The Library: or how to get charged for EVERTHING [Open]

[hi_there_aliens]

Choosing two memories wasn't that hard. He made an effort, before the procedure, not to think of Sha're at all, Abydos, his parents or the SGC, and if weren't for the fact that he had time to prepare beforehand, it would've been a lot harder than it looked. Daniel focused on something safe, purely physical or emotional. Something that wasn't too personal or specific about their missions or the Stargate.

Guide said anything would do, so, he was getting... anything.

The first was how it felt just to touch a hundred years old manuscript, mostly the texture and smell. Daniel felt bad about pulling that one. Talk about a cop out. Even if he had to be careful, that was cheap. The archaeologist tried to make it up on the second one. He gave him the memory of how he'd felt on his first time entering a tomb, how the air had felt (cold) , how it had smelled (musty and dank), just how utterly black it had been (very black), the excitement and tension that had run through him, and more importantly the sense that there was something down there just waiting to be uncovered.

It seemed to do the trick, because Guide cheerfully shuffled away with two copied memories. Although not before he tried to sell him tours to the best restaurants.

Daniel found himself inside the library and already short of a chunk of credits. They'd charged admission, then charged him just to use a tiny pad of paper, the kind that would've been free back home, then for the stub of what was their version of a pencil (he wasn't even going to keep it!), and then charged him just to point out where the subject catalogs were. Oh, and then he'd been charged just to use the desk.

He was surprised they didn't try to charge him for the air he breathed. Maybe that was going to show up when he tried to leave.

Despite this, Daniel trundled happily around the shelves, feeling more at home than he had in awhile. Nothing shooting at them, no pressure to find technology for military use, just this. Books, as far as he could see. He'd been on a number of planets already, seen so much, but still, nothing quite beat a good library.

It even had that old yellowed book smell.

Comments

[twilit-midna.livejournal.com]

"What are you looking for?" If Daniel was too preoccupied with those books, he might not have even noticed Midna coming up almost soundlessly behind him. As she passed a shelf of old tomes, she ran her long fingers across the spines, as if by doing so she could taste the words written inside them.

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel, luckily, had only just started on collecting books when he was approached. He was just reaching for a book above him when he caught a flutter of motion out of the corner of his eye. It was if a grey and black shadow was coming at him. And not just coming at him, gliding at him. Just as silently as smoke.

He dropped back to his heels and looked. The shadow resolved itself into a tall, almost willowy woman that he was sure wasn't human. Very close at least. She didn't seem to walk so much as float over the floor, elegance practically flowing off her in her wake. The orange hair and red eyes offset the gray of her skin, giving her a distinctly exotic look. Just looking at her, Daniel was dying to know where she came from, who her people were. What that medallion on her forehead meant. To his credit, Daniel managed to reign himself in. Jack would've been proud.

"Anything really. Their culture, their history, how all this came up," he waved a hand, 'this' being the almost excessive commercialism and almost mercenary attitude about everything all around them. "I've never seen a planet develop like this or on this scale."

It looked like he wasn't the only one interested in learning more about this place besides being a pit stop. What was she searching for? "And yourself?"

[twilit-midna.livejournal.com]

"Just curious," she said, with a small smile. "I was aware of the existence of other worlds before I came to the ship -- they were connected to mine tenuously, mostly through old stories and occasionally through the appearance of an offworlder or two. But it seems that far more realms existed than I was led to believe... and they were not so far distant from my own."

She motioned back toward the entrance. "We have markets, of course, but on this world, they seem to have eclipsed almost all else. How curious."

[hi_there_aliens]

Oh yeah, she understood very well. Maybe they had a Stargate back where she came from. It could be that they would get one or two strangers through it but perhaps they hadn't figured out how to work it themselves yet. She was more curious than afraid at the realization. Daniel found himself already warming to her. "I know how you feel. You think you're alone and then you find out the universe is a lot more crowded than you you originally thought. But it's exciting at the same time."

He looked back at the entrance and the gauntlet of charges that had come with. He really hoped there wasn't going the a gauntlet on the way back. What happened if there was an exit fee or something. What happened to those who couldn't pay?

The archaeologist mentally crossed his fingers.

"Tell me about it. This is pretty amazing. I'm wondering how they can even sustain this kind of culture." Was it planet-wide? The 'de-briefing' Stacy had given made it seem like it was. "They might have to rely heavily on trade from offworld..." It made you wonder just how fragile this world actually was.

What was he thinking? Daniel held out his hand. "I'm Daniel."

