A New Platform [Intro Post October]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Horsehoe. Points have been updated on the system and new stock is available."

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. The first thing they may notice is that this platform is inside a basic shelter, making it warmer than the last couple at least.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Adora, Alex Hashimoto, Catra, Cloud Strife, Elizabeth Midford, Feanor, Gerome, Gladiolus Amicitia, Glimmer, Ifrit, Isabella D’Oro, Maru, Nari Reno, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Prompto Argentum, Scorpia, Siobahn Chereshei, SXT-2, Tamamo-no-Mae, Tony Stark, Uta, Zidane Tribal

But on the platform itself there are many new faces. Wearing hoodies in all four colours 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 gloomy, even without the steam and fog. They are in a wooden building, open to the tracks on one side. It in a creaky shelter, cobwebs hang from the rafters and there is a peculiar whistle as wind finds its way through the cracks.

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 gloom 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, with… teddy bear shaped luncheon meat being the main ingredient to be found. There are plenty of other staples.

A new carriage has been added, those that go to investigate will find a room full of lockers, designated as the Armoury. Even for passengers without weapons it is somewhere to secure possessions. There are instructions on how to use the lockers and enough for everyone to claim one.

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 braving the snow 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

[swansongs]

"Kind of," he said. "I think every single person here's stared into the void at some point or another." He certainly had, and then he'd promptly gotten a headache. That had been a while ago though, and now it was just a thing that existed. He wondered if that was how people who lived around auroras felt, that eventually they stopped being so beautiful and started being just another experience. "It makes you sick after a while though, dunno why."

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin turns to her and sees the tears in her eyes. She's new, so she's not grieving for any of the Void Warriors who are leaving, and thus it must be something else.

"It is very difficult to say goodbye," he agrees. "Especially to my father. You don't need to apologize for interrupting." He gestures toward the turnstyle, where the people are swiftly vanishing as they walk through it. The steam and fog envelope them and they are all gone, as though they had never been here at all.

"You had to leave your home without saying goodbye? I am sorry for you, then. Yes, would you sing your song? I'd appreciate it." He smiles through his tears.

[swansongs]

Dyme shrugged. "I dunno. I just know it makes people sick if you look at it too long. It's cool though, isn't it?" It was different than anything he'd ever seen before, and he wished he could understand it better, but if there was any real explanation for what the void was, he didn't know it.

[swansongs]

Dyme's smile brightened. "That was kind of what I was hoping for, making people feel welcomed." He knew getting pulled onto the train for the first time really sucked, and he was still upset himself if he thought about it too hard, but not everything was bad here. There was a lot of good, too.

"Plus, I thought maybe it'd make the train feel less ominous for everyone who just got here."

[zechs_isonfire]

... Perhaps another time.

[ He frowned and looked around. ]

I'm far more concerned about why we've been gathered here.

[ayao]

I am seeking that answer too.

[He looks around the platform, a chill climbing his spine.]

I can see no exit. I think we must board.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin had come to the kitchen to make some coffee, and there was Ichigo. He smiled at him and answered, "I have to agree, I'd rather eat chocolate than Teddy Bear Luncheon Meat!"

The pat on the shoulder brought traces of the earlier tears back. His dark gray eyes sparkled a little, and one of the tears ran down his cheek. "Not really. It was hard to watch friends and teammates vanish through the turnstyle, especially my father. We had barely a year to get to know each other again, and now he's gone, and I don't know if I'll ever see him again. And I'm grieved for my mother's sake, too."

[zechs_isonfire]

[ A chill, a suggestion of terror. Like Tallgeese reminding him not to take Sanc. ]

Go on ahead. I'm going to take a second look around. There's no-one here compelling us to board, is there?

[so_dark_a_road]

Fëanor vanishes through the turnstyle, the last of the Void Warriors to disappear into the gloomy mist.

Curufin turns around and accepts the offered hug gratefully. He leans his head on Glorfindel's shoulder. "I hope you are right. I so hope he comes back. The multiverse is wide and deep, but there's no telling. What if I never see him again?"

[ayao]

Not that I've seen, but I have walked along the edges of the crowd and I see no doors or passageways.

[So that leads him to believe they are meant to go one way. Like herded sheep.]

[forleaving]

He nodded. "I did, I just haven't finished reading it yet." But he'd been working on it. "So the pamphlet's accurate?" If someone could confirm the information in it, he would feel better about reading it and being determined to commit the contents to memory.

