Wednesday 27 February 2008

Rifter in the Dark

I undocked into the black in a Rifter class frigate, a ship I'm so very comfortable with, far and away one of my favourites and in my opinion the best frigate in the Universe. It is Minmatar through and through and in the hands of a compotent pilot is a devastating platform with which to cause chaos and dispair.

I headed off to my favourite system to hunt, it looked kinda bleak but I warped to a spot in between the main cluster of belts and started the ritual of patiently scanning.
There was a Rupture and Hurricane fighting in the belt directly below me but even I know the Rifter has its limits so I instead concentrated on narrowing down another Rifter who was currently assaulting some Angel Cartel ships in a belt not too far from me, I narrowed it down and headed in, my tackling systems primed and ready.
The warp tunnel closed and I burst into normal space and was greeted by the sight of the sleek Rifter engaging the Angels at close range. My targeting systems went active and resolved, warp disruptor kicked in and it was all systems go, I closed the short distance and engaged the Stasis Web which would stop him from gaining any speed and trying to run.
My 150mm autocannons burst into life, sending round after round of high tech Barrage ammunition into the shield systems of the Rifter, soon they were chewing through his armour and then in a flash his hull gave way.
Immediately my targetting systems locked onto his escape pod and once again the warp disruptor kicked in, the thought of a ransom briefly crossed my mind and then vanished, I'm not in a good mood after losing a Sleipnir and Pod yesterday to carlesness and someone needed to pay, his pod flashed into nothingness as my guns activated, one salvo is all that was needed and the now frozen corpse of my victim was all that was left, I scooped it onto my hold, a fine addition to "The Morgue"

Minutes later, after I had returned to my scan spot I received a call from the Hurricane pilot in system, it was Tor Lan, a Black Flag pilot. He was being attacked by two Rapiers, a Huginn and a Megathron, a fiersome force and something my rifter would not be able to engage but I warped to the spot where this was going down, maybe to provide a distraction but the pilots from Mutually Assured Distraction are very good and my Rifter only provided a small snack. It did take 2 Rapiers and a Falcon to dispatch it. Overkill much?
I really need to remember to offload loot, I not only lost the Rifter but the loot from the Frigate Melee a week or so back. C'est la vie.

I returned home and had the hangar crew assemble another Rifter, I have many hulls and modules in stock as I like this ship and very often bite off more than I can chew :D

On returning to the cold of space I scanned a Catalyst class destroyer in our local Angel Cartel complex and immediately docked and boarded a Wolf class Assault Frigate, the big brother of the Rifter, it shares the same hull but carries more firepower. This particular Wolf is setup specifically for complex hunting, using a Afterburner instead of a Microwarp Drive as they struggle to function with all the interference generated by complexes.
I headed out and hit warp towards the Angel complex, I came out of warp at a ancient jumpgate, a relic of the past but still active and allowing certain ship classes access to a deepspace complex. I activated the gate and was slung deep into the complex, my nav and targeting systems taking a moment to recalibrate but when they did it was only a matter of seconds before my lock resolved and warp disruptor kicked in, trapping the Catalyst. It was a short fight, the Catalyst only realising too late that I was there, he targeted back but was deep in structure and it was too late, again my targeting systems quickly resolved the escape pod and the disruptor did its job, it disappeared in a flash of EMP rounds, the corpse being added to the collection.

It's been a very trying few days, a Raven escaped me in a mission complex and after two days of camping it he never returned but he has been hanging about the area and I will catch him. The loss of the Sleipnir and my pod was a setback and I curse my carelesness and stupidity on that one.
Tonights hunt was unsatisfactory, somethings missing and I need to find out what, I need to get back on form. Maybe it's this new clone, it always takes me a while to get comfortable after being viloently introduced to one, it's been a long time since my last one and I can't remember it feeling like this. The headache is more severe this time, although I suffer from them a lot, a reminder of my many clonings whilst in 0.0 space.

I take a handfull of painkillers and slump into my bunk, the air in the hangar is crisp and cold, I turn out the lights but there is a soft glow from the myriad of ships in the hangar and the hum of the many ships systems serenades me to sleep. Darkness embraces me, these painkillers are quick, numbness relaxes me and I dream of Rifters.

