Sunday 30 August 2009

Weekly Update #3

Weekly update #3 (24th August – 30th August)

This week has been tough as some of my assistants at work are off on holiday and I had to pick up the extra hours. In fact this update is written at work. Don’t tell my boss.

Celebrity Death Matches;
This week saw my lead in the Celebrity Death Match score tumble even further with a loss to fellow Blogger Manasi. The score now almost even with the celebrities trailing with 6 wins versus my 7. Kudos to Manasi who out-performed me in every way and has been a real pleasure to meet.

I fear that Kane Rizzel has blocked me and is not responding to my emails. It’s a shame as I had already parked up a Battlecruiser in his home system in preparation of our agreed fight.

There are some more in the pipe line but the very next fight will be with legendary Pirate CEO Flashfresh from the Bastards. This should be an interesting fight as we have agreed to fly a ‘comedy fit’; T1 Cruiser hulls with a Battleship sized gun. Yeah, you read that right. Break out EFT or similar tools and give it a try. Keep in mind that normally I only fly Caldari. The fight will be this coming Tuesday at 21:00 Eve time at an undisclosed location. Please see Flashfleshs’ blog for some details too and feel free to leave comments or suggestions on the fits. I have already prepared a ship but can’t discuss this until we are both undocked and ready for battle, so watch this space…

Fiction;
I have posted Chapter 3 of my fiction story ‘you win some, you learn some’. Some responses in game have been positive however some have been to correct me on Eve universe laws of physics. All comments are appreciated as they can only drive me to write more and better.

Flashfresh has been very kind to read over the story and will advise me on some of the Bastard lingo and help me make the story more matter-of-fact. I intent to post the last Chapter on Wednesday this week as I originally intended but will re-release the amended story in a month or two with all the drawings I missed out.

In other news;
The dark side has been calling me more and more and on Monday evening I flipped my first ever can. Why? To be honest the only reason I did it is to have some fun and pick a fight. It worked and I had a gang of 3 newer players in frigates attack me with a more skilled pilot in a battleship. I had a laugh and talked briefly with the Battleship pilot after I popped one of the frigates. No hard feelings I hope.

As all 4 attackers left the system I spotted in local something that I had heard about but not seen before. A corp called Pew Pew had entered the system with 7 pilots named; Banana Alpha, Banana Beta, Banana Charlie… you get the idea.

I decided to investigate and finally found an Orca with 7 retrievers in a belt. I flew around for a bit until the Orca pilot convo’d me and asked if I wanted to fight his main in Battleships. Do I? you bet!

I undocked my favourite Raven and jetted off 2 systems away. There was a possibility it was a trap however I was willing to take the risk. I am confident my Raven fit is one of the best and Torpedo damage is assisted with the implants I carry. On damage out-put there will not be many Battleships that better my 1243 DPS.

We met and danced only briefly; his Blaster fit Megathron made short work of my beloved Raven and destroyed it with more than half his armour still intact. I quickly escaped in my pod feeling disappointed in the result. I offered him a GF and took a prolonged lunch break.

I had been wondering not so much how he had beaten me but how he ran 8 accounts. So I decided to have a chat with him;

Jensius Duo > lo :)
Me > 0/
Me > complements on the kill
Me > had a question for you
Jensius Duo > hehe, thanks for bringing it :)
Me > lol
Me > how do you mine with 7 accounts?
Jensius Duo > lol, i run the 7 clients on one pc
Me > jebus
Jensius Duo > on a 1680x1050 20" screen
Me > must be slow?
Jensius Duo > every client is 1024x768
Me > is it worth it?
Jensius Duo > not too bad actually. Got a core 2 quad Q6600, nvidia 285 gtx and 4gb of ram
Jensius Duo > no clue
Jensius Duo > but i kinda got the 6 accounts for free anyway
Me > ?!
Jensius Duo > well EVE had this buddy program, if you invite someone, they get a 21-day extended trial
Jensius Duo > then if they activate, you get +30 days gametime as well
Me > i see
Jensius Duo > now, there was this steam action, where you could active your trial (+30 days) for 5 euro's
Me > aha
Jensius Duo > seeing as i had 2 accounts, i got +90 days on both accounts + 6 51-day accounts, for 30 euro's
Me > feck
Jensius Duo > even normal gtc's for the 90 days would be more expensive
Jensius Duo > :p
Me > nice one, how do you keep track of 9 clients running though?
Jensius Duo > oh, the mining barges only need checking back to every 5 minutes or so
Jensius Duo > so i just quickly go through 'em all every 5 minutes, while doing other stuff :)
Me > very impressive. good on you.


Interesting I thought and went on with my day.

Just to finish;
My career as a Pirate has finally started! Nashh Kadavr has been accepted into The Black Rabbits Academy! I still need to find some time to bring some ships in for him and after one op it has become clear I need something sturdy to deal with gate guns. I wonder if an Ishtar can…

Also on September the 1st new bloggers will have been selected to join the Blog Pack! I have put myself forward and hope I am one of the lucky few. Fingers crossed.

Cant wait for next week!

