【Clutch of the Dragon】幽魂（行者）的故事 p21-28

[NewAlbionDrone]

GHOST(WALKER) STORIES
幽魂（行者）的故事

劇透 -   :

> What’s going on with Ghostwalker demands a little extra
treatment. I’ll assume you’re all familiar with GW’s rumored
disappearance when the Watergate Rift closed last year, and
event that made the secrecy and intrigue of Denver even thicker
than normal. The city was bustling with activity as various powers
fought to fi ll the void left by the White Wyrm’s absence. There
was a sense of urgency to their activities, as no one knew when
(or if) Ghostwalker would return, and people wanted to make hay
while the sun was shining.
It now appears that the sun has set.
We’ll start the report with a note from Frosty giving an
overview of the current situation, then we’ll turn it over to Kay St. Irregular talking about the re-emergence and issues tied to
it. Finally, Mr. Bonds will then take a look at the broader issues.
> FastJack

>幽魂行者的情况需要一点额外处理。我相信你们都熟悉去年水门裂缝关闭时GW消失的传言，这一事件让丹佛的神秘和吸引程度更甚寻常。这座城市因各类活动而喧闹不休，各势力争相填补白龙离开后的权力空洞。他们行动迫切，毕竟没人知晓幽魂行者何使（或是否）会回归，人们希望趁着日头好做工。
现在太阳似乎落山了。
我们从Frosty的备注开始，她提供了当前状况的概览，随后我们再请Kay St. Irregular谈谈巨龙重现及其相关事件。最后，Mr.Bonds会稍微分析一下更广泛的议题。
>FastJack

A DRAGON OF DISCONTENT?
不满的龙

Posted by: Frosty
发帖人：Frosty

劇透 -   :

Ghostwalker has been surrounded by mystery lately, which
is a challenge for anyone who is trying to assemble a collection
of facts. At least Ghostwalker had the good graces to make
his reappearance clear and dramatic (see below), but almost
everything else about him has been surrounded by fog. He has been
less than forthcoming about where he was and what his current
agenda is, leaving many to speculate what might be happening
with him. And while it seems his reappearance was engineered to
let the people who needed to know that he was back, there are a
few—because there always are—that doubt Ghostwalker returned
at all, and believe that any evidence of his return has been faked.
 e doubters include many on the Council of Denver. Public
sightings of Ghostwalker have been very few in number, and only
one took place in front of a group of any size. Most of the other
public sightings have occurred on the streets, from potentially
questionable sources (including people who say that Dunkelzahn
and Elvis were following close behind Ghostwalker). Despite
their doubts, though, my sources and experience both tell me that
Ghostwalker is indeed back. On top of that are the stories that say
Ghostwalker has been seen accompanied by a human woman of
extraordinary grace and beauty.
As one can imagine, the rumor mill is going full bore about
the identity of this woman is. From catching a glimpse of her hand
and noticing Ghostwalker’s obviously strong feelings toward her, I
am all but certain that the woman is the physical manifestation of
Zebulon, the Spirit of Denver. It would appear that Ghostwalker
was successful in his attempt to merge the various pieces of the
Spirit of Denver and reintegrate them all into one being. For
those that do not like Ghostwalker and those that would like to
see Ghostwalker gone, this should be seen as a troubling sign that
Ghostwalker is now even more powerful than before, and that his
position within Denver is now all but secure with the powerful
Zebulon at his side.

幽魂行者最近被谜团包围，对任何试图收集事实的人都是个挑战。至少幽魂行者得体让他的重新出现明晰而富有戏剧性（见下文），但此外有关他的所有事物都被迷雾笼罩。他变得不那么乐意透露他去了哪、他的当前计划是什么，让许多人猜测他身上发生了什么。尽管幽魂行者的重现是让需要了解的人知道他已回归，还有一些人——因为他们总是这样——怀疑幽魂行者是否真的回来了，并坚信所有他回归的证据都是伪造的。丹佛议会中有许多这种怀疑者。幽魂行者很被公众目击，其中仅有一次是在一群人面前。其它目击都是在街道上，来源可疑（包括有人说黑牙和埃尔维斯跟在幽魂行者身后）。但尽管有这些怀疑，我的消息来源和我的经验都告诉我幽魂行者的确回来了。更重要的是，有人看见幽魂行者身边有一位及其优雅且美丽的人类女性。
你可以想象，关于这位女性身份的谣言正全速增长。我瞥见过她的手，并且注意到幽魂行者对她显然抱有强烈情感，我十分确信这位女性是西布伦（Zebulon）的物理具现化，也就是丹佛的精魂（Spirit of Denver）。似乎幽魂行者成功融合和丹佛精魂的各个碎片，并将它们重构为一个个体。对那些不待见幽魂行者并希望幽魂行者滚蛋的人来说，这是个让人忧心地信号，这意味着幽魂行者比从前更强大，他在丹佛地地位因西布伦地存在更为稳固。

劇透 -   :

> The Draconic Information Virtual Exchange recently discovered
very interesting information about Zebulon. You remember how
two magicians, a Native American shaman (Robert Greene) and a
United States hermetic mage (Ursula Mahr) both tried to summon
Zebulon at the same time? At the time, people just assumed it
was an extraordinary coincidence that both sides were conjuring
the same spirit at the exact same moment using its true name.
Our members have dug through and scoured old tribal and US
records from that time period, and we were surprised to discover
that both sides had an “advisor” to those magicians. These
“advisors” seemed to counsel the magicians on how and where
to look for the true name in their astral quests, and they also
dropped subtle hints as to when it would be the most appropriate
to try and summon Zebulon. These advisors appear to have had
connections to another great dragon, perhaps even to Lofwyr
himself. Unfortunately, too much time has passed and too much
documentation has been lost, preventing us from confi rming that Lofwyr was indeed involved. But this is what DIVE knows:
someone did not want Zebulon around, and someone took steps
to make that happen. And if Ghostwalker believes that Lofwyr
was indeed behind the shattering of Zebulon, it goes a long way
to explain his seething anger toward the Loremaster.
> Wyrm Watcher

>龙类信息虚拟交换中心（Draconic Information Virtual Exchange）发现了西布伦十分有趣的信息。你记得两个法师，一个是美洲原住民萨满（罗伯特·格林Robert Greene），一个是合众国赫尔墨斯法师（厄休拉·马尔Ursula Mahr），同时试图召唤西布伦？那时人们以为只是个离奇的巧合，双方同时使用真名召唤了同一个精魂。我们的成员深入挖掘了老旧的部落记录和合众国记录，惊讶地发现法师都有一个“顾问”。这些“顾问”似乎为给两个法师提供了在星界探求时如何以及在哪找到西布伦真名的帮助，他们还暗示试图召唤西布伦再恰当不过。这些顾问似乎与另一头巨龙有关，甚是洛菲尔本人。不幸的是，时间太久，丢失的文件太多，我们无法确认洛菲尔真的牵涉其中。但DIVE知道的是：有人不想让西布伦存在。如果幽魂行者相信洛菲尔就是撕裂西布伦的幕后黑手，这就能解释他对现任博学之主（Loremaster）的怒火。
>Wyrm Watcher

劇透 -   :

For the most part, Ghostwalker has been a nonissue for this
con ict. Prior to his disappearance, it seemed as though Lofwyr was
succeeding in mending fences and building a temporary alliance with
Ghostwalker. Many believed the White Wyrm had weakened himself
trying to obtain the four artifacts, and an alliance with Lofwyr would
provide the protection he needed to regain his footing within his own
territory and would prove mutually bene cial in the short term. Once
Zebulon allegedly returned with Ghostwalker, though, it appears that
all communication between Denver and the Rhine-Ruhr megasprawl
has abruptly ceased. Some have even heard that the last Lofwyr envoy
sent to Denver to speak to Ghostwalker about the alliance ended up
being killed and sent back to Lofwyr as a message. It is very clear
that since Ghostwalker’s and Zebulon’s return, any potential for an
alliance has been destroyed.

