Life can get interesting quite quickly in this world. This weekend, corp chatter was full of concern with the arrival of some new neighbors (again) - and they were sporting a Leviathan-class Titan. A little research into their history makes it even more interesting, as we live deep in Gallente LoSec (not borderlands or warzones), and they are a Caldari Faction War corp. With something like 4-5 times our numbers (ignoring the whole Titan thing) they could easily make our life difficult, so our diplomatic team set immediately to negotiate non-aggression standings. This was actually quite simple, as it appears they just want to run a Titan bridge into nullsec and nearby losec systems to hot-drop their enemies. Simple, until the next morning...
We have a couple folks in local who actively participate in Faction War for the Gallente. Putting it nicely, we don't get along too well with them. Shots have been fired, and ships lost on both sides. So when some of the leadership of the large Gallente Faction War corps appear in local and start scouting the system, only a fool doesn't see what's coming soon. Our little pocket of losec is a few jumps out of the warzone, so really it's no surprise that with the ongoing battles and the escalation in hostilities to include capital and super-capital ships that anywhere within jump range of the warzone becomes a staging system. So here we are, a smaller industrial focused corp trapped in our home system between two of the biggest faction war corporations out there. Life is about to get interesting - very interesting...
edited 01.05.2011 0845
... and within minutes of posting it seems our hot-dropping friends from the Caldari militia have moved on. Oh well. I guess it won't get interesting after all.
Showing posts with label Faction War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Faction War. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Monday, May 10, 2010
War and Piracy (second rebirth)
(originally written and posted July 2009)
The war rages on. But does it impact the life of a lonely pod pilot?
I never felt like a patriot. It wasn't me. My family were immigrants and industrialists, not warriors or statesmen. I had already drifted far from my origins. Becoming a Capsuleer, I knew I had become more than anyone in my family before - immortal, rich beyond their imaginings, and a wanderer in the darkness between stars. When the empire wars began nearly a year ago, I watched from the sidelines. It was, after all, not my problem. However, like many others, I was curious about the war. In the springtime after war broke out, I decided to take a short stint in the Gallente Militia.
As a solo pilot, I had never put much stock in the corporate experience. The company that helped train me was quick to let me go without a second thought, although life in The Scope wasn't much different. A large group of pod pilots fly in The Scope, but they don't have any common goals, aspirations, or the ability to really coordinate and work as a team the way other corporations seemed to. So when I went into the militia office to sign up for a term in the Gallente Militia, I didn't really pay attention to the details, and simply signed on the bottom line. That was not my first mistake, nor would it be my last.
I had recently relocated to Jufvitte, a border system on the edge of the disputed regions. There was a Federal Defence Union station in system, with a variety of agents to work for. I'd been running missions my entire career, and thought this would be no different. I called up the local agent on my neocomm and applied for a mission. I was shocked at the mission offered - fly 13 systems across high- and lo-sec Caldari Space and assault an outpost in their border zone. This mission went smoothly, although flying to and from the system was challenging, as I was chased 4 systems across The Citadel by the Caldari Navy. Several other missions were similar - fly far across space to a Caldari border system and assault an outpost.
