Though the Heavens Fall

"Though the Heavens Fall" (originally published in Analog, September 1986) is the fourth story chronologically in A Different Flesh. Set in 1804, the story presents a twist on the Dredd Scott case, as a house-slave named Jeremiah goes on trial for running away, and his attorney presents the argument that with sims, there is no reason for human beings to enslave other human beings.

The story is probably one of the more complex ethically in the collection. Though a slave, Jeremiah can still look down upon the sims and know he is a man, until he is moved from his normal domestic chores out to the field. Only then does he appreciate just how low his position in society really is. Even after he wins his freedom, he is reluctant to treat the sims as anything but inferior, confident that their lesser intelligence will always keep them that way.

The story also gives us the fullest glimpse into the history of the Federated Commonwealths.