Chapter 19 Chapter 19 The Mystery of Radioactivity

The Far Star took off quietly, climbed slowly in the atmosphere, and threw the dark island further and further away.The few faint spots of light below are getting darker and darker, and finally disappear without a trace.As the altitude increases, the atmosphere becomes thinner, the speed of the spaceship gradually increases, and the light spots in the sky become more and more distant. At last, when they looked down, the planet Alpha was nothing but a crescent of light, surrounded by clouds. "I don't think they have the practical space technology, they can't catch us," Pelorat said.

"I'm not sure how much this relieves me," Trevize said, looking sullen and sounding rather despondent. "I'm infected." "But it didn't happen at all," said Bliss. "However, they have a way to trigger it. So what is the way?" Bliss shrugged. "Hiroko said that if the virus does not attack, it will eventually die in a body that they cannot adapt to - such as your body." "Really?" Trevize said angrily, "How does she know? Then again, how do I know that Hiroko is not telling a self-comforting lie? And no matter what the trigger method is, can't it happen naturally? ?Some special chemical, some kind of radioactivity, some...some... who knows what? I could suddenly get sick, and then you three would die too. If it didn't happen until we got to the populous world , perhaps causing vicious pandemics, and fleeing refugees bringing them to other worlds."

He stared at Bliss and said, "Is there anything you can do about them?" Baoqisi shook her head slowly. "It's not easy. Gaia also has parasitic components - microorganisms, insects, etc., which have positive significance for ecological balance. These parasites living on Gaia have their own contributions to world-class consciousness, But by no means overpopulate, so their presence does not cause significant harm. The thing is, Trevize, the virus that invades you is not part of Gaia." "You said 'it's not easy'," Trevize said, frowning. "In today's situation, even though it may be very difficult, can I trouble you to try? Can you find out where the virus is in my body? , and then destroy them? If you can't do it, can you at least increase my resistance?"

"Do you understand what you are asking for, Trevize? I am not familiar with the microscopic organisms in your body. It may not be easy to distinguish what is a virus in your cells and what is a normal gene. It is to distinguish what your body has adapted to." virus; which one Hiroko infected you with is more difficult. I will try, Trevize, but it will take some time, and it may not be successful." "Take your time," Trevize said, "You must try." "Of course." Baoqisi replied. Pelorat said, "If Hiroko is telling the truth, Bao Qisi, you may find that the vigor of those viruses is gradually weakening, and you can accelerate their decline."

"I might try it," said Bliss. "It's a good idea." "You won't soften your heart?" Trevize said, "Killing those viruses is equivalent to destroying many precious lives, you know." "You're mocking me, Trevize." Bao Qisi said unmoved, "However, irony or not, you pointed out a real difficulty. After all, between you and the virus, I have a hard time." I don't give priority to you. If possible, I will kill them, you don't have to be afraid. After all, even if I don't consider you," the corner of her mouth twitched, as if to suppress a smile. "Pelorat and Feron are also in danger. Compared with you, I have more confidence in their relationship. You should even think that I am in danger now."

"I have no confidence in your love," Trevize murmured. "You are ready to sacrifice your life for some noble motive. However, I do believe that you really care about Pelorat." Then he said: "I didn't hear Feron's flute. Is there something wrong with her?" "It's all right," said Bliss, "she's asleep—a natural sleep that has nothing to do with me. And I suggest that after you make the leap to what we think of as the earth's sun, we'll all be fine too." Get some sleep. I need sleep badly, and I think you do too, Trevize."

"Okay, if I can—you know what, Bliss, you're right." "What did you say, Trevize?" "Isolation perspective. The New Earth is not paradise, however much it may look like. The initial hospitality - the apparent friendliness - was all about disarming us in order to infect one of us with the virus. And The hospitality that followed, the celebrations of all sorts, was designed to keep us waiting for the fishing fleet to return, and then the virus would break out. Thanks to Feron and her music, otherwise they almost got it. You might be right, too." "About Feron?"

"Yes, I didn't want to take her with me, and I've never been happy to see her on a spaceship. It's because of you, Bliss, that she's with us, and because of her inadvertent behavior, we You will be lucky enough to be saved. But—” "But what?" "Even so, I'm still uneasy about Feron's presence, and I can't say why." "You might feel better when I say this, Trevize, and I'm not sure I should take all the credit for Ferron. Hiroko did what an Alpha would consider rebellious, and Ferron's music is just hers." Excuse, she may even believe it herself. But besides that, she has other things on her mind, which I can vaguely detect, but I can't be sure of its nature, maybe she is ashamed to let this matter surface to the conscious level. I have a feeling that she has a special affection for you and she doesn't want to watch you die, which has nothing to do with Feron and her music."

