When Vulkan took over his inherited Legion the XVIIIth had already, in the relatively short time since its departure from Terra and the start of the Great Crusade, developed a distinct character of its own. Although still largely following the guidelines and dispositions laid down by the Principia Belicosa of the Imperial High Command, its scattered deployment and tendency towards asymmetrical engagements (relative to the common operational patterns of the other Legions) had created a considerable bias in its structures and tactics.

當伏爾甘接手他的子嗣軍團時，第十八軍團已經(jīng)離開泰拉并開始了大遠征，在這段相對短暫的時間里，他們發(fā)展出來一套屬于自己的不同特質(zhì)。雖然他們在很大程度上遵循著帝國高級司令部的基礎軍典中制定的指導與安排，但他們分散的部署和對于不對稱交戰(zhàn)（相對于其他軍團的常見運作模式而言）的傾向已經(jīng)在他們的結(jié)構和戰(zhàn)術中創(chuàng)造出了一種可觀的偏好。

Company level detachments, numbering a nominal hundred to around two hundred Legiones Astartes under a single captain were the principal unit of strategic action and logistic support, with larger battalion and chapter distinctions in practice seldom needed. The Legions senior command conversely acted as a kind of heavy strategic reserve, weighing in with a concentration of force where it was most needed, and dispatching reinforcements as it could across numerous fronts at any given time. At the battlefield level, circumstance as well as natural temperament focused the Legion's tactics on relatively short range engagements, where it sought to counteract enemy numbers by the use of confined area engagement or shock assault.

連隊級別的分遣隊名義上人數(shù)通常為一百到大約二百名阿斯塔特，由一位連長指揮，這是軍團戰(zhàn)略行動和后勤支持的主要單位，而在實際行動中很少需要區(qū)分戰(zhàn)斗營和戰(zhàn)團。軍團的高級指揮組則會反過來擔當某種重型戰(zhàn)略預備隊，權衡在哪些地方最需要集中力量，并在任何給定時間中跨越多條戰(zhàn)線部署增援部隊。在戰(zhàn)場層面上，環(huán)境和天生性情使軍團將戰(zhàn)術重點放在相對短距離的戰(zhàn)斗上——第十八軍團試圖通過在密閉地區(qū)進行交戰(zhàn)或突擊來抵消敵人的數(shù)量。

Here the individual physical power of the Space Marine, their ability to endure and relentless fury in battle, could be relied upon to inflict disproportionate damage on almost any foe, although the inherent risks were high. Such tactics naturally lent themselves to short-range but devastating arms such as flame, volkite ray and melta weapons being preferred by the Legion. Supporting this tendency was the telling factor that even before the Noctumian influence came to the fore, the technical aptitude demonstrated by the Legion's rank and file further served to allow them to maintain and indeed field-manufacture such advanced weapons, even while subjected to scattered deployments and uncertain supply.

星際戰(zhàn)士的個體肉身力量、他們的忍耐力和在戰(zhàn)斗中的無情怒火可以對幾乎任何敵人造成不成比例的殺傷，雖然固有內(nèi)在的風險也頗高。這種戰(zhàn)術使第十八軍團戰(zhàn)士自然而然地選擇短程但具毀滅性的武器，比如噴火器、爆燃射線槍和熱熔武器——這也是火蜥蜴軍團偏好的裝備。哪怕在夜曲星的影響進入軍團之前，支持這種傾向就是第十八軍團的重要因素。軍團部隊及其文件所顯露出的技術天賦允許他們保有并確實能夠現(xiàn)場制造這些先進武器，哪怕是處于分散部署和供應不確定的情況下。

One of Vulkan's first actions was to largely unify his scattered Legion and do away with its ad-hoc strategic organisation, but he did so in a way that preserved, where possible, the spirit of autonomy and self sufficiency the component units of the XVIIIth had developed, which he saw as inherent virtues where tempered with purpose. At the strategic level, Vulkan ordered his Legion into the formation of seven 'Realms： each linked both in name and spirit with one of Nocturne’s seven great city-settlements. To each of these he assigned a Lord Commander, known also as a Protector, as it was their sworn duty, in addition to that of a warrior of the Emperor, to protect the city-settlement in time of attack (the Lord Commander of the Ist Battle Company being the Protector of Hesoid, and so on). Each city-settlement served as a focus of the Legion’s recruitment and their governance on the planet, anchoring the Legionaries to the humans for whom they fought, and each city-settlement went on to exhibit its own unique influences on the Legions' evolving traditions.

