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Deathworld by Harry Harrison, Chapter - I

Chapter - I

DEATHWORLD

BY HARRY HARRISON Some planet in the galaxy must—by definition—be the toughest, meanest, nastiest of all.

If Pyrrus wasn't it ... it was an awfully good approximation! Illustrated by van Dongen Jason dinAlt sprawled in soft luxury on the couch, a large frosty stein held limply in one hand.

His other hand rested casually on a pillow. The gun behind the pillow was within easy reach of his fingers. In his line of work he never took chances. It was all highly suspicious.

Jason didn't know a soul on this planet. Yet the card sent by service tube from the hotel desk had read: Kerk Pyrrus would like to see Jason dinAlt . Blunt and to the point. He signaled the desk to send the man up, then lowered his fingers a bit until they brushed the gun butt. The door slid open and his visitor stepped through. A retired wrestler.

That was Jason's first thought. Kerk Pyrrus was a gray-haired rock of a man. His body seemingly chiseled out of flat slabs of muscle. Then Jason saw the gun strapped to the inside of the other man's forearm, and he let his fingers drop casually behind the pillow. "I'd appreciate it," Jason said, "if you'd take off your gun while you're in here.

The other man stopped and scowled down at the gun as if he was seeing it for the first time. "No, I never take it off.

He seemed mildly annoyed by the suggestion. Jason had his fingers on his own gun when he said, "I'm afraid I'll have to insist.

I always feel a little uncomfortable around people who wear guns." He kept talking to distract attention while he pulled out his gun. Fast and smooth. He could have been moving in slow motion for all the difference it made.

Kerk Pyrrus stood rock still while the gun came out, while it swung in his direction. Not until the very last instant did he act. When he did, the motion wasn't visible. First his gun was in the arm holster—then it was aimed between Jason's eyes. It was an ugly, heavy weapon with a pitted front orifice that showed plenty of use. And Jason knew if he swung his own weapon up a fraction of an inch more he would be dead.

He dropped his arm carefully and Kerk flipped his own gun back in the holster with the same ease he had drawn it. "Now," the stranger said, "if we're through playing, let's get down to business.

I have a proposition for you. Jason downed a large mouthful from the mug and bridled his temper.

He was fast with a gun—his life had depended on it more than once—and this was the first time he had been outdrawn. It was the offhand, unimportant manner it had been done that irritated him. "I'm not prepared to do business," he said acidly.

"I've come to Cassylia for a vacation, get away from work. "Let's not fool each other, dinAlt," Kerk said impatiently.

"You've never worked at an honest job in your entire life. You're a professional gambler and that's why I'm here to see you. Jason forced down his anger and threw the gun to the other end of the couch so he wouldn't be tempted to commit suicide.

He had hoped no one knew him on Cassylia and was looking forward to a big kill at the Casino. He would worry about that later. This weight-lifter type seemed to know all the answers. Let him plot the course for a while and see where it led. "All right, what do you want?

Kerk dropped into a chair that creaked ominously under his weight, and dug an envelope out of one pocket.

He flipped through it quickly and dropped a handful of gleaming Galactic Exchange notes onto the table. Jason glanced at them—then sat up suddenly. "What are they—forgeries?

he asked, holding one up to the light. "They're real enough," Kerk told him, "I picked them up at the bank.

Exactly twenty-seven bills—or twenty-seven million credits. I want you to use them as a bankroll when you go to the Casino tonight. Gamble with them and win. They looked real enough—and they could be checked.

Jason fingered them thoughtfully while he examined the other man. "I don't know what you have in mind," he said.

"But you realize I can't make any guarantees. I gamble—but I don't always win ..." "You gamble—and you win when you want to," Kerk said grimly.

"We looked into that quite carefully before I came to you. "If you mean to say that I cheat—" Carefully, Jason grabbed his temper again and held it down.

There was no future in getting annoyed. Kerk continued in the same level voice, ignoring Jason's growing anger.

"Maybe you don't call it cheating, frankly I don't care. As far as I'm concerned you could have your suit lined with aces and electromagnets in your boots. As long as you won . I'm not here to discuss moral points with you. I said I had a proposition. "We have worked hard for that money—but it still isn't enough.

To be precise, we need three billion credits. The only way to get that sum is by gambling—with these twenty-seven million as bankroll. "And what do I get out of it?

