經典科幻文學:《生命 宇宙及一切》第16章1

The Campaign for Real Time, which I will tell you about later. I noticed that five pieces of jetsam which had in relatively recent times plopped back into existence seemed to correspond to the five pieces of the missing Key. Only two I could trace exactly the Wooden Pillar, which appeared on your planet, and the Silver Bail. It seems to be at some sort of pArty. We must go there to retrieve it before the Krikkit robots find it, or who knows what may hap?
No, said Ford firmly. We must go to the party in order to drink a lot and dance with girls.
But haven’t you understood everything I?…
Yes, said Ford, with a sudden and unexpected fierceness, I’ve understood it all perfectly well. That’s why I want to have as many drinks and dance with as many girls as possible while there are still any left. If everything you’ve shown us is true…
True? Of course it’s true.
–…then we don’t stand a whelk’s chance in a supernova.
A what? said Arthur sharply again. He had been following the conversation doggedly up to this point, and was keen not to lose the thread now.
A whelk’s chance in a supernova, repeated Ford without losing momentum. The…
What’s a whelk got to do with a supernova? said Arthur.
It doesn’t, said Ford levelly, stand a chance in one.
He paused to see if the matter was now cleared up. The freshly puzzled looks clambering across Arthur’s face told him that it wasn’t.
A supernova, said Ford as quickly and as clearly as he could, is a star which explodes at almost half the speed of light and burns with the brightness of a billion suns and then collapses as a super-heavy neutron star. It’s a star which burns up other stars, got it? Nothing stands a chance in a supernova.
I see, said Arthur.
The…
So why a whelk particularly?
Why not a whelk? Doesn’t matter.
Arthur accepted this, and Ford continued, picking up his early fierce momentum as best he could.
The point is, he said, that people like you and me, Slartibartfast, and Arthur particularly and especially Arthur are just dilletantes, eccentrics, layabouts, fartarounds if you like.
Slartibartfast frowned, partly in puzzlement and partly in umbrage. He started to speak.
–… is as far as he got.
We’re not obsessed by anything, you see, insisted Ford.
–…

“真實時間運動。我馬上告訴你。我在那兒注意到，有五片離我們比較近的投棄物，似乎與鑰匙的五個部分對得上號。我只能追蹤到其中兩個——木柱——出現在你的星球上，以及銀橫木，似乎在某個派對上。咱們得把它拿回來，趕在版求機器人之前。不然，誰知道會發生什麼？”
“不。”福特堅決地說，“我們必須去參加派對，目的是大醉一場並和女孩們跳舞。”
“你還不明白嗎？我……”
“是是，”福特突然很強硬地說道，“我明白得很。這正是爲什麼我要喝盡量多的酒，和儘量多的女孩跳舞，趁他們還有剩。如果你給我倆看的東西是真的的話……”
“真的？當然是真的。”
“那我們就連超新星上一個娥螺的成功機會都沒有。”
“一個什麼？”阿瑟插嘴問道，他一直頑強地努力理解那兩人的對話，他不能讓思路斷在這兒。
“超新星上一個娥螺的機會。”福特重複了一遍，保持着強硬有力的語氣。“那個……“
“一個娥螺和超新星有什麼關係？”阿瑟問。
“一點都沒。”福特冷冷地說，“沒有機會產生關係。”
他停了停，看看自己說清楚沒。可惜，阿瑟臉上懵懂迷惑的申請告訴他，他沒說清楚。
“超新星，”福特盡最大努力說得又快又清晰，“是一種恆星，以幾近光速一半的速度爆炸，以十億個太陽的亮度燃燒，然後以超重中子星的形式坍縮。它是會燒掉其他星星的星，明白？超新星上什麼都沒機會。”
“懂了。”阿瑟說。
“那個……”
“那爲什麼是娥螺呢？”
“爲什麼不能是娥螺？這不重要。”
阿瑟接受了這一說法。福特於是繼續，盡力拿出剛纔那樣強硬的語氣。
“重點是，”他說，“像你、我、阿瑟——特別是阿瑟——這樣的人，只是半吊子，怪人，二流子，蠢貨——如果你願意這麼說的話。”
司拉提巴特法斯皺起眉頭，一半因爲迷惑，一半因爲不悅。他想說點什麼。
“……”他只能說出這個來。
“我們不爲任何東西着魔。懂嗎。”福特振振有辭。
“……”