"You really think so?" Trevize smiled slightly.This was the first smile he showed after leaving Alpha. "I do think so. You must be very smart when it comes to dealing with women. In Complon, you convinced Minister Li Zale to let us leave in the spaceship, and this time prompted Hiroko to save our lives, so the credit is actually It should be yours." Trevize's smile widened a bit. "Well, since you say so—now, head to Earth." With an almost brisk gait, he turned and walked into the cockpit. Pelorat didn't follow, he said to Bao Qisi: "After all, you calmed him down, didn't you, Bao Qisi?"

"No, Pei, I never touched his heart." "You tried your best to satisfy his male vanity just now, and of course you touched the depths of his heart." "It's totally indirect." Bao Qisi said with a smile. "Even so, thank you, Baoqisi." After the jump, the star that may be Earth's sun is still a tenth of a parsec away.It has far surpassed other celestial bodies in the starry sky, but it still seems to be just a star. Trevize studied the star with a serious face.For ease of observation, he filtered the light. He said: "Compared with the new Earth orbiting the Alpha star, they are undoubtedly twin brothers. But Alpha is included in the computer map, and this star is not. We don't know its name, and we don't have its statistics. data, even if it has a planetary system, the relevant data are completely absent."

Pelorat said: "If the earth really revolves around the sun, isn't this what we expected? We can't find any data at all, which just fits the fact that almost all the data on the earth have been destroyed." "Yes, Yi may also indicate that it is an outer world, but it is not listed on the wall of the building in Melpomenia. We cannot be sure that the list is absolutely complete. There is also a possibility that this star There probably aren't any planets, and thus not worthy of being included in a computer circle mainly for military and commercial use - Janov, are there any legends that mention the Earth's sun and its twin being only about a parsec apart ?” Pelorat shook her head. "I'm sorry, Grant, I can't think of such a legend. But maybe, my memory isn't very good. I'll look it up." "It doesn't matter, does the Sun of the Earth have a name?" "There are quite a few different names, and I guess different languages ​​have different names." "I often forget that there were once many languages ​​on Earth." "It must be so. Only in this way can there be a reasonable explanation for the many legends." Trevize said angrily: "Okay, what should we do now? At such a distance, we can't observe the planetary system at all. We have to get closer. I hope to be cautious, but sometimes caution If it goes too far, it becomes unreasonable. So far, I don't see any danger. No matter who the opponent is, since they have the power to wipe out the earth's data in the galaxy, as long as they don't want to be People found that even at such a distance, they must have easily wiped us out, but we have nothing to do now. It is not sensible to stay here forever just worrying about what will happen when we get closer. right?" "I don't think the computer detected anything that could be interpreted as a danger," Bliss said. "When I say I don't see any danger, I'm based on computer observations. I can't see anything with the naked eye, of course, and I don't expect that." "So, I think you're just looking for support in making a decision that you think is dangerous. Well, I support you. We've flown so far, we can't just turn around and leave for no reason, yes wrong?" "That's right." Trevize said, "What do you say, Pelorat?" "I'm willing to keep going, even if it's just to satisfy my curiosity," Pelorat said. "It would be unbearable to come back empty-handed and not know if we've found Earth." "Okay, then, we all agree," Trevize said. "Not yet," said Pelorat, "and Feron." Trevize looked taken aback. "You mean we should discuss it with that child? Even if she really has some opinion, what's the value? What's more, she just wants to go back to her own world." "Can you blame her for this?" Baoqisi defended Feilong. Trevize hadn't noticed her flute until they were talking about Feron, and now she was playing an impassioned march. "Listen," he said. "Where did she hear the march?" "Probably Jianby played it to her on the flute." Trevize shook his head. "I don't quite believe it. Dance music, lullabies and stuff like that are more likely—listen to me, Feron makes me uncomfortable, she learns too quickly." "I helped her," said Bliss, "remember this. Not only is she very intelligent, but during our time with us, she has had an extraordinary intellectual stimulation and a constant flow of new feelings." She has seen the landscape of space, visited different worlds, and met many people, all of which she has never experienced before." Ferron's march became wilder and wilder. Trevize sighed. "Well, she has expressed her opinion. Her music seems to reveal an optimistic spirit and a longing for adventure. I think this means that she approves of us continuing to approach the earth. So let's move