tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9236622679721217322024-03-13T12:38:57.092+01:00Cloaky BastardBlog about wormhole stalkingZosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-936819368784537152021-07-03T15:00:00.008+02:002021-07-03T15:26:47.780+02:00Story Time<p>Let me tell you a story that has been overdue for quite some time. Sit back, relax, grab a drink and enjoy the ride.</p><p>From time to time when I visit high-sec I like to check the killboard for Mobile Tractor Unit (MTU) kills. There are always people around the high-sec who engage in <a href="https://zkillboard.com/ship/33475/" target="_blank">MTU pvp</a>. There are roughly 2 types of pilots that you will frequently see on the killboard with MTU kills. Pilots that only destroy MTUs and do nothing else, for whatever reason. And pilots that shoot MTUs to bait mission runners into shooting them, otherwise known as ninja salvaging. When I look at the killboard, I am first and foremost interested in the first type of pilots. Sometimes those pilots fly <a href="https://cloakybastard.blogspot.com/2016/11/not-all-mobile-tractor-units-were.html" target="_blank">unreasonably expensive</a> ships to shoot a deployed structure that doesn't shoot back. So once I am in high-sec I scan through the killboard to identify potential opportunities for a hunt outside w-space. While there are a lot of MTU kills happening in high-sec it is actually quite difficult to find someone using an expensive ship with consistent and frequent kills in an area that is not some ridiculous 50 jumps out.</p><p>After browsing through the killboard history a few days back, I do not manage to find any potential targets that would excite me. However, there were a couple of notable pilots that always kept catching my eye when looking at MTU kills. Those pilots were <a href="https://zkillboard.com/character/94208824/" target="_blank">Captain544</a> and <a href="https://zkillboard.com/character/976646550/" target="_blank">Burntime</a>. Both pilots operated in different regions and were very active. However, there is one caveat: they belong to a ninja salvaging category of pilots that shoot MTU to bait the aggression from the mission runners. As someone who dabbles in <a href="https://cloakybastard.blogspot.com/search/label/ninja%20salvaging" target="_blank">ninja salvaging</a> myself, I am not particularly excited about shooting my own kind. Nevertheless, I feel "ninja salvagers don't shoot each other" is more a code of a past than the present. Maybe it was never a code, to begin with, but all I know we used to have quite an active community that helped each other, shared stories, and laughs. Now, myself and maybe 1 or 2 other pilots are the most you will see sitting in the Ninja Dojo channel. I decided to bend my self-imposed rules and mark everyone not a part of the channel as a fair game.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">The hunt, part 1</h3><p>Now that I have the targets, it's time to begin the hunt. There is a lot you can tell about a pilot looking at his killboard. You can often read between the lines and build a profile. I realize that this will not be a simple matter of deploying an MTU, parking the cloaked Proteus, and killing the target once inevitably my MTU gets scanned at shot at. No. For one thing, both pilots like to fly Nergal as the main baiting ship, which is a frigate, and highly unlikely I will catch any of them unaware, lock and tackle in time. Furthermore, pilots are more interested in baiting mission runners than shooting unattended MTUs, which means I will actually have to do some roleplay and do missions as bait. Third, both pilots do have an active pvp history outside high-sec and are very likely to do a killboard check on me. While I have mostly wormhole kills, it might smell suspicious of me doing high-sec missions, which is one pve activity I have never done. No, for this I will need to be a little bit creative. Instead of using my main accounts, I decided to put my trader alts to work. I have been slowly training some pvp skills on them on the off chance I will need some additional utility beyond selling and buying items in trade hubs. And it seems the time has come.</p><p>As a Gallente fan to the end, my ship of choice. of course, is a Dominix. A frequently used battleship in mission runner circles. The fact that I don't even have skills for t2 drones will add an additional level of charm. As a ninja salvager myself, I would dive in without much thought to a clean killboard character with t1 drones shooting mission rats. I set up 2 traders to bait both pilots in their respective regions simultaneously. While pilots are operating in an area, their pattern is a little bit unpredictable so I need to cover as much ground as I can. I move to the mission hub of the area, add red standings to my targets and keep an eye on a local with the intention of starting my mission as soon as I see any of them. As watchlist no longer shows if the pilot is logged in or not (lol, ancient history) I have to keep an eye on killboard, local, and locator agents for the best chance of "accidentally meeting" them in the system.</p><p>It all starts with Burntime. I spot him in local first and immediately accept the first mission and get to work.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2YeRfW6oYa0/YOBKpjJlkAI/AAAAAAAAGoQ/rB0m1u_ZzfkfuA3l7SIqtz9mOBfyGcS7gCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="528" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2YeRfW6oYa0/YOBKpjJlkAI/AAAAAAAAGoQ/rB0m1u_ZzfkfuA3l7SIqtz9mOBfyGcS7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Ah, high-sec local, it's always lovely to see friendly social banters or scams. Some things will never change. It doesn't take very long and my Dominix catches the attention of "someone" as I spot combat probes on the short-range scanner.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3vRx8Ve4j8Y/YOBLGrNqiHI/AAAAAAAAGoY/YahePb0VlU0YP1gzuJQJqW8a1Gs6tOYlACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="1348" height="247" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3vRx8Ve4j8Y/YOBLGrNqiHI/AAAAAAAAGoY/YahePb0VlU0YP1gzuJQJqW8a1Gs6tOYlACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h247/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />Alright, here we go. I wait and wait, but nobody warps to me. Finally I see a Nergal pop on scan, just outside the accelerator gate.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DdcuTede4sA/YOBMQnNyltI/AAAAAAAAGog/o9Bl7E32e-gBsf5xdFPZ6Gn0Lq748v2VQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="388" data-original-width="538" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DdcuTede4sA/YOBMQnNyltI/AAAAAAAAGog/o9Bl7E32e-gBsf5xdFPZ6Gn0Lq748v2VQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Everything is going according to the plan so far. Now all I need is for him to warp in and shoot my MTU. I impatiently wait for the Nergal to show on the overview, but instead, he disappears from the d-scan altogether. It confuses me. Soon after a Vexor shows up, all flashy up in my face.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BI5hrA39wrs/YOBNCNyEpSI/AAAAAAAAGoo/C8jLhrwEJfgCLQxs9BpvauoPD70RDZRPgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="152" data-original-width="418" height="116" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BI5hrA39wrs/YOBNCNyEpSI/AAAAAAAAGoo/C8jLhrwEJfgCLQxs9BpvauoPD70RDZRPgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />How disappointing. I am not about to waste my clean character and all that setup just to get a Vexor kill. Nergal is a ship I am after as it often tends to be pimped in order to kill more tanked mission runners. A Vexor, probably fully t2 fit doesn't excite me as much. I decide to warp off and try again in another mission. After all, not all is lost. I know he is using Nergal as the primary baiting ship, but he must be cautious of using it against drone battleships.<p></p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Unexpected guest</h3><p>While on another mission I get an uninvited guest. A Praxis warps in.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JIqMLfIHBsk/YOBOeKO543I/AAAAAAAAGow/5YSSNQCCC_k8KfjsUHlc6A1CE76rbYAXwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="419" height="156" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-JIqMLfIHBsk/YOBOeKO543I/AAAAAAAAGow/5YSSNQCCC_k8KfjsUHlc6A1CE76rbYAXwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />What's the big idea here? Certainly can't be a ninja baiting with a battleship. That would be the first. He doesn't get flagged and just sits there. I finish killing the rats and continue to chill. He sits, I sit, we both sit. After quite a bit of sitting involved, I decided to finally break the silence.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bX2aydB86eU/YOBPEBPsfVI/AAAAAAAAGo4/KV1bJsI-dmccvaMXWDMoyn6aPnCz7qv6QCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="834" data-original-width="530" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bX2aydB86eU/YOBPEBPsfVI/AAAAAAAAGo4/KV1bJsI-dmccvaMXWDMoyn6aPnCz7qv6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />I get an immediately obnoxious response. Clearly, the guy is in the system for the same reason I am, probably even the same target. I do my best not to break the act. I don't need anyone to be aware of my business. Despite obnoxious attitude, the guy doesn't seem to be able to put 2 and 2 together and come to the conclusion why would I be also sitting in the same, empty mission as if I was waiting for someone. Then again, I've seen a lot of strange mission runners so anything is possible. Logic doesn't always have its place in mission hubs.<p></p><p>After few more tries and still getting the Vexor visit me instead of a Nergal, I let my hands down and did not have many expectations from mr. Burntime. Perhaps I need to revisit in a somewhat smaller ship, but not in the mood now as my other target just became active.</p><h3>The hunt, part 2</h3><p>Captain544 is in the house.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cMbhrdkAcQw/YOBRVgoOojI/AAAAAAAAGpA/Wn9rX7OnX3AlWnEu0YNHrQVinNyU3bx4ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="126" data-original-width="459" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cMbhrdkAcQw/YOBRVgoOojI/AAAAAAAAGpA/Wn9rX7OnX3AlWnEu0YNHrQVinNyU3bx4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />He starts about his day and off goes to terrorize the surrounding systems while I warp to my first mission. I must say, it is not going as straightforward as I'd hoped. While I do see him flash in local, I can't seem to get mr. Captain544 give me a visit. Checking killboard I even see MTU kills, ship kills, yet I have to meet him in my mission. I would see probes in the system, but suddenly he would just warp to another system. While he did operate in the area, he would often be 3 jumps one system or another, away from the mission hub. Frantically using locators and warping around the systems I did my best to wiggle my tail in front of his face. Otherwise, what is the point of me doing a mission if Captain544 is not there to find me in it? I stick with my pattern and do some most serious mission running since I joined this game. I also avoid staying still in an empty mission to look more legit. Back and forth I work, as a slave in a mine digging in hopes of finding that precious diamond. My diamond being Captain544 flashy in my overview.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lqXlzGSGX3A/YOBS-pIu8UI/AAAAAAAAGpI/eDCTUWx7l8ATlzbGMKXUzC8OvPTqUKcVwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="421" data-original-width="460" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lqXlzGSGX3A/YOBS-pIu8UI/AAAAAAAAGpI/eDCTUWx7l8ATlzbGMKXUzC8OvPTqUKcVwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />One thing my blog readers know about me is that I am patient. Once I set my eyes on something or someone I'll spend a lot of effort in trying my best to get it. It's the thrill of the hunt, there's nothing like it for me. Finally, my d-scan fills with promising results.<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bDTzHSYUEy4/YOBT0KrWAeI/AAAAAAAAGpU/0rdLX-M5Fhg8WOaoDyr2-4Z1BaV9iWXjwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="609" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bDTzHSYUEy4/YOBT0KrWAeI/AAAAAAAAGpU/0rdLX-M5Fhg8WOaoDyr2-4Z1BaV9iWXjwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br /><br /></div>Here we go. Let's see if the story will take a different path than the one with Burntime. I will be damned, it does! Captain544 is straight to business kind of guy. He warps straight in and gets to work without delay, all flashy orbiting my Dominix.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-REItSWbSGAs/YOBUXcverRI/AAAAAAAAGpg/4NJoTptDU7AV6tu9fBVFFTljSxrYz9k2QCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="125" data-original-width="458" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-REItSWbSGAs/YOBUXcverRI/AAAAAAAAGpg/4NJoTptDU7AV6tu9fBVFFTljSxrYz9k2QCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />I take my time to lock him and unleash everything I have. I have only one chance and I came prepared. I used my unallocated sp to finish t2 drone training, use drones to match his resist hole, added a heavy stasis grappler, heavy neutralizer, and small blasters as a cherry on the cake. The pain train, the anti-frigate killing machine was ready.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KUnIcRMi7uU/YOBWH3K-HpI/AAAAAAAAGpo/SfI1nkotqDAwHlyLyqS3-GjnqoMKGiMrgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="306" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KUnIcRMi7uU/YOBWH3K-HpI/AAAAAAAAGpo/SfI1nkotqDAwHlyLyqS3-GjnqoMKGiMrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />The fight was swift. Under heavy neut pressure and heavy tackle, Nergal did not have many options and soon gave in, despite putting up a reasonable fight, all things considered. I did one fitting mistake as I used MWD which was disabled and Nergal was slowly making distance with the risk of getting outside webifier range. However, drones did manage to do their work. I loot and shoot the wreck and the only thing that is left on the overview is Captain544's link Tengu alt angrily staring at me.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0tstDauqWkc/YOBXm1FsxuI/AAAAAAAAGp0/HgWZhDWsXCsbzaHDlG_arWqbU-OOevligCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="456" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0tstDauqWkc/YOBXm1FsxuI/AAAAAAAAGp0/HgWZhDWsXCsbzaHDlG_arWqbU-OOevligCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />I was also happy with <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/92290707/" target="_blank">the killmail</a>. While from value perspective zkillboard estimates 600mil, with few abyssal mods I believe it's not unreasonable to expect it to be closer to 800 or even 1bil. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FEYKc3n7lWs/YOBYzsx-XBI/AAAAAAAAGqA/GJjelfk5EMsSxouy8YV_h2Y034onVUDhgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="438" data-original-width="756" height="371" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-FEYKc3n7lWs/YOBYzsx-XBI/AAAAAAAAGqA/GJjelfk5EMsSxouy8YV_h2Y034onVUDhgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h371/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><br /></div><div>Regardless, it's not about the value of the kill, but the kill itself and, of course, the hunt. What makes this special to me is that Captain544 has an insane 95% killboard efficiency. His losses for 2021 you can count on your hands' fingers and unlike myself, he is a much more active pilot. Almost 3 months have passed and my alt is still a proud owner of his last loss and the only "expensive" loss for 2021, more so when it comes to high-sec. Honestly, this was one of the main drivers behind this hunt. It's mostly about the sentimental value.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bKFQC_ZAPjI/YOBZksg5qbI/AAAAAAAAGqI/EOTuBCCVIT0MezPmP5dDWlo6Cb7seb6lwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="1178" height="298" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bKFQC_ZAPjI/YOBZksg5qbI/AAAAAAAAGqI/EOTuBCCVIT0MezPmP5dDWlo6Cb7seb6lwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h298/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;">The aftermath</h3><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Uploading: 40385 of 40385 bytes uploaded." border="0" class="placeholder" id="2f85b2b9abc9a" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" style="background-color: #d8d8d8; background-image: url('https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsextended/insert_photo/v6/grey600-24dp/1x/baseline_insert_photo_grey600_24dp.png'); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;" /></div>After the dust has settled we exchanged a few words.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XK09wtts_EU/YOBbMCuDO4I/AAAAAAAAGqQ/Yk3FKEaCn2k3f9iX6Tf0mYBDr6ymIj-ywCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="496" data-original-width="315" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XK09wtts_EU/YOBbMCuDO4I/AAAAAAAAGqQ/Yk3FKEaCn2k3f9iX6Tf0mYBDr6ymIj-ywCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />To tell the truth, the outcome where I just threw my hands and went on my own merry way was very close. I was struggling in getting Captain544 to visit me in my mission. And while a story may look like all was quick, it took me almost a week to set everything up, stalk, wait and strike both for Burntime and Captain544. Of course, since I used my trader alts, I was free to use my main accounts for stalking wormholes as usual, but that is still an extra effort spent.<br /><br /><p></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WmnIBo7nTWA/YOBcJAi8BpI/AAAAAAAAGqY/7Bp33pc8ddAizw6bUNXzOWatubF8oFIswCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="311" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WmnIBo7nTWA/YOBcJAi8BpI/AAAAAAAAGqY/7Bp33pc8ddAizw6bUNXzOWatubF8oFIswCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Captain544 mentioned his Tengu does have a ship scanner and I was lucky enough to have my fit concealed. Clean toon with no pvp history was the key aspect that made this bait successful. As anticipated in the beginning, my bet paid off of not using the main account.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S8uKwKySK2k/YOBc5yAqpbI/AAAAAAAAGqg/1544B84mjQAES5KReVyjrP-xIMLPOvB1ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="317" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S8uKwKySK2k/YOBc5yAqpbI/AAAAAAAAGqg/1544B84mjQAES5KReVyjrP-xIMLPOvB1ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Also, stars have aligned to me this fight. I realized I did not train thermodynamics and because I was MWD fit, if Captain544 kept scram and pulsed afterburner he could have escaped, especially when his Tengu with links landed shortly after. We exchange few extra words and part ways in a friendly manner.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BPJd9qGwXsw/YOBdgYKiYPI/AAAAAAAAGqo/T8bxl3g4LIEgft70dIrCRbGqjCerpJhXwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="334" data-original-width="328" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-BPJd9qGwXsw/YOBdgYKiYPI/AAAAAAAAGqo/T8bxl3g4LIEgft70dIrCRbGqjCerpJhXwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Since our parting, it seems Captain544 continues to have tremendous success in high-sec with a replaced Nergal as also destroying ships in low-sec. I wish him well and to continue to be an inspiration for ninja salvagers around. Burntime has since also moved to low-sec and is enjoying active and successful pvp. As for me, due to my new parental responsibilities, I find myself a very limited time available to focus on EVE. In addition, with cloaking and interdiction nullification nerfs it looks like afk cloaky style of Cloaky Bastard might have come to an end. I have yet to decide what impact that will have on me. The future will tell.