Tales from the spacelanes...

[Mad Dan Eccles]

<pours a gin>

[Cody]

<slaps a measure of cognac into his coffee and creates a caraquillo> A dangerous beverage, is that!

Another good tale, Ranthe - therein lies the risk of any auto-pilot!

[Diziet Sma]

I'm passing through the Anenat system and decide to refuel by sunskimming (as a Feudal system, Anenat has no friendly Fuel Satellite to top up Atomic Annie's tanks from)

Umm.. are you aware that (assuming you have Feudal Systems OXP installed) you can refuel at Hunting Lodges? The prices are kinda steep, though..

In real life, autopilots know when to disengage.. seems the Auto Skim could use something that auto-disengages it in condition red situations.

[Ranthe]

I'm passing through the Anenat system and decide to refuel by sunskimming (as a Feudal system, Anenat has no friendly Fuel Satellite to top up Atomic Annie's tanks from)

Umm.. are you aware that (assuming you have Feudal Systems OXP installed) you can refuel at Hunting Lodges? The prices are kinda steep, though...

Yes, and yes... I even did a beacon scan upon system entry for a Hunting Lodge, but it seems Anenat isn't a system blessed with one. They seem to turn up only in selected Feudal systems.

[Diziet Sma]

I think they only appear above a certain tech level.. not sure what it would be, though.

[Ranthe]

So I told the docking master of Beedbeon Station (over a com-link, for reasons which will be clear shortly) "Look, it's a mistake anyone could have made. It happens sometimes, okay? It's not my fault the forward laser firing control is so close to the engine throttles by default on all GalCop ships, and you did only give me a two minute docking window. Can't you just fine me and get it over with?"

Unfortunately the Onatzalan frogoid on duty was not persuaded, pointing out that standard docking protocol required all weapons to be deactivated when in docking manoevers, and that GalCop regulations made no allowance for accidental weapon discharge. Especially when 3.2GJ of military laser punches a metre-wide hole through the station's outer docking door from an Anaconda-class transport less than 2 klicks out on final approach. In short, with that one blast I'd transformed from a reputable Clean commander to a Fugitive with a 79CR bounty on my head, and the docking master curtly informed me that my welcome was rapidly running out!

Not wanting to see Atomic Annie and myself impounded in this G2 Average Ag backwater, I immediately initiated emergency launch procedures - halting our planned cargo loading and skipping refuelling to clear our moorings and head for the station exit, hoping like hell that the normal aegis patrol was engaged elsewhere. But immediately after we cleared the docking bay the local rozzers were upon us, concentrated laser fire slamming into Annie's hull. We hit the injectors, rapidly pulling away from the station before engaging hyperdrive and hurling ourselves headlong into the refuge of witchspace. Fortunately our last jump from Eszara to Beedbeon was quite short, so we had the fuel to jump directly to Zavezaon.

But even though we'd escaped from Beedbeon with little damage other than to our nerves Atomic Annie was still a marked ship: the "Offender" tag on our IFF acting as a "Come shoot me!" sign for any young Jameson wanting to make a name for themselves by sweeping the space-lanes of miscreants. Only time and repeated jumps away from Beedbeon would clear our name, but with a still-large bounty on us we could ill-afford to risk the run into main stations, let alone test our luck on docking. So we set course for Zavezaon Stellar to top up Annie's tanks with free sun-juice - taking out an opportunistic pirate en route - and with the Anaconda's hull glowing re-hot from stellar radiation we jumped again.

And wouldn't you know it? Right when I've got a metaphorical bulls-eye painted on Annie's exterior from my GalCop bounty I wind up dropping into a cluster of offender vessels right at the Zalaqura witchpoint beacon. It's immediate battle stations and I start bringing the main laser to bear, taking out a couple of my antagonists – but all too quickly I'm surrounded and am taking heavy fire on all sides. With the Anaconda's energy banks and shields dropping rapidly it's time for desperate measures, so I armed and dropped the emergency Q-mine before hitting full injectors and running like hell with the all-too-familiar purple sphere rapidly forming up in my rear-view. My attackers immediately fled in the opposite direction, but unfortunately for them one succumbed to the cascade effect and added its own sphere of destruction...
Meanwhile, having escaped from having my own ship torn up from under me I set course for the nearest fuel-station, eventually docking and successfully taking on more Quirium for the next jump. Got jumped by another random attacker shortly after clearing the fuel-station docking cage, but was able to take him out with no more trouble before jumping to Ercetidi.

