Monday 18 July 2011

Do Rifters dream of Titan killmails?

The Patrician was a pragmatist. He never tried to fix things that worked. Things that didn't work, however, got broken.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Soul Music)

The Garbage Man, a Rifter built from loot, every aspect of him from from his hull and rigs built from the fallen before the guns of his predecessors. I love the Rifter so much, it was the first ship I aimed for as a new Capsuleer all those years ago and the one I always turn to when violence is on the menu.

Now, there's a group of pilots out there, who's very corp name is all about the Rifter, run by Miura Bull over at Brutor Bullfighter, the Black Rebel Rifter Club. I've seen one or two of these pilots running through the area as of late but always just passing through. This evening however a Rifter lingered in system too long and it piqued my interest.

The Garbage Man undocks, scanner looking, hoping for a direction. First call is the 2/10, so often a haven for frigate combat, but I pass the Rifter in warp. I land and warp in regardless, maybe I can be the hunted. I narrow the scan and point it in the direction of the acceleration gate, the Rifter appears, but warps away towards the station.. I warp towards the belt closest to station, at zero I land, fifty clicks away as the Rifter warps to the furthest belt from the gates, I follow at zero and land fifty clicks away again, just to see the Rifter warp out to another belt, I naturally follow but this time at fifty.

I land right on top of the Rifter, lock him up and prime tackle, for some reason The Garbage man loses lock and I re-acquire the target but he is shooting me and opening a sizable gap.

A kiting Rifter...

Tackle overloaded, the Rifter is fast, even webbed and scrammed he's running 600m/s, comfortable outpacing me. I surmise afterburner, overdrive and web, meaning if I get close, he will die as he has no tank.

He's hitting hard though, massive volley damage... ARTILLERY?
Damn son, a challenge, finally.

I'm deep in armour, I overload my afterburner, forcing The Garbage Man closer, collision course set, one of us is going to explode, so might as well take destiny on head first. Meter by meter I edge closer, no use trying to get under tracking, this was a flat footed fist fight, two mighty warships slugging it out to the bitter end and what a glorious end.

The Garbage Man is close to structure as his 150s, almost melting as they furiously spit death across the narrow gap between the two Rifters, one of which buckles under the onslaught.

From bow to stern, fissures open up as the Rifter hull crumples, stripped of armour she is now at the mercy of the very space surrounding her, atmosphere and fuel being vented through the cracks, ignited by sparks and burning, exploding, bits of Rifter raining against Rifter, one standing, the other defeated.

Good Fight is shared on local comms, truly it was and one of the better Rifter vs Rifter fights I've been in for a long ole time. I like his fit, something different and it definitely surprised me.

8 comments:

LADY SHANIQUA said...

gfgf
Arty Rifters are mean in frig 1v1's, I fit it slightly different though.

Miura Bull said...

Oh my, I got linked in Kane Rizzel's blog !

Tomba sure will enjoy this :) and I'm glad you got a gfgf out of one of my minions ... if only it had just swung the other way I'd have framed the killmail.

Much love.

Miura.

Sobczynski said...

Tomba is an arti punk rocker!

Tomba said...

Kane! Between the fight itself, your graciousness in victory and now such a cracking post, I gotta say losing a shiny new rifter was never so much fun....on the other hand...I sure wish I'd won :)

great read!

Wataazu said...

Great post!

I followed the post-fight show in a few channels, found it on battle clinic, and began putting together a similar arty Rifter.

Anonymous said...

hey Kane, your were the first one to kill me in eve three years ago. you broke my cherry.

Nashh Kadavr said...

GFGF! great read!

Lhorenzho said...

Kane Rizzel's scalp...hanging from the saddle horn of a Black Rebel. Miura, can you imagine the recruiting boost that would have given us?