Chapter 26 #2
"We always assumed that some of the women might be loyal to the Brotherhood and spy for them.
People will do a lot of shady things for small perks.
But it's worse. Turns out that a new organization has sprouted in the enclosure.
An organized group of women who refer to themselves as the Sacred Mothers.
They are organized into circles led by senior members called Venerable Mothers, and the entire order is led by a woman who calls herself the First Mother.
The woman I spoke with about this estimates that about twenty percent of the adult women have joined the order. "
"What's the order about?" Kian took another sip of his coffee before setting down the cup.
"They have reframed their experience in the enclosure as a sacred duty.
They believe that the women who carry the immortal genes were chosen by Mortdh and blessed to produce warriors for his army.
They deem the work of bearing and surrendering the male children to fight for Mortdh's cause, and the female children to join their ranks, a holy act.
They are joyful when they conceive, they are joyful when their sons are taken at thirteen, and they rejoice when their daughters are taken to the breeding building for the first time.
They consider the other women who do not share their conviction to be lost souls to be pitied, and they actively recruit. The order is growing rapidly."
It shouldn't have surprised Kian that something like this would evolve in the enclosure.
More surprising was the fact it hadn't happened centuries ago.
Navuh probably hadn't bothered with brainwashing the Dormants to the extent he'd brainwashed the warriors.
They were helpless, and it didn't matter whether they believed in the cause or not.
Their only task was to bear as many children as they could.
Still, the women developed their own cult and did their own brainwashing, probably because the one calling herself First Mother was a charismatic leader.
"It's a cult," he said.
"Is there a difference between an order and a cult?" Number One asked.
These soldiers wouldn't know because they had not been exposed to the outside world and had not learned the distinction. Besides, the Brotherhood itself was also a cult. And the female organization mirrored the male.
"How long ago was it founded?" Kian asked.
"Approximately four years."
Interesting. Four years ago, Navuh had changed his approach toward his breeding program.
He'd realized that an army of brutes was not as effective in modern warfare as a smart army, so instead of bringing in brutes to impregnate the women, he started to bring in smart men.
Perhaps when the breeding became less traumatic, the women could find a way to reframe their experience.
Nevertheless, it was surprising that it hadn't happened sooner.
People had to find a way to endure the isolation and systematic violation.
The human mind had ways to protect itself, and one of those ways was to assign meaning to the suffering.
It worked especially well when that meaning was offered by a charismatic leader.
The First Mother had built herself a small empire out of the despair of her sisters.
"They can still be helped," Kian said. "If they are extracted from the island and separated from their cult leader, most of them can be brought back. Cult de-conditioning is hard, but it's not impossible."
"If you say so," Number One said in his flat tone.
"We wouldn't know. The more immediate problem is operational.
If the Sacred Mothers learn about the escape plan, they will report it to the guards inside the enclosure, and those guards will communicate it to the immortal army.
If even one woman in a dormitory is a member of the order, the entire dormitory becomes unsafe for extraction.
Many of the women we might otherwise have brought out will not be able to leave because their roommates will turn them in.
My friend in the enclosure is carefully identifying which women can be trusted on a case-by-case basis. "
"How many do you plan to take?" Kian asked.
"We are still working on the number. Vetting the candidates is time-consuming and our window of opportunity is closing."
"I want a head count as soon as you have it. We will need to prepare."
"Of course."
"Update me after the council meeting on Friday," Kian said. "I want to know whether the brothers took the bait. Don't wait for the standard check-in window to contact us."
"Understood. Anything else?"
"I just want to wish you the best of luck."
"Thank you." The call terminated on Number One's end.
Kian let out a breath. "Did you record all of that?"
"Naturally," Onegus said. "I'm sending you the recording."
"Thank you."
"Do you want me to call a meeting?"
"I'll do that. I want Turner, Toven, Kalugal, and Lokan. And you, of course."
"Let me know if you need anything from me."
"I will." Kian ended the call.
Lokan knew the senior brothers personally, so he would have insight into how and if they would respond to the bait. Kalugal hadn't had operational contact with them in over a century, but he also knew them, and he was a smart guy, so he might have something useful to add.