Чужой
VIII
’Orbitalre-entrycomputedandentered.I’mmatchinguppositionswiththerefinerynow.Haveitinasecond.There.’Shehitaseriesofbuttonsinsequence.NumbersflashedaboveDallas’shead.
’Goodenough.We’llcorrectwhenwe’reup,ifnecessary.Standbyforlift-off.’
Swathedinroilingdust,theNostromobegantovibrate.Aroaringroseoverthehowlofthestorm,aman-madethunderthatechoedacrosslavahillocks,andshatteredhexagonalbasaltcolumns.
’Standingby,’saidRipley.
DallasglancedacrossatAsh.’How’ssheholding?’
Thescienceofficerstudiedhisgauges.’Everything’sworking.Forhowlong,Ican’tsay.’
’Justlongenoughtogetusup.’Dallasflippedontheintercom.’Parker,howdowelookfromdownthere?Canwemakeitoutwithoutengagingthedeepdrive?’
Iftheycouldn’tbreakgravityontheprimarydrive,Dallasknew,they’dhavetocutinthehypertogetthemout.Butasecondortwoofhyperdrivewouldthrowthemcompletelyoutofthissystem.Thatwouldmeanrelocatingitandusingpreciouswaketimetolinkuponcemorewiththeircargo.Andwaketimetranslatedasair.Minutesequaledlitres.TheNostromocouldcontinuetorecycletheirmeagersupplyofbreathingmaterialonlysolong.Whentheirlungsstartedrejectingit,they’dhavetogobackintothefreezerswhetherthey’dfoundtherefineryornot.
Dallasthoughtofthegiganticfloatingfactory,triedtoimaginehowlongitwouldtakeforthemtopayforitontheirvariousmodestsalaries.
