Chapter 82 first quarter

Janov Pelorat said with a slightly displeased tone: "Really, Gulen, no one seems to be concerned about one thing, and that is that in my not-so-short life—not too much Sir, I assure you, Bliss—this is the first time I have traveled the galaxy. But every time I arrive at a world, before I have time to study it, I have to leave and fly to space again. This It's happened twice already." "Although this is true," Bao Qisi said, "but if you didn't leave the last world so soon, who knows when you will meet me. This alone can prove that you made the right choice last time. "

"It's true, to be honest, dear... my dear, it's true." "And this time, Pei, although you have left this planet, you have me as your companion, and I am Gaia, which means that all its particles and everything on it are with you." "You are indeed Gaia, but apart from you, I absolutely don't want any other particles." Hearing this nasty conversation, Trevize couldn't help frowning. "It's disgusting. Why didn't Doom come with us? Gosh, I'll never get used to the shortening. His name is more than two hundred and fifty characters long, but we only call him two." .Why didn't he come with the two hundred and fifty-odd words of his name? If this matter is really that important, if this is a life-and-death moment for Gaia's survival, why doesn't he stay with us? guide us at the right time?"

Bliss said, "I'm here, Choi, I'm as equal to Gaia as he is," she rolled her big black eyes, "Does my calling you 'Cui' make you feel uncomfortable?" "Yes, that's true. I, like you, have the right to choose how I'm called. My surname is Trevize, three words—Trevize." "Happy to obey, I don't want to make you angry, Trevize." "I'm not angry, but bored." He got up suddenly, walked from one side of the cabin to the other, and when he passed Pelorat's outstretched legs, he simply strode over (Pelorat Rattle twitches his legs at the same time), then paces back.He finally stopped and turned to face Bao Qisi.

He pointed his index finger at her. "Listen! I didn't do it willingly! I was tricked by you to come to Gaia from the Terminus star. Just when I began to suspect that there was a ghost here, it seemed that it was too late to get out. And when I arrived in Gaia, unexpectedly I have been told that I am here to save Gaia. Why? What should I do? What does Gaia mean to me - or do I mean to Gaia - that it is my duty to save it? Of the gigabytes of people in the galaxy, is there no one else who can do the job?" "Please, Trevize," said Bliss - suddenly looking downcast, all the innocence and playfulness she had pretended to be gone. "Don't be angry, look, I won't call you Cui now, I will be very careful in the future, Doom also asked you to be patient."

"The stars of the galaxy, I don't want to be patient. If I'm really that important, can't you explain to me? First, I want to repeat the question just now, why didn't Doom come with us? This matter is not that important, isn't it worth him boarding the Far Star to act with us?" "He's here, Trevize," Bliss said. "As long as I'm here, Doom's here. Everyone on Gaia is here, every creature, every creature on this planet. A speck of dust, it's all here." "You can do whatever you want, but I don't, and I'm not Gaian. We can't fit an entire planet into a spaceship, we can only fit one person. We have you here now, and Doom is A part of you. Well, why can't we take Doom with us and make you a part of him, and have him represent you?"

"One of the reasons," said Bliss, "Pey... I mean, Pie-lo-la-ter, invited me to come with you. He named me, not Doom." "He's just courting you. Who would take that kind of talk seriously?" "Oh, no, my dear companion," said Pelorat, standing up hastily, her face flushed with anxiety. "I say this quite seriously, you don't want to write me off like this. It doesn't matter which part of Gaia's whole journey is, I can accept that, but if I can have Bliss as a company, I think it is better than Dum , it should be the same for you. Well, Grant, you're being too childish."

"I'm childish? I'm childish?" Trevize frowned, looking extremely gloomy. "Well, then, let me be childish. But—" he pointed to Bao Qisi again and said: "No matter what I am asked to do, if you don't respect me, I promise you that I will never do it. First of all, I want Ask two questions - what am I supposed to do, and why me?" Bao Qisi's eyes widened, and she was no longer so confident. "Please, I can't tell you just yet, the whole of Gaia can't tell you yet. You must go there knowing nothing, you must know everything on the spot. Then, calmly and rationally do what you have to do .If you stay like this, there's no way to help then, and Gaia is going to die anyway. You have to change this mood, but I don't know how to help you."

"If Doom was here, would he know what to do?" Trevize asked mercilessly. "Dom is here," Bliss said. "He/I/We don't know how to make you change, and don't know how to make you feel at ease. You don't feel your place in the world, you don't feel it. The self is a part of the Self, a human being that we cannot understand." "That doesn't make sense," Trevize said. "You're more than a million kilometers away, and you can catch my spaceship and keep us calm when we're at a loss. Alright, now Let me calm down, don't pretend you can't do it."

