Invasion!

As some of you may have noticed, I have been rather inactive lately. Real life really kicked me in the balls with 60-70 hour work weeks and it has just now started slowing down enough to the point where I wasnt so beat every day I just showed and went straight to bed soon as I got home. Anyhow, to deal with this, Ive been living in a wormhole away from the light of highsec, the deep space of null and even havent dipped much into the new low sec of faction wars. Wormhole space has been my home for a few months now; and Im really enjoying it.

I havent gone full carebear, as I setup fittings for my partner who has more time than I to go PvP lately and he gets kills with my fittings, so in a way, I get to PvP. Well, in the same way as the industrialist who sold him the ship and mods, right?! Ok, so maybe I have gone a bit carebear, but this bear is a grizzly and I make people all FUBAR'd in their ships. Or they do me, either way, stuff explodes usually. Like this past weekend, for example, but first a small bit of backstory.



I live in a Class 3 Wolf Rayet wormhole with a High Sec static with a partner Ive had since my time in Brick Squad. I chose this specific hole because of both the class and the effects. We preferr armor tanking, and neither of us dont always have a friend nearby, so need something soloable. Sometimes though, I am online when my partner in this venture is as well. You see, I needed a partner as much as he needed me in this new outing for both of us. Neither of us have really lived in a wormhole except for the time we spent in one with QH; our now old alliance that we learned quite alot from. We've since gone our seperate ways as most children do from their parents. We tried living out of a few orca's but came the the mutal conclusion a POS would be more efficient. So we set that up. We've got some nice planets for PI, so we trained up a few alts and our mains for some nice PI stuff to get going. We're mining. We're sucking gas. We're killing sites, and we're probing for more once we've exhausted all those options to make some ISK. And, damn, do we make that ISKies! We just have to haul it out and sell it at some hub and we're golden. So its not immediate return on effort, but its definately worth it once the process is completed.

So back to the point, we were invaded. We normally connect with between two and five wormholes each day. We jump into these and clear a few sites as we can, but normally have enough to occupy us in our home system. Well, this fine Sunday, a Class 5 Red Giant effect wormhole opened into us that has a static class 3. And I caught a Cheetah on scan just as I was warping to jump into it. Obviously something is up. I didnt have any PvP combat viable ships, and one of our k162's was only six jumps from Amarr, where my stash is. I quickly jumped out and went towards Amarr as quickly as I could.

I needed some bait though, I dont know what kind of wormholers these people are. So I used the only thing I was willing to risk: My Noctis. I had just killed a ladar site, so I figured I could go in and salvage for a bit before they probed me out. Two jumps to Amarr now, I used the alt and started warping to the site. Dscanning, I see the probes out, but only for a second. Ooo...These guys are smart, moving their probes off grid as they popped them out. I assumed they would use dscan to get a close lock before trying to probe me out the hard way. Six wrecks, Ive got only two left. One jump out from the exit system of the hole on Korvus.

As I was tabbed to Korvus, I hear shield alarms blaring! Quickly switching, I align the noctis out, knowing its death is coming. Tab back to Korvus, jump into system, warp to bookmark, tab back to Varka. I inspect the attackers; a Manticore and a Loki. Different corps/alliance. A coalition maybe, but alts more likely. I had a few seconds. I switched back to Korvus and jump into the hole, warping directly to Varka at 10km; who is fleeted with me. I land right on top of the Loki, 2km away; instantly getting a lock and scram on him,. The Manticore is 10-15km out, Im not going to chase him, opting for the Loki who could melt me if fit with autocannons at my current range. I took the risk, setting my orbit to 1000m, activating my repper and web as well as OH'ing my rockets. I know my home system, I have a boost to small weapons damage that will put me on par with the Loki's dps against my reduced signature at such a close range and high transversal. The Manticore would have no chance of denting my armor with the torps he most likely had equipped, so I ignored him.

Tabbing back to Varka, the Noctis finally bites the dust! I cringe a little at the loss of my t2 salvaging rigs, but its worth it I tell myself; the loki is at 60% armor and not really hurting me! I keep chipping away at his shields, getting past the 30%-ish max recharge. My repper is only 40% burnt, I keep it heated. As I break into his armor, I prepare to hit a wall, but it doesnt happen. My rockets obliterated his armor as if they didnt exist and the explosions tore into his hull. I prepare to snag the pod, but a second Loki lands on grid! My launchers are almost damaged beyond the repairing of nanites, as is my repper! I turn the heat down while keeping it tight on the first Loki. He explodes well before the second can close the 20km distance between us.

