Atunbe

The Psi World

On the outskirts of the Cassad Empire, lay the planet Atunbé (ah-toon-BAY). Rich in minerals, but – due to its harsh, arid environment and sandy terrain – lacking any flora or fauna, the Cassad Empire deemed the planet invaluable for habitation and dispatched a small colony of miners, geologists, engineers and chemists (and their families) to the planet to mine and gather her resources. Unknown to the Cassad, Atunbé was plagued by a severe alien infestation. The colony on Atunbé called for help and the Empire dispatched their elite, brutal “Swick” (Special Warfare Combatant, Craft Crewman) Division to quell the infestation and then to hold the planet until the infestation in that sector of the Empire was put down. Upon arrival on Atunbé, the Swicks found seventy-percent of the male population dead or severely injured, thus the all male Swicks eventually took wives among the colonists. Food soon became scarce on the planet (including the massive supply of rations the Swicks brought with them) and the population of Atunbé resorted to eating the flesh of their alien enemies in order to survive. The citizens of Atunbé began to notice that eating alien flesh enhanced their senses and increased their intelligence. Soon, the Atunbeans began to develop permanent enhancements to their senses and mental capacities at incredible levels. These enhancements made them more capable of protecting themselves from the infestation and – indeed – made them the deadliest opponents of the aliens. Four hundred years later – the psionic abilities possessed by the Atunbeans are now fully developed. They have very little contact with the rest of the Empire and choose to keep the existence of psionics a secret from non-Atunbeans. In an attempt to keep confidentiality, the Atunbeans in-breed. Coupling with a non-Atunbean is a capital offense. Violators of this law are hunted down and executed. There has not yet been a violation. Culling is exercised to ensure there are no mental or physical deficiencies caused by in-breeding. All mentally or physically deformed babies are euthanized. Also, if a child has not manifested psionic abilities by the time they complete their manhood or womanhood passage rite, which is performed at the age of thirteen, they will never survive the Mind Rite – a psychic battle against an elder Atunbean that the child must survive in order to be considered an Atunbean and an adult. Failing the Mind Rite always results in the initiate falling into a permanent vegetative state. Such children are also, mercifully, euthanized.

created by Balogun Ojetade