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Chapter 1
Downfall
第一章
飞来横祸
GOLDEN . . .
金色
That was his word for it, that rare, perfect day that warms the soul with a golden glow of joy. There was peace in a golden day.
word: 词 rare: 罕见的 warm: 温暖 soul: 灵魂 golden: 金色的 glow: 光辉 joy: 愉快的 peace: 平静
一个恰如其分的词，配得上这个难得一见的美好日子，愉快的金色的光芒，照着人的灵魂，暖洋洋的。金色的日子里是一片平静。
Some days were gray, hung with leaden clouds and rain punctuated by brilliant flashes of burning white and rolling thunder.
gray: 灰色的 hang: 挂 leaden: 铅灰色的 punctuate: 不时打断 brilliant: 耀眼的flash:闪光 burning: 白炽的 rolling thunder: 隆隆的雷声
有些日子是灰色的，铅云低垂，阴雨连绵，伴随着刺目的闪电和隆隆的雷声。
Other days were a vibrant cold blue arching over the frost-encrusted domes and sheds of the settlement.
vibrant: 鲜明的 arching: 拱形 frost-encrusted: 霜冻外壳的 dome: 圆顶 shed: 小屋 settlement: 住宅区
有些日子是鲜艳而冰冷的蓝色，在结霜的穹顶和屋棚上空延伸。
Some days were even red—the evening sky painted by the dust in the spring winds before the crops had gotten their own hold on the soil.
evening: 傍晚 paint: 涂色 dust: 灰尘 spring winds: 春风 crop: 农作物 hold on: 使…位置固定 soil: 泥土
有些日子甚至还是红色的——春风裹着尘土，把傍晚的天空漆成红色，这时的庄稼还没有在土里扎稳根。
Some days even extended into the night with a velvety cobalt blanket across the sky.
extend: 延伸 night: 夜晚 velvety: 天鹅绒般的 cobalt: 钴蓝色 blanket: 毛毯
还有的日子甚至在天空铺上了一层天鹅绒般深蓝的毯子，一直延伸到夜幕里。
He liked those autumn nights when he could leave his world behind by staring up into that rich darkness.
autumn: 秋天 leave: 离开 stare: 凝视 rich: 深邃的 darkness: 黑暗
他喜欢这样的秋夜，凝望深邃的星空，他会忘却自己的世界。
God had put pinpricks in the dome of the night, he imagined, so that His light could shine through.
god: 上帝 pinpricks: 刺孔 dome: 圆屋顶 imagine: 想象 so that: 以致 light: 光芒
他想像着，上帝为了让自己的光穿透夜幕，在夜的苍穹上刺出了一个个针孔。
As a child he had searched the stars, hoping to see through to the other side and catch some glimpse of this Creator.
search: 探求 star: 星空 hoping: 希望 through to: 直到 the other side: 另一边 catch:捕捉 glimpse: 一瞥 creator: 造物者
还是个孩子的时候，他就喜欢看着星空，希望能一直看到最深处，看到这位造物主的影子。
He had never stopped looking, even though he had reached his nineteenth birthday and had thought himself too mature for such things.
looking: 凝望 even though: 即使 birthday: 生日 mature: 成熟的
他从来都没有停止过凝望，即使在他过了十九岁的生日，认为自己已经长大，不应再这样做。
Each day held different colors for him. He had experienced them in all their hues. Each held a memory and a place in his heart.
different: 不同的 colors: 色彩 experience: 经历 hue: 色调 hold: 持有 memory: 记忆 place: 位置
每一天对他来说都有不同的色彩。所有的色彩他都经历过。每一种色彩在他心里都有一段记忆，一个不可取代的位置。
Yet none in his experience could compare to a golden day.
yet: 然而 experience: 经历 compare: 比较 golden: 金色
然而，所有这一切都不能和金色的日子相媲美。
It was the color of the wheat fields that rolled like waves across the low hills stretching out from his father’s homestead.
wheat: 小麦 field: 田地 roll: 起伏 wave: 波浪 hill: 丘陵 stretching: 延伸 homestead:田园
金色是麦田的色彩，翻滚的麦浪从父亲的田里一直延伸，穿过低矮的山丘。
Golden was the warmth of the sun on his face. Golden was the glow he felt within him.
golden: 金色 warmth: 温暖 sun: 太阳 glow: 激情
金色是太阳照在他脸上的那种温暖。金色是他心中感觉到的那份激情。
Golden was the color of her hair and the sound of her voice.
hair: 头发 sound: 声音 voice: 声音
金色是她的头发和声音的色彩。
“You’re dreaming again, Ardo,” she whispered playfully. “Come back to me. You are much too far away!”
dream: 做梦 whisper: 耳语 playfully: 开玩笑的 far away: 遥远的
“你又在做梦了，阿多，”她嬉戏着在他耳边低声说道，“快回到我身边。你离我太远了。”
He opened his eyes. She was golden.
