voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post July]

A New Platform [Intro Post July]

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 Merriment. 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. Without the fog, it would be difficult to tell they'd made the transition out of the Void - the platform is dark, save for soft blue lights high up in the ceiling.

The doors open. As usual, those who leave first notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Luke fon Fabre, Lan Wangji, Xiao Xingchen, Ann Takamaki, Meng Yao, Cleopatra Selene II, Jaisyn Solo, Rogue, Adam Parrish, Yuume Souryuu, Pepper Potts, Ray, Futaba Sakura, Beetlejuice, Tony Stark, Kotoha Kakimoto and 47; all pass across the platform, not looking back. And then they're gone, disappeared 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. The grey tiles underfoot and the concrete arches overhead are hard to discern for those with ordinary eyesight; the area is almost pitch black. At the first motion among the newcomers, however, faint blue light suffuses the area from above - striplights have been activated. Behind them is a set of barriers, half-sunk into a wall of fog, and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into that same thick fog. The air is cool and still, almost stagnant, save for the slight breeze coming along the tracks.

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 dark haze; then the fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, and seems smaller with twelve 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, perhaps ten minutes or so, 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 coconuts, bottles of coconut oil and tins of coconut milk, the ingredient of the month of Merriment, 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 golden cardboard box with their name on it contains a slice of cake.

New passengers will find their ticket allows them into their cabins. In most rooms, the occupied beds are obvious, leaving the spotless, empty spaces for the newcomers. 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 taking advantage of the arguably 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!

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Freeza was a strange mixture of relieved and disappointed to find that the team would be working in the kitchens. This, he was already familiar with. Though he had to spend a few minutes taking in where everything was located, there was no acclimation period like there was with laundry, and that was part of the problem. He was already set to learn new skills -- though at least he would be working with new ingredients.

When Vegeta passes through the area while cleaning, he doesn't initially pay him any mind, focused on the tasks before him. He definitely preps like he has done it before, and unlike with the laundry, he is more hands-on, ki reserved for moving and adjusting something he would need to multitask along with whatever his hands focus on chiefly at a given moment -- cutting, measuring, mixing, etc.

It takes every bit of his resolve for Vegeta to not just turn and leave right again after he spots Freeza in the kitchen area, needing a moment to pause before continuing his path. As he has spoken to Yondu after their last stop, just because he hates Freeza does not mean he will avoid him. He won't allow Freeza's presence to stop him from living his life here. But Vegeta will also keep to his word and won't touch Freeza until he does something to harm another on the train. As tempting as it was to. He's spent so much of his time since the tournament training for the moment they would meet again, only to have to have him once again on the same side and having to live in the same space as him.

Letting out an annoyed sigh, Vegeta continued into the kitchen, giving it a once over to see if there was any spots that needed his attention before moving over to a spot a couple of benches over from Freeza.

Freeza is separating, toasting, and layering in the herbs he is preparing, pausing to crack open a coconut with both hands (he would one-hand them like eggs if they weren't unwieldy and large). Every now and again he is between the stove, where multiple pans and pots are going, to check the recipe on the ICP. (The recipe, left open, is for a hot chicken curry with a coconut ghee base.) He also cleans up after himself between a step he's on, and ma have been doing this from the start. There is no special finesse going on; his measurements and cuts are uniform and exact as a math equation, because that is what it is in his head.

It actually takes him a minute to even realize he is not alone, and the momentary halt to everything he is doing is the only indication that he was startled. And then immediately agitated, a look that is very must you?

Freeza knows it is his own fault; he was not paying attention, but then he is rarely ever engrossed in something.

His energy appears to be off again, as it was when he first arrived on the platform.

Since the last stop he has not addressed the cave; it is strange to feel as though Vegeta saw too much, when the way in which that illusion applied to him was ridiculously abstract. But unwilling to explain, he had taken his crystal and moved on.

The best way to appear unbothered is to continue with his work. "If you are here on team chores -- you will have to remind me; I do not recall what Red was assigned," he offers. "And if you are searching for a bite to eat, some of the last batch remains." He waves offhandedly in the direction of one of the larger stock pots, which still has a few servings left. "This has concluded my willingness to be helpful."

Freeza gives a similar look back at him, a silent yes as Vegeta makes a point to scrub at a certain spot before giving it one last wipe and moving away from it. He's not happy, but he's getting more used to the idea that Freeza won't register with ki sensing. It does make it easy to forget at times that Freeza was here, and in a way that was good, it allowed Vegeta's blood pressure to go back down between them running into each other on the train.

As for the cave, Vegeta had considered using it against him... then decided it wasn't worth it. Whatever that all was, it stayed there. That was not how he wanted to defeat Freeza, it wasn't a tool he wanted to use in that goal. Vegeta wants it to be all with his own skill, not using Freeza's own issues against him.

"Kitchen and bathroom clean up." Vegeta answered simply before a bit of a smirk. "You almost sounded like a team player, until that last part. Something you might want to work on since you can't just kill off anyone you don't like here like you normally do."