伏爾甘（回歸后）最初的舉措之一就是大規(guī)模重聚起他分散的軍團，并且取消其臨時性的戰(zhàn)略組織，不過在完成這些工作時，他所采用的方法盡可能保存第十八軍團的組成單位已經(jīng)發(fā)展出的自主和自我犧牲精神——他視之為調(diào)和目標時的內(nèi)在美德。在戰(zhàn)略層面上，伏爾甘命令軍團分為七個“區(qū)域”編隊：每個都與夜曲星上七個巨大的定居城市之一有著名稱和精神上的聯(lián)系。原體為每個編隊都指派了一名領主指揮官，他們也被稱為護城官。護城官們不僅是帝皇的戰(zhàn)士，也要發(fā)誓在進攻時保衛(wèi)定居城市（第一戰(zhàn)斗連隊的領主指揮官為赫西奧德護城官，以此類推）。每座定居城市都是軍團的一個征兵中心和他們在行星上的管理機構，穩(wěn)固軍團戰(zhàn)士與他們?yōu)橹畩^戰(zhàn)的凡人之間的關系。每座定居城市都將對軍團逐漸演化的傳統(tǒng)展現(xiàn)出其獨一無二的影響。

The strong links between the Salamanders brethren and the people of Nocturne came quickly to create bonds of kinship and loyalty within each company's ranks. An inevitable degree of competition between the Salamanders companies was also fostered by the nature of this relationship as well which, tempered by Vulkan’s teachings, spurred the Salamanders Legionaries to greater heights of?achievement and attainment.This too had its echo in the culture of Nocturne, which encouraged conflict to be resolved through a series of often perilous ritual trials and competitions to prove the worthy from the unworthy, and the righteous from the base; a system that developed so that the wider community was strengthened rather than reduced by bickering, treachery and petty feud. It is worthy of note that this grounded bias towards?recruitment on Nocturne did have the adverse eflect that it slowed the pace at which the Legion's numbers were increased.

火蜥蜴戰(zhàn)斗兄弟與夜曲星人民之間的強烈的聯(lián)系很快就會在每個連隊的部隊中創(chuàng)造出一種親情和忠誠的紐帶。這種關系的本質(zhì)也培育了火蜥蜴連隊之間的不可避免的競爭程度，而且在伏爾甘教導的調(diào)和下促使火蜥蜴軍團戰(zhàn)士們?nèi)〉昧烁蟮某删驮煸?。這在夜曲星文化中也有所回響——鼓勵通過一系列的通常艱險的儀式試煉和競賽以從無價值中證明有價值、從基礎中證明正義的方式來解決沖突；一套體系被如此建立起來，這樣一來，大型的團體得以鞏固，而非被（內(nèi)部）爭吵、背叛和瑣碎的仇怨所削弱。值得記錄的是：火蜥蜴軍團這種在夜曲星上征兵的固有偏好確實產(chǎn)生了負面影響——減緩了火蜥蜴軍團的兵力增長步伐。

Although a proportion of new recruits continued to be fed in to the Legion from Terra and Proximal, this was not sufficient in size to significantly ameliorate this problem, nor did Vulkan pursue the rapid-induction techniques favoured in later years by certain Legions. The counterpoint to this difficulty was, however, that Nocturne's native population, although relatively small, were hardened survivors all, strong of constitution and psychologically resilient, therefore they made for excellent subjects for initiation into the Legion with a very low rate of implant rejection.

雖然泰拉和Proximal也繼續(xù)為火蜥蜴軍團提供一部分新兵，但在規(guī)模上不足以明顯改善這個問題，而且伏爾甘也不尋求快速催生技術——某些軍團在（大遠征）后期對此有所偏好。不過，夜曲星的原住民就是火蜥蜴軍團解決這一困難的對策：雖然人數(shù)相對較少，但他們都是堅韌的幸存者，身體健壯，心理頑強，他們的植入排斥比例極低，是被轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)檐妶F戰(zhàn)士的良好對象。

Vulkan and his Legion also developed the asymmetrical warfare practiced early on by the XVIIIth to an even greater virtue, tempering a willingness to sacrifice with judgement as to the value of the longterm outcome, developing a mastery of close range fire-fights and Zone Mortalis operations, both through discipline and relentless training and through excellence of wargear. This superiority manifested most visibly in the Legion's weapons, as under Vulkan's mastery, the Salamanders became justly famed for its superior artifice in the creation of arms, from the bolters carried by its rank and file to the savage implements of destruction carried by the Legion's Dreadnoughts. Each weapon was both a thing of lethal beauty and a masterwork of form and function. Accordingly, they maintained a high proportion of special weapon units, in particular flamer squads, including the uniquely armed Pyroclast elite who carried prototype and highly adaptable flame-projector weapons. Likewise, their Terminator armour-equipped forces were also noteworthy and regarded as amongst the most powerful in any Legion, with each armour suit being embellished and modified by its owner, with such innovation leading to the introduction of the earliest storm shields in Legion service.

