deathworld-第33节

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If　you　do；　you　will　be　shot　instantly。　If　we　were　alone；　any　one　of　you　could　undoubtedly　reach　me　before　I　threw　this　switch。　But　we're　not。　You　have　Pyrran　reflexes　and　muscles…but　so　do　the　bowmen。　Don't　gamble。　Because　it　won't　be　a　gamble。　It　will　be　suicide。　I'm　telling　you　this　for　your　own　protection。　So　we　can　talk　peacefully　without　one　of　you　losing　his　temper　and　suddenly　getting　shot。　There　is　no　way　out　of　this。　You　are　going　to　be　forced　to　listen；　to　everything　I　say。　You　can't　escape　or　kill　me。　The　war　is　over。〃
　 〃And　we　lost…and　all　because　of　you；　you　traitor！〃　Meta　snarled。
　 'Wrong　on　both　counts；〃　Jason　said　blandly。　〃I'm　not　a　traitor　because　I　owe　my　allegiance　to　all　men　on　this　planet；　both　inside　the　perimeter　and　out。　I　never　pretended　differently。　As　to　losing；　why　you　haven't　lost　anything。　In　fact　you've　won。　Won　your　war　against　this　planet；　if　you　will　only　hear　me　out。〃　He　turned　to　Plies；　who　was　frowning　in　angry　puzzlement。　〃Of　course　your　people　have　won　also；　Plies。　No　more　war　with　the　city；　you'll　get　medicine；　off…planet　contact；　everything　you　want。〃
　 〃Pardon　me　for　being　cynical；〃　Plies　said。　〃But　you're　promising　the　best　of　all　possible　worlds　for　everyone。　That　will　be　a　little　hard　to　deliver　when　our　interests　are　opposed　so。〃
　 〃You　strike　through　to　the　heart　of　the　matter；〃　Jason　said。　〃Thank　you。　This　mess　will　be　settled　by　seeing　that　everyone's　interests　are　not　opposed。　Peace　between　the　city　and　farms；　with　an　end　to　the　useless　war　you　have　been　fighting。　Peace　between　mankind　and　the　Pyrran
　life　forms…because　that　particular　war　is　at　the　bottom　of　all　your　troubles。〃
　 〃The　man's　mad；〃　Kerk　said。
　 〃Perhaps。　You'll　judge　that　after　you　hear　me　out。　I'm　going　to　tell　you　the　history　of　this　planet；　because　that　is　where　both　the　trouble　and　the　solution　lie。
　 'When　the　settlers　landed　on　Pyrrus　three　hundred　years　ago；　they　missed　the　one　important　thing　about　this　planet；　the　factor　that　makes
　 it　different　from　any　other　planet　in　the　galaxy。　They　can't　be　blamed　for　the　oversight；　they　had　enough　other　things　to　worry　about。　The
　gravity　was　about　the　only　thing　familiar　to　them；　the　rest　of　the　environment　was　a　shocking　change　from　the　climate…controlled　industrial　world　they　had　left。　Storms；　vulcanism；　floods；　earthquakes…　it　was　enough　to　drive　them　insane；　and　I'm　sure　many　of　them　did　go　mad。　The　animal　and　insect　life　was　a　constant　annoyance；　nothing　at　all　like　the　few　harmless　and　protected　species　they　had　known。　I'm　sure　they　never　realized　that　the　Pyrran　life　was　telepathic　as　well…〃
　 〃That　again！〃　Brucco　snapped。　〃True　or　not；　it　is　of　no　importance。　I　was　tempted　to　agree　with　your　theory　of　psionic　controlled　attack　on　us；　but　the　deadly　fiasco　you　staged　proved　that　theory　wrong。〃
