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The setting is Agoze, one system over from Annancale. I was running a mission there, giving The Seven another courtesy call, as it were. I was flying my new Dominix, but I was having some trouble with the mission--not quite used to the Domi as an attack platform I guess. So I kept having to warp out to repair... unfortunately, since this bird isn't exactly optimized for capacitor recharge, I had to wait for a while to let the cap recharge before I could jump back into the fray. Don't know why those fools never change their tactics around-- then again, they seemed to have been working against me, so maybe there wasn't a need.
During one of my pitstops, however, a different breed of pirate decided to give me his calling card.
It was quiet. I was in a high orbit over one of the planets in the system when a frigate appeared on my sensors. Never a good sign, that-- random encounters simply do not happen in low security systems like Agoze. An alarm began to sound, proving my suspicion right: the pirate was targeting me.
I checked my readouts again. It was a Taranis, an interceptor registered to one Lars Vegaz that was sure as LazyAmy's finances equipped for tackling. I didn't want to find out, so I punched in the coordinates of another planet in the system and jumped into warp.
I waited there for a bit, hoping to give them time to figure out where I was. After a couple minutes counted out in the silence of my head, I warped to another location. I gave him enough time to find out I wasn't at the last location, then warped back to the mission. Unfortunately, it was still a bit rough for me, and I was forced to warp out again. I had to repair my armor again, and I knew it was only a matter of time before the pirate found me.
Sure, he was just in an interceptor. But those don't operate alone. They NEVER operate alone, and I could count on the fact that there would be at least one other pirate trying to track me down.
I didn't have long to wait before they proved me right for the second time that day. My armor was back to 100%, but my capacitor was far from fully recharged. I checked my cap booster supply. I had already burned a couple on the mission, but I still had almost a dozen left. I decided I didn't like the odds, and started to punch in a new coordinate. At this point my comm system activated, connecting me to a call I had been waiting on. Unfortunately, it couldn't have come at a worse time. I hurriedly told them they'd have to wait and disconnected the call. I had taken too long. The Taranis had managed to close the distance and successfully scrambled my warp field.
I had to fight.
It didn't take long for his compatriates to warp in. Shockingly, I knew one of them! I had been making a trip to a system called Orvolle, where I had purchased some armor hardeners. As sometimes happens, I fell into a caravan with another traveller who was on the same course. When we were two jumps out from Orvolle, a massive fleet of lowsec, bountied bogeys warped in behind us as we were approaching a jump gate. We both throttled up, pushing our ships for whatever speed we could get, and passed through the gate safely. As we travelled through the next system, we commented on the encounter, thankful that nothing had come of it. And now, 6 systems away, here she was again. I greeted her, and then got down to the business of fending them off.
Quote:
[21:15:19] Taka Endo > *sigh*
[21:15:26] Taka Endo > hello again there aphrodite.
I was up against the interceptor, two Thoraxes, and another Dominix. There were a LOT of drones. I decided to ignore them for the time being. I engaged my targeting systems, and the moment I had one of the cruisers targeted I activated my nos and two webbers. Dirax was a stubborn sort, but it didn't take long for my Gardes to eat away his shields and armor. Since I didn't have a warp jammer equipped, however, he warped away before I could finish him off. So I switched my attention to the Dominix, figuring if I could knock him out they wouldn't have a lot of firepower left. I was probably right, but his tank was too heavy to mess with with a cruiser and an interceptor there to trash my drones at their convenience. His shield had fallen quickly. His armor not nearly so quickly. I realized I would have to defang him before I could take him out.
The damage coming in was too much for my tank. I couldn't keep it going without running both repairers. My energy draining weapons, E500 Prototype Energy Vampires, were helping, but not enough. I had no choice but to run the system that I had decided was only for last resorts. I activated my capacitor booster, and it begain consuming the large, battery-like booster packs in order to inject more energy into my capacitor. I had a bit more room to breathe, but I wouldn't last long against the damage that was coming in.
