Command?Hierarchy

As with so much concerning the Alpha Legion, precise definition of their command structure cannot be determined with certainty, but certain patterns can be deduced as —if not constant— then repeated enough to have been deemed important. The first of these is specialisation. In any given deployment, a chain of command was obeyed unquestioningly, but this chain of command was a fluid one, both conditional and highly decentralised in its nature. While a force would be notionally under the control of an officer such as a captain, the authority held by specialists in particular, such as siege masters or vigilators, was deferred to as a matter of course and was regarded as absolute and not to be questioned in their area of expertise.

就像關(guān)于阿爾法軍團(tuán)的諸多事項(xiàng)一樣，我們無法準(zhǔn)確地對他們指揮結(jié)構(gòu)進(jìn)行精準(zhǔn)定義，但是我們可以推測出某些模式——如果某種行動(dòng)模式并非恒定的但重復(fù)的次數(shù)足夠卻足夠多，那么我們可以認(rèn)為這些模式（對阿爾法軍團(tuán)而言）是重要的。其中首要的特質(zhì)是專門化。在任何給定的部署情況中，指揮鏈都必須被成員們毫不質(zhì)疑地遵守，但這條指揮鏈也是靈活可變的，而且有高度分散和視情況而定的性質(zhì)。雖然一支部隊(duì)理論上是由諸如連長之類的（普通）軍官控制，但諸如攻城大師或守夜官之類的專家擁有指揮權(quán)也被視為是理所當(dāng)然的情況，而且他們在自己所擅長的領(lǐng)域并不會(huì)遭到質(zhì)疑。

Likewise, each unit within the Legion was expected to operate as a self-motivated and self-governing 'cell' without need of exterior command, and expected to display initiative and pursue its part in the wider battle plan under its own cognisance and in any way it judged to be expedient. Such was the emphasis on unity of action and initiative the Alpha Legion placed on its warriors, that the battlefield co-ordination and responsiveness to changing circumstances the Alpha Legion displayed was arguably superior to that of any other of the Legiones Astartes. The Alpha Legion's commanders seldom were observed to operate as champions or warlords in the conventional sense as might be expected of the Legiones Astartes, craving it seemed neither personal glory nor the experience of sublime clash of arms.Instead they were wont to observe a battle unfold impassively, watching the patterns of force and bloodshed it revealed, intervening only when needed by issuing orders that would tip the outcome in the Alpha Legion's favour, or by direct action, striking personally at the point of vulnerability where they would inflict the greatest damage.

同樣，軍團(tuán)中的每個(gè)單位都被要求成為一個(gè)不需要外部命令、能夠自我激勵(lì)和自我管理的“細(xì)胞”，他們也被期望能夠按照自己的認(rèn)知以任何有利的方式表現(xiàn)出主動(dòng)性，并在更廣泛的作戰(zhàn)計(jì)劃中發(fā)揮自己的作用。阿爾法軍團(tuán)對戰(zhàn)士們所強(qiáng)調(diào)行動(dòng)與主動(dòng)性的統(tǒng)一性，所以相比于其他任何阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)，阿爾法軍團(tuán)所展示出的戰(zhàn)場協(xié)調(diào)性和對不斷變化環(huán)境的反應(yīng)力都可以說是更為優(yōu)越的。人們幾乎從未見到過阿爾法軍團(tuán)的指揮官們?nèi)缤瑐鹘y(tǒng)意義上的阿斯塔特軍官那樣，以冠軍或者軍閥的身份率領(lǐng)戰(zhàn)士們作戰(zhàn)，似乎他們并不渴望個(gè)人榮譽(yù)，也不渴望披堅(jiān)執(zhí)銳與敵人搏殺的崇高體驗(yàn)。相反，他們習(xí)慣于冷眼旁觀戰(zhàn)斗，觀察部隊(duì)的行動(dòng)模式以及他們?nèi)绾巫寯橙搜獮?dāng)場。他們只會(huì)在必要的情況下才會(huì)發(fā)布命令來干預(yù)行動(dòng)，以使結(jié)果有利于阿爾法軍團(tuán)；或者他們會(huì)直接采取行動(dòng)，親自進(jìn)攻那些能夠?qū)橙嗽斐勺顕?yán)重傷害的薄弱點(diǎn)。

