Chapter 1
Natonito awoke and was glad to see that the Imperial School was finally completed according to his specifications. It was nice to enlarge the palace and serve a useful purpose to the empire at large. The Imperial School was designed for two purposes: to provide opportunities for the sons of high nobility as well as ambitious commoners to find high imperial positions or university degrees and be able to be knowledgeable in the world around them, as well as to provide a cadre of obedient servants of the empire among the most troublesome and bright segment of the population, the intelligent youth.
Natonito looked over the site plans for the completed school/palace complex once more. For some reason site plans had always intrigued him, the graphical representation of the ability to create and design among human beings. He enjoyed any sort of design he could find and understand, whether it was the intricacy of the physical environment designed and created by God or the buildings and organization created by mankind, striving for that divine perfection, even unknowingly. The school looked balanced and harmonious on the map, as he hoped it would be in reality.
In the middle of the school there were four classrooms, of which only one would be filled in the first year, and one more each following year until all four rooms, one for each year of students, were in use constantly during school hours. There was a large cafeteria hall where there was enough room for all 120 students who would eventually be here to sit and eat, as well as the entire faculty and staff, and any guests that would come. For a while it would be rather empty though. There were two dormitories, one for the young men and one for the young ladies, on opposite sides, separated by two gates and two high fences, since Natonito figured there would be budding couples trying to get together, and pregnancy controversies were the last thing he wanted to see.
The dormitories were separated by class as well, and there were three rooms of five for each of the four classes. The fanciest rooms were reserved for the seniors, and had easy access to the gates. Slightly less ornate rooms were for the juniors, plain rooms were for the sophomores, and the rooms for the freshmen were downright spartan. Natonito intended for the freshmen to learn how to handle tough circumstances before getting to relax and be more comfortable as they moved up the social ladder. He was sure the upperclassmen wouldn't need encouragement to haze the younger students. It was a part of human nature that needed no official sanction to blossom on its own.
There were also indoor and outdoor areas set aside for physical education. Even the most scholarly of the students needed some kind of exercise to keep strong, for the empire was no place of ease and laziness. There were courts for tennis and basketball, as well as a football stadium, a large swimming pool, and volleyball courts. All of these were sports that Natonito liked and all were rigorous enough for the young people under his charge. After all, Natonito was the Principal of this particular school, and he took this job very seriously.
Finally, there was a library, a place of special importance to Natonito. While there were also salons for gossip and conversation, the library was a place where the students would be able to see knowledge in its most pristine form, in the form of documents and books organized to perfection. There was even librarian, a middle-aged man whose life had been spent in the archiving of books, whose job it was to keep this treasure trove of knowledge in good stead.
He had rigorous plans for his students. He would call them his baccalaureates, and they would soon find out why. These young people would spend the next four years of their lives delving deeply into science, literature, philosophy, mathematics, language, religion, social science, and any other field of interest they might have, provided it was done in a scholarly and responsible way. For some reason he had the idea that someone would come up with the history of hentai as a paper topic, but he was sure the professors would be able to keep a handle on these hellions.
Oh yes, and one more thing. There was a large recital hall and practice hall so that all of the students could learn how to play a musical instrument of some kind and sing. Natonito intended that several times a year all of the students in each class together would perform in concerts of instrumental and vocal performance for the imperial senate and the neighborhood at large. There would also be community service projects so the students could acquire the correct social consciousness.
Just then he saw Cherie walk into the library where he was sitting and looking over some laws about labor rights and wage prices he was going to submit to the Imperial Senate for their rubber stamp passage. After all, these laws were agreed to by the emperor, who wanted to make sure there was a uniform procedure for labor laws and resolving disputes all over the empire so there would be no pockets of relative prosperity people would flood to and no pockets of poverty that people would flee from.
"How are you doing this morning, Cherie?" Natonito asked.
"I am doing alright," she said dreamily. "I have been thinking about Henry all morning, and I am glad he will be showing up soon."
"Yes, he will be here early because his father just arrived for the Fall session of the Imperial Senate and he is bringing his son along to see what he does for a living. I am sure that you are free to go with them, you would learn a good bit too, and I know how much you two are in love. Henry has been sending me rather frequent messages asking how he can court you, and I told him he would be free to court you any way he wanted so long as he had the intention of marrying you," Natonito replied.
"I would love to go with him to the Imperial Senate session. You will be there too, right?" Cherie said.
"Yes, I will be running the session in addition to my other duties. There are only a few laws about standardizing labor and wage procedures up for vote, unless some of the senators have some other laws to propose. Who knows, we might even get to vote on a law protecting butterflies of all kinds in the empire, in addition to the Green Sulphur and Great Purple Hairstreaks," Natonito responded with a smile.
"Thanks, I'm going to wait for Henry outside now," Cherie said. "He should be coming later today, right?"
"Yes, Cherie, they should be here in a couple of hours. It is less than a week before school starts, and they will want to tour the grounds," Natonito said.
The two of them walked outside, talking about young love as well as about the Imperial Senate and other matters as they waited for Oen and Henry Bravia to arrive in their transport ship, enjoying conversation as they often did. Natonito was glad to see so much of Bathsheba in Cherie, that same friendly smile and plucky persistence, and bright hope for tomorrow. His nephew was a lucky guy, and he hoped Henry realized what a special girl Cherie was.
[ Chapter 2 ]
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