A NEW PLATFORM [INTRO POST JANUARY]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Despite whatever Voidtreckers may have learned or how they feel about those revelations - or reminders - of the precariousness of their situation, the train flies ever onward.

"Good morning Voidtreckers, it is day one of the month of Poi. 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. The weather is dry but there is a chill to the air and a strong breeze." 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. Dairine, Okada Izō, Rapunzel, Satoru and Siebren; 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 thirteen new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours and 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 long with a grassy mound behind them. It is blustery and the air is cold, they will be glad of those hoodies.

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, windy platform; then the fog begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

Thirteen figures, 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, with cans of corned beef lining the shelves.

For passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage in various suitcases and bags. Those from purple who go to find their prize will find a large box containing a gingerbread train for them to share. Plenty enough to go around, even for the largest team.

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.

Snow Time: Rock Garden

Winter seems to have followed from Osiga and nested in the rock garden. There's a chill that nips in the air and a light snow (real snow) fills the air. A thin cloudy haze at the top of the carriage seems the source. Yet the kaleidoscope of the void will assure that this is no timely world stop.

People might have seen it occurring the night before. Snow falling heavy before tapering off with an odd precision, leaving a heavy blanket over the carriage 'ground'. By morning of Platform Day, a miniature winter has descended, ripe for snowforts, snowballs, angels and snowmen.

It's not just the climate that's changed. Many statues and rock features are missing or moved. Digging below the snow reveals soil now frozen but providing a barrier between the bare floor of the carriage. Keen eyes will see changes are made with safety and available space in mind. The fountain has been emptied but the pond and streams are frozen solid, allowing intrepid spirits to try slide-skating over the surfaces without the risk of breaking through. The mosaics are still around, and enchantments are in place to protect paintings and paper decorations from damp. Any plants have been sent to sleep or taken to safety.

The benches are still around. Paths and bridges are covered with fresh snow, but, as the day goes on, it's trampled down and or scattered. Najaran's woodfolk may be glimpsed near Jingyi's shrine or hiding in the shadows of rocks and statues still present, perhaps even buried in the snow and peeking out. Shy around humans, though those with pointed ears or Hylian lineage may find an easier time interacting.

There are signs on both doors of the carriage warning of the change and mentioning the dressing carriage will have winter gear, and it does: with hats, scarves, gloves and ice skates in a variety of sizes. Dispensers with warm drinks such as coffee, hot chocolate and hot water for tea are available in the Games Carriage.

Early the next day, the snow will be gone and the gardens returned to how they once were.

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]

"That's most of the galaxy."

Well. At least he's not dating from that Battle of Yavin that one of these days she's just going to ask Leia about. THis is the first time anyone has actually been from... the same year? Unless he's redacting a completely different first digit, of course.

He's not using the Imperial calendar, that counts for something. "There are a few others from our galaxy, but this is the first time it's actually been from around the same time as me. But I'm not familiar with a CEDF."

[backwaterimperial]

"Wait, so the powers that be can pull people from across time too?" Eli's mind feels blown again. People can be pulled from his galaxy's past and even future. That's kind of amazing.

"The CEDF are the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet," It's not like a whole lot of people know what a Chiss is, since Thrawn doesn't go around announcing his species and the only people who really know about them are those from Wild Space, like himself. "My... friend sent me to serve them."

[averyusefultray]

"There's a woman here who is older than I am, but in 977 is the same age as my kids. For whatever reason it brings people from a particularly large stretch of time for our galaxy." ANother mystery. The train has an abundance of those. The hows and whys are not terribly important in terms of time, just knowing it's a risk.

She frowns, troubled that she still doesn't recognize anything to do with that. "You must be based quite far from Lothal."

[backwaterimperial]

"I am, yes. I'm actually originally from Lysatra, out in Wild Space, but I've seen my share of the galaxy." Being part of the Imperial Navy allows for lots of traveling, and now he's seeing part of the galaxy that he could only ever dream of.

"Lothal... isn't that the planet Ahrinda Pryce governs?" He can't help but frown at the thought of her. He was alright with her at first, but now he really doesn't care for that woman.

[averyusefultray]

Wild Space... well that explains a great deal. "I travel a lot, but not quite that far."

And then he mentions a name that she can't help grimacing at. She has to be more guarded with her own galaxy than others on the train, but some reactions can be hard to suppress, especially when she's out of practice after months living away from the Empire. "Unfortunately."

[backwaterimperial]

It sounds like she's not a very popular person, which doesn't surprise Eli. He really hopes Thrawn knew what he was doing with her, or better yet, that he'll just cut ties with her altogether. She reminded Eli all too well how uncaring and heartless a lot of Imperials could be. "I wouldn't mind giving her a piece of my mind if I ever see her again."

Seeing as she's not here and they aren't in Imperial space anyway, he feels like he can speak his mind and say things that he's always wanted to.

[averyusefultray]

"Sorry to hear you've had the misfortune. Lothal deserves better." It's not really Pryce, it's the whole system, but she's oh so very good at being part of that system. She's made their lives exceptionally difficult.

[backwaterimperial]

"I've never actually been to Lothal myself, but I do know that it ships a lot of Doonium." And all that Doonium went towards that super secret project. "My beef with her is more about all this death that she caused, and the way she effectively conned her way into working alongside my... friend. He couldn't prove what she did, and she convinced him that he needed her because somehow that brilliant mind of his is utterly clueless when it comes to politics."

