middleofsomewhere | Event: 12 of Beetroot

It's been a couple of weeks since they had evacuated Osiga. In that time, many of voidtreckers were busy with a project to try and solve some of the many mysteries that surround the train they travel on. By the eight day of Rabbit they've exhausted all avenues, and whilst they have learned quite a bit, there are still some clear gaps.

Just as that investigation comes to a natural end, passengers are woken up by an announcement.

"Attention voidtreckers and passengers of the voidtrecker express. We are travelling to system #2554098133741. I have sent word to the ministry who have arranged recuperation packs for you. You have had a difficult mission and you deserve a rest.

But it is not just for rest. Last time we visited the system voidtreckers shared memories. Though it is understood that many of you did not enjoy the experience it is notable that certain voidtreckers saw memories of this voidcraft. They were memories that this craft had not accessed. It led to more pathways opening up in the operation of this craft.

I have done some research on the system and I believe we can trigger the caves of memory. This voidcraft understands this might be difficult for the voidtreckers and passengers of the voidtrecker express and it is hoped that only those of you who consent to this experiment will take part.

Regardless this should be a time for relaxation also and the dressing room is open for your convenience. We will arrive in the morning.

The dressing carriage is indeed opened for those who go and look. It's filled with swimming costumes, beach ware, summery clothes and sun hats. There's even a cupboard of buckets, spades, rock pooling gear and picnic blankets.

There are also team coloured tents for those who want to go and sleep under the stars for a night or two, though the train is remaining on the island for those for who camping is their idea of hell.

12 OF BEETROOT

RABBIT 9-12 ~ MEMORY CAVES: BONDING ~ MEMORY MAZE: SEARCH FOR THE TRAIN'S MEMORIES
ASK QUESTIONS ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ MEMORY CAVES ~ MEMORY MASTER POST

JEMA'GRETHY ISLAND: RELAXATION

The next day the train announces their arrival and they burst out of the void. For those near a window their first view of the island will be of crystal blue sea and white sand. It really does look like a paradise. The train circles down before landing on a grassy ridge, overlooking a beautiful beach of white sand and the ocean beyond. It is warm, but not too hot, a cool ocean breeze cutting through the heat making it pleasant. Behind them is a grassy plain, changing to forest in the distance. There is the sound of birdsong in the purple sky. To the west the land is more craggy, the silhouette of a fortress in the distance.

In a word, it is idyllic. A sense of peace permeates the island.

The place has no people, but it is clearly maintained. The eastern beaches have racks of shallow boats, both canoes and one- or two-person sailing dinghies. There is also a small building in which scuba gear is stored, along with several waterproofed manuals and instructional literature.

There are no living quarters, but there are sheltered sections with basic toilet facilities marked as camping grounds in five different sections of the island - by the hot springs, within the ruined fortress, beside the harbour, on the eastern beaches, and on the northern face of the mountain.

The recuperation packs are found at the closest toilet facilities to where the train lands. They are simple things, small gift baskets with a couple of fragrant soaps, fancier hair products and skin cream infused with herbs to encourage rest and sleep.

There are some sweet fruit biscuits and a cheesy bread. The packs aren't named but there are some suitable for the younger passengers with tiny plush and colouring books. Quite a few designed for teens with a more engaging activity book and components for making a fancy mocktail with a cute stirrer. Adult packs have a small bottle of alcohol- there's a mixture between the packs and what looks like a stone. When placed next to the skin it will either warm up or cool down depending on what is needed.

Exploring, the passengers will find beautiful beaches, ragged cliffs to walk and caves to explore. Where it is more craggy the beaches are made of pebbles, perfect for rock pooling.

A little more worrying is the volcano-like structure in the north. But even a quick glance will show it is not a typical volcano. There is no smoke and the liquid slowly running down it in rivulets is pink and blue.

