Lübeck awoke early, before dawn. The constant takeoffs and landings from last night's operation had indeed disrupted his sleep. Holding Brittany's waist from behind, breathing in the scent of her body, Lübeck felt in that moment that he truly possessed her. Yet more missions lay ahead, including deep-space operations that carried varying degrees of risk. Seen in this light, the love before him seemed like a castle built on sand.
吕贝克早早地就醒了,天还没亮,昨晚的行动飞机不断起降确实影响到了他的睡眠.从身后搂着布列塔尼的腰,呼吸着她身体的气息,在这一刻吕贝克才感觉自己真正拥有她,可是还会有接下来的一次次行动,后面还要到宇宙深空执行任务,都存在着或多或少的风险,这样看来,眼前这爱情就好像沙滩上的城堡.
Why not choose an ordinary life? Besides passion and talent, necessity for survival was also a factor. At least his previous life was spent on Earth, where he could be with Ruth. But after she left, to honor a promise of waiting, Lübeck agreed to join a secret space program. This way, he could keep living by reversing his age, waiting for her return.
为什么没有选择一个平常的生活?除了喜爱和擅长,谋生的不得已也是一个因素.只是上一次的人生好在还是在地球上度过,可以陪伴露丝.但是在她离去后,为了一个等候的约定,吕贝克同意加入秘密太空计划,这样他就能够通过不断逆转年龄活着,等待她的归来.
As dawn broke, faint light filtered through the panoramic glass windows on the roof, illuminating Brittany's profile as she lay on her side. Compared to Ruth, she was a bit more curvaceous, and her frame wasn't as delicate. Her personality seemed somewhat flighty—lacking Ruth's steady composure—but she was more passionate and straightforward.
天色破晓,屋顶的景观玻璃窗透进些许光亮,照亮布列塔尼侧卧的身形,相比较她比露丝更丰满一些,骨骼也不像露丝那么纤弱.她的性格,似乎有些轻飘,没有露丝的沉稳庄重,但是更加热情直率.
Lübeck longed to reunite with Ruth, but now Brittany had entered his life. He could only cherish the person before him and bury Ruth deep within his heart for the time being.
吕贝克希望能够与露丝重逢,但现在迎来的却是布列塔尼走进自己的生活,也只好先珍惜眼前人,暂时把露丝埋入心底.
"Mmm," Brittany stirred awake, stretched lazily, let out a sigh of relief, then rolled over with her eyes still closed, nestling closer to Lübeck's side.
"嗯啊,"布列塔尼醒了,伸了个懒腰,舒了一口气,然后闭着眼睛翻了个身,靠在吕贝克这边,
Her forehead pressed against Lübeck's chest, her jaw resting on his shoulder, she nestled against him like a little bird, filling him with a protective urge. As he gazed at her, he gently brushed aside the strands of hair covering her cheek and stroked her shoulder.
她的额头挤在吕贝克身上,下颌靠着肩头,小鸟依人一样偎依在吕贝克身边,让他心中满怀保护欲,端详间,轻轻用手撩起她遮挡脸颊的发丝,抚摸她的肩头,
Brittany lazily rolled over again, lying flat on the bed. She turned her head, opened her eyes, and silently gazed at Lübeck.
布列塔尼懒洋洋地又翻了个身,平躺在床上,扭回头睁开眼睛,默默看着吕贝克,
Lübeck lay on his side, propping his head up with one hand as he gazed at her, unable to suppress a smile. For some reason, he found himself utterly captivated by her brown-green eyes, simply smiling as the faint glow from the viewport illuminated her irises.
吕贝克侧身躺着,单手拄着头望着她,不由得露出了笑容,不知道为什么,吕贝克对她那双棕绿色的眼睛很是着迷,只是微笑看着景观窗的微光照亮她的虹膜.
"Good morning, Pilot Lübeck," Brittany murmured playfully.
"早上好,飞行员吕贝克,"布列塔尼有些调皮地轻声说,
"Did you sleep well?" Lübeck asked as he ruffled her hair.
"睡得好吗?" 吕贝克一边问一边摸摸她的头,
"Mm," Brittany replied.
"嗯,"布列塔尼答应着,
Were you tired yesterday?
"昨天很累是吗?"
