Outside, night had fallen and snow was falling. Lübeck recalled his days as an engineer, when he and several others had been summoned by the project manager. Being young and still in training, they had no better options.
外面天已经黑了,还下着雪,吕贝克想起了自己当年做工程师的时候,自己和其他几个人一起被项目经理叫出去,因为年轻在实习,所以也没有什么更好的选择.
The group braved the northwest wind, clad in thin clothes and shoes, trudging through the slushy mix of rain and snow on the ground. They arrived at a semi-open space where male and female classmates gathered in the corridor. The dim yellow courtyard lights illuminated only a small area. Snowflakes drifted down beyond the eaves, occasionally landing on eyelashes. The entire world transformed into a swirling, flickering halo of dim light, breaking apart into dazzling hues of blue, green, orange, and yellow. These colors danced between the pitch-black cavern and the floor of black crystal and gilded bronze.
一行人顶着西北风,衣着鞋子单薄,踩着地上雨夹雪的泥泞,来到了一个半开放空间,回廊里有男男女女的同学都在这里,昏黄色的庭院灯照亮不大的范围,雪花在廊檐外飘落,时而飘落在睫毛上,整个世界就变成了昏黄光晕的旋转闪烁间,分解出蓝绿橙黄的炫彩,飞舞在黝黑洞天与黑晶鎏铜的地面之间.
Lübeck disliked the project manager's bragging and overstaffing, so he didn't follow the crowd. Instead, he chose a more pragmatic colleague and made his way to the top floor of the building. But for some reason, he ended up climbing onto the boom of the crane on the roof, now dangling outside the high-rise building.
吕贝克不喜欢项目经理的吹嘘和人浮于事,所以没有和大众人流走在一起,他选择了一位比较务实的同事,到了建筑顶楼,但是不知道为何自己爬上了顶楼起重机的吊臂,此时自己已经身悬高层楼顶之外了.
Lübeck thought to himself, in this bitterly cold wind at such a height, dressed as lightly as he was, he'd be frozen stiff in no time. He had to get down quickly. He looked down. Going straight down would be fast, but it would take him straight to the bottom. Though the scene felt like a dream, he couldn't do that.
吕贝克心想,在这么高的寒风里,我穿着又这么单薄,不用一会儿我就得冻僵啊,必须要赶紧下去.他向下看了看,直接下去很快,不过就直接到底了,虽然这情景感觉好像在梦里,但是也不能那么做啊.
Lübeck wrapped one arm around the icy metal boom truss while manipulating the crane's rotation with his other hand, nearly frozen stiff. He ascended back to the rooftop, descended the crane to the roof, and then made his way down floor by floor to the ground.
于是吕贝克一手搂着冰凉的金属吊臂桁架,用另一只冻得快要僵硬的手操控吊臂回转,又回到了楼顶上方,顺着吊机下到楼顶,然后逐层回到地面.
After this ordeal, Lü Beck decided to leave. He trudged through the slush for a short distance before the path ended abruptly. Once again, he had no choice but to scale the wall, emerging on this side of the brick structure. It seemed to be the seawall beneath an overpass, where black waves roared as they crashed against the shore. The platform he stood on offered a perfect vantage point for watching the tide.
此番经历过后,吕贝克决定离开这里,踩着雪水没走多远,路断了,他又只好翻墙,来到砖墙的这一边,似乎是高架桥下的海边堤岸,黑色的海浪咆哮着冲向岸边,自己站的这个平台正好观潮.
Turning his head, he saw an eight- or nine-year-old girl standing beside him on the concrete platform, holding a water gun that had accidentally slipped into the sea. Lübeck thought, This is hopeless. Judging by the tide's momentum, it seemed rather dangerous. Just as he was about to call out to the girl to leave as well, he suddenly realized she was his own daughter. Without a word, he took her hand and immediately began walking inland along the highway.
扭头看见身边一个八九岁的小女孩也站在这个混凝土平台上,手里拿着一个喷水枪,但是不小心掉到海里.吕贝克心想,这下可没办法了,看看浪潮的趋势,似乎有些危险.他刚想叫那个小女孩也一同离开,忽然意识到她是自己的女儿,便什么话也没说拉着她的手,沿着公路,马上往内陆走.
Leaving the coastal area, they were temporarily safe. When Lübeck looked back, he was surprised to see the girl had transformed into a three- or four-year-old child, saying she needed to pee.
