「我係有個水底呼吸器,不過最好都係練埋徒手潛水,」今晚食飯嘅時候,Ventress咁同佢講。「池入面黑到見唔到底,能見度好差,你最好帶埋夜視鏡。」
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Vos考慮佢嘅建議,一邊切開串住嘅蜥蜴肉。佢搖搖頭 :「唔得,咁唔對路。個考驗嘅目的就係要我用原力去取勝,而唔係科技。」
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「係用原力嘅黑暗面。」Ventress提醒佢。
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Vos岋頭,咬咗啖淡味嘅肉:「咁你仲有邊兩招可以過我 ?」
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Ventress無曬佢符。「想過多招都無。我知道佢好大隻,望落去好恐怖、好大力。就好似我講嘅咁,佢意志強到好似識睇穿人。」
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「你話要游水同埋閉氣, 咁即係要喺水底會一會佢?」
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「最好唔好。你可以引瞑蛟上岸 ,咁做對你有利,但係你都要準備好應付所有情況。」
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「咁隻嘢係咩樣㗎 ?」 Vos問。佢逼自己盡量放多啲嘢入口。開始訓練之後,好快就會燃燒曬身體嘅能量。
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「每個人見到嘅嘢都唔同。Karis話隻嘢同啲水一樣顏色。Luce話佢係純白色嘅。Talia話佢隻眼好大、排牙好尖。Naa’leth就話唔係咁,佢見到有觸鬚。唯一共通點就係隻嘢好得人驚。如果你唔盡快控制佢、反而畀佢拉落水,話知佢係用觸鬚定尖牙都好,咁你就有機會接觸到你要攞嘅材料,掂到就會令人產生幻覺。」Ventress耷低頭。「Talia望住佢孖生細妹,成個人定咗喺到,嚇到好似變咗石像咁。瞑蛟拉咗佢落水,之後就無人再見過佢。」
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Vos伸手按按佢膊頭。「我知道黑夜姊妹同原力有好強嘅連繫。不過我唔係細路仔,我咁大個人,話曬都係個絕地大師。而且,」 佢希望可以令眼前人放心一啲。「我仲有全宇宙最好嘅老師,一心望我成功返嚟。」
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Ventress望住佢,尋覓佢雙眸中嘅深意。佢伸手摸佢面珠,指尖劃過佢雙唇。佢感受到Vos喺度顫抖,同埋佢輕輕嘅一齕。
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「哼,」Ventress笑住挪開手,掂一掂佢鼻哥:「咪唔記得呀,傻佬。」
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「唔敢,」Vos答,烏身一吻。
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* * *
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Dathomir汪洋漫漫,Vos好快就熟習每一片水域。佢哋由基本嘅潛水開始。Vos嘅絕地訓練令到佢對身心協調有充分掌握,呢樣亦係佢成功嘅關鍵。如果佢可以全程保持鎮定,佢就可以減低心跳率,不浪費任一口氣。假如佢唔能夠馬上馴服瞑蛟,佢亦準備好同佢喺水底埋身搏鬥。
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「你成績唔錯,」Ventress話。今晚佢哋有Vos捉到嘅貝鱸魚(burra fish)煲湯。
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「你咁諗就好啦,」Vos答。佢猶豫咗一下,問:「咁之後呢?」
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Ventress一邊潷湯,望住佢。「乜嘢之後呀?」
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「我哋殺咗Dooku之後。」
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Ventress嘅目光返返去噗噗滾緊嘅湯度。佢耷低頭,等Vos喺昏暗嘅火光下睇唔清楚佢表情。佢根本無興趣去諗「之後」會點。佢哋而家一齊嘅時間好難得——偷返嚟咁寶貴。絕地唔會容許佢哋之一談情說愛,更莫講同一個前任Sith。Dooku一死,佢哋之間亦到此為止。Vos會離開佢,佢就會剩返自己一個。又一次剩返自己一個。
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不過佢明。Ventress早就了解孤獨,而佢一直都知道同Vos呢段短暫嘅時光係執到咁好彩。
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佢保持語氣平淡。「你返去絕地度會有啲難度,不過係做得到嘅。」
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「Asajj.」
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佢定咗形。Vos攞走佢隻碗,擺埋一邊,用佢溫暖嘅手掌包住佢雙手。Vos望住佢有力嘅手指、起枕嘅雙掌,捧喺手中一一親吻。
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「我唔想返去,」佢講道。Ventress合上雙眼,唔敢相信佢聽到嘅說話。「我想同你一齊。」
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而家佢冒險望咗佢一眼。Vos嘅表情好認真,營火嘅光芒喺佢暖逸嘅眼神中起舞,同佢面鼻樑上嘅黃色紋身映照。「我放唔低呢一切,我唔想放棄。你呢?」
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有一刻,Ventress講唔出口。
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「唔得,」佢只能夠話。「我都唔想。但係,Quinlan......你諗清楚,你成世人都係一個絕地。」
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「而家我有你,」佢捉緊佢雙手強調。 「如果做絕地就唔可以同你一齊...... 我好清楚我會點揀。」
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Vos放開佢雙手,除咗護腕落嚟放喺地上面。Ventress只能不明所以咁望住佢。Vos搵到嚿石,拋向半空再接住。