</div>Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-82069913395566635952021-04-23T17:17:00.010+02:002021-04-23T17:24:07.843+02:00Like good old days<p>The c4 wormhole I have been camping did not give a good feeling like I will get a target any time soon. I mean, it was rather clean, not too many anoms, but after observing locals for several days I just did not get the feeling, you know. Sometimes you know in your gut an opportunity will appear. Sometimes you don't. I decide to pack it up, but not before I say my goodbyes. I notice one of the local pilots is gas huffing.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TtZM3nTjTPo/YIBZXC_6unI/AAAAAAAAGgg/ltcsyBxb6uAwDCzsGEw-XTFW70X6v9GxACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="62" data-original-width="560" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TtZM3nTjTPo/YIBZXC_6unI/AAAAAAAAGgg/ltcsyBxb6uAwDCzsGEw-XTFW70X6v9GxACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Few pews later.<div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cXEtVCGoO_g/YILY_H86svI/AAAAAAAAGg4/Qdj9HFRKtFgUJgf1I95BEHEeOv5--f7xACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="766" height="365" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-cXEtVCGoO_g/YILY_H86svI/AAAAAAAAGg4/Qdj9HFRKtFgUJgf1I95BEHEeOv5--f7xACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h365/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />The quality of kills really went downhill fast. From an Orca to gas mining frigates. Well, that's just how it is sometimes.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>After exploring for a bit I find a new home. A new c3 with a high-sec static. I do love watching high-sec statics. The activity in and out is always interesting and intriguing. Especially if the connection happens to be close to one of the trade hubs. A connection close Amarr and Jita is guaranteed to have some good traffic. You will often find someone running logistics.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1rvYZA8KTAg/YILbBPej2jI/AAAAAAAAGhA/-F726Liu1V0Yqyx96WEVcWB71hSLg_BuwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="65" data-original-width="452" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1rvYZA8KTAg/YILbBPej2jI/AAAAAAAAGhA/-F726Liu1V0Yqyx96WEVcWB71hSLg_BuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Other times people are just passing through.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5WLN4LwmS44/YILbSXaXi3I/AAAAAAAAGhI/kaXkdPjI6oAuExUDJ7ucRgh6gUgE5AKuwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="65" data-original-width="452" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5WLN4LwmS44/YILbSXaXi3I/AAAAAAAAGhI/kaXkdPjI6oAuExUDJ7ucRgh6gUgE5AKuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />But once in a while, you will have a ship appear that will get you excited like nothing else.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fOuT38htjBc/YILctcDbrhI/AAAAAAAAGhQ/iYvox0spzqMcSFizR1h1f2Z6oqQCcEPoQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="59" data-original-width="450" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-fOuT38htjBc/YILctcDbrhI/AAAAAAAAGhQ/iYvox0spzqMcSFizR1h1f2Z6oqQCcEPoQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />I hear an activation and suddenly a beautiful, shiny Paladin shows up on an overview. If anyone wonders what's my reaction to such a sight, it usually looks like this:</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bgvp5uFFppc/YILdGLWEsQI/AAAAAAAAGhY/ljoVX2H7Zz0l9EIKcNtDm_r0JjcdsziUwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="280" height="206" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Bgvp5uFFppc/YILdGLWEsQI/AAAAAAAAGhY/ljoVX2H7Zz0l9EIKcNtDm_r0JjcdsziUwCLcBGAsYHQ/w320-h206/image.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />There is a big difference between an expected target and something completely random. As I hear quite a few activations of random stuff flying, I just ignore it. Sometimes if a pod flies to high-sec I login my trader alt to keep an eye on what that pilot will undock, cargo, and ship scan for maximum intel. In this case, since it was Ares I did not think of doing that. Just figured a pilot was passing one way. Of course, I'm not available at my pc every minute, and often my ship drifts alone without me being at the keyboard, so I probably miss half the traffic. Just think how many Paladins I did not see go through my watched connections! Ignorance is truly bliss.</div><div><br /></div><div>I straighten my posture and quickly try to get an angle where this Paladin warps. System has a lot of connections so I can't even pre-align like if it was only 1 or 2 connections. I manage to get a direction just before the Marauder disappears from an overview and initiate my trusty Proteus to follow.</div><div><br /></div><div>I and trusty Proteus have been through a lot. While trusty, it aligns like a house of bricks. I land as the Paladin makes his jump. I follow. Lucky and Unlucky for me I am late and out of position.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6hg9RvNxz0k/YILfmO32uuI/AAAAAAAAGhg/hzvcHaye6NQ4ETh9D41q2EOcsr9Nug-lgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="453" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6hg9RvNxz0k/YILfmO32uuI/AAAAAAAAGhg/hzvcHaye6NQ4ETh9D41q2EOcsr9Nug-lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />I can't help but watch the Paladin warp off. Way out of scrambler range and basically entering warp as my screen finishes loading. This is the unlucky part, but now you ask why "Lucky"? Well, the pilot is from <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98422578/" target="_blank">Almost Dangerous</a> corp. A fairly active pvp corp with 300 members. In addition, I've seen their pilots go in and out of the high-sec for a good while. And if this Paladin is fit with anything but travel fit, it may tank enough time for the reinforcements to arrive. So I like to tell myself it was 50/50 between me losing everything and a shiny Marauder kill. Of course, I am not just gonna let a random Marauder pass without me trying to tackle it. Otherwise, what's even the point of all this? But Bob decided it was not the time.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Old School Cool</h3><div><br /></div><div>While no Marauder kills, Bob leads me to a wormhole where I find 2 Dominixes killing sleepers, old school style.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CTmmT6cpH4A/YILiSWUVKII/AAAAAAAAGho/m71mjSE8hQ0DCA6Iuldi3BVn26yN-FwlgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="493" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CTmmT6cpH4A/YILiSWUVKII/AAAAAAAAGho/m71mjSE8hQ0DCA6Iuldi3BVn26yN-FwlgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />This is what I'm talking about. Who needs these fancy Triglavian ships or buffed op Marauders. Here are 2 spacewhale shaped battleships with spider tank and drones, existing since the beginning of time. A ship I am very familiar with as my first setup was triple boxing spider tanked Dominixes. I admire them for a bit and once I get into a position I decide to say hello. I give respect to these ships by bringing the full wrath of my fleet.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pBM6pEOdWvY/YILjcfpyHHI/AAAAAAAAGhw/kB_JKqCTMD8cnN_AOE9IiSxrQwMIA4C_ACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="365" data-original-width="557" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pBM6pEOdWvY/YILjcfpyHHI/AAAAAAAAGhw/kB_JKqCTMD8cnN_AOE9IiSxrQwMIA4C_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />The fight is short but sweet. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31001113/202104171400/" target="_blank">Both drone ships fall</a>. The pilots panic so much, that they even scoop the mobile tractor unit while being slaughtered. Saves me the headache having to deal with it, but not like I expected any shiny modules on them to begin with.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fy8n4KUJdUY/YILkJdairzI/AAAAAAAAGh4/X0xHUiHAG_ov9TfwiuhcbpV2UNt-kwnAgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="1464" height="181" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Fy8n4KUJdUY/YILkJdairzI/AAAAAAAAGh4/X0xHUiHAG_ov9TfwiuhcbpV2UNt-kwnAgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h181/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I feel much better now. Grab what I can, shoot the wrecks, and warp off. I guess t1 battleship also shouldn't be downplayed anymore. With recent industry changes and new prices, it does feel like a good catch. Certainly better than a gas huffing frigate.</div>Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-15909511383169242312021-04-14T20:47:00.003+02:002021-04-14T20:51:28.715+02:00Resurrecting a cloaky smartbombing Proteus<p>I am no Shakspeare, but I do enjoy writing an occasional post about my adventures in wormhole space. Ok, occasional may be a generous word. Once in a blue moon is probably more fitting. Did you know blue moons come only about every two or three years? Yeah, just like my posts.</p><p>So the other day I was stalking my c3 wormhole with high-sec static. As you can imagine, I quite often get visited by explorers. As I mentioned, I made a strange fitting decision and fit a webifier instead of a sensor booster. Tengu is the only ship I sometimes need a webifier for. In all other cases, sensor booster is the smart choice as a few precious seconds gained in locking time can make all the difference between tackle and warp out. However, even with sensor booster, it's often hit or miss when trying to lock exploration frigates. I started thinking a little bit more about it. It would be best if I had no locking time at all. Why yes, I do speak about smartbombs. Cloaky smartbombing Proteus was not new, and actually quite prominent. Proteus and not other t3 as I have a soft spot for Gallente! Many people used it in k-space to smartbomb pods (maybe they still do?) while others used it in wormholes to kill those pesky exploration frigates. Some of my favourite wormhole blogs ran smartbombing "Protei". I, of course, speak about <a href="http://bexfire.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bex</a> and <a href="http://localectomy.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Trinkets friend</a>. I hope you guys are doing well wherever you are!</p><p>Back to smartbombing Proteus. Several years ago, t3 changes killed the most common smartbommbing fits. I never thought much about it since. Until recently. Until I met a one pesky Astero. It all started the usual. I have all the sites prescanned and occasionally check d-scan to see if there's anything going on. I spot an Astero at one of the sites. I do my usual routine, warp to perch, get position and try to tackle. Of course the sisters' frigate escapes due to my long locking time, but instead of leaving the system he just goes back to the site. Again and again, like no fucks given about a Proteus trying to catch him. We do this dance maybe 5 more times until he finally gives up. The audacity of this pilot! I don't think my Proteus has ever been brushed away so lightly like a random shuttle passing through a high-sec gate.</p><p>I started looking around and found one interesting Reddit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Eve/comments/gur7i4/bringing_solo_back_in_a_smartbomb_proteus_4/fsnewyd?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3">post </a>with a smartbombing Proteus fit. I decided to give it a go. As I have some spare alts with few combat skills trained, I did a quick and dirty fit that I hastily put together.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="Uploading: 76975 of 76975 bytes uploaded." border="0" class="placeholder" id="838c3a16c3af2" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" style="background-color: #d8d8d8; background-image: url('https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsextended/insert_photo/v6/grey600-24dp/1x/baseline_insert_photo_grey600_24dp.png'); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lnj7Ux-KbNU/YHcy8jE2aVI/AAAAAAAAGfM/_CgvTN8H1SoqdeMBmD1RS-Cc6POFmMXPwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="675" height="577" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lnj7Ux-KbNU/YHcy8jE2aVI/AAAAAAAAGfM/_CgvTN8H1SoqdeMBmD1RS-Cc6POFmMXPwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h577/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />There are some fitting restrictions, but I just turn off the burst jammer for cpu and add a 5% power grid implant and I am all good to go. This bad buy does 280 dps, but there's just only one problem.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dLJEBEBlnUg/YHc0IhPazeI/AAAAAAAAGfg/ErPua4og3mogHA2aqbNuP4UPGmXF5gIdwCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="155" data-original-width="296" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-dLJEBEBlnUg/YHc0IhPazeI/AAAAAAAAGfg/ErPua4og3mogHA2aqbNuP4UPGmXF5gIdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />The capacitor lasts 15 seconds, which translates to 2 volleys. I am a bit sceptical a bit about how easy it will be to kill an Astero, but whatever. I park it in my home system and wait for a target to appear. </div><div><br /></div><div>It doesn't take too long and I do get an explorer visit me. The site is full of clutter and limited effective range of smartbombs makes it a challenge to get into a good position. But in the end I manage to align and time it right. I decloak and let off the smartbombs. Before I know it I hear repeat warnings of an empty capacitor, but my scrambler keeps the frigate in place. The Astero is in hull and I am out of juice to do anything. I barely get enough cap to keep a scrambler active and save enough spare juice to activate a smartbomb once in awhile. Man this is sad. The killing goes so slowly that I consider if I should bring my tackle Proteus and just get this over with. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/91893915/" target="_blank">The frigate finally explodes</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oS8yjFO-aGs/YHc2BBJ8ISI/AAAAAAAAGfo/w2-KT3qIWUwzu1C2-LUWcXtTqS3vx0aGQCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="435" data-original-width="959" height="290" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-oS8yjFO-aGs/YHc2BBJ8ISI/AAAAAAAAGfo/w2-KT3qIWUwzu1C2-LUWcXtTqS3vx0aGQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h290/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>While I do manage to kill the target, the whole ordeal did not go as I expected. First of all, the whole point of smartbombs is to kill a target before it has a chance to react. As I managed to lock and scram it, it kind of beat the whole point. The maths are clear that I can't kill an untanked Astero with 2 volleys and by the 3rd I get a lock anyways or the prey warps off. Anyways, I had to try it. I was kind of hoping to get any other ship than an Astero which the whole killing quick thing probably would have gone much more smoothly.<br /><p></p><div><br /></div></div>Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-47745962431311143892021-04-11T12:26:00.006+02:002021-04-11T12:28:53.800+02:00Never stick around<p>Not long after an <a href="https://cloakybastard.blogspot.com/2021/03/good-start-is-half-work.html" target="_blank">Orca gank</a> the system became unusually active. I notice some next-door neighbors getting busy shooting sleepers in my home.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7it7IJxiVc/YHK9h7IdD9I/AAAAAAAAGeI/QvHLGmwh7eEpazmVOB3VD_aetAgsftbBACLcBGAsYHQ/s568/Wreck.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="568" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-P7it7IJxiVc/YHK9h7IdD9I/AAAAAAAAGeI/QvHLGmwh7eEpazmVOB3VD_aetAgsftbBACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Wreck.PNG" /></a></div><br /><p>Neighbors are from the connecting c4 as that's the wormhole I keep eyes on and get a glimpse of the Gnosis.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D095PQTJ_KQ/YHLAQrZdF3I/AAAAAAAAGeQ/3WzxElnSreEtu7ovZFaFx0PMkuIXVZGngCLcBGAsYHQ/s450/Gnosis.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="80" data-original-width="450" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D095PQTJ_KQ/YHLAQrZdF3I/AAAAAAAAGeQ/3WzxElnSreEtu7ovZFaFx0PMkuIXVZGngCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Gnosis.PNG" /></a></div><br /><p>Well well well, what do you know. Same corp as the pilot's whose Orca I ganked. Just happened to decide to do some farming in my system. In a Hyperion. Yea, I don't buy it. I let my dear neighbors farm sleepers to their heart's content.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">W-Space life continues</h2><p>I continue to chill in my uninhabited c3. I want to move to another system, but decide to just stick around a little while longer. Since it has a high-sec static, I want to see if I can find a tourist doing some sleeper sites. As usual, if you stay long enough observing the system and wormholes you can see interesting things. Life goes on, ships fly around and I can't help but imagine stories in my head on what these people are up to. Sometimes I see small fleets ready for some pvp business.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FUkEdoAfjcE/YHLFSPhBVsI/AAAAAAAAGeY/NcOkurv0-wsVHuL_P5UbolWuuQiV1E-RQCLcBGAsYHQ/s458/small%2Bfleet.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="128" data-original-width="458" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FUkEdoAfjcE/YHLFSPhBVsI/AAAAAAAAGeY/NcOkurv0-wsVHuL_P5UbolWuuQiV1E-RQCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/small%2Bfleet.PNG" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Other times freebie battleships and industrials pass around.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgCWxln1A0c/YHLHmbkhM2I/AAAAAAAAGeg/4HUnP4eGDwMddOtb9vaUwkCA_l2zN21UgCLcBGAsYHQ/s456/PRaxis.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="96" data-original-width="456" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgCWxln1A0c/YHLHmbkhM2I/AAAAAAAAGeg/4HUnP4eGDwMddOtb9vaUwkCA_l2zN21UgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/PRaxis.PNG" /></a></div><br /><p>There will also be situations where visiting farming fleets will clean out my home system to the last anomaly.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_htYe2yzs74/YHLIZnVxEeI/AAAAAAAAGes/MR5Z293D1TQGFhEZ9wnyzkTQou7bHRIDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s453/farming%2Bcarcals.