Monday 25 February 2008

Don't go AFK...

...at a deep safespot, no matter how deep if you're not cloaked.
Just dock up if you have stuff to do.

That is all :(

Thursday 21 February 2008

A Pilgrimage

Tonight I decided I would do something different, I've been meaning to do it for a long time but things have always gotten in the way.
I sat at my desk in the corner of the hangar pouring over star charts, deciding which would be the best route to take. Being an outlaw means that the direct route is not always the best route, I would have to avoid High Security space, the local Navies don't take too kindly to my kind jumping in and it normally means a slow and painful death whilst trying to crawl back to the jump gate.

Now you're probably asking right now "Kane, where the hell are you going?"
well, I'm making the pilgrimage to New Eden and the EVE gate.
108 jump round trip through lowsec, a long way indeed so I would need a ship that warps quick and aligns even quicker to avoid any nasty suprises en route. I looked around the hangar at the ships available, it's scary sometimes the death and destruction available.




I decided on a Crow class Interceptor named "Discworld Tours" it's only a basic fit but would suffice for this journey.
I headed out and there were loads of hostiles about but they were inconsequential to my mission, so I just left them sucking ion trails as I wapred past there blockades, the Crow is a great choice for this kind of trip, light and nimble with a lot of speed.

On my way to New Eden I stopped by The Myridian Strip & The Crystal Cathedral, there are so many sites in EVE that we never see as we are all consumed by the search for power and wealth.
This has just made me more determined to see more of the universe.

I arrived at the New Eden jump gate and with a little bit of hesitancy activated it.
It took a moment for my systems to get there bearings after the jump but once they did I was there, the sight of hundreds of anchored cans greeted me, cans left by others who had made the Pilgrimage and some left in remembrance of fallen comrades.
The EVE gate itself shining brilliantly in the distance is something that inspires awe and respect, this is where our forefathers originally arrived in New Eden, a place where we all come from no matter what bloodline, race or creed.

I was totally alone in the system and for once totally at peace with the universe.
I'm not a spiritual person, but there was something very moving about this place.



I spent about half an hour in system before returning home, a trip well worth taking.
108 jumps really takes it out of you so after getting back I made myself a cup of tea, sat back and relaxed.

Tuesday 19 February 2008

Frigates of Fury...

I got into my hangar to hear the vidphone blaring, I answered and Viper Sam's grinning face presented itself in the screen.

Viper Sam > kane we have some targets outside station
Viper Sam > in gus
Viper Sam > you in?
Kane Rizzel > sure

There was a Raven battleship hugging the station with friends nearby. I boarded "The Fifth Elephant", my new Sleipnir and got ready.
We had a few pilots available who were up for a fight so we decided to take it to them.
Engaging on stations is always tricky for those of us of a Pirate inclination as we draw sentry fire as soon as we open up, but I have never been one to worry too much about such things.
The Raven was on the far side of the station so I needed to close the distance before being able to activate my warp disruptor and go to work but just as I got in range the Raven warped out to a gate, Viper was quickest to react and followed, they both jumped into the adjacent system and Viper soon reported a tackle, so the rest of us made our way there, jumped the gate and engaged.
The Raven had an impressive tank and just as it broke he had managed to crawl back to the gate and jump out. The gang under sentry fire disengaged and warped out, I had burnt through a large quantity of cap boosters and seemingly was a magnet for all the sentry fire, I headed to a safe before heading back to HQ to grab some more cap charges so that I may re-engage at a gate.

Arriving at the gate where they were last reported the Raven was joined by a Dominix, we primaried the Domi and he was about to go when both battleships jumped out.

There's something about people unwilling to fight without the help of sentries that really annoys me, it's even more annoying that they instigate a fight but never want to finish one and run and hide in highsec.

Don't bait if you can't take the heat.

