voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post May]

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A New Platform [Intro Post May]

On the Train

Life returns to somewhat normal, though the train still seems to be moving faster than before. Eventually though it slows until they wake one morning to a familiar announcement. "Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Fiddlesticks."

Those that have been on board a while know that new months usually come with new people and also new points, indeed when they check points have been updated and the shopping spree can begin. A few hours later another, expected announcement sounds.

"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. The sun is shining and they will find it pleasantly warm when they disembark.

The first to leave the train though don't seem to notice the nice weather. They notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Padme Amidala, Terra, Ianto Jones, Happy, Hibiki Shikyoin, Shikeo, Elfangor, Bailey Morello, Will Stanton, Primrose, Prisoner, Aaron LeBlanc, Miles Morales, Rustling Paper all reach the barriers, show their tickets and disappear through, vanishing into the fog.

But on the platform itself there are many new faces. Once again the largest amount of newcomers to date.

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 twenty nine figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. The air is warm, pleasant even. 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 and bacon has taken over onions as the food of choice! Any of orange team who go to check the luggage cart will find a parcel containing chocolate eggs, each the size of a chicken egg, filled with caramel. One for each of the orange team, including new members, come share in the reward!

Passengers who are not brand new will notice some changes to the train. There are now seven sleeper carriages. The kitchen and dining carriages have changed, one whole double carriage dedicated to each one. The kitchen has huge ovens and preparation space downstairs with a row of sinks and more preparation space upstairs. The dining carriage has two floors as well, each one with a long wooden table that fills the length of the carriage, benches to either side.

There is also the long awaited cinema. There are hundreds of films, some slightly familiar to those from worlds with films, others strange and unusual.

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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Um...

[That was the only response Dyme could manage at first as he approached, hands tucked into the pocket on his orange hoodie. He'd never seen anyone take the time to take off their shoes before, especially not right on the platform.]

Not a fan of shoes? And honestly, I have no idea where we are. But that's the Void Train-- [He turned to gesture at the train in question.] And it, uh. It travels through the void.

Not in the least. Shoes are just...stuffy. I like to be able to feel the ground beneath my feet.

[Besides the superior mobility, it helps him feel connected with the Earth and its forces. Sven shoves his shoes into his pack and stands to look at Dyme properly, cocking his head curiously.]

The...void? Tell me about this void, please. Oh, and I'm Sven, by the way.

[He offers out a hand in greeting, frowning only slightly at the sight of his own bare skin as he notices the usual layer of charcoal dust is missing from his hands and wrists.]

Doesn't the ground hurt?

[Not at the station, at least, but he couldn't imagine walking around barefoot on one of their missions, especially if they had to go over rocky terrain.

He wasn't gonna judge or anything, but shoes were made to protect your feet and all of that.]

Uh, well. From what I've been told, the void is what's between space and...worlds? Not like, planets, but...actual universes. And stuff.

Also, I'm Dyme.

[He added, reaching out to shake Sven's hand.]

Not with thick soles like these! The more you do it, the tougher your feet get. Though, eh...I do take advantage of the fact I can heal from minor wounds easily.

[He doesn't have to worry as much as the Average Joe about accidentally slicing a toe open on a sharp outcropping or shattered beer glass. He did wrap his feet in cloth for particularly perilous terrains, but thorny forest floors, stony town roads, sheer cliff-faces...he wouldn't even break his stride. Even walking over coals is as easy as prancing through daisies to him, what with his magical affinity for fire and all.

Sven grasps Dyme's hand and shakes it warmly in his firm grip. His palms are probably about as thick as he professes his feet are.]

Dyme! That's a good name. Can you tell me how on Earth--or off Earth, I guess--we ended up between universes?

Oh. Yeah, that'd definitely help.

[The healing part. Besides that, he thought he'd heard about people who went barefoot a lot getting like, thick calluses or something. He still wouldn't trust the ground enough to go around without shoes on himself, though.]

