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

[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?"

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"XaXing?" Zouichi paused; he'd never really considered XaXing might be anything but another stop on their current course. "So you believe this planet itself is a subject of interest? Is there any particular reason?"

"I don't believe it's a means of direct control, but there are any number of reasons why it would be desirable to restrict crew access to various media. What if you learned that shortly after you were removed from your timeline, your world was destroyed? What if those stories violated the privacy of a crew member, or damaged their reputation enough that no one aboard would want to work with them? What if learning the future events of your own world disrupted your timeline? I do not agree with the practice, but I do understand the reasoning behind it."

"However, I don't believe there's any value in hiding the fact that information is missing. As known unknowns go, it is far from the most troubling of our concerns."

[hi_there_aliens]

"I believe almost every planet is a subject of interest. There's a lot of different cultures out there, and a lot we don't know about them." XaXing wasn't specifically interesting in the way Chulak was, but it was still fascinating. The only places that didn't catch his attention the same way where the obviously uninhabited (period) rocks out there, moons that had been dead since the dawn of time. Not even a trace of a civilization or sentient presence. Dead moons were ripe minerals and elements though, something Sam loved getting her hands on. An archaeologist's dead weight was another scientist's playground.

"I think I'd be too busy being in shock about my world being destroyed in the first place to worry about someone else's reputation back home," Daniel said dryly. Zouichi had a point. When that initial shock wore off and you started settling in with people you might have to live and fight alongside, something like their past could mean a big difference. And knowing the future?

Yeah, I get you, Zouichi. "But I understand what you're saying. So it's for our own safety."

For your own safety, for your own good: How many times was that line used on people in our own history? Daniel wondered anyway. Too many times for him to be comfortable with.

"And our most troubling concern is... the Ohm?" Daniel hazarded. They were still a distant people as far as he was concerned. As tangible as smoke.

[zouichi.livejournal.com]

"Supposedly for our own safety, anyway."

He frowned at Daniel's question. "...Perhaps. I've been on the ship for a few months, and I've certainly heard about the Ohm, but I've never fought them personally, so I can't comment on how accurate the information we have about them is. In fact, I'd say there's more we don't know about the Ohm. Why are they destroying worlds? Are they controlled by an intelligence as we know it? Or are they merely some kind of natural force?"

"But there are also many things we don't know about the ship and the Daligig. We have the Daligig's word that their intentions are honorable, and little else. We travel through dimensions on a ship that does not always feel the need to explain why we're participating in specific missions. Sometimes it exposes the crew to dangerous elements, sometimes it abducts crew members to perform tests on them, and it sees attempts to rewrite its programming as a threat to itself."

He shook his head. "I don't like it."