The Edge of Empire

帝國的邊境

By the year 009.M31, the entire galaxy was riven by the horror of civil war. The fire that had been ignited at Isstvan had spread to consume worlds without number, while the blight of the Ruinstorm continued to howl, throwing all long-range communications awry, and warp travel over any great distance became dangerous and unpredictable at best, and all but impossible at its worst. Despite these difficulties, the war only grew more intense as thrust and counter-thrust between Loyalist and Traitor did little but create ever-greater swells of destruction and carnage without pressing either side on to ultimate victory. The galaxy burned.

當時間來到009.M31，整個銀河都被內(nèi)戰(zhàn)造成的恐怖所撕裂。于伊斯特萬星系被點燃的戰(zhàn)火擴散開來，吞噬了無數(shù)世界，同時毀滅風暴也仍在繼續(xù)咆哮，所有長距離通訊都偏離扭曲，至于任何跨越遙遠距離的亞空間航行，最好的情況是變得危險且不可預測，最壞的情況則是變得完全不可能。盡管面臨這些困難，叛軍和忠誠派之間的（相互）猛攻和反擊還是造成越來越嚴重的破壞和屠殺，但沒有任何一方取得最終勝利，戰(zhàn)爭也只是隨之而變得愈發(fā)激烈。銀河在燃燒。

In this far-spanning conflict however, not every world had chosen a side；or for that matter had such a decision been thrust upon them, either through expediency or violence. There were many worlds that through quirk of galactic geography or simple lack of strategic consequence had been spared direct conflict, while others had gone so far as to secede themselves entirely from the fighting, preferring independence or professed neutrality.Some worlds and domains however had simply done little to evidence loyalty or opposition to either cause, and into this last camp the powerful and isolated Forge World of Xana had fallen.

但在這場囊括了大量區(qū)域的沖突中，并非所有世界都選邊站隊；或者它們并未因暴力脅迫或出于權宜之計而做出這種決定。由于處在銀河系中地理環(huán)境怪異區(qū)域或僅僅是缺乏戰(zhàn)略重要性，很多世界都逃過了直接沖突，其他世界甚至完全退出了戰(zhàn)斗，傾向于追求獨立或自稱中立。但某些世界和區(qū)域幾乎沒有采取任何動作來表明自己對交戰(zhàn)雙方的支持或反對，強大且孤立的鑄造世界Xana就屬于這最后一個陣營。

Occidentem Thule

極西之地

The Forge World of Xana was a potent and storied example of its kind, an Ultima- II grade faculty rated as one of the most capable Forge Worlds of the Imperium, and unmatched in its region of the galaxy. It comprised a main planetary sphere, Xana II, with a number of inhabited moons and extensive mobile sub-faculties in the form of void and gas mining installations scattered throughout the debris belts and turbulent atmosphere of the macro-magnitude gas giant, Xana I, around which the Forge World orbited. Its position was on the very far tip of the galactic arm of?the western fringe, granting it the title on the star charts of the Carta Imperialis as 'Occidentem Thule'—the last great port on the edge of the inter-galactic abyss. To?the crews of the Imperial fleet whose long range patrols used Xana as their furthest outpost of reach, it bore another more evocative name, “the Port of Bones”一 a reference of?uncertain origin, but perhaps developed from the ossuary-white and grey-black livery of its ruling magos.

Xana是最為強大和傳奇的鑄造世界之一，它極限—2級的等級表明其是帝國中最具生產(chǎn)力的鑄造世界之一。該鑄造世界包括一顆主行星——Xana II、多顆有人居住的衛(wèi)星以及大量移動的次級設施——其主要是散落在碎片環(huán)帶和氣體巨星Xana I激烈涌動的大氣層中的虛空礦站和氣礦采集裝置，它們都圍繞在鑄造世界的軌道上。該地區(qū)處在帝國的西側(cè)邊境，位于銀河懸臂極其遙遠的末端，此處在帝國憲章的星際海圖中被稱為“極西之地”——銀河系間深淵邊緣處的最后一個大型港口。在那些將Xana用作離自身最近的邊境哨站的帝國遠距離巡邏艦隊中，船員們用某個更能喚起人們記憶的名字稱呼這顆鑄造世界——“白骨港”。這個名稱的起源已無法確定，但或許是根據(jù)統(tǒng)治Xana的賢者們所穿著的骨白和灰黑兩色制服而來。

Long the subject of sinister rumour around its finding and inclusion into the Imperium during one of the darkest episodes of the Great Crusade's early history, Xana's masters were notoriously independent and politically long-estranged from Mars. Xana's privilege was bought largely with the vast outpourings of its forges to fuel and arm the ongoing Great Crusade, and expediency was the mother of the pact which bought the Forge World into the Imperium by negotiation with the emissaries of the Emperor, rather than the full auspices of Mars. While the forges of distant Xana issued forth provender and munitions in vast quantities, it was largely left alone.

