[Theresa– Sacrifice]
Babel Archive — Private Conversation Record
Classification: Restricted
Participants: Theresa (King of Sarkaz), Operator Sacrifice
Location: Babel Mobile Command — Lower Medical Deck
Context: Post-operation debrief. Incident witnessed by the Doctor.
The medical bay was quiet in the way only Babel could manage—machines humming softly, Originium monitors pulsing like distant stars. Theresa stood by the bedside, hands folded, expression gentle but unmistakably grave.
Sacrifice sat upright on the edge of the bed. Fresh bandages crossed her torso. Faint orange light bled through them, dimmer than before.
Theresa spoke first.
[Theresa]
"…You died out there."
Sacrifice did not look away.
[Sacrifice]
"Yes."
No hesitation. No apology.
The Doctor stood nearby, silent. They had seen it happen.
Scout had been pinned—enemy fire closing in, evacuation impossible. Sacrifice had already been ordered to retreat.
She hadn't.
The memory lingered between them like a cloud of smoke.
[Theresa]
"You were hit through the chest. Your heart stopped. Medical confirmed it."
Sacrifice lowered her gaze to her hands.
[Sacrifice]
"Scout was still conscious. His vitals were failing."
[Theresa]
"…You understand that isn't an answer."
A pause.
Then, quietly—
[Sacrifice]
"I closed his wounds. Gave him my blood. Shielded him until the extraction team arrived."
A beat.
"My body failed before his did."
Theresa's fingers tightened, just slightly.
[Theresa]
"The Doctor watched you fall. Watched your Originium activity spike past survivable limits."
The Doctor swallowed, remembering:
—the moment Sacrifice collapsed
—the scream that tore out of someone's throat
—the certainty that this time, she would not rise again
[Doctor]
"…You were gone."
Sacrifice nodded once.
[Sacrifice]
"For one minute and forty-two seconds."
Theresa closed her eyes.
[Theresa]
"And then?"
Sacrifice finally looked up.
[Sacrifice]
"I heard nothing. Saw nothing."
A pause.
"Then pain returned. My heart restarted. My infection worsened."
She touched her chest, where crystalline veins now spread further than before.
[Sacrifice]
"I stood up. Scout was still bleeding."
The room fell silent.
Theresa stepped closer, her voice softer now—but heavier.
[Theresa]
"You broke orders. You sacrificed your life."
A breath.
"And you would do it again."
Sacrifice did not answer immediately.
Then:
[Sacrifice]
"Yes."
Not defiance. Not pride.
Certainty.
Theresa turned away, struggling to keep her composure.
[Theresa]
"…Babel cannot afford to lose you."
[Sacrifice]
"Babel cannot afford to lose anyone."
That stopped her.
Theresa faced her again, eyes shining—not with anger, but sorrow.
[Theresa]
"You are not a tool. Not a shield to be spent."
Sacrifice's voice lowered.
[Sacrifice]
"I am a doctor."
A pause.
"If I must die to prove that… then so be it."
The Doctor clenched their fists.
[Doctor]
"I watched you die."
Their voice cracked.
"I won't order you to do that again."
Sacrifice met their gaze.
[Sacrifice]
"Then don't order me."
Softly—almost kindly—
"Just deploy me."
Theresa exhaled, long and slow.
[Theresa]
"…Your infection has progressed."
She met Sacrifice's eyes.
"Next time, you may not come back."
Sacrifice nodded.
[Sacrifice]
"Then next time, I'll be faster."
Silence.
Finally, Theresa placed a hand over Sacrifice's.
[Theresa]
"…Rest. Babel still needs you."
A whisper—almost a plea—
"And so do I."
Sacrifice closed her eyes.
[Sacrifice]
"…Understood."
[Addendum — Doctor's Private Note (Unfiled)]
I saw her die.
I saw her stand up anyway.
I don't know whether Babel saved her…
or whether her oath refuses to let her stay dead.
[BABEL INTERNAL INCIDENT REPORT]
Classification: ███████ (Restricted)
Filed Under: Medical Operations / Abnormal Phenomena / Operator Conduct
Location: Kazdel Outskirts – Urban Ruins Sector 3
Date: ███████ (Restricted) civil escalation
Involved Personnel:
Operator Sacrifice (Medic, Sarkaz)
Scout (Recon Unit Leader)
Theresa (Babel Leader)
Multiple Babel Operators (names redacted)
[Incident Summary]
During a Babel-led extraction and reconnaissance mission in Sector 3, hostile forces ambushed the unit following premature exposure. Command issued a full retreat order, prioritizing preservation of intelligence and personnel.
Operator Sacrifice refused the order.
Visual records confirm that Operator Sacrifice diverted from the retreat route to assist wounded personnel trapped under collapsed structures. Despite repeated commands from squad leaders and Scout himself, she continued emergency triage in open combat conditions.
At 19:42 local time, Operator Sacrifice sustained fatal trauma:
Penetrating injury through the thoracic cavity
Severe hemorrhaging
Cardiac arrest confirmed by Scout at close range
Scout attempted evacuation but was forced to disengage due to enemy pressure. Operator Sacrifice was declared KIA on-site.
At 19:47, five minutes after confirmation of death, Operator Sacrifice regained autonomous movement.
Anomalous Event Log
Surveillance Arts and eyewitness accounts confirm the following:
The operator sacrificed stood up unassisted despite having no detectable vital signs moments prior.
Originium crystal activity spiked sharply (+4% assimilation increase recorded post-incident).
She immediately resumed medical duties, prioritizing Scout—who had been critically wounded by shrapnel moments earlier.
No verbal communication beyond medical commands ("Do not close your eyes." / "Pressure applied.").
Scout survived exclusively due to her intervention.
Operator Sacrifice collapsed only after all wounded within reach were stabilized.
[Medical & Infection Assessment]
Post-retrieval examination showed:
Originium assimilation increased from 7% →10%
Blood Originium density elevated to 0.30u/L
Evidence of accelerated cellular reconstruction inconsistent with known Sarkaz physiology
No signs of necrosis or uncontrolled crystal spread were detected.
Operator Sacrifice refused sedation or isolation post-incident.
Quote recorded during examination:
"I was not finished."
Command Evaluation
Filed by: Theresa
"She disobeyed orders.
She also saved lives that would otherwise be gone.
Babel was not built to abandon the wounded."
Theresa ordered the incident sealed and personally approved Operator Sacrifice's continued deployment, with the following note added to her file:
"If this oath is what keeps her standing, then do not break it."
Addendum: Scout Statement (Partial)
"She was dead.
I was holding her.
And then she wasn't.
If that's a sin, then it's one I'm willing to carry."
Disciplinary Action
None issued
Instead, Operator Sacrifice was reassigned under direct medical autonomy, exempt from forced retreat orders when wounded allies are present.
Closing Note (Kal'tsit – appended later, classified)
"This is not resurrection.
This is persistence taken to an extreme.
Whatever brought her back did not restore her—it reinforced her purpose.
That is far more dangerous."
[Report Ends]