March 7, 1640

Seattle, Washington

Light winds breezed through the concrete jungle of Seattle as construction crews noisily operated their machines throughout the city. Archmage Bromson stretched his wings as he stared outside the window of his lofty hotel room, wondering if he could be allowed to fly around for a bit.

“I’m surprised these… humans,” he said with a hint of distaste, “of all beings managed to create such wonders,” Ambassador Krunch walked up beside Bromson, musing on the swathes of steel and glass outside.

Bromson pointed out flaws in Krunch’s remark, “These humans are not of this world. It would be unwise to characterize them like we do the others.”

“Still… to see an inferior race accomplishing such wonders. My worldview is truly shaken,” Krunch admitted. “Were it not for the Ancestors’ prophesied return, I would have worried for our future in the face of these new arrivals.”

“We still have over a decade before anything is set in stone. Given what we know about these Americans, we might find ourselves hard-pressed to succeed in any conflicts against them.” Roars of jets overhead echoed Bromson’s sentiment poetically, instilling an emotion that had almost never plagued the Annonrials — fear.

Krunch stared at the bustling city below, steel skeletons rapidly taking form to accommodate the city’s unexpected growth. “I loathe to admit, but your judgment may be correct.”

“That’s exactly what my honest analysis of their military suggests,” Zhenmann voiced from his desk.

“I must say,” Bromson remarked, “I’m quite surprised you were able to conduct an analysis in the first place. They’ve kept us away from their libraries and technologies. Surely you haven’t managed to derive military technology from their civilian technology?”

“Well, not necessarily, although I did make some inferences. If we take the discrepancy between our own civilian and military technologies and apply the same logic here, then we may assume that their vehicles and equipment operate similarly to their civilian counterparts.” Zhenmann then brushed off the idea, “However, without much access to even their civilian technologies, there’s not much I can say outside of a visual analysis of their vehicles on the road, and phones in their hands, and planes in the sky.”

Krunch tilted his head as he questioned Zhenmann’s intelligence gathering, “How then, were you able to adequately analyze their military?”

Zhenmann smirked, almost dumbfounded by the manner with which he was able to perform his analysis in the first place. “The Americans were keen enough to prevent our access to many of their technologies, except for one important one.” He pointed to the sleek television mounted on the wall, which was currently playing a news segment on a company’s new magical air conditioning system.

“Yes,” Bromson remarked, slowly walking up to the device while rubbing his chin. “Their television is indeed full of information, but how much of this information can be trusted? If the Americans were keen enough to obscure everything else, why leave this television? If their broadcasted programs and channels are like ours, then they should have news, fictional programs, and documentaries.”

Krunch nodded his head, agreeing with Bromson. “It is truly curious that they would leave a loose end here.” His attitude shifted to that of arrogance as he scoffed, “Not surprising these inferiors would make such mistakes. A pity their technology is so advanced…”

Bromson cut in, “Or perhaps they did not think we could discover much from their programs. Admittedly, a lot of their programs are simply, as I said, news or fiction. Even if we were to analyze their documentaries, I hypothesize a majority of them would be mundane and unrelated to critical technologies.”

“Congratulations, Archmage. Your hypothesis is correct,” Zhenmann said.

Bromson responded with a smile, satisfied that he was right once again.

Zhenmann continued, “I did look through some documentaries. They were primarily about nature – in particular, the flora and fauna of Elysia – and history. The few military documentaries I did happen across were either about their historical wars – which discussed anachronistic technologies and tactics that were surprisingly similar to the ones employed by the Gra Valkans – and the technologies of Elysian nations. Curiously, I did also find a program that analyzed images of a Pal Chimera and our ancestors’ satellites, the Mystar Network.”

Krunch reacted with disgusted shock, “Impossible!” He denied the claim vehemently, only to concede once Zhenmann casually pointed the remote at the television and changed the channel to the appropriate one. “How?” was all Krunch could mutter after seeing undeniable, high-resolution evidence.

“It might not be much information, but at least now we know that the Americans are capable of spying on us without our knowledge, and that they know of space,” Zhenmann explained.

Krunch thought back to the video that Secretary Heiden had shown him prior to this trip. He remembered seeing a rocket launching into the heavens and a suited man planting the American flag on their moon, but he dismissed it as propaganda. Now that he came face to face with the truth, he began to realize that it may have been true. Even if it weren’t, the video clearly implied that these people had knowledge of space and how to access it. In fact, their rocket was similar to the ones currently in design by a top secret project.

Bromson ended the awkward silence as Krunch mulled over this frightening revelation, “So Captain, what else have you managed to uncover?”

“I broke down my analysis into several categories. Since we’re on the topic of space, we can discuss that now,” Zhenmann said as he flipped through a notebook, showing his colleagues the information he acquired. “This content is arranged in accordance with accuracy. I shall begin with the notes that I believe to be the most accurate, based on cross-referencing between different channels. First, we know that the Americans are familiar with space and have accessed it. Upon their arrival to this world, they have launched rockets frequently. We also know that they have satellites, much like the Mystar Network, although their satellites have different purposes. From this, along with the images of the Pal Chimera, we can infer that their satellites can take pictures; this is how they can spy on us without our knowledge. This is likely how they were able to perfectly counter the Lourian and Parpaldian militaries with uncanny effectiveness.”

