Psionics in the 3I

[Trent]

Thanks to everyone who answered my quesion, I've rewritten my character to fit the answers I've gotten.

Her new background is she came from the independent planet Carrilon, which was just outside the 3I's borders and had trade relations with the 3I but nothing more, which suited the people fine. Pisonics were taught there and allowed, but they did not dominate the society as in the zhoad hive.

Everything was cool until a huge deposit of Zuchai crystals were found. The democratic society of carrilon was willing to mine and sell them to the 3I but not at the rate it and one of it's megacorps wanted.

Suddenly it was 'discovered" that Carrilon had been a long time supporter of Ine Givar, and had been serving as a base for Ine Givar attacks against the 3I for decades. The 3I issued an ultimatum to carrilon: Stop the Ine Givar operations or else. This was followed by an invasion and occupation in which carrilon's democratic society was swept aside, an imperial government was imposed and the megacorp was allowed to come in and strip mine the zuchai crystals to their heart's content.

(Using terrorism as an excuse to invade and occupy a sovereign state that happens to have a resource you want. Not too unrealistic, I'm afraid.)

When the crystals were gone, most imperial presence left, but the imperial government remained, along with the imperial laws re psionics.

The character in question had been studying to be a doctor until she was informed that her new future options consisted of working for the imperium on the imperium's terms, or waiting to be accused of a psionic crime which would result in her having the choice of lobotomy or life imprisonment. She used her psi talents to escape and flee, looking to join up with Ine Givar as an act of retaliation against the imperium.

That's how she came to be on the planet she's on at the start of the adventure.

 

[BlackBat242]

(Using terrorism as an excuse to invade and occupy a sovereign state that happens to have a resource you want. Not too unrealistic, I'm afraid.)

Seizing any opportunity to pollute any thread with political comment aimed at current leaders... way too common, I'm afraid.

That garbage is for the Pit ONLY, not for the rest of the site!

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

The Answerin solution...have a culture whose psionic culture is so deeply rooted in mysticism and superstition that it barely registers on the Imperium's awareness. The Answerin have an implant that they have been using for ages that inhibits fear but because of the value of Answerin Marines have to the Imperium. Similarly, there can mystic priestess who pray to a sacred flame...95% this is bogus but the rites and ritual teach a psionic discipline for those who have the talent. The Imperium is convinced that the ritual is 100% bogus, as the 5% has been able to conceal themselves within the Church hierarchy and escape detection.

Where do you get that it's an implant? I don't recall every hearing anything at all about the Answerin taking such a direct measures to "cure" themselves of the "disease."

Unless you mean "implant" in a less physical sense ... a la psychological training, hypnosis, and/or psionic implantation; but if there is a reference to a physical implantation process somewhere that I've missed (like a chip or something), could you show me where it is?

 

[Trent]

Seizing any opportunity to pollute any thread with political comment aimed at current leaders... way too common, I'm afraid.

That garbage is for the Pit ONLY, not for the rest of the site!

Blah blah blah blah-CAN IT!!!

The fact is that this sort of thing goes back to, well, ancient rome, and much of traveller's ideas come from ancient rome.

So saying you can't link real world events to a traveller thread is like saying you can't discuss traveller in a thread because it's linked to real world events.

BTW, what's happening in Georgia (The one over in eastern europe, not the american state) is similar to what I mentioned, so you can can the idea that it was a ref to any single incident.

Well, that's enough pummeling you for one day...

 

[kafka47]

Where do you get that it's an implant? I don't recall every hearing anything at all about the Answerin taking such a direct measures to "cure" themselves of the "disease."

Unless you mean "implant" in a less physical sense ... a la psychological training, hypnosis, and/or psionic implantation; but if there is a reference to a physical implantation process somewhere that I've missed (like a chip or something), could you show me where it is?

Sorry I cannot recall the exact reference...I assume that you have read the Challenge article on the topic. My memory might be with the original HIWG document or discussions that I even had with James. Essentially, the device as James saw it was a way of inhibiting fear through the projection of thought hence was an artificial psionic device. Prototypes of these stretch back into Antiquity.

Here is where I will go out on a limb, fine, this device could be a secondary brain rather than mechanical...it could be biomechanical (a la Giger) therefore is "armed" with a psionic trigger passed down from elderly warriors to the young recruits (a la Brother Battle).

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

Sorry I cannot recall the exact reference...I assume that you have read the Challenge article on the topic. My memory might be with the original HIWG document or discussions that I even had with James. Essentially, the device as James saw it was a way of inhibiting fear through the projection of thought hence was an artificial psionic device. Prototypes of these stretch back into Antiquity.

Here is where I will go out on a limb, fine, this device could be a secondary brain rather than mechanical...it could be biomechanical (a la Giger) therefore is "armed" with a psionic trigger passed down from elderly warriors to the young recruits (a la Brother Battle).

Well, I have to admit that I've never gotten my hands on that particular Challenge issue, so most of my information about the Answerin are from the 'net and the two GURPS books that have covered them (Humaniti & Interstellar Wars).

So I went back to GURPS to have a look, and if SJG/LKW are to be believed, then we are both kinda right at the same time. Interstellar Wars is silent on how the Answerin achieve their abilities; but according to Humaniti, it's due to a mixture of biology, philosophical rigour, and eons of psychological research on the topic.

But then, in the very next paragraph, they mention pseudo-psionic "devices" the Answerin have developed to help them delve further into their exploration of fear-suppression. I don't get that they're implants, though -- in fact, they come off sounding more like Scientology e-meters than anything else -- but it's still pretty much the kind of device you described earlier.

 

[aramis]

For clarity: Current Real World Politics ALWAYS go in the pit, even if ob-trav.

 

[Trent]

For clarity: Current Real World Politics ALWAYS go in the pit, even if ob-trav.

If that applies to religion then the post above yours has to be deemed unacceptable as it refers to scientology.

Also if it's going to be applied than all discussions of traveller's origins must be relegated to the pit as well since traveller's roots lie in ancient "days of sail" on earth, with the roman empire being a prime example.

 

[Andrew Boulton]

If that applies to religion then the post above yours has to be deemed unacceptable as it refers to scientology.

Also if it's going to be applied than all discussions of traveller's origins must be relegated to the pit as well since traveller's roots lie in ancient "days of sail" on earth, with the roman empire being a prime example.

When you're in a hole, stop digging...