Exploration in low sec, like all things in EVE can’t be defined in a singular term, but I think my friend came close when he described it as “high-strung.” Every pilot in local pose a threat, especially pirates and null sec scouts. Choke spots are often camped. No one is innocent in low sec – that young pilot could be a probe alt. The directional scan window becomes a permanent component of one’s screen. Combat probes are parasites you loathe and fear. Then there’s that exhilarating thrill in receiving an escalation, finding the best drops from given loot tables when opening a faction wreck or objective can. As a vulnerable prey that is seeking treasures in hostile space there is never a dull moment.
In the summer of 2010 my pilots were always short on ISK. My mission ships were a hodgepodge of meta 4s sprinkled with tech 2 modules. Dax Jr. could really use a faction fit Navy ship. Hardwirings needed upgrading to 5% variants. My wish list was filling up rather quickly as did my patience. So why not go out there and find juicy deadspace stuff by myself? I already had the skills and tool for the job. It only lacked a few key components. Limited resource led to sacrifice. The Dominix Navy Issue was sold to finance an all-in-one exploration Tengu.
I headed out to low sec with simple goals and minimum knowledge. Thankfully beginner’s luck was predominant as I kept hitting gold during the first week. A Pithum C-Type Medium Shield Booster and numerous Low-grade Crystal implants were my main source of income at this point. I spent all the ISK I earned. Albeit not prudent, when you’ve made over a billion in a span of short time, an inexperienced pilot can feel like he’s found an untapped faucet of wealth. In my naivety I thought I would be able to buy anything if I toiled on. This was easy money for manageable risk.
David was still in the infant stages of exploration and I wasn’t utilizing all the resources that were available to me. The only map I had opened then was Ombey’s 2D maps. Slowly my methods progressed as I began referencing statistics on star map and cross checked those figures with dotlan. I learned to use various methods to distinguish the nature of pilots in local. Checking their kill records on battleclinic or eve-kill returned information on their capabilities, cohorts, and most importantly whether they could probe. Summoning contract histories of pilots that had positive security status was one way to know if they were potential competitors. Instead of relying on my memory I listed all the known scanners and their ships on my notepad and gave them bad standing. Yet it’s a brief lapse in judgment that leads to loss.
There are only four things that can kill a cov-ops ship in low sec. In the order of possible encounters here’s the list. 1) A sensor boosted tackler that can lock you instantly before you initiate cloak, 2) an MWD fit ship that can decloak you, 3) an officer smartbomb-fit battleship sitting atop a gate, or 4) your utter stupidity. Well, it’s always #4. Here’s my account.
In mid August I traveled to Taisy and scanned down a Provisional Gurista Outpost. Although it’s the easiest low sec combat site in Caldari space, the acceleration gate in the first pocket and objective structure in the second pocket takes a while to reach. I haven’t had a decent drop all day and headed in despite local bursting with pirates and null sec roamers. Those familiar with the region will know that Taisy is the entrance to MM controlled Tribute. Everyone except me and an alt had GCC on them. A smart person would leave. I didn’t. Strike one.
When I cleared the first pocket, directional scanners revealed five combat probes. I narrowed the range to see if those probes were on me. Yes. So I warped out and got back to my Provisional Outpost at 100km and watched who would visit. It was Kel Katrina in a Sleipnir. Since I was cloaked all Kel saw on d-scan were wrecks. I waited until the Sleipnir left system and returned to complete it despite having my spot jeopardized. Strike two.
Sure enough I saw the pilot in local again. Taking advantage of my covert-ops cloak I decided to play hide and seek. Only this time she wouldn’t leave. If a Tengu pilot was dumb enough to come back to a compromised plex for the second time, there’s a chance he will get caught. Feeling the heat I warped to a gate to leave. In a moment I discovered that I accidentally warped to M-OEE8 gate at 0. Even at this point I had very good probability of survival as the out gate was empty; however in my panic I warped to another spot at 0km. The damned Provisional Outpost. Strike three. Guess who was waiting for me? Out goes my first Tengu.
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