So, I found myself in Hadozeko but raced back to Evati having set up a fleet remotely with Red Vega, Fizixx, Interdict and Hinaj Katsu. A small battle cruiser gang and away we went. Targets presented themselves almost immediately but managed to squirm away. Large gangs (for low-sec anyway) rolled through the main travel pipe-line as well and avoided them as best as we could. In Ardar, Hinaj managed to tackle a hurricane and as soon as we entered local, I saw it was a chap called 'Kingwood'. A very good pilot and whom I had flown with a couple of weeks ago. He was tackled by Hinaj but was in danger of getting away so we raced in to assist. Now, you all need to understand that as pirates, we have everyone neutral by default. Kingwood was a legitimate target so we went after him.
Fortunately for us, he is a great sport and schooled us by slipping away. He opened up a private chat with me and we exchanged pleasantries. He asked to fleet up with us as he was solo and had missed a few targets, a bigger gang would be beneficial and Kingwood, to me is a known quantity: a very competent pilot who doesn't need too much micro-managing. I agreed but unfortunately, as we were arranging this, Red Vegas, moving ahead got caught by a large sensor boosting battle ship gang camping in Hadozeko. We moved off the gate to avoid this gang; these chaps would cause us immense damage and it wasn't what I wanted.
Reversing course back towards Evati as we had intelligence that some of the local night-life were out and about but upon arriving, they all docked up. We did manage to add TFS Tibbs to the gang. We all went to our next destination and on landing at the gate, a prophecy class ship dropped out of warp too. I didn't hesitate and ordered it to be pointed. Kingwood and I jumped through to ensure that we would be able to catch it if the prophecy pilot tried to escape.
Oddly, the pilot didn't jump but tried to tank the damage for a while. We assumed he was up to something. We had to put him down, quickly. He blew up and his pod warped away and on examining the wreck, we discovered a full functioning cynosural field generator and liquid ozone. I wonder if the pilot was trying to call in capital class reinforcements? We will never know.
The next two kills was first a M34N corp Brutix and the second a hurricane that was blowing haulers. The last fight I was close, I was down to 6% hull but Kingwood came to my rescue.
After the near death experience, I scattered the fleet to cover more ground. Interdict and Fizixx had spotted an absolution in Hrondedir while I pushed on ahead and into Aralgrund.
When I arrived in Aralgrund, there was a Tengu and a Vagabond orbiting the gate. Sweet, I thought. I glanced down at the tactical map and found that my nearest fleet mate, Fizixx, was three jumps away. The prize was the Tengu but I had to stay alive and keep them close to the gate long enough to for fleet mates to tackle them.
So I decided that I was to point the vagabond and start moving away from the gate, drawing both the Vagabond and the Tengu away from the star gate. I dropped cloak, hit the 'battle stations' and puckered up. The warp scrambler spun up and grabbed the Vagabond and my 220mm auto canons chattered away. The Tengu and Vagabond both opened up on me and it was a grim contest. I kept an eye on the placement of both ships. When the rest of the fleet came in; if either the Tengu or Vagabond were close to the gate - they could jump and escape. We didn't have enough ships to cover both sides of the gate. So I had to manoeuvre and lure the Tengu and Vagabond far enough that they could be pointed and webbed without being able to get back to the gate before they got destroyed.
My shields were holding but the incoming damage was high - the Tengu was packing and I was feeling it. I risked a pulse on the micro warp drive and surged another 3000 meters from the gate. The Vagabond and Tengu followed. I repeated, grimacing as my signature radius ballooned to the size of a small moon. I moved away another 3000 odd meters and my two assailants matched my move. My ship was dying. I pulsed the micro warp drive once more and moved off to almost 15 kilometers from the star gate, the Tengu and Vagabond following.
They were both now too far away to instantly jump through the gate. I had them where I wanted them.
Now to survive, I thought to myself.
The fleet was incoming. Fizixx jumped in. I was down to half armour and unable to boost my shield any more - my cap booster being unable to inject more energy boosters; poor cap use management by me! Interdict came in and then both Kingwood and Red Vegas. I finally died but heard the sweet words of my secondary FC, Interdict announce:
"Tengu pointed and webbed."
The vagabond bolted and the rest of the fleet poured the fire on. The Tengu pilot added to his woes when he shot at Fizixx (who wasn't a criminal nor did he initiate any hostile action) - so the sentry guns; silent and brooding suddenly woke up and exercised their programmed duties.
The pilot fought on but the outcome was as pre-determined as my own fate. The Tengu burst open and there were cheers from the fleet as the pod pilot streaked out of his burning wreck. Ironically, Fizixx who held fire until right near the end got the kill mail.
I congratulated the fleet and asked that Interdict continue in his FC duties and maintain the roam, it was a successful night so far and I doubt it would end. I had to get back to ship up and raced home. Through the home systems, there were lots of targets and I called them out one by one.
A mission running cyclone in Todi and a cyclone on the Evati / Todi gate and a rookie in a thrasher. All available to the eager pirate. A scout was sent out to probe the mission runner while I decided to go and get the thrasher.
The thrasher pilot was quite green and was an easy catch and posed no real threat. I invited him into our ransom channel as I wanted to extract some money. Meanwhile, our scout was dropping probes for the cyclone next door.
The Bastards Ransom Channel MOTD:
This is a stick up! You are being ransomed.
Turn off ALL weapons. Prepare your funds for transfer.
Singing ransoms may be demanded.
Read the Bastard Pass for more info on prices.
flashfresh > Sityola<-- 1M isk please
Sityola > ?
Sityola > ok
flashfresh > Now please.
flashfresh > 1 million isk and we let you go. Simple.
Sityola > how trade?
flashfresh > Right click on my name.
flashfresh > Then, GIVE MONEY.
Sityola > It's OK?
flashfresh > Where is the money?
flashfresh > I see no money.
Sityola > 1 sec
Sityola > trial
Sityola > i cant :-(
flashfresh > Can you sing?
Sityola > i am on trial
flashfresh > No seriously. CAN YOU SING?
Sityola > No.
flashfresh > Or give me a haiku?
Sityola > wrote that u cant trade because i am on trial version
flashfresh > GIVE ME A HAIKU then.
flashfresh > A three line poem.
Minutes pass
flashfresh > Where is my poem?
Sityola > poem xD
Sityola > you from ?
flashfresh > YOU GIVE ME A POEM!
He then offered:
Sityola > i see a litle pig
Sityola > i owned a liitle pig
Sityola > that epic final
Stunned silence
flashfresh > OK......
flashfresh > that, is er. OK.
flashfresh > for a first time haiku.
Sityola > i can be free ?
flashfresh > I don't know what it means but yes. Please leave this system and be safe.
Sityola > haiku its jap ?
flashfresh > Yes.
flashfresh > You are free to go.
As this was going on, the mission running cyclone was probed out and Interdict went for the tackle. Embarrassingly, my XO hesitated on the gate, got confused and the gate guns killed him. Then a second cyclone started to buzz Fizixx around the Todi gate in Evati and then proceeded to kill Fizixx after our pirate colleague, in half shield, decided to tackle him.
I had re-docked and grabbed an arbitrator and tackled the second cyclone under sentry fire while he was picking through the loot. While the other's piled in. We killed it and recovered some of Fizixx's own loot.
By the time I docked up for a break, what was a quick roam with friends ended up being a long, highly enjoyable night of ransoms and explosions and loot. Forming up a fleet just to get things moving was the right idea. However, I decided that I needed to sleep and called it a night, passing the FC role and bidding everyone a good night.
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