6 october starting around 1900
I started my inaugural roam from my home in PC9, and for once I refused to join NSC Standing Fleet. I had moved a bunch of ships to Agaullores (Solitude low-sec), so I got into a rifter (insured) and figured I'd hunt for content along the way, and probably arrive in my (clean) pod ready to make use of the ship shipment.
Rifter "095 SNO Chovy" found a neutral incursus on a gate in Syndicate, but there were 2 unistas in system, one in a Thrasher. I didn't want to muddy my solo entry (or theirs, if relevant), so I declined to chase the guy.
A few jumps later, I saw a Buzzard on d-scan, still in Null. If I wanted to spend my time in a futile pursuit full of heartbreak and hopelessness, I'd try to chat up that gorgeous woman I walk past every day on my way to the subway.
Into low-sec, I found a Vargur and Arazu, same corp, in Faurulle. Juicy targets to be sure, but I joined this competition because I want fights, and it's no fun if I just roflstomp people.
I reached Agaullores, 7 neuts in system, 1 flashy. I warped around setting up a safe and practicing my dscan abilities. I found 6 docked up, and 1 Leshak. It's been my experience that Leshaks track frigates just fine, so I joined the others in hiding like frightened rabbits. I surveyed my stock in Agaullores and selected a Tormentor, Ab Scram Web Beam. I insured it.
In Hare, tormentor "095 SNO Ch1" saw the Leshak again, and again Noped out. In Oruse I saw a Praxis on dscan, the only neut in system, and thought there'd be no way I could break his tank with my dps (maybe 125 unheated). I went to Heluene and saw a neutral Hecate on-grid. After over an hour searching for fights I was game for some insurance fraud, but he jumped through before I broke cloak, and by the time I crashed and jumped back, he was gone.
I spotted a scythe in Vevelonel tethered to a structure, which also had 3 additional players in it. Should I have tried to engage?? We'll never know, since tethered players can't be locked up.
Most systems were empty at this time period. Where was that Praxis?? I just want to see how many of his drones I can kill before he finally blasts the Exoplanets skin off my ship. Sadly, he was gone too. I went to Cadelanne just because it's the surname of a unista I met last year, and found two Prospects. They vanished immediately - they must have cloaked.
I had never been to Boystin solitude campus. After a fruitless 90+ minutes of hunting, I docked, installed a clone and jumped back to pc9, resolving to die repeatedly another day.
Today's lessons: 1) nope out on too much stuff and you get nothing. 2) Sunday evening in this region is quiet.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
8 October starting around 0130
I took slasher "095 SNO Mant" for my hunting trip from PC9 to Agaullores. In 97X I was bubbled by a sabre on the gate to Y9G. I held cloak wondering what to do... I decided to try and crash the gate and escape rather than engage. I escaped easily, he must have been short-range fit because he barely scratched my shields from 10km out. I made some gate tacticals around this part of Syndicate, where I can't lazily rely on the awesome NSC public bookmarks. I managed to slip through to Y9G another way, and made it down to solitude.
I was chased around by a stiletto belonging to a garbage corp full of dirtbags, and refused to play with him, knowing he had at least 4 friends in ridiculous ships in the immediate area.
In Agaullores I chose another tormentor and wandered around the quiet region. Is that Praxis still in Oruse?? Sadly no. In Anckee I found a nereus whose name suggested Cyno fit, but it was tethered to a station and guarded by an Ikitursa. I declined to involve myself in whatever debased plans they had for the evening.
I did see a Tengu, named "Billy Bad Arse" on dscan, belonging to CoreTrigger from Filthy Peasants. Give me some understanding please, with no fights on 6 Oct, and this roam already about an hour with none, I was begging for death. He was at a combat anomaly, so I warped in at range to see what was happening. No more NPCs, he was just finishing. About 60km off, so I started spiraling in, AB on, guns and AAR pre-overheated. I was thinking: imagine how proud Penelore would be if her Manual Piloting 101 student managed to land a scram on a Tengu before being forced to change my name to Falling Giblets?? Glory comes in many forms.
When I got to about 40km, I lost lock, because the Tengu warped out. Aw fffffffoul language. I'm serious, that's what happened. I was Bobsmacked. Sure that I was being tormented for nope-ing out on too many fights, I forlornly took my tormentor back to PC9, tormenting myself at length with dips into side systems to dscan NPC diamond miners.
Today's lessons: 1) take any fight, even against a keepstar at this point. 2) gate tacticals are crucial in nullsec, don't be lazy.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
10 Oct 0130 onwards
Took the same Tormentor from PC9 towards Agaullores. I saw only 1 neutral before I reached lowsec, and he was docked in a station. In Anckee I spotted a Cruor, with three corp-mates in a fortizar. I had never fought a cruor, though I'm personally fascinated by this ship. As such, I knew my lasers had no chance against his cap warfare, and resolved to take the fight immediately. I dscanned him down and got within 1400 km, whereupon he jumped out of the system. I followed rabidly.
He surely knew I was chasing him, because I finally "caught up" with him at the sun in Heluene. I arrived about 30km off and immediately spiraled in. He webbed me from long range (yikes), but I managed to get web+scram applied, sicked my 2 warrior IIs on him, and opened up my pre-heated lasers. I made short work of his shields, but of course he was armor tanked. My heated SAAR kept me repped briefly, until his neut+nos drained my cap to absolute zero. I was toast soon afterwards. I did get into his armor, but his repairs very easily outpaced my dps even while I still had guns.
https://zkillboard.com/kill/79315100/
I had a lovely chat with the guy afterwards. He said he almost had tackle on me in Anckee previously in his cloaked Astero, but I warped off at the last minute (while I was chasing his cruor alt). I didn't see a point during the fight, though under no circumstances was I willing to further offend Bob by warping out. He told me he did point me once I got into low armor, and also told me he burned out his AB during the fight, which is why I kept range with him even without cap. He also told me he had a full set of high-grade Asklepians, and went so far as to share his fit with me.
Spoiler
In my opinion, it would be wrong for me to post it here! You want to know, go fight the same guy. I can't do everything for you, good heavens.
After cruising around, I wound up in Anckee and made a real nuisance of myself. I messed with people who were playing structure games, and dodged a vedmak, a vargur, a redeemer… I saw a stiletto, and hoped I could get a crack at him without those other things.
Stilettos are too fast for my Ab-fit tormentor! He warped in about 80km from me, and I immediately went after him. I couldn’t get into web or scram range, and he was smart enough not to try to get close to apply damage to me. Only my 2 drones on him, not enough to really hurt him physically, though surely he suffered grave emotional trauma from the unprovoked assault. This lasted about 20-30 seconds while I tried to slingshot in or out to either engage or flee. I broke his point once, briefly, but he managed to close and point again before I could warp out.
Then his pals came in a svipul and a pilgrim. This is the Hobo way I have come to know. Snow does not Fall without shaking the pillars of heaven, so I switched targets to the Svipul, got my web and scram applied, got in 1 cycle of heated SAAR (though I don't think the reps actually landed), and gave him a taste of my heated T1 lasers and warrior IIs. It was a good life, but a brief one, and I got a sweet platinum insurance payout.
https://zkillboard.com/kill/79315530/
Killing blow landed by the cowardly Tengu pilot... the plot thickens. I got my empty pod safely back to PC9, finally having cleared out a little bit of my Ship Hangars.
Today's Lessons: 1) not all Hobos are turds. 2) some Hobos are turds. 3) an ab-fit tormentor cannot bump a nereus off tether (who knew?).
