A New Platform [Intro Post July]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

Luckily for everyone the final couple of days of Fiddlesticks are quiet and mostly uneventful. Eventually though they awake to the announcement. "Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Grasshopper. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train a while will be expecting the second announcement that comes a few hours later.

"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. Also a loud pattering sound, which they will discover once the doors open are hailstones. They might want to grab their raincoats.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Ann Takamaki, Drizzt, Geralt, Huehuecóyotl, Ignis Scientia, Ivy Wakefield, Jiang Yanli, Lan Sizhui, Maebhrin Tillinath, May Parker, Nie Huaisang, Osomatsu Matsuno, Raven, Roxas, Shaw, The Iron Bull, Ultimo, Wei Wuxian, Yuki Sohma, Yuffie, Yukito Tsukishiro

But on the platform itself there are many new faces. Wearing hoodies and waterproofs, in various states of confusion.

For New Passengers

At first all they can see is steam. Billowing around them as they come to their senses. The second thing they will notice is it is cold, hailstones rain down around them, though they don’t last long on the platform ground, melting into slush.

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 nineteen figures all facing the tracks, all dressed in cargo trousers and hoodies. 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. Most are wearing the same hoodie in one of the four colours, red, orange, blue and purple though some are sporting different clothes in a variety of styles.

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.

Indeed whereas usually there is plenty time for people to be met and brought slowly onto the train, the whistles blow a lot quicker this time, as if hurrying the passengers along.

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, it seems carrots have taken over the bacon, though there are plenty of other staples.

Those from blue team who go to investigate will find a box of biscuits. There is enough for the whole team, including new passengers. Join in your team's success!

Those who are not new will quickly discover some changes made to make the train accessible to those who can’t see, including Braille translations of all the signs around the train.

There is of course the new music room to explore. A double carriage, the downstairs has instruments to learn and practice with, as well as a series of music screen points. Those who play around with the screens will soon discover their SCA’s can now store music and can choose their favourites to listen to around the train.

Upstairs is a performance area and holds a piano.

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 over the noise of the hail stones 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

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Technically, I've done the sort of open-ended agreement that would get me into situations like this," Nita admits.

"But Nautilus relied on us choosing to follow the Call, and in terms of back home the Powers aren't even reachable here, so it seems simpler somehow that all the usual measures were bypassed."

Since none of their worlds had known of the void.

"It's like- hold on, I got a magazine this month that's related to this, I'll fetch it."

She gets up, then, and when she's back she opens Great Trains of the Void to a picture of an all-black train with a red V on it.

"We're not from any void-active worlds, right? And this train went around revealing knowledge of the void to cause chaos in those places."

She's going somewhere with this, Tidus.

[blitzcheer]

There is someone smart and actually capable of an intellectual conversation about this subject and hint, it's not the guy who initiated it.

Because Nita starts talking and Tidus is easily lost, and glad when she says she's got a magazine because that means reading, some extra help, and magazines rarely mean a wall of text that a book might.

Tidus hangs himself off the back of the couch more, expecting maybe to be handed the magazine. Regardless, to the words she said:

"Uhh... it revealed the void to worlds that don't know about the void, you mean?"

Or to void knowing...people? Sorry, he's a little slow and Trying.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Yes; it doesn't say who was running the train, just that and how the Void Ministry took it down."

Though not with as much focus on the 'how' as Nita would like.

"So while it may be regulation that only void active worlds send trains out on void missions, it's not unthinkable that someone would focus on recruiting - or 'recruiting' from non-void active worlds instead. And they don't have to worry about the rules, that way. Like consent."

She hands the magazine to him to flip through.

[blitzcheer]

Tidus is slooowly attempting to digest what she's saying while taking the offered magazine. His brow furrowed hard as he uses that thing called a brain. He may need to lay off doing that and reading though, by the way the words (even if they're not a wall of tiny text) become scrambled in front of him.

"So... it's revealing void travel to people who don't know about it, and picking out people from those places too so it can work outside the books." He's repeating her for his own benefit, to make certain he's understanding right.

"Why do you think it's doing that though? I guess I get grabbing people the Void Police aren't looking at," or the Void Ministry, same deal, "but what does sharing about void travel do?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

She'll give him a couple minutes just to go through the magazine - giving the boy a break, because she DOES know she just did a big ol' infodump there.

"Yep."

As for why?

"That's just a matter of course, I think; we don't exactly get a primer on what the void is when we arrive. As for those other worlds... some places are pretty self-centric, thinking themselves the center of life in whatever universe, so when someone else shows up with definitive proof, well."

Tidus can probably imagine.

"Wizardry's a secret on the Earth I'm from, overall, and that's because most societies there aren't ready to handle the paradigm shift. Telling them about void travel would be similar in scope, and consequence."

[blitzcheer]

'Tidus can probably imagine' hah that's what Nita thinks!!

Even with the time taken to make sure he's following her, it's an entirely different playing field from what Tidus is used to, that he's not certain he'll feel any smarter by the end of this. ...but maybe he'll end up taking the book, and hoping it helps.

