Operation story: 14-19

Operation

Story

Previous 14-18	Next 14-20
Characters
Doctor Priestess Amiya Logos W Kal'tsit Kroos Fang Beagle Blaze Indra Dagda Vina Ace Outcast Touch Sharp Pith Baird Allerdale Talulah FrostNova Distant Voice
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6

Before operation

Summary The Doctor awakens in an unknown space, accompanied by Priestess.
You might not remember exactly what today means to you. It would lead you into great danger if you do so. ... No. You must remember.
<Background fades out>
Distant Voice	...Condition... Stable... ...Sorry... For making you suffer again.
???	... Hold my hand tight, Doctor. Next time, please don't leave me without saying a word. You wouldn't accept something like this happening again either, right? Mmm... What's wrong, Dr. {nickname}? Why are you looking at me so strangely?
<Background 1>
Doctor	(Unknown language) Pries... tess...?
Priestess	*sigh* Where did you manage to learn such a strange language this time around? Did you sneakily upload your cognition to some civilization out on the tip of the spiral arm in this round of hibernation? Alright, I'd just like to reconfirm whether or not your capability for language has been properly restored. Don't tell me that you've even forgotten my name just because you've had a big nap. Come on, say my name again. The database will analyze all of your voice data.
Doctor	Pries...tess...
Priestess	You recovered rather quickly, {nickname}. But since your body has only just revived, it still hasn't fully acclimated yet. So don't make any sudden movements. NX-07 will press you back into bed if you do. Its new orders are rather difficult to rescind, so I'm afraid that my hands are tied.
Doctor	You... Where am I?
Priestess	You're still on "Rhodes Island", of course. Our home.
Doctor	You mean... just me? / What about the others... on Rhodes Island...
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	You mean... just me?
Priestess	Just you? Hey, I'm here too.
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	What about the others... on Rhodes Island...
Priestess	...You really do keep asking this every time.
<Dialogue branch ends here>
Priestess	It all happened so fast. The damage to the defense array exceeded ninety percent, and with all the extreme environmental damage we received, the repair units were finding it difficult to restore everything in the short time that we had. Not long after you began your hibernation, many of our colleagues left, one after the other. Everyone wanted to treasure the time they had before the stars fell. I understand how they felt. Now it's just the two of us left. Of course, AMa-10 is still here as well. She's in good spirits, and still rather lively. But don't worry, what's left of Rhodes Island can still maintain its basic functions. We still have some time. When you are here with me, {nickname}, I'm not afraid of the end. No matter if our bodies collapse, or if our consciousnesses freeze, or if the laws of the universe invert, I can accept it all with open arms. I need only have you by my side.
Doctor	...
Priestess	You seem rather absent-minded today. Still not fully awake from your dream, {nickname}?
She takes your hand, pressing it against her cheek. The touch of her skin is warm. Its corporeality snaps you out of your dream.
Priestess	If that's the case, then I would like to know what you dreamed of. Although I will say that I would prefer if I were in it.
Doctor	... / Dream...? / A very long dream...?
<Flashback starts here>
"Terra". That land... Catastrophe... Oripathy... You wandered that land for several years. Felt how real everything was. All too real.
The jubilant cries of the masses still echo in your ears. The Catastrophes have not yet stifled all hope. Beneath the trauma and the suffering, you can still feel a warmth, enduring, eternal. It is warm. It is touching. You are surrounded by a gentle crowd of people. 'Rhodes Island'. You will never forget Rhodes Island. Rhodes Island healed your scars. Rhodes Island allowed you to have your regrets. You are still standing with it, aren't you?
<Background fades out>
You have been to lands covered in ice and snow with them.
<Background fades out>
Felt the soft sand at the shore with them.
<Background fades out>
Witnessed how they live.
<Background fades out>
Witnessed how they die.
<Background fades out>
They convince you that— In a unjust land that should have been burnt away, ideals are still worth believing in.
<Background fades out>
You accompanied those idealists against the surging heat, no matter if it would sear your flesh.
<Background fades out>
You saw vile empires, and the sorrow of those unable to fight their fate.
<Background fades out>
You could never forget...
