Operation story: BB-6

Operation

Story

Previous BB-5	Next BB-7
Characters
Doctor Amiya Kal'tsit Ascalon Savage Theresa Mantra Ace Pith Scout Julie Sarkaz Civilian Sarkaz Civilian Babel Member Sarkaz Mercenary Sarkaz Mercenary A Sarkaz Mercenary B Mysterious Mercenary Dying Infected Sarkaz Child
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Before operation

“

The Doctor begins to understand the rules of Terran warfare, and witnesses the disintegration of an Infected for the first time.

”

<Background 1>
[The wind blows wildly.]
Sarkaz Civilian	Look! Up ahead! The bridge... it's been blown? How are we supposed to get across? I-Is there another path? The Catastrophe cloud is still over our heads... We can't go any further, not with all the wounded and children...
<Background 2>
Babel Member	Damn, the Originium crystals on the ground are starting to glow... They'll kill us before the Catastrophe even has a chance. *cough* We need to—*cough*—*cough* *cough*— We need to go... It's all *Sarkaz expletive* Originium particles in the air. No medicine for more than a week now... all the injured... Infected... damn it!
[Thunder and lightning crackle loudly.]
Babel Member	Wh-What's that sound?
[Thunder booms as the Catastrophe descends.]
<Background 3>
Sarkaz Mercenary	No reinforcements from Babel yet? Then keep looking for a path! Don't come back until you do! The Catastrophe cloud's fully formed. Which *Sarkaz expletive* unit attacked the hospital? Not even Scareye's that crazy! Stick together! It's too late to try to get out of the Catastrophe. We need to find some clean caves! Nothing with Originium traces on it, not even a little bit! Doing this to the wounded... Theresis, you piece of...
<Background 4>
Sarkaz Child	Mom... my leg hurts...
Sarkaz Civilian	Don't cry, don't cry... we're almost home...
Sarkaz Child	No— no— It hurts— It hurts...
The sound of children crying. The sound of conspiracy, of death, of struggling to survive. The Catastrophe is deaf to all that, turning wind and snow into storm.
A few figures stand on a distant cliff. The woman stands on the edge, peering silently into the distance. A merciless Catastrophe, enemy soldiers blocking key passages, fleeing beasts, and the wounded and civilians with nowhere to run. Life echoes in the valley, reaching Mantra's ears. It is the sound of children crying.
<Background 3>
Mantra	...I hear it. Children are crying.
[Ace walks up next to her.]
Ace	It's starting to snow. This isn't good.
Mantra	Two thousand, three hundred and thirteen. All confirmed.
Ace	Location and physical data logged.
[Ace passes the info through his transceiver.]
Ace	Fewer losses than expected, but time's of the essence. Watching your Arts up close is always a remarkable experience, Mantra.
Mantra	(Nods humbly)
Ace	Was the Djall in HR able to get you a few assistants?
Mantra	(Closes eyes)
Ace	A shame. Message sent to all squads.
Mantra	Cave, seven kilometers to the northeast. The children are there.
Ace	But the Military Commission's drones have found us. I'll stay. You go.
Mantra	(Frowns)
Ace	They don't want to face my squad head-on in this terrain. Just going to say hi. Will try to take Manfred alive if he's leading them.
Mantra	Don't take unnecessary risks—
[The Doctor logs into the communication channel.]
Doctor	Doctor here. Sorry I'm late. Operations in the CA area have concluded. Continue to carry out Mantra's plan. I'll provide support elsewhere. The priority is to help the civilians and wounded.
Ace	Good timing, Doctor.
Doctor	Thanks. Misery is distracting the Military Commission, but he needs help.
Ace	Is this the part where I volunteer?
Doctor	Yes, Ace.
Ace	Awaiting your orders.
Doctor	And... Theresa will go directly to the affected field hospital at the center to prevent further casualties. If all goes well... I'll meet you there.
<Background 2>
<Background flashes>
Babel Member	Explosion! Explosion! Move away from the glowing area! Back off! The Originium underground is being activated— *Sarkaz expletive* Too late—
Fires stir beneath the frozen earth, and blizzard brings with it the sparks of Catastrophe. Every breath seems to carry the weight of all of Terra, bringing it upon every individual soul.