He might be giving away too much information at this point, including hints that he's former Imperial Navy, but when's he ever going to get a chance to vent like this?

[averyusefultray]

"It ships that doonium at great cost to the people of Lothal thanks to people like Pryce." Maybe a little treasonous to say, but who's going to arrest her here? Even if she didn't have a large number of friends who have personally volunteered to punch anyone who gives her grief.

But that last part is interesting. She can't think of many people she gets along with that Pryce would be working with. "Conned her way?"

[backwaterimperial]

"Well, like I said, he's utterly clueless when it comes to politics, but she seems to be a master at the politics game. She convinced him that he needed her, and I think he just felt obligated to work with her at that point." Surely Thrawn knew that Pryce was self-serving and only thought about her own wants. He once said that a relationship build out of obligation could never last.

"Given how many court marshals he's been though, maybe he also thought she had a point about needing a political ally and she was the best he could do."

[averyusefultray]

"A master of something," Hera mutters under her breath. But she needs to maintain some degree of exposure.

"Your friend needed an imperial governor." That's... suspicious. ENough to make her cautious for the most part.

[backwaterimperial]

"Personally I think he should have just called it good with Colonel Yularen," Eli liked Yularen well enough, since he was amicable and didn't judge either Eli or Thrawn by where they came from. He was ISB, not an actual politician, but the man still knew the ins and outs of how the Empire worked and what it took to get places.

Even still, Eli continues to dance around the obvious, that his friend is an Imperial Naval officer. He quickly changes the topic, but not by much, "I've also been keeping my eye out for artwork. My friend can do this thing with art, and maybe some of it rubbed off on me." Not likely, but a man can dream.

[averyusefultray]

Hera frowns. That does tell her a great deal about who he's talking to. And that tells her she should not disclose how or why she knows this. Though with how open she's been with most of the other passengers, that's probably a limited time prospect.

Art, though, is a safer topic. "Some of the kids are on a campaign for an arts and crafts car. It would be good for them."

[backwaterimperial]

"That's good. Art is a good hobby to have or just a good way to pass the time," Even if Eli wasn't exactly an artist himself, and couldn't do 'the art thing' like Thrawn, he still appreciated art and knew it was good to be creative as a form of expression.

"Maybe while I'm here, I'll take up knitting."

[averyusefultray]

"I've been trying painting It helps me feel connected to one of my kids at home." Normally she'd never be quite so open about her personal life with someone she suspects is affiliated with the Empire. But it's not a secret here, and it sounds less rebellious.

"If we stop at many more worlds like the last one knitting might make you quite popular." THough they did tend to have the dressing car to help.

[backwaterimperial]

That she was apparently a mom threw Eli off. But, it wasn't as if she wasn't old enough to have them. "Well, hopefully you get to see your kids again soon. But, I know the feeling. Getting into art might might give me something to talk about with to my friend." It might have even been interesting to have Thrawn do his art thing on his own work.

[averyusefultray]

Given that Hera is pretty sure she knows who that friend is, she's somewhat skeptical about such a conversation occurring. BUt no sense saying it. "I hope so. They're great kids."

She misses them. Who wouldn't. "I don't know much about the theory outside Twi'lek traditions. But it's comforting."

[backwaterimperial]

"My friend's got a holographic art collection big enough to rival most museums." And before he'd left, Thrawn had collected a few real pieces. He wouldn't be surprised if he'd gotten even more real pieces since then. He could easily see some grateful person gifting it to him.

Deciding to just rip the bacta-patch off, Eli said, "The Empire isn't big on the art scene, unless it's some Moff or Commandant buying a painting or getting a piece as a bribe. They also think that Admiral Thrawn's faking the whole art reading thing."

It wasn't as if anyone would know who Thrawn was by name. There were lots of Admirals in the Empire, and they weren't exactly using his face in their propaganda pieces.

[averyusefultray]

Hera manages to keep a straight face based largely on the fact that she'd already guessed who he was talking about. THough there's a flicker of something when he mentions him acquiring some real pieces. That's a bit of sore spot.

But there's value to not reigniting old conflicts here. "I'm surprised they stop to ask where THrawn gets his information."

[backwaterimperial]

Eli's an observant fellow and he notices that look, however brief it is. He's not quite as good at reading faces as Thrawn is. "Most Imperials don't. But word gets around, and Imperials like to talk shit. A lot of them refuse to believe that an alien could be that smart." There's the slightest bit of awe in Eli's voice.

[averyusefultray]

"I am familiar with the esteem in which the Empire tends to hold non-humans." She says it somewhat coldly and with just a slight emphasis on the fact that humans are every bit as alien on most planets as any other species.

[backwaterimperial]

"Yeah, Thrawn was pretty much a once in a lifetime exception for the Emperor." And even then, he had to face all kinds of xenophobia and anti-alien prejudices during his career. That political blindness almost killed his career. "And even then, I'm pretty sure that he was starting to lose favor with Palpatine by now."

[averyusefultray]

If he knew who she was, exactly, he probably wouldn't be telling her this. As it stands, she's hardly going to point that out. "Palpatine is a fickle master. He can only be relied on to advance his own ends."