Psionics

Psionics are a barely understood field of Life Sciences that pertains to the ability of organisms to engage in direct mind to matter contact with the outside world. It is a fairly new science, having only been discovered with the discovery of Pardian Civilization, and only really becoming a major field of study after the Jred Scourge, it is widely believed that humanity is only just starting to discover the field. The largest academic center for Psionics, L'Institutul per la Ricerca Psionica
was established near the Jred Frontier, which is coincidentally the place where the largest number of human Psions can be found. The field of psionics, having been tainted by its association with the Jred has become something of a pariah science, with many institutions banning its study. While these restrictions have slowly lifted in more tolerant parts of the galaxy, there is still something of a stigma in pursuing psionic abilities outside very strict areas of control.

Fields of Study

There are eight major disciplines Psionology, Psionic Xenology, Psion Archaeology, Telepathy, Clairvoyance, Telekinesis, Awareness, Teleportation. The first three are academic disciplines concerned primarily with the underlying science behind the existence, mechanics, and history of psionics in the wider galaxy, whereas the latter five are fields of study for psions seeking to practice their own abilities. There is also the field of Psionic Engineering which is closely related, but not generally considered a field of psionics by itself.
Psionology: Psionology is the field of study pertaining to the underlying scientific mechanics of psionics, particularly in relation to humanity’s own psionic abilities. It is the oldest field of psionic studies, but remains one of the most poorly understood. Some discoveries have been made, such as identifying the genetic markers for latent Psionic potential, and a basic understanding of the biochemical effects of Psionology, but there are a number of competing hypotheses for how Psionics actually work, and it remains a topic of fierce debate among Psionologists which is actually the correct one.

Psionic Xenology: Psionic Xenology is a field to study dedicated to understanding the psionic capabilities of various alien organisms, this includes other intelligent species such as the Jred and the Pardians. Psionic xenologists routinely seek out psionic flora, fungi, and fauna and experiment on them to better get a grasp on how psionic powers on creatures other than humans. Of particular interest is in how psionic organisms communicate with one another, what psionic abilities are used for among alien lifeforms, and what biological factors are key to the development of psionic potential.
Psionic Archaeology: Also known frequently as Pardicology, Psionic archaeology is a field of study seeking to unlock the secrets of organized psionic civilizations, with the only known one in existence being the Pardian civilization. Psionic archaeologists seek to gain access to the various technologies locked away by psionic encoding, and indeed technologies that psionic beings used in concert with their own abilities, as well as understanding the cultures of psionic civilizations. This field has perhaps been the most successful of all psionic studies, having found a way to decode the Pardian psionic language, and using this ability to discover a vast array of technologies that advanced humanity’s own technology, likely by millenia. With the advent of humanity’s own psionic potential, particularly after the Jred Scourge, cultural understanding too has become more accessible, and Pardian civilization is fairly well understood as a result, perhaps moreso than the long lost civilizations of Earth from before the Iron Age.
Telepathy: Telepathy is simply the study and practice of psionic communication. This includes thought projection, thought detection, and the launching and protection against sustained mental assaults. It has, at times, evolved to become its own form of language, and is understood to be the only known method of faster than light communications in existence. Psionically gifted persons generally report that Telepathy is the easiest psionic skill, and it is by far the most common among psions, though not universal.
Clairvoyance: Clairvoyance is the study and practice of sensing events in distant locations and allegedly, the future. Clairvoyants are routinely capable of projecting their minds into distant locations to see, or hear, events far away from themselves, or rarely do both. Some clairvoyants claim to have the ability to see the future, though, aside from an unusually strong high danger sense this has never successfully been proven.
Telekinesis: Telekinesis is the study and practice of using one’s mind to alter physical space directly. Telekinesis is usually used to move objects using mental fortitude alone. More skilled telekenetics have used their abilities to “push” themselves relative to their surroundings to create the effect of flight, used fine manipulation of microscoping objects, or even manipulated the thermal energy of foreign objects to cause them to heat up or indeed outright burst into flames. Telekinesis is a relatively widely practiced form of psionics if only because its obvious combat applications makes it a popular practice for psionic commandos in various military forces throughout the galaxy.
Awareness: Awareness is the study and practice of using mental abilities on oneself directly. Those with a high awareness are capable of enhancing their own abilities, heightening strength, grace, and healing abilities. Allegedly, aware people are capable of psychologically “hyping” themselves up and making themselves more skilled in critical moments. In extreme cases, those gifted with awareness have been capable of regenerating limbs and organs lost before the commencement of psionic training, though not as effectively as the latest in medical technology. Some suspect that all humans have a latent capacity for this ability though studies into the matter are ongoing.
Teleportation: Teleportation is the study and practice of using one’s psionic abilities to transport themselves to other locations. Teleportation requires the exertion of a lot of mental energy, especially when not wanting to arrive at the new location naked, and is known to require a strong healthy body, and a keen mind in order to better teleport safely, and to avoid death from the extreme energy transfers that result from teleportation.

Psionic Technology

In addition to the various data crystals used by the Pardians, a number of devices exist using psionic technology. Psionic technology is largely the preserve of Psionic Engineering, though certain pharmaceuticals have also been developed specifically with psionics in mind. The largest and arguably the most important of these, the Ansible is a major strategic asset to the few places that can maintain them. Another common psionic technology are the psionic detectors, and readers which are used both to find people with psionic potential and to detect possible psions for the purposes of protecting against them (or indeed outright persecution). Psychoactive technology also exist that specifically exist to supplement psionic abilities, from suits designed to garb or protected a teleporter, psionic interfaces which allow a psion to enhance their other abilities through the blending of psionics and technology, psychoactive weapons and armors that work with psionic abilities, psionic shielding to protect against psionic abilities, and even specific psionic augments to enhance one’s psionic abilities.

Manifestation

Psionics are, despite the lack of study, a relatively easy to observe phenomenon, especially the more physical of psionic manifestations. One can see when a psion teleports, or throws rocks with their mind. Even with the more subtle abilities, such as Telepathy, even untrained individuals can sometimes understand when they are directly being impacted by psionic abilities. The only exception to this is Clairvoyance, which is the most poorly understood of the psionic sciences, though the effects are repeatable, it is unknown if this actually the result of psionic abilities or merely an extremely effective means of cold reading, or other more mundane skilset.

Localization

Though there is technically no actual limit to where psionics can be utilized, there are certain rules of thumb as to where and when these abilities are strongest. The first and most well known phenomenon is that psionics tend to be stronger when used in the presence of other people with psionic abilities. This can most clearly be observed with the Jred which actively have a gestalt consciousness that becomes stronger the more Jred there are in an area. Psionic abilities also appear to be mildly affected by gravity particularly the more physical manifestations of abilities as it is considered easier to teleport towards a major gravity well than away from it. It has also been suggested that psionic abilities, are impacted by Jumpspace in different ways than non-psionic elements, though the only known datapoint for this is the enormous amount of power required for a massless transmission of psionic data compared to general rule that more mass requires more energy.