【EE】Chapter 1: Welcome to Extreme Earth 欢迎来到极端地球 什么是极端地球What is Extreme Earth?

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在许多方面，极端地球与我们的世界极其相似。人，地点，甚至是历史上的事件都与我们的世界并行，在两者有分歧的地方，也不难想象在同样情况下会发生的事情。即使连地图都几乎一样，正如制定这些地图所描绘的国家边界的战争一样。但是，极端地球是平行宇宙中的另一个地球，许多相似之处仅仅是浮于表面。

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In many ways, Extreme Earth is a world very much like our own. People, places, and events throughout its history often have shared counterparts in our world, and where they diverge, it isn’t too hard to imagine the same thing happening here under similar circumstances. Even the maps are nearly identical, as are the wars that were fought to draw the borders of the nations depicted on them. But Extreme Earth is an alternate earth in a parallel universe, and many of the similarities are merely superficial.

极端地球和我们自己的世界之间的差异既微妙又深刻。翻开极端地球的国王詹姆斯的《圣经》并翻到《福音书》，我们能了解到四福音由马太，马可，拉撒路和约翰组成。（译注：现实世界的四福音是巴拿巴、多马、犹大、雅各）。约翰弗朗兹·舒伯特(Franz Schubert)在他去世前完成了他的第8号交响曲，但贝多芬在1820年没有写出他的第九交响曲，因为他死于霍乱。（译注：现实中，舒伯特的第八交响曲是未完成的残本，而舒伯特本人留下过1500首歌曲等作品，如此高产的音乐家与未完成的残本，由此产生了大量有关该交响曲的阴谋论点。而贝多芬的第九交响曲是他作品的巅峰，其中包含有最为出名的“欢乐颂”第四乐章）也许，今时我们两个世界之间最显著的区别之一，可以在曼哈顿的天际线上看到，世贸中心的双子塔仍然矗立在那里，高大而违和。然而，在极端地球上存在着三大主要差异，能让我们以想象的方式来将两个世界分离开。

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The differences between Extreme Earth and our own world can be both subtle and profound. Picking up the King James Bible on Extreme Earth and turning to the Gospels, we learn the Four Evangelists were comprised of Matthew, Mark, Lazarus, and John. Franz Schubert managed to complete his Symphony No. 8 in B minor before his death, but Beethoven never wrote his Ninth Symphony having succumbed to cholera in 1820. Perhaps one of the most striking differences between our two worlds today can be seen in the Manhattan skyline of Extreme Earth where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center still stand, tall and defiant. There are three major differences found on Extreme Earth, however, that set it apart from our world in ways we can only imagine.

逐渐无力Running on Empty
极端地球是一个自然资源比我们少得多的世界，但这些资源正以更大的速度消耗着。化石燃料，如石油和煤炭，正变得越来越稀有，由于温室气体导致的全球变暖，这种有限供应的过度消费已经破坏了环境。虽然我们可能有足够多的原油在我们自己的星球上再耗上一个世纪，但极端地球将在十年后耗尽其供给。在世界许多地方，新鲜的饮用水正在成为稀缺商品。从亚马逊盆地的热带雨林到俄罗斯的大片林地和美国西北部，过度砍伐导致了大面积的森林砍伐。化石燃料和其他自然资源的匮乏是当今世界上许多紧张和混乱的主要催化剂，而由此产生的军事对抗使得问题更加恶化。（译注：标题是一部1988年的电影，也是杰克逊·布朗的专辑名）

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Extreme Earth is a world that started with far fewer natural resources than our own, but these resources are being consumed at a much greater rate. Fossil fuels, like oil and coal, are becoming increasingly rare, and the excessive consumption of this limited supply has damaged the environment, thanks to global warming brought about by greenhouse gases. While we may have enough crude oil for another century of consumption on our own planet, Extreme Earth will have exhausted its supply by the end of the decade. In many parts of the world, fresh drinking water is becoming a scarce commodity. From the rainforests of the Amazon Basin to the great woodlands of Russia and the American Northwest, excessive logging has led to extensive deforestation. This lack of fossil fuels and other natural resources is a major catalyst for many of the tensions and conflicts on Extreme Earth today, and the resulting military confrontations only exasperate the problem.

企业的贪婪和军事目的也增加了对极端地球的环境压力。像节约，循环利用，甚至是安全法规等概念充其量只能从公司把持的政府机构得到口头上的支持。现代战争已经使地球上的许多地区，比如阿拉伯废区，几乎不能生存。科学家被允许进行各种各样的实验——即使是对人类的实验——几乎没有政府监督(除非他们是支付账单的人)。正是这种不计后果的态度导致了我们的世界和极端地球之间的第二大差异。

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Corporate greed and military objectives have also added to the environmental stresses placed on Extreme Earth. Concepts like conservation, recycling, even safety regulations receive lip service at best from government agencies in the corporation’s pockets. Modern warfare has left many areas of the globe, like the Arabian Wastes, barely habitable. Scientists are allowed to conduct all manner of experiments – even on human subjects – with little to no government oversight (unless they are the ones paying the bills). It is this very same reckless attitude that led to the development of the second major difference between our world and Extreme Earth.

