L'Institutul per la Ricerca Psionica
L'Institutul per la Ricerca Psionica, also known as L'Institutul or the Institute, is a non-governmental organization that publicly seeks to study the condition of psionic individuals, how psionic ability arises, and how it can be trained, and how it can be managed. The organization was formed in the Pollux System in the years following the Great Cataclysm, and has been studying psionic people and fauna ever since. Many Institute members have also been publicly observed campaigning for the rights of psionic individuals, and encouraging more people to get tested for psionic potential and many believe that it possesses a hidden agenda agenda that is more active than merely studying the psionic condition.
Structure
The Institute is an extensive organization that has grown steadily in the era after the Great Cataclysm. Initially just a small research institution at the edge of civilized space, it has expanded its operations, with branch offices located in many systems of civilized space, and partnerships with other research organizations also studying the condition in many places where they don't, themselves operate. The Institute has thus organized an appropriate structure for a galaxy wide organization, decentralizing its operations to a certain extent.
Bachelor of the Psionic Sciences (BSP): The most basic degree, consistent of a four year academic program for those without the gift, a Bachelor of the Psionic sciences entitles someone to conduct psionic screening, design experiments, and participate in the development of psionic equipment.
Master of the Psionic Sciences (MSP): An additional degree, offered to those who have completed the earlier degree the Master of the Psionic Sciences represents additional exhaustive studies, and entitles the recipient to design and carry out their own experiments, and operate with a degree of independence.
Doctor of the Psionic Sciences (SPD): The highest title available to the ungifted a Doctor of the Psionic Sciences is entitled to carry out the longest range studies, and are frequently team leaders for larger groups of students and professors. The most experienced Doctors, known as proctors, serve on the directory board, and shape the direction of the institute.
Initiate of the Psionic Arts (ISP): Offered to those gifted that have had just joined the Institute, Initiates are students, just starting to practice their abilities. Initiates are given free reign to practice their abilities within the Academy, but are subject to the same restrictions Wild Talents are outside.
Acolyte of the Psionic Arts (ASP): Those who have graduated from a course in the Psionic arts, as well as earning the BSP are given the title of Acolyte. Acolytes have demonstrated a capacity for mastery and safe use of their powers, and presenting an ASP Certification to local authorities will go a long way to ensuring approval for use of psionics in many cases.
Adept of the Psionic Arts (ESP): Those who put the, usually more than a decade of research, training, and work beyond the needs of the ASP receive an Adept Certification. The Adept of the Psionic Arts (ESP) certification demonstrates that the bearer is a very competent, safe, and trusted psion, and possession of such a certification will usually be immediate grounds for clearance to use psionic abilities in most jurisdictions.
Master of the Psionic Arts (MSP): Those who put decades of hard work into the mastery of their abilities are given a certificate of Mastery of the Psionic Arts, and are entitled to teach and train other psions at the Academy. Upon receiving this title, the Institute's Legal Team commissions a Psionic Registration, which is a difficult to obtain legal document that entitles the bearer free practice of psionics in all but the most hostile of jurisdictions.
The Psionic Institute of Pollux
The Psionic Institute of Pollux, situated in the Pollux, serves as the headquarters and primary research facility for the Institute's operations. Extensive psionic testing facilities, laboratories and fabrication chambers are found there, responsible for studying psionic powers, developing the abilities of adepts working there, designing and developing psionically active devices and fabriciating prototypes and some production models for use in the galaxy. Overall policy directives originate from the institution on Pollux, and its rumored that many advanced production facilities producing psionic implants, psionic drugs, and even psionically attuned weapons, armor, and starship components fit for an army are hidden underneath the educational institution.Regional Institutes
Regional institutes consist of regional operated branches of the Institute itself, and affiliated and committed to working with the Institute. These regional institutes perform most of the day to day work of the Institute. Scholars from these places spread out amongst the various sectors and system clusters testing the various citizens of the New Frontier for psionic ability. Those that test above a latent level generally are encourage to join The Institute, to hone their abilities or at least to figure out how they work, and how best to manage them. Though these efforts are frequently not successful, there are enough interested in the prospect of developing psionic abilities to keep the operations of the Institute going.L'Institutul Legal
L'Institutul Legal is responsible for much of the legal paperwork and registrations necessary to keep the operations of the L'Institutul above board, and affiliated psionics protected under its umbrella. The legal team for the Institute operates all over civilized space, and does exemplary work ensuring that almost all psionics working with them can live without legal harassments in many authorities. It is generally believed as well that the Legal Team also lobbies interstellar governments for the expansion of the rights of psionic beings, something from which they express no comment.Affiliated Industries
In addition to affiliated institutions, the Institute has aligned itself with industrial conglomerates and sells them designs for psionic equipment including detectors, drugs, implants, weapons, armor and starship components among other things. These affliated industries for produce the goods that are researched and developed by the Institute, taking the lion's share of the profit in return. The Institute's major partners include Stele Medical, Hongwen Medical, Jaynecorp, Phalange Defense Systems, Wolf Shipbuilding Corporation, Pollux Pharama, and Istiniel Agra.Titles from the Institute
As a scholarly institution, the Psi-Institute offers a number of titles and diplomas for those working for them. There are generally two accreditation tracks. One of these is intended for non-gifted academics, seeking to study psionics as an outsider. The other track is for the psionically gifted, which measures the development of their abilities, as well as serving as accreditation of proficiency and safety for psionic people. The accreditation paths are as follows:Bachelor of the Psionic Sciences (BSP): The most basic degree, consistent of a four year academic program for those without the gift, a Bachelor of the Psionic sciences entitles someone to conduct psionic screening, design experiments, and participate in the development of psionic equipment.