"Excellent to know that you are enjoying how awkward this is," Freeza mutters with some resolution. That had been offered as probably the nearest approximation that he was capable of to announcing that he would not bother him further here. And why? he asks himself.

He does not look up from his work. Each ingredient is tightly organized, grouped with every measured out part that goes into each step.

"You were not on Earth before you came here, were you?"

Honestly, even if it was Freeza's cooking (also, Freeza being able to cook is just... weird, like so weird) it did smell good, Vegeta peeking a look over at the pot after he had finished wiping down that bench, curious to what it was. However he got side tracked with that comment, losing that smirk from before. "You yourself stated you were here for the mission at hand, nothing else. I don't like this any more than you do, but I am also aware that there is nothing for either of us to gain by fighting here. Death holds no meaning here, and all it would do is create issues for the others on the train. If it was a location with just us, no one in the way, then yes, I would do everything within my power to kill you for what you have done. But it's not. The only satisfaction I can get out of this is the fact you have to work with me, not command me."

There's a moment of hesitation before Vegeta answers, deciding there was nothing Freeza could gain from knowing he had been at another location before this, "No, I wasn't. Though this location is vastly superior over the last." Vegeta's lip curling up in disgust. In a sense Verens had been better, he and Bulma had their own house, there was plenty of space. It was an issue in... other ways. Having your emotions manifest physically around you for all to see... it was a nightmare for Vegeta. "I am assuming the same for you."

"I have no interest in commanding anyone here," he answered flippantly, "...strange as that sounds even to me."

Something Freeza hadn't devoted much forethought to, before coming here, was think on dealing with individual people that would wish (or even have the means to demand) that he account for things. Some. At present, Vegeta was perhaps one of the only people alive that he would concede had the right. To some extent.

"Yes. It has been some years since I last saw our universe -- Four in total at least. Possibly. Time is not very reliably kept in some places." That last part muttered as though the thought had gotten away from him. He snaps back to the present subject. "The point being that neither I, nor you, can really be certain what counts for normal anymore. We are holding a conversation in a kitchen, and while I will admit the strangeness of it" but not his uncertainty regarding protocol "it is still not in the top ten strangest things to have happened."

His hands, seen and unseen, manipulating the ingredients and working as usual, do not stop in their rhythm even though his conversation is perhaps a little more halted.

"And I see no point in keeping matters such as this too close to the chest, if reason comes up to speak on them at all, because having experienced places such as this for long enough, I already know it is only a matter of time before something will force it anyhow. Usually in the most nonsensical of fashions."

Edited 2021-07-15 19:50 (UTC)

Once again Vegeta is struck by questioning if this was really Freeza, though as he continued Vegeta realized it was much like his and Trunks' case; a lot of time had passed. Even then Vegeta has a very hard time believing Freeza could change at all... Though, he's... different, he'll give him that. He's almost tempted to ask if Freeza has regretted his actions of the past, if that time he's been away has really changed anything, but in the end keeps it to himself. It was far too stupid to ask, no doubt he would just get laughed at, instead he just kept quiet as Freeza spoke, moving to cross his arms over his chest as he watched the other.

His shoulders slumped as the talk turned to the strangeness of the situation, his feelings on it call clear on his face. "I'm well aware at the idiocy places like this can bring." That look of disgust staying at he realizes that now, yes, Freeza was part of it all here. The idea of going through such things with his main enemy... "All the more reason I didn't want you here."

Freeza does not remark on the matter of whether he is wanted. It is not as though he expects different. "Merely clarifying why I am willing to be forthcoming," he says.

Perhaps this place will turn out to be useful in more ways than he planned for, because it is occurring to him that merely stepping back into their universe, he had no idea how he would have dealt with future encounters. Neutral ground felt like a better place to test and refine himself in these areas. Without it he might have fallen back into old habits just for lack of any idea what else he should do.

"...The young man. Trunks, yes?"

While he does glance up momentarily from his work, it is not at Vegeta. Then he is focused again.

"I do not dislike him."

"Noted." Fine, Vegeta's content with that. Not happy, but able to work with it. As long as they knew the rules, and kept to them, then he's prepared to tolerate Freeza. Even if it will still weirded Vegeta out now and then. But that's something he's planning to keep to himself, and maybe whine to Bulma or Goku about at times, but not Freeza.

He was fine to leave it like that, that they seemed to had found that common ground, knew where the lines were drawn between them. Then Freeza continued to speak, Vegeta's lip curling up in disgust, not quite a snarl, but certainly not a happy expression. "I don't need your approval of my son." It may upset whatever calm they had just managed right now, but Vegeta can't stop himself. It was not the compliment Freeza may think it was, to have his 'approval' given to someone.

A sigh. "Vegeta, I am not your father; it is not my place to declare approval or disapproval of your offspring." He pauses, the thought occurring to him then stalling any irritation, though honestly you are so sensitive. "Though the confirmation is much appreciated; I had previously guessed, however. No -- am I to assume time travel...outside of the form places like these seem to employ?"

