【阿撒托斯】

And out beyond all else, beyond the outmost bournes of stars and worlds, galaxies and quasars, there churned a boundless Force: the mindless, sentient Chaos that seethes at the focus of all existence and gives birth to all things. . . .

超越一切，超越恒星和世界、星系和類星體的最外層，那里攪動著一股無邊無際的力量：無意識、有知覺的混沌在所有存在的中心沸騰并孕育萬物。. . .

【舊日支配者】

【舊日支配者的相關內容】

1.She sensed the awful presence of beings even mightier than the Galactics or the Zarr -- monstrous, mental pulsings here and there amid the cosmos suggesting the existence of living-things too terrific and alien to be humanly comprehended.?

她感覺到比Galactics或Zarr還要強大的生物的可怕存在——宇宙中到處都是可怕的精神脈沖，表明存在著人類無法理解的可怕和陌生的生物。

（一些舊日支配者個體比Zarrian文明和Galactic文明還要強大（當然，舊日支配者之間實力差距非常大，并不能說所有的舊日支配者個體都比Zarrian文明和Galactic文明強大。）。）

2.? ? ?"What of that?" For an instant Taggart sensed behind Pitts' tense features a weariness even greater than his own. "If the laws of the universe cannot be changed, then better to have never lived in it. Better that there be no universe at all! Yes, you are right -- I have told you little about the Zarr, for they themselves are only the pawns of tremendously more powerful beings whose ultimate goals they can but dimly understand. As the Zarr grow in power, their masters give them more and more knowledge. Next it will be time-travel, so that they can better fight the Galactics, who have already been given this knowledge by their masters. Already I have learned things about the ultimate source of all power, and that it is possible to move closer and closer to that source. . . ."

? ? ? ?“那是什么？” 有那么一瞬間，塔格特感覺到皮茨緊張的表情背后有一種比他自己還要疲憊的表情?！叭绻钪娴姆▌t無法改變，那還不如從未在其中生活過。最好根本就沒有宇宙！是的，你是對的——我沒有告訴你關于Zarr的事，因為它們本身只是他們是非常強大的存在的棋子，他們的最終目標他們只能模模糊糊地理解。隨著Zarr力量的增長，他們的主人給他們越來越多的知識。接下來將是時間旅行，這樣他們就可以更好地與Galactic作戰(zhàn)，他們他們的主人已經(jīng)傳授了這方面的知識。我已經(jīng)了解了所有力量的最終來源，并且有可能越來越接近那個來源......”

（Zarrian是某種強大的存在的棋子，這些強大的存在是Zarrian的主人，Zarrian的部分技術和知識是由這些強大的存在給予的，這些強大的存在給予了Zarrian時間旅行的技術。即使Zarrian的個體擁有極高的智慧和強大的心智且Zarrian種族掌握有龐大的知識，Zarrian也只能模模糊糊地理解這些強大的存在的最終目標①。這些強大的存在可能是（1）某種強大的種族（2）一群舊日支配者，由于1和①，所以個人認為這些強大的存在可能是（2）。）

【種族】

【Galactic】

【Galactic的實力】

1.Unwilling to risk the possibility of losing the coveted planet altogether to the destructive forces of a second and greater war, the Zarr had organized a diplomatic mission to the Galactics, the race of metallic beings who supervised the entire island-universe to which the earth belonged.?

由于不愿意冒著失去這顆令人垂涎的星球的風險，在第二次和更大的戰(zhàn)爭中，毀滅性力量將其徹底摧毀，Zarr組織了一次外交使團，前往Galactics那里，這是一個由金屬生物組成的種族，負責監(jiān)督地球所屬的整個島嶼宇宙。

【星系（宇宙島）的定義】

由數(shù)量巨大的恒星系和星際塵埃組成的運行系統(tǒng)為星系（宇宙島），例如銀河系。

（Galactic是一個機械種族或一個由金屬生物組成的種族，Galactic負責監(jiān)督整個銀河系，從某種意義上來說Galactic是銀河系的統(tǒng)治者。）

2.? ? ?It seemed miraculous to Taggart that he had been one of the two humans chosen by the Zarr to represent his own kind. The fact that all the representatives of every race had been male (where sexuality was a factor) was less miraculous. Taggart knew that the Zarr, during their two million years of recorded history, had reduced the females of their originally bisexual species to mere gastroid organisms kept alive in their laboratories by artificial means, to be used as necessary to keep the race in existence. Since each Zarrian had a life-span of nearly two thousand years, and could command a great number of artificial metal subordinates, biological reproduction was at a minimum, and the population of living entities governing an entire galactic empire was only slightly larger than the human population of Earth. Moreover, variation of personal characteristics was at a minimum among members of the Zarrian race, so that it was hard for Taggart to distinguish individuals; this undoubtedly made for great efficiency in the attainment of the unquestioned Zarrian goals -- conquest, and the never-ending expansion of the empire of the Zarr throughout limitless space. Evidently all softer impulses -- if any such had ever existed in the Zarrian race -- had long ago been subordinated to the desire for universal dominion and the expansion of their power. . . .

? ? ? ?And now Taggart wondered, for the first time: were the Galactics the products of a similar race? For all their vast power and intelligence, they seemed to be fundamentally robots, policing the galaxy and keeping it in order. Was this the inevitable course of evolution -- that each galaxy should eventually produce a dominant race that would expand, conquer, lose its sense of feeling, and finally replace itself with a mechanical race of superb efficiency and godlike intellect that would regulate things flawlessly according to built-in, unquestioned values? Was this why Earth had never till now been overtly contacted by any of the many intelligent races in the same galaxy? . . .

? ? ? ?塔格特覺得自己是Zarr選來代表自己同類的兩個人之一，這似乎是奇跡。事實上，每個種族的代表都是男性（其中性是一個因素），這就不那么神奇了。塔加特知道，在有記錄的200萬年歷史中，Zarr已經(jīng)將原本雙性戀物種的雌性變成了在實驗室里通過人工手段保持生存的腹足類生物，以便在必要時用來維持種族的存在。由于每個扎里亞人的壽命接近兩千年，并且可以指揮大量的人造金屬下屬，因此生物繁殖是最低限度的，而統(tǒng)治整個銀河帝國的生物實體的數(shù)量僅略大于地球上的人類數(shù)量。此外，扎里亞種族成員的個人特征差異最小，因此塔加特很難區(qū)分個人；這無疑有助于實現(xiàn)毋庸置疑的Zarrian目標——征服，以及Zarr帝國在無限空間內的無限擴張。顯然，所有溫和的沖動——如果扎里亞種族曾經(jīng)有過這種沖動的話——早就屈從于對普遍統(tǒng)治和權力擴張的渴望。

? ? ? ?現(xiàn)在塔格特第一次想知道：Galactic是類似種族的產(chǎn)物嗎？盡管他們擁有巨大的力量和智慧，但從根本上來說，他們似乎是機器人，負責維持銀河系的秩序。這是進化的必然過程嗎？每個星系最終都會產(chǎn)生一個支配性種族，它會擴張、征服、失去感覺，最終會被一個具有高超效率和神智的機械種族所取代，它會根據(jù)內在的、不容置疑的價值觀完美地管理事物？這就是為什么到現(xiàn)在為止，地球從未被同一星系中眾多智慧種族中的任何一個公開接觸過嗎。

（Galactic負責維持銀河系的秩序。）

3.? ? ?There is no time. A Galactic has just arrived. It wishes to speak with Taggart.

? ? ? ?Pitts started. "That's impossible! How could it already know that we -- ?"

? ? ? ?It knows. Now it wants to know why we destroyed part of the city you call London.

? ? ? ?沒有時間了。一名Galactic剛剛到達。它希望與塔格特交談。

? ? ? ?皮茨開始了。“這不可能！它怎么可能已經(jīng)知道我們——？”

? ? ? ?它知道?，F(xiàn)在它想知道為什么我們摧毀了你稱之為倫敦的城市的一部分。

4.? ? ?I SEE IN YOUR MIND THAT YOU AND THE ZARR HAVE KILLED MANY. The Galactic's voice, though low, seemed to fill all of space. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE DONE THAT -- YOU HAVE DOUBTLESS ALTERED YOUR RACE'S HISTORY. YOU MUST FIND THE ONE CALLED TAGGART WITHOUT FURTHER DESTRUCTION OR KILLING.

