Asakura's Report - Chapter 2

Translated by: Sweiled

1. Please DO NOT take my translations and use them for whatever reason, without my permission.
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(click here for Chapter 1)

Men’s Memories

“Our memories… these recollections… what can we do to stop them from ever fading away? They will disappear without a trace once we die, right? I don’t ever want to forget… The memories of us spending time together in each other’s company like this and also the memories that we three will create together from here on… ”
  The three of us were on the campus then, talking about nothing important in particular as usual. I remember clearly how he said that suddenly with a lonely face. It was not unusual for him to say something like that, but Maria’s reply to him that day caught my attention.
  I was never one to get sentimental and replied bluntly, “Write it down on a piece of paper then. Or take photos… or how about engraving it on steel or pillars?” But Maria looked at him and said with a gentle voice.
“Even if you die, those memories will not. They will live within me. (And) even after I’ve passed away, the fact that you existed will always live on within Time. Within infinite Time, your memories and recollections will continue to live… Don’t you think so too, Ryuuichi?”
  I still remember the words she said. At that time, being a quiet, unsociable scientist through and through, I found her romantic answer unrealistic and nothing more than pretty ideals to cover the truth. But without any hesitation he replied with a gentle smile, “You’re right.”
  I was filled with jealousy at the answer he gave. How can he be so certain without any proof? It was a world I found hard to comprehend. Honestly, women… I thought to myself. I had difficulty understanding women’s feelings.
Up till then, I hadn’t shown a single interest in a person’s kindness, warmth and what they meant. Or I should say that I paid no attention to it. I lacked the heart to show affection to others.
  But I definitely know what they are now. Now that I’ve lost it all, for the first time I began to understand (the meaning of) what the two of them said (then).
  That’s right, perhaps it’s like “sound”. The sounds you hear when you were a child. The way a beautiful tune moves your heart. The way a melody drifts into your heart even without a music score (to look at) or a recorder (to play it). [1]
  That’s right, perhaps it’s like the “wind”. The way the wind rouses (everything) around you when it sweeps past. The way the wind clings to you and brings to mind a somewhat familiar scent.
  (What defines) a person’s existence is none other than his “memories” and “consciousness”. And I can see now that they are everlasting. The last I saw of him convinced me that. And now, it continues living within my heart in the distinct form of “regret”.

[1] Here he is giving examples of things long forgotten. Like the things you used to hear when you were young and how it soothed and touched your heart. We remember and preserve music through music sheets and by recording it, but some melodies you don’t need to have them to be able to feel it in your heart. It’s something that’s ingrained in you, something that is deep within you.

The birth of ZERO

The disappearance of PROTO, the prototype of the Humanoid Assault Weapon Type 2 (Zwei). As far as I know, the exact location of his disappearance was not even confirmed and I have never seen a single record of his body or lost articles being found. Even now, after the war has ended, nothing much is known of PROTO.
  But where he disappeared to was not the main issue during the war. The survival of the “ЯR Project” required some cover-up to mask his disappearance. What was most feared by Colonel Alquist [1], the senior Officer-in-Charge of Military Science Department, and Dr. Hallemeier [1], in-charge of the Technology Department, was the investigation into the accountability (of PROTO’s disappearance) of the upper-levels of the army.
  To give the German forces’ an advantage over the war, large sums of money were invested in this top secret project. If it (were known that PROTO) went missing without any known cause, there would be no escaping the responsibility and they might even be punished without waiting for the military court trials. Moreover, we were in the middle of a war. It is futile to expect a fair judgment, and even the lives of all the other staff who knew the secret cannot be guaranteed either.
  The severity of the situation could also be felt from Dr. Hallemeier’s tone then. The otherwise good-natured doctor was frightened to the point of insanity. Those mad eyes dancing with fear told me, “All those who know the secret are also in this with me.”
  I thought that such things only happened in stories from action or historical dramas. I could accept being killed in battle, but I never even once thought that such an ambiguous death would fall upon me.
  I was, truthfully, very afraid. This is the price you pay for knowing the military’s top secret. In this crazy war, an individual’s life holds no weight at all. The higher you ascend in the military ranks, the more you regard human lives as nothing more than one or two thousand chess pieces (that are easily replaceable). My life is but one of them.
But at that time, these madness-filled deaths [2], and the dread felt by those who fear that death, have swept the country. No, not just this country. I have no doubt that these “madness-filled deaths” had more or less visited the other countries that took part in this great war as well.
  It was when the fear of death gripped me that I first saw PROTO’s face in a file.
I just wanted to be rescued, to be saved, and with only the thought that I must do something about it in mind, I blurted out the words that should never have left my mouth.
  “Um… A friend of mine… looks exactly like PROTO…”
Why did I say that? Without thinking what the consequences might be… I just wanted myself to be saved.
  No, not just myself at least. I have to protect her. I thought that I alone could stay by Maria’s side and protect her. Or maybe that was what I simply talked myself into thinking.