总的来说，幽魂行者对当前冲突（*译注：指巨龙内战）无足轻重。在他消失之前，似乎洛菲尔成功修复了他们的关系，并与幽魂行者建立了暂时同盟。许多人相信试图获取四件奇物削弱了白龙的力量，与洛菲尔结盟将为他提供保护，以便他在自己的领地站稳脚跟，并将在短期内有助于双边利益。但西布伦如传言所说回到幽魂行者身边后，似乎丹佛与莱茵-鲁尔超企蔓城（megasprawl）的联系突然中断了。甚至有人听说洛菲尔最后一个派去丹佛与幽魂行者商谈同盟关系的使节被杀了，并送回给洛菲尔作为信号。很明显，幽魂行者与西布伦回归后，任何结盟的可能性都已消失。

劇透 -   :

> Don’t think for a moment that Ghostwalker simply terminated
the alliance with Lofwyr without getting something out of it fi rst.
From what I hear from various VPNs, Ghostwalker’s ongoing talks
with Lofwyr allowed him to get close to the golden dragon, and
allowed Matrix assets in his intelligence network to get a closer
look at Saeder-Krupp’s nodes. From what I hear, Ghostwalker’s
Matrix assets managed to make off with a number of signifi cant,
classifi ed fi les from some of Lofwyr’s most secure nodes. Some of
that paydata included information on the location of Dr. Antonio
Vieri, the decker and technological phenom that provided so many
wonderful innovations over at Renraku in the late fi fties, and at
Saeder-Krupp since then—and one of the most integral developers of
the post-Crash 2.0 Wireless Matrix. Other information likely includes
assets most people don’t know Saeder-Krupp possesses, along
with information on potential new enterprises that Saeder-Krupp
may be considering for future investments. These fi les are believed
signifi cant enough that Ghostwalker could burn Lofwyr and SaederKrupp pretty decently if those fi les were ever to be released. It would
seem that Ghostwalker has put himself in a much better position to
negotiate with Lofwyr, should the occasion ever arise.
> Glitch

>千万别以为幽魂行者只是终结了和洛菲尔的同盟而没有得到任何好处。根据我从给个VPN听到的消息，幽魂行者与洛菲尔的对话让他能够靠近这头金龙，让他的情报网中的矩阵人才能够近距离观察塞德-克虏伯的节点。就我所知，幽魂行者的矩阵人才成功从洛菲尔最安全的节点里弄到了一些重要的机密文件。有价数据包括安东尼奥·维耶里博士（Dr. Antonio Vieri），这位五十年代末在联络，随后一直待在塞德-克虏伯的碟客和技术天才的位置，他提供了如此多奇妙创新，还是后崩溃2.0无线矩阵最重要的发者。其它信息可能包括人们不知道塞德-克虏伯持有的一些资产，以及塞德-克虏伯考虑将来投资的新企业。相信这些文件十分重要，如果泄露，幽魂行者能把洛菲尔和塞德-克虏伯刮掉一层皮。看起来幽魂行者给自己取得了和洛菲尔交涉的优势，假如需要交涉。
>Glitch

劇透 -   :

Ghostwalker’s not stopping at breaking o the potential
alliance with Lofwyr—he seems prepared to go even further.
Although Ghostwalker hasn’t struck out directly against
Saeder-Krupp interests in the Denver area, there is someone in
the shadows of Denver that is most de nitely targeting SaederKrupp holdings in the city. And according to my sources, it is not
Hestaby.  ere have been multiple incidents of vandalism and
sabotage at Saeder-Krupp’s headquarters in downtown Denver.
 ese incidents have been blamed on the growing anti-dragon
movement, but most would tell you that Ghostwalker would
never tolerate any signi cant anti-dragon groups in his city.  ere
have been incidents of violence against S-K subsidiaries, though
these incidents do not seem as if they are meant to make a pro t
o of Saeder-Krupp or its research, or even harm Saeder-Krupp financially. The runs appear to be meant as a simple message:
Get out. Many of the wageslaves for S-K have found themselves
accosted by these shadow groups, and a half-dozen employees have
been killed in the last month along.
 ere is another troubling sign that Ghostwalker may be
changing his agenda due to his reunion with Zebulon. I have
heard from trusted sources that Ghostwallker’s watchers and his
other intelligence assets are reaching out to others in the dragon
community. Following his return, Ghostwalker reached out to
both Sirrurg and Ryumyo, in addition to other adult dragons.
 e message carried to these dragons is believed to test to see
what reactions the dragons would have to a change of leadership,
switching the Loremaster position from Lofwyr to Ghostwalker.
Because this type of ambition seems to be somewhat out of
character for Ghostwalker, one must wonder if it is Zebulon
herself who is whispering into Ghostwalker’s ear and urging
him to obtain more than just Denver.  ere is a possibility that
Zebulon wants Ghostwalker to take a larger and a more prominent
role in dragon culture, one that is be tting him given his size and
strength. And it is entirely possible that Zebulon feels that this is
the ideal time to present such a change to the other members of
the dragon community.

幽魂行者没有止步于消除与洛菲尔结盟的可能——他似乎准备得更长远。虽然幽魂行者未直接攻击塞德-克虏伯在丹佛得资产，但暗影中似乎有人在明确地袭击塞德-克虏伯在城内的财产。根据我的消息来源，不是希丝塔比。塞德-克虏伯位于丹佛市中心的总部遭到了多起破坏事件。这些事件可以归罪于持续扩大的反龙运动，但大多数人会告诉你幽魂行者绝不容忍他的城市里出现任何明显的反龙团体。还有针对塞德-克虏伯子公司的暴力事件，但看起来不是为了从塞德-克虏伯或是它的研究中获利，甚至不是从经济上伤害塞德-克虏伯。这些狂奔的信息简单明了：滚出去。许多S-K的薪奴被这些暗影团体骚扰，上个月有几名雇员被杀。
另一个让人忧心的信号是幽魂行者可能因与西布伦重聚而改变他的计划。我从可靠来源处得知幽魂行者的监视人和其他情报人员正在联系龙社群里的其他人。回归后，幽魂行者还联系了西鲁格和龙树，还有其他成年龙。传递给其他龙的信息被认为是测试其他龙对变更领袖的反应，即将博学之主一职从洛菲尔转至幽魂行者。因为这种野心似乎不符合幽魂行者的性格，有人怀疑是否西布伦对他吹了枕边风、敦促他将权力拓展至丹佛之外。有可能西布伦希望幽魂行者在龙类中扮演有更多、更重要的角色，与他的体型和力量相符。西布伦也完全可能感到这是向龙社群的其他成员展示这一变革的理想时机。

劇透 -   :

> It’s also possible that Ghostwalker’s main objective in holding
Denver was restoring Zebulon, and now that she’s back
together, he’s free to pursue other goals that might take him
outside of Denver.
> Traveler Jones

>也可能幽魂行者占据丹佛的主要原因就是恢复西布伦，现在她重新融为一体，他有时间追求丹佛之外的目标了。
>Traveler Jones

劇透 -   :

Not enough is known about Zebulon or what her mind
might be like following the ritual that pieced her back together
to know what she wants or how she might be influencing
Ghostwalker. If Zebulon is responsible for this change in
Ghostwalker, it might indicate that she is having an impact on
Ghostwalker’s decision-making process. Zebulon has not spoken
publicly or announced herself to the world as of yet, so everything
sbout any possible agendas she might have is simple guesswork.
For all we know, she could very well be su ering from multiple
personality disorder from the various spirits that were born from
her essence and existed for decades, only to be blended back
together. But if Zebulon is in uencing Ghostwalker’s judgment,
it is likely that things will be quite di erent in Denver from this
point forward, quite possibly for other dragons as well as for magic
users, particularly those capable of summoning spirits. As of yet,
there is no telling how Ryumyo, Sirrurg, or the other dragons have
responded to Ghostwalker’s overtures.
What is interesting in all of this is that I have observed
that Ghostwalker has had very little, if any, communication
with Nicholas Whitebird since returning.  is may merely be
because Ghostwalker’s current plans require no contact with
Whitebird. Or this could be a sign that things are indeed changing
for the great dragon now that he is reunited with his paramour.
Whitebird may very well be an indicator of how Zebulon plans
on treating the magicians who are residents of Denver, and how
she might treat metahumans in general. And Whitebird may
be an indicator of how far Ghostwalker will allow Zebulon to
implement any new changes in his domain. With Zebulon now
in the mix, a new and more dangerous faction could be developing within this brewing dragon con ict, one that is not predictable
and can shi the balance of power in either way.  ere is no doubt
that this new development will need to be watched closely, and to
see how it impacts the tensions amongst the dragons, as well as to
see how Lofwyr reacts to it.

