The crusade fleet was eight hours from Sepharis Ultra when the Emperor spoke to Brother Reinhart.

當(dāng)?shù)刍氏蛉R茵哈特修士下旨時(shí)，十字軍艦隊(duì)距離Sepharis Ultra還有8個(gè)小時(shí)的路程。

He had spent the long day amongst his battle-brothers, first honing his fighting skills in the confines of the strike cruiser’s practice ranges, and then venerating the spirits of his wargear with rites of maintenance under the watchful eye of Techmarine Amalthus. Afterwards, the Fighting Company had gathered for evening prayers, and then Chaplain Karst had sent them to their cells, to recite the Litanies of Hate and meditate upon the battle to come.

萊茵哈特已經(jīng)與自己的戰(zhàn)斗兄弟們度過了漫長(zhǎng)的一天，他首先在打擊巡洋艦訓(xùn)練區(qū)的范圍之內(nèi)磨練了戰(zhàn)斗技藝，然后在技術(shù)軍士阿瑪蘇斯的監(jiān)督下，他進(jìn)行了維護(hù)儀式來向戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)裝備的機(jī)魂表達(dá)崇敬。在此之后，戰(zhàn)斗連聚集起來進(jìn)行晚禱，晚禱結(jié)束后卡爾斯特牧師讓他們回到自己的艙室，去背誦仇恨連禱，并冥想即將到來的戰(zhàn)斗。

Reinhart gave himself over completely to the task, as he did all his other duties to the Chapter. He had been an initiate for less than a year, and was keen to prove his worth to Karst and Castellan Vorhalt. For hours he knelt in his cell, hands clasped in the sign of the aquila, purging his mind of any hint of weakness or doubt. Only once his thoughts were pure, and his spirit brimming with righteous zeal, did he offer up a single prayer to the God-Emperor of mankind.

就像他為戰(zhàn)團(tuán)執(zhí)行其他所有義務(wù)那樣，萊茵哈特全身心投入到了這項(xiàng)任務(wù)中。他成為新徒只有不到一年的時(shí)間，熱切地想要在卡爾斯特和沃爾哈特堡主面前證明自己價(jià)值。他在艙室中跪了數(shù)個(gè)小時(shí)，雙手緊握擺出天鷹禮，凈化掉腦海中所有關(guān)于懦弱或疑慮的污點(diǎn)。只有當(dāng)思想變得純凈，精神中充滿了正義的熱忱時(shí)，他才會(huì)向人類神皇獻(xiàn)上一段祈禱。

In the midst of my enemies, grant me courage. In the moment of decision, grant me wisdom. In the face of death, grant me strength.

置身萬(wàn)敵陣中之時(shí)，請(qǐng)賜予我勇氣；做出決策之時(shí)，請(qǐng)賜予我智慧；面對(duì)死亡之時(shí)，請(qǐng)賜予我力量。

And there, in the darkness, the Emperor answered him.

而就在此地，就在黑暗之中，帝皇回答了他。

Moments later, Reinhart emerged from his cell. His eyes were wide and still half-blind from the wonders he had seen. The initiate paused a moment upon the threshold, composing himself, then made his way swiftly through the cruiser’s ancient passageways.

片刻之后，萊茵哈特跑出了他的艙室。他睜大了雙眼，而且由于他所看到的奇跡，他的雙眼仍然半明半盲。這位新徒在門口停了片刻，讓自己平靜下來，之后便迅速通過了巡洋艦古老的走廊。

He found Chaplain Karst in the ship’s reclusiam, kneeling before a shrine to holy Sigismund.

他在飛船的隱修室中找到了卡爾斯特牧師，后者正跪在供奉圣西吉斯蒙德的神龕前。

‘I have had a vision,’ Reinhart?said, the words coming out in a rush.

“我已經(jīng)得到了神示?！比R茵哈特說到，他的話語(yǔ)脫口而出。

Karst said nothing at first, his scarred head still bent in prayer. Then the Chaplain drew a deep breath, flexing his armoured shoulders, and rose smoothly to his feet. ‘Tell me,’ he said.

