From the scrap-metal madness pieced together by barbaric Ork warriors, to the sacred designs churned out by Adeptus Mechanicus manufactories, the galaxy is no stranger to the throaty growl of revving chainswords.

從野蠻的獸人戰(zhàn)士用廢舊金屬拼湊成的瘋狂造物，到機(jī)械修會(huì)制造廠大批量生產(chǎn)的神圣型號(hào)武器，銀河眾生對(duì)于旋刃鏈鋸劍那低沉的咆哮并不陌生。

Chainswords are not subtle weapons. Wielding one is a statement in its own right: they are horrific tools of war, designed to bite, tear and eviscerate where more primitive blades merely cut and slice. A chainsword brings the weight of intimidation with its obvious effectiveness, and it promises pain before death.

鏈鋸劍并非機(jī)巧的武器，使用這種武器本身就是一種聲明：它是恐怖的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)工具，被設(shè)計(jì)用于割穿、撕裂和開膛破肚，而更原始刀劍在同類情況中只能切砍。鏈鋸劍的明顯（殺傷）效果能造成威懾力，它預(yù)示著死亡前的痛苦。

On worlds claimed by Humanity, these blades are items of status for criminals and high-ranking gang fighters, as well as weapons of lethal (and crowd-pleasing) necessity for indentured gladiators.

在被人類所占有的世界上，這些利刃是罪犯和高級(jí)幫派打手們的身份象征，而且也是契奴角斗士的必備武器——這種裝備是致命的，而且能取悅觀眾們。

Among Mankind’s endless armies, the ubiquitous chainsword has found a home in the arsenal of many Imperial Guard officers, as well as serving as the weapon of choice for countless warriors among the Adeptus Astartes, since the ancient era of the Space Marine Legions in the Great Crusade.

在人類無盡的軍隊(duì)中，鏈鋸劍是無處不在的，它在很多帝國(guó)衛(wèi)隊(duì)軍官們的武庫(kù)中找到了一席之地，也是阿斯塔特修會(huì)中無數(shù)戰(zhàn)士們的武器選擇——自從星際戰(zhàn)士軍團(tuán)征戰(zhàn)于大遠(yuǎn)征中的古老時(shí)代，便是如此。

In alien hands, chainblades take more exotic forms despite obeying the same function. An orkish ‘chain-choppa’ will have none of an eldar chainsabre’s bone-sung elegance, and little of the reliability of a Space Marine’s mass-produced weapon, but it will carve flesh and shed blood with the same eagerness.

而異形手中的鏈鋸刀劍雖然功能相同，卻有著更奇異的形態(tài)。歐克獸人的“鏈鋸砍刀”并無艾爾達(dá)鏈鋸軍刀那靈骨吟唱出的優(yōu)雅，也幾乎沒有星際戰(zhàn)士手中那大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)出的武器的可靠性，但它也能以同樣的熱切砍開皮肉，令敵人鮮血橫流。

Origins and Variants

起源和改型

Like many examples of human invention, the chainsword’s many variants seem to have their roots in the shrouded heresies of the Dark Age of Technology. Accordingly, it saw consistent use in the armoured fists of techno-barbarians during the Age of Strife, and among the Emperor’s own armies during his Thunder Warriors’ brutal conquest of Terra.

就像諸多的人類發(fā)明那樣，鏈鋸劍的很多改型似乎都植根自黑暗科技時(shí)代那被隱藏的異端理論中。因此，科技野蠻人在紛爭(zhēng)紀(jì)元持續(xù)使用著它，而在雷霆戰(zhàn)士們野蠻征服泰拉的過程中，帝皇本人的大軍也揮舞著鏈鋸劍。

But chainswords have been wielded by inhuman hands for aeons. Several xenos races have borne such blades into battle even in the ages where Mankind could only look up to the stars with spears in their filthy hands. Tech-Priest foundry masters have speculated, down the centuries, that it is simply a natural evolution of the sword’s design: from bronze to iron; from iron to steel; from steel to chain-teeth; and from chain-teeth to a weapon wreathed in an energy field - such as the Imperial power sword.

