Wormholes popping
14th June 2014 – 3.30 pmLurking on a wormhole, waiting for a scout. I can't really say why, because beyond this w-space system being his home there is little reason to believe the Imicus frigate will come back this way any time soon. I think I'm more frustrated at the new behaviour of the interface that prevents following a ship as it aligns for warp, drastically reducing the chances of chasing a ship successfully. I'm lurking on the wormhole because I can't work up the motivation to hunt targets when my tools for catching them are being removed one-by-one.
Thankfully, my malaise isn't yet shared by my colleagues. My glorious leader went forwards through our static wormhole to the neighbouring class 3 system, where she scanned and dove through a wormhole to null-sec that promptly collapsed behind her. 'I am fifty jumps from anywhere', she says, with us being pretty much unable to help. Aii remains in C3a, where he now sees scanning probes whizzing around. Maybe they're from the Imicus.
If the Imicus is scanning in C3a, why am I waiting in my Loki strategic cruiser across our home system and through a K162 in C4a? At the very least, I can move to our static wormhole and gain a second chance to catch the frigate, either on that connection or this one. Further, I don't need to be in my Loki. I can swap to an interceptor, or interdictor, and have a much better chance of catching the tiny ship. Positive thinking, Penny. Let's do it.
I jump to our home system, warp to our tower, and don't get in to an interceptor to plant on our static wormhole, because the discovery scanner is showing me a new signature. Yeah, it's helping me, but where's the thrill of being jumped by a fleet that you didn't even know was there? I honestly miss that feeling. Whatever, I warp back out of the tower, launch probes, and scan the new signature. Naturally, it's a wormhole, this one a K162 from class 5 w-space.
No intercepting for me yet, not without a peek in to C5a first, just in case some sneaky fellas will head this way and catch me otherwise unawares. Or I would peek in to C5a, if I didn't update my directional scanner on approach and see an Anathema covert operations boat, followed by a Legion strategic cruiser. They're new, not having seen them in C4a, so I back away from the wormhole and wait for them to come to me.
Of course, expecting the two ships to come my way supposes that they originate from C5a. That probes are spewed in to the system suggests otherwise, given that nothing has come through this wormhole as far as I can tell. I force an update from the discovery scanner and, sure enough, there's yet another new signature. It's all go today, and I'm getting a little uncomfortable about all the uncertainty surrounding me.
I stay sitting on the C5 K162, wondering if the ships will come this way, but that's not guaranteed. There are two of them, and three wormholes beyond their own in our system. Ah, but here's the Anathema, finding the K162 and jumping to C5a. That's interesting. I watch d-scan and, yep, there's the Legion blipping on and off, indicative of a cloaked ship jumping. Now maybe I can get my interceptor and catch the Anathema's return, aiming ever-so-slightly higher than the Imicus.
I warp to our tower, updating d-scan regularly, just in case the Anathema returns too soon, and instead see the Legion blip on d-scan again. Now I have no idea if he's in the system, and available to help the Anathema or not. For a second time, I abandon my interceptor plan, warp out of the tower, and launch probes to scan. The new signature can be nothing but a wormhole, but the Apocalypse battleship sitting under my probes is a mite unexpected.
Clearly the new connection isn't desirable, for whatever reason, because when I reach the K162 it is already stressed to half mass. The Apocalypse has done its job, and is followed by a Raven battleship and Orca industrial command ship to finish the job. That was quick. Hey, maybe now I can plant the interceptor on our static wormhole and wait for the Imicus, which may be somewhat oblivious to what's happened in the system behind him.
In to the tower, swap to my Malediction, and remember why I abandoned this plan the first time. Oh, right, the C5 K162. Well, nothing came from that way, the Anathema was clearly unimpressed—or maybe scared away by a serious force—and I would quite like to rip apart a frigate before I hit the sack. I'm sure that if I keep d-scan updated I can avoid being ambushed. Or see it coming early enough to make peace with losing the Malediction.
I finally get the interceptor on to our static wormhole, Aii reassuring me that the probes are still visible in C3a. I watch the wormhole, update d-scan. Watch the wormhole, update d-scan. The probes disappear from C3a and, finally, the wormhole crackles. It's just Aii, though, coming home to go off-line. I could be playful and 'catch' him, but that would give him an engagement timer and stop his safe departure for a few minutes. I'm not totally horrible.
I wait a little longer, almost expecting the Imicus to return, given the lack of any decent connections out of C3a, but with no more wormhole activity. I cut my losses and abandon my watch. At least Fin finds a wormhole in null-sec to class 3 w-space, from there scans her way to low-sec and moves to high-sec, where she buys a replacement marauder. That's progress!
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