Thanks. [Usually people poked fun at his name, so this was a refreshing change of pace.] Um. That's a good question. I guess the answer is that we've all been kidnapped by a train that travels between worlds. I dunno how it does that though. I wish I did. Maybe it's science? Or magic? I dunno.

You know, there are people who would say those are the same thing. Magic and science, I mean. They're wrong, of course, but people still like to say it. Not that I was ever much an expert in science, but from my first hand experiences in magic...I'd say that if science is set of laws that determines how our universe functions, magic is the power to say nuts to that and make things work the way you want them to. Within the limits of your own power, of course. I guess you could say at a stretch that magic isn't exempt from the laws of thermodynamics, at least for us scrubs who aren't gods.

[Sorry Dyme, you've awakened Sven's slumbering inner scholar. It's been a while since he's had to consider these kinds of questions...who'd have thought he'd have come across a related problem that wasn't purely academic, but a very real situation they need to unravel from the inside?]

Magic seems most likely to me. I can't think what kind of universal force of law alone could separate me from my patron. For such a force to have spirited me away from El'Nil'm in a moment's notice, without a power struggle...well, this "train" you speak of must be a mighty force indeed.

Right...

[That was a lot to take in, and it took him a few moments to process all of it.]

Your...patron?

[That was his first point of confusion, on top of...the whole thing about science and magic. He was still getting used to magic, honestly, but it wasn't as surprising as it was when he'd first arrived here.]

It might be magic, I guess. It's as good an idea as any. I was leaning more towards something science-y myself, but that's just what I'm used to.

[Good going, Sven, you only managed to confuse the heck out of this poor dude.]

My patron? Oh, uh, well... It's like this: I made a pact with a god, and they granted me a piece of their power. And so, now I'm bonded with El'Nil'm for the rest of our time together.

[Or, that's how things were supposed to be. Sven rubs the back of his neck, frowning.]

But I can't find El'Nil'm's presence here. Wherever I am in the world, I can always feel it close by. Not in this place, though... I'm guessing you haven't had much exposure to magic?

[Alright, magic was one thing, but gods were another entirely. It didn't help that he wasn't religious at all to start with, but if he could wrap his head around being kidnapped by a train, participating in a space war, and hearing about magic in other people's worlds, he could handle gods. Maybe.]

Dude. That sounds cool. I feel like there has to be some kind of catch to it, though.

[Or was it really that easy to get some power from a god?]

No. I've had approximately zero experience with magic before this whole train thing. I didn't think it really existed, anywhere, but... now I'm seeing that it does.

[The catch was having to burn to death so that he could be remade to serve El'Nil'm to his full potential, but Sven opts not to share that bit. To be fair, even if he hadn't accepted El'Nil'm's terms he would have burned to death anyway. He would have just stayed dead.]

You're not wrong. It's a deal that goes both ways, make no mistake. I had to prove myself to gain my patron's confidence, and this power was given with the expectation that I use it to fulfil their tasks. But I believe in El'Nil'm's vision with all my heart, so really it's not any great cost to me. I'm happy to follow.

[He's El'Nil'm's servant, yes, but he also considers the two of them partners. Sven took up the Petals of Nil willingly, and with it, El'Nil'm's cause. His old live burned away, he had nothing to leave behind.]

Really...magic was such a hidden thing back home for you? That's difficult to believe. I mean, not that I have a choice, of course. It's not that I don't trust you to know your own world but...really?

[Even if there were towns back on Sven's world that lacked local spell-casters, magic was just something everybody knew about. Its existence was as sure as any other force of nature, like the sun or rain.]

This must be something of a culture shock for you, huh? Well, you've got a lot of mighty interesting stuff to learn about for the first time! That's a good thing.

Is it a good vision?

[He kind of assumed it was, if someone was so happy to follow it, but people also followed terrible things with the same amount of passion, and sometimes it was hard to tell the difference at first.]

Yup, really. As far as I know, magic doesn't exist at all back home. I'm used to like, aliens, though? Which I know is still wild to some people.

