A new platform [intro post September]

[voidtreckermods]

For those on the train

“Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Bassoon.” The train announces the morning the month changes. It seems the train counts months in days of thirty. Team Points have been updated on the system.

The day continues as most days do, chores, eating, getting ready for another day. But those who suspect that a change of month may bring something else are correct. It is only an hour or two later that there is another announcement.

“Shortly arriving into a designated void platform. Exit from void imminent.”

By now they should know to hold on as the train jerks and jolts. There is only fog outside the windows but the train soon comes to a stop. The doors hiss open.

As they exit into the fog they may notice Evie exiting from the luggage carriage door. Much like Hibiki the last time they were on a platform. She leaves the train, backpack on her back as she walks through the station. She heads no call, reacts to no words and cannot be stopped as she walks to the ticket barrier and disappears through it.

Strange. But even stranger still is that there on the platform that whole time is Evie. Dressed in purple, backpack on back, with her are others. Waiting for the train.

For new arrivals

At first all they can see if 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 your 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 very large, but it hold twelve figures all facing the tracks, all wearing similar clothing. The tracks stretch left and right into steam, or perhaps fog. Nothing can be seen to either side. There is a wall around the platform and the only entrance is a ticket barrier. It cannot be open, nor do there seem to be any staff.

What there is, is a train. Jet black and gleaming where it stands on the rails.Voidtrecker Express is emblazoned in the engine in gold. There is a hiss as the doors slide open.

Out step a selection of people, some less human than others, wearing clothes just like those worn by those on the platform.

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.

Once on board there is lots to explore. Passengers both old and new will hopefully be delighted to see the boredom of this train journey is somewhat alleviated by the introduction of a game carriage. Plenty of games, both familiar and new to play with your new travelling companions.
Each ICP shows the same message. If Red team go and look they will find a box in the luggage compartment that contains their prize. A dralite themed cake lolly each. There are enough for the new members of Red team too, share in your teams previous success!

The food stores have been topped up with new fresh food. Salmon has taken over as the primary ingredient of choice. Hopefully everyone likes fish!

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. For those who boarded two weeks ago they will know what is coming next.

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."

Hopefully someone warns you that you really want to heed that warning because a moment later there is 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 voidspace.

Comments

Luke Skywalker | OTA

[faithfulson]

[ Newly Arrived ]
This wasn't Mustafar.

This was the furthest thing from Mustafar, and on top of the fog, the lack of TIE fighter he had been heading toward, and the lack of his father's presence, everything in the Force felt wrong to Luke Skywalker. He should have been able to see, he should have been able to feel something, but there was nothing, save for the urge to panic slowly starting to rise in his chest. He forced it down, shifting on his feet as he tried to think, and noticed the rucksack he was carrying, instinctively felt the familiar weight of his father's old lightsaber and sensed it in the Force just after.

Without thinking about it, he slung the rucksack off his shoulder, quickly grabbing the weapon from it and slipping into one of the pockets of the strange pants he was wearing. He was afraid to find out why he was wearing different clothes, intimately aware of the fact that his prosthetic was left bare, with no compression gauntlet to be found either on his person or in the bag. It wouldn't be a problem -- his father had made certain that it would be built to his exacting specifications, after all -- he just hoped the metal appendage wouldn't scare anyone else.

Because there were definitely others here; he was beginning to sense them now, all... weird in the Force, like they were just as out of place as he was. The fog slowly cleared enough for him to see them, as well as the train that was... just there? Had he heard it pull up? He wasn't sure, and he glanced helplessly at the others, before letting out a breath.

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

[ The Train ]
Get a sense of the natives and your surroundings; those were the two most important things when it came to crashing on a planet you weren't familiar with, and Luke was following that here. He was sure to offer a small smile to anyone he passed, even saying hello, though his awkwardness with the situation was probably obvious.

He was sure to stop by his new lodgings first; he didn't particularly care what bunk he got, but it was always important to know the kind of people you'd be sharing a sleep space with. He made his way through the other cars next, mindful of the spider webs taking up one of them, frowning at the strange food in the food stores (seriously, what kind of fish was that?), and lingering curiously outside a door marked "Keep Out".

It's the game carriage that particularly catches his attention, especially the little headsets upstairs. A moment of looking over the ICP, and he ended up picking one up, turning it over in his hands curiously.