　 〃I　agree；〃　Jason　answered。　〃I　was　pletely　mistaken　when　I　thought　some　outside　agency　directed　the　attack　on　the　city　with　psionic　control。　It　seemed　a　logical　theory　at　the　time　and　the　evidence　pointed　that　way。　The　expedition　to　the　island　was　a　deadly　fiasco…only　don't　forget　that　attack　was　the　direct　opposite　of　what　I　wanted　to　have　done。　If　I　had　gone　into　the　cave　myself；　none　of　the　deaths　would　have　been　necessary。　I　think　it　would　have　been　discovered　that　the　plant　creatures　were　nothing　more　than　an　advanced　life　form　with　unusual　psi　ability。　They　simply　resonated　strongly　to　the　psionic　attack　on　the　city。　I　had　the　idea　backward　thinking　they　instigated　the　battle。　We'll　never　know　the　truth；　though；　because　they　are　destroyed。　But　their　deaths　did　do　one　thing。　Showed　us　where　to　find　the　real　culprits；　the　creatures　who　are　leading；　directing　and　inspiring　the　war　against　the　city。〃
　〃Who？〃　Kerk　breathed　the　question；　rather　than　spoke　it。
　 〃Why；　you　of　course；〃　Jason　told　him。　〃Not　you　alone；　but　all　of　your　people　in　the　city。　Perhaps　you　don't　like　this　war。　However；　you　are　responsible　for　it　and　keep　it　going。〃
　 Jason　had　to　force　back　a　smile　as　he　looked　at　their　dumbfounded　expressions。　He　also　had　to　prove　his　point　quickly；　before　even　his　allies　began　to　think　him　insane。
　 〃Here　is　how　it　works。　I　said　Pyrran　life　was　telepathic…and　I　meant　all　life。　Every　single　insect；　plant　and　animal。　At　one　time　in　this　plan。
　ct's　violent　history；　these　psionic　mutations　proved　to　be　survival　types。　They　existed　when　other　species　died；　and　in　the　end　I'm　sure　they　cooperated　in　wiping　out　the　last　survivors　of　the　non…psi　strains。　Cooperation　is　the　ke~r　word　here。　Because　while　they　still　peted　against　each　other　under　normal　conditions；　they　worked　together　against　anything　that　threatened　them　as　a　whole。　When　a　natural　upheaval　or　a　tidal　wave　threatened　them；　they　fled　from　it　in　harmony。　You　can　see　a　milder　form　of　this　same　behavior　on　any　planet　that　is　subject　to　forest　fires。　But　here；　mutual　survival　was　carried　to　an　extreme　because　of　the　violent　conditions。　Perhaps　some　of　the　life　forms　even　developed　precognition　like　the　human　quakemen。　With　this　advance　warning；　the　larger　beasts　fled。　The　smaller　ones　developed　seeds；　or　burrs　or　eggs；　that　could　be　carried　to　safety　by　the　wind　or　in　the　animals'　fur；　thus　insuring　racial　survival。　I　know　this　is　true　because　I　watched　it　myself　when　we　were　escaping　a　quake。〃
　 〃Admitted…all　your　points　admitted；〃　Brucco　shouted。　〃But　what　does　it　have　to　do　with　us？　So　all　the　animals　run　away　together；　what　does　that　have　to　do　with　the　war？〃
　 〃They　do　more　than　run　away　together；〃　Jason　told　him。　〃They　work　together　against　any　natural　disaster　that　threatens　them　all。　Some　day；　I'm　sure；　ecologists　will　go　into　raptures　over　the　plex　adjustments　that　occur　here　in　the　advent　of　blizzards；　floods；　fires　and　other　disasters。　There　is　only　one　reaction　we　really　care　about　now；　though。　That's　the　one　directed　toward　the　city　people。　Don't　you　realize　yet…　they　treat　you　all　as　another　natural　disaster！