Brittany chuckled softly, turning her body to rest her face against Lübeck's chest.
"Aren't you?" Then she draped her arm around Lübeck's waist, tracing her fingertips gently upward from his lower back to his shoulders before sliding them back down to his hips. Lifting her head to meet his gaze, she asked,
"Tell me, besides flying planes, what else can you fly?"
布列塔尼呵呵呵地笑着,侧过身,把脸趴在吕贝克怀里说,
"你不是吗?"然后把臂弯搭在了吕贝克的腰间,用指尖从他的后腰,轻轻上撩到他的后背,然后又滑落到他的臀部,然后仰起头望着吕贝克说,
"告诉我,除了开飞机,你还会开什么?"
Lübeck paused for a moment before saying,
"Well, I started out learning to fly in civilian aviation, then joined the U.S. Navy. I flew Hellcats, Sabres, Crusaders, and Ghosts."
吕贝克想了想说,
"嗯,最开始我是在民间学习飞行,后来加入了美国海军,我飞过地狱猫,佩刀,十字军战士,鬼怪,"
"Have you been with many women too?" Brittany paused mid-question, lowering her voice shyly, yet unable to resist asking about his situation.
"你也驾驭过很多,女人吗?"布列塔尼询问间停顿了一下,还压低了声音,有些害羞,可是又忍不住地问他的情况,
"No, only my ex-wife Ruth."
"没有,只有我的前妻露丝,"
Oh, I thought a man as outstanding as you would have plenty of female admirers," Brittany said, flopping back onto the bed. As she lay down, she wrapped her arms around Lübeck's waist and pulled him forcefully onto her. Blinking her large eyes, she gazed at him and said,
"Don't let any other woman steal you away from me, okay? Erich, drive me—your very own."
"哦,我以为像你这么出众的男人会有很多异性追求者,"说着,布列塔尼又仰面躺倒在床上,在躺倒的过程中,顺势双手搂着吕贝克腰,用力拉起他匍匐在自己身上,眨着她那双大眼睛,望着对方说,
"不要让别的女人把你从我这里抢走,好吗?埃里希,驾驶我,你的专属,"
Every time his name was called, Lübeck was drawn back to Ruth's side. It was she who opened the door for him when he returned home, and the face that greeted his homecoming felt like he had stepped back into the days of old.
每一次被呼唤自己的名字,吕贝克都会被拉回到露丝身边,是她,当自己回到家,为自己开门,那迎接他归来的面容,仿佛自己又回到了曾经的岁月里,
Lübeck held Brittany's hands, stretching her arms wide, as if the carrier-based aircraft she herself had piloted through the years were unfolding its folded wings.
吕贝克握着布列塔尼的双手,伸展她的双臂,仿佛岁月中自己驾驶的舰载机正在展开折叠的双翼,
Each time she plunged into Brittany, her heaving chest and trembling body seemed to feel the vibration of the aircraft being hooked onto the catapult. Every time the trolley tightened, every time the aircraft shook, it felt like a sign of the imminent moment of takeoff.每一次深入布列塔尼,她起伏的胸脯,颤抖的身体,仿佛感受着机体挂入弹射勾的震动,每一次地滑车拉紧,每一次地机体颤抖,都仿佛预示着即将来临的腾飞时刻.
As the catapult's power steam hissed and pressure mounted, the stop rods clanged as they were pulled taut. Amid the fuselage's tremors, the left and right engines roared to life in succession, firing their afterburners. Under the uneven thrust, the airframe twisted and was compressed by hydraulic dampers.
随着弹射器动力蒸汽嘶嘶作响,压力增高,止动杆被拉扯得铿锵作响,在机体的抖动中,左右引擎依次咆哮着开启加力燃烧室,在不均衡的推力下,机身扭动着被压缩液压阻尼.
Amid the shrieking of the turbo engine's rotors and the roar of exhaust, I gripped the control stick tightly. The release lever clanged open below, and the fuselage suddenly pitched forward. With immense thrust and acceleration, it launched skyward, soaring into the air.
在极致的涡轮引擎转子的嘶鸣与排气的咆哮中,搂紧驾驶杆,下面的止动杆铿锵释放,机身忽地昂起前冲的机头,在巨大的推力与加速中,弹射,昂首腾空.
