Tales from the spacelanes...

[Amah]

Nice tale, Ranthe... Wonder if my Ophidian class "Rigel IV" would have survived ramming a Fer-de-Lance (nope I won't test

May always be the width of a hand between your Hull and the Docking bay, Gamma Wolf. As for the time accelleration issue... Just get of the high lane to avoid traffic jams (unless you haven't installed Deep space Pirates that is).

Amah

[Diziet Sma]

I'll get there at some point, although whether it'll be in an hour or a year I'm not sure.

There's always the tutorials that are offered whenever you start a new Commander.. gives you lots of tips, and lets you get some non-fatal practice in, before risking open space.

[Amah]

Cmdr Amah, Log entry Ophidian Rigel IV, currently docked at Sotiqu/G1.

After a lot of stress testing one of the new ships I thought I might go for a relaxed nice simple courier mission and transport some mud wrestling videos from one part of G1 to the other. Flight planning led me to one of the bottle necks called Sotiqu Level4, Anarchy. As a safety measure I joined a convoy as an ITHA Escort, and we jumped in with 4 other ships from one of the safer systems.

When we arrived some few ships already lingering at witchpoint. Even though the bounty scanner showed a clean record these ships immediatly started to fire. Funnily enough my ship was explicitely adressed, and I was told I made powerful enemies and won't get away... When a pack of Pirates also joined in and one by one the escorts were taken out, I was in the middle of a short but intense fighting. Finally mother was destroyed and I was left alone. Enemy ships swirling around me like angry wasps. I had to make a decission to fly for my life or to join the fate of the convoy I was once part of.

Hitting the injectors I hoped to leave the enemy ships behind, and maybe single one or two out and deal with them seperately but unfortunately at least 8 of them started a pursuit. Shot by shot they took down the shields.I had to zigzag, swirl and do a full stop, 180° turns, fire the lasers till overheating and start again to gain distance. Begging and praying of the fuel being sufficient I repeated my dodging, and I think two ships crashed when trying to avoid collission with me after one of those maneuvers. Again and again lasers destroyed parts of the equipment, still I had hope to reach the saftey of the station aegis.

When I was able to make out the first details of the Tetrahedron system station the fuel was used up and I fell back to normal speed. I desperately dodged sent two hardheads to my shadows and my dodging and swirling became more and more wild. More equipment gone, cargo getting destroyed. The laserfire became fiercer and fiercer... I already lost all hope to get there in one piece when the main computer signalled that station coordinates were transmitted. Maybe I could make it...

"A cop!", I sighed and I headed for the purple dot on my scanner, but to my surprise all my pursuers blew off the attack and suddenly retreated looking like normal traders and headed away out of scanner range. "You cowards! You bastards!", I screamed into the coms!

When I docked the Rigel IV was more dead than alive. The repair bill was much higher than what I will earn with the courier job and I started to wonder what these mud wrestling videos are really all about.

[Cody]

<chortles> Yeah, you gotta take care with those vids - and a variable barrel roll can help in a stern chase!

[Amah]

And next stop I buy me a rear laser... If there is a next stop...

[Cody]

For four years I never used my aft laser (or side lasers). Once assassins/bandits using aft lasers became a problem, I adjusted my ROE (still don't use the side lasers).

[Amah]

heh, I was really thinking about how nice a Q-bomb would be now. And the other thought was, damn why can't I fly a cobra3 now, that Ophidian flys like an old aunt.

[Cody]

... that Ophidian flys like an old aunt.

Yeah... but it's such a sweet-looking ship! The ideal courier ship* has to be the Wolf Mk II (Griff's, of course). Often been tempted to switch, but...


*From Elite canon!

[Bugbear]

<snip>mud wrestling videos</snip>

</immersion>
Now why hasn't anyone created a mud wrestling game? Think of all the DLC that can be sold afterwards! Jelly Wrestling DLC, Celebrity DLC, NSFW DLC!

OK returning you to your regular programming.
<immersion>

[Amah]

Cmdr Amah, Log entry Ophidian Rigel IV, currently waiting for launch permission at Sotiqu/G1.