他睁开眼睛。她是金色的。
“Melani, I’m right here.” Ardo smiled.
be here: 在这里 smile: 笑
“米兰妮，我就在这里啊。”阿多笑着说。
“No, you aren’t.” She pouted—a formidable weapon in getting her way. “You’re off dreaming again and you’ve left me behind.”
pout: 撅嘴 formidable: 强大的 weapon: 武器 be off: 开始 leave behind: 留下
“没有，你不在这里。”她的小嘴噘着——这是她达到自己目的的最强大的武器，“你又把我撇在一边，做自己的梦去了。”
He rolled onto his side, propping his head up on one elbow so that he could get a better look at her. She was just a year younger than he.
roll: 翻 side: 侧面 prop: 支撑 elbow: 手肘 so that: 以便 younger: 年轻
他翻身侧卧着，把头撑在胳膊肘上，以便更清楚地看着她。她只比他小一岁。
Her family had arrived back when Ardo was nine years old, another group in a long line of religious refugees that fell from the sky to join with other Saints in Helaman Township.
a long line: 一长串 religious: 宗教的 refugee: 难民 fall from: 由…落下 saint: 圣徒 township: 镇
阿多九岁的时候，她的家人就已来到这里，为躲避宗教迫害，她一家和许许多多其他避难者一起，从太空降落，加入到西拉曼镇其他圣徒的行列。
Refugee survivors had been gathering from nearly all the planets of the Confederacy back then—reluctant pioneers of the stars.
refugee: 难民 survivor: 幸存者 gathering: 聚集 planet: 行星 confederacy: 联邦 reluctant: 不情愿的 pioneer: 拓荒者
那时，幸存的避难者们从几乎所有的联邦行星来到这里，聚集到一起——无可奈何地成了这些星球上的先驱。
Many devout religious groups had been among the first to be outlawed by the United Powers League on Earth back in ’31.
devout: 虔诚的 religious: 宗教的 group: 团体 outlawed: 非法的 United Powers League:联合权力同盟
许多狂热的宗教团体成了同盟31年地球上第一批被联合权力同盟列为非法的组织。
It was not a new story to Saints and Martyrs.
saint: 圣徒 martyr: 殉道者
这对于圣徒和烈士们来说，已经不是什么新闻了。
Throughout humanity’s history, those who did not understand the faithful had driven them from place to place and home to home.
throughout: 贯穿 humanity: 人类 history: 历史 understand: 理解 faithful: 信徒 drive:驱赶 from place to place: 背井离乡 from home to home: 流离失所
纵观人类历史，那些不理解信徒的人们一直在驱赶他们，使信徒们背井离乡，流离失所。
That they should be driven from planet to planet, then star to star, was beginning to sound painfully repetitious in their Heritage classes.
drive: 驱赶 beginning: 开始 sound: 讲述 painfully: 痛苦的 repetitious: 重复的 heritage: 传统
在他们的传统教育课上，开始痛苦地重复这么一个主题：他们理应受到驱逐，理应让他们在行星和星际间流浪。
Now, exiles once more, families of the faithful were scattered among the ill-fated transports of the ATLAS project,
exile: 流放 once more: 再次 faithful: 信徒 scatter: 散布 among: 在…之中 ill-fated:苦命的 transport: 放逐 project: 计划
现在，这些信徒的家庭再一次被流放，零散地分布在阿特拉斯计划中命运多舛的流放者中间，
and when that mission ended in such cataclysmic failure, those families who survived searched desperately for their brothers and sisters.
mission: 任务 ended: 结束 cataclysmic: 灾难性的 failure: 失败 survive: 幸存 search:找寻 desperately: 急切地 brothers and sisters: 兄弟姐妹
当这一任务以惨败而告终时，这些家族中的幸存者开始急切地找寻他们的兄弟姐妹。
When communication was finally established between worlds, the Patriarchs chose an outlying region on a world they called Bountiful for their new home.
communication: 联系 finally: 最终 establish: 建立 patriarch: 族长 outlying: 偏僻的 region: 地区
最终，各个世界间建立了联系，族长们选择了一个名叫旁特富的边缘地区作为他们的新的家园。
Soon, Orbital Dropships were landing at the Zarahemla Starport daily. The newly arrived families would then make their way to the outlying settlements as best they could.
orbital: 轨道的 dropship: 运输船 land: 登陆 Starport: 星际港口 daily: 每天 newly: 新近 settlement: 居住地
不久，轨道运输船开始每天登陆扎拉西姆拉星际站。新到的家族往往会进入这些边缘聚居地。
Arthur and Keti Bradlaw, with their wide-eyed daughter, were one of five families that arrived that day.
wide-eyed: 大眼睛 daughter: 女儿
亚瑟和凯蒂·布莱德劳夫妇就是在那天带着他们大眼睛的女儿到达的，是那天到达的五个家庭中的一个。
Ardo had joined his father as the entire township came out to welcome the new families and get them settled.
join: 加入 entire: 全部的 township: 镇 come out: 出来 welcome: 欢迎 settled: 定居
阿多和爸爸一起，随着全镇的人们出来欢迎这些新家庭，帮助他们安顿下来。
Ardo could not remember much about Melani then, although he had been vaguely aware of the stick of a girl who seemed awkward, lonely, and shy.
remember: 记得 although: 不过 vaguely: 模糊的 aware: 知道 stick: 竹竿 awkward:笨拙的 lonely: 孤独的 shy: 腼腆的
阿多对当时的米兰妮没有太深的印象，不过他隐约还记得那个笨拙、孤独、腼腆的女孩，还有她竹竿一样瘦长的身体。
He first took real notice of her when her fourteenth year brought some rather remarkable changes.
take notice of: 注意 bring: 带来 rather: 相当的 remarkable: 显著的 change: 变化
他第一次真正地注意到她，是在她十四岁那年，她的身体发生了奇异的变化。
The “stick girl” seemed to burst into his awareness like a butterfly unfolding from its chrysalis.
