uplift4.brightnessreef-第52节

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one　who　had　been　handed　truth　on　a　silver　platter…the　way　it　was　given　to　nearly　every　sapient　race　in　the　Five　Galaxies。
　　Earthlings　had　to　figure　it　all　out　for　themselves。　Slowly；　agonizingly；　humans　learned　how　the　universe　worked；　abandoning　most　of　the　fanciful　beliefs　they　carried　through　their　Iong；　dark　loneliness。　This　included　belief　in…
　　…the　divine　right　of　egotistical　kings；
　　…the　mental　incapacity　of　women；
　　…the　idea　that　a　wise　state　knows　all；
　　…the　idea　that　the　individual　is　always　right；
　　…the　sick…sweet　addiction　that　transforms　a　doctrine　from　a　mere　model　of　the　world　into　something　sacred；　worth　killing　for。
　　These　and　many　other　wild　concepts　eventually　joined　pixies　and　ufos　in　the　trunk　where　humans　finally　put　away　such　childish　things。　A　very　large　trunk。
　　Even　so；　the　newly　contacted　Galactics　saw　Earthlings　as　superstitious　primitives；　as　wolflings；　prone　to　weird　enthusiasms　and　peculiar；　unprovable　convictions。
　　How　ironic；　then；　is　the　role　reversal　that　we　see　on　Jijo；　where　Earthlings　found　the　other　five　far　regressed　down　a　road　humans　had　traveled　before；　wallowing　in　a　myriad　of　fables；　fantasies；　grudges；　and　vividly　absurd　notions。　To　this　maelstrom　of　superstition；　settlers　fresh　off　the　Tabernacle　contributed　more　than　paper　books。　They　also　brought　tools　of　logic　and　verification…the　very　things　Earthlings　had　to　fight　hardest　to　learn；　back　home。
　　Moreover；　with　their　own　history　in　mind；　Earthlings　became　voracious　collectors　of　folklore；　fanning　out　among　the　other　five　to　copy　down　every　tale；　every　belief；　even　those　they　demonstrated　to　be　false。
　　Out　of　their　wolfling　past　came　this　strange　mixture…reasoning　skepticism；　plus　a　deep　appreciation　of　the　peculiar；　the　bizarre；　the　extravagantly　vivid。
　　Amid　the　darkness；　humans　know　that　it　is　all　too　easy　to　lose　your　way；　if　you　forget　how　to　tell　what　is　true。　But　it　is　just　as　urgent　never　to　let　go　of　the　capacity　to　dream；　to　weave　the　illusions　that　help　us　all　make　it　through　this　dark；　dark　night。
　　…from　The　Art　of　Exile；
　　by　Auph…hu…Phwuhbhu
　　　
　　Asx
　　THE　TINY　ROBOT　WAS　A　WONDER　TO　BEHOLD。　NO　larger　than　a　g'Kek's　eyeball；　it　lay　pinned　down　to　the　ground　by　a　horde　of　attacking　privacy　wasps；　covered　by　their　crowded　fluttering　wings。
　　Lester　was　the　first　sage　to　ment；　after　the　initial　surprise。
　　〃Well；　now　we　know　why　they're　called　privacy　wasps。　Did　you　see　the　way　they　swarmed　over　that　thing？　Otherwise；　we'd　never　have　known　it　was　there。〃
　　〃A　device　for　spying；〃　surmised　Knife…Bright　Insight；　tipping　her　carapace　to　get　a　closer　look　at　the　machine。　〃Minuscule　and　mobile；　sent　to　listen　in　on　our　council。　We　would　have　been　helpless；　all　our　plans　revealed；　if　not　for　the　wasps。〃
　　Phwhoon…dau　concurred　with　a　deep　umble。
　　〃Hr…rm。。。。　We　are　used　to　seeing　the　insects　as　minor　irritants；　their　presence　required　by　tradition　for　certain　ceremonies。　But　the　Buyur　must　have　designed　the　wasps　for　just　such　a　purpose。　To　patrol　their　cities　and　homes；　thwarting　would…be　eavesdroppers。〃
