Hh3节译：帕拉玛五号攻防战（1）

Paramar: System, Pharaeon and Nexus 

帕拉玛：星系、宝冠站和枢纽站

Comprising an unusual trinary star system, Paramar has the particular advantages of possessing vast (if difficult to access) mineral wealth amid its thirty-seven recorded main satellites, and being located in an unusually stable Warp-synchronous location in space. Identified and entered into the Carta Imperialis by the Rogue Trader Hel DeAniasie in 803.M30, it quickly became a way point for the Imperiums expansion. What was originally little more than a navigational marker would grow over time into first a largely automated Mechanicum outpost and finally, as the Great Crusade moved into the Segmentum Obscurus, was further developed into a major supply base and fuelling station for the Imperial Expeditionary fleets. With no native population extant, and colonisation by normal means of the system's handful of habitable and semi-habitable worlds rendered undesirable by the prevalence of intermittently hazardous conditions from the fury of Paramar's three stars, it remained a strictly military possession, rather than becoming a governed system of the Imperium in its own right. Military penal colonies were established on Paramar VIII and XIX, with subsurface prison-hives constructed for the workers, while a minor moon of the gas giant Paramar XXI was converted to a fully independent station and fleet anchorage of the Armada Imperialis. Known as the Pharaeon of Paramar, this station importantly housed the largest Astrotelepathic Choir of the northern Segmentum Solar and formed a vital hub for communications between Terra and the Segmentum Obscurus. It was further protected by a cordon of depended gunbastions orbiting in the near-void around the Pharaeon which carried the combined firepower of an entire naval battle group, making it all but unassailable to assault.

帕拉玛星系是一个不同寻常的三恒星星系，其记录在案的37颗主要卫星上有着数量庞大的矿产资源（尽管难以获取），这是该星系的独特优势；而且此地位于太空中某个异常稳定的亚空间同步位置。行商浪人赫尔 迪阿尼亚西于803.M30确认了帕拉玛星系并将之纳入到帝国航海图中，此地很快成为了帝国扩张的中途港。帕拉玛星系最初不过是一个导航标记点，但随着时间流逝，它首先会成长为一座高度自动化的机械神教哨站，之后随着大远征进入朦胧星域，它最终会发展为帝国远征探索舰队的主要补给基地和燃料站。帕拉玛星系并不存在原住民，帝国以常规方式殖民了该星系的少数宜居和半宜居世界——由于帕拉玛三颗恒星的怒火造成了间歇性危险环境，在此地进行殖民并不被看好。帝国对帕拉玛星系进行的是严格的军事占有，而非令其受总督政府统治的星系。帕拉玛八号和十九号上被建立了军事刑罚殖民地，并为工人们建立了地下监牢巢城，同时气体巨星帕拉玛二十一号的次卫星被改造成了完全独立的空间站兼帝国舰队的锚地。这座空间站被称为帕拉玛宝冠站，它的地理位置重要，太阳星域北侧规模最大的星域唱诗班就位于此处，并且形成了泰拉与朦胧星域之间的一个重要通讯枢纽。一道由火炮要塞组成的封锁线环绕在宝冠站附近的虚空中，为其提供进一步保护，这道封锁线拥有着一个完整海军战斗群的综合火力，这令空间站近乎无懈可击。

Of equal, if not greater, strategic value to the Great Crusade was Paramar V. An anomalous planet, whose structure has suggested to some artificial engineering in its composition sometime in the unknown and distant past, Paramar V had clearly once been a fully life-sustaining world whose topology bore clear signs of having been covered in oceans, and whose vast untapped geological reserves of hydrocarbons indicate that it once was home to a plethora of life. Reduced for millennia to an arid, radiation- swept wasteland scoured by solar winds, with a thin oxygen atmosphere breathable only with artificial aid and wildly differing temperature extremes during its slow day/ night cycle, Para mar V nevertheless was a perfect choice to use as a military cache and supply base. This was principally as promethium could be refined there in vast quantities and the dead world's extensive cave systems could be readily transformed into armoured sub-surface bunkers for secure storage of arms and munitions running into a multi-gigaton capacity.