Because either King Vegeta had a halfbred bastard running around unbeknownst to his firstborn, or Trunks is a grown version of half the strange, echoing Saiyan child he encountered briefly on earth. The third option is that Vegeta started procreating shortly after leaving the fetal stage, and he is not entertaining that option for obvious reasons.

Another thought occurring to him: "Does our universe even have that?"

Vegeta almost snapped out he didn't care about his father's approval either, but just managed to swallow that back down rather than letting it out. Instead he chose to go with something far more comforting, a smirk and a mocking tone. "Yes, it shouldn't be lost on you that it was royal blood that finally took you down, since that moron wasn't capable of finishing the job on Namek." But at the time it had been enough for Vegeta to know it was a Saiyan that had defeated Freeza, and one that had reached their legend of Super Saiyan.

Enjoying that moment of bragging, Vegeta mulled over silently how much to tell, realizing there wasn't much risk here to let Freeza know the truth. Or back in their world, since Beerus had stopped them from time traveling again. For now. "The Trunks here is from a future where Earth was lost to two particular androids. Myself and all other fighters died during the process and left it undefended. The Bulma from his time was able to create a time machine to send him back to correct that error." Then adding. "You actually fought beside them as part of our team in the Universe Tournament."

That is a lot to process at once, but it makes more sense than any possible guesses. Very narly, the next question was 'so you gave up conquering the galaxy to stay on one backwater planet and fight with robots?' but he refrains.

"That somehow still makes more sense than I thought it would. ...So you are on working terms with two androids who killed you and multiple other warriors on Earth, causing enough destruction that your progeny was forced to travel in time in order to find aid, and they are seemingly now benevolent, if I am thinking of the correct ones."

Which included the last man standing at the tourney, who wished all the other universes back into existence.

Well when you put it like that... but honestly, Vegeta's at a point where he's not overly surprised at the idea of past enemies becoming allies. Look, he's talking to you instead of attacking you, isn't he, Freeza? Really, the only one they haven't had come back in some form yet has been Cell.

Then a moment of realization that Vegeta had let something slip he shouldn't had. "...fuck!" Goddamnit. He... ughh, he hates to ask, but, "Don't tell Trunks any of this." Well, demand rather than ask, but without that same anger in the curse he just said. It's easy to forget with the time differences that Trunks doesn't know any of this yet, that he still had that hate towards 17 and 18 for all their other version had done. Rightfully so, but the ones from their time had changed, had moved on.

Freeza isn't ungrateful that Vegeta seems to have a handle on himself, if only because the reception he got on day 1, continued, would have gotten old very fast. Frankly, they got to this point much sooner than expected.

A hand is held up, casual waving off. "I will leave that to you." Assuming it is a conversation they even have. He's not exactly new to the notion of parents keeping secrets. "I merely elaborated because...well what is in the water on that planet of yours?"

It may be because of said water or whatever is that helped with that. Or maybe because Vegeta's had so much time away from home that it's given him bigger things to worry about than fighting and killing Freeza. There was still that desire, out of revenge for all that had happened, for so long. But with all that was going on, and just how strangely reasonable Freeza had been, that fire for it had settled to more of a simmer recently. He's... not sure how to feel about that.

Vegeta's also quick to move on from that confirmation, not that he entirely believes it... but it's not like he can do much more after that. If it did come out then he would be honest with Trunks, he leaves it up to his son to decide how much he wants to know. As for that question. "I don't know." Vegeta really doesn't want to elaborate too much on it, as for him it had been a very personal roller-coaster of a path, swaying heavily between a selfish need to be the best, and that of learning to put others before himself. He mulled it over a moment, coming to a point he realized would cover it for not only himself but others who had done the same. "Choice. It's being able to have a choice about our lives."

Freeza quietly continues to work as he takes in that answer, the movement of his hands and floating objects alike seeming to miss a singular beat, for just one instant. No, he supposes he has been seeing that for himself for a while now, but it isn't lost on him that coming from Vegeta, that observation is pointed. After that beat he is again aware just how much the dynamics have changed, even if he will not fully wrap his brain around all that this entails. Not yet, at any rate.

But for just a second, he had forgotten that Vegeta even involved himself in that equation. It really had been so long since things were as they had been, and Freeza no longer had just Hell between moments of ignoring how much had changed in his absence.

"I do not fully see the logic there, but you would know better than I."

After all, what was an Emperor if not one who is spoiled for choice?

Ignore that the ones born into it often spend a significant portion of their lives being taught to only make very specific choices.

What was a Price who should also have that same right? And yet every part of his life had already been decided for him at birth; what he would learn, how he would train, what his purpose was for the sake of his people, despite Vegeta having little to no interest in them during his childhood. And then to lose it all, that purpose he had been given, only to fall under Freeza's orders and control and told he had a new role to play.

It had taken him years to understand that he even had access to choice. Vegeta had been lost for a long time before he understood that, and even fought against himself and go back to what he had known. Even if it had no longer existed. "That doesn't surprise me."

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A New Platform [Intro Post July]

Around the Train

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