Her.
<Background fades out>
She has never left you.
They have never left you.
<Background fades out>
"Doctor..." "Doctor!"
Doctor	(Unknown language) Amiya...
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 1>
Priestess	Doctor! Your mind's wandered off again. It seems you have a penchant for speaking in that alien language.
Doctor	Those experiences... were real. / That was no dream.
Priestess	And what's wrong with that? We have always had the power to define dreams and reality in our own hands, {nickname}. When our consciousnesses traverse the universe across countless light years, and we participate in sacrificial rituals to a white dwarf in the frozen wastelands, how would we define these experiences? Once you return to this body of yours, how would you be able to determine if information that must wait millions of years to be captured is dream or reality?
Doctor	...
Priestess	Wait, you're not seriously thinking that over, are you?
Doctor	Priestess...
Priestess	What is it, {nickname}?
Doctor	Why do I know your name, when we've never met?
Priestess	"Never met"... So, you've finally noticed. I'm happy to hear you say that. It means that you are very close to finding the real me. But I can't help but feel a little disappointed. Because of that minor mishap, your memories... have been damaged beyond repair, and there is nothing that I can do about it.
Doctor	Is this place here... also Rhodes Island? / Have I been here before?
Priestess	Here... It's "The unknowable". We made a wish together when we created this place. When the last warmth of the stars dissipates, and the weave of time falls apart into chaos, we will let the darkness wrap around the two of us like a blanket.
Doctor	It sounds like you're describing a tomb.
Priestess	We will wait until this world and the starry sky above welcome their final moments... Our universe will become an immense tomb of its own. There is no hope in any corner of any star in the heavens. Each and every speck of cosmic debris that seems to hold possibility of salvation has long since been found and examined by us. Every attempt at resistance only ended in its premature destruction. Every exploration only deepened our despair. The conclusion was rather simple. Any life formed from ordinary matter is unable to escape. Any knowable technology is unable to prevail over our inevitable end. My apologies, {nickname}. It's just that it has been a rather long time since I last had the opportunity to tell you everything I wanted to say.
Doctor	Were we... intimate?
Priestess	Intimate? I wouldn't use that term to describe our relationship. It belittles all that we have experienced together in the past.
Doctor	I don't remember any of it.
Priestess	It's fine, I'm not upset. Though your mind may not remember, I am sure that in the deepest recesses of your consciousness, deeper than any probe or instrument can reach, there are still traces of me. If it were not the case, then why would you allow me to keep holding your hand like this?
Doctor	Hmm... / Did we do this a lot in the past?
Priestess	"Holding hands"... Yes, we had many different ways to 'hold hands'. Much of the time, we had no need to use any specific part of the body to do it. The first time we met, I was flying about an oceanic planet. I used its star as my unchanging anchor, following the line where night met day, flying loop after loop after loop. The star died soon after. The ocean below me dissociated in an instant, revealing the bare, dark red skeleton of the planet. Someone tugged at me from behind, pulling me within a nebula, even more serene than the planet I had just left. That one explained to me that although they knew I was most likely not at any risk, there was not enough time to confirm which starfield my original form was in, forcing them to use their ship to salvage my consciousness beacon. That was the first time I stepped aboard that ovoid ship. It was not big, but quite agile, and it had already been to countless numbers of stellar systems. I took the ship to a planet far from the hustle and bustle. I showed the master of the ship my seaside laboratory, and I stepped closer. And just like what we're doing now... We shook hands. "My name is Priestess, a linguist. I am researching the final sound waves emitted by planets as they die. I like quietly spending my time alone, but I also wanted to find someone to explore the universe with." And now... It's your turn.
Doctor	Me? Introduce myself? I am... {nickname}.
Priestess	How wonderful. We got to know each other once again. Oh, right, you seemed somewhat hesitant back then as well. In that age, people were already showing less and less closeness in their associations with others. Thankfully, we are rather alike. You unselfishly shared your experiences of your travels with me, and even extended me an invitation. We leapt across time and space, exploring every nook and cranny of the cosmos. At times we travelled via your ship, but most of the time, we projected our consciousnesses to and from distant worlds. You would describe to me the rise and fall of many different civilizations, the rhythm hidden within the birth and death of the stars. As our thoughts collided with one another, we would work our way through countless iterations. When we stopped to look back, we realized that we had already far surpassed everyone else.
