AT EMPIRE'S END?

帝國的盡頭

In 017.M31, hosts of the Emperor swept outwards from Terra in vengeful pursuit of the Warmaster's broken hordes, the first loyal fleets reaching the north-eastern fringes of the galaxy long a stronghold of Legions sworn to the cause of Horus. Composed largely of squadrons from Baal, Ultramar and other Loyalist enclaves, these outriders of what later chronicles would come to call the Scouring, were eager to inflict on the fleeing Traitors the same humiliation they had suffered themselves in the early years of the Horus Heresy. The armada bore a full panoply of those weapons once forbidden from use,rad-phages and virus weaponry of terrible potency, as well as numerous battalions of Legiones Astartes warriors, all honed by the fires of heresy and war to the pinnacle of human skill-at-arms. Such measures were considered barely adequate for dislodging entrenched Night Lords battalions, the VIIIth Legion having had nearly a decade to fortify their domain and no hope of clemency from their brethren in the wake of the Siege of Terra to blunt their determination.?

在017.M31，帝皇的軍隊沖出泰拉，對戰(zhàn)帥破碎的殘黨進行報復(fù)性的追捕，第一批搜索銀河?xùn)|北部邊境的忠誠派艦隊渴望找到宣誓效忠于荷魯斯一側(cè)的軍團據(jù)點。在后世的編年史中，這次行動被成為“大肅清”，前鋒部隊主要由來自巴爾、奧特拉瑪和其他忠誠派飛地的星際戰(zhàn)士中隊組成，他們熱衷于讓四散奔逃的叛軍承受自己在荷魯斯叛亂早期所遭受的同樣的恥辱。這支艦隊攜帶了全套曾經(jīng)被禁用的武器:威力恐怖的輻射噬菌體和病毒武器，以及許多個阿斯塔特軍團戰(zhàn)斗營的戰(zhàn)士們，他們經(jīng)受了大叛亂戰(zhàn)火的洗禮磨練，成為了人類中戰(zhàn)技最為優(yōu)秀的戰(zhàn)士。但這些手段仍被認(rèn)為不足以驅(qū)散（此地）盤踞此地的午夜領(lǐng)主戰(zhàn)斗營們，第八軍團耗費了將近十年的時間來加固他們的領(lǐng)地，在泰拉圍城戰(zhàn)之后，他們沒有任何從自己的堂親兄弟那里獲得寬容的希望，這讓他們頑抗的決心更為堅定。

Yet despite all intelligence to the contrary, no determined resistance was to be encountered by these fleets. Of the VIIIth?Legion only scattered and isolated warbands were diScovered, and none larger than a reinforced company. While these forces fought with all the vicious spite and skill that was to be expected of the Night Haunter's sons, each fought and died alone and unsupported, little more than irritations to the gathered might of the Loyalist armada. Of the great armies they had expected to meet, the fleet, Scouts found only ruined fortresses and the battle-scarred wrecks of VIIIth?Legion void craft drifting in space, broken by some unknown force that had taken the Night Lords by surprise and left them dead in its wake.?

然而情報與事實相反，這些艦隊并未遭到頑固的抵抗。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)的第八軍團部隊只是分裂孤立的戰(zhàn)幫，而且沒有一個戰(zhàn)幫的規(guī)模大于一個加強連。這些部隊靠著午夜幽魂的子嗣們應(yīng)有的惡毒怨念和技藝作戰(zhàn)，每個人都孤獨且毫無支援地戰(zhàn)斗和死去，對于忠誠派艦隊集結(jié)起來的龐大兵力而言，他們只比惹人厭煩的麻煩強了那么一點兒（根本構(gòu)不成威脅）。至于他們期待遇到的那支強大軍隊，艦隊的偵察兵們只發(fā)現(xiàn)了被摧毀的要塞和漂浮在太空中的傷痕累累的第八軍團虛空艦船殘骸——某些未知的勢力出其不意地?fù)魸⒘说诎塑妶F，并把他們丟在身后等死。

