本文节选自 Josh Reynolds 所著英文小说《Hunter's Snare 》，该译文作为练习仅为个人与交流使用，不用作商业用途。 

科'萨罗跳了开去，快得像猫一样。她开火了，他感到擦身而过的热流将他肩甲上红白相间的徽记擦了个一干二净，只剩下那光秃秃的、灰褐色的陶钢，他将对方撞倒在地，用尽全身的重量将利剑往下剁了过去。她拼命扭转身躯，长剑与她擦身而过，那白色的盔甲就像纸张一般被撕了开来。他抓住了她的头盔，用利爪一般的手指挖了进去，他试图毁掉她的视觉传感器，这是为了让她无法视物，从而好将其杀死。

Cat-quick, Kor’sarro leapt. She fired, and he felt heat brush past him, scouring his shoulder plate of its white and red markings, and leaving only the grey of bare ceramite as he crashed down on her, driving his sword down with all of his weight behind it. She twisted, desperate now, and the blade caressed her side, tearing through the white armour like paper. He grabbed for her helm, digging talon-like fingers into it, trying to destroy her optic sensors, to blind her for the kill.

一把利刃从她的手中飒然闪现，它看上去像是一把原始的匕首。它在他的脖子上吻了一下，划出了一条细细的血线。他们在地上扭成一团，她的双脚顶到了他的腹部，然后顺势将他蹬了开去。月牙从他的手上飞脱而出，就此滑落在地。她把剩下的那柄热熔爆能枪扔到了一边，然后把残破不堪的头盔从她的脑袋上扯了下来。从头盔下飘出了一根猩红的发辫，颜色就像乔格里斯的日落一样，还有那张蓝色的脸庞，在那脸庞上有一双巨大黑邃的眼睛正在盯着他。尽管那是异形的双眼，但他还是认出了蕴藏在这双目眸中的情感。“也许我们很像，” 他如此说道，然后拔出了他的战斗匕首，“来吧，女猎手，来剥我的头皮吧。”

A blade, a primitive looking knife, flashed, suddenly appearing in her hand. It kissed his neck, drawing a thin weal of blood. They hit the ground in a tangle, and her feet caught him in the belly, propelling him away. He lost his grip on Moonfang and slid across the ground. She tossed aside her remaining blaster and tore her crushed and mangled helmet from her head. A topknot of hair as crimson as a Chogorian sunset unspooled and snapped out as a slate-blue face, with large, dark eyes glared at him. He recognised the look in those eyes, alien as they were. ‘Maybe we are alike,’ he said, drawing his combat knife. ‘Come then, huntress. Come and take my scalp.’

随着一声怒号，她持刃在手，向他直扑而去。他们在大雪中不停的打转，彼此来回往复，相互劈砍挡格。影阳的利刃刺中了可汗的护臂，在女猎手外骨骼装甲的驱使之下，它深深地扎进了陶钢之中。而可汗的匕首在科'萨罗肌肉和动力甲的催谷下，在的影阳的盔甲上凿出了巨大的伤痕。他们飞快地旋转着，跳起了一曲致命的舞蹈，然后可汗大笑了起来，因为他乐在其中。

With a cry, she lunged for him, knife in hand. They reeled back and forth through the snow, blocking and slashing. Her blade bit into his vambraces, driven deep into the ceramite by the powered exoskeleton of her armour. His own knife gouged great scars in her armour, driven as much by his own muscle as his power armour. They whirled about one another in a deadlydance, and he laughed deep and loud and long for the pleasure of it.

他们撞在了一起，彼此刀刃相交，可汗向影阳靠了过去，开怀大笑。在她的眼中，科萨罗看到的是和他共舞的喜悦之情。我们没有什么不同，影阳，我会在它处与你再度共舞的。你是一个值得挑战的对手，他如此想到。“你（想）要我们妥首帖耳？” 他如此说道，“真是可惜。风暴是桀骜不驯的，群星之间的猎手亦无法被锁链所束缚。此处唯有猎杀，以及死亡。职责，荣耀，帝国，无论何时，这些都不过是过眼云烟。” 他如此说道。他们卯在了一起，彼此的头颅靠得是如此之近，可汗甚至能闻到她身上的汗水、看到倒映在她眼中的自己。“你知道的，我也一样，女猎手。你也感觉到它了，这就是你为什么注定会失败的原因。” 可汗如此说道，他每说一字都会向她捅上一刀。在她的目光中有一种难以形容的东西，也许决心，还略微带有一抹忧伤的色彩。欢愉之情就此退去。她迷失了自我，虽然只有短短的一瞬。尽管那仅仅只是片刻间的自由，但是能够令她如此，还是让可汗感到一阵巨大的满足。

They crashed together, blade to blade, and he leaned towards her, smiling widely. In her eyes he saw reflected the joy that he knew danced in his own. We are not so different, Shadowsun, and in other circumstances, I would dance with you again. You are a worthy challenge, he thought. ‘And you would tame us?’ he said, ‘for shame. There is no taming the storm and there is no chaining the hunters of the stars. There is only the hunt, and death. Duty, honour, empire, these are but shadows in this moment, in all moments,’ he said. They strained against one another, heads so close that he could smell her sweat, and see his face reflected in her eyes. ‘You know that, as well as I, huntress. You feel it as well, and that is why you are doomed to fail,’ he said, stabbing to the core of her with each word. There was something indefinable in her gaze – determination, perhaps, tinged with what might have been sadness. The joy had faded. She had lost herself, but only for a moment. He felt a surge of satisfaction that he had been able to give her that much, even if it had only been a single moment of freedom.

他们的匕首再度交摩撕擦。她渴望将他杀死，然后用她的利刃、用她的双手将他的心脏给挖出来。然而在今天，她是做不到的。她将他推得向后退了过去，她的装甲带着她从他身边飞快地离开。由于瞬间失去了平衡，可汗蹒跚了一下。影阳拿起了热熔爆能枪，然后转过身去，并在科'萨罗靠近之前举枪对准了他。

Their knives grated against one another. She longed to kill him, to cut his heart out with her blade and her hands. But that was not the way of it, not today. She shoved him back and withdrew, her armour carrying her speedily away from him. He stumbled momentarily off balance. She scooped up her fusion blaster and spun, levelling it at him before he could reach her.

他感到一丝伤悲，既是对她，也是对己。她是一个狡猾的家伙，她被自身所无法察觉到的锁链束缚着。总而言之，她理应痛快的死去，死的像一个战士一样。如不然，他就会死在这里，他的部下也会死去，而且他们都会死得毫无价值。

He felt a moment of sadness, both for her sake and his own. She was a cunning creature, locked in chains that she didn’t even see. She deserved a clean death, a warrior’s death, if nothing else. Instead, he would die here, and his men would die, and it would all be for nothing.