Summary[]
A prestigious U.C. academy located on the planet Loros
While Unum Ceres academies operate in coordination with Unum Ceres military academies, there are some significant differences in how they operate. First of all, while U.V. academies enlist recruits no earlier than age 16, U.C. academies will accept students as young as 7, the age when channeler abilities become detectable in children. While not legally mandated, families are encouraged to enroll their child as soon as psychic ability has been confirmed. If the child has not enrolled into an academy by the time they turn 16, they will be drafted into the nearest U.C. academy and will be required to fulfill a minimum of 20 years of channeler service. The service type is determined by the channeler's ability, though some freedom of choice is granted after the 10th year.
Channelers are estimated to make up 5% of the human population. Due to this shortage, channelers are some of the most closely watched and managed people within Keonic nations. It is no surprise that possession of channeler abilities is simultaneously considered a great honor and a harsh sentence - from the moment of discovery, their lives belong to Keo and the Unum Ceres. There is even an organization whose sole purpose is to monitor channelers and investigate claims of "rogue" channelers who attempt to flee the Unum Ceres or use their abilities for personal gain. The severity of punishment ranges in accordance with the misuse or crime, from small fines in minor cases to forcible suppression of abilities or imprisonment in extreme cases.
Structure[]
Due to the abstract and organic nature of channeling, U.C. schools are structured very differently from U.V. academies. Younger students (7-14) have a very loose schedule of creative exploration, meditation, exercise, social hours, and meal times. A staff of experienced veteran channelers and some non-psychic childcare workers facilitate a curriculum designed to coax out each student's unique strengths and abilities. While the first years are pretty academically laid back, there is a significant shift that occurs once the students reach 15 years of age. They undertake an intensive curriculum of Keonic philosophy, biology, physics, and psychology. They also begin to undergo extreme mental and physical challenges. For example, a common practice for academies on Loros is to challenge their students to sit outside in freezing temperatures for hours without winter attire. While extremely uncomfortable for beginners, experienced students become capable of controlling their body temperature and comfort by channeling astral energy into their own bodies.
Careers[]
There are a wide variety of channeler abilities, and each ability contributes to humanity in a unique way. The following is a list of some of the most common channeler service careers.
- U.V. Protective Channeler: Assigned to a company of U.V. soldiers to protect them from corruption on the battlefield
- U.V. Offensive Channeler: Channels astral energy to power U.V. weapons like piercers, beamers, or astral engine cores
- Medicum: Specialize in healing trauma, disease, and mental illness
- Certium: Use their abilities to interrogate criminals, investigate crimes, and uphold justice within Keonic nations
- Factorum: Work within Keonic research and development to develop new inventions and technology, most often technology that utilizes astral energy