VoidTrecker Express OOC

Here is the information for those who are taking part in the player plot for digging deeper into the train data and missing files/memories. I believe there is a log planned and people can pick and chose from this list which things their character learned and came across. You can use this post to plot that if you wish.

If you have any more questions or anything specific you want to look further into please feel free to ask. They won't be able to pry any deeper into the missing time and efforts to do so will result in the train yelling 'find them' and blocking them out for a time. However this is leading into our next event, for which information will be available soon!

As they already sort of knew the train isn't purely a machine, but nor is it magical/spiritual or alive in any way that they would understand it. It is a good thing that they have both those who are good at technology and programming and those who understand magic and energy because even with both of those sets of knowledge the train is weird.

It doesn't fight them and they come up against no firewalls or defences. The trust has already been established and so they are able to enter into the files.

General Workings

~ For those who know machines or programs they will find a complex machine. It keeps records of everything from air temperature to movement of passengers. A lot of this is background information- records of shop purchases, records of ICP use. Each voidtrecker has a file that gives the basics- which system they are from, species, age, team, any allergies or medical conditions.

~ The actual running of the train seems to be fully programmed/mechanical. Programs for air purification, water, heating and other life-necessary processes. There are also programs for translation and for general passenger safety. All of these life-important programs are essentially 'read only'. Those poking will not be able to change anything about any of it but the train will let them see.

~ There are comms and radio systems- some are clearly 'off line' or not connected to anything. There are sensors for outside the craft and programs for taking mission calls.

~ As for the actual 'language' of the train- there is a digital language that their SCA will translate into a digital/programming language that they understand. But this is very surface level. Indeed whilst connected to the train and trying to gather data they will learn that the train communicates on an almost emphatic level. It doesn't so much speak to them like it does using the communication program they are used to, but ideas, images and concepts are conveyed. Even those who do not have the spiritual/mental/magical sensing and are just coming at this project from a scientific/coding direction will be able to understand this whilst connected to the train.

~ Getting deeper will require those who can sense energy. The train is connected, to them, to golden strands that can be understood as tethers. Some on the train some spiralling into the void, disappearing into the unknown. If those who can read energy, souls, spirits or magic or anything else that allow them to dip into this part of things they will feel that they might be able to dig deeper, follow those threads... However if they try they will soon become overwhelmed.

They will feel that they are everywhere and nowhere all at the same time. All of a sudden before them is the void. Before them, beneath them, above them. A vast endless everything that threatens to consume them, raging at their minds.

Then through all this chaos there are lights. Glowing lights, trails of lights. Some vanish, into the distance, tantalisingly out of reach. Others lead to solid light, some close some far. It's overwhelming, both in the scope but also the feeling, pain, fear, love, joy, grief. Everything washes through them, filling them and raging through them like the currents of an ocean. The trails are almost impossible to follow, tangled and pulsing, moving, never being still.

Then for a split second they see. Everything. The train,the endlessness of the void, a deep nothingness. Looking out of the eyes of every single voidtrecker, simultaneously. A burst of images and a cacophony of sounds. They are everyone, in every soul.

It will be enough to cause them a great and deep exhaustion which will last throughout the day. It might be best to focus on other information...

Memories

~ There are logs- some of which the passengers have already seen and others they have not. They are scrambled but with enough people who know programming and computers they can restore them. There are voice and video recordings of old crew. Some are very factual others are more whimsical. It is clear throughout them that these are more than just diaries that the old crew kept, that they are speaking directly to the train through them.

~ Using those who can communicate in a more emotive sense with the train will add some context- snippets of scenes explained in those journals seen through the eyes of those who wrote them. Some are clearly different than what was written- an argument spoken with great bias in a journal entry is shown to be far more complicated when witnessed. All these moments are hazy and don't last long, the train will claim it is difficult to manifest such memories like this.

~ There are years and years of entries- each year has a different set of words and once the month gets to a word beginning with Z it returns to A. There are regular gaps where it can be assumed people weren't on the train- often followed by mission reports. Most entries stop at Beetroot 5 except the few entries from Beetroot 12 that have already been shared with passengers.

~ Looking at other data they will see that on Beetroot 5 there is a communication from system #1015 asking for void help- specifically voidtrecker help. A commander explains that the system is under threat from a robot army. No one is particularly sure of where they came from - if it is another unknown planet in their system or through the void. The voidtrecker express responds with a mission.

~ The early mission data is not unlike the many other sets of mission data they will be able to find. Comm logs, runs of vitals from SCAs. But then on beetroot 12 every alarm and threat system they have been able to get access to shows an alert. There is a return to the void and then a list of lost voidtreckers- seventy eight remain. Forty of them are red team, twenty three are blue, thirteen are orange and two purple. They will recognise some names from the logs they have. Vian Tail as junior blue lead is the de-facto leader.

~ Looking at the data after the time stamp of this log there are attempts to alter part of the core coding of the voidcraft. This is where it gets fuzzy, any attempt to work out exactly what was done will lead to the train yelling at them to FIND THEM.

~ The next data after that seems to be a complete reset. No passengers. The train is a lot smaller- only one sleeper cabin, the stores and kitchens, standard, quiet, dressing and luggage carriages. The programs seem almost simpler and it is easy to find core commands. Find Heroes and Save Worlds.

~ Those trying a more emotional/magical/spiritual path to figuring things out will see the third memory here and then - correlating with the reset of physical data, the first memory. There is no indication of time that passes from one to the other.

~ Those that help out will find that they are tireder than usual over the next few days- not as exhausted as after anchoring but it will be early bedtimes all round! Their sleep is often broken by either this dream or this one.