Zeroth Directive

Archive II

[A Trimounts University Transcript] Museum Design: A- Instructor Comments: Student demonstrates a thorough understanding of modern museology theory, as well as a mind open enough to effectively implement new media to enrich the exhibition experience. Can sometimes be overly fixated on new forms, in particular conceptual interaction designs advocated by the Columbia Art and Design Center, leading to the exhibition's content being overshadowed by the presentation. Archaeological Analysis and Technology: A- (Joint course with Trimounts Academy of Technology) Instructor Comments: Student demonstrates high proficiency in technological methods for analyzing the materials and techniques of relics. Occasionally prone to spur-of-the-moment ideas, resulting in outlandish experiments, and insists on analyzing the failed results. Conservation and Restoration: A- Instructor Comments: Student demonstrates excellent grasp of conservation and restoration techniques for relics of various materials. Capable of independently coming up with restoration proposals for working with heavily damaged artifacts, plans that are often risky, but the results have generally exceeded expectations. The only issue being occasional violations of lab rules and protocols—do not use the lab's specially blended glue to stick your classmate's shoe soles back on! ... The transcript is a long one, with far more credits on it than needed to graduate. It includes her compulsory coursework, subjects tangentially connected to her major like international history, languages, art history, architecture, and folklore, but also courses like 'Ingredient Analysis of Sami Herbal Remedies', 'Principles of Automated Flying Machine Control', and 'Literary Analysis of Flowers of Quinde and Kerespereia', taken for reasons unknown. Even more surprising is that she got an 'A-' in most of her coursework and excelled academically by any definition, yet had very few full marks in any of her courses: the instructors usually docked her points here and there for unusual reasons. Titi did not seem especially concerned with her grades—what mattered more to her was whether the course was interesting, and her definition of an interesting course was very different from others. While most look for variety, lively pacing, and humor, she judges courses by whether they satisfy her curiosity and stimulate her desire to explore further. 'I went to Columbia because I thought it would be fun. I had just graduated from school in Menat-Ha'mait when a Columbian merchant showed up with a bunch of newfangled things and told me that Trimounts University accepted students from all over Terra. It made me want to check it out for myself. I didn't think much about the distance from Menat-Ha'mait to Trimounts, or how I was actually going to get accepted and enroll. I just thought I would cross that bridge when I got there.'

Archive III

Operator Titi describes her younger self as a 'free range wild child'. Her father was known as a ne'er-do-well amongst Menat-Ha'mait's nobility, having no interest in fame or fortune, only literature, and in particular in collecting books brought back to Sargon from occupied Minos. Never in great health, he fell ill when Titi was young and virtually stopped leaving the house altogether. To Titi, her father was like a plant that grew on the chair of his study. He would tell her stories if she went to find him, and if she did not, he did not concern himself with what she was doing. As such, she enjoyed more freedom than most noble children. She had plenty of room to explore, think, and imagine, and to reveal the laws and truth behind what she saw, what she was interested in. Her conclusions were not necessarily correct, and her ideas young and naive, but she had arrived at them on her own. The process of thinking helped her build trust in her own judgment, taught her how to obtain the information she wanted, and opened doors to new horizons. It took a long time for her to understand that there were many things that did not need to be said. How to explore, how to study, how to defuse hostility, how to help friends, how to find one's path forward, how to commit to what one thinks should be done... she had already learned all these things from the stories her father told her, and her mother's tacit approval and indulgence. [Book Excerpt] ...And so the silent Siopi returned to his homeland, but still he never spoke. 'You are friendly and outgoing. You never know if you might accidentally reveal the secret you are trying to keep in conversation.' The safest way, therefore, was to never speak. Once full of vigor and spirit when he left home, the young man now shut himself away, shunned contact with others, and died as silently as he lived. It was only a long time later, when the news of victory came from afar, that his fellows learned the secret he carried, and thus he became known as Siopi, the Silent Hero. —Excerpt from Vol.3 of Minoan Heroic Legends, New Edition, 1101, Varjavandabad Museum Press [Book Review] Scholars are excited about the publication of Minoan Heroic Legends, New Edition, and for good reason. Mr. Khnum Nasutu Mashayer has long been known for his extensive collection of Minoan literature, and this six-volume collection, totaling more than three thousand pages, is more than just a compilation of the famous legends collected in the Mashayer Archives and their many variations, but also of rare oral traditions that he personally collected during his time in Minos. It is a landmark in scholarship that will undoubtedly be cited by researchers for decades to come. It is perhaps also worth noting that the publication of this work was sponsored by Mr. Mashayer's widow, and it was compiled and edited by their daughter. This is itself something of a legend.

Archive IV

We initially thought that the entity known as 'Mio' who accompanies Operator Titi was simply an ordinary Feline Beast Steward, although in hindsight there were certainly telling signs. Mio is very similar to Titi in its sociability, and its investigation of Rhodes Island took place concurrently with Titi's explorations. Mio quickly found its turf, claiming the best fresh fin belly from the cafeteria every morning, as well as a cushion on the sunniest spot on the bridge, though it does not visit every day. Other operators claim to occasionally see a small, strange-looking Feline who often accompanies Titi, at times getting her out of tight spots, while at others getting into arguments with her, like two close yet bickering friends. This has led to us theorizing about Mio's true nature... by now, we have grown rather familiar with such beings. For now, at least, there seems to be little cause for concern, since Mio's intervention has been limited to providing occasional assistance to Titi and filling its own stomach. [Classified Log] Hey, I picked the girl myself, I can't very well let her fend for herself. I like her personality, and she's not burdened by stuff like legacy or history, like so many other humans. Getting out of the Grand Bazaar wasn't easy, and I'd like nothing more than to have some real free time with nothing to worry about, but I guess the girl's not gonna stay put. She and that damn curiosity of hers. Yeah, I know where she wants to go, but the depths of the desert is just not a nice place. The old Shah... yes, interesting fellow. Woof and I liked him, but his one-time dream, his discoveries in the south, his invincible army, and all his outlandish ideas, have all been twisted beyond recognition. As for the current Shahanshah, the lion who has lain low in the depths of the desert for many years... Has his silence and inaction been by choice, or has something happened to that ancient city in the sands, something beyond the control of puny humans? I don't know, and I don't particularly care to know. Frankly, I would prefer not to return to Shar-Agade, if I had a choice. You're an interesting one too, Doctor... There are many of my kind here. I know they are uneasy too. It's a fresh, unfamiliar feeling, and I don't like it one bit.

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