She flips her hand and shows me a piece of purest crystal.
Doctor	...Originium.
Priestess	A crystal formed from our contentions and collisions, condensing the innumerable truths left behind by the pioneers who watched the cosmos. It is truly a beauty.
She places the Originium into your hand lightly, then holds your hand in hers. Together, you are holding this wondrous creation.
Priestess	Everyone said that I was the one who created Originium and the future both, as though I were akin to a god. But I always knew that the true genius was you, {nickname}.
Doctor	...
Priestess	You have forgotten... but you shouldn't have. As I walked along the path to creating it, I never ceased to follow in your footsteps. I feared that there would come a time that I would fall behind you in the field of debate. Feared that you would realize that I was not your equal. Or no, perhaps you had noticed... Perhaps you had slowed your steps once, waiting for me to catch up to you. But now, I will never know the answer.
Doctor	Does it... bother you?
Priestess	It does, but I have accepted this fact. I would say that actually, it makes me rather happy. You still hide many secrets that captivate me. Besides, from your perspective, I, as I am now, am the same as you in this regard. Am I wrong, {nickname}?
Doctor	I... am still rather puzzled.
Priestess	Well, you can continue to find your answers here then. This is our shared creation, our shared past, and it conceals our shared secrets. You and I need only walk together—
Doctor	Sorry, but I have more pressing concerns now. / I must first confirm some important matters.
Priestess	... I had wanted to share a few things I had been keeping in your stead with you. The things that you once described to me, your ideas and vision that you have completely forgotten. I wanted to let you know all that we had accomplished. Perhaps this would have helped you to remember the past, remember me. But I can see what you are thinking, sense what you are feeling. You are still plagued by endless doubts, even now. "Amiya", "Kal'tsit"—
Doctor	—!
Priestess	I... don't want to put you in a dilemma. I respect your decision.
<Background fades out>
Her hand touches the darkness—
Priestess	But there is one thing that I am sure of, {nickname}. That when you are truly confused by everything, you will remember: the answers you seek were here all along. I will be here.
<Background fades to white>
Go, "Doctor". Go solve your conundrums. All that you wish for, I am able to grant. And once all the grand rhythms and minute pulsations have fallen into silence... You will return to my side.

After operation

Summary The Doctor leaves that mysterious place, only to appear in Rhodes Island, surrounded by unexpected companions.
I have returned. It feels like it has been a very long time since I left, and I have not come back to the ship for a good night's rest in quite a while either. Doctor, Dr. Kal'tsit, Siege... Has the war outside ended? Finally, I can have a rest. I'd like nothing more than a bowl of hot vegetable soup at the cafeteria, then plop myself down in my bed in the dorms. What about Theresa? At this hour, she should be— ... No... No, that's not right... Theresa is gone.
[A door opens.]
The room is empty. Nobody is waiting for my return. I clearly remember that on many nights in the past, there would be someone who would tell me a whole library's worth of stories to put me to sleep. But now, they are no longer here. Wait... Why is there a piece of clothing on the bed? A white dress, with a neat corsage sewn to the collar. The needlework is deft, clearly done by a very experienced hand. "White suits you, Amiya." Theresa...?
<Background fades to black>
Distant Voice	...Doctor!
Approaching Voice	Can you hear my voice?
Kal'tsit	Doctor!
[A door swings open.]
<Background 2>
<Background is blurry>
Kal'tsit	Doctor... You are here, as I surmised.
Doctor	(I feel rather unwell.) / (What happened just now?) / (Where am I?)
Kal'tsit	Based on how you look, you seem in poor health. I am afraid that there's no way for me to do a physical examination here, Doctor. Please keep your head clear and look at me. Did you... manage to remember something?
You hear the woman's stern but caring words, and you make an effort to open your eyes wide.
<Background sharpens>
Your vision gradually clears as the various parts of your body regain their functionality. You slowly open your mouth—
Doctor	(Unknown language) Kal'tsit... / (Unknown language) Where am I?
