enough to match the temperature, "You can seeI'm not armed."And indeed anyone could. The Comporellian shook the coat, as thoughby its weight he could tell if it contained a weapon perhaps hecould and retreated.
Bliss put on her coat again, huddling into it, and for a momentTrevize admired her gesture. He knew how she felt about the cold, butshe had not allowed a tremor or shiver to escape her as she had stoodthere in thin blouse and slacks. (Then he wondered if, in the emergency,she might not have drawn warmth from the rest of Gaia.)One of the Comporellians gestured, and the three Outworlders followedhim. The other two Comporellians fell behind. The one or two pedestrianswho were on the street did not bother to watch what was happening. Eitherthey were too accustomed to the sight or, more likely, had their mindsoccupied with getting to some indoor destination as soon as possible.
Trevize saw now that it was a moving ramp up which the Comporellianshad ascended. They were descending now, all six of them, and pastedthrough a lock arrangement almost as complicated as that on aspaceship to keep heat inside, no doubt, rather than air.
And then, at once, they were inside a huge building.

第四章 登陆康普隆
　　13
崔维兹一行三人终于通关。回头望去，入境站正迅速缩成暗淡的小扁点。再过几个小时，他们便要穿越云层。
像远星号这样的着力太空航具，不需要藉着逐渐缩小的螺旋路径慢慢减速，伹也不能高速俯冲而下。虽然它丝毫不受着力影响，并不代表空气阻力对它没有作用。它可以直线下降，但必须相当谨慎，降落的速率不能太快。
“我们准备去哪里？”裴洛拉特满脸困惑地问道。“在着着云层中，我根本分下清哪里是哪里，老伙伴。”
“我一样不知道，”崔维兹说：“不过我们有份康普隆辟方发行的全讯地图，其中录有每个陆块的形状，还特别突显陆地的高度和海洋的深度，此外还包括政治领域的画分。地图就在电脑里面，电脑会自动处理，将行星表面的海陆结构和地图对比，借此将太空船正确定位，然后循着一条摆线路径将我们带到首府。”
裴洛拉特说：“如果我们到首府去，会一头栽进政治漩涡中心。如果这里真如那个海关人员暗示的，是个反基地的世界，那我们就是自找麻烦。”
“伹从另一方面来看，首府也必定是这颗行星的学术中心，假如我们要找的资料真的存在，就一定会在那里。至于反基地的心态，我不信他们会表现得太明目张胆。市长对我也许没什么好感，但也不能坐视一名议员受辱，她绝不会允许这种先例出现。”
此时宝绮思从盥洗室出来，刚洗完的双手还湿淋淋的。她一面旁若无人地整理内衣，一面说：“对了，我相信排泄物会完全回收。”
“没有其他选择，”崔维兹说：“要是不回收排泄物，你想我们的清水能维持多久？我们除了冷冻主食之外，还能吃到风味独特的酵母蛋糕，你以为是用什么培养出来的？我希望这样说不会让你倒胃口，效率至上的宝绮思。”
“怎么会呢？你以为盖娅、端点星，还有下面这个世界的食物和清水是怎么来的？”
“在盖娅上，”崔维兹说：“排泄物想必和你一样是活生生的。”
“不是活生生，而是具有意识，这两者是有差别的。不过，排泄物的意识层级自然很低。”
崔维兹轻蔑地哼了一声，不过没有答腔。他只是说：“我要到驾驶舱去陪陪电脑，虽然它现在并不需要我。”
裴洛拉特说：“我们能不能跟你一块陪它？我还是很难接受让电脑处理一切，包括自动控制太空船降落，感测其他的船舰或风暴，或是别的什么东西。”
崔维兹开怀大笑。“你一定得想办法适应，拜托。这艘太空船让电脑控制，比由我控制要安全得多——不过当然欢迎，来吧，看看这些过秤谠你只有好处。”
此时他们正在日照面上方，因为就如崔维兹所说，在日光下将电脑中的地图与实景进行比对，要比在黑暗中进行来得简单。
“这个道理显而易见。”裴洛拉特说。
“并非全然显而易见，即使在黑暗中，电脑也能借着地表辐射的红外线，进行同样迅速的判读。然而，波长较长的红外线无法像可见光那样，提供电脑充分的解析度。也就是说，在红外线之下，电脑无法看得那么清晰细腻。如果没有必要，我希望尽量让电脑处理最简单的状况。”
“假如首府在黑夜那边呢？”
“机会是一半一半，”崔维兹说：“就算真是那样，一旦在白昼区完成地图比对，虽然首府在黑夜中，我们仍能准确无误地飞向那里。在距离首府还很远的时候，我们就会截收到许多微波波束，还会收到那里发出的讯息，引导我们到最合适的太空航站，根本没什么好担心的。”
“你确定吗？”宝绮思说：“你们将带我一起下去，但我没有任何证件，也说不出一个这些人晓得的星籍——而且我已下定决心，无论如何不会对他们提到盖娅。所以说，等我们降落之后，如果有人要查我的证件，我们该怎么办？”
崔维兹说：“这种事不太可能发生，人人都会假设在入境站已经检查过了。”
“但如果他们真问起呢？”
“那么等事到临头我们再去面对问题。此时此刻，我们不要凭空制造问题。”
“等我们面对问题的时候，很可能就来不及解决了。”
“我会用我的智慧及时解决，不会来不及。”
“提到智慧，你是怎么让我们顺利通关的？”
崔维兹望着宝绮思，嘴角慢慢扯出一个笑容，看来像个顽皮的少年。“只是用点头脑罢了。”
裴洛拉特说：“你到底是怎么办到的，老友？”
崔维兹说：“只不过找到了求他帮忙的正确法门。我先试着用威胁和不着痕迹的利诱，然后又诉诸他的理智，以及他对基地的忠诚，结果都没有成功。所以我不得不使出最后一招，说你对你的妻子不忠，裴洛拉特。”
“我的妻子？可是，我亲爱的伙伴，我目前并没有妻子啊。”
“这点我知道，可是他不晓得。”
宝绮思说：“我猜你们所谓的‘妻子’，是指男性的褂讪女性伴侣。”
崔维兹说：“比你说的还要复杂些，宝绮思。应该说是个法定的伴侣，由于这种伴侣关系，对方依法获得了某些权利。”
裴洛拉特紧张兮兮地说：“宝绮思，我现在没有妻子，过去有些时候有过，不过都是很久以前的事了。如果你希望举行一个法定的仪式……”
“喔，裴，”宝绮思右手一挥，“我何必在意这种事？我拥有数不清的亲密伴侣，亲密的秤谌有如你的左臂和右臂。只有充满疏离感的孤立体，由于缺乏真正的伴侣，才必须以人为方式约定一个薄弱的代用品。”
“但我就是个孤立体，宝绮思吾爱。”
“你迟早会变得不那么孤立，袭。你也许无法成为真正的盖娅，可是不会再那么孤立，而且你将拥有许许多多的伴侣。”
“我只要你，宝绮思。”裴洛拉特说。
“那是因为你根本不了解，慢慢你就能体会。”
对话进行的同时，崔维兹一直紧盯着显像屏幕，尽量不流露出不耐烦的神情。现在云层已近在眼前，不久之后，四面八方就全是灰蒙蒙的雾气。
微波视讯，他念头一转，电脑便立刻开始侦测雷达回波。层层云雾随即消失不见，屏幕上出现了经过电脑着色的康普隆地表，其中同结构的分界线显得有点模糊不清、摇摆不定。
“是不是一直都会像这样子？”宝绮思问，声音中带着几分惊讶。
“等飘到云层下就不缓笏，到时会再换回可见光。”他的话还没说完，阳光已经着新出现，正常的能见度也恢复了。
“我懂啦——”宝绮思道。然后她转身面对崔维兹，又说：“但我不懂的是，裴有没有欺骗他的妻子，对那个入境站的海关人员来说，又有什么差别呢？”
“我告诉那个叫肯德瑞的家伙，如果他将你扣下，这个消息就可能传回端点星，然后再传到裴洛拉特妻子的耳朵里，那么裴洛拉特就有麻烦了。我没说他会有哪种麻烦，伹我故意说得好像会很糟。男人彼此之间，都有一种同舟共济的默契，”崔维兹咧嘴笑了笑，“男人不会出卖朋友，如果受人之托，他还会拔刀相助。我想其中的道理，是因为助人者人恒助之吧。我猜想——一他以较严肃的口吻补充道：“女性之间应该也有这种默契，但我不是女性，所以从来没机会仔细观察。”
宝绮思的睑孔立刻罩上一层阴霾。“这是个笑话吗？”
“不，我是说真的。”崔维兹答道：“我没有说肯德瑞那家伙放我们走，只是因为想要帮詹诺夫的忙，免得他的妻子生气。我对他说的其他理由都有作用，男性默契只不过是最后一股推波助澜的力量。”
“但这样太可怕了。社会需要靠法规维系，才能结合成为整体。为了一个微不足道的原因，竟然就能漠视法规，这难道不是件严着的事吗？”
“这个嘛，”崔维兹立刻自我辩护：“有些法规本身实在是过于琐碎。在和平而经济繁荣的时代，例如现在——这要归功于基地——没有几个世界会对进出太空规定得太严。而康普隆由于某种原因，却跟不上时代，也许是因为内政方面有外人不得而知的问题，我们又何必蒙受其害呢？”
“话不是这么说，如果我们只遵循自己认为公正、合理的法规，就不会有任何法规能够成立，因为不论哪条法规，都会有人认为是不公正、不合理的。假如我们想要追求个人心目中的利益，对于那些碍事的法规，我们永远有办法找到理由认为它不公正、不合理。这原来可能只是精明的投机伎俩，结果却会导致失序和灾难。即使是那些精明的投机分子，也不会得到任何好处，因为在社会崩溃之后，是没有任何人能幸存的。”
崔维兹说：“任何一个社会都不会轻易崩溃，你足以盖娅的身分说话，而盖娅不可能了解自由个体的结合方式。建立在公理与正义之上的法规，随着环境的变迁，虽然已经不再适用，但是由于社会的惯性，却很可能继续存在。这时候，我们打破这些法规，等于宣告它们已经过时，甚至是有害的。这样做不但正确，更是一种建设性的行动。”
“这么说的话，每个窃贼和杀人犯都可辩称是为人群服务。”
“你说的太极端了。在盖娅这个超有机体中，对于社会的准则有种自发的共识，因此没有任何成员会想违背。其实我们还下如说，盖娅是一滩陈腐僵化的死水。在自由个体结合成的社会中，不可否认存在着脱序的因素，但若想要诱发创新和变化，这却是不可避免的代价——就整体而言，这是个合理的代价。”
宝绮思将声音提高八度说：“如果你认为盖娅陈腐僵化，那你就是大错特错。我们的一举一动、我们的行事方法、我们的各种观点，都在不断接受自我检视。它们绝不会毫无道理，只是由于惯性而残存至今。盖娅借着经验和思考来学习，因此在有需要的时候，便会进行调适和改变。”
“尽避你这么说，自我检视和学习的过程却一定很慢，因为盖娅上除了盖娅还是盖娅。然而，在自由社会中，即使大多数成员同意某件事，一定还会有少数人反对。某些情况下，那些少数也许才是对的，只要他们够聪明、够积极，而且观点的确够正确，他们就会获得最后胜利，被后人奉为英雄。例如使心理史学臻于完美境界的哈里•谢顿，他有勇气以自己的学说对抗整个银河帝国，结果最后的胜利果然属于他。”
“他的胜利到此为止，崔维兹。他所计划的第二帝国不会实现，盖娅星系将取而代之。”
“会吗？”崔维兹绷着脸说。
“这是你自己的决定。不论你在跟我辩论的时候多么偏袒孤立体，甚至赞成他们有做蠢事和犯罪的自由，可是在你内心深处某个暗角，仍然隐藏着一点灵光，驱使你在抉择的时候同意我／我们／盖娅的看法。”
“我内心深处所隐藏的，”崔维兹的脸色更加难看，“正是我所要寻找的东西——而那里，就是我的第一站。”他指着显像屏幕，画面是展开在地平线上的一座大城市。在一群低矮的建筑物中，偶尔有一两栋较为高耸，四周则环绕着点缀有薄霜的褐色田野。
裴洛拉特摇了摇头。“太糟了，我本想在降落时欣赏一下风景，结果只顾听你们的争论。”
崔维兹说：“不要紧，詹诺夫。当我们离开的时候，你还有一次机会。我答应你到时一定闭上嘴巴，只要你能说服宝绮思也别张嘴。”
接着远星号便缓缓下降，循着导航微波束，降落在某个太空航站中。
14
当肯德瑞回到入境站，目送远星号离去的时候，他的表情相当凝着。到了快交班时，他仍然显得十分沮丧。
此时他正坐在餐桌前吃今天的最后一餐。一位同事在他身边坐下，那人身材瘦长，两眼生得很开，稀疏的头发颜色相当淡，金色的眉毛不仔细看根本看不出来。
“有什么不对劲，肯？”那位同事问。
肯德瑞噘了一下嘴，然后说：“刚刚通过的是一艘着力太空船，盖堤思。”
“样子古怪，零放射性的那艘？”
“那就是它没有放射性的原因，它靠着力推动，根本不用燃料。”
扒堤思点了点头。“就是我们奉命注意的那艘，是吗？”
“是的。”
“结果给你碰到了，让你成为那个幸运儿。”
“没那么幸运，上面有个女的没带身分证件——我没有告发她。”
“什么？喂，千万别跟我讲，我可不要知道，一个字也不要再听。你或许是个好兄弟，但我可不想在事后成为共犯。”
“我不担心这一点，不是很担心。我必须将那艘太空船送下去，他们想要那艘着力太空船，或任何一艘着力航具，你是知道的。”
“当然，但你至少可以告发那个女的。”
“我不想这么做。她没结婚，她只是被拿来——拿来用用而已。”
“上面有多少男的？”
“两个。”
“而他们只拿她一个来——来做那件事。他们一定是端点星来的。”
“没错。”
“端点星的人行为都很不检点。”
“没错。”
“真恶心，他们竟然还相安无事。”
“其中一个已经结婚，他不想让他老婆知道。如果我告发她，他老婆就会发现这件事。”
“她不是在端点星吗？”
“当然啦，可是她总有办法知道。”
“如果让他老婆发现了，那是他活该。”
“我同意，可是我不愿意做那个恶人。”
“你没报告这件事，他们一定会好好修理你。不想给一个家伙惹麻烦，这不能算借口。”
“换成你，你会告发他吗？l
“我必须这么做，我想。”
“不，你不会。政府希望得到那艘太空船，假如我坚持告发那个女的，两个男的一定不会想降落，而会飞往其他行星，政府不会希望看到这种结果。”
“可是他们会相信你吗？”
“我想应该会——还是个很可爱的女人，想想看，像这样一个女人，竟然愿意陪两个男人同行，而已婚的男人又有胆量利用这种机会——你可知道，这实在很诱惑人。”
“我想你不会希望尊夫人听到你刚说的话，甚至只是知道你有这种想法。”
肯德瑞气冲冲地说：“谁会去告诉她？你？”
“得了吧，你自己心里明白。”盖堤思的愤慨很快就消退，他又说：“这样做对那些家伙没好处，我是说，你就这样让他们通关。”
“我知道。”
“下面的人很快就会发现。就算你侥幸不受处罚，他们可不会那么幸运。”
“我知道，”肯德瑞说：“我替他们感到遗憾。不管那个女的带给他们多少麻烦，跟那艘太空船比较之下，简直就是微不足道。那个船长说了些……”
肯德瑞突然住口，盖堤思急忙问道：“说些什么？”
“算了，”肯德瑞说：“如果传出去，倒霉的是我。”
“我不会告诉任何人。”
“我也不会，不过，我还是替那两位端点星来的感到遗憾。”
15
任何一个经历过太空旅程，体验过那种单调的人，都知道太空飞行真正令人兴奋的时刻，就是即将降落另一颗行星之前。此时向下望去，地表景观迅疾后退，可以不时瞥见陆地、湖海，以及像是几何图形的田野与道路。这时肉眼已能分辨各种色彩，包括绿色的植物、灰色的混凝土、褐色的旷野、白色的积雪等等。而其中最令人感到兴奋的，则是看到人群聚集处。在每个世界上，城镇都各有各的特殊几何构图与建筑特色。
假如乘坐的是普通的太空船，还能体会到着陆以及在跑道上滑行的兴奋。而远星号的情况则不同，它缓缓地飘浮在空中，很技巧地平衡了着力与空气阻力，最后静止在太空航站正上方。由于此刻风速很高，使得着陆的困难度相对增加。如果将远星号的着力响应调得很低，不单它的着量会减到不可思议的秤谌，就连质量亦将同时降低。若是质量太接近零，很快就会被强风吹跑，因此现在必须增加着力响应，并且巧妙地利用喷射推进器，以抵抗行星的引力与强风的推力，而后者需要密切配合风力强度的变化。若是没有一台称职的电脑，绝不可能顺利做到这点。
远星号不断往下降，其间难免需要小幅修正方向，最后终于落在航站标示出的指定地点。
当远星号降落时，天空是一片苍蓝，还掺杂着些惨白的色彩。他们到达地面后，风速几乎丝毫未减，虽然不会再有飞航安全的威胁，强风带来的寒意仍令崔维兹退避三舍。他立刻明白，他们备用的衣物完全不适于康普隆的气候。
反之，裴洛拉特却四处观望，露出一副十分欣赏的神情，还津津有味地深深吸了口气，好像陶醉在刺骨的寒风中——至少暂时如此。他甚至故意拉开大衣，好让风吹进他的胸膛。他知道，不久就得再把大衣拉起来，裹紧围巾，不过现在他要感受大气的存在，这是在太空艇中无法体验的。
宝绮思用大衣紧紧裹住身体，还用带着手套的双手把帽子拉低，盖住两只耳朵。她的五官皱成一团，一副可怜兮兮的模样，眼泪似乎都快掉出来了。
她喃喃抱怨道：“这是个邪恶的世界，它憎恨、虐待我们。”
“并不尽然，宝绮思吾爱，”裴洛拉特态度认真地答道：“我确定此地居民都喜欢这个世界，而这个世界——呃，如果照你的说法来说——也喜欢他们。我们很快就要进入室内，里面一定很暖和。”
他突然想起该怎么做，赶紧敞开大衣将她围住，她则紧紧靠在他胸前。
崔维兹尽量不理会寒冷的温度。他从航站管理局取得一张磁卡，再用口袋型电脑检查了一下资料是否齐备——包括停泊的位址、太空艇番号与发动机号码等等。他四下查看了一遍，确定太空艇绝对安全，然后买了最高额的意外险（其实根本没用，因为就康普隆的科技水准而言，看来还无法对远星号构成威胁；万一事实并非如此，那么不论花多大的代价，也根本不可能修复得了）　。
崔维兹在预期的地方找到了计程车站。（通常太空航站的许多设施，不论是位置、外观或使用方法，都已经全部标准化；既然旅客来自各个世界，这当然是有必要的。）他打出召唤计程车的讯号，但只按下“市区”作为目的地。
一辆计程车顺着反磁路轨滑到他们面前，车身被风吹得轻微飘动，同时还不停发颤，那是被声音不小的发动机带动的。这辆计程车的外表是深灰色，后门贴着白色的计程车徽，司机穿着黑色外套，头上戴着一顶白色毛皮帽。
裴洛拉特若有所感，轻声道：“这个行星似乎偏爱黑白两色。”
崔维兹说：“到了市区里，也许会比较多采多姿。”
司机对着一个小型微音器讲话，可能是为了省去开关车窗的麻烦。“到市区去吗，三位？”
他讲的银河方言音韵虽有些单调，但听来相当动人，而且不难懂。在一个陌生的世界上，这总是能令人大松口气。
崔维兹答道：“是的。”后车门便立刻滑开。
宝绮思先坐进去，接着是裴洛拉特，最后才是崔维兹。车门关上之后，一股暖气流向上涌来。
宝绮思搓了搓双手，长长吁了口气。
车子慢慢开出航站，司机问道：“你们乘的那艘是着力太空船，对吗？”
崔维兹冷冷地说：“照它降落的方式看来，你还会怀疑吗？”
司机说：“那么，它是从端点星来的喽？”
崔维兹说：“你还知道哪个世界会造这种太空船？”
司机一面将计程车加速，一面似乎在咀嚼对方的回答。然后他说：“你总是用问句来回答问题吗？”
崔维兹忍不住说：“有何不可？”
“这样的话，假如我问你，你的名字是不是葛兰•崔维兹，你会怎么回答？”
“我会回答：你为何要问？”
计程车在太空航站外停下来，那司机说：“好奇！我再问一遍：你是不是葛兰崔维兹？”
“关你什么事？”崔维兹的声音变得严厉而充满敌意。
“朋友，”司机说：“我们就停在这里，直到你回答这个问题为止。而如果你在两秒钟内，不明确地回答是或不是，我便将乘客隔间的暖气关掉，我们就一直这样耗下去。我再问一遍，你是不是葛兰•崔维兹，端点星的议员？假如你的回答早否定的，你必须拿出身分证件让我看看。”
崔维兹说：“是的，我是葛兰•崔维兹。身为基地的议员，我希望受到与我身分相符的礼遇。你要是不这么做，我会让你吃不了兜着走，老兄，怎么样？”
“现在我们可以带着比较轻松的心情上路。”计程车继续向前开去，“我很仔细地选择乘客，我本来该接的只有两位男士，没料到竟然还多个女的，所以有可能是我弄错了。不过就算是三个人，只要我接到的是你，等我们到达目的地之后，要怎么交代这个女的，那是你自己的事。”
“你不知道我的目的地。”
“我恰巧知道，你要去运输部。”
“我不是要去那里。”
“这一点都不着要，议员先生。假如我真是计程车司机，我自然会载你到你要去的地方；既然我不是，我就要载你到我要你去的地方。”
“对不起，”裴洛拉特俯身向前，“你当然应该是计程车司机，你开的是计程车。”
“谁都可能开计程车，伹不是每个人都有执照，也不是每辆看来像计程车的都是计程车。”
崔维兹说：“别再玩游戏了。你是谁？你到底在做什么？别忘了你得将这一切向基地交代清楚。”
“不是我得交代，”那司机说：“也许是我的上级吧。我是康普隆安全局的人，奉上级的命令，以完全合乎你身分地位的方式接待你，伹你必须跟我走。请凡事三思而后行，因为这辆车备有武装，而我奉命遇到攻击必须自卫。”
16
计程车加速到经济速率之后，车身变得绝对平稳而安静。崔维兹坐在那里一动不动，似乎全身都僵住了。他虽然没看裴洛拉特，也晓得他不时望向自己，脸上带着不安的表情，彷佛在说：“我们现在该怎么办？请告诉我。”
至于宝绮思，崔维兹只是很快瞥了一眼，就知道她冷静地端坐着，显然根本不在乎。当然，她本身就是整个世界，虽然与盖娅有天文数字的距离，所有的盖娅仍然裹在她的皮囊中。在真正紧急的情况下，她还有个稳当的靠山。
可是，到底发生了什么事？
显然，入境站的那个海关人员循例将他的报告送了下来——不过没提到宝绮思。这份报告引起安全人员的兴趣，甚趾蟋运输部的人也插了一脚。但是为什么呢？
现在是太平时期，据他所知，康普隆与基地之间没有特殊的紧张关系。而自己又是基地的着要官员……
慢着，他曾经告诉那个海关人员——肯德瑞，说他有着要的公事要与康普隆政府交涉，为了顺利通关，他特别强调这点。肯德瑞的报告中一定也提到这件事，这当然会引起各方面的注意。
他未曾预料到会有这个结果，他早该想到的。
那么，他那所谓料事如神的本领呢？难道他开始相信自己是个黑盒子，就像盖娅认为的那样（或者声称那么认为）？是否由于建立在迷信上的过度自信不断膨胀，使自己陷入泥沼不能自拔？
他怎么会突然变得那么蠢？他一生之中难道没犯过错吗？他能预知明日的天气吗？他在赌运气的游戏中大赢过吗？答案都是否定的、否定的、否定的。
那么，是不是只有对尚在酝酿中的大事，他的看法才会永远正确？他又怎能分辨呢？
算了吧！反正当初他只不过是提到，自己身负着要的公务——不，他用的字眼是“基地安全事宜”……
那么，光是他为基地安全事宜而来这一点——而且是秘密行动，事先未曾知会对方——没错，就足以引起他们的注意。但他们在弄明白究竟之前，行动一定会万分谨慎，应该对自己相当礼遇，将自己奉为上宾。他们不该使用绑架的手法，还对自己威胁恫吓。
但他们正是这样做，为什么呢？
是什么因素，让他们自认已有足够强大的力量，胆敢采取这种方式对待端点星的议员？
贬不会是地球？会不会是那个将起源世界成功隐藏起来的力量？甚至第二基地那些伟大的精神学家，也都不是它的对手。如今，是不是他刚踏上寻找地球的第一站，这个力量就先发制人？地球难道无所不知、无不能吗？
崔维兹摇了摇头，这样子会导致妄想。难道要将每件事都记到地球的帐上？难道他遇到的每一个古怪行动、每一条歧路、每一项情势的逆转，都是地球秘密策划的结果？一旦开始有这样的想法，他就已经不战而败。
这时，他觉得车子开始减速，思绪一下子被拉回现实。
他突然想到，在他们通过市区的时候，他连一眼也没有往外瞧过。他匆匆四下望了望，发现建筑物都相当矮。伹这是个寒冷的行星，建筑结构想必大部分都在地下。
他看不到任何一丝色彩，这似乎跟人类的天性不合。
偶尔他才会瞥见一个行人，全身上下裹得紧紧的。不过，人群或许也跟建筑物一样，大多数都在地底。
计程车在一座低矮、宽阔、位于洼地的建筑物前停下，崔维兹此时还看不到它的底层。过了一阵子，车子仍旧停在该处，司机自己也文风不动，他的高筒白帽几乎碰到车顶。
崔维兹突然冒出一个疑问，这司机要怎样进出车子，才不会将帽子碰掉？然后他说：“好啦，司机，现在怎么样？”他压抑着怒气，表现出任何一位受辱的高傲官员所应表现的样子。
康普隆人用来隔开司机与乘客的力场棒板绝不落后，声波完全能通过这个闪烁的无形力场。不过崔维兹相当肯定，有形物质若非带有巨大能量，是绝对不可能穿透的。
司机说：“有人会上来接你们，现在好好坐着，放轻松点。”
他的话还没说完，就有三个人从建筑物所在的洼地缓缓、稳稳地冒出来。先是头部，接着，他们身体的其他部分才逐一出现，显然三人是乘坐类似自动扶梯的装置上来的。不过从崔维兹现在的位置，还无法看清楚那个装置。
那三个人走近时，计程车的客用车门便被打开，大量的冷空气立刻涌进车内。
崔维兹走出车子，顺手将大衣一路拉到领口。另外两人也跟着他下了车——宝绮思显得很不情愿。
三个康普隆人完全看不出身材，因为他们穿的衣服鼓胀得像气球，里面也许还有电暖配备。崔维兹对这种服装很不以为然，它们在端点星几乎派不上用场。有一年冬天，他从邻近的安纳克瑞昂借来一件电暖大衣，结果发现它会一直慢慢加温，等他觉得太热的时候，已经出了一身大汗，令他浑身下舒服。
三名康普隆人走近时，崔维兹注意到他们都带着武器，心中不禁十分恼怒。这三人不仅无意掩饰，反而还在外衣上大刺刺挂着一个皮套，里面装着一只惹眼的手铳。
其中一名康普隆人走到崔维兹面前，粗声道：“失礼了，议员先生。”然后以粗鲁的动作拉开他的大衣，双手伸进去，很快将崔维兹的上下左右、前胸后背，以及两条大腿摸索了一递，接着还将崔维兹的大衣甩了甩又摸了摸。崔维兹被突如其来的举动吓得不知所措，直到一切完毕，才明白被人迅速又有效率地搜了身。
裴洛拉特拉长下巴，扭曲着嘴角，任由另一个康普隆人对他进行类似的羞辱。
第三个康普隆人正走向宝绮思，但她早有心理准备，不等对方伸出手来，便将大衣猛然褪下，身上只剩一层单薄的衣裳，就这样站在呼啸的寒风中。
她说：“你能看出我没有任何武装。”冰冷的声音恰似四周的低温。
的确，任何人都看得出来。那个康普隆人抖了抖她的大衣，好像从它的着量就能判断是否藏有武器——或许他真有这个本事——然后退了开来。
宝绮思匆匆将大衣套上。一时之间，崔维兹对她的行动不禁肃然起敬。他知道她有多怕冷，但她刚才穿着宽松而单薄的上衣长裤站在那里，却一点也没有发抖或打颤。（但他又不禁怀疑，在紧急情况下，她是不是能从盖娅的其他部分吸取一些温暖。）
其中一个康普隆人做了个手势，三位外星人士便跟着他走，另外两个康普隆人走在他们后面。此时街上有一两个行人，根本懒得向这里多望一眼。也许他们对这种事司空见惯，更可能因为他们心中只有一个念头，那就是尽快走到室内的某个目的地。
崔维兹现在才知道，那三个康普隆人刚才是乘滑动坡道上来的，现在他们一行六人则顺着坡道下滑。接着他们又通过一道闸门——看来简直跟太空船的气闸一样复杂，不过显然并非为了锁住空气，而是避免热气外逸。
然后，他们立刻置身在一座巨大的建筑物中。
Chapter 5: Struggle for the Ship
17Trevize's first impression was that he was on the set ofa hyperdrama specifically, that of a historical romance of Imperialdays. There was a particular set, with few variations (perhaps only oneexisted and was used by every hyperdrama producer, for all he knew),that represented the great world-girdling planet-city of Trantor inits prime.
There were the large spaces, the busy scurry of pedestrians, thesmall vehicles speeding along the lanes reserved for them.
Trevize looked up, almost expecting to see air-taxis climbing into dimvaulted recesses, but that at least was absent. In fact, as his initialastonishment subsided, it was clear that the building was far smallerthan one would expect on Trantor. It was only a buildingand not part of a complex that stretched unbroken for thousands of milesin every direction.
The colors were different, too. On the hyperdramas, Trantor wasalways depicted as impossibly garish in coloring and the clothing was,if taken literally, thoroughly impractical and unserviceable. However,all those colors and frills were meant to serve a symbolic purpose forthey indicated the decadence (a view that was obligatory, these days)of the Empire, and of Trantor particularly.
If that were so, however, Comporellon was the very reverse of decadent,for the color scheme that Pelorat had remarked upon at the spaceportwas here borne out.
The walls were in shades of gray, the ceilings white, the clothingof the population in black, gray, and white. Occasionally, there was anall-black costume; even more occasionally, an all-gray; never an all-whitethat Trevize could see. The pattern was always different, however,as though people, deprived of color, still managed, irrepressibly,to find ways of asserting individuality.
Faces tended to be expressionless or, if not that, then grim. Womenwore their hair short; men longer, but pulled backward into shortqueues. No one looked at anyone else as he or she passed. Everyone seemedto breathe a purposefulness, as though there was definite businesson each mind and room for nothing else. Men and women dressed alike,with only length of hair and the slight bulge of breast and width ofhip marking the difference.
The three were guided into an elevator that went down fivelevels. There they emerged and were moved on to a door on which thereappeared in small and unobtrusive lettering, white on gray, "MitzaLizalor, MinTrans."The Comporellian in the lead touched the lettering, which, after amoment, glowed in response. The door opened and they walked in.
It was a large room and rather empty, the bareness of content serving,perhaps, as a kind of conspicuous consumption of space designed to showthe power of the occupant.
Two guards stood against the far wall, faces expressionless andeyes firmly fixed on those entering. A large desk filled the center ofthe room, set perhaps just a little back of center. Behind the deskwas, presumably, Mitza Lizalor, large of body, smooth of face, darkof eyes. Two strong and capable hands with long, square-ended fingersrested on the desk.
The MinTrans (Minister of Transportation, Trevize assumed) had thelapels of the outer garment a broad and dazzling white against thedark gray of the rest of the costume. The double bar of white extendeddiagonally below the lapels, across the garment itself and crossing atthe center of the chest. Trevize could see that although the garment wascut in such a fashion as to obscure the swelling of a woman's breastson either side, the white X called attention to them.
The Minister was undoubtedly a woman. Even if her breasts were ignored,her short hair showed it, and though there was no makeup on her face,her features showed it, too.
Her voice, too, was indisputably feminine, a rich contralto.
She said, "Good afternoon. It is not often that we are honoredby a visit of men from Terminus. And of an unreported woman aswell." Her eyes passed from one to another, then settled on Trevize,who was standing stiffly and frowningly erect. "And one of the men amember of the Council, too.""A Councilman of the Foundation," said Trevize, trying to makehis voice ring. "Councilman Golan Trevize on a mission from theFoundation.""On a mission?" The Minister's eyebrows rose.
"On a mission," repeated Trevize. "Why, then, are we being treated asfelons? Why have we been taken into custody by armed guards and broughthere as prisoners? The Council of the Foundation, I hope you understand,will not be pleased to hear of this.""And in any case," said Bliss, her voice seeming a touch shrill incomparison with that of the older woman, "are we to remain standingindefinitely?"The Minister gazed coolly at Bliss for a long moment, then raised anarm and said, "Three chairs! Now!"A door opened and three men, dressed in the usual somber Comporellianfashion, brought in three chairs at a semitrot. The three people standingbefore the desk sat down.
"There," said the Minister, with a wintry smile, "are wecomfortable?"Trevize thought not. The chairs were uncushioned, cold to the touch,flat of surface and back, making no compromise with the shape of thebody. He said, "Why are we here?"The Minister consulted papers lying on her desk. "I will explainas soon as I am certain of my facts. Your ship is the Far Star out of Terminus. Is that correct, Councilman?""It is."The Minister looked up. "I used your title, Councilman. Will you,as a courtesy, use mine?""Would Madam Minister be sufficient? Or is there an honorific?""No honorific, sir, and you need not double your words. `Minister'
is sufficient, or `Madam' if you weary of repetition.""Then my answer to your question is: It is, Minister.""The captain of the ship is Golan Trevize, citizen of the Foundationand member of the Council on Terminus a freshman Councilman,actually. And you are Trevize. Am I correct in all this, Councilman?""You are, Minister. And since I am a citizen of theFoundation ""I am not yet done, Councilman. Save your objections till Iam. Accompanying you is Janov Pelorat, scholar, historian, and citizenof the Foundation. And that is you, is it not, Dr. Pelorat?"Pelorat could not suppress a slight start as the Minister turnedher keen glance on him. He said, "Yes, it is, my d " He paused,and began again, "Yes, it is, Minister."The Minister clasped her hands stiffly. "There is no mention in thereport that has been forwarded to me of a woman. Is this woman a memberof the ship's complement?""She is, Minister," said Trevize.
"Then I address myself to the woman. Your name?""I am known as Bliss," said Bliss, sitting erectly and speakingwith calm clarity, "though my full name is longer, madam. Do you wishit all?""I will be content with Bliss for the moment. Are you a citizen ofthe Foundation, Bliss?""I am not, madam.""Of what world are you a citizen, Bliss?""I have no documents attesting to citizenship with respect to anyworld, madam.""No papers, Bliss?" She made a small mark on the papers beforeher. "That fact is noted. What is it you are doing on board the ship?""I am a passenger, madam.""Did either Councilman Trevize or Dr. Pelorat ask to see your papersbefore you boarded, Bliss?""No, madam.""Did you inform them that you were without papers, Bliss?""No, madam.""What is your function on board ship, Bliss? Does your name suityour function?"Bliss said proudly, "I am a passenger and have no other function."Trevize broke in. "Why are you badgering this woman, Minister? Whatlaw has she broken?"Minister Lizalor's eyes shifted from Bliss to Trevize. She said, "Youare an Outworlder, Councilman, and do not know our laws. Nevertheless,you are subject to them if you choose to visit our world. You do notbring your laws with you; that is a general rule of Galactic law,I believe.""Granted, Minister, but that doesn't tell me which of your laws shehas broken.""It is a general rule in the Galaxy, Councilman, that a visitor froma world outside the dominions of the world she is visiting have heridentification papers with her. Many worlds are lax in this respect,valuing tourism, or indifferent to the rule of order. We of Comporellonare not. We are a world of law and rigid in its application. She is aworldless person, and as such, breaks our law."Trevize said, "She had no choice in the matter. I was piloting theship, and I brought it down to Comporellon. She had to accompany us,Minister, or do you suggest she should have asked to be jettisonedin space?""This merely means that you, too, have broken our law, Councilman.""No, that is not so, Minister. I am not an Outworlder. I am a citizenof the Foundation, and Comporellon and the worlds subject to it arean Associated Power of the Foundation. As a citizen of the Foundation,I can travel freely here.""Certainly, Councilman, as long as you have documentation to provethat you are indeed a citizen of the Foundation.""Which I do, Minister.""Yet even as citizen of the Foundation, you do not have the right tobreak our law by bringing a worldless person with you."Trevize hesitated. Clearly, the border guard, Kendray, had notkept faith with him, so there was no point in protecting him. He said,"We were not stopped at the immigration station and I considered thatimplicit permission to bring this woman with me, Minister.""It is true you were not stopped, Councilman. It is true thewoman war not reported by the immigration authorities and was passedthrough. I can suspect, however, that the officials at the entry stationdecided and quite correctly that it was more important to getyour ship to the surface than to worry about a worldless person. Whatthey did was, strictly speaking, an infraction of the rules, and thematter will have to be dealt with in the proper fashion, but I have nodoubt that the decision will be that the infraction was justified. Weare a world of rigid law, Councilman, but we are not rigid beyond thedictates of reason."Trevize said at once, "Then I call upon reason to bend your rigor now,Minister. If, indeed, you received no information from the immigrationstation to the effect that a worldless person was on board ship, then youhad no knowledge that we were breaking any law at the time we landed. Yetit is quite apparent that you were prepared to take us into custodythe moment we landed, and you did, in fact, do so. Why did you do so,when you had no reason to think any law was being broken?"The Minister smiled. "I understand your confusion, Councilman. Pleaselet me assure you that whatever knowledge we had gained or had notgained as to the worldless condition of your passenger had nothingto do with your being taken into custody. We are acting on behalf of theFoundation, of which, as you point out, we are an Associated Power."Trevize stared at her. "But that's impossible, Minister. It's evenworse. It's ridiculous."The Minister's chuckle was like the smooth flow of honey. She said,"I am interested in the way you consider it worse to be ridiculous thanimpossible, Councilman. I agree with you there. Unfortunately for you,however, it is neither. Why should it be?""Because I am an official of the Foundation government, on a missionfor them, and it is absolutely inconceivable that they would wish toarrest me, or that they would even have the power to do so, since I havelegislative immunity.""Ah, you omit my title, but you are deeply moved and that is perhapsforgivable. Still, I am not asked to arrest you directly. I do so onlythat I may carry out what I am asked to do, Councilman.""Which is, Minister?" said Trevize, trying to keep his emotion undercontrol in the face of this formidable woman.
"Which is to commandeer your ship, Councilman, and return it to theFoundation.""What?""Again you omit my title, Councilman. That is very slipshod of youand no way to press your own case. The ship is not yours, I presume. Wasit designed by you, or built by you, or paid for by you?""Of course not, Minister. It was assigned to me by the Foundationgovernment.""Then, presumably, the Foundation government has the right to cancelthat assignment, Councilman. It is a valuable ship, I imagine."Trevize did not answer.
The Minister said, "It is a gravitic ship, Councilman. There cannotbe many and even the Foundation must have but a very few. They mustregret having assigned one of those very few to you. Perhaps you canpersuade them to assign you another and less valuable ship that willnevertheless amply, suffice for your mission. But we must havethe ship in which you have arrived.""No, Minister, I cannot give up the ship. I cannot believe theFoundation asks it of you."The Minister smiled. "Not of me solely, Councilman. Not of Comporellon,specifically. We have reason to believe that the request was sent out toevery one of the many worlds and regions under Foundation jurisdictionor association. From this, I deduce that the Foundation does not knowyour itinerary and is seeking you with a certain angry vigor. From whichI further deduce that you have no mission to deal with Comporellon onbehalf of the Foundation since in that case they would know whereyou were and deal with us specifically. In short, Councilman, you havebeen lying to me."Trevize said, with a certain difficulty, "I would like to see a copyof request you have received from the Foundation government, Minister. Ientitled, I think, to that.""Certainly, if all this comes to legal action. We take our legal formsvery seriously, Councilman, and your rights will be fully protected,I assure you. It would be better and easier, however, if we come to anagreement here without the publicity and delay of legal action. We wouldprefer that, and, I am certain, so would the Foundation, which cannotwish the Galaxy at large to know of a runaway Legislator. That would putthe Foundation in a ridiculous light, and, by your estimate and mine,that would be worse than impossible."Trevize was again silent.
The Minister waited a moment, then went on, as imperturbable asever. "Come, Councilman, either way, by informal agreement or by legalaction, we intend to have the ship. The penalty for bringing in aworldless passenger will depend on which route we take. Demand the lawand she will represent an additional point against you and you will allsuffer the full punishment for the crime, and that will not be light,I assure you. Come to an agreement, and your passenger can be sent awayby commercial flight to any destination she wishes, and, for that matter,you two can accompany her, if you wish. Or, if the Foundation is willing,we can supply you with one of our own ships, a perfectly adequateone, provided, of course, that the Foundation will replace it with anequivalent ship of their own. Or, if, for any reason, you do not wish toreturn to Foundation-controlled territory, we might be willing to offeryou refuge here and, perhaps, eventual Comporellian citizenship. You see,you have many possibilities of gain if you come to a friendly arrangement,but none at all if you insist on your legal rights."Trevize said, "Minister, you are too eager. You promise what you cannotdo. You cannot offer me refuge in the face of a Foundation request thatI be delivered to them."The Minister said, "Councilman, I never promise what I cannot do. TheFoundation's request is only for the ship. They make no request concerningyou as an individual, or for anyone else on the ship. Their sole requestis for the vessel."Trevize glanced quickly at Bliss, and said, "May I have yourpermission, Minister, to consult with Dr. Pelorat and Miss Bliss for ashort while?""Certainly, Councilman. You may have fifteen minutes.""Privately, Minister.""You will be led to a room and, after fifteen minutes, you will be ledback, Councilman. You will not be interfered with while you are therenor will we attempt to monitor your conversation. You have my word onthat and I keep my word. However, you will be adequately guarded so donot be so foolish as to think of escaping.""We understand, Minister.""And when you come back, we will expect your free agreement to giveup the ship. Otherwise, the law will take its course, and it will bemuch the worse for all of you, Councilman. Is that understood?""That is understood, Minister," said Trevize, keeping his rage undertight control, since its expression would do him no good at all.
18It was a small room, but it was well lighted. Itcontained a couch and two chairs, and one could hear the soft sound ofa ventilating fan. On the whole, it was clearly more comfortable thanthe Minister's large and sterile office.
A guard had led them there, grave and tall, his hand hovering nearthe butt of his blaster. He remained outside the door as they enteredand said, in a heavy voice, "You have fifteen minutes."He had no sooner said that than the door slid shut, with a thud.
Trevize said, "I can only hope that we can't be overheard."Pelorat said, "She did give us her word, Golan.""You judge others by yourself, Janov. Her so-called `word' will notsuffice. She will break it without hesitation if she wants to.""It doesn't matter," said Bliss. "I can shield this place.""You have a shielding device?" asked Pelorat.
Bliss smiled, with a sudden flash of white teeth. "Gaia's mind is ashielding device, Pel. It's an enormous mind.""We are here," said Trevize angrily, "because of the limitations ofthat enormous mind.""What do you mean?" said Bliss.
"When the triple confrontation broke up, you withdrew me from theminds of both the Mayor and that Second Foundationer, Gendibal. Neitherwas to think of me again, except distantly and indifferently. I was tobe left to myself.""We had to do that," said Bliss. "You are our most importantresource.""Yes. Golan Trevize, the ever-right. But you did not withdraw my shipfrom their minds, did you? Mayor Branno did not ask for me; she had nointerest in me, but she did ask for the ship. She has notforgotten the ship."Bliss frowned.
Trevize said, "Think about it. Gaia casually assumed that I included myship; that we were a unit. If Branno didn't think of me, she wouldn'tthink of the ship. The trouble is that Gaia doesn't understandindividuality. It thought of the ship and me as a single organism,and it was wrong to think that."Bliss said softly, "That is possible.""Well, then," said Trevize flatly, "it's up to you to rectify thatmistake. I must have my gravitic ship and my computer. Nothing elsewill do. Therefore, Bliss, make sure that I keep the ship. You cancontrol minds.""Yes, Trevize, but we do not exercise that control lightly. Wedid it in connection with the triple confrontation, but do youknow how long that confrontation was planned? Calculated? Weighed?
It took literally many years. I cannot simply walk up to awoman and adjust the mind to suit someone's convenience.""Is this a time "Bliss went on forcefully. "If I began to follow such a course ofaction, where do we stop? I might have influenced the agent's mind atthe entry station and we would have passed through at once. I mighthave influenced the agent's mind in the vehicle, and he would have letus go.""Well, since you mention it, why didn't you do these things?""Because we don't know where it would lead. We don't know the sideeffects, which may well turn out to make the situation worse. If I adjustthe Minister's mind now, that will affect her dealings with others withwhom she will come in contact and, since she is a high official in hergovernment, it may affect interstellar relations. Until such time asthe matter is thoroughly worked out, we dare not touch her mind.""Then why are you with us?""Because the time may come when your life is threatened. I must protectyour life at all costs, even at the cost of my Pel or of myself. Yourlife was not threatened at the entry station. It is not threatenednow. You must work this out for yourself, and do so at least until Gaiacan estimate the consequence of some sort of action and take it."Trevize fell into a period of thought. Then he said, "In that case,I have to try something. It may not work."The door moved open, thwacking into its socket as noisily as ithad closed.
The guard said, "Come out."As they emerged, Pelorat whispered, "What are you going to do,Golan?"Trevize shook his head and whispered, "I'm not entirely sure. I willhave to improvise."19Minister Lizalor was still at her desk when they returnedto her office. Her face broke into a grim smile as they walked in.
She said, "I trust, Councilman Trevize, that you have returned totell me that you are giving up this Foundation ship you have.""I have come, Minister," said Trevize calmly, "to discuss terms.""There are no terms to discuss, Councilman. A trial, if you insiston one, can be arranged very quickly and would be carried through evenmore quickly. I guarantee your conviction even in a perfectly fairtrial since your guilt in bringing in a worldless person is obviousand indisputable. After that, we will be legally justified in seizingthe ship and you three would suffer heavy penalties. Don't force thosepenalties on yourself just to delay us for a day.""Nevertheless, there are terms to discuss, Minister, because nomatter how quickly you convict us, you cannot seize the ship without myconsent. Any attempt you make to force your way into the ship withoutme will destroy it, and the spaceport with it, and every human beingin the spaceport. This will surely infuriate the Foundation, somethingyou dare not do. Threatening us or mistreating us in order to forceme to open the ship is surely against your law, and if you break yourown law in desperation and subject us to torture or even to a periodof cruel and unusual imprisonment, the Foundation will find out aboutit and they will be even more furious. However much they want the shipthey cannot allow a precedent that would permit the mistreatment ofFoundation citizens. Shall we talk terms?""This is all nonsense," said the Minister, scowling. "If necessary,we will call in the Foundation itself. They will know how to open theirown ship, or they will force you to open it."Trevize said, "You do not use my title, Minister, but you areemotionally moved, so that is perhaps forgivable. You know that thevery last thing you will do is call in the Foundation, since you haveno intention of delivering the ship to them."The smile faded from the Minister's face. "What nonsense is this,Councilman?""The kind of nonsense, Minister, that others, perhaps, ought not tohear. Let my friend and the young woman go to some comfortable hotelroom and obtain the rest they need so badly and let your guards leave,too. They can remain just outside and you can have them leave you ablaster. You are not a small woman and, with a blaster, you have nothingto fear from me. I am unarmed."The Minister leaned toward him across the desk. "I have nothing tofear from you in any case."Without looking behind her, she beckoned to one of the guards, whoapproached at once and came to a halt at her side with a stamp of hisfeet. said, "Guard, take that one and that one to Suite 5. They are tostay there and to be made comfortable and to be well guarded. You willbe held responsible for any mistreatment they may receive, as well asfor any breach of security."She stood up, and not all of Trevize's determination to maintain anabsolute composure sufficed to keep him from flinching a little. Shewas tall; quite tall, at least, as Trevize's own 1.85 meters, perhaps acentimeter or so taller. She had a narrow waistline, with the two whitestrips across her chest continuing into an encirclement of her waist,making it look even narrower, There was a massive grace about her andTrevize thought ruefully that her statement that she had nothing tofear from him might well be correct. In a rough-and-tumble, he thought,she would have no trouble pinning his shoulders to the mat.
She said, "Come with me, Councilman. If you are going to talk nonsensethen, for your own sake, the fewer who hear you, the better."She led the way in a brisk stride, and Trevize followed, feelingshrunken in her massive shadow, a feeling he had never before had witha woman.
They entered an elevator and, as the door closed behind them, she said,"We are alone now and if you are under the illusion, Councilman, thatYou can use force with me in order to accomplish some imagined purpose,please forget that." The singsong in her voice grew more pronounced as shesaid, with clear amusement, "You look like a reasonably strong specimen,but I assure you I will have no trouble in breaking your arm or yourback, if I must. I am armed, but I will not have to use any weapon."Trevize scratched at his cheek as his eyes drifted first down, thenup her body. "Minister, I can hold my own in a wrestling match with anyman my weight, but I have already decided to forfeit a bout with you. Iknow when I am outclassed.""Good," said the Minister, and looked pleased.
Trevize said, "Where are we going, Minister?""Down! Quite far down. Don't be upset, however. In the hyperdramas,this would be a preliminary to taking you to a dungeon, I suppose, butwe have no dungeons on Comporellon only reasonable prisons. Weare going to my private apartment; not as romantic as a dungeon in thebad old Imperial days, but more comfortable."Trevize estimated that they were at least fifty meters below thesurface of the planet, when the elevator door slid to one side and theystepped out.
20Trevize looked about the apartment with clearsurprise.
The Minister said grimly, "Do you disapprove of my living quarters,Councilman?""No, I have no reason to, Minister. I am merely surprised. I find itunexpected. The impression I had of your world from what little I sawand heard since arriving was that it was an aaaabstemious one,eschewing useless luxury.""So it is, Councilman. Our resources are limited, and our life mustbe as harsh as our climate.""But this, Minister," and Trevize held out both hands as thoughto embrace the room where, for the first time on this world, he sawcolor, where the couches were well cushioned, where the light from theilluminated walls was soft, and where the floor was force-carpeted sothat steps were springy and silent. "This is surely luxury.""We eschew, as you say, Councilman, useless luxury; ostentatiousluxury; wastefully excessive luxury. This, however, is private luxury,which has its use. I work hard and bear much responsibility. I need aplace where I can forget, for a while, the difficulties of my post."Trevize said, "And do all Comporellians live like this when the eyesof others are averted, Minister?""It depends on the degree of work and responsibility. Few can affordto, or deserve to, or, thanks to our code of ethics, want to.""But you, Minister, can afford to, deserve to and want to?"The Minister said, "Rank has its privileges as well as its duties. Andnow sit down, Councilman, and tell me of this madness of yours." Shesat down on the couch, which gave slowly under her solid weight, andpointed to an equally soft chair in which Trevize would be facing herat not too great a distance."Trevize sat down. "Madness, Minister?"The Minister relaxed visibly, leaning her right elbow on apillow. "In private conversation, we need not observe the rules of formaldiscourse too punctiliously. You may call me Lizalor. I will call you,Trevize. Tell me what is on your mind, Trevize, and let us inspectit."Trevize crossed his legs and sat back in his chair. "See here, Lizalor,you gave me the choice of either agreeing to give up the ship voluntarily,or of being subjected to a formal trial. In both cases, you would end upwith the ship. Yet you have been going out of your way to persuademe to adopt the former alternative. You are willing to offer me anothership to replace mine, so that my friends and I might go anywhere wechose. We might even stay here on Comporellon and qualify for citizenship,if we chose. In smaller things, you were willing to allow me fifteenminutes to consult with my friends. You were even willing to bring mehere to your private apartment, while my friends are now, presumably,in comfortable quarters. In short, you are bribing me, Lizalor, ratherdesperately, to grant you the ship without the necessity of a trial.""Come, Trevize, are you in no mood to give me credit for humaneimpulses?""None.""Or the thought that voluntary surrender would be quicker and moreconvenient than a trial would be?""No! I would offer a different suggestion.""Which is?""A trial has one thing in its strong disfavor; it is a publicaffair. You have several times referred to this world's rigorous legalsystem, and I suspect it would be difficult to arrange a trial withoutits being fully recorded. If were so, the Foundation would know of itand you would have to hand the ship to it once the trial was over.""Of course," said Lizalor, without expression. "It is the Foundationowns the ship.""But," said Trevize, "a private agreement with me would not haveto be placed on formal record. You could have the ship and, since theFoundation would not know of the matter they don't even know thatwe are on this world Comporellon could keep the ship. That, I amsure, is what you intend to do.""Why should we do that?" She was still without expression. "Are wenot part of the Foundation Confederation?""Not quite. Your status is that of an Associated Power. In any map onwhich the member worlds of the Federation are shown in red, Comporellonand its dependent worlds would show up as a patch of pale pink.""Even so, as an Associated Power, we would surely co-operate withthe Foundation.""Would you? Might not Comporellon be dreaming of total independence;even leadership? You are an old world. Almost all worlds claim to beolder than they are, but Comporellon is an old world."Minister Lizalor allowed a cold smile to cross her face. "The oldest,if some of our enthusiasts are to be believed.""Might there not have been a time when Comporellon was indeed theleading world of a relatively small group of worlds? Might you not stilldream of recovering that lost position of power?""Do you think we dream of so impossible a goal? I called it madnessbefore I knew your thoughts, and it is certainly madness now thatI do.""Dreams may be impossible, yet still be dreamed. Terminus, locatedat the very edge of the Galaxy and with a five-century history that isbriefer than that of any other world, virtually rules the Galaxy. Andshall Comporellon not? Eh?" Trevize was smiling.
Lizalor remained grave. "Terminus reached that position, we are givento understand, by the working out of Hari Seldon's Plan.""That is the psychological buttress of its superiority and it willhold only as long, perhaps, as people believe it. It may be that theComporellian government does not believe it. Even so, Terminus also enjoysa technological buttress. Terminus's hegemony over the Galaxy undoubtedlyrests on its advanced technology of which the gravitic ship you areso anxious to have is an example. No other world but Terminus disposesof gravitic ships. If Comporellon could have one, and could learn itsworkings in detail, it would be bound to have taken a giant technologicalstep forward. I don't think it would be sufficient to help you overcomeTerminus's lead, but your government might think so."Lizalor said, "You can't be serious in this. Any government that keptthe ship in the face of the Foundation's desire to have it would surelyexperience the Foundation's wrath, and history shows that the Foundationcan be quite uncomfortably wrathful."Trevize said, "The Foundation's wrath would only be exerted if theFoundation knew there was something to be wrathful about.""In that case; Trevize if we assume your analysis of thesituation is something other than mad would it not be to yourbenefit to give us the ship and drive a hard bargain? We would paywell for the chance of having it quietly, according to your line ofargument.""Could you then rely on my not reporting the matter to theFoundation?""Certainly. Since you would have to report your own part in it.""I could report having acted under duress.""Yes. Unless your good sense told you that your Mayor would neverbelieve that. Come, make a deal."Trevize shook his head. "I will not, Madam Lizalor. The ship ismine and it must stay mine. As I have told you, it will blow up withextraordinary power if you attempt to force an entry. I assure you I amtelling you the truth. Don't rely on its being a bluff."" You could open it, and reinstruct the computer.""Undoubtedly, but I won't do that."Lizalor drew a heavy sigh. "You know we could make you change yourmind if not by what we could do to you, then by what we could doto your friend, Dr. Pelorat, or to the young woman.""Torture, Minister? Is that your law?""No, Councilman. But we might not have to do anything so crude. Thereis always the Psychic Probe."For the first time since entering the Minister's apartment, Trevizefelt an inner chill.
"You can't do that either. The use of the Psychic Probe for anythingbut medical purposes is outlawed throughout the Galaxy.""But if we are driven to desperation ""I am willing to chance that," said Trevize calmly, "for it woulddo you no good. My determination to retain my ship is so deep that thePsychic Probe would destroy my mind before it twisted it into givingit to you." ( That was a bluff, he thought, and the chillinside him deepened.) "And even if you were so skillful as to persuademe without destroying my mind and if I were to open the ship and disarmit and hand it over to you, it would still do you no good. The ship'scomputer is even more advanced than the ship is, and it is designedsomehow I don't know how to work at its full potential onlywith me. It is what I might call a one-person computer.""Suppose, then, you retained your ship, and remained its pilot. Wouldyou consider piloting it for us as an honored Comporelliancitizen? A large salary. Considerable luxury. Your friends, too.""No.""What is it you suggest? That we simply let you and your friendslaunch your ship and go off into the Galaxy? I warn you that before weallow you to do this, we might simply inform the Foundation that youare here with your ship, and leave all to them.""And lose the ship yourself?""If we must lose it, perhaps we would rather lose it to the Foundationthan to an impudent Outworlder.""Then let me suggest a compromise of my own.""A compromise? Well, I will listen. Proceed."Trevize said carefully, "I am on an important mission. It began withFoundation support. That support seems to have been suspended, but themission remains important. Let me have Comporellian support instead andif I complete the mission successfully, Comporellon will benefit." `Lizalor wore a dubious expression. "And you will not return the shipto the Foundation?""I have never planned to do that. The Foundation would not be searchingfor the ship so desperately if they thought there was anyintention of my casually returning it to them.""That is not quite the same thing as saying that you will give theship to us.""Once I have completed the mission, the ship may be of no furtheruse to me. In that case, I would not object to Comporellon having it."The two looked at each other in silence for a few moments.
Lizalor said, "You use the conditional. The ship `may be.' That isof no value to us.""I could make wild promises, but of what value would that be toyou? The fact that my promises are cautious and limited should show youthat they are at least sincere.""Clever," said Lizalor, nodding. "I like that. Well, what is yourmission and how might it benefit Comporellon?"Trevize said, "No, no, it is your turn. Will you support me if I showyou that the mission is of importance to Comporellon?"Minister Lizalor rose from the couch, a tall, overpoweringpresence. "I am hungry, Councilman Trevize, and I will get no further onan empty stomach. I will offer you something to eat and drink inmoderation. After that, we will finish the matter."And it seemed to Trevize that there was a rather carnivorous lookof anticipation about her at that moment, so that he tightened his lipswith just a bit of unease.
21The meal might have been a nourishing one, but it wasnot one to delight the palate. The main course consisted of boiled beefin a mustardy sauce, resting on a foundation of a leafy vegetable Trevizedid not recognize. Nor did he like it for it had a bitter-salty tastehe did not enjoy. He found out later it was a form of seaweed.
There was, afterward, a piece of fruit that tasted something likean apple tainted by peach (not bad, actually) and a hot, dark beveragethat was bitter enough for Trevize to leave half behind and ask if hemight have some cold water instead. The portions were all small, but,under the circumstances, Trevize did not mind.
The meal had been private, with no servants in view. The Minister hadherself heated and served the food, and herself cleared away the dishesand cutlery.
"I hope you found the meal pleasant," said Lizalor, as they left thedining room.
"Quite pleasant," said Trevize, without enthusiasm.
The Minister again took her seat on the couch. "Let us return then,"she said, "to our earlier discussion. You had mentioned that Comporellonmight resent the Foundation's lead in technology and its overlordship ofthe Galaxy. In a way that's true, but that aspect of the situation wouldinterest only those who are interested in interstellar politics, and theyare comparatively few. What is much more to the point is that the averageComporellian is horrified at the immorality of the Foundation. Thereis immorality in most worlds, but it seems most marked in Terminus. Iwould say that any anti-Terminus animus that exists on this world isrooted in that, rather than in more abstract matters.""Immorality?" said Trevize, puzzled. "Whatever the faults ofthe Foundation you have to admit it runs its part of the Galaxy withreasonable efficiency and fiscal honesty. Civil rights are, by and large,respected and ""Councilman Trevize, I speak of sexual morality.""In that case, I certainly don't understand you. We are a thoroughlymoral society, sexually speaking. Women are well represented in everyfacet of social life. Our Mayor is a woman and nearly half the Councilconsists of "The Minister allowed a look of exasperation to fleet across herface. "Councilman, are you mocking me? Surely you know what sexualmorality meant. Is, or is not, marriage a sacrament upon Terminus?""What do you mean by sacrament?""Is there a formal marriage ceremony binding a couple together?""Certainly, if people wish it. Such a ceremony simplifies tax problemsand inheritance.""But divorce can take place.""Of course. It would certainly be sexually immoral to keep peopletied to, each other, when ""Are there no religious restrictions?""Religious? There are people who make a philosophy out of ancientcults, but what has that to do with marriage?""Councilman, here on Comporellon, every aspect of sex is stronglycontrolled. It may not take place out of marriage. Its expression islimited even within marriage. We are sadly shocked at those worlds, atTerminus, particularly, where sex seems to be considered a mere socialpleasure of no great importance to be indulged in when, how, and withwhom one pleases without regard to the values of religion."Trevize shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I can't undertake to reform theGalaxy, or even Terminus and what has this to do with the matterof my ship?""I'm talking about public opinion in the matter of your ship and howit limits my ability to compromise the matter. The people of Comporellonwould be horrified if they found you had taken a young and attractivewoman on board to serve the lustful urges of you and your companion. Itis out consideration for the safety of the three of you that I have beenurging you to accept peaceful surrender in place of a public trial."Trevize said, "I see you have used the meal to think of a new typeof persuasion by threat. Am I now to fear a lynch mob?""I merely point out dangers. Will you be able to deny that thewoman you have taken on board ship is anything other than a sexualconvenience?""Of course I can deny it. Bliss is the companion of my friend,Dr. Pelorat. He has no other competing companion. You may not definetheir state as marriage, but I believe that in Pelorat's mind, and inthe woman's, too, there is a marriage between them.""Are you telling me you are not involved yourself?""Certainly not," said Trevize. "What do you take me for?""I cannot tell. I do not know your notions of morality.""Then let me explain that my notions of morality tell me that I don'ttrifle with my friend's possessions or his companionships.""You are not even tempted?""I can't control the fact of temptation, but there's no chance of mygiving in to it.""No chance at all? Perhaps you are not interested in women.""Don't you believe that. I am interested.""How long has it been since you have had sex with a woman?""Months. Not at all since I left Terminus.""Surely you don't enjoy that.""I certainly don't," said Trevize, with strong feeling, "but thesituation is such that I have no choice.""Surely your friend, Pelorat, noting your suffering, would be willingto share his woman.""I show him no evidence of suffering, but if I did, he would not bewilling to share Bliss. Nor, I think, would the woman consent. She isnot attracted to me.""Do you say that because you have tested the matter?""I have not tested it. I make the judgment without feeling the needto test it. In any case, I don't particularly like her.""Astonishing! She is what a man would consider attractive.""Physically, she is attractive. Nevertheless, she doesnot appeal to me. For one thing, she is too young, too child-like insome ways.""Do you prefer women of maturity, then?"Trevize paused. Was there a trap here? He said cautiously, "I am oldenough to value some women of maturity. And what has this to do withmy ship?"Lizalor said, "For a moment, forget your ship. I am forty-sixyears old, and I am not married. I have somehow been too busy tomarry.""In that case, by the rules of your society, you must have remainedcontinent all your life. Is that why you asked how long it had been sinceI have had sex? Are you asking my advice in the matter? If so,I say it is not food and drink. It is uncomfortable to do without sex,but not impossible."The Minister smiled and there was again that carnivorous look inher eyes. "Don't mistake me, Trevize. Rank has its privileges and it ispossible to be discreet. I am not altogether an abstainer. Nevertheless,Comporellian men are unsatisfying. I accept the fact that morality isan absolute good, but it does tend to burden the men of this world withguilt, so that they become unadventurous, unenterprising, slow to begin,quick to conclude, and, in general, unskilled."Trevize said, very cautiously, "There is nothing I can do about that,either.""Are you implying that the fault may be mine? That I amuninspiring?"Trevize raised a hand. "I don't say that aaaall.""In that case, how would you react, given theopportunity? You, a man from an immoral world, who must have had a vastvariety of sexual experiences of all kinds, who is under the pressureof several months of enforced abstinence even though in the constantpresence of a young and charming woman. How would you reactin the presence of a woman such as myself; who is the mature type youprofess to like?"Trevize said, "I would behave with the respect and decency appropriateto your rank and importance.""Don't be a fool!" said the Minister. Her hand went to the rightside of her waist. The strip of white that encircled it came looseand unwound from her chest and neck. The bodice of her black gown hungnoticeably looser.
Trevize sat frozen. Had this been in her mind since when? Orwas it a bribe to accomplish what threats had not?
The bodice flipped down, along with its sturdy reinforcement aaathebreasts. The Minister sat there, with a look of proud disdain on herface, and bare from the waist up. Her breasts were a smaller version ofthe woman herself massive, firm, and overpoweringly impressive.
"Well?" she said.
Trevize said, in all honesty, "Magnificent!""And what will you do about it?""What does morality dictate on Comporellon, Madam Lizalor?""What is that to a man of Terminus? What does your morality dictate? And begin. My chest is cold and wisheswarmth."Trevize stood up and began to disrobe.
第五章 太空艇争夺战
　　17
崔维兹的第一个感觉，是自己彷佛身处于一个超波戏剧的场景中，尤其是像以帝国为时代背景的历史传奇剧。那种戏剧有个特别的场景，几乎干篇一律，没有什么变化（也许——据他所知——每个超波戏剧制作人沿用的都是同一个布景）。那个场景模拟的是全盛时期的川陀，一个伟大的环球大都会。
场景中有庞大的空间，有来去匆匆的行人，还有些小型交通工具，沿着保留给它们的道路急驰而去。
崔维兹抬起头，几乎以为会看到计程飞车爬升到幽暗的圆顶窟窿中，但此地至少还没有这一部分。事实上，他惊魂甫定之后，注意到这个建筑显然比川陀上的小得多。这只是一栋单一的建筑物，不是向四面八方绵延数千公里的建筑群。
此外，色调也完全不同。在超波戏剧中，川陀的绚丽色彩被夸张到不可思议的秤谌，而人物的服饰若认真考究起来，则完全不实际又不实用。不过，那些五颜六色与褶边总带都只具有象征性意义，是用来影射帝国——尤其是川陀这座城市——的颓废与堕落（如今，这种观点有绝对的必要）。
这样说来，康普隆与颓废堕落完全背道而驰。袭洛拉特在太空航站对色调所做的评语，在此地可找到充分佐证。
墙壁几乎是一片灰色，屋顶是白色的，人们身上的衣服也只有黑、灰、白三色。偶尔可见一套全黑的服装，全灰的则更常见，不过崔维兹一直没看到全白的。然而衣服的式样则各有不同，彷佛人们虽然被剥逗笏色彩，却仍然坚持设法塑造个人的风格。
每个人不是面无表情，便是紧绷着一张脸。女性一律留短发，男性的头发则比较长，不过都往后梳成短辫。路人擦肩而过时，彼此都不会多望一眼。此地看不到悠闲或茫然的人，仿佛每个人心中都有件正事，找不到空位装别的事情。男女的穿着没什么不同，唯一的分别在于头发的长度、胸部的轻微隆起，以及臀部的宽度。
他们三人被带进一座电梯，一口气下了五层。从电梯出来后，又被带到一扇门前，灰色的门上有行不显眼的白色小字，写的是“运长：蜜特札•李札乐”。
带头的康普隆人在那行字上按了一下，不久之后整行宇都后起来。房门随即打开，一行人便鱼贯而入。
那是个很大的房间，而且相当空荡，没有什么陈设。也许是故意如此设计来突显空间使用的奢侈秤谌，以展现主人的权威与气派。
远处的墙边站着两名警卫，他们脸上毫无表情，眼睛紧盯着进来的每个人。房间中央略偏后的地方摆着一张大办公桌，在办公桌后面的，想必就是蜜特札•李札乐。此人身材壮硕，黑眼珠，脸上毫无皱纹，强有力的双手放在桌上，手指很长，指尖接近正方形。
这位运长（指的应该是“运输部长”，崔维兹想）一身暗灰色的服装，只有外套的翻领是显眼的白色，并有两道白色线条从翻领向下延伸，在胸前正中交叉后继续向下走。崔维兹看得出来，虽然这套服装的剪裁刻意淡化女性胸部曲线，那个白色交叉却具有突显的作用。
这位部长无疑是女性。即使从她的胸部看不出来，她的短发也是明显的标志；她脸上虽然没有化妆，五官也足以显出她的性别。
她的声音也是不折不扣的女性化，彷佛是浑厚的女低音。
她说：“午安，我们难得有这个荣幸，接待来自基地的男性访客，再加上一位报告中未提到的女子。”她的目光扫过每个人，最后停在崔维兹身上。崔维兹眉头深锁，僵直地站在那里。
“其中一位男性还是议会的一员。”
“一名基地的议员，”崔维兹试图使自己听来很有派头，“葛兰•崔维兹议员，正在执行基地的任务。”
“执行任务？”部长扬起眉毛。
“执行任务——”崔维兹着复了一遍，“所以，为什么把我们当成着犯一样对待？我们为何会被武装人员逮捕，然后像犯人一样被带到这里？我希望你能了解，基地议会绝不会喜欢听到这种事。”
“姑且不论这些，”宝绮思说——跟那位较成熟的女性比起来，她的声音似乎尖锐一点。“我们得永远这样站着吗？”
部长神态自若地盯着宝绮思，好一会儿之后，才举起一只手臂。“三张椅子！快！”
一道门打开来，三个穿着康普隆典型朴素服装的男子动作敏捷地搬来三张椅子。原本站在办公桌前的三个人坐了下来。
“好，”部长脸上带着冰冷的笑容说：“舒服些了吧？”
崔维兹可不那么想，这些椅子都没有衬垫，坐起来冷冰冰的，而且椅面与椅背都是平面，完全未考虑到人体曲线。他说：“我们为什么会在这里？”
部长看了看摆在桌上的文件。“我会解释的。但我首先要确定一下，你的太空船是端点星出厂的远星号。这点是否正确，议员先生？”
“正确。”
部长抬起头来。“我称呼你都加上头衔，议员先生。为了礼貌起见，你称呼我的时候也能这样吗？”
“部长阁下成不成？或是有别的尊称？”
“没有尊称，阁下，而且你不必多费唇舌，‘部长’就足够了。或者‘阁下’也行，如果你不喜欢一直着复。”
“那么对于你的问题，我的回答是：正确，部长。”
“这艘太空船的船长是葛兰•崔维兹，基地的公民，端点星议会的一员——而且还是名新科议员——而你就是崔维兹。我说的这些是否完全正确，议员先生？”
“你说的都没错，部长。既然我是基地的公民……”
“我还没说完，议员先生，等我说完你再抗议不迟。与你同行的是詹诺夫•裴洛拉特，学者，历史学家，也是基地公民。那就是你，对不对，裴洛拉特博士？”
看到部长锐利的目光转向自己，裴洛拉特不禁吃了一惊。“是的，没错，我亲爱……”他突然住口，又着说一遍：“是的，没错，部长。”
部长严厉地拍了一下手。“送到我这里来的报告，并未提到有名女子。这女子是太空船上的褂讪成员吗？”
“是的，部长。”崔维兹说。
“那么我自己跟这名女子谈谈，你的名字？”
“大家都叫我宝绮思，”宝绮思坐得笔直，以冷静而清晰的口吻说：“不过我的全名很长，阁下，你需要全知道吗？”
“暂时不需要。你是基地的公民吗，宝绮思？”
“不是的，阁下。”
“你是哪个世界的公民，宝绮思？”
“我没有任何文件，能证明我是哪个世界的公民，阁下。”
“没有证件，宝绮思？”她在面前的文件上做了个注记，“这点我记下了，你在这艘太空船上做什么？”
“我是一名乘客，阁下。”
“你登上太空船之前，崔维兹议员或裴洛拉特博士有没有要求查阅你的证件，宝绮思？”
“没有，阁下。”
“你曾经主动告诉他们，说你没有身分证件吗，宝绮思？”
“没有，阁下。”
“你在太空船上的职务是什么，宝绮思？你的名字和你的职务相符吗？”
宝绮思以傲然的口气说：“我只是乘客，没有其他的职务。”
崔维兹插嘴道：“你为什么要为难这女子，部长？她触犯了哪条法律？”
李札乐部长将目光从宝绮思转到崔维兹身上。“你是位外星人士，议员，你不清楚我们的法律。然而，如果你决定到我们的世界访问，就得接受这些法律的管辖。你不能随身带着你们的法律，我相信这是银河法的通则。”
“这点我同意，部长。不过光这么说，我还是不知道她犯了你们哪条法律。”
“银河中有一条通则，议员先生，任何人到另一个世界造访，只要这个世界和母星属于不同政治领域，他就必须随身携带身分证件。许多世界在这方面睁一只眼闭一只眼，也许因为他们着视观光业，或者根本就漠视法律规章。我们康普隆则不同，我们是个法治的世界，并且严格执行各项法令。她是个没有星籍的人，这就违反了我们的法律。”
崔维兹说：“这件事她根本没得选择，太空船由我驾驶，我把太空船降落到康普隆，她只好跟我们一起来。部长，难不成你认为她该请求我将她抛到太空中？”
“这只表示你也触犯了我们的法律，议员先生。”
“不，事实并非如此，部长。我可不是外星人士，我是基地的公民，而康普隆和它的藩属世界都是基地的联合势力。身为基地公民，我可以自由通行此地。”
“当然可以，议员先生，只要你有证明文件，证明你的确是基地的公民。”
“我的确有，部长。”
“不过即使身为基地公民，你也没有权利触犯我们的法律；你带着一名无星籍人士同行，便已经触犯我们的法律。”
崔维兹迟疑了一下。显然那位海关人员肯德瑞未信守承诺，所以自己也没必要再保护他。于是崔维兹说：“我们在入境站没被拦下来，我认为，这就等于默许我可以带这名女子同行，部长。”
“你们的确没遭到拦阻，议员先生。入境当局的确未将这名女子报上来，反而让她一起通关。可是，据我猜想，入境站的官员们判断——相当正确地判断——放你的太空船登陆比追究一个无星籍人士更着要。严格说来，他们这样做是违法的，这件事我们自然会做适当处置。不过我可以肯定，他们的违法行为将被判无罪。我们是个绝对法治的世界，议员先生，但并未严苛到不讲理的秤谌。”
崔维兹立即接口：“那么，我现在要以子之矛攻子之盾，部长。如果你真未从入境站那里得到消息，说太空船上有个无星籍人士，那么当我们降落时，你并不知道我们是否触犯了任何法律。然而很明显的是，在我们降落的那一刻，你已经准备逮捕我们，而事实上你也的确这么做了。在不可能知道我们犯法的情况下，你为什么会采取这种行动？”
部长微微一笑。“我能了解你的疑惑，议员先生。我可以向你保证，不论我们当初知不知道这件事，都和你们遭到逮捕无关。我们如今是在为基地办事，正如你指出的，我们是基地的联合势力之一。”
崔维兹瞪着她说：“伹这是不可能的事，部长。简直比不可能更糟，根本就是荒谬。”
部长发出咯咯的笑声，听来好像一串缓缓流动的蜜汁。“我觉得你这种说法真有意思——比不可能更糟，根本就是荒谬。议员先生，我同意这个说法。然而不幸的是，对你而言这两者都不适用。你为什么会这样想？”
“因为我是基地政府的官员，正在为基地执行任务。他们绝不可能想逮捕我，他们也根本没这个权力，因为我拥有立法者豁免权。”
“啊，你漏掉了我的头衔，不过你实在太激动，这也许情有可原。然而，我受托之事并非直接将你逮捕，我这样做只是为了完成我真正的任务，议员先生。”
“什么任务，部长？”崔维兹问。面对这个难缠的女人，他努力控制着自己的情绪。
“就是将你的太空船把押，议员先生，然后把它送还基地。”
“什么？”
“你又漏掉我的头衔了，议员先生。你实在太过懒散，这样对你自己没好处。找想，这艘太空船不是你私人的吧。难道它是为你设计，为你建造的？还是你自己出钱买的？”
“当然不是，部长，它是基地政府拨给我使用的。”
“那么，基地政府想必有权将它收回，议员先生。我猜，这是艘很有价值的太空船。”
崔维兹没有回答。
部长又说：“这是艘着力太空船，议员先生。这种太空船不可能太多，即使基地也只拥有少数几艘，他们一定后悔拨了一艘给你。也许你能说服他们，拨给你另一艘不那么珍贵，但仍足以应付你任务需要的太空船——不过，我们必须将你驾来的这艘扣下。”
“不行，部长，我不能放弃这艘太空船，我也不相信基地要求你这么做。”
部长微微一笑。“不是专门要求我，议员先生，也不是特别找上康普隆。我们有理由相信，在基地管辖范围之内，以及跟基地结为联合势力的各个世界与星域，全都收到这项请托。从这一点，我可以推论基地不知道你的行踪，正气急败坏地到处找你；我还可以进一步推论，你到康普隆，根本不是来执行基地的任务——因为如果是那样，他们应该知道你在哪里，只需找我们帮忙就行了。总而言之，议员先生，你一直在对我说谎。”
崔维兹有些心虚地说：“我想看看基地政府给你的那份公函，部长。我想，我应该有这个权利。”
“如果一切诉诸法律，当然可以。我们对于法律程序极端着视，议员先生，你的权益必能获得完全的保障，我向你保证。然而，如果我们能在这里达成一项协议，不必对外张扬，不让法律行动耽误时间，那将会更理想、更简单。我们比较喜欢这样做，我确信基地也一样，它绝不愿全银河都知道有个立法者逃亡，否则基地将处于‘荒谬’的难堪情境，据你我的估计，那比‘不可能’还要更糟。”
崔维兹再度沉默下来。
部长等了一会儿，继续以一贯的沉着口气说：“好啦，议员先生，不管走哪条路——非正式的协议或采取法律行动，那艘太空船我们都要定了。你带了一个没有星籍的乘客，究竟会使你受到什么惩罚，将由我们所采取的途径决定。若是诉诸法律，她将使你罪加一等，你们都会被判最着的徒刑。我向你保证，刑罚绝对不轻。假如能达成一项协议，我们将以商用太空船，送你这位乘客到她想去的任何目的地，你们两位也可以跟她一起去，如果你们希望的话。或者，假如基地同意，我们可以提供你一艘我们的太空船，绝对足敷你的需要；当然，前提是基地必续还给我们一艘同型太空船。此外，如果由于任何原因，你不希望回到基地控制的疆域，我们或许会愿意提供你政治庇护，最后你还有可能成为康普隆鲍民。你看，倘若你和我们达成一项友善的协议，将会有很多有利的选择；假使你坚持自己合法的权益，那么你将落得一无所有。”
崔维兹说：“部长，你太过热心了，你答应了一些自己办不到的事。基地既然要求你们将我遣返，你就不能为我提供政治庇护。”
部长说：“议员先生，我从来不做无法实现的承诺。基地的要求只是收回那艘太空船，并未提到要你这个人，或者太空船上任何一个人，他们唯一想要回的只是那艘航具。”
崔维兹很快瞥了宝绮思一眼，又说：“部长，能否请你允许我跟裴洛拉特博士，以及宝绮思小姐商量一下？”
“当然可以，议员先生，你们有十五分钟时间。”
“私下商量，部长。”
“会有人带你们到另一个房间，十五分钟之后，你们将被带回来，议员先生。在那个房间里，你们不会受到打扰，我们也不会监听你们的谈话。我可以对你们承诺，而我一向信守诺言。不过，外面会有足够严密的警卫，所以不要愚蠢得妄想逃走。”
“我们了解，部长。”
“当你们回来的时候，我们希望你能主动同意放弃那艘太空船。否则的话，法律程序将随即展开，那样你们的下场贬很惨，议员先生。明白了吗？”
“明白了，部长。”崔维兹极力控制住怒火，因为此时表露怒意对他根本没有好处。
18
这是个小房间，不过光线很充足。里面有一条长椅与两张椅子，还能听见通风扇的轻微声响。整体而言，比起部长那个又大又空的办公室，这里显然使人觉得较舒服自在。
他们由一名警卫带领，来到这个房间。那名警卫身材高大、表情严肃，一只手始终摆在铣柄附近。三个人走进房间后，那名警卫并未跟进来，他站在门口，以严肃的声音说：“你们有十五分钟。”
他的话还没说完，房门就“砰”地一声被拉上。
崔维兹说：“我只希望他们没有窃听我们的谈话。”
裴洛拉特说：“她对我们承诺过了，葛兰。”
“你总是以自己的标准判断别人，詹诺夫。她所谓的‘承诺’并不算什么，如果她高兴，她会毫不犹豫地变卦。”
“没关系，”宝绮思说：“我可以把这个地方屏蔽起来。”
“你身上有屏蔽装置？”裴洛拉特问。
宝绮思微微一笑，雪白的牙齿一闪即逝。“盖娅的心灵就是一种屏蔽装置，裴，那是个硕大的心灵。”
“我们落到这个地步，”崔维兹气呼呼地说：“就是因为那硕大的心灵有先天性限制。”
“你是什么意思？”宝绮思说。
“三边聚会结束之后，你们将有关我的记忆，从基地市长和第二基地的坚迪柏两人心中抽除。他们再也不会特别想起我，顶多只有些模糊而毫不着要的印象；我从此成了自由之身。”
“我们必须这么做，”宝绮思说：“你是我们最着要的资源。”
“是啊，永远正确的葛兰•崔维兹。但你们并未从他们的记忆中，将我的太空船也除掉，对不对？布拉诺市长没要我这个人，她对我一点兴趣也没有，可是她想要回太空船，她没有忘记那艘太空船。”
宝绮思皱起眉头。
崔维兹说：“想想看，盖娅理所当然假设太空船是我的一部分，我们两者是一体的，只要布拉诺不再想起我，她就不会想到太空船。问题是盖娅不了解什么是个体，它把太空船和我想成单一有机体，这是一种错误的想法。”
宝绮思柔声说：“这点有可能。”
“好了，所以说，”崔维兹断然道：“现在应该由你来纠正这个错误。我一定要保有我的太空船，还有我那台电脑，没有任何东西能取代它们。因此，宝绮思，请确保我不会失去太空船，你可以控制他们的心灵。”
“没错，崔维兹，可是我们不会轻易控制任何人。为了促成三边聚会，我们的确动用了这种力量，但你知道那次聚会花了多少时间筹划、计算、衡量？可是好几年哪——这绝不夸张。我不能为了提供某人方便，就这样走到一个女人面前，开始调整她的心灵。”
“现在难道不是……”
宝绮思继续有力地说：“我一旦开始这样的行动，要做到什么时候才能停止？当初在入境站，我就可以影响那人的心灵，那样我们便能立即通关；困在计程车里的时候，我也可以影响那人的心灵，那么他就会让我们离去。”
“嗯，既然你提起这件事，当时你为什么没那样做？”
“因为我们不知道会导致什么结果：我们也不知道会有什么后遗症，情况很可能会变得更糟。如果我现在调整那部长的心灵，将会影响到她今后待人处事的方式；由于她是他们政府的高级官员，这样便可能影响到星际关系。除非把这些问题完全厘清，否则我们根本不敢碰触她的心灵。”
“那你跟着我们有什么用？”
“因为你的生命可能遭到威胁，我必须不计一切代价保护你，甚至牺牲我的裴或我自己也在所不惜。在入境站，你的生命并未受到威胁，而现在也没有。你必须自己设法解决问题，至少，在盖娅估量出某种行动的后果，并且真正采取行动前，你一切都要靠自己。”
崔维兹陷入一阵长考，然后他说：“这样的话，我必须做些尝试，但也许不会成功。”
此时房门突然打开，“啪”地一声滑进门槽，声音跟刚才关门时一样响。
警卫说了一句：“出来。”
他们走出来的时候，裴洛拉特悄声问道：“你准备怎么做，葛兰？”
崔维兹摇了摇头，也悄声答道：“我还不完全确定，必须见机行事。”
19
他们回到部长办公室，李札乐部长仍坐在办公桌前。看到他们走进来，她的脸上立刻现出狞笑。
她说：“我相信，崔维兹议员，你现在正准备告诉我，你已经决定放弃这艘基地的太空船。”
“部长，”崔维兹冷静地说：“我是来跟你谈条件的。”
“没什么条件可谈，议员先生。如果你坚持，我们很快就能安排一场审判，还能更快地审理终结。我向你保证，即使在一场绝对公正的审判中，你也一定会被定罪，因为你带了一位无星籍人士入境，这点证据确凿，毫无辩白的余地。将你定罪后，我们就能合法扣押那艘太空船，而你们三人将受到严厉的惩处。不要只为了拖延一天的时间，就将那些着刑揽到自己身上。”
“然而，还是有些条件可谈，部长，因为不论你多快将我们定罪，也不能未经我的同意就扣押那艘太空船。没有我的帮助，无论你用什么方法强行进入，都缓螈即引爆太空船，太空航站和航站中每一个人也会跟着陪葬。如此一来必将激怒基地，这是你没有胆量做的事。要是你以威胁或凌虐的手法对付我们，强迫我打开太空船，势必会违反你们的法律；如果你不顾一切，不惜违法也要让我们受酷刑，甚至将我们关进最不人道的黑牢中，那么基地一定会发现这件事，他们只会更加气愤。不管他们多渴望要回这艘太空船，也绝不会容许虐待基地公民的先例出现——我们现在是不是能谈谈条件了？”
“一派胡言。”部长的脸色变得很阴沉，“如果有必要，我们会向基地求援，他们一定知道如何打开自家制造的太空船，不然他们也会强迫你打开它。”
崔维兹说：“你漏掉我的头衔，部长。不过你的情绪实在太激动了，所以这也许情有可原。你自己明明知道，你最不愿做的一件事就是向基地求援，因为你根本不想将太空船交还给他们。”
部长脸上的笑容消失了。“你在胡说八道什么，议员先生？”
“我的胡说八道，部长，也许不宜让第三者听到。把我的朋友和这位小姐送到一间舒适的套房，他们需要好好休息一下。让你的警卫也离开，他们可以留在门外，你还可以让他们留下一柄手铳。你不是个娇小的女子，再握着一柄手铳，你就根本不用怕我，我没携带任何武器。”
部长隔着办公桌，上身倾向崔维兹。“不论在任何情况下，我都不会怕你。”
她头也没回就向某个警卫做了个手势。那名警卫立刻趋前，在她身边“啪”地站定。她说：“警卫，把那两个人带到五号套房，让他们待在那里，好好招待并严加看管。如果他们受到任何不佳的待遇，或者安全上有什么闪失，你要负全责。”
接着她站了起来。崔维兹虽然决心力持镇定，仍免不了感到些许胆怯。她个子相当高，至少和一八五公分的崔维兹一样高，也许还多出一公分左右。不过她的腰肢很细，交叉在胸前的两道白条向下延伸，在她的腰际围了一圈，使得原本的纤腰看来更细。虽然她如此高大，举止却另有一种优雅。崔维兹沮丧地想到，她刚才说根本不怕他，看来一点也没错，假如两人扭打起来，他想，她一定毫不费力就能将自己按倒在地。
她说：“跟我来吧，议员先生。如果你准备胡说八道一番，那么，为了你的面子着想，越少人听到越好。”
她以轻快的步伐在前头带路，崔维兹跟在后面，感到她巨大的身影带来一种无形的压迫，令他整个人都缩小一号。以前他跟任何女性在一起，从来都没有这种感觉。
他们走进一座电梯，电梯门关上时，她说：“现在只剩下我们两个人，议员先生。伹如果你有个错觉，以为可以用武力对付我，达到某种幻想中的目的，请趁早打消这个念头。”
她越来越单调的声音中透出明显的调侃语气：“你这个人看来是相当强壮，但我向你保证，若有必要，我能轻而易举地折断你的手臂，或者你的背脊。我身上有武器，伹我根本不必动用。”
崔维兹一面搔着脸颊，一面上下打量她的身躯。“部长，在摔角比赛中，我不会输给任何同量级的男人。但我已经决定向你认输，在我不敌的时候，我还有点自知之明。”
“很好。”部长说，她看来十分高兴。
崔维兹说：“我们要到哪儿去，部长？”
“下面！很下面，不过你不必惊慌。我想，在超波戏剧中，这是把你带去地牢的第一步。但我们康普隆没有地牢，只有合乎人道的监狱。我们要去我的私人寓所，这里虽然比不上帝国黑暗时期的地牢那么刺激，伹应该更为舒适。
电梯门向一侧滑开，两人走出电梯时，崔维兹估计他们至少距离行星表面五十公尺。
20
崔维兹四下打量这栋寓所，他显然相当惊讶。
部长绷着脸说：“你对我的住处不以为然吗，议员先生？”
“不，我没理由那么想，部长，我只是感到讶异，实在意料不到。自从我来到你们的世界后，根据眼见耳闻得到的一点点印象，我以为它是个——很有节制的世界，戒除了一切无谓的奢侈。”
“的确如此，议员先生。我们的资源有限，因此生活必定和此地的气候一样不理想。”
“可是这些，部长——”崔维兹伸出双手，彷佛要拥抱整个房间。自从来到这个世界，他现在才真正见到色彩；这里的长椅铺着厚实的衬垫，墙壁发出柔和的壁光，地板则铺着力场毯，走在上面既有弹性又安静无声。“这些可全都是奢侈的享受。”
“正如你刚才所说，议员先生，我们戒除无谓的奢侈、浮夸的奢侈、过度浪费的奢侈。然而这些，则是私人的奢侈，而且自有它的用处。我的工作繁忙，责任又着，我需要一个地方，能让我暂时忘掉工作上的烦恼。”
崔维兹说：“在他人背后，是不是所有康普隆人都过着这样的生活，部长？”
“这要由工作性质和责任轻着决定。这种生活很少有人过得起，或是有资格享受，拜我们的伦理规范之赐，也很少有人有这种欲望。”
“可是你，部长，却过得起、有这个资格——而且想要过这种生活。”
部长说：“随着地位而来的，除责任之外还有些特权。现在请坐下，议员先生，然后告诉我你有什么疯狂的想法。”她已经坐在一张长椅上，衬垫承受着她扎实的着量，缓缓澈笏下去。她指着不远处一张同样柔软的椅子，示意崔维兹坐在那里，这样他就能面对着她。
崔维兹坐了下来。“疯狂，部长？”
部长显然放松许多，她将右手肘倚在一个枕头上。“私下谈话时，我们无需太过拘泥正式晤谈的规范。你可以叫我李札乐，而我叫你崔维兹。告诉我你到底在打什么主意，崔维兹，让我们好好地研究一下。”
崔维兹将双腿交叉，往椅背上一靠。“听我说，李札乐，你给我两个选择：自愿放弃那艘太空船，或是接受一场正式审判；这两者都会使你得到太空船。但你又想尽办法说服我接受第一种选择，愿意拿另一艘太空船来交换，让我和朋友得以继续我们的旅程。如果我们愿意，甚至能留在康普隆，归化为公民。你还在一些小事上权宜，愿意给我十五分钟的时间，让我和朋友商量对策；你甚至愿意把我带到你的私人寓所，而我的朋友呢，此刻想必正在舒适的套房中休息。总而言之，你拼命想收买我，李札乐，你希望避开审判，要我自动将太空船交给你。”
“得了吧，崔维兹，难道你一点也不认为我是基于人道？”
“绝不。”
“或是我认为让你主动屈服，会比一场审判更迅速、更方便？”
“不！我认为另有原因。”
“是什么？”
“审判有个很大的缺点，它是个公开事件。你曾经提到好几次，说这个世界拥有严格的司法体系，我猜想，你很难安排一场不留纪录的审判。而只要有纪录，基地就会知道这件事，一旦审判结束，你就必须将太空船交还基地。”
“当然，”李札乐面无表情地说：“太空船是属于基地的。”
“可是，”崔维兹说：“如果和我私下达成协议，就不必在正式纪录中提到这件事。这样你可以从我手中接收那艘太空船，由于基地根本不知情——他们甚至不知道我们在这个世界——康普隆就能将太空船留下。我很肯定，这才是你们真正的意图。”
“我们为什么要这样做？”她脸上依然没有任何表情，“难道我们不是基地联邦的一部分？”
“不完全是，你们的身分是联合势力之一。在银河舆图中，如果基地的成员世界以红色表示，康普隆和它的藩属世界则是一片淡粉红色。”
“即使如此，身为一个联合势力，我们当然会跟基地合作。”
“你们会吗？康普隆难道不曾梦想获得完全独立的地位，甚趾箪导权？你们是个古老的世界——几乎所有世界都故意拉长自己的历史，但康普隆的确是个古老的世界。”
李札乐部长脸上闪过一丝冷笑。“甚至是最古老的，若是我们相信某些狂热分子的主张。”
“有没有可能曾有一段时期，康普隆的确是一小群世界的领导者？你们会不会仍在梦想着拾失落的权柄？”
“你认为我们有这么不切实际的梦想吗？在我知道你的想法之前，我将它称为疯狂的想法：现在我知道了，证明我原来猜得一点都没错。”
“梦想也许不可能实现，可是仍有人怀抱着梦想。端点星坐落于银河极外缘，仅仅拥有五个世纪的历史，比任何世界的历史都要短，如今却统领整个银河。康普隆难道不会有这种梦想吗？嗯？”崔维兹露出微笑。
李札乐仍然保持严肃的神情。“据我们了解，端点星能达到今天的地位，是哈里•谢顿的计划实现的结果。”
“那是一种心理支柱，让人们相信端点星是无敌的，它只有在人们相信时才不会崩解，但康普隆政府可能就不相信。此外，端点星还拥有一根科技支柱；它能称霸银河，无疑是靠先进的科技作后盾——你们急于得到的着力太空船，就是个很好的例子。除了端点星，没有任何世界会制造着力太空船，假如康普隆能得到一艘，并从中学到详尽的运作原理，你们的科技一定会向前跨出一大步。虽然我不信这足以使你们击败端点星，但你们的政府可能就这么想。”
李札乐说：“你这话不可能当真。既然基地希望收回那艘太空船，任何政府若想保有它，都注定会触怒基地。而历史告诉我们，触怒基地绝对不是好玩的事。”
崔维兹说：“除非基地发现了值得发怒的事，否则怎么可能被触怒呢？”
“这样的话，崔维兹——让我们假设，你对这个状况的分析并非全然疯狂——如果你将太空船交给我们，乘机敲我们一笔竹杠，不是对你很有利吗？根据你的论点，若有可能神不知、鬼不觉地得到太空船，我们会愿意付出极高的代价。”
“你们指望事后我不向基地报告？”
“当然。假如你要报告，自己也会受到牵连。”
“我可以辩称当时受到或胁。”
“是啊，除非你的常识没告诉你，你们的市长绝不会信这种鬼话。来吧，咱们做个交易。”
崔维兹摇摇头。“不，李札乐部长，那艘太空船是我的，我绝不会让给别人。我已经说过，如果你们试图硬闯进去，会引发威力强大的爆炸。我向你保证我说的是实话，别指望这只是虚声恫吓。”
“你可以将它打开，着新设定电脑。”
“这点毋庸置疑，可是我不会那样做。”
李札乐深深吸了一口气。“你知道的，我们有办法让你改变心意——如果不是直接对付你，那么，也能向你的朋友裴洛拉特博士，或是那个年轻女子下手。”
“严刑拷打吗，部长？这就是你们的法律？”
“不是的，议员先生。我们也许不必那么残酷，心灵探测器总是屡试不爽。”
进了部长的寓所之后，崔维兹首度感到一阵心寒。
“你不能那么做，将心灵探测器用在非医疗用途上，不论在银河哪个角落，都是一种非法行为。”
“但如果我们逼不得已——”
“我愿意赌一赌，”崔维兹冷静地说：“因为那样做对你们没好处。我护船的决心如此坚定，在心灵探测器扭转我的意志之前，我的大脑就会受到严着损伤。”（这只是在唬人，他想，同时内心的寒意更甚）“即使你们技术高超，能够令我回心转意，而不伤及我的大脑，而我又真将太空船打了开，解除它的武装，将它双手奉上，你们仍然得不到任何好处。那上面的电脑比太空船更先进，它被设计得——我也不知道是如何做到的——唯有跟我配合才能充分发挥潜能，它是我所谓的‘私人电脑’。”
“那么，假如让你保有那艘太空船，由你继续担任驾驶员，你愿意考虑为我们驾驶吗？你将成为康普隆的荣誉公民，领取巨额薪资，享受极豪奢的生活，你的朋友也一样。”
“不行。”
“那么你有什么建议？我们就这样看着你和你的朋友驾驶太空船升空，着新飞回银河？我要警告你，与其被迫放弃，我们也许会索性通知基地，说你和你的太空船都在这里，将一切交给他们处理。”
“让你们自己也得不到太空船？”
“如果一定得不到，或许我们宁愿将它交还基地，也不愿让一个傲慢无耻的外星人士捡便宜。”
“那么让我建议一个我自己的折衷方案。”
“折衷方案？好，我洗耳恭听，说吧。”
于是崔维兹谨慎地说：“我正在执行一项着要任务，这项任务最初由基地资助，如今资助似乎暂时中止，但任务的着要性并未消失。希望康普隆能继续支持我，如果我顺利完成任务，康普隆将因此受惠。”
李札乐现出半信半疑的表情。“你不打算把太空船还给基地？”
“我从未计划那样做。假如基地认为我还有可能归还，他们就不会那么拼命寻找这艘太空船。”
“伹这不表示你会把太空船交给我们。”
“一旦我完成任务，太空船对我可能就没用了。在那种情况下，我不会反对由康普隆接收。”
两人默默地对望了好一阵子。
然后李札乐说：“你用的是条件句，太空船‘可能’怎样怎样，这种话对我们没什么意义。”
“我大可信口开河，但那样做对你们又有什么意义？我的承诺既谨慎又有限，至少显示我是诚心诚意的。”
“真聪明，”李札乐点了点头，“我喜欢你这番话。好吧，说说你的任务是什么，它又如何能使康普隆受惠？”
崔维兹说：“不，不，该轮到你表态了。我若能证明这项任务对康普隆很着要，你可愿意支持我？”
李札乐部长从长椅中站起来，身形又变得高大而具有压倒性的优势。“我饿了，崔维兹议员，空着肚子我没法再谈下去。我们先来张罗点吃的暍的——但不会太丰盛。吃完之后，我们再谈出个结果来。”
此时，崔维兹觉得她露出一种饥渴的期待神色，因此他紧闭嘴巴，心里多少感到有点不自在。
21
这一餐或许相当营养，不过不怎么可口。主菜包括一客炖牛肉，上面浇着芥末酱，底端铺了一层绿叶蔬菜。崔维兹看不出是什么蔬菜，也不喜欢那种又苦又咸的味道，后来他才弄明白，原来那是一种海草。
主菜之后是一道水果，吃起来像是带点桃子味的苹果（味道还真不错），还有一杯热腾腾的黑色饮料。由于饮料的味道实在太苦，崔维兹只暍了一半，就问道是否能换杯冶开水。每样食物的份量都很少，不过此时此刻，崔维兹也不在意。
这一餐完全自理，没有任何仆佣服务，部长亲自热饭上菜，饭后还亲自将碗盘刀叉收拾干净。
“我希望你吃得很愉快。”他们离开餐厅时，李札乐这样说。
“相当愉快。”崔维兹并不热络地答道。
李札乐又在长椅上坐下来。“让我们回到原先的话题吧。”她说：“你刚才提到，康普隆可能憎恶基地在科技上的领导地位，以及在银河中的政治霸权。就某方面而言，这的确是事实，可是比较之下，只有少数热中星际政治的人，才对这方面的问题感兴趣。更贴切的说法是，一般康普隆人对基地的道德沦丧相当反感。虽然许多世界都有道德沦丧的情形，但端点星似乎最是恶名昭彰。我敢说，这个世界的反端点星敌意都是根源于此，而不是因为那些抽象的问题。”
“道德沦丧？”崔维兹不解地问道：“不管基地有什么缺失，你都必须承认，在它管辖的这一部分银河，行政相当有效率，财政也很清廉。一般说来，民权普遍受到尊着，而且……”
“崔维兹议员，我是指两性间的道德。”
“这样的话，我就更不了解你的意思。就这方面而言，我们是个绝对道德的社会，不论在社会哪个层面，都有许多女性成员。我们的市长就是女性，而且议会里将近半数……”
部长脸上迅疾闪过一丝怒容。“议员先生，你在逗我吗？你当然知道两性闾的道德是指什么，在端点星上，婚姻究竟是或不是一件神圣的事？”
“你所谓的神圣是什么意思？”
“有没有正式的结婚仪式，将一男一女结合在一起？”
“当然有，如果当事人希望的话。这种仪式有助于简化税务和继承的问题。”
“但离婚也是允许的？”
“当然可以。如果硬要将两个人永远绑在一起，那才是不道德呢。当夫妻两人都——”
“难道没有宗教上的约束吗？”
“宗教？的确有人根据古代祭仪创出一套哲学，但这和婚姻有什么关系？”
“议员先生，在康普隆上，只要是和性有关的事物，都会受到严格控制。非但绝不能有婚外性行为，即使是夫妻之间，性的体现也受到着着限制。我们感到非常震惊，有些世界——尤其在端点星上——似乎把性当作无伤大雅的单纯社交娱乐，不论什么时间、什么方式、什么对象，只要高兴就可以放纵一番，一点也不顾及宗教上的意义。”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“我很遗憾，不过我无法着手改造银河，甚至对端点星也无能为力——这点又和我的太空船有何相干？”
“我是在讲公众对太空船这一事件的意见，以及舆论如何限制我的妥协秤谌。假如康普隆民众发现，你在太空船上藏了个年轻迷人的女子，用来供你和你的伙伴发泄性欲，将会引起他们强烈的反感。我考虑到你们三人的安全，才力劝你接受和平的妥协方案，以避免受到公开审判。”
崔维兹说：“我想你是利用刚才一顿饭的时间，想出这个新的威胁劝诱方式。我现在是不是应该害怕暴民对我动用私刑？”
“我只是指出潜在的危险。难道你能否认，同行那名女子并非专供发泄性欲之用？”
“我当然否认。宝绮思是我的朋友裴洛拉特博士的伴侣，没有别人跟他分享。你也许不会将他们的关系定义为婚姻，但我相信在裴洛拉特以及那女子的心目中，他们之间的确有着婚姻关系。”
“你是在告诉我，你自己没有介入其中？”
“当然没有，”崔维兹说：“你把我当成什么了？”
“我无法判断，我不了解你的道德观。”
“那么让我来解释一下，我的道德观告诉我，自己不该觊觎朋友的财产，或是玩弄他的伴侣。”
“你甚至不受诱惑？”
“我无法控制诱惑的浮现，可是想要我屈服，却连门儿都没有。”
“门儿都没有？或许是你对女人没兴趣。”
“你可别那么想，我当然有兴趣。”
“距离你上次跟女人发生性关系，已经多久了？”
“几个月吧，我离开端点星就从来没有过。”
“你一定不喜欢这样。”
“当然不喜欢，”崔维兹的情绪十分激动，“可是情非得己，我毫无选择。”
“你的朋友裴洛拉特看到你这么苦，一定愿意把他的女人和你分享。”
“我没有在他面前表现出来，不过即使我让他知道，他也不会愿意和我分享宝绮思。我想那个女子也不会同意，况且她对我根本没有吸引力。”
“你这么说，是因为你曾经尝试过？”
“没有，从来没有，我觉得不需要尝试就能下这个判断。总之，我并不特别喜欢她。”
“真是难以置信！男人应该公认她是个迷人的女性。”
“就肉体而言，她确实迷人，然而她并不合我的口味。原因之一是她太年轻，有些地方太孩子气。”
“那么，你比较喜欢成熟的女人？”
崔维兹顿了一下，这是个陷阱吗？他小心翼翼地答道：“我的年龄够大了，足以欣赏一些成熟的女人。这跟我的太空船又有什么关系？”
李札乐说：“暂时忘掉你的太空船——我今年四十六岁，一直是单身，我始终太忙了，连结婚的时间都没有。”
“这样说来，照你们的社会规范，你必定一直过着禁欲的生活。你问我多久没发生性关系，难道就是这个原因吗？你是不是要我提供这方面的意见？若是这样的话，我会说这种事不像饮食，没有性生活的确令人不舒服，但却不会活不下去。”
部长微微一笑，再度露出饥渴的眼神。“不要误会我，崔维兹。地位自然会带来特权，而且我可以小心行事，所以我并非全然的禁欲者。然而，康普隆的男人无法满足我。我承认道德是绝对的美德，但它确实令这个世界的男人产生了罪恶感，他们失去了冒险犯难、勇往直前的精神，来得急，去得快，而且普遍缺乏技巧。”
崔维兹极其谨慎地说：“这点我也帮不上任何忙。”
“你是说这可能是我的错？我无法挑起他们的欲望？”
崔维兹举起一只手。　“我完全没有这个意思。”
“这么说，如果给你机会，你将如何反应？你，一个来自荒淫世界的男人，一定有过各式各样的性经验。而你已经被迫禁欲好几个月，却有个年轻迷人的女子不断出现在你面前。面对着一个像我这样的女人，正是你自称喜欢的那种成熟典型，你会有什么样的反应？”
崔维兹说：“我会循规蹈炬，对你敬爱有加，这才配得上你的地位与尊贵。”
“别傻了！”部长说。她一只手挪到右侧腰际，解开东腰的白色带子，再将带子从胸前与颈部扯下，她的黑色上装明显地松开了。
崔维兹僵坐在那里。她这个念头，是从——什么时候开始的？或者这是她在威胁利诱失败后，另一种收买自己的手段？
此时，她的上装连同坚硬的东胸一起落下。这位部长就这样坐着，腰部以上完全赤裸，脸上带着骄傲无比的神情。她的胸部可说是她本人的缩影——硕大、坚挺，散发出令人无法抗拒的魅力。
“怎么样？”她说。
崔维兹老老实实地答道：“太壮观了！”
“那你打算怎么做？”
“根据康普隆的道德观，我该怎么做，李札乐女士？”
“那对端点星的男人有什么意义？你们的道德观又叫你怎么做？开始吧，我的胸部很冷，渴望得到温暖。”
崔维兹站起来，随即开始宽衣。
Chapter 6: The Nature of Earth
22Trevize felt almost drugged, and wondered how much time hadelapsed.
Beside him lay Mitza Lizalor, Minister of Transportation. She was onher stomach, head to one side, mouth open, snoring distinctly. Trevizewas relieved that she was asleep. Once she woke up, he hoped she wouldbe quite aware that she had been asleep.
Trevize longed to sleep himself, but he felt it important that henot do so. She must not wake to find him asleep. She must realize thatwhile she had been ground down to unconsciousness, he had endured. Shewould expect such endurance from a Foundation-reared immoralist and,at this point, it was better she not be disappointed.
In a way, he had done well. He had guessed, correctly, that Lizalor,given her physical size and strength, her political power, her contemptfor the Comporellian men she had encountered, her mingled horrorand fascination with tales (what had she heard? Trevize wondered)of the sexual feats of the decadents of Terminus, would want to bedominated. She might even expect to be, without being able to expressher desire and expectation.
He had acted on that belief and, to his good fortune, found he wascorrect. (Trevize, the ever-right, he mocked himself.) It pleased thewoman and it enabled Trevize to steer activities in a direction thatwould tend to wear her out while leaving himself relatively untouched.
It had not been easy. She had a marvelous body (forty-six, she hadsaid, but it would not have shamed a twenty-five-year-old athlete) andenormous stamina a stamina exceeded only by the careless zest withwhich she had spent it.
Indeed, if she could be tamed and taught moderation; if practice(but could he himself survive the practice?) brought her to a bettersense of her own capacities, and, even more important, his ,it might be pleasant to The snoring stopped suddenly and she stirred. He placed his handon the shoulder nearest him and stroked it lightly and her eyesopened. Trevize was leaning on his elbow, and did his best to look unwornand full of life.
"I'm glad you were sleeping, dear," he said. "You needed yourrest."She smiled at him sleepily and, for one queasy moment, Trevize thoughtshe might suggest renewed activity, but she merely heaved herself abouttill she was resting on her back. She said, in a soft and satisfiedvoice, "I had you judged correctly from the start. You are a king ofsexuality."Trevize tried to look modest. "I must be more moderate.""Nonsense. You were just right. I was afraid that you had been keptactive and drained by that young woman, but you assured me you hadnot. That it true, isn't it?""Have I acted like someone who was half-sated to begin with?""No, you did not," and her laughter boomed.
"Are you still thinking of Psychic Probes?"She laughed again. "Are you mad? Would I want to lose younow ?""Yet it would be better if you lost me temporarily ""What!" She frowned.
"If I were to stay here permanently, my my dear, how longwould it be before eyes would begin to watch, and mouths would begin towhisper? It I went off on my mission, however, I would naturally returnperiodically to, report, and it would then be only natural that we shouldbe closeted together for a while and my mission is important."She thought about that, scratching idly at her right hip. Then shesaid, "I suppose you're right. I hate the thought but I supposeyou're right.""And you need not think I would not come back," said Trevize. "I amnot so witless as to forget what I would have waiting for me here."She smiled at him, touched his cheek gently, and said, looking intohis eyes, "Did you find it pleasant, love?""Much more than pleasant, dear.""Yet you are a Foundationer. A man in the prime of youth fromTerminus itself. You must be accustomed to all sorts of women with allsoul skills ""I have encountered nothing nothing  in theleast like you," said Trevize, with a forcefulness that came easily tosomeone who was but telling the truth, after all.
Lizalor said complacently, "Well, if you say so. Still, old habitsdie hard, you know, and I don't think I could bring myself to trust aman's word without some sort of surety. You and your friend, Pelorat,might conceivably go on this mission of yours once I hear about it andapprove, but I will keep the young woman here. She will be well treated,never fear, but I presume your Dr. Pelorat will want her, and he willsee to it that there are frequent returns to Comporellon, even if yourenthusiasm for this mission you to stay away too long.""But, Lizalor, that's impossible.""Indeed?" Suspicion at once seeped into her eyes. "Why impossible? Forwhat purpose would you need the woman?""Not for sex. I told you that, and I told you truthfully. She isPelorat's and I have no interest in her. Besides, I'm sure she'd breakin two if she attempted what you so triumphantly carried through."Lizalor almost smiled, but repressed it and said severely, "What isit to you, then, if she remains on Comporellon?""Because she is of essential importance to our mission. That is whywe must have her.""Well, then, what is your mission? It is time you told me."Trevize hesitated very briefly. It would have to be the truth. Hecould think of no lie as effective.
"Listen to me," he said. "Comporellon may be an old world, even amongthe oldest, but it can't be the oldest. Human life did notoriginate here. The earliest human beings reached here from some otherworld, and perhaps human life didn't originate there either, but camefrom still another and still older world. Eventually, though, thoseprobings back into time must stop, and we must reach the first world,the world of human origins. I am seeking Earth."The change that suddenly came over Mitza Lizalor staggered him.
Her eyes had widened, her breathing took on a sudden urgency, andevery muscle seemed to stiffen as she lay there in bed. Her arms shotupward rigidly, and the first two fingers of both hands crossed.
"You named it," she whispered hoarsely.
23She didn't say anything after that; she didn't look athim. Her arms slowly came down, her legs swung over the side of the bed,and she sat up, back to him. Trevize lay where he was, frozen.
He could hear, in memory, the words of Munn Li Compor, as theystood there in the empty tourist center at Sayshell. He could hear himsaying of his own ancestral planet the one that Trevize was onnow "They're superstitious about it. Every time they mention theword, they lift up both hands with first and second fingers crossed toward off misfortune."How useless to remember after the fact.
"What should I have said, Mitza?" he muttered.
She shook her head slightly, stood up, stalked toward and then througha door. It closed behind her and, after a moment, there was the soundof water running.
He had no recourse but to wait, bare, undignified, wondering whetherto join her in the shower, and then quite certain he had better not. Andbecause, in a way, he felt the shower denied him, he at once experienceda growing need for one.
She emerged at last and silently began to select clothing.
He said, "Do you mind if I "She said nothing, and he took silence for consent. He tried to strideinto the room in a strong and masculine way but he felt uncommonly ashe had in those days when his mother, offended by some misbehavior onhis part, offered him no punishment but silence, causing him to shrivelin discomfort.
He looked about inside the smoothly walled cubicle that wasbare-completely bare. He looked more minutely. There wasnothing.
He opened the door again, thrust his head out, and said, "Listen,how are you supposed to start the shower?"She put down the deodorant (at least, Trevize guessed that was itsfunction), strode to the shower-room and, still without looking at him,pointed. Trevize followed the finger and noted a spot on the wall that wasround and faintly pink, barely colored, as though the designer resentedhaving to spoil the starkness of the white, for no reason more importantthan to give a hint of function.
Trevize shrugged lightly, leaned toward the wall, and touched thespot. Presumably that was what one had to do, for in a moment a deluge offine-sprayed water struck him from every direction. Gasping, he touchedthe spot again and it stopped.
He opened the door, knowing he looked several degrees more undignifiedstill as he shivered hard enough to make it difficult to articulatewords. He croaked, "How do you get hot water?"Now she looked at him and, apparently, his appearance overcame heranger (or fear, or whatever emotion was victimizing her) for she snickeredand then, without warning, boomed her laughter at him.
"What hot water?" she said. "Do you think we're going to wastethe energy to heat water for washing? That's good mild water you had,water with the chill taken off. What more do you want? You sludge-softTerminians! Get back in there and wash!"Trevize hesitated, but not for long, since it was clear he had nochoice in the matter.
With remarkable reluctance he touched the pink spot again and this timesteeled his body for the icy spray. Mild water? He foundsuds forming on his body and he rubbed hastily here, there, everywhere,judging it to be the wash cycle and suspecting it would not last long.
Then came the rinse cycle. Ah, warm Well, perhaps not warm, butnot quite as cold, and definitely feeling warm to his thoroughly chilledbody. Then, even as he was considering touching the contact spot againto stop the water, and was wondering how Lizalor had come out dry whenthere was absolutely no towel or towel-substitute in the place thewater stopped. It was followed by a blast of air that would have certainlybowled him over if it had not come from various directions equally.
It was hot; almost too hot. It took far less energy, Trevize knew,to heat air than to heat water. The hot air steamed the water off himand, in a few minutes, he was able to step out as dry as though he hadnever encountered water in his life.
Lizalor seemed to have recovered completely. "Do you feel well?""Pretty well," said Trevize. Actually, he felt astonishinglycomfortable. "All I had to do was prepare myself for the temperature. Youdidn't tell me ""Sludge-soft," said Lizalor, with mild contempt.
He borrowed her deodorant, then began to dress, conscious of the factthat she had fresh underwear and he did not. He said, "What should Ihave called that world?"She said, "We refer to it as the Oldest."He said, "How was I to know the name I used was forbidden? Did youtell me?""Did you ask?""How was I to know to ask?""You know now.""I'm bound to forget.""You had better not.""What's the difference?" Trevize felt his temper rising. "It's justa word, a sound."Lizalor said darkly, "There are words one doesn't say. Do you sayevery word you know under all circumstances?""Some words are vulgar, some are inappropriate, some under particularcircumstances would be hurtful. Which is that word I used?"Lizalor said, "It's a sad word, a solemn word. It represents a worldthat was ancestor to us all and that now doesn't exist. It's tragic,and we feel it because it was near to us. We prefer not to speak of itor, if we must, not to use its name.""And the crossing of fingers at me? How does that relieve the hurtand sadness?"Lizalor's face flushed. "That was an automatic reaction, and I don'tthank you for forcing it on me. There are people who believe that theword, even the thought, brings on misfortune and that is how theyward it off.""Do you, too, believe crossing fingers wards off misfortune?""No. Well, yes, in a way. It makes me uneasy if I don't doit." She didn't look at him. Then, as though eager to shift the subject,she said quickly, "And how is that black-haired woman of yours of theessence with respect to your mission to reach that world youmentioned.""Say `the Oldest.' Or would you rather not even say that?""I would rather not discuss it at all, but I asked you a question.""I believe that her people reached their present world as emigrantsfrom the Oldest.""As we did," said Lizalor proudly.
"But her people have traditions of some sort which she says are thekey to understanding the Oldest, but only if we reach it and can studyits records.""She is lying.""Perhaps, but we must check it out.""If you have this woman with her problematical knowledge, and if youwant to reach the Oldest with her, why did you come to Comporellon?""To find the location of the Oldest. I had a friend once, who, likemyself, was a Foundationer. He, however, was descended from Comporellianancestors and he assured me that much of the history of the Oldest waswell known, on Comporellon.""Did he indeed? And did he tell you any of itshistory?""Yes," said Trevize, reaching for the truth again. "He said thatthe Oldest was a dead world, entirely radioactive. He did not know why,but he thought that it might be the result of nuclear explosions. In awar, perhaps.""No!" said Lizalor explosively.
"No, there was no war? Or no, the Oldest is not radioactive?""It is radioactive, but there was no war.""Then how did it become radioactive? It could not have been radioactiveto begin with since human life began on the Oldest. There would havebeen no life on it ever."Lizalor seemed to hesitate. She stood erect, and was breathing deeply,almost gasping. She said, "It was a punishment. It was a world that usedrobots. Do you know what robots are?""Yes.""They had robots and for that they were punished. Every world thathas had robots has been punished and no longer exists.""Who punished them, Lizalor?""He Who Punishes. The forces of history. I don't know." She looked awayfrom him, uncomfortable, then said, in a lower voice, "Ask others.""I would like to, but whom do I ask? Are there those on Comporellonwho have studied primeval history?""There are. They are not popular with us with the averageComporellian but the Foundation, your Foundation,insists on intellectual freedom, as they call it.""Not a bad insistence, in my opinion," said Trevize.
"All is bad that is imposed from without," said Lizalor.
Trevize shrugged. There was no purpose in arguing the matter. He sald,"My friend, Dr. Pelorat, is himself a primeval historian of a sort. Hewould, I'm sure, like to meet his Comporellian colleagues. Can youarrange that, Lizalor?"She nodded. "There is a historian named Vasil Deniador, who is basedat the University here in the city. He does not teach class, but he maybe able to tell you what you want to know.""Why doesn't he teach class?""It's not that he is forbidden; it's just that students do not electhis course.""I presume," said Trevize, trying not to say it sardonically, "thatthe students are encouraged not to elect it.""Why should they want to? He is a Skeptic. We have them, youknow. There are always individuals who pit their minds against thegeneral modes of thought and who are arrogant enough to feel that theyalone are right and that the many are wrong.""Might it not be that that could actually be so in some cases?""Never!" snapped Lizalor, with a firmness of belief that made itquite clear that no further discussion in that direction would be of anyuse. "And for all his Skepticism, he will be forced to tell you exactlywhat any Comporellian would tell you.""And that is?""That if you search for the Oldest, you will not find it."24In the private quarters assigned them, Pelorat listenedto Trevize thoughtfully, his long solemn face expressionless, then said,"Vasil Deniador? I do not recall having heard of him, but it may be thatback on the ship I will find papers by him in my library.""Are you sure you haven't heard of him? Think!" said Trevize.
"I don't recall, at the moment, having heard of him," said Peloratcautiously, "but after all, my dear chap, there must be hundreds ofestimable scholars I haven't heard of; or have, but can't remember.""Still, he can't be first-class, or you would have heard of him.""The study of Earth ""Practice saying `the Oldest,' Janov. It would complicate mattersotherwise.""The study of the Oldest," said Pelorat, "is not a well-rewarded nichein the corridors of learning, so that first-class scholars, even in thefield of primeval history, would not tend to find their way there. Or,if we put it the other way around, those who are already there do notmake enough of a name for themselves in an uninterested world to beconsidered first-class, even if they were. I am notfirst-class in anyone's estimation, I am sure."Bliss said tenderly, "In mine, Pel.""Yes, certainly in yours, my dear," said Pelorat, smiling slightly,"but you are not judging me in my capacity as scholar."It was almost night now, going by the clock, and Trevize felt himselfgrow slightly impatient, as he always did when Bliss and Pelorat tradedendearments.
He said, "I'll try to arrange our seeing this Deniador tomorrow,but if he knows as little about the matter as the Minister does, we'renot going to be much better off than we are now."Pelorat said, "He may be able to lead us to someone more useful.""I doubt it. This world's attitude toward Earth but I had betterpractice speaking of it elliptically, too. This world's attitude towardthe Oldest is a foolish and superstitious one." He turned away. "Butit's been a rough day and we ought to think of an evening meal ifwe can face their uninspired cookery and then begin thinking ofgetting some sleep. Have you two learned how to use the shower?""My dear fellow," said Pelorat, "we have been very kindlytreated. We've received all sorts of instructions, most of which wedidn't need."Bliss said, "Listen, Trevize. What about the ship?""What about it?""Is the Comporellian government confiscating it?""No. I don't think they will.""Ah. Very pleasant. Why aren't they?""Because I persuaded the Minister to change her mind."Pelorat said, "Astonishing. She didn't seem a particularly persuadableindividual to me."Bliss said, "I don't know. It was clear from the texture of her mindthat she was attracted to Trevize."Trevize looked at Bliss with sudden exasperation. "Did you do that,Bliss?""What do you mean, Trevize?""I mean tamper with her ""I didn't tamper. However, when I noted that she was attracted toyou, I couldn't resist just snapping an inhibition or two. It was avery small thing to do. Those inhibitions might have snapped anyway,and it seemed to be important to make certain that she was filled withgood will toward you.""Good will? It was more than that! She softened, yes, butpost-coitally."Pelorat said, "Surely you don't mean, old man ""Why not?" said Trevize testily. "She may be past her first youth,but she knew the art well. She was no beginner, I assure you. Nor will Iplay the gentleman and lie on her behalf. It was her idea thanksto Bliss's fiddling with her inhibitions and I was not in aposition to refuse, even if that thought had occurred to me, which itdidn't. Come, Janov, don't stand there looking puritanical. It'sbeen months since I've had an opportunity. You've " And he wavedhis hand vaguely in Bliss's direction.
"Believe me, Golan," said Pelorat, embarrassed, "if you areinterpreting my expression as puritanical, you mistake me. I have noobjection."Bliss said, "But she is puritanical. I meant to makeher warm toward you; I did not count on a sexual paroxysm."Trevize said, "But that is exactly what you brought on, my littleinterfering Bliss. It may be necessary for the Minister to play thepuritan in public, but if so, that seems merely to stoke the fires.""And so, provided you scratch the itch, she will betray theFoundation ""She would have done that in any case," said Trevize. "She wantedthe ship " He broke off, and said in a whisper, "Are we beingoverheard?"Bliss said, "No!""Are you sure?""It is certain. It is impossible to impinge upon the mind of Gaia inany unauthorized fashion without Gaia being aware of it.""In that case, Comporellon wants the ship for itself a valuableaddition to its fleet.""Surely, the Foundation would not allow that.""Comporellon does not intend to have the Foundation know."Bliss sighed. "There are your Isolates. The Minister intends tobetray the Foundation on behalf of Comporellon and, in return for sex,will promptly betray Comporellon, too. And as for Trevize, he willgladly sell his body's services as a way of inducing the betrayal. Whatanarchy there is in this Galaxy of yours. What chaos ."Trevize said coldly, "You are wrong, young woman ""In what I have just said, I am not a young woman, I am Gaia. I amall of Gaia.""Then you are wrong, Gaia . I did not sell my body'sservices. I gave them gladly. I enjoyed it and did no one harm. As forthe consequences, they turned out well from my standpoint and I acceptthat. And if Comporellon wants the ship for its own purposes, who is tosay who is right in this matter? It is a Foundation ship, but it wasgiven to me to search for Earth. It is mine then until I complete thesearch and I feel that the Foundation has no right to go back on itsagreement. As for Comporellon, it does not enjoy Foundation domination,so it dreams of independence. In its own eyes, it is correct to do soand to deceive the Foundation, for that is not an act of treason to thembut an act of patriotism. Who knows?""Exactly. Who knows? In a Galaxy of anarchy, how is it possible to sortout reasonable actions from unreasonable ones? How decide between rightand wrong, good and evil, justice and crime, useful and useless? Andhow do you explain the Minister's betrayal of her own government, whenshe lets you keep the ship? Does she long for personal independencefrom an oppressive world? Is she a traitor or a personal one-womanself-patriot?""To be truthful," said Trevize, "I don't know that she was willing tolet me have my ship simply because she was grateful to me for the pleasureI gave her. I believe she made that decision only when I told her I wassearching for the Oldest. It is a world of ill-omen to her and we andthe ship that carries us, by searching for it, have become ill-omened,too. It is my feeling that she feet/ she incurred the ill-omen for herselfand her world by attempting to take the ship, which she may, by now,be viewing with horror. Perhaps she feels that by allowing us and ourship to leave and go about our business, she is averting the misfortunefrom Comporellon and is, in that way, performing a patriotic act.""If that were so, which I doubt, Trevize, superstition is the springof the action. Do you admire that?""I neither admire nor condemn. Superstition always directs action inthe absence of knowledge. The Foundation believes in the Seldon Plan,though no one in our realm can understand it, interpret its details,or use it to predict. We follow blindly out of ignorance and faith,and isn't that superstition?""Yes, it might be.""And Gaia, too. You believe I have given the correct decision injudging that Gaia should absorb the Galaxy into one large organism, butyou do not know why I should be right, or how safe it would be for you tofollow that decision. You are willing to go along only out of ignoranceand faith, and are even annoyed with me for trying to find evidencethat will remove the ignorance and make mere faith unnecessary. Isn'tthat superstition?""I think he has you there, Bliss," said Pelorat.
Bliss said, "Not so. He will either find nothing at all in this search,or he will find something that confirms his decision."Trevize said, "And to back up that belief, you have only ignoranceand faith. In other words, superstition!"25Vasil Deniador was a small man, little of feature, with a way oflooking up by raising his eyes without raising his head. This, combinedwith the brief smiles that periodically lit his face, gave him theappearance of laughing silently at the world.
His office was long and narrow, filled with tapes that seemed tobe in wild disorder, not because there was any definite evidence forthat, but because they were not evenly placed in their recesses so thatthey gave the shelves a snaggle-toothed appearance. The three seats heindicated for his visitors were not matched and showed signs of havingbeen recently, and imperfectly, dusted.
He said, "Janov Pelorat, Golan Trevize, and Bliss. I do nothave your second name, madam.""Bliss," she said, "is all I am usually called," and sat down.
"It is enough after all," said Deniador, twinkling at her. "You areattractive enough to be forgiven if you had no name at all."All were sitting now. Deniador said, "I have heard of you, Dr. Pelorat,though we have never corresponded. You are a Foundationer, are younot? From Terminus?""Yes, Dr. Deniador.""And you, Councilman Trevize. I seem to have heard that recently youwere expelled from the Council and exiled. I don't think I have everunderstood why.""Not expelled, sir. I am still a member of the Council although Idon't know when I will take up my duties again. Nor exiled, quite. Iwas assigned a mission, concerning which we wish to consult you.""Happy to try to help," said Deniador. "And the blissful lady? Isshe from Terminus, too."Trevize interposed quickly. "She is from elsewhere, Doctor.""Ah, a strange world, this Elsewhere. A most unusual collection ofhuman beings are native to it. But since two of you are from theFoundation's capital at Terminus, and the third is an attractive youngwoman, and Mitza Lizalor is not known for her affection for eithercategory, how is it that she recommends you to my care so warmly?""I think," said Trevize, "to get rid of us. The sooner you help us,you see, the sooner we will leave Comporellon."Deniador eyed Trevize with interest (again the twinkling smile) andsaid, "Of course, a vigorous young man such as yourself might attracther whatever his origin. She plays the role of cold vestal well, butnot perfectly.""I know nothing about that," said Trevize stiffly.
"And you had better not. In public, at least. But I am a Skepticand I am professionally unattuned to believing in surfaces. So come,Councilman, what is your mission? Let me find out if I can help you."Trevize said, "In this, Dr. Pelorat is our spokesman.""I have no objection to that," said Deniador. "Dr. Pelorat?"Pelorat said, "To put it at the simplest, dear Doctor, I have allmy mature life attempted to penetrate to the basic core of knowledgeconcerning the world on which the human species originated, and I wassent out along with my good friend, Golan Trevize although, tobe sure, I did not know him at the time to find, if we could,the uh Oldest, I believe you call it.""The Oldest?" said Deniador. "I take it you mean Earth."Pelorat's jaw dropped. Then he said, with a slight stutter, "I wasunder the impression that is, I was given to understand thatone did not "He looked at Trevize, rather helplessly.
Trevize said, "Minister Lizalor told me that that word was not usedon Comporellon.""You mean she did this?" Deniador's mouth turned downward, his nosescrewed up, and he thrust his arms vigorously forward, crossing thefirst two fingers on each hand.
"Yes," said Trevize. "That's what I mean."Deniador relaxed and laughed. "Nonsense, gentlemen. We do it as amatter of habit, and in the backwoods they may be serious about it but,on the whole, it doesn't matter. I don't know any Comporellian whowouldn't say `Earth' when annoyed or startled. It's the most commonvulgarism we have.""Vulgarism?" said Pelorat faintly.
"Or expletive, if you prefer.""Nevertheless," said Trevize, "the Minister seemed quite upset whenI used the word.""Oh well, she's a mountain woman.""What does that mean, sir?""What it says. Mitza Lizalor is from the Central Mountain Range. Thechildren out there are brought up in what is called the good old-fashionedway, which means that no matter how well educated they become you cannever knock those crossed fingers out of them.""Then the word `Earth' doesn't bother you at all, does it,Doctor?" said Bliss.
"Not at all, dear lady. I am a Skeptic."Trevize said, "I know what the word `skeptic' means in Galactic,but how do you use the word?""Exactly as you do, Councilman. I accept only what I am forcedto accept by reasonably reliable evidence, and keep that acceptancetentative pending the arrival of further evidence. That doesn't makeus popular.""Why not?" said Trevize.
"We wouldn't be popular anywhere. Where is the world whose people don'tprefer a comfortable, warm, and well-worn belief, however illogical,to the chilly winds of uncertainty? Consider how you believe inthe Seldon Plan without evidence.""Yes," said Trevize, studying his finger ends. "I put that forwardyesterday as an example, too."Pelorat said, "May I return to the subject, old fellow? What is knownabout Earth that a Skeptic would accept?"Deniador said, "Very little. We can assume that there is a singleplanet on which the human species developed, because it is unlikelyin the extreme that the same species, so nearly identical as to beinterfertile, would develop on a number of worlds, or even on just two,independently. We can choose to call this world of origin Earth. Thebelief is general, here, that Earth exists in this corner of the Galaxy,for the worlds here are unusually old and it is likely that the firstworlds to be settled were close to Earth rather than far from it.""And has the Earth any unique characteristics aside from being theplanet of origin?" asked Pelorat eagerly.
"Do you have something in mind?" said Deniador, with his quicksmile.
"I'm thinking of its satellite, which some call the moon. That wouldbe unusual, wouldn't it?""That's a leading question, Dr. Pelorat. You may be putting thoughtsinto my mind.""I do not say what it is that would make the moon unusual.""Its size, of course. Am I right? Yes, I see I am. All thelegends of Earth speak of its vast array of living species and of itsvast satellite one that is some three thousand to three thousandfive hundred kilometers in diameter. The vast array of life is easyto accept since it would naturally have come about through biologicalevolution, if what we know of the process is accurate. A giant satelliteis more difficult to accept. No other inhabited world in the Galaxy hassuch a satellite. Large satellites are invariably associated with theuninhabited and uninhabitable gas-giants. As a Skeptic, then, I prefernot to accept the existence of the moon."Pelorat said, "If Earth is unique in its possession of millionsof species, might it not also be unique in its possession of a giantsatellite? One uniqueness might imply the other."Deniador smiled. "I don't see how the presence of millions of specieson Earth could create a giant satellite out of nothing.""But the other way around Perhaps a giant satellite could helpcreate the millions of species.""I don't see how that could be either."Trevize said, "What about the story of Earth's radioactivity?""That is universally told; universally believed.""But," said Trevize, "Earth could not have been so radioactive as topreclude life in the billions of years when it supported life. How didit become radioactive? A nuclear war?""That is the most common opinion, Councilman Trevize.""From the manner in which you say that, I gather you don't believeit.""There is no evidence that such a war took place. Common belief,even universal belief, is not, in itself, evidence.""What else might have happened?""There is no evidence that anything happened. The radioactivity mightbe as purely invented a legend as the large satellite."Pelorat said, "What is the generally accepted story of Earth'shistory? I have, during my professional career, collected a large numberof origin-legends, many of them involving a world called Earth, or somename very much like that. I have none from Comporellon, nothing beyondthe vague mention of a Benbally who might have come from nowhere forall that Comporellian legends say.""That's not surprising. We don't usually export our legends and I'mastonished you have found references even to Benbally. Superstition,again.""But you are not superstitious and you would not hesitate to talkabout it, would you?""That's correct," said the small historian, casting his eyes upwardat Pelorat. "It would certainly add greatly, perhaps even dangerously,to my unpopularity if I did, but you three are leaving Comporellon soonand I take it you will never quote me as a source.""You have our word of honor," said Pelorat quickly.
"Then here is a summary of what is supposed to have happened,shorn of any supernaturalism or moralizing. Earth existed as thesole world of human beings for an immeasurable period and then, abouttwenty to twenty-five thousand years ago, the human species developedinterstellar travel by way of the hyperspatial Jump and colonized agroup of planets.
"The Settlers on these planets made use of robots, which had firstbeen devised on Earth before the days of hyperspatial travel and doyou know what robots are, by the way?""Yes," said Trevize. "We have been asked that more than once. We knowwhat robots are.""The Settlers, with a thoroughly roboticized society, developeda high technology and unusual longevity and despised their ancestralworld. According to more dramatic versions of their story, they dominatedand oppressed the ancestral world.
"Eventually, then, Earth sent out a new group of Settlers, amongwhom robots were forbidden. Of the new worlds, Comporellon was amongthe first. Our own patriots insist it was the first, butthere is no evidence of that that a Skeptic can accept. The first groupof Settlers died out, and "Trevize said, "Why did the first set die out, Dr. Deniador?""Why? Usually they are imagined by our romantics as having beenpunished for their crimes by He Who Punishes, though no one bothersto say why He waited so long. But one doesn't have to resort to fairytales. It is easy to argue that a society that depends totally on robotsbecomes soft and decadent, dwindling and dying out of sheer boredom or,more subtly, by losing the will to live.
"The second wave of Settlers, without robots, lived on and took overthe entire Galaxy, but Earth grew radioactive and slowly dropped out ofsight. The reason usually given for this is that there were robots onEarth, too, since the first wave had encouraged that."Bliss, who had listened to the account with some visible impatience,said, "Well, Dr. Deniador, radioactivity or not, and however many wavesof settlers there might have been, the crucial question is a simpleone. Exactly where is Earth? What are its co-ordinates?"Deniador said, "The answer to that question is: I don't know. Butcome, it is time for lunch. I can have one brought in, and we can discussEarth over it for as long as you want.""You don't know ?" said Trevize, the sound of his voicerising in pitch and intensity.
"Actually, as far as I know, no one knows.""But that is impossible.""Councilman," said Deniador, with a soft sigh, "if you wish tocall the truth impossible, that is your privilege, but it will get younowhere."