<Background shakes and flashes white>
The weight vanishes in an instant. They look up to see an astonishing sight.
Babel Member	Gah— ...The explosions stopped? Snow... floating in the air?
[Pith walks up to the survivor.]
Pith	The snow crystals here are almost indistinguishable from Originium crystals. Control over them can be achieved with sufficient focus.
Babel Member	You... You're
Pith	Precise control over individual snowflakes is difficult, but it's not so difficult to hold a snowstorm off in an Originium-rich environment. Have you been paying attention in class, Aidan?
Babel Member	Pith! You're here! You...
Pith	I can give you ten minutes. Go back to the meadows at the bottom of the valley and head south. Scout will guide your path. Don't you remember what I taught you? There are a lot of emergency precautions you can take in an Originium-dense environment, but you did nothing.
Babel Member	I—
Pith	Wait... you have acute Oripathy patients in your group! What were you thinking?! Take this syringe! I'll do what I can. You have ten minutes to get everybody in order.
Babel Member	But you—
Pith	Move it, before the Catastrophe fully forms! This area will be safe while I can dampen it for a bit. —One more thing. I'm using several kinds of Arts at the same time right now. I want to see an essay from all of you on my table by this weekend, explaining which schools these Arts belong to. So you better damn well make it out alive.
<Background 1>
Sarkaz Mercenary A	...It's me. Any instructions from Manfred? What is he doing? Huh? A Royal Court high rank in amongst the Babel forces and refugees? Impossible! Look it up!
Sarkaz Mercenary B	Doubt there's anything to look up. Manfred probably made up the excuse on the spot. Even if they were there, they're Babel prisoners now. Rescuing prisoners in the middle of a Catastrophe is not part of the contract.
Sarkaz Mercenary A	But we have to do it anyway. Dammit, get Thorn Squad to check the blockade...
Sarkaz Mercenary B	Alright... 86 here. Hello? Hello?
[The transceiver only emits white noise]
Sarkaz Mercenary B	No response. Where did they go? It's not time for the shift change yet, is it? ...Wait. Isn't it a little too quiet? There were fowlbeast cries only a moment ago...
Sarkaz Mercenary A	All the animals must have fled the Catastrophe. It'll sweep through this place in five hours. This is no time to be taking a nap. Hand me the schedule. I said, hand me the—
[The other Sarkaz has mysteriously vanished.]
Sarkaz Mercenary A	Huh? Hey, where did you go? Hello? This is Squad 86! Anyone hear me? Anybody? What's going on? Somebody's—
Scout	You called?
[A strong grip suddenly chokes the mercenary...]
Sarkaz Mercenary A	—
[...and he falls to the ground.]
Scout	Phew.
[Scout activates his transceiver.]
Scout	Three squads silenced. No alerts. The path is clear. Combat personnel, follow these coordinates. Medics, take the injured and follow the markings I've left. ...There's something I need to confirm.
[Scout examines the soldiers' communicator.]
Scout	...... It's the Military Commission's frequency alright, but these were scouts, not the rogue mercenaries that attacked our positions. Mission briefing "Strawberry". Just monitoring the retreat of the civilians... hah, Manfred even lied to them that there was a "Royal Court high rank" here. Well, I guess I'll leave the rest to Ascalon.
<Background 3>
Mysterious Mercenary	...... Babel. Are you my death?
Ascalon	You led the attack on Babel positions. Who's orders are you following? It's just doctors and Infected civilians—
[The mercenary suddenly brandishes a sword and attacks her.]
The sword comes before she can finish her sentence. Something feels out of place. But Ascalon adjusts quickly. She has always been more familiar with the language of violence anyway. The sleeve-blade is out of its sheath.
[Ascalon swiftly rushes past him, stabbing him in the process. The mercenary crumples.]
<Background fades out>
Mysterious Mercenary	Ngh.
Ascalon	What are you—
[The mercenary stands back up...]
Mysterious Mercenary	......