最開始，卡爾斯特一言不發(fā)，他仍舊低著自己遍布疤痕的頭部，進(jìn)行著禱告。之后他深吸了一口氣，屈伸活動(dòng)了一下被動(dòng)力甲包裹著的肩膀，平靜地站起身來?！案抑v講，”他說到。

Reinhart paused. Though the details were still etched laser-sharp in his mind, it was difficult to put it into words. ‘I was praying, and the Emperor appeared to me,’ he said. ‘He wore golden armour, and held a fiery sword in his hand. His wargear shone with the light of the sun.’

萊茵哈特頓住了。盡管那幅幻景的細(xì)節(jié)仍在他的腦海中刻下了深刻的印象，但將之組成語(yǔ)言表達(dá)出來是困難的?！拔艺谄矶\，帝皇現(xiàn)身在我眼前，”他說到，“他穿著一身金色的甲胄，手持一把燃著烈火的長(zhǎng)劍。他的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)裝備閃耀著太陽(yáng)的光輝。”

Karst did not react. His dark eyes bored into the initiate’s soul. ‘Did you look upon his face, brother?’

卡爾斯特并未做出反應(yīng)。他黑暗的雙眼緊盯著這位新徒的靈魂?！澳阊鐾拿嫒萘藛?，兄弟？”

Reinhart bent his head. ‘I could not,’ he answered. ‘I did not dare.’

萊茵哈特低下了頭?！拔覜]有，”他回答道，“我不敢?！?/p>

The answer seemed to satisfy the Chaplain. ‘What else did you see?’

這個(gè)答案似乎令牧師感到滿意?！澳氵€看到了什么？”

‘I saw… so many things,’ the initiate said. ‘I saw the foe that awaits us on Sepharis Ultra. I saw the renegades who serve him and the daemons who do his bidding.’ Reinhart shook his head. He still could not believe the rest. ‘I… saw what I must do to defeat him.’

“我看到了…太多的東西”，新徒說到，“我看到了在Sepharis Ultra上等著我們的敵人，我看到了伺候那名敵人的變節(jié)者們，以及聽他命令的惡魔們。”萊茵哈特?fù)u了搖頭。他仍舊無法相信剩余的那些內(nèi)容?！拔摇吹搅俗约簽閾魯∷仨氉龀龅氖虑?。”

It seemed impossible. He still could not quite bring himself to believe it. ‘I am only an initiate,’ he said to Karst. ‘How can this be?’

這似乎是不可能的。他仍然無法使自己完全相信這一點(diǎn)。“我只是區(qū)區(qū)一名新徒而已，”他對(duì)卡爾斯特說到，“怎么會(huì)是我？”

The Chaplain reached out and laid a hand on Reinhart’s shoulder. ‘Deus Imperator vult,’he said gravely. ‘Because the God-Emperor wills it.’

牧師伸出一只手，撫在了萊茵哈特的肩膀上?！暗垡庥?，”他嚴(yán)肅地說到，“因?yàn)榇四松窕仕??！?/p>

A green icon in Reinhart’s helmet display counted down the seconds to impact. At the last moment, he breathed out, relaxing his body into the shock harness just as the drop pod struck the surface of Sepharis Ultra.

萊茵哈特頭盔的顯示屏上顯示著撞擊倒計(jì)時(shí)的秒數(shù)。在最后的時(shí)刻，當(dāng)空降艙撞擊到Sepharis Ultra的地表時(shí)，他呼出一口氣，擺脫了夾緊他身體的防震固定器。

The landing alone would have killed a normal human outright, even with the shock harness in place. Reinhart hardly even paused. He was moving the instant the harness disengaged, charging down the descending assault ramp into the maelstrom of war.

即便有防震固定器，但是著陸（的沖擊力）就足以令一名凡人當(dāng)場(chǎng)死亡。但萊茵哈特甚至都幾乎沒有停頓一下，防震固定器一松開，他便行動(dòng)起來，沖出了下降中的進(jìn)攻坡道，奔入戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)漩渦中。

A tidal wave of sight and sound crashed over him. Streams of crackling lasgun fire snapped back and forth across the battlefield, punching through billowing clouds of ochre dust and leaving streamers of static lightning in their wake. Boltguns hammered, spitting fiery streaks of rocket-propelled shells that burst in miniature thunderclaps when they found a target. Renegade troops, many clad in mismatched pieces of flak armour, ran in every direction, firing as they went. The fighting company’s orbital drop had taken the enemy completely unawares, sowing panic and confusion amongst their ranks.

