Paramar: System, Pharaeon and Nexus?

帕拉瑪：星系、寶冠站和樞紐站

Comprising an unusual trinary star system, Paramar has the particular advantages of possessing vast (if difficult to access) mineral wealth amid its thirty-seven recorded main satellites, and being located in an unusually stable Warp-synchronous location in space. Identified and entered into the Carta Imperialis by the Rogue Trader Hel DeAniasie in 803.M30, it quickly became a way point for the Imperiums expansion. What was originally little more than a navigational marker would grow over time into first a largely automated Mechanicum outpost and finally, as the Great Crusade moved into the Segmentum Obscurus, was further developed into a major supply base and fuelling station for the Imperial Expeditionary fleets. With no native population extant, and colonisation by normal means of the system's handful of habitable and semi-habitable worlds rendered undesirable by the prevalence of intermittently hazardous conditions from the fury of Paramar's three stars, it remained a strictly military possession, rather than becoming a governed system of the Imperium in its own right. Military penal colonies were established on Paramar VIII and XIX, with subsurface prison-hives constructed for the workers, while a minor moon of the gas giant Paramar XXI was converted to a fully independent station and fleet anchorage of the Armada Imperialis. Known as the Pharaeon of Paramar, this station importantly housed the largest Astrotelepathic Choir of the northern Segmentum Solar and formed a vital hub for communications between Terra and the Segmentum Obscurus. It was further protected by a cordon of depended gunbastions orbiting in the near-void around the Pharaeon which carried the combined firepower of an entire naval battle group, making it all but unassailable to assault.

帕拉瑪星系是一個不同尋常的三恒星星系，其記錄在案的37顆主要衛(wèi)星上有著數(shù)量龐大的礦產資源（盡管難以獲取），這是該星系的獨特優(yōu)勢；而且此地位于太空中某個異常穩(wěn)定的亞空間同步位置。行商浪人赫爾 迪阿尼亞西于803.M30確認了帕拉瑪星系并將之納入到帝國航海圖中，此地很快成為了帝國擴張的中途港。帕拉瑪星系最初不過是一個導航標記點，但隨著時間流逝，它首先會成長為一座高度自動化的機械神教哨站，之后隨著大遠征進入朦朧星域，它最終會發(fā)展為帝國遠征探索艦隊的主要補給基地和燃料站。帕拉瑪星系并不存在原住民，帝國以常規(guī)方式殖民了該星系的少數(shù)宜居和半宜居世界——由于帕拉瑪三顆恒星的怒火造成了間歇性危險環(huán)境，在此地進行殖民并不被看好。帝國對帕拉瑪星系進行的是嚴格的軍事占有，而非令其受總督政府統(tǒng)治的星系。帕拉瑪八號和十九號上被建立了軍事刑罰殖民地，并為工人們建立了地下監(jiān)牢巢城，同時氣體巨星帕拉瑪二十一號的次衛(wèi)星被改造成了完全獨立的空間站兼帝國艦隊的錨地。這座空間站被稱為帕拉瑪寶冠站，它的地理位置重要，太陽星域北側規(guī)模最大的星域唱詩班就位于此處，并且形成了泰拉與朦朧星域之間的一個重要通訊樞紐。一道由火炮要塞組成的封鎖線環(huán)繞在寶冠站附近的虛空中，為其提供進一步保護，這道封鎖線擁有著一個完整海軍戰(zhàn)斗群的綜合火力，這令空間站近乎無懈可擊。

Of equal, if not greater, strategic?value to the Great Crusade was Paramar V. An anomalous planet, whose structure has suggested to some artificial engineering in its composition sometime in the unknown and distant past, Paramar V had clearly once been a fully life-sustaining world whose topology bore clear signs of having been covered in oceans, and whose vast untapped geological reserves of hydrocarbons indicate that it once was home to a plethora of life. Reduced for millennia to an arid, radiation- swept wasteland scoured by solar winds, with a thin oxygen atmosphere breathable only with artificial aid and wildly differing temperature extremes during its slow day/ night cycle, Para mar V nevertheless was a perfect choice to use as a military cache and supply base. This was principally as promethium could be refined there in vast quantities and the dead world's extensive cave systems could be readily transformed into armoured sub-surface bunkers for secure storage of arms and munitions running into a multi-gigaton capacity.

