Chapter 43: Lives Longer Than a Tortoise
"Psykers"—a dangerous and unscientific power, a blind spot in the knowledge of Omega and his companions. The Adeptus Mechanicus, as a whole, disparages and rejects psychic phenomena. They emphasize "human supremacy" and the "Iron Creed," viewing psykers as antithetical to their doctrines. They prefer to achieve their goals through technology and mechanical power, not by relying on the warp, which they even consider "waste."
The Mechanicus, advocating a radical materialism, believes that all things in the universe can be explained and controlled by data, energy, and precision machinery. Psykers, with their unscientific, unstable, and unquantifiable power, are naturally rejected.
But what about "warp drives" and "void shields"? you ask.
That's "warp-tech," the scientific application of empyrean energy. It has nothing to do with those "mad wizards," the psykers! Nothing!
You're lying...
Bang! Drag him away and turn him into starch...
"That can't be right," Omega said, denying the hypothesis. "If I had awakened as a psyker, why wouldn't I feel anything? Don't they say that psykers can hear the whispers of the warp?" But this did give him a new line of inquiry: could it be the cause of his "system"? His understanding of his own "ability" was limited to its passive "skill" of helping him steal knowledge and learn technology. He had no idea if it had any other functions.
"We should still have Magos Laust test you to be sure," Jacob said. "Even if you are, your 'psyker' abilities seem to be very stable, so stable that you didn't even notice them yourself."
"Alright, fine. I'll go find the Magos now."
"We should go together," Louis suggested. "Just because we don't care doesn't mean others won't. We can provide cover for you."
"Okay."
Magos Laust took Omega's situation very seriously. The moment Rhea told him that Omega might have awakened as a psyker, he immediately dropped his "archeologist's shovel" and dragged Omega into his lab.
The result? The boy wasn't a psyker. In fact, his psychic resistance was ridiculously high. The "psyker screening," which was excruciating for a normal person, had no effect on Omega. He even asked when the test was going to start, as his mental preparation for the pain was about to wear off.
In the end, Omega was kicked out by Laust. He now felt that the father and daughter were definitely related; they both had a sour, unpleasant way of speaking. But at least he now had an answer.
Rhea's face was a mask of unconcealed jealousy. She clutched Omega's new test report. "Your aging rate is now only one-third that of a normal person, and your psychic resistance is off the charts!"
"That's right," Omega said smugly. "It's just that I can't grow up any faster. So annoying!"
"..."
"Omnissiah, you are unjust..."
"Can't the grace of the Machine God be shared with me?"
"I'm about to say something blasphemous, but I'm starting to suspect Omega is the Omnissiah's illegitimate son."
"It sounds blasphemous, but it also doesn't feel blasphemous at all."
"Yes, I feel the same!"
"Just hold Omega down and let me draw a tube of blood. I'll share the results of my research with you all."
"Hey, hey, Rhea, you've gone too far! Let go! Let go of me..."
"Heh heh, scream all you want. No one will come to save you."
Omega, who would now live one-third as long as a tortoise, was in a great mood. Although he would be an "illegal shotacon" or a "legal shotacon" for a very long time, who would complain about a long life? In the future, with the life-extending technologies of the Mechanicus, like rejuvenation treatments, he could become a full-fledged tortoise without even having to replace any parts.
He now had a new understanding of his "talent." In addition to the passive "knowledge stealing," he also had a passive "high magic resistance." The "life extension" ability was still to be confirmed. The insatiable Omega was already complaining in his head: When can I get an active skill? Can't you raise my 'physical resistance' too?
This psyker scare also served as a wake-up call for Omega. In a settlement of several hundred thousand people, were there any who had truly awakened as psykers? The danger of psykers was best described by this quote:
"Imagine, knowing that there is a door to a daemonic realm, and that if you are careless for even a moment, they will tear you to pieces. Now imagine that door is in your mind. That is what it is like to be a psyker."
—Castus Lupa, Auxiliary Scholar
The earliest human psykers were powerful beings known as shamans. But after their demise and the creation of the Emperor, psykers were largely unknown to the majority of humanity for a long time. They only began to appear in large numbers at the end of M22. The "Psychic Awakening" became more and more common, seeming to herald humanity's destiny as a new psychic race. At the time, it was believed that the "Psychic Awakening" represented the future of humanity: an ideal being that humanity would evolve into, a stronger, smarter, more capable life form. But at that time, humanity, still the "masters of the galaxy," did not realize that this power was both magnificent and dangerous, a blessing and a threat.