Related links/posts;
Manasi fight; http://nashhkadavreveblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/celebrity-death-match-9-manasi.html
Flashfresh pre-fight post; LINK PENDING

Celebrity Death Match #9 Manasi

Manasi - The Mule, Blogger Extraordinaire (29th August 2009)

Manasi is a busy man. It had taken some time to pin him down and find time in his busy schedule to meet me for a fight. Being in a 0.0 alliance and pretty much constantly at war, the man has many operations to participate in. I wonder how he still manages to write the amount of brilliant blogs he does…

First contact with Manasi was made some weeks ago. We had exchanged some emails and spoke briefly over private chat channels. He kindly complemented me on the Celebrity Death Match idea and was keen to participate. It’s always nice to hear people like what you do.

I had offered to fly to any location of his choosing but having the luxury of a jump-clone it was very clear that logistically it would be easier for him to meet me instead. Mental note; need to get jump clones.

Fighting Eve celebrities has by the most part worked out well for my RL schedule. It just so happens that most celebs are on American time zones and I am usually on in after 12 midnight my time. I had just finished another gruelling 15 hour shift at work and on arrival home poured myself a nice glass of XO rum and logged in.

‘Manasi’s Death’ had been prepared fairly soon after I had made initial contact with the to-be-recipient of its might. A Caracal with microwarpdrive and a buffer tank.

I had settled in with my drink and my feet up. Skill queues updated and ready to log off I had a quick look at the address book. In it is a folder named ‘to convo for 1 vs 1’ and in it was Mr Manasi. Let’s see what he is up to, I thought, requesting a conversation.

It appeared I got lucky and Manasi who was nearing the end of a war declaration was happy to meet me. He jump cloned from many solar systems away to just 11 jumps from my location. I undocked the speedy Cruiser and set off.




In the time I took to get to his high sec base he managed to shop around and find the modules he intended to fit. After a quick scout of the navigational map we agreed to go to a nearby low security system to avoid CONCORD’s interest in our business.

We had by this point met up on Eve voice, a feature I had not used for some time but worked really well. Manasi and myself chatted about the stuff Eve pilots talk about. It is always nice to talk to nice people and we had a laugh throughout. Neither of us expected to win the fight which thankfully took a little pressure of the event.

It is always a surprise to see what your opponent turns up in and I had not been sure again this time. Not that it would have mattered as the only cruiser I can fit half decent is the trusty Caracal.



Our ships met at the first of four gates and our Rupture and Caracal travelled together to Aldali . Manasi’s flying style I would describe as having excellent 0.0 mentality; always cautious. We scouted the system briefly and found our intended battleground to be deserted, excellent. Manasi’s experience in o.o showed again as he prepared a safe spot about 500k from the furthest planet from any gate.

In my couple of weeks chasing around famous Eve pilots my security status has taken a bit of a knock. I went from a decent 4+ to a -1.1. Surprisingly for a pilot in an alliance that shoots anything and anybody Manasi still holds a respectable and clean +5. Apparently a feature his fellow alliance pilots give him some stick for every once and a while…

With both our capacitors recharged and having stolen from a jettisoned can, the fight was on. I had intended to fit my preferred tech 2 launchers however the tight fit would not allow for all 5 launchers to be just that. Instead I had to sacrifice 3 of them to be of the ‘Makulth’ variety. Not an issue per se however this did split my range; with 2 launchers being able to hit at 38k and the others at 18k. Mental note; do not split weapon types and/or ranges.

My microwarpdrive quickly burned up the 30 kilometre gap to be about 20. With all launcher primed, missiles where expelled from the safety of their launchers as soon as my lock resolved. The foes ship at this stage still static returned the favour but the Caracals speed negated most of his damage output. As I expected his shield were no more within seconds of the fight beginning. My shields held up magnificently even though they started to take some hits. As my speed reduced the pain he was inflicting came in twice fold.

His secondary armoured defence had taken severe damage and reached the half way mark by the time my shields reached theirs. This was to be a close fight for sure, His armour breaking would guarantee his demise but my shields cracking would spell my doom. Overheating weapons and drones did their best but with my capacitor dying it was kiting then speeding up again.

Shield and armour separated from both our ships and sweat started to appear on my forehead. ‘Crap’ I uttered as our fragile hulls appeared at the same time. With my capacitor bone dry all I could do was watch in terror as my hull kept decreasing and his armour started to show signs of regeneration.

Time slowed and my ship erupted in a ball of white fire. ‘Argh’ I started, ‘so close!’. Manasi had brought a good fight and his combat expertise showed. His fit was better and his skill and experience surpassed mine.

We laughed some, docked and waited out the Global Criminal Countdown timers together.

As said Manasi is a busy man. During and shortly after our scrap he was also in various other chat channels and at least 3 other forms of voice communications. One of his friends was taking some flack in a carrier and off he went.

Close, but getting second place in a 1 vs 1 doesn’t win any prizes. My once 4 point lead against the Celebs has been reduced to a mere 1 point advantage this week.

Grrrr!