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="453" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_htYe2yzs74/YHLIZnVxEeI/AAAAAAAAGes/MR5Z293D1TQGFhEZ9wnyzkTQou7bHRIDwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/farming%2Bcarcals.PNG" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Good for these guys organizing a fleet to shoot some sleepers. Unfortunately, T1 cruisers don't really get me that excited. With my home system clear of anomaly sites, there's little chance of getting a tourist. I have to put more emphasis on looking at connecting systems. I jump into an active c2 connection. While d-scan shows wrecks, no ships are on sight. I do a blanked combat probe scan and detect 2 ship signatures. When I get in range I only see a Stratios. Another blanked scan reveals only one ship now. I guess whatever was going on I missed it. Well almost. For some reason Stratios is in the direction of the wrecks. Perhaps there was an attempted gank? It's a cosmic signature and not an anomaly, which means I have to scan it down to get a visual. I narrow down a precise location with a d-scan and do a quick sneaky scan. Hopefully, pilots don't check their d-scan too often. I get a hit! It's a data site and everything starts to make sense. The site is cleared of sleepers and Stratios is doing final hacking activities. Since it's a c2 I don't expect a very shiny ship clearing anomalies and decide to just go for the Stratios while I still have a chance.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eLzMQIeUSJs/YHLMz2qfFxI/AAAAAAAAGe4/dAkGQvUtq3sIbRtx6ISQCiKmvDyLiXaOgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="422" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eLzMQIeUSJs/YHLMz2qfFxI/AAAAAAAAGe4/dAkGQvUtq3sIbRtx6ISQCiKmvDyLiXaOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/image.png" /></a></div><br />Got him! Probably my Proteus could be enough to kill it, but I decide to bring my whole fleet. Not taking any chances since it's their home system. And besides, Stratios only need one neutralizer to make my Proteus harmless rather quick. The ship explodes. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/91877809/" target="_blank">A cool 600mil pimped cruiser</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5yqUGVTH2HQ/YHLNW_5bl4I/AAAAAAAAGfA/FSBPVanj87ALLH5QiHhSZHHzJqmos8lFgCLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="431" data-original-width="954" height="289" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5yqUGVTH2HQ/YHLNW_5bl4I/AAAAAAAAGfA/FSBPVanj87ALLH5QiHhSZHHzJqmos8lFgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h289/image.png" width="640" /></a></div><br />I'll take it, thank you very much! I collect the loot, take it to high-sec and make a contract to ship to the nearest hub. While it's not much, the last thing I want is to become a loot pinata myself. Besides, I fully expect to lose my fleet so any ISK I get will contribute to a replacement!<br /><p><br /></p></div>Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-38858443782027293092021-03-27T16:57:00.007+01:002021-03-27T17:08:14.967+01:00Good start is half the work<p>While a year ago my corp got evicted, it didn't take us long to resettle back into our home system. Unfortunately, it also didn't last and at the end of last year, the decision was taken to shut down the corp. This left an open question what I should do next? I was not ready to just jump to another corp and it so happened that I got quite big new responsibilities IRL - I became a dad. Finally, I am qualified to make all those terrible dad jokes. So I decided to take it easy, stay in the corp, focus on my newborn son, and just see how it all goes.</p><p>Fast forward six months and I decided to log back just to breathe in some of that imaginary (?) EVE universe smell and perhaps update my training queue which I guarantee has been expired at least within a couple of characters, but I couldn't be arsed to keep tabs on. For some reason I keep my accounts subbed, even if I don't actively play. The way I see it, it's my cigarette tax. Since I don't smoke, I get all that extra money to splurge.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Going back to basics</h2><p>I decided that instead of sitting in stations I can sit in space. After all, I am the cloaky bastard and there's not much cloaking going on when docked. I update my ancient pyfa version and start brainstorming and can already feel the excitement of coming up with my new hunting fits. So far my tools of choice have been a Proteus and 3 Nestors. I think it's a solid group that is quite versatile. Proteus will still remain my signature heavy tackle ship and there's really no need for big changes of my current fit. I really would love an extra mid or low slot. I consider giving up the Interdiction Nullifier sub-system, but then I remember all those close calls I had when bubbled, and decide it's not worth the stress. In addition, Proteus brings solid 500 dps to the table, which is nothing to scoff at for a cloaky tackle ship.</p><p>The weak link, however, I believe is the Nestors. 3 Nestors with spider tank can really help me take on multiple targets and sleepers. It's proven and tested in most engagements I had. Nevertheless, I do recognize that DPS is actually the weak link and usually time is not on my side. Key of my strength is to catch victims unaware and kill them before they get a chance to reorganize and fight back with a proper fleet. Nestor's do roughly 600 dps each and that's with 2 drone damage mods. It's really low. Combined power of 3 Nestors and a Proteus is usually enough to crack most ships defenses, mostly thanks to heavy neutralizers, but it can be slow progress for very tanked ships like passive Rattlesnakes or Marauders. Speaking of Marauders, I found out that they received a buff and now basically do double DPS. They have been scary to take on before, but now I am really worried. Given how Marauders have 2-3 cap batteries fitted, I might not live long enough for a kill to happen. I might need to forgo taking on more than 1 Marauder at a time. If someone has suggestions on the best combo to withstand duo Marauder setup, feel free to suggest in the comments.</p><p>Back to DPS subject. I decided to do one key change and replace a Nestor with a Leshak. The Leshak fits quite well into my spider tank setup. It can fit 2 cap transfers and a repair module. I will lose tank overall, especially if one of the Nestors is focused, but I am close to doubling my overall DPS. Besides, if the Leshak is focused, I still get the full power of 2 Nestors repping power. This change just makes sense and I can't wait to test it in practice.</p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Lucky catch</h2><p>Multiboxing spider tank setup with drone ships is really hard. I haven't done it in a long time. I am rusty as hell and I am sure I will fail at a lot of micromanaged stuff. So before I go to c4s I decide to camp a c3 with HS static. I might get a random battleship or a t3c as target practice.</p><p>As expected from a wormhole with HS static, I do get quite few explorers. I play around with an Astero which managed to escape, but still tries to do sites 5 times more despite me actively trying to get him. Decloaking the Proteus and waiting for a lock on a frigate is a painfully long time. I also realize there's no reason for me to fit a webifier instead of a sensor booster. In a few days of me camping the system, I miss out on a lot of activities. Sites get cleared when I am logged off and evenings mostly result in just me sitting in an empty and clean system. Until now.</p><p>I get a c4 connection inhabited by <a href="https://zkillboard.com/alliance/99009206/">Szescienna-Geometria</a>. A small corp, not really a big of a threat, but history shows they can put a fleet together I could struggle fighting solo. The system is clean and I see a Venture with Prospect clearing the few gas sites that remain. History shows some rather expensive Rattlesnake losses and I consider of moving in, but decide against it. A gut feeling more than anything. System is rather small and it would be hard to log in to my ships without being noticed. Instead, I decide to remain in a c3 and instead park my scout on the c4 connection and go mind my business.</p><p>I hear an activation sound. A quick glimpse reveals a ship I haven't seen in a long time. An Orca! </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dOIYZOEP1aQ/YF9QtFPb0mI/AAAAAAAAGcw/D5eKyBonCzo8qTeCzcw8pL0Mx_z0EqHsACLcBGAsYHQ/s455/Orca.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="131" data-original-width="455" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dOIYZOEP1aQ/YF9QtFPb0mI/AAAAAAAAGcw/D5eKyBonCzo8qTeCzcw8pL0Mx_z0EqHsACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Orca.PNG" /></a></div><p>I panic. I did not expect an Orca! My brick Proteus is not aligned and I am not sure I can get into position for a tackle fast enough, despite speed picking up very slowly. Every second I delay is a second lost. I decide not to risk it and just stay put, but now my interest is piqued. I watch the Orca warp to a HS static and park my Proteus on watch duty.</p><p>While waiting I see a Praxis and a Gnosis do sleeper sites. Thankfully my fleet is logged in and off d-scan. I ponder if the ship will come back. What kind of goodies were inside? Is someone from neighbors next door moving stuff out? Was the Orca on a one-way trip? The questions we may never find answers to. Or will we? I hear a jump. The Orca appears. I keep my cool. I initiate warp first to 10 and set my Proteus on a 5km orbit. I do not want to reveal myself just yet. The plan is to let the Orca jump, initiate warp while I jump after. It should be enough time to approach him even if my position is bad and if Orca enters warp I won't need to wait for the cloak timer to expire or worse, search an empty space if he has cloak fitted. When I see the Orca is on the grid I pre-warp my fleet. The fat ship lands and jumps in. I wait an extra second for it to disappear and hopefully for a new system to render for the unsuspecting pilot before I go after him. I jump. The Orca is on the overview and only 14km off. I quickly burn and tackle. Meanwhile, the fleet lands, and I jump everyone in and start the party.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mtFjK98AslY/YF9TbAR_auI/AAAAAAAAGc4/0y64joDGcrAkVmAJ701wzmSTNMriLA0DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s407/Orca%2Bparty.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="407" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mtFjK98AslY/YF9TbAR_auI/AAAAAAAAGc4/0y64joDGcrAkVmAJ701wzmSTNMriLA0DwCLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Orca%2Bparty.PNG" /></a></div><br /><p>The big whale is surrounded and nowhere to go. I unleash everything I have and soon enough I see a beautiful explosion which I believe CCP has bumped the visuals up a notch since the last time I saw an Orca explode.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5yuqLIowVs/YF9UL4wMpXI/AAAAAAAAGdA/32g1ycTqeoA7_I2VpRmLID2h3JWSAZlgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s786/Orca%2Bkill.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="437" data-original-width="786" height="356" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r5yuqLIowVs/YF9UL4wMpXI/AAAAAAAAGdA/32g1ycTqeoA7_I2VpRmLID2h3JWSAZlgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h356/Orca%2Bkill.PNG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>While <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/91751670/" target="_blank">cargo disappointedly</a> has ore in it (wtf?) I am still very happy with the catch. There's always something special about catching the big whale ship. I am also pleased to see my new addition to the fleet - the Leshak did 50% of the damage like a boss. Since I am in a good mood I decide to chat up the pilot and see if I can find out more about this whole situation.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ecB3GysXNWI/YF9U7yW11hI/AAAAAAAAGdI/8NgNdIuKqqgBgW25W9Dqrrgyr-laFE5DACLcBGAsYHQ/s445/Orca%2Bchat.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="445" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ecB3GysXNWI/YF9U7yW11hI/AAAAAAAAGdI/8NgNdIuKqqgBgW25W9Dqrrgyr-laFE5DACLcBGAsYHQ/s16000/Orca%2Bchat.PNG" /></a></div><br /><p>Pooz Gogiko took the loss well like a champ and did not seem to be bothered by it at all. It seems it was the first flight for this new ship and the trip probably did not end as the owner thought it would end. Kudos to him and let's hope that his next Orca flight will be as eventful as this one.</p>Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-13063484693752360882020-04-25T22:43:00.000+02:002020-04-25T22:43:54.778+02:00Evicted by Inner HellOnce you get into your routine, it's hard to appreciate certain things. I've been around long enough to know you should never take things for granted in this game. You have to be prepared that certain things like your favorite ship, play style, or even your corp will change or disappear. Despite living in wormholes for most of my time, this week I have experienced something new. My corp got evicted by Inner Hell. While the risk of eviction was always known to me, the corps I have joined were always small-medium size focused on small gang PVP. Corps I've been apart of were always neutral, minded their business, and provided content when the opportunity arose. I took my home systems for granted as I always felt that to evict my corp would be more pain than it's worth. Well, Inner Hell was of another opinion. It felt that Epicentre Syndicate has accumulated enough wealth, got too comfortable and it was time to shake things up, by cleansing the system of any traces of player activity.<br />
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I take breaks in EVE. Sometimes, the breaks are quite long. Once you stop logging in, it becomes very difficult to force yourself to even open the client. Due to this, I often miss out on a lot of things happening such as big updates or drama and politics. My isolationist hunting playstyle did not help as it made it very easy to stay ignorant, ignore what was not impacting me directly, and just mind my own business. Therefore, the main reason I joined the corp was to be more engaged in EVE universe, relearn things I've forgotten and build friendships. After some discussions with corpmates I've learned that drama in wormholes was quite a big topic recently and a lot of evictions were going on. Of course, I refer to TDSIN and HK squabble. While Epicentre Syndicate was neutral, we did discuss the topic of eviction on numerous occasions, and mentally, at least some of us were always prepared to face the music.<br />
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On a personal level, all these eviction stories felt crazy and unreal. Being in wormholes, it always felt like being a part of a community. And while some corps hated each other, we still "got" one another. At the risk of sounding like a bittervet, one unwritten rule in wormholes was always respected. You don't evict active PVP corps. Not at least without a very good reason. The content was always hard to come by in w-space and make it emptier would do no good to anyone. It seemed like "old fashioned" approach went out of style and big cleansing was underway. So what does this have to do with us being evicted by Inner Hell? Probably not much, but I thought it would be interesting to mention. There is also a chance that due to other evictions ongoing, the list of whom to evict for Inner Hell became much shorter.<br />
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Inner Hell is famous for its playstyle which specializes in evictions. It's what they do and what they are good at. And we got to experience that first hand. While I dislike this playstyle, I do have to respect the commitment they put in. While we caught initial scanner checking out timers of our structures, the first iteration of hole control fleet caught us completely off guard. It all started with a miner gank. We thought it was a random encounter but quickly realized there was an eviction force present in our system.</div>
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<h3>
The last stand</h3>
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Epicentre Syndicate leadership was working around the clock to deal with a sudden crisis. It was clear that our corp alone won't have a chance to stand against the hostiles in the system and we would need help. But if you have been involved in wormhole warfare, you probably realize that it is extremely difficult to get help inside the system if you have no hole control. Even if there are volunteers to help the cause, it's useless without a way to get inside. We joke around that the only way we stand a chance is a frigate hole to our system since they can't be rolled and it's extremely hard to control the incoming traffic.</div>
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The very next day, Bob answers our prayers and blesses us with 2 frigate holes. The biggest evidence of Bob watching us if I ever saw one. Batphone goes out and soon we have over 100 pilots docked in our main Fortizar. Evening comes and I see the biggest fleet I have participated in wormhole space so far. We are ready to make a claim for the right to stay in this c4 system.</div>
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We start off well. We pick off some of t3s and force the enemy fleet to warp off and successfully defend the timer. As Inner Hell can't win the direct confrontation on a station, they warp around and we play a game of cat and mouse for a short while. </div>
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While we could defend the timers of some of the stations, it was clear that this would be the battle of attrition if we kept it up. We could defend today, but what about tomorrow? Next week? Enemy fleet has fully committed to this invasion while people that came to our help took time from their schedules, burned to our system, and spent most of the day in it. It was unreasonable to expect and even ask them to stay longer than that. Therefore a decision was taken for the "final" battle. We would warp directly on the enemy fleet and brawl it out. We either incur big losses to the enemy that forces a regroup or go out in style. It's a win-win. We undock everything we can, align, and warp on the enemy. The big battle starts.</div>
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It all starts out great. We pop some good amount of t3s, Drakevacs, Ikitursas. However, as the battle drags on and we lose the majority of the fighters, it becomes noticeably harder to get kills. The fact that the fleet is fitted for long-range did not help shooting high-resist speed tanking ships. Especially after the enemy fleet picked off our webifiers, the damage output started to stagnate. It became clear that the fight was lost and we were just feeding kills, it was time to salvage what we could and bail.</div>
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<b>Aftermath</b></h3>
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Despite everything, the mood in the corp was on the upside. Everyone was feeling good for having a chance to organize a good fight and even inflict some moderate losses on our evictors. The <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31001773/202004222000/">zkillboard report</a> shows 43 billion worth of ISK damage done and 93 billion lost.</div>
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With some random picks before and after, it's safe to assume we have done over 50 billion ISK damage. While it may not sound much in the grand scheme of things, we can say with confidence that Epicentre Syndicate members and allies gave their best to stand our ground with no regrets. It was time to go with our contingency plan - deny as many resources as possible, by self-destructing ships and logging off valuable assets on inactive characters.</div>