Jason asked the question coolly, as if any bit of the fantastic proposition made sense. "Everything above the three billion you can keep, that should be fair enough.

You're not risking your own money, but you stand to make enough to keep you for life if you win. "And if I lose—?

Kerk thought for a moment, not liking the taste of the idea.

"Yes—there is the chance you might lose, I hadn't thought about that. He reached a decision.

"If you lose—well I suppose that is just a risk we will have to take. Though I think I would kill you then. The ones who died to get the twenty-seven million deserve at least that." He said it quietly, without malice, and it was more of a promise than a threat. Stamping to his feet Jason refilled his stein and offered one to Kerk who took it with a nod of thanks.

He paced back and forth, unable to sit. The whole proposition made him angry—yet at the same time had a fatal fascination. He was a gambler and this talk was like the taste of drugs to an addict. Stopping suddenly, he realized that his mind had been made up for some time.

Win or lose—live or die—how could he say no to the chance to gamble with money like that! He turned suddenly and jabbed his finger at the big man in the chair. "I'll do it—you probably knew I would from the time you came in here.

There are some terms of my own, though. I want to know who you are, and who they are you keep talking about. And where did the money come from. Is it stolen? Kerk drained his own stein and pushed it away from him.

"Stolen money?

No, quite the opposite. Two years' work mining and refining ore to get it. It was mined on Pyrrus and sold here on Cassylia. You can check on that very easily. I sold it. I'm the Pyrric ambassador to this planet." He smiled at the thought. "Not that that means much, I'm ambassador to at least six other planets as well. Comes in handy when you want to do business. Jason looked at the muscular man with his gray hair and worn, military-cut clothes, and decided not to laugh.

You heard of strange things out in the frontier planets and every word could be true. He had never heard of Pyrrus either, though that didn't mean anything. There were over thirty-thousand known planets in the inhabited universe. "I'll check on what you have told me," Jason said.

"If it's true, we can do business. Call me tomorrow—" "No," Kerk said.

"The money has to be won tonight. I've already issued a check for this twenty-seven million, it will bounce as high as the Pleiades unless we deposit the money in the morning, so that's our time limit. With each moment the whole affair became more fantastic—and more intriguing for Jason.

He looked at his watch. There was still enough time to find out if Kerk was lying or not. "All right, we'll do it tonight," he said.

"Only I'll have to have one of those bills to check. Kerk stood up to go.

"Take them all, I won't be seeing you again until after you've won. I'll be at the Casino of course, but don't recognize me. It would be much better if they didn't know where your money was coming from or how much you had. Then he was gone, after a bone-crushing handclasp that closed on Jason's hand like vise jaws.

Jason was alone with the money. Fanning the bills out like a hand of cards he stared at their sepia and gold faces, trying to get the reality through his head. Twenty-seven million credits. What was to stop him from just walking out the door with them and vanishing. Nothing really, except his own sense of honor. Kerk Pyrrus, the man with the same last name as the planet he came from, was the universe's biggest fool.

Or he knew just what he was doing. From the way the interview had gone the latter seemed the better bet. "He knows I would much rather gamble with the money than steal it," he said wryly. Slipping a small gun into his waistband holster and pocketing the money he went out.

Chapter - I Kapitola - I Kapitel I Chapter - I Capítulo I Chapitre - I Capitolo - I 章-私 장 - I Skyrius – I Rozdział - I Capítulo I Глава - я Poglavje - I Bölüm I Розділ - I 第一章 第一章 第一章 第一章

