【官方小说翻译】《克隆人战争》——第七章

August

    由于LUC大人不再担任本书的校对工作，因此从本章开始只能由译者本人自行校对，因水平有限，故把原文也放上来，错漏之处还请多指点。
     
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翻译：August
目录：http://www.starwarsfans.cn/forum ... &extra=page%3D1

第七章

Yes, I did sit down and talk surrender terms with Loathsom, over a cup of tarine tea. He became most ungentlemanly when he realized it was his surrender we were talking about. Have these people no manners? He didn't even offer me a sweet-sand cookie.
没错，我的确坐下来与洛思瑟姆边喝tarine茶，边谈投降协议。当意识到我们在谈的是他的投降协议时，他变得极其缺乏教养。这些人有没有礼貌？他甚至连一块砂糖饼干都没有给我。

GENERAL KENOBI, explaining his "surrender"
克诺比将军，解释自己的“投降”


HANGAR DECK, JEDI CRUISER
绝地巡洋舰，机库甲板


AHSOKA STOOD IN FRONT OF A GROUP OF CLONE TROOPERS, making expressive arm movements, head-tails bobbing as she talked. They sat on the ammo crates, helmets stacked on the deck, watching her with studied concentration.
阿索卡站在一群克隆人士兵的前面，胳膊富有表现力地挥舞着，头尾在她说话时不停地跳动。士兵们坐在弹藥箱上，头盔堆在甲板上，故做专注地看着她。

Anakin caught only the words wall and droids as he crossed the deck. The troopers burst out laughing.
阿纳金走过甲板时，他只听到“墙”和“机器人”这两个词。士兵们爆发出一阵大笑。

"You never, ma'am," one of them said. "That must have made the general's day."
“不可能，小姐，”他们中的一个说，“那一定叫将军非常高兴。”

Anakin sighed. "Rex, I'm never going to live that down, am I?"
阿纳金叹了口气。“雷克斯，我永远都没法叫他们忘掉这件事了，对吗？”

"Give her a moment to enjoy it, sir." The captain strode beside him. "It's all part of winding down after you've been scared witless and survived to tell the tale. The boys know that. She did pretty well, you have to admit."
“给她点时间，让她高兴高兴吧，长官。”上尉大步跟在他身边，“刚被吓得魂不附体，却又有幸活了下来，给别人讲讲这故事，不过是让自己放松下来的一个方法。小伙子们知道这一点。你得承认：她干得相当不错。”

Ahsoka didn't seem to sense him coming up behind her. The clone troopers saw him, though, and stood to attention. She paused in midsentence and turned.
阿索卡似乎没有感觉到他走到了自己身后。但克隆人士兵们看见了他，全体起立，立正。阿索卡话说到一半停了下来，她转过身。

"Humility is a requirement for a Jedi," Anakin said quietly.
“谦逊是绝地的必备条件。”阿纳金平静地说道。

She looked stricken. "I was..."
她看上去受到了打击。“我只是……”

One of the troopers interrupted. "Apologies, sir, but we asked questions. Padawan Tano was debriefing, not bragging."
一个士兵插嘴道：“对不起，长官。不过是我们提出了问题。塔诺学徒只是在陈述，不是在吹嘘。”

There was a telling second as Anakin saw Ahsoka's eye movement to her impromptu audience, a kind of surprised gratitude. Rex slapped his gloves together with a clap that made her flinch.
阿纳金看到阿索卡的眼睛移向她的临时听众，眼神里是混杂了惊讶的感激，雷克斯把拿在手里的手套“啪”一声拍在一起，把阿索卡吓了一跳。

"Come on, you lot," he barked at the troopers. "You haven't got time to warm those crates with your backsides. What are you trying to do, hatch something? Get back to work."
“嗨，你们这些家伙，”他冲着士兵们吼道，“你们可没时间用屁股把箱子捂热。你们想干嘛？孵蛋吗？快去干活！”

They scattered. Face was saved; Rex was good at that kind of thing. Anakin seized the respite and steered Ahsoka to one side, while Rex stood a tactful five paces from the conversation, both there and not there.
士兵们散开了。面子被保住了；雷克斯很擅长干这种事。阿纳金抓住这个空挡把阿索卡引到边上，同时雷克斯明智地与交谈双方拉开五步的距离，让自己既在那里，又不至于碍事。

"I was just keeping up their morale," Ahsoka said. "They need to know we take the same risks that they do. That we'll sit down and talk to them, and know their names, instead of just snapping our fingers and calling them clone. Nobody likes being treated as if they don't matter."
“我不过是要提振他们的士气，”阿索卡说，“他们需要知道，我们的风险和他们一样大。那样我们可以坐下来，和他们一起交谈，了解他们的名字，而不是拧着响指，叫他们‘克隆人’。没人喜欢被视若无物。”