Faced with a worrying enigma, and the possibiliry of some grand deception on the part of the Night Lords, the lords of the fleet withdrew the bulk of their forces to the remote fleet anchorage at Caith Laes. Those forces anticipated in and around the Nostramo sector composed perhaps a third of the expected remaining strength of the VIIIth Legion, and the command officers of the fleet were wary of allowing their forces to be caught in ambush by the Night Lords, long since renowned as masters of such tactics. Instead, an extensive survey of the sector was made by the fleet's Scout elements, a search that would last nearly six months and uncovered no hidden warriors or secret fastnesses, only more mysteries. With no Immediate mlitary threat and the desire for vengeance still Strong within the Loyalist warriors, the fleet departed the Nostramo sector, en route to distant battle zones where Horus’?legions still fought.The final fate of some 30,000 of the Night Haunter's sons was of little import in those fleeting days of optimism and victory, and it is only now, as the enemies of Mankind slowly devour all that was built in our Great Crusade and we seek for all advantages that we may, that questions are asked.?

面對著這個令人擔(dān)憂的秘密，以及這一切是午夜領(lǐng)主軍團設(shè)下某些宏大騙局的一部分的可能性，艦隊的主官們將部隊主力撤回到位于Caith Laes的遙遠的艦隊錨定點，帝國預(yù)計諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)內(nèi)部和周邊的叛軍部隊可能包含第八軍團預(yù)期殘存兵力的三分之一，艦隊的指揮軍官們也要提防遭到午夜領(lǐng)主軍團的伏擊，后者長久以來作為此類戰(zhàn)術(shù)的大師而著稱。于是，艦隊的偵查分隊對于諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)進行了廣泛的調(diào)查，這次調(diào)查持續(xù)了將近六個月，但他們并未發(fā)現(xiàn)隱藏的戰(zhàn)士和秘密要塞，只有更多的謎團。由于不存在當(dāng)前的軍事威脅，而且忠誠派將士的復(fù)仇愿望依舊強烈，艦隊便離開了諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)，前往了荷魯斯派系軍團仍在頑抗的戰(zhàn)區(qū)。在這些關(guān)于樂觀和勝利的短暫時光中，大約三萬名午夜幽魂子嗣的最終命運變得微不足道。只有到了現(xiàn)在，隨著人類之?dāng)尘徛赝淌芍覀冊诖筮h征中建立的一切和我們可能尋求的所有進步，這些問題被詢問出來。

Many have attempted to solve the riddle of the Nostramo sector, and few have arrived at the same conclusions. Collected here are some of the most revealing treatise from within the sealed archives of great Terra, each based on the fragmentary information that has been recovered from that area of space. Perhaps from the distilled wisdom of these accounts an answer can be divined for the question that still haunts the Divisio Militaris: what Scoured clean the entire Nostramo sector in the dark years of the Horus Heresy？

許多人都曾嘗試解答發(fā)生在諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)的神秘事件，也幾乎沒有人得出相同的結(jié)論。我們在此收錄了來自偉大泰拉被封印的檔案館中某些最為發(fā)人深省的著作，每一篇都是基于回收自那片宙域中的碎片化信息。可能通過從這些記錄出提取出的某些知識，我們能夠領(lǐng)悟到那個依舊在困擾著軍務(wù)庭的問題的答案：是什么在荷魯斯叛亂的黑暗歲月中肅清干凈了整個諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)？

This report and those that follow it are but a few of many billions of censored documents sealed within the great archives of Terra. Much information from the?dark days of the Horus Heresy and the earliest days of the Scouring that followed has been hidden away and allowed to fade from the sight of history yet in such forgotten scraps can be found glimpses of the true fate of the Nostramo sector. There has been some resistance to its printing as part of this document, but for now the needs of the Divisio Militaris inquiry have superseded the policy of erasing history that has occupied some sects within the Archivists Colleges.?

