Scan, collapse, scan
6th February 2013 – 5.55 pmWith no activity at home, and only the single signature in the system, I have but one direction to go. I resolve our static wormhole and jump to the neighbouring class 3 w-space system, looking for trouble. A clear directional scanner doesn't offer much, but it does let me launch probes covertly, and with only two of thirteen planets in range of d-scan there may well be opportunity elsewhere. My notes even tell me of a tower in the system six months ago, so with probes performing a blanket scan I warp in the direction my notes point me.
The tower's gone, and there's not much to see. Sixteen anomalies would be good to make some ISK if I had help, otherwise there are just six signatures and no ships picked up by my probes. The signatures resolve to be gas, gas, more gas, even more gas, and the static exit to high-sec empire space, with the latter being the only one I fully resolve to bookmark. With no occupation, nor any other wormholes, and no intention to suck gas myself, there's little point in wasting more time than it takes to identify the ladar sites.
The w-space constellation has ended early, but that doesn't mean I stop scanning. I can always hit high-sec and look for more connections, even hopping through stargates if I come up dry in one systems. Or I could, if the wormhole weren't at the end of its life. At least I found this early, giving me plenty of time to head home and kill our wormhole with a controlled implosion, which will open up a replacement wormhole and new constellation. I stress the connection with Orca, Widow, and Widow, Orca, pushing the wormhole over its mass limit on my final return trip. Job's a good 'un.
Back to scanning. I resolve our static wormhole and jump to the second neighbouring system of the day, where circumstances don't look much better. D-scan is clear of all but a rather rude can—I'm not fat—and this time there are no planets out of range to hide occupation or ships. But the system itself can hold opportunity, if there are more wormholes, and launching probes and scanning has me sifting through the fifteen anomalies and seventeen signatures to find out.
I know from a visit almost two years ago that this class 3 system holds a static exit to null-sec. I can't say I'm particularly motivated to find the wormhole, and not because of where it leads as much as how weak the K346 type is. Null-sec can hold more wormholes, and is generally empty enough to be safe to rat and use stargates, but the wormhole is pretty weak and easily confused with radar and magnetometric sites in class 3 w-space, which can make scanning a little tedious. Still, it's scan or go off-line, so I scan.
I recognise the null-sec wormhole early, because of its signature strength, but what's this? A second wormhole could be good, and it is. A K162 from class 2 w-space is a nice find indeed, nice enough for me to stop caring about the rest of the signatures, recall my probes, and jump through the wormhole. A tower holding two Orca industrial command ships is not a great sight on d-scan, but a blanket scan revealing eight anomalies, ten signatures, and five ships perks me up. Five ships? I want to find those other three.
Exploring the class 2 system soon locates the other ships, the Imicus frigate and two Iteron haulers nestled inside the force field of a second tower. They are all unpiloted, though, which is a shame. The Orcas are empty too, of course. I pretty much expected that to be the case. And as I have probes out it would be churlish not to scan, and the ten signatures become a static exit to high-sec, some random crap, and another wormhole. I get excited for the brief time it takes me to warp to the connection, where I see it is just another high-sec link, this one a K162.
I don't care to scan high-sec now. Although it was an option earlier, I have now scanned my way through a couple more systems without seeing another pilot, and my mojo is fading. Even so, heading home I pause in C3a to poke my prow through the exit to null-sec, appearing in a system in the Feythabolis region. A couple of pilots are in the system, and d-scan shows me two Vargur marauders, a Machariel battleship, and lots of rat wrecks. The ratters are probably more scared of me than I am of them, and in warp to hide inside a tower's force field, and although I could probably rat a bit myself, to increase my security status, I think I'll just leave them to their paranoia. It's time to hit the sack.
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