長期以來，都有大量關于Xana世界的險惡謠言，其主題是該鑄造世界的發(fā)現(xiàn)（過程）及其在大遠征早期歷史中最黑暗的時間段被納入帝國這件事。Xana的主宰者們也是出了名的獨立自主，而且在政治上與火星長期不和。Xana的特權是通過其鑄爐的大量產(chǎn)出換來的——這些鑄爐為進行中的大遠征提供著武器和燃料。作為權宜之計，Xana加入帝國是通過與帝皇的特使們進行談判，而且接受火星的贊助支援。同時Xana的鑄爐還對外大量輸送軍糧和彈藥，所以這個遙遠的鑄造世界在很大程度上獨立著。

Isolation and Evasion

孤立和逃避

As the Horus Heresy suddenly and bloodily unfolded, Xana's isolation only increased and it was a situation its ruling synod of magos, known as the Vodian Consistory, did little to attempt to outwardly alleviate, choosing initially neither faction to favour, avowing, at least publicly, that the matter was an 'internal matter of the Great Crusade's military’ in which they had no direct involvement. Even before the coming of the Ruinstorm, scheduled freight convoys from Xana to ports both Loyalist and Traitor in allegiance had dwindled in frequency and were finally suspended altogether. This was despite Rogue Trader vessels, Chartist Voyagers and other far flung agencies reporting that the system appeared relatively accessible via the Empyrean, as far as it was from the fury of the great storm fronts of the Warp which had riven the galaxy's core. Repeated requests, impeachments, demands and even threats from Terra and the Warmaster were both met with the same chill response of stated regret and blank courtesy. Such regrets, conveyed this time through a courier warp-probe that forced its way to the Terran security fleet cordon two years after it had been launched in 006.M31, were cold comfort alongside its report of the complete loss through empyreal storm of an entire macro-ark convoy and its naval escort squadron out of Olmec almost within sight of Xana. It became later known to Loyalist sources via captured logs that similar condolences had been proffered in the following year to the Warmaster for a Traitor-oathed Rogue Trader fleet lost trying to reach Xana in distinctly similar circumstances.

隨著荷魯斯叛亂突然且血腥地展開，Xana的孤立只是愈發(fā)增強，對于此刻的局勢，統(tǒng)治該鑄造世界的賢者議會——監(jiān)鑄教廷基本沒有試圖在表面上減輕戰(zhàn)禍，他們最初的選擇是兩派都不支持；他們至少公開宣稱，這場戰(zhàn)爭是“大遠征軍事力量間的內(nèi)部事務”，與Xana沒有直接關系。哪怕在毀滅風暴到來之前，定期貨運飛船從Xana駛往忠誠派和叛軍雙方港口的頻率就已經(jīng)降低了，最后則是完全停止。盡管行商浪人、星圖繪制航行者和其他遙遠的機構(gòu)部門都報告稱：通過至高天（航道）抵達Xana星系是相對可行的，這片區(qū)域遙遠到避開了那股撕裂銀河核心的狂怒亞空間風暴，但對于來自泰拉和戰(zhàn)帥兩方的多次請求、控告、要求甚至是威脅，Xana都做出了同樣的冷漠回應：表示遺憾，并且致以冷淡的客套。Xana在006.M31發(fā)射了一臺亞空間探測器作為信使，該儀器于兩年后強行抵達了泰拉安保艦隊的警戒線內(nèi)；信使探測器中的文件是冷淡的安慰辭令，同時文件中還附帶了一份報告：在至高天的風暴當中，一整支巨型方舟艦隊和它們的海軍護航中隊完全消失在了Olmec區(qū)域——此地幾乎就在Xana的監(jiān)視范圍之內(nèi)。而通過之后捕獲到的日志信息，忠誠派們得知：在接下來的一年中，Xana也向戰(zhàn)帥表示了類似的吊唁——某支宣誓效忠于叛軍的行商浪人艦隊在試圖接近Xana的過程中也遭遇到了類似情況。

Whether either side fully believed the explanations given for their lost fleets remains something of a moot point, as suspicions dawned that Xana was on no side in the conflict other than its own and was perhaps no longer content to merely sit aside from the conflict until a clear victor emerged. Evidence for this stance presented itself to the intellencers of both major factions when in late 008.M30,attackers tentatively identified as being Xana-allied Taghmata forces struck the contested mining world of Guilders Grave on the edge of the Vicidax Sector, driving off the Traitor-aligned naval blockade before going on to Massacre the Loyalist militia defenders and looting the surviving planetary vaults of rare metallic elements and macro-mining engines before departing again, leaving little more than ruin in their wake.