[twilit-midna.livejournal.com]

Her smile took on the slightest shadow of regret. "Yes, there is so much here that I never would have dreamed of seeing back home. Ships that sail the stars. Rooms that take the form of whatever you wish..." She paused, then added, "Motor-bikes."

Midna followed Daniel's glance back to the entrance. Was he anticipating someone's arrival?

"Perhaps the difficulties of navigating the system ease somewhat with familiarity... and a little extra in the way of payment." Where there were rules, there were bound to be those willing to pay to get around them.

She took his hand with both of hers, but didn't shake. "Zelda. Pleased to meet you, Daniel. A scholar of some sort, perhaps?"

[hi_there_aliens]

He didn't miss the hint of regret that crossed her face. She had to be homesick, and he wished there was some way he could honestly reassure there that there was a way back. The problem was that he wasn't so sure himself. Daniel didn't want to lie to her. He was stubborn, bull-headed was a decent word for it, and so was the rest of SG-1. "Giving up" really just wasn't in their vocabulary. There had to be a solution here, giving up not being in there, but he wasn't seeing it yet. It didn't mean they should stop trying though.

"You have your chance to explore all this though. I mean, it's a big opportunity we have here," Daniel pointed out, trying to be optimistic.

A little extra could add up here with how they got nickel and dimed over everything. "Maybe, but I'm not sure how much credits it will take before you've really learned system. I don't think it's a good idea to go broke on this particular planet."

Zelda. Unusual name there. It instantly brought to mind Zelda Fitzgerald, but that had to be a coincidence. Daniel mirrored her motion, bringing his other hand to cover one of hers briefly before releasing the grip. "You too. Yes, actually. Archaeologist and linguist. Are you doing research too?"

He tried to imagine her huddled in some corner or basement of a stuffy library and found he couldn't. Zelda gave off a regal air, cool and polite but probably not going to get her hands dirty in a bunch of musty tomes. It wasn't that common to find amongst scholars. Then again she had come here, but maybe it was just simple curiosity.

[twilit-midna.livejournal.com]

"Yes, it certainly is," she agreed. "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But I can't help but think that it was not I who was destined to take advantage of it. I'm afraid I'm no hero, Daniel. I have neither blazing sword nor shining steed -- and there are far braver than I."

She smiled apologetically at his question. "I'm afraid I'm just an idle noblewoman who likes old stories. And by extension, old books. When I think of how many hours I wiled away with shelves like these as a child... well. I am glad that even in a world filled with starships, there is still room for the printed word."

"I thought that perhaps I would be able to find a trace of my own world here. That's what they say, you know -- that the heroes of one world become stories in another. If I could come here, then surely..." she trailed off, almost talking to herself now, "Surely a hero of the ages..."

[8wings.livejournal.com]

Anwei came into the library very quietly, rolling her feet with each step to minimize the noise of her footfalls. When she had protested at the fees, she'd been assessed a decibel penalty for making too much noise. She had no interest in getting another one.

She's skipped the paper and pencil, and kept looking dagger eyes at the chairs along the side of the room, each with a tiny credit meter attached. She'd stay on her feet, and ignore her knees complaining.

She recognized the young man from the last podpop, she thought. Coming perhaps a little bit too close, she whispered, "Are you looking for information on the Ohm?"

[hi_there_aliens]

The archaeologist was standing at one of the shelves, completely engrossed. At his feet was a slowly growing pile of books, carefully tagged with notes of where each had come from so he wouldn't forget.

Daniel had his nose buried in the book he just picked up, a comprehensive history of the rise of XaXing's commercial empire. The book was huge, weighed about as much as a tombstone than a collection of paper. It was the title that did it. So had the intricate work on the cover, a strange set of runes he'd never seen before. Before he knew it, he had set everything else down. He didn't expect to find a neat history of the entire planet laid out. No one would ever agree on one thing anyway, but this wasn't a bad place to start.

He really only intended to flip it open, skim, but once he started, he couldn't stop. Daniel turned another page. Then another. The fact that he'd paid for a table to read at while he was here had completely slipped his mind. The archaeologist was so focused that he wouldn't have noticed if a mothership had landed right on top of him, much less a person deliberately trying to stay silent. He never saw her coming.

Daniel just about jumped out of his BDUS with a muffled curse when a female voice practically whispered in his ear. His fingers slipped. For a second he lost grip of the book. He just barely managed to rescue it before it completely tumbled out of his grasp, and by then, he'd made enough noise that he could practically feel the staff starting to ominously turn his way.