For all her bluster, she had her very adult, perceptive moments. Anakin knew how it felt not to matter. "Well. . .they seem to like you. That's good."
她连珠炮般地发言，让她在这一刻显得十分成熟与敏锐。阿纳金知道，被视若无物是什么样的感觉。“嗯……，看起来他们很喜欢你。这很好。”

"They've lost so many of their friends. Can't you feel their pain?"
“他们失去了那么多朋友。你感受不到他们的痛苦吗？”

"They're soldiers," Anakin said. "It's the job."
“他们是战士，”阿纳金说，“这就是工作。”

"It's yours, too, but you hurt all the time."
“也是你的工作，不过你一直都能感受到那痛楚。”

Anakin didn't look at Rex, and Rex didn't look at him, but the captain took a few slow paces and put a little more distance between them, appearing engrossed in something via his helmet comlink. He was obviously anxious to avoid hanging around for what threatened to be a very personal exchange.
阿纳金没有看雷克斯，雷克斯也没有看他，不过上尉稍稍放慢了脚步，把他们之间的距离拉得更远一些，似乎正全神贯注地倾听头盔联络器中的什么对话。很显然，他急于回避这样一个极富私人交流性质倾向的谈话。

"You're right, Padawan," Anakin said. She was, and he didn't want to discuss it; agreeing with her served both purposes. "We all handle our loss in our own way. Thank you for thinking of the men's welfare."
“说得对，学徒。”阿纳金说。她是对的，而他不想谈论这个问题；同意她的观点，就可以把这两重意思都表达出来。“我们都有自己的方式来应对我们的损失。谢谢你站在士兵的角度上考虑问题。”

Ahsoka had been looking directly into his face, but then her gaze darted again to something behind him. She didn't just have keen focus. Her peripheral vision was exceptional too. Anakin turned to see Kenobi walking slowly toward him, deep in conversation with Master Yoda. He decided to meet them halfway.
阿索卡直视着他的脸，不过一会后她的目光再次朝他身后的某物投射过去。她不仅目光敏锐。她的周边视觉也很出色。阿纳金转身看见克诺比正慢慢朝他这里走来，一边与尤达大师专心交谈。他决定到半路上去迎他们。

"Master Obi-Wan," he said, bowing. "Master Yoda."
“欧比万大师，”他边说边鞠了一躬，“尤达大师。”

Yoda fixed him with a critical stare. "Trouble you have with your new Padawan, I hear."
尤达用不满的眼神看着他。“你和你的新学徒有麻烦，我听说。”

"I was explaining the situation to Master Yoda," Kenobi said.
“我把情况向尤达大师解释了一下。”克诺比说。

"If not ready for the responsibility of a Padawan you are, then perhaps to Obi-Wan she should go . . ."
“如果你还没有准备好承担收徒的责任，那么也许跟着欧比万，她应该……”

Anakin didn't take kindly to those kinds of psychological games, not even from Master Yoda—especially from him.
阿纳金不想对这种心理学游戏报以好脸色，即使玩这游戏的是尤达大师——尤其是他。

Remember me, Master? The Chosen One? The one you didn't want to train?
还记得我吗，大师？那个天选之子？你不想训练的那个？

"There are no problems, Master," he said calmly. "Who could possibly make such a far-reaching judgment about a youngling's future in such a short time, anyway? That would be rash. Unfair, even. It's our duty to nurture talent and support it."
“我们没有问题，大师，”他冷静地说道，“不管怎么说，有谁能在那么短的时间里对一个幼徒的未来作出如此长远的判断？那会显得草率，甚至是不公正。我们的职责就是培养才能，并扶持这种才能。”

If Yoda felt the barbs in Anakin's comment, he didn't show any reaction. "Mature your judgment is becoming. Perhaps teach you she will, as much as you teach her."
就算尤达听出了阿纳金评论中的讽刺，他也没有表露出任何反应。“你的判断变得成熟了。也许她教给你的，会和你教给她的一样多。”

Anakin bit back a riposte, because he would not rise to the bait. He bowed instead. "I shall do my utmost, Master."
阿纳金忍住没有反唇相讥，因为他不想上当。相反，他鞠了一躬。“我会做到最好，大师。”

"Then go with you she will, to the Teth system."
“那么她会和你一起，去泰斯星系。”

Anakin felt he was walking into something set up for him. Did you know this was coming, Obi-Wan? No, he wouldn't show dissent. "Has the fighting spread that far? I didn't think the Separatist army had any presence there."
阿纳金觉得自己象是掉进了一个专为他设计的陷阱。你知道即将发生的这一切吗，欧比万？不，他不会表示异议。“战火已经蔓延到那么远了吗？我不认为分离主义军队在那里有任何驻军。”