关于西布伦知之甚少，不了解她以及她被仪式拼接后的想法，更无从推断她的追求以及她是否在影响幽魂行者。假如西布伦是幽魂行者改变的原因，这或许表面她能影响幽魂行者的决策。西布伦还未公开发言，也未向世界宣告她的存在，因此她的任何可能谋划都只是猜测。她完全可能遭受着多重人格障碍，从其本质诞生的不同精魂存在了几十年，只在最近才被融合。但假如西布伦在影响着幽魂行者的判断，那么从现在起胆魄的局势会变得相当不同，很可能对其他龙以及魔法使用者也一样，尤其是那些能够召唤精魂的。现在还无法得知龙树、西鲁格还有其他龙会如何回应幽魂行者的序曲。
这其中很有趣的一点是自幽魂行者回归后他与尼古拉丝·白鸟的联系很少，甚至几乎没有。可能只是因为幽魂行者当前的计划不需要与白鸟联系。或者这是一个信号，表面这头巨龙与他的情人团聚后事情的确发生了变化。白鸟可能是西布伦打算如何对待丹佛法师、如何对待普通泛人类的象征。白鸟还可能是幽魂行者允许西布伦在他的领地施加多少变更的象征。有了西布伦牵涉其中，一个更危险的新派系或许将在这次酝酿中的龙族冲突中产生，这个派系难以预料，能双向改变权力的平衡。毫无疑问这一新进展需要密切关注，注意它如何影响龙类间的紧张气氛，以及洛菲尔会如何应对。

[NewAlbionDrone]

THE DRAGON RETURNS
巨龙归来
Posted by: Kay St. Irregular
发帖人：Kay St. Irregular

劇透 -   :

It was supposed to be a moment no one would forget. The
Powers That Be wanted to remind the world just who exactly was
in charge.
They got their wish.
Heads of state or senior diplomatic envoys of all of the
nations of North America were in attendance. Yes, all. I’ll get to
that in a moment. The representatives on the Sovereign Tribal
Council were here. So were the global or North American
heads of the Big Ten and local AAs, perhaps to remind their
Euro-Mega-15 counterparts in the North Atlantic Economic
Organization that they are not special. Other dignitaries were also
in attendance, from Nadja Daviar to Johnny Spinrad and Akane
Ishino. Noticeably absent was Nicholas Whitebird. We should
have known better. The heads of states and corporations gathered
for the official portrait in front of the Denver Council building. It
was a brilliant day as they stood on the stage with a massive banner
proclaiming the summit motto of “Peace. Security. Prosperity.”
Out of nowhere, the sky darkened, and the air became
eerily still. It was as if Denver was suddenly in the eye of a massive
hurricane. Then he simply appeared out of the darkness, his
shimmering pale scales contrasting against the blackened sky. All of
the top-tier offcials, and all of the dignitaries and security personnel
surrounding us, reacted with awe and terror. The grounds between
the Council and old capitol building were the most secure piece of
property on Earth, but I suddenly regretted having a front row spot
to what felt like the end of the fucking world.

这该是个无人遗忘的时刻。掌权之人希望世界记得谁才是掌控者。
他们如愿以偿了。
所有北美国家的政府首脑或是外交使节都参与了。是的，所有。我一会就谈这个问题。最高部落议会（Sovereign Tribal Council）在场。十大和本地AA的全球或北美首脑也在场——或许是为了提醒他们在北亚特兰大经济组织（North Atlantic Economic Organization）的十五个欧洲超企同行，他们并不特殊。其他代表也出席了，包括娜吉娅·戴威尔、强尼·斯普兰德还有茜·石野(Akane Ishino)。值得注意的是尼古拉斯·白鸟缺席。我们本该知道的。政府和超企的首脑齐聚丹佛议会大楼前等待官方声明。那是个极好的日子，他们站在台上，巨大的横幅写着本次峰会的口号“和平。安全。繁荣。”
突然，天空变暗，空气古怪地凝固。仿佛丹佛突然处于巨大的飓风凤眼。随后他从黑暗中现身。所有高级官员，所有外交代表和我们周围的安保人员都变得惊讶而恐惧。议会与旧议会大厦之间的空地本该是地球上最安全的一处土地，但我突然为在前排有一席之地感到后悔，感觉这该死的世界即将终结。

劇透 -   :

> “Immediately I saw another horse appear, deathly pale, and its
rider was called Death, and Hades followed at its heels. They were
given authority over a quarter of the earth, to kill by the sword, by
famine, by plague and through wild beasts” Revelation 6:8.
> Beaker
> A bit dramatic, but these are not normal times.
> Thorn
> Ryumyo really did plan ahead, did he not?
> Baka Dabora
> Come again?
> Black Mamba
> Akane is Ryumyo’s “voice.” She represents Ryumyo’s interests.
The question is whether she was present in anticipation of the
dragon’s return.
> Kia
> She was not the least bit surprised when Ghostwalker appeared.
> Kay St. Irregular

>“我就观看，见有一匹灰色马。骑在马上的，名字叫作死。阴府也随着他。有权柄赐给他们，可以用刀剑，饥荒，瘟疫（瘟疫或作死亡），野兽，杀害地上四分之一的人。”《启示录》6:8。
>Beaker
>有点戏剧化，不过这不是寻常时刻。
>Thorn
>龙树提前计划了，不是吗？
>Baka Dabora
>在说一次？
>Black Mamba
>茜是龙树的“声音”。她代表龙树的目的。问题是她到场是否是预见了这头龙的归来。
>Kia
>幽魂行者出现时她一点都不惊讶。
>Kay St.Irregular

劇透 -   :

So I’m just going to vamp on what happened next from my
seat in the audience. Ghostwalker hovered motionless above the
crowd—us—and it looked below like he was mentally communicating with many if not all of the heads of state present—except
for the Azzies. President Loreto of the PCC seemed to grow a sly
Cheshire grin. President Colloton, on the other hand, was visibly
furious. High Prince Zincan seemed incredibly uneasy. President
McMulkin once again proved that he is out of his element, trying
madly to keep a stoic face and sell the CAS on the idea that their
carpetbagger president was standing for the South in the face
in near-death. It’ll take some creative simsense editing, since he
insists on recording his experiences during these public events, but
if anyone can pull it off in their public communications it’s the
ex-movie star. President Silva of Aztlan and Aztechnology CEO
de la Rosa stood side by side with the strangest looks on their faces.
I don’t know if Ghostwalker was communicating with them or
not, but they certainly looked like they were smiling in the face of
death incarnate, even after the obvious magic around them seemed
to crackle and disperse. But then something weird happened.
Perianwyr emerged from the crowd, taking his rarely seen
draconic form and interjecting himself between Ghostwalker
and the others. And then Pobre also took a stand, which was
disturbing for any number of reasons. People have called him
crazed, and toxic, and his assumption of full size from among the
other heads of state made everyone else there seem so small and
impotent. Then in a snap the entire Azzie delegation—both the
corporate and national sides, along with their security details—
were gone, followed by a sonic boom. We later learned that they
reappeared in Las Cruces about a minute later. My guess is that
Perianwyr levitated them out of Denver.

我现在要说明我在观众席上看到发生了什么。幽魂行者一动不动悬人群——即我们——上方，从下方看他似乎在和许多甚至是全部政府首脑心灵交流——除了阿兹的。PCC的洛雷托（Loreto）总统露出狡猾的柴郡猫式微笑。而克洛敦总统（译注：UCAS总统，安吉拉·克洛敦Angela Colloton）则显得十分愤怒。高等亲王辛坎（Zincan）看起来十分不适。麦克玛金总统（译注：拉姆齐·麦克玛金Ramsay  McMulkin）又一次显得格格不入，疯狂地试图保持面部表情同时向CAS展示他们的投机政客总统在面度死亡时依然代表南方。需要一点创造性拟感编辑，毕竟他坚持记录他在这类公开活动时的体验，但如果有谁能在公共通讯里玩这一套，那一定是这位前电影明星。阿兹特兰的席尔瓦总统（译注：恩里科·席尔瓦Enrico Silva）和阿兹科技CEO德拉罗沙（译注：弗拉维亚·德拉罗沙Flavia de la Rosa）站在一起，脸上是最为古怪的表情。我不知道幽魂行者是否有与他们交流，但他们的确看起来像在对死亡微笑，哪怕周围明显的魔法已经消解。但随后奇怪的事情发生了。佩里安尼尔从人群中出现，变成罕见的龙形态，站到了幽魂行者和其他人之间。随后波普（译注：Pobre，羽蛇，尤坎塔自治区总督。）也站出来，从许多方面看来都让人忧心。人们说他疯了，说他被毒感染，他在其他政府首脑中显露真身让其他人显得渺小而无力。再随后弹指之间整个阿兹使节团——包括公司和国家的，以及他们的安保护卫——都消失了，只留下声波爆炸。我们随后了解到他们在一分钟后重新出现在了拉斯克鲁塞斯。我猜佩里安尼尔把他们悬浮出了丹佛。

劇透 -   :

