Counselor Log, Commander Luthien Vausse, USS Guardian.
The progress on Rikel IV is coming along nicely. Our doctors are working efficiently with the Rikelians to try and remove as many of the Borg implants as they can.
I always keep tabs on that because, as sad as it is, it is usually the first thing that causes divisions in societies where ex-Borg reintegration has just started – if you have a visible implant, you are a threat.
This reaction often isn't motivated by racism, but by simple self-preservation instincts.
I wouldn't say I find it in every post-assimilation society, and it's more likely to be absent in those that adopt a communal style, but it is something to watch for.
In the case of the Rikelians, with the total wall they raised against telepaths or anything invading their mind, it is quite evident that the general perception is indeed that the reintegrated people are a potential threat.
They are trying to include everyone but they are a scared people. And they are not evil.
I have told repair crews to make sure they always involved the Rikelians whenever they built or fixed something. I also told them to make sure both ex-Borg and those who had escaped assimilation are involved in the same projects.
This has been successful so far, the spirit of cooperation has grown and the shared experience of achievement is creating new bonds and mending some that were broken.
Which brings me to another point. A couple of weeks ago I witnessed yet another fight amongst the kids, but I was able to quell it. Things are slowly getting better, but there is no denying that when a certain kid, Samantha, is around, the fights are almost inevitable.
She hit a boy, alas it wasn't the first time either. I asked one of my other Counselors to tend to him while I took Samantha aside and tried to understand what is going on.
She was assimilated with her family and was one of the first people to receive medical treatment. However the other kids are still scared of her and don't seem to treat her on the same level. Whether this causes her to act violently or whether that behaviour is what is making the other kids distrust her in the first place it is difficult to say, but this is a catch 22 situation.
Luthien sighed.
I am missing something here.
The kids seem to all show notable improvement since we arrived. Samantha is not. Her reaction to me, when I took her aside, was also very telling.
I don't think anyone has ever made her look at the fact that her actions have consequences, that there are choices. When you are in the Collective there is no choice and the collective will is inevitable.
Their "chat up line" says it all, "You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."
But that isn't everything. She has calmed down a bit and yes it will take her time to adapt, but something is still not quite right.
When I spoke to her alone, she almost acted as if she had not seen kindness before. Or maybe it was just that since the Collective nobody had tried to connect with her, while also leaving her complete choice of interaction and the ability to answer back.
But I am not quite hitting the mark just yet. I wish I was allowed to read people's minds…
Anyway, next step will be talking to her parents.