　　〃Using　a　（specifically）　designed　life…form　to　deal　with　the　（annoying）　threat…indeed；　that　would　have　been　the　Buyur　way；〃　added　Ur…Jah。
　　Lester　leaned　close　to　peer　at　the　wasps；　whose　wings　rippled　in　front　of　the　robot's　tiny　eyes；　beating　a　maze　of　colors　that　reminded　me/us　of　rewq。
　　〃I　wonder　what　the　wasps　are　showing　it；〃　murmured　our　human　sage。
　　Then　Vubben　spoke　for　the　first　time　since　the　wasps　attacked　the　intruder。
　　〃Probably　exactly　what　it　wants　to　see；〃　he　suggested　confidently。
　　Do　you　recall；　my　rings；　how　we　all　nodded；　sighed；　or　umbled　respectful　agreement？　Vubben　spoke　the　words　so　well；　in　such　tones　of　wise　credibility。　Only　later　did　it　occur　to　we/us　to　ask　ourselves…
　　What？
　　What　in　the　world　could　he　possibly　mean　by　that？
　　
　　Lark
　　DURING　TWO　THOUSAND　YEARS　OF　ILLICIT　SETTLEMENT；　Lark　was　hardly　the　first　member　of　the　Six　to　fly。　He　wasn't　even　the　first　human。
　　Soon　after　the　sneakship　Tabernacle　sank　forever　into　the　Midden's　sucking　embrace；　men　and　women　used　to　soar　like　kites；　riding　steady　offshore　winds　from　the　blue　ocean　all　the　way　to　the　white　peaks　of　the　Rimmer　Range。　Back　in　those　days；　lacy　airfoils　used　to　catch　sky…currents；　lofting　brave　pilots　to　survey　their　new　world　from　above。
　　The　last　silky　glider　now　lay　under　glass　in　a　Biblos　museum；　a　wonder　to　behold；　made　of　the　mystical　materials　monomolecular　carbon　and　woven　stress　polymer；　which　the　brightest　wizards　of　the　Chemists'　Guild　could　not　reproduce　today；　even　if　the　sages　allowed　it。　Time　and　mishaps　eventually　smashed　all　the　others；　leaving　later　human　generations　to　walk　the　heavy　ground　like　everybody　else；　and　erasing　one　more　cause　of　jealousy　among　the　Six…though　lately；　since　the　Great　Peace；　groups　of　ambitious　youths　had　resumed　a　crude　version　of　the　pastime；　occasionally　risking　their　lives　on　spindly　frames　of　hollow　boo；　covered　with　hand…woven　sheets　of　wic…cotton。　Or　else　urrish　middlings　rode　bulging　balloons；　wafting　upward　on　puffs　of　torrid　air。　Sometimes　success　caused　a　local　sensation；　but　none　of　the　efforts　had　much　lasting　effect。　Available　materials　were　too　heavy；　weak；　or　porous。　The　wind　was　much　too　strong。
　　Some；　with　ardent　piety；　claimed　this　was　a　good　thing。　The　sky　was　not　where　redemption　would　be　found。　Nor　in　clinging　to　vanities　of　the　past。　Lark　normally　agreed　with　the　orthodox　view；　but　in　this　case；　he　mused…
　　Such　a　modest　dream。　To　waft　a　few　leagues　through　the　lower　air。　Is　that　so　much　to　ask；　when　once　we　had　the　stars？
　　He　was　never　one　to　waste　time　on　idle　fancies；　though。　Certainly　Lark　never　expected　personally　to　spy　down　on　Jijo's　mountains　from　a　great　height。
　　But　look　at　me　now！
　　Ling　had　clearly　enjoyed　watching　his　expression；　when　she　told　him　of　today's　plan。
　　〃We'll　be　gone　most　of　the　day；　to　pick　up　some　specimens　our　robots　have　snared。　Later；　as　the　drones　roam　farther　afield；　we'll　go　for　trips　of　several　days　at　a　time。〃