至于參戰(zhàn)雙方是否完全相信Xana對其艦隊損失所做出的解釋，這仍是一個有待商榷的問題；但人們開始懷疑Xana在這場沖突中只是在考慮自身利益，它不支持忠誠派或叛軍中的任何一方，而且這個鑄造世界或許也不再滿足于在這場戰(zhàn)爭中袖手旁觀，坐等某個明確獲勝方的出現(xiàn)。兩大陣營的情報人員也都獲取到了表明Xana立場的證據(jù)：在008.M30末期，一群暫時被確認為Xana盟友的機神禁衛(wèi)軍的襲擊者攻擊了位于Vicidax星區(qū)邊境處的采礦世界Guilders Grave——當時交戰(zhàn)雙方正在爭奪該世界，它們先是擊退了與叛軍結(jié)盟的海軍封鎖艦隊，之后又繼續(xù)屠殺了忠誠派民兵守軍，并在離開前劫掠了該星球幸存的倉庫中存儲著的稀有金屬和巨型采礦引擎，只在自己身后留下一堆廢墟。

As the war went on with no clear avenue of victory in sight, both sides now looked to the increasingly bellicose and active Forge World of Xana with renewed interest. Spies and probe ships sent to skirt the edge of the system revealed clearly that dozens of macrotransports and freighters were now partially concealed in the rocky debris belt which ringed the gas giant of Xana I, and between them and the Forge World of?Xana II was a constant traffic of cargo loaders and freight lighters. The conclusion drawn from this was that in their years of isolation since the war's outbreak, the forges of Xana had not been idle and evidence began to amass that a vast and well-guarded stockpile of munitions and war machines had been built up in the system, and readied as if for shipment to a client, but to what end or to whom remained unclear.

戰(zhàn)爭仍在持續(xù)，而雙方都看不到取勝的明確途徑，于是他們都帶著重新產(chǎn)生的興趣看向了日益好戰(zhàn)且活躍的鑄造世界Xana。被派往星系邊緣的間諜和偵測艦清楚地發(fā)現(xiàn)：環(huán)繞著氣體巨星Xana I的巖質(zhì)碎片環(huán)帶中部分隱藏著數(shù)十艘巨型運輸艦和貨船，貨運船和運輸駁船不斷在鑄造世界Xana II和這些飛船間來回往返。人們由此得出結(jié)論：在戰(zhàn)爭爆發(fā)之后的數(shù)年孤立時期中，Xana的鑄爐并未被閑置，而且越來越多的證據(jù)表明，該星系中儲備了大量受到嚴密保護的彈藥和戰(zhàn)爭機器；這些貨物已經(jīng)整裝待發(fā)，似乎是要運送給客戶，但客戶是誰、他們購買這些貨物有什么目的，人們不得而知。

Upon learning of this development and mindful of the fate of?Guilders Grave, Rogal Dorn, Praetorian of Terra, issued a communique to Xana via warp-courier vessel, an open proclamation declaring the Forge World of Xana Traitoris Perdita and under sentence of?death. At the same time, a more covert Loyalist offer was made via intermediaries of the Sigillite for the remission of this sentence in return for its renewed absolute allegiance and the deliverance of its stockpiles of war materiel immediately to the Loyalist build-up in the Segmentum Solar.

一經(jīng)了解到這種進展狀況并得知了Guilders Grave的命運,泰拉禁衛(wèi)官——羅格 多恩便通過一艘亞空間信使船向Xana發(fā)布了一份公報，這份公告宣布鑄造世界Xana犯有叛國罪，并宣布對其處以死刑。但就在同時，某個更為隱秘的忠誠派人士提議通過掌印者的中間人來赦免Xana的刑罰，以此換取該鑄造世界對于泰拉重新的絕對效忠，并令其將自身儲存的戰(zhàn)爭物資立即交付給集結(jié)在太陽星域的忠誠派部隊。

The Warmaster, however, was to offer a more subtle and honeyed bargain.

