*****
"Our thoughts form deep channels in the mind," Stalling confidently stated to the auditorium packed with skeptical authorities. "This phenomenon has been well documented for the past twenty years by many of you here today. Why not manipulate this knowledge to our advantage, to do our bidding? Not only do I stand here before you today proposing Drakarle prioritize the development of such technology, I say we, as the world's leaders, are morally obligated to do so."
Dramis Clortison paused the archived video and yelled over his shoulder to no one in particular. "If we had listened to the arrogant bastard back then, we could have avoided a great deal of anguish."
Stalling was naive back then, enough so that we could have convinced him the Church was aligned with his vision. By the time he learned otherwise, it would have been too late. But we underestimated him, more than once. Maybe the innocent intentions conveyed in this public lecture was simply the first calculated move.
Dramis cut his conniving short and continued to study the determined face of the then twenty-three year old Stalling paused on the larger than life wall panel. He hit play, anxious to uncover the evidence that would affirm the hunch appearing the moment Janison surprised them with their unexpected gift.
"This is all fantasy. There is no existing technology to support any of what you propose. Neocortex entrainment? Physiological communications? Virtual networks? Maybe you ought to consider a career in writing science fiction and leave the real science to those prepared to put in the hard work it requires." A loud mumble of agreement followed by a raucous laughter erupted with Dr. Florentine's critical retort.
The young Stalling stood taller as he straightened his arms resting on the podium, allowing the din to settle.
He really was the perfect poster child for all outward Drakarlean appearances, Dramis mused. Slim, tall, athletic with a rugged handsomeness, at twenty-three, his supple youth, far from reaching its apex, openly defied the toils inflicted by the physical world. Blue-gray eyes sparkled with a thriving intellect that commanded respect and intrigue. Persuasive charisma, probing genius and the sole heir to the most influential and wealthy family in all of Drakarle's rich history, Stalling had all the tools to be one of the greatest leaders of the modern era.
Showing patience beyond his years, Stalling waited long enough for the silence in the room to become uncomfortable before responding. "One's life is only limited by their ability to be independent of the good opinion of others," Stalling quoted from the book of Drestan.
What a clever boy. Florentine never did figure out if he had been complimented or insulted, but it shut him up all the same.
"Technology is not something to be observed from the protective confines of a lab, like a caged animal," Stalling continued with his lecture. "Technology is an extension of life; it selfishly wants us to grow, to accelerate our diversity. With the proper guidance, we can and should leverage the energy inherently captured in our current information processes, within the piles of data we so cautiously study."
Clortison fast-forwarded through the next forty minutes as scientist and engineers from varying fields bantered back and forth with Stalling. None, as he recalled, made any significant dent in his theories. As he did so, the visceral response felt that day while observing quietly in the back of the auditorium stirred from the murky depths of memory. How, within a few minutes, Stalling's palpable magnetism had distorted the reality of the situation, applying his assured communication skills to alter opinions and beliefs forged over a lifetime.
Yes, my instinct on Stalling Alterian at the time was spot on. He was a dangerous threat in need of termination.
He hit play again as the camera swung to the back of the room and focused on his imposing figure, a young cardinal dressed in a fitted beige cassock trimmed with dark green piping and buttons. I was a strapping bastard back then, Dramis thought with a mix of admiration and disappointment as he unconsciously pinched the inches of his portly midsection. I was still playing two or three pick-up games a week back then, one of many sacrifices I have had to make....
The camera had turned to him in response to his boisterous question. "What of God Mr. Alterian? How do you intend on consulting the Almighty about your plans to alter his most coveted creation?" Much as he had that day, Dramis relished the cowed reactions of those seated in the room at the sound of his booming, authoritative voice. A deferent hush had seized the crowd. Stalling's enchantment had gone on too long; the time had come to crack the whip and remind everyone of their true reality.
The camera moved back to Stalling as he addressed Clortison's loaded question. "I apologize if what I propose derogates the Almighty and his ecumenical leadership," Stalling stated, sounding more annoyed than apologetic. "But I assure you, every one of my concepts was contrived in the same spirit that has allowed Antium's scientific community to flourish over the centuries."
"Really? Please enlighten us as to how your heretical musings are aligned with the Savior and his Father, the one and only true God."
"According to the Gospel of Leviatus, chapter 6, verses 1-2: ‘And God told his chosen people, I am whole and unbroken. I am both lever and rock. I am both water mill and river. All souls will be nourished from my unbroken wholeness.’"
Yes, we have leaned on that scripture to justify more than once the continual redaction of our laws to fit the contemporary needs of society. As evidenced in the past century, when the Church devised a way to capitalize on and foster the budding Age of Science that Antium had reached. It was the solution enabling us to both support the popular veneration growing around the laws of science at that time and, to this day, provide the scientific population a sense of purpose.
"True, the scripture tells us the laws of science are His laws but let us not lose sight that science remains beholding to the Savior's one and only divine law: 'Through me, be delivered to our father and his eternal kingdom; for I am the wellspring that nourishes the soul with his endless love.'"
"Your vision of the future encourages man to find salvation through the self, versus the unwavering acceptance of Leviatus as your Savior. Need I remind you of the many who have suffered the rack for the propagation of ideas arguably less blasphemous?"
"With all due respect, I believe my vision of the future to reflect the very foundation of what Leviatus taught us which was to strive toward becoming one with God himself."
There it was! The drama that ensued immediately after that bold statement was all Dramis had recalled about his first encounter with Stalling. "To become one with God," he repeated out loud.
Until now, none of the information Janison provided was very useful. Sure, they could study the science behind it all and in a decade or so reengineer some of it to call it their own. But none of it revealed the mysterious power driving it all, the key behind their true objective. When Stalling decided to play within the rules, despite the public support and popularity he had garnered over the years, he knew that the C.O.S. would eventually pull the plug and take over. Janison's intel, at first glance, simply appeared to give us a head start on the inevitable.
"No, the clever boy has played us from the start, letting our own momentum do most the damage," Dramis said, causing a stir amongst his cabinet members seated behind him. "If not for my instinct to bluff this morning, we would have mortally impaled ourselves on his spear. For that matter, I have no doubt Janison's betrayal was all part of the plan. But it is you that has underestimated me this time Stalling Alterian. We will use your life's work to make us stronger beyond imagination. Somebody get me Thortizan!"