I returned home and lazily cleaning up some paperwork when and old friend and rival Realzonk asked if anyone was up for a Frigate free for all, I agreed along with five other pilots from different corps all with different allegiances. Viper was in too and soon we had six Rifters and a pilot in a Velator.
We warped to a deep safe and started the fight, it was a free for all, last man standing fight with the victor holding the field and taking the spoils.
It was all a blur but when the dust settled I alone in my Rifter held the field. I had managed to top four of the killmails with final blow on all four, the last being Viper Sam.
To the victor go the spoils and bragging rights.

Viper Sam > kane is the winnar!
Kane Rizzel > gf all, good fun

I looted up and returned to HQ, all in all a good time and something I think Zonk would like to do on a more regular basis. I think it's an exellent idea and hope it grows.

A while later I got a call from flashfresh, a friend of his had probed out a Drake and Hurricane doing a mission in a system next door.

flashfresh > my mate has found them
flashfresh > he's scanning
flashfresh > who wants in?
Kane Rizzel > /emote wants to kill

So I boarded Karma, now in it's third iteration as I suicided the last engaging a Moros last night.
I headed off to Sorenzur and by the time I got to the gate the warpin had been setup and I jumped through and started the warp to the covops pilot. Bursting out of warp I was greeted by the strange sight of three warp gates and many Republic Fleet wrecks, amidst them the Drake and the Hurricane. The Drake was primaried, flash and I went to work and soon the smouldering wreck of the Caldari battlecruiser was left, his friend in the Hurricane warping out.
Loot was grabbed and we even had time for the covops pilot to grab a salvager to come and clean up.

I headed home as I had a friend coming over later to watch holoreels so had to make sure the pad was clean and proper.

A good day, the Frigate fight being the highlight for me, hopefully the first of many more and I have the distinction of being the winner of the inaugural Gusandall Frigates of Fury.

Monday 18 February 2008

Getting back in the saddle...

The loss of "The Fifth Elephant" plays over and over in my mind. There's so many things I wish I could have done differently but I rest easy in the knowledge that she has been replaced, a new "The Fifth Elephant" sits ready in my hangar.

Pushing back the analysis of my mistakes I board "The Last Continent" a Republic Fleet Firetail, a mistake by Keira whilst out shopping one night. I was looking to do a spot of solo hunting and headed out to my favourite haunt. I was to be sorely disappointed as Eifer was devoid of anything important. There was a Hound in the belts but it was hiding using its cloak.

A fair few minutes past and I received a call from a friend, Viper Sam asked if I'd like to go roaming. I agreed, I needed action and playing hide and go seek with a Hound wasn't it.
I headed home to get "Karma" the second iteration of a very succesful Hurricane battlecruiser.
We went on our merry with very little being reported by our scout. We did eventually trip over a Raven who jumped into us and we snagged the pod for good measure. I love the sound that a pod makes when it pops, it's addictive.

We carried on our merry way and eventually got some action in Bosena, we engaged a Hyperion on the station but he docked as his tank broke, we then moved around system as there were two other gangs, one with fast cruisers and interceptors and another with commandships and a Falcon Recon. We engaged the Astarte, Sleipnir, Megathron and Falcon at a planet but lost our Falcon and the one of our Hurricanes, this effectively took the rest of us out the fight so we disengaged and warped out to a belt to regroup. I landed in the belt and was joined by the cruiser/interceptor gang, I got a point on a Thorax and vapourised the gank fit cruiser in seconds before the rest of our gang exited warp,, the delightful squish of the pod followed. The Thorax's support left the scene quicker than they arrived.
It was getting late so we headed home, a very uneventful night.

Sitting in station intel arrived of a juicy gang in Eifer, we managed to put together a small gang and go spoil for a fight. We took slightly too long and by the time everyone was ready there was little left of the hostiles as it seemed they went back to highsec, there was a report of a Raven still in system along with some other bits and bobs, they were all at different safes so probing would be needed, Keira was only one jump out and moved in, within seconds of dropping the probe she got a hit and we vectored in on the Raven. It seemd the pilot was asleep at the helm and the mighty battleship's hull crumpled under sustained fire, his pod emergency warped out but Keira was on the case and soon he would wake up in a clone vat.

