哥特舰队规则书节译：第十二次黑色远征/哥特战争（4）（完结）
150-151.M41 - THE IMPERIUM RESURGENT
150-151.M41——帝国反击
THE BATTLE OF GETHSEMANE
GETHSEMANE之战
Knowing that although the Chaos ships were more numerous overall, they were divided into many smaller fleets, it was Lord Ravensburg's hope that he could destroy his attackers if he could bring the weight of Battlefleet Gothic to bear against each of the Chaos fleets individually. This was a very risky ploy, because to amass the battlefleet in any strength meant weakening convoy escorts, system patrols and squadrons on anti-pirate duties. Ravensburg stated his reasons in a missive to Inquisitor Horst, saying:
瑞文斯伯格阁下明白，尽管混沌舰队的整体数量更多，但它们被拆分成了很多小型舰队。领主上将从中看到了希望：如果他能让哥特战斗舰队的全部力量将混沌舰队逐个击破，那他就能歼灭这些进攻者。这是个非常冒险的计谋，因为将战斗舰队全军集结，就意味着削弱护航和星系巡逻的兵力，以及减少执行反海盗任务中队的数量。在他写给霍斯特审判官的信中，瑞文斯伯格如是陈述了自己的理由：
"These are troubled times that require resolute action. If we do not act boldly and with the confidence of the Emperor we will be bled dry within ten years and we will have lost the whole sector to our enemies. Not only will a decisive blow eliminate enemy vessels, it will send a message to the Chaos fleets and the imperial forces alike - the Imperium is not going to give up without a fight."
“我们身处需要果敢行动的乱世当中。如果我们没有大胆行动，愧对了帝皇的信任，那我们在十年之内就会流干鲜血，整个星区都会落入敌人手中。那决定性的一击不仅能歼灭敌人，还能向混沌和帝国双方的舰队共同传递一条信息——人类帝国没打算不做任何抵抗便放弃。”
After numerous aborted attacks and false stans. Ravensburg saw his first real chance in mid 151.M41, when scout vessels reported a Chaos fleet moving en masse towards the GethsemaneGethsemane system. Ordering his task force to get underway with all possible speed. Ravensburg took personal command aboard the Divine Right. With seventeen capital ships (including two battleships and two battlecruisers) and twenty escorts under his command. Ravensburg pursued the enemy fleet into the Gethsemane region. Suddenly becoming aware of their plight, the Chaos forces headed out-system again to try to get far enough from Gethsemane's star to make a warp jump. Ravensburg detached the fastest vessels in his fleet to pursue and a week-long sternchase ensued. What happened next was recorded in the memoirs of Captain Blythe of the Guardian:
在经历了无数次失败的进攻与错误的开局之后，等到了151.M41中叶，瑞文斯伯格第一次看到了真正的机会——侦查舰报告称有一支混沌舰队正朝着Gethsemane星系集体进发。瑞文斯伯格命令特遣舰队全速前进，他本人也在“君权神授”号上亲自指挥。这支由十七艘主力舰（包括两艘战列舰和两艘战斗巡洋舰）和二十艘护航舰组成的编队，追踪着敌军舰队进入了Gethsemane区域。在突然意识到自己的困境后，混沌舰队再次向星系外侧进发，试图远离Gethsemane恒星以进行亚空间跳跃。瑞文斯伯格派出舰队中速度最快的飞船进行追击，双方展开了长达一周的追逐战。“守卫”号舰长贝利斯的回忆录中记载了之后发生的战况：
"As we followed the fleeing foe, signals came in warning of another enemy fleet on a closing course. We had been hued into a trap! Bolstered by a further twelve ships, the Chaos fleet turned on at and it was all we could do to evade the bulk of enemy. Even in doing so, we lost three destroyers and four frigates in a series of small skirmishes. The enemy losses totalled at least five escorts and maybe as many as ten or more. With all of our big guns in Lord Ravensburg's command, there was little to do but run. The hunters had become the hunted!"
