The Taghmata Omnissiah

At the time of the outbreak of the Horus Heresy, the Taghmata Omnissiah was the principal type of operational military force of the trans-Martian Mechanicum and also the most numerous. To those outside the arcane secrets and strange mysteries of the Mechanicum, the Taghmata was a difficult thing to grasp, seeming at once a purely descriptive term applied to a bewildering tapestry of Magos, machine-works and indentured manpower, and also a rigid and labyrinthine hierarchical structure, the equal of any in the Imperiums armed forces in complexity. Its name, however, translated from the lingua-technis into the Terran-Gothic of the Imperial Court betrays its fundamental nature; Taghmata Omnissiah being related then as “That which is divinely ordered for war"?一 being the military reflection of a Forge World's essentially feudal power structure mustered for battle.

在荷魯斯叛亂爆發(fā)時，機神禁衛(wèi)軍是源自火星的機械神教（組織們）軍事力量的主要類型，而且也是數(shù)量最多的類型。對那些不了解機械神教的深奧秘密與奇怪奧秘的人而言，機神禁衛(wèi)軍是一種難以領(lǐng)會的事物，它似乎是一個純粹的描述性術(shù)語，適用于令人眼花繚亂的賢者、機械造物和契約勞動力所構(gòu)成的框架，有著僵化且迷宮般的等級結(jié)構(gòu)，而且復(fù)雜性與帝國中的任何武裝部隊都不相上下。不過，當(dāng)我們把它的名稱從火星的科技語翻譯為帝國議會的泰拉哥特語之后，其本質(zhì)也就暴露了出來：機神禁衛(wèi)軍指的是“憑神的力量為戰(zhàn)爭而訂購的部隊”——這套體系是鑄造世界本質(zhì)上為戰(zhàn)爭而召集起的封建權(quán)力結(jié)構(gòu)在軍事方面的反映。

Alongside the elite Skitarii regiments, whose allegiance and command was owed ultimately to Mars, and the Collegia Titanica which comprised the planet-shattering Titan Legions, both of which organisations operated separate military traditions of their own, the Taghmata formed the great trinity, the "Triad-Magna", of the Mechanicum's power during the Great Crusade. Besides these three there stood the lesser' independent and allied divisions of the Mechanicum such as the Knight Houses, the Ordo Reductor, the Explorators and the Legio Cybernetica, among others. Each was a great power in its own right, but all were dwarfed both in scale and reach by the great three.

機神禁衛(wèi)軍，忠誠和指揮權(quán)最終歸于火星的精銳護教軍團，以及組成擁有撕裂星球之力泰坦軍團的泰坦修會（兩者的組織結(jié)構(gòu)都遵循著他們自身的獨立軍事傳統(tǒng)）組成了機械神教部隊在大遠征時期偉大的三位一體結(jié)構(gòu)，被稱為“三巨頭”。除了三巨頭之外，機械神教還有次級的獨立和同盟分支，比如騎士家族、源還修會、探索者和智控軍團，以及其他。雖然每個組織自身都有強大的實力，但他們在規(guī)模和影響范圍上都不能與三巨頭相提并論。

The Feudal Order

封建序列

Although Mars itself was a highly singular and unique entity in military terms, much as Terra itself was to the other worlds of the Imperium, each Forge World in the days of the Great Crusade was an independent power; a kingdom in its own right. While each owed fealty to the Lords of the Red Planet, in some cases these bonds were as absolute as satrapies, while in others the ties to the Mechanicums seat of power were weaker, often simply through distance, and in the most extreme cases this fealty became questionable at best, and rivalry and the threat of rebellion against central control or internecine conflict distinctly possible. By this web of fealty, bound more by common doctrine, culture and mutually shared obsession rather than by principle, loyalty or duty was the shadow empire within the Imperium that was the Mechanicum before the Horus Heresy formed.