Slept not much last night. The Rigel IV had some neccessary repairs and sold computers for a good price. Half of the cargo was gone. Bunkered some booze in the free hold now.

Met two other spacers in the spacebar. After I've told my story, one of them, a much more experienced courier chuckled, and advised me some dodging strategies and self defense tactics. To be honest I was unhappy about the way my Ophidian performed in last incident, and we talked about upgrades, what ships might be better suited for courier work but that the Ophidian was after all looking quite classy. Aye, after all she's still a pretty bird maybe not for a courier but for me.

When we got to the topic about the mud wrestling videos another pilot joined in and joked about the idea about merchandising that sport, I think. I'm still wondering what's so special about those flicks. I learned it wasn't some kind of wrestling but actually is called hockey... yeah right... Last time I watched a hockey match it wasn't about different scantilly clad species flinging dirt at each other... Hmmh, anyway... maybe it shows a rigged match or one of the opponents is now the spouse of one of the big wheels out there. That Onoulo Iset has to answer some serious questions when I manage to get to Entizadi.

Ah, finally got clearance. Next course Inonri, Level 11 Communist System... *sigh* Beggars can't be choosers. Ok lady. off we go... hope we're able to fix some of your broken equipment there...

Cmdr. Amah, Log entry Ophidian Rigel IV end.

[Alex]

It's pitch black, and cold. I know I'm hurtling through space, but everything is still and weightless in here. I don't know how long the air will last, or how long it needs to last. Maybe forever. I shift the freezing knife to my other hand, try to breathe as slowly as I can, and wait.
--


I finger the knife.

Come and get it, Gaffer.

Page 77

and? And? AND!

[Diziet Sma]

Hmmh, anyway... maybe it shows a rigged match or one of the opponents is now the spouse of one of the big wheels out there. That Onoulo Iset has to answer some serious questions when I manage to get to Entizadi.

Don't assume the attention you're getting is always about your present cargo.. Sometimes your past deeds can come back to haunt you. And if you annoy the wrong people enough, they might just take a contract out on you personally, rather than seeking to destroy some specific cargo.

[Amah]

Well, I never had dealings with the mob before... Pirates yes, lots of them... doing mostly milkruns and cargo contracts... nothing really spectacular or too good to be true offers. I think it was the first courier job for this cmdr, after all I never saw the Ophidian as the courier ship to keep deadlines.
Don't get me wrong, that I mind, actually it adds some spice.

---
Cmdr Amah, Log entry Ophidian Rigel IV, docked at Inonri, Level 11 Communist System.

The trip to Inonri was quite uneventful, though I still have the uneasy feeling of being watched. A python and a sidewinder arrived shortly after me at witchpoint. I didn't want to take a chance and injected away.

Saw also some laser fire at the distance ahead and a squadron GALcop vipers heading away from it. Wondering what that was all about.Adjusted course to avoid flying directly into the conflict. Caught some coms messages, obviously a local rebel group was making trouble. Seemed like an inner Inonri related conflict, waited for a clear scanner and enganged jump drive and reaching Inonri High a short while later.

They have still one of those old grey G-Stations here. I always loved the old design, though manual docking was always a wee bit tricky because they had smaller docking bays than nowadays. Anyway, all went well and after landing I went straight for a maintenance overhaul and had some more of the damaged equipment fixed. Was able to sell the liquor and made 10c per ton. At least some cash for the outstanding repairs.

I plan to head for Anxebiza Level 7, Corporate. Seems to be the safest system in reach on my way to Entizadi.
Will take a nap now before launching, put all systems on proximity alert, you'll never know.

Cmdr. Amah, Log entry Ophidian Rigel IV end.

[Amah]

Cmdr Amah, Log entry Ophidian Rigel IV, docking at Entizadi , Level 12 Communist System.

They still have a few of those old G-Stations in use around here. This time one of those once impressive Dodos. Cueing up at the moment, there's a lot of traffic.
Made contact with "Onoulo Iset". Seems to be one of those typical nerd type collectors. Not nearly as suspicious as I expected.