DEATHWORLD الموت SVĚT SMRTI DEATHWORLD LE MONDE DE LA MORT デスワールド DEATHWORLD MUNDO MORTO МИР СМЕРТИ ÖLÜM DÜNYASI 死亡世界

BY HARRY HARRISON بقلم هاري هاريسون OD HARRYHO HARRISONA POR HARRY HARRISON ハリー・ハリソン POR HARRY HARRISON 作者：哈里·哈里森 Some planet in the galaxy must—by definition—be the toughest, meanest, nastiest of all. يجب أن يكون بعض الكواكب في المجرة - بحكم التعريف - هو الأصعب والأكثر خبثًا وشبحًا على الإطلاق. Některá planeta v galaxii musí – podle definice – být nejtvrdší, nejpodlejší a nejodpornější ze všech. Irgendein Planet in der Galaxie muss per Definition der härteste, fieseste, böseste von allen sein. Some planet in the galaxy must—by definition—be the toughest, meanest, nastiest of all. Algún planeta de la galaxia debe, por definición, ser el más duro, malo y desagradable de todos. 銀河系の惑星の中には、定義上、最もタフで、最も卑劣で、最も厄介なものでなければなりません。 Pewna planeta w galaktyce musi - z definicji - być najtrudniejsza, najnormalniejsza, najstraszniejsza ze wszystkich. Algum planeta da galáxia deve - por definição - ser o mais duro, o mais mau, o mais desagradável de todos. Какая-то планета в галактике по определению должна быть самой жесткой, самой злой, самой противной из всех. Galaksideki bazı gezegenler -tanımı gereği- en sert, en kötü ve en iğrenç olmalıdır. 根據定義，銀河系中的某個行星必須是所有行星中最堅韌、最卑鄙、最惡劣的。

If Pyrrus wasn’t it ... it was an awfully good approximation! إذا لم يكن Pyrrus هو ... فقد كان تقريبًا جيدًا بشكل فظيع! Kdyby to nebyl Pyrrus... byla to strašně dobrá aproximace! ピュロスがそうでなかったら...それはひどく良い近似でした！ Jeśli Pyrrus nie był ... to było okropnie dobre przybliżenie! Se não era o Pyrrus... era uma aproximação muito boa! Если бы это был не Пирр... это было ужасно хорошее приближение! Pyrrus olmasaydı... bu çok iyi bir tahmindi! 如果 Pyrrus 不是它……這是一個非常好的近似值！ Illustrated by van Dongen ヴァンドンゲンによるイラスト Иллюстрировано ван Донгеном Jason dinAlt sprawled in soft luxury on the couch, a large frosty stein held limply in one hand. جيسون دين آلت ممدود برفاهية ناعمة على الأريكة ، شتاين كبير متجمد ممسوح بيد واحدة. Jason dinAlt se rozvaloval v měkkém luxusu na pohovce, v jedné ruce bezvládně držel velkou mrazivou kost. Jason dinAlt sprawled in soft luxury on the couch, a large frosty stein held limply in one hand. Jason dinAlt s'étala dans un luxe moelleux sur le canapé, un grand chope givré tenu mollement dans une main. ジェイソン・ディンアルトはソファの上に柔らかな贅沢さで広がり、大きな冷ややかなスタインが片手でしなやかに握られていました。 Jason dinAlt rozłożył się w miękkim luksusie na kanapie, trzymając w jednej ręce duży, mroźny kufel. Джейсон ДинАльт растянулся в мягкой роскоши на кушетке, в одной руке он безвольно держал большую замерзшую кружку.

His other hand rested casually on a pillow. استقرت يده الأخرى على وسادة. 彼のもう一方の手は枕の上で何気なく休んだ。 Другая его рука небрежно лежала на подушке. The gun behind the pillow was within easy reach of his fingers. كان المسدس خلف الوسادة في متناول أصابعه. The gun behind the pillow was within easy reach of his fingers. 枕の後ろの銃は彼の指の手の届くところにありました。 Пистолет, лежащий за подушкой, был в пределах досягаемости его пальцев. In his line of work he never took chances. في مجال عمله لم يخاطر أبدًا. In his line of work he never took chances. Dans son métier, il n'a jamais pris de risques. 彼の仕事の中で、彼は決してチャンスをつかみませんでした。 В своей работе он никогда не рисковал. It was all highly suspicious. كان كل شيء مريب للغاية. Tout cela était très suspect. それはすべて非常に疑わしいものでした。 Все это было очень подозрительно.