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We self-destructed, trashed, and evacuated assets that we could. Finally, it was time to say goodbye to our home. Even with victory at hand, Inner Hell diligently was watching the wormhole connections. To deny even a chance of catching our pods and shiny ships such as my scanning Proteus, most of the corp Yeeted out with Needlejack Filaments to null-sec and made our way to high-sec. In a way, it feels refreshing. We are no longer tied to our assets and are free to choose the next path. What does the future hold for Epicentre Syndicate and myself? Who knows, but we will make sure to use this opportunity and make the best of it.</div>
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<b>Additional notes</b></div>
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1) Thanks to everyone who came to help to defend our home! Epicentre Syndicate members are very grateful and will not forget if some of you will be in a need.</div>
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2) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnlbn68sAFc">The video of the fight</a>.</div>
Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-30536444808120626632020-04-20T15:43:00.001+02:002020-04-20T16:56:51.121+02:00A casual jump, uncasual dayProbably quite a few of us have encountered a ship in space, burning at full speed towards a no particular direction, but mostly outside the direction of any celestial. Usually, it's some speedy small ship with a cap stable fit and MWD on. It can be quite tricky to catch those because you need your own speedy, a much faster ship as, by the time you land on grid, you will have quite some distance to cover in order to catch up. Other times you will find a ship standing in space or slowly moving one direction. Next door to my home system I was watching a couple of guys going about their business. While I was hoping a good target will show up, instead, locals went quiet with one exception. For some reason, a Bifrost just warped to an offline tower and started slowboating.<br />
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It was a bit strange, as I was fairly certain locals knew they were not alone as next door was our, very active, home system with a mobilized fleet <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83082613/">ganking a carrier a jump away</a>.<br />
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Any self-respecting wormhole pilot always checks its surroundings and when you see an active corp next door you are extra cautious. However, it seems not everyone develops self-preservation instincts. Bifrost pilot just kept burning away, despite having a couple of stations to stay docked at. Having watched the pilot all this time, I decided enough was enough. To leave him like this would be going against the code of wormholes if there was such a thing. While Bifrost is not aligned to any particular celestial, I still manage to find a good bounce and interest him with my cloaky Proteus. For the record, my Proteus is 1600 plated and afterburner fit. It is slow. And I mean, really slow. To catch a moving target with it, even going to one direction, is a form of art. After bouncing off the celestial I slowburn perpendicularly towards the target until I am within scram range. Of course, I will not be satisfied with just the ship kill and warp in the Sabre to make sure I get the pod too, in case the pilot wakes up from screeching sound of hull alerts. The <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83082936/">ship</a> and the <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83082956/">pod</a> go down. Thanks to the "Egg Hunt" event, I net a cool 250mil from implants alone.<br />
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You will notice that fit has only two high-grade amulet implants. While I'm not the one to look a gifted horse in the mouth, I highly doubt he just happened to have 2 amulets plugged in. I suspect his "apm" was not high enough to pull everything out in time. In my opinion, pulling implants in combat is such a nonsense mechanic that I can't believe we still have to deal with it. Interestingly, shortly after the gank, I receive the following email.<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1x4bU51jr-E/Xp2TGPXWEJI/AAAAAAAAGTs/GOFL1OAnhtERCsUG-nXcDZBYhbuPfcE1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/askmoneymail.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="283" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1x4bU51jr-E/Xp2TGPXWEJI/AAAAAAAAGTs/GOFL1OAnhtERCsUG-nXcDZBYhbuPfcE1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/askmoneymail.PNG" /></a></div>
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I don't know about others, but in my experience, you want a gank to be over as quick as possible to avoid becoming ganked yourself. Therefore, in w-space, I'm not in the habit of asking for ransoms from my targets. I was surprised by the question itself as I can't imagine much of ransoming is happening in w-space overall. Besides, I can't scan a pod for implants. so I doubt I would have gotten an offer higher than the value of the Bifrost itself.<br />
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<h3>
When a casual patrol becomes the highlight of the day</h3>
<br />
I won't lie. It's been a few days since I've been actively scanning and scouting, but apart mining Ventures and scanning Herons, I haven't seen any ships on d-scan. Meanwhile, my corpmates, report a casual <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83019738/">Rattlesnake</a>, <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83112132/">Vargur </a>or a <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83082613/">Niddhogur</a>. It is easy to be discouraged, but I know better. I know that Bob rewards the patient.<br />
<br />
The chain is scanned and there doesn't seem to be much going on. I consider throwing a proposal of rolling the c4 static connection but decide to visit the scanned systems, just in case someone decided it was a good time to shoot sleepers. On these routine checks, you are usually on autopilot. It's like driving a car home from work and wondering how the hell you got here without the memory of driving. I jump, d-scan, launch combats for a blanket scan. If no ships appear, I jump to the next system. Rinse and repeat. I jump to the last system in the mapped chain. D-scan updates and I am met with a confusing result.<br />
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The hell is going on here? Random ships on scan, tons of hangar containers floating around? It takes a couple of seconds to come back to my senses. I adjust my poor sitting posture to be slightly less poor, put my eyes closer the directional scanner and make sure I am not imagining things. In the old days, this would be a control tower with a force field, a bubble and a bunch of secure containers. But those days are past and hangar containers littered usually means only one thing - someone just unanchored or destroyed a station. I warp to the Fortizar and find the containers as also the locals, busy warping forth and back. The routine looks like a pod warps to a container, boards the ship, warps back to the station, parks the ship and goes for the next. Ships are mostly t1, with some faction and t2 exceptions. I immediately send a ping and we form up a disposable Cyclone fleet. Suddenly a Thanaots undocks and warps to a container, presumably with an idea to scoop all the loot due to it's enormous cargo bay. A possible capital kill always get's everyone excited. We ping for Drake Navies who still did not leave home in a cyclone and bring a couple of Basilisks just in case. Who knows what locals will do trying to save their carrier.<br />
<br />
While the fleet is halfway, I watch the carrier warp to a can, scoop the loot and warp back. I have missed my first chance to tackle it. Thankfully, the carrier does another roundtrip. I decide to act as you can never be sure there will be a third chance. I warp my trusty Proteus to a can, decloak and tackle the carrier.<br />
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<br />
I only need to keep it for several seconds until the first Sabre lands, followed by a fleet. While the locals helplessly watch through the safety of station windows, we bash the carrier into <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83270897/">the scrap</a> and send the pilot on his merry way via <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83270909/">pod express</a>. Speaking of pods, this one spared no expense and only flies his carriers in a style of high-grade amulet sets.<br />
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As with the Bifrost's pilot, TrippleX Ozzy also did not have enough apm to plug everything out. Still, thanks to the "Egg Hunt", over 800 mil of implants drop. Who am I to complain? While we continue to check out the cans and map the worthwhile loot, a report of a Leshak landing on a wormhole towards our home. The Leshak is promptly tackled, but he is not alone. More and more ships land on the grid. All of a sudden, we have a full-blown fight going on with a <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98217119/">SECURITY SQUAD</a>.<br />
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Oh man, there is only so much excitement at a time I can handle. Finally we come out on top and force the intruders away, while netting several nice <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31000504/202004121500/">Leshak kills</a>. However, while we were busy battling out with the unexpected 3rd party, the locals did not waste any time and continued with hauling their stuff back to their station. That is until we came back. To be fair, locals did have a chance to buy us out and continue with their looting, but my proposal was met in silence.<br />
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Which left us no choice, but play loot pinata, by ejecting bunch of t1 ships and shooting everything in sight, while hauling the expensive stuff out to a convenient high-sec static. As per our corp rules, the content finder gets to keep all the loot. I can't say how much ISK this whole ordeal net me as I honestly lost track of it, but it certainly was not bad for an honest day's work. Bob be praised for these gifts.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-48477489282435184172020-04-06T15:18:00.000+02:002020-04-06T15:28:08.289+02:00It's all about the journeyHe...ll..ooo... [insert radio static sound effect here]. Can any..bo...dy hear me? Are you there? Hope I got the signal right. Here we go.<br />
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Yes, I am here. I hope you haven't forgotten about me. I have been <u>watching</u> you. The wormholes are amazing. If you pay enough attention, you will spot all these small details. You will be able to see that we all are connected by the will of BOB. One day I will see you at the sun launching probes.<br />
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Scanning and <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/82544919/">ganking a Gnosis</a>.<br />
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Afterwhich we will set up bait, but end up letting you <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31000142/202003221800/">slip through our fingers</a>.<br />
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HOWEVER. Sooner or later we will run into each other again and another day, I will find <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/83017756/">your wreck</a><sup>1)</sup> floating around by the entrance of the wormhole. Such is wormhole life.<br />
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<h3>
The right time</h3>
<br />
I decided to take my trusty Proteus for a spin. Every jump to the unknown is like an adventure. You never know what you will see. One time <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/82548382/">I will nab a Tengu</a>.<br />
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The other time I will catch an <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/82550148/">unsuspecting Rattlesnake</a>.<br />
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Or I may end up watching your direct high-sec connection and waiting out for that perfect moment to catch something big. And even if you have a high-sec in your home system, a scout sitting on the exit to warn of all incoming traffic, even if you already did numerous trips and feel there's nothing to worry about, beware, I am patient. As <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98129384/">Duckling System</a> was wrapping up their logistics run, they send one final ship through the wormhole - a freighter. When waiting for the "right time", sometimes it's hard to describe the said "right time", however when it comes, you know it in your bones. The same way I knew when the freighter showed up, which seemed to be in a no hurry to warp out, even after the support fleet leaves the grid. And several precious seconds is all it takes.<br />
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Freighter gets tackled, fleet warps in and we <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31002262/202003281700/">chew all the ships</a> we can get before the locals have a chance to react and reorganize a proper response fleet.<br />
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And while the Charon turns out to be empty, it's the opportunity that counts.<br />
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<h3>
<b>The opportunity</b></h3>
<br />
Speaking of opportunities, not every time you get to utilize them if you don't trust your gut. On one of my scouting trips, I jump into a c4. Immediately the d-scan reveals 2 Nestors and a bunch of wrecks. I inform the corp about potential targets and start pinning down the site that the Nestors are at. While I finally identify the anomaly, <u>just before breaking the cloak,</u> a final d-scan reveals only one Nestor. I warp to an empty site with a lot of wrecks and still one sleeper present. I am confused. Why did they warp away? Was I spotted? That can't be it, they warped off before I broke my cloak. But with only one sleeper at the site, it sure wasn't "tank breaking" issue. I warp to the system's station and find both pilots there. I have this tingling feeling that they had a scout on the wormhole which alerted them of an incoming ship. However, after watching for a bit, I see Nestors undock and warp back to the site, then back to the station. Very strange behaviour. Finally, they warp to the site once more and stay there. I inform the fleet and order then to come on the wormhole, be ready to jump on my command. As soon as my fleet lands, I warp at 10 ready to engage, but Nestors quickly warp out. Ok, this can't be a coincidence. I could have tackled while the fleet was one jump out, but was not very confident that I can take on 2 Nestors and sleepers at the same time. I probably could have timed it before them landing on the wormhole's entrance, as I <i>felt it </i>in my bones they had a scout on the <u>outside</u> of their system, but I decided to go against my gut.<br />
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It was clear there was nothing to be gained here anymore as many wormholes know, once your prey spots your aggressive intentions, it's very unlikely anything will come out of it and they will stay docked. But my gut says otherwise. I don't know what, but something will happen. Worth noting, there's a high-sec next door, 1 jump out. While I keep my Proteus in the system, I also park a Sabre on the high-sec. It's not too far from Jita, so it is very likely I will see some activity.<br />
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Locals are being vigilant. They keep an eye on that wormhole like hawks and are not afraid to let me know that they know I am still inside.<br />
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While perhaps they think they will discourage me, it has an opposite effect. I <i>feel</i> the locals are getting restless. After all, it's a beautiful Saturday afternoon and some random Proteus is disturbing all the fun farming activities. As expected, locals can't help themselves and soon I see a couple of Occators make a run for the high-sec. How likely that a lone Proteus will catch anything? Not very. After the deep transport ships jump out, I log in my Jita trader alt and keep eyes on the undock. DST's dock up in Jita as expected. Pilots perform the shopping and soon I see them on the undock once again. I cargo scan one of the ships and confirm they are coming home not empty. I order the fleet to wait 1 jump out. The DST's jump back through the high-sec. I watch them enter warp towards home, I order the home fleet to jump and warp while I decloak and quickly follow suit and soon land with the ships on their home entrance. They jump. I jump. The bubble goes up. Once I see the ships on the overview, I quickly burn towards to prevent cloaking and get a scram on one of the targets. Unfortunately, the second DST manages to MJD away and warp way while leaving his friend behind <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/82975260/">to his doom</a>.<br />
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Once again the gut delivers. While it's a shame we did not get a shot at those Nestors, the kill is a kill. In the end, it's all about the hunt and stalking. As they say, the journey is half the reward.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1) I swear I saw a wreck with my own eyes, but still not back in a habit of making screenshots :p.</span>Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-54046683182405103272019-08-25T19:47:00.001+02:002019-08-25T19:47:24.851+02:00Catching a big fishOur home system has two statics - a c4 and a c5. I usually prefer to scout the c4 chain as I believe it provides more gank opportunities, while a c5 has a higher chance of finding fleet fights. It's getting late and c4 looks quiet. Being a good scout as I am, I jump into a c5 for a quick look. A check on the pathfinder shows me there's a new signature in the system. I promptly scan it and check it out. It's a c6 wondering wormhole. The connection starts on our side, meaning it's not a K162. I jump in to take a look. An excitement quickly takes over as I notice Nestors and few additional ships on scan. I move my trusty Porteus and cloak up, ready to investigate. Not long after, locals drop out core scanner probes, indicating I am the first one to open the connection on their side. I do not know if they saw my Proteus on d-scan or not. In any case, there's nothing much I can do about it. I report my findings to a few people on comms and can feel the excitement rising. Nothing piques more interest to wormholers than a possible shiny gank. I decide not to send out the ping yet. After all, the locals might have seen my Proteus on d-scan and whatever activity they had, might stop. I do not warp from the wormhole yet, because I want to keep eyes on the connection. Intelligence is most important in w-space and knowing if they have eyes on our c5 static can make all the difference.<br />