carefully and be careful about this sun. Take a closer look at our planetary system." "If so," said Bliss. Trevize smiled lightly. "It must have a planetary system. I'll bet you, see how much you want to bet." "You lost." Trevize said thoughtfully, "How much did you decide to bet just now?" "Not at all, I never said I would bet with you." Bao Qisi replied. "It's okay, I won't ask for your money anyway." Now they were about ten billion kilometers away from that sun, which, although still a point of light, seemed very bright.In comparison, the Sun itself, viewed from the surface of an ordinary habitable planet, has an average eclipse of about 4,000 times that of the present Sun. "Now, when the image is zoomed in, we can see two planets," Trevizes said. "From the measurements of their diameters and the spectra of the reflected light, they are clearly gas giants." 88 The spaceship is currently far from the orbital plane of the planet.Bliss and Pelorat stood behind Trevize, staring at the display screen.What they saw were two tiny crescents glowing green, with the smaller "planetary phase" being the larger one. Trevize said: "Janov! There should be four gas giant planets in Earth's sun, right?" "Unusual," Trevizes said. "While nearly every gas giant has 'ballast rings,' they are usually quite faint and narrow. I've seen bright, tiny planetary rings, but never before." Never heard of anything like this." Pelorat said: "This is obviously the giant planet with the rings mentioned in the legend. If this is really the only one..." "It's the only one, as far as I know there is no second one, even the computer thinks so." Trevize said. "Then this must be a planetary system with the Earth. Of course, no one can imagine such a planet. You must see it with your own eyes before you can describe it." Trevize said, "Whatever your legend says now, I'm willing to take it at its word. Is this supposed to be the sixth planet, and Earth the third?" "Yes, Grant." "Then I dare say that we are now less than 1.5 billion kilometers away from the earth, and we have not been blocked so far. When we approached Gaia, we were blocked halfway." Bao Qisi said: "When you were blocked, you were already very close to Gaia." "Ah," Trevize said, "but I've always thought Earth was stronger than Gaia, so I think that's a good sign. Since we're not blocked, maybe Earth doesn't object to our visit." "Or there is no Earth at all," said Bliss. "Are you interested in betting this time?" Trevize said sullenly. "I think what Bliss means," interjected Pelorat, "maybe the earth is really radioactive, as everyone almost unanimously believes, and that nobody's come out to stop us because there's no life on it." "Impossible." Trevize said in an excited tone: "I am willing to believe every legend about the earth, except this one. We must approach the earth and see for ourselves. And I have a hunch that we will not be hindered." The gas giants have all been left behind, and inside the gas giant closest to the sun (which, as legend has it, is the largest in size and mass), an asteroid belt has emerged. There are four planets in the asteroid belt. At this time, Trevize was studying the planets carefully. "The third planet is the largest. It has a moderate size and a moderate distance from the sun. It should be a habitable planet." From Trevize's words, Pelorat caught a hint of uncertainty. "Does it have an atmosphere?" he asked. "Oh, yes," Trevize said. "The second, third, and fourth planets all have atmospheres. And, like an old children's story, the second planet's atmosphere is too thick, and the fourth planet's Too thin, only the atmosphere of the third one is just right." "So, do you think it might be Earth?" "Think?" Trevize almost roared out loud. "I don't have to think that it is the Earth, and it has that giant satellite you mentioned." "Is there?" Pelorat showed a rare smile, Trevize had never seen him smile so happily. "Exactly! Come, let's take a look at the enlarged image with the highest magnification." Pelorat saw two crescents, one of which was clearly larger and brighter. "Is the smaller one a satellite?" he asked. "Yes, it's farther away from the planet than expected, but it does orbit the planet. It's about the size of a small planet, in fact, smaller than the four inner planets. Then again, By moon standards, it's really big. It's at least two thousand kilometers in diameter, about the size of a moon of a gas giant." "Isn't it bigger?" Pelorat seemed a little disappointed, "Then it can't be considered a giant satellite." "No, it is. A moon of two or three thousand kilometers in diameter around a large gas giant is nothing unusual, but a moon of the same size around a small, rocky habitable planet is quite another. That moon The diameter of the Earth is more than a quarter of that of the Earth, where have you heard that habitable planets have satellites of this magnitude?" "I know very little about this," said Pelorat timidly. "Then trust me, Janov, it's unique in the Milky Way," Trevize said. "What we're seeing now is actually a pair of planets, and there's rarely