Master of the Psionic Sciences (MSP): An additional degree, offered to those who have completed the earlier degree the Master of the Psionic Sciences represents additional exhaustive studies, and entitles the recipient to design and carry out their own experiments, and operate with a degree of independence.
Doctor of the Psionic Sciences (SPD): The highest title available to the ungifted a Doctor of the Psionic Sciences is entitled to carry out the longest range studies, and are frequently team leaders for larger groups of students and professors. The most experienced Doctors, known as proctors, serve on the directory board, and shape the direction of the institute.
Initiate of the Psionic Arts (ISP): Offered to those gifted that have had just joined the Institute, Initiates are students, just starting to practice their abilities. Initiates are given free reign to practice their abilities within the Academy, but are subject to the same restrictions Wild Talents are outside.
Acolyte of the Psionic Arts (ASP): Those who have graduated from a course in the Psionic arts, as well as earning the BSP are given the title of Acolyte. Acolytes have demonstrated a capacity for mastery and safe use of their powers, and presenting an ASP Certification to local authorities will go a long way to ensuring approval for use of psionics in many cases.
Adept of the Psionic Arts (ESP): Those who put the, usually more than a decade of research, training, and work beyond the needs of the ASP receive an Adept Certification. The Adept of the Psionic Arts (ESP) certification demonstrates that the bearer is a very competent, safe, and trusted psion, and possession of such a certification will usually be immediate grounds for clearance to use psionic abilities in most jurisdictions.
Master of the Psionic Arts (MSP): Those who put decades of hard work into the mastery of their abilities are given a certificate of Mastery of the Psionic Arts, and are entitled to teach and train other psions at the Academy. Upon receiving this title, the Institute's Legal Team commissions a Psionic Registration, which is a difficult to obtain legal document that entitles the bearer free practice of psionics in all but the most hostile of jurisdictions.
Rumors
In addition to the public facing operations of the Psi-Institute, there are rumors that the organization is active in doing much more. If rumors are to be believed, the institute is interested not just in the study of psionics, but the expansion of rights for psionic beings. More concerning, are the rumors that the Institute has been secretly supporting team of psionic special operatives, this psionic commandos dubbed the "Psi-Corps" by believers have been accused of carrying out black ops such as sabotage and assassinations of those hostile to psionics, that this body maintains a secret fleet of "Black Ships" that carry out clandestine raids to bring forth of new era of psionic dominance. That the Castor and Pollux systems fell to a Theocracy that is very much in favor of psionic abilities shortly after the Institute started its operations lends credence to this theory, but hard evidence remains elusive.Public Agenda
Publically, L'Institutul per la Ricerca Psionica, is concerned with the research and study of psionic abilities that have been developed by people throughout Civilized Space. Their operations consist primarily of testing individuals for psionic ability, and taking volunteers to practice their abilities. The Psi Institute has in fact generated a lot of research data, concerning psionic abilities, and has produced a number of highly trained psions. Some accuse the Institute of having an additional secret agenda, namely to bring about an era where psionic persons are the dominant class in the galaxy.
Assets
The Institute maintains an extensive network of academies, each with cutting edge computers, psionic detection equipment, and other tools used for the study of psionic abilities. It is also in possession of relatively advanced fabrication chambers for an organization of its technological level. These assets allow the Institute to not only detect, but properly study psionic abilities, and design and prototype psionic devices for production on a wider scale. In addition to these publicly held assets, it is rumored the Institute is in possession of an arsenal of advanced weapons, armor, and stealthy starships that it uses to equip a band of psionic black operations teams in their clandestine operations the galaxy over.
History
In the early days of human history, before humanity first took to the stars, psionic abilities were deemed a myth by most scholars. However, contact with a few alien plants, in the era of the first expansion created the first known telepathic beings. This was especially common towards the Rimward reaches of human expansion, where the xeno lifeforms seemingly were much more psychoactive. These people however remained extremely rare until the time of the Jred Scourge. The Scourge, which exposed a great many people to Jred spores. This exposure, and the creation of human-Jred hybrids, dramatically increased the number of persons exhibiting psionic abilities, particularly once the process of Jred-Hybridization was eventually stabilized creating a new species of tran-shumanity with traces of Jred DNA, enough to possess latent psionic ability, but not enough to further the Jredification of those exposed.
This explosion of psionic power, and the fear surrounding the circumstances which it arose created a wave of anti-psionic bigotry and attacks, in many cases leading to organized genocides of those with the gift. In order to better understand the psionic condition, and to ease fears of psionics L'Institutul per la Ricerca Psionica was founded in Pollux to study psionics, as well as develop a registry system by which trusted psionics could operate without being hunted down and imprisoned, or worse by authorities in Civilized and Frontier Space. Initially, the Institute was only recognized locally, but as it connected with economic institutions in other parts of the world its influence gradually grew.
In the era since the Long Night began to wane, the Institute's operations have continued to expand. It has gone from simple study and registration, to become a full blown training facility, prototyping facility, and if rumors are to be believed, black operations force. The Psi-Institute has also made partnerships with several industrial consortiums, who frequently engage in the mass production of devices and equipment developed by the Institute, which has enabled the organization to obtain resources, and further its operations.
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