哥特艦隊規(guī)則書節(jié)譯：第十二次黑色遠征/哥特戰(zhàn)爭（2）
143.M41 - SURPRISE ATTACK?
143.M41——突襲
THE FIRST STRIKE?
最初一擊
Reports of attacking Chaos fleets flooded in from all across the Gothic Sector. Much planning must have gone in to the all-important firm strike, as the Chaos fleets targeted a dozen major Imperial bases in the Gothic Sector. With no warning, the renegades struck hard and fast. ambushing Imperial warships as they were in dock or orbiting around their stations. Caught unawares and already overstretched by the increasing tension within the sector, the Imperial Navy was poorly prepared to respond to this sudden offensive. At Bladen, the Rhadamanthine had her starboard flight decks blown clean off by torpedoes, while at Cherys. Doomfire bombers from the Heartless Destroyer damaged the warp engines of the Lord Sylvanus so severely that it took nearly two years of constant repairs for the ship to be able to make warp jumps greater than five light years.?
在哥特星區(qū)各處，都要關于混沌艦隊襲擊的報告涌來。這次至關重要的強襲必定是經過了周密計劃，因為混沌艦隊瞄準了星區(qū)中十二座主要帝國基地。變節(jié)者們發(fā)動了快速猛攻，在帝國戰(zhàn)艦停入港口或環(huán)繞空間站時進行伏擊。帝國海軍被打了個措手不及，而且星區(qū)內日益緊張的局勢也已經令其陷入超負荷運轉，他們對于這次突然進攻準備不足。在Bladen世界，“公正”號的右舷飛行甲板被魚雷炸毀；而在Cherys，“無情毀滅者”號派出毀滅之火型轟炸機，對“希爾維納斯尊主”號的亞空間引擎造成了極其嚴重的損傷，以至于這艘飛船在接受了近兩年的不斷維修之后，才能進行距離超過五光年的亞空間跳躍。
Orbiting stations also fell to the Chaos invaders. destroyed or captured by the swiftness of the attack. The loss of many of these orbital shipyards, such as Tripol Docks, Port?Imperial and Gathara Station, was doubly felt — not only were Imperial ships badly in need of refitting, but the means to do so were being put to use by the enemy. Captain Grove of the Admiral Drake, an old Relentless class cruiser used as a training vessel, was one of the few survivors of the attack at Halemnet Base in the Cyclops Cluster, which typified the style of attack used by the Chaos vessels. Grove and his crew were lucky to escape, as this log entry shows:?
軌道空間站也落入混沌入侵者手中，它們被后者的快速進攻所摧毀或奪取。諸如Tripol船塢、帝國港和Gathara空間站等諸多軌道造船損失，造成了雙重影響——不僅是急需改裝的帝國艦船無法接受改造，而且所用的（裝備和）工程措施也會為敵軍所有?！暗吕松蠈ⅰ碧柺且凰冶挥米饔柧毰灥睦吓f無情級巡洋艦，在發(fā)生于獨眼巨人星團Halemnet基地處襲擊中，其艦長格拉夫是少數(shù)幸存者之一——此次事件帶有混沌艦船襲擊的典型風格。格拉夫和麾下船員們有幸逃出生天，過程如同下文日志條目所示：
4th Watch, 3rd day of Euphistles. Under attack from renegade vessels. They approached from starward,?blinding our surveyors. Long range torpedo strikes have destroyed the Vanguard?(a Dauntless class light cruise) and crippled Indomitus Imperious (a?Lunar class cruiser). Broke from dock with the reactors still at 75%?of operational capacity. Engaged in short ranged exchange with squadron of renegade escorts. disabling our starboard batteries and destorying the torpedo tubes.?
“尤菲斯特爾月三日，第四次警戒。我艦遭受敵艦進攻。他們從側面靠近，避開了測量員們的觀察。遠程魚雷進攻摧毀了先鋒號（無畏級輕型巡洋艦）并重創(chuàng)了不屈帝國號（月級巡洋艦）。我艦在反應堆仍有75%運行能力的情況下脫離船塢，并與叛軍護航中隊發(fā)生近距離交戰(zhàn)。敵軍癱瘓了我艦右舷炮塔，并摧毀我艦魚雷發(fā)射管。
Fires broke out in the port quarter galleries; the emergency bulkheads had to be lowered.Casualties estimated at 5.000 or more. many of them gun crews on the starboard decks. We are attempting to disengage, trying to avoid a Slaughter class coming in around Halemnet's gravity well .Ordering available power to the engines to outrun him. Time to visit the chapel and pray for the Emperor's protection.?
