Zeroth Directive

Archive II

Our expedition teams have already brought back many stories about Sami. These tales inevitably generate a degree of prejudice: writing off Sami as a backwards, ignorant, and uncivilized region; the belief that once the locals are exposed to the technological marvels of modern society, they will be as astonished as primitive humans obtaining fire for the first time; or the notion that technology can be put on equal footing with nature. That the latter grants us power to compete against the miraculous workmanship of nature, and that all the conservatives who cling to nature will be inevitably resistant towards technological progress. Taking into account the experiences of Operator Qanipalaat, Rhodes Island has carefully designed a special guidance process when welcoming partners from Sami. As a result, when Typhon had to work with other operators here, or 'southerners,' as she refers to them, the intense friction and clash of cultures we anticipated did not occur. For example, when she happened to walk in for the first time, she merely pointed at a couple of photos on the electronic file record and suggested that I change positions before leaving. It's clear that this is in part due to Columbia's influence on Sami. Much of Terra's most cutting-edge technology is already visible to the people there. However, the Columbians' expansion, centered around tourism and exploration, has currently only reached a select few areas in southern Sami, and without active cross-pollination, it is unlikely that any Samifjod would understand how to use these things to the extent that Typhon does. Of course, she is also not some gifted, natural-born scholar of 'modern civilization.' She is simply curious, and harbors the belief that she should seek out knowledge broadly: accepting without question everything that happens before her eyes and applying her own experiences to understand it. In truth, it is not uncommon for Samifjod to take the initiative to reach out to other lands, nor is it uncommon for them to matter-of-factly accept what happens there. Columbian engineers like to think of themselves as bringing light to the people of Sami, but the joy they show in technology may be no different to them than plucking a delicious fruit. When asked her opinion on the matter, Typhon simply replied, 'everything grows from nature.' To be honest, it's probably best to just go along with her. If you try anything funny, she'll slap your hand... Hurts pretty bad, too. I've learned my lesson. So right after she repeatedly stressed to me how much the Samifjod respect trees, I had to go to the Convalescent Garden to help prune the branches, and I spent a whole week terrified of running into her. Why only a week? Well, because after that, I found out that she was helping out at the Garden too, haha! 'This is the only way for trees to grow on this tiny patch of southern soil. You can't help having rules like yours.' Indeed, she's completely right... Later, I came to understand that she considers herself something like a host while in Sami. When we were there, she needed to teach us about their rules and customs, but when she left and it was her turn to be the guest, she needed to learn OUR rules. It's also like this in Sami itself, where every tribe is different. She was probably already used to accommodating differences. ––From a field operator sent to Sami on a mission

Archive III

Many of Typhon's habits are clearly taken from her foster mother, Valarqvin. She was educated in matters pertaining to Originium Arts, and as a result of Valarqvin's extensive pursuit of all knowledge, she developed an interest in all things new. But beyond that, she has also been deeply influenced by Valarqvin's auguries and understanding of fate. Very occasionally, she will display a kind of optimism rooted in stoic acceptance rarely seen in girls her age, allowing her to handle even highly stressful situations with composure. However, the two are not as tight-knit as we had imagined. At least according to Typhon, she doesn't actually spend much time with her. Perhaps because she had already developed her survival and combat skills by the time Valarqvin became her foster mother, Valarqvin has often been absent without telling her where she was going. This has been happening for as long as Typhon has had clear memories. She was left alone in the darkness to figure out the structure of the Cyclops's cave, and had to find the way out on her own to return to the Sami wilderness. For a hunter, all of Sami is the environment she belongs in, and the Cyclops's cave was but one place to sleep. As such, she has never used the term 'home' to refer to Valarqvin's abode, nor does she call her by anything other than her real name. Day after day, she confronted the dangerous icefields, accumulating the skills to hunt and survive. Yet during this time, she also accumulated all sorts of questions. She would return to the cave with these questions, and if she was lucky enough to catch Valarqvin before she left, she would receive patient and detailed answers from the knowledgeable Cyclops. 'Well, of course she knew that I wanted to go to Rhodes Island to work with you all. She also told me that Maggy would run into some rampaging rockhorns that would overturn our car, and that along the way, there'd be Columbians looking for trouble. And because we were well-prepared, these were all hardly a bump in the road. But she normally doesn't bother telling me that much. Maybe she's really worried about me this time.' 'Hmm... Why would it be weird for her to worry about me? Well, even if she is, it's not like she needed to follow me to Rhodes Island. 'She has her own prophecies to follow, and it's nothing you need to worry about. You get used to it.'

Archive IV

If it weren't for a few meddling senior operators who grabbed Typhon to get to the bottom of things, we would likely never have realized that her childhood memories are almost completely blank. While she knows that Valarqvin is now her foster mother, she has almost no recollection of her biological parents, not even a vague inkling of what they looked like. All she knows is that she used to live with them before the attack. She remembers a hut far away from the Sami tribes, hidden deep in the forest. The fire always burned brightly in that hut, casting two blurry shadows on the wall. She remembers sitting to the side, taking in that warm scene. Everything else, she learned later from Valarqvin, such as that her horn ornaments and giant bow were left behind by her parents. When Valarqvin rescued her, she initially thought that the contaminated weapon needed to be disposed of, but the young Typhon refused to let go of it, even in her coma. To this day, Typhon still has nightmares from time to time. In these nightmares, she turns into various small, helpless beasts, hunted by shadows so enormous they eclipse the very horizon. Time and again, she sees her nest destroyed, leaving only the bones of her loved ones behind. At first, we analyzed this from the perspective of modern medicine and thought she might have selectively blocked off parts of her memories due to trauma, so we tried to get her to open up. Out of a longing for her parents, she said that she would be glad to recover her memories, and was not afraid of the pain that might come from uncovering such traumatic experiences. So after obtaining her consent, we began conducting preliminary examinations. Unfortunately, we discovered that she did not suffer from selective amnesia, but rather an impairment of memory function from a type of rare brain trauma, which was almost certainly caused by a 'disaster' undetectable to our medical instruments. At Dr. Kal'tsit's orders, we stopped looking into her case any further. In any event, Typhon is now living a comfortable life. While she has never viewed her memory loss as something abnormal, she still misses the warmth of her forgotten parents. In contrast to how most of Terra views life and death, the Samifjod see it as nothing more than the physical form's cessation of movement. By performing certain rituals, the soul can continue to walk freely through the lands, making it possible to meet with ancestors. This belief makes them significantly less afraid of death, as well as easing the pain of separation. It is with this mentality that Typhon roams the wilds of Sami—she believes that somewhere out there, her parents are always watching over her.

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