Heading home we found a Moros dreadnought on our home station and without second thought I engaged, I was bored and looking for some fun, I bumped him and he responded by locking me and webbing me, drones were deployed and started to eat my precious shields away. Karma perished soon after but it's not in my nature to not attack things, even if outmatched.
I just had to give it a go :D

2008.02.19 03:24:00

Victim: Kane Rizzel
Alliance: Derek Knows Us
Corp: NovaKane Incorporated
Destroyed: Hurricane
System: Gusandall
Security: 0.4
Damage Taken: 31519

Involved parties:

Name: ThatCpp (laid the final blow)
Security: 1.1
Alliance: Brotherhood Of Steel
Corp: Knights Of the Black Sun
Ship: Moros
Weapon: Ion Siege Blaster Cannon I
Damage Done: 31519

Destroyed items:

Gyrostabilizer II, Qty: 2
Corpse (Cargo)
Warp Scrambler II (Cargo)
Core Defence Field Extender I, Qty: 2
Republic Fleet EMP M, Qty: 94
Overdrive Injector System II, Qty: 2
Hobgoblin II, Qty: 2 (Drone Bay)
Medium Unstable Power Fluctuator I, Qty: 2
425mm AutoCannon II, Qty: 2
Hammerhead II (Drone Bay)
Projectile Burst Aerator I

Dropped items:

Nanite Repair Paste, Qty: 500 (Cargo)
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
Barrage M, Qty: 4801 (Cargo)
Magnetic Field Stabilizer II (Cargo)
Warp Disruptor II
Republic Fleet EMP M, Qty: 188
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Hobgoblin II, Qty: 2 (Drone Bay)
Hail M, Qty: 3385 (Cargo)
425mm AutoCannon II, Qty: 4
Republic Fleet EMP M, Qty: 3206 (Cargo)
Large Shield Extender II, Qty: 2

All in all a rather disappointing evening 3 kills, 3 pods and 1 loss but I'm sure there will be many more with murder and mayhem.
My bunk looks inviting, it's been a long day, I spent most of it cleaning up around the place.
The dark embrace of sleep surrounds my consciousness, soon dreams will follow

Friday 15 February 2008

School of Hard Knocks

Been a few long few days, not much sleep as I've been very busy and stressed but while Keira was in highsec doing some shopping I decided to board "the Fifth Elephant" my Sleipnir class Command Battlecruiser and see what was in local, there were a few pilots from the same corp hanging about and I wanted to see what they were up to and if a fight would be available.

My onboard scanner blinked into life and I spotted a Dominix, 2 Myrmidons and a Deimos in the direction of a belt, a few seconds later only one Myrm was left, obvious bait but maybe, just maybe I could warp in, pick it off and warp out quick enough before his support arrived.
Now going 48 hours without any sleep is never a good idea and let the following be a lesson to you.

I warped in at 2okm with the lone Myrm sitting still, it had fresh aggro so I instantly engaged, its shields started dropping and was soon hitting armour, I got too close and got hit by NOS but flicked my microwarp drive into action to gain some distance all the while keeping my fire concentrated on it. his friends came to join so I started to edge away but the Deimos got on me very quickly, webbed and warp disrupted me, I switched fire while surrounded by drones from all four ships. I was being heavily NOSsed and Neuted so my cap was all but non existant, I was going through cap boosters and cycling my Shield Booster with each boost.
I lost point on my Primaries as they were about to pop due to being capped out and almost got the Deimos and one Myrm but alas "The Fifth Elephant" succumbed to the combined firepower of the small gang.

2008.02.16 01:29:00

Victim: Kane Rizzel
Alliance: Derek Knows Us
Corp: NovaKane Incorporated
Destroyed: Sleipnir
System: Gusandall
Security: 0.4
Damage Taken: 30539

Involved parties:

Name: NaRico
Security: 5.0
Alliance: NONE
Corp: DaRk SouL Ripp3R
Ship: Myrmidon
Weapon: Myrmidon
Damage Done: 15176

Name: H0rta
Security: 3.4
Alliance: NONE
Corp: DaRk SouL Ripp3R
Ship: Myrmidon
Weapon: 250mm Railgun II
Damage Done: 7680

