Simple scanning and ratting
20th December 2012 – 5.40 pmA new signature in the home system is an exciting start to my evening, which is rather disappointing in itself. It's more disappointing when the signature resolves to be not a wormhole but a site, and full of rocks at that, particularly as we haven't been doing much mining recently. But the static wormhole always offers opportunity, so I resolve that, activate the gravimetric site, and jump to our neighbouring class 3 w-space system to see where it will take me.
A single container appears on my directional scanner. Tweaking d-scan's settings shows an off-line tower and associated defences are within range, probably making the container detritus and uninteresting. I ignore it and check my notes, seeing that I was last here around eleven months ago. I launch scanning probes near the wormhole, as I am in effectively empty space, and arrange for a blanket scan as I warp off to see if the tower from my last visit is still active. It isn't, although it would be hubris to suggest the corporation's departure was in any way caused by Fin and my popping a Bestower hauler as a diversion from shooting Sleepers.
The C3 may be unoccupied, but it doesn't look unvisited, with five anomalies and seven signatures making the system look relatively kempt. Sifting through the signatures resolves a radar site, a dull K162 wormhole from null-sec k-space, some gas, a standard static exit to low-sec, another K162 from null-sec, and rocks. I've run out of w-space to explore already. I could find more, and my best bet is probably through the static wormhole, even if the occasional null-sec system can be a veritable spaghetti junction for w-space.
Jumping to low-sec puts me in a system in the Metropolis region, where scanning reveals three extra signatures. A K162 from class 3 w-space is almost appealing, but made less so by it being at the end of its natural life; a magnetometric site is ignored as soon as it is identified; and a Dominix being a dirty bastard in an Angel Red Light District is mildly interesting, except the battleship pilot notices my probes and disappears before I fully resolve the site. There's nothing out here, and even an itinerant Iteron doesn't hold my attention for long.
I can always check the null-sec connections. The first one from C3a puts me in the Great Wildlands region, in a system empty of other pilots. This seems like a good opportunity to rat and scan, although I am very nearly proved wrong on both counts. Scanning finds no signatures beyond the wormhole I used to get here, and a single anomaly full of drones makes me expect to see drones populating the rock fields. To my relief, and thankfully in the first asteroid belt I visit, I find instead some Angel rats, and a pair of battleships flanked with frigates too. That'll do.
The rats are popped and I return to C3a to hopefully repeat the same process through the other null-sec K162. Actually, I'd rather find more w-space, but I'm not getting my hopes up. So it is interesting to see not only pilots in the Deklein system, but active pilots. A couple of strategic cruisers and a few carriers look to be out ratting, judging by the dozens of wrecks scattered here and there.
Sadly, my excitement fades quickly. There is no Noctis salvager sweeping up behind the combat ships, the Dread Guristas wreck is not in any basic anomaly my on-board scanner has found, and the system is too small for me to hide and launch scanning probes. There's nothing for me to do here. I don't even feel like collapsing our wormhole and looking again, as the prospect seems rather bleak. But that's okay, as I've scanned a little bit and popped a couple of rats. Sometimes that's good enough entertainment for an evening.
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