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Blank

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A Culexus Assassin, a type of Blank utilized by the Imperial Officio Assassinorum[1a]

Blanks,[1a] also known as Untouchables,[2] Pariahs[1a], Psychic Nulls[3b] and Blacksouls[4a] are an exceedingly rare strain of human mutant,[5] whose mutation tied to a so-called pariah gene allows their minds to exude a negative psionic field,[3b] that both disrupts psychic phenomena in a radius and ultimately makes them immune to all tangible and imaginable psionic effect.[2] They possess a negative presence in the warp, that drains its energies towards their void-like soul.[3a] In scientific terminology of the Imperium a blank is an Omega-Minus psyker,[4b] otherwise called just Omega class negative psionic.[2]

Overview

Biology

As opposed to positive psykers that are found within many species of xenos in the galaxy, blanks, and even lesser negative psionics are exclusive to the human species.[5] The pariah gene is inheritable, and while positive psionic powers have no known correlation with genetics, there exists a direct correlation between a blank parent and a blank offspring.[3b] Some populations are known to harbour a higher frequency of untouchable births, feral folk of the world of Vessor is one of such notable people.[6c] Genetically, a link between negative and positive psykers is not specified. Still, the Assignment of psionic abilities marks blank as a negative psionic, on whom no known extreme of psychic force can have an effect.[2] Defining them by a classification as a psyker of level Omega-Minus[4b], or an 'Untouchable'. The term marks the difference from other classes of negative psionics, which for a lack of a better word are 'touchable' by some psychic powers, extreme or weak, and thus not considered blanks.[2] The pariah gene expresses fully in the Untouchables, while in other, lesser negative psionics, only partially.[3c] Although, there are reasons to suggest that the blanks power is not derived as an expression of a single gene at all. The Emperor of Mankind placed a moratorium on research into the source, after experiments by the Imperial Archotechnologist Corps and the Mechanicum in the early years of the Great Crusade ended in disaster. Furthermore, the origin of the supposed gene is unknown, and the explanatory proposals vary from it being the result of human experimentation during the Dark Age of Technology, xenos tampering, or a natural evolutionary adaptation against the Warp.[7b]

In one analysis of a blank mind, it is stated that in comparison to psychic powers emergent from impulses between synapses, Untouchables blank those, triggering a vacancy in the natural and fundamental processes of the brain. It is assumed that this disparity causes their mind to display the nullifying effect on psychic phenomena, and the same inversion of normal brain functions makes their presence insufferable for normal human minds.[6b] While the effect on the mind of a psychic individual is apparent from the visible pain of a psyker, the blank still has a sensible effect on baseline humans in their proximity.[6a] The effect causes both forgetfulness and unease in the blank's presence.[6b] Ultimately, the disturbed mind produces an irrational hostility, these feelings may be mild yet nonetheless instantly apparent in regular people, but in psykers they are unbearably strong.[6a]

The presence of a blank's mind in the Immaterium is likened to black holes in the Materium.[3a] Not unlike a powerful psyker's mind analogy to the stars. The psyker's soul lures towards it harmful psychic phenomena, mainly including daemons,[8] while the blank's soul is dreaded both by the native denizens of the warpspace and any being with a soul. Akin to ravenous void, as it forcefully devours all psychic energies, thus directly pulling towards them both daemons' and other beings' essence.[3a] The sensation of unease that other people fear is also partially attributed to the idea that everyone has some degree of psychic sense, which is triggered when faced with the blank. Furthermore the blank's soul analogy to the black hole holds firm, as in similar fashion as black holes can't be directly seen in realspace, nor can a blank's soul be observable in the warp, without observation of the surrounding it energies and warpspace. This helds a problem to daemons or similar immaterial creatures like Enslavers, as while able to observe the real space the predominant sight for them comes from the Immaterium, thus making it possible to only guess the location of the blank, which further fuels their dread for the pariahs.[9] The fear that blank's identity causes in the warp entities, makes it hard to naturally harm the negative psionic by them,[5][10] however the possession or trading of the blank's soul is not out of the realm of possibility. Of note is that it is required from the blank to be fully cooperative of the process,[11c][12] either forced into the agreement by physical and/or psychological torture,[11c] or truly willing to deal with daemons.[12]

Social ostracism

The natural discordance of a blank mind with another, upsets both others and the blanks.[6b] Part of it comes from the revolting sensation from the contact with the carriers of the pariah gene, but majorly from the unavailability of knowledge pertaining to their condition. The common human reaction to that phenomena is for blanks to be either killed or banished from societies of their birth, due to the lingering fear of the unknown power that the null individual causes. Nor is it rare for a blank to commit suicide, unable to deal with the loneliness caused by their condition and with the distressful lack of understanding as to why the society so indiscriminately casts them out.[5] Blanks have a difficult time getting along with people, so they tend to lead short, asocial and unhappy lives, often at the fringes of society.[6a]