对大远征（部队）而言，帕拉玛五号也有着至少同等的战略价值。这颗反常行星的结构表明其在遥远过去的某个未知时期受到过人为工程改造，帕拉玛五号明显曾是一个完全能够维持生命活动的世界，其地质构造明显存在被海洋覆盖过的迹象，大量未被开发的碳氢化合物地质储量表明这里曾是大量生物的家园。在几千年的时间里，它被太阳风冲刷成辐射肆虐的干旱荒原；这里的大气层稀薄，只有在人工装备辅助下才能呼吸，而且在缓慢的昼夜循环中，温度有着极端的变化，所以帕拉玛五号无论如何都是用作军事储存库和补给基地的完美选择，主要原因是钷素能在这里被大量精炼，而且死亡世界广阔的洞穴系统可以被很容易地转变成地下装甲掩体，用于保存多达数十亿吨的武器和弹药。

Given into the satrapy of the Mechanicum to administer,Paramar V's investment was done with great dispatch, with overall control of the planet being centralised from a primary star port terminus near its southern polar region, designated as the Paramar Nexus. Paramar V and its facilities were later granted, in particular, as a vassal domain of the distant Forge World of Gryphonne IV by the word of the Emperor as part of the rewards made to the Forge Lords of Gryphonne for their great service and sacrifices during the Crisis of the Hungering Gyre in 891.M30. As well as serving to add greatly to the prestige and power of Gryphonne IV and its Magos 一a factor known to have caused some acrimony with Mars— Paramar V's defences gained further from this union, becoming a sub-bastion and outer forge of the Legio Gryphonicus, further adding to its importance and breadth of facilities. By the outbreak of the Heresy, Para mar was a strategic locale the Warmaster could not readily choose to ignore, but one circumstance and the tide of the Great Crusade had put outside of his sphere of influence.

在成为机械神教管理的总督辖地后，帕拉玛五号的投资建设被快速完成。星球的总体控制权集中在南极地区附近的一座主要星港终端站——该星港被命名为帕拉玛枢纽站。在帝皇的旨意下，帕拉玛五号和星球上的设施将会在之后被作为附庸封地赐给遥远的铸造世界格里芬四号，这是对于格里芬铸造领主们在891.M30饥渴涡流危机中的卓越服务和牺牲的部分奖励。这一举措大大增强了格里芬四号与该地贤者们的威望和力量（已知这个因素造成了火星的某些尖刻回应），帕拉玛五号的防御也在这次联合中被进一步增强——该世界成为了战争狮鹫泰坦军团的次级要塞和外部铸炉，当地设施的重要性和广泛性进一步增加。等到大叛乱爆发时，帕拉玛成为了战帅不能选择轻易忽视掉的战略地点，但某一事件和大远征的战争波潮已经超出了他的影响范围。

The Traitors' Die is Cast

叛徒必死

It cannot now be known whether the plan to invade Paramar was hatched long before the attempted purging of the Traitor Legions' ranks on Isstvan III, or if it came later as a result of the Warmaster's rapidly shifting plans following the uncovering of his treachery and the resultant slaughter of the Dropsite Massacre, although the latter is more likely. It speaks to the genius in strategic planning that was one of the key factors in Horus' elevation to Warmaster that the Traitors were able to re-spin their plans for war so quickly once their ruse at Isstvan III had been exposed. Greatest of these reformulated plans was the deadly trap at Isstvan V, but allied to this were a thousand other smaller attacks, misdirections, raids and usurpations which spread like wildfire across the Imperium, throwing all into confusion and the chaos of civil war. Many of these attacks can be categorised as attempts to seize control of vital strategic assets before the Imperium realised the true danger and scope of the war that was unfolding, and the invasion of Paramar can be seen to epitomise this tactic. For the Warmaster, Paramar was a prize to be taken whole, not savaged or destroyed, and quickly, for its potential use as a stepping stone on the way to Terra was extremely valuable to his cause.