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I watch an Astero warp to the wormhole, jump in and after several seconds jump back. I ask for a Sabre pilot to park on the connection. My anticipation is to catch a rolling battleship. There are wrecks present on d-scan which indicate locals have been doing sites before a new signature disrupter their operation. As Sabre pilot is in the warp to the c6, the Astero pilot lands on the wormhole again. Shit. This is really bad timing. Nothing telegraphs hostile intentions more like an interdictor on your home wormhole. Thankfully the Astero pilot does not jump, presumably due to polarization which gives our Sabre pilot time to land and cloak up. Now we just need to wait for that rolling battleship to come in. With another set of eyes on the wormhole, warp to the station to get eyes and get more intel on what is going on. Locals swap some ships around until finally, a Megathron undocks. Nestors are still on the grid at the station, presumably just waiting until the rolling of the wormhole will be done. All of a sudden Chimera undocks. These guys do not plan to waste any time and roll the c6 connection in one big swoop. In addition, the Nestor fleet impatiently warps to an anomaly to continue running sites. I assume I was not spotted after all and locals feel they are alone. That or they are very confident and do not consider my presence a threat.<br />
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I scream at comms and ping is sent out. Meanwhile, time is short and few pilots that are online hop into kitchen sink ships just to have something on the grid by the time the carrier lands on the wormhole. The locals take a few precious minutes and finally warp Megathron and Chimera to the connection. I follow in my trusty Proteus. A carrier and a battleship can close the wormhole in 1 jump, therefore I land on 0 to be ready to jump after and tackle to prevent the carrier burning back to his home as long as possible. His friend in Megathron jumps first and probably reports few of our pilots on the connection, therefore the carrier decides not to jump. However, he is not going anywhere either as I tackle him with my Proteus. My hope is to tank long enough for the fleet to arrive.<br />
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The trusty Proteus tanks like a boss and manages to hold the carrier until the backup arrives. Now we have a fight brewing. Megathron is destroyed and we start working on the carrier. We know there are still more people in the system aka the Nestor fleet that went to the anomaly. The carrier pilot has probably been screaming for help as we see different ships on d-scan. Our FC makes an intelligent call and orders half the fleet to hold on the other side. We have on-grid enough to tank the dps from the capital ship, but not enough to break his tank either. This should give a fake glimmer of hope for the locals to get out of this situation intact. We patiently wait for locals to send in the help while the current fight is in a stalemate as tanks hold on both sides. We know with certainty that locals do not have eyes on the other side to spot the other half of our fleet, therefore the confidence is high that we will see more ships land on the grid.<br />
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A Phoenix dreadnought undocks which probably makes at least half our pilots drool judging by all the excitement ongoing on the comms. Phoenix and few other ships land on grid and we show our trump card and bring in all fleet. With the extra firepower, we manage to break the tanks and <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31002452/201908072100/">kill both capitals</a>.<br />
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Not very often one can find such big fish in w-space. Bob has been especially generous this day. As a scout, I net a cool billion of loot. Not bad for a day's work. I consider for a minute to collect the loot in <a href="https://cloakybastard.blogspot.com/2019/08/wormhole-gifts.html">Occator I stole earlier today</a>. This is a clear sign of Bob almighty at work. May he continue gracing us with his presence.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-83756900827855861652019-08-12T22:06:00.002+02:002019-08-12T22:06:56.966+02:00Wormhole giftsI like wormholes with high-sec connections. Often wormhole people need to do errands to high-sec and do some shopping which could translate to potential targets. I usually like to park my scout on a high-sec wormhole to observe the traffic for some time. During one of my routine runs, I notice some activity in a wormhole. A C5 with an unusual high-sec connection is bound to have something interesting. While I keep checking d-scan, an Occator - a deep space transport ship appears. The alignment is towards the station, so it must be local. As this is often a go-to ship for wormhole logistics, I patiently wait for it to land on a high-sec connection. Except it doesn't. The ship disappears from 5° d-scan, but it is still visible at 360°. What's going on? I quickly narrow it down on one of the planets. I'll be damned, the guy is doing PI runs in an overly expensive PI ship. I quickly call in a Sabre pilot from our home system while I get eyes on the Occator pilot. Once he enters warp to a next customs office, I tell Sabre pilot the coordinates and we warp at 0. We land on top of the transport ship and engage.<br />
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He is going nowhere. However, before we even get to half shields a pod appears on an overview. The transport pilot jumps out of his ship. We struggle to understand the reasoning behind this action. The bubble was up so it's not like he could escape. If he wanted to deny us implant kills, he was not fast enough to plug them out as I quickly locked him up and <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/78277322/">killed the pod</a> with a set of basic learning implants. One thing, however, the pilot was able to avoid. We decide not to finish off the transport ship and instead take it home.<br />
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The Occator now has a new owner that will make sure the ship is used for more appropriate tasks such as transporting pvp gear to provide content to wormhole space. I thank Bob for his gifts. May his blessings continue to aid me.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-32101729479038458072019-08-08T10:25:00.004+02:002019-08-08T10:25:38.089+02:00Here I am<div style="text-align: left;">
EVE Online. There's a joke that the only way to win at EVE is not to play it. I've been winning for the last year and a half <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31000449/201812261700/">after going out in a glory of blazing fire</a>. But no matter how many or how long breaks I take I always keep coming back. Despite me not logging in I always keep my subs running, at least for my main and a scanner alt. It's sort of my support for the game that always has been such a big part of my life.</div>
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I gave a long thought of what I should aim for this time around. Do I want to continue wormhole stalking? While that is indeed fun, I decided to postpone my lonesome warrior style. I believe the social aspect of this game is the number one thing what keeps players logging in, so my first order of business was to find a corp since my old corp has become inactive. Multiboxing is also a very taxing activity so I decided to just stick with my two core accounts and have a more "relaxing gaming experience". Damn it, am I getting old? After some scouting on the forums, I've set my eyes on <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98342486/">Epicentre Syndicate [EPSYN]</a>. This corp immediately caught my eyes due to small and medium gangs, chill environment with no mandatory activity (can actually enjoy other games without feeling the guilt of not logging in), a C4 home system with C4 and C5 statics, and *GASP* a scout that finds gank targets gets to keep all the loot. This is one of the most important selling points for me. I haven't done any PVE since 2013 and I do like scouting and finding gank targets. It's my thing. It's been over a month since I joined I can say with confidence it was the right call.</div>
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<b>Almost getting reverse ganked</b></h3>
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During my usual scouting run, I spot a Tengu doing anomalies in a class 2 wormhole. Getting excited with a target I immediately call for a few guys to help me kill it. While I silently observe our soon to be prey my small fleet is gathering on the wormhole ready to jump in on my mark. After T3 changes I had to make a lot of compromises to my tackle Proteus. I no longer can afford a Microwarpdrive, Sensor Booster, and a Warp Disruptor. This means that I have to go for my targets when they are up close. On a bright side, I can now dish out 600 dps while before my pure tackle Proteus had only two small Smartbombs for dps. So here I am, slowboating towards Tengu, ready to decloak and engage. Suddenly two red Lokis decloak.</div>
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Talk about unexpected. I guess someone else had the same idea. I immediately warp back to my vantage point and continue observing. Perhaps there is some potential to gank the gankers? Shortly, a bunch of new ships appear on d-scan and land on grid. I order my fleet to fall back home. We don't have nearly enough people online to challenge the hostile fleet, so I just sit back and enjoy the show. Poor Tengu is about to have his day ruined.</div>
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Man, what are the odds? A few minutes later and <a href="https://evewho.com/corp/Holesale">Holesale</a> would have had quite a few more kills. I guess I can consider myself quite lucky. This is why I love wormhole space. You often never know who else is out there until it's too late. I watch Tengu explode and pilot podded. The hostile fleet sure took their time to kill it, making sure everyone had an opportunity to be on the <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/77852915/">killmail</a>. Once the action is over we all depart separate ways. Bob sure works in mysterious ways. Today he was feeling generous and let me keep my ship intact. Praise be.</div>
Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-55400718309297190592018-02-09T23:29:00.000+01:002018-02-09T23:37:15.503+01:00Where did you come from?The Unknown is my home. One of the advantages of not being tied to one system is that you are not tied to one system. I roam the uncharted space and Bob is my guide. The advantage of nomadic style is that I often find "interesting" systems. And by interesting I mean, with potential targets. While often those systems are empty at the time, I can move in and wait a few days to see if anything will unfold. I settle down in a c4 wormhole with a black hole effect. Owners are quiet so I use the opportunity and scan the chain. I pop into a next door c3 and find an interesting sight.<br />
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Wrecks. And when there are wrecks, there are ships. I warp through the system, but nothing else shows up on d-scan. I check the stations and they are empty too. One of two scenarios might just have happened. One, someone was doing sites, saw a hostile ship on d-scan, warped away and logged. Or, someone finished a couple of sites and decided to salvage. I orbit my exit and patiently wait for this someone to comeback. Time passes and the system remains as is. Oh well. I launch my probes and get to scanning. There aren't that many sigs so it doesn't take a long time.<br />
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There are 3 connections: a low-sec, a c4 and a c3. I check the low-sec first and my prayers get answered. It has a high-sec gate. I go to the nearest station and setup a courier contract to transport my loot from <a href="http://cloakybastard.blogspot.se/2018/02/back-to-shadows.html">a previous gank</a>. A cool 300 mil towards my Proteus/Nestors replacement program. Once that is done, I check the c4.<br />
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The system is active. I find mining retrievers and a Cormorant which warps to a c3 I just came from.<br />
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It's a <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98406245/">Dark Skies Dojo</a>. For some reason they have a negative standing to my corp which normally means I should be cautious. However, judging from their killboard they seem to be primarily a US tz corp. There is no point in trying to gank such a small ship in hopes to get some blue loot. I'd rather wait for him to finish salvaging, after which, hopefully he will continue running anoms. Meanwhile I go check out the miners.<br />
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Just look at them. I guess everyone has their thing in EVE. At almost 150 million SP I'm not even sure if I can fly a Retriever. I won't deny, looking at these two dudes mining peacefully really makes my finger on a trigger itch. Now that my Proteus actually has dps, I don't even need to bring the Nestors. While tempting, I decide against it. The plan is to wait for the Cormorant to return and see if he feels shooting some more sleepers. If not, I can always pop those Retrievers. It's not like this ore site will be gone anytime soon.<br />
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Meanwhile I have my Nestors fleet logged. The system I am staying at is quite small. Locals have their station in the middle between the sun and an outer planet. I had to make a safe near the middle of the system to be outside range. Downside is that most anoms and signatures spawn in the middle, so if I do not log in before locals come online, I risk exposing myself. Upside is that d-scan of the Nestor can see a big part of the system.<br />
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An activity at home! From the tag I recognize it's the locals. As expected, it's a poco bash op. The fleet is at planet XI. Now it's time to take a decision. An attack battlecruiser is a nice target. Not particularly shiny, but much better than a Retriever. Since I haven't seen Cormorant return yet, there's no point in waiting anymore. I head home.<br />
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I jump back in. Planet XI is out of d-scan range so I am confident I will be able to sneak back in without being spotted. I warp to the customs office, but no ships are present on the overview. Did I get the planet wrong? No, that's not it. They seem to have warped back to the station. An awfully big coincidence if you asked me. Then I watch weird stuff happen. Rook undocks and warps to a safespot somewhere. Same thing with Stratios. A venture undocks and starts scanning the system with core probes. If I didn't know any better I would say they are preparing for me. But that <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98454965/">killboard</a> though... It might be a threat for my solo Proteus, but I just can't see them beating my Nestors.<br />
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An Oracle and a Tornado warps back to a poco.<br />
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Something is definitely up. I decide to go for it anyway. I'm sure my Nestors can handle whatever they throw at me and if there's another hostile entity I haven't seen, then so be it, but I highly doubt it as these shenanigans started as soon as I jumped back to the system. I decloak and attack the Tornado. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/67916808/">It pops fast</a>.<br />
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No surprise there. It's hard to tank without a single tank module. I still keep my Nestors cloaked. I don't see the need to show my trump card just yet. Let's see what they will bring and if I can get a secondary kill.<br />
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Sure enough I now have a Rook jamming me and a Cynabal landing on grid. There is no way I can catch a fast ship such as a Cynabal while my tackle Proteus is being jammed. I decide to warp out, but get pointed. I try to wait a little bit for jamming cycle to drop, but it doesn't seem like I will be able to fire any more shots with the Proteus. It's time to bring in the big guns and save myself. I warp in the Nestors fleet.<br />
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I expect to scare the Cynabal off and go home, but instead, upon landing, I manage to lock and scram the faction cruiser with my Nestor. I don't know how it is possible, but it happened.<br />
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My only theory is that Sarah got so excited about soon™ Proteus kill that she completely forgot she was flying a kitting ship and 3 hostile battleships landing on top was not enough to wake her up.<br />
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Well, that went better than expected. Locals were completely caught off-guard.<br />
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So these guys had eyes on every exit, which explains how they saw me jumping in and why they felt so confident to spot any incoming backup. Too bad for them, backup came from within the system. I technically did come from a c4, but not the c4 they are thinking about, but from a c4 that was connected to their system a few days ago.<br />
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We exchange a few more words and wish each other good day. What a great sportsmanship. They get my respect with an attitude like that. Many other corps would have just docked up and not left the station, but these guys decided to take a go at it. Sure plan could have been executed better, but it's the effort that counts.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-18920770664978057852018-02-08T18:55:00.000+01:002018-02-08T18:55:04.608+01:00Back to the shadowsI am back to stalking. It's been over 1.5 years since I joined my current corp - Mass Collapse. Unfortunately, good things come to an end and it so happened that the corp disbanded. Apart a few people still flying together, majority moved on. I am not quite yet ready to find a new home and thus decided to get back to my old hobby - wormhole stalking. A lot has changed since then. Most notably, t3 cruiser rebalance made my brick tanked Proteus not so brick tanked, so I did some refitting. On a plus side, my Proteus now has dps. I will now rely on sig tanking with local repair and an afterburner, while still holding a proper tank with 600dps. I am back. Back to the shadows.<br />
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I will watch you do logistics.<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmV6BxIChlY/WnyEmur8_MI/AAAAAAAAFCQ/QCiQ5MzkjYk5AnekuOsFRh1LFTiHXYMKQCLcBGAs/s1600/logiocc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="99" data-original-width="386" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nmV6BxIChlY/WnyEmur8_MI/AAAAAAAAFCQ/QCiQ5MzkjYk5AnekuOsFRh1LFTiHXYMKQCLcBGAs/s1600/logiocc.png" /></a></div>
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I will watch you move your ships.<br />
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And try to trap unexpected explorers.<br />
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I will watch you do exploration sites.<br />
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Or run gas sites.<br />
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I will watch you taunt local.<br />
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I will watch you run combat sites.<br />
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And get your rolling battleship ganked.<br />
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Make no mistake, I will see you undock.<br />
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I will follow you in warp to the last anomaly in the system.<br />
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And when I feel the time is right, I will strike.<br />