anything larger than a pebble in the orbit of a habitable planet." Celestial objects. Janov, think about it, the sixth is a gas giant planet with a huge planetary ring, and the third is a planet with a huge satellite-although it is hard to believe before seeing it with your own eyes, both of them are familiar to you The legends match—then the planet before you must be Earth, and it cannot be any other world. We found it, Janov, we found it!" They are slowly making their way toward Earth, and are now in their second day.During dinner, Bliss yawned frequently."I feel like we spend most of our time flying around the planet these days. In fact, we've spent weeks," she said. "Part of the reason," said Trevize, "is that jumping too close to the star would be dangerous. And this time, we're going very slowly on purpose because I don't want to rush into possible danger too quickly." .” "I remember you saying that you had a presentiment that we would not be hindered." "That's true, but I don't want to bet everything on the feeling." Trevize stared at the food in the spoon, and didn't put it into his mouth immediately. "You know, I miss Alfa's fish very much. We only had three meals there." "It's a pity," Pelorat agreed. "Yes," said Bliss, "we visited five worlds in total, and each time we ran away, never having the opportunity to replenish food for a fresh taste. Even on worlds that are willing to provide food, such as Complon and Alpha, we have no chance at all, presumably in..." Baoqisi didn't finish her sentence, because Feilong immediately raised her head and continued her words. "Solali? Can't you get food there? There's a lot of food there, just as much as on Alfa, and better quality." "I know that, Feron," said Bao Qisi, "it's just that there's not enough time." Feilong stared at her sternly. "Am I ever going to see Gibby again, Bliss? Tell me the truth." Bliss said, "Yes, if we go back to Solari." "Are we going back to Solari?" Baoqisi hesitated for a moment. "I dare not say." "Now we're going to Earth, aren't we? Is that the planet you said we all came from?" "That's where our ancestors came from," said Bliss. "I will say ancestors." Feron said. "Yes, we're going to Earth." "why?" Bao Qisi replied casually: "Who doesn't want to see the world of their ancestors?" "I think there are other reasons, and you all seem to be concerned." "We've never been there, so we don't know what to expect." "I think it's more than that." Bao Qisi smiled and said: "You have finished eating, dear Feron, why don't you go back to the cabin and let us enjoy a serenade played by the flute. Your performance is getting better and better. Go, go." She patted Feilong's butt lightly, urging her to leave quickly.Feilong walked away obediently, turning around on the way, and looked at Trevize thoughtfully. Trevize looked at her back with an obvious expression of disgust. "Can that little thing read minds?" "Don't call her 'something,' Trevize," said Bliss in a stern tone. "Can she read minds? You should be able to tell." "No, she doesn't, and neither do Gaia and the Second Foundation. If mind reading is to be interpreted as eavesdropping on a psychic conversation, or knowing someone else's definite concept, then no one is currently doing it, and in the foreseeable future Nor is it possible. We can detect emotions, interpret them, and to some extent manipulate them, but that's a whole other story." "How do you know that she can't do something that can't be done in theory?" "Because, as you said, I should be able to tell." "Maybe she controlled you, so you have been oblivious to the fact." Baoqisi rolled his eyes at him. "Be reasonable, Trevize. Even with her unusual abilities, she can't do anything to me, because I'm not just Bliss, I'm Gaia, and you never remember that. You know the whole planet How big is your mental inertia? Do you think an isolated body, no matter how capable, can shake the entire planet?" "You're not a know-it-all, Bao Qisi, so don't be overconfident." Trevize said in a gloomy tone: "That Xiaodong——she hasn't been with us for long, and in such a short period of time, I can only learn At the surface of a language, she can already speak Galactic Standard Language fluently, and has mastered almost all the vocabulary. That’s right, I know you’ve been helping her, but I hope you stop in moderation.” "I told you I was helping her, but I also said she was so terribly smart that I wanted her to be part of Gaia. If we could absorb her, if she wasn't over-aged, we might be able to use her Knowing the Solari, and thus absorbing that whole world, would certainly be of great benefit to us." "Has it ever occurred to you that Solaris are pathological isolates, even by my standards?" "Become part of Gaia and they'll be transformed." "I think you're wrong, Bliss. I think that Solari kid is a dangerous man, and we should end it." "How? Throw her out of the airlock? Kill her, chop her up, and feed us?" "Oh, Bliss," said Pelorat. Trevize said: "It's so heartbreaking, it's too much." Since the flute had already sounded, they had been talking at a volume close to