[1] I got this name after Googling the name in katakana ハレマイエル (ha-re-ma-i-e-ru). This name appeared in a Japanese translation of a Russian play, “R.U.R”, and I traced my way back to an English page from there. My only misgiving about using this name is that it (presumably) is a Russian name, but since this story takes place in Germany, ideally it should be a German name too.

On the Wikipedia page for R.U.R, my friend and I found another name “Alquist” and the similarity to アルカイスト (a-ru-ka-i-su-to) was too great for us to ignore, especially when we consider the story of the play itself! (The word Robot was first introduced to the world through this work :D) The official Japanese translation of the name was a-ru-ku-i-su-to, not a-ru-ka-i-su-to but I decided to use it anyway for this translation. (Many thanks to Gekka_no_neko for her sharp eyes! XD)
[2] 狂気に満ち溢れた死Literally, death overflowing with madness or death of overflowing madness. I was tempted to translate it to “madness-driven death” because of the sentence before that of “frightened to the point of insanity”. But I’m not really sure what he’s trying to say here by “death filled with madness”. He died an insane man? Or was he driven to death by his madness? Most likely, it’s that war drives men insane, war itself is insane, and so they die insane. :D (Thanks again Gekka!)

Our photo

The three of us were always together. Or maybe I should say “the two of us and the other were always together”. Both he and I loved Maria, but there was a silent understanding, something like a gentleman’s agreement, between us. Neither of us will try to woo her behind the other’s back… Maybe I was the only one who felt that way, but he never broke that delicate balance.
  When I was studying Mechanical Engineering at the Imperial University [1] in the Empire of Japan [1], I received the recommendation of Dr. Hallemeier who was visiting Japan then, and decided to study abroad at Technische Universität München (Technical University of Munich).
  Although Japan and Germany were allies, it was still rare to find a Japanese in the country and I spent most of my time alone. The one who (first) showed concern and approached me was Maria, and him.
  He was a German of Japanese descent, and his looks were closer to that of an Asian, like me, than that of a German. Perhaps it was because I was lonely, or because I was missing my home country, but I began to take notice of this man who could speak Japanese. I don’t remember how it started, but gradually we started talking to each other, and by the time I noticed we had become close.
  Maybe it was because of his family and his situation in this country. At work and in their daily lives; the way the people in this town view, regard, and deal with them… They were often caught in an extremely difficult position in this country.
  Perhaps it was the kind of life they’ve led here for a long time that made them care about a Japanese like me. He gave me the knowledge to survive in this country as a foreigner. I felt strangely happy at the attention given to me. Because I was a loner even in my home country Japan, and had never had someone I could call a true friend.
  The time we spent together grew. We talked, played and laughed as if we were childhood friends. But this period of happiness did not last very long.
The war broke out with the invasion of Poland in 1939. (News of) peculiar acts during the war such as the Generalplan Ost [2] and the AB-Aktion [3] reached the students in Munich as well and a dark shadow fell upon us.
  In June 1941, the Third Reich abandoned the non-aggression pact they had signed with the Soviet Union and suddenly began their invasion. Germany began to recruit more soldiers from within the country for this invasion (and the war). Of course, it did not matter then whether you were of Japanese descent or not.
  In order to dispel the stigma he had borne for not being of pure blood, he signed up for the Wehrmacht (German Defense Forces). In order to protect his family and to uphold the pride he held of being born a German. He truly loved his country and family.
  He made singular achievements in (military) training. I too joined the army with him when the university was closed down temporarily, but after receiving military training, I was appointed by Dr. Hallemeier and transferred to the research facility that he ran.
  On that day when the two of us embarked on our separate paths, Maria came bearing two bouquets of flowers. They were white flowers that were blossoming beautifully. Those bouquets were probably not for the two of us, but were meant for him only. Maria came to send off the person she loves, he who was going off to war. That was written in her tear-filled eyes.
  And ugly though it was, I allowed my jealousy towards him to grow. A terrible desire swelled deep within me. From that day, this feeling gradually grew until it became impossible for me to control it anymore. If only he were gone… I began to wish.
  And so he left for war. On the other hand, I kept watch of Maria from a place comparatively closer and worked on my research.
  She was in the middle and I on the right. Holding a bouquet of flowers, he stood on the left side of the photo that we took that day. The photo that showed our last moment as best friends. But like an attempt to separate the two of them, I tore the photo into two pieces. As if tearing him away from Maria, and from my memories.