[..and clicks a switch.]
Ascalon	—!
[Ascalon narrowly dodges an explosion.]
<Background fades out and in>
Ascalon	Bomb... you're crazy. Surrender. You have no chan— ......
[Ascalon turns on her transceiver.]
Ascalon	...It's me. I'm done. Sorry, couldn't take him alive. He blew himself up. Something's not right. He recognized me as Babel immediately, realized he was no match for me and quickly chose to blow himself up. Abnormally decisive. Could be some experienced spy, or... Wait.
[Ascalon scoops up something in the snow.]
Ascalon	I found a pouch. It's undamaged. I must have cut it off. There's a Babel sleeve badge and a Military Commission medal inside. It's not unusual for a mercenary working both sides of a war. And a piece of paper. Possibly personal notes. Most of it is illegible. The only thing I can make out is... "...del. Home." ...... Forget it. Not important.
<Background 5>
[A strong blizzard has engulfed a nearby village.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	Communications are out? Well, I guess the old stuff won't do it when a Catastrophe is so close. Let's hope the other teams found a way out.
[The sky rumbles outside.]
Julie	Don't just stand there. Bring all the Infected who can't move over here.
Sarkaz Mercenary	What's the point? It's not like they'll be able to get away from the Catastrophe.
Julie	Just do it. It's not like you have anything to lose, is there?
Sarkaz Mercenary	And...? Some of them are comatose.
Julie	My condition isn't that far off from theirs. I'll end their suffering. Originium particles will spread when they die. I'll take the brunt of it. Take your bow, keep your distance, and finish the job.
[Julie walks away.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	(Mumbles) Hell no.
[The Doctor walks past the Sarkaz.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	Hey, stay away from the Infected. Julie will deal with them.
<Background fades out and in>
Doctor	...Infected. You're just leaving them here like firewood.
Sarkaz Mercenary	I'm not doing it because I want to.
Doctor	Is there any hope for them?
Sarkaz Mercenary	No. Just death. They'll turn to dust in ten minutes or so.
Doctor	They could have been saved.
Sarkaz Mercenary	Does living a little longer count as being saved?
Doctor	......
Sarkaz Mercenary	Their conditions are too severe. If they don't die here, they'll die in some forgotten alleyway in Kazdel. I should have stayed in Sargon...
Doctor	Here, give them these suppressants. It'll at least relieve their pain.
Sarkaz Mercenary	Where did you get these suppressants? No, who are you anyway? When did you get here? Don't move! Your ID code, now, or I'll—
???	Let the Doctor pass.
[Theresa approaches the mercenary.]
Theresa	It's fine. Everything will be fine.
Sarkaz Mercenary	You look familiar—
[Julie abruptly returns.]
Julie	Y-Your Highness! How could you— We're right in the middle of the Catastrophe! W-We're very grateful, but... You shouldn't have come! It's too dangerous—
The white Sarkaz appears on the battlefield without a sound, as though she has come out of nowhere. The crowd whispers amongst themselves. Is she truly the King of Babel, one of the living Six Heroes, the mother of Kazdel? Theresa simply nods at confused and bewildered crowd. She kneels by the side of the Infected.
Dying Infected	Your... Highness...
Theresa	I'm sorry I came late. Too late to save your lives... I'm sorry I couldn't do enough...
Dying Infected	Please... don't...
Theresa gently holds his hand in hers. The other Infected, all the ones still conscious, those who have not fully given up on living, feel a little bit of gentle warmth.
Theresa	I'm listening, my children. I will remember how all of you lived and died... forgive me that I could not promise you more, but for your family, children, friends and comrades... There will come a day when they will no longer live in fear.
Dying Infected	......
Theresa	Your lives should have been so much more. Now, though, dream a warm dream... a dream that will come true. Sleep, children of Kazdel. Sleep in the warm embrace of home. Sleep.
Dying Infected	Thank... you...
