voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post March]

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A New Platform [Intro Post March]

On the Train

Luckily there are no more crises after the strange dreaming, except the ones passengers created for themselves and soon the month is turning. "Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Egret."

Those that have been on board a while know that new months usually come with new people and so the message a few hours later will not be a surprise. "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 they are soon surrounded by the fog that means they are at a platform. It will come as a relief that it is not raining this time. However it does seem to be quite blustery.

The doors open and the first few to disembark do so with rucksacks on, hoods pulled up against the wind. Amery Vallet, Steve Rogers, Darth Vader, Peggy Carter, Bran Corbie and Ash. They walk blank faced to the barriers, show their tickets and disappear.

But on the platform itself there are nineteen new faces, or rather seventeen new faces and two that some people have definitely seen before. All are stood, waiting for the train.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is 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 large and it holds ninteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. The air is cold and the wind is strong, blowing their hair, if they have hair, across their face. Both left and right the tracks disappear into the mist. 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 into the cold step a selection of people. Some are human, some are less so. They are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple.

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. 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. The store rooms have been restocked with an abundance of onions! Any of blue team who who go to check the luggage cart will find a parcel containing rainbow macroons. One for each of the blue team, including new members, come share in the reward!

Passengers who are not brand new will notice that the train has gotten yet longer again. A transparent domed carriage, with a grass aisle and soil beds, ready for the passengers to do with as they wish. Crates contain bulbs and seeds ready to be planted and there are all the tools a budding gardener would need for this task.

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. 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. The fog from the windows is gone now, replaced with a kaleidoscope of ever changing colours.

Welcome to the Void!

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Nerdanel turns immediately to the young one, a worried light in her eyes as she takes in her pallor.

"No one knows, for we have no say in where it goes. But youngling, are you alright?"

There are a lot of things Alice is used to. People that are half-animal. Huge monsters. Strange landscapes.

But people looking genuinely concerned about her? That's a rarity. At most she's had Nan fuss over her, but at least that was someone who had a history with her. Alice doesn't even recognize this woman, and so the look in her eyes is half-wary, half-surprised.

"Me?" As if there's someone else Nerdanel could be talking to.. "Why would you ask that?"

"Child." She says gently. "Have you not seen yourself? I know I have not met many humans before now, but surely such pallor is not normal!"

"You must not have been in London before." Granted, even by the standards of the children there, Alice is unnaturally pale. But at least the contrast is a bit lessened by the fact that practically no one in that city is ever doing particularly well, aside from the very wealthy.

Her tone is not quite as sassy as it might have been in other cases. It's hard to be rude in the face of such strange concern.

"Any doctor would probably say there's not much to be done about it."

"London? I fear I do not know that city." She shakes her head.

"Oh dear me, that must surely be false. When was the last time you had a decent meal, for example? Or got some sunlight?"

Well, at least the woman's first part explains the fact she'd even ask about the sunlight. Alice honestly can't recall the last time the sun actually shone over London, and she's pretty sure the Wonderland sun doesn't quite count when it comes to questions about her health.

She briefly considers lying just to not have to deal with the concern, but it somehow feels wrong. Her stomach cramps up at the thought. So after a small pause, she answers honestly, not quite able to meet Nerdanel's gaze for some reason.

"It's been a while for either. But I'm fairly sure anyone my age or younger from London would tell you the same thing."

Nerdanel makes a distressed noise.

"Say it is not so! To treat the little ones so... that simply won't do." She shakes her head. "Well, on the train I won't stand for it. There's food enough for all on here, I will see about getting you some proper meals."

Alice does agree with that sentiment. The kids younger than her deserve so, so much better than the way London and most of the adults in it treat them. But she sees herself as older than them, someone who should be taking care of herself instead, so what she hears makes her pause.

"You.. want to cook for me?"

Is that the implication here? Somehow something about that idea seems to really confuse Alice.

"Well, my husband's the better cook, in truth, but I can manage something simple and warming, at the least!" She nods.