> That’s quite a levitate spell that can move that many people at
Mach 6+, unharmed.
> /dev/grrl
> I once saw an elf doing Mach 5 over the South Pacifi c.
> Kane
> You gotta lay off the rum in the morning.
> Kat o’ Nine Tales
> This could not have been a simple levitation spell. An associate
from the Draco Foundation, not the DIMR, was on-site and
indicated that it was some sort of strange magic that he had
not witnessed any other dragon perform before. The DIMR sent
Ehran the Scribe to do a forensic analysis. After he met with my
associate, he and all of the DF data were shipped up to Boston.
> Winterhawk

>那可真是了不得的悬浮术，能以6+马赫无伤移动这么多人。
>/dev/grrl
>我见过一个精灵在南太平洋开到5马赫。
>Kane
>你早上不该和朗姆酒。
>Kat o’ Nine Tales
>这可能不是一个简单的悬浮术。一个巨龙基金会——不是DIMR——的熟人在场，说那是种他以前从未见过其他龙使用的奇怪魔法。DIMR派了“文书”伊兰去取证分析。和我的熟人见面后，他还有所有的DF数据被送往了波士顿*。
>Winterhawk
*提示：波士顿的麻省理工与奇术学院后来研究出了人工星门（）

劇透 -   :

And then he was gone. Everyone just bolted for their
security details and made a hasty retreat back to some sort
of home base, and eventually everyone leftDenver. Just like
that, the summit and the treaty were toast. Rumors have been
swirling ever since, especially about Larry Zincan. Some say that
he suffered a heart attack or stroke before he could be whisked
back to Cara’Sir. Charisma Associates spin docs are furiously
denying that anything happened, but it is definitely not helping
him or his allies in the Tír for the old and frail Zincan to be exhibiting any more signs of weaknesses or inability to do the
job. The conservative, pro-Peace Force faction—Princes Parris,
Gant, and Taylor—have actually rallied to his defense, which
is surprising considering their strongest constituencies are the
old-guard elves and conservative dwarves like Gant. With the
High Prince’s election less than a year away, however, they are
insistent on securing a proper, democratic transition.

然后他不见了。所有人都冲向各自的保镖、匆匆撤回基地，最后所有人离开了丹佛。就这样，峰会和协定完蛋了。之后各种流言纷飞，尤其是关于拉里·辛坎（译注：Larry Zincan，兽人）的。有人说他在溜回卡拉希尔（译注：Cara’Sir，即波特兰）前心脏病发作还是中风了。魅力协会（译注：Charisma Associates，地平线下属公关公司）的舆论专家疯狂否认，显然没帮到他和他在提尔的盟友，让又老又弱的Zincan表现出更多虚弱与无能的信号。保守的亲和平部队（译注：Peace Force。提尔坦盖的军队和警察力量）派系——帕里斯亲王（译注：埃文·帕里斯Evan Parris）、甘特（译注：乔纳森·甘特Jonathon Gant，）和泰勒（译注：康纳尔·泰勒Conall Taylor）——甚至聚集起来为其辩护，非常让人惊讶，毕竟他们最主要的选民是老派精灵和像甘特这样的保守派矮人。但随着高等亲王选举还有不到一年，他们坚持实现一次恰当且民主的更替。

劇透 -   :

> The period when the first post-authoritarian democratic head of
state must relinquish power is always the most dangerous times
in politics, especially in a country that is not as stable as the image
Charisma Associates is trying to project to the outside world. The
three Princes Kat St. mentions are the most physically dangerous
Princes, and the most connected and well regarded in the Tír
security apparatus. They benefit from taking this stand and keeping
the Peace Force’s hawks in line because it plays well with the rest
of voters. No member of the Council of Princes has confirmed or
denied if they will seek the High Princeship, but it’s expected a third
to half of them will, so it’s worth taking every advantage possible.
> FastJack
> zzzzzzzzz *snort* Huh? What? I must have been hit by Blackout
and ended up in Wonderland. When did FastJack turn into a
PoliSci professor?
> Slamm-0!
> I’m sure your parents have mentioned the stories about Parris
being involved in the death or disappearance of a western dragon
two decades ago, and he was allied with Aithne Oakforest.
Remember Oakforest’s conflict with Lofwyr in Europe and the
Reankas, including Ludmilla, who runs S-K North America from
Cara’Sir, because it helps to know who their friends and enemies
are because they hire from our ranks.
> Frosty

>后权威时代首位民主政府首脑放弃权力的时期总是最危险的，尤其是在这样一个全然不似魅力协会向外界展示那般稳定的国家。Kay St.提到的三位亲王的人身安全最为危险，他们也是在提尔安全机构中最有人脉、最被看重的三位。他们从这种姿态中获益，让和平部队的爪子收拢，有利于讨好剩余的投票人。亲王议会中还没有人确认或否认他们打算寻求高等亲王地位，但可以预料其中三分之一到一半人会，因此每个可能优势不容错过。
>快杰克
>zzzzzzzzz*鼾声*呃？什么？我迷糊了一会去了梦幻岛。快杰克什么时候变成了政治学教授？
>Slamm-0!
>我相信你的父母提过帕里斯二十年前参与了一条西方龙死亡或失踪的故事，他那时和埃尼·橡林合作。记得橡心在欧洲和洛菲尔和Reanka家族成员（译注：波罗的海边上精灵居住地波莫里亚Pomorya一贵族家族）的冲突吗？包括Ludmilla，她在卡拉希尔管理S-K，他们从我们中雇佣人才，好了解朋友与敌人。
>Frosty

[NewAlbionDrone]

REGIONAL FALLOUT
区域终局

劇透 -   :

The Second Treaty of Denver expired on July 1, 2074. So
now everything is in a state of uncertainty, with everyone running on inertia. The borders stay the same; the STC remains; the
reservations remain; Seattle stands. However, there is no legal consequence to engaging in any number of actions that, before
July, could have served as casus belli.

第二次丹佛协议在2074年7月1日失效。现在一切都处于未知状态，所有人都在凭惯性运作。边境线保持原样，STC（最高部落议会）还在，保护区还在，西雅图好好的。然而，七月前，任何可能作为开战理由的行为都没有法律后果。

劇透 -   :

> Casus what? Kay, I’m not good with this political nonsense. So
does this mean the Salish could try and claim Seattle? What
happens then?
> Nephrine
> Disaster.
> Cosmo
> I’d be more concerned with Brackhaven making a play to secede.
He’s been paving that road since he was elected. I’ve made it my
business to learn about politics because of Project Freedom, and
I’m sure he’s marshaling allies within the UCC and secessionist
policlubs as we speak. As insufferable as he is now, at least the
UCAS government keeps him in check.
> Bull
> I’ve been making several trips back home to Goodsprings. They’re gearing up for total war, and I’m afraid the SecForce is going to give them one. > Turbo Bunny
> The PSF will run over Goodsprings like the speed bump it is. > Mika
> Just because it doesn’t have skyrakers doesn’t mean it’s not an actual community. Then again, I’m not surprised someone whose family came from Pine Ridge would resent anything that wasn’t glass, ferrocrete, and neon-dazzled.
> Turbo Bunny

>开战啥？Kay，我不熟政治废话。这是说萨利希可能试图占领西雅图？会发生什么？
>Nephrine
>灾难。
>Cosmo
>我更关心布拉克哈文独立的打算。他被选上后就开始铺路。因为自由工程（Project Freedom），我把学习政治当成了我的事，我确信我们说话当口他就正在拉拢UCC（译注：United Corporate Council，企业联合会，西雅图超企利益联盟集团）和分离主义者。虽然他现在让人难以忍受，至少有UCAS政府盯着他。
>Bull
>我回了清泉镇老家几次。他们在准备全面战争，我担心安全部队（译注：SecForce，全称Pueblo Security Force，普韦布洛安全部队）会让他们如愿。
>Turbo Bunny
>PSF（译注：同上）会把它当成减速带碾过去。
>Mika
>没有摩天楼不代表它不是个真正的社区。当然，我也不奇怪有来自松树山脉的人会讨厌任何不是玻璃、水泥、霓虹灯的东西。
>Turbo Bunny

劇透 -   :

Th is is the most dangerous time in North America I’ve seen in my lifetime. When Ghostwalker returned to Denver, he made his presence known beyond all doubt. He just reappeared as if out of thin air. While it was not the most complicated magic—he was most likely just dropping a powerful invisibility spell—it was still a sight to behold. Th e Azzies had played this game masterfully, and would have gotten away with their plan to re-enter Denver if it wasn’t for a furious great dragon. Now they have made a full-court press of showing that Ghostwalker and the other great dragons are a Th reat To Metahumanity (capitals intentional). Horizon may have been the fl avor of the month, but the Azzies have been masters of the media for decades and have pounded on the antidragon resentment hard and unrelentingly. Th ey’ve already used the Horizon actions in Bogotá to their benefi t, and now with Ghostwalker’s actions they’ve got three legs on which to make their appeal as being the bulwark on behalf of metahumanity: Fighting the dragon-ruled aggressors of Amazonia, the dracoterrorist Sirrurg in the north, and now Ghostwalker threatening their leaders and destabilizing the peace across the entire continent.
With the summit collapsing and the treaty expiring, politics across North America have become increasingly agitated from Athabaska to Aztlan. Th ere are dozens if not hundreds of tribes that still have members dotting the NAN, and a few that have tried to maintain a presence back east. Many of them, or their more aggressive elements, were involved to some degree in the combined insurrections a decade ago, but since then the Sovereign Tribal Council and individual nations have been trying to appease them or at least maintain a veneer of interest in the “lesser” tribes, generally meaning those that don’t have nations named for them.

