Jade’s answer made Avatari internally wince. She didn’t know him well enough so she didn’t know what to expect. But he had subverted every one of her expectations, even now. What he said was a declaration of war, war against both those that agreed and those that disagreed since he implied that the Right they were debating about didn’t matter.
Killing intent surged from the locations of those that hated him. Avatari quickly said “Relax, relax. I want all of you here to realize that this isn’t a place where we make conflict with each other. This is where we compromise. If we pronounce that someone here is not worthy of the Right to live then doesn’t that make the person an outlaw already? Why should the person care about the decisions we make now if we decide to kill the person. It would be extremely selfish to insist that someone dies because of past actions. We are here to plot a new future not to relive the past. We can’t let it hold us down.
“Almost everyone here has had to kill someone, whether human or monster. If we don’t overlook our past actions we should just continue fighting each other then. I ask you to take this as a clean slate where we, even if we hold grudges, don’t act on them without thinking of one another.”
After Avatari’s statement Jade indicated that he wanted to speak. Avatari wasn’t sure whether she should give him the stage after what he did before but she allowed him.
Jade said “I apologize for my earlier statement. It was inconsiderate and emotional. I do not intent to skirt away from punishment for my previous actions I’m just not willing to die as a punishment. I apologize to you guys that were hurt by my actions. When I did those things, I couldn’t see from anyone’s perspective apart from my own, I was not in an ideal state of mind. I was broken but now I am whole”.
Although Jade was taking responsibility for his actions there was an inhuman feel to his statement… A detachment from those he hurt… no it not that exactly… Yes! It was a lack of guilt. Like this punishment was supposed to just come and go, his eyes were looking beyond them.
With no one else talking Avatari said “In that case let’s take another vote. The Right to live the first proposal: Every creature on this planet is guaranteed the Right to live. Living meaning having one’s mind and soul inside the body that one owns without the soul or mind being destroyed, sealed or isolated from the body.”
Out of the 708 people, 678 agreed, 0 disagreed, 30 were indifferent. 42 of those who agreed where covered in yellow lights highlighting them. Their votes didn’t count so it was 636 agreeing to 0 disagreeing.
Those who agreed where highlighted in white and those who disagreed, which was no one, were highlighted in black. Jade was not highlighted in any color, it was the same as when the vote was first cast; he did not care for the result. The detail made sense to some who remembered that he revealed himself and let himself be caught when he was a terrorist. To others it was a source of anger, they felt he didn’t care what the results were… it was true, he didn’t care.
Avatari proceeded with the next Right, the Right to create life. Avatari explained that it was the right to procreate. This right had less amounts of people voting but it was unanimous agreed on.
The next right was more dramatic.
“Under Right to take life, the third proposal: Everyone is allowed to kill another person. Killing in this sense involves any action that makes a person’s soul unable to operate normally with the person’s mind and body permanently or semi-permanently”
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Of the 708 people, 152 agreed while 502 disagreed, 54 were indifferent. 234 of those who disagreed where covered in yellow lights highlighting them. Their votes didn’t count so it was 268 agreeing to 152 disagreeing.
Avatari expected this kind of result. For people who had been living a life froth with danger where they had to kill to survive and thrive it was natural that most were not ready to let go of the right to take another’s life, especially not when the powers they got allowed them to do this so easily. This was true for both humans and monsters.
Avatari randomly picked a monster from the disagreeing side to express their opinions. The monster was flustered when it saw its figure highlighted in green. But it calmed down and said “If I am attacked, I will kill. If I am offended to an extent, I will kill. If I see a growing danger, I will kill”.
Simple and straight, the monster expressed solid reasons why it would kill someone. Before giving the chance for someone from the agreeing side to speak Avatari said “Stylis brings a valid point. I further explain my proposal. This is to be considered international law. What you do in your territories is up to you. Should you be allowed to kill someone that is not under you because the person offended you? Should you be allowed to kill someone you have no legitimate power over because you judged the person a danger? With these details added can you state your opinion again Stylis”
Stylis responded “Outside my territory and outside anyone else’s territory. Are you insinuating that there will be neutral territories?”
“Of course if we all agree, then there should be a location where none of us is in authority so that everyone isn’t forced to serve one person or another. In these places these laws will hold firmly” Avatari said.
Stylis said “In that case I can accept that I do not have the right to kill someone who offends me but what will happen to the person? Will the person go scot free without me getting any revenge? If the person is a danger to me am I to just die?”
Avatari realized that Stylis had no idea what a normal lawful society was. He had been living in a jungle so killing had been his justice. She said “In the neutral territory the right to kill or punish offenders will be in the hands of those who are given the responsibility to maintain peace. As for killing someone who is a danger to you: if the situation is assessed and the person showed killing intent then it would be justified for you to kill the person. If not you could be punished for killing the person”
After gaining some understanding of the construct of a lawful society, Stylis asked “What if I’m attacked?”
Avatari replied “That is yet to be decided”.
She randomly picked one of the previous humans that agreed with the proposal. A normal human was selected. The person said “Apart from the right to self-defense which allows you to kill someone who attacks you with killing intent. I don’t really see another reason for people to have the right to kill… that is if there is law enforcement”.
After the person’s statement Avatari randomly picked an ex-human who disagreed. Hayley was picked, she smiled as she said “What if the next event comes up and there’s rewards for killing each other? I don’t want to not have rewards!”