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步入黑暗·ENTERING THE DARKNESS

雖然黑石要塞的運(yùn)作機(jī)制鮮為人知，但還是有辦法進(jìn)入它的內(nèi)部的。在要塞巨大的側(cè)面上布滿了大小不一的洞孔。有些大得足以?？恳凰覉髴?yīng)級戰(zhàn)列艦，而另一些則小到幾乎連人都過不去。鉆過這些孔徑，那些從絕壁星冒險出發(fā)的人也許就能找到進(jìn)入無光陵墓內(nèi)部的通路了，許多來自遺忘時代的科技珍寶就散落在這座陵墓中，否則，他們可能就會被要塞的防御系統(tǒng)干掉。

The mechanisms by which the Blackstone Fortress operates are little understood, but there are ways to gain accessto its interior. Apertures of varying sizes pock the massive facets of the fortress. Some are large enough to dock a Retribution-class battleship, while others are so small that a human can barely fit through them. Those who venturefrom Precipice through these apertures may find ways into lightless internal mausoleums scattered with technological treasures of many a forgotten age, or they may simply be obliterated by the abstruse defence systems of the fortress.

黑石要塞的內(nèi)部是一座由走廊和廳室組成的狂野迷宮。某些幾何形的門廳巨大無比，螺旋狀的塔樓沿它們的長度方向楚楚而列，要么就是向下蜿蜒而入，沒進(jìn)了由能量溪流照亮的巨型裂縫之中。其它的則顯得狹窄而又曲折，其劇烈扭曲的地面上覆蓋著千百年的積塵。那些業(yè)已滅絕的種族曾經(jīng)試圖用地面和墻壁上的管線去控制黑石要塞的能源，他們（為此）創(chuàng)造了難以辨識的操縱面板，在那些東西的旁邊，要么是昔日冒險闖入者的遺骸，要么就是違背自身意愿而被帶入其中者的尸體。補(bǔ)給箱、干尸、還有正在朽爛的探索載具，連同那一度堂皇壯麗的宇宙飛船的碎骸殘片，就這么胡亂地散落在整間廳室之中。在這些病態(tài)的碎屑中，雖然有一些帶著已知種族的標(biāo)識或者生理特征，但絕大多數(shù)都是完全無法辨識的，不是因?yàn)檫^于古老，就是由于太過深奧而無法識別。神秘的科技遺物被緊緊地攥在遠(yuǎn)古逝者的手心里，要么就是埋在一堆堆正在慢慢腐爛的廢料之中，它們正等著被那些敢于找到并將其撬挖而走的人納入囊中。冒險家之所以會從絕壁星紛至沓來，為的就是這遠(yuǎn)古科技。

The interior of the Blackstone Fortress is a brutalist labyrinth of corridors and chambers. Some of its geometric halls are vast, arrayed with spire-like towers along their length, or dropping away into yawning chasms lit with rivulets of energy. Others are narrow and winding, their acutely twisting floors covered with millennia of debris. Indecipherable control panels created by those dead races that have tried to harness the Blackstone Fortress' power line the floors and walls, and alongside these are remnants of those who ventured inside in ages past, or who were brought within its bounds against their will. Supply crates, desiccated corpses and decaying exploration vehicles are strewn haphazardly throughout the chambers, along with fragmented pieces of once-grand spacecraft. While some of this morbid detritus bears the symbols or biology of known races, most is completely unrecognisable, either too ancient or too esoteric to be identified. Relics of arcane technology lie clutched in the hands of the ancient dead, or buried amongst heaps of slowly corroding scrap, waiting to be collected by those intrepid enough to find them and pry them free. It is for this archeotech that adventurers set out from Precipice.

冥河之隙是離絕壁星最近的洞口。據(jù)說，可以?？繋姿倚⌒惋w船的它是迄今為止所發(fā)現(xiàn)的最安全、最穩(wěn)定的塢埠入口。在冥河之隙里有許多磁懸浮運(yùn)輸艙，在進(jìn)入艙室并將其激活之后，它們就會降入要塞的深處。這些艙室的運(yùn)行準(zhǔn)度實(shí)在是糟糕透頂。通過操縱排列在四方晶體狀艙室內(nèi)部的神秘符文界面，行程便可以由此而啟，不過，迄今為止，任何踏足其中的人都無法獲知這些艙室究竟會前往黑石要塞的何處。

The opening closest to Precipice is known as the Stygian Aperture. Capable of docking a handful of small craft, it is said to be the safest and most stable port of ingress yet found. Within the Stygian Aperture are a number of maglev transport chambers that, when entered and activated, descend deep inside the fortress. The operation of these chambers is far from precise. By manipulating the enigmatic rune interfaces that are arrayed across the tetra-form interior of the chamber, travel can be initiated, but dictating where in the Blackstone Fortress the chamber will go is beyond the ken of any who have thus far set foot inside.

