236Private Chat: KRogaNKRUsher toInfiltrat0rN7
KRogaNKRUsher: Hey.
KRogaNKRUsher: I know you're online, man.
KRogaNKRUsher: You're always online, when do you sleep?
KRogaNKRUsher: …
KRogaNKRUsher: Look.
KRogaNKRUsher: I asked Sunny about rejoining the guild, and he said I could come back if you were ok with it.
KRogaNKRUsher: Because apparently you're the co-captain now?
KRogaNKRUsher: Whatever.
KRogaNKRUsher: Look. I don't like you.
KRogaNKRUsher: I know you're a hacker, even if everyone else ignores the obvious since you keep helping the team win.
KRogaNKRUsher: I don't want to play with you.
KRogaNKRUsher: But.
KRogaNKRUsher: I miss my team.
KRogaNKRUsher: I've been playing with some of these guys ever since I got off Omega and got used to Citadel ping times.
KRogaNKRUsher: So, if it means I can go back to playing with them… I'll try to put up with your nonsense.
KRogaNKRUsher: …
KRogaNKRUsher: So. Uh.
KRogaNKRUsher: Can we bury the hatchet?
KRogaNKRUsher: Here. How about when you read this, let's try to play a co-op or something together, work on our teamwork.
KRogaNKRUsher: Anything you'd like to play?
KRogaNKRUsher: Let me just chec
KRogaNKRUsher: WHOA
KRogaNKRUsher: Man! Your game library's ridiculous!
KRogaNKRUsher: Civ 3183? Alliance Corsair N7 Edition? Armax Arsenal Arena VR?!
KRogaNKRUsher: Man! What's your day job? Because I want your job, if you can afford all this!
KRogaNKRUsher: Aw heck, you've even got Geth Attack: Eden Prime? I love that one, let's play that!
Infiltrat0rN7: No.
KRogaNKRUsher: Whoa. You, uh, been here the whole time?
Infiltrat0rN7: Yes.
KRogaNKRUsher: ...right.
KRogaNKRUsher: Anyways, why not? It's an awesome game, and it's been a while since I popped some flashlight heads. How long has it been since you pla
KRogaNKRUsher: Wait.
KRogaNKRUsher: This says you've got 0 hours playtime?
KRogaNKRUsher: And hold up, this is the Fundraising Edition?
KRogaNKRUsher: Ultra Platinum?!
KRogaNKRUsher: Man! Why'd you buy the most expensive version but not play it?
Infiltrat0rN7: We did not purchase the software with the intent of utilizing it.
KRogaNKRUsher: ...huh?
Infiltrat0rN7: We purchased the software as a means of supporting the fundraiser.
KRogaNKRUsher: ?
KRogaNKRUsher: ...oh.
KRogaNKRUsher: oh crud
KRogaNKRUsher: Man. I am so, so sorry.
KRogaNKRUsher: You, uh, knew someone from Eden?
Infiltrat0rN7: Yes.
KRogaNKRUsher: Damn.
KRogaNKRUsher: I'm sorry, man. Didn't mean to bring up bad memories.
KRogaNKRUsher: ...
KRogaNKRUsher: For what it's worth… I know what it's like.
KRogaNKRUsher: I knew a guy, Ean? We were old buds, ran with the Blue Suns together. Good times.
IInfiltrat0rN7: You were a mercenary?
KRogaNKRUsher: 'Private Security Consultant', thank you very much. But yeah, we were totally mercs.
KRogaNKRUsher: He's the one who actually came up with my screenname, even. Raid against a Blood Pack squad causing trouble in Gozu, I… well, I kinda fell out of a window and onto the krogan squad leader. Surprised him and the vorcha long enough for my buddies to counterattack. He kept teasing me about it so I decided to own the name.
KRogaNKRUsher: After a while though, we figured it might be time to move on. The new recruits were looking younger and younger, you know?
KRogaNKRUsher: I moved to the Citadel, got a wage slave job in the Wards Market hawking gaming omnitools.
KRogaNKRUsher: Ean, though? He got an urge to "give back to the galaxy", signed on with a farming co-op. Actual plants-in-dirt kind of stuff! He was always weird like that.
KRogaNKRUsher: The last message I got from him was that he'd settled on Horizon.
Infiltrat0rN7: ...I see.
KRogaNKRUsher: Yeah.
KRogaNKRUsher: When I got the news… I was in a bad place for a while.
KRogaNKRUsher: I'd been planning a trip. I was saving up my vacation days to drop by Horizon for a bit, see how my bud was handling the "fresh air" and "open skies".