Related links/posts;
Manasi side of the story; http://www.ceptacemia.com/AMIE/?p=719
Celebrity Death Match Kill Board; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=15
Sys-K Killboard; LINK PENDING

Wednesday 26 August 2009

Fiction #1 "You win some, you learn some" Chapter 3/4; ‘Kourmonen Clone Facilities’

Chapter 3/4; ‘Kourmonen Clone Facilities’

Nashh opened his eyes. Blurred light bled into his retina. His movement was slowed by bio fluid. Ah yes, I died, he thought. Gentle humming surrounded him. The glass lid of the clone vat opened as the liquid drained. He could breathe again. Nashh slowly tried to step out unsure what to expect, unsure if his new unused legs would carry him.

'Hi, I am Arthur', Arthur Enpiesea said. 'I am the vat controller at this Kourmonen station'. A short slender man from Achura background stuck out his hand to help Nashh out. 'First time I see' Arthur noted scanning the small barcode on the inside of Nashhs right wrist. 'Yeah' Nashh replied slightly dazed and rubbing his head. Hair! 'Why have I got hair? and I still have my tattoos?'. 'Your clone must have been updated when you looked like this' Arthur explained. 'Would you like to purchase an updated clone while you are here?'. 'Sure, I suppose' Nashh said, trying to remember the day he installed this clone.

It must have been a year at least, guessing from the Mohawk he sported last summer. Arthur proceeded with taking a blood sample and scanned Nashhs body. 'I also sell and install implants, depending on availability; I see your records show you have lost some'. 'I won't at the moment I think, I expect to be back here before too long'. 'I wouldn't mind some clothes though' Nashh said now aware he had been naked in front of the Achura scientist for some time. 'Of course' Arthur started, 'the washing and changing facilities are at the end of the hall'. 'If you haven't stored any clothes in your locker, there are some medical pants available, one size fits all' Arthur smiled.

The faint whizzing noise from another vat opening came from right beside him. It was her! Her cloned body as perfect as the other, stirred then burst out. 'Aargch!' she screamed, 'assholes!'. Both men fell silent and took a step back. She took a moment to catch her breath then looked at the scientist and Nashh. 'O, hi Arthur' she spoke calmly as she straightened herself. 'Hi Miss Mynxee, good to see you back' Arthur started, 'had a little accident?'. 'Just fun and games' Mynxee said her eyes now resting on Nashh.


'Close your mouth boy' she said teasingly, 'never seen a naked woman before?'. 'Well I ...' he couldn't finish his sentence. He was suddenly aware she had started to look him up and down slowly, she smiled. She likes it. 'How is your first egg-breaking experience so far' she asked. 'You win some, you learn some' Nashh managed, sweat forming on his brow. She smiled. 'Update me please Arthur, I have to go'. Arthur took the required blood sample and scan.

'See you around pretty boy' Mynxee said. She stood on her toes, balancing herself with her hands on his shoulders and kissed him on the cheek. As she turned and started walking she jokingly shouted 'nice hair-cut!' and grinned.

The two men didn't speak for what felt like an eternity.'Friend of yours?' Arthur broke the silence. 'I suppose' Nashh had gone red in the cheeks again. 'Clones may be sterile but the mechanics still work' Arthur said clearing his throat. 'I see' Nashh said trying to cover his modesty. 'I'd best get changed, thanks for your help Arthur'. 'No problem, anytime, and time again...'

He had lost his implants, his favourite belt and his dads watch. None of it mattered to him. All he wanted was to see her again. And some clothes.

On arrival in one of the many drinking venues of the giant space-station Nashh made his way to the bar. A slim, young lady with full Brutor facial tattoos nodded at him. ‘Do we know each other?’ Nashh muttered whilst signalling over the bar tender. ‘You are not that lucky yet’ Venom Orchid snapped back. ‘Rum & Quafe’ Nashh instructed the bartender. As he looked sideways at the girl he added; ‘and whatever she’s having’. ‘Make mine a double’ Venom smiled at the bartender. It was only then that Nashh noticed the Hellcats buckle the vixen wore on her belt. ‘Are you here with Mynxee?’ Nashh stuttered. ‘No, she has already left’ Venom lifted up her mug and winked at him before emptying it in one go. ‘Working on a secret project’ she continued, ‘nothing for you to worry about’. She stepped away from the bar and tied her shoulder length dreadlocks behind her head. ‘We’ll be back in a few weeks young pirate’ Venom Orchid smiled and patted Nashh on the shoulder. Without any more words exchanged the female buccaneer picked up the bag by her feet, turned and walked out. 'Rum & Quafe please tender' Nashh called over the bartender.

'Rum & Quafe please tender'. 'Another?' the bartender asked Nashh somewhat concerned. 'I have paid for the previous drinks have I not?'. 'Well, yes sir, and I may say you have tipped generously' the tender leaned in 'I merely say it for your concern'. 'It’s the Quafe you see' he continued now whispering. 'It can send one loopy' the tender said putting a finger to his head and twirling it. 'Just the rum then I suppose' Nashh replied as the bar steward straightened up. 'Coming right up sir, would you like to make it a triple for only double the price?'

