Autilon Skorr and his Alpha Legion headhunter cohorts were already beginning their own attack on the main spindle-spires of the Mezoan forge. With the majority of?the Loyalist forces drawn away to engage the Iron Warriors?assault, and the Alpha Legion units still relatively intact, having been spared the brunt of?the fighting, the Alpha Legion infiltrators were quickly able to annihilate the depleted automata maniples in their path and mount a direct assault on the central chambers of the Mezoan forge-fane, endangering the Norn-regents themselves.

而奧帝龍 斯考爾和他麾下的阿爾法軍團(tuán)獵頭者部隊，也已經(jīng)開始進(jìn)攻梅左阿鑄爐主軸尖塔了。由于忠誠派主力部隊被吸引去應(yīng)對鋼鐵勇士的襲擊，阿爾法軍團(tuán)單位又相對完整——他們避開了戰(zhàn)斗的主要壓力，第二十軍團(tuán)的滲透者們很快便能殲滅擋住其道路的嚴(yán)重受損的機兵中隊，并對梅左阿鑄造神殿的中央?yún)^(qū)域發(fā)動直接突襲，威脅到了三尊攝政的安全。

All that stood in their path were a few dozen Domitar class battle-automata, and though fearsome engines of war, they could not last against the sheer numbers of?Alpha Legion troops now loose within the defences. There were also some fifty of the Disciples of the Flames present within the central halls as an honour guard to Cassian Dracos, whose battered form was still sealed within the fabrication vaults, but these warriors had received strict orders from Dracos to guard the vaults, sparing no men for the battle raging but a short distance from them. Disobeying these orders, some few of the Disciples, led by the Raven Guard Kirhane, did join the defence of?the Norn-regent, holding the great spoked portals of the chambers as a horde of?multi-limbed servitors struggled to evacuate the Norn-regents. Yet despite their efforts, Autilon Skorr himself and a score of his personal guard were able to penetrate the hall, bringing down one of?the great Norn-regents with lascutters and meltaguns.

擋在他們道路上的，只有十幾臺多米塔爾型戰(zhàn)斗機兵，雖然后者們都是可怖的戰(zhàn)爭引擎，但在數(shù)量龐大的阿爾法軍團(tuán)部隊面前，機兵們也撐不了太久。中央大廳中也有大約50名烈火門徒，他們擔(dān)任著卡西安 德拉庫斯的榮譽衛(wèi)隊——復(fù)仇之龍破爛不堪的機體仍被封存于地下鑄造拱頂中，但這些戰(zhàn)士們收到了德拉庫斯的嚴(yán)格命令：保衛(wèi)拱頂，只要有人接近就不能放過。但在暗鴉守衛(wèi)軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士——基爾哈恩的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下，有少量烈火門徒前去保衛(wèi)三尊攝政——在大群安裝了多條肢體的機仆手忙腳亂地運送三尊攝政撤退的同時，星際戰(zhàn)士們把守著那扇裝有輪輻的巨門。但盡管眾人殊死抵抗，但奧帝龍 斯考爾和他的20名親衛(wèi)還是殺入了大廳，用激光切割器和熱熔槍擊殺了一位攝政。

With the death of one of the triad of ancient tech-magos that exerted complete control over Mezoa, utter chaos was loosed among the defenders. Battle-automata either lapsed into catatonic collapse or flew into berserk and fratricidal fury, while the Skitarii and thallax cohorts found themselves cut off from all external direction. Traitor units surged forwards to attack all across the war zone, and only at Tertial-05, where the Solar Auxilia and the Disciples of the Flames held the Iron Warriors in a grim crossfire, was the enemy kept in check. It seemed that the end had arrived for Mezoa.

