Design Monologue 30: Sufficiently Advanced Technology

According to the Human Potential Institute, the foremost academy of psionics in the Homeworlds, psionics is a power native to the human brain, having been unlocked by centuries of genetic engineering, and occasionally by the unknowable hand of fate.

As they put it, the human brain is merely a tool, a computer of sorts, which connects to the physical body. It is also connected to the greater universe, including forces not completely understood by physics.

Psions do not violate the laws of physics by creating energy; they have merely mastered the ability to transform dark energy into less exotic and more useful forms. Dark energy is plentiful throughout the universe, in quantities vastly exceeding that of more traditional forms of energy.

The ability of a psion is limited only by her ability to transform energy, drawing on complex mental processes that can only be mastered through great practice.

There are three main branches of psionics, each more difficult and rare than the last. Few master their own branch, let alone more than one.

Telepathy

Telepaths harness one of the most basic powers in psionics.

All human brains emit trace amounts of energy; this is effectively dark energy, as it does not interact with any traditional forces. However, psionically-gifted individuals can learn to detect that energy, and attune their minds to it. Effectively, they can make their own mind receptive to the brain waves of another, and thus "hear" their thoughts.

Emotions, memories, and surface thoughts are broadcast constantly and loudly by all sentient beings. Deeper thoughts can be reached, but only by those who can take the next step: projecting their own thoughts.

By augmenting the strength of her own broadcast thoughts, a telepath can project them onto others. The key is first learning to think pure thoughts, or conjure pure emotions, which is no easy task. Once that is mastered, a psion can force thoughts into others' heads, effectively "jamming" the subject's thoughts with their own. This is a very powerful ability, as the thoughts which "pop" into the subject's head are interpreted as his own.

The next step is to learn to focus one's psychic perception. Powerful telepaths can probe the minds of their subjects, extracting deeply-hidden knowledge and memories. They can project their own thoughts into this depth, fundamentally altering the mind of the subject. The possibilities--and moral implications--are endless.

Telekinesis

Telekinetics transmute dark energy into kinetic, thermal, or electrical energy.

The ability to move things with your mind, or to produce fire or lightning, may seem very cool, but it is of limited use to the military. After all, a powerful telekinetic is a rare (and often volatile) find, but it is quite easy to recruit 10,000 soldiers and outfit them with equally-powerful weapons.

Telekinetics are in greatest demand among the more subtle professions. A thief or spy can make great use of telekinesis; it is also a fair deal easier to conceal one's telekinetic ability than to conceal a weapon.

The HPI does not teach Telekinesis except to those who show a wild talent for it--that is, those who cannot help but manifest such powers. They do not consider it a useful power for military or civilian use; its few uses which are difficult to replicate with technology are too dangerous to be worth it.

Metapsionics

This is an exceptionally rare ability, mastered only by the greatest telepaths and telekinetics, and occurring naturally in nearly infinitesimal proportion. The latter are usually more dangerous.

A "meta", as practitioners of metapsionics are called, learns to interact with physics in very exotic ways, seemingly altering the very laws on which the universe is based.

Many of these powers are difficult to spot in wild talents. For instance, telekinetics can sometimes learn to levitate or fly, simply by applying kinetic energy to counter gravity. A meta, on the other hand, would alter their own body such that they no longer interact with gravity, or simply change the local gravitational constant.

One of the best understood disciplines of Metapsionics, if the word "understood" can even be used, is temporal dynamics. Those who can use these abilities can alter their interaction with time. The basic use of these powers is to accelerate or decelerate the flow of time, either in the psion's mind, or even affecting his whole body. Those few who have mastered the power can literally dodge bullets, assuming they can move fast enough through the slush-like air surrounding them.

Another power, rarer still, is teleportation. Some metas can instantly teleport across seemingly any distance, limited only by their ability to mentally compute their destination. Effectively, such individuals are limited in their choice of destination to those they can clearly visualize, having been there. Of course, if a psion can do this and read minds, he can extract such visualizations from others.

"Ghostwaking" is the best English translation for the Korrunite ''pah'hri. It is an art practiced by some Korrunites, particularly nobles, and jealously guarded against the prying eyes of other races.

Ghostwakers conjure ancestral spirits into themselves, to harness their legendary strength. For instance, prior to a brawl, one might conjure a mythological ancestor who famously wrestled a dragon, thus gaining his superhuman strength. More commonly, leaders among the Korrunites will conjure the wisest of their ancestors to aid in their decisions, and the most visionary of them to foresee their consequences.

As a student of pah'hri'' would learn early, Ghostwaking is the exclusive art of the most knowledgeable, the most mentally capable, and, above all, the most deeply faithful of Korrunites.

To "wake a ghost", one must know very detailed information about the specific ancestor in question, and be able to handle the physical and mental stress of harnessing the immense energy of the ancestor spirit as it manifests. It is impossible to conjure a spirit without deep and unwavering faith. Of course, it goes without saying that one must be directly descended from said ancestor.

If all goes well, the practitioner becomes the host for a powerful spirit. Depending on the power of the spirit, there may be an accompanying physical transformation. A minor spirit may cause the practitioners eyes to glow slightly, while a major one causes the host to leak light and energy of all kinds almost uncontrollably.

Ghostwakers who have often called upon their ancestors begin to feel their presence even when they are not channeling. The oldest mystics are often engaged in endless conversation with spirits no one else can see, distracting them from the real world.

This colorful name, given to those few who possess and use alien technology, describes not only the magic-like effects they produce with their sufficiently advanced technology, but the culture which has grown up around them.

The original scientists who found the first alien artifacts dutifully reported their findings to their people and their governments. They soon found themselves called upon to research the possibilities of this technology. More and more, the imperative shifted toward finding military applications for it. Struggling with ethical dilemmas, they eventually opted for the nuclear option: running away with all of it.

Fugitives from the law, they had to learn to defend themselves. Having researched the military applications of the technology, they were able to create new and unpredictable weapons, to defend themselves, and prevent their technology from falling into the wrong hands.

They dedicated themselves to finding all alien technology before anyone else could--and liberating that which they were not quick enough to intercept--and thus keep mankind from destroying himself by tampering with forces outside his understanding.

Those who already knew the secrets of the technology were pressed into service, assimilated for the greater good. All of their order are bound by very sacred oaths, much like the magicians of old, to never reveal their secrets to any outsider.

They have cloaked their art in myth and legend, obfuscating the true science behind it, so they could use it for the betterment of man without revealing any useful knowledge for how to reproduce it. Now, long after the early years of their order, they are no longer at odds with society, so long as society does not try to force their secrets from them.

The abilities of technomages are many and varied, but indelibly linked to the alien technological devices which they possess. A technomage, stripped of his implements, is no more powerful than an ordinary man. Of course, they integrate the technology, as much as possible, into their own bodies and minds, to make it that much harder to wrest from them.