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And I will bring <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31001121/201802081600/">destruction in my wake</a>.<br />
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It will all be over in a moment. After which I will disappear in the shadows.<br />
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Because I am the shadow.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-40385490040956489692018-01-13T16:22:00.002+01:002018-01-13T16:22:28.224+01:00A short revisit to Ninja SalvagingI've popped into high-sec. For someone living in wormholes for an extensive amount of time, getting out of the dark space to the empire is like leaving a cave. All this light burns my eyes! I thought to myself it's been awhile since I meddled in high-sec business. Time to time I scan for Mobile Tractor Unit kills in the surrounding systems. Some people like to shoot MTUs with shiny ships. I often think of <a href="http://cloakybastard.blogspot.se/2016/11/not-all-mobile-tractor-units-were.html">setting up a trap</a>, but it takes a lot of dedication. With watch-list removed, there is no quick way of telling if pilot is logged. It's not a bad thing, I was just not feeling camping for extended period of time. I checked some people I have marked and when I couldn't find them, pondered what I should do next.<br />
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<a href="http://cloakybastard.blogspot.se/search/label/ninja%20salvaging">Ninja Salvaging</a> is one of the things I like to do during my time in high-sec. I went to my ninja operations system - Agrallarier. My old setup was still there. Some ships requirements has changed. One most important - no more system wide boosts, rendering my Orca command skills useless. It's another good change, even if it had a negative impact on this play-style. After doing a few adjustments, I took my Enyo for a spin. My main downside is that I am too lazy to theory craft and instead play with fittings that are very old. Until circumstances force me to change, I tend to use what has been proven, even if it's not the most optimal and I know it isn't. My weapon of choice: Enyo, backed by 2 Augorors and an Orca on standby. Idea is to get an aggro with Enyo, warp in a single logi ship, get a secondary aggro, bring in a 3rd logi with an Orca. If Enyo + logi dps is not enough by the time Orca enters the grid, I use it to reship to something with more power.<br />
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I pop into the first site and immediately get a reaction.<br />
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Two Dominixes with their drones can be a pain to handle, but looking more closely, pilots are relatively new and drones are only t1. Besides, these kind of guys are most likely to shoot. Unfortunately nothing more materializes besides a carebear stare. I can only guess his mission running buddy gave a wise advise to let me be.<br />
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Soon I run into a carebear who doesn't appreciate me barging in his mission and shooting his MTU while salvaging his wrecks. And he isn't afraid to show what he thinks of unwelcome guests.<br />
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Game on. It's my first bait in more than a year. I can feel my skills are rusty, trying to shoot his drones while bringing in the logi. Domi defenses have been dropping slowly, but steadily.<br />
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Fight is taking a bit longer than I would like to. Orca is super slow to align and it takes time to go through 3 acceleration gates. The Dominix pilot aggros my logi, so now I have a secondary tackle and can switch the ships. Disadvantage of taking too long to fight, gives time for backup to arrive. I can see a Vexor Navy Issue and a Rattlesnake on short range scan. Dominix is deep in structure so I overheat my guns to finish him off. For a second I think if I should let his backup come and try to save him, because I can swap to a battlecruiser and should be able to take them on, but decide against it, since my Orca is struggling to reach us in this deep mission pocket. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/67244414/">Pop goes the Domi</a>.<br />
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While loot was nothing spectacular, something much more of value dropped.<br />
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I love receiving fan mails. It really shows your efforts to bring entertainment to high-sec are appreciated. Godspeed sunsin depark. May your future mission runs be as joyful as this one.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-3839064618738087292017-08-07T22:01:00.000+02:002017-08-07T22:01:08.993+02:00RIP my old friendAfter some nice summer vacation, I have finally logged in back to EVE. I knew there was an incoming t3 re-balance patch, but never paid too much attention to it. Today I've launched a fitting window of my trusty tackle Proteus and became very sad.<br />
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Turns out my brick tanked tackle Proteus is a relic. It's a real shame. I have been flying this bad boy since I started playing EVE in 2010. My whole play style basically has been based on it. I'm not saying that changes are good or bad. Simply it's sad to see things you've been used to come to an end. Cloaky Proteus was my signature ship. I haven't even flown an Astero or a Stratios. Ever. It will take some days for me to process the change, but I will never forget the countless of ganks I was able to have, bravely jumping on multiple ships with multiple sleepers present, taking punishment like a boss until help arrived. What an emotional day. So many memories. I can only hope I will find a way to continue the tradition of flying this ship in it's new form.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-73815282325381522312017-06-11T13:31:00.002+02:002017-06-11T13:31:46.959+02:00Activity updateIt's been over two months since I joined <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98444361/">Mass Collapse</a>. Recently I was told I "passed" the trial period and became a full member. I was not really aware of the trial, but nevertheless, I was a little surprised. Surprised, because I haven't been most active member. I've been on what you can call - EVE vacation. Logging here and there, participating in some fleets, but far from daily activity. I've literally had 3 weeks without shooting anything. I felt bad as Mass Collapse is a great corp and I should definitely contribute more, but I'm very happy they decided to keep me around.<br />
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As you might remember, I started up some trading again. On and off, but managed to earn around 40 billions in 2 months time until my motivation died again. I am utilizing free trading hubs for lower taxes, but they get destroyed and it's a pain to reenlist items. Using main station is too expensive as for my trading strategy (low margins) I can't compete with ones in free hubs. Anyway, the point is, that something happened. I was ganked. You might think what's the big deal? Well, not really a big deal, however I never afk haul and I use blockade runners that are immune to cargo scanners. I have Tornadoes on my overview and If there's a risk, I cloak up. However, the way I was ganked was very unexpected. I got suicide tackled before I could enter warp. At first I was quite confused on what's going on as no ships showed up on overview. Only half through shield, I realized what's happening. Fortunately, I lost only 2 billion, which was day's work at the time. If I come after a break, I can haul much more than that.<br />
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I know using blockade runners is not most secure. It's risky, but I liked that they stay sort of under the radar, have cargo space and are fast. You can't scan the cargo and it reduces the risk to be "watchlisted", and if you don't afk and keep an eye on overview for Tornadoes, it's quite safe. I've been hauling this way for many years without an incident. Gankers were dedicated HS hauler gankers. It was not a personal attack. Regardless, I decided to change up. Now all my stuff will be hauled only in transport Tengus. It's a bit annoying, since I have few larger materials like large smartbombs, that I can't always fit in, but It's either that, or risk more ganks.<br />
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<h3>
<b>Gwent</b></h3>
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My latest addiction has been with <a href="https://www.playgwent.com/en">Gwent</a>. It's a card game that I used to play in Witcher 3. It's very fun and addictive. I've never played any card games before, but I enjoy real board games. I knew about HearthStone and that some people had a blast with it, but I never wanted to start it, as I knew how greedy Blizzard is and that I won't have time to invest to fully enjoy and build decks without investing a fortune. Gwent, however, is very different. Or so I heard from people in Reddit, but so far I am very happy with the progress I'm making. Also, because it's made by CDPR, Witcher 3 creators, I feel a need to contribute. I can't express how much enjoyment Witcher 3 gave me. I still haven't even finished the Blood and Wine expansion . I also tremendously enjoyed Gwent quests there. How can I not support this project? I highly recommend to give it a shot. It's still in Open Beta, so timing is perfect.</div>
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Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-60746206701041241502017-04-27T18:59:00.000+02:002017-04-27T18:59:44.913+02:00Back to civilizationIt's been over a couple a weeks since I left my cave a.k.a. isolated in wormholes and joined another cave, only this time full of people. In other words, I found a corp. I have joined <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98444361/">Mass Collapse</a>. In truth, I've been scouting recruitment forum and have been eyeing different wormhole corps for awhile. I was even considering if I should go to low-sec or should I, gasp, try null. But then I remembered that every time I was stationed in k-space, I was always scouting wormhole connections. It's who I am.<br />
<br />
So why Mass Collapse? Well, surprisingly, out of many wormhole corps, they really fit the bill of what I was looking for. Here are some of the main points:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Purely EU focused with no split timezones.</li>
<li>Just the right size. Not too big and not too small (~80 members)</li>
<li>Scouts get the gank loot (up to 500mil with the rest going to corp's SRP fund)</li>
<li>C4 home system with c4/5 statics which results in great chains.</li>
</ul>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The C4 home system was one of deciding factors. In my previous corp I was living in a c5 and it was a real hassle to find action or gank targets. You would have never ending c5 chains. Now it's a perfect balance between rolling into active corps that live in higher classes and finding gank targets in lower classes. Not to mention ease of logistics, with high-sec often being 2-3 jumps out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Of course within first day of joining, I managed to miss a <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/61637651/">dreadnought kill</a>. Despite all points mentioned above, by far the most important are the people. The corp's culture is relaxed, no stress and is all about having fun. One thing I have noticed though, there's not much farming going on. Some folks have null-sec ratting alts and some earn ISK by finding targets and getting the gank loot. Of course, since we live in a c4, we have great opportunity to do solo farming for ones who are interested. I haven't shot a sleeper in many years. And now I hear drifters are there fuck you up without you engaging them. It's quite funny, after doing solo wormhole ganking for so long, there are so many new things to learn. I still fly my trusty Proteus and already managed to find my <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/61729328/">first target</a>. I can't tell how it is relaxing to have a fleet do the killing rather than multiboxing 5 ships.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
Trading</h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Speaking of earning ISK, I decided to brush the dust off of my trader accounts. Since I haven't lost that many ships, I didn't need much ISK. My main accounts are paid for. It's been more than 2 years since I last did any trading. I had quite a lot of savings (around 300 bil) and now it seems I'm left with half of that.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
A lot has changed. Of course PLEX prices went up again. Soon we will think 1billion was a nice price to have. Anyway, one of biggest things to get used to was the citadels. I got very upset, when I found out that my standings, which have been grinded with pain and tears, mean shit. You start with 3% broker fee and best you can do is shave it off to 2%, which is still insanely high. My traded items are always low margin (I undercut hard). So while I spent a lot of hours doing COSMOS and other missions, some fresh trader can use the nearest citadel and have better rates than me. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but it's not like I could do anything about it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I've setup my remote buy orders at the free trading citadels at 0% tax. I don't understand why so many people still use Jita. There's literally almost no reason not to use the citadels, apart from little inconvenience. I guess laziness is a powerful thing and it took me also a good time to get used to it. However, most of my items are in 2-3% profit margin neighborhood.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I consolidated my capital from 6 to 3 traders and setup around 160bil buy orders. Then updating once a day, I undercut aggressively to the point where some items went from 20% margin to 2-4%. Some people can critique me, but that's my strategy to fight bots and 0.01 ISKers. So far I have been very happy with my returns. I topped at 2.6 billion profit on Saturday. Of course I don't have possibility to update daily. If I can manage 500mil/day profit on average without investing too much time, I would be quite happy.</div>
Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-2271319755471339242017-03-30T09:37:00.000+02:002017-03-30T09:37:19.133+02:00Taking a breakIt's probably no surprise, due to the lack of posts, that I have taken a break. It's never intentional, but I gradually stopped logging in due to busy RL and days go by faster than ever. Before I know it I get emails that some of my accounts have expired and that's yearly subscription too. Anyone who played EVE for extensive time period most likely have faced ups and downs in play time. It's nothing unusual, but it usually means it's time for a change. Most likely once I'm back I will try to find a new corp. I have a wish to visit Fanfest at some point, but playing solo/duo the last few years means there's little connection left to any of the groups. That's the price you pay when playing a lone wolf style, though I was fortunate enough to find a great partner to join me on my endeavors. In any case, it's time to brush the dust off my social skills and find like-minded group. I'm even considering ditching the multiboxing. I've been flying multiple accounts for a very long time and it can get quite stressful.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-32532677582842977242017-02-24T22:43:00.000+01:002017-02-24T22:43:06.929+01:00Finding the treasureWhen I stick around I stick around. I kept my fleet in the system where <a href="http://cloakybastard.blogspot.se/2017/01/when-you-hope-your-dreams-wont-come-true.html">I have spotted a Thanatos</a>. I did not really have intentions of killing a carrier, but was more like waiting for a new connection with potential home. One day, I noticed one of the locals doing logistics. An Occator was jumping in and out from the empire. Since it's a very small probability to catch a deep transport ship and my partner being away, I did not have much of a choice, but to observe. I warped to the station ant noticed it was unanchoring. For a moment I got excited as I saw a timer with only one hour left.<br />
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<br />
Which then I soon realized it was a useless information. I have no idea when the unanchoring process was initiated, but the timer was showing only vulnerability. In other words, there was not much I could do, but hope to catch someone evacuating a nice ship.<br />
<br />
Days were passing by and I haven't seen any activity, which led me to assume the evacuation was done. One day I login to realize an Astrahus and a Fortizar were no longer there. D-scan stayed clean and the system was empty. While orbiting a wormhole I notice neighbors becoming active. I notice an Astero warp to a planet where an Astrahus was. D-scan is empty, so why would they warp there? Following my gut I warp to the old bookmark and find an intriguing sight.<br />
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<br />
Bunch of containers floating in space, which did not show on my d-scan. I try to grab an Astero at the container, but the pilot manages to pull distance and cloak up before my sensor re-calibration delay is over. No matter. My main intention was to scare him so I could peek in those containers.<br />
<br />
I warp from container to container. There is some random loot and t1 ships, but nothing of value. Either locals took what was worth taking or this place has been looted already. Suddenly it hits me. While Astrahus was at the planet, Fortizar was in deep safe and I still have the bookmark. I immediately warp and find a lot of containers floating. I open one of them and oh my...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23rNHVsiBRw/WLClTihZGTI/AAAAAAAAE-w/4nmfnzRzU0MJwGBZ6ZprRibaafg1wCwDwCLcB/s1600/loot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-23rNHVsiBRw/WLClTihZGTI/AAAAAAAAE-w/4nmfnzRzU0MJwGBZ6ZprRibaafg1wCwDwCLcB/s1600/loot.png" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't know why locals did not bother to collect everything, but damn it would be a lie if I told you I didn't get excited. I quickly run through all the containers. Some have shit, some have few ships with random loot. I won't become space rich, but there's definitely stuff worthwhile taking. I inform Trey about my find. Good thing is that containers can't be scanned, so we are not under time pressure. Once we get good connection to the empire with only few jumps out, we proceed with hauling. There's a high-sec via c2 which has 5 connections. We put as many eyes as we could, but of course with that many connections we spot a few scouts from some notable wormhole corps.<br />
<br />
Alle Alabel > Mexerolle buzzard<br />
Alle Alabel > from new C4 where glory holers came from<br />
Zosius > mass collapse<br />
Zosius > lets stay put<br />
<br />
