Always a Bigger Fish

“Begin recording…”

*Long pause followed by an audible sigh*

“Log file 07.21.111.

“Sometimes I just don’t know when to consider something a victory or a loss…..*the sound of something banging can be heard repeatedly* “…stupid!…stupid!…stupid!….”

*finally silence can be heard again for a long moment before being followed by another sigh*

“I made a critical mistake today. Perhaps it would have resulted in the same end result…but upon further investigation, I don’t think it would have... Either way, no matter what the end result would have been, I made the unwise choice…

“I was sitting in Orfrold, a 0.2 system in the Metropolis region. I had just barely missed catching a pilot with a bad security standing and had instead ended up being engaged in a rather interesting conversation with him. His name was Gorkus Dante and it seems he was giving up his pirating ways, having decided to join the Minimatar militias in their fight against the Amarr scum, like his father before him.

“I feel for him. His passion to join his fellow brethren in their fight was strong and I wish him all the best. As I told him, I can’t deny having considered doing it myself from time to time. Seems the Gallante militias are seriously lacking given the cataclysmic loss a short time back. But as I also told him, my eyes right now are set on nullsec. Maybe if and when that flame is squelched, maybe then I’ll return to help my own people. With me…ya never know…

*a small laugh*

“Anyways, I’m getting sidetracked…

“As I was sitting there chatting with him and browsing through some of the local gossip on the Scope network, I noticed two ships appear on the scanner. Both were Punisher class frigates, Amarr frigates. I watched them for a bit, checking and seeing that both their pilots’ license being quite new. In short order, I found them ratting in a belt and warped in at 100km out just to see what they were up to. It became clear immediately they were ratting… together. After having warped in, I turned the ship about, heading the exact opposite direction and switched on the afterburner. I watched local for a bit, first thoughts being this to be a trap. Finally, after much consideration, and once my ship was far enough out, I gauged the distance they were to the belts central beacon and turned the ship once more and immediately put it into warp. I figured, two pilots with that little experience, surely I could take them quick enough even if they were bait. If they weren’t bait, maybe they just didn’t consider me a threat given my positive sec status. Either way, given my lack of targets in the 50 or so jumps I’d made over the past few days, I figured why not.

“Suprisingly, when I’d warped back to the belt, I’d hit it just perfect. It easily put me well within scram and blaster range. Unleashing the drones, I set to work on the first Punisher…

*Long pause*

“Something felt…. odd…. about the whole occurrence but my focus was on killing em quickly and getting the hell out. I knew without question that whatever didn’t get destroyed when they went down would be worthless to me, so I wasn’t concerned about hanging out too long. I was there for blood and blood alone.

“The first ship went down quite fast and I quickly turned my attention to the second. It too went down rather fast. And that’s when I made my very critical mistake….

“Still basking in my revelry over having down my first two ships solo, I hadn’t even noticed the Vexor class cruiser, flown by Zeasier of The Bastards pirate corp, warp in. Didn’t even notice him closing on me. I was so lost in my excitement, I failed to realize I was still being targeted and even worse, failed to realize I was taking damage. So that was stupidity number one…

“By the time it did dawn on me, the Vexor was well within range, his drones already ripping away at my armor. Here was where I made mistake number two…

“I was scrammed of course. And of course there was no way I was going to get enough distance to escape it before my ship collapsed under the combined fire of his turrets and drones. But stupid me continued in my attempt to flee when instead I should have turned and engaged. A Vexor is a deadly foe against any frigate, even an Ishkur like the one I flew, but not impossible. If I had turned to engage, I might have won. I’m not experienced enough in one on one combat to say with absolute surety, but I believe I could have. I’d barely taken any damage from the two frigs and had nearly 2 full fleets of T2 hobgoblins and T2 warrior drones still at my disposal. As it was though, I’d panicked. I’d made a horrible decision of recalling the drones and attempting to burn away in order to leave…. And as a result, I lost the ship….

“Do I feel bad about it? Frankly, no. I don’t.

“After doing a bit of research, I’m pretty confident in my belief that at least one of those Punishers was bait for the Vexor. I can’t say that for sure, but gut feeling, and a few clues, points in that direction. Is that an excuse for losing the ship? No. I should not have lost the Ishkur. Complete lack of combat experience is what cost me the ship. I certainly have a good skill set imprinted in my brain to pilot the assault frigate well. Sure, there’s always more training that will make me even better but as I stand now, skill wise, I’m a very competent pilot. Where I lack is in experience, in my actual combat experience.

“If I’d been paying more attention. If I’d not got so caught up in the moment of having made my first solo kills. If I’d turned to fight instead of turning to run…. Lots of ‘ifs’. Point is, I’d let my excitement get the better of me and having lost my cool, I’d made irrational, and slow decisions.

“But again, do I feel bad about it? Still the answer is no.

“I learned a number of lessons with this engagement. All of which I know will help me grow. I made mistakes that next time I swear will not happen again. But of course….I’m sure I’ll be awakened to even more lessons in the future.

"Either way, as they say in the local comms chatter…. ‘GF’ and ‘fly sa…. Wait…..never mind that crap…..

“YARR!!!!”

