When stars align in your favor

Some people find pvp very thrilling. I don't argue with that. A lot of pvp engagements do bring a lot of excitement, but there's another part that I would argue is also not any lesser experience. It's the hunt itself.

It all started with me casually orbiting one of the wormholes until I heard a jump sound. I quickly focused the window and saw an Occator warp to a c1 which had a high-sec static. Not long after an Iteron does the same. I can only assume there's some sort of logistics going on. It's hard to ambush a deep transport ship all by myself, even with a pure tackle focused Proteus. I ping Trey about the recent find.

Zosius: c5 connection is doing logistics
Zosius: we could ambush them
Trey: Ok, Going to computer

One of the big advantages of having an extra guy stalking with me is an extra pair of eyes and a heavy interdictor which is perfect for these kind of opportunities. No amount of warp core stabilizers will help against a bubble. Trey logs in and we start working on a plan. First order of business is to put scouts in every system. I got eyes on c5 connection so Trey puts one scout in a c1 and another warps to a c5. But with our luck, his Astero lands on the wormhole when our targets jump from the other side. What a terrible coincidence. He jumps in as quickly as he can, but it's safe to assume we have been spotted. We don't know if the pilot managed to get the name, but at least they know they are not alone. However, hope is not all lost. There are plenty of Asteros flying around and scouting. It's a common sight and they don't look all that threatening. The transport ship continues on his path while we keep our scout in the c5.

I logged in my trading alt and found the Occator pilot was sitting at the station. I set a negative standing to the corp, filter my overview to filter out neutrals and orbit the station. It's my usual strategy to ship and cargo scan my target. Knowledge is key and I will know what's inside the ship and how it's fitted before engaging. Meanwhile, in our c4 a Falcon jumps in. It only confirms that our Astero has been spotted, but it also means that our targets don't plan to stop their logistics which is great news. We start the waiting game. The Occator does not move anywhere from Amarr station, but an Iteron now jumps to our system for a second run. We pretend the system is empty and let it pass. The Iteron has a different destination from one of Occator as I do not see him show up in the hub. Instead, Trey reports an activation and we see him come back. We hold our cloak. The t1 transport ship goes home and the Falcon follows. Our system is now clear once again.

We discuss what's the best ambush for the expected Occator. We decide to park it on a c1 exit. If the Occator manages to burn back, our Nestors can still follow it with a plate turned off. We want to avoid parking on a c5 due to higher risk of getting exposed. Once the heavy dictor is in position, the waiting begins. The Occator pilot takes it's time but finally undocks. I try to lock him up and scan the ship, but the guy warps to insta undock safe. That's unexpected. If fitted properly, there's no risk for the deep transport ship to be sniped off, but it's obvious they don't want strangers peeking in their cargohold. I make a snap judgement and warp to a next system on the way back to the wormhole. The plan is to scan him on the gate. I wait and wait and wait, but the Occator does not come. I know it's not the most fastest ship, but he should be here by now. I jump back, but the pilot is absent in local. Fucking autopilot showed me a different route. At least I hope that's the reason and the Occator is not going through some other way that we know nothing about.

The Falcon once again jumps to our system and warps to a c1 which probably means the Occator is on his way. We pray to Bob our dictor orbiting the wormhole does not get decloaked. We have the gank carefully planned to tiny detail. It's not just wait for the ship and kill it once it comes. Trey's fleet is in safe spot, but within d-scan range of both c1 and c5. Mine is out of range. We must be careful not to reveal our fleet too early. Once he jumps to our system, I will initiate warp with the Nestors, bubble will go up and then Trey will join me soon after. An activation in a c1 and the Occator appears. He is on his way to our c4. I decloak and align my Nestor fleet and as soon jump is confirmed I warp them in. Bubble goes up and we patiently wait for our prey to decloak. He waits until the very last moment, but finally the ship appears on the overview. We get to work. His waiting allowed us to set assist mode to our drones which made instant DPS possible. And while the Occator did his best to burn back and his Falcon alt to jam us out, they both went down very quick.

Both eager, we quickly burned to the industrial wreck to see what kind of loot was our prey carrying that he did not want anyone to see? The killboard value says the ship was worth 2.5 billion.

The hull itself is just over 200mil worth. So what was driving the value up?

Our target was transporting only a couple of items. Two skill injectors and a Vargur. Me and the loot fairy have had our fair share of differences, but sometimes not even her can overlook the effort and patience that goes into the hunt as this time she let us keep everything. As always, we are grateful to Bob for providing us such a great opportunity. Universe was aligned that time in our favor. I'm happy to inform, that Vargur and Injectors were safely moved back to the empire and sold at the market.