梅左阿原本受到三位古老技術(shù)賢者的完全掌控，但隨著其中的一位死去了，守軍部隊中出現(xiàn)了徹底的混亂。戰(zhàn)斗機兵要么陷入緊張性崩潰，要么陷入狂暴并自相殘殺；護(hù)教軍和死隸機兵部隊則發(fā)現(xiàn)自己被切斷了外部指揮。叛軍們蜂擁前進(jìn)，向戰(zhàn)區(qū)各處發(fā)起進(jìn)攻，只有Tertial-05要塞還能擋住敵人——把守此地的太陽軍和烈火門徒部隊用殘酷的交叉火力壓制著鋼鐵勇士們。梅左阿的結(jié)局似乎已經(jīng)到來了。

It was at this moment that Dracos returned to the fray; emerging from the fabrication vaults restored to his former splendour by the arts of Mezoa's forge wrights. Yet rather than lend his strength against Autilon Skorr and the Alpha Legion warriors ransacking the central spires of Mezoa, he led those of the Disciples of the Flames who remained at his side towards Tertial-05 and the Iron Warriors. As the ancient Dreadnought charged forth, those automata he passed were pulled along in his wake, shaken from whatever feedback-induced mania had seized their cortex and slaved to the indomitable will of?the Iron Dragon.?With flames erupting all across the spires of Mezoa, Cassian Dracos reached the shell-scarred battlefield of Tertial-05 at the head of?nearly 1000?battle-automata. Yet rather than leading a charge into the remaining Iron Warriors, now entrenched in a formidable makeshift fortress of broken rockcrete and iron, he approached alone, calling on the enemy commander to show himself.Dracos passed through the ranks of the Iron Warriors' bound automata, the machines refusing all orders to engage him, and confronted Narik Dreygur, who stood tall upon the fortifications. What passed between the two is largely unknown, however The Prophecies of the Flames records that "Wheresoever is found the craft of the forge, the avatar of our lord Vulkan has power, even in the works of the enemy, even in the flesh of the enemy where it has felt the touch of the forge. So he?turned foe to the cause of righteousness."

就在此時，德拉庫斯返回了戰(zhàn)場；他從地下拱頂中走出，梅左阿鑄造工匠的技藝令其恢復(fù)了昔日榮光。但他并未助力梅左阿中央尖塔中的防御行動——守軍們正在對抗洗劫此地的奧帝龍 斯考爾和阿爾法軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士，而是率領(lǐng)那些仍舊跟在其身邊的烈火門徒們趕往了Tertial-05要塞。這臺古老無畏沖鋒前進(jìn)，當(dāng)他從自動機兵們身邊經(jīng)過時，那些戰(zhàn)爭機器都被吸引到了德拉庫斯身后——無論其大腦皮層之前是被哪些（精神）反饋引發(fā)出的躁狂所占據(jù)，他們現(xiàn)在都擺脫出來，被鋼鐵之龍的不屈意志所奴役。隨著梅左阿的尖塔各處都冒出火焰，卡西安 德拉庫斯也抵達(dá)了Tertial-05要塞遍布炮彈疤痕的戰(zhàn)場，身后還跟隨著將近1000臺戰(zhàn)斗機兵。但復(fù)仇之龍并未率領(lǐng)大軍發(fā)起沖鋒，擊潰殘余的鋼鐵勇士部隊（他們目前正固守在巖凝土碎塊和鋼鐵搭建而成的強悍臨時堡壘中），而是獨自接近對方陣地，招呼敵軍指揮官親自顯身會面。當(dāng)?shù)吕瓗焖箯匿撹F勇士們控制著的自動機兵部隊中穿過時，這些機械拒絕了向無畏機甲進(jìn)攻的一切命令，面對著屹立在防御工事高處的納雷克 德雷古爾。人們基本不知曉兩者間的談話內(nèi)容，但《烈火預(yù)言》中記錄了這番話：“凡鑄造之物，無論現(xiàn)身于何處，吾主沃坎皆得施展權(quán)能，縱使敵手之造物、血肉，亦可感受鑄爐之碰觸。是故，其可化仇敵為共襄義舉之盟友?！?/p>

The private journals of Consul Dreygur do not speak of the incident; in fact after that day he made no more private recordings and eschewed all company save that of Dracos and his automata. What is known is that as the two met, they exchanged some few words and Dreygur turned to address his men, speaking but a few words:

在其個人日記中，軍團(tuán)領(lǐng)事德雷古爾也并未談?wù)撛撌录?；事實上，自那天起，他也不在進(jìn)行私人記錄，而且除了德拉庫斯和自己麾下的自動機兵，他也避開了任何人的陪伴。我們所知的是，兩人相遇后僅交談了寥寥數(shù)句，之后德雷古爾便轉(zhuǎn)身面向自己的下屬，對他們簡短地說到：

"Brothers, once more an oath to us stands broken. The Alpha Legion has abandoned us?once again. Now we shall show that we do not renege on our vows. The dead of Stranivar and Mezoa both call for vengeance, and we shall grant it to them.'

