Spectral Utility

The Spectral Utility, being used by a younger Yarona Xene

The Spectral Utility is an anomalous item under the ownership and use of Yarona Xene. It's full properties and abilities are yet unknown. The concept of the Spectral Utility is deeply rooted in theory, in more ways than one. It is an item that exists in the tentative and complex area where physics, psychology and philosophy coincide.

## Research

### The Cognizant Plane

The Cognizant Plane is a theoretical dimension that exists outside of our reality. Researchers are unable to determine where it exists exactly but postulate it may be located in the Void or in an alternate universe where the conventional laws of physics do not operate.

Researches do know however that this space 1. Does exist outside of our mind and in a physical place and time. 2. Can be influenced by human thought. 3. Contains matter.

Because this reality is influenced by human cognition and thoughts, it is believed that this reality is in fact created and fueled entirely on such. Any thought, idea or dream that a human has becomes reality in this space. Thus the size of this reality can reasonably be assumed to be the size of every human idea or thought that imagines a physical object or terrain, and this reality is constantly growing as more humans create new ideas and thoughts unique to others.

### Creation

The Spectral Utility is thought of to be an ideal form (for more information click here). It is a collectivized abstraction of a weapon, specifically a gun, in human minds that has taken concrete form. Every human thought that has to do with the concept of a gun or weapon has been physically manifested as the Spectral Utility. Thus is why the object can take many separate forms covering a wide array of firearm use.

### Properties

Because the Spectral Utility is not of this universe and was created from an abstraction, it's abilities and form does not follow the laws of conventional physics. It is made of an unknown metallic/stone material that is best described as blackened shale. As of yet researchers have been unable to cut, break or otherwise damage this substance.

The Spectral Utility is made up of several moving parts that are propelled by the sheer power of thought by the wielder themselves. Most forms of the Spectral Utility is made up of a "chamber" or central foci that the wielder uses as a anchor or central construct to fixate their thoughts. The barrel is the most shifting form, and takes up several different shapes and sizes depending on the current form of the gun. Finally there is the trigger itself which acts as a mental primer for the weapon. A user pulling the trigger creates the expectation in their mind's eye of the gun's operation. Thus, the gun operates as intended.

The gallery below will exhibit all of the forms and physical properties of the Spectral Utility.

### The Wielder

Several attempts to operate and interact with the Spectral Utility made by Blackwatch members outside of Yarona Xene herself have bore little success. The gun does not activate, function or follow any sort of physical or mental command made by anyone other than Yarona.

It is unclear why this is the case. A small outlier of researchers believe that the weapon is not singularly operated by Yarona, but can actually be operated by a very small population of individuals that are able to operate the gun based on unique cognitive or psychological traits. For instance, the fact that Yarona lacks a significant portion of her memory and the Utility's previous owner (Matigo Roser) had severe mental issues.

Most researchers believe that the weapon has "attuned" or has somehow been chained to Yarona's consciousness, and only operates along with her engagement. This has been supported by the fact that Yarona's thoughts can sometimes influence the state of the Spectral Utility without intention to do so, and that if the latter theory of universal use was correct, the weapon would be influenced or operated by several separate thoughts and cognition at any given time.

### Sentience

A small contingent of researches have theorized that the Spectral Ability has, in some way, a consciousness of it's own. This is because, if it is true that the weapon is chained or attuned to specifically Yarona, than a conscious choice on the part of the weapon had to have been made when Yarona struggled with Matigo Roser over the weapon (see Yarona's Bio for details) as the gun was somehow unchained from Matigo and was rechained to Yarona during the struggle.

Other evidence has been made that the gun somehow exhibits strange noises when left alone and without human presence for long periods of time (1 week or more), including an unintelligible sound vaguely recognized as a voice. A recording of this can be found in the gallery.

## Function

It's functional purpose is a firearm designed to protect it's wielder. Currently, Yarona is able to alter the form of the Spectral Utility to function in five separate ways. Each one specializing in a certain role. The ammunition for the Spectral Utility is infinite but must be mentally recharged intermittently in combat with what is known as Cognitive Effort. The primary and only source of energy in the Cognizant Plane, which is created by human thought.

The five forms are as follows:

**Platform** - The platform role, as the name would suggest, is the most basic and most common form the gun takes. It is seen as the "default" role for Yarona. In this form, the gun operates in a semi-automatic manner and launches triangular shaped cartridges located on the top of the gun in super-sonic speeds. The method of propulsion is unknown and conflicting evidence supports that it is propelled by a mental kinetic representation of gunpowder.

Look this shit is pretty confusing don't blame me.

**Spread** - As the name implies, the Spread form of the weapon is the abstract concept of a human scattergun. It launches ten similarly block shaped projectiles and supersonic speeds much along the same lines. Notably, it's spread is in a predictable "starshaped" pattern. Two pellets high, two pellets low, two diagonally left, two diagonally right and two horizontally. The pattern can be noticed in the firing example of the Spread form, located in the gallery.

**Needle** - The Needle form of the Spectral Utility is best described as an automatic weapon, with a high rate of fire and low accuracy. The cognitive effort it takes to keep this form reloaded is noticeably higher, as several seconds of sustained fire can empty the gun completely. Unlike the previous two described forms, the Needle propels small, toothpick sized shavings of the same shale-like material and subsonic speeds. Best used for unarmored targets.

**Puncture** - The Puncture's form is arguably the oddest and most unconventional form, as it does not resemble that of a conventional firearm but more that of a laser. Detailed research into this form reveals that the laser is actually a two step process that involves a physical projectile. Researchers were clued in on this by the telltale "gunshot" sound the laser still makes when firing. Closer examination under hihg spede cameras revealed that the laser gets it's penetrative power from a large, tennis ball shaped projectile of heated plasma.

This form is high damage and high penetrative power, for armored targets. However this form (like the Bite form) must be charged before firing and has a very large Cognitive reload cost. Taking several seconds to do so.

**Bite** - The last form, the Bite platform of the Spectral Utility is the idealization of a high explosive weapon. It contains three "canisters" of shale-like material that are filled with an unknown explosive material equivalent to about 220 grams of RDX/TNT mixture, or roughly a little more than a standard M67 hand grenade. The projectiles of this weapon, unlike the others, are propelled by an unknown kinetic force. The maximum amount of charges that can be fired at once is three separate canisters.

This form packs a big punch, but the projectiles themselves are slow and cannot catch fast moving targets. Each projectile, as well, has to be charged.