伏爾甘和他的軍團發(fā)展出了一種不對稱戰(zhàn)術，這種戰(zhàn)術在早期便被十八軍團使用，甚至成為了一種美德。他們通過對長期成果價值的判斷來調(diào)動犧牲意愿，發(fā)展出了一種近距離交火作戰(zhàn)和死地戰(zhàn)區(qū)中行動的精通，他們是通過的是紀律、無情的訓練以及精良的裝備達到這一效果的。這種優(yōu)勢在軍團的武器上體現(xiàn)得最為明顯，在伏爾甘的駕馭下，從軍團戰(zhàn)士們手持的爆彈槍，到安裝在軍團無畏機甲上的野蠻毀滅工具，火蜥蜴?zhèn)兦‘數(shù)匾蚱渲圃煳淦鞯母叱炙嚩Q。每種武器都既帶著致命的美麗，也是形式與功能的大師之作。相應地，他們也保有著比例頗高的特殊武器單位，尤其是噴火器小隊，其中包括了進行獨一無二裝備的焚巖精英部隊，他們配備了武器原型機和高適應性的火焰噴射武器。同樣的，軍團中裝備終結(jié)者動力甲的部隊也值得關注，他們被認為是所有軍團中最為強大的終結(jié)者部隊之一，每件動力甲都由其主人打造和調(diào)整，這些創(chuàng)新促成了最早的風暴盾在軍團中的引入。

The Salamanders Legion also maintained and manufactured a substantial armoury of heavy vehicles and other war engines equal in number and diversity to that of a far larger Legion. This armoury showed a bias towards tanks, armoured rams, gunships and mobile support weapons over static artillery, light skimmers and rapid attack vehicles, although it ensured it did not lack for anything it might need. The reason for this was that the Salamanders Legion, as it had developed, did not favour attritional warfare in its tactics, nor did it favour speed over survivability. Likewise, the Legion's void-going war fleet was not particularly large in number, but it was just as telling to the Legion's character that each ship, be it frigate or battle-barge, was itself a work of bellicose art, layered with sophisticated and masterwork weapons and systems that often overmatched similar vessels of their size.

火蜥蜴軍團也保有和建造了大量的重型載具和戰(zhàn)爭引擎，其裝甲武庫在數(shù)量和多樣性都與遠大于其的軍團相當?；痱狎孳妶F的裝甲武庫表現(xiàn)出的對于坦克、裝甲沖擊車、炮艇和移動支援武器的偏好勝過了對于固定火炮、輕型掠行艇和快速突擊載具的，雖然他們也確保了自己不會缺乏自己可能需要的任何載具。其中的原因是：火蜥蜴軍團在其戰(zhàn)術發(fā)展中就不偏好于消耗戰(zhàn)，偏好生存能力也勝過速度。同樣，軍團的虛空戰(zhàn)爭艦隊數(shù)量也不是特別大，但就像對于火蜥蜴軍團特質(zhì)的描述那樣，他們的每艘艦船，無論是護衛(wèi)艦還是戰(zhàn)斗母艦，本身就是好戰(zhàn)藝術的杰作，她們都分層安裝著精密的武器和系統(tǒng)，這些戰(zhàn)艦能與她們尺寸相似的艦船相提并論。

During the latter years of the Great Crusade when the Legion was operating at the peak of its power, it was worthy of note that the comparison most readily drawn to it by commentators within the Imperial High Command, both through certain similarity in purview and utter contrast in character was with the Death Guard Legion. While both specialised in fighting in some of the most difficult and dangerous environments, and both were fully capable of remorseless and absolute destruction when unleashed, where one cleansed with purifying fire, leaving a world scoured but one day fit to become a domain of humanity, the other tainted and eradicated, leaving nothing but poisoned devastation in their wake. This led to the two Legions and their Primarchs seldom operating together unless expediency demanded otherwise, and indeed created not a little acrimony between the two. The events of the Horus Heresy would see this blossom into the bitterest hatred.

