Чужой
IV
Confrontednowwitharealsource,oneconsiderablymoreimpressivethananyofthemhaddaredconsider,theirscientificdetachmenthadtemporarilyvanished.
Itwasaship.Relativelyintactitwas,andmorealienthananyofthemhadimaginedpossible.Dallaswouldnothavelabelleditgruesome,butitwasdisturbinginawayhardtechnologyshouldnothavebeen.Thelinesofthemassivederelictwerecleanbutunnatural,imbuingtheentiredesignwithanunsettlingabnormality.
Ittoweredabovethemandthesurroundingrocksonwhichitlay.Fromwhattheycouldseeofit,theydecidedithadlandedinthesamemannerastheNostromo,bellydown.Basicallyitwasintheshapeofanenormousmetallic’U’,withthetwohornsoftheUbentslightlyintowardoneanother.Onearmwasslightlyshorterthanitscounterpartandbentinmoresharply.Whetherthiswasduetodamageorsomealienconceptionofwhatconstitutedpleasingsymmetrytheyhadnowayofknowing.
AstheyclimbedclosertheysawthatthecraftthickenedsomewhatatthebaseoftheU,withaseriesofconcentricmoundslikethickplatesrisingtoafinaldome.Dallasformedtheopinionthatthetwohornscontainedtheship’sdriveandengineeringsections,whilethethickerfrontendheldlivingquarters,possiblycargospace,andthebridge.Foralltheyknew,hemighthaveeverythingexactlyreversed.
Thevessellaysupine,displayingnoindicationoflifeoractivity.Thisnear,theregainedtransmissionwasdeafeningandallthreehastenedtolowerthevolumeintheirhelmets.
