“ The Asker wore that fitted uniform of theirs, and his eyes were the very fingers of pointed accusations. ”
– TUT: Neoteric, Verse I
While the Askers of the Oculus are often mistaken to be Persecutors of the Vestiary, the two could not be more dissimilar. The Oculus is singularly obsessed with ensuring the safety and security of the Ascendancy. To further this, Oculus Askers use their gifts to focus on a strange ability they call Oneiromancy, which is the practice of sifting the minds and dreams of men.
The uniforms of the Oculus also differ, preferring tones of white and gray, which they believe to suit the nature of the Askers, themselves. This belief stems from the fact that the Askers are known for their lack of emotions. Further adding to their strange nature, most believe the Askers of the Oculus do not sweat.
Meet One Who Asks
The Asker is an intimidating man – if he could be said to be a man, for he is more like a twisted thing – and to be around him is to risk having one’s every thought opened up and put on display. To become an Asker, one must undergo unknown rituals and surgical alteration. The only reason this fact is known, is due to the various tattoos and implants that can be seen on every one of them. Outside of simply seeing their uniform, those physical marks only add to their intimidating presence.
The primary purpose of the Asker is to infiltrate mankind’s minds. This, for the purpose of ensuring loyalty to the One Earth Ascendancy. When in the presence of an Asker, it is especially important to check one’s thoughts and emotions, for any wayward leaning could swiftly bring permanent alterations to the course of one’s life.
Enforcement
The enforcing arm of the Oculus, those carrying out the edicts of the Great Eye, are the Askers, Takers, and Investigators. These receive different honors and markings. The Askers are a combination of a Taker and Investigator, and imbued with greater jurisdiction, and powers of judgment and execution. They are advanced interrogators, the inquisitors moving about all Ascendancy territory seeking out any and all Dissent against the One Earth Ascendancy.
The Taker is a combat arms operative, and one usually recruited from the Remedial Ascendancy Skirmishmen. They are men that have undergone little, to no genetic or surgical modification. The Taker is dispatched to capture or kill targets, and is often assisting Askers in their duties.
The Investigator is primarily a non-combat arms operative whom, as the name suggests, investigates matters of dissent. These ranks are filled with men taken from Ascendancy Patrol, and, lately, Archlight Station Patrol. Investigators gather evidence, and sometimes assist Askers in their duties.
Founding of the Oculus
The Oculus was formed by the OEA in direct response to the threat posed by the Vestiary of Pursuers. The Ascendancy, in fear of the Persecutors, early on realized they were hopelessly outmatched by the occult brotherhood. After the discovery of the Temple on Saturn, Seekers scrambled to secure whatever documentation they could relating to the mysterious power known as “Pressure.” Very little was usable, as all of the ancient and carefully stored documents were blank. These records were subject to multitudes of spectrography, and even the odd diviner, but no attempt was successful at revealing their hidden contents. Ascendancy Seekers having given up, a Persecutor was at last brought in to examine the contents.
A dozen Seeker reports of the event corroborated as follows:
The Persecutor entered the room without a word, a levdray hovering at his side. With cold black eyes he peered at the ancient volumes now laying separated and disorganized across the room. He spoke some few words, reading that which was once disguised upon the pages, but now plain as day, “You worship what you do not know, while we worship what we know, because salvation is of the Persecutors. But the hour has come, when the true worshipers worship the Abrogator in figment and shadow, for Aphos did seed these to worship him.”
When he had finished, every ancient blank page scattered throughout the room at once alighted into the air, fluttering about and aligning themselves to form several tomes upon the levdray next to him.
Astounded, the Seekers were driven mad for the comprehension of their utter lack. Falling upon knees, they rent their clothing and pierced their flesh, cursing the Vestiary with spittle and vehemence.
With a smirk, the Persecutor turned his back and walked out, the cart following close behind. The Seekers left to mire in their failure.
It was at this moment that one Seeker, by the name of Aldrani Bin-Shathi, miraculously perceived what it was the Persecutor had done. There, collapsed upon the toxic apholtrum floor, he heard a whisper of some dark, taunting entity seeking to stir the pot. That voice revealed the secret, but it was only knowledge to Aldrani. Knowledge which someone of a special bent could utilize.
Months of research. Cadavers, live subjects. The breakthrough was at last found buried deep within the genetics of some men. Forcing their way in like a scalpel, the Seekers used nano machines to reach the deepest make-up of the genetic form. Therein lied the code, naked and exposed before the mightiest minds of man, waiting to be flayed alive, tormented and twisted to suit the needs of the Ascendancy.
The Oculus and its Askers were born out of this fell-conception of mad bio-mechanical science. Shortly following, Aldrani Bin-Shathi was promoted to Chief Seeker.