Butterrobber202/Sandbox

Psionics

Among the species of the Spur, all cataloged sentient races possess a “Zona Bovaine”, located within the Brain. This organ was presumed to be responsible for some form of communication by Human scientists who discovered it in the domesticated cow in 2256, and subsequently in all other species on Earth. It was found that herd animals, like the cow, had a developed Zona Bovaine, while solitary animals held atrophied versions of the organ.

Beyond this research, Humanity could find no greater purpose for the Zona Bovaine. Outside of the discovery Humans universally possessed the organ, scientists proved unable to crack the secrets of its function. Many wrote it off as a vestigial part of the brain that first developed during Humanity’s pre-agricultural epoch.

The Zona Bovinae continued to be a novel discovery until First Contact with the Skrell in 2332. During the exchange of information that occurred upon First Contact, human scientists noticed Skrell had extremely well-developed Zona Bovaine and when the science community inquired on the subject, Skrell explained the existence of Psionics.

Psionics are the manipulation of metaphysical forces through concentrated effort employing the Zona Bovaine. While an inordinate amount of research has gone into studying Psionics, the origin of this force is still a mystery. Even without this knowledge, the Skrell have developed many technologies around the application and effects of Psionics.

All organic life originating from the Spur possesses a Zona Bovaine, and sequentially, can be affected by Psionics. Research into the topic revealed that the level of interaction with Psionics the Skrell are capable of is destructively overwhelming to other Spur sentients and continuous strong exposure can have long-lasting damaging effects both physically and mentally. There are documented cases of ailments such as Psionic Echoes manifesting after continued exposure to psionics. The Jargon Federation and Solarian Alliance have cooperated together to form laws against the usage of Psionics on unwilling or unaugmented sentients. These laws have been almost universally adopted by most human nations across the Spur. Generally, the unconsented usage of Psionics on an individual is considered battery or assault, depending on the severity. Those fitted with Psionic Receivers are considered allowed bodies to send Psionic Communications to, but any other actions require explicit consent by the receiver.

The Nlom

Everyone possessing a Zona Bovaine has a “thought field” known as a Psionic Wake, or “Nlom” in Nral’Malic, but only Skrell produce a large enough Wake on an individual level to influence their everyday lives.

The Psionic Wake of an individual can be easily visualized as a ripple radiating off of them and traveling outward. These ripples can hit other Skrell and affect their thoughts and perspectives. Over time, a Wake Bubble will form around the area Skrell routinely inhabit, allowing individual Wakes to travel much further. These bubbles can and will eventually come to encompass entire planets as the Skrell population increases and they spread out over the world. The main limiting factor of Psionic Wakes is space, as the signals swiftly deteriorate when exposed to vacuum. Most planetary Wake Bubbles cease expansion when they come into contact with the vacuum of space, with minor fluctuations depending on total population, supporting psionic infrastructure, and other environmental qualities.

Humans living in Nralakk or the First Wave Systems alongside the huge Skrell populace have reported suffering from mild feelings of isolation and loneliness if they leave after at least a decade of habitation. Scientists of both species suspect that continuous low-level exposure to Psionic activity stimulated the Zona Bovaine without causing harm and their sudden disconnection causes the reported psychological effects. Luckily, these effects are usually only a passing annoyance.“Nlom Withdrawal” can be easily treated and lasts only briefly, usually three or four days treated, a week untreated.

The Srom

When Skrell enter “deep” sleep, their Zona Bovaine will cease transmitting Psionic Wakes and begin sending new signals to the Dream, or “Srom” in Nral’Malic. The Dream is a shared subconscious process where multiple Skrell’s minds interconnect to form a collective experience.

The shared burden of creating the Dream results in Skrell having a greater cognitive capacity while asleep, and owing to that, Skrell that enter the Dream are almost always fully cognizant. The Dream shapes itself based on the memories, experiences and emotions of the Skrell currently creating it. For planetary-wide Dreams, the appearance is almost always determined by the environment of the planet, as it is the most commonly shared thing among the massive amount of Skrell.

Psionic individuals can actively alter and adjust things within the Dream through skill and effort, but the level of alteration is heavily dependent on what you’re adjusting and your own psionic aptitude. Typically, it's most easy to modify your own body within the Dream and a very common practice. Some Skrell even go so far as to make costumes to sleep in to make the transition easier. Rarely, talented Skrell can modify a sizable chunk of the Dream’s environment on their own, though the process can be very taxing and leave the sleeping Skrell feeling tired after they wake. Additionally, any changes they make gradually revert once they leave the Dream.

