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

[helborn]

"Well, if you need a hand, let me know. I haven't really tested how much I can lift now, but it's over a thousand pounds."

... He should probably clarify. "My world's one where gods are real, though most people don't know that. My mom is Hel, Norse goddess of the underworld. ... So stuff... got weird once most of my powers activated, including the ability to gain super strength."

[10billionpercent]

Senku offered a slow grin. "I think we could be good friends." He never undestimated the requirement to have someone who could lift heavy things for him. He was terrible that way, in some view, but bargaining was how he made friends.

"Huh..." He mused thoughtfully. "Real gods?" He asked, arching an eyebrow.

[helborn]

"I can do more than jut pick stuff up, but I'm usually happy to help unless it's going to hurt other people." On those cases he had to use his own judgement. Sometimes it was justified, sometimes it wasn't.

"Yeah. All myths are true, or at least a lot of them are. Which means there's overlapping creation stories and I still haven't worked out how that makes any sort of sense... they all tend to have their own like... pockets of reality, though. Might have to do with that. But yeah." He looked at the books and looked at Senku. "If you're someone who ends up in medical... I have to warn you to never ever ingest any of my blood by accident. I figure you probably know how to clean your hands but it can affect your mind and... I don't like doing that."

[10billionpercent]

"My favourite kind of person." Senku said with a grin. "Admittedly the only thing that's required of you on the train is chores, in that vein, unless you enjoy making yourself all kinds of work like I do. When we get off the train, I've promised to try and recruit people for gathering supplies, only last mission there weren't any. I'm not interested in hurting anyone either, and if I did, the other generals wouldn't forgive me."

He wasn't about to turn into a cold blooded killer, or anything like that.

"Fascinating. I'd be interested in hearing more about that. Those myths in my world aren't true." He commented. "Just faith that people had in the past. Relegated to stories now."

Senku tilted his head. "Well I'm not a vampire, I'm not sure how I'd end up ingesting your blood. I don't know if you mean as a practitioner or a patient, but the answer to that is I've been both." He quirked a smile. "Don't use your blood. Noted."

[helborn]

"I can help gather supplies. And I'm pretty good at going either the direct 'bust down the door' route or sneaking in, depending on what I need. ... I'm not a bad hunter either, since I've got good enough senses for tracking." As much as he'd hated their visit at Home, he'd enjoyed going and hunting big beasts.

"... Look, one of my best friends is a vampire? So you never know. I'm going to drop by medical later anyway and let them get some baseline readings just in case. I've got a lot of weird stuff." He knocks one of his shins with the heel of his shoe. It makes a very faintly metallic sound. "And a prosthetic."

[10billionpercent]

"Well since the missions aren't assigned by those of us on board, we don't typically strategize in that way." Senku hummed. "But you can pick whatever mission you want and go with it. If it's not your team, you can always ask the team leads what they're doing."

Senku hummed at that, he wasn't discounting it, there were a lot of unusual people on the train after all.

"Ichigo tends to do people's histories." He said. "He and Wen Qing were handling the medbay for the most part, but Wen Qing has left now, so I'll be there a lot more often. I think there are a few others who might volunteer as well." He wasn't up on the schedule, he kind of backed off when they had it covered.

[helborn]

"Yeah... man, all this organization..." He was more used to chaotically contacting everyone he could psychically and then going from there. Not an option here.

"Gotcha. I'm not much for anything other than quick first aid - I can stop bleeding and heal up minor wounds, but not much past that. If medical needs me for help moving stuff or people I can lend a hand, though." His medical knowledge on living creatures was... not great.

"... Shit, I don't think I actually introduced myself, sorry. I'm Casper."

[10billionpercent]

"First aid is an excellent skill to have." Senku commented. "All the better to keep people alive until someone else turns up." He wasn't being flippant, he meant that.

"Senku." He said with a bit of a smile. He figured he could get away with a lazy introduction with this guy.

"I did several medical-based internships in my teenage years which turned out to be a good thing, considering I'm what passes for a doctor in my world, and I've been keeping people alive for four years now." Senku explained, because he knew he looked a lot younger than he actually was. "But I don't have magical healing. Some people on the train do, so in a crisis it's pretty well covered for the most part."

[helborn]

"Yeah... and depending on if my portaling ability can work to get back in here I can probably get them to medical fast."

He didn't want to check it while actively traveling, for fear of something going horribly wrong. "Well, if society's reverted... I guess antibiotics and stuff would be something good to know about." Not that he'd have the first idea of how to make or get them, but that wasn't his field in the slightest.

