After six months of low-orbit test flights around Mars, the mission has validated the equipment and trained the crew. During this period, numerous personnel have rotated through the spacecraft for service and evaluation duties. After all, the upcoming Saturn orbital voyage will involve extended periods in deep space, demanding rigorous professional and psychological preparedness from the crew.
经过半年的火星低轨道试航,验证了装备,也锻炼了船员,在这期间已经有大批人员轮换登船服务与评估,毕竟即将到来的土星轨道航行处于长时间深空,对人员的业务素质和心理素质都有着严格要求.
Upon arriving at the bridge in the morning, Lübecke received a briefing and personally reviewed the operational data for the flagship's departure from Mars' low orbit. Over the next few days, the San Jacinto would orbit Mars while gradually lowering its altitude, ultimately landing at the Hermes Base transport dock in Coprates Chasm to await final deployment.
早上来到舰桥,听取了简报,吕贝克还亲自查看了母舰脱离火星低轨道的运行数据.在接下来的几天里,圣哈辛托号将要环绕火星运行逐步降低高度,最后降落在科普拉特斯峡谷的赫尔墨斯基地的传送门船坞,等待最后的部署.
Accordingly, in preparation for the upcoming high-precision docking maneuver, the ship is conducting sensor inspections and calibrations while validating its control systems. As a final line of defense, collision damage control drills are underway across all stations. As the ship's captain, Lübeck not only remotely observed the drills but also personally witnessed collision damage control exercises in the side hangar and the lower deck engine room.
相应地,为了迎接即将到来的高精度入船坞停泊,船上也在检测和校准传感器,验证操控系统,同时作为最后一道防线,各个岗位的碰撞损管演习正在进行.吕贝克作为舰长,不仅远程旁观了演习过程,而且亲自观摩了侧舷机库和底层甲板动力舱的碰撞损管演习.
Success hinges on the details. He needed to understand the crew's actual execution capabilities and the morale of the soldiers. However, the captain's personal presence had the most significant effect: it boosted the morale of the young men and women, making them take their duties more seriously. Whether it was sealing pipes or compartments, or troubleshooting system failures according to procedures, their clear thinking and commands, swift positioning, and collaboration demonstrated their dedication and competence through the strength and perseverance of these young people.
成败在于细节,他需要了解队伍的实际执行能力和士兵们的士气.不过舰长亲自现身最显著的作用就是姑娘小伙子们的士气更足了,对待自己的职责更加认真了,不论是管道或者舱室的封闭,还是系统故障依照程序解除,他们清晰的思路与指令,迅速的跑位和协作,在这些年轻人的力量与毅力中展示了他们的职责与才能.
After lunch today, Lübeck led Brittany to the portholed passageway along the ship's side. He knew this vantage point at this hour offered a view of the Martian sunset. He said nothing, merely watching quietly as Brittany stood before the window, her cheek pressed against the glass.
今天的午饭之后吕贝克领着布列塔尼来到侧舷有舷窗的通道,他知道这个时间的这个舰体位置能够看到火星日落,他没有说什么,只是静静地看着布列塔尼站在窗前的脸颊.
From Mars's vantage point, the Sun appears as a tiny speck—minuscule and utterly devoid of warmth. Its faint, pallid glow illuminates the edge of the planet's thin atmosphere while simultaneously piercing through it to dimly light the plains and canyons of the Martian surface, casting long shadows behind.
在火星这个距离,太阳看起来就像一个小亮点,渺小并且毫无温度,淡淡的惨白,照亮火星稀薄的大气边缘,同时也穿透大气暗淡地照亮火星表面的平原与峡谷却留下长长的阴影.
The San Jacinto's speed far exceeded the equatorial surface velocity of Mars' rotation. Before long, she had maneuvered to a tangential position relative to the direct sunlight. The pallid rays pierced the atmosphere, casting a low-saturation, pale blue halo.
