Lost Ships and New Found Friends...

or~ Life in the Hole…

The last few nights have been… well they were EvE nights, as in you can never tell what’s gonna happen next…   =]

Firstly no one seemed too into anything at first… our Illustrious CEO was baking cookies and therefore only partly involved in the game… he kept goin AFK… Strigon was, well Strigon. Unless people are dying or shit’s asplodin or we’re runnin an Op, he’s not the most involved guy either… lots of offscreen stuff getting his attention… he hates the waiting game. I mean we all do, but Strigon goes AFK the second someone else says, “Hold on a minute.” Spiral, as usual was all raring to go do anything, but w/ AI and Strigon AFK’ing and me PI’ing… he ended up doing the waiting game too… all in all things were a bit boring ‘round the old Etherestate in the early hours of our usual uptime.

AI did keep saying “Sites?” every now and then, and those of us actively on TS would limply respond… I mean we all wanted to go do sites, we got our assess raided hard a few nights ago and lost a butt ton of ISK… went from like 16 sites to 5 in one evening… ran em off two, three times by just being active in the hole but we never had enough people OL to make a serious stab at running the rest as they were the tougher class of sites… but first there was…

All the Unpleasantness…

We did run two the night before but we got Hot Dropped by a nine man WH Small Gang Fleet. Seven members of “The Kairos Syndicate”, (a 142 man W-Space corp that focuses, rather well, on WH-PvP) and two tag-alongs (or alts), “HighHeeledHarlot” of “Village Dung Heap” and “Jhella” of “Galactic Milkmaidens On Acid”. Both of those are OMCs (One Man Corps).

I was in a PvE Armor/Cruise Navy Phoon a good friend had left with us (1) so he would have a Sleeper ship in our hole JIC and (b) for me to use the rest of the time… and yea, I lost it… but I lost it to a group of very good W-space pirates, ya have to hand it to them, they did it just right. We had 4 guys OL running sites in fleet, a Kronos, a Golem, a Phoon and my Navy Phoon. We are experienced and were watching Dscan and never saw a blip. And they just Hot Dropped us like we were AFK mining in null…

I started yelling on TS when I saw the first flashy orange icon land in our midst (ok, not actually yelling, but by the gods that sight does get the adrenaline flowing…) and then another and another and another and another …. all told 9 ships streamed into the site as we all hit a pucker factor of +9 and tried to build speed and warp out.

The new Micro Jump Drive (MJD) proved its worth in spades… my CEO in a Kronos was primaried and they attempted to scram him but with the MJD he was able to microwarp 100 klicks out and get clear… The Golem was also MJD fit and shortwarped out... as the next most expensive ship, I was secondaried and scrammed when I was just below 75% speed and that was that… so Spiral got his Phoon out also. Once I knew I was gone I turned and put everything on the nearest ship and went down fighting with everything I had… and I did get my POD out… pretty good at that I am…  =]

When all this started Mab shipped to his Stealth Bomber… he was on site when I warped my POD out so I dint see the action but he said got a clean bomb run in on em, no kills but he read off the [combat] log and the numbers sounded like he put some hurtz on em… I do so wish he had killed one or two though… as I understand it he is going to write up his side of it over on Mabrick’s Mumblings so I’ll leave his part in the fight to him.. I will admit I’d a loved to see their faces when they were in that initial “Yea! That went well.” moment after the fight only to have an SB decloak and drop a BOMB on your fleet… =]

I believe the Hot Drop may have been partly due to the sheer size of our current C3. With a radius of 30 au, 98,806,306 km (not my original figure of  471,000 km, which pjharvey, she of Tiger Ears fame, promptly pointed out... and which is the radius of the SUN in that system... screwed by an incautious cut n paste again... <dubblefacepalm>) it is impossible to Dscan the whole system. No matter where you are, there will always be the possibility that a hole you cannot ‘see’ has spawned and is letting people in without any warning. I don’t know for a fact that such a hole is where [KAIRS] came in from, but it makes hole security that much harder for a small corp like ours.

Our old C2 could be dscanned in total from pretty much anywhere insystem, it was quite small at only 8 au, 74,375,970 km (again corrected by TE and not the 134,600 km bla bla bla...) though of course with only 6 planets and 16 moons the PI was not nearly as good as it is in our current system with 10 planets and 58 moons… so you take the bad with the good I guess.

And, I guess I should add that I am a wee bit broke ATM… bought a Hound to replace one I lost playing with Sleepers… made 2 successful runs before the Argos guns got me. And bought myself one a them new fangled Dessies… the “Talwar” (wonder what that means)… and I LIKE it!

Hi

x7 - Prototype ‘Arbalest’ Light Missile Launchers / Cal Navy Scourge Light Missiles (48 ea.)