? ? ? ?我在你的腦海里看到你和ZARR已經(jīng)殺了很多人。Galactic的聲音雖然低沉，卻似乎充滿了整個空間。你不應該那樣做——你無疑已經(jīng)改變了你種族的歷史。你必須在沒有進一步破壞或殺戮的情況下找到那個叫做 TAGGART 的人。

（由3、4可知，Zarrian因營救行動而摧毀了倫敦的一小部分，銀河系的管理者Galactic立刻知道了這件事，可見Galactic的觀察與監(jiān)視能力的強大。）

5.? ? ?Without answering, the metallic giant turned toward Judy. Its eyes seemed to glow more intensely from the dark slit in its domed head, and Judy felt that they were burning into the fibers of her brain. Fantastically complex images flashed before her mind's eye. It was like when the Zarrian had looked into her eyes -- only this time she felt the presence of an even greater power, godlike and invincible. . . .

? ? ? ?金屬巨人沒有回答，轉向朱蒂。它的眼睛似乎從圓頂腦袋上的黑色縫隙中發(fā)出更強烈的光芒，朱蒂覺得它們正在燃燒她的大腦纖維。極其復雜的畫面在她的腦海中閃過。就像當扎里安人注視著她的眼睛時——只是這一次她感受到了一種更強大的力量的存在，神一般的，無敵的。. . .

（Galactic被作者形容為神一般的，無敵的。）

6.? ? ?The world dissolved away -- vivid vistas of a boundless universe whirled into being. All time and space seemed one compact yet infinite mass governed by laws of startling simplicity. Stars like motes of dust, countless in their profusion, whirled and coalesced into vast spiraling clouds. The pageant of Earth's past, and the pasts of a billion other worlds, seemed laid out in detail across a dimensionless background. In that instant, Judy comprehended the empire of the Galactics, comprising the hundred-billion suns of the galaxy in which Earth was but a tiny mote, and also the empire of the Zarr, equally vast and extending its first tendrils of conquest across the black intergalactic gulfs. In one flash she was able to sense the salient points in the histories of both these tremendous stellar empires, both spanning nearly twenty million earthly years from their origins, each on one small planet in their respective galaxies, to their present lordships over the worlds of countless suns.

? ? ? ?世界消失了——一個無邊無際的宇宙生動的景象旋轉著出現(xiàn)。所有的時間和空間似乎是一個緊湊而無限的整體，受制于驚人的簡單法則。星星像塵埃一樣，數(shù)量眾多，旋轉并合并成巨大的螺旋云。地球過去的盛會，以及十億個其他世界的過去，似乎在一個無維度的背景中被詳細地展示出來。在那一瞬間，朱蒂理解了銀河帝國，它包括銀河系的千億個太陽，而地球只是其中的一個小微粒，還有同樣廣闊的Zarr帝國，它的第一批征服觸須橫跨黑色星際海灣。一瞬間，她就感覺到了這兩個巨大的星際帝國歷史上的亮點。

7.? ? ?And back of it all she sensed a surging, cosmic panorama vast beyond anything she had ever been taught to conceive. Her mind's eye glimpsed metallic armies marching from horizon to horizon across expanses too great to be the plains of any earth-sized world -- ships miles long that blasted their way across curved space on arcs of glaring flame -- forests of gleaming towers that bore down on cowering cities, hurling lightning-like shafts of violet energy before them, while the alien-architectured buildings shook to their ponderous advance -- stars that pulsed grandly in vast explosion, destroying whole systems of worlds in their leisurely, irresistible expansion -- legions of winged, lobster-bodied beings that swept across inconceivable immensities of space-time, bearing glittering metal canisters in their jointed claws. She sensed the awful presence of beings even mightier than the Galactics or the Zarr -- monstrous, mental pulsings here and there amid the cosmos suggesting the existence of living-things too terrific and alien to be humanly comprehended. One was near the center of the Andromeda nebula -- a black, slime-covered planet that hurled its thought-messages from the gravitational focus of a hundred billion swirling stars; others were much nearer, within the very galaxy to which Earth belonged. And out beyond all else, beyond the outmost bournes of stars and worlds, galaxies and quasars, there churned a boundless Force: the mindless, sentient Chaos that seethes at the focus of all existence and gives birth to all things. . . .

? ? ? ?在這一切的背后，她感覺到了一個洶涌澎湃的宇宙全景，其廣闊程度超出了她曾被教導去想象的任何事物。她腦海中的眼睛瞥見了金屬軍隊從地平線行進到地平線，跨越廣闊得不像任何地球大小的世界的平原——數(shù)英里長的船只在耀眼的火焰弧形上沖過彎曲的空間——閃閃發(fā)光的塔樓森林壓在畏縮的城市上，在他們面前投擲閃電般的紫羅蘭色能量，而外星建筑在他們沉重的前進中搖晃——星星在巨大的爆炸中發(fā)出巨大的脈動，在它們從容不迫、不可抗拒的擴張中摧毀整個世界系統(tǒng)——成群結隊的長著翅膀的龍蝦般的生物橫掃不可思議的浩瀚時空，它們的關節(jié)爪上帶著閃閃發(fā)光的金屬罐。她感覺到比Galactic或Zarr還要強大的生物的可怕存在——宇宙中到處都是可怕的精神脈沖，表明存在著人類無法理解的可怕和陌生的生物。一個在仙女座星云的中心附近——一個黑色的、粘液覆蓋的行星，它從千億個旋轉恒星的引力焦點中拋出它的思想信息；其他的更近，在地球所屬的銀河系內。超越一切，超越恒星和世界、星系和類星體的最外層，那里攪動著一股無邊無際的力量：無意識、有知覺的混沌在所有存在的中心沸騰并孕育萬物。. . .?

（這是Galactic和朱迪進行精神交流時，朱迪看到的場面?！伴W閃發(fā)光的塔樓森林”可能是Galactic的某種軍事單位，尚不清楚該軍事單位以何種方式移動。）

【Galactic的個體的特征】

1.? ? ?Then there came a distant, measured clang of metal against metal and Taggart saw, afar off in the golden-lit chamber, a great figure of vaguely humanoid configuration approaching with smooth and powerful strides. As it drew closer he could see that its body was of a dull gray metal, and was aware of being in the presence of a vast, inhuman power. Ten feet tall the entity towered, smooth and featureless save for a black, horizontal slit across the front of its domed head; from within that slit gleamed two unflickering points of light, like eyes that could freeze or burn at will -- cold eyes, intent yet dispassionate. . . .

? ? ? ?然后，遠處傳來一陣金屬對金屬的鏗鏘聲，塔格特遠遠地看到，在金色燈光的房間里，一個巨大的人形人物正邁著平穩(wěn)有力的步伐向他走來。當它越來越近時，他可以看到它的身體是一個暗灰色的金屬，并且意識到它正處于一種巨大的、不人道的力量面前。該實體高10英尺，光滑無特征，只有一條黑色的水平狹縫穿過其圓頂頭部的前部；從那條縫里，閃爍著兩個毫不起眼的光點，就像可以隨意凍結或燃燒的眼睛——冰冷的眼睛，專注而冷靜。

2.? ? ?Then there came a distant, measured clang of metal against metal and Taggart saw, afar off in the golden-lit chamber, a great figure of vaguely humanoid configuration approaching with smooth and powerful strides. As it drew closer he could see that its body was of a dull gray metal, and was aware of being in the presence of a vast, inhuman power. Ten feet tall the entity towered, smooth and featureless save for a black, horizontal slit across the front of its domed head; from within that slit gleamed two unflickering points of light, like eyes that could freeze or burn at will -- cold eyes, intent yet dispassionate. . . .

? ? ? ?The watchers all stood silent as the thing halted mere yards away and confronted them, motionless as a statue. None of them had ever before seen a Galactic face to face.

? ? ? ?I KNOW WHY YOU HAVE COME, it said. I SENSE THE REQUESTS YOU ARE ABOUT TO MAKE. THEY WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

? ? ? ?Taggart's mind spun dizzily. The thoughts of a Galactic were hard for a human mind to bear. Yet relief flooded his being at the creature's unspoken words. He saw Pitts standing rigid, scowling tensely, his long fingers clenched at his sides.