It is difficult to keep one's lips sealed in the Dream, with social inhibitions easily melting away. However, it is also much easier to create and brainstorm in Srom. Ways to hide from the dream clutter of a Dream are somewhat numerous. Distancing yourself inside the Dream is the most common tactic, but it is also known that aluminum (typically headpieces, blankets, or plated walls) blocks off connection to the Dream entirely.

Skrell who don't have the luxury of aluminum-plated walls and want to isolate themselves fully from the Srom must remain in light sleep or stay awake entirely. This means those who have secrets to hide have the telltale sign of being constantly tired. Some Skrell, though, can enter a meditative trance, keeping the mind active while the body rests. Scientists frequently isolate themselves from the general populace in aluminum sealed laboratories and dorms, speaking and dreaming with each other in private as they conduct their research.

Lone Skrell, who for one reason or another are away from other Skrell, will still enter the dreamscape while asleep, but without the support of their own kind the Dream will often be much smaller and vaguely hazy. Most Skrell find the experience depressing and prefer light sleep or meditative trances if they have the aptitude.

Receivers and Listeners

Skrell are commonly divided into two psionic categories -- receivers and listeners. This difference is decided genetically on birth and splits the Skrell roughly 9:1, with the majority being receivers. Currently, there is no genetic screening that can accurately predict the type of psionic category a Skrell will fall into, nor is there any way to modify it. The phenomenon is informally known as ‘The Great Lottery’.

Receivers and Listeners differ in their individual submission to the greater Wakes around them; while Receivers are psionically guided to accept the common ideas and influences currently circulating Skrell society, Listeners feel much less outside pressure to conform or unnaturally agree with the ideas at hand. Because of this, Listeners are often looked upon with suspicion, while Receivers are usually found in the upper echelons of Skrell society. Some Skrell find it difficult to classify themselves and have been known to feel more or less attuned to the Wake at different points in their life. Regardless, most Listeners often succumb to the powerful psionic force of the Wake and become conformed to society one way or another.

Some Listener groups have recently begun to stir with increased ostracization, government surveillance, and general prejudice from the more popular Receivers. While these groups promote Listener advocacy in a peaceful way, a select few underground cells have begun teaching a more extreme, “psionic-isolationist” idealism, where Listeners purposefully disconnect themselves from the Nlom.

Telepathy

Active communication while awake requires an immense amount of focus, and stimulation of the temples. This allows for Skrell to send messages to other species and creatures, but because of the risk to non-Skrell the Federation has deemed this on non-consenting alien species to be a criminal offense similar to battery or assault. The Federation internally ensures it’s citizens are aware of the risks before leaving Federation space as to dissuade mind-probing being outlawed entirely in other systems. Skrell will use this ability to gossip or send secrets, communicating without others knowing - which was used historically to hide information during the Synthetic Rebellion. The effects of long-term exposure to other species have only been lightly researched, as Skrell scientists are exceedingly empathetic to the volunteers' pain and end up canceling the studies. Saying this, more intensive studies have been conducted, however scientists who have attempted to delve into this field have often lost their Idol status on the grounds of performing unethical research.

OOC Note:

• Psionic Pinging a location for the pure reason of hunting down Synths is just not in good taste. Don't do it without prior suspicion, and if you somehow confirm it, use different RP avenues! Perhaps instead of reporting them, you extort them? Don't shut down a character idea, but instead entertain it.

• When sending an image/sound to another individual’s mind with telepathy, phrase and format it like so: [You hear/see ____ in your mind].

Circadian Rhythm

See also: Skrell Ailments

Some Skrell fall into the categories of an oversleeper or an undersleeper. Oversleepers find themselves addicted to the near-limitless potential of lucid dreaming, others shy away from the Srom for various reasons. Oftentimes, they are seen as reclusive and sometimes lackadaisical individuals. Contrarily, undersleepers are seen as holders of deep and potentially dangerous secrets, and generally avoid falling victim to the pleasantries of dreaming.

It is known that Skrell only need to sleep for about an hour a day, and are able to lapse in and out of consciousness almost on-command. They are also capable of entering a kind of hibernation for incredibly long periods, even weeks or months at a time.

Srom-devices are often two-way interfaces within a dream bubble, and dreamers can learn to interact with them to operate machinery in the waking world. With the right setup, a scientist can continue his work into his sleep. One example of practical application is an interface between a bluespace navigation drive and three Skrell pilots, who will plot bluespace trajectories at the same speed, or faster than an AI from human space. It's very difficult to concentrate in the Dream, which means Skrell require a large amount of training and practice to operate Srom-devices.

Typically, to interface with a Srom device, the operating Skrell needs to be completely cut off inside an aluminum plated room to focus on the device. Additionally, not being cut off could lead to other Skrell locating the device in the dream and interfering with its controls.