然而戰(zhàn)帥將會提供一份更為微妙且令其喜悅的交易。

The Feathered Messenger

披羽的信使

The first ambassador sent by Horus to Xana after Dorn's judgement was an unexpected one. Assessing perhaps correctly that an overt show of?empty force would avail him nothing at this time and that a Priest of Mars would be even less welcome on Xana than one of his warlords, Horus had instead sent one of the lodge priests of Davin. Identified by Loyalist agents as one 'Unvacar Noon', an individual bedecked in strange feathered raiment and the bones of the dead, he offered the Lords of Xana more than threats and intimidation; on behalf of his master, he offered power.

在多恩的判決下達之后，荷魯斯派出的第一位特使是個未曾意料的人物。荷魯斯做出了或許正確的判斷，他認為在此刻公開展示武力對自己無益，自己麾下的一位戰(zhàn)將也比火星的牧師們更受Xana的歡迎，于是戰(zhàn)帥派出了自己麾下的某位達文結(jié)社牧師。忠誠派特工將此人確認為“滿陽正午”，他穿著用奇怪羽毛做成的衣物，佩戴著死者的骨頭。這位特使向Xana領主們提供的不僅是威脅和恐嚇；他還代表自己的主人提供了權力。

Much as with Sarum and Cyclothrathe, other 'renegade' Forge Worlds distrustful of Mars that the Warmaster had enticed into his cause with the lure of?petty empire building and freedom of experimentation, he offered a new treaty of alliance whose accords Xana's ruling Vodian Consistory would find more to their liking than the old. By this new pact Xana would serve his 'new Imperium'?just as it had the old, but where they had been used and bled dry callously in the past by a master who cared nothing for their power or prosperity, under Horus they would flourish and be rewarded.

與Sarum和Cyclothrathe極其類似，戰(zhàn)帥用建立小型帝國（的許可）和自由實驗引誘那些不信任火星的“變節(jié)”鑄造世界加入自己的派系，他提出了一份新的聯(lián)盟條約，而統(tǒng)治Xana的監(jiān)鑄教廷會發(fā)現(xiàn)該份新條約將比舊的那份更合他們的意。根據(jù)這份協(xié)議，Xana將會如同曾經(jīng)侍奉舊主人那樣侍奉“新帝國”；但在過去，Xana只是被一個毫不關心其權力和繁榮的主人無情地利用和榨干，而在荷魯斯統(tǒng)治下的新帝國，它將會茁壯成長并得到獎賞。

Gone would be the petty restrictions of the Emperor's technological edicts —blocks put in place to avert the spectre of the terrors of?Old Night— and gone would be the dead hand of Machine Cult dogma一if they so desired, so long as they offered up their weapons and war machines to the Traitors'?cause with abundance. The details would prove more torturous and elaborate to finalise, but in secret an agreement was reached, even while in false faith the Lords of Xana continued to equally secretly deal with Malcador's emissaries to the contrary. So the Archmagos of the Vodian Consistory sought to play one side against the other, right to the bitter end.

帝皇對于技術法令頒布的瑣碎限制將不復存在——設置這些障礙是為了讓人類避開舊夜時代那些可怕的幽靈，而且這些限制的撤銷也將摧毀機械教派的教條——只要那些變節(jié)鑄造世界們愿意為叛軍提供大量的武器和戰(zhàn)爭機器。最終敲定這些細節(jié)將會是一項更為艱難其復雜的工作，但就在Xana的領主們虛偽地繼續(xù)與馬卡多的特使們進行密談的同時，他們就已經(jīng)在背地里（與戰(zhàn)帥）達成了協(xié)議。所以監(jiān)鑄教廷的大賢者們試圖加入一方來對抗另一方，直到迎來痛苦的結(jié)局。

Flashpoint

一觸即發(fā)

By the closing divisions of 009.M31,?the bargain between Xana and the Warmaster's proxies was in its final stages of conclusion. It was, in the ancient manner, to be sealed with an exchange of gifts. Though the transfer of billions of tonnes of?arms and armour would be part of Xana's fealty to Horus, these first gifts the Vodian Consistory would present would be unique and incomparable. They would be worthy of one who meant to be master of the galaxy entire; Xana would gift Horus with the power of Ordinatus.

