All language subtitles for GITS SAC S2.23

I'm a soldier, znatchit ya...
I'm a soldier, and that means...

...i otvetchik i sud'ya
...that I am both defendant and judge.

Ya stoyu na dvuh kontsah ognya
I stand at both ends of the fire.

Ogibaya virazhi,
Leaning into the curves,

obgonyaya smert' i zhizn',
overtaking life and death,

ya begu srazit'sya s ten'yu lzhi
I'm running to fight the shadow of lies.

Skol'ko b nitej ne plyol obman,
No matter how tangled the web of deception is woven,

pokazhet lik sveta istina...
truth will always illuminate the outline of the light...

Save your tears for the day...

...when the pain is far behind.

On your feet, come with me.

We are soldiers, stand or die.

Save your fears, take your place.

Save them for the Judgment Day.

Fast and free, follow me.

Time to make the sacrifice.

We rise or fall...

This concludes the report from the
SDA forces which were involved...

...in the bomb disposal operation
at the Kyushu Broadcast Tower.

Does this settle
the matter?

This does mean that there is still more than
10 kilos of plutonium remaining in Dejima.

Prime Minister.

I will announce an official mobilization of
the Self Defense Army along these lines.

Does that meet with
your approval?

The Cabinet has reached a consensus.
I have nothing to add.

The business at this Cabinet meeting
seemed a bit too forceful to me.

Are you going to ignore the calls from
our neighboring Asian countries,

starting with the Chinese government,
to avoid the use of armed force?

A country that declined to take in any refugees
has no right to meddle in this matter.

Nevertheless, concerns among our neighbors
over our arms buildup is growing even more...

That reminds me, we received a message
from the American Empire, as well.

They say that we mustn't allow
the refugees to set a precedent...

...of gaining independence by
means of nuclear weapons.

To that end, we should present a united
front in dealing with this issue,

even if that means moving up the
schedule on the Security Treaty.

When did they say that?
I hadn't been told anything about...

You're too pro-China for their tastes.
They don't trust you.

It looks as if the Kayabuki Cabinet
will only last until the fall of Dejima.

That son of a bitch will probably
catch on any minute now.

Probably.

The target vehicle has been found abandoned
in a parking area on the Nagasaki Expressway.

What about
the plutonium?!

There was no sign
of it, sir.

I see...

We have no choice, then. We can't
let the media catch wind of this.

We'd like you to give top priority
to information manipulation,

and work under our command to carry
out the retrieval of the plutonium.

I know all that.
I'll let you handle this, but...

Don't worry. If you do exactly as I
tell you, everything will work out fine.

I'll go back to the office and begin
work on spinning this situation.

Understood.

Well, it looks like the Major and the others
are on their way to Spring-8 as we speak.

That's good.

It's been officially decided to
mobilize the Self Defense Army.

The Chief Cabinet Secretary's
press conference is at 7 o'clock,

at which time the Self Defense Army
mobilization will begin.

That's less than
an hour from now.

Preparations are already underway
in Nagasaki, I expect.

Mr. Aramaki, I don't understand what
the Chief Cabinet Secretary...

...hopes to gain from allowing the
situation to deteriorate this badly.

This will do nothing but turn
the situation into a quagmire.

Dejima will fall almost as soon
as the fighting begins,

so it won't become one of the Security
Treaty's potential enemy states.

But if that's true, I don't believe that jibes with
the goals of the Chief Cabinet Secretary,

who is hoping to establish a
military-industrial complex.

That's certainly true.

Nevertheless, if we assume that
the quagmire itself is his goal,

it makes a certain
amount of sense.

Even if the refugees surrender, that doesn't
mean that they are going to go away.

It establishes a reason to take
the funds that had been going...

...to the refugee policy and divert them
towards a military buildup.

That's true, but it's going to mean
more pressure from China, as well...

He must have some other trick up his sleeve
that we aren't aware of yet.

A thought occurs to me,
Prime Minister.

Perhaps if you handed the decision over
to the UN in order to buy some time?

Major, it looks like the GSDA
has a checkpoint set up ahead.

Well, I didn't expect them
to let us go this easily...

What's the plan?

Major, it's me.

The Prime Minister has submitted a request
to the UN for a nuclear inspection.

If all goes well, the inspection team
will arrive in Japan in two days.

If we can hand over the plutonium
to them when they arrive,

there is a strong chance that we
can put an end to this situation.

Do you think you can remain
at large until then?

Yes, if we can find
somewhere to lie low.

I think it'll be tricky to find a way to meet
with the inspection team, though.

Find a way to make it work. This might be
the last card we have to play.

I'll do everything I can.

Also, about the recruits who
are back at headquarters...

