voidtreckerexpress | Whatever is in the cards - Mixed OTA and Locked (See Headers)

Okay so she learned about chores, and other than being lost, she really had nothing else to do... so.... Why not do chores. Her way.

Najaran had managed to drag several of the suitcases from the luggage cart into the garden car, and then used them to gather stuff. By the end of one day she had two larger pieces full of water for washing clothing, and one full of supplies from the kitchen. Sitting squashed up in the corner was a suit of armor peeling vegetables with an oddly delicate touch.

A creature that looked like the honeycombs crave monster was running back and forth along the beds to plant small seeds into holes in the dirt that a gremlin was digging.

Najaran herself was using a long stick to mix the wash in the tub with the soap while discussing how they were going to clean the other cars with a cat in a cloak.

"Do you think we could open a window and lean out enough to summon Thunderbeak to help wash the outside of the windows?" Najaran was asking the cat, a torn strip of cloth serving as a headband to keep the sweat out of her eyes as she worked.

As if the prinnies weren't bad enough, now there were...whatever these creatures were called running around. At least they seemed slightly more competent than the penguin-like ones.

47 studiously ignored them. Instead, he replied to the girl's question when he overheard it as he was walking through the carriage. He stopped to address her.

"The windows and doors cannot be opened with any amount of force or coaxing. I would advise that you not try. The train has a way of retaliating to intentional force on certain areas such as locked doors." That was true for the door to the engine room at the least. Maybe not so much the windows and exit doors though they definitely couldn't be opened with an explosive force. "The Void outside is probably not habitable either."

"Retaliating?" Maybe it really was a card then. "Is there way to to reason with it, then? Maybe if we could talk to the train, or if it is being controlled.... maybe to the Cepter controlling it?"

The suit of armor paused and seemed to be listening to them.

"If the void is anything like Dimension Door, brrr, no thank you. Seeing all those dead bodies once was too much as it was."

There was a pause as 47 considered all the questions and vague information given in all that was said. He cocked his head slightly and then shook it in the negative.

"No. If it is sentient of it's own accord, it does not speak to those that address it. Engineers, hackers, and magic users have all tried various methods to reason with the train and it has not responded. As for those in charge--they have not appeared since the beginning and it's debatable from descriptions of the encounter whether those 'conductors' were truly in charge or merely robots acting on the behalf of someone or something else entirely. They also did not respond to reason and instead locked everyone in their cabins, by using force if necessary, while they inspected the train."

He paused to allow that information to sink in. Then he addressed the latter part of the conversation.

"If you look out the window you will not see dead bodies. The Void is likely something more akin to space--vast, open, and without breathable air. I advise against staring out at it for too long while we travel as well; the shifting lights and colors tend to cause headaches very quickly whenever passengers look out a window."

"like the gates of Bisteam..." she said, considering that. "Have the elves and nymphs tried?" Since they were the guardians of the gates in Bisteam, and the elves here had said they were very like Kigi and the others back home. She reached behind her to where she had a pouch pinned to her pants. A card flew into her hand and she pulled it forward, studying it. Considering....

She glanced up. "Space?"

"Anyone who could has." Basically. He looked at her for a moment and then decided to clarify. "Yes. They have."

He nodded. "Space. As in 'outer space'. The area beyond the atmosphere of a planet."

"Hmmm....." she said, thoughtfully. She considered everything he said fo a long moment, then asked the only logical question that came to mind. "Doesn't atmosphere just mean how nice a restaurant looks?"

"That's one definition for the word," the hitman replied without missing a beat. She wasn't the first ditzy character he had run across. Besides, a lot of people here seemed to be from times that didn't understand space and advanced technology. The polite thing to do was simply explain it. "But when referring to the atmosphere of a planet it means the air around that world, whether it's a breathable mix of gases or not. Once you get too far away from the ground the air thins and then disappears altogether once you exit the planet's atmosphere and enter outer space."

"The air could.... disappear?" she asked, stunned. She knew there were other worlds, but never gave much thought to how one traveled between them. And a space without air? What would that even be like?

Very cold, very empty, and very deadly to most organic species. But you know. No big deal. "Most planets keep their atmospheres--their air--locked in place due to gravitational and geomagnetic forces. It wouldn't disappear from a planet rapidly unless a cataclysmic event occurred to cause it." He took a breath and then realized something. "Space is simply too vast to hold breathable air. It doesn't 'disappear' so much as doesn't exist out there."

"Um, I think this is a bit over my head," she said, unable to follow that, and unaware she had just made a joke.

Were 47 anyone else he might have cracked a smile at that. Sadly, he let the joke go unappreciated despite noticing it. A pity really.

He simply nodded. "It's fine. Just keep in mind that the windows are closed tight for a reason and that attempting too hard to open one my harm you or someone else near you."

"I don't want to hurt anyone," she agreed, then looked up. "Poor Gargoyle and Thunderbeak. Not sure any of them can come out then."

"Good." There was a moment of pause before 47 made a helpful suggestion. He wasn't certain he really wanted to advise it but she might think of it later anyway. Who knew. Even a broken clock, as the saying went. "You can have them clean the outside of the train whenever we stop at the platforms if it matters to you that much. Just be mindful of the new passengers at that time."

Not that he cared, mind you. But it seemed a little impolite to scare them right off the bat. Also, he liked it to remain as calm as possible around here. Things were crazy enough as they were. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything after all.

She gave a small nod. "Someone told me it is every month, right?" she asked, wanting to be sure. Not that she thought anyone here would lie to her, but she knew that sometimes mistakes were made. Usually by her.

47 nodded once more. "The pattern held so far has been twice a month for stations and once a month for mission worlds." Occasionally the train stopped elsewhere as well but typically the passengers were not allowed to disembark at those times. That was how they got snow on the train that one time anyway. He decided not to mention it simply because it was a one-off situation and he couldn't predict if it would occur again.

"Mission worlds...?" What were those? She clearly still had much to learn here...

Oh dear...

"The worlds we travel to for missions. The missions are usually intended for us to save local populations from disaster or enemy forces."

Surely she would understand it better once they went on a mission in the future.

"We travel to other worlds..." Sorry but wasn't this another world? Now she was a bit lost. "If people need help, pf course I'll help, but mission sounds like an assignment. Can't they just ask...?"

"Many feel the same way. We don't know why they do it the way they do, we're just stuck doing it."

"Well.... that stinks.... but I guess it is better than fighting about it..."

Whatever is in the cards - Mixed OTA and Locked (See Headers)

Chores

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