It was precisely because the Emperor saw the danger of "psykers" that he issued the "Edict of Nikaea." If left unchecked, psykers posed a potential danger to the entire world. A large part of the Inquisition's duties is to hunt them down. The Imperium ensures that psykers are suppressed, tracked, and controlled. Those strong and stable enough are recruited into Imperial service, playing important roles as Astropaths and Sanctioned Psykers. The weakest are destined to serve humanity by feeding the Astronomican, or are simply lobotomized and turned into one of the countless servitors. A few are taken to the Obsidian Fortress of the Scholastia Psykana, where an unknown fate awaits them. The tainted are purged and executed before they even reach Terra.
The Imperium grades psykers according to their level of psychic ability. An Omicron-level psyker might only have a slight, subconsciously activated psychic ability, while a super Alpha-level psyker could tear a Titan in half.
The "Psychic Awakening" usually manifests at a young age, but there are exceptions. A psyker might be born with a latent mutation, or it might be triggered by the destructive influence of the warp. In this 42nd Millennium, the destructive power of the Great Rift has awakened psykers in unprecedented numbers. Theoretically, anyone in the Imperium could now be a potential psyker.
The thought of a "living warp portal" potentially existing in the settlement made Omega uneasy.
"Are you sure you want to spread this information?"
"Do you have a faster way to find them?"
"We could use Magos Laust's equipment..."
"Too slow. It would take forever to test hundreds of thousands of people. Time is what we lack most right now."
"But..."
"No 'buts.' We have to find these unstable elements in the fastest way possible."
"But the impact on you..."
"Don't worry, it's not real. Even if the Inquisition comes, I'll just let them test me."
"Alright."
A rumor began to spread through the settlement: the respected Priest Omega had awakened as a psyker. He was now recruiting fellow "psykers" in the settlement. The location was his laboratory.
That's right. To lure any potential hidden psykers into the open, Omega decided to use himself as "bait." He had already informed the Magi and priests, telling them not to be alarmed, and to put away their usual Mechanicus disdain for psykers. Smile! Be friendly! Make the psykers who walk into the trap feel at home! To make it look convincing, he even borrowed some equipment from a few of the Magi to fake magic with science, putting on a show of levitation, discharging electricity, and throwing fireballs in front of people. He even set up a special reception room at the entrance of his lab for psykers, to show the people of the settlement that the news was true, that he, Omega, was a true psyker.
Sure enough, after half a month, psykers began to emerge. Most were fakes, a few were mentally unstable, and only three were real. A young girl of Omega's age, a young man who had just come of age, and a middle-aged man who looked untrustworthy.
Omega didn't harm them. Instead, he treated them with good food and drink. One, because although they were dangerous, they were innocent. He didn't want to kill unless he had to. Two, these three had been lured out. Omega couldn't be sure there weren't others still in hiding. Making these three disappear would only alert those still in hiding. It was better to keep them around, parade them in front of people from time to time. When the other "fish" saw there was no danger, they would come out to take the "bait."
The three psykers already knew Omega was a fake, but under his reassurance, they were willing to continue the act with him. Of course, words alone were not enough. But after Omega gave each of them a "psyker suppression collar," which allowed them to sleep soundly at night, everything fell into place. These thick, black collars, made of a silicate material, naturally emitted a field that calmed the powers of the warp when in contact with a living being, while also dulling the wearer's attention and mental acuity.
He took the four of them on as his retinue. Why four? Because Omega had no time to take care of a child. So he also recruited Ruby—the young psyker girl's only relative, her mother—as a nanny, and to take care of him as well.
Omega's thought: Who isn't a child here?
He was still curious about psychic powers, so he naturally had the three of them cooperate with his research. But after a few tries, he gave up. The powers of untrained psykers were too uncontrollable. They could only release them, with no control over their power or direction. In a few experiments, psychic lightning and flames flew everywhere. Omega, who was hiding far away, was even hit by one, but he didn't feel a thing.
Omega's thought: Is my magic resistance really that high?!