“当我们追击逃亡的敌舰时，收到了警报信号：另一支敌方舰队正在接近。我们被骗入了陷阱中！在另外十二艘舰船的增援下，混沌舰队转身面向了我方舰队，而我们唯一能做的就只有避开敌军主力。即便如此，我们还是在一系列小规模冲突中损失了三艘驱逐舰和四艘护卫舰。而敌人损失的护航舰少则五艘，多则可能是十艘或以上。瑞文斯伯格阁下指挥所有（飞船的）大型舰炮开火齐射，敌人除了逃跑别无他法。猎人已经变为了猎物！”
Blythe and his battlegroup headed back towards the vicinity of Ravensburg's main fleet, but even with Ravensburg's capital ships, the Imperial forces were still outgunned to a srious degree. For three days the two flees tinted and dodged each other through the system, neither fleet commander prepared to commit the bulk of his ships against an enemy whose exact position was unknown. Three weeks after arriving in the system. Ravensburg's fleet and the Chaos ships clashed. Six Firestorm class frigates located the Chaos fleet near to Gethsemane II, using the cover of sveral dust clouds to avoid being detected themslves. Seizing the opportunity, the Lord Admiral moved his whole fleet in on the attack. Ravensburg's Cobra destroyers launched sveral torpedo salvoes at extreme range - although they had little hope of inflicting damage, the torpedo attacks forced the Chaos ships to alter their heading so that they were moving towards the Imperium's capital ships. Flag-Lieutenant Martyrn, aboard the Divine Right, slated the battle's events:
贝利斯和他的战斗群赶回到了瑞文斯伯格主力舰队附近，但即便是算上瑞文斯伯格麾下的主力舰们，帝国舰队在武力上也处于严重劣势。之后的三天中，两支舰队在星系中绕圈躲避，双方的舰队指挥官都不准备投入大部分舰船去对付一个确切方位未知的敌人。在抵达Gethsemane星系三周之后，瑞文斯伯格舰队与混沌舰队爆发了正面冲突。六艘火风暴级护卫舰在Gethsemane二号附近定位到了混沌舰队，后者躲藏在多团尘埃云后方，以避免自身被探测到。领主上将抓住这个机会，令舰队全军出击。瑞文斯伯格的眼镜蛇驱逐舰们在极限射程处便进行了数波鱼雷齐射——尽管这些鱼雷几乎无望造成伤害，但这次进攻迫使混沌舰队改变航向，朝着帝国主力舰队方向驶去。“君权神授”号的海军上尉参谋——马尔迪恩如是评价此次战斗：
"Forced into a head-on clash with our fleet, the Chaos vessels came off poorly in the initial exchange of fire. Salvoes of our torpedoes screamed into their fleet, some evaded, others hitting home with blossoms of explosions. With our forward shield and armoured prows, their return fire did little damage. Our escorts carefully kept the enemy herded in a compact mass as we passed through their lines. The ship shook as we fired both broadsides simultaneously. Then Lord Ravensburg gave the order and we poured a continuous fusillade into their ships. The stars were thick with the enemy, we could hardly miss at that range."
“由于被迫一头冲向我方舰队，混沌舰船在初期交火中表现不佳。我方的鱼雷齐射呼啸着冲向敌方舰队，一些飞船躲开了，其他飞船则被鱼雷正中，弹头炸开在船体上。敌军舰队开火还击，但几乎伤害不到我方舰船的前向虚空盾和装甲舰首。当我们穿过敌人的战列线时，护航队仔细地将敌方舰队围成一团。当两侧舷炮同步开火时，飞船摇晃起来。瑞文斯伯格阁下下达了命令，我们向着混沌舰队不断齐射。敌舰上有着密集的目标，而在这个范围内，我们几乎不会失手。”
The Imperial fleet tore through their adversaries, crippling four capital ships and destroying eleven escorts in the initial pass. Rather than turning to fight, which with hindsight would have given him the greater chance of victory, the Chaos Warmaster ordered his fleet to continue on their course in a bid to escape.
