Aberrant: 2011 - A life in cyberspace...

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From: trickydicky@whereintheworldis.op

To: theboogens@thecenteroftheworld.op

Guys--I'm sure you're wired into that OpNet chatroom. They've got some nova, some poor bastard who eats the ashes of dead humans as a dietary requirement, roaming around out there. Granted, he's got the survival instinct of a lemming in a bathtub, but I wonder how much of that is Taint Overload and how much is jsut trying anything to get some honest nova contact? His OpName's Dustbin, and he's managed to piss off the Holier Than Thou novas on the site. I'll bet any money one of them put a call into the Directive. And the PU contingent is telling him to get to a center. Can we find this guy and get him some shelter?

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From: theboogens@thecenteroftheworld.op

To: trickydicky@whereintheworldis.op

Already sent out the call. If the Primacy wants to grab him, they will. If not, then no.

You need to fucking chill, hoss. Primal's got the right idea: we can't rescue every one of them, and some are, sad to say, too far gone to rescue. Blame Project Utopia and the Directive for cramping our style, if it makes you feel better. These fucking chimps make life hell on earth for their own kind, then shit bricks when it actually comes back to haunt them.

Let him play their bogeyman. He seems to know his shit. If he does go down, and he asks for our help, we can get there. We've got an eye on him, but now so does The Directive and Utopia. In the meantime, just do what you're doing, and see if maybe some of them can learn to think on that backwater OpNet page. Right now, until we need you to do what you do best, just hang there and chill. Don't blow your potential over one nova who might not have made it anyway. It's a fucking shame, but it happens. And it'll keep happening until we end this shit once and for all.

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From: slickmuthafugga@internationalpimpz.op

To: trickydicky@whereintheworldis.op

If I may interject,

My good man, your faith in our mutual cause is commendable, but your execution...needs honing. You stomp into their cozy little sub-culture and start "spreading the word", all without checking to see how the lay of the land is, or if you did so, it was certainly not noticeable in your approach.

Of particular frustration to myself is your insistence on rising to the bait of this "Mister E" person. It should be obvious that he is a professional outsider, with delusions of being an investigative journalist or perhaps a vigilante of some sort. I believe the phrase I see on the OpNet for this type of individual is "The Goddamn Batman." Much like the Aberrants (with whom I suspect he will most likely join with at a later date), it is best for them to discover the truth of the situation on their own, and then most likely they will see that we are simply the best alternative out there.

You, sir, are ready to believe in the likely war between the baselines and novas, the sterilization threat of utopia, the fascist engine of The Directive, etc. Most are not ready for that, and it only makes you appear as an OpNet crank. I would think it best that you restrict yourself to offering aid where you can (as, perhaps, to the charming-sounding Aesira, or the unfortunate Dustbin) and simply following Primal's "Born to Be Wild" format, with the occasional point about Utopia's flaws and the sinister actions of the Directive.

Also, let us not tell tales out of school. While we know that our enemies know about C******** already, now is not the time to draw any more attention to it unless absolutely necessary. Discretion, sir, is worth its weight in novas at this stage. Remember, despite the heightened security on OpNet, not everyone is what they seem. Be vigilant and suspicious, without ever letting them know your suspicions.

In sum, you are treating this as a college-club debate, and the situation at this stage is too serious to be treated that crudely. Nonetheless, you are doing as well as I could expect, and the need to polish your technique is an ongoing process. Perhaps, next we meet, I can offer some pointers.

Take care, and I assure you that we are watching.