Settling in a C5

I wake up in my Buzzard in empty space, the comforting embrace of a tower's force field no longer present. It doesn't take long to find out the cause: the move to the class 5 w-space system is happening. The corporation had found a suitable C5 previously and parked a patient pilot in the system in preparation, so he could scan us a way in when we were ready, but now we stumble across a similar system in our scheduled scanning. It is more convenient to move across w-space systems than haul everything out to empire space and back in again, and so it has begun. Other corporate directors have torn down the tower and transferred it to the new home in class 5 w-space, keeping the connections to our vacated class 4 system open to guide pilots through as they appear.

Glorious leader Fin returns from the new system to guide me towards it, speedily crossing two intermediate class 4 systems before jumping in to the C5. The warmth of C4 space is exchanged for harsh C5 light, the star's glare piercing through the cold black of space. Our tower has an amazing view, though, floating above a giant planet's rings. It looks like a good place to call 'home', just me, my Buzzard, and some random weirdos picked up along the way. Another one is ready to join us from the now-empty C4, Fin telling her to 'turn out the lights when you leave', although halting all nuclear reaction in the old system's star seems rather drastic to me.

Pilots have been busy. The tower is anchored and on-line, defences are being moved in to position, and a couple of hangars have been erected to store ships, fittings, and other assets. But there is more to do, mostly involving retrieving everything recently transported out to empire space. I have at least all my ships to recover and return to w-space. There is a route to empire space, and although it's only to a low-sec system it is close enough to high-sec to allow relatively safe passage in and out of w-space. I copy the bookmarks across to my nav-comp, stow my Buzzard covert operations boat, and take my pod for a spin.

The exit to empire space takes me to a notorious low-sec system. I should be safe, however, if the Amamake Defence Force is patrolling, but I have not heard of any successes of theirs for a while. But it's fine, I get to high-sec without any trouble, no doubt the ADF deterring most local pirates. Checking my assets tab shows a different problem, that of my nearest ship to recover being over twenty jumps away. Twenty jumps out means twenty jumps back, and many ships can be rather slow to align and enter warp. My sleek Crane transport ship is thirty jumps away, but its utility can come in handy more obviously than any single combat ship and it can travel long distances with ease. I set the destination system and start making the journey.

Getting to the Crane is simple enough, if a little tedious, and I am soon flying back. My navigation settings now guide me the shortest route home, which takes me on a low-sec diversion but chops a dozen hops out of the journey. It may be a bit of a trek but spending time in the Crane reminds me what a gorgeous ship it is, spinning on its axis and entering warp as if space itself was collapsing in to a black hole behind me. The return home is effortless, slipping quietly through each system until I am back in w-space, relishing each movement of the Crane. But coming home was still another twenty jumps I made, and that is enough for me this evening. Hopefully a more convenient exit connection will appear tomorrow, to enable more ships to be brought in and w-space operations to begin in our new class 5 home.

Posted in Gaming |
Tags: amamake, buzzard, crane, eve online, mmorpg, penny ibramovic, w-space