經典科幻文學:《生命 宇宙及一切》第21章2

One night, long ago, a band of drunken astro-engineers of the first generation clambered round the building digging this, fixing that, banging very hard on the other and when the sun rose the following morning, it was startled to find itself shining on a building full of happy drunken people which was now floating like a young and uncertain bird over the treetops.
Not only that, but the flying party had also managed to arm itself rather heavily. If they were going to get involved in any petty arguments with wine merchants, they wanted to make sure they had might on their side.
The transition from full-time cocktail party to part-time raiding party came with ease, and did much to add that extra bit of zest and swing to the whole affair which was badly needed at this point because of the enormous number of times that the band had already played all the numbers it knew over the years.
They looted, they raided, they held whole cities for ransom for fresh supplies of cheese crackers, avocado dip, spare ribs and wine and spirits, which would now get piped aboard from floating tankers.
The problem of when the drink is going to run out is, however, going to have to be faced one day.
The planet over which they are floating is no longer the planet it was when they first started floating over it.
It is in bad shape.
The party had attacked and raided an awful lot of it, and no one has ever succeeded in hitting it back because of the erratic and unpredictable way in which it lurches round the sky.
It is one hell of a party.
It is also one hell of a thing to get hit by in the small of the back.

第一代參加者中，有一羣醉醺醺的星際工程師。多年前的一個夜晚，他們東倒西歪地在大樓外面轉悠，挖挖這兒、敲敲那兒，還把一些零件往大樓上裝。第二天早上日出之時，太陽就驚奇地發現，自己照在一棟浮在空中的大樓上——大樓裏全是歡樂的爛醉如泥的人們——它飛起來的樣子，像一隻樹頂上初展羽翼的小鳥一樣。
這還不夠，會飛的派對又裝備了強大的武器。要是跟酒商之間產生什麼小麻煩，他們得有説話的實力才行。
從一個全日制的雞尾酒派對，轉變為不定時的搶劫派對，並不是什麼難事。何況，現在大家也急需一些新的刺激、新的樂子——這麼多年來，樂隊已經把他們會演奏的曲子都演過無數遍了。
他們掠奪、搶劫，他們在各個城市勒索，目的就是更多的奶酪餅乾、鱷梨汁、豬肋排、葡萄酒和高度酒。這些東西后來都裝在漂浮的集裝箱裏，用管子輸送到大樓裏邊。
畢竟，酒快喝完的了問題，總有一天是要面對的。
他們下面的那顆行星，已經不再是從前的那顆行星了。
它的情況非常糟。
派對對它發動了多次攻擊和掠奪，它卻無法有效地回擊——那派對在天上，行蹤飄渺，神出鬼沒。
那絕對是個可怕的派對。
被它撞到後腰，絕對也是可怕的事。