--MANGA TRANSLATIONS--
--TRIGUN MAXIMUM CHAPTER VOLUME 7, CHAPTTER 1--
--"happy days."--

Translation by sumire

Page 3

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.

Page 4

The intercom screeches.

Knives (or Vash): !? What is it, Rem!?

Rem: Listen to me!
Lock yourselves in your rooms and don't come out, no matter what!

Knives: ?

Rem (over the intercom): Even if you hear voices outside, you musn't say a word!

Knives: What? What's wrong?

Vash (over the intercom): I think Rem's being cautious...
...About our first meeting with other people...

Page 5

The ship lurches.

Knives: !! That's right!
This is no time for that!
If the ships crash into each other, there won't be any meeting going on!

Page 6

The cold sleep chambers open, and the five crew members are woken with an injection.

Crew member: Ooh... Damn...

Computer: Emergency level E-3.
Continuing recalculation of formation maintenence program in phase 5.

Crew member: Jesus, this is no joke.

Page 7

The five suit up and make their way to the control room.

Crew member A: It hasn't even been three years since the last "wake-up call."

Crew member B: Quit your bellyaching.
You should've already been aware of this, but this is all part of our job.

Crew member C works out a crick in her neck.

Crew member B?: Or are changing your mind *now*?

Crew member A: You've gotta be kidding.

Crew member D yawns.

Crew member A: If we're gonna keep getting woken up for every little thing...

The fifth crew member is Conrad, better known as "Doctor" to the Gung-Ho-Guns.

Crew member B?: You just can't wait, can you?

One more automatic door...

Crew member A: Hey. Rem!

Page 8

Crew member A: Huh. You haven't changed much, have you?
I thought you'd be an old hag by now.

Rem (irked): Go back into cold sleep and stay there. For good.

Crew member B: How's the situation?

Rem: It's okay.
If it weren't for the ex post facto transmission confirmation, you wouldn't have even had to get up.

Computer: Calculation complete. Data forwarding complete. Condition checker main: all green. Sub: all green.

Crew member ?: Awright, right on the mark! Let's kick it!

Computer: Program drive start.

Page 9

Nothing happens. Then finally, the engines kick in.

Crew member ?: All ships' thrusters activated!
Resuming formation!

Crew member ?: That's done it!

Crew member A: Sheesh, almost gave me a heart attack there.

Page 10

Knives clamps shut his miniature keyboard and lets out a sigh of relief.

The crew members sit around talking.

Crew member B: Okay, that concludes our duties for this incident, so at this time, I'd like to return to our regular course. Any objection?

Crew member A: None.

Crew member D: None.

Crew member C: No objection. Good work, everyone.

They turn to Conrad, who stands silently at the back of the room...

Crew member C (getting a drink): But you've checked it over and over, right?

Page 11

Crew member C: A delay in the electrical startup of the living brain doesn't explain that time lag?

Conrad: ......

Crew member A: Are you saying someone intervened?

Crew member D: Who, then?

Crew member A: Hey, if it wasn't Rem, then it would have to be some unknown who-knows-what in this vastness of space...

Crew member C (joking): Woo! Wouldn't that be a great scientific discovery!

At that, all five crew members fall somber.

Crew member ?: A great scientific discovery, huh...

Crew member D: Rem.  Nothing's happened since *THEN*, right?

Page 12

Rem (looking innocent): No. Nothing.

Conrad looks thoughtful.

...The crew return to their cold sleep capsules.

Crew member ?: Okay, then.

Crew member ?: Good night.

Crew member C? (hugging Rem): How many years will it be before we see each other again?

Rem: As soon as you go to sleep and wake up again.

Crew member A?: Rem. If you get lonely, you can wake me any time.

Rem: Thanks.

Page 13

Rem 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 could easily have turned very, very bad!

Knives: I'm sorry! I'm sorry!

Vash, standing by, looks up in surprise. Rem turns and follows his gaze.

Page 14

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... It's been exactly one year.

Conrad: I see... I see... You two...

Page 15

Conrad and Rem sit under a tree, watching the two boys.

Conrad: This is a serious violation of the rules.
The risk that comes from concealing a special case like this...
It's impossible to predict.
It could bring about a fatal disaster, in all truth.
Rem: I know.
But...

Conrad: ...What do you plan to do with them?

Rem: I intend to take them into cold sleep with me when my period of active duty is up.

Conrad: I see.

Page 16

Conrad approaches the boys.

Conrad: Knives... Vash... Rem has 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?

Page 17

The boys look up, surprised.

Vash and Knives: Yes.

Conrad smiles.

Conrad: .... If you can love someone with all your heart, then it's all right. 
Let's walk on...
...together.

Knives is surprised to find himself crying.

Vash (or maybe Knives): Thank you, Mr. Conrad.

Page 18

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.

Page 19

Knives and Vash are visiting the main cold-sleep room again.

Knives: We can work through 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.

Page 20

Suddenly, they see the figure of a little girl standing in the distance, 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. 

Page 21

They come to a door.

Knives: ...What is this? I've never seen it before.
It looks like just this part is an independently-functioning unit...

They enter.

Vash: A medical block?

There are footprints in the dusty floor.

Knives (or Vash): It's made so it can be detached from the ship.
In case of an emergency...

Page 22

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: Hmm...
Access is restricted. With an unusually heavy block.

He brings up a screen reading "The report of TESSLA" (in English).

Page 23

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...

Page 24

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, how should I 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!

Page 25

An infant is born from a Plant.

Narration (file report): May 3, 2405 2:06--
--Discovery and retrieval.
Subject matures at a rapid pace.
No time for an emergency crew meeting. Commence observation for the time being."

Narration (file report): If I may offer my personal thoughts, I can't help but feel giddy at this great scientific discovery.

Page 26

Narration (file report): Day 13--
Subject's cerebral capacity also increases rapidly...
Subject already appears to be conscious of us.
Day 30--
Tessla's growth is amazing.
It exceeds all that we had thought possible.
I am too excited to sleep.

The same crew members we saw earlier run a scanner over Tessla's body.

Narration (file report): Day 57--
We spend our days in research and analysis.
We have no inclination to rest.

Tessla's head is covered by another instrument.

Narration (file report): Day 92--
Tessla has mastered speech.
This will be the first time mankind has ever communicated with another species.

Page 27

Tessla undergoes a bloody operation.

Narration (file report): One might say this is the result of a series of chance occurrences, but this is an entirely new life form derived from a manmade creation.

Narration (file report): 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.

Narration (file report): This is a historic moment.

Narration (file report): Day 100--
Trouble over a question of ethics.

Tears flow from Tessla's one visible eye.

Narration (file report): Day 110--
Possibly influenced by repeated scanning, tumors have been discovered in multiple locations.
Commencing surgery.

Page 28

Vash jerks back violently, bumping into something.

Vash or Knives: Someone was... born?
Before... us...

The machinery beeps.

Page 29

Cylinders begin rising.

Vash or Knives: Just like... us...
Tessla...!!

Pages 30-31

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 an angel-arm-like core, another contains her brain and eyestalk.

Page 32

Flashback to Tessla's decline.

Narration (file report): 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 scalp.

Narration (file report): Day 229...
Subject suddenly went into convulsions during administration of medication--
Fourteen hours later, all physical functions ceased.
Following completion of specimen report, project is closed.

To be continued...

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