A New Platform [Intro Post December]

[voidtreckermods]

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Catfish." The voice woke them as usual four days after they had rejoined the train, leaving the dying world, the scientists and evacuees behind them."Team Points have been updated on the system and the shop has been updated."

. A few hours into the morning there is a second announcement. "Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent." Hopefully everyone knows to hold on, though if they do not they will be in for a bumpy arrival to the platform. At first all they can see from the windows is steam.

They step out into blazing sunshine, heat hits them. There is still steam, but light breaks through, dazzling at points, reflecting off the smooth surface of the platform. As the doors open the first four people off the train are wearing their rucksacks and dressed in purple hoodies. Yuki, Amelia, Harry and Richie. All walk steadily and unhurriedly towards the barriers at the back of the platform, show their ticket and disappear.

Those looking over the platform will recognise Ash, dressed in purple. With her are ten other people, one seems to have fire for a head, another is a book. Two are elves. All four teams are represented but Red and Blue are dominant with four new members each. Time to be welcoming.

For new arrivals.

At first all they can see if steam. Billowing around them as they come to their senses. They are standing, in clothes that are not their own, styles they might not even recognise. They are carrying a rucksack on their back. For a moment it seems to just be them, alone in the white haze but then the steam begins to fade and they realise they aren’t alone.

The platform is not very large, but it holds eleven figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing. The tracks stretch left and right into steam, or perhaps fog. Nothing can be seen to either side. Patches of sunlight break down and it is very warm.

In front of them is a train. Jet black and gleaming where it stands on the rails. Voidtrecker Express is emblazoned in the engine in gold. There is a hiss as the doors slide open.

Out step a selection of people, some less human than others, wearing clothes just like those worn by those on the platform.

The Train

The doors hiss open. Those from the train may encourage those on the platform to board. It’s not like there is 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 not be a good thing, as nice a day as it is.

Each ICP shows the same message. If they are near an ICP they may find a piece of paper stuck to it, for further reading. The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food, there is still an abundance of sweet peppers.

New passengers will find their tickets allow them into their cabins. They may need to negotiate for beds, especially if they want a top bunk!

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 and you will hopefully find a pillow for your bed if it has not been nabbed by a roommate, there are also spare blankets for if it gets cold.

Departure

A second horn sounds to encourage any stragglers and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view 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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to voidspace.

Comments

[yilingdaddy]

"Other worlds?" He blinks, interested and even more curious. "Do you know how it works?"

Wei Ying doesn't care that he's chatting with a child and plying him for information. Anyone could know anything. And he knows next to nothing about this train thing so far.

[myblueskies]

"No sir!" He shook his head truthfully. He doesn't have the first idea how it all works.

"But we go into the void and then we come out either on a platform like this when some people leave and other people join us or we go to a world where we got to help people because they are in danger! There's lots of different worlds, I was in a place before where there were people from lots of worlds altogether but then I came here instead!"

[yilingdaddy]

The disappointed frown is there then gone again.

"Mm...I see." Well. He's trying understand, but it doesn't make much sense. "So we're all picked at random to come help? Or do you know if there's a reason behind who is specifically brought here?"

[myblueskies]

He sees that disappointed frown and knows he has to do better at explaining. The man might be better speaking to someone smarter like Joss or Elfnein, but Romeo will do his best!

"I don't think there is, sir! But lots of people know each other. So there are lots of Elves and they are from the same family and then mister Tony knows Peter and miss May from his world. And Elfnein and Joss are both from the heavens like me. So even though it is random it's sort of not because there's lots of people in all the worlds."

But if there was a reason, he didn't know.

[yilingdaddy]

He actually thinks Romeo's doing very well! Wei Ying smiles reassuringly and reaches out to try and ruffle the child's hair.

"Thank you. You've been watching everyone for a while, haven't you?"

[myblueskies]

Romeo lets his hair be ruffled, grinning up at the man and nodding. "Yes sir! I've been here a long time and this is the third time we been at a platform to get new people since I came here!"

So he has gotten used to it and knows how some people find their friends and some people don't.

[yilingdaddy]

Wei Ying grins back at him, hand settling to rest on Romeo's shoulder briefly before he pulls away. So polite!

"You said there are some people from your world here? Have they been taking care of you?" If not, be prepared to be adopted!