這份報告已經(jīng)以及下接的這些材料僅僅是被封存于泰拉的大檔案館中的數(shù)十億份被刪減檔案的極小部分。許多源自荷魯斯叛亂黑暗時期與隨之而來的大肅清最早期的信息被隱藏起來，并被放任從歷史的視野中淡出，而在這些被遺忘的殘破記錄中，我們得以一瞥諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)的真實命運。作為這份文檔的一部分，對于其進行打印存在著一些阻力，但現(xiàn)在軍務(wù)庭的調(diào)查需要取代了檔案學(xué)會中某些派系所固守的抹除歷史政策。

This first fragment dates from?the arrival of the first of the Retribution fleets, the initial wave of the Scouring that pursued the retreating hosts of Horus across the galaxy. In addition, I have appended some additional information from more standard archival sources for purposes of clarification. While the focus of the Legiones Astartes in this instance was not the same as the inquiry we have posed, the facts uncovered are intriguing in their ramifications.?

第一批碎片化數(shù)據(jù)是在第一批報應(yīng)艦隊抵達時獲取的，最開始的一波肅清是在全銀河中追捕撤退的荷魯斯派系部隊。另外，出于解釋說明的目的，我也附加了一些來自更為標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的檔案來源的額外信息。阿斯塔特軍團在此次事件中的關(guān)注點與我們的調(diào)查中所質(zhì)詢的方面并不相同，但揭露出的真相所導(dǎo)出的結(jié)果是令人著迷的。

CARRION BIRDS ALL; RED PINIONED AND BRIGHT-EYED?

禿鷲逐腐肉；赤紅之縛與耀目之瞳

When gathered in hand, the various hidden, buried or lost scraps of history make plain a number of causes for the destruction found in the Nostramo sector at the end of the Horus Heresy. Prime among these being the actions of a fleet of Raven Guard turned not to the service of the Warmaster's dire schemes, but rather to a mandate of greed and mercenary intent.?

當(dāng)把這一切聚合在手中時，各種各樣被隱藏、埋沒或遺失的歷史殘片對于諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)在荷魯斯叛亂末期發(fā)生的那次毀滅的眾多原因進行了解釋。其中首要的就是（被流放的）暗鴉守衛(wèi)艦隊的行動：他們并未轉(zhuǎn)而效力于戰(zhàn)帥的可怕計劃，而是意圖成為貪婪的雇傭軍。

Full research into the origins of the Ashen Claws fleet notes that they were despatched on-Crusade in 002M31. the commander of the expedition, Praetor Calvus, a Deliverance survivor known for his loyalty to Corax. What fate Praetor Calvus met is unknown, but it is likely that by the return of the Ashen Claws in 011.M31 he had perished. With an original complement of thirteen capital craft, a Score of smaller ships and some 4.000 of the Legiones Astartes assembled from the survivors of the fighting in Akum-sothos, the fleet was a significant force, even assuming that nine years of Crusading had taken its toll on the fleet. ln fact, it is this slow bleeding of resources and manpower over the course of their exile that likely led to the tactics displayed in the few records we have of their actions, all of which seem to have been focused on the acquisition of resources and munitions.?

針對灰燼之爪艦隊的全面研究表明他們是在002M31被派出進行遠征，這次遠征探索的指揮官是軍團執(zhí)政官卡爾福斯，這位拯救者部隊幸存者因其對于克拉克斯的忠誠而著稱。我們并不知曉軍團執(zhí)政官卡爾福斯的命運，但在灰燼之爪于011.M31回歸時，他可能就已經(jīng)犧牲了。這支艦隊包含了最初的十三艘主力艦，二十艘小型戰(zhàn)艦和從阿庫姆—索薩斯戰(zhàn)斗的幸存者中集結(jié)起的大約4000名阿斯塔特軍團戰(zhàn)士，哪怕我們假定耗時九年的遠征對這支艦隊造成了損傷，這也是一股強大的力量。事實上，資源和人力的緩慢流失可能導(dǎo)致了我們保有的極少數(shù)灰爪戰(zhàn)團行動記錄中所展現(xiàn)的戰(zhàn)術(shù)：這些戰(zhàn)術(shù)似乎專注于獲取資源和彈藥。