左舷船尾走廊區(qū)爆發(fā)火災；應急艙壁已降下關閉。預計傷亡人數(shù)為至少5.000，其中很多都是右舷甲板的艦炮水手。我們正在試圖脫戰(zhàn)，努力阻止一艘屠殺級巡洋艦沿Halemnet世界重力井周圍向我艦靠近。我下令將可用能量供給到引擎，以超越敵艦。是時候去禮拜堂中進行祈禱，以乞求帝皇的保佑了?！?/strong>
Fortunately for the crew of the Admiral Drake and many others, the Chaos fleets were not normally disposed towards lengthy battles, preferring instead to hit hard and then retreat, leaving the Imperial Nasy suffering heavy losses, with many capital ships destroyed or needing months of repairs and refitting.?
德拉克上將號的船員和其他很多人都是幸運的，混沌艦船通常并不傾向于長期戰(zhàn)斗，而是偏好在猛攻后撤退，遇襲的帝國海軍則會遭受嚴重損失，很多主力艦都被摧毀，或需要進行數(shù)個月的維修與整備。
THE DEFENCE OF ORAR?
Orar世界攻防戰(zhàn)
However, the Chaos fleets did not achieve total success. In a few battles the traitors suffered serious reversals, most notably during the defence of the hive world Orar. When one of the many Chaos warfleets, led by the Chaos Warmaster Malefica Arkham, ambushed the imperial battlegroup which was stationed at Orar, they did not, on this occasion, find their enemy taken unawares and helpless.?
然而，混沌艦隊并未實現(xiàn)全面成功。在少數(shù)戰(zhàn)斗中，叛徒們也遭受了嚴重挫敗，其中最值得注意的（案例）發(fā)生在巢都世界Orar攻防戰(zhàn)期間。在混沌戰(zhàn)帥馬勒非卡 阿卡姆的率領下，諸多混沌戰(zhàn)爭艦隊中的某一支伏擊了駐守在Orar的帝國戰(zhàn)斗群；但在這次戰(zhàn)斗中，帝國海軍察覺到了狀況，而且也并非孤立無助。
Having just received orders to help put down a rebellion in a neighbouring system. the Imperial battlegroup, led by Captain Compel Bast on the battlecruiser Imperious, was just preparing to break orbit. Already at full alert status. the Imperial ships easily evaded the raiders'?initial torpedo salvo and counter attacked. What happened next is best summed up by Bast himself:
該帝國戰(zhàn)斗群的旗艦為戰(zhàn)列巡洋艦“帝國”號，并由其艦長坎貝爾 巴斯特率領；他們剛剛接到了前往鄰近星系協(xié)助鎮(zhèn)壓叛亂的任務，正準備離開星球軌道。這些處于完全警戒狀態(tài)的帝國戰(zhàn)艦們輕易避開了掠奪者們最初的魚雷齊射，并發(fā)動了反擊。巴斯特本人詳細總結了之后發(fā)生的情況：
"Unable to abort their attack, the Chaos ships swept onwards into?a hail of torpedoes, gun deck fire and lance shots from Orar's orbital defences. Our nova cannon struck the reviled renegade Soulless full on. crippling the vessel in a huge Nast of gas and debris. Extra?beverage rations to the gun crews that night.?
“由于無法終止進攻，混沌艦船向前沖入了Orar軌道防線的魚雷、艦炮和光矛的密集齊射中。我們的新星炮射擊正中了那艘可惡的變節(jié)艦船——“無魂者”號，令其癱瘓在了大團的氣體與碎片中。今晚，那些火炮水手們將得到額外的飲料配給。
As we closed in for the kill,?the other Chaos ships abandoned their fellow vessel to its fate and attempted to escape. With a torrent of fire pouring into its breached hull,?the Soulless finally destroyed itself as its warp drives imploded under our continuous bombardment. Arkhams' ship. the Deathhane. had its bridge smashed to pieces by a volley of fire from the Iron Duke, and rumours say that Arkham was the only man on the bridge to crawl from the wreckage. somehow?protected by his Dark Masters.