對大遠征（部隊）而言，帕拉瑪五號也有著至少同等的戰(zhàn)略價值。這顆反常行星的結構表明其在遙遠過去的某個未知時期受到過人為工程改造，帕拉瑪五號明顯曾是一個完全能夠維持生命活動的世界，其地質構造明顯存在被海洋覆蓋過的跡象，大量未被開發(fā)的碳氫化合物地質儲量表明這里曾是大量生物的家園。在幾千年的時間里，它被太陽風沖刷成輻射肆虐的干旱荒原；這里的大氣層稀薄，只有在人工裝備輔助下才能呼吸，而且在緩慢的晝夜循環(huán)中，溫度有著極端的變化，所以帕拉瑪五號無論如何都是用作軍事儲存庫和補給基地的完美選擇，主要原因是钷素能在這里被大量精煉，而且死亡世界廣闊的洞穴系統(tǒng)可以被很容易地轉變成地下裝甲掩體，用于保存多達數(shù)十億噸的武器和彈藥。

Given into the satrapy of the Mechanicum to administer,Paramar V's investment was done with great dispatch, with overall control of the planet being centralised from a primary star port terminus near its southern polar region, designated as the Paramar Nexus. Paramar V and its facilities were later granted, in particular, as a vassal domain of the distant Forge World of Gryphonne IV by the word of the Emperor as part of the rewards made to the Forge Lords of Gryphonne for their great service and sacrifices during the Crisis of the Hungering Gyre in 891.M30. As well as serving to add greatly to the prestige and power of Gryphonne IV and its Magos 一a factor known to have caused some acrimony with Mars— Paramar V's defences gained further from this union, becoming a sub-bastion and outer forge of the Legio Gryphonicus, further adding to its importance and breadth of facilities. By the outbreak of the Heresy, Para mar was a strategic locale the Warmaster could not readily choose to ignore, but one circumstance and the tide of the Great Crusade had put outside of his sphere of influence.

在成為機械神教管理的總督轄地后，帕拉瑪五號的投資建設被快速完成。星球的總體控制權集中在南極地區(qū)附近的一座主要星港終端站——該星港被命名為帕拉瑪樞紐站。在帝皇的旨意下，帕拉瑪五號和星球上的設施將會在之后被作為附庸封地賜給遙遠的鑄造世界格里芬四號，這是對于格里芬鑄造領主們在891.M30饑渴渦流危機中的卓越服務和犧牲的部分獎勵。這一舉措大大增強了格里芬四號與該地賢者們的威望和力量（已知這個因素造成了火星的某些尖刻回應），帕拉瑪五號的防御也在這次聯(lián)合中被進一步增強——該世界成為了戰(zhàn)爭獅鷲泰坦軍團的次級要塞和外部鑄爐，當?shù)卦O施的重要性和廣泛性進一步增加。等到大叛亂爆發(fā)時，帕拉瑪成為了戰(zhàn)帥不能選擇輕易忽視掉的戰(zhàn)略地點，但某一事件和大遠征的戰(zhàn)爭波潮已經超出了他的影響范圍。

The Traitors' Die is Cast

叛徒必死

It cannot now be known whether the plan to invade Paramar was hatched long before the attempted purging of the Traitor Legions' ranks on Isstvan III, or if it came later as a result of the Warmaster's rapidly shifting plans following the uncovering of his treachery and the resultant slaughter of the Dropsite Massacre, although the latter is more likely. It speaks to the genius in strategic planning that was one of the key factors in Horus' elevation to Warmaster that the Traitors were able to re-spin their plans for war so quickly once their ruse at Isstvan III had been exposed. Greatest of these reformulated plans was the deadly trap at Isstvan V, but allied to this were a thousand other smaller attacks, misdirections, raids and usurpations which spread like wildfire across the Imperium, throwing all into confusion and the chaos of civil war. Many of these attacks can be categorised as attempts to seize control of vital strategic assets before the Imperium realised the true danger and scope of the war that was unfolding, and the invasion of Paramar can be seen to epitomise this tactic. For the Warmaster, Paramar was a prize to be taken whole, not savaged or destroyed, and quickly, for its potential use as a stepping stone on the way to Terra was extremely valuable to his cause.

至于入侵帕拉瑪星系的計劃是早在叛軍軍團內部肅清很久之前就已被制定出的，還是戰(zhàn)帥在其背叛行為與隨之而來的登陸點大屠殺后迅速改變計劃所造成的結果，我們不得而知，不過后者更具可能性。這證明了荷魯斯在戰(zhàn)略計劃方面的天才——這份才能也是他被選為戰(zhàn)帥的關鍵原因之一，而他們在伊斯特萬三號上的詭計一經暴露，叛軍們便極其快速地重新制定了戰(zhàn)爭計劃。伊斯特萬五號上的致命陷阱是這些重新制定的計劃中最為重要的，但還有一千場更小規(guī)模的其他進攻、誤導、掠襲和篡奪行動與之策應，這些行動如同野火般在帝國各處散播開，將一切都卷入困惑和內戰(zhàn)的混亂中。這些進攻行動中有很多都可以被歸類為要在帝國意識到這場展開中的戰(zhàn)爭的真正危機和規(guī)模之前試圖奪取重要戰(zhàn)略資產控制權的行為，而帕拉瑪入侵行動可以被視作此類戰(zhàn)術的代表。對戰(zhàn)帥而言，帕拉瑪是一份要被完整奪取的戰(zhàn)利品，不得被嚴重破壞或毀滅，而且要盡快拿下，因為該世界作為前往泰拉道路上墊腳石的潛在用途對他的事業(yè)極具價值。