Kal'tsit	—!
Your shattered consciousness reassembles, your fragmented thoughts realign with one another. You are now able to determine that you are standing on solid ground. You look around, certain of the familiarity of your surroundings. You have spent quite a long time here before. The expression on the woman before you turns rather strange. Even hostile.
Doctor	(Unknown language) Who am I... / ... / Who am I?
<Flashback starts here>
<Background fades to black>
I am Dr. {nickname} of Rhodes Island.
<Background 2>
Doctor	Amiya! / Kal'tsit! Why are we on Rhodes Island?
Kal'tsit	You... ...It seems you still remember who you are. Amiya is not here with us. What I can say for certain that this is not the original Rhodes Island.
Doctor	We were separated from the others? / Where are Logos and W?
Kal'tsit	You are the only one I have seen since I arrived here. Are you sure you don't know what is going on?
Doctor	I'm as confused as you are.
Kal'tsit	...
Doctor	Do you... / ...not believe me?
Kal'tsit	...A certain degree of precaution is necessary in these circumstances. Be on guard, Doctor. We must leave here, no matter what. This is not a place that we are familiar with. I do not know what unexpected complications we may encounter. Still, I will do everything I can to protect you. Don't stray too far from me.
<Background 3>
[Several Operators are practicing in the training room.]
Kroos	No... No more... I'm so tuckered out that I could sleep for an entire month.
Fang	Don't be like that, Kroos! This is a live combat exercise! You need to treat the training room like the battlefield!
Beagle	You can be real fierce sometimes, Captain...
Fang	Focus up. There's still lots of training drills arranged by the instructors to go.
Kroos	Why so serious... They're not even here— Oh, Doctor!
Doctor	Good morning, Kroos. / Is everyone... here?
Fang	Kroos!
Kroos	Oh, don't worry, the Doctor's definitely not going to tattle on us to the instructors. Let me just take a nap here before—
Stern Voice	I thought I gave you combat training exercises, not combat sleeping ones.
Fang	...We're doomed.
[Ace walks in the room.]
Ace	Attention, all members of A1 Detachment!
The Whole Team	Sir!
Ace	All of you, a hundred laps around the training room, then fifty sets of stamina training exercises, on the double!
The Whole Team	Yessir...
[The team start despondently jogging.]
Ace	Sorry you had to see that, Doctor. It's been too long since Rhodes Island experienced battle. These young fighters of ours can be a little slack. So I guess it's up to me to tighten them up.
Doctor	... Letting them grow up peacefully isn't so bad...
Ace	Of course, but they still need to be prepared for any dangers we may come across. It'll be fine. No need to trouble yourself over their training. I'll handle it. You've been working real hard lately, Doctor. Go take a rest. Don't worry. We'll be keeping watch.
[Ace walks off.]
Doctor	Did you see all that too, Kal'tsit? / Am I dreaming?
Kal'tsit	I saw the same scene unfurl as you did. They truly do exist here. Dreams would not be so clear, and this is not a scene out of your memory.
Doctor	It would be nice if everything here was real... / No, it definitely isn't real.
Kal'tsit	Keep a clear head, Doctor. We must press onwards.
<Background 4>
[The Elite Ops are celebrating in the bar.]
Outcast	Rare to see you here, Doctor. Got time to sit down and have a drink? Everything's on my tab, for one night only.
Doctor	It's lively here. / Sure is a lot of people, isn't it?
Touch	Did you forget, Doctor? Today's Outcast's retirement party.
Sharp	Here's to our venerate elder.
[Everyone clinks glasses.]
Outcast	Oh, shut it, Sharp. I'm barely older than you are.
Doctor	Thank you for all that you've done for Rhodes Island, Outcast. / I wish you a happy retirement.
Pith	Here's to you, Outcast. We'll always remember your many deeds and exquisite marksmanship.
Blaze	I can't believe that Outcast is leaving us... There'sh not gonna to be anyone left to... *hic* drink wish me on weekend nights...