Some triples for only double the price later and Nashh lay slumped over the bar. Conversations had ranged from love to music. On love the bartender had only been able to advise him to seek her out and to tell her how he felt. The music conversation was even shorter. Nashh had requested for the music to be turned down, to which the tender could only reply 'what music?'.

It was very obviously time for Nashh to retire to his temporary quarters at the Kourmonen space station. Not knowing where she had gone and no way of knowing when he would see her again he retired to his room to contemplate his next move.

The few floors to the sleeping quarters seemed to take forever, hallways appeared stretched to infinity, lights blurred. The forever journey had given him time to think of the one place he could see her. By the time he reached his room and got inside, he knew the clone facilities are off limits and heavily guarded.

But there was another way. Sitting on the edge of his bunk, he unclipped the safety latch holding his blaster in its holster and without a second thought he put the hand cannon to his temple...

Monday 24 August 2009

Celebrity Death (Re-)Match #8 Roc Wieler

Roc Wieler - The Colonel (23rd August 2009)

The day had been long and mostly boring. My evening however had been most exciting. A pre arranged fight with legendary Tony ‘the Weekend Warrior’ had swung heavily in my favour. The Celebrity Death Match scoreboard was looking good with myself in the lead with 7 wins and the celebrities trailing with 3.

Morale and bloodlust still soaring, I had found renewed faith in frigate class hulls. My datapad showed the one man still at the top of my list. His image flickered briefly as I called upon him.

‘Good day Civire’ the colonel greeted, ‘I presume you would care for that rematch?’. ‘Yes’ I plainly responded, already undocking my Frigate, knowing the colonel would accept. ‘You know where to find me’ Roc stated, but destination Dal had already been set. ‘I will make my best speed however it is 18 jumps’. Comms fell silent for a moment but the fallen peoples hero grimly stated; ‘18 jumps is a long way to come and die…’. ‘It is colonel, but it will be worth every second of pain I get to inflict upon you’ I responded. ‘I like your attitude young warrior’ he smiled.

On route to Dal some light pleasantries were exchanged. The warriors complemented each other on their written work and art.

The colonel offered to fly his famous Faction Firetail into battle and after some consideration I had to accept. Knowing full well the skilled Matari pilot would have a distinct advantage did not deter me as an additional rule was set out; we were to spar to the hull not the pod.

On Arrival in Dal I quickly docked to repair my still damaged Kestrel from the fight it had won a little earlier.

Nerves started to set in as colonel Wieler signalled he was ready and requested a jump in distance of 50 kilometres. I undocked ‘Bloody Sunday’ hoping she would give me victory again and warned Roc; ‘prepare to die colonel’. ‘I always prepare’ he responded and continued; ‘good luck’.



It was the first time I had seen a Firetail and yes it is a beautiful ship. Nevertheless my intentions were to strip the ‘Renegade’ from its gleaming shield and armour. Afterburners ignited and pushed my trusty steed towards the adversary. The distance between us only closed slowly...40...37..34...31...28...28? A missile slammed into the side of my ship, ejecting bright sparkling matter from within. And another, and another. ‘Having fun yet?’ the foe laughed at me. ‘Crap’ is all I could muster knowing Roc had outsmarted me. My shield now half gone and in a desperate attempt to get within range I overloaded the afterburner, briefly pulling me to 20 kilometres but it was not enough. My Caldari Navy rockets fell short of their target, and exploded feebly in empty space. I began to feel I had merely been invited to a target practise and knew my fate was sealed when the shields gave up.

‘Kudos’ I spoke in our private chat window as my Kestrel spewed out its insides. ‘Um what?’ Roc uttered ‘you were mid armour!’. ‘Aye, it’s like paper’ I explained.

The embarrassed Matari officer offered to purchase a new fitting for me but I declined explaining it’s not a problem.

‘As a fun sidenote for you’ the colonel taunted ‘I also have a Damage Control II I never touched, a Pith C Shield booster I didn`t touch, and a BZ-5 Grav Jammer I was ready to use if I needed to’.

I laughed out loud and we talked for some time about ship fittings and the Firetails’ abilities. ‘I trust this was fair enough?’ Roc asked. It had been my choice to challenge the Firetail and a ship loss is always a risk so I assured him; ‘Aye Captain’. ‘Aye colonel’ the colonel corrected me. We laughed and exchanged some more pleasantries. Roc deposited 10 million isk into my account and explained he understood it’s not about the isk but about the gesture.

A Rifter duel was offered to the pod and I accepted gladly. Travelling to a nearby market hub to buy and fit another Kestel I contemplated a different setup but in the end decided to give ’Bloody Sunday’ another chance. With the fitting saved it didn’t take too long to get everything together and made my way back.

On arrival back in Dal the pleasantries had stopped and I put my war face back on. There would be no mistakes this time. I instructed my DPS monster to warp to 0 and on landing scrambled the feared ‘Ripsack’ immediately hoping to kill its microwarpdrive. Primed Arbalest launchers poured out faction armaments as I dictated a tight orbit. Our ships flashed past each other and circled tightly, dancing the tango of death. His shields melted in a few volleys and with his armour exposed I overloaded everything I could. My shield was barely holding up but triumph was sure to be mine. His armour now creaked and started showing signs of breaking with my shields now also giving in I closed all windows and prepared to capture the moment I won a Roc Wieler killmail. As my screen was cleared from all unnecessary visuals Roc’s ship appeared to slow briefly before a bright flash filled my screen. YES! I WON! IN YOUR FACE COLONEL! IN YOUR FACE!