盡管火星自身在軍事方面高度獨立且獨一無二，其對于其他鑄造世界就如同泰拉對于帝國其他世界一樣重要，但在大遠征時期，每個鑄造世界都是一支獨立的勢力；他們自身就是一個（獨立）王國。雖然每個鑄造世界都宣布效忠于紅星的領(lǐng)主們，而且在某些情況下，這些紐帶就像他們對自己轄地的統(tǒng)治權(quán)一樣絕對；而在其他情況中，一些鑄造世界與機械神教權(quán)力圣座之間的聯(lián)系較弱，通常也只是因為距離遙遠；但在最為極端的情況中，某些鑄造世界的忠誠度在最樂觀的情況下也是可疑的，這些世界上爆發(fā)反抗火星中央控制的威脅或自相殘殺的沖突顯然也是可能的。在荷魯斯叛亂爆發(fā)之前，機械神教依靠這張更多地是由共同的教義、文化和彼此共享的執(zhí)念，而非由原則、忠誠或責(zé)任捆綁在一起的忠誠網(wǎng)絡(luò)在人類帝國內(nèi)部組成了自己的影子帝國。

The proof of this hidden disunity was given unequivocal form during the Horus Heresy when, just as the Imperium was riven by the treachery of the Warmaster, so was the Mechanicum, already rife with internal discord and disharmony, all too readily riven alongside it, turning on itself as well as siding unequally for the warring parties of Traitor or Loyalist, with Forge Worlds and domains siding along long- held fealties and feudal obligations as much as they did for Emperor or Warmaster. It was of this complex feudal structure, both on the macroscale which encompassed whole Forge Worlds and alliances of Forge Worlds, and on the local scale of orders, colleges, fanes and forge cities, that the Taghmata system was a direct reflection.

當(dāng)荷魯斯叛亂爆發(fā)，戰(zhàn)帥的反叛行徑將人類帝國一分為二時，帝國中隱藏的不統(tǒng)一問題也就以明確的形式顯現(xiàn)出來。機械神教亦然——萬機之神仆人的內(nèi)部已經(jīng)充斥著紛爭與不和諧，一切都很容易地隨著荷魯斯叛亂發(fā)生了分裂，矛盾雙方徹底反目，而且不平等地站在叛軍或忠誠派中的某一方。就像他們選擇倒向帝皇或戰(zhàn)帥那樣，各個鑄造世界和機械神教領(lǐng)地也根據(jù)自己長期以來的忠誠和封建義務(wù)選擇了自己所屬的派系。機神禁衛(wèi)軍體系直接反映了這套復(fù)雜的封建制度結(jié)構(gòu)——這套結(jié)構(gòu)在宏觀層面上包括了整個鑄造世界和各個鑄造世界組成的聯(lián)盟，也在鑄造世界當(dāng)?shù)貙用嫔习诵迺?、學(xué)院、神殿和鑄造城市。

The Structure of the Taghmata

禁衛(wèi)軍結(jié)構(gòu)

Each Forge World of this age was itself a patchwork web of complex loyalties, made up of independent and semi-independent domains, both in terms of physical infrastructure and territory and, perhaps more importantly, of knowledge, craft and sacred rite. So it was that each Forge World was not merely a powerhouse of industrial production vital to the wider Imperium which it provided for, but also an empire of secrets unto itself .While nomenclature and structure was hardly uniform between them, the masters of these empires were its Magos and Archmagos —its 'Learned Ones'— each were lords both temporal and spiritual whose power was that of life and death in their own domains.

在這個時代，每個鑄造世界本身就是一個由復(fù)雜的忠誠所拼湊起來的網(wǎng)絡(luò)，構(gòu)成這套體系的是各個獨立和半獨立的機械神教封地，而且這套體系既應(yīng)用在物質(zhì)基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施和領(lǐng)土方面，也應(yīng)用在知識、工藝和神圣儀式方面——后者也許是更重要的。因此，對于更廣闊的人類帝國而言，每個鑄造世界不僅是為其提供產(chǎn)品的重要工業(yè)生產(chǎn)集團，而且是一個擁有自己秘密的小型帝國。雖然他們的命稱和結(jié)構(gòu)之間幾乎沒有相似性，但這些小型帝國的主宰者們都是賢者和大賢者——“博學(xué)之士”們，他們每個人都是自己領(lǐng)地內(nèi)世俗和精神上的領(lǐng)主，都在自己的封疆內(nèi)手握生殺予奪的大權(quán)。

