PSYCHIC ABILITY IN EXTRATERRESTRIAL RACES - ＥＳＯＴＥＲＩＣ ＫＮＯＷＬＥＤＧＥ

[Orwell]

 

 

The study of the nature of psychic phenomena is fraught with mystery and scintillating intrigue. In the long scale of human history, psychic individuals have only been utilized successfully against the extraterrestrial threats to the Federation in the past century. As a result, the field of psychic phenomena is not entirely explored, and researchers are making new discoveries related to these special individuals and the nature of their powers frequently.

 

However, it is understood that human beings are not the only creatures in the galaxy with psychic aptitude. 

Indeed, the majority of alien threats to the human race are much more graciously endowed with psychic potential than the human race, and we have learned through observation and analysis how exactly they use their powers.

We shall proceed to discuss two of the most prevalent and dangerous threats to our existence, Skinnies and Arachnids. 

 

 

The Skinny Hegemony

 

A bipedal race of humanoid aliens whose existence predates the human race; Skinnies are much more reliant and accustomed to psychic phenomena. 

Every Skinny has some kind of psychic aptitude, with their chieftains usually being the most skilled at utilizing its power. From our understandings of Skinny culture, the usage of psychic powers among their populations is heavily intertwined with religious meaning and story telling, artifact construction, illusory suggestion, and as a means of communication.

Surpassed by the Arachnids in terms of using psychic powers to communicate, Skinnies excel in utilizing their powers to conjure illusions, and are masters of psychic suggestion. From the few samples of Skinny brains that have been recovered, the constructs in their brains (which are several times larger than a humans') that are suspected to serve the same function of the parietal and frontal lobes and Pineal gland are magnitudes larger and more electronically active than humans. Often times, some of the most seasoned psychic veterans of MIPOD or Psy-Ops are unable to hold their ground against a slightly versed Skinny. There are few psychic humans that could hold a feather to a Chieftain's ability. As a result, combat with Skinnies is usually based on deception. Relying mostly on creating vast illusions to either lull their prey into a false sense of security or something similar to that effect. They take advantage of the dazed prey, and almost always have the mental upper hand on the battlefield.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Arachnid Empire

 

The Arachnids' primary advantage has always been their numbers. For every human being, there are hundreds of Arachnids. In the time it takes for a single human to be born, a thousand replacements of Arachnids have already been churned out. Due to the structure of Arachnid society, psychic skill tends to stream from the top down. One could easily compare the nature of the Arachnids' communication network, which almost entirely hinges on psychic communication and the usage of pheromones, to a massive network of super computers, in turn controlled by even more massive and expansive super computers. 

 

The most common 'super computer' a human being is likely to come across in the Arachnid Empire is the Brain Bug. Aptly named due to the fact that the bug's body is almost entirely composed of brain matter, and must rely on the physical assistance of more appropriately suited combat castes to protect it. Put simply, the Brain Bug is the 'brain' of the operation for the Arachnids in a region or planet. It coordinates and takes in stimuli from thousands upon thousands of different external sources, with its combat castes acting as incredibly dangerous tentacles that all feed information back to the head of the octopus, so to speak. When it comes to mass scale, interstellar psychic communication in a way that would utterly overwhelm the mind of a human being if it were to ever try anything on a similar scale, the Arachnids are king. Brains act as information synthesizers, receiving input from a massive array of pawns which seek to expand its knowledge. One of the most direct ways for a Brain Bug to receive knowledge is through consuming the brain of a desired individual, whatever race they be. This is almost always the reason that an Arachnid would rather abduct something rather than kill it on the spot.

 

 

 

These Brain Bugs, as massive and complex as their psychic span seems, funnel their tonnes and tonnes of information to higher castes, such as Queen or God Bugs, who orchestrate Arachnid movements and plans on an even grander scale.

 

 

 

 

The Human Race

 

The new kids on the block. It's generally accepted that of the three races mentioned, human beings are the least adept when it comes to psychic ability.

Humans struggle to perform the illusory feats of Skinnies, and can hardly dream of pulling off the scale of communications of Arachnids. The areas of the brain that are believed to be responsible for psychic ability in the human race are significantly smaller than their suspected extraterrestrial counterparts.

Nevertheless, there are some areas where humans seem to have carved out a psychic niche.

Humans seem to handle more intimate and small-scale psychic operations without relative difficulty as compared to other races. In terms of discerning information from other human beings (and sometimes aliens), objects, and locations, psychic human beings tend to gravitate towards these modicums of psychic use, and tend to rely on them through their course as a MIPOD operative.

While usually limited to more powerful psychics, some human beings can perform some levels of psychic suggestion- but their abilities are utterly dwarfed by even the most novice of Skinnies, and the even the youngest of brain bugs. Human beings can use their ability to communicate with one another, but never on the scale and distance at which Arachnids can. 

As a general rule, the larger the scale, the more variable, unpredictable, and usually unsuccessful the results are. Smaller scale operations tend to perform the least amount of stress on the human brain, and are generally within the scope of psychics to consistently control. 

 

 

 

 

While the Federation has prided itself on its massive military might and coordinated efforts as the largest empire in the human race that has stood the test of time, humanity will always remain at a disadvantage to these two formidable foes on the psychic front.