The flickering light of the oil lamp cast a faint glow over the corner of the room in the darkness. Days of continuous rain had left the wooden cabin permeated with a damp atmosphere. She rolled over, the light illuminating the outline of her body. She didn't look like Ruth. Who was she? Lübeck wondered. They seemed to be in a marital relationship, yet she wasn't the woman he knew.
油灯昏黄的灯光摇曳,在黑暗中微弱地照亮墙角的空间,连日的阴雨使得木屋里弥漫着潮湿的气息,她翻了个身,灯光照亮她体测的轮廓,看着不像露丝,她是谁呢?吕贝克疑惑着,自己和她好像是夫妻关系,可是她又不是自己熟悉的女人,
He rose and left the room. Outside, the night was a deep blue, and a cool breeze brushed against his body, bringing a wave of chill. Yet in the dark night, he couldn't see far ahead on the narrow path; beside his feet lay fields. After wandering aimlessly for quite some time, Lü Beck glanced back at the path he had come. Yet in the night's mist, the way he had traveled vanished from sight. The ground beneath his feet had somehow transformed into flat land. He tried jogging in the direction he remembered, but it felt as though he had entered an entirely different space. He could no longer find his way home.
起身离开房间,外面是深蓝的夜色,清凉的风拂过身体,一阵清凉,可是暗夜里无法看清小路前方太远,脚下的路边是田地.在漫无目的地游走了好一阵子后,吕贝克回望来时的路,夜色的迷雾中却看不到来时的路了,脚下的路不知道什么时候变成了平坦的土地.他尝试着沿着来时的方向小步奔跑,却仿佛进入了另一个完全不同的空间,再也找不到回家的路了,
In his haste, he quickened his pace, yet no matter how fast he ran, it felt as though he should have covered the distance he'd just walked. Still, all around him lay emptiness—nothing but a dark, murky fog.
急切中,他加快了脚步,可是不管怎样奔跑,感觉仿佛应该跑回了刚才走出的距离,却依然四周空空,一片暗色迷雾.
Lübeck began frantically running around in search once more, but suddenly stumbled and stumbled. He opened his eyes in alarm—it had all been a dream.
吕贝克又开始急切地向四周奔跑搜索,可是忽然一脚踏空,他紧张地睁开了双眼,原来是个梦.
Brittany lay sleeping beside him, yet Lübeck recalled the dream's scene—the woman in it wasn't her. It was strange, incomprehensible, and utterly meaningless. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was still early. Placing his hand on Brittany's hip, he tried to clear the clamor from his mind and fall back asleep.
布列塔尼正睡在他的身旁,可是吕贝克回溯梦中的情景,那个女人并不是她,很奇怪,难以理解并且毫无意义.看看时间还早,吕贝克把手搭在布列塔尼的腰胯,试图清空脑海里的嘈杂,再次入睡.
Wake up, wake up, it's time to get up.
"醒醒,醒醒,该起床了,"
Opening her eyes, Brittany was gently shaking her awake. Seeing her face first thing in the morning—those large hazel eyes, her golden hair still loose and falling softly over her cheeks— Lübeck felt an inexplicable surge of joy. It was as if her youthful vitality had infected him, or perhaps it was the presence of a beloved companion, or even that his lonely heart had finally found someone to entrust it to. It was her, pulling him out of endless longing. But what about Ruth? Where was she at this very moment? His desire to care for her felt so powerless. A 25-year-old body bore the bitterness of a life lived beyond 52. Perhaps this was why some chose to reverse their age while erasing their memories.
睁开眼睛,布列塔尼正在摇晃着自己,当早晨睁开眼睛就看见她的面容,那双棕绿色的大眼睛,还未扎起的金色秀发低垂在脸颊,吕贝克就感到一丝无名的欣喜,似乎她的青春活力已经传染了自己,还是有了爱人的陪伴,亦或是自己的那颗孤寂的心终于有了托付之人,是她,正在把自己从无尽的思念中拉出,可是,露丝又该怎么办呢?此时此刻她又在哪里?想要给她的关爱是那样的无力.25岁的身体却有着超过52岁的人生苦涩,也许这就是有些人会选择逆转年龄的时候同时抹去记忆的原因吧.