"...is this like a portable simulator?" he asked, not exactly expecting an answer, too busy being amazed by the small device.

Train

[mtsilver_conquor]

"Relax- none of us here bite, though some can be... abrasive."

She would have said Tony Stark, but she's not about to drag her bunkmate thank you very much. She does have to live with him, and avoiding someone was next to impossible on the train. That said, she does offer a friendly smile and short bow. "Hi. I'm Eva. It's nice to meet you."

[faithfulson]

Luke felt his face turn a bit pink.

"Sorry, just... I'm not used to something like this?"

It sounded like a lame excuse to his ears. Who would be used to something like this? He shook his head after a moment, before returning her bow with a polite incline of his head.

"Luke Skywalker; it's nice to meet you too."

[mtsilver_conquor]

"It's fine, Skywalker-san." Hopefully, she pronounced the name right (or close enough. It sounded heavily foreign even amongst the train's populace.) but at the same time, she's certain she didn't mangle it, unlike same Satoru would. "None of us expected it at first, and I can't say I'm still used to living on a train, even after a month."

There's a small shrug and sheepish smile. "Has anyone filled you in on things yet, even briefly?"

Tony or Sarai might have, but she doesn't want to assume.

[faithfulson]

"San"? Luke shook his head at the unusual form of address.

"Just Luke, please," he replied, before glancing around and waving to the nearest... terminal? Communication panel? He wasn't sure yet what anything was called on this thing. "I read that, but I don't really understand what all this is."

reaches for

[siriusly]

"Yeah, I'll say...where the heck did that new car come from?!"

Manabu had been thinking mostly to himself, but Luke giving voice to a bad feeling tugged the rest of his thoughts out aloud as he stood, hands on his hips, frowning toward the far end of the platform. One hand lifted and scratched at the back of his head, his tongue clicked with dislike.

"I didn't even hear a car hitch or anything, and--Uh--"

He blinked, then glanced over his shoulder at Mister Bad Feelings-Haver.

"Oh...Ah, sorry. Hello."

More new folks. How long was this going to go on, really?

REACHES BACK

[faithfulson]

Luke paused, allowing the other person to ramble on as a mild look of amusement coming to his face. Clearly he was someone that was supposed to be on the train, if what he was saying was any indication. He waited patiently for him to figure out that he was a newcomer, before offering him a smile.

“Hello.”

[siriusly]

"Sorry, uh--" He turned properly to face the new face, more than a touch sheepish. "Hi. I was just..." He hesitated, glancing over his shoulder before looking back with a shrug.

"Well, I don't know. Trying to figure out a bit more this time than I did the last stop. That is to say, I...we, uh. The folks who've been on here since, we're...still trying to figure this all out."

Hardly the most encouraging of introductions, was it? Manabu's great like that.

[faithfulson]

Luke couldn't help but let out a faint laugh. He shook his head, trying to offer him a reassuring smile.

"I've gotten the impression so far that everyone is new to this," he replied. "It's okay."

Platform

[stealsyourheart]

BOGGLE

Are you a cosplayer, or are you actually Luke Freaking Skywalker, because that is very cool.

[faithfulson]

[ Luke paused, not sure how to even respond to that. ]

Um... yes? I mean, I am Luke.

[ What was a cosplayer? ]

[stealsyourheart]

[ SQUEE ]

That. Is very awesome. Although I suppose I should maybe not be saying anything else? But I'm a fan. So. Yeah. Hi.

[faithfulson]

You're a... fan?

[ Did he exploits at the Battle of Kuat reach across the multiverse or something? He really didn't know how to respond to any of this. ]

I don't understand.

train

[pleple]

"It's a very compact piece of technology, isn't it?" More weirdness. On top of people disappearing, she could... feel this one. There was a weight around him that no one else quite had, and yet it was nothing like meeting a fellow Newtype. None of the emotional insight or the pain as her Cyber-Newtype modifications clashed with their natural power. Just a denseness, especially when he reached out with whatever powers he had.

Here, though, he wasn't pushing it very hard.

[faithfulson]

“It really is,” Luke replied, before setting the headset down, offering the person a small smile. They had a certain... sense to them, something he couldn’t quite name. It wasn’t the Force, but it was connected to something in a similar way that the Force was connected to life.

