塔洛斯战役（IA3）节译：Iracunda 地峡上的突破

Breakthrough on the Iracunda Isthmus 

Iracunda 地峡上的突破

Since the offensive towards Tarokeen had stalled there had been little fighting between the Tallarn regiments and the Tau. The Tallarns had made small, local advances and continued harassing artillery fire but, short on supplies and critically short of water, they had started to dig-in to conserve what supplies they had. They set about laying minefields and razorwire in front of their positions. Whilst the Imperial Guard were not advancing the Tau did not counter-attack. With the Imperial Guard marooned in the desert the Hunter Cadres conserved their own strength for the battles still to come. 

自从对于Tarokeen的攻势停滞之后，塔兰团和钛帝国部队之间几乎没有战斗。塔兰人进行了小规模的局部前进并且继续进行着袭扰炮击，但是由于缺乏补给和严重缺乏水源，他们开始深挖战壕以节约现有的补给。他们开始在自己的阵地前布设雷区和铁丝网。帝国卫队没有前进，而钛星人也没有反击。随着帝国卫队被困在了沙漠中，猎核也为仍在持续的战争而节约着自己的兵力。

It was critical to the success of Operation Comet,and maybe the outcome of the war, that a relief forces reached the Drop Troops at hydro-processing plant 23-30 in three days. Before any relief force could makes Its advance a breakthrough had be made through the western end of the lracunda Isthmus. The ground forces would have to break into the lracunda Isthmus. using the narrow strips of land between the small seas and lakes in the area. Channelled by the terrain, any attack would have to be directly into the teeth of the waiting Hunter Cadres' firepower. 

这对于彗星行动的成功是很重要的，对于战争的结果可能也是如此。一支增援部队在三天时间中到达了23-30水力发电厂的空降部队处。而在任何增援部队能够前进之前，帝国部队从lracunda地峡西部尽头进行了一次突破，地面部队利用该地区小型内海和湖泊之间的狭长地段攻入了地峡，而从这种地形发动的任何攻击都将直接进入等待中的猎核正面强大火力。

The Tallarn regiments were no longer fit for the offensive. They had lost many men and most of their tanks in the long drive north. The war was entering a critical phase, much rested on Operation Comet succeeding. De Stael turned to the best troops he still had. Firstly, the Raptors Space Marines. Captain Orelius' battle brothers had seen little ground action; it was time to commit them again. The Space Marines would be the spearhead of the thrust, supported by the Titans of Legio lgnatum. The Warhounds were the Imperium's largest war machines on Taros, it was unlikely the Tau had any answer to them. Between these two forces,they would smash through the narrow terrain, sweeping aside any resistance and clearing the way for the mechanized 114th Cadian regiment to strike north to reach hydro 23-30. The breakthrough operation would begin on the same day as the Elysians launched Operation Comet . 

塔兰团已经不再适合于这种攻势，他们损失了很多兵员，而且大部分坦克都在向遥远的北方行驶。战争正在进入关键阶段，彗星行动的成功关系重大，德 斯代尔转向他手中仍然拥有的最强部队寻求帮助。首先是猛禽战团星际战士，奥雷留斯连长的战斗兄弟们（最近）几乎没有负责负责地面行动，现在是时候再次把这项任务交给他们了。星际战士们是这次猛攻的矛头，火蜂军团的泰坦会支援他们。战犬泰坦是帝国在塔洛斯上最大的战争机器，钛星人对于它们不可能有任何应对手段。他们将会闯过双方之间的狭长地带，扫清任何抵抗，为卡迪安第114机械化团清出向北进攻抵达23-30水力发电厂的道路。在艾丽西亚空降团发动彗星行动的同一天，突破行动也会开始。

Captains Orelius and Kaedes oversaw the Space Marine preparations for the attack. Thunderhawk transporter, started their work, transferring Land Raiders, Predators, Whirlwinds and Rhinos from the War Talon to the surface.Techmarines armed and blessed the vehicles. The battle brothers of 2nd and 6th companies mustered for an armoured engagement. Thunderhawk transporters plunged from orbit to land at the assigned assembly area, just west of the northern end of the isthmus entrance. On board the transporters were Land Raiders, Predators, Whirlwinds and Rhinos, all carrying the squads of 3rd company. The attack would come swiftly. giving the Tau minimum time to respond and it would come in overwhelming force. It would be spearheaded by the armour of the Raptors Chapter, supported by the firepower of the Warhound Titans, with the 114th Regiment awaiting the breakthrough to begin their own mission - the relief of hydro 23-30. 