超能天资Super Talents
第二次世界大战结束后不久，美国军方开始着手一项绝密计划，以创造出能力超越人类潜能的超级战士。在美国政府后来雇佣的前纳粹科学家的工作基础上，他们在遗传学、分子生物学、病毒学和其他科学研究方面取得了进展，与我们的世界相比，他们在极端地球上的进展飞快。这个秘密军事计划开发了一种名为“野菌序列”的基因链，它能让任何被感染的人都有超人的属性和特殊的能力，被统称为“超能天资”。

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Shortly after World War II, the United States military began working on a top secret project to create super soldiers with exceptional abilities above and beyond previous maximum human potential. Building on the work of former Nazi scientists, subsequently hired by the American government, advances were made in genetics, molecular biology, virology, and other scientific fields on Extreme Earth at an advanced pace compared to our world. This secret military program developed a genetic strand of DNA known as the Wildstrain sequence that could imbue anyone infected with enhanced abilities and special powers which would come to be known collectively as Super Talents.

像苏联和中国这样的其他国家竞相发展他们自己的超级士兵作为回应，美国军事设施的一此灾难性的事故导致了野菌序列被释放到普通群众之中并不断变异直至今日。虽然大多数人在接触后仍然没有受到影响，但有一些人的基因发生了改变，并发展出了超能天资。进一步加剧了这个问题，突变开始被遗传给后代。美国政府试图通过限制来控制损失，但为时已晚;潘多拉之匣已然开启。

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As other nations like the Soviet Union and China raced to develop their own super soldiers in response, a catastrophic accident at the US military facility housing the project resulted in the release of the Wildstrain sequence into the general population where it continues to mutate and evolve to this day. While most people remained unaffected after exposure, a few were genetically altered and developed Super Talents. Further compounding the problem, mutations began to be passed down to offspring. The United States government attempted to control the damage by limiting exposure, but it was too late; Pandora’s Box had been opened.

今时今日，超能天资是公认的事实，令人害怕或敬畏。现在有很多方法可以使人有意地或偶然地获得超能天资。对于那些没有超能天资的人来说，在工程和技术方面的进步可以提供比较的能力以平衡那些显著的进化优势。然而，大多数人既不拥有也无法够接触到这些，他们生活在恐惧和敬畏之中。这种有关超能天资(无论其来源是什么)的复杂的科学技术构成了我们自己的世界和极端地球之间的第三个也是最主要的区别。

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Today, Super Talented individuals are an accepted fact of life, be they feared or revered. There are now many ways in which one can acquire Super Talents, both intentionally and accidentally. And for those who do not possess innate Super Talents of their own, advancements in engineering and technology can provide comparative abilities to counterbalance an otherwise significant evolutionary advantage. Most people, however, do not possess or have access to either, and they live in both fear and awe of those who do. This sophisticated science and technology responsible for Super Talents (whatever their source) comprises the third and final major difference between our own world and Extreme Earth.

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未来即是当下The Future is Now 
与我们的世界的发展相比，在理论和实际应用方面，在极端地球上的科学和技术都进展飞快。在1951年，美国科学家创造了第一个有超能天资的超级战士，分子生物学和遗传学已经领先了（我们）数几年。当那些拥有超能天资的人变得越来越普遍时，那些不具备它们的人的恐惧和偏执也会蔓延开来。科学和技术的进步又一次被推向了他们的极限以寻找应对这种对国家安全的新威胁的对策。

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Compared to similar developments on our own world, advancements in science and technology on Extreme Earth have been achieved at an accelerated pace, both in theory and practical application. Molecular biology and genetics were already years ahead of their time when American scientists created the first Super Talented super soldier in 1951. When individuals with Super Talents became more commonplace, so did the spread of fear and paranoia among those without them. Scientific and technological advancements were once again pushed to their limits in search of countermeasures against this perceived new threat to national security.

从计算机处理速度到高效的武器设计，极端地球上的技术已经超过了我们的时代(在某些情况下是几十年)。研究和开发(R&D)主要是由军队和政府的需要推动的，之后才会在私人工业、医疗保健和日常生活中应用同样的技术。安全与监测、复制和中和超能天资的能力，以及在全球范围内持续不断的战争，是创新的最大动力。毕竟，在一个政府和企业之间界限模糊的世界里，贪婪是最大的动力。

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From computer processing speeds to efficient weapon design, technology on Extreme Earth today is years (and in some instances decades) ahead of our own time. Research and development (R&D) is mostly spurred on by the needs of the military and the government, with practical applications of the same technology for private industry, healthcare, and everyday life following soon after. Security and surveillance, replicating and neutralizing the abilities of Super Talents, and incessant warfare around the globe are the biggest motivators to innovation after profi t margin. After all, in a world where the lines have become blurred between government and corporations, greed is the biggest motivator of all.

