Чужой
II
LambertwaswatchingJonesthecatplaywithablinkingtelltale.’Youknowthat.Bringingafullcrewoutofhypersleepisn’tlightlydone.There’salwayssomeriskinvolved.’
’Tellmeaboutit.’ParkermuttereditsosoftlyonlyBrettcouldoverhear.
’You’llallbehappytolearn,’Dallascontinued,’thattheemergencywe’vebeenawakenedtodealwithdoesnotinvolvetheNostromo.Mothersayswe’reinperfectshape.’Acoupleofheartfelt’amens’soundedinthecrampedmess.
’Theemergencylieselsewhere—specifically,intheunlistedsystemwe’verecentlyentered.Weshouldbeclosingontheparticularplanetconcernedrightnow.’HeglancedatAsh,whorewardedhimwithaconfirmingnod.’We’vepickedupatransmissionfromanothersource.It’sgarbledandapparentlytookMothersometimetopuzzleout,butit’sdefinitelyadistresssignal.’
’Whoa,thatdoesn’tmakesense.’Lambertlookedpuzzledherself.’Ofallstandardtransmissions,emergencycallsarethemoststraightforwardandtheleastcomplex.WhywouldMotherhavetheslightesttroubleinterpretingone?’
’Motherspeculatesthatthisisanythingbuta’standard’transmission.It’sanacousticbeaconsignal,whichrepeatsatintervalsoftwelveseconds.Thatmuchisn’tunusual.However,shebelievesthesignalisnotofhumanorigin.’
Thatprovokedsomestartledmuttering.Whenthefirstexcitementhadfaded,heexplainedfurther,’Mother’snotpositive.That’swhatIdon’tunderstand.