奥雷留斯连长和凯达斯连长监督着星际战士们的进攻准备。雷鹰运输机开始从战争利爪号上将兰德掠夺者、捕食者坦克、旋风坦克和犀牛运兵车输送到了地表，技术军士们武装并祝福了这些载具。第2和第6连队的战斗兄弟为装甲战而进行了集结，雷鹰运输机从轨道上降落到地面上指定的集结区——Isthmus地峡入口北侧尽头的西部。甲板上的运输载具是兰德掠夺者、捕食者坦克、旋风坦克和犀牛运兵车，满载着第三连队的星际战士小队，进攻很快就会开始。进攻的矛头是猛禽战团的装甲部队，由战犬泰坦的火力提供支援，而第114卡迪亚团在等待着突破，以开始自己的任务——救援23-30水力发电厂（的帝国部队）。

While the Space Marines assembled. the Warhound Titans of Legio Ignatum were stalking north to join them, striding through the deserts accompanied by the sprawling Chimera formations of the Cadian regiment. For the first time in the campaign the Tau would experience a true army of the Imperium, the combined weight of the Irnperium's fighting forces committed as one. 

在星际战士集结的同时，火蜂军团的战犬泰坦在卡迪亚团派出的奇美拉编队的陪同下阔步穿过沙漠，它正在悄悄向北方进发以加入部队。在这场战役中，钛星人将会第一次与帝国真正的部队交战，他们将面临整合为一体的帝国作战部队。

Eight hundred kilometres to the south, the Valkynes and Vultures of the Elysian Drop Troop Regiment were just taking off as the Space Marines and Warhounds went into battle. Their target area was at the northern end of the entrance to the isthmus. Their objective was to clear all Tau forces, punching a gap for the Imperial Guard to race through. 

随着星际战士和战犬泰坦加入战斗，位于他们南方八百千米处的艾丽西亚空降团女武神运输机和秃鹫炮艇也正在起飞。他们的目标区域是isthmus地峡出口的北部终点，任务是清理所有钛帝国部队，为帝国卫队打开快速通过的缺口。

The Tau's Pathfinder forward observers must have seen the Warhound Titans, standing fourteen metres tall above the desert, as they stalked forwards. The Tau were prepared for an attack and, as ever, their Hunter Cadres responded quickly to the call from their forward scouts. In earlier engagements the Tau had always been able to make the most of their long-ranged weaponry to pick off Leman Russel and Chimeras .Now they faced Titans. equipped with huge weapon, and protective void shields, the advantage lay with the Imperium. This would be a different battle. 

钛帝国寻路者的前锋观察员们已经看见了战犬泰坦们，这些在沙漠上站立起来高达十四米的阔步走向异形们。钛星人做好了应对进攻的准备，猎核就像往常一样快速回应了前锋侦察兵的呼叫。在之前的战争中，钛星人经常能够利用自己大多数远程武器来逐个射击黎曼鲁斯坦克和奇美拉装甲车。现在他们面对的是装备了巨大武器和保护性虚空盾的泰坦，帝国是拥有优势的一方，这会是一场不同以往的战斗。

The Warhounds engaged the Hammerheads at maximum range, blazing away with massive turbo-lasers. The Space Marines sped forwards, Land Raiders leading the way, Whirlwinds in close support, Predators on the flanks. Hoping to halt the assault the Tau could no longer simply give ground before the attack, they had to stand and fight. This was to the Space Marines' advantage. The Raptors strike force could close the distance and start to engage with their highly accurate lascannons. Conducted with speed, accuracy and their trade mark aggression. the Space Marine tore into the Tau defenders, deploying Devastator squads from Rhinos to lend their fire support .Suddenly the Tau were suffering heavy losses. With void shields flaring against railgun hits, the Warhounds strode forwards. obliterating entire vehicles with a single hit from their weaponry. and stomping on the wreckage as they advanced .For the first time on Taros the Tau fell back having had the worst of the engagement. The desert was marked by tell tale columns of smoke rising from the burning hulks of Tau vehicles. 

战犬泰坦在最远射程处与锤头鲨交战，用强大的涡轮激光炸开异星人的载具。星际战士们快速突进，兰德掠夺者领头，旋风坦克负责近处支援，捕食者坦克在侧翼行驶。钛星人希望能阻止这次进攻，他们不会简单地撤退让步，而是会固守和迎击。这让星际战士们获得了优势，猛禽战团的打击部队缩短了距离并开始用自己高精度的激光炮射击钛星人。凭借着速度、准确性和他们标志性的攻击力，星际战士们撕开钛星人的防御，并从犀牛运兵车上部署了破坏者小队进行火力支援。钛星人在遭受着严重损失战犬泰坦大步前进，磁轨炮的射击使它的虚空盾泛起光晕，它们的武器一击就能摧毁整辆的载具，它们一边前进一边踏碎残骸。在塔洛斯世界上，钛星人第一次开始撤退，他们遇到了一场最为艰难的恶战。沙漠中升起了钛星人载具燃烧所产生的烟柱。