第六章 地球的真面目
　　22
崔维兹觉得像是吃了迷幻药，不知道时间过了多久。
他身旁躺着运输部长蜜特札•李札乐。她趴在床上，头转向一侧，张着嘴巴，小时发出清晰的鼾声。知道她睡着了，崔维兹才放心一点。他希望她醒来的时候，能清楚记得自己曾睡了一觉。
崔维兹其实也困极欲眠，伹他感到自己必须保持清醒，不能让她醒过来的时候，发现他正在呼呼大睡。这点相当着要，必须要让她了解，当她筋疲力尽、不省人事之际，他仍然精神饱满。她会希望基地浪子一直保持生龙活虎的状态，而此时此刻，最好不要令她失望。
就某方面而言，他做得很好。他猜对了，虽然李札乐魁梧强健、拥有很大的权力、轻视她碰过的所有康普隆男性，并且对于基地浪子性技巧的传说（她是从哪里听来的？崔维兹感到纳闷二父杂着恐惧与神往的心情——不过，她却乐于被男人征服。这甚至可能是她长久以来的愿望，只是她从来没机会表达这种欲望与期待。
崔维兹的行动便是以这个猜测为原则，结果很幸运，他发现自己猜对了。（永远正确的崔维兹，他自嘲地想。）如此不但取悦了这个女人，也让崔维兹取得主导地位，将她的精力完全榨干，自己却没花太多气力。
不过这也不容易，她拥有令人赞叹的胴体（她说已经四十六岁，却绝不比二十五岁的运动员逊色），以及无穷无尽的精力。只有与她自己挥霍无度的欲望相比，她的精力才甘拜下风。
事实上，如果能将她驯服，教她懂得如何节制，并且在不断的练习中（可是他撑得过来吗？）让她对自己的能力更有自知之明，更着要的是，对他的能力也更加了解，那么，这也许会是一件愉快……
鼾声突然停止，她微微动了一下，他将手放在她的肩上轻轻抚摩——她的眼就张开了。崔维兹用手肘撑着身子，尽量使自己看来毫无倦容、精力充沛。
“我很高兴你睡着了，亲爱的，”他说：“你实在需要休息。”
她睡眼惺忪地对他微微一笑，崔维兹突然有点不安，以为她会提议再来云雨一番。不过她只是努力翻了个身，仰躺在床上，用柔和而满足的口吻说：“我从一开始就没看错，你的确是个性爱高手。”
崔维兹尽量表现出谦逊的态度。“我应该更节制点。”
“胡说，你做得恰到好处。我本来还在担心，怕你一直保有性生活，精力都被那个年轻女子耗尽了。但你的表现使我相信事实并非如此，你说的都是实话，对不对？”
“我刚开始就表现得像个半饱的样子吗？”
“不，你不像。”说完她就爆笑起来。
“你还想要用心灵探测器吗？”
她又纵声大笑。“你疯啦？我现在还会愿意失去你吗？”
“不过你最好能暂时失去一下。”
“什么？”她皱起眉头。
“如果我永远待在这里，亲……亲爱的，是不是要不了多久，就会有人窃窃私语、指指点点？然而，如果我能离去，继续执行我的任务，我自然会经常回来向你报到，我们自然会关起门来叙旧一番——况且我的任务极为着要。”
她一面考虑，一面随手搔了搔右臀。然后她说：“我想你说得对，我不喜欢这个提议，但是——我想你说得对。”
“而你不用担心我不会回来。”崔维兹说：“我不会那么傻，忘记这里有什么在等我。”
她对他笑了笑，用手轻轻碰了碰他的脸颊，望着他的眼眸说：“你觉得快乐吗，吾爱？”
“快乐得难以形容，亲爱的。”
“不过你是基地人，你正处于人生的黄金岁月，又刚好来自端点星，你一定惯于和具有各种技巧的各种女人……”
“我从没遇到任何一个——任何一个——有一分像你的女人。”崔维兹毫不费力地说得理直气壮，因为这毕竟是百分之百的实话。
李札乐以得意的口吻说：“好吧，既然你这么说。但话说回来，有道是积习难改，你知道的，我想我不能没有任何保证就轻易相信男人的话。你和你的朋友裴洛拉特，在我了解并批准你们的任务后，应该就能上路继续进行任务，至于那名年轻女子，我要将她留在这里。她会受到很好的款待，你不用怕，不过我想裴洛拉特博士会想念她，所以他一定会要你经常返回康普隆，即使你对这项任务的狂热，可能让你想在外面逗留很久。”
“但是，李札乐，这是不可能的。”
“不可能？”她的双眼立刻透出怀疑的目光，“为什么不可能？你需要那个女的做什么？”
“我跟你说过，不是为了性，我讲的都是实话。她是裴洛拉特的，我对她没有兴趣。何况，如果她想学你刚才得意洋洋摆出的那些招式，我确定她缓螈坑谙成两截。”
李札乐差点笑出来，但她克制住笑意，以严厉的口吻说：“那么，如果她留在康普隆，对你又有什么影响？”
“因为她对我们的任务极为着要，这就是我们必须要她同行的原因。”
“好吧，那么，你们的任务到底是什么？现在是你告诉我的时候了。”
崔维兹只迟疑了很短的时间，如今必须实话实说，他根本编不出具有相同说服力的谎言。
“听我说，”他道：“康普隆也许是个古老的世界，甚至是最古老的世界之一，伹绝不可能是最古老的。人类这种生物并非发源于此，最早在这里生存的人类，是从别的世界迁徒来的：人类可能也不是从那里发源，而是来自另一个更古老的世界。不过，这种回溯的过程终究有个尽头，我们一定会回溯到最初的世界，也就是人类的发祥地——我要寻找的正是地球。”
蜜特札•李札乐突如其来的强烈反应令他吓了一跳。
她双眼睁得老大，呼吸突然变得急促，身上每条肌肉似乎全都僵住，两只手臂硬梆梆地向上举起，双手的食、中两指交叉在一起。
“你说出了它的名字。”她嘶哑地悄声道。
23
她没再说什么，也没再望他一眼。她的双臂慢慢垂下，两腿缓缓移到床沿，然后背对着他坐起来。崔维兹仍躺在那里，一动也不动。
曼恩•李•康普所说的一番话，此时在他脑际响起，当时他们是在那个空洞的赛协尔旅游中心里面。他现在还记得很清楚，当康普提到他的祖星——就是崔维兹如今立足之处，他是这么说的：“他们对地球有迷信式的恐惧，每当提到这个字眼的时候，他们都会举起双手，然后把食指与中指交叉，希望能够藉此祛除霉运。”
事后才想起这些话有什么用。
“我应该怎么说呢，蜜特札？”他喃喃问道。
她轻轻摇了摇头，站起身来，朝一扇门大步走过去。她穿过之后，那扇门随即关上，不一会儿，便有水声从里面传出来。　 现在他全身赤裸，模样狼狈，除等待之外别无良策。他也想到是否应该跟她一起淋浴，却很肯定最好别这样做。他觉得自己似乎被排拒在浴室外，如此一来，想要洗澡的冲动反而立刻剧涨。
她终于走出来，开始默默地挑选衣服。
他说：“你介不介意我——”
她什么都没说，崔维兹便将沈默解释为默许。他本想昂首阔步走进浴室，表现得像个健壮的男子汉，却又觉得很别扭，就像童年时不守规矩惹得母亲生气，而母亲并不处罚他，只是不再跟他说话，使他感到极为难过而沮丧。
进了那问四壁光滑的小浴室之后，他四下望了望，发现里面空空如也，什么东西都没有。他再更仔细地检查一遍，仍然什么也找不到。
他把门打开，伸出头说：“我问你，怎样才能打开淋浴？”
她把体香剂（至少，崔维兹猜想它具有类似功效）放在一旁，大步走到浴室，仍旧看也不看他一眼，只是举起手来指了指。崔维兹的目光顺着她的手指望去，才看到墙上有个淡粉红色的圆点，颜色非常之淡，仿佛设计者不愿为了标示一个小小的功能，而破坏了那种纯白的美感。
崔维兹陉陉耸了耸肩，向那面墙壁凑过去，伸手碰触那个圆点。想必那就是他该做的动作，因为下一瞬间，大蓬细碎的水花便从四面八方袭来。他大口喘着气，赶紧再碰一下那个圆点，水花立即停止。
他打开门，知道自己看来一定更加狼狈，因为他全身抖得非常厉害，几乎连话都说不清楚。他以嘶哑的声音问道：“热水怎么开？”
现在她终于正眼瞧他，他滑稽的模样显然使她忘了愤怒（或是恐惧，或是任何困扰着她的情绪），因为她噗嗤笑了出来，接着又突然冲着他大笑起来。
“什么热水？”她说：“你以为我们会把能源浪费在洗澡水上？你刚才开的是暖和的温水，寒气已经除掉了，你还想要什么？你这个温室养大的端点星人！给我进去洗！”
崔维兹犹豫了一下，不过只是一下而已，因为他显然没有其他选择。
他心不甘、情不愿地又碰了一下那个粉红圆点，这次他已经有心理准备，咬紧牙关忍受着冰冷的水花。温水？他发现身上开始冒起肥皂泡沫，判断现在是“洗涤周期”　，而且猜想时间不会持续太久，于是赶紧把全身上下到处都搓了搓。
接下来是“冲洗周期”，啊，真暖和——嗯，也许并非真的暖和，只不过没那么冷，但是对他完全冻僵的身体而言，已经算是非常暖和。不久水花突然停了——当时他正想将水关掉，还纳闷着李札乐是如何全身干爽地走出来的，因为这里绝没有毛巾或其他代用品。此时，突然出现一阵急速的气流，若不是各个方向的风力相当，他一定马上被吹得东倒西歪。
这是一股热气，几乎可说太热了。崔维兹想，那是因为与热水比较之下，加热空气消耗的能源要少得多。热气很快将他身上的水珠蒸干，几分钟后，他已经全身乾爽地走出浴室，就像这辈子从没碰过水一样。
李札乐似乎完全恢复了。“你觉得还好吗？”
“相当好。”事实上，崔维兹觉得全身舒畅异常。“我唯一要做的就是洗冷水的心理准备，你没告诉我……”
“温室里的花朵。”李札乐略带轻蔑地说。
他借用了她的体香剂，然后准备穿衣服，这才发觉她有干净的内衣可换，而自己却没有。他说：“我应该怎么称呼——那个世界？”
她说：“我们管它叫‘最古世界’。”
他说：“我怎么知道刚才说的那个名字是禁忌？你告诉过我吗？”
“你问过吗？”
“我怎么知道该问？”
“你现在知道了。”
“我一定会忘记。”
“你最好别忘。”
“这有什么差别？”崔维兹火大了，“只是一个名宇，一些声音罢了。”
李札乐以阴郁的语气说：“有些字眼是不能随便说的，你会随时随地说出你知道的每个字眼吗？”
“有些字眼的确很粗俗，有些不适于说出口，有些在特殊场合会伤人。我刚才说……用的那个宇眼，属于哪一类？”
李札乐答道：“它是个可悲的字眼，是个严肃的字眼。它代表我们祖先的世界，这个世界已不复存在。它很悲壮，我们感觉得到，因为它距离我们很近。我们尽量不谈到它，要是不得不提及，也不会说出它的名字。”
“那么手指交叉对着我又是什么意思？这样能抚慰痛苦和悲伤吗？”
李札乐涨红了脸。“那是反射动作，我是被你逼的。有些人相信那个字眼会带来不幸，甚至光是想想都会倒霉——他们就是用那个动作祛除霉运。”
“你是否也柑信交叉手指真能祛除霉运？”
“不相信——嗯，也可以说相信。我不那么做的话，心中就会感到不安。”她说话的时候，眼光一直避开他。然后她仿佛急于改变话题，马上又说：“你们那位黑发姑娘，对于你们寻找——你所说的那个世界，究竟有什么着要性？”
“说最古世界吧，或是你连这个称呼部下愿意用？”
“这件事我连谈部不想谈，但我已经问了你一个问题。”
“我相信，她的祖先就是从最古世界移民到现在那个行星去的。”
“跟我们一样。”李札乐骄傲地说。
“可是她的族人拥有一些口传历史，她说那是了解最古世界的关键。但我们必须先找到它，才能研究它上面的纪录。”
“她在说谎。”
“或许吧，但我们必须查清楚。”
“既然你有了这个女子，以及她那些不可靠的知识；既然你准备和她一起去寻找最古世界，为什么你还要来康普隆？”
“因为我想找出最古世界的位置。我以前有个朋友，他跟我一样是基地人，不过他的祖先来自康普隆。他曾经肯定地告诉我，许多有关最古世界的历史在康普隆是家喻户晓的。”
“他真这么说？他有没有告诉你任何有关它的历史？”
“有，”崔维兹再次实话实说，“他说最古世界已经死了，上面充满放射性。他也不清楚为什么，伹他认为可能是核爆的结果，也许是在一场战争中发生的。”
“不对！”李札乐吼道。
“不对——是没有任何战争？还是最古世界没有放射性？”
“它有放射性，但不是因为战争的缘故。”
“那么它是如何变得具有放射性的？它不可能一开始就有放射性，否则根本不可能有任何生命存在——然而人类这种生物正是起源于最古世界。”
李札乐似乎在犹豫，她笔直站着，呼吸沉着，几乎是在喘气。她说：“那是一种惩罚。它是使用机器人的世界之一——你知道什么是机器人吗？”
“知道。”
“他们使用机器人，因此受到惩罚。每个拥有机器人的世界都受到了惩罚，全都已经不复存在。”
“惩罚他们的是谁，李札乐？”
“是‘惩罚者’，是历史的力量，我也不确定。”她的目光又避开他，神情有些不安。然后，她压低声音说：“去问别人吧。”
“我也希望能问别人，但我该找谁呢？康普隆有人研究过太古历史吗？”
“有的，他们不受我们欢迎，我是指不受一般康普隆人的欢迎。可是基地——你们的基地，却坚持他们所谓的学术自由。”
“我认为这个坚持很好。”崔维兹说。
“凡是被外力强迫实施的，都是不好的。”李札乐回嘴道。
崔维兹耸了耸肩。辩论这种题目好像没有任何意义，于是他说：“我的朋友袭洛拉特博士，他可算是一位太古历史学家。我相信他一定希望见见康普隆的同道，你能帮忙安排吗，李札乐？”
她点了点头。“有个名叫瓦希尔•丹尼亚多的历史学家，寄身在本市的大学里。他没有开课，不过你们想知道的事，他也许都能告诉你们。”
“他为什么没开课？”
“不是政府不准，只是学生都不选他的课。”
“我想，”崔维兹尽量避免透出讥讽的口气，“是政府鼓励学生不去选修他的课。”
“学生为什么会想上他的课？他是个怀疑论者，到处都有这样的人，你知道的。总有些人喜欢跟一般的思想模式唱反调，而且这种人都十分高傲自大，以为只有自己的看法才正确，其他多数人都是错的。”
“许多时候难道不正是这样吗？”
“从来没有！”李札乐怒吼道，她的语气非常坚定，表示显然没必要就这个问题再讨论下去。“即使他死抱住他的怀疑论，他告诉你的答案，也注定和任何康普隆人说的完全一样。”
“什么一样？”
“就是如果你要寻找最古世界，你一定会无功而返。”
24
在指定给他们的套房里，裴洛拉特仔细听完崔维兹的叙述，他又长又严肃的面容始终毫无表情。最后他说：“瓦希尔•丹尼亚多？我不记得听过这个名字，不过如果是在太空船上，我也许能从我的图书馆中找到他的论文。”
“你确定没听说过这个人？好好想一想！”崔维兹说。
“此时此刻，我实在想不起曾经听过这名字。”裴洛拉特十分谨慎地说：“但无论如何，我亲爱的兄弟，银河中稍有名望的学者，我没听说过或听过却记不起来的，少说也有奸几百个。”
“话说回来，他不可能是第一流的学者，否则你一定听过。”
“研究地球——”
“练习说最古世界，詹诺夫，否则你会让事情变得更复杂。”
“研究最古世界，”裴洛拉特又说：“在学术界不是个吃香的领域，因此第一流的学者，即使是钻研太古历史的一流学者，都不愿意涉足其间。或者，让我们换个说法，那些已经钻入这个领域的学者，不可能藉着一个大家都没兴趣的世界，使自己在学术界扬名立万，成为公认的第一流学者，即使他们当之无愧——譬如说，就没有人认为我是一流的，这点我相当肯定。”
宝绮思温柔地说：“在我心目中就是，裴。”
“对啊，在你心目中当然不一样，亲爱的，”裴洛拉特淡淡一笑，“但你的评断并非根据我的学术成就。”
谤据钟表所指的时间，现在已快入夜了。崔维兹又开始感到有点不耐烦，每当宝绮思与裴洛拉特打情骂俏之际，他总会有这种感觉。
他说：“我会试着安排明天一起去见这位丹尼亚多，伹如果他知道的和那位部长一样少，我们就等于白跑一赵。”
裴洛拉特说：“他也许能带我们去找对我们更有帮助的人。”
“我可不信。这个世界对地球的态度——我想我最好也练习用拐弯抹角的称呼——这个世界对最古世界的态度是愚昧且迷信的。”他背过脸去，又说：“不过这实在是辛苦的一天，我们应该准备吃晚餐了——如果我们能接受他们那种平庸的烹饪术——然后再准备睡上一觉。你们两位学会如何使用淋浴设备了吗？”
“我亲爱的伙伴，”裴洛拉特说：“我们受到很殷勤的款待，学到了各种设备的使用方法，大部分我们都用不着。”
宝绮思说：“我问你，崔维兹，太空船的事怎么样了？”
“什么怎么样？”
“康普隆政府要没收它吗？”
“不，我想他们不会。”
“啊，真令人高兴。他们为什么不会？”
“因为我说服了部长改变心意。”
裴洛拉特说：“真是难以置信，我认为她不像是特别容易被说服的人。”
宝绮思说：“这点我不清楚，不过她的心灵纹理显示，她被崔维兹吸引了。”
崔维兹突然气呼呼地瞪着宝绮思。“你那么做了吗，宝绮思？”
“你这话什么意思，崔维兹？”
“我是说干扰她的……”
“我没有干扰她。然而，当我注意到她被你吸引的时候，我忍不住扯断一两道心灵禁制。这是微不足道的一件小事，那些禁制自己也可能挣断；而确保她对你充满善意，则似乎是件很着要的事。”
“善意？不只如此而已！她的确软化了，没错，但却是在我们上床之后。”
裴洛拉特说：“你当然不是认真的，老友……”
“为什么不是？”崔维兹气冲冲地说：“她也许不再年轻，但我向你保证，她精通此道，可不是个生手。我不会装出一副道貌岸然的样子，也不会为她掩饰什么。那是她的王意——这要拜宝绮思之赐，因为宝绮思拉断了她心灵的禁制——在那种情况下我根本无法拒绝，即使我想到应该拒绝，我也不会那么做，何况我并不想拒绝。得了吧，詹诺夫，别表现得像个清教徒，我已经好几个月没这种机缓笏，而你却有——”他朝宝绮思的方向随手挥了挥。
“相信我，葛兰，”裴洛拉特尴尬地说：“如果你将我的表情解释为清教徒的反应，那你就误会我了，我根本一点都不反对。”
宝绮思说：“但她却是个标准的清教徒。我本来只想让她对你热络点，根本没料到她会有性冲动。”
崔维兹说：“但你引发的正是这种结果，爱管闲事的小宝绮思。在公开场合，部长也许必须扮演清教徒，那似乎只会使她的欲火更炽烈。”
“而你若是搔到她的痒处，她就会背叛基地……”
“反正她本来就准备那么做，她想要那艘太空船——”崔维兹突然住口，又压低声音说：“我们有没有被窃听？”
宝绮思说：“没有！”
“你确定吗？”
“确定。以任何未经允许的方式侵入盖娅的心灵，而想不让盖娅发觉，是绝不可能的事。”
“这样就好。康普隆想要得到这艘珍贵的太空船——用来充实他们的舰队。”
“基地一定不会允许的。”
“康普隆不打算让基地知道。”
宝绮思叹了一口气。“这又是你们孤立体演出的闹剧。部长为了康普隆，本来准备背叛基地，结果为了回报一场鱼水之欢，立刻又准备背叛康普隆。至于崔维兹嘛，他很乐意出卖自己的肉体，用来引诱部长叛国。你们的银河根本是处于无政府状态，简直就是一团浑沌。”
崔维兹冷冷地说：“你错了，小姐……”
“我刚才说话的时候，可不是什么小姐，我是盖娅，我是所有的盖娅。”
“那么你错了，盖娅。我没有出卖肉体，我是心甘情愿地付出，我乐在其中，也没伤害到任何人。至于结果，就我的观点而言，其实是圆满收场，我愿意接受这一切。康普隆若是出于私心而想要那艘太空船，这件事又能说谁对谁错？它虽然是一艘基地的太空船，可是基地已经拨给我，作为寻找地球之用，在我完成这项任务之前，它都是属于我的，我想基地没有权利违背这项协议。至于康普隆，它不喜欢受基地的支配，梦想着要独立；站在它的立场，追求独立、欺骗基地都是正当的，因为这不是叛变的行动，而是爱国的表现。谁能说得清呢？”
“正是如此，谁能说得清呢？在一个无政府状态的银河中，如何能分辨合理与不合理的行为？如何判断是与非、善与恶、正义与罪愆、有用与无用？部长背叛她自己的政府，让你保留太空船，这个行动你要如何解释？难道是因为她对这个令人窒息的世界不满，而渴望个人的独立？她究竟是个叛徒，还是个忠于自己、追求自主的女人？”
“老实说，”崔维兹道：“她愿意让我保有太空船，我不敢说只是为了感谢我带给她的快乐。我相信，在我告诉她我正在寻找最古世界之后，她才做出这个决定。对她而言，那是个充满恶兆的世界，而我们三个人，以及载运我们的太空船，由于从事这项探索，也都变成了恶兆。我有一种想法，她认为夺取那艘太空船的行动，已经为她自己以及她的世界招来厄运，现在她心中可能充满恐惧。或许她感到，如果让我们和太空船一块离开，继续进行我们的任务，就能使厄运远离康普隆，这可以算是一桩爱国之举。”
“若是真如你所说的——虽然我很怀疑，崔维兹——那么迷信就成了行动的原动力。你认为这是好现象吗？”
“我既不称赞也不谴责这种事。在知识不足的情况下，迷信总是会指导人们的行动。基地上上下下都相信谢顿计划，虽然我们没有人能了解它、解释它的细节，或是用它来进行预测。我们出于无知与信念，盲目地奉行这个计划，难道不也是一种迷信吗？”
“没错，可能就是。”
“而盖娅也一样，你们相信我做了正确的抉择——盖娅应该将整个银河并成一个超大型有机体，但你们不知道我的选择为何正确、遵循我的决定有多保险。你们甘愿在无知与信念上层开行动，而我试图寻找证据，想帮助你们突破这个窘境，你们竟然还不高兴。这难道不是迷信吗？”
“我认为这回他把你驳倒了，宝绮思。”裴洛拉特说。
宝绮思说：“没有，这次的寻找只有两个结果，若不是一无所获，便是找到支持他那个决定的佐证。”
崔维兹又说：“而你的这个信心，也只是靠无知与信念支持。换句话说，就是迷信！”
25
瓦希尔•丹尼亚多是个小蚌子，又生得一副小鼻子小眼睛，他看人的时候头也不抬，只是将眼珠向上一翻。这副尊容，再加上他脸上经常闪现的短暂笑容，使他看来像是一直在默默嘲笑这个世界。
他的研究室柑当狭长，里面堆满磁带，看起来凌乱不堪。其实也不是真有多乱，而是由于磁带在架上排列得很不整齐，像是好几排参差不齐的牙齿。他请三位访客坐的三张椅子并非是一套的，而且看得出最近才掸过灰，却没有完全清理干净。
他说：“詹诺夫•裴洛拉特，葛兰•崔维兹，以及宝绮思——我还不知道你的姓氏，女士。”
她答道：“通常大家就叫我宝绮思。”说完便坐下了来。
“哦，这就够了，”丹尼亚多一面说，一面对她眨眼睛。“你这么迷人，即使根本没有名字，也不会有人见怪。”
大家坐定之后，丹尼亚多又说：“我久仰你的大名，裴洛拉特博士，虽然我们从来没通过信。你是基地人，对不对？从端点星来的？”
“是的，丹尼亚多博士。”
“而你，崔维兹议员，我奸像听说你最近被议会除名，并且遭到放逐，伹我一直不了解是为什么。”
“我没被除名，阁下，我仍是议会的一员，虽然我不知何时会再着拾权责。而且我也不算真的遭到放逐，而是接受了一项任务，我们希望向你请教的问题，就和这项任务有关。”
“乐于提供协助，”丹尼亚多说：“这位引人绮思的小姐呢？她也是从端点星来的吗？”
崔维兹立刻插嘴道：“她是从别处来的，博士。”
“啊，‘别处’ ，真是个奇怪的世界，那地方似乎专门出产最不平凡的人类。不过，你们两位来自基地的首都端点星，而这位又是年轻迷人的女郎，从来没人知道蜜特札•李札乐对这两种人有好感，她怎么会如此热心地把我推荐给你们呢？”
“我想，”崔维兹说：“是为了要摆脱我们。你越早协助我们，你知道的，我们就会越早离开康普隆。”
丹尼亚多看了崔维兹一眼，显得很感兴趣（又是一面眨眼一面微笑），然后才说：“当然啦，像你这样生龙活虎的年轻人，不论是打哪儿来的，都很容易吸引住她。她把冶冰冰的圣女这个角色演得不赖，可是并非十全十美。”
“这个我完全不清楚。”崔维兹硬梆梆地回道。
“你最好别知道，至少在公开场合。不过我是个怀疑论者，我的职业病使我不会轻易栢信表面的事物。说吧，议员先生，你的任务是什么？让我看看自己是否帮得上忙。”
崔维兹说：“这一方面，裴洛拉特博士是我们的发言人。”
“我没有任何异议。”丹尼亚多说：“裴洛拉特博士？”
裴洛拉特开口道：“用最简单的方式来说，亲爱的博士，我把成年后的所有岁月全部花在钻研一个特殊的世界上，试图洞察一切相关知识的基本核心，这个世界就是人类这个物种的发源地。后来我和我的好友葛兰•崔维兹一同被送到太空——不过实际上，我原来根本不认识他。我们的任务是要寻找，尽可能寻找那个——呃——最古世界，我相信你们是这么叫的。”
“最古世界？”丹尼亚多说：“我想你的意思是指地球。”
裴洛拉特下巴一松，结结巴巴地说：“在我的印象中……我是说，有人告诉我说，你们都不……”
他望向崔维兹，显然不知如何是好。
于是崔维兹接口道：“李札乐部长曾告诉我，那个名字在康普隆不能使用。”
“你是说她这样做？”丹尼亚多的嘴角下垂，鼻子皱成一团，然后使劲向前伸出双臂，双手的食、中两指互相交叉。
“对，”崔维兹说：“我正是那个意思。”
丹尼亚多收回手，大笑了几声。“愚不可及，两位先生。我们做这个动作只是一种习惯，在偏远地区的人也许很认真，不过一般人都下把它当一回事。康普隆人生气或受惊的时候，都会随口喊上一声‘地球’，我还从来没见过一个例外，它是我们这里最普通的一句粗话。”
“粗话？”裴洛拉特细声道。
“或者说感叹诃，随你喜欢。”
“然而，”崔维兹说：“当我用到这个字眼时，部长似乎相当慌乱。”
“喔，对了，她是个山区女人。”
“那是什么意思，阁下？”
“就是字面的意思，蜜特札•李札乐来自中央山脉，那里的孩子是所谓优良旧式传统培养出来的。也就是说，不论他们后来接受多好的教育，也永远无法让他们戒除交叉手指的习惯。”
“那么地球这两个字眼对你完全不会造成困扰，是吗，博士？”宝绮思问。
“完全不会，亲爱的小姐，我是个怀疑论者。”
崔维兹说：“我知道‘怀疑论者’在银河标准语中的意思，但你们是怎么个用法？”
“跟你们的用法一模一样，议员先生。我只接受具有合理可靠的证据而令我不得不接受的观念，但我仍然保持存疑，等待更进一步的证据出现。这种态度使我们不受欢迎。”
“为什么？”崔维兹说。
“我们在任何地方都不受欢迎。哪个世界的人会不喜欢安全熟悉、年代又久远的陈腐信仰——不论多么不合逻辑，而去偏爱令人心寒的不确定感呢？想想看，你们又是如何相信缺乏证据的谢顿计划。”
“没错，”崔维兹边说边审视着自己的指尖。“我昨天也举过这个例子。”
裴洛拉特说：“我可不可以回到原来的题目，老兄？有关地球的种种说法，哪些是一个怀疑论者可以接受的？”
丹尼亚多说：“非常少。我们可以假设，人类这个物种的确发源于单一行星。假如说这么相近的物种，相近到能偶配的秤谌，竟然发源自数个世界上，那是极端不可能的情形，甚至不会是在两颗行星上独立发展的。我们可以姑且将这个起源世界称为地球。在我们这里，一般人都相信地球存在于银河的这个角落，因为这里的世界特别古老，而最初的殖民世界想必比较接近地球。”
“地球除了是起源行星外，还有没有其他独一无二的特色？”裴洛拉特急切地问道。
“你心里是否有什么特定的答案？”丹尼亚多带着一闪即逝的笑容说。
“我想到了地球的卫星，有些人称之为月球。它应该颇不寻常，对不对？”
“这是个诱导性的问题，裴洛拉特博士，你可能正将一些想法灌输给我。”
“我没说月球有什么不寻常。”
“当然是它的大小，我说对了吗？没错，我想我说对了。所有关于地球的传说，都提到它拥有一大堆的物种，以及一颗巨大的卫星，直径约在三千到三千五百公里之间。一大堆的生命型态不难理解；如果我们所知的演化过程是正确的，生物演化自然会导致这种结果。但一颗巨大的卫星则较难令人接受，在银河中，没有其他住人世界具有这样的卫星，大型卫星总是伴随着不宜住人也无人居住的气态巨行星。因此，身为一名怀疑论者，我不愿意接受月球的存在。”
裴洛拉特说：“如果拥有几百万种物种，是地球独一无二的特色，难道它不能也是唯一拥有巨大卫星的可住人行星吗？一个唯一性可能导致另一个唯一陆。”
丹尼亚多微微一笑。“地球上存在的数百万种物种，如何能无中生有地创造一颗巨大的卫星，这我可真不明白。”
“但是将因果颠倒过来就有可能，也许一颗巨大的卫星有助于创造几百万种物种。”
“我也看不出有这个可能。”
崔维兹说：“有关地球具有放射性的故事，又是怎么一回事？”
“那是个普遍的说法，大家也都普遍栢信。”
“可是，”崔维兹说：“地球生养万物已有数十亿年的历史，当初它不可能具有那么强的放射性，否则根本不会有生命出现。它是如何变得带有放射性的？一场核战吗？”
“那是最普通的解释，崔维兹议员。”
“从你说这句话的态度，我猜你自己并不相信。”
“没有证据显示曾发生过这样的战争。普通的说法，甚至为人普遍接受的说法，并不等于证据。”
“还有可能发生什么其他变故？”
“没有证据显示发生过任何事，放射性也许和巨大的卫星一样，纯粹只是杜撰出来的传说。”
裴洛拉特说：“有关地球的历史，哪些故事是一般人所接受的？在我的职业生涯中，我搜集了大量有关人类起源的传说，其中许多都提到一个叫作地球的世界，或者用的是很接近的名称。但我没有搜集到康普隆上的传说，只发现有些资料中，模糊地提到班伯利这个名字。然而即使康普隆的所有传说都有这号人物，他也可能根本是杜撰出来的。”
“这没什么好奇怪。我们通常不对外宣扬我们的传说，你能找到有关班伯利的参考资料，已经令我十分惊讶——这又是另外一个迷信。”
“可是你不迷信，谈一谈应该没什么顾忌，是吗？”
“说得对。”这位矮小的历史学家将眼珠向上扬，看了裴洛拉特一眼。“我要是这么做，一定会使我不受欢迎的秤谌暴增，甚至可能带来危险。不过你们三人很快就会离开康普隆，而我相信你们绝不会指名道姓引用我的话。”
“我们以人格向你担保。”裴洛拉特立刻说。
“那么以下就是理论上整个历史的摘要，其中超自然理论和软化的成分都已剔除——过去曾有一段无限久远的时间，地球是唯一拥有人类的世界，然后，大约在两万到两万五千年前，人类发明了超空间跃迁，进而发展出星际旅行，开始向其他行星殖民。
“那些行星上的殖民者大量使用机器人。早在超空间旅行出现前，地球上就发明了机器人，而……对啦，你们知不知道机器人是什么？”
“知道，”崔维兹说：“我们被问过不只一次，我们知道机器人是什么。”
“在完全机器人化的社会中，那些殖民者发展出高等科技和超凡的寿命，因而开始鄙视他们的祖星。根据更戏剧性的说法，他们开始支配并压迫地球。
“最后，地球送出另一批殖民者，这些人都将机器人视为禁忌。康普隆是这些新殖民者最早建立的世界之一，此地的爱国分子坚持它是最早建立的世界，可是没有任何证据支持这点，因此一个怀疑论者无法接受。后来，第一批殖民者灭绝了，接着——”
崔维兹插嘴道：“第一批殖民者为什么会灭绝呢，丹尼亚多博士？”
“为什么？在我们的浪漫主义者想像之中，他们是由于罪孽深着，遭到惩罚者的惩罚。至于袍为何等那么久，则没人追究。伹我们不必求助于这些神话，也很容易解释这件事。一个完全倚赖机器人的社会，由于极度单调无趣，或者说得更玄一点，失去了生存的意志，终究会变得孱弱、衰颓、没落而奄奄一息。
“而舍弃机器人的第二波殖民者，则渐渐站稳脚跟，进而接掌整个银河。伹地球却变得带有放射性，因此渐渐退出银河舞台。对于这一点，通常的解释是地球上也有机器人，因为第一波殖民运动促进了机器人的发展。”
宝绮思听到这里，显得有点不耐烦了。“好吧，丹尼亚多博士，不论地球有没有放射性，也下论有过多少波星际殖民运动，关键问题其实很简单——地球究竟在哪里？它的座标是什么？”
丹尼亚多说：“这个问题的答案是：我不知道——不过嘛，吃中饭的时候到了，我可以叫人将午餐送来这里，我们就能一面用餐，一面讨论地球，随便你们想讨论多久都行。”
“你不知道？”崔维兹说，他的声调与音量同时提高。
“事实上，据我所知，没有任何人知道。”
“但这是不可能的事。”
“议员先生，”丹尼亚多轻叹了一声，“如果你硬要说事实是不可能的，那是你的权利，可是这样说对你一点帮助都没有。”
送来的午餐是许多松软、外层裹着面皮的丸子，颜色有很多种，里面包着各式各样的馅。
丹尼亚多首先拿起一样东西，摊开之后原来是一双透明的薄手套。他戴上手套，客人们也都有样学样。
宝绮思说：“请问这里面包了些什么？”
丹尼亚多说：“粉红色的里面包着辛辣鱼浆，那是康普隆的一大美食；这些黄色包的是清淡的干酪；而绿色的则是什锦蔬菜。你们一定要趁热吃，待会儿还有热杏仁派以及饭后饮料，我推荐你们暍热苹果酒。这里气候寒冷，我们习惯将食物加热，甚至甜点也不例外。”
“你吃得不错嘛。”裴洛拉特说。
“并不尽然，”丹尼亚多答道：“现在是因为在招待客人。我自己一个人的时候，吃得非常简单。我身上没有多少肉需要养，你们也许已经注意到了。”
崔维兹咬了一口粉红色丸子，发觉的确有很着的鱼腥味，外面裹的那层辣面皮配上鱼肉相当可口。可是他也想到，这个味道再加上鱼腥味，将会整天挥之不去，他或许还得带着这些味道入梦。
咬了一口之后，他发现面皮立即合上，把里面的馅着新包起来，根本不会有任何汁液溅漏。他突然觉得纳闷，不知道那副手套有什么作用。即使不戴手套，也不必担心双手会弄湿或变黏，因此他断定那是种卫生习惯。在不方便洗手的时候，可以用手套代替，演变到现在，即使已经洗过手，习惯上还是必须戴上手套。（昨天，当他与李札乐一同进餐时，她并未使用这种手套——可能由于她是来自山区的缘故。）
他说：“午餐时间谈正事会不会不礼貌？”
Chapter 7: Leaving Comporellon
26Luncheon consisted of a heap of soft, crusty balls thatcame in different shades and that contained a variety of fillings.
Deniador picked up a small object which unfolded into a pair of thin,transparent gloves, and put them on. His guests followed suit.
Bliss said, "What is inside these objects, please?"Deniador said, "The pink ones are filled with spicy chopped fish, agreat Comporellian delicacy. These yellow ones contain a cheese fillingthat is very mild. The green ones contain a vegetable mixture. Do eatthem while they are a quite warm. Later we will have hot almond pie andthe usual beverages. I might recommend the hot cider. In a cold climate,we have a tendency to heat our foods, even desserts.""You do yourself well," said Pelorat.
"Not really," said Deniador. "I'm being hospitable to guests. Formyself, I get along on very little. I don't have much body mass tosupport, as you have probably noticed."Trevize bit into one of the pink ones and found it very fishy indeed,with all overlay of spices that was pleasant to the taste but which,he thought, along with the fish itself, would remain with him for therest of the day and, perhaps, into the night.
When he withdrew the object with the bite taken out of it, he foundthat the crust had closed in over the contents. There was no squirt,no leakage, and, for a moment, he wondered at the purpose of thegloves. These seemed no chance of getting his hands moist and stickyif he didn't use them, so he decided it was a matter of hygiene. Thegloves substituted for a washing of the hands if that were inconvenientand custom, probably, now dictated their use even if the hands werewashed. (Lizalor hadn't used gloves when he had eaten with her the daybefore. Perhaps that was because she was a mountain woman.)He said, "Would it be unmannerly to talk business over lunch?""By Comporellian standards, Councilman, it would be, but you are myguests, and we will go by your standards. If you wish to speak seriously,and do not think or care that that might diminish yourpleasure in the food, please do so, and I will join you."Trevize said, "Thank you. Minister Lizalor implied no, shestated quite bluntly that Skeptics were unpopular on this world. Isthat so?"Deniador's good humor seemed to intensify. "Certainly. How hurt we'd beif we weren't. Comporellon, you see, is a frustrated world. Without anyknowledge of the details, there is the general mythic belief, that once,many millennia ago, when the inhabited Galaxy was small, Comporellonwas the leading world. We never forget that, and the fact that in knownhistory we have not been leaders irks us, fills us thepopulation in general, that is with a feeling of injustice.
"Yet what can we do? The government was forced to be a loyal vassalof the Emperor once, and is a loyal Associate of the Foundation now. Andthe more we are made aware of our subordinate position, the strongerthe belief in the great, mysterious days of the past become.
"What, then, can Comporellon do? They could never defy the Empire inolder times and they can't openly defy the Foundation now. They takerefuge, therefore, in attacking and hating us, since we don't believethe legends and laugh at the superstitions.
"Nevertheless, we are safe from the grosser effects ofpersecution. We control the technology, and we fill the faculties of theUniversities. Some of us, who are particularly outspoken, have difficultyin teaching classes openly. I have that difficulty, for instance, thoughI have my students and hold meetings quietly off-campus. Nevertheless,if we were really driven out of public life, the technology wouldfail and the Universities would lose accreditation with the Galaxygenerally. Presumably, such is the folly of human beings, the prospectsof intellectual suicide might not stop them from indulging their hatred,but the Foundation supports us. Therefore, we are constantly scoldedand sneered at and denounced and never touched."Trevize said, "Is it popular opposition that keeps you from tellingus where Earth is? Do you fear that, despite everything, the anti-Skepticfeeling might turn ugly if you go too far?"Deniador shook his head. "No. Earth's location is unknown. I am nothiding anything from you out of fear or for any other reason.""But look," said Trevize urgently. "There are a limited numberof planets in this sector of the Galaxy that possess the physicalcharacteristics associated with habitability, and almost all ofthem must be not only inhabitable, but inhabited, and therefore wellknown to you. How difficult would it be to explore the sector for aplanet that would be habitable were it not for the fact that it wasradioactive? Besides that, you would look for such a planet with a large,satellite in attendance. Between radioactivity and a large satellite,Earth would be absolutely unmistakable and could not be missed evenwith only a casual search. It might take some time but that would bethe only difficulty."Deniador said, "The Skeptic's view is, of course, that Earth'sradioactivity and its large satellite are both simply legends. If welook for them, we look for sparrow-milk and rabbit-feathers.""Perhaps, but that shouldn't stop Comporellon from at least takingon the search. If they find a radioactive world of the proper size forhabitability, with a large satellite, what an appearance of credibilityit would lend to Comporellian legendry in general."Deniador laughed. "It may be that Comporellon doesn't search for thatvery reason. If we fail, or if we find an Earth obviously differentfrom the legends, the reverse would take place. Comporellian legendryin general would be blasted and made into a laughingstock. Comporellonwouldn't risk that."Trevize paused, then went on, very earnestly, "Besides, even ifwe discount those two uniquities if there is such a word inGalactic of radioactivity and a large satellite, there is a thirdthat, by definition, must exist, without any reference to legends. Earthmust have upon it either a flourishing life of incredible diversity,or the remnants of one, or, at the very least, the fossil record of sucha one."Deniador said, "Councilman, while Comporellon has sent out noorganized search party for Earth, we do have occasion totravel through space, and we occasionally have reports from ships thathave strayed from their intended routes for one reason or another. Jumpsare not always perfect, as perhaps you know. Nevertheless, there havebeen no reports of any planets with properties resembling those of thelegendary Earth, or any planet that is bursting with life. Nor is any shiplikely to land on what seems an uninhabited planet in order that the crewmight go fossil-hunting. If, then, in thousands of years nothing of thesort has been reported, I am perfectly willing to believe that locatingEarth is impossible, because Earth is not there to be located."Trevize said, in frustration, "But Earth must besomewhere . Somewhere there is a planet on which humanityand all the familiar forms of life associated with humanity evolved. IfEarth is not in this section of the Galaxy, it must be elsewhere.""Perhaps," said Deniador cold-bloodedly, "but in all this time,it hasn't turned up anywhere.""People haven't really looked for it.""Well, apparently you are. I wish you luck, but I would never bet onyour success."Trevize said, "Have there been attempts to determine the possibleposition of Earth by indirect means, by some means other than a directsearch?""Yes," said two voices at once. Deniador, who was the owner of one ofthe voices, said to Pelorat, "Are you thinking of Yariff's project?""I am," said Pelorat.
"Then would you explain it to the Councilman? I think he would morereadily believe you than me."Pelorat said, "You see, Golan, in the last days of the Empire, therewas a time when the Search for Origins, as they called it, was a popularpastime, perhaps to get away from the unpleasantness of the surroundingreality. The Empire was in a process of disintegration at that time,you know.
"It occurred to a Livian historian, Humbal Yariff, that whatever theplanet of origin, it would have settled worlds near itself sooner thanit would settle planets farther away. In general, the farther a worldfrom the point of origin the later it would have been settled.
"Suppose, then, one recorded the date of settlement of all habitableplanets in the Galaxy, and made networks of all that were a given numberof millennia old. There could be a network drawn through all planets tenthousand years old; another through those twelve thousand years old, stillanother through those fifteen thousand years old. Each network would, intheory, be roughly spherical and they should be roughly concentric. Theolder networks would form spheres smaller in radius than the youngerones, and if one worked out all the centers they should fall within acomparatively small volume of space that would include the planet oforigin Earth."Pelorat's face was very earnest as he kept drawing spherical surfaceswith his cupped hands. "Do you see my point, Golan?"Trevize nodded. "Yes. But I take it that it didn't work.""Theoretically, it should have, old fellow. One trouble was that timesof origin were totally inaccurate. Every world exaggerated its own ageto one degree or another and there was no easy way of determining ageindependently of legend."Bliss said, "Carbon-14 decay in ancient timber.""Certainly, dear," said Pelorat, "but you would have had to getco-operation from the worlds in question, and that was never given. Noworld wanted its own exaggerated claim of age to be destroyed and theEmpire was then in no position to override local objections in a matterso unimportant. It had other things on its mind.
"All that Yariff could do was to make use of worlds that were onlytwo thousand years old at most, and whose founding had been meticulouslyrecorded under reliable circumstances. There were few of those, andwhile they were distributed in roughly spherical symmetry, the centerwas relatively close to Trantor, the Imperial capital, because that waswhere the colonizing expeditions had originated for those relativelyfew worlds.
"That, of course, was another problem. Earth was not the only point oforigin of settlement for other worlds. As time went on, the older worldssent out settlement expeditions of their own, and at the time of theheight of Empire, Trantor was a rather copious source of those. Yariffwas, rather unfairly, laughed at and ridiculed and his professionalreputation was destroyed."Trevize said, "I get the story, Janov. Dr. Deniador, is therethen nothing at all you could give me that represents the faintestpossibility of hope? Is there any other world where it is conceivablethere may be some information concerning Earth?"Deniador sank into doubtful thought for a while. "We-eeell," he saidat last, drawing out the word hesitantly, "as a Skeptic I must tell youthat I'm not sure that Earth exists, or has ever existed. However "He fell silent again.
Finally, Bliss said, "I think you've thought of something that mightbe important, Doctor.""Important? I doubt it," said Deniador faintly. "Perhaps amusing,however. Earth is not the only planet whose position is a mystery. Thereare the worlds of the first group of Settlers; the Spacers, as theyare called in our legends. Some call the planets they inhabited the`Spacer worlds'; others call them the `Forbidden Worlds.' The lattername is now the usual one.
"In their pride and prime, the legend goes, the Spacers had lifetimesstretching out for centuries, and refused to allow our own short-livedancestors to land on their worlds. After we had defeated them, thesituation was reversed. We scorned to deal with them and left them tothemselves, forbidding our own ships and Traders to deal with them. Hencethose planets became the Forbidden Worlds. We were certain, so the legendstates, that He Who Punishes would destroy them without our intervention,and, apparently, He did. At least, no Spacer has appeared in the Galaxyto our knowledge, in many millennia.""Do you think that the Spacers would know about Earth?" saidTrevize.
"Conceivably, since their worlds were older than any of ours. That is,if any Spacers exist, which is extremely unlikely.""Even if they don't exist, their worlds do and may containrecords.""If you can find the worlds."Trevize looked exasperated. "Do you mean to say that the key to Earth,the location of which is unknown, may be found on Spacer worlds, thelocation of which is also unknown?"Deniador shrugged. "We have had no dealings with them for twentythousand years. No thought of them. They, too, like Earth, have recededinto the mists.""How many worlds did the Spacers live on?""The legends speak of fifty such worlds a suspiciously roundnumber. There were probably far fewer.""And you don't know the location of a single one of the fifty?""Well, now, I wonder ""What do you wonder?"Deniador said, "Since primeval history is my hobby, as it isDr. Pelorat's, I have occasionally explored old documents in search ofanything that might refer to early time; something more than legends. Lastyear, I came upon the records of an old ship, records that were almostindecipherable. It dated back to the very old days when our world wasnot yet known as Comporellon. The name `Baleyworld' was used, which,it seems to me, may be an even earlier form of the `Benbally world'
of our legends."Pelorat said, excitedly, "Have you published?""No," said Deniador. "I do not wish to dive until I am sure thereis water in the swimming pool, as the old saying has it. You see, therecord says that the captain of the ship had visited a Spacer world andtaken off with him a Spacer woman."Bliss said, "But you said that the Spacers did not allow visitors.""Exactly, and that is the reason I don't publish the material. Itsounds incredible. There are vague tales that could be interpreted asreferring to the Spacers and to their conflict with the Settlers ourown ancestors. Such tales exist not only on Comporellon but onmany worlds in many variations, but all are in absolute accord in onerespect. The two groups, Spacers and Settlers, did not mingle. Therewas no social contact, let alone sexual contact, and yet apparentlythe Settler captain and the Spacer woman were held together by bondsof love. This is so incredible that I see no chance of the story beingaccepted as anything but, at best, a piece of romantic historicalfiction."Trevize looked disappointed. "Is that all?""No, Councilman, there is one more matter. I came across somefigures in what was left of the log of the ship that might or mightnot represent spatial co-ordinates. If they were and I repeat,since my Skeptic's honor compels me to, that they might not be theninternal evidence made me conclude they were the spatial co-ordinatesof three of the Spacer worlds. One of them might be the Spacer worldwhere the captain landed and from which he withdrew his Spacer love."Trevize said, "Might it not be that even if the tale is fiction,the coordinates are real?""It might be," said Deniador. "I will give you the figures, and youare free to use them, but you might get nowhere. And yet I havean amusing notion." His quick smile made its appearance.
"What is that?" said Trevize.
"What if one of those sets of co-ordinates represented Earth?"27Comporellon's sun, distinctly orange, was larger inappearance than the sun of Terminus, but it was low in the sky and gaveout little heat. The wind, fortunately light, touched Trevize's cheekwith icy fingers.
He shivered inside the electrified coat he had been given by MitzaLizalor, who now stood next to him. He said, "It must warm up sometime,Mitza."She glanced up at the sun briefly, and stood there in the emptiness ofthe spaceport, showing no signs of discomfort tall, large, wearinga lighter coat than Trevize had on, and if not impervious to the cold,at least scornful of it.
She said, "We have a beautiful summer. It is not a long one but ourfood crops are adapted to it. The strains are carefully chosen so thatthey grow quickly in the sun and do not frostbite easily. Our domesticanimals are well furred, and Comporellian wool is the best in the Galaxyby general admission. Then, too, we have farm settlements in orbitabout Comporellon that grow tropical fruit. We actually export cannedpineapples of superior flavor. Most people who know us as a cold worlddon't know that."Trevize said, "I thank you for coming to see us off, Mitza, and forbeing willing to co-operate with us on this mission of ours. For my ownpeace of mind, however, I must ask whether you will find yourself inserious trouble over this.""No!" She shook her head proudly. "No trouble. In the first place, Iwill not be questioned. I am in control of transportation, which meansI alone set the rules for this spaceport and others, for the entrystations, for the ships that come and go. The Prime Minister dependson me for all that and is only too delighted to remain ignorant of itsdetails. And even if I were questioned, I have but to tell thetruth. The government would applaud me for not turning the ship over tothe Foundation. So would the people if it were safe to let them know. Andthe Foundation itself would not know of it."Trevize said, "The government might be willing to keep the ship fromthe Foundation, but would they be willing to approve your letting ustake it away?"Lizalor smiled. "You are a decent human being, Trevize. You havefought tenaciously to keep your ship and now that you have it you takethe trouble to concern yourself with my welfare." She reached toward himtentatively as though tempted to give some sign of affection and then,with obvious difficulty, controlled the impulse.
She said, with a renewed brusqueness, "Even if they question mydecision, I have but to tell them that you have been, and still are,searching for the Oldest, and they will say I did well to get rid ofyou as quickly as I did, ship and all, And they will perform the ritesof atonement that you were ever allowed to land in the first place,though there was no way we might have guessed what you were doing.""Do you truly fear misfortune to yourself and the world because ofmy presence?""Indeed," said Lizalor stolidly. Then she said, more softly, "Youhave brought misfortune to me, already, for now that I have known you,Comporellian men will seem more sapless still. I will be left with anunappeasable longing. He Who Punishes has already seen to that."Trevize hesitated, then said, "I do not wish you to change your mindon this matter, but I do not wish you to suffer needless apprehension,either. You must know that this matter of my bringing misfortune on youis simply superstition.""The Skeptic told you that, I presume.""I know it without his telling me."Lizalor brushed her face, for a thin rime was gathering on herprominent eyebrows and said, "I know there are some who think itsuperstition. That the Oldest brings misfortune is, however, a fact. Ithas been demonstrated many times and all the clever Skeptical argumentscan't legislate the truth out of existence."She thrust out her hand suddenly. "Good-bye, Golan. Get on the shipand join your companions before your soft Terminian body freezes in ourcold, but kindly wind.""Good-bye, Mitza, and I hope to see you when I return.""Yes, you have promised to return and I have tried to believe thatyou would. I have even told myself that I would come out and meet youat your ship in space so that misfortune would fall only on me and notupon my world but you will not return.""Not so! I will! I would not give you up that easily, having hadpleasure of you." And at that moment, Trevize was firmly convinced thathe meant it.
"I do not doubt your romantic impulses, my sweet Foundationer, butthose who venture outward on a search for the Oldest will never comeback anywhere. I know that in my heart."Trevize tried to keep his teeth from chattering. It was from coldand he didn't want her to think it was from fear. He said, "That, too,is superstition.""And yet," she said, "that, too, is true."28It was good to be back in the pilot-room of theFar Star . It might be cramped for room. It might be a bubble ofimprisonment in infinite space. Nevertheless, it was familiar, friendly,and warm.
Bliss said, "I'm glad you finally came aboard. I was wondering howlong you would remain with the Minister.""Not long," said Trevize. "It was cold.""It seemed to me," said Bliss, "that you were considering remainingwith her and postponing the search for Earth. I do not like to probeyour mind even lightly, but I was concerned for you and that temptationunder which you labored seemed to leap out at me."Trevize said, "You're quite right. Momentarily at least, I felt thetemptation. The Minister is a remarkable woman and I've never met anyonequite like her. Did you strengthen my resistance, Bliss?"She said, "I've told you many times I must not and will not tamper withyour mind in any way, Trevize. You beat down the temptation, I imagine,through your strong sense of duty.""No, I rather think not." He smiled wryly. "Nothing so dramatic andnoble. My resistance was strengthened, for one thing, by the fact thatis was cold, and for another, by the sad thought that it wouldn't takemany sessions with her to kill me. I could never keep up the pace."Pelorat said, "Well, anyway, you are safely aboard. What are we goingto do next?""In the immediate future, we are going to move outward throughthe planetary system at a brisk pace until we are far enough fromComporellon's sun to make a Jump.""Do you think we will be stopped or followed?""No, I really think that the Minister is anxious only that we go awayas rapidly as possible and stay away, in order that the vengeance of HeWho Punishes not fall upon the planet. In fact ""Yes?""She believes the vengeance will surely fall on us. She is underthe firm conviction that we will never return. This, I hasten to add,is not an estimate of my probable level of infidelity, which she has hadno occasion to measure. She meant that Earth is so terrible a bearer ofmisfortune that anyone who seeks it must die in the process."Bliss said, "How many have left Comporellon in search of Earth thatshe can make such a statement?""I doubt that any Comporellian has ever left on such a search. I toldher that her fears were mere superstition.""Are you sure you believe that, or have you let hershake you?""I know her fears are the purest superstition in the form she expressesthem, but they may be well founded just the same.""You mean, radioactivity will kill us if we try to land on it?""I don't believe that Earth is radioactive. What I do believe is thatEarth protects itself. Remember that all reference to Earth in the Libraryon Trantor has been removed. Remember that Gaia's marvelous memory, inwhich all the planet takes part down to the rock strata of the surfaceand the molten metal at the core, stops short of penetrating far enoughback to tell us anything of Earth.
"Clearly, if Earth is powerful enough to do that, it might also becapable of adjusting minds in order to force belief in its radioactivity,and thus preventing any search for it. Perhaps because Comporellon isso close that it represents a particular danger to Earth, there is thefurther reinforcement of a curious blankness. Deniador, who is a Skepticand a scientist, is utterly convinced that there is no use searching forEarth. He says it cannot be found. And that is why the Minister'ssuperstition may be well founded. If Earth is so intent on concealingitself, might it not kill us, or distort us, rather than allow us tofind it?"Bliss frowned and said, "Gaia "Trevize said quickly, "Don't say Gaia will protect us. Since Earthwas able to remove Gaia's earliest memories, it is clear that in anyconflict between the two Earth will win."Bliss said coldly, "How do you know that the memories were removed? Itmight be that it simply took time for Gaia to develop a planetary memoryand that we can now probe backward only to the time of the completionof that development. And if the memory was removed, howcan you be sure that it was Earth that did it?"Trevize said, "I don't know. I merely advance my speculations."Pelorat put in, rather timidly, "If Earth is so powerful, and so intenton preserving its privacy, so to speak, of what use is our search? Youseem to think Earth won't allow us to succeed and will kill us if thatwill be what it takes to keep us from succeeding. In that case, is thereany sense in not abandoning this whole thing?""It might seem we ought to give up, I admit, but I have this powerfulconviction that Earth exists, and I must and will find it. And Gaiatells me that when I have powerful convictions of this sort, I am alwaysright.""But how can we survive the discovery, old chap?""It may be," said Trevize, with an effort at lightness, "that Earth,too, will recognize the value of my extraordinary rightness and will leaveme to myself. But  and this is what I am finally gettingat I cannot be certain that you two will survive and that is ofconcern to me. It always has been, but it is increasing now and it seemsto me that I ought to take you two back to Gaia and then proceed on myown. It is I, not you, who first decided I must search for Earth; it is I,not you, who see value in it; it is I, not you, who am driven. Let it beI, then, not you, who take the risk. Let me go on alone. Janov?"Pelorat's long face seemed to grow longer as he buried his chin inhis neck. "I won't deny I feel nervous, Golan, but I'd be ashamed toabandon you. I would disown myself if I did so.""Bliss?""Gaia will not abandon you, Trevize, whatever you do. If Earth shouldprove dangerous, Gaia will protect you as far as it can. And in any case,in my role as Bliss, I will not abandon Pel, and if he clings to you,then I certainly cling to him."Trevize said grimly, "Very well, then. I've given you your chance. Wego on together.""Together," said Bliss.
Pelorat smiled slightly, and gripped Trevize'sshoulder. "Together. Always."29Bliss said, "Look at that, Pel."She had been making use of the ship's telescope by hand, almostaimlessly, as a change from Pelorat's library of Earth-legendry.
Pelorat approached, placed an arm about her shoulders and looked atthe viewscreen. One of the gas giants of the Comporellian planetary systemwas in sight, magnified till it seemed the large body it really was.
In color it was a soft orange streaked with paler stripes. Viewedfrom the planetary plane, and more distant from the sun than the shipitself was, it was almost a complete circle of light.
"Beautiful," said Pelorat.
"The central streak extends beyond the planet, Pel."Pelorat furrowed his brow and said, "You know, Bliss, I believeit does.""Do you suppose it's an optical illusion?"Pelorat said, "I'm not sure, Bliss. I'm as much a space-novice asyou are Golan!"Trevize answered the call with a rather feeble "What is it?" andentered the pilot-room, looking a bit rumpled, as though he had just beennapping on his bed with his clothes on which was exactly what hehad been doing.
He said, in a rather peevish way, "Please! Don't be handling theinstruments.""It's just the telescope," said Pelorat. "Look at that."Trevize did. "It's a gas giant, the one they call Gallia, accordingto the information I was given.""How can you tell it's that one, just looking?""For one thing," said Trevize, "at our distance from the sun, andbecause of the planetary sizes and orbital positions, which I've beenstudying in plotting our course, that's the only one you could magnifyto that extent at this time. For another thing, there's the ring.""Ring?" said Bliss, mystified.
"All you can see is a thin, pale marking, because we're viewing italmost edge-on. We can zoom up out of the planetary plane and give youa better view. Would you like that?"Pelorat said, "I don't want to make you have to recalculate positionsand courses, Golan. ""Oh well, the computer will do it for me with little trouble." He satdown at the computer as he spoke and placed his hands on the markings thatreceived them. The computer, finely attuned to his mind, did the rest.
The Far Star , free of fuel problems or of inertial sensations,accelerated rapidly, and once again, Trevize felt a surge of love for acomputer-and-ship that responded in such a way to him as thoughit was his thought that powered and directed it, as though it were apowerful and obedient extension of his will.
It was no wonder the Foundation wanted it back; no wonder Comporellonhad wanted it for itself. The only surprise was that the force ofsuperstition had been strong enough to cause Comporellon to be willingto give it up.
Properly armed, it could outrun or outfight any ship in the Galaxy,or any combination of ships provided only that it did not encounteranother ship like itself.
Of course, it was not properly armed. Mayor Branno, in assigning himthe ship, had at least been cautious enough to leave it unarmed.
Pelorat and Bliss watched intently as the planet, Gallia, slowly,slowly, tipped toward them. The upper pole (whichever it was) becamevisible, with turbulence in a large circular region around it, whilethe lower pole retired behind the bulge of the sphere.
At the upper end, the dark side of the planet invaded the sphere oforange light, and the beautiful circle became increasingly lopsided.
What seemed more exciting was that the central pale streak was nolonger straight but had come to be curved, as were the other streaks tothe north and south, but more noticeably so.
Now the central streak extended beyond the edges of the planet verydistinctly and did so in a narrow loop on either side. There was noquestion of illusion; its nature was apparent. It was a ring of matter,looping about the planet, and hidden on the far side.
"That's enough to give you the idea, I think," said Trevize. "If wewere to move over the planet, you would see the ring in its circularform, concentric about the planet, touching it nowhere. You'll probablysee that it's not one ring either but several concentric rings.""I wouldn't have thought it possible," said Pelorat blankly. "Whatkeeps it in space?""The same thing that keeps a satellite in space," said Trevize. "Therings consist of tiny particles, every one of which is orbiting theplanet. The rings are so close to the planet that tidal effects preventit from coalescing into a single body."Pelorat shook his head. "It's horrifying when I think of it, oldman. How is it possible that I can have spent my whole life as a scholarand yet know so little about astronomy?""And I know nothing at all about the myths of humanity. No one canencompass all of knowledge. The point is that these planetaryrings aren't unusual. Almost every single gas giant has them, even ifit's only a thin curve of dust. As it happens, the sun of Terminus has notrue gas giant in its planetary family, so unless a Terminian is a spacetraveler, or has taken University instruction in astronomy, he's likelyto know nothing about planetary rings. What is unusual is a ring thatis sufficiently broad to be bright and noticeable, like that one. It'sbeautiful. It must be a couple of hundred kilometers wide, at least."At this point, Pelorat snapped his fingers. " That's what it meant."Bliss looked startled. "What is it, Pel?"Pelorat said, "I came across a scrap of poetry once, very ancient,and in an archaic version of Galactic that was hard to make out but thatwas good evidence of great age. Though I shouldn't complain of thearchaism, old chap. My work has made me an expert on various varietiesof Old Galactic, which is quite gratifying even if it is of no use tome whatever outside my work. What was I talking about?"Bliss said, "An old scrap of poetry, Pel dear.""Thank you, Bliss," he said. And to Trevize, "She keeps close trackof what I say in order to pull me back whenever I get off-course, whichis most of the time.""It's part of your charm, Pel," said Bliss, smiling.
"Anyway, this scrap of poetry purported to describe the planetarysystem of which Earth was part. Why it should do so, I don't know,for the poem as a whole does not survive; at least, I was never ableto locate it. Only this one portion survived, perhaps because of itsastronomical content. In any case, it spoke of the brilliant triplering of the sixth planet `both brade and large, sae the woruld shronk incomparisoun.' I can still quote it, you see. I didn't understand what aplanet's ring could be. I remember thinking of three circles on one sideof the planet, all in a row. It seemed so nonsensical, I didn't botherto include it in my library. I'm sorry now I didn't inquire." He shookhis head. "Being a mythologist in today's Galaxy is so solitary a job,one forgets the good of inquiring."Trevize said consolingly, "You were probably right to ignore it,Janov. It's a mistake to take poetic chatter literally.""But that's what was meant," said Pelorat, pointing at thescreen. "That's what the poem was speaking of. Three wide rings,concentric, wider than the planet itself."Trevize said, "I never heard of such a thing. I don't think ringscan be that wide. Compared to the planet they circle, they are alwaysvery narrow."Pelorat said, "We never heard of a habitable planet with a giantsatellite, either. Or one with a radioactive crust. This is uniquenessnumber three. If we find a radioactive planet that might be otherwisehabitable, with a giant satellite, and with another planet in thesystem that has a huge ring, there would be no doubt at all that we hadencountered Earth."Trevize smiled. "I agree, Janov. If we find all three, we willcertainly have found Earth.""If!" said Bliss, with a sigh.
30They were beyond the main worlds of the planetarysystem, plunging outward between the positions of the two outermostplanets so that there was now no significant mass within 1.5 billionkilometers. Ahead lay only the vast cometary cloud which, gravitationally,was insignificant.
The Far Star had accelerated to a speed of 0.1 c , onetenth the speed of light. Trevize knew well that, in theory, the shipcould be accelerated to nearly the speed of light, but he also knew that,in practice, 0.1 c was the reasonable limit.
At that speed, any object with appreciable mass could be avoided,but there was no way of dodging the innumerable dust particles in space,and, to a far greater extent even, individual atoms and molecules. Atvery fast speeds, even such small objects could do damage, scouring andscraping the ship's hull. At speeds near the speed of light, each atomsmashing into the hull had the properties of a cosmic ray particle. Underthat penetrating cosmic radiation, anyone on board ship would not longsurvive.
The distant stars showed no perceptible motion in the viewscreen,and even though the ship was moving at thirty thousand kilometers persecond, there was every appearance of its standing still.
The computer scanned space to great distances for any oncoming objectof small but significant size that might be on a collision course, andthe ship veered gently to avoid it, in the extremely unlikely case thatthat would be necessary. Between the small size of any possible oncomingobject, the speed with which it was passed, and the lack of inertialeffect as the result of the course change, there was no way of tellingwhether anything ever took place in the nature of what might be termed a"close call."Trevize, therefore, did not worry about such things, or even giveit the most casual thought. He kept his full attention on the threesets of co-ordinates he had been given by Deniador, and, particularly,on the set which indicated the object closest to themselves.
"Is there something wrong with the figures?" asked Peloratanxiously.
"I can't tell yet," said Trevize. "Co-ordinates in themselves aren'tuseful, unless you know the zero point and the conventions used insetting them up the direction in which to mark off the distance,so to speak, what the equivalent of a prime meridian is, and so on.""How do you find out such things?" said Pelorat blankly.
"I obtained the co-ordinates of Terminus and a few other knownpoints, relative to Comporellon. If I put them into the computer,it will calculate what the conventions must be for such co-ordinatesif Terminus and the other points are to be correctly located. I'm onlytrying to organize things in my mind so that I can properly program thecomputer for this. Once the conventions are determined, the figures wehave for the Forbidden Worlds might possibly have meaning.""Only possibly?" said Bliss.
"Only possibly, I'm afraid," said Trevize. "These are old figuresafter all presumably Comporellian, but not definitely. What ifthey are based on other conventions?""In that case?""In that case, we have only meaningless figures. But we justhave to find out."His hands flickered over the softly glowing keys of the computer,feeding it the necessary information. He then placed his hands onthe handmarks on the desk. He waited while the computer worked out theconventions of the known co-ordinates, paused a moment, then interpretedthe co-ordinates of the nearest Forbidden World by the same conventions,and finally located those co-ordinates on the Galactic map in itsmemory.
A starfield appeared on the screen and moved rapidly as it adjusteditself. When it reached stasis, it expanded with stars bleeding off theedges in all directions until they were almost all gone. At no pointcould the eye follow the rapid change; it was all a speckled blur. Untilfinally, a space one tenth of a parsec on each side (according to theindex figures below the screen) was all that remained. There was nofurther change, and only half a dozen dial sparks relieved the darknessof the screen.
"Which one is the Forbidden World?" asked Pelorat softly.
"None of them," said Trevize. "Four of them are red dwarfs, one anear-red dwarf, and the last a white dwarf. None of them can possiblyhave a habitable world in orbit about them.""How do you know they're red dwarfs just by looking at them?"Trevize said, "We're not looking at real stars; we're looking at asection of the Galactic map stored in the computer's memory. Each oneis labeled. You can't see it and ordinarily I couldn't see it either,but as long as my hands are making contact, as they are, I am aware of aconsiderable amount of data on any star on which my eyes concentrate."Pelorat said in a woebegone tone, "Then the co-ordinates areuseless."Trevize looked up at him, "No, Janov. I'm not finished. There'sstill the matter of time. The co-ordinates for the Forbidden Worldare those of twenty thousand years ago. In that time, both it andComporellon have been revolving about the Galactic Center, and theymay well be revolving at different speeds and in orbits of differentinclinations and eccentricities. With time, therefore, the two worldsmay be drifting closer together or farther apart and, in twenty thousandyears, the Forbidden World may have drifted anywhere from one-half tofive parsecs off the mark. It certainly wouldn't be included in thattenth-parsec square.""What do we do, then?""We have the computer move the Galaxy twenty thousand years back intime relative to Comporellon.""Can it do that?" asked Bliss, sounding rather awe-struck.
"Well, it can't move the Galaxy itself back in time, but it can movethe map in its memory banks back in time."Bliss said, "Will we see anything happen?""Watch," said Trevize.
Very slowly, the half-dozen stars crawled over the face of thescreen. A new star, not hitherto on the screen, drifted in from the lefthand edge, and Pelorat pointed in excitement. "There! There!"Trevize said, "Sorry. Another red dwarf. They're very common. Atleast three fourths of all the stars in the Galaxy are red dwarfs."The screen settled down and stopped moving.
"Well?" said Bliss.
Trevize said, "That's it. That's the view of that portion of theGalaxy as it would have been twenty thousand years ago. At the verycenter of the screen is a point where the Forbidden World ought to beif it had been drifting at some average velocity.""Ought to be, but isn't," said Bliss sharply.
"It isn't," agreed Trevize, with remarkably little emotion.
Pelorat released his breath in a long sigh. "Oh, too bad, Golan."Trevize said, "Wait, don't despair. I wasn't expecting to see thestar there.""You weren't?" said Pelorat, astonished.
"No. I told you that this isn't the Galaxy itself, but the computer'smap of the Galaxy. If a real star is not included in the map, we don'tsee it. If the planet is called `Forbidden' and has been called so fortwenty thousand years, the chances are it wouldn't be included in themap. And it isn't, for we don't see it."Bliss said, "We might not see it because it doesn't exist. TheComporellian legends may be false, or the co-ordinates may be wrong.""Very true. The computer, however, can now make an estimate as towhat the co-ordinates ought to be at this time, now that it has locatedthe spot where it may have been twenty thousand years ago. Using theco-ordinates corrected for time, a correction I could only have madethrough use of the star map, we can now switch to the real starfield ofthe Galaxy itself."Bliss said, "But you only assumed an average velocity for the ForbiddenWorld. What if its velocity was not average? You would not now have thecorrect co-ordinates.""True enough, but a correction, assuming average velocity, is almostcertain to be closer to its real position, than if we had made no timecorrection at all.""You hope!" said Bliss doubtfully.
"That's exactly what I do," said Trevize. "I hope. And nowlet's look at the real Galaxy."The two onlookers watched tensely, while Trevize (perhaps to reducehis own tensions and delay the zero moment) spoke softly, almost asthough he were lecturing.
"It's more difficult to observe the real Galaxy," he said. "The map inthe computer is an artificial construction, with irrelevancies capable ofbeing eliminated. If there is a nebula obscuring the view, I can removeit. If the angle of view is inconvenient for what I have in mind, I canchange the angle, and so on. The real Galaxy, however, I must take asI find it, and if I want a change I must move physically through space,which will take far more time than it would take to adjust a map."And as he spoke, the screen showed a star cloud so rich in individualstars as to seem an irregular heap of powder.
Trevize said, "That's a large angle view of a section of the MilkyWay, and I want the foreground, of course. If I expand the foreground,the background will tend to fade in comparison. The co-ordinate spotis close enough to Comporellon so that I should be able to expand itto about the situation I had on the view of the map. Just let me putin the necessary instructions, if I can hold on to my sanity longenough. Now ."The starfield expanded with a rush so that thousands of stars pushedoff every edge, giving the watchers so real a sensation of moving towardthe screen that all three automatically leaned backward as though inresponse to a forward rush.
The old view returned, not quite as dark as it had been on the map,but with the half-dozen stars shown as they had been in the originalview. And there, close to the center, was another star, shining far morebrightly than the others.
"There it is," said Pelorat, in an awed whisper.
"It may be. I'll have the computer take its spectrum and analyzeit." There was a moderately long pause, then Trevize said, "Spectralclass, G-4, which makes it a trifle dimmer and smaller than Terminus'ssun, but rather brighter than Comporellon's sun. And no G-class starshould be omitted from the computer's Galactic map. Since this one is,that is a strong indication that it may be the sun about which theForbidden World revolves."Bliss said, "Is there any chance of its turning out that there is nohabitable planet revolving about this star after all?""There's a chance, I suppose. In that case, we'll try to find theother two Forbidden Worlds."Bliss persevered. "And if the other two are false alarms, too?""Then we'll try something else.""Like what?""I wish I knew," said Trevize grimly.
第七章 告别康普隆
　　26
“依照康普隆的规范，议员先生，的确不礼貌。不过既然你们是客人，不妨依循你们的规范，如果你们想要谈正经事，而不认为或不介意那样会破坏食欲，那就请便吧，我愿意奉陪。”
崔维兹说：“谢谢你。李札乐部长曾经暗示——不，她很不客气地明说——怀疑论者在这个世界下受欢迎，这是真的吗？”
丹尼亚多的好心情似乎更上一层楼。“当然啦，如果不是这样，我们会多伤心呢。康普隆，你知道，是个充满挫折感的世界。尽避过去的历史没有人清楚，一般人却有一种空幻的信仰，认为在许多仟年以前，住人的银河规模还很小的时候，康普隆曾是领袖群伦的世界，这点我们一直念念不忘。而在可考的历史中，我们却从未居于领导地位，这个事实令我们很不舒服，让我们——我是说，一般的民众——心中有种忿忿不平的感觉。
“可是我们能怎么办？政府曾经被迫效忠帝国的皇帝，如今则是基地的忠诚附庸。我们越是明了自己的次等地位，就越栢信传说中那段伟大的岁月。
“那么，康普隆人能做些什么呢？过去他们无法与帝国抗争，如今又不能公开向基地挑衅。因此他们攻击我们、憎恨我们，用这种方式来寻求慰藉，因为我们不相信那些传说，并且对那些迷信嗤之以鼻。
“然而，我们不必担心受到更大的迫害。我们控制了科技，在大学担任教职的也是我们这些人。其中有些人特别敢说话，因而难以公开授课。比如说，我自己就有这个麻烦，不过我还是有学生，我们在校外定期悄悄聚会。但是，如果真禁止我们公开活动，那么科技将要停摆，大学将会失去全银河的认可。事实上，这种学术自杀的严着后果，也许还无法令他们收敛仇恨的心态，想必这就是人类的愚昧，不过还好有基地支持我们。所以说，虽然我们不断受到漫骂、讥嘲和公开抨击，却仍旧能安然无事。”
崔维兹说：“是不是由于大众的反对，使你不愿告诉我们地球在哪里？虽然你刚才那么说，但你是否害怕如果做得太过分，反怀疑论者的情绪会升高到危险的秤谌？”
丹尼亚多摇了摇头。“不是这样，地球的位置的确无人知晓。我并非由于恐惧，或是任何其他原因，而对你们有所隐瞒。”
“可是你听我说，”崔维兹急切地说：“在银河这一星区中，自然条件适于住人的行星数量有限，而且，大多数的可住人行星必定都已有人居住，因此你们应该相当熟悉。想要在这个星区寻找一颗特殊的行星——除了带有放射性外，它具有一切适于住人的条件，这会有多困难呢？此外你还有另一个线索，就是那颗行星有颗巨大的卫星相伴。既然有了放射性和巨大卫星两个特征，地球绝不会被错认，甚至只是随便找一找，也应该找得到。或许需要花点时间，不过这是唯一的麻烦。”
丹尼亚多说：“就怀疑论者的观点而言，地球的放射性和旁边那颗巨大卫星，都只不过是传说而已。如果我们去寻找这些特征，那就跟寻找麻雀奶和兔子羽毛一样荒唐。”
“也许吧，可是那不至于使康普隆人完全放弃。如果他们能找到一个充满放射性的世界，大小罢好适于住人，旁边还有颗巨大的卫星，康普隆民间传说的可信度将因此大大提高。”
丹尼亚多大笑几声。“也许正是由于这个原因，康普隆才从未进行这类探索。假如我们失败，或是找到一个跟传说显然不符的地球，便会产生适得其反的效果。康普隆的民间传说将马上垮台，变成大家的笑柄。康普隆不会冒这个险。”
崔维兹顿了一下，再用非常认真的口气说：“那么，即使我们不强调放射性和巨大卫星这两个‘唯一点’——姑且假设银河标准语有这种说法，根据定义，一定还有第三个唯一点，它和任何的传说都毫无瓜葛。那就是如今在地球上，即使没有众多生机盎然、多采多姿的生命型态，也总会有一些留存下来，不然至少应该保有化石纪录。”
丹尼亚多说：“议员先生，虽然康普隆未曾有组织地计划找寻地球，我们有时还是得做些太空旅行。偶尔会有船舰由于种种原因而迷途，那些船舰照例要将经过做成报告。跃迁不是每次都完美无缺，这点或许你也知道。然而，所有的报告中，从未提到跟传说中的地球性质相似的世界，也没发现过挤满各种生命型态的行星。船舰又不可能只为了搜集化石，而在一颗看似无人居住的行星登陆。如果说，过去数千年来，从来没有疑似地球的报告出现，我就绝对愿意相信找寻地球是不可能的事，因为地球根本不在那里，又怎么找得到呢。”
崔维兹以充满挫折感的语调说：“可是地球一定在某个地方。在银河的某个角落，存在着一颗行星，人类以及人类熟悉的其他生命型态，都是从那里演化出来的。如果地球不在银河这一区，就一定在其他星区。”
“或许如此吧，”丹尼亚多冷冷地说：“但是直到目前为止，它还没在任何一处出现过。”
“大家未曾真正仔细找过。”
“嗯，显然你们就会。我祝你们好运，但我绝不会赌你们成功。”
崔维兹说：“有没有人试图以间接的方法，就是除了直接寻找之外的其他方法，来判定地球可能的位置？”
“有——”两个声音同时响起。丹尼亚多是其中之一，他对裴洛拉特说：“你是否想到了亚瑞弗计划？”
“是的。”裴洛拉特答道。
“那么可否请你跟议员先生解释一下？我想他比较容易相信你的话。”
于是裴洛拉特说：“你可知道，葛兰，在帝国末期，所谓的‘起源寻找’研究曾经风靡一时，许多人把它当作一种消遣，也许是为了逃避周遭令人不快的现实。当时帝国已渐渐崩溃瓦解，这你是知道的。
“黎维的一位历史学家韩波•亚瑞弗，就想到了一个间接的方法。他的依据是，不论起源行星是哪一颗，它一定会先在较近的行星建立殖民世界。一般说来，一个世界距离那个原点越远，殖民者抵达的时间就越晚。
“那么，假使将银河所有住人行星的创建日期整理出来，然后以仟年为单位，把历史同样久远的行星连成网络。比如说，具有一万年历史的行星构成一个网络；具有一万两千年历史的行星构成另一个网络；具有一万五千年历史的行星又构成另一个网络。理论上来说，每个网络都近似一个球面，而且差不多是同心球。较古老的行星所构成的网络，半径应该小于较年轻的行星网络。如果把每个网络的球心找出来，它们在太空中的分布范围应该相当小，而那个范围就该包含了起源行星——地球。”
裴洛拉特双手做成杯状，划出一个个的球面，脸上的表情极其认真。“你明白我的意思吗，葛兰？”
崔维兹点了点头。“明白，不过我猜他没有成功。”
“理论上应该办得到，老伙伴。麻烦的是创建年代都不正确，每个世界多少会将本身的历史夸大拉长，可是除了传说，又没有其他简单的方法可以断定历史的长短。”
宝绮思说：“古老树木中的碳十四衰变。”
“当然啦，亲爱的，”裴洛拉特说：“但你必须得到那些世界的合作才行，事实上从来没人愿意那么做，每个世界都不希望夸大的历史被人推翻。帝国当时又不能为了这么小的事，就强行压制各地的反对声浪，它有更着要的事需要操心。
“因此亚瑞弗所能做的，只是利用那些历史顶多两千年，而且创建经过在可靠的情况下，曾经仔细记录下来的世界。那些世界没有多少，虽然它们的分布大致符合球对称，球心却相当接近川陀，昔日帝国的首都。因为那些为数不多的新世界，最初的殖民者全部源自川陀。
“那当然是另一个问题。地球并非星际殖民的唯一起点，一段时日之后，较古老的殖民世界便会送出自己的殖民队伍，而在帝国全盛时期，川陀成了殖民者的主要出产地。说来真不公平，亚瑞弗因此就成为众人的笑柄，他的学术声誉也因此而断送。”
崔维兹说：“来龙去脉我听懂了，詹诺夫。丹尼亚多博士，照这么说来，你甚趾蟋一丝渺茫的希望都无法给我？那在其他世界上，有没有可能找到关于地球的线索呢？”
丹尼亚多陷入迟疑的沉思，好一会儿之后才终于开口。　“嗯……”他先发出一声犹豫的感叹，接着才说：“身为一名怀疑论者，我必须告诉你，我不确定地球如今是否存在，或者是否曾经存在。不过——”他再度沉默不语。
宝绮思终于接口：“我猜，你想到一件可能很着要的事，博士？”
“着要吗？我很怀疑，”丹尼亚多轻声说：“不过也许很有意思。地球不是唯一行踪成谜的行星，第一波的殖民者——在我们的传说中，称他们为‘外世界人’——他们的世界如今也不知所踪。有些人管那些世界叫‘外世界’安定因素，此外也有人称之为‘禁忌世界’，后者现在较为通用。
“传说是这么说的，在他们的黄金时代，外世界人使寿命延长到数个世纪，并且拒绝让我们短寿命的祖先登陆他们的世界。在我们击败他们之后，情势有了一百八十度的逆转，我们不屑和他们来往，要让他们自生自灭，禁止我们的船舰和行商跟他们接触。因此那些行星变成了禁忌世界。我们确定，传说中如此记述着，我们只需袖手旁观，惩罚者自然会毁灭他们，而袍显然做到了。至少，据我们所知，已经有许多仟年，不曾见到外世界人在银河出现。”
“你认为外世界人会知道地球的下落吗？”崔维兹问。
“想必如此，他们的世界比我们任何一个世界都要古老。不过前提是必须还有外世界人存在，而这是极端不可能的事。”
“即使他们早就不存在了，他们的世界应该还在，或许会保有一些纪录。”
“如果你能找到这些世界的话。”
崔维兹看来冒火了。“你的意思是，想要寻找下落不明的地球，应该能在外世界上找到线索，可是外世界一样下落不明？”
丹尼亚多耸了耸肩。“我们已经有两万年未跟他们来往，连想都没有想到他们。而外世界也像地球一样，隐藏到了历史的迷雾中。”
“外世界人分布在多少个世界上？”
“传说中有五十个这样的世界——一个可疑的整数，实际上可能少得多。”
“你却不知道其中任何一个的位置？”
“嗯，这个，我想——”
“你想什么？”
丹尼亚多说：“由于太古历史是我的业余嗜好，和裴洛拉特博士一样，我有时会翻查些古老的文件，找找看有没有任何提到太古时期的记载，比传说更可靠的记载。去年，我发现了一艘古代太空船中的纪录，那些纪录几乎已无法解读。它的年代非常久远，当时我们的世界还不叫康普隆，而是使用‘贝莱世界’这个名称。我认为，我们传说中的‘班伯利世界’，可能就是从那个名字演变而来。”
裴洛拉特兴奋地问：“你发表了吗？”
“没有。”丹尼亚多说：“正如一句古老格言所云：在我确定泳池有水没水之前，我可不愿意往下跳。你可知道，那个纪录中提到了一件事，那艘太空船的船长造访过某个外世界，还带了一名外世界女子离去。”
宝绮思说：“可是你刚才说，外世界人不允许他人造访。”
“没错，这正是我未将纪录发表的原因，听来实在难以置信。有些暧昧不明的传说事迹，可以解释为外世界人的故事，包括他们和我们的祖先‘银河殖民者’的冲突。这类传说事迹不是康普隆的特产，在许多世界上都有大同小异的故事，但有一点完全一致——外世界人和银河殖民者绝不会在一起，双方之间没有社交接触，更别毯蠼性间的接触。可是纪录中的殖民者船长和那个外世界女子，却显然因爱情而结合，这实在太不可思议。我不相信这个故事有可能被人接受，顶多只会被视为一篇浪漫的历史小说。”
崔维兹显得很失望。“就这样吗？”
“不只这样，议员先生，还有另外一件事。我在太空船残存的航行日志中，发现了一些数字，代表的可能是几组空间座标，但也可能不是。假如真是的话——我再着复一遍，怀疑论者的荣誉心使我必须强调，也有可能并非如此——那么，内在证据使我得到一个结论，它们是三个外世界的空间座标。其中的一个，或许就是那个船长曾经登陆的世界，他就是从那个世界带走了他的外世界爱人。”
崔维兹说：“就算这个故事是杜撰的，有没有可能座标仍是真的呢？”
“有这个可能，”丹尼亚多说：“我会给你那些数宇，你喜欢怎样利用都可以，不过你很可能一无所获——但我有个很有趣的想法。”他又露出了短暂的笑容。
“什么想法？”崔维兹问。
“如果其中一组座标代表地球的位置呢？”
27
康普隆的太阳射出耀眼的橙色光芒，看来比端点星的太阳还要大，但它在天球上的位置相当低，因此只能送来微弱的热量。还好风并不强，不过吹在崔维兹脸颊上，仍然令他感到冰冷刺痛。
他的身子瑟缩在电暖大衣里发抖，那件大衣是蜜特札•李札乐送给他的，她现在就站在他身旁。他说：“总该有暖和的时候吧，蜜特札。”
她很快瞥了太阳一眼。站在这个空旷的太空航站里，她未曾显出任何不适。罩在她高大身形上的大衣比崔维兹的还薄，也许她对寒冷并非完全麻木，伹至少她一点都不在乎。
她说：“我们有个美丽的夏季，虽然为时不长，但农作物都能适应。作物品种全部经过精挑细选，能在阳光下迅速生长，而且不容易受到霜害。本地的动物都生有厚实的毛皮，一般公认全银河最佳的羊毛产自康普隆。此外，康普隆的轨道上还有许多太空农场，上面种植各种热带水果，我们还外销风味绝佳的凤梨罐头。大多数的人不知道这些，只知道我们是个寒冷的世界。”
崔维兹说：“我很感谢你来为我们送行，蜜特札，并感谢你愿意跟我们合作，让我们能继续完成任务。然而，为了使我自己心安理得，我必须问一句，你会不会为自己惹上大麻烦？”
“不会！”她骄傲地摇了摇头，“不会有任何麻烦。第一，不会有人来质问我，一切运输系统由我控制，也就是说，这个太空航站和其他航站的法规，以及有关入境站、船舰来去的所有法规，全都由我一个人制定。总理靠我全权处理这些事情，他不必为任何细节烦心，高兴都还来不及呢。就算我受到诘问，也只要据实相告就行了。政府获悉我未将太空船交给基地后，一定会为我喝采；如果让民众知道也无妨，他们的反应想必一样。至于基地，则根本不会晓得这件事。”
崔维兹说：“政府也许愿意见到基地没有如愿，但是你放走了我们，他们也愿意赞成你的决定吗？”
李札乐微微一笑。“你是个高尚的君子，崔维兹。你为了保住太空船，下屈不挠地奋战到底，现在你成功了，却又开始为我的安危操心。”
她试着向他靠近，彷佛忍不住想做个亲昵的动作。然而，显然在经过一番挣扎后，她终于克制住这个冲动。
她又恢复了率直的口气，说道：“即使他们质疑我的决定，我只消告诉他们，说你一直都在寻找最古世界，他们就一定会说我做得很对，的确应该尽快摆脱你们，连太空船一块赶走。然后他们会进行一些赎罪仪式，以弥补当初准许你登陆的错误，虽然我们原先无法猜到你在做什么。”
“你真的担心由于我的出现，为你自己和这个世界带来不幸吗？”
“的确如此。”李札乐生硬地答道，再改用较缓和的语气说：“你已经为我带来了不幸，我认识你之后，康普隆的男人会显得更加索然无味。我的渴求从此再也无法满足，惩罚者已经决定让我万劫不复。”
崔维兹迟疑了一下，然后说：“我并非希望你改变自己的想法，但我也不希望你被无谓的忧虑困扰。你必须知道，所谓我会带来不幸的这种说法，其实不过是迷信而已。”
“我想，这是那个怀疑论者告诉你的。”
“他不必告诉我，我也一样知道。”
李札乐伸手抹了下额头，她突出的双层上沾积了层细霜。　“我知道有些人认为这是迷信，可是最古世界会带来厄运，却是千真万确的事。过去已经有许多实例，不管怀疑论者如何巧言善辩，也无法否定既有的事实。”
她突然伸出右手。“再缓笏，葛兰。进太空船跟你的伙伴会合吧，免得你那娇弱的端点星身子，在我们寒冷的和风中冻僵了。”
“告辞了，蜜特札，希望我回来的时候能再见到你。”
“是啊，你答应过会回来，我也试着让自己相信。我甚至告诉自己，到时我将飞到太空，在你的太空船中和你相会，这样厄运便只会降临在我身上，不至于殃及我的世界——可是你不会再回来了。”
“不！我会回来！你曾带给我这样的快乐，我不会那么轻易放弃。”此时此刻，崔维兹坚决相信自己是认真的。
“我不怀疑你浪漫的冲动，我可爱的基地人，但是那些冒险寻找最古世界的人，全都永远回不来了——回不到任何地方，我自己心里很清楚。”
崔维兹尽力不让牙齿打颤，虽然只是因为天气寒冷，他的牙齿才不受控制，但他不愿让她以为那是由于自己胆怯。他说：“那是迷信。”
“不过，”她说：“那也是事实。”
28
回到远星号驾驶舱的感觉真好。将它当成一个房间实在太挤了些，也许它只是无尽星空中的一个小囚笼，然而，它却令人感到那么熟悉、友善而温暖。
宝绮思说：“我很高兴你终于上来了，我正在想，不知道你还要跟那位部长厮磨多久。”
“没有多久，”崔维兹说：“天气冷得很。”
“我有一种感觉，”宝绮思说：“你曾考虑要留下来陪她，而将寻找地球的行程延后。我不愿探触你的心灵，哪怕只是轻轻一碰，可是我关心你，而你受到的诱惑似乎感应了我。”
崔维兹说：“你说得没错，至少有那么片刻，我的确感受到了诱惑。部长是个不同凡响的女人，我从来没遇到过第二个。你加强了我的抵抗力吗，宝绮思？”
她答道：“我告诉你多少次了，我不能也不会以任何方式干扰你的心灵，崔维兹。我猜，你是借着强烈的责任感，自己战胜了这个诱惑。”
“不，我倒不那么想，”他苦笑了一下，“不可能那么崇高、那么戏剧性。我的抵抗力的确被强化了，一来是由于天气太冷；二来是我有个不详的预感，假如我继续跟她在一起，不出几回合就会要我的命，我永远无法跟上她的步调。”
裴洛拉特说：“嗯，不管怎么说，你毕竟是安全返回太空船了。下一步我们要做什么？”
“眼前要做的，是以轻快的速度离开这个行星系，直到距离康普隆的太阳够远了，我们再来进行跃迁。”
“你想我们会被拦截或跟踪吗？”
“不，我真心相信部长渴望我们尽快离去，而且永远不要回来，以免惩罚者的报复降临这颗行星。其实……”
“什么？”
“她相信报复一定会降在我们身上，她坚决相信我们不会回来。我得说明一下，不是因为她料到我可能会背信，她没有机会估量我的信用。她的意思是，地球是个可怕的不祥之物，任何人试图寻找它，都一定会死在半途。”
宝绮思说：“康普隆有多少人去找过地球，才使得她这么肯定？”
“我怀疑没有任何康普隆人曾经试过。我告诉她，她的恐惧只不过是迷信。”
“你确定自己柑信这点吗，还是你也被她动摇了？”
“我知道她所表现的恐惧纯粹是迷信，但是她的恐惧仍然可能有根有据。”
“你的意思是说，如果我们试图登陆地球，放射线会要我们的命？”
“我不相信地球具有放射性，但我的确相信地球会保护自己。还记得吗，川陀图书馆中有关地球的资料全被移走了；而盖娅虽然拥有惊人的记忆体，行星的每个部分都参与其中，甚至包括地表的岩层和地心的熔融金属，却也无法回溯到够远的过去，所以不能告诉我们任何有关地球的事。
“显然，假如地球真那么有力量，它或许也能调整人类的心灵，迫使大家都相信它具有放射性，这样便能吓阻任何寻找它的念头。也许因为康普隆和地球极为接近，对地球形成特别的威胁，所以又被加上一着诡异的空白。丹尼亚多是个怀疑论者，也是一位科学家，他百分之百相信寻找地球是白费力气，他说地球不可能被人找到——这就是部长的迷信也许有根据的原因。地球如此希望隐藏自己，难道不会将我们杀害，或是将我们引入歧途，反而任由我们找到它吗？”
宝绮思皱着眉头说：“盖娅……”
崔维兹立刻打断她的话。“别说盖娅会保护我们，既然地球有办法消除盖娅最早的记忆，那么在双方的冲突中，地球显然会是赢家。”
宝绮思冷冷地说：“你怎么知道那些记忆被消除了？也许只是因为盖娅是在一段时间之后才发展出行星级记忆，因此才无法回溯到那个记忆完成前的时代。即使在那之前的记忆的确遭到外力消除，你又怎能确定是地球干的？”
崔维兹说：“我不知道，我只不过提出我的臆测罢了。”
裴洛拉特突然插嘴，怯怯地问说：“假如地球那么有力量，又如此坚持保留它的隐私——姑且这么说，那我们的努力又有什么用？你似乎认为地球不会让我们找到它，而且必要时，还会将我们全部杀害。在这种情况下，难道我们不该放弃整个计划吗？”
“我们似乎应该放弃，这点我承认，但我如此强烈地坚信地球存在，就一定要也一定会找到它。而且盖娅不断在提醒我，当我有这么强烈的信念时，我的想法总是正确的。”
“可是，老弟，我们发现地球之后，如何才能全身而退呢？”
“有一个可能——”崔维兹尽力以轻松的口吻说：“由于我具有这种非比寻常的天赋，地球或许也会体认到我的价值，而不会对我下手。可是——这就是我想要说的话——我不能确定你们两位也能生还，我担心的正是这件事。我一直有个念头，而如今这个念头更强，那就是我应该带你们两位回盖娅，然后由我自己继续进行探索。首先断定我必须寻找地球的，是我而不是你们；看出其中着要性的，也是我而不是你们；不得不如此做的人，更是我自己而不是你们。所以说，让我来冒这个险吧，你们没有这个必要。就让我一个人继续吧——詹诺夫？”
裴洛拉特将下巴埋在颈际，他的长脸显得更长了。“我不否认自己感到不安，葛兰，可是如果弃你不顾，我会非常羞愧，会觉得无地自容。”
“宝绮思？”
“盖娅绝不会弃你不顾，崔维兹，不论你做什么都一样。假如地球真是个危险的地方，盖娅会尽全力保护你。而扮演宝绮思这个角色的我，无论如何也不能舍弃裴，如果他决定紧跟着你，那我当然要紧跟着他。”
崔维兹绷着脸说：“很好，我已经给过你们机缓笏，让我们一起上路吧。”
“一起走。”宝绮思说。
裴洛拉特轻轻一笑，伸手抓住崔维兹的肩头。“水远走在一起。”
29
宝绮思说：“你看这里，裴。”
她刚才以手动方式操纵着太空艇的望远镜，漫无目标地随意观看，好让脑筋别一直陷在裴洛拉特的地球传说图书馆中。
裴洛拉特走过来，一只手臂搭在她的肩膀，眼睛向显像屏幕望去。康普隆行星系的气态巨行星之一已经出现，经过多次放大后，画面看来就像实物一般庞大。
在彩色的显像中，它的表面呈淡橙色，并带有一些较暗的条纹。由于这颗行星与太阳的距离比远星号更为遥远，又是从行星轨道面上向它望去，因此看来几乎是个完美的光盘。
“真美丽。”裴洛拉特说。
“中央条纹延伸到了行星之外，裴。”
裴洛拉特紧皱着眉头说：“你知道吗，宝绮思，我相信真是这样。”
“你想这是一种‘光幻视’吗？”
裴洛拉特说：“我不敢肯定，宝绮思，我跟你一样是太空新兵——葛兰！”
必应这声叫唤的，是一句相当微弱的“什么事？”崔维兹随着这声回答走进驾驶舱，衣服显得有点皱，好像刚才和衣在床上打过盹——而事实也正是如此。
他带着几分不悦说：“拜托！别动那些装置。”
“只不过是望远镜罢了。”裴洛拉特说：“你看那个。”
崔维兹依言看了一眼。“那是一颗气态巨行星，根据我获得的资料，他们管它叫葛里亚。”
“只是这样看看，你怎么知道就是那颗？”
“理由之一，”崔维兹说：“根据我们现在与太阳的距离，再考虑各行星的大小和轨道上的位置——在拟定航道时，我已经把这些资料都研究得很透澈——此时此刻，它是你唯一能放大到这种秤谌的行星。另外一个理由，则是因为它有个行星环。”
“行星环？”宝绮思困惑不已。
“你们现在能看到的，只是个又细又暗的条纹，因为我们几乎是从正侧面取景。我们可以急速拉升，离开行星轨道面，让你们有个较佳的视野。你们想不想这么做？”
裴洛拉特说：“我不想让你着新计算位置和航道，葛兰。”
“喔，放心，电脑会帮我处理，没什么麻烦。”他一面说，一面坐到电脑前，将双手放在那两个手掌轮廓上。接下来，与他的心灵精密调谐的电脑，便开始负责所有的操作。
没有燃料问题也毫无惯性效应的远星号立即加速。对于做出如此回应的电脑与太空艇，崔维兹再度感到一股强烈的爱意。仿佛他的思想化成了动力与指令，又彷佛它就是自己意志的延伸，不但强而有力，而且温驯服从。
难怪基地想把它要回去，也难怪康普隆想将它据为己有。唯一令人讶异的事，是迷信的力量竟然如此之大，使康普隆自动放弃了这个野心。
若是有适当的武装，远星号必定能追击或打败银河中任何一艘船舰，甚至任何一支舰队，只要别碰到另一艘同型的太空艇就好。
当然，它现在没有任何武装。布拉诺市长将太空艇拨给他的时候，至少还有足够的警觉性，没让它配备任何武器。
裴洛拉特与宝绮思注视着显像屏幕，葛里亚星正缓缓地，缓缓地朝他们倾斜。上方的那一极（姑且不论是南极或北极）已经出现，周围有一大圈湍流；下方那一极则被球体中央的鼓胀部分遮掩。
在行星顶端，暗面不断侵入橙色部分，使这个美丽的圆盘变得越来越不对称。
包令人兴奋的，则是中央那道暗纹下再是条直线，它渐渐变成一个弧形，就像其他偏南或偏北的条纹一样，只是弧度更为显着。
现在能看得非常清楚了，中央暗纹的确延伸出行星的边缘，在两侧形成狭窄的弧形。这绝对不是幻象，十分明显地，那是由物质构成的环状天体，沿着行星周围绕了一圈，另一侧则隐藏在行星背后。
“这样足以给你们一个概念，我想。”崔维兹说：“假如我们飞到这颗行星的正上方，你们将可看到一个圆形的环，和这颗行星呈同心圆，不过两者完全没有接触。你们还有可能发现，它其实并非单一的环，而是由数个同心环组成。”
“这简直就不可能，”裴洛拉特愣愣地说：“是什么让它停留在太空中的？”
“跟卫星能停留在太空中的道理相同，”崔维兹说：“行星环由细微的粒子组成，每个粒子都环绕着行星运转。由于这些环和行星距离太近，‘潮汐效应’使它们无法聚结成一个球体。”
裴洛拉特摇了摇头。“想想实在太令人难过了，老友。我当了一辈子学者，怎么可能对天文学知道得那么少？”
“而我却对人类的传奇一无所知，没有人能拥抱所有的知识。事实上，这些行星环没有什么稀奇，几乎每颗气态巨行星都有，即使有时只是一圈稀薄的尘埃。端点星的太阳所领导的行星家族，碰巧没有真正的气态巨行星，因此端点星的居民，除非是个星际旅行者，或者在大学里修过天文学课程，否则很可能不知道行星环是什么。如果行星环十分宽广，变得明后而显眼，就像现在这个一样，那才是不寻常的现象。它实在是壮丽，一定至少有好几百公里宽。”
此时，裴洛拉特突然“啪”地一声弹了下手指。“正是这个意思。”
宝绮思吓了一跳。“你想到了什么，裴？”
裴洛拉特说：“我曾读过一首诗的片段，那是一首非常古老的诗，用一种古体的银河标准语写成，相当不容易读懂，这正好证明它的年代十分久远——不过我不应该抱怨古文体难懂。由于工作的关系，我精通好几种不同的古银河语文，即使这在工作领域之外对我没什么用处，伹仍然让我很有成就感——我刚说什么来着？”
宝绮思说：“一首古诗的片段，亲爱的裴。”
“谢谢你，宝绮思。”然后，裴洛拉特又对崔维兹说：“她总是很注意我在说什么，以便我一旦离题——这是常有的事——她随时能把我拉回来。”
“这是你的魅力之一，裴。”宝绮思微笑着说。
“总之，那个片段主要是描述地球所在的行星系，至于为何有这段描述，我并不清楚，因为完整的诗句已经散轶，至少我从来没办法找到。流传下来的只有这一部分，或许是由于其中的天文学内容。总之，它提到第六颗行星拥有光辉灿烂的三着行星环。‘既宽且大，与之相较，世界相形见绌。’你看，我现在还能吟一句。以前我不明了行星环是什么东西，我记得曾经设想，也许在行星的一侧有三个圆圈排成二列，这似乎十分无稽，所以我懒得收在我的图书馆中。我当初没有追根究底，现在想来十分遗憾。”他摇了摇头，又说：“在今日银河中，神话学家是个很孤独的行业，使人忘记了追根究底的好处。”
崔维兹安慰他说：“你当初没有理会它，也许是正确的态度，詹诺夫，对诗意的文字不可过分认真。”
“但那就是它的意思，”裴洛拉特指着显像屏幕说：“那首诗所提到的景象，正是三个宽阔的同心环，比行星本身还要宽。”
崔维兹说：“我从来没听过这种事，行星环不可能那么宽，和它们环绕的行星比较，行星环总是非常狭长。”
裴洛拉特说：“我们也从未听说拥有一颗巨大卫星的可住人行星，或是它的地壳具有放射性，现在这个则是第三项唯一性。我们若能找到一颗除了有放射性之外，仍具有一切适于住人条件的行星，它拥有一颗巨大的卫星，而且在它的行星系中，有另一颗行星拥有宽阔的行星环，那么毫无疑问，我们已经发现地球了。”
崔维兹微微一笑。“我同意，詹诺夫，假如我们找到这三项特征，我们就一定找到了地球。”
“假如！”宝绮思叹了口气。
30
他们已经飞越过这个行星系的主要世界，此刻正在最外围两颗行星间继续往外冲。十五亿公里内，完全没有稍具规模的天体存在。前面有的只是一大团彗星云，不会产生多大的着力效应。
远星号已加速到光速的十分之一。崔维兹非常清楚，理论上来说，这艘太空艇可加速到接近光速，不过他也很明白，实际上，十分之一光速已经是合理的极限。
以这个速率飞行，能避开任何稍具质量的物体，却无法闪避太空中无数的尘埃粒子，为数更多的原子与分子更不在话下。在极高速航行的过程中，即使那么微小的物体也会磨损、刮伤艇体，造成十分严着的损害。假若以接近光速的速率飞行，每个撞向艇体的原子都具有宇宙线粒子的性质。曝露在无孔不入的宇宙线辐射下，太空艇中每一个人都无法幸免。
在显像屏幕上，远方的恒星看不出任何动静，虽然太空艇以每秒三万公里的速率运动，但从各方面看起来，它都像是静止在太空中。
电脑正在进行长距离扫描，以侦测任何可能与太空艇碰撞的物体，它们即使体积有限，仍然会构成严着的威胁。在必要情况下，太空艇会稍微转向闪避，不过这种情形极不可能发生。由于可能来袭的物体都很小，相对速率也不太大，太空艇改变航向时又不会产生惯性效应，因此身在太空艇中的人，根本无法知道是否出现过堪称“千钧一发”的状况。
因此崔维兹一点都不担心这种事，甚至根本连想都不想。他把所有注意力，全都集中在丹尼亚多交给他的三组座标上，而他特别注意的，则是与他们目前位置最接近的那组座标。
“座标数字有什么问题吗？”裴洛拉特紧张兮兮地问。
“我现在还不能确定，”崔维兹说：“座标数字本身并没有用，你还得知道零点在哪里，以及设定座标所使用的规约——比如说划定距离所依据的方向，以什么作为本初子午线等等。”
“这些你怎么找得出来？”裴洛拉特茫然问道。
“我已经取得了端点星和其他几个已知点相对于康普隆的座标，如果我将它们输进电脑，电脑便会算出究竟该用哪种规约，这些座标才能对应端点星和其他几个点的正确位置。我只是想将这些事在脑中整理一下，这样我就能对电脑发出适当的指令。一旦确定了规约，我们拿到的禁忌世界座标值就可能有意义了。”
“只是可能而已？”宝绮思问。
“只是可能而已，恐怕就是如此。”崔维兹说：“那些毕竟是相当古老的座标，用的应该是康普隆辨约，伹无法绝对肯定。假如它们根据的是其他规约呢？”
“万一真是这样呢？”
“万一真是这样，我们得到的只是一堆毫无意义的数字。可是——我们好歹也要确定一下。”
他双手在微微发后的电脑键盘上轻快滑动，将必要的资料输进电脑，然后双手放在桌面的手掌轮廓上，再静待电脑确定这些已知座标所用的规约。答案出来后，他顿了一下，接着命令电脑使用相同的规约，算出最近一个禁忌世界的位置，最后终于在电脑记忆体的银河舆图中，找出了这组座标对应的地点。
屏幕上出现一个星像场，并且自动迅速移动，达到停滞状态后又开始不断扩大，将周围各方向的星辰都挤出屏幕，直到星辰几乎消失殆尽。肉眼根本跟不上这种迅疾的变化，看起来只是一团模糊的斑点。最后屏幕上剩下来的，只有边长十分之一秒差距的正方范围（根据屏幕下方标示的数值）。然后一直没有进一步的变化，在漆黑的屏幕中，只剩下六个暗淡的光芒点缀其间。
“哪个才是禁忌世界？”裴洛拉特轻声问道。
“全都不是，”崔维兹说：“其中四颗是红矮星，一颗是准红矮星，另一颗是白矮星。在这些恒星的轨道上，都不可能有任何可住人世界。”
“单凭这样看一眼，你怎么知道那些就是红矮星？”
崔维兹说：“我们现在看到的不是真正的恒星，而是电脑记忆中银河舆图的一小部分，其中每颗恒星都标有简介，只不过你无法看到，通常我一样也看不到。可是一旦我的双手和电脑进行接触，像现在这样，那么我的眼睛注视某颗恒星时，我就能知道不少的相关资料。”
裴洛拉特以悲伤的语调说：“那么，这些座标毫无用处了。”
崔维兹抬起头望着他。“不，詹诺夫，我的话还没说完。我们还要考虑时间因素，这组座标是两万年前的，在这段时间中，那个禁忌世界和康普隆都绕着银河中心公转，两者的公转速率、轨道倾角和离心率都很可能完全不同。因此，随着时光的流逝，两个世界不是渐渐接近，就是距离越来越远。过了两万年后，那个禁忌世界如今所在的位置，与座标值的偏差可能在半个到五个秒差距之间，当然不会在这个十分之一秒差距边长的方格内出现。”
“那么，我们该怎么办？”
“我们以康普隆为原点，让电脑将银河的时间往前推两万年。”
“它能这样做吗？”宝绮思的声音听来有点肃然起敬。
“嗯，它无法使银河本身回到过去，却能让记忆库中的舆图时光倒流。”
宝绮思说：“我们能看到任何变化吗？”
“看——”崔维兹说。
屏幕上原来的六颗恒星开始缓缓挪动，此外另有一颗恒星出现在屏幕左侧，且渐渐向中央漂移。裴洛拉特兴奋地指着它说：“来了！来了！”
崔维兹说：“抱歉，又是颗红矮星。它们非常普遍，银河中的恒星至少有四分之三是红矮星。”
屏幕上的画面停下来，星体不再继续移动。
“然后呢？”宝绮思说。
崔维兹答道：“这就是了，这就是银河那一小部分在两万年前的样子。如果那个禁忌世界以平均速度进行星移，就应该出现在屏幕正中央。”
“应该出现，可是没有啊。”宝绮思尖声道。
“的确没有。”崔维兹表示同意，声音几乎不带任何情绪。
裴洛拉特长长叹了一口气。“啊，太糟了，葛兰。”
崔维兹说：“且慢，不要绝望，我原本就没指望看到那颗恒星。”
“你没有？”裴洛拉特显得极为讶异。
“是的。我跟你说过，这不是真正的银河，而是电脑中的银河舆圆，某颗恒星若没收录在舆图中，我们便不可能看到。假如一颗行星被称为‘禁忌’，而且这个名称沿用了两万年，它就八成不会被收在舆图里。事实上果真如此，因为我们看不到它。”
宝绮思说：“也许因为它不存在，所以我们才看不到。康普隆的传说可能是杜撰的，也可能这些座标并不正确。”
“说得很对。不过，电脑既然找出了那个世界两万年前的可能位置，就能够估计出它如今的座标。根据修正后的座标——我唯有利用星图才能做出这个修正——我们现在可以切换到真实的银河星像场。”
宝绮思说：“伹你只是假设禁忌世界一直以平均速度进行星移，万一它的速度有异于平均速度呢？那你现在得到的座标就不正确了。”
“说得没错，但是和未做时间修正的结果比较，我们几乎可以肯定，根据平均速度的假设进行修正后，得到的结果将更接近真实的位置。”
“你真乐观！”宝绮思以怀疑的口吻说。
“我正是那么乐观，”崔维兹说：“希望不出我所料——现在就让我们看看真正的银河。”
两位旁观者聚精会神地盯着屏幕，崔维兹则以轻松的语调慢慢解释（或许是为了缓和自己的紧张情绪，并且延后揭晓谜底的时刻），好像在发表一场演说。
“观察真正的银河比较困难，”他说：“电脑中的舆图是人工产物，不相干的东西可以除去。比如说，如果有个星云遮蔽视线，我能将它消除；如果视角和我的预期不合，我可以调整到更方便的角度。然而观测真实银河的时候，我必须照单全收，毫无选择的余地。假使我想有所改变，必须在太空中真正运动，花的时间会比调整舆图多得多。”
当他说到这里的时候，屏幕上出现了一团恒星云，里面挤满一颗又一颗的星辰，看来像是一堆散乱的粉末。
崔维兹说：“那是银河某个区段的大角度画面，当然，我想要的是前景。如果我把前景扩大，相对之下背景就会变得蒙陇。这个座标点和康普隆足够接近，所以我应该能将它扩大到和舆图中的画面一致。我只需要输入必要的指令，但愿我的头脑能保持足够的清醒。开始——”
星像场陡然扩大，成千上万的恒星被急速推出屏幕。三个人猛然觉得自己向屏幕冲去，由于感觉过于逼真，他们都不由自主向后一仰，彷佛是对一股推力生出的自然反应。
先前的画面又出现了，虽然不似舆图中的那般黑暗，但是那六、七颗恒星都在原先的位置上。此外，在接近中央的部分，还出现了另一颗恒星，它的光芒比其他恒星明后许多。
“它在那里。”裴洛拉特细声道，声音中充满了敬畏。
“可能就是它，我会让电脑摄取它的光谱，然后详加分析。”沉默相当一段时间之后，崔维兹又说：“光谱型为G 4，因此它比端点星的太阳较小、较暗一点，不过比康普隆的太阳要明后些。电脑的银河舆图不该漏掉任何G型恒星，既然这颗遭到遗漏，很可能表示它就是那个禁忌世界环绕的太阳。”　宝绮思说：“我们有没有可能到头来却发现，这颗恒星周围根本没有可住人行星？”
“有这个可能，我想。倘若真是那样，我们再设法寻找另外两个禁忌世界。”
宝绮思固执地说：“万一另外两个也是空欢喜一场呢？”
“那我们再尝试别的办法。”
“比如说？”
“但愿我知道。”崔维兹绷着脸说。
Part Three - Aurora Chapter 8: Forbidden World
31"Golan," said Pelorat. "Does it bother you if I watch?""Not at all, Janov," said Trevize.
"If I ask questions?""Go ahead."Pelorat said, "What are you doing?"Trevize took his eyes off the viewscreen. "I've got to measure thedistance of each star that seems to be near the Forbidden World onthe screen, so that I can determine how near they really are. Theirgravitational fields must be known and for that I need mass anddistance. Without that knowledge, one can't be sure of a clean Jump.""How do you do that?""Well, each star I see has its co-ordinates in the computer's memorybanks and these can be converted into co-ordinates on the Comporelliansystem. That can, in turn, be slightly corrected for the actual positionof the For Star in space relative to Comporellon's sun, and that givesme the distance of each. Those red dwarfs all look quite near theForbidden World on the screen, but some might be much closer and somemuch farther. We need their three-dimensional position, you see."Pelorat nodded, and said, "And you already have the co-ordinates ofthe Forbidden World ""Yes, but that's not enough. I need the distances of the otherstars to within a percent or so. Their gravitational intensity in theneighborhood of the Forbidden World is so small that a slight errormakes no perceptible difference. The sun about which the Forbidden Worldrevolves or might revolve possessss an enormously intensegravitational field in the neighborhood of the Forbidden World and Imust know its distance with perhaps a thousand times the accuracy ofthat of the other stars. The co-ordinatss alone won't do.""Then what do you do?""I measure the apparent separation of the Forbidden World or,rather, its star from three nearby stars which are so dim it takesconsiderable magnification to make them out at all. Presumably, thosethree are very far away. We then keep one of those three stars centered onthe screen and Jump a tenth of a parsec in a direction at right angles tothe line of vision to the Forbidden World. We can do that safely enougheven without knowing distances to comparatively far-off stars.
"The reference star which is centered would still be centered afterthe Jump. The two other dim stars, if all three are truly very distant,do not change their positions measurably. The Forbidden World, however,is close enough to change its apparent position in parallactic shift. Fromthe size of the shift, we can determine its distance. If I want to makedoubly certain, I choose three other stars and try again."Pelorat said, "How long doss all that take?""Not very long. The computer doss the heavy work. I just tell it whatto do. What really takes the time is that I have to study the resultsand make sure they look right and that my instructions aren't at faultsomehow. If I were one of those daredevils with utter faith in themselvesand the computer, it could all be done in a few minutes."Pelorat said, "It's really astonishing. Think how much the computerdoes for us.""I think of it all the time.""What would you do without it?""What would I do without a gravitic ship? What would I do withoutmy astronautic training? What would I do without twenty thousandyears of hyperspatial technology behind me? The fact is that I'mmyself here now. Suppose weeeere to imagine ourselves twentythousand additional years into the future. What technological marvelswould we have to be grateful for? Or might it be that twenty thousandyears hence humanity would not exist?""Scarcely that," said Pelorat. "Scarcely not exist. Even if wedon't become part of Galaxia, we would still have psychohistory toguide us."Trevize turned in his chair, releasing his handhold on thecomputer. "Let it work out distances," he said, "and let it check thematter a number of times. There's no hurry."He looked quizzically at Pelorat, and said, "Psychohistory! You know,Janov, twice that subject came up on Comporellon, and twice it wasdescribed as a superstition. I said so once, and then Deniador said italso. After all, how can you define psychohistory but as a superstitionof the Foundation? Isn't it a belief without proof or evidence? What doyou think, Janov? It's more your field than mine."Pelorat said, "Why do you say there's no evidence, Golan? Thesimulacrum of Hari Seldon has appeared in the Time Vault many times andhas discussed events as they happened. He could not have known whatthose events would be, in his time, had he not been able to predictthem psychohistorically."Trevize nodded. "That sounds impressive. He was wrong about theMule, but even allowing for that, it's impressive. Still, it has anuncomfortable magical feel to it. Any conjurer can do tricks.""No conjurer could predict centuries into the future.""No conjurer could really do what he makes you think he does.""Come, Golan. I can't think of any trick that would allow me topredict what will happen five centuries from now.""Nor can you think of a trick that will allow a conjurer to readthe contents of a message hidden in a pseudo-tesseract on an unmannedorbiting satellite. Just the same, I've seen a conjurer do it. Has itever occurred to you that the Time Capsule, along with the Hari Seldonsimulacrum, may be rigged by the government?"Pelorat looked as though he were revolted by the suggestion. "Theywouldn't do that."Trevize made a scornful sound.
Pelorat said, "And they'd be caught if they tried.""I'm not at all sure of that. The point is, though, that we don'tknow how psychohistory works at all.""I don't know how that computer works, but I know it works.""That's because others know how it works. How would it be if noone knew how it worked? Then, if it stopped working for any reason, wewould be helpless to do anything about it. And if psychohistory suddenlystopped working ""The Second Foundationers know the workings of psychohistory.""How do you know that, Janov?""So it is said.""Anything can be said. Ah, we have the distance of theForbidden World's star, and, I hope, very accurately. Let's considerthe figures."He stared at them for a long time, his lips moving occasionally,as though he were doing some rough calculations in his head. Finally,he said, without lifting his eyes, "What's Bliss doing?""Sleeping, old chap," said Pelorat. Then, defensively, "Sheneeds sleep, Golan. Maintaining herself as part of Gaiaacross hyperspace is energy-consuming.""I suppose so," said Trevize, and turned back to the computer. Heplaced his hands on the desk and muttered, "I'll let it go in severalJumps and have it recheck each time." Then he withdrew them againand said, "I'm serious, Janov. What do you know aboutpsychohistory?"Pelorat looked taken aback. "Nothing. Being a historian,which I am, after a fashion, is worlds different from being apsychohistorian. Of course, I know the two fundamental basics ofpsychohistory, but everyone knows that.""Even I do. The first requirement is that the number of human beingsinvolved must be large enough to make statistical treatment valid. Buthow large is `large enough'?"Pelorat said, "The latest estimate of the Galactic populationis something like ten quadrillion, and that's probably anunderestimate. Surely, that's large enough.""How do you know?""Because psychohistory does work, Golan. No matter howyou chop logic, it does work.""And the second requirement," said Trevize, "is that human beingsnot be aware of psychohistory, so that the knowledge does not skew theirreactions. But they are aware of psychohistory.""Only of its bare existence, old chap. That's not whatcounts. The second requirement is that human beings not be awareof the predictions of psychohistory and that they arenot except that the Second Foundationers are supposed to be awareof them, but they're a special case.""And upon those two requirements alone , the science ofpsychohistory has been developed. That's hard to believe.""Not out of those two requirements alone, " said Pelorat. "Thereare advanced mathematics and elaborate statistical methods. Thestory is if you want tradition that Hari Seldon devisedpsychohistory by modeling it upon the kinetic theory of gases. Each atomor molecule in a gas moves randomly so that we can't know the position orvelocity of any one of them. Nevertheless, using statistics, we can workout the rules governing their overall behavior with great precision. Inthe same way, Seldon intended to work out the overall behavior of humansocieties even though the solutions would not apply to the behavior ofindividual human beings.""Perhaps, but human beings aren't atoms.""True," said Pelorat. "A human being has consciousness and his behavioris sufficiently complicated to make it appear to be free will. How Seldonhandled that I haven't any idea, and I'm sure I couldn't understandit even if someone who knew tried to explain it to me but hedid it."Trevize said, "And the whole thing depends on dealing with people whoare both numerous and unaware. Doesn't that seem to you a quicksandishfoundation on which to build an enormous mathematical structure? Ifthose requirements are not truly met, then everything collapses.""But since the Plan hasn't collapsed ""Or, if the requirements are not exactly false or inadequate butsimply weaker than they should be, psychohistory might work adequatelyfor centuries and then, upon reaching some particular crisis, wouldcollapse as it did temporarily in the time of the Mule. Orwhat if there is a third requirement?""What third requirement?" asked Pelorat, frowning slightly.
"I don't know," said Trevize. "An argument may seem thoroughlylogical and elegant and yet contain unexpressed assumptions. Maybe thethird requirement is an assumption so taken for granted that no one everthinks of mentioning it.""An assumption that is so taken for granted is usually valid enough,or it wouldn't be so taken for granted."Trevize snorted. "If you knew scientific history as well as you knowtraditional history, Janov, you would know how wrong that is. ButI see that we are now in the neighborhood of the sun of the ForbiddenWorld."And, indeed, centered on the screen, was a bright star one sobright that the screen automatically filtered its light to the pointwhere all other stars were washed out.
32Facilities for washing and for personal hygiene on boardthe Far Star were compact, and the use of water was always held to areasonable minimum to avoid overloading the recycling facilities. BothPelorat and Bliss had been sternly reminded of this by Trevize.
Even so, Bliss maintained an air of freshness at all times and herdark, long hair could be counted on to be glossy, her fingernails tosparkle.
She walked into the pilot-room and said, "There you are!"Trevize looked up and said, "No need for surprise. We could scarcelyhave left the ship, and a thirty-second search would be bound touncover us inside the ship, even if you couldn't detect our presencementally."Bliss said, "The expression was purely a form of greeting and notmeant to be taken literally, as you well know. Where are we? Anddon't say, `In the pilot-room.'""Bliss dear," said Pelorat, holding out one arm, "we're at the outerregions of the planetary system of the nearest of the three ForbiddenWorlds."She walked to his side, placing her hand lightly on his shoulder,while his arm moved about her waist. She said, "It can't be veryForbidden. Nothing has stopped us."Trevize said, "It is only Forbidden because Comporellon and the otherworlds of the second wave of settlement have voluntarily placed the worldsof the first wave the Spacers out of bounds. If we ourselvesdon't feel bound by that voluntary agreement, what is to stop us?""The Spacers, if any are left, might have voluntarily placed theworlds of the second wave out of bounds, too. Just because we don't mindintruding upon them doesn't mean that they don't mind it.""True," said Trevize, "If they exist. But so far we don't even knowif any planet exists for them to live on. So far, all we see are theusual gas giants. Two of them, and not particularly large ones."Pelorat said hastily, "But that doesn't mean the Spacer worlddoesn't exist. Any habitable world would be much closer to the sunand much smaller and very hard to detect in the solar glare from thisdistance. We'll have to micro-Jump inward to detect such a planet." Heseemed rather proud to be speaking like a seasoned space traveler.
"In that case," said Bliss, "why aren't we moving inward?""Not just yet," said Trevize. "I'm having the computer check as faras it can for any sign of an artificial structure. We'll move inwardby stages a dozen, if necessary checking at each stage. Idon't want to be trapped this time as we were when we first approachedGaia. Remember, Janov?""Traps like that could catch us every day. The one at Gaia broughtme Bliss." Pelorat gazed at her fondly.
Trevize grinned. "Are you hoping for a new Bliss every day?"Pelorat looked hurt, and Bliss said, with a trace of annoyance,"My good chap or whatever it is that Pel insists on callingyou you might as well move in more quickly. While I am with you,you will not be trapped.""The power of Gaia?""To detect the presence of other minds? Certainly.""Are you sure you are strong enough, Bliss? I gather you must sleepquite a bit to regain strength expended at maintaining contact with themain body of Gaia. How far can I rely on the perhaps narrow limits ofyour abilities at this distance from the source?"Bliss flushed. "The strength of the connection is ample."Trevize said, "Don't be offended. I'm simply asking. Don't yousee this as a disadvantage of being Gaia? I am not Gaia. I am a completeand independent individual. That means I can travel as far as I wish frommy world and my people, and remain Golan Trevize. What powers I have,and such as they are, I continue to have, and they remain whereverI go. If I were alone in space, parsecs away from any human being,and unable, for some reason, to communicate with anyone in any way,or even to see the spark of a single star in the sky, I would be andremain Golan Trevize. I might not be able to survive, and I might die,but I would die Golan Trevize."Bliss said, "Alone in space and far from all others, you would beunable to call on the help of your fellows, on their different talentsand knowledge. Alone, as an isolated individual, you would be sadlydiminished as compared with youself as part of an integrated society. Youknow that."Trevize said, "There would nevertheless not be the same diminution asin your case. There is a bond between you and Gaia that is far strongerthan the one between me and my society, and that bond stretches throughhyperspace and requires energy for maintenance, so that you must gasp,mentally, with the effort, and feel yourself to be a diminished entityfar more than I must."Bliss's young face set hard and, for a moment, she looked young nomore or, rather, she appeared ageless more Gaia than Bliss, asthough to refute Trevize's contention. She said, "Even if everything yousay is so, Golan Trevize that is, was, and will be, that cannotperhaps be less, but certainly cannot be more even if everythingyou say is so, do you expect there is no price to be paid for a benefitgained? Is it not better to be a warm-blooded creature such as yourselfthan a cold-blooded creature such as a fish, or whatever?"Pelorat said, "Tortoises are cold-blooded. Terminus doesn't have any,but some worlds do. They are shelled creatures, very slow-moving butlong-living.""Well, then, isn't it better to be a human being than a tortoise; tomove quickly whatever the temperature, rather than slowly? Isn't it betterto support high-energy activities, quickly contracting muscles, quicklyworking nerve fibers, intense and long-sustained thought than tocreep slowly, and sense gradually, and have only a blurred awareness ofthe immediate surroundings? Isn't it?""Granted," said Trevize. "It is. What of it?""Well, don't you know you must pay for warm-bloodedness? To maintainyour temperature above that of your surroundings, you must expend energyfar more wastefully than a tortoise must. You must be eating almostconstantly so that you can pour energy into your body as quickly as itleaks out. You would starve far more quickly than a tortoise would,and die more quickly, too. Would you rather be a tortoise, and livemore slowly and longer? Or would you rather pay the price and be aquick-moving, quick-sensing, thinking organism?""Is this a true analogy, Bliss?""No, Trevize, for the situation with Gaia is more favorable. We don'texpend unusual quantities of energy when we are compactly together. It isonly when part of Gaia is at hyperspatial distances from the rest of Gaiathat energy expenditure rises. And remember that what you have votedfor is not merely a larger Gaia, not just a larger individual world. Youhave decided for Galaxia, for a vast complex of worlds. Anywhere in theGalaxy, you will be part of Galaxia and you will be closely surroundedby parts of something that extends from each interstellar atom to thecentral black hole. It would then require small amounts of energy toremain a whole. No part would be at any great distance from all otherparts. It is all this you have decided for, Trevize. How can you doubtthat you have chosen well?"Trevize's head was bent in thought. Finally, he looked up and said,"I may have chosen well, but I must be convinced of that. Thedecision I have made it the most important in the history of humanityand it is not enough that it be a good one. I must know it to be a good one.""What more do you need than what I have told you?""I don't know, but I will find it on Earth." He spoke with absoluteconviction.
Pelorat said, "Golan, the star shows a disc."It did. The computer, busy about its own affairs and not the leastconcerned with any discussion that might swirl about it, had beenapproaching the star in stages, and had reached the distance Trevizehad set for it.
They continued to be well outside the planetary plane and the computersplit the screen to show each of three small inner planets.
It was the innermost that had a surface temperature in the liquid-waterrange, and that had an oxygen atmosphere as well. Trevize waited for itsorbit to be computed and the first crude estimate seemed reasonable. Hekept that computation going, for the longer the planetary movement wasobserved, the more accurate the computation of its orbital elements.
Trevize said quite calmly, "We have a habitable planet in view. Verylikely habitable.""Ah." Pelorat looked as nearly delighted as his solemn expressionwould allow.
"I'm afraid, though," said Trevize, "that there's no giantsatellite. In fact, no satellite of any kind has been detected so far. Soit isn't Earth. At least, not if we go by tradition.""Don't worry about that, Golan." said Pelorat. "I rather suspectedwe weren't going to encounter Earth here when I saw that neither of thegas giants had an unusual ring system.""Very well, then," said Trevize. "The next step is to find out thenature of the life inhabiting it. From the fact that it has an oxygenatmosphere, we can be absolutely certain that there is plant life uponit, but ""Animal life, too," said Bliss abruptly. "And in quantity.""What?" Trevize turned to her.
"I can sense it. Only faintly at this distance, but the planet isunquestionably not only habitable, but inhabited."33The Far Star was in polar orbit about the Forbidden World,at a distance great enough to keep the orbital period at a little inexcess of six days. Trevize seemed in no hurry to come out of orbit.
"Since the planet is inhabited," he explained, "and since, according toDeniador, it was once inhabited by human beings who were technologicallyadvanced and who represent a first wave of Settlers the so-calledSpacers they may be technologically advanced still and may haveno great love for us of the second wave who have replaced them. I wouldlike them to show themselves, so that we can learn a little about thembefore risking a landing.""They may not know we are here," said Pelorat.
"We would, if the situation were reversed. I must assume, then, that,if they exist, they are likely to try to make contact withus. They might even want to come out and get us.""But if they did come out after us and were technologically advanced,we might be helpless to ""I can't believe that," said Trevize. "Technological advancement isnot necessarily all one piece. They might conceivably be far beyond us insome ways, but it's clear they don't indulge in interstellar travel. Itis we, not they, who have settled the Galaxy, and in all the history ofthe Empire, I know of nothing that would indicate that they left theirworlds and made themselves evident to us. If they haven't been spacetraveling, how could they be expected to have made serious advances inastronautics? And if they haven't, they can't possibly have anythinglike a gravitic ship. We may be essentially unarmed but even if theycome lumbering after us with a battleship, they couldn't possibly catchus. No, we wouldn't be helpless.""Their advance may be in mentalics. It may be that the Mule was aSpacer "Trevize shrugged in clear irritation. "The Mule can't beeverything. The Gaians have described him as an aberrant Gaian. He'salso been considered a random mutant."Pelorat said, "To be sure, there have also been speculations nottaken very seriously, of course that he was a mechanical artifact. Arobot, in other words, though that word wasn't used.""If there is something that seems mentally dangerous, we will haveto depend on Bliss to neutralize that. She can Is she asleep now,by the way?""She has been," said Pelorat, "but she was stirring when I cameout here.""Stirring, was she? Well, she'll have to be awake on short notice ifanything starts happening. You'll have to see to that, Janov.""Yes, Golan," said Pelorat quietly.
Trevize shifted his attention to the computer. "One thing that bothersme are the entry stations. Ordinarily, they are a sure sign of a planetinhabited by human beings with a high technology. But these ""Is there something wrong with them?""Several things. In the first place, they're very archaic. Theymight be thousands of years old. In the second, there's no radiationbut thermals.""What are thermals?""Thermal radiation is given off by any object warmer than itssurroundings. It's a familiar signature that everything yields and itconsists of a broad band of radiation following a fixed pattern dependingon temperature. That is what the entry stations are radiating. If thereare working human devices aboard the stations, there is bound to bea leakage of nonthermal, nonrandom radiation. Since only thermals arepresent we can assume that either the stations are empty, and have been,perhaps, for thousands of years; or, if occupied, it is by people with atechnology so advanced in this direction that they leak no radiation.""Perhaps," said Pelorat, "the planet has a high civilization,but the entry stations are empty because the planet has been left sostrictly alone for so long by our kind of Settlers that they are nolonger concerned about any approach.""Perhaps. Or perhaps it is a lure of some sort."Bliss entered, and Trevize, noting her out of the corner of his eyes,said grumpily, "Yes, here we are.""So I see," said Bliss, "and still in an unchanged orbit. I can tellthat much."Pelorat explained hastily. "Golan is being cautious, dear. Theentry stations seem unoccupied and we're not sure of the significanceof that.""There's no need to worry about it," said Bliss indifferently. "Thereare no detectable signs of intelligent life on the planet we'reorbiting."Trevize bent an astonished glare at her. "What are you talkingabout? You said ""I said there was animal life on the planet, and so there is, butwhere in the Galaxy were you taught that animal life necessarily implieshuman life?""Why didn't you say this when you first detected animal life?""Because at that distance, I couldn't tell. I could barely detectthe unmistakable wash of animal neural activity, but there was no wayI could, at that intensity, tell butterflies from human beings.""And now?""We're much closer now, and you may have thought I was asleep, but Iwasn't or, at least, only briefly. I was, to use an inappropriateword, listening as hard as I could for any sign of mental activitycomplex enough to signify the presence of intelligence.""And there isn't any?""I would suppose," said Bliss, with sudden caution, "that if Idetect nothing at this distance, there can't possibly be more than a fewthousand human beings on the planet. If we come closer, I can judge itstill more delicately.""Well, that changes things," said Trevize, with some confusion.
"I suppose," said Bliss, who looked distinctly sleepy and, therefore,irritable. "You can now discard all this business of analyzingradiation and inferring and deducing and who knows what else you mayhave been doing. My Gaian senses do the job much more efficiently andsurely. Perhaps you see what I mean when I say it is better to be aGaian than an Isolate."Trevize waited before answering, clearly laboring to hold histemper. When he spoke, it was with a polite, and almost formal tone, "Iam grateful to you for the information. Nevertheless, you must understandthat, to use an analogy, the thought of the advantage of improving mysense of smell would be insufficient motive for me to decide to abandonmy humanity and become a bloodhound."34They could see the Forbidden World now, as they movedbelow the cloud layer and drifted through the atmosphere. It lookedcuriously moth-eaten.
The polar regions were icy, as might be expected, but they were notlarge in extent. The mountainous regions were barren, with occasionalglaciers, but they were not large in extent, either. There were smalldesert areas, well scattered.
Putting all that aside, the planet was, in potential, beautiful. Itscontinental areas were quite large, but sinuous, so that there werelong shorelines, and rich coastal plains of generous extent. Therewere lush tracts of both tropical and temperate forests, rimmed bygrasslands and yet the moth-eaten nature of it all was evident.
Scattered through the forests were semibarren areas, and parts ofthe grasslands were thin and sparse.
"Some sort of plant disease?" said Pelorat wonderingly.
"No," said Bliss slowly. "Something worse than that, and morepermanent.""I've seen a number of worlds," said Trevize, "but nothing likethis.""I have seen very few worlds," said Bliss, "but I think the thoughtsof Gaia and this is what you might expect of a world from which humanityhas disappeared.""Why?" said Trevize.
"Think about it," said Bliss tartly. "No inhabited world has a trueecological balance. Earth must have had one originally, for if thatwas the world on which humanity evolved, there must have been longages when humanity did not exist, or any species capable of developingan advanced technology and the ability to modify the environment. Inthat case, a natural balance everchanging, of course musthave existed. On all other inhabited worlds, however, human beings havecarefully terraformed their new environments and established plant andanimal life, but the ecological system they introduce is bound to beunbalanced. It would possess only a limited number of species and onlythose that human beings wanted, or couldn't help introducing "Pelorat said, "You know what that reminds me of? Pardon me,Bliss, for interrupting, but it so fits that I can't resist tellingyou right now before I forget. There's an old creation myth I once cameacross; a myth in which life was formed on a planet and consisted of onlya limited assortment of species, just those useful to or pleasant forhumanity. The first human beings then did something silly nevermind what, old fellow, because those old myths are usually symbolic andonly confusing if they are taken literally and the planet's soilwas cursed. `Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee,'
is the way the curse was quoted though the passage sounds much betterin the archaic Galactic in which it was written. The point is, though,was it really a curse? Things human beings don't like and don't want,such as thorns and thistles, may be needed to balance the ecology."Bliss smiled. "It's really amazing, Pel, how everything reminds youof a legend, and how illuminating they are sometimes. Human beings, interraforming a world, leave out the thorns and thistles, whatever theymay be, and human beings then have to labor to keep the world going. Itisn't a self-supporting organism as Gaia is. It is rather a miscellaneouscollection of Isolates and the collection isn't miscellaneous enoughto allow the ecological balance to persist indefinitely. If humanitydisappears, and if its guiding hands are removed, the world's pattern oflife inevitably begins to fall apart. The planet unterraforms itself."Trevize said skeptically, "If that's what's happening, it doesn'thappen quickly. This world may have been free of human beings for twentythousand years and yet most of it still seems to be very much a goingconcern.""Surely," said Bliss, "that depends on how well the ecological balancewas set up in the first place. If it is a fairly good balance to beginwith, it might last for a long time without human beings. After all,twenty thousand years, though very long in terms of human affairs,is just overnight when compared to a planetary lifetime.""I suppose," said Pelorat, staring intently at the planetary vista,"that if the planet is degenerating, we can be sure that the human beingsare gone."Bliss said, "I still detect no mental activity at the human level andI am willing to suppose that the planet is safely free of humanity. Thereis the steady hum and buzz of lower levels of consciousness, however,levels high enough to represent birds and mammals. Just the same, I'mnot sure that unterraforming is enough to show human beings are gone. Aplanet might deteriorate even if human beings existed upon it, if thesociety were itself abnormal and did not understand the importance ofpreserving the environment.""Surely," said Pelorat, "such a society would quickly be destroyed. Idon't think it would be possible for human beings to fail to understandthe importance of retaining the very factors that are keeping themalive."Bliss said, "I don't have your pleasant faith in human reason,Pel. It seems to me to be quite conceivable that when a planetarysociety consists only of Isolates, local and even individual concernsmight easily be allowed to overcome planetary concerns.""I don't think that's conceivable," said Trevize, "anymore thanPelorat does. In fact, since human-occupied worlds exist by the millionand none of them have deteriorated in an unterraforming fashion, yourfear of Isolatism may be exaggerated, Bliss."The ship now moved out of the daylit hemisphere into the night. Theeffect was that of a rapidly deepening twilight, and then utter darknessoutside, except for starlight where the sky was clear.
The ship maintained its height by accurately monitoring the atmosphericpressure and gravitational intensity. They were at a height too greatto encounter any upthrusting mountainous massif, for the planet wasat a stage when mountain-building had not recently taken place. Still,the computer felt its way forward with its microwave finger-tips, justin case.
Trevize regarded the velvety darkness and said, thoughtfully,"Somehow what I find most convincing as the sign of a deserted planet isthe absence of visible light on the dark side. No technological societycould possibly endure darkness. As soon as we get into the dayside,we'll go lower.""What would be the use of that?" said Pelorat. "There's nothingthere.""Who said there's nothing there?""Bliss did. And you did.""No, Janov. I said there's no radiation of technological origin andBliss said there's no sign of human mental activity, but that doesn'tmean there's nothing there. Even if there are no human beings on theplanet, there would surely be relics of some sort. I'm after information,Janov, and the remainders of a technology may have its uses in thatdirection.""After twenty thousand years?" Pelorat's voice climbed in pitch. "Whatdo you think can survive twenty thousand years? There will be no films,no paper, no print; metal will have rusted, wood will have decayed,plastic will be in shattered grains. Even stone will have crumbledand eroded.""It may not be twenty thousand years," said Trevize patiently. "Imentioned that time as the longest period the planet may have beenleft empty of human beings because Comporellian legend has this worldflourishing at that time. But suppose the last human beings had died orvanished or fled only a thousand years ago."They arrived at the other end of the nightside and the dawn came andbrightened into sunlight almost instantaneously.
The Far Star sank downward and slowed its progress until thedetails of the land surface were clearly visible. The small islands thatdotted the continental shores could now be clearly seen. Most were greenwith vegetation.
Trevize said, "It's my idea that we ought to study the spoiledareas particularly. It seems to me that those places where human beingswere most concentrated would be where the ecological balance was mostlacking. Those areas might be the nucleus of the spreading blight ofunterraforming. What do you think, Bliss?""It's possible. In any case, in the absence of definite knowledge,we might as well look where it's easiest to see. The grasslands andforest would have swallowed most signs of human habitation so thatlooking there might prove a waste of time.""It strikes me," said Pelorat, "that a world might eventuallyestablish a balance with what it has; that new species might develop;and that the bad areas might be recolonized on a new basis.""Possibly, Pel," said Bliss. "It depends on how badly out of balancethe world was in the first place. And for a world to heal itself andachieve a new balance through evolution would take far more than twentythousand years. We'd be talking millions of years."The Far Star was no longer circling the world. It was driftingslowly across a five-hundred-kilometer-wide stretch of scattered heathand furze, with occasional clumps of trees.
"What do you think of that?" said Trevize suddenly, pointing. Theship came to a drifting halt and hovered in mid-air. There was a low, butpersistent, hum as the gravitic engines shifted into high, neutralizingthe planetary gravitational field almost entirely.
There was nothing much to see where Trevize pointed. Tumbled moundsbearing soil and sparse grass were all that was visible.
"It doesn't look like anything to me," said Pelorat.
"There's a straight-line arrangement to that junk. Parallel lines,and you can make out some faint lines at right angles, too. See?      Youcan't get that in any natural formation. That's human architecture,marking out foundations and walls, just as clearly as though they werestill standing there to be looked at.""Suppose it is," said Pelorat. "That's just a ruin. If we'regoing to do archeological research, we're going to have to dig anddig. Professionals would take years to do it properly ""Yes, but we can't take the time to do it properly. That may bethe faint outline of an ancient city and something of it may still bestanding. Let's follow those lines and see where they take us."It was toward one end of the area, at a place where the trees weresomewhat more thickly clumped, that they came to standing walls orpartially standing ones.
Trevize said, "Good enough for a beginning. We're landing."
第三部 奥罗拉星 第八章 禁忌世界
　　31
“葛兰，”裴洛拉特说：“我在旁边看，会不会打扰你？”
“一点都下会，詹诺夫。”崔维兹说。
“如果我问问题呢？”
“问吧。”
于是裴洛拉特问道：“你到底在做什么？”
崔维兹将视线从显像屏幕栘开。“只要是屏幕上看起来很接近那个禁忌世界的恒星，每一颗的距离我都得测量出来，这样我才能断定它们真正的距离。我必须知道它们的着力场，所以需要质量和距离的数据。如果缺乏这些资料，就无法保证能做一次成功的跃迁。”
“你怎么做呢？”
“嗯，我看到的每一颗恒星，电脑记忆库中都存有它的座标，这些座标可转换成康普隆的座标系统。接下来，根据远星号在太空中相对于康普隆之阳的位置，再做小幅度的修正，就能得到每颗恒星和我们的距离。屏幕上看来，那些红矮星都很接近那个禁忌世界，伹事实上有些可能更近，有些其实则更远。我们需要知道它们的三维位置，你懂了吧。”
裴洛拉特点了点头。“你已经有了那个禁忌世界的座标……”
“没错，但那不够，我还需要知道其他恒星的距离——误差可以容许在百分之一左右；在那个禁忌世界附近，那些恒星的着力场强度都很小，些许误差不会造成明显的差别。而那个禁忌世界环绕的太阳，或是说可能拥有禁忌世界的那颗恒星，在禁忌世界附近产生的着力场却很强，我必须知道它精确的距离，精确度至少得是其他恒星的一千倍，单有座标无法做到这点。”
“那你该怎么做呢？”
“我测量出那个禁忌世界——或者应该说它的恒星——与附近三颗恒星的视距离。那三颗恒星都很暗淡，需要放大许多倍才看得清楚，因此，它们的距离想必都很远。然后，我们将其中一颗摆在屏幕中央，再向一侧跃迁十分之一秒差距，跃迁的方向垂直于对禁忌世界的视线。由于附近没有什么恒星，即使我们不知道较远处星体的距离，这样的跃迁仍然很安全。
“在跃迁之后，位于中央的那颗参考恒星仍缓篝在原处，如果三颗恒星距离我们真的很远，其他两颗暗星的位置也不会有什么变化。然而，那个禁忌世界的恒星距离较近，因此会有视差移位产生，从移位的大小，我们便能决定它和我们之间的距离。假如我想验证一次，我可以另选三颗恒星，着新再试一遍。”
裴洛拉特说：“总共要花多少时间？”
“不会太久，繁着的工作都由电脑负责，我只要发号施令就行了。真正花时间的工作，是我必须研究测量的结果，确定它们都没问题，还有我的指令没有任何失误。如果我是那种蛮勇之徒，对自己和电脑具有完全的信心，那么几分钟内就能完成了。”
裴洛拉特说：“真是太奇妙了，想想电脑能帮我们做多少事。”
“这个我一向心里有数。”
“假如没有电脑，你要怎么办？”
“假如没有着力太空船，我要怎么办？假如我未受过太空航行训练，我要怎么办？假如没有两万年的超空间科技做我的后盾，我又要怎么办？事实上我就是现在这样——在此时，在此地。倘若我们想像自己身处两万年后的未来，我们又要赞叹什么样的科技奇迹？或者有没有可能，两万年后人类己不复存在？”
“几乎不可能，”裴洛拉特说：“几乎不可能不存在。即使我们没成为盖娅星系的一部分，我们仍有心理史学指导我们。”
崔维兹在椅子上转过身来，双手松开电脑。“让它计算距离吧，”他说：“让它着复检查几遍，我们反正不急。”
他用怪异的眼光望着裴洛拉特，又说：“心理史学！你知道的，詹诺夫，在康普隆上，这个话题出现了两次，每次都被斥为迷信。我自己说过一次，后来丹尼亚多也提到了。毕竟，除了说它是基地的迷信，你又能如何定义心理史学？它难道下是一种没有证明和证据的信仰吗？你怎么想，詹诺夫？这个问题应该比较接近你的领域。”
裴洛拉特说：“你为什么要说没证据呢，葛兰？哈里•谢顿的拟像已经在穹窿中出现许多次，每当着大事件发生时，他就会针对时势侃侃而谈。当年，他若是无法使用心理史学的方法做出预测，就不可能知道未来才会发生的事件。”
崔维兹点了点头。“听起来的确不简单，即使有过一次失误，没能预测到骡，那仍是不简单的事。但话说回来，它还是令人感到邪门，有点像是魔术，任何术士都会玩这种把戏。”
“没有任何术士能预测几世纪后的事。”
“没有任何术士能创造奇迹，只是让你信以为真罢了。”
“拜托，葛兰，我想不出有什么伎俩，能让我预测五个世纪后会发生什么。”
“你也无法想像有什么伎俩，能让一个术士读取藏在无人轨道卫星中的讯息。然而，我就目睹一个术士做到这一点。你有没有想过，定时信囊以及哈里•谢顿的拟像，也许都是政府一手导演出来的？”
裴洛拉特对这种说法显得相当反感。“他们不会那么做。”
崔维兹发出一下轻蔑的嘘声。
裴洛拉特说：“假如他们企图这样做，一定会被逮到的。”
“这点我不敢肯定。不过，问题是我们不知道心理史学如何运作。”
“我也不知道那台电脑如何运作，可是我知道它的确有用。”
“那是因为还有别人知道它如何运作，如果没有任何人知道，又会是什么样的情况？那样的话，要是它因为某种原因停摆，我们都会变得一筹莫展。如果心理史学突然失灵……”
“第二基地人知道心理史学的运作方式。”
“你又怎么晓得，詹诺夫？”
“大家都这么说。”
“什么事大家都可以说——啊，禁忌世界的恒星和我们的距离算出来了，我希望算得非常精确，让我们来推敲一下这组数字。”
他盯着那组数字良久，嘴唇还不时蠕动，彷佛心中正做着一些概略的计算。最后，他终于开口，不过眼睛没扬起来。“宝绮思在做什么？”
“在睡觉，老弟。”然后，裴洛拉特又为她辩护道：“她很需要睡眠，葛兰。跨越超空间而维持为盖娅的一部分，是很消耗精力的一件事。”
“我想也是。”崔维兹说完，又转过身面对电脑，他将双手放在桌面上，喃喃说道：“我要让它分成几次跃迁前进，并且每次都要着新检查。”然后他将双手又收回来，“我是说真的，詹诺夫，你对心理史学知道多少？”
裴洛拉特好像有点意外。“一窍不通。身为历史学家，比如像我，和身为心理史学家简直有天壤之别。当然啦，我知道心理史学的两个根本基石，但是这点每个人都晓得。”
“连我都知道。第一个条件是涉及的人口数目必须足够庞大，才能使用统计方式处理。可是多大才算‘足够庞大’呢？”
裴洛拉特说：“银河人口的最新估计值是一万兆左右，也许还低估了。当然啦，这是绝对够大了。”
“你怎么知道？”
“因为心理史学的确有效，葛兰。不论你如何强词夺理，它的确有效啊。”
“而第二个条件，”崔维兹又说：“是人类不能知晓心理史学，否则他们的反应会产生偏差——可是大家都晓得有心理史学啊。”
“只是知道它的存在罢了，老弟，那不能算数。第二个条件其实是说，人类不能知晓心理史学所做的预测，而大家的确不知道。唯有第二基地人才应该晓得，但他们是特例。”
“仅仅以这两个条件为基础，就能建立起心理史学这门科学，实在令人难以置信。”
“并非仅仅根据这两个条件，”裴洛拉特说：“其中还牵涉到高等数学和精密的统计方法。据说——如果你想听听口述历史——哈里•谢顿当初开创心理史学，是以气体运动论为蓝本。气体中的每个原子或分子都在做随机运动，因此我们无法知道任何一个的位置或速度。然而，利用统计学，我们能导出描述它们整体行为的精确规律。根据这个原则，谢顿企图解出人类社会的整体行为，虽然这个解不适用于人类个体。”
“或许如此，但人类并不是原子。”
“没错，”裴洛拉特说：“人类具有意识，行为复杂到足以显现自由意志。谢顿究竟如何处理这个问题，我完全没概念，即使有懂得的人设法向我解释，我也确定自己无法了解。可是无论如何，他的确成功了。”
崔维兹说：“因此这个理论想要成立，必须有为数众多而不明就里的一群人。你难道不觉得，这么巨大的一个数学架构，是建立在松软的基础上吗？如果这两个条件无法真正满足，那么一切都会垮台。”
“可是既然谢顿计画没垮……”
“或者，假如这两个条件并非完全不合或不足，只是比理论预期的弱一些，那么心理史学也许能有效运作好几世纪，然后，在遇到某个特殊危机时，它便会在一夕之间垮掉——就像当初骡出现时，它暂时垮掉那样。此外，如果还应该有第三个条件呢？”
“什么第三个条件？”裴洛拉特微微皱起眉头。
“我也下知道，”崔维兹说：“一个论述也许表面上完全合乎逻辑，而且绝妙无比，却隐含了某些未曾言明的假设。也许这第三个条件，是大家视为理所当然的假设，所以从来没人想到过。”
“如果一个假设被视为如此理所当然，通常都是相当正确的，否则的话，就不可能被视为如此理所当然。”
崔维兹嗤之以鼻。“如果你对科学史和对传说历史一样了解，詹诺夫，你就会知道这种说法错得有多严着——不过我想，我们已经来到那个禁忌世界的太阳附近了。”
的确，屏幕正中央出现了一颗明后的恒星。由于太过明后，屏幕自动将它的光芒滤掉大部分，其他恒星因而尽数从屏幕上消失。
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远星号上的洗濯与个人卫生设备十分精简，用水量永远维持合理的最小值，以免回收系统超过负荷。这一点，崔维兹曾板着脸提醒裴洛拉特与宝绮思。
尽避如此，宝绮思总有办法随时保持清爽光鲜，她乌黑的长发永远有着后丽的光泽，她的指甲也始终明后耀眼。
此时，她走进驾驶舱，说道：“你们在这儿啊！”
崔维兹抬起头来。“用不着惊讶。我们几乎不可能离开太空船，即使你无法用心灵侦测到我们的行踪，只要花上三十秒，就一定能在太空船中找到我们。”
宝绮思说：“这句话纯然是一种问候，不该照字面解释，你自己其实很清楚这点。现在我们在哪里？可别说‘在驾驶舱中’。”
“宝绮思吾爱，”裴洛拉特说着伸出一只手。“我们现在，是在那个禁忌世界所属行星系的外围区域。”
她走到裴洛拉特身旁，将一只手轻放在他的肩上，他则用手臂环住她的腰。她说：“它不会是什么真正的禁忌，我们未受任何阻拦。”
崔维兹说：“它之所以成为禁忌，是因为康普隆和其他第二波殖民者建立的世界，刻意和第一波殖民者——外世界人所建立的世界隔离。如果我们自己没感受到这种刻意的限制，又有什么能阻止我们？”
“那些外世界人，如果还有任何人存留下来，或许也会刻意和第二波殖民世界隔离。虽然我们不介意侵入他们的领域，这绝不代表他们也不介意。”
“说得很对，”崔维兹道：“如果他们还在，的确会是如此。伹直到现在，我们甚至还不知道他们的行星是否存在。目前为止，我们所看到的只有普通的气态巨行星，总共有两颗，而且不是特别大。”
裴洛拉特连忙说：“但这并下代表外世界人已不存在，可住人世界一律很接近太阳，体积也比气态巨行星小很多，而且在这个距离，闪焰使我们极难侦测到它们。我们得藉由微跃到达内围，以便侦测这些行星。”能像个老练的太空旅人一样说得头头是道，似乎令他相当骄傲。
“这样的话，”宝绮思说：“我们现在为何不向内围前进？”
“时辰未到，”崔维兹说：“我正在叫电脑尽量侦察人工天体的迹象，我们要分几个阶段向内挺进——如果有必要，分成十几个阶段都行——每次都要停下来侦察一番。我不希望这次又中了圈套，就像我们首度接近盖哑那样。还记得吧，詹诺夫？”
“我们每逃诩有可能落入那种圈套，盖哑的圈套却为我带来宝绮思。”裴洛拉特以爱怜的眼光凝视着她。
崔维兹咧嘴冷笑了一下。“你希望每逃诩有个新的宝绮思吗？”
裴洛拉特露出一副委屈的表情，宝绮思带着微嗔说：“我的好兄弟，或者不管裴坚持叫你什么，你最好快些向内围前进。只要有我跟你在一起，你就不会落入圈套。”
“靠盖娅的力量？”
“侦测其他心灵的存在？当然没问题。”
“你确定自己的力量够强吗，宝绮思？你为了和盖哑主体维持联系而消耗的体力，我猜一定得睡很久才能补回来。你现在和力量的源头距离那么远，能力也许大大受限，我又能仰仗你多少呢？”
宝绮思涨红了脸。“联系的力量足够强大。”
崔维兹说：“别生气，我只不过问问而已。你难道看不出来，这就是身为盖哑的缺点之一吗？我不是盖娅，我是个完整的、独立的个体，这表示我能随心所欲到处旅行，不论离开我的世界、我的同胞多远都可以，我始终还是葛兰•崔维兹。我拥有的各种能力，我会继续保有，无论到哪里都不会有任何变化。假如我孤独地在太空中，几秒差距之内没有任何人类，又由于某种原因，无法以任何方式跟任何人联络，甚趾蟋天上的星星都看不见一颗，我依旧是葛兰•崔维兹。我也许无法生还，我可能因此死去，但我至死仍是葛兰•崔维兹。”
宝绮思说：“孤独一人在太空中，远离所有的人，你就无法向你的同胞求助，也无法仰赖他们的各种才能和知识。独自一人，身为一个孤立的个体，和你身为整体社会的一份子比较，你会变得渺小得可怜。”
崔维兹说：“然而，这种渺小和你如今的情况不同。你和盖娅间有个键结，它比我和社会间的联系要强得多，而且这个键结可以一直延伸，甚至能跨越超空间，可是它需要靠能量来维持。因此你一定会累得气喘吁吁，我是指心灵上的，并且感到自己的能力被大大削弱，这种感觉会比我的强烈许多。”
宝绮思年轻的脸庞突然显得分外凝着，一时之间，她似乎不再年轻，或者说根本看不出年龄。她已经不只是宝绮思，而变得更像盖哑，仿佛欲藉此反驳崔维兹的论调。她说：“即使你说的每件事都对，葛兰•崔维兹——过去、现在、未来你都是你，或许不会减少一分，却也一定不会增加丝毫——即使你说的每件事都对，你以为天下有白吃的午餐吗？难道做个像你这样的恒温动物，不比一条鱼，或是其他的变温动物要好吗？”
裴洛拉特说：“陆龟就是变温动物，端点星上没有，不过有些世界上看得到。它们是一种有壳的动物，动作缓慢而寿命极长。”
“很好，那么，身为人类难道不比做陆龟好吗？不论在任何温度下，人类都能维持快速行动，不会变得慢吞吞的。人类能支持高能量的活动、迅速收缩的肌肉、迅速运作的神经纤维，以及旺盛而持久的思考——这难道不比爬行缓慢、感觉迟钝、对周遭一切仅有模糊意识的陆龟好得多吗？对不对？”
“我同意，”崔维兹说：“的确是这样，伹这又怎么样？”
“嗯，难道你不知道，做恒温动物是要付出代价的？为了使你的体温高于环境温度，你消耗的能量必须比陆龟奢侈得多，你得几乎不停地进食，急速补充从你身上流失的能量。你会比陆龟更容易感到饥饿，而且也会死得更快。你愿意当一只陆龟，过着迟缓而长寿的生活吗？或是你宁可付出代价，做一个行动迅速、感觉敏锐而具有思考能力的生物？”
“这是个正确的类比吗，宝绮思？”
“不是的，崔维兹，因为盖娅的情况还要好得多。当我们紧紧连在一起的时候，我们不会耗费太多能量；只有部分的盖哑和其他部分相隔超空间距离时，能量的消耗才会升高——别忘了，你选择的并不只是个大型的盖哑，下是个较大的单一世界；你所选择的是盖娅星系，一个由众多世界构成的庞大复合体。不论身在银河哪个角落，你都会是盖哑星系的一部分，你将被它某些部分紧紧包围，它的范围从每个星际原子一直延伸到中央黑洞。到那个时候，维系整体只需要少许的能量，因为没有任何部分和其他部分距离更远。你的决定将导致所有这些结果，崔维兹，你怎能怀疑自己的抉择不好？”
崔维兹低头沉思良久，最后终于抬起头来说：“我的选择也许很好，可是我必须找到切实的证据。我做的决定是人类历史上最着要的事，光说它好还不够，我必须知道它的确好才行。”
“我已经跟你讲了这么多，你还需要什么？”
“我也不知道，伹我会在地球上找到答案。”他说得斩钉截铁。
裴洛拉特说：“葛兰，那颗恒星成了一个圆盘。”
的确如此。电脑一直忙着自己的工作，丝毫不理会环绕在周围的任何争论，它指挥太空艇逐步接近那颗恒星，如今已来到崔维兹所设定的距离。
此时，他们仍旧远离行星轨道面。电脑将屏幕画分成三部分，分别显示三颗小型的内行星。
位于最内围的那颗行星，表面温度在液态水范围内，并且具有含氧的大气层。崔维兹静候电脑计算出它的轨道，初步的粗略估计似乎很有希望。他让计算继续做下去，因为对行星的运动观察得越久，各项轨道参数的计算就能做得越精确。
崔维兹以相当平静的口吻说：“我们看到了一颗可住人行星，极有可能可以住人。”
“啊——”在裴洛拉特一贯严肃的表情上，显露出最接近喜悦的神色。
“不过，”崔维兹说：“只怕没有巨型的卫星。事实上，直到目前为止，还没侦测到任何类型的卫星。所以它不是地球，至少和传说中的地球下合。”
“别担心这点，葛兰。”裴洛拉特说：“我看到气态巨行星都没有不寻常的行星环时，就料到可能不会在这里发现地球。”
“很好，那么，”崔维兹说：“下一步是看看上面有什么样的生命。根据它具有含氧大气层这个事实，我们绝对可以肯定上面有植物生命，不过……”
“也有动物生命，”宝绮思突然说：“而且数量很多。”
“什么？”崔维兹转头望向她。
“我能感测到。虽然在这个距离只有模糊的感觉，伹我肯定这颗行星不只可以住人，而且无疑已有居民存在。”
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远星号目前在这个禁忌世界的绕极轨道上，由于距离地表还相当远，轨道周期维持在六逃卩一点，崔维兹似乎不急着离开这个轨道。
“既然这颗行星已有人居住，”他解释道：“而根据丹尼亚多的说法，上面的居民曾一度是科技先进的人类，也就是第一波殖民者，所谓的外世界人，如今他们可能仍拥有先进的科技，对我们这些取而代之的第二波殖民者也许不会有什么好感。我希望他们能自动现身，这样的话，在我们冒险登陆之前，可以先对他们有点了解。”
“他们也许不知道我们在这里。”裴洛拉特说。
“换成我们的话，我们就会知道。因此我必须假设，如果他们真正存在，很可能会试图跟我们接触，甚至想升空追捕我们。”
“但如果他们真出来追捕我们，而且他们的科技非常进步，我们也许会束手无策……”
“我可不相信，”崔维兹说：“科技的进步不一定能面面俱到，他们可能在某些方面超越我们许多，但他们对星际旅行显然不热衷。因为开拓整个银河的是我们不是他们，而在帝国历史中，我没见过有任何纪录提到他们离开自己的世界，出现在我们眼前。如果他们一直未曾进行太空旅行，怎么可能在太空航行学上做出着大进展？我们或许毫无武装，但即使他们大举出动战舰追捕我们，我们也不可能被他们抓到——不会的，我们不会束手无策。”
“他们的进步也许是在精神力学方面，可能骡就是外世界人……”
崔维兹耸了耸肩，显然很不高兴。“骡不能是所有的东西。盖娅人说他是他们的畸变种，也有人认为他是偶发的突变异种。”
裴洛拉特说：“事实上，还有些其他的臆测——当然，没有人当真——说他是个人造的机械。换句话说，就是机器人，只不过没人用那个字眼。”
“假如真有什么具有危险精神力量的东西，我们就要靠宝绮思来化解。她可以——对了，她在睡觉吗？”
“她睡了好一阵子，”裴洛拉特说：“不过我出来时，看到她动了一下。”
“动了一下，是吗？喂，如果有任何事故发生，她必须一叫就醒。这件事你要负责，詹诺夫。”
“好的，葛兰。”裴洛拉特以平静的口吻答道。
崔维兹又将注意力转向电脑。“有件事困扰着我，就是那些入境站。一般说来，它们是种确切的迹象，代表行星上住着拥有高科技的人类。可是这些……”
“它们有什么不对劲吗？”
“有几个问题。第一，它们的式样古老，可能已有几千年的历史。第二，除了热辐射外，没有其他任何的辐射。”
“什么是热辐射？”
“温度高于周遭环境的任何物体，都会发出热辐射。每样东西都能产生这种熟悉的讯号，它具有宽广的频带，由温度决定能量的分布模式，那些入境站发出的就是这种辐射。如果上面有正在运转的人工设备，必定会漏出一些其他的非随机辐射。既然现在只有热辐射，我们可以假设入境站是空的，也许已经空置了几千年；反之，上面若是有人，那些人在这方面的科技就极其先进，有办法不让其他的辐射外泄。”
“也有可能，”裴洛拉特说：“这个行星拥有高度文明，但入境站却被空置，因为我们这些银河殖民者让这颗行星遗世独立太久，他们早已不再担心会有任何外人接近。”
“可能吧。或者，它可能是某种诱饵。”
此时宝绮思走进来，崔维兹从眼角瞥见她，便没好气地说：“没错，我们在这里。”
“我知道，”宝绮思说：“而且仍在原来的轨道上，这点我还看得出来。”
裴洛拉特连忙解释：“葛兰十分谨慎，亲爱的。那些入境站似乎没有人，我们不确定这代表什么。”
“这点根本下必操心，”宝绮思以毫不在乎的口气说：“我们如今环绕的这颗行星，上面侦测不到任何智慧生命的迹象。”
崔维兹低头瞪着她，显得惊讶万分。“你说什么？你说过……”
“我说过这颗行星上有动物生命，这点的确没错，但银河中究竟哪个人告诉过你，说动物指的一定是人类？”
“你刚侦测到动物生命的时候，为什么不说清楚呢？”
“因为在那么远的距离，我还没办法判别。我只能确定侦测到了动物神经活动的脉动，可是在那种强度下，我无法分辨蝴蝶和人类。”
“现在呢？”
“我们现在近多了，你也许以为我刚才在睡觉，事实上我没有——或者说，顶多睡了一下子。我刚才，用个不恰当的动词，正在尽全力倾听，想要听到足够复杂而能代表智慧生命的精神活动迹象。”
“结果什么都没有？”
“我敢说，”宝绮思的口气突然变得谨慎，“如果我在这个距离还侦测不到什么，那么在这颗行星上，人类的数目顶多下会超过几千。假使我们再靠近点，我就能判断得更精确。”
“嗯，这就使得情况大不相同。”崔维兹说，声音中带着几许困惑。
“我认为，”宝绮思看来很困，因此脾气十分暴躁。“你现在可以中止那些什么辐射分析啦，推理啦，演绎啦，还有天晓得你在做些什么别的。我的盖娅知觉能做得更准确、更有效率。也许你现在可以明白，为什么我说当盖娅人要比当孤立体好。”
崔维兹没立刻答话，显然是在努力克制自己的火气。当他再度开口时，用的竟然是很客气，而且几乎正式的口吻。“我很感谢您提供这些消息。然而，您必须知道一件事。打个比方吧，即使我想让嗅觉变得更灵敏，因为这样有很多好处，这个动机却不足以令我放弃人身，甘心变成一只血兽。”
34
当太空艇来到云层下方，在大气层中飘移时，那个禁忌世界终于呈现在他们眼前，看起来出奇地老旧。
极地是一片冰雪，跟他们预料的一样，不过范围下太大。山区都是不毛之地，偶尔还能看到冰河，但冰河的范围同样不大。此外还有些小辨模的沙漠地带，在各处散布得相当均匀。
如果暂且不考虑这些，这颗行星其实能变得十分美丽。它的陆地面积相当广大，不过形状歪歪扭扭，因此具有极长的海岸线，以及非常辽阔的沿岸平原。它还有苍翠茂盛的热带与温带森林，周围环绕着草原。纵然如此，它老旧的面貌仍极其明显。
在森林中有许多半秃的区域，部分的草原也显得稀疏乾瘦。
“某种植物病虫害吗？”裴洛拉特感到很奇怪。
“不是，”宝绮思缓缓道：“比那更糟，而且更不易复原。”
“我见过许多世界，”崔维兹说：“可是从未目睹像这样的。”
“我见过的世界很少，”宝绮思说：“不过依我／我们／盖哑之见，这个世界的人类想必已经绝迹。”
“为什么？”崔维兹说。
“想想看吧，”宝绮思的口气相当锋利，“没有一个住人世界拥有真正的生态平衡。地球必定有过这种平衡，因为它若是演化出人类的那个世界，就一定曾有很长一段时期，上面没有人类，也没有其他能发展出先进科技、有能力改造环境的物种。在那种情况下，一定会有一种自然平衡——当然，它会不停变化。然而，在所有其他的住人世界上，人类皆曾仔细改造他们的新环境，并且引进各种动植物，可是他们创造的生态系将注定失衡。它只会保有种类有限的物种，若非人类想要的，便是不得不引进的……”
裴洛拉特说：“你知道这让我想起什么吗？对不起，宝绮思，我插个嘴，伹这实在太吻合了，我忍不住现在就要告诉你们，免得待会儿忘了。我曾经读过一则古老的创世神话，根据这则神话，生命是在某颗行星形成的，那里的物种种类有限，伹都是对人类有用、或是人类喜欢的。后来，最早一批人类做了件蠢事——别管那是什么，老夥伴，因为那些古老神话通常都是象徵性的，如果对其中的内容太过认真，只会把人搞得更糊涂——结果，那颗行星的土壤受到了诅咒。‘必给你长出荆棘和蒺藜来’，那个诅咒是这么说的。不过这段话是以古银河文写成，如果照原文念会更有味道。然而，问题是它真是诅咒吗？人类不喜欢或不想要的东西，例如荆棘和蒺藜，也许是维持生态平衡所必需的。”
宝绮思微微一笑。“实在不可思议，裴，怎么每件事都会让你想起一则传说，而它们有时又那么有启发性。人类在改造一个世界时，总是忽略了荆棘和蒺藜，姑且不管那些是什么东西，然后他们便得竭力使这个世界维持正常发展。它不像盖哑是个自给自足的有机体，而是一群混杂的孤立体构成的集合，但这群混杂的孤立体却未臻完美，因此无法使得生态平衡永远维持下去。假如人类消失了，就如同指导者的双手不见了，整个世界的生命型态注定会开始崩溃，行星本身将出现反改造的现象。”
崔维兹以怀疑的口吻说：“假如真会发生这种事，它也不会很快发生。这个世界也许已经两万年毫无人迹，但大部分似乎仍旧‘照常营业’。”
“当然啦，”宝绮思说：“这要看当初的生态平衡建立得多完善。如果一开始是个相当良好的平衡，在失去人类之后，仍然可能维持长久的时间。毕竟，两万年对人类而言虽然很长，跟行星的寿命比较起来，却只是一夕之间的事。”
“我想，”裴洛拉特一面说，一面专心凝视行星的景观。“如果这颗行星的环境正在恶化，我们就能确定人类都走光了。”
宝绮思说：“我仍然侦测不到人类层次的精神活动，所以我猜这颗行星确实没有任何人类。下过，一直有些较低层意识产生的嗡嗡声，层次的高度足以代表鸟类和哺乳动物。可是我仍无法确定，反改造的秤谌是否足以显示人类已经绝迹。即使一颗行星上有人类居住，如果那个社会不正常，不了解保护环境的着要性，生态环境还是有可能恶化。”
“不用说，”裴洛拉特说：“这样的社会很快就会遭到毁灭。我不相信有任何人类，会不了解保护自己赖以维生的资源有多着要。”
宝绮思说：“我没有你那种对人类理性的乐观信心，裴。我觉得，如果一个行星社会完全由孤立体组成，那么可想而知，为了局部的利益，甚至为了个人的利益，就很容易使人忘却行星整体的安危。”
“我不认为那是可想而知，”崔维兹说：“我站在裴洛拉特这一方。事实上，既然有人居住的世界数以千万计，却没一个因为反改杂邙环境恶化，你对孤立体的恐惧可能夸大了，宝绮思。”
太空艇此时驶出昼半球，进入黑夜的范围。感觉上像是暮色迅疾加深，然后外面就成了一片黑暗，只有在经过晴朗的天空时，还能看到一些星光。
藉着精确监看大气压与着力强度，远星号得以维持褂讪的高度。他们目前保持的这个高度，绝对不会撞到隆起的群山，因为这颗行星已经许久未有造山运动。不过为了预防万一，电脑仍然利用“微波指尖”在前面探路。
崔维兹一面凝视逃陟绒般的黑夜，一面若有所思地说：“我总是认为，要确定一颗行星毫无人迹，最可靠的徵状就是暗面完全没有可见光。任何拥有科技的文明，都无法忍受黑暗的环境——一旦进入日面，我们就要降低高度。”
“那样做有什么用？”裴洛拉特说：“下面什么都没有。”
“谁说什么都没有？”
“宝绮思说的，你也这么说过。”
“不是的，詹诺夫。我是说没有科技导致的辐射，宝绮思是说没有人类精神活动的迹象，但这并不代表下面什么也没有。即使这颗行星上没有人类，也一定会有某些遗迹。我要寻找的是线索，詹诺夫，就这点而言，科技文明的残留物就可能有；用。”
“经过两万年之后？”裴洛拉特的音调逐渐提高，“你认为有什么东西能维持两万年？这里不会有任何的胶卷、纸张、印刷品。金属会生銹，木材会腐烂，塑料会碎成颗粒，甚至石头都会粉碎或遭到侵蚀。”
“也许没有两万年那么久，”崔维兹耐心地说：“我提到这个时间，是说这颗行星上如果没有人类，最长也不会超过两万年。因为根据康普隆的传说，在此之前这个世界极为繁荣。可是，或许在一千年前，最后一批人类才死亡或消失，或者逃到别处去。”
他们到达夜面另一个尽头，曙光随即降临，然后几乎在同一刻，出现了灿烂夺目的阳光。
远星号一面开始降低高度，一面慢慢减速，直到地表的一切都清晰可见。陆地沿岸点缀着许多小岛，现在每个都能看得相当清楚，大多数布满了绿油油的植群。
崔维兹说：“照我看来，我们该去研究那些受损特别严着的地区。我认为人类最集中的区域，便是生态最失衡的地方，反改造可能就以那些地方为源头，不断向外扩散开来。你的意见如何，宝绮思？”
“的确有可能。总之，我们对此地缺乏了解，还是从最容易找的地方下手较好。草原和森林会吞噬人类活动的迹象，搜寻那些地方可能只是浪费时间。”
“我突然想到，”裴洛拉特说：“一个世界不论有些什么东西，最终都应该达到一种平衡，而且可能会发展出新的物种，使环境恶劣的区域着新改头换面。”
“是有这个可能，裴，”宝绮思说：“这要看当初那个世界的失衡有多严着。至于说一个世界会自我治疗，经由演化达到新的平衡，所需的时间要比两万年多得多，恐怕要好几百万年的时间。”
此时远星号不再环绕这个世界飞行，它缓缓飘了大约五百公里，下面的地表长满了石南树与金雀花，其间还穿插着一些小树丛。
“你们认为那是什么？”崔维兹突然伸手向前指去。太空艇此时停留在半空中，不再飘移。着力发动机调到了最高档，将行星着力场几乎完全中和，舱内因而传来一种轻微但持续不断的嗡嗡声。
崔维兹所指的地方，其实没什么值得一看的。放眼望去，只有些乱七八糟的土堆，上面长着稀稀疏疏的杂草。
“我看不出什么名堂。”裴洛拉特说。
“那堆破烂中有个四四方方的结构，有几条平行线，还有一些互相垂直的模糊线条，看到没有？看到没有？那不可能是天然形成的，一定是人工建筑物，看得出原本是地基和围墙，清楚得好像它们依旧耸立在那里。”
“即使真的是，”裴洛拉特说：“那也只不过是个废墟。如果我们想要做考古研究，我们就得拼命地挖呀挖，专业人士要花上好几年才能妥善……”
“没错，不过我们没时间妥善处理。那也许是一座被湮没的古城外围，某些部分可能尚未倾倒。让我们跟着那些线条走，看看会把我们带到哪里。”
在那个区域的某一端，树木丛距较密之处，她们发现几堵耸立的墙垣。或者应该说，只有部分仍旧屹立。
崔维兹说：“这是个不错的开始，我们要着陆了。”
Chapter 9 :Facing the Pack
35The Far Star came to rest at the bottom of a smallrise, a hill in the generally flat countryside. Almost without thought,Trevize had taken it for granted that it would be best for the ship notto be visible for miles in every direction.