Each specialised in a particular facet of the Machine Cult's lore or commanded a sizable measure of their worlds infrastructure as their portion, and by this right took their place in the synod that provided the Forge World with its governance and control. Each Magos commanded their own resources and military might, armies of retainers and cohorts of war machines outfitted and formed by their master's will and in accordance with their masters specialisation and proclivity. These were the Taghma, the building blocks from which the Taghmata were formed. When a Forge World's master, the Fabricator Archmagos-lntendant or Archmagos Archimandrite under whose rule the synod served, called a Taghmata into being, it was the sworn duty of each Magos to provide such troops and assets as was demanded of them, and through them such lesser Tech-Priests and adepts, sub-cults and esoteric orders who owed fealty and vassalage to the High Magos were called on, and?so on throughout the patterns of seniority and allegiance that criss-crossed the Forge World.

每位賢者都精通機械神教的某一特定方面的知識，或者根據(jù)自己所承擔(dān)的責(zé)任來指揮鑄造世界基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施中份額相當(dāng)大的生產(chǎn)工作，通過這種權(quán)利，他們在統(tǒng)治和控制鑄造世界的議廷中占據(jù)了一席之地。每位賢者都掌握著自己的資源，指揮自己的軍事力量；根據(jù)其主人的專長和癖好，奴仆軍隊和戰(zhàn)爭機器兵團被根據(jù)其主人的意愿進行裝備組建。這些部隊是禁衛(wèi)隊，也是組建機神禁衛(wèi)軍的建構(gòu)基礎(chǔ)。當(dāng)一位統(tǒng)治鑄造議廷鑄造世界的主宰者——監(jiān)造大賢者或司教大賢者要求組建機神禁衛(wèi)軍時，每名賢者都有義務(wù)按照其要求提供部隊和裝備資源，而這些被召喚的高級賢者們會通過那些向自己宣誓效忠和進行依附的次級技術(shù)神甫和技師、分支教派和奧秘教派征收資源和部隊，然后命令以此在鑄造世界縱橫交錯的等級和忠誠體系中貫通。

In many cases such calls to arms reached far beyond a Forge World and its star system to distant outposts, Expeditionary fleets and client worlds tied together by patronage or ancient treaty or pacts of allegiance. From its number the synod would choose several of its own, well versed in the arts of destruction, or with proven battlefield experience, to operate as the Taghmata's command structure. Such commands were much sought after by many Magos, both for the power and prestige they would bring, and for the potential for acquisition of new knowledge and reward they offered.

在很多情況中，此類召喚部隊命令的影響范圍會超出鑄造世界及其所在的恒星系，抵達遙遠的哨站、遠征探索艦隊，以及通過資助、古老的條約或忠誠契約聯(lián)系和它們在一起的主顧世界們。鑄造議廷會從自己的成員中挑選出幾位精通毀滅藝術(shù)或有實戰(zhàn)經(jīng)驗的人，來組成禁衛(wèi)軍的指揮結(jié)構(gòu)。這類指揮職位受到許多賢者的追捧，不僅因為它們帶來的權(quán)力和威望，還因為它們可能帶來的新知識和提供的獎勵。

In practise a Taghmata could be of greatly varying size, disposition and scope, the nature of which was often determined by the role it was called on to serve. Before galactic civil war was to rock the Imperium, the Taghmata was primarily mustered as a purely defensive measure, commonly when a Forge World came under direct attack. On Forge Worlds such as Tigrus and Phaeton which came under frequent assault owing to the proximity of hostile xenos forces, this led to powerful and highly experienced Taghmata formations which effectively became standing armies, while others such as the isolated Stygies might go for decades without external threat, and so when needed Taghmata protocols were required to be enacted afresh. Smaller Taghmata elements would also be raised and formed during the Great Crusade to arm and equip Explorator expeditions, to garrison outposts in hostile or hazardous regions of the void. They were also formed more rarely to provide armed diplomatic escorts or deputations to the Expeditionary fleets and Rogue Trader Militant fleets. The latter two needs, however, were primarily the province of the specialist military commands of the Mechanicum not loyal to any single Forge World: the Titan Legions, the Ordo Reductor, the Legio Cybernetica and the Skitarii of Mars.