"No army. But kidnapped, Jabba the Hutt's son has been."
“不是军队。是绑架，赫特人贾巴的儿子被绑架了。”

It took a couple of seconds to sink in. He couldn't hide his disgust, not completely anyway. "You want me to rescue a Hutt?"
阿纳金花了几秒钟的时间才反应过来。他无法掩饰自己的厌恶，虽然没有完全表露出来。“你想让我去营救一个赫特人？”

It was a test. It had to be. However much it rankled, Anakin was determined to pass it.
这是项考验。一定是。但不管有多令人不快，阿纳金都决心要通过这项考验。

Kenobi dived in immediately. "We need Jabba's backing to fight this war, Anakin. If we can't use Hutt-controlled routes, we can't fight in the Outer Rim. It's that simple. I'm going to negotiate with Jabba while you retrieve the hostage."
克诺比立即插话道。“我们需要贾巴的支持来打这场仗，阿纳金。如果我们不能使用赫特人控制的航道，我们就无法在外环作战。就这么简单。我要去和贾巴谈判，同时你去解救人质。”

"Hostage ..."
“人质……”

"His baby son. Rotta."
“他的儿子。罗塔。”

Anakin wondered whether it was expedience, simple logic both he and Kenobi spoke Huttese and were experienced in covert missions—or some exercise in character building. Yoda knew Anakin's past, that he and his mother had been slaves of a Hutt. Jabba raked off a cut from the slave trade, too, so he was personally connected to Anakin's boyhood misery, and even his mother's ultimate fate. Callous didn't begin to cover it.
阿纳金想知道，这是出于他和克诺比都会说赫特语，都有执行隐蔽任务的经验这样简单方便的逻辑——还是某种性格培养训练。尤达知道阿纳金的过去，知道他和他的母亲曾是一个赫特人的奴隶。贾巴也在奴隶贸易中抽取回扣，因此阿纳金童年的不幸，甚至他母亲的最终命运都与贾巴本人有直接的关联。他还没有无情到能对此淡然处之（？？）。

Anakin's instinctive reaction would have been to tell Jabba that it was too bad and that people you loved got killed all the time.
阿纳金的本能反应将是去对贾巴说，这实在是太糟了，你爱的那个人总归是要被杀死的。

But the bit about the need to get Jabba on their side—that made sense. Anakin swallowed his hatred and did what he knew be had to, because he had to be better than this.
不过需要把贾巴拉到他们这一边的说法——那倒说得通。阿纳金咽下了自己的仇恨，按他所知自己必须做的去做，因为他必须比这做得更好。

Ahsoka seemed to realize the tension wasn't about her. She took a pace back and stood beside Rex, who'd followed discreetly."I'll get the troops organized," she said. "Ready when you are, Master."
阿索卡似乎意识到这种紧张氛围与她无关。她后退一步，站到雷克斯身边，后者谨慎地跟在他们后面。“我去集合队伍，”她说，“随时待命，师父。”

"I'd better get under way," Kenobi said. "Mustn't keep Jabba waiting."
“我最好开始行动了，”克诺比说，“绝对不能让贾巴久等。”

Anakin bowed and walked away with as much serenity as he could muster. He didn't want the Masters knowing the task had hit a raw nerve. He slipped into a machinery space off the docking bay lor a little privacy, sent a message to Padme to let her know he was fine and that he missed her—no mention of close calls with collapsing walls, or crazy Padawans—and centered himself again.
阿纳金鞠躬，尽可能让自己显得平静地走开。他不想让大师们知道，这项任务刺到了他的痛处。他溜进一间机械空间对接月台（？），找到一个小小的隐蔽处，给帕德美发了一封信，让她知道自己平安无事，并且很想念她——但没有提到从倒塌的墙下死里逃生，或是疯狂的学徒——然后让自己的注意力再次集中起来。

I'm not a kid. I shouldn't be feeling like this. It's not the Jedi way. Maybe Yoda was right; I was too old to train. I can't be like them, all serene and unfeeling.
我不是个孩子了。我不应该有这样的感觉。这不是绝地之道。也许尤达是对的；我年纪太大，不能接受训练了。我没法象他们一样，全然地宁静而无情。

He was the Chosen One, they told him. He was supposed to bring balance to the Force. Anakin thought that some little extra support might go with being the Chosen One, a helping hand or at least some understanding from the Jedi Council, but instead he was passed around like an unwelcome burden, ending up with Qui-Gon Jinn and then Kenobi because nobody else would have him.
他是天选之子，他们这样对他说。他应该给原力带来平衡。阿纳金原以为，“天选之子”这个头衔也许会给他带来一些小小的额外的支持，一点帮助，或至少是来自绝地议会的一些理解，但恰恰相反，他象一个不受欢迎的负担一样被转来转去，最终跟了魁刚·金，然后是克诺比，因为除了他们以外没人愿意要他。

