--MANGA TRANSLATIONS--
--TRIGUN MAXIMUM CHAPTER 42--
Translated by sumire
Knives sits alone in his control room.
Knives: Damn you, Conrad. You got me. All information pertaining
to the
"hair-darkening effect" is completely protected.
....I couldn't realize it.
So this means I can't go on using unlimited energy. But...
*****
Elsewhere, Elendira is playing solitaire (or perhaps doing
fortune-telling
with playing cards? ^_^). He's dressed plainly and not wearing
any makeup!
http://www.oocities.org/sumirechan/scans/0108-elendira.jpg
Elendira: Now then... does this mean things are going to get
interesting? Or
just the reverse?
To be sure, the "fountain of power" wasn't
bottomless... but...
A gust of wind blows the cards away.
Elendira: ...humanity may have had a better chance for survival
back when he
was showing off his power.
He won't be careless with it any more.
Elendira laughs.
Elendira: Leave it to him! His appeal hasn't diminished one bit.
I like
this. So the only card in the deck that can trump him is the
younger
brother. Yes... Won't that be nice. I've got my hopes pinned on
you... Vash
the Stampede...
*****
Meanwhile, Vash and Knives are visiting the site of Knives'
latest massacre.
Wolfwood: Hey, Tongari!
Vash is standing in front of an immense block that has been
cleanly sliced
in two.
Wolfwood: He says it's unstable over there. Come on!
Weird old guy who's showing them around: But, well, anywhere
could collapse
in a moment, actually.
Wolfwood: So what, Gramps? We didn't pay you enough?
Old guy: Yup. Considering that hundreds of people were killed and
dismembered
in this ship... basically, it's a restricted area.
If you don't pay extra, I'm leaving you here.
Wolfwood has the old guy by his collar, fist raised.
Wolfwood: This isn't quite the same as money, but why don't you
take some of
these.
Old guy: That'll be plenty.
Vash: Whoa! Whoa! Wolfwood, what are you doing!!
*****
The three of them are deeper inside the ship.
Old guy: Over there. That's where the unidentified body and the
beheaded
Plant technician were.
Vash experiences a vision of that moment, Knives about to kill
the doctor
(a.k.a. crew member Conrad, a.k.a. Revnant Buskus).
Then Vash sees the dead Plant.
Collage image of Vash and Knives, with a shadowy figure between
them.
Vash: Tesla...
*****
Dozens of Project Seeds ships. Segue into flashback.
[Note: for a lot of this dialogue, I'm really not sure if Knives
is speaking
or if Vash is. I interpreted it as being all from Knives' point
of view, but
I could be wrong.]
Young Vash floats against the stars.
Knives: Oh, there you are, Vash. It's all ready. Rem's waiting.
Rem: Happy Birthday!
Vash and Knives stare at her, puzzled by the streamers and Rem's
glasses-with-fake-nose-and-mustache. They're having a birthday
party in the
hologram room.
Knives: Rem, what _is_ that?
Rem: I made it. .....Is it weird?
Knives (or maybe Vash): No...
Rem: You're supposed to have fun at times like these. Especially
when you're
living in outer space!
Knives or Vash: But you seem kind of awkward.
Rem: Well, I guess... I'm not sure just what kind of expression I
should
have on my face.
She pauses.
Vash: Rem?
Vash (or maybe Knives): What's the matter?
Rem: Ah--nothing. I'm sorry.
Rem: It's--sometimes I think to myself what an incredible year
it's been.
(she laughs sheepishly). Sorry.
Knives (smiling naturally, easily): It's been beyond all reason?
Rem: Hmmm, actually, I'd say it's been beyond all imagination.
Knives: Thank you, Rem.
Knives (thinks):.... for accepting us...
Rem: It feels like it's been no time at all...
****
Flashback of Rem discovering the infant Vash and Knives:
http://www.oocities.org/sumirechan/scans/0108-babies.jpg
Another really cute picture:
http://www.oocities.org/sumirechan/scans/0108-babies2.jpg
*****
Rem: All in all, it's been a great year. It's like I got to cheat
and become
a mother instantly.
Narration (Knives?): She smiled so kindly like that. But
somewhere, somehow,
her smile looked sad.
*****
The immense cold-sleep chamber.
Narration: In a sea of stars... In this giant manmade
pod...
Vash and Knives are in the control room(?), looking at the files
of the
people on board.
Knives: You never get tired of that, do you.
Vash (smiling): Neither do you.
Narration: A world made up of only us, and the thousands of
sleeping people.
Knives: I wonder what they're dreaming.
Vash: Aren't their brain waves stopped?
Knives: Oh. She's pretty.
They go down to the capsules to see the sleeping girl whose
profile they
just saw.
Knives: Hey... Vash... Do you think we can become friends with
them?
http://www.oocities.org/sumirechan/scans/0108-coldsleep.jpg
Knives is smiling, but Vash looks troubled.
Vash: Yeah... I think we'll have to work hard at it, too.
*****
Knives sits alone in front of a video screen. He sees astronauts,
and
fighter planes, and refugees, and atomic bomb explosions...
Knives (thinks): I know. Everybody's not as nice as Rem--that
much I know.
Knives (thinks): But they're the ones who created us Plants.
Image of a Plant surrounded by a team of scientists.
http://www.oocities.org/sumirechan/scans/0108-firstplant.jpg
Knives (thinks): I want to believe that they'll accept us.
Knives falls asleep in his chair. He looks troubled.
*****
Rem is awakened by sirens and flashing signals.
Rem: This color--a level-2 emergency!?
As she runs down the hall, Knives pops out.
Knives: Rem! What's wrong? Did something happen!?
Rem: It looks like there was an error in the fleet's piloting
system! You
two stay in your room and buckle yourselves in!
Rem reaches the control room.
Rem: The color has changed!? Level 3!?
Computer: Now implementing phase one of the crisis evasion
program.
Obstacle detected.
Beginning recalculation of formation maintenence program in
high-speed
parallel flight mode.
Rem: Okay! You do that!
Change to urgent evasive phase in 180 seconds!
Rem: ......!
...Emergency level 3!?
Then the crew... They'll wake up!
Vash and Knives sit tight in their room.
In the crew-only wing of the ship, sleep capsules begin to
open...
To be continued....