在大遠征后期，軍團處于（自身）實力巔峰。值得注意的是，帝國高級指揮部的評論官們在此時毫無疑問地被一種對比所吸引——死亡守衛(wèi)和火蜥蜴兩個軍團在范圍、權限上有種某些相似性，性格上卻完全相反。他們都專長于在某些最為危險和艱難的環(huán)境中作戰(zhàn)，而且在被釋放而出后，他們都能進行無情且徹底的毀滅，但一個是用凈化的火焰清理某個世界，總有一天被清理的世界會適合成為人類的某片疆域；另一個則是污染和徹底根絕，只在身后留下一片被毀滅的有毒廢土。這導致兩個軍團及其原體們幾乎從不一起作戰(zhàn)，除非是權宜之計的需要，事實上這也確實讓兩者之間產(chǎn)生了一些爭執(zhí)，荷魯斯叛亂則將見證這些爭執(zhí)爆發(fā)為最為苦澀的仇恨。

Command Hierarchy

指揮等級體系

The Salamanders Legion under Vulkan adopted a series of extensive reforms to its structure, the widest and most reaching of which was the organisation of the Legion into seven Realms each under the command of its Lord Protector, below which numerous line companies, each of around 120 Space Marines were formed. Aside from specialists, the Legion followed a simplified form of the Terran pattern for battlefield ranks, transiting in descending order of rank from captain to lieutenant to master sergeant, sergeant and Legionary. Seniority within these ranks was determined, when needed, by length of service. Noted equality of speech and demeanour was practiced within the Legion outside of the press of battle, with little value given to the formality or rigid hierarchy practiced by Legions such as the Ultramarines or the Emperor's Children.

在伏爾甘的指揮下，火蜥蜴對軍團結(jié)構進行了一系列廣泛改革，其中最為廣泛和最引人注目的是將軍團的組織劃分為七個“區(qū)域”，每個都有屬于自己的領主護城官，其下是無數(shù)的戰(zhàn)線連隊，每個連隊由大約120名星際戰(zhàn)士組成。除了特殊單位，火蜥蜴軍團遵循了一套簡化版的泰拉軍隊模式，從連長到校尉，校尉到軍士長、軍士和軍團戰(zhàn)士降序排列。當有需要時，根據(jù)服務年限來確定這些職級的資歷。值得注意的是，在沒有作戰(zhàn)壓力時，火蜥蜴軍團實行言論和舉止上的平等，他們認為諸如極限戰(zhàn)士和帝皇之子等軍團實行那種形式上或僵化的等級體系幾乎沒有意義。

Beyond this simple, but highly cohesive system, reinforced by the culture of self-reliance, self-discipline and loyalty promoted by the Promethean Cult (as the chthonic traditions, beliefs and practices of the Legion became known) a wider variety of titles of renown and spheres of influence also evolved. These developed as a record of deeds and achievements, accorded to an individual by their peers, and were likely as often for the accomplishment of a particular craft, as for a singular act of?courage in battle. The value of these titles such as 'Forge Master','Storm Proven' or'?Wise Shield'?，often recorded upon the bearer's armour in stylised Nocturnian glyph-forms and branded into their flesh, transcended rank and great store was set by them within the Legion and, while many such titles were in effect unique to their bearer, some like 'Firedrake' came to mark the Legion's core of elite warriors and carried direct military authority as well as ritual or honorary significance.

除了這套簡單卻具有高度凝聚力的體系，火蜥蜴軍團也被普羅米修斯教派所推廣的自給自足、自律和忠誠的文化所增強（隨著軍團的神秘傳統(tǒng)、信仰和行為變得著名），各種關于聲望和影響范圍的頭銜也不斷演變。這些頭銜隨著事跡和成就的記錄而變化，由同齡兄弟們授予頭銜獲得者，原因通?？赡苁且驗橥瓿商囟ǖ募妓嚕蛘呤窃趹?zhàn)斗中表現(xiàn)出獨特的勇氣。諸如“鑄造大師”、“風暴所證”和“智者堅盾”之類頭銜的價值通常會用風格化的夜曲星象形文字記錄在頭銜所有者的動力甲上，而且也會烙印在他們的皮肉上。這些頭銜在軍團中給予了持有者超越的等級和崇高的地位，實際上許多此類頭銜是其持有者所獨有的，而類似“火龍”之類的某些頭銜則用于標識軍團的精英戰(zhàn)士核心，具有著直接的軍事權威和儀式或榮譽意義。

The Firedrakes, named for the greatest of the salamander saurids said to originate beneath the stones of Mount Deathfire, were the finest and most experienced warriors of the Legion. To be afforded this exalted status, mere skill-at-arms was not enough alone, and the warrior would have to have been proven of?faultless bravery and just as importantly, faultless self-control. Amongst these, the greatest formed the Pyre Guard; the Primarch's own loyal retainers.