The military unit operated like a wound-up clockwork mechanism: wake up, wash up, then head to the mess hall, before each person rushed off to their respective posts. Once again at the mess hall entrance, just as they were about to part ways, Lübeck suddenly felt an inexplicable dread at the impending separation. He grabbed the hand of Brittany, who was about to walk away.
军事部门的运转就像上了发条的机械钟,起床洗漱,然后餐厅,再然后各自奔赴自己的岗位,又是在餐厅门口,将要分开的时候,吕贝克突然感到内心无法名状的对分别的忌惮,他拉住了将要分开的布列塔尼手,
Brittany turned back, gazing at Lübeck with a smile, her figure so light and graceful. The distance between them closed once more. After kissing and embracing, they reluctantly bid farewell and parted ways.
布列塔尼回过头,望着吕贝克,带着笑,身姿是那样的轻盈,两人那拉开的距离又重新靠近,亲吻拥抱后才依依告别离开.
The Mars base serves as a crucial outpost for the U.S.-led secret space program, operating with support from trans-epochal technologies of unknown origin. Lübeck had also once suspected the origins of technologies like the stargate and starship antigravity engines. While rumors of extraterrestrial origins circulated, he still lacked access to more detailed information on the matter.
火星基地是美国主导的秘密太空计划的重要据点,依靠不明来源的跨时代技术支持运行.吕贝克也曾经怀疑过时空星门,和星舰反重力引擎这些技术来源,虽然有些外星生命来源论传闻,但是他还不能访问更详细的相关信息.
This base primarily serves as a homeport for orbital space carriers and their accompanying fighter squadrons, with corresponding pilots and crew stationed here or undergoing rotational training. New crew members, in particular, require an adaptation period to familiarize themselves with newer carrier models, while Lübeck itself needs time to recuperate before setting sail again.
这个基地主要停靠着轨道空天母舰和它所搭载的战机,对应的飞行员和船员也在这里驻扎或者轮换训练.尤其是新的船员需要适应新型号的空天母舰,需要一个阶段的磨合期,而吕贝克也是同样需要时间修养才能再次起航.
In the past, Lübeck served solely in the U.S. Navy, commanding surface vessels through the Iron Curtain during Cold War naval operations. Looking back on those years, Lübeck could never forget how Ruth managed to bring him to America before World War II, sparing him from the war on home soil. His German heritage had no impact on his personal circumstances during the Pacific theater's battles against Japan, and his promotions both during and after the war proceeded smoothly.
吕贝克在过去只是在美国海军,指挥水面舰艇经过了铁幕到冷战时期的海上军事行动.回想曾经的岁月里,吕贝克总是难以忘怀,露丝设法在二战之前带着他移民了美国,避开了本土的战争.而在太平洋战场上的对日作战并没有因为他德国人的身份,对他个人造成什么影响,战时和战后的晋升也都顺利.
The care she received in childhood, the immigration, the military academy—whenever Lübeck recalled all Ruth had done to pave his path in life, he was filled with gratitude, always feeling he could never repay her. He longed to reunite in the next life and continue his aspirations. But,
幼时生活的照顾,移民,上军校,每每回想起露丝为自己人生道路铺垫所做的一切,吕贝克都是心怀感激,总觉得无法报答,恨不得来生再聚,继续自己的心愿,只是,
Senior officers gathered to plan and execute various training and exercise operations, maintaining the soldiers' readiness and discipline. Beyond routine operations, Lübeck most enjoyed conversing with technical officers aboard the mothership—particularly electronic warfare officers and intelligence officers—as these discussions provided insights into the latest technological advancements.
高级军官们聚在一起就是排布和执行各种训练和演习行动,保持士兵们的状态和纪律,除了常规操作,吕贝克最喜欢和母舰上的技术官员聊天,尤其是电子战军官,情报官等,因为可以了解到更多技术方面的进展.
The exchange and synchronization of information among the bulls was always time-consuming, and before they knew it, the morning had slipped away. Brittany and Lübeck had agreed to accompany each other to meals, so they took turns joining one another at their respective dining halls. At noon today, Brittany once again took Lübeck by the hand and walked into the soldiers' mess hall.多头的信息交换和同步总是耗时的,很快上午时间就这样过去了.布列塔尼和吕贝克约定了都要陪对方进餐,所以他们会轮换陪着到对方的餐厅进餐,今天中午布列塔尼又拉着吕贝克的手走进了士兵餐厅.