His chosen status meant less than nothing; it felt more like a stigma. And they wondered why he was difficult at times. Maybe they didn't want balance, whatever that was. Maybe nobody liked a Jedi who was that different. He felt like an embarrassment to them.
他天选之子身份还不如没有；它给他感觉更象是耻辱。而有时他们想知道他为什么那么难相处。也许他们并不想要平衡，不管那是什么。也许没人喜欢一个如此与众不同的绝地。他觉得对他们来说，自己就象一个令人困窘的存在。

I do everything you ask of me. I try so hard. When is it going to be enough? When are you going to say, "Okay, Anakin Skywalker, you're good enough"?
我做你们让我做的每件事。我如此努力。什么时候才是个头？什么时候你们才会说，“好了，阿纳金·天行者，你足够出色了”？

The hatch swung open. "What's wrong, Skyguy?" Ahsoka fixed him with that you-can't-avoid-me stare. "It took me ages to find you. We're ready to roll."
舱门开了。“怎么回事，天行仔？”阿索卡用那种“你不能躲着我”的眼神盯着他，“我花了几个世纪的时间来找你。我们已经准备开拔了。”

"Have you heard of knocking?" Don't do this to her. You know how it feels to be invisible to the grownups, a nuisance. "I'm just thinking, that's all."
“你不知道要敲门吗？”别这样对她。你知道被成年人视若无睹是种什么滋味，一个障碍。“我只是在思考，就这样。”

"Worried about helping Jabba? Don't worry, everyone else is, too."
“担心帮助贾巴？别担心，其他人也一样。”

Anakin could never answer her. He tried not to think about it, but the thought was like a corris weevil, eating away at his resolve. The Jedi had never tried to rescue his mother or buy her out of slavery. Instead, they had taken him, given him this new life, but left her behind on Tatooine. He had just accepted it at the time, but now . . . now he knew how much power Jedi had, and all he could wonder is why she hadn't been worth their time and trouble, too, if only to keep him happy.
阿纳金永远都没法回答她。他试着不去想这事，但思绪象一只corris象鼻虫，吞噬着他的决心。绝地从来没有试图营救他的母亲，或是把她赎为自由身。相反，他们带走他，给他这份新生活，却把她留在了塔图因。那时他刚刚接受了这一点，但现在，……现在他知道，绝地拥有怎样的力量，而他所想知道的就是，为什么她也不值得花费他们的时间和精力，哪怕只是为了让他高兴。

Not even Qui-Gon Jinn had cast a backward glance at Shmi Skywalker. As the months and years wore on, the question would not leave Anakin alone.
就算是魁刚·金也没有回头朝施密·天行者看上一眼。随着岁月流逝，这个疑问将永远纠缠着阿纳金。

He didn't want to let resentment eat away at his fond memories of his old Master, but he couldn't stop it sometimes.
他不想让自己的憎恨吞噬对先师心爱的记忆，但有时他就是控制不了自己。

"Skyguy . . . ? Skyguy! Are you listening?"
“天行仔……？天行仔！你在听吗？”

The Jedi Council had credits. Real wealth. Would it really have been beyond them to buy his mother out of slavery?
绝地议会有荣誉。真正的财富。把他的母亲赎为自由身就真的会让他们失去荣誉？

Anakin accepted that some things had to be learned from the cradle. He was already full of attachment and emotion, too set in his ways of being a messy, ordinary human to adopt the aloof serenity—the unloving detachment, the arm's-length and measured compassion—a Jedi needed.
阿纳金承认，有些事必须从婴儿时代开始学起。他早已充满了依恋和感情，这让他成为了一个远离宁静的肮脏的普通人——而冷漠的超脱，若即若离而有保留的怜悯才是一个绝地需要的。

He did his best.
他竭尽所能了。

Why wasn't my mother worth saving?
为什么我的母亲不值得拯救？

Jabba grew fat on the misery of beings like Anakin's mother. He'd probably taken a percentage of the very transactions that had kept Shmi Skywalker in slavery.
贾巴靠着阿纳金母亲那样不幸的生物养肥了自己。也许将施密·天行者作为奴隶贩卖的交易中，有一部分的回扣就是被他抽走的。

And still I have to save his son. Because we need his goodwill. His space lanes.
而我仍然必须去救他的儿子。因为我们需要他的善意。他的超空间航路。

The idea stuck in Anakin's throat like a splintered nuna bone. The pain was palpable. He didn't know if it was grief for his mother, or guilty anger at Qui-Gon Jinn, or just the vague simmering discontent that told him he needed to have more control over his life.
这个念头象一片碎裂的nuna兽骨般卡在阿纳金的喉咙里。这种痛楚十分明显。他不知道这是为他母亲感到悲伤，还是对魁刚·金有些心虚的恼怒，又或者只是那种模模糊糊、即将爆发的不满告诉他，他需要对自己的生活有更强的控制。