burst into: 闯入 awareness: 心扉 butterfly: 蝴蝶 unfolding: 演变 chrysalis: 蛹
那个“竹竿女孩”就像一只蝶蛹突然变成了美丽的蝴蝶一样，闯入了他的心扉。
Her features held a natural beauty—body painting and makeup were frowned upon by the Patriarchs of the township—
features: 容貌 natural beauty: 自然美 body painting: 身体彩绘 makeup: 化妆 frown upon: 不赞成
她就是自然美的化身——镇上的族长们向来反对身体彩绘和化妆。
and it had been Ardo’s great good fortune to have been the first to approach her. His heart and soul fell into her large, luminescent blue eyes.
good fortune: 好运 approach: 接近 soul: 灵魂 fall into: 陷入 luminescent: 发光的
阿多能够成为第一个接近她的人，真是交了好运。他的心、他的灵魂全都融化在她那双明亮的蓝色大眼睛里。
The nimbus of her long, shining hair played softly in the warm breeze drifting over the wheat fields.
nimbus: 光晕 shining: 闪亮 softly: 轻柔地 warm: 温暖的 breeze: 微风 drifting: 飘舞 wheat field: 麦田
她闪亮的长发在吹过麦田的暖风中轻柔地飘舞着，产生了一层光晕：
The wind carried the distant hum of the mill and the faint scent of the bread at the bakery.
distant: 远处的 hum: 杂声 mill: 磨坊 faint: 令人昏倒的 scent: 香味 bread: 面包 bakery: 面包房
微风过处，飘来远处风车转动的“吱呀”声，还有面包房烤制面包的淡淡香味。
Golden.
金色
“I may be off dreaming, but I’ll never leave you behind,” he said to her, smiling.
dreaming: 作梦 leave behind: 留下
“我也许是在做梦，但我永远不会把你扔下不管的。”他微笑着对她说。
The wheat rustled about the blanket where they lay. “Tell me where you want to go. I’ll take you there!”
wheat: 小麦 rustle: 发出沙沙声 blanket: 毯子 lay: 躺下
他们躺在毯子上，周身的麦子沙沙作响。“告诉我你想去，哪儿，我带你去。”
“Right now?” Her laugh was sunshine. “In your dreams? ”
right now: 现在 laugh: 笑声 sunshine: 阳光
“就在现在吗?”她的笑声和阳光一样，“在你梦里?”
“Sure!” Ardo pulled himself up to kneel on the heavy blanket he had spread out for them. “Anywhere in the stars!”
pull up: 起身 kneel: 跪着 heavy: 厚厚的 blanket: 毯子 spread out: 铺开 anywhere:任何地方
“当然!”阿多起身跪在厚厚的毯子上，那是他特意为他们铺下的，“随便你去星球上任何地方。”
“I can’t go anywhere.” She smiled. “I have a test in Sister Johnson’s Hydroponics class this afternoon! Besides,” she said more earnestly.
test: 考试 Hydroponics: 水栽培 besides: 此外 earnestly: 认真的
“我哪儿也去不了。”她笑着说，“今天下午约翰逊修女的水栽课上有一个考试，我必须参加。而且，”她越说越激动，
“Why would I want to go anywhere else at all? Everything I want is right here.”
anywhere else: 其它地方 at all: 完全
“我为什么要去其它地方呢?我需要的一切都在这里。”
Golden. Who could ever leave on such a golden day?
leave: 离开 such: 这样
金色，在这么一个黄金的日子，谁又舍得离开呢?
“Then let’s not go anywhere,” he said eagerly. “Let’s stay here . . . and get married.”
eagerly: 热切地 get marry: 结婚
那么我们哪儿都别去了，”他充满激情地说，“我们就在这儿……结婚。”
“Married?” She looked at him, half bemused and half questioning. “I told you, I have Hydroponics class this afternoon.”
bemused: 困惑的 questioning: 疑问 hydroponics: 水栽培
“结婚?”她看着他，半是茫然，半是疑问，“我说过，我下午要上水栽课。”
“No, I mean it.” Ardo had been working himself up for this for some time. “I’ve graduated, and things are working out really well on Dad’s agraplots.
graduate: 毕业 work out: 实行
“我是说真的。”阿多为这一天已经筹划了很久了，“我已经毕业了，爸爸的农田也一直管理得很不错。
He said he was thinking of giving me forty acres at the far end of the homestead. It’s the sweetest place, right up near the base of the canyon.
acre: 英亩 far end: 远端 homestead: 农场 right up: 直到 base: 底部 canyon: 峡谷
他说他打算分给我四十英亩，就在农场的边缘。非常美丽的一块地方，离峡谷谷底很近。
There’s a spot there next to the river where . . . where . . . Melani?”
spot: 灯光 next to: 临近 river: 河流
临近河那边有亮光，那里……那里……米兰妮?”
The girl with the golden hair did not hear him. She sat up, her blue eyes squinting toward the township. “The alert, Ardo!”
sit up: 坐直 squinting: 眯着眼看 township: 小镇 alert: 警报
长着金色头发的女孩没有听他说话。她坐了起来，蓝色的眼睛望着小镇的方向，“警报响了，阿多。”
Then he heard it, too. The distant wail, rising and falling across the fields.
hear: 听见 distant: 遥远的 wail: 呼啸声 rising: 上升 falling: 落下
他也听见了。遥远的呼啸声，穿过田野，时起时落。
Ardo shook his head. “They always sound it at noon . . .”
shake: 摇动 sound: 发出声音 noon: 中午
阿多摇了摇头，“他们总是在中午拉响警笛……”
“But it isn’t noon, Ardo.”
“可是现在不是中午，阿多!”