等到009.M31年末，Xana和戰(zhàn)帥代理人之間的交易已經(jīng)到了最后的簽訂階段。按照古老的方式，雙方的會談將以交換禮物作結(jié)。盡管提供數(shù)十億噸武器和裝甲載具是Xana對荷魯斯效忠的一部分，但監(jiān)鑄教廷送給戰(zhàn)帥的第一批禮物將是獨一無二且無與倫比的。這些禮物配得上一位意圖成為整個銀河主宰的人物；Xana要把將軍炮的力量獻給荷魯斯。

Ulator

烏拉托

The Ordinatus classification held the most powerful and arcane mobile weapons platforms in the Mechanicum's arsenal. They were city-burners and fortress breakers without compare, and whether armed with magna-beam lance, matter-cyclone or rad-conflagrator, each was mounted on huge tracked reactor units for mobility and heavily shielded from attack, allowing them to traverse and survive on the most hellish battlefield. Each was a work of?deadly artifice and ancient power. Much like the Titans whose firepower they often outstripped, the Ordinatus varied in scale and potency; From the truly colossal, unique and unreplicable relics of the Dark Age of Technology, the Ordinatus Primaris, such as the Mars and Endymion whose power was legendary, even compared to the god machines of?the great Legio Titanicus, to the lesser but still gargantuan and deadly Ordinatus Minoris sub-classes. The Minoris were, at the height of?the Great Crusade, within the reach of only the most potent Forge Worlds to construct, and only then in the most limited numbers. Such were the gifts that Xana offered; no less than three such terrifying weapons of the Ordinatus Ulator pattern, fully battle ready and armed with devastating sonic destructor weapons. These were Titankillers, slaughterers of armies, each powerful enough to turn the tide of a battle at a stroke, and in potency far beyond any super-heavy tank and dwarfing the firepower of even the mighty Diamatine siege-guns that had fallen into the grasp of the Iron Warriors earlier in the Horus Heresy.

將軍炮是機械神教武庫中最為強悍且玄奧的移動武器平臺。它們是無可比擬的城市焚滅者和要塞突破者，而且無論其裝備的武器是巨型光矛、旋風炸彈或輻射焚燒炮，每臺將軍炮都是安裝在巨大的反應堆供能履帶牽引機上，以此來獲得機動性和強大的進攻防御力，這允許它們穿越最為地獄般險惡的戰(zhàn)場并幸存下來。每臺將軍炮都是由致命的技藝和古老的力量所構(gòu)成的杰作。將軍炮的火力通常都超越了泰坦，但與泰坦頗為類似的一點是，它們的規(guī)模和威力也各不相同；從極其龐大、獨一無二且不可替代的黑暗科技時代遺物——諸如火星型和安迪密恩型之類擁有甚至能比擬泰坦修會神之機械的大將軍炮，到雖然（相對）較小但仍然巨大且致命的次級型號——小將軍炮，都包含在內(nèi)。在大遠征的高潮時期，只有那些最強大的鑄造世界才能建造出小將軍炮，而且只能按最有限的數(shù)量進行建造。這就是Xana提供的禮物;至少三門此類可怕的烏拉托將軍炮類型武器，完全做好了戰(zhàn)斗準備，裝備有毀滅性的聲波毀滅武器。這些武器是泰坦殺手和軍隊屠殺者，每一臺都強大到能一擊改變戰(zhàn)爭走向，其威力遠超任何超重型坦克，甚至能令強大的迪亞馬丁級攻城炮的火力相形見絀——這種武器早在荷魯斯叛亂時期便被鋼鐵勇士軍團所掌握。

These Ordinatus, named Mithrax, Nepothax and Ashurax after Ancient Terran deities long dead of worship, were first to be demonstrated before the Warmaster's chosen emissary at the Forge World's own proving grounds on the moon of Xana-Tisiphone, then afterwards, their ceremonial handover would act as a symbolic sealing of?Xana's loyalty to Horus. That this trio of?mighty weapons would be given over to Horus himself to dispose of as he saw fit was both a potent asset to gift the Warmaster with, and also it might be seen as a coded barb thrust in the side of the Traitor Mechanicum Fabricator-general Kelbor Hal, who though he sat high in Horus' cause, had never himself made such a direct gift, keeping those few Ordinatus he and his satraps had at their disposal firmly under Mechanicum control. By this act Xana's lords sought perhaps to set the groundwork to become Mars' rivals in the Traitors'?cause, not simply a subordinate Mechanicum force.