Jason didn’t know a soul on this planet. لم يعرف جيسون روحًا على هذا الكوكب. Jason ne connaissait personne sur cette planète. ジェイソンはこの惑星の魂を知りませんでした。 Джейсон не знал ни одной души на этой планете. Yet the card sent by service tube from the hotel desk had read: Kerk Pyrrus would like to see Jason dinAlt . Pourtant, la carte envoyée par tube de service depuis la réception de l'hôtel indiquait : Kerk Pyrrus aimerait voir Jason dinAlt. それでも、ホテルのデスクからサービスチューブによって送信されたカードには、次のように書かれていました。KerkPyrrusはJasondinAltを見たいと思っています。 Однако на открытке, присланной по служебной трубке со стойки гостиницы, было написано Керк Пиррус желает видеть Джейсона ДинАльта. Blunt and to the point. Émoussé et au point. 鈍くて要点。 Прямолинейно и по делу. He signaled the desk to send the man up, then lowered his fingers a bit until they brushed the gun butt. Il fit signe au bureau d'envoyer l'homme vers le haut, puis baissa un peu les doigts jusqu'à ce qu'ils frôlent le crosse du pistolet. 彼は机に男を送るように合図し、銃の尻を磨くまで指を少し下げた。 Он подал сигнал на пульт, чтобы тот поднялся, а затем слегка опустил пальцы, пока они не коснулись приклада. Він подав знак, щоб той піднявся, а потім трохи опустив пальці, поки вони не торкнулися прикладу пістолета. 他示意办公桌让那个人上来，然后稍微放下手指，直到他们擦过枪托。 The door slid open and his visitor stepped through. La porte s'ouvrit et son visiteur entra. ドアが開き、来客が足を踏み入れた。 Дверь открылась, и в нее вошел посетитель. A retired wrestler. 引退したレスラー。 Отставной рестлер.

That was Jason’s first thought. To byla Jasonova první myšlenka. C'était la première pensée de Jason. Kerk Pyrrus was a gray-haired rock of a man. Kerk Pyrrus était un homme aux cheveux gris. ケルク・ピュルスは白髪の岩のような男だった。 Керк Пирр был седовласым мужчиной. His body seemingly chiseled out of flat slabs of muscle. Son corps était apparemment ciselé à partir de plaques de muscle plates. 平らな筋肉の塊から削り出されたような体。 Его тело казалось выточенным из плоских плит мышц. Then Jason saw the gun strapped to the inside of the other man’s forearm, and he let his fingers drop casually behind the pillow. Puis Jason vit l'arme attachée à l'intérieur de l'avant-bras de l'autre homme, et il laissa tomber négligemment ses doigts derrière l'oreiller. そして、ジェイソンは相手の前腕の内側に縛り付けられた銃を見た。 Затем Джейсон увидел пистолет, пристегнутый к внутренней стороне предплечья другого мужчины, и небрежно опустил пальцы за подушку. "I’d appreciate it," Jason said, "if you’d take off your gun while you’re in here. 「とジェイソンは言った。 "Я был бы признателен, - сказал Джейсон, - если бы вы сняли свой пистолет, пока находитесь здесь.

The other man stopped and scowled down at the gun as if he was seeing it for the first time. L'autre homme s'est arrêté et a regardé le pistolet comme s'il le voyait pour la première fois. もう一人の男は立ち止まり、初めて見るように銃を見下ろした。 Второй мужчина остановился и хмуро посмотрел на пистолет, как будто видел его впервые. "No, I never take it off. "Нет, я никогда не снимаю его.

He seemed mildly annoyed by the suggestion. 彼はその提案に軽い苛立ちを覚えたようだった。 Jason had his fingers on his own gun when he said, "I’m afraid I’ll have to insist. Джейсон держал пальцы на своем пистолете, когда сказал: "Боюсь, мне придется настаивать.

I always feel a little uncomfortable around people who wear guns." Я всегда чувствую себя немного неуютно рядом с людьми, которые носят оружие". He kept talking to distract attention while he pulled out his gun. Он продолжал говорить, чтобы отвлечь внимание, пока доставал пистолет. Fast and smooth. Быстро и плавно. He could have been moving in slow motion for all the difference it made. Он мог двигаться в замедленном темпе, несмотря на всю разницу. 他本可以在慢動作中移動它所帶來的所有差異。

Kerk Pyrrus stood rock still while the gun came out, while it swung in his direction. Kerk Pyrrus est resté immobile pendant que le pistolet sortait, tandis qu'il tournait dans sa direction. Керк Пиррус стоял неподвижно, пока ружье вылетало, пока оно не повернулось в его сторону. Not until the very last instant did he act. Ce n'est qu'au tout dernier instant qu'il a agi. Он не действовал до самого последнего мгновения. When he did, the motion wasn’t visible. Когда он это сделал, движения не было видно. First his gun was in the arm holster—then it was aimed between Jason’s eyes. Son arme était d'abord dans l'étui du bras, puis elle était pointée entre les yeux de Jason. Сначала его пистолет был в наручной кобуре, затем он был направлен Джейсону между глаз. It was an ugly, heavy weapon with a pitted front orifice that showed plenty of use. C'était une arme lourde et laide avec un orifice avant piqué qui montrait beaucoup d'utilisation. And Jason knew if he swung his own weapon up a fraction of an inch more he would be dead. Et Jason savait que s'il levait sa propre arme d'un centimètre de plus, il serait mort. И Джейсон знал, что если он взмахнет своим оружием еще хоть на долю дюйма, то будет мертв.