The screen regained its colours and my mouth dropped, eyes widened. The Kestrel I was expecting to come out of the flash had transformed into an egg. How? What? I reopened the communications window and there he was, laughing at me. ‘Hahaha’ Roc laughed, ‘thought you had me didn’t you?’.

The colonel explained what had happened and his skills and experience as a pilot had shown. He consoled me by saying; ‘You are a noble opponent. I have to say I’ve enjoyed our encounters’. However it was too late, I docked my pod. The colonel had well and truly smashed my morale and scoreboard together with my ships.

Colonel Roc Wieler saluted me a left-handed Matari salute and I responded with the Caldari right.

This was to be the last time we were to meet under pre arranged circumstances; however we both know that the war is not over yet….

I retired to my bunks for an uneasy night sleep. Tired and broken, licking my wounds…

Related links/posts;
Roc’s side of the story; http://everamblings.wordpress.com/2009/08/24/celebrity-rematch-the-renegade/
Celebrity Death Match Killboard #1; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=13
Celebrity Death Match Killboard #2; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=14

Celebrity Death Match #7 Tonglil

Tonglil - AKA Tony the Weekend Warrior (23rd August 2009)

Tony had been on my list for some time however if one would look for Tony in the Eve universe with the conventional tools available you will not find whom you are looking for. Tony writes a brilliant blog; helpful, informative and also plenty of action to feast ones eyes on. His blog site is well laid out, reads easy and has some cool features. I wish I could use a tag cloud on blogspot…

After taking some effort in tracking Tony down I spotted the Weekend Warrior online on Saturday evening when still parked in Evati. I had fitted a Kestrel in preparation for a rematch with Venom Orchid but my quickly becoming most favourite pirate was otherwise engaged. Tony accepted the convo request after clearly taking a little time to read my biography. Realising my motives Tony said kindly he felt honoured to be asked to do a Celebrity Death Match and agreed to meet up. I ensured him the pleasure was all mine and I was humbled for him accepting.

A quick check of the navigational map indicated an 18 jump travel for either of us. Unfortunately a space-travel I could not make at that time but we agreed to meet in Ipref at 6pm GMT the next day. Tony requested for me to prepare two ships with different fittings unless I was confident that one ship would be enough to last best out of three fights.

My history in Frigates has been short and not very successful so I prepared two ships the next day, having to make various jumps in the Ipref local area to get my fittings and vessels in place. Doing these matches has required for me to be more patient and find different things to do whilst waiting for a Celebrity to turn up.

Five hours later I had made some progress on some drawings and started munching my Chinese takeaway when a private communications screen opened up before me. ‘Hi am I late?’ Tony asked. ‘Just a bit but don’t worry’ I replied, ‘I am used to celebrities keeping me waiting’. Whilst I sucked down the last of my dinner Tony finished his laundry and rolled his socks.

I had brought a ship named ‘Antidote’, the ship I had flown here all the way from Evati and was originally to be Venoms ‘Antidote’. The second ship was another Kestrel but setup to deal pure damage of the highest order. I had named the ship ‘Bloody Sunday’ to indicate the end of the Weekend Warriors Weekend.

The rules had been quickly agreed and Tony undocked to get setup in a safe spot only to quickly dock again to insure his ship. I chuckled and explained he wouldn’t need it.

Tony indicated he was ready for me to warp to him and I undocked ‘Bloody Sunday’… No I didn’t I undocked ‘Antidote’. At some point in the day whilst waiting and double checking my fittings I must have been strapped into the wrong ship. O well, I thought. I expected to lose both ships and thus engaged the warp-drive anyway.

Tony’s Rifter class Frigate awaited me as my warp-drive shut down. Without delay both combat pilots locked theirs foes and opened up every available weapon system. ‘Antidote’ was fitted with a just a single ECM array but immediately broke Tony’s lock. Caldari Navy Thorn Rockets poured from their launchers faster and faster as I overloaded all my racks without delay. As the ECM array’s skipped a cycle here and there Tony didn’t hesitate to pound my fragile shields and they quickly drained to reveal the even thinner armour underneath. His armour broke and his hull was already on fire but his armour reppers repaired him quicker now than I could damage them. Overheating ECM arrays have a stronger effect than they were intended to do and three consecutive cycles jammed the rivals targeting system. It was enough for my rockets to finally break through his hull. My modules and his ship burned out at the same time…

‘Wow’ is all I could stutter into our communications channel. Still in disbelief of my victory I scooped his dropped gear and docked at his local base. After trading his loot back to him Tony applauded my victory and I felt good. Tony is a pleasant chap to chat to and we quickly agreed to fight again. I explained I would like to fight in the ship I initially intended to fly and undocked to pick it up in a neighbouring station.

