Looking for a way out

Scanning has me looking for a specific target, and it's not a ship but a wormhole. I want an exit to high-sec empire space so I can start moving my ships out of the corporation's class 5 w-space system, the more discreetly the better. I would rather be gone before anyone notices, making it a fait accompli and more difficult to return than being convinced to reverse my decision. I need to leave, for the benefit of myself and those around me. The only trouble currently is that scouting appears to be already complete, only exits to low- and null-sec space found. I copy the bookmarks to take a look for myself.

I don't get far, technically not even to our home system's static wormhole. My Buzzard covert operations boat bounces off the warp bubble of an Onyx heavy interdictor sitting on the connection, piloted by an ally and accompanied by another in a Tengu strategic cruiser. Are we expecting company? 'Just sitting bored', comes the reply on the alliance channel. That's fair enough, but the bubble is impeding all friendly movements, which is a little inconvenient when there are no hostiles seen or anticipated in any of the connecting systems. I ask if the bubble could be dropped, to be activated when a hostile ship is seen, which can easily be accomplished given the visual and aural clue of passage through the wormhole, and should still catch any passing target seeing as our static wormhole is currently the only connection in our system.

The bubble comes down, which I take to be a reasonable sign, until the two ships warp away with no further comment. I don't know if I've upset them, they've found something else to do, or were leaving anyway. I suppose it was communicated on the voice channel, but I have already decided that if I am to make a choice between running voice comms all the time or none of the time I will stubbornly stick with 'none of the time'. And this little encounter merely reinforces the notion that I must leave. I jump through the now-unobstructed wormhole in to the adjoining class 5 system to start my exploration.

There are plenty of options in this C5, with five bookmarked wormholes in the sytem, not including the K162 home. There is the system's static connection, a K162 from another C5, two connections to null-sec space, and one to low-sec. But it has been a while since the system was scouted, as warping to the K162 to the C5 finds only empty space, the wormhole already collapsed. That still leaves four wormholes to choose from, but as I would prefer an exit to high-sec space I elect to jump through the system's static connection. This next C5 is unoccupied and inactive, leaving me little to do but jump to the next system in the chain, another C5. Scouting stopped here, it seems, with no more bookmarks to guide me. My directional-scanner indicates only an off-line tower in the system, so I launch probes and begin scanning.

I resolve a wormhole on my first hit, a fat signature finding me a K162 from yet another class 5 w-space system. I leave that connection alone and continue scanning, my second hit also being a wormhole. The second signature is the system's static wormhole, again leading deeper in to class 5 w-space. I jump onwards, finding this next system also unoccupied and empty. Scanning finds a wormhole quickly again, a K162 glowing with the molten red of deadly class 6 w-space. I'll call this route plan B. Now I start resolving gas mining sites, but only three of them before the system's static tries to lead me in to even more C5 w-space. If this pattern carries on much longer I'll end up back in our home system. I jump in to the class 5 system to satisfy my curiosity, finding occupation at last but still no activity, and I am too far from home for any route to be considered suitable for travel. I turn around to head home, nestling inside the tower as I wait another day to find an exit.

Posted in Gaming |
Tags: buzzard, eve online, mmorpg, onyx, penny ibramovic, scanning, tengu, w-space