"When I was six I was sold to an old lady who told me she would will me to myself," Aya says. "I believed her. Since I was six. Most of your slaves are not six."

"My sister would kill me. If that's - more reliable -"

"That sounds very, very made up, ma'am."

Sigh. "Do you believe me -"

"You've done politics that looks aimed as you describe."

"I promised Fina - the girl who sometimes drops by to yell at me - I told her if I couldn't do it in twelve years I'd stop trying. I - it won't be longer than that, even in the worst case."

"Why twelve?"

"I am very sure I can - if not solve it in twelve, at least have power decoupled from slaves owned inside twelve. If I'm wrong about that then maybe I'm wrong about being able to do it at all and this is - enough of an atrocity if I'm completely certain it'll get the intended results."

"Why are you sure you can do that in twelve years?"

"Most major initiatives don't take more than a decade to pull together, there're factions that'd favor it, the people who'd oppose it are nervous about the revolts right now or old enough they probably won't be around in twelve years..."

"I don't think that adds up to very sure."

Sigh. "I can't give you specific plans because that's not how I work, it's about angles on specific people and it's not even obvious yet which specific people. I think I can do it."

"Yes ma'am."

"Would you stop that."

"...stop what, ma'am?"

"I - I'm sorry. It's not - it's fine. You can go."

Aya goes.

She tells the overseers to document everything. She writes a lot of letters.

There's another plantation fire. This time the family survives. It's unclear how many slaves died and how many escaped in the chaos.

Kind of terrifying.

Yeah. The government does a levy to hire mercenaries. 

Amait's sister visits.

" - hi."

"I'm going to leave as soon as someone says something stupid so if you want me to stay a while you could maybe just not talk."

"Nice to meet you," she adds to Rabka.

"...hi." She hugs Malare's arm.