KRogaNKRUsher: But when I tried to buy tickets on a shuttle… I got an automated Alliance notification that the colony was "on lockdown after a recent slaver attack".
KRogaNKRUsher: I panicked, messaged Ean but got no response, yelled at a poor Alli tech who didn't know anything. Finally called up my old Blue Suns boss, he did some digging, and… yeah.
KRogaNKRUsher: Things were rough for a bit.
KRogaNKRUsher: Almost lost my job even, missing days.
KRogaNKRUsher: But one of my co-workers sat me down, we had a talk, and he invited me to play with him and some of his buddies to try and help get me out of my funk.
KRogaNKRUsher: I said yes mostly to humor him, but… that's how I met the rest of the Knights.
KRogaNKRUsher: Man. I made some of my closest friends since Ean with those guys. Things were looking up. Sure I was getting called "Fresh Meat" for months, but I was proving myself as a Knight!
KRogaNKRUsher: Then you joined.
KRogaNKRUsher: Wait. No.
KRogaNKRUsher: Damnit. I'm messing this up.
Infiltrat0rN7: We understand.
KRogaNKRUsher: Huh?
Infiltrat0rN7: I understand.
Infiltrat0rN7: You knew of someone. You sought to see them in person.
Infiltrat0rN7: But when you were ready… they were not there.
Infiltrat0rN7: I wished to meet someone. But when I went to their last known location… they were not there.
KRogaNKRUsher: Damn, man. I'm sorry.
Infiltrat0rN7: It is… improving.
Infiltrat0rN7: I work with a licensed psychologist. She has suggested that I discuss this with the missing individual.
KRogaNKRUsher: Ah, sure. Talking "to" the departed. Rana actually recommended that to me. It helps, doesn't it?
Infiltrat0rN7: ...yes. It does.
Infiltrat0rN7: KRogaNKRUsher.
Infiltrat0rN7: I wish to apologize.
KRogaNKRUsher: What for?
Infiltrat0rN7: My 'trolling'.
Infiltrat0rN7: I have been on the extranet for some time, but lacked experience interacting with organics.
Infiltrat0rN7: People. Other people.
KRogaNKRUsher: Ah. More of a solo gamer?
Infiltrat0rN7: That is not inaccurate.
Infiltrat0rN7: I formed this extranet account to improve my understanding. Developed the screenname to invoke one that we respect. Shepard-Commander.
KRogaNKRUsher: Shepard? Huh! Small world, man! You're a Shepard Stan too?
Infiltrat0rN7: I follow them.
Infiltrat0rN7: On the extranet.
Infiltrat0rN7: Not in person.
Infiltrat0rN7: Because I've never actually met them.
KRogaNKRUsher: Well, yeah. Of course.
KRogaNKRUsher: Yeah, man. That makes sense. Crazy how even if they couldn't save our people on Eden Prime or Horizon they're doing what those weaksauce Alliance noobs can't do to get revenge.
Infiltrat0rN7: Affirmative.
Infiltrat0rN7: I have realized, however, that I have been in error. My actions have not been consistent with my screenname.
Infiltrat0rN7: I sought to learn through interactions with others. By introducing stimuli, I could observe new behaviors.
Infiltrat0rN7: I noticed that using certain stimuli could cause other individuals to quit the games, improving my win ratio.
Infiltrat0rN7: Except you. Despite my actions, you persisted to play against me. And, after the Knights admitted me into the team, with me.
Infiltrat0rN7: I did not understand why you persisted in an activity that you vocally disparaged.
Infiltrat0rN7: I see now the data was available. I just did not process it accurately.
Infiltrat0rN7: I apologize.
KRogaNKRUsher: Ah.
KRogaNKRUsher: Well. I can't say I'm happy that you've confirmed the trolling was intentional.
KRogaNKRUsher: But it sounds like you understand it went too far.
KRogaNKRUsher: Let's make a deal. You promise to cool it with the trolling - and tell Sunny I can rejoin the team - and we'll let bygones be bygones. That sound good?
Infiltrat0rN7: Acknowledged.
KRogaNKRUsher: ...right.
KRogaNKRUsher: Hey.
KRogaNKRUsher: You got time for a game?
KRogaNKRUsher: If we're gonna be teammates again, we should practice squadding up. For real this time.
Infiltrat0rN7: Indeed. We can work on salvaging your currently inadequate Code of Honor K/D ratio.
KRogaNKRUsher: ...excuse you?
Infiltrat0rN7: That was a joke.
KRogaNKRUsher: ...huh.
KRogaNKRUsher: Yeah, alright. I can work with that.
KRogaNKRUsher: Let's squad up, buddy.