Out to low-sec and back
19th December 2012 – 5.44 pmThe wormhole dies without fuss, much like the miner I popped in the previous connected system. I had my fun there, and now I'm hoping for another good system to explore in to. I resolve the replacement wormhole and jump to the new class 3 w-space system to see what it holds. Space. Plenty of space. My directional scanner is clear from the K162, with just one planet in range and the next nearest over 40 AU distant. I launch probes and blanket the system, looking for ships, and finding one. The Anathema covert operations boat is sitting empty inside a tower, and my hopes of interrupting another mining operation are diminished.
There may still be more to find. My probes also reveal two anomalies and eleven signatures. And, somewhat overlooked, a wreck is sitting just outside the tower's force field. I don't clutter my standard overview with wrecks, so they don't appear immediately obvious even when I'm close, or on d-scan, but the yellow triangles on the HUD shouldn't go unnoticed for long if I'm paying some attention. It's a wreck of a cruiser, nothing special, but unlooted. Or, at least, not fully looted. That intrigues me, more so because the tower has no defences that may discourage me from taking a look.
Of course, that there is a wreck just outside the tower is a warning sign in itself. Someone must have popped the ship, and as the wreck is still there it must have happened recently. Then again, it would be a patient capsuleer that pops the ship, forces the corporation to inactivity, and then waits to see if someone else would foolishly loot items of no consequence. I'm that fool today, and even though I really don't expect any consequences I am not going to be stupid about this.
I bookmark the wreck and, what with it being on the other side of the tower to me, warp to a different moon and back again to get me in to position. I approach the wreck slowly, not wanting to be visible for long, regardless of what happens, holding my cloak until it is deactivated by proximity. Now I move quickly, opening the wreck, looting the crap inside that really wasn't worth risking my ship over, and burning hard away from the force field so that I can cloak again. Curiosity will continue to be the death of me, just not today.
Now I'll scan. I'm looking for wormholes, and find two with the first two signatures resolved. Then it's just a magnetometric site, gas, rocks, rocks, gas, gas, and gas. I could have stopped early on, but you never know what's there unless you're thorough. The wormholes are the C3's static exit to low-sec, and a K162 from class 4 w-space. The exit leads to some faction warfare system in the Devoid region, which describes my interest here, and I head back to C3a to see what C4a holds.
I approach the wormhole and, with the wreck at the tower on my mind, wonder if this is one of those days where my probes were being watched whizzing around the system before disappearing, alerting a capsuleer, or fleet, to my intentions to keep exploring. I am often in that position, waiting for a scout to come my way, and it can be a bit creepy not knowing who may be watching you at any time. I try not to think about it, generally. Thankfully, no one obviously confronts me on the wormhole in C4a, although that doesn't mean they're not watching.
Much like entering C3a, d-scan is clear from the wormhole in C4a, with just one planet in range. A tower is listed in my notes from a visit seven months ago, but has since been torn down cleanly. Launching probes and scanning sees ships, though, which I find at a replacement tower, and one of the six ships is piloted, a Rattlesnake battleship. More interesting to me is that the corporation of this pilot matches that of one of the pilots I saw in the low-sec system. I think I'll go back and see what he's up to, as he's more likely to move than the Rattlesnake.
The C4er is still in low-sec when I get back there, but I see no ships or probes on d-scan. Oh, hello, there she is, in an Anathema on the wormhole. The covert operations boat jumps to C3a, and I suppose I should let her go. My chance of catching the cov-ops is small, and it may be better to let her think the route is clear of ships in case she wants to start hauling this way. This assumes, of course, that she didn't see my Loki strategic cruiser cloak on the wormhole, or make me as a w-spacer from the local comms channel. Either way, I give her a minute to get clear from the wormhole and follow her home.
I find the Anathema back in her tower in C4a, along with her buddy in the Rattlesnake, but neither looks to be eager to do anything more this evening. I wait a little while, in case one's getting a drink before going out again, but I'm just floating in space. My best option now is to scan low-sec for more wormholes, even if it's perhaps a fruitless endeavour, as I can only assume the Anathema will have done that and already poked whatever it could. But you never know.
Back in low-sec, I launch probes and scan, happy to see four additional signatures. Rocks and two radar sites don't offer much for me, but the final signature is an 'unknown' type, right up until it is resolved, at which point it becomes a rogue drone asteroid field. This is why I hate drones. There is nothing more to be found in low-sec, and one final look in both C3a and C4a sees no change in occupation or activity. That makes it time to hit the sack. I can't complain. The miner skeet shoot to start the evening was fun, and a poke around quiet w-space has calmed me down nicely for a good night's sleep.
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