帝国舰队击溃了他们的对手，在初期接战中，混沌舰队就有四艘主力舰被重创击残，十一艘护航舰被摧毁。混沌战帅并未继续与帝国舰队交锋，而是命令舰队继续前进，试图逃跑——事后看来，继续作战原本能让他获得更大的取胜机会。
THE EXECUTIONERS' BLOW
处决者的进攻
It looked as if the Chaos fleet would escape justice again, as the faster renegade vessels accelerated away from Ravensburg's pursuit. Even as the enemy drew away, more drama was to occur, as this account by Captain Drew of the Fortitude shows:
随着速度更快的变节者舰船加速逃离瑞文斯伯格的追击，混沌舰队仿佛会再次逃过审判。但就在敌舰撤退的同时，更多戏剧性的事件将会发生，一如“刚毅”号舰长——德雷的报告所表述的那样：
“他们在毫无警告的情况下发起了进攻——前一分钟，屏幕上还空无一物；下一秒，那支名副其实的艾尔达无敌舰队就出现在了混沌舰队前方。我们在异形的舰船中辨认出了处决者的配色，于是都为自己的性命感到担忧。就在我们试图改变航向时，我们的恐惧变成了狂喜。艾尔达人的进攻目标并非是我们，当异形的光矛烧穿某艘混沌战列舰的船身，令装甲碎片翻滚散开，火焰顺着上层火炮甲板蔓延开时，我们的欢呼声传遍了舰桥各处——我对此记忆犹新。”
Caught between the attacking Eldar and Ravensburg's fleet, the Chaos ships were annihilated, although a dozen more of the Emperor's vessels were crippled or destroysd before victory was finally attained. Why the Eldar decided to lend their weight to the Imperial cause was never discovered, though it is a common belief that they had finally heard of Abaddon's capture of the Blackstone Fortress. and had seen an alliance as their only chance of survival.
在来袭的艾尔达舰队与瑞文斯伯格舰队的夹击下，混沌舰船被歼灭了，但在夺得最终胜利之前，仍有另外十二艘帝皇的舰船被击残或摧毁。对于艾尔达人为何要助帝国舰队一臂之力，我们不得而知，但普遍的看法是：它们最终听到了阿巴顿夺取黑石要塞的情况，并将与人类结盟视为自己存活的唯一机会。
THE TIDE TURNS
攻守之势异也
As the news of Ravensburg's great victory in the Battle of Gethsemane was spread throughout the fleet, even more promising tidings were to come. In the late months of 151.M41, the warp storms that had isolated the Gothic Sector began to abate and several ships from neighbouring battlefleets arrived to reinforce the Lord Admiral's bloodied fleets. The battle barges and strike cruisers of several Space Marine Chapters also arrived, bringing fresh, elite troops to the fighting. The Imperium's solid defence, though broken in places, had prevented the Chaos fleets from achieving swift victory, and with the help of the Eldar and ships from nearby sectors, the Emperor's servants could go on the offensive.
就在瑞文斯伯格于Gethsemane之战中取得伟大胜利的消息传遍舰队各处的同时，更具希望的消息也即将传来。在151.M41的最后几个月中，令哥特星区陷入孤立的亚空间风暴开始减弱，来自周边战斗舰队们的多艘飞船也抵达此地，前来增援领主上将的受损舰队。来自多个星际战士战团的战列母舰和打击巡洋舰也赶到，送来了新的精锐部队。尽管某些区域受到破坏，但帝国坚固的防线阻止了混沌舰队立刻取胜，而且在艾尔达人和来自周边星区的舰船帮助下，帝皇的仆人们能够发动进攻了。
THE DESTRUCTION OF TARANTIS
TARANTIS的毁灭
Just as Ravensburg had never contemplated defeat, it seems that Abaddon was equally loth to give up what he had won. With two, possibly even three, Blackstone Fortresses under his command, it was Abaddon who was the greatest threat to Imperial worlds in the Gothic Sector. Just how much of a threat was not realised until the attack on the Tarantis system. On the edges of Gothic Sector, Tarantis was a common gathering ground for ships entering or leaving the region from Tamahl Sector and so it was here that Abaddon tried to stem the flow of reinforcements coming in.