圣哈辛托号的速度远远高于火星自转的赤道地面速度,不一会儿她就绕到了直射阳光的切线方位,惨白的阳光穿透大气泛着低饱和度淡蓝的光晕,
"Is it sunset now?" Brittany asked as she watched.
"现在是日落吗?"布列塔尼边看边问,
"Yes,"
"是的,"
Like the moon at night, only not quite as bright.
"好像晚上的月亮,只是不够明亮,"
"Yes, much smaller than the moon."
"是啊,比月亮小多了,"
Brittany turned to face Lübeck and whispered softly,
"The color of this sky reminds me of my childhood—those nights when my parents would always argue. I'd slip away from them and watch the moon alone in the yard." She paused, flicked a strand of hair from her temple, then lifted her gaze to meet Lübeck's again.
"I wish you had been there back then."
布列塔尼转过身面向吕贝克轻声说,
"这天空的颜色让我想起了小时候,小时候的夜晚,那时候父母总是吵架,我就躲开他们,自己在院子里看着月亮,"说着停顿了一下,低头撩了一下鬓角的发丝,又抬起头望着吕贝克接着说,
"那时候要是有你就好了,"
"You have me now," Lübeck said, pulling her into his arms.
"你现在有我了,"说着吕贝克把她搂进怀里,
Brittany rested her cheek against Lübeck's shoulder, turning her head to continue watching the Martian sunset. Soon, that tiny white dot plummeted into the sky's backdrop within Mars' gray-blue atmosphere, gathering the last vestiges of blue-toned romance before vanishing beneath the horizon.
布列塔尼把脸颊靠在吕贝克的肩头,扭头继续观赏着火星日落,很快那一点白就陨落在灰蓝的火星大气内的天空背景,然后收拾最后一抹蓝调浪漫,隐没于地平线之下.
Gazing out at the pitch-black night beyond the window, Brittany still couldn't tear her eyes away. It seemed that even the silent embrace of the dark night was preferable to the family room behind her, filled with arguments and reproaches. Let that belated embrace warm her younger self back then. Let her grown-up self hold onto this moment of warmth and offer it to that helpless little girl she once was.
望着窗外的漆黑夜色,布列塔尼还是不想移开自己的视线,仿佛即便是无声的暗夜怀抱,也好于身后那充满争执与斥责的家庭室内空间,就让他迟到的怀抱,温暖那时幼小的自己,就让长大的自己,留住这一刻的温馨,送给当年那个幼小无助的她.
Lübeck held Brittany in his arms, neither moving nor speaking. He didn't know what she was thinking or feeling, but her frozen gaze and silent heart made it impossible to disturb her. He could only immerse himself in this atmosphere, feeling the comfort of their shared warmth.
吕贝克搂着怀里的布列塔尼没有动,也没有说话,不知道她在想着什么,也不知道她在感受着什么,只是她那凝固的眼神,静默的心,不好去打扰,只有沉浸在这氛围之中,感受彼此体温的陪伴.
As they parted reluctantly during their walk, each had duties to attend to. Lübeck needed to maintain his manual piloting skills for the mothership, so even as captain, he regularly took the helm. This afternoon into evening marked his shift: gradually decelerating, lowering the orbital altitude, and feeling the ship's attitude feedback through manual control. After hours at the helm on the bridge, he had witnessed several Martian sunrises and sunsets. Even dinner was a work meal consumed at the control console. From the thrust of the plasma main engines to attitude control, navigation data cross-checking against trajectory, and anti-gravity engine power output adjustments—he familiarized himself with or verified every system. Only after confirming everything was in order did he hand operations back to the bridge crew and return to rest.
散步中依依惜别,两个人都有自己的岗位工作,吕贝克需要保持母舰手动操作驾驶的手感,所以即便是舰长了,也到定期操作驾驶飞船,而今天下午到晚间,就是他的驾驶时段,逐步减速,降低轨道高度,并且在人工操纵中感受舰体的姿态反馈.在舰桥上连续数小时的驾驶,他已经看过了好几次火星的日出日落,就连晚餐也是在驾驶台上完成的工作餐,从等离子推进主引擎推力到姿态控制,导航数据与轨迹核对,以及反重力引擎功率输出调节,每一个环节都熟悉或者核对一遍,觉得没有什么问题了,才把操作重新交还给舰桥操作人员,返回休息.