這些將軍炮的名稱取材自長期失傳的古代泰拉宗教中的神明們：米薩拉克斯、涅博薩克斯和阿蘇拉克斯。這批禮物首先要在戰(zhàn)帥選定的特使面前進行展示，地點就定在鑄造世界自身位于Xana-Tisiphone衛(wèi)星上的試驗場，之后雙方將進行交接儀式，以此象征Xana對于荷魯斯的效忠。這三臺強大的武器將由荷魯斯本人用于他認為合適的場合，它們既是Xana贈予戰(zhàn)帥的強悍戰(zhàn)爭資產(chǎn)，也可能會被視為插在叛變的機械神教鑄造將軍凱爾博 哈爾身邊的暗刺——雖然后者在荷魯斯派系中地位崇高，但他本人卻從未如此直接地贈予過戰(zhàn)帥禮物，而是將他和他手下高官們手中的極少數(shù)將軍炮堅決地置于機械神教的控制下。通過這一舉動，Xana的領主們或許能奠定自己在叛軍派系中與火星分庭抗禮的基礎，而非僅僅成為一支從屬的機械神教勢力。

The Emissary of the Uncrowned King?

無冕之王的特使

The hand of the Warmaster in the final matter of the alliance with Xana was to be no priest of Davin alone, but one of his own warlords, one of his own blood; Raxhal Koraddon—a chieftain of?the Reavers raised to captaincy for his bloody endeavours during the scouring of the Sons of Horus Legion of its Loyalists on the ash-strewn ruins of Isstvan III.

最終將會來與Xana進行締結(jié)盟約儀式的戰(zhàn)帥使者不僅有達文牧師，還會有荷魯斯麾下的某位戰(zhàn)將——也是原體的某位血親子嗣；這名星際戰(zhàn)士名為拉薩爾 科拉頓，在荷魯斯之子軍團于伊斯特萬三號遍布灰燼的廢墟中清洗自己內(nèi)部忠誠派的過程中，這位劫掠者首領被拔擢為了連長。

Koraddon had in the years of war that followed Isstvan III gained a fierce reputation, first during the Dropsite Massacre and later in leading a score of Dark Compliance actions for his Primarch across the northern reaches of the Segmentum Obscurus. Koraddon's?ruthless and prideful reputation preceded him, as did knowledge that he was looked upon with favour by Horus, making him an honoured, if threatening choice to serve as the Warmaster's emissary in the matter. The vessel which bore him to the Xana System was no less a display of power; the Geryon class Grand Cruiser Cicatrice Tyrannis, taken as a prize by the Traitors during the Battle of Port Maw earlier in the war, her once white and golden hull now scorched black and pitted by the fires of untold void battles since her fall from grace. With the Cicatrice came an escorting squadron of?eight frigates of various types and four Isos class fleet tenders. These latter vessels were small, armed, warp-capable transport ships designed to ferry vital supplies to warships in frontline service, but who bore now a far stranger and more macabre cargo; the Warmaster's gift to the Lords of Xana. Carried within these ships were hundreds of locked and armoured cargo pods, within which travelled the wreckage of?Isstvan, of Momed and of Autosarat, and unknown other battlefields where the Sons of Horus had met their brother Legiones Astartes in blood and triumphed. The legacy of the dead was to be the Warmaster's gift to Xana.

在伊斯特萬三號暴行之后數(shù)年的戰(zhàn)爭中，科拉頓獲得了兇惡的名聲，他先是參與了登陸點大屠殺，之后又在朦朧星域北部邊境各處為自己的原體領導了十數(shù)場黑暗歸順行動。科拉頓無情且傲慢的名聲先于他到達了，正如他知道自己受到荷魯斯的青睞那樣，讓他在這件事中擔任荷魯斯的特使是一個榮耀而非帶有威脅性的選擇。載著他前往Xana星系的飛船同樣是戰(zhàn)帥力量的展示；這艘名為“創(chuàng)痕暴君”的巨人級超大型巡洋艦是叛軍們在這場戰(zhàn)爭早期的巨口港之戰(zhàn)中奪取的戰(zhàn)利品，它曾經(jīng)白金兩色的船體現(xiàn)在被燒得焦黑，而自從落入敵手后所經(jīng)歷的難以形容的虛空戰(zhàn)火也令其表面變得坑坑洼洼。陪同創(chuàng)痕暴君號前來的是由八艘各式型號的護衛(wèi)艦組成的護航中隊，以及四艘伊索斯型艦隊補給船——它們是擁有亞空間航行能力的小型武裝運輸船，用于為在前線服役的戰(zhàn)艦們運送重要物資，但這四艘船現(xiàn)在運輸?shù)氖悄撤N遠為詭異且恐怖的貨物：戰(zhàn)帥送給Xana領主們的禮物。這些運輸船裝載了數(shù)百個上鎖的裝甲貨物吊艙，艙中運輸?shù)氖莵碜砸了固厝f、Momed、Autosarat和其他未知戰(zhàn)場上的尸體殘骸——荷魯斯之子們在這些戰(zhàn)場上與自己的兄弟軍團發(fā)生血戰(zhàn)并奪得勝利。這些死者的遺物便是戰(zhàn)帥贈給Xana的禮物。