Name: Tapi0n
Security: 5.0
Alliance: NONE
Corp: DaRk SouL Ripp3R
Ship: Deimos
Weapon: Valkyrie II
Damage Done: 6009

Name: minnocia (laid the final blow)
Security: 5.0
Alliance: NONE
Corp: DaRk SouL Ripp3R
Ship: Dominix
Weapon: Berserker II
Damage Done: 1674

Destroyed items:

Core Defence Capacitor Safeguard I
Anti-Kinetic Screen Reinforcer I
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Republic Fleet EMP M, Qty: 130
Cap Booster 800
Inertia Stabilizers II
425mm AutoCannon II, Qty: 3
Medium Electrochemical Capacitor Booster I
Republic Fleet Gyrostabilizer

Dropped items:

Nanite Repair Paste, Qty: 500 (Cargo)
Invulnerability Field II
Gyrostabilizer II
Barrage M, Qty: 3000 (Cargo)
Warp Disruptor II
Cap Booster 800, Qty: 2 (Cargo)
Republic Fleet EMP M, Qty: 84
Caldari Navy X-Large Shield Booster
Damage Control II
425mm AutoCannon II, Qty: 4
Republic Fleet EMP M, Qty: 3758 (Cargo)
Republic Fleet Gyrostabilizer

Well played gents, you earned that kill

I returned to my Hangar in my pod with my tail between my legs and sent a message to Keira to pick up a new Sleipnir for me.
My bunk looks very comfortable, I need sleep, the lack thereof has affected my judgement.

Monday 11 February 2008

NovaKane Incorporated celebrates it's first birthday...

... and like a muppet I missed it.
25th of January was NovaKane's first birthday.

It's been one hell of a year, ups and downs, turmoil and strife but it's been one helluva ride.
I'd like to thank all the pilots I've flown with, all those who have sent me hatemail, death threats and for all the laughs shared.
I've had some epic kills and some amazing losses along with a large number of close shaves.
Massive amounts of ammo have been spent in making this my pride and joy.

Now, where did I leave that bottle of Maker's

The magic 500

It's been a few days and the hangar is a mess, there's stacks of ammo everywhere and boxes of loot that should have been shipped to Rens by now.
It seems my Hangar Crew took a few days off in my absence, oh well, time to crack the whip so to speak.

Tying up some loose ends I head off into the black in my Republic Fleet Firetail, my local haunt is kinda busy with various pilots. I chased a Rifter around the system for a good few minutes but he always managed to be one step ahead of me.
I heard chatter on local comms channels from a Tempest pilot in system, apparently hugging the gate to the nearest high security system so I headed off to investigate, knowing full well I would not be able to engage as sentries would pretty much instapop my fragile frigate.
I headed back home for something a little beefier and settled on undocking "The Fifth Elephant" a Sleipnir class Command Battlecruiser. I headed back to the system and gate just to see the Tempest jump out, the gate was surrounded by other pirates.

A Hurricane jumped through into us and forgetting any differences we might have we killed the hapless pilot in no time at all, I immediately warped out.

Back in my home system I managed to tag a Slasher and Thrasher.

It had been a long day and I retired to the comfort of my bunk.

An new day dawned... well... the lights of my hangar fickered into life as Keira waltzed through to go out in her Cheetah. That woman is a morning person and it's damn annoying.
A few minutes passed and I had just got out the shower when I heard her disticntive voice over comms.

"Get your ass in gear, I have a Farmer Raven entering a plex."

I pulled on my flight suit and sprinted for the nearest ship, The Fifth Elephant was waiting, systems primed, I undocked and initiated warp to Keira's position, there was no time to waste as she had reported a scout on the plex entrance.
I burst out of warp and ignored the scout, activating the plex gate with all haste, I was flung by the arcane structure into the depths of deadspace, hoping to be greeted by the sight of the Raven.
Fortune smiled on me as I burst out of the warp tunnel and there she was. I initiated a lock and primed all systems. The lock resolved and my Warp Disruptor kicked in and in the same moment, so did my guns. The fight was very short and the mighty Raven burst into flames. I snagged the pod for good measure and added his corpse to my collection.
A few minutes later he came back to the plex with a Ferox, which was duly destroyed along with his scout and scout's pod.
A long while later he made another attempt with the same results but this time Keira had snuck a Rapier recon into the plex while I waited at a deep safespot.