The more Zhenmann spoke, the more horrified Krunch became. Such achievements were thought to be attainable only by the Ancestors, the light-winged people of the Ravernal Empire. The fact that mere humans were now challenging the Ravernals’ domain was heretical. Worries flooded Krunch’s mind. Would the analysts back home even take this threat seriously? If they were to reveal this information, would they be silenced for such blasphemous words? What did this technology imply about humans, who were supposed to be inferior in every way possible?

“The most concerning revelation is their militarization of space. This is something even our Ancestors never attempted, as they lacked true equals. The Americans on the other hand, fought in a Cold War that was defined by rapid technological advancement. Apparently, the Americans and their rivals, the Soviets, amassed stockpiles of world-ending nuclear weapons – which sound similar to core magic. These weapons, like our Ancestors’ core magic bombs, were placed on missiles. To defend against these weapons and offer new first strike capabilities, the Americans conceived of orbital satellites; weapon platforms that could intercept these missiles with lasers.”

By this point, Krunch collapsed on a chair, his head hanging low.

Zhenmann continued, “This matches with the video we have seen. Moving on to the more questionable information, I have seen a lot of references to lasers, starships, and space travel. Some of their material is clearly fictional, such as the events of ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Star Trek’. However, some material was much more convincing, namely a certain program called ‘The Expanse’. It is set hundreds of years into their future, though, so I think it is safe to assume that the Americans don’t have access to such insane technologies.”

Krunch released a sigh of relief. At least these humans weren’t blatantly and egregiously more advanced than the Ancestors.

“I also found that these humans use weapons similar to our own, from missiles to automatic rifles and tanks. I was lucky enough to see examples of modern combat in the form of movies such as Sicario and Black Hawk Down. It is clear that these people are not invincible or infallible, and can succumb to mistakes just like any other being,” Zhenmann pointed out. “I also made the decision to use a magic gem to replenish myself, so I wouldn’t have to sleep. I spent the past nights further analyzing American media, particularly ‘The Last Ship’ to familiarize myself with their naval operations. Everything seems fairly similar to the Ancestors’ weapons.”

Bromson crossed his arms, finding something amiss. “Fairly similar, you say? How can this be? I’ve detected no magic signatures amongst the humans here, aside from travelers from elsewhere around the world. These people even claim to be a magicless society! Then, how can it be possible that their technologies are similar to the magic-based technologies of the Ancestors?”

“That, I cannot explain without an understanding of both American technology and the technology of the Ancestors. Even we don’t know the full capabilities of the Pal Chimera,” Zhenmann added, stressing his point.

“Fair observation”, Bromson said. “This enigma will leave me wondering for quite a while…”

The two paused their conversation to glance at Krunch, who was having a mental breakdown over the loss of his perceived superiority over the humans. “Impossible… Impossible…” he muttered like a broken record, face buried between his hands.

Bromson placed a hand on Krunch’s shoulder and attempted to reassure him, “At least we know these Americans are quite friendly. As long as we don’t provoke them, we have nothing to fear from them.”

Krunch looked up slowly, processing Bromson’s words. “This can’t be… Our Ancestors have never had to face a worthy adversary! This puts our plans in jeopardy! How can you suggest not to provoke them, when our entire mission is to provoke them? There will be no reconciliation between the Emperor and these humans, there will be no friendship between the Ancestors and the Americans. Conflict is inevitable, and - and…” Krunch found himself at a loss for words. His unwavering faith in Ravernal superiority was now wavering and his unquestionable confidence in human inferiority was now in question.

“We will adapt,” Zhenmann said, “and take the best course of action for the people of the Annonrial Empire.”

“What will you do, Ambassador?” Bromson asked.

Krunch shrugged, his wings moving along with his shoulders, “For now, I plan to continue with the original mission. We will,” he hesitated, uncertainty gripping him, “We will secure what information we can get and return home, as was planned.” He sighed, “When I thought that this inspection was going to be enlightening, I didn’t imagine it would have turned out like this. I thought we were going to find… find…”

“Reassurance? Affirmation of our dominance over the rest of this world?” Zhenmann asked.

“Yes,” Krunch responded truthfully. “I thought I was going to squalor in some primitive establishment. I certainly never expected to receive amenities that are even better than what we have back home. Still, to mingle with these inferiors… I don’t even know if I can call them that anymore.”

“An understandable position,” Bromson said. He paused before speaking again, wondering if now was the appropriate time to hint at Messiah’s intentions. In a split-second decision, he doubled down and capitalized on Krunch’s doubts and insecurities. “Perhaps our lengthy isolation has deprived us of an accurate view on the other races and the outside world?”

Krunch stared into Bromson’s soul upon hearing his suggestion. Bromson returned the gaze, standing firm.

After a moment of tension, Krunch looked away, turning to face the window. Once more, he examined the sophisticated civilization below. “I suppose you’re correct. Maybe these beings aren’t so inferior after all.”