Diary of a Pod Pilot

Why is it that the destruction of a ship costs a pilot a lower security penalty than the destruction of a pod? The textbook answer is simple: The latter sends the pilot to the clone vats and destroys his implants. Very true, but aren’t we forgetting something important here? You know, something more valuable than clones and implants? Something that is on nearly all of your ships and that is taken for granted so much that CONCORD’s security penalties are widely accepted? In case no bell has started to ring yet, I am talking about the crew on our ships.

-10.0. Ghost Festival awards pilots who reach the ultimate low in security status a medal: Transcendence.

Transcendence

It took me a sweet while to get. Not only because I favor ransom opportunities when they present themselves, but also because CONCORD awards me — or is obliged to do so — security status and ISK for the destruction of outlaw faction ships. Doing exploration and agent mission work from time to time slowed down the decline significantly.

Did I mind? I must admit I did. Having your record show -9.949 is a tad frustrating. But that is where the destruction of the Nighthawk left me (see previous post for more details). Only one thing is more frustrating: Forgetting to swap your Small Armor Repair Bots for Warrior II’s and watch a lot of ships getting destroyed while all you can do is direct streams of nanobots at your fleet members. Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve written before I enjoy piloting Logistics immensely. But seeing seven chances where destruction was the verdict slip by does sting.

My chance presented itself on Sunday though. Milo has recently revived the “Mentors” Neocom channel again, a place where aspiring combat pilots can go to learn all those things they don’t teach you in school and aren’t included in skillbooks. As combat training doesn’t work without practice I offered my assistance on a roam to Amamake. Targets were plenty once we arrived there and with around 16 frigates we could take on ships far our size. After some hit and run skirmishes which ended in a draw with either their or our side opting for retreat we finally caught ourselves something good: A Rapier that warped right into the middle of us. Wonder if he missed the memo on cloaking fields not working when there are obstacles nearby or simply realized his mistake in warp distance too late. A nice addition to the salvaging Reaper we originally went from and placed us on scene and ready.

And now it sits pinned on the jacket of my uniform, together with the others obtained thus far. I will wear it with pride. Jude mentioned in passing how he feels that medals for destruction are counter-productive to our aims, but I don’t agree. They give the Ghosts something to work towards, and remind targets that we will not hesitate to open fire should negotiations be refused or simply not appear to be an option. Though I will create an award as well for those who are successful in their ransom demands. You know, to motivate them to pad their wallets even more.

First off, to cut the rumor mill short before it spins out of control: Yes, we are working with Veto. This previously unthinkable cooperation provides us with an enormous area of operations and broad list of targets, not to mention a myriad of new business opportunities. The relation is symbiotic as Bold Harvest has given us a unique expertise in the field of small vessels and preying upon the militias. Not to mention that this too, to Veto, opens new avenues of doing business. Something from which eventually both the Cartel and the Guristas will be able to reap the rewards. Ghost Festival may not be plenty in numbers because of the strict recruitment process we run and the fact we are still building a name for ourselves, but it would be a mistake to assume a hand is now being held over our heads. We’ve made the locals in Devoid quite aware that it doesn’t take many pilots to inflict a deep blow. It’s all about exploiting the weak spots and acting at the opportune moment. And we can be bargained with, for the right price.

Having relocated and settled in, I went on a little reconnaissance trip. Randomly selecting a route I went through a number of systems. Some of them were very crowded and at a certain point I slipped through a gate camp that would have the Amarr and Minmatar militias hang their heads in shame in terms of numbers and organization. Too bad for the gate campers I have learned a thing or two about survival in my time and their interceptors were simply not fast enough to pin me down. Other systems had few pilots in it and it was in one of these I spotted a lone Hulk harvesting ore at one of the asteroid belts. My heart rate increased slightly as I warped to his location, the fight already playing out in my imagination and calculating what ransom amount I might demand from him. Unfortunately for me this pilot knew what he was doing and left before I could reach him. For his good sportsmanship however he deserves an anonymous mention.

// Attachment: System communication log – Filtered copy.

