voidmissions | [M15] ENEMY: UNKNOWN

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[M15] ENEMY: UNKNOWN - THE INTERVIEW

On opening their eyes, Voidtreckers will feel a sense of disorientation, a dizziness to their vision and inside their head. Both clear quickly, letting them remember where they came from: in the midst of a mission, some unknown entity jumping them, and then —

They're here. Wherever here is.
They stand in an empty room. The lighting of the room stings their eyes after how dark the rest of the station has been. The walls, ceiling and floor are all bright white, tiles. There is no visible door, no windows.

After the disorientation comes fear. The hairs on the back of their neck stand up. For those with danger sense, these senses are going haywire, even though any other abilities are still not working. The feeling can be pushed down, it is similar to the air of expectation at the start of a horror film, the anticipation of fear rather than being in a truly dangerous situation. It might be that they have been on the train long enough to have felt it before.

Heavy footsteps sound, it is almost impossible to tell where they are coming from as the echo through the empty space. The feeling of dread grows until part of the far wall slides open with a mechanical hiss.

Filling the doorway are two huge figures, around seven foot tall and bulky. They are in large metal suits, almost like power armour, black with highlights of gold. They wear a mask that covers their whole face. It is impossible to see the figure inside at all. Their breathing comes through heavy and raspy and when they walk their footsteps are heavy. The door closes behind them and their presence makes the room feel smaller. One of them scans a green light over the voidtrecker.

"Do not be alarmed. Under sections ninety six of Inter-dimensional law and on behalf of the Void Ministry we have intercepted Voidcraft designation Voidtrecker Express as part of ongoing investigations. You have been taking part in a simulated excercise to gauge your skill and strength. No harm shall come to you or your crew, you are protected by inter dimensional law. You have been chosen for questioning and we ask that you comply. You have the right to refuse our interview but we have the right to hold you until our investigation is complete or one week in standard void time has passed, whichever is longest. Complying with us will ensure our investigation is more efficient."

The inspector talking pauses here, as if giving the voidtrecker time to take in that information.

"Do you accept our interview?"

ENEMY: UNKNOWN

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"Do you appreciate being given the opportunity to take part in these missions?"

“For the most part, yeah,” she answers. “I mean, I still would have liked to have been asked first, and finish what I had been doing back home. But if there’s something that I can do to help people, then I’m glad to do what I can.”

"Your help to other systems is appreciated, Kitty," both of the Inspectors speak up. The gratitude, as calmly as it is given, is still felt in the air itself.

"We would to ask you about each individual mission," one says solely. "But our immediate interest is in any missions connected to the manifestation of a false system, with a planet named Diagad. Does this sound familiar to you?"

Their gratitude, though sounding a bit robotic, does get a faint smile from her. But it promptly fades with their next question.

“Oh…Y-Yeah. We had gone to Diagad.”

"We understand it was a distressing situation," an Inspector remarks, almost gently. "We would appreciate if you could speak about your experience: what you know of what occurred, of the unknown entity that caused it, and any particulars about the false life you led, if you were a participant."

"Take your time answering," the other encourages. "You are free to not speak about anything personal."

She twists her hands a bit, thinking back to the event in question. “Yeah, uh…when we got there, it was like…all our memories had been rewritten. We were convinced that we had always lived there, and our lives were different than what they actually are. We didn’t remember anything about there Void, or the train, or where we came from. We just knew the false memories we were given, and even those with powers were given different abilities. It had even pulled in people who weren’t on the train…people from different worlds who hadn’t been doing anything related to what we were doing.

“And the entity responsible…we couldn’t see much of it, it was mostly just a storm of colors. But it could create illusions or control people…and I think we fought it another time before.”

One of the Inspectors nod slowly.

"Were you a part of this previous encounter?"

“Yeah, I was on that mission too. We had gone to help a world where the city was divided into different tiers, and each tier had an issue that we had to look into. In the tier that my group was investigating, there were a few people that had been killed, and some sightings of animals that didn’t exist.”

"The city of Kamakan," one concludes.

"Reports indicated that the the entity had the ability to reflect highly precise projections using the knowledge and memories of those around them, without being physically present. Does this match your experience during the mission?"

She nods. "Yeah, that's pretty accurate."

