A New Platform [Intro Post May]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Like clockwork, the Voidtreckers are awoken by a familiar message this morning.

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Llama. Points have been updated on the system."

With points updated, everyone can spend the morning shopping. Most people will 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 air is sticky and warm, the windows almost immediately dewing over with the humidity outside.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Azula, Prisoner, Amery Vallet, Dyme Graydon, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Yoite, Piccolo, Bulla Brief, Xie Lian, Kurosaki Ichigo, Hua Cheng, Renee Corbin, and Ran Mouri; 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 find themselves on a platform, rich wood and pale stone forming a natural, tree-like structure overhead. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into thick fog. The air is rainforest-hot, and the sound of frogsong can be faintly heard over the drip of the artificial canopy.

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 fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, and seems smaller with twenty-eight figures scattered around, all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. 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 pours a strange assortment of people, over a hundred at least. 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.

Behind them, the doors close, and the train is cloaked in the same fog that hides the world beyond the platform.

The Train

After a short time, the fog clears and 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 nori, the ingredient of the month of Llama, as well as all sundries.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. For each member of Purple Team, a small silver box with their name on it contains a glittery cupcake.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, but at least they won't be alone in their confusion - since the sleeper carriages are now double-decker, and experience isn't going to avail the passengers in finding their rooms.

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.

The new double carriage's transfer ICP is active, allowing people to move to a double room should they meet the requirements with another person, though they'll have to move their belongings themselves.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers taking advantage of the fresh air, 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

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[motherofresistance]

Well, the cane was definitely sentient. And apparently better at focusing than the one holding him. Both good to know. And though it was delivered in a somewhat rambling fashion, the young woman did provide a good amount of helpful information. Leia made mental note of the relevant bits as the girl spoke, nodding slightly at appropriate intervals to show she was following.

"Well, I'm not sure I'd call the air here 'fresh'," she said. "But I don't mind joining you for a little while. I'm Leia Organa. And you're... Lady Najaran, was it?"

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[najaran]

"Better than the train," she said with a grin, turning to find a good spot, talking to Leia over her shoulder. "Najaran is fine," she said. "And this is Goligan. I'll introduce you to my Knight and the others once we find enough clear space."

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[motherofresistance]

"If the train is climate controlled, we may have to disagree on that point," Leia said, returning the grin with an amused smile of her own. "Because frankly, this isn't really my ideal type of weather."

"But good to meet you both, regardless. Have you been here long?"

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[najaran]

"Not sure what you'd consider long," she said. "And I have no clue what you mean by climate control," she added sheepishly.

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[motherofresistance]

"Let me rephrase that then," Leia said. "How long have you been here? And would it be considered a relatively long time by this place's standards?"

"As for climate control, it just means that the temperature and humidity are kept at relatively consistent and generally comfortable levels. It's fairly easy to do with buildings and vehicles as long as they're properly insulated."

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[najaran]

"A few months, but I'm not sure if that is long to the other people here," she said with a shrug. "The temperature and stuff is consistent, but what is comfortable would change from person to person, wouldn't it?" she asked. Then she grinned, finding the perfect spot. "You probably want to stand back," she warned before turning again to face the empty space before her at the edge of the platform furthest from the train.

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[motherofresistance]

"That's true enough," Leia said. "What would be comfortable for one person or species wouldn't necessarily be so for another, which is why climate controls are usually adjustable. Let's just say though, that this is far from the ideal environment for humans, climate wise."

At the warning to step back, Leia quirked an eyebrow, but did as requested, taking a step or two back and waiting to see what happened."

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[najaran]

"It's not that bad," she said with a shrug. She's been out in worse. She's slept in worse. The fresh air and space was worth getting off the train even if the hope of seeing Duo again wasn't present.

Once she had the space she reached behind her. cards flew out of the pouch at her back and into her hand. She threw the cards up and they burst apart in a flash of light, resolving into a number of odd... beings.

A suit of armor that proved to either be alive or more likely worn, but turning its head to face Leia. A larger creature that was huge and looming. A massive stone wall with a face that was taller yet. A rideable flying dinosaur/dragon hybrid, a living weapon. He might have been the oddest looking of the crew, probably. Then there was the upright cat in the cloak that hid its arms and body, and Eidolon and Gremlin. Both of whom came into existence on Najaran's shoulders.

She grinned at the creatures then looked back to Leia, "May I introduce you to my friends?"

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[motherofresistance]

So had Leia, but that didn't mean she was fond of it. She was momentarily distracted from the climate though, by the wild assortment of... creatures? beings?... that appeared from Naja's cards. "Quite an eclectic group aren't they?", she said, smiling a bit.

To the creatures she said, "It's good to meet you all." She gave a polite nod to the group in general, since many of their forms made other greetings impractical at best.

