thecapitol | So when they said prison planet... [Open]

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So when they said prison planet... [Open]

Who| Daniel Jackson and you! [Open]
What| Daniel arrives at the Capitol, after thinking he and SG-1 were going to be sent off for "justice" after inadvertently aiding a criminal. This isn't what he expected. He begins to poke around.
Where| Close to the Tribute Training Center, wandering around outside.
When| Evening - he's arrived sometime after curfew is over.
Warnings/Notes| I'd like to avoid Daniel getting spoiled on the part where death isn't permanent in the Arena please.

It still hadn't quite set in. The horror that is, Daniel thought. He wandered out from the building that had been marked as a Training Center in a daze. The shock was probably stage one. Or was it denial? Both? He was definitely going for both right now. Daniel was sure the sheer horror of it would eventually strike - it had to- and hit him hard when it did, but he was still working on the part where the Taldor had made this their judgement for SG-1. Tributes, Districts, Hunger Games, gladiatorial combat. That's what you got for trespassing, carrying arms to defend yourself, and accidentally aiding a criminal. He hated to see what they did if you jaywalked. Maybe that was average prison material.

To think, all Daniel had been worried about this morning was whether Sha're would be on the other side of the gate this time, followed by getting Jack to see that the current planet might just have more to offer than trees and moss.

"And here I was expecting Botany Bay," he muttered under his breath. A woman strolled past Daniel. Her heels even gave that little click on the ground that seemed pretty universal; very classy, very smart it said. It was also the only familiarity about her. She was dressed to what he suspected was supposed to be to the nines in this place. It made his eyes want to tear up; orange, purple and green had no business mixing like that, topped off with a mix of feathers and fur. Daniel looked around. No one else seemed to find it glaring; she looked as much at home as the other people wandering the pathways. She gave him a mildly interested look, but passed on. Certainly no criminal herself.

It was this that set off the chill that started to spread through his stomach. This woman and people like her were going to tune in and watch them die one by one. Only one could survive. He had no idea where the rest of SG-1 were; for all he knew, he'd ended up here alone. Daniel licked at his lips nervously. "I think I'd rather have the prison planet..."

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Enjolras completed the gesture, albeit with a terseness to the action. He too figured it was probably better to avoid contact with most other Tributes, especially those outside of his own district assignment. "Enjolras."

Searching for something to say, he studied Daniel's expression. There wasn't any hint of real animosity, not that he could perceive anyway. Then again, Enjolras would be the first to admit his own rather weak understanding of this world or how it seemed to operate. And, at this point, what was done was done. They'd already met. "Are you familiar at all with the Capitol?"

The stilted air to the handshake from Enjolras' end wasn't lost on him. Probably wanted to keep to himself, considering what was in their near future.

Daniel returned the look, wondering what he was looking for exactly. Maybe wondering if he was looking for weakness in Enjolras, maybe to backstab him. No worries there. "I just got here; all I know is what version they've told me and what one of the mentors has had to say."

"That's all I know as well." His stoicism cracked momentarily, and he smiled a small, slightly hollow smile. Just how many of them were there, he wondered. How many people could this Capitol have possibly brought in to fight their battles for them?

He eyed Daniel again, quickly deciding that he did, in fact, prefer to be in the company of another future, presumably reluctant murderer to that of the entourage arranged by his assigned district. The uneasiness they shared at least seemed genuine. "We could discover it together, if you are willing to have company."

Daniel could only shake his head. That little smile, the weak one might as well be coming despair, wrapped up in one person. How the hell could the Capitol look the other way?

"I wouldn't mind," he said slowly. Cautiously. He wanted to believe the best of him, but the reality was that the circumstances were pretty bad. He didn't know exactly what he was asking; did that mean in the Arena as well, allies in a way, or all bets off? He hoped that hadn't been the other man's euphemism for "we discover it together, right until I kill you.'

Better for once to play it closer to the vest. "You should really get a chance to talk to your mentor. Or a mentor at all; I found it pretty eye opening.

For his part, Enjolras still had no intention of killing anyone. While he greatly admired Greek and Roman societies with their republics and their openness toward new ideas and philosophies, he would've been happier never seeing their sports recreated for any reason. The idea that they would be used to distribute something as basic as food was terrible, offensive to his republican heart which strove for fairness and equality above all else. He would refuse to play into their game for as long as possible, and then, he supposed, he would die eventually in the name of not killing another. Not quite as noble as dying for his beloved France, but there were worse ways to go, in the grand scheme of things.

"I have. I have little interest in what they have to say." Knowledge he could get behind, discovering the world around him seemed wise, being coddled dotted upon until such time as he was needed to entertain a crowd of sick spectators, Enjolras did not appreciate. "Will you fight when the time comes?"

Daniel searched his eyes for a moment, wondering if Enjolras was sincere. He hoped he was. That this wasn't an attempt to see if the fresh meat really was easy meat too.

