Chapter 33

Dearest Willow,

For some reason, perhaps the situation that I find myself in, I have begun to study the history of slavery. Part of the reason for that is that Mr. Ackermann told me that on other ships going to colonies it was not unusual to lose five to ten women who had been brought aboard as concubines. I commented that such a thing was a waste and asked how many were killed by their sponsors.

I found his answer so disturbing that I asked to have any audio books on the subject of slavery converted to sleep-trainer sessions. There aren't many but what is available I have listened to. Then I began to ask questions about animal husbandry. I learned a lot about foundation studs and I guess that Marissa read some of my research. Now I wear a singlet and a collar that has a tag that says, 'Marissa's Stud, Hands OFF!' It's sort of embarrassing, but if it helps keep people, well male sponsors really, from messing with me, I guess I can put up with it. I know I don't want to be violated again. My collar has a camera so that if anyone decides to mess with me there will be evidence. Since the AI monitors it, it is considered to be utterly secure. I'm doing my best to verify that security. I'm not yet convinced. The very fact that the AI will not allow me to design any tests for its security is worrying. I don't care how fast and smart they are I'm worried that people will figure out how to breach that security. After all so far as I know humans are the second smartest creatures to leave Earth orbit. Unfortunately for the Confederacy rats are a good deal less willing to communicate to anything that is not a rat than people are. The fact is that if rats could have made the transition to space without the help of humans and the Confederacy they would be very like the Sa'arm. Which does give me worries about using them in our war against the Sa'arm. Yet what choice do we have? If we refuse to use a weapon because it is horrible then we may well forfeit the war. And to forfeit a weapon or the war for the lack of the will to use a particular weapon could well spell the end of humanity and the Confederacy.

Well shoot! I got off track ... Essentially a good 'herd' needs both studs and mares if you're considering horses as your model. I'm still working through the significance of the foundation stud and just how his ability to 'service' many mares makes him more valuable than mares without which the herd dies. Both are important. I just keep coming back to the basic feeling that we should value women more like a brood bitch in a kennel than the way we do. A good brood bitch is worth more than a stud, at least an unproven stud ... It is all very complex. And all based on the idea that the only attribute for which a concubine is valuable is his or her ability to procreate. And in human terms I'm positive that both the men and women who are being extracted as concubines are being vastly undervalued as well as having the danger that they pose to the sponsors underestimated.

I do think that the AI's consider concubines to be dangerous, I'm not sure if that is just because they are humans who don't make the CAP score cutoff or because they recognize that they represent the worst in humanity in some ways. Certainly the concept of concubinage has created a monster that is very good at revealing the hearts of men. I suppose that you may have heard the proverb that states that the two tests of men are poverty and power. Both reveal the true nature of what drives humanity.

I'm not saying that self-interest is bad or evil. But self-interest taken to the point of greed is definitely evil. It is sometimes difficult to discern the difference between normal self-interest and greed. I suppose that is because we often lie to ourselves about our motivations. So when we reach for that next bit of gold to add to our hoard we tell ourselves that it is just to make sure that we have enough to last for hard times. And to an extent that is true. For in the back of our squirrel minds there are never enough nuts (so to speak) to be sure that we don't starve over the winter. And of course we must protect our carefully gathered wealth from other squirrels so that they don't steal it. Which is right and good unless we manage to completely corner the supply of something that is necessary for other people to survive. All of these thoughts can make me seem a bit heartless I guess ... But a lot of concubines really and truly give up. They do nothing to improve themselves, nothing to contribute, other than be breeding stock for more lazy louts like themselves I'm afraid.