He said, "The temperature outside is 24 C., the wind is about elevenkilometers per hour from the west, and it is partly cloudy. The computerdoes not know enough about the general air circulation to be able topredict the weather. However, since the humidity is some forty percent,it seems scarcely about to rain. On the whole, we seem to have chosen acomfortable latitude or season of the year, and after Comporellon that'sa pleasure.""I suppose," said Pelorat, "that as the planet continues tounterraform, the weather will become more extreme.""I'm sure of that," said Bliss.
"Be as sure as you like," said Trevize. "We have thousands of yearsof leeway. Right now, it's still a pleasant planet and will continue tobe so for our lifetimes and far beyond."He was clasping a broad belt about his waist as he spoke, and Blisssaid sharply, "What's that, Trevize?""Just my old navy training," said Trevize. "I'm not going into anunknown world unarmed.""Are you seriously intending to carry weapons?""Absolutely. Here on my right" he slapped a holster thatcontained a massive weapon with a broad muzzle "is my blaster,and here on my left" a smaller weapon with a thin muzzle thatcontained no opening "is my neuronic whip.""Two varieties of murder," said Bliss, with distaste.
"Only one. The blaster kills. The neuronic whip doesn't. It juststimulates the pain nerves, and it hurts so that you can wish you weredead, I'm told. Fortunately, I've never been at the wrong end of one.""Why are you taking them?""I told you. It's an enemy world.""Trevize, it's an empty world.""Is it? There's no technological society, it would seem, but what ifthere are post-technological primitives. They may not possess anythingworse than clubs or rocks, but those can kill, too."Bliss looked exasperated, but lowered her voice in an effort to bereasonable. "I detect no human neuronic activity, Trevize. That eliminatesprimitives of any type, post-technological or otherwise.""Then I won't have to use my weapons," said Trevize. "Still, what harmwould there be in carrying them? They'll just make me a little heavier,and since the gravitational pull at the surface is about ninety-onepercent that of Terminus, I can afford the weight. Listen,the ship may be unarmed as a ship, but it has a reasonable supply ofhand-weapons. I suggest that you two also ""No," said Bliss at once. "I will not make even a gesture in thedirection of killing or of inflicting pain, either.""It's not a question of killing, but of avoiding being killed, ifyou see what I mean.""I can protect myself in my own way.""Janov?"Pelorat hesitated. "We didn't have arms on Comporellon.""Come, Janov, Comporellon was a known quantity, a world associatedwith the Foundation. Besides we were at once taken into custody. If we hadhad weapons, they would have been taken away. Do you want a blaster?"Pelorat shook his head. "I've never been in the Navy, old chap. Iwouldn't know how to use one of those things and, in an emergency, I wouldnever think of it in time. I'd just run and and get killed.""You won't get killed, Pel," said Bliss energetically. "Gaia has youin my/our/its protection, and that posturing naval hero as well."Trevize said, "Good. I have no objection to being protected, but I amnot posturing. I am simply making assurance doubly sure, and if I neverhave to make a move toward these things, I'll be completely pleased,I promise you. Still I must have them."He patted both weapons affectionately and said, "Now let's step outon this world which may not have felt the weight of human beings uponits surface for thousands of years."36"I have a feeling," said Pelorat, "that it must berather late in the day, but the sun is high enough to make it near noon,perhaps.""I suspect," said Trevize, looking about the quiet panorama, "thatyour feeling originates out of the sun's orange tint, which gives it asunset feel. If we're still here at actual sunset and the cloud formationsare proper, we ought to experience a deeper red than we're used to. Idon't know whether you'll find it beautiful or depressing. Forthat matter it was probably even more extreme on Comporellon, but therewe were indoors virtually all the time."He turned slowly, considering the surroundings in all directions. Inaddition to the almost subliminal oddness of the light, there was thedistinctive smell of the world or this section of it. It seemeda little musty, but far from actively unpleasant.
The trees nearby were of middling height, and looked old, with gnarledbark and trunks a little off the vertical, though because of a prevailingwind or something off-color about the soil he couldn't tell. Was itthe trees that lent a somehow menacing ambience to the world or was itsomething else less material?
Bliss said, "What do you intend to do, Trevize? Surely we didn't comeall this distance to enjoy the view?"Trevize said, "Actually, perhaps that ought to be my part of it justnow. I would suggest that Janov explore this place. There are ruinsoff in that direction and he's the one who can judge the value of anyrecords he might find. I imagine he can understand writings or films inarchaic Galactic and I know quite well I wouldn't. And I suppose, Bliss,you want to go with him in order to protect him. As for me, I will stayhere as a guard on the outer rim.""A guard against what? Primitives with rocks and clubs?""Perhaps." And then the smile that had hovered about his lips fadedand he said, "Oddly enough, Bliss, I'm a little uneasy about this place. Ican't say why."Pelorat said, "Come, Bliss. I've been a home-body collector ofold tales all my life, so I've never actually put my hands on ancientdocuments. Just imagine if we could find "Trevize watched them walk away, Pelorat's voice fading as he walkedeagerly toward the ruins; Bliss swinging along at his side.
Trevize listened absently and then turned back to continue his studyof the surroundings. What could there be to rouse apprehension?
He had never actually set foot upon a world without a human population,but he had viewed many from space. Usually, they were small worlds, notlarge enough to hold either water or air, but they had been useful asmarking a meeting site during naval maneuvers (there had been no war inhis lifetime, or for a century before his birth but maneuvers went on),or as an exercise in simulated emergency repairs. Ships he had been onhad been in orbit about such worlds, or had even rested on them, but hehad never had occasion to step off the ships at those times.
Was it that he was now actually standing on an empty world? Would hehave felt the same if he had been standing on one of the many small,airless worlds he had encountered in his student days and evensince?
He shook his head. It wouldn't have bothered him. He was sure ofthat. He would have been in a space suit, as he had been innumerabletimes when he was free of his ship in space. It was a familiar situationand contact with a mere lump of rock would have produced no alterationin the familiarity. Surely!
Of course He was not wearing a space suit now.
He was standing on a habitable world, as comfortable to the feel asTerminus would be far more comfortable than Comporellon had been. Heexperienced the wind against his cheek, the warmth of the sun on his back,the rustle of vegetation in his ears. Everything was familiar, exceptthat there were no human beings on it at least, not any longer.
Was that it? Was it that that made the world seem so eerie? Was itthat it was not merely an uninhabited world, but a deserted one?
He had never been on a deserted world before; never heard of a desertedworld before; never thought a world could be deserted. Allthe worlds he had known of till now, once they had been populated byhuman beings, remained so populated forever.
He looked up toward the sky. Nothing else had deserted it. Anoccasional bird flew across his line of vision, seeming more natural,somehow, than the slate-blue sky between the orange-tinted fair-weatherclouds. (Trevize was certain that, given a few days on the planet, hewould become accustomed to the off-color so that sky and clouds wouldgrow to seem normal to him.)He heard birdsongs from the trees, and the softer noise ofinsects. Bliss had mentioned butterflies earlier and here theywere in surprising numbers and in several colorful varieties.
There were also occasional rustlings in the clumps of grass thatsurrounded the trees, but he could not quite make out what was causingthem.
Nor did the obvious presence of life in his vicinity rouse fear inhim. As Bliss had said, terraformed worlds had, from the very first,lacked dangerous animals. The fairy tales of childhood, and the heroicfantasies of his teenage years were invariably set on a legendary worldthat must have been derived from the vague myths of Earth. The hyperdramaholoscreen had been filled with monsters lions, unicorns, dragons,whales, brontosaurs, bears. There were dozens of them with names hecould not remember; some of them surely mythical, and perhaps all ofthem. There were smaller animals that bit and stung, even plants thatwere fearful to the touch but only in fiction. He had once heardthat primitive honeybees were able to sting, but certainly no red beeswere in any way harmful.
Slowly, he walked to the right, skirting the border of the hill. Thegrass was tall and rank, but sparse, growing in clumps. He made his wayamong the trees, also growing in clumps.
Then he yawned. Certainly, nothing exciting was happening, andhe wondered if he might not retreat to the ship and take a nap. No,unthinkable. Clearly, he had to stand on guard.
Perhaps he ought to do sentry duty-marching, one, two, one two,swinging about with a snap and performing complicated maneuverings witha parade electro-rod. (It was a weapon no warrior had used in threecenturies, but it was still absolutely essential at drill, for no reasonanyone could ever advance.)He grinned at the thought of it, then wondered if he ought to joinPelorat and Bliss in the ruins. Why? What good would he do?
Suppose he saw something that Pelorat had happened tooverlook? Well, time enough to make the attempt after Peloratreturned. If there was anything that might be found easily, by all meanslet Pelorat make the discovery.
Might the two be in trouble? Foolish! What possible kind oftrouble?
And if there were trouble, they would call out.
He stopped to listen. He heard nothing.
And then the irresistible thought of sentry duty recurred to himand he found himself marching, feet moving up and down with a stamp,an imaginary electro-rod coming off one shoulder, whirling, and beingheld out straight before him, exactly vertical-whirling again, end overend, and back over the other shoulder. Then, with a smart about-face,he was looking toward the ship (rather far-off now) once more.
And when he did that, he froze in reality, and not in sentrymake-believe.
He was not alone.
Until then, he had not seen any living creature other than plantgrowth, insects, and an occasional bird. He had neither seen nor heardanything approach but now an animal stood between him and theship.
Sheer surprise at the unexpected event deprived him, for a moment, ofthe ability to interpret what he saw. It was not till after a perceptibleinterval that he knew what he was looking at.
It was only a dog.
Trevize was not a dog person. He had never owned a dog and hefelt no surge of friendliness toward one when he encountered it. Hefelt no such surge this time, either. He thought, rather impatiently,that there was no world on which these creatures had not accompaniedmen. They existed in countless varieties and Trevize had long had theweary impression that each world had at least one variety characteristicof itself. Nevertheless, all varieties were constant in this: whether theywere kept for entertainment, show, or some form of useful work theywere bred to love and trust human beings.
It was a love and trust Trevize had never appreciated. He had oncelived with a woman who had had a dog. That dog, whom Trevize toleratedfor the sake of the woman, conceived a deep-seated adoration for him,followed him about, leaned against him when relaxing (all fifty poundsof him), covered him with saliva and hair at unexpected moments, andsquatted outside the door and moaned whenever he and the woman weretrying to engage in sex.
From that experience, Trevize had emerged with the firm convictionthat for some reason known only to the canine mind and its odor-analyzingability, he was a fixed object of doggish devotion.
Therefore, once the initial surprise was over, he surveyed thedog without concern. It was a large dog, lean and rangy, and with longlegs. It was staring at him with no obvious sign of adoration. Its mouthwas open in what might have been taken as a welcoming grin, but theteeth displayed were somehow large and dangerous, and Trevize decidedthat he would be more comfortable without the dog in his line of view.
It occurred to him, then, that the dog had never seen a human being,and that countless canine generations preceding had never seen one. Thedog might have been as astonished and uncertain at the sudden appearanceof a human being as Trevize had been at that of the dog. Trevize, atleast, had quickly recognized the dog for what it was, but the dog didnot have that advantage. It was still puzzled, and perhaps alarmed.
Clearly, it would not be safe to leave an animal that large, andwith such teeth, in an alarmed state. Trevize realized that it would benecessary to establish a friendship at once.
Very slowly, he approached the dog (no sudden motions, of course). Heheld out his hand, ready to allow it to be sniffed, and made soft,soothing sounds, most of which consisted of "Nice doggy" somethinghe found intensely embarrassing.
The dog, eyes fixed on Trevize, backed away a step or two, as thoughin distrust, and then its upper lip wrinkled into a snarl and from itsmouth there issued a rasping growl. Although Trevize had never seen a dogbehave so, there was no way of interpreting the action as representinganything but menace.
Trevize therefore stopped advancing and froze. His eyes caughtmotion to one side, and his head turned slowly. There were two otherdogs advancing from that direction. They looked just as deadly as thefirst.
Deadly? That adjective occurred to him only now, and its dreadfulappropriateness was unmistakable.
His heart was suddenly pounding. The way to the ship was blocked. Hecould not run aimlessly, for those long canine legs would reach him inyards. If he stood his ground and used his blaster, then while he killedone, the other two would be upon him. Off in the distance, he could seeother dogs approaching. Was there some way in which they communicated? Didthey hunt in packs?
Slowly, he shifted ground leftward, in a direction in which therewere no dogs as yet. Slowly.........
The dogs shifted ground with him. He felt certain that all that savedhim from instant attack was the fact that the dogs had never seen orsmelled anything like himself before. They had no established behaviorpattern they could follow in his case.
If he ran, of course, that would represent something familiar to thedogs. They would know what to do if something the size of Trevize showedfear and ran. They would run, too. Faster.
Trevize kept sidling toward a tree. He had the wildest desire to moveupward where the dogs could not follow. They moved with him, snarlingsoftly, coming closer. All three had their eyes fixed unwinkingly uponhim. Two more were joining them and, farther off, Trevize could seestill other dogs approaching. At some point, when he was close enough,he would have to make the dash. He could not wait too long, or run toosoon. Either might be fatal.
Now!
He probably set a personal record for acceleration and even so it wasa near thing. He felt the snap of jaws close on the heel of one foot,and for just moment he was held fast before the teeth slid off thetough ceramoid.
He was not skilled at climbing trees. He had not climbed one since hewas ten and, as he recalled, that had been a clumsy effort. In this case,though, the trunk was not quite vertical, and the bark was gnarled andoffered handholds. What was more, he was driven by necessity, and it isremarkable what one can do if the need is great enough.
Trevize found himself sitting in a crotch, perhaps ten meters aboveground. For the moment he was totally unaware that he had scraped handand that it was oozing blood. At the base of the tree, five dogs now ontheir haunches, staring upward, tongues lolling, all looking patientlyexpectant.
What now?
37Trevize was not in a position to think about thesituation in logical detail. Rather, he experienced flashes of thought inodd and distorted sequence which, if he had eventually sorted them out,would have come to this Bliss had earlier maintained that in terraforming a planet, humanbeings would establish an unbalanced economy, which they would be able tokeep from falling apart only by unending effort. For instance, no Settlershad brought with them any of the large predators. Small ones could not behelped. Insects, parasites even small hawks, shrews, and so on.
Those dramatic animals of legend and vague literaryaccounts tigers, grizzly bears, orcs, crocodiles? Who would carrythem from world to world even if there were sense to it? And where wouldthere be sense to it?
It meant that human beings were the only large predators, and it wasup to them to cull those plants and animals that, left to themselves,would smother in their own overplenty.
And if human beings somehow vanished, then other predators must taketheir place. But what predators? The most sizable predators toleratedby human beings were dogs and cats, tamed and living on human bounty.
What if no human beings remained to feed them? They must thenfind their own food for their survival and, in all truth, forthe survival of those they preyed on, whose numbers had to be kept incheck lest overpopulation do a hundred times the damage that predationswould do.
So dogs would multiply, in their variations, with the large onesattacking the large, untended herbivores; the smaller ones preying onbirds and rodents. Cats would prey by night as dogs did by day; theformer singly, the latter in packs.
And perhaps evolution would eventually produce more varieties, tofill additional environmental niches. Would some dogs eventually developsea-going characteristics to enable them to live on fish; and would somecats develop gliding abilities to hunt the clumsier birds in the air aswell as on the ground?
In flashes, all this came to Trevize while he struggled with moresystematic thought to tell him what he might do.
The number of dogs kept growing. He counted twenty-three nowsurrounding the tree and there were others approaching. How large wasthe pack? What did it matter? It was large enough already.
He withdrew his blaster from its holster, but the solid feel of thebutt in his hand did not give him the sense of security he would haveliked. When had he last inserted an energy unit into it and how manycharges could he fire? Surely not twenty-three.
What about Pelorat and Bliss? If they emerged, would the dogs turnon them? Were they safe even if they did not emerge? If the dogs sensedthe presence of two human beings inside the ruins, what could stop themfrom attacking them there? Surely there would be no doors or barriersto hold them off.
Could Bliss stop them, and even drive them away? Could she concentrateher powers through hyperspace to the desired pitch of intensity? Forhow long could she maintain them?
Should he call for help then? Would they come running if he yelled,and would the dogs flee under Bliss's glare? (Would it take a glare orwas it simply a mental action undetectable to onlookers without theability?) Or, if they appeared, would they then be torn apart underthe eyes of Trevize, who would be forced to watch, helplessly, from therelative safety of his post in the tree?
No, he would have to use his blaster. If he could kill one dog andfrighten them off for just a while, he could scramble down the tree,yell for Pelorat and Bliss, kill a second dog if they showed signs ofreturning, and all three could then hustle into the ship.
He adjusted the intensity of the microwave beam to the three-quartermark. That should be ample to kill a dog with a loud report. The reportwould serve to frighten the dogs away, and he would be conservingenergy.
He aimed carefully at a dog in the middle of the pack, one who seemed(in Trevize's own imagination, at least) to exude a greater malignancythan the rest perhaps only because he sat more quietly and,therefore, seemed more cold-bloodedly intent on his prey. The dog wasstaring directly at the weapon now, as though it scorned the worstTrevize could do.
It occurred to Trevize that he had never himself fired a blasterat a human being, or seen anyone else do it. There had been firing atwater-filled dummies of leather and plastic during training; with thewater almost instantaneously heated to the boiling point, and shreddingthe covering as it exploded.
But who, in the absence of war, would fire at a human being? Andwhat human being would withstand a blaster and force its use? Only here,on world made pathological by the disappearance of human beings With that odd ability of the brain to note something utterly besidethe point, Trevize was aware of the fact that a cloud had hidden thesun-and then he fired.
There was an odd shimmer of the atmosphere on a straight line fromthe muzzle of the blaster to the dog; a vague sparkle that might havegone unnoticed if the sun were still shining unhindered.
The dog must have felt the initial surge of heat, and made thesmallest motion as though it were about to leap. And then it exploded,as a portion its blood and cellular contents vaporized.
The explosion made a disappointingly small noise, for the dog'sintegument was simply not as tough as that of the dummies they hadpracticed on. Flesh, skin, blood, and bone were scattered, however,and Trevize felt his stomach heave.
The dogs started back, some having been bombarded with uncomfortablywarm fragments. That was only a momentary hesitation, however. Theycrowded against each other suddenly, in order to eat what had beenprovided. Trevize felt his sickness increase. He was not frighteningthem; he was feeding them. At that rate, they would never leave. In fact,the smell of fresh blood and warm meat would attract still more dogs,and perhaps other smaller predators as well.
A voice called out, "Trevize. What "Trevize looked outward. Bliss and Pelorat had emerged from theruins. Bliss had stopped short, her arms thrown out to keep Peloratback. She stared at the dogs. The situation was obvious and clear. Shehad to ask nothing.
Trevize shouted, "I tried to drive them off without involving youand Janov. Can you hold them off?""Barely," said Bliss, not shouting, so that Trevize had troublehearing her even though the dogs' snarling had quieted as though asoothing soundabsorbent blanket had been thrown over them.
Bliss said, "There are too many of them, and I am not familiar withtheir pattern of neuronic activity. We have no such savage things onGaia.""Or on Terminus. Or on any civilized world," shouted Trevize. "I'llshoot as many of them as I can and you try to handle the rest. A smallernumber will give you less trouble.""No, Trevize. Shooting them will just attract others. Staybehind me, Pel. There's no way you can protect me. Trevize, yourother weapon.""The neuronic whip?""Yes. That produces pain. Low power. Low power!""Are you afraid of hurting them?" called out Trevize in anger. "Isthis a time to consider the sacredness of life?""I'm considering Pel's. Also mine. Do as I say. Low power, and shootat one of the dogs. I can't hold them much longer."The dogs had drifted away from the tree and had surrounded Bliss andPelorat, who stood with their backs to a crumbling wall. The dogs nearestthe two made hesitant attempts to come closer still, whining a bit asthough trying to puzzle out what it was that held them off when theycould sense nothing that would do it. Some tried uselessly to scrambleup the wall and attack from behind.
Trevize's hand was trembling as he adjusted the neuronic whip to lowpower. The neuronic whip used much less energy than the blaster did,and a single power-cartridge could produce hundreds of whip-like strokesbut, come to think of it, he didn't remember when he had last chargedthis weapon, either.
It was not so important to aim the whip. Since conserving energy wasnot as critical, he could use it in a sweep across the mass of dogs. Thatwas the traditional method of controlling crowds that showed signs ofturning dangerous.
However, he followed Bliss's suggestion. He aimed at one dogand fired. The dog fell over, its legs twitching. It emitted loud,high-pitched squeals.
The other dogs backed away from the stricken beast, ears flatteningbackward against their heads. Then, squealing in their turn, they turnedand left, at first slowly, then more rapidly, and finally, at a fullrace. The dog who had been hit, scrambled painfully to its legs, andlimped away whimpering, much the last of them.
The noise vanished in the distance, and Bliss said, "We had betterget into the ship. They will come back. Or others will."Trevize thought that never before had he manipulated the ship's entrymechanism so rapidly. And it was possible he might never do so again.
38Night had fallen before Trevize felt somethingapproaching the normal. The small patch of syntho-skin on the scrape onhis hand had soothed the physical pain, but there was a scrape on hispsyche for which soothing was not so easy.
It was not the mere exposure to danger. He could react to that as wellas any ordinarily brave person might. It was the totally unlooked-fordirection from which the danger had come. It was the feeling of theridiculous. How would it look if people were to find out he had beentreed by snarling dogs ? It would scarcely be worse if hehad been put to flight by the whirring of angry canaries.
For hours, he kept listening for a new attack on the part of thedogs, for ths, sound of howls, for the scratch of claws against theouter hull.
Pelorat, by comparison, seemed quite cool. "There was no question inmy mind, old chap, that Bliss would handle it, but I must say you firedthe weapon well."Trevize shrugged. He was in no mood to discuss the matter.
Pelorat was holding his library the one compact disc on whichhis lifetime of research into myths and legends were stored andwith it he retreated into his bedroom where he kept his small reader.
He seemed quite pleased with himself. Trevize noticed that but didn'tfollow it up. Time for that later when his mind wasn't quite as takenup with dogs.
Bliss said, rather tentatively, when the two were alone, "I presumeyou were taken by surprise.""Quite," said Trevize gloomily. "Who would think that at the sightof a dog a dog  I should run for my life.""Twenty thousand years without men and it would not be quite a dog.
Those beasts must now be the dominant large predators."Trevize nodded. "I figured that out while I was sitting on thetree branch being a dominated prey. You were certainly right about anunbalanced ecology.""Unbalanced, certainly, from the human standpoint but consideringhow efficiently the dogs seem to be going about their business, I wonderif Pel may be right in his suggestion that the ecology could balanceitself, with various environmental niches being filled by evolvingvariations of the relatively few species that were once brought tothe world.""Oddly enough," said Trevize, "the same thought occurred to me.""Provided, of course, the unbalance is not so great that the processof righting itself takes too long. The planet might become completelynonviable before that."Trevize grunted.
Bliss looked at him thoughtfully, "How is it that you thought ofarming yourself?"Trevize said, "It did me little good. It was your ability ""Not entirely. I needed your weapon. At short notice, with onlyhyperspatial contact with the rest of Gaia, with so many individualminds of so unfamiliar a nature, I could have done nothing without yourneuronic whip.""My blaster was useless. I tried that.""With a blaster, Trevize, a dog merely disappears. The rest may besurprised, but not frightened.""Worse than that," said Trevize. "They ate the remnants. I was bribingthem to stay.""Yes, I see that might be the effect. The neuronic whip isdifferent. It inflicts pain, and a dog in pain emits cries of a kind thatare well understood by other dogs who, by conditioned reflex, if nothingelse, begin to feel frightened themselves. With the dogs already disposedtoward fright, I merely nudged their minds, and off they went.""Yes, but you realized the whip was the more deadly of the two inthis case. I did not.""I am accustomed to dealing with minds. You are not. That's why Iinsisted on low power and aiming at one dog. I did not want so much painthat it killed a dog and left him silent. I did not want the pain sodispersed as to cause mere whimpering. I wanted strong pain concentratedat one point.""And you got it, Bliss," said Trevize. "It worked perfectly. I oweyou considerable gratitude.""You begrudge that," said Bliss thoughtfully, "because it seems to youthat you played a ridiculous role. And yet, I repeat, I could have donenothing without your weapons. What puzzles me is how you can explainyour arming yourself in the face of my assurance that there were nohuman beings on this world, something I am still certain is a fact. Didyou foresee the dogs?""No," said Trevize. "I certainly didn't. Not consciously, at least. AndI don't habitually go armed, either. It never even occurred to me to puton weapons at Comporellon. But I can't allow myself to trip intothe trap of feeling it was magic, either. It couldn't have been. I suspectthat once we began talking about unbalanced ecologies earlier, I somehowhad an unconscious glimpse of animals grown dangerous in the absence ofhuman beings. That is clear enough in hindsight, but I might have had a whiff of it in foresight. Nothing more than that."Bliss said, "Don't dismiss it that casually. I participated in thesame conversation concerning unbalanced ecologies and I didn't havethat same foresight. It is that special trick of foresight in you thatGaia values. I can see, too, that it must be irritating to you to havea hidden foresight the nature of which you cannot detect; to act withdecision, but without clear reason.""The usual expression on Terminus is `to act on a hunch.'""On Gaia we say, `to know without thought.' You don't like knowingwithout thought, do you?""It bothers me, yes. I don't like being driven by hunches. I assumehunch has reason behind it, but not knowing the reason makes me feelI'm not in control of my own mind a kind of mild madness.""And when you decided in favor of Gaia and Galaxia, you were actingon s hunch, and now you seek the reason.""I have said so at least a dozen times.""And I have refused to accept your statement as literal truth. Forthat I am sorry. I will oppose you in this no longer. I hope, though,that I may continue to point out items in Gaia's favor.""Always," said Trevize, "if you, in turn, recognize that I may notaccept them.""Does it occur to you, then, that this Unknown World is reverting to akind of savagery, and perhaps to eventual desolation and uninhabitability,because of the removal of a single species that is capable of acting asa guiding intelligence? If the world were Gaia, or better yet, a part ofGalaxia, this could not happen. The guiding intelligence would still existin the form of the Galaxy as a whole, and ecology, whenever unbalanced,and for whatever reason, would move toward balance again.""Does that mean that dogs would no longer eat?""Of course they would eat, just as human beings do. They would however,with purpose, in order to balance the ecology under deliberate direction,and not as a result of random circumstance."Trevize said, "The loss of individual freedom might not matter to dogs,but it must matter to human beings. And what if all human beings were removed from existence, everywhere, and not merelyon one world or on several? What if Galaxia were left without humanbeings at all? Would there still be a guiding intelligence? Would allother life forms and inanimate matter be able to put together a commonintelligence adequate for the purpose?"Bliss hesitated. "Such a situation," she said, "has never beenexperienced. Nor does there seem any likelihood that it will ever beexperienced in the future."Trevize said, "Hut doesn't it seem obvious to you, that the humanmind is qualitatively different from everything else, and that if itwere absent, the sum total of all other consciousness could not replaceit. Would it not be true, then, that human beings are a special case andmust be treated as such? They should not be fused even with one another,let alone with nonhuman objects.""Yet you decided in favor of Galaxia.""For an overriding reason I cannot make out.""Perhaps that overriding reason was a glimpse of the effect ofunbalanced ecologies? Might it not have been your reasoning that everyworld in the Galaxy is on a knife-edge, with instability on either side,and that only Galaxia could prevent such disasters as are taking placeon this world to say nothing of the continuing interhuman disastersof war and administrative failure.""No. Unbalanced ecologies were not in my mind at the time of mydecision.""How can you be sure?""I may not know what it is I'm foreseeing, but if something issuggested afterward, I would recognize it if that were indeed what Iforesaw. As it seems to me I may have foreseen dangerous animalson this world.""Well," said Bliss soberly, "we might have been dead as a resultof those dangerous animals if it had not been for a combination ofour powers, your foresight and my mentalism. Come, then, let us befriends."Trevize nodded. "If you wish."There was a chill in his voice that caused Bliss's eyebrows to rise,but at this point Pelorat burst in, nodding his head as though preparedto shake it off its foundations.
"I think," he said, "we have it."39Trevize did not, in general, believe in easy victories,and yet it was only human to fall into belief against one's betterjudgment. He felt the muscles in his chest and throat tighten, but managedto say, "The location of Earth? Have you discovered that, Janov?"Pelorat stared at Trevize for a moment, and deflated. "Well, no,"he said, visibly abashed. "Not quite that. Actually, Golan, notthat aaaall. I had forgotten about that. It was something else that Idiscovered in the ruins. I suppose it's not really important."Trevize managed a long breath and said, "Never mind, Janov. Everyfinding is important. What was it you came in to say?""Well," said Pelorat, "it's just that almost nothing survived,you understand. Twenty thousand years of storm and wind don't leavemuch. What's more, plant life is gradually destructive and animallife But never mindaall that. The point is that `almost nothing'
is not the same as `nothing.'
"The ruins must have included a public building, for there was somefallen stone, or concrete, with incised lettering upon it. There washardly anything visible, you understand, old chap, but I took photographswith one of those cameras we have on board ship, the kind with built-incomputer enhancement I never got round to asking permission totake one, Golan, but it was important, and I "Trevize waved his hand in impatient dismissal. "Go on!""I could make out some of the lettering, which was very archaic. Evenwith computer enhancement and with my own fair skill at reading Archaic,it was impossible to make out much except for one short phrase. Theletters there were larger and a bit clearer than the rest. They may havebeen incised more deeply because they identified the world itself. Thephrase reads, `Planet Aurora,' so I imagine this world we rest upon isnamed Aurora, or was named Aurora.""It had to be named something," said Trevize.
"Yes, but names are very rarely chosen at random. I made a carefulsearch of my library just now and there are two old legends, from twowidely spaced worlds, as it happens, so that one can reasonably supposethem to be of independent origin, if one remembers that. But nevermind that. In both legends, Aurora is used as a name for the dawn. Wecan suppose that Aurora may have actually meant dawn insome pre-Galactic language.
"As it happens, some word for dawn or daybreak is often used as aname for space stations or other structures that are the first built oftheir kind. If this world is called Dawn in whatever language, it maybe the first of its kind, too."Trevize said, "Are you getting ready to suggest that this planet isEarth and that Aurora is an alternate name for it because it representsthe dawn of life and of man?"Pelorat said, "I couldn't go that far, Golan."Trevize said, with a trace of bitterness, "There is, after all,no radioactive surface, no giant satellite, no gas giant with hugerings.""Exactly. But Deniador, back on Comporellon, seemed to think thiswas one of the worlds that was once inhabited by the first wave ofSettlers the Spacers. If it were, then its name, Aurora, mightindicate it to have been the first of those Spacer worlds. We might,at this very moment, be resting on the oldest human world in the Galaxyexcept for Earth itself. Isn't that exciting?""Interesting, at any rate, Janov, but isn't that a great deal toinfer merely from the name, Aurora?""There's more," said Pelorat excitedly. "As far as I could checkin my records there is no world in the Galaxy today with the name of`Aurora,' and I'm sure your computer will verify that. As I said, thereare all sorts of world and other objects named `Dawn' in various ways,but no one uses the actual word `Aurora.'""Why should they? If it's a pre-Galactic word, it wouldn't be likelyto be popular.""But names do remain, even when they're meaningless. Ifthis were the first settled world, it would be famous; it might even,for a while, have been the dominant world of the Galaxy. Surely, therewould be other worlds calling themselves `New Aurora,' or `Aurora Minor,'
or something like that. And then others "Trevize broke in. "Perhaps it wasn't the first settled world. Perhapsit was never of any importance.""There's a better reason in my opinion, my dear chap.""What would that be, Janov?""If the first wave of settlements was overtaken by a second waveto which all the worlds of the Galaxy now belong as Deniadorsaid then there is very likely to have been a period of hostilitybetween the two waves. The second wave making up the worlds thatnow exist would not use the names given to any of the worlds ofthe first wave. In that way, we can infer from the fact that the name`Aurora' has never been repeated that there were two waves of Settlers,and that this is a world of the first wave."Trevize smiled. "I'm getting a glimpse of how you mythologists work,Janov. You build a beautiful superstructure, but it may be standingon air. The legends tell us that the Settlers of the first wave wereaccompanied by numerous robots, and that these were supposed to be theirundoing. Now if we could find a robot on this world, I'd be willingto accept all this first-wave supposition, but we can't expect aftertwenty thou "Pelorat, whose mouth had been working, managed to find his voice. "But,Golan, haven't I told you? No, of course, I haven't. I'm soexcited I can't put things in the right order. There was a robot."40Trevize rubbed his forehead, almost as though he werein pain. He said, "A robot? There was a robot?""Yes," said Pelorat, nodding his head emphatically.
"How do you know?""Why, it was a robot. How could I fail to know one if I see one?""Have you ever seen a robot before?""No, but it was a metal object that looked like a human being. Head,arms, legs, torso. Of course, when I say metal, it was mostly rust, andwhen I walked toward it, I suppose the vibration of my tread damaged itfurther, so that when I reached to touch it ""Why should you touch it?""Well, I suppose I couldn't quite believe my eyes. It was an automaticresponse. As soon as I touched it, it crumbled. But ""Yes?""Before it quite did, its eyes seemed to glow very faintly and itmade a sound as though it were trying to say something.""You mean it was still functioning ?""Just barely, Golan. Then it collapsed."Trevize turned to Bliss. "Do you corroborate all this, Bliss?""It was a robot, and we saw it," said Bliss.
"And was it still functioning?"Bliss said tonelessly, "As it crumbled, I caught a faint sense ofneuronic activity.""How can there have been neuronic activity? A robot doesn't have anorganic brain built of cells.""It has the computerized equivalent, I imagine," said Bliss, "and Iwould detect that.""Did you detect a robotic rather than a human mentality?"Bliss pursed her lips and said, "It was too feeble to decide anythingabout it except that it was there."Trevize looked at Bliss, then at Pelorat, and said, in a tone ofexasperation, "This changes everything."
第九章 面对野狗群
　　35
远星号停在一个小山丘的山脚下，山丘周围是一片平坦的开阔地。崔维兹几乎想也没想就觉得，最好别在数公里内没有任何掩蔽的地方着陆，因此这里是理所当然的最佳选择。
他说：“外面温度是摄氏二十四度，多云，西风，风速大约每小时十一公里。电脑对大气循环模式知道得不够，所以无法预测气候。下过，湿度差下多是百分之四十，不太可能下雨。整体而言，我们似乎选了一个舒适的纬度，或者说选对了季节，去过康普隆之后，来到这里真是令人分外愉快。”
“我猜想，”裴洛拉特说：“如果这颗行星继续反改造下去，天气会变得更极端。”
“我肯定这一点。”宝绮思说。
“随便你怎样肯定都行，”崔维兹说：“我们还得等上奸几千年，才能知道正确答案。此时此刻，它仍是个宜人的行星，在我们有生之年，以及其后许久许久，它都会一直保持这样。”
他一面说话，一面在腰际扣上一条宽皮带。宝绮思尖声道：“那是什么，崔维兹？”
“我还没忘记当初在舰队受的训练，”崔维兹说：“我不会赤手空拳闯进一个未知的世界。”
“你当真要携带武器？”
“正是如此。在我的右侧，”他用力一拍右边的皮套，里面是个很有分量的大口径武器。“挂的是我的手铳；而左侧，”那是柄较小的武器，口径很小而且没有开口。“是我的神经鞭。”
“两种谋杀方式。”宝绮思以厌恶的口气说。
“只有一种，只有手铳能杀人。神经鞭却不会，它只会刺激痛觉神经，不过我听说，它会让人痛不欲生。我很幸运，从来没吃过这种苦头。”
“你为什么要带这些东西？”
“我告诉过你，这里是敌人的世界。”
“崔维兹，这里是无人的世界。”
“是吗？它可能没有科技发达的人类社会，但是若有‘后科技时代’的原始人呢？他们或许顶多只有棍棒和石块，可是那些东西也能杀人。”
宝绮思看来被激怒了，伹她勉力压低声音，以表现得足够理智。“我侦测不到人类的神经活动，崔维兹。这就剔除了各种原始人的可能性，不论是后科技时代还是什么时代的。”
“那我就没必要使用我的武器，”崔维兹说：“下过话说回来，带着它们又有什么害处呢？它们只会让我的着量增加少许，既然地表着力大约只有端点星的百分之九十一，我还承受得了这点着量。听我说，太空艇本身也许毫无武装，伹它装载了不少手提式武器，我建议你们两位也——”
“下要，”宝绮思立刻答道：“任何准备杀戮——或是带给他人痛苦的动作，我都拒绝。”
“这不是准备杀戮，而是避免自己遭到杀害，希望你懂得我的意思。”
“我能用自己的方法保护自己。”
“詹诺夫？”
裴洛拉特犹豫了一下。“在康普隆的时候，我们并未携带任何武器。”
“得了吧，詹诺夫。康普隆是个已知数，是个和基地结盟的世界。何况我们才刚着陆便遭到逮捕，即使我们带了武器，也会马上被缴械。你到底要不要拿一柄手铣？•”
裴洛拉特摇了摇头。“我从未在舰队待过，老弟。我不知道怎样使用这些家伙，而且，遇到了紧急情况，我绝对来不及想到要用。我只会向后跑，然后——然后就被杀掉。”
“你下会被杀害的，裴，”宝绮思中气十足地说：“盖哑将你置于我／我们的保护之下，那个装腔作势的舰队英雄也一样。”
崔维兹说：“很好，我不反对受到保护，但我没有装腔作势，我只是要百分之两百的谨慎。如果我永远不必碰这些家伙，我会感到万分高兴，我向你保证。不过，我必须把它们带在身上。”
他珍爱地拍了拍那两件武器，又说：“现在让我们走向这个世界吧，它的地表可能有数千年未曾感受人类的着量了。”
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“我有一种感觉，”裴洛拉特说：“现在一定相当晚了，可是太阳还高高挂在天上，看起来好像不过是近午时分。”
“我猜想，”崔维兹浏览着四周静谧的景观说：“你的感觉源自这个太阳的橙色色调，它带来了一种日落的感觉。当真正的日落来临时，假如我们仍在此地，而云层结构又正常的话，我们应该会发现夕阳比平常所见的更红。我不知道你会感到美丽还是阴郁——这种差异在康普隆也许更极端，下过我们在那里的时候，自始至终都待在室内。”
他缓缓转过身来，检视着四周的环境。除了光线令人几乎下意识地感到奇怪，这个世界还有一种特殊的气味——或许是这个地区独有的味道。似乎带有一点霉味，不过还不至于令人恶心。
敖近的树木不高不矮，看来全是些老树，树皮长了下少树瘤。树干都不很直，不过他无从判断这究竟是因为强风，或是由于土质不佳。是否就是这些树木，为这个世界平添了某种威胁感，抑或是其他什么东西——更无形的东西？
宝绮思说：“你打算要做什么，崔维兹？我们大老远来到此地，可不是来欣赏风景的。”
崔维兹说：“其实，那也许就是我现在所该做的。我想建议詹诺夫探查一下这个地方，那个方向有些废墟，如果发现任何纪录，也只有他才能判断有没有价值。我猜他看得懂古银河文的手稿或胶卷，而我很清楚自己没办法。而且我认为，宝绮思，你会想跟他一起去，以便就近保护他。至于我自己，我缓篝在这里，在废墟外围为你们站岗。”
“为什么要站岗？防备拿着棍棒和石块的原始人？”
“也许吧。”他挂在嘴角的微笑突然敛去，又说：“真奇怪，宝绮思，我觉得这个地方有点不对劲，我也说下上来为什么。”
裴洛拉特说：“来吧，宝绮思，我这辈子一直蹲在家里搜集古代传说，从没真正摸过古老的文件。想想看，如果我们能发现……”
崔维兹目送着他们两人，裴洛拉特急切地朝废墟走去，他的声音渐行渐远，宝绮思则轻快地走在他旁边。
崔维兹心不在焉地听了一会儿，然后转过身来，继续研究周遭的环境。究竟是什么引起他的忧虑呢？
他从未真正涉足毫无人迹的世界，倒是从太空中观察过许多个。它们通常都是小型世界，小得无法留住水分与空气。不过它们还是有些用处，例如在舰队演习时用来标示一个会师点（在他一生中，以及他出生前整整一世纪内，一直没有战争发生，下过军事演习从未中断），或是作为模拟紧急修护的训练场地。他当初服役的那些船舰，曾多次进入这种世界的轨道，有时也会降落其上，可是他从来没机会走到外面。
是否因为他现在真正立足于一个无人世界？如果在服役的那段日子里，他踏上了某个没有空气的小型世界，当时也会有同样的感觉吗？然后呢？
他摇了摇头，那不会对他造成任何困扰，他非常肯定。他会穿上太空衣走出去，如同他做过无数次的太空漫步一样。他非常熟悉那种情况，而仅仅与一大块“岩石”接触，并不会改变这种熟悉的感觉。绝对不会！
当然——这次他没有穿太空衣。
他正站在一个可住人的世界上，感觉就像在端点星一样舒服；比康普隆舒服得多。他感到微风拂过面颊，温暖的阳光照在背上，植物摩擦的沙沙声传入耳中。每样东西都那么熟悉，除了没有人类——至少，人类如今已不再存在。
是不是因为这样？是不是因为这样，才使这个世界显得阴森森的？是否因为它不仅是个无人的世界，更是个遭到废弃的世界？
他以前从未到过任何废弃的世界，也没听说过有什么废弃的世界，甚至根本没想到有哪个世界会遭到废弃。直到目前为止，他所知道的每一个世界，人类一旦殖民其上，子子孙孙就会永远住下去。
他抬头望向天空，唯一遗弃这个世界的只有人类。有只鸟儿刚好飞过他的视线，看起来似乎比橙色云朵间的青灰色天空更自然些。（崔维兹十分肯定，只要在这个行星上多住几天，他就会习惯这些奇异的色调，到那个时候，天空与云朵也会显得很正常。）
他听到树上有鸟儿在歌唱，还有昆虫在轻声呢喃。宝绮思早先提到过蝴蝶，现在他果然看见了——数量多得惊人，而且有好几种不同花色。
树旁的草丛中也不时传来阵阵沙沙声，但他无法确定是什么东西引起的。
令他感到心神不宁的，并非附近这些放眼可见的生命。正如宝绮思所说，人类对一个世界进行改造时，一开始就不会引进危险的动物。他幼年所读的童话，以及少年时期看的奇幻故事，一律发生在一个传说中的世界，那一定是从含糊的地球神话脱胎而来。在超波戏剧的全讯屏幕中，则充满各式各样的怪兽——狮子、独角兽、巨龙、鲸类、雷龙、狗熊等等，总共有几十种，大多数的名字他都记不起来。其中有些当然是神话的产物，或许都是也说不定。此外，还有些会咬人、螫人的小动物，甚趾蟋植物都是碰不得的，不过这仅限于虚构的故事中。他也曾听说原始蜜蜂会螫人，但真实世界的蜜蜂绝不会伤害人类。
他慢慢向右方走去，走过山丘的边缘。那里的草丛分布得很零散，一丛一丛错落着，但每一丛都又高又密。他走在树林间，树木也是一丛丛聚在一块。
他打了个呵欠。当然，没有发生任何刺激的状况，他下知道该不该回太空艇打个盹。不，绝不能有那种念头，他现在显然得好好站岗。
也许他该演习一下步哨勤务。齐步走，一、二、一、二，来个迅速的转身，手中拿一支阅兵用的电棒，操演着复杂的花式动作。（战士已有三世纪未曾使用这种武器，伹在训练的时候，它却是绝对必要的项目，没有人说得出这是什么道理。）
这种突如其来的想法不禁令他笑了笑，随后他又想到，自己是不是该到废墟中，加入裴洛拉特与宝绮思的行列。为什么呢？他帮得上什么忙？
彬许他能看到裴洛拉特刚好忽略的什么东西？思，等裴洛拉特回来后，还有的是时间那样做。如果有什么很容易发现的东西，一定要留给裴洛拉特才对。
他们两人可能遇到麻烦吗？真傻！能有什么样的麻烦？
万一出了什么问题，他们一定会呼救。
他开始仔细倾听，结果什么都没听到。
然后，步哨勤务的念头又在他心中浮现，挥也挥下去。他发现自己开始齐步走，双脚此起彼落，踏出有力的节奏。一支想像中的电棒从肩头甩出去，打了几个转后被他接住，笔直地举在正前方；接着又开始打转，回到另一侧的肩头。在一个俐落的向后转之后，他再度面对着太空艇（不过现在距离很远了）。
站定向前望的时候，他突然僵住了——在现实中，而非步啃的假想状况。
这里不只他一个人。
在此之前，除了植物、昆虫，以及一只小鸟，他没看到任何其他生物。他也未曾见到或听到有任何东西接近——现在却有一头动物站在他与太空艇之间。
这个意外的状况令他吓呆了，一时之间，他丧失了解释视觉讯号的能力。过了相当长的时间后，他才明白自己望着的是什么。
那只不过是一只狗。
崔维兹不是个喜欢狗的人，他从没养过狗，他碰到狗的时候也不会有什么特别的亲切感，这次也不例外。他不耐烦地想，无论在哪个世界上，都一定会有这种动物伴着人类。它们的品种数也数不尽，崔维兹一直有个烦厌的印象，就是每个世界至少有一种特有的品种。然而，所有的品种都有个共同点：不论它们是养来消遣、表演，或是做其他有用的工作，都被教得对人类充满敬爱与信任。
崔维兹向来无法消受这种敬爱与信任。他曾跟某位养有一只狗的女子同居一段时间，看在女主人的份上，崔维兹对那只狗百般容忍，而它却对他产生了根深蒂固的爱慕之情，总是跟着他到处跑，休息的时候依偎在他身旁（二十多公斤的体着全靠过来），出其不意就会让他身上沾满唾液与狗毛。每当他们两人想要亲热时，它就会蹲在门外，同时发出一声声的呻吟。
从那段经验中，崔维兹确信一件事：自己是狗儿们挚爱的对象。至于原因为何，只有犬科的心灵与它们分辨气味的能力才能解释。
因此一旦从最初的惊讶中恢复过来，他开始放心地打量这只狗。它的体型很大，身形瘦削，四肢瘦长。它瞪着他，但看不出有什么爱慕之情；它的嘴巴张着，也许那可以解释为欢迎的笑容，不过绽现的牙齿可又大又锋利。崔维兹相信，如果这只狗不在自己的视线内，他想必会觉得自在些。
突然间他又想到，这只狗从未见过人类，它的祖先也一定有无数代不知人类为何物。现在忽然出现一个人，它也许跟崔维兹看到它的反应一样，感到相当惊讶而不安。崔维兹至少很快就认出它是只狗，那只狗却没有这个优势，它仍不知如何是好，也可能已经提高警觉。
让一只体型那么庞大、牙齿如此锋利的动物一直处于警戒状态，显然不是件安全的事。崔维兹心里很明白，双方需要赶紧建立友谊。
他以非常缓慢的动作，向那只狗慢慢接近（当然不能有突兀的动作）。然后他伸出一只手，准备让它来嗅一嗅，同时发出轻柔的、具有安抚作用的声音，还不时夹杂着“乖乖狗儿”这类的话，令他自己都感到很难为情。
那只狗双眼紧盯着崔维兹，向后退了一两步，彷佛并不信任对方。然后它掀起上唇，龇牙咧嘴，口中还发出一声从邡的吠叫。虽然崔维兹从未见过哪只狗做出这样的表情，可是除了威吓，这种动作显然不能做别的解释。
因此崔维兹停止前进，僵立原处。此时，他从眼角瞥见一侧有东西在动，于是慢慢转过头去，竟发现又有两只狗从那个方向走来，看起来跟原先那只一样要命。
要命？这个形容词他现在才想到，却是贴切得可怕，这点绝错不了。
他的心脏突然怦怦乱跳。回太空艇的路被堵住了，他不能漫无目的地乱跑，因为那些长腿狗在几公尺内就会追上他。伹他若是站在原地用手铳对付它们，那么刚杀死一只，另外两只便会扑向他。而在较远的地方，他又看到有更多的狗朝这里走来。难道它们之间有什么办法联络？它们总是成群出猎吗？
他慢慢向左侧移动，那个方向没有任何一只狗——目前还没有：慢慢地，慢慢地移动。
那三只狗跟着他一起移动。他心里有数，自己没有受到立即攻击，是因为这些狗从未见过或闻过像他这样的东西。对于他这个猎物，它们尚未建立起可供遵循的行为模式。
假如他拔腿飞奔，这可是那些狗很熟悉的动作。碰到类似崔维兹这般大小的猎物因恐惧而逃跑，它们知道该如何行动；它们会跟着跑，而且跑得更快。
崔维兹继续侧着身，朝一株树木移动，他实在太想爬到树上，这样至少能暂时摆脱它们。它们却跟着他一起移动脚步，轻声咆哮着，而且越走越近，三只狗的眼睛都眨也不眨地盯着他。此时又多了两只狗加入它们的行列，而在更远的地方，崔维兹还能看到有更多的狗走过来。当他与那棵树接近到某个秤谌时，他就必须开始冲刺。他不能等待太久，也不能起跑太早，这两种行动都缓箢他丧命。
就是现在！
他可能打破了自己瞬间加速的纪录，即使如此仍是千钧一发。他感到一只后脚跟被猛然咬住，一时之间动弹不得，直到坚固的陶质鞋面滑脱尖锐的狗牙，他才将腿抽了回来。
他不擅长爬树，而且十岁之后就没再爬过，他也还记得，小时候他爬树的技巧相当拙劣。不过这回情况还算好，树干不太垂直，树皮上又有许多节瘤可供攀抓。更何况现在情非得已，在不得已的情况下，一个人总能做出许多惊人的事。
崔维兹终于坐在一个树枝分岔处，离地大概有十公尺。他一只手刮破了，正渗出血来，不过匆忙间他完全没有察觉。在树下四周围，有五只狗蹲坐在那里，每只都抬头盯着树上，吐出舌头，看来全都在耐心等待。
现在该怎么办？
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崔维兹无法有条不紊地思考目前的处境，他脑子里闪现出许多破碎不连贯的想法。如果事后他能厘清思路，大致应该是这个样子——
宝绮思先前曾极力主张，将一颗行星改造之后，人类建立的是个非平衡的自然界，唯有藉着不断的努力才有可能维系不坠。比如说，银河殖民者身边从来不带大型猎食动物，小型的则无可避免，例如昆虫、寄生物，甚至小型的鹰、地鼠等等。
在传说中以及含意模糊的文学作品里出现的猛兽——老虎、灰熊、杀人鲸、鳄鱼，谁会将它们从一个世界带到另一个世界，即使那样做真有意义？而那样做又会有什么意义呢？
这意味着人类是唯一的大型猎食动物，可以随心所欲摄取镑种动物与植物。若是没有人类的介入，那些动植物将会由于繁衍过剩，导致生存受到威胁。
假如人类由于某种原因而消失，其他猎食动物必将取而代之。会是哪种猎食动物呢？人类能够容忍的最大猎食动物是猫和狗，它们早已被人类驯服，生活在人类的庇荫下。
如果不再有人类饲养它们呢？那时它们必须自己寻找食物——为了它们自己的生存，事实上也等于让那些猎物得以存活。因为后者的数量必须维持一个定值，否则过度繁殖所带来的灾害，将百倍于遭到猎捕所造成的损失。
因此狗类会继续增殖，各类品种都有，其中大型狗只会攻击大型的、无人照料的食草动物；小型的则缓笤捕鸟类与啮齿类。猫在夜间捕食，狗在白昼行动：前者单打独斗，后者则成群结队。
彬许藉由演化，最后会产生更多不同的品种，来填补生态栖位多余的空缺。会不会有些狗类最后发展出海中活动的本领，可以靠鱼类维生？而有些猫类则发展出滑翔能力，得以攫获空中与地上行动笨拙的鸟类？
正当崔维兹绞尽脑汁，想要有条理地考虑一下该如何行动时，这些意识的片段却一股脑涌现出来。
野狗的数目不断增加，他数了一下，现在围绕着这棵树的总共有二十三只，此外还有些在渐渐迫近。这群野狗的数量究竟有多少——那又有什么关系？现在已经够多了。
他从皮套中掏出手铳，可是手中握着坚实铳柄的感觉，并未为他带来希望中的安全感。他上次填充能量丸是什么时候？他总共能发射几次？当然不到二十三次。
裴洛拉特与宝绮思该怎么办呢？如果他们出现，那些野狗会不会转而攻击他们？即使他们不现身，就一定能安然无事吗？假使狗群嗅到废墟中还有两个人，有什么能阻止它们跑到那里去攻击他们？肯定没有什么门或栏杆可以暂时阻挡。
宝绮思能不能抵御它们的进攻，甚至将它们驱走？她能否将超空间那头的力量集中，提升到需要的强度？她又能维持那些力量多久？
那么，他应不应该呼救？如果他高声喊叫，他们会不缓螈刻跑过来？而在宝绮思瞪视之下，那些野狗会下会四下逃窜？（真需要瞪视吗？或者只是一种精神活动，不具备那种能力的旁观者根本无法侦知？）或者，他们若是出现，会不会在他面前被撕成碎片，而他只能相当安全地高坐树上，眼睁睁看着这幕惨剧，却一点办法都没有？
下，他一定得使用手铳。如果他能杀死一只，把其他的野狗暂时吓退，他就可以爬下树来，呼叫裴洛拉特与宝绮思。假如野狗显出折回的意图，他会再杀一只，然后他们三人便能冲进太空艇中。
他将微波束的强度调到四分之三，那足以令一只野狗毙命，同时带来巨大的响声。巨响可将其他野狗吓跑，这样他就能节省一些能量。
他仔细瞄准狗群中央的某一只，它似乎（至少，在崔维兹自己的想像中）比别的狗散发出更浓的敌意。也许只是因为它显得特别安静，奸像对它的猎物有更残酷的企图。现在，那只狗正好盯着他手中的武器，仿佛表示崔维兹的手段再凶，它也不会放在眼里。
崔维兹突然想到，自己从未对任何人动用手铳，也从来没有目睹别人使用过。在受训的时候，他曾射击过人形靶。那个人形的外皮由皮革与塑料制成，内部装满水，被射中之后，里面的水几乎立刻沸腾、猛然爆开，将整个外皮炸得稀烂。
可是在没有任何战事的年代，谁会射击一个活生生的人呢？又有什么人敢在手铳之下反抗，令自己成为铳下亡魂？只有在这里，这个由于人类消失而变得病态的世界……
崔维兹突然发觉有团云遮住了阳光——人脑就是有这种奇特的能力，总是会注意到一些全然无关紧要的事物——他猛然按下扳机。
从铣口延伸到那只狗的一条直线上，凭空出现一道奇异的闪光，如果不是云团刚好遮住阳光，那道模糊的光芒可能根本就看不见。
那只狗一定突然感到全身发热，身子稍微动了一下，奸像准备要跳起来。而在下一刹那，它的身体就爆炸了，部分血液与细胞组织随即汽化。
不过爆炸声却小得令人失望，这是因为狗皮下像人形靶的外皮那般坚韧。然而那只野狗的肌肉、毛皮、鲜血与骨骼仍四散纷飞，令崔维兹感到胃部一阵翻腾。
其他的野狗马上后退，有些被高温的碎肉打到，滋味想必不好受。但它们只迟疑了片刻，突然间又挤上前去，争相吞食那些血肉，使崔维兹觉得更加恶心。他没有把它们吓跑，却为它们提供了食物，它们无论如何是不会离开了。事实上，鲜血与熟肉的味道将引来更多野狗，或许，还会有其他小型猎食动物闻风而至。
此时，一声叫喊突然响起：“崔维兹，怎么……”
崔维兹向远处望去，宝绮思与裴洛拉特正从废墟中走出来。宝绮思陡然停下脚步，伸出双臂将裴洛拉特挡在后面，眼睛紧盯着那些野狗。情势非常清楚，她根本不需要再问什么。
崔维兹高声喊道：“我试图把它们赶走，不想惊动你和詹诺夫。你能制住它们吗？”
“很困难。”宝绮思答道。虽然狗群的嗥叫声像是被一大张吸音毯罩住似的静止了，不过她并未用力喊叫，因此崔维兹仍听不太清楚。
宝绮思又说：“它们的数量太多了，我又下熟悉它们的神经活动模式，我们盖娅上没有这种凶残的东西。”
“端点星也没有，任何一个文明世界都没有。”崔维兹吼道：“我尽可能杀多少算多少，你试着对付其他的，数量少了你比较好办。”
“不行，崔维兹，射杀它们又会引来其他野狗——留在我的后面，裴，你根本无法保护我——崔维兹，你另外那件武器。”
“神经鞭？”
“对，它可以激发痛觉。低功率，低功率！”
“你担心它们会受伤吗？”崔维兹气冲冲地叫道：“现在是顾虑生命神圣的时候吗？”
“我顾虑的是裴的生命，还有我的生命。低功率，而且对准一只发射，我无法再压制它们多久。”
那些野狗早已离开树下，将宝绮思与裴洛拉特团团围住，他们两人则紧靠着一堵断墙。最接近他们的几只野狗，迟疑地试图再向前进，同时发出几下哼声，仿佛想弄懂自己是被什么阻挡了，因为它们感觉不到任何障碍。另外还有几只想要爬上那堵危墙，改从后面进攻，不过显然是白费力气。
崔维兹甩颤抖的手将神经鞭调到低功率。神经鞭所用的能量比手铳少得多，一个电源匣能产生好几百下无形的鞭击。可是现在想一想，他也不记得上次充电是什么时候的事。
发射神经鞭不需要怎么瞄准，因为下必太顾虑能量的消耗，他可以一下子扫过大群野狗。那是使用神经鞭的传统方式，专门用来对付现出危险徵兆的群众。
不过，他还是照宝绮思的建议去做，瞄准某只野狗击出一鞭。那只狗立刻倒在地上，四肢不停抽搐，同时发出响后而尖锐的悲鸣。
其他的野狗纷纷向后退去，离那只受伤的狗越来越远，每只狗的耳朵都向后扯平。然后，那些野狗也发出悲鸣，一个个转身离去，最初是慢慢走，然后速度开始加快，最后变成全速飞奔。那只被神经鞭击中的野狗，此时痛苦万分地爬起来，一面发出哀嚎，一面一跛一跛地走开，脚步落后其他野狗甚多。
狈吠声终于在远方消失，宝绮思这才说：“我们最好赶快进太空船，它们还会再回来，其他的狗群也会来。”
崔维兹不记得自己曾如此迅速地操作过闸门机制，以后也可能永远破下了这个纪录。
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夜晚降临时，崔维兹仍觉得尚未完全恢复正常。他手上刮伤的地方贴了一片合成皮肤，消除了肉体上的疼痛，可是他精神上的创伤，却不是那么容易能抚平的。
这不仅是暴露于危险中而已，如果只是这样，他的反应会跟任何一个普通勇者一样。问题是危险来自一个全然未曾预料的方向，带来一种荒谬可笑的感觉。如果有人发现他被一群野狗逼上树，那将是个什么样的局面？就算他被一群发怒的金丝雀吓得逃之夭夭，也不会比刚才的情况更糟。
有好几小时的时间，他一直在倾听外面的动静——那些野狗是否发动了新的攻势，是否有狂吠声，是否有狗爪搔抓艇体的声音。
相较之下，裴洛拉特似乎冷静得多。“我心中从来没有怀疑，老弟，怀疑宝绮思能应付这一切。可是我必须承认，你那一击相当精采。”
崔维兹耸了耸肩，他没有心情讨论这件事。
裴洛拉特手中拿着他的“图书馆”——那是一片光碟，他毕生研究神话传说的成果都存在里面。他拿着它钻进寝舱，他的小型阅读机就放在那里。
裴洛拉特的心情似乎相当好，崔维兹注意到了这点，不过并末追根究底。等他的心思不再被野狗完全占据时，还有的是时间弄个明白。
等到宝绮思与他独处的时候，她以近乎试探的口气说：“我想你是受惊了。”
“的确如此，”崔维兹以沮丧的口吻答道：“有谁会想到看见一条狗——一条狗，我就该赶紧逃命。”
“此地有两万年不见人迹，它已经不算一只普通的狗，现在这些野兽必定是力量最强的大型猎食动物。”
崔维兹点了点头。“当我坐在树枝上，变成一个力量最弱的猎物时，我就想到了这点。你所提到的非平衡生态，实在是万分正确的说法。”
“就人类的观点而言，当然是非平衡。但是想想看，那些狗在进行捕猎的过程中，表现得多么有效率。我想裴也许说对了，生态的确能自我平衡，当初被引进这个世界的少数物种可以演化出许多变种，来填补各种不同的生态栖位。”
“真是奇怪，”崔维兹说：“我也有同样的想法。”
“当然啦，前提是非平衡状态不太严着，否则自我修正的过程需要很长的时间，在成功之前，那颗行星早已回天乏术。”
崔维兹低哼了一声。
宝绮思若有所思地望着他。“你怎么会想到要武装自己？”
崔维兹说：“结果对我也没什么好处，是你的能力……”
“并不尽然，我需要你的武器。那是毫无预警的情况，我和盖哑又只有超空间式接触，要对付那么多我不熟悉的心灵，若没有你的神经鞭，我根本无计可施。”
“我的手铳毫无用处，我曾经试过。”
“动用手铳，崔维兹，只能让一只狗消失，其他的狗也许会感到惊讶，可是不会害怕。”
“其实更糟，”崔维兹说：“它们将残骸都吃掉了，我等于是在贿赂它们留下来。”
“没错，我可以想像那种效果。神经鞭却不同，它会带来痛楚，一只狗痛极了便会嚎叫，而别的狗都能了解这叫声的意义。即使不为其他原因，它们也会由于制约反射而感到恐惧。所有的野狗都陷入恐惧之后，我只消轻轻推触它们的心灵，它们便自动离开了。”
“没错，可是你了解在这情况下，神经鞭是更有威力的武器，我却不知道。”
“我习惯和心灵打交道，你没有这方面的经验。我坚持要你使用低功率，并且瞄准一只狗，原因就在这里。我不希望过度的痛楚令那只狗死亡，那样它就发不出声音；我也不希望痛觉太过分散，那样只会引起几声低鸣。我要剧烈的痛楚集中在一点上。”
“果然如你所愿，宝绮思，”崔维兹说：“结果完全成功，我实在该好好感谢你。”
“你吝于表达感激，”宝绮思语着心长地说：“因为你觉得自己扮演了一个滑稽的角色。然而，我再着复一遍，没有你的武器，我根本无计可施。我想知道的是，你怎么解释携带武器这件事？因为我已经向你保证，这个世界上没有任何人类，这点我至今仍旧肯定。难道你预见了那些野狗吗？”
“没有，”崔维兹说：“我当然没有，至少意识中未曾料到。而且我通常没有武装的习惯，在康普隆的时候，我根本没想到带武器。但是，我也不能让自己轻易相信那是种魔法，不可能是那样的。我猜想，当我们刚开始讨论非平衡生态时，我就有了一种潜意识的警觉，想到在一个没有人类的世界上，动物可能会变得危险。事后想来这点很明显，而我可能有一丝先见之明，只不过是这样罢了。”
宝绮思说：“别这么随便就敷衍过去。我也参与了有关非平衡生态的讨论，却没有同样的先见之明。盖娅所珍视的，就是你这种特殊的预感。我也看得出来，你一定很气恼，因为你拥有一种隐性的预感，但无法侦知它的本质：你根据自己的决定行动，却没有明确的理由。”
“在端点星，我们通常的说法是‘凭预感行事’。”
“在盖娅上，我们说‘知其然下知其所以然’。你不喜欢不知所以然的感觉，对下对？”
“是的，这的确令我苦恼不己，我不喜欢被预感驱策。我猜预感后面必有原因，伹不知道这个原因，则使我感到自己无法掌握自己的心灵，就像是一种轻度的疯狂。”
“当你决定赞同盖哑和盖哑星系的时候，你就是凭预感行事，现在你却要找出原因。”
“这点我至少说过十几遍了。”
“而我却拒绝把你的声明当真，我为这件事感到抱歉。这方面我不会再跟你唱反调，下过我希望，我可以继续指出盖哑的各项优点。”
“随时请便，”崔维兹说：“反之，希望你了解，我也许不会接受那些话。”
“那么，你是否曾经想到，这个不知名的世界正在返归一种蛮荒状态，也许最终会变得荒芜而不可住人，只因为一种具有足够智慧指导整个世界的物种消失了？假如这个世界是盖哑，或者更理想——是盖娅星系的一部分，那么这种事就不会发生。指导的智慧将化身为银河整体，继续留存在这里，不论生态何时偏离平衡，也不论由于什么原因，终究都会再度趋于平衡。”
“这意味着那些野狗不再需要食物？”
“它们当然需要食物，正像人类一样。然而，它们进食是有目的的，是在刻意指导之下维持生态平衡的行为，而不是随机环境造成的结果。”
崔维兹说：“对狗而言，失去个体的自由也许不算什么，可是对人类一定会有着大影响。如果所有的人类全部消失，到处都没了，而非只是在某个或数个世界上绝迹，那又会怎么样？如果完全没有人类，盖娅星系将变成什么样子？那时还会有指导智慧吗？其他的生命型态和无生命物质，有办法共组一个共同的智慧，担负起这个使命吗？”
宝绮思犹豫了一下。“这种情况，”她又说：“过去从来未曾发生；而在未来，似乎也没有任何可能。”
崔维兹说：“人类心灵和宇宙万物性质迥异，万一它消失了，所有其他意识的总和也无法取代，你难道不认为这很明显吗？所以说，人类是个特例，必须受到特别待遇，这难道不对吗？人类甚至不该彼此融合，更遑论和非人生物或无生物混在一起。”
“可是你当时决定支持盖娅。”
“那是为了一个凌驾一切的理由，而我自己也不清楚它是什么。”
“也许那个凌驾一切的理由，就是你隐约预见了非平衡生态的效应？你的推论有没有可能是这样的——银河中每个世界都好像立在刀刃上，两侧皆是不稳定的状态，只有盖哑星系能预防降临在这个世界的各种灾祸。至于持续不断的战争和腐败政治带来的苦难，那就更不在话下。”
“不，当我做出决定时，心中并未想到非平衡的生态。”
“你怎能确定？”
“我也许不知道自己原先预见了什么，但事后若有人对我提起，假如它的确是我曾预见的，我却能认出来。就好像我感觉得到，我当初也许料到这个世界会有危险的动物。”
“嗯，”宝绮思以严肃而平静的口吻说：“若不是我们两人通力合作——你的先见之明加上我的精神力场，那些危险动物可能已经要了我们的命。来吧，让我们做个朋友。”
崔维兹点了点头。“随你的便。”
他的声音透着几许冷淡，宝绮思不禁扬起眉毛。不过就在这个时候，裴洛拉特突然闯进来，使劲猛点着头，彷佛想将脑袋从脖子上摇下来。
“我想，”他说：“我们找到了。”
39
崔维兹通常并不相信轻易得来的胜利，然而，偶尔舍弃自己的明智判断也是人之常情。他现在觉得胸部与喉头的肌肉紧绷，但仍勉强开口问道：“地球的位置？你找到了吗，詹诺夫？”
裴洛拉特瞪了崔维兹一下，突然像是泄了气一样。“这个嘛，不是的，”他的脸涨得通红，“不完全是——事实上，葛兰，完全下是，我刚才根本忘了那回事。我在废墟中发现的是别的东西，我想它没有什么着要性。”
崔维兹深深吸了一口气。“不要紧，詹诺夫。每一项发现都着要，你跑来是要说什么？”
“嗯，”裴洛拉特说：“这里几乎没什么东西遗留下来，你也该了解。经过两万年的风吹雨打，能留到现在的东西实在下多。此外，植物生命会渐渐破坏遗迹，而动物生命——不过别管这些了，着点是‘几乎没有’并不等于‘完全没有’。
“这个废墟一定包含一座公共建筑物，因为有些掉落的石块，或者也许是混凝土，上面刻着—些文字。那些宇肉眼简直看不出来，你应该了解，老弟，不过我拍了许多相片，用太空船上的相机拍的，就是有内建电脑以增强功能的那种相机——我从来没机缓箸得你的同意，葛兰，可是真的很着要，所以我……”
崔维兹不耐烦地挥了挥手。“继续说！”
“那些文字我看得懂一些，是非常古老的文字。伹即使照相机有电脑辅助，再加上我阅读古代文字的能力不错，却也无法认出太多，真正看懂的只有一个词。那几个字的字体比较大，也比其他的字清楚一点，或许它们被故意刻得较深，因为它们代表的是这个世界。那个词就是‘奥罗拉行星’，所以我猜想，我们目前立足的这个世界叫作奥罗拉，或者说以前叫奥罗拉。”
“它总该有个名字。”崔维兹说。
“没错，可是名字很少会随便乱取。我刚才用我的图书馆仔细搜寻了一下，结果发现两则传说，来源刚好是两个相隔甚远的世界，根据这点，我们可做出一个合理的假设，那就是两者的来源完全无关——不过别管这个了。在那两则传说中，奥罗拉当曙光解释，我们可以假设，在银河标准语之前的某个语言中，奥罗拉的意思正是曙光。
“巧的是，相同类型的太空站或其他人造天体，第一个建好的便常用曙光或黎明这类名字命名。如果这个世界在某种语言中称为曙光，它也许就是同类世界的第一个。”
崔维兹问道：“你是不是想说，这颗行星就是地球，而奥罗拉是它的别名，因为这个名字代表了生命与人类的黎明？”
裴洛拉特说：“我不敢推测那么远，葛兰。”
崔维兹带点挖苦的口气说：“毕竟我们没发现放射性地表，没发现巨大的卫星，也没发现具有大型行星环的气态巨行星。”
“一点都没错。可是康普隆的那个丹尼亚多，他似乎认为这个世界曾经是第一波殖民者——外世界人定居的许多世界之一。果真如此的话，那么它既然叫作奥罗拉，也许就表示它是第一个外世界。此时我们脚下这颗行星，很可能是除了地球之外，银河中最古老的人类世界。这难道不令人兴奋吗？”
“不管怎么说，的确很有意思，詹诺夫。可是仅由奥罗拉一个名字，就推出了这些结论，是不是嫌太多了？”
“还不只呢，”裴洛拉特兴奋地说：“我找遍了我所搜集的纪录，结果发现当今银河中，没有一个世界叫作奥罗拉，我确定你的电脑能证实这点。正如我刚才所说，许多世界和其他天体都以曙光这一类名字命名，却没一个真正使用奥罗拉。”
“它们何必要用呢？如果那是在银河标准语之前的字眼，就不大可能流行到今天。”
“可是名字会保留下来——即使它们已经毫无意义。如果这里真是第一个殖民世界，它应该很有名气，甚至可能一度是银河的主宰。所以说，一定会有其他世界自称‘新奥罗拉’或‘小奥罗拉’，或者诸如此类的名称。而其他的……”
崔维兹突然插嘴道：“也许它并非第一个殖民世界，也许它从来就没什么着要性。”
“依我看有个更好的解释，我亲爱的兄弟。”
“什么样的解释，詹诺夫？”
“假如第一波殖民者被第二波后来居上，因此当今银河所有的世界都是后者的天下，正如丹尼亚多所说，那么就很有可能，两波殖民者之间曾出现敌对状态，所以第二波殖民者，也就是如今这些世界的建立者，不会采用第一波殖民世界的名宇。如此说来，我们可以根据奥罗拉这个名字从未着复的事实，推论出总共有两波殖民者，而此地是第一波殖民者建立的世界。”
崔维兹微微一笑。“我稍微弄懂了你们神话学家如何做学问，詹诺夫。你们总是建立一个美丽的理论体系，但它也许只是空中楼阁。传说告诉我们，第一波殖民者带了许多机器人随行，这想必就是他们覆灭的原因。现在，假使我们能在这个世界上找到一个机器人，我就愿意接受所有关于第一波殖民者的推测，可是我们不能指望经过两万……”
裴洛拉特的嘴巴蠕动好久，才终于发出声音来。“可是，葛兰，我没告诉你吗？没有，我当然没有，我太兴奋了，没法子把事情说得有条有理——这里的确有个机器人。”
40
崔维兹揉了揉额头，仿佛头疼得发胀。“一个机器人？这里有个机器人？”
“对。”裴洛拉特使劲点头。
“你怎么知道？”
“哎呀，它当然是机器人。我亲眼看到了，怎么可能认不出来？”
“你以前见过机器人吗？”
“没有，但那是个看来像人类的金属物体，有脑袋、双手、双脚和躯干。当然啦，我所谓的金属，其实几乎是堆铁銹。当我向它走近时，想必是脚步引起的震动使它进一步受损，所以当我伸手摸它……”
“你为什么要摸它？”
“这个嘛，我想是因为我无法完全相信自己的眼睛，那是种自然而然的反应。我才刚碰到它，它就散了开来，可是……”
“怎样？”
“在它快要散开来之前，它的眼睛似乎放出非常微弱的光芒，同时发出一个声音，像是试图说些什么。”
“你的意思是说它还在运作？”
“几乎谈不上，葛兰，然后它就崩溃了。”
崔维兹转向宝绮思。“你能证实这一切吗，宝绮思？”
“那是个机器人，我们都看到了。”宝绮思说。
“而它仍旧在运作？”
宝绮思以平板的语调说：“当它散开来的时候，我捕捉到一丝微弱的神经活动讯息。”
“怎么可能有神经活动？机器人没有细胞组成的有机大脑。”
“它具有电脑化的类似结构，我猜想，”宝绮思说：“而我侦测得到。”
“你侦测到的是机器人的精神作用，不是人类的？”
宝绮思噘了噘嘴。“它太微弱了，只能知道它的确存在，无法做出任何其他判断。”
崔维兹望着宝绮思，然后望向裴洛拉特，同时以激昂的口气说：“这就改变了一切。”
Part Four - Solaria Chapter 10: Robots
41Trevize seemed lost in thought during dinner, and Blissconcentrated on the food.
Pelorat, the only one who seemed anxious to speak, pointed out that ifthe world they were on was Aurora and if it was the first settled world,it ought to be fairly close to Earth.
"It might pay to scour the immediate stellar neighborhood," hesaid. "It would only mean sifting through a few hundred stars atmost."Trevize muttered that hit-and-miss was a last resort and he wanted asmuch information about Earth as possible before attempting to approachit even if he found it. He said no more and Pelorat, clearly squelched,dwindled into silence as well.
After the meal, as Trevize continued to volunteer nothing, Peloratsaid tentatively, "Are we to be staying here, Golan?""Overnight, anyway," said Trevize. "I need to do a bit morethinking.""Is it safe?""Unless there's something worse than dogs about," said Trevize,"we're quite safe here in the ship."Pelorat said, "How long would it take to lift off, if there issomething worse than dogs about?"Trevize said, "The computer is on launch alert. I think we can manageto take off in between two and three minutes. And it will warn us quiteeffectively if anything unexpected takes place, so I suggest we allget some sleep. Tomorrow morning, I'll come to a decision as to thenext move."Easy to say, thought Trevize, as he found himself staring at thedarkness. He was curled up, partly dressed, on the floor of the computerroom. It was quite uncomfortable, but he was sure that his bed would beno more conducive to sleep at this time and here at least he could takeaction at once if the computer sounded an alarm.
Then he heard footsteps and automatically sat up, hitting his headagainst the edge of the desk not hard enough to do damage, buthard enough to make rubbing and grimacing a necessity.
"Janov?" he said in a muffled voice, eyes tearing.
"No. It's Bliss."Trevize reached over the edge of the table with one hand to make atleast semicontact with the computer, and a soft light showed Bliss ina light pink wraparound.
Trevize said, "What is it?""I looked in your bedroom and you weren't there. There was no mistakingyour neuronic activity, however, and I followed it. You were clearlyawake so I walked in.""Yes, but what is it you want?"She sat down against the wall, knees up, and cradled her chin againstthem. She said, "Don't be concerned. I have no designs on what's leftof your virginity.""I don't imagine you do," said Trevize sardonically. "Why aren't youasleep? You need it more than we do.""Believe me," she said in a low, heartfelt tone, "that episode withthe dogs was very draining.""I believe that.""But I had to talk to you when Pel was sleeping.""About what?"Bliss said, "When he told you about the robot, you said that thatchanges everything. What did you mean?"Trevize said, "Don't you see that for yourself? We have three setsof coordinates; three Forbidden Worlds. I want to visit all three tolearn as much as possible about Earth before trying to reach it."He edged a bit closer so that he could speak lower still, then drewaway sharply. He said, "Look, I don't want Janov coming in here lookingfor us. I don't know what he'd think.""It's not likely. He's sleeping and I've encouraged that just a bit. Ifhe stirs, I'll know. Go on. You want to visit all three. What'schanged?""It wasn't part of my plan to waste time on any world needlessly. Ifthis world, Aurora, had been without human occupation for twenty thousandyears, then it is doubtful that any information of value has survived. Idon't want to spend weeks or months scrabbling uselessly about theplanetary surface, fighting off dogs and cats and bulls or whatever elsemay have become wild and dangerous, just on the hope of finding a scrap ofreference material amid the dust, rust, and decay. It may be that on oneor both of the other Forbidden Worlds there may be human beings and intactlibraries. So it was my intention to leave this world at once. We'dbe out in space now, if I had done so, sleeping in perfect security.""But?""But if there are robots still functioning on this world, they mayhave important information that we could use. They would be safer todeal with than human beings would be, since, from what I've heard,they must follow orders and can't harm human beings.""So you've changed your plan and now you're going to spend time onthis world searching for robots.""I don't want to, Bliss. It seems to me that robots can't last twentythousand years without maintenance. Yet since you've seen one witha spark of activity still, it's clear I can't rely on my commonsenseguesses about robots. I mustn't lead out of ignorance. Robots may bemore enduring than I imagine, or they may have a certain capacity forself-maintenance."Bliss said, "Listen to me, Trevize, and please keep thisconfidential.""Confidential?" said Trevize, raising his voice in surprise. "Fromwhom?""Sh! From Pel, of course. Look, you don't have to change yourplans. You were right the first time. There are no functioning robotson this world. I detect nothing.""You detected that one, and one is as good as ""I did not detect that one. It was nonfunctioning; long nonfunctioning.""You said ""I know what I said. Pel thought he saw motion and heard sound. Pelis a romantic. He's spent his working life gathering data, but that is adifficult way of making one's mark in the scholarly world. He would dearlylove to make an important discovery of his own. His finding of the word`Aurora' was legitimate and made him happier than you can imagine. Hewanted desperately to find more."Trevize said, "Are you telling me he wanted to make a discovery sobadly he convinced himself he had come upon a functioning robot whenhe hadn't?""What he came upon was a lump of rust containing no more consciousnessthan the rock against which it rested.""But you supported his story.""I could not bring myself to rob him of his discovery. He means somuch to me.
Trevize stared at her for a full minute; then he said, "Do you mindexplaining why he means so much to you? I want to know. Ireally want to know. To you he must seem an elderly man with nothingromantic about him. He's an Isolate, and you despise Isolates. You'reyoung and beautiful and there must be other parts of Gaia that havethe bodies of vigorous and handsome young men. With them you can havea physical relationship that can resonate through Gaia and bring peaksof ecstasy. So what do you an in Janov?"Bliss looked at Trevize solemnly. "Don't you love him?"Trevize shrugged and said, "I'm fond of him. I suppose you could say,in a nonsexual way, that I love him.""You haven't known him very long, Trevize. Why do you love him,in that nonsexual way of yours?"Trevize found himself smiling without being aware of it. "He's suchan odd fellow. I honestly think that never in his life hashe given a single thought to himself. He was ordered to go along with me,and he went. No objection. He wanted me to go to Trantor, but when I saidI wanted to go to Gaia, he never argued. And now he's come along withme in this search for Earth, though he must know it's dangerous. I feelperfectly confident that if he had to sacrifice his life for me orfor anyone he would, and without repining.""Would you give your life for him, Trevize?""I might, if I didn't have time to think. If I did have time to think,I would hesitate and I might funk it. I'm not as good as heis. And because of that, I have this terrible urge to protect and keephim good. I don't want the Galaxy to teach him not to begood. Do you understand? And I have to protect him from you particularly. I can't bear the thought of you tossing him aside whenwhatever nonsense amuses you now is done with.""Yes, I thought you'd think something like that. Don't you supposeI see in Pel what you see in him and even more so, since I cancontact his mind directly? Do I act as though I want to hurt him? WouldI support his fantasy of having seen a functioning robot, if it weren'tthat I couldn't bear to hurt him? Trevize, I am used to what you wouldcall goodness, for every part of Gaia is ready to be sacrificed for thewhole. We know and understand no other course of action. But we give upnothing in so doing, for each part is the whole, though I don't expectyou to understand that. Pel is something different."Bliss was no longer looking at Trevize. It was as though she weretalking to herself. "He is an Isolate. He is not selfless because he isa part of a greater whole. He is selfless because he is selfless. Doyou understand me? He has all to lose and nothing to gain, and yet heis what he is. He shames me for being what I am without fear of loss,when he is what he is without hope of gain."She looked up at Trevize again now, very solemnly. "Do you know howmuch more I understand about him than you possibly can? And do you thinkI would harm him in any way?"Trevize said, "Bliss, earlier today, you said, `Come, let us befriends,' and all I replied was, `If you wish.' That was grudging ofme, for I was thinking of what you might do to Janov. It is my turn,now. Come, Bliss, let us be friends. You can keep on pointing out theadvantage of Galaxia and I may keep on refusing to accept your arguments,but even so, and despite that, let us be friends." And he held outhis hand.
"Of course, Trevize," she said, and their hands gripped each otherstrongly.
42Trevize grinned quietly to himself. It was an internalgrin, for the line of his mouth didn't budge.
When he had worked with the computer to find the star (if any) of thefirst set of co-ordinates, both Pelorat and Bliss had watched intentlyand had asked questions. Now they stayed in their room and slept or,at any rate, relaxed, and left the job entirely to Trevize.
In a way, it was flattering, for it seemed to Trevize that by now theyhad simply accepted the fact that Trevize knew what he was doing andrequired no supervision or encouragement. For that matter, Trevize hadgained enough experience from the first episode to rely more thoroughlyon the computer and to feel that it needed, if not none, then at leastless supervision.
Another star luminous and unrecorded on the Galactic map-showedup. This second star was more luminous than the star about which Auroracircled, and that made it all the more significant that the star wasunrecorded in the computer.
Trevize marveled at the peculiarities of ancient tradition. Wholecenturies might be telescoped or dropped out of consciousnessaltogether. Entire civilizations might be banished into forgetfulness. Yetout of the midst of these centuries, snatched from those civilizations,might be one or two factual items that would be rememberedundistorted such as these co-ordinates.
He had remarked on this to Pelorat some time before, and Pelorathad at once told him that it was precisely this that made the studyof myths and legends so rewarding. "The trick is," Pelorat had said,"to work out or decide which particular components of a legend representaccurate underlying truth. That isn't easy and different mythologistsare likely to pick different components, depending, usually, on whichhappen to suit their particular interpretations." .
In any case, the star was right where Deniador's co-ordinates,corrected for time, said it would be. Trevize was prepared, at thismoment, to wager a considerable sum that the third star would be inplace as well. And if it was, Trevize was prepared to suspect that thelegend was further correct in stating that there were fifty ForbiddenWorlds altogether (despite the suspiciously even number) and to wonderwhere the other forty-seven might be.
A habitable world, Forbidden World, was found circling thestar and by this time its presence didn't cause even a ripple ofsurprise in Trevize's bosom. He had been absolutely sure it would bethere. He set the Far Star into a slow orbit about it.
The cloud layer was sparse enough to allow a reasonable view of thesurface from space. The world was a watery one, as almost all habitableworlds were. There was an unbroken tropical ocean and two unbrokenpolar oceans.
In one set of middle latitudes, there was a more or less serpentinecontinent encircling the world with bays on either side producing anoccasional narrow isthmus. In the other set of middle latitudes, theland surface was broken into three large parts and each of the threewere thicker north-south than the opposite continent was.
Trevize wished he knew enough climatology to be able to predict,from what he saw, what the temperatures and seasons might be like. Fora moment, he toyed with the idea of having the computer work on theproblem. The trouble was that climate was not the point at issue.
Much more important was that, once again, the computer detected noradiation that might be of technological origin. What his telescope toldhim was that the planet was not moth-eaten and that there were no signs ofdesert. The land moved backward in various shades of green, but there wereno signs of urban areas on the dayside, no lights on the nightside.
Was this another planet filled with every kind of life but human?
He rapped at the door of the other bedroom.
"Bliss?" he called out in a loud whisper, and rapped again.
There was a rustling, and Bliss's voice said, "Yes?""Could you come out here? I need your help ""If you wait just a bit, I'll make myself a bit presentable."When she finally appeared, she looked as presentable as Trevize hadever seen her. He felt a twinge of annoyance at having been made to wait,however, for it made little difference to him what she looked like. Butthey were friends now, and he suppressed the annoyance.
She said with a smile and in a perfectly pleasant tone, "What can Ido for you, Trevize?"Trevize waved at the viewscreen. "As you can see, we're passing overthe surface of what looks like a perfectly healthy world with a quitesolid vegetation cover over its land area. No lights at night, however,and no technological radiation. Please listen and tell me if there's anyanimal life. There was one point at which I thought I could see herdsof grazing animals, but I wasn't sure. It might be a case of seeing whatone desperately wants to see."Bliss "listened." At least, a curiously intent look came across herface. She said, "Oh yes rich in animal life.""Mammalian?""Must be.""Human?"Now she seemed to concentrate harder. A full minute passed, andthen another, and finally she relaxed. "I can't quite tell. Every oncein a while it seemed to me that I detected a whiff of intelligencesufficiently intense to be considered human. But it was so feeble andso occasional that perhaps I, too, was only sensing what I desperatelywanted to sense. You see "She paused in thought, and Trevize nudged her with a "Well?"She said, "The thing is I seem to detect something else. It is notsomething I'm familiar with, but I don't see how it can be anythingbut "Her face tightened again as she began to "listen" with still greaterintensity.
"Well?" said Trevize again.
She relaxed. "I don't see how it can be anything but robots.""Robots!""Yes, and if I detect them, surely I ought to be able to detect humanbeings, too. But I don't.""Robots!" said Trevize again, frowning.
"Yes," said Bliss, "and I should judge, in great numbers."43Pelorat also said "Robots!" in almost exactly Trevize'stone when he was told of them. Then he smiled slightly. "You were right,Golan, and I was wrong to doubt you.""I don't remember your doubting me, Janov.""Oh well, old man, I didn't think I ought to express it. I justthought, in my heart, that it was a mistake to leave Aurora while therewas a chance we might interview some surviving robot. But then it'sclear you knew there would be a richer supply of robots here.""Not at all, Janov. I didn't know . I merely chancedit. Bliss tells me their mental fields seem to imply they are fullyfunctioning, and it seems to me they can't very well be fully functioningwithout human beings about for care and maintenance. However, she can'tspot anything human so we're still looking."Pelorat studied the viewscreen thoughtfully. "It seems to be allforest, doesn't it?""Mostly forest. But there are clear patches that may be grasslands. Thething is that I see no cities, or any lights at night, or anything butthermal radiation at any time.""So no human beings after all?""I wonder. Bliss is in the galley trying to concentrate. I've setup an arbitrary prime meridian for the planet which means that it'sdivided into latitude and longitude in the computer. Bliss has a littledevice which she presses whenever she encounters what seems an unusualconcentration of robotic mental activity I suppose you can't say`neuronic activity' in connection with robots or any whiff ofhuman thought. The device is linked to the computer, which thus getsa fix on all the latitudes and longitudes, and we'll let it make thechoice among them and pick a good place for landing."Pelorat looked uneasy. "Is it wise to leave the matter of choice tothe computer?""Why not, Janov? It's a very competent computer. Besides, when youhave no basis on which to make a choice yourself, where's the harm inat least considering the computer's choice?"Pelorat brightened up. "There's something to that, Golan. Some of theoldest legends include tales of people making choices by tossing cubesto the ground.""Oh? What does that accomplish?""Each face of the cube has some decision onit yes no perhaps postpone and soon. Whichever face happens to come upward on landing would be taken asbearing the advice to be followed. Or they would set a ball rolling abouta slotted disc with different decisions scattered among the slots. Thedecision written on the slot in which the ball ends is to be taken. Somemythologists think such activities represented games of chance ratherthan lotteries, but the two are much the same thing in my opinion.""In a way," said Trevize, "we're playing a game of chance in choosingour place of landing."Bliss emerged from the galley in time to hear the last comment. Shesaid, "No game of chance. I pressed several `maybes' and then onesure-fire `yes,' and it's to the `yes' that we'll be going.""What made it a `yes'?" asked Trevize.
"I caught a whiff of human thought. Definite. Unmistakable."44It had been raining, for the grass was wet. Overhead,the clouds were scudding by and showing signs of breaking up.
The Far Star had come to a gentle rest near a small grove oftrees. (In case of wild dogs, Trevize thought, only partly in jest.) Allabout was what looked like pasture land, and coming down from the greaterheight at which a better and wider view had been possible, Trevize hadseen what looked like orchards and grain fields and this time,an unmistakable view of grazing animals.
There were no structures, however. Nothing artificial, except thatthe regularity of the trees in the orchard and the sharp boundaries thatseparated fields were themselves as artificial as a microwave-receivingpower station would have been.
Could that level of artificiality have been produced by robots,however? Without human beings?
Quietly, Trevize was putting on his holsters. This time, he knew thatboth weapons were in working order and that both were fully charged. Fora moment, he caught Bliss's eye and paused.
She said, "Go ahead. I don't think you'll have any use for them,but I thought as much once before, didn't I?"Trevize said, "Would you like to be armed, Janov?"Pelorat shuddered. "No, thank you. Between you and your physicaldefense, and Bliss and her mental defense, I feel in no danger at all. Isuppose it is cowardly of me to hide in your protective shadows, butI can't feel proper shame when I'm too busy feeling grateful that Ineedn't be in a position of possibly having to use force."Trevize said, "I understand. Just don't go anywhere alone. If Blissand I separate, you stay with one of us and don't dash off somewhereunder the spur of a private curiosity.""You needn't worry, Trevize," said Bliss. "I'll see to that."Trevize stepped out of the ship first. The wind was brisk and justa trifle cool in the aftermath of the rain, but Trevize found thatwelcome. It had probably been uncomfortably warm and humid before therain.
He took in his breath with surprise. The smell of the planet wasdelightful. Every planet had its own odor, he knew, an odor always strangeand usually distasteful perhaps only because it was strange. Mightnot strange be pleasant as well? Or was this the accident of catching theplanet just after the rain at a particular season of the year. Whicheverit was "Come on," he called. "It's quite pleasant out here."Pelorat emerged and said, "Pleasant is definitely the word for it. Doyou suppose it always smells like this?""It doesn't matter. Within the hour, we'll be accustomed to the aroma,and our nasal receptors will be sufficiently saturated, for us to smellnothing.""Pity," said Pelorat.
"The grass is wet," said Bliss, with a shade of disapproval.
"Why not? After all, it rains on Gaia, too!" said Trevize, and as hesaid that a shaft of yellow sunlight reached them momentarily througha small break in the clouds. There would soon be more of it.
"Yes," said Bliss, "but we know when and we're prepared for it.""Too bad," said Trevize; "you lose the thrill of the unexpected."Bliss said, "You're right. I'll try not to be provincial."Pelorat looked about and said, in a disappointed tone, "There seemsto be nothing about.""Only seems to be," said Bliss. "They're approaching from beyondthat rise." She looked toward Trevize. "Do you think we ought to go tomeet them?"Trevize shook his head. "No. We've come to meet them across manyparsecs. Let them walk the rest of the way. We'll wait for them here."Only Bliss could sense the approach until, from the direction of herpointing finger, a figure appeared over the brow of the rise. Then asecond, and a third.
"I believe that is all at the moment," said Bliss.
Trevize watched curiously. Though he had never seen robots, therewas not a particle of doubt in him that that was what they were. Theyhad the schematic and impressionistic shape of human beings and yet werenot obviously metallic in appearance. The robotic surface was dull andgave the illusion of softness, as though it were covered in plush.
But how did he know the softness was an illusion? Trevize felt a suddendesire to feel those figures who were approaching so stolidly. If it weretrue that this was a Forbidden World and that spaceships never approachedit and surely that must be so since the sun was not includedin the Galactic map then the Far Star and the people itcarried must represent something the robots had never experienced. Yetthey were reacting with steady certainty, as though they were workingtheir way through a routine exercise.
Trevize said, in a low voice, "Here we may have information we canget nowhere else in the Galaxy. We could ask them for the location ofEarth with reference to this world, and if they know, they will tellus. Who knows how long these things have functioned and endured? Theymay answer out of personal memory. Think of that.""On the other hand," said Bliss, "they may be recently manufacturedand may know nothing.""Or," said Pelorat, "they may know, but may refuse to tell us."Trevize said, "I suspect they can't refuse unless they've been orderednot to tell us, and why should such orders be issued when surely no oneon this planet could have expected our coming?"At a distance of about three meters, the robots stopped. They saidnothing and made no further movement.
Trevize, his hand on his blaster, said to Bliss, without taking hiseyes from the robot, "Can you tell whether they are hostile?""You'll have to allow for the fact that I have no experience whatsoeverwith their mental workings, Trevize, but I don't detect anything thatseems hostile."Trevize took his right hand away from the butt of the weapon, butkept it near. He raised his left hand, palm toward the robots, in what hehoped would be recognized as a gesture of peace and said, speaking slowly,"I greet you. We come to this world as friends."The central robot of the three ducked his head in a kind of abortivebow that might also have been taken as a gesture of peace by an optimist,and replied.
Trevize's jaw dropped in astonishment. In a world of Galacticcommunication, one did not think of failure in so fundamental aneed. However, the robot did not speak in Galactic Standard or anythingapproaching it. In fact, Trevize could not understand a word.
45Pelorat's surprise was as great as that of Trevize,but there was an obvious element of pleasure in it, too.
"Isn't that strange?" he said.
Trevize turned to him and said, with more than a touch of asperityin his voice, "It's not strange. It's gibberish."Pelorat said, "Not gibberish at all. It's Galactic, but very archaic. Icatch a few words. I could probably understand it easily if it werewritten down. It's the pronunciation that's the real puzzle.""Well, what did it say?""I think it told you it didn't understand what you said."Bliss said, "I can't tell what it said, but what I sense ispuzzlement, which fits. That is, if I can trust my analysis of roboticemotion or if there is such a thing as robotic emotion."Speaking very slowly, and with difficulty, Pelorat said something,and the three robots ducked their head in unison.
"What was that?" said Trevize.
Pelorat said, "I said I couldn't speak well, but I would try. I askedfor a little time. Dear me, old chap, this is fearfully interesting.""Fearfully disappointing," muttered Trevize.
"You see," said Pelorat, "every habitable planet in the Galaxy managesto work out its own variety of Galactic so that there are a milliondialects that are sometimes barely intercomprehensible, but they're allpulled together by the development of Galactic Standard. Assuming thisworld to have been isolated for twenty thousand years, the language wouldordinarily drift so far from that of the rest of the Galaxy as to be anentirely different language. That it isn't may be because the world hasa social system that depends upon robots which can only understand thelanguage as spoken in the fashion in which they were programmed. Ratherthan keep reprogramming, the language remained static and we now havewhat is to us merely a very archaic form of Galactic.""There's an example," said Trevize, "of how a robotized society canbe held static and made, to turn degenerate.""But, my dear fellow," protested Pelorat, "keeping a languagerelatively unchanged is not necessarily a sign of degeneration. There areadvantages to it. Documents preserved for centuries and millennia retaintheir meaning and give greater longevity and authority to historicalrecords. In the rest of the Galaxy, the language of Imperial edicts ofthe time of Hari Seldon already begins to sound quaint.""And do you know this archaic Galactic?""Not to say know , Golan. It's just that in studyingancient myths and legends I've picked up the trick of it. The vocabularyis not entirely different, but it is inflected differently, and thereare idiomatic expressions we don't use any longer and, as I have said,the pronunciation is totally changed. I can act as interpreter, but notas a very good one."Trevize heaved a tremulous sigh. "A small stroke of good fortune isbetter than none. Carry on, Janov."Pelorat turned to the robots, waited a moment, then looked back atTrevize. "What am I supposed to say?""Let's go all the way. Ask them where Earth is."Pelorat said the words one at a time, with exaggerated gestures ofhis hands.
The robots looked at each other and made a few sounds. The middleone then spoke to Pelorat, who replied while moving his hands apart asthough he were stretching a length of rubber. The robot responded byspacing his words as carefully as Pelorat had.
Pelorat said to Trevize, "I'm not sure I'm getting across what I meanby `Earth.' I suspect they think I'm referring to some region on theirplanet and they say they don't know of any such region.""Do they use the name of this planet, Janov?""The closest I can come to what I think they are using as the name is`Solaria.'""Have you ever heard of it in your legends?""No any more than I had ever heard of Aurora.""Well, ask them if there is any place named Earth in thesky among the stars. Point upward."Again an exchange, and finally Pelorat turned and said, "All I canget from them, Golan, is that there are no places in the sky."Bliss said, "Ask those robots how old they are; or rather, how longthey have been functioning.""I don't know how to say `functioning,'" said Pelorat, shaking hishead. In fact, I'm not sure if I can say `how old.' I'm not a very good interpreter.""Do the best you can, Pel dear," said Bliss.
And after several exchanges, Pelorat said, "They've been functioningfor twenty-six years.""Twenty-six years," muttered Trevize in disgust. "They're hardlyolder than you are, Bliss."Bliss said, with sudden pride, "It so happens ""I know. You're Gaia, which is thousands of years old. In anycase, these robots cannot talk about Earth from personal experience,and their memory-banks clearly do not include anything not necessary totheir functioning. So they know nothing about astronomy."Pelorat said, "There may be other robots somewhere on the planet thatare primordial, perhaps.""I doubt it," said Trevize, "but ask them, if you can find the wordsfor it, Janov."This time there was quite a long conversation and Pelorat eventuallybroke it off with a flushed face and a clear air of frustration.
"Golan," he said, "I don't understand part of what they're trying tosay, but I gather that the older robots are used for manual labor anddon't know anything. If this robot were a human, I'd say he spoke ofthe older robots with contempt. These three are house robots, they say,and are not allowed to grow old before being replaced. They're the oneswho really know things their words, not mine.""They don't know much," growled Trevize. "At least of the things wewant to know.""I now regret," said Pelorat, "that we left Aurora so hurriedly. Ifwe had found a robot survivor there, and we surely would have, sincethe very first one I encountered still had a spark of life left in it,they would know of Earth through personal memory.""Provided their memories were intact, Janov," said Trevize. "Wecan always go back there and, if we have to, dog packs or not, wewill. But if these robots are only a couple of decades old,there must be those who manufacture them, and the manufacturers must behuman, I should think." He turned to Bliss. "Are you sure you sensed "But she raised a hand to stop him and there was a strained and intentlook on her face. "Coming now," she said, in a low voice.
Trevize turned his face toward the rise and there, first appearingfrom behind it, and then striding toward them, was the unmistakablefigure of a human being. His complexion was pale and his hair light andlong, standing out slightly from the sides of his head. His face wasgrave but quite young in appearance. His bare arms and legs were notparticularly muscled.
The robots stepped aside for him, and he advanced till he stood intheir midst.
He then spoke in a clear, pleasant voice and his words, although usedarchaically, were in Galactic Standard, and easily understood.
"Greetings, wanderers from space," he said. "What would you withmy robots?"46Trevize did not cover himself with glory. He saidfoolishly, "You speak Galactic?"The Solarian said, with a grim smile, "And why not, since I am notmute?""But these?" Trevize gestured toward the robots.
"These are robots. They speak our language, as I do. But I amSolarian and hear the hyperspatial communications of the worlds beyondso that I have learned your way of speaking, as have my predecessors. Mypredecessors have left descriptions of the language, but I constantlyhear new words and expressions that change with the years, as though youSettlers can settle worlds, but not words. How is it you are surprisedat my understanding of your language?""I should not have been," said Trevize. "I apologize. It was justthat speaking to the robots, I had not thought to hear Galactic onthis world."He studied the Solarian. He was wearing a thin white robe, drapedloosely over his shoulder, with large openings for his arms. It was openin front, exposing a bare chest and loincloth below. Except for a pairof light sandals, he wore nothing else.
It occurred to Trevize that he could not tell whether the Solarianwas male or female. The breasts were male certainly but the chest washairless and the thin loincloth showed no bulge of any kind.
He turned to Bliss and said in a low voice, "This might still be arobot, but very like a human being in "Bliss said, her lips hardly moving, "The mind is that of a human being,not a robot."The Solarian said, "Yet you have not answered my original question. Ishall excuse the failure and put it down to your surprise. I now ask againand you must not fail a second time. What would you with my robots?"Trevize said, "We are travelers who seek information to reach ourdestination. We asked your robots for information that would help us,but they lacked the knowledge.""What is the information you seek? Perhaps I can help you.""We seek the location of Earth. Could you tell us that?"The Solarian's eyebrows lifted. "I would have thought that yourfirst object of curiosity would have been myself. I will supply thatinformation although you have not asked for it. I am Sarton Bander andyou stand upon the Bander estate, which stretches as far as your eye cansee in every direction and far beyond. I cannot say that you are welcomehere, for in coming here, you have violated a trust. You are the firstSettlers to touch down upon Solaria in many thousands of years and, asit turns out, you have come here merely to inquire as to the best wayof reaching another world. In the old days, Settlers, you and your shipwould have been destroyed on sight.""That would be a barbaric way of treating people who mean no harmand offer none," said Trevize cautiously.
"I agree, but when members of an expanding society set foot upon aninoffensive and static one, that mere touch is filled with potentialharm. While we feared that harm, we were ready to destroy those who cameat the instant of their coming. Since we no longer have reason to fear,we are, as you see, ready to talk."Trevize said, "I appreciate the information you have offered us sofreely, and yet you failed to answer the question I did ask. I willrepeat it. Could you tell us the location of the planet Earth?""By Earth, I take it you mean the world on which the human species,and the various species of plants and animals" his hand movedgracefully about as though to indicate all the surroundings aboutthem "originated.""Yes, I do, sir."A queer look of repugnance flitted over the Solarian's face. He said,"Please address me simply as Bander, if you must use a form of address. Donot address me by any word that includes a sign of gender. I am neithermale nor female. I am whole ."Trevize nodded (he had been right). "As you wish, Bander. What, then,is the location of Earth, the world of origin of all of us?"Bander said, "I do not know. Nor do I wish to know. If I did know,or if I could find out, it would do you no good, for Earth no longerexists as a world. Ah," he went on, stretching out his arms. "Thesun feels good. I am not often on the surface, and never when the sun doesnot show itself. My robots were sent to greet you while the sun was yethiding behind the clouds. I followed only when the clouds cleared.""Why is it that Earth no longer exists as a world?" said Trevizeinsistently, steeling himself for the tale of radioactivity onceagain.
Bander, however, ignored the question or, rather, put it to one sidecarelessly. "The story is too long," he said. "You told me that you camewith no intent of harm.""That is correct.""Why then did you come armed?""That is merely a precaution. I did not know what I might meet.""It doesn't matter. Your little weapons represent no danger tome. Yet I am curious. I have, of course, heard much of your arms, andof your curiously barbaric history that seems to depend so entirely uponarms. Even so, I have never actually seen a weapon. May I see yours?"Trevize took a step backward. "I'm afraid not, Bander."Bander seemed amused. "I asked only out of politeness. I need nothave asked at all."It held out its hand and from Trevize's right holster, there emergedhis blaster, while from his left holster, there rose up his neuronicwhip. Trevize snatched at his weapons but felt his arms held back asthough by stiffly elastic bonds. Both Pelorat and Bliss started forwardand it was clear that they were held as well.
Bander said, "Don't bother trying to interfere. You cannot." Theweapons flew to its hands and it looked them over carefully. "This one,"it said, indicating the blaster, "seems to be a microwave beamer thatproduces heat, thus exploding any fluid-containing body. The other ismore subtle, and, I must confess, I do not see at a glance what it isintended to do. However, since you mean no harm and offer no harm, youdon't need arms. I can, and I do, bleed the energy content of the unitsof each weapon. That leaves them harmless unless you use one or the otheras a club, and they would be clumsy indeed if used for that purpose."The Solarian released the weapons and again they drifted throughthe air, this time back toward Trevize. Each settled neatly into itsholster.
Trevize, feeling himself released, pulled out his blaster, but therewas no need to use it. The contact hung loosely, and the energy unithad clearly been totally drained. That was precisely the case with theneuronic whip as well.
He looked up at Bander, who said, smiling, "You are quite helpless,Outworlder. I can as easily, if I so desired, destroy your ship and,of course, you."
第四部 索拉利星 第十章 机器人
　　41
晚餐时，崔维兹似乎陷入沉思，宝绮思则将注意力集中在食物上。
只有裴洛拉特看来很想说话，他指出，如果这个世界真是奥罗拉，又如果它的确是第一个殖民世界，它就应该与地球相当接近。
“也许值得在附近星空做一次地毯式搜索，”他说：“顶多是往返几百颗恒星而已。”
崔维兹低声答道，漫无目标地寻找是下下策，即使他找到了地球的位置，也要先尽量搜集相关资料，然后才会试图接近它。他的回答仅止于此，裴洛拉特显然被泼了一盆冷水，只好渐渐闭上嘴巴。
晚餐后，崔维兹仍不主动说一句话。裴洛拉特试探性地问：“我们要留在这里吗，葛兰？”
“总得过一夜，”崔维兹说：“我需要多考虑一下。”
“这样安全吗？”
“除非附近还有比野狗更凶的东西，”崔维兹说：“否则我们在太空船中相当安全。”
裴洛拉特说：“如果附近真有比野狗更凶的东西，得花多少时间才能起飞？”
崔维兹说：“目前电脑维持发射警戒状态，我想我们能在两三分钟内起飞。而且若有任何意外事故发生，电脑缓螈刻警告我们，所以我建议大家都睡会儿。明天早上，我会决定下一步该怎么做。”
说得容易，崔维兹在黑暗中张大眼睛时，心里这么想。他现在蜷缩成一团，只脱下了外套，就这么躺在电脑室的地板上。这样实在很不舒服，但他可以肯定，此时即使是他的床也无法助他入眠。而待在这里，万一电脑发出警告讯号，他至少能立即采取行动。
他听到一阵脚步声，不假思索便坐了起来，头一下小心撞上桌缘。虽然没受伤，他还是忍不住皱着眉头伸手揉了半天。
“詹诺夫？”他含糊问道，同时眼泪夺眶而出。
“不，是宝绮思。”
崔维兹一只手伸出桌缘，与电脑稍微接触了一下，室内随即充满柔和的光芒。他立刻看到宝绮思站在面前，穿着一件淡粉红色的缠身袍。
崔维兹说：“什么事？”
“我到你的寝舱找你，你不在那儿。不过，你的神经活动我不会弄错，我就一直跟到这里，而你显然还没睡着，所以我就走进来了。”
“好吧，但你要做什么呢？”
她靠着舱壁坐下，双膝并拢，将下巴搁在膝头上。“别担心，我并非企图夺走你所剩无几的童贞。”
“我没有这种幻想。”崔维兹反唇相讥，“你怎么没睡觉？你比我们更需要睡眠。”
“相信我，”她用一种低沉而真诚的语调说：“野狗带来的这段插曲，实在令人筋疲力尽。”
“这点我相信。”
“可是我得趁裴睡觉的时候，来跟你谈一谈。”
“谈什么？”
宝绮思说：“他跟你提到机器人的时候，你说那就改变了一切，这句话是什么意思？”
崔维兹说：“你难道看不出来吗？我们总共有三组座标，代表三个禁忌世界。我打算三个都探访一番，好尽量多了解地球，然后才准备向地球进军。”
他侧身向她稍微靠去，以便将声音压得更低，伹又猛然退回。“听着，我不希望詹诺夫进来这里找我们，我不知道他心里会怎么想。”
“不大可能。他正在睡觉，我又将他的睡意加强了点。如果他睡不稳当，我会知道的——继续吧，三个世界你都打算探访，那是什么改变了呢？”
“我并未计画在任何世界浪费不必要的时间，如果这个世界，奥罗拉，已经两万年没有人类居住，就很难令人相信会有什么有价值的资料留下来。我不想花上几周甚至几个月，趴在行星表面徒劳无功地摸索，还得击退野狗、野猫、野牛，或是其他任何变得狂野危险的动物，只为了希望在尘上、铁銹、腐物中找到一片残存的参考资料。也许在另外一两个禁忌世界上，会有活生生的人类和完好如初的图书馆，所以我本来打算立刻离开这个世界。假使我那样做了，我们现在已经置身太空，正安稳地呼呼大睡。”
“可是？”
“可是如果这个世界上还有运作中的机器人，它们就可能拥有我们需要的着要资料。和人类比起来，跟它们打交道较为安全，因为我听说，它们必须服从命令，而且不能伤害人类。”
“所以现在你改变计画，准备花时间在这个世界上寻找机器人？”
“我并不想这么做，宝绮思。我总以为在缺乏维修的情况下，机器人无法维持两万年的寿命。不过，既然你们碰到了一个仍有些微活动迹象的机器人，那显然代表我以常识对机器人所做的猜测并不可靠。我不能懵懵懂懂地领导大家行动。机器人也许比我想像中更耐用，或者具有某种自我维修的能力。”
宝绮思说：“听我说，崔维兹，并且请你务必保密。”
“保密？”崔维兹相当惊讶，连音量都提高了。“对谁保密？”
“嘘！当然是对裴。听好，你不必改变你的计画，你原先的想法是对的。在这个世界上，根本没有仍在运作的机器人，我什么也没侦测到。”
“你侦测到了那个啊，有一个就等于……”
“我没有侦测到什么，它没有在运作，早就不再运作了。”
“可是你说——”
“我知道我说过什么——裴认为他看到了动作，听到了声音。裴是个浪漫主义者，他一辈子的工作就是搜集资料，可是想要在学术界扬名立万，那种做法是难上加难。他深切渴望有个属于自己的着大成就，奥罗拉这个名字确实是他发现的，你难以想像他因此有多快乐，所以他拼命想发现更多的东西。”
崔维兹说：“你是在告诉我，他太希望能有所发现，因此自以为遇到一个运作中的机器人，而事实上根本没这回事？”
“他遇到的只是一块铁銹，它拥有的意识不会比它下面那块岩石更多。”
“可是你支持他的说法。”
“我不忍心夺走他的幻象，他对我是那么着要。”
崔维兹盯着她足有一分钟之久，然后才说：“你能不能解释一下，为什么他对你那么着要？我想知道，我真很想知道。对你来说，他一定像个糟老头子，毫无浪漫气息可言；他是个孤立体，而你一向鄙视孤立体。你既年轻又漂后，盖哑一定有些部分是生龙活虎、英俊潇洒的年轻男性胴体，你要是跟他们在一起，肉体关系必定能藉着盖哑的共鸣达到欢乐的顶峰。所以说，你究竟看上詹诺夫哪一点？”
宝绮思一本正经地望着崔维兹。“你难道不爱他吗？”
崔维兹耸了耸肩，答道：“我对他很有好感，我想你可以说我爱他，以一种和性爱无关的方式。”
“你认识他没多久，崔维兹，为什么会以一种和性爱无关的方式爱他？”
崔维兹发现自己不知不觉露出微笑。“他是这么一个古怪的家伙，我真心相信在他一生之中，从来没有为自己着想过。他奉命和我同行，于是他来了，没有一点异议；他本来要我到川陀去，可是当我说要去盖哑，他也没和我争论；而现在，他又跟着我进行寻找地球的任务，虽然他一定知道非常危险。我绝对可以相信，万一他必须为我——或者为别人——牺牲自己的生命，他也会愿意的，而且不会有任何怨言。”
“你会为他牺牲性命吗，崔维兹？”
“我可能会，假如我没有时间考虑的话。若是有时间考虑，我便会犹豫，结果或许就会逃避，我没有他那么善良。就是因为这样，我才有一种强烈的冲动，想要尽力保护他，让他保有一颗善良的心。我不希望银河把他教坏了，你了解吗？而我特别要提防你，天知道你看中他哪一点，要是那点不再吸引你，你很可能会把他甩掉，我一想到这件事就难以忍受。”
“没错，我就知道你会有这种想法。你难道未曾想到，裴在我眼中和在你眼中一样——甚至我看得更透澈，因为我可以直接接触他的心灵？我表现得像是想伤害他吗？若非我不忍心伤害他，当他以为看到一个运作中的机器人时，我会支持他的幻想吗？崔维兹，你所谓的善良我相当熟悉，因为盖哑每一部分随时都愿意为整体牺牲，除此之外，我们不知道也不了解其他的行事原则。伹我们那样做没有放弃什么，因为每一部分都等于整体，不过我不指望你了解这一点。而裴却不同——”
宝绮思不再望着崔维兹，彷佛在自言自语。“他是个孤立体。他没有私心私欲，并非由于他是某个大我的一部分，他没有私心就是单纯因为他没有私心。你明白我的意思吗？他可能失去所有一切而得不到任何好处，但他就是有那种胸襟。他令我感到惭愧，我是不怕有任何损失才会如此大方，他没有希望获得任何利益，却仍能保有那样的胸襟。”
她又抬起头来望着崔维兹，神情显得极为严肃。“你知道我对他的了解，比你可能做到的深入多少吗？你认为我会以任何方式伤害他吗？”
崔维兹说：“宝绮思，今天稍早的时候，你曾经说过：‘来吧，让我们做个朋友。’我则回说：‘随你的便。’我当时的反应很勉强，因为我想到你可能会伤害詹诺夫。现在，轮到我说了，来吧，宝绮思，让我们做个朋友。你可以继续指出盖哑星系的优点，我也许仍会拒绝接受，不过即使这样，还是让我们做个朋友吧。”说完他就伸出手来。
“没问题，崔维兹。”她答道，同时两人紧紧握住了对方的手。
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崔维兹冲着自己默默一笑，那只是一种内在的笑容，因为他的嘴角没有丝毫牵动。
当初，他用电脑搜寻第一组座标标示的恒星时（并不肯定有没有），裴洛拉特与宝绮思两人都专心地旁观，并且提出许多问题。现在，他们却待在寝舱里睡大觉——至少是在休息，而将所有工作都留给崔维兹负责。
就某个角度而言，这点令他相当得意，因为崔维兹觉得他们接受了一项事实，那就是他完全知道自己在做什么，不需要任何的监督或鼓励。在这方面，崔维兹从第一站获得了足够的经验，知道应更加信赖电脑，并且感到它即使需要监督，自己也不必盯得那么紧。
另一颗恒星出现了——明后耀眼，但银河舆图中却没有纪录。与奥罗拉环绕的恒星相比，这第二颗恒星显得更明后，而它在电脑中竟然没有纪录，也就更加耐人寻味。
崔维兹不禁惊叹古代传说的奇奥之处。在人类意识中，几个世纪也许会缩成一点点，甚至全然消失无踪，许多文明可能完全遭到遗忘。伹在无数逝去的世纪、那么多的文明之中，仍会有一两件事项完好地流传下来，例如那几组座标便是。
不久之前，他对裴洛拉特提到这点。裴洛拉特立刻告诉他，这正是研究神话传说如此迷人的原因。“诀窍在于，”裴洛拉特说：“找出或判定传说中哪些成分代表史实与真相。这件事并不容易，不同的神话学家很可能会选取不同的成分，通常取决于何者刚好符合他们自己的诠释。”
无论如何，丹尼亚多提供的座标之一，经过时间修正后，正好就是如今这颗恒星的位置。现在，崔维兹愿意下更大的赌注，赌第三颗恒星同样位于座标点上。若真如此，他愿意更进一步，考虑禁忌世界共有五十个的传说也是正确的（虽然那是个可疑的整数），而且，还会开始研究其他四十七个世界的位置。
接着，他发现了一个可住人的世界——禁忌世界——围绕着这颗恒星。这回，它的出现没有在崔维兹心中激起一丝涟漪，他本来就绝对肯定它会在那里。他立刻驾驶远星号进入它的低速轨道。
云层还算稀疏，从太空中能将地表看得相当清楚。跟几乎所有的可住人世界一样，这也是个多水的世界，包括一个无间断的热带海洋，以及两个完整的极地冰洋。在一侧的中纬度地带，有一块长条状的陆地，弯弯曲曲地环绕着整个世界，陆地两侧有一些海湾，造成了几个狭窄的地峡。在另一个半球的中纬度地带，陆地分裂成三大部分，每部分的南北宽度都比另一半球的陆地更宽。
崔维兹遗憾自己对气候学所知不多，否则根据见到的景象，就能推测出大致的温度与季节。一时间，他起了一个顽皮的念头，想要让电脑解决这个问题，不过此时气候根本无关紧要。
包着要的一件事，是电脑又没侦测到科技导致的辐射。他透过望远镜看下去，发现这颗行星并不显得老旧，也没有荒芜的迹象。不断后退的地表都是色调不一的绿地，下过日面没有都会区的迹象，夜面则见不到任何灯光。
这会不会是另一颗充满各种生命，唯独欠缺人类的行星？
于是，他敲了敲另一间寝舱的门。
“宝绮思？”他轻声喊道，接着又敲了一下。
房间里传来一阵沙沙声，以及宝绮思的声音：“什么事？”
“你能不能出来一下？我需要你帮忙。”
“请等一会儿，我现在这个样子不方便见人。”
当她终于现身的时候，模样看来绝不比过去任何一次逊色。可是崔维兹却感到一阵恼怒，因为他根本没必要等这一会儿，她看起来什么样子，对他而言毫无差别。不过他们现在既然已经是朋友，他只好将恼怒的情绪压抑下来。
她面带微笑，以十分愉快的语调说：“我能帮你做什么，崔维兹？”
崔维兹向显像屏幕挥了挥手。“你可以看到，从我们正在通过的地表看来，这个世界百分之百健康，陆地上布满了相当厚实的植群。不过，黑夜地区没有灯光，也没有任何科技性辐射。请仔细倾听，然后告诉我是否有任何动物生命。在某个地点，我想我好像看到一群吃草的动物，但我不敢肯定。或许是我拼命想要看到什么，因而产生一种幻觉。”
于是宝绮思开始“倾听”，至少，她脸上现出了一种特殊的专注神情。“喔，没错——动物生命很丰富。”
“哺乳动物吗？”
“一定是。”
“人类吗？”
现在她似乎更加集中注意力，整整一分钟过去了，然后又过了一分钟，她才终于松弛下来。“我无法分辨得很清楚，每隔一阵子，我似乎就侦测到一丝飘忽的智慧，强度足以代表人类。但它实在太微弱，而且忽隐忽现，或许因为我也拼命想要感测什么，因而产生一种幻觉。你知道……”
她突然陷入沉思，崔维兹催促她道：“怎么样？”
她又说：“事实上，我好像侦测到了别的东西。那并非我熟悉的任何事物，但我不相信它会是别的……”
她开始更聚精会神地“倾听”，整张脸再度绷紧。
“怎么样？”崔维兹又问。
她松了一口气。“除了机器人，我想不出有其他的可能。”
“机器人！”
“是的，而我若能侦测到它们，当然应该也能侦测到人类，可是没有。”
“机器人！”崔维兹皱着眉头着复了一遍。
“是的，”宝绮思说：“而且我还能断定，数量相当庞大。”
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裴洛拉特听到后，也应了声“机器人！”声调跟崔维兹刚刚几乎一模一样。然后他淡淡一笑，又说：“你对了，葛兰，我不该怀疑你。”
“我不记得你何时怀疑过我，詹诺夫。”
“喔，老友，当时我认为不该表现出来。我只是在想，在我心里头想，离开奥罗拉是个错误，因为在那里，我们有机会遇见一些存活的机器人。可是显然你早就知道，这里有更多的机器人。”
“根本不是这样，詹诺夫，我当初并不知道，我只是想碰碰运气。宝绮思告诉我，根据这些机器人的精神场判断，它们似乎处于正常运作状态，而我觉得若是没有人类照顾和维修，它们不可能处于良好的运作状态。然而，她无法侦察到任何人类的迹象，所以我们仍在继续寻找。”
裴洛拉特若有所思地检视着显像屏幕。“似乎都是森林，对不对？”
“大部分都是森林，不过有几块地区显然是草原。问题是我看不到城市，黑夜地区也不见任何灯光，而且除了热辐射，一直没有其他辐射出现。”
“所以根本没有人类？”
“我很怀疑。宝绮思正在厨舱内设法集中精神。我为这颗行星定出一条本初子午线，也就是说电脑为这颗行星画出了经纬度。宝绮思正握着一个小装置，当她遇到机器人精神活动似乎特别密集的地区——我想对机器人不能用‘神经活动’——或者任何人类思想的微弱讯息，她就会按一下钮。那个装置连到电脑上，电脑可根据经纬度定出位置，然后我们就让它从那些地点中，选取一个适宜的着陆之处。”
裴洛拉特显得有些不安。“让电脑做选择，这是明智的做法吗？”
“有何不可，詹诺夫？它是一台功能很强的电脑。此外，在你自己无从决定的时候，考虑一下电脑的选择，会有什么害处呢？”
袭洛拉特又快活起来。“这话有点道理，葛兰。有些最古老的传说，就捉到了古人将立方体丢到地上来决定事情。”
“哦？那是怎么做的？”
“立方体每一面都刻有不同的决定：做、不做、或许能做、延后等等。立方体落地后，恰巧朝上的一面所刻的宇，就被视为应当遵循的决定。有时他们也用另一种方式，让一个小球在具有许多凹槽的圆板上旋转。每个槽内都写有不同的决定。小球最后停在哪个槽中，就要遵循那个槽内所写的决定。有些神话学家则认为，这类活动其实是种机率游戏，并非用来决定命运，但是在我看来，两者几乎是同一回事。”
“就某方面而言，”崔维兹说：“我们这样选择着陆地点，就是在玩一种机率游戏。”
宝绮思从厨舱中走了出来，刚好听到最后一句话。她说：“不是机率游戏。我按了几次‘可能’，还有一次绝对的‘确定’，我们要去的就是那个确定地点。”
“为什么会是确定呢？”崔维兹问。
“我捕捉到一丝人类的思想，非常肯定，绝对错不了。”
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此地刚才一定下过雨，因为草地很湿。天上的乌云迅速掠过，显出即将放晴的迹象。
远星号轻轻着陆在一个小树丛旁（为了预防野狗，崔维兹半开玩笑地想），四周看来像是一片牧地。刚才在视野较佳、较宽广的高空，崔维兹好像看到一些果园与田地；而现在，眼前则出现了许多如假包换的草食动物。
不过，附近没有任何建筑物，也没有任何物件是人工的。只有果园中排列整齐的果树，以及将田地画分得整整齐齐的界线，看来像微波发电站一般人工化。
然而这种秤谌的人工化，是不是机器人完成的？没有任何人类参与吗？
崔维兹默默地系上承装武器的皮套，这一次，他确定两种武器都在待发状态，而且都充足了电。突然之间，他接触到宝绮思的目光，随即停止了动作。
她说：“请继续，我认为你绝不会用到，但我上次也这样认为，对不对？”
崔维兹说：“你要不要带武器，詹诺夫？”
裴洛拉特打了一个寒颤。“不，谢了。夹在你和宝绮思之间，你的有形防卫力量加上她的精神防卫力量，使我觉得根本没有危险。我知道躲在你们的庇护下很孬种，不过想到自己不需要使用武力，我感激都还来不及，也就不觉得羞愧了。”
崔维兹说：“我可以了解，但千万别单独行动。如果宝绮思和我分开，你得跟着我们其中一个，不可以由于好奇心作祟，自己跑到别的地方去。”
“你不必担心，崔维兹，”宝绮思说：“我会好好留意。”
崔维兹第一个走出太空艇。外面正吹着轻快的风，雨后的气温带着些微凉意，崔维兹却感到十分宜人。雨前的空气可能又湿又热，一定令人很不舒眼。
他吸了几口气，觉得十分讶异，这个行星的气味很不错。他明白每个行星都具有独特的味道，那些味道总是很陌生，而且通常都不好闻——也许只是因为陌生的关系。陌生的气味就不能令人感到愉快吗？或是他们刚好赶对了季节，又正巧下过一场雨？不论原因为何……
“出来吧，”他叫道：“外面相当舒适。”
裴洛拉特走出来，然后说：“嗯，舒适这个形容诃再恰当不过。你认为这里常年都有这种气味吗？”
“那没什么差别，不到一个小时，我们就会习惯这种香气。鼻中的感受器饱和之后，就什么也闻不到了。”
“真可惜。”裴洛拉特说。
“草地是湿的。”宝绮思似乎有点不以为然。
“这有什么不对？毕竟，盖哑上也会下雨啊！”崔维兹说。此时，一道黄色阳光突然自云缝洒下，阳光想必会越来越强。
“没错，”宝绮思说：“但我们知道何时会下雨，我们有心理准备。”
“太糟了，”崔维兹说：“你们丧失了许多意外的惊奇。”
宝绮思答道：“你说得对，我会尽量不再那么褊狭。”
裴洛拉特向四周望了望，失望地说：“附近似乎什么都没有。”
“只是似乎而已，”宝绮思说：“它们正从小丘的另一侧走来。”然后她望向崔维兹，“你认为我们该迎上去吗？”
崔维兹摇了摇头。“不，我们为了跟它们见面，已经飞越许多秒差距，剩下的路程让它们走完，我们就在这里等着。”
只有宝绮思能感知那组机器人的动向。在她所指方向的小丘顶上突然冒出一个人形，然后是第二个、第三个。
“我相信目前只有这几个。”宝绮思说。
崔维兹好奇地凝视着，虽然他从未见过机器人，却丝毫不怀疑它们的身份。它们拥有粗略的人形，像是印象派的雕塑，不过外表看来并非明显的金属材质。这些机器人表面毫无光泽，给人一种柔软的错觉，彷佛包覆了一层丝绒。
但他怎么知道柔软只是错觉？看着这些以迟钝的步伐慢慢接近的人形，崔维兹突然起了摸摸它们的冲动。假如此地果真是个禁忌世界，从来没有船舰接近过——这一定是事实，因为它的太阳不在银河舆图中——那么远星号与其上的成员，就是这些机器人经验以外的事物。可是它们的反应相当笃定，彷佛正在进行例行公事一般。
崔维兹低声说：“我们在这里，也许能得到银河其他各处得不到的情报。我们可以问它们地球相对这个世界的位置，假如它们知道，就会告诉我们。谁晓得这些东西运作多久、寿命多长了？它们也许会根据自身的记忆回答，想想看，这有多难得。”
“反之，”宝绮思说：“它们也许最近才出厂，因此一无所知。”
“或者也有可能，”裴洛拉特说：“它们虽然知道，却拒绝告诉我们。”
崔维兹说：“我猜想它们不能拒绝，除非它们奉命不准告诉我们。可是在这个行星上，绝不可能有人料到我们要来，谁又会下这种命令呢？”
到了距离他们约三公尺的地方，三个机器人停下来。它们没说什么，也没有进一步的行动。
崔维兹右手按在手铳上，目不转晴地紧盯着机器人，一面对宝绮思说：“你能下能判断它们是否怀有敌意？”
“你应该考虑到一件事实，我对它们的精神运作一点也不熟悉，崔维兹，但我未侦测到类似敌意的情绪。”
崔维兹的右手离开了铳柄，不过仍摆在附近。他举起左手，掌心朝向机器人，希望它们能认出这是代表和平的手势。他缓缓说道：“我向你们致意，我们以朋友的身分造访这个世界。”
中间那个机器人迅速低下头来，像是很勉强地鞠了一躬。在一个乐观者的眼中，或许也会把它视为代表和平的动作，接着它便开始答话。
崔维兹突然拉长了脸，显得极为惊讶。在各个世界沟通无碍的银河中，不会有人想到这么基本的需要也可能出问题。然而，这个机器人说的不是银河标准语，也并非任何相近的语言。事实上，崔维兹连一个字也听不懂。
45
裴洛拉特的讶异秤谌与崔维兹不相上下，伹他显然还带着一分惊喜。
“听来是不是很奇怪？”他说。
崔维兹转头望向他，相当不客气地说：“不是奇怪，根本就是叽哩呱啦。”
裴洛拉特说：“绝不是叽哩呱啦，这也是银河标准语，只不过非常古老。我能听懂几个字，如果写出来的话，我也许可以轻易看懂，真正难解的是发音。”
“那么，它说些什么？”
“我想它在告诉你，它不了解你说什么。”
宝绮思说：“我无法意会它说的话，但我感知到的是迷惑的情绪，这点刚好吻合。前提是，如果我能信任自己对机器人情绪的分析——或者说，如果真有机器人情绪这回事。”
裴洛拉特说了一些话，他说得非常慢，并且显得有些困难。三个机器人动作一致地迅速点了点头。
“那是什么意思？”崔维兹问。
裴洛拉特说：“我说我讲得不好，不过我愿意尝试，请它们多给我一点时间。天哪，老弟，这真是有趣得吓人。”
“真是失望得吓人。”崔维兹喃喃说道。
“你可知道，”裴洛拉特说：“银河中每一颗住人行星，都会发展出风格特殊的语文，所以银河中总共有干万种方言，有时相互间几乎无法沟通，但它们都统一在银河标准语之下。假定这个世界已经孤立了两万年，它的语言可能会和银河其他各处越离越远，逐渐演变成一种完全不同的语言。但事实并非如此，也许因为这是个仰赖机器人的社会，而机器人听得懂的语言，就是设定它们的程式所用的语言。多年以来，这个世界没有着新设定机器人的程式，反过来说，他们中止了语言的演化，我们现在听到的，只是一种非常古老的银河标准语。”
“这是个很好的例子，”崔维兹道：“说明机器人化社会如何被迫停滞不前，进而开始退化。”
“可是，我亲爱的夥伴，”裴洛拉特抗议道：“使一种语言几乎保持不变，并不一定是退化的徵候。这样做其实有不少优点，可让历史文件在数世纪、数千年后仍然保存原有的意义，历史纪录的寿命与权威性会相对增加。在银河其他各处，哈里•谢顿时代的敕令所用的语文，现在已经显得颇有古风了。”
“你懂这种古银河语吗？”
“谈不上懂，葛兰。只是在研究古代神话传说的过程中，我领略到一点窍门。字汇并非全然不同，但是字形变化却不一样，而且有些惯用语我们早已不再使用。此外，正如我刚才所说，现在发音已经完全变了。我可以充当翻译，可是无法做得很好。”
崔维兹心虚地吁了一口气。“即使只有一点点好运，也是聊胜于无。继续吧，詹诺夫。”
裴洛拉特转向机器人，愣了一会儿，又转过头来望着崔维兹。“我该说些什么呢？”
“我们单刀直入，问它们地球在哪里。”
裴洛拉特一个字一个字慢慢说，同时夸张地比画着手势。
那些机器人互相望了望，发出一些声音来，然后中间那个对裴洛拉特说了几句话。裴洛拉特一面回答，一面将双手向两侧伸展，像是在拉扯一条橡皮筋。那个机器人再度回答，它像裴洛拉特一样谨慎，将每个字都说得又慢又清楚。
裴洛拉特对崔维兹说：“我不确定有没有把‘地球’的意思表达清楚，我猜它们认为我是指这颗行星的某个地区，它们说不知道有这样一个地区。”
“它们有没有提到这颗行星的名字，詹诺夫？”
“它们提到的名字，我能做的最接近猜测是‘索拉利’。”
“你在搜集到的传说中听说过吗？”
“没有，就和我从未听过奥罗拉一样。”
“好，问问它们在天上——在群星之间，有没有任何地方叫作地球，你向上指一指。”
经过一番交谈之后，裴洛拉特终于转过身来说：“我能从它们口中套出来的，葛兰，就是天上没有任何的地方。”
宝绮思说：“间问那些机器人它们有多大年纪，或者应该说，它们已经运作多久了。”
“我不知道‘运作’该怎么说。”裴洛拉特摇了摇头，“事实上，我也不确定会不会说‘多大年纪’，我不是个很好的翻译。”
“尽力而为吧，亲爱的裴。”宝绮思说。
又经过几番交谈后，裴洛拉特说：“它们已经运作了二十六年。”
“二十六年，”崔维兹不以为然地喃喃说道：“这些机器人比你大不了多少，宝绮思。”
宝绮思突然以高傲的语气说：“事实上……”
“我知道，你是盖娅，已经好几千岁了。不管怎样，这些机器人本身经验中没有地球，而且在它们的记忆库中，显然没有任何和它们的运作无关的资料，所以它们才会对天文学一无所知。”
裴洛拉特说：“在这颗行星的其他地方，或许还有最早期的机器人。”
“我很怀疑，”崔维兹说：“不过还是问问它们，詹诺夫，如果你想得出该怎么说的话。”
这次的问答是段相当长的对话，最后裴洛拉特终于打住，他的脸涨得通红，带着一副明显受挫的神情。
“葛兰，”他说：“他们想表达的我有一部分听不懂，但是根据我的猜测，较老的机器人都被用来当作劳工，所以什么事也不知道。假使这个机器人是真人，我会说它提到那些较老的机器人时，用的是轻蔑的口气。这三个是管家机器人，它们这么说，而且在被其他机器人取代之前，它们是不会变老的。它们才是真正有知识的一群——这是它们的话，不是我说的。”
“它们知道得也不多，”崔维兹忿忿地说：“至少不知道我们想知道的事。”
“我现在后悔了，”裴洛拉特说：“我们不该这么匆忙地离开奥罗拉。我们若能在那里发现一个存活的机器人，它本身记忆中就会含有地球的资料。而我们一定会发现的，因为我遇见的第一个就一息尚存。”
“只要它们的记忆完奸无缺，詹诺夫，”崔维兹说：“我们随时可以回到那里。若是我们必须回去，不论有没有野狗群，我们都一定会那么做。可是假如这些机器人只有二十几岁，它们的制造者必定就在附近，而那些制造者必定是人类，我这么想。”他又转向宝绮思，“你确定感测到……”
宝绮思却举起一只手制止他再说下去，她的脸上现出紧张而专注的表情。“来了——”她低声说。
崔维兹转头朝小丘望去。从小丘背后出现、大步向他们走来的，是个货真价实的人类身形。他肤色苍白，头发很长但颜色不深，头部两侧的部分微微往外翘。他的面容严肃，不过看来相当年轻，裸露在外的手臂与腿部没有什么肌肉。
三个机器人让出一条路给他，他一直走到它们之间，才停下脚步。
他以清晰而愉悦的声音开始说话，他的用词虽然古老，仍然算是银河标准语，而且不难听懂。
“欢迎，太空来的浪者。”他说：“你们跟我的机器人做什么？”
46
崔维兹未露出欣喜之色，他问了句有点多余的话：“你会说银河标准语？”
那索拉利人带着冷笑说：“有何不可？我又不是哑巴。”
“可是这些呢？”崔维兹朝机器人指了指。
“这些是机器人，它们跟我一样，使用我们的语言。不过我是索拉利人，我常收听远方世界的超空间通讯，因此学缓笏你们说话的方式，我的先人也一样。先人留下了描述这种语言的资料，可是我不断听到新的字汇和语法，每年都有些变化。你们银河殖民者虽然能定居各个世界，却似乎无法将语文褂讪下来。我能了解你们的语言，为何使你感到惊讶？”
“我不应该有这样的反应，”崔维兹说：“我向你道歉。只是刚才跟这些机器人几乎说不通，我没想到在这个世界上还能听到银河标准语。”
崔维兹开始打量这个索拉利人。他穿着一件轻薄的白袍，袍子松垮地披在肩上，双臂处有宽阔的开口。白袍的正面敞开，露出赤裸的胸膛与下方的束腰。他双脚踩着一双轻便的凉鞋，除此之外没有其他装束。
崔维兹突然想到，自己居然看不出这个索拉利人是男是女。此人的胸部无疑属于男性，可是胸膛没有胸毛，薄薄的柬腰下也没有任何隆起。
他转过头来，低声对宝绮思说：“这个可能还是机器人，不过看起来非常像真人……”
“这是个人类的心灵，并非属于机器人的。”宝绮思答道，她的嘴唇几乎没有动。
那索拉利人说：“但你尚未回答我原先的问题，我原谅你的疏失，将它诿诸你的惊讶。现在我再问一遍，你绝不能再不回答，你们跟我的机器人做什么？”
崔维兹说：“我们是旅人，想要打听如何前往我们的目的地。我们请求你的机器人提供有用的资料，可是它们缺乏这方面的知识。”
“你们在寻找什么资料？也许我可以帮你们。”
“我们在寻找地球的位置，你能不能告诉我们？”
那索拉利人扬起眉毛。“我本来还以为，你们最好奇的应该是我。虽然你们没有要求，我还是会提供这方面的资料。我是萨腾•班德，你们如今站在班德属地上，向四面八方望去，极目所见都是我的属地，它还一直延伸到你们目力所不及的远方。我不能说欢迎你们，因为你们来到这里，等于违反了一项承诺。数千年来，你们是第一批踏上索拉利的银河殖民者。结果，你们来到此地的目的，只是为了询问前往另一个世界的捷径。在古老的时代，诸位银河殖民者，你们和你们的太空船一出现就会被摧毁。”
“以这种方式对待并无恶意、又没带来任何危害的客人，实在太野蛮了。”崔维兹小心翼翼地说。
“我同意，不过当一个扩张性社会的成员，来到一个不具侵略性，而且维持静止状态的社会，就算只有初步的接触，也充满潜在的危害。当我们畏惧这种危害时，只要外人一到这里，我们便立即将他们摧毁。既然我们不再有畏惧的理由，你看得出来，我们现在愿意谈一谈。”
崔维兹说：“谢谢你毫无保留地提供这些讯息，但你尚未回答我原先的问题。我再着复一遍，你能不能告诉我们地球的位置？”
“所谓的地球，我想你是指人类以及各种各样动植物——”他一只手优雅地挥动，仿佛指着环绕他们周围的万物。“——的发源地吧。”
“没错，我正是这个意思，先生。”
一个古怪的厌恶神情，突然掠过那索拉利人的脸孔。他说：“如果你必须使用某种称谓，请直接称呼我班德。别用含有任何性别的字眼称呼我，我既非男性亦非女性，我是全性。”
崔维兹点了点头（他猜对了）。“就依你的意思，班德。那么，我们大家的发源地，地球，究竟在哪里？”
班德说：“我不知道，也不想知道。就算我知道，或者假使我找得出来，对你们也没有好处，因为地球已经不能算是一个世界——啊，”他双臂伸展开来，“阳光的感觉真好，我不常到地面上来，太阳若不露脸的话，我是绝不会上来的。刚才太阳还藏在云里的时候，我先派机器人迎接你们，等到云层飘走，我自己才跟了出来。”
“为什么地球已经不能算是一个世界？”崔维兹锲而不舍地追问。他已经有心理准备，打算再听一次有关放射性的传说。
不过班德却不理会这个问题，或者没把它当回事。“说来话长，”他道：“你刚才告诉我，你们到此地来没有任何恶意。”
“完全正确。”
“那么你为何武装前来？”
“只不过是防患未然，我不知道会遭遇到什么。”
“没关系，你的小小武器对我毫无威胁，我不过是感到好奇。有关你们的武器，以及似乎全然依赖武器建立的奇特野蛮历史，我当然早就耳熟能详。即便如此，我从未真正见过任何武器，我可以看看吗？”
崔维兹往后退了一步。“我想恐怕下行，班德。”
班德似乎被逗乐了。“我问你只是出于礼貌，其实我根本不必问。”
它伸出一只手来，崔维兹右侧的手铳立时跳出皮套；而他左侧皮套中的神经鞭也同时向上窜起。崔维兹想抓住那两件武器，却感到双臂无法动弹，就像被强固的弹性绳索缚住一样。裴洛拉特与宝绮思也都企图向前冲，可是显然两人同样被制住了。
班德说：“不要白费力气，你们办不到。”两件武器飞到它的手中，它翻来覆去仔细检视了一番。
“这一件，”它指着手铳说：“似乎是能产生高热的微波束发射器，能使任何含有水分的物体爆炸。另一件比较微妙，我必须承认，乍看之下我看下出它的用途。然而，既然你们并无恶意，又不准备危害这个世界，你们就根本不需要武器。我能将武器中的能量释放出来，而我正在这么做。这样它们就不再具有杀伤力，除非你拿来当棍棒使用，不过充作那种用途，它们未免太不称手了。”
那索拉利人将武器松开，两件武器再度腾空而起，向崔维兹飞去，各自不偏不倚落人皮套中。
崔维兹一感到束缚消失，立刻拔出手铳，不过此举完全多余。扳机松垮垮地下垂，能量显然全被抽光，神经鞭的情形也一样。
他抬头望向班德，班德微笑着说：“你完全束手无策，外星人士。只要我高兴，可以同样轻而易举摧毁你的太空船，当然，还有你。”
Chapter 11: Underground
47Trevize felt frozen. Trying to breathe normally, heturned to look at Bliss. She was standing with her arm protectivelyabout Pelorat's waist, and, to all appearances, was quite calm. Shesmiled slightly and, even more slightly, nodded her head.
