本文节选自 Darius Hinks 所著英文背景书《Liber Xenologis》，该译文作为练习仅为个人与交流使用，不用作商业用途。

致命的器具

【资料图】

Instrumenta Letalis

在帝国内部，（任何）超出目前受到神皇认可的技术进步，我们都会对其持谨慎态度，（这么做）是正确的。历史向我们展示了一个痴迷于科技奇迹的种族会遇到什么样的下场。在军务部和机械神教的协助下，我们已经学会了要对先祖的造物抱有适当的尊重与敬畏。他们不计后果地突破了科学的界限。从短期来看，他们取得的进步让帝国如芒在背，但从长远来看，一个种族若是沉溺在不受约束的进步之中，那么它注定是要灭亡的。

Within the lmperium we are, rightfully, cautious of advancing our techology beyond its current, Emperor-sanctified status. History shows us all too well what can befall a species that becomes enamoured of technological marvels. Through the auspices of the Adeptus Ministorum and the Adeptus Mechanicus we have learned the appropriate level of awe and respect for the creations of our forebears. The lesser races are not so enlightened. They push scientific boundaries with no consideration of the consequences. In the short term, they make advances that can be a thorn in the Imperium's side, but in the long term, a race that indulges in unfettered advancement is doomed to extinction. 

就像它们的攻击形态方式一样，对于这些量产武器所产生的威胁，我们必须认真对待，并尽可能地将其编纂成册。下面的描述都是从我自己的笔记里摘选出来的。虽然细节很难考证，但我已经对主要的危险之处进行了概述。

As with their morphological methods of attack, we must take seriously the threat from these manufactured weapons and codify them to the best of our ability. The following descriptions are all culled from my own notes. Details are hard to confirm, but I have tried to give an overview of the chief dangers.

绿皮/Greenskins

兽人的武器是一团乱七八糟、应急拼凑而成的破烂。它们一直都是用绿皮从敌人那里搜刮过来的零件组成的，其最令人印象深刻的是，这些玩意居然还能管用。任何神智健全的种族都会对使用这种不可靠的武器产生怯意，因为它们会把目标连同持用者一起干掉。然而兽人压根就不关心自身的安危。确切地说，它们似乎能从自己攻击的不确定性中获得乐趣。他们的主要目标是制造尽可能多的混乱与破坏。因此，他们倾向于使用射弹武器、火箭发射器、火焰喷射器、爆炸物或者任何在攒起来之后还能存放到久的足以产生轰然巨响的的东西。他们几乎可以用任何东西造出致命的武器，而且偏好野蛮之行而非精妙之举——兽人很喜欢直面全副武装的敌人，而他们手里的家伙不过是一柄简单到无以复加的、由破铜烂铁锤出来的切肉刀。只要那玩意足够吵闹，而且还能整出一大堆事端来，那么兽人就会欢天喜地的把它拿来使唤。奇怪的是，他们之所以很难被打败，正是因为其对战术的漠不关心。一个人要怎么才能智取一个连计划都没有的对手呢？

Ork weapons are a shambolic, jury-rigged mess. They invariably consist of parts salvaged from the greenskins' enemies, and the most impressive thing about them is that they work at all. Any sane species would be afraid to use such unreliable weapons as they are just as likely to kill the wielder as the target. The orks show absolutely no regard for their own safety, however. In fact, they seem to relish the unpredictable nature of their own attacks. Their main objective seems to be to create as much chaos and destruction as possible. As a result, they tend to employ projectile weapons, rocket launchers, flamers, explosives or whatever they can keep together long enough to create a big enough bang. They can construct lethal weapons from almost anything, favouring brutality over subtlety -they will happily face heavily armoured foes with nothing more complex than a meat cleaver hammered from a shard of broken metal. As long as it is noisy and makes an impressive mess, the orks will be happy to use it. Strangely, it is their lack of concern for tactics that makes them so hard to defeat. How does one outwit an opponent that has no plan?

暗都灵族/Drukhari

和这个种族的其它方方面面一样，驱使暗都灵族的贪婪以及对虐待的痴狂阻碍了他们的武器功效。暗都灵族并没有把自己的武器设计成最具效率的杀戮机器，而是将它们用来最大化地制造折磨和延长痛苦。他们喜欢用带有倒钩的鞭子、链枷和掺有毒素的利刃去刺穿肌肉与神经，以此作为引发疼痛的良方。暗都灵族似乎把战争当成了一种有悖常理的娱乐活动，而其创造出来的武器则成为了他们怪诞表演的道具。

As with every other aspect of this race, the efficacy of the Drukhari's weaponry is hindered by the rapacious, sadistic obsessions that drive them. Rather than designing their weapons to be the most effective killing machines possible, the drukhari have designed them to maximise suffering and prolong agony. They delight in barbed whips, flails and toxin-laced blades that pierce muscles and nerves as a way to elicit pain. The drukhari seem to treat war as a form of perverse entertainment and their weapons have been created to work as props in their grotesque performances.

