Lost Drones

A lone Tech 2 Hobgoblin floated, adrift in the depths of space, rudimentary Artificial intelligence slowly winding down as its internal power stores were depleted. All the Tech 1 drones nearby had already gone dormant, their less advanced power supply and systems forcing them into an earlier hibernation to preserve energy for their emergency beacons. The other T2 drones it had been able to sense nearby had stopped communicating an eternity ago, the pinpoint lasers they used between themselves having been turned off since then. Timescales were different for combat drones, much shorter than those of the organics that guided them, the fast paced action of their usually brief lives required calculations and decisions in the fractions of fractions of a second. No, their last burst had really occurred maybe an hour ago when the final T1 drone had gone silent, their simpler cousins drifting in a cluster of their own nearby.  This single drone remained online as a sentry for the others, on the off chance that one of their owners might return, life sustaining energy radiating from them in an almost magical aura. The drone's sense of time began to shift to longer lengths without further external stimuli. Nanoseconds morphed into milliseconds, into seconds, into minutes, hours, and finally days as power slowly dwindled away...

...

Senses instantly snapped back into focus on the here and now as a mass spike was detected nearby, a ship uncloaking less than 2 kilometers away, profile recognition software instantly identifying the hull as an Imicus, the next instant locating the distinctive Creodron corporation logo and paint job signifying this was an advanced Covert-ops frigate, Helios-class. The next few milliseconds saw the Hobgoblin beaming wake-up commands to all the drones in preparation for retrieval. The faintest stirrings of joy permeated its complex circuits before it and all of its brethren were brought into the ships life sustaining embrace. 

...

Another group of drones was loaded into the cargo bay, a full flight of T2 Hobgoblins and many more T1 versions, as well as some Hornets. As I brought them back to station I wondered to myself why I never thought to do this before? I fly through the Placid region constantly, whether I'm looking for unsavory characters or looking for resources for my industrial pursuits. And almost every time I'm in space my directional scanner is crowded with the signatures of drones, sometimes dozens of them, left behind in some pilot's frantic attempts to save their ship. The saddest part to me is the T1 models, even the few enterprising scanners will leave them in favor of picking up the more economically viable T2 ones. The way I see it, these (hundreds of) T1 drones are just waiting to be made into brand new T2 models with all the bells and whistles. Many of them will go into my personal stores for use in my oft lost combat vessels, but about half of them will go up on the market throughout Placid, hopefully to find new homes. And if not hopefully I can find them drifting in space, just waiting for someone to come find them and make them useful again...

Transition to a New Year

A steaming cup of strong black tea sat cooling on the table in front of Erun as he relaxed in his quarters in Intaki 5-5.  The last two months had been a storm of frenetic activity, filled with the completion of old projects, laying the foundations of current ones, and brainstorming of new ones.  He'd passed several personal milestones in December and January, and February held an even bigger one. 

Continuing his efforts at becoming a better combat pilot had seen him doing quite well for both months, with his losses becoming fewer as his skill at analyzing situations improved.  Finishing his small missile skills had greatly expanded his combat options, ships like the Corax, Breacher, and the Crow now viable.  The Corax had seen mild success, and he was working on fittings for the Breacher and Claw. Encountering several Serpentis Clone Negotiators had also done a great deal to pad Erun's wallet, having been fortuitous enough to locate three in a single day in January.  Having more Isk on hand had done wonders to soften the blow every time he lost a ship, and his crew losses were minimal due to their small size and the general predictability of his battles.  The frigates he tended to fly himself, and his destroyer crews had procedures in place depending on their tanking method. 

A cautionary sip of tea was taken as Erun leaned back in the couch, as he reviewed his balance sheets for the last two months.  Many of his projects had borne fruit, to the point where he had nearly doubled his cash on hand.  A significant part of that was his continued research into the most used components of his ship fittings, namely his guns.  He was now producing all of his own T2 hybrid turrets, greatly reducing the Isk burden he had to replace them.  Flying and losing as many Gallente ships as he did meant he lost a lot of turrets, as well as the accompanying drone complements.  Being able to pull replacements from personal stores instead of buying them off the market saves him a lot of money.  His newest research into hull and armor modules was doing just as well, with dozens of shiny new Tech 2 Damage Controls coming off the assembly lines in the last few days, with Energized Adaptive Nano Membranes soon to follow.  Another big contribution to his much expanded wallet was the asset consolidation he had done in the last two months.  It had taken several days to travel throughout New Eden and clean out dozens of hangars, with most everything being sold, or broken down and then sold.  It was also his hope that it would stop his Aura unit from grumbling every time he needed his assets displayed for navigational purposes.  