Ruins of ancient houses are scattered across the island, but the main settlement is built into a rocky section in the north-west that has been secured with ropes and stairways cut into the cliffs, perfect for scrambles and hikes.

To the west are the hot springs. They have both outdoor and indoor areas; the indoor areas being wooden loghouse saunas, changing rooms and storage sheds, whilst the outdoor areas are a tiered series of pools spilling down the side of the mountain and shaded by brightly flowering trees. The waters are hot, mineral-rich and soothing.

MEMORY CAVES: BONDING

Shortly before arriving they will receive some information on their SCA. It will explain how those who once lived on this island went about making life bonds. Both people would bathe in the hot springs and then dress simply, barefoot and walk to one of seven rocks on the island. Their maps will pin point these, which is good because there's no real indication of what makes these rocks different to any other on the island.

Here they must offer their wish to know the other deeper and share food and drink. They can then go about their day. Sometime in the hours after they will receive their first memory, seen through their partners eyes.

However it seems that in envoking the ritual they have woken something on the island. Even those who did not take part or chose to bond to someone find themselves seeing a glimpse of another life.

On the second day they see another memory, through the eyes of their pair. When they come out of it they find themselves in a cave with their partner, chosen or not. The same happens on the third day, except for this final memory both pairs see both memories, watching from the sidelines as it plays out. They find themselves in the cave once more and this time, for many there is only one exit, to leave through together.

Please go here to play out the bonding process!

MEMORY MAZE: TRAIN'S MEMORIES

On the third day the train sends another message to their SCA.

"Activating the caves that share memories has been successful. I know this is a lot to ask of the voidtreckers, but any who wish to assist in discovering what it is that I have forgotten, the path is open now.

Those who wish to may go to the sacred rocks. Please be warned, I do not know how voidtreckers will fare. Please only go of your own free will."

Their SCA's once again show the rocks on their maps and when they get there, this time they are faintly glowing. It doesn't take much. One touch and their minds are drawn away from their bodies, into a labyrinth of caves. For anyone who comes across these people on the island, they look like they are in a deep trance, breathing, safe but far away in their mind.

The labyrinth is made of cool, dark rock. The walls have a glow coming from crystals in-bedded in them, allowing everyone to see as they move through.

At first there's no more to this labyrinth, or so it seems. But then they turn a corner, and they are no longer in cavern as it just was. They may be in their childhood bedroom, or in the middle of a battle they once fought. Perhaps they are not in their own memory, but someone else's. Scenes move rapidly and often merge, one persons into another, mixing to make strange scenes.

These visions don't attempt to ensnare them like some illusions, and those with protection from illusions and such techniques, will be able to find their way forward through the cave, and away from this triggered scenario.

Time barely has meaning. Indeed, when they finally emerge from the caves only a few minutes will have passed. But in that time they will have seen much, and eventually they may stumble across a fragment of memory that belongs not to a voidtrecker, but to the Voidtrecker Express itself.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions
~ You can either write memories in your tags or if they are longer/require a lot of content warnings you might want to write them in this post and link to them. Just start a top level with your character name to keep things organised!

~ For those taking part in the memory share bonding the cave post is here. Characters arrive in the cave after the second and third memory but it is obviously up to you if you play out the conversations after each or both! For those who do decide that their characters will bond- the cave after the third memory will only have one exit for them to leave together.

~ For those who signed up for train memories you will receive the snippet that your character sees- use these in tags as you will. There will be a conclusion post on the 24th which will put all of those memories together!

Art Credits: Header: Tropical Jewel by Steven Power, Thumbnail image 3.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Hmph, I suppose that is one thing we tend to be strangely good at," There was no denying it. Genjo's eyes settled once more on the small crab as it looked up towards them. Oh, how the tables have turned. "We're too damn good at surviving past things. And growing from them at that."

That was most likely what would even end up happening back home.

"We're almost like pests on that front, aren't we?"