一旦抵達(dá)目的地，磁懸浮艙就會陷入沉寂，它會停機(jī)一個小時，一周，甚至更長的時間。因此，艙內(nèi)的乘客別無選擇，他們只能向前進(jìn)發(fā)，并且得從宛如兔穴一般的廳室中尋出一條道來，直到找到另一臺能夠?qū)⑺麄兯突兀ㄒ┍砻娴拇艖腋∵\(yùn)輸艙。對于受困的探險者來說，在暗中摸索的時候他們得時刻保持警惕，以免跌跌撞撞地墜入驟然直落的深淵之中，或者被看不見的高溫通風(fēng)口燙死，或者觸發(fā)了哪個藏伏在諸多廳室中的隱秘防御機(jī)關(guān)。

Once a maglev chamber arrives at its destination it falls silent, powering down for an hour, a week or even longer. As such, those on board have little choice but to press forwards, probing their way through the warren-like halls until they find another maglev transport to take them back to the surface. The stranded explorers must keep their wits about them as they plumb the darkness, lest they stumble into asudden plunging abyss, be scalded to death by an unseen hyperthermal vent, or trigger one of the latent defence mechanisms that are hidden within the various chambers.

不管走的是哪條路線，想要繪制地圖都是不可能的，因?yàn)楹推渌阎暮谑煌?，這個造物會定期重塑自己的內(nèi)部結(jié)構(gòu)。曾經(jīng)穿越而過的房間會與通向它們的走廊分離，取而代之的是封閉的墻面，或者干脆就只剩下巨大的裂口。同樣，道路也是由嵌有無形維度技藝的艙室組合而成。（至于）房間為什么會移動？以及是什么決定了它們的排列方式？這些只能任人揣度了。但那些在移動大廳中行走往來的人都會產(chǎn)生一種可怕的懷疑，那就是黑石要塞知道里面有人，并且正在決定他們可以徉往何處。

Whatever route is taken cannot be mapped, for unlike in the other known Blackstone Fortresses, the internal structure of this creation reshapes itself regularly. Rooms that have been passed through detach from the corridors to which they led, being replaced by occluding walls or simply left as yawning chasms. Similarly, paths are assembled from the chambers that tessellate the craft's unseen dimensions. Why the rooms move and what determines their arrangement can only be guessed at, but those who walk these shifting halls have a dreadful suspicion that the fortress is aware of those inside, and is dictating where they can roam.

由探索黑石要塞所帶來內(nèi)在危險和不確定性意味著只有絕壁星上的那些最大膽、最堅定的住民才會前來探險。不過，進(jìn)入黑石要塞的吸引力依舊很強(qiáng)。散落在要塞里的絕大多數(shù)殘片甚至要比那些漂浮在要塞周圍的殘骸星云里的更加古老，更加神秘。在理論上，星云帶里的殘舟碎舸都是被黑石要塞的重力吸引過來的，它們被吞進(jìn)了最大的孔隙之中，從而提供了一種維持形式。隨著艙室的移動，它們的殘片在巨型空間站里灑得到處都是。如此一來，要塞的大廳里總是堆滿了難以估量的財富。此外，在那些冒險入內(nèi)的人中，能一直歸來的只有一小部分。粗心大意的探險者可能會發(fā)現(xiàn)他們所有的逃生路線都被切斷了，或者一下子就被裝滿防御系統(tǒng)的房間給包圍了，它們每一個都預(yù)示著一種獨(dú)一無二的恐怖死法。無論這些倒霉蛋在臨死之前收集到了什么寶貝，它們都處于帶回收的狀態(tài)。不過，最有價值的商品是與要塞本身有關(guān)的信息。通過絕壁星最先進(jìn)的飛船所做出的掃描，人們已經(jīng)在不斷移動的艙室中發(fā)現(xiàn)了穩(wěn)定的節(jié)點(diǎn)，即所謂的隱藏墓室，不過，依然不知道它們里面裝的是什么東西。任何與這些墓室相干的數(shù)據(jù)，或者有關(guān)如何引導(dǎo)磁懸浮運(yùn)輸器前往其之所在的線索，都是無價的發(fā)現(xiàn)。

