A New Platform [Intro Post February]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Three days after the Voidtreckers return to the void after their adventures on the biosphere world, they are awoken by a familiar announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day Sixteen of the month of Jelly. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed, and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train for a while will also be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one." A lurch and a jolt and the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform. The fog seems thicker than usual and as they step out onto the platform they will find it is cold, very cold. Icy fog sticks to their clothing, makes it hard to see very far; the atmosphere is dark and gloomy.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alexis Rhodes, Elfnein, Itsuki Myoudouin, Ken Ichijouji, MT, Neku Sakuraba, Nike Lemercier, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Rainbow Dash, Rei Saotome, Taichi Yagami, Tsubomi Hanasaki, Yuri Tsukikage and Zechs Merquise all pass through the platform, not looking back before they disappear through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

But on the platform itself there are new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours, in various states of confusion.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam, billowing around them as they come to their senses. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, glass and dark stone rising in sturdy arches around them. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single track extending both ways into thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on their back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze; then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not large with sixteen figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. To both the left and right, tracks disappear into the mist. Then there is a roaring sound and out of the fog arrives a train. Jet black with gold writing on the side. The Voidtrecker Express. There is a hiss as the doors slide open and out step a strange assortment of people. Some are human, some are less so. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple, though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

The Train

After a short time, the doors hiss open again. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there's anywhere else to go and even if there was, you feel a pull. A need to board, a feeling that staying on the platform would lead to something terrible. If that is not enough, there are plenty of people on the platform now, to encourage them onto the train.

Each ICP shows the same message and next to the screens there are stacks of leaflets written by those on the train, with further information (see
'Publications'). The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, including several crates of avocados, the ingredient of the month of Jelly, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

Room is tight but there are storage cubbies at the head of each bed, beds fold up and the bottom bunks double as benches for the small table. There is storage under those benches full of spare blankets and pillows.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers braving the freezing fog, and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again as it picks up speed.

"Welcome aboard, passengers of the Voidtrecker Express." A female-coded artificial sounding voice echoes throughout the train. "Please take the time to read the passenger information displayed on the Information and Communication points and familiarise yourself with the layout and emergency exits."

The train begins to tilt, leaving the ground and rising up into the fog-filled sky.

"Entrance into Voidspace imminent. New passengers are advised to remain seated. Entry into Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one."

A shudder, a jolt, a lurch to the left. A flash of light, colourful and blinding. As quick as it happens it is done. The train seems to steady itself. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

Comments

[stopstaring]

[Some skill it's interested in. Olivia thinks about her... skills, as it were. No. None of them seem very heroic to her. But... Well. She can't really just ask the train, can she?]

A-at least we're not alone?

[Olivia laughs weakly. What is that saying—misery loves company? Not that she's miserable. She's confused and perplexed, but definitely not miserable.]

When you say 'orange team,' is that why I have the— [She indicates her garb. The garb she very much feels uncomfortable in. The garb that is so very different from what she's used to.] —this? What does it mean to be on the orange team?

[10billionpercent]

Very true, you aren't alone which is much preferable to that.

[ It's fine that she's confused, he's used to that. Lots of people are confused around him in his life. ]

Not a whole lot, it's an arbitrary group the train picked, but we are typically meant to be working together. There are missions later, you can stay with the group or pick another one. The orange missions tend to see the least amount of combat.

[stopstaring]

Oh, I see...

[That's probably why she was put on that team. If that sort of thing is particular. Olivia is a performing artist, after all, and not a soldier. Not a mercenary. Not... a combatant, really, though she possesses something of a slight skill with swords.

An uncertainty with swords, which might just make her more a liability than a valuable asset.]

Uhm. Do they pick teams specifically for people? Or is that r-random, too? It seems like many things here are random.

[10billionpercent]

No, I'm fairly certain there's a reason we're on one team or another, we just don't know what that is. We haven't figured that out yet. It gets decided by the train though, for whatever that's worth.

[ He knows it's annoying, he definitely doesn't enjoy wearing orange clothes. ]

It doesn't seem to matter too much in practice though.

[stopstaring]

No one knows?

[That seems... Surprising. Olivia isn't almost even certain she actually believes him. But to be fair, so much of what he's said has been difficult to believe. It'd take a special kind of person for certain to believe the strange things she's found out.]

It... seems s-silly to have these teams and not really know why they were made or how they were decided. It sounds like a lot of things here remain m-mysterious, though...

[In the end, Olivia is only left with more questions and fewer answers.]

[10billionpercent]

One of the many mysteries we're working to uncover.

[ He's the kind of guy who asks a lot of questions, and he's hoping that if he gets some answers he'll be satisfied, but it's hard really. ]

Unfortunately the train hasn't been very forthcoming on this subject or any other subject we actually want to know about, like what the void is, how the train works, that kind of thing.

[stopstaring]

So... we basically know nothing.

[Is what she's gleaning from this entire conversation. No one knows much of anything, thus there really isn't any information they can pass onto her. At least there's forward about all of that.

