--MANGA TRANSLATIONS--
--TRIGUN MAXIMUM CHAPTER 43--
Printed in Young King Ours, September
2001
Translation by sumire
Note: Sorry, this was a quick'n'dirty post I made to the Trigun
ML, and I skimmed the beginning and skipped page divisions. The
latter (serious!) parts are fully translated, though.
Continuing where we last left off, the Project Seeds ships are experiencing some sort of malfunction, and the ship's computer automatically awakens the ship's the crew from cold sleep.
Rem orders Vash and Knives to lock themselves in their room and not make a sound, no matter what. Vash correctly intuits that Rem is being cautious about their first meeting with other people. Knives agrees, since the first priority is to keep the ships from crashing into each other.
The five crew members (different from the anime's crew--and with Conrad, a.k.a. Knives' doctor, among them) wake up and suit up, noting that it has been less than three years since they went to sleep, then join Rem on the bridge. Rem explains that the situation is almost back under control.
After they've taken care of the problem, they sit around discussing the incident. Everything seems to be all right, but to some of them, something just doesn't quite add up--
Crew member 1: Are you saying someone intervened?
Crew member 2: Who, then?
Crew member 1: Hey, if it wasn't Rem, then it would have to be some unknown who-knows-what in this vastness of space...
Crew member 3 (joking): Woo! Wouldn't that be a great scientific discovery!
At that, all five crew members fall somber.
Someone: A great scientific discovery, huh...
Crew member 2: Rem. Nothing's happened since *THEN*, right?
Rem (looking innocent): No. Nothing.
Conrad looks thoughtful.
...The crew return to their sleep, telling Rem to wake them if the solitude gets to be too much for her.
She stands and watches as the sleep capsules close, then gets a grim I-know-just-who's-behind-this look.
Rem: KNIVES! You did this, didn't you!
- Knives (cowering): I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
- I was just looking at the emergency thruster controls!
I didn't think anything bad would happen!Rem: Fortunately, we were able to stop it just in time, but this easily have been very, very bad!
Knives: I'm sorry! I'm sorry!
Vash, standing by, looks up in surprise. Rem turns and follows his gaze.
Rem (surprised): William!
Conrad is standing there. Quickly, he approaches Vash and Knives and peers at them closely.
Conrad: Rem... when did this happen?
Rem: It's been... exactly one year.
Conrad: I see... I see... You two...
Conrad and Rem sit under a tree, watching the two boys.
- Conrad: This is a serious violation of the rules.
- It's impossible to predict the risk that comes from concealing a special case like this.
It could bring about a fatal disaster, in all truth.Rem: I know. But...
Conrad: What do you intend to do with them?
Rem: I plan to take them into cold sleep with me when my period of duty is up.
Conrad: I see.
Conrad approaches the boys.
Conrad: Knives... Vash... She's told me everything.
- Knives: Um... What do you think? I mean...
- Mr. Conrad, what do you think...
...of us?Knives is trembling.
Conrad: Do you two love Rem?
The boys look up, surprised.
Vash and Knives: Yes.
Conrad smiles.
- Conrad: .... If you can love someone with all your heart, then that's just fine.
- Let's go on together.
Knives is surprised to find himself crying.
Vash (or maybe Knives): Thank you, Mr. Conrad.
- Conrad (thinks): That's right, I'm worrying too much.
- After all, these children have Rem.
Conrad: --but you're not to touch the flight controls ever again!
Knives grimaces.
...Rem sees Conrad off as he returns to cold sleep.
- Conrad: In same situation, I probably would have done the same thing.
- ...Let me see them again when we reach the new world.
Rem: Thank you. We've only just begun.
They shake hands.
Knives and Vash are visiting the main cold-sleep room again.
- Knives: We can overcome a few little differences.
- If we just talk to each other enough, we can come to understand each other.
Because there's no difference between people's hearts and ours.
Right, Vash?Vash: Uh-huh.
Knives (looking up at all the cold-sleep capsules): I just can't wait, Vash!
Vash: Yeah. Won't that be fun.
Suddenly, they see the figure of a little girl standing and looking at them.
Knives: Hey! Vash!
They're standing near the capsule of the pretty girl they were looking at earlier.
Vash: Is it her?
Knives: No, it's not.
They follow the little girl, who keeps looking back at them as though leading them on. They come to a door.
Knives: What is this? I've never seen it before. It's like an independently-functioning unit...
They enter.
Vash: A medical block?
There are footprints in the dusty floor.
- V or K: It's made so it can be detached from the ship.
- In case of an emergency...
Vash sees a lily in a vase set on the floor.
Vash: A flower. It's fresh...
Knives turns on the computer and starts tapping away.
Vash: Did you find anything?
Knives: Hm... Access is restricted. The block is unusually heavy.
He brings up a screen reading "The report of TESSLA" (in English).
- Vash: Tessla? What is this?
- There are so many files...
- Maybe they were doing some kind of medical research.
Knives: In the middle of outer space?
Vash: Hey, Knives...
Knives: Huh?
Vash: Don't you think this room is awfully clean?
Knives: Is it?
Vash: The door and hallway looked like they were abandoned, but here, there's even a flower... ...huh?
Vash sees the monitor.
Vash: Oh...
There's a file on the girl they saw.
Vash: It's that girl! What!? Why!? Who!? Which!? What does it mean?
Knives: I don't know, I don't know! Quit pushing, Vash!
Vash: Next page! Next page! Come on, read, read! Click!
Knives: All right, all right! I know, I know! Shut up! Shut up!
An infant is born from a Plant.
File:
"May 3, 2405 2:06: Discovery and removal.
Subject matures at a rapid speed.
Without time for an emergency crew meeting, begin observation for the time being.""If I may offer my personal thoughts, I can't help feeling dizzy at this great scientific discovery."
"Day 13: Subject's cerebral capacity also increases rapidly... appears to be conscious of us."
"Day 30: Tessla's growth is amazing. We are unable to sleep from the excitement that threatens to overtake our reason."
The crew members we saw earlier run a scanner over Tessla's body.
"Day 57: We spend our days in research and analysis. We have no inclination to rest."
Tessla's head is covered by another instrument.
"Day 92: Tessla has mastered speech. This will be the first time mankind has ever communicated with another species."
http://www.oocities.org/sumirechan/scans/0109-tessla-2.jpg
Blood. A scalpel."One might say this is the result of coincidence on coincidence, but this is an entirely new life form derived from a manmade creation."
"I am frustrated by the limitations of the equipment on this ship."
Tessla's torso and one eye are covered with bandages. A device sits over her heart.
"This is a historic moment."
"Day 100: Trouble over a question of ethics."
Tears flow from Tessla's one visible eye.
"Day 110: Possibly influenced by repeated scanning, tumors have been discovered in numerous locations. Commencing surgery."
Vash jerks back violently, bumping into something.
V or K: She was... born? Before... us...
The machinery beeps and cylinders begin rising.
V or K: Just like... us... Tessla!!
The cylinders contain the dissected and preserved body of Tessla. Her organs have been removed but not separated from her body; one cylinder contains a right arm with a strange core; another contains her brain and eyestalk.
Flashback to Tessla's decline.
"Day 170: Confirmed sharp decline in renewal functions."
"Day 186: Subject's weakness is readily apparent."
"Day 192: Subject's hair loss continues unabated. Upon getting up, fractured her thighbone. Distinct odor."
We see Tessla's wasted body, missing teeth and bloody gums, and patchy hair.
"Day 229: Subject suddenly went into convulsions during administration of medication. Fourteen hours later, all functions cease. Following completion of specimen report, this project is closed for the time being."
To be continued next issue...