就像瑞文斯伯格从未考虑过失败那样，阿巴顿似乎也同样不愿放弃自己的胜利成果。在其手中握有两座（甚至可能是三座）黑石要塞的情况下，阿巴顿是哥特星区中帝国世界最重大的威胁。而直到Tarantis星系遭到进攻，人们才意识到这种威胁有多么严重。Tarantis位于哥特星区的边境处，是那些经由Tamahl星区进入或离开该区域的舰船的常用集结地，所以阿巴顿正是努力想要在此地阻止增援部队的涌入。
His main fleet, accompanied by all three of the missing Blackstone Fortresses, swept aside the few Imperial ships close to where it broke from the warp. Closing rapidly into the system, the cruisers and battleships of the Chaos armada punched a hole through the defenders to allow the Blackstone Fortressss to break through. Countless millions of navy personnel and Imperial Guard died, planets were destroyed and an uncountable number of innocents perished as the two mighty fleets clashed, but what happened next was to totally eclipse all the horrific events of the war so far.
连同全部三座失踪的黑石要塞，阿巴顿的主力舰队从亚空间突入现实宇宙，扫清了附近的少数帝国舰船。混沌舰队的巡洋舰和战列舰快速接近Tarantis星系，在帝国防线上撕开一道口子，放黑石要塞突入。在两只强大舰队的对决中，数百万海军官兵和帝国卫军牺牲，行星被摧毁，无数的无辜者横死于战火，但接下来发生的情况会令迄今为止战争中所有可怕的事件都黯然失色。
Combining their power together in the same fashion as at Fularis. the Blackstones unleashsd a massive energy wave into the Tarantis star. With their objective complete, the Chaos ships conducted a fighting withdrawal and then jumped into warp space once more.
就和它们在Fularis星系所做的一样，黑石要塞们将自身的能量合而为一，向Tarantis恒星释放出一道巨大的能量波。随着目标达成，混沌舰队进行了战术撤退，再次跃入了亚空间。
For a whole month. the Tarantis star raged and boiled. Tortured storms moved across its surface, its corona expanding to engulf the two nearest worlds. Any that could leave fled the system, but to evacuate the populations of three worlds was an impossible task. Four weeks after Abaddon's attack, Tarantis' star went nova, wiping out everything for many thousands of billions of miles in every direction in a storm of gas and plasma. Tarantis, a whole star system. was no more and Abaddon had the power to unleash this destruction wherever he wished.
在一整个月的时间中，Tarantis恒星都在沸腾并快速扩张，饱受折磨的太阳风从其表面掠过，日冕膨胀扩张，吞没了距离最近的两颗世界。所有能够离开的人都逃离了该星系，但疏散三颗世界的人口是一项不可能的任务。在阿巴顿的袭击过去四周后，Tarantis恒星变为了一颗新星，在一阵气体与电浆体构成的风暴中，方圆数十亿英里内的一切都被摧毁了。整个Tarantis恒星系都不复存在，阿巴顿有能力在自己想要的任何地方发动毁灭。
THE TRAP IS SPRUNG
请君入瓮
Lord Ravensburg firmly believed that Abaddon would try to capture the other three Blackstone Fortresses, but he had no idea against which of the three the Chaos Warmaster would strike next. The hunt continued for six months, with Imperial and Eldar ships patrolling through long forgotten systems in a desperate bid to find Abaddon and his horrific weapons. Then the forces opposing Chaos achieved a breakthrough — the Eldar had located Abaddon's fleet in the Lower Lysades and were able to use their sophisticated ships to trail hits through the warp.