“兄弟們，他人再次失信于我們了。阿爾法軍團(tuán)再次拋棄了我們?，F(xiàn)在，我們要表明一點，那就是我們不會違背自己的誓言。Stranivar和梅左阿是死難者都在要求復(fù)仇，那我們就為他們報仇?！?/p>

That which Remains

殘余之物

With victory within his grasp, Autilon Skorr found himself trapped at the centre of the Mezoan forge spires. At his back were the battle-automata and auxilia cohorts of the Mezoan priesthood, now returning to the control of their overlords, and to his fore an onrushing horde of automata and Loyalist Legiones Astartes warriors, with the remains of the Iron Warriors that had once fought under his command at their head. His rear areas and landing zones were under direct assault by Solar Auxilia armoured columns, and in space above Mezoa, the Loyalist squadrons had emerged from hiding amongst the moons of the outer planets to strike at the Traitors'?cruisers, now dispersed in optimal bombardment positions, and unprepared for any attack.

奧帝龍 斯考爾原以為勝券在握，但他發(fā)現(xiàn)自己目前被困在了梅左阿鑄造尖塔的中央。梅左阿技術(shù)神甫們麾下的戰(zhàn)斗機兵和輔助軍部隊，正在重新被自己的領(lǐng)主們控制住，它們從奧帝龍背后殺來；而在阿爾法軍團(tuán)部隊的前方，一大群戰(zhàn)斗機兵和忠誠派阿斯塔特戰(zhàn)士們正在襲來，而一馬當(dāng)先沖在最前端的，就是那些曾在他麾下作戰(zhàn)的鋼鐵勇士殘部。后方區(qū)域和空降區(qū)也遭到了太陽軍裝甲縱隊的直接進(jìn)攻，而在梅左阿上空的宙域中，忠誠派中隊們也從自己位于外環(huán)行星的（多顆）月亮間的藏身處中現(xiàn)身，攻向叛軍的巡洋艦們——后者們分散在各個最佳轟炸點位，對任何攻擊都毫無防備。

The Battle for Mezoa was lost. Skorr's daring gamble had failed and now threatened to see him defeated in detail by the Loyalist forces. Within the space of a few hours, most of the Traitor forces on Mezoa were destroyed, the automata of Mezoa showing no mercy to the defeated. Less than 3,000 of the enemy escaped to return to the cruisers waiting above, including a badly wounded Autilon Skorr, one arm smashed after an encounter with Xiaphas Jurr during the retreat from the forge-fanes of Mezoa. While the Traitors retained orbital superiority, high speed passes and raids by Loyalist squadrons, and blazing chunks of the planet itself launched from below, soon forced them to retreat to the outer planets, and then from the system entirely. Cassian Dracos was hailed by some as the saviour of Mezoa and mistrusted by others for both the strange orders issued during the siege and his unseemly influence over automata and certain sects of?the Mechanicum's priesthood itself.He was to lead a number of?bloody raids against neighbouring systems now under the control of?the Warmaster, raids which would spread the influence of the cult of personality that sprang up around him in the wake of the victory at Mezoa. Narik Dreygur was to become a close confidant of the Iron Dragon, rarely seen except in his presence, a silent and brooding warrior who would serve as Cassian Dracos' right hand throughout the wars of the Horus Heresy.