The ‘Bloody Sunday’ undocked and set course for the already waiting Tony. The Kestrel sported a medium Shield extender and an afterburner but most importantly the 2 newly fitted small missile rigs and the Tech 2 Ballistic Control Unit where to ensure it would be a Bloody Sunday indeed.

The warp tunnel faded behind me and the afterburner immediately put me in a 5 kilometre orbit of the enemy Punisher. The change in hull surprised me and I didn’t quite know what to expect from a Punisher. I remained calm and as expected the 143 DPS didn’t tickle but pounded his shields into oblivion. My shield had started to take some damage too but my launchers now overheating put out an astonishing 172 DPS. A victory in my favour was imminent and I prepared to take a screen shot. Unfortunately I was too late to get a good shot of the large blue flash that preceded the Punishers parts being spread violently into the blackness.



Tony advised me not to worry and explained he had recorded both fights! Brilliant! I hope to see them on youtube soon!

The fight was over incredibly fast and again I was amazed at my win. I started believing in the power of frigates and may become a converted Battleship pilot at last. My pulse still racing from excitement we talked briefly but my data pad showed some business to be taken care off.

Tony generously gifted a Centii C-type Reactive Plating he had collected from a space adventure someplace. It was to be the trophy for my wins and I promised never to fit it. The famous Weekend Warrior has been a pleasure to meet and I hope it will not be the last…

Related links/posts;
Tony’s version of events; LINK PENDING
Celebrity Death Match Killboard #1; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=11
Celebrity Death Match Killboard #2; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=12
Youtube link #1; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jZLSFMt9iM

Sunday 23 August 2009

Weekly Update #2

Weekly Update #2 (17th August - 23rd August)

What a week it has been. I am back at work and hated every minute of it. However; it brings home the bacon and pays for my Eve Online subscription.

I gained another two followers! Yay! It is always nice to think someone actually reads this stuff.

This week has been the week where I posted chapter 2 of my fiction story but sofar nobody has commented. I suppose I expected someone to as the title ‘Mynxee’ should draw some attention. Also in the story Nashh has joined the Bastards and I was expecting to get in trouble for that as clearly I have not. Maybe nobody has read it.

CrazyKinux has kindly linked another one of my blogs on the speed linking list (thanks!) and has called out for bloggers interested in the blog pack, Pick me! Pick me! A lot of interest has been shown by some really good bloggers and thus competition is stiff. I will keep my fingers crossed until the 1st of September.

I also managed to squeeze 3 Celebrity Death Matches in; one on Monday with Hellcat cutie Venom Orchid and the second suitably at the weekend with Eve’s Weekend Warrior Tony. And I also caught up with Colonel Roc Wieler. The score is Celebs 5 and me in the lead with 7. Tony and Roc post will come tomorrow; including some very cool screen-shots.

I have also started some new topics; Ramblings, Helpdesk and Bio Funnies. In the topic Ramblings I intent to ramble stuff that I need to get off my chest or put stuff that doesn’t fit in anything else. Helpdesk will be short posts related to guides, fitting suggestions and such like. Finally I added Bio Funnies as my answer to Roc Wielers’ brilliant short posts of quotes and will simply be copied bio’s that made me smile, chuckle, grin or eve laugh out loud.

My fight with Venom Orchid and related Helpdesk post caused some controvocy as the fitting I had picked for the fight had been bespoke for her or gimped if one would prefer. I didn’t feel good about the victory to say the least. I have felt like a coward all week. On top of that I have been getting a lot of stick on the bastard kill board and also Hallan Turek posted a comment on the related blog. The Celebrity Death Match is something I enjoy doing and Hallan is clearly on the list however I feared I jeopardised future fights by what I had done. Again my apologies to the community and I ensure you a setup like it will not happen again.

Venom Orchid has been extremely good about it however. I have offered to retract the score, I purchased and contracted her a fully fitted and loaded Rifter and offered a rematch. The score is to stay as she stated I played by the rules set out, the Rifter I contracted to her has been declined for the same reason. (So now I am stuck with a Rifter I cant fly and fittings I don’t use) The rematch has been accepted however and I can’t wait! Time and a place are to be agreed and ship hulls could be Frigates or maybe Battlecruisers (YAY!). The Match has also been sweetened with a wager; Venom will design a banner for my blog if I win, I will do a saucy drawing of her if she wins. And yes, I have already started drawing in preparation for my loss ;-)

Roll on next week….


Related links/posts;
Celebrity Death Match #6 Venom Orchid; http://nashhkadavreveblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/celebrity-death-match-6-venom-orchid.html
Celebrity Death Match #7 Tonglil; http://nashhkadavreveblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/celebrity-death-match-7-tonglil.html
Celebrity Death Match #8 Roc Wieler; PENDING
CK speed link post; http://nashhkadavreveblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/celebrity-death-match-6-venom-orchid.html
Fiction 1, Chapter 2; http://nashhkadavreveblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/fiction-1-you-win-some-you-learn-some.html

Bio Funnies #1

The internet; where men are men, woman are men and children are FBI agents...