The Warhounds continually stalked forwards, obliterating anything in their path. along with the Space Marines. now advancing about their feet, the combined force thrust a sword clean through the Tau defences and opened the way onto the lracunda Isthmus. The Tau rallied, and the arrival of a fresh Hunter Cadre saw the fighting intensity again. This time the Tau would deploy a new weapon.No Imperial commander had ever encountered this new mark of Tiger Shark before. The aircraft came in fast, skimming the desert so low it kicked up a dust cloud. before climbing over a shallow rise to open fire. Missiles rippled from the aircraft's wings, flaring bright against Warhound Advensis Primaris' void shields. The explosions overpowered the generators which cut out. The following shots from the Tiger Shark's twin railguns struck the Warhound squarely in the hull. With devastating power two hyper-sonic shots tore through the thick armour plates in an explosion that showered the surrounding desert in molten shrapnel. Critically wounded the Warhound staggered backwards under the impacts, tottered and, to the astonishment of all. fell. 

战犬泰坦们继续前进，和星际战士们摧毁沿途的一切，后者现在是徒步前进。这种混合部队如同刺入钛星人防线的一柄利剑，清出了一条通往lracunda地峡的道路。钛星人进行了集结，新到来的猎核将会见证战斗的烈度。这次钛星人将会部署一种新武器，没有哪位帝国指挥官之前曾与这种型号的虎鲨炮艇交战过。这种飞行器快速驶来，它在沙漠上滑行得如此低以至于带起来一片尘云，之后它爬升到了浅层区来开火。机翼下发射的导弹使战犬泰坦“首席言徒”号的虚空盾发出了强光，爆炸过载了护盾发生器。虎鲨炮艇的双联磁轨炮之后的开火正好集中了战犬泰坦的躯体，两发超音速射弹的毁灭性力量在爆炸中撕开了厚重的装甲板，周围的沙漠洒满了熔融的碎片。受损严重的泰坦在所有的冲击下摇摇晃晃，并最终在众人惊讶的目光中，摔倒了。

Where once Imperial Commanders had thought the Titans untouchable to all but a Manta's firepower, suddenly the Tau had a new tactical weapon capable of killing the mighty war machines. The wreckage of Advensis Primaris lay billowing oily smoke as the sand settled over her. Inside the crew lay dead at the controls, including High Princeps Jernay. killed by the agonised screams of pain that led directly into his brain from the Titan's mind-impulse controls. It was a bitter and unexpected loss. The remaining three Titans withdrew rather than face another strafing run. Their mission was already complete, the 114th Cadians were now able to begin their strike northwards, further Titan losses would be for no further gains. 

帝国指挥官曾经认为泰坦在除了曼塔火力之外所有的钛帝国进攻面前都是坚不可摧的，但钛星人突然拥有了能够摧毁这种强大机器的新手段。当沙子落在她身上时，“首席言徒”号的残骸冒出油腻的滚滚浓烟。里面的乘员们也死在了驾驶台上，其中也包括机长杰尔纳伊——痛苦的疼痛尖叫从泰坦的意识脉冲控制器直接传入他的大脑，杀死了他。这是一种苦涩而未曾预料的损失。剩余的三台泰坦选择撤退而非继续面对虎鲨的低空扫射。不过他们的任务已经完成，第114卡迪亚团现在能够开始他们的向北进发，没必要进一步损失泰坦。

The Space Marines and Warhounds had advanced the required fifty kilometres in just a day of fighting. Skirmishing continued in the area all day, with Space Marine patrols hunting down any alien stragglers or Pathfinder teams bold enough to return to the battlefield. Behind them the 114th Cadians roared their engines into life.

星际战士和战犬泰坦在一天的战斗后就前进了所需的15千米。在整整一天中，该区域都在持续发生小规模冲突，星际战士巡逻队猎捕着所有异星人掉队者或足够勇敢到返回战场的寻路者小队。在他们身后，第114卡迪亚团也唤醒了坦克的引擎。

Despite the victory, the loss of Advensis Primaris was a worrying development. The Tau had learned from their previous experiences fighting the Imperium's greatest war machines. In the past Hunter Cadres had been roughly handled by Titans, now the Tau had developed a weapon capable of fighting back. The new Tiger Shark had been upgraded to carry two heavy railguns, sacrificing its standard payload and ion cannons for the kind of firepower usually only mounted on Mantas or spacecraft. 

虽然帝国获胜，但泰坦的损失是一件令人担忧的情况。钛帝国已经从他们之前与帝国最强大的战争机器的交战经验中进行了学习，在过去猎核部队会被泰坦轻松处理掉，但现在钛星人已经发展出了能反击的武器。这种新型号的虎鲨被进行了改造，能够携带两门重型磁轨炮，它牺牲了标准载荷与离子炮，以换取这种通常只配备于曼塔或星舰的火力。