但非人類物種們也在極其漫長(zhǎng)的歲月里使用著鏈鋸劍。哪怕在人類還只能用臟污的雙手握住長(zhǎng)矛，抬頭仰望星空之時(shí)，很多異形種族便已經(jīng)用鏈鋸劍進(jìn)行廝殺了。幾個(gè)世紀(jì)以來，司掌鑄造的技術(shù)神甫預(yù)測(cè)認(rèn)為，刀劍設(shè)計(jì)的自然演變就是如此：由青銅變?yōu)樯F，有生鐵變?yōu)殇摬?，由鋼材變?yōu)殒滀忼X，再由鏈鋸齒變?yōu)榘谀芰繄?chǎng)中的武器——比如帝國(guó)的動(dòng)力劍。

But doubt remains. More than one Martian magos has devoted their life’s work to researching the primeval?origins of chainweapons; mostly likely as an inspiration stolen from an alien race, in a war that may never be remembered. If this theorem ever bears fruit, it is distinctly possible that the galaxy’s first wielders of chainswords were jade-clad warriors of the ancient Eldar.

但疑惑仍舊存在。用一生時(shí)間來研究鏈鋸武器遠(yuǎn)古起源的火星賢者不止一位；其靈感很可能是偷取自某個(gè)異星人種族，此事發(fā)生在某場(chǎng)可能永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)被記起的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)中。如果該理論曾有得出結(jié)論的話，那么銀河系中最早的鏈鋸劍使用者很可能就是身穿翠綠色甲胄的古艾爾達(dá)戰(zhàn)士。

As befitting the galaxy’s most common type of chainweapon, chainswords come in hundreds upon hundreds of styles, patterns, and local variants. Two-handed blades are often referred to as ‘eviscerators’, but these immense weapons come in almost as many variants as their more common counterparts.

作為銀河系中最常見的鏈鋸武器類型，鏈鋸劍有成百上千種風(fēng)格、型號(hào)和當(dāng)?shù)馗男?。雙手鏈鋸劍通常被稱為“開膛劍”，但這種大型武器的改型，也和它那些更為常見的同類們同樣眾多。

Every Space Marine Chapter will forge its own blades with subtle differences to those of its brethren, just as every forge world produces its tried and tested signature weapons, based on its preferred schematics.

每個(gè)星際戰(zhàn)士戰(zhàn)團(tuán)都會(huì)鑄造自己的鏈鋸劍，而這些鏈鋸劍之間有著微妙的區(qū)別的，就像每個(gè)鑄造世界都會(huì)依據(jù)自己偏好的圖表，生產(chǎn)出經(jīng)受了測(cè)試與考驗(yàn)的個(gè)性化武器。

The most common template for any Imperial chainsword is the Mk. Xf ‘Hell’s Teeth’ pattern, with thousands of minor variations seeing use throughout Mankind’s endless armies. Chapters such as the Flesh Tearers, the Marines Errant, the Minotaurs, and the Blood Eagles have made no secret of their own named pattern chainblades, usually divergent in matters of decoration and reverence. Unsurprisingly, one of the most dramatic Imperial variant is also found among the Adeptus Astartes: the so-called ‘Krakentooth’ frost blade of the Space Wolves, with its chain-teeth supposedly formed from the fangs of the sea monsters blighting the oceans of their homeworld.

