To survive the ongoing emotional attacks, psions are trained to put up barriers around their minds, both to protect themselves from unwelcomed feelings and thoughts and to prevent projecting onto others.
The KEB works by modulating the wave functions of some of the particles within it in a way that models, on a much smaller scale and with a low degree of precision, the electrochemical patterns (i.e. thoughts and emotions) of the brain surrounding it.
The project failed and spawned instead modified Kyle organs to interpret pain signals from psions as orgasmic pleasure called "transcendence".
Notably, some Aristos (Corbal Xir, Calliope Muze, and Tarquine Iquar) have undergone surgery to remove their ability to achieve transcendence.
They were created from genetic samples of long dead members of the once so powerful Ruby Empire's ruling caste, who were known for their great empathic and telepathic abilities.
By directly applying the rules that define Hilbert spaces described by the angular wave functions that solve the Laplace Equation, the author invents a universe where "location" is based on quantum wave functions rather than position and time, and where a psion's thoughts determined their location in Kyle space.
Their three known remaining Locks are located on the Orbiter space habitat (headquarters of the Skolian military), the planet Raylicon (origin of the Ruby Empire), and on the Onyx platform.
It is possible for a Rhon psion to physically enter psiberspace via a Lock, as the Ruby Pharaoh Dyhianna Selei and her son Taquinil did to escape a Eubian attack on the Orbiter.
[4] Dyhianna eventually emerges from psiberspace on a random planet, but Taquinil's whereabouts remain unknown at the time of the novel Catch the Lightning.
This limit is determined by a psiberspace law equivalent to the Pauli Exclusion Principle, in that no more than one personality of a specific type can be joined to the Locks at any given time.
The Dyad or the Triad when acting together forms the full executive authority that governs the Skolian Empire together with an elected parliament, the Assembly.
Therefore, the person who is the Assembly Key takes the sobriquet of the "Mind of Skolia", or the style of Ruby Pharaoh, with at least the executive powers of chief-of-state.
The Selei branch of the Rhon produces the Assembly Key with following line of succession: Lahaylia, then Dyhianna, with Taquinil the designated successor.
Therefore, the person who is the Military Key takes the sobriquet of the "Fist of Skolia", or the style of Imperator, with the executive power of commander-in-chief of all armed forces in the Imperialate.
The personality powering the Web Key is not required to have any great intellectual or organization skill, merely large amounts of willpower and emotional strength.