这是北美在我这辈子里碰见的最危险的时刻。幽魂行者回归丹佛时让自己的出现毋庸置疑。他就这么凭空出现了。虽然这不是最复杂的魔法——他很可能只是解除恶劣一个超强的隐身术，但也是难得一见。阿兹打得一手好牌，如果不是因为一头暴怒的巨龙，他们就能按计划重回丹佛。现在他们以铺天盖地的媒体说明幽魂行者和其他巨龙时对泛人类（有意加粗）的威胁。地平线或许是本月之星，但阿兹几十年来都是媒体操纵大师，他们正持续有力地激起反龙浪潮。他们已经利用了地平线在波哥大地行动，现在加上幽魂行者，他们有了三条支撑，可以让他们成为泛人类的守护者：对抗巨龙统治的亚马孙尼亚入侵者、北方的巨龙恐怖分子西鲁格，现在还有危险他们领导人并危及整个大陆和平的幽魂行者。
峰会取消、协议到期，全北美从阿拉斯加到阿兹特兰的政治家都焦躁不安。NAN全境有几十甚至上百的部落，有些甚至还在东边。他们中的许多，或者说其中更激进的那些，都不同程度参与了十年前的联合反叛，但最高部落议会安抚了他们，或至少在那些“小部落”，即那些没有同名国家的部落，里保持着虚假的关注度。

劇透 -   :

> One thing that has been in negotiations for years still seems to be going ahead as planned, and that is CAS granting extraterritorial diplomatic status to the city of New Echota in Georgia. It was originally a Cherokee city, and for decades there have been subtle moves by the Cherokee and other tribes to buy up the area and take full control of it. It was even one of the provisions excised from the original Treaty of Denver that would have made it a NAN version of Seattle. The idea remains the same, but now it looks like it will actually happen in spite of this confl ict.
> Hard Exit
> That would make things interesting in the Sioux Nation. The Tsalagi are discriminated against in Cheyenne, but there are Anglos who still hold them in high regard and some who expatriated back to the CAS to further those reclamation efforts. The Pueblo-dominated STC seem content to appease them, especially in light of the Tsalagi involvement with the New Revolution movement. Not that it will matter if the STC ceases to exist. > Mika
> You’ve got to be kidding me.
> Turbo Bunny
> I’ve been “recovering” some interesting data and material from NAN capitals that suggests that the Congress of American Indians, which is dominated by “minority” tribes who would like nothing more than to fundamentally alter or eliminate the STC, have the support of people who could make their wish come true.
> Mika

>持续多年并且似乎依然还在依计划继续协商的一件事，是CAS给佐治亚的新埃科塔城提供治外外交地位。原本是个切罗基人的城市，几十年来，切罗基和其它部落一直在暗中买下这片区域以取得完全控制权。在原本的丹佛条约里甚至有一条被删除的条款让它成为NAN版的西雅图。想法没变，但在这次冲突的条件下，这件事似乎要成真了。
>Hard Exit
>会让苏族国的事情变得有趣。切罗基人在夏衍受到歧视，但盎格鲁人看重他们，有的甚至放弃了国籍回到CAS以促成这一回收进程。普韦布洛控制的STC似乎满足于安抚，尤其是在切罗基人参与了新兴革命的现在。但假如STC不复存在，这也没关系了。
>Mika
>你是在开玩笑。
>Turbo Bunny
>我从NAN各个首都“恢复”了一些有趣的数据和材料，显示美洲印第安人代表会（Congress of American Indians），这个由“少数派”部落控制、渴望变革甚至消灭STC的组织，获得了一些能够让他们愿望成真的人物支持。
>Mika

劇透 -   :

The PCC Board of Directors apparently gave in under Ghostwalker’s insistence and has scheduled a nationwide vote of confidence, specifically regarding their decisions involving Aztechnology. It didn’t hurt to have the Hispano Circle endorse the board’s decision, which is currently polling in the board’s favor by a wide margin. Th e vote’s scheduled for late October’s annual shareholder meeting. Th e Pueblos have bent over backwards to appease Ghostwalker, hoping he can help resolve several issues now that he is back and clearly disposed to direct action over all he surveys from the Rockies. Aft er the Blood Rain and constant chaos in the Mojave, the time for action is at hand. If Santa Fe can get Ghostwalker to calm the spirits and broker some sort of peace, they will do almost anything in return. Word is already circulating of an autonomous zone around Ubehebe Crater. Th ey also continue to share a mutual enemy in Aztlan, and Sirrurg’s actions in Albuquerque have pushed them into having to make a pact with someone to prevent those attacks. Unlike the CAS, which is willing to make a deal with the lesser evil to stop Sirrurg, Pueblo is cozying up to Ghostwalker so much that Aztlan and Aztechnology are off  the table.

PCC董事会似乎屈服于幽魂行者的要求，已安排针对其与阿兹科技有关决策的信任投票。让西班牙人（Hispano Circle）给董事会决策背书没有坏处，前者目前正在董事会优势领先。投票安排在十月下旬的年度股东大会。普韦布洛低头安抚幽魂行者，希望他回来后能解决若干问题，并显然乐意依照他在洛基山脉的指示执行任何行动。血雨以及莫哈维持续的混乱之后，行动的时机近在眼前。假如圣达菲能让幽魂行者安抚那些精魂从而达成一定程度的和平，他们几乎什么都愿意。已经由传言说优比喜比火山口周围会建立一个自治区。他们在阿兹特兰还有共同的敌人，同时西鲁格在阿尔布开克的行动也迫使他们与一个能阻止这类袭击的角色结盟。和CAS不同，CAS愿意和弱一点的恶魔做交易以阻止西鲁格，但普韦布洛则屈从于幽魂行者好排除阿兹特兰和阿兹科技。

劇透 -   :

> The spirits around Albuquerque were not pleased with Sirrurg’s attacks, but word is that Celedyr and Ghostwalker are concerned enough to send “special assistance” to the Corporate Council. More on that as I check with my contacts.
> Axis Mundi
> Give Firebird a kiss for me.
> Fianchetto
> Old perv.
> /dev/grrl

>阿尔布开克的精魂对西鲁格的袭击不那么开心，但据说塞勒迪尔和幽魂行者都十分热心地给公司议会派去了“特殊协助”。更多内容等我和人脉联络之后。
>Axis Mundi
>替我给Firebird一个吻。
>Fianchetto
>老变态。
>/dev/grrl

劇透 -   :

Something that has also become an issue is that while everyone was focused on the small but vocal Azzie-backed Ute agitators, no one has noticed what is happening with the Navajos. Th e old Navajo Nation is located in the heart of the PCC, but it ended up almost entirely inside the Ute Nation when the NAN states were carved up. The Utes were not eager to include the Navajos or anyone in the running of the nation, or even repatriating from the Sioux lands where they were resettled and still remain. PCC has no problem, in theory. Over the last several years the Navajos have seen the chance to get their land back, and it’s been a long series of clandestine negotiations between the Navajo and Sioux Nations and the Pueblo board to establish a recognized sub-state. It was also going to have to be considered and approved by the STC, and the majority of that group had been ranging from ambivalent to hostile to such action, along with w sense of antagonism to the cohesion of the NAN. With the future of the STC at stake, their doubts now carry virtually no weight with the Navajos.
There are definitely some interesting happenings in the UCAS Sector beyond all the UCAS military personnel being withdrawn from the Zone Defense Force while staying in Denver. President Colloton has found herself having to rely on Iain Lesker because the public and Capitol Hill are rife with people uttering, “Iain Was Right.” At this point, it’s become clear that Lesker played her like a piano. Th at’s the problem with career offi  cers like Colloton— they’re predictable. He made himself first implacable, then indispensable. Her attempts to marginalize him and keep him out of the negotiations gave him political cover with Ghostwalker and the public. Now that the treaty is dead he gets to say, “I told you so.”
More importantly to the aff airs in Denver was the news that Commissioner Mecina has been removed as Sector Administrator, leaving Iain Lesker in charge until a replacement can be found— assuming there is a Council to receive a successor by the time the appointment weaves through the Senate. Th ere is so much nonsense in DeeCee that has come of this that Pistons and I have decided to cover it in another section.