"Yes. No," Daniel corrected after a moment. God, his heart was still racing. He double-checked the book to make sure it was in one piece, then looked up. A woman had come up on him, one he thought looked almost familiar. She was, Daniel realized, also standing slightly too close for comfort. Daniel took a tiny step back, then triple checked on the book. Still safe. Heart and nerves, recovering.

So that wasn't the straightest answer he could've given. "Sort of I guess. Sorry, I didn't hear you coming. Daniel." He held out his hand over the tome.

[8wings.livejournal.com]

"Entirely my fault; I was trying too hard to be quiet. Anwei," she introduced herself; her eyes briefly darted about, checking if any of the librarians were heading their way looking to assign another decibel penalty. She reached out and shook the offered hand, and discreetly helped him prop up the oversized book with the other.

"Did you happen to take a copy of 'An Elder's Hive-Tale'? It's not on the shelf, but the positional record says that it's around here somewhere. It might just be misfiled, of course." Her right eye stayed on his face, while the left rolled downwards alarmingly and scanned the books on the floor around his feet; no, not the one she was looking for.

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel shook her hand, quickly releasing it after a moment to regain his hold on the book. He lowered his voice too. "No, no, it's fine, I should've paid more attention. Pleased to meet you."

An Elder's Hive-Tale. That sounded familiar. He could have it on him. Daniel was about to assure her it wasn't misfiled when Anwei looked for it without moving. He wasn't prepared for it at all. Her right eye remained politely on him, and her left... Too late, he was watching it roll independently of the other like a chameleon and the worst part was that Anwei probably saw him flick his own gaze to watch the roving eye with the eye that was still watching his face.

Daniel caught himself too late.

"I actually might." He tucked the book under an arm and hurriedly bent, digging through the haphazard stack. There it was. He wasn't going to get through them all anyway, but he'd been optimistic about trying anyway. The archaeologist carefully pulled it out, and rose, hoping that both eyes were back where he knew where to politely look.

Daniel held it out to her. "So do you think the Ohm have a presence this far out here?"

[8wings.livejournal.com]

She really was going to have to start thinking of a way to quickly make it clear she wasn't human. Maybe she could dye her hair some interesting color? It wasn't like she was particularly fond of blonde.

"No offense," she said. "Lots of people mistake me for human. Thanks." She took the book carefully in both hands.

"I'm just trying to find out what is common knowledge about the Ohm. I tried looking for electronic records and got immediately bombarded with multiple offers of datafiles - all of them unindexed and produced within the last twenty seconds. The more legitimate-looking offers took two minutes, but they still just look like a scraping of publically available data, packaged up and priced high." Her mouth set in a hard line. "Apparently they'll offer data based on anything you ask for, so," she dropped her voice to an rumble, "don't enter your name. You'll get told you're a missing heir, a wanted supercriminal, or both. And for a very reasonable fee, they'll help you regain your kingdom or escape the authorities."

It seemed that everyone got that sort of media attention here. Probably some very bored AI spinning it all out and collecting credits from the gullible. Well, safety in numbers.

[hi_there_aliens]

She'd caught him staring. Daniel winced. He'd figured she wasn't human by now, the eye thing pretty much gave it away, but all the same, he'd been disrespectful. He was just grateful she'd taken it with such good graces.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," he said anyway. "Your welcome."

Daniel had to grin at her complaint. She'd had the equivalent of someone trying to sell her her own house, except that house hadn't even existed in the first place and then they'd tried to make off with all her money.

Being told not to do something was tantamount telling him to try it and see what happens, and Daniel wondered what would come up if he entered his own name in. Probably nothing if he was looking for actual information: his 'universe' had supposedly been destroyed, so that would've taken care of that. But if they were talking bogus results, he'd probably get some good ones.

"I'll keep that in mind. I wonder how much of the data files are false, just made up for money. Everything has a price" the quote, Guide's motto as he toured him on the way to the library, was left dryly hanging in the air. Unspoken was that somewhere, someone would actually have a use for it. Always a price and always a buyer eventually.

Daniel hefted the book in his arms to a more comfortable position. "I passed over the electronic records for now. I'm trying to see if there's any reference to the Ohm in their history or mythology."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

A young man stepped into the library, almost entirely dressed in black body armor. Though he might have been a little imposing otherwise, he nodded politely to the gauntlet at the entrance, handing over his admission fee without complaint. He didn't bother with the notepad or pencil -- Zouichi fully expected he wouldn't find anything here helpful enough to require taking notes. That would be too much a coincidence.