The Infected begin to glow with the colors of Originium. Tiny stones eat away at flesh and blood, transforming their lives and desires into fleeting sparks. Theresa holds their hands to the end. Until shining dust rises towards the sky and is scattered by the wind, never to become stars upon the heavens.
Doctor	......
Julie	So, you... er...
Doctor	You can call me anything you like. Even "evil spirit", if that's what you prefer.
Julie	I-I don't mean that! It's just, this is the first time we've spoken to each other alone. You brought us many victories. I've had a hand in some. They also say you're an expert on Originium...
Doctor	..."Expert". Yet it's the first time I've seen Infected die like this with my own two eyes.
Julie	You're lucky.
Doctor	I never thought it would be so...
<Flashback starts here>
Sarkaz Mercenary	Does living a little longer count as being saved?
<Flashback ends here>
Doctor	...Never mind. It's time to go, Theresa.
Theresa	Right.
Sarkaz Mercenary	But it's too late, even if we leave now. And the Military Commission has set a trap for us...
Theresa	It'll be fine.
[Pith, Ace, and Ascalon arrive.]
Theresa	Let's go home.
<Background fades out>
The Military Commission's after-action report writes: "The King of Babel and her most trusted men led her people out of the valley. "With a single touch she parted wind, snow, and flames, gentle as a mother parts the bed curtains to put her child to sleep. "Our casters and crossbowmen observed the procession, but none dared take the first shot, nor give the order to." The flowery report and Manfred's "false intelligence" earned an admonition from the Commission, but no further discipline.
<Background 7>
[Kal'tsit approaches the Doctor.]
Kal'tsit	Doctor. I heard about the operation. You... Doctor?
Doctor	There's something I want to ask, Kal'tsit.
Kal'tsit	Go ahead.
Doctor	As a physician, is it saving a life when all you can do is stave off death for a little while?
Kal'tsit	Unless it goes contrary to the patient's wishes, the duty of a physician is to save lives. That's what we've always worked to do. Why do you ask?
Doctor	Looking at Amiya and the people around us makes me feel that you shouldn't have to deal with this kind of suffering.
Kal'tsit	......
Doctor	And I...
[Theresa approaches the two.]
Theresa	Doctor, Kal'tsit, there you are. The intelligence meeting just ended. The unexpected Catastrophe has led to a stalemate, and some breathing room for us. The two of you need to get some rest. Especially you, Doctor. You've hardly slept since you've been back, right?
Doctor	I'm fine...
Theresa glances at Kal'tsit, who seems to sigh wordlessly with her eyes. The King of Sarkaz senses guilt and restlessness. It is not an easy thing to accept, watching so many Infected turn to dust before one's eyes.
Theresa	Doctor... do you think all this is your fault?
Doctor	It is. I won't run from my responsibility, and I won't wallow in self-pity... I just need time to accept the present. I—
<Background fades to black>
I don't know if Originium is supposed to hurt a newborn civilization like this.
<Background fades to white>
But Originium is the only way to protect all life and existence.
<Background 6>
Doctor	......
Theresa	You're tired, Doctor. I'm grateful that you have chosen to bear the burden of these emotions for the sake of this great land. Your pain and struggle shows your kindness and ideals. I won't try to wipe them away, but we could share this burden, if you are willing...
Theresa wants to hold the Doctor's hand, perceive the Doctor's guilt- and anxiety-filled soul. She wants to help the Doctor. But a tiny speck of noise echoes ominously in the King's mind.
Theresa	...? (The Doctor is rejecting me? Or is it...?)
Doctor	Sorry, Theresa, but this is not something you need to take on. No need to use Civilight Eterna on me. It takes a toll on you too. There are more important uses for it.
Theresa	More important than helping someone who's given everything for us?
Doctor	Hehe... thank you. I mean it. You and Scout said we have some breathing room, right? I'll make dinner for us, then. I learned it off Misery. For our future challenges.

