On the first morning of the Saturn elliptical orbit mission, well, let's call it that for now. Morning and night here were merely the frequency of artificial lighting changes designed to maintain the human circadian rhythm. Lübeck was already awake. The temporal coordinates corresponded to the year 1931 on Earth, and the ship was currently riding the gravitational slingshot of Jupiter to accelerate.
在土星椭圆轨道任务的第一个早晨,好吧,姑且这么称呼吧.这里的早晚只不过是用来维持人体生物钟的人工照明变化频率.吕贝克已经醒来,时间点是地球时间的1931年,现在飞船正在跟随木星引力加速.
By the time his own ship reached its perigee, it would likely be the early 1940s. In his previous life, he had left Germany with Ruth before that war began, thus avoiding being dragged into the European theater. Should he go visit that Ruth? Every clear afternoon, every wisp of dawn's light, bore her silhouette and countenance.
等到自己的船到达近地点可能要1940年代初了,自己的上辈子在那场战争之前和露丝离开了德国,没有被卷入欧洲战场.要不要去探望那时的露丝呢?那晴朗的午后,那每一丝清晨的曙光,都是她的身影与面容.
Recalling the past, he tilted his head to one side. Brittany was still fast asleep, her body curled on her side, her lush, youthful short hair covering her cheek. The medical station aboard had been burdened with heavy duties lately, requiring physical check-ups on the crew following the temporal transit; the workload was immense. Lübeck tried his best not to disturb her rest.
回想着往事,头歪向一边,布列塔尼还在熟睡,侧卧的身体,青春茂密的短发挡住了脸颊.舰上医疗站最近的任务比较繁重,需要检查时空传送后的船员身体健康状况,工作量很大,吕贝克尽量不打扰她的休息.
Having served in the Secret Space Program for so long, he understood why they were deployed at this specific juncture. It was because the nuclear detonations on Earth would soon attract extraterrestrial life from all corners of the universe coming to investigate. The impact of those blasts was an existence that pierced through every dimension.
因为自己在秘密太空计划中已经服役很久了,他也理解为什么要部署在这个时间段,因为之后地球上的核爆引来了宇宙中各处的外星生命前来查看情况,核爆的影响是穿透各个维度的存在.
Lübeck's mission with the Aerospace Carrier was to use its deployed fighters to intercept unauthorized visitors. Of course, they weren't the only ship in orbit; there were others stationed at different spatial and temporal coordinates. Just as visitors from afar might not appear at any predictable time or place, Lübeck and his crew were waiting by the stump for the hare.
吕贝克的空天母舰任务就是利用其搭载的战机拦截未经授权的访问,当然在轨道上不止他这一艘船,还有其它船只,在不同的空间和时间位置,就像远道而来的访客不一定会出现在哪个时空位置一样,吕贝克他们在守株待兔.
"Ah," Brittany stretched lazily and opened her eyes.
"啊呃,"布列塔尼伸了一个懒腰,睁开了眼睛,
"Get up, let's go have breakfast. We're almost out of time."
"起床跟我去吃早餐了,时间快来不及啦,"
"I don't want to," Brittany squinted at Lübeck standing by the bedside.
"我不,"布列塔尼眯着眼睛看着站在床边的吕贝克,
"Alright, stretch again and get up," Lübeck said, pulling off her blanket. He had long since figured out how to handle his little lazybug.
"好了,再伸个懒腰起床吧,"说着,吕贝克掀掉了她的被子,他早就想好了怎么对付自己这个小懒虫了,
"No way," Brittany remained sprawled on the bed, stretching her limbs, smiling mischievously at Lübeck.
"我就不,"布列塔尼依旧躺在床上,伸展着自己的四肢,笑着跟吕贝克耍赖,
Lübeck didn't say a word. With one hand, he grabbed her ankle; with the other, he took her uniform trousers and directly slipped one leg in, then the other.
吕贝克也不说话,一手抓住她的一只脚脖子,一手拿过她的制服长裤,直接把一条裤腿给她套了上去,然后另一条腿,
Brittany stopped struggling to stretch, watching her man dress her with happiness in her eyes.
布列塔尼也不挣扎着伸懒腰了,幸福地看着自己的男人给自己穿衣服.
