I'll make you my slave... And I will not be cruel to you...
You will live at my house as a slave...
And everyone will consider me a merciful and forgiving...
I'm aware that recently introduced laws - to bring back the greatness of the Ancients - have re-established slavery.
In general I am a civilized, polite, law-abiding woman of good repute... but some laws are so odious that rebellion becomes a moral duty.
On the other hand I'm not a 'give me freedom or give me death' person. I'm more, 'pull my head in and let's see what tomorrow brings'...
Anyway life has become really difficult.
Whatever I do it seems I either betray my conscience or endanger myself and others.
There is a dark temptation, a strange attraction, a certain unexpected tingle, with the idea of just being a slave.
No responsibility, no danger for now.
And if the regime falls, and the days of vengeance come ... I can say, I had no choice, I was a slave, I just cleaned his house and did this and that...
Under no circumstance must I give in to this temptation!
(at least not TOO easily...)
... but even on the base of these new laws,
-Guards! Take her! Bring her here...
You have not seized me as your personal capture.
You ordered the guards to take me.
So I cannot be your slave by the most primal law of capture, of direct appropriation.
Since I was not a slave before, you also cannot have confiscated me as part of the inventory, when the property of an enemy of the State becomes forfeit and falls to the Government and is divided among its faithful servants.
You also have not purchased me in orderly manner on a registered slave market.
You haven't properly captured, confiscated, or purchased me, how can I be your slave?
In fact if you just take me out of here, into your private property, that's basically ... embezzlement.
I'll point out my legal status here. I'm familiar with the bureaucracy, I can even fill out a 27B-6.
As a free woman, until recently, I was effectively property of myself.
Now I am an accused rebel, therefore presumed guilty, and all my property, including myself, is declared forfeited to the State.
I
am therefore property of the State.
The State has delegated to you as its servant certain duties and privileges in connection with your position as interrogator. It delivers objects of its property into your custody, so as to perform your duties on them.
It's fully in your rights to carry out all the procedures described in your employment contract upon this property, which may include its damage or destruction.
After all, by definition, full ownership of something includes the right to destroy or discard it, and if that is what the State decides to do with certain property, it can; just as well it can commission others with this task.
I'm sure your contract also covers the use for private enjoyment of such State property as is given over to you.
I'm also pretty sure it doesn't cover the permanent removal of State property onto your own premises, for your own profit.
That's ...
corruption.
And well, there are always Anti-Corruption purges going on in the regime, it's one of the few things they do to portray themselves as legitimate.
I'm sure the guards will snitch on you if they see you diverting State property to your own residence. They'll get a reward and a promotion.
I do know it's legal for you to request the conversion of part of your pay into natural goods.
You could apply for my ownership to be transferred to you, and my value to be deducted from your torturer's salary. This would of course require a registered slave assessor to determine my fair market value.
So I think if you want to do that legally you really have to go through the paperwork. That's how the regime works.
Otherwise I'll have to say -- No, I can't be your slave.
(Barb... I'm playing for time... slave assessors are very busy people...)