a whisper.Trevize listened silently for a while, the sound of the flute showed no flaws or hesitation at all. "When it's all over, we must send her back to Solari, and make sure that Solari is separated from the galaxy forever. My personal feeling is that it should be destroyed. I neither trust nor fear it." Baoqi thought for a moment, then said: "Trevize, I know you have a special ability to make the right choice, but I also know that you have hated Ferron from the beginning. I guess maybe it's because of you Having been humiliated on Solari, I have a deep hatred for that planet and its inhabitants. Since I must not interfere with your mind, I cannot be 100% sure of this. But please remember, if we did not bring With Feron, we are still camped in Alpha - corpses, and buried." "I know this, Bao Qisi, but even so..." "Her intelligence should be admired, not envied." "I'm not jealous of her, I'm afraid of her." "Afraid of her intelligence?" Trevize licked his lips thoughtfully. "No, not quite." "Otherwise, what are you afraid of?" "I don't know, Bliss. If I knew, maybe I wouldn't have to be afraid, but I don't know why I'm afraid." His voice was lower, as if talking to himself. "The galaxy seems to be full of things I don't understand. Why did I choose Gaia? Why did I have to find Earth? Is there a missing hypothesis in psychohistory? If so, what is it? And the most puzzling point, Why is Feilong making me restless?" "Unfortunately I can't answer these questions," said Bliss, and she got up and left. Pelorat looked at her back, and then said: "Everything will not be unsatisfactory, Gulen. We are getting closer and closer to the earth. Once we arrive on the earth, all mysteries will be solved. At present So far, no force seems to be trying to stop us." Trevize blinked sharply at Pelorat, and whispered, "I hope so." Pelorat said: "Really? Why do you wish so?" "Frankly, I'd love to see signs of life." Pelorat's eyes widened. "You found out that the earth is radioactive?" "Not really. But it's warm on the surface, a little warmer than I expected." "Is that bad?" "Not necessarily, its temperature may be higher, but it does not mean that it must be uninhabitable. It has very thick clouds, and its composition is definitely water vapor. Therefore, although the temperature we calculated from the microwave emission is higher, those clouds, That, along with the abundant normal ocean, could still support life. I'm not sure yet, but—” "What, Grant?" "Well, if the Earth is radioactive, that would explain why it's hotter than expected." "But the inference can't be reversed, can it? If it's a little hotter than expected, it doesn't necessarily mean it's radioactive." "That's right, that's right, it's not true." Trevize forced a smile, "What's the use of thinking, Janov. I'll get more information in a day or two, and then we'll I can be sure." When Baoqisi walked into the cabin, Feilong was sitting on the bed and meditating.Seeing Baoqisi coming in, Feilong only looked up, and immediately lowered his head again. Baoqisi said calmly, "What's the matter, Feilong?" Feron replied, "Why does Trevize hate me so much, Bliss?" "Why do you think he hates you?" "When I approach him, he looks impatiently—should I say impatient?" "may be." "He would look at me impatiently, and his face was always slightly contorted." "Trevize is under a lot of pressure, Feron." "Because he's looking for Earth?" "right." Feron thought for a while and said, "When I want something to move, he gets very impatient." Bliss pursed her lips. "Hey, Feron, didn't I tell you never to do that, especially with Trevize around?" "Well, but yesterday, in this cabin, he was standing at the door, I didn't notice, I didn't know he was staring at me. It was just a film book of Pei, I tried to make it Stand up, I didn't do anything dangerous." "Then he's nervous, Feron, I want you to stop doing that kind of thing in the future, whether Trevize sees it or not." "Is it because he can't do it himself, so he gets nervous?" "I guess so." "Can you do it?" Baoqisi shook her head slowly. "No, I can not." "When I do that, it doesn't make you nervous, and it doesn't make Pei nervous." "Everyone is different." "I see." Feilong suddenly changed his tone.Baoqisi was startled, and couldn't help frowning. "What do you know, Feron?" "I'm different." "Of course, as I said earlier, everyone is different." "My shape is different, and I can make things move." "This is a fact." Feron said in a rebellious tone: "I must make things move. Trevize shouldn't be angry with me, and you shouldn't stop me." "But why do you have to do it?" "It's practice, it's grinding—is that right?" "Not exactly, it should be called exercise." "Yeah, Gibby always said, I gotta train my...my..." "Switch Yetu?" "Yes, make them stronger and stronger. Then, when I grow up, I can drive all the robots, even Ginby." "Feron, who was going to drive all the robots before you did?" "Bender." Feron replied casually. "You know Bender?" "Of course, I have met him many times. I am the next lord of the territory, and the Bender territory will become the