Lena Alison Knight's Blog, page 2
February 23, 2021
Reader FAQs: Growing Up PsiCorp
It’s been a little over three weeks since The Stars Within launched, and I’m amazed and humbled to have readers around the world following Kerelle (and signing up for her next adventure!).
I’ve also gotten a number of questions about the world of Gift of the Stars. While there are some I can’t answer yet, others I’m happy to expound upon! As we come up on the release date for The Stars Unbound, I wanted to take a few minutes to answer some FAQs on a particularly popular topic: what’s it like growing up in the PsiCorp, anyway?
Q: What’s a typical age for being taken into the PsiCorp?
There’s two parts to this answer - when psionic powers start to develop, and when a young psionic comes to the attention of the multigalactics.
To answer the first part, the age range considered “normal” for psionic powers to start to manifest is between 4 and 9. There might be exceptions here and there, but generally if it hasn’t happened by age 10, it isn’t going to. Nalea alludes to this when she mentions how silly it was for SysTech to re-test her and her older brother after Galhen was taken - not only is there zero evidence that psionics run in families, but she and Balheren were both in their early teens. If they had somehow developed psionics at that age, it would have been a medical phenomenon.
Which brings us to the second part - when a psionic kid gets on the PsiCorp radar. Since there’s no way to know which kids are likely to develop powers, SysTech and the other multigalactic corporations take the efficiency approach: they go through the schools. Roughly once a year, corporate inspectors will visit and test every kid in first through fifth grade for signs of psionics. For the overwhelming majority of kids, this is just a weird thing that happens annually. For kids like Galhen, it’s the end of life as they know it.
Some young psionics, of course, get picked up outside of the school testing. Flashier powers like pyrokinesis and telekinesis can be pretty hard to keep under wraps. “Lit something on fire by accident, family got a visit from SysTech three days later” is a fairly common story among PsiCorp pyrokinetics.
Q: How is it legal for SysTech and the other multigalactics to kidnap psionic children?
Firstly, SysTech’s legal team would like to object to your use of the “k-word.” Systems Technology Corporation certainly does not engage in any kind of practices like kidnapping. The company exercises its right to acquire physical custody of psionically talented individuals within its designated territories. See? Totally different.
The serious answer is, it’s legal because these very large, very rich, very influential multigalactic corporate entities have spent a lot of money and effort keeping it that way. And as we see on Elekar, in some parts of the galaxy the line between private enterprise and government can be very blurry.
That’s all I’ll say on this for now, except that this issue isn’t going away for Kerelle and the other psionics anytime soon.
Q: What’s the actual environment like for PsiCorp kids?
When they’re first recruited, young psionics are brought to live at a care center that functions a lot like live-in elementary school. Aside from the whole kidnapping acquiring-physical-custody thing, the overall experience isn’t that different from mundane kids, with a focus on basic education and socialization. The underlying goal of that education, however, is to raise kids who feel like they belong in the PsiCorp.
Young psionics stay at the care centers until their early teens. Around when mundanes would start secondary school, the psionics transfer to the PsiCorp Academy. There are actually several of these scattered across SysTech bases, with difference specializations. Kerelle and Galhen met, for instance, because they were both in the Tallimau Academy advanced program for double-class-3 psionic teens.
I once described the PsiCorp Academy to a friend as “Hogwarts, if it were run by Mark Zuckerburg.” It’s where PsiCorp training gets serious about teaching students how to use their powers, and it’s a bit like going to magic school…but magic school where the ultimate point is to make money for other people.
That’s not to say it’s all a drag - just like regular school, there’s plenty of activities and outings to make it engaging. The point of all that, however, isn’t enrichment. SysTech’s goal isn’t just a superpowered labor force; it’s a superpowered labor force that wants to be there. The PsiCorp is positioned as something they were chosen for because of how special they are, not something they were forced into.
If SysTech’s childhood educators do a good job on the indoctrination, then the collars never need to be more than jewelry. That’s also why the PsiCorp have access to things like those no-limit corporate cards that Kerelle and Mila flash around.
Q: Do all those sweet PsiCorp perks apply to trainees, too?
Not directly. Academy students get rewarded with gifts and luxury trips to give them a taste for the expensive life, but the company credit cards are only issued to full PsiCorp agents.
Q: What happens when you graduate from the Academy?
You’re officially an agent of the Psionic Corps! You’re issued your rank and your card, and assigned to wherever the company thinks you can provide the most value. For powerful telekinetics like Kerelle this usually means the Security Force; for others, depending on their gifts, it could mean communications, industrial support, or even espionage.
Regeneratives like Galhen are unique here: they have a mandatory requirement to do at least two years in residency at a SysTech hospital near their home base. Some stay on at hospitals afterward for the majority of their careers. Others, like Galhen, are transferred to the field or other assignments once their residency period is up.
Got a burning question for the next FAQ? Let me know at lena@lenaalisonknight.com .
February 9, 2021
New Novelette for Subscribers!
Need something to tide you over until The Stars Unbound? Wondering what Kerelle was doing before Elekar? Wonder no more: Radio Silence is available free to newsletter subscribers (excerpt below)!