Saturday 22 August 2009

Ramblings #2 Roc Wieler Art

I entered a drawing for Roc Wielers fan art request. Just in case he doesnt like it and doesn't post it i'll post it myself;

The sketch made this morning is scanned in and thus is a little faded but hey ho.

Related posts/links;

Roc's fan art request; http://everamblings.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/oocfan-art/

Thursday 20 August 2009

Fiction #1 "You win some, you learn some" Chapter 2/4; ‘Mynxee’

Chapter 2/4; ‘Mynxee’

’Guys! Guys! Please! Take a moment and say a warm welcome to our newest member, ladies and bastards, this is Nashh, Nashh this lot here are the Bastards’. Some of the rowdy bunch at the bar raised their drink or nodded. ‘What's your poison Nashh?’ Flashfresh continued. ‘Rum and Quafe please boss’, Nashh replied trying to sound cool and remain calm.

There she was. The many books he read and newspaper articles didn't do her justice. She was even more beautiful in the flesh. Mynxee, how he had longed to meet her. She was taller then he expected, her black knee high boots accentuating her height. She wore a short, skin tight black dress, adorned with a wide belt, holding a blaster bigger than his. With finger nails painted black, her hands never strayed far from her hip. A sharp jaw line and hard features did not distract from her feminine beauty. A body toned and hard like it had been sculpted out of Tritanium by the most skilled artist. Her breasts...

'Nashh!' it was Flashfresh holding out a mug. 'Huh.. Yes, what?' Nashh responded looking dreamily. 'Ah yes, she is hot stuff hey..' Flashflesh said following Nashhs gaze. 'Forget it though, she's with the big man over there' he continued, pointing at a tall muscled figure at the end of the bar. 'Not someone to mess with'. The tall man sported a black leather jacket with the words ‘The Colonel’ in white paint.

It was obvious, apart from his immediate affection for her; she was the focal point of the bar. Everyone looked at her, talked to her or wanted to talk to her.

'Doez anyone fancy a roamz?' Happy San said, very obviously too drunk to ride a tricycle. 'Sure' the general response came from the group. 'What did you have in mind Happy?' Mynxee spoke. When she did people fell silent and watched her. Her voice was clear, seductive and sexy without meaning to, but her voice also exuded confidence and venomous danger. 'Frig zuicide gank' Happy San managed, for 'shitz and gigglez'. 'Hell, why not' Mynxee said, 'I am bored' she proceeded as she stepped away from the bar. 'What about you, new boy?' Mynxee looked directly at Nashh. 'Who? Me?' he nearly choked on his drink. 'I...'. 'No he wont' Shae Tiann interrupted. Shae walked up to Nashh and lifted his right arm, turning the wrist up. 'No clone tattoo, this is still his original body!'. There were some chuckles from the pirates that had now started to pay attention. 'Aww, you never had your egg broken?' Mynxee said, 'how sweet', slowly stepping in his direction. Nashh cleared his throat, looking at the two beautiful vixens in front of him. 'I don't mind' he stuttered, 'can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs'. The air tensed, nobody laughed. Mynxee was now close enough for him to feel her breath. His heart started to beat faster and blood rushed to his cheeks. She put her hand to his face, fast enough to make it sound like a slap. He didn't flinch. Her thumb briefly touched the scar on his face, she smiled. She likes it. Her hand gently moved down to his neck where it stopped, and squeezed together. She leaned in closer and whispered 'just don't get in my way pretty boy and you'll be fine'.

Speed fit Frigates and Interceptors scream from the undock point faster than torpedoes...

'A Drake has been spotted in an asteroid belts 2 jumps from here Flash' Fishbrain said over the fleet radio channel, 'however it is clearly bait'. Mynxee cut in and reminded the fleet commander; 'so what? That's what we are out for'. 'Roger that Mynx' Flashflesh responded, 'fleet, set destination Auga'. Some "yar's" and "woots" later and one jump from their destination the frigate fleet held and waited for stragglers. 'Jump you crazy bastards' Flashfresh instructed, ‘warp to the top belt on arrival!’.

As the rowdy pirates came through and one by one de-cloaked in Auga, the lone Drake had not moved from where it had been spotted a few minutes ago. The pirates swarmed to the Battlecruiser like a cloud of angry bees. Missiles and projectile ammo started hurtling towards their target.

As expected it was a trap. However nobody had expected the size of the enemy fleet that jumped on them from the vast black emptiness. Countless Rapiers, Muninns and Ishtars; a frigate pilots worst nightmare decended upon them…

'Get back to the gate!' Flashfresh commanded his fleet. Too late, it was sink or swim. 'Crap, I hate being primary' Shae said calmly in the fleet channel, 'see you at the bar'. Her ships hull expanded and ripped apart like wet tissue, revealing the pod briefly before also that got disposed of. ‘Hull breach hull breach! Beer spilled!’ Happy San yelled manically, followed by laughter then static. Carnage ensued, frigate wrecks and drones strewn across the span of the gate, pods being popped or barely making it out.