However，?despite the focus of those accounts we have seen on the actions of the Ashen Claws, it is highly unlikely that they could be the sole cause of the collapse of the Nostramo sector. Indeed, the sources noted point out the other key factors in this end result, those being an influx of xenos attacks as the Imperial presence along the tumultuous borders of the Ghoul Stars waned, and the infighting amongst the fractious and leaderless Night Lords. That these were only exacerbated by the raiding and destruction left in the wake of the Ashen Claws is undoubted. but without these factors it is unlikely that the relatively small number of Raven Guard could otherwise have achieved such success. Indeed，this phenomenon was?far from rare throughout the lmperium during the years of the Horus Heresy, innumerable sectors fell silent, some never to be heard from again, and it is likely that many?of these were the result of other rogue formations of Legiones Astartes unable to reconcile loyalty to either their Emperor or the Warmaster.?

然而，即便我們在灰爪的行動上看到了這些記錄，他們能獨自毀滅諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)也是極為不可能的。事實上，資料中指出了導(dǎo)致這一結(jié)果的其他關(guān)鍵因素：隨著帝國在食尸鬼群星邊境的出現(xiàn)（次數(shù)）減少，對其控制衰弱，該地遭受了大量的異形進攻，不安分且失去領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的午夜領(lǐng)主部隊之間也爆發(fā)了內(nèi)斗。而毫無疑問，灰爪在身后留下的掠襲和破壞只會加劇這些問題，不過，沒有這些因素的話，數(shù)量相對較少的暗鴉守衛(wèi)部隊也不可能取得如此的成功。事實上，在荷魯斯叛亂時期，這種現(xiàn)象在整個帝國中都遠非罕見，無數(shù)的星區(qū)陷入沉寂，有些（甚至）再也沒有被人聽說過，其中大多數(shù)可能都是其他未能保持住自己對于帝皇或者戰(zhàn)帥的忠誠的阿斯塔特浪人部隊所導(dǎo)致的。

Whatever the causes, the fragmentation of the Nostramo sector would have dire repercussions for the north-eastern fringes of the Imperium. At the recommendation of the Divisio Militaris, the High Lords of Terra issued an edict declaring the Nostramo sector and those sectors adjoining it a forbidden zone to Imperial craft, save those with special dispensation. The borders of the lmperium contracted and a great swathe of space was abandoned to the ravages of xenos predators and the few scattered bands of rebels that lingered on remote worlds. With the final fate of the Ashen Claws undocumented, it may be that they also lurk somewhere within these forbidden stars. that far from the eyes of the mperium those worlds brought to Compliance by their final Crusade still survive. I wonder perhaps. in the face of the changes wrought on the Emperor's realm in the wake of His hollow victory, if perhaps they chose the wiser course.?

無論情況如何，諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)的崩潰都將對帝國的東北邊境造成惡劣的影響。根據(jù)軍務(wù)庭的正式建議，泰拉高領(lǐng)主發(fā)布了一道法令，宣布諾斯特拉莫星區(qū)和毗鄰它的那些星區(qū)為帝國艦船禁止通行的區(qū)域，除了那些擁有特殊豁免權(quán)的艦船。帝國的疆域進行了收縮，放棄極長的一條空間，任由該地遭受異形捕食者和少數(shù)徘徊在遙遠世界上的叛軍破碎戰(zhàn)幫的蹂躪?；易Φ淖罱K命運并未被記錄，他們可能也潛伏在這片禁忌星空的某處，這片區(qū)域遠離帝國的注視，那些在他們的最后一次遠征中歸順于他們的世界也依舊幸存著。我想，與其在帝皇取得他那空洞的勝利后面對帝國所遭受的種種改變，他們或許選擇了一條更為明智的道路。