The sun was eclipsed in that instant. Ardo leaped up, wheeling around toward the darkened sky.
eclipse: 晦暗 in that instant: 在那一刻 leap up: 跳起来 wheeling: 旋转 darkened: 昏暗
就在那一刻，太阳昏暗了。阿多跳起来，转过身来，面对暗下来的天空。
His mouth fell open as the lengthening shadow surged across the yellowed fields of wheat.
lengthen: 延伸 shadow: 阴影 surge: 汹涌 wheat: 小麦
随着阴影在金色的麦田上飞快地蔓延，阿多的嘴巴也越张越大。
Ardo’s eyes went wide with the rush of fear. Adrenaline roared into his veins.
wide: 张大的 rush: 袭来 fear: 恐惧 adrenaline: 紧张感 roar: 咆哮 vein: 血管
一阵恐惧袭来，阿多瞪大了眼睛。他的血液沸腾了。
Enormous plumes of smoke trailed behind fireballs roaring directly toward him from the western end of the broad valley.
enormous: 巨大的 plume: 烟柱 trail behind: 尾随 fireball: 火球 directly: 直接地 western: 西侧 broad: 宽敞的 valley: 山谷
从山谷西侧而来的火球咆哮着冲向他这边，火球后面拖着浓浓的烟雾。
Ardo quickly reached down and pulled Melani to her feet.
reach down: 弯下 pull: 拉起
阿多飞快地弯下腰，拉起米兰妮。
His mind raced. They had to run, find shelter . . . But where could they go? Melani screamed, and he realized that there was nowhere to go and noplace safe to hide.
shelter: 避难所 scream: 尖叫 realize: 察觉 hide: 躲藏
他的脑子飞快地转动着。他们必须要跑开，找一个藏身的地方……但是他们能去哪儿呢?米兰妮尖叫着，他意识到他们无处可去，没有任何安全的藏身之地。
The fireballs seemed so close that both of them ducked.
fireball: 火球 duck: 闪避
火球似乎就在他们身边，他们赶紧俯身躲避。
The flames arched over them, the thunderous sound of their fury quickly drowning the distant warning siren.
flame: 火焰 arch: 横跨 thunderous: 雷鸣般的 fury: 狂暴 drown: 淹没 warning siren:警笛声
火焰从他们头顶掠过，雷鸣般的声音很快淹没了远方的警笛声。
The shadow of their wake covered the entire valley.
shadow: 阴影 cover: 覆盖 entire: 整个的 valley: 山谷
火焰后面的阴影覆盖了整个山谷。
Five enormous columns crossed overhead, their fingers reaching over Ardo and Melani toward the clustered buildings of Helaman Township.
enormous: 巨大的 columns: 柱 overhead: 在头顶上 reach over: 越过 cluster: 群集 building: 建筑 township: 小镇
五条巨大的烟柱在空中翻卷，如长长的手指越过阿多和米兰妮，伸向西拉曼镇的建筑群。
Then the fireballs wheeled as one, lifted over the township, and descended in roiling flames into Segard Yohansen’s instantly ruined fields, about a mile past the center of Helaman.
fireball: 火球 wheel: 盘旋 lift: 升高 descend: 下降 roil: 翻腾 flame: 火焰 instantly:立刻 ruin: 毁坏 mile: 英里 center: 中心
接着，火球盘旋着合为一体，在城镇上空飞舞，在离西拉曼镇中心一英里的地方，翻卷的火焰落在西格德·约翰森家的田地里，立刻将田地化为焦土。
Ardo shook—whether from fear or excitement he could not tell—but at least his stupor had ended. He clasped Melani’s arm and began pulling at her.
shake: 颤抖 fear: 恐惧 excitement: 紧张 at least: 至少 stupor: 僵呆 clasp: 紧握 arm: 手臂
阿多颤抖着——不知是由于恐惧还是紧张——但至少他已不再不知所措。他紧紧抓住米兰妮的胳膊，拉着她。
“Come on! We’ve got to get into the town before they shut the gates! Come on!”
come on: 快点 get into: 进入 shut: 关闭 gate: 大门
“快点，我们必须要在城门关闭以前赶到城里。快!”
She needed no further urging.
urging: 催促
她已不需要更多的催促。
They ran.
他们跑起来。
He could not remember how they got into town.
remember: 记得 get into: 进入
他已经记不得他们是怎样进入城里的。
The golden day had turned a muddy brown fading to gray from the smoke that still coated the sky overhead.
muddy: 混浊的 brown: 褐色的 fading: 褪色 gray: 灰色 smoke: 烟 coat: 涂上
金色的天空已经变成了混浊的土黄色，依旧笼罩在空中的浓烟又把它变成了灰色。
It was an oppressive color, slate and cold. It seemed so out of place here.
oppressive: 令人压抑的 slate: 石板色 out of place: 不协调
这是令人压抑的颜色，青石板一样的颜色，冷冰冰的。看起来让人不舒服。
“We’ve got to find my Uncle Dez,” he heard himself say. “He has a shop in the compound! Come on! Come on!”
uncle: 叔叔 compound: 院子
“我们必须要找到达日叔叔，”他听到自己这样说道，“他在大院里开着一家店铺。快!快点!”
