Full Metal Panic!

Burning One Man Force

Story by Shoji Gatou Illustrations by Douji Shiki Prologue March 01, 2007

Translators 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 couldnt 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 dont think people realize how much work it is, and how long a process it is to translate the Japanese script, and then turn what youve translated into coherent English sentences. Thank goodness Im not doing this alone. If it wasnt for Vicki (who double checks my translations and verifys 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 dont 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. Were 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, well 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 LJs 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 wont 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 well do our best. Now on with the story!

-Shandy (aka Ravyn)

Prologue

If youre 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 dont 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 linkThe generators 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 dont 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, dont you? Its impossible.

Eyes full of disdain, her hand moves. The sharp blade sinks into the skin, then the windpipe, and slices through his jugular. He cant 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. Its 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 doesnt know appears, standing alone, stalk still, before him. Her head is bowed. Shes 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?

Im Sagara Sousuke. Kashim. Sousuky Seygaru. Sergeant. Urzu 7. He has been called various names. Now? Its morning already. Its probably around 7 oclock. 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/