One evening, as I was assaulting an outpost, I was surprised to see a Caldari Capsuleer warp into the mission. I hadn't paid close attention to the information packet handed out by the militia recruiter - and didn't realize that my arrival in the system would be noted, tracked, and I would likely be attacked by either Caldari militia or local pirates. My initial reaction was best - I immediately aligned and warped to my exit stargate. There was no ship waiting there, and I should have just jumped out and accepted my failure, as my ship was not configured to battle experienced pod pilots. But I was so used to the life of a hi-sec mission runner I just re-aligned to the deadspace gate and warped back in. At the gate there were two other Caldari pilots, and they were prepared to battle other capsuleers. Within moments I was webbed and scrambled, unable to get away as they locked weapons onto my Catalyst-class destroyer and began assaulting me. I returned the favor, targeting one of them and opening fire, but they were just out of range of my 125mm railguns, especially with antimatter charges. I was missing as often as hitting, and the well-known Caldari shield tank was holding up easliy against my intermittent fire. I continued to attempt to warp away as they quickly ate through the shields on my ship, and began to penetrate the armor. In an unbalanced fight (3 to 1) I sat basically unable to strike back and merely watch my ship dissove from under me. The explosion of my ship disrupted their scramblers just enough for me to get away - but having failed to complete my mission. My personal disappointment (and the frustration from the agent who had hired me) led to a quick end of my contract with the Gallente Militia. I flew for them for a mere two weeks, and had nothing to show but a Pend Insurance payout on my overpriced Catalyst. I was done, disgusted with my lack of understanding and unprepared to lose ships anywhere, anytime, to the raiding Caldari militia pilots. I contacted the local militia office, and resigned, realizing I wasn't made of "the right stuff" for the war.
Fast forward to high summer. I watched from the sidelines as the Caldari conquered system after system across Gallente space, reducing the "safe" space to fly in to small pockets of high-security systems scattered across known space. I was a more experienced pilot today - I still hadn't had to take out a fellow capsuleer, but I was smarter about how to avoid pirates and other pilots, and I had been studying the techniques of ship combat, improving my ability to command and utilize the offensive and defensive systems in my ships - I had even qualified to fly the advanced frigates and destroyers available to the Gallente pilot, although I felt I wasn't quite ready to fly and lose a ship that expensive. I was, after all, still a solo pilot. That was all about to change. I had come across a corporation that seemed willing to let me learn the actual techniques of combat against other pod pilots, and they had recently signed up with the Gallente Militia to fight back against the Caldari horde. I felt like it was time to try again - time to step back up and sign on the dotted line. I was going to re-enlist.
The war rages on. But does it impact the life of a lonely pod pilot?
The war between the Empires continues, the blood toll rising daily. Families torn asunder, friends now turned to enemies; such is the cost of peace and politics in New Eden.
Some events go unheralded; victories and defeats all in the name of duty and honour.
Economies collapse, piracy is on the rise. Is there an end in sight? Can there ever truly be peace?
I never felt like a patriot. It wasn't me. My family were immigrants and industrialists, not warriors or statesmen. I had already drifted far from my origins. Becoming a Capsuleer, I knew I had become more than anyone in my family before - immortal, rich beyond their imaginings, and a wanderer in the darkness between stars. When the empire wars began nearly a year ago, I watched from the sidelines. It was, after all, not my problem. However, like many others, I was curious about the war. In the springtime after war broke out, I decided to take a short stint in the Gallente Militia.
As a solo pilot, I had never put much stock in the corporate experience. The company that helped train me was quick to let me go without a second thought, although life in The Scope wasn't much different. A large group of pod pilots fly in The Scope, but they don't have any common goals, aspirations, or the ability to really coordinate and work as a team the way other corporations seemed to. So when I went into the militia office to sign up for a term in the Gallente Militia, I didn't really pay attention to the details, and simply signed on the bottom line. That was not my first mistake, nor would it be my last.
I had recently relocated to Jufvitte, a border system on the edge of the disputed regions. There was a Federal Defence Union station in system, with a variety of agents to work for. I'd been running missions my entire career, and thought this would be no different. I called up the local agent on my neocomm and applied for a mission. I was shocked at the mission offered - fly 13 systems across high- and lo-sec Caldari Space and assault an outpost in their border zone. This mission went smoothly, although flying to and from the system was challenging, as I was chased 4 systems across The Citadel by the Caldari Navy. Several other missions were similar - fly far across space to a Caldari border system and assault an outpost.
