Fuel run through low-sec
17th February 2011 – 5.04 pmScanning is quick again today. Our static wormhole is around the outermost planet, as it was yesterday, which just happens to be my first place to scan and rather bare of other signatures. A new signature is easily spotted there. Following glorious leader Fin's example, I helpfully copy a bookmark of the wormhole's position in to our shared can, to make it easier for her to follow behind me when she wakes up, before jumping in to our neighbouring class 3 w-space system.
The C3 holds a tower and a Dominix battleship, according to my directional scanner, and I note from the system map that the whole system is covered by d-scan quite comfortably. Depending on the status of the Dominix the system looks quiet. I locate the tower, using d-scan, and warping to it finds the Dominix unpiloted, but also a newly appeared Buzzard covert operations boat. I have nowhere to hide in this system where I can launch scanning probes covertly, so I simply monitor the Buzzard for now, and he does nothing. A refinery is operating at the tower and is close to completing its job, and it's possible that the Buzzard pilot has turned up to check progress.
Assuming the pilot is only waiting for the refinery to finish he probably isn't paying much attention to his scanner. This seems like a good time to launch probes and scan the system myself, before the pilot becomes active. Thankfully the scan is quick, with only seven signatures to resolve, and nine anomalies to bookmark. I find the static wormhole, leading out to low-sec empire space, along with three ladar, one gravimetric, and one radar site. I recall my probes with the Buzzard remaining inert, now four minutes left on the refinery's processing.
The refinery completes its job and, a couple of minutes later, which confirms that the pilot wasn't paying too much attention, the Buzzard starts it running again. Another ninety minutes of processing begins, and the Buzzard simply sits there. How dull. But checking the exit beyond the static wormhole puts me in the Sinq Laison region and only four hops from Hek, making today a good opportunity to buy more fuel for our tower. I return home, swap my scanning boat for a Crane transport ship, make a shopping list of fuel, and head out to market.
The Buzzard has disappeared from d-scan in the C3 as I pass through the system, no doubt not wanting to sit still for ninety minutes when he could be productive elsewhere. On my first run to Hek, which is all low-sec travel until entering Hek itself, I see a Crow interceptor on one side of a stargate and Dramiel frigate the other, looking very much like a small camp. I'm glad I'm in my cloaky hauler, designed to evade unwanted attention, although I'm not sure about interceptors. But I make it to Hek, buy my first load of fuel, and turn around to take it home.
There is no sign of the Crow and Dramiel on my way back, and w-space is empty. I off-load the fuel and turn my Crane around, starting the second journey. Hopefully my predictable path won't land me in trouble, although the Crane makes me feel safe. The second run goes without issue, even with the Crow and Dramiel double-act making a return appearance, now with a wreck on the gate. They pay me no mind. At least, none that I notice. Fin appears as I am shoving fuel in to the tower and getting ready for my final trip. 'Should we export loot too?', she asks. Yeah, that's a good idea! We could make iskies as well as spend them.
Fin gets a second Crane out of the hangar, loads it with Sleeper loot, and begins her journey to empire space. I can buy a bit more fuel now, knowing that Fin's ship can bring some home too, and I adjust my purchases after making sure I know how much room her Crane has, dependent on her fitting. Fin sees the Crow and Dramiel 'gank squad', as she calls it, but they leave her alone too, which is good, otherwise I may have felt guilty about forgetting to mention them. This last trip is again uneventful, and Fin sells our loot and we both bring home a full load of fuel to keep the tower running. We look to be good for another month, but realistically it will probably only be a fortnight before I start worrying about fuel levels again.
3 Responses to “Fuel run through low-sec”
Hello :)
I've noticed you and Fin talking about fuel runs a few times and I was wondering why do you don't make most of what you need with PI? Apart from the ice products you can make most of it pretty quickly if you have the correct mix of planets - especially in a WH with the yields. I think I made three months of oxygen in as many days if I remember correctly. If I'm wrong it wasn't much more then that. Same with the other stuff - 4 extraction planets and a factory planet and you're good to go...with loads left over to build P4 products to sell all with minimum effort. Just wondering ;)
While PI fuels take up 60% of the fuel costs now, ice is still 70-80% of fuel by volume.
So you can save quite a bit of isk, but not much hauling.
Hi Dukio, thanks for the comments. To be honest, PI hasn't really interested me. I bought the skill books on its introduction, trained a few skills to minimal levels, then forgot about it.
I'm happy having to make the occasional fuel run, paid for by Sleeper profits.