The explosions rippled along both flanks of the

Veritas Ferrum. The blasts were twin broadsides, as the Iron Hands strike cruiser drove between its enemies. With Night Lords to port and the Alpha Legion to starboard, there was no question of evasion. There was only, for now, a choice of foe.

爆炸沿著鋼鐵真理號(hào)的船體兩側(cè)擴(kuò)散開(kāi)來(lái)。當(dāng)這艘鋼鐵之手打擊巡洋艦從敵艦們中間駛過(guò)時(shí)，它的兩舷都遭到轟擊。午夜領(lǐng)主們?cè)谧笙匣⒁曧耥?，阿爾法軍團(tuán)在右舷伺機(jī)而動(dòng)，要逃避是不可能的?，F(xiàn)在，鋼鐵之手們只能選擇與其中一方交戰(zhàn)。

As the Veritas was bracketed by the fire of the two smaller cruisers, her void shields flared with the brilliance of a new sun. The glare was so intense that, for an instant, the oculus showed nothing but white blindness.

隨著真理號(hào)遭到兩艘小型巡洋艦的炮火夾擊，她的虛空盾閃耀著新星般的耀眼光芒。眩光是如此強(qiáng)烈，以至于有那么一瞬間，觀測(cè)透鏡中只能看到令人目盲的白光。

Standing at his command lectern, Captain Durun Atticus raised his bionic rasp of a voice over the din of alarms and the rumble of secondary blasts. ‘Damage report, Sergeant Galba!’

杜倫 阿提庫(kù)斯站在指揮臺(tái)旁邊，在警報(bào)聲和二次爆炸的隆隆聲中，他的生化義口用刺耳的聲音喊到：“報(bào)告損傷，加爾巴軍士”。

‘Void shield collapse over port-side stern, captain. Fire in that landing bay, and in the serf barracks.’

“左舷船尾處的虛空盾崩潰了，連長(zhǎng)。登陸港和仆役營(yíng)房都著火了?！?/p>

‘Seal the sector. Divert its power to the shields.’

“封鎖那片區(qū)域。把它們的能量轉(zhuǎn)移給虛空盾?！?/p>

Galba looked up from his post just beneath the lectern. ‘Captain, the survivors–’

加爾巴抬頭看向連長(zhǎng)——他的位置就在指揮臺(tái)下方?！斑B長(zhǎng)，幸存者們—”

Atticus silenced the sergeant with a sharp gesture. ‘They’re dead either way. Anyone in that sector is a casualty. Let’s not add to their numbers. Do it, damn you!’

阿提庫(kù)斯做了個(gè)含義明確的手勢(shì)，命令那位軍士閉嘴?！盁o(wú)論怎樣，他們會(huì)死掉。那片區(qū)域中的所有人都犧牲了。別再增加傷亡數(shù)字了。照做，該死的！”

Damn the arithmetic of war. Damn Horus. Damn the turncoat cowards who were filling the near orbit of Isstvan V with the wreckage of ships, the flames of treachery, and the ruin of the Emperor’s dream.

該死的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)算式。該死的荷魯斯。還有那些背信棄義的懦夫們——他們用艦船的殘骸塞滿了伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)的近空軌道、這場(chǎng)叛變的戰(zhàn)火與帝皇愿景的毀滅，這一切都通通該死。

‘And damn me too,’ Atticus muttered.

“我可真他媽的?！卑⑻釒?kù)斯低聲抱怨到。

Galba paused over his controls. ‘Captain?’

加爾巴暫停了控制操作，“連長(zhǎng)？”

‘Nothing.’

“沒(méi)啥，無(wú)所謂?！?/p>

But it wasn’t nothing, was it? What was it he had said to his men, laughing with that bionic larynx of his–laughing– as the Veritas had begun its journey through the warp to the Isstvan System? He had said that it was not true that the Legions knew no fear, because he had a great one, and his fear was that they would arrive to find that their primarch, Ferrus Manus, had already crushed the Warmaster’s rebellion without them.