Feilong territory in the future, Jianbi told me so." "You mean Bender came to you..." Feilong was taken aback, his mouth opened into a perfect oval.As if someone was strangling her neck, she said with difficulty: "Bender will never arrive..." She didn't catch up, panting before continuing, "What I saw was the image of Bender." Bao Qisi asked hesitantly, "How did Bender treat you?" Feilong looked at Baoqisi with slightly puzzled eyes. "Bender was always asking me if I needed anything and if I was comfortable. But Gibby was always there for me, so I never needed anything and always felt comfortable." She lowered her head and stared at the floor, then covered her eyes with her hands, and added, "But Gibby isn't moving, and I think it's because Bender — isn't moving either." Baoqisi asked, "Why do you say that?" "I've been thinking about this. Bender drives all the robots, and if Gimby stops moving and none of the other robots move, it must be because Bender is moving. Is that so?" Baoqisi was speechless. Feron said, "But when you take me back to Solari, I'll drive Ginby and all the other robots, and then I'll be happy again." After she finished speaking, she began to cry. Bao Qisi said: "Do you not feel happy with us, Feron? Even just a little? Now and then?" Feilong picked up his head, facing Bao Qisi with a tear-stained face.Shaking her head, she said in a trembling voice, "I want Jianby." A strong sympathy suddenly felt in Bao Qisi's heart, she stretched out her arms to hold the child in her arms. "Oh, Feron, how I wish I could reunite you and Gibby." Suddenly she found herself crying too. Pelorat came in and saw the two crying together.He stopped suddenly and asked, "What's going on?" Baoqisi gently pushed Feilong away, trying to take out a small piece of tissue to wipe away her tears.She just shook her head, and Pelorat immediately asked with redoubled concern: "What's going on?" Baoqisi said: "Philon, take a little rest, and I will find a way to make you feel better. Remember, I love you as much as Gibby." She grabbed Pelorat by the elbow and pulled him into the living quarters. "It's all right, Pei—it's all right." "But Ferron has a problem, doesn't he? She still misses Jianby." "Missed so much and we couldn't help. I could tell her I loved her—I really loved her. Who wouldn't love such a smart, obedient kid? And frighteningly smart, Travy Zid even thinks she's too smart. She's seen Bender, you know—or should I say, seen a full-frame image of him. She's not very emotional about those memories, though, and she talks about it very vehemently. Yemo seems to have nothing to do with her, and I know why. Apart from the fact that Bender is the original king of the territory and Feilong will be the next master, there is no other relationship between the two at all." "Does Ferron understand that Bender is her father?" "It should be her mother. Since we agree to see Ferron as a woman, so is Bender." "It's all the same, Baoqisi my love. Does Feilong understand this parent-child relationship?" "I don't know how much she knew about it, of course she probably did, but she never showed it. But, Bae, she deduced that Bender was dead because she finally understood that Gymbie's lockout was the result of a power outage, and It's Bender who provides the electricity—it scares me." Pelorat said considerately: "Why are you afraid, Bliss? After all, this is only a logical deduction." "From Bender's death, another conclusion can be drawn. The inhabitants of Solari are long-lived and isolated outsiders, and death must be a rare and remote event. Their experience of witnessing natural death must be extremely limited. To a Solari child of that age, it might have been a blank slate. If Ferron continued to think about Bender's death, she would begin to wonder why. The fact that we strangers were there certainly She derives a clear cause-and-effect relationship." "So we killed Bender?" "We didn't kill Bender, Pei, I did it." "She couldn't have guessed." "But I have to tell her the truth. She was already annoyed with Trevize, and Trevize is obviously our bad boy, so she will naturally think that Bender's death was caused by him. Pei, how can I let Trevize Where is Wiz taking the blame?" "What does it matter, Bliss? The child has no affection for her father-mother. All she loves is her robot, Gibby." "But her mother's death led to the robot's death. I almost confessed to myself, there was a strong force driving me." "why?" "That way, I can explain it in my own way, and I can comfort her until she finds out the truth herself. Otherwise, if she gets the answer by reasoning, we won't be able to say anything about it." "But we have a legitimate defense. It was an act of self-defense. If you didn't take action at the time, we would be dead the next moment." "I should say that, but I can't explain it to her, and I'm afraid she won't believe me." Pelorat shook her head and sighed again. “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。” 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——” "But what?" 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？”