　　Lark　had　stared　at　the　alien　flying　machine；　a　slender　arrow　with　stubby　wings　that　unfolded　after　it　exited　a　narrow　tunnel　from　the　buried　research　station。　The　hatch　gaped　like　a　pair　of　hungry　jaws。
　　How　like　Ling　to　spring　this　on　him　without　warning！
　　While　Besh　loaded　supplies；　the　big　blond　man；　Kunn；　shouted；　〃e　on；　Ling！　We're　running　late。　Coax　your　pet　aboard　or　get　another。〃
　　Lark　set　his　jaw；　determined　to　show　no　emotion　as　he　followed　her　up　a　ramp。　He　expected　a　cave…like　interior；　but　it　turned　out　to　be　more　brightly　lit　than　any　enclosed　space　he'd　ever　seen。　There　was　no　need　to　let　his　eyes　adapt。
　　Not　wanting　to　gawk　like　a　yokel；　he　aimed　for　a　padded　seat　next　to　a　window　and　dropped　his　pack　nearby。　Lark　sat　down　gingerly；　finding　the　voluptuous　softness　neither　fortable　nor　forting。　It　felt　as　if　he　had　settled　onto　the　lap　of　something　fleshy　and　perhaps　queerly　amorous。　Moments　later；　Ling　added　to　his　unease　by　strapping　a　belt　across　his　waist。　The　hissing　closure　of　the　metal　hatch　made　his　ears　feel　funny；　increasing　his　disorientation。　The　moment　the　engines　came　on；　Lark　felt　a　strange　tickling　at　the　base　of　his　neck；　as　if　a　small　animal　were　breathing　on　the　hairs　back　there。　He　could　not　help　lifting　a　hand　to　brush　away　at　the　imaginary　creature。
　　Takeoff　was　surprisingly　gentle；　a　wafting　motion；　rising　and　turning；　then　the　sky…boat　swept　away　so　quickly　that　he　had　no　chance　to　survey　the　Glade　and　its　surroundings；　or　to　seek　the　hidden　valley　of　the　Egg。　By　the　time　he　turned　around　to　press　close　against　the　window；　the　continent　was　already　sweeping　underneath　as　they　hurtled　southward；　many　times　faster　than　a　catapulted　stone。　Only　minutes　later；　they　dropped　away　from　the　alpine　hills；　streaking　over　a　wide…open　plain　of　steppe　grass；　which　bowed　and　rippled　like　the　ever…changing　surface　of　a　phosphorescent　sea。　At　one　point；　Lark　spotted　a　drove　of　galloping　stem…chompers；　a　genus　of　native　Jijoan　ungulates；　which　trumpeted　distress　and　reared　away　from　the　airboat's　passing　shadow。　A　band　of　urrish　herders　stretched　their　sinuous　necks　in　expressions　of　curiosity　mixed　with　dread。　Near　the　adults；　a　group　of　early　middlings　gamboled　and　snapped　in　mock　battle；　ignoring　their　elders'　sudden；　dark　focus　on　the　heavens。
　　〃Your　enemies　certainly　are　graceful　creatures；〃　Ling　mented。
　　Lark　turned　and　stared　at　her。　What's　she　going　on　about　now？
　　Ling　must　have　misinterpreted　his　look；　hurrying　as　if　to　placate。　〃Of　course　I　mean　that　in　a　strictly　limited　sense；　the　way　a　horse　or　other　animal　can　be　graceful。〃
　　Lark　pondered　before　answering。　〃Hrm。　It's　too　bad　your　visit　disrupted　Gathering。　We'd　normally　be　having　the　Games　about　now。　That's　when　you'd　see　real　grace　in　action。〃
　　〃'Games？'　Oh；　yes。　Your　version　of　the　fabled　Olympics。　Lots　of　running　and　jumping　around；　I　suppose？〃
　　He　nodded　guardedly。　〃There　are　speed　and　agility　events。　Others　let　our　best　and　bravest　test　their　endurance；　courage；　adaptability。〃
　　〃All　traits　highly　prized　by　those　who　brought　humanity　into　being；