Dragon Meat

When the Commonwealth first encountered Dragons during the first excursions into Otherworld, it was with awe and disbelief. After all, most Earthly cultures had depicted Dragons in one form or another throughout history and they were still emblazoned on national flags (the better ones at least).

Wonder gave way to curiosity, especially given the sheer variety of Dragons that were to be found. From the standard four legged winged kinds, to two legged winged varieties, serpentine wingless breeds, aquatic leviathans etc. Dragons were if not common across many of the exo-planets, they were far from rare.

The Elnorians used them in war as mounts for their nobility, reigning down hellfire upon the Commonwealth soldiers and the invading armies had few counters for them owing to having no air support or even drones to even the score owing to the magical disruption on computer equipment.

But when finally the Elnorians were defeated and the Commonwealth's presence in Otherworld grew, Dragons became less and less creatures of awe and majesty. They became mere beasts and it did not take too long before someone with too much money and influence asked the question "what does Dragon taste like?"

So began a horrific trade in which Dragons of every variety were hunted and butchered. Their organs, bones, teeth and skin were prized by the pharmaceutical divisions of the megacorps, eager to discover a potentially lucrative new cure or drug. Yet the flesh of the dragon became the fashionable meat of the well to do, the sort of people who pay extoriniate money to a conman to cook a fine beef steak, wrap it in edible gold leaf and sprinkle salt at a jaunty angle upon it.

Due to its exorbitant costs Dragon meat is reserved only for the wealthy, and a great deal of myth has sprung up around it. It increases virility, improves testosterone, prevents wrinkles and is low in fat. The elite pay for the privilege of eating dragon, some simply because its a way of flaunting one's wealth at a dinner party. Others believe it truly does have miraculous medical benefits. Whether or not it does remains unknown.

In Otherworld there exist large battery farms were wingless Dragons are hatched, fattened up and slaughtered. In the wild on several worlds there remain largely untouched Dragon populations but those with money can pay hunters handsomely to procure wild dragon meat, believing the free range variety of the great beasts to be superior and thus most beneficial.