As quickly as she had been taken from the Empire, so she was taken back. Her mother had asked for her baby girl, the child she'd waited 20 years to see, and in my reckless lack of forethought, I believed money could grant her wish. I'm so much more like my father than I'd like to believe.
She had said that I was her only friend and clung to me like a slave to her master. Last I saw her, she indeed had the mindset of a slave longing for a master. Perhaps I should not have commented that either of us could go back to the respective slavery of our youth if we so desired. She seems to have taken that to heart. On one hand, I'm happy that she finally made up her own mind without asking if it would please me. On the other hand, the choice she's made grieves me deeply.
I took from the Empire a slave. I sent the Empire a capsuleer. How many more will end up in bondage now? Every effort she makes to expand the influence of the Empire will lead only to subjugation, whether it be physical or cultural. For all the times I've visited the Empire -- and I love the people dearly -- I see even the free people oppressed by such agencies as the Ministry of Internal Order. I have no doubt that Empress Sarum herself, if she stood in the way of the theocratic machine, would find herself murdered like the last emperor.
For the sake of one mother's joy, I've condemned countless more to weep. What began as a good deed has become the most wretched thing I have ever done, and I can hear my conscience screaming with perfect clarity for the first time. Try as I might, I cannot remain detached from this, for I imagine that soon the blood of innocent people will permanently stain my hands.
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