HH4节译：Manachean联邦战争(1)
The Muster of War
战争集结
The Manachean Commonwealth was an independent dominion forming its own self-governing sub-sector within the Imperium to the galactic east of the Cyclops Cluster. Considered the lynchpin of the Coronid Deeps, it was also the principal axis of Imperial power holding the northern border of the Imperium together thanks to the dual influence of two systems: Manachea itself—principally the hive world of Manachea Vysidae, which was in terms of population and industry the equal of any of the great hive worlds of the Segmenrum Solar, and Port Maw which, while still under partial construction and expansion, was one of the most powerful Imperialis Armada bases in the northern Imperium. This border sub-sector, geared as it was for war, presented a formidable obstacle to any attack contemplated against it, and few regions outside the heartlands of the Segmentum Solar could claim to be so well protected.
Manachean联邦是一片独立的统治域，他们在独眼巨人群星东部的帝国领土内形成了一个有自治权的次星区。该地区被视作王冠深渊的关键区域，也是控制住北部边境的帝国部队的关键轴心。这要归功于两个星系的双重影响：Manachea星系本身——尤其是巢都世界Manachea Vysidae，它在人口和工业方面能够匹敌太阳星域中任何伟大的巢都世界；以及巨口港——尽管依旧处于建造和拓展中，但它（已经）是帝国北部最强大的舰队基地之一。对于任何针对此地的进攻而言，这个为战争而设立的次星区都是一道可畏的障碍。除了太阳星域的核心地区之外，几乎没有哪个区域能声称自己受到如此良好的保护。
Port Maw itself was home port to a very sizable fleet, numbering some hundred and seventy capital and line vessel of the first rank, and nearly a thousand other warships of lesser degree, whose principal purposes were to patrol the nearby Segmenta within the borders the Great Crusade had established, defend its worlds from attack, maintain order and enforce the writ of Imperial law. As part of this peacekeeping force, stationed there and at secondary bastions in the Manachea and Numinal systems, were a combined army of one hundred and ninety-three Solar Auxilia Imperial Army Cohorts, forming an independent strategic command of the Excertus Imperialis under Grand Admiral Ospheus La Bray. In practical terms, this comprised notionally some 3,860,000 fully armed, equipped and disciplined fighters outfitted to the highest standards of the Imperium's human soldiery. As Solar Auxilia, they were trained and experienced both in void combat and planetary defence operations, and represented a significant military force, even when set against the threat of a Legiones Astartes attack. Besides this elite army, the Commonwealth's own emergency defence planning was predicated upon the ability to quickly raise, arm and supply tens of millions of planetary militia in extremis, and this act itself did not seriously impact upon the massive economic output of the sector―such were the immense labour reserves of Manachea Vysidae and the war materiel its wealth had allowed it to stockpile. Nor was the Commonwealth entirely without the assistance of the Legiones Astartes, albeit in very small numbers. The limited garrison the Imperial Fists had left in their bastion station of Manachea Lux since the Great Crusade had liberated the region, and staying true to their oaths, quickly subdivided itself and sent its Legionaries to act as advisors throughout the Commonwealth, lending their expertise in counter-siege to improving defensive planning and structures, but the shattered survivors that had returned from Isstvan and found their way to Manachea had neither stayed nor submitted themselves to ’merely' human authority for the main part, content to regroup and move on, rather than being tied down to the defence of worlds other than their own.
