voidtreckerexpress | A New Platform [Intro Post November]

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A New Platform [Intro Post November]

On the Train

The morning after the Halloween party passengers are once again woken by a familiar voice.

"Good morning passengers, it is day one of the month of Imagination. 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. But through the fog comes sunshine, causing patches where the light shines down to warm the concrete. Looking up passengers will not be able to see the sun through the fog, or much of the sky at all.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing as they walk silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Bryn Pendragon, Bucky Barnes, Colden Rollins, Elena, Fai D Flourite, Jiang Yanli, Juliette d'Aubigniy, Misa, Peter Parker, Samata Mahto, Satou Kuroneko, The Doctor, Tohru Mutou, Zuko, 10 Vigilant Gaze Purges The Horizon. They all walk silently and do not look back as they disappear through the barriers and into the fog beyond.

But on the platform itself there are 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 the thick fog, penetrated by beams of light. As their eyes adjust they will see they are on a platform, behind them are a set of barriers and in front of them is a single track.

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 five 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.

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 Honey is the newest ingredient, jars of honey stock the shelves and the ICP's in the kitchen have recipe ideas for the month.

A new carriage has been added, those that go to investigate will find a small but function-able spa, complete with a small hot tub and even a steam room. It is a relaxing room with sun lamps and relaxing music or nature sounds available through the ICP. There are a couple of massage tables, with a course for how to give massages for those eager to learn.

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 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!

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Tidus listens well, a sympathetic grim line of his mouth made to no contact to the ministry, so wasn't that the story of this place. But, his expression turns more sheepish at that question directed at him.

"Umm... what's terraforming?"

Zechs nodded in response, and didn't belittle that answer. Certainly, on the train, people seemed to come from a variety of places, with different levels of technology and - different histories, it seemed.

"It's the process of taking somewhere that can't support life, and changing it, so it can," Zechs started simply. "So, a planet such as Mars is arid, has little atmosphere, and is very cold. It would require a great amount of work and change to let it become habitable for humans outside of carefully controlled and closed-off colonies on the surface. Adapting the environment and changing that planet so we can live there - that is terraforming."

"Ohhhhh." It's an intrigued sound, really, and Tidus even takes a moment longer to imagine that: a planet like Mars in the first place, and then the results that Zechs is talking about. Eyes flickering away before returning on him.

"People can do that? Just...change an entire planet's landscape?" But Zechs spoke about repair technicians, right? "You got tech that helps with that? That's a pretty big change, whatever you use!"

"Hopefully, if everyone's science is correct," Zechs told him, "as this is humanity's first attempt at trying it. We anticipate it will take a very long time. But we do believe the technology we have now makes it possible."

He shrugged slightly. "It might take longer than my lifetime, or even the lifetime of the next generation - but it will improve lives for those people after, giving humanity more space to expand and grow."

"That's great!" Whatever the likelihood, the time it'll take or whatever else, Tidus lights up at the possibility. Smiling at that potential future.

"I thought just going out there into space was amazing enough! Geez, your side of the space-o-sphere's got a lot happening. Hey, good luck with that," he adds, nodding at Zechs, that smile not having left him.

"So are you a science-y guy?" Or, maybe to be more specific- "You know how to work tech?"

His expression softened just a tad in the face of Tidus' cheerful enthusiasm. "Thank you. I'm hopeful everything goes well."

Zechs frowned just slightly, and explained, "I know how to work as a technician, of a sort ... I'm not exactly a scientist. I'm educated enough to be curious about what's happening, and attempt to learn - but I can't even begin to replicate what the scientists at the terraforming project are doing. They've got skills and knowledge that they've spent years learning."

"I'm just helping keep us all alive, repairing the colony we're currently living in."

"Oh-" Tidus nods in understanding, a little quick to explain, "It's just, we're all from different backgrounds, different skills. Even if you just know how to put a tool to some wires, that's more than some of us. It's good to know! ...Plus, I guess the last guy smart with tech and everything else I met wanted a hundred projects."

So, maybe he was preparing for another situation like that.

"But if you're happy with reading, that's fine too." He's not exactly got a handful of projects to dump onto the first competent guy he finds.

"I found out some more about the ministry - maybe Nita already told you? Some guys actually went to one of their offices, but I don't know how serious the ministry took them. They went to file a complaint, but they didn't give any way for 'em to get in contact with the ministry either."

His eyebrows raised a little. "Is there something to fix? I had understood that the train's actual mechanics were ... more or less inaccessible. But if there is a task that needs to be done, I will pick up that project."

Zechs just wasn't an inventor, like Tony Stark or Senku Ishigami. (Not that he knew of them, either.)

Then, he frowned again, a little deeper this time. "No, she hadn't told me that people had actually gone to their office to lodge a complaint. Is the person who'd done so ... still a captive here? How were they able to find such a location?"

