Dr. Daniel Jackson (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
hi_there_aliens) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
trans_92011-09-16 12:15 am
hi_there_aliens) wrote in trans_92011-09-16 12:15 am
Archaeology, Natural Disasters and You [Closed]
The trip down revealed that Taleen was going to be of several things, none of which were pleasant. Arid, pale with a light dusting of red from the rocks, and yellow-white grass that extended in plains all the way towards far off mountains . There was a giant gash in the land near the orb landing area, which resolved itself into a massive canyon as the party drew closer. Spider webbing out across the top of the canyon were signs that a civilization had once flourished here. Traces of broken pillars and half submerged buildings, as well as what looked like a downed ship that had embedded itself in a massive building. There was no movement visible amongst the ruins now. As the dry wind blew through the stonework, it would became clear that they were walking into a mass graveyard.
Not somewhere you'd want to spend your vacation.
For some people, this was going to be a field day.
According to the scans and what little records they had, there hasn't been a sentient being around for hundreds of years. The majority of native wildlife had moved out of the area, seeking refuge. The land looked dead already. In the sky above, several specks of light twinkled in the sky, growing bigger with each passing hour. In a few days, it will be raining fire.
[Closed to Daniel, Eleventh Doctor, Sofia, Jamie, Hoshi, Howard, Billy, the Master, River Song, Cassie, Tom]
Not somewhere you'd want to spend your vacation.
For some people, this was going to be a field day.
According to the scans and what little records they had, there hasn't been a sentient being around for hundreds of years. The majority of native wildlife had moved out of the area, seeking refuge. The land looked dead already. In the sky above, several specks of light twinkled in the sky, growing bigger with each passing hour. In a few days, it will be raining fire.
[Closed to Daniel, Eleventh Doctor, Sofia, Jamie, Hoshi, Howard, Billy, the Master, River Song, Cassie, Tom]
no subject
As much as he would've preferred to go first, scout the lay of the land, Jamie took it upon himself to slip ahead. Daniel waited, ready to run forward and grab him if he had to, and watched, trying hard not to wince as Jamie took each step or made a sound. All the while, the archaeologist's eyes scanned for anything that might double as a trigger.
Jamie eventually turned around at the end, and managed a strange whisper-yell. He was still in one piece so far, but it didn't mean the rest might not have traps. Daniel made his way over, retracing his exact steps, and moving just as slowly.
"Be careful. Just because were out of the hallway doesn't mean the rest is safe."
no subject
"Aye," he agrees, before continuing to move along just as cautiously as before. But whatever the place was, it appears to be safe as houses - most houses, anyway. There's the empty reflecting pool at one end of what was most likely the equivalent of the sitting room, a corridor leading to a pantry/kitchen area, and another area beyond that which has collapsed in on itself, essentially blocking it from further exploration.
But on the other side is another large corridor, with smaller rooms branching off of it. They're possibly sleeping areas, although there's no remaining signs of any bedding. But shelves have been chipped out of the rock, providing areas that would be suitable to store clothing, and bits of petrified wood which could have been from drawers or doors. It's shattered, however, making it hard to tell.
Finally they find themselves in a much larger area, somewhat like a master suite, with what might have been a solar at the far end. The large windows that had once let in light and air have also collapsed, although gaps remain and sunlight trickles into the room through them.
On the wall is another mural - not the mosaic tile this time, but a hand-painted scene of what appears to be the region just outside of the city itself. Only rather than the dusty, dry and dead feeling, the area was lush, brilliantly colored plant life flourishing like it does in the desert in that all too short-lived time after winter passes. Much of the mural that is near the far end has been destroyed, but enough of the scene remains to give a hint of its former glory.
Set into it is a pair of stone doors, skillfully carved with the image of a woman standing on a plateau, made to appear as if she is looking out at the desert in bloom. And if the theme leading from outside to inside is sunset into early evening, this is a new dawn, showing the wonder of nature on a perfect spring's day.