People had this tendency to look at him, see either the academic, geek (or it might be the hair and glasses combo) and assume pacifist for some reason. He didn't like violence. Didn't like using even the threat of it as Option A or B. Violence should be the last resort, and preferably as defense. He didn't think that made him weak.

"I'll defend myself, when the times comes," Daniel said. Or try his damnedest to; he wasn't a soldier like the other three. Regardless, he didn't intend to sit there and let someone kill him. "I would pick your mentor's brain though, really. The one I spoke with had a lot to say about survival."

This was probably counterproductive, giving advice to another man who might very well try to kill him later, but Daniel couldn't just keep the knowledge to himself to better his odds either.

"No one will fault you for that, I'm sure." His reply was terse, and slightly cold, reminiscent of the handshake from moments earlier. Enjolras couldn't help but feel that reacting to the Games was probably just as bad as actively participating in them. While he didn't welcome death, and could respect a certain degree of self-preservation, it was clear to him that they were already doomed. They were unequal in ways that he'd thought would be obsolete and incognizable by now. To these people, they didn't really live in the same way that, presumably, other people lived. The iciness in his tone was meant to mask a fiery fury. On later reflection, he'd probably realize it just made him seem unapproachable.

"My mentor was much more focused on explaining the the honor of the Games to me. The history behind them." He smiled again, this time wryly, trying to break away from the stoic expression generated by his contemplation. Naturally, something about survival, even if it was as outlandish as Robinson Crusoe would probably have had a better shot at holding his attention. At that, Enjolras snorted to himself. "I hope we face a shipwreck Arena. That would be entertain them."

Daniel just returned the look levelly, trying his best to ignore the chill that might as well be coming off the other man. Maybe it was playing their games on some level, but he wasn't of the mind to sit there and offer up a free target. Granted, they could all avoid this if every Tribute sat down and refused to fight. Non-violent protest. No one got hurt and the Capitol would have to end the game.

He'd find the honor part hard to swallow, but Daniel straightened up at the mention of the history behind them. "That could be a really useful thing to be aware of though - the context, what might have brought the Games about, if you read between the lines." Granted, it wouldn't keep you alive. "And why do you hope that?"

Personally he would prefer a desert, harsh winds, ruins, something he knew his way around best.

"I once read a book about a man who had been shipwrecked. Rather, survived a shipwreck." The answer was simple enough to hide the slightly private joke. Further, while he still didn't know what to make of befriending (or at least speaking so openly to) another Tribute, he didn't particularly see the use in offending the man either. As such, he hoped the man wouldn't misinterpret his albeit reaching mental association for some form of mockery.

"The history of the Games is simpler than I'd expected. One of the Districts revolted quite a long time ago now and the Games were created to remind them of their servitude to the Capitol and its people." That was, of course, not the flowery version he'd heard a few times now, but rather what Enjolras had gleaned from it. "Think that I'd like to start with the buildings closest to the training center, if that's agreeable to you."

"Robinson Crusoe?" he hazarded. Shipwrecks weren't exactly rare in literature, but it was the first to come to mind, next to the The Swiss Family Robinson. Daniel's mouth quirked, just a hint of a smile. "I wouldn't take those books as survival guides if I were you."

"There has to be much more than even that; history that people have buried or forgotten. I'd like to know more about why they stopped using tributes directly from Districts, for example," Daniel insisted. It usually was the case. He'd heard that version too, but since it had come from his escort and the little propaganda video they'd shown, he'd taken it with a grain of salt. He gave a shrug. "I don't have anything better to do, if you don't mind the company. Although I guess we're supposed to be training 24/7."

Enjolras nodded, vaguely glad that this new associate had picked up on his less than specific reference. So much was foreign here that shared knowledge, even that of a work of fiction, could be integral to forming an alliance. As much as he valued diversity and civil dissent, Enjolras easily recognized the usefulness in common interests and how they could contribute to mutual aspirations. "Crusoe's adaptability would be invaluable in the Games, even if his survival skills were, admittedly, somewhat lacking in the practical sense."

"I would like to know how the government system began to rely on the Districts so heavily, and to under-represent them so severely. My mentor seems disinclined, however, in explaining any of that to me." He purses his lips in a slight irritation. Usually he was pretty good at getting information from people, but those from the Capitol were frustratingly insistent on what they would and wouldn't discuss. Then, blinking the look away, he gestured down the sidewalk in a direction he, at least, had never been before. "After you, Monsieur."

Daniel almost regretted meeting Enjolras; there was something relieving, painfully familiar about meeting another man who had clearly come from Earth, and it didn't help getting ride of that homesickness. And one of them would likely be dead in a few days.

"And he'd be down a hand without Friday," Daniel's fledgling smile started to fade before it really started. "And he didn't have a bunch of other Tributes trying to actively hunt and kill him."

