What their Eyes See: Optional Ongoing

[voidtreckermods]

By day eight the Voidtreckers have made a good deal of progress in all their tasks but there is still a lot to do to help the people of the city.

It is around mid morning when there is a message on their comms. For those that want to help it is easy to either find Anan herself or ask for netpoints and scanners to be brought to them by Chiff.

Illusions have gotten worse, uncertainty and fear are rising across all tiers and the situation is becoming more chaotic by the day. Indeed especially on the first and second tiers it seems that the voidtreckers themselves are being targeted, with creatures stalking them and attacks on their minds to make them believe that what they are seeing is real.

Same inside the Spectura system, the vines seem to almost be on the offensive against the voidtreckers though things are getting better outside the game system as more of the vicitms are freed and wake up.

Almost opposite to the situation on the lowest tier, which is getting more chaotic by the day. Anger is bubbling over, people are frightened and in a place like this the only real way to express that fear is through anger.

There has been a lot of progress but there is still a lot of work to do, especially as many of the voidtreckers have started to realise, this all seems a little too familiar.

Comments

[voidtreckernpcs]

"Hey." She nodded at him, recognising his voice from the comms and greeting him with a small smile. She is beginning to think she needs to start writing names down, there's a lot of these voidtreckers.

Chiff scrabbled over to him beeping softly as it prodded at his leg. "Don't mind them." She said, fondly, moving over herself.

"These are the netpoints." She held out a small, round, flat object that looked to be the colour of her skin, though as she passed it over to him it took on a distinctly more blue colour.

"They are pretty easy to use, just place them places, they need to be out of sight but not really well hidden as you can see."

[yondu]

He takes the net point and holds it over his palm, and then his leather coat, and then his palm again, curious about the change in color but for now not questioning it. Instead, he puts it in his pack and moves to take a few others.

"Yeah, shouldn't be a problem... So if you're a regular void traveler, I got a question for ya. I was readin' some books, an' I came across a mention of some void pirates an' a couple of investigators. You ever come across the likes of them?

He opens another part of the pack, then, eyeing her wrists because he's wondering if they're the only ones that get saddled with the wristwatch SCAs.

[voidtreckernpcs]

She hands him a few more, looking at her wrists would reveal she was indeed wearing a SCA. It doesn't look identical to his own but it's obvious enough what it was.

"Void pirates?" She tilted her head. "Heard of 'em. Luckily never ran into any myself."

She grinned at him and shooed Chiff away as the droid continued to try and scramble up his leg.

"Was it a story or a history?"

[yondu]

"History. They said the pirate part was part of the reason the Ministry came about. An' the travellin' cops was one of the littler trains? I dunno. The Ravager fleet had a code but it didn't sound like theirs did. Made me all curious like."

He watches the little robot curiously. "Oh, right, I should get them scanners. Can it do scannin'?" He sorta points in Chiff's general direction. "Got to wonderin' an' it reminded me."

[voidtreckernpcs]

"Ah pretty ancient history. Yeah there was a lot more void piracy back before the ministry when it was just systems figuring out the void themselves."

She reached into her bag, bringing out a handful of small metal squares. "Chiff can scan yes, though they are a lot more conspicuous than these things."

As if to prove it Chiff ran a green light up and down Yondu, beeping again.

[yondu]

Oh. Wait. What?

"What all could it tell with that?" He holds his hand out to accept the metal squares, patting down his scanned self with the other one.

More questions in a bit, he's figuring that strangeness out first.

[voidtreckernpcs]

"Chiff." She scolded the droid as she handed Yondu the scanner and picked up Chiff in her other hand.

A couple of taps on him and a small screen came up. She read it and then looked up at him.

"Yondu Udonta. You are 57 years old. Your cabin is U1:B, you have 103 points and you are in team Blue. I can delete the data, sorry about that. They are rude."

[yondu]

"Sort of comes all clearly labeled so it don't bother me none. I got half my life worn right in my creases on my face. I have indeed gotten paid for doin' the bare minimum compared to some other folks. An' even when I aren't wearin' the uniform people'd be able to make a good guess as to which team has me."

He chuckles at his own terrible joke at his own expense. If one could consider noting an obvious trait as being at one's own expense.

"So, I was wonderin'. How does one become a void scout. You get kicked off a train at some point?"

[voidtreckernpcs]

She laughed lightly, patting Chiff as she placed the droid down again with a soft, "Behave."

It skittered off, beeping to itself.

"I signed up and trained for it." She smiled. "Not all voidcraft are trains, though it is a very popular shape. I'm part of a bigger team and they do have a larger voidcraft though those of us who are scouts don't spend much time on it."

[yondu]

"So you actually signed up? You didn't get pressganged, you got recruited legit-like? Takin' it you're from one of the Void connected worlds then?"