Outcast	Hey, I'm just retiring. Not even a Lateran funeral would be this sentimental. Plus, even if I drink so much tonight that I don't wake up tomorrow, I'd call my life a life well lived. My memories of working alongside you all are my greatest treasures, and I'll bring them to the grave with me along with my patron firearm. Just make sure that it's Rangers teaching the youngsters how to shoot.
Blaze	You're drunk, Outcast. He uses a gun, how's he s'pposed to teach kids 'bout—*burp*—shootin' a Sankta crossbow?
Pith	You need to cut back, Blaze. You're talking nonsense again.
Outcast	Pah, both need you to keep one eye open and one eye shut. Not too big a difference.
[A glass breaks nearby.]
Outcast	Oh, looks like we're not the only ones at the bar tonight.
<Background fades out and in>
Indra	I'm serious, Dagda! Show me how powerful the fist of a Knight of the Tower can be!
Dagda	...Just remember, you asked for this.
[Dagda cracks her knuckles and throws a punch.]
Baird	Hey! This isn't the boxing gym! We're guests here on Rhodes Island, so don't go about making trouble!
[The two ignore Baird and keep brawling.]
Allerdale	I've had my fair share of times like this before.
Vina	Now that you're formally a member of the Steam Knights, are you going to break things off with street loafers like us?
Allerdale	Oh, stop it... Have you made your decision, Vina?
Vina	I see no real reason for me to hesitate. My days in Norport might have been some of the happiest in my life, and I don't really see any need to return to the palace. Alexandrina Vina Victoria is a descendant of the royal family, but she is also a normal, honorable Victorian. You are now an honorable Steam Knight, Allerdale, I the honorable Siege. I believe that these lives of ours are for the best.
Allerdale	Peaceful lives. Such precious things.
Vina	To life.
Allerdale	To Victoria.
[The two clink glasses.]
Vina	Whenever you're in the mood, we should go out and have a stroll together. Perhaps throw some stones at the dukes' windows?
<Dialogue branch starts here>
Doctor	How wonderful.
Kal'tsit	You still remember each and every one of them. The regret you feel over their tragic fates is clear on your face. Otherwise you would not be seeing such things.
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	...
Kal'tsit	What do you feel, Doctor? Gratification? Confusion? Perhaps anger?
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	This isn't real.
Kal'tsit	These are the scenes that your subconscious mind wished to see. You hoped that they were all real, didn't you?
<Dialogue branch ends here>
Doctor	Who else will I see here?
Kal'tsit	Only you can answer that. Let us continue, Doctor. No matter what you see, you must face it. Surmount it.
<Background 2>
Talulah	I'm back, Doctor. It's been a while.
Doctor	... / ...Talulah?
Talulah	Hehe, it hasn't been that long. Don't recognize me anymore? I was out setting up an Infected treatment center in the north of Ursus. Took quite a lot of effort. Thankfully the workers in town were all supporting us, nothing the local lord could do but compromise. We managed to get the land that we needed out of the deal.
Doctor	Reunion doesn't exist...?
Talulah	Are you trying to crack a joke, Doctor, or have you just woken up? If Reunion didn't exist, then who would be helping Rhodes Island with treating the Infected in Ursus?
Doctor	And Kashchey? What about him?
Talulah	Why would you suddenly bring up the dead Black Snake? Did you want me to thank you again? Very well. After all, it was only thanks to Rhodes Island that Ursus and I were able to cast off that mastermind and start a new future for countless people.
Cold Voice	Doctor.
Doctor	No... / (Do not look back.)
[A familiar-looking Cautus approaches from behind.]
FrostNova	Doctor?
Doctor	......... FrostNova... You shouldn't be here.
FrostNova	Why? You told me to give you my report immediately after completing the missions, no?
Doctor	Missions... for Rhodes Island?
FrostNova	Who else would I do them for? I've always been a Rhodes Island Operator.
Doctor	...
FrostNova	You look strange, Doctor. Am I standing too close and making you feel cold?
Doctor	This isn't right. / This isn't... / THIS ISN'T RIGHT!
<Background cracks and shatters>
One by one, the lively crew shed their visages, shifting into indistinct, jet-black shadows. They do not appear dangerous. They just slowly drift around you.