巨口港本身也是一支规模极为庞大的舰队的母港，包括大约一百七十艘第一等级的主力舰和线列舰，以及将近一千艘其他级别更低的战舰，它们的主要任务是在位于大远征已经建立的边境内部的周边节区进行巡逻，保卫节区中的世界免受进攻，以及维持当地执行和强制执行帝国的律法。作为这支维稳部队的一部分，还有一支由一百九十三个太阳军兵团组成的联合部队驻扎在巨口港以及位于Manachea和Numinal星系中的次级堡垒中，他们组成了独立的帝国辅助军战略指挥部，由奥斯菲乌斯•拉•布雷上将任总指挥。实际上，这支部队在名义上包括约3,860,000全副武装且纪律严明的战士，而且他们还使用着帝国凡人部队中最高标准的武器装备。作为太阳军，他们同时接受过虚空作战和行星防御作战的训练，而且这两种战斗形式他们都经历过；即便是在面对阿斯塔特军团的进攻威胁时，他们也是一支重要的军事力量。除了这支精锐部队，联邦自身的紧急防御计划也是基于在极端情况下快速征召、武装和补给数千万行星民兵的能力而制定的。而且该法案本身并未严重影响该星区的大规模经济产出——这是Manachea Vysidae那极其巨大的劳动力储备和财富允许其储存的战争物资。而且进攻人数非常稀少，联邦也并非是完全没有来自阿斯塔特军团的协助：自从大远征解放该地区后，帝国之拳军团就在他们位于Manachea Lux世界的堡垒太空站中留下了一支规模有限的驻军，而且星际战士们也遵守了自己的誓言，他们很快就拆分开了自己的部队，向联邦各处派遣了作为顾问的军团战士，用自己在反攻城作战方面的专业技能帮助各个世界改进防御计划和防御结构，但是那些从伊斯特万星系颠沛流离到Manachea星系的破碎残军们即没有留下来，也没有屈从于“区区”凡人们的权威，他们满足于进行重组和继续前进，而非被束缚在保护与他们旁不相干的其他世界的任务上。
The question then immediately becomes why did this vast and mobile force not come to the aid of the Cyclops Cluster when it was attacked? The answer is a simple one; it was not allowed to. The Warmaster had not allowed it. Long even before the outbreak of the war of the Heresy, along with many centres of Imperial military power not under the direct control of Horus or his agents enough to ensure loyalty, the subtle hand of the Traitor had done much to temporarily neutralise potential resistance when the hour of civil war came. So it was that at the time of the Isstvan III Atrocity, numerous elements of the Port Maw Excertus had been deployed to the very edges of their usual far-flung operational range; occupied on deep patrols, sent chasing half-unsubstantiated reports of privateer or xenos marauder activity, or even been temporarily reassigned to reinforce distant border conflicts and ongoing war zones, whether or not such reinforcements were truly warranted. Such actions the authority of the Warmaster allowed without gainsay or suspicion.
那么问题来了：为何这支庞大且具有机动性的部队并未在独眼巨人群星遭到进攻时前去支援？原因很简单：他们未被允许，战帅不允许这种情况发生。早在大叛乱爆发很久之前，许多帝国军事力量中心就未受到荷鲁斯及其代理人的直接控制，这些区域足以保持对帝皇的忠诚，所以叛徒们动用阴险狡诈的手段暂时抵消了这些地区在内战到来时的潜在抵抗力量。所以当伊斯特万三号上的暴行发生时，许多支巨口港帝国民兵分队都已经被部署到了他们通常行动范围区域的边界；他们忙于进行远程巡逻，发送追踪私掠者和异形掠夺者的未经完全证实的报告，甚至是被重新指派去增援遥远边境地带的冲突或正处于激战中的战区，无论这种增援是否真的有必要。荷鲁斯作为战帅的权力允许他做出此类行为而不受到反对和质疑。
When the rebellion became apparent, commands were changed and squadrons and cohorts recalled for a general muster at Port Maw, but this was neither a swift task, nor an easy one, and was made all the more difficult by the now-infamous upsurge in warp turbulence and storms which were to spell such disaster over the coming years as they gained in strength. By 006. M31, matters for the fragmented Port Maw Excenus became increasingly worse and where elements of the fleet had spent much of the previous several years all but chasing shadows, now the threats they faced were very real. All across the Coronid Deeps, reports of unknown warships, civil unrest, unexplained calamities, outlaw activity, and xenos privations were on the rise, and then came the messengers of the Warmaster, demanding the Dark Compliance of the Cyclops Cluster, the Grail Abyss and even Lethe on the Commonwealth's border—few doubted that such an emissary would soon arrive at Manachea as well.