Sealed in these containers were the fallen of those Legions the Sons of?Horus had fought, and along with them a ruin of broken tanks and sundered war machines, shattered arms and rent armour—the charnel remains of a dozen Loyalist Legions. This was a carrion feast of technology and gene-craft priceless to the Lords of Xana; to them it was no mere detritus of?battle, but a treasure store of lore and techno-arcana for those with the skill to decipher its secrets and who cared nothing for the writ of Mars, nor what the Emperor had forbidden them to study.

封裝在集裝箱中的貨物是那些與荷魯斯之子們交戰(zhàn)過的軍團戰(zhàn)士的尸體，以及破損坦克和被撕裂戰(zhàn)爭機器、破碎的武器和銹爛的動力甲——這是來自十數(shù)個忠誠派軍團陰森可怕的殘尸與殘骸。對Xana的領主們而言，這是一頓關于科技和基因技術的無價腐肉盛宴；監(jiān)鑄教廷有能力破解其中的秘密，而且毫不在意火星的命令，也不在乎帝皇禁止他們研究哪些內(nèi)容，對他們而言這份禮物不僅是戰(zhàn)爭的碎片，更是儲存著知識與技術奧秘的寶庫。

Unwelcome Guests

不速之客

Even as the Cicatrice Tyrannis and her escorts entered close orbit of?the immense gas giant Xana I on final approach to the Forge World itself the auspex grid of?the outer planetary system came alive with emergency signals and alarms. Perilously close to the gravity-shadow of the system's inner sphere, realspace ripped open and the brute and barbed shapes of scores of warships forced their way out of the Warp. The tracking augers and void-cogitators of?Xana's sleepless defensive engine-minds swept the intruders and quickly analysed the fleet, and came to the absolute conclusions of hostility and swung into baleful wakefulness.No fewer than five capital class vessels were identified, Imperial in origin and Loyalist in allegiance, with no effort made to hide who or what they were. At their head was a vessel immediately identified as the Amphion, one of the mighty Gloriana class battleships and an example of the type which often provided the flagships of?the Legiones Astartes themselves, outfitted as a pure device of void-born firepower, and one of?the lynchpins of the Solar fleet itself.With these capital ships came a slew of smaller escort craft and a dozen transport craft whose anomalously over-powered emissions marked them as one thing only to the cold intellect of the machine-spirits; fire ships, loaded with warheads and volatiles designed to inflict catastrophic damage in suicide attacks against their targets. Machine-spirits conferred with magos, and with blinding speed beyond human comprehension was data analysed, checked and re-analysed, conclusions drawn and tested, re-submitted and issued as directive. This then was Dorn's judgement come at last, or at least part of it, the make-up and composition of the powerful fleet indicated a raid-in-force, not an invasion, with its target the waiting fleet of?loaded macro-conveyers, protected within Xana I's debris rings.

就在創(chuàng)痕暴君號和它的護航艦隊進入氣體巨星Xana I的近空軌道并最終接近鑄造世界的時候，星系外環(huán)的鳥卜儀網(wǎng)絡發(fā)出了緊急狀況信號和警報?，F(xiàn)實空間被撕裂開，數(shù)十艘兇猛的刺狀戰(zhàn)艦沖出了亞空間，它們與內(nèi)環(huán)星球引力陰影的距離接近到了危險地步。Xana無休無眠的防御引擎系統(tǒng)啟動了追蹤占卜儀和虛空沉思者，掃描并分析了這支入侵艦隊。在得出了來者屬于敵對勢力的絕對結(jié)論，防御系統(tǒng)突然變得十分警惕。防御系統(tǒng)辨別出該艦隊中有不少于五艘主力艦，而且都是來自帝國或者忠于帝國的盟友，它們毫不掩飾自己的身份。行駛在最前方的飛船很快被識別為安非昂號——它是一艘強大的榮光女王級戰(zhàn)列艦，此類艦船通常都被提供給阿斯塔特軍團作為旗艦使用；安非昂號配備著純粹強悍的虛空火力，也是太陽系艦隊的核心之一。隨同這些主力艦前來的是大量的小型護航艦和十數(shù)艘運輸船，這些飛船散發(fā)出的異常過載排放物令機魂的冷酷智力將它們識別了縱火船；此類飛船上裝載著彈頭和揮發(fā)物質(zhì)，通過自殺式襲擊對目標造成災難性破壞。機魂與賢者們進行了商討，雙方以凡人無法理解的超高速度對數(shù)據(jù)進行分析、檢查和再分析，結(jié)論被得出并進行測試驗證，重新提交后被作為命令發(fā)布出來。Xana賢者們的結(jié)論是：此次進攻是多恩的最終審判，或至少是審判行動的一部分，這支強大艦隊的構(gòu)成和配置表明其執(zhí)行的是一次大規(guī)模突襲行動，而非入侵行動；其目標是被保護在Xana I碎片環(huán)帶內(nèi)側(cè)那支整裝待發(fā)的巨型運輸艦隊。