Daniel lead the way, keeping an eye on Enjolras, studying him, watching him look at the locals and buildings. "You have to sit on an entire population if you want the best view." It was like that with a good deal of governments, civilizations, the institutions that held the most power. In some cases, it was sitting on a time bomb waiting to go off. "I get the feeling it's not a topic most people want to go into in detail anyway. It's okay to reap the rewards, but it's better not to ask where it came from or what it cost."

"He had the natives. I sincerely doubt any of our fellows will be inclined to eat our remains after we're gone." Enjolras smirked wryly, the first sign of real humor visible through his icy demeanor. He matched step with Daniel, but allowed him to lead their expedition, not caring particularly where they went as long as they went somewhere. The people of the Capitol were a matter of morbid fascination to him, and it read on his face as he observed them.

There was truth to Daniel's observation about civilizations and the way the people here seemed to regard their history. It struck him as an awful sort of similarity to Louis Philippe's institution and the way the bourgeoisie prided themselves with their newly attained status, not bothering to show concern for what it had cost to get there. Or what it continued to cost the lower classes, for that matter. The very comparison and the fact that he could arrive at it so easily left him less than impressed. Humanity, in any age apparently, could be so willfully ignorant. "I hope that isn't a personal stance." He pulled his eyes away from the people moving around them to study Daniel's expression. "While it might be far easier to build a society on the backs of others, true power and enlightenment will come when all men can work together toward a common goal. There are no doubt good people in the Districts that will never be properly educated or have anything near the opportunity that these people seem to take for granted. Surely their potential contribution to the state would outweigh anything lost by their subservience."

"Yes, he did, but it wasn't a last-man-standing situation from the beginning, now was it?" Daniel pointed out. Okay, so he was enjoying a good debate on the topic, maybe more than he should considering their own circumstances. It was nice to find someone who seemed to enjoy reading for reading's sake. Jack never struck him as much of a reader, and when Daniel did try to bring up classics or even refer to them in passing, Jack had a tendency to play dumb, even though Daniel was sure (almost) the colonel did actually get what Daniel was talking about.

Cannibalism was one of those topics that Daniel tried to remain neutral on but, despite the professionalism he always went for, found it hard not to be repulsed personally. A shudder went down his back at just the thought. Daniel hated to sit on the fence on the issue about the possibility of cannibalism within the Hunger Games. And wouldn't that be ironic considering the name anyway? Daniel was suddenly glad Eva wasn't there. He wanted to believe that no Tribute would do such a thing, and anyway, the natives in Robinson Crusoe had been cannibals due to cultural practices, not desperation, but still; "I want to say no one will but...then again, who knows, if someone is starved nearly to death in the Arena? Some people might find that good entertainment."

They wound their way down the streets, passing finally through a narrow alley. The wind whistled through the grey sides; a canyon had been formed by the buildings pressing in around them, grey and forbidding walls covered with brightly colored banners and flags. Floating advertisements hung in places, all neon and competing with the other as they approached the stores. They had just come out into a square leading into a massive marketplace when the other man pressed him on his stance.

Daniel met his eyes, and was pleased to find that Enjolras was searching him, as if wondering where Daniel stood on the matter. It pleased him more that he seemed to care a good deal about it in the first place. If it weren't for the fact that a fight to the death loomed in everyone's future, he would have gotten along well with this man, would have enjoyed talking to him much more.

The archaeologist shook his head. Daniel, mindful of Eva's warning, lowered his voice. "Not a personal stance, but a historical one. I don't think the Capitol cares about lost potential from the Districts as long as its power isn't threatened. From what I've seen, they're at best, a part of the body that's tolerated but not particularly liked. At worst, they're just a tool, a resource."

Edited ((sorry some minor edits/smoothing over)) 2013-03-12 06:13 (UTC)

"Without proper development, they are an underused tool. Equality and prosperity are not entirely at odds with each other, though that would seem contrary to popular opinion here." The words erupted quickly, as though Enjolras had almost been expecting a disagreement rather than the vague disapproving bit of neutrality Daniel delivered. He caught himself, holding back a weary sigh. While he couldn't blame this man for not wanting to get personally involved, particularly when they'd been told constantly of the danger of dissenting opinions, it was slightly disappointing to hear so plainly.

For better or for worse, the howling wind had to express his discontent for him. It was colder than it had been in Paris, barely a week earlier, and he suddenly felt uncomfortable and somewhat awkward in the modern clothing they insisted he wear. Breathing deep, he pushed the feeling aside and continued down the road with his new acquaintance. Allies did not always need to agree completely, Enjolras reminded himself. Marius had been less than decisive as well.

"I'll be avoiding cannibalism for as long as possible. Actually, I think I might rather starve, if I'm to die anyway." Again, the wry look appeared, though less confidently. "And I most likely am."

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So when they said prison planet... [Open]

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