帝國(guó)鏈鋸劍最為常見的模板是5f“地獄之牙”型，人類無盡的軍隊(duì)使用著它的數(shù)千個(gè)改型。諸如血肉撕裂者、游俠騎士和血鷹等戰(zhàn)團(tuán)都毫不掩飾地使用著自己命名的鏈鋸劍型號(hào)，這些武器在裝飾和崇敬（含義）上通常有著不同之處。而不出意料地，我們也能在阿斯塔特修會(huì)中發(fā)現(xiàn)最令人印象深刻的帝國(guó)鏈鋸劍改型之一：太空野狼所謂的“克拉肯之牙”——霜刃劍，人們推測(cè)其鋸齒是用肆虐在戰(zhàn)團(tuán)母星大洋中的海怪的長(zhǎng)牙制成的。

Battle and Maintenance

戰(zhàn)斗與保養(yǎng)

Despite their relative ease of manufacture, few weapons require as much maintenance as the Imperial chainsword. Fortunately the maintenance is of a mundane nature - easily performed by any ganger or warrior - rather than something like plasma technology, which inevitably requires the sacred insight of a tech-priest in order to keep it functioning over time. Replacement teeth-tracks are found in vast crates alongside lasgun power packs in every Imperial Guard drop zone, as well as being similarly stored aboard every Space Marine Thunderhawk Gunship.

雖然它們的鑄造（過程）相對(duì)簡(jiǎn)單，但只有極少數(shù)武器需要和鏈鋸劍同樣眾多的保養(yǎng)維護(hù)。幸運(yùn)的是，鏈鋸劍的維護(hù)是很簡(jiǎn)單的（任何幫派打手或戰(zhàn)士都能輕易完成），而非如同電漿技術(shù)那般復(fù)雜——后者的維護(hù)需要技術(shù)神甫的神圣監(jiān)督，以確保其功能仍舊保持正常。在帝國(guó)衛(wèi)隊(duì)的所有空投區(qū)內(nèi)，人們都能在巨大的板條箱中發(fā)現(xiàn)替換用的鏈鋸齒，而激光槍的能量包就放在一旁；它也同樣會(huì)被儲(chǔ)存在每一架星際戰(zhàn)士雷鷹炮艇上。

The first concern is that even the most well-forged chainsword will blunt quickly against heavy armour, especially the dense, ablative layers bolted onto an orkish warlord, or the tainted ceramite of a Traitor Marine. Chainswords lack the heavy cutting weight of chainaxes and their bulkier ilk, and are better served to cleaving through the joints of heavy suits of armour.

我們首先要關(guān)注的一點(diǎn)是：在對(duì)抗厚重的裝甲，尤其是螺固在獸人軍閥身上那致密的燒蝕裝甲層，或者是叛徒星際戰(zhàn)士被玷污的陶鋼甲胄時(shí)，哪怕是鑄造最為精良的鏈鋸劍也會(huì)很快變鈍。不同于鏈鋸斧及其笨重的同類，鏈鋸劍沒有沉重的劈砍重量，而是更適合用于切開厚重甲胄的關(guān)節(jié)處。

Secondly, chainswords are thirsty weapons. Some variants are much more efficient in terms of fuel consumption, but those that aren’t powered by self-sustaining energy generators drink promethium fuel no differently to countless other low-tech Imperial machines, and emit the same crude, oily reek as any tank’s engine.

其次，鏈鋸劍是一種饑渴的武器。一些改型在能量消耗方面要高效得多，但在對(duì)于钷素燃料的消耗上，那些沒有自我維持型能量發(fā)電機(jī)的為其供能的鏈鋸劍，也與無數(shù)其他低科技的帝國(guó)機(jī)器毫無區(qū)別，而且也會(huì)像所有坦克引擎那樣散發(fā)出粗制油膩的惡臭。

The final concern is one of skill. Chainswords can ‘throw’ teeth when they’re used in poorly executed parries, slapped blade-to-blade with other chainweapons, or simply wielded with all the precision of a club. While teeth are easily replaced and repaired, it is not uncommon for battles between chainsword duel lists to end with both the victor’s and the loser’s blades missing several teeth, especially if the fighters wore heavy armour. Ork weapons, especially those with chain-teeth made from the alien ‘ivory’ of an Ork’s own sharpened fangs, are especially vulnerable to this kind of degradation. Anyone with a modicum of experience wielding one of these weapons knows to parry with the reinforced flat of the blade, rather than catch a blow on the toothed, moving edge.