隨著我們接近敵群進行殺戮，其他混沌艦船們丟下友艦自生自滅，試圖逃跑。隨著一股烈焰被傾入破損的船體，“無魂者”號的亞空間引擎被我們的持續(xù)轟炸所引爆，最終自行毀滅。阿卡姆座艦“死亡禍根”號的艦橋，被“鋼鐵公爵”號的炮火齊射炸為碎片。有謠言稱，阿卡姆由于其黑暗主子們的某種保佑，成為了唯一從殘骸中爬出的人。
I cited our attack craft crews for their admirable performance of their duty. Several of our bomber wings were instrumental in reducing the Deathskull to a hulk. Unfortunately, we were unable to claim our prize as the hulk was gripped by Orar's pull and broken asunder in the upper atmosphere."
我們的戰(zhàn)斗機飛行員們恪盡職守，做出了令人欽佩的表現(xiàn)，我對其進行了表揚。在將“死亡顱骨”號化為一艘廢船的過程中，多個轟炸機中隊發(fā)揮了重要作用。不幸的是，由于那艘廢船被Orar的引力拖拽住并在其上層大氣中解體破碎，我們無法獲取到戰(zhàn)利品?！?/strong>
Only a handful of Chaos escorts escaped without damage and the Deathbane and its fleet was pursued out of the system by the vengeful Imperial commanders.?
只有寥寥幾艘混沌護航艦在未受損情況下逃離，死亡禍根號及其艦隊被復仇心切的帝國（海軍）指揮官們趕出了Orar恒星系。
UNLIKELY ALLIES
未料想的友軍
Orar was not the only major set-back inflicted upon the forces of Darkness during the opening stages of the war. In one incident, a small Chaos fleet consisting of several Iconoclast and Infidel class escorts, bound for a raid on Denerair in the Cyclops Cluster, fell foul of the numerous bands of Ork pirates in the region. The garbled transmissions of the Chaos ships were intercepted. giving some idea of what happened.
在這場戰(zhàn)爭的開幕階段，Orar之戰(zhàn)并非是黑暗勢力遭受的唯一一次重大挫折。在某處事件中，一支由多艘圣像破壞者級與異教徒級護航艦所組成的小型混沌艦隊，前去劫掠獨眼巨人星團中的Denerair世界；他們陷入了與該地區(qū)的眾多獸人海盜幫派的沖突。帝國攔截到了混沌艦船上雜亂的通訊信號，得知了事件經過。
Using their traditional tactic of lurking in an asteroid field for an unwary victim. the Orks leapt from hiding and plunged into the heart of the Chaos fleet. Unable to use their greater manoeuvrability in the swirl of asteroids, gas and dust clouds, the Chaos ships were mercilessly hammered by the Orks and not one Chaos vessel survived the battle.?
獸人們使用了自己的傳統(tǒng)戰(zhàn)術：潛藏在一片小行星帶中，等待不加提防的受害者經過。它們沖出隱藏地點，撲向混沌艦隊的核心部位。而在小行星、氣體與塵埃云構成的漩渦中，混沌艦船也無法利用自己更為卓越的機動性，它們遭到了獸人們的無情猛攻，沒有艦船從此次戰(zhàn)斗中幸存。
Upon hearing this news, Lord Admiral Ravensburg was quoted as saying, "If he wasn't damned green-skinned scum, I'd make their commander my Flag-Captain!" although he later denied this statement. Such occurrences were however rare and the greenskins were as happy to continue attacking Imperial shipping as they were to fight against the invading warfleets.?
在聽到這個消息后，領主上將雷文斯伯格說到，“倘若他不是個該死的綠皮兒雜碎，我就要讓他們指揮官作我的旗艦艦長！”，不過他之后否認自己做出過這段發(fā)言。但是，這種現(xiàn)象還是罕見的，獸人們也樂于繼續(xù)在帝國艦船抵抗入侵艦隊時進攻他們。
THE BATTLE OF BLACKSTONE IV?
黑石四號之戰(zhàn)
The initial Chaos attacks struck at important installations such as Adeptus Mechanicus forge worlds and naval bases. Of the seventeen bases in the Gothic Sector, six of them were founded upon the Blackstone Fortresses. As the Liber Monuments tells us:?
混沌勢力的初期攻勢，襲向了諸如機械修會鑄造世界和海軍基地等重要設施。在哥特星區(qū)的十七座基地中，有六座是建立在黑石要塞的基礎上?！兜客龃蟮洹分袑ζ涿枋龇Q：
"The architects of the edifices known as the Blackstone Fortresses remain unknown. All analysis of their materials and construction methods has proved inconclusive. Attempts to date them vary massively between seventeen thousand years old and three hundred thousand years. They have remained dormant since their discovery early in the second millennium of the Emperor's divine rule. Even with most of its systems inoperative, a Blackstone Fortress made an incomparable foundation for a naval base."?