Thinking of Aura caused Erun's eyes to glaze over as he checked his Neocom and chuckled quietly to himself, thinking of another milestone he had passed just a week ago.  With the completion of Rapid Launch to Level 5 he had finally passed the 100 Million Skill points mark.  While many would mark this occasion with partying or some other frivolity, Erun had more than likely been asleep or meditating. It had honestly slipped his mind with everything else he had been working on.

Setting the now empty cup of tea on the table in front of him, Erun came back to the present. The biggest milestone on his mind was the anniversary of his joining the ILF! A year ago today he had joined the secessionist cause, hoping to find something worth fighting for after the endless drudgery of Nullsec. A loneliness had grown in him in the months leading up to joining, most everyone he'd started his career with more than five years ago had retired planetside, leaving channels emptier and emptier until he was soon left with only one or two semi-active channels.  The pilots of the ILF had become like a family to him in the year he had been with them, providing the camaraderie and basic PvP training he'd been craving since he'd first entered lowsec all those years ago.  Hopefully he'd be able to spend more time with them and work towards theirs, and now his, promise of a safe and secure homeworld...

An Unsettling Battle

Erun warped away from the scene of the battle, his mind filled with a sense of disquiet.  The charred remains of an Enyo Assault Frigate fell away behind him, a grim reminder of what may have been a bad decision made in haste.  He'd entered Aubenall to find a neutral Federal Defense Union pilot, Orford, in an Enyo being held down by a Goon, Charles Case, in a Condor, at a nearby Faction War complex.  As soon as he had entered system the Goon had called for help in what he labeled an "easy kill,"  leaving Erun immediately unsure what to do.  He made his way into the complex and made up his mind to aid the neutral FDU pilot, setting his drones on the Goon's Condor as his Algos began to burn towards them. 

So focused was Erun on the Goon's Condor that he didn't see the Enyo target him, only noticing with alarm as his shielding was stripped away by a barrage of blaster fire.  Several seconds of indecision went by before Erun reassigned his drones and began focusing his fire on the Enyo as the Condor soared away from them at kilometers a second.  It didn't take long for the withering hail of fire from his Algos and it's drones to decimate the Enyo, despite what he later learned were numerous repair cycles from an Ancillary Armor Repairer. 

Orford warped away from the remains of his wreck, Erun hadn't targeted the pod - he still didn't like actually killing other capsuleers if he could help it - instead turning his attention to his original target, Charles Case.  He needn't have worried though, as the Condor was more than 100 kilometers away and still going.  Drawing closer to the remains of the Enyo he quickly removed what functional modules and ammunition he could find before he made his way to the Eugales gate for some repairs. Orford had left the system before Erun could ask what happened, leaving him to brood on what had just happened as he made his way back to Intaki. 

Had he acted correctly in this case?  Should he have held his fire and kept his focus on the Condor, risking the destruction of his Algos?  Probably, though his chances of catching the Condor with the Enyo on him were slim.  Should he have just disengaged completely and and allow the Enyo to be destroyed?  He just couldn't do that, his personal code of ethics made that option seem abhorrent.  No, at least Orford was able to go down fighting, rather than being plinked away at by a ship he couldn't reach.  Erun had had enough experience in battles were he was kited out of effective range, and remembered with loathing that feeling of helpless despair as the ship around you was torn to pieces without being able to retaliate.

Conscience a bit clearer, Erun finished docking in Intaki 5-5, discussing the battle with an up late Devan Corvel before turning in for the night.  He still felt a bit uneasy, but less then he had right after the battle, and though he was skeptical, Devan's idea that entire affair had been a set up could have merit...

November in Review

Another busy month, both in and out of combat, though that seems to be a recurring theme in my time with the ILF.  I honestly don't see the pace slowing for a while and that's perfectly alright with me.  I haven't been this engaged since my initial forays into the designs and mechanisms of Tech 2 drone research.

First up is combat, and as I mentioned it was another busy month, with several ups and downs.  I believe this is the first month in which I destroyed more ships than I lost.  I did lose a pod this month after a really close battle where both of us went into deep structure.  But I also had two excellent kills where I managed to destroy assault frigates. I believe this is the first month in which I destroyed more ships than I lost, though just barely. So all in all I'm happy with my combat work for the month.

My industry work is also coming along nicely, I'll soon be going into production on my next project, further lowering the costs of my PvP fittings.  I also expanded my industrial work within the corp itself, bringing some additional flavor to my current offerings.  I'm looking into some more PI work to help me begin production of some of the new deployable structures.  I had this strange idea of deploying the new Mobile Tractor Unit as a sort of communal structure for Corp members using the belts...