"It's got to be done," Anakin said at last. "I don't feel anything about it. Only think how we're going to do it."
“必须完成任务，”阿纳金最终说道，“对此我没有任何感觉。只是在想如何完成任务。”

Ahsoka considered him for a while as if there were something projected on a holoscreen slightly to one side of him. Could she see? Could she see he'd slaughtered those Tusken Raiders? Was it etched in the Force around him? Did she know he'd committed an atrocity to avenge the death of his mother?
阿索卡打量了他一会，就好象有什么东西在全息显示屏上放映出他另一面的片段。她能看出来吗？她能看见他曾屠杀了那些塔斯肯游民吗？那是否刻进了围绕着他的原力里？她是否知道，他曾为了报复母亲的死而犯下了暴行？

If she did, she wasn't sensing his guilt.
如果她知道，那么她也不会感受到他的内疚。

He didn't feel guilt about it at all.
那件事根本不让他觉得内疚。

"Let's go," he said.
“我们走。”他说。
   

JABBA'S PALACE, TATOOINE
塔图因，贾巴的宫殿


Jabba didn't have to feign contemptuous anger to cover his fears for Rotta this time. He was enraged. He rounded on TC-70.
这一次，贾巴不需要假装出轻蔑的愤怒来掩盖自己对罗塔的恐惧。他被激怒了。他突然冲着TC-70发作道。

"Clear the chamber." He looked around at the cowering dancers and the Nikto guards, who didn't seem sure if the command applied to them. "Get out! Leave us!" The throne chamber emptied as if on fire. "Someone will pay for this. Who is even capable of slaughtering my employees like nerfs?"
“清理房间。”他环视着畏缩着的舞女和尼克托守卫，看上去他们不能确定这个命令是不是也适用于他们。“滚！离开这！”觐见室眨眼就空了，好象这里着了火。“有人要为此付出代价。有谁能把我的雇员象宰纳福牛一样都杀光？”

The heads of the bounty hunters he'd sent to Teth had been returned to him in a neat, anonymous, flimsiplast-lined crate. Nothing else; just the heads. He stared at it, furious. This was all that remained of the finest bounty hunters creds could hire. These were tough operators, exceptionally hard to evade, let alone capture and kill. Jabba tried hard to think of any assassins who might be tougher, and who they might work for.
他派去泰斯星的赏金猎人们的头被装在一个干净、轻薄塑料衬里的匿名板条箱里送还给他。没有其他东西，只有头颅。他瞪着箱子，震怒不已。这是他所能雇佣到的最好的赏金猎人仅存的部分。这些人都是强硬的行家里手，极难脱逃他们的手心，更不用提抓捕和杀人了。贾巴竭力去想有哪些刺客能比他们还要强悍，而他们又有可能为谁工作。

He came up blank. He knew every being who wielded power, both sides of the law, and there was nobody he could imagine who would or could do this. It was bad enough to find he had so underestimated an unseen enemy that his own son could be kidnapped. Having his top bounty hunters sent back in butchered pieces was beyond an insult. It rocked his world.
他没有答案。他知道黑白两道上每个行使权力的生物，但他想不出有谁会或能做出这样的事。他低估了一个可能绑架自己亲生儿子的无形对手已经够糟了。而把他的顶尖赏金猎手肢解了再送回来则不仅仅是一种侮辱。这动摇了他的世界。

"The Jedi is here, Lord Jabba," said the droid. "He seems most anxious."
“绝地到了，贾巴大人，”机器人说，“看上去他极其焦虑。”

"And so he should be. It'll be bis head if he doesn't get results fast." Jabba let his anger escape in a rumbling hiss, and settled back on his dais into as dignified a pose as he could manage. "Show the Jedi in."
“他就该如此。如果他不能尽快完成任务，那摆在那里的就将是他的脑袋。”贾巴嘶嘶地抱怨着以发泄愤怒，然后重新坐回高台，尽可能摆出一个威严的姿态，“带那绝地进来。”

Jabba treated Jedi with caution. The mystic side of them made him wary, because he could never get the measure of their physical limits. But they were, for the most part, humans or similar bipedal species—and they could be killed, Jedi or not. They were not immortal, and any living being had something that it needed and would trade advantages to obtain.
贾巴对待绝地很小心。这些人的神秘性让他谨慎，因为他永远也达不到他们那种身体极限。不过他们中的绝大多数都是人类，或是类似的两足生物——他们能被杀死，不管是不是绝地。他们并非永生不朽，而任何生物都有自己所需要的东西，并且愿意通过交易来获取。