Ardo and Melani struggled to move through the center of the township, now crowded with refugees.
struggle: 艰难地行进 center: 中心 township: 小镇 crowd: 挤满 refugee: 难民
阿多和米兰妮吃力地从镇中心穿过，街上这时挤满了难民。
Helaman originally had been nothing but an outpost in the far reaches of Bountiful.
originally: 原本 nothing but: 只不过 outpost: 前哨
西拉曼最初只不过是旁特富边陲的一个哨所。
Its town center was the original fortress compound with the defensive wall encompassing the main buildings.
center: 中心 original: 最初的 fortress: 堡垒 compound: 院子 defensive: 防御的 encompassing: 包围 main building: 主要的建筑
它的镇中心以前是一个堡垒大院，周围有防御的城墙围着主要的建筑。
Since then, the town had grown well beyond those central walls.
since then: 自那以后 grow: 发展
从那时起，小镇就从这个中心堡垒向外发展开来。
Now more than ten thousand people called Helaman their home—and nearly all of them had poured into the safety of the old fortress compound.
pour into: 川流不息地涌入 safety: 安全
现在，有一万多人都把西拉曼称作自己的家乡——而现在几乎所有这些人都跑到这个安全的城堡大院里来了。
He could just see the sign “Dez Hardwarez” across the packed central square.
sign: 招牌 hardwarez: 五金器具 packed: 拥挤的 central square: 中心广场
在拥挤的中心广场对面，他刚好看到了“达日五金店”的招牌。
The rattle of automatic weapons clattered suddenly from the perimeter wall.
rattle: 得得声 automatic weapon: 自动武器 clatter: 发出哗啦声 suddenly: 突然 perimeter wall: 围墙
突然，从周围的墙上传来了自动武器的“哒哒”的射击声。
Two dull explosive thuds resounded, followed by even more chattering machine guns.
dull: 沉闷的 explosive: 爆炸的 thud: 重击声 resound: 回响 chatter: 哒哒作响 machine gun: 机关枪
两声沉闷的爆炸声之后，机枪的“哒哒”声更加急促了。
A cry arose from the crowd in the square. Ardo felt more than heard the fear in the seething mob.
cry: 叫声 arose from: 起于 crowd: 群众 square: 广场 fear: 恐惧 seething: 激动的 mob: 民众
广场上，人群里发出一阵尖叫声。阿多听出了，确切地说是感受到了，混乱人群中的恐惧。
Shouts rang out, some strident and others calming.
shout: 呼喊 ring out: 发出响声 strident: 刺耳的 calming: 镇定
人群中一片叫喊声，有的尖利刺耳，有的则显得平静。
The smoke overhead cast an oppressive veil over the surging mob.
overhead: 头顶上的 cast : 蒙上 oppressive: 压抑的 veil: 面纱 surging: 涌动
头顶的浓烟给躁动的人群蒙上了一层压抑的面纱。
“Please, Ardo!” Melani said, “I . . . Where do we go? What do we do?”
“阿多，”米兰妮喊道，“我……我们要去哪儿?该怎么办?”
Ardo glanced around. He could taste the panic in the air.
glance: 一瞥 around: 周围 taste: 感到 panic: 恐慌 in the air: 空气中
阿多向周围扫了一眼。他嗅到了空气中弥漫的恐慌。
“We just need to get across the square,” he choked out, then, seeing the look in her eyes. “We’ve done it hundreds of times.”
get across: 穿过 square: 广场 choke out: 停顿
“我们只要能穿过广场就好了，”他停顿了一下，看了看她的眼神，“我们都曾经穿过好几百次了。”
“But, Ardo—”
“可是，阿多――”
“It isn’t any farther than it was before. Just a little more crowded, that’s all.” Ardo looked at the tears welling up in those beautiful blue eyes.
crowded: 拥挤的 tear: 眼泪 welling: 涌出 beautiful: 美丽的
“它还是和平常一样远。只不过拥挤了一点。”阿多看到那双美丽的蓝眼睛里涌出了泪水。
He squeezed her hand tightly. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right here with you.”
squeeze: 紧握 tightly: 紧紧地
他紧紧地握住了她的手。“别担心，我会一直陪着你的。”
Somehow, they were halfway across the square when it came.
somehow: 然而 halfway: 中途 square: 广场
然而，就在他们在广场上走到一半的时候，事情却发生了。
A sheet of flame erupted beyond the fortress’s outer wall.
a sheet of flame: 一片火焰 erupt: 爆发 fortress: 堡垒 outer wall: 外墙
一片火焰在城堡墙外升起。
Its crimson light flashed against the blanket of smoke that hung oppressively over the town.
crimson: 深红色 light: 火光 flash: 照亮 blanket: 覆盖物 hung: 挂 oppressively: 压迫的
深红色的火光照亮了低垂在城镇上空的浓烟。
The blood-red hue electrified the panicked crowd in the square.
blood-red: 血红的 hue: 色彩 electrify: 使震惊 panicked: 恐慌的 crowd: 群众
血红的颜色笼罩着广场上恐慌的人群。
Screams, shouts, and cries all tumbled into a cacophony of sound, but several disembodied voices penetrated Ardo’s thoughts clearly.
scream: 尖叫声 shout: 呼喊声 cry: 哭声 tumble: 翻腾 cacophony: 刺耳声音 several:几个 disembodied: 不见其人的 penetrate: 穿透 clearly: 清晰地
尖叫声、呼喊声、嚎啕声响成一片，混乱刺耳，但一些不知是谁发出的喊声却清晰地传到了阿多的耳朵里。
“Where are the Confederacy forces? Where are the Marines?”
confederacy: 联邦 force: 军队 marine: 陆战队员
“联邦军队到哪儿去了?陆战队员呢?”