在實踐中，禁衛(wèi)軍的規(guī)模、布局和能力范圍可能會大不相同，這些部隊的特性由上級召喚其去擔(dān)任的職責(zé)來決定。在人類帝國中爆發(fā)銀河規(guī)模的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)之前，禁衛(wèi)軍主要是為了純粹的防御任務(wù)而進行集結(jié)，通常是在鑄造世界面臨直接進攻的情況下。在諸如提格里斯和Phaeton之類由于靠近敵對的異形勢力而經(jīng)常受到攻擊的鑄造世界上，戰(zhàn)爭導(dǎo)致強大且經(jīng)驗豐富的禁衛(wèi)軍編隊在事實上成為了常備軍；而在諸如孤立的Stygies等其他鑄造世界可能在數(shù)十年時間里都不會遭遇外在威脅，所以它們要在有需要時重新執(zhí)行禁衛(wèi)軍協(xié)議。在大遠征時期，機械神教會訓(xùn)練和組建小規(guī)模禁衛(wèi)軍分隊來武裝探索者科考隊、駐守處于虛空中敵對或危險區(qū)域的哨站。而在某些更為罕見的情況中，機械神教也會組建禁衛(wèi)軍，向遠征探索艦隊或行商浪人武裝艦隊提供武裝外交護衛(wèi)隊或代表團。不過，滿足后兩種需要的主要是機械神教中專門的軍事指揮部門：泰坦軍團、源還修會、智控軍團和火星護教軍，這些部隊不效忠于任何一個鍛造世界。

The Cataclysm

災(zāi)厄

During the cataclysm of the Horus Heresy, the Taghmata was called upon on every Forge World and outpost as war and the threat of attack was constant. Soon, the Mechanicum was engaged in a battle for survival both against outside enemies and against rival factions of their own kind, and what had been an organisation of defence became just as frequently a means of attack, whether to claim vital resources, expand a sphere of influence or simply to annihilate an enemy. As the bloody struggle worsened, many Forge Worlds fought to the death to preserve their sovereignty from invasion by former allies, while others took an active and aggressive hand in the unfolding war, their Taghmata fighting alongside Loyalist or Traitor, or simply for their own ends. So it was that Mechanicum slew Mechanicum, Mechanicum slew Legiones Astartes and Legiones Astartes slew Mechanicum. In desperate battle were dark sciences and ancient secrets better left undisturbed turned to, either in vain hope of ensuring survival, or by wakened ambition and lust for power, and the nightmarish terrors of the Age of Strife were unleashed once more.

在災(zāi)難般的荷魯斯叛亂時期，由于戰(zhàn)爭和進攻的威脅持續(xù)不斷，每個鑄造世界和哨站上的機神禁衛(wèi)軍都被召集參戰(zhàn)。不久，機械神教也被卷入了存亡之戰(zhàn)中，他們既要對抗外部敵人，也要對抗同類的敵對派系。曾經(jīng)的防御組織也被頻繁轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楣羰侄?，無論是為了獲取重要資源，擴大勢力范圍，還是僅僅為了消滅敵人。隨著血腥的混戰(zhàn)愈演愈烈，許多鑄造世界都在拼死抵抗前盟友的入侵以保衛(wèi)自己的主權(quán)；而其他鑄造世界則在這場不斷展開的戰(zhàn)爭中發(fā)揮著積極且具有進攻性的作用，它們的禁衛(wèi)軍與忠誠派或叛軍并肩作戰(zhàn)，或者只是為了他們自己的目的而戰(zhàn)。此時機械神教在自相殘殺，也與阿斯塔特軍團相互殺戮。在這些絕望的戰(zhàn)斗中，無論是為了奪取確保生存的徒勞希望，還是被喚醒對于力量的貪求和野心，雙方都動用了那些最好無人問津的黑暗科學(xué)和古老秘密，紛爭紀(jì)元那噩夢般的恐怖之物也被再次釋放出來。