Why would a train be a very popular shape? So wonders the man who is used to space ships. It occurs to him then that he'd read about famous void trains but maybe that book and them articles didn't include all the boring-ass void trains that might be out there being an average commute for some folks.

[voidtreckernpcs]

"Yeah. Boring old recruitment. No mysterious void train kidnapping for me." She smiled and shook her head.

"Most people... No literally everyone enters the void from choice. I've never heard of people being kidnapped by a voidcraft before. I believe you." She's quick to add, "But it's.... Strange."

She nodded, "I am. My world has been void active for about fifty years. So relatively recently."

[yondu]

"Okay, relevant to my interests... there any combat void craft?" Because he has to check. Come on! That sounds great.

But on a more serious note.

"Since y'all at least been on the same route for a li'l while, at least since Erda, you know what the train's chasin'? 'Cause it seems like it has a real particular hate-on for somethin' if the last couple of missions line up like they've been doin'."

[voidtreckernpcs]

"Yes, there are some voidcraft that are built primarily for fighting." She told him and then frowned.

"Wish I knew. Something is going on though, I followed some leads after Erda, there's a lot. Mostly small incidents but something strange is going on."

She sighed, "I picked up strange readings from Erda which is why I was there, same readings coming off this world. Maybe your craft read them too, though in regards to here. It came because of a voidcall to aid, made by me."

[yondu]

"Train's actin' a little like it has a grudge in my opinion. Which'd be all well an' good, but uh... I've read enough stories about captains that led their crews into the bellies of beasts 'cause they just had to win.

"So I guess I'd just like to know what we're bein' dragged into. ...I dunno. Whole damn thing is weird."

He shrugs and shakes it off.

"...Can you name me a model of combat void craft so I can look into researchin' it next time there's a world that'll give me a chance? Any of 'em pretty nimble?"

[voidtreckernpcs]

She nodded with a thoughtful hum, was there something drawing them towards this threat?

"Hopefully we will get answers. Soon." Because this was just weird, not knowing what they were up against.

She laughed at his request. "I only know the model of my own system, Void Fighter Craft 892A. They are pretty nimble though not as fast as a scouting craft."

[yondu]

"Okay, so. I know it ain't likely, but I gotta ask. What are my chances of talkin' my way into seein' it?" He makes a so-so motion with his hand.

"I can almost be charmin' if I try. See? Big smile." He flashes those jagged teeth and gestures at them. Look, he misses traveling, and as much as ninety percent of his brain has given up on the idea of life-beyond-train, ready just to continue on his merry trip to hell when his job is up.

There's still that little ten percent that'd like to keep trying. It ticks up a digit for every decent friend he makes. It's enough for him to at least make the effort to look it up later.

[voidtreckernpcs]

She laughed at that. "Very charming. I don't have a fighter craft, though I know some fighters who do. If fate ever puts us all in the same place I'll introduce you to them, I'm sure they'd give you a tour."

Chiff beeped and clambered up onto her head.

[yondu]

"...What's he sayin'?"

He suspects that the little robot does not agree that he's charming and if so that little robot is a liar, because he's absolutely charming.

Moving on, though.

"Well, I'm curious about the craft in general. But since I guess we're all gonna be busy so I guess I'll rein in my convincin' wiles about a tour. I'll definitely keep it in mind. 892A. 892A."

He takes a pen out of his pack and writes it on his hand like a motherfucking adult. "Now if any folks insist on a handshake they'll be real confused when they look at their palm later.... Alright, uh... got a favor to ask. If you see any people what used to belong to the VTE out there, could you tell 'em it's still goin' and doin' some weird shit? I gotta imagine somebody made it out in the past."

[voidtreckernpcs]

"They are saying I should show you round Kali, after all this is done. That's my craft, they aren't a fighter though."

Also perhaps that Chiff does not believe Yondu is all that charming, but they're just a scouting droid, what do they know?

"People? Past crew you mean?"

She nodded, "That's the strangest thing. We've got this rogue craft, Void ministry reports about it but no missing crew. Or at least none that's come forward."

[yondu]

"Huh.... Well, I know ever' platform we lose some. They kinda wander off with their packs an' that's about it. I thought maybe there coulda been more before it decided it liked bird-peckin' the cosmos for its favorite bits n' pieces."

He gestures around.

"Tell you what, if you're still here an' we're all still alive when this is all done, maybe I could take y'all up on that?"

Chiff is wrong, that's what Chiff is. But he might be right because he's doing the very not-exactly-charming-and-more-doofus thing of moving the datapoint from his palm to his sleeve to see how quick it changes color. Not even for strategy. Just for curiosity.

[voidtreckernpcs]

"Perhaps." She frowned, "I'll keep my ears out, see if I hear anything." It's a decent point. If it let people go, or whatever, they might be out there somewhere, back on their own worlds.

She watched him for a moment with a small smile. "Sure. If we manage to stay alive, it sounds fun."