stargateficrec | Unpacked, by Jen (PG) (Reply)

Rec Category: Daniel Jackson

Pairing: none
Category: Daniel Jackson, Jack O'Neill, gen, Jack/Daniel friendship, character study
Warnings: none
Author on LJ: jenlev
Author's Website: Time Is Like A Kiss
Link to Story: Unpacked

Why This Must Be Read: This short story carries an inherent sweetness in it that speaks of faith and good old Jack O'Neill stubbornness. While it's certainly a Daniel story, told entirely from his POV, we learn more about Jack, and what Daniel means to him, than we do about Daniel himself.

Jenlev gives us Daniel in his office, slowly unpacking the accumulated rocks - er, artifacts that have been stored over the year of his absence. One by one, he uncovers objects that have been meticulously saved, in true Jack style, for his future appraisal. "Doodads" wrapped in notebook paper, archeological magazines with stick figures doodled in the margins, comments about what Daniel would think about this or that object... The inherent implication, that Jack knew that Daniel would somehow be back, shines through to add an extra dimension of warmth to this lovely fic.

We get a glimpse of delightful teamy goodness when the scene shifts to the team's effort to build a birdfeeder in Jack's backyard, but the main emphasis of the story is, unquestionably, the solidity of Jack and Daniel's friendship.

The next item was also in a paper bag, but there was no writing. Instead, someone had wrapped it in a lined page that looked as if it had been torn from a notebook. There was a planetary designation and the word “doodad” written below. Another date about five weeks after the first one was scribbled almost as an afterthought. The author had pressed down so hard on the page that Daniel could feel the words as he ran his fingertips over the paper. The writing looked as if it had been done quickly and was almost illegible.

The ‘doodad’ turned out to be a buckle made, perhaps, of bronze. Daniel made a note to complete a metallurgic analysis. He rubbed his thumb over the patina that was roughened from the years it had been buried in the ground of some alien planet. Daniel felt the pleasure of imagining the many beings or people that repeated the same motion he’d made. It was a way of learning an object that eyes could not provide.

He welcomed the quietness that came from sitting with artifacts and from learning their shapes or purposes. Each one felt like a story that might have been told frequently but was still unknown to him. He reached into the box and pulled out a solid-feeling oblong object. The bubble wrap was held in place with a wide rubber band. Daniel removed the protective covering and felt the accumulation of yellowish, dusty grit that coated his hands as if it were an alien form of pollen.

The artifact revealed was of some fairly soft stone and carved with the outlines of apparently human figures. One was standing and holding a long object that was pointed at a kneeling figure with arms apparently tied behind him. Using his magnifying glass, Daniel was able to see the representation of animals in the background. Turning the stone over, he saw that a card had been taped to the inside of the bubble wrap that the artifact was resting on. The writing was a bit clearer: “P7Q-799”. The date was about two months after Daniel’s ascension. The person who brought the carving back to earth took more time with their description and had added “Two guys, a bunch of other stuff.”

Daniel placed his hands over the words and smiled; other ‘stuff’ indeed. The carving was reminiscent of the archaic Greek style. The object in the aggressor’s hand might have been a spear, or perhaps a staff weapon. Maybe what the archaeologists thought were spears all along were something else? He rubbed his hands on the arms of his chair as he pushed his attention away from those thoughts and back to the box filled with seemingly random finds.

Next was a round heavy something that fit into both hands and was covered in bumps he could feel through the plastic that covered it. Daniel placed it gently on his desk and peeled it as if it were an orange. It was a smooth, densely mottled green sphere. The bumps emerged from its surface in a pattern that drew his eyes to its edge again and again. He felt his own frown of concentration as he turned it and tried to find the beginning or end of the flowing image. It seemed to fold over and reminded him of an optical illusion created by Escher. Perhaps it was part of a game, or simply something to be stared at in repose? In Daniel’s hands the stone created a sensation that made him feel alert but slightly off center. The now expected card taped to the wrapping was carefully written: “Strange ball found on the ground next to the gate platform. There were a bunch of them, like bowling balls. I think it’s a toy, you’d probably--.“ The words ended as if the author had stopped in mid thought.