最后一個(gè)關(guān)注點(diǎn)是使用技藝。當(dāng)使用者以拙劣的招架與其他鏈鋸武器進(jìn)行劍斗，或者純粹是像揮舞棍棒那樣使用武器的話，鏈鋸劍就會(huì)“脫落”鋸齒。盡管鋸齒易于更換和維修，但當(dāng)一場(chǎng)鏈鋸劍決斗結(jié)束時(shí)，勝負(fù)雙方的佩劍都經(jīng)常會(huì)失去很多鋸齒，尤其是在決斗者們身穿厚重甲胄的情況下。歐克獸人的武器，尤其是安裝了用歐克自己磨鋒利了的利齒制成的異星“尖牙”的那些，在面對(duì)此種毀壞時(shí)就尤為脆弱。任何有過些許使用此類武器經(jīng)驗(yàn)的人都知道：要用加固過的平坦劍背去格擋，而非用轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)著的鋸齒劍鋒去硬抗進(jìn)攻。

These issues of durability rarely apply off the battlefield. A hive ganger or sump-waste outlaw can own a chainsword his entire life without suffering the same degenerative annoyances as an Assault Marine of the Adeptus Astartes, because – like any weapon – a chainsword’s use depends entirely on context. When used as intended against lightly armoured foes, a chainsword is lethality incarnate.

但這些耐久性問題很少出現(xiàn)于戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)之外的情況中。鏈鋸劍被巢都幫派打手和廢水溝中的法外狂徒用上一輩子，也不會(huì)遭受與阿斯塔特修會(huì)中突擊星際戰(zhàn)士手中佩劍同樣的損壞煩惱，因?yàn)榫拖袢魏挝淦髂菢樱滀弰Φ氖褂茫▔勖┩耆Q于環(huán)境。當(dāng)鏈鋸劍被用于對(duì)付輕甲敵人時(shí)，它就是致命的化身。

No other blade in existence cuts flesh with the same vicious, ravening hunger as a chainsword. A fighter’s strength will add to the blow’s devastating effects, but where other melee weapons may rely purely on strength, a chainsword makes for a perfect duelling weapon; just as effective when wielded with grace and speed over brawn. Once the teeth even graze flesh, their motorised bite hooks deeper and saws through muscle, sinew and bone with the same, surgical ease.

在現(xiàn)存的其他刀劍中，沒有哪種能和鏈鋸劍一樣野蠻殘忍地切開皮肉。使用者的力量會(huì)增強(qiáng)鏈鋸劍的破壞效果，但在其他近戰(zhàn)武器可能純粹依賴力量的情況下，鏈鋸劍又是一種完美的決斗武器；當(dāng)被優(yōu)雅而快速地?fù)]舞時(shí)，它也同樣有效。鋸齒一旦接觸到皮肉，它們的機(jī)動(dòng)咬合（動(dòng)作）就會(huì)鉤住更深層的組織，并如同做手術(shù)那樣輕松鋸穿肌肉、肌腱和骨骼。

Just as nothing cuts meat and bone like a chainsword, nothing bleeds like a chainsword wound. Enemies losing arms and legs to these weapons (a practice commonly called ‘limbing’ by Imperial Guard veterans with unpleasant smiles) can look forward to one of the bloodiest battlefield deaths imaginable, as their life pours out through the uncauterised, mangled stump of flesh that remains in place of a whole limb.

沒有武器能像鏈鋸劍那般切開皮肉骨骼，同樣的，也沒有創(chuàng)口會(huì)造成鏈鋸劍傷那樣的出血效果。被這種武器奪去手臂或大腿（帝國(guó)衛(wèi)隊(duì)的老兵通常會(huì)稱之為“肢解”，并在說話時(shí)露出不懷好意的微笑）的敵人能預(yù)料到：自己將經(jīng)歷可想象的最為血腥戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)死法之一，生命力會(huì)從他們未被灼燒消毒且受損嚴(yán)重的殘肢處噴涌而出。