The inherent danger and uncertainty of exploring the Blackstone Fortress means that only that boldest and most determined occupants of Precipice ever undertake an expedition. But still the draw to enter is strong. Most of the debris scattered inside is even older and more esoteric than that found amongst the nebula of floating wreckage that surrounds the fortress. It has been theorised that the broken craft of the nebula are drawn in by the Blackstone Fortress' gravity and consumed within the largest apertures, thus providing a form of sustenance. Their remnant pieces are then scattered through the innards of the monolithic space station as its chambers shift. In this way the fortress' halls are always lined with incalculable riches. Furthermore, of those who do venture inside, only a fraction ever emerge. Unwary explorers may find themselves cut off from any route of escape, or suddenly surrounded by rooms laden with defence systems that each promise a uniquely horrific demise. Whatever treasures these unfortunates had gathered before their end also lie ready to be recovered. Yet the most valuable commodity is information on the fortress itself. Scans made by the most advanced craft at Precipice have revealed stable nodes amongst the constantly shuffling chambers -so-called hidden vaults - though what they contain is still unknown. Any data on these vaults or clues as to how to steer the maglev transports towards them are priceless finds.

行商浪人賈努斯·德萊克

Rogue Trader Janus Draik?

行商許可令R38-79N1

Warrant of Trade R38-79N1

數(shù)據(jù)日志條目：11707b

Datalog Entry：11707b

【（序言）遠(yuǎn)程通訊仍舊徒勞無功。再另行通知之前，數(shù)據(jù)日志條目會被儲存在先鋒號的沉思庫中，待返回德萊克之星后，再手動轉(zhuǎn)移至星語中續(xù)站】

<<PREAMBLE> Long-range vox continues to prove fruitless. Until further notice, datalog entries will be stored in Vanguards cogitator banks, to be transferred manually for astropathic relay upon return to the Draikstar.>

現(xiàn)在，我總算知道絕壁星的本質(zhì)了——它就是一個囊腫，里面集滿了銀河系中的污穢之物。我在腐朽的行廊和臨時的集市中與亞人和異形擦肩而過，要是在一個更加帝國化的地方，即便是為了禮節(jié)起見，我也早就大開殺戒了（譯者注-1）。但遺憾的是，這座星站的規(guī)定<見數(shù)據(jù)日志11707a>讓我無法這么做。我已經(jīng)下令，那些一直陪我走到現(xiàn)在的隨從與保鏢留絕對不得離開先鋒號，并且還啟用了敵對領(lǐng)土安保設(shè)置。如果有當(dāng)?shù)氐脑蚁胍獙ξ业拇┧笸率?，那他們在后悔之前就會被干掉?/span>

I understand now the nature of Precipice - it is a cyst inside which the filth of the galaxy has pooled. Within its corroded corridors and makeshift bazaars I have crossed paths with abhumans and xenos who, in a more Imperium-compliant setting, I would have cut down immediately, if only for the sake of propriety. But alas, the dictates of this station <see datalog 11,707a> prevent me from doing so. I have ordered those attaches and bodyguards who have accompanied me thus far to remain strictly aboard Vanguard, and have implemented Hostile Territory security settings. Should any of the local scum try to interfere with my shuttle, they shall not live long enough to regret it.

盡管這種雜居行為毫無內(nèi)在品味可言，但絕壁星上的安排方式或許也有一些閃光點(diǎn)。凡是登上這座星站的人，都具有一定程度的勇氣和決心【這一點(diǎn)值得欽佩，不管他們的種族為何（在傳送前編輯掉）】，而且作為臨時的盟友，其中一小部分甚至能夠被證明是可靠堪用的。我已經(jīng)見過了取自黑石要塞的遠(yuǎn)古科技，在我執(zhí)令行商的整個過程當(dāng)中，很少有曾見過具有如此內(nèi)在價值的物品。我必須進(jìn)去，哪怕這意味著要和那些不受歡迎的家伙一起冒險。

Yet despite the inherent tastelessness of such intermingling, perhaps there is some merit to the arrangement on Precipice. All aboard possess a degree of grit and determination <that is admirable, regardless of their species <REDACT BEFORE TRANSMISSION>>, and a handful of them may even prove useful as temporary allies. I have glimpsed the archeotech taken from the Blackstone Fortress, and over the entire course of my Warrant I have rarely seen objects of such intrinsic value. I must enter, even if it means venturing alongside this crop of undesirables.