Jamie stops in front of the doors, drawn there by the sight of the lass on the rock. "Hey, would ye look at that?"
no subject
Daniel drifted over to the empty pool, studied the corridor and then rejoining Jamie after a moment. Maybe water was more plentiful back in the day, if a household could afford to maintain a pool just for reflection. Either that or they were of a higher class and this was a luxury, rather than something common to all. There was also the same writing system he saw as well littering the area. Daniel can pick out a few numbers, or he thought they were, every now and then. The rest of the language would die with the rest of the site.
Daniel nearly ran into Jamie, neatly sidestepping at the last moment. It was amazing. "This is absolutely incredible." Daniel dropped his pack to the ground and began rooting through it like a mole through the dirt. Or an archaeologist through an ancient garbage dump. "Do you have anything to visually record this room? We need to get this on tape."
It looked big. While he'd have loved to take it onboard, removing it might take quite a bit of doing and bugpower.
no subject
The doors, while beautiful, don't seem to have any way to open them - at least not to Jamie's eyes. Maybe there's a catch or a hidden handle somewhere? As he lifts his hand to run his fingers over the carvings to see if he can find one, Daniel's exclamation reminds him that maybe he should be a little more careful. Slowly, and a little reluctantly, he lowers his hand again, turning away from the doors only to see the archeologist sorting through his pack at a fairly rapid rate.
"You've not got something like that yourself?" he asks, a little surprised. He would have thought for certain that Daniel would have something squirreled away in there somewhere. "I'm not sure I do. Well, unless the Doctor's gone and put something in my sporran that I've not found yet."
Truthfully, he wouldn't be all that surprised if he had - he's still pulling out things the the Time Lord obviously thought would be useful from time to time. And he decides it's worth a look. Taking the time to detach the sporran from his belt - it'll be easier to work with, in this case - he crouches down on the ground to set his torch down and start his own rummaging.
"Could we go back to the camp and get something if not?"
no subject
He'd find it eventually. It was just easier and quicker if Jamie had one on him. Then they could get everything on tape immediately."We could, but it would take time. Let's check what we have first."
Daniel watched curiously and with no small amount of interest as Jamie started his own dig into the sporran. "That's kind of like the TARDIS right, bigger on the inside? How did that happen?"
And could that happen to his own pack. Daniel could only see pluses here.
no subject
At Daniel's question, he looks up at Daniel with a look of disbelief on his face. How did that happen? Is the man serious? He makes a noise that rather neatly mirrors the expression on his face. "How do ye think it happened? It was the Doctor's idea."
Granted, it's not one of the Doctor's worst ideas, not by a long shot, but there's still some small drawbacks even so. "Actually, it was a present, so I'm not sure exactly what he did. I'll not argue it has its uses, but ye get a bit tired of everything smelling like mint after awhile."
The smell doesn't stick so much to the hard objects, but as he pulls out a small pillow, a hint of it wafts through the air. Anyone close enough might very well be able to pick up on the scent. A few more odds and ends come out, but he's still not finding anything that would be close to what they're looking for, and he shrugs at the other man.
"It doesn't look like I've got any cameras or anything like what ye need, Doctor Jackson."
no subject
Not very subtle as nudges went. Daniel didn't care. Having a bag like that would be immensely useful on a dig or any mission. The only problem was so much storage space made it hard to organize or get things out in a flash, but maybe they could be solved. Even Jack would loe to have one of these. He could bring all the ammo on missions he wanted.
His fingers grazed something rectangular.
"I think I---wait," Daniel dug into the bag, cheek mashed against it. His fingers wrapped around that something, and he slowly drew it out. Yes, he knew he packed something. "There we go." Now the question was, have Jamie record and he take care of any rubbings or the other way around. Maybe it was better if Jamie handled the recording. "Do you know how to work one of these?"
no subject
After a minute or so, he has to admit he's a bit lost, as there are actually quite a lot of buttons on that one, and small fiddly bits, and things he thinks might be dials - but they could be something else for all he knows. Maybe it wouldn't be such a good idea if he tried to get it to work on his own. Of course, he isn't about to admit that out loud to Daniel, and bends the truth the explanation for his hesitation just a touch when he goes on.
