Full Metal Panic!

Burning One Man Force

Story by Shoji Gatou Illustrations by Douji Shiki

Prologue March 01, 2007

Translator’s notes

This is the beginning of the translation of the Japanese novel “Full Metal Panic!

Burning One Man Force.”

Being the impatient person that I am, I couldn’t wait any longer, so I decided to

translate this novel. With enthusiasm, I jumped into this project head first, dragging Vicki

and Jeannie (aka Phoenixdown7) along for the ride, and was rewarded with many

headaches. I can completely understand what the translator of the previous novels went

through. I don’t think people realize how much work it is, and how long a process it is to

translate the Japanese script, and then turn what you’ve translated into coherent English

sentences.

Thank goodness I’m not doing this alone. If it wasn’t for Vicki (who double

checks my translations and verify’s the sentence structure) and Jeannie (who is the

wonderful editor that takes our translated version and adjusts it so it has a nice flow), I

don’t think I would be able to do this.

So, yes, Vicki, Jeannie, and I have tackled this project head on. This novel is over

300 pages long, and like I said, translating a novel is a huge amount of work. Even for

three people. So please be patient, we would appreciate it.

We did stick as close as we could to the original meaning of the Japanese version.

We had to do some tweaking in order for it to make sense. This book does however have

lots of foreign words/names in it, they are of course spelled in katakana. We’re doing our

best to translate them correctly. But there are some that make us go: “Huh?” If we have

any that give us a really hard time, we’ll just go with the katakana spelling, and then post

the actual Japanese script in the translation notes, and you can tell us your opinion on it.

Do not host these translations on any websites without asking permission. And if

we do give permission, we three must be credited accordingly.

You can send us suggestions to FMPnovels@hotmail.com. Any questions, or

anything like that, you can send it to that email address as well. Or you can visit me or

Jeannie separately at our LJ’s listed at the end of the document. Feedback is also

appreciated.

Now lastly, this is just the prologue, a teaser if you will. Hopefully it

won’t be too long between updates. I work a full time job and then some. Plus both Vicki

and Jeannie are full time University students, and they both have jobs. So we’ll do our

best.

Now on with the story!

-Shandy (aka Ravyn)

Prologue

If you’re careless, and your mind becomes clouded, it is possible the world

around you – the world you know – will cease to exist.

From then on everything is vague and unclear.

Places and time.

Oneself, as well as other people.

I don’t want to die without knowing anything!

A girl wearing dragonfly glasses protests loudly, as tears fall from her eyes.

C4 explosives are wrapped firmly around her torso. A 16-circuit bomb. If the

wrong wire is cut, the bomb will explode instantaneously with deadly force. An innocent

girl would be blown away in an instant. Leaving her body as nothing more than flesh and

blood scattered on the ground.

It all spirals into darkness.

Inside the cramped cockpit, endless information keeps flooding the multipurpose

screen.

-In the process of charging up. Starting up all components. Fuselage control unit.

Fuselage diagnostic unit. Passive perception unit. Strategy data unit. Firearm control

unit. Main-balancer. Start up complete. The CCU link-

The generator’s coolant unit is emitting a low groan that steadily grows louder.

He adjusts his grip on the slightly trembling throttle, trigger position confirmed. Checklist

abbreviated. The enemy immediately advances toward him.

It all spirals into darkness.

This girl, who always had strong eyes, pauses her hand in the middle of cutting

his hair. Quietly she looks him in the eye, and hesitates.

Hey, why don’t we kiss?

There is no reason for him to refuse. He is forming the response when she presses

the razor against his throat

You want to see me dead, don’t you? It’s impossible.

Eyes full of disdain, her hand moves. The sharp blade sinks into the skin, then the

windpipe, and slices through his jugular. He can’t even cry out her name. The only sound

that escapes him is a strange wet gurgling.

It all spirals into darkness.

The passenger plane crash-lands into a world of water.

It’s cold. Cold. Cold.

His beloved mother is no longer warm. While embraced in darkness, not once

does he move. Two muttered words are the only things echoing in his ears.

Live. Fight.

Help never comes. The water divides. The crashed airplane, holding him within,

sinks deeper into the cold sea. He feels nothing anymore. Or, maybe, that is the ideal

ending.

It all spirals into darkness.

The sky is clear and the weather is fine. Somewhere in a courtyard, surrounded by

many windows and many people, a girl he doesn’t know appears, standing alone, stalk

still, before him.

Her head is bowed. She’s crying.

Idiot.

Leave, she whispers. Everyone looks at him and sneers, throwing jeers and

ridiculing him.

And then –

Radiance.

A burning light stings his eyes as he slowly returns to his senses. As if he were

injured, his fuzzy mind calls upon the soldier within him, and he begins to question

himself.

Where am I?

Under the bed. Sunlight shines through the window and is thrown across his

closed eyelids. A cheap motel bed. A cheap motel – A motel in the town called

Namusaku. A town located in a tiny corner of Southeast Asia.

Who am I?

I’m Sagara Sousuke. Kashim. Sousuky Seygaru. Sergeant. Urzu 7. He has been

called various names.

Now?

It’s morning already. It’s probably around 7 o’clock. It seems, last night he

wandered around so much that fatigue finally won out. He most likely got, maybe, six

hours of sleep.

How did I get here?

Counterfeit passports were prepared. Several airmail connection flights were

taken, and the land route was used as well.

This region has some leads, but nothing that really matters.

Then, why am I here?

It was decided.

The enemy would be hunted down.

Contact: FMPnovels@hotmail.com

Translated by Shandy & Vicki

Edited by Jeannie

Visit Shandy at: http://ravyn-09.livejournal.com/ and http://ravyn-09.deviantart.com

Visit Jeannie at: http://phoenixdown7.livejournal.com/