內(nèi)在的危險·THE DANGER WITHIN

黑石要塞里的每一次探險都充滿了風(fēng)險。除了不斷改變位置的建筑構(gòu)架和致命的防御系統(tǒng)之外，黑暗中還潛藏著具有敵意的實(shí)體。在翻找大廳的同時，冒險家們可能會碰到成簇的機(jī)蜂哨衛(wèi)、成群的掠食生物和成隊(duì)的嗜血戰(zhàn)士。但要說最大的危險，那顯然當(dāng)屬黑石要塞本身那令人無法理解的感知能力，因?yàn)樗拇嬖谀康募捌湔鎸?shí)威力尚有待發(fā)現(xiàn)。

Every expedition inside the Blackstone Fortress is fraught with peril. Aside from the ceaselessly rearranging architecture and deadly defence systems, there are hostile entities lurking in the darkness. Whilst delving through the halls, adventurers may cross paths with clusters of drone-like sentries, packs of predatory creatures and squads of bloodthirsty warriors. But the greatest danger by far is the incomprehensible sentience of the Blackstone Fortress itself, for the purpose of its existence and the true extent of its power are yet to be discovered.

在黑石要塞里遇到的某些實(shí)體似乎是空間站里的原生住民，它們的形狀是在模仿要塞棱角分明的內(nèi)鎖結(jié)構(gòu)。而其他的生物則來自銀河的偏遠(yuǎn)邊隅，從野蠻的、通常是在黑暗之城科摩羅里發(fā)現(xiàn)的烏爾-古爾斯，到混沌諸神的扭曲仆從。

Some of the entities encountered within the Blackstone Fortress appear to be native to the space station, their form imitating its angular, interlocking structure. But others are creatures from far-flung corners of the galaxy, from savage Ur-Ghuls usually found in the Dark City of Commorragh, to the twisted servants of the Chaos Gods.

當(dāng)冒險者與敵人在廳堂中徜徉時，他們總是會不期而遇。隨后發(fā)生的交火緊張而又殘酷，在殲滅共同的敵人之前，冒險者會暫時擱置彼此之間的猜疑和仇怨。戰(zhàn)士們會跳到殘骸后面尋找掩護(hù)，或者躲到地面和墻壁上的壕狀缺口中去。當(dāng)他們的臨時盟友轉(zhuǎn)移到有利的陣位上時，他們會在那里打出雹霰一般的掩護(hù)火力，或者嘗試通過殘骸上的間隙包抄狙敵。槍聲，榴彈聲以及戰(zhàn)吼的咆哮聲在黑暗的大廳中響徹不已，在戰(zhàn)斗結(jié)束后，那些倒下的戰(zhàn)士會被搜刮的一干二凈，他們的武器裝備要么就是被幸存者取走，要么就是被要塞本身的折疊建筑吞噬殆盡。

As adventurers and hostiles roam the halls, they invariably cross paths. The ensuing firefights are tense and brutal, with distrust and animosity between the explorers temporarily set aside until the common enemy has been eliminated. Fighters dive for cover behind wreckage or duck into trench-like openings in the floors and walls. From there they lay down hails of covering fire while their make shift allies move to positions of advantage, or attempt to outflank and snipe their foes through gaps in the debris. The sounds of guns, grenades and bellowed war cries thunder through the dark halls, and those fighters who fall are picked clean after battle's end, their wargear either taken by the survivors or consumed by the folding architecture of the fortress itself.

由暴虐領(lǐng)主奧西迪斯·馬雷克斯率領(lǐng)的混沌星際戰(zhàn)士也許是黑石要塞里所能遇到的最可怕的敵人。目前還不清楚這幫異端阿斯塔特究竟在這座巨大的空間站里藏了多久，不過在要塞周圍的星云中尚未發(fā)現(xiàn)混沌艦隊(duì)的蹤跡。不過，在黑石要塞里發(fā)現(xiàn)了一艘異端阿斯塔特飛船的碎片，在這些碎片上的邪惡禱文中有慶?？ǖ蟻喯萋涞恼鹿?jié)片段。絕壁星上的情報販子得出的結(jié)論是，這些玩意是混沌星際戰(zhàn)士艦船的一部分，在大裂隙打開之后，它們先是被黑石要塞吸了過來，然后又被吞了下去。

Perhaps the most terrifying enemies encountered within the Blackstone Fortress are the Chaos Space Marines led by the tyrannical Lord Obsidius Mallex. How long these Heretic Astartes have been entombed within the monolithic space station is unclear, but no trace of a Chaos fleet has yet been seen in the nebula surrounding the fortress. However, fragments of a Heretic Astartes ship have been found scattered through the fortress, and amongst the foul litanies inscribed on these fragments are passages celebrating the Fall of Cadia. The information traders of Precipice have concluded that these are parts of the Chaos Space Marines' vessel, which was drawn in and devoured by the Blackstone Fortress after the opening of the Great Rift.