Although there's a nagging voice in the back of Olivia's mind reminding her that it all could be part of some elaborate ruse. She'd prefer not to think of people she barely knows in such a way, though.]

Uhm. I... I guess that makes things interesting.

[Right? Considering what they're all faced with and the sheer amount of nothing they've been given to work with, it's hard to stay optimistic.]

[10billionpercent]

Not quite nothing, but pretty close to it. We know that we're seen as fugitives on this thing and that a Void Ministry would be dangerous if we came in contact with them. We know there's a cycle of people arriving and leaving. We know that the train and subsequently the thing on your wrist do translations for us. Potentially it does more too, but that's one of my ongoing projects.

[ He smiles. ]

It makes it interesting, that's true. There are also a lot of people here, and they're all very interesting. They're from a wide variety of worlds and have a wide variety of skills.

[stopstaring]

Fugitives? [Olivia shakes her head.] But we're not running from anything, right? I m-mean, I'm not. [She hasn't done anything. At least, not to her knowledge. Although maybe she'd consider herself a fugitive of Plegia...?]

Hrm...

[She's still overthinking what he has told her, finding no shortage of troubling discoveries. But then she plays catch up and finally nods.]

O-oh, yes. That's true. I've met some very nice people. I'm grateful for that. I'm not sure how I would have handled things if people weren't kind.

[10billionpercent]

As far as I know, no one is in their home worlds, or if they are they haven't told me. Not that I would care either way.

[ He hums, he wouldn't really care at all. ]

At least in that way you'll be looked after. It's good to have people around you, at least.

[ If he was alone here, that would be a totally different story. ]

[stopstaring]

[So they aren't fugitives in their respective home worlds, but they are here? Olivia still looks utterly perplexed by this idea, having no idea what to do with this information he's so graciously offered her. Maybe there's... some collection of books that she can go through and those will provide more answers, or at least some kind of history.

But knowing things so far... probably not. Maybe she'll just wake up from it all and realise it was some kind of fever dream. Although she's suspecting that might not be the case either.]

Uhm. Yes. Y-you're right. It could be worse. [Maybe. Probably.] If it's o-okay for me to ask, how long have you been here?

[10billionpercent]

You can ask me whatever you want. [ He says, just as a blanket statement, he's totally used to that. ]

I've been here three and a half months. I'm not the longest by far, but it's been long enough.

[stopstaring]

Long enough...?

[Long enough to what? Dislike it? Be frustrated with not being able to go home? Learn about the train and largely how it works, Olivia assumes.

In the grand spectrum of things, three and a half months is not very long at all. But circumstances can make it seem longer than it actually is. Not unlike war, at that.]

Hrm. You do s-sound confident. I guess that would happen after months here.

[10billionpercent]

[ It's really all of the above, and it does kind of feel like forever in some ways and barely no time at all in others. ]

Long enough to learn what I can about the train and the void, but I wish I knew more.

[ More information was likely to be better to figuring out their situation, honestly. ]

Confident...yeah, I guess I am. That might also be my nature though. I'm not really one for hesitating. [ That may be a huge understatement. Some people might wish he would hesitate more. ]

[stopstaring]

O-oh...

[Yes. He certainly does give off that kind of impression, doesn't he? A little nonchalant about it all. Resigned, maybe. She can't quite figured it out, but now really isn't the time to be trying to dissect him.

Her current situation is more important. Everything else can come later.]

Well. Uhm. Do you mind pointing me the way for... uhm. [Where should she try to go to? Somewhere to rest. She fishes around for the ticket she's had since her arrival and she takes a gander over it.] To where I can r-rest? I don't n-need you to escort me. It's fine if you just give me directions.

[10billionpercent]

Sure.

[ He doesn't mind that she doesn't want an escort. ]

Enter the doors, turn left and keep going past a lot of cars to the sleepers. The room on your ticket will be on the door, there's a machine, just swipe your ticket and it will let you in.

If you get lost, there's signs between some of the cabins, but the rooms are all the way at the end, you won't miss them.

[stopstaring]

[It's not until she genuinely can locate her room number that she looks up from her ticket and she nods at him.]

That sounds c-convenient. [Easy enough, right? Or maybe he's just really good at giving directions. Either way, it doesn't sound like she's going to get lost.

...And if she does, she can just ask someone else along the way. Everyone else has been kind to her thus far.]

Th-thanks. [She has a mind to turn from where she stands, but then she pauses as she gives him another look over.] I'm O-Olivia. Thank y-you for all of your help. Sorry for the trouble.

[Although it probably wasn't a trouble, in spite of whatever might Olivia would say. As ever, she's hard on herself.]

[10billionpercent]

It's not much trouble. I'm Senku. If you have questions later you can always ask me.

[ He just likes talking about things and gushing about weird scientific mysteries, so he's definitely the kind of guy who likes being the answerer in the game 20 questions.

He'll nod though and let her go find her room. ]