The Dark Forest (76 page)
Authors: Cixin Liu
Is this love?
The lines were displayed on a lower-dimensional unfolding of a sophon that appeared abruptly beside them. The mirrored sphere seemed like a droplet that had fallen off of some melted area on the cylinder above them. Luo Ji knew few Trisolarans and didn’t know who it was who was speaking to them, or whether this one was on Trisolaris or on the fleet that was growing increasingly distant from the Solar System.
“Probably.” Luo Ji nodded with a smile.
Dr. Luo, I have come in protest.
“Why?”
Because in last night’s speech, you said that humanity had been so late to realize the dark forest nature of the universe not because your immature state of cultural evolution caused a lack of awareness of the universe, but because humanity has love.
“Isn’t that correct?”
It’s correct, though the word “love” is a little vague in the context of scientific discourse. But what you said next was incorrect. You said that humanity is probably the only species in the universe to have love, and it’s this notion that supported you through the most difficult period of your Wallfacer mission.
“That’s only an expression, of course. Just a nonrigorous … analogy.”
I know that at least Trisolaris has love. But because it was not conducive to the civilization’s overall survival, it was suppressed when it had only just germinated. Yet the seed possesses a stubborn vitality, and will still grow in certain individuals.
“May I ask who you are?”
We’ve never met. I was the operator who transmitted the warning to Earth two and a half centuries ago.
“My god, and you’re still alive?” Zhuang Yan exclaimed.
I won’t be for much longer. I’ve been in a dehydrated state, but over the long years, even a dehydrated body will age. However, I have seen the future I hoped to see, and for this I am happy.
“Please accept our respects,” Luo Ji said.
I only wish to discuss with you one possibility: Perhaps seeds of love are present in other places in the universe. We ought to encourage them to sprout and grow.
“That’s a goal worth taking risks for.”
Yes, we can take risks.
“I have a dream that one day brilliant sunlight will illuminate the dark forest.”
The sun was setting. Now only its tip was exposed beyond the distant mountains, as if the mountaintop was inset with a dazzling gemstone. Like the grass, the child running in the distance was bathed in the golden sunset.
The sun will set soon. Isn’t your child afraid?
“Of course she’s not afraid. She knows that the sun will rise again tomorrow.”
Cixin Liu
is the most prolific and popular science fiction writer in the People’s Republic of China. Liu is an eight-time winner of the Galaxy Award (the Chinese Hugo) and a winner of the Chinese Nebula Award. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked as an engineer in a power plant in Yangquan, Shanxi. You can sign up for email updates
here
.
Joel Martinsen
is research director for a media intelligence company. His translations have appeared in
Words Without Borders, Chutzpah!,
and
Pathlight
. He lives in Beijing. You can sign up for email updates
here
.
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CIXIN LIU
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Contents
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE DARK FOREST
Copyright © 2008 by
(Liu Cixin)
English translation © 2015 by China Educational Publications Import & Export Corp., Ltd.
Translation by Joel Martinsen
This publication was arranged by Hunan Science & Technology Press. Originally published as
in 2008 by Chongqing Publishing Group in Chongqing, China.
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Stephan Martiniere
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-0-7653-7708-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-5343-0 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466853430
First Edition: August 2015
1
Translator’s Note: Xiǎo
is a diminutive meaning “little” or “young” and is used before a surname when addressing children or to show affection.
2
Translator’s Note: Zhìzi
literally “knowledge particle.” The character for “particle” frequently appears in female given names in Japanse, where it is pronounced “ko.”
3
Translator’s Note: Lǎo
, meaning “old,” is often used before a surname of those older than the speaker to show respect or familiarity.
4
Translator’s Note:
A historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong (c. 1330–1400),
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
describes the contest between three regional powers from the waning days of the Eastern Han Dyansty (184) to the reunification of the empire under the Jin Dynasty (280). It is known for its iconic characters, battle scenes, and political intrigue.
5
Translator’s Note:
The insignia of the People’s Liberation Army is a star inscribed with the characters eight and one.
6
Translator’s Note:
The Kuiper Belt is a region extending from the orbit of Neptune, at roughly 30 AU, to roughly 50 AU, and is home to Pluto and two other dwarf planets, among other objects.
7
Translator’s Note:
Roughly equivalent to $65,000 in early 2015.
8
Translator’s Note:
Vast networks of tunnels were built in cities across China beginning in the late 1960s as defensive measures against enemy attack. This slogan, adapted from advice given to the founder of the Ming Dyansty, was promulgated as a directive from Mao Zedong in the
People’s Daily
’s annual New Year’s Editoral in January 1973.
9
Translator’s Note:
Wang Xiaobo (1952-1997) was an influential novelist, essayist, and screenwriter whose work became enormously popular after his untimely death.
10
Translator’s Note:
First cosmic velocity is the initial velocity a body needs to achieve orbit, second cosmic velocity the amount needed to leave an object’s gravitational pull, and third cosmic velocity the amount needed to leave the Solar System.
11
Translator’s Note:
The Oort Cloud is collection of icy objects in a spherical distribution that surrounds the Solar System at a distance of 50,000 to 100,000 AU and is believed to be the source of long-period comets.
12
Translator’s Note:
Yang Wen-li is one of the protagonists of
Legend of the Galactic Heroes
, a series of Japanese science fiction novels launched in 1982 by Yoshiki Tanaka, and followed by manga and anime adaptations.
13
Translator’s Note:
This famous quote about filial piety appears in
Mencius
, a collection of conversations and anecdotes related to the Confucian philosopher of the same name, who lived in the late fourth century BC.