前文请看第一个人类帝国的毁灭。

事实上上文作为9E核心规则书所提出的内容并非都是全新的，关于黑暗科技时代人类作为之事以及一些古老fanon传言早在6E和8E相关的codex当中就已经提出了。在此进行一个原文和拙劣译文的放出，并进行对fanon和meme内容的辟谣。

Fanon1：“30k-40k人类的排外心理源于于旧夜期间背叛了人类的异形之仇恨，曾经的科技时代/黄金时代人类与异形交好。”

这个观点是错误的。事实上6E codex当中已经指出，人类从科技时代早期接触到的异形文明当中绝大多数都与人类保持着敌对态度，区别仅仅在于对方是基于与人类争夺宜居世界和珍贵资源的理性/生存需要，还是秉持更加横暴的“将人类完全消灭”之态度。

Mankind is not the only race that walk among the stars. Since they first traveled beyond their own star system, in the early days of the Age of Technology, Mankind has encountered alien races, most of which have proven hostile. While some xenos exist only on a single planet, other civilisations might occupy a star system and there are a few that are widely spread across the great void of the galaxy. It has never been in Man's nature to share his worlds with aliens, and bloodshed has ever formed the foundation of empire. Sometimes, humans and aliens are forced to fight over inhabitable planets or vital resources at other times, humans must do battle with the most dangerous types of xenos, whose only aim is to eradicate humanity wherever their paths cross.

人类并非唯一行走于群星之间的物种，从科技时代早期他们首次抵达自己的恒星系以外以来，人类已经遇到了许多外星物种，绝大多数都被证明怀揣敌意。虽然一些异形仅仅在单独的世界上存在，其他文明可能已经占据了一整个恒星系，还有一些在银河系的巨大虚空当中广泛分布。与外星人分享他的世界从来就不是人类的天性，而血腥的杀戮是帝国建立的根基。有些时候，人类与外星人被迫为了争夺宜居世界或重要资源而彼此征战，而其他时候人类必须与最危险的异形种族交战，后者的唯一目的便是将所到之处的人类完全消灭。

- Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Core Rulebook Page 196

 但是同样要注意到，科技时代人类同样并不是什么良善之辈。黑暗科技时代人类诸帝国（Empire，而非后世的人类帝国Imperium of Man）同样建立在基于血腥横暴的基础之上，对异形秉持着清理和灭绝的态度与手段，可见下文当中便是一个抵抗人类殖民其世界的异形种族遭到完全消灭的故事。

Discovered in the early years of the Age of Technology, Alpha Shalish was originally known as the crimson planet, for it glowed a deep red hue when glimpsed from orbit. Warmed by the energies of two suns, the planet was verdant, rich in both flora and fauna. The pioneers who named Alpha Shalish and marked it for prime conquest did not need to employ any of the atmosphere-fixing wonders invented at that time - neither the oxy-converter, self-sustaining hab-domes, nor ion discharging reactors. There was strong resistance to human colonisation, however, by a xenos species whose very type has been lost over the years. Early resistance was rectified by planet scorching - a slash and burn bombardment that, a decade later when the colonists arrived,left an unpopulated world, ripe for cultivation. The new settlers found ancient xenos ruins predating their arrival by many thousands of years, but these were dozed over and buried beneath their new endeavours.

Alpha Shalish被发现于科技时代的早期，最初被称为深红之星，因为在轨道上它呈现出深红的色泽。这个被两颗太阳照耀的世界郁郁葱葱，动植物都很丰富。命名Alpha Shalish并将其作为主要征服而标记的先驱们并不需要使用当时发明的任何固定大气的奇迹——无论是oxy-converter, self-sustaining hab-domes, 还是ion discharging reactors。然而，一种具体类型久已消亡的异形种族强烈抵抗着人类的殖民。早期的抵抗被一场对行星进行的猛烈轰炸所铲除，十年以后到达此地的殖民者们发现了一个适于耕种的无人星球。新的定居者发现了比他们到来早几千年的古代异形废墟，但是这些遗迹被他们竭力抹去和掩埋了。

- Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Core Rulebook Page 199

 黑暗科技时代的人类对异形秉持敌意接触态度，正如同绝大多数异形文明也对人类如此一般。这一时代的人类诸帝国既非Fanon当中所描绘的璀璨开明文明，也非与异形和睦友善的包容联邦。他们只是这片银河当中以血腥和横暴维系统治的无数种族之一。

Fanon2：“曾经的科技时代/黄金时代人类的科技树比帝国时代更加符合现代人类的审美，更加贴近传统黄金时代科幻。”