[Even back home, that was. Some people just weren't used to meeting aliens or interacting with them, even though it was becoming more and more common.]

A little bit, yeah. But it's also pretty cool. Like you said, there's a lot to learn and I...like learning, actually.

[Sven nodded sagely. He believes in El'Nil'm's vision...it was a pretty simple one, after all. As straight-forward a mission statement as they come.]

It is a good vision. El'Nil'm has watched over humanity ever since the first people were using fire to keep themselves warm and protected against the wildernesses of early Earth. I was blessed with the same mission as all of the patron's former servants: I protect people. From disaster, from each other...sometimes against the will of other gods who are, shall we say, less charitable towards humankind.

Sure would be interesting to see what any world could possibly look like if not shaped by magic. What are these "alien" things?

That's...actually really nice, yeah.

[And wholesome.

Right, aliens. After failing to properly explain computers to someone before, he was determined to try really hard this time. Alright, so, explaining aliens was probably going to be way easier than explaining what a computer was, but still.

He took a deep breath.]

So, you know how there are other planets in space? Aliens are beings from those planets. My world has a lot of space travel and trade, so I'm used to seeing aliens around the city. The ones we trade with are pretty nice, most of the time.

Edited (when you see a typo right as you hit post...) 2020-05-08 00:09 (UTC)

[Sven at least knows about the planets. From the very first time the species lifted their eyes to the night sky, mankind has ascribes different lores and personalities to the planets. Some are written to be home to the gods, or even gods themselves. The celestial unknown is a facet of theology that Sven has always approached delicately and with a level of scholarly scepticism. There's little hard evidence to help determine which legends might once have been based in truth, however much they've deviated into fiction over the centuries. But it all seemed a matter of little significance when dwarfed by the simple fact that the night sky was not, and would never be mankind's domain.

...And then in comes this guy talking about trading with beings from other planets.]

You...you don't say. [Sven finally replies...several moments of stunned silence later. His brain is caught up in a whirlwind of questions and philosophical implications. He desperately scrabbles to grab onto one, any one.] How did you..."get into" space?

[Dyme couldn't really appreciate just how mindblowing this kind of thing was. It was something he'd grown up with, been used to his entire life, just like his world's level of technology, and everything else that came with it.

He laughed a little.]

I am so not the guy to talk to about space travel, but. Uh. I guess we started off with unmanned rockets and satellites and stuff? And then people worked on better rockets and spaceships and stuff. I don't know the specifics behind anything, just that it needs a lot of power and stuff.

[And he was really bad at explaining things.]

[Humanity, freely moving among the stars. It's such an impossible idea. Blasphemous, even.]

I barely caught a word of that, but are you telling me humans figured out how to build...things to take them to beyond the stars? You managed that just with human ingenuity?

Sorry, I'm really bad at explaining some things.

[Especially when so many of the concepts were entirely foreign to who he was trying to explain it to. He didn't know enough about how things worked to explain them properly.]

But yeah, that's it! I mean, it wasn't easy, it took like, hundreds of years, but people got there. I've never been off planet myself though, until now, I guess.

I...think it's just a lot for me to take in. It sounds incredible. But also, really, really wrong.

[Sven waves a hand dismissively, looking uncomfortable.]

Maybe I'm just naive. The gods exist everywhere around us, not in any one place, but humans were never supposed to touch the stars. But maybe journeying into space is just a part of our evolution.

[Maybe just because mankind never could reach the stars, that didn't mean they were forbidden from them.]

I completely understand that it's A Lot. Like, especially if you're not used to anything close to space travel, it's just--

[He mimed that it was mind-blowing, without any idea if it would come across properly to anyone who wasn't used to that kind of terminology. And he meant it completely sincerely, without any sort of mockery.]

And maybe, yeah. People are naturally curious, right? They'll figure out how to do amazing things, if they can.

[Like exploring space or the oceans or other planets.]

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A New Platform [Intro Post May]

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