After operation

“

The Doctor tries to develop new Oripathy medicine through self-experiments. Theresa senses the internal conflict in the Doctor's mind.

”

<Background 6>
Doctor	......
A piece of Originium crystal lies quietly on the test table, glowing orange-yellow under the light. It looks pure, beautiful, harmless.
<Flashback starts here>
Doctor	Priestess... What have we done...?
<Background 7>
Savage	I'm afraid not. It's impossible.
<Background 8>
Amiya	Doctor... it hurts...
<Background 4>
Dying Infected	Thank... you...
<Flashback ends here>
<Background 6>
The Doctor picks up the Originium crystal with one hand and stabs it into the other arm. It leaves a bloody gash on the arm, but nothing else. The pain grows distinct. Yet it is not the pain of Originium infection. The instruments show the same: There is no sign of assimilation of Originium and cell.
Doctor	...Originium won't infect me. Did we ever imagine that such pain would come? What would you say about what's happening to this world?
<Background fades out>
Doctor	(Unknown language) Originium. (Unknown language) The last spark that we have passed on.
<Background 9>
[The Doctor injects some new medicine into Amiya.]
Amiya	...... (Steady breathing)
Doctor	It's working.
Kal'tsit	It's several times more effective than existing suppressants. Amiya's blood Originium crystal concentration has dropped significantly. But...
Doctor	It's just a prototype. I haven't found a way to mass-produce it on Terra yet.
Kal'tsit	Doctor! I know you're experimenting on yourself... but you really don't look well.
Doctor	Just some research on blood. Originium doesn't infect me. We've had safety measures in place since it was just an energy project. Maybe this could be used to mitigate the symptoms of Oripathy. And Theresa... she's not like you. Civilight Eterna is not some kind of powerful magic. She has simply created Originium Arts in its most fundamental form, through the accumulation of a long legacy. With her help, we may be able to develop more advanced Oripathy medicine that can be mass produced...
Kal'tsit	I'm more concerned about you right now, Doctor.
Doctor	I'm fine. If Originium has transformed you into beings identical to us, then there will be a way to create a serum in place of my own... No matter how complicated the present issues are, if Babel can develop an effective Oripathy medicine... It will be more than just the Sarkaz that support us. It will be all of Terra. Then, we can—
<Background fades to white>
Foster a future with Originium, one that is peaceful, happy, and eternal.
<Background 9>
Kal'tsit	No, listen to me.
Kal'tsit grabs the Doctor's arm. It is a lot thinner than she remembers.
Kal'tsit	You have not relaxed for an instant, from Rim Billiton, to the Sarkaz civil war. I chose to wake you up in order to point the way for this civilization, one that's surprised me at every turn. I don't want you to waste away now. You need to take care of yourself.
Doctor	...Sorry. Right now, though, what I want to do most is alleviate Amiya's pain.
<Background 10>
Three months later... Rhodes Island of Babel, Kazdel
[The Doctor is busy working on something.]
Doctor	I see you, Amiya. You can come out.
Amiya	Doctor... am I interrupting anything?
Doctor	No, just curious how you got in when I didn't hear the door open.
Amiya	I found a lot of secret passages.
Doctor	Secret passages?
Amiya	Yeah. Closure said not to tell anyone, so I haven't.
Doctor	No wonder Dr. Kal'tsit can't find you for checkups. You've been hiding there all along.
Amiya	...I promise I won't run away, if you go with me.
Doctor	Alright, I'll try to make the time.
Amiya	You've been really busy. Dr. Kal'tsit said even she has hardly seen you lately. Whenever I see you, you're all by yourself, carrying a stack of papers, head down, walking from one end of a corridor to the other. If someone says hi to you, all you do is nod, then keep on walking without a word.
Doctor	Sounds like you're describing a really rude person. Sorry, Amiya.
Amiya	No, that's not what I meant... you just seem really unhappy.
Doctor	Why would you say that?
Amiya	Before we came to Rhodes Island, you were curious about everything, cuddled up with the burdenbeasts at night, crouched down to look at tiny rocks in the mines, and went to pick fruit from beckbeast dens... You enjoyed everything, even the things that didn't interest me as a kid. But now... whenever I talk to you about something fun, all you say is, "I'm glad you enjoyed it, Amiya." But I came to talk to you about it to make you feel happy... Are you unhappy because I'm not getting better?
Doctor	It's not because of you, Amiya. This is about me. And... you can hear noises outside the ship, can't you?
Amiya	Yes. Like the huge drills in Rim Billiton. They're so noisy... I don't like them.
Doctor	Me, Theresa, Dr. Kal'tsit, we all have a lot of things to do. It's not your fault.
Amiya	...Alright.
Doctor	Do you have time today, Amiya?
Amiya	Yes!
Doctor	I want to go up the deck and see the clouds. It's going to rain. They have very interesting shapes, and I could talk for a long time if there was someone there to listen to me.
Amiya	Of course! But... don't you have work to do?
Doctor	It's okay... I'll be done soon.
Amiya. If there comes a day when we cure Oripathy, not just for you but for all of Terra as well... When the day comes that Terrans no longer live in fear of Originium and Catastrophe... Let's go on a journey again, to see the rest of this great land. This time, we'll bring Kal'tsit, and...
<Background fades to black>
Originium will become the light that guides the next civilization.
<Background fades to white>
All consciousness shall foster new hope in Originium, until the end of time.
[The Doctor suddenly collapses.]
<Background 9>
[Theresa rushes into the infirmary.]
Theresa	Doctor!