Just in case something happens,
arrange it so that they don't get involved.

From here on in,
we'll handle this ourselves.

Understood. I'll make the
necessary arrangements.

Also, about the
Tachikoma units...

What's the matter?

Our signal was
cut off.

Maybe it's the local communications
restriction provision...

...of the National Emergency
Law System.

The conference will be starting soon.
I'm going to the press briefing room.

So, do we have ourselves
a war now?

The United Nations?
Did Kayabuki call them in?

Yes, sir.

Make the necessary preparations
to oust her from office.

Yes, sir.

All right,
let's get started.

On the heels of the Self Defense Army's
cordoning off of Dejima,

large-scale traffic roadblocks are being
erected in the surrounding districts.

Today, we will win our independence
in all but name!

We demand that the
Japanese government...

...acknowledges Dejima as
an independent country!

Then we would be able to trade freely
and be self-sufficient!

Where is the crime
in that?!

We have in our possession
nuclear weapons!

The government has admitted
to this fact!

This is the fruit of
Comrade Kuze's labor!

For that reason alone, throwing
him out is an unthinkable act!

Furthermore, the deadline before
we begin attacking is two days.

The final deadline will be the arrival of the
United Nations' nuclear inspection team.

If we do not receive an answer
from the refugees by that time,

our preliminary attacks
will begin.

That is all.

Looks like it's started.

Now that we've been cut off
from the Chief,

we have no choice but to operate
on our own initiative.

But I'll leave it up to each of you to decide
whether or not to take part in this op.

Hey, what's the deal?

It's not like this is the first time we've
had to act like a gang of rogue thugs.

Aren't we just gonna play hide 'n seek
against the Self Defense Army?

No, we're going to take
the plutonium to Dejima.

To Dejima?!

That's right. We'll sneak into Dejima
under the cover of the SDA invasion.

Anyway, Dejima is where the
inspection team will be coming.

That being the case, we'll apprehend
Kuze before then...

...and hand over the plutonium
to them as a package deal.

That idea is so crazy it could only come
from you. I'll come along for the ride.

I'm okay with it, too.

I'm in, too,
of course.

I don't have any objections,
either, but...

You're against
the idea?

No, I'm gonna earn my pay
in exchange for some thrills.

Then that settles it.

Large-scale roadblocks have been erected by
the military on the streets of Nagasaki, where...

In addition, all domestic
flights are currently...

So in that sense, this decision
of the government's is...

Ishikawa, what's your condition?

That you, Major?
I'm still laid up in bed.

A little medical leave every
once in a while isn't so bad.

Or more to the point, the real reason
I'm calling is that I have a favor to ask.

Like what? If there's something
I can do to help, just name it.

I just sent a Tachikoma
out to you.

Inside the its pod is half of the plutonium we
recovered from the Kyushu Broadcast Tower.

I want you to take it
to Spring-8.

Oh, okay... I see
what you're up to.

Sure, I can do that for you.
But what about you guys?

We're heading for Dejima with
the remaining plutonium.

To Dejima?!

That's one seriously crazy plan
you've come up with...

What about Togusa?

He's with the Chief at the
Prime Minister's residence.

Glad to hear it. Major, I'm sorry
I can't be there with you guys,

but don't do
anything crazy.

If they start bombing the place,
there's no telling what will happen.

I know. You should watch
your back, too.

You can count on me.

I'll leave you to it.

Look for us on the news when we hand over
the plutonium to the UN inspection team.

Don't get yourself killed,
Major.

Say, Major.

Mind if I ask you something?

Shoot.

Back when I used your external memories
to have my little chat with Gohda,

well, I felt bad about doing it, but I took
a peek at your memories regarding Kuze.

So?

It's not like I really
saw anything,

but I got the impression that you have
special feelings for Kuze.

What happened to you
when you dove his brain?

Nothing special happened.

But when I made contact with his memories, he
reminded me of someone I used to be close to.

Used to be close to?

Yeah, but that's in the past.
It's ancient history now.

Okay, we're just about there!

Are they really gonna
attack us with tanks?

Yeah, 'cause they know we're ready
to suicide bomb their asses.

Comrade Kuze said not to
do anything, remember?

Whatever you do,
don't start anything.

If we do that, international public
opinion will be on our side.

We'll win this war
without firing a shot.

Make sure you connect with Kuze
before you do anything.

So, you must be
Hideo Kuze.

And you are?

You know, I saw you
overseas once.

Oh, you did?

You were surrounded by throngs
of people in Taiwan,

but it seems like there aren't many people
in Dejima who know what you look like.

It's because many people here
have cyberbrains.

Ah, I see. That's how you're circulating
your beliefs among the refugees.

