+++Navigators+++
Navigators are mutants of a very special kind, and although their appearance can vary a great deal they always have the power to navigate through warp space. Although this is a psychic ability, navigators never have other psychic powers and are no more vulnerable to psychically attuned warp creatures than any normal human. The origin of navigators goes back to the Dark Age of Technology, to a time of genetic experimentation when many kinds of mutants were engineered to fulfill roles envisaged by their creators. Whether navigators were created deliberately or by accident matters little in the Age of the Imperium, they are a fact of life and an important resource.
The mutation is a consistent one and is passed down from generation to generation. The gene is only transferable when both parents are navigators, so navigators tend to intermarry, forming a number of powerful and influential navigator families. These families are mostly resident on Earth. These is no imperial control over navigators, and many pursue civilian careers as traders. Most gravitate into the ranks of the imperial network however, for these families have a long history of service to humanity. Many past Masters of the Adeptus Terra have come from their ranks, and they occupy positions throughout the Imperium as members of the priesthood, Inquisition, army, fleet, etc. It is in the fleet that their powers can be put to full use, working aboard spacecraft as warp pilots.
The physical appearance of navigators can vary a great deal, although families tend to resemble each other. Some are identical to ordinary humans and cannot be told apart. However, there is a tendency for navigators to be tall and spindly, and their flesh may have a peculiar transparent quality which is rather disturbing. Eyes may be extremely large and may lack the iris, while other facial features are often small and under developed. Hands and feet can appear ridiculously large and are frequently webbed. Body hair is commonly absent altogether. only an extreme form of navigator would exhibit all of these characteristics, but most have some traits.
As well as the standard personality types, navigators may also be Space Marines.
Navigators never have psychic powers.
Organisation.
Navigators are more of a sub-species than an organisation, and they can be found throughout the Adeptus Terra and other imperial bodies. However, each family is very close (and often very large), and different families are often allied by marriage. As such the family organisation can be very important - and a navigator may feel entitled to call upon a relative to 'pull a few strings' where possible. Conversely, some families are deadly rivals and open hostilities (away from Earth) are not infrequent.
Equipment.
Navigators are individuals, and the equipment they carry will reflect their personal fortune and success as much as anything. Navigators from the more influential families would be on the whole more wealthy and better equipped. Those in imperial service would be equipped accordingly of course.
Navigators wear civilian clothes, but, as they spend a great deal of time in space, often wear a sealed suit. Their weapons reflect their environment too - powerful blasting weapons could easily damage a spacecraft and are generally avoided. The most convenient weapon to carry, and thus a weapon typically used by the navigator, is the laspistol. Navigators are not usually fighters by inclination.
A Typical Navigator.
The lot of the independent navigator is typified by our friend . Lustram has been travelling the spaceways for a decade. Although only 27 he looks far older (years of deep space travel often causes premature ageing). Like most spacers he wears a sealed suit, the helmet of which is fully equipped with auto-senses. He packs a standard laspistol in a conspicuous holster, and another one less obviously tucked into his right boot. His remaining boot is home to a knife. Aside from the communicator built into his helmet, he has another in one of his suit pockets.[/b]