It is treated as a fact even amongst some of the more educated people that blanks are beings devoid of soul.[1a][3a][13a] This sentiment, with the concordance of the fact that their presence in the warp is not as apparent as any other creature's, makes it appear as a sound deduction.[1a] The belief in their soullessness is so widespread that it is even accepted by the blanks themselves, to the point of incredulity when they are proven its existence.[12] While the most of the pariahs will live their life with a lack of assurance of their soul existence, it brings them a perceivable level of distress both the notion of the idea and the repeated statement of it by their peers.[11d] Some members of the Inquisition, wether knowledgeable of the nature of their souls or without certainity claiming the truth, posit a term of 'blacksouls' for blanks.[4a]

The negative aura of the null effect never fades away, and people that are in constant contact with the pariah never grow numb to it. Still, it isn't impossible to overcome the instinctual reaction and tolerate or even form a relationship with the pariah. The primary reason as to why the blank strain hasn't died out is that some are able to overcome their innate limitations, and blanks find partners to have offsprings with, who pass on their parents' genetic mutation.[3b] In increasingly rare cases, extremely empathetic or spiritual persons, can nigh instantaneously counter their minds' abhorrence at the null individual's nature and treat them without the otherwise commonplace disgust.[11d]

Abilities

Natural

Just as psyker powers vary from individual to individual, so do the powers of negative psionics of power lesser than those of the blanks. However, there is no known variation within the innate power of a blank,[2] and its precision or intensity is determined only by skill and training[3a][11a]. The effect of a pariah gene is absolute, moreover the blank is defined by it, as to be called Untouchables, no psychic power existing within the Immaterium can be able to harm them.[2]

The base effect of the blanks anti-psychic aura is obvious, psychic phenomena are impaired within their proximity, and there is no way to interact with them using psychic powers. Making it impossible to probe them telepathically or become aware of their presence through psychic screening like Psyniscience or Sensing Presence. Powers in a radius, for a lack of a better term, tied to the blanks' willpower, also cease to function.[10] People surrounding the blank as such are also shielded from psychic investigation.[14a][14b] So do effects already put in motion, force and daemons weapons or occult artefacts are rendered powerless in blanks proximity,[10] or the glamours intended to hide their users' true nature.[14b] Although it is possible for a blank to be affected by psychic power indirectly, like hurling telekinetically a projectile at them. The possession is seemingly out of the question,[10] although they can give themselves to the daemons willingly, making it only impossible for a daemon to slither in unnoticed by the blank.[11c][12]

Furthermore, the aura is noxious to any living being around them, as it acts counter to the normal brainwaves of any natural creature, inflicting a sensation of wrongness. To the beings tied to the warp like the psykers the effect is nigh unbearable, disarming them instantly and inflicting direct revulsion,[6b] while the beings native to the warp act in open fear and dread.[5][14c] Focused power of a blank can even destroy the daemon, granting it a True Death.[4c] People witnessing the flight of the daemons, reason that the blank realigns reality around them.[5] Amongst the xenos the most affected are the Eldar, that although some of them lack possession of a psychic might, all of them react to the blanks with the same revulsion and trauma as human psykers.[4d] Furthermore the psychic nullification is particularly destructive towards the eldar technology, as the wraithbone that constitutes its bulk is known to melt in the blanks' proximity, and especially when in skin contact with the pariah.[4c] It is a matter of conjecture whether a blank can affect the functioning of the tyranid hive mind, the ability is known to work on the genestealers. Rare interactions between proper tyranid lifeforms and blanks shown little to no effect, and instances of them being affected are found questionable by the Inquisition's investigation.[15]

Trained

Rarely noticeable, a trait of its own nature, effect of the blank is the willingness for a human mind to omit facts of blanks' existence.[1b][3a][14a][14c] While it isn't blatantly obvious, a blank trained to move and act with little notice will be rendered imperceivable even for physical inspection. This ability is of particular interest to the Sisters of Silence.[3a] Skilled individuals are known to unnaturally not emit even sounds that are physically bound to be at least muffled.[16a] Achieving the mastery of it makes it hard to notice the blank, only effects that their actions have. People will observe a door curiously open, with a shimmer that their mind tells them it's better not to look at,[14a] or will see it an act of divine intervention when their enemy falls to a force, too joyful to acknowledge its abyssal nature. So do enemies fail to notice the pariah approaching, sometimes able to glimpse their end's face at the last moment.[14c]