He dropped his arm carefully and Kerk flipped his own gun back in the holster with the same ease he had drawn it. Il laissa tomber son bras avec précaution et Kerk remit son arme dans l'étui avec la même facilité qu'il l'avait sortie. Он осторожно опустил руку, и Керк с той же легкостью вернул свой пистолет в кобуру. "Now," the stranger said, "if we’re through playing, let’s get down to business. "Maintenant," dit l'étranger, "si nous avons fini de jouer, passons aux choses sérieuses. "Agora", disse o estranho, "se terminamos de brincar, vamos ao que interessa. "Теперь, - сказал незнакомец, - если мы закончили играть, давайте перейдем к делу.

I have a proposition for you. Jason downed a large mouthful from the mug and bridled his temper. Jason avala une grande bouchée de la tasse et refréna son humeur.

He was fast with a gun—his life had depended on it more than once—and this was the first time he had been outdrawn. Il était rapide avec une arme à feu - sa vie en avait dépendu plus d'une fois - et c'était la première fois qu'il était retiré. Он быстро обращался с оружием - от этого не раз зависела его жизнь, - и впервые его опередили. It was the offhand, unimportant manner it had been done that irritated him. C'était la manière désinvolte et sans importance dont cela avait été fait qui l'irritait. Его раздражало то, как небрежно и неважно это было сделано. "I’m not prepared to do business," he said acidly.

"I’ve come to Cassylia for a vacation, get away from work. "Je suis venu à Cassylia pour des vacances, m'éloigner du travail. "Я приехал в Кассилию, чтобы отдохнуть, отвлечься от работы. "Let’s not fool each other, dinAlt," Kerk said impatiently. "Ne nous leurrons pas, dinAlt," dit Kerk avec impatience.

"You’ve never worked at an honest job in your entire life. You’re a professional gambler and that’s why I’m here to see you. Вы профессиональный игрок, и именно поэтому я пришел к вам. 你是個職業賭徒，這就是我來看你的原因。 Jason forced down his anger and threw the gun to the other end of the couch so he wouldn’t be tempted to commit suicide. Jason força sa colère et jeta l'arme à l'autre bout du canapé pour ne pas être tenté de se suicider. 傑森壓下怒火，把槍扔到沙發的另一端，這樣他就不會想自殺了。

He had hoped no one knew him on Cassylia and was looking forward to a big kill at the Casino. Il avait espéré que personne ne le connaissait sur Cassylia et attendait avec impatience un gros meurtre au Casino. 他曾希望在 Cassylia 上沒有人認識他，並期待著在賭場大獲全勝。 He would worry about that later. Il s'en soucierait plus tard. 他以後會擔心的。 This weight-lifter type seemed to know all the answers. Ce type d'haltérophile semblait connaître toutes les réponses. 這種舉重運動員似乎知道所有的答案。 Let him plot the course for a while and see where it led. Laissez-le tracer le cours pendant un moment et voyez où cela mène. 讓他計劃一段時間，看看它會導致什麼。 "All right, what do you want? “好吧，你想要什麼？

Kerk dropped into a chair that creaked ominously under his weight, and dug an envelope out of one pocket. Kerk se laissa tomber sur une chaise qui craquait de façon inquiétante sous son poids et sortit une enveloppe d'une poche. 柯克坐在椅子上，椅子在他的重量下發出不祥的吱吱聲，從一個口袋裡掏出一個信封。

He flipped through it quickly and dropped a handful of gleaming Galactic Exchange notes onto the table. Il le feuilleta rapidement et laissa tomber une poignée de notes brillantes de l'Échange Galactique sur la table. 他飛快地翻了一遍，把一把閃閃發光的銀河交換紙條扔到了桌子上。 Jason glanced at them—then sat up suddenly. 傑森看了他們一眼——然後突然坐了起來。 "What are they—forgeries? "Que sont-ils - des contrefaçons? “它們是什麼——贗品？

he asked, holding one up to the light. 他問，舉起一隻對著光。 "They’re real enough," Kerk told him, "I picked them up at the bank. “它們很真實，”柯克告訴他，“我在銀行撿到的。