But with a little bit of luck and patience, we manage to get everything out without any losses. Total loot amounted to 3.5 bil and successfully delivered to Jita.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-50790820689411193562017-01-25T08:55:00.002+01:002017-01-25T08:55:49.428+01:00When you hope your dreams won't come trueSometimes I wonder what's my relationship with EVE. More often than not, it feels I'm paying my subs to support CCP rather than for my own enjoyment. It's a clear sign I need some changes and after losing the Nestors fleet it felt like it was time. But then I thought about commitment and got scared. I know many corps promote themselves as real life first, no commitments and so on, but when you are in a corp, you still feel a duty to be a part of it, even at subconscious level. Not to mention that to do anything takes quite a lot of time. At least that's my personal feeling that if you don't have at least 1-2 hours free, you will barely manage to load your screen.<br />
<br />
Lately I've been finding myself enjoying couch gaming experience more. There's a <a href="https://www.origin.com/swe/en-us/store/mass-effect/mass-effect-2/standard-edition">Mass Effect 2 promotion</a> at origin where you can get the game for free. It brought back some good memories. Installed a controller support mod and finished the game in a couple of weekends. It was my personal distraction from Witcher 3, the game I hope to finish before retiring.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I've been keep EVE minimized. After spending a good while in one of the wormholes, I finally found some interesting activity.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
A wormhole rolling fleet showed up and collapsed all active connections. It usually means farming is about to take place. I was eagerly waiting to see the ship of choice. Will it be a couple of Rattlesnakes? A Marauder? Perhaps a pimped Tengu? No, they decided to bring "the big guns".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Of all the ships they have to use a bloody carrier. I know there's at least 4 people in the system. Even if it was a solo carrier, not sure I could take it. Maybe with my partner, but even then I don't think we would risk it. I haven't fought a carrier after capital changes. I would love to bring reinforcements, but these guys have collapsed all the connections. Without any options, I launch combat probes to delay their farming activities, which I succeed. Carrier docks and a new wormhole rolling battleship fleet appears. This time, they make connections critical instead of collapsing and resume shooting sleepers and I go back to my couch.<br />
<br />
You might think what does the headline have to do with the story? Yesterday I had an interesting dream in which I left one of my Nestors decloaked and it was promptly ganked. It's my biggest fear, as a stealthy hunter, to be with my cloaking device turned off when I think it is on. I had it happen a few times in the past, where I lost my tackle Proteus while orbiting a gate in low-sec, warping to a POS and have guns target me or scaring my prey when landing on grid. In all those situations I could swear I was cloaked up, but reality was different and it was a nasty surprise.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-37611205466317194102017-01-07T18:07:00.000+01:002017-01-07T18:13:06.765+01:00Living with the consequencesBack from holidays, it was time to check what the locals are up to. It's been over 3 weeks since <a href="http://cloakybastard.blogspot.se/2016/12/receiving-christmas-present-in-advance.html">the Golem gank</a>, plenty of time to be forgotten. I poke in a c3 next door and find a Tengu on scan. It's one of the locals, farming the c3 static. Without waiting for less sleepers on the field, I warp my fleet to the wormhole and tackle the strategic cruiser. Timing is of the essence. If I get spotted by anyone I might come out empty handed, so I must initiate before the fleet lands.<br />
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<br />
Once I get my claws on, there's no escaping. Scram, web, disruptor, the Tengu is tackled as it can be. Soon the Nestors land and I get my first kill of 2017.<br />
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<br />
Of course a 1/3rd ships worth module doesn't drop, but that's hardly something to be upset about. I warp back the fleet to the wormhole and see pod land at the same time. If this guy was not sure where I came from, he probably knows now. You don't see the Nestors fleet all that often. There's little point in staying in this system for much longer and probably will move out at the next opportunity once Trey is back.<br />
<br />
Continuing observing the system, I spot a Raven doing c4 anomalies. That's right, a t1 battleship doing class 4 wormhole sites. How? By shooting missiles from 100km+ distance while aligned to the station.<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSJBE7uoDZY/WHEP6LXmkFI/AAAAAAAAE84/gu0MuLT2i-49o9jNC8eN1t2NPnufgDhgACLcB/s1600/ravenc4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CSJBE7uoDZY/WHEP6LXmkFI/AAAAAAAAE84/gu0MuLT2i-49o9jNC8eN1t2NPnufgDhgACLcB/s640/ravenc4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
A t1 battleship is hardly an appealing target when I know those stations are housing ten times more expensive ships. Furthermore, the dude is aligned and you can bet your ass he is paying attention.<br />
<br />
The next day, me and Trey both login. Trey reports some activity, ships jumping in and out. Our attention is caught by a Nighthawk. He goes to a c3, returns and goes back again. If I didn't know any better, I'm sure he is doing sites there. We agree that Trey will stay with the Legion on the wormhole while I go in and try to scare him away. We don't want to park our fleet on the wormhole as it is in range to the Astrahus. Our idea is to catch the advanced battlecruiser on it's return.<br />
<br />
I go in, launch probes and as expected, soon Nighthawk disappears from d-scan and is on his way to c4 home. He goes in where Trey is waiting for him. Unfortunately, Trey is 3km from the wormhole and the Nighthawk appears 16km away. Probably the worst luck when it comes to position. The target warps off once Legion is almost within scram range. We discuss that next time we will switch the roles and keep my Proteus on the exit instead. There's not much we can do anymore. Locals have seen us twice already, so naturally the smart thing to do is to find another system. But for some reason we don't do that. We still want to get "One last kill<span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">™</span>" before we leave. Have we killed that Nighthawk, we would be on our way, but now it just felt the job half finished.<br />
<br />
<h3>
<b>Preparation is key</b></h3>
<br />
Time goes by and midnight approaches in EU timezone. Locals appear to be US timezone and system is getting active. All of a sudden Trey reports a Golem on scan. A Marauder is sitting at the station. Not even a few hours have passed and you are telling me there's a Marauder prepared to do sites? Yeah, right. We see the Golem floating at the station for awhile. Do they expect us to go for it? We don't pay much attention and let them do whatever they are doing. Trey goes afk once in awhile and I too have EVE minimized. Golem is no longer at the station. We have eyes parked on the wormholes, so we know he did not leave the system. There are no anomalies inside so he must have docked.<br />
<br />
Some more time passes and Trey again reports the Golem at the station. This time it warps to a relic site. I decide to follow and see what's up. I watch Golem land on his mobile tractor unit with the site already finished. I get surprised. Turns out we missed the initial warp off. The relic is the only site left in the system. Me and Trey discussed our situation earlier. We did the background research and evaluated that locals can field around 10 man fleets. We have seen some Vindicators, Megathrons, but mostly it was kitchen sink type of fleets. The pilot - <a href="https://zkillboard.com/character/1294188870/">RedHand</a> is often seen on killmails with a Marauder. We think that if we go in organized, we can take on the fleet. If we go in organized.<br />
<br />
But reality was that there was a Golem at an empty site, presumably picking up his mtu. With some excitement mixed in, I make a snap decission. I shout on comms that I go for the Golem before he warps off. I decloak and tackle the ship.<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qm5-IXaFe9g/WHEWu_5CDHI/AAAAAAAAE9I/9mMNi7qFNdQvG7Xew8EfF4OOdRjUEMNUwCLcB/s1600/Golemtackle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qm5-IXaFe9g/WHEWu_5CDHI/AAAAAAAAE9I/9mMNi7qFNdQvG7Xew8EfF4OOdRjUEMNUwCLcB/s1600/Golemtackle.png" /></a></div>
<br />
Now here is how organized would have looked: our fleet would be mid warp and almost landing when I made my move. Instead, I tackle and proceed decloaking my battleships at the safespot and trying to warp them off, realizing, that I'm not even squad commander. Set Zosius as squad commander and fleet warp again. Realize two of my Nestors are not in the watch-list as eve clients went not responding and crashed recently. Add to watchlist. The warp is 35 AU. Blackhole also means ships align two times slower. After what feels as eternity, the fleet finally lands. I proceed as usual and set Golem as the primary. Shortly after, enemy fleet lands and the fight starts. On our side we have 6 Nestors and an Armageddon. That's over 4000 dps with a shitload of neuts. Plan is to pop the Golem and deal with the rest. We have bunch of cruisers on grid. Once Golem goes down, they will pop in no time. Except the Golem does not go down.<br />
<br />
I start to realize this won't be as straightforward as expected. Golem tanks like a beast, totally beyond my expectations<sup>1</sup>. Suddenly I notice my Armageddon is in half armor. I put all reps on it, try to overheat, but I notice too late and the ship pops. We keep the pressure on the Golem as it goes to 20% structure, but always manages to replenish the shield. We still have plenty of neuts, but his tank is not giving in. After few more Nestors pop and chain destroyed, the outcome was clear. By some miracle I manage to burn the Proteus out of bubble and warp to safety. I call random cruisers as targets to kill at least <i>something</i>. For me and Trey, each multiboxing multiple ships is too much chaos. To keep repairs, cap transfer, cap boosters, lock targets and to do that on 5 accounts under big dps pressure is beyond my capabilities.<br />
<br />
Have we prepared mentally, prewarped fleet, set drone assists on one ship and called targets correctly instead focusing on the most tanky ship, this fight could have taken a different turn. But as always, the good ideas come when it's too late. It was a good reminder for us not to rush things. We should stick to some discipline and treat every gank as a potential pvp fight. Even when we knew the Golem was a bait, I let the excitement get better of me and attack without proper preparations and paid the price.<br />
<br />
Congratulations to <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98453261/">Apotheosis.</a> for outstanding fight. I applaud their bravery of putting a shiny Golem on the line while having their fleet on logoff. A bait worthy of Nestors fleet.<br />
<br />
<br />
<sup>1) According to Golem pilot, he was with Crystal set and on his last cap booster when we switched targets.</sup><br />
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Here's the video of the fight. Courtesy of Apotheosis.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dr13JBiHeSI" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-14528745664541073462016-12-19T18:48:00.001+01:002016-12-19T18:48:40.912+01:00Receiving Christmas present in advanceThe year end is approaching and you can feel everyone is getting into a holiday mood. Me and Trey did quite a break. We were both unsure what should we do in EVE, but in the end decide to continue afk stalking with a little bit more afk. I move to a c4 and invite Trey to join me. The new wormhole is full of potential. Just this month, locals have already <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/58005820/">lost</a> <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/57775726/">two</a> Marauders to sleepers. System is clean of anomalies and only have several signatures. The downside is different timezones, but I'm patient. I'm sure I will get my chance.<br />
<br />
Things are a little quiet during the first days. I only see one or two people logged in the citadel and occasional scouts checking the neighboring systems. Finally one evening I spot a Rattlesnake undock and warp to a data site.<br />
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I patiently wait for him to clear the waves. Every time I attack, sleepers turn their weapons on me and while I can usually tank, a c4 site can dish out a lot of pain, which can be hard to manage when you multibox 5 ships in a pvp. Why have it hard when you can have it easy with a little bit of patience? I wait for him to clear the 2nd wave and hope to make my move when there are only one or two sleepers left on grid. I also need to time my moment right. The Rattlesnake is aligned to the station so there is a good chance he will enter warp before I can lock him.<br />
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After watching the battleship for awhile, I start to suspect that he is aligned not because he is staying vigilant, but because he can't tank the bloody site. He warps back to the station and comes back. I have no problem with that, except the third time he warps back to the station, he never comes back. I watch the station pilot counter drop to 0 and stay that way for awhile. It's late in the evening and I need to call it a day. Sometimes patience has two sides of the stick and you don't always end up with a kill.<br />
<h3>
<br />Welcome to EVE</h3>
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Occasionally I would scout surrounding systems. Sometimes I would be too lazy and sometimes I would poke in and see who is living next door. On one such trips I find core scanner probes on d-scan and an Imicus named after his pilot. Looking up identity, I find the pilot is only a week old. Must be one of those alpha clones. I'm happy with all the new players coming in and even more happy to see them venturing inside the wormholes, but that usually means they will not carry anything of value. I sometimes ignore them, but sometimes I do scan them out. I feel like shooting somebody, so without hiding, I launch combats in plain sight, scan the Imicus and warp to 0. I find the ship in the middle of nowhere. Time to say "hi". It doesn't take long for my small smartbombs to pop him. Expecting to see a 2 million killmail, I get quite a surprise.<br />
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A 70 million worth of kill. This guy have hoarded quite a lot of loot during his exploration. And now he lost everything. I get a convo request and get asked for at least half the money as it was "everything" he had. I would imagine it was quite a lot of money for him and since he asked nicely I transfer him the half. Of course I could have sent everything back, because of "awww, a cute newbie", but what good would that do? He needs a small reminder that you can't relax in a wormhole space and need to develop a habit of checking d-scan. I was not particularly stealthy and it did take a long time to pinpoint his position.<br />
<h3>
<br />Early Christmas</h3>
<br />
Me and Trey were patiently waiting for targets in our new c4 system. Unfortunately, it's always quiet until I go to sleep, but then the very next day, system would be absent of anomalies again. As I have a job and live in a different timezone, I can only hope that one day our schedules to play EVE will collide. To make matters worse, I would wake up to read the following message in the morning:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Trey:<br />Rifter Paladin -<br />Ѯetty Amarr Control Tower -<br />J130343 - Meme Come True Fortizar 176,473 km</blockquote>
Notice anything? Yep, Trey would spot a Paladin doing sites and send a screenshot of it. Unfortunately, he is not equipped to take it solo. It makes me sad and excited at the same time. Sad because I was in a deep sleep at the time and excited as I know locals use more expensive ships than just a Rattlesnake to do sites. However, days were going by and it soon was time for me to leave on my vacation. I jokingly say that it would be nice to score a kill before going away. On the last day, in the evening, I receive a ping:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Trey, [16.12.16 20:11]<br />paladin in spcae....<br />Zosius, [16.12.16 20:12]<br />Fuck, be in 10</blockquote>
I couldn't believe what I've read. Overly excited I've scrambled to get online as soon as possible. I begged to Bob that Trey did not disconnect with the Paladin on grid. Once on, we started looking for the mystical Marauder. System had 0 anomalies and the Paladin was last seen 4AU from one of the c4 wormholes. At the time, we had a c3 and two c4 connections. Since c4 k162 was within 4AU range, we assume that's the wormhole he went in. We get the fleet ready and I jump in to scout. The system is huge, but flying back and forth, there's no trace of the Marauder. I then proceed scanning. It was a shattered wormhole, full of anomalies. If the Paladin went to farm the sites, why would he not do them in this system? It made little sense. I've resolved multiple connections and proceeded checking them out, finding no activity. We started to theorize if the guy was just moving his ship out. We were so confident that this was the wormhole the Paladin went to, but I couldn't help but feel an itch to check the c4 static. Maybe, just maybe, we are in the wrong system.<br />
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I jump in. So far nothing on d-scan. The wormhole is 40AU in size. I warp to the outer edge and behold. A Paladin and sleeper wrecks on scan! We discuss on the action plan. It will take awhile for the battleships to land on grid, so if we are not careful, my Proteus might have hard time tanking if there are a lot of sleepers. At the same time, we can't wait on the wormhole as someone from his corp might spot us. We decide to go for him at the site. We wait while there are 3 sleepers left and warp the fleet to the wormhole. I park the Proteus 7km off. A risky move to get decloaked, but it's an insurance policy. If I see the Paladin pickup velocity, I would immediately decloak and try to tackle him. Otherwise, I will only make my move when the fleet is half way in warp.<br />
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Everything goes without a hitch. The Nestors go in warp, I decloak and lock the Marauder.<br />
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Once the fleet lands I start my usual procedure. Lock with each ship, launch the drones and activate the neutralizers. By the time I do these steps with the last ship, usually heavy drones are already working hard at destroying the target's defenses. I hear a smartbomb go off, which sounds more like a dire scream for help. Grabbing a straw in hopes it will make the difference, but heavy neutralizers quickly sucks all the hope out. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/58292345/">The Paladin breaks</a> so fast that Trey does not even manage to lock it with his Bhaalgorn. I lookup the kill and feel my breathing intensify.<br />
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I can't tell how much I was looking forward to this kill. After finding a <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56592969/">Rattlesnake</a> after <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56478145/">Rattlesnake</a>, after killing <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31000417/201610182300/">rolling battleships</a>, it's so refreshing to hunt down a shiny Marauder once in awhile. What a great Christmas present from Bob. I'm forever grateful.<br />