At Ercetidi the bounty on my head had dropped considerably, so even with the “Offender” tag hanging around my neck like a scarlet letter I decided to chance refuelling at the local station. Thankfully no more than a single Corsair decided I was worth the trouble of taking out – and the Corsair rapidly became the hunted instead of the hunter, exploding in a mass of fragments after taking the full brunt of Atomic Annie's military laser. Not wishing to take any more chances than I had to of attracting GalCop attention, I stayed at Ercetidi only long enough to refuel and re-launch, with hopefully only one final jump remaining to get back to “Clean” status.

Jumped into Errius – and immediately checked my status. What? “Offender, Bounty: 1CR”? Good grief, I hope there's no sad-sack Jaimeson that'll try and waste me for one lousy credit! Again Atomic Annie set course for the main station, hoping the trip in would be as uneventful as at Ercetidi. No such luck - before long I find that we've has strayed into a massive fire-fight on the main lanes in, so it's full-on action stations as Annie and a convoy of other vessels fight off a raiding party of Ionics Whitetails. After a long hard fight eventually the pirates are vanquished with four kills to Atomic Annie's credit, and we resume course to the station...

… then with only a few minutes to go to Errius station aegis the emergency comms channel lights up with a distress call from a lone ship at the extreme edge of scanner range. And it's a fellow 'Conda commander. He's fallen into a nest of raiders, he says, and he's pleading for help - but by now Annie's fuel tanks are practically dry and her missile tubes virtually empty, with only one standard non-hardened missile left. Even worse, I can only see the source of the distress call on my scanner, with no sign of his attackers. As much as every fibre in my being is telling me to immediately assist my fellow commander, I have to face the cold hard truth that engaging an unknown number of raiders when I have barely enough fuel for a fuel-injector-assisted emergency escape is bordering on a suicide mission. All I can do is relay his call to the local station and hope that a GalCop Viper squadron can get to him in time.

I finally arrive at Errius Station, and manage to dock on autopilot with no further trouble: apart from retaining a 1CR bounty on my head. If anyone from GalCop is reading this, I'll pay the prakkin' bounty myself if it'll get my record cleared...

[Malacandra]

"Congratulations on your careless driving, Commander"

About five minutes ago, Earth time, Commander Hammond flew Dangerous Moonlight out of the Astromine in Arceonre system, Sector 4, and hit the injectors for the planet. Moments later he saw an unfamiliar shape looming very large in his viewscreen... DAMMIT!!... and there was a bright flash and a couple of messages:

1 ton Minerals
Right On Commander!

Checking the F5 display I see I now have 1792 kills exactly (that's 256 x 7, hence the "Right On" message) so it looks like I collided with a Scavenger Ray without serious harm to Dangerous Moonlight but rather more to him. Obviously it was worth paying out for those shield upgrades, but that has to be the oddest way of getting a significant kill tally. Sorry comrade, at least it got you out of the Gulag permanently.

[Cody]

Another good tale, Ranthe - perhaps you should collect them in an anthology?
But you left a 'Conda in distress to its fate - harsh, but sometimes you gotta do it!

[Ranthe]

"Congratulations on your careless driving, Commander"

About five minutes ago, Earth time, Commander Hammond flew Dangerous Moonlight out of the Astromine in Arceonre system, Sector 4, and hit the injectors for the planet. Moments later he saw an unfamiliar shape looming very large in his viewscreen... DAMMIT!!... and there was a bright flash and a couple of messages:

1 ton Minerals
Right On Commander!

Checking the F5 display I see I now have 1792 kills exactly (that's 256 x 7, hence the "Right On" message) so it looks like I collided with a Scavenger Ray without serious harm to Dangerous Moonlight but rather more to him. Obviously it was worth paying out for those shield upgrades, but that has to be the oddest way of getting a significant kill tally.

"Ramming always works", indeed.

Which reminds me: To the Titan commander lately on patrol near the Genma witchspace beacon in G2, may I humbly suggest that you or your navigation crew undertake an immediate eye examination - because the last thing I need to do as a fresh arrival into a Poor Ag Anarch system is to take immediate evasive action due to some GalNavy clod blindly charging to within 2km range of my Anaconda on a collision course. A type of ship which you should be aware turns less like an agile dogfighter and more like an asthmatic ant with a heavy load of shopping...

