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The Forever War, The Forever War #6

The Forever War #6

6 We had our first casualty on the third day, learning how to dig holes. With such large amounts of energy stored in a soldier‘s weapons, it wouldn‘t be practical for him to hack outa hole in the frozen ground with the conventional pick and shovel. Still, you can launch grenades all day and get nothing but shallow depressions-so the usual method is to bore a hole in the ground with the hand laser, drop a timed charge in after it‘s cooled down and, ideally, fill the hole with stuff. Of course, there‘s not much loose rock on Charon, unless you‘ve already blown a hole nearby. The only difficult thing about the procedure is in getting away. To be safe, we were told, you‘ve got to either be behind something really solid, or be at least a hundred meters away. You‘ve got about three minutes after setting the charge, but you can‘t just sprint away. Not safely, not on Charon. The accident happened when we were making a really deep hole, the kind you want for a large underground bunker. For this, we had to blow a hole, then climb down to the bottom of the crater and repeat the procedure again and again until the hole was deep enough. Inside the crater we used charges with a five-minute delay, but it hardly seemed enough time-you really had to go it slow, picking your way up the crater‘s edge. Just about everybody had blown a double hole; everybody but me and three others. I guess we were the only ones paying really close attention when Bovanovitch got into trouble. All of us were a good two hundred meters away. With my image converter turned up to about foily power, I watched her disappear over the rim of the crater. After that, I could only listen in on her conversation with Cortez. „I‘m on the bottom, Sergeant.“ Normal radio procedure was suspended for maneuvers like this; nobody but the trainee and Cortez was allowed to broadcast „Okay, move to the center and clear out the rubble Take your time. No rush until you pull the pin.“ „Sure, Sergeant.“ We could hear small echoes of rocks clattering, sound conduction through her boots. She didn‘t say anything for several minutes. „Found bottom.“ She sounded a little out of breath. „Ice or rock?“ „Oh, it‘s rock, Sergeant The greenish stuff.“ „Use a low setting, then. One point two, dispersion four.“ „God dam it, Sergeant, that‘ll take forever.“ „Yeah, but that stuff‘s got hydrated crystals in it-heat it up too fast and you might make it fracture. And we‘d Just have to leave you there, girl. Dead and bloody.“


The Forever War #6 La guerra eterna #6

6 We had our first casualty on the third day, learning how to dig holes. 6 穴を掘る方法を学んでいた 3 日目に、最初の犠牲者が出ました。 With such large amounts of energy stored in a soldier‘s weapons, it wouldn‘t be practical for him to hack outa hole in the frozen ground with the conventional pick and shovel. 兵士の武器にはこれほど大量のエネルギーが蓄えられているため、従来のつるはしとシャベルで凍った地面に穴を掘ることは現実的ではありません。 Still, you can launch grenades all day and get nothing but shallow depressions-so the usual method is to bore a hole in the ground with the hand laser, drop a timed charge in after it‘s cooled down and, ideally, fill the hole with stuff. それでも、手榴弾を一日中発射しても浅いくぼみしか得られないので、通常の方法は、ハンドレーザーで地面に穴を開け、それが冷めてから時限爆弾を落とし、理想的には穴を物で埋めることです。 . Of course, there‘s not much loose rock on Charon, unless you‘ve already blown a hole nearby. もちろん、すでに近くで穴を開けていない限り、Charon に緩い岩はあまりありません。 The only difficult thing about the procedure is in getting away. この手順で唯一難しいのは、逃げることです。 To be safe, we were told, you‘ve got to either be behind something really solid, or be at least a hundred meters away. 安全を期すためには、非常に頑丈な物の後ろにいるか、少なくとも 100 メートル離れている必要があると言われました。 You‘ve got about three minutes after setting the charge, but you can‘t just sprint away. チャージを設定してから約 3 分ですが、ただ疾走することはできません。 Not safely, not on Charon. 安全ではありません、カロンではありません。 The accident happened when we were making a really deep hole, the kind you want for a large underground bunker. 事故が起きたのは、大規模な地下バンカーに必要な、非常に深い穴を掘っていたときです。 For this, we had to blow a hole, then climb down to the bottom of the crater and repeat the procedure again and again until the hole was deep enough. このために、私たちは穴を吹き飛ばしてからクレーターの底まで降りて、穴が十分に深くなるまで手順を何度も繰り返さなければなりませんでした。 Inside the crater we used charges with a five-minute delay, but it hardly seemed enough time-you really had to go it slow, picking your way up the crater‘s edge. クレーター内では 5 分間の遅延で突撃を行いましたが、時間が足りなさそうに見えました。 Just about everybody had blown a double hole; everybody but me and three others. ほぼ全員がダブルホールを吹き飛ばしました。私と他の3人を除く全員。 I guess we were the only ones paying really close attention when Bovanovitch got into trouble. ボバノビッチがトラブルに巻き込まれたとき、本当に細心の注意を払っていたのは私たちだけだったと思います。 All of us were a good two hundred meters away. 私たちは皆、200メートル離れていました。 With my image converter turned up to about foily power, I watched her disappear over the rim of the crater. 私の画像コンバーターがほぼフォイルパワーまで上げられたので、私は彼女がクレーターの縁の上に消えるのを見ました. After that, I could only listen in on her conversation with Cortez. その後、私はコルテスとの会話を聞くことしかできませんでした。 „I‘m on the bottom, Sergeant.“ Normal radio procedure was suspended for maneuvers like this; nobody but the trainee and Cortez was allowed to broadcast „Okay, move to the center and clear out the rubble joe narnenam 「下にいます、軍曹。」 通常の無線手順は、このような操作のために中断されました。訓練生とコルテス以外は誰も放送を許可されなかった「よし、中央に移動してがれきを片付けろ。 Take your time. ゆっくりしてください。 No rush until you pull the pin.“ „Sure, Sergeant.“ We could hear small echoes of rocks clattering, sound conduction through her boots. ピンを抜くまで急ぐ必要はありません」 「わかりました、軍曹」 岩がガタガタと音を立てる小さな反響、彼女のブーツからの音の伝導が聞こえました。 She didn‘t say anything for several minutes. 彼女は数分間何も言わなかった。 „Found bottom.“ She sounded a little out of breath. 「底が見つかりました。」 彼女は少し息切れしたように聞こえた。 „Ice or rock?“ „Oh, it‘s rock, Sergeant The greenish stuff.“ „Use a low setting, then. 「氷か岩か?」 「ああ、それは岩だ、軍曹緑がかったものだ」 「それなら、低い設定を使用してください。 One point two, dispersion four.“ „God dam it, Sergeant, that‘ll take forever.“ „Yeah, but that stuff‘s got hydrated crystals in it-heat it up too fast and you might make it fracture. 1 ポイント 2、分散 4」 「くそったれ、軍曹、それには永遠に時間がかかります」 「ええ、でもその中には水和結晶が含まれています。加熱が速すぎると、壊れてしまうかもしれません。」 And we‘d Just have to leave you there, girl. そして、私たちはあなたをそこに残しておく必要があります、女の子. Dead and bloody.“ 死んで血まみれ。