Back in his own room, Brittany was already asleep, but for some reason she'd left the starlight mood lamp in the bedroom on tonight. Standing in the shower, Lübeck saw her roll over in bed. Wondering if he'd made too much noise, he adjusted the water flow so it sprayed diagonally over his entire body, no longer splattering onto the floor.
回到自己的房间,布列塔尼已经睡了,但是不知为何今天她留了卧室的星光氛围灯.站在淋浴间里,吕贝克看见她在床上翻了个身,心想是不是自己弄出的声响太大了,便把水流调到斜向全部喷洒在自己身上,不再噼啪地滴落在地面.
Lübeck lay on his back in bed, letting the day's weariness wash away. Yet tonight, he felt a lingering regret for not having said goodnight to Brittany. He rolled over, settling beside her. In the dim light, her chest rose and fell with each breath. Lü Beck gently threaded his fingers through her hair—unwilling to disturb her, yet craving the touch. Though she lay so close, the distance between them felt vast. The voice of his heart was drowned out by the separation between them.
吕贝克仰面躺在床上,放松了这一天的疲乏,只是今晚自己没能和布列塔尼道晚安,似乎有些缺憾.于是他转过身,侧身躺在她的身旁,微光里她的胸在呼吸中微微起伏,吕贝克把手指轻轻穿过她的发丝,不想打扰,却又想要触碰,虽然近在眼前,可是感觉与她的距离仿佛是那样的遥远,心的呼声都被与她的隔绝淹没了,
At that moment, Brittany turned her head toward Lübeck and hummed softly. Lübeck thought he had woken her, but no—her breath remained steady, still deep in slumber.
这时布列塔尼扭了个头,朝向吕贝克这边,嗯了一声.吕贝克以为是自己把她弄醒了,但不是,她的气息,依然在沉睡,
"No, don't," came a faint, indistinct voice from her throat.
"不,不要,"含糊而又轻微的声音,从她的喉咙中发出,
"No," she turned her head away again, her arm twitching.
"不,"她又把头扭向另一面,胳膊抽搐了一下,
Only then did Lü Bei realize she was dreaming, unaware of what she had encountered in her dream.
吕贝克这才意识到,她在做梦,不知道梦里的她遇到了什么,
Just as things had calmed down for a moment, her breathing grew rapid, and she began muttering again,
"No, no, no—"
刚平静了一会儿,只见她呼吸变得急促,嘴里又在念叨着,
"不,不要,不要,"
Lübeck hurriedly rose and gently shook her shoulders,
"Bree, wake up, Bree, wake up," his touch growing firmer.
吕贝克急忙起身轻摇她的肩膀,
"布瑞,醒醒,布瑞,醒醒,"力度由轻到重,
"Ah," she opened her eyes and gazed at Lübeck before her.
"啊,"她睁开了眼睛,望着面前的吕贝克,
Did you have a nightmare?
"做恶梦了吗?"
"Hmm,"
"嗯,"
Lübeck touched her forehead—no fever, but she was drenched in sweat, perhaps from fright in her dreams. He felt her hand—ice cold. He tried his own foot against hers—damp and icy.
吕贝克摸了一下她的额头,没有发烧,但是出了很多汗,也许是梦里惊吓到了,再摸摸她的手,冰凉,用自己的脚试试她的脚,潮湿冰凉.
So he pulled over the blanket beside him and covered her with it, then took her hand in his and pressed his foot against hers.
于是他扯过一边的毯子,给她盖上,然后用自己的手握着她的手,用自己的脚贴着她的脚,
"It was just a dream, all in the past," Lübeck reassured her as he helped warm her up.