“對于那些被稱為黑石要塞的宏偉建筑，其建造者至今未知。對于其材質和建造方法的所有分析，都未能得出結論。對于其年代測定的結果差異很大，處于十七萬到三十萬年之間。自從人類在帝皇神圣統(tǒng)治的第二個千年發(fā)現(xiàn)它們開始，黑石要塞就一直處于休眠狀態(tài)。但盡管黑石要塞的大部分系統(tǒng)都處于非運行狀態(tài)，它還是為建造海軍基地提供了無與倫比的基礎。”
After extensive refitting by the Adeptus Mechanicus, with Imperium constructed defence turrets and prime?weapons systems added, the Blackstone Fortresses' defensive capabilities rivalled those of the Naval Command stations at Port Maw itself. It was the pride of Battlefleet Gothic that no Blackstone Fortress had ever been taken in battle.?
經過機械修會的大量調整改造后，帝國為黑石要塞添加了防御炮塔和主武器系統(tǒng)，令其具備了堪比巨口港海軍指揮部空間站的防御能力。黑石要塞從未被敵人在戰(zhàn)斗中攻占過，哥特星區(qū)戰(zhàn)斗艦隊以此為傲。
This was to Change at Rebo system, where the naval base Blackstone IV orbited the system's fifth world. A Chaos fleet, probably led by Abaddon himself, struck at Rebo V. The Imperial ships on station put up a ferocious defence, but were overwhelmed by the size of the fleet facing them. Twenty capital ships, including two Despoiler class battleships and a score of escorting vessels, swept through Rebo's outer defences and attacked Blackstone IV itself.?
變化發(fā)生在Rebo星系，基于四號黑石要塞建造的海軍基地就位于該星系第五顆的世界的軌道上。一支混沌艦船襲擊Rebo五號星球，其領袖可能就是阿巴頓本人。駐守當?shù)氐牡蹏w船進行了激烈抵抗，但它們在艦船噸位上處于劣勢。包括兩艘掠奪者級戰(zhàn)列艦在內的二十艘主力艦，以及二十艘護航艦，都在Rebo外圍防線被盡數(shù)殲滅?；煦缗炾犨M攻了四號黑石要塞。
The battle was short and bloody — just as the Chaos fleet approached within range. the Blackstone Fortress'?power systems shut down completely. With the energy grid dead, the guns were unable to fire, the armoured gates to the attack craft bays couldn't be opened and the personnel on board were defenceless. Soon after this information was projected by the station's Chief Astropath, Blackstone IV fell to invaders. There was no more news from Rebo and it was assumed there were no survivors. This was to be the first of a number of critical blows that shook the Imperial forces right from the outset of the war.?
戰(zhàn)斗是短暫且血腥的——就在混沌艦隊接近到射程之內時，黑石要塞的動力系統(tǒng)完全關停。隨著動力系統(tǒng)網絡停擺，火炮無法開火，攻擊機停泊崗的裝甲大門無法打開，基地中的全體人員毫無防御。在空間站中的首席星語者發(fā)送出一條信息之后不久，四號黑石要塞便陷落了。帝國不再能收到來自Rebo的更多信息，此地被推測無人生還。從戰(zhàn)爭一開始，混沌勢力就發(fā)動了一系列旨在動搖帝國部隊的關鍵打擊，而此次進攻便是其中之一。
THE DEATH OF SAVAVEN?
SAVAVEN世界之死
Even as Abaddon pushed home his attack at Rebo. more disaster was to befall the loyal defenders of Gothic Sector. At Savaven, a Cardinal world of the Ecclesiarchy, the few system defence ships could do little to protect their planet against a new and awesomely powerful vessel. Simply dubbed the Planet Killer, this monolithic ship bristled with gun decks, lance batteries and torpedo launch systems. As the defence monitors withdrew from its implacable advance, the Planet Killer achieved orbit over Savaven. Jeremiah Soldagen, commander of the orbital defence forces, was later to record the dreadful events to follow:?