At this point, the Manticore has left the field, I have chosen to ignore the pod and go for the second Loki that has been fielded by my new enemies. I still have a few cycles of heat for my launchers,
I decide to save those for the 30%-ish moment of max regen for shields, in the hopes this guy is also shield tanked. He tries to hold range at 17-19km, but only has a long point and my web reachs 18km while I easily close the distance with my MWD boosting me along at 2100+ m/s. I get into a tight orbit of 1000m again and turn off the MWD, I need to keep my sig as small as possible. With this second Loki webbed and pointed, I checked my cargo for some exile. Drugs are good, but this time, I had not gotten any. Damn these High sec entrances!

Circling with a high transversal, this second Loki is having issues hitting me, barely scratching the paint on my ship. I decide to use some paste and repair the repper. A risky move, should either of his fellow pilots return in a new ship, I will be shit out of luck for a minute. Thats a risk I needed to take, because if they did come back, I needed to be able to heat the repper. Keeping the guns on him, he hits 50% shields when an Onyx lands on grid and pops a bubble. A fucking bubble in my hole! I hate bubbles, but I cant get distracted from my target. I hope no more ships land while this bubble is up, I wont be getting away at all then if I need to, even in the pod.

I get the Loki down to 10% shields, and the Onyx warps out. He leaves his friend behind to die in a blaze of glorious battle. At this point, the pilot speaks up in local expressing his impressment at my skill and competency. I think of something smart and witty, but choose to go with something else: A Ransom!

He had, after all, just killed my 300 misk Noctis. I continued firing, but offered a reply in local; "500 misk ransom and you can go. You have until your ship explodes to send the ISK." Simple, to the point and honest. He does have two friends still on scan, one now in a hurricane. By now, I try to turn on the repper and notice it is still repairing, so I have to right click cancel. How annoying, btw, that is in the middle of a fight and trying to get a ransom. Anyhow...

He makes some talk of like ok, one sec. I know these tactics though, but Im a risk taker. How quick can his hurricane partner land on grid before his Loki pops. A few more cycles and he will pop, down in hull now. I pause the launchers and give a final warning; "Your ship is on fire, you want to send the ISK? I am a former pirate, one of my honor." When I say this though, I notice he still has a point on me. Why would he have a point on me if he wants to get away? OH SHIT, its a TRAP! I exclaim in my head. Hes wasting time to get more people to come to help him. Thats why that hurricane hasnt landed yet!

With this newly found logic pathway, I restart the launchers and tell him times up. Two cycles go, one more will get him, the cane lands on grid and closes the distance. The second Loki POPS!!!  With the Hurricane now in range, I quickly decide to go for a third kill. I approach and settle into a tight 1km orbit again. The only problem with this now, the hurricane pilot is hitting, and hard. He's also neuting me, and I realize this might be the end if I cant get outside 12.5km. Even then, though, I cant do anythign as my rockets wont reach that far, not to mention the medium guns will have a nice range out that far. Now is the time to evacuate!

I change my heading to directly up. The cane pilot's mistake? Using a long point instead of a scram. I was able to easily open range with my repper turned off while being neuted. Once I hit 15km, I aligned out to a celestial and started spamming warp. Once his point dropped, I entered warp. While warping, I checked dscan again and a Harbinger showed up. Interesting to me.

I offer up a "gf" in Local and thank them for the excitement. They also offer good fights and ask how I took out two of their t3's while also surviving their hits. I explain the effects of my home system and they said they knew about them but did not feel they were significant. Well, Ill tell you what buddy....The next time you enter a Wolf Rayet wormhole, you should not come in a shield tanked ship!

They say their good byes and I say mine, I wait a few moments before deciding to go back to loot the field. Im out of range of dscan of where the site was, and didnt think to check it as I warped back in. As I landed, I saw the Hurricane and Harbinger on the field, taking the loot and my unlooted cans of salvage earlier. I spam warp out again and get away; allowing them to loot the field of my victory.

All in all, a good freakin battle. It even ended with an exstension of invition to their alliance! We shall see how it goes, if I ever hear from them again.