[1] The Empire of Japan was a political entity that existed during the period from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until its defeat in WWII in 1945. (taken from Wikipedia) There were nine Imperial Universities in total founded by the Empire of Japan.
[2] Generalplan Ost (GPO) was a secret Nazi plan of genocide and ethnic cleansing to be realized in the territories occupied by Germany in Eastern Europe during World War II. (taken from Wikipedia)
[3]AB-Aktion or Außerordentliche Befriedungsaktion was a German campaign during World War II aimed to eliminate the intellectuals and the upper classes of the Polish nation. (taken from Wikipedia)

The 4th Independent “Mechanized” Tactical Guerrilla Force (GHOST)

Even though it was my words that brought it about, I was surprised at the speed at which Dr. Hallemeier reacted. He had no hesitations or doubts as a person. As if talking to himself, “This is war” was all he murmured.
  I’m sure he was told that it was “for the country, for your family”. Those words are reason enough for a family-loving man like him who had been treated harshly by his country (to accept the offer). He probably did not disobey what the military virtually commanded him to do by force.
  He is not who he was anymore. That was the plot I devised. A plot to betray my friend in order to make one woman mine. Why did I choose my friend’s death over my own at that time? It was a crazy calculation. The result of the worst calculation [1] ever, as a friend, as a person, and as a man.
  A few days later… His name disappeared from the military register… I had sold him out. My ugly desire to monopolize (her) took away everything that made him human. I transformed him into a cyborg weapon that had no memories or consciousness as a human.
  In Dr. Hallemeier’s facility, he was turned into the man who used to be called PROTO. All of PROTO’s knowledge, military records, and battle and action data were programmed in him.
  The factors that determine an individual – “memories” and “consciousness”. If PROTO’s inner self had existed, it would be found there (in those data). What ‘container’ should we use then to recreate PROTO…? It was as simple as that. And he was merely the container chosen to revive PROTO.
  He bore a striking resemblance to PROTO, and his voice and characteristics were similar to PROTO’s too. Upon mass-production of Humanoid Assault Weapon Type 2 (Zwei), PROTO was changed from prototype and deployed as serial 0. A new code(name) was given to him – Zero.
  The 4th Independent Tactical Guerrilla Force was also formed anew for Zero. Officially known as “The 4th Independent ‘Mechanized’ Tactical Guerrilla Force – the Combat Support Force under the 2nd SS Panzer Divison Das Reich”. A.K.A “GHOST”.
  Captained by Zero, it is a completely mechanized team of only Humanoid Assault Weapon Type 2s. Of human form and yet not human. As they have no souls, they are called “GHOST” [亡霊]. These ghosts from hell plunged the battlefield into an abyss of fear.
  Nibelungen Demon. So Zero was named and feared on the battlefield. GHOST, led by the Nibelungen Demon, is a small team with the strength of an entire battalion. They pull all down to hell without showing a single shred of compassion. Such a kind man as he used to be was called Demon and feared.
  And perhaps it was a trick of fate that put me in-charge of the group’s overall maintenance. I received the team as they returned from the battlefield and gave them new instructions through a special method.
  Like a father teaching his children something new one by one… That was what I felt like. During that period of time, I held the complete upper hand over ZERO.

[1] Literally, the result worked out by the worst calculator. I believe he used calculator because of the word “calculation” that he used in the previous sentence. This may refer to the choices that one has to make constantly in life. Without realizing it, we are always calculating the worth and value of each product and of each person and we make choices based on that. (For example, if your mother and your child are both drowning, who would you choose to save?) So in this case, the “worst calculator” could refer to him measuring his friend’s life against his own (not a selfless act). Plus of course that he calculated that he will be able to win Maria’s heart without that friend around.

A letter from the battlefield

As Zero (began) his duties, I thought I should tell Maria the important truth. There is no way I could have concealed it from her forever. That he has in fact “fallen in battle”…
  I gathered my courage and told her.
“Maria, brace yourself now for what I have to say. I have some bad news. It seems like his death on the battlefield has been confirmed. They say that they were retreating and could not recover his body.”
  Upon hearing my words, Maria fell to her knees and cried. Maybe she had prepared herself for it. For she did not mourn loudly, but cried silently. Her reaction made me feel even guiltier.
  A few days later… A letter came to Maria. It was from he who was supposed to be dead.

Source: gackt.com

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