瑞文斯伯格阁下坚定相信，阿巴顿将会极力夺取另外三座黑石要塞，但他并不知道混沌战帅的下一个进攻目标具体是哪一座。追捕行动持续了六个月，帝国和艾尔达人的飞船在那些被长久遗忘的星系中巡逻，不顾一切地寻找着阿巴顿及其恐怖的武器。之后，对抗混沌的部队取得了一项突破突破——艾尔达人在Lysades次星区定位到了阿巴顿舰队，而且它们能利用自己复杂先进的飞船，追踪着（混沌舰船的）痕迹穿越了亚空间。
From his course it was clear that the Warmaster was preparing to launch an attack on Schindlegeist, where Blackstone V floated in the depths of space. Leaving only a few vessels to deal with the other Chaos fleets, Ravensburg and the Eldar raced to reach Schindlegeist before Abaddon. Using ancient warp gates shown to them by the Eldar. the Imperial Admirals sped across the sector and arrived five days before Abaddon was due to reach the area. With a constant stream of infonnation concerning Abaddon's actions, the Imperial ships and Eldar lay in wait.
从他的航线来看，战帅正准备向Schindlegeist星系发动进攻——五号黑石要塞就漂浮在此地的太空深处。瑞文斯伯格和艾尔达人仅仅留下少量战舰用于对付其他混沌舰队，他们极速赶往Schindlegeist星系，以赶在阿巴顿之前抵达。利用艾尔达人展现给他们的古老亚空间传送门，帝国海军将领们从星区中快速穿过，比阿巴顿早五天抵达了目的地。帝国舰船和艾尔达人不断获得着关于阿巴顿行动的信息，他们设伏等待着敌人。
Outnumbered and caught by surprise, there was little the traitorous ship captains could do except die fighting. For three days the two mighty fleets battled, inflicting horrendous casualties on both sides. But for all their ferocity, the Chaos ships simply could not match the forces arranged against them. As the third day of fighting drew to its bloody conclusion. Abaddon once more broke the Blackstone Fortresses through the Imperial defence and head towards the star. Ravensburg ordered all available ships to intercept them, though he knew there was little he could do to stop the behemoths. Only the Flame of Purity was close enough to attack. but the battlecruiser's weapons had little effect against the huge stations.
几乎没有叛军舰长能预料到这次死战，他们处于数量劣势，并且惊慌失措。两支强大的舰队鏖战了三日，双方都遭受了骇人的伤亡战损。然而，尽管混沌舰队攻势极其凶猛，但他们根本无法与自己的对手相抗衡。随着第三天的战斗接近血腥的尾声，阿巴顿再次突破帝国的防线，带着两座黑石要塞冲向恒星。瑞文斯伯格命令所有可用舰船前去截击，但他也知道自己几乎阻止那两头巨兽。只有“纯洁之火”号接近到足以发动进攻，但这艘战列巡洋舰的武器几乎无法伤及巨大的空间站。
As the Fortresses built up power for their cataclysmic attack, they were again linked by powerful energy beams. Seeing only one chance. Captain Abridal ordered all power to the shields and drove the Flame of Purity into the middle of the converging energy waves. The ship was destroyed almost instantly, scattered into its constituent atoms. However, the detonation had expended the Fortresses power and, as Abridal had hoped, the Blackstone Fortresses would take some time to accumulate the energy required for another attack. Luckily, time was something that Abaddon had run out of.