但真的無(wú)所謂嗎？當(dāng)鋼鐵真理號(hào)進(jìn)入亞空間駛向伊斯特萬(wàn)星系時(shí)，他說(shuō)什么來(lái)著？那時(shí)，他一邊從生化義體咽喉發(fā)出笑聲，一邊說(shuō)到：“阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)無(wú)所畏懼”這個(gè)說(shuō)法并不真實(shí)，他就身處一個(gè)偉大的軍團(tuán)中，而他所畏懼的便是在抵達(dá)后發(fā)現(xiàn)他們的原體——費(fèi)魯斯 馬努斯已經(jīng)在沒(méi)有他們（協(xié)助）的情況下已然擊潰了荷魯斯的叛亂。

After Callinedes– after Fulgrim’s craven ambush– and after the warp storms had calmed, Lord Manus had raced hard for Isstvan, taking the fastest, least-damaged ships, and filling them with his most experienced Avernii veterans. Atticus had given over half his complement of warriors to the primarch’s folly. But now the Veritas Ferrum had finally dropped out of the warp at the system’s Mandeville point, and into a vision of hell.

在Callinedes事件——福格瑞姆那怯懦的伏擊之后，等到亞空間平靜下來(lái)后，馬努斯閣下便向著伊斯特萬(wàn)星系疾馳而去，他帶著（軍團(tuán)中）最快且受損最輕的艦船，上面滿載著經(jīng)驗(yàn)最為豐富的阿維尼氏族老兵。阿提庫(kù)斯派出自己麾下半數(shù)以上的戰(zhàn)士去參加原體這次沖動(dòng)的行動(dòng)。但現(xiàn)在他們最終離開(kāi)了亞空間，抵達(dá)了星系的曼德維勒點(diǎn)，而迎接他們的是一幅地獄景象。

Atticus descended from the lectern and strode to the oculus. Littering the far orbit of the Isstvan star was a graveyard of loyalist ships. Some had been caught as they attempted to escape, but many more were simply torn apart by enemy fire as soon as they emerged from the immaterium.

阿提庫(kù)斯奔下指揮臺(tái)，大步?jīng)_向顯像透鏡。伊斯特萬(wàn)恒星的遠(yuǎn)軌道已經(jīng)變成了忠誠(chéng)派艦船的墓地，殘骸遍布各處。某些艦船在試圖逃脫時(shí)被捕獲，但其他更多的艦船是被簡(jiǎn)單得撕碎了——她們一從非物質(zhì)宇宙現(xiàn)身，便被敵軍炮火撕碎了。

The Iron Hands’ second wave had been virtually obliterated.

鋼鐵之手的第二波進(jìn)攻部隊(duì)實(shí)際上已被摧毀了。

‘Hard to starboard!’ he ordered, sweeping his eyes over his crew. ‘Will none of you ask if I am relieved that my fear has not come to pass?’

“右滿舵！”他命令到，雙眼掃視著船員們?！澳銈儧](méi)有人會(huì)問(wèn)，我是否因自己并未產(chǎn)生恐懼而欣慰嗎?”

The battle was not over, but the terrible truth was that it seemed as though it soon would be.

戰(zhàn)斗并未結(jié)束，但糟糕的真相是：這場(chǎng)仗似乎很快就要結(jié)束了。

He jabbed a finger at the nearest enemy ship that hove into view as the Veritas began its turn. ‘I want everything hitting that Alpha Legion bastard.’ If he still had lips, they would have parted in a murderous smile. ‘So the individual is unimportant, is it, Alpharius?’ he spat. ‘Then what we’re about to do won’t hurt you at all.’

在真理號(hào)轉(zhuǎn)向的同時(shí)，他豎起一根手指，指向了最接近他們的那艘突然出現(xiàn)的飛船?！敖o我集中全部火力，痛揍這艘阿爾法軍團(tuán)的雜種?！碧热羲€有嘴唇的話，阿提庫(kù)斯會(huì)咧出一個(gè)兇殘的微笑?！皞€(gè)體并不重要，對(duì)吧，阿爾法瑞斯們？”他啐了一口，“那么我們將要做的也就根本傷害不到你們?！?/p>

With the slow majesty of a glacier, the Veritas rounded on its prey. The Alpha Legion ship, the

Theta, tried to evade by rising above the ecliptic, but it was too slow, and too late. Concentrated lance and torpedo fire from the Veritas overwhelmed its void shields. They went down in a flickering cascade, and the Theta’s running lights died just before the Iron Hands main barrage struck it amidships.