In?terms of honorifics and titles, the Alpha Legion seemed to have used a shifting set of terminology to convey authority and role. At times the Alpha Legion appears to have deliberately aped the systems used by other Legions (such as the Sons of Horus and the Blood Angels) although whether this was done to incorporate a proven pattern of organisation as part of a particular strategy or as some form of mockery remains unknown. Aside from these patterns, close scrutiny of the records also reveals several distinctive additional divisions of command not shown by other Legions, One such unique title known to have been used by the Alpha Legion was that of'Horrowmaster'?or 'Jhariuk' as the leading commander given overall control of all Alpha Legion forces in a given war zone. Although their nominal rank might vary, it was the task of the Harrowmaster to keep track of encompassing the shifting events of a conflict in minute detail and shape the actions of the Legion's forces accordingly, creating and aborting battle plans and stratagems with bewildering speed. The position of Harrowmaster was known to be held as a supreme accolade by the Alpha Legion, and their infamous skill at battlefield control was highly regarded (even as the Legion itself was often mistrusted) by the commanders and stratagos of the other Space Marine Legions. It is noteworthy that the Harrowmasters were among the few of the Legion, save its equerries, whose personal names are left to the open record, although whether these have any basis in reality or are merely guises worn by a single warrior or perhaps a series of individuals remains unknowable.

在敬稱和頭銜方面，阿爾法軍團(tuán)似乎會(huì)使用一組不斷變化的術(shù)語來表示權(quán)力和角色。某些時(shí)候阿爾法軍團(tuán)似乎會(huì)故意模仿其他軍團(tuán)（比如荷魯斯之子與圣血天使）的頭銜體系，不過他們這樣做是為了讓經(jīng)過驗(yàn)證的組織模式作為特定戰(zhàn)略的組成部分，還是為了進(jìn)行某種形式的嘲弄，我們就不得而知了。除了這些模式之外，對于記錄檔案的嚴(yán)密審查也為我們揭示出a阿爾法軍團(tuán)幾個(gè)未向其他軍團(tuán)展示過的獨(dú)特額外指揮軍銜。已知阿爾法軍團(tuán)使用的“苦痛大師”或者“賈留克”就是一個(gè)此類的特殊頭銜，這個(gè)稱呼指的是負(fù)責(zé)全權(quán)（指揮）控制特定戰(zhàn)區(qū)中所有阿爾法軍團(tuán)部隊(duì)的領(lǐng)袖指揮官。盡管他們名義上的等級(jí)可能會(huì)有所不同，但苦痛大師的任務(wù)是跟蹤沖突中所包含的（各種）不斷變化事件的細(xì)節(jié)，由此來規(guī)劃軍團(tuán)部隊(duì)的行動(dòng)，并以令人眼花繚亂的速度制定和中止作戰(zhàn)計(jì)劃與戰(zhàn)略。已知，苦痛大師這一職位被阿爾法軍團(tuán)視為至高無上的榮譽(yù)，他們在戰(zhàn)場控制方面的著名技藝受到了其他軍團(tuán)的重視（盡管阿爾法軍團(tuán)本身經(jīng)常不被信任）。值得注意的是，苦痛大師在阿爾法軍團(tuán)數(shù)量稀少，但除了軍團(tuán)中原體的侍從武官們之外，其他苦痛大師的姓名都留存于公開記錄中，但至于這些姓名是否有任何現(xiàn)實(shí)依據(jù)，或者僅僅是單個(gè)或一群戰(zhàn)士披上的偽裝，我們不得而知。

War?Disposition

戰(zhàn)爭配置

Exact figures for the martial strength of the Alpha Legion at the outset of the wars of the Horus Heresy are impossible to obtain. Sources and estimates vary wildly, some making extravagant claims which may both overestimate or undervalue the Alpha Legions manpower. Most contemporaneous accounts from around the time of the Dropsite Massacre put the Alpha Legion at between 120,000 and 130,000 Legionaries strong, placing it within the middle tier of Legion strengths. Some theorists have posited this figure as far lower, somewhere in the 90,000 range based upon the largest concentrations of Alpha Legion forces ever seen in operation in a single theatre. With hindsight and diligent corroboration however, evidence of multiple simultaneous battle groups operating in far distant locales suggests a far higher figure than either of these estimates, well into the range of perhaps 180,000 Legionaries which, if accurate, would make it one of the most formidable Legions in sheer size alone, a factor un-guessed at by both sides of the war that was to follow.In terms of its access to wargear and star-faring vessels, the Alpha Legion was formidably equipped. Again, true estimates are difficult to arrive at, but most pictorial and second party reports show the Alpha Legion as possessing extensive access to the most modern forms of Legiones Astartes equipment, not limited to Maximus and Tartaros pattern armour, the new Sicaran pattern battle tanks and their sub-types，as well as extensive stocks of plasma and conversion beam weaponry and specialised munitions unknown outside the Legion. In terms of warships, the Alpha Legion was known to possess a very extensive and diverse fleet, although lacking in large numbers of heavy capital ships and planetary siege craft in comparison to most other Legions.The main strength of the Alpha Legion's fleets then was found in a plethora of different intermediate and escort vessels, with range and speed being their primary focus. The Alpha Legion was also suspected of utilising a number of captured xenos vessels, and indeed incorporating xenos technology into their warship designs ——a practice strictly forbidden without the sanction of the Meehanicum一 but given the Legions frequent activities far beyond the Imperium's borders and its hidden strengths and bases of operation, such a suspicion was impossible to prove.

