A New Platform [Intro Post March]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Once again passengers are awoken by the morning announcement.

"Good morning passengers, it is day One of the month of Kazoo. 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 is thick, the air is warm and humid and there are rumbles of thunder, the air heavy with the promise of rain.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers: Alfredo Martini, Daia, Enna Alchiba, Lord El-Melloi II, Natsuno Yuuki, Nita Callahan, Saku Gyousou, Sakura, V and Wen Qing

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, and seems smaller with twenty-seven 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.

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'). Those not new to the train will note the addition of an eighth sleeper carriage. The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, it seems the month of Kazoo is defined by the tomato and there are plenty of them.

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 as thunder rumbles further and the storm threatens to break. 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

[worthallthis]

Soldat rooooooolls their eyes, as exaggeratedly as they can, but they surrender the stove to Yondu. For now. "Asshole," they accuse, but it's amiable, like they don't mean it as an insult at all. "That's... well, I don't actually know. I inherited them from a friend in my last place. They might be a spirit stuck in a toy? They like having the top of their head petted."

The little plastic ghost drifts and bobs over to within arm's reach of Yondu and rattles its little plastic chains. Give it attention, Yondu.

[yondu]

"Well, that's not creepy or nothin'." He leans in to look at it and then touches it on top of the head. "Cute 'lil bugger, though. I need to start gettin' me a new collection."

Right. He retrieves the eggs and the other sandwich ingredients he was going to use.

"Who was that one song by, by the way?"

[worthallthis]

"That was Cab Calloway, one of the best jazz singers in history." Soldat has a wide collection of music, and definite favorites. "Well," they amend after a beat, going back to their own work, which is currently mixing more waffle batter. "Earth's history. I don't know if other worlds have anything like jazz."

[yondu]

"Not really. Ever'body got a little somethin' different."

He has to go ditch the eggshells real quick and rinse his fingers before getting back to the eggs. "Kree music is bland as hell in my opinion. Xandarians ain't too bad but they're kind of those people that... y'know, you can see their idealism in all their shit? Like they don't even see all the bad goin' on out there."

Not a lot of Ravagers record their music if they make it. It's never their first priority.

[worthallthis]

"Yeah, some humans can be like that, too," Soldat allows. "What's Centaurian music like?" The idea of a people whose language was basically music having other music fascinates them. The spirits in Beacon didn't seem to understand music properly, as the slightly more alive Beacon residents understood it, making mostly a lot of discordant noise whenever they tried.

[yondu]

He stares off as his eggs cook, working his jaw like he's trying to dig something up in his head.

"I kinda remember? I was real young when I left. An' most of what I held onto was what the few other Centaurians the fleet picked up sang. Sort of this uh... call an' response stuff? If that makes sense? You're supposed to say one thing an' then the next person does the next part and then back an' forth."

He finally flips the eggs, sloppily. He's not great at cooking but they don't end up in the floor, at least.

"I can remember a bunch of 'em singin' together when I was real little, too. I think it was a special occasion or somethin'."

[worthallthis]

"That sounds amazing. I've got. Hang on, I've got some songs like that--" They set the batter bowl aside for a moment to queue up another Cab Calloway song next, and one of the gospel songs after that. "Probably not as good as what you remember, but. It's something."

They can be satisfied to find something close to what Yondu might mean. And wonder, maybe, if the train can get specific music somehow, if you asked nicely. And gave points.

[yondu]

He'd be surprised to know it was even a thought that would pass through his head. But he does listen to the songs.

They're strange as hell, but enjoyable. Nothin' like Quill's mama gave him, but she seemed to have particular tastes for music about rebels, wanderers, and mysterious men (explained a whole lot). But this is definitely not bad.

"Yeah, somethin' like that. Ah! Yeah there was a couple of guys that'd duel at each other? But I don't know if that was somethin' regular or what they just did as buddies." He compiles his mess of a sandwich and eats it aggressively again, going at it somewhere between military man and shark (like there's that much of a difference).

[worthallthis]

Don't be surprised if in a couple weeks you wind up with actual Centaurian music downloaded onto your SCA, pal.

"I think people used to do that in jazz, too. Like when you saw them live. They'd scat at each other and try to outdo each other with rhythm and melody. I don't have any of that on my tablet, though." They look vaguely disappointed by that fact, but don't let it stop them from pouring the new batter onto the waffle iron to start a new batch. "Not my thing. I don't improvise well, unless I'm dancing."

[yondu]

He makes a so-so gesture with his hand. That sandwich is now completely gone.

"I'm so-so at it." And he whistles a quick little melodic something, punctuated by small clicks or grunts at the ends of the 'sentences', that's vaguely translated through their devices as roasting someone who can't aim worth shit and has no sense of direction.

"Our translators don't work with Centaurian and Kree didn't like not bein' able to understand us so I really had to mind my talkin'."

[worthallthis]

That language is so damn neat. "Would you be. If not, it's fine, I just thought. Would you be willing to teach me how to do that? To whistle in Centaurian?" They know a shit-ton of languages already, and learning an actual specific alien language-- especially one somebody here knows but can't share with anyone-- sounds like a worthy addition. And they're pretty sure they can whistle. They whistled for the junkyard dog back in Beacon. Surely it can't be harder training a whistle than training a voice to sing the spirits' language.