随着黑石要塞为灾难性的进攻聚集起能量，强悍的能量射线再度连接成型。“纯洁之火”号的舰长——阿布里达尔看到了仅有的机会，他下令将所有能量输送到虚空盾，指挥飞船冲入了汇聚中的能量波中央。“纯洁之火”号几乎瞬间被摧毁，其被撕裂为基本原子。不过，这次爆炸也消耗了要塞的能量，就如同阿布里达尔预料的那样，黑石要塞要耗费一些时间来聚集起发动下一次进攻的能量。幸运的是，阿巴顿已经耗尽了时间。
ABADDON'S DEFEAT
阿巴顿的战败
Their power systems drained. the Blackstone Fortresses could do little. Abaddon managed to escape into the warp with two of them, after a lengthy chase to the edges of the Schindlegeist system and a jump into warp space dangerously near to the gravity well. The Imperial fleet closed in on the third, unleashing all of their weapons. although still to little effect. Finally, two strike cruisers from the Angels of Redemption Space Marine Chapter, combinsd with assault boats from the Divine Right, boarded the isolated Blackstone in an attempt to recapture it. Ensign Goldwyn was part of the Navy's boarding party and he later reported to his superiors:
黑石要塞耗尽了自身能量，它们几乎无法行动。经过一场漫长的极速航行之后，阿巴顿逃到了Schindlegeist星系的边境处，在与重力井接近到危险的区域中进行了亚空间跳跃，带着两座要塞进入了亚空间。帝国舰队接近了第三座黑石要塞，释放出全部武器的火力，也无法伤及要塞分毫。最终，救赎天使战团的两艘打击巡洋舰，与“君权神授”号派出的突击艇一道，跳帮了这座孤独的黑石要塞，试图将其夺回。海军跳帮队中的一员——恩赛因 古德温事后向上级报告称：
“We were astounded to find no crew aboard the Blackstone Fortress. There was no opposition at all to our boarding and on entering I found it entirely unrecognisable from the base where I had been trained. The walls themselves pulsed with energy. the surface of which had become a deep-veined black — totally unlike the harsh white-painted corridors and rooms I had called home for six years. There was no sign at all of the modifications made by the Tech-Priests, as if our intrusion had been totally expunged. We had been aboard for perhaps an hour when suddenly a high pitched whine filled the air and the walls became ruddy in colour. A sense of panic filled our hearts and we hurried back to the Shark(assault boats). We were just in time, as no sooner had we left than the Fortress began to break up. slowly shattering into thousands of fragments. It should have been a happy moument to see our enemy destroyed but. although I cannot say why. my heart was filled with sorrow and I could not get over the feeling that something magnificent had died."
“黑石要塞上没有任何船员，这令我们大吃一惊。我们的跳帮行动未遭到任何阻拦，一进入其中，我便发现此地与我接受训练的基地相比，已是面目全非。墙壁上涌动着能量，墙面已经变为了深黑色——完全不同于我曾在六年中视之为家园，涂着刺眼白色的那些房间和走廊们。没有任何迹象表明技术神甫们对其进行了修改，就仿佛是我们的闯入（痕迹）完全被清除了一样。在我们登舰大概一小时之后，空气中突然充满了尖锐的哀鸣声，墙壁也变得通红。我们心中满是恐慌感，匆忙撤回到鲨鱼号（突击艇）。我们的行动刚好及时，因为我们刚一离开，要塞便开始破裂解体，缓慢分裂为了数千块碎片。看到敌人被毁灭，我原本应该觉得高兴，但不知为何，我摆脱不了那种感觉：某些伟大的事物已经死去了。”
At about the same time that the recaptured Blackstone destroyed itself, the other Fortresses across the Gothic Sector also self-destructed. Nobody knows if the Fortresses under Abaddon's control destroyed themselves in a similar fashion: rumours have the Chaos Warmaster sighted both with and without the ancient engines of destruction. How or why the Blackstone Fortresses were obliterated remains a mystery, but Inquisitor Horst reportedly said to Lord Ravensburg:
就在这座被夺回的黑石要塞自我毁灭的同时，哥特星区各处的其他黑石要塞也发生了解体自毁。没人知道阿巴顿控制下的黑石要塞是否也以同样的方式自毁：目击到混沌战帅仍然拥有和已然失去那些古代毁灭引擎的谣言都存在。至于黑石要塞如何或如何被湮灭，至今仍是一个谜，但据说审判官霍斯特曾如是告知瑞文斯伯格阁下：