Jabba would do whatever it took to get Rotta back unharmed. After that—if he needed to exact revenge, and he would—he would reconsider his position. He'd been maneuvered. He didn't care much for that.
贾巴愿意做任何事来换取罗塔的平安回家。之后——如果他需要复仇，他也会复仇——他会重新考量自己的处境。他被人操纵了。对此他并不是很在意。

Obi-Wan Kenobi was a general in their army, a bearded human with unkempt hair and loose robes. He walked in, stood before the dais, and bowed.
欧比万·克诺比是他们军队中的一个将军，一个蓄着胡须的人类，有着乱蓬蓬的头发，穿着宽松的袍子。他走了进来，站在高台前，鞠躬。

"Mighty Jabba, I'm come personally to report on our efforts to find your son." He seemed to speak Huttese fluently. That was unusual for someone who moved in the more genteel circles of the Republic's power elite. "We know where he is, and we've sent one of our most powerful Jedi to rescue him."
“伟大的贾巴，我亲自前来汇报我们为寻找你儿子所做的努力。” 听上去他的赫特语说得十分流利。对一个来自共和国权力中心的更文雅社会的人来说，这并不寻常。“我们知道他在哪儿，我们已经派出我们中最强大的一个绝地去营救他。”

Jabba gestured to TC-70. He indicated the crate of decapitated heads. TC-70, who knew the drill by now and the impression that needed making, tipped the crate over, spilling the heads on the tiles. Most of them rolled out. One hit the floor with an odd crack like porceplast breaking.
贾巴朝TC-70作了一个手势。他指指装着被砍下的人头的箱子。现在TC-70已经明白了步骤，知道需要给人制造出什么样的印象效果，它翻过箱子，把人头倒到瓷砖地上。绝大多数头颅滚了出来。其中一个掉到地上，发出一声好象porceplast碎裂般古怪的“咔啦”声。

"That," said Jabba, "is what befell the last experts who were looking for my son."
“这些，”贾巴说，“就是上一批去寻找我儿子的行家们的下场。”

Kenobi studied the severed heads impassively, then raised one eyebrow. He didn't seem shockable. Maybe he was just a good actor. But either way, he must have understood the stakes.
克诺比面无表情地研究着这些被割下的头颅，然后挑起了一条眉毛。看上去他并不感到震惊。也许他只是个出色的演员。

"I think our man will be harder to separate from his head," Kenobi said at last. "We won't let you down."
“我想要割我们的人的脑袋要难得多，”最后克诺比说，“我们不会让您失望的。”

"You'll find Rotta and return him to me," Jabba said. "And there's an extra condition if the Republic wants free passage through my space lanes. Bring me the scum who kidnapped my son."
“你们要找到罗塔并把他带回来，”贾巴说，“但如果共和国想要免费通过我的空间航道的话，还有一个附加条件。把绑架我儿子的那个渣滓带给我。”

Kenobi didn't blink. "Dead or alive, Lord Jabba?"
克诺比很镇定。“要死的还是活的，贾巴大人？”

"Either," Jabba said. "But alive would give me greater satisfaction, for reasons I probably don't need to explain to you."
“都行，”贾巴说，“不过活的能给我更大的快感，至于理由我想我不需要向你解释。”

"I understand, Lord Jabba."
“我理解，贾巴大人。”

"See that you do." Jabba paused, knowing that timing was everything when making a point to humans. "Because if you can't do the job, then Count Dooku and his droid army will."
“看你们的了。”贾巴停顿了一下，他知道要引起人类的重视，时间就是一切，“因为如果你们不能完成任务，那么杜库伯爵和他的机器人军队就会完成。”

He had to hand it to the Jedi. The man didn't grovel or flatter, like Palpatine; he seemed to stop and calculate instead.
他不得不将任务交给绝地。这个男人不象帕尔帕廷那样卑躬屈膝或曲意奉承；相反，看上去他停下来，盘算了一会。

"We'll do it," Kenobi said.
“我们能办到。” 克诺比说。

"You have one planetary rotation to finish the job." Jabba gestured to TC-70 to collect the heads. "A Tatooine rotation."
“你们有一个行星日来完成任务，”贾巴示意TC-70把人头收拾起来，“一个塔图因日。”

"It will be done, Lord Jabba. Now, in anticipation of that, may we discuss terms?"
“没问题，贾巴大人。现在，在合作之前，我们能否讨论一下条款？”

Kenobi was nothing if not cool. He managed to be respectful without showing fear. Normally, Jabba would have treated that as showing insufficient deference, but he needed the Jedi's cooperation for the time being.
如果不够冷静，克诺比就什么也不是。他力图显得谦恭而无畏。通常，贾巴会将此看作对方不够恭顺，但他暂时还需要绝地的合作。

"We may," he said.
“可以。”他说。


REPUBLIC GUNSHIP, INBOUND FOR TETH
共和国炮艇，前往泰斯


Anakin stared back at the blue hologram of Kenobi in the crew bay of the gunship.
炮艇乘务员舱内，阿纳金注视着克诺比蓝色的全息图像。