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[najaran]

Most of them nodded back. Gargoyle glared. Najaran noticed and rolled her eyes looking at him. "Yes another human. I tend to make friends with humans," she said. Then she turned back and grinned at Leia. "Don't mind Gargoyle. He had to defend the woods from a lot of humans before he wound up with me. They're also all a bit grumpy because we didn't go out on the last stop. So since he's too big to summon in the train, he's been cooped up a while."

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[motherofresistance]

"Well, I'll endeavor to improve his opinion of them then," Leia said. "Or at least, his opinion of me."

That little story brought a question to mind though. "Do your friends naturally have card forms, or is that something they acquired later?"

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[najaran]

She smiled. "I'm hoping he'll make lots of new friends. Human and otherwise."

"They're part of the Culdcept," she said, then considered. "I mean, we all are I guess. But some of us are just cards without a Cepter. Never really thought to wonder why. I don't think there is a Human card, after all... but we were written into the Culdcept just like everyone else."

"Except that the humans were written in at the end," Goligan pointed out. "Perhaps that has something to do with it?"

"Maybe..." she frowned, thinking. "But Elves weren't, and Kigi wasn't a card. Neither was the Dragon Zombie. I don't think the Dragon whose eye I looked through was either, otherwise his eyes couldn't be seperated, right?"

"I... am unsure, Lady Najaran. We would have to ask the Master. When we return."

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[motherofresistance]

"A human card would be an interesting concept," Leia said. "And a mildly disturbing one too, even if it would make things more consistent." The implication that all creatures- or at least all sentients- in her world could be sealed inside cards was a bit off-putting for one of the same reasons she found the Miraculous to be so; clearly sentient beings bound to small objects and being forced to serve a specified master, however kind and well meaning that master might be. Pokémon at least, could live and roam free on their own; kwammis and card creatures apparently couldn't.

"The Culdecept is some sort of book or document, I'm guessing?" Najaran had mentioned beings being written into it, after all.

Re: Leia Organa | Star Wars (Wake CRAU) | OTA

[najaran]

It shouldn't stun Najaran any ore when people asked what the Culdcept was, and yet.. it still did. Even before she went to live with her Master, she knew the story. Maybe not as well as she knew it now, but her dad used to tell her stories all the time." She smiled a bit, resting a hand on her own head as if to capture the memory of the feel of his hand resting on her head back then.

"The Culdcept," she said softly, still lost in the memory, somewhat; telling the story more as he dad used to, than as her Master would have. "The book of all creation. It is said that the Great Goddess Culdra was lonely." Definitely more how her dad used to tell it. "She was alone in an infinite empty universe. So she created the Culdcept. A giant magical book that she was able to use to create everything else. She created other Gods so that she had others to speak with, but they were few, and the universe still infinite and empty. The Gods had no reason to stay, other than their own loneliness, and would wander the emptiness. She could not always find them, nor could they always find their way back. So Culdra wrote into her Culdcept again. This time instead of creating other Gods, she created whole worlds. Things for the Gods to explore and shape and find interesting." Okay so some of the things she's learned since were slipping into the story now. Her father had spoken of the creation of the world, singular, but she knew better now.

"In time, she wrote more into her Culdcept. Some worlds she wrote to be isolated, so they could grow without being overwhelmed by worlds that grew faster. Other worlds she connected, so they could help each other, share and learn." She leaned back a bit, considering. She looked up at the sky above the platform, if you could even call it a sky. "On my world, the world I came from, we have a sky full of stars. I think every star is a world. More worlds than you can count in a night." She tried once, counting all the stars. It was a game her dad had come up with to keep her from thinking about how hungry she was. Not that she had realized it at the time.

"Everything in creation, in all the worlds, is written in the Culdcept. I met someone once who claimed she could read the descriptions in the Culdcept in everything she saw. Her food, the people around her, everything." Now that she was no longer near enough to Grubel to be scared of her, Najaran could afford to be a little awed.

"There weren't Cards in those early days," she said, getting back to the story. "Back when the Gods were at peace. Everything was written in the Culdcept and the only one who could control Creation was the Goddess Culdra. But she didn't want to control us. She wanted us to live our lives. She wanted to create wonderful things and watch us enjoy them."

She sighed. "But not all the Gods agreed. Some thought that Creation was like having a ball of mud. You could reshape it into all sortsa things, but it was yours to keep, and yours to destroy and yours to do with as you pleased. And the Gods went to war. In the War, the Culdcept was destroyed. It shattered. Pieces of it fell into the various worlds. And in each world those parts took a form that would could understand. So the Cards are the pieces of the Culdcept that fell in my world. There are other forms in other places. I've seen glimpses, but... I couldn't understand them. I still don't," she admitted. "But now Culdra no longer has the book of Creation. We all hold parts of it. And it is said that if anyone can put all the pieces that belong to their world back together, they can recreate the Culdcept and become its new Master. They could become a God who could control everything in that world. Could create anything, could destroy anything..."