"Er, I've not had much experience with that particular model, ye see." His eyes flick to the carvings on the door, and an idea occurs to him. If Daniel did the recording with the device, he could maybe see about recording it in a much simpler way. "If you've a piece of paper and some charcoal, though, I could do one of those rubbings for ye instead."
no subject
It wasn't anything to be ashamed to admit you didn't know something, especially if you had a desire to learn. If Jamie wanted to play it this way, then Daniel might as well play along this time.
"I see," Daniel said sagely. He righted the recorder in his palm, opening a panel and changing some settings with a practiced hand. He may have also just 'happened to have it angled for Jamie so he could see what he was doing, maybe learn from it, if he happened to look. "Check the bottom left pouch on the bag, I should have some stuff in there. I'll start on that wall over there.
no subject
Digging through the bottom left pouch is quick work, as his fingers close on what distinctly feels like a roll of paper and a small box with a smooth surface that's a little cool to the touch. He pulls both things out easily enough, setting the roll aside to inspect the other item - which does turn out to be a small metal box. Inside are a few different items that could be used for rubbing, including a piece of charcoal.
This he takes out, setting the box aside to retrieve the roll. After a properly sized piece of paper is extracted, Jamie moves over to the opposite side from where Daniel's filming. "Aye. I'll start over here, then."
Making a rubbing is easy enough, now that he has the materials at hand, and he works at it for awhile, checking every once in awhile to make sure he's not blocking Daniel's filming. It's when he reaches the carved door that something happens. There's a wonderfully detailed bracelet on the woman's wrist, with large polished stones to represent the jewels set into it. Jamie dutifully goes to try and preserve some of it in the rubbing when he presses a little harder than he should, and one of the stones pushes in with a faint 'click'. There's a brief flurry of motion from Jamie as he hurriedly moves the paper out of the way, just in time to see a small panel slide aside and reveal a hand-sized opening behind it.
Eagerly, Jamie turns to try and get the archeologist's attention. "Doctor Jackson! Come take a look at this!"
no subject
Daniel set about with the device. He took slow, measured shots of the walls, taking care to get different angles of the decorations and the layout of the room. Under his breath, loud enough for the mic to catch him, he added notes and observations. Other than that, the room was quiet. It was so quiet that Daniel easily heard the faint snick of something from across the room. He closed his eyes. Jamie.
Too late to worry about traps or anything. Whatever mechanism he'd triggered, it was already sprung. He sounded in one piece, and what was contagious was the excitement that followed. Daniel came over and knelt. Part of the wall had slid back, and tucked within the recess was what looked like parchment.
Daniel drew it out. It felt rough, more reeds than modern paper, well preserved and thickly rolled. Daniel set it on his kneels and unwrapped it.
"This is the first example of writing I've seen outside of the tower," he said, scanning the text. "The fact that the owner took great care to hide this must be incredibly significant."
no subject
"Or they had to leave in a hurry," he comments, sounding fairly unimpressed by the find. He goes to straighten back up, but as he does so, a glint of light catches his eye from further back in the recess.
A quick exploration with his torch shows there is indeed something, and impulsively, he reaches in to retrieve it. About halfway there, he stops, quite abruptly, and withdraws his hand. With a small frown, he takes a moment to retrieve what looks like a set of beaker tongs from the super sporran before resuming - this time with a slightly more cautious approach.
The precaution turns out to be a wise one, because there's actually two somethings further back that had been hidden from view by the parchment. One is a delicate copper necklace. A hammered centerpiece supports a spiraling pendant, and a blue stone has been fixed in its center. The other is the bones of a small creature of some sort, tangled in with the chain of the necklace. There are two distinct fangs sticking out, much like a viper, and from where they're positioned there's a very good chance that if Jamie had finished what he had intended he would have gotten scratched by them.
Mind you, now that it's out, he's fairly unconcerned about the beastie, since it's not in any shape to do anything to anyone anymore. Instead, he holds the entire thing up for Daniel to see. "Although...maybe they left it because they'd not wanted to get bitten."