I'll do it then. Have to go fetch some things, be right back!

Off he goes. Seeker's tail waves in amusement.

"I like him," Amseli comments to Seeker.

Partition weaves through the few dozen Draak scattered around the two ships. Some of the Draak are unloading and unpacking things. Some are investigating the flora. A trio of green ones are clambering over Ice Scale, inspecting for damage.

I'm glad. Should I introduce someone else or give you the summary of our government now?

"I think the press is most eager to hear about the government."

We're keeping the institutions of Elders and Grand Moots for matters of grave importance, but we assembled a senate for more ordinary matters. Anyone who can fly or is over fifteen years old can vote for two Draak. Both of these two votes count, it's not a ranked vote. Voting is not anonymous because that would introduce too many opportunities for tampering, but we might try to come up with a tamper-proof anonymous system later. The fifty most voted-for Draak are the senate for the next five years, but there is a clause to ensure there is at least one Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, and Onyx Draak on the senate every time. Elders cannot also be senators but are permitted to weigh in on the discussions. Their responsibilities and powers are relatively limited. They're mostly authorized to call for crowdfunding, award titles, and assemble and oversee groups with their own responsibilities and even more limited powers. They've raised a diplomatic group, an exploration corps, a militia, a ship-building group, and an archive service so far.

"That's really impressive for the amount of time you've had! What's the trouble with anonymity?"

We are used to trusting what is Sung... And most Draak can't write, and would worry whether what they wrote was truly what got counted. And they don't see the point of anonymity when we can declare a Law that says bribing or threatening people to vote for you is not allowed.

"I suppose if no one would violate such a law in practice anonymity wouldn't be as important for you."

I'm not entirely sure it won't be a problem, but trying to solve this particular potential issue in advance would not be a productive use of my influence.

Amseli nods. "Are most of the Draak here members of the diplomatic group?"

There are sixteen Draak who have been chosen for the diplomatic group here. I would expect some colorful interpretations of the job of 'diplomat', but they do know what they can and can't promise. There's also some of the exploration corps, a few of the militia, eight more Enkindlers, ship crew and designers to see how the two new vessels handle, and some others who have other possibly useful or relevant skills.

"Colorful interpretations?" she wonders. "And what sort of other skills?"

Not everyone is entirely clear what diplomats' specific goals and methods are supposed to be! There's a little bit of 'try everything and see what works' when Draak have something new to explore. That's why the three completed ships and the others still in progress all have big design differences. There's some ecologists who want to look at farms, a metallurgist calling herself Cast who makes exotic alloys and wants to see how you get so much steel, a few who can sing the Songs of Healing - I will arrange for a recharge those rods for a reasonable fee and I have more to sell - Flyers and swimmers and brawlers of noted skill who mostly came to show off, two doctors... I would have chosen different and fewer people but I was not entirely in control of the list.

"I find myself a little surprised that there are Draak doctors."

They're more like cosmetic surgeons, therapists or teachers, and occasionally veterinarians, at least in terms of what people actually want them to do.

"That's more in line with what I expected. What brings them here?"

Curiosity and the idea that we should get as many perspective as possible about Amenta. A couple of people brought eggs. It seems reckless to me, but as I said, I was not in full control of the list.

"Well, people will be very excited about baby Draak, I suppose, though if too many eggs show up they'll begin to need population legislation about it. Two would fit comfortably into anyone's margin of error."

The idea is to offer them to some group of Amentans or another and see how the hatchlings turn out. I think it's a bad one, it's making me anxious, but I hesitate to simply forbid it.

"- huh. It seems... high-variance. Uh, how old are they when they learn to breathe fire?"

Where we put eggs tends to be high variance, yes. Anywhere it will hatch and have a chance...

Fire is innate. As soon as they hatch, though it's weak at first. They're conscious right now though, and the parents are Singing lessons to them and they Sing back even unhatched. New hatchlings are developmentally one or two, approximately...

"Would it be bad for them to be raised by non-telepathic parents?"

That's one of the things that it's hoped we'll find out. Draak can hatch and grow up entirely alone except for slightly telepathic animals and be fine... I'm not sure what extended socialization with aliens will do. But they're not my eggs, even if it distresses me second-hand.

"I'm sure they can be placed with ecstatic caretakers, I'm just trying to anticipate some things that could go wrong in advance so I can render informed advice to my government about whether those ecstatic caretakers should be selected from a pool that includes Tapai people."

I think they should have occasional Draak visitors and live in a rural area or on some large grounds. They will be much more independent and violent than you expect two year olds to be - Not in a murderous way but in a way that considers biting a natural response to most things, at least at first. They should have a place to retreat to and be alone in. They may have difficulty understanding and following rules that seem... Artificial and with nonobvious reasons. I'm not sure I can confidently say more without watching it happen.