Somehow A Good Day, With Help From The Harriers

The eleventh of November was an interesting day to be sure. I started it by joining Suresha Sakaane Eionell and Mahesha Bataav as they began the planned "removal" of a Pilot Owned Customs Office in Vey. Really they should be called COCO's or Corporation Owned Customs Offices, but I digress. I brought the heaviest DPS ship I had available, a blaster fit Dominix, to assist in their efforts. We were later joined by several other ILF pilots, and over the course of the next few hours we continued to bombard the POCO with ridiculous amounts of firepower, hiding as necessary when neutrals and hostiles wandered into system. My personal troubles began as we were nearing the end of our structure grind, when we were scouted by a HYDRA RELOADED pilot flying the limited release Chremoas covert ops. Most everyone got away by the time a small fleet arrived, including Sakaane in her Abaddon, but my Domi was still next to the POCO when my cloak was popped due to proximity and locked down. I was unable to bring any of my considerable DPS to bear on my captors due to their small size and speed, and the end came relatively quickly for my poor Domi. The crew had been ordered to evacuate once I lost control of the warp core, so their losses were minimal, but with a ship the size of the Dominix there were bound to be a few regrettable losses. I was later informed of an interesting fact: aligning with a cloak engaged will still help you get into warp faster, something that had allowed Sakaane to get her Abaddon out before it could be scrambled.
We returned a while later when the coast was clear to finish the job we had started, this time I was flying my lower DPS, but much safer Manticore Stealth Bomber. We quickly tore through the remaining few shreds of the Interbus POCO, and stood by while some of our allies set up their own. All in all a successful operation, despite the loss of my Dominix to my own ignorance, though in my own defense it's not often I fit a cloak to a battleship... 
Over the the next hour or so, members headed planetside for the day, while some remained in and around Intaki. A few of us discussed the upcoming overhaul of many ships and other upgrades to the Neocom in the coming weeks. My biggest concern during this discussion ended up being the Orca Industrial Command Ship I somehow moved into Intaki unscouted, and how the changes to more efficient warp calculations might effect my ability to get it back out again. I queried the vetted Intaki Intelligence channel, wondering if anyone would be willing to help scout me out of lowsec now that my industrial work foe the day was complete. A short time later I a positive response was sent by Hong WeiLoh, so I quickly transferred my pod to the Orca and got the now active-duty crew working on moving all the necessary ships and materials into its holds. Less than 20 minutes later I was undocked from Intaki V-5 on my way to my new hisec mining location, Hong as the vanguard of our small fleet, and another Harrier by the name of Apollo Kids guarding the rear. 
The trip itself was rather anticlimactic in reality, we quickly and efficiently made our way to the nearest high sec entrance to my destination. As I was dropping off the Orca Hong suggested we could go on a patrol after I was done, and I readily agreed, always looking for more action. I made my way back to Intaki to pick up my Algos, and the Harriers met me there before we headed out, Hong in another Algos and Apollo in a Thrasher. We made a loop through the Viriette constellationbefore making our way through the Pegeler constellation where we encountered a small group of TEST pilots in frigates. We scanned them to one of the complexes in the Moclinamaud system and quickly engaged. The Testies scattered as soon s we landed, warping off in multiple directions, but not before we were able to point and quickly destroy a Merlin, and then not so quickly a very well tanked Punisher. We continued on our patrol afterward, as we were averse to sticking around in case the Testies called in reinforcements. Our course took us for a quiet jaunt through the Josmaert constellation before we made our way back to Intaki, I think Hong and Apollo were ready to get some sleep at that point.
I trailed a bit behind, so when Hong and Apollo were on their way to resupply at their bases in Intaki, I was still sitting on the Agoze gate in system when a pirate named Titus Veridius emerged from warp nearby in an Algos. I targeted him and began to burn towards him as he turned and burned away from the gate, my ship letting loose the first salvo once we were out of jump range since he would have been destroyed by the gates defenses had he attacked me. What followed was a brutal fight as we engaged at close range, guns and electronic warfare blasting and blaring between us as our drones viciously careened all around us. My tank must have been just slightly better as my structure was half destroyed before his finally gave way, his pod quickly escaping the twisted wreckage. We both posted "Good Fight" into the local network as I turned my ship to gathering up the remains of his, including the abandoned and confused drones he had apparently purchased from me only moments before he got to the gate.
Hong congratulated me on my solo kill, apologizing that he hadn't made it in time to help, while observing that his fleet boosts as he made his way to me had likely provided that edge I had needed to outlast my opponent. I thanked him for all of his help and company throughout the night before he departed, likely to get some sleep, I think I'd kept him up rather later than his normal operating hours. As for myself, I limped my way back to home base, instructing the repair crews there to take their time getting my Algos put back together, as it was unlikely I would take it out again that night. As I relaxed into the hydrostatic fluid of my capsule to get some rest of my own, I imagined a small smile on my face. Despite the initial setback of the day it had ended on a pretty good note...

October in Review

The month of October was the busiest yet in my activities for the Intaki Liberation Front.  I substantially picked up the pace in my industrial output, producing not only the allowed amount of ships I could for the corp, but several more for myself.  I was particularly proud of the Vexor that I recently built to replace the one I lost at the beginning of the month.  By the end of the month another one of my invention projects came to fruition, allowing me to more easily replace the small ships I was losing. 