MID

X1 -Sm. Shield Extender II

x1 - EM Ward Amplifier III

x1 - Thermic Dissipation Amplifier II

LOW

X2 - Ballistic Control System IIs

X1 - Co-Processor II

RIG

Sm. Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I

Sm. Anti-Kinetic Screen Reinforcer I

Sm. Warhead Calefaction Catalyst I

DPS: 128 / 1049 volley

5.52k EHP

Resists: 58/54/58/50

CPU: 97%

CAP: 77% (Stable)

Speed: 319m/s

Align: 4.78s

Sig: 69.1

Strigon was in his new Corax (I know not his fit) and I was orbiting the spike (our Control Tower in the POS) at 25,500m which is kinda cool as it puts you right in the flux zone of the POS shield. For them as dunt know, a POS force field breathes… it oscillates in and out… sorta like waves across a really big soap bubble… this space the shield covers and uncovers as it breathes is the flux zone… and orbiting in it can be visually interesting.

Anyhoo, Strigon goes fully outside of the FF and I bump my orbit up to 26,000m and lock him up… he locks me in return and I fire a volley, one volley only Yuri. He fires a volley… I see my shields drop to about 75% but his all but disappear! WOW… I fire a second volley, one volley only, and he goes to low armor!! I AM LIKING THIS SHIP!

Then, of course, Strigon drops back under the POS shields and reships to his Golem… uh huh, yea right… I adjust my orbit to 24,000m far enough inside to be invulnerable, I aint stoopid enough to take this thing up against a Golem, no matter how happy I am with it against a similar class ship. He did state he had no tank on his and I do have a decent tank on mine… decent for a Dessie that is.  =]

Making Friends the Wormhole Way…

Back to last night and us all finally getting around to fleeting up and runnin a few sites… So we finally bestir ourselves and get all set to go out and do this ting, when AI says, “AINeumann > but must scan first as one wise one said once... Cough Cough (Tur)” Seems after the ganking of my Phoon the night afore AI had decided to heed my advise on getting a grip on the holes BEFORE we went out and ran sites in our lovelry PvE fitted ships… LOL… Anyhoo, so AI goes out, drops probes and ends up with a few we need to close. OK, I reship to my T1 Phoon but he tells me to this “Closer” a plated Domi fitted for nuthin but mass closing…

You see I have no idea how long I have had the req skills but I have never flown a Domi afore… interesting. It is fitted with nuthin but plates, the largest MWD it can take, a probe launcher (JIC) and a cloak (also JIC)… LOL! So I warp out and start in on a hole leading to a C2/Hi that has a live POS and an Orca on scan but ‘seems’ inactive… IE ervybodies asleep in ‘dere. So I pop through, and back, wait out the polarization timer, and repeat… at one point I am waiting out the timer and Strigon lands in his Orca, pops though and back and warps off to crit the other hole.

I pop through, MWD off, land turn and watch the hole close… shit. LOL… shit. Oh well… it’s life in the hole. I go to online the Probe launcher…. Uh… crap. No lol. crap. It’s a T2 launcher and I can’t run that yet. Crap, crap, crap. Hmmm… OK, what the hell, I click on ’local’ and type…

“Hello? I know we wormholers dont talk in local but.... we were running a mass closing op and I got trapped in your hole... any chance I can get an assist OTHER than return to Hisec via deth?”

Then I make a couple ‘a safes, settle the Domi in one and eject to go find the POS (POSes don’t POD on automatic) so I can look up the corp and write/convo to see if I can buy my way out. It’s worth a shot as my only other option is bloodjumping after self asploding the Domi… which I can always do later, but which I cannot UNDO at any time.

So, I am in the process of dscanning and narrowing down which moon the POS is at when I get a Priv Convo from a “Mslynx” of “Insidious Design” a 53 man WH corp and, I assume, the owners of the POS. She says…

TurAmarth ElRandir      > Hello...

PTCLynx                     > so you got trapped?

PTCLynx                     > you and the domi?

TurAmarth ElRandir      > uh... yuppers... <faceplam>

TurAmarth ElRandir      > yup... I was scouting your POS so we

                                    could write ya'll and ask for an assist...

PTCLynx                     > I can invite you to fleet for BM of high

TurAmarth ElRandir      > OK... and... just so you know.... the

                                    Domi is a shit fit mass closer...  =]

TurAmarth ElRandir      > lemme warp back and jump in her...

PTCLynx                     > Call it good will for Christmas rgr

TurAmarth ElRandir      > and your corp will be set Blue to us in

                                    return...

TurAmarth ElRandir      > =]

PTCLynx                     > good thing I can hold my mates off you

                                    have been scanned already

TurAmarth ElRandir      > that would be of course.... nice.  LOL

TurAmarth ElRandir      > OK back in the hole Closer

PTCLynx                     > you are in a fleet

TurAmarth ElRandir      > ahh, sry.... been busy...

PTCLynx                     > no worries

We fleeted up and…

Mslynx                         > www for BM

Mslynx                         > we will not agress

TurAmarth ElRandir       > OMW

Mslynx                         > rgr

TurAmarth ElRandir       > hope I live.... =\

Mslynx                         > we will not agress

I warped to her and landed 68km from a B274… =]  Well, well, well… will wonders never cease? Mslynx uncloaked for a sec and we said our goodbyes as I burned through the CAP pushing that fat ol lead plated bich at over 800m/s into jump range of that sweet sweet hole…

TurAmarth ElRandir       > well.... TY and Merry Xmass!