? ? ? ?然后，遠處傳來一陣金屬對金屬的鏗鏘聲，塔格特遠遠地看到，在金色燈光的房間里，一個巨大的人形人物正邁著平穩(wěn)有力的步伐向他走來。當它越來越近時，他可以看到它的身體是一個暗灰色的金屬，并且意識到它正處于一種巨大的、不人道的力量面前。該實體高10英尺，光滑無特征，只有一條黑色的水平狹縫穿過其圓頂頭部的前部；從那條縫里，閃爍著兩個毫不起眼的光點，就像可以隨意凍結或燃燒的眼睛——冰冷的眼睛，專注而冷靜。

? ? ? ?當那東西停在離他們只有幾碼遠的地方，一動不動地面對他們時，觀察者們都沉默了。他們中沒有一個人以前見過Galactic的人。

? ? ? ?“我知道你們?yōu)槭裁磥恚彼f。我感覺到你即將提出的要求。他們將不會被批準。

? ? ? ?塔格特的腦子轉得暈頭轉向。Galactic的思想是人類難以承受的。然而，聽到這個生物未說出口的話，他感到如釋重負。他看到皮茨僵硬地站著，緊張地皺著眉頭，長長的手指緊握在他的兩側。

（人類的大腦難以承受Galactic的精神交流。）

3.? ? ?The metal titan strode forward and stared down at Pitts with its expressionless, glowing eyes; despite its massiveness it moved with an easy, fluid stride that denoted great power. When it ceased moving, it became motionless as a metal statue.

? ? ? ?金屬巨人大步走上前，用它那雙毫無表情的發(fā)光眼睛俯視著皮茨；盡管它很龐大，但它以一種輕松流暢的步伐移動，這表明它具有強大的力量。當它停止移動時，它就像一尊金屬雕像一樣一動不動。

4.? ? ?I do not know -- a Galactic's mind is unreadable, said the creature dispassionately. We will know soon. Come.

? ? ? ?我不知道——Galactic的思想是不可讀的，這個生物冷靜地說。我們很快就會知道。來。

（Galactic的思想無法被Zarrian讀取。）

【伊斯】

【伊斯的相關內容】

? ? ? ?AS DOES YOURS, said the Galactic, EVEN THOUGH YOU THRIVE IN WATER, ALSO. WE KNOW YOUR HISTORY -- A GALACTIC REVOLUTION AGO WE AND THE GREAT RACE HAD TO DRIVE YOU FROM THAT WORLD BECAUSE YOU WOULD NOT LIMIT YOUR CONQUESTS. WE KNOW, TOO, THAT YOU STILL MAINTAIN POPULOUS OUTPOSTS ON THE OCEAN-BOTTOMS OF THE GLOBE IN QUESTION, AS WELL AS ON THE FORTH PLANET OF THE SAME SOLAR SYSTEM. YOU MUST ABANDON THOSE OUTPOSTS.

? ? ? ?Galactic說，你也是，即使你也在水里游泳。我們知道你們的歷史——在銀河系革命之前，我們和偉大的種族不得不將你們趕出那個世界，因為你們不會限制你們的征服。我們也知道，你們仍然在全球海洋地帶以及同一太陽系的第四行星上保持著人口密集的前哨基地。你必須放棄那些前哨。

（伊斯曾與Galactic并肩作戰(zhàn)過。）

【Zarrian】

【Zarrian的實力】

1.No race in the galaxy to which Earth belonged knew the origins of these creatures -- not even the mighty Zarr, who had conquered every world of the hundred billion suns comprising the galaxy which the astronomers of Taggart's world called the Andromeda Nebula. . . .

在地球所屬的銀河系中，沒有一個種族知道這些生物的起源，甚至連強大的Zarr都不知道，他征服了銀河系中1000億個太陽的每一個世界，塔加特世界的天文學家稱之為仙女座星云。

（Zarrian征服了仙女座星系中的將近1000億個行星系的每一個世界，徹徹底底的統(tǒng)治了仙女座星系。）

2.Why the earth was so important to the Zarr, who had already conquered the worlds of the hundred billion suns of their own galaxy and now seemed intent on extending their conquests limitlessly, Taggart could not guess -- but important it certainly seemed to be.

為什么地球對Zarr人如此重要，他已經(jīng)征服了自己銀河系中1000億個太陽的世界，現(xiàn)在似乎打算無限地擴展他們的征服范圍，塔格特無法猜測，但這似乎很重要。

（即便Zarrian已經(jīng)征服了仙女座星系，但是他們似乎打算無限制地擴大他們的征服范圍。）

3.? ? ?He needed more information. The girl sat silent, apathetic-seeming -- the emotional wound he had opened had closed once more. As never before Taggart wished he had the instinct for personal psychology. Yet he wondered, too, (as he had often wondered before) whether his habitual detached and theoretical stance toward humanity had been one of the factors that had caused the Zarr to pick him as one of their few human representatives. The Zarrians -- were they not the very epitome of detached alienation, with their grim unemotionality that made them all seem alike, their tremendous physical and technological power, and most of all their unquestioned goal of conquering the entire universe?

? ? ? ?他需要更多信息。女孩靜靜地坐著，看上去很冷漠——他打開的情感傷口又一次閉合了。塔格特從未像現(xiàn)在這樣希望自己擁有個人心理學的本能。然而，他也想知道（正如他以前經(jīng)常想的那樣）他對人類的習慣性超然和理論立場是否是導致Zarr選擇他作為他們?yōu)閿?shù)不多的人類代表之一的因素之一。Zarrians——難道他們不是超然疏離的縮影嗎？冷酷的冷漠使他們看起來都很相似，他們巨大的體力和技術力量，以及最重要的是他們征服整個宇宙的無可置疑的目標？

（Zarrian想要征服整個宇宙。）

4.? ? ?"What of that?" For an instant Taggart sensed behind Pitts' tense features a weariness even greater than his own. "If the laws of the universe cannot be changed, then better to have never lived in it. Better that there be no universe at all! Yes, you are right -- I have told you little about the Zarr, for they themselves are only the pawns of tremendously more powerful beings whose ultimate goals they can but dimly understand. As the Zarr grow in power, their masters give them more and more knowledge. Next it will be time-travel, so that they can better fight the Galactics, who have already been given this knowledge by their masters. Already I have learned things about the ultimate source of all power, and that it is possible to move closer and closer to that source. . . ."

? ? ? ?“那是什么？” 有那么一瞬間，塔格特感覺到皮茨緊張的表情背后有一種比他自己還要疲憊的表情?！叭绻钪娴姆▌t無法改變，那還不如從未在其中生活過。最好根本就沒有宇宙！是的，你是對的——我沒有告訴你關于Zarr的事，因為它們本身只是他們是非常強大的存在的棋子，他們的最終目標他們只能模模糊糊地理解。隨著Zarr力量的增長，他們的主人給他們越來越多的知識。接下來將是時間旅行，這樣他們就可以更好地與Galactic作戰(zhàn)，他們他們的主人已經(jīng)傳授了這方面的知識。我已經(jīng)了解了所有力量的最終來源，并且有可能越來越接近那個來源......”

（Zarrian是某種強大的存在的棋子，Zarrian的部分技術和知識是由這些強大的存在給予的，這些強大的存在給予了Zarrian時間旅行的技術。）

5.? ? ?"I told you this was only the beginning." Pitts's face was hard and grim. "The Zarr are learning the secrets of time as well as of space, and will soon be extending their conquests along that dimension, also. Yes, the human race has just about reached its end -- but there are still many thousands of years of human history to attend to!"

? ? ? ?“我告訴過你這只是開始?！?皮茨的臉色嚴峻而嚴峻。“Zarr 正在學習時間和空間的秘密，并且很快也會沿著那個維度擴展他們的征服。是的，人類種族即將走到盡頭——但仍有數(shù)千年的歷史人類歷史值得關注！”

（Zarrian在掌握了時間旅行的技術后，將會沿著這個宇宙的時間線進行他們的征服。）

6.? ? ?It seemed miraculous to Taggart that he had been one of the two humans chosen by the Zarr to represent his own kind. The fact that all the representatives of every race had been male (where sexuality was a factor) was less miraculous. Taggart knew that the Zarr, during their two million years of recorded history, had reduced the females of their originally bisexual species to mere gastroid organisms kept alive in their laboratories by artificial means, to be used as necessary to keep the race in existence. Since each Zarrian had a life-span of nearly two thousand years, and could command a great number of artificial metal subordinates, biological reproduction was at a minimum, and the population of living entities governing an entire galactic empire was only slightly larger than the human population of Earth. Moreover, variation of personal characteristics was at a minimum among members of the Zarrian race, so that it was hard for Taggart to distinguish individuals; this undoubtedly made for great efficiency in the attainment of the unquestioned Zarrian goals -- conquest, and the never-ending expansion of the empire of the Zarr throughout limitless space. Evidently all softer impulses -- if any such had ever existed in the Zarrian race -- had long ago been subordinated to the desire for universal dominion and the expansion of their power. . . .