絕壁星上的許多人都認(rèn)為黑石要塞穿越時空是為了給自己收集邪惡的生物集群。其他人則認(rèn)為在要塞的廳室中可能嵌宿著能夠讓它從現(xiàn)實(shí)空間、網(wǎng)道甚至亞空間中探取實(shí)體的科技造物。目前所知道的就是，黑石要塞會將這些富有攻擊性的實(shí)體引向那些過墻而入的人，就像免疫系統(tǒng)的端粒體一樣，利用他們消滅入侵者。但更加令人不安的是，有證據(jù)表明，在緩緩蘇醒的時候，堡壘可能會讓墻內(nèi)的人互相殘殺，它是在爭取時間，為某些尚未實(shí)現(xiàn)的目標(biāo)做準(zhǔn)備。

Many on Precipice believe the Blackstone Fortress has travelled across space and time, collecting its vile menagerie of creatures. Others think there may be technologies nested amongst the fortress' chambers that allow it to reach out and pluck entities from realspace, the webway or even the warp. What is known is that the Blackstone Fortress steers these aggressive entities towards those who enter its walls, using them like the particles of an immune system to purge intruaers. But even more disturbing is the evidence that the fortress may be pitting those within its walls against each other while it slowly awakens, biding its time as it prepares for some as yet unrealised purpose.

行商浪人賈努斯·德萊克

Rogue Trader Janus Draik?

行商許可令R38-79N1

Warrant of Trade R38-79N1

數(shù)據(jù)日志條目：11707d

Datalog Entry：11707d

我第一次探險的準(zhǔn)備幾近完成。我和絕壁星上的一些住民簽下了契約，一起進(jìn)入要塞冒險。我們的表面動機(jī)在任何情況下都顯得如此緊密，以至于能夠令我們在探險期間暫時放下彼此之間的猜忌。其中的一些人是帝國的同類，而其他的則來自人類曾經(jīng)在不同階段與之屈尊合作過的種族，而且還取得了不同程度的成功。這些同盟者既不強(qiáng)大，也不優(yōu)雅（譯者注-2），但他們是不可或缺的。

Preparations for my first expedition are almost complete. I have formed compacts with some of the denizens of Precipice to venture into the fortress together. In each case, our surface motives align closely enough that we can temporarily set aside our mutual mistrust for the duration of an expedition. Some of these individuals are of the Imperial ilk, whereas others are of species that Humanity has deigned to cooperate with at various stages, and with varying degrees of success. These alliances are not robust or elegant, but they are necessary.

通過與情報販子所進(jìn)行的大量交易，我從以前的探險隊(duì)身上汲取了經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)?！荆ㄑa(bǔ)充報告）絕壁星上的交易販子并不像后方星區(qū)的那幫家伙一樣容易擺布，登站時我必須費(fèi)點(diǎn)腦筋。】首先，大型冒險團(tuán)隊(duì)是無法生存下來的，因?yàn)槊總€磁懸浮艙只能容納一小撮人，而且沒人知道要怎樣才能將多個運(yùn)輸艙引導(dǎo)至黑石要塞內(nèi)部的同一個地點(diǎn)。其次，盡管要塞的內(nèi)部結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜多變，但依然存在著穩(wěn)定的節(jié)點(diǎn)，用當(dāng)?shù)厝说恼f法即“隱藏的墓穴”，然而尚未有人造訪過——至少，活著回來的一個都沒有。第三，要塞里的任何東西都不能相信。第三條述論在部分程度上近乎于一種迷信，即黑石要塞能夠“看”到要塞里發(fā)生的一切，它會主動保護(hù)自己最珍貴的寶物?，F(xiàn)在我還無法證明這一點(diǎn)是否正確，但我希望自己很快就能做到。

Through considerable commerce with the information traders, I have collected the learnings of previous parties of explorers. <<SIDEBAR> The traders in Precipice are not as pliable as those found in other back-sector outposts. I must maintain my wiles whilst aboard.> Firstly, large venturing groups are inviable, as only a handful of individuals can fit in each maglev chamber, and no one has discerned how to direct multiple transports to the same location within the Blackstone Fortress. Secondly, though the internal structure of the fortress is inconstant, there are stable nodes, known in the local parlance as 'hidden vaults', that have not yet been accessed - at least, not by anyone who has returned alive. Thirdly, nothing within the fortress can be trusted. This third observation is part of an almostsuperstitious belief that the Blackstone Fortress 'sees' all that happens inside its bounds, and that it actively guards its most precious treasures. I cannot yet speak to the validity of this, but I hope that I will soon be able to.

譯者注-1：由此看來，在人類帝國，撞到貴族老爺?shù)?strong>亞人是要被無禮討的……

譯者注-2：這話真虧得他說得出口……