The story takes place immediately before The Stars Within, and follows Kerelle on her most recent mission before Elekar (with special guest appearance by everyone’s favorite regenerative).
When a SysTech survey team on a promising new planet goes missing, Kerelle is assigned to help track them down. A routine mission quickly goes awry, however, when her squad discovers there's more waiting on Wendu XIV than they bargained for.
[image error]The whole thing is around 10,000 words (which Scrivener tells me is roughly 28 pages in paperback). Here’s an excerpt:
***
Kerelle listened to the briefing with a pleasantly neutral expression, and tried to figure out what she was doing here.
Even by SysTech standards, her initial briefing back on Tallimau had been cagey, with the note that further details would be provided on her approach. She knew it was some kind of search-and-rescue mission, helping locate a missing team on a recently settled wilderness planet. What she didn’t know was why this required a class-3 telekinetic.
Judging from the expressions around the room, the heavily-armed Security Force squad she would be accompanying hadn’t quite figured out why they were there either.
If the intelligence officer noticed her audience’s confusion, she didn’t comment. “Our last report from Outpost Alpha-1 came a little over three weeks ago. Up to that point, we were receiving regular messages from the science officer there, containing updates on the research our survey and field teams were conducting.”
She flicked her hand and the conference room’s small screen lit up with a satellite view of a densely forested landscape, with a small cluster of buildings Kerelle assumed was the outpost. The images were dark and somewhat obscured, as if a veil was drawn over them. The problem certainly wasn’t with the screen’s electronics; the cruiser that was currently ferrying them was new, and near top of the line.
Another curious choice, for a “rescue” mission.
“Wendu XIV’s atmosphere produces frequent electrical storms, which sometimes can interfere with comms. It’s possible that such a storm has damaged the communications array on the surface, and our team has thus been unable to reach us.”
The squad commander lifted his eyebrows ever so slightly at damaged communications array, and pointedly glanced down at the high-caliber rifle strapped to his body armor.
The intel officer didn’t react, instead flicking to another satellite image, this one zoomed further out. It was even harder to see than the first one; the cloud cover or whatever it was must have been thicker when this one was taken.
“However,” the officer continued, “We are concerned that that may not be the case.”
Kerelle leaned forward slightly. It seemed they were about to get down to it.
“There is limited human habitation on Wendu XIV, and most groups are other corporate survey teams. As you can see,” she said with faint distaste, tapping a dark smudge that looked as much like a fingerprint on the lens as a rival outpost, “ConEn has a base of operations within roughly 25 kilometers of ours.”
Aha.
“Our hope, of course, is that the team is merely experiencing a communications equipment problem. Unfortunately, we cannot rule out more sinister possibilities, which is why you’ll be dropped in by stealth ship to avoid unnecessary attention. Your mission is to locate the missing team, and if necessary extract them. If that is not possible, your secondary objective is to retrieve any research files they may have left behind.”
“Straightforward enough,” the squad commander replied archly. “Is there a reason for the…” his eyes flicked over to Kerelle “unconventional assistance?”
Kerelle sighed inwardly. He was going to be one of those.
“Senior Agent Evandra is one of our top-ranked telekinetics, and is also a class-3 telepath,” the intel officer answered evenly. “If our people are alive down there, she may be able to locate them psionically. If it is necessary to neutralize threats to our personnel and property…” She smirked slightly. “Agent Evandra is a specialist.”
“I look forward to working with you,” Kerelle lied politely. He only snorted back.
One of those indeed. She could only hope the team down there really had just broken their comm array - she could be done with this asshole by tomorrow night.
Somehow she doubted it would be that easy.
New Short Story for Subscribers!
Need something to tide you over until The Stars Unbound? Wondering what Kerelle was doing before Elekar? Wonder no more: Radio Silence is available free to newsletter subscribers (excerpt below)!
The story takes place immediately before The Stars Within, and follows Kerelle on her most recent mission before Elekar (with special guest appearance by everyone’s favorite regenerative).
When a SysTech survey team on a promising new planet goes missing, Kerelle is assigned to help track them down. A routine mission quickly goes awry, however, when her squad discovers there's more waiting on Wendu XIV than they bargained for.
The whole thing is around 10,000 words (which Scrivener tells me is roughly 28 pages in paperback). Here’s an excerpt:
***
Kerelle listened to the briefing with a pleasantly neutral expression, and tried to figure out what she was doing here.
Even by SysTech standards, her initial briefing back on Tallimau had been cagey, with the note that further details would be provided on her approach. She knew it was some kind of search-and-rescue mission, helping locate a missing team on a recently settled wilderness planet. What she didn’t know was why this required a class-3 telekinetic.
Judging from the expressions around the room, the heavily-armed Security Force squad she would be accompanying hadn’t quite figured out why they were there either.
If the intelligence officer noticed her audience’s confusion, she didn’t comment. “Our last report from Outpost Alpha-1 came a little over three weeks ago. Up to that point, we were receiving regular messages from the science officer there, containing updates on the research our survey and field teams were conducting.”