? ? ? ?塔格特覺得自己是Zarr選來代表自己同類的兩個人之一，這似乎是奇跡。事實上，每個種族的代表都是男性（其中性是一個因素），這就不那么神奇了。塔加特知道，在有記錄的200萬年歷史中，Zarr已經(jīng)將原本雙性戀物種的雌性變成了在實驗室里通過人工手段保持生存的腹足類生物，以便在必要時用來維持種族的存在。由于每個扎里亞人的壽命接近兩千年，并且可以指揮大量的人造金屬下屬，因此生物繁殖是最低限度的，而統(tǒng)治整個銀河帝國的生物實體的數(shù)量僅略大于地球上的人類數(shù)量。此外，扎里亞種族成員的個人特征差異最小，因此塔加特很難區(qū)分個人；這無疑有助于實現(xiàn)毋庸置疑的Zarrian目標——征服，以及Zarr帝國在無限空間內的無限擴張。顯然，所有溫和的沖動——如果扎里亞種族曾經(jīng)有過這種沖動的話——早就屈從于對普遍統(tǒng)治和權力擴張的渴望。

（Zarrian的有記錄的歷史為200萬年左右，個人認為作者想表達的應該是Zarrian的文明史為200萬年左右，與Zarrian相比，人類的文明史為6000-7000年。雖然Zarrian統(tǒng)治了仙女座星系，但Zarrian的人口數(shù)量只略大于地球上的人類的人口數(shù)量。每個Zarrian個體都指揮著大量的機械下屬，他們以此來統(tǒng)治巨大的仙女座星系。Zarrian的雌性個體已經(jīng)被改造成了一種腹足類生物，Zarrian的雌性個體被放置于實驗室中，通過人工手段維持生存，其存在的目的是為了繁殖后代，平時參與各種活動的Zarrian個體均為雄性。每個Zarrian的壽命接近兩千年。Zarrian的個體的差異很小。）

7.? ? ?The world dissolved away -- vivid vistas of a boundless universe whirled into being. All time and space seemed one compact yet infinite mass governed by laws of startling simplicity. Stars like motes of dust, countless in their profusion, whirled and coalesced into vast spiraling clouds. The pageant of Earth's past, and the pasts of a billion other worlds, seemed laid out in detail across a dimensionless background. In that instant, Judy comprehended the empire of the Galactics, comprising the hundred-billion suns of the galaxy in which Earth was but a tiny mote, and also the empire of the Zarr, equally vast and extending its first tendrils of conquest across the black intergalactic gulfs. In one flash she was able to sense the salient points in the histories of both these tremendous stellar empires, both spanning nearly twenty million earthly years from their origins, each on one small planet in their respective galaxies, to their present lordships over the worlds of countless suns.

? ? ? ?世界消失了——一個無邊無際的宇宙生動的景象旋轉著出現(xiàn)。所有的時間和空間似乎是一個緊湊而無限的整體，受制于驚人的簡單法則。星星像塵埃一樣，數(shù)量眾多，旋轉并合并成巨大的螺旋云。地球過去的盛會，以及十億個其他世界的過去，似乎在一個無維度的背景中被詳細地展示出來。在那一瞬間，朱蒂理解了銀河帝國，它包括銀河系的千億個太陽，而地球只是其中的一個小微粒，還有同樣廣闊的Zarr帝國，它的第一批征服觸須橫跨黑色星際海灣。一瞬間，她就感覺到了這兩個巨大的星際帝國歷史上的亮點。

【Zarrian的科技】

【Zarrian爆能手槍】

1.? ? ?A glaring lance of blue-white flame -- a blast of blinding, violet light -- a concussion like lightning ripping the air with thunder. . . .

? ? ? ?Then a cloud of white dust was slowly settling. The man in the black uniform lay writhing on the concrete several yards from where he had stood; both his legs were gone, and a red stain was spreading from their stumps; intestines spilled from his torn abdomen, black and split like fried sausages. . . .

? ? ? ?一道耀眼的藍白火焰——一陣耀眼的紫光——一道閃電般的震蕩，伴隨著雷聲劃破了空氣。

? ? ? ?然后，一團白色的塵埃慢慢地沉淀下來。穿著黑色制服的男子躺在離他站的地方幾碼遠的水泥地上扭動著；他的兩條腿都不見了，一塊紅色的污漬從他們的樹樁上蔓延開來；腸子從他撕裂的腹部溢出，黑色的，像炸香腸一樣裂開。

2.? ? ?"A missile!" he muttered. He walked over to the television and began to adjust the dials beneath it. Judy watched as the picture gradually changed. Its outlines sharpened and she realized she was looking down the main hall of the Department of Persuasion toward the outer gates. The great steel portals lay smashed on the concrete, warped and rent and seemingly half-molten, while the white dust of pulverized concrete hung thick in the air. Beyond the gates sprawled the junky remnants of an armored truck and the tangled remains of wire fences. Charcoal-black objects vaguely suggesting the human form lay here and there. . . .

? ? ? ?“導彈！” 他喃喃自語。他走到電視機前，開始調整下方的旋鈕。朱蒂看著畫面逐漸變化。它的輪廓變得清晰起來，她意識到自己正在俯視說服部的主廳，看向外門。巨大的鋼制入口在混凝土上破碎，扭曲、破裂，似乎半熔化，而白色的混凝土粉塵厚厚地懸在空中。大門外散落著一輛裝甲卡車的破舊殘骸和亂七八糟的鐵絲網(wǎng)殘骸。炭黑色的東西，隱隱約約地暗示著人形，到處都是。. . .

3.? ? ?They traversed many corridors and descended many stairs, occasionally passing charred, mangled forms that lay oozing amid the tattered remnants of black uniforms. Sometimes they saw heaps of blackened bones or dark, sticky blotches where the plaster had flaked from the walls as if from intense heat. Once Judy glimpsed the upper half of a man leaning upright in a corner, his white laboratory smock spotlessly clean above the charred mass of his lower limbs mingled with what seemed to be the half-molten remnants of a sub-machine gun. Another time she glimpsed a human head glaring up from the floor, and was vaguely surprised to recognize the fear-contorted features of Constantine. She felt no horror, however, only a dreamlike numbness. . . .

? ? ? ?他們穿過許多走廊，走下許多樓梯，偶爾會經(jīng)過燒焦、破爛不堪的身影，這些身影躺在破爛的黑色制服中。有時，他們會看到成堆的焦黑骨頭或黑色、粘稠的斑點，灰泥從墻上剝落，好像是因為高溫。有一次，朱迪瞥見一個男人的上半身直立在角落里，他白色的實驗室工作服一塵不染，下肢燒焦的部分與似乎是半熔化的沖鋒槍殘余物混合在一起。還有一次，她瞥見地板上有一個人的腦袋在怒目而視，并隱約驚訝地認出了康斯坦丁那張因恐懼而扭曲的容貌。然而，她并沒有感到恐懼，只有一種夢幻般的麻木感。. . .

4.? ? ?As they traversed several corridors, and descended three or four flights of stairs, Taggart saw places where whole sections of the walls and ceilings had fallen away. Once they passed down a corridor where every room was labeled "Reeducation," with a letter beneath each sign. They saw no living thing but occasionally passed charred corpses sprawled in pools of sooty gore on the concrete.

? ? ? ?當他們穿過幾條走廊，走下三四層樓梯時，塔格特看到了整塊墻壁和天花板都已經(jīng)坍塌的地方。他們穿過一條走廊，每個房間都標有“再教育”字樣，每個標牌下面都有一個字母。他們沒有看到任何活物，但偶爾會經(jīng)過燒焦的尸體，這些尸體四肢攤開在混凝土上的煤黑血泊中。

5.? ? ?But the rest came on. There were over a score of them, guards and attendants together, the foremost of them firing pistols. Bullets whined and chipped plaster from the walls. Taggart shoved the regulator on the Zarrian blaster up to full power, gripped the handle with both hands, and fired.

? ? ? ?A wave of violet flame swept the hall with a roar like that of a blast-furnace. Bodies burst into charred, bloody tatters that plastered walls, floor, and ceiling with a sooty, reddish gore. Thunder rolled and roared along the corridor. . . .

? ? ? ?Taggart released the trigger. An oily smoke billowed and roiled, filling the corridor with a ghastly stench. As it slowly cleared, Taggart saw that not one of his pursuers was alive or intact. The walls and ceiling dripped a sluggish ooze like the red-tinted, charcoal-crusted walls of a barbecue-pit, while the floor to the far end of the hall was littered ankle-deep with a viscous tangle of charred limbs, viscera, bone-fragments and shattered, brain-oozing skulls.