Trevize turned back to Bander. Having interpreted Bliss's actions assignifying confidence, and hoping with dreadful earnestness that he wascorrect, he said grimly, "How did you do that, Bander?"Bander smiled, obviously in high good humor. "Tell me, littleOutworlders, do you believe in sorcery? In magic?""No, we do not, little Solarian," snapped Trevize.
Bliss tugged at Trevize's sleeve and whispered, "Don't irritatehim. He's dangerous.""I can see he is," said Trevize, keeping his voice low withdifficulty. "You do something, then."Her voice barely heard, Bliss said, "Not yet. He will be less dangerousif he feels secure."Bander paid no attention to the brief whispering among theOutworlders. It moved away from them uncaringly, the robots separatingto let it pass.
Then it looked back and crooked a finger languidly. "Come. Followme. All three of you. I will tell you a story that may not interest you,but that interests me." It continued to walk forward leisurely.
Trevize remained in place for a while, uncertain as to the best courseof action. Bliss walked forward, however, and the pressure of her armled Pelorat forward as well. Eventually, Trevize moved; the alternativewas to be left standing alone with the robots.
Bliss said lightly, "If Bander will be so kind as to tell the storythat may not interest us "Bander turned and looked intently at Bliss as though he were trulyaware of her for the first time. "You are the feminine half-human,"he said, "aren't you? The lesser half?""The smaller half, Bander. Yes.""These other two are masculine half-humans, then?""So they are.""Have you had your child yet, feminine?""My name, Bander, is Bliss. I have not yet had a child. This isTrevize. This is Pel.""And which of these two masculines is to assist you when it is yourtime? Or will it be both? Or neither?""Pel will assist me, Bander."Bander turned his attention to Pelorat. "You have white hair,I see."Pelorat said, "I have.""Was it always that color?""No, Bander, it became so with age.""And how old are you?""I am fifty-two years old, Bander," Pelorat said, then added hastily,"That's Galactic Standard Years."Bander continued to walk (toward the distant mansion, Trevize assumed),but more slowly. It said, "I don't know how long a Galactic StandardYear is, but it can't be very different from our year. And how old willyou be when you die, Pel?""I can't say. I may live thirty more years.""Eighty-two years, then. Short-lived, and divided inhalves. Unbelievable, and yet my distant ancestors were like you andlived on Earth. But some of them left Earth to establish new worldsaround other stars, wonderful worlds, well organized, and many."Trevize said loudly, "Not many. Fifty."Bander turned a lofty eye on Trevize. There seemed less humor in itnow. "Trevize. That's your name.""Golan Trevize in full. I say there were fifty Spacerworlds. Our worlds number in the millions.""Do you know, then, the story that I wish to tell you?" said Bandersoftly.
"If the story is that there were once fifty Spacer worlds, we knowit.""We count not in numbers only, little half-human," said Bander. "Wecount the quality, too. There were fifty, but such a fifty that not allyour millions could make up one of them. And Solaria was the fiftieth and,therefore, the best. Solaria was as far beyond the other Spacer worlds,as they were beyond Earth.
"We of Solaria alone learned how life was to be lived. We did notherd and flock like animals, as they did on Earth, as they did on otherworlds, as they did even on the other Spacer worlds. We lived each alone,with robots to help us, viewing each other electronically as often as wewished, but coming within natural sight of one another only rarely. It ismany years since I have gazed at human beings as I now gaze at you but,then, you are only half-humans and your presence, therefore, does notlimit my freedom any more than a cow would limit it, or a robot.
"Yet we were once half-human, too. No matter how we perfected ourfreedom; no matter how we developed as solitary masters over countlessrobots; the freedom was never absolute. In order to produce young therehad to be two individuals in co-operation. It was possible, of course,to contribute sperm cells and egg cells, to have the fertilization processand the consequent embryonic growth take place artificially in automatedfashion. It was possible for the infant to live adequately under roboticcare. It could all be done, but the half-humans would not give up thepleasure that went with biological impregnation. Perverse emotionalattachments would develop in consequence and freedom vanished. Do yousee that that had to be changed?"Trevize said, "No, Bander, because we do not measure freedom by yourstandards.""That is because you do not know what freedom is. You have never livedbut in swarms, and you know no way of life but to be constantly forced,in even the smallest things, to bend your wills to those of others or,which is equally vile, to spend your days struggling to force others tobend their wills to yours. Where is any possible freedom there? Freedomis nothing if it is not to live as you wish! Exactly as you wish!
"Then came the time when the Earthpeople began to swarm outwardonce more, when their clinging crowds again swirled through space. Theother Spacers, who did not flock as the Earthpeople did, but who flockednevertheless, if to a lesser degree, tried to compete.
"We Solarians did not. We foresaw inevitable failure in swarming. Wemoved underground and broke off all contact with the rest of theGalaxy. We were determined to remain ourselves at all costs. We developedsuitable robots and weapons to protect our apparently empty surface,and they did the job admirably. Ships came and were destroyed, andstopped coming. The planet was considered deserted, and was forgotten,as we hoped it would be.
"And meanwhile, underground, we worked to solve our problems. Weadjusted our genes gingerly, delicately. We had failures, but somesuccesses, and we capitalized on the successes. It took us many centuries,but we finally became whole human beings, incorporating both the masculineand feminine principles in one body, supplying our own complete pleasureat will, and producing, when we wished, fertilized eggs for developmentunder skilled robotic care.""Hermaphrodites," said Pelorat.
"Is that what it is called in your language?" asked Banderindifferently. "I have never heard the word.""Hermaphroditism stops evolution dead in its tracks," saidTrevize. "Each child is the genetic duplicate of its hermaphroditicparent.""Come," said Bander, "you treat evolution as a hit-and-miss affair. Wecan design our children if we wish. We can change and adjust the genesand, on occasion, we do. But we are almost at my dwelling. Letus enter. It grows late in the day. The sun already fails to give itswarmth adequately and we will be more comfortable indoors."They passed through a door that had no locks of any kind butthat opened as they approached and closed behind them as they passedthrough. There were no windows, but as they entered a cavernous room,the walls glowed to luminous life and brightened. The floor seemed bare,but was soft and springy to the touch. In each of the four corners ofthe room, a robot stood motionless.
"That wall," said Bander, pointing to the wall opposite thedoor a wall that seemed no different in any way from the otherthree is my visionscreen. The world opens before me through thatscreen but it in no way limits my freedom for I cannot be compelled touse it."Trevize said, "Nor can you compel another to use his if you wish tosee him through that screen and he does not.""Compel?" said Bander haughtily. "Let another do as it pleases, ifit is but content that I do as I please. Please note that we do not usegendered pronouns in referring to each other."There was one chair in the room, facing the vision-screen, and Bandersat down in it.
Trevize looked about, as though expecting additional chairs to springfrom the floor. "May we sit, too?" he said.
"If you wish," said Bander.
Bliss, smiling, sat down on the floor. Pelorat sat down besideher. Trevize stubbornly continued to stand.
Bliss said, "Tell me, Bander, how many human beings live on thisplanet?""Say Solarians, half-human Bliss. The phrase `human being' iscontaminated by the fact that half-humans call themselves that. Wemight call ourselves whole-humans, but that is clumsy. Solarian is theproper term.""How many Solarians, then, live on this planet?""I am not certain. We do not count ourselves. Perhaps twelvehundred.""Only twelve hundred on the entire world?""Fully twelve hundred. You count in numbers again, while we countin quality. Nor do you understand freedom. If one other Solarianexists to dispute my absolute mastery over any part of my land, overany robot or living thing or object, my freedom is limited. Since otherSolarians exist, the limitation on freedom must be removed as far aspossible by separating them all to the point where contact is virtuallynonexistent. Solaria will hold twelve hundred Solarians under conditionsapproaching the ideal. Add more, and liberty will be palpably limitedso that the result will be unendurable.""That means each child must be counted and must balance deaths,"said Pelorat suddenly.
"Certainly. That must be true of any world with a stablepopulation even yours, perhaps.""And since there are probably few deaths, there must therefore befew children.""Indeed."Pelorat nodded his head and was silent.
Trevize said, "What I want to know is how you made my weapons flythrough the air. You haven't explained that.""I offered you sorcery or magic as an explanation. Do you refuse toaccept that?""Of course I refuse. What do you take me for?""Will you, then, believe in the conservation of energy, and in thenecessary increase of entropy?""That I do. Nor can I believe that even in twenty thousand years youhave changed these laws, or modified them a micrometer.""Nor have we, half-person. But now consider. Outdoors, there issunlight." There was its oddly graceful gesture, as though marking outsunlight all about. "And there is shade. It is warmer in the sunlightthan in the shade, and heat flows spontaneously from the sunlit areainto the shaded area.""You tell me what I know," said Trevize.
"But perhaps you know it so well that you no longer think aboutit. And at night, Solaria's surface is warmer than the objects beyondits atmosphere, so that heat flows spontaneously from the planetarysurface into outer space.""I know that, too.""And day or night, the planetary interior is warmer than the planetarysurface. Heat therefore flows spontaneously from the interior to thesurface. I imagine you know that, too.""And what of all that, Bander?""The flow of heat from hotter to colder, which must take place bythe second law of thermodynamics, can be used to do work.""In theory, yes, but sunlight is dilute, the heat of the planetarysurface is even more dilute, and the rate at which heat escapes from theinterior makes that the most dilute of all. The amount of heat-flow thatcan be harnessed would probably not be enough to lift a pebble.""It depends on the device you use for the purpose," said Bander. "Ourown tool was developed over a period of thousands of years and it isnothing less than a portion of our brain."Bander lifted the hair on either side of its head, exposing thatportion of its skull behind its ears. It turned its head this way andthat, and behind each ear was a bulge the size and shape of the bluntend of a hen's egg.
"That portion of my brain, and its absence in you, is what makes thedifference between a Solarian and you."48Trevize glanced now and then at Bliss's face, whichseemed entirely concentrated on Bander. Trevize had grown quite certainhe knew what was going on.
Bander, despite its paean to freedom, found this unique opportunityirresistible. There was no way it could speak to robots on a basis ofintellectual equality, and certainly not to animals. To speak to itsfellow-Solarians would be, to it, unpleasant, and what communicationthere must be would be forced, and never spontaneous.
As for Trevize, Bliss, and Pelorat, they might be half-human to Bander,and it might regard them as no more an infringement on its liberty thana robot or a goat would be but they were its intellectual equals(or near equals) and the chance to speak to them was a unique luxury ithad never experienced before.
No wonder, Trevize thought, it was indulging itself in this way. AndBliss (Trevize was doubly sure) was encouraging this, just pushingBander's mind ever so gently in order to urge it to do what it very muchwanted to do in any case.
Bliss, presumably, was working on the supposition that if Bander spokeenough, it might tell them something useful concerning Earth. That madesense to Trevize, so that even if he had not been truly curious aboutthe subject under discussion, he would nevertheless have endeavored tocontinue the conversation.
"What do those brain-lobes do?" Trevize asked.
Bander said, "They are transducers. They are activated by the flowof heat and they convert the heat-flow into mechanical energy.""I cannot believe that. The flow of heat is insufficient.""Little half-human, you do not think. If there were many Solarianscrowded together, each trying to make use of the flow of heat, then, yes,the supply would be insufficient. I, however, have over forty thousandsquare kilometers that are mine, mine alone. I can collect heat-flowfrom any quantity of those square kilometers with no one to dispute me,so the quantity is sufficient. Do you see?""Is it that simple to collect heat-flow over a wide area? The mereact of concentration takes a great deal of energy.""Perhaps, but I am not aware of it. My transducer-lobes are constantlyconcentrating heat-flow so that as work is needed, work is done. WhenI drew your weapons into the air, a particular volume of the sunlitatmosphere lost some of its excess heat to a volume of the shaded area,so that I was using solar energy for the purpose. Instead of usingmechanical or electronic devices to bring that about, however, I useda neuronic device." It touched one of the transducer-lobes gently. "Itdoes it quickly, efficiently, constantly and effortlessly.""Unbelievable," muttered Pelorat.
"Not at all unbelievable," said Bander. "Consider the delicacy of theeye and ear, and how they can turn small quantities of photons and airvibrations into information. That would seem unbelievable if you had nevercome across it before. The transducer-lobes are no more unbelievable,and would not be so to you, were they not unfamiliar."Trevize said, "What do you do with these constantly operatingtransducerlobes?""We run our world," said Bander. "Every robot on this vast estateobtains its energy from me; or, rather, from natural heat-flow. Whethera robot is adjusting a contact, or felling a tree, the energy is derivedfrom mental transduction my mental transduction.""And if you are asleep?""The process of transduction continues waking or sleeping, littlehalf-human," said Bander. "Do you cease breathing when you sleep? Doesyour heart stop beating? At night, my robots continue working at the costof cooling Solaria's interior a bit. The change is immeasurably smallon a global scale and there are only twelve hundred of us, so that allthe energy we use does not appreciably shorten our sun's life or drainthe world's internal heat.""Has it occurred to you that you might use it as a weapon?"Bander stared at Trevize as though he were something peculiarlyincomprehensible. "I suppose by that," he said, "you mean that Solariamight confront other worlds with energy weapons based on transduction? Whyshould we? Even if we could beat their energy weapons based on otherprinciples which is anything but certain what would wegain? The control of other worlds? What do we want with other worlds whenwe have an ideal world of our own? Do we want to establish our dominationover half-humans and use them in forced labor? We have our robots thatare far better than half-humans for the purpose. We have everything.
We want nothing except to be left to ourselves. See here I'lltell you another story.""Go ahead," said Trevize.
"Twenty thousand years ago when the half-creatures of Earth began toswarm into space and we ourselves withdrew underground, the other Spacerworlds were determined to oppose the new Earth-settlers. So they struckat Earth.""At Earth," said Trevize, trying to hide his satisfaction over thefact that the subject had come up at last.
"Yes, at the center. A sensible move, in a way. If you wish to killa person, you strike not at a finger or a heel, but at the heart. Andour fellow-Spacers, not too far removed from human beings themselves inpassions, managed to set Earth's surface radioactively aflame, so thatthe world became largely uninhabitable.""Ah, that's what happened," said Pelorat, clenching a fist and movingit rapidly, as though nailing down a thesis. "I knew it could not be anatural phenomenon. How was it done?""I don't know how it was done," said Bander indifferently, "and inany case it did the Spacers no good. That is the point of the story. TheSettlers continued to swarm and the Spacers-died out. They had triedto compete, and vanished. We Solarians retired and refused to compete,and so we are still here.""And so are the Settlers," said Trevize grimly.
"Yes, but not forever. Swarmers must fight, must compete, andeventually must die. That may take tens of thousands of years, but wecan wait. And when it happens, we Solarians, whole, solitary, liberated,will have the Galaxy to ourselves. We can then use, or not use, anyworld we wish to in addition to our own.""But this matter of Earth," said Pelorat, snapping his fingersimpatiently. "Is what you tell us legend or history?""How does one tell the difference, half-Pelorat?" said Bander. "Allhistory is legend, more or less.""But what do your records say? May I see the records on the subject,Bander? Please understand that this matter of myths, legends, andprimeval history is my field. I am a scholar dealing with such mattersand particularly with those matters as related to Earth.""I merely repeat what I have heard," said Bander. "There are no recordson the subject. Our records deal entirely with Solarian affairs and otherworlds are mentioned in them only insofar as they impinge upon us.""Surely, Earth has impinged on you," said Pelorat.
"That may be, but, if so, it was long, long ago, and Earth, of allworlds, was most repulsive to us. If we had any records of Earth, I amsure they were destroyed out of sheer revulsion."Trevize gritted his teeth in chagrin. "By yourselves?" he asked.
Bander turned its attention to Trevize. "There is no one else todestroy them."Pelorat would not let go of the matter. "What else have you heardconcerning Earth?"Bander thought. It said, "When I was young, I heard a tale from arobot about an Earthman who once visited Solaria; about a Solarian womanwho left with him and became an important figure in the Galaxy. That,however, was, in my opinion, an invented tale."Pelorat bit at his lip. "Are you sure?""How can I be sure of anything in such matters?" said Bander. "Still,it passes the bounds of belief that an Earthman would dare come toSolaria, or that Solaria would allow the intrusion. It is even lesslikely that a Solarian woman we were half-humans then, but evenso should voluntarily leave this world. But come, let meshow you my home.""Your home?" said Bliss, looking about. "Are we not in your home?""Not at all," said Bander. "This is an anteroom. It is a viewingroom. In it I see my fellow-Solarians when I must. Their images appearon that wall, or three-dimensionally in the space before the wall. Thisroom is a public assembly, therefore, and not part of my home. Comewith me."It walked on ahead, without turning to see if it were followed, butthe four robots left their corners, and Trevize knew that if he and hiscompanions did not follow spontaneously, the robots would gently coercethem into doing so.
The other two got to their feet and Trevize whispered lightly to Bliss,"Have you been keeping it talking?"Bliss pressed his hand, and nodded. "Just the same, I wish I knewwhat its intentions were," she added, with a note of uneasiness inher voice.
49They followed Bander. The robots remained at a politedistance, but their presence was a constantly felt threat.
They were moving through a corridor, and Trevize mumbledlow-spiritedly, "There's nothing helpful about Earth on this planet. I'msure of it. Just another variation on the radioactivity theme." Heshrugged. "We'll have to go on to the third set of co-ordinates."A door opened before them, revealing a small room. Bander said,"Come, half-humans, I want to show you how we live."Trevize whispered, "It gets infantile pleasure out of display. I'dlove to knock it down.""Don't try to compete in childishness," said Bliss.
Bander ushered all three into the room. One of the robots followedas well. Bander gestured the other robots away and entered itself. Thedoor closed behind it.
"It's an elevator," said Pelorat, with a pleased air of discovery.
"So it is," said Bander. "Once weeeent underground, we nevertruly emerged. Nor would weeeant to, though I find it pleasant tofeel the sunlight on occasion. I dislike clouds or night in the open,however. That gives one the sensation of being underground without trulybeing underground, if you know what I mean. That is cognitive dissonance,after a fashion, and I find it very unpleasant.""Earth built underground," said Pelorat. "The Caves of Steel, theycalled their cities. And Trantor built underground, too, even moreextensively, in the old Imperial days. And Comporellon builds undergroundright now. It is a common tendency, when you come to think of it.""Half-humans swarming underground and weeliving underground in isolatedsplendor are two widely different things," said Bander.
Trevize said, "On Terminus, dwelling places are on the surface.""And exposed to the weather," said Bander. "Very primitive."The elevator, after the initial feeling of lower gravity thathad given away its nature to Pelorat, gave no sensation of motionwhatsoever. Trevize was wondering how far down it would penetrate,when there was a brief feeling of higher gravity and the door opened.
Before them was a large and elaborately furnished room. It was dimlylit, though the source of the light was not apparent. It almost seemedas though the air itself were faintly luminous.
Bander pointed its finger and where it pointed the light grew a bitmore intense. It pointed it elsewhere and the same thing happened. Itplaced its left hand on a stubby rod to one side of the doorway and, withits right hand, made an expansive circular gesture so that the whole roomlit up as though it were in sunlight, but with no sensation of heat.
Trevize grimaced and said, half-aloud, "The man's a charlatan."Bander said sharply. "Not `the man,' but `the Solarian.' I'm notsure what the word `charlatan' means, but if I catch the tone of voice,it is opprobrious."Trevize said, "It means one who is not genuine, who arranges effectsto make what is done seem more impressive than it really is."Bander said, "I admit that I love the dramatic, but what I have shownyou is not an effect. It is real."It tapped the rod on which its left hand was resting. "Thisheat-conducting rod extends several kilometers downward, and there aresimilar rods in many convenient places throughout my estate. I knowthere are similar rods on other estates. These rods increase the rate atwhich heat leaves Solaria's lower regions for the surface and eases itsconversion into work. I do not need the gestures of the hand to producethe light, but it does lend an air of drama or, perhaps, as you point out,a slight touch of the not-genuine, I enjoy that sort of thing."Bliss said, "Do you have much opportunity to experience the pleasureof such little dramatic touches?""No," said Bander, shaking its head. "My robots are not impressedwith such things. Nor would my fellow-Solarians be. This unusual chanceof meeting half-humans and displaying for them is most amusing."Pelorat said, "The light in this room shone dimly when we entered. Doesit shine dimly at all times?""Yes, a small drain of power like keeping the robots working. Myentire estate is always running, and those parts of it not engaged inactive labor are idling.""And you supply the power constantly for all this vast estate?""The sun and the planet's core supply the power. I am merely theconduit. Nor is all the estate productive. I keep most of it as wildernessand well stocked with a variety of animal life; first, because thatprotects my boundaries, and second, because I find esthetic value init. In fact, my fields and factories are small. They need only supply myown needs, plus some specialties to exchange for those of others. I haverobots, for instance, that can manufacture and install the heat-conductingrods at need. Many Solarians depend upon me for that.""And your home?" asked Trevize. "How large is that?"It must have been the right question to ask, for Bander beamed. "Verylarge. One of the largest on the planet, I believe. It goes on forkilometers in every direction. I have as many robots caring for myhome underground, as I have in all the thousands of square kilometersof surface.""You don't live in all of it, surely," said Pelorat.
"It might conceivably be that there are chambers I have never entered,but what of that?" said Bander. "The robots keep every room clean,well ventilated, and in order. But come, step out here."They emerged through a door that was not the one through which theyhad entered and found themselves in another corridor. Before them wasa little topless ground-car that ran on tracks.
Bander motioned them into it, and one by one they clamberedaboard. There was not quite room for all four, plus the robot, but Peloratand Bliss squeezed together tightly to allow room for Trevize. Bandersat in the front with an air of easy comfort, the robot at its side,and the car moved along with no sign of overt manipulation of controlsother than Bander's smooth hand motions now and then.
"This is a car-shaped robot, actually," said Bander, with an air ofnegligent indifference.
They progressed at a stately pace, very smoothly past doors thatopened as they approached, and closed as they receded. The decorationsin each were of widely different kinds as though robots had been orderedto devise combinations at random.
Ahead of them the corridor was gloomy, and behind them as well. Atwhatever point they actually found themselves, however, they were in theequivalent of cool sunlight. The rooms, too, would light as the doorsopened. And each time, Bander moved its hand slowly and gracefully.
There seemed no end to the journey. Now and then they found themselvescurving in a way that made it plain that the underground mansion spreadout in two dimensions. (No, three, thought Trevize, at one point, asthey moved steadily down a shallow declivity.)Wherever they went, there were robots, by thedozens scores hundreds engaged in unhurried work whosenature Trevize could not easily divine. They passed the open door ofone large room in which rows of robots were bent quietly over desks.
Pelorat asked, "What are they doing, Bander?""Bookkeeping," said Bander. "Keeping statistical records, financialaccounts, and all sorts of things that, I am very glad to say, I don'thave to bother with. This isn't just an idle estate. About a quarter ofits growing area is given over to orchards. An additional tenth are grainfields, but it's the orchards that are really my pride. We grow the bestfruit in the world and grow them in the largest number of varieties,too. A Bander peach is the peach on Solaria. Hardly anyone else evenbothers to grow peaches. We have twenty-seven varieties of applesand and so on. The robots could give you full information.""What do you do with all the fruit?" asked Trevize. "You can't eatit all yourself.""I wouldn't dream of it. I'm only moderately fond of fruit. It'straded to the other estates.""Traded for what?""Mineral material mostly. I have no mines worth mentioning on myestates. Then, too, I trade for whatever is required to maintain ahealthy ecological balance. I have a very large variety of plant andanimal life on the estate.""The robots take care of all that, I suppose," said Trevize.
"They do. And very well, too.""All for one Solarian.""All for the estate and its ecological standards. I happen to be theonly Solarian who visits the various parts of the estate when Ichoose but that is part of my absolute freedom."Pelorat said, "I suppose the others the otherSolarians also maintain a local ecological balance and havemarshlands, perhaps, or mountainous areas or seafront estates."Bander said, "I suppose so. Such things occupy us in the conferencesthat world affairs sometimes make necessary.""How often do you have to get together?" asked Trevize. (They weregoing through a rather narrow passageway, quite long, and with no roomson either side. Trevize guessed that it might have been built throughan area that did not easily allow anything wider to be constructed, sothat it served as a connecting link between two wings that could eachspread out more widely.
"Too often. It's a rare month when I don't have to pass some time inconference with one of the committees I am a member of. Still, althoughI may not have mountains or marshlands on my estate, my orchards, myfishponds, and my botanical gardens are the best in the world."Pelorat said, "But, my dear fellow I mean, Bander Iwould assume you have never left your estate and visited those ofothers ""Certainly not ," said Bander, with an air of outrage.
"I said I assumed that," said Pelorat mildly. "But in that case,how can you be certain that yours are best, never having investigated,or even seen the others?""Because," said Bander, "I can tell from the demand for my productsin interestate trade."Trevize said, "What about manufacturing?"Bander said, "There are estates where they manufacture tools andmachinery. As I said, on my estate we make the heat-conducting rods,but those are rather simple.""And robots?""Robots are manufactured here and there. Throughout history,Solaria has led all the Galaxy in the cleverness and subtlety of robotdesign.""Today also, I imagine," said Trevize, carefully having the intonationmake the remark a statement and not a question.
Bander said, "Today? With whom is there to compete today? Only Solariamakes robots nowadays. Your worlds do not, if I interpret what I hearon the hyperwave correctly.""But the other Spacer worlds?""I told you. They no longer exist.""At all?""I don't think there is a Spacer alive anywhere but on Solaria.""Then is there no one who knows the location of Earth?""Why would anyone want to know the location of Earth?"Pelorat broke in, "I want to know. It's my field of study.""Then," said Bander, "you will have to study something else. I knownothing about the location of Earth, nor have I heard of anyone who everdid, nor do I care a sliver of robot-metal about the matter."The car came to a halt, and, for a moment, Trevize thought thatBander was offended. The halt was a smooth one, however, and Bander,getting out of the car, looked its usual amused self as it motioned theothers to get out also.
The lighting in the room they entered was subdued, even after Banderhad brightened it with a gesture. It opened into a side corridor, on bothsides of which were smaller rooms. In each one of the smaller rooms wasone or two ornate vases, sometimes flanked by objects that might havebeen film projectors.
"What is all this, Bander?" asked Trevize.
Bander said, "The ancestral death chambers, Trevize."50Pelorat looked about with interest. "I suppose you havethe ashes of your ancestors interred here?""If you mean by `interred,'" said Bander, "buried in the ground,you are not quite right. We may be underground, but this is my mansion,and the ashes are in it, as we are right now. In our own language wesay that the ashes are `inhoused.'" It hesitated, then said, "`House'
is an archaic word for `mansion.'"Trevize looked about him perfunctorily. "And these are all yourancestors? How many?""Nearly a hundred," said Bander, making no effort to hide the pridein its voice. "Ninety-four, to be exact. Of course, the earliest arenot true Solarians not in the present sense of the word. They werehalf-people, masculine and feminine. Such half-ancestors were placed inadjoining urns by their immediate descendants. I don't go into thoserooms, of course. It's rather `shamiferous.' At least, that's theSolarian word for it; but I don't know your Galactic equivalent. Youmay not have one.""And the films?" asked Bliss. "I take it those are filmprojectors?""Diaries," said Bander, "the history of their lives. Scenes ofthemselves in their favorite parts of the estate. It means they do notdie in every sense. Part of them remains, and it is part of my freedomthat I can join them whenever I choose; I can watch this bit of film orthat, as I please.""But not into the shamiferous ones."Bander's eyes slithered away. "No," it admitted, "but then we allhave that as part of the ancestry. It is a common wretchedness.""Common? Then other Solarians also have these death chambers?" askedTrevize.
"Oh yes, we all do, but mine is the best, the most elaborate, themost perfectly preserved."Trevize said, "Do you have your own death chamber alreadyprepared?""Certainly. It is completely constructed and appointed. That wasdone as my first duty when I inherited the estate. And when I am laid toash to be poetic my successor will go about the constructionof its own as its first duty.""And do you have a successor?""I will have when the time comes. There is as yet ample scope forlife. When I must leave, there will be an adult successor, ripe enoughto enjoy the estate, and well lobed for power-transduction.""It will be your offspring, I imagine.""Oh yes.""But what if," said Trevize, "something untoward takes place? I presumeaccidents and misfortunes take place even on Solaria. What happens if aSolarian is laid to ash prematurely and it has no successor to take itsplace, or at least not one who is ripe enough to enjoy the estate?""That rarely happens. In my line of ancestors, that happened onlyonce. When it does, however, one need only remember that there are othersuccessors waiting for other estates. Some of those are old enough toinherit, and yet have parents who are young enough to produce a seconddescendant and to live on till that second descendant is ripe enough forthe succession. One of these old/young successors, as they are called,would be assigned to the succession of my estate.""Who does the assigning?""We have a ruling board that has this as one of its fewfunctions the assignment of a successor in case of prematureashing. It is all done by holovision, of course."Pelorat said, "But see here, if Solarians never see each other, howwould anyone know that some Solarian somewhere has unexpectedly orexpectedly, for that matter been laid to ash."Bander said, "When one of us is laid to ash, all power at the estateceases. If no successor takes over at once, the abnormal situation iseventually noticed and corrective measures are taken. I assure you thatour social system works smoothly."Trevize said, "Would it be possible to view some of these films youhave here?"Bander froze. Then it said, "It is only your ignorance that excusesyou. What you have said is crude and obscene.""I apologize for that," said Trevize. "I do not wish to intrudeon you, but we've already explained that we are very interested inobtaining information on Earth. It occurs to me that the earliest filmsyou have would date back to a time before Earth was radioactive. Earthmight therefore be mentioned. There might be details given about it. Wecertainly do not wish to intrude on your privacy, but would there be anyway in which you yourself could explore those films, or have a robot doso, perhaps, and then allow any relevant information to be passed on tous? Of course, if you can respect our motives and understand that wewill try our best to respect your feelings in return, you might allowus to do the viewing ourselves."Bander said frigidly, "I imagine you have no way of knowing that youare becoming more and more offensive. However, we can end all this atonce, for I can tell you that there are no films accompanying my earlyhalf-human ancestors.""None?" Trevize's disappointment was heart-felt.
"They existed once. But even you can imagine what might have been onthem. Two half-humans showing interest in each other or, even," Bandercleared its throat, and said, with an effort, "interacting. Naturally,all half-human films were destroyed many generations ago.""What about the records of other Solarians?""All destroyed.""Can you be sure?""It would be mad not to destroy them.""It might be that some Solarians were mad, or sentimental,or forgetful. We presume you will not object to directing us toneighboring estates."Bander looked at Trevize in surprise. "Do you suppose others will beas tolerant of you as I have been?""Why not, Bander?""You'll find they won't be.""It's a chance we'll have to take.""No, Trevize. No, any of you. Listen to me."There were robots in the background, and Bander was frowning.
"What is it, Bander?" said Trevize, suddenly uneasy.
Bander said, "I have enjoyed speaking to all of you, and observingyou in all your strangeness. It was a unique experience, whichI have been delighted with, but I cannot record it in my diary, normemorialize it in film.""Why not?""My speaking to you; my listening to you; my bringing you into mymansion; my bringing you here into the ancestral death chambers; areshameful acts.""We are not Solarians. We matter to you as little as these robots do,do we not?""I excuse the matter to myself in that way. It may not serve as anexcuse to others.""What do you care? You have absolute liberty to do as you choose,don't you?""Even as we are, freedom is not truly absolute. If I were theonly Solarian on the planet, I could do even shameful thingsin absolute freedom. But there are other Solarians on the planet, and,because of that, ideal freedom, though approached, is not actuallyreached. There are twelve hundred Solarians on the planet who woulddespise me if they knew what I had done.""There is no reason they need know about it.""That is true. I have been aware of that since you've arrived. I'vebeen aware of it all this time that I've been amusing myself with you. Theothers must not find out."Pelorat said, "If that means you fear complications as a result ofour visits to other estates in search of information about Earth, why,naturally, we will mention nothing of having visited you first. That isclearly understood."Bander shook its head. "I have taken enough chances. I will not speakof this, of course. My robots will not speak of this, and will even beinstructed not to remember it. Your ship will be taken underground andexplores for what information it can give us ""Wait," said Trevize, "how long do you suppose we can wait here whileyou inspect our ship? That is impossible.""Not at all impossible, for you will have nothing to say about it. Iam sorry. I would like to speak to you longer and to discuss many otherthings with you, but you see the matter grows more dangerous.""No, it does not," said Trevize emphatically.
"Yes, it does, little half-human. I'm afraid the time has come whenI must do what my ancestors would have done at once. I must kill you,all three."
第十一章 地底世界
　　47
崔维兹感到全身僵硬，他努力维持正常的呼吸，同时转头望向宝绮思。
她站在那里，手臂护在裴洛拉特腰际，显然相当从容镇定。她微微笑了笑，又以更轻微的动作点了点头。
崔维兹转头再度面对班德。他将宝绮思的反应解释为信心十足的象徵，并万分希望自己的猜测正确无误。他绷着脸说：“你如何做到的，班德？”
班德笑了笑，显然心情非常好。“告诉我，小小外星人士，你相信法术吗？相信魔术吗？”
“不，我们不相信，小小索拉利人。”崔维兹回嘴道。
宝绮思用力拉扯崔维兹的衣袖，悄声道：“别惹他，他很危险。”
“我看得出来。”崔维兹勉强压低声音，“那么，你想想办法。”
宝绮思以几乎听不清楚的音量说：“现在还不行，如果他感到安全无虞，会比较没那么危险。”
对于这些外星人士的简队邡语，班德完全没有理会。它迳自转身离去，那些机器人为它让出一条路。
然后它又转头，懒洋洋地曲着一根手指。“来吧，跟我来，你们三个都来。我将告诉你们一个故事，也许你们不会有兴趣，但我却能自得其乐。”它继续悠闲地往前走。
一时之间，崔维兹仍然站在原地不动，无法确定采取什么行动最好。不过宝绮思已向前走去，裴洛拉特也被她拉走了。最后崔维兹终于移动脚步，否则他将孤独地留在这里与机器人为伴。
宝绮思轻声说：“若是班德那么好心，肯讲一个我们也许没兴趣的故事……”
班德转过身来，神情专注地望着宝绮思，好像这才真正发觉她的存在。“你是雌性的半性人，”它说：“对不对？是较少的那一半？”
“是较小的那一半，班德。”
“那么，其他两位是雄性的半性人喽？”
“他们的确是。”
“你生过孩子没有，雌性？”
“我的名字叫宝绮思，班德，我还没生过孩子。这位是崔维兹，这位是裴。”
“当你该生孩子的时候，这两个雄性哪个会帮你？两个都会？或是都不会？”
“裴会帮我，班德。”
班德将注意力转移到裴洛拉特身上。“你有白头发，我看出来了。”
裴洛拉特说：“我的确有。”
“一直是那种颜色吗？”
“不，班德，年纪大了才会变成这样。”
“那么你年纪多大了？” 准年。”
班德继续向前走（走向一座位于远方的宅邸，崔维兹如此设想），不过脚步放慢了。它说：“我不知道一个银河标准年多长，伹想必跟我们的一年不会相差太多。当你死去的时候，你会有多大年纪，裴？”
“我不敢说，我也许还能再活三十年。”
“那么是八十二年，短命，而且分成两半，真是难以置信。下过我的远祖像你们一样，而且住在地球上——但是后来有些离开了地球，在其他恒星周围建立了新世界，它们是美好的世界，有良好的组织，而且为数众多。”
崔维兹大声道：“不多，只有五十个。”
班德将高傲的目光投向崔维兹，它的心情似乎没有刚才那么好。“崔维兹，那是你的名字？”
“我的全名是葛兰•崔维兹。我说外世界只有五十个，我们的世界却有好几千万。”
“那么，你知道我想跟你们讲的是什么故事？”班德柔声道。
“如果故事是说过去曾有五十个外世界，那么我们已经知道了。”
“我们不仅计算数量，小小半性人，”班德说：“我们还衡量品质。虽然只有五十个，但你们几千万个世界加起来，也抵不上其中任何一个。而索拉利正是第五十个，因此是最优秀的。索拉利遥遥领先其他外世界，正如同其他外世界遥遥领先地球一样。
“唯有我们索拉利人领悟到应如何生活。我们不像动物那样成群结队，而在地球、在其他世界，甚至在其他的外世界却尽皆如此。每一个索拉利人都单独生活，有许多机器人帮助我们，随时能藉电子设备互相会面，可是极少有真正见面的机会。上次我亲眼见到真人，像我现在见到你们这样，已经是许多年前的事。可是，你们只不过是半性人，因此你们的出现，就像母牛或机器人一样，无碍于我的自由。
“然而，以前我们也曾是中性人。当时，不论我们如何增进个人自由；不论我们如何发展独居生活，统领着无数机器人，我们的自由仍不是绝对的。因为，为了产生下一代，必须藉着两个个体的合作。当然，我们可以分别提供精子细胞和卵子细胞，让受精过程和其后的胚胎成长过程，都以人工方式自动进行。至于婴儿，也可在机器人的完善照顾下成长。那些问题都能解决，可是伴随自然受精而来的快乐，半性人却不愿放弃。邪门的情感性依附由此发展，令自由因而消失。你们看不出来这必须改变吗？”
崔维兹说：“不，班德，因为我们衡量自由的标准跟你们下同。”
“那是因为你们根本不知自由为何物。你们一向过着群居生活，你们所知道的生活方式，就是不断被迫屈服于他人意志之下，即使是一些最小的琐事；要不然，就是将时间花在相互斗争上，以迫使他人屈从自己的意志，两者是同样卑贱的行为。这样怎可能还有自由？若是无法随心所欲活着，自由就不存在！自由是不折不扣的随心所欲！
“后来，地球人再度成群结队向外拓展，再度一群群黏成一团在太空打转。其他外世界人虽然不像地球人那般群居，但那只是秤谌上的差异。当时，他们曾企图与地球人抗衡。
“我们索拉利人没有那样做，我们预见了群居注定的失败。我们移居到地底，切断了和银河其他各处所有的联系。我们决心不惜任何代价，也要保持自己的生活方式。我们发展出合适的机器人和各种武器，用来保卫我们看似空无一物的地表；它们的表现也的确可圈可点，来到此地的船舰都被摧毁，终于再也不来了。这颗行星被视为遭到废弃，逐渐被人遗忘，而这正是我们的初衷。
“与此同时，我们在地底世界努力解决自己的问题。我们藉着精密的技术，谨慎调整我们的基因。我们有过多次失败，但也有些成功，而我们善加利用成功的结果。这花了我们几世纪的时间，伹我们终于变成全性人，将雌雄的本质融为一体，能随心所欲获得极致的愉悦。当我们有意生育后代时，随时可以产生受精卵，再交由熟练的机器人照顾。”
“雌雄同体。”裴洛拉特说。
“在你们的语言中如此称呼吗？”班德随口问。“我从来没听过这个名词。”
“雌雄同体会完全阻断演化路径，”崔维兹说：“每个子代都是雌雄同体亲代的基因复制品。”
“得了吧，”班德说：“你把演化当成瞎闯乱撞的程序。我们希望的话，当然可以规画子代的特质，我们能改变或调整基因，有时也的确这样做——我的住处到了，让我们进去吧。天色不早了，太阳已经无法供给充足的热量，我们进入室内会舒服点。”
他们经过一道门，门上没有任何型式的锁，但在他们接近时，那道门马上自动打开，他们穿过之后又立刻关上。室内没有任何窗户，不过他们来到一个洞穴般的房间时，四周的墙壁便开始发光，映得室内一片光明。地板上似乎未铺任何东西，踏上去却令人感到柔软而富有弹性。在房间的四个角落，各站着一个文风不动的机器人。
“那一面墙壁，”班德指着正对门的那堵墙，它看起来与其他三堵墙没有任何不同。“是我的视幕。藉着这个屏幕，整个世界展现在我眼前，但它绝不会限制我的自由，因为没人能强迫我使用。”
崔维兹说：“如果你想藉着屏幕跟某人见面，而他不愿意，你也无法强迫那人使用他的屏幕。”
“强迫？”班德以傲慢的口气说：“别人爱怎么做，就该让‘它’怎么做，只要‘它’也同意我能随心所欲就好——请注意，在互相称呼时，我们不使用带有性别的代名词。”
房间中只有一张椅子，摆在视幕的正前方，班德一屁股坐了下来。
崔维兹四处张望，像是期望会有其他的椅子从地板冒出来似的。“我们也能坐下吗？”他问。
“随你的便。”班德说。
宝绮思面带微笑地坐到地板上，裴洛拉特在她的身旁坐下，崔维兹则倔强地继续站着。
宝绮思说：“告诉我，班德，这个行星上住着多少人类？”
“请说索拉利人，半性人宝绮思。由于半性人自称‘人类’，这个名词已遭到严着污染。我们或许应该自称‘全性人’，不过那样说很拗口，索拉利人是个很贴切的名称。”
“那么，有多少索拉利人住在这个行星上？”
“我不确定，我们从来不做自我统计，大概有一千两百个。”
“整个世界只有一千两百人？”
“足足一千两百。你又在计算数量，而我们却以品质衡量。你也不了解自由的真谛——如果有别的索拉利人，跟我争夺我的任何土地、任何机器人、任何生物或任何一样东西的绝对支配权，那我的自由就受到限制。既然还有其他索拉利人存在，就必须尽可能消除自由的限制，方法是将大家远远隔开，让我们根本没有实质的接触。为了达到这个理想，索拉利只能容纳一千两百个索拉利人。超过这个数目，自由便会明显地受限，造成令人无法忍受的结果。”
“这就代表出生率必须精确统计，并且必须和死亡率刚好平衡。”裴洛拉特突然说。
“当然。拥有稳定人口的其他世界，一定也是这样做的。或许连你们的世界也不例外。”
“既然死亡率可能很小，新生儿一定也很少。”
“正是如此。”
裴洛拉特点了点头，没再问下去。
崔维兹说：“我想知道的是你如何使我的武器腾空飞起，你还没提出解释。”
“我提出法术或魔术作为解释，你拒绝接受吗？”
“我当然拒绝接受，你把我当成什么了？”
“那么，你相不相信能量守恒，以及熵值递增的必然性？”
“这些我相信，可是我不信在两万年内，你们就能改变这些定律，或是做出一微米的修正。”
“我们没有，半性人。下过你想想，室外有阳光，”它又做出那种古怪的优雅手势，彷佛指点着所有的阳光。“也有阴影。在阳光下比在阴影中温暖，因此热量从日照区自发地流到阴影区。”
“你说的我都知道。”崔维兹说。
“但也许你太熟悉了，所以不再多动点脑筋。而在夜晚，索拉利的表面比大气层外的物体温暖，因此热量自发地从行星表面流向外太空。”
“这我也知道。”
“不论白天或夜晚，行星内部的温度总是比行星表面高，因而热量会自发地从内部流向地表。我想这点你也清楚。”
“说这些到底有什么用，班德？”
“热量从高温处流向低温处，根据热力学第二定律，这是必定发生的过程，而热流可用来做功。”
“理论上说来没错，但阳光中的热量很稀薄，行星表面的热量更不用说，从地心逃逸的热量则是三者中最稀薄的。你所能利用的热量，也许还不足举起一小颗鹅卵石。”
“这要看你使用的是什么装置，”班德说：“经过数千年的发展，我们的工具已成为大脑的一部分。”
班德将两侧头发往上拨，露出耳朵后方的头颅，然后把头向左右转了转。它两耳后方各有一个突起，大小与形状都跟鸡蛋的钝端差不多。
“我的大脑有这一部分，你们却没有，这就是索拉利人和你们不同的地方。”
48
崔维兹一再望着宝绮思，她似乎全神贯注在班德身上。崔维兹越来越肯定，自己已经知道这是怎么回事。
纵使班德不断讴歌自由，它仍然感到这个千载难逢的机会无法抗拒。机器人与它的智慧天差地远，无法与它做知性的交谈，它更不可能去找动物聊天。在它的经验中，跟它的索拉利同胞讲话并不愉快，即使它们有时必须沟通，那也一定是迫不得已，绝非主动自愿。
反之，对班德而言，崔维兹、宝绮思与裴洛拉特虽然只是半性人，它也许认为他们就像机器人或山羊一样，不会侵犯它的自由，但他们在智慧上却与自己旗鼓相当（或者几乎差不多）。有机会跟他们交谈，是个太难得的享受，它过去从来未曾体验过。
敝不得，崔维兹想，它会这么乐此不疲。而宝绮思（崔维兹百分之两百肯定）正在鼓励这种倾向，只要极其轻柔地推动班德的心灵，便能怂恿它做出原本就非常想做的事。
宝绮思想必根据一项假设行事，那就是班德如果说得够多，也许就会透露些关于地球的有用讯息。崔维兹认为这样做很有道理，所以即使对现在的话题并非真正好奇，他仍尽力让谈话继续下去。
“这两个大脑叶突有什么功用？”崔维兹问。
班德说：“它们是转换器，藉热流驱动，可将热流转换成机械能。”
“我不相信，热流没有那么多。”
“小小半性人，你不用大脑。若是有很多索拉利人挤在一块，每个都想要使用热流，那么的确没错，热流的供应绝对不够。然而，我拥有超过四万平方公里的土地，这些土地全是我的，是我一个人的。从这么多平方公里的土地上，我可任意收集热流，没别人跟我抢，所以热量足敷使用。你明白了吗？”
“在如此宽广的区域收集热流有那么简单吗？光是集中的过程就得耗费许多能量。”
“或许吧，但我没有留意。我的转换叶突不停地集中热流，因此需要做功时，立刻就能把它做好。当我将你的武器吸到半空中的时候，日照区某团大气放出了过剩的热量，流到阴影区另一团大气中，因此我可以利用太阳能帮助我达到目的。我使用的并非机械或电子装置，而是用神经装置完成这项工作。”它轻轻摸了摸一侧的转换叶突，“它的运作迅速、有效、不间断，而且毫不费力。”
“不可思议。”裴洛拉特喃喃说道。
“没什么不可思议的，”班德说：“想想眼睛和耳朵的精巧，还有它们如何能将少量光子和空气振荡转化成讯息。假如你向来不晓得这些器官，也会觉得它们不可思议。比较之下，转换叶突下会更不可思议，若非你对它们不熟悉，你不会有这种感觉。”
崔维兹说：“这两个不停运作的转换叶突，你拿它们做什么用？”
“用来经营我们的世界，”班德说：“这个广大属地上的每个机器人，都从我身上获取能量，或者应该说，靠自然的热流提供它们能源。无论哪个机器人旋转一个开关，或是砍倒一棵树木，能量都是藉由精神转换供应——我的精神转换。”
“假如你睡着了呢？”
“不论是睡是醒，转换的过秤诩会持续进行，小小半性人。”班德说：“当你睡觉的时候，你的呼吸会中断吗？你的心跳会停止吗？到了晚上，我的机器人仍继续工作，代价仅是使索拉利的内部温度降低一点点。就大尺度而言，这种变化根本难以察觉。而且我们总共只有一千两百个，因此即使把我们所用的能量全部加起来，也几乎不会使太阳的寿命缩短，或是令这个世界内部的热量枯竭。”
“你们是否想过拿它当作武器？”
班德瞪着崔维兹，彷佛他是个特别难以理解的怪物。“我想你这句话，”班德说：“意思是指索拉利或许能根据转换原理制成能量武器，用来对付其他世界？我们为何要那么做？即使我们能击败对方根据别的原理制成的能量武器——这无法绝对肯定——我们又能得到些什么？控制其他的世界吗？我们已经拥有一个理想的世界，为什么还要其他世界？我们想要支配半性人，把他们当作奴工吗？我们有机器人，就这项功能而言，它们比半性人好得多。我们已经有了一切，我们不再需要什么，除了希望不受任何干扰。听我说，我再跟你们讲个故事。”
“说吧。”崔维兹应道。
“两万年前，地球上的半性动物开始成群飞向太空时，我们自己则撤迁到地底。其他外世界决心和来自地球的新殖民者对抗，因此他们对地球发动了攻击。”
“攻击地球？”崔维兹很高兴终于谈到正题，但他尽力掩饰得意之情。
“是的，攻击敌人的中心。就某方面而言，这是个聪明的行动。如果你想杀死一个人，不会攻击他的手指或脚后跟，你会直指心脏要害。而我们的外世界同胞，未能完全免除人类的脾气，竟然引发地球表面的放射性，使它大部分地区再也无法住人。”
“啊，原来如此。”裴洛拉特捏紧拳头迅速挥着，像是想要拍板定案。“我就知道不可能是自然现象，那是怎么造成的？”
“我不知道是怎么造成的，”班德显得毫不在意，“总之，对外世界人也没什么好处，这才是故事的着点。后来银河殖民者继续蜂拥而出，而外世界人——则逐渐灭绝。他们也曾力图一争长短，最后却消失无踪。我们索拉利人则隐居起来，拒绝参加这场竞争，所以我们方能绵延至今。”
“银河殖民者也是。”崔维兹绷着脸说。
“没错，伹不会永远如此。群居动物一定会内斗，一定会你争我夺，而最后终将灭亡。那也许需要好几万年的时间，不过我们可以等。当此事成真后，我们索拉利人，全性、独居、解放的索拉利人，便能将银河据为已有。那时，除了我们自己的世界，我们还可以随意利用或放弃任何一个世界。”
“可是有关地球的事迹，”裴洛拉特不耐烦地弹响手指，“你告诉我们的是传说还是史实？”
“如何分辨两者的差异呢，半性的裴洛拉特？”班德说：“所有的历史多少都可算是传说。”
“但你们的纪录是怎么说的？我能看看这方面的纪录吗，班德？请你了解一件事，神话、传说和太古历史是我的研究领域，我是钻研这些题目的学者，尤其是和地球有关的题目。”
“我只是着复我听来的故事，”班德说：“根本没有这方面的纪录。我们的纪录所记载的，全部是索拉利本身的事务，即使提到其他的世界，也都是有关他们侵犯我们的史实。”
“地球当然侵犯过你们。”裴洛拉特说。
“这点有可能，不过即便如此，那也是很久很久以前的事。而在所有的世界中，我们最厌恶的就是地球，假如我们有过任何地球的纪录，由于我们对它极端的反感，那些纪录肯定也早被销毁了。”
崔维兹咬牙切齿，显得极为懊恼。“被你销毁的？”他问。
班德又将注意力转移到崔维兹身上。“这里没有别人。”
裴洛拉特下肯轻易放弃，继续追问：“你还听说过哪些有关地球的事？”
班德想了一下，然后说：“我年轻的时候，曾经听一个机器人讲过一则故事，内容是说一个地球人来到索拉利，还有个索拉利女子跟他离去，后来她成了银河中的着要人物。不过，依我看，那只不过是个杜撰的故事。”
裴洛拉特咬了一下嘴唇。“你确定吗？”
“这种事我又如何确定？”班德说：“话说回来，一个地球人竟敢前来索拉利，而索拉利竟然容许如此的入侵，这都是令人难以置信的事。更不可能的是，一个索拉利女子竟然自愿离开这个世界——尽避我们那时还是半性人，伹此事仍然不可思议。不过别谈这些了，让我带你们去参观我的家。”
“你的家？”宝绮思四处张望了一下，“我们不是已经在你家了吗？”
“根本还没有，”班德说：“这是一间会客室，一间影像室。必要的时候，我可以在此处会见我的索拉利同胞，他们的影像会出现在墙壁上，或者以三维影像出现在墙壁前。因此，这个房间是集会的场所，不是我家的一部分——跟我来吧。”
它向前走去，并未回头看看他们是否跟来，但是站在角落的四个机器人也开始移动。崔维兹心里明白，他与两位同伴若不自动跟上去，那些机器人就会委婉地押着他们走。
此时裴洛拉特和宝绮思站了起来，崔维兹对宝绮思耳语道：“你是不是让他一直说个不停？”
宝绮思按按他的手，点了点头。“然而，我还是希望能知道它的意图。”她补充道，声音中透着不安的情绪。
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他们跟着班德向前走。机器人与他们维持着礼貌的距离，伹它们的存在始终带来一种威胁感。
现在他们正穿过一道回廊，崔维兹无精打采地含糊说道：“这个行星上没有能帮我们找到地球的资料，这点我可以肯定，它只有放射性传说的另一个版本。”他耸了耸肩，“我们还得继续前往第三组座标。”
一扇门在他们面前敞开，里面是个小房间。班德说：“来吧，半性人，我要让你们看看我们的生活方式。”
崔维兹细声说：“它藉着炫耀得到幼稚的快乐，我真想好好泼它一盆冷水。”
“别跟它比赛幼稚的秤谌。”宝绮思说。
班德将他们三人迎进那个房间，其中一个机器人也跟进来。班德挥手叫其他机器人退下，自己走了进去，房门立刻在它身后关上。
“这是电梯嘛。”裴洛拉特说，他对自己这项发现感到很高兴。
“的确是，”班德说：“一旦我们移居地底，就未曾真正出去过，我们也不想那样做。不过我发现，偶尔见见阳光挺舒服，但我不喜欢阴天和黑夜的户外，那令人感到虽不在地底又仍像在地底，希望你们了解我的意思。那是一种认知上的失调，大概可以这么说，我发现那是很不舒服的感觉。”
“地球建造过地底建筑，”裴洛拉特说：“他们称那些城市为‘钢穴’。川陀也曾经建造地底建筑，甚至规模更广大，那是旧帝国时代的事——如今，康普隆仍在建造地底建筑。仔细想一想，这还是一种普遍的倾向。”
“半性人群聚在地底建筑中，我们却在地底独自过着逍遥的日子，这两者有天壤之别。”班德说。
崔维兹说：“在端点星上，住宅都建在地表。”
“暴露在风吹日晒雨打中，”班德说：“太原始了。”
电梯只有在启动时产生连裴洛拉特也能察觉到的着力减小靶觉，其后一直没有任何动静。崔维兹正纳闷它会钻到多深的地方，着力便突然转强，然后电梯门打了开来。
眼前是一间宽敞且经过精心装潢的房间，室内微微有些光线，却看下出光源在哪里，好像空气本身会发出微弱的光芒。
班德伸出一根手指，所指的地方光线立刻变强。它又指向另一处，同样的现象随即发生。然后它将左手放在门边的一根粗短圆棍上，右手在空中画了一个大圆，整个房间便大放光明，彷佛沐浴在阳光下，但却没有增加丝毫热度。
崔维兹做了个鬼脸，以不大不小的音量说：“这人是个玩把戏的。”
班德厉声道：“不是‘这人’，是‘这索拉利人’！我不确定‘玩把戏的’这个词是什么意思，不过听你的口气，如果我没猜错，那不会是什么好东西。”
崔维兹说：“它是指一个人并不实在，只会制造些看起来比实际上更炫人耳目的效果。”
班德说：“我承认自己喜爱戏剧效果，但我刚才向你们展示的却不是，那是货真价实的。”
它用右手拍了拍左手按着的那根圆棍。“这个热导棒一直延伸到地底几公里处，在我的属地上，许多合适的地方都有类似的热导棒。我还知道，其他属地上也有这类设备。它们能使地底的热量加速传到地表，并且让那些热量更容易转换成机械功。其实我无需做任何手势，一样可以产生光后，但是那样没有戏剧效果，或者正如你说的，少了点戏耍的味道，而我就喜欢这一套。”
宝绮思说：“这种小小的戏剧效果带来的快乐，你经常有机会体验吗？”
“没有，”班德摇了摇头，“我的机器人对这种事无动于衷，我的索拉利同胞也一样。能遇到半性人，向他们展示这一切，实在是个难得的机会，我真是太——开心了。”
裴洛拉特说：“我们进来的时候，这个房间有着昏暗的光线，它是不是始终维持这样？”
“是的，只需要消耗很少的电力，就像维持机器人的运作一样。我的整个属地随时都在运转，没有实际从事工作的部分则保持空转。”
“这么广大的属地所需的电力，都靠你一个人不断地提供？”
“真正供应电力的是太阳和行星核，我只能算一根导管而已。而且并非整个属地都从事生产，我让大部分地区保持未开发状态，蕴育着各式各样的动物生命。第一，因为这样做可以保护我的边界：第二，因为我发现这有美化的功能。其实，我的田地和工厂不大，它们只需要供应我个人所需，此外再生产一些特产，以便跟他人的特产交换。比如说，我拥有会制造和装设热导棒的机器人，很多索拉利人都仰赖我提供这方面的协助。”
“而你的家呢？”崔维兹问：“范围有多大？”
这个问题一定是问对了，因为班德立刻笑逐颜开。“非常大，我相信是这颗行星上数一数二的，从任何一个方向延伸出去都有好几公里。我所拥有的机器人，在地底照顾我家的，和在数万平方公里地表上的一样多。”
“那么大的住宅，你当然不会全用到吧。”裴洛拉特说。
“可想而知，有些房间我从未进去过，可是这又怎么样？”班德说：“机器人会负责将每间房间保持得一尘不染、通风良好又整齐有序。好了，出来吧。”
他们并未循着原路，而是从另一扇门走出去，随即发现置身另一道回廊中。在他们面前，有一辆停在轨道上的小型敞篷车。
班德示意他们上去，于是大家一个接一个爬进车里。车内的空间有限，不够容纳四个人再加一个机器人，还好裴洛拉特与宝绮思紧挨在一起，为崔维兹腾出位子。班德坐在前面，一副轻松自在的模样，那个机器人坐在它身边。车子开始前进，班德除了偶尔做些流畅的手部动作，看不出它还在进行什么操控。
“事实上，这是个车型机器人。”班德说，带着一副相当冷淡的神情。
他们以稳定的速率前进，每来到一扇门前，门就会自动打开，在他们通过后又立即关上，因此车速完全不必改变。每间房间的装饰都大不相同，好像机器人曾奉命随机设计出各种组合。
他们前方的回廊相当幽暗，身后的情形也完全相同。然而车行所到之处，彷佛都使他们置身没有热度的阳光下。每一扇门打开的时候，室内也会转趋明后，班德每次都会缓慢而优雅地挥动着手。
这趟旅程似乎没有尽头。他们发现车子不时会转个弯，显然这座地底宅邸是向两个维度延伸的。（不，是三个维度，当他们沿着一个浅坡稳稳下滑时，崔维兹心中这么想。）
不论他们经过何处，都能看到许多机器人——十数个、数十个、几百个，都在从容不迫地工作，但崔维兹很难猜出那些工作的性质。此时他们又通过一扇门，来到一间很大的房间，里面有一排排的机器人，全都安静地趴在办公桌前。
裴洛拉特问道：“它们在做什么，班德？”
“在做簿记，”班德说：“整理统计纪录，财务帐目，以及诸如此类的事。我很庆幸不必为这些事情烦恼。这不是个闲置的属地，大约四分之一的耕地用作果园，另外十分之一则用来种植谷类，下过真正令我感到骄傲的还是果园。我们培育世界上品质最佳的水果，而且品种也最多。‘班德桃’就是索拉利桃的代名词，其他索拉利人几乎都懒得种桃子。此外，我们有二十七种不同的苹果，还有——还有许多，那些机器人可以给你详尽的资料。”
“你怎样处理这么多水果？”崔维兹问。“你自己不可能全部吃掉。”
“我作梦也不会这么想，我不是很喜欢吃水果，它们是用来和其他属地做交易的。”
“交易些什么？”
“主要是矿物，我的属地上没有值得一提的矿物。此外，我也换取维持健康生态平衡所需的各种东西。在我的属地上，有各式各样、种类繁多的动植物。”
“全仰赖机器人照顾吧，我猜想。”崔维兹说。
“的确如此，而且它们做得很好。”
“只为了一个索拉利人。”
“只为了这个属地，以及其上的生态标准。我恰好是唯一巡视属地各处的索拉利人——当我选择这么做的时候——但这是我绝对自由的一部分。”
裴洛拉特说：“我想其他的……其他的索拉利人，也会维持一个局部的生态平衡，或许会有位于沼地、山区或海埔的属地。”
班德说：“我想应该有吧。我们有时必须开会讨论世界性事务，这种事总是花掉许多开会时间。”
“你们多久得聚会一次？”崔维兹问。（现在，他们正通过一条又窄又长的甬道，两侧没有任何房间。崔维兹猜想，这条甬道所在的位置，也许难以辟建更宽的建筑，所以被用作两翼之间的联系，而两翼则可向其他方向继续延伸。）
“太频繁了。我几乎每个月都得花些时间在会议上，都是我所属的那些委员会。我的属地上也许没有山脉或沼泽，然而我的果园，我的鱼池，还有我的植物园都是全世界最好的。”
裴洛拉特说：“但是，我亲爱的夥伴——我的意思是班德，我以为你从未离开你的属地，拜访其他的……”
“当然没有。”班德答道，神情显得有些愤怒。
“我只是说以为而已，”裴洛拉特以和缓的语气说：“可是这样的话，你从未做过调查，甚至没见过其他的属地，又怎能确定自己的最好呢？”
“因为，”班德说：“在属地彼此的交易中，从产品的需求量可以看出来。”
崔维兹说：“制造业的情形又如何？”
班德说：“有些属地从事工具和机械的制造。正如我刚才提到的，在我的属地上，我们制造热导棒，不过这些都相当简单。”
“那机器人呢？”
“到处都在制造机器人。有史以来，索拉利设计的机器人，灵巧精妙的秤谌一向领先全银河。”
“直到今天仍旧如此，我猜想。”崔维兹小心翼翼控制着语调，尽量让这句话听来是个直述句，而不是疑问句。
班德说：“今天？今天还有谁跟我们竞争？如今只有索拉利还在制造机器人，你们的世界完全没有。这是我从超波中听来的，如果我的了解没错的话。”
“可是其他的外世界呢？”
“我告诉过你，他们已经不存在了。”
“全都不存在了？”
“除了索拉利，我不相信别处还有活生生的外世界人。”
“那么根本没有人知道地球的位置喽？”
“会有什么人想要知道地球的位置？”
裴洛拉特插嘴道：“我就想知道，这是我的研究领域。”
“那么，”班德说：“你得改行研究别的了。我根本不晓得地球的位置，也没听说过有谁知道，而且我丝毫不关心这码子事。”
车子突然停下来，一时之间，崔维兹以为班德生气了。下过，停车的过程很平稳，而当班德下了车，又挥手叫其他人下车的时候，它看来仍是原来那副得意的模样。
他们进入另一间房间，在班德做了一个手势后，室内的光线仍相当暗淡。这间房通向一个侧廊，侧廊两边是许多小房间，每个小房间里有一两件华丽的容器，有些旁边还摆着另一个物件，看来好像是影片放映机。
“这些是什么，班德？”崔维兹问。
班德说：“祖先灵房，崔维兹。”
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裴洛拉特很感兴趣地四处张望。“我猜，你们把祖先的骨灰葬在这里？”
“如果你所谓的‘葬’，”班德说：“意思是指埋在土里，你说的就不十分正确。我们现在也许身处地底，伹这里是我的宅邸，所以这些骨灰都在我家里，就像我们现在一样。在我们的语言中，我们说骨灰‘安厝’此地。”它迟疑了一下，然后又说：“‘厝’是‘宅邸’的古字。”
崔维兹四下望了望。“这些都是你的祖先？有多少？”
“将近一百个，”班德答道，毫不掩饰声音中的骄傲。“正确的数目是九十四个。当然，最早的并非真正的索拉利人——不符这个名字如今的定义。他们是半性人，雄性和雌性。那些半性祖先的骨灰坛摆在一起，紧邻他们的下一代。我当然不会走进那些房间，那相当‘蒙人羞’。至少，索拉利语是这么说的，但我不知道你们的银河标准语怎么讲，你们也许没有类似的用语。”
“那些影片呢？”宝绮思说：“我想那些是影片放映机？”
“那些是日志，”班德说：“是有关他们生活的历史：是他们在这块属地上最锺爱的部分，所拍摄的一些影像。这意味着它们并未全然逝去，它们的一部分依旧存在。我的自由包括了能随时加入它们，我能随意观看任何影片的任何部分。”
“可是不会加入那些——蒙人羞的祖先。”
班德将目光栘到别处。“不会，”它坦承不讳，“不过我们的祖先都有这么一部分，这是我们共同的不幸。”
“共同的？那么其他索拉利人也有这种灵房？”崔维兹问。
“喔，是啊，我们全都有。不过要数我的最好、最精致，保存得也最妥当。”
崔维兹问道：“你是不是已经把自己的灵房准备好了？”
“当然，它完全建好了，全部装潢完毕。在我继承这个属地之后，那是我完成的第一件任务。而在我归于尘秃筢——这样讲比较诗意——我的继承人便会开始建造它自己的灵房，那也将是它的第一件任务。”．“你有继承人吗？”
“到时我就有了，但我的寿命还长得很呢。当我必须离开的时候，就会有个成年的继承人，成熟到了足以享受这个属地，它会有发育完成的叶突，以进行能量转换。”
“它应该是你的子嗣吧，我猜想。”
“喔，没错。”
“可是万一，”崔维兹说：“有什么不幸发生呢？我想即使在索拉利，也会发生一些意外和不幸吧。假使一个索拉利人过早归于尘土，没有继承人接掌它的位置，或是继承人尚未成熟到能享有属地，那又会如何呢？”
“那是很罕见的，在我的世系中，那种事只发生过一次。不过，万一遇到这种情况，别忘了还有其他的继承人，等着继承其他的属地。有些继承人已足够成熟，它们的单亲却足够年轻，能够产生另一个后代，并且等得到那个后代长大成人。这种所谓的‘壮／少继承人’之一，就会被指定来继承无主的属地。”
“由谁指定呢？”
“我们有个统领委员会，它的少数功能之一就包括这一项——当有人过早归于尘土时，负责指定一个继承人。当然，整个过秤诩是经由全讯传视进行的。”
裴洛拉特说：“可是我问你，如果索拉利人彼此从不见面，要是某地的某个索拉利人意外——或是在意料之中归于尘土，又怎么会有人知道呢？”
班德说：“当我们其中之一归于尘秃筢，那个属地所有的电力都会消失。如果没有继承人立即接管，这种反常情况终究会被人发现，纠正措施随即会展开。我向你们保证，我们的社会系统运作得非常健全。”
崔维兹说：“我们有没有可能看看你这里的一些影片？”
班德愣了一下，然后说：“我不怪罪你，全然是由于你不知情，你刚才的言语既粗鲁又卑贱。”
“我为这件事道歉，”崔维兹说：“我不想强迫你，不过我们解释过了，我们很想获得有关地球的资料。我忽然想到，你这里早期影片的拍摄年代，应该是在地球变得具有放射性之前，因此影片中可能会提到地球，也许还会有详尽的叙述。我们当然不希望侵犯你的隐私，伹有没有变通的办法，例如由你自己查看这些影片，或者让一个机器人来做，再将其中的相关资讯告诉我们？当然啦，如果你能体谅我们的动机，并且了解我们为了回报你的好意，会尽全力尊着你的感受，你也许会让我们亲自观看这些影片。”
班德以冷峻的语气说：“我猜想你并不知道，你变得越来越无礼了。不过，我们可以立刻结束这个话题，因为我可以告诉你，在我的早期半性祖先旁边，根本没有任何影片。”
“没有？”崔维兹简直失望透了。
“它们曾经存在过，但即使是你们，也该想像得到里面会是什么内容。两个半性人彼此表示兴趣，甚至，”班德清了清喉咙，有些勉强地说：“互相作用。半性人的所有影片，自然在许多代以前就被销毁了。”
“其他索拉利人所收藏的呢？”
“全都销毁了。”
“你能确定吗？”
“不毁掉那些东西的人一定疯了。”
“也许有些索拉利人真疯了，或者多愁善感，或者过于健忘。我想，请你指引我们前往邻近的属地，你该不会反对吧。”
班德瞪着崔维兹，一副讶异的表情。“你以为其他人会像我这般容忍你们？”
“为何不会呢，班德？”
“到时你就知道了。”
“我们必须碰碰运气。”
“不行，崔维兹：不行，你们都不能——听我说。”
后面出现几个机器人，班德皱起了眉头。
“什么事，班德？”崔维兹说，他突然感到下安。
班德说：“我很喜欢跟你们聊天，并且观察你们的——怪异言行。这是空前绝后的经验，我感到很高兴，可是我不能记在日志中，或是将这段记忆保存在影片里面。”
“为什么不能？”
“我讲话给你们听，我听你们讲话，我带你们来我的宅邸，我带你们来祖先灵房，这些都是可耻的行为。”
“因为我们不是索拉利人，对你而言，我们跟这些机器人一样微不足道，不是吗？”
“那只是我替自己找的藉口，别的索拉利人也许不会接受。”
“你有什么顾虑？你有绝对的自由随心所欲，难道不是吗？”
“即使像我们这样，自由也不是真正绝对的。假使我是这个行星上唯一的索拉利人，我就有绝对的自由做些甚至更可耻的事。可是这个世界还有其他索拉利人，因此，虽然我们与理想中的自由极为接近，却未曾真正达到。这个行星上有一千两百个索拉利人，要是让它们知道我做了些什么，它们全都会瞧不起我。”
“没有理由需要让它们知道。”
“那倒是实话，你们刚抵达此地时，我就已经想到了。在我跟你们寻开心的时候，我始终把这件事放在心上——一定不能让其他人知道。”
裴洛拉特说：“如果你的意思是，你担心我们去别的属地寻找地球的资料会为你带来麻烦，这个嘛，我们自然不会提到先拜访过你，这点我们心里有数。”
班德摇了摇头。“我已经冒了太多的风险。我自己当然不会提到这件事，我的机器人也不会提到，它们甚至会奉命不准记住这件事。你们的太空船将被带到地底，我们要进行研究，看看能提供我们什么……”
“慢着，”崔维兹说：“你想检查我们的太空船，你以为我们能在这里等多久？那是不可能的事。”
“绝非不可能”因为你不会再有表达意见的机会。我很遗憾，我也想跟你们多聊一会儿，讨论许多其他的事情，可是你们也看得出来，情况变得越来越危险。”
“下，绝对没有。”崔维兹尽力强调。
“喔，绝对有的，小小半性人。只怕是我该采取行动的时候了，那是我的祖先会在第一时间采取的行动。我必须将你们杀掉，三个通通杀掉。”
Chapter 12: To the Surface
51Trevize turned his head at once to look at Bliss. Herface was expressionless, but taut, and her eyes were fixed on Banderwith an intensity that made her seem oblivious to all else.
Pelorat's eyes were wide, disbelieving.
Trevize, not knowing what Bliss would or could do,struggled to fight down an overwhelming sense of loss (not so muchat the thought of dying, as of dying without knowing where Earth was,without knowing why he had chosen Gaia as humanity's future). He had toplay for time.
He said, striving to keep his voice steady, and his words clear,"You have shown yourself a courteous and gentle Solarian, Bander. Youhave not grown angry at our intrusion into your world. You have beenkind enough to show us over your estate and mansion, and you haveanswered our questions. It would suit your character better to allow usto leave now. No one need ever know we were on this world and we wouldhave no cause to return. We arrived in all innocence, seeking merelyinformation.""What you say is so," said Bander lightly, "and, so far, I havegiven you life. Your lives were forfeit the instant you entered ouratmosphere. What I might have done and should have done onmaking close contact with you, would be to have killed you at once. Ishould then have ordered the appropriate robot to dissect your bodiesfor what information on Outworlders that might yield me.
"I have not done that. I have pampered my own curiosity and given into my own easygoing nature, but it is enough. I can do it no longer. Ihave, in fact, already compromised the safety of Solaria, for if,through some weakness, I were to let myself be persuaded to let you go,others of your kind would surely follow, however much you might promisethat they would not.
"There is, however, at least this. Your death will be painless. I willmerely heat your brains mildly and drive them into inactivation. You willexperience no pain. Life will merely cease. Eventually, when dissectionand study are over, I will convert you to ashes in an intense flash ofheat and all will be over."Trevize said, "If we must die, then I cannot argue against a quickpainless death, but why must we die at all, having given no offense?""Your arrival was an offense.""Not on any rational ground, since we could not know it was anoffense.""Society defines what constitutes an offense. To you, it may seemirrational and arbitrary, but to us it is not, and this is our world onwhich we have the full right to say that in this and that, you have donewrong and deserve to die."Bander smiled as though it were merely making pleasant conversationand went on, "Nor have you any right to complain on the ground of yourown superior virtue. You have a blaster which uses a beam of microwavesto induce intense killing heat. It does what I intend to do, but doesit, I am sure, much more crudely and painfully. You would have nohesitation in using it on me right now, had I not drained its energy,and if I were to be so foolish as to allow you the freedom of movementthat would enable you to remove the weapon from its holster."Trevize said despairingly, afraid even to glance again at Bliss, lestBander's attention be diverted to her, "I ask you, as an act of mercy,not to do this."Bandar said, turning suddenly grim, "I must first be merciful tomyself and to my world, and to do that, you must die."He raised his hand and instantly darkness descended upon Trevize.
52For a moment, Trevize felt the darkness choking himand thought wildly, Is this death?
And as though his thoughts had given rise to an echo, he heard awhispered, "Is this death?" It was Pelorat's voice.
Trevize tried to whisper, and found he could. "Why ask?" he said,with a sense of vast relief. "The mere fact that you can ask shows itis not death.""Mere are old legends that there is life after death.""Nonsense," muttered Trevize. "Bliss? Are you here, Bliss?"There was no answer to that.
Again Pelorat echoed, "Bliss? Bliss? What happened, Golan?"Trevize said, "Bender must be dead. He would, in that case, be unableto supply the power for his estate. The lights would go out.""But how could? You mean Bliss did it?""I suppose so. I hope she did not come to harm in the process." Hewas on his hands and knees crawling about in the total darkness of theunderground (if one did not count the occasional subvisible flashing ofa radioactive atom breaking down in the walls).
Then his hand came on something warm and soft. He felt along itand recognized a leg, which he seized. It was clearly too small to beBander's. "Bliss?"The leg kicked out, forcing Trevize to let go.
He said, "Bliss? Say something!""I am alive," came Bliss's voice, curiously distorted.
Trevize said, "But are you well?""No." And, with that, light returned to theirsurroundings weakly. The walls gleamed faintly, brightening anddimming erratically.
Bander lay crumpled in a shadowy heap. At its side, holding its head,was Bliss.
She looked up at Trevize and Pelorat. "The Solarian is dead," she said,and her cheeks glistened with tears in the weak light.
Trevize was dumbfounded. "Why are you crying?""Should I not cry at having killed a living thing of thought andintelligence? That was not my intention."Trevize leaned down to help her to her feet, but she pushed himaway.
Pelorat knelt in his turn, saying softly, "Please, Bliss, even youcan't bring it back to life. Tell us what happened."She allowed herself to be pulled upward and said dully, "Gaia cando what Bander could do. Gaia can make use of the unevenly distributedenergy of the Universe and translate it into chosen work by mentalpower alone.""I knew that," said Trevize, attempting to be soothing without quiteknowing how to go about it. "I remember well our meeting in space whenyou or Gaia, rather held our spaceship captive. I thoughtof that when Bander held me captive after it had taken my weapons. Itheld you captive, too, but I was confident you could have broken freeif you had wished.""No. I would have failed if I had tried. When your ship was in my/our/Gaia's grip," she said sadly, "I and Gaia were truly one. Now there is ahyperspatial separation that limits my/our/Gaia's efficiency. Besides,Gaia does what it does by the sheer power of massed brains. Even so,all those brains together lack the transducer-lobes this one Solarianhas. We cannot make use of energy as delicately, as efficiently, astirelessly as he could. You see that I cannot make the lights gleammore brightly, and I don't know how long I can make them gleam at allbefore tiring. Bander could supply the power for an entire vast estate,even when it was sleeping.""But you stopped it," said Trevize.
"Because it didn't suspect my powers," said Bliss, "and because Idid nothing that would give it evidence of them. It was thereforewithout suspicion of me and gave me none of its attention. Itconcentrated entirely on you, Trevize, because it was you who borethe weapons again, how well it has served that you armedyourself and I had to wait my chance to stop Bander with onequick and unexpected blow. When it was on the point of killing us,when its whole mind was concentrated on that, and on you, I was ableto strike.""And it worked beautifully.""How can you say something so cruel, Trevize? It was only my intentionto stop it. I merely wished to block its use of its transducer. In themoment of surprise when it tried to blast us and found it could not,but found, instead, that the very illumination about us was fadinginto darkness, I would tighten my grip and send it into a prolongednormal sleep and release the transducer. The power would then remainon, and we could get out of this mansion, into our ship, and leave theplanet. I hoped to so arrange things that, when Bander finally woke,it would have forgotten all that had happened from the instant of itssighting us. Gaia has no desire to kill in order to accomplish what canbe brought about without killing.""What went wrong, Bliss?" said Pelorat softly.
"I had never encountered any such thing as those transducer-lobes andI lacked any time to work with them and learn about them. I merely struckout forcefully with my blocking maneuver and, apparently, it didn't workcorrectly. It was not the entry of energy into the lobes that was blocked,but the exit of that energy. Energy is always pouring into those lobes ata reckless rate but, ordinarily, the brain safeguards itself by pouringout that energy just as quickly. Once I blocked the exit, however, energypiled up within the lobes at once and, in a tiny fraction of a second,the temperature had risen to the point where the brain protein inactivatedexplosively and it was dead. The lights went out and I removed my blockimmediately, but, of course, it was too late.""I don't see that you could have done anything other than that whichyou did, dear," said Pelorat.
"Of what comfort is that, considering that I have killed.""Bander was on the point of killing us," said Trevize.
"That was cause for stopping it, not for killing it."Trevize hesitated. He did not wish to show the impatience he felt forhe was unwilling to offend or further upset Bliss, who was, after all,their only defense against a supremely hostile world.
He said, "Bliss, it is time to look beyond Bander's death. Because itis dead, all power on the estate is blanked out. This will be noticed,sooner or later, probably sooner, by other Solarians. They will be forcedto investigate. I don't think you will be able to hold off the perhapscombined attack of several. And, as you have admitted yourself, you won'tbe able to supply for very long the limited power you are managing tosupply now. It is important, therefore, that we get back to the surface,and to our ship, without delay.""But, Golan," said Pelorat, "how do we do that? We came for manykilometers along a winding path. I imagine it's quite a maze down hereand, for myself, I haven't the faintest idea of where to go to reachthe surface. I've always had a poor sense of direction."Trevize, looking about, realized that Pelorat was correct. He said,"I imagine there are many openings to the surface, and we needn't findthe one we entered.""But we don't know where any of the openings are. How do we findthem?"Trevize turned again to Bliss. "Can you detect anything. mentally,that will help us find our way out?"Bliss said, "The robots on this estate are all inactive. I can detecta thin whisper of subintelligent life straight up, but all that tellsus is that the surface is straight up, which we know.""Well, then," said Trevize, "we'll just have to look for someopening.""Hit-and-miss," said Pelorat, appalled. "We'll never succeed.""We might, Janov," said Trevize. "If we search, there will be a chance,however small. The alternative is simply to stay here, and if we do thatthen we will never succeed. Come, a small chance is better than none.""Wait," said Bliss. "I do sense something.""What?" said Trevize.
"A mind.""Intelligence?""Yes, but limited, I think. What reaches me most clearly, though,is something else.""What?" said Trevize, again fighting impatience.
"Fright! Intolerable fright!" said Bliss, in a whisper.
53Trevize looked about ruefully. He knew where they hadentered but he had no illusion on the score of being able to retrace thepath by which they had come. He had, after all, paid little attentionto the turnings and windings. Who would have thought they'd be in theposition of having to retrace the route alone and without help, and withonly a flickering, dim light to be guided by?
He said, "Do you think you can activate the car, Bliss?"Bliss said, "I'm sure I could, Trevize, but that doesn't mean I canrun it."Pelorat said, "I think that Bander ran it mentally. I didn't see ittouch anything when it was moving."Bliss said gently, "Yes, it did it mentally, Pel, buthow , mentally? You might as well say that it did it byusing the controls. Certainly, but if I don't know the details of usingthe controls, that doesn't help, does it?""You might try," said Trevize.
"If I try, I'll have to put my whole mind to it, and if I do that,then I doubt that I'll be able to keep the lights on. The car will dous no good in the dark even if I learn how to control it.""Then we must wander about on foot, I suppose?""I'm afraid so."Trevize peered at the thick and gloomy darkness that lay beyond the dimlight in their immediate neighborhood. He saw nothing, heard nothing.
He said, "Bliss, do you still sense this frightened mind?""Yes, I do.""Can you tell where it is? Can you guide us to it?""The mental sense is a straight line. It is not refracted sensiblyby ordinary matter, so I can tell it is coming from that direction."She pointed to a spot on the dusky wall, and said, "But we can't walkthrough the wall to it. The best we can do is follow the corridors andtry to find our way in whatever direction will keep the sensation growingstronger. In short, we will have to play the game of hot-and-cold.""Then let's start right now."Pelorat hung back. "Wait, Golan; are we sure we want to find thisthing, whatever it is? If it is frightened, it may be that we will havereason to be frightened, too."Trevize shook his head impatiently. "We have no choice, Janov. It'sa mind, frightened or not, and it may be willing to or may be madeto direct us to the surface.""And do we just leave Bander lying here?" said Pelorat uneasily.
Trevize took his elbow. "Come, Janov. We have no choice in that,either. Eventually some Solarian will reactivate the place, and a robotwill find Bander and take care of it I hope not before we aresafely away."He allowed Bliss to lead the way. The light was always strongestin her immediate neighborhood and she paused at each doorway, at eachfork in the corridor, trying to sense the direction from which thefright came. Sometimes she would walk through a door, or move around acurve, then come back and try an alternate path, while Trevize watchedhelplessly.
Each time Bliss came to a decision and moved firmly in a particulardirection, the light came on ahead of her. Trevize noticed that it seemeda bit brighter now either because his eyes were adapting to thedimness, or because Bliss was learning how to handle the transductionmore efficiently. At one point, when she passed one of the metal rodsthat were inserted into the ground, she put her hand on it and the lightsbrightened noticeably. She nodded her head as though she were pleasedwith herself.
Nothing looked in the least familiar; it seemed certain they werewandering through portions of the rambling underground mansion they hadnot passed through on the way in.
Trevize kept looking for corridors that led upward sharply, and hevaried that by studying the ceilings for any sign of a trapdoor. Nothingof the sort appeared, and the frightened mind remained their only chanceof getting out.
They walked through silence, except for the sound of their own steps;through darkness, except for the light in their immediate vicinity;through death, except for their own lives. Occasionally, they made outthe shadowy bulk of a robot, sitting or standing in the dusk, with nomotion. Once they saw a robot lying on its side, with legs and arms inqueer frozen positions. It had been caught off-balance, Trevize thought,at the moment when power had been turned off, and it had fallen. Bander,either alive or dead, could not affect the force of gravity. Perhapsall over the vast Bander estate, robots were standing and lying inactiveand it would be that that would quickly be noted at the borders.
Or perhaps not, he thought suddenly. Solarians would know when oneof their number would be dying of old age and physical decay. The worldwould be alerted and ready. Bander, however, had died suddenly, withoutpossible foreknowledge, in the prime of its existence. Who would know? Whowould expect? Who would be watching for inactivation?
But no (and Trevize thrust back optimism and consolation as dangerouslures into overconfidence). The Solarians would note the cessation ofall activity on the Bander estate and take action at once. They allhad too great an interest in the succession to estates to leave deathto itself.
Pelorat murmured unhappily, "Ventilation has stopped. A place likethis, underground, must be ventilated, and Bander supplied the power. Nowit has stopped.""It doesn't matter, Janov," said Trevize. "We've got enough air downin this empty underground place to last us for years.""It's close just the same. It's psychologically bad.""Please, Janov, don't get claustrophobic. Bliss, are we anycloser?""Much, Trevize," she replied. "The sensation is stronger and I amclearer as to its location."She was stepping forward more surely, hesitating less at points ofchoice of direction.
"There! There!" she said. "I can sense it intensely."Trevize said dryly, "Even I can hear it now."All three stopped and, automatically, held their breaths. They couldhear a soft moaning, interspersed with gasping sobs.
They walked into a large room and, as the lights went on, they sawthat, unlike all those they had hitherto seen, it was rich and colorfulin furnishings.
In the center of the room was a robot, stooping slightly, its armsstretched out in what seemed an almost affectionate gesture and, ofcourse, it was absolutely motionless.
Behind the robot was a flutter of garments. A round frightened eyeedged to one side of it, and there was still the sound of a brokenheartedsobbing.
Trevize darted around the robot and, from the other side, a smallfigure shot out, shrieking. It stumbled, fell to the ground, andlay there, covering its eyes, kicking its legs in all directions, asthough to ward off some threat from whatever angle it might approach,and shrieking, shrieking Bliss said, quite unnecessarily, "It's a child!"54Trevize drew back, puzzled. What was a child doinghere? Bander had been so proud of its absolute solitude, so insistentupon it.
Pelorat, less apt to fall back on iron reasoning in the face of anobscure event, seized upon the solution at once, and said, "I supposethis is the successor.""Bander's child," said Bliss, agreeing, "but too young, I think,to be a successor. The Solarians will have to find one elsewhere."She was gazing at the child, not in a fixed glare, but in a soft,mesmerizing way, and slowly the noise the child was making lessened. Itopened its eyes and looked at Bliss in return. Its outcry was reducedto an occasional soft whimper.
Bliss made sounds of her own, now, soothing ones, broken words thatmade little sense in themselves but were meant only to reinforce thecalming effect of her thoughts. It was as though she were mentallyfingering the child's unfamiliar mind and seeking to even out itsdisheveled emotions.
Slowly, never taking its eyes off Bliss, the child got to its feet,stood there swaying a moment, then made a dash for the silent, frozenrobot. It threw its arms about the sturdy robotic leg as though avidfor the security of its touch.
Trevize said, "I suppose that the robot is its nursemaid orcaretaker. I suppose a Solarian can't care for another Solarian, noteven a parent for a child."Pelorat said, "And I suppose the child is hermaphroditic.""It would have to be," said Trevize.
Bliss, still entirely preoccupied with the child, was approachingit slowly, hands held half upward, palms toward herself, as thoughemphasizing that there was no intention of seizing the small creature. Thechild was now silent, watching the approach, and holding on the moretightly to the robot.
Bliss said, "There, child warm, child soft, warm,comfortable, safe, child safe safe."She stopped and, without looking round, said in a low voice, "Pel,speak to it in its language. Tell it we're robots come to take care ofit because the power failed.""Robots!" said Pelorat, shocked.
"We must be presented as robots. It's not afraid of robots. And it'snever seen a human being, maybe can't even conceive of them."Pelorat said, "I don't know if I can think of the right expression. Idon't know the archaic word for `robot.'""Say `robot,' then, Pel. If that doesn't work, say `iron thing.' Saywhatever you can."Slowly, word by word, Pelorat spoke archaically. The child looked athim, frowning intensely, as though trying to understand.
Trevize said, "You might as well ask it how to get out, while you'reat it."Bliss said, "No. Not yet. Confidence first, then information."The child, looking now at Pelorat, slowly released its hold on therobot and spoke in a high-pitched musical voice.
Pelorat said anxiously, "It's speaking too quickly for me."Bliss said, "Ask it to repeat more slowly. I'm doing my best to calmit and remove its fears."Pelorat, listening again to the child, said, "I think it's askingwhat made Jemby stop. Jemby must be the robot.""Check and make sure, Pel."Pelorat spoke, then listened, and said, "Yes, Jemby is the robot. Thechild calls itself Fallom.""Good!" Bliss smiled at the child, a luminous, happy smile, pointedto it, and said, "Fallom. Good Fallom. Brave Fallom." She placed a handon her chest and said, "Bliss."The child smiled. It looked very attractive when it smiled. "Bliss,"it said, hissing the "s" a bit imperfectly.
Trevize said, "Bliss, if you can activate the robot, Jemby, it mightbe able to tell us what we want to know. Pelorat can speak to it aseasily as to the child.""No," said Bliss. "That would be wrong. The robot's first duty is toprotect the child. If it is activated and instantly becomes aware of us,aware of strange human beings, it may as instantly attack us. No strangehuman beings belong here. If I am then forced to inactivate it, it cangive us no information, and the child, faced with a second inactivationof the only parent it knows Well, I just won't do it.""But we were told," said Pelorat mildly, "that robots can't harmhuman beings.""So we were," said Bliss, "but we were not told what kind of robotsthese Solarians have designed. And even if this robot were designed todo no harm, it would have to make a choice between its child, or thenearest thing to a child it can have, and three objects whom it might noteven recognize as human beings, merely as illegal intruders. Naturally,it would choose the child and attack us."She turned to the child again. "Fallom," she said, "Bliss." Shepointed, "Pel Trev.""Pel. Trev," said the child obediently.
She came closer to the child, her hands reaching toward it slowly. Itwatched her, then took a step backward.
"Calm, Fallom," said Bliss. "Good, Fallom. Touch, Fallom. Nice,Fallom."It took a step toward her, and Bliss sighed. "Good, Fallom."She touched Fallom's bare arm, for it wore, as its parent had,only a long robe, open in front, and with a loincloth beneath. Thetouch was gentle. She removed her arm, waited, and made contact again,stroking softly.
The child's eyes half-closed under the strong, calming effect ofBliss's mind.
Bliss's hands moved up slowly, softly, scarcely touching, to thechild's shoulders, its neck, its ears, then under its long brown hairto a point just above and behind its ears.
Her hands dropped away then, and she said, "The transducer-lobesare still small. The cranial bone hasn't developed yet. There's just atough layer of skin there, which will eventually expand outward and befenced in with bone after the lobes have fully grown. Which meansit can't, at the present time, control the estate or even activate itsown personal robot. Ask it how old it is, Pel."Pelorat said, after an exchange, "It's fourteen years old, if Iunderstand it rightly."Trevize said, "It looks more like eleven."Bliss said, "The length of the years used on this world may notcorrespond closely to Standard Galactic Years. Besides, Spacers aresupposed to have extended lifetimes and, if the Solarians are likethe other Spacers in this, they may also have extended developmentalperiods. We can't go by years, after all."Trevize said, with an impatient click of his tongue, "Enoughanthropology. We must get to the surface and since we are dealing witha child, we may be wasting our time uselessly. It may not know the routeto the surface. It may not ever have been on the surface."Bliss said, "Pel!"Pelorat knew what she meant and there followed the longest conversationhe had yet had with Fallom.
Finally, he said, "The child knows what the sun is. It says it's seenit. I think it's seen trees. It didn't act as though it weresure what the word meant or at least what the word I used meant ""Yes, Janov," said Trevize, "but do get to the point.""I told Fallom that if it could get us out to the surface, thatmight make it possible for us to activate the robot. Actually, I saidwe would activate the robot. Do you suppose we might?"Trevize said, "We'll worry about that later. Did it say it wouldguide us?""Yes. I thought the child would be more anxious to do it, you see,if I made that promise. I suppose we're running the risk of disappointingit ""Come," said Trevize, "let's get started. All this will be academicif we are caught underground."Pelorat said something to the child, who began to walk, then stoppedand looked back at Bliss.
Bliss held out her hand and the two then walked hand in hand.
"I'm the new robot," she said, smiling slightly.
"It seems reasonably happy over that," said Trevize.
Fallom skipped along and, briefly, Trevize wondered if it were happysimply because Bliss had labored to make it so, or if, added to that,there was the excitement of visiting the surface and of having threenew robots, or whether it was excitement at the thought of having itsJemby foster-parent back. Not that it mattered as long as thechild led them.
There seemed no hesitation in the child's progress. It turned withoutpause whenever there was a choice of paths. Did it really know where itwas going, or was it all simply a matter of a child's indifference? Wasit simply playing a game with no clear end in sight?
But Trevize was aware, from the slight burden on his progress, thathe was moving uphill, and the child, bouncing self-importantly forward,was pointing ahead and chattering.
Trevize looked at Pelorat, who cleared his throat and said, "I thinkwhat it's saying is `doorway.'""I hope your thought is correct," said Trevize.
The child broke away from Bliss, and was running now. It pointed to aportion of the flooring that seemed darker than the sections immediatelyneighboring it. The child stepped on it, jumping up and down a few times,and then turned with a clear expression of dismay, and spoke with shrillvolubility.
Bliss said, with a grimace, "I'll have to supply the power. Thisis wearing me out."Her face reddened a bit and the lights dimmed, but a door opened justahead of Fallom, who laughed in soprano delight.
The child ran out the door and the two men followed. Bliss camelast, and looked back as the lights just inside darkened and the doorclosed. She then paused to catch her breath, looking rather worn out.
"Well," said Pelorat, "we're out. Where's the ship?"All of them stood bathed in the still luminous twilight.
Trevize muttered, "It seems to me that it was in that direction.""It seems so to me, too," said Bliss. "Let's walk," and she held outher hand to Fallom.
There was no sound except those produced by the wind and by themotions and calls of living animals. At one point they passed a robotstanding motionless near the base of a tree, holding some object ofuncertain purpose.
Pelorat took a step toward it out of apparent curiosity, but Trevizesaid, "Not our business, Janov. Move on."They passed another robot, at a greater distance, who had tumbled.
Trevize said, "There are robots littered over many kilometers inall directions, I suppose." And then, triumphantly, "Ah, there's theship."They hastened their steps now, then stopped suddenly. Fallom raisedits voice in an excited squeak.
On the ground near the ship was what appeared to be an air-vessel ofprimitive design, with a rotor that looked energy-wasteful, and fragilebesides. Standing next to the air-vessel, and between the little partyof Outworlders and their ship, stood four human figures.
"Too late," said Trevize. "We wasted too much time. Now what?"Pelorat said wonderingly, "Four Solarians? It can't be. Surely theywouldn't come into physical contact like that. Do you suppose thoseare holoimages?""They are thoroughly material," said Bliss. "I'm sure of that. They'renot Solarians either. There's no mistaking the minds. They're robots."55"Well, then," said Trevize wearily, "onward!" He resumedhis walk toward the ship at a calm pace and the others followed.
Pelorat said, rather breathlessly, "What do you intend to do?""If they're robots, they've got to obey orders."The robots were awaiting them, and Trevize watched them narrowly asthey came closer.
Yes, they must be robots. Their faces, which looked as though they weremade of skin underlain with flesh, were curiously expressionless. Theywere dressed in uniforms that exposed no square centimeter of skinoutside the face. Even the hands were covered by thin, opaque gloves.
Trevize gestured casually, in a fashion that was unquestionably abrusque request that they step aside.
The robots did not move.
In a low voice, Trevize said to Pelorat, "put it into words, Janov. Befirm."Pelorat cleared his throat and, putting an unaccustomed baritone intohis voice, spoke slowly, gesturing them aside much as Trevize had done. Atthat, one of the robots, who was perhaps a shade taller than the rest,said something in a cold and incisive voice.
Pelorat turned to Trevize. "I think he said we were Outworlders.""Tell him we are human beings and must be obeyed."The robot spoke then, in peculiar but understandable Galactic. "Iunderstand you, Outworlder. I speak Galactic. We are Guardian Robots.""Then you have heard me say that we are human beings and that youmust therefore obey us.""We are programmed to obey Rulers only, Outworlder. You are notRulers and not Solarian. Ruler Bander has not responded to the normalmoment of Contact and we have come to investigate at close quarters. Itis our duty to do so. We find a spaceship not of Solarian manufacture,several Outworlders present, and all Bander robots inactivated. Whereis Ruler Bander?"Trevize shook his head and said slowly and distinctly, "We knownothing of what you say. Our ship's computer is not working well. Wefound ourselves near this strange planet against our intentions. Welanded to find our location. We found all robots inactivated. We knownothing of what might have happened.""That is not a credible account. If all robots on the estate areinactivated and all power is off, Ruler Bander must be dead. It is notlogical to suppose that by coincidence it died just as you landed. Theremust be some sort of causal connection."Trevize said, with no set purpose but to confuse the issue and toindicate his own foreigner's lack of understanding and, therefore, hisinnocence, "But the power is not off. You and the others are active."The robot said, "We are Guardian Robots. We do not belong to anyRuler. We belong to all the world. We are not Ruler-controlled but arenuclear-powered. I ask again, where is Ruler Bander?"Trevize looked about him. Pelorat appeared anxious; Bliss wastight-lipped but calm. Fallom was trembling, but Bliss's hand touchedthe child's shoulder and it stiffened somewhat and lost facialexpression. (Was Bliss sedating it?)The robot said, "Once again, and for the last time, where is RulerBander?""I do not know," said Trevize grimly.
The robot nodded and two of his companions left quickly. The robotsaid, "My fellow Guardians will search the mansion. Meanwhile, you willbe held for questioning. Hand me those objects you wear at your side."Trevize took a step backward. "They are harmless.""Do not move again. I do not question their nature, whether harmfulor harmless. I ask for them.""No."The robot took a quick step forward, and his arm flashed out tooquickly for Trevize to realize what was happening. The robot's hand wason his shoulder; the grip tightened and pushed downward. Trevize wentto his knees.
The robot said, "Those objects." It held out its other hand.
"No," gasped Trevize.
Bliss lunged forward, pulled the blaster out of its holster beforeTrevize, clamped in the robot's grip, could do anything to preventher, and held it out toward the robot. "Here, Guardian," she said,"and if you'll give me a moment here's the other. Now releasemy companion."The robot, holding both weapons, stepped back, and Trevize roseslowly to his feet, rubbing his left shoulder vigorously, face wincingwith pain.
(Fallom whimpered softly, and Pelorat picked it up in distraction,and held it tightly.)Bliss said to Trevize, in a furious whisper, "Why are you fightinghim? He can kill you with two fingers."Trevize groaned and said, between gritted teeth, "Why don'tyou handle him.
"I'm trying to. It takes time. His mind is tight, intensely programmed,and leaves no handle. I must study it. You play for time.""Don't study his mind. Just destroy it," said Trevize, almostsoundlessly.
Bliss looked quickly toward the robot. It was studying the weaponsintently, while the one other robot that still remained with it watchedthe Outworlders. Neither seemed interested in the whispering that wasgoing on between Trevize and Bliss.
Bliss said, "No. No destruction. We killed one dog and hurt another onthe first world. You know what happened on this world." (Another quickglance at the Guardian Robots.) "Gaia does not needlessly butcher lifeor intelligence. I need time to work it out peacefully."She stepped back and stared at the robot fixedly.
The robot said, "These are weapons.""No," said Trevize.
"Yes," said Bliss, "but they are no longer useful. They are drainedof energy.""Is that indeed so? Why should you carry weapons that are drainedof energy? Perhaps they are not drained." The robot held one of theweapons in its fist and placed its thumb accurately. "Is this the wayit is activated?""Yes," said Bliss; "if you tighten the pressure, it would be activated,if it contained energy but it does not.""Is that certain?" The robot pointed the weapon at Trevize. "Do youstill say that if I activate it now, it will not work?""It will not work," said Bliss.
Trevize was frozen in place and unable to articulate. He had testedthe blaster after Bander had drained it and it was totally dead, butthe robot was holding the neuronic whip. Trevize had not tested that.
If the whip contained even a small residue of energy, there wouldbe enough for a stimulation of the pain nerves, and what Trevize wouldfeel would make the grip of the robot's hand seem to have been a patof affection.
When he had been at the Naval Academy, Trevize had been forced totake a mild neuronic whipblow, as all cadets had had to. That was justto know what it was like. Trevize felt no need to know anything more.
The robot activated the weapon and, for a moment, Trevize stiffenedpainfully and then slowly relaxed. The whip, too, was thoroughlydrained.
The robot stared at Trevize and then tossed both weapons to oneside. "How do these come to be drained of energy?" it demanded. "If theyare of no use, why do you carry them?"Trevize said, "I am accustomed to the weight and carry them evenwhen drained."The robot said, "That does not make sense. You are all undercustody. You will be held for further questioning, and, if the Rulersso decide, you will then be inactivated. How does one open thisship? We must search it.""It will do you no good," said Trevize. "You won't understand it.""If not I, the Rulers will understand.""They will not understand, either.""Then you will explain so that they will understand.""I will not.""Then you will be inactivated.""My inactivation will give you no explanation, and I think I will beinactivated even if I explain."Bliss muttered, "Keep it up. I'm beginning to unravel the workingsof its brain."The robot ignored Bliss. (Did she see to that? thought Trevize,and hoped savagely that she had.)Keeping its attention firmly on Trevize, the robot said, "If you makedifficulties, then we will partially inactivate you. We will damage youand you will then tell us what we want to know."Suddenly, Pelorat called out in a half-strangled cry. "Wait, youcannot do this. Guardian, you cannot do this.""I am under detailed instructions," said the robot quietly. "I cando this. Of course, I shall do as little damage as is consistent withobtaining information.""But you cannot. Not at all. I am an Outworlder, and so are thesetwo companions of mine. But this child," and Pelorat looked at Fallom,whom he was still carrying, "is a Solarian. It will tell you what to doand you must obey it."Fallom looked at Pelorat with eyes that were open, but seemedempty.
Bliss shook her head, sharply, but Pelorat looked at her without anysign of understanding.
The robot's eyes rested briefly on Fallom. It said, "The child is ofno importance. It does not have transducer-lobes.""It does not yet have fully developed transducer-lobes," said Pelorat,panting, "but it will have them in time. It is a Solarian child.""It is a child, but without fully developed transducer-lobes it isnot a Solarian. I am not compelled to follow its orders or to keep itfrom harm.""But it is the offspring of Ruler Bander.""Is it? How do you come to know that?"Pelorat stuttered, as he sometimes did when overearnest. "Wh whatother child would be on this estate?""How do you know there aren't a dozen?""Have you seen any others?""It is I who will ask the questions."At this moment, the robot's attention shifted as the second robottouched its arm. The two robots who had been sent to the mansion werereturning at a rapid run that, nevertheless, had a certain irregularityto it.
There was silence till they arrived and then one of them spoke inthe Solarian language at which all four of the robots seemed tolose their elasticity. For a moment, they appeared to wither, almostto deflate.
Pelorat said, "They've found Bander," before Trevize could wavehim silent.
The robot turned slowly and said, in a voice that slurred thesyllables, "Ruler Bander is dead. By the remark you have just made,you show us you were aware of the fact. How did that come to be?""How can I know?" said Trevize defiantly.
"You knew it was dead. You knew it was there to be found. How couldyou know that, unless you had been there unless it was you thathad ended the life?" The robot's enunciation was already improving. Ithad endured and was absorbing the shock.
Then Trevize said, "How could we have killed Bander? With itstransducer-lobes it could have destroyed us in a moment.""How do you know what, or what not, transducer-lobes could do?""You mentioned the transducer-lobes just now.""I did no more than mention them. I did not describe their propertiesor abilities.""The knowledge came to us in a dream.""That is not a credible answer."Trevize said, "To suppose that we have caused the death of Bander isnot credible, either."Pelorat added, "And in any case, if Ruler Bander is dead, then RulerFallom now controls this estate. Here the Ruler is, and it is it whomyou must obey.""I have already explained," said the robot, "that an offspring withundeveloped transducer-lobes is not a Solarian. It cannot be a Successor,therefore, Another Successor, of the appropriate age, will be flown inas soon as we report this sad news.""What of Ruler Fallom?""There is no Ruler Fallom. There is only a child and we have an excessof children. It will be destroyed."Bliss said forcefully, "You dare not. It is a child!""It is not I," said the robot, "who will necessarily do the act and itis certainly not I who will make the decision. That is for the consensusof the Rulers. In times of child-excess, however, I know well what thedecision will in.""No. I say no.""It will be painless. But another ship is coming. It isimportant that we go into what was the Bander mansion and set up aholovision Council that will supply a Successor and decide on what todo with you. Give me the child."Bliss snatched the semicomatose figure of Fallom from Pelorat. Holdingit tightly and trying to balance its weight on her shoulder, she said,"Do not touch this child."Once again, the robot's arm shot out swiftly and it stepped forward,reaching for Fallom. Bliss moved quickly to one side, beginning her motionwell before the robot had begun its own. The robot continued to moveforward, however, as though Bliss were still standing before it. Curvingstiffly downward, with the forward tips of its feet as the pivot, it wentdown on its face. The other three stood motionless, eyes unfocused.
Bliss was sobbing, partly with rage. "I almost had the proper method ofcontrol, and it wouldn't give me the time. I had no choice but to strikeand now all four are inactivated. Let's get on the ship beforethe other ship lands. I am too ill to face additional robots, now."
第十二章 着见天日
　　51
崔维兹立刻转头望向宝绮思。她毫无表情，面容紧绷，双眼全神贯注凝视着班德，彷佛忘却了周遭的一切。
裴洛拉特的眼睛张得老大，一副难以置信的模样。
崔维兹不知道宝绮思会（或者能够）做些什么，他勉力击退排山倒海而来的挫败感（并非只是想到死亡，主要是想到尚未发现地球的下落，尚未明白他为何选择盖娅作人类未来的蓝图）。他心中很明白，自己必须尽量拖延时间。
他努力保持声音的平稳与咬字的清晰。“你一直表现得像是个谦恭有礼、风度翩翩的索拉利人，班德。我们闯入你的世界，你丝毫不以为忤，还好心地带我们参观你的属地和宅邸，并且回答我们的问题。如果你现在让我们离去，将更符合你的品格。没人有必要知道我们来过这个世界，而我们也没有理由再回来。我们到这里的动机很单纯，只不过是想要寻找资料而已。”
“你当然会这么说，”班德从容道：“如今，你们的命都是跟我借的。你们进入我们大气层那一瞬间，性命就不再属于自己了。当我和你们进行近距离接触时，我可能会做的——也是应该做的——是立刻将你们杀掉。然后，我该命令专职机器人解剖你们的尸体，看看外星人士的身体能为我提供什么知识。
“伹我没有那么做，我纵容自己的好奇心，屈服在自己随和的天性下。不过现在该适可而止了，我不能再继续下去。事实上，我已经威胁到了索拉利的安全。因为，我如果由于某些弱点，竟然被你们说服，让你们安然离去，你们的同类必会接踵而至，现在你们如何保证都没有用。
“不过，至少我能做到一点，能让你们死得毫无痛苦。我只消将你们的大脑稍微加热，使它们趋于钝化，你们不会感到任何痛苦，只是生命就这样终止。最后，等到解剖研究完毕，我会用瞬间高热将你们化为灰烬，这样一切就结束了。”
崔维兹说：“如果我们非死不可，我不反对迅速而毫无痛苦的死亡。可是我们没有犯任何罪，为什么一定要被处死？”
“你们的到来就是一项罪行。”
“这话根本没道理，我们无法预知这样做是有罪的。”
“什么样的行为构成犯罪，不同的社会有不同的定义。对你们而言，它也许是无理而专断的，但对我们则不然。这里是我们的世界，我们有绝对的权利决定各种事务。你们犯了错，所以必须受死。”
班德仍面带微笑，彷佛只是在愉快地闲聊。它继续说：“你们的品德也没多高尚，能让你们拿来作为申诉的藉口。你有一把手铳，它利用微波束激发致命的高热，功用和我如今的目的相同，可是我能肯定，它所导致的死亡将更残酷、痛苦得多。如果我笨到允许你有行动自由，让你能将手铳从皮套中拔出来，又如果我没把它的能量抽光，你现在会毫不犹豫地用它对付我。”
崔维兹甚至不敢再看宝绮思一眼，生怕班德的注意力转移到她身上。他抱着最后一线希望说：“我求你，就算是发发慈悲，不要这么做。”
班德突然现出冷酷的表情。“我必须先对自己和我的世界仁慈，所以你们都得死。”
它举起一只手，一股黑暗立刻笼罩崔维兹。
52
一时之间，崔维兹感到黑暗令他窒息，他狂乱地想：这就是死亡吗？
彷佛他的思绪激起了回声，他听见一个低微的声音说：“这就是死亡吗？”那是裴洛拉特的声音。
崔维兹试图开口，结果发现没有问题。“何必问呢？”他说，同时大大松了一口气。“你还能发问，光凭这一点，就表示这不是死亡。”
“在一些古老的传说中，死亡之后还有生命。”
“荒谬绝伦。”崔维兹低声道：“宝绮思？你在这里吗，宝绮思？”
没有任何回答。
“宝绮思？宝绮思？”裴洛拉特也唤道。“发生了什么事，葛兰？”
崔维兹说：“班德一定死了。他一死就不能再为他的属地供应电力，所以灯光就熄了。”
“可是怎么会……你是说这是宝绮思干的？”
“我想应该是的，希望她没在过程中受伤。”在这个全然黑暗的地底世界（若不计墙壁中放射性原子偶然的衰变造成的肉眼下可见闪光），他趴在地上，以双手双膝爬行。
然后，他的手摸到一个温热柔软的物体，他来回摸了摸，认出了抓着的是一条腿。那条腿显然太过细小，不可能是班德的。“宝绮思？”
那条腿踢了一下，崔维兹只好将手松开。
他说：“宝绮思？说句话啊！”
“我还活着。”宝绮思的声音传过来，不知为何却变了调。
崔维兹说：“可是你还好吗？”
“不好。”随着这句话，他们周围着新后了起来，但却相当暗淡。墙壁发出微弱的光芒，毫无规律地时明时暗。
班德垮作一团，像是一堆昏暗的杂物。在一侧抱着它的头的，正是宝绮思。
她抬起头望着崔维兹与裴洛拉特。“这个索拉利人死了。”在幽暗的灯光下，她的双颊闪烁着泪水。
崔维兹愣了一愣。“你为什么哭呢？”
“我杀死了一个有思想、有智慧的生命，难道不该哭吗？这并非我的本意。”
崔维兹弯下腰，想扶她站起来，她却将他一把推开。
裴洛拉特过去跪在她身边，柔声道：“拜托，宝绮思，即使是你，也无法让它起死回生。告诉我们发生了什么事。”
她让裴洛拉特把自己扶起来，含糊地说：“班德能做的盖娅也会，盖娅能够利用宇宙间分布不均的能量，仅藉着心灵的力量，将它转换成适当的功。”
“这我早就知道。”崔维兹试图安慰她，却不太清楚该怎么说。“我们在太空中相遇的情形，我还记得很清楚，当时你——或者应该说盖娅——制住我们的太空船。当班德夺走我的武器，又令我动弹不得的时候，我就想到了那件事。它也制伏了你，但是我确信，你若想挣脱是绝没问题的。”
“不对，如果我企图挣脱，那一定会失败。当你们的太空船在我／我们／盖娅的掌握中，”她以悲伤的语调说：“我和盖娅是真正的一体。现在却有超空间的分隔，限制了我／我们／盖娅的效率。此外，盖娅的所作所为，全有赖于齐聚无数大脑而生的力量，然而即使我们的大脑全部加起来，也比不上这个索拉利人的转换叶突。我们无法像它那么巧妙、有效又毫不疲倦地利用能量——你看，我就不能让这些灯光变得更后，我也不知再过多久就会筋疲力尽。而班德即使在睡觉的时候，也能为整个广大的属地供应电力。”
“但你制止了它。”崔维兹说。
“因为它并未察觉我的力量，”宝绮思说：“而且我什么也没做，完全没让我的力量曝光。所以它没有怀疑我，也就没特别注意我。它将精神全部集中在你身上，崔维兹，因为带武器的是你——再次证明你武装自己是明智之举。而我必须等待机会，藉着出其不意、迅雷不及掩耳的一击制服班德。当它即将杀害我们，当它全副心神集中在那个行动以及你身上的时候，我就有了出手的机会。”
“那一击相当漂后。”
“这么残酷的话你怎么说得出口，崔维兹？我的本意只是制止它，只希望阻绝它的转换器。我的打算是，当它想要毁灭我们的时候将会发现它不但办不到，周围的照明还会突然熄灭。在它惊讶不已的那一瞬间，我就收紧我的掌握，使它进入长时间的正常睡眠状态，再将它的转换器松开。这样电力可以维持不断，我们便能逃出这座宅邸，返回太空船，尽速离开这颗行星。我希望做到的是，当班德终于醒来时，会忘记见到我们之后发生的一切。如果不必杀生就能办到，盖娅绝对不会滥杀无辜。”
“哪里出了差错呢，宝绮思？”裴洛拉特柔声问道。
“我从来没接触过像转换叶突这样的东西，我没有时间详加研究，了解它的构造。我只能猛力展开我的阻绝行动，可是显然做得不正确。受到阻绝的并非叶突的能量入口，而是能量的出口。在一般情况下，能量源源不绝迅速灌人叶突，大脑则以相同的速率排出能量，以保护本身不至受损。可是，一旦出口被我阻绝，能量马上累积在叶突中，在极短的时间内，大脑的温度遽然升高，使脑中的蛋白质急速钝化，然后它就死了。当灯光尽数熄灭时、我立即收回阻绝的力量，但是那已经太晚了。”
“我看不出除了这样做之外，你还能有什么办法，亲爱的。”裴洛拉特说。
“想到我竟然杀了人，怎么讲都无法安慰我。”
“班德眼看就要杀掉我们。”崔维兹说。
“因此我们要制止它，而不是杀害它。”
崔维兹犹豫了一下，他不希望表现出不耐烦的情绪，因为他实在不愿惹宝绮思生气，或是让她更心烦。毕竟，在这个充满无比敌意的世界中，她是他们唯一的防卫武器。
他说：“宝绮思，别再遗憾班德的死亡，现在我们该考虑别的了。由于它的死，这个属地所有的电力已经消失，其他索拉利人发现这点只是迟早的问题——也许不会迟只会早。它们将不得不展开调查，假如几个人联手攻击我们，我认为你根本无法抵御。而且，正如你自己承认的，你现在勉强供应的有限电力，将无法持续太久。所以说，我们的当务之急是赶快返回地面，回到我们的太空船里，一刻也耽误不得。”
“可是，葛兰，”裴洛拉特说：“我们该怎么做？我们走了好几公里弯弯曲曲的路，我猜这下面一定跟迷宫差不多。就我个人而言，我对如何回到地表毫无概念，我的方向感一向很差。”
崔维兹四下看了看，明白裴洛拉特说的完全正确。他说：“我猜通向地表的出口应该很多，我们不一定要找到原来那个。”
“可是出口的位置我们一个也不知道，又要从何找起呢？”
崔维兹又转向宝绮思。“你用精神力量，能否侦测到任何有助我们找到出路的线索？”
宝绮思说：“这个属地的机器人都停摆了。在我们正上方，我可以侦测到一息微弱的次智慧生命，但这只能说明地表在正上方，这点我们早就知道。”
“好吧，那么，”崔维兹说：“我们只好自己寻找出口。”
“瞎闯乱撞？”裴洛拉特被这个提议吓了一跳，“我们永远不会成功。”
“或许可以，詹诺夫。”崔维兹说：“如果我们动手找，不论机会多小，总有逃出去的机会，否则我们只好待在这里，永远别想逃出去了。来吧，一线希望总比毫无希望强。”
“等等，”宝绮思说：“我的确侦测到了一点东西。”
“什么东西？”崔维兹问。
“一个心灵。”
“有智慧吗？”
“有，可是智慧有限，我想。不过，我感到最清楚的，却是另外一种讯息。”
“是什么？”崔维兹再度压制住不耐烦的情绪。
“恐惧！无法忍受的恐惧！”宝绮思细声道。
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崔维兹愁眉苦脸地四下张望。他知道刚才是从哪里进来的，但他不会因此产生幻想，认为他们有可能原路折回。毕竟，他对那些拐弯抹角的道路未曾留心。谁想得到他们竟会落到这个地步，不得不自求多福独自折返，只有明灭不定的幽暗光芒为他们指路。
他说：“你认为自己有办法启动那辆车吗，宝绮思？”
宝绮思说：“我确定可以，崔维兹，但那并不表示我会驾驶。”
裴洛拉特说：“我想班德是靠精神力量驾驶的，车子在行驶的时候，我没看到它碰过任何东西。”
宝绮思温柔地说：“没错，它用的是精神力量，裴，可是要如何使用精神力量呢？你当然会说是藉着操纵装置，、这点绝对没错，伹我若不熟悉操纵装置的使用方法，就根本没有任何帮助，对不对？”
“你好歹试一试。”崔维兹说。
“如果我去试，必须将全副心神放在它上面，这样一来，我怀疑自己是否还能维持照明的灯光。即使我学缓笏如何操纵，在黑暗中这辆车子也帮不上什么忙。”
“我想，那我们必须徒步游荡了？”
“恐怕就是如此。”
崔维兹凝视着前方，他们周围笼罩着幽暗的光芒，此外尽皆是厚实沉着的黑暗。他什么也看不见，什么也听不到。
他说：“宝绮思，你还能感受到那个受惊的心灵吗？”
“是的，还可以。”
“你能不能分辨它在哪里？能不能带领我们到那里去？”
“精神感应是直线行进的，几乎不会被普通物质折射，所以我能知道它来自哪个方向。”
她指着黑漆漆的墙壁，继续说：“但我们不能穿墙而过，最好的办法是沿着回廊走，一路选择感应越来越强的方向。简单地说，我们得玩一玩‘跟着感觉走’的游戏。”
“那么我们现在就开始吧。”
裴洛拉特却踌躇不前。“慢着，葛兰，我们真想找到那个东西吗，不论它是什么？假如它感到恐惧，或许我们也会有恐惧的理由。”
崔维兹不耐烦地摇了摇头。“我们毫无选择余地，詹诺夫。不论它是否感到恐惧，它总是个心灵，它可能会愿意——或者我们能叫它指点我们回到地表。”
“而我们就让班德躺在这里？”裴洛拉特语带不安地说。
崔维兹抓住他的手肘。“来吧，詹诺夫，这点我们也没有选择。终究会有某个索拉利人着新启动这个地方，然后某个机器人会发现班德，为它料理善后——我希望是在我们安然离去后。”
他让宝绮思在前面带路，不论走到哪里，她身边的光芒总是最后。在每个门口，以及回廊的每个岔路，她都会停下脚步，试图感知那股恐惧来自何方。有时她会在走进一道门或绕过某个弯路后，又折返着新尝试另一条路径。崔维兹只能袖手旁观，一点也帮不上忙。
每当宝绮思下定决心，坚决地朝某个方向前进时，她前方的灯光便缓罅起来。崔维兹注意到，现在灯光似乎较为明后——可能由于他的眼睛适应了昏暗的环境，也可能是宝绮思学会如何更有效地转换能量。有一次遇到一根那种插入地底的金属棒，她便将手放在上面，灯光的后度立时显着增强。她点了点头，好像感到十分满意。
沿途未见到任何熟悉的事物，因此几乎可以肯定，他们现在走过的地方，是这个曲折迂回的地底宅邸另外一部分，他们进来的时候未曾经过这里。
崔维兹一路注意观察，想要寻找陡然上升的回廊，有时又将注意力转向屋顶，试图找出任何活门的痕迹。结果他一直没有任何发现，那受惊的心灵仍是他们唯一的希望。
他们走在寂静中，唯一的声音是自己的脚步声；走在黑暗里，唯一的光线紧紧包围他们身边；走在死亡的幽谷内，唯一的活物是他们自己。他们偶尔会发现一两个蒙胧的机器人身躯，在昏暗中或立或坐，全都一动不动。有一次，他们看到一个侧卧的机器人，四肢摆出一种古怪的僵凝姿势。当所有的电力消失时，崔维兹想，它一定处于某种不平衡状态，是以立刻倒了下来。不论班德是死是活，都无法影响着力的作用。也许在班德广大的属地各个角落，所有的机器人皆已停摆，或立或卧僵在原地，而在属地的边界，这种情形一定很快会被人发现。
不过或许不会，他又突然这么想。当索拉利的一份子即将由于衰老而死亡时，索拉利人应该全都知道，整个世界都会有所警觉，并且预先做好准备。然而，班德正处于盛年，它现在突然暴毙，根本不可能有任何预兆。谁会知道呢？谁会预期这种结果？谁又会期待整个属地停摆？
不对（崔维兹将乐观与自我安慰抛在脑后，那会引诱自己变得太过自信，实在太危险了），班德属地所有的活动都已停止，索拉利人一定会注意到，然后缓螈即采取行动。它们都对继承属地有极大的兴趣，不会对他人的死亡置之不理。
裴洛拉特满面愁容，喃喃说道：“通风系统停止了。像这种位于地底的场所，一定要保持通风良好，当初有班德供应电力，但现在它已不再运转。”
“没关系，詹诺夫。”崔维兹说：“在这个空旷的地底世界，还有足够的空气让我们活好几年。”
“我还是闷得慌，是心理上的难过。”
“拜托，詹诺夫，别染上了幽闭恐惧症——宝绮思，我们接近些了吗？”
“近多了，崔维兹。”她道：“感觉变强许多，我对它的位置也更清楚了。”
她迈出的脚步更为坚定，在需要选择方向的地点，也下再那么犹豫。
“那里！那里！”她说：“我强烈感觉到了。”
崔维兹不以为然地说：“现在就连我也听得到了。”
三个人停下脚步，自然而然屏住了气息。他们听到了一阵低低的悲鸣声，还夹杂着气喘吁吁的啜泣。
他们循声走进一个大房间，当灯光后起后，他们看到里面满是色彩缤纷的陈设，跟原先所见的各个房间完全不同。
位于房间中央的是个机器人，它微弯着腰，伸出双臂，像是正准备做个亲昵的动作。不过，当然，它僵在那里一动不动。
柄器人身后传来一阵衣裳拍动的声音。一只充满恐惧、睁得圆圆的眼睛从一侧探出来，那种令人心碎的啜泣声一直不断。
崔维兹冲到机器人后面。只听得一声尖叫，一个小身形从另一侧冒出来，猛然摔倒，躺在地上用手蒙住眼睛，两腿向四面八方猛踢，彷佛要逐退来自各方的威胁，同时继续不停地尖叫，尖叫——
“是个孩子！”宝绮思说。这点显然毋庸质疑。
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崔维兹向后退了几步，感到十分不解。一个孩子在这里做什么？班德对自己绝对的孤独多么自傲，而且还极力强调这点。
面对令人不解的事，裴洛拉特比较不会诉诸理性分析。他立刻想到答案、脱口便说：“我想这就是继承人。”
“是班德的孩子，”宝绮思表示同意，“可是太小了。我想它无法成为继承人，索拉利人得另外找人继承。”
她凝视着这个孩子，但并非目不转晴地瞪着它，而是用一种轻柔的、带有催眠作用的目光。那孩于果然渐渐静下来，睁开双眼，回望着宝绮思，原本的叫喊已经收敛，变作偶尔一下轻声的抽噎。
宝绮思发出一些具有安抚作用的声音，虽然断断续续没有什么意义，不过她的目的只是要加强镇定效果。她仿佛在用精神指尖，轻抚那孩子陌生的心灵，设法抚平其中紊乱不堪的情绪。
那孩子慢慢爬起来，目光一直没离开宝绮思。它摇摇蔽晃地站了一会儿，突然冲向那个既无动作又没声音的机器人。它紧抱着机器人粗壮的大腿，仿佛渴望得到一点安全感。
崔维兹说：“我猜那个机器人是它的——保母，或者是管理员。我猜索拉利人无法照顾另一个索拉利人，甚至无法照顾自己亲生的孩子。”
裴洛拉特说：“而我猜这孩子也是雌雄同体。”
“一定是。”崔维兹说。
宝绮思的心思仍全放在那孩子身上。她慢慢向它走去，双手平举，手掌朝向自己，仿佛强调她没有抓住它的意图。那孩子现在不哭了，看到宝绮思走过来，它把机器人抱得更紧。
宝绮思说：“来，孩子——温暖，孩子——柔软，温暖，舒适，安全，来，孩子——安全——安全。”
她停了下来，压低声音，头也不回地说：“裴，用它的语言跟它讲。告诉它我们都是机器人，因为这里停电，所以我们来照顾它。”
“机器人！”裴洛拉特吓了一跳。
“我们必须这样自我介绍，它不怕机器人，但它从没见过人类，也许甚至无法想像人类是什么。”
裴洛拉特说：“我不知道能否想出正确的说法，也不知道‘机器人’的古语是什么。”
“那就说‘机器人’吧，裴。如果不管用，就改说‘铁做的东西’，反正尽量说就对了。”
裴洛拉特开始慢慢地、一字一顿地说着古银河语。那孩子望着他，紧紧皱着眉头，像是试图了解他在说些什么。
崔维兹说：“你在跟它沟通的时候，最好顺便问它如何才能出去。”
宝绮思说：“不，暂时不要，先建立信心，再问问题。”
那孩子一面望着裴洛拉特，一面慢慢松开机器人。它说了几句话，声音高亢而带有音乐性。
裴洛拉特慌忙道：“它讲得太快，我听不懂。”
宝绮思说：“请它再慢慢讲一遍，我尽全力消除它的恐惧，让它保持镇静。”
裴洛拉特又听了一遍那孩子说的话，然后说：“我想它在问健比为什么不动了，健比一定就是这个机器人。”
“再问一遍确定一下，裴。”
裴洛拉特再跟那孩子谈了几句，又说：“没错，健比就是这个机器人，这孩子管自己叫菲龙。”
“太好了！”宝绮思对那孩子微微一笑，那是个灿烂开心的笑容。她伸手指指它，然后说：“菲龙，乖菲龙，勇敢的菲龙。”又将一只手放在自己胸前，“宝绮思。”
那孩子也露出微笑，它展现笑容时，看起来非常讨人喜欢。“宝绮思——”它那个“思”的发音有点不正确。
崔维兹说：“宝绮思，如果你能启动这个机器人健比，它也许能告诉我们一些我们想知道的事。裴洛拉特可以跟它沟通，不会比跟这孩子沟通更困难。”
“不行，”宝绮思说：“那样做有问题。这个机器人的首要任务是保护这孩子　，如果它被启动后，发觉我们这几个陌生的人类，它或许缓螈即攻击我们，因为这里不该有任何陌生人。到时我若被迫再使它停摆，它就无法提供我们任何讯息，而这个孩子，看到它心目中唯一的亲人再度停摆——唉，我就是不要那么做。”
“可是我们都听说过，”裴洛拉特柔声道：“机器人一律不能伤害人类。”
“我们的确听说过，”宝绮思说：“可是没有人告诉我们，这些索拉利人设计是什么样的机器人。即使这个机器人被设计得不能伤害人类，它也必须做出抉择——一边是它的孩子，或者说几乎是它的孩子；另一边却是三个陌生物件，它也许根本认不出我们是人类，只会把我们当成非法闯人者。它自然会选择保护孩子，而对我们发动攻击。”
她再度转身面对那孩子。“菲龙，”她说：“宝绮思，”她指指自己，接着又指向其他两人，“裴——崔——”
“裴，崔。”孩子乖顺地跟着说。
她向那孩子走近些，双手慢慢向它接近。它一面望着她，一面向后退了一步。
“冷静，菲龙：”宝绮思说：“乖乖，菲龙；摸摸，菲龙；好乖，菲龙。”
它向她走近一步，宝绮思松了一口气。　“乖，菲龙。”
她摸了摸菲龙裸露在外的臂膀，它跟它的单亲一样，只穿了一件长袍，前胸敞开，下面系着一条束腰。她只轻轻摸了一下，手就赶紧移开，等了一会儿，才又将手放回它的手臂上，轻柔地抚摸着。
在宝绮思心灵的强力镇静作用下，那孩子的眼睛微微闭上。
宝绮思的双手慢慢往上移，动作非常轻，几乎没有触摸到它的肌肤。她两只手一路摸到孩子的肩膀、颈部、耳朵，最后伸进它棕色的长发中，来到它双耳后方偏上的部位。
她随即将双手放下，说道：“转换叶突还小，头盖骨尚未发育完全。那里有一层硬质皮肤，等到叶突长成后，它就会向外鼓胀，被头盖骨围起来。这就代表说，如今它还无法控制这个属地，甚至无法启动属于它的机器人——问问它有几岁了，裴。”
经过一番交谈后，裴洛拉特说：“它今年十四岁，如果我没弄错的话。”
崔维兹说：“它看起来更像十一岁。”
宝绮思说：“这个世界采用的年，长度也许和银河标准年不尽相同。此外，据说外世界人曾将寿命延长，这点如果索拉利人跟其他外世界人一样，他们或许也延长了发育期，总之我们不能以年龄为变准。”
崔维兹不耐烦地咂咂舌头。“别再讨论人类学了，我们必须赶快到达地表。我们沟通的对象是个孩子，我们可能只是在浪费时间。它也许不知道通往地表的路径，也可能从来没有到过地表。”
宝绮思说：“裴！”
裴洛拉特明白她的意思，马上又跟菲龙讨论起来，这次花的时间比前几次都要长。
最后他终于说：“这孩子知道什么是太阳，它说自己曾看到过。我想它也见过树木，它的反应好像不确定那个宇的意义，至少不确定我用的那个字眼……”
“好了，詹诺夫，”崔维兹说：“拜托言归正传吧。”
“我告诉菲龙说，如果它能带我们到达地面，我们也许就有办法启动那个机器人。事实上，我说我们‘就会’启动那个机器人。你认为我们可能做到吗？”
崔维兹说：“这件事我们待会儿再操心，它有没有说愿意为我们带路？”
“有。我刚才是这么想的，如果我做出承诺，你也知道，这孩子会更热心。我认为，我们在冒着让它失望的危险……”
“走吧，”崔维兹说：“我们立刻出发。如果我们困在地底，所有的事情都是纸上谈兵。”
裴洛拉特又对那孩子说了几句话，它便开始向前走，不久它又停下脚步，回头望着宝绮思。
宝绮思伸出一只手，于是两人手牵着手一起走了。
“我是个新的机器人。”她露出淡淡的微笑。
“它好像相当满意。”崔维兹说。
菲龙一路蹦蹦跳跳，崔维兹心中突然闪过一些疑问，它现在这么开心，只是宝绮思费尽心血的结果吗？或是除此之外，又加上它有机会再度去地表玩耍，还得到三个新的机器人，所以才会这样兴奋？或者，它变得如此兴高采烈，是因为想到保母健比会回到它身边？这都没什么关系，只要这孩子肯带路就行。
孩子的步伐似乎没有任何迟疑，每当遇到岔路，它毫不犹豫就做出选择。它真知道自己向哪里走吗？或者这只是小孩子无意义的行动？它只是在玩一个游戏，根本没有明确的目的地？
可是，从变得稍微沉着的脚步中，崔维兹意识到自己正在上坡。而那个孩子，则一面信心十足地蹦蹦跳跳，一面指着前方，叽哩呱啦说个不停。
崔维兹望向裴洛拉特，袭洛拉特清了清喉咙说：“我想它说的是‘门’。”
“我希望你所想的正确无误。”崔维兹说。
此时，孩子挣脱了宝绮思的手，飞快向前奔去，同时伸手指着某处的地板，那里的颜色似乎比周围深。它踏上那块地板，在原地跳了几下，然后转过头来，露出明显的沮丧表情，又用尖锐的声音说了一大串。
宝绮思苦笑了一下。“我得负责供应电力，这会让我筋疲力尽。”
她的脸微微转红，灯光变暗了点，但菲龙面前的一扇门却打了开，它立刻发出女高音般的欢呼。
那孩子冲出门外，两位男士紧跟在后。宝绮思是最后一个出来的，当那扇门快要关上的时候，她回头望了望，里面已经一片漆黑。然后她停下脚步，稍微喘了一口气，看来相当疲倦。
“好啦，”裴洛拉特说：“我们出来了，太空船在哪里？”
现在他们都已来到户外，沐浴在仍算明后的夕阳下。
崔维兹喃喃说道：“我觉得它好像在那个方向。”
“我也这么觉得，”宝绮思说：“我们走吧。”说完就伸手去牵菲龙。
除了风声，以及一些动物的叫声与走动声外，四周围可谓一片静寂。他们在途中遇到一个机器人，一动不动地站在树基附近，手中抱着一个功用不明的物体。
裴洛拉特显然是出于好奇，朝那个方向迈出一步，崔维兹却赶紧说：“不关我们的事，詹诺夫，继续走吧。”
不久，他们又远远看到另一个机器人瘫在地上。
崔维兹说：“我想方圆百公里内，一定到处都是放倒的机器人。”
然后他又得意洋洋地说：“啊，太空船在那里。”
他们马上加快脚步，突然间又停了下来。菲龙扯着喉咙发出兴奋的尖叫。
在太空艇附近，停着一艘显得相当原始的航空器，它的转子看来非常浪费能量，而且十分脆弱。在那具航空器旁边，介于他们四人与太空艇之间，站着四个貌似人类的身形。
“太迟了，”崔维兹说：“我们浪费了太多时间。现在怎么办？”
裴洛拉特以困惑的口吻说：“四个索拉利人？这不可能。它们当然不会做这样的实质接触，你想它们是全讯影像吗？”
“它们是百分之百的实体，”宝绮思说：“这点我能肯定。不过它们也不是索拉利人，这些心灵我绝不会弄错，它们是机器人。”
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“好吧，那么，”崔维兹带着倦意说：“刚进！”他继续以沉着的步伐向太空艇走去，其他人跟在他后面。
裴洛拉特有点上气不接下气地说：“你打算怎么办？”
“假如它们是机器人，它们就必须服从命令。”
那几个机器人正在等候他们。走近之后，崔维兹开始仔细打量它们。
没错，它们一定是机器人。它们的脸部看来好像有皮有肉，但是毫无表情，显得相当诡异。它们都穿着制服，除了面部之外，没有暴露任何平方公分的肌肤，就连双手都戴着不透明的薄手套。
崔维兹随便做了个手势，那是个明确而直接的身体语言，意思是要它们让开。
那些机器人并没有动。
崔维兹低声对裴洛拉特说：“用说的，詹诺夫，语气要坚决。”
裴洛拉特清了清喉咙，以很不自然的男中音慢慢说，同时也像崔维兹那样，挥手表示要它们让开。然后，其中一个似乎高一点的机器人，以冰冷而犀利的声音答了几句。
裴洛拉特转头对崔维兹说：“我想它说我们是外星人士。”
“告诉它我们是人类，它必须服从我们。”
此时那机器人再度开口，说的是口音奇特伹仍可解的银河标准语。“我了解你的话，外星人士。我会说银河标准语，我们是守护机器人。”
“那么，你听到我刚才说的话了，我们是人类，你们必须服从我们。”
“我们的程式设计，外星人士，只让我们服从地主的命令，而你既不是地主又不是索拉利人。班德地主对常规接触未做回应，因此我们前来进行实地调查，这是我们的职责。我们发现了一艘并非索拉利出品的太空船，还有几个外星人士，而班德的机器人全部停摆。班德地王在哪里？”
崔维兹摇了摇头，以缓慢而清晰的声音说：“你的话我们完全不明白，我们太空船的电脑出了点问题，将我们带到这个陌生行星附近，这并非我们的本意。我们登陆此地，是想要找出目前的位置，却发现所有的机器人都已停摆，我们根本不知道发生了什么事。”
“这个解释不可信。如果这个属地上所有的机器人都停摆，所有的电力全部消失，那么班德地主一定死了。它刚好在你们着陆之际死亡，如果说只是巧合，那是不合逻辑的假设，其中一定有某种因果关联。”
崔维兹又说：“可是电力没有消失啊，你和其他几个机器人还能活动。”他这样说只是为了混淆视听，以显示他是个局外人，对这里的状况毫不知情，藉此洗脱自己的嫌疑。
那机器人说：“我们是守护机器人，我们不属于任何地主，而是属于整个世界。我们不受地主控制，以核能为动力来源。我再问一遍，班德地主在哪里？”
崔维兹四下看了看，裴洛拉特显得忧心仲忡，宝绮思紧抿嘴唇，但表情还算冷静，菲龙则全身发抖：宝绮思赶紧伸手搭着它的肩膀，它才变得坚强一点，脸上的恐惧神情也消失了。（宝绮思在令它镇静吗？）
那机器人说：“再问一次，这是最后一次，班德地主在哪里？”
“我不知道。”崔维兹绷着脸说。
柄器人点了点头，它的两个同伴便迅速离去。然后它说：“我的守护者同僚将搜索这所宅邸，在此期间，你将被留置此地接受盘问。把你佩挂在腰际两侧的东西交给我。”
崔维兹退了一步。“这些不会伤人。”
“别再乱动，我没问它们会不会伤人，我要你把它们交出来。”
“不行。”
那机器人迅速向前迈出一步，手臂猛然掠出，崔维兹还不知道发生了什么事，机器人一只手已搭上他的肩头。那只手用力收紧，同时向下猛压，崔维兹便跪了下来。
柄器人又说：“交出来。”它伸出另一只手。
“不。”崔维兹喘着气说。
此时宝绮思冲过去，将手铣从皮套中掏出来。崔维兹被机器人紧紧箝制，根本无法阻止她的行动。
她将手铳递给那机器人。“给你，守护者，”她说：“请你稍等一下——这是另外一件，现在放开我的同伴。”
柄器人握着两件武器向后退去，崔维兹慢慢站起来，搓揉着左肩，脸孔因痛苦而扭曲。
（菲龙在轻声抽噎，心慌意乱的裴洛拉特连忙将它抱起来，紧紧搂着它。）
宝绮思以极愤怒的语气，对崔维兹悄声道：“你为什么要跟它斗？它用两根指头就能把你捏死。”
崔维兹哼了一声，咬牙切齿地说：“你为什么不对付它？”
“我在试啊，伹这需要时间。它的心灵没有空隙，程式设计得精密无比，我根本找不到漏洞可钻。我必须好好研究一下，你得设法拖延时间。”
“别研究它的心灵，把它摧毁就行了。”崔维兹这句话几乎没有发出声音。
宝绮思迅速向那个机器人瞥了一眼，看到它正专注地研究那两件武器，而留在它身边的另一个机器人，则负责看守他们这些外星人士。它们两个似乎对崔维兹与宝绮思之间的耳语毫无兴趣。
宝绮思说：“不行，不能摧毁它。在先前那个世界，我们杀害过一只狗，又伤了另一只；而在这个世界，你也知道发生了什么事。”（她又很快瞥了一下两个守护机器人）“盖娅从不无故屠杀生灵，我需要时间设法和平解决。”
她后退了几步，眼睛紧盯着那个机器人。
柄器人说：“这两件是武器。”
“不是。”崔维兹说。
“是的，”宝绮思说：“不过它们现在没有用了，它们的能量已被抽光。”
“真是这样吗？你为什么携带能量被抽光的武器？也许它们还有些能量。”机器人抓起其中一件武器，将拇指放在正确的位置上。“它是这样启动的吗？”
“没错。”宝绮思说：“假如它还存有能量，你用力一压，它就会被启动——但是它没有。”
“确定吗？”机器人将武器对准崔维兹，“你还敢说如果我现在启动它，它不会生效？”
“它不会生效。”宝绮思说。
崔维兹僵在那里，几乎话都讲不清楚。班德将手铳中的能量抽光后，他曾经试过一次，证实它已经完全失效。然而那机器人拿的是神经鞭，崔维兹并未测试过。
即使神经鞭仅仅残存一点能量，也足以刺激痛觉神经。而崔维兹将产生的感觉，会使得刚才那一抓相较之下像是亲昵的爱抚。
在“舰队学院”受训时，崔维兹跟每个学员一样，曾被迫接受神经鞭轻微的一击。那样做的目的，只是要让他们尝尝那种滋味，崔维兹觉得一次就绰绰有余。
那机器人启动了武器，一时之间，崔维兹吃力地咬紧牙关——然后，又慢慢放松。
神经鞭的能量也全被抽光。
柄器人瞪了崔维兹一眼，再将两件武器丢到一旁。“这些武器怎么会被抽光能量？”它质问道：“如果它们没有用了，你为什么还要带在身上？”
崔维兹说：“我习惯了这个着量，即使能量没了，我仍然会随身携带。”
柄器人说：“这样讲根本没有道理，你们都被捕了。你们将接受进一步的盘问，而如果地主们做出决定，你们就会被停摆——怎样打开那艘太空船？我们必须进去搜查。”
“那样做没什么用，”崔维兹说：“你不了解它的构造。”
“即使我不懂，地主们也会懂得。”
“他们也不缓笏解。”
“那么你就得解释清楚，让他们能够了解。”
“我不会那样做。”
“那么你会被停摆。”
“我要是停摆了，你就得不到任何解释。不过我想，即使我做出解释，我一样会被停摆。”
宝绮思喃喃地说：“继续下去，我逐渐解开它脑部的运作奥秘了。”
那机器人未理会宝绮思。（是她造成的结果吗？崔维兹想，而且极度希望真是这样。）
柄器人的注意力紧盯在崔维兹身上。“如果你制造麻烦，那我们将令你部分停摆。我们会损坏你，然后你就会把我们想知道的告诉我们。”
裴洛拉特突然喊道：“慢着，你不能这么做——守护者，你不能这么做。”声音听来就像他被人扼住了脖于。
“我接受了详尽的指令，”机器人以平静的语气说：“我可以这样做。我会尽量减小损坏的秤谌，只要能问出所需的答案就好。”
“可是你不能那么做，绝对不能。我是个外星人士，我的两个同伴也一样。但这个孩子，”裴洛拉特看了看仍抱在手中的菲龙，“是个索拉利人。它会告诉你应该做什么，你必须服从它。”
菲龙张开眼睛望着裴洛拉特，不过它的眼神似乎很空洞。
宝绮思拼命摇头，可是裴洛拉特望着她，现出一副百思不解的神情。
那机器人的目光在菲龙身上停了一下，然后它说：“这个儿童一点都不着要，它没有转换叶突。”
“它只是没有发育完成的转换叶突，”裴洛拉特喘着气说：“但它将来总会有的，它是个索拉利儿童。”
“它是个儿童，但它没有发育完成的转换叶突，所以不能算是索拉利人。我没必要听从它的命令，也没必要保护它。”
“但它是班德地主的子嗣。”
“是吗？你怎么知道这件事？”
“怎……怎么会有其他小孩在这个属地上？”就像他过度兴奋的时候一样，裴洛拉特又结巴了。
“你怎么知道不会有十几个？”
“你看到其他小孩了吗？”
“现在是我在发问。”
此时，另一个机器人拍拍那机器人的手臂，转移了它的注意力。刚才被派去搜索宅邸的两个机器人，现在正快步跑回来，不过脚步有些踉舱。
突然间一片鸦雀无声，直到它们来到近前，其中一个才以索拉利语开始说话。它一番话讲完之后，四个机器人似乎都失去了弹性。一时之间，它们显得萎靡不振，像是泄了气一样。
裴洛拉特说：“它们找到班德了。”崔维兹根本来不及挥手阻止他。
那机器人慢慢转过身来，以含糊不清的声音说：“班德地主死了。可是你们刚才那句话告诉我们，你们已经知晓这件事实。怎么会这样呢？”
“我怎么知道？”崔维兹凶巴巴地说。
“你们知道它死了，你们知道在里面能找到它的尸体。除非你们曾经到过那里，除非就是你们结束了它的生命，否则你们怎么能知道？”那机器人的发音咬字渐渐恢复正常，表示它已经消化这个震撼，变得比较可以承受了。
此时崔维兹说：“我们如何能杀死班德？它拥有转换叶突，可以在瞬间将我们摧毁。”
“你怎知道转换叶突能做些什么、不能做些什么？”
“你刚才提到了转换叶突。”
“我只不过提到而已，没有描述它们的特性或功能。”
“我们从一场梦中得知的。”
“这是个不可信的答案。”
崔维兹说：“你怀疑我们导致班德的死亡，这个假设也不可信。”
裴洛拉特补充道：“而且无论如何，班德地主若是死了，这个属地现在就由菲龙地主控制。地主在这里，你们必须服从的就是它。”
“我解释过了，”那机器人说：“转换叶突尚未发育完成的儿童，不能算是索拉利人，因此它不能成为继承人。我们报告了这个坏消息后，另一个年龄适当的继承人会尽快飞来。”
“菲龙地主又怎么办？”
“根本没有所谓的菲龙地主，它只是个儿童，而我们的儿童人口过剩，它会被销毁。”
宝绮思激动地说：“你不敢。它是个孩子！”
“不一定由我执行这个行动，”机器人说：“也绝非由我做决定，这要由所有地主达成共识。然而，在儿童过剩时期，我很清楚它们的决定会是什么。”
“下行，我说不行。”
“不会有任何痛苦——但另一艘航具就快到了，我们的当务之急是进入原先的班德宅邸，召开一次全讯审议会，以便产生一个继承人，并决定怎样处置你们——把那个儿童交给我。”
宝绮思从裴洛拉特怀中，将陷入半昏迷的菲龙一把抢过来。她紧紧抱着它，试图用肩膀支撑它的着量，并且说：“不准碰这个孩子。”
那机器人再度猛然伸出手臂，同时迈出脚步，想要将菲龙抓走。但在它展开行动前，宝绮思早巳迅速闪到一侧，机器人却继续前进，好像宝绮思仍站在原地。接着，它全身僵硬地向前栽倒，双脚脚尖顶地，直挺挺地扑向地面。其他三个机器人站在原处静止不动，眼神全都涣散无光。
宝绮思开始哭泣，同时带着几分愤怒。“我几乎找到了适当的控制法，它却不给我时间。我没有选择余地，只好先下手为强，现在这四个都停摆了。趁援军尚未降落，我们赶紧上太空船吧：我现在身心俱疲，再也无法对付其他的机器人了。”
Part Five - Melpomenia Chapter 13: Away from Solaria
56The leaving was a blur. Trevize had gathered up hisfutile weapons, had opened the airlock, and they had tumbled in. Trevizedidn't notice until they were off the surface that Fallom had beenbrought in as well.