还有一个问题，正当所有人都在关注阿兹支持的规模小但声势大的犹他煽动者时，没人注意到纳瓦霍正在发生什么。旧纳瓦霍国位于PCC中央，但当NAN国家被分割时最终全部落到了犹他国。犹他人不乐意让纳瓦霍或是其他任何人治理国家，甚至把他们遣送到苏族领土，他们被重新安置，直到现在。理论上，PCC不介意。过去几年里，纳瓦霍注意到取回领土的机会，包括与苏族国和普韦布洛议会的一系列秘密协商，目的是建立一个被承认的附属国。它还需要被STC讨论和同意，STC大部分成员的态度从矛盾到愤怒，以及对分裂NAN行为的敌意。现在STC的未来危在旦夕，他们的怀疑实际上对纳瓦霍毫无意义。
除了撤出了所有在区域防御部队里的军事人员但依然驻守丹佛外，UCAS区一定有趣事发生。克洛敦总统发现自己只能仰赖伊恩·莱斯科（Iain Lesker），原因是公众和国会山都在说，“伊恩是对的”。很明显，莱斯科把她玩弄于股掌之上。这就是克洛敦这类职业官员的问题，他们太好猜。他先让自己不可动摇，再让自己不可替代。她试图边缘化莱斯科、将他从交涉中移除的尝试给了他对幽魂行者和公众的政治掩护。现在协议完了，他可以说，“我跟你说过。”
丹佛更重要的事情是梅西纳（Mecina）委员被从区负责人的职位解职，找到新人选前由伊恩·莱斯科负责——假如任命从西雅图传到时还有议会来接受这个继任者。这个问题上，DC还有更多杂事，我和Pistons决定留到另一部分。

劇透 -   :

> The discussion President Colloton and Commissioner Mecina had in the motorcade as Colloton left Denver boils down to, “You want to be a governor, but I need a general.” Then she fired her. It was brutal.
> Clockwork
> How’d you get that info?
> Pistons
> Some of us are still concerned about doing our job, and not playing games with children and fools.
> Clockwork
>克洛敦总统离开丹佛时和梅西纳委员的谈话可以归结为，“你想当总督，但我需要一名将军。”然后她炒了她。相当粗暴。
>Clockwork

>你怎么知道的？
>我们还是有人认真工作，而不是和小孩还有傻子玩游戏。
>Clockwork

[NewAlbionDrone]

LIFE IN THE NEW, NEW DENVER
新丹佛，新生活

劇透 -   :

Th ings are unpleasant. Ghostwalker has demanded the ZDF step up their activity, and no one is safe—including those who thought they had the support of Ghostwalker. Th e atmosphere in the Front Range has changed—it feels like the spirit of the sprawl itself is no longer on our side, but at least we’re in this together. Yes, things have gotten that weird.
Perianwyr seems to have committed a major infraction during Ghostwalker’s appearance and is keeping a low profi le— some say he’s greatly reducing the time he is spending in Denver, and most of his time away is spent on the properties of his apparent new patron, Rhonabwy. This is even more interesting since Rhonabwy and Hestaby are reported to be allies with numerous overlapping interests. Given Ghostwalker’s penchant for acts of ultraviolence, however, I don’t think even Rhonabwy is going to keep him from pursuing vengeance against Peri. As it stands now, Weekday Eclipse and Peri’s other assets and activities in Denver are under the protection of the ZDF. No action is to be taken against Perianwyr, and transgressions are met with Ghostwalker’s direct response. My guess is that from how everyone has been reacting around Denver when Perianwyr is even mentioned, Ghostwalker is so furious he cannot even think straight enough to form a coherent response yet.

事情让人担忧。幽魂行者已敦促区防增加活动，没有人是安全的——包括那些自以为得到幽魂行者支持的人。弗朗特山脉的气氛变了——仿佛这个蔓城的精神已不再与我们同在，但至少我们一同面对。是的，事情变得古怪了。
佩里安尼尔看起来在幽魂行者出现期间严重违反，现在正保持低调——有人说他极大减少了他在丹佛的时间，他不在丹佛的时间大部分都待在看起来成为他新赞助人的罗纳彼的土地上。更有趣的是，据报道，罗纳彼和希丝塔比在许多共同关注点上成了了盟友。鉴于幽魂行者使用暴力的倾向，我不认为罗纳彼会阻止他向佩里复仇。就现在看来，日常蚀影和佩里其它在丹佛的资产和活动处于区防的保护之下。没用任何针对佩里安尼尔的行动，幽魂行者本人对越界行为做出了直接回应。我猜测，根据丹佛人在提及佩里安尼尔时的反应看来，幽魂行者愤怒得无法有条理地回应。

劇透 -   :

> Aden destroyed Tehran to deliver a fury-fi lled “message.” I shudder to think of what Ghostwalker has in mind for this transgression.
> Goat Foot

>为了传达愤怒的“信号”，亚丁摧毁了德黑兰。我不敢想象幽魂行者打算怎么对待这种罪行。
>Goat Foot

劇透 -   :

Most importantly for folks like us, whatever leeway the shadows may have gained during the White Wyrm’s absence has been lost. People are getting eaten, and Ghostwalker and his closest agents and allies in Denver are cracking down on spies, smugglers, organized crime, and anyone else that they don’t like. People are running scared, and the shadows are getting even busier because it’s the only way to accomplish a lot of the things that need to get done. Th ere had been some interesting activity in Th e Hub as some “unwanted” spirits or their agents were slipping through and causing trouble, and that’s now become a great deal harder. One other interesting side eff ect is that ZDF units have been operating beyond the FRFZ borders into Pueblo and Sioux. Neither seems inclined to oppose these violations, which I expect from the Pueblos. I don’t understand the Sioux response. To fi ll the hole left  by the absentee Americans, the ZDF (and PCC on Ghostwalker’s behalf) has been contracting services with Eagle Security, Centurion, SIS, and a number of smaller private military and security/intelligence corporations.

对我们这种人来说，最重要的是白龙不在期间暗影得到的任何自由空间都没了。人被吃掉，幽魂行者和他在丹佛亲近的代理、盟友正在清理间谍、走私者、组织犯罪以及任何他们不喜欢的家伙。人们惊恐地奔逃，暗影则变得更加忙碌，这里是唯一能完成必要之事的地方。中心区有些有趣的情况发生，一些“不必要”的精魂或者他们的代理溜了出来，造成了一些麻烦，现在情况变得更加艰难。另一个有趣的附带效果是区防部队在边境之外的普韦布洛和苏族国执行任务。两个国家似乎都无意阻止这种入侵，我估计到普韦布洛不会，但我不理解苏族国的反应，为了填补缺席的美洲人，区防（以及代表幽魂行者的PCC）和神鹰安保、百夫长、SIS以及若干小型私人军事和安保/情报公司签订合同。

劇透 -   :

> There is an arm’s-length relationship between Ryumyo and SIS through MCT, and it’s worth noting that many fi eld offi cers have Pacifi c Rim accents, and not the southern drawl one expects of SIS contractors. I know for a fact that four of them are actually from MCT Internal Security, and six more come from MCT Intelligence. All are former JIA or Imperial Marines.
> Thorn
> I was approached by one of the dragon’s agents with a lucrative one-year contract for my unit. I seriously considered it, but there are too many unknown variables.
> Picador

>通过MCT，龙树和SIS保持着独立交易关系。值得注意的是许多实地工作人员有环太平洋口语，而不是人们估计SIS承包商会有的南部拖长音。我知道实际上其中有四人来自MCT内部安保，六人来自MCT情报部。都是前JIA（译注：Japanese Intelligence Agency，日本情报部 ）或帝国海军。
>Thorn
>这头龙的一个代理找了我，为我的部队提供优厚的一年合同。我认真考虑过，但是未知变数太多了。
>Picador

劇透 -   :

Ghostwalker has decreed that spontaneous summoning of any spirits is forbidden and punishable by expulsion or imprisonment, and that anyone who wants to summon or banish a spirit must seek and be granted approval from one of Ghostwalker’s agents in the Liaison Offi  ce. Th is isn’t happening in a vacuum, or because the spirits are acting up. Th ere is a growing sense that metahumans have become second-class citizens right now, a step behind spirits, which is odd even for Ghostwalker. He has long held the reputation of being quite comfortable with spirits, but it seems his time in the metaplanes has led him to favor them over all other beings. At the moment, his people aren’t rebelling against the new strictures. Instead, they are increasingly developing a bunker mentality, acting as if it’s Denver against the world. And Ghostwalker is their leader in this fi ght, so they’re not resisting his new orders.
Spirits, for their part, are very much enjoying the climate Ghostwalker is creating, and free spirits have been fl ocking to the area. Some of them are mischievous enough in their ways that the authorities are considering approaching Ghostwalker’s people for strategies in handling them. One particular being, a spirit of man who takes on a hobo-esque appearance and calls himself Digger, has taken great enjoyment in messing with astral security across the city, contributing to at least two successful datasteals from members of the Big Ten. As you can guess, the corporations are working on ways to either neutralize this spirit or fi nd ways to use his tendencies and abilities to their own benefi t.