“Don’t argue with me! Get the children! Stay together!”
argue: 争吵 stay together: 呆在一起
“别和我争了。看好孩子!别走散了!”
“It can’t be the Zerg! They couldn’t have penetrated so far into the Confederacy . . .”
Zerg: 泽格族 penetrate: 进入
“不可能是泽格族!它们不可能入侵到这里，离它们那么远……”
Zerg? Ardo had heard rumors about them. Nightmares, so he thought, to scare children or keep outsiders from settling in the Outer Colonies.
rumor: 传闻 nightmare: 噩梦 scare: 惊吓 outsider: 外来移民 settle in: 迁入 outer colony: 外殖民地
泽格族?阿多听到过关于它们的传言。都是些噩梦，他想，用来吓唬孩子的，或者用来防止过多的外来移民进入自己的领地的。
He could not remember all the whispered tales, but the nightmare was here now, and very real.
remember: 记起 whispered: 耳语的 tales: 传说 nightmare: 噩梦 real: 真实
人们低声议论的这些传说，他已不能一一记起，但是现在，噩梦就在眼前，如此的真实。
Another voice penetrated his thoughts. He turned toward her.
voice: 声音 penetrate: 穿透 thoughts: 思绪
又一个声音穿透了他的思绪。他转过头来，看着她。
“Ardo, I’m frightened!” Melani’s eyes were wide and liquid. “What is it? What’s going on?”
frightened: 害怕 wide: 张大的 liquid: 湿润的
“阿多，我怕。”米兰妮的眼睛睁得大大的，一片湿润，“那是什么?出了什么事?”
Ardo opened his mouth. He could not answer her question. No words came out.
mouth: 嘴 answer: 回答 come out: 出来
阿多张开嘴。他回答不了她的问题。他说不出话来。
There were so many words he wanted to say to her in that moment—so many words that he would regret never having said for uncounted years to come. But no words came out.
regret: 后悔 uncounted: 无数的 years to come: 未来的岁月
那一刻他有那么多的话要对她说——那么多没有说出来的话，而他为此在未来的无尽岁月中将为之遗憾。
A light flared. He felt the heat on his back. He turned, holding Melani behind him.
flare: 闪光 heat: 热度 holding: 抱住
一道亮光闪了一下。他感到背上有灼热感。他转回身，抱住米兰妮。
The eastern wall had been breached. The old rampart was being pulled down from the other side, dismantled before Ardo’s eyes.
eastern: 东边的 breach: 缺口 rampart: 壁垒 pull down: 摧毁 dismantle: 坍塌
东边的墙已经出现了豁口。古老的壁垒从另一边倒下，坍塌在阿多的眼前。
It seemed as though a dark wave was breaking against the breach, an undulating silhouette.
as though: 好像 dark: 黑暗的 break against: 冲击 undulating: 起伏的 silhouette: 影子
似乎有一股黑暗的浪潮袭向豁口，仿佛一个起伏不定的影子。
Then details lodged in his mind: a gleaming purple carapace, red-streaked ivory claws sliding from a colonist’s limp body, the arching, snakelike bodies writhing across the broken stone.
detail: 细节 lodge in: 进入 gleam: 闪光 purple: 紫色的 carapace: 甲壳 red-streaked:沾血的 ivory: 白色 claw: 爪 slide: 划 colonist: 殖民者 limp: 柔软的 arching: 弓起的 snakelike: 蛇般的 writhing: 蠕动
这个影像在他脑海里逐渐清晰起来：一个闪亮的紫色甲壳，鲜血淋淋的白色爪子从殖民地居民柔软的身体上划下，蛇一般弓起的身体扭曲着爬过破碎的石头。
It was unthinkable. . . . The nightmare had come to Bountiful.
unthinkable: 不可思议 nightmare: 噩梦
不可思议……噩梦来到了旁特富。
The shoulder-to-shoulder crowd in the square roared their deep fear and turned to run from the breach. There was nowhere to go.
shoulder: 肩 crowd: 群众 roar: 叫喊 fear: 惊恐的 breach: 缺口 nowhere: 无路
广场上摩肩接踵的人群发出了一片惊恐的喊叫声，转回身从豁口跑开。但他们无路可逃。
Zerg Hydralisks had already crested the opposite wall, cascading into the street like black drops from a greasy spill.
crest: 登顶 opposite: 对面的 cascade: 瀑布般落下 drop: 滴 greasy: 油腻的 spill: 溢出物
泽格族的海德拉刺蛇已经爬上了对面的城墙，像黑色的油污一样滴落到街道上。
Within moments, hideous cobralike hoods had unfolded above their razor-sharp talons.
hideous: 可怕的 cobralike: 眼镜蛇似的 hood: 冠 unfold: 显露 razor-sharp: 刀片般锋利的 talon: 爪
顷刻之间，它们刀片般锋利的魔爪上方露出了可怕的、眼镜蛇似的羽冠。
They arched their tails upward. Armored spikes exploded from their serrated shoulder sockets and darted with deadly effect into the western edge of the crowd.
arch: 弓形 tail: 尾巴 upward: 向上的 armored: 带甲壳的 spikes: 尖刺 explode: 爆发 serrated: 锯齿状的 shoulder: 肩 socket: 凹槽 dart: 疾走 deadly: 死亡般的 western:西面的 edge: 边缘 crowd: 人群
它们的尾巴高高地弓起。露出锯齿般的肩甲凹槽里的尖刺，以死亡般的速度冲向西边拥挤的人群。
Those facing the new threat suddenly tried to reverse direction, crushing back into the surging crowd behind them.
