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

[irrationally]

That makes Alice raise her eyebrows.

And since she doesn't want to just keep awkwardly standing there in the doorway, she instead moves to sit down on the seat opposite of where Sonya is saying.

"Really?" Alice asks. Not sounding sceptical - it's not like she knows any better, after all - but mostly just curious. "I thought knitting was only something useful. Just a way to make clothes, or other items."

[soldier_blade]

"When your mind's going a million miles a minute, sometimes keeping busy and 'useful' like this just helps keep a person steady." Grounding, it was called, but she wasn't sure how'd she feel about explaining this to the young woman unless prompted.

"Growing up, I knew a lot of military surgeons who knitted, claimed it was good for dexterity and later helped with arthritis."

Which, did help her feel a little better when she first started to learn; if it was good enough for medics, it was good enough for her.

[irrationally]

"Well, I can at least understand that part," she replies. After all, isn't knitting all about dexterity? If you're not nimble about it, you're going to be constantly hitting yourself with the knitting needles or miss the material you're using. It'd just be a huge pain.

It's just the mental benefits that are a bit harder to understand. But maybe it's since Alice's own mind is such a mess.

".. And I guess we do have far too much time where we are locked inside of this cramped train with little to do."

So people might need an outlet - even if it's knitting.

[soldier_blade]

"It's like the military," Even down to assignments. "Long periods of boredom with random spurts of chaos."

Or more like controlled chaos, given that atleast the missions and other destinations were planned for; even if there wasn't much in way of heavy planning.

"You've any hobbies in this place?" Since her own turned to be knitting, and as she said-there was little else to do; besides training of course, and reading.

[irrationally]

Alice is quiet for a moment, unsure of how to answer. Daydreaming, she wants to say, but that sounds so weird. So pathetic. No one would expect a young adult to have that as their main hobby, and it makes her eyebrows knit together into a frown as she thinks of what she can say then.

"I like having tea."

.. does that count as a hobby? She's not too sure. Back home it would have counted as much more of a hobby than daydreaming though, that's for sure.

[soldier_blade]

Her fingers paused. Did having tea count as a hobby; she knew coffee drinking could be considered as an 'excuse hobby.

"You mean..being invited to have tea?" The girl's accent was British afterall, and though Sonya was all too aware of stereotypes, but that was the only way she could make sense of it.

[irrationally]

"Well, I am not quite a.. people person."

Social, she means. She means to say that she's not social, but that she does recognize what Sonya is talking about. Yes, Alice is certainly overly familiar with the concept of tea parties, or just having tea time together.

"So it is often more something I do by myself. But there are some people here on the train I don't necessarily mind having some tea together with."

[soldier_blade]

"I'm hardly a social butterfly myself." Which is sort of why she was here, and not in some place like the library or garden car; either would've provided a sense of calm, but atleast in the quiet car that calm was respected.

"More of a coffee person myself," Tea was always for a sleepless night. "but I never had it as a hobby, more of an addiction."

[irrationally]

At least Alice is able to recognize cultural differences here on the train. The fact that not a whole lot of people drank coffee where she comes from only makes it even more obvious, which is what makes it so much easier to place that last remark coming from the woman.

"Do people not sit down to have tea together where you come from?"

Of course Alice isn't expecting people in the army to do as much, sure. But surely the woman knows what happens outside of there in the world as well.

[soldier_blade]

"Coffee breaks," She responded. "Less about social gathering and more just needing a break from work, and usually there are other people around."

Not the same as sitting at a table with tea and various cakes, and part of her wondered why the tradition never crossed over-or if it did why it faded.

Probably had to do with the work culture, she guessed. Certainly, she would've rarely had time to stop mid afternoon.

She looked at her work, manipulating the yarn to start creating a sort of shrug.

[irrationally]

...

Alice looks a little puzzled.

And no, it's not just because some worlds don't have a proper concept of tea time anymore. She can accept cultural differences by now, she's met too many odd people to really be bothered by something as small as that.

No, the confusion on her face is entirely born from something else Sonya says.

"Where you come from people get breaks..? From work?"

Welcome to Work Standards In Victorian Times, Sonya.