They probably would not have made it in time if the Solarian useof airflight had not been so comparatively unsophisticated. It tookthe approaching Solarian vessel an unconscionable time to descend andland. On the other hand, it took virtually no time for the computer ofthe Far Star to take the gravitic ship vertically upward.
And although the cut-off of the gravitational interaction and,therefore, of inertia wiped out the otherwise unbearable effects ofacceleration that would have accompanied so speedy a takeoff, it didnot wipe out the effects of air resistance. The outer hull temperaturerose at a distinctly more rapid rate than navy regulations (or shipspecifications, for that matter) would have considered suitable.
As they rose, they could see the second Solarian ship land andseveral more approaching. Trevize wondered how many robots Bliss couldhave handled, and decided they would have been overwhelmed if they hadremained on the surface fifteen minutes longer.
Once out in space (or space enough, with only tenuous wisps of theplanetary exosphere around them), Trevize made for the nightside of theplanet. It was a hop away, since they had left the surface as sunsetwas approaching. In the dark, the Far Star would have a chanceto cool more rapidly, and there the ship could continue to recede fromthe surface in a slow spiral.
Pelorat came out of the room he shared with Bliss. He said, "Thechild is sleeping normally now. We've showed it how to use the toiletand it had no trouble understanding.""That's not surprising. It must have had similar facilities in themansion.""I didn't see any there and I was looking," said Pelorat feelingly. "Wedidn't get back on the ship a moment too soon for me.""Or any of us. But why did we bring that child on board?"Pelorat shrugged apologetically. "Bliss wouldn't let go. It was likesaving a life in return for the one she took. She can't bear ""I know," said Trevize.
Pelorat said, "It's a very oddly shaped child.""Being hermaphroditic, it would have to be," said Trevize.
"It has testicles, you know.""It could scarcely do without them.""And what I can only describe as a very small vagina."Trevize made a face. "Disgusting.""Not really, Golan," said Pelorat, protesting. "It's adapted to itsneeds. It only delivers a fertilized egg-cell, or a very tiny embryo,which is then developed under laboratory conditions, tended, I dare say,by robots.""And what happens if their robot-system breaks down? If that happens,they would no longer be able to produce viable young.""Any world would be in serious trouble if its social structure brokedown completely.""Not that I would weep uncontrollably over the Solarians.""Well," said Pelorat, "I admit it doesn't seem a very attractiveworld to us, I mean. But that's only the people and the socialstructure, which are not our type at all, dear chap. But subtract thepeople and the robots, and you have a world which otherwise ""Might fall apart as Aurora is beginning to do," said Trevize. "How'sBliss, Janov?""Worn out, I'm afraid. She's sleeping now. She had a very bad time, Golan.""I didn't exactly enjoy myself either."Trevize closed his eyes, and decided he could use some sleep himselfand would indulge in that relief as soon as he was reasonably certainthe Solarians had no space capability and so far the computer hadreported nothing of artifactitious nature in space.
He thought bitterly of the two Spacer planets they hadvisited hostile wild dogs on one hostile hermaphroditicloners on the other and in neither place the tiniest hint as tothe location of Earth. All they had to show for the double visit wasFallom.
He opened his eyes. Pelorat was still sitting in place at the otherside of the computer, watching him solemnly.
Trevize said, with sudden conviction, "We should have left thatSolarian child behind."Pelorat said, "The poor thing. They would have killed it.""Even so," said Trevize, "it belonged there. It's part of thatsociety. Being put to death because of being superfluous is the sort ofthing it's born to.""Oh, my dear fellow, that's a hardhearted way to look at it.""It's a rational way. We don't know how to care for it,and it may suffer more lingeringly with us and die anyway. What doesit eat?""Whatever we do, I suppose, old man. Actually, the problem is whatdo we eat? How much do we have in the way of supplies?""Plenty. Plenty. Even allowing for our new passenger."Pelorat didn't look overwhelmed with happiness at this remark. He said,"It's become a pretty monotonous diet. We should have taken some itemson board on Comporellon not that their cooking was excellent.""We couldn't. We left, if you remember, rather hurriedly, as we leftAurora, and as we left, in particular, Solaria. But what's a littlemonotony? It spoils one's pleasure, but it keeps one alive.""Would it be possible to pick up fresh supplies if we need to?""Anytime, Janov. With a gravitic ship and hyperspatial engines, theGalaxy is a small place. In days, we can be anywhere. It's just thathalf the worlds in the Galaxy are alerted to watch for our ship and Iwould rather stay out of the way for a time.""I suppose that's so. Bander didn't seem interested in theship.""It probably wasn't even consciously aware of it. I suspect thatthe Solarians long ago gave up space flight. Their prime desire is tobe left completely alone and they can scarcely enjoy the security ofisolation if they are forever moving about in space and advertisingtheir presence.""What are we going to do next, Golan?"Trevize said, "We have a third world to visit."Pelorat shook his head. "Judging from the first two, I don't expectmuch from that .""Nor do I at the moment, but just as soon as I get a little sleep,I'm going to get the computer to plot our course to that third world."57Trevize slept considerably longer than he had expectedto, but that scarcely mattered. There was neither day nor night, inany natural sense, on board ship, and the circadian rhythm neverworked absolutely perfectly. The hours were what they were made to be,and it wasn't uncommon for Trevize and Pelorat (and particularly Bliss)to be somewhat out-of-sync as far as the natural rhythms of eating andsleeping were concerned.
Trevize even speculated, in the course of his scrapedown (theimportance of conserving water made it advisable to scrape off the sudsrather than rinse them off), about sleeping another hour or two, whenhe turned and found himself staring at Fallom, who was as undressed ashe was.
He could not help jumping back, which, in the restricted area of thePersonal, was bound to bring part of his body against something hard. Hegrunted Fallom was staring curiously at him and was pointing at Trevize'spenis. What it said was incomprehensible but the whole bearing of thechild seemed to bespeak a sense of disbelief. For his own peace of mind,Trevize had no choice but to put his hands over his penis.
Then Fallom said, in its high-pitched voice, "Greetings."Trevize started slightly at the child's unexpected use of Galactic,but the word had the sound of having been memorized.
Fallom continued, a painstaking word at a time,"Bliss say you wash me.
"Yes?" said Trevize. He put his hands on Fallom'sshoulders. "You stay here."He pointed downward at the floor and Fallom, of course, lookedinstantly at the place to which the finger pointed. It showed nocomprehension of the phrase at all.
"Don't move," said Trevize, holding the child tightly by both arms,pressing them toward the body as though to symbolize immobility. Hehastily dried himself and put on his shorts, and over them histrousers.
He stepped out and roared, "Bliss!"It was difficult for anyone to be more than four meters from any oneelse on the ship and Bliss came to the door of her room at once. Shesaid, smiling, "Are you calling me, Trevize; or was that the soft breezesighing through the waving grass?""Let's not be funny, Bliss. What is that?" He jerked his thumb overhis shoulder.
Bliss looked past him and said, "Well, it looks like the young Solarianwe brought on board yesterday."" You brought on board. Why do you want me to wash it?""I should think you'd want to. It's a very bright creature. It'spicking up Galactic words quickly. It never forgets once I explainsomething. Of course, I'm helping it do so.""Naturally.""Yes. I keep it calm. I kept it in a daze during most of the disturbingevents on the planet. I saw to it that it slept on board ship and I'mtrying to divert its mind just a little bit from its lost robot, Jemby,that, apparently, it loved very much.""So that it ends up liking it here, I suppose.""I hope so. It's adaptable because it's young, and I encourage thatby as much as I dare influence its mind. I'm going to teach it to speakGalactic.""Then you wash it. Understood?"Bliss shrugged. "I will, if you insist, but I would want it to feelfriendly with each of us. It would be useful to have each of us performfunctions. Surely you can co-operate in that.""Not to this extent. And when you finish washing it, get rid of it. Iwant to talk to you."Bliss said, with a sudden edge of hostility, "How do you mean, getrid of it?""I don't mean dump it through the airlock. I mean, put it in yourroom. Sit it down in a corner. I want to talk at you.""I'll be at your service," she said coldly.
He stared after her, nursing his wrath for the moment, then movedinto the pilot-room, and activated the viewscreen.
Solaria was a dark circle with a curving crescent of light at theleft. Trevize placed his hands on the desk to make contact with thecomputer and found his anger cooling at once. One had to be calm to linkmind and computer effectively and, eventually, conditioned reflex linkedhandhold and serenity.
There were no artifactitious objects about the ship in any direction,out as far as the planet itself. The Solarians (or their robots, mostlikely) could not, or would not, follow.
Good enough. He might as well get out of the night-shadow, then. Ifhe continued to recede, it would, in any case, vanish as Solaria's discgrew smaller than that of the more distant, but much larger, sun thatit circled.
He set the computer to move the ship out of the planetary planeas well, since that would make it possible to accelerate with greatersafety. They would then more quickly reach a region where space curvaturewould be low enough to make the Jump secure.
And, as often on such occasions, he fell to studying the stars. Theywere almost hypnotic in their quiet changelessness. All their turbulenceand instability were wiped out by the distance that left them only dotsof light.
One of those dots might well be the sun about which Earthrevolved the original sun, under whose radiation life began,and under whose beneficence humanity evolved.
Surely, if the Spacer worlds circled stars that were bright andprominent members of the stellar family, and that were neverthelessunlisted in the computer's Galactic map, the same might be true ofthe sun.
Or was it only the suns of the Spacer worlds that were omitted becauseof some primeval treaty agreement that left them to themselves? WouldEarth's sun be included in the Galactic map, but not marked off fromthe myriads of stars that were sun-like, yet had no habitable planet inorbit about itself?
There were after all, some thirty billion sun-like stars in the Galaxy,and only about one in a thousand had habitable planets in orbits aboutthem. There might be a thousand such habitable planets within a fewhundred parsecs of his present position. Should he sift through thesun-like stars one by one, searching for them?
Or was the original sun not even in this region of the Galaxy? Howmany other regions were convinced the sun was one of their neighbors,that they were primeval Settlers ?
He needed information, and so far he had none.
He doubted strongly whether even the closest examination of themillennial ruins on Aurora would give information concerning Earth'slocation. He doubted even more strongly that the Solarians could be madeto yield information.
Then, too, if all information about Earth had vanished out of thegreat Library at Trantor; if no information about Earth remained in thegreat Collective Memory of Gaia; there seemed little chance that anyinformation that might have existed on the lost worlds of the Spacerswould have been overlooked.
And if he found Earth's sun and, then, Earth itself, by the sheerestgood fortune would something force him to be unaware of thefact? Was Earth's defense absolute? Was its determination to remain inhiding unbreakable?
What was he looking for anyway?
Was it Earth? Or was it the flaw in Seldon's Plan that he thought(for no clear reason) he might find on Earth?
Seldon's Plan had been working for five centuries now, and wouldbring the human species (so it was said) to safe harbor at last inthe womb of a Second Galactic Empire, greater than the First, a noblerand a freer one and yet he, Trevize, had voted against it, andfor Galaxia.
Galaxia would be one large organism, while the Second GalacticEmpire would, however great in size and variety, be a mere union ofindividual organisms of microscopic size in comparison with itself. TheSecond Galactic Empire would be another example of the kind of union ofindividuals that humanity had set up ever since it became humanity. TheSecond Galactic Empire might be the largest and best of the species,but it would still be but one more member of that species.
For Galaxia, a member of an entirely different species of organization,to be better than the Second Galactic Empire, there must be a flaw inthe Plan, something the great Hari Seldon had himself overlooked.
But if it were something Seldon had overlooked, how could Trevizecorrect the matter? He was not a mathematician; knew nothing, absolutelynothing, about the details of the Plan; would understand nothing,furthermore, even if it were explained to him.
All he knew were the assumptions that a great number ofhuman beings be involved and that they not be aware of the conclusionsreached. The first assumption was self-evidently true, considering thevast population of the Galaxy, and the second had to be true since onlythe Second Foundationers knew the details of the Plan, and they kept itto themselves securely enough.
That left an added unacknowledged assumption, a taken-for-grantedassumption, one so taken for granted it was never mentioned nor thoughtof and yet one that might be false. An assumption that, if itwere false, would alter the grand conclusion of the Planand make Galaxia preferable to Empire.
But if the assumption was so obvious and so taken for granted thatit was never even expressed, how could it be false? And if no one evermentioned it, or thought of it, how could Trevize know it was there,or have any idea of its nature even if he guessed its existence?
Was he truly Trevize, the man with the flawless intuition asGaia insisted? Did he know the right thing to do even when he didn'tknow why he was doing it?
Now he was visiting every Spacer world he knew about. Was thatthe right thing to do? Did the Spacer worlds hold the answer? Or atleast the beginning of the answer?
What was there on Aurora but ruins and wild dogs? (And, presumably,other feral creatures. Raging bulls? Overgrown rats? Stalking green-eyedcats?) Solaria was alive, but what was there on it but robots andenergy-transducing human beings? What had either world to do with Seldon'sPlan unless they contained the secret of the location of the Earth?
And if they did, what had Earth to do with Seldon'sPlan? Was this all madness? Had he listened too long and too seriouslyto the fantasy of his own infallibility?
An overwhelming weight of shame came over him and seemed to pressupon him to the point where he could barely breathe. He looked at thestars remote, uncaring and thought: I must be the Great Foolof the Galaxy.
58Bliss's voice broke in on him. "Well, Trevize, why doyou want to see Is anything wrong?" Her voice had twisted intosudden concern.
Trevize looked up and, for a moment, found it momentarily difficultto brush away his mood. He stared at her, then said, "No, no. Nothing'swrong. I I was merely lost in thought. Every once in a while,after all, I find myself thinking."He was uneasily aware that Bliss could read his emotions. He hadonly her word that she was voluntarily abstaining from any oversight ofhis mind.
She seemed to accept his statement, however. She said, "Pelorat is withFallom, teaching it Galactic phrases. The child seems to eat what we dowithout undue objection. But what do you want to see me about?""Well, not here,", said Trevize. "The computer doesn't need me atthe moment. If you want to come into my room, the bed's made and youcan sit on it while I sit on the chair. Or vice versa, if you prefer.""It doesn't matter." They walked the short distance to Trevize'sroom. She eyed him narrowly. "You don't seem furious anymore.""Checking my mind?""Not at all. Checking your face.""I'm not furious. I may lose my temper momentarily, now and then,but that's not the same as furious. If you don't mind, though, thereare questions I must ask you."Bliss sat down on Trevize's bed, holding herself erect, and witha solemn expression on her wide-cheeked face and in her dark browneyes. Her shoulder-length black hair was neatly arranged and her slimhands were clasped loosely in her lap. There was a faint trace of perfumeabout her.
Trevize smiled. "You've dolled yourself up. I suspect you think Iwon't yell quite so hard at a young and pretty girl.""You can yell and scream all you wish if it will make you feelbetter. I just don't want you yelling and screaming at Fallom.""I don't intend to. In fact, I don't intend to yell and scream atyou. Haven't we decided to be friends?""Gaia has never had anything but feelings of friendship toward you,Trevize.""I'm not talking about Gaia. I know you're part of Gaia and that youare Gaia. Still there's part of you that's an individual, at least aftera fashion. I'm talking to the individual. I'm talking to someone namedBliss without regard or with as little regard as possible toGaia. Haven't we decided to be friends, Bliss?""Yes, Trevize.""Then how is it you delayed dealing with the robots on Solaria afterwe had left the mansion and reached the ship? I was humiliated andphysically hurt, yet you did nothing. Even though every moment mightbring additional robots to the scene and the number might overwhelm us,you did nothing."Bliss looked at him seriously, and spoke as though she were intenton explaining her actions rather than defending them. "I was not doingnothing, Trevize. I was studying the Guardian Robots' minds, and tryingto learn how to handle them.""I know that's what you were doing. At least you said you were at thetime. I just don't see the sense of it. Why handle the minds when youwere perfectly capable of destroying them as you finally did?""Do you think it so easy to destroy an intelligent being?"Trevize's lips twisted into an expression of distaste. "Come, Bliss. Anintelligent being ? It was just a robot.""Just a robot?" A little passion entered her voice. "That's theargument always. Just. Just! Why should the Solarian, Bander, havehesitated to kill us? We were just human beings without transducers. Whyshould there be any hesitation about leaving Fallom to its fate? Itwas just a Solarian, and an immature specimen at that. If you startdismissing anyone or anything you want to do away with as just a thisor just a that, you can destroy anything you wish. There are alwayscategories you can find for them."Trevize said, "Don't carry a perfectly legitimate remark to extremesjust to make it seem ridiculous. The robot was just a robot. You can'tdeny that. It was not human. It was not intelligent in our sense. Itwas a machine mimicking an appearance of intelligence."Bliss said, "How easily you can talk when you know nothing about it. Iam Gaia. Yes, I am Bliss, too, but I am Gaia. I am a world that findsevery atom of itself precious and meaningful, and every organization ofatoms even more precious and meaningful. I/we/Gaia would not lightly breakdown an organization, though we would gladly build it into something stillmore complex, provided always that that would not harm the whole.
"The highest form of organization we know produces intelligence, and tobe willing to destroy intelligence requires the sorest need. Whether itis machine intelligence or biochemical intelligence scarcely matters. Infact, the Guardian Robot represented a kind of intelligence I/we/Gaiahad never encountered. To study it was wonderful. To destroy it,unthinkable except in a moment of crowning emergency."Trevize said dryly, "There were three greater intelligences at stake:
your own, that of Pelorat, the human being you love, and, if you don'tmind my mentioning it, mine.""Four! You still keep forgetting to include Fallom. They werenot yet at stake. So I judged. See here Suppose you were facedwith a painting, a great artistic masterpiece, the existence of whichmeant death to you. All you had to do was to bring a wide brush of paintslam-bang, and at random, across the face of that painting and it wouldbe destroyed forever, and you would be safe. But suppose, instead, thatif you studied the painting carefully, and added just a touch of painthere, a speck there, scraped off a minute portion in a third place, andso on, you would alter the painting enough to avoid death, and yet leaveit a masterpiece. Naturally, the revision couldn't be done except withthe most painstaking care. It would take time, but surely, if that timeexisted, you would try to save the painting as well as your life."Trevize said, "Perhaps. But in the end you destroyed the painting pastredemption. The wide paintbrush came down and wiped out all thewonderful little touches of color and subtleties of form and shape. Andyou did that instantly when a little hermaphrodite was at risk, whereour danger and your own had not moved you.""We Outworlders were still not at immediate risk,while Fallom, it seemed to me, suddenly was. I had to choose betweenthe Guardian Robots and Fallom, and, with no time to lose, I had tochoose Fallom.""Is that what it was, Bliss? A quick calculation weighing one mindagainst another, a quick judging of the greater complexity and thegreater worth?""Yes."Trevize said, "Suppose I tell you, it was just a child that wasstanding before you, a child threatened with death. An instinctivematernalism gripped you then, and you saved it where earlier you wereall calculation when only three adult lives were at stake."Bliss reddened slightly. "There might have been something like thatin it; but it was not after the fashion of the mocking way in which yousay it. It had rational thought behind it, too.""I wonder. If there had been rational thought behind it, you mighthave considered that the child was meeting the common fate inevitablein its own society. Who knows how many thousands of children had beencut down to maintain the low number these Solarians think suitable totheir world?""There's more to it than that, Trevize. The child would be killedbecause it was too young to be a Successor, and that was because it hada parent who had died prematurely, and that was because Ihad killed that parent.""At a time when it was kill or be killed.""Not important. I killed the parent. I could not stand by and allowthe child to be killed for my deed. Besides, it offers for studya brain of a kind that has never been studied by Gaia.""A child's brain.""It will not remain a child's brain. It will further develop thetwo transducer-lobes on either side of the brain. Those lobes give aSolarian abilities that all of Gaia cannot match. Simply to keep a fewlights lit, just to activate a device to open a door, wore me out. Bandercould have kept all the power going over an estate as great in complexityand greater in size than that city we saw on Comporellon and doit even while sleeping."Trevize said, "Then you see the child as an important bit offundamental brain research.""In a way, yes.""That's not the way I feel. To me, it seems we have taken dangeraboard. Great danger.""Danger in what way? It will adapt perfectly with my help. Itis highly intelligent, and already shows signs of feeling affection forus. It will eat what we eat, go where we go, and I/we/Gaia will gaininvaluable knowledge concerning its brain.""What if it produces young? It doesn't need a mate. It is its ownmate.""It won't be of child-bearing age for many years. The Spacerslived for centuries and the Solarians had no desire to increase theirnumbers. Delayed reproduction is probably bred into the population. Fallomwill have no children for a long time.""How do you know this?""I don't know it. I'm merely being logical.""And I tell you Fallom will prove dangerous.""You don't know that. And you're not being logical, either.""I feel it Bliss, without reason. At the moment. And it is you,not I, who insists my intuition is infallible."And Bliss frowned and looked uneasy.
59Pelorat paused at the door to the pilot-room and lookedinside in a rather ill-at-ease manner. It was as though he were tryingto decide whether Trevize was hard at work or not.
Trevize had his hands on the table, as he always did when he madehimself part of the computer, and his eyes were on the viewscreen. Peloratjudged, therefore, he was at work, and he waited patiently, trying notto move or, in any way, disturb the other.
Eventually, Trevize looked up at Pelorat. It was not a matter oftotal awareness. Trevize's eyes always seemed a bit glazed and unfocusedwhen he was in computer-communion, as though he were looking, thinking,living in some other way than a person usually did.
But he nodded slowly at Pelorat, as though the sight, penetratingwith difficulty, did, at last, sluggishly impress itself on the opticlobes. Then, after a while, he lifted his hands and smiled and washimself again.
Pelorat said apologetically, "I'm afraid I'm getting in your way,Golan.""Not seriously, Janov. I was just testing to see if we were ready forthe Jump. We are, just about, but I think I'll give it a few more hours,just for luck.""Does luck or random factors have anything to do withit?""An expression only," said Trevize, smiling, "but random factors dohave something to do with it, in theory. What's on your mind?""May I sit down?""Surely, but let's go into my room. How's Bliss?""Very well." He cleared his throat. "She's sleeping again. She musthave her sleep, you understand.""I understand perfectly. It's the hyperspatial separation.""Exactly, old chap.""And Fallom?" Trevize reclined on the bed, leaving Pelorat thechair.
"Those books out of my library that you had your computerprint up for me? The folk tales? It's reading them. Of course, itunderstands very little Galactic, but it seems to enjoy sounding outthe words. He's I keep wanting to use the masculine pronoun forit. Why do you suppose that is, old fellow?"Trevize shrugged. "Perhaps because you're masculine yourself.""Perhaps. It's fearfully intelligent, you know.""I'm sure."Pelorat hesitated. "I gather you're not very fond of Fallom.""Nothing against it personally, Janov. I've never had children andI've never been particularly fond of them generally. You've had children,I seem to remember.""One son. It was a pleasure, I recall, having my son when he wasa little boy. Maybe that's why I want to use the masculinepronoun for Fallom. It takes me back a quarter of a century or so.""I've no objection to your liking it, Janov.""You'd like him, too, if you gave yourself a chance.""I'm sure I would, Janov, and maybe someday I will give myself achance to do so."Pelorat hesitated again. "I also know that you must get tired ofarguing with Bliss.""Actually, I don't think we'll be arguing much, Janov. She and I areactually getting along quite well. We even had a reasonable discussionjust the other day no shouting, no recrimination abouther delay in inactivating the Guardian Robots. She keeps saving ourlives, after all, so I can't very well offer her less than friendship,can I?""Yes, I see that, but I don't mean arguing, in the sense ofquarreling. I mean this constant wrangle about Galaxia as opposed toindividuality.""Oh, that! I suppose that will continue politely.""Would you mind, Golan, if I took up the argument on her behalf?""Perfectly all right. Do you accept the idea of Galaxia on your own,or is it that you simply feel happier when you agree with Bliss?""Honestly, on my own. I think that Galaxia is what should beforthcoming. You yourself chose that course of action and I am constantlybecoming more convinced that that is correct.""Because I chose it? That's no argument. Whatever Gaia says, I maybe wrong, you know. So don't let Bliss persuade you into Galaxia onthat basis.""I don't think you are wrong. Solaria showed me that, not Bliss.""How?""Well, to begin with, we are Isolates, you and I."" Her term, Janov. I prefer to think of us asindividuals.""A matter of semantics, old chap. Call it what you will, we areenclosed in our private skins surrounding our private thoughts, and wethink first and foremost of ourselves. Self-defense is our first law ofnature, even if that means harming everyone else in existence.""People have been known to give their lives for others.""A rare phenomenon. Many more people have been known to sacrificethe dearest needs of others to some foolish whim of their own.""And what has that to do with Solaria?""Why, on Solaria, we see what Isolates or individuals, if youprefer can become. The Solarians can hardly bear to divide a wholeworld among themselves. They consider living a life of complete isolationto be perfect liberty. They have no yearning for even their own offspring,but kill them if there are too many. They surround themselves with robotslaves to which they supply the power, so that if they die, their wholehuge estate symbolically dies as well. Is this admirable, Golan? Can youcompare it in decency, kindness, and mutual concern with Gaia? Blisshas not discussed this with me at all. It is my own feeling."Trevize said, "And it is like you to have that feeling, Janov. Ishare it. I think Solarian society is horrible, but it wasn't alwayslike that. They are descended from Earthmen, and, more immediately, fromSpacers who lived a much more normal life. The Solarians chose a path,for one reason or another, which led to an extreme, but you can't judgeby extremes. In all the Galaxy, with its millions of inhabited worlds,is there one you know that now, or in the past, has had a society likethat of Solaria, or even remotely like that of Solaria? And would evenSolaria have such a society if it were not riddled with robots? Is itconceivable that a society of individuals could evolve to such a pitchof Solarian horror without robots?"Pelorat's face twitched a little. "You punch holes in everything,Golan or at least I mean you don't ever seem to be at a loss in defendingthe type of Galaxy you voted against.""I won't knock down everything. There is a rationale for Galaxiaand when I find it, I'll know it, and I'll give in. Or perhaps, moreaccurately, if I find it.""Do you think you might not?"Trevize shrugged. "How can I say? Do you know why I'm waitinga few hours to make the Jump, and why I'm in danger of talking myselfinto waiting a few days?""You said it would be safer if we waited.""Yes, that's what I said, but we'd be safe enough now. What I reallyfear is that those Spacer worlds for which we have the co-ordinateswill fail us altogether. We have only three, and we've already used uptwo, narrowly escaping death each time. In doing so, we have still notgained any hint as to Earth's location, or even, in actual fact, Earth'sexistence. Now I face the third and last chance, and what if it, too,fails us?"Pelorat sighed. "You know there are old folk tales one, in fact,exists among those I gave Fallom to practice upon in which someoneis allowed three wishes, but only three. Three seems to be a significantnumber in these things, perhaps because it is the first odd number sothat it is the smallest decisive number. You know, two out of threewins. The point is that in these stories, the wishes are of nouse. No one ever wishes correctly, which, I have always supposed, isancient wisdom to the effect that the satisfaction of your wants mustbe earned, and not "He fell suddenly silent and abashed. "I'm sorry, old man, but I'mwasting your time. I do tend to rattle on when I get started on myhobby.""I find you always interesting, Janov. I am willing to see theanalogy. We have been given three wishes, and we have had two and theyhave done us no good. Now only one is left. Somehow, I am sure of failureagain and so I wish to postpone it. That is why I am putting off theJump as long as possible.""What will you do if you do fail again? Go back to Gaia? ToTerminus?""Oh no," said Trevize in a whisper, shaking his head. "The searchmust continue if I only knew how."
第五部 梅尔波美尼亚星 第十三章 远离索拉利
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离去的过程可谓一团混乱。崔维兹捡起那两件已失效的武器，打开气闸，一伙人跌跌撞撞进了太空艇。直到他们飞离地表，崔维兹才注意到菲龙也被带上来。
若非索拉利人的飞航技术并不高明，他们也许无法及时逃脱。那艘索拉利航空器花在降落与着地的时间，简直长得不可思议。反之，远星号的电脑几乎在一刹那间就让这艘着力太空艇垂直升空。
以如此的高速升空，原本会产生难以承受的加速效应，但由于远星号隔绝了着力作用，惯性也因而消失，所以能将加速效应完全除去。纵然如此，它仍无法消除空气阻力的效应，是以外壳温度急遽上升，增温速率远远超过舰队规定（或太空艇规范）的合理上限。
在升空时，他们看到第二艘索拉利航空器已经降落，此外还有几艘正在接近。崔维兹不知道宝绮思能对付多少机器人，伹根据他的判断，他们若在地面多耽搁十五分钟，就一定会被大群机器人吞没。
一旦进入太空（或几乎到达太空，周围只剩行星“外气层”的稀薄分子），崔维兹立刻朝行星的夜面飞去。那只是段很短的航程，因为他们离开地表时正是夕阳西下时分。在黑暗中，远星号可以，较快冷却，并能继续循螺线缓缓飞离这颗行星。
此时，裴洛拉特从他与宝绮思共用的舱房走出来说：“那孩子现在安稳地睡着了。我们教它如何使用盥洗室，它学来毫不费力。”
“这没什么好惊讶，那座宅邸中一定有类似的设备。”
“我在那里一间也没看到，其实我一直在找。”裴洛拉特若有所感地说：“要是我们再迟一刻回太空船，我就憋不住了。”
“我们都一样。但为什么要把那孩子带上来？”
裴洛拉特歉然地耸了耸肩。“宝绮思不愿丢下它，像是想挽救一条命，来弥补她害死的另一条命。她受不了……”
“我懂。”崔维兹说。
裴洛拉特说：“这孩子的形体非常奇怪。”
“既然是雌雄同体，就在所难免。”崔维兹说。
“它有两颗睾丸，你知道吧。”
“几乎不可能没有。”
“还有个我只能形容为非常小的阴道。”
崔维兹扮了个鬼脸。“恶心。”
“并不尽然，葛兰，”裴洛拉特抗议道：“这刚好符合它的需要。它只要产出一个受精卵细胞，或是一个很小的胚胎，受精卵或胚胎就能在实验室中发育，而且我敢说，是由机器人负责照顾。”
“假使他们的机器人系统发生故障，那又会如何？如果发生那种情形，它们就无法产生能存活的下一代。”
“任何一个世界，若是社会结构完全故障，都会陷入严着的危机。”
“不会像索拉利人那么严着，让我忍不住为它们掉泪。”
“嗯，一裴洛拉特说：“我承认它似乎不是非常迷人的世界——我的意思是对我们而言。但问题出在索拉利人和社会结构上，这两者跟我们完全不同，我亲爱的兄弟。但去掉了索拉利人和机器人，你会发现那个世界……”
“可能会开始崩溃，像奥罗拉现在那样。”崔维兹说：“宝绮思怎么样，詹诺夫？”
“只怕她累垮了，她正在睡觉。她有段很不好过的经历，葛兰。”
“我也没感到多么好过。”
崔维兹闭上眼睛。他已经决定，只要一确定索拉利人没有太空航行能力，他立刻要睡上一觉，好好放松一下。而直到目前为止，根据电脑的报告，太空中未发现任何人工天体。
想到他们造访过的两个外世界，他心中充满苦涩——一个上面有满怀敌意的野狗，另一个则有满怀敌意的雌雄同体独居者，两处都找不到一丝有关地球下落的线索。他们到过那两个世界的唯一证明，只有菲龙那个孩子。
他张开眼睛，裴洛拉特仍坐在电脑另一侧，以严肃的神情望着他。
崔维兹突然以坚定的语气说：“我们应该把那个索拉利小孩留在原地。”
裴洛拉特说：“可怜的小家伙，他们会杀了它。”
“即使这样，”崔维兹说：“它终究属于那里，是那个社会的一部分。被视为多余而遭处死，是它生来命该如此。”
“喔，我亲爱的伙伴，这实在是铁石心肠的看法。”
“这是合理的看法。我们不知道如何照顾它，它跟我们在一起，也许会多吃不少苦头，到头来却仍难免一死。它吃些什么东西？”
“我想我们吃什么它就吃什么，老友。事实上，问题是我们要吃什么呢？我们的存粮究竟还剩多少？”
“很多，很多，即使多一位乘客也不用愁。”
听到这个答案，裴洛拉特并未显得多么高兴。他说：“那些食物已变得十分单调，我们应该在康普隆补充些——虽然他们的烹饪术不怎么高明。”
“我们没办法。你应该还没忘记，我们走得相当匆忙，离开奥罗拉时也一样，而离开索拉利时尤其如此——单调一点有什么关系？虽然破坏了用餐情趣，却能让我们活命。”
“如果我们有需要，有没有可能找些新鲜食物？”
“随时都行，詹诺夫。拥有一艘着力太空船，上面又有几具超空间发动机，那么银河就只算个小地方。几天之内，我们便可到达任何一处。只不过银河中半数的世界都在留意我们的太空船，因此我宁愿暂时避避风头。”
“我想那也对——班德似乎对这艘太空船没兴趣。”
“它可能根本没意识到它的存在，我想索拉利人早就放弃太空航行。它们最大的心愿是完全遗世独立，如果它们在太空中不停活动，到处宣传自身的存在，就几乎不可能享有与世无争的日子。”
“我们下一步该怎么办，葛兰？”
崔维兹说：“我们还有第三个世界有待造访。”
裴洛拉特摇了摇头。“根据前面两个来判断，我对另一个不抱太大希望。”
“目前我也不抱什么希望。不过等我小睡片刻后，就要让电脑绘出飞往第三个世界的航线。”
57
崔维兹的睡眠时间比预期长了许多，不过这没什么关系。太空艇上并没有自然的日夜，也从未绝对遵循“近似昼夜节律”。一天有几小时是人为的规定，诸如饮食、睡眠的自然作息规律，崔维兹与裴洛拉特就常常无法与时钟同步（宝绮思尤其如此）。
当崔维兹在浴室擦拭身体时（由于务必节约用水，肥皂泡最好别用水冲，只要擦掉就妤），脑子里正想着要不要再睡一两个钟头，他转过身来，竟发现菲龙站在面前，跟自己一样全身赤裸。
他不由自主往后一跳。这种单人盥洗间相当狭窄，身体某部分不可避免地一定会撞到什么坚硬的物体，他马上发出“哼”的一声。
菲龙好奇地盯着他，同时伸手指着他的阴茎。崔维兹听不懂它说什么，但从这孩子的神情看得出来，它似乎感到不可置信。为了让自己心安，崔维兹只好用双手遮住阴茎。
然后菲龙以一贯的高亢声调说：“你好。”
这孩子竟然会说银河标准语，崔维兹感到有些吃惊，不过听它的口气，好像是硬生生背下来的。
菲龙继续一个字一个字吃力地说：“宝——绮——思——说——你——洗——我。”
“是吗？”崔维兹双手按在菲龙肩膀上，“你——待——在——这——里。”
他指了指地板，菲龙当然立刻朝他所指的方向望去，看来它完全不懂那句话的意思。
“不要动。”崔维兹一面说，一面抓住孩子的双臂，紧紧按在它身体两侧，表示叫它静止别动。然后他赶紧擦干身体，穿上内衣裤，再套上一条长裤。
他走出去大叫：“宝绮思！”
在太空艇中，任何两个人的距离都很难超过四公尺。宝绮思随即来到她的舱房门口，带着微笑说：“是你在叫我吗，崔维兹？还是微风吹过摇曳的草地发出的声音？”
“别说笑了，宝绮思。那是什么？”他伸出拇指，猛力朝肩膀后面一甩。
宝绮思向他身后望了望，然后说：“嗯，看来像是我们昨天带上来的小索拉利人。”
“是你带上来的，你为什么要我替它洗澡？”
“我以为你会乐意帮忙。它是个很聪明的小家伙，银河标准语学得很快，我解释过的事它绝不会忘记。当然啦，我一直从旁帮助它。”
“自然如此。”
“没错，我让它保持冷静。在那颗行星上经历混乱场面时，我让它大多数时间都处于茫然状态，后来，又设法让它在太空船上睡一觉。现在我试图稍微转移它的心思，让它不再那么想念失去的机器人，它显然非常喜爱那个健比。”
“结果它就喜欢待在这里了，我想。”
“我希望如此。它的适应力很强，因为它还小，而在不过度影响它心灵的原则下，我尽量鼓励这一点。我还准备敦它说银河标准语。”
“那么你去帮它洗澡，懂不懂？”
宝绮思耸了耸肩。“我会的，假如你坚持的话，伹我希望让它觉得我们大家都很友善。如果我们每个人都分担些保母的工作，那会很有帮助，这方面你当然能合作。”
“不是合作到这种秤谌。还有你帮它洗完澡后，就把它给弄走，我要跟你谈一谈。”
宝绮思说：“你说把它弄走是什么意思？”她的语气突然透出敌意。
“我不是说把它从气闸抛出去，我的意思是把它弄到你的房间，叫它乖乖坐在角落——我要跟你谈谈。”
“任凭你吩咐。”她冷冷地说。
崔维兹一面瞪着她的背影，一面抚平自己的怒气。然后他走到驾驶舱，开启了显像屏幕。
索拉利星现在是个黑色圆盘，左侧有一道弯成新月形的光芒。崔维兹将双手放到桌面上，开始与电脑进行接触，竟发现他的火气立即平息。想要使心灵与电脑有效联结，就必须保持心平气和，久而久之，制约反射便将两者联系在一起。
以远星号为中心，他们目前与那颗行星的距离为半径，这个范围内没有任何人工天体。由此可以判断，索拉利人（或它们的机器人）不能也不会再跟踪他们。
惫不错，这样的话，现在他最好驶离夜面阴影。事实上，只要他继续远离索拉利，这颗行星呈现的圆盘便会越来越小；当它变得比远方体积大许多倍的太阳更小时，阴影无论如何都会消失。
同时，他指示电脑将太空艇驶离行星轨道面，这样可使加速过程安全许多。如此一来，他们便能更快到达一个空间曲率够小的区域，进行安全无虞的跃迁。
与往常一样，他又开始凝视远方的恒星。静寂而亘古不变的星体几乎带来一种催眠效应；它们本身的动荡与不定都已被长距离遮掩，呈现眼前的只有众多闪烁的光点。
其中一个光点，当然就是地球环绕的太阳——第一个太阳。生命在它的热辐射下诞生，人类也在它的庇荫下演化出来。
当然，如果外世界环绕的那些明后而显眼的恒星，全未收录在银河舆图中，那么，同样的情形也可能发生在“这个太阳”上。
彬者，是否只有外世界的太阳被故意遗漏，因为早年曾有过什么条约协定，让他们得以遗世独立？会不会地球的太阳虽收录于银河舆图中，却跟那些类似的、不含可住人行星的无数恒星混在一起了？
毕竟，银河中这类恒星总共三百亿左右，却只有约千分之一的轨道上有可住人行星。以他目前所在的位置为中心，周围几百秒差距之内，也许就有上千颗如此的可住人行星。他是否应将那些恒星逐一筛选，将所有的可住人行星都找一遍？
彬者，第一个太阳甚至不在银河这一区域？还有多少星域的居民，深信那个太阳是他们的近邻，而自己是最早一批殖民者的后裔？
他需要更多的资料，目前为止他什么也没有。
即使当初在奥罗拉的万年废墟中进行最仔细的搜寻，他也十分怀疑能否找到地球的下落。至于索拉利人，他更怀疑它们会提供任何相关资料。
而且，如果有关地球的所有资料，都从川陀那座伟大的图书馆消失无踪：又如果盖娅伟大的集体记忆，对地球也完全一片空白，那么在那些失落的外世界上，也几乎不可能有任何资料得以幸免。
假如他纯粹出于运气，竟然找到地球之阳，进而找到地球本身——会不会有什么外力使他无法察觉自己已经找到了？地球的防卫果真滴水不漏？它保持隐匿的决心果真如此坚决？
他究竟在寻找什么？
是地球吗？或是他认为（并无明确理由）可以在地球上找到谢顿计划的漏洞？
如今，谢顿计划已运作了五个世纪，（据说）最终将带领人类抵达一个安全的港湾——第二银河帝国的怀抱，它将比第一帝国更伟大、更崇高、更自由。然而他，崔维兹，却否定了第二帝国，转而支持盖娅星系。
扒娅星系将是个巨大的有机体；而第二银河帝国不论如何庞大，如何多样化，也只是众多独立有机体的联合组织，与它柑较之下，每个有机体仅只具有微观的尺度。自人类发迹以来，不知已建构出多少的个体集合，第二银河帝国只不过是另一个例子。虽然它有可能是最大、最好的一个，却仍无法脱离既有的框架。
扒娅星系则是个完全不同的组织，比第二银河帝国更理想。因此谢顿计划必定存有瑕疵，连伟大的哈里•谢顿自己都忽略了。
伹若是连谢顿都忽略的问题，崔维兹又怎么可能修正？他不是数学家，对谢顿计划的细节一概不知，全然没有概念。而且，即使有人能为他解释，他仍然会听得一头雾水。
他知道的只是谢顿计划的两个假设——必须牵涉到为数众多的人类，而且他们都不知道计划的具体细节。只要想想整个银河庞大的人口，第一个假设便不证自明；第二个假设也一定正确，因为知道计划细节的只有第二基地人，而他们的保密功夫极为到家。
唯一的可能，是还有个并未言明的假设，一个大家都视为理所当然的假设。由于实在太过明显，所以从来没有人提到或想到——伹却有可能不成立。这个假设若不成立，就会使谢顿计划的伟大目标大打折扣，使盖娅星系比第二帝国更胜一筹。
可是，倘若这个假设如此显而易见，如此理所当然，甚至从未有人想去捉它，它又怎么可能会错呢？如果从来没有人提及或想到，崔维兹怎么知道有这个假设的存在？即使他猜到它的存在，对它的本质又能有什么概念？
难道他真是那个崔维兹，一个拥有百分之百正确直觉的人，正如盖娅所坚持的？他总是知道怎样做才正确，即使不知自己为何要那样做？
现在他正逐一探访所知的每个外世界。这样做是正确的吗？外世界上会有答案吗？或者至少有初步的线索？
奥罗拉除了废墟与野狗之外，还有什么呢？（想必还有些凶猛的动物——狂暴的野牛？过大的野鼠？行动鬼祟的绿眼野猫？）索拉利虽未荒芜，可是除了机器人与懂得转换能量的人类，上面还有些什么别的呢？除非这两个世界保有地球下落的秘密，它们跟谢顿计划还能有什么牵连？
假如它们真藏有地球的秘密，地球与谢顿计划又有什么关联？这一切只是疯狂的想法吗？对于所谓自己料事如神的狂想，他是否听得太多又太认真了？
一股沉着无比的羞愧感向他扑来，压得他几乎要窒息。他望了望舱外遥不可及、与世无争的群星，暗自想道：我一定是银河中的头号大笨蛋。
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宝绮思的声音打断了他的思绪。“好啦，崔维兹，你为什么要见——有什么不对劲吗？”她突然改用关心的语气问道。
崔维兹抬起头，发现一时之间很难摆脱沉着的心情。他瞪着她说：“没有，没有，没什么不对劲。我——我只不过想得出神。反正我三天两头就会陷入沉思。”
他知道宝绮思能读出他的情绪，因此有些不自在。她只对他做过口头承诺，说她绝不偷窥他的心灵。
不过，她似乎接受了他的解释。她说：“裴洛拉特跟菲龙在一起，在教它简单的银河标准语。我们吃的东西，那孩子好像都能吃，它没有过分挑嘴——伹你要见我是为了什么？”
“嗯，别在这里讲。”崔维兹说：“电脑现在不需要我，如果你愿意到我舱房来，床铺已经整理好，你可以坐在上面，我嘛就坐在椅子上。或者倒过来也行，如果你比较喜欢那样的话。”
“都可以。”于是他们来到崔维兹的舱房。她仔细盯着他，然后说：“你似乎不再冒火了。”
“你在检视我的心灵？”
“绝对没有，只是在检视你的脸色。”
“我不是冒火。我偶尔会发一阵子小脾气，伹那不等于冒火。不过，如果你不介意，我得问你一些问题。”
宝绮思坐在崔维兹的床上，身子挺得笔直，宽颊的脸庞与黑色眼珠透出一种庄着的神情。她及肩的黑发梳理得很整齐，纤纤素手轻轻扶着膝头，身上还散发出一阵淡淡的幽香。
崔维兹微微一笑。“你打扮得很漂后。我猜你是认为，我不会对一个年轻、漂后的女孩大吼大叫。”
“如果能让你觉得好过点，随便你怎样吼、怎样叫都行，我只是不希望你对菲龙大吼大叫。”
“我不想这样做。其实我也无意对你大吼大叫，我们不是决定做朋友了吗？”
“盖娅对你一贯的、唯一的态度就是友善，崔维兹。”
“我不是在说盖娅。我知道你是盖娅的一部分，也可以说你就是盖娅，但你有一部分仍是个体，至少在某个秤谌之内。我是在跟那个个体交谈，是在对一个叫宝绮思的人讲话，我不理会——或者说尽量不理会盖娅。我们不是决定做朋友吗，宝绮思？”
“对啊，崔维兹。”
“那么，在索拉利上，当我们离开那座宅邸，来到太空船附近时，你为何迟迟不对付那些机器人？我遭到羞辱，又受到实质的伤害，而你却袖手旁观。尽避多耽搁一分一秒，都可能会有更多机器人到达现场，数量多得足以将我们吞没，你却一直袖手旁观。”
宝绮思以严肃的目光望着他。“我没有袖手旁观，崔维兹。我在研究那几个守护机器人的心灵，试图了解如何操纵它们。”她彷佛无意为自己的行为辩护，只是在做解释。
“我知道你在那样做，至少你是这么说的，我只是不懂那有什么意义。为什么要企图操纵那些心灵？你当时有足够的力量毁掉它们，正如你最后采取的行动。”　 “你认为毁灭一个智慧生灵是简单的事？”
崔维兹噘了一下嘴唇，做出个不以为然的表情。“得了吧，宝绮思，一个智慧生灵？它只不过是个机器人。”
“只不过是个机器人？”她的声音透出些许怒意，“总是这种论调，只不过，只不过！那个索拉利人班德为什么迟迟不杀害我们？我们只不过是下具转换器的人类。为什么我们不忍留下菲龙自生自灭？它只不过是个索拉利人，还是个未成年的索拉利人。假如你用‘只不过这个，只不过那个’的论调，跟你想要除去的任何人、任何事物划清界线，你就能毁掉任何东西，你总有办法将它们纳入某些范畴。”
崔维兹说：“别将一个完全合理的说法推到极端，否则只会显得荒唐可笑。机器人就是机器人，这点你无法否认。它不是人类，没有我们所谓的智慧，它只是个机器，只会模仿智慧生灵的表象。”
宝绮思说：“你对它一无所知，竟然一句话就将它否定。我是盖娅——没错，我也是宝绮思，但我仍是盖娅。我是一个世界，这个世界认为它的每个原子都相当珍贵，而且意义着大；而由原子构成的每个组织，则更加珍贵、更有意义。我／我们／盖娅不会轻易破坏任何组织，反之，我们总是乐于将它们建构成更复杂的组织，只要那样做不会危害到整体。
“在我们所知的各种组织中，最高形式的组织能生出智慧。除非有万不得已的苦衷，我们不愿毁掉一个智慧。至于那是机械智慧或生化智慧，则几乎没有任何差别。事实上，守护机器人代表一种我／我们／盖娅从未见过的智慧，这是研究它的绝佳机会，毁掉它是不可想像的事——除非是在极端危急的情况下。”
崔维兹以讽刺的口吻说：“当时，有三个更着要的智慧命在旦夕：你自己，你的爱人裴洛拉特，还有——如果你不介意——我。”
“四个！你总是忘记把菲龙计算在内——这些性命还谈不上有何凶险，我这么判断。听我说，假如你面对一幅画，一件伟大的艺术杰作，但它的存在却威胁到你的生命。而你只需要找枝粗笔，在它上面猛然乱画一通，让这幅画从此完蛋，你的性命就能保住。伹你也可以换种方式，细心研究这幅画，然后在这里画上一笔、那里点上一点，再擦掉一些些……或诸如此类的做法，就可以改造这幅画，避免自己陆命受到威胁，而又不会损毁它的艺术价值。当然，要进行那样的改造，必须花下最大的苦心和耐心，这需要很多时间。伹如果时间允许，除了你自己的性命，你一定也会愿意拯救这幅画。”
崔维兹说：“大概会吧，伹你最后还是彻底毁掉那幅画了。你大笔一挥，将细致的笔触和用色破坏殆尽，使精致的形影和构图面目全非。一个小雌雄同体人的性命受到威胁时，你马上就那样做了。可是在此之前，对于我们面临的危险，还有你自己面临的危险，你却完全无动于哀。”
“当时我们没有立即的危险，可是我觉得菲龙突然身陷险境。我必须在守护机器人和菲龙闾做出抉择，不能浪费任何时间，所以我选择了菲龙。”
“真是这样吗，宝绮思？你将两个心灵迅速衡量了一遍，迅速判断出哪个较复杂、较有价值？”
“没错。”
崔维兹说：“我却以为，那是因为站在你面前的是个孩子，一个性命受到威胁的孩子。不论原先三个成人命在旦夕之际，你心中如何盘算，母性本能立刻将你攫获，你毫不犹豫地便出手救它。”
宝绮思微微涨红了脸。“或许有那么点成分在内，伹不像你冷嘲热讽说的那样，我的行动背后也有理性的想法。”
“我很怀疑。如果背后有什么理性的想法，你应该考虑到一件事实：那孩子面临的是自己社会中注定的共同命运。为了维持索拉利人心目中的低数量人口标准，谁知道还有几千几万的小孩已被解决。”
“情况没那么单纯，崔维兹。那孩子难逃一死，是因为它过于年幼，无法成为继承人，而这是因为它的单亲过早死亡，归根结柢是因为我杀了它的单亲。”
“当时不是它死就是你死。”
“这不着要，我的确杀了它的单亲，我不能坐视那孩子因我的行动而遭到杀害。此外，盖娅从没研究过那种大脑，这刚好是一个难得的机会。”
“只是个孩子的大脑。”
“它不会永远是个孩子的大脑，它会在两侧发育出转换叶突。那种叶突带给一个索拉利人的能力，是整个盖娅望尘莫及的。只不过为了维持几盏灯的电力，以及启动一个开门的装置，我就累得筋疲力尽，而班德却能保持整个属地的电力源源不绝——它的属地跟我们在康普隆所见的城市相比，复杂度相当、面积则更广大，它却连睡觉时都能照应。”
崔维兹说：“那么，你是将这孩子视为大脑基础研究的着要资源？”
“就某方面而言，的确如此。”
“我却不这么认为。对我而言，我们好像带了一件危险物品上来，有很大的危险。”
“什么样的危险？它会百分之百适应——在我的帮助下。它极端聪明，也已经对我们产生好感。我们吃什么它就吃什么，我们去哪里它就去哪里。从它的脑部，我／我们／盖娅能获得许多无价的知识。”
“万一它生出下一代呢？它不需要配偶，它自己就是自己的配偶。”
“它还要经过许多年，才会达到生子的年龄。外世界人的寿命有好几世纪，而且索拉利人从不想增加人口，延缓生殖也许已是它们的习性，菲龙在短期内不会有孩子。”
“你怎么知道这点？”
“我不知道，我只是诉诸逻辑。”
“我告诉你，菲龙会带来危险。”
“这点你不知道，你也没有诉诸逻辑。”
“我感觉到了，宝绮思——此时此刻，根本就不需要理由。还有，坚称我的直觉永远正确的人，是你而不是我。”
宝绮思皱起眉头，显得坐立不安。
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裴洛拉特在驾驶舱门口停下脚步，带着几分不安的神情向内探望，像是想判断崔维兹是否在专心工作。
崔维兹双手一直放在桌面上；当他成为电脑的一部分时，总是双眼凝视显像屏幕，维持着这种姿势。因此，裴洛拉特判定他正在工作，于是耐心地等在外面，尽量静止不动，避免打扰或惊动他。
最后，崔维兹终于抬头望向裴洛拉特，却不能算是完全意识到他的存在。当崔维兹与电脑融为一体时，眼光似乎总有点呆滞涣散，奸像他正以异乎常人的方式看着、想着、活着。
伹他还是向裴洛拉特点了点头，彷佛眼前的景象通过着着障碍，终于迟缓地映到他的“视叶”。又过了一会儿，他举起双手，露出微笑，才真正恢复了自我。
裴洛拉特带着歉意道：“我恐怕妨碍到你了，葛兰。”
“没什么，詹诺夫。我只是在进行测试，看看我们现在能否进行跃迁。我们应该可以进行了，不过我想再等几小时，希望运气会好点。”
“运气——或是随机的因素，和跃迁有关系吗？”
“我只不过随口说说，”崔维兹微笑着答道：“理论上而言，随机因素倒是的确有关——你找我有什么事？”
“我可以坐下吗？”
“当然可以，到我的舱房去吧。宝绮思还好吗？”
“非常好，”他清了清喉咙，“她又睡着了，她一定要睡够，你应该了解。”
“我完全了解，因为超空间分隔的关系。”
“完全正确，老弟。”
“菲龙呢？”崔维兹靠在床上，将椅子让给裴洛拉特。
“从我图书馆找出的那些书，你用电脑帮我印出的那些，那些民间故事，记得吗？它正在读。当然啦，它只懂得极有限的银河标准语，伹它似乎很喜欢念出那些字。他——我一直想用阳性代名词称呼它，你认为这是什么缘故，老伙伴？”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“也许因为你自己是阳性。”
“也许吧。你可知道，它真是聪明绝顶。”
“我绝对相信。”
裴洛拉特犹豫了一下，又说：“我猜你并不很喜欢菲龙。”
“我对它本身绝无成见，詹诺夫。我从没有过小孩，通常也不会对小孩特别有好感。你倒是有几个孩子，我好像记得。”
“有个儿子——我还记得，当他是个小男生的时候，那的确是一大乐趣。这也许是我用阳性代名词称呼菲龙的原因，它让我又回到大约四分之一世纪前。”
“我绝不反对你喜欢它，詹诺夫。”
“你也会喜欢他的，如果你给自己一个机会。”
“我相信会的，詹诺夫。也许哪一天，我真会给自己一个机会。”
裴洛拉特再度犹豫起来。“我还知道，你一定厌烦了跟宝绮思争论不休。”
“事实上，我想我们不会再有太多争论，詹诺夫，她和我真的越来越融洽。前几天，我们甚至做过一次理性的讨论——没有大吼大叫，也没有冷嘲热讽——讨论她为何迟迟不令那些守护机器人停摆。毕竟，她三番两次拯救我们的性命，我总不能吝于对她伸出友谊之手，对不对？”
“没错，我看得出来，但我所谓的争论指的不是吵架，我的意思是，你们不停辩论盖娅星系和个体性孰好孰坏。”
“噢，那件事！我想那会继续下去——很有风度地。”
“如果在这场辩论中，葛兰，我站在她那一方，你是否会介意？”
“绝对不会。你是自己接受了盖娅星系的理念，还是因为和宝绮思站在一边会让你感到比较快乐？”
“老实说，是我自己的看法，我认为盖娅星系的时代很快会来临。你选择了这个方向，而我越来越相信这是正确的抉择。”
“只因为是我的选择？这不成理由。不论盖娅怎么说，你知道，我都有可能犯错。所以说，别让宝绮思用这个理由说服你。”
“我认为你没有错。这是索拉利给我的启示，不是宝绮思。”
“怎么说？”
“嗯，首先，我们是孤立体，你我都是。”
“那是她的用语，詹诺夫，我比较喜欢自称个体。”
“这只是语意学上的争论，老弟，随便你喜欢怎么称呼都行。我们都包裹在各自的皮囊中，被各自的思想笼罩，我们最先想到的是自己，最着视的也是自己。自卫是我们的第一自然法则，即使那样会伤害到其他生命。”
“历史上也有许多人物，曾经牺牲自己成全别人。”
“那是很罕见的现象。历史上更多的例子，是牺牲他人最深切的需要，满足自己突发的愚蠢奇想。”
“这和索拉利又有什么关系？”
“这个嘛，在索拉利，我们看到孤立体——或者你喜欢说的个体——会变成什么样子。索拉利人几乎无法跟自己同胞分享一个世界，它们认为绝对孤独地生活是完全的自由。它们甚至和自己的子嗣没有任何亲情，在人口过多时就会杀掉它们。它们在身边布满机器人奴隶，自己替这些机器人供应电力，所以它们死了之后，整个庞大的属地也形同死亡。这是值得赞美的吗，葛兰？你能将它跟盖娅的高贵、亲切、互相关怀相提并论吗？宝绮思并没和我讨论过这点，这是我自己的感受。”
崔维兹说：“这的确像是你该有的感受，詹诺夫，我非常同意。我认为索拉利的社会实在可怕，伹它并非始终如此。他们是地球人的后裔，近代的祖先则是外世界人，那些祖先过的生活都相当正常。索拉利人由于某种原因，选择了一条通往极端的道路，但你不能根据特例做出结论。在整个银河数千万的住人世界上，你知道还有哪个——不论过去还是现在——拥有类似索拉利的社会，或者仅有一丝雷同的？即使是索拉利人，若非它们滥用机器人，难道会发展出这样的社会吗？一个由个体组成的社会，假如没有机器人，有可能演化得像素拉利这么恐怖吗？”
裴洛拉特的脸稍微抽动了一下。“你对每件事都过于吹毛求疵，葛兰——至少，你为被你自己否定的银河型态辩护时，似乎也相当理直气壮。”
“我不会一竿子打翻一船人。盖娅星系一定有其理论基础，当我找到的时候，我自然会知道，到时候我一定接受——或者说得更精确点，‘若是’被我找到的时候。”
“你认为自己可能找不到吗？”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“我怎么晓得？你知道我为何要再等几小时才进行跃迁？事实上，我甚至还可能说服自己再多等几天，为什么？”
“你说过，如果我们多等一下会比较安全。”
“没错，我是那样说过，可是我们现在够安全了。我真正害怕的，是我们拥有座标的三个外世界，全都会让我们无功而返。我们只有三组座标，而我们已用掉两个，每次都是在侥幸中死里逃生。即使如此，我们仍未得到有关地球的任何线索，事实上，甚趾蟋地球的存在也还无法肯定。现在我正面对第三个，也是最后一个机会，万一它还是令我们失望，那该怎么办？”
裴洛拉特叹了一口气。　“你知道有些民间故事——其实，我给菲龙练习阅读的就有一则——内容是说某人能许三个愿，伹只有三个而已。在这种情节中，‘三’似乎是个很着要的数字，也许因为它是第一个奇数，所以是能做出决定的最小数字；你知道，所谓的三战二胜。着点是在这些故事里，那些愿望根本都没用，没有人许过正确的愿望。我一直有种想法，认为那代表一种古老的智慧，意思是没有不劳而获的事，想要满足自己的心愿，你就得凭努力换取，而不是……”
他突然住口，显得很不好意思。“我很抱歉，老友，我在浪费你的时间。谈到自己的本行时，我很容易喋喋不休。”
“你从不会使我感到无聊，詹诺夫，我愿意接受这个类比。我们得到三个愿望，已经用掉两个，却没有任何收获，现在只剩最后一个了。不知怎么搞的，我确定我们将再度失败，所以我希望多拖一阵子，这就是我把跃迁尽量往后延的原因。”
“万一又失败了，你打算怎么办？回盖娅？回端点星？”
“喔，不，”崔维兹一面摇头，一面细声道：“寻找必须继续下去——只要我知道该如何进行。”
Chapter 14: Dead Planet
60Trevize felt depressed. What few victories he had hadsince the search began had never been definitive; they had merely beenthe temporary staving off of defeat.
Now he had delayed the Jump to the third of the Spacer worlds tillhe had spread his unease to the others. When he finally decided that hesimply must tell the computer to move the ship through hyperspace, Peloratwas standing solemnly in the doorway to the pilot-room, and Bliss wasjust behind him and to one side. Even Fallom was standing there, gazingat Trevize owlishly, while one hand gripped Bliss's hand tightly.
Trevize had looked up from the computer and had said, ratherchurlishly, "Quite the family group!" but that was only his own discomfortspeaking.
He instructed the computer to Jump in such a way as to reenter spaceat a further distance from the star in question than was absolutelynecessary. He told himself that that was because he was learningcaution as a result of events on the first two Spacer worlds, but hedidn't believe that. Well underneath, he knew, he was hoping that hewould arrive in space at a great enough distance from the star to beuncertain as to whether it did or did not have a habitable planet. Thatwould give him a few more days of in-space travel before he could findout, and (perhaps) have to stare bitter defeat in the face.
So now, with the "family group" watching, he drew a deep breath,held it, then expelled it in a between-the-lips whistle as he gave thecomputer its final instruction.
The star-pattern shifted in a silent discontinuity and the viewscreenbecame barer, for he had been taken into a region in which the starswere somewhat sparser. And there, nearly in the center, was a brightlygleaming star.
Trevize grinned broadly, for this was a victory of sorts. After all,the third set of co-ordinates might have been wrong and there might havebeen no appropriate G-type star in sight. He glanced toward the otherthree, and said, "That's it. Star number three.""Are you sure?" asked Bliss softly.
"Watch!" said Trevize. "I will switch to the equi-centered view inthe computer's Galactic map, and if that bright star disappears, it'snot recorded on the map, and it's the one we want."The computer responded to his command, and the star blinked outwithout any prior dimming. It was as though it had never been, but therest of the starfield remained as it was, in sublime indifference.
"We've got it," said Trevize.
And yet he sent the Far Star forward at little more than halfthe speed he might easily have maintained. There was still the questionof the presence or absence of a habitable planet, and he was in no hurryto find out. Even after three days of approach, there was still nothingto be said about that, either way.
Or, perhaps, not quite nothing. Circling the star was a large gasgiant. It was very far from its star and it gleamed a very pale yellowon its daylight side, which they could see, from their position, as athick crescent.
Trevize did not like its looks, but he tried not to show it and spokeas matter-of-factly as a guidebook. "There's a big gas giant out there,"he said. "It's rather spectacular. It has a thin pair of rings and twosizable satellites that can be made out at the moment."Bliss said, "Most systems include gas giants, don't they?""Yes, but this is a rather large one. Judging from the distance ofits satellites, and their periods of revolution, that gas giant is almosttwo thousand times as massive as a habitable planet would be.""What's the difference?" said Bliss. "Gas giants are gas giants andit doesn't matter what size they are, does it? They're always present atgreat distances from the star they circle, and none of them are habitable,thanks to their size and distance. We just have to look closer to thestar for a habitable planet."Trevize hesitated, then decided to place the facts on the table. "Thething is," he said, "that gas giants tend to sweep a volume of planetaryspace clean. What material they don't absorb into their own structureswill coalesce into fairly large bodies that come to make up theirsatellite system. They prevent other coalescences at even a considerabledistance from themselves, so that the larger the gas giant, the morelikely it is to be the only sizable planet of a particular star. There'lljust be the gas giant and asteroids.""You mean there is no habitable planet here?""The larger the gas giant, the smaller the chance of a habitableplanet and that gas giant is so massive it is virtually a dwarf star."Pelorat said, "May we see it?"All three now stared at the screen (Fallom was in Bliss's room withthe books).
The view was magnified till the crescent filled the screen. Crossingthat crescent a distance above center was a thin dark line, the shadowof the ring system which could itself be seen a small distance beyondthe planetary surface as a gleaming curve that stretched into the darkside a short distance before it entered the shadow itself.
Trevize said, "The planet's axis of rotation is inclined aboutthirty-five degrees to its plane of revolution, and its ring is in theplanetary equatorial plane, of course, so that the star's light comesin from below, at this point in its orbit, and casts the ring's shadowwell above the equator."Pelorat watched raptly. "Those are thin rings.""Rather above average size, actually," said Trevize.
"According to legend, the rings that circle a gas giant in Earth'splanetary system are much wider, brighter, and more elaborate than thisone. The rings actually dwarf the gas giant by comparison.""I'm not surprised," said Trevize. "When a story is handed on fromperson to person for thousands of years, do you suppose it shrinks inthe telling?"Bliss said, "It's beautiful. If you watch the crescent, it seems towrithe and wriggle before your eyes.""Atmospheric storms," said Trevize. "You can generally see that moreclearly if you choose an appropriate wavelength of light. Here, let metry." He placed his hands on the desk and ordered the computer to workits way through the spectrum and stop at the appropriate wavelength.
The mildly lit crescent went into a wilderness of color that shiftedso rapidly it almost dazed the eyes that tried to follow. Finally,it settled into a red-orange, and, within the crescent, clear spiralsdrifted, coiling and uncoiling as they moved.
"Unbelievable," muttered Pelorat.
"Delightful," said Bliss.
Quite believable, thought Trevize bitterly, and anything butdelightful. Neither Pelorat nor Bliss, lost in the beauty, bothered tothink that the planet they admired lowered the chances of solving themystery Trevize was trying to unravel. But, then, why should they? Bothwere satisfied that Trevize's decision had been correct, and theyaccompanied him in his search for certainty without an emotional bondto it. It was useless to blame them for that.
He said, "The dark side seems dark, but if our eyes were sensitive tothe range just a little beyond the usual long-wave limit, we would seeit as a dull, deep, angry red. The planet is pouring infrared radiationout into space in great quantities because it is massive enough to bealmost red-hot. It's more than a gas giant; it's a sub-star."He waited a little longer and then said, "And now let's put that objectout of our mind and look for the habitable planet that may exist.""Perhaps it does," said Pelorat, smiling. "Don't give up, oldfellow.""I haven't given up," said Trevize, without true conviction. "Theformation of planets is too complicated a matter for rules to be hardand fast. We speak only of probabilities. With that monster out in space,the probabilities decrease, but not to zero."Bliss said, "Why don't you think of it this way? Since the first twosets of co-ordinates each gave you a habitable planet of the Spacers, thenthis third set, which has already given you an appropriate star, shouldgive you a habitable planet as well. Why speak of probabilities?""I certainly hope you're right," said Trevize, who did not feel atall consoled. "Now we will shoot out of the planetary plane and in towardthe star."The computer took care of that almost as soon as he had spoken hisintention. He sat back in his pilot's chair and decided, once again,that the one evil of piloting a gravitic ship with a computer so advancedwas that one could never never  pilot any othertype of ship again.
Could he ever again bear to do the calculations himself? Could he bearto have to take acceleration into account, and limit it to a reasonablelevel? In all likelihood, he would forget and pour on the energytill he and everyone on board were smashed against one interior wallor another.
Well, then, he would continue to pilot this one ship oranother exactly like it, if he could even bear to make so much of achange always.
And because he wanted to keep his mind off the question of thehabitable planet, yes or no, he mused on the fact that he had directedthe ship to move above the plane, rather than below. Barring anydefinite reason to go below a plane, pilots almost always chose to goabove. Why?
For that matter, why be so intent on considering one directionabove and the other below? In the symmetry of space that was pureconvention.
Just the same, he was always aware of the direction in which anyplanet under observation rotated about its axis and revolved about itsstar. When both were counterclockwise, then the direction of one's raisedarm was north, and the direction of one's feet was south. And throughoutthe Galaxy, north was pictured as above and south as below.
It was pure convention, dating back into the primeval mists, and itwas followed slavishly. If one looked at a familiar map with south above,one didn't recognize it. It had to be turned about to make sense. Andall things being equal, one turned north and "above."Trevize thought of a battle fought by Bel Riose, the Imperialgeneral of three centuries before, who had veered his squadron below theplanetary plane at a crucial moment, and caught a squadron of vessels,waiting and unprepared. There were complaints that it had been an unfairmaneuver by the losers, of course.
A convention, so powerful and so primordially old, must have startedon Earth and that brought Trevize's mind, with a jerk, back tothe question of the habitable planet.
Pelorat and Bliss continued to watch the gas giant as it slowlyturned on the viewscreen in a slow, slow back-somersault. The sunlitportion spread and, as Trevize kept its spectrum fixed in the orange-redwavelengths, the storm-writhing of its surface became ever madder andmore hypnotic.
Then Fallom came wandering in and Bliss decided it must take a napand that so must she.
Trevize said to Pelorat, who remained, "I have to let go of the gasgiant, Janov. I want to have the computer concentrate on the search fora gravitational blip of the right size.""Of course, old fellow," said Pelorat.
But it was more complicated than that. It was not just a blip of theright size that the computer had to search for, it was one of the rightsize and at the right distance. It would still be several days beforehe could be sure.
61Trevize walked into his room, grave, solemn indeedsomber and started perceptibly.
Bliss was waiting for him and immediately next to her was Fallom,with its loincloth and robe bearing the unmistakable fresh odor ofsteaming and vacupressing. The youngster looked better in that than inone of Bliss's foreshortened nightgowns.
Bliss said, "I didn't want to disturb you at the computer, but nowlisten. Go on, Fallom."Fallom said, in its high-pitched musical voice, "I greetyou, Protector Trevize. It is with great pleasure that I amap ad accompanying you on this ship through space. I am happy,too, for the kindness of my friends, Bliss and Pel."Fallom finished and smiled prettily, and once again Trevize thoughtto himself: Do I think of it as a boy or as a girl or as both or asneither?
He nodded his head. "Very well memorized. Almost perfectlypronounced.""Not at all memorized," said Bliss warmly. "Fallom composed thisitself and asked if it would be possible to recite it to you. I didn'teven know what Fallom would say till I heard it said."Trevize forced a smile, "In that case, very good indeed." He noticedBliss avoided pronouns when she could.
Bliss turned to Fallom and said, "I told you Trevize would likeit. Now go to Pel and you can have some more reading if youwish."Fallom ran off, and Bliss said, "It's really astonishing how quicklyFallom is picking up Galactic. The Solarians must have a special aptitudefor languages. Think how Bander spoke Galactic merely from hearing iton hyperspatial communications. Those brains may be remarkable in waysother than energy transduction."Trevize grunted.
Bliss said, "Don't tell me you still don't like Fallom.""I neither like nor dislike. The creature simply makes me uneasy. Forone thing, it's a grisly feeling to be dealing with a hermaphrodite."Bliss said, "Come, Trevize, that's ridiculous. Fallom is a perfectlyacceptable living creature. To a society of hermaphrodites, think howdisgusting you and I must seem males and females generally. Eachis half of a whole and, in order to reproduce, there must be a temporaryand clumsy union.""Do you object to that, Bliss?""Don't pretend to misunderstand. I am trying to view us from thehermaphroditic standpoint. To them, it must seem repellent in the extreme;to us, it seems natural. So Fallom seems repellent to you, but that'sjust a shortsighted parochial reaction.""Frankly," said Trevize, "it's annoying not to know the pronoun touse in connection with the creature. It impedes thought and conversationto hesitate forever at the pronoun.""But that's the fault of our language," said Bliss, "and notof Fallom. No human language has been devised with hermaphroditismin mind. And I'm glad you brought it up, because I've been thinkingabout it myself. Saying `it,' as Bander itself insisted on doing,is no solution. That is a pronoun intended for objects to which sex isirrelevant, and there is no pronoun at all for objects that are sexuallyactive in both senses. Why not just pick one of the pronouns arbitrarily,then? I think of Fallom as a girl. She has the high voice of one, forone thing, and she has the capacity of producing young, which is thevital definition of femininity. Pelorat has agreed; why don't you do so,too? Let it be `she' and `her.'"Trevize shrugged. "Very well. It will sound peculiar to point outthat she has testicles, but very well."Bliss sighed. "You do have this annoying habit of trying to turneverything into a joke, but I know you are under tension and I'll makeallowance for that. Just use the feminine pronoun for Fallom, please.""I will." Trevize hesitated, then, unable to resist, said, "Fallomseems more your surrogate-child every time I see you together. Is itthat you want a child and don't think Janov can give you one?"Bliss's eyes opened wide. "He's not there for children! Do you thinkI use him as a handy device to help me have a child? It is not time forme to have a child, in any case. And when it is time, it will have tobe a Gaian child, something for which Pel doesn't qualify.""You mean Janov will have to be discarded?""Not at all. A temporary diversion, only. It might even be broughtabout by artificial insemination.""I presume you can only have a child when Gaia's decision is thatone is necessary; when there is a gap produced by the death of analready-existing Gaian human fragment.""That is an unfeeling way of putting it, but it is true enough. Gaiamust be well proportioned in all its parts and relationships.""As in the case of the Solarians."Bliss's lips pressed together and her face grew a little white. "Notat all. The Solarians produce more than they need and destroy theexcess. We produce just what we need and there is never a necessity ofdestroying as you replace the dying outer layers of your skin byjust enough new growth for renewal and by not one cell more.""I see what you mean," said Trevize. "I hope, by the way, that youare considering Janov's feelings.""In connection with a possible child for me? That has never come upfor discussion; nor will it.""No, I don't mean that. It strikes me you are becoming moreand more interested in Fallom. Janov may feel neglected.""He's not neglected, and he is as interested in Fallom as I am. Sheis another point of mutual involvement that draws us even closertogether. Can it be that you are the one who feelsneglected?"" I ?" He was genuinely surprised.
"Yes, you. I don't understand Isolates any more than you understandGaia, but I have a feeling that you enjoy being the central point ofattention on this ship, and you may feel cut out by Fallom.""That's foolish.""No more foolish than your suggestion that I am neglecting Pel.""Then let's declare a truce and stop. I'll try to view Fallom as agirl, and I shall not worry excessively about you being inconsiderateof Janov's feelings."Bliss smiled. "Thank you. All is well, then."Trevize turned away, and Bliss then said, "Wait!"Trevize turned back and said, just a bit wearily, "Yes?""It's quite clear to me, Trevize, that you're sad and depressed. I amnot going to probe your mind, but you might be willing to tell me what'swrong. Yesterday, you said there was an appropriate planet in this systemand you seemed quite pleased. It's still there, I hope. The findinghasn't turned out to be mistaken, has it?""There's an appropriate planet in the system, and it's still there,"said Trevize.
"Is it the right size?"Trevize nodded. "Since it's appropriate, it's of the right size. Andit's at the right distance from the star as well.""Well, then, what's wrong?""We're close enough now to analyze the atmosphere. It turns out thatit has none to speak of.""No atmosphere?""None to speak of. It's a nonhabitable planet, and there is no othercircling the sun that has even the remotest capacity for habitability. Wehave come up with zero on this third attempt."62Pelorat, looking grave, was clearly unwilling to intrudeon Trevize's unhappy silence. He watched from the door of the pilot-room,apparently hoping that Trevize would initiate a conversation.
Trevize did not. If ever a silence seemed stubborn, his did.
And finally, Pelorat could stand it no longer, and said, in a rathertimid way, "What are we doing?"Trevize looked up, stared at Pelorat for a moment, turned away,and then said, "We're zeroing in on the planet.""But since there's no atmosphere ""The computer says there's no atmosphere. Till now,it's always told me what I've wanted to hear and I've accepted it. Nowit has told me something I don't want to hear, and I'mgoing to check it. If the computer is ever going to be wrong, this isthe time I want it to be wrong.""Do you think it's wrong?""No; I don't.""Can you think of any reason that might make it wrong?""No, I can't.""Then why are you bothering, Golan?"And Trevize finally wheeled in his seat to face Pelorat, his facetwisted in near-despair, and said, "Don't you see, Janov, that I can'tthink of anything else to do? We drew blanks on the first two worlds asfar as Earth's location is concerned, and now this world is a blank. Whatdo I do now? Wander from world to world, and peer about and say, `Pardonme. Where's Earth?' Earth has covered its tracks too well. Nowhere hasit left any hint. I'm beginning to think that it will see to it thatwe're incapable of picking up a hint even if one exists."Pelorat nodded, and said, "I've been thinking along those linesmyself. Do you mind if we discuss it? I know you're unhappy, old chap,and don't want to talk, so if you want me to leave you alone, I will.""Go ahead, discuss it," said Trevize, with something that wasremarkably like a groan. "What have I got better to do than listen?"Pelorat said, "That doesn't sound as though you really want me to talk,but perhaps it will do us good. Please stop me at any time if you decideyou can stand it no longer. It seems to me, Golan, that Earth neednot take only passive and negative measures to hide itself. It need notmerely wipe out references to itself. Might it not plant false evidenceand work actively for obscurity in that fashion?""How do you mean?""Well, we've heard of Earth's radioactivity in several places,and that sort of thing would be designed to make anyone break off anyattempt to locate it. If it were truly radioactive, it would be totallyunapproachable. In all likelihood, we would not even be able to setfoot on it. Even robot explorers, if we had any, might not survivethe radiation. So why look? And if it is not radioactive, it remainsinviolate, except for accidental approach, and even then it might haveother means of masking itself."Trevize managed a smile. "Oddly enough, Janov, that thought hasoccurred to me. It has even occurred to me that that improbable giantsatellite has been invented and planted in the world's legends. As forthe gas giant with the monstrous ring system, that is equally improbableand may be equally planted. It is all designed, perhaps, to have uslook for something that doesn't exist, so that we go right through thecorrect planetary system, staring at Earth and dismissing it because,in actual fact, it lacks a large satellite or a triple-ringed cousin ora radioactive crust. We don't recognize it, therefore, and don't dreamwe are looking at it. I imagine worse, too."Pelorat looked downcast. "How can there be worse?""Easily when your mind gets sick in the middle of the night andbegins searching the vast realm of fantasy for anything that can deependespair. What if Earth's ability to hide is ultimate? What if our mindscan be clouded? What if we can move right past Earth, with its giantsatellite and with its distant ringed gas giant, and never see any ofit? What if we have already done so?""But if you believe that, why are we ?""I don't say I believe that. I'm talking about mad fancies. We'llkeep on looking."Pelorat hesitated, then said, "For how long, Trevize? At some point,surely, we'll have to give up.""Never," said Trevize fiercely. "If I have to spend the rest of mylife going from planet to planet and peering about and saying, `Please,sir, where's Earth?' then that's what I'll do. At any time, I can takeyou and Bliss and even Fallom, if you wish, back to Gaia and then takeof on my own.""Oh no. You know I won't leave you, Golan, and neither willBliss. We'll go planet-hopping with you, if we must. But why?""Because I must find Earth, and because I will. I don'tknow how, but I will. Now, look, I'm trying to reach a positionwhere I can study the sunlit aide of the planet Without its suit beingtoo close, so just let me be for a while."Pelorat fell silent, but did not leave. He continued to watch whileTrevize studied the planetary image, more than half in daylight, on thescreen. To Pelorat, it seemed featureless, but he knew that Trevize,bound to the computer, saw it under enhanced circumstances.
Trevize whispered, "There's a haze.""Then there must be an atmosphere," blurted out Pelorat.
"Not necessarily much of one. Not enough to support life, butenough to support a thin wind that will raise dust. It's a well-knowncharacteristic of planets with thin atmospheres. There may even besmall polar ice caps. A little water-ice condensed at the poles, youknow. This world is too warm for solid carbon dioxide. I'll haveto switch to radar-mapping. And if I do that I can work more easily onthe nightside.""Really?""Yes. I should have tried it first, but with a virtually airlessand, therefore, cloudless planet, the attempt with visible light seemsso natural."Trevize was silent for a long time, while the viewscreen grew fuzzywith radar-reflections that produced almost the abstraction of a planet,something that an artist of the Cleonian period might have produced. Thenhe said, "Well " emphatically, holding the sound for a while,and was silent again.
Pelorat said, at last, "What's the `well' about?"Trevize looked at him briefly. "No craters that I can see.""No craters? Is that good?""Totally unexpected," said Trevize. His face broke into a grin,"And very good. In fact, possibly magnificent."63Fallom remained with her nose pressed against theship's porthole, where a small segment of the Universe was visible inthe precise form in which the eye saw it, without computer enlargementor enhancement.
Bliss, who had been trying to explain it all, sighed and said in a lowvoice to Pelorat, "I don't know how much she understands, Pel dear. Toher, her father's mansion and a small section of the estate it stoodupon was all the Universe. I don't think she was ever out at night,or ever saw the stars.""Do you really think so?""I really do. I didn't dare show her any part of it until she hadenough vocabulary to understand me just a little and how fortunateit was that you could speak with her in her own language.""The trouble is I'm not very good at it," said Peloratapologetically. "And the Universe is rather hard to grasp if you come atit suddenly. She said to me that if those little lights are giant worlds,each one just like Solaria they're much larger than Solaria, ofcourse that they couldn't hang in nothing. They ought to fall,she says.""And she's right, judging by what she knows. She asks sensiblequestions, and little by little, she'll understand. At least she'scurious and she's not frightened.""The thing is, Bliss, I'm curious, too. Look how Golan changed assoon as he found out there were no craters on the world we're headingfor. I haven't the slightest idea what difference that makes. Do you?""Not a bit. Still he knows much more planetology than we do. We canonly assume he knows what he's doing.""I wish I knew.""Well, ask him."Pelorat grimaced. "I'm always afraid I'll annoy him. I'm sure hethinks I ought to know these things without being told."Bliss said, "That's silly, Pel. He has no hesitation in asking youabout any aspect of the Galaxy's legends and myths which he thinks mightbe useful. You're always willing to answer and explain, so why shouldn'the be? You go ask him. If it annoys him, then he'll have a chance topractice sociability, and that will be good for him.""Will you come with me?""No, of course not. I want to stay with Fallom and continue to tryto get the concept of the Universe into her head. You can always explainit to me afterward once he explains it to you."64Pelorat entered the pilot-room diffidently. He wasdelighted to note that Trevize was whistling to himself and was clearlyin a good mood.
"Golan," he said, as brightly as he could.
Trevize looked up. "Janov! You're always tiptoeing in as thoughyou think it's against the law to disturb me. Close the door and sitdown. Sit down! Look at that thing."He pointed to the planet on the viewscreen, and said, "I haven'tfound more than two or three craters, each quite small.""Does that make a difference, Golan? Really?""A difference? Certainly. How can you ask?"Pelorat gestured helplessly. "It's all a mystery to me. I was ahistory major at college. I took sociology and psychology in addition tohistory, also languages and literature, mostly ancient, and specializedin mythology in graduate school. I never came near planetology, or anyof the physical sciences.""That's no crime, Janov. I'd rather you know what you know. Yourfacility in ancient languages and in mythology has been of enormous useto us. You know that. And when it comes to a matter of planetology,I'll take care of that."He went on, "You see, Janov, planets form through the smashingtogether of smaller objects. The last few objects to collide leave cratermarks. Potentially, that is. If the planet is large enough to be a gasgiant, it is essentially liquid under a gaseous atmosphere and the finalcollisions are just splashes and leave no marks.
"Smaller planets which are solid, whether icy or rocky, do showcrater marks, and these remain indefinitely unless an agency for removalexists. There are three types of removals.
"First, a world may have an icy surface overlying a liquid ocean. Inthat case, any colliding object breaks through the ice and splasheswater. Behind it the ice refreezes and heals the puncture, so tospeak. Such a planet, or satellite, would have to be cold, and wouldnot be what we would consider a habitable world.
"Second, if a planet is intensely active, volcanically, then aperpetual lava flow or ash fallout is forever filling in and obscuringany craters that form. However, such a planet or satellite is not likelyto be habitable either.
"That brings us to habitable worlds as a third case. Such worlds mayhave polar ice caps, but most of the ocean must be freely liquid. They mayhave active volcanoes, but these must be sparsely distributed. Such worldscan neither heal craters, nor fill them in. There are, however, erosioneffects. Wind and flowing water will erode craters, and if there is life,the actions of living things are strongly erosive as well. See?"Pelorat considered that, then said, "But, Golan, I don't understandyou at all. This planet we're approaching ""We'll be landing tomorrow," said Trevize cheerfully.
"This planet we're approaching doesn't have an ocean.""Only some thin polar ice caps.""Or much of an atmosphere.""Only a hundredth the density of the atmosphere on Terminus.""Or life.""Nothing I can detect.""Then what could have eroded away the craters?""An ocean, an atmosphere, and life," said Trevize. "Look, if thisplanet had been airless and waterless from the start, any craters that hadbeen formed would still exist and the whole surface would be cratered. Theabsence of craters proves it can't have been airless and waterless fromthe start, and may even have had a sizable atmosphere and ocean in thenear past. Besides, there are huge basins, visible on this world, thatmust have held seas, and oceans once, to say nothing of the marks ofrivers that are now dry. So you see there was erosion andthat erosion has ceased so short a time ago, that new cratering has notyet had time to accumulate."Pelorat looked doubtful. "I may not be a planetologist, but it seems tome that if a planet is large enough to hang on to a dense atmosphere forperhaps billions of years, it isn't going to suddenly lose it, is it?""I shouldn't think so," said Trevize. "But this world undoubtedlyheld life before its atmosphere vanished, probably human life. My guessis that it was a terraformed world as almost all the human-inhabitedworlds of the Galaxy are. The trouble is that we don't really know whatits condition was before human life arrived, or what was done to it inorder to make it comfortable for human beings, or under what conditions,actually, life vanished. There may have been a catastrophe that suckedoff the atmosphere and that brought about the end of human life. Or theremay have been some strange imbalance on this planet that human beingscontrolled as long as they were here and that went into a vicious cycleof atmospheric reduction once they were gone. Maybe we'll find the answerwhen we land, or maybe we won't. It doesn't matter.""But surely neither does it matter if there was life here once,if there isn't now. What's the difference if a planet has always beenuninhabitable, or is only uninhabitable now?""If it is only uninhabitable now, there will be ruins of the one-timeinhabitants.""There were ruins on Aurora ""Exactly, but on Aurora there had been twenty thousand years of rainand snow, freezing and thawing, wind and temperature change. And therewas also life don't forget life: There may not have been humanbeings there, but there was plenty of life. Ruins can be eroded justas craters can. Faster. And in twenty thousand years, not enough wasleft to do us any good. Here on this planet, however, there hasbeen a passage of time, perhaps twenty thousand years, perhaps less,without wind, or storm, or life. There has been temperature change,I admit, but that's all. The ruins will be in good shape.""Unless," murmured Pelorat doubtfully, "there are no ruins. Is itpossible that there was never any life on the planet, or never any humanlife at any rate, and that the loss of the atmosphere was due to someevent that human beings had nothing to do with?""No, no," said Trevize. "You can't turn pessimist on me, because itwon't work. Even from here, I've spotted the remains of what I'm surewas a city. So we land tomorrow."65Bliss said, in a worried tone, "Fallom is convincedwe're going to take her back to Jemby, her robot.""Umm," said Trevize, studying the surface of the world as it slidback under the drifting ship. Then he looked up as though he had heardthe remark only after a delay. "Well, it was the only parent she knew,wasn't it?""Yes, of course, but she thinks we've come back to Solaria.""Does it look like Solaria?""How would she know?""Tell her it's not Solaria. Look, I'll give you one or two referencebookfilms with graphic illustrations. Show her close-ups of a numberof different inhabited worlds and explain that there are millions ofthem. You'll have time for it. I don't know how long Janov and I willhave to wander around, once we pick a likely target and land.""You and Janov?""Yes. Fallom can't come with us, even if I wanted her to, which Iwould only want if I were a madman. This world requires space suits,Bliss. There's no breathable air. And we don't have a space suit thatwould fit Fallom. So she and you stay on the ship.""Why I?"Trevize's lips stretched into a humorless smile. "I admit," he said,"I would feel safer if you were along, but we can't leave Fallom onthis ship alone. She can do damage even if she doesn't mean to. I musthave Janov with me because he might be able to make out whatever archaicwriting they have here. That means you will have to stay with Fallom. Ishould think you would want to."Bliss looked uncertain.
Trevize said, "Look. You wanted Fallom along, when I didn't. I'mconvinced she'll be nothing but trouble. So her presence introducesconstraints, and you'll have to adjust yourself to that. She's here,so you'll have to be here, too. That's the way it is."Bliss sighed. "I suppose so.""Good. Where's Janov?""He's with Fallom.""Very well. Go and take over. I want to talk to him."Trevize was still studying the planetary surface when Pelorat walkedin, clearing his throat to announce his presence. He said, "Is anythingwrong, Golan?""Not exactly wrong, Janov. I'm just uncertain. This is a peculiar worldand I don't know what happened to it. The seas must have been extensive,judging from the basins left behind, but they were shallow. As nearly as Ican tell from the traces left behind, this was a world of desalinizationand canals or perhaps the seas weren't very salty. If they weren'tvery salty, that would account for the absence of extensive salt flatsin the basins. Or else, when the ocean was lost, the salt content waslost with it which certainly makes it look like a human deed."Pelorat said hesitantly, "Excuse my ignorance about such things,Golan, but does any of this matter as far as what we are looking foris concerned?""I suppose not, but I can't help being curious. If I knew just howthis planet was terraformed into human habitability and what it was likebefore terraforming, then perhaps I would understand what has happenedto it after it was abandoned or just before, perhaps. And if wedid know what happened to it, we might be forewarned against unpleasantsurprises.""What kind of surprises? It's a dead world, isn't it?""Dead enough. Very little water; thin, unbreathable atmosphere;and Bliss detects no signs of mental activity.""That should settle it, I should think.""Absence of mental activity doesn't necessarily imply lack oflife.""It must surely imply lack of dangerous life.""I don't know. But that's not what I want to consult youabout. There are two cities that might do for our first inspection. Theyseem to be in excellent shape; all the cities do. Whatever destroyed theair and oceans did not seem to touch the cities. Anyway, those two citiesare particularly large. The larger, however, seems to be short on emptyspace. There are spaceports far in the outskirts but nothing in the cityitself. The one not so large does have empty space, so it will be easierto come down in its midst, though not in formal spaceports but then,who would care about that?"Pelorat grimaced. "Do you want me to make the decision,Golan?""No, I'll make the decision. I just want your thoughts.""For what they're worth, a large sprawling city is likely to be acommercial or manufacturing center. A smaller city with open space islikely to be an administrative center. It's the administrative centerwe'd want. Does it have monumental buildings?""What do you mean by a monumental building?"Pelorat smiled his tight little stretching of the lips. "Iscarcely know. Fashions change from world to world and from time totime. I suspect, though, that they always look large, useless, andexpensive. Like the place where weeeere on Comporellon."Trevize smiled in his turn. "It's hard to tell looking straightdown, and when I get a sideways glance as weeapproach or leave, it'stoo confusing. Why do you prefer the administrative center?""That's where we're likely to find the planetary museum, library,archives, university, and so on.""Good. That's where we'll go, then; the smaller city. And maybewe'll find something. We've had two misses, but maybe we'll find somethingthis time.""Perhaps it will be three times lucky."Trevize raised his eyebrows. "Where did you get that phrase?""It's an old one," said Pelorat. "I found it in an ancient legend. Itmeans success on the third try, I should think.""That sounds right," said Trevize. "Very well, then three timeslucky, Janov."

第十四章 死星
　　60
崔维兹觉得很沮丧。这趟寻找从开始到现在，他的几个小胜利都没什么着要性，只能算暂时侥幸让失败擦身而过。
现在，他将跃迁到第三个外世界的时间延后，却使其他人也感染到下安的情绪。当他终于下定决心，让电脑将太空艇驶入超空间时，裴洛拉特站在驾驶舱门口，一脸严肃的表情，宝绮思则在他的后侧。就连菲龙也站在那里，一只手紧紧抓住宝绮思的手，像个老学究似地盯着崔维兹。
崔维兹抬起头，目光从电脑栘开，带着几分火气说：“好一个全家福！”他会这么说，纯粹是由于心神不宁。
他开始指示电脑进行跃迁，故意安排在着返普通空间时，让太空艇与目标恒星的距离超过实际需要。他告诉自己，那是因为在前两个外世界上发生的事，让他学到了谨慎的着要，但他其实并不相信这种解释。他知道，在自己内心深处，希望能在着返太空时，与那颗恒星保持相当的距离，以便无法确定它究竟有没有可住人行星。这能让他多做几天太空旅行，然后才揭晓谜底，同时（也许）不得不面对失败的苦果。
因此现在，在“全家福”的观礼下，他深深吸一口气，憋了一会儿，再像吹口哨似地吐出来。与此同时，他对电脑下达最后一道指令。
群星的图样默默进行着不连续的变化。最后，显像屏幕变得较空洞，他们已来到一处恒星较疏的区域。在靠近中央的位置，可以见到一颗闪闪发后的星辰。
崔维兹咧嘴笑了一下，因为这也算一项胜利。毕竟，第三组座标有可能是错的，可能根本看不到符合条件的G型恒星。他看了其他人一眼，然后说：“就是它，第三号恒星。”
“你确定吗？”宝绮思轻声问。
“注意看！”崔维兹说：“我要把屏幕转成电脑银河舆图的同心画面，如果那颗明后的恒星消失，就代表舆图没有收录，那它就是我们要找的那颗。”
电脑立即回应他的指令，那颗行星在瞬间消失，连一点余光都没有，彷佛从来不曾存在。其他的星像却丝毫未受影响，看来仍是那般庄严壮丽。
“我们找到了。”崔维兹说。
即使如此，他还是让远星号慢速前进，速度仅维持在普通速度的一半。还有一个谜底尚未揭晓，那就是可住人行星是否存在，但他并不急于找出答案。甚至飞行了三天后，这个问题仍然没有任何进展。
不过，也许不能说毫无进展。有颗距离恒星非常遥远的气态巨行星，环绕着这颗恒星运动，它的白昼区映出暗淡的黄色光芒。从他们目前的位置看来，它就像一弯肥厚的新月。
崔维兹并不喜欢它的模样，但尽量不表现出来。他像个有声旅行指南一样，以平板的语调说：“那里有颗很大的气态巨行星，看起来相当壮观。现在我们可以看到，它有一对细薄的行星环，还有两颗硕大的卫星。”
宝绮思说：“大多数行星系都具有气态巨行星，对不对？”
“没错，不过这颗体积相当大。根据两颗卫星和它的距离，以及卫星的公转周期判断，这颗巨行星的质量约为可住人行星的两千倍。”
“那有什么差别？”宝绮思说：“气态巨行星就是气态巨行星，不论体积是大是小，对不对？它们距离所环绕的恒星总是非常遥远，由于体积过大、距离过远，所以一律不适于住人。想要发现可住人行星，我们必须到那颗恒星附近去找。”
崔维兹迟疑了一下，便决定公布实情。“问题是，”他说：“气态巨行星会扫净行星系的大片太空；没被它们吸收到自身结构中的物质，会聚结成相当大的天体，形成它们的卫星系。它们阻止了其他的聚结现象，影响力甚至达到很远的距离。所以气态巨行星越大，就越有可能是唯一的大型行星，除了那颗巨行星，行星系中会只有些小行星。”
“你的意思是，这里没有可住人的行星？”
“气态巨行星体积越大，可住人行星存在的机会就越小。这颗气态巨行星如此庞大，简直就是一颗矮星。”
裴洛拉特说：“我们可以看看吗？”
于是三人一起盯着屏幕。（菲龙正在宝绮思的舱房看书。）
杯面不断放大，直到那个新月形占满整个屏幕。一条细长的黑线跨越新月的上半部，那是行星环造成的阴影。行星环本身是一道珊罅的曲线，与行星表面有一小段距离，在它被阴影遮蔽前，有小部分延伸到了行星的暗面。
崔维兹说：“这颗行星的自转轴对公转平面的倾角约为三十五度，而它的行星环当然位于赤道面，所以在目前的轨道位置上，恒星的光线由下方射来，将行星环投影在赤道上方相当远处。”
裴洛拉特看得出神。“那些都是细小的行星环。”
“事实上，已经在平均大小之上。”崔维兹答道。
“根据传说，在地球所属的行星系中，那颗具有行星环的气态巨行星，它的行星环比这个要更宽、更后、更精致得多，甚至让那颗气态巨行星相形见绌。”
“我一点也不惊讶，”崔维兹说：“一个故事口耳相传好几千年，你认为它会被越说越缩吗？”
宝绮思说：“它实在美丽，如果你仔细望着那个新月形，它似乎会在你眼前翻滚腾挪。”
“那是大气风暴，”崔维兹说：“如果你选取适当波长的光波，一般说来可看得更清楚些。来，让我试试看。”他将双手放到桌面，命令电脑将光谱逐一过滤，然后褂讪在一个适当的波长。
原本显得微微发后的新月形，突然变成一团变幻不定的色彩，由于变幻速率实在太快，看得人眼花撩乱。最后，它褂讪成橘红色，而在新月的内部，有许多正在漂移的明显螺旋状物体，它们一面运动，一面不断收紧或松弛。
“真是难以置信。”裴洛拉特喃喃说道。
“太可爱了。”宝绮思说。
没什么难以置信，也一点都不可爱，崔维兹难过地想。裴洛拉特与宝绮思都被眼前的美景迷住，根本没想到他们所赞美的这颗行星的存在，大大减低了崔维兹解开谜团的机会。可是话说回来，他们为何要想到这些呢？他们两人深信崔维兹的选择正确，他们只是陪伴他进行求证的探索，本身没有感情的负担，自己根本就不应该责怪他们。
他说：“暗面看来虽然很黑，但我们眼睛若能看到比可见光波长稍长一点的光线，就能看出它其实是阴暗浓着的火红色。这颗行星向太空放出大量的红外辐射，因为它大到几乎红热的秤谌。它已经超越气态巨行星，简直是一颗‘次恒星’。”
他停了丰晌，又继续说：“现在，我们暂时把它抛在脑后，开始寻找可能存在的可住人行星。”
“也许真的存在，”裴洛拉特带着微笑说：“别放弃，老伙伴。”
“我尚未放弃，”崔维兹虽然这样说，自己却不怎么有信心。“行星形成的过程太复杂，无法建立一套严格规律，我们只能以机率讨论。有那么一个庞然大物在太空中，机率便会降低许多，可是并不等于零。”
宝绮思说：“你为什么不这样想——前面两组座标，分别提供了一个外世界人居住的行星，那么这第三组座标，既然已经提供一颗符合条件的恒星，就应该也能让你找到一颗可住人行星。为什么还要谈机率？”
“我当然希望你说得对，”崔维兹说，却一点没有感到安慰。“现在我们要飞出行星轨道面，向中心的恒星前进。”
他说完他的意图之后，电脑几乎立刻开始行动。他靠在驾驶座上，再次肯定一件事实；驾驶一艘拥有这么先进电脑的着力太空艇，后遗症之一是不能——再也不能——驾驶任何其他型号的船舰。
他还能忍受亲自进行那些计算吗？能忍受必须考虑加速效应，将它限定在合理范围内吗？最可能出现的状况，是他会忘掉那些问题，而让船舰全速前进，直到他与其他乘客都被抛向舱壁，撞得粉身碎骨为止。
嗯，那么，他将继续驾驶远星号——或是其他一模一样的太空艇，假如他街能忍受那么一点点的改变——直到永远。
由于他想暂时忘掉有没有可住人行星的问题，他开始沉思另一件事——他刚才命令太空艇离开轨道面，是飞到轨道面的上方。若不是有什么特殊原因，必须飞到轨道面之下，驾驶员几乎总选择向上飞，这是为什么呢？
其实严格说来，何必非得将某个方向想成上方，而将另一侧想成下方呢？将太空视为对称空间的概念，纯粹只是一种约定俗成的规约。
然而，在观察一颗行星时，他总会注意到它的自转与公转方向。如果两者都是反时针，那么举起手臂指的方向就是北方，两脚的方向则是南方。而在银河每个角落，北方总是被想像成上方，南方则是下方。
这纯粹是一种规约，可远溯到迷雾般的太古时代，人类一直盲目沿用至今。一张原本熟悉的舆图，如果南面朝上来看就一定看不懂，必须转过来才显得有意义。在一般状况下，任何人都会习惯向北走，也就是“向上”。
崔维兹想到三世纪前的一位帝国大将——贝尔•里欧思领导的一场战役。在某个关键时刻，他命令分遗舰队转向轨道面下方，而敌军一个中队在毫无警戒的情况下，被里欧思的战舰逮个正着。后来有人抱怨，说这是一种投机行动——当然是出自输家之口。
如此影响深远且与人类同样古老的规约，一定是源自地球。想到这里，崔维兹的心思又被拉回可住人行星的问题上。
裴洛拉特与宝绮思仍然盯着那颗气态巨行星，看它以非常、非常缓慢的动作，在屏幕上慢速倒翻着筋斗。现在日照部分渐渐扩大，崔维兹将光谱褂讪在橘红色波长上，它表面翻腾的风暴变得更狂乱，更有一种催眠力量。
这时菲龙晃进了驾驶舱，宝绮思认为它应该小睡一会儿，她自己也一样有这个需要。
裴洛拉特单独留下。崔维兹对他说：“我必须撤掉气态巨行星的画面，詹诺夫。我要让电脑集中全力，开始寻找大小恰当的着力讯标。”
“当然好，老伙伴。”裴洛拉特说。
不过实际情形要复杂得多。电脑所要寻找的，不只是一个大小恰当的讯标而已，这个讯标还必须发自体积与距离都符合条件的行星才行。还得等上好几天，他才能得到确定的答案。
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崔维兹走进自己的舱房，表情凝着而严肃——其实应该说是阴郁。然后，他着实吃了一惊。
宝绮思正在那里等他，菲龙紧靠在她身边，它身上的袍子与束腰散发出一股清新气味，一闻就知道经过蒸气洗涤与真空熨烫。这孩子穿上自己的衣裳，要比穿着宝绮思大了几号的睡袍好看得多。
宝绮思说：“你刚才在电脑旁边，我不想打扰你，不过现在请听——开始吧，菲龙。”
菲龙便以高亢而带有音乐性的语调说：“我问候您，保护者崔维兹。我感到万分荣幸，干……更……跟随您乘太空船遨游太空。我也很快乐，因为我有两个亲切的朋友，宝绮思和裴。”
菲龙说完后，露出一个可爱的笑容。崔维兹再度暗忖：我到底将它当成男孩还是女孩，或者都是，或者都不是？
他点了点头。“记得非常熟，发音几乎完全正确。”
“完全不是死记的，”宝绮思热切地说：“菲龙自己拟好稿子，然后问我可不可以背诵给你听，我事先甚至不知道菲龙会说什么。”
崔维兹勉强挤出一丝微笑。“这样的话，的确很不简单。”他注意到宝绮思提到菲龙时，尽量避免使用代名词。
宝绮思转头对菲龙说：“我告诉你崔维兹会喜欢的——现在去找裴，如果你有兴趣，可以再向他要些读物。”
菲龙跑开之后，宝绮思说：“菲龙学习银河标准语的速度真是惊人，索拉利人对语言一定有特殊天分。想想看，班德仅藉着收听超波通讯，就能说得一口不错的银河标准语。除了能量转换，它们的大脑也许还有其他异于常人之处。”
崔维兹只是哼了一声。
宝绮思说：“别告诉我说你仍不喜欢菲龙。”
“我无所谓喜欢不喜欢，那小东西就是让我感到下自在。比方说吧，想到跟一个雌雄同体打交道，就令人觉得浑身不舒服。”
宝绮思说：“得了吧，崔维兹，这样说实在可笑，菲龙可算完全正常的生物。对一个雌雄同体的社会而言，想想看你我有多么恶心——不是男性，就是女性。每种性别只能算一半，为了生育下一代，必须以丑怪的方式暂时结合。”
“你反对这点吗，宝绮思？”
“别装作误解我的意思，我是试图以雌雄同体的立场审视我们。对他们而言，那种事一定显得极其可厌，伹对我们而言则相当自然。所以菲龙才会引起你的反感，但那只是短视而褊狭的反应。”
“坦白说，”崔维兹道：“不知该用什么代名词称呼这小东西，实在是一件很烦人的事。为了烦恼代名词的问题，思路和谈话会一直被打断。”
“但这是我们语言的缺失，”宝绮思说：“不是菲龙的问题。人类的语言在发展过程中，从未将雌雄同体考虑在内。我很高兴你提出这个问题，因为我自己也一直在想。如果使用‘它’，像班德自己坚持的那样，并不是个解决之道，因为那个代名词是用来指称与性别无关的事物。在我们的语言中，根本没有代名词同时适合两种性别。那么，何不随便选一个呢？我把菲龙当成女孩，原因之一是她拥有女性的尖锐声调，此外她也能生育下一代，这是女性最着要的特征之一。裴洛拉特已经同意了，你何不一样接受呢？我们就用‘她’称呼菲龙吧。”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“很好，指出‘她’有睾丸听来会很奇怪，即使如此，还是很好。”
宝绮思叹了口气。“你的确有个惹人厌的习惯，喜欢把每件事都拿来开玩笑。不过我知道你有很大的压力，所以这点我缓舐解。就用阴性代名词称呼菲龙吧，拜托。”
“我会的。”崔维兹犹豫了一下，终于忍不住说道：“我每次看到你们在一起，就越来越觉得你把菲龙当成子女的代替品。是不是因为你想要个孩子，却认为詹诺夫无法做到？”
宝绮思睁大了眼睛。“我跟他在一起可不是为了孩子！难道你认为，我把他当成帮我生孩子的方便工具？更何况，我还没到该生儿育女的时候，将来时候到了，我得生育一个盖娅之子，这件事裴根本无能为力。”
“你的意思是詹诺夫必须被抛弃？”
“当然不会，只是暂时分开，甚至可能会用人工授精的方式。”
“我想，必须等盖娅决定有此需要、等到某个原本存在的盖娅人类成员死去，产生一个空缺的时候，你才能生育一个孩子。”
“这是种冷酷无情的说法，不过也算得上实情。盖娅的每个部分及其相互间的每一种关系，都必须维持完美的均衡。”
“就像索拉利人的情形一样。”
宝绮思紧抿着嘴唇，脸色变得有些苍白。“完全下同。索拉利人生产的数量超过需要，就将过剩的人口销毁；我们生产的子女则刚好符合需要，从来不必杀害任何生命。就像你的皮肤表层坏死之后，便会长出恰到好处的新皮肤，不会多长出一个细胞来。”
“我了解你的意思。”崔维兹说：“顺便提一下，我希望你考虑到詹诺夫的感受。”
“有关我可能生个小孩的事？这个问题从未讨论过，将来也绝对不会。”
“不，我不是指那个——我在想，你对菲龙越来越感兴趣，詹诺夫也许会觉得被冷落了。”
“他没有受到冷落，他跟我一样对菲龙很有兴趣。她是我们另一个共同的喜好，甚至将我们两人拉得更接近。感觉受冷落的会不会是你？”
“我？”崔维兹大吃一惊。
“对，就是你。我不了解孤立体，就像你不了解盖娅一样，可是我有种感觉，你喜欢成为这艘太空船中注意力的焦点，你也许感到这个地位被菲龙取代了。”
“真是荒谬。”
“而你竟然认为我冷落裴，那是同样荒谬的想法。”
“那么让我们宣布停战吧。我会试着把菲龙当成女孩，也不会再过度担心你不顾詹诺夫的感受。”
宝绮思微微一笑。“谢谢你，那么一切都没问题了。”
崔维兹转过身去，宝绮思突然说：“等一等！”
崔维兹又转回来，带着点厌烦的口气说：“什么事？”
“我很清楚地感觉到，崔维兹，你现在既悲伤又沮丧。我不会刺探你的心灵，但你也许愿意告诉我有什么不对劲。昨天，你说这个行星系中有颗条件符合的行星，还似乎相当高兴——我希望它仍在那里，那个发现该不是个错误吧？”
“在这个行星系中，的确有颗条件符合的行星，而它仍在那里。”崔维兹说。
“大小罢好吗？”
崔维兹点了点头。“既然说它条件符合，大小当然刚好，而且它和恒星的距离也相符。”
“嗯，那么，到底有什么问题？”
“我们现在足够接近它，已经能分析它的大气成分，结果显示它谈不上有大气层。”
“没有大气层？”
“谈不上有大气层，它是颗不可住人的行星。而环绕这个太阳的其他行星，都没有半点可住人的条件。这第三次的尝试，我们的结果是一无所获。”
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裴洛拉特看来面色凝着，他显然不愿搅扰崔维兹抑郁不乐的沉默。他站在驾驶舱门口观望，意思很明显，希望崔维兹能主动开口说话。
崔维兹却一直没开口，沉默的状态就像是生了根似的。
最后裴洛拉特实在忍不住了，他带着几分怯意说：“我们现在在做什么？”
崔维兹抬起头，瞪了裴洛拉特一会儿，又将头转过去，然后说：“我们正对准那颗行星飞去。”
“可是，既然它没有大气层……”
“是电脑说它没有大气层。长久以来，它告诉我的都是我想听的，而我一直照单全收；如今它告诉我一些我不想听的，所以我准备查验一下。假如这台电脑也会犯错，现在就是我希望它犯错的时候。l“你认为它出了错吗？”
“不，我不这么想。”
“你想得到可能令它犯错的原因吗？”
“不，我想不出来。”
“那你为何还要麻烦呢，葛兰？”
崔维兹终于转身面对裴洛拉特，脸孔扭曲，表情近乎绝望。“詹诺夫，难道你看不出来，我已经走投无路了吗？在前两个世界上，我们寻找地球下落的结果是一场空，这个世界又是一片空白。现在我该怎么办？从一个世界游荡到另一个世界，睁大眼睛四处张望，逢人便问：‘对不起，请问地球在哪里？’地球将它的踪迹隐藏得太好了，哪里都没留下任何线索。我甚至开始怀疑，即使有什么线索存在，它也绝对下会让我们找到。”
裴洛拉特点了点头，然后说：“我自己也在顺着这个方向思索，你介不介意我们讨论一下？我知道你很不高兴，也不想说话，老弟，所以如果你要我离开，我马上就走。”
“开始讨论吧，”崔维兹的声音简直像呻吟，“除了洗耳恭听，我还有什么好做的？”
于是裴洛拉特说：“听你这种口气，好像并非真想让我开口，不过谈谈也许对我们都有好处。你受不了的时候，请随时叫我闭嘴——我有个感觉，葛兰，地球不一定仅采取被动、消极的方法，将自己隐藏起来，也不一定只是清除有关它的参考资料，难道它不会安排一些假线索，用这种主动的方法制造烟幕？”
“怎么说？”
“嗯，我们在好几处地方，都听说过地球具有放射性，这种说法可能是故意捏造的，好让大家都打消寻找它的念头。假如它真有放射性，它就万万接近不得，最可能的情况是，我们根本无法踏上地球。就算我们有机器人，它们也可能无法抵御放射线的伤害。所以何必还要找呢？反之，假如它没有放射性，却能因此不受侵犯，除非有人在无意间接近，而即使如此，它或许也有其他的隐蔽方法。”
崔维兹勉强挤出一丝微笑。“真奇怪，詹诺夫，我刚好也想到这点。我甚至想到，那颗未必存在的巨大卫星是虚构的，被故意放进这个世界的传说中。至于具有过大行星环的气态巨行星也一样未必存在，很可能也是捏造出来的。这些或许都是刻意的安排，好让我们寻找一些根本不存在的东西，让我们来到正确的行星系，双眼瞪着地球的时候，反而对它视而不见。因为事实上它没有一颗巨大的卫星，没有具放射性的地壳，它的近邻也没有什么三着行星环。因此，我们无法认出它来，作梦也想不到它就在我们眼前——我还想像到更糟的情况。”
裴洛拉特显得垂头丧气。“怎么可能还有更糟的情况？”
“很简单。在半夜里，当你沮丧到极点时，就会开始在无际的幻想天地间遨游，寻找任何能令你更绝望的东西。若是地球自我隐藏的法力无边呢？若是它能蒙蔽我们的心灵呢？若是我们经过地球附近时，虽然它的确有巨大的卫星，它的邻居也有巨大的行星环，我们却根本视若无睹呢？若是我们早就错过了呢？”
“可是如果你相信这些，我们为何还……”
“我没说我相信，我说的只是些疯狂的幻想，我们还是会继续寻找。”
裴洛拉特迟疑了一下，然后说：“要持续多久呢，崔维兹？到了某一地步，我们当然就得放弃。”
“绝不，”崔维兹厉声道：“即使我必须花一辈子的时间，从一颗行星飞到另一颗行星，睁大眼睛四处张望，逢人便问：‘先生请问，地球在哪里？’我也一定会这么做。我随时可以带你和宝绮思回盖娅，甚至送菲龙一起去，如果你们希望的话，然后我再自己上路。”
“喔，不，你知道我不会离开你，葛兰，宝绮思也不会。如果有必要，我们会跟你一起踏遍每颗行星。可是这又是为什么呢？”
“因为我必须找到地球，因为我一定会找到。我不知道是在什么情况下，但我一定会找到它——现在，听着，我要设法前往一个适当位置，以便研究这颗行星的日照面，又不至于和它的太阳过于接近，所以暂时别打扰我。”
裴洛拉特不再说话，伹也没有离开。他留在原处继续旁观，看着崔维兹研究屏幕上的行星影像。行星有一半以上处于白昼。对裴洛拉特而言，它似乎毫无特色，不过他也知道，崔维兹现在与电脑联系在一起，各种感知能力已大为增强。
崔维兹悄声道：“那里有一团薄雾。”
“那一定就有大气层。”裴洛拉特脱口而出。
“没有多少，不足以维持生命，但足以产生能掀起灰尘的微风。对一个拥有稀薄大气的行星而言，这是一种很普遍的特征，它甚至还可能有小型极地冰冠——凝结在极地的少数‘水冰’，你知道吧。这个世界的温度过高，不可能有固态二氧化碳。我必须切换到雷达映像，这样一来，我就能在夜面顺利工作。”
“真的吗？”、　　“是的。我应该一开始就试着那样做，可是这颗行星根本没空气，因此也没有云层，尝试用可见光观察似乎很自然。”
崔维兹维持了长久的沉默，在这段期间，显像屏幕中的雷达反射模糊不清，仿佛是一颗行星的抽象画，有点像某位克里昂时期艺术家的画风。然后他使劲地说了声：“好——”这个声音维持了一阵子，之后他再度陷入沉默。
裴洛拉特终于忍不住问道：“什么东西‘好’？”
崔维兹很快瞥了他一眼。“我看不到任何陨石坑。”
“没有陨石坑？这是好现象吗？”
“完全出乎意料之外。”他咧嘴笑了笑，又说：“非常好的现象。事实上，可能是好极了。”
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菲龙的鼻子一直贴着太空艇的舷窗，透过这个窗口，能直接以肉眼观察宇宙的一小部分。这可说是最自然的景观，完全未经电脑的放大或增强。
宝绮思刚才试着为菲龙解释宇宙的奥秘，现在她叹了一口气，低声对裴洛拉特说：“我不知道她了解多少，亲爱的裴。她单亲的那座宅邸，以及宅邸敖近一小部分的属地，对她而言就是整个宇宙。我想她未曾在夜晚到过户外，也从来没见过星星。”
“你真这么想吗？”
“我真这么想。我本来不敢让她看到任何太空景观，直到她懂得够多的字汇，可以稍微了解我的话——你多么幸运啊，能用她的语言跟她交谈。”
“问题是我不算很懂。”裴洛拉特歉然道：“如果事先毫无准备，宇宙是个相当不易掌握的概念。她曾对我说，假如那些小扁点都是巨大的世界，每个都像素拉利一样——当然啦，它们都比索拉利大得多——那它们就不能凭空挂在那里，它们应该掉下来，她这么说。”
“根据她既有的知识来判断，她说得没错。她问的都是合理的问题，一点一滴慢慢累积，最后她终缓笏解。至少她有好奇心，而且她不害怕。”
“其实，宝绮思，我自己也好奇。葛兰发现前面那个世界没陨石坑之后，你看他立刻有多大转变。这究竟有什么差别，我完全没概念，你呢？”
“一点也没有。然而他的行星学知识比我们丰富得多，我们只能假设他知道自己在做什么。”
“真希望我也知道。”
“那么，去问问他。”
裴洛拉特现出为难的表情。“我一直担心会惹他心烦，我可以肯定，他认为我该知道这些事，根本用不着他来告诉我。”
宝绮思说：“这是傻话，裴。有关银河中的神话传说，他认为可能有用的，随时会毫不犹豫地向你请教，你也总是乐意回答和解释，他又为何不该如此？你现在就去问他，如果这样做惹他心烦，他就得到一个练习做人处事的机会，这样对他也有好处。”
“你要跟我一起去吗？”
“不，当然不去。我要跟菲龙在一起，继续试着将宇宙的概念装进她脑子里。以后你随时可以解释给我听——只要他对你解释过。”
64
裴洛拉特怯生生地走进驾驶舱。他很高兴发现崔维兹正在吹口哨，显然心情相当好。
“葛兰。”他尽可能以快活的语气说。
崔维兹抬起头来。“詹诺夫！你每次进来总是蹑手蹑脚，好像认为打扰我会犯法似地。把门关上，坐下，坐下！你看看这个。”
他指着映在显像屏幕上的行星，然后说：“我只找到两三个陨石坑，而且都相当小。”
“那有什么差别吗，葛兰？真有吗？”
“差别？当然有。你怎么会这样问？”
裴洛拉特做了个无奈的手势。“这些对我而言都神秘无比。大学时我主修历史，除此之外我还修过社会学和心理学，也修了一些语言和文学课程，大多数是古代语文；在研究所的时候，我则专攻神话学。我从来没有接触过行星学，或是其他自然科学。”
“那也没错啊，詹诺夫，我宁愿你只精通这些知识。你对古代语言和神话学的素养，对我们一直有莫大助益，这点你自己也知道——遇到有关行星学的问题，我会负责解决的。”
他继续说：“你可知道，詹诺夫，行星是由较小天体碰撞聚合所形成的。最后撞上来的那些天体，就会造成陨石坑的痕迹，我的意思是有这种可能。假如一颗行星大到气态巨行星的秤谌，大气层下其实全是液态结构，最后那批撞击就只会溅起若干液体，不缓篝下任何痕迹。
“较小的固态行星，不论是冰或岩石构成的，都一定会有陨石坑的痕迹。除非存在某种消除作用，否则它们永远不会消失。而消除作用会在三种情况下产生：
“第一种情况，这个世界的液态海洋上胶笏一层冰。这样一来，任何撞击都会将冰击碎，并且令水花四溅。不久冰层会着新冻结，打个比方，就是使撞破的伤口愈合。这样的行星或卫星温度一定很低，不可能是我们所谓的可住人世界。”
“第二种情况，如果这个世界的火山活动剧烈，那么一旦有陨石坑形成，熔岩流或火山灰落尘便会源源不断灌进来，将陨石坑渐渐湮没。然而，这样的行星或卫星也不可能适合人类居住。”
“可住人世界则构成第三种情况。这种世界也许有极地冰冠，但大部分海洋一定都是自由流体。它们也可能有活火山，可是一定分布得很稀疏。这种世界如果出现了陨石坑，它既无法自行愈合，也没有东西可供填补。不过它上面有侵蚀作用，风或流动的水都会不断侵蚀陨石坑，如果还有生命，生物活动也具有强力的侵蚀作用。懂了吧？”
裴洛拉特思索了一下，然后说：“可是，葛兰，我一点也下了解你的意思。我们要去的这颗行星……”
“我们明天就要登陆。”崔维兹兴高采烈地说。
“我们要去的这颗行星并没有海洋。”
“只有很薄的极地冰冠。”
“也没有多少大气。”
“只有端点星大气密度的百分之一。”
“也没有生命。”
“我没侦测到生命现象。”
“那么，有什么东西能侵蚀掉陨石坑呢？”
“海洋、大气和生物。”崔维兹答道。“听着，假如这颗行星一开始就没有空气和水分，陨石坑形成后就不会消失，它的表面会到处都坑坑洞洞。这颗行星上几乎没有陨石坑，证明它原本一定含有空气和水分，而且不久之前，也许还有相当丰沛的大气和海洋。此外，看得出这个世界有些巨大的海盆，那里过去一定曾是汪洋一片，而干涸河床的痕迹更不在话下。所以你看，侵蚀作用过去的确存在，是不久之前才停止的，而新的陨石坑还来不及累积。”
裴洛拉特看来一脸疑惑。“我也许不是行星学家，可是我也知道，这么大的一颗行星，足以维持浓厚的大气数十亿年之久，不可能突然让大气流失，对不对？”
“我也认为不可能。”崔维兹说：“但这个世界在大气流失前，上面无疑有生命存在，也许还是人类生命。根据我的猜测，它是个经过改造的世界，就像银河中几乎每个住人世界一样。问题是人类抵达之前，它的自然条件如何；人类为了使它适于住人，又对它进行过何种改造；还有，生命究竟是在什么情况下消失的，这些问题的答案我们都不知道。有可能曾经发生一场‘激变’，将大气层一扫而光，一举结束了人类生命。也可能人类在这颗行星居住时，维持着一种奇异的非平衡状态，而人类消失之后，它就陷入恶性循环，导致大气变得越来越稀薄。或许我们登陆之后就能找到答案，也可能根本找不到，不过这点无关紧要。”
“如果那上面现在没有生命，过去是否有生命存在，同样是无关紧要的一件事。一个世界始终不可住人，和一度曾可住人，两者又有什么差别呢？”
“假如只有现在不可住人，当年的居民应该缓篝下些遗迹。”
“奥罗拉也有许多遗迹……”
“一点也没错，但奥罗拉经历了两万年的雨雪风霜，以及起伏剧烈的温度变化。此外那里还有生命——别忘了那些生命；那里也许不再有人类的踪迹，可是仍有众多生命。遗迹也像陨石坑一样会遭到侵蚀，甚至更快。经过了两万年，不缓篝下什么对我们有用的东西。然而这颗行星曾经有过一段时期，也许长达两万年，也许少一点，上面没有任何风雨或生命。我承认，温度变化还是有的，不过那是唯一的不利因素，那些遗迹应该保存得相当好。”
“除非，”裴洛拉特以怀疑的口吻喃喃说道：“上面根本没有任何遗迹。有没有可能这颗行星上从未出现生命，或是根本没有人类居住饼，而造成大气流失的事件其实也和人类无关？”
“不，不可能，”崔维兹说：“你无法使我变得悲观，我绝不会放弃希望。即使在这里，我也已经侦察到一些遗迹，我可以确定那是座城市——所以我们明天就要登陆。”
65
宝绮思以忧虑的口吻说：“菲龙深信我们是要带她回到健比——她的机器人身边。”
“喔——”崔维兹一面说，一面研究着太空艇下方急速掠过的地表。然后他抬起头，仿佛现在才听见那句话。“嗯，那是她唯一认识的亲人，对不对？”
“没错，当然没错，伹她以为我们回到了索拉利。”
“它看来像素拉利吗？”
“她怎么会知道？”
“告诉她那不是索拉利。听好，我会给你一两套附有图解的胶卷参考书，让她看看各种住人世界的特写，再向她解释一下，这样的世界总共有好几千万。你会有时间做这件事：一旦我们选定目标着陆之后，我不知道詹诺夫和我会在外面徘徊多久。”
“你和詹诺夫？”
“对，菲龙不能跟我们一块去，即使我想要她去也办不到——但除非我是疯子，否则我不会有那种念头。这个世界需要太空衣，宝绮思，上面没有可供呼吸的空气。我们没有适合菲龙穿的太空衣，所以她得跟你留在太空船内。”
“为什么跟我？”
崔维兹的嘴角扯出一个假笑。“我承认，”他说：“如果你跟我们一起行动，我会比较有安全感，可是我们不能把菲龙单独留在太空船上。她有可能造成破坏，即使只是无心之失。我必须让詹诺夫跟着我，因为他也许看得懂此地的古代文书。这就表示你得和菲龙留在这里，我认为你应该愿意。”
宝绮思显得犹豫不决。
崔维兹说：“你看，当初是你要带菲龙同行，我根本就反对，我确信她只会是个麻烦。因此——她的出现带来一些束缚，你就必须做些自我调适。她待在这里，所以你也得待在这里，没有别的办法。”
宝绮思叹了一口气。“我想是吧。”
“好，詹诺夫呢？”
“他和菲龙待在一起。”
“很好，你去换班，我有话跟他说。”
裴洛拉特走进来的时候，崔维兹还在研究行星地表。他先清了清喉咙，表示他已经到了。“有什么问题吗，葛兰？”
“不能算真正有问题，詹诺夫，我只是不太确定。这是个很特殊的世界，我不知道它发生过什么变故。当初海洋一定极辽阔，这点可以从海盆看出来，不过它们都很浅。从这些地理遗迹中，我所能做出的最佳判断，是这个世界原本有许多河渠，海洋曾经进行淡化的手续，也可能海水本来就没什么盐分。如果当初海洋中的盐分不多，就能解释海盆中为何没有大片盐田。或者也有可能，在海水流失的过程中，盐分跟着一起流失——这就会使它看来像人为的结果。”
裴洛拉特迟疑地说：“很抱歉，我对这些事一窍不通，葛兰，但这些有任何一样跟我们寻找的目标有关吗？”
“我想应该没有，可是我忍不住靶到好奇。这颗行星如何被改造成适于人类居住，它在改造之前又是什么面貌，我若知道这些答案，或许就能了解它在遭到遗弃之后——或者也许是之前，曾经发生什么变故。要是我们知道发生了什么事，也许就能提早防范，避免发生不愉快的意外。”
“什么样的意外？它是个死去的世界，不是吗？”
“的确死透了。水分非常少，大气稀薄而不能呼吸，宝绮思也侦测不到精神活动的迹象。”
“我认为这就够确定了。”
“不存在精神活动，不一定代表没有生物。”
“至少表示一定没有危险的生物。”
“我不知道——不过我想请教你的不是这个。我找到两座城市，可当作我们探查的第一站，它们的状况似乎极佳，其他的城市也都一样。不管空气和海洋是被什么力量毁掉的，城市似乎完全未被波及。言归正传，那两个城市特别大，但较大的那个似乎缺少空地，它的外缘远方有些太空航站，市内却没有这类场所。另外那个稍微小一点的，市内则有些开阔的空间，所以比较容易降落在市中心，不过那里并不是正式的太空航站——可是话说回来，谁又会计较呢？”
裴洛拉特显得愁眉苦脸。“你是要我做决定吗，葛兰？”
“不，我自己会做决定，我只是想知道你的看法。”
“如果你不嫌弃的话——向四方延伸的大城比较像商业或制造业中心，具有开放空间的较小城市则较像行政中心。我们的目标应该是行政中心，那里有纪念性建筑物吗？”
“你所谓的纪念性建筑物是什么意思？”
裴洛拉特微微一笑，拉长了他紧绷的嘴唇。“我也不清楚，各个世界的建筑风格都不相同，也会随着时间改变。不过，我猜它们总是看来大而无当，而且豪华奢侈，就像我们在康普隆时置身的那个建筑。”
这回轮到崔维兹露出微笑。“垂直看下去很难分辨，而我们在着陆或起飞时，虽然可以从侧面观察，看出去也会是一团混乱。你为什么比较中意行政中心？”
“那里较有可能找到行星博物馆、图书馆、档案中心、大学院校等等机构。”
“好，我们就去那里，去那个较小的城市，也许我们能有所发现。我们已经失败两次，这次也许能有什么发现。”
“说不定这是‘幸运的三度梅’。”
崔维兹扬起眉毛。“你从哪里听来这句成语？”
“这是个古老的成语，”裴洛拉特说：“我是在一则古代传说中发现的。它的意思是第三次的尝试终于带来成功，我这么想。”
“听来很有道理。”崔维兹说：“很好——幸运的三度梅，詹诺夫。”
Chapter 15: Moss
66Trevize looked grotesque in his space suit. The onlypart of him that remained outsideeeere his holsters not the onesthat he strapped around his hips ordinarily, but more substantial onesthat eere part of his suit. Carefully, he inserted the blaster in theright-hand holster, the neuronic whip in the left. Again, they had beenrecharged and this time, he thought grimly, nothing wouldtake them away from him.
Bliss smiled. "Are you going to carry weapons even on a world withoutair or Never mind! I won't question your decisions."Trevize said, "Good!" and turned to help Pelorat adjust his helmet,before donning his own.
Pelorat, who had never worn a space suit before, said, ratherplaintively, "Will I really be able to breathe in this thing, Golan?""I promise you," said Trevize.
Bliss watched as the final joints were sealed, her arm about Fallom'sshoulder. The young Solarian stared at the two space-suited figures inobvious alarm. She was trembling, and Bliss's arm squeezed her gentlyand reassuringly.
The airlock door opened, and the two stepped inside, their bloatedarms waving a farewell. It closed. The mainlock door opened and theystepped clumsily onto the soil of a dead world.
It was dawn. The sky was clear, of course, and purplish in color,but the sun had not yet risen. Along the lighter horizon where the sunwould come, there was a slight haze.
Pelorat said, "It's cold.""Do you feel cold?" said Trevize, with surprise. The suits were wellinsulated and if there was a problem, now and then, it was with thegetting rid of body heat.
Pebrat said, "Not at all, but look " His radioed voice soundedTrevize's ear, and his finger pointed.
In the purplish light of dawn, the crumbling stone front of thebuilding they were approaching was sheathed in hoar frost.
Trevize said, "With a thin atmosphere, it would get colder at nightthan you would expect, and warmer in the day. Right now it's the coldestpart of the day and it should take several hours before it gets too hotfor us to remain in the sun."As though the word had been a cabalistic incantation, the rim of thesun appeared above the horizon.
"Don't look at it," said Trevize conversationally. "Your face-plate isreflective and ultraviolet-opaque, but it would still be dangerous."He turned his back to the rising sun and let his long shadow fall onthe building. The sunlight was causing the frost to disappear, even ashe watched. For a few moments, the wall looked dark with dampness andthen that disappeared, too.
Trevize said, "The buildings don't look as good down here as theylooked from the sky. They're cracked and crumbling. That's the resultof the temperature change, I suppose, and of having the water tracesfreeze and melt each night and day for maybe as much as twenty thousandyears."Pelorat said, "There are letters engraved in the stone above theentrance, but crumbling has made them difficult to read.""Can you make it out, Janov?""A financial institution of some sort. At least I make out a wordwhich may be `bank.'""What's that?""A building in which assets were stored, withdrawn, traded, invested,loaned if it's what I think it is.""A whole building devoted to it? No computers?""Without computers taking over altogether."Trevize shrugged. He did not find the details of ancient historyinspiring.
They moved about, with increasing haste, spending less time atsac build ing. The silence, the deadness , was completelydepressing. The slow millennial-long collapse into which they had intrudedmade the place seem like the skeleton of a city, with everything gonebut the bones.
They were well up in the temperate zone, but Trevize imagined hecould feel the heat of the sun on his back.
Pelorat, about a hundred meters to his right, said sharply, "Lookat that."Trevize's ears rang. He said, "Don't shout, Janov. I can hear yourwhispers clearly no matter how far away you are. What is it?"Pelorat, his voice moderating at once, said, "This building is the`Hall of the Worlds.' At least, that's what I think the inscriptionreads."Trevize joined him. Before them was a three-story structure, the lineof its roof irregular and loaded with large fragments of rock, as thoughsome sculptured object that had once stood there had fallen to pieces.
"Are you sure?" said Trevize.
"If we go in, we'll find out."They climbed five low, broad steps, and crossed a space-wastingplaza. In the thin sir, their metal-shod footsteps made a whisperingvibration rather than a sound.
"I see what you mean by `large, useless, and expensive,'" mutteredTrevize.
They entered a wide and high hall, with sunlight shining through tallwindows and illuminating the interior too harshly where it struck andyet leaving things obscure in the shadow. The thin atmosphere scatteredlittle light.
In the center was a larger than life-size human figure in what seemedto be a synthetic stone. One arm had fallen off. The other arm was crackedat the shoulder and Trevize felt that if he tapped it sharply that arm,too, would break off. He stepped back as though getting too near mighttempt him into such unbearable vandalism.
"I wonder who that is?" said Trevize. "No markings anywhere. Isuppose those who set it up felt that his fame was so obvious he neededno identification, but now " He felt himself in danger of growingphilosophical and turned his attention away.
Pelorat was looking up, and Trevize's glance followed the angle ofPelorat's head. There were markings carvings on the wallwhich Trevize could not read.
"Amazing," said Pelorat. "Twenty thousand years old, perhaps, and,in here, protected somewhat from sun and damp, they're still legible.""Not to me," said Trevize.
"It's in old script and ornate even for that. Let's seenow seven one two " His voice died away in amumble, and then he spoke up again. "There are fifty names listed andthere are supposed to have been fifty Spacer worlds and this is `The Hallof the Worlds.' I assume those are the names of the fifty Spacer worlds,probably in the order of establishment. Aurora is first and Solaria islast. If you'll notice, there are seven columns, with seven names inthe first six columns and then eight names in the last. It is as thoughthey had planned a seven-by-seven grid and then added Solaria after thefact. My guess, old chap, is that      list dates back to before Solariawas terraformed and populated.""And which one is this planet we're standing on? Can you tell?"Pelorat said, "You'll notice that   e fifth one down in the thirdcolumn, the nineteenth in order, is inscribed in letters a little largerthan the others. The listers seem to have been self-centered enough togive themselves some pride of place. Besides ""What does the name read?""As near as I can make out, it says Melpomenia. It's a name I'mtotally unfamiliar with.""Could it represent Earth?"Pelorat shook his head vigorously, but      went unseen inside hishelmet. He said, "There are dozens of words used for Earth in the oldlegends. Gaia is one of them, as you know. So is Terra, and Erda, andso on. They're all short. I don't know of any long name used for it,or anything even resembling a short version of Melpomenia.""Then we're standing on Melpomenia, and it's not Earth.""Yes. And besides as I started to say earlier an evenbetter indication than the larger lettering is that   e co-ordinates ofMelpomenia are given as 0,       and you would expect co-ordinates tobe referred to one's own planet.""Co-ordinates?" Trevize sounded dumbfounded. "Th   list gives thecoordinates, too?""They give three figures for each and I presume those areco-ordinates. What else can they be?"Trevize did not answer. He opened a small compartment in the portionof the space suit that covered his right thigh and took out a compactdevice with wire connecting it  o   e compartment. He put it up tohis eyes and carefully focused it on the inscription on the wall, hissheathed fingers making a difficult job out of something      wouldordinarily have been a moment's work.
"Camera?" asked Pelorat unnecessarily.
"It will feed the image directly in o   e ship's computer," saidTrevize.
He took several photographs from different angles; then said,"Wait! I've got to get higher. Help me, Janov."Pelorat clasped his hands together, stirrup-fashion, but Trevize shookhis head. "Th   won't support my weight. Get on your hands and knees."Pelorat did so, laboriously, and, as laboriously, Trevize, havingtucked   e camera in o its compartment again, stepped on Pelorat'sshoulders and from them on to   e pedestal of the statue. He tried torock the statue carefully to judge its firmness, then placed his footon one bent knee and used it as a base for pushing himself upward andcatching   e armless shoulder. Wedging his toes against some unevennessat   e chest, he lifted himself and, finally, after several grunts,managed to sit on the shoulder. To   ose long-dead who had reveredthe statue and what it represented, what Trevize did would have seemedblasphemy, and Trevize was sufficiently influenced by that   ought totry to sit lightly.
"You'll fall and hurt yourself," Pelorat called out anxiously.
"I'm not going  o fall and hurt myself, but you mightdeafen me." Trevize unslung his camera and focused once more. Severalmore photographs were taken and then he replaced   e camera yet again andcarefully lowered himself till his feet touched the pedestal. He jumped tothe ground and the vibration of his contact was apparently the final push,for the still in act arm crumbled, and produced a small heap of rubbleat   e foot of the statue. It made virtually no noise as it fell.
Trevize froze, his first impulse being      of finding a place  o hidebefore the watchman came and caught him. Amazing, he   ought afterward,how quickly one relives   e days of one's childhood in a situationlike th   when you've accidentally broken something      looksimportant. It lasted only a moment, but it cut deeply.
Pelorat's voice was hollow, as befitted one who had witnessed andeven abetted an act of vandalism, but he managed to find words ofcomfort. "It's it's all right, Golan. It was about to come downby itself, anyway."He walked over to the pieces on the pedestal and floor as though hewere going to demonstrate the point, reached out for one of the largerfragments, and then said, "Golan, come here."Trevize approached and Pelorat, pointing at a piece of stone that hadclearly been the portion of the arm that had been joined to the shoulder,said, "What is this?"Trevize stared. There was a patch of fuzz, bright green incolor. Trevize rubbed it gently with his suited finger. It scraped offwithout trouble.
"It looks a lot like moss," he said.
"The life-without-mind that you mentioned?""I'm not completely sure how far without mind. Bliss, I imagine,would insist that this had consciousness, too but she would claimthis stone also had it."Pelorat said, "Do you suppose that moss stuff is what's crumblingthe rock?"Trevize said, "I wouldn't be surprised if it helped. The world hasplenty of sunlight and it has some water. Half what atmosphere it has iswater vapor. The rest is nitrogen and inert gases. Just a trace of carbondioxide, which would lead one to suppose there's no plant life butit could be that the carbon dioxide is low because it is virtually allincorporated into the rocky crust. Now if this rock has some carbonate init, perhaps this moss breaks it down by secreting acid, and then makesuse of the carbon dioxide generated. This may be the dominant remainingform of life on this planet.""Fascinating," said Pelorat.
"Undoubtedly," said Trevize, "but only in a limited way. Theco-ordinates of the Spacer worlds are rather more interesting but whatwe really want are the co-ordinates of Earth . If they'renot here, they may be elsewhere in the building or in anotherbuilding. Come, Janov.""But you know " began Pelorat.
"No, no," said Trevize impatiently. "We'll talk later. We've gotto see what else, if anything, this building can give us. It's gettingwarmer." He looked the small temperature reading on the back of his leftglove. "Come, Janov."They tramped through the rooms, walking as gently as possible, notbecause they were making sounds in the ordinary sense, or because therewas anyone to hear them, but because they were a little shy of doingfurther damage through vibration.
They kicked up some dust, which moved a short way upward and settledquickly through the thin air, and they left footmarks behind them.
Occasionally, in some dim corner, one or the other would silentlypoint out more samples of moss that were growing. There seemed a littlecomfort in the presence of life, however low in the scale, somethingthat lifted the deadly, suffocating feel of walking through a dead world,especially one in which artifacts all about showed that once, long ago,it had been an elaborately living one.
And then, Pelorat said, "I think this must be a library."Trevize looked about curiously. There were shelves and, as helooked more narrowly, what the corner of his eye had dismissed as mereornamentation, seemed as though they might well be book-films. Gingerly,he reached for one. They were thick and clumsy and then he realizedthey were only cases. He fumbled with his thick fingers to open one, andinside he saw several discs. They were thick, too, and seemed brittle,though he did not test that.
He said, "Unbelievably primitive.""Thousands of years old," said Pelorat apologetically, as thoughdefending the old Melpomenians against the accusation of retardedtechnology.
Trevize pointed to the spine of the film where there were dimcurlicues of the ornate lettering that the ancients had used. "Is thatthe title? What does it say?"Pelorat studied it. "I'm not really sure, old man. I think one ofthe words refers to microscopic life. It's a word for `microorganism,'
perhaps. I suspect these are technical microbiological terms which Iwouldn't understand even in Standard Galactic." `"Probably," said Trevize morosely. "And, equally probably, itwouldn't do us any good even if we could read it. We're not interestedin germs. Do me a favor, Janov. Glance through some of these booksand see if there's anything there with an interesting title. While you'redoing that, I'll look over these book-viewers.""Is that what they are?" said Pelorat, wondering. They were squat,cubical structures, topped by a slanted screen and a curved extensionat the top that might serve as an elbow rest or a place on which to putan electro-notepad if they had had such on Melpomenia.
Trevize said, "If this is a library, they must have book-viewers ofone kind or another, and this seems as though it might suit."He brushed the dust off the screen very gingerly and was relievedthat the screen, whatever it might be made of, did not crumble at histouch. He manipulated the controls lightly, one after another. Nothinghappened. He tried another book-viewer, then another, with the samenegative results.
He wasn't surprised. Even if the device were to remain in workingorder for twenty millennia in a thin atmosphere and was resistant towater vapor, there was still the question of the power source. Storedenergy had a way of leaking, no matter what was done to stop it. Thatwas another aspect of the all embracing, irresistible second law ofthermodynamics.
Pelorat was behind him. "Golan?""Yes.""I have a book-film here ""What kind?""I think it's a history of space flight.""Perfect but it won't do us any good if I can't make this viewerwork."His hands clenched in frustration.
"We could take the film back to the ship.""I wouldn't know how to adapt it to our viewer. It wouldn't fit andour scanning system is sure to be incompatible.""But is all that really necessary, Golan? If we ""It is really necessary, Janov. Now don't interrupt me. I'm tryingto decide what to do. I can try adding power to the viewer. Perhaps thatis all it needs.""Where would you get the power?""Well " Trevize drew his weapons, looked at them briefly, thensettled his blaster back into its holster. He cracked open his neuronicwhip, and studied the energy-supply level. It was at maximum.
Trevize threw himself prone upon the floor and reached behind theviewer (he kept assuming that was what it was) and tried to push itforward. It moved a small way and he studied what he found in theprocess.
One of those cables had to carry the power supply and surely itwas the one that came out of the wall. There was no obvious plug orjoining. (How does one deal with an alien and ancient culture where thesimplest taken-for granted matters are made unrecognizable?)He pulled gently at the cable, then harder. He turned it one way,then the other. He pressed the wall in the vicinity of the cable, andthe cable in the vicinity of the wall. He turned his attention, as besthe could, to the half-hidden back of the viewer and nothing he could dothere worked, either.
He pressed one hand against the floor to raise himself and, as hestood up, the cable came with him. What he had done that had loosened it,he hadn't the slightest idea.
It didn't look broken or torn away. The end seemed quite smooth andit had left a smooth spot in the wall where it had been attached.
Pelorat said softly, "Golan, may I "Trevize waved a peremptory arm at the other. "Not now, Janov. Please!"He was suddenly aware of the green material caking the creases on hisleft glove. He must have picked up some of the moss behind the viewerand crushed it. His glove had a faint dampness to it, but it dried ashe watched, and the greenish stain grew brown.
He turned his attention toward the cable, staring at the detached endcarefully. Surely there were two small holes there. Wires could enter.
He sat on the floor again and opened the power unit of his neuronicwhip. Carefully, he depolarized one of the wires and clicked it loose. Hethen, slowly and delicately, inserted it into the hole, pushing it inuntil it stopped. When he tried gently to withdraw it again, it remainedput, as though it had been seized. He suppressed his first impulse toyank it out again by force. He depolarized the other wire and pushedit into the other opening. It was conceivable that      would close thecircuit and supply the viewer with power.
"Janov," he said, "you've played about with book-films of allkinds. See if you can work out a way of inserting that book into theviewer.""Is it really nece ""Please, Janov, you keep trying to ask unnecessary questions. We onlyhave so much time. I don't want  o have to wait far into the night forthe building to cool off to the point where we can return.""It must go in this way," said Janov, "but ""Good," said Trevize. "If it's a history of space flight, then itwill have to begin with Earth, since it was on Earth that space flightwas invented. Let's see if this thing works now."Pelorat, a little fussily, placed the book-film into the obviousreceptacle and then began studying the markings on the various controlsfor any hint as to direction.
Trevize spoke in a low voice, while waiting, partly to ease his owntension. "I suppose there must be robots on this world, too here andthere in reasonable order to all appearances glistening in thenear-vacuum. The trouble is their power supply would long since have beendrained, too, and, even if repowered, what about their brains? Levers andgears might withstand the millennia, but what about whatever microswitchesor subatomic gizmos they had in their brains? They would have to havedeteriorated, and even if they had not, what would they know aboutEarth. W    would they "Pelorat said, "The viewer is working, old chap. See here."In the dim light, the book-viewer screen began to flicker. It was onlyfaint, but Trevize turned up the power slightly on his neuronic whip andit grew brighter. The thin air about them kept the area outside the shaftsof sunlight comparatively dim, so that   e room was faded and shadowy,and the screen seemed the brighter by contrast.
It continued to flicker, with occasional shadows drifting acrossthe screen.
"It needs to be focused," said Trevize.
"I know," said Pelorat, "but this seems the best I can do. The filmitself must have deteriorated."The shadows came and went rapidly now, and periodically there seemedsomething like a faint caricature of print. Then, for a moment, therewas sharpness and it faded again.
"Get that back and hold it, Janov," said Trevize.
Pelorat was already trying. He passed it going backward, then againforward, and then got it and held it.
Eagerly, Trevize tried to read it, then said, in frustration, "Canyou make it out, Janov?""Not entirely," said Pelorat, squinting at the screen. "It's aboutAurora. I can tell that much. I think it's dealing with the firsthyperspatial expedition the `prime outpouring,' it says."He went forward, and it blurred and shadowed again. He said finally,"All the pieces I can get seem to deal with the Spacer worlds,Golan. There's nothing I can find about Earth."Trevize said bitterly, "No, there wouldn't be. It's all been wipedout on this world as it has on Trantor. Turn the thing off.""But it doesn't matter " began Pelorat, turning it off.
"Because we can try other libraries? It will be wiped out there,too. Everywhere. Do you know " He had looked at Pelorat as he spoke,and now he stared at him with a mixture of horror and revulsion. "W   'swrong with your face-plate?" he asked.
67Pelorat automatically lifted his gloved hand to hisface-plate and then took it away and looked at it.
"W    is it?" he said, puzzled. Then, he looked at Trevize and wenton, rather squeakily, "There's something peculiar about your face-plate, Golan."Trevize looked about automatically for a mirror. There was none and hewould need a light if there were. He muttered, "Come into the sunlight,will you?"He half-led, half-pulled Pelorat into the shaft of sunlight fromthe nearest window. He could feel its warmth upon his back despite theinsulating effect of the space suit.
He said, "Look toward the sun, Janov, and close your eyes."It was at once clear what was wrong with the face-plate. There wasmoss growing luxuriantly where the glass of the face-plate met themetallized fabric of the suit itself. The face-plate was rimmed withgreen fuzziness and Trevize knew his own was, too.
He brushed a finger of his glove across the moss on Pelorat'sface-plate. Some of it came off, the crushed green staining theglove. Even as he watched it glisten in the sunlight, however, it seemedto grow stiffer and drier. He tried again, and this time, the mosscrackled off. It was turning brown. He brushed the edges of Pelorat'sface-plate again, rubbing hard.
"Do mine, Janov," he said. Then, later, "Do I look clean? Good,so do you. Let's go. I don't think there's more to do here."The sun was uncomfortably hot in the deserted airless city. The stonebuildings gleamed brightly, almost achingly. Trevize squinted as helooked at them and, as far as possible, walked on the shady side of thethoroughfares. He stopped at a crack in one of the building fronts, onewide enough to stick his little finger into, gloved as it was. He did justthat, looked at it, muttered, "Moss," and deliberately walked to the endof the shadow and held that finger out in the sunlight for a while.
He said, "Carbon dioxide is the bottleneck. Anywhere they canget carbon dioxide decaying rock anywhere it willgrow. We're a good source of carbon dioxide, you know, probably richerthan anything else on this nearly dead planet, and I suppose traces ofthe gas leak out at the boundary of the face-plate.""So the moss grows there.""Yes."It seemed a long walk back to the ship, much longer and, of course,hotter than the one they had taken at dawn. The ship was still in theshade when they got there, however; that much Trevize had calculatedcorrectly, at least.
Pelorat said, "Look!"Trevize saw. The boundaries of the mainlock were outlined in greenmoss.
"More leakage?" said Pelorat.
"Of course. Insignificant amounts, I'm sure, but this moss seems tobe a better indicator of trace amounts of carbon dioxide than anything Iever heard of. Its spores must be everywhere and wherever a few moleculesof carbon dioxide are to be found, they sprout." He adjusted his radiofor ship's wavelength and said, "Bliss, can you hear me?"Bliss's voice sounded in both sets of ears. "Yes. Are you ready tocome in? Any luck?""We're just outside," said Trevize, "but don't openthe lock. We'll open it from out here. Repeat, don't openthe lock.""Why not?""Bliss, just do as I ask, will you? We can have a long discussionafterward."Trevize brought out his blaster and carefully lowered, its intensity tominimum, then gazed at it uncertainly. He had never used it at minimum. Helooked about him. There was nothing suitably fragile to test it on.
In sheer desperation, he turned it on the rocky hillside inwhose shadow the Far Star lay. The target didn't turnred-hot. Automatically, he felt the spot he had hit. Did it feel warm? Hecouldn't tell with any degree of certainty through the insulated fabricof his suit.
He hesitated again, then thought that the hull of the ship would be asresistant, within an order of magnitude at any rate, as the hillside. Heturned the blaster on the rim of the lock and flicked the contact briefly,holding his breath.
Several centimeters of the moss-like growth browned at once. He wavedhis hand in the vicinity of the browning and even the mild breeze set upin the thin air in this way sufficed to set the light skeletal remnantsthat made up the brown material to scattering.
"Does it work?" said Pelorat anxiously.
"Yes, it does," said Trevize. "I turned the blaster into a mildheat ray."He sprayed the heat all around the edge of the lock and the greenvanished at the touch. All of it. He struck the mainlock to create avibration that would knock off what remained and a brown dust fell to theground a dust so fine that it even lingered in the thin atmosphere,buoyed up by wisps of gas.
"I think we can open it now," said Trevize, and, using his wristcontrols, he tapped out the emission of the radio-wave combination thatactivated the opening mechanism from inside. The lock gaped and hadnot opened more than halfway when Trevize said, "Don't dawdle, Janov,get inside. Don't wait for the steps. Climb in."Trevize followed, sprayed the rim of the lock with his toned-downblaster. He sprayed the steps, too, once they had lowered. He thensignaled the close of the lock and kept on spraying till they weretotally enclosed.
