Bypassing deadly space only works for so long
22nd July 2013 – 5.47 pmDo we have anything at home today? A few anomalies, just the static wormhole as a connection to another system. It's all looking a bit bleak. Maybe it's better next door, in our neighbouring system, so I resolve the wormhole and jump through to find out. And actually it looks a bit worse, with only an off-line tower cluttering up my directional scanner in the class 3 w-space system. Launching probes and blanketing the system reveals no ships on the one planet out of range, and heading that way sees no new tower, so it's just me and more space.
It's no surprise to see that my notes have the static exit in C3a to leading to null-sec. That may not be such a bad prospect today, given my recent losses in security standing, as I could pop a rat or two to mitigate those losses a tiny bit. At least, once I resolve the wormhole. Gas, gas, gas—boring—gas, relics, gas, gas—still boring—wormhole, gas gas. Yep, definitely boring. It seems I'm going to null-sec.
I exit w-space to appear in a system in Etherium Reach, where a lack of pilots and some extra signatures gives me some hope for activity. Mostly mine, as I launch probes to scan the signatures and warp to a rock field to rat. Two frigate escorts are popped quickly enough, letting me pick on the bigger of the two rat battleships, as my probes resolve, well, wormholes. How nice. The first is an N432 outbound connection to class 5 w-space that would be more enticing if it weren't at the end of its life. The second is a second EOL N432, which makes me check that I haven't somehow warped in a circle, and I haven't. A third wormhole is an X702 connection to class 3 w-space, but also EOL, so it is with some relief that the final wormhole is a stable N432.
Back to w-space, back to a clear d-scan result. Still, it's a big system, 100 AU across, and only one planet sits in range of the K162, so there is much more to look at. It may just be empty space, but I can look at it. And my combat scanning probes show me one anomaly, eight signatures and no ships, and exploring finds no occupation. Yep, it's empty space, and I'm only now trying to work out how I can look at nothing. I didn't think this through.
Scanning the signatures picks up two wormholes immediately, a C3 K162 and the static connection to more class 5 w-space, followed by gas, gas, gas, and a K162 from deadly class 6 w-space. Hey, that C3 wormhole's looking pretty good, let's see what it's like on the other side. Well, there's occupation, at least, but still no ships, even after I warp away to launch probes and bump in to a second tower. Not literally, thankfully, and with no one watching I launch probes anyway.
One of the five signatures looks like it could be a K162, given its chubby size, and I even get a little excited when my probes identify it as a wormhole. Then I remember that w-space systems have static wormholes, I entered this system through a random connection, and I've probably just resolved the exit to low-sec. And that is what I've done, as there are no other connections in to or out of the system. Well, I'll poke out anyway, appearing in a system in Domain where a bunch of stinking criminals are hiding from Concord. I may as well scan. What's the worst that could happen?
Three extra signatures are in this low-sec system, and one extra scout, no doubt both of us finding the combat site, wormhole, and data site. I'm ignoring two of them, particularly as I've resolved an R943 connection to class 2 w-space, and I jump straight through the wormhole to see a tower and Iteron hauler on d-scan. Ooh, I'd like to find that. My notes from over three years ago aren't helping, stupid notes, but it's straightforward to pick the right planet, find the right moon, and warp to the tower. And the hauler is empty. That's a shame.
Exploring C2a finds two more towers, one with a piloted but inactive Heron frigate inside its force field, leaving me two anomalies and seven signatures to sift through. Three wormholes crop up, the static exit to high-sec being EOL, but the two outbound connections to class 3 and class 6 w-space being nice and healthy. The C3 system will be a dead end and probably worth exploring first, which proves true when I enter it to find an occupied but inactive system with an exit to null-sec that I don't care to find.
Back to C2a and in to C6a. I don't see what the fuss is about class 6 w-space, so I'm not sure why I didn't check the K162 back in C3a. I'm just a scaredy cat, really. But C6b has three towers and a distinct lack of ships, and my notes point to a static connection to class 4 w-space, and that will just lead to more w-space itself. I think I've scanned enough empty systems this evening for me not to go deeper. Back to C2a, out to low-sec, in to C3c, C5c, and returning to null-sec, where I pause to pop another rat. Then it's in to w-space again and back home, after forgetting where C6a linked to, even though I drew myself a map. Oh well, I bet no one was there anyway.
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