Hello InterNutter, long time reader, first time poster here. I was wondering if you could give us the other sides' view on this? How the parents, and students, felt and viewed things as they were being forced to watch the videos showing their actions and her pain? What the CRC's reaction was seeing something like that happen in their schools? How the witnesses who watched the trial, and the others following with the timeline, reacted to it all? How the administrators thought and felt as they were faced with the enormity of the crimes they committed against an innocent child?
And also, did Barbara finally recover and become that bright, happy, girl again? Though we both know, emotional scarring never, ever goes away, not with pain of that magnitude.
@internutter/challenge-03026-h103-worn-away -- Anon Guest
[AN: Hello and welcome to the process, Nonny. I hope you enjoy whatever comes out next]
It was a slow death by papercuts, in its way. There was nothing wrong with displaying fear of a Deathworlder. Children were allowed to express themselves, so long as they didn't cause provable harm. That was the rule. None of the teachers saw anything beyond a natural reaction to an unwelcome Deathworlder in their midst.
Many of those same teachers hadn't wanted to integrate with those mad balding monkeys in the first place, so some of their disregard for the finer points of the balance was... deliberate. None of it could be proven so, and skating on that thin ice was an art that many latched on to.
Now... the harm could be demonstrated. Lingering psychological scars, even in a species agreed to be insane, were a bad thing. Some insisted that the Deathworlder deserved it. Some fell silent about the entire matter, attempting to hide from notice. Many avoided Barbera, but far more quietly than before. Only a bare handful were remorseful enough to attempt... friendship.
They approached using the described caution in the Beginner Explorer Manual, stopping when Barbera made a movement acknowledging their presence. They hunkered in their place, making themselves inoffensive.
"What do you want?" challenged Barbera.
Q'kyx, the bravest of them, pulled at her uniform shirt. "Uhm. I'm sorry? About everything. I... I know what hurt I did and... it was wrong. I didn't even try to be good about... you being here with us. I was mislead into thinking what we did was okay. You don't have to? But... I'd like to try being friends?"
Barbera uncurled from her defensive knot. Just a little bit. Dark eyes looked Q'kyx over, jerked to glance over the three others cringing just behind her. "You were never in the front," she said. "You were always a part of the greek chorus in the background. Just... agreeing with whatever everyone did."
There was no denying it. "I know. I wasn't brave enough to... be one of the active offenders."
"You're brave enough to admit it," noted Barbera. "You're brave enough to come up here and apologise. That's more than any of the actives did. They're hiding in dark corners."
"They know they did the wrong thing, too. They just can't say it," Q'kyx acknowledged. "They don't want to talk to me at all any more."
The social structure within the student body had collapsed in flames. Q'kyx was one among many picking through the wreckage.
"They're cowards," said Barbera. "They were always cowards. Now they don't want to admit it."
"We were not given consequences," said Q'kyx. "Not until the trial. Not until everyone was forced to acknowledge... everything."
"Psychological abuse," said Barbera. "Sustained, uncontrolled, group psychological abuse. Trained marines have rules against using that sort of stuff against a cogniscent."
"Sorry will never be enough to repair what I did to you," sighed Q'kyx. "The fact that I was not the worst of us is not relevant. I was with the worst of us. It is a great shame."
"There's group projects in class this afternoon," Barbera lowered a leg, uncurling just a little bit more. "If you're serious... join me in class."
That, Q'kyx knew, would be true bravery. To publicly ally with the Deathworlder who had ruined all of their lives. It would not even do anything at all to forgive the debt they had all incurred.
But it was the right thing to do.
"Very well," said Q'kyx. It had taken bravery to do this much. More would be required.
'Sorry' would not repair the hurts that were done. It was, on the other hand, a very good start.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / halfpoint]
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