幽魂行者宣布禁止主动召唤任何精魂的行为，触犯者将被驱逐或监禁，任何人希望召唤或驱散惊喜，需要寻求幽魂行者联络办公室里一位代理的同意。这件事并非凭空发生，也不是因为精魂的暴动。泛人类越发感到自己成为了二等公民，落在精魂身后，很古怪，哪怕是对于幽魂行者。他和精魂有良好关系，但似乎他在泛位面的时间让他青睐精魂胜过所有其他物种。现时他的人民还未反抗这一新的约束。相反，他们的精神愈发紧绷，如同丹佛在对抗全世界。幽魂行者是这场战斗的领袖，他们不会反抗他的新政策。
对精魂来说，他们十分享受幽魂行者创造的氛围，自由精魂往这一区域聚集。有的太过捣蛋，当局考虑是否要咨询幽魂行者的人如何处理他们。其中有一个流浪汉外表的人精魂，自称挖掘者（Digger），十分喜欢搞乱城市里的星界安保，成功造成了至少两起十大成员的信息盗窃。如你所料，公司们正努力解决这个精魂，或者找到利用他的兴趣和能力的方法。

劇透 -   :

> This should be fun. The fi rst approach to crimes like datasteals is to respond with conventional law enforcement, and police offi cers will be entirely ill equipped to deal with someone like Digger. I’d like to have a front-row seat when some grunts try to arrest him.
> Haze

>挺有趣。对犯罪类型数据盗窃的第一反应是传统执法力量，而警察的装备完全不能对付挖掘者这样的精魂。要是有哪些蠢汉尝试逮捕他，我希望能前排观看。
>Haze

劇透 -   :

That also brings up the rumors Frosty mentioned that Zebulon, the famed Spirit of Denver, is back. I want everyone to take her words with a grain of salt. No one knows the real truth about Zebulon, except maybe for Ghostwalker. I know how confi dent she is that it’s Zebulon, but I’m not convinced. Th e spirits that were suspected of comprising Zebulon have been scattered to the winds for years, and it’s not as if their identities were ever known with full confi dence. Th e infl ux of free spirits since 2062 didn’t make anything easier. But there does seem to be a new swagger and sense of collaboration in the spirits, and that atmosphere of unity feels magical. Th e strange woman’s sudden appearance just adds fuel to the fi re, but for all anyone knows she is another great dragon that Ghostwalker brought back with him. Th ere is a sense that paracritters are becoming increasingly hostile or indiff erent to metahumans around the Front Range, and there has been an increase in attacks and direct action against magicians and anti-magical/metahuman groups throughout western North America.

这又要提起Frosty说过的西布伦，著名的丹佛精魂归来的传言。我希望所有人不要照单全收她的话。没人知道西布伦的真相，可能除了幽魂行者。我知道她很确信那就是西布伦，但我没完全被说服。那些据说组成了西布伦的精魂在风中消散了许多年，他们的身份也并被完全确定。2062年起自由精魂的迁入也没让事情更容易。但看起来这的确让精魂情绪高涨，他们有了合作的意识，统一的气氛如同魔法。突然出现的奇怪女人更是火上浇油，但对了解的人来说，她是幽魂行者带回来的另一头巨龙。人们还感到弗朗特山脉的超生物对泛人类越来越敌意或是不在意，同时北美洲西部对法师和反魔法/泛人类组织的攻击和直接行动也在增多。

劇透 -   :

> Many of those sub-spirits were believed to be aspected to the rather unpleasant aspects of metahumanity and spirits. It’s like Zebulon was split into different components and allowed to roam free and unchecked—pure id with the powers of a god. Given the perverse nature of how spiritual growth favors the most extreme, and often harmful, spirits one might assume that Zebulon came back mentally imbalanced. I for one cannot wait to work in a city controlled by a great dragon and a free spirit with borderline personality disorder.
> Ethernaut
> Even if that’s true, perhaps it is only temporary. Like how dragons have often been “crazed” upon their emergence. There’s no reason to throw in the towel on a spirit based on rumors and conjecture.
> Jimmy No
> Better safe than sorry, though in Denver’s case the populace might not live to regret it.
> Ethernaut

>许多这类次-精魂（sub-spirits）被认为倾向于泛人类和精魂不好的特质。西布伦被分裂成不同部分，并且自由游荡——纯粹的自我，神一般的力量。灵性成长的本质是偏好极端、常常还是有害的精神，可以想见西布伦归来时精神是失衡的。就我来说，我等不及在一个由巨龙和有疑似人格障碍的自由精魂控制的城市里工作。
> Ethernaut
>即使是真的，或许也只是暂时的。就像龙经常在接近破茧（译注：Emergency，龙成年的过程。幼年龙会在星界结茧，破茧后成年并获得名字）时“发疯”。没理由因为传言和推测就对一个精魂认输。
>Jimmy No
>安全好过后悔，虽然丹佛人可能活不到后悔的时候。
> Ethernaut

[NewAlbionDrone]

GHOSTWALKING ACROSS THE GLOBE
Posted by: Mr. Bonds
幽灵游荡全球
发帖人：Mr.Bonds

劇透 -   :

While Ghostwalker has been asserting his domination over the Front Range, he also has plenty of infl uence beyond Denver. Th ere have been rumors of machinations and corporate intrigue tying back to Denver for a while, but it seems as if Ghostwalker’s return has led him to tighten the reins.
Case study number one is Steve Ridgemont, who is doubling down on his dream of a NAN megacorp. He’s been seen with known Ghostwalker Watchers such as Anton Gage and Ceri Gilbredes, and he has also developed a new source of capital to invest in tech startups across the NAN, poaching a number of Horizon specialists who are dismayed by the recent turn of events caused by the corporation’s actions. Th ese aren’t just Singularity programmers and technomancers, but Pueblo nationalists from shops that were pulled into Horizon when it became a PCC corporation legally allowed to buy other corps (before it later became extraterritorial and lost that competitive advantage). Ridgemont has also been reaching out to technomancers and technologists around the world, taking special advantage of those visiting the Santa Fe Institute. He’s even made trips to Geneva and Hong Kong to seek out unique technomancer communities.

幽魂行者维护他在弗朗特山脉的统治的同时，在丹佛之外也有不少影响力。关于源自丹佛的公司阴谋和诡计的流言已流传多时，但幽魂行者归来后似乎收紧了缰绳。
头号案例是斯蒂芬·雷吉蒙德(Steve Ridgemont)，他为他的NAN超企之梦下了双倍赌注。他被目击到与已证实的幽魂行者监视人有交往，例如安东·盖奇（Anton Gage）和切里·吉尔布里德斯（Ceri Gilbredes）。他还得到了新资本用于投资遍布NAN的技术初创公司，挖走一批因地平线最近举措而心灰意冷的地平线专家。不仅仅是奇点（译注：Singularity，地平线子公司）的程序员和超链，还包括普韦布洛国家主义者，他们来自地平线成为PCC公司后被允许购买的公司工作室（但地平线之后获得了治外法权并失去了竞争优势）。雷吉蒙德还与世界上的超链者和技术专家接触，从圣达菲研究院（Santa Fe Institute)的访客身上获得了特殊的好处。他甚至去了日内瓦和香港寻找那里独特的超链群体。

劇透 -   :

> Poaching technomancers from Horizon became a lot easier since the massacre in Las Vegas. A lot of TMs are reaching into the shadows to arrange their own extractions, and Ridgemont is happy to provide funding for them if they don’t have enough saved up.
> Netcat

>拉斯维加斯屠杀之后从地平线挖超链变得容易多了。许多TM寻求暗影的帮助安排自己的撤出，假如他们存款不够，雷吉蒙德很乐意提供帮助。
>Netcat

劇透 -   :

Sherri Th omas, the CEO of SpiriTech, has also come to owe Ghostwalker. Aft er the attack on their headquarters last year, the corporation began hemorrhaging money and personnel as they worked to recover and rebuild. An infl ux of capital from Abraxas Industries and a major contract from Manadyne have settled their accounts, and Thomas has been on a global charm campaign, meeting with Schwarzkopf to appeal to his top students and personally recruiting talent from Georgia Tech and lesser-known schools and magical businesses in DeeCee, Madrid, Kiev, and Buenos Aires.