Suddenly the young woman looks so very awkward. Her eyes darts around a bit, like she's trying to figure out what kind of trap this is - because it alwyas is. Is it poison? Cannibalism? Is she being lured into something?

But before she can give an answer, her body decides to do it for her. Her stomach lets out a terrible sound, turning the awkwardness into something closer to shame.

".. I suppose having some food couldn't hurt at this point."

"Come inside then." She smiles at her.

"The kitchen car is open at all hours, so if you ever get hungry, feel free to wander down - there's plenty who do."

Alice doesn't like the idea of heading in there at all. Her last train ride wasn't exactly pleasant, after all, and the idea of being in a confined space still doesn't sit too right with her. But some feeling within her, seemingly bigger than her, forces her feet to move on their own anyway as she starts to head towards the vehicle.

"Open at all hours? Do you mean to imply there is that much food to go around?" Judging by Alice's tone of voice, this seems an extremely unlikely concept to her.

"Well, I would say that there seems to be enough, certainly! How and when the restocking happens, no one has yet to work out."

".. how curious."

Alice still doesn't quite like the looks of that that train. Or any train at this point, really. But it apparently has a lot of food and caring people. It almost feels like a trap.

"Where I'm from there's a shortage. Of both actual food and people who care about anyone other than themselves, that is."

She makes a low, distressed sound.

"Oh dear. Was there a war? Here, at least, there is no need to concern yourself over things like that."

Something twitches a little at the corner of Alice's mouth.

"You must come from a very kind world if war is the only thing that could make such a thing happen, miss." Usually Alice isn't big on the whole respect deal. But if this woman is trying so hard to be nice to her, then she supposes it's the least she can do in turn, no matter how unused she is to saying that word. "I might have to get used to the idea of regular meals."

Especially ones consisting of more than just the most gross unsatisfying food ever.

Nerdanel stops, and for a moment, all her age is in her eyes, the millenia of years waiting and waiting.

"Kind? Perhaps. Kinder than some, it seems. But young ones should be cared for."

The look in Nernadel's eyes is what makes Alice stop in turn. It's curious, seeing that much age in anyone. Especially someone as seemingly kind as the woman in front of her. Alice has only found herself growing more wary and cynical with age, and she's only 19. How could someone seem so much older, yet still have such an open heart?

.. she doesn't think she can understand. But she doesn't want to reject it either when it's been so long since someone has been so plainly kind to her.

"I must seem young to you then."

She smiles at Alice, and banishes the shadows back.

"You are all young to me! You humans grow so fast - tis hard for me to know how to judge your age relative to ours. I daresay I am one of the eldest of all on this train."

"May I ask what you are then?"

Alice has met so many non-human beings at this point that the knowledge that the woman in front of her isn't one isn't that surprising to her. But the ones she has seen tend to look much different from humans, so she isn't quite sure where exactly to place the woman along the human and non-human scale.

And hey, at least she's bothering to ask it politely. Politeness isn't something Alice offers to many.

"We call ourselves Quendi - but you humans have always called us Elves." she smiles.

She doesn't seem very surprised, but there is a hint of curiosity in her eyes.

"Elves? I've only heard of those before in stories. This is my first time actually meeting any of you." Even Wonderland hadn't had elves, despite the many strange creatures residing there.

"I don't know that there are many of us left, in the world of Men." She shakes her head. "Most of my kin left at the end of the Third Age, or retreated to the deep woods."

"I don't blame you."

Alice's expression turns slightly wry.

"Given the choice, I would rather not live among humans either. Most of them are vile creatures." Which does explain why Nerdanel is so nice. Alice was surprised by it at first, but her not being human suddenly makes a lot of sense now.

"Tsk." She scolds. "Don't talk about yourselves like that, dear. People are people - elven, dwarven, human or hobbit... even the Ainur make mistakes. No one's perfect. Some people may terrible, terrible choices, but no one is utterly evil - not in the beginning, although they may become so, later."

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