科学的全面发展成就了极端地球的先进技术奇迹。最早的仿生肢体是在70年代发明的，从那时起，赛博器械的植入与增强技术就已经进入了与人类身体近乎完美融合的状态。在农业中，各种植物和动物物种的基因克隆是很常见的，尽管人类克隆也是可能的，但绝大多数人仍然认为这是一种不道德的行为。然而，基因的选择已经成为一种普遍接受的做法，未来的父母们会在生育诊所里为他们的孩子选择合适的性状，就像他们挑选颜色与布料一样。在20世纪80年代早期，纳米技术的引入也许是最引人注目的发展，它有关微观的，自我复制的纳米技术，它将所有其他的技术从字面上和意义上都改变了。尽管有这些现代奇迹，但它们仍然属于那些能够负担得起的人的领域。

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The full spectrum of science has contributed to the advanced technological wonders of Extreme Earth. The first bionic limbs were invented in the 1970s, and since that time, cybernetic augmentation and enhancement have advanced to a state of near-perfect integration with the human body. Genetic cloning of all manner of plant and animal species is quite common in agriculture, and although human cloning is also possible, it is still considered by the vast majority of the population to be an unethical pursuit. Gene selection, however, has become a widely accepted practice, and would-be parents choose desirable traits for their children every day at fertility clinics like they were picking from paint and fabric swatches. The introduction of nanotechnology in the early 1980s was perhaps the most dramatic development of all with microscopic, self-replicating nanites transforming all this other technology both literally and fi guratively. Despite all of these modern marvels, they still remain in the exclusive domain of those who can afford them.

太空探索计划在极端地球上也有类似的进展和技术上的进步。美国国家航空航天局是规模最大、最成功的太空组织，但有其他几个国家也在维护太空项目，包括俄罗斯、泛亚联盟、英国和中华人民共和国。像美国的大多数政府机构一样，美国国家航空航天局是一个半私有化的机构，有着明显的企业架构。美国国家航空航天局的太空计划围绕着20架最先进的航天飞机，每隔一周发射一次。

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Space exploration programs are similarly further along and more technologically advanced on Extreme Earth. NASA is the largest and most successful space organization, but several other countries maintain space programs, including Russia, the Pan-Asian Alliance, the United Kingdom, and the People’s Republic of China. Like most government agencies in the United States, NASA is a semi-privatized endeavor with a signifi cant corporate presence. NASA’s space program is centered around its fl eet of 20 state-of-the-art space shuttles with launches scheduled every other week.

航天飞机承担着各种各样的任务，包括在复杂的卫星网络上进行维护，这些卫星网络在世界范围内驱动着大量的信息运输，同时也提供了往返于地球上的数十个太空站的交通工具。大多数空间站都是由公司私人拥有的，但有一些是由政府和军方维护的。国际空间站是世界上最古老、最大的空间站，容纳了100多名宇航员和科学家。从1969年的“阿波罗计划”和“登月计划”开始，美国积极引领了月球探索和殖民的道路。现在月球表面有三个活跃的月球基地，包括一个在月球暗面上收获和研究氦-3的设施。美国国家航空和宇宙航行局目前正计划于2020年发射“火星探测器”。

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The space shuttles undertake a variety of missions, including maintenance on the sophisticated satellite network that drives much of information traffic on the world below as well as providing transportation to and from the dozens of space stations orbiting around Extreme Earth. Most space stations are privately owned by corporations, but a few are maintained by the government and the military. The International Space Station is the oldest and largest of them all and houses over 100 astronauts and scientists. Beginning with the Apollo Program and first lunar landing in 1969, the United States has actively led the way in the exploration and colonization of the Moon. There are now three active moonbases on the lunar surface, including a facility to harvest and study helium-3 on the dark side of the moon. NASA is currently on target to launch the first manned flight to Mars in 2020.

在极端地球上停滞不前的科学研究和技术进步的一个主要领域是开发替代能源的化石燃料。像KT石油这样的大公司对联邦政府有很大的影响，他们反过来控制着替代能源研究和发展的资金来源，所以保持美国和世界其他国家依赖石油只符合他们的集体利益。世界石油生产地区正在进行的战争使军火制造商和国防承包商的腰包鼓了起来，引起了连锁反应。然而，并不是每个人都是自私的，像有超能天资的天才，N-Tec公司的创始人兼首席执行官Jonathan Fisher，一直在独自寻求其他的能源替代品。但是，拒绝与权利结交是有代价的，在政府执法机构睁一只眼闭一只眼的情况下，N-Tec不止一次地下成了企业间谍活动的受害者。

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One major area of scientifi c research and technological advancement that has remained stagnant on Extreme Earth is the development of alternative energy sources to fossil fuels. Powerful corporations like KT Oil hold a lot of infl uence over the federal government, who in turn control the purse strings for alternative energy research and development, so keeping the United States and the rest of the world dependent on oil only serves their collective interests. Ongoing wars in the oil-producing areas of the world line the pockets of the arms manufacturers and defense contractors, causing a ripple effect. Not everyone is out for themselves, however, and men like Super Talented genius Jonathan Fisher, founder and CEO of the N-Tec Corporation, have been independently pursuing other energy alternatives. But refusing to play ball with the Powers That Be has its consequences, and N-Tec has been the victim of corporate espionage on more than one occasion while the government’s law enforcement agencies turn a blind eye.

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这部分主要是为了引起众人兴趣的尝鲜部分