景象和聲音如同潮水般向他涌來。劈啪作響的激光槍槍火在戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)上來回掃射，激光束穿過洶涌的赭色塵埃，留下靜電構(gòu)成的流線。爆彈槍猛轟著，噴射出一連串火箭助推彈，當(dāng)這些爆矢彈擊中目標(biāo)時(shí)，會(huì)發(fā)出輕微的雷聲。變節(jié)者部隊(duì)們從各個(gè)方向本來，其中很多人都包裹在錯(cuò)配的防彈甲胄中，他們?cè)诒寂艿耐瑫r(shí)開火。戰(zhàn)斗連的軌道空降行動(dòng)完全令敵人措手不及，在他們的隊(duì)伍中散播開了恐慌和混亂。

Reinhart’s vision had dictated a change in strategy for the Black Templars. Instead of landing in the highlands overlooking the renegade host and engaging them in a conventional assault, Castellan Vorhalt had chosen to drop the company into the midst of the enemy. The tactic had but one objective: to give Reinhart the best chance possible to fulfil the task that the Emperor had set for him. If he failed, his brothers would pay a terrible price.

萊因哈特所獲得的神示決定了黑色圣堂的戰(zhàn)略改變。沃爾哈特堡主并未降落在高地上俯視著變節(jié)者的部隊(duì)，也并未對(duì)其進(jìn)行常規(guī)進(jìn)攻，而是選擇將連隊(duì)空降到敵軍部隊(duì)當(dāng)中。這種戰(zhàn)術(shù)只有一個(gè)目標(biāo)：給萊因哈特提供完成皇帝下達(dá)的任務(wù)的最好機(jī)會(huì)。如果他失敗的話，他的兄弟們將會(huì)付出慘重代價(jià)。

Reinhart had spent the rest of the night in the strike cruiser’s reclusiam, while Karst stood over him and read from the Litanies of Hate. An hour before the drop they were joined by Techmarine Amalthus and a solemn procession of servitors, bearing the sacred wargear of the Emperor’s Champion.

萊茵哈特在打擊巡洋艦中度過了自己剩下的夜晚時(shí)光，同時(shí)卡爾斯特站在一旁監(jiān)督著他，并選讀著仇恨連禱。在距離空降行動(dòng)前一個(gè)小時(shí)的時(shí)候，技術(shù)軍士阿瑪蘇斯和一隊(duì)姿態(tài)莊重的機(jī)仆也加入了——他們帶來了帝皇勇士神圣的戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)裝備。

The Armour of Faith was magnificent, a masterwork of martial craft, its plates etched with elaborate wards to protect its wearer from harm. Ribbons of parchment, some hundreds of years old, were affixed to breastplate and pauldrons with seals of red or golden wax, proclaiming holy oaths sworn by his predecessors in ages past. Reinhart had added his own, fixed with red wax to the breastplate, just over his primary heart.

華美的信仰之甲以軍事工藝造就的精品，它的板甲面上刻著精心設(shè)計(jì)的防御符文，用于保護(hù)穿戴者，令其免受傷害。羊皮紙帶被用紅色或金色的蠟粘附在胸甲和肩甲上——某些紙帶已有數(shù)百年的歷史，其上宣告著前輩勇士們?cè)谶^去所發(fā)下的神圣誓言。萊茵哈特也將自己的誓言紙帶用紅蠟粘在了胸甲上，而且就在主心臟處。

I shall uphold the honour of the Emperor, no matter the cost.

我將維護(hù)帝皇的榮光，無論代價(jià)為何。

Yet as glorious as the armour was, it paled in comparison to the weapon he held in his hands. The greatsword was nine thousand, four hundred and twenty-eight years old, wrought in the forges of distant Mars and consecrated at the foot of the Golden Throne itself. The blade and its two-handed hilt were black as night, offset by a fiery ruby the size of a raptor’s egg set into the sword’s pommel. The jewel symbolised the blood shed by the Emperor at the Battle of Terra, ages past. The blade represented the Emperor’s justice: cold, implacable and absolute.