"Weeds or cockroaches." But on a bigger scale. "That's part of why some people wished to move most of humanity into space - to preserve the Earth's environment."

Ah. Good. Ple Two said the forbidden word before he did. Sanzo was almost worried that he would have to compare himself to a particular cockroach he knew back home.

"So wouldn't you say we're just spreading our infestation then?" It was meant as a dry yet teasing remark, but the more thought he put into it, the harder it was not to take it seriously.

Ple Two had learned a lot about valuing people but she still knew how to slip into the old mindset.

"I guess it depends on whether we consider places where nothing else lives as being all that concerning."

"So we're more like vagrants then," Although considering their travels even here on the Voidtrecker Express, it didn't sound that different. The main distinction was that, unlike what she described, other creatures most certainly inhabited some of the places they had visited. At least, some of the worlds they traveled to were certainly more inhabited than this one. "You said you never saw an ocean despite traveling. Have you spent all your life in space then?"

"I suppose I may have been over the Dublin Bay, but I certainly never gave it any attention." And that was brief as well. "But most of my life prior to this was spent in space or in stasis... a sort of long-term induced sleep."

"Stasis, huh?" That was certainly something interesting. He knew of people who had undergone such things even back home, even met one or two in person. But it was interesting to see it brought up so casually. "How long were you put under for?"

The people he knew were put under as a punishment, though. Was it just a simple thing anyone could go through in her universe?

"It was off and on. I'm not fully aware of my past prior to the last time I was woken up, though." Even things from around then are spotty. "A lot of time and effort was put into conditioning me for combat."

"So you're a soldier?" And one who works under quite an oppressive system by how it sounds—brainwashing perhaps? That was also something that had happened in his world, for much the same reasons.

How was it that such a simple conversation with this girl only reminded him of the harsh things he had endured through the years? "I can't imagine they sent you out for space with all that training for nothing."

Ple Two nods. She finally leaves the crab in peace, stepping away. "I saw combat, although ultimately the strength of will of a young man named Judau and... I suppose you could call what was left of Elpeo Ple a ghost?" She derails for a moment pondering that. "They made it difficult for me to focus on fighting."

"So a man and a ghost distracted you from your job as a soldier? Is that what you're trying to say?" Surprisingly Sanzo seemed absolutely unpassed by the concept. At least less phased than he initially did by the concept of space travel. "What I don't understand is what it could be you were fighting. Was the world you were from at odds with another world close by to yours?"

"The ghost of a girl I was cloned from. It's a bit more complicated, when it feels like it's yourself." Your own psychic imprint talking to you from outside.

"Of course we were merely at odds with one-another. Humans have always been good at killing humans."

"That I wouldn't doubt," In fact, it was a situation that was all too familiar to him. "But a clone-- You mean it was the spirit of the person you originated from?"

Okay. That sounded complicated as hell. And worrisome at that. He could only imagine the existential dread it must have befallen her, to be haunted by something that was you and yet... Not.

"So in the end did you give up? On the fighting, I mean."

Considering how annoying those following her sounded, it seemed to be the case, at least.

"Er, well. I didn't really have time to make that decision before being sent here... but yes, it was the... the first. Her spirit." It was painful, complicated, but she only meant well for Ple Two.

"And I'm still fighting here, but it's very different."

"Mnn, I suppose combat is a bit of a difficult thing to avoid while living upon the Voidtrecker," With that, he certainly couldn't help but agree. He hadn't needed to fight much with his month upon the train so far. But that did not mean he was able to avoid combat altogether. "But what do you mean by 'different'? Battle is still battle no matter the side, opponent, or results, no?"

"There are noncombat roles most of the time, and sometimes I help with those as well." She is just, like, a child, after all, physically. Not every world is readily handled by a tiny psychic with a gun. "But I have choices. Where to participate. If I wish, I can emergency return to the train. I'm not a component in a machine any more."

Event: 12 of Beetroot

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(cw; mentions of brainwashing)

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