Чужой
I
Onecouldexpectnothingelsefromaship’sengineer.
Directtheywere,andoccasionallyugly.Inwakefulnessthisdeeplyburiedoffalrarelyshoweditself,whentheengineerbecameirritatedorangry.Mostoftheoozeandcontemptfermentingatthebottomofhissoul’scisternwerekeptwellhidden.HisshipmatesneversawbeyondthedistilledParkerfloatingontop,neverhadaglimpseofwhatwasbubblingandbrewingdeepinside.
Lambertwasmoretheinspirationofdreamersthandreamerherself.Inhypersleepherrestlessmusingswerefilledwithintersystemplottingsandloadfactorscanceledoutbyfuelconsiderations.Occasionallyimaginationenteredintosuchdreamstructures,butneverinafashionfittostirthebloodofothers.
ParkerandBrettoftenimaginedtheirownsystemsinterplottingwithhers.TheyconsideredthequestionofloadfactorsandspatialjuxtapositionsinamannerthatwouldhaveinfuriatedLamberthadshebeenawareofthem.Suchunauthorizedmusingstheykepttothemselves,securelylockedindaydreamsandnightdreams,lesttheymakehermad.ItwouldnotdotoupsetLambert.AstheNostromo’snavigatorshewastheoneprimarilyresponsibleforseeingthemsafelyhome,andthatwasthemostexcitinganddesirablecojoininganymancouldimagine.
Brettwasonlylistedasanengineeringtechnician.ThatwasafancywayofsayinghewasjustassmartandknowledgeableasParkerbutlackedseniority.Thetwomenformedanoddpair,unequalandutterlydifferenttooutsiders.Yettheycoexistedandfunctionedtogethersmoothly.