"Up," Lübeck pulled Brittany up into a sitting position on the bed. Her arms dangled like a puppet with cut strings as Lübeck manipulated them to put on her uniform top.
"起来,"吕贝克一把把布列塔尼从床上拉坐起来,她的胳膊就像断了线的木偶一样给吕贝克摆弄着,穿上了制服上衣,
"Out of bed."
"下床,"
She enjoyed being handled like this. He lifted her legs, turned her body to face the edge of the bed—though why did it feel like she was disabled? Thinking of this, Brittany couldn't hold back her laughter.
她很享受被吕贝克这样摆弄,扶起她的双腿,旋转她的身体面向床边,只是怎么感觉好像自己是残疾人一样?想到这布列塔尼也憋不住笑了,
"What are you laughing at?" Lübeck asked, pulling her down to stand on the floor.
"你笑什么?"说着,吕贝克把她拉下床站立,
"I was thinking, if one day I get old..."
"我在想,如果有一天,我老了..."
"Hmm, what about it?" Lübeck's attention seemed still focused on dressing her.
"嗯,怎么样?"吕贝克的注意力似乎还在给她穿衣服上面,
He pulled up her trousers, stood behind her, tested the elastic, fastened her belt, bent down to smooth the cuffs, then zipped up her jacket and straightened her collar. While busy, he asked,
拉起她的裤子,站在她的身后,试了试松紧,帮她系好腰带,再俯身把裤腿整理平整,然后是上衣拉索,整理领子,一边忙活一边问,
"What happens when you're old?"
"你老了怎么样?"
Brittany didn't speak. She turned around, wrapped her arms around Lübeck's waist, and leaned into his embrace.
布列塔尼没说话,转过身搂着吕贝克的腰,靠在他怀里,
Lübeck felt that something was missing in his busy morning routine. He gave her buttock a sharp slap, then squeezed it firmly.
吕贝克这时也觉得一早上的忙碌似乎少了点什么,便用力啪地拍了一下她的屁股,一把抓在上面,
"Ah!"
"啊!"
"Come on, let's go eat breakfast."
"走,去吃早饭,"
"Mhm."
"嗯,"
The morning hours were truly insufficient. After a hurried breakfast, the two headed to their respective posts.
一早的时间真的不够用,匆匆早餐过后两人各自奔赴岗位.
Having just returned from age reversal, Lübeck found all the crew members to be newcomers. There was no method to lead such a fresh team other than getting to know each member individually.
刚从年龄逆转中回来,对于吕贝克来说所有船员都是新人,要带领这样一支新人队伍没有别的方法,只有挨个成员去熟悉.
So basically, every day he went to greet every crew member at the pilot seats and the combat command center, chatting with them about their work and personal lives. Only then would he return to his captain's chair to observe and read through various data and intelligence summaries.
所以基本上每天他都是和驾驶席位,作战指挥中心的每个船员打招呼,和他们聊聊工作情况,也聊聊个人生活情况.然后才回到他舰长的位置上,观察阅读各种数据和情报汇总.
Lübeck seemed to have an innate need for security regarding environmental perception. But in deep space, active radar scanning was practically useless. He liked to flip through electromagnetic spectrum monitoring records or listen to the sounds of pulsars from the depths of the universe during his downtime.
吕贝克似乎对于感知环境方面有着天生的安全感需求.但是在深空中主动雷达扫描基本上就是一无是处的,他喜欢在没事的时候翻阅电磁频谱监测记录,或者是宇宙深处脉冲星的声音.
Then he would check the disturbances in the gravity field and the positions of the deployed Interceptor fighters. In deep space, the most convenient way to locate them was relative to the mothership.
再就是查看一下重力场的扰动,和那些部署出去的拦截者战机位置,在深空中它们的位置最方便的就是参照母舰定位了.
Lunchtime seemed to be the only regulator for the monotonous work of such a long voyage in a confined space, not just for Lübeck, but for everyone, especially the young enlisted crew.
午餐时间似乎是这样长航程封闭空间里单调工作的唯一调节项目,不仅仅是对于吕贝克来说,对所有人都是这样,尤其是年轻的普通舰员.
Today, he and Brittany came to the mess hall. Young soldiers and service personnel, men and women, some talking, some laughing—it was the starkest contrast between the inside and outside of the ship.
