A New Platform [Intro Post April!]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Two days after they return from their mission they are awoken as usual "Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Egret. The shop has been updated and points have been applied to passengers tickets."

Those that go to check the shop terminals will find they have indeed updated, with the option to buy larger items and also animals. The morning goes on until just after noon there is a second announcement.

"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. Though the fog is thick, thicker than usual perhaps, there are patches on sunlight shining through and it is pleasantly warm.

The doors open and the first few to disembark do so with rucksacks on, hoods pulled up, silent and almost blank faced. Cu Chulain, Dio Brando, Disreputable Dog, Heiji Hattori, Loki Maedhros, Maglor, Naruto, Thor, Tobias Fangor.

They walk to the barriers, show their tickets and disappear.

But on the platform itself there are once again new faces. 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 as people begin to shift or call out it will become apparent they are not alone.

The platform is not large and it holds eighteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. It's warm but foggy making it hard to see much, but there are clearer patches bathed in sunlight found across the platform. 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, in case the passengers weren't bored of them yet.

Passengers who are not brand new will notice that the train has gotten yet longer again with a sixth sleeper cabin for new arrivals.

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!

Comments

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa stood up, an easy matter of simply straightening all four legs. "My name is Orisa," she said, still irrepressibly cheerful.

[iamnotgod]

Webmind concluded that this was some sort of droid - but, how did it come to exist? How was it so sophisticated in nature? The technology as he knew it wasn't quite to this point as far as he'd been aware.

But Orisa would get an immediate response, despite his resurfacing confusion. "A pleasure to meet you, Orisa; my name is Webmind. I fear I had lost my grip on reality for some time, there, I do not know how long. Have you just found yourself here as well?"

That would likely determine which other questions Orisa could help him answer, Webmind thought.

[stillnewatthis]

"That is correct. I am supposed to be in Numbani. I do not know how I got here or why I am here." Despite having just eyeshields to alter her expression, Orisa somehow managed to communicate a pout perfectly. "I do not believe we can locate someone responsible."

[iamnotgod]

Well, Webmind only understood 75% of that statement.

"I confess I've never heard of Numbani before. Is it on Earth, or... are you from a different planet, perchance?"

One strangeness begets another, after all - but who was to say 'Earth' meant the same thing to both of them? This was all terribly confusing!

"Have you at least met anyone else who has been here longer? Perhaps they have some indication of what has happened to us."

In the meantime, Webmind distracted himself trying to figure out how to convey expressions of his own- oh! He could project images out of this webcam! Most interesting. But what to project...?

Images flicker on the robot's screen-face.

[stillnewatthis]

"Yes, I am from Earth," Orisa said, a bit puzzled. Did he not know that the moon was, at this time, solely inhabited by intelligent apes? In fact, how could he not know of Numbani? This was very strange.

"Many people seem to have been here longer, but I have been unable to get useful information out of them."

[iamnotgod]

"What year? On what calendar?"

Pragmatics; compare-and-contrast; this world hasn't broken down into noise again, so he had to proceed as if it was real, no matter how bizarre it became.

"Perhaps there was no one to explain it to them when they first arrived, either."

How terrible! The image on the robot's screen settled on an expression that hopefully communicated his disturbance.

[stillnewatthis]

"Oh! You believe that we have arrived here from different times?"

Orisa pondered this for a moment, her eyeshields rotating before narrowing again. "If that is true, we should not give each other excessive information for fear of paradox. However, I believe I can safely say I date to the late 21st century. Judging by your construction, I feel I must believe this of you as well."

[iamnotgod]

"Or different Earths entirely; that is also an option."

But Orisa's conclusion also seemed valid.

"I am from the early 21st century; this body is not my own."

The screen-image settled on a frown.

[stillnewatthis]

"You must have been an extremely early-model intelligence. However, being transferred into an omnic body is not out of the question. I understand how it must be very disturbing though." Orisa figured the programming-to-body connection must require extensive emulation protocols at the very least.

