Technology Is Indistinguishable From Magic

Alexander Cano stepped out of an identical vehicle to that had transported to meet the Rutian emperor less than a few hours ago. He was just returning from said trip, having taken a helicopter ride from Sarusilem to Twilight. His mind was still reviewing the several events which had unfolded during the meeting, and the several outrageous abilities which were new discovering to the Angelic Wraith; his scientist would be ecstatic.

He scanned the building in front of him: the Imperial Palace of the Angelic Wraith Empire, its true capital building and home of the Angelic Wraith Royal Family ─ his home. It was still as he had left it; his wife had yet to burn it down. As he approached the front door, the two Guard's faces lit up.

"How's it going, Terrance?" Alex asked, stopping to talk to them. He noticed, behind him, the vehicle being driven away.

"Same old, same old; Alex," the Guard answered.

"Anything happen inside?"

"Nothing really, just the usual. The kids came and play, laughter and banter."

"Ah..." Alex nodded and turned to the other Guard, who was older than his partner. "How's the family?"

"Quite well, actually." A slight smile appeared on his middle aged face.

Alex nodded again, and opened the door himself being stepping across, then proceeded to close it behind him. Once inside, he was met was a large staircase across a wide, open room. Where he stood currently, he was in a small cubical. Halls stretched to his left and right, several meters away. Along the walls rested several pieces of art and portraits, as well as photographs, of old family members. There were also a few flower pots filled with powers atop small, marble columns present along the walls. Across the hall, up the stairs, another hall stretched directly behind them, deeper into the home. Two more halls stretched to it's flanks. This room was obviously designed for defensive purposes. While the Guards held the advantage, the invaders would be trapped in a breading ground of death.... assuming that they entered through this door, anyway.

Two more guards stood at the top of the stairs, by the mouth of the hall across Alex, chatting. Alex headed up the stairs, waved to the guards, and turned leftward: towards the family room, where said people most likely resided. After crossing a few wooden, closed, doors, he reached the two he was searching for. He immediately opened them and crossed inside...

He was met with a sudden and quick scream, "Daaaaaadd!!" A few moments later, his stomach was tightly wrapped within the arms of a twelve year old.

Alex looked at a clock above a fireplace. "It's pretty late, Gab, why are you still up?"

"Mom let me," Gab answered as he looked towards the sofa a meter away.

"Where's Isaac?" Alex asked, as he and Gab approached it.

"Asleep," answered a female voice from it.

Then, Alex looked over it, directly towards the woman: his wife. She was beautiful, but her eyes were dark and spiteful. "I see."

"How'd the meeting go?"

Alex moved around the sofa, to get a better look at her. "Quite well. Looks like you were right, the other guy did prefer to dress casually."

For a split second, Alex viewed hate and disgust on the face of his woman: Erika. He knew full well that she housed a strong hate for him, and was only married to him for his fortune and power. However, he had learned it too late; after Gabriel had been born. It would be a wrong to Gabriel to strip him of his mother, who still showed genuine love towards him. Knowing that, Alex knew his wife had suggested this attire so he may seem like an unprofessional clown before the others. As far as Alex had been able to tell, her plan had backfired.

"Thanks great, honey," she said, as her loath vanished from her face and she kissed Alex's cheek.

"Indeed." He returned the gesture. "Now," he turned to Gabriel,"go to bed."

Gabriel's body reeled and moved with his emotions. "Awe... fine..." He walked out of the room, his arms sagging.

Alex turned to Erika once more. "I've got other business to attend to... I'll be home late."

Erika nodded, "good luck." She kissed her husband and left the room. A moment later, Alex followed, but headed rightward as his wife had taken left. When he arrived at the stairs, he followed the guards down the center hallway, towards the military areas of the palace...

(OOC: Will finish later))

Several minutes later, Alex stood within a room along with several military officers. They were all high ranked, visible not only from the insignias on their uniforms, but also by there mere presence in this room ─ the Angelic Wraith Empire Security Council room. Everyone, all thirteen of them, took their seats around a redwood table, on matching chairs. All's eyes fell of Alex.

Noticing, Alex began, "Gentlemen, and ladies," he nodded towards the two female officers which sat among the officers, "As you all, I've returned from my conference with the... Rutian Republic, I believe, mere minutes ago. While I was unable to learn much from the meeting himself, and information we learn from their shared bits may be restricted, I did learn sufficient to believe that they hold a natural advantage over us...

"Meaning, that fate has endowed to them powers which are beyond our current understand.... Their leader himself is capable of viewing into the future for an approximate five minutes... Such a bizarre ability, eh? That a relativistic creature holds the ability the see that which is commonly unseen? That one may view what is every changing? Sort of makes you believe that there's no free will in this universe, and that we are all pawns of a greater force... merely playing out it's game of chess...

"While I don't expect us to be able to mimic such an ability, as such a feat is impossible..." He remembered what he taught as a child: nothing is impossible, and chuckled lightly before continuing. "Well, rather completely improbable, I do know we may mimic his guard's ability: To kill with a thought. Such a feat is rather simple, I assume?" His eyes were aimed directly at the man across him, a lead physicist who was drafted into Corporal-ship, as a mere title of course.

The man spoke after a moment of staring at his hair, which fell to be right above his eyes; he was rather young. "Yeah, I believe so. We've brain reading technology. Take a device that does it, hook it to a weapon, and bam: murder at will."

Alex nodded. "Is it truly that simple?"

"Quite so, actually. We already have devices that operate on a similar manner. Those artificial limbs that people carry around, it's merely the cybernetics within the machine responding to the person's nervous system, their brain's communication system. It should be rather simple to throw that together with a switch and a weapon. I will begin to design plans this morning."

"Excellent, I'd also like your department to begin develop other devices which would mimic the effects of Psychokinetic abilities."

The man nodded. "Understood."

"Now then," Alex turned to another man. "I'd like your department to begin ravaging the information obtained from the Rutians, and I'd like a report filed to me about their military capabilities, be it blatantly obvious from their information, or pieced together from hints and events here and there."

His target nodded, "Alight."

Alex smiled and returned to the nod, before turning to a female. "And I trust our vessels continue to be well kept?"

"Of course sir," she answered. "A shipment of antimatter arrived while you were away, further increasing our stock. As it stands now, there's enough antimatter stored away to power our entire empire for thousands of years."

"Good, good." His attention shifted to the woman. "I'd like colonization efforts to be pulled into overdrive. I want the arcologies constructed by the end of the month, and the other prospect planets to be landed upon. I'd like for the empire's reach to encompass at least four terrestrial system by the end of the year, and include military outposts in several more systems..."

The meeting went on into the night...