don’t blink

Been a while since my last post, eh? I could place blame on a host of issues, ranging from scholastic pursuits to a poor internet connection, but what it really boils down to is that I haven’t had the urge to write of late. It stems in part from lack of game time, but that can only account for so much. I’m definitely no Roc Wieler when it comes to regularity of entries; I never intended to be. Hopefully this offering will serve to stir my muse from her slumber, and drive me towards future creativity for my readers to enjoy.

So! Let’s talk violence!

In the weeks since my last post, RANSM has doubled its member count with the addition of a Raxip Elamp. While sanctioned within the corporation as my official redshirt tackler pilot, the fierce combat I’ve exposed him to has only honed his abilities as a pilot, and trained him into an awesome force while piloting a Rifter hull. That he carries a positive K/D ratio on the KB in spite of my maniacal orders is a testament to his maturation as a capsuleer.

Rax and I have been doing some major damage around Molden Heath the weekends I have been able to log in to play, proof of which can be found at my KB. Perhaps our best fight of yet resulted from a roam into the Heimatar region, as we came to see what Kane Rizzel’s neck of the woods was like. MEAN Corp was happy to throw down a welcoming gauntlet for us to blast through.

After passing through Gusandall and its hoards of macro haulers, Raxip in his Rifter took one pocket of celestials to scan, while I in a Cyclone took another. Beyond the macro trash on scan, several viable targets were nearby: a Rupture, Arbitrator, Ishkur and Myrmidon. The ships were scattered, and as I began to relay orders to Raxip attempting to catch one of the ships, the Rupture interrupted my speech as it landed at the celestial I chose for scanning, twenty kilometers off. It wasted no time upon arrival, closing distance with a MWD to place tackle and streams of EMP rounds into the shields of my battlecruiser.

Seasoned in my trade, I exchanged tackle with the cruiser, calling out to Raxip to join me at my location. The five autocannons of my Cyclone spoke out against the Rupture’s four, followed immediately by volleys of heavy assault missiles and a drone flight. The cruiser’s shields winked away in the opening few trades of ordinance, with the armor plate of the Rupture fairing little better. Landing at the scene, Raxip had little time to apply his own share of firepower before the Rupture was removed from the field. The Rupture was not alone in space however, as both the Ishkur and Myrmidon spotted earlier arrived mere moments after their ally’s demise.

Facing two potent drone carriers, I cautioned Raxip to be extremely careful in his dealings, and called the Ishkur primary. Drones from both enemy vessels converged on Raxip’s Rifter, but my prodigal companion shrugged off the onslaught and managed to keep the Ishkur pinned in place with his tackle kit. Webbed, scrambled, and unable to close into the safety of a tight orbit around my battlecruiser, the Gallente assault ship caved in under the combined projectile might of our gang, lending a brief but brilliant flair of illumination to the black of space. Unfazed, the Myrmidon pressed on alone, attempting to close distance with my Cyclone and add its compliment of blasters to the fight.

Unfortunately for the Myrmidon, its inability to deal with the Rifter meant it would be unable to close distance with me: the Rifter’s webifier and scrambler meant the Myrmidon was approaching nowhere fast. Unable to match the range of my mixed projectile and missile arsenal, and unable to shake off the frigate hounding him with drones or blasters, the Myrmidon succumbed after a short lived attempt to tank our damage. Lacking GCCs as the MEAN Corp pilots were all outlaws, we scooped loot and left the scene before a possible vengeance gang formed in nearby Gusandall.

(ED: Myrmidon ended up being a LASER fit, which I thought only myself and Kil2 ever flew. Pilot lacked T2 laser skills though, so a failure on his part.)

In the past, I would have eschewed a partner in a frigate for something larger: ideally another battlecruiser for reasons explained previously. However, having flown with Raxip the past few months, I’d now say the synergy between an agile frigate and a powerful supporting cruiser or battlecruiser can’t be denied. The frigate is able to acquire hasty tackles, and uses its speed to avoid damage while its larger associate brings the pain. Additionally, the frigate is able to ward off other frigates from riding under the guns of his larger companion, which is a breath of relief to ships I fly that can’t even manage a webifier in their fittings, such as my favored Cyclone. And despite all the monstrous reversals that have been in place for months present since QR, many pilots still underestimate frigates, either ignoring them, or believing them to be an easy gank. Raxip has proven time and again that he’s much more likely to speed tank your ordinance while setting you up for my larger vessel to knock you down.