After a few minutes of brutal fighting, I tried to give them an out:
Quote:
[21:21:44] Taka Endo > not even bothering with bounties then?
No response.
I switched my target to my recent travelling companion. It did not take long. It wasn't all that different from the attack I made against the other Thorax. But Empress Aphrodite did not make it into warp in time to save her ship. So, one enemy neutralized. Another run off, probably to return shortly. I checked my readouts, hoping the interceptor had allowed himself in range of my webbifiers, but he had not. So I scooped my sentry drones and unleashed the fury of five small but very mean and very fast hobgoblins. There was no escape from their teeth. They were faster than him. It would have been another enemy neutralized, except for the stellar agility of the Taranis interceptor. Not only could it travel at over three kilometers a second, but it could flit about like a fly on amphetamines. He warped out, leaving me, the Dominix, and Aphrodite's pod to our conversation.
The problem with the Dominix as a dedicated drone platform is that without the drones, it has no offensive capability. These drones are free flying and easily targeted, resulting in a weapons platform that can be torn apart without scratching the controlling ship. I was very aware of this fact, and I was watching my drones closely to make sure I did not lose them. Because a mobile weapon platform such as drones isn't completely vulnerable-- if the operator manages to reel the drones in before they're destroyed, he can instantaneously repair their shields, giving them a bit more time deal their damage.
So I scooped my sentries, and launched a flight of Hammerhead IIs. These drones are, among the medium attack drone class, the meanest of the mean. They're also ridiculously expensive at two million ISK per unit, and using them against other players was risky at best. I think this move actually surprised my attackers. Instead of attacking them, I shifted my focus to their drones. The hammerheads were relentless, tearing through them at terrifying speed. Before my enemy realized what was happening, he had lost all the drones he had had out and they were starting to destroy the drones left behind by the Thoraxes. It was at this moment that Dirax jumped back into the fight, and he quickly engaged my Hammerheads. I pulled them back, but not before one of them was destroyed. I targeted him, webbed him, and ran him off with a new flight of sentry drones. When he was gone, I returned my focus to the remaining drones, sending a flight of hobgoblins after them.
The Dominix, piloted by Schinoble, pulled his drones in and kept them in. I swapped my drones out for sentries, 4 Gardes and a Warden, and started in on the Dominix's tank. We were interrupted by the return of Larz Vegaz in the Taranis interceptor. He, like Dirax before him, went after my drones. They evidently agreed with my belief that the best way to neutralize a Dominix is to kill his drones, because this time Larz attacked my sentries, killing another Garde before I could pull them in. I tried to target Larz, hoping to catch him in webs and finish him off for good, but he had been out of range of my webs for 20 seconds before my sensors could acquire a lock. I had to send a flight of hobgoblins after him again, but it did not take long to force him to run.
I returned my attention to my Dominix opponent, Schinoble. We were both pounding away at each other, and it became clear that neither of us were going to let the other destroy his drones. Every move resulted in a drone scoop, and a replacement by an effective counter, which was in turn countered, and countered again. During this period, Dirax and Larz managed to jump in a few more times, which afforded them a slight advantage in the standoff. I couldn't attack Dirax or Larz fast enough to take them completely out of the fight, and it gave them the leisure to whittle away at my drones. I wasn't going to let that happen.
After the destruction of Empress Aphrodite's Thorax, the only ship remaining among my attackers who could jam my warp was Larz's Taranis. I decided he was the key to my escape, so I bided my time, waiting for his return. As soon as I could target him the next time he jumped in, my hobgoblins were all over him. He was forced to warp out yet again. It was at this point that I called my drones back in, informed my attackers that it had been fun, and warped to the Annancale jumpgate.
After this, we had a conversation, reproduced below, while I waited for the jumpgate to allow me to jump.
Quote:
[21:33:57] Taka Endo > this was fun guys, some other time?
[21:35:19] Lars Vegaz > that was some tank you had man
[21:35:24] Taka Endo > thanks
[21:35:36] Schinoble > yeah it lasted for ever
[21:35:39] Schinoble > fun with the drones
[21:35:52] Taka Endo > hehe, yeah. We would've been there for a while still
[21:35:55] Lars Vegaz > you low on cap boosters now i guess?