? ? ? ?但其余的來了。他們有二十多人，包括警衛(wèi)和服務員，其中最前面的人在開槍。子彈呼嘯而過，墻壁上的石膏碎裂。Taggart 將 Zarrian 爆能槍上的調節(jié)器推到最大功率，用雙手握住手柄，然后開火。

? ? ? ?一陣紫羅蘭色的火焰帶著高爐般的轟鳴聲席卷了整個大廳。尸體爆裂成燒焦、血腥的破爛，墻壁、地板和天花板上涂滿了煤煙、微紅的血塊。雷聲在走廊上滾滾咆哮。. . .

? ? ? ?塔格特扣下了扳機。一股油煙滾滾翻滾，整個走廊都充滿了陰森森的惡臭。當它慢慢消失時，塔格特看到他的追擊者沒有一個活著或完好無損。墻壁和天花板滴下了一種緩慢的軟泥，就像烤肉坑的紅色、結痂的木炭墻壁一樣，而大廳盡頭的地板上散落著一團深及腳踝的燒焦的肢體、內臟、骨頭-碎片和破碎的、滲出腦汁的頭骨。

（Zarrian爆能手槍的最大功率可以一擊就將一條走廊上的所有人都轟成碎片。）

6.? ? ?"Where did you get that pistol?" snapped the man, eyeing Taggart's Zarrian blaster. "That could be a death sentence, you know. Don't reach for it -- put your hands behind your heads, both of you -- that's right. Stand still -- don't move a muscle."

? ? ? ?“你從哪里弄來那把手槍的？” 那人厲聲說，盯著塔格特的扎里安爆能槍?！澳强赡苁撬佬膛袥Q，你知道的。不要伸手去拿它——把你的手放在腦后，你們兩個——是的。站著不動——不要動一動肌肉?！?/p>

7.? ? ?Now the newcomer was standing beside her, scowling down at her in apparent surprise. Like FitzRoy, he wore dark-rimmed spectacles and black clothes, but here the resemblance stopped. His apparel bore no similarity to the black uniform of the Nazirites or the Sons of Light. He was lean and his brown hair was close-cropped; his face, clean-shaven, was somehow hard in its severe lineaments, and his blue eyes glared with a strange intensity. The bulky pistol in his right hand seemed startlingly familiar -- so did the glowing belt about his waist -- but Judy couldn't remember when or where she had ever seen such objects. In the man's upturned left palm was a small, intricate device that hummed strangely and glowed with a dim blue radiance.

? ? ? ?現(xiàn)在新來的人站在她身邊，滿臉驚訝地低頭看著她。和菲茨羅伊一樣，他戴著黑框眼鏡，穿著黑色衣服，但在這里就不再像了。他的服裝與拿細耳人或光明之子的黑色制服毫無相似之處。他很瘦，棕色的頭發(fā)剪得很短。他的臉刮得干干凈凈，棱角分明的線條顯得有些冷酷，藍色的眼睛閃爍著奇異的光芒。他右手上那把笨重的手槍似乎出奇地熟悉——他腰間發(fā)光的腰帶也是如此——但朱蒂不記得她曾在何時何地見過這樣的東西。男人向上翻起的左手掌心，是一個精巧的小裝置，發(fā)出奇怪的嗡嗡聲，并散發(fā)著暗藍色的光芒。

（由6、7可知，文中出現(xiàn)這種爆能武器確實是Zarrian的手槍級別的武器，這種武器對于體型比Zarrian小很多的人類來說略顯笨重，無法想象Zarrian的步槍級別的武器和重武器的破壞力究竟能大到什么程度。聯(lián)系下文中出現(xiàn)的“外面有力量可以把整個星球燒成黑色的煤渣”，非常的細思極恐。）

【力場屏】

1."No -- just paralyzed. The needle-ray got him. His force-screen couldn't block out radiant energy, just kinetic."

“不——只是癱瘓了。針狀射線擊中了他。他的力屏無法阻擋輻射能，只能阻擋動能。”

（力場屏只能阻擋動能武器的攻擊，無法阻擋輻射能武器的攻擊。）

2.The black-clad man lowered his aim, sighted on Taggart's knee and fired; the bullet glanced from the glowing force-screen and went whining down the alley. Taggart drew his Zarrian blaster from its holster as the black-uniformed man fired again and yet again without effect.

黑衣人降低了瞄準，瞄準了塔格特的膝蓋并開了一槍。子彈從發(fā)光的力屏上瞥了一眼，然后沿著小巷呼嘯而過。Taggart 從槍套里拔出他的 Zarrian 爆能槍，這名身穿黑色制服的人一次又一次地開槍，但沒有效果。

3.? ? ?At that instant there came the roaring of an engine, and the front of an armored truck darkened the end of the alley. Taggart leaped back to the girl's side, drew her close and pressed the glowing inset on his belt-clasp. A bluish glow immediately blinked into being, surrounding the two of them.

? ? ? ?"Stay close," muttered Taggart. "They can't hurt you."

? ? ? ?Four black-uniformed men climbed out of the truck; the tramp of heavy boots sounded in the narrow alley. Each man carried a sub-machine gun; their faces seemed hard, expressionless masks, devoid of human emotion but full of grim purpose. Taggart recognized them as the same men who had fled from him earlier; they had not given up, after all.

? ? ? ?Without warning all four of the men leveled their submachine-guns and fired; the alley was filled for several seconds with a reverberating thunder, while ricocheting bullets whined back from the blue force-screen and chipped brick-dust from the grimy walls. . . .

? ? ? ?Then the hammering thunder ceased, and four dark shapes lay twitching spasmodically on the concrete in widening pools of blood.

? ? ? ?"They cut their own throats that time," said Taggart grimly.

? ? ? ?"You killed them!" The girl's voice was scarcely more than a whisper. "You killed them all --"

? ? ? ?"No, they saved me the trouble. But we've got to get out of here." He glanced at the four dead men in black. "A uniform -- I'll need one of their uniforms. If I can drive away from here in their truck, with you apparently my prisoner, we may stand a chance yet!"

? ? ? ?Taggart switched off his force-screen, strode over to the four dead men and began to strip the uniform from one of them. A ricocheting slug had demolished the man's face, but there was less blood on his garments than on those of the others. The girl stood by quietly as Taggart changed clothes with the dead policeman; her apathy seemed to have returned. There was a dull, sad hopelessness in her eyes.

? ? ? ?就在這時，引擎的轟鳴聲傳來，一輛裝甲車的車頭將巷子的盡頭照得一片漆黑。塔格特跳回女孩的身邊，把她拉近，然后將發(fā)光的鑲嵌物按在他的皮帶扣上。一道藍光頓時閃爍而起，籠罩在兩人的周圍。

? ? ? ?“靠近點，”塔格特咕噥道?！八麄儌涣四??！?/p>

? ? ? ?四個穿黑制服的人從卡車里爬下來；沉重的靴子腳步聲在狹窄的巷子里響起。每個人都攜帶一把沖鋒槍；他們的臉似乎是冷酷的，沒有表情的面具，沒有人類的情感，但充滿了冷酷的目的。塔格特認出他們就是早先從他身邊逃走的同一個人；畢竟，他們沒有放棄。

? ? ? ?沒有警告，所有四個人都舉起沖鋒槍開火；小巷里有幾秒鐘充滿了回蕩的雷聲，同時彈射的子彈從藍色的力幕上呼嘯而過，從骯臟的墻壁上刮下磚屑。. . .

? ? ? ?然后，錘擊般的雷聲停止了，四個黑色的身影在不斷擴大的血泊中痙攣性抽搐地躺在混凝土上。

? ? ? ?“那次他們割斷了自己的喉嚨，”塔格特冷酷地說。

? ? ? ?“你殺了他們！” 女孩的聲音簡直就是耳語。“你把他們都殺了——”

? ? ? ?“不，他們幫我省了麻煩。但我們必須離開這里?！?他看了一眼死去的四名黑衣人?！爸品倚枰麄兊闹品?。如果我能開著他們的卡車離開這里，你顯然是我的俘虜，我們還有機會！”

? ? ? ?塔格特關掉他的力屏，大步走向四個死者，開始剝掉其中一個人的制服。彈跳的彈頭摧毀了那個人的臉，但他衣服上的血跡比其他人的要少。當塔格特和死去的警察換衣服時，女孩靜靜地站在一旁。她的冷漠似乎又回來了。她的眼里有一種沉悶、悲傷的絕望。

（力場屏會反彈動能武器的子彈，如果在狹小的地方用動能武器對力場屏射擊，可能會導致動能武器的子彈在力場屏和周圍的墻壁上反彈，從而殺死持有動能武器的攻擊者。）

4.? ? ?"One thing bolsters your story," he said finally: "your weapons. I've seen what they do. With that blaster and force-screen, one man might defeat a small army single-handed. And even your pocket radio is an electronic marvel -- our best technicians could never hope to duplicate it.

