Part 2 Project YoRHa
Date: May 4th, 2017

Performer:
Yui Ishikawa (2B)
Natsuki Hanae (9S)
Hiroki Yasumoto (Zinnia)
(note from Translator: this is the VO for pod 42).

Act 1 Zinnia
Number 9 (VO): Everything that lives is designed to end. We are perpetually trapped, in a never-ending spiral of life and death. Is this a curse? Or some kind of punishment? I often think about the god who blessed us with this cryptic puzzle, and wonder if we’ll ever have the chance to kill him.
Zinnia (very alive): My name is Zinnia. Everyone calls me Genius. Joking. Zinnia is a type of flower, and I heard it can blossom for a long period of time. My job, how to put it…is like Director of Technology and Development for Human Force. I’m developing a new type of android called “YoRHa” in a lab on base 6 on the satellite orbit. This lab consists of the most advanced equipment and the best personnel’s.
#9 (interrupting): Are you talking to yourself, Zinnia?
Zinnia: ah, hi #9. When you YoRHa units are finished products you will be the center of the whole world. I’m practicing for news conferences.
#9: hahaha, what is that? Aren’t you too impatient?
Zinnia: As the best researcher, I prepare for everything.
#9: Is that so? Ah, #2.
#2: Is there anything you need, #9?
#9: No, not really.
#2: If there isn’t anything then you are wasting your time.
#9: what’s wrong with wasting time?
Zinnia: wow, don’t fight.
Zinnia: #2, communication is a very important action for human. It’s not meaningless.
#2: I understood.
Zinnia: Alright. We’ll do some experiments with motion functions! Tell everyone it’s time to go the lab area. #9, especially you, you need to…
#9 (talks over Zinnia): “you need to pay special attention not to get distracted by other stuff”, right?
Zinnia: You know, then.
#9: How can I forget after so many repetitions?
Zinnia: Then, We’ll reconvene at the lab area in 10 minutes alright?
#9, #2: Yes
Zinnia: Even though they are the templates for newer models, for me, they are like families, no, like students. I still don’t really want to send them to battlefields….The only thing I can do is to reinforce them not to get puzzled in the battlefields.

A moment later
Zinnia (gloomy): At least, that’s my hope.

Act 2: Names
#9: ah, Zinnia I have a question.
Zinnia: oh, #9 and #2. Why are you guys always together?
#2: It’s just a coincidence. I’m just here to give you the file you requested.
Zinnia: Oh thanks. What are you here for #9?
#9: Nothing. I saw #2 heading this way so I just followed her.
#2: ewwww.
Zinnia: what. If you want a date, go somewhere else. I’m single.
#9: No no no. I do have a question. Zinnia is the name of a flower right? Why do you use this name?
Zinnia: I didn’t name myself. Boss named me.
#9: hmm…Is it that easy to get a name?
Zinnia: If you want a nickname, sure. But your formal name must get permission from the higher command of Earth Force. Otherwise there will be trouble in management.
#2: then, we…
Zinnia: huh?
#2: Can we get names too?
Zinnia (hesitate for a moment): ah….After all experiments are done and you have your assignments, let your boss over there get you one?
#2 (a bit happier): Okie…
#9: ah. It’s almost time to verify our memories. We need to go to the server room.
#2: Ok. Thanks Zinnia.

A moment later
Zinnia (gloomy): Those kids won’t get official names. YoRHa machines require a strong source of energy, and so they used machine lifeform’s core. Forms using enemy’s technology won’t be treated as normal androids. Higher-ups already decided to continue with code names in operations during their meetings. What am I…doing here?

Act 3: Constellations
Zinnia (serious): A large part of the Eastern half of Euro-Asia continent fell into the hands of machine lifeform. Since “Country of Day” couldn’t utilize their dragon knights, androids kept retreating. We know the reason: androids have lost the will to fight. So it was necessary to deploy new weapons. There were plenty problems with the new YoRha units that are still in development. Even though they are strong, we need a large amount of high quality cores of machine lifeforms, and the cost is too high. At most, we would be able to deploy a few hundred units. If this keeps going it would be very difficult to change the situation.
#2: Zinnia, can I come in?
Zinnia: ah, #2, what is wrong?
#2: There is a small problem.
Zinnia: What is it?
#2: We have relative coordinates of earth from the satellite orbit. How can we obtain our position when there is cloud since we can’t observe through the cloud?
Zinnia: I don’t think that will be a common situation. But if it does happen, you can deduct your position from the constellations you can observe, for example, Orion.
#2: Orion?
Zinnia: Yes. In ancient times, people looking up treated the arrangement of stars as god. Even though we don’t have a religion, we can investigate the coordinates of stars.
Zinnia (as if something just occurred to him): ahh. Yes!
#2: Zinnia, what is it?
Zinnia: Oh, nothing. No, I should say thank you.
#2: What a weirdo.
Zinnia (VO): Yes, the reason androids lost the will to fight was because the reason to flight – human do not exist anymore. If so, we can just “make” human beings. I spent a week on this draft. Simply put: First announce to all the androids in the world that “humans are still alive”. After that, of course some androids will say “let us see them”. We’ll establish servers for messages from humanity on the moon so they’ll believe us. Now we already have un-manned base for intelligence on humanity, so we can just use that. Anyhow, the server will be called “Council of Humanity”. And then prepare a specialized unit for communication with humans as well as satellite base number 13. Until all androids are aware of the existence of Council of Humanity, let this format…
Zinnia (hesitating in the middle of VO): No, this plan is too risky. And the plan won’t stay hidden forever. Must abolish this plan.
#9: eh? Zinnia? What’s wrong? Why are you so gloomy?
Zinnia (wavering): Am I? Nothing, #9.
Zinnia (gloomy again): Nothing at all.

