Psionics: An Introduction

The term "psionics" is usually referred to as the ability of a person to manipulate his or her surroundings, including other people, using the collective power of the mind and body. However, as far as it is concerned, psionics far exceeds the limitations of conventional human nature. It defies most logical, scientific explanations with feats of unpredictable measure - examples being the ability to read minds, levitate objects, hurl bolts of lightning and even flight.

There is no doubt psionics has become part of the galactic norm since its earliest origins within the populace of the millions of races Multiversal-wide. In fact, the earliest of races to have displayed psychic latency included most of the Great Races like the extinct Tyrgothr, the Tyrgholl, the Mirakhys (before their descent to become the Sykharim), the Gorin'thalas (now the Pythraeneons) and the Eldar. The Technolords, Masters of Science and Technology, are also considered psychics after the inclusion of a new branch of psionics, technokinesis or technomancy - the ability to manipulate machinery in almost the same way as how psionics operates in normal organisms.

In early Terran history, those who were deemed to possess such powers were subject to execution by being burned at the stake for "heresy". However, in the later years, people were fascinated with those who had these "psychic abilities" and could bend all the known laws with ease. The term "psychic" now portrays people who had these abilities, instead of just those who possess telepathy. Sci-fi movies also highlighted individuals who could do many things a normal man couldn't, such as the Jedi and Sith portrayed in George Lucas' Star Wars saga. In fact, real psychics are equally regarded with high favour and distrust among the public today.

Similarly, psychics serving in the Imperium of Man are looked upon with both awe and fear, for many psychics (known as psykers among Imperial ranks) are known to fall prey to the perils of the Warp, and thus become the host of either a powerful demon awoken from its slumber, or their bodies erupt violently and unleash a portal from the Warp into realspace itself. In spite of the fact psykers play important roles in connecting the vast Imperium, the dangers they face hinders many the chance to work with one.

Psychics are a rarity within the Terran race. Only one in every eighty thousand people have latent psychic abilities, and discovering them usually amounts to a stroke of luck when they initially discover their abilities. This phase of discovery is known as "initiation", where the latent energies within the psychic tries to achieve stability within the soul of the initiate. The stability required comes from the proper balance of energies that ebb and flow within the soul. Similar to the atomic concept where the number of protons and electrons determines the stability of the atom, these psionic energies need to be balanced to ensure that equilibrium is attained within the soul and allows free flow of energy through the body, prevents psionic backlashes from occuring, and passively boosts the stamina of the psychic.

Once identified, the initiate will be assigned a tutor to teach him/her the ways in achieving stability in the soul and thus allow proper energy flow through the mind, body and spirit. It will require much discipline, skill and focus into preparing an individual to properly wield the psychic powers in his possession. In order to do this, psychic training regimens always focus on improving one's mind and body.

The mind serves as the central hub of the psychic, connecting the psionic energies found in the spirit to the psychic, while the body serves as the medium that allows this energy to be discharged once harnessed by the wielder. It is only through the mind that a psychic can channel his powers from the soul and out from the body (this does not apply to telepathy or other telepathic-like abilities), like a bridge that links two separate pieces of land together. Normally this can still happen during the initiation stage, but only if there is enough focus placed by the user to wield it. Focus is the key element in a psychic's training. Without it, there can be no stability and this can cause improper energy release, psionic backlashes or worse, allow the entry of creatures from the Warp into realspace (the psychic becomes the portal for their release). It ensures the energy used is balanced and evenly distributed so as to prevent instability inside and outside the spirit.

Building focus is not just about fully concentrating on an object with the senses, nor is it about memorizing facts and figures. Focus requires both inner and outer focus. Inner focus keeps track of the energy being harnessed for the psychic's use, while outer focus places concentration on the subject and target (if any) where the energy is to be directed. Both types of focus demand that the wielder must have self-control and self-confidence, but inner focus requires more attention in training to prevent the energy being harnessed from either collapsing on itself (psychic backlash), imploding (feedback), or consuming the psychic's very soul (psionic collapse, or Marrakel's vortex). To boost one's inner focus, training usually emphasizes on spiritual guidance, meditation, hypnotherapy and dreamwalking that boost one's spiritual health as well as gather oneself together as a whole. Once "inner peace" has been attained, outer focus training is then commenced. These exercises will train the psychic's ability to harness the energy needed, distribute the energy from inside to his surroundings, and finally discharge it at their intended target (if there is no target, the psychic is focusing his energy to a subject, normally an ally or friend).

As an example, harnessing pure energy in the form of lightning needs excellent outer focus. Contrary to popular belief, as depicted in the Star Wars movies, the ability to shoot lightning bolts continuously at a target is no easy task. The psychic must firstly transfer the energy to the hands, fueling it from within his soul, and ensure that he has enough energy and willpower to generate the force needed to discharge the energy. Once that, the psychic must continue to fuel the energy being discharged at a consistent or slowly increasing rate to ensure the lethality of the blast. And there must also be equilibrium as the energy flows from the soul and out the body to prevent the psychic's own body from being affected by the energy released. Indiscriminate focus can lead to death of the wielder out of carelessness. Such incidences are therefore avoided at all costs.

As of yet, only Terrans within the Sylmaron Regions and a select few alien races do not show any latent psionic energy within them.
(NOTE: the Milky Way and Andromeda are found in the Sylmaron Regions)