"Who can tell what Abaddon could have done with an six? Some things are too dangerous to be allowed to exist and someone or something decided that the Blacbtone Fortress. are amongst those things…"
“倘若阿巴顿手握六座黑石要塞，谁能搞清他会做出什么？某些事物太过于危险，以至于不能放任其存在；某些人或某些事物认定，黑石要塞们就属于此类物件…”
152-160.M41 - THE CLOSING YEARS
152-160.M41——终战
OVERWHELMING FORCES
压倒性力量
Many of the Chaos Warmasters followed Abaddon and fled back to the Eye of Terror, to nurse their hatred and bitterness until another opportunity to attack came. Four battlegroups, each consisting of several dozen capital ships and escorts, systematically engaged and destroyed many of those who remain, eradicating them each in turn. In the Port Maw sub-sector, titanic running battles between Admiral Storn's second cruiser battlegroup and the warfleet of Heinrich Bale lasted for two years, as the Chaos ships slipped from system to system, turning to fight when the odds were in their favour, fleeing before the Emperor's wrath at other times. The battle for Quinrox Sound claimed yet more lives as solitary Chaos vessels sped through the tangled debris. picking off the occasional Imperial escort or cruiser sent to hunt them down.
许多混沌战帅们都追随阿巴顿逃回了恐惧之眼，他们会让心中的仇恨与苦涩滋长，直到下一次进攻时机的到来。四支战斗群——每支都包含数十艘主力舰和护航舰——系统性地对抗并摧毁了很多留在哥特星区的敌舰，将其依次根除掉。在巨口港次星区中，海军上将斯多恩的第二巡洋舰战斗群和荷因里奇 贝尔麾下战争舰队的大规模追击战持续了两年；混沌舰队从一个星系奔往另一个星系，当状况对其有利时便与帝国海军交战，其他时候则是在帝皇怒火降临之前逃走。Quinrox Sound之战夺去了更多人的性命，混沌舰船们独自在杂乱的碎片带中急驰而过，对付着偶尔被派来追捕他们的帝国护卫舰或巡洋舰。
THE STAIN IS CLEANSED
清理污秽
Although the battles across the stars were drawing to a close, it took a further eight years to retake the worlds that had been captured by the forces of Chaos. Many of them were utterly devastated. their populations enslaved or sacrificed to the Dark Gods, the lands ravaged by war. Slowly but surely, the Imperial Guard scoured these planets of the taint of Chaos. The Missionaries and Confessors of the Ecclesiarchy set about restoring faith in the Emperor and the Inquisition hunted down those who had collaborated with the followers of the Dark Gods. However, the fight is never truly finished. There are worlds within the Graildark Nebula that still await the Emperor's fleets to free them; there are scattered Chaos ships, and even two or three fleets, that still roam the darkness between the stars of the Hammerhead Deeps and the Cyclops Cluster, waiting for their chance to strike again.
尽管星区各处的战事都接近了尾声，但光复那些被混沌势力攻占的世界们仍额外耗费了八年时间。其中有很多星球都被彻底摧毁，当地人口都遭受了奴役或被献祭给了黑暗诸神，土地也被战火蹂躏。帝国卫队缓慢但坚定地肃清了当地的混沌污秽。国教的传教士和忏悔神父们开始重塑人们对于帝皇的信仰，审判庭则追捕着那些与黑暗诸神的信徒媾合之人。然而，这场战斗永远不会真正结束；Graildark星云内部的诸世界仍在等待帝皇的舰队前去解救他们；分散的混沌舰队也仍旧存在，甚至在锤头深渊和独眼巨人星团之间的黑暗深空中，仍有两三支舰队漫游其间，等待着再次出击的机遇。
THE WOLVES SCATTER
群狼四散
As more warships of the followers of Chaos departed or were destroyed. Ravensburg ordered two of the large battlegroups to concentrate on the pirates who had grown powerful during the carnage. Like the Chaos fleets, they were each hunted down in turn, many of the bands breaking up and seeking sanctuary in forgotten star systems and in uncharted asteroid fields. The Orks of the Cyclops Cluster became the target of extensive pogroms, forced from worlds where they had enslaved millions. smashed from star systems where their crude ships had preyed upon Imperial shipping.
