Getting reactions without a reaction
10th September 2013 – 5.16 pmI'm scanning in a huff, having missed hitting a hauler in a case of horrible happenstance. I only continue scanning in the hopes that I will find a better opportunity further down the chain, which, considering I am in a class 1 w-space system, does not seem terribly likely. But I scan anyway, and get gas, gas, wormhole, relics, wormhole, wormhole, data. That's a good result from this system.
The static exit to high-sec leads me out to a system in Domain, four hops to Amarr. I've done some shopping recently, so ignore the proximity to a trading hub and head back to w-space, where the next wormhole is a neat L614 connection to a class 5 system. That's bound to keep me busy with some time-consuming scanning through dangerous w-space. I'll call that Plan B. The third wormhole is a more welcoming K162 from class 2 w-space, which will be quicker to check and perhaps hold softer targets. Plan A.
Jumping in to C2c has four towers appear when I update my directional scanner, as well as a Sigil hauler, Heretic interdictor, and Magnate frigate. And this is interesting: sweeping d-scan around to look for the planets holding the towers has two corporate hangar arrays appear without an accompanying force field. Is there really an off-line tower waiting to be plundered in the system? If there is, I'd better check to see that there aren't any pilots either planning to do it themselves or ready to interrupt me if I try.
All three ships are at one of the planets, and all at one of the towers, with the Sigil and Magnate piloted. Those are hardly threatening ships, and I'm tempted to watch the Sigil to see if it goes anywhere, but I also notice that warping here has put me in range of more towers, as well as a Tengu strategic cruiser and Occator transport ship. I should probably look for them too, as the more pilots there are the bigger the threat to me, but there are so many towers that I would rather at least confirm there are hangars to be plundered. If there aren't, I can resume normal exploration.
Yep, that's an off-line tower with hangars and silos floating nearby. And I'm gonna throw caution to the wind and just start shooting. I can't even see all the ships on d-scan, only those I saw when first entering the system, but I will minimise my risk by sitting far enough away from the structures that I can cloak at a moment's notice. I just hope no one notices and comes to investigate. Thankfully, in space no one can hear explosions.
Shooting a barn door isn't terribly difficult. The first hangar doesn't so much explode as decay in to a bunch of canisters, which I ignore so that I can maintain my cloaking distance. The second hangar must have been empty, as it explodes with a satisfying blast. No one's turned up yet, and d-scan hasn't changed, so I sneak a peak in to the canisters. Blimey, there is are a few Orca loads here. Defences, hangars, and reaction materials galore. I didn't really think about how I'd carry any plunder—and having a class 1 system between home and here makes it trickier—only about making a mess.
I keep shooting, as there are reactor arrays to be destroyed. From all that constitutes a tower, my overview only shows corporate hangar arrays, ship maintenance arrays, and force fields as standard, to reduce clutter and give an indication of occupation. These extra arrays around this tower are just a bonus. Two simple reactor arrays explode nicely, and I switch to the first of six silos. I have no idea what's in them, I just know that they cost someone ISK.
The first silo pops. The second silo pops. An Occator appears on d-scan, and it looks like he's at another tower. I ignore him, in as much as I don't go looking for him but I stay aware of his presence. The third silo decays in to a can holding a whole lot of expensive reaction materials. The fourth and fifth silos provide no resistance, and as I shoot the sixth I launch probes and scan for C2c's second static wormhole.
There's the wormhole, there goes the final silo. What's the wormhole? How lovely, an exit to high-sec empire space. It takes me to a system in Everyshore, where I can't buy any kind of suitable ship to short-cut loot collection, but at least there's a station. Okay, I'll just have to trust that having the owners and locals oblivious to my wanton destruction in their system means they will also be oblivious to the looting. I head back to w-space, and back through the constellation towards home.
C2c to C1a, to C2b, to C2a, to C4a, and home. A Buzzard covert operations boat and Tengu are visible in C4a, but I ignore them for now. I find the cargo-optimised Crane transport ship in our hangar and go straight back through the chain to C2c. I drop near the untouched canisters that are all that's left of the hangars, and approach them under cloak. It all looks much the same. And so it is. I drop my cloak, inspect the cans, and grab 150 Miskies of exotic materials as I align and warp towards the high-sec exit.
The wormhole is unmonitored, as far as I can tell. I warp away, dock, and dump my first load of plunder. Pausing to catch my polarisation, I undock, warp back to the wormhole, and return to the canisters in C2c to see what else I can carry. More exotic materials fill my hold, this time 64 Miskies worth, and I dump them with the others in the high-sec station. One more trip gets about as much as the Crane can comfortably carry, bringing my total haul up to around 260 Miskies for the night, leaving just bulky and not particularly expensive defences and hangars left in space. That'll do.
There's not much I can do with my plunder at the moment, though. The local market is hardly healthy, and as it took three trips to get it here it will take three trips to get it somewhere else, at least in my current ship. As it's late, I think I'll leave it all here and make a note to come back with a Bustard. The system is close to a regional boundary, and so it shouldn't be too onerous to turn the booty to iskies, given a relatively convenient future exit. Let's hope I don't forget. For now, I get home safely, without even touching that C5 connection, and sleep happy knowing that I ended up doing well for myself tonight after all.
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