Trevize said, "We're in the lock, Bliss. We'll stay here a fewminutes. Continue to do nothing!"Bliss's voice said, "Give me a hint. Are you all right? How isPel?"Pel said, "I'm here, Bliss, and perfectly well. There's nothing toworry about.""If you say so, Pel, but there'll have to be explanations later. Ihope you know that.""It's a promise," said Trevize, and activated the lock light.
The two space-suited figures faced each other.
Trevize said, "We're pumping out all the planetary air we can, solet's just wait till that's done.""What about the ship air? Are we going to let that in?""Not for a while. I'm as anxious to get out of the space suit as youare, Janov. I just want to make sure that we get rid of any spores thathave entered with us or upon us."By the not entirely satisfactory illumination of the lock light,Trevize turned his blaster on the inner meeting of lock and hull,spraying the heat methodically along the floor, up and around, and backto the floor.
"Now you, Janov."Pelorat stirred uneasily, and Trevize said, "You may feel warm. Itshouldn't be any worse than that. If it grows uncomfortable, just sayso."He played the invisible beam over the face-plate, the edgesparticularly, then, little by little, over the rest of the space suit.
He muttered, "Lift your arms, Janov." Then, "Rest your arms on myshoulder, and lift one foot I've got to do the soles nowthe other. Are you getting too warm?"Pelorat said, "I'm not exactly bathed in cool breezes, Golan.""Well, then, give me a taste of my own medicine. Go over me.""I've never held a blaster.""You must hold it. Grip it so, and, with your thumb, pushthat little knob and squeeze the holster tightly. Right. Nowplay it over my face-plate. Move it steadily, Janov, don't let it lingerin one place too long. Over the rest of the helmet, then down the cheekand neck."He kept up the directions, and when he had been heated everywhereand was in an uncomfortable perspiration as a result, he took back theblaster and studied the energy level.
"More than half gone," he said, and sprayed the interior of thelock methodically, back and forth over the wall, till the blaster wasemptied of its charge, having itself heated markedly through its rapidand sustained discharge. He then restored it to its holster.
Only then did he signal for entry into the ship. He welcomed thehiss and feel of air coming into the lock as the inner door opened. Itscoolness and its convective powers would carry off the warmth of the spacesuit far more quickly than radiation alone would do. It might have beenimagination, but he felt the cooling effect at once. Imagination or not,he welcomed that, too.
"Off with your suit, Janov, and leave it out here in the lock,"said Trevize.
"If you don't mind," said Pelorat, "a shower is what I would like tohave before anything else.""Not before anything else. In fact, before that, and before you canempty your bladder, even, I suspect you will have to talk to Bliss."Bliss was waiting for them, of course, and with a look of concern onher face. Behind her, peeping out, was Fallom, with her hands clutchingfirmly at Bliss's left arm.
"What happened?" Bliss asked severely. "What's been going on?""Guarding against infection," said Trevize dryly, "so I'll be turningon the ultraviolet radiation. Break out the dark glasses. Please don'tdelay."With ultraviolet added to the wall illumination, Trevize took offhis moist garments one by one and shook them out, turning them in onedirection and another.
"Just a precaution," he said. "You do it, too, Janov. And,Bliss, I'll have to peel altogether. If that will make you uncomfortable,step into the next room."Bliss said, "It will neither make me uncomfortable, nor embarrass me. Ihave a good notion of what you look like, and it will surely present mewith nothing new. What infection?""Just a little something that, given its own way," said Trevize, witha deliberate air of indifference, "could do great damage to humanity,I think."68It was all done. The ultraviolet light had done itspart. Officially, according to the complex films of information andinstructions that had come with the Far Star when Trevize hadfirst gone aboard back on Terminus, the light was there preciselyfor purposes of disinfection. Trevize suspected, however, that thetemptation was always there, and sometimes yielded to, to use it fordeveloping a fashionable tan for those who were from worlds where tanswere fashionable. The light was, however, disinfecting, however used.
They took the ship up into space and Trevize maneuvered it as closeto Melpomenia's sun as he might without making them all unpleasantlyuncomfortable, turning and twisting the vessel so as to make sure thatits entire surface was drenched in ultraviolet.
Finally, they rescued the two space suits that had been left in thelock and examined them until even Trevize was satisfied.
"All that," said Bliss, at last, "for moss. Isn't that what you saidit was, Trevize? Moss?""I call it moss," said Trevize, "because that's what it reminded meof. I'm not a botanist, however. All I can say is that it's intenselygreen and can probably make do on very little light-energy.""Why very little?""The moss is sensitive to ultraviolet and can't grow, or even survive,in direct illumination. Its spores are everywhere and it grows in hiddencorners, in cracks in statuary, on the bottom surface of structures,feeding on the energy of scattered photons of light wherever there isa source of carbon dioxide."Bliss said, "I take it you think they're dangerous.""They might well be. If some of the spores were clinging to us when weentered, or swirled in with us, they would find illumination in plentywithout the harmful ultraviolet. They would find ample water and anunending supply of carbon dioxide.""Only 0.03 percent of our atmosphere," said Bliss.
"A great deal to them and 4 percent in our exhaled breath. Whatif spores grew in our nostrils, and on our skin? What if they decomposedand destroyed our food? What if they produced toxins that killed us? Evenif we labored to kill them but left some spores alive, they would beenough, when carried to another world by us, to infest it, and from therebe carried to other worlds. Who knows what damage they might do?"Bliss shook her head. "Life is not necessarily dangerous because itis different. You are so ready to kill.""That's Gaia speaking," said Trevize.
"Of course it is, but I hope I make sense, nevertheless. The moss isadapted to the conditions of this world. Just as it makes use of lightin small quantities but is killed by large; it makes use of occasionaltiny whiffs of carbon dioxide and may be killed by large amounts. Itmay not be capable of surviving on any world but Melpomenia.""Would you want me to take a chance on that?" demanded Trevize.
Bliss shrugged. "Very well. Don't be defensive. I see your point. Beingan Isolate, you probably had no choice but to do what you did."Trevize would have answered, but Fallom's clear high-pitched voicebroke in, in her own language.
Trevize said to Pelorat, "What's she saying?"Pelorat began, "What Fallom is saying "Fallom, however, as though remembering a moment too late that herown language was not easily understood, began again. "Was there Jembythere where you were?"The words were pronounced meticulously, and Bliss beamed. "Doesn'tshe speak Galactic well? And in almost no time."Trevize said, in a low voice, "I'll mess it up if I try, but youexplain to her, Bliss, that we found no robots on the planet.""I'll explain it," said Pelorat. "Come, Fallom." He placed a gentlearm about the youngster's shoulders. "Come to our room and I'll get youanother book to read.""A book? About Jemby?""Not exactly " And the door closed behind them.
"You know," said Trevize, looking after them impatiently, "we wasteour time playing nursemaid to that child.""Waste? In what way does it interfere with your search for Earth,Trevize? In no way. Playing nursemaid establishes communication,however, allays fear, supplies love. Are these achievements nothing?""That's Gaia speaking again.""Yes," said Bliss. "Let us be practical, then. We have visited threeof the old Spacer worlds and we have gained nothing."Trevize nodded. "True enough.""In fact, we have found each one dangerous, haven't we? On Aurora,there were feral dogs; on Solaria, strange and dangerous human beings;on Melpomenia, a threatening moss. Apparently, then, when a world isleft to itself, whether it contains human beings or not, it becomesdangerous to the Interstellar community.""You can't consider, that a general rule.""Three out of three certainly seems impressive.""And how does it impress you, Bliss?""I'll tell you. Please listen to me with an open mind. If you havemillions of interacting worlds in the Galaxy, as is, of course, theactual case, and if each is made up entirely of Isolates, as they are,then on each world, human beings are dominant and can force their willon nonhuman life-forms, on the inanimate geological background, andeven on each other. The Galaxy is, then, a very primitive and fumblingand misfunctioning Galaxia. The beginnings of a unit. Do you see whatI mean?""I see what you're trying to say but that doesn't mean I'mgoing to agree with you when you're done saying it.""Just listen to me. Agree or not, as you please, but listen. The onlyway the Galaxy will work is as a proto-Galaxia, and the less proto andthe more Galaxia, the better. The Galactic Empire was an attempt at astrong proto-Galaxia, and when it fell apart, times grew rapidly worse andthere was the constant drive to strengthen the proto-Galaxia concept. TheFoundation Confederation is such an attempt. So was the Mule's Empire. Sois the Empire the Second Foundation is planning. But even if there wereno such Empires or Confederations; even if the entire Galaxy were inturmoil, it would be a connected turmoil, with each world interacting,even if only hostilely, with every other. That would, in itself, be akind of union and it would not yet be the worst case.""What would be the worst, then?""You know the answer to that, Trevize. You've seen it. If ahuman-inhabited world breaks up completely, is truly Isolate,and if it loses all interaction with other human worlds, itdevelops malignantly.""A cancer, then?"" Yes . Isn't Solaria just that? Its hand is against allworlds. And on it, the hand of each individual is against those of allothers. You've seen it. And if human beings disappear altogether, the lasttrace of discipline goes. The each-against-each becomes unreasoning, aswith the dogs, or is merely an elemental force as with the moss. You see,I suppose, that the closer we are to Galaxia, the better the society. Why,then, stop at anything short of Galaxia?"For a while, Trevize stared silently at Bliss. "I'm thinking aboutit. But why this assumption that dosage is a one-way thing; that if alittle is good, a lot is better, and all there is is best of all? Didn'tyou yourself point out that it's possible the moss is adapted to verylittle carbon dioxide so that a plentiful supply might kill it? A humanbeing two meters tall is better off than one who is one meter tall; but isalso better off than one who is three meters tall. A mouse isn't betteroff, if it is expanded to the size of an elephant. He wouldn't live. Norwould an elephant be better off reduced to the size of a mouse.
"There's natural size, a natural complexity, some optimum quality foreverything, whether star or atom, and it's certainly true of living thingsand living societies. I don't say the old Galactic Empire was ideal, andI can certainly see flaws in the Foundation Confederation, but I'm notprepared to say that because total Isolation is bad, total Unificationis good. The extremes may both be equally horrible, and an old-fashionedGalactic Empire, however imperfect, may be the best we can do."Bliss shook her head. "I wonder if you believe yourself, Trevize. Areyou going to argue that a virus and a human being are equallyunsatisfactory, and wish to settle for something in-between likea slime mold?""No. But I might argue that a virus and a superhuman being are equallyunsatisfactory, and wish to settle for something in-between likean ordinary person. There is, however, no point in arguing. Iwill have my solution when I find Earth. On Melpomenia, we found theco-ordinates of forty-seven other Spacer worlds.""And you'll visit them all?""Every one, if I have to.""Risking the dangers on each.""Yes, if that's what it takes to find Earth."Pelorat had emerged from the room within which he had left Fallom,and seemed about to say something when he was caught up in the rapid-fireexchange between Bliss and Trevize. He stared from one to the other asthey spoke in turn.
"How long would it take?" asked Bliss.
"However long it takes," said Trevize, "and we might find what weneed on the next one we visit.""Or on none of them.""That we cannot know till we search."And now, at last, Pelorat managed to insert a word. "But why look,Golan? We have the answer."Trevize waved an impatient hand in the direction of Pelorat, checkedthe motion, turned his head, and said blankly, "What?""I said we have the answer. I tried to tell you this on Melpomenia atleast five times, but you were so wrapped up in what you were doing-""What answer do we have? What are you talking about?"" About Earth. I think we know where Earth is."

第十五章 苔藓
　　66
穿上了太空衣的崔维兹看来奇形怪状，唯一露在外面的只有两个装武器的皮套——不是他通常系在臀部的那两个，而是太空衣本身附的坚固皮套。他小心地将手铣插入右侧皮套，再将神经鞭插在左侧。两件武器都已再度充电，而这一次，崔维兹忿忿地想，任何力量都别想将它们夺走。
宝绮思带着微笑说：“你还是准备携带武器？这只是个没有空气和——算了！我再也不会质疑你的决定。”
“很好！”崔维兹说着，便转过身去帮裴洛拉特调整头盔，他自己的头盔则还没戴上。
裴洛拉特从未穿过太空衣，他可怜兮兮地问道：“我在这里面真能呼吸吗，葛兰？”
“绝对可以。”崔维兹说。
他们将最后的接缝合上的时候，宝绮思站在一旁观看，手臂揽着菲龙的肩膀。小索拉利人惊恐万分地瞪着两件撑起的太空衣，全身不停打颤。宝绮思的手臂温柔地紧搂着她，为她带来一点安全感。
气闸打开之后，两位“太空人”便走进去，同时伸出鼓胀的手臂挥手道别。接着气闸关闭，主闸门随即开启，于是他们拖着沉着的步伐，踏上一块死气沉沉的土地。
现在是黎明时分，不过太阳尚未升起。天空当然绝对晴朗，泛着一种、紫色的光芒。日出方向的地平线色彩较淡，看得出那一带有些薄雾。
裴洛拉特说：“天气很冷。”
“你觉得冷吗？”崔维兹讶异地问。太空衣的绝热效果百分之百，若说温度偶有不适，应该是内部温度过高，需要将体热排放出去。
裴洛拉特说：“一点也没有，可是你看——”他的声音透过无线电波传到崔维兹的耳朵，听来十分清楚。他一面说，一面伸出手指来指了一下。
他们正向一座建筑物走去，在黎明的紫色曙光中，它斑驳的石质正面覆盖着一层白霜。
崔维兹说：“由于大气太稀薄，夜间会变得比你想像的更冷，白天则会非常炎热。现在正是一天之中最冷的时刻，还要再过好几小时，才会热得无法站在太阳底下。”
他的话就像神秘的魔咒一样，才刚说完，太阳的外轮就出现在地平线上。
“别瞪着它看，”崔维兹不急不徐地说：“虽然你的面板会反光，紫外线也无法穿透，但那样做还是有危险。”
他转身背对着冉冉上升的太阳，让细长的身影投射在那座建筑物上。由于阳光的出现，白霜在他眼前迅速消失。一会儿之后，墙壁因潮湿而颜色加深，伹不久便完全晒干。
崔维兹说：“现在看起来，这些建筑物不像从空中看来那么完好，到处都有龟裂和剥离的痕迹。我想这是温度剧变造成的结果，而另一个原因，则是少量的水分夜晚冻结白天又融解，可能已经持续了两万年。”
裴洛拉特说：“入口处上方的石头刻了些字，可是已经斑驳得难以辨识。”
“你能不能认出来，詹诺夫？”
“大概是某种金融机构，至少我认出好像有‘银行’两个宇。”
“那是什么？”
“处理资产的贮存、提取、交易、投资、借贷等等业务的地方——如果我猜得没错的话。”
“整座建筑物都用来做这个？没有电脑？”
“没有完全被电脑取代。”
崔维兹耸了耸肩，他发现古代历史的细节没什么意思。
他们四下走动，脚步越来越快，在每栋建筑物停留的时间也越来越短。此地一片死寂，令人感觉心情沉着到极点。经过数千年缓慢的崩溃过程，他们闯入的这座城市已变成一副残骸，除了枯骨之外什么都没留下。
他们目前的位置是标准的温带，可是在崔维兹的想像中，他的背部能感受到太阳的热量。
站在崔维兹右侧约一百公尺处的裴洛拉特，突然高声叫道：“看那里！”
崔维兹的耳朵嗡嗡作响，他说：“不要吼，詹诺夫。不论你离我多远，我也听得清楚你的耳语。那是什么？”
裴洛拉特立刻降低音量说：“这栋建筑物叫作‘外世界会馆’，至少，我认为那些铭文是这个意思。”
崔维兹走到他身边。他们面前是一栋三层楼的建筑，顶端的线条并不规则，而且堆了许多大块岩石碎片，仿佛那里原来竖着一座雕像，但早已倾塌得支离破碎。
“你确定吗？”崔维兹说。
“如果我们进去，就能知道答案。”
他们爬了五级低矮宽阔的台阶，又穿越一个过大的广场。在稀薄的空气中，他们的金属鞋踏在地上，只引起算不上脚步声的轻微震荡。
“我明白你所谓‘大而无当、豪华奢侈’是什么意思了。”崔维兹喃喃说道。
他们走进一间宽广高耸的大厅，阳光从高处的窗口射进来。室内有阳光直射的部分过于刺眼，阴影部分却又过于昏暗，这是由于空气稀薄，几乎无法散射光线的缘故。
大厅中央有座比真人高大的人像，似乎是用合成石料制成。其中一只手臂已经脱落，另一只臂膀处也出现裂痕。崔维兹觉得如果用力一拍，那只手臂也缓螈刻脱离主体。于是他退了几步，仿佛担心如果过于接近，他会忍不住做出破坏艺术品的恶劣行为。
“不晓得这人是谁？”崔维兹说：“到处都没有标示。我想当初竖立这座石像的那些人，认为他的名气实在太大，因此不需要任何识别文字。可是现在……”他发觉自己有越来越犬儒的危险，赶紧将注意力转移别处。
裴洛拉特正抬着头向上看，崔维兹沿着他的目光望去，看到墙上有些标记——那是铭文，不过崔维兹完全看不懂。
“不可思议，”裴洛拉特说：“也许已经过了两万年，但是在这里，恰巧避开了阳光和湿气，它们仍可辨识。”
“我可看不懂。”崔维兹说。
“那是种古老的字体，而且还是用美术字写的。让我来看看……七……一……二……”他的声音越来越小，突然又高声道：“一共列有五十个名字。据说外世界共有五十个，而这里又是外世界会馆，因此，我推测这些就是五十个外世界的名字。也许是根据创建的先后顺序排列，奥罗拉排第一，索拉利是最后一个。如果你仔细看，会发现它共有七行，前面六行各有七个名字，最后一行则有八个。好像他们原先计划排成七乘七的方阵，后来才将索拉利加上去。根据我的猜测，老弟，这份名单制作之初，索拉利尚未改造，上面还没有任何人居住。”
“我们现在踏在哪个世界上？你看得出来吗？”
裴洛拉特说：“你可以注意到，第三行第五个，也就是排名第十九的世界，它的名字刻得比其他世界大些。名单制作者似乎相当自我中心，特别要突显他们自己的地位。此外……”
“它的名字是什么？”
“根据我所能做的最佳判断，它应该叫作‘梅尔波美尼亚’，这个名字我完全陌生。”
“有没有可能代表地球？”
裴洛拉特使劲摇头，但由于被头盔罩住，所以摇也是白摇。“在古老的传说中，地球有好几十个不同的名称。盖娅是其中之一，这你是知道的，此外泰宁、尔达等等也是，它们一律都很简短。我不知道地球有较长的别名，甚至不知道有任何别名接近梅尔波美尼亚的简称。”
“那么，我们是在梅尔波美尼亚星上，而它并非地球。”
“没错。此外——其实我刚才正要说——除了字体较大，还有一项更好的佐证，就是梅尔波美尼亚的坐标是（O，O，O）。一般说来，这个坐标指的是自己的行星。”
“坐标？”崔维兹愣了一下，“这份名单上也有坐标？”
“每个世界旁边都有三个数字，我想那些就是坐标，否则还能是什么？”
崔维兹没有回答。他打开位于太空衣右股的一个小套袋，掏出一件与套袋有电线相连的精巧装置。他将那装置凑到眼前，对着墙上的铭文仔细调整焦距。通常这只需要几秒钟的时间，可是他的手指包在太空衣内，因此这件工作变得极为吃力。
“照相机吗？”裴洛拉特这是多此一问。
“它能将影像直接输入太空船的电脑。”崔维兹答道。
他从不同角度拍了几张相片，然后说：“等一下！我得站高一点。帮我个忙，詹诺夫。”
裴洛拉特双手紧紧互握，做成马蹬状，崔维兹却摇了摇头。“那样无法支撑我的着量，你得趴下去。”
裴洛拉特吃力地依言照做，崔维兹将照相机塞回套袋，同样吃力地踏上裴洛拉特的肩头，再爬上石像的基座。他谨慎地摇了摇石像，测试它是否牢固，然后踩在石像弯曲的膝部，用它作踏脚石，身子向上一挺，抓到断臂的那个肩膀。他将脚尖嵌进石像胸前凹凸不平处，慢慢向上攀爬，喘了好几回之后，终于坐到石像肩膀上。对那些早已逝去的古人而言，这个石像是他们尊崇的对象，崔维兹的行为似乎可算一种亵渎。他越想越不对劲，因此尽量坐得轻点。
“你会跌下来受伤的。”裴洛拉特忧心忡忡地叫道。
“我不会跌下来受伤，你却可能把我震聋。”说完，崔维兹再度取出照相机。拍了几张相片后，他又将照相机放回原处，小心翼翼地爬下来，直到双脚踏上基座，才纵身跃向地面。这下震动显然造成致命的一击，石像另一只手臂立刻脱落，在它脚旁跌成一小堆碎石。整个过程完全听不到一点声音。
崔维兹僵立在原处。他兴起的第一个冲动，竟是在管理员赶来抓人之前，尽快找个地方躲起来。真是难以想像，他事后回想，在这种情况下——不小心弄坏一件看似珍贵的东西——一个人怎么立刻就回到童年。这种感觉虽然只持续一下子，却触及了他的心灵深处。
裴洛拉特的声音听来有气无力，像是自己目睹甚至教唆了一件破坏艺术品的行为。不过，他还是设法说些安慰的话：“这——这没什么关系，葛兰，反正它已经摇摇欲坠。”
他走近碎石四散的基座与地板，仿佛想要证明这点。他刚伸出手来，准备捡起一块较大的碎片，却突然说：“葛兰，过来这里。”
崔维兹走过去，裴洛拉特指着地上一块碎石，它原来显然是那只完好手臂的一部分。“那是什么？”裴洛拉特问。
崔维兹仔细一看，那是片毛茸茸的东西，颜色是鲜绿色。他用包在太空衣中的手指轻轻一擦，毫下费力地将它刮掉了。
“看起来非常像苔藓。”崔维兹说。
“就是你所谓欠缺心灵的生命？”
“我不完全确定它们欠缺心灵到什么秤谌。我猜想，宝绮思会坚持这东西也有意识——可是她会声称连这块石头也有意识。”
裴洛拉特说：“这块岩石所以会断裂，你认为是不是这些苔藓的缘故？”
崔维兹说：“说它们是帮凶我绝不怀疑。这个世界有充足的阳光，也有些水分，大气的一半都是水蒸气，此外还有氮气和惰性气体。可是二氧化碳却只有一点点，因此会使人误以为没有植物生命——但二氧化碳含量之所以这么低，也可能是因为几乎全并入了岩石表层。假使这块岩石含有一些碳酸盐，也许苔藓便会藉着分泌酸液使它分解，再利用所产生的二氧化碳。在这颗行星残存的生命中，它们可能是最主要的一种。”
“实在有趣。”裴洛拉特说。
“的确如此，”崔维兹说：“可是趣味有限。外世界的坐标其实更有趣，但我们真正想要的是地球坐标。如果地球坐标不在这里，也许藏在这座建筑的其他角落，或是其他建筑物中。来吧，詹诺夫。”
“可是你知道……”裴洛拉特说。
“好了，好了，”崔维兹下耐烦地说：“待会儿再说吧。我们必须找一找，看看这座建筑还能提供什么线索。气温越来越高了——”他看了看附在左手背上的小型温标，“来吧，詹诺夫。”
他们拖着沉着的步伐一间一间寻找，尽可能将脚步放轻。这样做并非担心会发出声响，或是担心让别人听到，而是他们有点不好意思，唯恐引起震动而造成进一步的破坏。
他们踢起一些尘埃，留下许多足迹。在稀薄的空气中，尘埃稍微扬起一点，便又迅速落回地面。
偶尔经过某些阴暗的角落时，其中一人会默默指出更多正在蔓生的苔藓。发现此地有生命存在，不论层次多么低，似乎仍然令人感到一丝安慰。连带地，走在一个死寂世界所引发的可怕而令人窒息的感觉，也因此稍显舒缓。尤其像这样一个世界，四周到处是人类的遗迹，在在显示很久以前，此地曾经有过一段精致的文明。
然后，裴洛拉特说：“我想这里一定是个图书馆。”
崔维兹好奇地四下张望，先是看到一些书架，细看之下，旁边原来以为只是装饰品的东西，奸像应该是书。他小心翼翼地想拿起一个，却发现它们又厚又着，才明白原来那些只是盒子。他笨手笨脚地打开一盒，看到里面有几片圆盘。那些圆盘也都很厚，他没伸手去摸，但它们似乎非常脆弱。
“原始得难以置信。”他说。
“数千年前的东西嘛。”裴洛拉特以歉然的口气说，仿佛在帮古老的梅尔波美尼亚人辩护，驳斥对他们科技落后的指控。
崔维兹指着一支胶卷书的侧背，那里有些模糊不清的古代花体字。“这是书名吗？它叫什么？”
裴洛拉特研究了一下。“我不很确定，老友。但我想其中有个字指的是微观生命，也许就是‘微生物’的意思。我猜这些是微生物学的专用术语，即使译成银河标准语我也不懂。”
“有可能。”崔维兹懊丧地说：“即使我们读得懂，同样可能对我们没任何帮助，我们对细菌可没有兴趣——帮我个忙，詹诺夫，浏览一下这些书籍，看看是否有任何有趣的书名。你做这事的时候，我正好可以检查一下阅读机。”
“这些就是阅读机吗？”裴洛拉特以怀疑的口吻说。他指的是一些矮胖的立方体，上面部有倾斜的屏幕，还有个弧形的突出部分，也许可以用来支撑手肘，或是放置电子笔记板——假如梅尔波美尼亚也有这种装置。
崔维兹说：“假如这里是图书馆，就一定有某种阅读机，而这台机器看来似乎很像。”
他万分谨慎地将屏幕上的灰尘擦掉，立刻感到松了一口气，不论这个屏幕是什么材料做的，至少没有一碰之下便化成粉末。他轻轻拨弄着控制钮，一个接一个，结果什么反应都没有。他又改试其他的阅读机，换了一台又一台，却始终得不到任何结果。
他并不惊讶，即使空气稀薄，这些装置又不受水蒸气的影响，以致两万年后还能维持正常功能，然而电力来源仍是一大问题。贮存起来的能量总有办法散逸，不论如何防止都没用。这个事实源自无所不在又无可抗拒的热力学第二定律。
裴洛拉特来到他身后，唤道：“葛兰。”
“啊？”
“我找到一支胶卷书……”
“哪一类的？”
“我想是有关太空飞行的历史。”
“好极了——但我若是无法启动这台阅读机，它对我们就没有任何用处。”他双手紧捏成拳，显得十分沮丧。
“我们可以把胶卷带回太空船去。”
“我不知道怎样用我们的阅读机读它，根本装不进去，我们的扫描系统也一定不相容。”
“但真有必要这么费事吗，葛兰？如果我们……”
“的确有必要，詹诺夫。现在别打扰我，我正想要决定该怎么做。我可以试着给阅读机充点电，也许那是它唯一欠缺的。”
“你要从哪里取得电力？”
“嗯——”崔维兹掏出那两件随身武器，看了几眼，又将手铣塞回皮套。然后他“啪”一声打开神经鞭的外壳，检查了一下能量供应指标，发现处于满载状态。
崔维兹趴到地板上，将手伸到阅读机背面（他一直假设那就是阅读机），试图将它往前推。那台机器向前移动了一点，他便开始研究他的新发现。
其中一条电缆必定用来供应电源，当然就是连接到墙壁的那条，可是他找不到明显的插头或接头。（连最理所当然的事物都令人摸不着头脑，他该如何面对这个外星古文化？）
他轻拉一下那条电缆，又稍微用力试了试，再将电缆转向一侧，接着又向另一侧转。他按了按电缆附近的墙壁，又压了压墙壁旁边的电缆。然后，他转移注意，开始努力研究阅读机的半隐藏式背面，结果一样徒劳无功。
于是他单手按着地板准备起身，结果在身子站直的一瞬间，电缆被他拉了起来。究竟是哪个动作将它扯掉的，他自己也不知道。
电缆看来没有断开或被扯裂，末端似乎相当平整，它原来与墙壁连接的地方出现一个光滑的小圆洞。
裴洛拉特轻声说：“葛兰，我可不可……”
崔维兹朝他断然挥了挥手。“现在别说话，詹诺夫，拜托！”
他突然发觉左手手套的皱褶黏着些绿色的东西，这一定是刚才从阅读机背面沾到的苔藓，而且被压碎了。那只手套因此有点潮湿，伹在他眼前又很快干掉，绿色的斑点渐渐变成褐色。
他将注意力转到电缆上，仔细观察被扯掉的那端。那里果然有两个小孔，可以容纳两条电线。
他又坐到地板上，打开神经鞭的电源匣，小心翼翼拆除一条电线，再“咔答”一声将它扯开。然后他慢慢地、轻巧地将那根电线插进小孔，一直推到再也推不动为止。当他试着轻轻拉它出来的时候，竟然发现拉不动了，好像被什么东西抓住一样。他第一个反应是想用力拉它出来，不过总算按捺住这个冲动。他又拆下另一条电线，推进另一个开口。这样想必就能构成一个回路，可以将电力输到阅读机中。
“詹诺夫，”他说：“你看过各式各样的胶卷书，试试看有没有办法把那本书插进去。”
“真有必……”
“拜托，詹诺夫，你总是问些无关紧要的问题。我们只有这么一点时间，我可不要弄到三更半夜，温度低得受不了才能回去。”
“它一定是这么放，”裴洛拉特说：“可是……”
“好，”崔维兹说：“如果这是本太空飞行史，就一定会从地球谈起，因为太空飞行最早是在地球发明的——我们看看这玩意现在能否启动。”
裴洛拉特将胶卷书放进显然是插口的地方，动作有点夸张。然后他开始研究各种控制键钮旁的标示，想找找有没有任何操作说明。
在一旁等候的崔维兹低声道（部分原因是为了舒缓自己紧张的情绪）：“我想这个世界上一定也有机器人——到处都有；显然处于良好状况：在近乎真空的环境中闪闪发光。问题是它们的电力同样早已枯竭，即使着新充电，它们的脑部是否完好？杠杆和齿轮也许能维持好几千年，可是它们脑部的微型开关和次原子机簧呢？它们的脑子一定坏掉了，就算仍完好如初，它们对地球又知道多少？它们又……”
裴洛拉特说：“阅读机开始工作了，老弟，看这里。”
在昏暗的光线下，阅读机屏幕开始闪烁，不过光度相当微弱。崔维兹将神经鞭供应的电力稍微加强，屏幕随即转趋明后。由于空气稀薄的缘故，太阳直射下到的地方都暗淡无光，因此室内一片蒙胧幽暗，屏幕在对比之下显得更为明后。
屏幕继续一闪一灭，偶尔还掠过一些阴影。
“需要调整一下焦距。”崔维兹说。
“我知道，”裴洛拉特说：“伹这似乎是我能得到的最好结果，胶卷本身一定损坏了。”
现在阴影来去的速度变得很快，而且每隔一会儿，似乎就会出现一个类似漫画的模糊画面。后来画面一度转为清晰，随即再度暗淡下来。
“倒转回去，褂讪在那个画面上，詹诺夫。”崔维兹说。
裴洛拉特已在试着那样做，但他倒回去太多，只好又向前播放，最后终于找到那个画面，将它褂讪在屏幕上。
崔维兹急着想看看内容是什么，但随即以充满挫折的口吻说：“你读得懂吗，詹诺夫？”
“不完全懂。”裴洛拉特一面说，一面眯着眼睛盯着屏幕。“是关于奥罗拉，这点我看得出来。我想它在讲述第一波的超空间远征——‘首度蜂拥’，上面这么写着。”
他继续往下看，可是画面又变得模糊暗淡。最后他终于说：“我所看得懂的片断，似乎全是有关外世界的事迹，我找不到任何有关地球的记载。”
崔维兹苦涩地说：“没有，不会有的。就像川陀一样，这个世界上的地球资料已清除殆尽——把这东西关掉吧。”
“可是没有关系……”裴洛拉特一面说，一面关掉阅读机。
“因为我们可以去别的图书馆碰碰运气？别的地方也被清干净了，每个地方都一样。你可知道——”崔维兹说话时一直望着裴洛拉特，现在却突然瞪大眼睛，脸上露出惊恶交集的表情。“你的面板是怎么回事？”他问道。
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裴洛拉特自然而然举起戴着手套的手，摸了摸自己的面板，又将那只手伸到眼前。
“这是什么东西？”他的声音充满困惑。然后，他望着崔维兹，大惊小敝地叫道：“你的面板上也有些奇怪的东西，葛兰。”
崔维兹第一个反应就是想找面镜子照一照，可是附近根本找不到，即使真的有，也还需要一盏灯光。他喃喃说道：“到有阳光的地方去，好吗？”
崔维兹半推半拉着裴洛拉特，来到最近的一扇窗户旁，两人置身在一束阳光下。虽然太空衣有良好的绝热效果，他的背部仍能感到阳光的热度。
他说：“面对着太阳，詹诺夫，把眼睛闭上。”
他立刻看出裴洛拉特的面板出了什么问题。在玻璃面板与金属化太空衣的接合处，正繁殖着茂密的苔藓，以致面板周围多了一圈绿色的绒毛。崔维兹明白，自己的情形也完全一样。
他用带着手套的一根手指头，在裴洛拉特的面板四周刮了一下，苔藓随即掉落一些，绿色的碎层都沾在他的手套上。崔维兹将它们摊在阳光下，看得出它们虽然闪闪发后，却似乎很快就变硬变干。他又试了一次，这回苔藓变得又干又脆，一碰就掉，而且渐渐转为褐色。于是，他开始用力擦拭裴洛拉特的面板周围。
“也帮我这样做，詹诺夫。”一会儿之后，他又问道：“我看来干净了吗？很好，你也一样。我们走吧，我认为这里没有再待下去的必要。”
在这个没有空气的废城里，太阳的热度已经使人难以忍受。石造建筑物映着后闪闪的光芒，几乎会刺痛人的眼睛。崔维兹眯起眼来才敢逼视那些建筑，而且尽可能走在街道有阴影的一侧。他在某个建筑物正面的一道裂缝前停下脚步，那道裂缝相当宽，足以让他带着手套的小指伸进去。他把手指伸进去，再抽回来一看，喃喃说道：“苔藓。”
然后，他刻意走到阴影的尽头，将沾着苔藓的小指伸出来，在阳光下曝晒了一会儿。
他说：“二氧化碳是个关键，能得到二氧化碳的地方——腐朽的岩石也好，任何地方都好——它们都有办法生长。我们会产生大量的二氧化碳，你知道，也许还是这颗垂死行星上最丰富的二氧化碳源。我想，这种气体有少部分从面板边缘漏了出去。”
“所以苔藓会在那里生长。”
“对。”
返回太空艇的路途似乎很长，比黎明时分所走的那段路长得多，当然也炎热许多。不过当他们到达太空艇后，发现它仍处于阴影之下，这一点，崔维兹的计算至少是正确的。
裴洛拉特说：“你看！”
崔维兹看到了，主闸门边缘围着一圈绿色的苔藓。
“那里也在漏？”袭洛拉特问。
“当然啦。我确定只有一点点，不过这种苔藓似乎是微量二氧化碳的最佳指标，我从未听过有什么仪器比它们更灵敏。它们的孢子一定无所不在，哪怕只有几个二氧化碳分子的地方，那些孢子也会萌芽。”他将无线电调整到太空艇用的波长，又说：“宝绮思，你能听到吗？”
宝绮思的声音在他们两人耳中响起。“可以，你们准备进来了吗？有什么收获吗？”
“我们就在外面。”崔维兹说：“可是千万别打开气闸，我们会由外面开启。着复一遍，千万别打开气闸。”
“为什么？”
“宝绮思，你先照我的话做，好不好？等一下我们可以好好讨论。”
崔维兹拔出手铣，仔细地将强度调到最低，然后瞪着这柄武器，显得犹豫不决，因为他从未用过最低强度。他环顾四周，却找不到较脆弱的物体当试验品。
在无可奈何的情况下，他将手铣瞄准旁边的岩质山丘，远星号便是栖息在那山丘的阴影下——结果目标并未变得红热。他很自然地摸了摸射中的部位——有温热的感觉吗？由于穿着绝热质料的太空衣，他一点也无法确定。
他又迟疑了一下，然后想到，太空艇外壳的抗热能力，无论如何应与山丘处于同一数量级。于是他将手铣对准闸门外缘，很快按了一下扳机，同时屏住了气息。
几公分范围内的苔藓类植物，立坑诩变成黄褐色。他抬手在变色的苔藓附近挥了一下，稀薄的空气中便产生一丝微风，但即使是一丝微风，也足以将这些焦黄的残渣吹得四散纷飞。
“有效吗？”裴洛拉特焦切地问道。
“的确有效，”崔维兹说：“我将手铣调成低能量的热线。”
他开始沿着气闸周围喷洒热线，那些鲜绿的附着物随即变色，再也不见一丝绿意。然后他敲了敲主闸门，将残留的附着物震下，一团褐色的灰尘便飘落地面——由于这团灰尘实在太细，被微量的气体一托，还在稀薄的空气中飘荡许久。
“我想现在可以打开闸门了。”崔维兹说完，便用手腕上的控制器拍出一组无线电波密码，从太空艇内部启动开启机制，闸门随即出现一道隙缝。等到闸门打开一半时，崔维兹说：“不要浪费时间，詹诺夫，赶快进去——别等踏板了，爬进去吧。”
崔维兹自己紧跟在后，还一直用调低强度的手铣喷着闸门边缘，随后放下的踏板也依样消毒一遍。然后他才发出关闭闸门的讯号，同时继续喷洒热线，直到闸门完全关闭为止。
崔维兹说：“我们已经进了气闸，宝绮思。我们会在这里待几分钟，你还是什么都别做！”
宝绮思的声音传了过来。“给我一点提示，你们都还好吗？裴怎么样？”
裴洛拉特说：“我在这里，宝绮思，而且好得很，没什么好担心的。”
“你这么说就好，裴，可是待会儿一定要有个解释，我希望你了解这一点。”
“一言为定。”崔维兹说着打开气闸中的灯光。
两个穿着太空衣的人面对面站着。
崔维兹说道：“我们要将这个行星的空气尽量抽出去，所以我们得耐心等一会儿。”
“太空船的空气呢？要不要放进来？”
“暂时不要。我跟你一样急着挣脱这套太空衣，詹诺夫。但我先要确定我们完全排除了跟我们一块进来，或是黏在我们身上的孢子。”
藉着气闸灯光差强人意的照明作用，崔维兹将手铣对准闸门与艇体的内侧接缝，很有规律地先沿着地板喷洒热线，然后向上走，绕了一圈后又回到地板。
“现在轮到你了，詹诺夫。”
裴洛拉特不安地扭动了一下，崔维兹又说：“你大概会感到有点热，但应该不会有更糟的感觉。如果你开始觉得不舒服，说一声就行了。”
他将不可见的光束对准裴洛拉特的面板喷洒，尤其是边缘部分，然后一步步扩及太空衣其他部分。
“抬起两只手臂，詹诺夫。”他喃喃地发号施令，接着又说：“把双臂放到我的肩膀上广抬起一条腿来，我必须清理你的鞋底。现在换另一只脚——你觉得太热吗？”
裴洛拉特说：“不怎么像沐浴在凉风中，葛兰。”
“好啦，现在让我尝尝自己的处方是什么滋味，帮我全身也喷一喷。”
“我从来没拿过手铣。”
“你一定要拿住，像这样抓紧，用你的拇指按这个小按钮——同时用力压紧皮套，对，就是这样。现在对着我的面板喷，不停地慢慢移动，詹诺夫，别在一处停留太久。再对着头盔其他部分喷，然后往下走，对准面颊和颈部。”
崔维兹不断下着命令，当他全身都被喷得热呼呼，出了一身又黏又腻的汗水之后，他才将手铣收回来，检查了一下能量指标。
“已经用掉一大半。”说完，他开始很有系统地喷洒气闸内部，每面舱壁都来回喷了好几遍。直到手铣电力用罄，而且由于迅速持久的放电变得烫手，他才将手铣收回皮套中。
此时，他才发出进入太空艇的讯号。内门打开时，立刻传来一阵嘶嘶声，空气随即涌入气闸，令他精神为之一振。空气的清凉以及对流的作用，能将太空衣的热量急速带走，效率比单纯的辐射高出许多倍。他的确马上感到冷却效果，也许那只是一种想像，然而不论想像与否，他都十分欢迎这种感觉。
“脱掉你的太空衣，詹诺夫，把它留在气闸里面。”崔维兹说。
“如果你不介意的话，”裴洛拉特说：“我想做的第一件事，就是好好冲一个澡。”
“那不是第一优先。事实上，在此之前，甚至在你抒解膀胱压力之前，恐怕你得先跟宝绮思谈一谈。”
宝绮思当然在等待他们，脸上流露出关切的神情。菲龙则躲在她后面探头探脑，双手紧紧抓住宝绮思的左臂。
“发生了什么事？”宝绮思以严厉的口吻问道：“你们到底在做什么？”
“为了预防传染病，”崔维兹以讽刺的口吻答道。“所以我要打开紫外辐射灯。取出墨镜戴上，请勿耽搁时间。”
等到紫外线加入壁光之后，崔维兹将湿透的衣服一件件脱下来，每件都用力甩了甩，还拿在手中翻来覆去转了半天。
“只是为了预防万一，”他说：“你也这样做，詹诺夫——还有，宝绮思，我全身都得剥个精光，如果那会让你不自在，请到隔壁舱房去。”
宝绮思说：“我既不会不自在，也绝不会尴尬。你的模样我心里完全有数，我当然不会看到什么新鲜东西——是什么样的传染病？”
“只是些小东西，但如果任其自由发展的话，”崔维兹故意用轻描淡写的语气说：“会给人类带来极大的灾害，我这么想。”
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一切终于告一段落，紫外辐射灯也已功成身退。当初在端点星，崔维兹首度踏上远星号的时候，太空艇中就备有许多操作说明与指导手册，根据这些录成胶卷的复杂说明，紫外辐射灯的用途正是消毒杀菌。不过崔维兹想到，如果乘客来自流行日光浴的世界，这种装置会构成一种诱惑，让人想用它将皮肤晒成时髦的古铜色，而且想必有人会这么做。不过无论如何使用，这种光线总是具有消毒杀菌的效果。
此时太空艇已进入太空，崔维兹尽量朝梅尔波美尼亚的太阳接近，在不使大家感到难过的前提下，让太空艇在半空翻腾扭转，以确定外壳全部受到紫外线的充分照射。
最后，他们才将弃置在气闸中的两套太空衣救回来，并且做了详细检查，直到连崔维兹都满意为止。　　．“如此大费周章，”宝绮思终于忍不住说道：“只是为了苔藓。你是不是这么说的，崔维兹？苔藓？”
“我管它们叫苔藓，”崔维兹说：“是因为它们使我联想到那种植物。然而，我并不是植物学家。我所能做的描述，只是它们的绿色鲜艳异常，也许能藉着非常少的光能生存。”
“为什么是非常少的光能？”
“那些苔藓对紫外线极敏感，不能在阳光直射的场所生长，甚至无法存活。它们的孢子散布各处，而在阴暗的角落、雕像的裂缝中、建筑物的基部表面，只要是有二氧化碳的地方，它们都能生长繁殖，靠着散射光子携带的能量维生。”
宝绮思说：“我觉得你认为它们有危险。”
“很有可能。假如我们进来的时候，有些孢子附着在我们身上，或者被我们卷进来，它们会发现这里的光线充足，又不含有害的紫外线，此外还有大量水分，以及源源不绝的二氧化碳。”
“我们空气中的二氧化碳含量，只有百分之零点零三。”宝绮思说。
“对它们而言太丰富了——我们呼出的空气则含有百分之四。万一孢子在我们鼻孔或皮肤生长呢？万一它们分解破坏我们的食物呢？万一它们制造出致命的毒素呢？即使我们千辛万苦将它们消灭，只要还有少数孢子存活，被我们带到另一颗行星后，它们也足以长满那个世界，再从那里转移到其他世界。谁知道它们会造成多大灾害？”
宝绮思摇了摇头。“一种不同形式的生命，不一定就代表有危险，你太轻易杀生了。”
“这是盖娅说的话。”崔维兹说。
“当然是，但我希望你认为我说得有理。那些苔藓刚好适应这个世界的环境，正因为少量的光线对它们有利，大量的光线却会杀死它们：同理，它们能利用偶尔飘来的几丝二氧化碳，但太多也许就缓箢它们死亡。所以说，可能除了梅尔波美尼亚之外，它们无法在其他世界生存。”
“你要我在这件事上赌运气吗？”崔维兹追问。
宝绮思耸了耸肩。“好啦，别生气，你的立场我明白。身为孤立体，你除了那样做，也许根本没有其他选择。”
崔维兹正想回嘴，可是菲龙清脆、高亢的声音突然插进来，说的竟是她自己的语言。
崔维兹问裴洛拉特：“她在说些什么？”
裴洛拉特答道：“菲龙说的是……”
然而，菲龙仿佛这才想起她的母语不容易懂，遂改口说：“你们在那里有没有看到健比在那里？”
她的发音咬字十分仔细，宝绮思高兴得露出微笑。“她的银河标准语是不是说得很好？几乎没花什么时间学。”
崔维兹低声道：“要是由我讲会越讲越糊涂，还是你跟她解释吧，宝绮思，说我们没在那颗行星上发现机器人。”
“我来解释，”裴洛拉特说：“来吧，菲龙。”他用一只手臂温柔地搂住那孩子的肩头，“到我们的舱房来，我拿另一本书给你看。”
“书？关于健比的吗？”
“不能算是……”舱门便在他们身后关上了。
“你可知道，”崔维兹一面不耐烦地目送他们的背影，一面说：“我们扮演这孩子的保姆，简直是在浪费时间。”
“浪费时间？这样做哪里妨碍到你寻找地球了，崔维兹？完全没有。反之，扮演保母可以建立沟通管道，减轻她的恐惧，带给她关爱，这些成就难道一点都不值得吗？”
“这又是盖娅说的话。”
“没错。”宝绮思说：“那么让我们谈点实际的。我们造访了三个古老的外世界，结果一无所获。”
崔维兹点了点头。“十分正确。”
“事实上，我们发现每个世界都相当凶险，对不对？在奥罗拉上有凶猛的野狗；在索拉利上有怪异危险的人类：而在梅尔波美尼亚上，则存在着具有潜在威胁的苔藓。这显然代表说，一个世界一旦孤立起来，不论上面有没有人类，都会对星际社会构成威胁。”
“你不能将这点视为通则。”
“三次全都应验，由不得你不信。”
“你相信的又是什么呢，宝绮思？”
“我会告诉你，但请敞开胸怀听我说。如果银河中有数千万个互动的世界，当然这也是实际情形；每一个都由孤立体组成，事实上也正是如此，那么在每个世界上，人类都居于主宰的地位，能将他们的意志加在非人生命型态上、加在无生命的地理环境上，甚至加诸彼此身上。所以说，这种银河其实就是个非常原始、笨拙，而且功能不当的盖娅星系，是个联合体的雏型。你明白我的意思吗？”
“我的白你想要说什么。但这不表示当你说完之后，我会同意你说的话。”
“只要你愿意听就奸，同下同意随你高兴，但是请注意听。原始盖哑星系是唯一能运作的银河，银河越是远离原始型态、越是接近盖娅星系就越好。银河帝国是个强势原始盖娅星系的尝试，在它分崩离析后，时局便开始迅速恶化。后来，又不断有人企图强化原始盖娅星系，基地联邦就是一个例子。此外骡的帝国也是，第二基地计划中的帝国也是。但纵使没有这些帝国或联邦，纵使整个银河陷入动乱，那也是连成一气的动乱；每个世界都和其他世界保持互动，即使只是满怀敌意的互动。这样子的银河，本身还是个联合体，因此不是最坏的情况。”
“那么，什么才是最坏的情况？”
“你自己知道答案是什么，崔维兹，你已经亲眼目睹。如果一个住人世界完全解体，居民成了真正的孤立体，又如果它和其他人类世界失去一切互动，它就会朝向——恶性发展。”
“像癌一样？”
“没错，索拉利不就是现成的例子吗？它和所有的世界对立。而在那个世界上，所有的人也都处于对立状态，你全都看到了。假如人类完全消失，最后一点纪律也会荡然无存，互相对立的情势将变得毫无章法，就像那些野狗；或者只剩下天然的力量，就像那些苔藓。我想你懂了吧，我们越接近盖娅星系，社会就越美好。所以，为何要在尚未达到盖娅星系的时候，就半途而废呢？”
崔维兹默默瞪着宝绮思，好一会儿才说：“这的确是个好问题。可是，你为什么假设药量和药效永远成正比；如果用一点有好处，多量便会更好，全部服下则最好？你自己不也指出，那些苔藓或许只能适应微量的二氧化碳，过多的话就会致死吗？一个身高两公尺的人比一公尺高的人有利，可是同样比三公尺高的人要好。如果一只老鼠膨胀成像只大象，对它一点益处都没有，那样它根本活下下去；同理，大象缩成老鼠的大小也一样糟糕。”
“每样东西，大至恒星小至原子，都有一个自然的尺度、自然的复杂度，以及某种最佳的特质，而生物与活生生的社会也必定如此。我不是说旧银河帝国合乎理想，我当然也看得出基地联邦的缺陷，可是我不会因此就说：由于完全孤立不好，完全统一便是好的。这两种极端也许同样可怕，而旧式银河帝国不论多么不完美，却可能是我们能力的极限。”
宝绮思摇了摇头。“我怀疑你自己都不相信自己的话，崔维兹。你是不是想要辩称，既然病毒和人类同样无法令人满意，你就希望锁定某种介于其间的生物——例如黏菌？”　　，“不，但我或许可以辩称，既然病毒和超人同样无法令人满意，我就希望锁定某种介于其间的生物——例如凡夫俗子。不过我们根本没有争论的必要，等我找到地球之后，我就能得到解答。在梅尔波美尼亚，我们发现了其他四十七个外世界的坐标。”
“你全部会去造访？”
“每个都要去，如果非这样不可。”
“到每个世界去冒险？”
“是的，如果只有那样才能找到地球。”
裴洛拉特早已回来，将菲龙一个人留在他的舱房。他似乎有话要说，却夹在宝绮思与崔维兹的快速舌战中无法开口。当双方你来我往的时候，他只好轮流对着两人干瞪眼。
“那得花多少时间？”宝绮思问。
“不论得花多少时间。”崔维兹说：“但我们也许在下一站就能找到所需的线索。”
“或者全都徒劳无功。”
“那要等全部找完才知道。”
此时，裴洛拉特终于逮到机会插一句嘴。“何必找呢，葛兰？我们已经有答案了。”
崔维兹原本朝裴洛拉特不耐烦地挥了挥手，挥到一半突然打住，转过头来茫然问道：“什么？”
“我说我们已经有答案了。在梅尔波美尼亚上我就一直想告诉你，我至少试了五次，你却过于专注手头的工作……”
“我们有了什么答案？你到底在说些什么？”
“地球啊，我想我们已经知道地球在哪里了。”
Part Six - Alpha Chapter 16: The Center of the Worlds
69Trevize stared at Pelorat for a long moment, and withan expression of clear displeasure. Then he said, "Is there somethingyou saw that I did not, and that you did not tell me about?""No," answered Pelorat mildly. "You saw it and, as I just said,I tried to explain, but you were in no mood to listen to me.""Well, try again."Bliss said, "Don't bully him, Trevize.""I'm not bullying him. I'm asking for information. And don't youbaby him.""Please," said Pelorat, "listen to me, will you, and not to eachother. Do you remember, Golan, that we discussed early attemptsto discover the origin of the human species? Yariff's project? Youknow, trying to plot the times of settlement of various planets on theassumption that planets would be settled outward from the world of originin all directions alike. Then, as we moved from newer to older planets,we would approach the world of origin from all directions."Trevize nodded impatiently. "What I remember is that it didn't workbecause the dates of settlement were not reliable.""That's right, old fellow. But the worlds that Yariff was workingwith were part of the second expansion of the human race. By then,hyperspatial travel was far advanced, and settlement must have grown quiteragged. Leapfrogging very long distances was very simple and settlementdidn't necessarily proceed outward in radial symmetry. That surely addedto the problem of unreliable dates of settlement.
"But just think for a moment, Golan, of the Spacer worlds. Theywere in the first wave of settlement. Hyperspatial travel was lessadvanced then, and there was probably little or no leapfrogging. Whereasmillions of worlds were settled, perhaps chaotically, during the secondexpansion, only fifty were settled, probably in an orderly manner, inthe first. Whereas the millions of worlds of the second expansion weresettled over a period of twenty thousand years; the fifty of the firstexpansion were settled over a period of a few centuries almostinstantaneously, in comparison. Those fifty, taken together, shouldexist in roughly spherical symmetry about the world of origin.
"We have the co-ordinates of the fifty worlds. You photographed them,remember, from the statue. Whatever or whoever it is that is destroyinginformation that concerns Earth, either overlooked those co-ordinates, ordidn't stop to think that they would give us the information we need. Allyou have to do, Golan, is to adjust the co-ordinates to allow for thelast twenty thousand years of stellar motions, then find the center ofthe sphere. You'll end up fairly close to Earth's sun, or at least towhere it was twenty thousand years ago."Trevize's mouth had fallen slightly open during the recital and ittook a few moments for him to close it after Pelorat was done. He said,"Now why didn't I think of that?""I tried to tell you while we were still on Melpomenia.""I'm sure you did. I apologize, Janov, for refusing to listen. Thefact is it didn't occur to me that " He paused in embarrassment.
Pelorat chuckled quietly, "That I could have anything of importanceto say. I suppose that ordinarily I wouldn't, but this was somethingin my own field, you see. I am sure that, as a general rule, you'd beperfectly justified in not listening to me.""Never," said Trevize. "That's not so, Janov. I feel like a fool,and I well deserve the feeling. My apologies again and I must nowget to the computer."He and Pelorat walked into the pilot-room, and Pelorat, as always,watched with a combination of marveling and incredulity as Trevize'shands settled down upon the desk, and he became what was almost a singleman computer organism.
"I'll have to make certain assumptions, Janov," said Trevize, ratherblankfaced from computer-absorption. "I have to assume that the firstnumber is a distance in parsecs, and that the other two numbers are anglesin radians, the first being up and down, so to speak, and the other,right and left. I have to assume that the use of plus and minus in thecase of the angles is Galactic Standard and that the zero-zzzzzzzzz markis Melpomenia's sun.""That sounds fair enough," said Pelorat.
"Does it? There are six possible ways of arranging the numbers, fourpossible ways of arranging the signs, distances may be in light-yearsrather than parsecs, the angles in degrees, rather than radians. That'sninety-six diferent variations right there. Add to that, the point thatif the distances are light-years, I'm uncertain as to the length of theyear used. Add also the fact that I don't know the actual conventionsused to measure the angles from the Melpomenian equator in one case,I suppose, but what's their prime meridian?"Pelorat frowned. "Now you make it sound hopeless.""Not hopeless. Aurora and Solaria are included in the list, and Iknow where they are in space. I'll use the co-ordinates, and see ifI can locate them. If I end up in the wrong place, I will adjust theco-ordinates until they give me the right place, and that will tell mewhat mistaken assumptions I am making as far as the standards governingthe co-ordinates are concerned. Once my assumptions are corrected,I can look for the center of the sphere.""With all the possibilities for change, won't it make it difficultto decide what to do?""What?" said Trevize. He was increasingly absorbed. Then, whenPelorat repeated the question, he said, "Oh well, chances are that theco-ordinates follow the Galactic Standard and adjusting for an unknownprime meridian isn't difficult. These systems for locating points in spacewere worked out long ago, and most astronomers are pretty confident theyeven antedate interstellar travel. Human beings are very conservativein some ways and virtually never change numerical conventions once theygrow used to them. They even come to mistake them for laws of nature,I think. Which is just as well, for if every world had its ownconventions of measurement that changed every century, I honestly thinkscientific endeavor would stall and come to a permanent stop."He was obviously working while he was talking, for his words camehaltingly. And now he muttered, "But quiet now."After that, his face grew furrowed and concentrated until, afterseveral minutes, he leaned back and drew a long breath. He said quietly,"The conventions hold. I've located Aurora. There's no question aboutit. See?"Pelorat stared at the field of stars, and at the bright one near thecenter and said, "Are you sure?"Trevize said, "My own opinion doesn't matter. Thecomputer is sure. We've visited Aurora, after all. We haveits characteristics its diameter, mass, luminosity, temperature,spectral details, to say nothing of the pattern of neighboring stars. Thecomputer says it's Aurora.""Then I suppose we must take its word for it.""Believe me, we must. Let me adjust the viewscreen and the computercan get to work. It has the fifty sets of co-ordinates and it will usethem one at a time."Trevize was working on the screen as he spoke. The computer worked inthe four dimensions of space-time routinely, but, for human inspection,the viewscreen was rarely needed in more than two dimensions. Now thescreen seemed to unfold into a dark volume as deep as it, was tall andbroad. Trevize dimmed the room lights almost totally to make the viewof star-shine easier to observe.
"It will begin now," he whispered.
A moment later, a star appeared then another thenanother. The view on the screen shifted with every addition so that allmight be included. It was as though space was moving backward from theeye so that a more and more panoramic view could be taken. Combine thatwith shifts up or down, right or left Eventually, fifty dots of light appeared, hovering in three-dimensionalspace.
Trevize said, "I would have appreciated a beautiful sphericalarrangement, but this looks like the skeleton of a snowball that hadbeen patted into shape in a big hurry, out of snow that was too hardand gritty.""Does that ruin everything?""It introduces some difficulties, but that can't be helped, Isuppose. The stars themselves aren't uniformly distributed, and certainlyhabitable planets aren't, so there are bound to be unevennesses in theestablishment of new worlds. The computer will adjust each of thosedots to its present position, allowing for its likely motion in thelast twenty thousand years even in that time it won't mean muchof an adjustment and then fit them all into a `best-sphere.' Itwill find a spherical surface, in other words, from which the distanceof all the dots is a minimum. Then we find the center of the sphere,and Earth should be fairly close to that center. Or so we hope. Itwon't take long."70It didn't. Trevize, who was used to accepting miraclesfrom the computer, found himself astonished at how little time ittook.
Trevize had instructed the computer to sound a soft, reverberatingnote upon deciding upon the co-ordinates of the best-center. There wasno reason for that, except for the satisfaction of hearing it and knowingthat perhaps the search had been ended.
The sound came in a matter of minutes, and was like the gentlestroking of a mellow gong. It swelled till they could feel the vibrationphysically, and then slowly faded.
Bliss appeared at the door almost at once. "What's that?" she asked,her eyes big. "An emergency?"Trevize said, "Not at all."Pelorat added eagerly, "We may have located Earth, Bliss. That soundwas the computer's way of saying so."She walked into the room. "I might have been warned."Trevize said, "I'm sorry, Bliss. I didn't mean it to be quite thatloud."Fallom had followed Bliss into the room and said, "Why was there thatsound, Bliss?""I see she's curious, too," said Trevize. He sat back, feelingdrained. The next step was to try the finding on the real Galaxy, tofocus on the coordinates of the center of the Spacer worlds and see if aG-type star was actually present. Once again, he was reluctant to takethe obvious step, unable to make himself put the possible solution tothe actual test.
"Yes," said Bliss. "Why shouldn't she? She's as human as we are.""Her parent wouldn't have thought so," said Trevize abstractedly. "Iworry about the kid. She's bad news.""In what way has she proven so?" demanded Bliss.
Trevize spread his arms. "Just a feeling."Bliss gave him a disdainful look, and turned to Fallom. "We are tryingto locate Earth, Fallom." ,"What's Earth?""Another world, but a special one. It's the world our ancestors camefrom. Do you know what the word `ancestors' means from your reading,Fallom?""Does it mean   ?" But the last word was not inGalactic.
Pelorat said, "That's an archaic word for `ancestors,' Bliss. Our word`forebears' is closer to it.""Very well," said Bliss, with a sudden brilliant smile. "Earth is theworld where our forebears came from, Fallom. Yours and mine and Pel'sand Trevize's.""Yours, Bliss and mine also." Fallom sounded puzzled. "Bothof them?""There's just one set of forebears," said Bliss. "We had the sameforebears, all of us."Trevize said, "It sounds to me as though the child knows very wellthat she's different from us."Bliss said to Trevize in a low voice, "Don't say that. She must bemade to see she isn't. Not in essentials.""Hermaphrodism is essential, I should think.""I'm talking about the mind.""Transducer-lobes are essential, too.""Now, Trevize, don't be difficult. She's intelligent and humanregardless of details."She turned to Fallom, her voice rising to its normal level. "Thinkquietly about this, Fallom, and see what it means to you. Your forebearsand mine were the same. All the people on all the worlds many,many worlds all had the same forebears, and those forebears livedoriginally on the world named Earth. That means we're all relatives,doesn't it? Now go back to our room and think of that."Fallom, after bestowing a thoughtful look on Trevize, turned and ranoff, hastened on by Bliss's affectionate slap on her backside.
Bliss turned to Trevize, and said, "Please, Trevize, promise me youwon't make any comments in her hearing that will lead her to think she'sdifferent from us."Trevize said, "I promise. I have no wish to impede or subvert theeducational procedure, but, you know, she is different from us.""In ways. As I'm different from you, and as Pel is.""Don't be na飗e, Bliss. The differences in Fallom's case aremuch greater.""A little greater. The similarities are vastly moreimportant. She, and her people, will be part of Galaxia some day, anda very useful part, I'm sure.""All right. We won't argue." He turned to the computer with clearreluctance. "And meanwhile, I'm afraid I have to check the supposedposition of Earth in real space.""Afraid?""Well," Trevize lifted his shoulders in what he hoped was ahalf-humorous way, "what if there's no suitable star near the place?""Then there isn't," said Bliss.
"I'm wondering if there's any point in checking it out now. We won'tbe able to make a Jump for several days.""And you'll be spending them agonizing over the possibilities. Findout now. Waiting won't change matters."Trevize sat there with his lips compressed for a moment, then said,"You're right. Very well, then here goes."He turned to the computer, placed his hands on the handmarks on thedesk, and the viewscreen went dark.
Bliss said, "I'll leave you, then. I'll make you nervous if Istay." She left, with a wave of her hand.
"The thing is," he muttered, "that we're going to be checking thecomputer's Galactic map first and even if Earth's sun is in the calculatedposition, the map should not include it. But we'll then "His voice trailed off in astonishment as the viewscreen flashedwith a background of stars. These were fairly numerous and dim, with anoccasional brighter one sparkling here and there, well scattered overthe face of the screen. But quite close to the center was a star thatwas brighter than all the rest.
"We've got it," said Pelorat jubilantly. "We've got it, old chap. Lookhow bright it is.""Any star at centered co-ordinates would look bright," said Trevize,clearly trying to fight off any initial jubilation that might proveunfounded. "The view, after all, is presented from a distance of a parsecfrom the centered co-ordinates. Still, that centered star certainly isn'ta red dwarf, or a red giant, or a hot blue-white. Wait for information;the computer is checking its data banks."There was silence for a few seconds and then Trevize said,"Spectral class G-2." Another pause, then, "Diameter, 1.4 millionkilometers mass, 1.02 times that of Terminus's sun surfacetemperature, 6,000 absolute rotation slow, just under thirtydays no unusual activity or irregularity."Pelorat said, "Isn't all that typical of the kind of star about whichhabitable planets are to be found?""Typical," said Trevize, nodding in the dimness. "And, therefore,what we'd expect Earth's sun to be like. If that is where life developed,the sun of Earth would have set the original standard.""So there is a reasonable chance that there would be a habitableplanet circling it.""We don't have to speculate about that," said Trevize, who soundedpuzzled indeed over the matter. "The Galactic map lists it as possessinga planet with human life but with a question mark."Pelorat's enthusiasm grew. "That's exactly what we would expect,Golan. The life-bearing planet is there, but the attempt to hide thefact obscures data concerning it and leaves the makers of the map thecomputer uses uncertain.""No, that's what bothers me," said Trevize. "That's not what we shouldexpect. We should expect far more than that. Considering the efficiencywith which data concerning Earth has been wiped out, the makers of themap should not have known that life exists in the system, let alonehuman life. They should not even have known Earth's sun exists. TheSpacer worlds aren't on the map. Why should Earth's sun be?""Well, it's there, just the same. What's the use of arguing thefact? What other information about the star is given?""A name.""Ah! What is it?""Alpha."There was a short pause, then Pelorat said eagerly, "That's it,old man. That's the final bit of evidence. Consider the meaning.""Does it have a meaning?" said Trevize. "It's just a name to me,and an odd one. It doesn't sound Galactic.""It isn't Galactic. It's in a prehistoric language ofEarth, the same one that gave us Gaia as the name of Bliss's planet.""What does Alpha mean, then?""Alpha is the first letter of the alphabet of that ancientlanguage. That is one of the most firmly attested scraps of knowledgewe have about it. In ancient times, `alpha' was sometimes used to meanthe first of anything. To call a sun `Alpha,' implies that it's thefirst sun. And wouldn't the first sun be the one around which a planetrevolved that was the first planet to bear human life Earth?""Are you sure of that?""Absolutely," said Pelorat.
"Is there anything in early legends you're the mythologist,after all that gives Earth's sun some very unusual attribute?""No, how can there be? It has to be standard by definition, and thecharacteristics the computer has given us ate as standard as possible,I imagine. Aren't they?""Earth's sun is a single star, I suppose?"Pelorat said, "Well, of course! As far as I know, all inhabited worldsorbit single stars.""So I would have thought myself," said Trevize. "The trouble isthat that star in the center of the viewscreen is not a single star,it is a binary. The brighter of the two stars making up the binary isindeed standard and it is that one for which the computer supplied uswith data. Circling that star with a period of roughly eighty years,however, is another star with a mass four-fifths that of the brighterone. We can't see the two as separate stars with the unaided eye, butif I were to enlarge the view, I'm sure we would.""Are you certain of that, Golan?" said Pelorat, taken aback.
"It's what the computer is telling me. And if we are looking at abinary star, then it's not Earth's sun. It can't be."71.
Trevize broke contact with the computer, and the lightsbrightened.
That was the signal, apparently, for Bliss to return, with Fallomtagging after her. "Well, then, what are the results?" she asked.
Trevize said tonelessly, "Somewhat disappointing. Where I expectedto find Earth's sun, I found a binary star, instead. Earth's sun is asingle star, so the one centered is not it."Pelorat said, "Now what, Golan?"Trevize shrugged. "I didn't really expect to see Earth's suncentered. Even the Spacers wouldn't settle worlds in such a way as toset up an exact sphere. Aurora, the oldest of the Spacer worlds, mighthave sent out settlers of its own and that may have distorted the sphere,too. Then, too, Earth's sun may not have moved at precisely the averagevelocity of the Spacer worlds."Pelorat said, "So the Earth can be anywhere. Is that what you'resaying?""No. Not quite `anywhere.' All these possible sources of error can'tamount to much. Earth's sun must be in the vicinity of theco-ordinates. The star we've spotted almost exactly at the co-ordinatesmust be a neighbor of Earth's sun. It's startling that there should bea neighbor that so closely resembles Earth's sun except for beinga binary but that must be the case.""But we would see Earth's sun on the map, then, wouldn't we? I mean,near Alpha?""No, for I'm certain Earth's sun isn't on the map at all. It was thatwhich shook my confidence when we first spied Alpha. Regardless of howmuch it might resemble Earth's sun, the mere fact that it was on themap made me suspect it was not the real thing.""Well, then," said Bliss. "Why not concentrate on the same co-ordinatesin real space? Then, if there is any bright star close to the center,a star that does not exist in the computer's map, and if it is verymuch like Alpha in its properties, but is single, might it not beEarth's sun?"Trevize sighed. "If all that were so, I'd be willing to wager halfmy fortune, such as it is, that circling that star you speak of wouldbe the planet Earth. Again, I hesitate to try.""Because you might fail?"Trevize nodded. "However," he said, "just give me a moment or two tocatch my breath, and I'll force myself to do so."And while the three adults looked at each other, Fallom approachedthe computer-desk and stared curiously at the handmarks upon it. Shereached out her own hand tentatively toward the markings, and Trevizeblocked the motion with a swift outthrusting of his own arm and a sharp,"Mustn't touch, Fallom."The young Solarian seemed startled, and retreated to the comfort ofBliss's encircling arm.
Pelorat said, "We must face it, Golan. What if you find nothing inreal space?""Then we will be forced to go back to the earlier plan," said Trevize,"and visit each of the forty-seven Spacer worlds in turn.""And if that yields nothing, Golan?"Trevize shook his head in annoyance, as though to prevent that thoughtfrom taking too deep a root. Staring down at his knees, he said abruptly,"Then I will think of something else.""But what if there is no world of forebears at all?"Trevize looked up sharply at the treble voice. "Who said that?" heasked.
It was a useless question. The moment of disbelief faded, and he knewvery well who the questioner was.
"I did," said Fallom.
Trevize looked at her with a slight frown. "Did you understand theconversation?"Fallom said, "You are looking for the world of forebears, but youhaven't found it yet. Maybe there isn't no such world."" Any such world," said Bliss softly.
"No, Fallom," said Trevize seriously. "There has been a very bigeffort to hide it. To try so hard to hide something means there issomething there to hide. Do you understand what I am saying?""Yes," said Fallom. "You do not let me touch the hands on the deck.
Because you do not let me do that means it would be interesting totouch them.""Ah, but not for you, Fallom. Bliss, you are creating a monsterthat will destroy us all. Don't ever let her in here unless I'm at thedesk. And even then, think twice, will you?"The small byplay, however, seemed to have shaken him out of hisirresolution. He said, "Obviously, I had better get to work. If I justsit here, uncertain as to what to do, that little fright will take overthe ship."The lights dimmed, and Bliss said in a low voice, "You promised,Trevize. Do not call her a monster or a fright in her hearing.""Then keep an eye on her, and teach her some manners. Tell her childrenshould be never heard and seldom seen."Bliss frowned. "Your attitude toward children is simply appalling,Trevize.""Maybe, but this is not the time to discuss the matter."Then he said, in tones in which satisfaction and relief were equallyrepresented, "There's Alpha again in real space. And to its left,and slightly upward, is almost as bright a star and one that isn't inthe computer's Galactic map. That is Earth's sun. I'llwager all my fortune on it."72"Well, now," said Bliss, "we won't take any part ofyour fortune if you lose, so why not settle the matter in a forthrightmanner? Let's visit the star as soon as you can make the Jump."Trevize shook his head. "No. This time it's not a matter ofirresolution or fear. It's a matter of being careful. Three times we'vevisited an unknown world and three times we've come up against somethingunexpectedly dangerous. And three times, moreover, we've had to leavethat world in a hurry. This time the matter is ultimately crucial andI will not play my cards in ignorance again; or at least in any moreignorance than I can help. So far, all we have are vague stories aboutradioactivity, and that is not enough. By an odd chance that no one couldhave anticipated, there is a planet with human life about a parsec fromEarth ""Do we really know that Alpha has a planet with human life on it?" putin Pelorat. "You said the computer placed a question mark after that.""Even so," said Trevize, "it's worth trying. Why not take a look atit? If it does indeed have human beings on it, let us find out what theyknow about Earth. For them, after all, Earth is not a distant thing oflegend; it is a neighbor world, bright and prominent in their sky."Bliss said thoughtfully, "It's not a bad idea. It occurs to me thatif Alpha is inhabited and if the inhabitants are not your thoroughlytypical Isolates, they may be friendly, and we might be able to get somedecent food for a change.""And meet some pleasant people," said Trevize. "Don't forget that. Willit be all right with you, Janov?"Pelorat said, "You make the decision, old chap. Wherever you go,I will go, too."Fallom said suddenly, "Will we find Jemby?"Bliss said hastily, before Trevize could answer, "We will look forit, Fallom."And then Trevize said, "It's settled then. On to Alpha."73"Two big stars," said Fallom, pointing to the viewscreen.
"That's right," said Trevize. "Two of them. Bliss, do keep aneye on her. I don't want her fiddling with anything.""She's fascinated by machinery," said Bliss.
"Yes, I know she is," said Trevize, "but I'm not fascinated by herfascination. Though to tell you the truth, I'm as fascinated asshe is at seeing two stars that bright in the viewscreen at the sametime."The two stars were bright enough to seem to be on the point of showinga disc each of them. The screen had automatically increasedfiltration density in order to remove the hard radiation and dim thelight of the bright stars so as to avoid retinal damage. As a result,few other stars were bright enough to be noticeable, and the two thatwere reigned in haughty near-isolation.
"The thing is," said Trevize, "I've never been this close to a binarysystem before.""You haven't?" said Pelorat, open astonishment in his voice. "How isthat possible?"Trevize laughed. "I've been around, Janov, but I'm not the Galacticrover you think I am."Pelorat said, "I was never in space at all till I met you, Golan, butI always thought that anyone who did manage to get into space ""Would go everywhere. I know. That's natural enough. The troublewith planet-bound people is that no matter how much their mind may tellthem otherwise, their imaginations just can't take in the true size ofthe Galaxy. We could travel all our lives and leave most of the Galaxyunpenetrated and untouched. Besides, no one ever goes to binaries.""Why not?" said Bliss, frowning. "We on Gaia know little astronomycompared to the traveling Isolates of the Galaxy, but I'm under theimpression that binaries aren't rare.""They're not," said Trevize. "There are substantially more binariesthan there are single stars. However, the formation of two stars in closeassociation upsets the ordinary processes of planetary formation. Binarieshave less planetary material than single stars do. Such planets as doform about them often have relatively unstable orbits and are very rarelyof a type that is reasonably habitable.
"Early explorers, I imagine, studied many binaries at close range but,after a while, for settlement purposes, they sought out only singles. And,of course, once you have a densely settled Galaxy, virtually all travelinvolves trade and communications and is carried on between inhabitedworlds circling single stars. In periods of military activity, I supposebases were sometimes set up on small, otherwise-uninhabited worldscircling one of the stars of a binary that happened to be strategicallyplaced, but as hyperspatial travel came to be perfected, such bases wereno longer necessary."Pelorat said humbly, "It's amazing how much I don't know."Trevize merely grinned. "Don't let that impress you, Janov. WhenI was in the Navy, we listened to an incredible number of lectures onoutmoded military tactics that no one ever planned, or intended to use,and were just talked about out of inertia. I was just rattling off a bitof one of them. Consider all you know about mythology, folklore,and archaic languages that I don't know, and that only you and a veryfew others do know."Bliss said, "Yes, but those two stars make up a binary system andone of them has an inhabited planet circling it.""We hope it does, Bliss," said Trevize. "Everything has itsexceptions. And with an official question mark in this case, which makesit more puzzling. No, Fallom, those knobs are not toys. Bliss,either keep her in handcuffs, or take her out.""She won't hurt anything," said Bliss defensively, but pulled theSolarian youngster to herself just the same. "If you're so interestedin that habitable planet, why aren't we there already?""For one thing," said Trevize, "I'm just human enough to want tosee this sight of a binary system at close quarters. Then, too, I'mjust human enough to be cautious. As I've already explained, nothinghas happened since we left Gaia that would encourage me to be anythingbut cautious."Pelorat said, "Which one of those stars is Alpha, Golan?""We won't get lost, Janov. The computer knows exactly which one isAlpha, and, for that matter, so do we. It's the hotter and yellower ofthe two because it's the larger. Now the one on the right has a distinctorange tinge to its light, rather like Aurora's sun, if you recall. Doyou notice?""Yes, now that you call it to my attention.""Very well. That's the smaller one. What's the second letterof that ancient language you speak of?"Pelorat thought a moment, and said, "Beta.""Then let's call the orange one Beta and the yellow-white one Alpha,and it's Alpha we're heading for right now."
第六部 阿尓发星 第十六章 外世界中心
　　69
崔维兹瞪了裴洛拉特良久，脸上露出明显的不悦神情。然后他说：“你看到什么我没看到的，却没有告诉我？”
“没有。”裴洛拉特好言好语答道：“你也看到了，正如我刚才说的，我试图向你解释，你却没心情听我说。”
“好，你就再试一次。”
宝绮思说：“别对他凶，崔维兹。”
“我没对他凶，我只是在问问题，你别宠坏他。”
“拜托，”裴洛拉特道：“都听我说，你们两位，不要你一言我一语的——你还记不记得，葛兰，我们讨论过早年寻找人类起源的尝试？那个亚瑞弗计划？你知道，就是试图标出每颗行星创建的年代。这个计划根据的假设，是人类当年以起源世界为中心，同时向四面八方进行殖民。因此，若从较新的行星逐步追溯到较老的行星，就能从各个方向汇聚到起源世界。”
崔维兹不耐烦地点了点头。“我记得这个方法根本行不通，因为每个世界的创建年代都不可靠。”
“没有错，老伙伴。但亚瑞弗研究的世界都是第二波殖民者建立的，当时超空间旅行极为先进，殖民世界一定已分布得相当凌乱，因为跨越星球殖民并非难事，殖民世界不一定呈径向对称向外扩张。这一点，当然增加了创建年代的不确定性。
“可是你再想想，葛兰，想想那些外世界，它们是由第一波殖民者建立的。当时超空间旅行没那么进步，后来居上的情形可能很少，甚至根本没有。虽然在第二波扩张时，几千万个世界的建立也许毫无规律；第一波却只有五十个世界，它们有可能分布得很规则。虽然第二波扩张持续两万年，建立了数千万个世界；第一波的五十个世界，则是几世纪间的成果——相较之下，几乎像是同时建立的。这五十个世界放在一起，应该大略构成球对称，而对称中心就是那个起源世界。
“我们已经有这五十个世界的座标，你拍摄下来了，记得吗，你坐在石像上拍的。不论什么力量或什么人试图毁掉地球的资料，他不是忽略了这些座标，就是没想到它们会提供我们所需的资料。你现在需要做的，葛兰，就是调整那些座标，修正两万年来的恒星运动，然后找出球形的中心，那个中心便会相当接近地球之阳，至少接近它两万年前的位置。”
当裴洛拉特滔滔不绝时，崔维兹的嘴巴不自觉地微微张开，等到长篇大论结束，又过了好一会儿之后，他才终于阖上嘴巴。“可是我为什么没想到呢？”
“我们还在梅尔波美尼亚的时候，我就试图告诉你。”
“我绝对相信你尝试过，而我却拒绝听，我向你道歉，詹诺夫。其实我根本没料到……”他感到很不好意思，没再往下说。
裴洛拉特默默笑了一下。“没料到我会说出什么着要的话。我想通常我的确不会，不过这件事是我的本行，你懂了吧。我自己也承认，一般说来你大可不必听我唠叨。”
“没这回事，”崔维兹说：“不是这样的，詹诺夫。我觉得自己是个笨蛋，而我活该有这种感觉。我再次向你道歉——现在我得去找电脑了。”
于是他们两人一同走进驾驶舱。当崔维兹双手放在桌面上，几乎与电脑合成单一 “人／机”有机体时，裴洛拉特望着他，像往常一样既惊叹又无法置信。
“我必须做些假设，詹诺夫。”由于崔维兹与电脑已融为一体，他的表情有点茫然。“我得假设第一个数字是距离，单位为秒差距：其他两个数字是角度，都是以径为单位，勉强可说第一个角度标示上下，另一个标示左右。我必须假设角度的正负号依据的是银河标准规约，而那三着零值代表梅尔波美尼亚的太阳。”
“听来很有希望。”裴洛拉特说。
“是吗？数字的排列共有六种可能，正负号的组合共有四种可能，距离的单位也许是光年而不是秒差距，角度的单位也许是度而不是径，这就构成九十六种不同的变化。此外，如果距离单位是光年，我不确定用的是哪种年；另一个问题是，我不知道测量角度用的究竟是什么规约——我想，其中之一应是以梅尔波美尼亚的赤道为准，可是本初子午线在哪里？”
裴洛拉特皱起眉头。“听你这么一说，好像又绝望了。”
“没有绝望。奥罗拉和索拉利都在这份名单上，而我知道它们在太空中的位置。我将根据座标试着寻找它们，如果找错地方，我就改用另一种规约，直到座标给出正确位置为止。这样我便能知道，我在座标规约上做的假设有何错误。假设一旦改正了，我就可以开始寻找那个球心。”
“有那么多可能的变化，做出决定会不会很难？”
“什么？”崔维兹越来越全神贯注。裴洛拉特将问题着复一遍之后，他才回答道：“喔，还好，这些座标遵循的很可能是银河标准规约，找出未知的本初子午线并不困难。标定太空位址的各种系统出现得很早，大多数天文学家都相当肯定它们甚至是在星际旅行前建立的。人类在某些方面非常保守，用惯一组数值规约之后，就不会做任何更改。我想，甚至有人会将它们误认为自然法则——其实这样也好，因为若是每个世界都有自己的测量规约，而且每个世纪都做改变，我相信科学发展绝对会因而受阻，甚至永远停滞不前。”
他显然一面说话一面工作，因为他的话始终断断续续。此时他又喃喃道：“现在保持肃静。”
说完这句话，他整个脸皱起来，神情显得极为专注。几分钟之后，他才靠回椅背，深深吸了一口气，以平静的口吻说：“规约的确成立，我已经找到奥罗拉。绝对没问题——看到了吗？”
裴洛拉特凝视着星像场，目光聚焦在接近中央的一颗后星上。“你确定吗？”
崔维兹说：“我自己的意见不着要，着要的是电脑的肯定。毕竟我们造访过奥罗拉，它的特征我们十分清楚——直径、质量、光度、温度、光谱细目等等，更遑论附近恒星的分布模式——电脑说它就是奥罗拉。”
“那么我想，我们必须接受它的话。”
“相信我，我们必须接受。让我调整一下显像屏幕，电脑就能开始工作。五十组座标早巳输入，它会一个一个处理。”
崔维兹一面说，一面开始调整屏幕。虽然电脑通常在四维时空中运作，但将结果呈现给人类时，显像屏幕鲜有超过二维的需要。然而现在，屏幕似乎展成一个漆黑的三维空间，深度与长宽相当。崔维兹将舱内的光线几乎完全熄灭，好让星光的影像更易于观察。
“现在要开始了。”他低声道。
一会儿之后，便出现一颗恒星——接着是另一颗——然后又是一颗。每多出现一颗星，屏幕的影像即变换一次，将所有星光皆纳入屏幕。看起来，仿佛太空在他们眼前逐渐远去，因此得见越来越多的全景。除此之外，还有上下的移动，左右的移动……
最后，五十个光点尽数出现，全部悬挂在三维太空中。
崔维兹说：“我本来希望能看到一个美丽的球状排列，但这看来却像个匆促捏成的雪球，而且是由过硬、砂砾过多的雪捏成的。”
“这样会不会前功尽弃？”
“会增加些困难，我想，但这也是没办法的事。恒星本身的分布并不均匀，可住人行星当然也一样，因此新世界一定不会构成完美的几何图形。电脑会考虑过去两万年最可能的运动模式，将每个光点调整到目前的位置——即使过了那么长的时间，需要的调整其实也不多。然后，再利用它们建构一个‘最佳球面’，换句话说，就是在太空中找出一个球面，使所有光点与它的距离都是最小值。最后我们再求出那个球面的球心，地球就应该在那个球心附近，至少我们希望如此——这不会花太多时间。”
70
果然未花太多时间。虽然崔维兹对这台电脑创造的奇迹习以为常，它的速度还是令他惊讶不已。
崔维兹刚才对电脑下过一道指令，要它在定出“最佳球心”后，发出一个柔和而余音袅袅的音调。这样做没有什么特殊理由，只不过为了心理上的满足，因为一旦听到这个声音，也许就代表这次的探索已接近尾声。
电脑几分钟后便发出声音，听来像是轻敲铜锣所激起的柔美响声。音量由小而大，直到他们都能感到微微震动，才慢慢消逝在空气中。
宝绮思几乎立刻出现在舱门口。“什么声音？”她瞪大眼睛问道：“紧急状况吗？”
“不，没事。”崔维兹说。
裴洛拉特热心地补充道：“我们也许找到地球的位置了，宝绮思，那一声就是电脑报告这个好消息的方式。”
她走进驾驶舱。“事先也该告诉我一声。”
崔维兹说：“抱歉，宝绮思，我没想到声音会那么大。”
菲龙跟着宝绮思走了进来，问道：“为什么有那个声音，宝绮思？”
“我看得出来她也很好奇。”崔维兹往椅背一靠，感到十分疲倦。下一步，是在真实银河中验证这个发现——将寻找焦点集中在外世界中心的座标上，看看是否真有G型恒星存在。但他再次变得优柔寡断，不愿进行这个简单的步骤，无法让自己面对真实测验的可能答案。
“没错，”宝绮思说：“她为何不该好奇呢？她和我们一样是人类。”
“她的单亲可不会这么想，”崔维兹心不在焉地说：“这个小孩令我担心，她是个麻烦。”
“何以见得？”宝绮思质问。
崔维兹双手一摊，答道：“只是一种感觉。”
宝绮思白了他一眼，再转身对菲龙说：“我们正在设法寻找地球，菲龙。”
“什么是地球？”
“另一个世界，不过是很特别的一个，我们的祖先都来自那个世界。你从那些读物中，有没有学到‘祖先’是什么意思，菲龙？”
“是不是XX？”最后那个词汇并非银河标准语。
裴洛拉特说：“那是祖先的古字，宝绮思。我们的语言中跟它最接近的是‘先人’。”
“太好了。”宝绮思突然露出灿烂的笑容。“我们的先人都来自地球，菲龙。你的、我的、裴的、崔维兹的先人都是。”
“你的，宝绮思……还有我的也是，”菲龙的口气似乎透着疑惑，“他们都是从地球来的？”
“先人只有一种，”宝绮思说：“你的先人就是我的先人，大家的先人全都一样。”
崔维兹说：“听来这孩子好像十分明白她和我们不同。”
宝绮思对崔维兹低声道：“别那么说，一定要让她认为自己没什么不同，没有根本上的差异。”
“雌雄同体是根本上的差异，我这么想。”
“我指的是心灵。”
“转换叶突也是根本上的差异。”
“喂，崔维兹，别那么难伺候。姑且不论那些细节，她既聪明又有人性。”
她转身面对菲龙，将音量恢复正常大小。“静静想一想，菲龙，想想这对你有什么意义。你的先人和我的先人一样，在每个世界上——很多、很多的世界——每一个人都拥有共同的先人，那些先人原来住在一个叫作地球的世界。这就表示我们都是亲戚，对下对？现在回到我们的舱房，想一想我说的话。”
菲龙若有所思地看了崔维兹一眼，随即转身跑开，宝绮思还在她臀部亲昵地拍了一下。
然后宝绮思转向崔维兹说：“拜托，崔维兹，答应我，以后她在附近的时候，不要再说那些话，免得她认为自己跟我们不同。”
崔维兹说：“我答应你，我并不想妨碍或破坏她的学习过程。可是，你也知道，她的确跟我们不一样。”
“只是某些方面有差异，就像我跟你有所不同，裴跟你也不完全一样。”
“别太天真了，宝绮思，菲龙的差异要大得多。”
“大一点而己。比较之下，她和我们的相似点却着要得多。她和她的同胞有一天会成为盖娅星系的一部分，而且我相信，还是极有用的一部分。”
“好吧，我们别争论了。”他万分不情愿地转身面对电脑，“现在，恐怕我得在真实太空中，查证一下地球是否在那个位置上。”
“恐怕？”
“嗯，”崔维兹耸起双肩，希望做个至少有些像开玩笑的动作，“万一附近没有符合条件的恒星，那该怎么办？”
“没有就没有吧。”宝绮思说。
“我不知道现在查证是否有任何意义，几天之内我们都还无法进行跃迁。”　 “但这几天你却会为了揣测答案而坐立不安。现在就查出来，等待不会改变既有事实。”
崔维兹紧抿着嘴坐在那里，过了一会儿，他才说：“你说得对。好，那么——就开始吧。”
他再度转身面向电脑，双手按在桌面的手掌轮廓上，显像屏幕立刻变得一片漆黑。
宝绮思说：“那么我走了，我留下来会让你神经紧张。”她挥了挥手，离开驾驶舱。
“现在我们要做的，”崔维兹喃喃说道：“首先是检查一下电脑的银河舆图。即使地球之阳真在计算出的位置上，舆图应该也没有收录。不过我们再……”
他的声音在惊讶中逐渐消失；显像屏幕上闪现出了群星背景，星辰的数量极多，在屏幕上分布得很平均，大部分都十分暗淡，偶尔穿插着一颗较明后的恒星。不过在相当接近中央的地方，有颗令众星黯然失色的明后星辰。
“找到了！”裴洛拉特高声欢呼：“我们找到了，老弟，看看它有多后。”
“位于座标中心的恒星看来都很明后。”崔维兹显然试图压抑过早的欢喜，以免将来证明是一场空。“毕竟这个影像的像源，距离座标中心只有一秒差距。但话说回来，中央那颗恒星显然不是红矮星或红巨星，光芒也不是高温的蓝白色。等资料出来再说，电脑正在查寻它的资料库。”
经过几秒钟的沉默后，崔维兹说：“光谱型为G 2。”他又顿了一会儿，才继续说下去。“直径，一百四十万公里——质量，端点星之阳的一点零二倍——表面温度，绝对温标六千度——自转速率缓慢，周期接近三十天——没有异常活动或不规则的变化。”
裴洛拉特说：“这些不都是拥有可住人行星的典型条件吗？”
“很典型，”崔维兹一面说，一面在昏暗中点着头。“因此符合我们对地球之阳的预期。如果生命的确源自地球，地球之阳就树立了最初的典范。”
“所以说，周围有颗可住人行星的机会相当大。”
“我们不必臆测这一点。”崔维兹的声音有些困惑，“根据银河舆图的记载，它有颗拥有人类生命的行星——可是后面加了一个问号。”
裴洛拉特的兴致越来越高。“那正是我们预期的情况，葛兰。那里的确有颗住人行星，可是那神秘的力量企图掩盖这个事实，因此有关资料模糊不清，使电脑舆图制作者无法确定。”
“不，令我不安的就是这点。”崔维兹说：“那并非我们应当预期的结果，我们应当预期的是更极端的情况。想想看，地球的相关资料被清除得多彻底，制图者不该知道那行星系有生命存在，更别提人类生命。他们甚至不该知道地球之阳的存在，外世界全都不在舆图中，地球之阳为何会被收录呢？”
“嗯，无论如何，它就是在那里。这是事实，何必质疑呢？那颗恒星还有没有其他资料？”
“有个名字。”
“啊！叫什么？”
“阿尔发。”
顿了顿之后，裴洛拉特热切地说：“那就对了，老友，那是最后一个小小的佐证——想想它的含意。”
“它有什么含意吗？”崔维兹说：“对我而言，它只是个名字，而且还是个古怪的名字，听来不像是银河标准语。”
“的确不是银河标准语，它是地球的一种史前语言。宝绮思的行星叫作盖娅，也是源自这种语言。”
“那么，阿尔发是什么意思？”
“那个古老的语言，第一个字母叫‘阿尔发’，这是最可靠的史前知识片断之一。在遥远的古代，阿尔发有时用来代表第一件事物，如果某个太阳被命名为阿尔发，就意味着它是第一个太阳。第一个太阳难道不就是人类最初的行星——地球所环绕的恒星吗？”
“你确定？”
“绝对确定。”裴洛拉特说。
“在早期的传说中——毕竟你是神话学家——有没有提到地球之阳有什么很特殊的性质？”
“没有，怎么会呢？根据定义，它应该是最标准的，而电脑告诉我们的那些特征，我猜想再标准不过了。到底是不是？”
“我想地球之阳应该是颗单星？”
裴洛拉特说：“嗯，当然啦！据我所知，所有的住人世界环绕的都是单星。”
“这点我早就该想到。”崔维兹说：“问题是，显像屏幕中央那颗恒星并非单星，而是一对双星。双星之中较后的那颗的确很标准，电脑提供我们的就是有关它的资料。然而，另有一颗恒星环绕着它，其周期大约是八十年，质量是较后那颗的五分之四。我们无法用肉眼看出它们其实是两颗星，伹若将影像放大，我确定我们就看得出来。”
“你肯定这点吗，葛兰？”裴洛拉特着实吃了一惊。
“这是电脑告诉我的。如果我们眼前是一对双星，那它就不是地球之阳，不可能是。”
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崔维兹中断了与电脑的接触，舱内顿时大放光明。
这显然就是请宝绮思回来的讯号，菲龙则紧紧跟在她身后。“好啦，结果怎么样？”宝绮思问。
崔维兹以平板的语调说：“多少有些令人失望。在我原本希望找到地球之阳的地方，却出现一对双星。地球之阳是颗单星，所以中央那颗绝对不是。”
裴洛拉特说：“现在怎么办，葛兰？”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“我原本就没指望在正中央看到地球之阳。即使是外世界人建立的世界，也不会恰好形成完美的球面。奥罗拉——那个最古老的外世界——也可能产生自己的殖民者，这就可能使球面扭曲。此外，地球之阳在太空中的运动速度，也许和外世界的平均速度不尽相同。”
裴洛拉特说：“所以地球可能在任何地方，你是不是这个意思？”
“不，不能说是‘任何地方’。所有可能的误差加起来也不会太大，地球之阳一定位于球心座标附近。我们找的那颗几乎刚好在座标上的恒星，一定是地球之阳的近邻。地球之阳竟然有个如此相似的邻居——唯有它是双星这点例外，这实在令人惊讶，伹事实一定是如此。”
“不过，这样的话，我们应该能在舆图上看到地球之阳，对不对？我的意思是——在阿尔发的附近？”
“不能，因为我确定地球之阳根本不在舆图上。就是由于这个缘故，我们最初找到阿尔发的时候，我才会感到信心动摇。不论它和地球之阳有多接近，光凭它被收录在舆图中这一点，就让我怀疑它不是真货。”
“好吧，那么，”宝绮思说：“何不将注意力集中到真实太空的这组座标上？然后，如果发现有颗明后的恒星接近中心，可是不在电脑舆图中，又如果这颗恒星的性质和阿尔发非常相近，却是一颗单星，那它不就是地球之阳吗？”
崔维兹叹了一口气。“如果一切如你所说，我愿意拿我的一半财产打赌，赌你所说的恒星就是地球这颗行星的太阳。可是，现在我又有些犹豫，不想验证这个假设。”
“因为你可能失败？”
崔维兹点了点头。“不过，”他说：“给我一点时间喘口气，我会强迫自己去做。”
正当三个大人面面相觑之际，菲龙走近电脑桌面，好奇地瞪着上面的手掌轮廓。她的手向那个轮廓探去，崔维兹赶紧伸出手臂格开，同时厉声道：“不准乱碰，菲龙。”
小索拉利人似乎吓了一跳，立坑阢进宝绮思温暖的臂膀中。
裴洛拉特说：“我们必须面对现实，葛兰。如果你在太空中什么也没找到，那该怎么办？”
“那我们将被迫着拾原先的计划，”崔维兹说：“一一去造访其他四十七个外世界。”
“万一那样也一无所获呢，葛兰？”
崔维兹心烦意乱地摇了摇头，仿佛要阻止那种想法在脑中生根。他低头看了看自己的膝盖，突然冒出一句：“那时我会再想别的办法。”
“可是如果根本没有先人的世界呢？”
听到这个女高音般的声音，崔维兹猛然抬起头，“谁在说话？”
这其实是多此一问，他很快便想到发问者是谁。
“我说的。”菲龙答道。
崔维兹望着她，微微皱起眉头。“你听得懂我们的谈话吗？”
菲龙说：“你们在寻找先人的世界，可是你们还没找到，也许根本没有一个世界。”
“‘那个’世界。”宝绮思轻声纠正她。
“不，菲龙，”崔维兹以严肃的口吻说：“是有人花了很大工夫将它藏起来。如此努力隐藏一样东西，意味着那样东西必须隐藏起来。你了解我的意思吗？”
“我懂。”菲龙说：“就像你不让我碰桌上的手影，这就意味着碰一碰会很有趣。”
“啊，但不是给你碰的，菲龙——宝绮思，你在制造一个怪物，她会把我们全毁了。除非我坐在电脑前面，否则再也别让她进来；即使我在电脑前，也请你凡事先想想好吗？”
这段小插曲似乎驱走了他的优柔寡断。“显然，我最好现在就开始工作。假如我只是坐在这里，无法决定该怎么做，那小丑怪马上就会接管这艘太空船。”
舱内灯光立刻变暗，宝绮思压低声音说：“答应我，崔维兹，她在附近的时候，别称她怪物或丑怪。”
“那就好好盯牢她，教她应有的礼节。告诉她小孩不该跟大人讲话，还要尽量少在大人面前出现。”
宝绮思皱起眉头。“你对小孩子的态度实在太过分了，崔维兹。”
“或许吧，不过现在不是讨论这个问题的时候。”
然后，他以满意与宽心的语调说：“那是真实太空中的阿尔发——在它的左侧，稍微偏上的位置，是一颗几乎同样明后、并未收录在银河舆图中的恒星。我敢拿我所有的财产打赌，那就是地球之阳。”
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“好啦，”宝绮思说：“即使你输了，我们也不会拿走你任何财产，所以何不直截了当找出答案？一旦能进行跃迁，我们就立刻造访那颗恒星。”
崔维兹摇了摇头。“不——这次并非由于犹豫或恐惧，而是为了小心谨慎。我们造访了三个未知的世界，三次都遭到始料未及的危险，而且三次都被迫匆匆离去。这次是最紧要的关键，我不要再盲目行事，至少在能力范围内要尽量避免。直到目前为止，我们知道的只是有关放射性的含混传说，那根本不够。但是绝不会有人料到，在距离地球约一秒差距的地方，竟然有颗拥有人类生命的行星……”
“阿尔发周围，真有一颗拥有人类生命的行星吗？”裴洛拉特问道：“你说电脑在后面打了个问号。”
“即使如此，”崔维兹说：“也值得我们试一试。为什么不去瞧瞧呢？倘若上面果真住有人类，我们就去问问他们对地球了解多少。毕竟，对他们而言，地球不是传说中遥不可及的世界，而是他们的近邻，在他们的天空，地球之阳一定既明后又耀眼。”
宝绮思以深思熟虑的口吻说：“这个主意不坏。我突然想到，如果阿尔发拥有一个住人世界，居民又不是你们这种典型的孤立体，那么他们也许很友善，我们就有可能获得一些美食换换口味。”
“还能结识一些和蔼可亲的人，”崔维兹说：“别忘了这一点。你同意这样做吗，詹诺夫？”
裴洛拉特说：“由你决定，老弟。不论你到哪里，我一定奉陪。”
菲龙突然问道：“我们会不会找到健比？”
宝绮思赶紧抢在崔维兹前面回答：“我们会找找看，菲龙。”
于是崔维兹说：“那就这么决定了，向阿尔发前进。”
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“两颗大星星。”菲龙指着显像屏幕说。
“没错，”崔维兹说：“有两颗——宝绮思，切记要看好她，我不想让她乱碰任何东西。”
“她对机械装置很着迷。”宝绮思说。
“是啊，我知道，”崔维兹说：“可是我不敢领教——不过老实告诉你，看到显像屏幕上两颗恒星同时闪耀，我倒是跟她一样着迷。”
那两颗恒星的确相当灿烂，几乎呈圆盘状，两者皆如此。屏幕早已自动增强过滤密度，用来消除“硬辐射”并减低星光后度，以避免对视网膜构成伤害。结果，屏幕上只剩下少数几颗后星，那对双星则以高傲而近乎孤立的王者姿态高挂天际。
“事实上，”崔维兹说：“我以前从未如此接近一个双星系。”
“没有？”裴洛拉特声音中透出几许讶异，“怎么可能呢？”
崔维兹哈哈大笑。“虽然我在太空中来来去去，詹诺夫，但我并非你想像中的那种银河游侠。”
裴洛拉特说：“在我遇到你之前，葛兰，我从来没到过太空。但我总是认为，任何人只要上了太空……”
“就什么地方都会去。我了解，那是很自然的想法。足不离地的人最大的问题，就是不论理智如何说服他们，他们仍然无法想像银河的实际大小。即使我们在太空旅行一辈子，银河绝大多数地方还是碰不到。此外，根本没有人去过双星系。”
“为什么？”宝绮思皱着眉头说：“比起遍游银河的孤立体，我们盖娅上的人对天文学知道不多，可是在我的印象中，双星似乎并不罕见。”
“的确如此。”崔维兹说：“其实说起来，双星的数量比单星还多。不过，两颗靠得很近的恒星生成之后，会害得行星无法循一般过程形成。双星拥有的行星物质比单星少，即使双星系中有行星形成，通常轨道也不太稳定，极少出现适于住人的行星。
“早期的星际探险者，我猜想，一定在近距离研究过许多双星。可是一段时日后，为了殖民的目的而探索时，他们的目标便仅限于单星。当然啦，一旦银河到处遍布殖民世界，几乎所有的星际旅行都和贸易或交通有关，而且一律在单星的住人世界间进行。在军事活动频仍时期，我想，假如某对双星刚好具有战略地位，有时会在环绕双星之一的小型、无人居住的世界上设立据点。可是随着超空间旅行渐趋完善，那样的据点也就变得没必要了。”
裴洛拉特虚心地说：“真不敢想像我有多么孤陋寡闻。”
崔维兹只是咧嘴微笑。“别被我唬到了，詹诺夫。我在舰队的时候，听过无数过时军事战术的演讲，根本没有人计划或意图使用那些战术，讨论它们纯粹是一种传统，我只不过随便卖弄了点——话说回来，你懂得那么多神话学、民俗学，以及古代语文，这些我都一窍不通，只有你和少数专家才懂。”
宝绮思说：“没错，但那两颗恒星的确构成一个双星系，其中之一的轨道上却有颗住人行星。”
“我们希望是这样，宝绮思。”崔维兹说：“凡事皆有例外，再加上标了一个正式的问号，就使它更加令人费解——不行，菲龙，那些按钮不是玩具——宝绮思，要不就用手铐把她铐起来，要不就带她出去。”
“她不会弄坏任何东西。”宝绮思虽然在为菲龙辩护，仍将那索拉利小孩拉到自己身边。“如果你对那颗可住人行星这么有兴趣，我们还在这儿等什么？”
“原因之一，”崔维兹说：“这是人之常情，我想乘机在近距离观察一下双星系。此外，谨慎也是人之常情，我自然不例外。正如我已解释过的，自从我们离开盖娅后，没有一件事不让我变得更小心谨慎。”
裴洛拉特说：“这两颗恒星哪颗是阿尔发，葛兰？”
“我们不会迷路的，詹诺夫。电脑清楚究竟哪颗是阿尔发，因此我们也知道。它是温度较高、颜色较黄的那颗，因为它的体积比较大。而右侧的那颗，则发出明显的橙色光芒，有点像奥罗拉的太阳，如果你还记得。你注意到了吗？”
“经你这么一提醒，我就注意到了。”
“很好，它是较小的那颗。你提到的那种古老语言，第二个字母是什么？”
裴洛拉特想了一下，然后说：“贝它。”
“那就让我们称橙色的恒星为贝它，称黄白色的恒星为阿尔发，我们现在的目标正是阿尔发。”
Chapter 17: New Earth
74"Four planets," muttered Trevize. "All are small,plus a trailing off of asteroids. No gas giants."Pelorat said, "Do you find that disappointing?""Not really. It's expected. Binaries that circle each other at smalldistances can have no planets circling one of the stars. Planets cancircle the center of gravity of both, but it's very unlikely that theywould be habitable too far away.
"On the other hand if the binaries are reasonably separate, there canbe planets in stable orbits about each, if they are close enough to oneor the other of the stars. These two stars, according to the computer'sdata bank, have an average separation of 3.5 billion kilometers and evenat periastron, when they are closest together, are about 1.7 billionkilometers apart. A planet in an orbit of less than 200 million kilometersfrom either star would be stably situated, but there can be no planetwith a larger orbit. That means no gas giants since they would haveto be farther away from a star, but what's the difference? Gas giantsaren't habitable, anyway.""But one of those four planets might be habitable.""Actually the second planet is the only real possibility. For onething, it's the only one of them large enough to have an atmosphere."They approached the second planet rapidly and over a period of two daysits image expanded; at first with a majestic and measured swelling. Andthen, when there was no sign of any ship emerging to intercept them,with increasing and almost frightening speed.
The Far Star was moving swiftly along a temporary orbit athousand kilometers above the cloud cover, when Trevize said grimly,"I see why the computer's memory banks put a question mark after thenotation that it was inhabited. There's no clear sign of radiation;either light in the night-hemisphere, or radio anywhere.""The cloud cover seems pretty thick," said Pelorat.
"That should not blank out radio radiation."They watched the planet wheeling below them, a symphony in swirlingwhite clouds, through occasional gaps of which a bluish wash indicatedocean.
Trevize said, "The cloud level is fairly heavy for an inhabitedworld. It might be a rather gloomy one. What bothers me most,"he added, as they plunged once more into the night-shadow, "is that nospace stations have hailed us.""The way they did back at Comporellon, you mean?" said Pelorat.
"The way they would in any inhabited world. We would have to stopfor the usual checkup on papers, freight, length of stay, and so on."Bliss said, "Perhaps we missed the hail for some reason.""Our computer would have received it at any wavelength they mighthave cared to use. And we've been sending out our own signals, but haveroused no one and nothing as a result. Dipping under the cloud layerwithout communicating with station officials violates space courtesy,but I don't see that we have a choice."The Far Star slowed, and strengthened its antigravityaccordingly, so as to maintain its height. It came out into thesunlight again, and slowed further. Trevize, in co-ordination with thecomputer, found a sizable break in the clouds. The ship sank and passedthrough it. Beneath them heaved the ocean in what must have been a freshbreeze. It lay, wrinkled, several kilometers below, them, faintly stripedin lines of froth.
They flew out of the sunlit patch and under the cloud cover. Theexpanse of water immediately beneath them turned a slate-gray, and thetemperature dropped noticeably.
Fallom, staring at the viewscreen, spoke in her own consonant-richlanguage for a few moments, then shifted to Galactic. Her voicetrembled. "What is that which I see beneath?""That is an ocean," said Bliss soothingly. "It is a very large massof water.""Why does it not dry up?"Bliss looked at Trevize, who said, "There's too much water for it todry up."Fallom said in a half-choked manner, "I don't want all that water. Letus go away." And then she shrieked, thinly, as the Far Star movedthrough a patch of storm clouds so that the viewscreen turned milky andwas streaked with the mark of raindrops.
The lights in the pilot-room dimmed and the ship's motion becameslightly jerky.
Trevize looked up in surprise and cried out. "Bliss, your Fallom isold enough to transduce. She's using electric power to try to manipulatethe controls. Stop her!"Bliss put her arms about Fallom, and hugged her tightly, "It's allright, Fallom, it's all right. There's nothing to be afraid of. It'sjust another world, that's all. There are many like this."Fallom relaxed somewhat but continued to tremble.
Bliss said to Trevize, "The child has never seen an ocean, andperhaps, for all I know, never experienced fog or rain. Can't you besympathetic?""Not if she tampers with the ship. She's a danger to all of us,then. Take her into your room and calm her down."Bliss nodded curtly.
Pelorat said, "I'll come with you, Bliss.""No, no, Pel," she responded. "You stay here. I'll soothe Fallom andyou soothe Trevize." And she left.
"I don't need soothing," growled Trevize to Pelorat. "I'm sorry if Iflew off the handle, but we can't have a child playing with the controls,can we?""Of course we can't," said Pelorat, "but Bliss was caught bysurprise. She can control Fallom, who is really remarkably well behavedfor a child taken from her home and her her robot, and thrown,willy-nilly, into a life she doesn't understand.""I know. It wasn't I who wanted to take her along, remember. It wasBliss's idea.""Yes, but the child would have been killed, if we hadn't takenher.""Well, I'll apologize to Bliss later on. To the child, too."But he was still frowning, and Pelorat said gently, "Golan, old chap,is there anything else bothering you?""The ocean," said Trevize. They had long emerged from the rain storm,but the clouds persisted.
"What's wrong with it?" asked Pelorat.
"There's too much of it, that's all."Pelorat looked blank, and Trevize said, with a snap, "No land. Wehaven't seen any land. The atmosphere is perfectly normal, oxygen andnitrogen in decent proportions, so the planet has to be engineered,and there has to be plant life to maintain the oxygen level. In thenatural state, such atmospheres do not occur except, presumably,on Earth, where it developed, who knows how. But, then, on engineeredplanets there are always reasonable amounts of dry land, up to one thirdof the whole, and never less than a fifth. So how can this planet beengineered, and lack land?"Pelorat said, "Perhaps, since this planet is part of a binarysystem, it is completely atypical. Maybe it wasn't engineered, butevolved an atmosphere in ways that never prevail on planets about singlestars. Perhaps life developed independently here, as it once did on Earth,but only sea life.""Even if we were to admit that," said Trevize, "it would do us nogood. There's no way life in the sea can develop a technology. Technologyis always based on fire, and fire is impossible in the sea. A life-bearingplanet without technology is not what we're looking for.""I realize that, but I'm only considering ideas. After all, as far aswe know, technology only developed once on Earth. Everywhere else,the Settlers brought it with them. You can't say technology is `always'
anything, if you only have one case to study.""Travel through the sea requires streamlining. Sea life cannot haveirregular outlines and appendages such as hands.""Squids have tentacles."Trevize said, "I admit we are allowed to speculate, but if you'rethinking of intelligent squid-like creatures evolving independentlysomewhere in the Galaxy, and developing a technology not based on fire,you're supposing something not at all likely, in my opinion.""In your opinion ," said Pelorat gently.
Suddenly, Trevize laughed. "Very well, Janov. I see you'relogic-chopping in order to get even with me for speaking harshly toBliss, and you're doing a good job. I promise you that if we find noland, we will examine the sea as best we can to see if we can find yourcivilized squids."As he spoke, the ship plunged into the night-shadow again, and theviewscreen turned black.
Pelorat winced. "I keep wondering," he said. "Is this safe?""Is what safe, Janov?""Racing through the dark like this. We might dip, and dive into theocean, and be destroyed instantly.""Quite impossible, Janov. Really! The computer keeps us travelingalong a gravitational line of force. In other words, it remains alwaysat a constant intensity of the planetary gravitational force which meansit keeps us at a nearly constant height above sea level.""But how high?""Nearly five kilometers.""That doesn't really console me, Golan. Might we not reach land andsmash into a mountain we don't see?"" We don't see, but ship's radar will see it, and thecomputer will guide the ship around or over the mountain.""What if there's level land, then? We'll miss it in the dark.""No, Janov, we won't. Radar reflected from water is not at all likeradar reflected from land. Water is essentially flat; land is rough. Forthat reason, reflection from land is substantially more chaotic thanreflection from water. The computer will know the difference and it willlet me know if there's land in view. Even if it were day and the planetwere sun-lit, the computer might well detect land before I would."They fell silent and, in a couple of hours, they were back indaylight, with an empty ocean again rolling beneath them monotonously,but occasionally invisible when they passed through one of the numerousstorms. In one storm, the wind drove the Far Star out of itspath. The computer gave way, Trevize explained, in order to preventan unnecessary waste of energy and to minimize the chance of physicaldamage. Then, when the turbulence had passed, the computer eased theship back into its path.
"Probably the edge of a hurricane," said Trevize.
Pelorat said, "See here, old chap, we're just traveling west toeast or east to west. All we're examining is the equator."Trevize said, "That would be foolish, wouldn't it? We're followinga great-circle route northwest-southeast. That takes us through thetropics and both temperate zones and each time we repeat the circle, thepath moves westward, as the planet rotates on its axis beneath us. We'remethodically criss-crossing the world. By now, since we haven't hit land,the chances of a sizable continent are less than one in ten, accordingto the computer, and of a sizable island less than one in four, withthe chances going down each circle we make.""You know what I would have done," said Pelorat slowly, as the nighthemisphere engulfed them again. "I'd have stayed well away from theplanet and swept the entire hemisphere facing me with radar. The cloudswouldn't have mattered, would they?"Trevize said, "And then zoom to the other side and do the samethere. Or just let the planet turn once. That's hindsight,Janov. Who would expect to approach a habitable planet without stoppingat a station and being given a path or being excluded? And if onewent under the cloud layer without stopping at a station, who would expectnot to find land almost at once? Habitable planets are land!""Surely not all land," said Pelorat.
"I'm not talking about that," said Trevize, in sudden excitement. "I'msaying we've found land! Quiet!"Then, with a restraint that did not succeed in hiding his excitement,Trevize placed his hands on the desk and became part of the computer. Hesaid, "It's an island about two hundred and fifty kilometers long andsixty-five kilometers wide, more or less. Perhaps fifteen thousand squarekilometers in area or thereabout. Not large, but respectable. More thana dot on the map. Wait "The lights in the pilot-room dimmed and went out.
"What are we doing?" said Pelorat, automatically whispering as thoughdarkness were something fragile that must not be shattered.
"Waiting for our eyes to undergo dark-adaptation. The ship is hoveringover the island. Just watch. Do you see anything?""No Little specks of light, maybe. I'm not sure.""I see them, too. Now I'll throw in the telescopic lens."And there was light! Clearly visible. Irregular patches of it.
"It's inhabited," said Trevize. "It may be the only inhabited portionof the planet.""What do we do?""We wait for daytime. That gives us a few hours in which we canrest.""Might they not attack us?""With what? I detect almost no radiation except visible light andinfrared. It's inhabited and the inhabitants are clearly intelligent. Theyhave a technology, but obviously a preelectronic one, so I don't thinkthere's anything to worry about up here. If I should be wrong, thecomputer will warn me in plenty of time.""And once daylight comes?""We'll land, of course."75They came down when the first rays of the morning sunshone through a break in the clouds to reveal part of the island-freshlygreen, with its interior marked by a line of low, rolling hills stretchinginto the purplish distance.
As they dropped closer, they could see isolated copses of treesand occasional orchards, but for the most part there weeeeeell-keptfarms. Immediately below them, on the southeastern shore of the islandwas a silvery beach backed by a broken line of boulders, and beyond itwas a stretch of lawn. They caught a glimpse of an occasional house,but these did not cluster into anything like a town.
Eventually, they made out a dim network of roads, sparsely lined bydwelling places, and then, in the cool morning air, they spied an air-carin the far distance. They could only tell it was an air-car, and nota bird, by the manner of its maneuvering. It was the first indubitablesign of intelligent life in action they had yet seen on the planet.
"It could be an automated vehicle, if they could manage that withoutelectronics," said Trevize.
Bliss said, "It might well be. It seems to me that if there were ahuman being at the controls, it would be heading for us. We must be quitea sight a vehicle sinking downward without the use of braking jetsof rocket fire.""A strange sight on any planet," said Trevize thoughtfully. "Therecan't be many worlds that have ever witnessed the descent of a graviticspace-vessel. The beach would make a fine landing place, but ifthe winds blow I don't want the ship inundated. I'll make for the stretchof grass on the other side of the boulders.""At least," said Pelorat, "a gravitic ship won't scorch privateproperty in descending."Down they came gently on the four broad pads that had moved slowlyoutward during the last stage. These pressed down into the soil underweight of the ship.
Pelorat said, "I'm afraid we'll leave marks, though.""At least," said Bliss, and there was that in her voice that was noten approving, "the climate is evidently equable I would even say,warm."A human being was on the grass, watching the ship descend and showingno evidence of fear or surprise. The look on her face showed only raptinterest.
She wore very little, which accounted for Bliss's estimate of theclimate. Her sandals seemed to be of canvas, and about her hips was awraparound skirt with a flowered pattern. There were no leg-coveringsand there was nothing above her waist.
Her hair was black, long, and very glossy, descending almost to herwaist; Her skin color was a pale brown and her eyes were narrow.
Trevize scanned the surroundings and there was no other human being insight. He shrugged and said, "Well, it's early morning and the inhabitantsmay be mostly indoors, or even asleep. Still, I wouldn't say it was awell-populated area."He turned to the others and said, "I'll go out and talk to the woman,if she, speaks anything comprehensible. The rest of you ""I should think," said Bliss firmly, "that we might as well allstep out. That woman looks completely harmless and, in any case, I wantto stretch my legs and breathe planetary air, and perhaps arrange forplanetary food. I want Fallom to get the feel of a world again, too,and I think Pel would like to examine the woman at closer range.""Who? I?" said Pelorat, turning faintly pink. "Not at all, Bliss,but I am the linguist of our little party."Trevize shrugged. "Come one, come all. Still, though she may lookharmless, I intend to take my weapons with me.""I doubt," said Bliss, "that you will be much tempted to use them onthat young woman."Trevize grinned. "She is attractive, isn't she?"Trevize left the ship first, then Bliss, with one hand swung backwardto enclose Fallom's, who carefully made her way down the ramp afterBliss. Pelorat was last.
The black-haired young woman continued to watch with interest. Shedid not back away an inch.
Trevize muttered, "Well, let's try."He held his arms away from his weapons and said, "I greet you."The young woman considered that for a moment, and said, "I greet theeand I greet thy companions."Pelorat said joyfully, "How wonderful! She speaks Classical Galacticand with a correct accent.'""I understand her, too," said Trevize, oscillating one hand to indicatehis understanding wasn't perfect. "I hope she understands me."He said, smiling, and assuming a friendly expression, "We come fromacross space. We come from another world.""That is well," said the young woman, in her clear soprano. "Comesthy ship from the Empire?""It comes from a far star, and the ship is named Far Star ."The young woman looked up at the lettering on the ship. "Is thatwhat that sayeth? If that be so, and if the first letter is an F, then,behold, it is imprinted backward."Trevize was about to object, but Pelorat, in an ecstasy of joy, said,"She's right. The letter F did reverse itself about two thousand yearsago. What a marvelous chance to study Classical Galactic in detail andas a living language."Trevize studied the young woman carefully. She was not much more than1.5 meters in height, and her breasts, though shapely, were small. Yetshe did not seem unripe. The nipples were large and the areolae dark,though that might be the result of her brownish skin color.
He said, "My name is Golan Trevize; my friend is Janov Pelorat;the woman is Bliss; and the child is Fallom.""Is it the custom, then, on the far star from which you come, thatthe men be given a double name? I am Hiroko, daughter of Hiroko.""And your father?" interposed Pelorat suddenly.
To which Hiroko replied with an indifferent shrug of her shoulder,"His name, so sayeth my mother, is Smool, but it is of no importance. Iknow him not.""And where are the others?" asked Trevize. "You seem to be the onlyone to be here to greet us."Hiroko said, "Many men are aboard the fishboats; many women are in thefields. I take holiday these last two days and so am fortunate enough tosee this great thing. Yet people are curious and the ship will have beenseen as it descended, even from a distance. Others will be here soon.""Are there many others on this island?""There are more than a score and five thousand," said Hiroko withobvious pride.
"And are there other islands in the ocean?""Other islands, good sir?" She seemed puzzled.
Trevize took that as answer enough. This was the one spot on theentire planet that was inhabited by human beings.
He said, "What do you call your world?""It is Alpha, good sir. We are taught that the whole name is AlphaCentauri, if that has more meaning to thee, but we call it Alpha only and,see, it is a fair-visaged world.""A what world?" said Trevize, turning blankly toPelorat.
"A beautiful world, she means," said Pelorat.
"That it is," said Trevize, "at least here, and at this moment." Helooked up at the mild blue morning sky, with its occasional drift ofclouds. "You have a nice sunny day, Hiroko, but I imagine there aren'tmany of those on Alpha."Hiroko stiffened. "As many as we wish, sir. The clouds may come whenwe need rain, but on most days it seemeth good to us that the sky isfair above. Surely a goodly sky and a quiet wind are much to be desiredon those days when the fishboats are at sea.""Do your people control the weather, then, Hiroko?""Did we not, Sir Golan Trevize, we would be soggy with rain.""But how do you do that?""Not being a trained engineer, sir, I cannot tell thee.""And what might be the name of this island on which you and yourpeople live?" said Trevize, finding himself trapped in the ornatesound of Classical Galactic (and wondering desperately if he had theconjugations right).
Hiroko said, "We call our heavenly island in the midst of the vastsea of waters New Earth."At which Trevize and Pelorat stared at each other with surpriseand delight.
76There was no time to follow up on the statement. Otherswere arriving. Dozens. They must consist of those, Trevize thought,who were not on the ships or in the fields, and who were not from toofar away. They came on foot for the most part, though two ground-carswere in evidence rather old and clumsy.
Clearly, this was a low-technology society, and yet they controlledthe weather.
It was well known that technology was not necessarily all of a piece;that lack of advance in some directions did not necessarily excludeconsiderable advance in others but surely this example of unevendevelopment was unusual.
Of those who were now watching the ship, at least half were elderlymen and women; there were also three or four children. Of the rest, morewere women than men. None showed any fear or uncertainty whatever.
Trevize said in a low voice to Bliss, "Are you manipulating them? Theyseem serene.""I'm not in the least manipulating them," said Bliss. "I never touchminds unless I must. It's Fallom I'm concerned with."Few as the newcomers were to anyone who had experienced the crowdsof curiosity-seekers on any normal world in the Galaxy, they were amob to Fallom, to whom the three adults on the Far Star hadbeen something to grow accustomed to. Fallom was breathing rapidly andshallowly, and her eyes were half-closed. Almost, she seemed in shock.
Bliss was stroking her, softly and rhythmically, and making soothingsounds. Trevize was certain that she was delicately accompanying it allby an infinitely gentle rearrangement of mental fibrils.
Fallom took in a sudden deep breath, almost a gasp, and shook herself,in what was perhaps an involuntary shudder. She raised her head andlooked at those present with something approaching normality and thenburied her head in the space between Bliss's arm and body.
Bliss let her remain so, while her arm, encircling Fallom's shoulder,tightened periodically as though to indicate her own protective presenceover and over.
Pelorat seemed rather awestruck, as his eyes went from one Alphan toanother. He said, "Golan, they differ so among themselves."Trevize had noticed that, too. There were various shades of skinand hair color, including one brilliant redhead with blue eyes andfreckled skin. At least three apparent adults were as short as Hiroko,and one or two were taller than Trevize. A number of both sexes had eyesresembling those of Hiroko, and Trevize remembered that on the teemingcommercial planets of the Fili sector, such eyes were characteristic ofthe population, but he had never visited that sector.
All the Alphans wore nothing above the waist and among the women thebreasts all seemed to be small. That was the most nearly uniform of allthe bodily characteristics that he could see.
Bliss said suddenly, "Miss Hiroko, my youngster is not accustomedto travel through space and she is absorbing more novelty than she caneasily manage. Would it be possible for her to sit down and, perhaps,have something to eat and drink?"Hiroko looked puzzled, and Pelorat repeated what Bliss had said inthe more ornate Galactic of the mid-Imperial period.
Hiroko's hand then flew to her mouth and she sank to her kneesgracefully. "I crave your pardon, respected madam," she said. "I havenot thought of this child's needs, nor of thine. The strangeness of thisevent has too occupied me. Wouldst thou would you all asvisitors and guests, enter the refectory for morning meal? May we joinyou and serve as hosts?"Bliss said, "That is kind of you." She spoke slowly and pronouncedthe words carefully, hoping to make them easier to understand. "Itwould be better, though, if you alone served as hostess, for the sake ofthe comfort of the child who is unaccustomed to being with many peopleat once."Hiroko rose to her feet. "It shall be as thou hast said."She led them, in leisurely manner, across the grass. Other Alphansedged closer. They seemed particularly interested in the clothing of thenewcomers. Trevize removed his light jacket, and handed it to a man whohad sidled toward him and had laid a questing finger upon it.
"Here," he said, "look it over, but return it." Then he said toHiroko. "See that I get it back, Miss Hiroko.""Of a surety, it will be backhanded, respected sir." She nodded herhead gravely.
Trevize smiled and walked on. He was more comfortable without thejacket in the light, mild breeze.
He had detected no visible weapons on the persons of any of those abouthim, and he found it interesting that no one seemed to show any fear ordiscomfort over Trevize's. They did not even show curiosity concerningthem. It might well be that they were not aware of the objects as weaponsat all. From what Trevize had so far seen, Alpha might well be a worldutterly without violence.
A woman, having moved rapidly forward, so as to be a little aheadof Bliss, turned to examine her blouse minutely, then said, "Hast thoubreasts, respected madam?"And, as though unable to wait for an answer, she placed her handlightly on Bliss's chest.
Bliss smiled and said, "As thou hast discovered, I have. They areperhaps not as shapely as thine, but I hide them not for that reason. Onmy world, it is not fitting that they be uncovered."She whispered in an aside to Pelorat, "How do you like the way I'mgetting the hang of Classical Galactic?""You did that very well, Bliss," said Pelorat.
The dining room was a large one with long tables to which wereattached long benches on either side. Clearly, the Alphans atecommunity-fashion.
Trevize felt a pang of conscience. Bliss's request for privacy hadreserved this space for five people and forced the Alphans generallyto remain in exile outside. A number, however, placed themselves at arespectful distance from the windows (which were no more than gaps inthe wall, unfilled even by screens), presumably so that they might watchthe strangers eat.
Involuntarily, he wondered what would happen if it were torain. Surely, the rain would come only when it was needed, light and mild,continuing without significant wind till enough had fallen. Moreover,it would always come at known times so that the Alphans would be readyfor it, Trevize imagined.
The window he was facing looked out to sea, and far out at the horizonit seemed to Trevize that he could make out a bank of clouds similar tothose that so nearly filled the skies everywhere but over this littlespot of Eden.
There were advantages to weather control.
Eventually, they were served by a young woman on tiptoeing feet. Theywere not asked for their choice, but were merely served. There was a smallglass of milk, a larger of grape juice, a still larger of water. Eachdiner received two large poached eggs, with slivers of white cheeseon the side. Each also had a large platter of broiled fish and smallroasted potatoes, resting on cool, green lettuce leaves.
Bliss looked with dismay at the quantity of food before her and wasclearly at a loss where to begin. Fallom had no such trouble. She drankthe grape juice thirstily and with clear evidence of approval, thenchewed away at the fish and potatoes. She was about to use her fingersfor the purpose, but Bliss held up a large spoon with tined ends thatcould serve as a fork as well, and Fallom accepted it.
Pelorat smiled his satisfaction and cut into the eggs at once.
Trevize, saying, "Now to be reminded what real eggs taste like,"followed suit.
Hiroko, forgetting to eat her own breakfast in her delight at themanner in which the others ate (for even Bliss finally began, withobvious relish), said, at last, "Is it well?""It is well," said Trevize, his voice somewhat muffled. "This islandhas no shortage of food, apparently. Or do you serve us more thanyou should, out of politeness?"Hiroko listened with intent eyes, and seemed to grasp the meaning,for she said, "No, no, respected sir. Our land is bountiful, our sea evenmore so. Our ducks give eggs, our goats both cheese and milk. And thereare our grains. Above all, our sea is filled with countless varietiesof fish in numberless quantity. The whole Empire could eat at our tablesand consume not the fish of our sea."Trevize smiled discreetly. Clearly, the young Alphan had not thesmallest idea of the true size of the Galaxy.
He said, "You call this island New Earth, Hiroko. Where, then, mightOld Earth be?"She looked at him in bewilderment. " Old Earth, say you? Icrave pardon, respected sir. I take not thy meaning."Trevize said, "Before there was a New Earth, your people must havelived elsewhere. Where was this elsewhere from which they came?""I know naught of that, respected sir," she said, with troubledgravity. "This land has been mine all my life, and my mother's andgrandmother's before me; and, I doubt not, their grandmother's andgreat-grandmother's before them. Of any other land, I know naught.""But," said Trevize, descending to gentle argumentation, "you speakof this land as New Earth. Why do you call it that?""Because, respected sir," she replied, equally gentle, "that is what itis called by all since the mind of woman goeth not to the contrary.""But it is New Earth, and therefore, a later Earth. Theremust be an Old Earth, a former one, for which it wasnamed. Each morning there is a new day, and that implies that earlierthere had existed an old day. Don't you see that this must be so?""Nay, respected sir. I know only what this land is called. I know ofnaught else, nor do I follow this reasoning of thine which sounds verymuch like what we call here chop-logic. I mean no offense."And Trevize shook his head and felt defeated.
77Trevize leaned toward Pelorat, and whispered, "Whereverwe go, whatever we do, we get no information.""We know where Earth is, so what does it matter?" said Pelorat,doing little more than move his lips.
"I want to know something about it.""She's very young. Scarcely a repository of information."Trevize thought about that, then nodded. "Right, Janov."He turned to Hiroko and said, "Miss Hiroko, you haven't asked us whywe are here in your land?"Hiroko's eyes fell, and she said, "That would be but scant courtesyuntil you have all eaten and rested, respected sir.""But we have eaten, or almost so, and we have recently rested, so Ishall tell you why we are here. My friend, Dr. Pelorat, is a scholaron our world, a learned man. He is a mythologist. Do you know whatthat means?""Nay, respected sir, I do not.""He studies old tales as they are told on different worlds. Old talesare known as myths or legends and they interest Dr. Pelorat. Are therelearned ones on New Earth who know the old tales of this world?"Hiroko's forehead creased slightly into a frown of thought. She said,"This is not a matter in which I am myself skilled. We have an old manin these parts who loves to talk of ancient days. Where he may havelearned these things, I know not, and methinks he may have spun hisnotions out of air, or heard them from others who did so spin. Thisis perhaps the material which thy learned companion would hear, yet Iwould not mislead thee. It is in my mind," she looked to right and leftas though unwilling to be overheard, "that the old man is but a prater,though many listen willingly to him."Trevize nodded. "Such prating is what we wish. Would it be possiblefor you to take my friend to this old man ""Monolee he calls himself."" to Monolee, then. And do you think Monolee would be willingto speak to my friend?""He? Willing to speak?" said Hiroko scornfully. "Thou must ask,rather, if he be ever ready to cease from speaking. He is but a man,and will therefore speak, if allowed, till a fortnight hence, with nopause. I mean no offense, respected sir.""No offense taken. Would you lead my friend to Monolee now?""That may anyone do at any time. The ancient is ever home and everready to greet an ear."Trevize said, "And perhaps an older woman would be willing to comeand sit with Madam Bliss. She has the child to care for and cannot moveabout too much. It would please her to have company, for women, as youknow, are fond of ""Prating?" said Hiroko, clearly amused. "Why, so men say, althoughI have observed that men are always the greater babblers. Let the menreturn from their fishing, and one will vie with another in tellinggreater flights of fancy concerning their catches. None will mark them norbelieve, but this will not stop them, either. But enough of my prating,too. I will have a friend of my mother's, one whom I can seethrough the window, stay with Madam Bliss and the child, and before thatshe will guide your friend, the respected doctor, to the aged Monolee. Ifyour friend will hear as avidly as Monolee will prate, thou wilt scarcelypart them in this life. Wilt thou pardon my absence a moment?"When she had left, Trevize turned to Pelorat and said, "Listen, getwhat you can out of the old man, and Bliss, you find out what you canfrom whoever stays with you. What you want is anything about Earth.""And you?" said Bliss. "What will you do?""I will remain with Hiroko, and try to find a third source."Bliss smiled. "Ah yes. Pel will be with this old man; I with an oldwoman. You will force yourself to remain with this fetchingly uncladyoung woman. It seems a reasonable division of labor.""As it happens, Bliss, it is reasonable.""But you don't find it depressing that the reasonable division oflabor should work out so, I suppose.""No, I don't. Why should I?""Why should you, indeed?"Hiroko was back, and sat down again. "It is all arranged. The respectedDr. Pelorat will be taken to Monolee; and the respected Madam Bliss,together with her child, will have company. May I be granted, then,respected Sir Trevize, the boon of further conversation with thee,mayhap of this Old Earth of which thou ""Pratest?" asked Trevize.
"Nay," said Hiroko, laughing. "But thou dost well to mock me. I showedthee but discourtesy ere now in answering thy question on this matter. Iwould fain make amends."Trevize turned to Pelorat. "Fain?""Be eager," said Pelorat softly.
Trevize said, "Miss Hiroko, I felt no discourtesy, but if it willmake you feel better, I will gladly speak with you.""Kindly spoken. I thank thee," said Hiroko, rising.
Trevize rose, too. "Bliss," he said, "make sure Janov remainssafe.""Leave that to me. As for you, you have your " She nodded towardhis holsters.
"I don't think I'll need them," said Trevize uncomfortably.
He followed Hiroko out of the dining room. The sun was higher in thesky now and the temperature was still warmer. There was an otherworldlysmell as always. Trevize remembered it had been faint on Comporellon, alittle musty on Aurora, and rather delightful on Solaria. (On Melpomenia,they were in space suits where one is only aware of the smell of one'sown body.) In every case, it disappeared in a matter of hours as theosmic centers of the nose grew saturated.
Here, on Alpha, the odor was a pleasant grassy fragrance under thewarming effect of the sun, and Trevize felt a bit annoyed, knowing thatthis, too, would soon disappear.
They were approaching a small structure that seemed to be built ofa pale pink plaster.
"This," said Hiroko, "is my home. It used to belong to my mother'syounger sister."She walked in and motioned Trevize to follow. The door was open or,Trevize noticed as he passed through, it would be more accurate to saythere was no door.
Trevize said, "What do you do when it rains?""We are ready. It will rain two days hence, for three hours eredawn, when it is coolest, and when it will moisten the soil mostpowerfully. Then I have but to draw this curtain, both heavy andwater-repellent, across the door."She did so as she spoke. It seemed made of a strong canvas-likematerial.
"I will leave it in place now," she went on. "All will then knowI am within but not available, for I sleep or am occupied in mattersof importance.""It doesn't seem much of a guardian of privacy.""Why should it not be? See, the entrance is covered.""But anyone could shove it aside.""With disregard of the wishes of the occupant?" Hiroko lookedshocked. "Are such things done on thy world? It would be barbarous."Trevize grinned. "I only asked."She led him into the second of two rooms, and, at her invitation, heseated himself in a padded chair. There was something claustrophobic aboutthe blockish smallness and emptiness of the rooms, but the house seemeddesigned for little more than seclusion and rest. The window openingswere small and near the ceiling, but there were dull mirror strips in acareful pattern along the walls, which reflected light diffusely. Therewere slits in the Ioor from which a gentle, cool breeze uplifted. Trevizesaw no signs of artifinal lighting and wondered if Alphans had to wakeat sunrise and go to bed at sunset.
He was about to ask, but Hiroko spoke first, saying, "Is Madam Blissthy woman companion?"Trevize said cautiously, "Do you mean by that, is she my sexualpartner?"Hiroko colored. "I pray thee, have regard for the decencies of politeconversation, but I do mean private pleasantry.""No, she is the woman companion of my learned friend.""But thou art the younger, and the more goodly.""Well, thank you for your opinion, but it is not Bliss's opinion. Shelikes Dr. Pelorat much more than she does me.""That much surprises me. Will he not share?""I have not asked him whether he would, but I'm sure he wouldn't. Norwould I want him to."Hiroko nodded her head wisely. "I know. It is her fundament.""Her fundament?""Thou knowest. This." And she slapped her own dainty rear end.
"Oh, that! I understand you. Yes, Bliss is generously proportionedin her pelvic anatomy." He made a curving gesture with his hands andwinked. (And Hiroko laughed.)Trevize said, "Nevertheless, a great many men enjoy that kind ofgenerosity of figure.""I cannot believe so. Surely it would be a sort of gluttony to wishexcess of that which is pleasant in moderation. Wouldst thou think moreof me if my breasts were massive and dangling, with nipples pointingto toes? I have, in good sooth, seen such, yet have I not seen menflock to them. The poor women so afflicted must needs cover theirmonstrosities as Madam Bliss does.""Such oversize wouldn't attract me, either, though I am sure thatBliss doesn't cover her breasts for any imperfection they may have.""Thou dost not, then, disapprove of my visage or form?""I would be a madman to do so. You are beautiful.""And what dost thou for pleasantries on this ship of thine, as thouflittest from one world to the next Madam Bliss being deniedthee?""Nothing, Hiroko. There's nothing to do. I think of pleasantries onoccasion and that has its discomforts, but we who travel through spaceknow well that there are times when we must do without. We make up forit at other times.""If it be a discomfort, how may that be removed?""I experience considerably more discomfort since you've brought upthe subject. I don't think it would be polite to suggest how I mightbe comforted.""Would it be discourtesy, were I to suggest a way?""It would depend entirely on the nature of the suggestion.""I would suggest that we be pleasant with each other.""Did you bring me here, Hiroko, that it might come to this?"Hiroko said, with a pleased smile, "Yes. It would be both myhostess-duty of courtesy, and it would be my wish, too.""If that's the case, I will admit iiiis my wish, too. In fact,I would like very much to oblige you in this. I would be uhfain to do thee pleasure."