One evening, as I was assaulting an outpost, I was surprised to see a Caldari Capsuleer warp into the mission. I hadn't paid close attention to the information packet handed out by the militia recruiter - and didn't realize that my arrival in the system would be noted, tracked, and I would likely be attacked by either Caldari militia or local pirates. My initial reaction was best - I immediately aligned and warped to my exit stargate. There was no ship waiting there, and I should have just jumped out and accepted my failure, as my ship was not configured to battle experienced pod pilots. But I was so used to the life of a hi-sec mission runner I just re-aligned to the deadspace gate and warped back in. At the gate there were two other Caldari pilots, and they were prepared to battle other capsuleers. Within moments I was webbed and scrambled, unable to get away as they locked weapons onto my Catalyst-class destroyer and began assaulting me. I returned the favor, targeting one of them and opening fire, but they were just out of range of my 125mm railguns, especially with antimatter charges. I was missing as often as hitting, and the well-known Caldari shield tank was holding up easliy against my intermittent fire. I continued to attempt to warp away as they quickly ate through the shields on my ship, and began to penetrate the armor. In an unbalanced fight (3 to 1) I sat basically unable to strike back and merely watch my ship dissove from under me. The explosion of my ship disrupted their scramblers just enough for me to get away - but having failed to complete my mission. My personal disappointment (and the frustration from the agent who had hired me) led to a quick end of my contract with the Gallente Militia. I flew for them for a mere two weeks, and had nothing to show but a Pend Insurance payout on my overpriced Catalyst. I was done, disgusted with my lack of understanding and unprepared to lose ships anywhere, anytime, to the raiding Caldari militia pilots. I contacted the local militia office, and resigned, realizing I wasn't made of "the right stuff" for the war.
Fast forward to high summer. I watched from the sidelines as the Caldari conquered system after system across Gallente space, reducing the "safe" space to fly in to small pockets of high-security systems scattered across known space. I was a more experienced pilot today - I still hadn't had to take out a fellow capsuleer, but I was smarter about how to avoid pirates and other pilots, and I had been studying the techniques of ship combat, improving my ability to command and utilize the offensive and defensive systems in my ships - I had even qualified to fly the advanced frigates and destroyers available to the Gallente pilot, although I felt I wasn't quite ready to fly and lose a ship that expensive. I was, after all, still a solo pilot. That was all about to change. I had come across a corporation that seemed willing to let me learn the actual techniques of combat against other pod pilots, and they had recently signed up with the Gallente Militia to fight back against the Caldari horde. I felt like it was time to try again - time to step back up and sign on the dotted line. I was going to re-enlist.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Saying goodbye to the house you grew up in
After almost two years in EVE, I joined a Player Corporation last summer. Aurora Security (A.SEC) was (at the time) in Faction War on the side of Gallente. Within days of joining they left FW, with frustration of the blobs and problems with FW that have been well documented elsewhere. For a short period we were just a LoSec based corp, doing some wormholes, L4/L5 missions as a corp, a variety of industry, and some plexing. We lived under NBSI in our world, which meant we had targets all the time. A.SEC was my first real introduction to what EVE is meant to be. A group of players across the world working together and for them the game was all about fun. I learned how to fly safely in losec and 0.0 courtesy of Mr. Teu (retired). I learned about scouting roams, fitting long-range versus short-range, gank vs. tank, how to escape a gate camp (or at least have a chance). I moved to 0.0 with A.SEC, was introduced to bubbles, POS bashing (which I still can't do well), hot drops and bomber squads.