[Gouanaco]

So far in my escort career (which i don't usually take jobs on) \\

2 times i was escorting my escort to the station ageas(what ever etc)

And we would encounter a pirate ambush and then off we go My escort would engage Fuel Injectors and speed off following one distant attacker. I would then follow my escort.... but lol all of a sudden

the lone pirate and my mother would collided together leaving behind a fountain of booty.... so yeh i just scooped it up and went on my way..

But a few contracts later the same thing happened except the mother didnt collide with a pirate it instead smashed head on into me.... and i twas a cobra/boa (cant remember exactly) so it destroyed my already half damaged ship...

Frankly i don't like escorting large ships anymore XD
there too slow and smash into things.

lol

[vsfc]

About 21 LY east from Ceesxe technical level 15 System I had a miss jump and ended up in Thargoid space along with Navy Fleet. At that time I only managed to destroy witch space jammer, Navy took care of Thargoids and when I was just about to jump back to normal space I accidentally bumped into one of the Navy ships. It was really busy there, the scanner was packed with flying ships and remaining Thargoid drones. I became Offender with 35 cr bounty. Navy ships started attacking and all I could do is to run and jumped back to normal space. I docked with the station to take care of HULL damages, refuel, and got some additional cargo. When got out of the station and was waiting for witch space countdown I got message from police “You are scheduled for termination” immediately following by laser fire from behind. Hit of injectors following with witch space jump saved my life. I came out of witch space in the next system having Heat Shield and Aft Shield Generator damaged along with heavy hull damages and lost IronHyde Armour. FRACK! That was a terrifying experience, but I did survive! At that point I still had to manage to get to Ceesxe System to dock and do repairs; there no way I could fight. The next 3 jumps I did by refuelling at fuel stations or fuel satellites and immediately jumping to the next system. By the time I got to Ceesxe System my status cleared and I finally managed to dock at the station. There I bought Automatic System repair (OXP), which did repair damages in flight, so finally I was back to normal clean status and repaired ship.

[Diziet Sma]

all of a sudden the lone pirate and my mother would collided together leaving behind a fountain of booty.... so yeh i just scooped it up and went on my way..

But a few contracts later the same thing happened except the mother didnt collide with a pirate it instead smashed head on into me.... and i twas a cobra/boa (cant remember exactly) so it destroyed my already half damaged ship...

Most unusual.. my bountyhunter persona often takes on escort contracts en-route to a RH hit, and I've never experienced the above..

[Cody]

I love the smell of freshly-gutted Pythons in the morning!

[Cody]

Webster's Perdition - a good name for my rock hermit base, way out by Dizaen's sun. Yesterday, I pulled out of there on a mission for the SPB, and was immediately jumped by a bunch of bandits. Being in mission-mode, I cloaked and hit hyperspace before they could lay a beam on me. Upon emerging at Leveti, I found a lone trader in a Cobra Mk III - the Assegai of the President IV - heading in-system, so I snuck up on his six, uncloaked, and tickled him up with a single shot. The poor chap started bleating for help, so I settled in to follow him - whereupon he hyperspaced out. Of course, I followed - to be greeted by a death threat from Assegai of the President IV. But he didn't turn and attack - he hyperspaced out again, and again I followed, to be greeted by another death threat. Again, it was all bluster, as he made best speed in-system - and I stuck to his six, but at a civilised distance. About halfway in, with the scanner clear, I tickled him up once again, but he was out of fuel by then, so all he could do was call a may-day and drop two cargo cannisters. I was still running clean, so I let him go and scooped the booty - which was when three Vipers hove into view. I wasn't worried, I was clean for a change - but they attacked me anyway. Took me down like I was a virgin Jameson, they did! I had to smile, as the last thing I saw was a Viper seeming to fly right through Mercurial Amethyst. Piracy (not that I ever commit acts of piracy, you understand) has just become a little more dangerous!

[Zireael]

Commander Mara of Black Widow has woken up from a loong hibernation only to find her Vector and all her experience gone. Therefore she is back to doing milk runs in a Cobra III from Lave to Zaonce in order to scrounge enough cash for better equipment - that is, an ECM System - and has now passed a ship named Crescent of Zaonce. Isn't it a beautiful name?
Luckily, in the years she was asleep, technology has progressed, introducing various docking and targeting aids, therefore making the start a little bit easier.

Update from Zaonce Ico station: Some feckless goon rammed into Black Widow on approach, almost sending her careening into the station. Forced Mara to back away quite a bit in spite of Dock Assist and then waste a lot of time behind a slow Cobra MkI.