"One day to find the kid and get him back home," he said at last.
“一天内找到那孩子并把他带回家。”最后他说。

"That's right, Anakin."
“没错，阿纳金。”

"We'll do it, Master." He was aware of Ahsoka, Rex, and the squad of troopers tasked with inserting on Teth sitting with their backs against the bulkhead in silence. "You just sweet-talk Jabba. I think you have the harder duty ..."
“我们能办到，师父。”他知道阿索卡、雷克斯和奉命进入泰斯星的分队士兵正安静地背靠舱壁坐着，“你把贾巴哄得团团转就行。我想你分到的是比较艰巨的任务……”

"We really don't know who's holding his son. I'm uneasy, to say the least. Whoever it is managed to kill a complete team of bounty hunters. That's not your average criminal scum."
“我们并不知道是谁绑架了他的儿子。退一步说，我也很不安。不管是谁，他们都设法杀死了一整队的赏金猎人。这可不是普通的罪犯。”

"And we're not the average hostage-extraction team."
“我们也不是普通的人质救援小组。”

"I'll rendezvous with you as soon as I've concluded negotiations."
“谈判一结束我就去与你们汇合。”

"Don't worry about us, Master."
“别担心我们，师父。”

The hologram vanished. Anakin turned to the team. "This won't be an unopposed insertion, but then I think we expected that. Everyone ready?"
全息图像消失了。阿纳金转身面向自己的队伍。 “这不会是一次无抵抗进驻，不过我想我们就盼着这个。都准备好了吗？”

"Ready, sir."
“准备好了，长官。”

"Ready, Master."
“准备好了，师父。”

The lead gunship streaked low over an ocean, three or four meters above the waves, giving Anakin the impression of moving above an undulating runway when he glanced out of the open hatch. Behind the LAAT/i, more gunships flew line astern, hugging the same contours and occasionally tracking diagonally in case an enemy was trying to get a lock on them. But they were alone on a remote planet for the time being, and they probably wouldn't encounter resistance in the form of anti-air cannon until they reached the coast. Anakin checked the rear and then leaned into the cockpit. "Picking up anything, Lieutenant Hawk?"
领航炮艇低空掠过一片大海，距海浪只有大约三、四米高，阿纳金瞥向开启的舱门外，有一种自己正在一条上下起伏的跑道上移动的感觉。在LAAT/i的后方，更多的炮艇纵列飞行，保持着同样的高度，偶尔呈对角线飞行，以防敌军对他们进行锁定。不过他们暂时独处于一个遥远星球一旦抵达海岸，他们很可能就会遭遇防空炮火形式的抵抗。阿纳金检查了一下后方，然后俯身向前靠近驾驶舱。“有什么发现，老鹰上尉？”

The pilot indicated the console. His screen showed red and green icons. "Long range shows a heavily defended target, sir. Laser-cannon emplacements, at the very least. We won't be undetected now, you do know that, don't you, sir? I'll drop below the tree canopy as soon as I get a clear run."
飞行员指了指控制台。他的银幕上显示着红色和绿色的图标。“远程显示一处严密防卫目标，长官。最起码是激光炮炮兵阵地。现在我们一定已经被发现了，你知道这一点，对吗，长官？一旦进入无障碍飞行我就在树冠下方着陆。”

"Good, then bang out as soon as we're down. I need you standing by for extraction."
“很好，我们一落地你就立即离开。我需要你做撤离准备。”

"Will do, sir."
“遵命，长官。”

The sea gave way to glittering turquoise shallows speckled with dark masses of weed and then dense emerald jungle. The trees were wreathed in mist. It looked like a nice, ordinary day in a pleasant, unspoiled place. Anakin knew the illusion wouldn't last long.
大海让位于一片闪闪发光的青绿色浅滩，其中点缀着大片暗黑色海藻，然后是一片浓密的翠绿色丛林。树木笼罩在一片薄雾之中。看上去就象是一片美好的未开垦土地上晴朗而普通的一天。但阿纳金知道，这幻象维持不了多久。

"Buckets on," Rex said, and snapped his helmet into place.
“上头盔。”雷克斯说着把头盔“啪”一声戴上。

The squad followed suit. Then all of them went through the ritual of checking charge levels on their rifle and sidearms, tugging at carabiners on their rappel kit, and flexing their hands. Without the complex helmet the clone troopers wore, Anakin was shut out of their data-laden world. He couldn't see what they saw, or receive the welter of information—images, text, sensor readings or hear the constant comm chatter on a dozen frequencies. He took a guess that Rex was now transmitting last-minute orders to the gunships in the squadron. He'd never know for sure.
小队成员跟着戴上头盔。接着全体成员开始进行仪式般的例行检查：查看步枪和配枪的充弹量，用力拉拽攀缘绳套具，并活动双手。没有士兵们戴着的那种复杂头盔，阿纳金被封闭在他们充斥数据的世界之外。他看不见他们看见的，也收不到那些滚动信息——图片，文本，传感器读数，或是听见一打频道里传来的喋喋不休的通讯声。他猜测雷克斯现在正在给连队炮艇传达最后的命令。但他永远也无法确定。