? ? ? ?“有一件事支持你的故事，”他最后說：“你的武器。我見過它們的作用。有了那個爆能槍和力屏，一個人可能單槍匹馬打敗一支小軍隊。甚至你的袖珍收音機也是一個電子奇跡——我們最好的技術人員永遠無法復制它。

【氣象武器】

1.? ? ?At last they emerged from the building through a shattered steel gate, and Taggart gazed out at a panorama of destruction -- the wreckage of what had been a city. As far as he could see sprawled a broken jumble of concrete and brick and steel. Everywhere lay the fragments of civilization: splintered telephone poles, broken glass, tangles of wire, pipes, and cables. In the distance a huge metal bridge sagged in twisted ruin against the sky; nearer at hand a crumpled water-tower sprawled on its side. All around rose jagged stubs of walls that had once been buildings. The sky was of a strange, saffron-gray hue such as Taggart had never seen before, and the air seemed charged with an electric tension as if a great storm had just passed. Distant thunder rolled upon the air and far away, along the horizon, a band of black, boiling, lightning-shot clouds was slowly receding. At each flash of lightning Taggart thought he could glimpse ranks of great, pointed metal towers arranged along the base of that beetling cloud-band.

? ? ? ?"The Zarr did this?" said Taggart.

? ? ? ?"Yes -- by generating tornadoes over the city."

? ? ? ?"Just that simple?" Taggart asked wearily. "Didn't the State even fight back?"

? ? ? ?"Oh, they sent a few nuclear missiles up at us, but we deflected them all into outer space by remote control."

? ? ? ?最后，他們穿過一扇破碎的鋼門走出了大樓，塔格特凝視著外面一片毀滅的全景——這座城市的廢墟。就他所見，雜亂無章的混凝土、磚塊和鋼筋雜亂地散落著。到處都是文明的碎片：破碎的電線桿、碎玻璃、纏結在一起的電線、管道和電纜。遠處，一座巨大的金屬橋在天空中扭曲成廢墟。近在咫尺，一座皺巴巴的水塔斜倒在地。四周都是玫瑰色的鋸齒狀殘墻，這些墻曾經(jīng)是建筑物。天空呈現(xiàn)出塔格特從未見過的奇異的藏紅花灰色調，空氣中似乎充滿了電流張力，仿佛一場大風暴剛剛過去。遠處的雷聲在空中翻滾，遠處，沿著地平線，一條黑色的帶子沸騰了，閃電般的烏云正在慢慢退去。每次閃電閃過，塔格特都認為他可以瞥見沿著那條甲殼狀云帶底部排列的一排排巨大的尖頭金屬塔。

? ? ? ?“是Zarr干的？” 塔格特說。

? ? ? ?“是的——在城市上空制造龍卷風?！?/p>

? ? ? ?“就這么簡單？” 塔格特疲倦地問?！皣疫B反擊都沒有嗎？”

? ? ? ?“哦，他們向我們發(fā)射了幾枚核導彈，但我們通過遙控將它們全部偏轉到外層空間。”

（Zarrian的飛船所搭載的氣象武器形似一排排巨大的尖頭金屬塔。人類向Zarrian的飛船發(fā)射了幾枚核導彈，但被Zarrian通過遙控將核導彈全部偏轉到了外層空間（推測作者想表達的應該是Zarrian駭入了人類的導彈系統(tǒng)，所以才能將核導彈以遙控的方式偏轉到外太空。）。）

2.? ? ?Taggart sighed and sat down on a fallen telephone pole. His leg was throbbing painfully. "What about the rest of the world?" he asked.

? ? ? ?"Finished!" Pitts grinned tightly and rubbed his thin fingers together. "For the last few hours tornadoes have been raging over the entire surface of the planet. Every city is like this. Civilization has been destroyed."

? ? ? ?A sudden chill swept through Taggart's entire body. When it had passed, he cried out:

? ? ? ?"But that's impossible! You couldn't have killed everyone -- you didn't. There must be a city left somewhere --"

? ? ? ?"Not a chance."

? ? ? ?"Was London destroyed?"

? ? ? ?"Yes," said Pitts. "That was one of the first cities we hit."

? ? ? ?"What about Paris?"

? ? ? ?"Churned to rubble -- like this place."

? ? ? ?"Chicago? New York?"

? ? ? ?"They're gone, too."

? ? ? ?"Washington D.C.?"

? ? ? ?"Gone."

? ? ? ?"San Francisco? Los Angeles? Phoenix?"

? ? ? ?"Gone -- all gone. On all the earth I doubt there's a city left with a population over ten thousand. And this is only the beginning. We'll destroy the survivors, too. And then --"

? ? ? ?塔格特嘆了口氣，坐在倒塌的電線桿上。他的腿在抽痛。“那世界其他地方呢？” 他問。

? ? ? ?“完成的！” 皮茨咧嘴一笑，細細的手指揉在一起。“最近幾個小時，龍卷風席卷了整個星球表面，每座城市都是如此，文明已被毀滅。”

? ? ? ?一股突如其來的寒意席卷了塔格特的全身。當它過去時，他喊道：

? ? ? ?“但那是不可能的！你不可能殺死所有人——你沒有。一定有一座城市留在某處——”

? ? ? ?“沒有機會?！?/p>

? ? ? ?“倫敦被摧毀了嗎？”

? ? ? ?“是的，”皮茨說?！澳鞘俏覀円u擊的第一批城市之一?！?/p>

? ? ? ?“巴黎呢？”

? ? ? ?“被攪成瓦礫——就像這個地方?！?/p>

? ? ? ?“芝加哥？紐約？”

? ? ? ?“他們也走了?！?/p>

? ? ? ?“華盛頓特區(qū)？”

? ? ? ?“走了?！?/p>

? ? ? ?“舊金山？洛杉磯？鳳凰城？”

? ? ? ?“沒了——全沒了。我懷疑整個地球上還有一座人口超過一萬的城市。而這只是開始。我們也會消滅幸存者。然后——”

（Zarrian的氣象武器只用了幾個小時就摧毀了人類文明，由上文可知，Zarrian為了防止地球的生態(tài)環(huán)境受到嚴重破壞，最大程度地保持地球的價值，所以才使用氣象武器來摧毀人類文明。）

【時間旅行】

1.? ? ?"What of that?" For an instant Taggart sensed behind Pitts' tense features a weariness even greater than his own. "If the laws of the universe cannot be changed, then better to have never lived in it. Better that there be no universe at all! Yes, you are right -- I have told you little about the Zarr, for they themselves are only the pawns of tremendously more powerful beings whose ultimate goals they can but dimly understand. As the Zarr grow in power, their masters give them more and more knowledge. Next it will be time-travel, so that they can better fight the Galactics, who have already been given this knowledge by their masters. Already I have learned things about the ultimate source of all power, and that it is possible to move closer and closer to that source. . . ."

? ? ? ?“那是什么？” 有那么一瞬間，塔格特感覺到皮茨緊張的表情背后有一種比他自己還要疲憊的表情?！叭绻钪娴姆▌t無法改變，那還不如從未在其中生活過。最好根本就沒有宇宙！是的，你是對的——我沒有告訴你關于Zarr的事，因為它們本身只是他們是非常強大的存在的棋子，他們的最終目標他們只能模模糊糊地理解。隨著Zarr力量的增長，他們的主人給他們越來越多的知識。接下來將是時間旅行，這樣他們就可以更好地與Galactic作戰(zhàn)，他們他們的主人已經(jīng)傳授了這方面的知識。我已經(jīng)了解了所有力量的最終來源，并且有可能越來越接近那個來源......”

（Zarrian是某種強大的存在的棋子，Zarrian的部分技術和知識是由這些強大的存在給予的，這些強大的存在給予了Zarrian時間旅行的技術。）

2.? ? ?"I told you this was only the beginning." Pitts's face was hard and grim. "The Zarr are learning the secrets of time as well as of space, and will soon be extending their conquests along that dimension, also. Yes, the human race has just about reached its end -- but there are still many thousands of years of human history to attend to!"

? ? ? ?“我告訴過你這只是開始?！?皮茨的臉色嚴峻而嚴峻?！癦arr 正在學習時間和空間的秘密，并且很快也會沿著那個維度擴展他們的征服。是的，人類種族即將走到盡頭——但仍有數(shù)千年的歷史人類歷史值得關注！”

（Zarrian在掌握了時間旅行的技術后，將會沿著這個宇宙的時間線進行他們的征服。）

3.? ? ?Again, Pitts shook his head. "You still don't understand. The laws of the universe would never permit it, as long as even the possibility of certain things remains inherent within those laws. As long as the universe is the way it is, despotism will be the rule, not the exception. Because of that no time stream leading to an 'enlightened' world would be viable; because of that we would need to destroy every time stream that leads to the human race, not just this one. Perhaps, ultimately, even the universe and the laws that govern it shall have to be destroyed!"