The moment the two entered the restaurant, they caused quite a stir once more. Brittany still relished the attention, and Lübeck had naturally noticed her all along. Now he found himself wondering: Was Brittany actually interested in him, or did she just crave this kind of spotlight?
两人一走进餐厅就又引起了不小的骚动,布列塔尼依然很享受被瞩目的感觉,吕贝克当然早就注意到了,而现在他想的是,布列塔尼到底是看上我了还是想要这种出风头的感觉.
But faced with the enthusiastic soldiers and staff, Lübeck had no choice but to interact and greet them first. Not long after sitting down to eat, a soldier who knew Brittany approached, holding up a new smartphone to show her.
"Look, you're in the recruitment ads,"
可是面对热情的士兵和工作人员,吕贝克只好先和他们互动打招呼.落座吃饭没多久,就有认识布列塔尼的士兵过来,拿着新款智能手机给她看,
"你看,你们上征兵广告了,"
Lübeck leaned in to look too. It turned out that the moment he and Brittany had embraced and kissed outside the officers' mess that day had been photographed and featured in a recruitment ad—though it wasn't clear whether it was for the entire Navy or the secret space force.
吕贝克也凑过去一起看,原来自己和布列塔尼那天在军官餐厅门口相拥接吻的时刻被人拍了刊登在了征兵广告上,只是不确定是全海军的征兵广告还是秘密太空部队的征兵广告.
Above it all, the slogan reads: "Here lies your love, here lies your dreams, here lies a life unlike any other." Lübeck smiled as he looked at it. Clearly, this hadn't been approved by the subject's rights holder. But what, after all, truly belongs to a soldier?
上面还有广告词,"这里有你的爱情,这里有你的梦想,这里有你不一样的人生." 吕贝克看着也笑了,显然这没经过肖像权人的同意,可是军人还是有什么是属于自己的呢?
Space in the compound was severely limited, and the common areas were crowded with people. After lunch, they settled for a stroll along a secluded corridor with an outdoor view. Seeing no one nearby, Lübeck leaned close to Brittany's ear and whispered,
"Perhaps we should keep a lower profile. I fear someone might grow jealous of you and do something to harm you. Just in case."
基地里的空间实在有限,公共区域都有很多的人,午饭后的散步只好随便找一能看到外景的长廊,还算僻静一些,吕贝克见前后无人,凑近布列塔尼耳边说,
"也许我们需要稍微低调一些,我怕有人会嫉妒你,做出伤害你的事情,以防万一,"
"Oh," Brittany replied, glancing at Lübeck with a look that seemed either reluctant or puzzled.
Lübeck smiled faintly and continued his explanation.
"哦,"布列塔尼答应着,望向吕贝克,似乎有些不太情愿,或者是不太理解,
吕贝克微微一笑继续解释说,
I don't want you to take even the slightest risk. I don't want you to get hurt in the slightest, okay?
"我不想你冒一点点风险,我不想你受到一丁点伤害,好吗?"
"All right," Brittany smiled, seemingly satisfied with this explanation, and nestled happily against Lübeck.
"好,"布列塔尼笑了,似乎她对这样的解释很满意,幸福地靠在吕贝克的身上.
Lübeck transferred her hand from his left to his right, freeing his left arm to wrap around her waist. The midday sunlight on Mars, a dull orange-red, felt almost imperceptible as it filtered through the glass window. Yet that warm hue draped over them, spread beneath their feet, seemed like a witness to time itself—accompanying them step by step as they walked through the light streaming from each window, through the shadows between them, deep into the long corridor of years.
吕贝克也把左手里她的手交到右手,腾出左手搂住她的腰.火星中午的阳光,橙红暗淡,透过玻璃窗照在身上也没有什么感觉,但就是那一抹暖色调披在身上,铺在脚下,却仿佛岁月的见证,陪伴他们一步步走下去,走过每一个窗口的光亮,每一处窗间的阴影,一路走向岁月长廊的深处.