A New Platform [Intro Post December]

[voidtreckermods]

On the Train

It's only been a couple of days since the Voidtrecker Express took to the void once more, and many of the passengers are still recovering and recuperating after a very hectic end to their latest mission. Nevertheless, they are awoken by a familiar message.

"Good morning passengers, it is day sixteen of the month of Imagination. Points have been updated on the system."

They have indeed, and everyone can spend the morning shopping. Those who have been on the train for 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 the windows fill with the fog that means they are at a platform. It is warm outside with a pleasant breeze that flows down the platform, rustling the light spread of leaves that litter the floor.

As usual the first to leave the train notice nothing, walking silently, rucksacks on their backs, towards the barriers. Akemi Homura, Alfred the Poisoner, Donatello Versus, Chie Satonaka, Joscelin Fitzthomas, Ronan Lynch, Rose Tyler, Tangle the Lemur, Trowa Barton, Wester Mazaki and Whisper the Wolf all pass through the platform, not looking back before 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 swirling leaves at their feet, moving in flurries and rattling against each other softly. As their eyes adjust, they will see they are on a platform, cement and packed earth forming a very practical, plain-looking shelter. Behind them is a set of barriers, and in front of them is a single track extending both ways into thick fog.

They are standing, in clothes that are not their own and a style 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 eight 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's 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 lead to something terrible. 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 (see
'Publications'). The store rooms have been restocked with more jars of honey, the ingredient of the month of Imagination, as well as sundries.

A new carriage has been added right next to the luggage carriage. It is a second medical carriage, or triage carriage. Downstairs is more open with beds and chairs, upstairs are two surgical bays for those that need immediate attention.

For those intrigued by the claim of a parcel for every passenger they will find several large boxes filled with small blue bags. Inside each bag is ten dark blue coins imprinted on each side with a silver snowflake. Each bag has a small label with a passengers name. On the other side of the label it reads: Keep these safe for now.

Of course for any passengers that have bought items, these are also scattered around the luggage carriage as well.

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 taking advantage of the pleasant weather and the doors slide shut. Veteran passengers know what will happen next, but they may wish to brief their new companions.

The train sets off, the fog obscuring the view again 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

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Heh, yeah," Lea said. "Honestly though, I kind of like talking to the train, even if I can't do it like you do. It's a little like... well, this is probably a bad analogy, but it feels like talking to a pet? At least it does to me. Like, I'm not sure how much it understands, but at least I know it's listening and hopefully not judging me."

/suddenly reminded of her own quote from The Silver Arrow a few weeks back/ XDD

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita just... had to stop and blink at that one.

"I don't know about bad, but that's a new one on me," she admitted.

"It's definitely a good listener. Maybe not so much on the action end, but I don't know anything about driving in this void."

Maybe it really was just a matter of spare power/energy. Can't help with what you can't cope with, and all.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Yeah, me neither," Lea said. "I think we're all glad we didn't have to figure that one out."

"Though that kinda makes me wonder how common it is for voidtrains to be alive like this one is. Like, are they all like that, or just the fancier ones, or is the 'legendary' Voidtrecker Express just unique like that?"

[unfavorableinstigation]

"I'm not sure anyone even asked; it'd be good to know how 'unique' this train is supposed to be. Halo mentioned it being 'the ultimate', and I'm not sure what that means..."

And if it had spent all its life being a class of its own, with no one to relate to - that itself could cause it problems.

And, more than likely, was causing it problems already.

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Most things called 'the ultimate' tend not to be, in my experience," Lea said. "If only because a lot of people take that as a challenge and try to outdo it. I mean, yeah, the Voidtrecker's pretty cool, but we don't really have much to compare it to, you know? For all we know it could be a bit above average and just have ton of hype built up around it."

"Though on the other hand, Captain Halo could've been 100% right. It might be the ultimate, greatest ever void train, something that really deserves to be legendary. And if it is, that's all the more reason to avoid the Void Ministry's lackeys; aside from what they might do with us, anything that's the 'ultimate'? People want it. And some of those people would do some very icky things to get what they want."

He sighed. "The fact is we just don't have enough facts," he said. "And no reliable way to get more, since the people who would be the ones you'd usually ask about stuff like this think we're all criminals."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Maybe it existed before there were tethers?"

It's a shot in the dark, but that would be a measure of note.

Nita sighed.

"Just our luck. Still... save it for a rainy day?"

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Maybe," Lea said. "If I understand the whole 'tethering' thing right, that really would be something."

"But yeah, I've got it memorized for now. Can't really do a whole lot with all this theorizing in the meantime, but it does get you thinking." And speaking of which, he paused, considering.

"You know... I wonder if the Voidtrecker is so 'legendary' mainly because so much information about it's been lost? Like, my world's distant past is called 'The Age of Fairy Tales', partly because so little solid information about it is left; mostly just legends and stories."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"... But why only the Voidtrecker Express, and not the rest of Enrara? How would just that train make the impression? And-" she thought, another magazine-excerpt coming to mind.

"Aren't the tales of Captain V the same way? Lots of gruesome details, not so much facts."

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea shrugged. "The train went all over the place, " he said. "Whereas worlds tend to stay put for the most part. It actually makes sense that if people would remember anything about it, it'd be the one thing they'd actually seen personally. Plus the train could keep going places and adding more fuel to the fire; a mysterious train with no known home port, roaming the void-ways for as long as anyone could remember, or something like that."

"And yeah. Lots of flourish, but nothing really helpful. We've got the same problem back home. Master Yen Sid has a bit more information than most, but really, it feels like we're trying to figure out what our enemy is planning based on bedtime stories and legends."

[unfavorableinstigation]

"Why not any other voidcraft, though? I doubt it was the only one with those kinds of rounds..."

Though for that, they'd need to know more about how void missionaries in general operated. Sigh.

"There's a lot to be said about how time and causality really work; sometimes it's like all of reality is a series of reflecting two-way mirrors."

[hotheadwarmheart]

"Man, don't even get me started on time travel weirdness," Lea said. "I don't have a clue how any of that works, and trying to figure it out just gives me a headache."

"As for why only the Voidtrecker and not any other trains or anything? No idea. Could be something in the train itself, or something it was doing at the time, like with Captain Halo's. Or it could just be dumb luck." he shrugged. "No telling, really."

[unfavorableinstigation]

Nita sighs, more emphatically than before.

"Let's table it for now, then? Same with the coins."

But she won't forget it, that's for sure.

Good place to wrap?

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea nodded. "Sounds good," he said. "We're not rally getting anywhere with it anyway. And besides; we've got a platform to get to."