[21:36:01] Taka Endo > started out low, actually
[21:36:04] Schinoble > i was thinking that too
[21:37:32] Taka Endo > but yeah, you guys made me pop a few
[21:38:38] Lars Vegaz > damn those pesky light drones was a nuiscance
[21:39:03] Dirax > if you had no drones
[21:39:07] Dirax > all would have meen ok
[21:39:11] Taka Endo > lol, naturally
[21:39:30] Taka Endo > although losing that hammer and those two gardes hurt =(
[21:39:36] Lars Vegaz > lol true=P
[21:39:46] Lars Vegaz > but then again if we had no guns we sould suck to
[21:39:55] Lars Vegaz > hehe
[21:39:56] Dirax > atleast i lived to tell the tale
[21:40:01] Taka Endo > hehe
[21:40:20] Taka Endo > Was fun. First time i've ever actually bothered to stand up to an attack, actually
[21:40:49] Lars Vegaz > and you did well
[21:40:51] Dirax > lol
[21:40:58] Empress Aphrodite > ) very good tank
[21:41:02] Taka Endo > thankee
[21:41:07] Lars Vegaz > yeah was amazed when you warped first time
[21:41:22] Lars Vegaz > little me and you warped
[21:41:22] Taka Endo > heh, didn't want to bother with it at the time
[21:41:30] Dirax > lol
[21:41:32] Taka Endo > second time i was on the phone and din't react in time =)
[21:41:38] Empress Aphrodite > hehe
[21:41:47] Lars Vegaz > we got to many scrambles on ya then
[21:43:25] Taka Endo > sorry to have cut it short, but it was only going to get more expensive for all of us
[21:44:19] Empress Aphrodite > lol
[21:44:21] Lars Vegaz > yeah
[21:44:39] Lars Vegaz > tbh im glad to escaped all yer attempts to drone me to death
[21:44:44] Lars Vegaz > fast little buggers
[21:44:56] Taka Endo > yeah, you did well to stay out of range of the webs =)
[21:45:00] Lars Vegaz > not at all impressed with my 3kms
[21:45:03] Taka Endo > else you wouldn't have made it out...
[21:45:51] Lars Vegaz > i know, wasted a few blasterranises to that=(
[21:45:55] Lars Vegaz > rails ftw from now on^^^
[21:45:57] Empress Aphrodite > What station are you at Taka, if I may have my items
[21:46:37] Lars Vegaz > 2006.10.14 21:16:42 Combat Your 125mm Railgun II lightly hits Taka Endo [TCO-E], doing 6.7 damage. even thou this might result from rails lol
[21:46:51] Dirax > lol
[21:47:12] Lars Vegaz > thats one for the bio guys =P
[21:47:16] Taka Endo > hehe
[21:47:47] Taka Endo > will mail yah in a minute, empress
[21:47:55] Lars Vegaz > what do those big drones of yours cost a piece?
[21:48:11] Taka Endo > i forget, bought them a long time ago
[21:48:23] Taka Endo > they're not so cheap though =)
[21:48:31] Lars Vegaz > allright
[21:49:03] Taka Endo > the hobs are prolly the cheapest thing i carry right now
[21:49:18] Taka Endo > ok, guys, gotta go =)
[21:49:26] Lars Vegaz > bye gf
[21:49:33] EVE System > Channel changed to Annancale Local Channel
After the fight, I contacted Empress Aphrodite and offered to give her items back. There wasn't any real harm done-- I'd caused them as much or more monetary damage as they'd caused me. And being nice to people, even those who try to kill you, occasionally has the surprising effect of making them not want to kill you the next time. We met up later at the Annancale station, I gave her items back, and we parted on better terms than one might expect considering the situation.
_________________
[insert Blackadder quote here]
Last edited by Skotticus on Sat Oct 14, 2006 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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