He set the headset down after a moment.

“I don’t think there’s something like this back home,” he admitted. “Most of our training equipment are full installations.”

[pleple]

The pressure doesn't hurt, so she can just talk to this dude. "Larger simulators can be attached to more powerful and accurate computers; they can simulate physical stimuli more accurately." You can put 'em on hydraulics and crud. "But these can still hone your reflexes, at least."

Re: Luke Skywalker | OTA

[myblueskies]

"A bad feeling sir? What kind of bad feeling?" Bad feelings could be useful but mostly they were bad. Good feeling were better but it's sort of a scary thing to find yourself on a platform with a train and to not know how you got here.

He punches the air, to keep his spirits up and smiles at the man. "Do you know where we are sir?"

He can't remember coming here and he doesn't have a blue hoodie like the one he is wearing right now.

[faithfulson]

Luke smiled faintly at how enthusiastic he was, despite how weird the circumstances were. He just wished he could give him more of an answer.

"No, I don't," he replied. "And I just... this doesn't feel like something normal. I can't describe it better than that."

[myblueskies]

"No it's really weird. I don't know how we got here." A bad feeling indeed.

"Have you seen a girl about my age and a little bit taller than Mr." He gestured with his hands. "With blonde hair?"

He's not sure she's here. He knew she could find him if she was close and she hasn't yet. So maybe she isn't here at all...

The Train (also sorry for this butthead)

[afterburner]

"I think it's like a virtual reality simulator, yeah." It was at least sort of close to some of the stuff she'd seen at the Institute, back home. "It's new though, it wasn't here the last time I came 'round here." If there had even been a 'round here to come to, before Renee woke up on the train this morning.

The guy's face was more than a little familiar, but for the moment, the why escaped her. Though there was a certain phrase that crossed her mind, and she was never wont to skip a little trolling when the urge struck her.

"...Aren't you a little short for a Storm Trooper?" Though she couldn't help but crack a smile, then.

[faithfulson]

Luke glanced up at her response, offering her a smile, before turning the device in his hand, marveled by it. He was so caught up in it, that he didn't notice the grin on her face, but the words did elicit a groan out of him.

"Yes, yes; Kreel likes to remind me frequently," he replied blandly. "I'm not too short for a 'coffin jockey', so that's all that matters."

[afterburner]

"Sorry, sorry, couldn't resist!" She lifted her hands in a gesture of mollification--and Renee didn't keep going, at least in part because his next comment had her derailing.

"What's a coffin jockey? And why would you be too short?" Though yeah, he was a bit shorter than she was, but she'd decided not to bring that up. It was average enough where she was from, and she was honestly a mutant freak in more ways than one, so.

"Anyway, I'm Renee Corbin. You are?" She had a sneaking suspicion...

The Train

[dredefulchilde]

This stupid train only has one thing going for it: there are video games here. And they're in VR. Joss is so gratified by this that he'll even wave off the fact that they seem to have only gotten the generic brand video games. He's busy examining not-actually-Mario Kart when someone starts talking to him. (Why are there so many Americans on this train?)

He removes the headset and looks up over the man. Not quite a man. Young, in that sticky area between adolescence and true adulthood.

"Something like it. They're video games, with VR headsets." Joss isn't certain why he's feeling so charitable, but at least he's actually fed now so he feels no desire to rip this particular human's throat out. "That's an interesting prosthesis, by the way."

[faithfulson]

Games, hunh? He supposed flight sims were kind of like games as well. Sure, they were meant for training and honing a pilot's skills, but they did keep score and competed with each other for top ranking. Of course, he'd never be able to best his father's score, but then again, very few people in the galaxy could come close to touching his score either.

At the mention of his arm, Luke grinned slightly, tapping his metal fingers against the VR headset, before setting it down.

"Thanks," he replied, before continuing without thinking. "My father had it designed for me. It feels weird having it outside of a compression gauntlet for this long, though."

[dredefulchilde]

"Dear old dad's an inventor then, is he?" Joscelin peers closer to the prosthetic limb. The way it moves is extraordinary. It's almost like he's controlling it unconsciously.

"My father never did anything like that for me. I didn't even get any of his money when he died. Can I touch it?" Joss chatters cheerfully, if callously, about his dead parent.

But since that dead parent's been gone about 650 years, that probably makes sense.