Hulk pilot > LOL Myr!
Hulk pilot > you ALMOST
Hulk pilot > ALMOST
Hulk pilot > got me
Hulk pilot > hahaha
Myrhial Arkenath > You’re on your toes. Good. A quality you need around here I dare say.
Hulk pilot > Yeah
Hulk pilot > I saw you in local and packed right up
Hulk pilot > Right when i was starting to warp i saw your red flashing name 170km or something
Myrhial Arkenath > Was hoping you’d not be as smart. Alas, no luck this time.
Hulk pilot > im fitted with a ecm and some drones but i know i cant take up to you
Myrhial Arkenath > /emote nods > Stay sharp pilot, I’ll go look for easy pickings elsewhere.

// End of attachment

No easy pickings were to be had that night but the excitement of new and unknown territory makes it so enjoyable I don’t really mind the outcome. More targets will present themselves soon enough and then I may be in luck.

***

[OOC addition] Kimochi wrote a nice piece of fiction explaining just how a CONCORD station became to be our new base of operations. We’re such bullies! *grins* Fitting payback for collaborationg with the 24th AC and planning to take Vincent in custody while he was in a coma at the Tzvi station’s infirmary, which invoked a rescue operation they weren’t quite expecting.

ACN news report holoreel

Next time they will hopefully think twice before sticking their noses into my business. An accident, on which I will not further elaborate, caused Vincent to fall into a coma and in the panic that followed he was rushed off to the station’s medical facilities, as our own are not equipped for this kind of emergencies. But some of the medical staff apparently saw it fit to break their oath and pass on information to the DED. Ah, grave mistake to think we would leave it at that! Vincent has been safely restored to our care and I am in fact quite pleased with this free advertising.

To allow myself a little bit of a break I’ve set up contact with the Cartel and got an apartment and hangar at one of their stations from which I can operate. Not exactly a peaceful vacation mind you, as warp disruption fields and heavy patrols keep me on my toes. But strengthening my relations with the Cartel will benefit the corporation and the solitude helps me to reflect on recent events and regain some balance. Not that I fly alone by choice.

In the aftermath of Seylinn, New Eden’s stargates were highly unresponsive which is asking for trouble when having to move through several high security systems as an outlaw. So I was forced to spend the last few days in Derelik where I had hoped to only halt briefly to pick up my exploration equipment. So what did I do when I finally arrived safely in Tzvi again? Get myself into even more trouble.

Mounting a core probe launcher on my ship and loading the other equipment into my cargo bay I set off to find myself one of those wormholes to study. Or well… the initial plan was to simply hone my probing skills but somewhere along the way it changed. Moving around the area for a while I finally found myself a quiet system to work in and soon enough I was staring at one of the most beautiful natural phenomena I had ever seen. A pristine wormhole nearing the end of it’s life cycle.

Curious about what would lay on the other side I willed my ship to jump and in a spectacular blaze of blinding light I found myself in new system unlike any other I have ever seen. The nebula consisted of hues ranging from blue to green. Heeding the warnings I had read of other capsuleers I bookmarked my location and began to move around the celestials. Most planets were barren and cold judging by their icy colors as the faint blue star in the center was not enough to warrant any life.

Looking at my scanner now I found out I was not alone here. I registered a Phobos, several battleships, and other big and nasty ships. Deciding it may be a good time to return I warped back to the bookmarked location. And just as luck would have it the wormhole was no longer there. Thinking initially this was an error I moved from the location and returned only to find that the wormhole must have indeed collapsed behind me. And as a pilot announced on local that he was “leaving through the wormhole you do not have bubbled” trouble was complete. Not only was my exit gone but one of the others would be tricky to leave through.

Throwing out all probes I could control and informing Yishal she may need to find another fleet commander for the scheduled roam that evening I began to look for a new way out. Picking up the signatures for several asteroid belts I discovered another wormhole near the system’s outer planet and began to pinpoint its location. Having it narrowed down to a sufficiently close distance I warped to it only to end up face to face with the previously mentioned Phobos. Knowing I could no longer return I activated the afterburner and crossed a distance of 50km in what is likely a new record as the hostile ship tried to break through my shields. Not even checking what security I’d be spit out into I warped and prayed.

And my prayers must have somehow got heard as I opened my eyes and found myself in a low security system in Genesis. Plotting a course to Tzvi again I raced through a string of high security systems with CONCORD on my heels. Having just faced an heavy interdictor, and unsure if an assault frigate would even make it through 1.0 I was shaking all the way home.

Taking a few hours rest stationside I briefed those present for the roam of my adventures and upon finding no targets we decided to jump into the fray a second time, though now as a team. This time without collapsing wormholes and ironically enough netting us more loot than we’d have found in the Bleaks.