至于入侵帕拉玛星系的计划是早在叛军军团内部肃清很久之前就已被制定出的，还是战帅在其背叛行为与随之而来的登陆点大屠杀后迅速改变计划所造成的结果，我们不得而知，不过后者更具可能性。这证明了荷鲁斯在战略计划方面的天才——这份才能也是他被选为战帅的关键原因之一，而他们在伊斯特万三号上的诡计一经暴露，叛军们便极其快速地重新制定了战争计划。伊斯特万五号上的致命陷阱是这些重新制定的计划中最为重要的，但还有一千场更小规模的其他进攻、误导、掠袭和篡夺行动与之策应，这些行动如同野火般在帝国各处散播开，将一切都卷入困惑和内战的混乱中。这些进攻行动中有很多都可以被归类为要在帝国意识到这场展开中的战争的真正危机和规模之前试图夺取重要战略资产控制权的行为，而帕拉玛入侵行动可以被视作此类战术的代表。对战帅而言，帕拉玛是一份要被完整夺取的战利品，不得被严重破坏或毁灭，而且要尽快拿下，因为该世界作为前往泰拉道路上垫脚石的潜在用途对他的事业极具价值。

This in itself can be seen in retrospect to have posed a quandary; what forces to assign to the invasion? The need for speed and a controlled attack with potentially overwhelming force, set against the Warmasters desire not to expend the host at his command needlessly in besieging worlds which were already heavily fortified and on the alert against attack, nor moving too quickly with his main strength against the Segmentum Solar. It should be remembered that in this time of genesis, for the great conflict to come much was uncertain and untested for both sides in the civil war, not least of all the loyalties of those who had rallied to the banners of Traitor or Loyalist, and so caution yet may have reigned paramount in Horus' mind. Paramar was a dangerous target, defended heavily by both the Armada Imperialis and the Mechanicum, and to send too minor a force would be to court disaster, while to strike with the full weight of the Traitors' power would risk committing to full scale engagement with the forces of the Segmentum Solar if matters went awry or a shock assault transformed into a protracted siege. With customary dispatch and conviction, Horus made his decision; the taking of Paramar would fall to the Alpha Legion.

回过头来看，这本身就造成了一个两难问题：派遣哪支部队去执行入侵任务？此次行动需要一次迅速且倚靠潜在压倒性力量来进行的可控进攻，但这与战帅的想法是对立的：荷鲁斯不愿在围攻那些已经防御森严且拉响攻击警报的世界的过程中不必要地消耗麾下兵力，也不想让自己的主力部队移动过快，与太阳星域（中的帝国部队）发生对抗。我们应该记住：在大叛乱初始阶段与这场重大冲突即将到来之前，对内战中的双方来说，还有很多事情都是不确定且未经检验的，尤其是那些聚集在忠诚派或叛军旗帜下的部队的忠诚性，所以谨慎可能在荷鲁斯心中占据了至高无上的地位。帕拉玛是个危险的目标，它受到了帝国海军与机械神教的严密把守，派遣规模过小的部队会造成一场灾难，但让叛军用全部力量出击也存在风险：如果战事出现偏差，或者突袭行动演变为一场旷日持久的攻城战的话，战帅的部队就会与太阳星域中的（帝国）部队进行全面交战。荷鲁斯（最终）以惯常的迅捷和坚定做出了决定：攻取帕拉玛星系的任务落到了阿尔法军团肩上。

The Coils of the Hydra

九头蛇的盘绕

Of all the weapons in the Warmasters arsenal, none were more obviously suited to the invasion of Paramar than the Alpha Legion. The task required a degree of subtlety and control that few of the Legions that had sided with Horus could readily muster, save his own Sons of Horus perhaps—certainly not Angrons savages or Cutze's flock of murderers. Perhaps Fulgrims vaunted warriors would have once fitted the bill, but already stark and terrible changes were befalling the IIIrd Legion that were rendering them quixotic and alien to what had come before. It has been suggested, also by some apocryphal sources, including testimony gathered from the supposition of others within the Traitors faction, that there was another motive for the Warmasters selection of the Alpha Legion alone of his Space Marine forces for this task. That reason was as a demonstration of their loyalty and as an overt blooding of their hands in his cause. It has been noted in diverse sources and conjectures that of all those who cast their lot in with the Warmaster, the motivations and fealty of Alpharius and his Legion were, from the beginning, the most uncertain and the most obscure. Although it is indicated in many extant sources from the late Great Crusade era that Horus maintained perhaps the best relationship with the sinister and mysterious Primarch of the Alpha Legion, it was true that even here there was little true trust or fellowship between them. In short, no-one trusted the Alpha Legion, not even the Warmaster who had wielded them often as a weapon in the final campaigns of the Great Crusade and knew their uses well. It is also the case that many believe the Alpha Legions involvement in the Dropsite Massacre to have been —if not guarded— then certainly on their own terms, and their commitment to the attack limited to victims purely of their own choosing, and seldom at risk to themselves. At Para mar, the Alpha Legion would have to prove their commitment to Horus, not simply with the blood of his enemies but, inevitably, with blood of their own.

