voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post September]

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"There hasn't been cause to fly yet, but we need to be ready, just in case." THis definitely has nothing to do with the fact that flying is when she really feels like herself. "YT1300? That's an unusual choice."

Of course, the Rebellion often made unusual choices. It wasn't a model that they currently had in service anywhere and it was old to be something that develops in the future.

Leia nodded her agreement. She knew Hera's feelings on flying well enough, but the practical side was definitely part of it too. "The YT1300 is surprisingly good in a dogfight, especially with the right modifications," she said. "But I'll admit, the choice is mostly a sentimental one. I have a lot of good memories associated with one particular ship of that model, and even more with its captain."

"It wouldn't be the first freighter to manage it." She fights the urge to explain why the VCX is a better model to start from because that could take a while. It's really not the point.

"It belongs to someone special, then?"

Leia nodded. "My husband," she said. "He felt about his ship the way you feel about yours, and they suited each other equally well." Her fond smile took on a note of wry amusement. "I knew going into the relationship that I was his second love, but given how much the ship had come to mean to me too, I was alright with that."

She smiles. "I do love Kanan more than the Ghost." It's a near thing and prior to arriving here she hadn't always found the time for him that she should, but he did win out.

"I'm glad you found someone, though. I can certainly add the YT-1300 at the next platform." She can hardly judge sentimentality when she ordeered VCX controls.

"I know," Leia said. "Though I'm sure the Ghost gave him some stiff competition from time to time- just like the Falcon gave me-, they're very different kinds of love in the end."

Her tone became both amused and mildly conspiratorial as she continued. "Do you know what his wedding present to me was? He added a small galley to the ship. Under other circumstances it would be a terrible gift idea, for fairly obvious reasons, but it was very him. He wanted to make the ship that was home to him feel more like one to me too."

"Oh in the early days... you wouldn't believe how obnoxious he was when we met." Truly, it's a wonder they made it this far. She hasn't met Han yet. SHe can't realize just what competition he can provide in that department.

"Marriage is one thing, but modifying his ship? That's commitment."

"That's something they have in common then," Leia said with a wry smile. "Early on, he could be downright insufferable at times. We spent years verbally sniping at each other before getting together; I'm certain there was a betting pool among the ranks about how it would eventually turn out. But one thing I noticed even then was that he was never intimidated by me; that's a hard trait to come by for someone in my position, and it was as refreshing as it could be infuriating."

"It was. And I was suitably impressed. He was never the best with words, but his actions more than made up for it, especially when it really counted."

"If the pilots aren't betting on something it's a sign of a serious morale issue." SHe's terribly fond of them, but her children are ridiculous. "No one ever would have believed Kanan was a Jedi when we met. Just a pilot like the rest."

It was, of course, the point.

"Words are empty without the actions."

Leia is too, and yes, they are. Even a generation later. "Yes," she said. "Though betting on your superiors' love lives isn't without risk." She suspected that it was one of the more common topics, but only if said superiors weren't the type to take offense to certain implications about them and their tastes.

She nodded. "I've always believed that. I spent enough time in politics to trust actions far more than words in many circumstances." Talk, however useful it was was cheap. Time, effort, and action were significantly more costly, and often said a great deal more about a person.

"If they were afraid of risk, they wouldn't have become pilots." It's the main qualification for the job, really. "I realize it's easy for me to say when there's never been any ambiguity about my love life though."

THeir lives are unstable, but at least some things aren't.

"Actions are always clear. If I'd gone on Kanan's cheesy pickup lines... I'd have led a very different life." They were terrible. She would have left him on Gorse.

"True," Leia said. "But taking risks in combat is quite a different thing to risking your CO finding out what you think of their love life. Especially if those thoughts don't exactly paint them in a flattering light." Even in situations where it was true, that sort of subject wasn't generally something anyone wanted as the topic of general conversation around the base.

She nodded. "I wouldn't say always; actions can be performed for ulterior motives too, after all. But they're generally a much better predictor of someone's character than just their words. Especially if you get the chance to see how they interact with someone who'd be considered a social inferior. It's a bit cliche, but the saying 'if someone is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, they're probably not a nice person' does tend to hold true."

"There are certain advantages to your subordinates accidentally calling you 'Mom' sometimes." Not that she'd ever do anything like deliberately cultivate that so that they don't make other comments or anything.

"When it comes to human males, not assuming I am the waitress is usually a good start." She often gets a very quick assessment of how people view their inferiors due to certain assumptions.

Leia chuckled at that. "I imagine so," she said. "I've never had any of mine call me that, though I've certainly gotten the impression that some of them feel that way." Which was something she didn't deliberately cultivate either, but neither did she discourage it.

"That's definitely a good indicator, yes. I'm a bit too well known for anyone to mistake me for someone else, but I've certainly seen it happen. And dealt with it a bit myself in my early days in the Senate; as the youngest Senator ever elected, more than a few of the others who didn't know me well underestimated me, or assumed that I didn't know what I was doing and had only gotten the position thanks to my father. Which worked to my advantage from time to time, but was still irritating."

A New Platform [Intro Post September]

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