"只是一个梦,都过去了,"吕贝克一边帮她取暖一边安慰她,
"Hmm, it's all in the past," Brittany repeated Lübeck's words almost mechanically, perhaps still dazed from the dream she'd just woken from. Yet after speaking, she turned her back on Lübeck and returned to her own calm solitude.
"嗯,都过去了,"布列塔尼似乎有些机械地重复着吕贝克的话语,或许是还未走出刚才梦境的恍惚,可是说完她却转身背对着吕贝克,独自回复她的平静.
Lübeck didn't press her further, merely gently clasping her hand from behind and wrapping his arm around her waist to offer companionship.
But when she remained silent for quite some time, Lübeck leaned his head close to hers to see if she was all right.
吕贝克并没有追问,只是从背后轻轻握着她的手,搂着她的腰,给她陪伴,
可是见她过了好一阵子都没有说什么,吕贝克把头凑到她的面前,看看她是否还好,
"Eri, hold me tight,"
she finally spoke. Lü Beck could finally relax, wrapping one arm around her waist from behind and the other across her chest.
"埃瑞,搂紧我,"
她终于说话了,吕贝克终于可以放下心来,便从她的身后一手跨过她的腰间,一手揽在她的胸前,
In Lübeck's embrace, Brittany rested her head against his cheek, gently turning her face back to seek his lips. Within her lover's kiss, Brittany gradually regained the calm of her breath.
在吕贝克怀抱里布列塔尼把头靠在他的脸颊,轻轻扭回头,寻着他的唇,在爱人亲吻中,布列塔尼渐渐回复了她气息的平静,
"Take me, will you? My man,"
"占有我好吗?我的男人,"
Lübeck offered no reply, though this proved an excellent way to stimulate her microcirculation.
Clutching Brittany's torso tightly, Lübeck rubbed her own feet against the girl's icy ones while seeking out her anticipation, filling her emptiness. It seemed mere lip-to-lip kisses were insufficient to warm her need.
As Lübeck gently filled her heart, Brittany pulled his hands tightly before her, lying prone on the bed with his arms pinned beneath her. Turning her head, her cheek pressed against the sheets, she murmured as if to herself.
吕贝克没有回答,这倒是个促进她的微循环的好方式,
紧搂着布列塔尼的上身,吕贝克一边用自己的脚摩擦着她冰凉的脚,一边寻着她的等待,填补她的空虚,似乎仅仅是唇的亲吻还不足以温暖她的需要,
当吕贝克轻轻填满她的内心,布列塔尼拉紧他的双手在自己的身前,趴在床上,把他的手臂都压在了自己的身下,侧着头脸颊贴在床单上,似乎在自言自语,
"Take me, Eri, take me, Eri,"
she repeated over and over, as if making a demand of Lübeck, yet also as if washing away her own memories,
"Take me, please take me, Eri,"
"Take me, Eri,"
"Yes, please take me,"
"Eri,"
"请占有我,埃瑞,请占有我,埃瑞,"
她一次次地重复着,好似在对吕贝克提出要求,又好像是在一次次地冲刷自己的记忆,
"占有我,请占有我,埃瑞,"
"请占有我,埃瑞,"
"嗯,请你占有我,"
"埃瑞,"
With each soft whisper from Brittany, Lübeck gradually tightened his embrace around her waist, filling the longing and yearning within her heart time and again.
在布列塔尼一次次的轻声呼唤中,吕贝克渐渐搂紧她的腰身,一次次填补着她心中的呼唤与渴望,
In the faint glow of the starlit ceiling, Lübeck wrapped his body around Brittany's easily frightened soul, as if his form had become the night sky itself, shielding her from every harm that might pierce her.
卧室星光顶的暗夜微光中,吕贝克用自己的身躯包裹着布列塔尼那容易受惊的灵魂,仿佛他的身躯化作布列塔尼那时暗夜的苍穹,隔绝所有刺向她的伤害.