当荷鲁斯公开发动叛乱时，指挥命令发生了变化，各帝国军兵团和中队被召回，他们被命令前往巨口港进行全军集结，但这项任务执行起来既不快速，也不容易，而且显著猛增亚空间乱流和亚空间风暴让情况变得更为复杂——在接下来的几年中，随着这些亚空间现象力量的增强，沉重的灾难将会被带来。到006. M31，巨口港帝国民兵四次分散的状况愈演愈烈：在之前几年的大部分时间中，巨口港舰队的各支分遣舰队几乎都在追逐影子般虚无缥缈的目标，而现在他们要面对的是极其真实的威胁。根据来自未知战舰的报告，整个王冠深渊中的内部动乱、无法解释的灾难、不法行径和异形掠袭都在激增，之后战帅派出了信使，要求独眼巨人群星、圣杯深渊、甚至还有位于联邦边境的Lethe世界进行黑暗归顺——少数人怀疑这样一位特使很快也将会造访Manachea。
Many deep range patrols sent beyond the Segmentum border simply did not return, while raiders chaotically attacking outposts perilously close to the Coronid Prohibited Zone, which even the authorities at Port Maw were forbidden to enter by ancient decree, were tentatively identified as belonging to the Rogue Trader Militant Rom Jhutlannder, whose ships had in the past served as pathfinders for the Warmaster's own great 63rd Expeditionary Fleet. But the attack when it came appeared from a most unexpected quarter, as a xenos-infested space in the region for many decades, complete with scores of heavy parasite warships in tow, arrived at the edge of the Vlorlath system, sending the Commonwealth's military scrambling to respond.
许多被派往星域边境之外的远程巡逻队（再也）未能返回，掠夺者们混乱地攻击着靠近王冠禁区的前哨——根据古老的法律，即便是巨口港当局也被禁止进入这片区域，帝国初步确定这些行动是武装行商浪人罗姆·朱特兰德尔所为，此人的舰船在过去担任过荷鲁斯本人那强大的第63远征探索舰队的寻路者。但这次进攻发生在了令人意想不到的地方——Vlorlath星系的边缘地带，此地在数十年的时间中饱受异形侵袭之苦，而当敌军飞船拖着数十艘被寄生控制的重型战舰抵达此处时，联邦军队也只得仓促应战。
The Enemy Unlooked For
未期之敌
The invading space hulk, a vast conglomeration of shattered planetary rock and ancient ship derelicts, designated Red Polyphemus in accordance with the Coda Navis, was thought drawn perhaps to the system's potent Astropathic relay station orbiting the system's seventh planet, Vlorlath Srader. Its appearance after a brief but violent storm in the Warp mere ill-fortune, but this too seems doubtful in hindsight.
这艘入侵的太空废船是由破碎的行星岩石和被废弃的古代飞船组成的巨大集合体，根据导航档案，该废船名为“赤红独目巨人号”，它被认为是由位于星系中第七颗行星——Vlorlath Srader轨道上功率强大的星语中继站吸引而来。它（似乎是）在一场短暂且猛烈的亚空间风暴后误打误撞地来到此地，但从事后来看，此事值得怀疑。
While the Orks as a galactic-scale threat within the expansive celestial territory of the Imperium had been subdued by the Great Crusade, on the outer frontier, they still remained a potent if infrequent menace, and the degenerate, half devolved breed that infested the Red Polyphemus represented the largest concentration of the brutal xenos encountered in the region for nearly thirty years. Such a dire menace required the immediate mustering and dispatch of an entire battle group from Port Maw to combat, diverting a muster of warships and cohorts intended to deal with the worsening situation in the Cyclops Cluster. By the time the Imperial fleet answered the attacks, the Vlorlath Srader Relay was already overrun, and tens of thousands of mutated Orks and gyre-worms had made planet fall on Vlorlath Srader, while the space hulk itself ploughed madly onwards, forcing the fleet into a dogged and bloody pursuit. In normal circumstances, the aid of a sizable Legiones Astartes force would have been ideally called upon to strike a death blow to the hulk, but in this darkening time, no such help was available. This left the Port Maw battlegroup the thankless and dangerous task of attempting to slowly pulverise the gargantuan Red Polyphemus with prolonged, close range bombardment, rather than board it and destroy it from within—all the time under attack by the barbaric xenos which infested it like vermin. Without the elite Solar Auxilia cohorts of the Port Maw Excertus Command, dealing with the catastrophe at Vlorlath Srader would simply have not been possible, both in terms of the counter-invasion of the system's colony worlds, and the defence of the taskforce attacking the Ork hulk, which faced continual suicide attacks and boarding assaults by the savage xenos and their crude but murderous void engines.