　 〃We'll　never　know　exactly　how　it　came　about；　though　there　is　a　clue　in　that　diary　I　found；　dating　from　the　first　days　on　this　planet。　It　said　that　a　forest　fire　seemed　to　have　driven　new　species　toward　the　settlers。　Those　weren't　new　beasts　at　all…just　old　ones　with　new　attitudes。　Can't　you　just　imagine　how　those　protected；　overcivilized　settlers　acted　when　faced　with　a　forest　fire？　They　panicked；　of　course。　If　the　settlers　were　in　the　path　of　the　fire；　the　animals　must　have　rushed　right　through　their　camp。　Their　reaction　would　undoubtedly　have　been　to　shoot　the　fleeing　creatures　down。
　 〃When　they　did　that；　they　classified　themselves　as　a　natural　disaster。　Disasters　take　any　form。　Bipeds　with　guns　could　easily　be　included　in　the　category。　The　Pyrran　animals　attacked；　were　shot；　and　the　war　began。　The　survivors　kept　attacking　and　informed　all　the　life　forms　what　the　fight　was　about。　The　radioactivity　of　this　planet　must　cause　plenty　of　mutations…and　the　favorable；　survival　mutation　was　now　one　that　was　deadly　to　man。　I'll　hazard　a　guess　that　the　psi　function　even
　instigates　mutations；　some　of　the　deadlier　types　are　just　too　onesidec　to　have　e　about　naturally　in　a　brief　three　hundred　years。
　 〃The　settlers　of　course　fought　back；　and　kept　their　status　as　a　natura　disaster　intact。　Through　the　centuries；　they　improved　their　killing　meth　ods；　not　that　it　did　the　slightest　good；　as　you　know。　You　city　people　their　descendants；　are　heirs　to　this　heritage　of　hatred。　You　fight　anc　are　slowly　being　defeated。　How　can　you　possibly　win　against　the　bio　logic　reserves　of　a　planet　that　can　recreate　itself　each　time　to　meet　an~　new　attack？〃
　 Silence　followed　Jason's　words。　Kerk　and　Meta　stood　white…faced　a　the　impact　of　the　disclosure　sunk　in。　Brucco　mumbled　and　checkec　points　off　on　his　fingers；　searching　for　weak　spots　in　the　chain　o：
　reason。　The　fourth　city　Pyrran；　Skop；　ignored　all　these　foolish　word　that　he　couldn't　understand…or　want　to　understand…and　would　hav~　killed　Jason　in　an　instant　if　there　had　been　the　slightest　chance　oJ　success。
　 It　was　Plies　who　broke　the　silence。　His　quick　mind　had　taken　in　th　factors　and　sorted　them　out。　〃There's　one　thing　wrong；〃　he　said。　〃Wha　about　us？　We　live　on　the　surface　of　Pyrrus　without　perimeters　or　guns　Why　aren't　we　attacked　as　well？　We're　human；　descended　from　thi　same　people　as　the　junkmen。〃
　 〃You're　not　attacked；〃　Jason　told　him；　〃because　you　don't　idenflf　yourself　as　a　natural　disaster。　Animals　can　live　on　the　slopes　of　a　dor　mant　volcano；　fighting　and　dying　in　natural　petition。　But　they'I　flee　together　when　the　volcano　erupts。　That　eruption　is　what　make　the　mountain　a　natural　disaster。　In　the　case　of　human　beings；　it　is　thei　thoughts　that　identify　them'as　life　form　or　disaster。　Mountain　or　vo＇　cano。　In　the　city　everyone　radiates　suspicion　and　death。　They　enjo：
　killing；　thinking　about　killing；　and　planning　for　killing。　This　is　natura　selection　too；　you　realize。　These　are　the　survival　traits　that　work　bes　in　the　city。　Outside　the　city；　men　think　differently。　If　they　are　threai　ened　individually；　they　fight；　as　will　any　other　creature。　Under　mor　general　survival　threats；　they　cooperate　pletely　with　the　rules　fo　universal　survival　that　the　city　people　break。〃
　 〃How　did　it　begin…this　separation；　I　mea