"Did you find the other books yet?" He glanced at the pile... hm. "... Maybe I'll have to think about ordering some of my stuff..."

[10billionpercent]

"Aaaah!" Senku exclaimed and huffed at himself and dug faster. "I got distracted." He was usually much better at multitasking these things, but he got distracted by the scientific talk.

He pulled two more out, two left. "We've made that already." Senku hummed. "Sulfanilamide, because it requires a lot less luck than pennicillan, mind you that took roughly six months to accomplish, but in the process we made a whole bunch of chemical compounds that we were able to use to make other medications after the fact."

Senku grabbed the third. One more.

[helborn]

Casper laughed a little bit. He knew how that went... he got distracted often.

"Sulfan... sure, I'll take your work for it. But I guess it would let you have more resources..." He grabbed the books and put them on the pile. "Please tell me they at least knew to wash their hands?"

[10billionpercent]

"When I met them they were taken aback by soap bubbles." Senku said in a deadpan tone. So not really.

"My arrival, and eventual acceptance into the community has done wonders for the life expectancy if nothing else." For the moment, for the past few years, they hadn't lost anyone. That wouldn't hold forever.

[helborn]

"Ah." So no, then. He assumes they do now, though. "That's always good to hear. ... Which is probably odd from someone who has death as a major domain, but I want to have people live long and happy lives before they have to leave them."

[10billionpercent]

"We're in agreement then." Senku said with a grin and found his last book. "A-ha!"

He did a quick count and then the last one he pulled out vanished with a flick of his wrist, and then so did the next one.

[helborn]

He held the rest of the books out for Senku to vanish. "Even before all the superpowers that's what I wanted to do with my life - help people. It's just a change of plans as to the method."

[10billionpercent]

He considered that for a moment. "I find humans fascinating, the things they can come up with." Sometimes the way he spoke it sounded like he wasn't just as human as everyone else.

"I also like challenges and puzzles." It wasn't at all the most empathetic thing he could say, but that just wasn't him.

[helborn]

... A little weird, but he knew some humans like that. It didn't bother him as much as it probably should. "Yeah. For all of humanity's faults... there's a lot of good there, too. And I like puzzles, but I'm more of the word puzzle kind of guy. Like riddles and stuff like that."

[10billionpercent]

"Not to condone the worst things humans have done, they've always yielded advancements that brought good things eventually." Senku said with a bit of a sigh. "Science and progress is neutral, it's how people use it where things become corrupted. The fact I know how to do some of those terrible things but have no desire to reintroduce them into the world we find ourselves in don't necesarily save people from it."

He sighed again, a bit heavier. "There will always be someone who wants to take advantage."

[helborn]

"... Yeah." He glanced away for a moment before looking back at Senku. "A lot of people like me from my branch of the family aren't interested in using their abilities to be helpful to other people. And I could personally do a lot of nasty shit to people but I prefer to not... do that kind of thing." He huffed and rolled his shoulders a bit once the books were all gone.

"People have a choice. Most people choose good. The people who just choose evil tend to be louder about it, so it seems like there's more of them than there is."

[10billionpercent]

"So far those I've found who are willing to do less than good things are more misguided than anything." Senku said with a bit of a thoughtful hum. "But that doesn't mean you can just let them do it. I don't know, I live in a strange world. There aren't very many people in it."

[helborn]

"That's true. Statistically it's going to be a larger percentage of people who are crappy."

[10billionpercent]

"Ha, well just generally, I can deal with that. I'm not the best either." He was devious in his own way, and so was Gen.

"It's the killing I can't put up with. I don't care if someone wants to tell me off or something and is just generally a dick."

[helborn]

"... Ah. Yeah. That's... I prefer to not do that if I can help it. ... There's two exceptions and they're not people who're just 'misguided'. ... But usually I'm the same way."

[10billionpercent]

"We have a no killing policy in the Kingdom of Science." Senku answered. "If we went back on that, we'd lose some of our allies and our society would like crumble into another conflict." He sighed a little bit.

"We've dealt with people like that through keeping prisoners, at least for a time, but they're currently stone. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with Homura and Hyoga right now." He rubbed his forehead. "Or Mozu for that matter. I mean, wake them eventually, but for the time being they can't be a threat."

[helborn]

"They got turned back into stone?" Hopefully they're not awake. "... One of them killed me before, though. And ally who left me to bleed out. I don't know if I can forgive him for that, and if I let him sit in any kind of prison he'd just escape."