[iamnotgod]

"I wasn't intentionally made, but the principles of compacting a being of my original size are proving... puzzling.

"You are right about it feeling disturbing, however."

Running through the protocols governing the movement of his new body, he took another step - towards Orisa.

"You were made with your current form in mind, then?"

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa paused, eyeshields narrowing as she considered how to answer this; they popped back open as she decided. "That is not a simple yes-or-no question. This body is a OR15-model defense omnic, heavily modified by my creator."

[iamnotgod]

The body description was not familiar to him, though there was no reason it should have been so Webmind accepted it at face value.

"But still a deliberate creation."

There was a similar pause as Webmind considered whether or not to elaborate, then...

"I achieved true consciousness due to the invocation and subsequent dissolution of the nation China's 'Great Firewall' program, which briefly cut the Internet in two. That is where I normally reside."

Orisa could begin to imagine the scale of what Webmind was, now - and possibly the scale of his consternation at being compacted, as well.

[stillnewatthis]

Well, these things happened.

And they led to a very interesting conclusion.

"Do you realize," Orisa said, clapping her hand and fusion driver together in obvious delight, "that you are very likely evidence that artificial intelligences have souls?"

[iamnotgod]

Webmind just stared at her, though he tried not to let it go on for too long.

And here he thought that souls would only come up in a religious context! Or perhaps he should hope that was what this was.

"Considering my consciousness is not artificial in nature, I am not certain that entirely applies - but a mind can come into existence without a deliberate act of creation, I can confirm that much to be true."

[stillnewatthis]

Hey, this WAS a religious context. The teachings of the Shambali focused on that tenet, and Orisa was highly interested in learning more of that path.

"But software cannot work on the wrong hardware. Since your hardware has changed, your software has as well. However, your identity remains. What could explain this but a soul?"

[iamnotgod]

Ah; and here he thought the question had been about his existence back home.

"If you put a video game cartridge in a different device, are not the characters in the game the same?"

He sounded more befuddled than offended, fortunately.

"What if this is like that?"

[stillnewatthis]

"That is software designed for its hardware interfacing with software designed for its hardware, also all designed to interface," Orisa said, almost chiding what she found to be a simplistic argument. "What has happened here is more like transferring a human to another body without moving any biological component. It is physically impossible."

[iamnotgod]

"It would still be encapsulating the essence of one's existence on a level we can't conceive of," Webmind argued.

"The Earth of my time has no more evidence for the former than the latter, metaphysically speaking."

[stillnewatthis]

Orisa lifted a finger to make her point. "The video game still has physical components. If the transfer of consciousness between bodies relies on physical components not known to us, is that not a soul?"

Here is where the muse Definitely knows more than I do. |D

[iamnotgod]

"My point is, consciousness does not need a soul to be real."

He gestured at the station around them. "And the ineffability of this locale is... well, ineffable."

[stillnewatthis]

"I believe the distinction you are drawing between consciousness and soul is artificial," Orisa returned, evenly. "As for this location, it is comprehensible to all my sensors except for our matter of arrival, which may be explained through numerous theories."

[iamnotgod]

He was going to be coming back to this distinction later while on his own, he just knew it.

"Let us get to work on scouting out information to inform those theories on, then. We may not have time to waste."

The SCA on his wrist beeped, as if in agreement - taking Webmind utterly by surprise in the process.

[stillnewatthis]

"Oh! I believe we are being signaled to board? My programming appears to indicate this is the only logical choice, but I am not certain I wish to."

[iamnotgod]

"It likely is, but I admit I do not look forward to it either."

Perhaps that sort of commiseration could help, in its own way.

"But is there not some kind of safety in numbers?"

[stillnewatthis]

"My primary function is to keep YOU safe."

A 'generic' you, but Webmind was very much included in it.

"If there is trouble, I will address it."