真理號(hào)如同一座冰川那樣緩慢而莊嚴(yán)地轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)了身，朝向了自己的獵物。那艘阿爾法軍團(tuán)的艦船——西塔號(hào)努力通過(guò)飛行到黃道面上方來(lái)躲過(guò)一劫，但她太慢也太遲了，真理號(hào)發(fā)射出的密集光矛和魚(yú)雷擊潰了她的虛空盾。光束和魚(yú)雷如同瀑布般涌向了這艘飛船，在鋼鐵之手戰(zhàn)艦主炮射出的彈幕擊中其船體中部之前，西塔號(hào)引擎在奔逃時(shí)所發(fā)出的尾焰火光便消失了。

The blow was devastating. The Theta broke in half.

這是毀滅性的一擊，西塔號(hào)被攔腰炸斷。

Galba called out from his station, ‘The Night Lords vessel is firing again.’

加爾巴從他的作戰(zhàn)位處喊到：“午夜領(lǐng)主的飛船們?cè)俅伍_(kāi)火了?！?/p>

‘Noted, sergeant. Countermeasures.’ Atticus looked at the bisected cruiser before them. ‘Helmsman,’ he ordered, ‘take us through.’

“軍士，注意我的對(duì)策命令?！卑⑻釒?kù)斯看向了自己面前那艘被一分為二的（阿爾法軍團(tuán)）巡洋艦，“舵手，”他命令到，“帶我們穿過(guò)去?！?/p>

The prow of the Veritas Ferrum drove into the dissipating fireball where the core hull of the Theta had been. The two sections of the Alpha Legion vessel seemed to fold in upon the Veritas in an embrace of the void. There was a glancing impact that brought down the starboard prow shields, but then the Veritas was clear. Behind them, the Night Lords vessel’s flank was exposed to the wreckage– the ship was manoeuvring into an evasive turn, but there was no time. The shattered rearward bulk of the Theta slammed into it, lighting up the void as her reactor went critical.

鋼鐵真理號(hào)的艦首扎入了那團(tuán)正在消散的火球中——這里曾是西塔號(hào)的核心船體。一次側(cè)面撞擊令右舷艦首的虛空盾崩開(kāi)，但真理號(hào)在這之后便安全了。在它們身后，午夜領(lǐng)主的艦船的側(cè)翼暴露給了殘骸——這艘船正在進(jìn)行機(jī)動(dòng)轉(zhuǎn)向避讓?zhuān)珌?lái)不及了。西塔號(hào)破碎的后側(cè)船體猛然撞向午夜領(lǐng)主飛船，抵達(dá)臨界狀態(tài)的反應(yīng)堆炸開(kāi)，照亮了虛空。

The sound that came from Atticus’s voice box was a growl of satisfaction. ‘Sergeant Galba?’

阿提庫(kù)斯的喉頭發(fā)出了一陣滿意的咆哮聲?！凹訝柊蛙娛?？”

‘Shields holding. Just.’

“虛空盾剛剛撐住了?！?/p>

Ahead, there was a clear path. Atticus turned to the vox-operator. ‘Any word from the dropsite?’

飛船前方是一條安全通路。阿提庫(kù)斯轉(zhuǎn)頭看向音頻通訊器操作員?！暗顷扅c(diǎn)有任何消息傳來(lái)嗎？”

‘Nothing I can confirm, captain.’

“我什么都沒(méi)確認(rèn)到，連長(zhǎng)?！?/p>

They had received only fragmentary vox chatter since their arrival. Broken distress calls from voices that claimed to be Iron Hands, lamenting the death of their primarch, but never any direct responses to hails from the Veritas. Atticus returned to the command lectern. ‘More lies, then,’ he said. He would not believe that Ferrus Manus had been killed. Not unless he saw the primarch’s body before him. Perhaps not even then.

自從抵達(dá)后，他們收到的便只有碎片化的音頻信息。某個(gè)自稱(chēng)是鋼鐵之手的聲音發(fā)出了斷斷續(xù)續(xù)的求救音頻信號(hào)，這個(gè)信號(hào)悲嘆著原體的死亡，卻從未對(duì)真理號(hào)的呼叫做出過(guò)直接回應(yīng)。阿提庫(kù)斯回到了指揮臺(tái)處?！案嗟闹e言，”他說(shuō)到。他不愿相信費(fèi)魯斯 馬努斯已經(jīng)被害，除非他見(jiàn)到原體的尸骸橫在自己面前。也許即便到了那時(shí)他也不會(huì)相信。

He would not believe it. Yet deep down he knew there was nothing left to salvage from the dropsite, and he felt his soul filling with a hatred that he would carry to his grave.