? ? ? ?皮茨再次搖頭?！澳氵€是不懂，宇宙法則永遠不允許，只要某些事情的可能性還在法則之內。只要宇宙是這個樣子，專制就是規(guī)則，不是例外。正因為如此，沒有任何通往“開明”世界的時間流是可行的；因此，我們需要摧毀通往人類的每一條時間流，而不僅僅是這個。也許，最終，甚至宇宙和支配它的法則必須被摧毀！”

（舊日支配者給予Zarrian的時間旅行技術能讓Zarrian摧毀時間流。）

【Zarrian的一種大氣層內飛行器】

1.? ? ?Too late, Taggart realized what it was -- a missile interceptor. He punched the controls frantically and the airship screamed sideways at a steep angle. There was a deep, swishing vibration as the missile swept by toward the zenith -- then the world burst into a chaos of light and thunder. He was thrown from his chair and the floor slammed hard against his chest, and for a moment he lay there, stunned. There was a whirling, falling sensation which he knew was not due to dizziness. . . . Fear forced him back to full consciousness. He staggered up and saw the horizon tilting at a crazy angle; a thin crack, like a lightning-streak, had appeared across the wide, bottle-blue quartz view-panel. The controls would not respond to his touch.

? ? ? ?He swore. His craft, even though the force-screen had kept it essentially intact, had been knocked out of commission by the missile's blast. Small comfort it was then to know that any aircraft of human manufacture would doubtless have been completely annihilated by the blast. . . .

? ? ? ?為時已晚，塔格特意識到這是什么東西——導彈攔截器。他瘋狂地猛擊控制裝置，飛艇以一個陡峭的角度向側面呼嘯而過。當導彈飛向天頂時，傳來一陣低沉的嗖嗖震動——然后世界爆發(fā)出一片光與雷的混沌。他被從椅子上摔了下來，地板重重地撞在他的胸口，有那么一會兒他躺在那里，目瞪口呆。有一種旋轉的、墜落的感覺，他知道這不是頭暈。. . . 恐懼迫使他恢復了完全的意識。他搖搖晃晃地站起來，看到地平線以一個瘋狂的角度傾斜；一條細細的裂縫，像一道閃電，出現(xiàn)在寬闊的深藍色石英觀察板上?？丶粫憫挠|摸。

? ? ? ?他發(fā)誓。他的飛行器，盡管力屏使其基本完好無損，但還是被導彈的爆炸擊毀了。令人欣慰的是，任何人類制造的飛機無疑都會被爆炸徹底摧毀。. . .

2.? ? ?The panel was a shambles, but the outside hull did not seem even dented and the silica dome showed only that single crack across its width. Through the wide expanse of that curved window Taggart could see the rubble of a demolished building and the rising dust of pulverized brick and plaster.

? ? ? ?面板是一團糟，但外殼看起來甚至沒有凹陷，硅質圓頂僅在其寬度上顯示出一條裂縫。透過那扇寬闊的弧形窗戶，塔格特可以看到一座被拆毀的建筑的瓦礫，以及揚起的磚塊和灰泥粉塵。

3.? ? ?Taggart scrambled to the edge of the rubble and stood uneasily on the littered sidewalk, wondering what he should do next. His crash-landing seemed to have demolished a building; perhaps many people had been killed. The buildings across from him were of old brick, grimy with soot-black. He seemed to be in a slum.

? ? ? ?塔格特爬到廢墟邊緣，不安地站在亂七八糟的人行道上，想知道他下一步該做什么。他的迫降似乎摧毀了一座建筑物；也許很多人都被殺了。他對面的建筑物是舊磚砌成的，上面沾滿了煤煙。他似乎在貧民窟。

【Zarrian的生理特征】

1.? ? ?Taggart glanced at his nine companions, noticing how utterly tiny they seemed in the midst of this canyon-vast architecture. Even the two Zarrians, massive twin titans eight feet and more in height, seemed like ants on the floor of this vast hall; their dark blue skins seemed a shade lighter than usual in the glow that suffused the place, while their round eyes glared from their domed heads. Those eyes, emotionless though they were, yet seemed to harbor an intense, alien quality that was somehow disturbing. The merciless, distant chill of fathomless space -- the flickering blue fires of latent menace -- such were the closest things to human emotions that Taggart could sense in the eyes of the Zarr.

? ? ? ?塔加特瞥了一眼他的九個同伴，注意到他們在這座峽谷中的巨大建筑中顯得多么渺小。就連兩個扎里亞人，身高八英尺甚至更高的巨大雙胞胎巨人，也像是這座巨大大廳地板上的螞蟻；他們深藍色的皮膚在彌漫著整個地方的光芒中似乎比平時淺了一點，而他們圓滾滾的眼睛從他們圓頂?shù)念^上發(fā)出耀眼的光芒。那雙眼睛雖然沒有感情，但卻似乎隱藏著一種強烈的、令人不安的異域氣質。無垠空間的無情、遙遠的寒意——潛在威脅的閃爍的藍色火焰——這些都是塔格特在Zarr眼中所能感受到的最接近人類情感的東西。

2.It loomed eight feet in height and was roughly humanoid in shape, but its skin-tone was a deep, unearthly blue. Its chest was massive and its powerful arms terminated in thick, four-fingered hands; its stocky, unjointed legs, short in proportion to its massive torso, ended in broad pads rather than feet. A dozen slit-like mouths were arranged ladder-like up the central ridge of its high, domed head, while its two round eyes glowed down as with an inner luminosity.?

它高八英尺，大致是人形，但它的膚色是深沉的、超凡脫俗的藍色。它的胸部很大，有力的手臂末端是粗壯的四指手；它粗壯、沒有關節(jié)的腿，與其龐大的軀干成比例，腿短，末端是寬墊而不是腳。十幾個狹縫狀的嘴巴像梯子一樣排列在它高高的圓頂腦袋的中央脊上，而它的兩只圓眼睛則像內在的光一樣閃閃發(fā)光。

3.The Zarrians, he knew, often communicated telepathically, but more usually in ringing verbal tones like the soundings of great iron bells; at any rate, they considered themselves too vastly superior to the human race to be able to take offence at the random thoughts of one of its members -- a specimen they themselves had picked,?

據(jù)他所知，扎里亞人經(jīng)常通過心靈感應進行交流，但更多的時候是用響亮的言語語調，比如巨大的鐵鈴聲；無論如何，他們認為自己比人類優(yōu)越得多，無法對其中一個成員的隨意想法感到憤怒——這是他們自己挑選的一個樣本，

4.? ? ?It seemed miraculous to Taggart that he had been one of the two humans chosen by the Zarr to represent his own kind. The fact that all the representatives of every race had been male (where sexuality was a factor) was less miraculous. Taggart knew that the Zarr, during their two million years of recorded history, had reduced the females of their originally bisexual species to mere gastroid organisms kept alive in their laboratories by artificial means, to be used as necessary to keep the race in existence. Since each Zarrian had a life-span of nearly two thousand years, and could command a great number of artificial metal subordinates, biological reproduction was at a minimum, and the population of living entities governing an entire galactic empire was only slightly larger than the human population of Earth. Moreover, variation of personal characteristics was at a minimum among members of the Zarrian race, so that it was hard for Taggart to distinguish individuals; this undoubtedly made for great efficiency in the attainment of the unquestioned Zarrian goals -- conquest, and the never-ending expansion of the empire of the Zarr throughout limitless space. Evidently all softer impulses -- if any such had ever existed in the Zarrian race -- had long ago been subordinated to the desire for universal dominion and the expansion of their power. . . .