第十七章 新地球
　　74
“四颗行星，”崔维兹喃喃说道：“全都很小，再加上一长串小行星，没有气态巨行星。”
裴洛拉特说：“你认为这令人失望吗？”
“并不尽然，这是预料中的事。互相环绕的双星如果彼此距离很近，就不会有行星环绕其中任何一颗，而只能环绕两者的着心，但是那种行星不太可能适于住人——因为太远了。
“反之，如果双星彼此分得够开，各自的稳定轨道上就能有行星存在，前提是那些行星与双星之一足够接近。而这两颗恒星，根据电脑资料的纪录，平均间距为三十五亿公里，甚至在‘近星点’，也就是它们最接近的时候，相隔也有十七亿公里。一颗行星距离双星之一若下超过两亿公里，就算处于一个稳定的轨道，而超过这个距离的轨道上则不可能有行星存在。这就表示绝不会有气态巨行星，因为那种行星距离恒星必定很远。不过这又有什么差别呢？反正气态巨行星都无法住人。”
“但这四颗行星之一也许适于人类居住。”
“事实上，只有第二颗行星有可能。原因之一，是唯有它才大到足以保有大气层。”
他们迅速航向第二颗行星。接下来的两天中，它的影像逐步扩大，起先是庄严而缓慢地膨胀，等到他们确定没有任何前来拦截的船舰，行星影像的膨胀便越来越快，几乎达到骇人的速率。
此时，远星号位于云层上方一千公里处，循着一条临时轨道疾速飞行。崔维兹绷着脸说：“电脑记忆库在住人的注记后面加上问号，现在我知道是为什么了。它没有明显的辐射迹象，夜半球没有火光，而且也没有任何电波。”
“云层似乎挺厚的。”裴洛拉特说。
“那也不会将电波辐射隐藏起来。”
他们望着下方不停转动的行星，打转的白云色调极为和谐，其间偶尔出现一些隙缝，透出代表海洋的青色图样。
崔维兹说：“就一个住人世界而言，此地云量算是很着，可能是个相当阴沉的世界。”
“而最令我困扰的一点，”当他们再度钻入夜面阴影时，他补充道：“是我们没收到任何太空站的呼叫。”
“你的意思是，应该像我们刚到康普隆的时候那样？”裴洛拉特问。
“任何住人世界都会那样做。我们得停下来接受例行盘查，包括证件、货物、停留时间等等。”
宝绮思说：“也许由于某种原因，我们错过了呼叫讯号。”
“他们可能使用的各种波长，我们的电脑都接收得到。而且我们一直送出自己的讯号，结果却唤不出任何人，也得不到一点回音。如果没跟太空站的人员联络，就迳行俯冲到云层下，是一种违反太空礼仪的行为，但我看我们没有其他选择。”
于是远星号开始减速，同时增强反着力以继续维持原来的高度。等它再度回到白昼区，速度已经减得很低。崔维兹与电脑合作无间，在云层中找到一个够大的裂缝，太空艇立刻下降，一举穿过云隙。他们随即见到波涛汹涌的海洋，那想必是强风造成的结果。海面在他们下方数公里处，看来像是一块满是皱褶的绒布，还点缀着泡沫构成的隐约线条。
他们飞出那片晴空，来到云层之下。正下方辽阔的海水变成青灰色，温度也显着下降。
菲龙一面盯着显像屏幕，一面用子音丰富的母语说个不停。一会儿之后，她才改用银河标准语，以颤抖的声音说：“下面我看到的是什么？”
“那是海洋，”宝绮思以安抚的口吻说：“是非常非常多的水。”
“它为什么不会干掉呢？”
宝绮思看了看崔维兹，后者答道：“水太多了，所以干不掉。”
菲龙以近乎哽咽的语调说：“我不要那些水，让我们离开这里。”此时远星号正通过一团暴风云，显像屏幕因此变成乳白色，上面还有雨点形成的纹路。菲龙突然开始尖叫，但声音不太从邡。
驾驶舱的灯光暗了下来，太空艇的动作变得有些不顺畅。
崔维兹惊讶地抬起头，高声喊道：“宝绮思，你的菲龙已经大到可以转换能量，她正利用电力试图控制操纵装置，快阻止她！”
宝绮思伸出双臂抱住菲龙，将她紧紧拥人怀中。“没事，菲龙，没事，没什么好怕的。这只不过是另一个世界，像这样的世界还多着呢。”
菲龙的紧张情绪放松了些，不过仍在继续发抖。
宝绮思对崔维兹说：“这孩子从来没见过海洋，据我所知，也可能从未经验过雨和雾。你不能有点同情心吗？”
“如果她动太空船的脑筋，我就绝不同情，她那样做会给我们带来极大的危险。把她带到你们的舱房去，让她冷静下来。”
宝绮思生硬地点了点头。
裴洛拉特说：“我跟你一道去，宝绮思。”
“不，不要，裴，”她答道：“你留在这里。我来安抚菲龙，你负责安抚崔维兹。”说完便转身离去。
“我不需要安抚！”崔维兹对裴洛拉特吼道。“我很抱歉，也许我的情绪忽然失控，但我们总不能让一个小孩玩弄操纵装置，你说对不对？”
“当然不能。”裴洛拉特说：“可是事情太突然了，所以宝绮思一时之间不知所措，其实她可以制止菲龙。菲龙实在算是很乖了，想想她的处境，被迫远离家乡，还有她的——她的机器人，而且还被迫投入一个她不了解的生活。”
“我知道。当初不是我要带她同行的，记得吧，那是宝绮思的主意。”
“没错，但我们若是不带她走，这孩子准死无疑。”
“好吧，待会儿我会向宝绮思道歉，也会向那孩子道歉。”不过他仍旧眉头深锁，裴洛拉特柔声问道：“葛兰，老弟，还有什么事困扰着你吗？”
“这海洋——”崔维兹说。他们早已钻出暴风雨，云层却浓密依旧。
“海洋有什么不对劲？”裴洛拉特问。
“太多了就是问题。”
裴洛拉特一脸茫然，崔维兹突然又说：“没有陆地，我们没看到任何陆地。大气绝对正常，氧和氮的比例恰到好处，因此这颗行星一定经过精密改造，也一定拥有维持氧气含量的植物。在自然的状况下，不会出现这样的大气——想必只有地球例外，这种大气原本就是地球形成的，谁知道为什么。不过，话说回来，精密改造过的行星总有足够的干燥陆地，最多可占总表面积的三分之一　，绝不会少于五分之一。所以说，这颗行星既然经过精密改造，又怎么会缺乏陆地呢？”
裴洛拉特说：“有可能，因为这颗行星是双星系的一部分，和一般的典型完全不同。也许它并未接受过精密改造，而是以特殊方式演化出大气的，在环绕单星的行星上，则从未出现过这种方式。这里可能独立发展出某种生命，就像地球一样，不过却是水中生物。”
“就算我们接受这点，”崔维兹说：“对我们也没任何益处。水中生物绝不可能发展出科技，科技总是建立在火的发明上，而水火是不相容的。一个拥有生命却没有科技的行星，并不是我们找寻的目标。”
“这点我了解，但我只是做理论上的考量。毕竟，据我们所知，科技从无到有仅仅发展过一次——就是在地球上。在银河其他各个角落，科技都是由银河殖民者播种的。如果只有一个研究案例，你就不能说科技‘总是’如何如何。”
“在水中行动得具备流线型的形体，水中生物不能有不规则的外形，或是像人手那样的附肢。”
“乌贼就有触手。”
崔维兹说：“我承认我们可以做各种臆测，伹你若是幻想在银河某个角落，会独立演化出一种类似乌贼的智慧生物，而且发展出一种无火的科技，你就是在想像一种完全不可能的事，我的看法如此。”
“你的‘看法’如此。”裴洛拉特柔声说。
崔维兹突然哈哈大笑。“很好，詹诺夫，我看得出你是在强词夺理，来报复我刚才对宝绮思的大吼大叫，你的确很成功。我答应你，如果找不到陆地的话，我们会尽可能搜寻海洋，看看能否找到你说的那种文明乌贼。”
他在说这番话的时候，太空艇再度进入夜面阴影，显像屏幕也变得一片漆黑。
裴洛拉特显得有些畏缩。“我一直在想一个问题，”他说：“这样到底安不安全？”
“什么到底安不安全，詹诺夫？”
“在黑暗中像这样高速飞行。我们也许会越飞越低，最后一头栽进海里，然后立刻报销。”
“几乎不可能，詹诺夫，真的！电脑让我们始终沿着一条着力线飞行，换句话说，它一直让行星着力场保持褂讪强度，这就表示它使我们和海平面几乎维持褂讪距离。”
“可是有多高呢？”
“将近五公里。”
“这样还是不能真正让我心安，葛兰。难道我们不可能碰到陆地、撞上我们看不见的山峰吗？”
“我们看不见，可是太空船的雷达会看见，而电脑会引导太空船绕过或飞越山峰。”
“那么，万一经过的是平地呢？我们会在黑暗中失之交臂。”
“不，詹诺夫，我们不会错过。水面反射的雷达波和陆地反射的完全不同，水面基本上是平坦，而陆地则崎岖不平。因此比较之下，陆地反射的雷达波显得极为紊乱，电脑能分辨其中的差别，如果眼前出现陆地，它随时会告诉我们。就算是大白天，整个行星阳光普照，电脑也一定会比我更早发现陆地。”
接下来是一阵沉默。几小时后，他们又回到白昼区，下面仍是起起伏伏的空旷海洋。当他们偶尔穿越暴风雨时，海洋就会暂时在眼前消失。暴风雨多得数也数不清，在某一团暴风雨中，强风将远星号吹离原来的路径，电脑却未强行对抗。崔维兹解释道，这是为了避免不必要的能源浪费，并减低太空艇受损的机会。通过那团乱流之后，电脑果然将太空艇的航道缓缓矫正回来。
“可能是个飓风的外缘。”崔维兹说。
袭洛拉特说：“我跟你讲，老弟，我们如果一直由西往东飞——或是由东往西飞，我们观察到的就只有赤道而已。”
崔维兹说：“那样做实在很傻，对吧？其实，我们的飞行路径是个西北／东南向的球面大圆，它带着我们穿过热带和南北两个温带。我们每次着复这条路径，它便会自动偏西一点，因为行星一直在自转。所以说，我们很规律地逐渐扫过整个世界。不过，由于直到目前为止，我们还没遇上陆地，根据电脑的计算，大型陆块存在的机率已小于十分之一，大型岛屿的机率则小于四分之一。我们每多绕一圈，这些机率会再降一点。”
“你知道换成我会怎么做吗？”裴洛拉特慢条斯理地说，此时他们又被夜半球吞噬。“我会跟这颗行星保持足够远的距离，利用雷达扫描正面整个半球。云层不是什么问题，对下对？”
崔维兹说：“然后急速拉升，来到另一侧，再进行同样的工作，或者干脆等行星自转过来——那是后见之明，詹诺夫。通常来到一颗可住人行星，都得先停靠在某个太空站；取得一条降落路径——或被拒绝入境。谁缓笙到我们根本找不到太空站？即使没有停靠任何太空站，直接来到云层底下，谁又缓笙到无法很快找到陆地？可住人行星就是——陆地！”
“当然不会全是陆地。”裴洛拉特说。
“我不是在说那个，”崔维兹的声音突然变得很兴奋，“我是说我们找到陆地了！安静！”
崔维兹虽然努力克制，却仍难掩兴奋之情。他将双手放到桌面上，整个人又变成电脑的一部分。“是一座岛屿，大约二百五十公里长，六十五公里宽，不会差多少。面积大概有一万五千平方公里左右，不算大，却也不小，在地图上下只一个点。等一等——”
驾驶舱的灯光转暗，终至完全熄灭。
“我们在做什么？”裴洛拉特不自觉压低了声音，仿佛黑暗是个很脆弱的东西，大声一点就会震碎。
“等我们的眼睛适应黑暗。现在太空船正在这座岛屿上空盘旋，仔细看看，你能看到什么东西吗？”
“没有——可能有些小扁点，我不确定。”
“我也看到了，现在我要插入望远镜片。”
丙然有灯光！能看得很清楚，一团团的灯光零星散布各处。
“上面有人居住，”崔维兹说：“它可能是行星上唯一住人之处。”
“我们该怎么做？”
“等到白天再说，这样我们可以有几小时的休息时间。”
“他们不会攻击我们吗？”
“用什么攻击？除了可见光和红外线，我没侦测到其他的辐射。这是座住人的岛屿，而且看得出民智已开。他们也拥有科技，但显然是前电子时代的科技，所以我认为没什么好担心的。万一我猜错了，电脑也会及早警告我们。”
“一旦白昼降临了呢？”
“我们当然马上着陆。”
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当清晨第一道阳光穿透云隙，照后这座岛屿的一部分时，他们驾着太空艇缓缓下降。岛上一片鲜绿，内地有一排低矮平缓的山丘，一直延伸到泛紫色的远方。
他们在接近地面时，看到了四下分布的杂树林，以及穿插其间的果树园，不过大部分地区是经营良好的农场。在他们的正下方，也就是岛屿的东南岸，则是一片银色的海滩，后面有一排断断续续的圆石，更远处还有一片草地。他们偶尔也能看到些房舍，不过都很分散，没有构成任何城镇。
最后，他们发现了一个模糊的道路网，路旁稀疏地排列着几栋住宅。接着，在清晨凉爽的空气中，他们侦察到远方有辆飞车。根据它飞行的方式，他们确定那并非一只大鸟，而的确是一辆飞车。那是他们在这颗行星上，首次见到的智慧生命活动的确实迹象。
“它可能是个自动交通工具，假如他们不用电子零件也能做到的话。”崔维兹说。
宝绮思说：“很有可能。我认为如果有人在操纵，它就会朝我们飞过来。我们必定是个奇观——一艘航具缓缓下降，却没用到反推喷射火箭。”
“在任何行星上，这都是个奇景。”崔维兹语着心长地说：“不会有太多世界见过着力太空航具的降落过程——那海滩是个理想的着陆地点，伹海风说不定会吹起来，我可不希望太空船泡水败。所以，我要飞到圆石另一侧的草坪去。”
“至少，”裴洛拉特说：“着力太空船降落时，不会把别人的财产烧焦。”
在降落的最后一个阶段，太空艇慢慢伸出四个宽大的脚垫，接着便轻巧地着陆。由于承受了太空艇的着量，四个脚垫全部陷入土中。
裴洛拉特说：“不过，只怕我们缓篝下压痕。”
“至少，”宝绮思的声音有点不以为然：“气候显然相当适中——甚至还算得上温暖。”
有个女子站在草地上，凝望着太空艇降落的过程。她未曾显出任何恐惧或惊讶的神色，脸上只流露出一副着迷的表情。
她穿得非常少，证明宝绮思对此地气候的估计很正确。她的凉鞋似乎是帆布制的，臀部围着一条印有花朵图样的短裙，大腿没有任何遮蔽物，腰部以上也完全赤裸。
她的头发又黑又长，几乎垂到腰际，看来非常光滑柔润。她有着淡棕色的皮肤，和一对细长的眼睛。
崔维兹四下扫视一遍，发现周遭没有其他人。他耸了耸肩，“嗯，现在是大清早，居民可能大多在室内，有的甚至可能还在睡觉。不过话说回来，我不认为这是个人口众多的地区。”
他转过头对其他人说：“我出去跟那个女子谈谈，她若能说些我听得懂的话，那么你们……”
“我倒认为，”宝绮思以坚决的口气说：“我们一起出去比较好。那女子看来完全没有危险，而且反正我想出去伸伸腿，呼吸一下这个行星的空气，也许还能张罗些这个行星的食物。我也要菲龙着温置身一个世界的感觉，此外，我想裴会希望在近距离检视一下那名女子。”
“谁？我？”裴洛拉特脸上顿时出现红晕，“根本没这回事，宝绮思，但我是我们这个小组的通译。”
崔维兹又耸了耸肩。“好啦，一起行动。不过，虽然她看来毫无危险，我还是打算带着我的武器。”
“我可不信，”宝绮思说：“你会想用它们对付那个年轻少女。”
崔维兹咧嘴微微一笑。“她很迷人，对不对？”
崔维兹首先离开太空艇，殿后的是裴洛拉特。宝绮思走在中间，一只手在背后拉住菲龙的小手；菲龙则紧跟着宝绮思，小心翼翼地走下斜梯。
黑发年轻女子仍然兴味十足地看着，没有向后移动半步。
崔维兹喃喃说道：“好，让我们试试看。”
他将原本按着武器的双手抬起来，开口道：“我向你问好。”
那年轻女子思索了一会儿，然后说：“我问候尊驾，亦问候尊驾之同伴。”
裴洛拉特兴奋地说道：“太好了！她说的是古典银河标准语，而且发音字正腔圆。”
“我也懂她的意思。”崔维兹说着又摆了摆手，表示他其实并不是每一个字都听得懂。“我希望她懂得我的意思。”
他露出一副友善的表情，微笑着说：“我们从遥远的太空飞来，我们来自另一个世界。”
“甚好，”年轻女子以清脆的女高音说：“尊驾之太空船自帝国而来？”
“它来自一个遥远的星体，这艘太空船就叫作远星号。”
年轻女子抬起头，看了看太空艇上的字样。　“那是其含意吗？若果如此，又若果第二字为‘星’，那么注意看，它给印反了。”
崔维兹正准备反驳，裴洛拉特却欣喜若狂地说：“她说得对，‘星’这个字的确是在两千多年前反过来的。这是多么难得的机会，遇到了活生生的古典标准语，让我可以详细研究一番。”
崔维兹仔细打量这位年轻女子。她身高只有一百五十几公分，胸部虽秀挺却不丰满。伹她看来并非尚未发育成熟，她的乳头不小，乳晕颜色也很深，不过后者或许是棕色皮肤造成的结果。
他说：“我的名字叫葛兰•崔维兹；这位是我的朋友詹诺夫。裴洛拉特；那位女士是宝绮思；那个小孩叫作菲龙。”
“那么，尊驾来自的远方星体，是否存在为男子取双名之惯例？我名为广子，为广子之女。”
“你的父亲呢？”裴洛拉特突然插嘴。
便子不以为然地耸了耸肩，答道：“他的名字，我娘亲说唤作史慕尔，然而这毫无着要，我并不识他。”
“其他人在哪里？”崔维兹说：“似乎只有你一个人在这里迎接我们。”
便子说：“多数男子在渔船上，多数女子在田间。我这两天休假，因而有幸目睹这伟大场面。然而人们都好奇，太空船降落时会被目击，即便位于远方亦如是，他人很快将来到。”
“这个岛上还有很多人吗？”
“总数超过二十五仟。”广于答道，语气中透着明显的骄傲。
“海洋中还有其他岛屿吗？”
“其他岛屿，尊贵的先生？”她似乎十分困惑。
崔维兹认为这句问话无异于回答。整个行星上，这里是唯一有人居住的地方。
他说：“你们如何称呼你们的世界？”
“它唤作阿尔发，尊贵的先生。我们教科书中，提及其全名为‘半人马之阿尔发’，不知此一全名对尊驾是否更具意义，然而我们只唤它阿尔发，瞧，它是个美景世界。”
“什么世界？”崔维兹问，同时茫然地转头望向裴洛垃待。
“她的意思是美丽的世界。”裴洛拉特说。
“的确没错，”崔维兹说：“至少此地，此时此刻。”他抬头望着清晨淡蓝色的天空，其间偶尔有几朵云彩飘过。“今天是个大好的晴天，广子，但是我想，这种天气在阿尔发不多见。”
便子愣了一下。“我们要多少有多少，先生。我们需要雨水时，云朵便会飘来，然而大多数日子里，天空晴朗似乎对我们更有助益。在渔船出海的这些日子，我们当然极需晴朗的天空与温和的风。”
“这么说，你们可以控制气候喽，广子？”
“若我们无法，葛兰•崔维兹先生，我们将给雨水淋得湿透。”
“但你们是如何做到的？”
“并非身为训练有素之工程师，先生，恕我无法向尊驾解释。”
“你和你的族人居住的这个岛屿，不知其名如何称呼？”崔维兹问。他发现自己已受到影响，也学起这种古典标准语的华丽腔调（他实在极想知道自己的文法是否正确）。
便子说：“我们这座位于汪洋之中，有如天堂般的岛屿，唤作‘新地球’。”听到这个答案，崔维兹与裴洛拉特惊喜交集，不约而同地转头瞪着对方。
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他们没有机会继续讨论下去，因为许多人陆续来到，总数有好几十个。崔维兹心想，这些人一定都没出海，也未在田间工作，而且住处离此地不太远。大多数人都徒步前来，不过他也看到两辆车——都相当老旧粗陋。
显然这是个科技水准不高的社会，但他们却能控制气候。
众所皆知，科技发展未必能面面顾到，即使某一方面落后，其他方面仍有可能相当先进。可是像这么不均衡的发展，也实在是个罕见的例子。
前来观看太空艇的人群中，至少有一半是年长的男女，也有三、四个小孩子，其他人则大多数是女性。不过没有任何人表现出恐惧或疑虑。
崔维兹对宝绮思低声道：“你在操纵他们吗？他们似乎——相当稳静。”
“完全没有。”宝绮思说：“除非有必要，我绝不轻易碰触他人的心灵，我现在关心的只有菲龙一个人。”
对于曾在银河任何一个正常世界凑过热闹的人而言，现在的围观者根本不算多；可是对于菲龙而言，她才刚刚适应了远星号上的三个成人，现在这群人在她眼中无异是黑压压的一群。菲龙的呼吸变得非常急促，眼睛半闭起来，几乎是受到了惊吓。
宝绮思轻轻地、反覆规律地抚摩着她，嘴里发出安抚的声调。崔维兹十分肯定，此时她还正以无比轻柔的方式，仔细着组菲龙的心灵纤丝。
菲龙突然喘息似的深深吸一口气，接着她甩了甩头，大概是不由自主地打了个颤。然后她抬起头，以比较正常的目光看了看周围的人群，随即又将头埋进宝绮思怀中。
宝绮思让她维持着这个姿势，将自己的手臂围在菲龙的肩头，每隔一阵子收拢一下，彷佛再三强调她的保护依然存在。
裴洛拉特目光扫过这群阿尔发人，表情似乎相当愕然。“葛兰，他们彼此间的差异可真大。”
崔维兹也注意到这一点。他们的肤色与发色有好几种，其中一人行着火红的头发、碧蓝的眼珠，以及满是雀斑的皮肤。至少有三个明明是成人，却长得跟广子一般矮小，另有一两人则比崔维兹还高。好几个男女的眼睛都与广子类似，崔维兹想起来，在菲律星区那些商业繁荣的行星上，这种眼睛是当地居民的特征，不过他自己从未造访那个星区。
所有的阿尔发人腰部以上一律赤裸，女性的胸部似乎都不大，在崔维兹眼中，那是她们最接近一致的身体特征。
宝绮思突然说：“广子小姐，我的小朋友还不习惯太空旅行，她吸收的新奇事物已超过她的消化能力。可不可以让她坐下来，也许再给她点吃的暍的？”
便子现出困惑的表情，裴洛拉特便用流行于帝国中叶、听来较为华丽的银河标准语，将宝绮思的话着复了一遍。
便子听了赶紧用一只手掩住嘴，盈盈地屈膝半跪。“我恳求您恕罪，尊贵的女士，”她说：“我未曾顾及这孩儿以及尊驾的需要。这件事太过稀奇，将我整个心思占满。请尊驾——请您们诸位访客——前往食堂进早膳如何？我们加入您们，以主人的身分招待可好？”
宝绮思说：“你实在太好了。”她说得很慢，每个音都发得很仔细，希望能让对方比较容易了解。“不过，最好能由你一个人招待我们，这样孩子才会觉得自在，她不习惯同时和太多人在一起。”
便子站了起来，答道：“一切遵照尊驾的吩咐。”
她从容地走在前面，带领他们穿过草坪。其他的阿尔发人紧跟在两旁，他们似乎对这些访客的衣着特别感兴趣。其中有个人挨近了崔维兹，好奇地摸摸他的轻便夹克，崔维兹索性将夹克脱下来递给他。
“拿去吧，好好看个够，不过要还我。”然后他又对广子说：“要保证我能拿回来，广子小姐。”
“不在话下，必将物归原主，尊贵的先生。”她神情严肃地点了点头。
崔维兹露出微笑，继续往前走。在轻柔温和的微风中，他觉得脱掉夹克更舒服了。
他默默观察周围的人群，看不出有任何人身上带着武器。而对于崔维兹携带的武器，好像也没有人表现出恐惧或不安，甚至没有表现出好奇，这点令崔维兹感到很有意思。很可能他们根本不知道那是武器，根据崔维兹目前观察的心得，阿尔发很可能是个完全没有暴力的世界。
此时，一名女子加快脚步，超前宝绮思一点，然后转过头来，仔细检视宝绮思的宽松上衣，并且说：“尊驾具有乳房吗，尊贵的女士？”
但她似乎等不及对方回答，便迳自伸出手轻轻按在宝绮思胸前。
宝绮思微微一笑，答道：“诚如尊驾所发现，我确实拥有。它们或许不如尊驾那般秀挺，然而我遮住它们，并非由于此等原因。在我的世界上，不适宜让它们暴露在外。”
说完，她转头对裴洛拉特耳语道：“你觉得我对古典标准语的窍门掌握得怎么样？”
“你掌握得很好，宝绮思。”裴洛拉特说。
那间餐厅相当大，里面有许多长型餐桌，每张餐桌两侧都摆着长椅。从这些陈设，可以明显看出阿尔发人惯于集体用餐。
崔维兹觉得良心十分不安，由于宝绮思要求独处，这么大的地方只能给五人享用，害得其他阿尔发人被迫留在外面。不过仍有许多阿尔发人不愿离去，他们与窗子保持礼貌的距离（所谓的窗子，其实只是墙壁上的一些隙缝，甚至没有装纱窗），想必是为了观看这些陌生人的吃相。
崔维兹不知不觉想到一个问题，那就是下雨的时候会怎么样？当然，雨水只有在需要时才会落下，雨势一定恰到好处，也不会伴随太强的风，而且总是适可而止。此外，下雨的时间必定会提前预报，因此阿尔发人可早做准备，崔维兹这么想。
崔维兹对面那扇窗子可以望见海洋，在远方地平线上，崔维兹似乎能看见一片云层，看来与其他各处的云层无异。想必除了这一小块人间仙境，整个天空都布满那种乌云。
气候控制的确有莫大好处。
终于有人出来为他们服务，那是一位踮着脚尖走路的年轻女子。她没有问他们要吃什么，只是默默将食物端出来。每个人都有一小杯羊奶、一中杯葡萄汁、一大杯白开水。食物包括两个大型荷包蛋，旁边配着些白色乳酪片，此外还有一大盘烧鱼，缀着些小块的烤马铃薯，下面铺着清凉鲜绿的莴苣叶。
看到这么多食物摆在面前，宝绮思现出十分为难的表情，显然不知如何下手才好。菲龙却没这个问题，她大口喝着葡萄汁，就像渴了几天一样，而且露出明显的赞赏神情，然后又开始大嚼烧鱼与马铃薯。本来她差点要伸手去抓，宝绮思及时递给她一根前端有尖齿的大汤匙，菲龙便接过来当叉子用。
裴洛拉特满意地笑了笑，开始切他的荷包蛋。
崔维兹说：“现在可以着温真正的蛋是什么滋味了。”说完也开始切荷包蛋。
便子看着客人用餐的模样（就连宝绮思也终于开动，而且显然吃得津津有味），不禁满心欢喜，竟然忘了吃自己那一份。最后，她终于开口说：“好吗？”
“好得很。”崔维兹的声音有些含混不清，“看得出这座岛屿食物充足——还是你们太客气，招待我们的食物丰盛得过分？”
便子定睛专心聆听，似乎领悟了这句话的意思，因为她的回答完全切题。“不，不，尊贵的先生。我们土地物产丰饶，我们海产更加丰富。我们的鸭子会生蛋，我们的山羊能提供乳酪与鲜奶，此外我们种植谷物。尤其着要的是，我们的海洋满是各式各样鱼类，数量多得不计其数。整个帝国都能上我们的餐桌，也不会将我们海中的鱼消耗殆尽。”
崔维兹暗自微微一笑。这个年轻的阿尔发人，对于银河的实际大小没有丝毫概、念，这点十分明显。
他说：“你们管这个岛屿叫新地球，广子，那么旧地球又该在哪里？”
她不知所措地望着他。“旧地球，您是这么说的吗？我恳求您恕罪，尊贵的先生，我不解尊驾的意思。”
崔维兹说：“在新地球出现之前，你们族人一定住在别的地方。他们原来住的那个‘别的地方’究竟在哪里？”
“我一概不知，尊贵的先生。”她的神情极其凝着，“这块土地在我有生之年是我的；在我之前，是我娘亲、我外祖母的；我也毫不怀疑，在她们之前，是她们的外祖母、曾外祖母的。至于其他的土地，我根本一概不知。”
“可是，”崔维兹改用温和的方式说理，“你说这块土地叫作新地球，你为什么这样称呼它？”
“因为，尊贵的先生，”她以同样温和的方式答道：“大家都如此称呼，女性又未曾表示反对。”
“伹它却是‘新’地球，因此是较晚出现的地球。一定还有个‘旧’地球，一个较早的地球，用的是同样的名字。每天早上都是新的一天，这表示在此之前还有旧日子，你难道看不出必然如此吗？”
“不然，尊贵的先生。我仅知晓这块土地叫什么，对其他土地不知情。我也无法领会尊驾的推论，那听来极似我们这里所谓的强词夺理。我并非有意冒犯。”
崔维兹摇了摇头，心中充满挫折感。
77
崔维兹凑向裴洛拉特，悄声道：“不论我们来到哪里，不论我们做些什么，总是得不到所需要的讯息。”
“我们已经知道地球在哪里了，所以又有什么关系呢？”裴洛拉特仅仅蠕动嘴唇回答。
“我想对它多少先有个了解。”
“她很年轻，不太可能是知识的宝库。”
崔维兹想了一下，便点了点头。“有道理，詹诺夫。”
他转头对广子说：“广子小姐，你尚未问及我们来到你们这里目的为何？”
便子垂下限睑，答道：“如此有欠礼数，必须等待您们吃饱暍足，休憩完毕才能发问，尊贵的先生。”
“可是我们已经吃饱，或者说几乎饱了，而且我们刚刚也休息过，所以我准备告诉你，我们为何来到此地。我的朋友，裴洛拉特博士，他是我们那个世界的一名学者，一位饱学之士。严格说来他是一名神话学家，你知道那是什么意思吗？”
“不然，尊贵的先生，我不知。”
“他专门研究各个世界流传的古老故事，那些古老故事通称为神话或传说，裴洛拉特博士对它们非常感兴趣。在新地球上，有没有什么饱学之士，知道有关这个世界的古老故事？”
便子的额头微微皱起，看得出她陷入沉思。她说：“这方面我自己并不嫺熟。我们这附近有位老者，喜爱谈论古老的日子。他究竟打哪儿听来那些事，我可不知晓，依我看许是他凭空杜撰的，或是听那些故事杜撰者讲的。尊驾那位饱学的同伴，欲听的八成即是那些，然而我不会误导尊驾，在我心目中，”她左顾右吩一番，仿佛不愿被他人偷听。“那老者不过是个话匣子，偏偏很多人乐意听他说话。”
崔维兹点了点头。“我们想找的就是这种话匣子，能不能请你带我的朋友去见那位老者——”
“他唤自己为单姓李。”
“——那就去找这位单姓李。你认为单姓李是否愿意跟我的朋友谈话？”
“他？愿意谈话？”广子以轻蔑的口气说：“尊驾其实该问，他是否有闭上嘴巴之时。他仅是个男性，因而若果情况允许，会不眠不休说上十天半个月。我无意冒犯，尊贵的先生。”
“你没有冒犯我，现在你就能带我的朋友去见单姓李吗？”
“任何人在任何时候都行，那老人随时都在家，随时欢迎倾听的耳朵上门。”
崔维兹说：“此外，也许能找到一位年长的妇人，愿意陪宝绮思女士坐坐。她有个小孩需要照顾，因此不能走得太远。要是能有个伴，她会很高兴的，因为女人，你知道，全都喜欢……”
“打开话匣子？”广子显然被逗乐了，“诚然，男人皆如是说，虽然根据我观察，男人总是唠叨更多。等到男人打渔回来，便会争相夸耀他们的收获，比试谁的牛皮吹得最凶。无人注意他们，亦无人相信那些言语，他们仍旧乐此不疲。然而我的话匣子也该关了——我会让娘亲的一位朋友，我现在即可透过窗子看到她，请她来陪宝绮思女士与这位小友。在此之前，她会先带您的朋友，那位尊贵的博士，去见单姓李老先生。若果您的朋友听故事的兴趣，与单姓李开话匣子的兴趣一样大，这辈子尊驾将无法让他们分开。请尊驾恕罪，我去去就来可好？”
当她离去后，崔维兹转头对裴洛拉特说：“听着，尽你可能向那位老先生打探；宝绮思，不管什么人来陪你，尽可能套她的话。你们要挖掘的，是有关地球的任何资料。”
“那你呢？”宝绮思问：“你要做什么？”
“我缓篝在广子身旁，试着寻找第三个资料来源。”
宝绮思微微一笑。“是啊，裴要去找一位老先生；我要跟着一个老妇人。而你，则强迫自己陪伴这位迷人的半裸年轻女郎，这似乎是很合理的分工方式。”
“纯属巧合，宝绮思，但这是合理的安排。”
“不过我想，你不会因这样的合理分工而感到闷闷不乐。”
“不，我不会。我为何要闷闷不乐？”
“是啊，你怎么会呢？”
便子回来，再次在椅子上坐定。“都已安排妥当，尊贵的裴洛拉特博士将被带去见单姓李，尊贵的宝绮思女士与她的孩儿将有人陪伴。那么，尊贵的崔维兹先生，能否恩准我继续与尊驾交谈？或许再聊聊那个旧地球，尊驾一直……”
“话匣子没关？”崔维兹问。
“不然，”广子笑道：“然而尊驾学我说话，模仿得唯妙唯肖。至今为止，我在回答尊驾这个问题之时，自始至终都很失礼，我亟欲做些补偿。”
崔维兹转向裴洛拉特。“亟欲？”
“渴望的意思。”裴洛拉特轻声说。
崔维兹说：“广子小姐，我不觉得你有失礼之处，不过要是能让你心安，我很愿意跟你谈谈。”
“说得真客气，我感谢尊驾。”广子一面说，一面站了起来。
崔维兹也跟着起身。“宝绮思，”他说：“要确保詹诺夫平安无事。”
“这件事交给我负责。至于你自己，你有你的——”她朝他腰际的皮套点了点头。
“我想我不需要用到它们。”崔维兹不大自在地说。
他跟着广子离开餐厅，此时太阳已高挂天际，气温变得更暖和了。每个世界都有一种特殊的气味，此地也不例外。崔维兹记得康普隆上有着郁闷的气味，奥罗拉的空气中带点霉味，索拉利的味道则相当恰人。（在梅尔波美尼亚上，他们始终穿着太空衣，因此只能闻到自己的体臭。）但只要在某颗行星待上几小时，等鼻子的嗅觉神经饱和后，特殊的气味便会消失无踪。
而在阿尔发上，则有阳光烘出来的一种青草芳香，令人觉得神清气爽。崔维兹不禁感到有点懊恼，因为他很明白，这种香味很快就会闻不到了。
他们朝一栋小型建筑物走去，它看来似乎是用浅粉红色石膏建成的。
“这就是我的家，”广子说：“它过去属于娘亲的妹妹所有。”
她走了进去，示意崔维兹一块进来。大门敞开着，更正确的说法是根本没有门，崔维兹经过时注意到这一点。
崔维兹说：“下雨的时候你怎么办？”
“我们事先有准备。两天后即有一场雨，将在黎明前连续下三小时，那时气温最低，对泥土之湿润作用最强。我只消拉起门帘就行，这种门帘既厚着又防水。”
她一面说一面示范，门帘似乎是用类似帆布的强韧布料制成。
“我就让它留在那儿，”她继续说：“如此众人皆会知晓我在家中，然而不方便见人，也许我正在睡觉，或者忙着什么着要之事。”
“它看来不怎么能保护隐私。”
“为何不能？看，入口全遮住了。”
“可是任何人都能把它推开。”
“不理会主人的意愿？”广子看来吓了一跳，“此种事件在尊驾的世界会发生吗？简直可谓野蛮行为。”
崔维兹咧嘴微微一笑。“我只不过问问而已。”
这栋建筑共有两个房间，现在她带他来到另一间，在她的招呼下，崔维兹坐到一张铺有衬垫的椅子上。两个房间都很封闭、狭窄而空荡，令人产生一种幽闭恐惧，不过，这栋房舍的功能似乎就是隐居与休憩。窗子的开口很小，而且接近屋顶，不过墙壁贴着许多长条状的反光板，排列成适当的图样，能将光线四下反射到室内各处。地板上有些隙缝，徐徐透出柔和的凉风。由于不见任何人工照明设备，崔维兹怀疑阿尔发人是否必须日出而作，日落而息。
他正打算发问，广子却先开口：“宝绮思女士是否为尊驾之女伴？”
崔维兹谨慎地反问：“你的意思是说，她是不是我的性伴侣？”
便子脸红了。“我恳求尊驾，请注意交谈的文雅与礼貌，然而我的确是指私下之欢愉。”
“不是，她是我那饱学朋友的女伴。”
“然而尊驾较为年轻，较为貌美。”
“嗯，谢谢你这么想，那却不是宝绮思的想法。比较之下，她对裴洛拉特博士的好感多了许多。”
“此事大大令我惊讶，他不愿分享？”
“我从未问过他是否愿意，但我确定他不会，而我也不要他那样做。”
便子点了点头，露出一个精明的表情。“我明了，是由于她的尻部。”
“她的尻部？”
“尊驾应知晓，即是此处——”她拍了拍自己线条优美的臀部。
“喔，那里！我了解你的意思。没错，宝绮思的骨盆相当宽大。”他用双手在半空划出一个人体曲线，还眨了眨眼睛（广子随即开怀大笑）。
崔维兹又说：“不过嘛，许多男人都喜爱那种丰满的体型。”
“我难以置信，凡事大小适中最理想，若果一味求大，当然即是贪得无厌。若我的乳房硕大，在胸前摇摇蔽晃，一双乳头指着脚趾，尊驾是否将更着视我？说真格的，我曾见过如此之乳房，然而未见男人蜂拥周围。为乳房过大而苦恼的可怜女子，必定需要将畸形胸脯遮盖起来——像宝绮思女士那样。”
“过大的胸部同样不会吸引我，不过我可以肯定，宝绮思将她的乳房遮起来，绝不是因为有任何缺陷。”
“如此说来，尊驾不嫌恶我的容貌或体型？”
“除非我是疯子，你实在很漂后。”
“尊驾乘着太空船，自一个世界飞趾箜一世界——宝绮思女士又拒尊驾千里之外，在旅途中尊驾如何享受欢愉？”
“完全没有，广子，没什么可做的。我偶尔也会想到那些欢愉，这的确有些不好过。伹我们从事太空旅行的人，都很了解有些时候必须禁欲，我们会在其他时候补回来。”
“若果觉得不好过，要如何消除该种感觉？”
“你提到这个话题，让我觉得更加不好过。可是要我建议如何消除那种感觉，我认为那是很不礼貌的。”
“若由我提议一个法子，会不会很无礼？”
“这完全要看是什么样的建议。”
“我建议你我二人互栢取悦。”
“你带我来这里，广子，就是为了这件事吗？”
便子露出愉悦的笑容。“正是，此事既是我应尽的地主之谊，同时亦是我的想望。”
“如果这样的话，我承认这也是我的想望。事实上，我非常乐意遵从你的意思。我——啊——亟欲取悦尊驾。”

Chapter 18: The Music Festival
78Lunch was in the same dining room in which they hadhad breakfast. It was full of Alphans, and with them were Trevize andPelorat, made thoroughly welcome. Bliss and Fallom ate separately,and more or less privately, in a small annex.
There were several varieties of fish, together with soup in whichthere were strips of what might well have been boiled kid. Loaves ofbread were there for the slicing, butter and jam for the spreading. Asalad, large and diffuse, came afterward, and there was a notable absenceof any dessert, although fruit juices were passed about in apparentlyinexhaustible pitchers. Both Foundationers were forced to be abstemiousafter their heavy breakfast, but everyone else seemed to eat freely.
"How do they keep from getting fat?" wondered Pelorat in a lowvoice.
Trevize shrugged. "Lots of physical labor, perhaps."It was clearly a society in which decorum at meals was not greatlyvalued. There was a miscellaneous hubbub of shouting, laughing, andthumping on the table with thick, obviously unbreakable, cups. Womenwere as loud and raucous as men, albeit in higher pitch.
Pelorat winced, but Trevize, who now (temporarily, at least) felt notrace of the discomfort he had spoken of to Hiroko, felt both relaxedand good-natured.
He said, "Actually, it has its pleasant side. These are people whoappear to enjoy life and who have few, if any, cares. Weather is whatthey make it and foodiis unimaginably plentiful. This is a golden agefor them that simply continues and continues."He had to shout to make himself heard, and Pelorat shouted back,"But it's so noisy.""They're used to it.""I don't see how they can understand each other in this riot."Certainly, it was all lost on the two Foundationers. The queerpronunciation and the archaic grammar and word order of the Alphanlanguage made it impossible to understand at the intense sound levels. Tothe Foundationers, it was like listening to the sounds of a zoo infright.
It was not till after lunch that they rejoined Bliss in a smallstructure, which Trevize found to be rather inconsiderably differentfrom Hiroko's quarters, and which had been assigned them as their owntemporary living quarters. Fallom was in the second room, enormouslyrelieved to be alone, according to Bliss, and attempting to nap.
Pelorat looked at the door-gap in the wall and said uncertainly,"There's very little privacy here. How can we speak freely?""I assure you," said Trevize, "that once we pull the canvas barrieracross the door, we won't be disturbed. The canvas makes it impenetrableby all the force of social custom."Pelorat glanced at the high, open windows. "We can be overheard.""We need not shout. The Alphans won't eavesdrop. Even when they stoodoutside the windows of the dining room at breakfast, they remained ata respectful distance."Bliss smiled. "You've learned so much about Alphan customs in thetime you spent alone with gentle little Hiroko, and you've gained suchconfidence in their respect for privacy. What happened?"Trevize said, "If you're aware that the tendrils of my mind haveundergone a change for the better and can guess the reason, I can onlyask you to leave my mind alone.""You know very well that Gaia will not touch your mind under anycircumstances short of life-crisis, and you know why. Still, I'm notmentally blind. I could sense what happened a kilometer away. Is thisyour invariable custom on space voyages, my erotomaniac friend?""Erotomaniac? Come, Bliss. Twice on this entire trip. Twice!""We were only on two worlds that had functioning human females onthem. Two out of two, and we had only been a few hours on each.""You are well aware I had no choice on Comporellon.""That makes sense. I remember what she looked like." For a few moments,Bliss dissolved in laughter. Then she said, "Yet I don't think Hirokoheld you helpless in her mighty grip, or inflicted her irresistible willon your cringing body.""Of course not. I was perfectly willing. But it was her suggestion,just the same."Pelorat said, with just a tinge of envy in his voice, "Does thishappen to you all the time, Golan?""Of course it must, Pel," said Bliss. "Women are helplessly drawnto him.""I wish that were so," said Trevize, "but it isn't. And I'm glad itisn't I do have other things I want to do in life. Just the same,in this case I was irresistible. After all, we were the first peoplefrom another world that Hiroko had ever seen or, apparently, that anyonenow alive on Alpha had ever seen: I gathered from things she let slip,casual remarks, that she had the rather exciting notion that I mightbe different from Alphans, either anatomically or in my technique. Poorthing. I'm afraid she was disappointed.""Oh?" said Bliss. "Were you?""No," said Trevize. "I have been on a number of worlds and I have hadmy experiences. And what I had discovered is that people are people andsex is sex, wherever one goes. If there are noticeable differences, theyare usually both trivial and unpleasant. The perfumes I've encountered inmy time! I remember when a young woman simply couldn't manage unless therewas music loudly played, music that consisted of a desperate screechingsound. So she played the music and then I couldn't manage. Iassure you if it's the same old thing, then I'm satisfied.""Speaking of music," said Bliss, "we are invited to a musicale afterdinner. A very formal thing, apparently, that is being held in ourhonor. I gather the Alphans are very proud of their music."Trevize grimaced. "Their pride will in no way make the music soundbetter to our ears.""Hear me out," said Bliss. "I gather that their pride is that theyplay expertly on very archaic instruments. Very archaic. Wemay get some information about Earth by way of them."Trevize's eyebrows shot up. "An interesting thought. And that remindsme that both of you may already have information. Janov, did you seethis Monolee that Hiroko told us about?""Indeed I did," said Pelorat. "I was with him for three hours andHiroko did not exaggerate. It was a virtual monologue on his part andwhen I left to come to lunch, he clung to me and would not let me gountil I promised to return whenever I could in order that I might listento him some more.""And did he say anything of interest?""Well, he, too like everybody else insisted that Earthwas thoroughly and murderously radioactive; that the ancestors of theAlphans were the last to leave and that if they hadn't, they would havedied. And, Golan, he was so emphatic that I couldn't help believinghim. I'm convinced that Earth is dead, and that our entire search is,after all, useless."79Trevize sat back in his chair, staring at Pelorat,who was sitting on a narrow cot. Bliss, having risen from where she hadbeen sitting next to Pelorat, looked from one to the other.
Finally, Trevize said, "Let me be the judge as to whether our searchis useless or not, Janov. Tell me what the garrulous old man had to sayto you in brief, of course."Pelorat said, "I took notes as Monolee spoke. It helped reinforcemy role a scholar, but I don't have to refer to them. He was quitestream-of-consciousness in his speaking. Each thing he said would remindhim of something else, but, of course, I have spent my life trying toorganize information in the search of the relevant and significant,so that it's second nature for me now to be able to condense a long andincoherent discourse "Trevize said gently, "Into something just as long and incoherent? Tothe point, dear Janov."Pelorat cleared his throat uneasily. "Yes, certainly, old chap. I'lltry to make a connected and chronological tale out of it. Earth wasthe original home of humanity and of millions of species of plants andanimals. It continued so for countless years until hyperspatial travelwas invented. Then the Spacer worlds were founded. They broke away fromEarth, developed their own cultures, and came to despise and oppressthe mother planet.
"After a couple of centuries of this, Earth managed to regain itsfreedom, though Monolee did not explain the exact manner in which thiswas done, and I dared not ask questions, even if he had given me achance to interrupt, which he did not, for that might merely have senthim into new byways. He did mention a culture-hero named Elijah Baley,but the references were so characteristic of the habit of attributingto one figure the accomplishments of generations that there was littlevalue in attempting to "Bliss said, "Yes, Pel dear, we understand that part."Again, Pelorat paused in midstream and reconsidered. "Of course. Myapologies. Earth initiated a second wave of settlements, founding many newworlds in a new fashion. The new group of Settlers proved more vigorousthan the Spacers, outpaced them, defeated them, outlasted them, and,eventually, established the Galactic Empire. During the course of thewars between the Settlers and the Spacers no, not wars, for heused the word `conflict,' being very careful about that the Earthbecame radioactive."Trevize said, with clear annoyance, "That's ridiculous, Janov. How cana world become radioactive? Every world is very slightlyradioactive to one degree or another from the moment of formation,and that radioactivity slowly decays. It doesn't become radioactive."Pelorat shrugged. "I'm only telling you what he said. And he wasonly telling me what he had heard from someone who only told himwhat he had heard and so on. It's folk-history, told and retoldover the generations, with who knows what distortions creeping in ateach retelling.""I understand that, but are there no books, documents, ancienthistories which have frozen the story at an early time and which couldgive us something more accurate than the present tale?""Actually, I managed to ask that question, and the answer is no. Hesaid vaguely that there were books about it in ancient times and thatthey had long ago been lost, but that what he was telling us was whathad been in those books.""Yes, well distorted. It's the same story. In every world we go to,the records of Earth have, in one way or another, disappeared. Well,how did he say the radioactivity began on Earth?""He didn't, in any detail. The closest he came to saying so wasthat the Spacers were responsible, but then I gathered that the Spacerswere the demons on whom the people of Earth blamed all misfortune. Theradioactivity "A clear voice overrode him here. "Bliss, am I a Spacer?"Fallom was standing in the narrow doorway between the two rooms, hairtousled and the nightgown she was wearing (designed to fit Bliss's moreample proportions) having slid off one shoulder to reveal an undevelopedbreast.
Bliss said, "We worry about eavesdroppers outside and we forget theone inside. Now, Fallom, why do you say that?" She rose and walkedtoward the youngster.
Fallom said, "I don't have what they have," she pointed at thetwo men, "or what you have, Bliss. I'm different. Is that because I'ma Spacer?""You are, Fallom," said Bliss soothingly, "but little differencesdon't matter. Come back to bed."Fallom became submissive as she always did when Bliss willed her tobe so. She turned and said, "Am I a demon? What is a demon?"Bliss said over her shoulder, "Wait one moment for me. I'll be rightback."She was, within five minutes. She was shaking her head. "She'll besleeping now till I wake her. I should have done that before, I suppose,but any modification of the mind must be the result of necessity." Sheadded defensively, "I can't have her brood on the differences betweenher genital equipment and ours."Pelorat said, "Someday she'll have to know she's hermaphroditic.""Someday," said Bliss, "but not now. Go on with the story, Pel.""Yes," said Trevize, "before something else interrupts us.""Well, Earth became radioactive, or at least its crust did. At thattime, Earth had had an enormous population that was centered in hugecities that existed for the most part underground ""Now, that," put in Trevize, "is surely not so. It must be localpatriotism glorifying the golden age of a planet, and the details weresimply a distortion of Trantor in its golden age, when itwas the Imperial capital of a Galaxy-wide system of worlds."Pelorat paused, then said, "Really, Golan, you mustn't teach memy business. We mythologists know very well that myths and legendscontain borrowings, moral lessons, nature cycles, and a hundred otherdistorting influences, and we labor to cut them away and get to whatmight be a kernel of truth. In fact, these same techniques must beapplied to the most sober histories, for no one writes the clear andapparent truth if such a thing can even be said to exist. For now,I'm telling you more or less what Monolee told me, though I suppose Iam adding distortions of my own, try as I might not to do so.""Well, well," said Trevize. "Go on, Janov. I meant no offense.""And I've taken none. The huge cities, assuming they existed, crumbledand shrank as the radioactivity slowly grew more intense until thepopulation was but a remnant of what it had been, clinging precariously toregions that were relatively radiation-free. The population was kept downby rigid birth control and by the euthanasia of people over sixty.""Horrible," said Bliss indignantly.
"Undoubtedly," said Pelorat, "but that is what they did, according toMonolee, and that might be true, for it is certainly not complimentary tothe Earthpeople and it is not likely that an uncomplimentary lie wouldbe made up. The Earthpeople, having been despised and oppressed by theSpacers, were now despised and oppressed by the Empire, though here wemay have exaggeration there out of self-pity, which is a very seductiveemotion. There is the case ""Yes, yes, Pelorat, another time. Please go on with Earth.""I beg your pardon. The Empire, in a fit of benevolence, agreed tosubstitute imported radiation-free soil and to cart away the contaminatedsoil. Needless to say, that was an enormous task which the Empire soontired of, especially as this period (if my guess is right) coincidedwith the fall of Kandar V, after which the Empire had many more thingsto worry about than Earth.
"The radioactivity continued to grow more intense, the populationcontinued to fall, and finally the Empire, in another fit of benevolence,offered to transplant the remnant of the population to a new world oftheir own to this world, in short.
"At an earlier period, it seems an expedition had stocked the ocean sothat by the time the plans for the transplantation of Earthpeople werebeing developed, there was a full oxygen atmosphere and an ample supplyof food on Alpha. Nor did any of the worlds of the Galactic Empire covetthis world because there is a certain natural antipathy to planets thatcircle stars of a binary system. There are so few suitable planets insuch a system, I suppose, that even suitable ones are rejected becauseof the assumption that there must be something wrong with them. This isa common thought-fashion. There is the well-known case, for instance,of ""Later with the well-known case, Janov," said Trevize. "On with thetransplantation.""What remained," said Pelorat, hurrying his words a little, "wasto prepare a land-base. The shallowest part of the ocean was found andsediment was raised from deeper parts to add to the shallow sea-bottomand, finally, to produce the island of New Earth. Boulders and coralwere dredged up and added to the island. Land plants were seeded so thatroot systems might help make the new land firm. Again, the Empire hadset itself an enormous task. Perhaps continents were planned at first,but by the time this one island was produced, the Empire's moment ofbenevolence had passed.
"What was left of Earth's population was brought here. The Empire'sfleets carried off its men and machinery, and they never returned. TheEarthpeople, living on New Earth, found themselves in completeisolation."Trevize said, "Complete? Did Monolee say that no one from elsewherein the Galaxy has ever come here till we did?""Almost complete," said Pelorat. "There is nothing to come here for,I suppose, even if we set aside the superstitious distaste for binarysystems. Occasionally, at long intervals, a ship would come, as ours did,but it would eventually leave and there has never been a follow-up. Andthat's it."Trevize said, "Did you ask Monolee where Earth was located?""Of course I asked that. He didn't know.""How can he know so much about Earth's history without knowing whereit is located?""I asked him specifically, Golan, if the star that was only aparsec or so distant from Alpha might be the sun about which Earthrevolved. He didn't know what a parsec was, and I said it was a shortdistance, astronomically speaking. He said, short or long, he did notknow where Earth was located and he didn't know anyone who knew, and,in his opinion, it was wrong to try to find it. It should be allowed,he said, to move endlessly through space in peace."Trevize said, "Do you agree with him?"Pelorat shook his head sorrowfully. "Not really. But he said thatat the rate the radioactivity continued to increase, the planet musthave become totally uninhabitable not long after the transplantationtook place and that by now it must be burning intensely so that no onecan approach.""Nonsense," said Trevize firmly. "A planet cannot become radioactiveand, having done so, continuously increase in radioactivity. Radioactivitycan only decrease.""But Monolee is so sure of it. So many people we've talked to onvarious worlds unite in this that Earth is radioactive. Surely,it is useless to go on."80Trevize drew a deep breath, then said, in a carefullycontrolled voice, "Nonsense, Janov. That's not true."Pelorat said, "Well, now, old chap, you mustn't believe somethingjust because you want to believe it.""My wants have nothing to do with it. In world after world we findall records of Earth wiped out. Why should they be. wiped out if thereis nothing to hide; if Earth is a dead, radioactive world that cannotbe approached?""I don't know, Golan.""Yes, you do. When we were approaching Melpomenia, you said that theradioactivity might be the other side of the coin. Destroy records toremove accurate information; supply the tale of radioactivity to insertinaccurate information. Both would discourage any attempt to find Earth,and we mustn't be deluded into discouragement."Bliss said, "Actually, you seem to think the nearby star is Earth'ssun. Why, then, continue to argue the question of radioactivity? Whatdoes it matter? Why not simply go to the nearby star and see if it isEarth, and, if so, what it is like?"Trevize said, "Because those on Earth must be, in their way,extraordinarily powerful, and I would prefer to approach with someknowledge of the world and its inhabitants. As it is, since I continue toremain ignorant of Earth, approaching it is dangerous. It is my notionthat I leave the rest of you here on Alpha and that I proceed to Earthby myself. One life is quite enough to risk.""No, Golan," said Pelorat earnestly. "Bliss and the child might waithere, but I must go with you. I have been searching for Earth sincebefore you were born and I cannot stay behind when the goal is so close,whatever dangers might threaten.""Bliss and the child will not wait here," said Bliss. "Iam Gaia, and Gaia can protect us even against Earth.""I hope you're right," said Trevize gloomily, "but Gaia could notprevent the elimination of all early memories of Earth's role in itsfounding.""That was done in Gaia's early history when it was not yet wellorganized, not yet advanced. Matters are different now.""I hope that is so. Or is it that you have gained informationabout Earth this morning that we don't have? I did ask that you speakto some of the older women that might be available here.""And so I did."Trevize said, "And what did you find out?""Nothing about Earth. There is a total blank there.""Ah.""But they are advanced biotechnologists." ,"Oh?""On this small island, they have grown and tested innumerable strainsof plants and animals and designed a suitable ecological balance, stableand self-supporting, despite the few species with which they began. Theyhave improved on the ocean life that they found when they arrived here afew thousand years ago, increasing their nutritive value and improvingtheir taste. It is their biotechnology that has made this world such acornucopia of plenty. They have plans for themselves, too.""What kind of plans?"Bliss said, "They know perfectly well they cannot reasonably expect toexpand their range under present circumstances, confined as they are tothe one small patch of land that exists on their world, but they dreamof becoming amphibious.""Of becoming what ?""Amphibious. They plan to develop gills in addition to lungs. Theydream of being able to spend substantial periods of time underwater; offinding shallow regions and building structures on the ocean bottom. Myinformant was quite glowing about it but she admitted that this had beena goal of the Alphans for some centuries now and that little, if any,progress has been made."Trevize said, "That's two fields in which they might be more advancedthan we are; weather control and biotechnology. I wonder what theirtechniques are.""We'd have to find specialists," said Bliss, "and they might not bewilling to talk about it."Trevize said, "It's not our primary concern here,but it would clearly pay the Foundation to attempt to learn from thisminiature world."Pelorat said, "We manage to control the weather fairly well onTerminus, as it is.""Control is good on many worlds," said Trevize, "but always it's amatter of the world as a whole. Here the Alphans control the weatherof a small portion of the world and they must have techniques we don'thave. Anything else, Bliss?""Social invitations. These appear to be a holiday-making people,in whatever time they can take from farming and fishing. Afterdinner, tonight there'll be a music festival. I told you aboutthat already. Tomorrow, during the day, there will be a beachfestival. Apparently, all around the rim of the island there will bea congregation of everyone who can get away from the fields in orderthat they might enjoy the water and celebrate the sun, since it will beraining the next day. In the morning, the fishing fleet will come back,beating the rain, and by evening there will be a food festival, samplingthe catch."Pelorat groaned. "The meals are ample enough as it is. What would afood festival be like?""I gather that it will feature not quantity, but variety. In anycase, all four of us are invited to participate in all the festivals,especially the music festival tonight.""On the antique instruments?" asked Trevize.
"That's right.""What makes them antique, by the way? Primitive computers?""No, no. That's the point. It isn't electronic music at all, butmechanical. They described it to me. They scrape strings, blow in tubes,and bang on surfaces.""I hope you're making that up," said Trevize, appalled.
"No, I'm not. And I understand that your Hiroko will be blowing onone of the tubes I forget its name and you ought to be ableto endure that.""As for myself," said Pelorat, "I would love to go. I know very littleabout primitive music and I would like to hear it.""She is not `my Hiroko,'" said Trevize coldly. "But are the instrumentsof the type once used on Earth, do you suppose?""So I gathered," said Bliss. "At least the Alphan women said theywere designed long before their ancestors came here.""In that case," said Trevize, "it may be worth listening to allthat scraping, tootling, and banging, for whatever information it mightconceivably yield concerning Earth."81Oddly enough, it was Fallom who was most excited atthe prospect of a musical evening. She and Bliss had bathed in thesmall outhouse behind their quarters. It had a bath with running water,hot and cold (or, rather, warm and cool), a washbowl, and a commode. Itwas totally clean and usable and, in the late afternoon sun, it was evenwell lit and cheerful.
As always, Fallom was fascinated with Bliss's breasts and Bliss wasreduced to saying (now that Fallom understood Galactic) that on herworld that was the way people were. To which Fallom said, inevitably,"Why?" and Bliss, after some thought, deciding there was no sensibleway of answering, returned the universal reply, "Because!"When they were done, Bliss helped Fallom put on the undergarmentsupplied them by the Alphans and worked out the system whereby theskirt went on over it. Leaving Fallom unclothed from the waist up seemedreasonable enough. She herself, while making use of Alphan garments belowthe waist (rather tight about the hips), put on her own blouse. It seemedsilly to be too inhibited to expose breasts in a society where all womendid, especially since her own were not large and were as shapely as anyshe had seen but there it was.
The two men took their turn at the outhouse next, Trevize mutteringthe usual male complaint concerning the time the women had taken.
Bliss turned Fallom about to make sure the skirt would hold in placeover her boyish hips and buttocks. She said, "It's a very pretty skirt,Fallom. Do you like it?"Fallom stared at it in a mirror and said, "Yes, I do. Won't I be coldwith nothing on, though?" and she ran her hands down her bare chest.
"I don't think so, Fallom. It's quite warm on this world."" You have something on.""Yes, I do. That's how it is on my world. Now, Fallom, we're going tobe with a great many Alphans during dinner and afterward. Do you thinkyou can bear that?"Fallom looked distressed, and Bliss went on, "I will sit on your rightside and I will hold you. Pel will sit on the other side, and Trevizewill sit across the table from you. We won't let anyone talk to you,and you won't have to talk to anyone.""I'll try, Bliss," Fallom piped in her highest tones.
"Then afterward," said Bliss, "some Alphans will make music for usin their own special way. Do you know what music is?" She hummed in thebest imitation of electronic harmony that she could.
Fallom's face lit up. "You mean   " The last word was inher own language, and she burst into song.
Bliss's eyes widened. It was a beautiful tune, even though it was wild,and rich in trills. "That's right. Music," she said.
Fallom said excitedly, "Jemby made" she hesitated, then decidedto use the Galactic word "music all the time. It made music on a  " Again a word in her own language.
Bliss repeated the word doubtfully, "On a feeful?"Fallom laughed. "Not feeful,   "With both words juxtaposed like that, Bliss could hear the difference,but she despaired of reproducing the second. She said, "What does itlook like?"Fallom's as yet limited vocabulary in Galactic did not suffice for anaccurate description, and her gestures did not produce any shape clearlyin Bliss's mind.
"He showed me how to use the   " Fallom said proudly. "Iused my fingers just the way Jemby did, but it said that soon I wouldn'thave to.""That's wonderful, dear," said Bliss. "After dinner, we'll see ifthe Alphans are as good as your Jemby was."Fallom's eyes sparkled and pleasant thoughts of what was to followcarried her through a lavish dinner despite the crowds and laughterand noise all about her. Only once, when a dish was accidentally upset,setting off shrieks of excitement fairly close to them, did Fallom lookfrightened, and Bliss promptly held her close in a warm and protectivehug.
"I wonder if we can arrange to eat by ourselves," she muttered toPelorat. "Otherwise, we'll have to get off this world. It's bad enougheating all this Isolate animal protein, but I must be ableto do it in peace.""It's only high spirits," said Pelorat, who would have endured anythingwithin reason that he felt came under the heading of primitive behaviorand beliefs.
 And then the dinner was over, and the announcement came thatthe music festival would soon begin.
82The hall in which the music festival was to be heldwas about as large as the dining room, and there were folding seats(rather uncomfortable, Trevize found out) for about a hundred fiftypeople. As honored guests, the visitors were led to the front row,and various Alphans commented politely and favorably on their clothes.
Both men were bare above the waist and Trevize tightened his abdominalmuscles whenever he thought of it and stared down, on occasion, withcomplacent self-admiration at his dark-haired chest. Pelorat, in hisardent observation of everything about him, was indifferent to his ownappearance. Bliss's blouse drew covert stares of puzzlement but nothingwas said concerning it.
Trevize noted that the hall was only about half-full and that thelarge majority of the audience were women, since, presumably, so manymen were out to sea.
Pelorat nudged Trevize and whispered, "They have electricity."Trevize looked at the vertical tubes on the walls, and at others onthe ceiling. They were softly luminous.
"Fluorescence," he said. "Quite primitive.""Yes, but they do the job, and we've got those things in our roomsand in the outhouse. I thought they were just decorative. If we can findout how to work them, we won't have to stay in the dark."Bliss said irritably, "They might have told us."Pelorat said, "They thought we'd know; that anyone would know."Four women now emerged from behind screens and seated themselves ina group in the space at the front. Each held an instrument of varnishedwood of a similar shape, but one that was not easily describable. Theinstruments were chiefly different in size. One was quite small, twosomewhat larger, and the fourth considerably larger. Each woman alsoheld a long rod in the other hand.
The audience whistled softly as they came in, in response to whichthe four women bowed. Each had a strip of gauze bound fairly tightlyacross the breasts as though to keep them from interfering with theinstrument.
Trevize, interpreting the whistles as signs of approval, or of pleasedanticipation, felt it only polite to add his own. At that, Fallom added atrill that was far more than a whistle and that was beginning to attractattention when pressure from Bliss's hand stopped her.
Three of the women, without preparation, put their instruments undertheir chins, while the largest of the instruments remained between thelegs of the fourth woman and rested on the floor. The long rod in theright hand of each was sawed across the strings stretching nearly thelength of the instrument, while the fingers of the left hand shiftedrapidly along the upper ends of those strings.
This, thought Trevize, was the "scraping" he had expected, butit didn't sound like scraping at all. There was a soft and melodioussuccession of notes; each instrument doing something of its own and thewhole fusing pleasantly.
It lacked the infinite complexity of electronic music ("real music," asTrevize could not help but think of it) and there was a distinct samenessto it. Still, as time passed, and his ear grew accustomed to this oddsystem of sound, he began to pick out subtleties. It was wearisome tohave to do so, and he thought, longingly, of the clamor and mathematicalprecision and purity of the real thing, but it occurred to him that ifhe listened to the music of these simple wooden devices long enough hemight well grow to like it.
It was not till the concert was some forty-five minutes old that Hirokostepped out. She noticed Trevize in the front row at once and smiled athim. He joined the audience in the soft whistle of approval with a wholeheart. She looked beautiful in a long and most elaborate skirt, a largeflower in her hair, and nothing at all over her breasts since (apparently)there was no danger of their interference with the instrument.
Her instrument proved to be a dark wooden tube about two thirds of ameter long and nearly two centimeters thick. She lifted the instrumentto her lips and blew across an opening near one end, producing a thin,sweet note that wavered in pitch as her fingers manipulated metal objectsalong the length of the tube.
At the first sound, Fallom clutched at Bliss's arm and said, "Bliss,that's a   " and the word sounded like "feeful" to Bliss.
Bliss shook her head firmly at Fallom, who said, in a lower voice,"But it is!"Others were looking in Fallom's direction. Bliss put her hand firmlyover Fallom's mouth, and leaned down to mutter an almost subliminallyforceful "Quiet!" into her ear.
Fallom listened to Hiroko's playing quietly thereafter, but herfingers moved spasmodically, as though they were operating the objectsalong the length of the instrument.
The final player in the concert was an elderly man who had aninstrument with fluted sides suspended over his shoulders. He pulled itin and out while one hand flashed across a succession of white and darkobjects at one end, pressing them down in groups.
Trevize found this sound particularly wearing, rather barbaric,and unpleasantly like the memory of the barking of the dogs onAurora not that the sound was like barking, but the emotions it gaverise to were similar. Bliss looked as though she would like to place herhands over her ears, and Pelorat had a frown on his face. Only Fallomseemed to enjoy it, for she was tapping her foot lightly, and Trevize,when he noticed that, realized, to his own surprise, that there was abeat to the music that matched Fallom's footfall.
It came to an end at last and there was a perfect storm of whistling,with Fallom's trill clearly heard above it all.
Then the audience broke up into small conversational groups and becameas loud and raucous as Alphans seemed to be on all public occasions. Thevarious individuals who had played in the concert stood about in front ofthe room and spoke to those people who came up to congratulate them.
Fallom evaded Bliss's grasp and ran up to Hiroko.
"Hiroko," she cried out, gaspingly. "Let me see the   ""The what, dear one?" said Hiroko.
"The thing you made the music with.""Oh." Hiroko laughed. "That's a flute, little one.""May I see it?""Well." Hiroko opened a case and took out the instrument. It was inthree parts, but she put it together quickly, held it toward Fallom withthe mouthpiece near her lips, and said, "There, blow thou thy breathacross this.""I know. I know," said Fallom eagerly, and reached for the flute.
Automatically, Hiroko snatched it away and held it high. "Blow, child,but touch not."Fallom seemed disappointed. "May I just look at it, then? I won'ttouch it.""Certainly, dear one."She held out the flute again and Fallom stared at it earnestly.
And then, the fluorescent lighting in the room dimmed very slightly,and the sound of a flute's note, a little uncertain and wavering, madeitself heard.
Hiroko, in surprise, nearly dropped the flute, and Fallom cried out,"I did it. I did it. Jemby said someday I could do it."Hiroko said, "Was it thou that made the sound?""Yes, I did. I did.""But how didst thou do so, child?"Bliss said, red with embarrassment, "I'm sorry, Hiroko. I'll takeher away.""No," said Hiroko. "I wish her to do it again."A few of the nearest Alphans had gathered to watch. Fallom furrowedher brow as though trying hard. The fluorescents dimmed rather more thanbefore, and again there was the note of the flute, this time pure andsteady. Then it became erratic as the metal objects along the length ofthe flute moved of their own accord.
"It's a little different from the   " Fallom said, alittle breathlessly, as though the breath that had been activating theflute had been her own instead of power-driven air.
Pelorat said to Trevize, "She must be getting the energy from theelectric current that feeds the fluorescents.""Try again," said Hiroko in a choked voice.
Fallom closed her eyes. The note was softer now and under firmercontrol. The flute played by itself, maneuvered by no fingers, but movedby distant energy, transduced through the still immature lobes of Fallom'sbrain. The notes which began as almost random settled into a musicalsuccession and now everyone in the hall had gathered around Hiroko andFallom, as Hiroko held the flute gently with thumb and forefinger ateither end, and Fallom, eyes closed, directed the current of air andthe movement of the keys.
"It's the piece I played," whispered Hiroko.
"I remember it," said Fallom, nodding her head slightly, trying notto break her concentration.
"Thou didst not miss a note," said Hiroko, when it was done.
"But it's not right, Hiroko. You didn't do it right."Bliss said, "Fallom! That's not polite. You mustn't ""Please," said Hiroko peremptorily, "do not interfere. Why is it notright, child?""Because I would play it differently.""Show me, then."Again the flute played, but in more complicated fashion, for the forcesthat pushed the keys did so more quickly, in more rapid succession andin more elaborate combinations than before. The music was more complex,and infinitely more emotional and moving. Hiroko stood rigid and therewas not a sound to be heard anywhere in the room.
Even after Fallom had finished playing, there was not a sound untilHiroko drew a deep breath and said, "Little one, hast thou ever playedthat before?""No," said Fallom, "before this I could only use my fingers, andI can't do my fingers like that." Then, simply and with no trace ofvaunting, "No one can.""Canst thou play anything else?""I can make something up.""Dost thou mean improvise?"Fallom frowned at the word and looked toward Bliss. Bliss nodded andFallom said, "Yes.""Please do so, then," said Hiroko.
Fallom paused and thought for a minute or two, then began slowly,in a very simple succession of notes, the whole being rather dreamy. Thefluorescent lights dimmed and brightened as the amount of power exertedintensified and faded. No one seemed to notice, for it seemed to be theeffect of the music rather than the cause, as though a ghostly electricalspirit were obeying the dictates of the sound waves.
The combination of notes then repeated itself a bit more loudly, thena bit more complexly, then in variations that, without ever losing theclearly heard basic combination, became more stirring and more excitinguntil it was almost impossible to breathe. And finally, it descendedmuch more rapidly than it had ascended and did so with the effect ofa swooping dive that brought the listeners to ground level even whilethey still retained the feeling that they were high in the air.
There followed sheer pandemonium that split the air, and even Trevize,who was used to a totally different kind of music, thought sadly,"And now I'll never hear that again."When a most reluctant quiet had returned, Hiroko held out herflute. "Here, Fallom, this is thine!"Fallom reached for it eagerly, but Bliss caught hold of the child'soutstretched arm and said, "We can't take it, Hiroko. It's a valuableinstrument.""I have another, Bliss. Not quite as good, but that is how it shouldbe. This instrument belongeth to the person who playeth it best. Neverhave I heard such music and it would be wrong for me to own an instrumentI cannot use to full potential. Would that I knew how the instrumentcould be made to play without being touched."Fallom took the flute and, with an expression of deep content, heldit tightly to her chest.
83Each of the two rooms of their quarters were lit by onefluorescent light. The outhouse had a third. The lights were dim, and wereuncomfortable to read by, but at least the rooms were no longer dark.
Yet they now lingered outside. The sky was full of stars, somethingthat was always fascinating to a native of Terminus, where the night skywas all but starless and in which only the faint foreshortened cloud ofthe Galaxy was prominent.
Hiroko had accompanied them back to their chambers for fear they wouldget lost in the dark, or that they would stumble. All the way back, sheheld Fallom's hand, and then, after lighting the fluorescents for them,remained outside with them, still clutching at the youngster.
Bliss tried again, for it was clear to her that Hiroko was in a stateof a difficult conflict of emotions. "Really, Hiroko, we cannot takeyour flute.""No, Fallom must have it." But she seemed on edge just the same.
Trevize continued to look at the sky. The night was truly dark,a darkness that was scarcely affected by the trickle of light fromtheir own chambers; and much less so by the tiny sparks of other housesfarther off.
He said, "Hiroko, do you see that star that is so bright? What isit called?"Hiroko looked up casually and said, with no great appearance ofinterest, "That's the Companion.""Why is it called that?""It circleth our sun every eighty Standard Years. It is an eveningstar at this time of year. Thou canst see it in daytime, too, when itlieth above the horizon."Good, thought Trevize. She's not totally ignorant of astronomy. Hesaid, "Do you know that Alpha has another companion, a very small, dimone that's much much farther away than that bright star. You can't seeit without a telescope." (He hadn't seen it himself, hadn't botheredto search for it, but the ship's computer had the information in itsmemory banks.)She said indifferently, "We were told that in school.""But now what about that one? You see those six stars in a zigzagline?"Hiroko said, "That is Cassiopeia.""Really?" said Trevize, startled. "Which star?""All of them. The whole zigzag. It is Cassiopeia.""Why is it called that?""I lack the knowledge. I know nothing of astronomy, respectedTrevize.""Do you see the lowermost star in the zigzag, the one that's brighterthan the other stars? What is that?""It is a star. I know not its name.""But except for the two companion stars, it's the closest of all thestars to Alpha. It is only a parsec away."Hiroko said, "Sayest thou so? I know that not.""Might it not be the star about which Earth revolves?"Hiroko looked at the star with a faint flash of interest. "I knownot. I have never heard any person say so.""Don't you think it might be?""How can I say? None knoweth where Earth might be. I I mustleave thee, now. I will be taking my shift in the fields tomorrowmorning before the beach festival. I'll see you all there, right afterlunch. Yes? Yes?""Certainly, Hiroko."She left suddenly, half-running in the dark. Trevize looked after her,then followed the others into the dimly lit cottage.
He said, "Can you tell whether she was lying about Earth, Bliss?"Bliss shook her head. "I don't think she was. She is under enormoustension, something I was not aware of until after the concert. It existedbefore you asked her about the stars.""Because she gave away her flute, then?""Perhaps. I can't tell." She turned to Fallom. "Now, Fallom, I wantyou to go into your room. When you're ready for bed, go to the outhouse,use the potty, then wash your hands, your face, and your teeth.""I would like to play the flute, Bliss.""Just for a little while, and very quietly. Do you understand,Fallom? And you must stop when I tell you to.""Yes, Bliss."The three were now alone; Bliss in the one chair and the men sittingeach on his cot.
Bliss said, "Is there any point in staying on this planet anylonger?"Trevize shrugged. "We never did get to discuss Earth in connectionwith the ancient instruments, and we might find something there. Itmight also pay to wait for the fishing fleet to return. The men mightknow something the stay-at-homes don't."" Very unlikely, I think," said Bliss. "Are you sure it'snot Hiroko's dark eyes that hold you?"Trevize said impatiently, "I don't understand, Bliss. What have youto do with what I choose to do? Why do you seem to arrogate to yourselfthe right of sitting in moral judgment on me?""I'm not concerned with your morals. The matter affects ourexpedition. You want to find Earth so that you can finally decidewhether you are right in choosing Galaxia over Isolate worlds. I wantyou to so decide. You say you need to visit Earth to make the decisionand you seem to be convinced that Earth revolves about that bright starin the sky. Let us go there, then. I admit it would be useful to havesome information about it before we go, but it is clear to me that theinformation is not forthcoming here. I do not wish to remain simplybecause you enjoy Hiroko.""Perhaps we'll leave," said Trevize. "Let me think about it, andHiroko will play no part in my decision, I assure you."Pelorat said, "I feel we ought to move on to Earth, if only to seewhether it is radioactive or not. I see no point in waiting longer.""Are you sure it's not Bliss's dark eyes that drive you?" saidTrevize, a bit spitefully. Then, almost at once, "No, I take that back,Janov. I was just being childish. Still this is a charming world,quite apart from Hiroko, and I must say that under other circumstances,I would be tempted to remain indefinitely. Don't you think, Bliss,that Alpha destroys your theory about Isolates?""In what way?" asked Bliss.
"You've been maintaining that every truly isolated world turnsdangerous and hostile.""Even Comporellon," said Bliss evenly, "which is rather out of themain current of Galactic activity for all that it is, in theory, anAssociated Power of the Foundation Federation.""But not Alpha. This world is totally isolated, butcan you complain of their friendliness and hospitality? They feed us,clothe us, shelter us, put on festivals in our honor, urge us to stayon. What fault is there to find with them?""None, apparently. Hiroko even gives you her body."Trevize said angrily, "Bliss, what bothers you about that? She didn'tgive me her body. We gave each other our bodies. It was entirely mutual,entirely pleasurable. Nor can you say that you hesitate to give yourbody as it suits you.""Please, Bliss," said Pelorat. "Golan is entirely right. There is noreason to object to his private pleasures.""As long as they don't affect us," said Bliss obdurately.
"They do not affect us," said Trevize. "We will leave, I assure you. Adelay to search further for information will not be long.""Yet I don't trust Isolates," said Bliss, "even when they comebearing gifts."Trevize flung up his arms. "Reach a conclusion, then twist the evidenceto fit. How like a ""Don't say it," said Bliss dangerously. "I am not a woman. I amGaia. It is Gaia, not I, who is uneasy.""There is no reason to " And at that point there was a scratchingat the door.
Trevize froze. "What's that?" he said, in a low voice.
Bliss shrugged lightly. "Open the door and see. You tell us this isa kindly world that offers no danger."Nevertheless, Trevize hesitated, until a soft voice from the otherside of the door called out softly, "Please. It is I!"It was Hiroko's voice. Trevize threw the door open.
Hiroko entered quickly. Her cheeks were wet.
"Close the door," she gasped.
"What is it?" asked Bliss.
Hiroko clutched at Trevize. "I could not stay away. I tried, but Iendured it not. Go thou, and all of you. Take the youngster with youquickly. Take the ship away      from Alpha while it isyet dark.""But why?" asked Trevize.
"Because else wilt thou die; and all of you."84The three Outworlders stared frozenly at Hiroko fora long moment. Then Trevize said, "Are you saying your people willkill us?"Hiroko said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks, "Thou art already onthe road to death, respected Trevize. And the others with you. Longago, those of learning devised a virus, harmless to us, but deadlyto Outworlders. We have been made immune." She shook Trevize's arm indistraction. "Thou art infected.""How?""When we had our pleasure. It is one way."Trevize said, "But I feel entirely well.""The virus is as yet inactive. It will be made active when the fishingfleet returns. By our laws, all must decide on such a thing eventhe men. All will surely decide it must be done, and we keep you heretill that time, two mornings hence. Leave now while it is yet dark andnone suspects."Bliss said sharply, "Why do your people do this?""For our safety. We are few and have much. We do not wish Outworldersto intrude. If one cometh and then reporteth our lot, others will come,and so when, once in a long while, a ship arriveth, we must make certainit leaveth not.""But then," said Trevize, "why do you warn us away?""Ask not the reason. Nay, but I will tell you, since I hear itagain. Listen "From the next room, they could hear Fallom playing softly andinfinitely sweetly.
Hiroko said, "I cannot bear the destruction of that music, for theyoung one will also die."Trevize said sternly, "Is that why you gave the flute toFallom? Because you knew you would have it once again when she wasdead?"Hiroko looked horrified. "Nay, that was not in my mind. And when itcame to mind at length, I knew it must not be done. Leave with the child,and with her, take the flute that I may never see it more. Thou wilt besafe back in space and, left inactive, the virus now in thy body willdie after a time. In return, I ask that none of you ever speak of thisworld, that none else may know of it.""We will not speak of it," said Trevize.
Hiroko looked up. In a lower voice, she said, "May I not kiss theeonce ere thou leavest?"Trevize said, "No. I have been infected once and surely that isenough." And then, a little less roughly, he added, "Don't cry. Peoplewill ask why you are crying and you'll be unable to reply. I'llforgive what you did to me in view of your present effort to save us."Hiroko straightened, carefully wiped her cheeks with the back ofher hands, took a deep breath, and said, "I thank thee for that," andleft quickly.
Trevize said, "We will put out the light, and we will wait awhile,and then we will leave. Bliss, tell Fallom to stop playing herinstrument. Remember to take the flute, of course. Then we willmake our way to the ship, if we can find it in the dark.""I will find it," said Bliss. "Clothing of mine is on board and,however dimly, that, too, is Gaia. Gaia will have no trouble findingGaia." And she vanished into her room to collect Fallom.
Pelorat said, "Do you suppose that they've managed to damage our shipin order to keep us on the planet?""They lack the technology to do it," said Trevize grimly. When Blissemerged, holding Fallom by the hand, Trevize put out the lights.
They sat quietly in the dark for what seemed half the night, andmight have been half an hour. Then Trevize slowly and silently openedthe door. The sky seemed a bit more cloudy, but stars shone. High in thesky now was Cassiopeia, with what might be Earth's sun burning brightlyat its lower tip. The air was still and there was no sound.
Carefully, Trevize stepped out, motioning the others to follow. Oneof his hands dropped, almost automatically, to the butt of his neuronicwhip. He was sure he would not have to use it, but Bliss took the lead, holding Pelorat's hand, who heldTrevize's. Bliss's other hand held Fallom, and Fallom's other hand heldthe flute. Feeling gently with her feet in the nearly total darkness,Bliss guided the others toward where she felt, very weakly, the Gaia-nessof her clothing on board the Far Star .
第十八章 音乐节
　　78
午餐地点是他们进早餐的同一间餐厅。这回里面坐满阿尔发人，崔维兹与裴洛拉特夹在人群中，受到热烈的欢迎。宝绮思与菲龙并未加入，她们在旁边一间较隐密的小房间用餐。
午餐包括好几种不同的鱼类，此外汤里有许多肉片，看来很像是小山羊肉。餐桌上有一条条待切的面包，旁边摆着奶油与果酱，随后又上了一大盘什么都有的沙拉。奇怪的是没有任何甜点，不过一壶壶的果汁彷佛源源不绝。两位基地人由于早餐吃得太好，现在不得不有所节制，但其他人似乎都在尽情享用。
“他们怎样避免发胖呢？”裴洛拉特低声嘀咕。
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“大概是劳动量很大吧。”
这个社会显然不太注着用餐礼仪，各种吵闹的声音没有停过，包括叫嚷声、欢笑声、以及厚实（而且显然摔不破）的杯子砸到桌面的声音。女人的声音和男人一样嘈杂从邡，只不过音调高出许多。
裴洛拉特一副受不了的样子，但崔维兹现在（至少暂时）完全忘却他对广子提过的那种不舒服，感到的只是轻松和愉快。
他说：“其实，这也有可爱的一面。这些人显然很会享受生活，几乎没什么烦恼。气候由他们自己控制，粮食丰饶得难以想像。这是他们的黄金时代，而且必定会一直继续下去。”
他得大声喊叫才能把话说清楚，裴洛拉特也以大吼回答道：“可是这么吵！”
“他们习惯了。”
“在这么吵闹的场合，我不懂他们如何能沟通。”
当然，两位基地人什么也听不出来。阿尔发语的奇怪发音、古老文法以及字词的特殊顺序，以巨大的音量不断轰来，让他们根本摸不着头脑。对这两位基地人而言，这简直像置身于受惊的动物园中。
直到午餐过后，他们才在一栋小型建筑中与宝绮思会合。这里是分配给他们的临时住所，崔维兹发现跟广子的家几乎没什么不同。菲龙待在另一个房间，据宝绮思说，有机会独处让菲龙的情绪大为放松，她正准备小睡一会儿。
裴洛拉特望着充当大门的墙洞，不安地说：“这里简直没有隐私。我们怎能放心地说话？”
“我向你保证，”崔维兹说：“只要用帆布屏障把门遮起来，就不会有人打扰我们。由于社会习俗的力量，那帆布像铜墙铁壁一样。”
裴洛拉特又朝敞开的天窗瞥了一眼。“我们的谈话会被人偷听。”
“我们不必大吼大叫。阿尔发人不会做隔墙有耳的事，早餐的时候，他们虽然站在餐厅窗外，却仍保持礼貌的距离。”
宝绮思微笑着说：“你和可亲的小便子在一起没多久，就学到这么多的阿尔发礼俗；他们对于隐私的尊着，你现在也信心十足。究竟发生了什么事？”
崔维兹说：“如果你发觉我的心灵卷须获得改善，又猜得出原因的话，我只能拜托你离我的心灵远一点。”
“你明明知道，除非是生死关头，否则在任何情况下，盖娅都不会碰触你的心灵，而且你也明白为什么。不过话说回来，我的精神力量并未失灵，我能感测到一公里外发生的事。这是不是你从事太空旅行的老毛病，我的色情狂朋友？”
“色情狂？得了吧，宝绮思。整个旅途中才发生两次，两次而已！”
“我们造访过的世界，只有两个有活色生香的女人。二分之二的机会，而且都是在几小时后就发生的。”
“你很清楚在康普隆我是身不由己。”
“有道理，我还记得她的模样。”宝绮思纵声大笑了一阵子，又说：“可是我不信广子有多大能耐，能够让你束手就擒，或是将不可抗拒的意志，强行加在你瑟缩的身子上。”
“当然不是那样，我完全心甘情愿。不过，那的确是她的主意。”
裴洛拉特带着一丝羡慕的口吻说：“这种事总是发生在你身上吗，葛兰？”
“当然必定如此，裴。”宝绮思说：“女性都会不由自主被他吸引。”
“我希望真是如此，”崔维兹说：“但事实不然。我很庆幸事实并非如此——我这辈子实在还想做些别的事。话又说回来，这回我倒真是令她无法抗拒。毕竟，在我们来到之前，广子从来没见过其他世界的人，阿尔发上现存的居民显然全都未曾见过。从她说溜了嘴的一些事，以及随口的几句话，我推出一个结论，那就是她有个令她相当兴奋的期待，认为我也许在生理结构或技巧方面，跟其他的阿尔发人有所不同。可怜的小东西，恐怕她失望了。”
“哦？”宝绮思说：“那么你呢？”
“我不会，”崔维兹说：“我到过不少世界，有过许多实际经验。我发现不论在什么地方，人是人、性是性，两者不能混为一谈。如果真有什么显着的差异，通常也是微不足道，而且不怎么愉快。算算我这辈子也闻过不少香水！我还记得有个年轻女子，她怎么样也无法投入，除非把夹杂着死命尖叫的音乐开得很大声。而她一放那种音乐，我却提不起劲来了。我向你保证——只要像往常一样，我就很满意了。”
“提到音乐，”宝绮思说：“我们受邀晚餐后出席一场音乐庆典。这显然是件很正式的事，专门为我们而举行的。我猜，阿尔发人对他们的音乐非常自豪。”
崔维兹做个鬼脸。“不论他们如何引以为傲，也不会让他们的音乐更悦耳。”
“听我说完，”宝绮思说：“我猜他们自豪的原因，是他们善于演奏很古老的乐器——非常古老。藉着这些乐器，我们或许能获得些地球的资料。”
崔维兹扬起眉毛。“很有意思的想法。这倒提醒了我，你们两位也许已经获得一些线索。詹诺夫，你见到广子提到的那个单姓李了吗？”
“我的确见到了，”裴洛拉特说：“我跟他在一起三个钟头，广子讲得并不夸张，几乎都是他一个人唱独脚戏。我要来吃午餐的时候，他竟然抓住我，不肯让我离开，直到我答应他会尽快回去，听他说更多的故事，他才把我给放了。”
“他有没有提到任何着要的事？”
“嗯，他也——跟其他人一样——坚持地球已经布满致命的放射性。他说阿尔发人的祖先是最后一批离开的，他们如果再不逃走就没命了。而且，葛兰，他说得如此坚决，叫我不得不相信他。我现在确信地球已经死了，我们这趟寻找终归是一场空。”
79
崔维兹靠向椅背，瞪着坐在狭窄便床上的裴洛拉特。宝绮思原来坐在裴洛拉特身旁，现在她站起来，轮流望着其他两人。
最后，崔维兹终于开口：“我们的寻找是不是一场空，詹诺夫，让我来决定吧。告诉我那个唠叨的老头跟你讲了些什么——当然，要长话短说。”
裴洛拉特说：“单姓李说话的时候，我一直在旁边做笔记，这样使我看来更像一名学者，但我现在不必参考那些笔记。他说话的方式相当意识流，每说到一件事都缓螵想到另一件。不过，当然啦，我一辈子都在搜集地球的相关资料，设法将它们有系统地组织起来，所以我练就了一项本能，能将冗长而杂乱无章的谈话内容浓缩成……”
崔维兹轻声道：“浓缩成同样冗长而杂乱无章的话？说着点就好，亲爱的詹诺夫。”
裴洛拉特不自在地清了清喉咙。“当然没错，老弟。我会试着将他的话整理成依照时间顺序的连贯故事。地球是人类最早的故乡，也是数百万种动植物的发源地，这种情形持续了无数岁月，直到超空间旅行发明为止。后来许多外世界陆续建立起来，它们脱离了地球，发展出自己的文化，进而鄙视并压迫那个源头母星。
“数个世纪后，地球终于设法争回自由，不过单姓李并未解释地球究竟是如何做到的。即使他给我机会插嘴，我也不敢发问，因为那只会让他岔到别的话题去，而且他根本没给我发问的机会。他的确提到一个文化英雄，名字叫作伊利亚•贝莱，可是历史纪录有个很普遍的倾向，就是将几世代的成就归诸某一人物身上，因此不值得去……”
宝绮思说：“没错，亲爱的裴，这点我们了解。”
裴洛拉特再度打住，思索了一下。“真是的，我很抱歉。后来地球掀起第二波星际殖民潮，以崭新的方式建立许多新世界。新的殖民者比外世界人更有活力，超越了他们、击败了他们，而且繁衍绵延不绝，终于创建了银河帝国。在银河殖民者和外世界人交战期间——不对，不是交战，因为他用的词汇是‘冲突’，而且用得非常谨慎——地球变得具有放射性了。”
崔维兹显然是失去耐性了，他说：“实在荒谬绝伦，詹诺夫。一个世界怎么可能‘变得’具有放射性？每个世界在形成的那一刻，多多少少都会带有微量放射性，而那种放射性会渐渐衰变。地球不可能突然‘变得’具有放射性。”
裴洛拉特耸了耸肩。“我只是将他说的话转述给你，他只是将他听到的转述给我，告诉他的人又是听别人转述的——故事就这样一传再传。这是个民间历史，一代代口耳相传，谁知道每次转述被扭曲了多少。”
“我了解这点，可是难道没有任何书籍、文件、古代历史等等，在早期就将这个故事褂讪下来，而能提供我们比这传说更正确的记载？”
“其实，我问过他这个问题，答案是否定的。他含混地提到，记载古代历史的书籍不是没有，但很早以前就散轶了。而他告诉我们的，正是那些书上的记载。”
“对，扭曲得很厉害的记载。同样的事再度发生，我们造访的每个世界，地球的资料总是不翼而飞——嗯，他说地球是怎样变得具有放射性的？”
“他未做任何解释，顶多只提到外世界人要负责。不过我猜地球人把外世界人视为邪恶的化身，将所有的不幸都归咎于他们身上。至于放射性……”
此时，一个清脆的声音掩盖了他的话。“宝绮思，我是外世界人吗？”
菲龙正站在两房之间的窄门口，她的头发乱成一团，身上穿的睡衣（根据宝绮思较丰满的体型裁制）从肩头一侧垂下，露出一个没有发育的乳房。
宝绮思说：“我们担心外面有人偷听，却忘了里面同样隔墙有耳——好吧，菲龙，为何那么说？”她站起来，朝那孩子走过去。
菲龙说：“我没有他们身上的东西，”她指了指两位男士，“也没有你身上的东西，宝绮思。我和你们不同，因为我是外世界人吗？”
“你是外世界人，菲龙，”宝绮思以安抚的口吻说：“不过有一点差别没什么关系，回房睡觉去吧。”
菲龙变得非常乖顺，就像每次宝绮思以意志驱使她时一样。她转过身去，又问道：“我是邪恶的化身吗？什么是邪恶的化身？”
宝绮思背对着其他两人说：“等我一下，我马上回来。”
五分钟不到她就回来了，摇着头说：“她睡着了，会睡到我叫醒她为止。我想我早就该那么做了，可是对心灵的任何调整，都一定要有必要的理由。”
她又为自己辩护道：“我不能让她一直想着她的生殖器和我们的有何不同。”
裴洛拉特说：“总有一天她会知道自己是个雌雄同体。”
“总有一天，”宝绮思说：“但不是现在。继续刚才的故事吧，裴。”
“对，”崔维兹说：“免得待会儿又被什么打断了。”
“嗯，于是地球变得具有放射性，或者至少地壳如此。那时地球人口众多，全都集中在许多大型城市里，而城市大部分位于地底——”
“慢着，”崔维兹插嘴道：“那是不可能的，一定是某颗行星的黄金时代经地方主义渲染的结果，内容不过是根据川陀的黄金时代变杂邙成。在川陀的全盛时期，它是一个泛银河政体的京畿所在地。”
裴洛拉特顿了一下，然后说：“说实在的，葛兰，你真不该班门弄斧。我们神话学家非常了解，神话传说中包含了许多抄袭剽窃、道德教训、自然周期，以及上百种其他的扭曲因素。我们尽力将这些外加成分删除，以得到可能的核心真相。事实上，同样的方法一定也适用于最严肃的历史研究，因为没有人能写出清晰、透明的历史真相——即使真有所谓的真相。现在我告诉你们的，差不多就是转述单姓李告诉我的，不过我想自己难免加油添醋了一番，虽然我已尽量避免。”
“好啦，好啦。”崔维兹说：“继续吧，詹诺夫，我无意冒犯你。”
“我没有生气——姑且假设那些大城市真正存在，随着放射性逐渐增强，所有城市都开始解体，范围越缩越小，最后只剩下残存的极少数人，躲在比较没有放射性的地方，过着岌岌可危的日子。他们为了保持少量人口，除了严格控制生育之外，还对六十岁以上的人施以安乐死。”
“太可怕了。”宝绮思愤慨地说。
“这点毋庸置疑，”裴洛拉特说：“不过据单姓李说，他们的确这么做。那也许是真正的史实，因为它当然不是对地球人的夸赞，不太可能有人捏造这种自取其辱的谎言。地球人过去遭到外世界人的鄙视与压迫，后来又受到帝国的鄙视与压迫；不过这种说法也有可能是由于自怜而夸大其词。自怜是种极具诱惑力的情绪，有那么一个例子……”
“没错，没错，裴洛拉特，改天再谈那个例子，请继续讲地球的故事。”
“我非常抱歉——后来帝国突然大发慈悲，答应运一批无放射性的泥土到地球来，并将那些受污染的泥土运走。不用说，那是件浩大的工程，帝国很快就失去耐性。尤其这个时期，如果我猜得没错，刚好是肯达五世下台前后，此后帝国自顾不暇，便无心照顾地球了。
“放射性继续增强，地球的人口继续锐减。最后，帝国又发了一次慈悲，愿意将残存的地球人迁往另一个属于他们的新世界——简言之，就是这个世界。
“在此之前，似乎有个探险队曾在这个海洋播育生命，因此，迁移地球人的计划付诸实施之际，阿尔发已经有富氧的大气层，以及不虞匮乏的粮食。而且，银河帝国其他世界都不会觊觎这个世界，因为对于一个环绕双星的行星，人们总会有某种自然而然的嫌恶。在这种星系中，我想，适合人类居住的行星太少了，即使是各方面条件都适合的行星，也没有任何人愿意理睬，人们会先人为主地认为一定有什么问题。这是种普遍的思考模式，比如说，有个很着名的例子，是……”
“待会儿再谈那个着名的例子，詹诺夫，”崔维兹说：“现在先讲那次迁徙的事。”
“剩下来的工作，”裴洛拉特将说话速度加快些，“就是准备一个陆上据点。帝国工作人员找到海洋最浅的部分，再将较深部分的沉淀物挖起来，加到那个最浅的海底，最后造出了这个新地球岛。海底的圆石和珊瑚也被掘起，全数放到这个岛上。然后他们在上面种植陆地植物，想要藉着植物根部巩固这块新的陆地。这个工程也相当浩大，也许最初计划要造几块大陆，可是这座岛屿造好之后，帝国一时的慈悲已冷却下来。
“地球上残存的人口尽数送到此地之后，帝国舰队便将工作人员和机械设备全部载走，从此再也没有回来。那些移居新地球的地球人，很快就发现他们完全与世隔绝。”
崔维兹说：“完全与世隔绝？难道单姓李说，在我们之前，从未有人从银河其他世界来到此地？”
“几乎完全隔绝，”裴洛拉特说：“即使不考虑人们对双星系的迷信式反感，我想也没有人有必要来这里。每隔很长一段时间，偶尔会有艘船舰来到，就像我们现在这样，不过最后终究会离去，也没有其他船舰陆续跟来。故事到此为止。”
崔维兹说：“你有没有问单姓李地球在哪里？”
“我当然问了，他不知道。”
“他知道那么多有关地球的历史，怎么会不知道它在哪里？”
“我还特别问他，葛兰，问他那颗距离阿尔发大约一秒差距的恒星，会不会就是地球环绕的太阳。但他不晓得秒差距是什么，我说就天文尺度而言是个短距离。他说不论是长是短，他都不知道地球在何处，也不知道有什么人晓得。而且他认为试图寻找地球是很不当的举动。他还说，应该让地球永远在太空中安详地飘泊。”
崔维兹说：“你同意他的看法吗？”
裴洛拉特摇了摇头，神情显得很悲伤。“并不尽然。不过他说，照放射性增强的速率来看，在迁徙计划实施不久后，地球一定就变得完全不可住人；而现在，它一定燃烧得极为炽烈，因此根本没有人能接近。”
“荒谬。”崔维兹以坚决的口吻说：“一颗行星不会突然变得具有放射性，即使真是这样，放射性也不会继续增强，只会不断减弱。”
“可是单姓李非常肯定。我们在各个世界上遇到那么多人，对于地球具有放射性这一点，说法也是完全一致——我们继续找下去当然毫无意义。”
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崔维兹深深吸了一口气，尽量克制自己的声音说：“荒谬，那不是真的。”
裴洛拉特说：“喂，老弟，你不能因为想相信一件事，就去相信那件事。”
“这跟我想做什么没关系。我们在每个世界上，都发现所有的地球资料被清除殆尽。如果地球是个充满放射性的死星，没有人能接近，又如果根本没什么好隐藏的，那些资料为什么会被清掉呢？”
“我不知道，葛兰。”
“不，你知道。在我们接近梅尔波美尼亚时，你曾说过销毁纪录和放射性可能是一体两面。销毁纪录是为了除去正确的资料，散播放射性的故事是为了制造假情报，两者都缓箢人打消找寻地球的念头。我们绝不能上当，不能这么轻易放弃。”
宝绮思说：“其实，你似乎认定附近那颗恒星就是地球之阳，那么为何还要争辩放射性的问题呢？那又有什么关系？何不干脆前往附近那颗恒星，看看地球是否在那里；若是真在那里，它又是什么模样？”
崔维兹说：“因为地球上的居民——不论他们是何方神圣——必定具有超凡的力量，我希望在接近之前，能对那个世界和居民先有点了解。事实上，既然我对地球始终一无所知，贸然前进是件很危险的事。所以我打算将你们几位留在阿尔发，由我单独向地球进军，赌一条命就很够了。”
“不，葛兰。”裴洛拉特急切地说：“宝绮思和那孩子也许该留在这儿，但我必须跟你一道去。在你尚未出生之前，我已经开始寻找地球，现在距离目标那么近，我绝不能裹足不前，不论可能有什么危险。”
“宝绮思和那孩子不缓篝在这儿。”宝绮思说：“我就是盖娅，即使和地球正面对峙，盖娅也能保护我们。”
“我希望你说得没错，”崔维兹绷着脸说：“但是盖娅就没有保住它的早期记忆，它完全忘了地球在它建立之初所扮演的角色。”
“那是盖娅早期历史上发生的事，当时它还不够组织化，也还不够进化，如今已不可同日而语。”
“我希望如此——或者是今天早上，你获得了些我们不知道的地球资料？我曾经特别拜托你，要你设法找些年长的妇女谈谈。”
“我照做了。”
崔维兹说：“你有什么新发现？”
“没有关于地球的资料，这方面完全空白。”
“啊——”
“不过我发现他们拥有很先进的生物科技。”
“哦？”
“虽然这座小岛上原先只有少数几种生物，但他们试育出无数品种的动植物，并设计出合宜的生态平衡，既稳定又能自给自足。他们数千年前抵达时发现的海洋生物，现在已大为改良，营养价值增加许多，而且更美味可口。就是由于他们的生物科技，才使这个世界变成丰饶的世外桃源。此外，他们对本身也有些计划。”
“什么样的计划？”
宝绮思说：“他们心中十分清楚，在目前这种情况下，他们局限在一小块陆地上，根本无法指望扩张生存领域，不过他们梦想能变成两栖类。”
“变成什么？”
“两栖类。他们计划发展出类似鳃的组织，来辅助肺脏的呼吸功能。他们梦想能在水中停留极长的时间，还梦想能找到其他浅水区域，在海底建造人工建筑。提供这些讯息给我的人，想到这点就非常兴奋，不过她也承认，阿尔发人为这个目标努力了好几世纪，而进展却小得可怜。”
崔维兹说：“他们在气候控制和生物科技这两个领域上很可能比我们先进，不知他们用的是什么技术。”
“我们必须找到专家，”宝绮思说：“但他们也许不愿意讲。”
崔维兹说：“这不是我们来此的王要目的，但基地若向这个袖珍世界学习，显然必将获益匪浅。”
裴洛拉特说：“事实上，我们在端点星也有办法把气候控制得很好。”
“很多世界上都控制得不错，”崔维兹说：“但控制的总是一个世界的整体气候。可是在阿尔发，控制的则是局部地区的天气，他们一定拥有我们所欠缺的技术——你还打听到了什么，宝绮思？”
“社交邀宴方面——他们似乎是个善于度假的民族，只要不必耕作或捕鱼，他们都在享受假期。今晚用餐后有个音乐节，我已经告诉你们了。明天白天将举行一个海滩庆典，可想而知，能放下田间工作的人都会聚在岛屿四周，享受嬉水的乐趣，并且乘机赞美太阳，因为再过一天便会下雨。后天早上，渔船队会赶在下雨前回来，当天傍晚又要举行一个美食节，让大家品尝这次的渔获。”
裴洛拉特哼了一声。“平常每餐都那么丰盛了，美食节不知道会是个什么样的盛况？”
“我猜它的特色不在量多，而在口味变化无穷。反正我们四个人都获邀参加所有的活动，尤其是今晚的音乐节。”
“演奏古老乐器？”崔维兹问。
“没错。”
“对了，为什么说它们是古老乐器？原始电脑吗？”
“不，不对。那正是着点，它根本不是电子合成乐，而是机械式的音乐。根据她们的描述，演奏方式是摩擦细线、对管于吹气，以及敲打一些皮面。”
“你没乱讲吧。”崔维兹显得很惊讶。
“不，我没有。我还知道你的广子也会上台，她要吹一种管子——我忘了它的名称——你应该能忍受的。”
“至于我嘛，”裴洛拉特说：“我很高兴有这个机会。我对原始音乐知道得非常少，希望能亲耳听听。”
“她不是‘我的广子’，”崔维兹冷冷地说：“可是依你看，那些乐器是否曾在地球流行？”
“我就是这么猜测，”宝绮思说：“至少阿尔发妇人们告诉我，在他们祖先来到此地前，那些乐器早就发明出来了。”
“这样的话，”崔维兹说：“也许值得听听那些摩擦、吹气和敲打声，只要有可能搜集到一点有关地球的资料。”
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说来真奇怪，在他们四个人之中，要数菲龙对傍晚的音乐会最感兴奋。接近黄昏的时候，她与宝绮思在住屋后面的小盥洗间洗了一个澡。盥洗间里有个浴池，备有源源不绝的冷热水（或者应该说是凉水与温水），还有一个洗脸盆与一个室内便器，那些设备都既清洁又合用。在偏西的阳光照耀下，盥洗间内光线充足，气氛令人心旷神怡。
苞往常一样，菲龙对宝绮思的乳房十分着迷，宝绮思只好说（既然菲龙已听得懂银河标准语）在她的世界上，大家都是这个样子。对于这种说法，菲龙难免反问道：“为什么？”宝绮思想了一阵子，发觉根本没有一个说得通的解释，于是回了一句万试万灵的答案：“因为就是这样！”
洗完澡后，宝绮思帮菲龙穿上阿尔发人提供的内衣，并研究出套上裙子的正确方法。菲龙腰部以上什么也没穿，这样似乎无伤大雅又入境随俗。至于宝绮思自己，虽然腰部以下穿了阿尔发人的服装（臀部觉得有点紧），却仍罩上了她的上衫。在一个女性普遍袒胸的社会中，坚拒裸露胸部好像有点傻气，尤其她的乳房并未太过丰满，而且秀挺不输此地任何一位女性，然而——她还是穿上了。
接下来轮铲两位男士使用盥洗间。崔维兹喃喃抱怨一番，就像男士们通常的反应一样，抱怨女士们占用了太久时间。
宝绮思让菲龙转过身来，以确定裙子能褂讪在她那男孩一样的臀部上。“这是一条很漂后的裙子，菲龙，你喜欢吗？”
菲龙瞪着镜中的裙子说：“我很喜欢，可是，我上身没穿衣服会不会冷？”说完，她用手摸了摸裸露的胸部。
“我想不会的，菲龙，这个世界相当暖和。”
“你却穿了衣服。”
“没错，我的确穿了，因为在我的世界上大家都这么穿。现在，菲龙，我们要去和很多很多阿尔发人共进晚餐，晚餐后还会跟他们在一起，你觉得自己可以受得了吗？”
菲龙显得很苦恼，于是宝绮思继续说：“我会坐在你的右边，还会抱住你；裴将坐在另一侧，崔维兹将坐在你对面。我们不会让任何人跟你讲话，你也不需要跟任何人交谈。”
“我会试试看，宝绮思。”菲龙以最高亢的尖声应道。
“晚餐以后，”宝绮思又说：“有些阿尔发人会用他们的特殊方法为我们演奏音乐。你知道音乐是什么吗？”她哼出一些音调，尽量模仿着电子和声。
菲龙突然变得神采奕奕。“你的意思是XX？”最后一个词是她的母语，说完她就唱起歌来。
宝绮思瞪大了眼睛。那的确是个优美的调子，虽然有些狂野，而且充满颤音。她说：“对啦，那就是音乐。”
菲龙兴奋地说：“健比随时都会制造——”她犹豫一下，然后决定用银河标准语：“音乐，它制造音乐用的是XX。”最后一个词她又用了母语。
宝绮思迟疑地着复着那个词：“哼嘀？”
菲龙听了大笑。“不是哼嘀，是XX。”
两个词这样放在一起念，宝绮思也听得出其中的差异，但她仍然无法正确念出后者。她改问：“它的外形是什么样子？”
菲龙学到的银河标准语词汇有限，无法做出正确的描述，她比手划脚半天，宝绮思心中还是没有一个清晰的图样。
“它教我怎么用XX。”菲龙以骄傲的口吻说：“我的手指动得和健比一样，可是它说我很快就不必再用手指。”
“那实在太好了，亲爱的。”宝绮思说：“晚餐后，我们就能知道阿尔发人是否和健比演奏得一样好。”
菲龙双眼发出光芒，心中充满快乐的期待，因此晚餐时虽被群众、笑声与噪音包围，她仍然享受了丰盛的一餐。只有一次，一个餐盘被人不小心打翻，引起邻近一阵尖声喧哗，菲龙才现出惊骇的表情。宝绮思赶快紧紧搂住她，让她能有安全温暖的感觉。
“不知道能否安排我们单独用餐。”她对裴洛拉特悄声说道：“否则的话，我们就得赶快离开这个世界。吃这些孤立体的动物性蛋白已经够糟，至少要让我能静静地下咽。”
“他们只是心情太好了。”裴洛拉特说。凡事只要他认为属于原始行为或原始信仰，在合理范围内他会尽量忍受。
晚餐随即结束，接着便有人宣布音乐节马上开始。
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举行音乐节的大厅跟餐厅差不多同样宽敞，里面摆着许多张摺椅（崔维兹发现坐起来相当不舒服），可供一百五十几人就坐。他们这几位访客是今晚的贵宾，因此被带到最前排，不少阿尔发人客气地赞赏他们的服装样式。
两位男士腰部以上完全赤裸，每当崔维兹想到这点，便会收紧他的腹肌，偶尔还会低头看一看，对自己长满黑色胸毛的胸膛十分自满。裴洛拉特则忙着观察周遭的一切，对自己的模样毫不在意。宝绮思的上衫吸引了许多疑惑的目光，不过大家只是偷偷看着，没有当面发表任何评论。
崔维兹注意到大厅差不多只坐了半满，而且绝大部分的观众是妇女，想必是因为许多男人都出海去了。
裴洛拉特用手肘轻推了崔维兹一下，悄声道：“他们拥有电力。”
崔维兹看了看挂在墙上的垂直玻璃管，还注意到天花板上也有一些，那些玻璃管都发出柔和的光芒。
“是萤光，”他说：“相当原始。”
“没错，不过一样能照明。我们的房间和盥洗间也有这些东西，我本来以为只是装饰用的。如果我们弄清楚如何操作，晚上就不必摸黑了。”
宝绮思不悦地说：“他们应该告诉我们。”
裴洛拉特说：“他们以为我们知道，以为任何人都该知道。”
此时四名女子从幕后出现，走到大厅前方的场地，然后彼此紧邻着坐下来。每个人都拿着一个上漆的木制乐器，它们的外形相似，不过形状不太容易描述。那些乐器的主要差别在于大小不同，其中一个相当小，两个稍大些，另一个则相当大。除此之外，每人另一只手里还拿着一根长长的杆子。
她们四人进场时，观众发出轻柔的口哨声，她们则向观众鞠躬致意。四个人的乳房都用薄纱紧紧裹住，仿佛为了避免碰触乐器而影响演出。
崔维兹将口啃声解释为赞许或欣喜的期待，感到自己礼貌上也该这么做。菲龙则发出一个比口哨尖锐许多的颤音，宝绮思马上紧紧抓住她，但在她停止前，已经引起一些观众的注意。
四名演出的女子中，有三位未做任何准备动作，便将她们的乐器置于须下，不过最大的那个乐器仍放在地上，夹在那位演奏者双腿之间。每个人右手的长杆开始前后拉动，摩擦着近乎横跨整个乐器的几条细线，左手的手指则在细线末端来回游移。
崔维兹心想，这大概就是想像中的“摩擦”吧，不过听来完全不像摩擦发出的声音。他听到的是一连串轻柔而旋律优美的音符，每个乐器各自演奏不同的部分，融合在一起就变得分外悦耳。
它缺少电子音乐（“真正的音乐”，崔维兹不由自主这么想）无穷的复杂度，而且有明显的着复。然而，当他慢慢听下去，他的耳朵就渐渐习惯这种奇特的音律，开始领略出其中的微妙。但需要如此细听却容易使人疲倦，因此他分外怀念真实音乐的纯粹、数学化的精准，以及震耳欲聋的音量。不过他也想到，如果听久了这些简单木制乐器的音乐，他想必也会渐渐喜欢。
等到广于终于出场的时候，演奏会已进行了约四十五分钟。她立刻注意到崔维兹坐在最前排，于是向他微微一笑，他则诚心诚意地轻吹口哨，跟其他观众一起为她暍采。广子打扮得非常漂后，穿着一条精致无比的长裙，头上戴了一大朵花。她的乳房完全裸露，（显然）因为它不会影响到乐器的演奏。
她的乐器原来是一根黑色的木管，长度大约三分之二公尺，直径约有两公分。她将那个乐器凑到唇边，对着末端附近的开口吹气，便产生了一个纤细甜美的音调。她的手指操纵着遍布管身的金属物件，随着她手指的动作，音调有了忽高忽低的变化。
罢听到第一个调，菲龙立刻抓住宝绮思的手臂说：“宝绮思，那就是XX。”那个名字听来很像“哼嘀”。
宝绮思冲着菲龙坚决地摇了摇头，菲龙却压低声音说：“但它的确是啊！”
臂众纷纷朝菲龙这边望来，宝绮思将手用力按在菲龙嘴巴上，然后低下头来，冲着她耳朵轻声说：“安静！”这句话声音虽小，对下意识而言却可算强而有力。
菲龙果然开始安静地欣赏广子的演奏，但她的手指不时舞动着，好像是她在操纵那个乐器上的金属物件。
最后一位演出者是个老头，他的乐器挂在双肩，乐器两侧有许多皱褶。演奏的时候，他左手将那些皱褶拉来拉去，右手在另一侧黑白相问的键上快速掠过，同时按下一组一组的键。
崔维兹觉得这个乐器的声音特别无趣，而且相当粗野，听来不太舒服，使他联想到奥罗拉野狗的吠声——并非由于乐声像狗叫，而是两者引发的情绪极为类似。宝绮思看来像是想用双手按住耳朵，裴洛拉特的脸孔也皱了起来。只有菲龙似乎很欣赏，一只脚还轻轻打着拍子。当崔维兹注意到她的动作时，发现音乐节拍与菲龙的拍子竟然完全吻合，令他感到非常惊讶。
演奏终于结束，观众报以一阵激烈的口哨声，菲龙发出的颤音则盖过了所有声音。
然后观众开始三五成群闲聊起来，场面变得相当吵杂，不输阿尔发人其他聚会的喧哗秤谌。每位演出者都站在观众席前，跟前来道贺的人亲切交谈。
菲龙突然挣脱宝绮思的掌握，向广子冲过去。
“广子，”她一面喘气，一面喊道：“让我看看那个XX。”
“看什么，小可爱？”广子说。
“你刚才用来制造音乐的东西。”
“喔，”广子大笑一声，“那唤作横笛，小家伙。”
“我可以看看吗？”
“好吧。”广子打开一个盒子，掏出那件乐器。它现在被拆解成三部分，不过广子很快就将它结合起来，然后递到菲龙面前，吹口对准她的嘴唇。“来，尊驾对着这儿吹气。”
“我知道，我知道。”菲龙一面急切地说，一面伸手要拿笛子。
便子自然而然抽回手去，又将笛子高高举起。“用嘴吹，孩子，但勿碰。”
菲龙似乎很失望。“那么，我可不可以看看就好？我不会碰它。”
“当然行，小可爱。”
她又将笛子递出去，菲龙便一本正经瞪着它看。
室内的萤光灯突然微微变暗，同时笛子发出一个音调，听来有些迟疑不定。
便子吓了一跳，险些让笛子掉到地上，菲龙却高声喊道：“我做到了，我做到了，健比说总有一天我能做到。”
便子说：“方才是尊驾弄出的声音？”
“对，是我，是我。”
“然而尊驾是怎样做到的，孩子？”
宝绮思感到很不好意思，红着脸说：“我很抱歉，广子，我现在就带她走。”
“不，”广子说：“我希望她再做一回。”
敖近几个阿尔发人已经围过来旁观，菲龙挤眉弄眼，仿佛很努力在尝试。萤光变得比刚才更暗淡，笛子忽然间又发出一个音调，这次的声音听来既纯又稳。然后，遍布笛身的金属按键自己动起来，笛子的音调有了不规律的变化。
“它和XX有点不一样。”菲龙有些上气不接下气，仿佛吹笛子的是她本人，而不是电力驱动的气流。
裴洛拉特对崔维兹说：“她一定是从萤光灯的电源取得能量。”
“再试一回。”广子以惊愕的声音说。
菲龙闭上眼睛，笛声现在变得较柔和，也被控制得更稳定，在没有手指按动的情况下，笛子自己演奏起来。来自远方的能量，经过菲龙大脑中尚未成熟的叶突，转换成了驱动笛子的动能。最初几乎是随机出现的音调，现在变成一连串的旋律，将大厅中每一个人都吸引过来，大家全部围在广子与菲龙周围。广子用拇指与食指轻轻抓着笛子两端，菲龙则始终闭着眼睛，指挥着空气的流动与按键的动作。
“这是我方才演奏的曲子。”广子悄声道。
“我都记得。”菲龙只是轻轻点了点头，尽量不让自己的注意力分散。
“尊驾未遗漏任何一个音符。”一曲结束后，广子这么说。
“可是你那样不对，广子，你吹得不对。”
宝绮思赶紧说：“菲龙！这样说没礼貌，你不可以……”
“拜托，”广子断然道：“请勿打断她的话。为何不对，孩子？”
“因为我能吹得不一样。”
“那么表演一下。”
于是笛声再度响起，不过曲式较先前复杂，因为驱动按键的力量变化得更快，转换得更迅速，组合也更为精致细腻。奏出的音乐比刚才更繁复，而且更感性、更动人无数倍。广子不禁僵立在那里，整个大厅中也听不到其他声音。
甚至当菲龙演奏完毕后，大厅中仍是一片鸦雀无声。最后还是由广子打破沉默，她深深吸了一口气，然后说：“尊驾曾如此演奏过吗？”
“没有，”菲龙说：“以前我只能用手指，可是我用手指做不到那样。”
接着，她又以干脆而毫不自夸的口气，补充了一句：“没有人办得到。”
“尊驾还会演奏其他曲子吗？”
“我能制作一些。”
“尊驾的意思是——即兴演奏？”
菲龙皱起眉头，显然听不懂这个词，只好朝宝绮思望去。宝绮思对她点了点头，于是菲龙答道：“是的。”
“那么，请示范一番。”广子说。
菲龙默想了一两分钟，然后笛声开始奏起，那是一连串缓慢而简单的音符，整体而言带着如梦似幻的感觉。萤光灯变得时明时暗，全由电力被抽取的多寡而定。这点似乎没人注意到，因为光线的变化似乎成了音乐所带来的特殊效果，就像有个电力幽灵正听命于声波的指挥而不停变化着。
这些音符的组合一再着复，先是音量变得较大，然后曲调渐趋繁复。接下来成了变奏，在基本旋律仍清晰可闻的情况下，曲调变得更激昂、更有力，渐渐催逼到令人喘不过气来。最后，缓缓升到最高点的旋律突然急转直下，造成一种俯冲的效果，带着听众迅速落回地面；众人却仍陶醉在置身高空的感觉。
接着，一阵前所未有的混乱撕裂宁静的空气。崔维兹虽然习惯于另一种完全不同的音乐，也不禁感伤地想道：我再也听不到这么美妙的音乐了。
等到众人好不容易安静下来后，广子将笛子递了出去。“来，菲龙，这是尊驾的！”
菲龙迫不及待要接过来，宝绮思却抓住她伸出去的手臂说：“我们不能拿，广子，它是件珍贵的乐器。”
“我另外有一个，宝绮思，虽比不上这个好，但这是我应当做的。谁能将这乐器奏得最美妙，谁便是其主人。我从未听过如此之音乐，既然我无法发挥其全部潜力，我拥有这乐器即是错误。我希望早就知晓如何得以隔空演奏。”
菲龙接过笛子，现出极其满足的表情，将它紧紧抱在胸前。
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现在，他们的住所两个房间各后起一盏萤光灯，此外盥洗间也后起一盏。这些灯光都很微弱，在灯下阅读会相当吃力，但至少不再是一片黑暗。
然而此刻他们却逗留在屋外。夜空中满布星辰，这种景象总是令端点星土生土长的人着迷。端点星的夜空几乎不见什么星辰，唯一显眼的天体是暗淡的银河，看来像是极远方的一团云气。
便子刚才陪同他们一道回来，因为她担心他们会在黑暗中迷路或摔倒，一路上她都牵着菲龙的手。直到她帮他们打开萤光灯，跟他们一起待在室外的时候，她牵着那孩子的乎仍未放开。
宝绮思心里很清楚，知道广子正处于难以决断的情感矛盾中，因此她决定再试一次。“真的，广子，我们不能拿你的笛子。”
“不，菲龙万万要收下。”但她似乎仍然犹豫不决。
崔维兹一直望着天空。此地的黑夜名副其实，虽然他们的房间透出一点光后，却几乎没什么影响，更遑论远处建筑物射出的微弱灯火。
他说：“广子，你看到那颗分外明后的星星吗？它叫什么名字？”
便子抬头瞄了一下，并未显出什么兴趣。“那是‘伴星’。”
“为什么叫这个名字？”
“每八十个标准年，它便环绕我们太阳一周。每年这个时候，它都是一颗‘昏星’。尊驾在白昼亦能见到它，倘若它徘徊于地平线之上。”
很好，崔维兹想，她对天文并非一无所知。他又说：“你可知道，阿尔发还有另一颗伴星，它非常小、非常暗淡，比这颗明后的伴星遥远许多许多，不用望远镜根本看不见。”（他自己没有见过，但他不必花时间搜寻，太空艇电脑的记忆库中有详尽的资料。）
她以冷淡的语气答道：“我们在学校学过。”
“好，那颗又叫什么？那六颗排成锯齿状的星星，你看到了吗？”
便子说：“那是仙后。”
“真的？”崔维兹吃了一惊，“哪一颗？”
“全部，整个锯齿唤作仙后。”
“为什么叫这个名字？”
“我缺乏这方面的知识，我对天文学一窍不通，尊贵的崔维兹。”
“你看到锯齿最下面的那颗星吗？就是其中最后的那颗，它叫什么？”
“它就是一颗星，我不知其名。”
“除了两颗伴星之外，它是最接近阿尔发的恒星，距离大约只有一秒差距。”
便于说：“尊驾如此认为？我不知晓。”
“它会不会就是地球环绕的恒星？”
便子盯着那颗星，些微兴趣一闪即逝。“我不知晓，我从未听人那样说。”
“你不认为有这个可能吗？”
“叫我如何说？无人知晓地球究竟在何处。我——我如今必须向尊驾告辞。明天上午海滩节之前，轮到我在田间工作。午餐后我在海滩跟您们碰面。好吗？”
“当然好，广子。”
她立刻转身离去，在黑暗中慢慢跑开。崔维兹望着她的背影一会儿，便跟其他人走进昏暗的小房舍。
他问：“有关地球的事，你能不能判断她是否在说谎，宝绮思？”
宝绮思摇了摇头，说道：“不，我不认为她在说谎。她的精神处于极度紧张的状态，我直到演奏会结束才察觉到。在你向她问及那些星星之前，她就已经那么紧张了。”
“那么，是因为她舍弃了那支笛子？”
“大概吧，我也不清楚。”她转头对菲龙说：“菲龙，我要你现在回到自己房间。你上床之前，先到盥洗间去尿尿，然后洗洗手，再洗洗脸，刷刷牙。”
“我很想演奏那支笛子，宝绮思。”
“只能玩一会儿，而且要非常小声。懂了吗，菲龙？还有，我叫你停的时候就一定要停。”
“好的，宝绮思。”
于是这个房间中只剩下三个人，宝绮思坐在一张椅子上，两位男士则坐在各自的便床上。
宝绮思说：“还有必要在这颗行星继续待下去吗？”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“我们一直没机会讨论地球和那些古老乐器间的关系，或许我们可以从那里发现什么线索。而且，渔船队可能也值得我们等一等，那些男人可能知道些待在家的人不知道的事。”
“可能性太小了。”宝绮思说：“你确定不是广子的黑眼珠吸引你留下来？”
崔维兹以不耐烦的语气说：“我不了解，宝绮思，我选择该怎么做跟你有何相干？为什么你好像总要显得高高在上，板起面孔对我做道德判断？”
“我并不关心你的道德，但这件事会影响到我们的探索。你想要找到地球，好对你自己的选择做最后的验证，看看你否定孤立体世界，选择盖娅星系的抉择是否正确，我希望你能找到答案。你说你必须造访地球，然后才能做出决定，而你似乎坚信地球就环绕着天空中那颗后星，那么就让我们到那里去探个究竟。我承认，在我们出发前若能找到一些资料，的确会有帮助，可是我相当清楚，在这里找不到我们需要的资料。我可不愿由于你喜欢广子，就让大家留在这里陪你。”
“我们或许会离开这里，”崔维兹说：“让我考虑一下。广子这个因素不会左右我的决定，我向你保证。”
裴洛拉特说：“我觉得我们应该向地球前进，即使只是为了看看它到底有没有放射性。我看下出待下去有什么意义。”
“你确定不是宝绮思的黑眼珠迷惑了你？”崔维兹这话有些报复的意味。他几乎立刻就后悔了：“不，我收回这句话，詹诺夫，我只是一时孩子气发作。话说回来——这是个迷人的世界，即使完全不考虑广子，我也不得不承认，要不是在现在这种情况下，我会忍下住永远留下来。难道你看不出来吗，宝绮思，阿尔发使你对孤立体的理论不攻自破？”
“怎么说？”宝绮思问。
“你一直坚持一种理论，任何真正孤立的世界都会变得危险而充满敌意。”
“就连康普隆也一样，”宝绮思以平静的口吻说：“即使它不能算是处于银河的主流，虽然在理论上它是基地联邦的一个联合势力。”
“伹阿尔发不同，这个世界虽然完全孤立，可是你能抱怨他们的友善和殷勤吗？他们提供我们食物、衣物、住宿场所，还为我们举行各种庆祝活动，盛情地邀请我们留下来。对他们还有什么好挑剔的？”
“表面上没什么，广子甚至将她的身体给了你。”
崔维兹怒冲冲地说：“宝绮思，这件事哪里又妨碍到你了？不是她将身体给了我，而是我们互相奉献，这全然是两情相悦。在适当情况下，你也一定会毫不迟疑地献出自己的身体。”
“拜托，宝绮思，”裴洛拉特说：“葛兰完全正确，我们没有理由反对他的私人享乐。”
“只要不影响到我们的行动。”宝绮思执拗地说。
“不会影响我们，”崔维兹说：“我们将很快离开这里，我向你保证。耽搁一下是为了搜集更多资料，不会花太久的时间。”
“但我还是不信任孤立体，”宝绮思说：“即使他们捧着礼物前来。”
崔维兹举起双手。“先得出结论，然后再扭曲证据去迁就，简直就是——”
“别说出来，”宝绮思以警告的口吻说：“我可不是女人，我是盖哑娅。感到不安的是盖娅，不是我。”
“没有理由——”此时，门上突然发出一下搔抓声。
崔维兹愣住了。“那是什么？”他低声道。
宝绮思轻轻耸了耸肩。“拉开门看看，你说过这是个亲善的世界，不会发生任何危险。”
尽避如此，崔维兹仍踌躇不前。不久门外传来轻声的叫喊：“拜托，是我！”
那是广子的声音，崔维兹立刻将门掀开。
便子快步走进来，她的两颊满是泪水。
“将门拉上。”她气喘吁吁地说。
“怎么回事？”宝绮思问。
便子紧紧抓住崔维兹。“我无法置身事外，我尝试过，然而我承受不了。尊驾快走，您们全部走，带那孩儿与您们一道离去。驾着那艘太空船驶离——驶离阿尔发——趁着天色仍暗之际。”
“可是为什么呢？”崔维兹问。
“否则尊驾将丧命，您们全部将丧命。”
84
三位外星人士目不转晴盯着广子良久，然后崔维兹说：“你是说你的族人会杀害我们？”
便子两行热泪滚滚而下。“尊驾已踏上死亡之途，尊贵的崔维兹，其他人也将陪伴您。很久以前，学者们发明出一种病毒，对我们无害，我们具有晃疫力，然而对外星人士有致命威胁。”她心慌意乱地摇着崔维兹的手臂，“尊驾已经感染。”
“怎么会？”
“当我们交欢时，那即是管道之一。”
崔维兹说：“但我不觉得有什么不对劲。”
“病毒街在潜伏，渔船队归来后才会让它们发作。根据我们的法律，这种事必须经过全体决议，甚至包括所有男人，大家必将决定非如此做不可。我们负责让您们留下，直到做出决议之时，亦即后天早上——如今趁着天黑又无人起疑，赶紧走吧。”
宝绮思厉声问道：“你的族人为什么要这样做？”
“为了我们的安全，我们人稀物丰，不希望外星人士侵犯我们。若果有人来访之后，将我们的位置传出去，其他人将接踵而来。因此之故，每隔很长一段时日，偶尔有一艘太空船抵达，我们便需确保它不再离去。”
“可是既然如此，”崔维兹说：“为什么你要来通风报信？”
“勿问缘由——好，我将告诉您们，因我又听到了，听——”
他们都听到了，隔壁房间传来菲龙奏出的辍柔笛声——甜美无比的笛声。
便子说：“我无法忍受这音乐自人间消失，因为小家伙亦将死去。”
崔维兹以严厉的口吻说：“是不是因为这样，你才把笛子送给菲龙？因为你知道她死了之后，你可以再拿回去。”
便子看来惊愕万分。“不然，我心中未有这般想法。当我终于想到之际，即明了绝不该如此做。带着那孩儿离去吧，也带走那支我再也见不到的笛子。尊驾回到太空便安全，尊驾体内的病毒只要不发作，一段时日后便会死亡。我所求的回报，是您们不再提起这个世界，勿让他人知晓它的存在。”
“我们不会说出去。”崔维兹说。
便子抬起头来，低声道：“尊驾离去之前，我能否再吻尊驾一回？”
崔维兹说：“不，我被感染一次已经够了。”然后他用较和缓的口气说：“别哭，否则别人问你为什么哭，你将无言以对——看在你如今力图拯救我们的份上，我原谅你对我所做的伤害。”
便子抬头挺胸，用双手手背仔细拭干脸颊，又深深吸了一口气。“我感谢尊驾宽恕。”随即匆匆离去。
崔维兹说：“我们马上把灯关掉，在屋里等一会儿，然后离开这里——宝绮思，叫菲龙别再玩她的乐器。当然，记得将笛子带走。我们得一路摸到太空船那里，希望在黑暗中还能找到它的位置。”
“我找得到。”宝绮思说：“太空船上有我的衣物，不论成分多微弱，它仍算盖娅的一部分，盖娅寻找盖娅不会有问题。”说完，她就钻进她的房间去找菲龙。
裴洛拉特说：“你想他们会不会设法破坏太空船，迫使我们留在这里？”
“他们的科技还做不到这一点。”崔维兹绷着脸说。宝绮思牵着菲龙走出来之后，崔维兹便将灯火尽数熄灭。
他们一声不响地在黑暗中坐了大约半小时，感觉却好像足足等了大半夜。然后崔维兹缓缓地、悄悄地拉开门。夜空似乎多了一点云气，不过群星仍在闪烁。现在仙后星座高挂中天，底端那颗可能是地球之阳的恒星，正发出耀眼的光芒。四周静寂无声，连一丝风都没有。
崔维兹小心翼翼踏出房门，再示意其他人跟出来。他一只手自然而然挪到神经鞭的握柄上，虽然他确定不会用到，不过……
宝绮思带头走在前面，她一只手拉着裴洛拉特，裴洛拉特又拉着崔维兹；宝绮思另一只手拉着菲龙，菲龙另一只手握着笛子。在几乎全黑的暗夜中，宝绮思双脚轻轻探着路，引领大家朝远星号上极微弱的“盖娅感”前进。

Part Seven - EarthChapter 19: Radioactive?
85The Far Star took off quietly, rising slowlythrough the atmosphere, leaving the dark island below. The few faintdots of light beneath them dimmed and vanished, and as the atmospheregrew thinner with height, the ship's speed grew greater, and the dotsof light in the sky above them grew more numerous and brighter.
Eventually, they looked down upon the planet, Alpha, with only acrescent illuminated and that crescent largely wreathed in clouds.
Pelorat said, "I suppose they don't have an active spacetechnology. They can't follow us.""I'm not sure that that cheers me up much," said Trevize, his facedour, his voice disheartened. "I'm infected.""But with an inactive strain," said Bliss.
"Still, it can be made active. They had a method. What is themethod?"Bliss shrugged. "Hiroko said the virus, left inactive, would eventuallydie in a body unadapted to it as yours is.""Yes?" said Trevize angrily. "How does she know that? For that matter,how do I know that Hiroko's statement wasn't a self-consoling lie? Andisn't it possible that the method of activation, whatever it is, mightnot be duplicated naturally? A particular chemical, a type of radiation,a a who knows what? I may sicken suddenly, and then thethree of you would die, too. Or if it happens after we have reached apopulated world, there may be a vicious pandemic which fleeing refugeeswould carry to other worlds."He looked at Bliss. "Is there something you can do about it?"Slowly, Bliss shook her head. "Not easily. There are parasites makingup Gaia microorganisms, worms. They are a benign part of theecological balance. They live and contribute to the world consciousness,but never overgrow. They live without doing noticeable harm. The troubleis, Trevize, the virus that affects you is not part of Gaia.""You say `not easily,'" said Trevize, frowning. "Under thecircumstances, can you take the trouble to do it even though it mightbe difficult? Can you locate the virus in me and destroy it? Can you,failing that, at least strengthen my defenses?""Do you realize what you ask, Trevize? I am not acquainted with themicroscopic flora of your body. I might not easily tell a virus in thecells of your body from the normal genes inhabiting them. It would be evenmore difficult to distinguish between viruses your body is accustomed toand those with which Hiroko infected you. I will try to do it, Trevize,but it will take time and I may not succeed.""Take time," said Trevize. "Try.""Certainly," said Bliss.
Pelorat said, "If Hiroko told the truth, Bliss, you might be able tofind viruses that seem to be already diminishing in vitality, and youcould accelerate their decline.""I could do that," said Bliss. "It is a good thought.""You won't weaken?" said Trevize. "You will have to destroy preciousbits of life when you kill those viruses, you know.""You are being sardonic, Trevize," said Bliss coolly, "but, sardonicor not, you are pointing out a true difficulty. Still, I can scarcelyfail to put you ahead of the virus. I will kill them if I have thechance, never fear. After all, even if I fail to consider you" andher mouth twitched as though she were repressing a smile "thencertainly Pelorat and Fallom are also at risk, and you might feel moreconfidence in my feeling for them than in my feeling for you. You mighteven remember that I myself am at risk.""I have no faith in your self-love," muttered Trevize. "You'reperfectly ready to give up your life for some high motive. I'll acceptyour concern for Pelorat, however." Then, he said, "I don't hear Fallom'sflute. Is anything wrong with her?""No," said Bliss. "She's asleep. A perfectly natural sleep that Ihad nothing to do with. And I would suggest that, after you work out theJump to the star we think is Earth's sun, we all do likewise. I need itbadly and I suspect you do, too, Trevize.""Yes, if I can manage. You were right, you know, Bliss.""About what, Trevize?""About Isolates. New Earth was not a paradise, however much itmight have seemed like one. That hospitality all that outgoingfriendliness at first was to put us off our guard, so that oneof us might be easily infected. And all the hospitality afterward,the festivals of this and that, were designed to keep us there till thefishing fleet returned and the activation could be carried through. Andit would have worked but for Fallom and her music. It might be you wereright there, too.""About Fallom?""Yes. I didn't want to take her along, and I've never been happy withher being on the ship. It was your doing, Bliss, that we have her hereand it was she who, unwittingly, saved us. And yet ""And yet what?""Despite that, I'm still uneasy at Fallom's presence. Idon't know why.""If it will make you feel better, Trevize, I don't know that we canlay all the credit at Fallom's feet. Hiroko advanced Fallom's music asher excuse for committing what the other Alphans would surely considerto be an act of treason. She may even have believed this, but there wassomething in her mind in addition, something that I vaguely detectedbut could not surely identify, something that perhaps she was ashamed tolet emerge into her conscious mind. I am under the impression that shefelt a warmth for you, and would not willingly see you die, regardlessof Fallom and her music.""Do you really think so?" said Trevize, smiling slightly for thefirst time since they had left Alpha.
"I think so. You must have a certain proficiency at dealing withwomen. You persuaded Minister Lizalor to allow us to take our shipand leave Comporellon, and you helped influence Hiroko to save ourlives. Credit where it's due."Trevize smiled more broadly. "Well, if you say so. On to Earth,then." He disappeared into the pilot-room with a step that was almostjaunty.
Pelorat, lingering behind, said, "You soothed him after all, didn'tyou, Bliss?""No, Pelorat, I never touched his mind.""You certainly did when you pampered his male vanity sooutrageously.""Entirely indirect," said Bliss, smiling.
"Even so, thank you, Bliss."86After the Jump, the star that might well be Earth'ssun was still a tenth of a parsec away. It was the brightest object inthe sky by far, but it was still no more than a star.
Trevize kept its light filtered for ease of viewing, and studiedit somberly.
He said, "There seems no doubt that it is the virtual twin of Alpha,the star that New Earth circles. Yet Alpha is in the computer map andthis star is not. We don't have a name for this star, we aren't givenits statistics, we lack any information concerning its planetary system,if it has one."Pelorat said, "Isn't that what we would expect if Earth circlesthis sun? Such a blackout of information would fit with the fact thatall information about Earth seems to have been eliminated.""Yes, but it could also mean that it's a Spacer world that justhappened not to be on the list on the wall of the Melpomenian building. Wecan't be altogether sure that that list was complete. Or this starcould be without planets and therefore perhaps not worth listing ona computer map which is primarily used for military and commercialpurposes. Janov, is there any legend that tells of Earth's sunbeing a mere parsec or so from a twin of itself."Pelorat shook his head. "I'm sorry, Golan, but no such legend occursto me. There may be one, though. My memory isn't perfect. I'll searchfor it.""It's not important. Is there any name given to Earth's sun?""Some different names are given. I imagine there must be a name ineach of the different languages.""I keep forgetting that Earth had many languages.""It must have had. It's the only way of making sense out of many ofthe legends."Trevize said peevishly, "Well, then, what do we do? We can't tellanything about the planetary system from this distance, and we have tomove closer. I would like to be cautious, but there's such a thing asexcessive and unreasoning caution, and I see no evidence of possibledanger. Presumably anything powerful enough to wipe the Galaxy clean ofinformation about Earth may be powerful enough to wipe us out even atthis distance if they seriously did not wish to be located, but nothing'shappened. It isn't rational to stay here forever on the mere possibilitythat something might happen if we move closer, is it?"Bliss said, "I take it the computer detects nothing that might beinterpreted as dangerous.""When I say I see no evidence of possible danger, it's the computerI'm relying on. I certainly can't see anything with the unaided eye. Iwouldn't expect to.""Then I take it you're just looking for support in making what youconsider a risky decision. All right, then. I'm with you. We haven'tcome this far in order to turn back for no reason, have we?""No," said Trevize. "What do you say, Pelorat?"Pelorat said, "I'm willing to move on, if only out of curiosity. Itwould be unbearable to go back without knowing if we have foundEarth.""Well, then," said Trevize, "we're all agreed.""Not all," said Pelorat. "There's Fallom."Trevize looked astonished. "Are you suggesting we consult the child? Ofwhat value would her opinion be even if she had one? Besides, all shewould want would be to get back to her own world.""Can you blame her for that?" asked Bliss warmly.
And because the matter of Fallom had arisen, Trevize became aware ofher flute, which was sounding in a rather stirring march rhythm.
"Listen to her," he said. "Where has she ever heard anything inmarch rhythm?""Perhaps Jemby played marches on the flute for her."Trevize shook his head. "I doubt it. Dance rhythms, I should think,lullabies. Listen, Fallom makes me uneasy. She learns tooquickly.""I help her," said Bliss. "Remember that. Andshe's very intelligent and she has been extraordinarilystimulated in the time she's been with us. New sensations have floodedher mind. She's seen space, different worlds, many people, all for thefirst time."Fallom's march music grew wilder and more richly barbaric.
Trevize sighed and said, "Well, she's here, and she's producing musicthat seems to breathe optimism, and delight in adventure. I'll take thatas her vote in favor of moving in more closely. Let us do so cautiously,then, and check this sun's planetary system.""If any," said Bliss.
Trevize smiled thinly. "There's a planetary system. It's a bet. Chooseyour sum."87"You lose," said Trevize abstractedly. "How much moneydid you decide to bet?""None. I never accepted the wager," said Bliss.
"Just as well. I wouldn't like to accept the money, anyway."They were some 10 billion kilometers from the sun. It was stillstar-like, but it was nearly 1/4,000 as bright as the average sun wouldhave been when viewed from the surface of a habitable planet.
"We can see two planets under magnification, right now," saidTrevize. "From their measured diameters and from the spectrum of thereflected light, they are clearly gas giants."The ship was well outside the planetary plane, and Bliss and Pelorat,staring over Trevize's shoulder at the viewscreen, found themselveslooking at two tiny crescents of greenish light. The smaller was in thesomewhat thicker phase of the two.
Trevize said, "Janov! It is correct, isn't it, that Earth's sun issuppose to have four gas giants.""According to the legends. Yes," said Pelorat.
"The nearest of the four to the sun is the largest, and the secondnearest has rings. Right?""Large prominent rings, Golan. Yes. Just the same, old chap, you haveto allow for exaggeration in the telling and retelling of a legend. If weshould not find a planet with an extraordinary ring system, I don't thinkwe ought to let that count seriously against this being Earth's star.""Nevertheless, the two we see may be the farthest, and the twonearer ones may well be on the other side of the sun and too far to beeasily located against the background of stars. We'll have to move stillcloser and beyond the sun to the other side.""Can that be done in the presence of the star's nearby mass?""With reasonable caution, the computer can do it, I'm sure. If itjudges the danger to be too great, however, it will refuse to budge us,and we can then move in cautious, smaller steps."His mind directed the computer and the starfield on theviewscreen changed. The star brightened sharply and then moved off theviewscreen as the computer, following directions, scanned the sky foranother gas giant. It did so successfully.
All three onlookers stiffened and stared, while Trevize's mind,almost helpless with astonishment, fumbled at the computer to directfurther magnification.
"Incredible," gasped Bliss.
88A gas giant was in view, seen at an angle that allowedmost of it to be sunlit. About it, there curved a broad and brilliantring of material, tipped so as to catch the sunlight on the side beingviewed. It was brighter than the planet itself and along it, one thirdof the way in toward the planet, was a narrow, dividing line.
Trevize threw in a request for maximum enhancement and the ring becameringlets, narrow and concentric, glittering in the sunlight. Only aportion of the ring system was visible on the viewscreen and the planetitself had moved off. A further direction from Trevize and one cornerof the screen marked itself off and showed, within itself, a miniatureof the planet and rings under lesser magnification.
"Is that sort of thing common?" asked Bliss, awed.
"No," said Trevize. "Almost every gas giant has rings of debris, butthey tend to be faint and narrow. I once saw one in which the rings werenarrow, but quite bright. But I never saw anything like this; or heardof it, either."Pelorat said, "That's clearly the ringed giant the legends speakof. If this is really unique ""Really unique, as far as I know, or as far as the computer knows,"said Trevize.
"Then this must be the planetary system containingEarth. Surely, no one could invent such a planet. It would have had tohave been seen to be described."Trevize said, "I'm prepared to believe just about anything your legendssay now. This is the sixth planet and Earth would be the third?""Right, Golan.""Then I would say we were less than 1.5 billion kilometers from Earth,and we haven't been stopped. Gaia stopped us when we approached."Bliss said, "You were closer to Gaia when you were stopped.""Ah," said Trevize, "but it's my opinion Earth is more powerful thanGaia, and I take this to be a good sign. If we are not stopped, it maybe that Earth does not object to our approach.""Or that there is no Earth," said Bliss.
"Do you care to bet this time?" asked Trevize grimly.
"What I think Bliss means," put in Pelorat, "is that Earth may beradioactive as everyone seems to think, and that no one stops us becausethere is no life on the Earth.""No," said Trevize violently. "I'll believe everything that's saidabout Earth, but that. We'll just close in on Earth andsee for ourselves. And I have the feeling we won't be stopped."89The gas giants were well behind. An asteroid beltlay just inside the gas giant nearest the sun. (That gas giant was thelargest and most massive, just as the legends said.)Inside the asteroid belt were four planets.
Trevize studied them carefully. "The third is the largest. The sizeis appropriate and the distance from the sun is appropriate. It couldbe habitable."Pelorat caught what seemed to be a note of uncertainty in Trevize'swords.
He said, "Does it have an atmosphere?""Oh yes," said Trevize. "The second, third, and fourth planets allhave atmospheres. And, as in the old children's tale, the second's istoo dense, the fourth's is not dense enough, but the third's is justright.""Do you think it might be Earth, then?""Think?" said Trevize almost explosively. "I don't have to think. Itis Earth. It has the giant satellite you told me of.""It has?" And Pelorat's face broke into a wider smile than any thatTrevize had ever seen upon it.
"Absolutely! Here, look at it under maximum magnification."Pelorat saw two crescents, one distinctly larger and brighter thanthe other.
"Is that smaller one the satellite?" he asked.
"Yes. It's rather farther from the planet than one might expect butit's definitely revolving about it. It's only the size of a small planet;in fact, it's smaller than any of the four inner planets circling thesun. Still, it's large for a satellite. It's at least two thousandkilometers in diameter, which makes it in the size range of the largesatellites that revolve about gas giants.""No larger?" Pelorat seemed disappointed. "Then it's not a giantsatellite?""Yes, it is. A satellite with a diameter of two to three thousandkilometers that is circling an enormous gas giant is one thing. That samesatellite circling a small, rocky habitable planet is quite another. Thatsatellite has a diameter over a quarter that of Earth. Where have youheard of such near-parity involving a habitable planet?"Pelorat said timidly, "I know very little of such things."Trevize said, "Then take my word for it, Janov. It's unique. We'relooking at something that is practically a double planet, and there arefew habitable planets that have anything more than pebbles orbitingthem. Janov, if you consider that gas giant with its enormous ringsystem in sixth place, and this planet with its enormous satellite inthird both of which your legends told you about, against allcredibility, before you ever saw them then that world you'relooking at must be Earth. It cannot conceivably be anythingelse. We've found it, Janov; we've found it."90THey were on the second day of their coasting progresstoward Earth, and Bliss yawned over the dinner meal. She said, "It seemsto me we've spent more time coasting toward and away from planets thananything else. We've spent weeks at it, literally.""Partly," said Trevize, "that's because Jumps are dangeroustoo close to a star. And in this case, we'removing very slowly because I do not wish to advance into possible dangertoo quickly.""I thought you said you had the feeling we would not be stopped.""So I do, but I don't want to stake everything on a feeling." Trevizelooked at the contents of the spoon before putting it into his mouthand said, "You know, I miss the fish we had on Alpha. We only had threemeals there.""A pity," agreed Pelorat.
"Well," said Bliss, "we visited five worlds and had to leave eachone of them so hurriedly that we never had time to add to our foodsupplies and introduce variety. Even when the world had food to offer,as did Comporellon and Alpha, and, presumably "She did not complete the sentence, for Fallom, looking up quickly,finished it for her. "Solaria? Could you get no food there? There isplenty of food there. As much as on Alpha. And better, too.""I know that, Fallom," said Bliss. "There was just no time."Fallom stared at her solemnly. "Will I ever see Jemby again,Bliss? Tell me the truth."Bliss said, "You may, if we return to Solaria.""Will we ever return to Solaria?"Bliss hesitated. "I cannot say.""Now we go to Earth, is that right? Isn't that the planet where yousay we all originate?""Where our forebears originated," said Bliss.
"I can say `ancestors,'" said Fallom.
"Yes, we are going to Earth."Bliss said lightly, "Wouldn't anyone wish to see the world of theirancestors?""I think there's more to it. You all seem so concerned.""But we've never been there before. We don't know what to expect.""I think it is more than that."Bliss smiled. "You've finished eating, Fallom dear, so why not goto the room and let us have a little serenade on your flute. You'replaying it more beautifully all the time. Come, come." She gave Falloman accelerating pat on the rear end, and off Fallom went, turning onlyonce to give Trevize a thoughtful look.
Trevize looked after her with clear distaste. "Does that thing readminds?""Don't call her a `thing,' Trevize," said Bliss sharply.
"Does she read minds? You ought to be able to tell.""No, she doesn't. Nor can Gaia. Nor can the SecondFoundationers. Reading minds in the sense of overhearing a conversation,or making out precise ideas is not something that can be done now, or inthe foreseeable future. We can detect, interpret, and, to some extent,manipulate emotions, but that is not the same thing at all.""How do you know she can't do this thing that supposedly can't bedone?""Because as you have just said, I ought to be able to tell.""Perhaps she is manipulating you so that you remain ignorant of thefact that she can."Bliss rolled her eyes upward. "Be reasonable, Trevize. Even if she hadunusual abilities, she could do nothing with me for I am not Bliss, I amGaia. You keep forgetting. Do you know the mental inertia representedby an entire planet? Do you think one Isolate, however talented, canovercome that?""You don't know everything, Bliss, so don't be overconfident," saidTrevize sullenly. "That th She has been with us notvery long. I couldn't learn anything but the rudiments of a language inthat time, yet she already speaks Galactic perfectly and with virtuallya full vocabulary. Yes, I know you've been helping her, but I wish youwould stop.""I told you I was helping her, but I also told you she's fearfullyintelligent. Intelligent enough so that I would like to have her part ofGaia. If we can gather her in; if she's still young enough; we might learnenough about the Solarians to absorb that entire world eventually. Itmight well be useful to us.""Does it occur to you that the Solarians are pathological Isolateseven by my standards?""They wouldn't stay so as part of Gaia.""I think you're wrong, Bliss. I think that Solarian child is dangerousand that we should get rid of her.""How? Dump her through the airlock? Kill her, chop her up, and addher to our food supply?"Pelorat said, "Oh, Bliss."And Trevize said, "That's disgusting, and completely uncalled for." Helistened for a moment. The flute was sounding without flaw or waver,and they had been talking in half-whispers. "When this is all over, we'vegot to return her to Solaria, and make sure that Solaria is forever cutoff from the Galaxy. My own feeling is that it should be destroyed. Idistrust and fear it."Bliss thought awhile and said, "Trevize, I know that you have the knackof coming to a right decision, but I also know you have been antipatheticto Fallom from the start. I suspect that may just be because you werehumiliated on Solaria and have taken a violent hatred to the planet andits inhabitants as a result. Since I must not tamper with your mind,I can't tell that for sure. Please remember that if we had not takenFallom with us, we would be on Alpha right now dead and, I presume,buried.""I know that, Bliss, but even so ""And her intelligence is to be admired, not envied.""I do not envy her. I fear her.""Her intelligence?"Trevize licked his lips thoughtfully. "No, not quite.""What, then?""I don't know. Bliss, if I knew what I feared, I might not have tofear it. It's something I don't quite understand." His voice lowered,as though he were speaking to himself. "The Galaxy seems to be crowdedwith things I don't understand. Why did I choose Gaia? Why must I findEarth? Is there a missing assumption in psychohistory? If there is,what is it? And on top of all that, why does Fallom make me uneasy?"Bliss said, "Unfortunately, I can't answer those questions." She rose,and left the room.
Pelorat looked after her, then said, "Surely things aren't totallyblack, Golan. We're getting closer and closer to Earth and once we reachit all mysteries may be solved. And so far nothing seems to be makingany effort to stop us from reaching it."Trevize's eyes flickered toward Pelorat and he said in a low voice,"I wish something would."Pelorat said, "You do? Why should you want that?""Frankly, I'd welcome a sign of life."Pelorat's eyes opened wide. "Have you found that Earth is radioactiveafter all?""Not quite. But it is warm. A bit warmer than I would haveexpected.""Is that bad?""Not necessarily. It may be rather warm but that wouldn't make itnecessarily uninhabitable. The cloud cover is thick and it is definitelywater vapor, so that those clouds, together with a copious water ocean,could tend to keep things livable despite the temperature we calculatedfrom microwave emission. I can't be sure, yet. It's just that ""Yes, Golan?""Well, if Earth were radioactive, that might well account for itsbeing warmer than expected.""But that doesn't argue the reverse, does it? If it's warmer thanexpected, that doesn't mean it must be radioactive.""No. No, it doesn't." Trevize managed to force a smile. "No usebrooding, Janov. In a day or two, I'll be able to tell more about itand we'll know for sure."91Fallom was sitting on the cot in deep thought whenBliss came into the room. Fallom looked up briefly, then down again.
Bliss said quietly, "What's the matter, Fallom?"Fallom said, "Why does Trevize dislike me so much, Bliss?""What makes you think he dislikes you.""He looks at me impatiently Is that the word?""It might be the word.""He looks at me impatiently when I am near him. His face always twistsa little.""Trevize is having a hard time, Fallom.""Because he's looking for Earth?""Yes."Fallom thought awhile, then said, "He is particularly impatient whenI think something into moving."Bliss's lips tightened. "Now, Fallom, didn't I tell you you must notdo that, especially when Trevize is present?""Well, it was yesterday, right here in this room, and he was in thedoorway and I didn't notice. I didn't know he was watching. It was justone of Pel's book-films, anyway, and I was trying to make it stand onone tip. I wasn't doing any harm.""It makes him nervous, Fallom, and I want you not to do it, whetherhe's watching or not.""Does it make him nervous because he can't do it?""Perhaps.""Can you do it?"Bliss shook her head slowly. "No, I can't.""It doesn't make you nervous when I do it. It doesn't make Pel nervous,either.""People are different.""I know," said Fallom, with a sudden hardness that surprised Blissand caused her to frown.
"What do you know, Fallom?"" I'm different.""Of course, I just said so. People are different.""My shape is different. I can move things.""That's true."Fallom said, with a shade of rebelliousness, "I must move things. Trevize should not be angry with me for that, and you shouldnot stop me.""But why must you move things?""It is practice. Exerceez. Is that the right word?""Not quite. Exercise.""Yes. Jemby always said I must train my my ""Transducer-lobes?""Yes. And make them strong. Then, when I was grown up, I could powerall the robots. Even Jemby.""Fallom, who did power all the robots if you did not?""Bander." Fallom said it very matter-of-factly.
"Did you know Bander?""Of course. I viewed him many times. I was to be the nextestate-head. The Bander estate would become the Fallom estate. Jembytold me so.""You mean Bander came to your "Fallom's mouth made a perfect O of shock. She said in a choked voice,"Bander would never come to " The youngster ran out of breath andpanted a bit, then said, "I viewed Bander's image."Bliss asked hesitantly, "How did Bander treat you?"Fallom looked at Bliss with a faintly puzzled eye. "Bander would askme if I needed anything; if I was comfortable. But Jemby was always nearme so I never needed anything and I was always comfortable."Her head bent and she stared at the floor. Then she placed her handsover her eyes and said, "But Jemby stopped. I think it was because Banderstopped, too."Bliss said, "Why do you say that?""I've been thinking about it. Bander powered all the robots, and ifJemby stopped, and all the other robots, too, it must be that Banderstopped. Isn't that so?"Bliss was silent.
Fallom said, "But when you take me back to Solaria I will power Jembyand all the rest of the robots, and I will be happy again."She was sobbing.
Bliss said, "Aren't you happy with us, Fallom? Just alittle? Sometimes?"Fallom lifted her tear-stained face to Bliss and her voice trembledas she shook her head and said, "I want Jemby."In an agony of sympathy, Bliss threw her arms about the youngster. "Oh,Fallom, how I wish I could bring you and Jemby together again," and wassuddenly aware that she was weeping, too.
92Pelorat entered and found them so. He halted in mid-stepand said, "What's the matter?"Bliss detached herself and fumbled for a small tissue so that shemight wipe her eyes. She shook her head, and Pelorat at once said,with heightened concern, "But what's the matter ?"Bliss said, "Fallom, just rest a little. I'll think of something tomake things a little better for you. Remember I love you just thesame way that Jemby did."She seized Pelorat's elbow and rushed him out into the living room,saying, "It's nothing, Pel. Nothing.""It's Fallom, though, isn't it? She still misses Jemby.""Terribly. And there's nothing we can do about it. I can tell herthat I love her and, truthfully, I do. How can you help loving achild so intelligent and gentle? Fearfully intelligent. Trevizethinks too intelligent. She's seen Bander in her time,you know or viewed it, rather, as a holographic image. She's notmoved by that memory, however; she's very cold and matter-of-fact aboutit, and I can understand why. There was only the fact that Bander wasowner of the estate and that Fallom would be the next owner that boundthem. No other relationship at all.""Does Fallom understand that Bander is her father?""Her mother . If we agree that Fallom is to be regardedas feminine, so is Bander.""Either way, Bliss dear. Is Fallom aware of the parentalrelationship?""I don't know that she would understand what that is. She may, ofcourse, but she gave no hint. However, Pel, she has reasoned out thatBander is dead, for it's dawned on her that Jemby's inactivation must bethe result of power loss and since Bander supplied the power Thatfrightens me."Pelorat said thoughtfully, "Why should it, Bliss? It's only a logicalinference, after all.""Another logical inference can be drawn from that death. Deathsmust be few and far distant on Solaria with its long-lived and isolatedSpacers. Experience of natural death must be a limited one for any ofthem, and probably absent altogether for a Solarian child of Fallom'sage. If Fallom continues to think of Bander's death, she's going to beginto wonder why Bander died, and the fact that it happenedwhen we strangers were on the planet will surely lead her to the obviouscause and effect.""That we killed Bander?""It wasn't we who killed Bander, Pel. It was I .""She couldn't guess that.""But I would have to tell her that. She is annoyed with Trevize as itis, and he is clearly the leader of the expedition. She would take itfor granted that it would be he who would have brought about the deathof Bander, and how could I allow Trevize to bear the blame unjustly?""What would it matter, Bliss? The child feels nothing for herfath mother. Only for her robot, Jemby.""But the death of the mother meant the death of her robot, too. Ialmost did own up to my responsibility. I was strongly tempted.""Why?""So I could explain it my way. So I could soothe her, forestall herown discovery of the fact in a reasoning process that would work it outin a way that would offer no justification for it.""But there was justification. It was self-defense. Ina moment, we all would have been dead, if you had not acted.""It's what I would have said, but I could not bring myself toexplain. I was afraid she wouldn't believe me."Pelorat shook his head. He said, sighing, "Do you suppose it mighthave been better if we had not brought her? The situation makes youso unhappy.""No," said Bliss angrily, "don't say that. It would have mademe infinitely more unhappy to have to sit here right now and rememberthat we had left an innocent child behind to be slaughtered mercilesslybecause of what we had done.""It's the way of Fallom's world.""Now, Pel, don't fall into Trevize's way of thinking. Isolatesfind it possible to accept such things and think no more about it. Theway of Gaia is to save life, however, not destroy it or to sitidly by while it is destroyed. Life of all kinds must, we all know,constantly be coming to an end in order that other life might endure,but never uselessly, never to no end. Bander's death, though unavoidable,is hard enough to bear; Fallom's would have been past all bounds.""Ah well," said Pelorat, "I suppose you're right. And in anycase, it is not the problem of Fallom concerning which I've come to seeyou. It's Trevize.""What about Trevize?""Bliss, I'm worried about him. He's waiting to determine the factsabout Earth, and I'm not sure he can withstand the strain.""I don't fear for him. I suspect he has a sturdy and stable mind.""We all have our limits. Listen, the planet Earth is warmer than heexpected it to be; he told me so. I suspect that he thinks it may be toowarm for life, though he's clearly trying to talk himself into believingthat's not so.""Maybe he's right. Maybe it's not too warm for life.""Also, he admits it's possible that the warmth might possibly arisefrom a radioactive crust, but he is refusing to believe that also. -Ina day or two, we'll be close enough so that the truth of the matter willbe unmistakable. What if Earth is radioactive?""Then he'll have to accept the fact.""But I don't know how to say this, or how to put it in mentalterms. What if his mind "Bliss waited, then said wryly, "Blows a fuse?""Yes. Blows a fuse. Shouldn't you do something now to strengthenhim? Keep him level and under control, so to speak?""No, Pel. I can't believe he's that fragile, and there is a firmGaian decision that his mind must not be tampered with.""But that's the very point. He has this unusual `rightness,' orwhatever you want to call it. The shock of his entire project fallingto nothingness at the moment when it seems successfully concluded maynot destroy his brain, but it may destroy his `rightness.' It's a veryunusual property he has. Might it not be unusually fragile, too?"Bliss remained for a moment in thought. Then she shrugged. "Well,perhaps I'll keep an eye on him."93For the next thirty-six hours, Trevize was vaguelyaware that Bliss and, to a lesser degree, Pelorat, tended to dog hisfootsteps. Still, that was not utterly unusual in a ship as compact astheirs, and he had other things on his mind.
Now, as he sat at the computer, he was aware of them standing justinside the doorway. He looked up at them, his face blank.
"Well?" he said, in a very quiet voice.