A.SEC fluctuated between 6-10 active members in my timezone in the early days. We fielded our own gangs for roams, we had groups to hassle invaders in our space (pre-Dominion), players who were new and old. An unfortunate turn of events led us to a rapid move from our first 0.0 home, which left several players with their entire hangar stranded in enemy territory. This happened to coincide with a few very active folks getting burnout and we went from having a steady 6-10 players online anytime to 4-5. We settled into our new alliance quickly though, and were able to contribute effectively and were recognized as a good addition. Life with Art of Defiance (-FFS-) was more interesting for A.SEC - this was a true PvP alliance, on roams, camps, ops daily, if not daily for each major TZ. FFS was made up (mostly) of experienced players - folks who had been playing for 2+ years. This was good and bad - lots of experience but lots of folks on the edge of burnout. During a particularly difficult stretch we had a new neighbor arrive in the form of Dead Terrorists (IKILU). After some preliminary shooting at each other, FFS and DT formed a NAP with the intent to drive Vanguard. out of their current residence. That worked well, with Vanguard departing within a couple months. However, FFS was seeing lower and lower participation, with the onset of holidays, new games, and just general burnout, and recruiting was not easy. A.SEC was suffering the same path of the alliance, but with optimism we moved forward, and FFS corps merged into DT.
A.SEC continued to struggle with recruiting and activity, and since DT is an aggressive PvP alliance, there were concerns all around about losing our access to 0.0 and the fun combat we love due to inactivity. It was decided to merge our PvP toons into a sister-corp from FFS that was also part of DT - Royal Enterprise (RENT). So, with much chagrin, I logged into EVE and dropped roles from A.SEC. First note: when you drop roles you lose access to everything - corp hangars, POS hangars, everything. Fortunately I was clear of assets in corp hangars, but if I'd realized that I would have waited a couple of days to help move assets about. The other part of this is that you can apply to a new corp as soon as you drop roles - and after the 24-hour cool down you can be accepted and just move from one corp to the other directly.
I will miss my time with A.SEC - although many of the other PvP pilots are joining me in RENT - it was my first true home in EVE, and the players I worked with impressed me with their willingness to educate and their great attitudes. With regret, I say goodbye to the house I grew up in - Aurora Security may you survive, thrive and grow through this tough time.
A.SEC fluctuated between 6-10 active members in my timezone in the early days. We fielded our own gangs for roams, we had groups to hassle invaders in our space (pre-Dominion), players who were new and old. An unfortunate turn of events led us to a rapid move from our first 0.0 home, which left several players with their entire hangar stranded in enemy territory. This happened to coincide with a few very active folks getting burnout and we went from having a steady 6-10 players online anytime to 4-5. We settled into our new alliance quickly though, and were able to contribute effectively and were recognized as a good addition. Life with Art of Defiance (-FFS-) was more interesting for A.SEC - this was a true PvP alliance, on roams, camps, ops daily, if not daily for each major TZ. FFS was made up (mostly) of experienced players - folks who had been playing for 2+ years. This was good and bad - lots of experience but lots of folks on the edge of burnout. During a particularly difficult stretch we had a new neighbor arrive in the form of Dead Terrorists (IKILU). After some preliminary shooting at each other, FFS and DT formed a NAP with the intent to drive Vanguard. out of their current residence. That worked well, with Vanguard departing within a couple months. However, FFS was seeing lower and lower participation, with the onset of holidays, new games, and just general burnout, and recruiting was not easy. A.SEC was suffering the same path of the alliance, but with optimism we moved forward, and FFS corps merged into DT.
A.SEC continued to struggle with recruiting and activity, and since DT is an aggressive PvP alliance, there were concerns all around about losing our access to 0.0 and the fun combat we love due to inactivity. It was decided to merge our PvP toons into a sister-corp from FFS that was also part of DT - Royal Enterprise (RENT). So, with much chagrin, I logged into EVE and dropped roles from A.SEC. First note: when you drop roles you lose access to everything - corp hangars, POS hangars, everything. Fortunately I was clear of assets in corp hangars, but if I'd realized that I would have waited a couple of days to help move assets about. The other part of this is that you can apply to a new corp as soon as you drop roles - and after the 24-hour cool down you can be accepted and just move from one corp to the other directly.
I will miss my time with A.SEC - although many of the other PvP pilots are joining me in RENT - it was my first true home in EVE, and the players I worked with impressed me with their willingness to educate and their great attitudes. With regret, I say goodbye to the house I grew up in - Aurora Security may you survive, thrive and grow through this tough time.
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