Exactly twenty-seven bills—or twenty-seven million credits. I want you to use them as a bankroll when you go to the Casino tonight. Je veux que tu les utilises comme bankroll quand tu iras au Casino ce soir. 我希望你今晚去賭場時用它們作為資金。 Gamble with them and win. 與他們賭博並獲勝。 They looked real enough—and they could be checked. Ils semblaient assez réels et ils pouvaient être vérifiés. 它們看起來很真實——它們可以被檢查。

Jason fingered them thoughtfully while he examined the other man. Jason les toucha pensivement pendant qu'il examinait l'autre homme. "I don’t know what you have in mind," he said.

"But you realize I can’t make any guarantees. I gamble—but I don’t always win ..." "You gamble—and you win when you want to," Kerk said grimly.

"We looked into that quite carefully before I came to you. "If you mean to say that I cheat—" Carefully, Jason grabbed his temper again and held it down. « Si tu veux dire que je triche… » Prudemment, Jason reprit son sang-froid et le retint.

There was no future in getting annoyed. Kerk continued in the same level voice, ignoring Jason’s growing anger.

"Maybe you don’t call it cheating, frankly I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned you could have your suit lined with aces and electromagnets in your boots. En ce qui me concerne, vous pourriez avoir votre combinaison doublée d'as et d'électro-aimants dans vos bottes. As long as you won . 只要你贏了。 I’m not here to discuss moral points with you. I said I had a proposition. "We have worked hard for that money—but it still isn’t enough.

To be precise, we need three billion credits. The only way to get that sum is by gambling—with these twenty-seven million as bankroll. "And what do I get out of it? « Et qu'est-ce que j'en retire ?

Jason asked the question coolly, as if any bit of the fantastic proposition made sense. Jason stellte die Frage kühl, als ob etwas von dem fantastischen Vorschlag sinnvoll wäre. "Everything above the three billion you can keep, that should be fair enough.

You’re not risking your own money, but you stand to make enough to keep you for life if you win. Vous ne risquez pas votre propre argent, mais vous gagnerez assez pour vous garder à vie si vous gagnez. "And if I lose—?

Kerk thought for a moment, not liking the taste of the idea.

"Yes—there is the chance you might lose, I hadn’t thought about that. He reached a decision. Il a pris une décision.

"If you lose—well I suppose that is just a risk we will have to take. Though I think I would kill you then. The ones who died to get the twenty-seven million deserve at least that." Ceux qui sont morts pour obtenir les vingt-sept millions méritent au moins cela." Те, кто умер, чтобы получить двадцать семь миллионов, заслуживают по крайней мере этого». He said it quietly, without malice, and it was more of a promise than a threat. Stamping to his feet Jason refilled his stein and offered one to Kerk who took it with a nod of thanks. Se levant en trépignant, Jason remplit son chope et en offrit un à Kerk qui le prit avec un signe de tête de remerciement. Поднявшись на ноги, Джейсон снова наполнил свою кружку и предложил одну Керку, который взял ее, кивнув в знак благодарности.

He paced back and forth, unable to sit. Il faisait les cent pas, incapable de s'asseoir. Он ходил взад и вперед, не в силах сесть. The whole proposition made him angry—yet at the same time had a fatal fascination. Это предложение разозлило его, но в то же время имело роковое очарование. He was a gambler and this talk was like the taste of drugs to an addict. Stopping suddenly, he realized that his mind had been made up for some time. Внезапно остановившись, он понял, что уже давно принял решение.

Win or lose—live or die—how could he say no to the chance to gamble with money like that! He turned suddenly and jabbed his finger at the big man in the chair. Il se tourna soudainement et pointa du doigt le gros homme assis sur la chaise. 他突然轉身，用手指戳了戳椅子上的大個子。 "I’ll do it—you probably knew I would from the time you came in here. «Я сделаю это — вы, наверное, знали, что я сделаю это с того момента, как вы вошли сюда. “我會做的——你可能從你進來的時候就知道我會做的。

There are some terms of my own, though. Il y a quand même quelques termes qui m'appartiennent. Хотя есть и свои термины. 不過，有一些我自己的條款。 I want to know who you are, and who they are you keep talking about. And where did the money come from. И откуда деньги. Is it stolen? Kerk drained his own stein and pushed it away from him. Kerk drained his own stein and pushed it away from him. Kerk vida sa propre chope et la repoussa loin de lui.