<Background 5>
Doctor	Kal'tsit... What are they?
Kal'tsit	This is no illusion or dream. It is all real, in a sense. All the people, all the things you have encountered in the past exist within your imagination. They took their forms based on what you most hoped to see.
Doctor	They sully our memories. / How can you stay so calm?
Kal'tsit	These scenes affect me as much as they do you, Doctor. But they are ultimately the product of your thoughts. Originium, guided by your wishes deep in your subconscious and your desires to make up for past regrets, has reproduced what you wish to see. You continue to hold a deep regard for everything you have experienced alongside Rhodes Island, yet despite that, you were able to break away from this beautiful lie. Only now can I believe that you, as you are now, are still the Doctor of Rhodes Island.
Doctor	Originium? Since when could it do this? / Why is it being guided by what I want?
<Background fades to white>
All that you wish for, I am able to grant.
<Background 5>
Doctor	Pries...tess...
Kal'tsit	As I thought, you already... I once told you, Doctor, that others cannot tell you how to solve the mysteries surrounding you. You can only rely on yourself. I suspect that we are now extremely close to that critical juncture.
<Dialogue branch starts here>
Doctor	If this is all based on my hopes, then are you...
Kal'tsit	I thought that our prior interactions would be sufficient for you to render an accurate judgement.
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	I can at least say for sure that you are no illusion.
Kal'tsit	I hope that this judgement of yours is based on rationality, and not something else.
<Dialogue branch ends here>
Doctor	If these scenes are all about making up for regrets... Will I be able to meet Theresa?
Kal'tsit	I do not know for certain where Theresa is, nor what she is doing. What I am sure of is that she has something to do with this environment.
Gentle Voice	Doctor.
Doctor	—! Amiya!
Amiya	Doctor, Dr. Kal'tsit. Good, you're both here.
<Dialogue branch starts here>
Doctor	(Hesitate)
Amiya	Don't worry, Doctor. I am the real Amiya. Really.
<Dialogue branch>
Doctor	(Step forward without hesitation)
Amiya	*sniff* I was looking all over for you, Doctor.
<Dialogue branch ends here>
Doctor	You look a little different. / Your clothes...?
Amiya	Theresa left me this dress.
Doctor	So she really is here?
Amiya	I haven't seen her. I've sensed no presence of her aboard this "Rhodes Island", in fact.
Doctor	Did you run into any danger?
Amiya	I'm fine. So many memories flowed before me... But not only memories. Emotions too, rich ones in every shape and form. I think that the people that we saw were truly alive. But this form of "life" just makes me... sad. After walking down this corridor and seeing you, I think I understand now. The emotions that I felt all stemmed from the same source, Doctor.
Doctor	...Me.
Amiya	Yes. I... "touched" you, Doctor. I've never done that before...
The girl holds your hand, just as she has always done, but a little tighter, and more carefully this time.
Amiya	I know that you've changed a lot compared to the past, Doctor. But considering all that we've experienced together, I am even more convinced that... the you who stands before me now has always been the you that I've trusted the most. Memory may tell falsehoods, but emotion always speaks the truth. There are many things that I still don't understand at this moment. I have questions that can't be answered until we see Theresa once more. No matter what happens, no matter how many unhappy endings await us... You'll stand by my side, won't you, Doctor?
Doctor	I will. I am Dr. {nickname} of Rhodes Island.
Amiya	Good. That's all I ask for. Let's go find Theresa, then.
Kal'tsit	First, we must figure out how to leave. The answers we seek are not here.
<Background 6>
Logos	Though this is no illusion, heaven and earth, life and death... It is all falsehood.
W	Hah, so even if you leave that dreary gallery of fakes, you'd just find yourself wandering around an even bigger stage? Who the hell set up these curtains for us? Their taste sucks.
[Footsteps approach.]
W	Oh, looks like the main cast is finally here. Hey, crone, let's put that all-knowing brain of yours to good use. I've got a real big question I want answered— Where. The hell. Are we?
<Background fades out>
A small boat, drifting atop an endless golden sea.
Kal'tsit	We are within Originium. Within Originium, there exists a universe.