This last kill brought my tally to 500 kills and it also saw Keira's first killmail.

I was basking in my glory when comms came alive, flashfresh, an old friend of mine informed me there was a mining op nearby and then left in a hurry so my intel was very slim. Nonetheless I decided to go have some fun and headed out to the system where they were reported.

I jumped into system and activated my onboard scanner, there were three Retriever mining barges, a Vexor and a Malediction. Good odds I thought as I narrowed them down.
I warped to the asteroid belt where my instruments indicated they were and engaged.
The closest ship to me was a Retriever and bore the wrath of my 425mm autocannons first, I had also locked the Vexor and closed the gap to him.
Retriver pops and I open up on the Vexor, the Malediction had me webbed and scrammed when a Chimera class carrier entered the fray.
The Vexor popped and I turned my attention to the Malediction, I needed to pop it to get out of web and scram or the carriers fighters who were on me now would eat me.
My shield tank had broken and I was into armor when the Malediction popped, without second thought I punched the warp drive to bug out, abandoning my drones in the process.

I got out and made my way to my HQ to get some more drones and asses the damage, it wasn't so bad so a short while later I headed back to play some more.
The Carrier was still there, joined by a Pilgrim and Maulus. I decided to primary the Pilgrim and got it deep into armor when the Maulus jammed me. the Pilgrim warped out and I closed on the Maulus, it's jam cycle over it was at the mercy of my EMP rounds as they smashed it to bits.
I was again being chased by fighters and I strung them out behind me as I popped them one by one, in all 10 fighters died before the Carrier pilot recalled them.

The Pilgrim had warped back in and was close to a wreck, tuning my nav systems I warped to the wreck and engaged him, the fight was short. The carrier pilot looking on helplessly.

So a Retriever, Vexor, Malediction, Maulus, Pilgrim and 10 fighters in exchange for my 5 drones, I consider that a fair trade ;)

I headed home with a grin on my face, I needed a cigarette and a stiff drink.

Minutes later my farmer friend from earlier was back in system, Keira was already on the case and had his mission plex scanned out and was waiting patiently for him to come back, he did and he died again.

Good times... good times :D

Monday 4 February 2008

A good fight...

Been a very slow day, targets seem to be very thin on the ground. I had decided to use one of my favourite ships, the Rupture, pound for pound the best cruiser in the game, Oya Loca••• being the third of a very succesful setup for me

Early on I spotted a Jaguar and a Stilleto in a belt and went to investigate, the Jaguar had just finished the Interceptor off when I came out of warp into the centre of the belt, 24km away I started to close the distance and so did the Jag, once in range I opened up with everything, drones launched and set upon the prey. The Jaguar didn't last long.

I returned home and did some paperwork, sorting out loot to be moved for sale to Rens, a local trade hub system.

Keira had been moving around a bit, hoping to find some worthwhile target, I really wanted a good fight. To my suprise and Keira's the fight came to us, I was sitting in the hangar shuffling through the financial statements of the corp when a Rupture piloted by Maximillian Power warped towards the station. Keira screamed over comms for me to get my ass in gear, I sprinted towards my Rupture and primed the systems in an instant, undocking the next.

Maximillian was not criminally flagged so were I to engage first I would have to deal with sentry fire too, I took the gamble that he would engage first and soon the familiar yellow flash of a target lock filled my overview, he was 18km away, I activated my microwarp drive to close the distance and started my target lock.
Once within 3km it all kicked off, Maximillian engaged and the overview flashed red, awesome, time to play, all systems go. Warp Disruptor, Stasis Webifier, guns and missiles all engaged.
I launched my combat drones and send them to play with Max's hull.
I notice on my overview that he had launched light ECM drones, something which could severely affect the outcome of this fight were they to get a cycle.