"Understood. We also have reports for this encounter. What is your opinion of this entity? Did you hear it speak anything that stood out? Did you witness anything peculiar, beyond the manifestation of memories of individuals around you?"

"Anything about the entity," the Inspector not speaking supplies. "We wish to learn more about it, and anything about Diagad that came out in its falsified form."

Frowning a little, she shakes her head. "I dunno. It got really upset when we started trying to remind people of truth, about destroying the world it created...something about a home."

She places her hand to her forehead, trying to think. "We were...given different powers on Diagad, ones that we didn't have before. If we had powers originally, I mean. People who didn't have powers were given one for the first time. And I think...after we left, people had kept those powers, and were still able to use them."

There is a quiet between the two, hard to read, before one nods their head at something apparently agreed or approved to. The slightest shift of the other's helmet, the Inspector still facing Kitty.

"Contact with the Void can have a range of effects on the individuals exposed to it. The entity was known to be manipulating the Void to its advantage. But this is only speculation as to the cause for these powers to be manifested, and made real."

They then pause. "Kitty, do you or have you suffered any of the following since travelling the Void: unexplained illnesses, dizziness, hallucinations or mood shifts that do not seem to have a clear cause? Has any other passenger seemed to have suffered from these symptoms?"

She's silent for a moment; she does know at least someone who's experienced some of the Voidsickness symptoms, but she doesn't feel entirely comfortable mentioning them right now.

"Uh...well, not lately, but...there was a time, a few months ago, when I had gotten sick while we were moving through the Void. It happened to a few people, although I'm not sure how many had it as bad as I did. It was really weird, though, because...well, I'm not entirely sure what it was like for others, but I heard...voices, calling out to me from the Void. And when I looked, I saw people that I knew from back home, saying they were waiting for me. I tried not to look for long, but even inside the train was pretty crazy, because there were...ghosts? Of people who used to be on the train that weren't there any more. I recognized a few people, but there were a lot that I never knew. And I had gotten a bit freaked out and went to be by myself for a while, but I ended up passing out and had to be taken to the medical car to recover."

"What you describe sounds similar to a void sickness," one of them comments. "How long did this last for? Do you know anyone who continues to suffer similar symptoms, of hallucinations or dizziness?"

"A few days, I think. I was pretty much out for most of it when all the ghosts of passengers passed were around, but I do remember being in the medical car for a few days. I don't think anyone is still suffering from those symptoms."

"It's not unusual to suffer from void sickness." There is a note of sympathy in their voice, still calm. "We are glad that nobody continues to suffer any symptoms from it."

"We would like to ask you about the voidcraft designated Voidtrecker Express, and your views and experiences on it beyond what has been discussed. Do you believe you and the other passengers are adequately cared for?"

She hesitates, and can't help feeling a little uneasy about the question for some reason. "In...what way?" she asks instead, mostly to stall for time as she tries to think.

"We have been told by another crewmember that they feel the medical supplies are inadequate, and that people are not adequately prepared for the missions they are sent on," they say. "We do not understand the state of the voidcraft, how it provides for you, and if what it does is sufficient and covers the needs of the different individuals that are tethered to it."

"We wish to know about the well-being of you and the crew," the other adds on.

"Ah..." Eventually she nods a bit, though can't help fiddling with her hands nervously. "That is...kind of true. We mostly do have to order medical supplies from the shop, and sometimes it doesn't feel like enough. Some of the missions are difficult for people too, and we don't always know what we're getting into."

Kind of like this mission, she can't help but muse to herself.

"For the most part we're...okay, I think? But it's also a pretty cramped train at times, and it can feel a bit much sometimes, especially for some people who need a bit more space."

"How often are passengers allowed off the craft?" One asks.

"Does the voidcraft make stops to allow exercise outside the vehicle?"

"Well, um...not specifically for exercise. But the train stops at platforms twice a month, and we have a chance to walk around a bit then before we have to get back on the train. Then of course there are missions each month. Sometimes we make stops in other worlds without a mission, though."

"What are the purpose of these stops on worlds without missions?"

"To give us a break. To let us have a chance to rest up and recover, especially after a particularly difficult mission."

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[M15] ENEMY: UNKNOWN - THE INTERVIEW

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