Zeroth Directive

Archive III

'Is this... music theory? Or some kind of performance instruction?' At the operator's question, Akkord realized she had dropped her old notebook. The operator who picked it up was reading through it with admiration in her eyes. The cover of the notebook was so worn that it had become glossy, while the edges of the pages had curled up from frequent turning. Akkord felt a tinge of embarrassment, unsure whether to take the notebook back, or answer the question. 'The wind swirling in the notches of the stone spires creates sounds that do not belong to the original tune. If they are not eliminated, they could spread through the town along the cracks of the spire.' 'Music flowing through the seams of copper tubes may become sharpened due to contraction in the cold. Mixing in wooden harmonies will make it less piercing.' 'In rainy season, the rhythms caused by water dripping at the old clock tower may distort the soundfield, requiring regular maintenance, or passages with a different texture to counterbalance it...' Only a few wall lights remained on in the archives, casting their light on the paper. The operator read through the notebook carefully with curiosity: There was nothing like music theory or intricate formulae, but only casually written tips and guidelines, combining Arts knowledge and everyday experience. 'Just some informal adjustment tricks. Nothing significant,' answered Akkord. 'But these are really useful! They would be great teaching materials. Not that I know much about music, but I know you always use musical Arts in the right situations, without any clashing melodies...' Teaching materials? Akkord was not listening to the latter half of what the operator was saying. She was thinking that such teaching materials were unneeded in Leithanien, as there were no special Arts in the notes, nor would they be considered musical creations. On this ship, however, someone was reading them quietly under the lights, even treating them as genuine knowledge. Akkord recalled the nights in Zwillingstürme, how the nameless tuners restored the harmony of the city's soundfield. Now, on this behemoth far away from home, she realized that these experiences, which she thought nobody cared about, could at least make other tuners feel less lonely. 'Can I try tuning the musical equipment in my room by following your notes?' The sound coming from beside her pulled Akkord back from the city's music to the Rhodes Island archive room. She smiled bashfully and nodded. Perhaps, these experiences she thought nobody cared about would spread even beyond the tuners.

Archive IV

[Audio Log] '...On the count of three, we'll start singing together.' 'One, two, three—' '......' 'Goodness, who just went up into the atmosphere?' 'It wasn't me... Wait, maybe it was? Sorry, I always seem to lose the key when I'm nervous.' 'Heh, I wish I brought earplugs!' 'Stop laughing, you sang even worse than I did! You dragged me off-key!' 'Alright, alright. None of you were especially in harmony just now.' 'Yeah, I know we're tone-deaf, Akkord...' 'I was talking about the hesitation in your voices. Try think it this way: When you're out of tune, you're just in different positions. Some go up, some go down, some go here, some go there. And that's what gives a song its range, right?' 'The audience must see us as a flock of squawking fowlbeasts.' 'Fowlbeasts seem so in harmony when they're together, don't they? I don't think they discuss how to sing beforehand, or care about how others want them to sing. They just sing the way they want.' 'Is it really the same thing?' 'Of course.' '......' 'How do you want us to sing, then, Akkord? We're performing in front of the whole ship in one hour.' 'Sing what you can. It's my job to get these different voices in different positions together in the same place without stepping on each other's toes.' 'Isn't that... cheating?' 'No, I'm simply reigning in stray sounds and getting them to walk together. You have a bright soprano, but you're too scared to let it come out. You, you have a solid bass like a rock. No need to be scared, I'll catch it. As for you, you have a beautiful tone, and you're the one who put your heart and soul into these lyrics. All you need to do is sing what you want to express.' 'Are you really talking about us, Akkord? You make it sound as though... all of us could be useful.' 'Not just useful. Indispensable. You all enjoyed the process of writing the song, didn't you? You stand here now because you love it. All you need to do is sing what you love. Besides, Maestro Czerny wrote this song for you to sing together.' 'What if it still sounds bad?' 'All the more reason to sing out loud, so that no one can ignore how bad it sounds. Of course, I'll probably have to go with you to beg for permission to hold another event...' 'Haha... alright, let's try again?' 'Let's try again. All you need to do is open your mouths. Leave the rest to me.'

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