He almost passed Daniel right by on his way through the stacks, then paused, turning around. "You're part of the Transmigration 9 crew, aren't you?"

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel looked over his shoulder, caught mid-reach. A young man, covered in black body armor had stopped and was peering at him. He looked far more like a soldier than Daniel ever would.

Part of the crew? That was a good question. Was he officially part of the crew? Daniel hadn't exactly signed anything, much less given a role. He felt more like a stowaway, except that applied to someone who'd deliberately hidden on board.

So he was more like a stray cat Stacy picked up.

"I suppose so. Can I help you?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

A soldier? That would require working on a team! Also, following orders.

Zouichi shook his head. "Not with anything in particular -- I hadn't seen you before, so I was wondering if you were part of this last pod release. The crew is large enough that it's difficult to keep track of everyone. However, I do try to say hello when I can."

He looked back at the shelves. "I came to see if there was any folklore here that might pertain to our situation. But I suppose you're here for something different?"

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel lowered his arm. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he studied him. The young man wasn't someone he'd instantly peg as the welcoming committee type, although he couldn't complain about a friendly face. He did appreciate it.

"I am, thank you. Doctor Daniel Jackson," he replied, extending a hand. So he was also interested in the Ohm? He had his work cut out for him. "That's partially why I'm here. I'm mostly trying to find out more about our hosts."

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

He took it, inclining his head slightly in response. "Kanoe Zouichi. But Zouichi is just fine. Pleased to meet you, Dr. Jackson. I'm guessing you mean the Daligig? I'm not holding out much hope of finding anything substantial on them, honestly -- supposedly, we're far from the center of their operations. I was curious about another topic, which has to do with why we were brought aboard."

"According to the Daligig, it was because our exploits in our own worlds were somehow sufficient to ensure that our stories surfaced in others. However, the ship routinely sanitizes the Media Library aboard the ship to prevent anyone from learning about the worlds of the crew members currently awake."

[hi_there_aliens]

Zouichi just then reminded him of Jack and Sam. A little. It was mostly the ability to tunnel vision on a mission related goal. Daniel wasn't saying it was unimportant, it was important, but so was learning about the people they were visiting. There was more to it than just objectives and politics. We'd miss out so much if we only paid attention to what's directly relevant, he thought.

"I actually meant XaXing," Daniel said mildly. "But I was curious if the Ohm or Daligig would make an appearance in their mythology or history too."

So their fight against the Goa'uld had attracted attention. Daniel wasn't surprised. Kill one System Lord and you got lucky. Piss off another over and over and someone was bound to notice. He just assumed it would've been the Goa'uld. Not multi-dimensional beings.

If the Daligig had thought that their exploits were so noteworthy, why didn't they bring in the rest of SG-1? Daniel had no illusions about just how important he was. Everything they accomplished was the work of a team. Without Jack, Sam, and Teal'c, it would've been impossible.

What did they expect one archaeologist to do in their war?

"You're saying the ship censors the Media Library as a way of controlling us. Why would it let us know that it wanted to keep us in the dark?"

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

In a turn of events that should surprise no one that knows her, Eva's found her way to the library here on XaXing. She wanders the halls clicking her tongue and picking at her lips with her fingernails, pulling bloody strips off. Normally, the library should calm her enough to get her in one of those nice songbird moods, but she can't think of any nice songs to sing to herself when she's plotting a murder.

She carries an open book in her left hand - the one that isn't busy ripping up her lips - and nearly bumps into another person in the library. She looks up, startled. "Oh, sorry. You're from the ship too, aren't you?"

She seems to recall seeing his face at the podpop. He seems as at ease in the library as she normally would be.

[hi_there_aliens]

Daniel found that not having another pair of eyes or arms was an increasingly common problem for him. So was the fact that no matter where SG-1 went, there weren't enough hours in the day. Especially on this leave. He had limited time here. Any down time was wasted time. That included going to and from his desk. The problem was solved, neatly, Daniel thought, by making use of that time by reading while he walked. It helped he had some practice at it.

The archaeologist was just nearing his table when he narrowly avoided colliding with another body. The only reason he didn't completely smack into her was that he'd turned a page and caught a flash of movement over that turn. Startled, Daniel drew up short and twisted to the side.

"Sorry," he echoed. He was so used to just maneuvering in his own office like this that for a moment, he'd forgotten he was somewhere else. "Yeah, I am."

Daniel closed the book, pressing it to his chest as he looked at the person he nearly bowled over. That was when he caught sight of her lips and what she was doing to them. Sudden concern washed over him.