我們不可能獲取到荷魯斯叛亂爆發(fā)時(shí)阿爾法軍團(tuán)軍事實(shí)力的具體數(shù)據(jù)。我們獲取到的資源與進(jìn)行的估算結(jié)果千差萬別，有些人夸張地聲稱我們或許高估或低估了阿爾法軍團(tuán)的兵力。大部分與登陸點(diǎn)大屠殺事件同期的報(bào)告聲稱阿爾法軍團(tuán)的兵力介于120,000 到130,000名軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士之間，這在各軍團(tuán)中處于中等水平。某些理論家則認(rèn)為這個(gè)第二十軍團(tuán)的兵力數(shù)遠(yuǎn)要低于普遍預(yù)測，基于在單個(gè)戰(zhàn)區(qū)中所見到的阿爾法軍團(tuán)部隊(duì)的最大集中度，他們認(rèn)為阿爾法軍團(tuán)兵力大約為90000。不過，我們在事后也進(jìn)行了勤奮的調(diào)查考證：有證據(jù)表明阿爾法軍團(tuán)同時(shí)有多個(gè)戰(zhàn)斗群在遙遠(yuǎn)的戰(zhàn)場上作戰(zhàn)，這一情況阿爾法軍團(tuán)人數(shù)遠(yuǎn)高于以上兩種預(yù)測，可能有180,000名軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士之眾。倘若這一數(shù)字準(zhǔn)確的話，那么僅就規(guī)模而言，阿爾法軍團(tuán)是最為可怖的軍團(tuán)之一，這是隨后的戰(zhàn)爭雙方都未預(yù)料到的因素。在戰(zhàn)爭武備和星際飛船上，阿爾法軍團(tuán)裝備精良。對這些項(xiàng)目進(jìn)行真實(shí)估算同樣是困難的，但大多數(shù)的圖片資料和第二方報(bào)告都表明阿爾法軍團(tuán)擁有大量最先進(jìn)型號(hào)的阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)裝備，這些武備不僅限于冥府型和馬克西姆斯型動(dòng)力甲，還包括新型的西卡然戰(zhàn)斗坦克及其次級(jí)型號(hào)，以及電漿武器、轉(zhuǎn)換光束武器和不為軍團(tuán)之外的人所知的特化彈藥的大量庫存。在戰(zhàn)艦方面，我們已知阿爾法軍團(tuán)擁有龐大且艦種繁多的艦隊(duì)，但與大多數(shù)其他軍團(tuán)相比，阿爾法軍團(tuán)缺乏大量重型主力艦和行星攻城艦。阿爾法軍團(tuán)的主力艦隊(duì)中出現(xiàn)了大量不同的中級(jí)艦和護(hù)衛(wèi)艦，它們主要注重航程和速度。阿爾法軍團(tuán)也被懷疑使用了大量（被）俘獲的異形艦船，而且事實(shí)上將異形科技融合到了他們的艦船設(shè)計(jì)中——倘若沒有機(jī)械神教的許可，這一行為是被嚴(yán)厲禁止的。但考慮到阿爾法軍團(tuán)在遠(yuǎn)離帝國邊境的銀河外域的頻繁活動(dòng)，已經(jīng)他們隱藏起來的兵力和行動(dòng)基地，我們不可能證明這種懷疑。

As the war of the Horus Heresy raged on, the Legion demonstrated an enviable ability to replace its battlefield losses. While the war continued and many Legions saw their strength shorn away, the Alpha Legion appeared to grow stronger throughout the conflict, despite several seemingly serious defeats. Much like the hydra of myth, where one head was cut from the Legion's body, two more appeared to grow in its place.

隨著荷魯斯叛亂愈演愈烈，阿爾法軍團(tuán)展現(xiàn)了令人羨慕的彌補(bǔ)戰(zhàn)場損失的能力。在戰(zhàn)爭繼續(xù)，很多軍團(tuán)（只能）看著自己兵力縮減的同時(shí)，阿爾法軍團(tuán)盡管也遭受了幾次看似嚴(yán)重的失敗，但他們卻似乎通過沖突發(fā)展得更為強(qiáng)大。阿爾法軍團(tuán)極其類似神話中的九頭蛇——你在它身體的某處砍掉一個(gè)頭，相同的地方便會(huì)長出兩個(gè)新頭。