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基地系列:基地与地球|Foundation and Earth

第二部 康普隆星 第三章 入境站风波

属类： 双语小说 【分类】魔幻小说 -[作者: 艾萨克-阿西莫夫] 阅读：[2785]
Chapter 3: At the Entry Station
《 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 字+字- 行+行- 页+页- 》
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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？”

1
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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’。”

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“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。”

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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。”

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“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……”

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“所以我们才能有幸遇到你。”

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“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。”

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“那实在很糟。”裴洛拉特说。

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“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。

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“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。”

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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。”

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裴洛拉特微微皱了一下眉头。“拜托，宝绮思，请说‘崔维兹’。”

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“我会，我会。不过他不在的时候，我想轻松一下。”

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“别这样，你不该养成这种习惯，亲爱的，他对这点相当敏感。”

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“他敏感的不是这个，他是对我敏感，他不喜欢我。”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“不，宝绮思，这是不可能的。”

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“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。”

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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。”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“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……”

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“好的，宝绮思，”裴洛拉特以焦急的口吻说：“可是那些机器人呢？”

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“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。”

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“如果机器人离开了……”

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“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。”

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裴洛拉特缓缓摇了摇头。“但你不是啊。”

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“你确定自己真的相信吗？”

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“我当然相信，你不是机器人。”

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“你怎么知道？”

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“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。”

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“因为我告诉你说我不是。”

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“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。”

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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。”

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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。”

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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……

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“可是我喜欢，我觉得你不断陷入沉思的习惯非常迷人。”

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“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。”

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宝绮思说：“爱上你，裴，自有一种特别的喜悦，我已心满意足。”

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“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？”

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“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。”

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“身为一个孤立体，宝绮思，我真的不太了解。”

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“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。”

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“它也许会打拍子。”

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“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。”

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裴洛拉特说：“我想，实在没有必要对这种事感到脸红。”

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“完全不必。”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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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。”

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“你想度蜜月，是吗？”

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“是的。”

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“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。”

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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）。

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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。

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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。

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可是他从来没看到过。

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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。

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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？

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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。”

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“我发现所有行星从太空看来都差不多。”

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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。”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“是哪一极呢？”宝绮思显得很有兴趣。

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“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。”

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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。

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“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。”

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“啊，”裴洛拉特说：“我想两极的确应该有这种现象。”

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“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。

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“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。”

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“你简直就是本活胶卷书嘛！老弟。”裴洛拉特以敬佩的口吻说。

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“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。”

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宝绮思咬了咬下唇。“我不喜欢寒冷的世界。”

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“我们有保暖的衣物。”崔维兹说。

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“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。”

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崔维兹说：“盖娅是不是各处气候都很温和？”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“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？”

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“当然不希望，”崔维兹说：“如果没有必要的话。”

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“这些你听不进去，是吗？”

89
-

“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。”

90
-

“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。”

91
-

“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。”

92
-

“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。”

93
-

崔维兹说：“你在替盖娅发言吧，我想。”

94
-

“我总是替盖娅发言，我就是盖娅。”

95
-

“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？”

96
-

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。”

97
-

“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。”

98
-

“你会找到的。”宝绮思说。

99
-

“我也这么希望。”崔维兹应道。

100
-

“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？”

101
-

“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。”

102
-

裴洛拉特伸出手来拍拍崔维兹，安慰他说：“别生气，葛兰。”

103
-

“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。”

104
-

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？”

105
-

“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。”

106
-

裴洛拉特说：“应该没什么问题吧，对下对？”

107
-

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。”

108
-

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？”

109
-

“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。”

110
-

“如果我们遭到拒绝，我们该怎么办？”

111
-

“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。”

112
-

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。

113
-

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。

114
-

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？”

115
-

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。”

116
-

“我们要去哪个入境站，葛兰？”

117
-

“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。”

118
-

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。”

119
-

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？”

120
-

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。”

121
-

“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？”

122
-

“就生命体的定义而言，我仍是盖娅。”

123
-

“没有任何衰减？”

124
-

“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。”

125
-

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？”

126
-

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　。”

127
-

“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？”

128
-

“盖娅认为你也不需要知道。”

129
-

“不过，我想我可以猜到——你们相信自己是银河的守护者。”