奧帝龍 斯考爾輸?shù)袅嗣纷蟀⒅畱?zhàn)，他的大膽豪賭失敗了，而且現(xiàn)在可能要親眼目睹自己被忠誠派部隊擊敗的詳細(xì)過程。在寥寥數(shù)小時之內(nèi)，梅左阿上的大部分叛軍部隊就被殲滅了，自動機兵們對于戰(zhàn)敗者們毫無仁慈。逃回到巡洋艦上的敵人只有不到三千名，其中也包括身負(fù)重傷的奧帝龍 斯考爾——在撤出梅左阿鑄造神殿的過程中，他和夏法斯 朱爾發(fā)生了遭遇戰(zhàn)，火蜥蜴牧師擊碎了他的一條手臂。雖然叛軍艦隊仍然保有軌道優(yōu)勢，但忠誠派中隊從其身邊快速飛過并發(fā)起掠襲行動，下方的星球也在拋射著燃燒的巖塊，這很快就迫使叛軍們撤往外環(huán)行星，并在之后完全逃出該星系?？ㄎ靼?德拉庫斯被一些人稱頌為“梅左阿的救世主”；但由于他在圍城戰(zhàn)期間發(fā)布的奇怪命令，外加他對自動機兵和機械神教神甫中某些派系的不恰當(dāng)影響，其他人對復(fù)仇之龍并不信任。他將會領(lǐng)導(dǎo)多次血腥的劫掠，襲擊那些目前受戰(zhàn)帥控制的周邊星系——在奪得梅左阿戰(zhàn)役的勝利后，那個興起于卡西安周圍的個人崇拜教派的影響力，也會被這些行動傳播開。納雷克 德雷古爾將會成為鐵龍的知己密友，除非卡西安在場，否則人們幾乎不會見到他；在整場荷魯斯叛亂中，這位沉默且森然的戰(zhàn)士都將擔(dān)任卡西安 德拉庫斯的得力助手。

Yet even though the invasion had failed, the damage to Mezoa was great. Autilon Skorr and his Alpha Legion warriors had caused severe damage during their battles at the forge's?heart, leaving it incapable of?easily replacing the losses sustained during the fighting. Worse yet, one of the three governing tech-priests, the Norn-regents, had been slain during the fighting, causing much strife amongst the various Mezoan orders as they struggled to re-adjust. While Mezoa would remain free from the Warmaster's control, it would be unable to provide any substantial assistance to other Loyalist enclaves for the duration of the conflict. It did, however, remain a thorn in the side of the Traitor efforts to push on the Imperium's core, providing a safe haven for various independent companies of Legiones Astartes, most operating under the aegis of the Disciples of?the Flames. While many in the Divisio Militaris at the time of the Horus Heresy discounted the effectiveness of?such companies, the exploits of?the Disciples of the Flames and other notable groups were perhaps key in preserving a number of Loyalist strongholds and delaying the Warmaster's inevitable strike at Terra and the heart of the Imperium.

但是，盡管叛軍的入侵遭遇失敗，梅左阿也損失慘重。當(dāng)他們在鑄爐的中心區(qū)域作戰(zhàn)時，奧帝龍 斯考爾和他的阿爾法軍團(tuán)戰(zhàn)士們對其造成了重創(chuàng)，讓機械教士們無法輕易替換戰(zhàn)斗中遭受的損失。更糟的是，統(tǒng)治鑄造世界的三位技術(shù)神甫——三尊攝政之一在戰(zhàn)斗中被殺，而當(dāng)他們努力重整時，也在梅左阿的各種秩序中造成了許多沖突。雖然梅左阿仍然不受戰(zhàn)帥的控制，但在這場沖突期間，它也無法再向其他忠誠派飛地提供任何實質(zhì)性支援。不過，在叛軍們向帝國核心區(qū)域推進(jìn)的過程中，它仍是對準(zhǔn)其身側(cè)的一根尖刺；梅左阿為各種各樣的阿斯塔特軍團(tuán)獨立部隊提供了安全天堂，其中的大多數(shù)人都是在烈火門徒的保護(hù)下行動。在荷魯斯叛亂時期，雖然軍務(wù)庭的很多成員都低估了這些部隊的功效，但烈火門徒和其他著名團(tuán)體所做出的壯舉，或許就是很多忠誠派據(jù)點得以被保全，以及戰(zhàn)帥對于泰拉和帝國中心區(qū)域那不可避免的進(jìn)攻被推遲的關(guān)鍵原因。