"Stolen money?

No, quite the opposite. Two years' work mining and refining ore to get it. Deux ans de travail pour extraire et raffiner le minerai pour l'obtenir. It was mined on Pyrrus and sold here on Cassylia. You can check on that very easily. I sold it. I’m the Pyrric ambassador to this planet." He smiled at the thought. "Not that that means much, I’m ambassador to at least six other planets as well. "Cela ne veut pas dire grand-chose, je suis également ambassadeur sur au moins six autres planètes. Comes in handy when you want to do business. C'est pratique lorsque vous voulez faire des affaires. Jason looked at the muscular man with his gray hair and worn, military-cut clothes, and decided not to laugh.

You heard of strange things out in the frontier planets and every word could be true. Vous avez entendu parler de choses étranges sur les planètes frontières et chaque mot pourrait être vrai. He had never heard of Pyrrus either, though that didn’t mean anything. 他也從未聽說過Pyrrus，儘管那並不意味著什麼。 There were over thirty-thousand known planets in the inhabited universe. "I’ll check on what you have told me," Jason said. “我會檢查你告訴我的，”傑森說。

"If it’s true, we can do business. “如果這是真的，我們可以做生意。 Call me tomorrow—" 明天撥電話給我-” "No," Kerk said. “不，”柯克說。

"The money has to be won tonight. “今晚必須贏得這筆錢。 I’ve already issued a check for this twenty-seven million, it will bounce as high as the Pleiades unless we deposit the money in the morning, so that’s our time limit. J'ai déjà émis un chèque pour ces vingt-sept millions, il rebondira jusqu'aux Pléiades à moins que nous ne déposions l'argent le matin, c'est donc notre limite de temps. Я уже выписал чек на эти двадцать семь миллионов, они подскочат до уровня Плеяд, если мы не внесем деньги утром, так что это наш лимит времени. With each moment the whole affair became more fantastic—and more intriguing for Jason. С каждым мгновением все дело становилось все более фантастическим и все более интригующим для Джейсона.

He looked at his watch. There was still enough time to find out if Kerk was lying or not. "All right, we’ll do it tonight," he said.

"Only I’ll have to have one of those bills to check. « Seulement, je devrai avoir une de ces factures pour vérifier. Kerk stood up to go.

"Take them all, I won’t be seeing you again until after you’ve won. I’ll be at the Casino of course, but don’t recognize me. It would be much better if they didn’t know where your money was coming from or how much you had. Then he was gone, after a bone-crushing handclasp that closed on Jason’s hand like vise jaws. Puis il était parti, après une poignée de main qui écrasait les os qui se referma sur la main de Jason comme des mâchoires d'étau.

Jason was alone with the money. Fanning the bills out like a hand of cards he stared at their sepia and gold faces, trying to get the reality through his head. Éventant les billets comme une main de cartes, il fixa leurs visages sépia et dorés, essayant de comprendre la réalité dans sa tête. Раскинув веером купюры, как карты, он уставился на их цвета сепии и золота, пытаясь представить себе реальность. Twenty-seven million credits. What was to stop him from just walking out the door with them and vanishing. Nothing really, except his own sense of honor. На самом деле ничего, кроме собственного чувства чести. Kerk Pyrrus, the man with the same last name as the planet he came from, was the universe’s biggest fool. Керк Пиррус, человек с той же фамилией, что и планета, с которой он прибыл, был самым большим дураком во Вселенной.

Or he knew just what he was doing. Или он просто знал, что делает. From the way the interview had gone the latter seemed the better bet. Судя по тому, как прошло интервью, последнее казалось лучшим выбором. "He knows I would much rather gamble with the money than steal it," he said wryly. « Il sait que je préférerais de loin jouer avec l'argent que de le voler, » dit-il avec ironie. «Он знает, что я бы предпочел сыграть на деньги, чем украсть их», — сказал он с иронией. Slipping a small gun into his waistband holster and pocketing the money he went out. Glissant un petit pistolet dans son étui de ceinture et empochant l'argent, il sortit. Сунув небольшой пистолет в поясную кобуру и прикарманив деньги, он вышел.