This in itself can be seen in retrospect to have posed a quandary; what forces to assign to the invasion? The need for speed and a controlled attack with potentially overwhelming force, set against the Warmasters desire not to expend the host at his command needlessly in besieging worlds which were already heavily fortified and on the alert against attack, nor moving too quickly with his main strength against the Segmentum Solar. It should be remembered that in this time of genesis, for the great conflict to come much was uncertain and untested for both sides in the civil war, not least of all the loyalties of those who had rallied to the banners of Traitor or Loyalist, and so caution yet may have reigned paramount in Horus' mind. Paramar was a dangerous target, defended heavily by both the Armada Imperialis and the Mechanicum, and to send too minor a force would be to court disaster, while to strike with the full weight of the Traitors'?power would risk committing to full scale engagement with the forces of the Segmentum Solar if matters went awry or a shock assault transformed into a protracted siege. With customary dispatch and conviction, Horus made his decision; the taking of Paramar would fall to the Alpha Legion.

回過頭來看，這本身就造成了一個兩難問題：派遣哪支部隊去執(zhí)行入侵任務？此次行動需要一次迅速且倚靠潛在壓倒性力量來進行的可控進攻，但這與戰(zhàn)帥的想法是對立的：荷魯斯不愿在圍攻那些已經防御森嚴且拉響攻擊警報的世界的過程中不必要地消耗麾下兵力，也不想讓自己的主力部隊移動過快，與太陽星域（中的帝國部隊）發(fā)生對抗。我們應該記?。涸诖笈褋y初始階段與這場重大沖突即將到來之前，對內戰(zhàn)中的雙方來說，還有很多事情都是不確定且未經檢驗的，尤其是那些聚集在忠誠派或叛軍旗幟下的部隊的忠誠性，所以謹慎可能在荷魯斯心中占據(jù)了至高無上的地位。帕拉瑪是個危險的目標，它受到了帝國海軍與機械神教的嚴密把守，派遣規(guī)模過小的部隊會造成一場災難，但讓叛軍用全部力量出擊也存在風險：如果戰(zhàn)事出現(xiàn)偏差，或者突襲行動演變?yōu)橐粓鰰缛粘志玫墓コ菓?zhàn)的話，戰(zhàn)帥的部隊就會與太陽星域中的（帝國）部隊進行全面交戰(zhàn)。荷魯斯（最終）以慣常的迅捷和堅定做出了決定：攻取帕拉瑪星系的任務落到了阿爾法軍團肩上。

The Coils of the Hydra

九頭蛇的盤繞

Of all the weapons in the Warmasters arsenal, none were more obviously suited to the invasion of Paramar than the Alpha Legion. The task required a degree of subtlety and control that few of the Legions that had sided with Horus could readily muster, save his own Sons of Horus perhaps—certainly not Angrons savages or Cutze's flock of murderers. Perhaps Fulgrims vaunted warriors would have once fitted the bill, but already stark and terrible changes were befalling the IIIrd?Legion that were rendering them quixotic and alien to what had come before. It has been suggested, also by some apocryphal sources, including testimony gathered from the supposition of others within the Traitors faction, that there was another motive for the Warmasters selection of the Alpha Legion alone of his Space Marine forces for this task. That reason was as a demonstration of their loyalty and as an overt blooding of their hands in his cause. It has been noted in diverse sources and conjectures that of all those who cast their lot in with the Warmaster, the motivations and fealty of Alpharius and his Legion were, from the beginning, the most uncertain and the most obscure. Although it is indicated in many extant sources from the late Great Crusade era that Horus maintained perhaps the best relationship with the sinister and mysterious Primarch of the Alpha Legion, it was true that even here there was little true trust or fellowship between them. In short, no-one trusted the Alpha Legion, not even the Warmaster who had wielded them often as a weapon in the final campaigns of the Great Crusade and knew their uses well. It is also the case that many believe the Alpha Legions involvement in the Dropsite Massacre to have been —if not guarded— then certainly on their own terms, and their commitment to the attack limited to victims purely of their own choosing, and seldom at risk to themselves. At Para mar, the Alpha Legion would have to prove their commitment to Horus, not simply with the blood of his enemies but, inevitably, with blood of their own.