谢里·托马斯（Sherri Thomas），精魂科技（SpiriTech）的CEO，也得到了幽魂行者支持。去年他们总部被袭击后，这家公司因重建和恢复而流失资金和人力。来自阿布拉克萨斯工业的资金流和来自魔法力的一单大合同解决了他们的账户问题。托马斯正进行全球游说，和施瓦茨考夫会面，吸引他最好的学生，她个人还从佐治亚科技和DC、马德里、基辅、布宜诺斯艾利斯不太知名的学校和魔法企业招揽人才。

劇透 -   :

> T99 just lost two of its best researchers to SpiriTech. They didn’t leave Washington because there’s plenty of weirdness going on here, but they did move into a shiny new offi ce in Friendship Heights. Oh, and it’s across the street from the Draco Foundation.
> Pistons

>T99刚失去了两名最好的研究员，给了精魂科技。他们没离开华盛顿，那里还有足够多古怪事情，但是搬进了友谊高地里漂亮的办公室。哦，就在巨龙基金会对街。
>Pistons

劇透 -   :

But those are still in the NAN. Ghostwalker’s reach has extended to the San Francisco Bay Area, trying to intervene in splitting and capitalizing on the grey areas where Ares, MCT, and Renraku don’t have an iron grip. His agents have a special interest in reaching into Silicon Valley and breaking Ares’ monopoly from the inside, and they have been enjoying some measure of success.

这都只是在NAN的。幽魂行者的爪子伸到了三藩市湾区，试图参与到阿瑞斯、MCT和联络控制不足的灰色区域的分裂和利用中。他的代理尤其对进入硅谷、从内部破坏阿瑞斯的垄断感兴趣，并获得了一些成功。

劇透 -   :

> Ares is suspected of having an inside man from Gavilan inside their Silicon Valley operations who has been directing resources to the Draco Foundation’s interests. Only now those leaks are being diverted elsewhere, which seems to suit Damien Knight just fi ne so long as Daviar or the Aureliuses don’t benefi t.
> Sticks
> I knew it. Some of the Denver Matrix “tastes” like Mitsuhama’s output. I would be surprised that the technomancers at the Nexus haven’t acted, but that would require independence.
> Puck
> That’s a bold statement you’re making. The Denver Data Haven is still committed to the free exchange of information. It is one of the last bastions of data independence, and the claims that it is beholden to any master are scurrilous lies.
> FastJack
> I wouldn’t make that statement rashly, but you know I’m right. At least, a part of you does.
> Puck

>据说阿瑞斯硅谷内部有个来自加维兰的内线，把资源导向对巨龙基金会有利的方向。只是现在这些漏洞被用在了其它地方，这对达米安·奈特正好，只要戴威尔或奥里利厄斯不能从中获益。
>Sticks
>我知道。丹佛有些矩阵“尝起来”像三津滨出品。我本该惊讶为什么Nexus的超链没行动，但那需要独立自主。
>Puck
>你的判断太无谋了。丹佛数据港依然贯彻信息自由交换。它是数据独立最后的堡垒之一，任何认为它听从某人掌控的说法都是恶意的诽谤。
>FastJack
>我不会忙着下判断，但你知道我是对的。至少，你们有部分人同意我。
>Puck

劇透 -   :

Beyond that, Ghostwalker seems to have developed a taste for similar businesses as Hestaby: envirotech, biotech, agriculture, and media. He is keeping his claws well concealed, though, especially those that are invested in certain engineering projects. He has placed considerable resources in water management, engineering, and hydrological sciences. Many of these businesses are operating in hostile environments with depleted aquifers, contaminated groundwater, or those in need of massive irrigation projects. Interestingly, one of them—Martinez Water Resources— is deeply involved in an irrigation pipeline that will cross Aztlan from the Sea of Cortez to the Rio Grande, or what’s left  of it.

除此之外，幽魂行者似乎培养了一种和希丝塔比相似的商业口味：环境科技、生物科技、农业，还有传媒。但他把爪子藏得很好，尤其是某些工程项目的投资。他在水管理、工程和水文科学上投入了相当多资源。许多这类业务都在严酷的自然环境下进行，水资源衰竭、地下水污染，或其它需要大规模灌溉的项目。有趣的是，其中一个——马丁内斯水资源（Martinez Water Resources）——与从科特斯海横穿阿兹特兰抵达格兰德河的灌溉管道，或者是是管道剩余部分，牵涉颇深。

劇透 -   :

> Phoenix Biotechnologies reached out to him to help bail them out, but instead he seems content to let them fl ounder on their own. Meanwhile, he has had no problem investing in Yakashima or Genesis.
> Nephrine
> I should add something here. There has been plenty of discussion about his agents and activities, but with the two previously named exceptions, his agents are relatively unknown or unaffiliated with Ghostwalker. Gage and Gilbredes are known because they were original Dunkelzahn’s Watchers. When the network was exposed fi fteen years ago, and then divided upon Ghostwalker’s return into thirds—Draco Foundation, Ghostwalker, Independent—the players became known quantities among themselves and the spy community.
These agents are totally unknowns, and refl ect a reality that many, including myself, overlooked. Ghostwalker took that third of the Watchers as a concession of what he believed was due him of Dunkelzahn’s hoard. However, why wouldn’t he have his own network?
I discovered some apparent secrets to this group, which I have coined “Talons,” while I was investigating some business in Chicago following the public assassination of Friday. There was an inordinately large to-do made of the data she had on her, which also coincided with the fragments of data that was left from the attack on SpiriTech. There were ties to Anton Gage, but those grew deeper into the business dealings of a Santa Fe consultant named Wallace Thomas. Thomas is the brother of SpiriTech’s CEO, but he is also the fi rst Talon I discovered. Buried in his fi les was data on his cell, an all-sources network that can and does act independently. And one striking difference from the Watchers is that they have no apparent restriction or hesitation in performing wetwork and other direct action.
I also learned one other thing about Thomas and two of his fellow cell leaders—they are drakes.
> Fianchetto
> We need to take this offl ine, mate. Trust me. > Thorn
> Do you think this has anything to do with that brutish dwarf that has been more visible since Ghosty returned? > Kat o’ Nine Tales
> Later.

>凤凰生物科技与他联系，打算帮他们摆脱困境，但他看起来乐意让他们自己忙活。同时，他也毫不犹豫地投资了耶鹿岛和创世纪（译注：Genesis Consortium，创世纪财团，拉丁美洲一生物科技公司。）
> Nephrine
>我要补充。有很多关于他的代理和活动的讨论，但除了上文提及的两个，他的其他代理相当无名，或者说和幽魂行者联系不深。盖奇和吉尔布里德斯被认识是因为他们原本是黑牙的监视人。十五年前这张网被暴露，随后随着幽魂行者的回归被分成了三部分——巨龙基金会、幽魂行者，独立分支，参与者在自己人和间谍团体中变得为人熟知。
这些代理完全是未知的，反应了许多人，包括我，都忽视了一个事实。幽魂行者接收了三分之一的监视人，作为他认为属于他的黑牙财产的让步。但是，为什么他不会有自己的关系网呢？
在芝加哥调查Friday的公开刺杀案时，我发现了这个组织里一些明显的秘密，我称之为“鹰爪”。她身上有多得不寻常的待办清单数据，和精魂科技袭击留下的数据碎片相符合。有和安东·盖奇的联系，但更加深入到了与一位叫做华莱士·托马斯（Wallace Thomas）的圣达菲咨询师的交易。托马斯是SpiriTech CEO的兄弟，但也是我发现的第一个鹰爪。文件里有关于他的小组的信息，一个全面、独立运作的网络。与监视者尤为不同的是，他们似乎并不被禁止也不会犹豫干湿活和其它直接行动。
我还知道了另一件事，托马斯和他两个小组领导同僚，都是化龙。
> Fianchetto
> Thorn
>我们得线下谈谈，伙计。信我。
>Thorn
>你认为这和小幽灵回来后越来越常见到的那个丑矮人有关吗？
> Kat o’ Nine Tales
>之后。
>Thorn