今天他和布列塔尼来到了士兵餐厅.年轻的士兵和勤务人员,男男女女,有的交谈,有的说笑,是飞船内外最大的差距.
And Brittany's smiling face was the vitality of his spring.
而布列塔尼的笑脸,就是他春的生机,
"Erich, do you miss me?"
"埃里希,想我吗?"
Lübeck smiled without answering, just quietly looking into Brittany's eyes.
吕贝克微笑未答,只是静静地看着布列塔尼的眼睛,
"Let me feed you," Brittany said, cutting a piece of bread with her mess knife, spreading jam on it, and bringing it to Lübeck's mouth.
"让我喂你,"说着,布列塔尼用餐刀切了面包,抹上果酱,递到吕贝克的嘴里,
Through Brittany's eyes, he seemed to travel through time and see Ruth standing before him in his childhood.
透过布列塔尼的眼睛,仿佛穿越时空看见了自己儿时面前的露丝,
"Erich, are you hungry? Eat," it was her, handing him the sweet potato she had roasted after digging it from the ground.
"埃里希,饿了么,吃吧,"是她,把从地里找来的红薯烧好,递到自己的嘴里,
It tasted just as sweet as back then, just as caring were those eyes, her very visage.
似乎还是那时甘甜的味道,似乎还是那时候关爱的双眼,她的容颜,
"Okay, thank you. You eat too," Lübeck said, lowering his head and turning away, eating his lunch alone.
"好了,谢谢,你快吃吧,"说着,吕贝克低下了头,扭向一边,自顾自地吃着午餐,
"Look at that one, the dark-haired female medic. Her ex-boyfriend didn't pass the assessment and she's single now. So many guys are buzzing around her."
"你看那个,黑发的女医务兵,他原来的男友没通过考核,现在单身中,好多小伙子在围着她转,"
"Look at that one with white hair and blue eyes? He even tried to hit on me. I rejected him. So annoying," Brittany said, stuffing a large bite of food into her mouth.
"你看其中有个,白发蓝眼睛的,他还想追求我,被我拒绝了,烦死人了,"布列塔尼说着往嘴里塞了一大口食物,
"Hmph, doesn't even bother to ask around. I've been taken for ages." She puffed out her cheeks and glanced sideways in that direction.
"哼,也不打听打听,我早就是名花有主了."说着,鼓着腮帮子,朝那边斜了斜眼,
Lübeck said nothing, simply wrapping his arm around Brittany's waist, gently caressing her body.
吕贝克没说什么,搂过布列塔尼的腰,轻轻抚摸她的身体.
The idle situation display screens in the combat center that afternoon, and the figures of crew members coming and going, mingled with the thoughts of Brittany, replaying in his mind like a montage, intertwining with her face before him in the current night, like an illusion.
午后的作战中心闲暇的态势显示屏和往来的舰员身影,掺杂着那时对布列塔尼的惦念,宛如脑海中的回放,与当下夜晚面前她的面容交织如幻,
Holding her waist, kissing her neck, as if making up for the debt owed that morning.
搂着她的腰,亲吻着她的脖颈,仿佛在弥补今早的亏欠,
Brittany tilted her head back, exposing her entire neck, letting every inch of her skin await Lübeck's kiss. Her collarbones, her shoulders, all eagerly awaited his attention.
布列塔尼仰起头,露出她脖颈的全部,让自己每一寸肌肤等候吕贝克的亲吻,她的锁骨,她的肩头,都急切地等待着他的关注,
As she swayed slightly, Brittany's silky hair brushed against Lübeck's cheek.
上身的轻摇中,布列塔尼的秀发扫过吕贝克的脸颊,
In his arm was Brittany's warmth, in his breath was Brittany's scent, and in his searching was Brittany's gentle tolerance.
他的臂弯中是布列塔尼的温度,他的呼吸中是布列塔尼的气息,他的寻觅中是布列塔尼温柔的包容.
For some reason, at the very beginning of this deep-space deployment, Lübeck felt a profound longing for attachment, here in this endless void.
不知道为什么,深空部署的伊始,吕贝克就感到了对依恋的深切渴望,在这无尽的虚空里.
(Translated by Tencent Yuanbao)