Stalking another salvager
14th July 2011 – 5.34 pmScanning empire space is so much easier than w-space. There are only a handful of signatures at best, and most are exploited quickly enough in high-sec that those that linger will be wormholes. The system that I jump to in order to continue tonight's exploration is even easier to scan, holding just the one signature. Resolving the signature finds a wormhole exiting from class 3 w-space, but the C3 itself turns out to be less than interesting. Two ladar sites and the static wormhole, which I used to enter from high-sec, accompany three anomalies in this occupied but inactive system, leaving me nowhere to go but back to empire space.
Glorious leader Fin has more luck in heading a different direction in high-sec. She finds a wormhole too, this one coming from class 1 w-space, but inside that C1 is another K162, giving more space to explore. I travel across to the high-sec system and scan my way in to join Fin in w-space, warping to her position on the second wormhole. I jump in to the class 2 w-space system beyond as Fin continues scanning the C1, resolving another wormhole that disappears before Fin reaches it. But that's okay, as I can see a tower, Tengu strategic cruiser, and a bunch of Sleeper wrecks on my directional scanner. It looks like we've found some action.
I start a passive scan of the system to locate the anomalies here, but sweeping d-scan around on a narrow beam doesn't find the Sleeper wrecks. It looks like either the anomaly has despawned already or the Tengu is in a magnetometric or radar site. As the Tengu appears to be flying solo I locate the local tower, so that I can see if he swaps to a salvaging boat. There are no other ships at the tower and, with the Tengu abroad, I see if I can find a suitably distant position where I can launch probes discreetly, but the system is too compact to allow it. Instead I use d-scan to try to keep tabs on the Tengu, and now I can see a Noctis salvager also in the same area of space.
I don't know where the Noctis was hiding but he appears to be salvaging the wrecks now, the Tengu moving out of whatever site they are clearing up. The strategic cruiser doesn't return to the tower so I try again to see if I can find him in a basic anomaly, and this time I locate him. I warp in to reconnoitre the site, getting in to position without being decloaked to see the Tengu engaging Sleepers. I call Fin in to my position, who lands far enough away to be in warp range of most of the wrecks. I need to bounce off a distant point to get in to suitable range of a wreck, and make a couple of bookmarks to let me do that.
By the time I'm back in the anomaly with the Tengu, so is the Noctis. He's a little early, as a Sleeper battleship remains in the anomaly, but he begins salvaging anyway. It's not long before the Sleeper takes umbrage at the Noctis desecrating his kin's wrecks and starts shooting the salvager, which has to warp out. That's okay with me, as it gives me a chance to warp out and back in to a better position near the clump of wrecks the Noctis was working on, my first guess being a little off. The Noctis returns, as do I, but again we've crossed paths. I warped to the wrecks, the Noctis to the Tengu, and we're once more on different sides of the anomaly, some hundred kilometres apart. This is why Fin's smarter than me.
At her privileged position, Fin is able to warp directly to the Noctis wherever it is in the anomaly, as long as a wreck is nearby. The Tengu exits the site, leaving us alone with the vulnerable salvager. We both know that now is the best time to act, as the Tengu won't even be able to react whilst it is in warp out of the site, and Fin moves to strike. As she lands on top of the Noctis I drop my cloak and burn towards the target, Fin's missiles already beginning to melt the salvager's armour. I manage to cover the distance in time to get a few good missile strikes on the Noctis, but neither of us can prevent the pilot's pod from warping clear, leaving us only a wreck to loot and shoot.
No good loot is recovered from the wreck of the Noctis, the pilot sensibly dropping off his previously collected profit at the tower before continuing here. It's a decent enough kill, though, and one that still needed coordination and some patience. But it looks like the Noctis is all we'll face here, a visit to the local tower showing the Tengu sitting inertly in the shields along with the escaped pod. Fin loots some of the Sleepers for some extra iskies and then we turn around to head back to empire space. It's been another successful hunting trip.
2 Responses to “Stalking another salvager”
It is such a satisfing feeling to pop a squishy target, but at the same time I can't help but feel bad for that unsuspecting person... then those feeling bad feelings tend to go away after I get some loot and I see the kill mail!
Yeah, the guilt disappears soon after hosting your first corpse tea party.