Mslynx                         > peace on earth lol

TurAmarth ElRandir       > ya'll are blue to us unless you decide

                                     otherwise.... my corp
thanx you

Mslynx                         > Good to know. nice to have friends

TurAmarth ElRandir       > yes ‘tis.... =]

TurAmarth ElRandir       > ‘specially in holes...  =]

And the icing on the cake?. the cherry on top? I was a mere eight hops from home…  =]

Yes… Peace on Earth… and Good Will towards all my Brothers and Sisters in EvE

===================================================

For them as might be interested, the Fight Logs:

The Beginning:

I already had NO shields (I am armor fit) and I was running my Lrg Armor Repper at approx 80% armor when the attack began. The attacking corp may have gotten last blow, but the Top Damage was dealt by the Sleepers, and lastly an Emergent Defender… Damage Done: 30,641, total damage taken: 68,049.

AI Escapes from SCAM w/ MJD!

2012.12.10 03:48:47 (combat) Warp scramble attempt from "Boshell"  [KAIRS];LOST; ;LOST;(Astarte) to AINeumann [HBHI];AST;(Kronos)

2012.12.10 03:48:51 (combat) Warp scramble attempt from "Jhella" [GMMOA](Purifier) to AINeumann [HBHI];AST;(Kronos)

I am SCRAMMED:

03:48:55 (combat) Warp scramble attempt from "Caledoni" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) to you!

03:48:59 (combat) Warp scramble attempt from "Boshell" [KAIRS];LOST; (Astarte) to you!

03:49:00 (combat) Warp scramble attempt from "Thaeden Jul" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) to you!

I set my Valkyrie IIs on the nearest ship:

03:49:02 (combat) 43 to "Caledoni" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) - Valkyrie II - Wrecks

I start taking the attackers DPS:

03:49:05 (combat) 1968 from "HighHeeledHarlot"[-V.D-](Manticore) - Caldari Navy Scourge Torpedo - Hits

03:49:05 (combat) 16 from "Boshell" [KAIRS];LOST; (Astarte) - Valkyrie II - Glances Off

Attackers add a Heavy Pulse Laser II:

03:49:07 (combat) 233 from "Caledoni" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) - Heavy Pulse Laser II – Grazes

Attackers add a Hvy Neutron Blaster II:

03:49:12 (combat) Heavy Neutron Blaster II belonging to "Boshell" misses you completely - Heavy Neutron Blaster II

My Drones keep at them:

03:49:14 (combat) 17 to "Caledoni" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) - Valkyrie II - Penetrates

Attackers add a Hvy Electron Blaster II and Hobgoblin IIs:

03:49:18 (combat) Heavy Neutron Blaster II belonging to "Boshell" misses you completely - Heavy Neutron Blaster II

03:49:19 (combat) 22 from "Caledoni" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) - Hobgoblin II - Penetrates

I get my Cal Nav Scrge Cruise Missiles on target:

03:49:24 (combat) 508 to "Caledoni" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) - Caldari Navy Scourge Cruise Missile – Hits

Attackers add Warrior IIs:

03:49:25 (combat) 25 from "Thaeden Jul" [KAIRS];LOST; (Absolution) - Warrior II – Smashes

I get my 800mm ACs on target:

03:49:26 (combat) Your group of 800mm Heavy 'Scout' Repeating Artillery I misses "Caledoni” completely - 800mm Heavy 'Scout' Repeating Artillery I

Over the next seven seconds I must have changed targets, but I don’t remember doing so…

I lose lock (damped/Ewar/neuting?):

03:49:33 (notify) Caldari Navy Scourge Cruise Missile deactivates because its target, KA ♣ Honos, is not locked.

I am Hvy Neuted by the Bhaalgorn and start losing Mods:

03:49:35 (notify) Large Armor Repairer II requires 400.0 units of charge. The capacitor has only 0.1 units.

I lose lock again (?):

03:49:36 (notify) 800mm Heavy 'Scout' Repeating Artillery I deactivates because its target, KA ♣ Honos, is not locked.

My hardners start going offline due to Neuting and I am CAPPED out:

03:49:37 (notify) Prototype Armor Explosive Hardener I requires 24.0 units of charge. The capacitor has only 10.7 units.

03:49:38 (notify) Prototype Armor Thermic Hardener I requires 24.0 units of charge. The capacitor has only 15.4 units.

Nash MacAllister Whores on the KM with his Navy Scorp, only 2 shots taken!

03:49:39 (combat) 786 from "Nash MacAllister" [KAIRS];LOST; (Scorpion Navy Issue) - Mjolnir Javelin Torpedo - Hits

My Brave Valkyries keep doing their best but to no avail… at 03:49:47 (combat) 1731 from "HighHeeledHarlot" [-V.D-](Manticore) - Caldari Navy Scourge Torpedo – Hits… Last Blow.

I warp my POD out safely.

Total fight from landing to Phoon DIAF:

03:48:47 to 03:49:47 one minute exactly.

If… when…  you go down, at least have the good grace to go down screaming and kicking them in the ballz while you burn!!!   =P

Fly Safe and see you in the Sky  =/|)=