就在阿巴頓進攻Rebo星系的同時，更多災難降臨到了哥特星區(qū)中。在國教教廷的主教世界Savaven，當面對著那艘全新且強悍到恐怖的艦船時，寥寥幾艘星系防御船保護這顆世界的努力僅是杯水車薪。這艘巨艦被簡稱為“行星殺手”，其上布滿了火炮甲板、光矛炮塔和魚雷發(fā)射系統(tǒng)。隨著星系監(jiān)測艇在它的無情攻勢面前撤退，行星殺手抵達了Savaven軌道上空。軌道防御部隊指揮官——杰里米亞 索爾達根之后記錄了隨之而來的可怕事件：
'Within [the Planet Killer's] central cavity. we could detect?a massive power surge. Energy crackled from a number of ports on the hull. Then, with a blast that blotted the sun from our scanners. it opened fire. The energy beam lasted for about a half hour. Emperor knows how they could generate that much energy. We linked in to the planetary surveyors to see what was happening on the surface. That bolt bored its way through miles of the planet's crust and seared through the mantle beneath. As the wrack finished the magma surged forth through this continent-sized wound. breaking apart Savaven from within. The seas boiled into the skies, the ice caps melted and whole continents sunk beneath the tidal wave. With such an unimaginable release of energy Savaven was blown our of her natural orbit and flipped over on her axis. I guess nobody was alive by then, but if they were they didn't?last long. Like a rations pack crushed in your fist,?Savaven just crumpled in on herself. then broke up into thousands of fragments. There's just an asteroid field them now. really dense, impossible to navigate. There were fourteen billion people living on Savaven. Fourteen billion dead in an hour"
“從那艘｀行星殺手｀的中央空艙處，我們能探測到一股巨大的能量涌動。船體上的一系列端口釋放出劈啪作響的能量，然后隨著一陣爆炸——從掃描器上看去，相比于它，太陽也只是個污點，它開火射擊了。那股能量束持續(xù)了大概半個小時，帝皇才知道他們是怎樣才能生成如此之多的能量。我們連接上了行星測距儀，要看看地表發(fā)生的狀況。這道能量束一路穿透了數(shù)英里厚的行星地殼，燒焦了下方的地幔。當毀滅結束時，巖漿從一道大陸尺寸的傷口中涌出，Savaven從內部破裂開。海洋被煮沸，水汽都散入了空中，融化的冰蓋將整塊大陸淹沒在海嘯中。隨著如此難以想象的能量被釋放出，Savaven被推離了它的自然軌道，沿軸心旋轉起來。我猜此刻已經無人生還，就算有，他們也撐不久了。Savaven自行向內塌縮，就像一個被捏碎的口糧包，然后就破裂成了數(shù)千塊碎片。它們現(xiàn)在只是一片小行星帶，而且?guī)r體間非常緊密，我們無法在其中導航。Savaven上層居住了140億人，這140億人在一小時內被盡數(shù)屠殺?！?/strong>
Soldagen and the other survivors were to suffer traumatic mental breakdowns from what they witnessed and three months later they all took their own lives in a mass suicide. The effect on Imperial morale was devastating. All had heard of Exterminates with fusion torpedoes, virus bombs and mass drivers, but to know the enemy had the ability to destroy an entire planet, not just all Ilfe on it, must have been the most chilling thought that any naval crewman had ever faced. As the Imperial Navy reeled at this news, Inquisitor Horst was left wondering if this was the power gained from possession of the Hand of Darkness and the Eye of Night. If it was something else, then perhaps even worse news was to come.?
在目擊這一事件后，杰里米亞 索爾達根和其他幸存者遭受了痛苦難忘的精神崩潰，他們在三個月后集體自殺。帝國士氣遭受了毀滅性打擊，所有人都聽說過用聚變魚雷、病毒炸彈和質量驅動器執(zhí)行的滅絕令，但知道有能力摧毀整顆星球，而非僅僅掃清其上的一切生命，這必定是所有海軍水手所面對過的最恐怖想法。就在帝國海軍震驚于這條消息的同時，審判官霍斯特則在思考這股力量是否獲取自黑暗之手與暗夜之眼。但如果其另有來源，那或許還會傳來更糟的信息。
TROUBLE WITH THE ELDAR?
又生齟齬
A constant problem for Lord Admiral Ravensburg, commander of the entire Battlefleet Gothic, was the presence a large number of Eldar in the sector, making swift forays from their hiding places within the Graildark nebula. It is even widely believed that an Eldar Craftworld was in the Gothic Sector during the war, though there were no confirmed sightings and its location was never determined.?
