《家园卡拉克沙漠》远征指南翻译 剧情与历史介绍

四、卡拉克社会体系

　　卡拉克的社会是基于松散的家庭联合体的，其中有一些现已拥有成千上万的成员。这种大家庭集团被称作基斯（kiith，复数为kiithid）。多数考古学家认为，基斯就是一种社会遗迹，其历史可以追溯到史前时代。

　　在基斯内部存在着一种松散的等级制度，这种制度基于每个人在家族当中的地位。最早的时候，这种地位差别主要由年龄决定，但随着科技的进步，卡拉克人的生活面貌发生了变化，同样，基斯也在发生变化，现在，家族地位排名更多地看财富和个人影响力，而不只是年龄。基斯内部的组织结构本质上是核心家庭成员模式的叠加。在单个家庭当中，有一个主要领袖，一个次要领袖，还有一群家庭成员，而作为更高一级的基斯组织结构也与这种体系类似——有一个主要领导家庭，可以对政策起决定性作用；有一个次要领导家庭，负责受理纠纷，提出建议；还有大量的没什么权力的家庭，对主要领导家庭宣誓效忠。而基斯内部的主要领导家庭被称作“基斯-萨”。

　　但这种结构绝不是一成不变的。虽然是件大事，但每个家庭只要觉得合适，就可以改变自己效忠的领导家庭。一个家庭在基斯内部的地位，也随着有多少家庭效忠自己而起伏变化。虽说情况少见，不过时不时地还是有家庭从一个基斯加入另一个基斯，甚至有的家庭觉得有自己成立一个基斯的必要。

　　古时候，作为基斯-萨，可以命令全体基斯成员进入战争状态，或者要求各个家庭为某个特殊项目贡献人力物力，甚至带领整个基斯搬去另一个地区。而在现代，整个基斯通过全民公投形成共同意志，而基斯-萨作为政治和财务方面的领导，必须遵循全体基斯的意志行事。全卡拉克的基斯-萨都会参加首都提尔的大戴阿米德会议（the Great Daiamid），就全球政策进行辩论，或解决基斯之间的法律冲突。

　　传统来讲，各基斯会集中全力主攻一两个学科，并通过某个特定领域的精进而把各个家庭聚集在自己麾下。比如，斯叶特基斯与科学的紧密相连，已经有超过一千年的历史了，而且以拥有最多的高级电脑实验室而闻名于世。对此领域感兴趣的夫妻常常会申请加入一个与跟这些实验室有关系的斯叶特家族。基斯间的联盟也是基于共同兴趣的，通常会让关系更加紧密，或者引起组织结构变化。

　　在现代，各基斯渐渐地把权力下放给了个人，但需要注意的是，基斯的存在仍然是一种社会身份认同的有力方式。今天的卡拉克社会追求一个共同的目标，关于种族命运的新观念也时刻提醒我们，大家都是一个大基斯。但不幸的是在人民团结的道路上，传统的影响阴魂不散，对于任何卡拉克人来说，都更容易先考虑家族，后考虑卡拉克。

　　斯叶特

　　斯叶特基斯可以说是基斯权力体系当中的一个怪现象。虽然全卡拉克的基斯-萨都寻求斯叶特基斯的专业技术，但斯叶特人从未将这一优势转化为实实在在的政治权力。斯叶特基斯的真正能力在于其想要质疑，观察，预测和记录的永恒欲望。在古代，他们首先绘制出了卡拉克星系当中的行星轨道，并由此创造了历法。还是他们，首先发现了肆虐卡拉克星球赤道地区的沙暴以13年为一个演进周期，并预测了每个周期结束时候何处将会降雨。多数关于异端战争历史和之后相关改革的公正记录，也都由斯叶特的记录员记载，同时还记录了表层土壤的毁坏以及沙漠向北方的缓慢推进。

　　在动荡的年代，斯叶特基斯一直都是不可多得的好盟友，好顾问，而不是作为附庸。如果任何基斯杀害了或者试图拷问一个斯叶特人，那么将会被这些科学哲人们抵制不少于100年的时间，而且为了保护其知识不遭到腐化，任何希望成为斯叶特的基斯，都必须直接向斯叶特-萨宣誓，并且要有至少两代人保持忠心耿耿，才会被授予神圣的智慧。唯一可以撼动斯叶特基斯的，可被称作丑闻的事件发生于理性时代，当时曝光了一个情况，那就是在异端战争中，个别的斯叶特家臣实际上在暗中还对纳巴基斯效忠。这些隐藏的纳巴人利用其斯叶特豁免权穿梭于不同的交战派系当中，执行一些刺探情报的任务。当事实被披露的时候，愤怒的情绪很高涨，但芙利尔·斯叶特-萨（Fliir S'jet-Sa）认为由于形势的极端性，这种背叛也是有理由的。虽然她能够让她麾下的许多基斯理性考虑，让一些涉事家族免于制裁或流放，但这一事件还是在一些斯叶特人和纳巴基斯之间埋下了不信任的种子，直至今日。而将科学当做权力来使用的辩题也仍然热门。

　　随着理性时代的发展，斯叶特基斯的研究领域也不再局限于太空机械和数学了。很多家族开始钻研大自然和卡拉克上的生命。不到一个世纪，克瑞尔·斯叶特（Kriil S'jet）就向提尔的戴阿米德会议提交了一份论文，展示了一些科学依据，证明我们和卡拉克上的广大生命形式存在着很大的生物学差异。科学证明和关于“流放”的宗教信条震动了卡拉克社会，但也彻底证明了斯叶特基斯是坚持真理的，无论这真理是否会引起恐慌。

IV.Kharakid Social Systems

　　Society on Kharak is organized along loosefamily associations, many of which now include hundreds of thousands ofmembers. An extended family grouping is called a kiith (plural: kiithid), andmost archaeologists agree it is a social artifact that dates back before thebeginnings of recorded history.

