A New Platform [Intro Post September]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Nebula. 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 doors open. As usual, those who leave first notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. A-Qing, Atem, Beauregard Lionett, Casper LeBlanc Jr, Donatello Versus, Frankie Bacon, Ichiban Kasuga, Kumoko, Lena Sabrewing, Mami Tomoe, Mono, Peter Parker, Reno, Shi Qingxuan, Tobari, Wen Ning; 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 platform is open to a bright blue sky, speckled with a couple of clouds. It's very warm, enough that they will not want to stay in those hoodies for long. Behind them through the fogs is a set of barriers, set in a brick wall and in front of them is a single set of tracks extending both ways into that same 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 on the foggy, blistering hot platform; then the fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform isn't large, but it is enough to hold the 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'). They will also find a bunch of posters around the train and might notice the new clock in the standard coach.

The store rooms have been restocked with fresh ingredients, the ingredient this month is a strange meat, yaddon tail.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. There is a box labelled for purple team containing a stick of rock for each member of purple team, including those who are new. Join in your teams success!

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 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

[averyusefultray]

"The one I got arrested for was not realizing the exact details of the supply run." Not exactly a mastermind at the time. Just caught up in what the adults were doing. "But after that even a child could see the Empire didn't have our best interests in mind. I got better at not getting caught. And I guess the train needs a lot of the same skills."

[monkeyinthewrench]

"Right. Empires. Always evil," Jake nods, as if this makes perfect sense. There's a glimmer of recognition there, so it probably does.

"So...we're doing lots of sneaking around on planets, I hear? Guess we'd stick out too much if we just rolled through like this."

[averyusefultray]

"It's not a system that's likely to end well." If he's not careful he'll really get her going on the dangers of giving someone that much power even if he isn't named Sheev Palpatine.

"Sometimes we visit worlds that are actually aware of void travel. I've heard that can be the case for the actual missions, but the one's I've actually participated in involved a degree of infiltration." And she might as well address the bantha in the room. "Fortunately they've all been on mixed-species planets."

[monkeyinthewrench]

"Whoa, so. Cool aliens everywhere. Wait, sorry, is that an offensive term? Probably is. I mean. People who come from cool places and have cool stuff."

He fiddles with his notebook a minute. "So, uh, I'm Jake. I'm a detective, snooping's kind of what I do."

[averyusefultray]

"Non-human is generally the most accurate when not on an entirely human world." Humans are, after all, aliens on Ryloth. But it's better than some of the more specific terms she's been called in her time. "I'm a Twi'lek."

Might as well give him the actual term.

"My name's Hera. I'm a pilot. There's not a lot of call for that here, so I mostly point the right people at the right problems." Usually Orange does their own thing, but she's already filed him away as intel.

Telling a detective about the treason thing would make her far more nervous if he'd actually known her species.

[monkeyinthewrench]

"Twi'lek," Jake repeats. He thought she'd looked familiar, and he knows he's heard that name before. Could it really be...?

"Oh, by the way, don't worry. I heard about what the rebels did, Ms. Hera, awesome work. That particular Empire is absolute garbage."

[averyusefultray]

"You're familiar with Palpatine's Empire?" She wouldn't have expected someone who doesn't know what a Twi'lek is to be. Maybe he'd heard about it like Casper had. "You're right about absolute garbage."

[monkeyinthewrench]

"Yup! It's a...legend. All of that took place a long time ago where I'm from."

And in a galaxy far, far away. He's thinking about what to say next.

"Don't worry. History hasn't forgotten the rebels."

[averyusefultray]

She smiles at that revelation. "The important thing is that history remember the lesson, more than us."

She doesn't do it for posterity, just to change the galaxy. "There are enough people from the future that I know it's going to get worse before it gets better, but it does get better."