Eliza arrives.

As I slowly return to full consciousness, I sense a figure looming over me. As the fluid drains, their form comes into full view. By the time I have fully exited the pod, they are bowing deeply to me. It only takes a moment for me to recognize the form I personally designed. "Eliza, get me a towel and a change of clothes. Then review the expense reports from the past six months. I need to see exactly how much we have managed to save." At my orders, she immediately straightens, and seems to glide over to my closet. I watch her out the corner of my eye, as she reaches in, and selects an outfit without hesitation. With a supernatural grace, she returns to me, and hands me an absurdly fluffy towel. I grab it, and begin to dry off quickly and roughly. Once dry enough, I set the towel on the capsule, and dress in the suit she chose for me.

As I begin to walk to my office, I call out to her "Eliza, have Brian come to my office. I want him to update me on any major changes that have occurred. After I'm updated, we need to plan the budget for the next six months. After all that is done, then you and me can talk about what I need to do to maintain you. Is that understood?" When she responds, her voice is smooth, and controlled, with a slightly soothing element. It gives me the impression that she has complete control of the situation at hand. "Of course, Young Lord. It shall be done. As an update, I expect to have the expense reports analyzed within the next three days. When would you like to review them?" I begin to respond, then pause, to think about my answer. "First, to clarify I want you to read the general reports from each department, not the detailed ones. Second, review the reports twice, just to make sure that you catch any errors." Eliza gives her confirmation, then follows me silently for the rest of the long walk to the office.

When I arrive, I find Brian standing by my desk, table in hand. He hands it off to me as I take my seat, and begins to speak. "My lord, the only major incident to report the general uncertainty caused by your budgetary decisions. The people do not know what to expect, and are restless. As a minor note, the bureaucrats were hesitant to implement such drastic changes to the economy . It may be wise to consider slowing down the changes." The temperature of the room seems to drop a few degrees, an on instinct I turn to Eliza. Her expression is the same placid calm that she normal has, but her whole demeanor radiates a sense of danger. "Brian, it may be wise to remind them that they serve the will of the Young Lord. It is not their place to question his decisions, only to implement them." I decide to ignore that comment, and instead focus on a rather disturbing figure in the general economic summary. "Brian, how accurate is this information?" He gives me a puzzled look, and replies "Extremely so, My lord. As best as I can tell, there are no factual errors in the reports. It would be extremely troubling if there were."

I pinch the bridge of my nose as I hear his response. "Then the situation is even worse than I thought. My citizens are on the edge of starvation, and apparently have been for decades. This is has to be our top priority." I rise from my desk, and begin to pace the room. My mind races through the possible options, and one immediately springs to mind. "Brian, begin negotiations to import enough food to ensure the populace is fully fed, with a month reserve. Eliza, begin the process of setting up an institute to train & supply our farmers. These take priority of your other duties. Try to keep within the budget, but if you can't, then I guess we have to beg for another loan." I turn back to my desk, and sit behind it as I look over the rest of the report. "Oh, and Brian, schedule a press conference for me when you get the time. I'll take the time to inform the people about my plans."