　　A kiith has a loose hierarchy based onone’s social position within the family. Originally, this was based primarilyon seniority, but as technology has changed the face of life on Kharak, thekiithid too have changed, and now family ranking is based more on wealth orpersonal influence than age. Organization within the kiith is recursive innature and models that of a core family unit. Where a single family has aprimary leader, a secondary and then a group of dependents, the next level ofkiith organization is based on the same system — there is a primary family whomakes policy decisions, a secondary family which hears disputes and makesrecommendations, and a number of families of lesser power that have swornallegiance to the primary. The primary family within a kiith is called thekiith-Sa.

　　This structure is not static by any meansand, while it is not a trivial matter, families are free to change theirprimary allegiances as they see fit. A family’s position within the kiith risesand falls with how many swear allegiance to them. Although it is much rarer,from time to time a family will move from one kiith to another or even feel theneed to become their own full kiith.

　　In ancient times, a kiith-Sa could directall within the kiith to war, demand families dedicate time and finances tospecial projects, or even move the kiith to another region. In modern times,the kiith-Sa is a political and financial leader only in that it acts on thewishes of the entire kiith as established by referendums. The kiith-Sa from allover Kharak meet in the Great Daiamid located in the capital of Tiir to debateglobal policy and resolve legal conflicts between kiithid.

　　Traditionally, kiithid concentrate theirpower in one or two disciplines and gather families under their banner by beingthe best place to find advancement in a particular field. For example, KiithS’jet has been associated with the sciences on Kharak for over a thousand yearsand is known to have the most advanced computer labs in the world. Bondedcouples interested in the field often apply to a S’jet family associated withsuch labs. Alliances between kiithid are also based on mutual interests, andthey often lead to closer ties or complete reorganizations.

　　In the modern era, the kiithid have slowlytransferred their power to the individual, but it should be noted that it isstill a powerful means of social identity. Kharakid society pursues a singlegoal today, and our new sense of racial destiny has reminded us that we are allfamilies of one grand kiith. Unfortunately for the unity of our people,tradition dies hard, and it takes little stress for any Kharaki to think offamily first and Kharak second.

　　S'jet

　　Kiith S’jet is something of an oddity amongthe power structures of the kiithid. While they are an ancient and respectedkiith whose expertise has been courted by kiithid-Sa across Kharak, they havenever parlayed this influence into any real political power. The true power ofKiith S’jet lays in its undying desire to question, observe, predict, andrecord. In ancient times, they were the first to plot the path of the planetsin the Kharakid system and derive a calendar from them. They were the first to discoverthe 13-year progressive cycle of sandstorms that tear around the equator ofthis world and predict where the rains that follow the end of every cycle wouldfall. Most of the impartial histories of the Heresy Wars and the resultingreformation were penned by S’jet scribes, who recorded it along with theirobservations of top-soil destruction and the slow crawl of the sands northward.

　　During periods of upheaval, Kiith S’jethave always been too valuable as allies and advisors to be turned into vassals.Any kiith who killed or attempted to interrogate a S’jet was shunned by theScience philosophers for a period no shorter than 100 years, and in order tokeep their knowledge from being corrupted, any kiith who wished to become S’jetswore an oath directly to the S’jet-Sa and had to serve faithfully for twogenerations before being instructed in the sacred wisdoms. The closest thing toa scandal that has ever shaken the S’jet kiith occurred during the Time ofReason, when it came to light that during the Heresy Wars certain S’jet vassalshad actually lived under a secret secondary oath to Kiith Naabal. These secretNaabal used their positions of S’jet immunity to move through the variouswarring factions and carry out missions of retrieval andintelligence-gathering. When this truth was revealed, the sense of outrage wasstrong, but Fliir S’jet-Sa realized the extremity of the situation may havejustified the betrayal. Even though she was able to bring enough of her kiithover to this line of reasoning to avoid sanctions or exile for the familiesinvolved, there is still a lingering thread of mistrust between some S’jet andKiith Naabal to this very day, and the debate over the use of Science as Poweris still a passionate one.

　　As the Time of Reason progressed, KiithS’jet expanded their studies and moved away from the tradition of celestialmechanics and mathematics. Various families began to delve into the nature andorigin of life on Kharak. Within a century, Kriil S’jet presented a paper tothe Daiamid in Tiir presenting the scientific evidence that we bore littlebiological similarity to the vast majority of Kharakid life. This scientificproof of the religious tenet of Exile shook Kharakid society, but establishedonce and for all that Kiith S’jet served the truth, however disturbing thatmight be.

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