The Draconian Woman. Chapter Two

Chapter Two – The Most Dangerous Species on Earth

Serakha had defeated pirates.

She had negotiated ceasefires between civilizations that measured time in black holes.

She had survived three assassination attempts before breakfast.

Nothing...

absolutely nothing...

had prepared her for social media.

Emma handed her the phone over breakfast.

"You should make an account."

"Why?"

"So people can know you."

Serakha frowned.

"If they know me, I become easier to assassinate."

Emma laughed.

"No one is trying to assassinate you."

"Your confidence is statistically unsupported."

Creating a profile turned out to be unexpectedly complicated.

Name?

"Commander Serakha."

Emma shook her head.

"Too intense."

"It is my rank."

"People don't use ranks."

"Then how do they know who is responsible?"

"They...don't."

Serakha stared.

"No wonder your meetings last three hours."

Bio

Emma suggested:

"Coffee lover. Dreamer. Traveler."

Serakha erased everything.

"I enjoy strategic thinking, efficient organization and silence."

Emma sighed.

"You're never going to get followers."

"I am attempting to avoid them."

Her first post received three likes.

One comment read:

"Queen energy!"

Serakha turned to Emma.

"What is a queen energy?"

"It means you're confident."

"I commanded six planetary fleets."

"So...yes."

Later that week Emma introduced her to office life.

The building had seven floors.

Glass walls.

Open workspaces.

A coffee machine that seemed to receive more respect than management.

Serakha observed quietly.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"You organize yourselves without chain of command."

"We have managers."

"I have not seen anyone obey them."

Emma laughed.

"That's...actually true."

At the weekly meeting the department manager spoke for forty minutes.

Charts.

Objectives.

Vision.

Mission.

Roadmaps.

Synergies.

Serakha waited patiently.

Finally she raised her hand.

"Yes, Serakha?" the manager asked.

"I have one question."

"Of course."

"What exactly is the mission?"

The room became silent.

The manager smiled awkwardly.

"Our mission is to maximize customer engagement while leveraging cross-functional opportunities."

Serakha blinked.

"I understood every individual word."

Emma buried her face in her notebook.

"...but together they have no meaning."

Several coworkers coughed to hide their laughter.

By lunchtime everyone wanted to meet the mysterious woman with the unusual accent.

One colleague asked,

"So...where are you from?"

Serakha answered honestly.

"A civilization that no longer exists."

"Oh..."

"Was it a small country?"

"It occupied approximately three hundred star systems."

"...You're funny."

"I was being precise."

People noticed something unusual.

Serakha never interrupted anyone.

Never checked her phone while someone was speaking.

Never pretended to listen.

When she looked at a person...

they felt completely seen.

It made some uncomfortable.

Others found it strangely comforting.

One afternoon a heated argument broke out over office chairs.

One employee wanted the chair near the window.

Another insisted it belonged to her.

Voices rose.

Someone threatened to complain to Human Resources.

Serakha watched for exactly twenty seconds.

Then she stood.

"In my civilization..."

Everyone became quiet.

"...territorial disputes were resolved by strategic negotiation."

She placed both chairs side by side.

"You receive sunlight until noon."

"You receive it after noon."

"You each gain fifty percent."

The two coworkers looked at one another.

"...That actually works."

Serakha sat down.

Emma whispered,

"You just solved three months of drama."

"I merely divided the window."

There was one thing, however, that completely confused her.

Dating.

Emma insisted she download an app.

"You swipe."

"Why?"

"To meet people."

Serakha studied the screen.

"So..."

"I choose a potential life partner..."

"...based on two photographs?"

"Basically."

She looked horrified.

"This explains many of your divorces."

She reluctantly agreed to one date.

The man arrived twenty minutes late.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Traffic."

Serakha nodded.

"I calculated three alternate routes."

He laughed.

"I like your sense of humor."

"I was attempting to be helpful."

Halfway through dinner he asked,

"So..."

"What are you looking for in a man?"

Serakha thought for a moment.

"Competence."

He smiled.

"And?"

"Loyalty."

He nodded.

"And?"

"The ability to remain calm during catastrophe."

"Anything else?"

She considered.

"He should return the shopping cart."

He blinked.

"...What?"

She pointed across the parking lot.

"Any civilization that cannot return shared equipment eventually collapses."

He laughed so loudly people turned around.

"You are incredible."

"No."

"I simply observe patterns."

Weeks passed.

Her strange ideas spread through the office.

Soon people were asking,

"What would Serakha do?"

Before making decisions.

Should they complicate the project?

"No."

Serakha says simplicity wins.

Should they argue?

"No."

Serakha says solve the problem, not your ego.

Should they work late?

"No."

Serakha says exhausted brains start imaginary wars.

Emma noticed something remarkable.

People were changing.

Not because Serakha told them to.

Because she made them see ordinary life differently.

One evening Emma asked,

"Do you know why everyone likes you?"

"I possess superior tactical reasoning."

Emma smiled.

"No."

"They like you because you make simple things sound important."

Serakha looked genuinely puzzled.

"They are important."

"The way someone greets another."

"The way someone waits their turn."

"The way someone returns a shopping cart."

"The way someone tells the truth."

She looked out the café window.

"Civilizations do not collapse because of one great disaster."

"They collapse..."

"...after millions of small acts of carelessness."

Emma stared at her friend.

There it was again.

That extraordinary mind.

A woman who had once planned campaigns across galaxies...

now explaining why saying "thank you" could save a civilization.

Emma smiled.

"You know..."

"You may actually be the most human person I've ever met."

Serakha raised an eyebrow.

"I shall accept that as a compliment."

"It is."

"For the first time..."

Serakha wrapped both hands around her coffee mug.

"...I believe it was intended that way."