方舟灵族/Asuryani

方舟灵族使用的武器全都是精心打造的美丽艺术品。它们精美、优雅，而且效果惊人。他们的许多远程武器发射的是一种看上去很小的带刃圆碟。这些投射物可以击穿多种形式的装甲，而且武器的准头极佳，即使它们的攻击速度足以令人头晕目眩，方舟灵族可以轻而易举地瞄准弱点所在。

The asuryani employ weapons that are crafted with all the skill and artisanship of beautiful works of art. They are elegant, refined and shockingly effective. Many of their ranged weapons fire what look to be tiny bladed discs. These projectiles can piece many forms of armour, and the weapons are so accurate that the asuryani can easily target weak points, despite the dizzying speed of their attacks.

方舟灵族灵族也会使用利刃武器，我曾经在战斗中见过它们，并发现这些兵刃古怪至极。我觉得自己是一名技艺精湛的剑客，但是方舟灵族使用的兵刃似乎能够引导持用者找到对手的弱点，就像捕食者能够嗅出伤口一样。依照他们的习惯，方舟灵族拥有许多与之相关的传说，它们复杂而又神秘，（传说）声称这种兵刃在某种程度上被鬼魂凭依了。虽然我还没有弄清楚科学的解释究竟是什么，但无论原因为何，装备有这些武器的方舟灵族都会成为可怕的敌手。

Asuryani also use bladed weapons and, having faced them in battle, I have found them to be most peculiar. I consider myself a swordman of considerable skill, but the blades used by asuryani seem to guide the wielder to an opponent's weak spot, much as a predator might sniff out a wound.  As is their wont, the aeldari have many elaborate, mystical tales regarding this, claimmg that such blades are haunted in some way. What the scientific explanation is I have yet to ascertain, but whatever the reason, asuryani armed with these weapons make for fearsome opponents.

异形武器的使用/Use of xenos weapons

关于异形技术的使用，各个学派看法各异。偏向纯净派的那一系把异形技术的使用斥为异端之举，而其它派别则指出，我们应该拿着最好的武器去降敌荡寇。我在实用主义上犯了过错。在泽尔坎攻城战中，我发现自己手无寸铁，而且还受到了攻击，于是我抓起了我可以够着的第一把武器，而那碰巧是一把暗都灵族的手枪。这是一个奇迹，从那以后我就一直带着它。它会利用某种磁性脉冲将含有神经毒素的碎片以极快的速度发射出去。这东西准的无以复加，而且从来都不会卡壳或者过热。另外，就像绝大多数的艾达灵族武器一样，它轻的不可思议——（这）大概是为了不妨碍他们那令人印象深刻的战地杂技。

There are differing schools of thought regarding the use of alien technology. The more puritanical decry the use of xenotech as heresy, while others point out that we should use the best weapons at our disposal to defeat our foe. I have erred on the side of pragmatism. When I found myself unarmed and under attack during the Siege of Zircan, I grabbed the first weapon I could reach, which happened to be a drukhari pistol. It is a marvel and I have carried it ever since. It uses some kind of magnetic impulse to fire shards of neurotoxin at immense speeds. The thing is flawlessly accurate and never jams or overheats. Also, like most aeldari weaponry, it is incredibly light - presumably so as not to hinder their impressive battlefield acrobatics.

钛族的武器

灵能者被一发激光弹、一股等离子流和一枚脉冲弹同时打了个正着：（其分别是）主心脏、副心脏和头部。激光弹未能击穿，等离子流烧穿了装甲的外层，然而没能伤到位于其下的肉体，不过脉冲弹完美地命中了目标，它击穿了术士的左眼，对方倒地身亡。

A lasgun shot, plasma stream and pulse round hit the psyker simultaneously: primary heart, secondary heart and head. The lasgun shot failed to penetrate, the plasma stream burned through the outer layers of armour, but did not damage the flesh much beneath, but the pulse round was perfectly placed, taking the sorcerer through the left eye, and he fell dead. 

“罗斯托夫的异形。” 梅西纽斯如此说道。在他身后，审判官的手下正在快速前进着，他们蹲身趋行，在恶魔与强化人类的战场上显得如此脆弱。他很少有见过这么勇敢的人，而且他们都很致命。

'Rostov's xenos,' Messinius said. The inquisitor's band was advancing behind him at a brisk, crouched jog, so fragile in that battleground of daemons and engineered humanity. He had rarely seen such bravery, and they were deadly.

“你又欠了我一次，英雄。” 切尔彻如此说道。

'That's another you owe me, hero,' said Cheelche.

“那是钛星人的枪。”

'That is a gun of the t'au,' he said disapprovingly.

“是吗？那又如何？钛星人能做出最好的枪，比你族人坚持（使用）的落后科技要强得多。” 她耸了耸肩膀，然后从他身边摇摇晃晃地向着自己的主人走了过去。

'Yeah? So what? The t'au make the best guns, better than the backwards tech you people cling to.' She shrugged and waddled past him to her master.

PS-1: 切尔彻是一个奇坎提人/ Chikanti ，她是一名受雇于审判官Leonid Rostov的异形.

PS-2: 如果要说“造最好的枪”，钛星人远远不是帝国黑科技的对手，毕竟至少一百五十万年的差距摆在那里，但要是论海量生产的基础杂兵用枪，那么渔民手里的烧火棍确实要比帝国的同行强上不少。

资料来源：

Dawn of Fire series ·Avenging Son · Guy Haley