In similar fashion, the assassins of the Culexus clade found out it's possible to train blank so that by the force of their will they can be able to silence the dreadful aura, for the purpose of remaining undetected with their chosen prey, the psykers. Although the effect can be achieved naturally, this puts a strain on the blank. With the sensation of releasing the pent-up energies described with a degree of relief. While unbothered by the stealthy appearance they can don their masks, fitted with gear that allows them to modulate the effect without the mentioned strain.[11a] Allowing them to not amass suspicion of a targeted psyker and their allies, warned by the approaching aura of pain and suffering.[17]

Augmented

With an assist of technology, blanks are able to control awe-inspiring powers. The mentioned Culexus mask contains as well a piece of gear called Animus Speculum, which magnifies and weaponizes both the soul draining horror of a blank[1b][11a][13b][17], and the psykers own power, turning against them in the negative feedback loop of the Speculum. Mere turning on the device makes the surrounding people writhe in pain, while the blood vessels pop in reaction to their strained flesh. The beam's focus is known to violently snuff out the life of any sentient creature, only rising in lethality with the psychic power that it opposes.[18] Its power described to violently wave in ghastly light of anti-psychic energy,[19] burning the target's brain out and sucking its soul in.[1b] So does a direct touch of the blank having its speculum activated, able to turn a person into dust in mere seconds.[11a]

Inquisitor Perfidia Vong recovered a bunch of devices of heretical origin manufactured on the moons of Gorma, they constitute of blank embryos trapped within a stasis casket. When activated, it emulates the power of Animus Speculum, making it a portable anti-psychic weapon, otherwise available only to the Assassinorum. It displays the same abilities of the focused blank aura, which besides already known ability to destroy psyches of people, includes shattering of warp constructs, like force weapons,[4b] and being a powerful weapon against the daemons, crippling them severely.[4c]

Akin to the negative feedback loop of the Speculum operate Sinistramus Tenebrae, mounted to the Psi-Titans. The blank operating the titan is through a circuitry of Ciricrux Anima connected to unwillingly surgically bound psykers and able to focus their antipathy into a destructive beam. The beam of darkness opens a rift to Immaterium, killing everyone within the immediate area of impact, their souls sucked in towards the titan, able to fire the moment after, as long as there are psykers to burn. Besides this beam, while the psykers within the titan are expended as batteries, the blank is paradoxically able to display their powers in an otherwise unseen scale and intensity, although understandably with a less modicum of skill.[7d] For example, the first deployment was bloodless, as the blank spread the miasma of fear and abject terror throughout its walk over the cities of planet of Skagan VI, leaving the populace in a state of panic, while the second deployment against the eldar saw their craftworld shuddered in a revulsion to its power, in the end failing the systems and circuits of the eldar's world-ship.[7c]

In organizations

Sisters of Silence

The Sisters of Silence are the military arm of the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, consisting entirely of blank women. Their training regimen strives to make them an epitome of silence, unheard and unnoticed, and while outside human perception, efficient.[3a] At a certain point, they forego the right to speak, making a vow of silence, and furthermore never making other noise,[3b] eerily and unnaturally not even being heard running,[16a] while falling even in their last moment, choosing to die unnoticed.[16b] They were active intermittently at the service of the Imperium, for a long time after the age of the Great Crusade and the Horus Heresy taking the backstage of history. While many of them still managing the League of Blackships in their vigil to catch nascent psykers in their infancy, they fell into relative obscurity,[3b] this state of affairs lasted till the end of M41 and early M42. At that point, again actively set on campaigns at the order of a resurrected Ultramarines primarch, Roboute Guilliman.[3c]

Officio Assassinorum

The Culexus Temple of the Officio Assassinorum specializes in training blanks to weaponize their negative psionic abilities for the sole aim of efficient disposal of psykers. The training of the Culexus assassin grants them an ability to control the range and intensity of their nullifying powers so they can slip by unnoticed.[11a] While fitted with a few unique pieces of gear, of special note is their mask fitted with Animus Speculum, which allows them to harness those energies into a beam of a magnified potency.[1b] While the Culexus Temple is known to recruit from the already available blanks populating the galaxy,[1a] they are known to maintain a considerable number of vat-grown members called protiphages.[11b]

Project 'Black Pariah'

The clade Culexus initiated a project codenamed 'Black Pariah' with an intent to produce a blank, via bioengineering, that would be able to emulate the use of Animus Speculum without the equipment. It was a partial success, as although the intended abilities were achieved (barring the bizarre limitation of a need to obtain and consume a tissue sample of a target to achieve the power of Speculum), the sole individual produced was psychotically unstable. According to the documentation on the matter, sire Culexus dictated the project null, and a vessel containing the individual sent to the destruction.[11e] In fact, the sole 'Black Pariah' was left in storage awaiting its eventual use by the clade, which never came to pass, and kidnapped by Erebus,[11c] he met his end under a different master.[11f]

