Two years... A long time in a universe as harsh as New Eden... Two years
Last night I celebrated my second cloningday, two years since I fell out of the cloning vat and took my first steps into the chaos that is EVE
I remember well my first Rifter, purchased with the help of the residents of Arsclan. I remember well losing it to Worlds Collide. I would eventually master that mission and in doing so it helped me buy my first Rupture. The very same Rupture I spent hours ratting in Abudban, Alakgur and surrounding lowsec space. It was lost in my first PvP encounter to DruzidelCastro's Deimos. However I had it insured and the payout helped me buy another Rupture and I was soon back to ratting, getting my first faction drop of a Dramiel BPC which sold for a mammoth 100million ISK, a fortune which would set me up nicely and soon I was joining The Black Sword on expeditions into lowsec with my trusty Rifter
Shortly after I left the good people of Ex Coelis and joined up with friends in Ars Caelestis (now Ars ex Discordia) and its journey with Huzzah Federation, Ascendant Frontier, Imperium, Curse Alliance and Goonswarm
My combat experience growing from fighting against the best, Band of Brothers, Against All Authorities, Omniscient Order, Lotka Voltera, Beyond Divinity and the Privateers, Firmus Ixion, Sniggerdly, Burn Eden and the Establishment.
Forged in fire but wanting to learn more and no better place to go to school than lowsec and the world of Piracy
Lowsec PvP is unlike anything I had experienced before. You have to be sharper, more alert and know exactly what your ship and that of your opponent is capable of. There's no FC telling you what to do, who to shoot and when to disengage. No one to blame if you screw up, no one to fall back on should things be going south.
There's only you.
Life as a solo Pirate is difficult to say the least but I have made friends along the way, often by gunpoint, like flashfresh, an exceptional pilot, Pirate and gentleman. He is a massive inspiration to me and has recently left the solo life and joined the Black Flag, a great bunch of young pilots forging a name for themselves with potency in combat that belies their age.
Karlemagne and the Black Fleet, Pirates whom I flew with on occasion during my first months in the area. No idea what happened to them but Karl has recently returned to Gusandall and I look forward to flying with him again.
Mean Corp, a fearsome collection of Pirates with legendary smack, my Red/Neutral status with them goes back a long time but I have become good friends with a few of their pilots like Deathstar and Waycharles
Redbad and the Tempered Steel Legion crew, Realzonk and the guys from Hellaquin, Lucius Cain who has just returned to the area and the residents of Independence, you guys have all made the journey worth it even though at times we have shot each other.
I've also made a hell of a lot of enemies with a red list to rival most nullsec alliances. Pirates and anti-Pirates alike, these guys make lowsec very interesting.
Boom shalak lak BoomI celebrated last night by undocking in my favourite ship, a Rifter, the epitome of Minmatar ruthlesness. I decided to go do some belt hunting in Eifer, my spiritual home, a system I know backwards.
It was dead quiet, not a soul and a reminder that Piracy requires patience to be succesful and is not always non stop PvP as you'd imagine. My thoughts were snapped back to the here and now as someone had entered Eifer and my scanner was quick to confirm a Rifter target near Planet IV's cluster of asteroid belts. I warped to the planet and quickly narrowed him down to belt 3 and engaged my warp drive, my heartbeat increasing with every passing second, the thrill of the hunt pumping adrenaline through my system. My scanner showed my mark still ahead of me and I burst out of warp with my tackling systems primed and proceded to lock the rifter who was 6 clicks off my starboard. Lock resolved and the Warp Disruptor and Stasis Web kicked in trapping the Rifter. I settled into an easy orbit, taking my time, savouring every moment. I activate my guns one at a time, the rocket launcher being activated last. Soon they are tearing holes in the armour and hull of the motionless Rifter, he had locked and engaged me but it was far too late and he exploded in a blinding flash, my targeting systems already locking the escape pod, my Warp Disruptor kicking in as it resolved and I send the pilot home, care of the Clone Vat Express. The corpse making a nice trophy to be added to "The Morgue"
I loot the wreck and warp out to a safe spot in system to wait out my Global Criminal Countdown and Eifer once again goes silent. There's the odd passerby but none staying long enough to play.
I head back to Gusandall and dock up, that single hunt, that single kill enough to satiate my bloodlust.
The Dark Side... We have Pie...
I just want to welcome some old freinds and ex corpmates to the wonderful world of Piracy. Jon, Lars and Xynie have recently left 0.0 and started down the path to the Dark Side in different corps and I wish them every success. I hope you guys have as good a time as I am and if you're ever in the area holler in NovaKane and we'll go cause some Chaos.