这个观点也是错误的。8E禁军codex当中描绘了黑暗科技时代的人类大扩张以及其终结的缘由。无所顾忌的科学家君王与科技煽动家毫无顾忌地挥洒着操控人类基因的创造力，他们打造出各色各样的基因造物（其中绝大多数在后世被称为“旧夜基因恐怖”，见黑皮书HH7），并最终因为其狂傲而招致了自身的末日。基因战争，人类当中灵能者的大规模出现和黑暗科技时代末期的亚空间风暴合基本处于同一时期的铁人叛乱把当时的银河化作了世界末日一般的战场。引发这一切灾难的科技以任何角度上来说都不能被称为是理智和更加符合现代审美的。

Thinking machines and the development of ever more esoteric weapons and transportation technologies played their part, but the single greatest factor to drive this expansion was the ability – and the reckless will – to manipulate human genetics. Utterly certain of their own primacy, scientist-kings and techno-demagogues followed every strand of curiosity and exercised powers of creation that made them seem like gods. Ultimately, their hubris led them to catastrophe, and onwards to the very brink of extinction. Worlds were overrun by bloody uprisings within their own populations, much of which were mutated beyond sanity and recognition. Gene-wars consumed entire star systems, while a psychic apocalypse drowned the stars in fire. The vast empire of Humanity was shattered amidst horror and anarchy, and the oppressive shroud of Old Night settled over all.

思维机器与愈发深奥的武器及运输技术的发展发挥了作用，但推动这一扩张的最大因素是操纵人类基因的能力——以及无所顾忌的意志。科学家君王与科技煽动家全然确信自己的至高无上，他们顺着自己的心血来潮行使着让他们如同神一般的创造力量。最终，他们的狂傲令其走向灾难和毁灭的边缘。世界们被其自身的人口中发生的血腥暴动所淹没，其中绝大多数人都已经变异得超出了理智和认知的范畴。基因战争吞噬了整个星系，而一场灵能天灾将群星淹没在烈焰之中。庞大的人类帝国在恐怖和无政府状态之中被粉碎，旧夜的压迫笼罩着一切。

-Custodes Codex (8th Edition) Page 8

而泰拉作为人类的发源地，同样也遭受了最为可怕的灾难。这些科技并非导致了仅仅一次末日场景的到来——即使是那些在灾变当中幸存下来的遗留，在技术蛮人手中也险些让人类的家园世界陷入第二次末日。

At the heart of this galactic disaster lay Terra, transformed from a glittering jewel to an apocalyptic hellscape by forbidden weapons and biological atrocities. Yet though its people fell into darkness and ignorance, many of the technologies that had led them to ruin survived, sealed away in hidden bunkers and biomantic crypts. Sure enough, as Humanity clawed its way back from the brink beneath the lashes of cruel warlords, so those self-appointed rulers discovered the weapons of old and tried once again to turn them upon one another. Terra faced the threat of a second apocalypse as gene-bred barbarians and ghastly fleshstitched ghouls made war at the behest of madmen, fanatics and techno-cannibalistic murderers.

泰拉是这场银河级灾难的中心，它由禁忌武器和生物灾难从一颗闪亮的宝石转变成了地狱般的天启景象。但尽管它的人民已经堕入黑暗与无知，许多曾导致他们毁灭的科技幸存下来，密封在隐藏的掩体和地穴之中。果不其然，当人类在残酷军阀的鞭笞下从悬崖边爬回来的时候，那些自封的统治者们发现了古老的武器，并再次试图用它们来攻击彼此。泰拉面临着二度末日的威胁，因为基因繁生的蛮族与可怕的血肉食尸鬼在疯子、狂人和同类相食的科技杀人狂的命令下发动了战争。

-Custodes Codex (8th Edition) Page 8

总结：黑暗科技时代的人类既不能被称为理智，也称不上是开明。相反，他们是这个黑暗残酷宇宙当中秉持横暴手段的文明之一——正如同这个宇宙当中其他一贯以横暴行事的异形文明一样。他们制造破坏和毁灭的能力搭配上其无所顾忌的野心、自视为神明的狂傲，曾一度将整个银河没入血泊当中，其规模（虽然意义之深远不及）根据HH广播剧的回忆，足以令战帅的叛乱为之汗颜。这样的文明无论如何也不能被视作是一个“理智”“开明”的“黄金时代”。

引文来源：

- Warhammer 40,000 6th Edition Core Rulebook

-Custodes Codex (8th Edition) Page 8