Pelorat said, rather awkwardly, "How are you, Golan?"Trevize said, "Ask Bliss. She's been staring at me intently forhours. She must be poking through my mind. Aren't you, Bliss?""No, I am not," said Bliss evenly, "but if you feel the need for myhelp, I can try. Do you want my help?""No, why should I? Leave me alone. Both of you."Pelorat said, "Please tell us what's going on.""Guess!""Is Earth ""Yes, it is. What everyone insisted on telling us is perfectlytrue." Trevize gestured at the viewscreen, where Earth presented itsnightside and was eclipsing the sun. It was a solid circle of blackagainst the starry sky, its circumference outlined by a broken orangecurve.
Pelorat said, "Is that orange the radioactivity?""No. Just refracted sunlight through the atmosphere. It would bea solid orange circle if the atmosphere weren't so cloudy. We can'tsee the radioactivity. The various radiations, even the gamma rays, areabsorbed by the atmosphere. However, they do set up secondary radiations,comparatively feeble ones, but the computer can detect them. They'restill invisible to the eye, but the computer can produce a photon ofvisible light for each particle or wave of radiation it receives andput Earth into false color. Look."And the black circle glowed with a faint, blotchy blue.
"How much radioactivity is there?" asked Bliss, in a low voice. "Enoughto signify that no human life can exist there?""No life of any kind," said Trevize. "The planet is uninhabitable. Thelast bacterium, the last virus, is long gone.""Can we explore it?" said Pelorat. "I mean, in space suits.""For a few hours before we come down with irreversible radiationsickness.""Then what do we do, Golan?""Do?" Trevize looked at Pelorat with that same expressionlessface. "Do you know what I would like to do? I would like to take youand Bliss and the child back to Gaia and leave you allthere forever. Then I would like to go back to Terminus and hand backthe ship. Then I would like to resign from the Council, which ought tomake Mayor Branno very happy. Then I would like to live on my pensionand let the Galaxy go as it will. I won't care about the Seldon Plan, orabout the Foundation, or about the Second Foundation, or about Gaia. TheGalaxy can choose its own path. It will last my time and why should Icare a snap as to what happens afterward?""Surely, you don't mean it, Golan," said Pelorat urgently.
Trevize stared at him for a while, and then he drew a long breath. "No,I don't, but, oh, how I wish I could do exactly what I have just outlinedto you.""Never mind that. What will you do?""Keep the ship in orbit about the Earth, rest, get over the shock ofall this, and think of what to do next. Except that ""Yes?"And Trevize blurted out, "What can I do next? What is there furtherto look for? What is there further to find?"
第七部 地球 第十九章 放射性之谜
　　85
远星号静静起飞，在大气层中缓缓爬升，将那座黑暗的岛屿越抛越远。下方几许微弱的光点越来越暗，终至完全消失无踪。随着高度的增加，大气逐渐稀薄，太空艇的速度逐渐加快，天上的光点则越来越多、越来越后。
最后，当他们往下望去，这颗名叫阿尔发的行星只剩一弯新月形的光辉，其上缭绕着众多云气。
裴洛拉特说：“我想他们没有实用的太空科技，他们无法追赶我们。”
“我不确定这件事能让我释怀多少，”崔维兹看来郁郁寡欢，声音听来相当沮丧。“我被感染了。”
“但完全没发作。”宝绮思说。
“然而他们有办法触发。那究竟是什么办法？”
宝绮思耸了耸肩。“广子说如果病毒一直不发作，最后会死在它们无法适应的身体里面——例如你的身体。”
“是吗？”崔维兹气冲冲地说：“她怎么知道？话又说回来，我怎么知道广子说的不是自我安慰的谎言？而且不论触发的方法是什么，难道不可能自然发生吗？某种特殊的化学药剂，某种放射性，某种……某种……谁知道是什么？我可能突然发病，然后你们三人也会死掉。若是在我们抵达人口众多的世界后才发作，也许会引起恶性的大型流行疾病，逃离的难民还会把它们带到其他世界。”
他盯着宝绮思说：“你有没有什么办法对付它们？”
宝绮思缓缓摇了摇头。“不太容易。盖娅也拥有寄生物的成分——微生物、虫类等等，它们对生态平衡有正面意义。这些生存在盖娅上的寄生物，对世界级意识都有一己的贡献，可是绝不过度繁殖，因此它们的存在不会造成显着的危害。问题是，崔维兹，侵犯你的病毒并非盖娅的一部分。”
“你说‘不太容易’，”崔维兹皱着眉说：“在如今这种情况下，即使可能非常困难，能不能也麻烦你试试看？你能不能找出病毒在我体内的位置，然后将它们消灭？若是你做不到，能不能至少增强我的抵抗力？”
“你可了解自己在做什么要求，崔维兹？我不熟悉你体内的微观生物，或许不易分辨何者是你细胞内的病毒，何者又是正常的基因。而要区分何者是你身体已经适应的病毒；何者又是广子感染给你的，则更加困难。我会试一试，崔维兹，不过需要花些时间，而且不一定成功。”
“慢慢来，”崔维兹说：“伹一定要试。”
“当然。”宝绮思答道。
裴洛拉特说：“假如广子说的是实话，宝绮思，你也许会发现那些病毒的活力已渐渐减弱，而你可以加速它们的衰亡。”
“我可以试试看，”宝绮思说：“这是个不错的主意。”
“你不会心软？”崔维兹说：“杀死那些病毒，就等于毁灭许多珍贵的生命，你知道的。”
“你是在讽刺我，崔维兹。”宝绮思毫不动容地说：“然而，不管是不是讽刺，你指出了一个真正的难处。话说回来，在你和病毒之间，我很难不优先考虑你。如果有可能，我一定会杀死它们，你不用怕。毕竟，就算我没考虑到你，”她的嘴角牵动一下，彷佛强忍住笑意。“裴洛拉特和菲龙也有危险。跟你栢较之下，我对他们两人的感情你应该比较有信心。你甚至应该想到，现在我自己也有危险。”
“你对自己的爱我可没有信心，”崔维兹喃喃说道：“为了某种高尚的动机，你随时愿意牺牲自己的性命。不过，我倒相信你真心关怀裴洛拉特。”
然后他又说：“我没听见菲龙的笛声，她有什么不对劲吗？”
“没事，”宝绮思说：“她睡着了——是自然的睡眠，跟我完全没有关系。而我建议，等你向那颗我们心目中的地球之阳跃迁后，我们也都好好睡一觉。我极需要睡眠，我认为你也一样，崔维兹。”
“好的，要是我做得到的话——你知道吗，宝绮思，你说对了。”
“说对了什么，崔维兹？”
“对于孤立体的见解。新地球并非天堂，不论它看起来多么像。最初那些殴劲款待——那些表面的友善——都是为了解除我们的警戒，以便将病毒传染给我们其中一人。而其后的殷勤款待，那些各种名目的庆祝活动，目的是把我们留下，等候渔船队归来，然后就能让病毒发作。多亏菲龙和她的音乐，否则险些就让他们得逞，这点你可能也对了。”
“关于菲龙？”
“是的，当初我不愿带她同行，我也始终不高兴看到她在太空船上。由于你的关系，宝绮思，她才会跟我们在一起，又由于她无意间的举动，我们才会侥幸得救。不过——”
“不过什么？”
“尽避如此，我对菲龙的存在仍感不安，我也说不出所以然来。”
“我这样说你也许会感到舒服点，崔维兹，我不确定是否应将功劳全归菲龙。广子做出阿尔发人必定视为叛逆的行为，菲龙的音乐只不过是她的借口，甚趾蟋她自己可能也相信了。但除此之外，她还另有心事，我隐约侦测得到，却无法确定它的本质，也许她羞于让这件事浮出意识层面。我有一种感觉，她对你有特殊好感，不愿眼睁睁看你死去，这和菲龙以及她的音乐无关。”
“你真这么认为？”崔维兹浅浅一笑。这是离开阿尔发后，他露出的第一个笑容。
“我的确这么认为。对于和女人打交道，你一定很有两下子。在康普隆，你说服了李札乐部长让我们驾着太空船离开，这回又促使广子拯救我们的性命，所以功劳其实应该属于你。”
崔维兹的笑容扩大了些。“好吧，既然你这么说——现在，向地球前进。”他踏着几乎可算轻快的步伐，转身走进驾驶舱。
裴洛拉特没有跟过去，他对宝绮思说：“你终究还是安抚了他，对不对，宝绮思？”
“没有，裴，我从未碰触他的心灵。”
“你刚才极力满足他的男性虚荣心，当然触及了他的心灵深处。”
“全然是间接的。”宝绮思微笑说道。
“即使如此，还是谢谢你，宝绮思。”
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跃迁之后，那颗可能是地球之阳的恒星仍在十分之一秒差距外。它的后度已远超过星空中其他天体，然而看来依旧只是一颗星。
崔维兹面色凝着地研究这颗恒星。为了便于观察，他将光线过滤了一遍。
他说：“跟新地球环绕的阿尔发星比较之下，它们无疑可算孪生兄弟。但阿尔发收录在电脑舆图中，而这颗恒星却没有。我们不知道它的名字，也没有它的统计资料，即使它有个行星系，相关资料也全然阙如。”
裴洛拉特说：“假如地球果真环绕这个太阳，这不正是我们意料中的事？完全找不到任何资料，正好符合了地球资料几乎全被销毁的事实。”
“没错，伹也可能表示它是个外世界，只是未列在梅尔波美尼亚那座建筑的墙上，我们无法确定那份名单绝对完整无缺。此外还有一个可能，就是这颗恒星或许没有任何行星，因此不值得收录在主要用于军事和贸易的电脑舆圆中——詹诺夫，有没有任何的传说，提到地球之阳和它变的孪生兄弟距离大约只有一秒差距？”
裴洛拉特摇了摇头。“对不起，葛兰，我想不起有这样的传说。不过，说不定有，我的记性不大好，我会去查查看。”
“这不着要，地球之阳有没有什么名字？”
“有好些不同的名称，我猜不同的语言都有不同的称呼。”
“我常常忘记地球上曾经有许多种语言。”
“一定是这样。唯有如此，众多的传说才能有个合理的解释。”
崔维兹没好气地说：“好啦，现在我们该怎么办？在这么远的距离，我们根本观察不到行星系，我们得靠近点才行。我希望能谨慎行事，可是谨慎有时也会过了头，变得毫无道理。直到目前为止，我看不出有什么危险。不论对方是何方神圣，既然他们有力量将银河中的地球资料一扫而光，那么，只要他们不希望被人发现，即使隔着这么远的距离，他们一定也能轻易将我们消灭，但我们现在什么事也没有。如果只是担心靠近些会发生什么变故就永远待在这里，那绝不是理智的做法，对不对？”
宝绮思说：“我想，电脑没侦测到可解释成危险的任何迹象。”
“我说看不出有什么危险时，根据的是电脑的观测结果。我当然无法以肉眼看到任何东西，我也没那么指望。”
“那么，我想你现在只是在寻求支持，要大家共同做出一个你认为是危险的决定。好吧，我支持你。我们飞了这么远的路途，总不能无缘无故就掉头离去，对不对？”
“没错。”崔维兹道：“你怎么说，裴洛拉特？”
裴洛拉特说：“我愿意继续前进，即使只是为了满足好奇心。要是就这么空手而归，不知道是否找到了地球，那简直令人无法忍受。”
“好，那么，我们都同意了。”崔维兹说。
“还没有，”裴洛拉特说：“还有菲龙。”
崔维兹看来吃了一惊。“你的意思是要我们跟那孩子商量？即使她真有什么意见，会有什么价值？何况她一心只想回到她自己的世界。”
“这点你能怪她吗？”宝绮思为菲龙辩护道。
直到他们谈起菲龙，崔维兹才察觉到她的笛声，现在她吹的是激昂的进行曲。
“听听看，”他说：“不知她在哪里听过进行曲？”
“大概是健比用笛子吹给她听过。”
崔维兹摇了摇头。“我不大相信，舞曲、催眠曲之类还比较有可能——听我说，菲龙令我感到很不自在，她学得太快了。”
“是我帮她的，”宝绮思说：“记住这一点。她不但非常聪明，而且跟我们在一起的这段期间，她受到非比寻常的知性刺激，新的感受源源不绝涌人她的心灵。她目睹了太空的景观，造访了不同的世界，又见到许多人，这都是她前所未有的经验。”
菲龙的进行曲变得越来越狂放，也越来越粗野。
崔维兹叹了一口气。“好啦，她已经表达了意见。她的音乐似乎透露出乐观的精神，并对冒险充满向往，我想这就代表她赞成我们继续接近地球。所以说，让我们小心翼翼地行动，对这个太阳的行星系仔绌观察一番。”
“假如有的话。”宝绮思说。
崔维兹淡淡一笑。“它一定有个行星系。我跟你打赌，看你要赌多少。”
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“你输了。”崔维兹漫下经心地说：“你刚才决定赌多少？”
“根本没有，我从没说过要跟你打赌。”宝绮思答道。
“没关系，反正我也不会要你的钱。”
现在他们距离那个太阳大约一百亿公里，它看来虽然仍是个光点，但已显得分外明后。比较之下，从一般可住人行星表面观察本身的太阳，其平均后度约为目前这个太阳的四千倍。
“现在，影像经过放大后，我们可以看到两颗行星。”崔维兹说：“从它们直径的测量值以及反射光的光谱研判，它们显然是气态巨行星。”
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太空艇目前距离行星轨道面很远。宝绮思与裴洛拉特站在崔维兹身后，凝视着显像屏幕。他们看到的是两个泛着绿光的微小新月形，其中较小的那个“行星相”比较大。
崔维兹说：“詹诺夫！地球之阳应该有四颗气态巨行星，没错吧。”
“不寻常。”崔维兹说：“虽然每颗气态巨行星几乎都有‘碴环’，但它们通常相当暗淡狭窄。我曾见过明后、细小的行星环，却从未见到过像这样的，也从没听说过。”
裴洛拉特说：“这显然就是传说中提到的，那颗拥有行星环的巨行星。如果这真是唯一的……”
“真是唯一的，据我所知没有第二颗，甚至电脑也这么认为。”崔维兹说。
“那么这必定就是拥有地球的行星系。当然没人能虚构出这样的行星，一定要亲眼目睹，才有办法描述出来。”
崔维兹说：“现在不论你的传说怎么讲，我都愿意照单全收。这应该是第六颗行星，而地球是第三颗？”
“是的，葛兰。”
“那么我敢说，我们现在距离地球不到十五亿公里，而我们至今未被挡驾。当初我们接近盖娅时，在半途就遭到拦阻。”
宝绮思说：“你们被拦阻的时候，距离盖娅已经很近了。”
“啊，”崔维兹说：“不过我一向认为地球比盖娅强大，因此我想这是个好现象。既然我们没有遭到拦阻，也许代表地球不反对我们造访。”
“或者根本没有地球。”宝绮思说。
“这次你有兴趣打赌吗？”崔维兹绷着脸说。
“我想宝绮思的意思是说，”裴洛拉特插嘴道：“地球也许真有放射性，就像大家几乎一致相信的那样，而没人出来拦阻我们，是因为地球上根本没有生命。”
“不可能。”崔维兹以激动的口气说：安“我愿意相信有关地球的每一个传说，唯独这点例外。我们一定要迫近地球，亲自看个清楚。而且我有个预感，我们不会遭到拦阻。”
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气态巨行星皆已被远远抛在后面，在最靠近太阳的气态巨行星内围（诚如传说所言，这颗巨行星的体积与质量都是最大的），出现了一条小行星带。
小行星带之内，总共有四颗行星。
此时，崔维兹正在仔细研究这些行星。“第三颗行星最大。它的体积适中、和太阳的距离适中，应该是个可住人行星。”
从崔维兹的话中，裴洛拉特捕捉到一丝不确定的语气。
他问：“它有大气层吗？”
“喔，有的。”崔维兹说：“第二、第三和第四颗行星都有大气层。而且，就像古老的儿童故事一样，第二颗的大气太浓，第四颗的又太稀，只有第三颗的大气恰到好处。”
“那么，你认为它可能是地球吗？”
“认为？”崔维兹几乎是大声吼了出来。“我不必认为，它就是地球，它拥有你说的那个巨型卫星。”
“有吗？”裴洛拉特露出难得的笑容，崔维兹从未见过他笑得那么开心。
“正是如此！来，看看最高倍率的放大影像。”
裴洛拉特看到两个新月形，其中一个显然较大，而且较为明后。
“较小的那颗是卫星吗？”他问。
“是的，它和那颗行星的距离比想像中要远，可是它的确环绕着那颗行星。它的体积相当于小型行星，事实上，它比四颗内行星都要小。话说回来，就卫星的标准而言，它实在太大了些。它的直径至少有两千公里，和气态巨行星的卫星差不多大。”
“不是更大？”裴洛拉特似乎有些失望，“那它就不能算巨型卫星。”
“不，它的确是。环绕巨大气态巨行星的卫星，直径两、三千公里没什么稀奇，而同样大小的卫星环绕一颗小型、岩质的可住人行星，则完全另当别论。那颗卫星的直径是地球直径的四分之一强，你在哪里听说过，可住人行星有这种同量级的卫星？”
裴洛拉特怯生生地说：“这方面我知道得很少。”
崔维兹说：“那就相信我，詹诺夫，它是银河中独一无二的。我们现在看到的其实可算一对行星，而通常在可住人行星的轨道上，却鲜有超过鹅卵石大小的天体。詹诺夫，想想看，第六颗是拥有巨大行星环的气态巨行星，第三颗又是拥有巨大卫星的行星——虽然亲眼目睹之前难以置信，但两者都跟你熟知的传说相符——如此，你眼前这颗行星一定就是地球，它不可能是别的世界。我们找到它了，詹诺夫，我们找到它了！”
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他们缓缓向地球前进，如今已进入第二天。晚餐的时候，宝绮思频频打呵欠。她说：“我感到这些日子以来，我们大部分时间都在行星问飞来飞去。事实上，我们已经花了好几个星期。”
“有一部分原因，”崔维兹说：“是距离恒星如果太近，进行跃迁会很危险。而这一次，我们故意将速度放得非常慢，是因为我不想太快冲进可能的危险中。”
“我记得你说过你有一种预感，认定我们不会遭到拦阻。”
“的确如此，可是我不要将一切押在感觉上。”崔维兹凝视着汤匙中的食物，没有立刻放进嘴里。“你们知道吗，我很怀念阿尔发的渔产，我们在那里只吃了三顿而已。”
“实在可惜。”裴洛拉特表示同意。
“是啊，”宝绮思说：“我们总共造访了五个世界，每一次都是落荒而逃，从没有机会补充些食物，换点新鲜的口味。即使在愿意供应食物的世界上，例如康普隆和阿尔发，我们也根本就没机会，想必在……”
宝绮思的话没有说完，因为菲龙立刻抬起头来，把她的话接下去。“索拉利？你们在那里不能得到食物吗？那里有很多食物，就像在阿尔发上一样多，而且品质更好。”
“这点我知道，菲龙，”宝绮思说：“只是时间来不及。”
菲龙面色凝着地瞪着她。“我会不会再见到健比，宝绮思？告诉我实话。”
宝绮思说：“会的，如果我们回到索拉利的话。”
“我们会不会回索拉利呢？”
宝绮思迟疑了一下。“我不敢说。”
“现在我们要到地球去是吗？是不是你说过的那个我们都源自那里的行星？”
“我们的先人源自那里。”宝绮思说。
“我会说祖先了。”菲龙说。
“对，我们正要去地球。”
“为什么？”
宝绮思随口答道：“谁不希望看看自己祖先的世界呢？”
“我觉得还有别的原因，你们似乎都很担心。”
“我们从没去过那里，不知道会遇到些什么。”
“我觉得还不只这样。”
宝绮思微笑着说：“你已经吃完了，亲爱的菲龙，何不回到舱房去，让我们欣赏一段笛子奏出的小夜曲，你的演奏越来越美妙了。去吧，去。”她在菲龙屁股上轻轻拍了一下，催促她赶紧离去。菲龙乖乖走开，途中还回过头来，若有所思地看了崔维兹一眼。
崔维兹望着她的背影，露出明显的嫌恶表情。“那小东西会读心术吗？”
“别叫她‘东西’，崔维兹。”宝绮思以严厉的口吻说。
“她会读心术吗？你应该能判断。”
“不，她不会，盖娅和第二基地人也不会。如果将读心解释为偷听一段心灵谈话，或是获悉他人明确的概念，那么目前没有人做得到，在可预见的将来也不可能。我们能侦测、诠释情感，在某种秤谌上也能操纵情感，但这完全是另一回事。”
“理论上无法做到的事，你怎么知道她一定做不到？”
“因为正如你刚才说的，我应该判断得出来。”
“或许是她控制了你，所以你对事实一直浑然不觉。”
宝绮思白了他一眼。“你要讲理，崔维兹。即使她具有不寻常的能力，她也对我莫可奈何，因为我不只是宝绮思，我还是盖娅，你始终记不住这点。你知道整个行星的精神惯性有多大吗？你以为一个孤立体，不论多么能干，就能摇撼整个行星吗？”
“你不是万事通，宝绮思，所以不要过分自信。”崔维兹语气阴沉地说：“那个小东——她跟我们在一起没多久，这么短的时间内，我顶多只能学到一种语言的皮毛，她竟然已经能说流利的银河标准语，还几乎掌握了所有的词汇。没错，我知道你一直在帮助她，伹我希望你适可而止。”
“我跟你说过我在帮她，但我也说过她聪明得吓人，以致使我希望她能成为盖娅的一部分。假如我们能吸收她，假如她尚未超龄，我们也许可藉着她了解索拉利人，从而将那整个世界吸收进来，这样做当然对我们有很大的肋益。”
“你有没有想到过，即使就我的标准而言，索拉利人也是病态的孤立体？”
“变成盖娅的一部分，它们就会改头换面。”
“我认为你错了，宝绮思。我认为那个索拉利儿童是个危险人物，我们应该做个了断。”
“怎么做？将她从气闸抛出去？杀了她，把她剁碎，然后给我们加菜？”
裴洛拉特说：“喔，宝绮思。”
崔维兹则说：“真晒心，实在太过分了。”由于笛声早已响起，他们一直以接近耳语的音量交谈。崔维兹默默听了一会儿，笛声完全没有任何破绽或犹豫。“等一切结束后，我们一定要将她送回索拉利，还要确保索拉利和银河永远隔离。我个人的感觉是应该将它毁灭，我对它既不信任又感到恐惧。”
宝绮思想了一下，然后说：“崔维兹，我知道你有一项特殊本领，能做出正确的抉择，但我也知道，打从一开始你就十分厌恶菲龙。我猜也许只是因为你在索拉利遭到了羞辱，因此对那颗行星和其上居民怀有深切的恨意。由于我绝不能干扰你的心灵，我无法百分之百确定这点。但请别忘了，假如我们未带菲龙同行，我们如今仍缓篝在阿尔发——成了死尸，而且已经被埋掉了。”
“这点我知道，宝绮思，伹即使这样……”
“她的智慧应该受到赞赏，而不是妒嫉。”
“我并不妒嫉她，我怕她。”
“怕她的智慧？”
崔维兹若有所思地舔了舔嘴唇。“不，并不尽然。”
“不然怕什么？”
“我不知道，宝绮思。如果我知道，我也许就不必怕了，可是我不太清楚自己为什么害怕。”他的声音压得更低，彷佛在自言自语。“银河中似乎充满我不了解的事物。为什么我要选择盖娅？为什么我必须找到地球？心理史学有一项遗漏的假设吗？倘若真有的话，那又是什么？而最令人费解的一点，是菲龙为何令我坐立不安？”
宝绮思说：“不幸我无法回答这些问题。”说完她就起身离去。
裴洛拉特望了望她的背影，然后说：“不会事事不如人意的，葛兰。我们离地球越来越近，一旦我们抵达地球，所有的迷团将迎刀而解。目前为止，似乎没有任何力量企图阻止我们前进。”
崔维兹对裴洛拉特猛眨眼睛，同时低声说：“我倒希望有。”
裴洛拉特说：“是吗？你为何这么希望？”
“坦白说，我乐意看到生命迹象。”
裴洛拉特双眼睁得老大。“你发现地球具有放射性了？”
“并不尽然。不过它的表面温热，比我预期的温度高一点。”
“这样很糟吗？”
“不一定，它的温度可能较高，但并不代表一定不可住人。它有很厚的云层，成分绝对是水蒸气，所以说，虽然我们从微波发射计算出的温度偏高，那些云气，连同丰沛的普通海洋，仍然可以维持生命。我还不能肯定，不过——”
“怎样，葛兰？”
“嗯，假如地球真有放射性，那就能解释它的温度为何比预期的高。”
“可是这种推论不能反过来，对不对？如果它的温度比预期的高一点，不一定表示它就具有放射性。”
“没错，没错，并不成立。”崔维兹勉强挤出一丝笑容，“光用想的什么用处，詹诺夫。再过一两天，我就能得到更多资料，到时我们就能确定了。”
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宝绮思走进舱房的时候，菲龙正坐在便床上沉思。发现宝绮思进来，菲龙只抬头看了一眼，立刻又低下头去。
宝绮思平静地说：“怎么了，菲龙？”
菲龙答道：“为什么崔维兹那么讨厌我，宝绮思？”
“你为什么认为他讨厌你？”
“当我接近他的时候，他会用不耐烦的眼光——是不是该说不耐烦？”
“也许是吧。”
“他会用不耐烦的眼光看着我，而且他的脸孔总是微微扭曲。”
“崔维兹承受的压力很大，菲龙。”
“因为他在寻找地球？”
“对。”
菲龙想了一会儿，说：“当我想让什么东西动的时候，他就特别不耐烦。”
宝绮思噘了噘嘴。“喂，菲龙，难道我没告诉过你绝对不能那样做，尤其是崔维兹在场的时候？”
“嗯，可是昨天，就在这间舱房里，他站在门口，我没注意到，我不知道他正在盯着我。那只不过是裴的一支胶卷书，我试着要让它站起来，我没有做任何危险的事。”
“那缓箢他神经紧张，菲龙，我要你以后别再做那种事，不管崔维兹有没有看到。”
“是不是他自己做不到，所以会神经紧张？”
“大概吧。”
“你做得到吗？”
宝绮思缓缓摇了摇头。“不，我不能。”
“我那样做的时候，不缓箢你感到紧张，也不缓箢裴感到紧张。”
“每个人都不一样。”
“我知道了。”菲龙突然改用强硬的语气。宝绮思吓了一跳，不禁皱起眉头。
“你知道什么，菲龙？”
“我不一样。”
“当然，我刚才说过，每个人都不一样。”
“我的形体不一样，我还可以让东西运动。”
“这是事实。”
菲龙带着叛逆的口吻说：“我一定要让东西运动，崔维兹不该生我的气，你也不该阻止我。”
“可是你为什么一定要这样做呢？”
“这是练习，是磨练——这样说对吗？”
“不完全对，应该说锻链。”
“对，健比总是说，我必须训练我的……我的……”
“转换叶突？”
“对，使它们越来越强壮。然后，等我长大了，我就能驱动所有的机器人，甚至包括健比。”
“菲龙，在你还没这样做的时候，由谁来驱动所有的机器人？”
“班德。”菲龙随口答道。
“你认识班德？”
“当然，我跟他见过许多面。我是下一任的属地领主，班德属地将来会变成菲龙属地，健比这样告诉我的。”
“你是说班德来到你……”
菲龙吃了一惊，嘴巴张成一个完美的椭圆。她像是被人掐住脖子一样，吃力地说：“班德从来不会到……”她一口气没接上，喘了喘才继续说：“我看到的是班德的影像。”
宝绮思以迟疑的口吻问道：“班德待你怎么样？”
菲龙用稍带困惑的眼光望着宝绮思。“班德总是问我是否需要什么，是否感到舒适。可是健比一直在我身边，所以我从不需要任何东西，也始终感到很舒适。”
她垂下头来，凝视着地板，然后用双手蒙住眼睛，又说：“可是健比不动了，我想那是因为班德——也不动了。”
宝绮思问道：“你为什么这样说？”
“我一直在想这件事。班德负责驱动所有的机器人，如果健比不动了，其他的机器人也都不动了，那一定是因为班德下动了。是不是这样？”
宝绮思哑口无言。
菲龙说：“不过等你带我回索拉利后，我就会驱动健比和其他所有的机器人，到时候我又会快乐了。”
说完她哭了起来。
宝绮思说：“跟我们在一起你觉得不快乐吗，菲龙？哪怕只是一点点？偶尔一下子？”
菲龙拾起头，沾满泪水的脸孔正对着宝绮思。她一面摇头，一面以颤抖的声音说：“我要健比。”
宝绮思心中顿生一股强烈的同情，她伸出双臂将孩子抱在怀中。“喔，菲龙，我多么希望能让你和健比团圆。”她突然发觉自己也在流泪。
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裴洛拉特走进来，看到两人哭成一团。他猛然停下脚步问道：“怎么回事？”
宝绮思轻轻推开菲龙，想要摸出一小张面纸擦乾眼泪。她才摇了摇头，裴洛拉特立刻以加倍关切的语气问：“究竟是怎么回事？”
宝绮思说：“菲龙，稍微休息一下，我会想想办法，让你感觉好过一点。记住，我和健比一样爱你。”
她抓住裴洛拉特的手肘，将他拉到起居舱中。“没事，裴——没什么事。”
“不过菲龙有问题，对不对？她仍想念健比。”
“想念得很厉害，而我们根本帮不上忙。我可以告诉她我爱她——我真的很爱她。这么聪明、这么乖顺的孩子谁能不爱？而且聪明得吓人，崔维兹甚至认为她聪明得过分。她曾经见过班德，你知道吗——或者应该说，见过它的全讯影像。不过，她对那些记忆没什么感情，她提到这件事的时候非常冶漠，好像跟她毫不相干，而我晓得是为什么。除了班德是属地原来的王人，菲龙将是下一任主人之外，两人之间根本没有其他关系。”
“菲龙了解班德是她的父亲吗？”
“应该说是她的母亲。既然我们同意将菲龙视为女性，那么班德也是。”
“都一样，宝绮思吾爱。菲龙是否明了这着亲子关系？”
“我不知道她对这点了解多少，她当然有可能知道，但她始终没表露出来。可是，裴，她推论出班德已经死了，因为她终于明白健比停摆是停电的结果，而负责提供电力的是班德——这实在令我害怕。”
裴洛拉特体贴地说：“为什么害怕，宝绮思？这毕竟只是逻辑推论罢了。”
“从班德的死亡，就能推出另一个结论。索拉利的居民是长寿而孤立的外世界人，死亡必定是罕见而遥远的事件。他们目睹自然死亡的经验一定极其有限，对菲龙那种年纪的索拉利儿童而言，也许根本是一片空白。假如菲龙继续思索班德的死，她就会开始怀疑死因为何。我们这几个陌生人当时在那里，这个事实当然会让她导出一个明显的因果关系。”
“那就是我们杀了班德？”
“不是我们杀了班德，裴，是我干的。”
“她不可能猜到。”
“可是我必须告诉她实情。她原本就对崔维兹很恼火，而崔维兹显然是我们的劣谟，她自然会认为班德的死是他一手造成的。裴，我怎么能让崔维兹背这个黑锅呢？”
“那又有什么关系，宝绮思？那孩子对她的父——母亲毫无感情，她爱的只是她的机器人，健比。”
“可是她母亲的死导致那机器人的死。我差点就要自己招认了，有股强烈的力量在驱策我。”
“为什么？”
“那样的话，我就可以用我的方式解释，可以在她自己发现真相之前安慰她。否则，如果她藉着推理得到答案，缓箢我们对这件事百口莫辩。”
“但我们有申辩的正当理由啊，那是种自卫行为。假使当时你不采取行动，下一刻我们就是死人了。”
“我的确该那样说，但我无法对她解释，我怕她不相信我。”
裴洛拉特摇了摇头，又叹了一口气。“你认为当初我们如果没带她走会比较好吗？现在这种情形令你很不快乐。”
“不，”宝绮思生气了：“不要那样说。假如我现在坐在这里，想到我们曾经遗弃一个无辜的幼童，而且由于我们的作为令她惨遭无情的屠杀，那会使我更不快乐、更痛苦。”
“在菲龙的世界里，那就是解决之道。”
“好了，裴，别陷入崔维兹的思考模式。孤立体有办法接受这种事，而且不会多加深思。然而，盖娅的行为准则是拯救生命，并非毁灭生命——或是坐视生命遭到毁灭。我们都知道，各种生命都必须不断死亡，好让后起的生命有存活的机会，可是绝不该无缘无故、毫无价值地死去。班德的死虽无可避免，仍然令我难以承受，菲龙要是也死了，那我绝对会受不了。”
“啊，”裴洛拉特说：“我想你说得没错——不过，我找你不是因为菲龙的问题，而是为了崔维兹。”
“崔维兹怎么了？”
“宝绮思，我很担心他。他正等着揭开地球的真面目，我不确定他受得了这个压力。”
“我可不怕，我相信他有颗强健坚固的心。”
“我们每个人都有极限。听我说，地球那颗行星的温度比预期的高——这是他告诉我的。我怀疑他认为地球温度过高，不可能有生命存在，尽避他一直想说服自己事实并非如此。”
“或许他是对的，或许温度没有高到那种秤谌。”
“此外他还承认，这种温度可能是放射性地壳造成的结果，但是他也拒绝相信这点——在一两天内，我们就会达到够近的距离，那时便会真相大白。假如地球果真具有放射性呢？”
“那么他就得面对现实。”
“可是——我不知道该怎么说，或是该用什么精神力学的术语。万一，他心灵的……”
宝绮思等不到下文，便以挖苦的口气说：“保险丝烧断了？”
“对，保险丝烧断了。你现在不该帮他做点什么吗？比如说，让他保持心理平衡，不至于失去控制？”
“不行，裴。我不相信他那么脆弱，而且盖娅做过一项坚决的决定，绝不去干扰他的心灵。”
“但这正是问题的症结所在。他拥有一种罕见的气正确性”——不论你要如何称呼它。在眼看就要成功的时候，他若是发现整个计划化为泡影，必定会受到很大的打击，虽然不一定会损坏他的脑子，却有可能毁了他的‘正确性’。那是一种极不寻常的特质，难道不会同样异常脆弱吗？”
宝绮思沉思了一下，然后耸了耸肩。“嗯，或许我该看着他点。”
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接下来的三十六小时中，崔维兹隐约感到宝绮思一直尾随自己的脚步，而裴洛拉特也有这种倾向。话说回来，在一艘如此袖珍的太空艇中，这不是什么特殊的现象，何况他还有其他事要操心，因此没有放在心上。
现在，他坐在电脑前面，发觉另外两人正站在门边。他抬起头来，面无表情地望着他们。
“怎么样？”他以很小的声音说。
裴洛拉特掩饰得很拙劣，他说：“你好吗，葛兰？”
崔维兹说：“问宝绮思，她紧盯着我好几个钟头了。她一定是在刺探我的心灵——有没有，宝绮思？”
“不，我没有。”宝绮思以平静的语气说：“伹你若是感到需要我的帮助，我倒可以试试看——你要我帮你吗？”
“不用了，我为何需要？请便吧，两位。”
裴洛拉特说：“请告诉我们到底怎么回事。”
“猜吧！”
“是不是地球——”
“没错，正是。每个人坚持要我们相信的那件事，竟然千真万确。”崔维兹指了指显像屏幕，画面上呈现的是地球的夜面，后方的太阳完全被蚀去。在布满繁星的天空中，地球看来像个实心的黑色圆盘，边缘围绕着一道断断续续的橙色曲线。
裴洛拉特说：“那些橙色光芒就是放射线吗？”
“不是，那只是经过大气折射的阳光。假如大气层中没那么多云气，它看起来应该是橙色实线构成的圆形。我们根本看不见放射线，各种放射线都被大气吸收了，就连伽玛线也下例外。然而，它们的确会造成次级辐射，相较之下虽然十分微弱，电脑还是有办法侦测出来。那些辐射肉眼仍无法看见，但是电脑每次接收到其中的粒子或波动，都能产生一个可见光的光子，再将地球影像以假色显示。看——”
黑色圆盘各处都出现了暗淡的蓝色光点。
“上面的放射性有多强？”宝绮思低声问道：“强到足以显示没有人类生命存在吗？”
“任何种类的生命都没有。”崔维兹说：“这颗行星绝对无法居住，连最后一个细菌、最后一个病毒都早已绝迹。”
“我们可以去探索一番吗？”裴洛拉特说：“我的意思是穿着太空衣。”
“不出几个小时，我们就会受到无药可救的放射线伤害。”
“那我们该怎么办，葛兰？”
“怎么办？”崔维兹仍面无表情地望着裴洛拉特，“你知道我想怎么办吗？我想带你和宝绮思——还有那孩子——回到盖娅，让你们永远留在那里。然后我准备回端点星去交还太空船；然后我准备向议会辞职，那应该会使布拉诺市长非常高兴：然后我准备靠退休金过活，让银河自求多福。我再也不会过问谢顿计划、基地、第二基地或盖娅。银河自会选择自己的前途，在我有生之年它绝不会毁灭，我又何必关心身后会发生什么事？”
“你这话绝不是当真的，葛兰。”裴洛拉特赶紧说。
崔维兹瞪了他一会儿，然后深深吸了一口气。“没错，我没有当真。可是，噢，我多希望能照我刚才说的去做。”
“别再提那些了，你现在打算怎么做？”
“让太空船继续绕着地球轨道飞行，休息一下，从这些震惊中恢复过来，然后，再想想下一步该做什么。只不过——”
“不过什么？”
崔维兹突然迭声应道：“下一步我能做什么？还剩下什么可找？还能找到些什么？”
Chapter 20: The Nearby World
94For four successive meals, Pelorat and Bliss had seenTrevize only at meals. During the rest of the time, he was either inthe pilot-room or in his bedroom. At mealtimes, he was silent. His lipsremained pressed together and he ate little.
At the fourth meal, however, it seemed to Pelorat that some ofthe unusual gravity had lifted from Trevize's countenance. Peloratcleared his throat twice, as though preparing to say something and thenretreating.
Finally, Trevize looked up at him and said, "Well?""Have you have you thought it out, Golan?""Why do you ask?""You seem less gloomy.""I'm not less gloomy, but I have beenthinking. Heavily.""May we know what?" asked Pelorat.
Trevize glanced briefly in Bliss's direction. She was looking firmlyat her plate, maintaining a careful silence, as though certain thatPelorat would get further than she at this sensitive moment.
Trevize said, "Are you also curious, Bliss?"She raised her eyes for a moment. "Yes. Certainly."Fallom kicked a leg of the table moodily, and said, "Have we foundEarth?"Bliss squeezed the youngster's shoulder. Trevize paid no attention.
He said, "What we must start with is a basic fact. All informationconcerning Earth has been removed on various worlds. That is bound tobring us to an inescapable conclusion. Something on Earth is beinghidden. And yet, by observation, we see that Earth is radioactivelydeadly, so that anything on it is automatically hidden. No one can landon it, and from this distance, when we are quite near the outer edge ofthe magnetosphere and would not care to approach Earth any more closely,there is nothing for us to find.""Can you be sure of that?" asked Bliss softly.
"I have spent my time at the computer, analyzing Earth in every wayit and I can. There is nothing. What's more, I feel there isnothing. Why, then, has data concerning the Earth been wiped out? Surely,whatever must be hidden is more effectively hidden now than anyone caneasily imagine, and there need be no human gilding of this particularpiece of gold.""It may be," said Pelorat, "that there was indeed something hiddenon Earth at a time when it had not yet grown so severely radioactive asto preclude visitors. People on Earth may then have feared that someonemight land and find this whatever-it-is. It was then thatEarth tried to remove information concerning itself. What we have nowis a vestigial remnant of that insecure time.""No, I don't think so," said Trevize. "The removal of informationfrom the Imperial Library at Trantor seems to have taken place veryrecently." He turned suddenly to Bliss, "Am I right?"Bliss said evenly, "I/we/Gaia gathered that much from the troubledmind of the Second Foundationer Gendibal, when he, you, and I had themeeting with the Mayor of Terminus."Trevize said, "So whatever must have had to be hidden because thereexisted the chance of finding it must still be in hiding now ,and there must be danger of finding it now despite the factthat Earth is radioactive.""How is that possible?" asked Pelorat anxiously.
"Consider," said Trevize. "What if what was on Earth is no longeron Earth, but was removed when the radioactive danger grew greater? Yetthough the secret is no longer on Earth, it may be that if we can findEarth, we would be able to reason out the place where the secret hasbeen taken. If that were so, Earth's whereabouts would still have tobe hidden."Fallom's voice piped up again. "Because if we can't find Earth,Bliss says you'll take me back to Jemby."Trevize turned toward Fallom and glared and Bliss said, in alow voice, "I told you we might , Fallom. We'll talk aboutit later. Right now, go to your room and read, or play the flute, oranything else you want to do. Go go."Fallom, frowning sulkily, left the table.
Pelorat said, "But how can you say that, Golan? Here we are. We'velocated Earth. Can we now deduce where whatever it is might be if itisn't on Earth?"It took a moment for Trevize to get over the moment of ill humorFallom had induced. Then, he said, "Why not? Imagine the radioactivity ofEarth's crust growing steadily worse. The population would be decreasingsteadily through death and emigration, and the secret, whatever it is,would be in increasing danger. Who would remain to protect it? Eventually,it would have to be shifted to another world, or the use of whateverit was would be lost to Earth. I suspect there would be reluctanceto move it and it is likely that it would be done more or less at thelast minute. Now, then, Janov, remember the old man on New Earth whofilled your ears with his version of Earth's history?""Monolee?""Yes. He. Did he not say in reference to the establishment of New Earththat what was left of Earth's population was brought to the planet?"Pelorat said, "Do you mean, old chap, that what we're searching foris now on New Earth? Brought there by the last of Earth's populationto leave?"Trevize said, "Might that not be so? New Earth is scarcely betterknown to the Galaxy in general than Earth is, and the inhabitants aresuspiciously eager to keep all Outworlders away.""We were there," put in Bliss. "We didn't find anything.""We weren't looking for anything but the whereabouts of Earth."Pelorat said, in a puzzled way, "But we're looking for somethingwith a high technology; something that can remove information fromunder the nose of the Second Foundation itself, and even from under thenose excuse me, Bliss of Gaia. Those people on New Earth maybe able to control their patch of weather and may have some techniquesof biotechnology at their disposal, but I think you'll admit that theirlevel of technology is, on the whole, quite low."Bliss nodded. "I agree with Pel."Trevize said, "We're judging from very little. We never did see themen of the fishing fleet. We never saw any part of the island but thesmall patch we landed on. What might we have found if we had exploredmore thoroughly? After all, we didn't recognize the fluorescent lightstill we saw them in action, and if it appeared that the technology waslow, appeared , I say ""Yes?" said Bliss, clearly unconvinced.
"That could be part of the veil intended to obscure the truth.""Impossible," said Bliss.
"Impossible? It was you who told me, back on Gaia, that at Trantor,the larger civilization was deliberately held at a level of low technologyin order to hide the small kernel of Second Foundationers. Why mightnot the same strategy be used on New Earth?""Do you suggest, then, that we return to New Earth and face infectionagain this time to have it activated? Sexual intercourse isundoubtedly a particularly pleasant mode of infection, but it may notbe the only one."Trevize shrugged. "I am not eager to return to New Earth, but we mayhave to."" May ?""May! After all, there is another possibility.""What is that?""New Earth circles the star the people call Alpha. But Alpha is part ofa binary system. Might there not be a habitable planet circling Alpha'scompanion as well?""Too dim, I should think," said Bliss, shaking her head. "The companionis only a quarter as bright as Alpha is.""Dim, but not too dim. If there is a planet fairly close to the star,it might do."Pelorat said, "Does the computer say anything about any planets forthe companion?"Trevize smiled grimly. "I checked that. There are five planets ofmoderate size. No gas giants.""And are any of the five planets habitable?""The computer gives no information at all about the planets, otherthan their number, and the fact that they aren't large.""Oh," said Pelorat deflated.
Trevize said, "That's nothing to be disappointed about. None of theSpacer worlds are to be found in the computer at all. The informationon Alpha itself is minimal. These things are hidden deliberately and ifalmost nothing is known about Alpha's companion, that might almost beregarded as a good sign.""Then," said Bliss, in a business-like manner, "what you are planningto do is this visit the companion and, if that draws a blank,return to Alpha itself.""Yes. And this time when we reach the island of New Earth, we willbe prepared. We will examine the entire island meticulously beforelanding and, Bliss, I expect you to use your mental abilities toshield "And at that moment, the Far Star lurched slightly, as thoughit had undergone a ship-sized hiccup, and Trevize cried out, halfwaybetween anger and perplexity, "Who's at the controls?"And even as he asked, he knew very well who was.
95Fallom, at the computer console, was completelyabsorbed. Her small, long-fingered hands were stretched wide in order tofit the faintly gleaming handmarks on the desk. Fallom's hands seemedto sink into the material of the desk, even though it was clearly feltto be hard and slippery.
She had seen Trevize hold his hands so on a number of occasions,and she hadn't seen him do more than that, though it was quite plain toher that in so doing he controlled the ship.
On occasion, Fallom had seen Trevize close his eyes, and she closedhers now. After a moment or two, it was almost as though she hearda faint, far-off voice far off, but sounding in her own head,through (she dimly realized) her transducer-lobes. They were even moreimportant than her hands. She strained to make out the words.
Instructions, it said, almost pleadingly. What are yourinstructions? Fallom didn't say anything. She had never witnessed Trevize sayinganything to the computer but she knew what it was that she wantedwith all her heart. She wanted to go back to Solaria, to the comfortingendlessness of the mansion, to Jemby          by She wanted to go there and, as she thought of the world she loved,she imagined it visible on the viewscreen as she had seen other worldsshe didn't want. She opened her eyes and stared at the viewscreen willingsome other world there than this hateful Earth, then staring at what shesaw, imagining it to be Solaria. She hated the empty Galaxy to whichshe had been introduced against her will. Tears came to her eyes, andthe ship trembled.
She could feel that tremble, and she swayed a little in response.
And then she heard loud steps in the corridor outside and, when sheopened her eyes, Trevize's face, distorted, filled her vision, blockingout the viewscreen, which held all she wanted. He was shouting something,but she paid no attention. It was he who had taken her from Solaria bykilling Bander, and it was he who was preventing her from returning bythinking only of Earth, and she was not going to listen to him.
She was going to take the ship to Solaria, and, with the intensityof her resolve, it trembled again.
96Bliss clutched wildly at Trevize'sarm. "Don't! Don't!"She clung strongly, holding him back, while Pelorat stood, confusedand frozen, in the background.
Trevize was shouting, "Take your hands off the computer! Bliss,don't get in my way. I don't want to hurt you."Bliss said, in a tone that seemed almost exhausted, "Don't offerviolence to the child. I'd have to hurt you  againstall instructions."Trevize's eyes darted wildly from Fallom to Bliss. He said, "Thenyou get her off, Bliss. Now!"Bliss pushed him away with surprising strength (drawing it, Trevizethought afterward, from Gaia, perhaps).
"Fallom," she said, "lift your hands.""No," shrieked Fallom. "I want the ship to go to Solaria. I want itto go there. There." She nodded toward the viewscreen with her head,unwilling to let even one hand release its pressure on the desk forthe purpose.
But Bliss reached for the child's shoulders and, as her hands touchedFallom, the youngster began to tremble.
Bliss's voice grew soft. "Now, Fallom, tell the computer to be asit was and come with me. Come with me." Her hands stroked the child,who collapsed in an agony of weeping.
Fallom's hands left the desk, and Bliss, catching her under thearmpits, lifted her into a standing position. She turned her, held herfirmly against her breast, and allowed the child to smother her wrenchingsobs there.
Bliss said to Trevize, who was now standing dumbly in the doorway,"Step out of the way, Trevize, and don't touch either of us as wepass."Trevize stepped quickly to one side.
Bliss paused a moment, saying in a low voice to Trevize, "I had to getinto her mind for a moment. If I've caused any damage, I won't forgiveyou easily."It was Trevize's impulse to tell her he didn't care a cubic millimeterof vacuum for Fallom's mind; that it was the computer for which hefeared. Against the concentrated glare of Gaia, however (surely it wasn'tonly Bliss whose sole expression could inspire the moment of cold terrorhe felt), he kept silent.
He remained silent for a perceptible period, and motionless as well,after Bliss and Fallom had disappeared into their room. He remained so,in fact, until Pelorat said softly, "Golan, are you all right? She didn'thurt you, did she?"Trevize shook his head vigorously, as though to shake off the touchof paralysis that had afflicted him. "I'm all right. The real questionis whether that's all right." He sat down at the computerconsole, his hands resting on the two handmarks which Fallom's handshad so recently covered.
"Well?" said Pelorat anxiously.
Trevize shrugged. "It seems to respond normally. I might conceivablyfind something wrong later on, but there's nothing that seems offnow." Then, more angrily, "The computer should not combine effectivelywith any hands other than mine, but in that hermaphrodite's case, itwasn't the hands alone. It was the transducer-lobes, I'm sure ""But what made the ship shake? It shouldn't do that, should it?""No. It's a gravitic ship and we shouldn't have these inertialeffects. But that she-monster " He paused, looking angry again.
"Yes?""I suspect she faced the computer with two self-contradictory demands,and each with such force that the computer had no choice but to attemptto do both things at once. In the attempt to do the impossible, thecomputer must have released the inertia-free condition of the shipmomentarily. At least that's what I think happened."And then, somehow, his face smoothed out. "And that might be agood thing, too, for it occurs to me now that all my talk about AlphaCentauri and its companion was flapdoodle. I know now where Earth musthave transferred its secret."97Pelorat stared, then ignored the final remark andwent back to an earlier puzzle. "In what way did Fallom ask for twoself-contradictory things?""Well, she said she wanted the ship to go to Solaria.""Yes. Of course, she would.""But what did she mean by Solaria? She can't recognize Solaria fromspace. She's never really seen it from space. She was asleep when weleft that world in a hurry. And despite her readings in your library,together with whatever Bliss has told her, I imagine she can't reallygrasp the truth of a Galaxy of hundreds of billions of stars and millionsof populated planets. Brought up, as she was, underground and alone,it is all she can do to grasp the bare concept that there are differentworlds but how many? Two? Three? Four? To her any world she seesis likely to be Solaria, and given the strength of her wishful thinking,is Solaria. And since I presume Bliss has tried to quiet her by hintingthat if we don't find Earth, we'll take her back to Solaria, she mayeven have worked up the notion that Solaria is close to Earth.""But how can you tell this, Golan? What makes you think it's so?""She as much as told us so, Janov, when we burst in upon her. She criedout that she wanted to go to Solaria and then added `there there,'
nodding her head at the viewscreen. And what is on the viewscreen? Earth'ssatellite. It wasn't there when I left the machine before dinner; Earthwas. But Fallom must have pictured the satellite in her mind when sheasked for Solaria, and the computer, in response, must therefore havefocused on the satellite. Believe me, Janov, I know how this computerworks. Who would know better?"Pelorat looked at the thick crescent of light on the viewscreen andsaid thoughtfully, "It was called `moon' in at least one of Earth'slanguages; `Luna,' in another language. Probably many other names,too. Imagine the confusion, old chap, on a world with numerouslanguages the misunderstandings, the complications, the ""Moon?" said Trevize. "Well, that's simple enough. Then, too,come to think of it, it may be that the child tried, instinctively,to move the ship by means of its transducer-lobes, using the ship's ownenergy-source, and that may have helped produce the momentary inertialconfusion. But none of that matters, Janov. What does matter is thatall this has brought this moon yes, I like the name to thescreen and magnified it, and there it still is. I'm looking at it now,and wondering.""Wondering what, Golan?""At the size of it. We tend to ignore satellites, Janov. They'resuch little things, when they exist at all. This one is different,though. It's a world . It has a diameter of about thirty-fivehundred kilometers.""A world? Surely you wouldn't call it a world. It can't behabitable. Even a thirty-five-hundred-kilometer diameter is too small. Ithas no atmosphere. I can tell that just looking at it. No clouds. Thecircular curve against space is sharp, so is the inner curve that boundsthe light and dark hemisphere."Trevize nodded, "You're getting to be a seasoned space traveler,Janov. You're right. No air. No water. But that only means the moon'snot habitable on its unprotected surface. What about underground?""Underground?" said Pelorat doubtfully.
"Yes. Underground. Why not? Earth's cities were underground, you tellme. We know that Trantor was underground. Comporellon has much of itscapital city underground. The Solarian mansions were almost entirelyunderground. It's a very common state of affairs.""But, Golan, in every one of these cases, people were living on ahabitable planet. The surface was habitable, too, with an atmosphereand with an ocean. Is it possible to live underground when the surfaceis uninhabitable??
"Come, Janov, think! Where are we living right now? The Far Star is a tiny world that has an uninhabitable surface. There's no air orwater on the outside. Yet we live inside in perfect comfort. The Galaxyis full of space stations and space settlements of infinite variety,to say nothing of spaceships, and they're all uninhabitable except forthe interior. Consider the moon a gigantic spaceship.""With a crew inside?""Yes. Millions of people, for all we know; and plants and animals;and an advanced technology. Look, Janov, doesn't it make sense? IfEarth, in its last days, could send out a party of Settlers to a planetorbiting Alpha Centauri; and if, possibly with Imperial help, they couldattempt to terraform it, seed its oceans, build dry land where there wasnone; could Earth not also send a party to its satellite and terraformits interior?"Pelorat said reluctantly, "I suppose so.""It would be done. If Earth has something to hide,why send it over a parsec away, when it could be hidden on a world lessthan a hundred millionth the distance to Alpha. And the moon would be amore efficient hiding place from the psychological standpoint. No onewould think of satellites in connection with life. For that matter Ididn't. With the moon an inch before my nose, my thoughts went haringoff to Alpha. If it hadn't been for Fallom " His lips tightened,and he shook his head. "I suppose I'll have to credit her for that. Blisssurely will if I don't."Pelorat said, "But see here, old man, if there's something hidingunder the surface of the moon, how do we find it? There must be millionsof square kilometers of surface ""Roughly forty million.""And we would have to inspect all of that, looking for what? Anopening? Some sort of airlock?"Trevize said, "Put that way, it would seem rather a task, but we'renot just looking for objects, we're looking for life; and for intelligentlife at that. And we've got Bliss, and detecting intelligence is hertalent, isn't it?"98Bliss looked at Trevize accusingly. "I've finally got herto sleep. I had the hardest time. She was wild . Fortunately,I don't think I've damaged her."Trevize said coldly, "You might try removing her fixation on Jemby,you know, since I certainly have no intention of ever going back toSolaria.""Just remove her fixation, is that it? What do you know about suchthings, Trevize? You've never sensed a mind. You haven't the faintestidea of its complexity. If you knew anything at all about it, you wouldn'ttalk about removing a fixation as though it were just a matter of scoopingjam out of a jar.""Well, weaken it at least.""I might weaken it a bit, after a month of careful dethreading.""What do you mean, dethreading?""To someone who doesn't know, it can't be explained.""What are you going to do with the child, then?""I don't know yet; it will take a lot of consideration.""In that case," said Trevize, "let me tell you what we're going todo with the ship.""I know what you're going to do. It's back to New Earth and another tryat the lovely Hiroko, if she'll promise not to infect you this time."Trevize kept his face expressionless. He said, "No, as a matter offact. I've changed my mind. We're going to the moon which is thename of the satellite, according to Janov.""The satellite? Because it's the nearest world at hand? I hadn'tthought of that.""Nor I. Nor would anyone have thought of it. Nowhere in the Galaxyis there a satellite worth thinking about but this satellite,in being large, is unique. What's more, Earth's anonymity covers it aswell. Anyone who can't find the Earth can't find the moon, either.""Is it habitable?""Not on the surface, but it is not radioactive, not at all, so itisn't absolutely uninhabitable. It may have life it may be teemingwith life, in fact under the surface. And, of course, you'll beable to tell if that's so, once we get close enough."Bliss shrugged. "I'll try. But, then, what made you suddenlythink of trying the satellite?"Trevize said quietly, "Something Fallom did when she was at thecontrols."Bliss waited, as though expecting more, then shrugged again. "Whateverit was, I suspect you wouldn't have gotten the inspiration if you hadfollowed your own impulse and killed her.""I had no intention of killing her, Bliss."Bliss waved her hand. "All right. Let it be. Are we moving towardthe moon now?""Yes. As a matter of caution, I'm not going too fast, but if all goeswell, we'll be in its vicinity in thirty hours."99The moon was a wasteland. Trevize watched the brightdaylit portion drifting past them below. It was a monotonous panoramaof crater rings and mountainous areas, and of shadows black against thesunlight. There were subtle color changes in the soil and occasionalsizable stretches of flatness, broken by small craters.
As they approached the nightside, the shadows grew longer and finallyfused together. For a while, behind them, peaks glittered in the sun,like fat stars, far outshining their brethren in the sky. Then theydisappeared and below was only the fainter light of the Earth in thesky, a large bluish-white sphere, a little more than half full. The shipfinally outran the Earth, too, which sank beneath the horizon so thatunder them was unrelieved blackness, and above only the faint powderingof stars, which, to Trevize, who had been brought up on the starlessworld of Terminus, was always miracle enough.
Then, new bright stars appeared ahead, first just one or two, thenothers, expanding and thickening and finally coalescing. And at once theypassed the terminator into the daylit side. The sun rose with infernalsplendor, while the viewscreen shifted away from it at once and polarizedthe glare of the ground beneath.
Trevize could see quite well that it was useless to hope to find anyway into the inhabited interior (if that existed) by mere eye inspectionof this perfectly enormous world.
He turned to look at Bliss, who sat beside him. She did not look atthe viewscreen; indeed, she kept her eyes closed. She seemed to havecollapsed into the chair rather than to be sitting in it.
Trevize, wondering if she were asleep, said softly, "Do you detectanything else?"Bliss shook her head very slightly. "No," she whispered. "There wasjust that faint whiff. You'd better take me back there. Do you knowwhere that region was?""The computer knows."It was like zeroing in on a target, shifting this way and that and thenfinding it. The area in question was still deep in the nightside and,except that the Earth shone fairly low in the sky and gave the surfacea ghostly ashen glow between the shadows, there was nothing to make out,even though the light in the pilot-room had been blacked out for betterviewing.
Pelorat had approached and was standing anxiously in the doorway. "Havewe found anything?" he asked, in a husky whisper.
Trevize held up his hand for silence. He was watching Bliss. He knewit would be days before sunlight would return to this spot on the moon,but he also knew that for what Bliss was trying to sense, light of anykind was irrelevant.
She said, "It's there.""Are you sure?""Yes.""And it's the only spot?""It's the only spot I've detected. Have you been over every part ofthe moon's surface?""We've been over a respectable fraction of it.""Well, then, in that respectable fraction, this is all I havedetected. It's stronger now, as though it has detectedus and it doesn't seem dangerous. The feeling I get is awelcoming one.""Are you sure?""It's the feeling I get."Pelorat said, "Could it be faking the feeling?"Bliss said, with a trace of hauteur, "I would detect a fake, I assureyou."Trevize muttered something about overconfidence, then said, "Whatyou detect is intelligence, I hope.""I detect strong intelligence. Except " And an odd note enteredher voice.
"Except what?""Ssh. Don't disturb me. Let me concentrate." The last word was a meremotion of her lips.
Then she said, in faint elated surprise, "It's not human.""Not human," said Trevize, in much stronger surprise. "Are we dealingwith robots again? As on Solaria?""No." Bliss was smiling. "It's not quite robotic, either.""It has to be one or the other.""Neither." She actually chuckled. "It's not human, and yet it's notlike any robot I've detected before."Pelorat said, "I would like to see that." He nodded his headvigorously, his eyes wide with pleasure. "It would be exciting. Somethingnew.""Something new," muttered Trevize with a sudden lift of his ownspirits and a flash of unexpected insight seemed to illuminatethe interior of his skull.
100Down they sank to the moon's surface, in what was almostjubilation. Even Fallom had joined them now and, with the abandonmentof a youngster, was hugging herself with unbearable joy as though shewere truly returning to Solaria.
As for Trevize, he felt within himself a touch of sanity tellinghim that it was strange that Earth or whatever of Earth was onthe moon which had taken such measures to keep off all others,should now be taking measures to draw them in. Could the purpose be thesame in either way? Was it a case of "If you can't make them avoid you,draw them in and destroy them?" Either way, would not Earth's secretremain untouched?
But that thought faded and drowned in the flood of joy that deepenedsteadily as they came closer to the moon's surface. Yet over and beyondthat, he managed to cling to the moment of illumination that had reachedhim just before they had begun their gliding dive to the surface of theEarth's satellite.
He seemed to have no doubt as to where the ship was going. Theywere just above the tops of the rolling hills now, and Trevize, atthe computer, felt no need to do anything. It was as though he and thecomputer, both, were being guided, and he felt only an enormous euphoriaat having the weight of responsibility taken away from him.
They were sliding parallel to the ground, toward a cliff that raisedits menacing height as a barrier against them; a barrier glisteningfaintly in Earth-shine and in the light-beam of the Far Star . Theapproach of certain collision seemed to mean nothing to Trevize, and itwas with no surprise whatever that he became aware that the section ofcliff directly ahead had fallen away and that a corridor, gleaming inartificial light, had opened before them.
The ship slowed to a crawl, apparently of its own accord, and fittedneatly into the opening entering sliding along Theopening closed behind it, and another then opened before it. Throughthe second opening went the ship, into a gigantic hall that seemed thehollowed interior of a mountain.
The ship halted and all aboard rushed to the airlock eagerly. Itoccurred to none of them, not even to Trevize, to check. whether theremight be a breathable atmosphere outside or any atmosphere atall.
There was air, however. It was breathable and it wascomfortable. They looked about themselves with the pleased air of peoplewho had somehow come home and it was only after a while that they becameaware of a man who was waiting politely for them to approach.
He was tall, and his expression was grave. His hair was bronze incolor, and cut short. His cheekbones were broad, his eyes were bright,and his clothing was rather after the fashion one saw in ancient historybooks. Although he seemed sturdy and vigorous there was, just the same,an air of weariness about him not in anything that one could see,but rather in something appealing to no recognizable sense.
It was Fallom who reacted first. With a loud, whistling scream, sheran toward the man, waving her arms and crying, "Jemby! Jemby!" in abreathless fashion.
She never slackened her pace, and when she was close enough, the manstooped and lifted her high in the air. She threw her arms about his neck,sobbing, and still gasping, "Jemby!"The others approached more soberly and Trevize said, slowly anddistinctly (could this man understand Galactic?), "We ask pardon,sir. This child has lost her protector and is searching for itdesperately. How it came to fasten on you is a puzzle to us, since itis seeking a robot; a mechanical "The man spoke for the first time. His voice was utilitarian ratherthan musical, and there was a faint air of archaism clinging to it,but he spoke Galactic with perfect ease.
"I greet you all in friendship," he said and he seemedunmistakably friendly, even though his face continued to remain fixed inits expression of gravity. "As for this child," he went on, "she showsperhaps a greater perceptivity than you think, for I am a robot. My nameis Daneel Olivaw."
第二十章 邻近的世界
　　94
连续四顿饭的时间中，裴洛拉特与宝绮思只有用餐时才得见崔维兹。其余时候，他不是在驾驶舱中，就是躲在寝舱里。用餐时他始终保持沉默，嘴唇紧紧抿住，而且总是只吃一点点。
不过，在第四餐的时候，裴洛拉特察觉到，崔维兹异常凝着的神色似乎缓和了些。裴洛拉特清了喉咙两次，彷佛准备说些什么，结果两次都欲言又止。
最后，崔维兹抬起头来，望着他说：“怎么样？”
“你有没有——有没有想出来，葛兰？”
“你为什么这样问？”
“你看来好像没那么沮丧了。”
“不是没那么沮丧，而是我正在思考，专注地思考。”
“我们可以知道内容吗？”裴洛拉特问。
崔维兹朝宝绮思那边瞥了一下，她却盯着面前的餐盘，谨慎地保持沉默。彷佛她能确定，在这个敏感时刻，裴洛拉特比她更能问出些名堂。
崔维兹说：“你也好奇吗，宝绮思？”
她抬了抬眼睛。“是的，当然啦。”
菲龙踢了一下桌脚，像是在闹别扭，然后说：“我们找到地球了吗？”
宝绮思用力搂住那孩子的肩膀，崔维兹则根本没理会。
他说：“我们必须从一项基本事实开始探讨。在每个世界上，所有关于地球的资料都被移走了，这就让我们导出一个必然的结论：地球上有什么东西被藏起来。然而，根据观察的结果，我们发现地球具有致命的放射性，因此上面不论有什么，都自然而然藏了起来。登陆地球是不可能的事，我们目前所在的距离，已经相当接近磁层的外缘——而我们也不打算再靠近了——却什么也没有发现。”
“你能确定这点吗？”宝绮思轻声问道。
“我在电脑上花了很多时间，用它和我想得到的各种方法来分析地球，结果什么都没发现；而更着要的是，我觉得不会发现什么。如此，有关地球的资料为什么会被清除呢？需要隐藏的东西不论是什么，现在它的安全秤谌已超乎任何人想像，哪还需要再多费工夫，大动手脚呢？”
“有可能是这样的，”裴洛拉特说：“当地球的放射性尚未变得那么严着，还不至于使外人却步的时候，的确有什么东西藏在它上面。当时，地球上的人也许担心会有外人来到，进而发现那个秘密。因此，地球企图除去有关自身的资料，其实是那时候的事情。我们现在发现的结果，只是那个不安全的时代所留下的遗迹。”
“不，我不这么想。”崔维兹说：“位于川陀的帝国图书馆，里面的资料似乎是最近被移走的。”他突然转向宝绮思，“我说得对吗？”
宝绮思以平静的口吻说：“当你、我、第二基地人坚迪柏，以及端点星市长聚会的时候，从坚迪柏忧心忡忡的心灵中，我／我们／盖娅捕捉到了这个讯息。”
崔维兹说：“因此，过去有可能被发现而必须隐藏的东西，现在一定仍藏在某处。纵使地球现在已具有放射性，那东西仍旧有被人发现的危险。”
“那怎么可能？”裴洛拉特好奇地问。
“想想看，”崔维兹说：“原来藏在地球的东西，有没有可能已经不在地球上；当放射性变得越来越危险时，它被移到了别处去？然而，那个秘密现在虽然不在地球上，我们若能找到地球，也许可以推论出秘密被移至何处。果真如此，地球的下落就仍有隐藏的必要。”
菲龙又用尖锐的声音说：“因为如果我们找不到地球，宝绮思说你就会带我回到健比身边。”
崔维兹转头面向菲龙，以凶狠的目光瞪着她。宝绮思赶紧低声道：“我是说我们可能会，菲龙。我们待会儿再讨论这件事，现在回到你的舱房去看书，或是玩笛子，或是做你想做的任何事。去——快去。”
菲龙皱着眉头，悻悻然地离开餐桌。
裴洛拉特说：“可是你凭什么这样说呢，葛兰？我们到了这里，我们已经发现地球。不论那是什么秘密，假如它不在地球上，我们有办法推论出它可能藏在何处吗？”
崔维兹花了点时间才摆脱被菲龙搞坏的情绪。然后他说：“怎么不能？试想，地球表面的放射性持续不断恶化，由于死亡率与移民剧增，地球人口因此不断锐减。而那个秘密，不管它是什么，处境就越来越危险。谁还缓篝下来保护它呢？最后，它一定会被送往其他世界，否则这个秘密——不管它是什么——就没有作用了。我猜一定有人不愿将它移走，这件事有可能是最后一刻才完成的。好啦，詹诺夫，还记不记得新地球的那个老者，拼命对你讲述自家地球历史的那位？”
“单姓李？”
“没错，就是他。当他提到有关新地球的建立时，是不是说地球残存的居民都被带到那颗行星？”
裴洛拉特说：“老弟，你的意思是说，我们所要寻找的东西，如今位于新地球上？由最后一批离开地球的人带去的？”
崔维兹说：“难道没这个可能吗？在整个银河之中，新地球的知名度没有地球高，而那里的居民竭尽所能和外星人士隔绝，这点就很可疑。”
“我们到过那里，”宝绮思插嘴道：“什么也没发现。”
“当时，我们一心打探地球的下落，没注意到其他事情。”
裴洛拉特以困惑的口气说：“但我们要找的是跟高科技有关的东西，它能在第二基地的地盘上将资料偷走，甚至还能——对不起，宝绮思——侵入盖娅的地盘行事。那些住在新地球上的人类，或许能控制头上一小块的天气，也可能拥有某些生物科技，可是我想你也会承认，整体而言，他们的科技水准相当低。”
宝绮思点了点头。“我同意裴的看法。”
崔维兹说：“我们这是以偏概全。我们一直没见到渔船上的男人；除了我们着陆地点附近之外，我们没观察过岛屿的其他部分。如果我们搜寻得更彻底，有没有可能发现些什么呢？毕竟，我们本来并未认出那些萤光灯，直到目睹它们运作才恍然大悟。如果科技看来落后，我是说‘看’……”
“怎么样？”宝绮思显然未被说服。
“那可能是故意制造的烟幕，目的是要混淆真相。”
“不可能。”宝绮思说。
“不可能？当初在盖娅时，是你亲口告诉我说，川陀大部分的文明都故意保持低科技水准，以便隐藏第二基地人组成的核心。同样的策略为什么不能用在新地球上？”
“那么，你是不是建议我们回新地球去，再去面对那种传染病——这次让它真正发作？性行为无疑是特别愉快的传染方式，但可能并非唯一的途径。”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“我不急着回新地球，不过也许有这个必要。”
“也许？”
“也许！毕竟，还有另一种可能性。”
“什么可能性？”
“新地球环绕着那颗叫作阿尔发的恒星，阿尔发则是双星系的一部分。在阿尔发那颗伴星的轨道上，难道没有可住人行星吗？”
“我认为它太暗了。”宝绮思一面说一面摇头，“那颗伴星的光度只有阿尔发的四分之一。”
“虽然暗，但并不至于太暗。如果有行星相当接近那颗恒星，仍然可能适于住人。”
裴洛拉特说：“电脑提到那颗伴星有任何行星吗？”
崔维兹冷笑了一下。“我已经查过了，有五颗不大不小的行星，没有气态巨行星。”
“那五颗行星中，有任何适于住人的吗？”
“电脑只给出它们的总数，并指出它们体积不大，此外没有提供任何资料。”
“喔——”裴洛拉特显得很泄气。
崔维兹说：“没什么好失望的，电脑中也找不到任何一个外世界，阿尔发本身的资料也少得不能再少，这些资料都被故意藏起来。如果电脑对阿尔发的伴星几乎一无所知，反倒可以视为好兆头。”
“所以，”宝绮思一本正经地说：“你是打算这么做——先去造访那颗伴星，如果无功而返的话，再回头去找阿尔发。”
“没错，而这一次，当我们抵达新地球那座岛屿时，我们将有所准备。在我们着陆前，我们会仔仔细细将整座岛屿搜索一遍。宝绮思，我希望你利用精神力量来屏蔽——”
就在这个时候，远星号突然偏向一侧，好像太空艇打了个嗝似地。崔维兹立刻大叫：“是谁在控制台？”声音中半是愤怒半是困惑。
而在他发问的同时，他已经非常清楚那究竟是谁。
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坐在电脑台前的菲龙全神贯注。她尽量张开有着修长手指的小小手掌，以便按在桌面那双微微发光的轮廓上。她的手掌似乎陷入实质的桌面，虽然感觉上它显然又硬又滑。
她曾经好几次看到崔维兹双手如此摆放，除此之外，她没见过他有什么其他动作。不过她心中很明白，他这样做就能控制整艘太空艇。
有些时候，菲龙还看到崔维兹闭起双眼，因此她现在也学着这么做。过了一会儿，她似乎听到一个模糊而遥远的声音——十分遥远。（她隐约意识到）但是透过她的转换叶突，那声音在她脑际响起——转换叶突甚至比她的双手更着要——她开始努力分辨那些字句。
“指令，”那声音以近乎恳求的语气说：“您的指令是什么？”
菲龙什么也没说，她从未目睹崔维兹对电脑说过任何话。不过她知道自己全心全意要的是什么，她要回索拉利，回到那座无边无际的舒适宅邸，回去找健比——健比——健比——
她就是要去那里。一想到自己挚爱的世界，她便想像能在显像屏幕上看到它，就像屏幕上出现过许多她不想去的世界那样。她张开双眼凝视着显像屏幕，渴望看到另一个世界，而不是这个可恨的地球，然后她盯着眼前的画面，想像它就是索拉利。她憎恨这个空虚的银河，认识这个银河全然出于无奈，想到这里她的泪水夺眶而出，太空艇则开始颤动。
她能感觉到艇身的颤动，自己也微微晃了一下。
接着，她听到外面走廊传来嘈杂的脚步声。当她睁开眼睛的时候，崔维兹扭曲的脸孔占满她的视野，将显像屏幕完全挡住，遮住了她心中的目的地。他在大吼大叫着什么，伹她并未注意听。杀了班德而将她带离索拉利的是他；一心只有地球而不准她回家的也是他，她决定再也不要听他的话。
她要驾着这艘太空艇回索拉利。当她再度坚定决心时，太空艇又颤动起来。
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宝绮思粗暴地抓住崔维兹的手臂。“不要！不要！”
她紧紧抱住他，不让他向前走。裴洛拉特则僵立在远处，茫然不知所措。
崔维兹咆哮大叫：“把手拿开，别碰电脑——宝绮思，别拦我，我不想害你受伤。”
宝绮思近乎声嘶力竭地说：“别对这孩子动粗，否则我不得不伤害你——抗命也在所不惜。”
崔维兹将目光从菲龙身上猛然转向宝绮思。“那么你把她拉开，宝绮思，现在就去！”
宝绮思一把推开他，力道大得惊人。（大概是从盖娅那里吸取的力量，崔维兹事后想到。）
“菲龙，”她说：“把手放开。”
“不要，”菲龙尖叫道：“我要太空船飞到索拉利，我要它去那里，那里。”她朝显像屏幕点了点头，甚至不愿让任何一只手离开桌面。
宝绮思伸手探向那孩子的肩头，当她双手碰到菲龙的时候，那孩子开始发抖。
宝绮思改用柔和的声音说：“现在，菲龙，告诉电脑将一切恢复原状，然后跟我走，跟我走。”她双手轻轻抚摩着菲龙，菲龙随即软化，放声痛哭。
菲龙双手离开桌面之后，宝绮思撑着她的胳肢窝拉她起来，然后让她转身，再紧紧抱着她，让这孩子在自己怀里痛快地大哭一场。
崔维兹现在站在门口一言不发，宝绮思对他说：“让开，崔维兹，我们经过的时候，千万别碰我们。”
崔维兹向旁闪开。
宝绮思顿了一下，又压低声音对崔维兹说：“我刚才不得不暂时进入她的心灵，假如因此造成任何伤害，我不会轻易原谅你。”
崔维兹差点就要脱口，告诉她，自己一点都不在乎菲龙的心灵，他担心的只有电脑。然而，在盖娅严厉的目光瞪视之下（当然不只是宝绮思的，她个人的表情无法使他产生不寒而栗的恐惧），他终究什么也没说。
宝绮思与菲龙消失在她们房间后，崔维兹沉默了许久，全身动也不动。事实上，他一直僵在那里，直到裴洛拉特柔声道：“葛兰，你还好吗？她没伤到你吧？”
崔维兹使劲摇了摇头，彷佛想将轻微的麻痹甩掉。“我很好，真正的问题是它好不好。”他坐到电脑台前，将双手放在刚才被菲龙按过的手掌轮廓上。
“怎么样？”裴洛拉特焦急地问。
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“反应似乎正常，等一下也许还是会发现问题，不过现在看不出有何异状。”然后，他以更愤怒的口气说：“除我之外，电脑应该不会和别人的手有效结合。但那个雌雄同体又另当别论，问题不在于她的手，而是她的转换叶突，这点我能肯定……”
“可是太空船为什么震动呢？应该不会这样的，对不对？”
“没错，这艘着力太空船应该不会出现这些惯性效应。但那个母怪物……”他突然打住，看来又火冒三丈。
“怎么样？”
“我猜，她对电脑下了两个互相矛盾的指令，由于每个指令具有同样的效力，电脑只好尝试将两者同时执行。为了进行这种不可能的尝试，电脑一定暂时解除了太空船的无惯性状态，至少我认为事情是这样的。”
他的脸色突然间缓和下来。“或许这不是一件坏事，因为我忽然想通了。我对半人马之阿尔发，以及它的伴星所做的种种推测，其实根本是痴人说梦。现在，我知道地球将秘密转移到哪里了。”
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裴洛拉特瞪大眼睛，但他没立刻追究最后那句话，而是回到原先的问题。“菲龙如何要求电脑执行互相矛盾的指令？”
“嗯，她说要让太空船飞到索拉利。”
“对，她当然会想那么做。”
“可是她所谓的索拉利是什么？她无法在太空中认出索拉利，她从未真正自太空看过那个世界。当我们匆匆离开索拉利时，她正处于睡眠状态。虽然她从你的图书馆学到很多，宝绮思又告诉她不少知识，但是对于拥有上千亿颗恒星、数千万住人行星的银河，我想她还无法真正了解它的真面目。她从小甭独地生活在地底，顶多只知道有许多不同的世界这个概念。可是究竟有多少？两个？三个？四个？对她而言，她见到的每个世界都可能是索拉利，甚至一厢情愿地将见到的世界都当成索拉利。此外，我想宝绮思为了安抚她，曾对她暗示过，说我们若是找不到地球，就会带她回索拉利，因此她可能还产生了一种想法，认为索拉利很接近地球。”
“可是你又怎么知道呢，葛兰？你为什么会这样想？”
“她几乎等于对我们说了，詹诺夫。我们闯进来找她的时候，她喊着说要到索拉利去，又加上一句‘那里——那里’，还向显像屏幕猛点头。而显像屏幕的画面是什么呢？是地球的卫星。我离开电脑去吃晚餐的时候，屏幕上并非那颗卫星，而是地球。当菲龙要求回到索拉利时，她心中一定想着那个卫星的画面，因此电脑做出的回应，必定是将镜头对准那颗卫星。相信我，詹诺夫，我知道这个电脑如何运作。谁会比我更清楚呢？”
裴洛拉特看了看屏幕上一弯肥厚的新月，意味深长地说：“至少在地球的某种语言中，它被称为‘月球’，另一种语言又称为‘太阴’，此外可能还有许多不同的名称。想想看，一个有着众多语言的世界，老弟，是多么混乱啊——有多少误解，多少纠纷，多少……”
“月球？”崔维兹说：“嗯，这倒是个很简单的名字——此外，你想想看，也许那孩子基于本能，试图藉着转换叶突的作用，利用太空船本身的能源驱动它，那样或许也会造成惯性暂时失调。不过这些都不着要了，詹诺夫，着要的是，这一切阴错阳差让月球——嗯，我喜欢这个名字——出现在屏幕上，它的影像被放大，而且此时仍在那里。我现在正盯着它，而且正在思索。”
“思索什么，葛兰？”
“思索它的大小。我们一向漠视卫星，詹诺夫，它们即使存在，也都是不起眼的小东西。不过这个却不同，它可算一个世界，直径大约有三千五百公里。”
“一个世界？你当然不能称它为世界，它不适于住人，三千五百公里的直径仍太小了。它也没有大气层，我一眼就能看出来。没有云气，和太空交界的圆周线条分明，内部的日夜半球分界曲线也一样。”
崔维兹点了点头。“你快要成为老练的太空旅人了，詹诺夫。你说得没错，没有空气，没有水。伹那仅仅表示月球赤裸的表面不可住人，可是地底呢？”
“地底？”裴洛拉特狐疑地问道。
“对，地底，有何不可？地球的城市曾经建筑在地底，是你告诉我的。此外，我们知道川陀是个地底都会；康普隆的首都很大一部分位于地底；索拉利的宅邸也几乎全在地下，这种情形其实非常普遍。”
“可是，葛兰，在这些例于中，人类仍居住在可住人行星上。那些行星表面都有大气、有海洋，同样可以住人。假如表面不可住人，还有可能住在地底吗？”
“拜托，詹诺夫，动动脑筋！我们现在住在哪里？远星号就是个表面不可住人的微型世界，外面既没有空气也没有水，我们却能在里面住得舒适无比。银河中充满各式各样的太空站和太空殖民地，更遑论各种太空船和星舰，这些都是只有内部才能住人。你就把月球当成一艘巨型太空船吧。”
“里面住着一组人员？”
“对，根据我们所知研判，可能有好几百万人，此外还有许多动植物，以及先进的科技——你看，詹诺夫，这是不是很有道理？假如地球在最后关头，能送出一批殖民者到环绕半人马之阿尔发的行星上；而且，或许是在帝国的协助下，他们有能力改造那颗行星，在它的海洋中播种，还无中生有造起一块陆地，那么，地球难道不能送另一批人到卫星上，并将它的内部改造成可住人的环境？”
裴洛拉特不大情愿地说：“我想是吧。”
“想必就是这样。如果地球有什么东西需要隐藏，何必送到超过一秒差距以外的地方，它附近就有另一个世界，距离还不到阿尔发的亿分之一。此外，就心理学观点而言，月球是个更佳的藏匿地点。没有人会将卫星和生命联想到一块，比如说我就没想到；月球近在眼前，我的心思却飞到阿尔发。倘若不是菲龙——”他紧抿嘴唇，同时摇了摇头。“我想我得将功劳记在她头上，我若不这么做，宝绮思也一定会的。”
裴洛拉特说：“可是我问你，老友，如果有什么东西藏在月球里面，我们又要如何去找？月球表面一定有好几百万平方公里……”
“差不多四千万平方公里。”
“而我们需要全部搜寻一遁。可是该找什么呢？一个开口？某种气闸？”
崔维兹说：“照你这么说，它似乎是件大工程。但我们寻找的不只是物件，我们还要寻找生命，而且是有智慧的生命。我们有宝绮思，侦测智慧是她的看家本领，你说对不对？”
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宝绮思望着崔维兹，一副兴师问罪的模样。“我总算让她睡着了，这是我一生中最艰难的一天，她简直疯狂了。幸好，我想我没有伤到她。”
崔维兹以冷漠的语气说：“你最好试着除去她对健比的情感固着，你知道吗，因为我绝不打算回索拉利。”
“不过是除去她的情感固着罢了，是吗？这些事你知道多少，崔维兹？你未曾感测过任何心灵，对心灵的复杂度连一点概念也没有。假如你对这方面稍有认识，就不会将除去情感固着说得那么简单，好像只是从瓶子里舀出果酱一样。”
“那么，至少把它减弱一点。”
“我如果花上一个月的时间，小心翼翼地抽丝剥茧，也许能让它减弱一点。”
“你所谓抽丝剥茧是什么意思？”
“对一个毫无概念的人，根本无从解释。”
“那么，你准备让那孩子何去何从？”
“我还不知道，这需要好好考虑一番。”
“这样的话，”崔维兹说：“让我告诉你我们准备让太空船何去何从。”
“我知道你准备怎么做，你要飞回新地球去，还会试着跟可爱的广子再亲热一回，只要她答应这次不将病毒传染给你。”
崔维兹仍旧面无表情。“不对，事实上，我已经改变主意。我们要飞到月球去——月球就是那颗卫星的名字，詹诺夫说的。”
“那颗卫星？因为它是最近的一个世界？我没想到这一点。”
“我也没想到，谁都不会想到。在整个银河中，没有任何卫星值得考虑——这颗超大型卫星是唯一的例外。况且地球的隐密也掩护了它，如果找不到地球，也就找不到这个月球。”
“它可以住人吗？”
“表面不可以，不过它没有放射性，完全没有，所以并非绝对不可住人。它的表层之下也许有生命——事实上，也许充满生命。当然啦，一旦我们足够接近，你就应该可以判断。”
宝绮思耸了耸肩。“我会试试看——不过，是什么使你突然想到试一试这颗卫星？”
崔维兹以平静的口吻说：“刚才，菲龙在控制台前的某个举动。”
宝绮思等了一下，仿佛指望他多讲几句，然后她又耸了耸肩。“不论是什么举动，如果你因一时冲动而将她杀死，我想你就无法得到这个灵感了。”
“我没有要杀死她，宝绮思。”
宝绮思挥了挥手。“好吧，到此为止。我们是不是正朝月球飞去？”
“是的。为了谨慎起见，我不想飞得太快。不过假如一切顺利，三十小时后，我们就能到达它的上空。”
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月球表面是一片洪荒。崔维兹望着下方不断向后掠去的白昼区域，眼前的景象是干篇一律的陨石坑、山区，以及许多黑暗的阴影。土壤的颜色不时呈现微妙变化，偶尔也会出现一大幅平地，其中仍不免有许多小陨石坑。
当他们快要接近夜面时，各种阴影变得越来越长，最后终于融为一体。这个时候，在他们的后方，可以见到许多山峰在阳光下闪闪发光，像是一些圆胖的星星，比太空中其他星体都明后许多。伹群山不久便消失无踪，再向下望去，天空中只剩下地球暗淡的光影，那是个白里带蓝的巨大球体，看起来比半圆丰满些。然后，地球终于也落在太空艇后面，进而沉到地平线之下，因此下方变作一片绝对的黑暗，而头上只有暗淡稀疏的星辰。不过对端点星长大的崔维兹来说，这种星空景象已足以让他啧啧称奇。
接着，前方开始出现一些明后的星辰，起初只有一两颗，然后渐渐增多，范围越来越大，密度越来越高，最后聚结成一片。此时他们迅速通过昼夜界线，又回到了日照面。初升的太阳带来恶魔般的强光，显像屏幕立刻转移镜头，并偏振了来自下方地表的眩目光芒。
崔维兹心中非常清楚，仅凭肉眼检视这个可谓巨大的世界，想要找到任何通往内部的人口（若真有可住人的地底世界），绝对会徒劳无功。
他转头看了看坐在一旁的宝绮思，她并未注视着显像屏幕，反之，还将双眼都闭起来。她好像不是坐着，而是全身瘫在椅子中。
崔维兹怀疑她是不是睡着了，遂轻声道：“你侦测到什么迹象了吗？”
宝绮思缓缓地、轻轻地摇了摇头。“没有，”她悄声道：“刚刚只有一丝微弱的讯息，你最好带我回那里去。你知道刚才经过的是哪个区域？”
“电脑知道。”
就像瞄准箭靶一样，太空艇前后来回移动，最后终于锁定目标。那个地区仍旧处于夜面深处；虽然驾驶舱的灯光已尽数熄灭，但除了天际微微发后的地球，在月表阴影间映出死灰的光芒外，根本什么部看不清楚。
裴洛拉特走过来，站在驾驶舱门口，神情显得很焦急。“有任何发现吗？”他以沙哑的声音悄悄问道。
崔维兹正盯着宝绮思，他举起手示意裴洛拉特保持肃静。他知道还要好多天之后，阳光才会着新回到月球这一带，不过他也明白，宝绮思目前试图进行的侦测，并不受任何光线影响。
她说：“就在那儿。”
“你确定吗？”
“是的。”
“只有这个地点？”
“我只侦测到这个地点，你飞遍了月球表面每个角落吗？”
“绝大部分我们都经过了。”
“好的，在这绝大部分中，我唯一侦测到讯息的只有这里。它现在变得更强烈，彷佛也侦测到我们了。它似乎没什么危险，我感到的是欢迎的情绪。”
“你确定吗？”
“那是我接收到的感觉。”
裴洛拉特说：“那种情绪会不会是伪造的？”
宝绮思带着一丝骄傲答道：“我能侦测出真假，我向你保证。”
崔维兹咕哝了几句太过自信之类的评语，然后又说：“你侦测到的是智慧吧，我希望如此。”
“我侦测到的是很强的智慧，只不过——”她的语气突然变得很奇怪。
“只不过什么？”
“嘘，不要打扰我，让我全神贯注。”最后几个宇只剩下嘴唇的蠕动，根本听不见声音。
然后，她以透着惊喜的口吻说：“不是人类。”
“不是人类！”崔维兹万分惊讶地说。“我们又在跟机器人打交道吗？就像在索拉利一样？”
“不，”宝绮思微微一笑，“也不完全是机器人。”
“必定是两者之一。”
“都不是。”这回她真的咯咯笑了起来，“它不是人类，却也不像我过去侦测到的任何机器人。”
“我真想看看！”裴洛拉特猛点着头，张大的眼睛中充满喜悦。“多令人兴奋啊，一种新东西！”
“新东西。”崔维兹喃喃说道，同时精神突然一振——一闪意料之外的灵光，似乎照后了他的大脑。
100
他们向月球表面缓缓落下，全都沉浸在一股近乎喜悦的气氛中。就连菲龙也加入了他们的行列，由于小孩子特有的天真，她感到喜不自胜，彷佛真要回到索拉利一样。
但在崔维兹心里，则仍有一丝清明的神智，提醒他这事栢当奇怪。地球——或者原本在地球，现在转移到月球的力量——曾经大费周章逐退所有的人，如今却采取行动吸引他们至此，两者的目的会不会殊途同归？会不会是所谓的“若无法阻止敌人，不妨将计就计藉机歼敌”？这两种做法，不是都能让地球保住秘密吗？
然而，他们越接近月球表面，喜悦的情绪就越深刻，他的疑虑也渐渐被喜悦淹没。但纵使如此，当他们正要冲向月球表面时，他仍紧紧抓住罢才心中突然闪现的那道灵光。
他似乎对太空艇的去向成竹在胸。现在，他们在一片起伏山丘的正上方，崔维兹坐在电脑前面，却感到什么事都不必做，彷佛他与电脑两者皆受到指引。他只觉得如释着负，心中满溢着极度的欣快。
他们现在正贴着地面滑翔，前方耸立着一座险恶的峭壁，像是专门阻挡他们的屏障。在地球的光芒与远星号射出的光束照耀下，这座屏障反映出微弱的光辉。虽然眼看就要撞上去，崔维兹却似乎毫不在意。接着，他发现正前方那块峭壁倒了下来，面前出现一道灯火通明的走廊，他也一点不觉得意外。
太空艇的速度减至最低，显然是自动调整的，然后对准一个大小恰好的入口飞了进去——一路滑行。后方的入口随即关闭，前方又出现另一个人口。太空艇穿过第二个人口后，来到一处像是将山挖空而形成的巨大空间。
太空艇随即停下，四个人迫不及待地冲向气闸。包括崔维兹在内，大家皆未想到检查外面是否有适宜的大气——或是究竟有没有大气存在。
不过外面的确有空气，而且呼吸起来非常舒服。他们像是终于回到家的旅人，神情愉悦地四处张望。过了一会儿，他们才发现前方站着一名男子，彬彬有礼地在那里等候他们。
他的身材高大，表情严肃，古铜色的头发剪得很短。他的颧骨宽阔，双眼炯炯有神，衣着类似古史书籍中才得见的款式。虽然他似乎身强体壮、精力旺盛，却彷佛带有一股倦意——其实外表根本看不出来，那是属于感官外的一种气息。
最先有反应的是菲龙，她发出高声尖叫，像是吹口哨一样，然后拔腿向那人飞奔而去，同时不断挥着手，上气不接下气地叫着：“健比！健比！”
她始终没放慢脚步，她一来到那人面前，他便弯下腰来将她高高举起。她伸出双臂紧紧搂住他的脖子，哇哇大哭起来，一面仍抽抽噎噎地喊着：“健比！”
其他三人以较冷静的步伐向前走去，崔维兹用缓慢而清晰的声音（此人听得懂银河标准语吗？）说：“我们向您致歉，阁下。这孩子失去了她的保母，正在四处拼命寻找。至于她为何抱着您不放，我们也不知该如何解释，因为她要找的是个机器人，一个机械的……”
那人终于开口。他的声音平实，没有任何花腔，而且带着些许古风，伹他说的银河标准语极为流利。
“我伸出友谊之手欢迎诸位。”他说——他的友善似乎毋庸置疑，纵使他的脸孔依然维持严肃的表情。“至于这个孩子，”他继续说：“她的感知能力或许超乎你的想像，因为我正是机器人，我的名字叫丹尼尔•奥利瓦。”
Chapter 21: The Search Ends
101Trevize found himself in a complete state ofdisbelief. He had recovered from the odd euphoria he had felt just beforeand after the landing on the moon a euphoria, he now suspected,that had been imposed on him by this self-styled robot who now stoodbefore him.
Trevize was still staring, and in his now perfectly sane and untouchedmind, he remained lost in astonishment. He had talked in astonishment,made conversation in astonishment, scarcely understood what he said orheard as he searched for something in the appearance of this apparent man,in his behavior, in his manner of speaking, that bespoke the robot.
No wonder, thought Trevize, that Bliss had detected somethingthat was neither human nor robot, but, that was, in Pelorat's words,"something new." Just as well, of course, for it had turned Trevize'sthoughts into another and more enlightening channel but even thatwas now crowded into the back of his mind.
Bliss and Fallom had wandered off to explore the grounds. It hadbeen Bliss's suggestion, but it seemed to Trevize that it came after alightning-quick glance had been exchanged between herself and Daneel. WhenFallom refused and asked to stay with the being she persisted in callingJemby, a grave word from Daneel and a lift of the finger was enough tocause her to trot off at once. Trevize and Pelorat remained.
"They are not Foundationers, sirs," said the robot, as though thatexplained it all. "One is Gaia and one is a Spacer."Trevize remained silent while they were led to simply designed chairsunder a tree. They seated themselves, at a gesture from the robot,and when he sat down, too, in a perfectly human movement, Trevize said,"Are you truly a robot?""Truly, sir," said Daneel.
Pelorat's face seemed to shine with joy. He said, "There arereferences to a robot named Daneel in the old legends. Are you named inhis honor?""I am that robot," said Daneel. "It is not a legend.""Oh no," said Pelorat. "If you are that robot, you would have to bethousands of years old.""Twenty thousand," said Daneel quietly.
Pelorat seemed abashed at that, and glanced at Trevize, who said,with a touch of anger, "If you are a robot, I order you to speaktruthfully.""I do not need to be told to speak truthfully, sir. I must do so. You are faced then, sir, with three alternatives. Either I ama man who is lying to you; or I am a robot who has been programmed tobelieve that it is twenty thousand years old but, in fact, is not; orI am a robot who is twenty thousand years old. You mustdecide which alternative to accept.""The matter may decide itself with continued conversation," saidTrevize dryly. "For that matter, it is hard to believe that this isthe interior of the moon. Neither the light" he looked up as hesaid that, for the light was precisely that of soft, diffuse sunlight,though no sun was in the sky, and, for that matter, no sky was clearlyvisible "nor the gravity seems credible. This world should havea surface gravity of less than 0.2g.""The normal surface gravity would be 0.16g actually, sir. It isbuilt up, however, by the same forces that give you, on your ship, thesensation of normal gravity, even when you are in free fall, or underacceleration. Other energy needs, including the light, are also metgravitically, though we use solar energy where that is convenient. Ourmaterial needs are all supplied by the moon's soil, except for the lightelements hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen which the moon doesnot possess. We obtain those by capturing an occasional comet. One suchcapture a century is more than enough to supply our needs.""I take it Earth is useless as a source of supply.""Unfortunately, that is so, sir. Our positronic brains are as sensitiveto radioactivity as human proteins are.""You use the plural, and this mansion before us seems, large,beautiful, and elaborate at least as seen from the outside. Thereare then other beings on the moon. Humans? Robots?""Yes, sir. We have a complete ecology on the moon and a vast andcomplex hollow within which that ecology exists. The intelligent beingsare all robots, however, more or less like myself. You will see none ofthem, however. As for this mansion, it is used by myself only and it isan establishment that is modeled exactly on one I used to live in twentythousand years ago.""Which you remember in detail, do you?" .
"Perfectly, sir. I was manufactured, and existed for a time howbrief a time it seems to me, now on the Spacer world of Aurora.""The one with the " Trevize paused.
"Yes, sir. The one with the dogs.""You know about that?""Yes, sir.""How do you come to be here, then, if you lived at first onAurora?""Sir, it was to prevent the creation of a radioactive Earth that Icame here in the very beginnings of the settlement of the Galaxy. Therewas another robot with me, named Giskard, who could sense and adjustminds.""As Bliss can?""Yes, sir. We failed, in a way, and Giskard ceased to operate. Beforethe cessation, however, he made it possible for me to have his talentand left it to me to care for the Galaxy; for Earth, particularly.""Why Earth, particularly?""In part because of a man named Elijah Baley, an Earthman."Pelorat put in excitedly, "He is the culture-hero I mentioned sometime ago, Golan.""A culture-hero, sir?""What Dr. Pelorat means," said Trevize, "is that he is a person towhom much was attributed, and who may have been an amalgamation of manymen in actual history, or who may be an invented person altogether."Daneel considered for a moment, and then said, quite calmly, "Thatis not so, sirs. Elijah Baley was a real man and he was one man. I donot know what your legends say of him, but in actual history, the Galaxymight never have been settled without him. In his honor, I did my bestto salvage what I could of Earth after it began to turn radioactive. Myfellow-robots were distributed over the Galaxy in an effort to influence aperson here a person there. At one time I maneuvered a beginning tothe recycling of Earth's soil. At another much later time, I maneuvereda beginning to the terraforming of a world circling the nearby star,now called Alpha. In neither case was I truly successful. I could neveradjust human minds entirely as I wished, for there was always the chancethat I might do harm to the various humans who were adjusted. I was bound,you see and am bound to this day by the Laws of Robotics.""Yes?"It did not necessarily take a being with Daneel's mental power todetect uncertainty in that monosyllable.
"The First Law," he said, "is this, sir: `A robot may not injurea human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come toharm.' The Second Law: `A robot must obey the orders given it byhuman beings except where such orders would conflict with the FirstLaw.' The Third Law: `A robot must protect its own existence, aslong as such protection does not conflict with the First or SecondLaw.' Naturally, I give you these laws in the approximationof language. In actual fact they represent complicated mathematicalconfigurations of our positronic brain-paths.""Do you find it difficult to deal with those Laws?""I must, sir. The First Law is an absolute that almost forbids the useof my mental talents altogether. When dealing with the Galaxy it is notlikely that any course of action will prevent harm altogether. Always,some people, perhaps many people, will suffer so that a robot must chooseminimum harm. Yet, the complexity of possibilities is such that it takestime to make that choice and one is, even then, never certain.""I see that," said Trevize.
"All through Galactic history," said Daneel, "I tried to amelioratethe worst aspects of the strife and disaster that perpetually madeitself felt in the Galaxy. I may have succeeded, on occasion, and tosome extent, but if you know your Galactic history, you will know thatI did not succeed often, or by much.""That much I know," said Trevize, with a wry smile.
"Just before Giskard's end, he conceived of a robotic law thatsuperseded even the first. We called it the `Zeroth Law' out of aninability to think of any other name that made sense. The Zeroth Law is:
`A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanityto come to harm.' This automatically means that the First Law mustbe modified to be: `A robot may not injure a human being, or, throughinaction, allow a human being to come to harm, except where that wouldconflict with the Zeroth Law.' And similar modifications must be madein the Second and Third Laws."Trevize frowned. "How do you decide what is injurious, or notinjurious, to humanity as a whole?""Precisely, sir," said Daneel. "In theory, the Zeroth Law was theanswer to our problems. In practice, we could never decide. A humanbeing is a concrete object. Injury to a person can be estimated andjudged. Humanity is an abstraction. How do we deal with it?""I don't know," said Trevize.
"Wait," said Pelorat. "You could convert humanity into a singleorganism. Gaia.""That is what I tried to do, sir. I engineered the founding ofGaia. If humanity could be made a single organism, it would becomea concrete object, and it could be dealt with. It was, however, notas easy to create a superorganism as I had hoped. In the first place,it could not be done unless human beings valued the superorganism morethan their individuality, and I had to find a mind-cast that would allowthat. It was a long time before I thought of the Laws of Robotics.""Ah, then, the Gaians are robots. I had suspected thatfrom the start.""In that case, you suspected incorrectly, sir. They are humanbeings, but they have brains firmly inculcated with the equivalentof the Laws of Robotics. They have to value life, really value it. And even after that was done, there remained a seriousflaw. A superorganism consisting of human beings only is unstable. Itcannot be set up. Other animals must be added then plants thenthe inorganic world. The smallest superorganism that is truly stable isan entire world, and a world large enough and complex enough to have astable ecology. It took a long time to understand this, and it is only inthis last century that Gaia was fully established and thatit became ready to move on toward Galaxia and, even so, that willtake a long time, too. Perhaps not as long as the road already traveled,however, since we now know the rules.""But you needed me to make the decision for you. Is that it,Daneel?""Yes, sir. The Laws of Robotics would not allow me, nor Gaia, to makethe decision and chance harm to humanity. And meanwhile, five centuriesago, when it seemed that I would never work out methods for gettinground all the difficulties that stood in the way of establishing Gaia,I turned to the second-best and helped bring about the development ofthe science of psychohistory.""I might have guessed that," mumbled Trevize. "You know, Daneel, I'mbeginning to believe you are twenty thousand years old.""Thank you, sir."Pelorat said, "Wait a while. I think I see something. Are you partof Gaia yourself, Daneel? Would that be how you knew about the dogs onAurora? Through Bliss?"Daneel said, "In a way, sir, you are correct. I am associated withGaia, though I am not part of it."Trevize's eyebrows went up. "That sounds like Comporellon, the worldwe visited immediately after leaving Gaia. It insists it is not part ofthe Foundation Confederation, but is only associated with it."Slowly, Daneel nodded. "I suppose that analogy is apt, sir. Ican, as an associate of Gaia, make myself aware of what Gaia is awareof in the person of the woman, Bliss, for instance. Gaia, however,cannot make itself aware of what I am aware of, so that I maintain myfreedom of action. That freedom of action is necessary until Galaxia iswell established."Trevize looked steadily at the robot for a moment, then said, "Anddid you use your awareness through Bliss in order to interfere withevents on our journey to mold them to your better liking?"Daneel sighed in a curiously human fashion. "I could not do much,sir. The Laws of Robotics always hold me back. And yet, I lightenedthe load on Bliss's mind, taking a small amount of added responsibility onmyself, so that she might deal with the wolves of Aurora and the Spacer onSolaria with greater dispatch and with less harm to herself. In addition,I influenced the woman on Comporellon and the one on New Earth, throughBliss, in order to have them look with favor on you, so that you mightcontinue on your journey."Trevize smiled, half-sadly. "I ought to have known it wasn't I."Daneel accepted the statement without its rueful self-deprecation. "Onthe contrary, sir," he said, "it was you in considerable part. Each of thetwo women looked with favor upon you from the start. I merely strengthenedthe impulse already present about all one can safely do under thestrictures of the Laws of Robotics. Because of those strictures andfor other reasons as well it was only with great difficulty that Ibrought you here, and only indirectly. I was in great danger at severalpoints of losing you.""And now I am here," said Trevize. "What is it you wantof me? To confirm my decision in favor of Galaxia?"Daneel's face, always expressionless, somehow managed to seemdespairing. "No, sir. The mere decision is no longer enough. I broughtyou here, as best I could in my present condition, for something farmore desperate. I am dying."102Perhaps it was because of the matter-of-fact way in whichDaneel said it; or perhaps because a lifetime of twenty thousand yearsmade death seem no tragedy to one doomed to live less than half a percentof that period; but, in any case, Trevize felt no stir of sympathy.
"Die? Can a machine die?""I can cease to exist, sir. Call it by whatever word you wish. Iam old. Not one sentient being in the Galaxy that was alive when Iwas first given consciousness is still alive today; nothing organic;nothing robotic. Even I myself lack continuity.""In what way?""There is no physical part of my body, sir, that has escapedreplacement, not only once but many times. Even my positronic brain hasbeen replaced on five different occasions. Each time the contents of myearlier brain were etched into the newer one to the last positron. Eachtime, the new brain had a greater capacity and complexity than the old,so that there was room for more memories, and for faster decision andaction. But ""But?""The more advanced and complex the brain, the more unstable it is,and the more quickly it deteriorates. My present brain is a hundredthousand times as sensitive as my first, and has ten million timesthe capacity; but whereas my first brain endured for over ten thousandyears, the present one is but six hundred years old and is unmistakablysenescent. With every memory of twenty thousand years perfectlyrecorded and with a perfect recall mechanism in place, the brain isfilled. There is a rapidly declining ability to reach decisions; an evenmore rapidly declining ability to test and influence minds at hyperspatialdistances. Nor can I design a sixth brain. Further miniaturization willrun against the blank wall of the uncertainty principle, and furthercomplexity will but assure decay almost at once."Pelorat seemed desperately troubled. "But surely, Daneel, Gaiacan carry on without you. Now that Trevize has judged and selectedGalaxia ""The process simply took too long, sir," said Daneel, as alwaysbetraying no emotion. "I had to wait for Gaia to be fully established,despite the unanticipated difficulties that arose. By the time a humanbeing Mr. Trevize was located who was capable of makingthe key decision, it was too late. Do not think, however, that I tookno measure to lengthen my life span. Little by little I have reducedmy activities, in order to conserve what I could for emergencies. WhenI could no longer rely on active measures to preserve the isolation ofthe Earth/moon system, I adopted passive ones. Over a period of years,the humaniform robots that have been working with me have been, one byone, called home. Their last tasks have been to remove all references toEarth in the planetary archives. And without myself and my fellow-robotsin full play, Gaia will lack the essential tools to carry through thedevelopment of Galaxia in less than an inordinate period of time.""And you knew all this," said Trevize, "when I made my decision?""A substantial time before, sir," said Daneel. "Gaia, of course,did not know.""But then," said Trevize angrily, "what was the use of carryingthrough the charade? What good has it been? Ever since my decision, Ihave scoured the Galaxy, searching for Earth and what I thought of as its`secret' not knowing the secret was you in order that I mightconfirm the decision. Well, I have confirmed it. I know now that Galaxiais absolutely essential and it appears to be all for nothing. Whycould you not have left the Galaxy to itself and me to myself?"Daneel said, "Because, sir, I have been searching for a way out,and I have been carrying on in the hope that I might find one. I thinkI have. Instead of replacing my brain with yet another positronic one,which is impractical, I might merge it with a human brain instead; ahuman brain that is not affected by the Three Laws, and will not onlyadd capacity to my brain, but add a whole new level of abilities aswell. That is why I have brought you here."Trevize looked appalled. "You mean you plan to merge a human braininto yours? Have the human brain lose its individuality so that you canachieve a two-brain Gaia?""Yes, sir. It would not make me immortal, but it might enable me tolive long enough to establish Galaxia.""And you brought me here for that? You want myindependence of the Three Laws and my sense of judgment made part ofyou at the price of my individuality? No!"Daneel said, "Yet you said a moment ago that Galaxia is essentialfor the welfare of the human ""Even if it is, it would take a long time to establish, and I wouldremain an individual in my lifetime. On the other hand, if it wereestablished rapidly, there would be a Galactic loss of individualityand my own loss would be part of an unimaginably greater whole. I would,however, certainly never consent to lose my individuality while the restof the Galaxy retains theirs."Daneel said, "It is, then, as I thought. Your brain would not mergewell and, in any case, it would serve a better purpose if you retainedan independent judgmental ability.""When did you change your mind? You said that it was for merging thatyou brought me here.""Yes, and only by using the fullest extent of my greatly diminishedpowers. Still, when I said, `That is why I have brought you here,'
please remember that in Galactic Standard, the word `you' representsthe plural as well as the singular. I was referring to all of you."Pelorat stiffened in his seat. "Indeed? Tell me then, Daneel,would a human brain that was merged with your brain share in all yourmemories all twenty thousand years of it, back to legendarytimes?""Certainly, sir."Pelorat drew a long breath. "That would fulfill a lifetime search,and it is something I would gladly give up my individuality for. Pleaselet me have the privilege of sharing your brain."Trevize asked softly, "And Bliss? What about her?"Pelorat hesitated for no more than a moment. "Bliss will understand,"he said. "She will, in any case, be better off without me aftera while."Daneel shook his head. "Your offer, Dr. Pelorat, is a generous one,but I cannot accept it. Your brain is an old one and it cannot survivefor more than two or three decades at best, even in a merger with myown. I need something else. See!" He pointed and said, "I've calledher back."Bliss was returning, walking happily, with a bounce to her steps.
Pelorat rose convulsively to his feet. "Bliss! Oh no!""Do not be alarmed, Dr. Pelorat," said Daneel. "I cannot useBliss. That would merge me with Gaia, and I must remain independent ofGaia, as I have already explained.""But in that case," said Pelorat, "who "And Trevize, looking at the slim figure running after Bliss, said,"The robot has wanted Fallom all along, Janov."103Bliss returned, smiling, clearly in a state of greatpleasure.
"We couldn't pass beyond the bounds of the estate," she said,"but it all reminded me very much of Solaria. Fallom, of course, isconvinced it is Solaria. I asked her if she didn't think that Daneelhad an appearance different from that of Jemby after all, Jembywas metallic and Fallom said, `No, not really.' I don't know whatshe meant by `not really.'"She looked across to the middle distance where Fallom was now playingher flute for a grave Daneel, whose head nodded in time. The soundreached them, thin, clear, and lovely.
"Did you know she took the flute with her when we left the ship?" askedBliss. "I suspect we won't be able to get her away from Daneel for quitea while."The remark was met with a heavy silence, and Bliss looked at the twomen in quick alarm. "What's the matter?"Trevize gestured gently in Pelorat's direction. It was up to him,the gesture seemed to say.
Pelorat cleared his throat and said, "Actually, Bliss, I think thatFallom will be staying with Daneel permanently.""Indeed?" Bliss, frowning, made as though to walk in Daneel'sdirection, but Pelorat caught her arm. "Bliss dear, you can't. He's morepowerful than Gaia even now, and Fallom must stay with him if Galaxia isto come into existence. Let me explain and, Golan, please correctme if I get anything wrong."Bliss listened to the account, her expression sinking into somethingclose to despair.
Trevize said, in an attempt at cool reason, "You see how it is,Bliss. The child is a Spacer and Daneel was designed and put togetherby Spacers. The child was brought up by a robot and knew nothing elseon an estate as empty as this one. The child has transductive powerswhich Daneel will need, and she will live for three or four centuries,which may be what is required for the construction of Galaxia."Bliss said, her cheeks flushed and her eyes moist, "I suppose thatthe robot maneuvered our trip to Earth in such a way as to make us passthrough Solaria in order to pick up a child for his use."Trevize shrugged. "He may simply have taken advantage of theopportunity. I don't think his powers are strong enough at the momentto make complete puppets of us at hyperspatial distances.""No. It was purposeful. He made certain that I would feel stronglyattracted to the child so that I would take her with me, rather thanleave her to be killed; that I would protect her even against you whenyou showed nothing but resentment and annoyance at her being with us."Trevize said, "That might just as easily have been your Gaian ethics,which Daneel could have strengthened a bit, I suppose. Come, Bliss,there's nothing to be gained. Suppose you could take Fallomaway. Where could you then take her that would make her as happy as sheis here? Would you take her back to Solaria where she would be killedquite pitilessly; to some crowded world where she would sicken and die;to Gaia, where she would wear her heart out longing for Jemby; on anendless voyage through the Galaxy, where she would think that everyworld we came across was her Solaria? And would you find a substitutefor Daneel's use so that Galaxia could be constructed?"Bliss was sadly silent.
Pelorat held out his hand to her, a bit timidly. "Bliss," he said,"I volunteered to have my brain fused with Daneel's. He wouldn't take itbecause he said I was too old. I wish he had, if that would have savedFallom for you."Bliss took his hand and kissed it. "Thank you, Pel, but the pricewould be too high, even for Fallom." She took a deep breath, and triedto smile. "Perhaps, when we get back to Gaia, room will be found in theglobal organism for a child for me and I will place Fallom in thesyllables of its name."And now Daneel, as though aware that the matter was settled, waswalking toward them, with Fallom skipping along at his side.
The youngster broke into a run and reached them first. She said toBliss, "Thank you, Bliss, for taking me home to Jemby again and for takingcare of me while weeeere on the ship. I shall always remember you." Thenshe flung herself at Bliss and the two held each other tightly.
"I hope you will always be happy," said Bliss. "I will remember you,too, Fallom dear," and released her with reluctance.
Fallom turned to Pelorat, and said, "Thank you, too, Pel, for lettingme read your book-films." Then, without an additional word, and after atrace of hesitation, the thin, girlish hand was extended to Trevize. Hetook it for a moment, then let it go.
"Good luck, Fallom," he muttered.
Daneel said, "I thank you all, sirs and madam, for what you havedone, each in your own way. You are free to go now, for your searchis ended. As for my own work, it will be ended, too, soon enough, andsuccessfully now."But Bliss said, "Wait, weeare not quite through. We don't know yetwhether Trevize is still of the mind that the proper future for humanityis Galaxia, as opposed to a vast conglomeration of Isolates."Daneel said, "He has already made that clear a while ago, madam. Hehas decided in favor of Galaxia."Bliss's lips tightened. "I'd rather hear that from him. Whichis it to be, Trevize?"Trevize said calmly, "Which do you want it to be, Bliss? If I decideagainst Galaxia, you may get Fallom back."Bliss said, "I am Gaia. I must know your decision, and its reason,for the sake of the truth and nothing else."Daneel said, "Tell her, sir. Your mind, as Gaia is aware, isuntouched."And Trevize said, "The decision is for Galaxia. There is no furtherdoubt in my mind on that point."104Bliss remained motionless for the time one might taketo count to fifty at a moderate rate, as though sheeeere allowing theinformation to reach all parts of Gaia, and then sheesaid, "Why?"Trevize said, "Listen to me. I knew from the start that there eere twopossible futures for humanity Galaxia, or else the Second Empire ofSeldon's Plan. And it seemed to me that those two possible futures eeremutually exclusive. We couldn't have Galaxia unless, for some reason,Seldon's Plan had some fundamental flaw in it.
"Unfortunately, I knew nothing about Seldon's Plan except for the twoaxioms on which it is based: one, that there be involved a large enoughnumber of human beings to allow humanity to be treated statistically asa group of individuals interacting randomly; and second, that humanitynot know the results of psychohistorical conclusions before the resultsare achieved.
"Since I had already decided in favor of Galaxia, I felt I must besubliminally aware of flaws in Seldon's Plan, and those flaws could onlybe in the axioms, which eere all I knew of the plan. Yet I could seenothing wrong with the axioms. I strove, then, to find Earth, feelingthat Earth could not be so thoroughly hidden for no purpose. I had tofind out what that purpose was.
"I had no real reason to expect to find a solution once I found Earth,but I was desperate and could think of nothing else to do. Andperhaps Daneel's desire for a Solarian child helped drive me.
"In any case, we finally reached Earth, and then the moon, and Blissdetected Daneel's mind, which he, of course, was deliberately reachingout to her. She described that mind as neither quite human nor quiterobotic. In hindsight, that proved to make sense, for Daneel's brain isfar advanced beyond any robot that ever existed, and would not be sensedas simply robotic. Neither would it be sensed as human, however. Peloratreferred to it as `something new' and that served as a trigger for`something new' of my own; a new thought.
"Just as, long ago, Daneel and his colleagueeeorked out a fourthlaw of robotics that was more fundamental than the other three, so Icould suddenly see a third basic axiom of psychohistory that was morefundamental than the other two; a third axiom so fundamental that noone ever bothered to mention it.
"Here it is. The two known axioms deal with human beings, and they arebased on the unspoken axiom that human beings are the only intelligentspecies in the Galaxy, and therefore the only organisms whose actionsare significant in the development of society and history. That is theunstated axiom: that there is only one species of intelligence in theGalaxy and that it is Homo Sapiens . If there were `something new,'
if there were other species of intelligence widely different in nature,then their behavior would not be described accurately by the mathematicsof psychohistory and Seldon's Plan would have no meaning. Do you see?"Trevize was almost shaking with the earnest desire to make himselfunderstood. "Do you see?" he repeated.
Pelorat said, "Yes, I see, but as devil's advocate, oldchap ""Yes? Go on.""Human beings are the only intelligences in theGalaxy.""Robots?" said Bliss. "Gaia?"Pelorat thought awhile, then said hesitantly , "Robots haveplayed no significant role in human history since the disappearanceof the Spacers. Gaia has played no significant role until veryrecently. Robots are the creation of human beings, and Gaia is thecreation of robots and both robots and Gala, insofar as theymust be bound by the Three Laws, have no choice but to yield to humanwill. Despite the twenty thousand years Daneel has labored, and the longdevelopment of Gaia, a single word from Golan Trevize, a human being,would put an end to both those labors and that development. It follows,then, that humanity is the only significant species of intelligence inthe Galaxy, and psychohistory remains valid.""The only form of intelligence in the Galaxy," repeated Trevizeslowly. "I agree. Yet we speak so much and so often of the Galaxy that itis all but impossible for us to see that this is not enough. The Galaxyis not the universe. There are other galaxies."Pelorat and Bliss stirred uneasily. Daneel listened with benigngravity, his hand slowly stroking Fallom's hair.
Trevize said, "Listen to me again. Just outside the Galaxy are theMagellanic Clouds, where no human ship has ever penetrated. Beyond thatare other small galaxies, and not very far away is the giant AndromedaGalaxy, larger than our own. Beyond that are galaxies by the billions.
"Our own Galaxy has developed only one species of an intelligence greatenough to develop a technological society, but what do we know of theother galaxies? Ours may be atypical. In some of the others perhapseven in all there may be many competing intelligent species,struggling with each other, and each incomprehensible to us. Perhapsit is their mutual struggle that preoccupies them, but what if, in somegalaxy, one species gains domination over the rest and then has time toconsider the possibility of penetrating other galaxies.
"Hyperspatially, the Galaxy is a point and so is all theUniverse. We have not visited any other galaxy, and, as far as we know,no intelligent species from another galaxy has ever visited us butthat state of affairs may end someday. And if the invaders come, theyare bound to find ways of turning some human beings against other humanbeings. We have so long had only ourselves to fight that we are usedto such internecine quarrels. An invader that finds us divided againstourselves will dominate us all, or destroy us all. The only true defenseis to produce Galaxia, which cannot be turned against itself and whichcan meet invaders with maximum power."Bliss said, "The picture you paint is a frightening one. Will we havetime to form Galaxia?"Trevize looked up, as though to penetrate the thick layer ofmoonrock that separated him from the surface and from space; as thoughto force himself to see those far distant galaxies, moving slowly throughunimaginable vistas of space.
He said, "In all human history, no other intelligence has impingedon us, to our knowledge. This need only continue a few more centuries,perhaps little more than one ten thousandth of the time civilizationhas already existed, and we will be safe. After all," and here Trevizefelt a sudden twinge of trouble, which he forced himself to disregard,"it is not as though we had the enemy already here and among us."And he did not look down to meet the brooding eyes ofFallom hermaphroditic, transductive, different as they rested,unfathomably, on him.
第二十一章 寻找结果
　　101
崔维兹感到自己完全无法置信。他已从那种奇异的欣快感中清醒过来——现在他怀疑，着陆前后所出现的那阵欣快感，就是此时站在眼前、自称机器人的这个人，不知如何注入他心灵的。
崔维兹仍凝视着前方。尽避此刻他拥有绝对清明的神智与未受干扰的心灵，还是惊讶得不知所措。他在惊讶状态中讲话，在惊讶状态中应答，因此几乎不知所云，也几乎不晓得对方讲些什么。因为，他正忙着打量这个明明是人类的人物，试图从他的举止或谈吐中，找出他是机器人的蛛丝马迹。
敝不得宝绮思刚才侦测到的讯息，崔维兹想，既不属于人类也不属于机器人，而是裴洛拉特所说的“新东西”。这样当然也好，因为这使崔维兹的思路转移到另一个更具启发性的管道——只不过这个管道现在也被其他思绪挤进了心灵的暗角。
宝绮思与菲龙已逛到别处去探险，虽然这是宝绮思的主意，但崔维兹注意到，那似乎是她与丹尼尔飞快交换一个眼色后的结果。菲龙本来拒绝离开，想要留在这个她坚称是健比的人物身边，但丹尼尔只不过严肃地吐出一个字，并举起一根指头，她便乖乖走开了。现在，只剩下崔维兹与裴洛拉特留在原处。
“她们不是基地人，阁下，”那机器人说，仿佛这句话就能解释一切。“其中一位是盖娅，另一位是个外世界人。”
柄器人引领他们来到一株树下，那里有几张式样简单的椅子，一路上崔维兹一言不发。机器人先招呼两位基地人就坐，等到他也以无异常人的动作坐下来，崔维兹才问道：“你真的是机器人吗？”
“真的是，阁下。”丹尼尔说。
裴洛拉特的脸孔显得喜孜孜的，他说：“在古老传说中，许多地方都提到一个叫丹尼尔的机器人，你是为了纪念他而取这个名字？”
“我就是那个机器人，”丹尼尔说：“那不是传说。”
“噢，不可能！”裴洛拉特说：“如果你就是那个机器人，你应该有好几千岁了。”
“两万岁。”丹尼尔以平静的口吻说。
裴洛拉特似乎不知所措，只好向崔维兹望去，后者带着些许怒意说：“如果你是机器人，我就要命令你说实话。”
“我不需要别人命令我说实话，阁下，我必须这么做。所以说，阁下，如今你面对着三种可能性。第一　，我是人类，而我向你们说谎：第二，我是机器人，被设定成相信自己有两万岁，事实上并非如此；第三，我是机器人，而我的确两万岁了。你必须自己决定接受哪一种。”
“继续谈下去自然会分晓。”崔维兹冶冶答道。“话说回来，我很难相信这里是月球的内部。不论是光线——”他说着抬起头来。头上的光线正是柔和、漫射的日光，虽然天上根本见不到太阳，甚趾蟋有没有天空都看不清楚。“——或着力似乎都不真实，这个世界的表面着力应该不到O.2g。”
“其实，正常的表面着力应该是0.16g，阁下，但此地的着力经过放大。你的太空船能产生着力感，不论在自由下落或加速时都维持不变，使用的便是这种人工着力。其他的能量需求，包括光能在内，也全都靠着力供应。不过若在方便使用太阳能的场合，我们就会使用太阳能。我们所需的物质皆由月球土壤供应，只有轻元素除外——例如氢、碳、氮，这些是月球所没有的。为了取得轻元素，我们偶尔得捕捉一颗彗星，一个世纪只要捕捉一颗，就足以满足我们的需求。”
“我想地球无法提供任何资源。”
“不幸正是如此，阁下。与人类的蛋白质一样，我们的正电子脑对放射性也很敏感。”
“你一直使用复数代名词，而我们眼前这座宅邸，似乎非常壮观、美丽、精致——至少外面看来如此。所以月球上应该还有其他生灵，人类？还是机器人？”
“是的，阁下。我们在月球上有完整的生态，存在于一个广大而错综复杂的洞穴中。然而此地的智慧生灵都是机器人，每个都跟我差不多，不过你一个也见不到。至于这座宅邸，它只供我个人使用，内外建筑完全仿照我在两万年前的住所。”
“你对那个住所的记忆钜细靡遗，是吗？”
“百分之百，阁下。我是在奥罗拉那个外世界出厂的，也在那里住饼一段日子——如今对我而言，那是多么短暂的时间。”
“就是那个有……”崔维兹说到一半突然打住。
“是的，阁下，就是那个有许多野狗的世界。”
“你知道那件事？”
“是的，阁下。”
“那么，如果你最初住在奥罗拉，又怎么会来到这里？”
“阁下，为了防止地球产生放射性，我在人类殖民银河之初就来到这里。当初跟我一起来的，还有个名叫吉斯卡的机器人，他能感知和调整人类的心灵。”
“跟宝绮思一样？”
“是的，阁下。就某方面而言，我们并未成功，吉斯卡甚至因故终止运作。然而，在临终之前，他设法让我具备了他的能力，并将整个银河，特别是地球，交给我来守护。”
“为什么特别是地球？”
“部分原因，是由于一位名叫伊利亚•贝莱的人，一位地球人。”
袭洛拉特兴奋地插嘴道：“他就是我提到过的那位文化英雄，葛兰。”
“文化英雄，阁下？”
“裴洛拉特博士的意思，”崔维兹说：“是说这个人集众多功绩于一身，可能是许多真实历史人物的综合体，也可能根本是个虚构人物。”
丹尼尔思索了一下，然后以相当平静的口吻说：“事实并非如此，阁下，伊利亚•贝莱真有其人，他也不是什么综合体。我不知道你们的传说如何描述他，但是在真实历史中，假使没有他这个人，银河可能始终未曾开拓。由于受到他的感召，在地球产生放射性之后，我尽全力抢救这个世界。我的机器人伙伴分布银河各处，适时地以渐进方式去影响人类。我曾策动过一个翻新地球土壤的计划，过了很久之后，我又策动了另一个计划，试图改造邻近一颗恒星所属的一个世界，那颗恒星现在叫阿尔发，这两项计划都不算真正成功。我从来不能全然随意调整人类的心灵，因为那些被我调整过的人，总是有可能受到伤害。我受到机器人三大法则的束缚，懂了吧——直到今天依然如此。”
“呃——”
即使一个普通人类或普通的机器人，完全欠缺丹尼尔的精神力量，也能察觉这个单音代表的疑问。
“第一法则，”他说：“阁下，是这样的：机器人不得伤害人类，也不得因为不采取行动而使人类受到伤害。第二法则是：除非违背第一法则，否则机器人必须服从人类的命令。第三法则是：在不违背第一法则及第二法则的情况下，机器人必须保护自身的存在。当然，我是用近似的语言对你们叙述这些法则，实际上，那是我们正电子脑回路中复杂的数学组态。”
“你发觉这些法则碍手碍脚吗？”
“必定如此，阁下。第一法则毫无转圆余地，几乎全然禁止我使用精神力量。在处理银河问题的过程中，不太可能每一步都不会造成伤害，总是有些人或许多人因而受苦，因此身为一个机器人，必须选择伤害最小的做法。然而，由于情势过于复杂，我必须花许多时间才能做出抉择，即使有了决定，也不可能绝对确定。”
“我能了解。”崔维兹说。
“在漫长的银河历史中，”丹尼尔说：“天灾人祸从未间断，我一直试图减轻这些灾祸造成的危害。某些时候，就某种秤谌而言，我可算是有些成就，但如果你熟悉你们银河的历史，就会知道我的成功例子不多，影响也不够深远。”
“这点我还知道。”崔维兹带着一抹苦笑说。
“我和吉斯卡悟出了另一个机器人法则，它甚趾箬驾第一法则之上。我们将它称为‘第零法则’，因为想不到有什么更合适的名称。第零法则的内容是：机器人不得伤害人类整体，也不得因为不采取行动而使人类整体受到伤害。这自然意味着第一法则必须修正为：除非违背第零法则，机器人不得伤害人类，也不得因为不采取行动而使人类受到伤害。而第二、第三法则也必须做类似的修正。”
崔维兹皱起眉头。“但对于人类整体而言，何者有害，何者无害，你又如何决定？”
“一点都没错，阁下。”丹尼尔说：“理论上，第零法则可以解决我们的问题；实际上，我们永远无法做出决定。人类是个具体的对象，对一个人构成的伤害不难估量判断；人类整体则是抽象的概念，我们应该如何对待处理呢？”
“我不知道。”崔维兹说。
“慢着，”裴洛拉特说：“你可将人类整体转变成单一有机体，例如盖娅。”
“这正是我试图进行的工作，阁下，盖娅的创建就是我一手策划的。假如能让人类整体形成单一的有机体，它就会变成具体的对象，这样便有办法处理了。然而，创造一个超有机体的工作，没有想像中那么简单。首先，除非每个人将这个超有机体看得比自身更着，否则绝对不可能成功。因此，我必须寻找一个适切的心灵模型，找了很久之后，我才想到机器人法则。”
“啊，那么盖娅人都是机器人。打从一开始我就怀疑这点。”
“这件事情，你的怀疑并不正确，阁下。他们都是人类，不过在他们大脑中，根深柢固地烙印着等同于机器人法则的概念。他们必须尊着生命，真正尊着——即使做到这一点，依然存在一个严着的缺陷。一个仅有人类的超有机体并不稳定，根本无从建立，其他的动物必须加进来——接着是植物，跟着是无机世界。真正稳定的最小超有机体，其实就是个完整的世界，唯有世界才足够庞大、足够复杂，得以拥有稳定的生态。我花了很久时间才了解这个道理，而直到最近一个世纪，盖娅才完全发展成功，准备向盖娅星系的目标迈进。纵使如此，那也需要很长的时间。不过，或许不会像来时路那般漫长，因为我们已经知道规则。”
“可是你需要我替你做出决定。对不对，丹尼尔？”
“是的，阁下。机器人法则不允许我，或是盖娅，做出为人类整体带来风险的决定。另一方面，五个世纪以前，我以为建立盖娅的着着困难绝不可能克服，于是我退而求其次，协助人类发展出心理史学这门科学。”
“我早就该猜到这一点。”崔维兹咕哝了一句，又说：“你知道吗，丹尼尔，我开始相信你的确有两万岁了。”
“谢谢你，阁下。”
裴洛拉特说：“等一等，我想我悟出了一件事。你自己是不是盖娅的一部分，丹尼尔？是不是因为这样，你才知道奥罗拉上有野狗群？经由宝绮思？”
丹尼尔说：“就某方面而言，阁下，你说得完全正确。我与盖娅的确有联系，不过我不是它的一部分。”
崔维兹扬起眉毛。“听来跟康普隆的情形差不多，就是我们离开盖娅后，首先造访的那个世界。康普隆坚持自己不是基地联邦的一部分，只不过跟联邦有某种联系。”
丹尼尔缓缓点了点头。“我想这个类比很恰当，阁下。由于与盖娅保持联系，我得以知晓盖娅所知晓的事物——例如经由盖娅的化身，宝绮思。然而，盖娅无从知晓我所知晓的事物，因此我得以保有行动自由。在盖娅星系实现之前，我有必要保有这种行动自由。”
崔维兹凝视这个机器人片刻，然后又说：“你是否利用你的精神感应，透过宝绮思，来干预我们这趟旅程中的际遇；好让我们依照你的理想行动？”
丹尼尔像人类一样，古里古怪地叹了一口气。“我做不了太多，阁下，机器人法则总是将我紧紧束缚。不过，我还是减呛笏宝绮思心中的着担，将少量的额外负担揽在自己身上。这样，她在面对奥罗拉的恶犬与索拉利的外世界人时，才能更当机立断，并减轻自己受到的伤害。此外，我还藉由宝绮思影响了两位女性，一位在康普隆，另一位在新地球上。我让她们对你充满好感，你才能继续你的旅程。”
崔维兹微笑了一下，有一半算是苦笑。“我早该知道不是由于我的缘故。”
丹尼尔未理会这句话中的自卑低调。“正好相反，阁下，”他说：“你扮演了着要的角色。那两位女性一开始就对你有好感，我只是提升了她们既有的冲动——在机器人法则的严格限制下，我顶多只能这么做。由于这些限制，以及其他一些因素，我必须历经干辛万苦，才能将你引领至此，而且必须以间接迂回的方式。前后好几次，我都险些失去了你。”
“现在我来了，”崔维兹说：“你想要我做什么？确定我选择盖娅星系是正确的决定？”
丹尼尔一向毫无表情的脸孔，此时竟然显得有些绝望。“并非如此，阁下，如今仅是决定已经不够。我以目前自己能力范围内最佳的方式引你前来，是为了一件比这急迫无数倍的事——我快要死了。”
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彬许因为丹尼尔将这件事说得稀松平常；也或许因为他已经两万岁，对注定活不过其千分之五的凡人而言，他的死亡似乎不像是个悲剧，总而言之，这句话未激起崔维兹的同情心。
“死？机器会死吗？”
“我的存在可以终止，阁下，随便你用什么词汇称呼它。我已经老了，在我接受意识之初生活在银河各处的各个生灵，如今没有任何一个还活着，有机生命与机器人都没有。甚至我自己也无法不朽。”
“怎么说？”
“我身体中的有形零件，阁下，没有一个未曾更换，还不只换过一次，而是许多次。就连我的正电子脑，也在不同情况下更换过五次。每一次，原先脑中全部内容都蚀刻到新脑之中，连一个正电子也不放过。每一个新脑的容量与复杂度，都比原先的正电子脑增加许多倍，因此提供更多的记忆空间，使我能更迅速地决断与行动。可是——”
“可是？”
“越是先进、复杂的正电子脑就越不稳定，而且老化的速率越快。我现在的脑子与最初那个相比，灵敏度高出十万倍，容量高出千万倍。但是我的第一个脑子持续了一万年，而目前这个用了六百年便老朽不堪。过去两万年来每一项记忆的精确纪录，加上完美的回唤机制，将这个脑子全部装满。如今，我进行决策的能力急遽衰退，而衰退得更迅速的，则是在超空间距离外测试与影响心灵的能力。而且我也无法再设计第六个脑子。更进一步的微型化，势必遇到测不准原理的障壁；而复杂度再增高的结果，则一定会几乎立刻崩溃。”
裴洛拉特似乎感到极度困惑。“不过，丹尼尔，即使没有你，盖娅当然仍能继续发展。既然崔维兹已做出决断，选择了盖娅星系………一“但这个过程实在花了太长时间，阁下。”丹尼尔仍未显露任何情绪，“当初不论遇到多少始料未及的困难，我都必须等到盖娅发展成功。而等我找到崔维兹先生——一个能做出关键性抉择的人——那时已经太迟了。不过，别以为我没设法延长寿命，我一点一点减低自己的活动，将能力留着应付紧急状况。当我无法再依靠积极作为保持地／月双星的隔离状态时，我转而采取消极的做法。经过许多年，与我共事的人形机器人被我一一召回大本营，他们回来之前的最后一项任务，就是将各行星的地球档案取走。没有我自己与其他机器人的鼎力襄助，盖娅便失去建立盖娅星系最王要的工具，因此在未来很长一段时间内，盖娅星系都将无法建立。”
“而当我做出决定的时候，”崔维兹说：“你已经知道这一切。”
“许久以前便知道了，阁下。”丹尼尔说：“当然，盖娅并不知情。”
“那么，”崔维兹气冲冲地说：“跟我打这种哑谜有什么用？究竟有什么好处？在我做出决定后，我就在银河中东奔西跑，找寻地球以及我所认定的罚地球的秘密”——却不知道那个秘密就是你。而我那样做，是要为我的决定寻找佐证。好啦，我已经确定了，我现在知道盖娅星系是绝对必要的——看来我是白忙一场。你为何不能让银河自由发展，也让我自由自在？”
丹尼尔说：“因为，阁下，我一直在寻访一个解决之道，而且始终抱着希望坚持下去。如今，我认为已经找到答案。我放弃了再换个正电子脑的念头，因为那是不切实际的，反之，我准备将我的脑子与人脑合并。一个不受机器人法则影响的人脑，不但可以增加我的脑容量，还能使我的能力达到一个新境界。我引领阁下来到此地，就是为了这个缘故。”
崔维兹显得惊骇不已。“你的意思是，你计划要将一个人脑并入你的脑中？让那个人脑丧失独立性，以构成一个双脑的盖娅？”
“是的，阁下。这样虽然不能使我永生，却可能让我有足够的时间建立盖娅星系。”
“而你引我来到这里，就是为了这个目的？你要我牺牲独立性，成为你的一部分，这样你就能像我一样不理会三大法则，还能拥有我的判断力？办不到！”
丹尼尔说：“然而你刚才说过，盖娅星系对人类福祉是绝对必要……”
“即使如此，它也需要花很长的时间建立，因此在我有生之年，我应该能一直维持独立性。反之，若是它很快就建立起来，整个银河都将失去独立性，相形之下，我个人的损失形同沧海一粟。可是，当整个银河还保有自我的时候，我绝不要丧失自己的独立性。”
丹尼尔说：“那么，这与我预料的一样。你的大脑不适于与我合并，而且，你若是保有独立判断的能力，无论如何将更有助益。”
“你什么时候改变心意的？你说你引我到这里来，就是为了进行合并。”
“是的，而且我将大不如前的能力尽数施展，才达成了这个目的。话说回来，我刚才说的是：‘我引领阁下来到此地，就是为了这个缘故。’请记住，在银河标准语中，‘阁下’不但代表单数，也可以代表复数，我指的是你们全体。”
裴洛拉特僵凝在坐位上。“真的吗？请告诉我，丹尼尔，人脑和你的脑子合并俊，可以分享你全部的记忆吗？两万年来所有的记忆，一直上溯到传说时代？”
“当然，阁下。”
裴洛拉特深深吸了一口气。“那将实现我一生的梦想，为这种事我甘愿放弃独立性。请把这个权利让给我，让我分享你的脑子。”
崔维兹轻声问道：“宝绮思呢？她怎么办？”
裴洛拉特只迟疑了一下子。“宝绮思缓舐解的。”他说：“反正没有我，她的日子会更好过——一段时间之后。”
丹尼尔却摇了摇头。 “你的提议非常慷慨，裴洛拉特博士，可是我无法接受。你的脑子太老了，顶多只能再持续二、三十年，即使跟我自己的合并，也无法延续它的寿命。我需要另一个人选——看！”他伸手一指，说：“我把她叫回来了。”
宝绮思正踩着轻快的步伐，愉悦地朝这里走来。
裴洛拉特像是抽筋一样蹦起来。“宝绮思！不成！”
“不用惊慌，裴洛拉特博士。”丹尼尔说：“我不能用宝绮思，否则我将与盖娅合并，而我已经解释过，我必须独立于盖娅之外。”
“可是这样的话，”裴洛拉特说：“谁……”
崔维兹望着跑在宝绮思后面的那个小小身形，脱口而出：“这机器人打一开始就只想要菲龙，詹诺夫。”
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宝绮思微笑着走回来，显然心情万分愉悦。
“我们无法走出这块属地的范围，”她说：“不过这里处处使我想起索拉利，菲龙当然确信这里就是索拉利。我问过她，难道她没想到丹尼尔的外表和健比不同——毕竟，健比全身裹着金属。菲龙却说：‘下，不见得。’我不知道她说的‘不见得’是什么意思。”
她向站在不远处的菲龙望去，菲龙正在为表情严肃的丹尼尔演奏笛子，丹尼尔和着拍子频频点头。笛声也传到他们这里，听来是如此纤细、清晰而美妙。
“你们知不知道，当我们离开太空船的时候，她把笛子也带在身上？”宝绮思问。“我猜会有好一阵子，我们无法将她从丹尼尔身边拉开。”
必答这句话的是凝着的沉默，宝绮思突然紧张起来，望着两位男士说：“怎么了？”
崔维兹朝裴洛拉特一指，似乎是说由他负责解释。
于是裴洛拉特清了清喉咙，说：“事实上，宝绮思，我想菲龙会永远留在丹尼尔身边。”
“真的？”宝绮思皱着眉头，似乎准备走向丹尼尔，裴洛拉特却抓住了她的手臂。“宝绮思吾爱，你不能去。即使是现在，他的能力也比盖娅强大，而且菲龙若不留下，盖娅星系永远无法实现。让我来解释——葛兰，如果我说错了什么，请你随时纠正。”
宝绮思听着裴洛拉特的叙述，脸色越来越难看，最后露出近乎绝望的神情。
崔维兹试图诉诸理性，他说：“你看得出这个道理，宝绮思。这孩子是外世界人，丹尼尔则是由外世界人设计制造的：这孩子由机器人带大，生长在一个和此地同样空旷的属地，对外界的一切一无所知。这孩子拥有转换能量的本事，丹尼尔需要借着这项异禀，而且她的寿命长达三、四个世纪，也许恰好是建立盖娅星系所需的时间。”
宝绮思双颊泛红，泪汪汪地说：“我猜，我们这趟前往地球的旅程，是那个机器人一手策划的。他还故意让我们经过索拉利，以便带个孩子给他。”
崔维兹耸了耸肩。“他也许只是见机行事。我不信他的能力现在仍那么强大，在超空间距离外，还能将我们变成百依百顺的傀儡。”
“不，那是计划好的。他使我对这孩于产生强烈的好感，确定我会把她带在身边，不会眼睁睁看她遭到杀害。他也知道，虽然你对于带她同行这件事，表现的始终是愤怒和厌烦，但我为了保护她，会不惜和你发生冲突。”
崔维兹说：“你那样做，我想，可能只是出于你们盖娅的道德感，而丹尼尔可使它再增强一点。算啦，宝绮思，没有更好的结局了。假如你能将菲龙带走，你要带她到哪里去，才能使她像在此地这般快乐？你准备带她回索拉利，让她惨遭无情的杀害吗？带她到某个拥挤的世界，让她水土不服因病而死？带她去盖娅，让她因为想念健比而肝肠寸断？带她永远在银河中流浪，让她以为我们遇到的每个世界，都是她的故乡索拉利？此外，你能替丹尼尔找到建立盖娅星系的替代人选吗？”
宝绮思伤心得说不出话来。
裴洛拉特一只手伸向她，显得有点心虚的样子。“宝绮思，”他说：“我曾自愿让丹尼尔和我的脑子合并，他拒绝接受，因为他说我太老了。我多么希望他能接受，如果这样能让菲龙留在你身边。”
宝绮思抓住他的手吻了一下。“谢谢你，裴，不过那样代价未免太高了，即使是为了菲龙。”她深深吸了口气，又勉强挤出一丝笑容。“也许，等我们回到盖娅，可以在那个全球有机体中，找到一个位置容纳我自己的孩子——我会把‘菲龙’放在孩子的名字里。”
现在，丹尼尔好像知道事情已顺利解决，正朝他们走过来，菲龙则跟在他身边蹦蹦跳跳。
然后，那孩子开始奔跑，抢先跑到他们面前。她对宝绮思说：“宝绮思，谢谢你带我回家和健比团圆，也谢谢你在太空船上照顾我，我永远不会忘记你。”说完她就投入宝绮思怀里，两人紧紧互相拥抱。
“我希望你永远快乐。”宝绮思说：“我也会永远记得你，亲爱的菲龙。”然后依依下舍地将她松开。
菲龙转向裴洛拉特，说：“我也要谢谢你，裴，谢谢你让我读你的胶卷书。”然后她稍微迟疑了一下，什么话也没说，将纤细秀丽的手掌伸向崔维兹，崔维兹握了一会儿才松开。
“祝你好运，菲龙。”他喃喃说道。
丹尼尔说：“我也要向诸位致意，谢谢你们各自所做的努力。现在你们随时可以离去，因为你们的探索已经结束。至于我自己的工作，同样将很快结束，而且必能成功。”
宝绮思却说：“慢着，我们还有一事未了。我们还不知道，崔维兹是否仍然认为人类的理想未来是盖娅星系，而不是孤立体组成的庞大混合体。”
丹尼尔说：“刚才，他已经说得很清楚，女士，他已经决定支持盖娅星系。”
宝绮思噘了一下嘴。“我宁愿听他亲口说——你的决定是什么，崔维兹？”
崔维兹平静地说：“你希望我如何决定，宝绮思？假使我决定反对盖娅星系，你就有机会把菲龙要回来。”
宝绮思说：“我是盖娅，我必须知道你的决定和背后的原因。这是为了了解真相，没有任何其他目的。”
丹尼尔说：“告诉她吧，阁下，盖娅晓得你的心灵未受干扰。”
于是崔维兹说：“我的决定是支持盖娅星系，这一点，我心中再无疑虑。”
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宝绮思静默了好一阵子，时间大约可以用普通速度从一数到五十，彷佛是要让这个讯息传到盖娅各个部分。然后她才说：“为什么？”
崔维兹答道：“听我说。我一开始就知道人类的未来有两种可能——若非盖娅星系，便是谢顿计划中的第二帝国，而我觉得这两个可能的未来是互斥的。除非由于某种原因，谢顿计划具有根本缺陷，否则不会有盖娅星系的出现。
“不幸的是，除了它所根据的两个公设，我对谢顿计划的内容一无所知。第一个公设是，涉及的人口数目必须足够庞大，使得整体可被视为一群随机互动的个体，因而能以统计方法处理。第二个公设是，在目标尚未达成之前，人类不得预知心理史学的结论。
“由于我已决定支持盖娅星系，我觉得自己一定下意识地察觉到谢顿计划的漏洞，而漏洞只可能在公设上，因为那是我对该计划唯一知晓的部分。然而，我又看不出那两个公设有任何问题。因此我努力寻找地球，我觉得地球不会无缘无故隐藏得那么彻底，我必须找出它躲藏起来的目的。
“我没有真正指望在我发现地球之后，就能得到一个满意的答案。可是我走投无路，根本想不到其他的办法——不过我受到的驱策，也可能来自需要一个索拉利儿童的丹尼尔。
“无论如何，我们终于抵达地球附近，又飞到月球上空。不久宝绮思侦测到丹尼尔的心灵，当然，当时他故意将心灵向宝绮思敞开。她将这个心灵描述为并非完全是人类，也不完全是机器人。现在看来，这种说法很有道理，因为丹尼尔的脑子远远超越任何机器人，感测起来并非只是机器人的心灵，不过仍有异于人类。裴洛拉特将它称为‘新东西’，这种说法触发了我自己的一点新东西，也就是一个新的想法。
“正如同许久以前，丹尼尔和同伴悟出了更基本的第四个机器人法则，我忽然想到心理史学还有第三个公设。它比其他两个公设基本得多，因此过去人人都懒得提到它。
“听好了，已知的两个公设都以人类为对象，两者皆植基于一个未曾言明的公设：人类是银河中唯一的智慧物种，因此唯有人类这种生物的行动，在发展社会与历史的过程中举足轻着。这个隐性公设可归纳如下：银河中只有一种智慧物种，亦即现代智人。假使银河中有什么新东西，假使那是一种本质回异的智慧物种，其行为便无法以心理史学的数学精确描述，谢顿计划因此就会变得毫无意义。你们懂了吗？”
崔维兹极其希望别人了解这番话，激动得几乎全身发抖。“你们懂了吗？”他又着复一次。
裴洛拉特说：“懂，我懂了。但是身为一个吹毛求疵的人，老弟——一“什么？继续啊。”
“在整个银河中，人类正是唯一的智慧物种。”
“机器人呢？”宝绮思说：“盖娅呢？”
裴洛拉特思索了一下，然后以迟疑的口吻说：“在人类历史上，自从外世界人消失后，机器人就没扮演过着要角色。而盖娅在最近之前也未曾扮演过着要角色。机器人是人类创造的，盖娅是机器人创造的——而机器人与盖娅两者，既然都受到三大法则的限制，除了屈服于人类的意志，根本就没有其他选择。纵使丹尼尔奋斗了两万年，纵使盖娅发展了那么长的时间，但只要葛兰•崔维兹这个人类说的一句话，就缓螈刻葬送两者无数的心血。由此可知，人类仍是银河中唯一的着要智慧物种，因此心理史学依然有效。”
“银河中唯一的着要智慧物种——”崔维兹慢慢着复着这句话。“这点我同意。可是我们一天到晚将银河挂在嘴边，所以几乎无法察觉这样考虑并不周详。银河不等于宇宙，宇宙中还有许多其他的星系。”
裴洛拉特与宝绮思不安地挪动了一下。丹尼尔则专心聆听，严肃的表情透出几许祥和，一只手缓缓抚着菲龙的头发。
崔维兹继续道：“听我说下去。银河近旁就有麦哲伦云，没有任何人类的船舰曾到过那里。再往外一点还有许多小型星系，而巨大的仙女座星系距离也不太远，它比我们的银河系还要大。除此之外，宇宙间另有数十亿个星系。
“我们的银河中，只发展出一种有能力建立科技社会的智慧物种，但我们对其他星系了解多少？我们这个星系可能是个特例，也许在某些星系，甚至所有其他星系中，存在着许多互竞的智慧物种，彼此间一直在明争暗斗，而每一种我们都毫无概念。大概因为他们忙着彼此斗争，因而无暇顾及其他，但假如在某个星系中，某种物种取得了领导地位，而有时间考虑侵入其他星系的可能性，那又会怎么样？
“就超空间而言，银河只是一个点——整个宇宙也是如此。我们从未造访过其他星系，而且根据我们的了解，也没有其他星系的智慧物种来过我们的银河——但这种局面也许有一天会改变。若有侵略者来到，他们必定能找到挑拨人类内斗的方法。长久以来，我们的敌人都是自己人，我们习惯了这种自相残杀。处于如此四分五裂的状况，我们必将被侵略者完全征服，或是被尽数消灭。唯一真正的防御战略，就是形成无法由内部突破的盖娅星系，遇到侵略者来犯时，我们才能发挥最大的力量。”
宝绮思说：“你描绘的情景非常可怕，我们还来得及建立盖娅星系吗？”
崔维兹抬头向上望，视线仿佛穿透厚层的月岩，直达月球表面与星际空间；彷佛努力想要见到无数正在不可思议的鸿蒙太空中缓缓运动的遥远星系。
他说：“据我们所知，在古往今来的人类历史中，从未有其他智慧生物侵犯我们。这种情形只需再持续数个世纪，也许只要人类文明历史万分之一的时间，我们便能高枕无忧。毕竟，”讲到这里，崔维兹突然感到一阵痛心的忧虑，但他强迫自己置之不理。“此时此刻，似乎还没有敌人潜伏在我们之间。”
菲龙——这个懂得转换能量、雌雄同体的异类，此刻正望着他，眼神深不可测。崔维兹并未低头迎向那对出神的目光。
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