大远征在群星间为帝国征服了广阔领土，而欧克兽人是处于其中的一种银河规模的威胁，但在帝国的外围边境地带，欧克兽人仍是一种强悍但却并不常见的威胁，这群寄居在赤红独目巨人号废船上的堕落半开化欧克兽群，代表了该地区在近三十年来遇到的此类野蛮异形的最大规模集群。此类严重威胁要求巨口港马上集结并派遣一整个战斗群来应战，于是巨口港调动了一批本打算用于应对独眼巨人群星不断恶化局势的战舰和部队。当帝国舰队前去应战时，Vlorlath Srader轨道上的中继站已经兽潮泛滥，数以万计的变种兽人和回转虫群登陆了Vlorlath Srader，同时太空废船本身也在疯狂地向前猛冲，这迫使舰队进行了顽强而血腥的追击。在正常情况中，帝国军会恰当地呼叫一支规模庞大阿斯塔特军团部队来进行支援，对废船发出致命一击，但在这个局势不断恶化的时期，帝国军无法得到这样的帮助。这使得巨口港战斗群要执行一项费力且危险的任务：他们要试图用长时间的近距离轰炸来慢慢摧毁巨大的赤红独目巨人号，而非对其进行跳帮并从内部将其摧毁——跳帮部队将会一直受到那些像害虫一样出没于此的野蛮异形的攻击。如果没有来自巨口港帝国辅助军指挥部的精锐太阳军兵团，解决Vlorlath Srader世界上的灾难将会是不可能的任务，无论是恒星系中殖民地世界上的反入侵作战，还是保卫前去进攻兽人废船的特遣队，参战部队都要面对这些凶暴的异形与它们简陋却致命的虚空引擎接连不断的自杀式进攻和跳帮突袭。
As the campaign against the xenos dragged on into the closing days of 007.M31, the hulk finally began to fragment under the bombardment, but the victory's cost had entailed a butcher's bill in lives and ships lost increasing with every report, while word reached Port Maw and Manachea of the fate that had befallen first Lascal and then Dominica Minor offering another terrible blow to the Commonwealth's morale. The fears of the Commonwealth's defenders now had a name and a shape at last. Calls for military aid were passed to still-loyal territories to the east in the Coronid Reach一the only part of the Imperium with which contact could still be readily made and answers of grudging accord were given, worlds such as Agathon and Numinal aware that if the Commonwealth fell, they stood little chance in turn. Orders for general mobilisation were issued, the final stages of emergency plans enacted, defences on the Commonwealth's eastern border were heavily reinforced and known stable termini on warp routes to the Cyclops Cluster were aggressively laid with void mines. Given the ongoing battle in the Vlorlath system occupying a major part of the fleet's strength, the order was given that taskforces and patrols were to be recalled where possible from all other posts and ordered to rendezvous at Port Maw with the expectation of having to meet head-on what would once have been an unthinkable threat; the direct and massed attack of the Death Guard from the silence of the Cyclops Cluster.
随着对抗异形的战争持续到了007.M31，太空废船在人类舰队的轰炸下终于开始分崩离析，但胜利的代价也是惨重的——每份报告中舰船和兵力的损失都在增加，而当得知先后降临在Lascal和Dominica Minor两个世界上的命运后，联邦的士气遭到了另一次沉重打击。联邦守军们现在感受到了真切的恐惧。请求军事援助的信息被发往了王冠深渊东部那些仍旧保持着忠诚的区域——该地区是仅有的还能与联邦进行随时接触的帝国领土，而且这些地区也勉强同意出兵，诸如Agathon和Numinal等世界意识到：如果联邦沦陷，那反过来他们也几乎没有幸免于难的机会。联邦下达了总动员令，启动了应急计划的最后步骤：联邦东部边境的防御被极大地强化，通往独眼巨人群星的亚空间路线上已知的稳定终端站都被进攻性地布置了虚空水雷。考虑到Vlorlath星系里进行中的战争占用了舰队军力的主要部分，联邦下令：在可能的情况下，从其他所有哨站召回特遣部队和巡逻队，这些部队被命令在巨口港港集合，因为联邦认为他们将会与曾经不可想象的威胁正面交锋：他们认为自己会遭遇死亡守卫军团从独眼巨人群星的寂静区域发动的大规模直接进攻。
It was, unfortunately, all just as the Warmaster had planned.
很不幸，这一切恰恰是战帅计划好的。