离开海边区域,暂时安全了,当吕贝克回头再看,很奇怪,这个女孩变成三四岁了,说想要尿尿,
Lübeck looked around. There was no restroom in sight. He asked her if she could hold it a little longer. She said no. So he had no choice but to lead her to the bushes by the roadside.
吕贝克看看四周,没有厕所啊,便问她能不能再坚持一会儿,她说不行,那就只好领着她到路边草丛里了.
But as soon as she crouched down, her bottom touched the dirt on the ground, getting dirty, as if her tiny body were utterly weak and helpless. Lübeck had no choice but to crouch there, lift her up, and spread her legs to help her pee.
可是当她刚一蹲下,屁股就碰到了地上的土,都弄脏了,似乎她小小的身子十分软弱无力.吕贝克只好蹲在那里,抱起她,把开她的双腿给她把尿.
When Lübeck suddenly opened his eyes, the sky was just beginning to lighten. It had indeed been a dream. Glancing beside him, he saw Brittany sleeping—not the little girl, nor his own daughter. Lübeck found it strange that he had dreamed such a thing.
当吕贝克忽地睁开眼睛,天色蒙蒙亮,刚才确实是一个梦,看看身边,睡着的是布列塔尼,不是小女孩,也不是自己的女儿.吕贝克觉得很奇怪,自己为什么会做了这样一个梦.
After months of breaking in both crews and equipment, the day of departure was finally approaching. This wasn't Lübeck's first time commanding an orbital space carrier, but this mission wouldn't be in Earth orbit. This time, he wouldn't need to take regular leave to visit his Ruth on the surface. This time, he had a companion who could follow him—though he didn't know how far they could go together.
经过几个月的人与人之间的磨合,人与装备之间的磨合,启航的日子就要来临,这不是吕贝克第一次担任轨道空天母舰舰长,但这一次不是地球轨道,这一次也不必再定期休假去地面探望他的露丝,这次他有了一位可以跟随自己的伴侣,虽然不知道能够一起走多远.
The faint, crimson light of Mars' morning sun illuminated the shipyard. For days now, the ship's authorized personnel had been boarding the San Jacinto in batches through the airlock. Some loved ones stood at the entrance, bidding farewell one by one. Meanwhile, on the lower decks, passageways connecting to the hull were being loaded with supplies. Yet the natural light in those lower passages was insufficient, casting a gloomy and desolate atmosphere.
火星早上火红孱弱的阳光照亮船坞,这些天以来,舰船核定人员正在分批次,经过气密通道登上圣哈辛托号,有些亲友正在通道口一一道别,同时下层甲板也有连结舰体的通道正在装载物资,只是下面通道的天然光线不太充足,有些阴暗颓废的感觉.
Since completing its test run, the ship's nuclear reactor has maintained low-power operation to supply energy for onboard facilities and crew life support. Preparations for departure are nearly complete, awaiting only the final arrival of personnel and supplies. With some free time on his hands, Lübeck took Brittany for a stroll after lunch to the self-sustaining biosphere on the lower deck. Beyond its ornamental plants, this facility cultivated crops and raised livestock exclusively for the crew's consumption.
船上的核反应堆自从试车完毕,一直在维持着低功率运行为船上设施以及人员生活提供能源.船上的启航工作已经做得差不多了,只等最后的人员和物资到齐.吕贝克有了空闲时间,午饭后带着布列塔尼一起到下层甲板的自维持生物圈散步,除了观赏植物,这里种的和饲养的都是供给船员的作物和牲畜.
Due to space constraints, visitors can only walk along transparent suspended walkways, gazing down upon the fields and crops below. Yet Brittany cherished most the bamboo grove at the entrance to the biosphere reserve. For some reason, whenever the bamboo stalks swayed in the grove, the rustling leaves, the swaying rhythm of her hips, shoulders, and elbows as she paced, the flickering grace in her eyes—it was as if she had absorbed the very spirit of the entire grove. But Lübeck knew the purpose of these bamboos. In times of necessity, they served as excellent supports for damage control. Perhaps Lübeck was more pessimistic, or perhaps it was simply the pragmatic nature inherent in men.
只是限于空间利用率,人们只能走在透明悬空栈道里,俯视田野庄稼,不过布列塔尼最喜欢的还是生物圈入口的景观竹林,不知为何,在竹林中每当竹竿摇曳,竹叶淅沙,她踱步中扭动的身体,腰胯肩肘的节律,眼波翻转的神韵,就如同她已经吸收整个竹林的灵气.但是吕贝克知道这些竹子的用途,在必不得已时,它们是控制损管很好的支撑物,似乎吕贝克更加悲观一些,或者是男性特有的务实.