他不愿相信這一切，但他也從內(nèi)心深處知道：登陸點(diǎn)沒(méi)留下任何可供回收的（人或物），他感覺(jué)自己的靈魂中充滿了某種至死方休的仇恨。

Galba’s auspex blared a proximity alarm. ‘Capital ships, dead ahead!’

加爾巴的鳥(niǎo)卜儀發(fā)出了表明有物體接近的刺耳警報(bào)。“主力艦，就在正前方！”

Atticus could not sigh any more. So much of the weak flesh was gone, the many basic human mannerisms given up and replaced by the strength of metal. So he did not sigh– he tightened his fists instead, bending the rails around the lectern. ‘We must retreat. If we do not, if nothing of the loyalist forces survived the slaughter on the surface, what then? What then for our Legion?’

阿提庫(kù)斯無(wú)法再嘆氣了。他身上失去了很多脆弱的血肉，他也放棄了很多基本的人類(lèi)習(xí)性，以鋼鐵的優(yōu)勢(shì)取而代之。所以他并未嘆息——相反，他握緊了雙拳，掰彎了指揮臺(tái)周?chē)臋跅U。“我們必須撤退。如果我們不這樣做，如果在沒(méi)有任何忠誠(chéng)派部隊(duì)在地面上的屠殺中幸存下來(lái)，那之后怎么辦?我們的軍團(tuán)又該怎么辦？”

The vox-operator whirled to face the lectern. ‘Signal! Thunderhawks. Two, outbound from the debris field, requesting aid.’

音頻通訊器操作員轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身面向指揮臺(tái)，“有信號(hào)！是雷鷹。兩個(gè)，從殘骸區(qū)發(fā)出，在尋求救援。”

The war-arithmetic loomed before Atticus once more. ‘Put it on main speaker.’

戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)算式再次隱約出現(xiàn)在阿提庫(kù)斯面前。“把信號(hào)接入主揚(yáng)聲器?！?/p>

Static crackled through the open channel. Then came a voice.‘This is Sergeant Khi’dem, Salamanders 139th Company. Our carrier vessel was destroyed. We need recovery.’

公開(kāi)頻道中發(fā)出靜電的噼啪聲。之后傳入了一個(gè)聲音?！拔沂俏鳌履奋娛浚瑢儆诨痱狎娴?39連隊(duì)。我們的運(yùn)載艦被摧毀了，我們需要救援回收?！?/p>

Atticus looked at the tactical hololiths before him. So few allied ships left. The Veritas was the only one close enough, and with even the illusion of freedom to act. But the arithmetic was unforgiving.

阿提庫(kù)斯看著自己前方的戰(zhàn)術(shù)全息投影，友軍的船只所剩無(wú)幾。真理號(hào)是唯一一艘足夠接近，甚至是唯一可能進(jìn)行自由行動(dòng)的艦船。但算式是無(wú)情的。

‘I’m sorry, sergeant. We cannot help you. This is the Tenth Legion strike cruiser Veritas Fe–’

“抱歉，軍士，我們幫不了你們。這里是第十軍團(tuán)打擊巡洋艦鋼—”

‘We have a number of your brothers and those of the Raven Guard aboard. We lost many to save them. Is that worth nothing?’

“我們的船上還有很多你們的兄弟，已經(jīng)暗鴉守衛(wèi)的弟兄們。為了救下他們，我們損傷慘重。這也是毫無(wú)意義的嗎？”

‘Do you have our primarch?’

“你們的船上我們的原體了嗎？”

There was a long moment of silence. ‘No’

對(duì)方陷入了長(zhǎng)久的沉默。“沒(méi)有。”

‘Then, I regret–’

“那么，我很遺憾—”

‘Three Legions have fought for the Emperor, and now face annihilation. Are they to be abandoned, their sacrifice forgotten? Will you grant the traitors an absolute victory? Will there be no witnesses to what was done this day on Isstvan Five?’

“三個(gè)軍團(tuán)曾為帝皇而戰(zhàn)，他們現(xiàn)在面臨著毀滅。他們將會(huì)被丟棄在這里，任由他們的犧牲被淡忘嗎？你要把一次完全的勝利拱手讓給叛徒們嗎？今天發(fā)生在伊斯特萬(wàn)五號(hào)上的事件將不會(huì)再有目擊者嗎？”

Atticus cursed. He cursed Khi’dem. He cursed the entire galaxy.

阿提庫(kù)斯咒罵起來(lái)。他咒罵著西’德姆，咒罵著整個(gè)銀河。

‘Helmsman, set course to intercept. Recover those ships.’