"But we can't do this, absolutely not now. If we change you in any way now, or adjust your mind, you will become like everyone else in the galaxy and become worthless to us. We will I can't count on you anymore. We can count on you now because you are you - and you have to stay that way. If we try to influence your mind in any way at this moment, we'll be doomed. Please, you Calm must come naturally." "Forget it, miss, unless you can tell me something I want to know." Pelorat interrupted suddenly: "Bao Qisi, let me try it, please go to another cabin temporarily."

So Baoqisi retreated slowly, and Pelorat quickly closed the hatch. "She can still hear, see, feel everything, so what's the difference?" Trevize said. Pelorat replied: "There is a difference for me, and I want to have a few words with you alone, even if this isolation is only an illusion. You are afraid, Gulen." "Stop talking silly." "You do. You don't know where you're going, you don't know what you're going to face, you don't know what you're supposed to do, and you have every right to be afraid." "But I don't."

"Yes, you have. But maybe you, unlike me, are not afraid of physical danger—I've always been afraid of space exploration, of every new world I see, of every new thing I encounter. After all, I've lived half a century of isolation, seclusion, and self-limitation; you've been active in the fleet and politics, rolling in your homeland and in space. But I've been trying to suppress my fears, and you've been helping me I cheer. You have been patient, very kind to me and understanding of my situation during our time together. Thanks to you, I am finally able to get over my fear and behave quite well. Now let me do A little return, let's help you cheer up." "To tell you the truth, I'm not afraid." "Of course you are afraid, if for nothing else, you are afraid of the responsibility you are about to face. It is now clear that the fate of a world depends on you to save it. So if you fail, there will be a world that will never be forgotten in this life Destruction is in your hands. The world is meaningless to you, why should you bear the possible consequences? What right do they have to lay this burden on you? You are not only worried about the possibility of failure— It’s the same with anyone — and you’re angry that they’ve cornered you so hard not to be scared.” "You're totally mistaken." "I don't think so. So let me take your place. I'll do the job. Whatever they want you to do, I'll volunteer to take your place. I guess it doesn't take much physical or strength, Otherwise a simple mechanical device can outwit you: I guess it doesn't need any mental power either, since they don't pretend to be extra in that respect. It's supposed to be... well, I don't know, but if neither arm power is needed, If you don’t need brain power, then I have what you have in other aspects, and I am willing to take this responsibility.” Trevize asked sharply, "Why are you so willing to take on this burden?" Pelorat looked down at the floor, as if afraid to meet the other's eyes. "I once had a wife, Glenn, and I've known women, but I never thought they were important. They might be interesting and likable, but never very important, and this one..." "Who? Bliss?" "She's different—to me." "By Terminus, Janov, she knows every word you're saying." "That doesn't matter at all, she'll know anyway. I want to please her, so I want to take the job. Whatever it is, whatever the risks, any serious responsibilities—just a little This opportunity can make her value me." "Janov, she's just a child." "She's not a child. What she looks like to you doesn't matter to me." "Don't you understand what you look like in her eyes?" "An old man? So what? She's part of some whole, and I'm not, and that's enough to create an unbridgeable gulf between us. Do you think I don't know that? But I don't know anything about her." All I want is for her to..." "I value you?" "Yes, or have any feelings for me." "That's why you're willing to take over my job? But, Janov, didn't you hear that? They don't need you, they want me for some goddam reason I don't understand." "If they can't hire you, but they have to find someone to help, then if I take over, it should be better than nothing." Trevize shook his head. "I can't believe this is happening. You're old enough to find a second life here. Janov, you're trying to be a hero so you can love that body." "Don't say that, Grant, this kind of thing is not suitable for a joke." Trevize wanted to laugh out loud, but when his eyes met the serious face of the other party, he had to cough a few times. "You're right, and I apologize. Call her in, Janov, call her in." When Bao Qisi came in, she seemed a little shy.She said in a small voice, "I'm sorry, Pei, you can't replace him. Trevize has to do this, no one else can." "Well, I'm going to keep my cool," Trevize said. "Whatever it is, I'm willing to give it a try. Janov is old and wants to play the romantic hero, so long as he can get him out of it." I'm willing to do anything." "I know my age," grumbled Pelorat. Baoqisi walked up to Pelorat slowly and put a hand on his shoulder. "Pei, I...I value you." Pelorat deliberately turned her head away, and replied, "It's okay, Bao Qisi, you don't need to be so kind." "I'm not kind, Pei, I really... value you very much."