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I would like to use this opportunity and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let your guns stay hot during the cold winter and don't forget to share the ammo presents with your enemies. I will see you next year!Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-18181548781848497422016-12-10T17:04:00.000+01:002016-12-10T17:06:37.047+01:00Will never let you goWhen I choose a place I never know when my targets will appear. Sometimes I end up just sitting in one system for way too long. How does one know when it's been too long? When your targets gets evicted, that's when.<br />
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Odin's call noticed an opportunity and bashed all the towers for some loot pinata. Look at those Bhaalgorns. Imagining having them their way with my Nestors sends the shiver down my spine. Even locals made an effort to log in.<br />
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After a few days, system was empty again, except besides absent of ships, now it was absent of any active towers. Time to scan the system and find a new home. I rumble like an old man and get to work. Jumping to one of the systems, I get pleasantly surprised.<br />
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A Tengu and sleeper wrecks on scan. Having in mind that it's a c4 wormhole, I get excited. A strategic cruiser being able to do sleeper sites in this kind of system is bound to have some shinies on it. I quickly resolve the anomaly and wait for my moment. It's a bit tricky to get a good warp in position. Tengu is orbiting with 1k ms speed and big range. But besides a small challenge, there's nothing more to it. I finally manage to intercept the Tengu.<br />
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The pilot screams to let him go. I don't know why people do that. Has it ever worked for anyone? What do they expect to happen? "Oh sorry, didn't mean it, buddy. There, you are free to go"? When verbal ecm fails, I get called a scum. How dare I attack a ship.<br />
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The Tengu pops and I collect a cool 500mil for my troubles.<br />
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Ain't that a nice find.Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-79789576232130522882016-11-22T21:05:00.001+01:002016-11-28T11:32:56.656+01:00Not all mobile tractor units were created equalAfter our <a href="http://cloakybastard.blogspot.se/2016/10/fun-wormhole-life-encounters-with-drunk.html">adventures with drunk Russians</a>, me and Trey left for high-sec. You know when sometimes there's a voice that speaks to you? I haven't been in the empire for a long time and it usually is just for a short time. This particular time, there was a deep urge to do something in high-sec. Anything. Might have something to do with nostalgia to my <a href="http://cloakybastard.blogspot.se/search/label/ninja%20salvaging">past shenanigans</a>. Without thinking much I've opened the zkillboard and searched for mtu kills. I don't know why, I just did it. It didn't take long for me to notice a pattern. A certain individual had unexplained hard-on for mtu kills.<br />
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Almost daily, like clockwork, he would kill mtus left and right. Ship of choice? Non other than a Machariel. While most people use a t1 cruiser or a t3 destroyer, this guy was using a faction battleship. No messing around, His prime-time matched ours and I just knew this was it. I suggested Trey we try and bait this guy. After all, I know a thing or two about this kind. We went to the nearest hub, bought a new shiny mobile tractor unit and proceeded to the system. The plan was simple. Find the guy in the system, drop mtu, park cloaked Proteus 5km away and wait for the Machariel to appear. I do just that.</div>
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We theorized a little bit what would happen if the guy actually had a lot of neutral alts or other corps supporting him. A not unusual thing for the high-sec baiters, but the killboard intel did not show anything to be concerned about. I drop an mtu, keep eyes on the station with probes ready to get Machariel's ship signature once he undocks. There are also other combat probes present in the system and I am confident those are the probes of our target, since narrowing down d-scan I saw them towards my mobile tractor unit.</div>
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After waiting several minutes. the Machariel undocks. Without wasting any time he warps to the mobile tractor unit and I follow. I land 5km away, just in time to see the faction battleship charge in with guns blazing against the defenseless structure. The velocity concerned me as it was almost twice as fast as my Proteus, but he did not see the need to orbit the mobile tractor unit. Big mistake. I decloak, activate sensor booster and lock the battleship in just seconds.</div>
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Once tackled, I order the fleet, sitting next door, to jump in and warp at best speed. Fight is not over yet. I can get neuted and lose the scrambler and it would take one mwd pulse for the Machariel to create distance. But thanks to Nestors fast align time and an extra warp speed rig, the fleet lands before Machariel can do anything. Ship goes down and oh boy:</div>
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If you were looking for a proper fit against mtus, look no further. The loot fairy generously drops most of the faction loot. I have had a straight forward, according the plan, baits before, but this probably takes the cake. It would be quite difficult to be more predictable. I am surprised this guy haven't lost a ship in such a long time, but I was happy to remind him high-sec is not as safe place and you can't relax, even while shooting the defenseless mobile tractor units. </div>
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Few days later, I receive a follow up email.</div>
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What a surprise, the day following the kill, there were no mtu kills. After I explained, that this was purely an opportunistic bait kill, with no grudges involved from anyone, Gandsky was back to his <a href="https://zkillboard.com/character/1692341720/">old habits</a>. Good for him that there's nobody else to take the advantage of his predictability. Wink, wink.</div>
Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-923662267972121732.post-38153323946306577542016-10-26T20:21:00.001+02:002016-10-26T21:52:55.141+02:00Fun wormhole life. Encounters with drunk Russians, Wingspan, Mass Collapse and The Last ChancersIt's been awhile since my last post, but hold to your chair and grab a cold one, because here comes the story of my and Trey's recent wormhole adventures.<br />
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I meet many different people in EVE. Well, actually that's not really true. Most of the time I don't meet shit since I sit cloaked in a wormhole, isolated from everyone. We have moved to a new c4 occupied by a bunch of Russians. The wormhole was springing with life. System was absent of any anomalies and locals were active. Very active. From swapping ships and flying between stations.<br />
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To rolling wormholes looking for sites to farm.<br />
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Me and Trey were sitting tight. Our killboard intel showed locals are not afraid to use Marauders for farming. Last week, there was a shiny <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56337837/">Golem loss</a>. I sure hope they had time to bring in a replacement. We watched and waited. Locals would roll the static connection constantly, but never satisfied. We did not want to gank the rolling battleships. We were after a shiny. Only problem was, every time we logged in, system was always cleaned out. No anomalies spawned during our time which means no opportunities to gank anything.<br />
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A few days go by and our duo decides we need to take action. We are pretty sure we have been spotted at one point or another. Locals seem to use scouts on their active connections and with their constant docking and undocking, it's impossible our probes, or even ships, were not spotted, thanks to auto d-scan (grrr CCP). It was time to make a move and it so happened, locals were busy with logistics.<br />
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Our interest was up. We would see ships go back and forth to a c3 static. Are they shipping stuff out or are they bringing stuff back in? Whatever it was, a fleet of 5 transport ships warps to the wormhole and jumps out. The system became empty. It was time to make a move. We slowly log in our fleet and scan the system. Trey logs in the hictor. Our plan is to ambush the fleet on the way back. All would be great, except just as soon as a Devoter appears on d-scan, a wormhole flash. One transport ship appears on the overview and warps to the station. Wormhole jump sounds continue. Fuck. The fleet is back so soon and the Devoter is on d-scan in all it's glory. Thank's to auto-dscan after jump, we know we have been spotted. Unless these guys are blind, a heavy dictor on d-scan surely will make them dockup and do nothing. More transport ships decloak. It was again time for one of those split second decisions. We grab what we can or we wait with low chance of anything happening for the rest of the day. Since we have already been here for a few days with no opportunities, me and Trey decide to risk it. I decloak the Proteus and Trey warps in the Devoter.<br />
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I manage to hold two transport ships from warping off and with dictor on grid, their fate is sealed. But locals do not give up. Pilots that managed to make it back, quickly reshiped and warped back to save their friends. A Drake landed followed by a Raven. It felt more of a <a href="https://zkillboard.com/related/31001705/201610052000/">bonus rather than a rescue fleet</a>. We went back to our safe and continued the hunt, still hoping to see that mythical Golem.<br />
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<h3>
Wingspan</h3>
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While we didn't see any marauders, we did see other ships. Locals were busy warping between stations and tower, just like ants moving around their colony. There was only one anomaly signature in the system and that was an ore site. We find a lone Retriever mining in it. Exciting. What's so exciting about a mining retriever? Nothing by itself, however, this time we had guests in the system - <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98330748/">a Wingspan</a>. Awhile back we saw their scout go in, but not go out. Probably keenly watching that Orca warping between stations, hoping it would fly to the wormhole at some point.<br />
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We knew the shit was about to go down. Question was, did we want to do anything about it. The Wingspan pilots do not fly alone. A retriever was a potential target for a passing bomber or a cloaky sister's ship that we could counter gank. But with Orca and other ships warping between stations, a Wingspan scout probably was screaming in their intel channel with big excitement about potential targets. Finally they get tired of waiting and make a move on a Retriever. Trey keeps reporting never stopping jumps. We don't rule out an option to attack the Wingspan, but without scout on the other side, we have no idea what numbers we are facing. New ships constantly appear on the overview. A Stratios, a Stratios, a Stratios, several more Statios, a Falcon, a Tempest. What the fuck. What kind of resistance do these guys expect? Locals are quick to assemble a response fleet - a Tempest, which bravely warps on a suicide mission.<br />
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He get's joined by a friend in a Stratios which happens to be nearby. Me and Trey decide not to join in on this questionable fight. Wingspan does not take lightly the new Tempest threat and calls in reinforcements. A several bombers decloak to assist.<br />
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Boy was I happy we did not make a move. A Retriever in an ore site or a Carrier in an anomaly. Doesn't matter, You've always got Wingspan's full attention. Unlike us, locals don't seem amused.<br />
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<h3>
Another day</h3>
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Another day was looking promising. We finally had a few anomalies spawn in the system. Locals did not waste any time and were quick to act.</div>
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Ah, another Rattlesnake. A ship of choice to do c4 sites. I guess it's better isk/hour once you account for losses. While it's no Golem, it's surely a worthy target for us. We patiently wait for the Rattlesnake to kill most of the sleepers and grab it by the balls.</div>
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<a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56478145/"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56478145/">The ship goes down.</a></div>
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Fully faction fit with shield extenders and rechargers. Too bad they cost shit, but we still end up with a kill over 1bil mark. Quick and dirty, that's the way I like it. </div>
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<h3>
Mass Collapse</h3>
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We safe up and go afk, but before the sleeper wrecks can despawn, we get a new high class connection. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/corporation/98444361/">A Mass Collapse</a> just rolled into our home. Obviously having checked out the killboard and recent kills they get a genius idea - setting up a bait. Now what would one use to bait a bunch of Nestors? Why, a mining ship, of course. Not just any mining ship, but a Procurer. A cheap t1 mining barge that often is used as a bait. When one Procurer does not do it, bring in more crappy mining ships. I often consider these half-ass baiting attempts as an insult. It's like someone trying to score big while not willing to put in any amount of work. Me and Trey let them mine the ore site in peace. Visitors finally figures out that Nestors won't be leaving their cave and gives up.</div>
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Where did all the creativity go? What about a wormhole rolling Orca or a shiny Marauder doing sites? If you want to catch a shiny, you have to put a shiny on the line.</div>
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<h3>
The Last Chancers</h3>
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We continue stalking the locals. By now they got acquainted to us and we got acquainted to them. We know each other's schedules, ships, doctrines. They know we use Nestors and we know they don't give a fuck and will continue carrying on with their business while we are in the system. With all the action lately, there are more than a few anomalies in the system. It's like a bad itch for the locals. They just must do them as if their life depended on it. Sometimes even disregarding for basic safety procedures such as putting scouts on active connections or rolling them. We find a Rattlesnake doing sites, but we are in no hurry to act. You see, today we got yet another visitors - <a href="https://zkillboard.com/alliance/1475695446/">The Last Chancers</a>. Instead, I grab an imaginary popcorn, a real beer and enjoy the show.</div>
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The Rattlesnake doesn't get much work done. Soon a Heretic lands on him which is followed by a fleet. I must say I was interested how The Last Chancers will fare against a site full of sleepers.</div>
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The gank lasts a short time, but it takes awhile for The Last Chancers to take their fleet out in one piece. I must admit I was cheering for the sleepers, but to my disappointment everyone manages to get away. Though they did lose <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56532211/">the interdictor</a> to the Rattle/Sleeper fleet.</div>
<h3>
<br />A farewell gift</h3>
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This c4 has been packed with action lately. More than several sites were present in the system. With all the disturbance, locals have been buying new Rattlesnakes instead of farming. You say they only lost a couple of Rattlesnakes? Not quite. They have been losing them left and right, even without our help. Like losing a Rattlesnake to a high-sec wardec:</div>
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Or losing two Rattlesnakes while traveling through low-sec:</div>
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But as much as we like active systems, it was getting a bit too active for my and Trey's liking. It has become too time consuming to keep an eye on these guys because there's always something going on with them. We agree on one last gank and, since the system is now abundant of sites, we do not have to wait long.</div>
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Two Rattlesnakes busy shooting sleepers while me and Trey patiently wait. Once there are only few sleepers left, we make our move. I tackle both Rattlesnakes and we warp in the fleet. The pilots don't panic and drop a mobile micro jump unit. One of the Rattles jumps out and warps away before we can put a scram on him. <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56592683/">We finish off his friend</a>.</div>
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It's always a shame to let someone escape, but one out of two is not all that bad. We warp back to safe to wait out the timer and start scouting the chain all while keeping eyes on the locals. It's time to find a new home, but we still need to keep tabs on our friends even if we do not expect them to do any sites. But locals are from Russia and as they said themselves, they like to drink and don't care about anything. Out of the blue, Trey reports that Rattlesnake just undocked. It entered warp to what looked like direction of a c3 static, which we conveniently are scanning. Once I saw the ship appear on short range scan, I ordered the fleet to warp. With some twisted logic, the Rattlesnake pilot decided it was safe to do a trip in just half an hour after the gank. The battleship jumps in and gets caught on the other side.</div>
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I hope he was on his way to high-sec, because that's where he end up once we were <a href="https://zkillboard.com/kill/56592969/">done with him</a>.</div>
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If you paid close attention, that's a different pilot and was not the one who escaped initial gank. Why would a corpmate not warn his friends that he was just ganked and that hostiles are present in the system? Probably because when we tried to convo our gank targets, they were logged off. Probably in a rush to get another drink, because that's what I would have done.</div>
Zosiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03923806436605751198noreply@blogger.com2