Page 31 of Emperor of Draconis

“Why don’t you get things started since you suggested we talk.”

“Okay. I can get this party started. What does an empress do?”

“She stands at my side. I would say most manage the castle including handling guests, but most have seen to female’s and families’ issues. Often, they look out for those who are underprivileged. If they choose, they also take on issues that are close to their heart. An empress advises an emperor on important matters too.”

“That sounds like a lot. Does she get any help keeping up with all that?”

“Whatever help she needs, she gets.” Torr said.

“And is she is running a program that takes much of her time?”

“Can no one help run this program to free up her time?”

“You know how hard it is.” She offered.

“That’s now when we are getting started. Once it’s established will it still be this hard?”

“I hope not, but it is hard to say how long it will take to get things going right.”

“Fair enough, but I am committed to this program and to you. We can get you all the help you need and while you have the vision for what this program can be, you can still train help to do what you need done.”

“You don’t give up easily, do you?”

“No, and especially on you.” Torr agreed.

“Looks like it’s nearly lunch time. Maybe we should continue this talk once we arrive there.”

“I would love nothing more.”

He escorted her from the room and down the hall. This was an exciting time for his people and hopefully they would see things work out well. His people needed this. The fresh blood and the population growth could make all the difference if they were careful. This chance he was taking with criminals and soldiers might be their downfall or bring them greater prosperity.

People began to come in for lunch and instead of continuing their conversation, they greeted those that entered for lunch. The aroma of food made his stomach growl. Dragons ate more than humans. He needed to remember to fill up or eat between meals. Once he bit Kitty, she would eat more too.

The room was full, and servers began to bring them food. He ate more than he had been, and people immediately noticed. At this point it wasn’t worth the extra attention. He’d have snacks brought to his room later. It seemed humans noticed differences easily. Once they arrived at Draconis, there would be many differences to notice. That would keep them busy. At that point, some of them might even realize who he was.

Lunch was over and it was time for the meeting. It was clear right away that most of the adults had worked through the unit and even the next one. That made him wonder if the young one had gotten away with whatever they’d wanted to do. Too much parental supervision was never any fun. Putting attention on the studies her parents weren’t doing, forced them to work on them. Smart kid.

Most of the children were enjoying the play room right now while the adults were learning more about their new world. “Anyone have any question about the first unit?” Kitty asked.

“I see that many positions have housing included and there are apartments at the factories, but it didn’t say much about houses say for families.” A lady asked.

“Some of the housing included with several of the positions are houses. That is usual for farm managers, sometimes house managers, and even for factory managers. As far as homes not attached to positions, there are few rental homes. That leaves purchasing your home. Real estate goes up and down, but with the arrival of large groups of Earthers, real estate will peak. That may make it hard to afford. Your immediate housing needs will probably have to be met by apartment housing that the kings and emperor have built for your needs.”

“Can we move on to Unit 2? I believe most of us have worked through it.” A man asked.

“Is there anyone that objects to moving to Unit 2?” She looked around seeing no objections. “Alrighty. This is the largest Unit and divided into several section. The first is the fish factory. Are there any questions?”

“What is it like?” Someone asked.

“It is much like those types of factories on Earth. Some areas must deal with smell and others deal with guts and gore. Once you work there a while you will become accustomed to such things.”

“Not like you ever have.” Someone said softy.

“Did someone just assume I never worked in such a place? Why do people always assume such things? Sure, I’m a doctor now. I worked my way through my bachelor’s degree at a pork slaughter plant. I worked every part of that process. That place makes the fish plant look clean. In those kinds of plants, you wade through the muck and gore in the lot where the hogs come in and you have guts and gore all over you inside the plant. There’s few things that upset my stomach anymore and a fish plant isn’t one of them.”

“I stand corrected.” He said.

“No one should ever be embarrassed by an honest job. Not all jobs are clean, but the fish plant not only pays higher than average, it has excellent benefits. It has free rent, free childcare, and free college courses. You want something better? This job allows you to work for it.” Kitty explained.

---