在戰(zhàn)帥武庫內的所有武器中，阿爾法軍團明顯最為適合執(zhí)行帕拉瑪入侵任務。這項任務需要一定程度的敏銳和控制力，而站在荷魯斯派系的軍團很少有能輕易做到的，或許他自己的荷魯斯之子除外——安格隆的兇殘暴徒和科茲麾下成群的謀殺犯確乎是不行的。也許福格瑞姆麾下那些被夸耀的戰(zhàn)士們曾經符合要求，但可怕且明顯的變化已經降臨到了第三軍團中，他們在變得不切實際，與往昔的自我格格不入。某些不可靠的資料（其中也包括從荷魯斯派系中其他人的推測中收集出的證詞）表明：戰(zhàn)帥從自己的星際戰(zhàn)士部隊中單獨挑出阿爾法軍團來執(zhí)行此次任務還有另一個動機——荷魯斯要第二十軍團證明自己的忠誠性，并要讓他們用鮮血公開為叛軍的事業(yè)納下投名狀。各種資料和推測都指出：從最開始，在所有投奔荷魯斯的人中，阿爾法瑞斯的動機與忠誠就是最不確定也最模糊的。雖然很多現(xiàn)存的大遠征末期資料都表明：阿爾法軍團那位險惡且神秘的原體與荷魯斯之間維持著或許最為良好的關系，但即便如此，二者之間也幾乎沒有真正的信任或友誼可言——這也是一項事實。簡言之，沒人信任阿爾法軍團，哪怕戰(zhàn)帥也是如此——雖然荷魯斯經常在大遠征的最后戰(zhàn)役中將他們用作武器，而且也頗為了解他們的用處。同樣，有很多人相信阿爾法軍團也肯定是按自己的主張參與登陸點大屠殺（如果沒被監(jiān)視的話），他們只進攻自己選定的受害者，而且很少讓自己冒風險。阿爾法軍團將不得不在帕拉瑪星系證明自己對于荷魯斯的承諾，他們要拿出的憑證不僅要有敵人的鮮血，也不可避免地要有自己的鮮血。

It is not known with what grace or eagerness Alpharius and his Legion received their orders to take Paramar, but the serpent-sly Primarch no doubt well knew their import, the risks of the deadly mission and Horus'?motives in selecting the Alpha Legion for the task. Even as the last Loyalist ships were fighting desperately for their survival in the wreckage-strewn void around Isstvan V and fires still raged on the blasted dropsite below;the azure and smoke-hulled warships of the Alpha Legion began to depart the system in large numbers, leaving only a token force to bear witness to the triumph of the Warmaster in the Dropsite Massacre's aftermath. While numerous vessels departed alone on missions unknown and inscrutable, some to raise havoc on far flung worlds, others to carry discord and falsehood to far corners of the Imperium, a powerful core of warships, perhaps fully a half of the Alpha Legions fleet made speed for Paramar. Following in their wake came a second armada of Mechanicum barques and mass-arks drawn from forces loyal to the Warmaster.

我們不知道阿爾法瑞斯和他的軍團是如何優(yōu)雅且熱切地領受了奪取帕拉瑪星系的命令，但那位讓長蛇般狡詐的原體無疑是很明白其中含義的，他也很清楚這次致命任務的風險與荷魯斯選派阿爾法軍團執(zhí)行此次任務的意圖。在伊斯特萬五號周圍布滿殘骸的虛空中，最后的忠誠派艦船仍在為了自己的生存而絕望奮戰(zhàn)，戰(zhàn)火也仍在下方被炸毀的登陸場上肆虐；但那些船體彌漫著煙霧的碧藍色阿爾法軍團戰(zhàn)艦開始大量離開伊斯特萬星系，只留下象征性的部隊來見證戰(zhàn)帥于登陸點大屠殺之后取得的勝利。同時也有眾多艦船獨自動身前去執(zhí)行未知且難以捉摸的任務，某些是去偏遠的世界上引發(fā)浩劫，其他的則是把不和與謊言帶往帝國的遙遠角落。而一支或許包含了阿爾法軍團艦隊中半數(shù)艦船的強大核心艦隊也加速趕往帕拉瑪星系。它們身后還跟隨著第二支艦隊，其中的艦船都是從那些忠于戰(zhàn)帥的部隊中抽調出的機械神教巨艦和大型方舟艦。