Of course, I think it's a miracle that
you've had the mental strength...

...to continuously answer questions
from three million people.

Yes, but there is a
hidden danger in it.

Hidden danger?

Yes.

Just as water runs downhill, the human heart
also tends to revert to its basest instincts.

After I broke free of the ideological virus
and returned to Dejima,

many refugees began
to link with me.

Ever since then, I've come
to value their goals...

...and have made helping them fulfill
their dream my sole motivating principle.

That's why it didn't prove very difficult
to become their leader.

I've filtered out all other
consciousnesses but theirs,

and have tried to synchronize my beliefs with
the refugees who are constantly linked to me.

Right after the war ended,
I wandered Eurasia,

trying to find the reason for being
of individuals within a system.

In the course of my quest,
the refugees taught me...

...that human beings inherently exist
only through the intervention of others.

If you place your duties and your rights
on the scales to weigh them,

and first add weights
to the "rights" side,

you won't lose your sense of self
even if you obey society's rules.

Yes.

That universal concept seemed
very appealing to me.

But once the refugees figure out the net and
learn of the upper levels of the hierarchy,

they forget all that, and they revert
to their basest instincts.

When you have power,
you want to put it on display.

Just like when you have a weapon,
you want to try it out.

If you knew that, why have you
drawn out the situation this far?

Did you seriously think that you'd
be able to accomplish...

...this "revolution" nonsense
so easily?

No, I didn't. However, the revolution
that I have in mind is still a ways off.

I see this as a first step, as pointing people
in the direction of the superstructure...

...that is the ultimate goal
of my revolution.

Superstructure? That's not the
same thing as the hierarchy?

No, it isn't.

The network that now covers most of the
Earth is already turning into the base.

With its original purpose complete,
it is now creating a new meaning.

From there, it will become an entity
with new meaning...

...that will exert an opposite
effect on the base.

Although it cannot be separated
from the base,

it will undergo a shift to
become the superstructure.

That is the definition of the
revolution I have in mind.

I don't really follow all that, but can you really
get the refugees to share in that belief?

I think they share it on an abstract level,
but not quite on a concrete level just yet.

Long ago, I left public service out of
a fascination towards people.

If you'll listen to the advice of
a doddering old man like me,

I'd say that you should put your priority
on reality rather than ideals right now.

You can still put
an end to this mess.

Tachikoma, I'm going to dive Kuze's
cyberbrain one more time. Back me up.

Do you think that's safe?

Connecting with him
isn't difficult.

The real question is whether he'll
accept a message from us.

Representative. We've received
a report that a helicopter...

...just took off without orders
from the Oomura garrison.

So, we've found them.
They're following my script to the letter.

What's the status on our
EP-3C deployment?

Sir, we believe it is already
on station above Dejima.

Good, we'll start
with that.

We'll cover all of Dejima with a jamming signal,
rendering the refugees into standalones.

If we do that, the refugees will start running
out of control all on their own.

Gosh, the net's
being cut off...

It looks like a communications
blackout is starting on Dejima.

Have a defense barrier array on standby.
We'll fire in our message file!

- Roger!
- Roger!

What?!

What's the matter?

They're coming here?
And with the plutonium, to boot...

What are you
talking about?

We're cut off from the net.
The SDA's jamming us?

They must be trying to
isolate the refugees.

The tanks are coming!

It looks like someone in the government
subscribes to the same philosophy as me.

I'll go to the barricades on the bridge. There's
a strong chance that fighting will break out.

I can't allow people like you to be killed.
If you can, please escape from Dejima.

You're the one who can't die.
There must still be something you can do.

I hope you're right.

Did it work?!

The message got in just before
the net was cut off!

Good!

Shit, I'm gonna kill
these guys!

I hit him!

We've got a man down!
Cover us!

I hear gunshots!
Has fighting broken out?!

Stop it! Don't shoot!
Hold your fire!

They have nukes
over there!

Just as water runs downhill, the human heart
also tends to revert to its basest instincts.

What the hell happened? Looks like
fighting's broken out down there!

The tanks are coming in, just like we thought!
Drop the bridge!

Finding out a galaxy...

...of planets and stars within me...

Listening to each of them...

...singing the same silent melody...

I've never seen such beauty...

In possibility...

No speck of doubt or fear...

Wake up!

I hear a voice,

hear a voice calling out to me...

I see inside,

see the light now ever holding me...

All the truth, all I need...

...to make of this reality, it's inside...

The beauty within the shell...

I hear a voice,

hear a voice calling out to me...

I see inside,

see the light now ever holding me...

All the truth, all I need...

...to make of this reality, it's inside...

Right here within the shell...