? ? ? ?塔格特覺得自己是Zarr選來代表自己同類的兩個人之一，這似乎是奇跡。事實上，每個種族的代表都是男性（其中性是一個因素），這就不那么神奇了。塔加特知道，在有記錄的200萬年歷史中，Zarr已經(jīng)將原本雙性戀物種的雌性變成了在實驗室里通過人工手段保持生存的腹足類生物，以便在必要時用來維持種族的存在。由于每個扎里亞人的壽命接近兩千年，并且可以指揮大量的人造金屬下屬，因此生物繁殖是最低限度的，而統(tǒng)治整個銀河帝國的生物實體的數(shù)量僅略大于地球上的人類數(shù)量。此外，扎里亞種族成員的個人特征差異最小，因此塔加特很難區(qū)分個人；這無疑有助于實現(xiàn)毋庸置疑的Zarrian目標——征服，以及Zarr帝國在無限空間內的無限擴張。顯然，所有溫和的沖動——如果扎里亞種族曾經(jīng)有過這種沖動的話——早就屈從于對普遍統(tǒng)治和權力擴張的渴望。

（Zarrian的雌性個體已經(jīng)被改造成了一種腹足類生物，Zarrian的雌性個體被放置于實驗室中，通過人工手段維持生存，其存在的目的是為了繁殖后代，平時參與各種活動的Zarrian個體均為雄性。每個Zarrian的壽命接近兩千年。Zarrian的個體的差異很小。）

5.? ? ?Then, through the haze of dust and smoke, vague shapes came striding -- shapes like giant, hooded executioners with lurid eyes and high, bullet-like heads -- shapes too towering and massive to be the shapes of men. Judy saw them advance, their hands gripping strange weapons that spat shafts of glaring brilliance, their belt-clasps glowing with an inner radiance. They swarmed into the hall, the smoke swirling about them -- and then, suddenly, the screen went blank.

? ? ? ?然后，在塵土和煙霧的迷霧中，模糊的身影大步走來——像巨大的、蒙著兜帽的劊子手，有著可怕的眼睛和高高的、子彈般的腦袋——這些身影太高大、太龐大，不像人類。朱蒂看到他們前進，他們的手握著奇怪的武器，武器射出耀眼的光芒，他們的皮帶扣閃耀著內在的光芒。他們涌入大廳，濃煙在他們周圍盤旋——然后，突然，屏幕變黑了。

【Zarrian提出的關于地球的要求】

? ? ? ?We request nothing -- we state our intentions. The glowing blue disc held on Taggart's brow by a band of woven metal strands—a device of Zarrian manufacture—enabled the man to catch the alien being's every projected thought. Our desires are moderate and rational: when you know them, you will not oppose us. We desire only the land surface of a tiny planet near the fringe of your galaxy.

? ? ? ?我們不要求任何東西——我們陳述我們的意圖。塔格特額頭上的藍色圓盤由扎里安制造的一條編織金屬繩綁在一起，使他能夠捕捉到外星人的每一個想法。我們的欲望是溫和和理性的：當你知道它們時，你不會反對我們。

【Galactic對Zarrian的關于地球的要求的回復】

? ? ? ?THE PLANET IS INHABITED BY A RACE ON THE VERGE OF INTELLIGENCE, said the Galactic. THAT RACE MUST DIE OUT NATURALLY OR ANNIHILATE ITSELF IN WARS OF ITS OWN MAKING BEFORE ANOTHER POWER MAY LAY CLAIM TO ITS WORLD.

? ? ? ?Galactic表示，這顆行星被一個智力極限的種族所占據(jù)。在另一個大國對其世界提出要求之前，該種族必須自然消亡或在自己制造的戰(zhàn)爭中消滅自己。

【Zarrian的相關內容】

? ? ? ?The great being strode forward, gripped the girl's trembling shoulders and peered down into her eyes. Alien tendrils of thought seemed to probe her mind. She opened her mouth and tried to scream but, as in a nightmare, no sound came forth. . . .

? ? ? ?Then, unaccountably, her fear vanished and gave place to sheer awe. For a moment her mind held the vision of a universe vast beyond anything she had ever tried to imagine. She seemed in that instant to comprehend thoughts of super-human power and complexity. The envisioning of light-years of space and whirling galaxies comprised of billions of suns and planets seemed childishly simple; the chemistry of life itself was a clear, visible fact that was casually observed and taken for granted. . . .

? ? ? ?偉人大步走上前，抓住女孩顫抖的肩膀，凝視著她的眼睛。外星人的思想卷須似乎在探索她的思想。她張開嘴想尖叫，但像在噩夢中一樣，發(fā)不出任何聲音。. . .

? ? ? ?然后，莫名其妙地，她的恐懼消失了，取而代之的是純粹的敬畏。有那么一刻，她的腦海里浮現(xiàn)出一個超乎她曾經(jīng)想像過的廣闊宇宙的景象。她似乎在那一瞬間領悟了超人的力量和復雜的想法。設想光年的空間和由數(shù)十億個太陽和行星組成的旋轉星系似乎幼稚地簡單；生命本身的化學反應是一個清晰可見的事實，可以隨意觀察并認為是理所當然的。. . .

【不知名的球形種族】

【不知名的球形種族的實力】

? ? ? ?AS DOES YOURS, said the Galactic, EVEN THOUGH YOU THRIVE IN WATER, ALSO. WE KNOW YOUR HISTORY -- A GALACTIC REVOLUTION AGO WE AND THE GREAT RACE HAD TO DRIVE YOU FROM THAT WORLD BECAUSE YOU WOULD NOT LIMIT YOUR CONQUESTS. WE KNOW, TOO, THAT YOU STILL MAINTAIN POPULOUS OUTPOSTS ON THE OCEAN-BOTTOMS OF THE GLOBE IN QUESTION, AS WELL AS ON THE FORTH PLANET OF THE SAME SOLAR SYSTEM. YOU MUST ABANDON THOSE OUTPOSTS.

? ? ? ?Galactic說，你也是，即使你也在水里游泳。我們知道你們的歷史——在銀河系革命之前，我們和偉大的種族不得不將你們趕出那個世界，因為你們不會限制你們的征服。我們也知道，你們仍然在全球海洋地帶以及同一太陽系的第四行星上保持著人口密集的前哨基地。你必須放棄那些前哨。

【不知名的球形種族的生理特征】

? ? ? ?A second creature scuttled forward to join the Zarrian, and Taggart could not repress a shudder at the sight of it in motion, often as he had seen it before. It was a dark, brown sphere roughly four feet in diameter with two black, bulging, expressionless eyes; it writhed across the floor on a mass of slender, whiplike tentacles, making Taggart think simultaneously of an octopus and a rubber spider.

? ? ? ?第二個生物沖向Zarrian，塔格特看到它在運動時忍不住打了一個寒顫，就像他以前看到的那樣。這是一個深棕色的球體，直徑約四英尺，有兩只黑色的、凸起的、面無表情的眼睛；它在一大堆細長的鞭狀觸須上在地板上扭動，讓塔格特同時想到了章魚和橡膠蜘蛛。

【不知名的球形種族提出的關于地球的要求】

? ? ? ?A second creature scuttled forward to join the Zarrian, and Taggart could not repress a shudder at the sight of it in motion, often as he had seen it before. It was a dark, brown sphere roughly four feet in diameter with two black, bulging, expressionless eyes; it writhed across the floor on a mass of slender, whiplike tentacles, making Taggart think simultaneously of an octopus and a rubber spider.

? ? ? ?What of the watery portions of the planet, then? it demanded in powerful thought-tones. The race you speak of breathes air.

? ? ? ?第二個生物沖向Zarrian，塔格特看到它在運動時忍不住打了一個寒顫，就像他以前看到的那樣。這是一個深棕色的球體，直徑約四英尺，有兩只黑色的、凸起的、面無表情的眼睛；它在一大堆細長的鞭狀觸須上在地板上扭動，讓塔格特同時想到了章魚和橡膠蜘蛛。

? ? ? ?那么，地球上有水的部分呢？它以強烈的思想語調要求。你所說的種族呼吸空氣。

【Galactic對不知名的球形種族的關于地球的要求的回復】

? ? ? ?AS DOES YOURS, said the Galactic, EVEN THOUGH YOU THRIVE IN WATER, ALSO. WE KNOW YOUR HISTORY -- A GALACTIC REVOLUTION AGO WE AND THE GREAT RACE HAD TO DRIVE YOU FROM THAT WORLD BECAUSE YOU WOULD NOT LIMIT YOUR CONQUESTS. WE KNOW, TOO, THAT YOU STILL MAINTAIN POPULOUS OUTPOSTS ON THE OCEAN-BOTTOMS OF THE GLOBE IN QUESTION, AS WELL AS ON THE FORTH PLANET OF THE SAME SOLAR SYSTEM. YOU MUST ABANDON THOSE OUTPOSTS.

? ? ? ?Galactic說，你也是，即使你也在水里游泳。我們知道你們的歷史——在銀河系革命之前，我們和偉大的種族不得不將你們趕出那個世界，因為你們不會限制你們的征服。我們也知道，你們仍然在全球海洋地帶以及同一太陽系的第四行星上保持著人口密集的前哨基地。你必須放棄那些前哨。