Terra had decided that if they were not to have the bounty of?Xana's forges for themselves, then none would, and calculated that the risk of deploying several potent heavy units from Terra's own defence armada was worth the reward this mission of destruction entailed.

泰拉已經(jīng)做出了決定：如果他們自己不能得到Xana鑄爐所出產(chǎn)的大量物資，那么其他人就也不能得到；帝國計算出，這次破壞任務所帶來的回報值得讓他們冒從泰拉防御艦隊部署出多艘強大重型戰(zhàn)艦的風險。

With faultless precession, the defenders of Xana rose to meet their aggressors; squadrons of frigate-sized machine sapient hunterkillers and scores of autonomous weapons platforms rose from within the vaporous depths of Xana I's atmosphere to protect their master's wealth and spat their payloads with synchronised fury, sending hundreds of void torpedoes hurling towards their target, the plasma drives of the shark-like hunter-killers blazing in their wake. From tneir own stations on allotted patrol routes across the planetary system, Xana's own interstellar warships, battle-arks and attack carriers in the main, far larger than the local defensive vessels, awoke and burned at maximum thrust to intercept the Loyalist assault force, which despite the bravery and skill of its Navigators who had dropped the force into realspace close enough to be hours rather than days distant from their intended target, still able to contest the attack before it reached its goal, or at the least close a lethal trap behind the intruders. Calculations were checked and tactical projections run and re-run thousands of times in bare seconds, secondary waves of?munitions roared forth from the surface of the Forge World of Xana II itself and its own sentinel void-battle servitors —mechanical Kraken the size of strike cruisers—broke from their steel shells like hollow moons and powered towards the fray; As the white blood cells of a human body swarm and overwhelm an invading virus, so would the war machines of Xana swarm and overwhelm this unexpected attack, no matter its power.

Xana的守軍以無可挑剔的姿態(tài)應戰(zhàn)侵略者;驅(qū)逐艦尺寸的聰慧機械獵殺者和數(shù)十個自動武器平臺從Xana I霧狀大氣的深處升起，前來保護其主人的財富，并帶著同步的怒火噴射出自身裝載的彈藥。這些武器朝敵人發(fā)射出數(shù)百枚虛空魚雷，等離子推進器在那些鯊魚狀獵殺者的身后閃著火光。Xana自身的星際戰(zhàn)艦（這些飛船主要是戰(zhàn)斗方舟和突擊航母，體積遠大于當?shù)氐姆烙灤┮矎奈挥谛行窍到y(tǒng)的指定巡邏路線上的站點醒來，它們以最大的推力前去攔截忠誠派進攻部隊。盡管忠誠派艦隊的導航者們勇敢且技巧高超，他們將部隊投入到距離目標足夠近的現(xiàn)實空間，讓艦隊能用數(shù)小時而非數(shù)天的時間便抵達其意圖的目標處，但Xana艦隊仍然能夠在攻擊部隊抵達目標之前便與之對抗，或者至少在入侵者們身后收緊致命陷阱的口袋。計算結(jié)果被檢查，戰(zhàn)術預測也在短短幾秒鐘內(nèi)便被反復運行數(shù)千次，第二波炮彈也從鑄造世界Xana II的地表呼嘯而出，星球自身的哨戒用虛空戰(zhàn)斗機仆——打擊巡洋艦尺寸的機械扭曲巨獸也從自己那空洞衛(wèi)星般的鋼殼中掙脫出來，向著戰(zhàn)場進發(fā);就像人體的白細胞會蜂擁向入侵的病毒并將之壓倒那樣，Xana的戰(zhàn)爭機器也會成群擁向敵人并壓倒這突如其來的攻擊，無論對方力量如何。