130
-

“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。”

131
-

“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。”

132
-

“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。”

133
-

“可是第二帝国到底……”

134
-

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。”

135
-

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。

136
-

崔维兹发出同意的讯号，然后仰靠在椅子上休息了一会儿。

137
-

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。

138
-

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。

139
-

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！

140
-

可是为什么呢？是谢顿计划有什么瑕疵？有根本的缺陷吗？

141
-

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。

142
-

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。

143
-

他闭上双眼，开始沉思……

144
-

结果是一片空白。

145
-

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……

146
-

依旧是一片空白。

147
-

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。

148
-

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。

149
-

他说：“你们怎么来得这么快？我们以为至少要等两个钟头。”

150
-

“这是新型的太空船。”崔维兹以不亢不卑的口气回答。

151
-

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？”

152
-

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。”

153
-

“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？”

154
-

“没错。”

155
-

肯德瑞看了电脑一眼。“电脑线路也一样？”

156
-

“没错，至少就我所知是这样，我自己从来没看过。”

157
-

“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。”

158
-

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？”

159
-

崔维兹答道：“是的。”

160
-

“有没有活的动物？植物呢？你们健康状况如何？”

161
-

“没有动物、没有植物、健康状况良奸。”崔维兹答得很干脆。

162
-

“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。”

163
-

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。

164
-

“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。

165
-

裴洛拉特说：“微侦器，我相信他们是这么叫的。”

166
-

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。”

167
-

“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。”

168
-

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。

169
-

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？”

170
-

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。”

171
-

“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。

172
-

“换你了，先生。”肯德瑞说。

173
-

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。

174
-

“接下来是你，女士。”

175
-

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。”

176
-

宝绮思露出迷人的笑容。“真好。”

177
-

“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。”

178
-

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？”

179
-

“没错。”

180
-

“基地的高级官员？”

181
-

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？”

182
-

“您是这艘太空船的船长？”

183
-

“是的。”

184
-

“来访的目的？”

185
-

“有关基地安全事宜，这就是我能告诉你的一切，你明白了吗？”

186
-

“明白了，阁下。你们预计停留多久？”

187
-

“我不知道，大概一个星期。”

188
-

“没问题，阁下。这位先生呢？”

189
-

“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。”

190
-

“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。”

191
-

于是裴洛拉特掏出他的证件。

192
-

肯德瑞点了点头。“你的呢，小姐？”

193
-

崔维兹冷静地说：“没有必要麻烦这位小姐，我也替她担保。”

194
-

“我知道，阁下，但我还是要看她的身分证件。”

195
-

宝绮思说：“只怕我身边没有任何证件，先生。”

196
-

肯德瑞皱起眉头。“请问你说什么？”

197
-

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。”

198
-

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。”

199
-

“不，她不是。”

200
-

“那么，是从基地领域的某个世界来的？”

201
-

“其实也不是。”

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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。”

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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。”

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“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。”

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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？”

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“当然可以，可是您不能说见他就见他……”

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“只要他知道想见他的是一名基地官员，我确定他立刻会来……”

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“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。”

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崔维兹的表情转趋阴郁。“你也会吗？”

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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。”

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“以我的地位，你知道，我可以照顾你。”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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“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。”

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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？”

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“当然可以，但我不能在这里停留太久，否则会让人起疑。”

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“不会太久的。”崔维兹说。

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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。”

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“伹那个年轻女子不是基地来的。”

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“即使这样也不应该。”

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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。”

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“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。

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“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。

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“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。”

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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。”

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“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。”

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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。”

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“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。”

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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.

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"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.

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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.

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"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

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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.

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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It was never so.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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"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.

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"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.

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"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.

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"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.

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"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

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, 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.

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"I hope so," said Trevize.

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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Trevize signaled his acceptance, and then sat back for a moment.

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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.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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He closed his eyes and thought There was nothing.

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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.

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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.

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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 .

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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"What is that?" asked Bliss, in a low and interested voice, craningher head to see it first on one side, then the other.

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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.

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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.

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"You, sir," said Kendray.

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Pelorat inserted his hand with a certain hesitancy, then signed thefacsimile.

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"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.

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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.

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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.

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"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.

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"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."

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