Kal'tsit	...It's okay. The Doctor just passed out on the deck due to exhaustion.
Theresa	Thank goodness... it's not something serious. What about the wound on the Doctor's arm?
Kal'tsit	Trying to contract Oripathy. The Doctor tried many ways: breathing in dust, exposure to Originium-dense environments, even a direct incision with active Originium... I tried to get the Doctor to stop, and I asked Scout to do the same, but... No one wants to see the Doctor get hurt.
Theresa	Maybe the Doctor is in more pain than we see on the surface.
Kal'tsit	What about Amiya?
Theresa	Terribly frightened. She wouldn't stop crying. It took a lot of effort to get her to sleep.
[Theresa notices something on the bedside.]
Theresa	This is... a sculpture?
Kal'tsit	A gift from a rescued Infected to the Doctor. Ace was the first to hear Amiya's cry. He carried the Doctor back and left this behind.
Theresa	See, Doctor? You've established connections with so many people. You're not alone. But what are you hiding that you wouldn't even tell Kal'tsit or me?
Kal'tsit	......
Theresa	The Doctor's truly wants to help Amiya and Babel. I can feel that. But I also can't help but feel that the Doctor leaves some thoughts unsaid... some concerns, some doubts. I believed these sentiments were the result of such an abrupt awakening, and that they would go away in time. But they haven't. The Doctor is being torn apart by these unsaid things, tormented by hesitation, pain, and guilt.
Kal'tsit	Perhaps I don't understand the Doctor as well as I thought. I don't know how to ease the Doctor's pain. And if neither of us know what the Doctor is thinking... Then the Doctor of Babel will always be alone, all the love and respect notwithstanding.
Theresa	...Kal'tsit.
Kal'tsit	Yes. I will explain to the Doctor in time.
Theresa puts her hand on the Doctor's forehead. Under the warm surface lies a past that she cannot fathom. Civilight Eterna.
<Background fades to white>
Originium must rewrite all. Only then is there value in existence.
[Thunder claps loudly]
From the emergence of intelligent life, to the lights in the cosmos and the maelstrom of the stars. Originium will continue to replicate and transform, until even time ceases to exist.
Theresa	This... is Originium?
Originium. The first light before the Big Bang. She said that only by covering every inch of the land in Originium, only by returning matter and time, tide and wonder, light and wailing, to the vast ocean of information... Only then will we find change and advancement, and avert the fate that is the end. Even though...
<Background fades to black>
It is not a transformation, but a death.
<Background fades to white>
It is not an extinction, but a continuation.
Theresa	When was this memory...? The Doctor's emotion, pain, hesitation, and... fear? Who was that... accompanying the Doctor in despair? No, Kal'tsit said there was another— ...!
<Background shakes>
The growth of Originium is silent, beautiful, calm. All signs of life have been overgrown, civilization has vanished from this land. But Theresa feels only fear and suffocation. The memory is trembling, collapsing. There is a force somewhere, trying to fix an error. The Originium in the memory continues to grow, even assimilating Theresa's consciousness—
<Background starts fading>
"Theresa..." Kal'tsit? Oh, yes, she was by my side.
<Background fades more>
"Theresa!" She seems to see the Doctor, before her consciousness is fully absorbed by the nebulous Originium light—
<Background fades to white>
Kal'tsit	Theresa!
Theresa	...!
<Background 9>
[Theresa snaps out of her trance.]
Kal'tsit	What happened, Theresa? What did you see?
Theresa	I... I saw Originium. It had assimilated the entire continent. The Doctor felt pain and anxiety over it.
Kal'tsit	—
Theresa	Was that the Doctor's memory? No... a dream? Give me a hand, Kal'tsit. The feeling, the noise and the wailing... I...
[Theresa's legs give out and Kal'tsit barely catches her. She helps Theresa stand up again.]
Kal'tsit	Theresa. I told you that Originium once decided the distant future of this land. There were two choices. We were too focused on tangible suffering, Catastrophe, Oripathy. Casting our eyes toward that future brought too much difficulty and too little meaning. The Doctor chose one of them... the future that the Doctor spoke of to me, personally. I could not forget that future the Doctor described. Never, in all these years. But the other cold and empty thought has often shot up my spine in the middle of the night over the past ten thousand years. I cannot speak of it. But you can sense my anger with your power. That means that Civilight Eterna exists outside of the boundaries of language.
Theresa	......
Kal'tsit	So, Theresa. If you saw a future that you are not willing to accept, I hope you, Civilight Eterna, can change the course. Only you can. If you saw the side of myself or the Doctor that is strange to you...
Theresa	Kal'tsit? No, Kal'tsit, that's not what I meant— —The Doctor's feelings toward Amiya, toward us, toward you, are sincere. That is the truth. Trust the Doctor, and trust me. I will find the answer to what is tormenting the Doctor. And when—
Doctor	Ugh...
Theresa	Doctor! Doctor... you're awake.
[The Doctor sits up.]
Doctor	What happened to me?
Kal'tsit	You fainted as you were leaving the deck with Amiya.
Doctor	Hgnh... where's Amiya?
Kal'tsit	A little shaken, but she's fine. You're still in bad shape. What were you thinking?
Doctor	......
<Background fades to white>
I want to cure Amiya's Oripathy. I want to change the present state of the Sarkaz. I want to walk among this civilization that I helped create, to take in the vitality of new life, something that we once had, but have long since lost. Even if...
Even if everything that we see, all that we know, all that we cherish, no longer exists after a millennium.