facing: 面对 threat: 威胁 suddenly: 突然 try: 尝试 reverse: 相反的 direction: 方向 back into: 倒退撞到 surge: 浪涌 crowd: 群众
面对这一突如其来的新的威胁，人们转身想跑，却撞到了后面汹涌的人潮。
Ardo heard Melani gasp behind him. “I can’t . . . I can’t breathe . . .”
gasp: 喘气 breathe: 呼吸
阿多听到米兰妮在他身后气喘吁吁，“我不能……我不能……呼吸了……”
The mob was crushing them. Ardo looked desperately around him, trying to find a way out.
mob: 群众 crush: 挤压 desperately: 绝望地
狂暴的人群挤压着他们。阿多绝望地环顾四周，想找条路出去。
Movement overhead caught his eye. A bloated, bulbous form like a disembodied brain drifted over the colony wall.
movement: 移动 overhead: 头顶 catch his eye: 引起他的注意 bloated: 臃肿的 bulbous:球茎状的 disembodied: 脱离躯壳的 brain: 大脑 drift: 飘浮
头顶晃动的影子吸引了他的目光。一个鼓胀的圆球似的形体，似乎是一堆脱离了肉体的大脑，在殖民地城墙上飘浮着。
Tendrils hung like viscera beneath it, quivering with activity.
tendril: 卷须 hung: 挂 viscera: 肠子 beneath: 在…下面 quivering: 颤动的 activity: 活跃
它的卷须就像肠子似的挂在下面，有力地搏动着。
It was reaching down for the center of the crowd.
reach down: 伸取 crowd: 人群
它正伸向人群的中间。
Ardo had heard tales in which the Zerg had captured colonists and taken them alive to a fate that could only be worse than death.
tale: 故事 capture: 抓取 colonist: 殖民者 fate: 命运 be worse than death: 生不如死
阿多曾经听说过，被泽格族抓去的人，没有一个好过的，都是生不如死。
Tears flooded Ardo’s eyes. There was nowhere to go and nothing left to do.
tear: 眼泪 flood: 溢出 nowhere to go: 无处可逃 nothing left to do: 无能为力
阿多泪如泉涌。他们无路可走，无处可逃。
Suddenly the Zerg Overlord drifting above the colony shuddered and slid sideways.
suddenly: 突然 Overlord: 宿主 drift: 飘浮 colony: 殖民地 shudder: 颤栗 slide: 滑 sideway: 旁边
突然，那个在空中飘浮的泽格族领主身体颤栗着滑向一边。
Several explosions erupted from the side of the hideous beast.
several: 几个 explosion: 爆炸 erupt: 爆发 hideous: 可怕的 beast: 野兽
这个可怕的野兽旁边响起了几声爆炸。
The Overlord exploded in an enormous fireball. The Zerg Hydralisks entering the compound suddenly hesitated.
explode: 爆炸 enormous: 巨大的 fireball: 火球 enter: 开始 compound: 院子 hesitate:犹豫
领主的身体在一个巨大的火球中化作碎片。进入了大院的泽格族海德拉刺蛇们突然犹豫起来。
A wing of five Confederacy Wraith fighters ripped through the smoke overhead, the scream of their engines nearly drowning out the cries of the terrified crowd below.
wing: 翼 confederacy: 联邦 wraith: 幽灵 fighter: 战斗机 rip: 划开 smoke: 烟 overhead: 头顶 scream: 尖啸声 engine: 引擎 drown: 淹没 cry: 叫喊 terrified: 恐惧的
五驾联邦幽灵战斗机划破了头顶的浓烟，它们引擎的轰鸣几乎淹没了下面人们恐惧的喊叫声。
Twenty-five-millimeter burst lasers pulsed repeatedly as the Wraiths wheeled through the air, the bolts slamming against targets on the far side of the crumbling fortress wall.
millimeter: 毫米 burst: 连发射击 laser: 激光 pulsed: 脉冲的 repeatedly: 重复地 wheel: 旋转 bolt: 闪电 slam against: 猛烈撞击 target: 目标 crumbling: 破碎的 fortress: 堡垒
幽灵战斗机在空中飞旋，25mm的脉冲激光不停地扫射着，狠狠地打击着远在崩溃的城墙边的目标。
One of the Wraiths wavered suddenly, then exploded under a hail of ground fire from the outraged Zerg.
waver: 摇晃 explode: 爆炸 hail: 雹子般地击打 ground fire: 地面火力 outraged: 狂暴的
一架战斗机突然颤抖了一下，在狂怒的怪物发射的猛烈炮火中爆炸了。
The Zerg who had entered the compound were pressing their attack, killing some and dragging others off without apparent distinction.
enter: 进入 compound: 院子 press: 加紧 attack: 攻击 drag: 拖 apparent: 明显的 distinction: 差别
已经进入了大院的泽格族怪物们加紧了进攻，不分青红皂白地见人就杀，或者掠走。
They had corralled the humans; now all they had to do was harvest them from the edges of the crowd inward.
corral: 围住 human: 人类 harvest: 收割 edge: 边缘 crowd: 人群 inward: 向内的
它们已经把人类团团围住了，现在它们所要做的，就是从拥挤的人群边开始，收割这些生命。
A second flight of Wraiths tore through the smoke-blackened sky.
flight: 编队 wraith: 幽灵 tear: 撕破 smoke-blackened: 浓烟滚滚的
又一队幽灵战斗机撕破浓烟滚滚的天空。
Then a single Confederacy Dropship ripped through the air, spinning in a rapid breaking maneuver and descending toward the square.
