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

[deadwenwalking]

Wen Ning, on the other hand, is quick to release the boy once the train has steadied some. He wouldn't want to hurt him, after all, and sometimes he misjudges his own strength.

"I'm fine. My apologies." It doesn't look as though he's squeezed the life out of him, at least. That's always a plus. He gives a quick but polite bow in follow-up.

"That was... very sudden."

[myblueskies]

Romeo bowed back, grinning as he did so. "It is sir! I should have warned you because lots of people fall over when it starts to move! But we are in the void now so it won't do that again until we go on a mission!"

Usually he did warn people, but today had been a difficult day.

[deadwenwalking]

Having the place they're traveling through called 'the void' is so ominous, but sometimes things just are what they are. (And then sometimes things earn scary nicknames they don't deserve, like "Ghost General".) He turns his gaze out the window for a moment, but the sight is dizzying so he doesn't look long.

"W-what happens then? With the mission?" That too sounds ominous in its own way. It will be his first one and he doesn't know what he'll have to do on it. Help, that one girl had said. Hopefully he won't disappoint.

[myblueskies]

"It depends! But we always go to a world that is in danger and the people need us to help. Or sometimes we got to help the animals. And the last mission was really strange..."

He still doesn't really understand what happened. "But we get told what we got to do and then we go and help everyone! You're on blue team same as me so we will be working together! Everyone on blue team is really nice!"

[deadwenwalking]

The blue team? Wen Ning glances down at himself very briefly, mentally rolling his eyes at himself on account of the obvious. The color of his hoodie. Of course.

That means Jiang Cheng is also on the blue team. Well... he supposes the man is nice when the right people are involved.

He frowns again at the still baffling explanation. "How do we know we're helping for sure?" Perhaps it will be obvious, but he doesn't like the idea of being used.

[myblueskies]

"Well there's normally something bad happening!" He said after a moment thought. "So there might be monsters attacking or a big rock that's going to hit the world and explode it or volcanoes or... lots of things. So helping the people is a good thing!"

He can't imagine not helping them, that would be a bad thing!

[deadwenwalking]

Saying that there's normally something bad happening doesn't make this place sound any better. Though if he's talking on a grand scale - like at any point in time there's something bad happening somewhere in the world (or outside of it...) then that does make sense.

But monsters and giant rocks? The former he might be able to handle. The latter... well, it depends on the size of the rock. His strength and durability do have limits.

"You're right. You're right, it's a good thing. If... if innocent people are being saved then it surely isn't wrong."

[myblueskies]

"Yes! We save lots of people."

It's not wrong at all, he's sure of it! He smiled at the man. "But you don't got to worry, Blue team do really good teamwork and we will make sure you are safe too!"

[deadwenwalking]

The idea of this boy thinking he might need to keep Wen Ning safe causes the puppet to smile. It's a friendly gesture, but probably unnecessary.

"I'm glad to hear that." He can't help but wonder if there's a reason individuals are assigned to the color teams they are. Is it random selection or something else? Hopefully all the teams can work together as equals and none look down on any of the others - especially if they're all here to 'help'.

[myblueskies]

Romeo nodded with another smile. "My name's Romeo, I'm in the second sleeper carriage so if you need any help you can just find me or you can use the ICP's! I can show you how to use them if you want."

Playing tour guide was at least distracting him from the sadder things that had happened today.

[deadwenwalking]

"I am Wen Ning." People don't seem to give more than one name here, nor would they probably know the difference between a birth name and a courtesy name, so he only gives the one that most people call him by. Trying to get others to call him Wen Qionglin would be a hassle when so many from his world don't use it. It's not that important.

"The... the ICPs?" He's sure he's heard the term already, but all of the technology used here is beyond him - not just the communication devices. The train itself is an unknown monstrosity.

[myblueskies]

"Wen Ning." He nodded, he would remember that! He gestured towards the nearest ICP, on the wall not too far away.

"That's an ICP! It's got lots of information on it and you can also use it to talk to people who aren't in the same carriage as you! Even if someone is all the way over on the other side of the train you can talk to them and even see them on the ICP!"

[deadwenwalking]

That's... an explanation. Wen Ning now has an idea of what it does with no idea how to actually do any of it. He steps toward the device the boy has pointed out with some caution. It doesn't seem threatening, although it looks as strange as the rest of this train.

"How... how do I make it work?" There are no machines like this anywhere in his world. He's not even familiar with the concept of buttons and switches to turn something on or off.

[myblueskies]

"I can show you, sir!" He skipped over and pointed at the buttons. "If you press that one you can talk to people and if you press that one they will be able to see you as well. When you press it..."

He does so now so that the prompts came up on the screen. "You can talk to the whole train, or you can choose a carriage!"

It wasn't too tricky, to start at least.

[deadwenwalking]

It's tricky for someone who's never dealt with anything like this before! Wen Ning does his best to follow along, but by the end of the explanation it's clear from his expression that he's still a little lost.

He's sure it looks more overwhelming than it is. There are children on this train and if they can use it then he certainly can.

"C-can... can you go over that one more time?" Slower, perhaps. He'll pay even closer attention this time around.

[myblueskies]

It's obvious he's a little lost, but Romeo smiles at him reassuringly. It's okay that he's a bit confused. It's always confusing on your first day in a new place!

"Of course sir! So you can press these buttons." He pointed to them with a smile. "This one lets you talk to everywhere so everyone can hear you! This one lets you chose which carriage so maybe you know your friend is in the kitchen, you could call just there to speak to them!"

[deadwenwalking]

Watching again, Wen Ning thinks he might understand it a bit better the second time around. He can contact different rooms on the train to talk to people if he knows someone is in one. The problem would then be knowing where anyone was at any given point. Or he could contact the whole train and ask, but he thinks he'd be a bit too shy to do that.

"Is there... any way it can tell you where someone is?" That sounds like complicated magic, but the train can do so much already that he doesn't think that much would be beyond it. If it doesn't, he'll just have to keep better track of his friends.

[myblueskies]

"Um..." Romeo thought for a moment, was there. "I don't think so... It doesn't tell you where people are..."

Though calling their cabin was a good option, or asking everyone.

[deadwenwalking]

Well, that's disappointing to hear. This device has its limits, then. Perhaps most of the train's efforts go toward bringing others in from other worlds. Surely doing that takes a lot of resources.

"I see. Thank you for letting me know all the same." If there's an emergency, he'll just have to call out to the entire train. Unless it's a private sort of emergency, in which case he'll just have to do the best guesswork he possibly can.

[myblueskies]

"It's okay!" He smiled at him, though he was still thinking, because it was sort of tricky to find people...

"All the bedrooms have the names of the people who sleep there on them, so you can always check their room first!"

It only narrows it down a little bit though...

[deadwenwalking]

[To overflow!]