voidtreckermods: (voidtrain)
VoidTrecker Express Mods ([personal profile] voidtreckermods) wrote in [community profile] voidtreckerexpress2022-01-01 05:21 am

A NEW PLATFORM [INTRO POST JANUARY]

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!
notalive: (and we won't be alone)

[personal profile] notalive 2022-01-07 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Connor's even adjusted and re-adjusted his hoodie so that the hood is perfectly straight, the strings symmetrical and the material smooth. But he keeps messing with the cuffs, ruining the effect a little.

He slides into the opposite seat and peers intently at the set of cuffs. Not like anything currently being issued to US police officers, but it wouldn't be, would it?

"A couple of times? Out of how many?"

(If he didn't know any better, though, Connor would have placed this...alien?'s...accent as Southern US. Alabama, perhaps.)

"First time, I guess. I don't remember being here before," and, because he's honestly not sure that even guarantees anything, "and no one seems to know me. It's still hard to convince myself this isn't all in my own head."

And Connor's got experience of whole environments existing as nothing but computer imagery.
yondu: (0 2 3)

[personal profile] yondu 2022-01-08 09:11 am (UTC)(link)
Yondu just chuckles about that. Sure, thinking it's a dream makes a ton of sense to be honest. Surprisingly few end up doing that.

"Right, well... I thought it was the afterlife. The only agreed upon conclusion is it's a massive inconvenience. But that's a long story we're all just becomin' acquainted with. As for missions- we ended up in a low tech magic world where some of the residents were hostile towards us thinkin' we might be invaders. Another had this big powerful fella writin' new memories for us, started havin' other brainwashed folks hunt us."

He offers up a pair of the Kree detainment cuffs if Connor wants to take a look at them. Even if he didn't have the ability to scan, he bought them with the intention of showing people different locking types. This one has heavy magnets and an integrated tasing system in case it's tampered with inappropriately.

"Where you come from, Slim?"
notalive: (demon wants his pound of flesh)

[personal profile] notalive 2022-01-09 02:13 pm (UTC)(link)
Frowning, Connor takes the set of handcuffs from Yondu and looks them over. They're definitely nothing he's seen before and, now he has his hands on them, a lot of the internal parts don't even seem to be made of materials in his database: which is to say, materials that don't exist. In his world.

"I've been told about the world-jumping already. It sounds like our arrival can be just as much a surprise to the residents of these other worlds as it is to us... unless the world has advanced enough technology to see us coming?"

And decide what to do with them.

"I'm from the United States, on a planet called Earth." It seems only polite not to say 'Detroit' to an alien. "I'm Connor."

Not that he has objections to 'Slim'. It's better than the various epithets he's had to respond to before, after all.
Edited 2022-01-09 21:50 (UTC)
yondu: (0 9 2)

[personal profile] yondu 2022-01-09 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah, right. My boy came from there. From Missouri." And Yondu had chosen not to get out of his ship at all because Missouri seemed like a very Missouri-like place. He sets his scruffy chin on his hand, thinking again about how Peter was doing. Guess now that he knows what he knows, he's even more glad Peter's not shown up here. People'd be fightin' over how much money to get out of his unconscious hide.

"I'm Yondu. Yondu Udonta. Blue Team." He clarifies since he doesn't actually wear the uniform when he can get away with it. Just every few days or so. Mostly he's just, y'know... blue, but that means nothing.

He shrugs. "That sounds about right. Most of the time the worlds are in such deep shit that they ain't even watchin' anyway. A few I been to we was a real relief at."
Edited 2022-01-10 19:47 (UTC)
notalive: (it's ok to say you got a weak spot)

[personal profile] notalive 2022-01-16 09:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Connor pauses a moment, eyeing Yondu, before, "You adopted a human child?"

In some world out there where humanity has made contact with alien life, perhaps?

(Maybe in that universe it's aliens taking all the humans' jobs.)

...Connor understands in an instant why perhaps Yondu isn't wearing his uniform. It might look a bit...comical. For a moment, he lets his mouth twitch.

"So is that our real purpose here? To help worlds in need? Or do we just show up places and find the nearest struggling population."
yondu: (0 9 2)

[personal profile] yondu 2022-01-17 10:23 am (UTC)(link)
"More or less... His blood father weren't much account for nothin'. In fact he was a special kinda dangerous, so I kept him with me."

Which is the nicest way he could translate kidnapping.

"You ain't Terran yourself. Least you don't smell much like one." But damn could that boy line up a hoodie like he was fixin' to wear it to a wedding. What the hell, Connor?

"Well, to be honest, I ain't sure anymore. It has very much been to help worlds in need. The train's kinda a refugee of a planet that met a bad end. That's its own kinda mystery. But she kept with this mission to save worlds, and somehow picked up a whole bunch of people more powerful than her last crew out of a buncha different worlds."
notalive: (i've been a fool)

[personal profile] notalive 2022-01-25 09:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Connor's mind immediately, unbidden, brings up the legal definition of the word kidnap. But...

"Sounds like he needed you." Connor's learned a few things in his short existence about the reasons why legal definition just...doesn't matter.

He's still turning the handcuffs over in his hands, taking in as much of the mechanism as he can using only a visual analysis - but he glances over the top of them at Yondu every once in a while, eyes still thoughtful.

"I'm from Earth, if that's what you mean. I'm just not human - I'm an android." An android who just likes to look neat and put together the best way he can, don't judge him.

There's a long pause after the explanation. Maybe there's a reason a deviant android could be just as 'useful' to this operation as any organic: "So the train's sentient?"
yondu: (1 2 2)

[personal profile] yondu 2022-01-25 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Ah... right, yeah. I had a teammate way back when who was a robot. Not an android, but I knew plenty of them too." Intimately. Though it was consenting, they got their money for their work. "Her name was mainframe. She lost her body at one point and never seemed to care that much about gettin' a new one... hell, why would she. If you could just tap into a starship and make that your new body, I figure she had the right idea."

A passing ramble about the past, another moment mourning the family he messed up. But there's a lot of love there, same as had been in his voice in referring to Peter.

But onto more serious matters.

"Train's sentient as far as we can tell. But it's the kinda sentience where she needs explainin' a lot. You ain't the only AI around right now, by the way. Check the Roster for 'Murderbot'. Don't let the name fool ya. He's just all business, not some kinda nutjob."