single: 一个的 confederacy: 联邦 dropship: 运输船 rip: 划开 spin: 旋转 rapid: 迅速的 maneuver: 机动动作 descending: 下降的
接着，一艘联邦运输船划破天空，迅速俯冲下来，停在广场上空。
The downblast from the engines created an instant hurricane on the ground.
downblast: 气流 engine: 发动机 create: 引起 instant: 即时的 hurricane: 飓风
发动机的气流顿时在地面上刮起了一阵飓风。
Trees bent over nearly double. It was impossible to hear anything over the roar of the engines.
bent: 弯曲的 double: 对折的 impossible: 不可能的 roar: 轰鸣声
树木弯曲到几乎要折断。在发动机的轰鸣声中，几乎不可能听到任何声音。
People all about Ardo tumbled to the ground, shielding themselves from the gale.
tumble: 跌倒 shield: 保护 gale: 狂风
阿多周围的人全都伏在地上，以躲避这强烈的冲击。
Ardo blinked through the dust. The Dropship continued to hover but managed somehow to lower its transport ramp into the square.
blink: 眯着眼看 dust: 尘土 hover: 盘旋 somehow: 设法 lower: 下级的 transport: 运输 ramp: 舷梯 square: 广场
阿多透过尘土看去。运输船继续盘旋着，但是已经将舷梯放了下来，放到了广场上。
He could see the silhouetted figure of a Confederacy Marine beckoning to them.
silhouette: 轮廓 figure: 外貌 confederacy: 联邦 marine: 陆战队 beckon: 招手
他看到那位海军陆战队员在向他们招手。
Everyone else in the square saw the Marine also. Mindlessly they charged the ramp. A human tide pulled Ardo along.
mindlessly: 愚蠢地 charge: 向…冲去 tide: 潮
广场上的每个人都看到了那位陆战队员。他们毫无理智地拥向舷梯。一股人潮将阿多向前推去。
He lost Melani’s hand.
lost: 失去
他失去了米兰妮的手。
“Melani!” he screamed. He tried to fight against the crushing press of the panicked crowd. His words were lost in the roar of the Dropship’s engines. “Melani!”
scream: 呼喊 try: 试图 fight against: 对抗 press: 挤压 panicked: 惊慌的 crowd: 人群 lost in: 淹没 roar: 轰鸣声 dropship: 运输船 engine: 发动机
“米兰妮!”他呼喊道。他试图抵抗住惊慌的人群的推挤。他的声音被发动机的轰鸣声淹没了，“米兰妮!”
He saw her behind him. The Zerg were pressing their attack with anger now. The Dropship was depriving them of their prize.
press: 加紧 attack: 攻击 anger: 愤怒的 deprive: 夺去 prize: 战利品
他在背后看到了她。愤怒的怪物们加紧了进攻，运输船眼看就要将它们的战利品夺走了。
Ardo was appalled at how quickly the large crowd had been sundered—harvested like blood-red wheat in the field. The Zerg were already nearly at Melani’s side.
appall: 使...惊恐 crowd: 人群 sunder: 切开 harvest: 收割 blood-red: 血染的 wheat:小麦
阿多惊恐地发现，怪物们在以惊人的速度把人们劈开，就像在麦田里收割血染的麦子。怪物们已经接近了米兰妮的身边。
Ardo clawed and fought. He screamed.
claw: 抓 fight: 打 scream: 喊叫
阿多拼命地踢打着人群。他喊叫着。
Three Hydralisks grasped Melani at once, dragging her back from the edge of the crowd.
grasp: 抓住 at once: 立刻 drag: 拖 edge: 边缘 crowd: 人群
三个海德拉刺蛇立刻抓住了米兰妮，把她从人群中拖开。
“Please, Ardo!” she wept. “Don’t leave me alone!”
weep: 哭泣 leave: 离开
“求你了，阿多!”她哭喊道，“不要离开我!”
The mindless mob pushed him farther into the ship.
mindless: 不理智的 mob: 人群 push: 推
失去了理智的人们把他挤进了运输船。
Zerg claws suddenly rang against the sides of the Dropship. The pilot had played out all the time his luck would afford.
claw: 爪 suddenly: 突然 ring against: 敲击 pilot: 飞行员 play out: 用光 luck: 运气 afford: 提供
怪物们的利爪突然抓向飞船的船身。飞行员急忙拼命地起飞。
The ship responded instantly to his command, lurching upward away from the Zerg and bearing Ardo away from his home, his life, and his love.
respond: 回应 instantly: 立刻 command: 操纵 lurching: 不稳行驶 upward: 上升的 bear away: 带走
飞船在他的操纵下立刻飞起来，带着阿多，离开了他的家乡，他的生活，还有他的爱人。
“Don’t leave me alone!” Those were her last words to him, pounding through his mind and soul, louder and louder, threatening to burst his skull . . .
pounding: 撞击 mind: 头脑 soul: 灵魂 loud: 响亮的 threatening: 威胁的 burst: 胀破 skull: 头颅
“不要离开我!”这是她最后留给他的话，一直在敲打着他的头脑，他的灵魂，愈来愈响亮，似乎要把他的头颅震破……
Ardo’s world went black. It would stay black for a very long time.
black: 黑暗 long time: 长期
阿多的世界一片黑暗。在很长的一段时间里，那里将是漆黑一片。
作者：Tracy Hickman 翻译：佚名
解析：莫.弃 编辑：Wayne
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