"You really shouldn't-" what was he going to do, scold a grown woman? Except this wasn't like biting a finger nail here or there. Her mouth looked like it could have been horrifically chapped, and she was pulling at the scabbed over wounds, renewing the blood flow.

"You really shouldn't do that. You're only making it worse."

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

She snorts. "Are you going to get on my case for smoking next? Not that I do. It's an even filthier habit than this one," she says, waving her bloody fingers before rifling through her pocket for a handkerchief to clean up the mess. She snaps her own book shut with her other hand and tucks it under her arm.

The way he pulls his book to his chest catches her eye. She squints and tilts her head, trying to get a better look at it. "Mind if I ask what you're reading? I'm always looking for new recommendations and this XaXingian poetry is either too brilliant for me to understand or too idiotic for me to absorb. Finnegan's Wake-ish, almost."

Possibly the fact that it's written in a different language doesn't help, but that didn't stop her when she was eight and wanted to read Spider-Man comics in English and it certainly won't stop her now.

[hi_there_aliens]

Owch. Daniel looked both intensely uncomfortable and intensely sheepish for a second and hugged the book closer. Embarrassed didn't even cover it. So he walked right into her business and started telling her what to do. The woman, unsurprisingly, managed to both raise her hackles, waved her bloodied fingers to prove a point, and plant a very obvious 'keep the hell out' sign. All in one go.

He definitely deserved that one.

Daniel was prepared to move on, leave her alone, when she took him by surprise. She asked about the book. She also hadn't completely told him to go to hell. That was good for something, right?

The archaeologist held it out so she could see the cover better. It struck him belatedly that he was doing it with the same delicacy that you did for a peace offering to a hostile culture.

"From what I can make out, it's a treatise on their old gods and whether this planet's blessing of everlasting prosperity is due to them or their own making." A sort of existential, 'what is our place in the universe' read so far, with a massive helping of divine aid versus personal responsibility and actions, but with a smattering of gods and a lot of trade involved. A lot of trade. Money was a language here, a way of life as far back as history could see. The book made it seem like they practically breathed the stuff.

His eyes started to track, concerned, back to her lips. He wanted badly to do something to stop the bleeding. Something to try and help. He averted his eyes hurriedly. Instead, Daniel cocked his head, looking at her book. He wouldn't mind having a look at her book. "So you've no idea what yours is about?"

[vissernone.livejournal.com]

She gives him a skeptical look as he holds the book out to her - what is it about her that always makes people treat her like some wild animal about to attack? - and wipes her hand on the handkerchief carefully before delicately taking the book. "So self-determination and manifest destiny in an economic sense, hm? Sounds fascinating."

She leafs through the pages; it's in a language she can read, and the sections on free will certainly look interesting, but what with all the transaction logs and graphs, it's not a format she's especially used to. This seems much more raw, archeological, not summarized and arranged for inexpert viewing. But given that the man picked it out, she wouldn't be surprised if he were trained in exactly this sort of field.

She chuckles self-deprecatingly. "I'm not even entirely sure which parts of the sentences are the verbs and which ones are the nouns. I've been comparing it to a dictionary over there, but I'm starting to think it's just that the squiggles looked fancy rather than anything meaningful. Would you like to give it a crack?"

She stuffs her handkerchief back into her pocket and licks a fresh drop of blood off her lip. "Sorry, I'm being rude. I'm Eva." She offers her hand, now that it's clean.

[hi_there_aliens]

Her lip was still bleeding. She licked at it. Daniel was two seconds away from telling her that wasn't going to help it in the long run. He barely resisted the impulse.

He took her hand, pleased despite himself that she was interested in his choice of reading. "Daniel Jackson."

Daniel took the book she offered and flipped through it. He had glanced at one of those dictionaries and one of the older texts earlier, and he'd been able to start piecing together the language. It wasn't one of the more difficult languages he'd ever had to learn, but he was still setting foot on new ground here. He wasn't going to be fluent in a few hours, but he was slowly settling into it.

He flipped through the pages, skimming. His hair fell into his face as he did so, but he was so engrossed in the words that he didn't notice. A few times he'd settle on a page and stay on it longer. His finger traced a word, then another. "It's one of the older dialects." he'd already seen around five so far in the books he'd chosen. "I think it's an allegory with some magical realism attached to it. Possibly about one of the guilds taking on another." He turned several more pages, muttering to himself. "A lesson in biting off more than you can chew?"

Of course, he'd need more time to actually read all of it and make notes, take a look at some of the other books to compare. She'd gotten to the book first though. Daniel started to hand it back to her.