“舵手，設(shè)定攔截路線，收回那些飛船?！?/p>

He hated the piece of his soul that rejoiced at the decision. He wished he had replaced it with bionics, too.

他痛恨自己靈魂中為這個(gè)決定而欣喜的那一份，他希望自己也能用生化義體取而代之。

The Veritas Ferrum closed with the Thunderhawks. On both its flanks, the great warships of the Sons of Horus and the Emperor’s Children were approaching. A noose was closing around the Iron Hands.

鋼鐵真理號(hào)接近了雷鷹炮艇。荷魯斯之子和帝皇之子的大型戰(zhàn)艦正在接近這艘飛船的兩翼。一根絞索正在緊緊地纏住鋼鐵之手們。

The Veritas slowed to take on the two gunships, even as the traitors opened fire. The starboard landing bays were closing when the torpedoes struck the port side. Then the already terrible damage became catastrophic.

哪怕在叛軍開(kāi)火時(shí)，真理號(hào)也減慢速度來(lái)接受那兩架炮艇。當(dāng)魚(yú)雷擊中飛船左舷時(shí)，右舷的登陸港正在關(guān)閉。已經(jīng)頗為糟糕的損傷此刻變成了災(zāi)難性的。

The explosions were thunder that built upon thunder. Atticus felt his ship’s wound through the command interface like a blade scraping the length of his ribs. The bridge klaxons were the Veritas screaming in pain.

爆炸聲比雷聲還要強(qiáng)出幾倍。阿提庫(kù)斯通過(guò)指揮接口感覺(jué)到了船體的損傷，那感覺(jué)如同一柄利刃沿著他的肋骨刮過(guò)。艦橋警笛中發(fā)出的便是真理號(hào)的痛苦尖叫。

But the Iron Hands still had the vector of escape. Atticus pounded the railing of the command lectern. ‘Go!’ he roared.

但鋼鐵之手們?nèi)匀晃沼刑由肪€。阿提庫(kù)斯猛捶著指揮臺(tái)的欄桿?！翱熳撸　彼叵?。

The Veritas ran. The tear in its flank was huge. It bled air and flame and tiny, armoured figures into the void. The ship was rocked by yet another torpedo hit.

真理號(hào)快速逃亡。船身側(cè)翼被撕開(kāi)了巨大的裂口，空氣、火焰和穿著動(dòng)力甲的微小人形物體如同血滴一樣流入虛空中。又一發(fā)魚(yú)雷擊中了船體，令其搖晃起來(lái)。

Galba was hunched over his post as though the screens themselves were his enemies. ‘Fire spreading, captain. Over a hundred legionaries lost to the void.’

加爾巴躬身俯在自己戰(zhàn)斗位上方，似乎屏幕本身便是他的敵人?！盎饎?shì)在蔓延，連長(zhǎng)。超過(guò)一百名軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士被丟進(jìn)了虛空中。”

‘Many times more than the Thunderhawks were transporting,’ Atticus raged. ‘I’m sure our guests are worth it.’

“這是雷鷹炮艇上所運(yùn)載人數(shù)的很多倍”，阿提庫(kù)斯怒喝到?！拔掖_信我們的客人們值得這份損失?！?/p>

He felt it then, the final excision of mercy from his being. The last weakness, killed one battle too late. And now, with only one desperate path remaining, a calmness as cold as the grave descended upon him.

這時(shí)他感到自己失去了生命中最后的一絲慈悲。這是他最后的弱點(diǎn)，消失得太晚了。現(xiàn)在，隨著他們只剩下一條絕望之路，一種如墳?zāi)拱惚涞钠届o降臨在他心中。

‘Make the jump.’

“進(jìn)行跳躍?！?/p>

Galba was staring at him. ‘Captain, the hull is compromised–’

加爾巴正在注視著他?！斑B長(zhǎng)，船體受損—”

‘Make the jump.Now.’

“進(jìn)行跳躍。立刻。”

The Veritas Ferrum’s warp engines flared. The bleeding ship plunged into reality’s scream, and Atticus gazed into the maw of a future as pitiless and uncertain as he.

鋼鐵真理號(hào)的亞空間引擎燃燒出了耀眼的光芒。這艘淌著血的船置身于現(xiàn)實(shí)宇宙的嚎叫聲中，阿提庫(kù)斯注視著未來(lái)那吞噬一切的深淵——未來(lái)的光景，就和他本人一樣無(wú)情且不確定。