Act 4: YoRHa Unit:
#9 (serious, VO): Now, in order to participate in descending beneath the atmosphere experiment, 2S was waiting in space outside of the lab. After the preparation of the descending units was over, she awaited the signal to start the experiment. But the signal never came, and there was no response from the communication room. 15 minutes have passed from the original plan. Deciding that the communication signal was lost, she returned to the lab. And then she witnessed what exactly had happened in the lab.
#2 (as if noticed something): What? Where, is that the lab? Smoke?
#9 (VO): Smoke came out of the catapult in the lab. When #2 reached Receiving Bay, regular lights had gone out completely, leaving only the red emergency light. Not only there is no place to run, the lab was filled with all kind of materials, it’s like an arsenal.
#2 (coughing): #2! (error?) Zinnia! Wait for me! I’m coming to save you!
#9 (VO): She advanced towards Zinnia’ room, not having a plan. But the lack of gravity producing machine made it difficult to walk down the hall. #2 walked on the wall, reached Zinnia’s room and open the door.
#9: Zinnia!
#9 (VO): Everywhere she looked, she saw burning equipment and fallen comrades.
#2:  #4, #21…what happened to everyone?
Zinnia: ouuuuch
#2: Zinnia! What happened? What happened to everyone?
Zinnia (dying): No! #2, run!
#9: ha! (#9’s attack hit #2)
#2: ahhhhhh!
#9 (calm): ah, #2 is really good at combat. Seems there is no lethal wound.
#2: #9, what are you doing?
#9: ha, do you know, #2, the hidden secret of us YoRHa?
Zinnia: #9! Don’t!
#9: Shut up!
Zinnia (being kicked by #9): ahhhhhhhhhh
#2: Stop #9! What did Zinnia do to you?
#9: Oh this guy. He created us YoRHa with a incredible method. Don’t we have a black box inside us? They only told us it’s just a highly efficient fusion reactor, but in fact it’s an energy organ reformed with machine lifeform’s cores.
#9 (dry laugh): haha. How weird. We are actually living using the same mechanism as machine lifeform. We are monsters, not even fit to be called androids.
#2: But, even so, this is…
#9: No, #2, the next part is the key. Zinnia is plotting even more. He was planning on faking the existence of human beings on the surface of moon, to elevate the morale of androids. But his plan is not perfect. There is a chance of this knowledge leaking from the satellite orbit base in charge of managing the moon server. So I changed the plan. There is a backdoor on the newly build base #13, and it would open itself under a certain circumstance. Since the attack of the machine lifeforms will destroy the base, after that communication is only possible directly from the moon base.
#9 (slowly turns, talking as if making a speech): This way, The “God” of our android will be established on the moon surface! The program to execute this project has already been transmitted to the moon server, including the design scheme of us YoRHa units. This way, our “God” will be born by automatically manufactured YoRHa units, and then our YoRHa units will die for our “God”. Ha, #2, I name this “YoRHa Project”. Hahahaha,
(#2 suddenly attacked #9 with a blade as he turned)
#2: Please, #9, you are crazy!
#9: ugggg, But, this plan….can’t be stopped already. We will be manufactured again. Even if this “me” is killed by you, it’s…very good. (count #7 if you include last time. But this time it’s #2, not 9S)
#2 (VO): I took away 9S’ life, and sat there motionlessly. Amidst the fire I could barely see 9S’ smile.
#9 (VO): ah, #2. What is the meaning of our birth?
#2 (VO): I don’t know, #9, I don’t know. There is only tragedy in our future. What did we do wrong exactly? We will never be forgiven, never…

Thoughts from JP-> CN translator: I don’t care how Yoko played me before, but this is the first time, I thought, Wow, Yoko you are a cruel/malicious person. But this time it felt like 2B/9S stories spanned multiple lives (the idea of samsara in China: as in you get a new life in another person after you die, but you don’t really remember what happened in last life: CN -> EN translator).  With this kind of development I don’t want to read what happened next.