"No! Not as far as I know anyway. I heard someone blew one of the microwaves, but there's things like that onboard too."

It's not all getting deep into the guts of the train. ...not that Tidus will stop Zechs from trying if he wants!

"He's still here- Curufin, from Orange Team. He and someone else went there when they came onboard, during an inspection where the train locked down all the rooms. From what he told me, the people who checked him and his friend out in the same cabin said they could go with them to file it, but they didn't see anything going there or getting back to the train. Everything sounded like it was a blank -- he didn't remember anything but being in the room, then showing up in the luggage carriage once he was done."

"I might need to speak to him in the future," Zechs thought aloud, nodding. "Thank you. It sounds as if there is an inspection in the future - we can use that as an opportunity to gain additional intelligence about our situation."

A wry, unamused smile. "Especially as the ministry appears just as stringy about giving us information as whoever or whatever is sending messages on behalf of the train itself."

"You'd think those guys would have some kind of contact info to give. But." Eh. Tidus shrugs. He had no clue how this void-travelling business worked.

"We know there's void stations, but how we reach them's the mystery. Well, I don't know how easy the train would make it anyway... You'd have to get lucky if you tried by the shop and buying books or something, I bet. I don't think whoever's running this wants us bumping into the ministry again."

"Not if they wished to avoid us," Zechs said wryly. "And, considering how little this train or its operators wants us to know anything ..."

He sighed, biting back his frustration. Tidus was not his intended target, it was pointless to get irritated with him.

"... I dislike being kept in the dark," Zechs' tone was a touch apologetic.

There's a moment before Tidus speaks -- sympathetic, hands lifting a little.

"Hey, I get it. I want off this ride too -- I want everyone off it. But..." He pauses, uncertain, but regardless, "--if you think the train and the ministry have a connection...sure, I think they did one time, long ago in the past, but the problem read like this train's scrambling whatever the ministry uses to find anything. And I don't think the ministry would put a lie out there to warn other people out in the void about us when we haven't ever seen anyone else. You know? And then there was the train messing with us too after that message slipped through and making us unable to talk to anyone."

It doesn't help the overall problem, but maybe that much helps. Tidus looks around, a quick 'hold on', and he doesn't need to go far. They left some papers here of the past missions, but also, a few copies of the ministry report copied down, written out again on the computer. Tidus takes two copies, heads back to Zechs to give him one.

"You read it. If anyone's involved with us from the ministry, it's not everyone."

Zechs conceded the point with a nod. "Fair enough. There could be various factions in the ministry as well, of course, but if the majority of them aren't in control of this train, even if there's internal feuding ... I'm speculating pointlessly. It looks like without any real information our imaginations might run wild."

And Zechs could recognize he was paranoid - sometimes, anyway.

"Thank you," Zechs said, accepting the report. Though, there was a skeptical line between his brows. "Do we know if it's accurate? These can often be faked to mislead captives or enemies, however they view us."

Tidus thinks as best he can at Zehch's question, though-

"It could be faked... but what sense does that make to do? We know the inspection had to be real- so they got boarded by ministry people... on accident, right? But then nothing happened 'til this report hit the terminal."

His frown is grimace, unsure. Doubtful.

"I don't know... I mean, what'd be the point? Who's it misleading? Us? Someone else? This is what showed up on the screens before everything got shut down. And I know some people got hot-headed with the inspectors." Tidus raises the report in gesture. "Curufin admitted he did."

So not all the details of the report are fake.

Another nod of concession. "True. You're likely correct, and I know I'm overly cautious."

Zechs explained, "Given how little information we're given, I'm only advising caution we latch onto the rare pieces of intelligence we manage to gather and consider them infallible. That's often how an enemy can manipulate you to acting against your goals."

Then, he smiled a little ruefully. "And, to be fair, they might not be our enemy. I recognize this. Yet, until we know otherwise ..."

"Hmm, what's that saying? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'?" Or whatever it might translate into in their respective languages. There's a small upward curve of Tidus's smile too however, wry.

"One way or another we're stuck out here, and the train doesn't seem to like the ministry much. I wouldn't mind giving the train a scare - if I could."

But wishes are also fishes, and so on.

"Not a lot to do though, here." In terms of spooking a train who has you under their lock and key. "Maybe you can think of somethin', being a space guy."

Zechs had to chuckle. "That is the saying I'm familiar with, yes. Though I've been in situations where there's a decided three way of enemies, let's hope we're not in that complicated a mess."

Though he had his suspicions that they were.

He sighed a little. "I've been doing my best to think of options, but the lack of information has been limiting. It is reassuring to find others who aren't entirely comfortable or complacent, admittedly."

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A New Platform [Intro Post November]

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