"We set sail tonight. What's it like to journey into the depths of space for the very first time?" Lübeck asked, casually chatting as he walked, holding Brittany's hand.
"今晚就要启航了,第一次就要到宇宙深处航行,有什么感觉?"吕贝克拉着布列塔尼的手,边走边闲聊地问,
"With you by my side, what have I to fear?" Brittany gazed at Lübeck, her eyes still brimming with excitement she could scarcely contain.
"有你在,我怕什么,"布列塔尼望着吕贝克说,眼里还有些难以抑制地兴奋,
"Ha ha, I'm not omnipotent. Anything can happen in the universe," During their casual chat, Lübeck seemed eager to hear Brittany express unwavering loyalty to him—no matter what hardships lay ahead. She was younger than him, like a little sister, not like Ruth, the woman who had once cared for him like an older sister. Yet Lübeck still fantasized about catching glimpses of Ruth in Brittany.
"哈哈,我又不是万能的,在宇宙里什么事情都有可能发生,"闲聊间,吕贝克似乎很想听到布列塔尼那笃定跟随自己的表达,不管前途会有什么艰难险阻,她比自己年纪小,像小妹妹一样,而不是曾经的露丝,那个像姐姐一样照顾自己的女人,可是吕贝克依然幻想着,可以多少在布列塔尼身上看到露丝的影子.
But she didn't dwell on it. It seemed Lübeck shouldn't have harbored such expectations for this young girl. Brittany had only just begun her journey through life—she shared no past with Lübeck, nor was she mature enough to envision a future with him. She was merely a traveler of fate, responding casually,
"I hope I'm not that unlucky," she said, smiling as she looked at Lübeck.
但是她并没有想太多,似乎,吕贝克根本不应该对这个年轻姑娘心怀有那种期望,布列塔尼只是才刚刚,开始自己的人生旅程,没有与吕贝克曾经的过往,也没有成熟到为他畅想未来,她还只是一个命运的旅客,她只是随意地回答,
"不会那么不走运吧,"说完一边笑一边看着吕贝克,
It was her consistent simplicity and straightforwardness, radiating youthful vitality, that had a profound emotional impact on Lübeck, preventing him from feeling so decrepit.
"Yes," he murmured, wrapping his arm around her waist and drawing her close.
Gazing at Brittany beside him, though she lacked the elaborate finery befitting her age, her military uniform still accentuated her youthful figure beautifully.
倒是她一直以来的简单直率,所洋溢的青春活力,给了吕贝克不少情绪上的感染,以至于他不会那么的老态龙钟,
"是啊,"说着吕贝克搂着她的腰,靠紧她的身体,
望着身边的布列塔尼,虽然没有花样年华该有的美丽服装,但是部队制服依然很好地展现着她青春洋溢的身材.
As night fell and he returned to the bridge, gazing out at the brightly lit dry docks, Lübeck gave the order to set sail.
The San Jacinto carried twelve Interceptor fighters on each side, capable of launching and recovering directly from the hull. Nevertheless, the ship retained its full-length flight deck to maintain some ability to recover fighters in the event of an emergency.
夜色中当再次回到舰桥,望着窗外灯火通明的船坞,吕贝克下达了启航的命令.
圣哈辛托号在左右舷各载有12架拦截者战机,它们可以从侧舷直接收发,但是圣哈辛托号依然保留着全通甲板,以便在事故状态下依然具有一些回收战机的能力.
As the load on the ship's anti-gravity engines increased, the air and structures surrounding the entire dry dock were enveloped in the humming resonance of this energy.
随着船体安装的反重力引擎负荷增加,整个船坞周围的空气和建筑都被卷入了这股能量的嗡嗡低鸣中.
The twelve plasma engines she carried also responded to the increased load, their nozzles spewing blue-to-white flames that stretched longer and longer, screeching as they slammed into the shipyard floor and leaving behind a faint pink glow.
她所搭载的12具等离子引擎也随着负荷的增加,在喷口发出蓝到白色的喷焰逐渐拉长,嘶鸣着冲击船坞的地面泛起淡粉色光晕.
Under the cover of night, illuminated by lights, the San Jacinto gradually rose from the dock, propelled by its ion engines, embarking on her maiden voyage.
夜色中,灯光里,圣哈辛托号在离子引擎的推动下,逐渐升起,离开船坞,开启了她的首次处女航行.