Truthfully, I lost more ships in the month of October than at any other point in my five year span as a capsuleer, seventeen ships all in the space of a single month.   Many of my losses were failed attempts at continuing to use the Maulus in one on one engagements, but just as many were Tristans or destroyer losses.  I stopped offering standard crew contracts on my frigates long ago, instead foregoing even the minimal crew necessary.  I would have done the same with my destroyers, but their more complex systems required at least a skeleton crew to maintain.  The loss of a Vexor as the month began would have been a tragic loss of life had I not ordered the ship evacuated as soon as the warp core had been scrambled.  Most of the crew had decided to not extend their contract to the new ship, but a few had retained the right to change their minds at least.  On the flipside of my PvP coin I had the most victories in combat in the ILF for the month, with eight ships destroyed, six of them in solo engagements.  It's something that's starting to fill me with a growing sense of pride, perhaps I'm finally learning to be more confident in my own combat abilities.

Overall I ended the month more than 50 million ISK in the hole, but I still think I came ahead when it comes to the amount of experience I accrued.  I'm learning more about successful PvP every time I undock, and my industrial efforts supporting the economy in Placid are leaving me flush with more ships, materials, and liquid assets then at any other point in my career.  I continue to be eager at what the future of New Eden holds for me...

Hanging With Hong

My day began rather quietly, starting with the normal station-side updating of my planetary production facilities.  The water processing plant in one of the hot equatorial seas of Intaki Prime was one of my favorites to visit due to it's mild - for the Intaki equator - climate.  Admittedly there wasn't much to do but relax and chat with the small staff of the mostly automated facility, the overly warm seas could only support the hardiest of complex organisms, but that was most of the reason he liked it.
 
I roused myself from thinking about my next planet-side visit, and loaded into my favorite Ishkur for a roam of the local asteroid belts to combat the for now ubiquitous Serpentis menace.  The Empyrean conflict raging in and around Intaki provided a lot of possibilities for some of the... less savory types that frequented the system, so armed patrols would be necessary for the foreseeable future.  I eliminated the few Serpentis combat craft I found, marking the escape pods for retrieval by the few firms willing to conduct such dangerous work, many of those within likely being conscripted from space-based colonies in Intaki and outlying systems.  The ships themselves were taken completely apart to recover any useful modules and materials that may have survived their destruction.  Once I completed my rounds I headed back to Intaki V-5 to work on a new Maulus fit.  I'd gotten some tips from some other ECM pilots, and I was going to make it work... and likely die trying!

The local fluid-router announced a new connection in system as I was working, a personal acquaintance of mine, blue to the IPI named Hong WeiLoh.  We'd actually met in person at a recent conference discussing the upcoming improvements to ships, Warp Drives, and other ship systems.  We reminisced on old holovids and novels for a bit before Hong found the near -5.0 pilot Izy L hanging around in a complex near Intaki II.  His encounter with her ended in failure before I could get to him, but he found out she was using a dual-webbing artillery Firetail.  Both of them had warped off by the time I arrived, Hong in his pod and Izy in what I assumed was a damaged Firetail, so I scooped Hong's stuff before heading back to station and putting it up on contract for him.

At this point I undocked and did a scan of the system, notifying Hong after I found Izy at the complex once again.  I then proceeded to the complex on my own, hoping that I could take on an arty Firetail once I got range on it.  As is normal for me though I ended up landing right on top of her then trying to burn away and failing.  Once my pod had bounced off a safe and back to station I was nearly out of her scrambler range with the initial burst from my micro-warp drive.  I told Hong of my failure and he recommended we fleet up to confront her once again.  We both worked on reshipping, Hong in a destroyer and I started on some new frigate fittings.  Hong's hope was that she would finish the novice level complex and move onto one open to larger ships.  At this point we activated voice communications to make coordinating hopefully easier.

We met back up in Intaki, locating Izy still in system, this time in a small complex much to Hong's vengeful glee.  The first time we moved to engage she warped off, likely seeing Hong's destroyer as a greater threat.  We moved in again this time i moved in first to engage, but I was unable to provide enough dps to get through her tank.  She started to wear my Incursus' down as Hong started to warp in, and by the time he landed my ship was in the process of exploding, allowing her to warp away before Hong could engage.  I exchanged a Good Fight with Izy in local before I headed back to station, thoroughly done with PvP for the night.  Hong soon tired of chasing Izy and decided to turn in as well.  He and I exchanged a few more pleasantries, with Hong gifting me the modules he had recovered from my wreck, before he headed home for the night.  I spent a little while rebuilding an Incursus around the recovered modules before turning in for the night as well.

Not a particularly productive day PvP wise, but certainly an interesting one...