The psychic race began to discover that their companions' brainwaves could transmit not only information, but energy as well.
But this energy came in two forms. One was a byproduct of transmitting information, and the amount of energy involved was small.
The other was a "gift" offered in a meditative state. Energy transfer was extremely high in this state, allowing the power of a group to converge on an individual and amplify their abilities. This became Brainwave Stacking Amplification Technology.
They could easily bind powerful life-forms that individuals had previously been unable to bind.
This sparked a new crisis.
The psychic race could use their innate gifts to alter other creatures' memories, bringing physically powerful creatures under their "contracts."
Ultimately, this meant using powerful brainwaves to directly brainwash less intelligent creatures with insufficient mental strength.
Although individual abilities had originally varied between races, they could at least detect the brainwaves of their own kind, and relevant laws and treaties offered protection.
The weak could also resist these controlling brainwaves with all their strength, even if their resistance ultimately failed and their brains were "burned out," killing them.
But would groups that pooled their power use mental strength beyond that of any individual to impose brainwashing "contracts" that others of their own race could barely detect?
Individuals of this race began shielding their minds. They grew suspicious and sensitive, ventured out less, and stopped trusting others. The situation began spiraling out of control.
Some groups began using stacked mental power to brainwash key individuals in hostile factions, planting them as sleeper agents and destroying those factions in a single stroke.
Individuals of the psychic race began to panic. Groups grew wary and hostile toward one another, even canceling friendly exchanges and trade.
Each began to suspect that someone within their ranks