然而，命運(yùn)之甲盡管榮耀華美，但相比于他手中的武器仍舊相形見絀。這是一柄有著九千四百二十八年歷史的雙手劍，它被打造于遙遠(yuǎn)火星上的鑄爐中，并曾在黃金王座的腳下接受過圣化。劍身和雙手劍柄如同夜晚般漆黑，劍柄底部還鑲嵌了一顆烈火那般耀眼的紅寶石作為配重球，其尺寸與猛禽的卵相當(dāng)。那顆寶石象征著帝皇曾在泰拉之戰(zhàn)中流下的鮮血。這柄劍代表了帝皇的裁決：冷酷、不可改變且絕對(duì)。

The renegades call themselves the Lords of Desolation,Karst had told him.They are led by a sorcerer from the Word Bearers named X’hal Urus. He is the black heart of the enemy host, ancient and wicked beyond human ken. A thousand worlds have burned beneath his feet. Take this sword, Brother Reinhart, and make an end of him. The Emperor has shown you the way.

卡爾斯特告訴他，那些變節(jié)者自稱為荒蕪領(lǐng)主，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)他們的是一個(gè)名為哈爾 烏魯斯的懷言者巫師。這名巫師是敵軍的黑色心靈，也是自絕于人類之外的古老且邪惡的叛徒。執(zhí)此長(zhǎng)劍，萊茵哈特兄弟，終結(jié)了他。帝皇已經(jīng)向你展示了方法。

And so he had. The details still shone mirror-bright in Reinhart’s mind. The Emperor had shown him how the duel would unfold. X’hal Urus would die, his armoured body split asunder by the power of the Black Sword – and then, an instant later, so would Reinhart. The sorcerer’s blade would pierce his side, its power snuffing out his life force like a candle flame.

怹的確如此。那些細(xì)節(jié)仍在萊因哈特的腦海中閃閃發(fā)光。哈爾 烏魯斯將會(huì)敗亡，黑劍的力量會(huì)撕碎他裹在動(dòng)力甲中的軀體——而在片刻之后，萊茵哈特也將戰(zhàn)死。巫師的刀劍會(huì)刺穿他的身側(cè)，那把武器的力量會(huì)像掐滅燭火一樣熄滅他的生命力。

You have been chosen, brother. With X’hal Urus dead, his daemons will return to the warp, and our victory over the renegades will be assured. The fate of Sepharis Ultra lies in your hands.

你已經(jīng)被選中了，兄弟。隨著哈爾 烏魯斯死掉，他的惡魔們也會(huì)滾回亞空間，我們也將確保對(duì)于變節(jié)者們的勝利。Sepharis Ultra的命運(yùn)系于你手中。

Reinhart’s fingers tightened around the hilt of the Black Sword. His battle-brothers were at his back, boltguns hammering. Ahead, he could see grim, armoured shapes looming through the swirling dust – the traitor Space Marines of the Lords of Desolation. They were led by a towering figure in baroque, ornamented power armour, his broad shoulders and bare, misshapen skull wreathed in arcs of flickering, unholy fire.

萊茵哈特的手指緊握住黑劍的柄，他的戰(zhàn)斗兄弟們跟在他身后，爆彈槍轟擊著敵人。透過滾滾的塵煙，他看見身著動(dòng)力甲的猙獰人形們就站在前方——是荒蕪領(lǐng)主的叛徒星際戰(zhàn)士們。率領(lǐng)他們的是一名身著巴洛克式裝飾風(fēng)格動(dòng)力甲的高大人物，閃耀的邪火所放出的弧光環(huán)繞著他寬闊的肩膀和光禿畸形的頭顱。

X’hal Urus advanced on the Black Templars. A huge sword of jagged, dark-grey metal was raised in challenge, daring the servants of the Emperor to try their skill against his own.

哈爾 烏魯斯向黑色圣堂星際戰(zhàn)士們發(fā)起了進(jìn)攻。他抄起一柄帶有鋸齒的灰色金屬巨劍，發(fā)起了挑戰(zhàn)。他竟敢與帝皇的仆從們較量一番。

Brother Reinhart raised the Black Sword in reply. He felt no fear, only grim certainty, and a kind of savage joy.

萊茵哈特修士舉起黑劍應(yīng)戰(zhàn)。他沒有感到恐懼，只是感覺到了冷酷的確定性和某種野蠻的喜悅。

‘Deus Imperator vult!’

“帝意欲此！”

the Emperor’s Champion cried, and made an end of the scourge of a thousand worlds.

帝皇勇士怒吼著，終結(jié)了一千個(gè)世界的災(zāi)禍。