Valuable Cargo and a Suicidal Run

Region: The Forge
Constellation: Kimotoro
Solar System: Jita
Planet: Jita IV - Moon 6
Station: Caldari Provisions


Selina smiled as she stood watching from the station hanger's viewing deck. Below, she could see the hanger crew working to unload the 'cargo' from giant Megathron's cargo bay. Even now, safely docked in her usual station hanger here in Jita, she still couldn't believe just how easy it was to get her ship out of Solitude and back into main empire. They had encountered not a single thread of opposition in the roughly 15 or so jumps through lowsec. Not that she was complaining. She laughed again as her thoughts went back to the look her maintenance chief had given when she'd told him her intentions back in Octanneve. Sometimes she just wished she had a camera implant.
___________________________________________

Region: Solitude
Constellation: Elose
Solar System: Octanneve
Planet: Octanneve III - High Orbit
Station: Duvolle Laboratories Factory


"You want what?!?!"

"I want you to strip the Megathron of all its current modules. If the ship is attacked by anything of significant threat, our chances will be slim we'll make it out anyways," Selina said, shrugging. "And besides, at this point I could care less honestly if I lose her. I just want out of Octanneve. Out of Solitude."

Taldak, her maintenance chief, looked again at the list he held in his hands, his mind still in numb shock.

Lows:
1600mm Reinforced Nanofiber Plates I
Damage Control I
Large Armor Repair I
Energized Basic Adaptive Nano Plating
Armor Explosive Hardener I
Warp Core Stabilizer I
Warp Core Stabilizer I

Mids:
100mn Microwarp Drive I
Cap Recharger I
Cap Recharger I

Highs:
-empty-

He recognized all the gear on the list. It was all cheap junk they'd salvaged from the wrecks of the various missions they'd been running for the local Gallante Customs agents. Most of it was, for the most part, worthless junk in terms of gear for a battleship. But to think she actually intended to use it?? And furthermore...no weapons of any sort?! Slowly he looked back up at her. Surely this pod pilot had truly lost her mind. He knew she was crazy before, but now she must have really lost it.

"Miss Selina, I..."

"Look Tal, nobody but me will be on this ship when it undocks. I'm flying this one solo. I mean, I have absolutely no intentions of engaging anyone during this trip and in fact will be running or avoiding contact at all costs. So I say again, if the ship gets blown....oh well. The insurance I have on this thing will be enough, with some left over, to buy a new one anyways." She gave him her puppy eyes. "Besides, it might turn out to be a fun little adventure."

Taldok bit his lower lip in thought as he stared at her than just smirked, shaking his head. "You really are insane," he playfully mused.

She beamed at his words. "Yeah. I know. Fun, isn't it?"

"Oye vay...," he said before laughing. "Alright. We'll get her fixed up and ready in no time. Obviously shouldn't be too hard or take too long."

Selina laughed once more before turning to head off towards the pilot's lounge when a thought struck her. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave a devilish grin.

"Oh. And Tal. Do me one other favor?"

"Sure. What's that?"

"Know that package labeled 'A Lot of Money' we've had sittin in the hanger collecting dust?"

He nodded, a grin spreading across his own face to which she gave a wink.

"Yeah....throw that in the cargo hold will ya?"

"Will do Miss," he said laughing as he watched her leave. "Will do."

Killin Time is Killin Me

Region: Solitude
Constellation: Elose
Solar System: Octanneve
Planet: Octanneve III - High Orbit
Station: Duvolle Laboratories Factory

Selina sat on her cot with her back against the wall, twiddling her thumbs....literally. She'd spent the past weekend running missions for her 3 agents, trading off to the others when the currently given one didn't suite her. No way was she going to digress to being an errand bitch. "'Pick me up some smokes. Get me dancers for a wedding. Transport the janitors. Take out our garbage,'" she mocked in a quiet mumble. Even then, what missions she did take nearly bored her to tears. Throw the right resistance plates on and there wasn't a mission task she couldn't do in a solo Megathron battleship. All the faction ships were so predictable, it was pathetic. In fact, it was only a few hours ago that she'd just returned from single handedly tanking the incoming fire of 5 other Megathrons while instapopping the incoming frigates. Cruisers took a few extra shots but what she didn't kill before getting too close for her 425mm Prototype I Gauss Guns to hit....her lowly tech 1 drones finished off instead.

Okay, so there had been a couple of harrowing moments. But the reason was really more of being just because she'd gotten so bored in doing the missions, she'd make silly mistakes like going out with the completely wrong resistances fitted to the ship.

So....if that is so boring, one might ask why not go hunt for targets in lowsec. Well she had......and found absolutely nothing as usual. With most of her ships pretty much stuck in Solitude, cut off by a large swathe of low sec from the more populated areas often referred to out here as 'Main Empire', she was a bit hard pressed to just leave them everything behind. But that meant having little offered little in the way of lowsec hunting without traveling a good distance. In fact...as time wore on, the temptation to make what might be a suicidal run from Solitude to Main Empire in her battleships grew with each passing day. Fit the things with warp core stabs, a nice passive tank and well....maybe some drones and.....well....just go. Ship is insured so if by chance it goes poof, oh well. Minor loss really. Most of the expensive modules, such as the gauss guns mentioned earlier, can be packaged and transported separately, in smaller faster ships. Maybe throw some of the cheap junk in the battleship cargo holds just to mock anyone that might by chance actually destroy the ship.

Still twiddling her thumbs, she muled the thought over in her head. Finally, setting her jaw, she pushed herself off the cot and activated her comm, paging her newest assistant. "Miriam."

"Yes miss?"

"Wake the maintenance crew. I've got some work for them."