My shields were stripped in an instant and my armour was taking heavy damage, Max hit armour but was taking less damage than me, I ordered all systems overloaded and his armour started to drop quicker and soon caught up with mine, we both hit structure, I'm at 45%, fuel venting into space, it's not looking good but his last 50% of hull vapourises in an instant and it's all over.
Luck played a part as his ECM drones never got a cycle, had they, I would have been trying to explain to Keira why I need another Rupture.

2008.02.04 22:17:00

Victim: Maximillian Power
Alliance: NONE
Corp: Twilight Faction
Destroyed: Rupture
System: Gusandall
Security: 0.4
Damage Taken: 11111

Involved parties:

Name: Kane Rizzel (laid the final blow)
Security: -10.0
Alliance: Derek Knows Us
Corp: NovaKane Incorporated
Ship: Rupture
Weapon: Dual 180mm AutoCannon II
Damage Done: 11111

Destroyed items:

Hail M, Qty: 143
Gyrostabilizer II
Caldari Navy Flameburst Light Missile, Qty: 41 (Cargo)
Small Armor Repairer II (Cargo)
Stasis Webifier II
Dual 180mm AutoCannon II, Qty: 3
1600mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile, Qty: 33 (Cargo)
TE-2100 Standard Missile Bay, Qty: 2
Caldari Navy Sabretooth Light Missile, Qty: 251 (Cargo)
Hail M, Qty: 2604 (Cargo)
Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile, Qty: 40

Dropped items:

Hail M, Qty: 144
Damage Control II
Gyrostabilizer II
Barrage M, Qty: 1778 (Cargo)
Warp Disruptor II
Dual 180mm AutoCannon II
10MN MicroWarpdrive II
Energized Adaptive Nano Membrane II
Caldari Navy Bloodclaw Light Missile, Qty: 40
Republic Fleet EMP M, Qty: 1491 (Cargo)

All in all an awesome fight, one the likes of which I haven't had in a very long time

Good Fight Max, I really enjoyed it


















Kane Rizzel > gf
Maximillian Power > gf
Maximillian Power > awesomeness
Maximillian Power > ;p
Kane Rizzel > I l0ove those
Maximillian Power > take care matey
Kane Rizzel > you too

And above all a good sport and respectfull opponent

He warped his escape pod out and I warped out to inspect the damage to my ship. She had taken a battering but did what she does best.
After some quick repairs I dock up for the night, satisfied after what seemed to be a bleak day.

I think I'll head down to a bar and celebrate, I know it's only one fight but these are the ones I crave every time I undock, a worthy target, win or lose, is all I want.

Sunday 3 February 2008

Strange times ahead...

I've been busy playing this game called Real Life™ it's been kicking my ass so I haven't had much time to go out hunting, 3 kills in 3 days, kinda disappointing. One Farmer Raven using Karma, one ratting Bellicose using a Crow and one ratting Rupture using the Republic Fleet Firetail.

Meanwhile the political situation in Gusandall has become a lot more interesting, two corps who were friendly to each other have had a difference of opinion and now are hostile to each other.
I have friends on both sides, although throwing my full support towards one corp will inevitably ostracise the other.

My history with Mean Corp has always been rocky and although I have struck personal relationships with a few of there pilots I have been neutral towards them for a long time. I was red for a long time before that so it's never been the cosiest of friendships. I'm of the opinion to try and keep the personal relationships active but will defend myself if required.

Last night was a perfect example. I had spotted a Vengeance in my local plex and boarded a Wolf class Assault Frigate set up for plex hunting and went to investigate. I arrived at the gate and used the on board scanner to determine if the mark was still in the plex, indeed it was. I activated the gate and was launched through space to the first room of the plex. Coming out of warp my systems took a moment to load and when they did the Vengeance was still busy, I did some quick research on the ship and pilot and found it to be from the Mean fleet, I immediately warped out not in the mood for confrontation of a political nature.