[myblueskies]

"Yes sir! We all look after each other! Joss is my best friend and he's littler than me but he's a better fighter." And technically very old but that's still a relatively new discovery and Romeo still thinks of Joss as a little brother in his head. "And Elfnein is my god so it's my job to look after her but she's really smart and we are a good team! I hope your friend is here but if not we can take care of you too."

Working together was always better and he knows from the heavens that sometimes grownups need as much help as kids!

[yilingdaddy]

Children will always be children! But can still be quite capable and clever.

"Aah?" He blinks though. "Your god?" No hint of doubt or disbelief, more curious and interested to hear more. Who is he to tell someone their god hasn't come?

Wei Ying rubs the side of his nose before grinning. "You will be the first I tell if he doesn't show up soon."

[myblueskies]

"Yes! She's really nice and brave and is a god of learning so she's really smart as well! She came from a whole different world but then went to the heavens to become a god and then she came to this train but that's good because I was already here for a whole month and I'm really happy we are together again!"

So even if this man's friend isn't here he might come later, it is possible.

[yilingdaddy]

They see the world differently than adults. Often clearer. And he likes listening to their simple explanations.

Wei Ying smiles, happy to listen to this explanation and description of this child's god. Even if she does sound like someone Lan Zhan would be really interested to meet. "I'd like to meet her!"

[myblueskies]

"We can go and find her if you want! She will be meeting all the new people too I think!"

She wasn't quite as sociable as Romeo but she liked learning things and talking to people from other worlds! Also it would be a good distraction for the man, until his friend turned up!

[yilingdaddy]

"Mm!" He nods enthusiastically and shoulders his bag. He might as well keep it with him, just in case things within end up useful. He'll take a proper look later.

[myblueskies]

"She will be here somewhere?" He began moving through the crowd, trying to keep a look out for her, it's hard being so tiny sometimes!

"I'm Romeo sir! What's your name?"

[yilingdaddy]

"What does she look like?" Wei Ying follows just barely behind him. He might have lost a few inches with this new body, but he's still not that short.

"You can call me Wei Ying. My courtesy name is Wei Wuxian. What's your surname?"

[myblueskies]

"It's nice to meet you mister Wei Ying." That was easy to remember. He doesn't know what a courtesy name is, but he will use the one that Wei Ying said he could call him! "She's got blonde hair and she's very small! She's in orange team so she will be wearing a orange top!"

He kept looking as he spoke, determined to find her!

"Um I don't know if I got a surname." It seemed some shinki remembered them, like Joss and some didn't. Or never had them. "I don't remember any things from being alive so I might of just forgotten!"

[yilingdaddy]

"Aah, is that what these uniforms mean? We're assigned teams...?" He plucks at his blue top and looks around for someone matching that description.

Only to miss a step at the casual bit of information. Wei Ying blinks down at the boy- Romeo, with confusion. Concern too, but mostly confusion. He knows Romeo doesn't have any marks indicating being a puppet, but...

He shakes himself quickly and makes sure to keep up. "Maybe that's a good thing!"

[myblueskies]

"Yes sir! You're in the blue team, like me!" There were a few others dressed similarly. He pointed them out and so mostly missed the confusion and concern that Wei Ying showed.

"What's a good thing? That I don't got a surname? Are surnames bad?"

Honestly he's not even sure what they are, except they are the first bit of your name or sometimes the second bit.

[yilingdaddy]

"That you don't remember your life before dying," he gently corrects. "Surnames mean family, or clan."

Wei Ying reaches out to try and ruffle Romeo's hair again with a warm little smile. "Children should be happy."

[myblueskies]

Oh. Family or clan. That made sense and he nodded. So all a family would have the same name.

"Yes, I think it's a good thing." He nodded, for a moment looking older than his eleven years. It's not quite true he remembers nothing, he has three memories. They fill him with curiosity about what it might have been like in Italy where he used to live. But they also make him happy that he is somewhere different now. Where he gets to run around with friends and adults ruffle his hair and smile at him, not hit and laugh with cruel eyes.

The smile is back a moment later though. "I think so too! We get to help lots of children here, we go to different worlds and help everybody and that's a good thing to do! We helped save some children whose world was going to explode because of volcanoes!"

[alchemists]

Elfnein had been greeting the new people that had arrived, everyone was kind to her when she got here so she was just trying to pay it back as much as she could. Romeo was easy to spot and she starts waving at him to get his attention.

"Is everything going ok?"