"So kinda...giving someone the middle finger for keeping this a secret, just 'cause? But going on world saving missions too?" He pauses, thinking he's finished, except another thought attaches itself on the by the way his expression shifts and he tacks on:

"But...have the planets we've been hitting been just void, uh...knowing planets? Or a mix?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

Oh Tidus. XD

Nita is fine with him keeping the magazine, though, and makes no moves to take it back.

"That might be it. Kind of sounds like there's a lack of trust of the void ministry going on here, put that way."

Though who's not trusting whom is up in the air.

"And I'd say mostly they don't know of the void. I can think of two exceptions, and both of those missions involved normal-space travel as well, but we haven't encountered other voidcraft yet."

Then she frowns.

"And we were in a real big hurry to leave after the space mission I was there for, and that planet did have a void ministry outpost."

[blitzcheer]

Huuuh. Tidus sits in a new silence, letting his head laze from one side to another again, a frustrated but low hum between his lips. Voids, ministries, weird nonsensical choices...

"...this stuff's too confusing," he concludes with a huff. "If it's gonna go out of its way to do that, the least it can do is help the people it's taking, you know? I can think of one guy whose world can do with having people go in and giving the jerks there what they deserve."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Same here," Nita agrees wryly.

"If those visions could be more easily directable, it might save us all a lot of trouble, literally."

She leans against the car's wall, humming as she thinks it over.

"I know that's not an easy thing to ask for, though."

[blitzcheer]

"That's another headache, huh? Why people are getting those visions in the first place!"

But he scoffs, though not with much heart.

"Considering how many people we have and the stuff half of them could do, maybe there's some way we could figure more stuff out. But there's not a lot we can if the train or whoever doesn't want to work with us."

/quotes canon for this joke because it never stops being appropriate.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"I'd say it's a void sickness symptom, but that doesn't add up, if it's only once a month..."

Unless the 'three days' worth' of hallucinations didn't have to be cumulative.

Fun thoughts!

"It's like the old lightbulb joke," Nita says.

"It has to want to change."

[blitzcheer]

"...do lightbulbs change where you're from?"

The joke. It is wasted on this boy. Look at this curiously confused face.

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita looks briefly dumbfounded, but fortunately she recovers.

"They usually need to be changed, rather."

But hurray for subject change?

[blitzcheer]

...did she misspeak or did he not get the joke you know what he's going to go for a subject change--

"Well," ahem, "short of refusing to do anything unless it gives us answers... I dunno what we can do right now to make it more talkative. And I don't think beating up the train's gonna help."

And he doesn't particularly want to smash up the train either, despite being usually the face for his ire.

"Is the plan just to keep trying to talk at the train 'til it responds?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

They can just write it off as a communication fumble, it's fine.

"Or annoying it into talking, if we have to."

Not harming it, but not necessarily just playing nice, either.

[blitzcheer]

"Annoying, huh? If that'd work..."

But he's thinking while he's talking at the same time, remember the feedback post, but also another oddity that makes him frown in a stiff way.

"I was trying to figure out if I annoyed it and it was trying to buy me off yesterday. Saw I had over 200 points to my name all of the sudden, but nothing I asked for got changed."

And here's a pause, and that stiff frown better souring.

"You know it stuck one of my roommates in a bathtub? She's a tiny whale, but that bathtub's tinier. And the floor gets wet every morning! And my bed!"

He has a lot of Complaints.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Wait, what?"

That part about the points was confusing, but then Nita's distracted by mention of her whale-sister.

"You mean S'reee?"

She nods, frowning again.

"Yeah, I've seen. Been trying to work spatial-distorting spells on it, but it's an ongoing process."

Having a wet bed when it's not supposed to be one is no fun, though.

[blitzcheer]

"You have?" Oh, well, he wasn't expecting that, but no biggy. Whale's got to have friends. "But yeah, S'reee's my roommate! I don't mind her, but I mind the way the train's treating her. Like seriously?"

It's rude. The train is rude.

[unfavorableinstigation]

"I'm surprised she's here to begin with - if it wasn't for the other place she'd been to first, she wouldn't have fit."

And while some Voidtreckers are tall, they're not larger than the train itself!

"Though I'm still glad to see her, all the same. Still, we've got to do what we can. And keep pushing for change."

[blitzcheer]

He huffs, close to a snort, and rests his chin on his arms, the magazine being held aside in one hand.

"You still wanna try spamming the feedback post 'til we get banned?"

Or dumped in the wild on a random planet still hoping for that one!!

Approaching... thread wrap...

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Yup. Planning on asking the rest of the train if they want to join in, but for now: want to pester it on one of the things you mentioned together?"

Like helping out S'reee!

time for another thread for more rewards--

[blitzcheer]

That gets a light laugh out of him.

"Sure! Want me to throw in one for you too?"

AW YEE! (Wrap)

[unfavorableinstigation]

"You bet! Ask it about letting us contact worlds we've visited before."

Both their homes and the places they had helped on missions.

[blitzcheer]

And so they went and did exactly that.