Later on I was in my local haunt in my Republic Fleet Firetail when the same Mean corp pilot entered local, I was in my usual position high above belt 1-1 when he warped in and started to try and close the 400 odd kilometres to my position traveling at a massive 600m/s.
Well, it sure showed determination, I waited and once he had closed to within 150km I started to close in, getting to within 20km he locked me and aggressed, I settled into an 18km orbit and activated my microwarp drive, I returned the lock and fire with my own and quickly had his shields stripped but the Firetail has pathetic DPS and his small armour repairer was easily keeping up, this went on for a few minutes with him incapable of hitting me. Local filled up with a whole bunch of his corpmates who all warped in to his position. Ah well, I was kinda flattered that he felt the need to call for help as Battleships, Battlecruisers, Commandships and Recons all came out of warp.

I just said "Fuck this shit" and bugged out, settling into a 200km orbit around the hostile gang.
What follows is a transcript of the local chat channel:

EVE System > Channel changed to Eifer Local Channel

50freefly > doh

Kane Rizzel > sup 50
50freefly > dont worry kane im not after you just got a call for a firetail
50freefly > unless my corpies in danger i wont shoot at you
Kane Rizzel > no worries mate, looks like mean are hunting me again
50freefly > you just show as neutral
50freefly > always have, dunno why its only started now
Kane Rizzel > always have been as far as I know except the spell I was red
50freefly > yeah, odd...
Kane Rizzel > I'm flattered that all y'all came to help ash against me
50freefly > btw i like the cane
Kane Rizzel > cane is awesome
50freefly > yeah i like your fit too
50freefly > dont like the tank though =\
Muhaar Gemeinian > i just came cause the scanner indicated something of interest :P
Kane Rizzel > sup Muhaar
Muhaar Gemeinian > everyones blue here anyhow
Kane Rizzel > yeah tank is iffy but it kicks the snot out of most things
general dogzbody > hmmm but we are still unsure where your interests lie
Kane Rizzel > my interests are my own
Kane Rizzel > always have been
Jael Thursday > hooray for you
general dogzbody > if we are being shot by fl4g for instance are you really blue ?
general dogzbody > put your ass on the line ?
Kane Rizzel > blue to who, I've never been blue to mean
Kane Rizzel > and your boy ash decided to engage me here
general dogzbody > i know he was wrong
Ashihei > ..thanks for backing me up dogz : P
general dogzbody > Ashihei > i, i shot because he wasnt blue to me
Kane Rizzel > I left him in the plex when he was there
Kane Rizzel > so make up your own minds
general dogzbody > but must have an overview bug or somthing
Kane Rizzel > no opverview bug dude, I've never been blue to you guys
general dogzbody > your blue to me 1 sec
Kane Rizzel > but that's neither here or there
general dogzbody > ahhh on a personal not corp
Kane Rizzel > must be personal standings, Laneth would never set me to blue
50freefly > lol you noob dogz =)
general dogzbody > tricky times atm
Kane Rizzel > tbh dogz, I'm not sure where I stand, I'm friends with both sets of pilots
Kane Rizzel > although my history with mean is rocky
Kane Rizzel > and 've been friends with flash for aa long time
general dogzbody > i understand but if you if your solo you prob be ok but if your running in their gang i dont know
Kane Rizzel > that's the tricky bit
general dogzbody > anyway fly safe o7
Kane Rizzel > good hunting


I was kinda given an ultimatum to choose a side which really annoyed me.
In the end they departed. This whole thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth, I hate politics, one of the many reasons I left 0.0 for lowsec and the life of Piracy.
As a solo Pirate it's very difficult to try and make a living, the friendships I have struck in my time here have made life a lot easier but they have also just made it a heck of a lot more difficult.

A few minutes after this engagement I had tracked down a Rupture in a belt and tackled, 50freefly, a Mean Corp pilot I have befriended came in to help finish off the unfortunate Minny cruiser.

I returned to my Hangar, annoyed, at the situation and my lack of kills.
I am a solo pirate first and foremost, I will defend myself if called upon and I will join my friends in hunting but I will now catgorically state, I will not fight a war for anyone. If this policy offends anyone, well, I'm sorry but I have to look out for myself.

I am Kane Rizzel, I am a Pirate, I'm not in a good mood

Join NovaKane ingame channel if you want to chill out and chat