火龍是軍團中最為優(yōu)秀、最有經(jīng)驗的戰(zhàn)士，他們以某條據(jù)說起源于逝火圣山下的巖石的最為強大的火蜥巨龍命名。要享有這種崇高的地位，僅僅精于戰(zhàn)斗是不夠的，其成員必須被證明具備完美的勇氣以及同樣重要的完美自控力。其中最優(yōu)秀的戰(zhàn)士會組成薪火守衛(wèi)——原體個人忠誠的衛(wèi)士。

Each of the seven Realms had its own core of Firedrakes to serve as leaders and exemplars for the Legion, and in this they received a special duty to instruct by both word and deed. To this end they received special tutelage in the Promethean Cult by their Primarch and the Igniax, Firedrakes particularly selected for their wisdom, learning and devotion to the spiritual aspects of the Promethean Cult; individuals who swiftly became the core of the Salamander's Chaplains once this concept was disseminated across the Space Marine Legions.

七個區(qū)域每個都有自己的火龍核心來擔任領導者和軍團表率，他們在這方面擔負著言傳身教的特殊責任。為達成這一結(jié)果，他們會在普羅米修斯教派中接受原體和伊格尼亞斯牧師們的特殊教導，火龍們是由于其智慧而被專門挑選出的，他們學習普羅米修斯教派的精神方面并為之奉獻；而當這些信條在星際戰(zhàn)士軍團之間傳播開后，這些人就會快速成為火蜥蜴牧師的核心。

War Disposition

戰(zhàn)爭配置

At the outset of the Horus Heresy, the bulk of the Salamanders Legion had been rearming and re-equipping itself at Nocturne after a lengthy campaign of xenos eradication near the galactic core. As such it was able to answer the call to Isstvan V with the majority of its active strength. Although full records are impossible to verify in the aftermath of the Dropsite Massacre, it is believed a force of around 83,000 Space Marines went with their Primarch to Isstvan V, the losses of which during that deadly action were almost total, rated by some sources as high as 98%.

在荷魯斯叛亂爆發(fā)時，一大部分火蜥蜴軍團正在夜曲星進行重整——他們在銀心地區(qū)附近經(jīng)歷了一場根除異形的漫長戰(zhàn)役，所以火蜥蜴軍團能夠回應命令，帶著大部分有生兵力前往伊斯特萬五號。雖然在登錄點大屠殺之后我們無法核查完整記錄，但據(jù)信有83000名星際戰(zhàn)士追隨原體前往伊斯特萬五號，在之后的致命行動的他們幾乎全員陣亡，某些信息來源評定傷亡率高達98%。

However, the Legion did maintain other detachments that did not travel to the Isstvan system and so were spared the bloody cataclysm. Principal among these were the fully equipped and autonomous garrison maintained at Geryon Deep and the Castellan of Prometheus’ forces at around 2,000 to 3,000 remaining, alongside the full intake of neophytes in training on Prometheus, combined with several line companies on detached deployment elsewhere. These figures would tally with commonly held estimates of a total active strength for the Salamanders Legion at the end of the Great Crusade of approximately 89,000 Legiones Astartes, placing them as among the smallest overall of the Legions in manpower. It remains a testimony to the undying resilience of the Legion and its spiritual and psychological strength that despite the losses at Isstvan V —losses thought fatal to the Legion at the time— it was able to maintain coherence and recover its strength, dragging itself back from the precipice of oblivion and remaining a bloody thorn in the side of the Traitors for the rest of the War of the Heresy and, of course, rising again from the ashes to become vital to the Imperium's defence in the face of traitors and renegades in these dark times.

不過火蜥蜴軍團確實也保有其他未前往伊斯特萬星系的分遣隊，他們幸免于這場血腥災厄。這些部隊主要是自主駐防于Geryon和普羅米修斯堡壘的守軍，他們裝備齊全，存留下的人數(shù)在2000到3000，還有所有正在夜曲星上接受訓練的新兵，加上幾個被派遣到其他地方執(zhí)行部署的戰(zhàn)線連隊。這個數(shù)量與我們對于火蜥蜴軍團在大遠征結(jié)束時的整體有生兵力的常見估算——大約89000名軍團阿斯塔特，位居人數(shù)最少的軍團之一。雖然火蜥蜴在伊斯特萬五號遭受的損失，而且這份損失在當時被認為對軍團而言也是致命的，但它仍然證明了第十八軍團的持久耐性和心理精神力量——火蜥蜴軍團保持著條理性并恢復了軍力。在大叛亂余下的戰(zhàn)斗中，他們把自己從被毀滅的懸崖上拉回來，而且仍然是沾染著叛軍們鮮血的利刺。火蜥蜴?zhèn)儚挠酄a中再次崛起，他們在帝國抗擊叛軍的防御力量中變得重要，并在這些黑暗歲月中進行著復仇。