THOSE WHO WALK IN SHADOW

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Somewhat more disturbing than the ability to walk through solid matter, is the Sanguine ability to become a shadow moving along the wall despite no object casting it, to enter into shadows in combination to the 'fade' ability, appearing to enter and leave shadows and solid objects alike as if portals accessible only to them and the people they are in physical contact with; and to manipulate and move shadows around the body while the Death Coprocessor operates the body of the Sanguine like a puppet.

The Sanguine will therefore be able to move and project in any direction and length, and to appear physically out of the shadow while their body appears to be stationary in the same area. The shadow stepping away from the body that is casting it is a form of QSR projection from the 'pocket' into the physical world, and so the shadow can be shot with a QSR energy dump, striking the Sanguine as if hitting him in the body even when in this two-dimensional form.

Various legends about 'shadow people' are memories of the actual fighting with the Sanguine and how they would move in these battles. Combined with the psychological injury that touch causes, the Sanguine would often only need to count coup on the enemy - simply touching them - and in doing so disabling the enemy without killing or harming them physically. While this may seem non-violent, the memories imparted in this manner often are then hereditary and can be transferred from the victim to children of the same parent as was touched, even though they were already born, due to the interaction of the DNA and quantum targeting of that DNA in the parent, from which the children and many generations experience the same nightmares and associations as if memories.

This can create unintended and lasting religious and supernatural customs in the people exposed to this 'shadow warfare' - and experienced Sanguine do not use the technique over physical capabilities because of the long-lasting impact to unintended targets.

One common strategy is the use of this 'shadow' to create the appearance of many Sanguine where there are only a few, as multiple shadows can be created and are not destroyed by ordinary light. You can shine a spotlight on a shadow, and it will continue to exist despite the direct light.

In combination with the QSR ability to bend light and cancel light, this ability can be overwhelming to conventional fighters, often beginning with the room turning completely dark despite numerous light sources - sudden contact without any sound whatsoever, and then return of light as soon as the Sanguine 'fade' into the earth which reveal only a bloody scene of close-quarter-battle (CQB) that compel even well trained soldiers to flee the engagement or break down ordinary discipline.

Tyec and Genosect will employ weapons to disable and strike through these points, into the shadow, and occasionally employ QSR weapons. Use of these abilities tend to draw escalation, and as a result Sanguine will avoid the use of such effective techniques in order to prevent the automated systems from escalating response to anti-planetary QSR based weapons that could kill everyone on the ground.

Harmonic technology in the Sanguine can cancel these effects, preventing their use against other Sanguine, but the countermeasure is limited in use to prevent capture and observation by Tyec and Genosect. Kai'Gi also may cancel these technologies out with their own use of the same tools, and such use greatly disturbs the Sanguine to avoid them simply because of the area of effect and limitations it causes to their ordinary sense of freedom and movement.

The 'shadow people' do not always have a serious effect, but also are not the true meaning of the phrase "Those Who Walk in Shadow". While the Kai'Gi and other races believe the reference is mainly to the Sanguine ability to perform this feat, it is actually a phrase from "The Prayer of Blood" that speaks of the many Sanguine who went into "The Dark" between the galaxies. There they say they battle the Kai'Gi and their servants - where the Tyec and Genosect cannot access the raw material to carry on their war machine against the Sanguine in the name of the Kai'Gi.

This means, when someone says those words, "Those who Walk in Shadow," casually - the Sanguine will be quick to urge them to be silent, lest they hear their name and come to find who has called them. While the King of Kings is among them, the Sanguine themselves fear his return, for it is written it will be with judgment and fury which no living thing - human or Sanguine - will be spared.

For this reason, the Sanguine never speak the names or suggest the existence of Those Who Dwell in Shadow - and say only the name as such, a collective not invoking the true name of the King or even to imagine or think it.

Such is the power of the King of Kings.