I was right about setting up safe guards when docked at Inonri. The alarm went off but I couldn't make out what was the cause, might just be a system failure. The Rigel IV isn't currently really in best shape.

In Geerra just when I undocked two ships, a Krait and a Moray entered the stations aegis on injectors, slowing down and then they adjusted to my course... I was lucky to hitch a ride thanks to a friendly Python trader and its Mamba escort, so I saved up my precious witchspace fuel. When I arrived I immediatly hit injectors, got out of the main lane, crossed an extensive asteroid field and made my way to my final destination. I hope those thugs lost my trail for now. But I still wonder on whose big toes I stepped on and how, but I suspect I have to watch my six from now on.

Will see to get to Aona next for some more repairs, maybe get a nice cargo contract. I have enough of courier work for now, all I got was a negative balance.

Ah, finally clearance...

Cmdr. Amah, Log entry Ophidian Rigel IV end.

[phkb]

I jumped into Riesonso (G6), not expecting any trouble. I hadn't seen an assassin for at least 10 LY since I decided to go on this sight-seeing tour. Just casual trading, with a load of furs on board.

Initial scans were clean, but then as I oriented my Cobbie on the station nav buoy and brought it up to speed a yellow blip showed up on the scanner. A quick target check revealed a fugitive also flying a Cobra 3. "Trouble," I said to myself. I continued on but as more and more ships came into range, each with an offender or fugitive status, I knew my lasers would be getting a workout. In the end there were about fifteen pirate vessels, and almost as one they turned on me and demanded cargo.

"Not likely," I muttered, flipping my ship on its end and starting to long-range snipe at some of the ships, hoping to even the odds somewhat. A Cobra Clipper was sailing across my rear view, so I followed him with the crosshairs and poured as much hot energy into his shields as I could. I flipped over again, getting my front laser lined up, and continued to unload on it, until finally it decided I wasn't worth it. It tossed a couple of missiles at me and sped away on injectors.

By trying to eliminate the Clipper I'd been drawn closer to the main body of pirates, and they were now busy targeting my ship as best they could. Lasers splashed across my shields, and suddenly my rear shields were down 25%. And those two cyan blips the Clipper has lobbed at me hadn't vanished with my burst of ECM.

I swore, set the fastest escape trajectory I could, hit the injectors and tried to target the circling balls of death. One went down, I hit the ECM again to no effect, jiggling the controls trying to centre the approaching missile for long enough to hit it. Then with a burst of laser fire the missile exploded.

Now free of pursuing missiles, I turned my attention back to the pirates. In the short amount of time I'd been distracted they had been attacked by another group of traders and now a battle was raging in space a short distance away. I brought up the nearest target, and headed back into the fray.

My first target was a Boa, without doubt the leader of this band of misfits. I felt a moment of pity as I unleashed my military laser into his bloated hull, then ECMed the missiles he sent my way in a vain attempt to get me off his tail. Within seconds all that remained was a pile of floating cargo containers. "They'll scoop up nicely," I thought, as I swung around onto the tail of a Cobra Mark III that seemed to have taken offense at me shooting his boss. Moments later I saw his escape capsule jetting away in the shadow of his ship exploding into atoms.

"Wow, I might just pull this off," I thought. The arrival of the extra traders had certainly given me all the cover I needed to pick off the pirates one by one. I turned sharply to begin the process of eradicating an Adder with Offender status. My military lasers started burning away his shields. He turned, far too fast for me to follow immediately, but I banked and pulled back on the stick to get behind him once again.

Suddenly the blue orb of a wormhole filled my view. I banked away, trying to avoid it but found time and space dialating around me. My ship tumbled out into a new system, hot on the heels of the Adder.

"Blasted pirates!" I spat, reducing the Adder to its component parts within seconds. A flaming panel that had burst from the Adder's side in its dying moments caught the rays of the distant sun as it spun away into the black void.

"All that cargo," I mused, thoughtful for a moment as I brought up the galactic chart. I was two stops away from where I wanted to be, and low on fuel. I brought my ship around to head in to the main station. "Blasted pirates," I muttered again.