She flicked her hand and the conference room’s small screen lit up with a satellite view of a densely forested landscape, with a small cluster of buildings Kerelle assumed was the outpost. The images were dark and somewhat obscured, as if a veil was drawn over them. The problem certainly wasn’t with the screen’s electronics; the cruiser that was currently ferrying them was new, and near top of the line.
Another curious choice, for a “rescue” mission.
“Wendu XIV’s atmosphere produces frequent electrical storms, which sometimes can interfere with comms. It’s possible that such a storm has damaged the communications array on the surface, and our team has thus been unable to reach us.”
The squad commander lifted his eyebrows ever so slightly at damaged communications array, and pointedly glanced down at the high-caliber rifle strapped to his body armor.
The intel officer didn’t react, instead flicking to another satellite image, this one zoomed further out. It was even harder to see than the first one; the cloud cover or whatever it was must have been thicker when this one was taken.
“However,” the officer continued, “We are concerned that that may not be the case.”
Kerelle leaned forward slightly. It seemed they were about to get down to it.
“There is limited human habitation on Wendu XIV, and most groups are other corporate survey teams. As you can see,” she said with faint distaste, tapping a dark smudge that looked as much like a fingerprint on the lens as a rival outpost, “ConEn has a base of operations within roughly 25 kilometers of ours.”
Aha.
“Our hope, of course, is that the team is merely experiencing a communications equipment problem. Unfortunately, we cannot rule out more sinister possibilities, which is why you’ll be dropped in by stealth ship to avoid unnecessary attention. Your mission is to locate the missing team, and if necessary extract them. If that is not possible, your secondary objective is to retrieve any research files they may have left behind.”
“Straightforward enough,” the squad commander replied archly. “Is there a reason for the…” his eyes flicked over to Kerelle “unconventional assistance?”
Kerelle sighed inwardly. He was going to be one of those.
“Senior Agent Evandra is one of our top-ranked telekinetics, and is also a class-3 telepath,” the intel officer answered evenly. “If our people are alive down there, she may be able to locate them psionically. If it is necessary to neutralize threats to our personnel and property…” She smirked slightly. “Agent Evandra is a specialist.”
“I look forward to working with you,” Kerelle lied politely. He only snorted back.
One of those indeed. She could only hope the team down there really had just broken their comm array - she could be done with this asshole by tomorrow night.
Somehow she doubted it would be that easy.
January 29, 2021
The Stars Within Release Day!
Hey there, readers! Today’s a big day: the first book in my Gift of the Stars trilogy is officially out in the wild.
Cover by the amazing Regina Wamba
For Kerelle Evandra, her psionic powers have always meant three things: mandatory service to a multigalactic corporation, a luxurious lifestyle as a prized asset, and an electronic collar that will kill her if she steps out of line. As much as Kerelle might resent her gilded cage - and obedience to her corporate masters’ cold directives - everyone knows that escape is impossible. And defiance risks not just her own life, but also the life of the person closest to her: Galhen Ambrel, her lover and fellow bound psionic.
But when Galhen’s contract is suddenly sold to a distant oligarch, Kerelle learns that obedience was not the guarantee of safety she once thought - and that escape may not be as inconceivable as she was taught to believe. When a mission brings her into contact with an unexpected ally, she must decide how far she can go, and how much she’s willing to risk for freedom.
The Stars Within is Book 1, but there’s good news for people who want to know what’s next for Kerelle: is the rest of the trilogy is on its way soon! Book 2, The Stars Unbound, is scheduled for a Feb 26 release, and The Stars Ablaze will finish things up on April 2. If you’re the impatient type like me, you can take a peek at what’s coming over on my Books page (and of course, you can sign up for my newsletter to get notified right when they launch).
For now the series is only available on Kindle, but I’m looking into options for expanding to other platforms. Writing Gift of the Stars was an amazing ride, and I’m so excited to share them with you!
January 16, 2021
Release Dates for Gift of the Stars
Big news! The Gift of the Stars trilogy finally has an official release date! Better yet, I’ll be rapid-releasing all three books in the series, so there won’t be a long wait in-between:
The Stars Within (Book 1): available January 29, 2021
The Stars Unbound (Book 2): available February 26, 2021
The Stars Ablaze (Book 3), available April 2, 2021
This series has been a long time in the making, and I’m beyond excited to finally be able to share it - along with the amazing covers by Regina Wamba. The Stars Within kicks things off on January 29:
For Kerelle Evandra, her psionic powers have always meant three things: mandatory service to a multigalactic corporation, a luxurious lifestyle as a prized asset, and an electronic collar that will kill her if she steps out of line. As much as Kerelle might resent her gilded cage - and obedience to her corporate masters’ cold directives - everyone knows that escape is impossible. And defiance risks not just her own life, but also the life of the person closest to her: Galhen Ambrel, her lover and fellow bound psionic.
But when Galhen’s contract is suddenly sold to a distant oligarch, Kerelle learns that obedience was not the guarantee of safety she once thought - and that escape may not be as inconceivable as she was taught to believe. When a mission brings her into contact with an unexpected ally, she must decide how far she can go, and how much she’s willing to risk for freedom.