D

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Kitty enters the Standard coach actually on her way towards the Quiet coach when she notices the girl seated at one of the tables, holding something closer to her chest. ]

Uh, hey...are you okay?

[forleaving]

For a moment, he'd actually forgotten that they were probably on a time schedule with the train leaving. The idea of boarding made him uneasy, even as he felt compelled to step on at the same time. It was the kind of conflict that was familiar to him though, at least in theory.

Adam suspected the long answer was also full of mysteries and things they didn't have answers to. Adam enjoyed a good puzzle himself, but he enjoyed them less when they snatched him out of his dorm room. Which made him wonder how long Ronan had been here. Adam had seen him just a few hours ago. What had happened between then and now?

"We can talk about it on board, then." It was phrased as a statement, but almost uncertain enough to be a question. He didn't know what it was like on board, if it was safe, or what would happen.

Platform

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin turns to the small Cultivator and smiles. "I'm not a Cultivator, at least not by your standards. I'm an Elf, and we do have magic, it's just different than yours."

And now to answer the real question. "You're on the platform of a Void Train, and in a little while, we'll get on the train and it will take off into Void-space. That's one word for the interval between universes. The train is a sentient entity that collects people who have skills that may be useful on the missions it sends us on. We go to worlds that are in trouble and help the people there."

He shakes his head and smiles a little. "You're a long way from your own world now."

[shutupnail]

"Yes," he said simply. He probably would have left it that way but he could hear the challenge in Zechs's question. So after a brief moment he continued.

"I already have one student on board that has learned to fly and control her energy, and another well on his way. Several warriors have gained a lot of mastery over their techniques training with me and new beginners are learning martial arts quite well. They'll take the longest to learn ki manipulation, of course, but as far as I'm concerned anyone can learn the techniques I teach."

Which was true enough. It may have been hard for some, but not impossible for any. Whether it was because it was viable no matter where in the multiverse they were or simply because this multiverse in particular matched up well enough to his own, well, it didn't matter to Piccolo what the specifics were. It was possible.

Platform

[goingthroughaphase]

[ Kitty has been through and seen a lot in her life. She'd fought against many strong opponents, and risked her life countless of times. Since her powers first manifested, she's gotten used to a lot of things.

Bugs are not one of those things.

The exclamation is all the warning Kitty gets, and as she turns in that direction, she just manages to catch a bug-looking creature in the face.

And then the platform echoes with the sound of a piercing shriek. ]

[tokenloveinterest]

Then just sit back and watch!

[this is reassuring right]

[tokenloveinterest]

It wasn't a train station last time, but I've been taken to an alternate dimension before. The one who did it all had to be beaten in a duel before we could go home. So....

[This isn't quite true, but Rei still doesn't have the entire picture.]

[namethattune]

[Admittedly, the critter is endearing in its enthusiasm, in an odd sort of way.]

It's alright. No harm done.

[He turns the critter around to face the young man - they seem to be rather bonded - and gently lowers it to the ground.]

[goingthroughaphase]

Kitty had come to the platform to meet some of the new travelers when she saw the woman seem to collapse, and with a gasp she hurries over.

"H-Hey...! Are you okay? D-Do you need some help?"

[storms_eye]

[Ok. Why was this sort of thing so normal to everyone else?]

I.. uh.. think this might be the exception then. Most people don't even know what duel monsters is here.

[tokenloveinterest]

Seriously? How is that possible?

[namethattune]

"At no point did I accuse your musical number of being untrue." Siebren folds his arms. If the book wishes to challenge an astrophysicist to a battle of pedantry, it best be prepared to deal with the consequences. "I accused it of being biased, which it undeniably is. Every opinion you attempt to present as fact is indeed informative, but only if your intention is to inform your audience of your opinions. For example, your statement on team colors: how do you quantify "dumb?" Is there a basis of comparison? A set scale? If so, by whom is it set? Is it a fully investigated and verified claim, or is it simply what you think?"

Train

[goingthroughaphase]

Kitty stiffened just a bit when the other girl spoke to her, afraid that she'd been caught peering at the projection from the glove.

"Oh no, sorry," she said with an embarrassed smile. "I didn't mean to stare. Um...are you a new passenger?"

[winterforecast]

Because he was in my way, dweeb.

[How in the world was Wormmon in-]

And so are you, nya.

[Ah, she's just looking to pick a fight. Okay.]