Even after breakfast, as he entered the operations room to inspect the situation, Lübeck's mind was still filled with the intertwined images of his past flying career and the silhouette of Brittany...
直到早餐过后,来到作战室察看,吕贝克的脑海中依然回荡着从前飞行生涯画面与布列塔尼的身姿的交融...
Lübeck sat down with a cup of coffee, sipping it to clear his head while monitoring the large screen displaying the operational situation. The Hell Messenger attack aircraft that had been taking off and landing all night were mapping and marking newly discovered Mars Spider burrows, primarily around the supply lines. At first light, ground armored units had already departed for the marked locations to carry out demolition operations, sealing caves near the supply lines that could be used by Mars Spiders. This was standard procedure.
吕贝克端了一杯咖啡坐在一边,一边喝一边醒醒脑,查看着作战态势的大屏幕.原来昨晚一直起降的地狱使者攻击机在测绘和标注新出现的火星蜘蛛洞口,主要是运输线周边的.天一亮地面装甲部队就已经出发了,到标记的地点执行爆破作业,封闭运输线周边可以供火星蜘蛛出入的洞穴,这都是标准操作.
As the latest reports and updates keep coming in, it appears today's operation went smoothly. Following yesterday's strike, the spiders seem reluctant to use those burrow entrances. The ground team completed their assigned tasks without encountering any conflicts today, returning to base entirely in just over half a day.
随着前沿的报告与态势不断传回,看起来今天的行动很顺利,经过昨天的打击,似乎蜘蛛们也不想使用那些洞口了,今天的地面小队没有遭遇任何冲突就完成了预定任务,仅用了大半天就完全返回基地了.
It had been a smooth day, and Lübeck was in good spirits. In the afternoon, he received an invitation from Brittany to join her for dinner at the enlisted mess hall. Normally, protocol dictated that she should accompany him to the officers' mess instead. Without giving it much thought, Lübeck accepted the invitation.
顺利的一天,吕贝克也很高兴,下半时收到了布列塔尼叫他到士兵餐厅的晚餐邀请,本来依照次序是要她陪着吕贝克去军官餐厅的,吕贝克也没多想就赴约了.
As he pushed open the door to the dining hall, people on both sides suddenly showered him with festive streamers, flinging them over his head and onto his body. Ahead, a crowd of people—some crouching, some standing—faced him and shouted in unison.
"Guardian Angel Lübeck, Guardian Angel Lübeck, Guardian Angel Lübeck,"
当他推门进入餐厅,两边突然有人把庆典用的彩条抛在了他的头上和身上,只见前方蹲姿站姿好多人面向自己齐声呼喊,
"保护天使吕贝克,保护天使吕贝克,保护天使吕贝克,"
Lübeck was momentarily taken aback, then froze in surprise. Upon closer inspection, he recognized the soldiers from the transport and rescue units, flanked by armored troops and air squadron personnel lining the road. It dawned on him that this was likely the rescued unit expressing gratitude—probably because he had personally flown in to provide support the day before.
吕贝克开始有些吃惊,愣住了,仔细一看原来是运输队和救援队的士兵,两边夹道站着装甲部队和飞行中队士兵,他这才明白,可能是昨天自己亲自驾机提供支援的缘故,被救助的部队士兵在表示感谢,
Lübeck hurriedly clapped and bowed in gratitude, then stepped closer and noticed Brittany was also present.
吕贝克急忙一边鼓掌一边鞠躬表示谢意,走到近前注意到布列塔尼也在列,
"Thank you to the armored unit and flight squadron for supporting our rescue operation yesterday, especially Captain Lübeck for filling that critical rescue window. Thank you," said the medical rescue team leader as he shook hands with Lübeck and the others in turn.
"感谢昨天装甲部队和飞行中队对我们救援工作的支持,尤其是舰长吕贝克,填补了关键的营救窗口,谢谢,"说着,医疗救援队长依次和吕贝克还有其他人握手,
Just then, someone among the female medics crouching nearby murmured softly,
"Hey, Brittany, your boyfriend sure is impressive. He can even fly a plane—why haven't I heard you mention that before?"
