voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post July]

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A New Platform [Intro Post July]

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!

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"Thanks, Buttercup. You can just call me Masumi, though." [Masumi was very genuinely thankful for that info about the third occupant of the cabin, giving the currently empty bunk in question a glance as she began digging through her bag.

The bag seemed to mostly contain clothes and necessities, though buried at the bottom was a somewhat squashed, but familiar blue hat.]

"Oh, my hat!" [Ignoring everything she'd just dug out of the bag for the moment, she did her best to unsquash the hat before putting it on.]

Do that be being yours from home? [Seemed that way. A hat wasn't in the standard things everyone got after all.] Everyone do be having one thing that do be being theirs as well as the weird clothes we did be getting.

“Yup, it’s my hat from home. My brother used to wear similar hats, so I’m happy that this was in there.”

[Having emptied the bag out, Masumi began storing the contents away in her cubby, save for the hat, which she continued to wear, and the raincoat she’d arrived wearing, which she would probably need to let dry before it could be put away.]

“So, everyone gets something from home in their bag?” [It was certainly a welcome surprise to find out about after everything that had happened so far.]

You do be having a brother? [Who wore hats. Apparently. She continued watching the girl putting her things away.]

Yes, it seems to be being that way. Everyone do be getting one thing.

"I have two of them. The oldest one is the one who wore hats like this."

[She didn't mention the part about that particular brother being dead, primarily because that wasn't something you said to someone you just met.]

"I suppose getting something from home is nice, at least." [She still didn't know what to make of any of this, but at least she had something familiar.]

"Anyways, how long have you been here?"

[Two brothers? And one was older than her. She filed away the information.]

I did be being here six months. When I did be arriving the train did be being empty and there did only be being ten of us on the platform.

“Six months?” [That was alarming. Masumi wasn’t sure what answer she was expecting, but six months was not it. Pausing midway through trying to put her ticket in the lanyard that had been in the bag, she had to take a second to put her thoughts together before responding.]

“...So there was no one else on the train before your group? That must have been weird, having to figure things out.”

[She didn’t envy that, given how jarring the train was even with explanations about what was going on.]

It did be being weird! [She nodded, careful of her chin on the bottom of the bunk.]

We did be knowing nothing at all. It did be being stupid. We do be knowing more now, but no none of the big answers.

"None of the big answers?" [So they were still in the dark on a lot of things then. Not great.

Admittedly it also wasn't great that the train seemed to be taking children, but that was a whole other issue from the topic at hand.]

"...So, what do you know about all this? I heard about the missions and teams, but I haven't had a chance to hear much else yet."

Well we do all be being from different worlds. [She lifted her head, having got slightly dizzy, and twisted to hop down from the bed, to sit on Tony's instead so she could see her new roommate without having the blood rush to her head.]

We do no be knowing who did be bringing us here or why they do be wanting us to be doing missions, but we did be seeing a message saying they might have been breaking the laws. [Of somewhere, she had no idea.] And we might be being a rogue voidtrain.

But we do no really be knowing nothing. [She sighed.] The missions do no be being too bad. You do be being on purple. They do be being good fighters.

[Okay, might want to deal with the most concerning part of that first.]

"Wait, whoever's doing this might be breaking laws and this might be a rogue voidtrain? Is there anything else about that? When did you hear that?"

[Admittedly it made sense, given that people were being taken from their homes and weren't given much choice in being on the train, but it was not an idea that Masumi liked much regardless.]

There did be being a message, it did be being on the screens. [She pointed to the one on the table and wrinkled her nose.] It did be showing and then all the screens did be breaking and we could no be understanding each other.

[She shrugged, it had been stupid.]

A long time ago we did be having an inspection and the message did be being the report from that.

"So there was a message about this possibly being a rogue voidtrain, then the screens broke and no one could understand each other? That's...oddly timed."

[And suspicious. Masumi had already heard about the SCAs letting people talk to each other, so that function and the screens breaking right after a message about the train possibly being rogue was not a good sign.]

"Who did the inspection?"

[She nodded, very oddly timed indeed, suspicious even. But as they still knew so little, it was hard to come to any conclusions.]

Metal people. They did be being in armour that did be covering them all and did be wearing helmets we could no be seeing into. They did be being stupid, they could just be looking at you and be making you be stopping moving.

“Okay, let me get this all straight. Armoured people who could make you stop moving just by looking at you came to the train to do an inspection, then after that there was a message about the train being rogue, which resulted in the screens breaking and everyone being unable to understand each other?”

[She needs a moment to just. Absorb that whole chain of events. It really felt like something was being hidden here and she didn’t like it.]

“That’s really suspicious. Why wouldn’t whoever’s in charge here want us to know about the train being rogue?”

[She nodded, that was a good summery of events. Sera was good at remembering information and reporting it back.]

It do be being the most suspicious. I do no be thinking they do be wanting us to be knowing... Some people did be saying that's why everything did be breaking. But how did we be seeing the message in the first place?

[She has very little knowledge of how any kind of message system works. How had the message gotten to them in the first place?]

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A New Platform [Intro Post July]

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