[yondu]

"Well I uh... I could teach you what I know. Like I mentioned, don't remember as much as would be useful but at least it'd help you carry a tune."

He shrugs. He's used to speaking Kree at this point. His throat wasn't made for it, but sometimes you speak until you're used to it. He could try, though. He's pretty sure if he-

Right, he wasn't ever gonna go back home.

But if he ran into another Centaurian, he could speak passably.

gah sorry for the slow, just finished hell week at work...

[worthallthis]

"You've remembered enough to say a handful of things to me, so far," Soldat shrugs. "Just thought it might be nice to have someone to use it with, even a little." Maybe not quite like the comfort slave he'd talked about before, because Soldat's not exactly a pretty girl, and is entirely uninterested in touching anyone to boot. "And the spirits back in Beacon spoke through song. I'm kind of curious if it's at all similar."

No worries, I'm just a raunchy boomeranging hussy

[yondu]

"Yeah, I guess I could show you."

Soldat's going through a lot of effort to be kind to him. Kindness he doesn't deserve. He had more choices in being a piece of shit than this man had, even if he finds kinship in that they had no choice in the worst course of their life.

"But you do know I'm a piece of shit, right? Before I show you anything near that personal, I need to hear that even if you decide you hate me, you ain't gonna throw it back in my face."

you're a treasure, is what you are

[worthallthis]

Soldat's brows climb up a bit at that. "I'm not going to decide I hate you. I guess unless you decide you want to start controlling people, or murdering for fun, or something." But maybe that's hard to believe, they sure know they took a long time to properly trust that others weren't going to hurt them as a matter of course-- still not quite over that, frankly-- so they turn to face him more fully and say, solemnly, "I won't throw your language back in your face. I promise."

[yondu]

He doesn't quite believe that. Also what are the stipulations for murdering for fun, here? He's not went spree killin' or nothin', and he's not some serial killer. But the heat of a fight? Or someone he hates a lot? Oh it can get fun.

But considering what Soldat's said about Hydra, he figures that's not what he means.

"I'll hold you to that, 'cause I mean if you did I'd slap it right back outa your mouth." Probably not prudent to threaten people, but the fact is he's threatening 'cause he's terrified of the idea of exposing himself. It's not boisterousness or normal hostility, it's just quaint and timid fear.

[worthallthis]

That's not fun, Yondu, that's justice. If people here started trying to control others or hurt people just for the hell of it, Soldat isn't one to hold back, either.

They tilt their head at the threat, not entirely sure where it's coming from, and they can't think of anything they might have done to earn it, so it's probably the same place the need for the promise came from. So Soldat is quiet a moment, then nods and says, "Okay."

It's not like they're planning on hurting the guy. And even if they fuck up and do it by accident, it's not like they're not familiar with backhands.

[yondu]

"...Yeah, alright. I can do that."

He accepts, finally, because even if he's scared shitless of the idea of having his personal feelings turned into a knife, there's some dumbass part of him that really wants people to try and slow down and understand. He hates that part. It's exploitable, it says too much. But it's there and the longer he has nothing to do in this place the louder it gets.

"A lot of it's meant to be at a distance too, so maybe it'd help on a mission if you didn't wanna bother with sendin' messages."

[worthallthis]

"Whistles carry well," Soldat realizes, suddenly hit with the memory of whistling to alert one of the Howlies of something. Not a specific code or language whistle, just a short sharp sound. Huh.

They take the waffle out and pour in another. "It could be useful, yeah. Though we probably won't be on the same team much. I could just call at you across a crowded train car, maybe." That's half a tease, there, with relief that Yondu doesn't seem to be ready to threaten them again.

[yondu]

"I hear people switch it up sometimes, go with other teams. You never know."

He leans against the counter.

"Where are you from? I mean, I know it's Terra- Earth. But what kinda place was it like?"

[worthallthis]

"Oh, I know. I went with Red last time. I might again." Steve is there. It's hard not to. Also, they know they're good for straight-up offense-- it's what they were made for, after all.

They close the waffle iron to cook, and say, "Depends. I'm a lot older than I look. I've lived. A few places. In different times. I guess. The only one I really got to experience as a person was Brooklyn. Part of a big city called New York in a country called America. I. Don't know how much you know about Earth, if you know what any of those mean."

[yondu]

"I'm genuinely sorry to tell you this but the only place I ever got to visit was 'Missouri'."

And he almost, almost continued that sentence with stuff he really wasn't ready to share with nobody yet.

[worthallthis]

"Missouri. You know. I'm not sure if I've been there, actually." They've been all over the goddamn globe and speak a couple dozen languages, but the state of Missouri is a big gaping hole in their brain. Weird. "What was it like?"

[yondu]

"Grassy. I wasn't there long an' I didn't see much."

He forges merrily on. It's easier than talking about what he was doing there. "Sometimes I wondered what it'd be like to go back to one of the bigger places? But the only people I know of that go there with any success are some shape-shifted Skrull or Xandarian traders. Or some half-baked brown Kree. Y'know. The ones that don't come with my complexion. I hear tell y'all get real 'pitchforky' when the mood strikes."

He then snorts. "By the way, you probably didn't know it but you got some aliens on your planet at any given time."

[worthallthis]

"Really?" They sound more interested in that than put off, but then, they've always been a great big nerd about science fiction. And since Beacon and the train, their idea of "alien" has not been made particularly negative. "What were they doing there?"