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Vos嚴肅咁講:「由而家開始。」佢將個通訊器用石頭砸爛,斬斷同絕地嘅聯繫。當下——定直至永遠?佢係咪真係可以做得到?Ventress望實破碎嘅通訊器,然後抬頭望向Vos。
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Vos對住佢嘅笑容,如此滿足,如有舒暢。佢眼中並無絲毫嘅後悔,只有冷靜嘅自信。Ventress心中渝溢嘅情感係幾咁陌生,佢差啲就認唔出喜樂嘅滋味。另一種——更深更強嘅感覺,喺兩個人之間無言凝結。呢種感覺喺佢唇邊溜走——可能,亦喺Vos唇上滑過。佢哋之間嘅連繫,實在而強烈,對Ventress嚟講可以戰勝一切。
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「一齊,」Vos話,聲音激動而顫抖。
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Ventress唔敢畀自己講出口。佢會以行動證明。佢將Vos拉近,錫佢。Vos唇上熾熱嘅回應,令Ventress更肯定自己立下嘅約定。每一分觸覺,警覺而期待;每一寸撫摸,親近嘅唔只係兩副軀殼。Vos企起身,拉住佢隻手,錫佢,一手抱起佢,步向飛船。
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一盞紅燈喺黑暗之中眨眨下。Ventress合瞇埋雙眼呻咗句。Vos可惜咁笑笑,錫一錫佢額頭,溫暖嘅氣息仍然留喺佢髮尖,然後放佢落地。
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「你都係應機啦。」
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「咁佢可以遲啲再打嚟嘅啫,」Ventress攞出通訊器,一個細細嘅身影出現。對方巢曬皮,好興奮咁指手畫腳:「Kuck chi sol ildi.」
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Ventress感覺到佢個心慽咗一下。咁快?佢䁽咗Vos一眼,眼大大好好奇,睇嚟佢聽唔明Gossam文。
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「明白,」Ventress對住個全息像講。「做得好,Sumdin。個晚會位置呢?」
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Sumdin以三隻手指操控住Ventress睇唔見嘅機器。畫面取以代之,出現一個怡人嘅藍綠色星球。
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Vos終於明白:「你搵到Dooku啦!」
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Ventress望多一眼個細細嘅星球,隨即收線。「佢會去Raxus。有曬日期時間。」
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Vos微微皺眉:「Dooku地頭。」Raxus係獨立星系聯盟(Confederacy of Independent Systems)嘅首都,唔使問都知會守衛森嚴。「係搵到佢嘅,我哋要即刻出發。」
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Ventress無答佢。Vos一臉疑惑:「你點睇?」
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「Quinlan...... 我驚你未準備好。你啱啱先開始認識黑暗面,更莫講要喺兩邊行鋼線。而且你仲未召喚瞑蛟。如果你失敗——如果我哋而家就走,你可能好危險。」
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「仲牙煙過我而家 ?」
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「你諗都諗唔到咁危險。」
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「我明白你擔心啲咩,但係我哋唔可以錯過今次嘅機會。」
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Ventress 無即刻回答。佢原先預計會有更加多嘅時間。會有多啲時間畀Vos去訓練、去熟習黑暗面陰險無常嘅天性。有多啲時間畀佢哋兩個一齊,先至去對付一個講唔出咁危險嘅敵人...... 仲有多啲時間畀佢鼓起勇氣,同佢坦白佢師父嘅事。但係佢做唔到,喺呢一個關口佢做唔到。等佢哋殺咗Dooku、完全放低過去嘅時候,佢就會同佢講。剩返佢兩個一齊,當所有嘢都靜落嚟嘅時候。
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就算Vos真係明白又原諒佢,對佢嚟講都會好大打擊,至少一開頭會係。為咗個任務,佢需要Quinlan Vos處於最佳狀態,專心一意......而佢對伯爵嘅誣衊,化成Vos嘅血仇,只會對任務有利。
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而且佢講得啱。佢哋估唔到幾時會有第二次機會。伯爵就好似Mon Calamari電鰻咁難捉摸。[註26]
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Vos將雙手放喺佢膊頭上面望住佢:「Asajj,我講真嗰句,黑暗面教咗我好多,你令我大開眼界。但係佢無傷害我,佢淨係令到我相信,我哋會成功。」
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Ventress傷心咁微笑:「呢個咪就係危險嘅地方。」
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Vos嘆氣。「咁等我證明畀你睇。我知道我已經準備好召喚瞑蛟,仲會馴服佢。」
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Ventress無好似佢一樣咁有信心。Vos運用原力嘅技巧無庸置疑,但係單單用黑暗面嘅力量先至係令人擔心嘅地方。 Vos係一個好人,Ventress擔心嘅係,即使嚟到呢一刻,佢仍然係一個太好嘅人。
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Ventress瞇埋雙眼深呼吸。「好啦,」佢話。「我哋行啦。」
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[註26] slippery as a Mon Calamari eel:源自英文成語"slippery as an eel",意指狡猾/獵物如鰻魚一身潺好難捉住。Mon Cala電鰻出自TCW 4.03 Prisoners,綠色,約一至三米長。Quarren用其作牢籠囚禁Anakin等人。197Please respect copyright.PENANAm0mkasG9oI