Inquisition

The Inquisition is known to make the greatest use of blanks of all known imperial institutions.[20a] Ordo Hereticus especially makes avid use of them to capture or execute rogue psykers. Besides their natural abilities to combat psychic phenomena they are resistant to telepathic probing, making it easier for the Inquisitor to not have his plans compromised in case a blank has been captured by the enemy.[20b] Inquisition has many other uses of those blanks, not limited in their wars with witches and daemons, and so do their enemies, including untouchables in various cults, conspiracies and powers allied with dark forces, standing against the survival of the humanity.[10]

Although rarely, blanks are accepted within the ranks of Inquisition, and the existence of blank acolytes, that allows the advancement of a blank to the position of an inquisitor, isn't out of the question within the organization.[21]

Collegia Titanica

During the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, the Ordo Sinister exclusively employed blanks as the commanders of its Psi-Titans. Known as Preceptor-Intendants, these blank commanders were equivalent to the Princeps used by regular Titan Legions, but were also tasked with directing and focusing the powers of the psykers that were surgically bound into each Psi-Titan.[7d] The Ordo Sinister was known to recognize only the authority of the Emperor of Mankind, not answering to High Lords of Terra, nor any Primarch. As such, their only known active period in service to the Imperium is during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, for all we know remaining dormant from the time of the Emperor's entombment.[22]

Rogue Traders

Due to the knowledge of the existence and the powers of the blanks being even rarer than they are, only those the wealthiest and the most educated are aware of the negative psionics. Some Rogue Trader dynasties, particularly those of the Koronus Expanse, are particularly interested in pariahs, spending fortune for the purpose of survey and purveyance of them. While sometimes they can serve as a member of the Rogue Trader crew, the more savvy in the political pursuits intend to use them as a bargaining chip when dealing with Adeptus Astra Telepathica, the Inquisition and even some xenos, like Eldar. The most prominent acquirers of blanks, are: calculating Jonquin Saul, and appearing as benevolent, Aoife Armengarde. The former of the two, for these intents, employs a network of paid agents across the Expanse. While the latter hides her shrewdness under the guise of philanthropy, offering the asylum for blanks first, then collecting their thankful services from under her wings to further various plots of hers.[5]

Notable individuals

Trivia

  • At the time of the Horus Heresy, there were no known records of any Pariahs serving within either the Space Marines or Adeptus Custodes. Some scholars have suggested that this is due to the psychically infused nature of gene-seed, which could render it lethal if implanted in a subject with the Pariah gene.[7b] It is, however, possible for a Space Marine to be transformed into a Pariah after implantation, as is the case with the Ferrymen of the Grey Knights.[25]
  • A Lathe-Pattern Null-Blocker is a technology available to the Inquisition, created on a basis of understanding of the blanks' effect. Its force-field simulates pariah's immunity to the psychic powers as much as its circuitry can withstand. They can be either fixed to a piece of armour or simply worn around the neck.[26]
  • A similar power to that of the blank is possessed by discordants. They, also born without any tie to the warp, are known to exude an aura that blots out the machine spirits, deactivating any machinery that they touch or are close by. Treated as anathema to the Machine God, they are similarly shunned from societies within the Mechanicum or otherwise killed.[27]
  • Necrons have found of the pariah strain in humanity some time prior to the Horus Heresy. Tampering with the members of clade Culexus and forming the first of Necron Pariahs.[28] Since then, they were known to abduct blanks and turning them into those amalgams of flesh and technology. As they are still partially flesh and soul, not necrodermis, they aren't true necrons, and thus are not a viable subject of reanimation protocols.[29]
  • Eldar, unaware of humans prejudice towards blanks in calling them soulless, converged on using the same term to demonize their nature, that appeared to them artificially emerging from the humankind's depraved ingenuity.[17] Although within their societies exist similarly shunned cast of Solitaires, they are widely known among eldar to be in possession of the souls,[30] which are of particular protection of their remaining deity, Cegorach,[31] and do not possess any ability to counter psychic powers.[32]
  • In the days of the Great Crusade, Adeptus Mechanicus and Sisters of Silence have developed the Atlas Infernal, a complex navigational system in a form of a book composed utterly from alive flesh of a blank, grafted in from one of the Silent Sisters. When activated the blood is pumped in the Atlas's veins, and its blank effect is triggered, that the complex systems of the mechanism allows it to accurately map the webway, at the time of its activation.[4a]

See also

Sources