Not with a Bang: Conclusion

[voidtreckermods]

The base camp is a mess by the time the fight is over. The heavy rain alone would have been enough, but the battle has churned up the earth itself. The previously peaceful clearing is pockmarked with craters and dark puddles where ash has mixed into rainwater, along with oil and blood that swirl unpleasantly through the shallow pools. The trees are bowed outwards with the force of the powers that waged through the area, trunks shattered and torn, boughs hanging haphazardly or draped with the remnants of tents and equipment.

Perhaps all that can be said is that it gives the Voidtrecker Express a decidedly clear landing spot. The train snakes its way through the jungle, coming to a stop in a familiar, though now lopsided, coil around the clearing, and opening its doors to allow injured to be carried on, or anyone from the train to disembark.

It’s clear that there are indeed people aboard - as the doors hiss open, activity is already visible inside, as well as voices audibly going back and forth over the tinny speakers of the ICP.

Now that the saboteurs are dealt with, the final repairs can be made to the damaged stations and the shields locked into place. By the time they are done, nothing and no one will be able to enter the planet - from space, anyway.

The train will remain in the clearing through the night of Imagination 12 and the morning of Imagination 13, until all the stations are prepared, the pandas returned to their rightful place and everyone has rejoined the train.

By midday of Imagination 13, the train is ready to leave. Everyone gets a message on their SCA to return to the train, if they haven’t already. Once all are onboard the doors shut and the train begins to snake through the jungle.

“Re-entering Voidspace in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.”

The train rattles and shakes as the greenery around them (and the purple of a few farewell pandas) fade into the colours of the void.

Comments

[mynameisallen]

Even Allen had to sometimes acknowledge the fact that he can have his dumb moments. He still makes the,m but it's at least something that he knows they are stupid.

"If shrapnel and getting shot is considered doing well I will take it"

[irrationally]

...

Is this something Alice should be encouraging?

On the other hand, it's already an improvement by Allen standards, so..

"Sure. As long as you're not dying, I'll see it as you doing well."

[mynameisallen]

"I would know if that was the case, honestly." Considering he has nearly died in the past he knows what dying feels like. It's not nice at all.

"But I should really go check and see if there are fewer people in the medical car now and get seen to."

[irrationally]

"Yes, you indeed should."

And she will be the last person to hold him up when it comes to that - especially since she's usually the one nagging him to take better care of himself. Hopefully the initial stream of people requiring medical attention will have stopped by now, so Allen won't feel bad about asking for a turn.

"I suppose I shall see you later."