在战帅武库内的所有武器中，阿尔法军团明显最为适合执行帕拉玛入侵任务。这项任务需要一定程度的敏锐和控制力，而站在荷鲁斯派系的军团很少有能轻易做到的，或许他自己的荷鲁斯之子除外——安格隆的凶残暴徒和科兹麾下成群的谋杀犯确乎是不行的。也许福格瑞姆麾下那些被夸耀的战士们曾经符合要求，但可怕且明显的变化已经降临到了第三军团中，他们在变得不切实际，与往昔的自我格格不入。某些不可靠的资料（其中也包括从荷鲁斯派系中其他人的推测中收集出的证词）表明：战帅从自己的星际战士部队中单独挑出阿尔法军团来执行此次任务还有另一个动机——荷鲁斯要第二十军团证明自己的忠诚性，并要让他们用鲜血公开为叛军的事业纳下投名状。各种资料和推测都指出：从最开始，在所有投奔荷鲁斯的人中，阿尔法瑞斯的动机与忠诚就是最不确定也最模糊的。虽然很多现存的大远征末期资料都表明：阿尔法军团那位险恶且神秘的原体与荷鲁斯之间维持着或许最为良好的关系，但即便如此，二者之间也几乎没有真正的信任或友谊可言——这也是一项事实。简言之，没人信任阿尔法军团，哪怕战帅也是如此——虽然荷鲁斯经常在大远征的最后战役中将他们用作武器，而且也颇为了解他们的用处。同样，有很多人相信阿尔法军团也肯定是按自己的主张参与登陆点大屠杀（如果没被监视的话），他们只进攻自己选定的受害者，而且很少让自己冒风险。阿尔法军团将不得不在帕拉玛星系证明自己对于荷鲁斯的承诺，他们要拿出的凭证不仅要有敌人的鲜血，也不可避免地要有自己的鲜血。

It is not known with what grace or eagerness Alpharius and his Legion received their orders to take Paramar, but the serpent-sly Primarch no doubt well knew their import, the risks of the deadly mission and Horus' motives in selecting the Alpha Legion for the task. Even as the last Loyalist ships were fighting desperately for their survival in the wreckage-strewn void around Isstvan V and fires still raged on the blasted dropsite below;the azure and smoke-hulled warships of the Alpha Legion began to depart the system in large numbers, leaving only a token force to bear witness to the triumph of the Warmaster in the Dropsite Massacre's aftermath. While numerous vessels departed alone on missions unknown and inscrutable, some to raise havoc on far flung worlds, others to carry discord and falsehood to far corners of the Imperium, a powerful core of warships, perhaps fully a half of the Alpha Legions fleet made speed for Paramar. Following in their wake came a second armada of Mechanicum barques and mass-arks drawn from forces loyal to the Warmaster.

我们不知道阿尔法瑞斯和他的军团是如何优雅且热切地领受了夺取帕拉玛星系的命令，但那位让长蛇般狡诈的原体无疑是很明白其中含义的，他也很清楚这次致命任务的风险与荷鲁斯选派阿尔法军团执行此次任务的意图。在伊斯特万五号周围布满残骸的虚空中，最后的忠诚派舰船仍在为了自己的生存而绝望奋战，战火也仍在下方被炸毁的登陆场上肆虐；但那些船体弥漫着烟雾的碧蓝色阿尔法军团战舰开始大量离开伊斯特万星系，只留下象征性的部队来见证战帅于登陆点大屠杀之后取得的胜利。同时也有众多舰船独自动身前去执行未知且难以捉摸的任务，某些是去偏远的世界上引发浩劫，其他的则是把不和与谎言带往帝国的遥远角落。而一支或许包含了阿尔法军团舰队中半数舰船的强大核心舰队也加速赶往帕拉玛星系。它们身后还跟随着第二支舰队，其中的舰船都是从那些忠于战帅的部队中抽调出的机械神教巨舰和大型方舟舰。