随着混沌信徒们的更多舰船离开或被摧毁，瑞文斯伯格命令两支大型战斗群去集中力量剿灭海盗——后者们在这场屠杀期间发展壮大了起来。就像混沌舰队那样，海盗们依次遭受了帝国海军的追捕，很多帮派都分散开，在被遗忘的星系与人迹罕至的小行星带中寻找避难所。独眼巨人星团中的兽人们也成为了海军大规模围剿的目标，它们被从数百万人受其奴役的世界上赶走，逃出了那些星系——帝国舰队在那些区域中猎捕着它们粗陋的舰船
Twenty years of war had left deep scars and it will still take centuries of blood, sweat and toil to repair the harm, both physical and spiritual, that has been wreak by Abaddon and his minions.
二十年的战争在哥特星区中留下了深深的伤痕，人们要耗费数个世纪的鲜血、汗水和辛劳才能修复这些由阿巴顿及其仆从们蹂躏而出的，物理和心理两方面的创伤。
THE REWARDS OF VICTORY
胜利的奖赏
For the imperial Navy. and Battlefleet Gothic in particular, the cost had been high, both in human life and in numbers of ships. Great sacrifices had been made and great heroes had met the challenge. Through the determination, courage and loyalty of every man in the Navy, the war had been won.
对帝国海军，尤其是哥特战斗舰队而言，这场战争代价高昂，人命和舰船的损失都极其严重。帝国付出了巨大的牺牲，伟大的英雄们直面了这场挑战。凭借海军全员的决心、勇气和忠诚，帝国赢得了这次战争的胜利。
The High Lords of Terra recognised the efforts of the entire sector fleet and the name of each crewman who served in the war. from Lord Admiral Ravensburg to the lowliest rating on the smallest merchant ship, was engraved upon a specially constructed monolith, which stands ten times the height of a man in the Chambers of Heroes in the Imperial Palace itself. Inquisitor Horst slipped away to pursue his duties elsewhere and it is rumoured that he spent the rest of his life hunting Abaddon, questing to find out what had become of the Blackstone Fortresses Abaddon may have escaped with. Of the success of his self-imposed mission, no report has ever been made and he has not been seen since the end of the Gothic War.
泰拉的高领主们认可了整支星区舰队的功绩，所有参战（帝国）船员的姓名——从领主上将瑞文斯伯格到最小型商船上最低级的海军士兵——都被铭刻在一块特别建造的巨石纪念碑上，这座石碑的高度是凡人身高的十倍，被矗立在帝国宫的群英阁内。审判官霍斯特则悄悄离开，继续前往其他区域履行自己的职责；有谣言称，他余生都去追捕阿巴顿，探索着那两座可能与阿巴顿一并逃走的黑石要塞的命运。至于他是否成功完成了这份自我强加的任务，没有任何的报告资料，而且自从哥特战争结束后，他就再未被见到过。
Through those dark times, the Gothic Sector had survived and life would eventually return to normal for the brave men of the Imperial Navy -the running battles with Eldar pirates, the constant search for traitorous smugglers,the crushing of heretics and rebels and the thousand other jobs for which Humanity owes the Imperial Navy its eternal thanks.
经历过了这段黑暗岁月，哥特星区幸存下来，帝国海军勇士们的生活最终也将回归日常——追剿艾尔达人海盗，不断搜索叛变走私犯，击溃异端分子和叛变者，以及（其他）数百项工作——人类应该永远为此而感谢帝国海军。