这时就听到蹲姿的女医疗兵里有人小声嘀咕,
"哎,布列塔尼,你男朋友干得真漂亮,他还会开飞机,我怎么没听你说过,"
"Oh, he never mentioned it to me either," Brittany replied, her face flushing. It seemed she enjoyed being the center of attention, yet grew nervous and shy when the spotlight grew too intense.
"哦,他也没跟我说过啊,"布列塔尼红着脸回答,似乎她喜欢张扬,却又在被过度关注时有些紧张害羞,
The transport squadron leader continued his round of thanks,
"Thanks to the guys in the attack flight squadron. Thanks for your initial heavy firepower—otherwise we might have been crushed."
运输队长还在依次感谢,
"谢谢攻击飞行中队的小伙子们,谢谢你们一开始的猛烈火力,不然我们可能已经被碾压了,"
"Ah, yes, we had to launch a massive wave attack from the start. We were indeed short-handed, but thankfully Captain Lübeck later filled the gap in our firepower," the pilots recalled the situation at the time.
"啊,是啊,我们不得不从一开始大波次攻击,我们确实人手不足,多亏舰长吕贝克后来填补我们的火力间隙,"飞行员们也回顾起了当时的情况,
"Yeah, only heavy firepower will make those spiders understand where they shouldn't go."
"是啊,只有猛烈的火力才能让那些蜘蛛明白不该走哪里."
While the men were reminiscing about the events, the women were discussing another topic.
"Hey, Brittany, how did you meet such a great boyfriend?"
男人们回顾当时事态的时候,女人却在谈论另一个话题,
"哎,布列塔尼,你是怎么认识这么好的男朋友的?"
Oh, it's a work assignment—I've been assigned to care for him during his age reversal recovery period.
"哦,是工作指派,指派我护理他的逆转年龄恢复期,"
"Oh, so you took care of him, and then he came to protect you," the female soldier said as she stood up and began shouting loudly,
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't go thanking this person and that person—you should be thanking Brittany!"
"哦,原来是你照顾他,然后他又来保护你,"说着那个女兵站起身来开始大声嚷嚷,
"哎哎哎,你们可别感谢这个感谢那个的啦,你们得感谢布列塔尼,"
The moment she spoke, the entire room fell silent. Once she had captured everyone's attention, she began to speak in a stiff, formal tone:
"Captain Lübeck personally flew here to escort us—all to protect his beloved Brittany. We're all here thanks to her. Everyone, let's thank her!"
With that, she pulled Brittany to her feet, who stood somewhat awkwardly before the crowd.
话一出口,全场都安静了,只见她得到公众的注意力后,开始一板一眼地说,
"舰长吕贝克能亲自开飞机来给我们护航,那保护的是他那个心上人布列塔尼,我们都是借了她的光,大家快感谢她,"说着把布列塔尼拉起,有些尴尬地站在众人面前,
The male soldiers started jeering,
"We thought flying the plane was to keep an eye on our six o'clock, but it turns out it was to keep an eye on her six o'clock!"
这时男兵们开始起哄了,
"我们还以为驾机是为了看好我们的六点钟,原来是为了看好她的六点钟,"
The female soldiers grew excited upon hearing this, pulling Lü Beck to the side and surrounding her one by one to question her.
女兵们一听也跟着兴奋了起来,把吕贝克拉到列塔尼拉起身边一个个质问,
"So you two are lovers?"
"原来你们是相好?"
How long have you two been together?
"你们好了多长时间了?"
Marry her now.
"你现在就娶她."
"Yes, now."
"对,现在,"
The male soldiers on the periphery joined in the jeering.
外围的男兵也跟着起哄,
"Did you really fly the plane for her sake?"
"你真的是为了她才驾驶飞机的吗?"
Are you going to drive her tonight?
"今天晚上你要驾驶她吗?"
The female soldier chimed in as well.
女兵也跟着附和,
Ha ha ha, that's right, Brittany, do you like it when he drives you?
"哈哈哈,是啊,布列塔尼,你喜欢他驾驶你吗?"
Amid the bustling crowd, Brittany stared at Lübeck before her, recalling the morning's events, flushing crimson from her face to neck.
熙熙攘攘的人群中,布列塔尼双眼望着面前的吕贝克,想起早上的情景,脖子都红了.