對整個哥特星區(qū)戰(zhàn)斗艦隊的指揮官——領主上將雷文斯伯格而言，還有一個持續(xù)存在的麻煩：存在于該星區(qū)內的大量艾爾達異形，它們會從自己位于Graildark星域的藏身處發(fā)動快遞突襲。人們甚至普遍相信，在這場戰(zhàn)爭期間，有一艘艾爾達方舟世界就位于哥特星區(qū)中，不過帝國并未收到可信的目擊報告，其位置也從未被確定。
Of the pirate forces plaguing the Imperium, the force called the Executioners became highly active as the Gothic War progressed, until the number of their raids and attacks had increased from three in 143.M41?to eight in 147.M41. Unable to track the sophisticated Eldar ships back to their base and strongly suspecting that they were connected in some way to the elusive Craftworld, Ravensburg could do little to defend against the aliens and it was up to individual battlegroup commanders how best to act against their slippery foes.?
至于那些為禍帝國的海盜勢力，隨著哥特戰(zhàn)爭愈演愈烈，某支被稱為“處決者”的海盜變得高度活躍；它們掠襲和進攻的次數(shù)，也從143.M41 的三次增加到147.M41的八次。雷文斯伯格無法追蹤著復雜精密的艾爾達飛船回到其基地母港，而且強烈懷疑它們與那個難以捉摸的方舟世界存在某種聯(lián)系，他幾乎無法防御住這些異星人的進攻，如何最好地對付這些狡猾敵人取決于各獨立戰(zhàn)斗群的指揮官。
The Wolf Packs Gather
群狼嘯聚
Not only the Eldar preyed upon the transports and merchantmen of the Imperium. Bands of human pirates, renegades from the Eye of Terror and even the vessels of other alien races all increased their activity. Called Wolf Packs by the Naval officers who chased them, these roving bands of small vessels hunted the ships and convoys of anybody and everybody. Admiral Koburn, of the Second Battlecruiser Fleet, noted bitterly:?
獵捕人類帝國運輸艦和商船的不僅有艾爾達人；人類海盜幫派，來自恐懼之眼的變節(jié)者，甚至還有其他異形種族的艦船，都增加了自己的活動頻率。這些流浪幫派由小型艦船構成，獵殺著屬于任何人的艦船和運輸隊，負責追捕他們的海軍軍官稱其為“狼群”。隸屬于第二戰(zhàn)斗巡洋艦編隊的考伯恩上將就曾痛苦地記錄到：
"If it came to a straight fight. they would be no match for our guns. But (the raiders) are canny, and never risk open battle?if they can avoid it. The packs nibble at the heels of our convoys, capturing a single transport here, a merchant vessel then. Their favourite tactic is to lurk in?asteroid fields or to operate from deserted moons, where they are almost impossible to detect and even harder to root out. I even heard of one band that docked in a station in the upper atmosphere of a gas giant in the Fullarn system. Every month brings more reports of their attacks, but we minor spare more ships from the battle lines to escort the convoys."?
“如果是直接交戰(zhàn)的話，他們并非我方艦炮的對手。但劫掠者們很狡詐，只要能避免，他們就不會冒險進行公開戰(zhàn)斗。狼群們小口撕咬著我方運輸艦隊的腳踵，他們先是奪取一艘運輸艦，然后就是一艘商船。他們最喜愛的戰(zhàn)術就是潛伏在小行星帶或出沒于荒蕪的衛(wèi)星，他們在那些地方幾乎不可能被發(fā)現(xiàn)，加以根除則更為艱難。我甚至聽說：在Fullarn星系中，某個海盜幫派將飛船停泊進了氣體巨星上層大氣中的空間站。每個月都有更多關于他們襲擊行動的報告?zhèn)鱽?，但我們也無法從戰(zhàn)線上騰出更多飛船去為運輸隊護航?！?/strong>
The Imperial fleet was fighting two enemies at once: the Chaos battlefleets and the Ork, Human and Eldar pirates that had been a constant threat to Imperial shipping even before the Gothic War began. Everywhere the Imperial forces were on the defensive, driven from world upon world, system upon system. Losses were high and the shipyards and orbital stations fought an ever increasing battle for supplies and manpower. Darkness had descended upon the Gothic Sector and it looked as if the light would never return.?
帝國艦隊正在同時以一敵二：混沌戰(zhàn)斗艦隊，人類、獸人與艾爾達海盜——甚至早在哥特戰(zhàn)爭爆發(fā)之前，他們便在不斷威脅帝國航運。帝國軍隊在各處都處于守勢，他們被趕出了一個又一個世界，之后則被趕出一個又一個星系。人類力量損失慘重，造船廠們和軌道空間站們愈發(fā)激烈地爭奪補給和人力資源。黑暗已經籠罩住了哥特星區(qū)，而光明似乎也將永不復焉。