Some things had to be known and quantified rather than felt in the Force.
有些事必须进行体验，并被量化，而不是通过原力感知。

The audio system in the crew bay crackled into life. "Sir, estimated time on target—five standard minutes. Better assume they've seen us. I'm sealing the blast hatches now."
坐舱中的扩音系统突然“劈啪”响了起来。“长官，预计抵达目标时间——五标准分。最好假设他们已经发现我们。现在我要关闭防爆门。”

"Copy that, Hawk," said Anakin.
“收到，老鹰。”阿纳金说。

The crew bay dimmed and the sunlight was replaced by red emergency illumination. He looked down at Ahsoka. He'd almost grown used to her being so small, but in the crowded compartment, dwarfed by troopers hanging on to overhead rails, she looked as if she'd boarded the wrong flight.
座舱暗淡下来，日光被红色应急灯光取代。他低头看着阿索卡。他几乎已经习惯了她如此瘦小的体型，不过在这拥挤的坐舱里，她被周围紧握头顶扶手的士兵们衬得更加矮小，她看上去就象上错了飞机。

Even with the hatches sealed, Anakin heard the first stuttering rounds of laser cannon.
即使舱门紧闭，阿纳金也能听见第一轮断断续续的激光炮炮声。

"Taking fire, sir," Hawk said. "I'll drop below their range, but stand by for a bumpy ride when we hit the forest."
“遭到攻击，长官，”Hawk说，“我要下降到他们射程之下，不过准备好，撞上树林时会很颠簸。”

"Thirty seconds," Rex said quietly.
“三十秒。”雷克斯平静地说。

Once they hit the ground—if they hit the ground, if they made it in one piece—then their task had only just started. Their objective was a monastery on top of a plateau surrounded by dense jungle.
一旦他们落到地面——如果他们能落到地面，如果他们能完整无缺地落地——那么他们的考验也才刚开始。他们的目标是一座坐落于一块周围环绕着密林的高地顶端的修道院。

They'd tackled worse.
他们曾处理过更棘手的任务。

Anakin tightened his belt and felt for his lightsaber. They had to pull this off. His feelings about Hutts didn't matter. It wasn't about the kid; it was about his men, the Grand Army, about getting the war won and over with. He focused on that. The troopers were now lined up at both hatches.
阿纳金紧了紧腰带，摸了一下光剑。他们必须赢。他对赫特人的感觉无关紧要。他的感觉与那孩子无关；只与他的部下、军队有关，与如何赢取战斗，结束战争有关。他的注意力集中于此。士兵们现在已在两扇舱门边列好了队。

The gunship shook as it took a direct hit, but the armor plating held. Anakin closed his eyes for a moment. Then the deck seemed to fall beneath his boots, random thuds echoed through the airframe—the gunship was hitting something on its descent, not taking fire now—and then there was a distinct lurch as Hawk set the LAAT/i down. The jump lights showed green and both hatches lifted. Moist, hot, tree-scented air flooded into the crew bay.
当炮艇被直接命中时，炮艇剧烈抖动起来，不过装甲钢板顶住了。阿纳金把双眼闭上了一会。然后甲板似乎在他脚下瓦解，不规律的撞击回声穿透了机身——现在炮艇是在降落过程中撞击着什么东西，而不是遭到炮击——当老鹰驾驶LAAAT/i着陆时，艇身猛地侧转向一边。出舱灯转为绿色，两扇舱门开启。潮湿，闷热，混杂着树木香气的空气涌进机舱。

How Hawk had found a landing area in this dense forest without shearing off a gun pod, Anakin had no idea.
阿纳金不知道，老鹰怎么能在这样一片密林里找到着陆区而又不撞掉一个发射架。

"Go!" Rex said, slapping the first trooper in line on the shoulder. "Go, go, go!"
“上！”雷克斯一拍那一排第一个士兵的肩膀，“上，上，上！”

Anakin reached out and grabbed Ahsoka's wrist to make sure she was right next to him. Then, watching the white outline of a trooper vanish into a sea of branches and glossy green foliage, he jumped clear.
阿纳金伸手抓住阿索卡的手腕，以确认她就在他身边。然后，看着士兵的白色轮廓消失在一片树枝和明亮的绿叶之海里，他干净利落地跳了出去。

0de浪漫

再次深刻心理剖析～