Nashhs head up display lit up yellow and his warp drive shuddered to a halt. He wasn't going anywhere. He didn't speak. Within seconds his systems indicated incoming fire. This was it. Shields and armour vanished around him, his ship buckling as mixed ammo and lasers from various ships now took away his hull. The moment he had waited for. The pod automatically ejected as the frigate collapsed behind him. Pod Systems flickered back on and he watched multiple ships light up bright red. 'Yes, I am ready', he spoke to himself not even attempting to warp off. Stretching out both hands and touching the side of his fragile pod, white light engulfed him.

Wednesday 19 August 2009

Ramblings #1 Mynxee Art

This section of my blog will be about stuff I cant place anywhere else. I have just finished work and whilst not doing what I should be doing I drew the following picture with a biro pen. It will eventually be included in my fiction story 'You win some, you learn some'. this particular image is Mynxee in the clone facilities in chapter 3. The image title will be; 'never seen a naked woman before?'




I hope you like it. and sorry Mynxee I didn't ask for permission to write/draw about you. I ensure you its nothing sinister.

Tuesday 18 August 2009

Helpdesk #1 Pre-arranged fight fittings

Pre-arranged fight fittings

After my scrap with Hellcats legend Venom Orchid and Mon Palae the Bastard I felt the need to explain my fitting choice. After reading some of the comments on the Bastard killboard especially I need to stress that the ships I lost to the Bastard that day are not the setups I would go for any other day. The ships masterfully dismantled by Mon Palae where the prototypes for my 1 vs 1 fight with Venom Orchid.

In any normal pvp situation any pilot would take into consideration warp scramblers or disrupters. In a pre-arranged fight however the rules are different; no pod kills, no warping off. Now this immediately means two things; you have a spare mid-slot and possibly two if your fit would normally comprise of a sensor booster.

Propulsion assist modules are still preferable as you can use this to get to your optimal or stay out of your opponents’ optimal range.

Fitting a ship becomes more difficult if you decide to replace the warp disrupter with anything other than shields or shield assist modules. Clearly you would look to get the best out of the module you slap on and may compromise the rest of your fitting. There is even the possibility the more common fit completely changes to be a bespoke fit depending on whom you are fighting and what you expect them to fly.

Then there is the added problem of only flying T1 hulls. So there are no natural bonuses to the ships other than some racial speed or damage.

As you can see the fitting for a pre arranged fight may require some thinking out of the box and is the reason for my stupendous setup.

Monday 17 August 2009

Celebrity Death Match #6 Venom Orchid

Venom Orchid – Blogstar and Hellcats Meany (17th August 2009)

On the last day of my holiday I decided to fly a Kestrel to Evati. I fitted the Frigate the day before, having thought about it long and hard. Evati is the notorious home system of the infamous Hellcats and Bastard pirates. I made the 20 jump trip in preparation for a fight I was hoping to get with the scoundrel Venom Orchid, a Hellcat I have seen online a lot over the last week or so.

About two jumps from my destination I started to have doubts about my fitting, however there was little I could do about it anymore. I had decided to put some rigs on the frigate. The rigs where cheap, especially as I build them myself, however this did limit the options of changing the setup. There is only one way of finding out I figured and on route through the low security systems I tried to find a suitable target, preferable a Rifter as that is the likely ship Venom would be flying.

I jumped through the last gate on my route and hey presto! A pirate Rifter about 15 clicks from the gate! The opportunity was to good to be true and I decided to engage. My systems locked on to the Rifter rapidly and rockets followed a straight trajectory to the pirates’ frigate. The setup I had chosen involved ECM jamming instead of shields and the Phase Inversion ECM worked very well. The target ship was unable to get a lock on me and was by now taking serious damage from my Faction armaments. He was forced to warp off and I considered it a victory. Brilliant! My setup works! I quickly docked before any of his friend turned up.

Safely docked I decided to look into the pirates details and.. o dear.. it was a Bastard. Mon Palae the Bastard pirate. Mmm, I thought, interesting, maybe he would like to spar a bit more. Full of confidence in my new ship I quickly invited him to a conversation and requested to tussle it out a bit more. He agreed and invited me to come to Planet 3. I had to be a little careful as I had not prepared for a battle other than the fight with Venom. I carry expensive implants and it would be silly to lose them. I was confident however and mid warp made the decision that if he would warp off again close to me being victorious, I would refit and replace the Webber for a Disrupter. The fight ensued and didn’t quite work out the way I expected and within 20 seconds Mon Palae had ruined my dream and my ship named ‘Venom Orchids Doom’. It had turned out to be my doom instead. (I think I burned out my ECM array)

I quickly docked as my pod would not be safe from the Bastard because no 1 vs 1 rules had been agreed. We chatted briefly and I explained my intentions in his home system and the name of my ship. Mon Palae is obviously a friend of Venom but gladly he understood and over the next hour or so we chatted about Kestrel fittings.

Venom Orchid had in the meantime logged on I we talked about the ‘accident’ that had just occurred to the ship spelling her doom. She (after chuckling at me) agreed to fight me whenever she is free next, perhaps later that day.

I managed to get a new vessel prepared and was keen to fight the Bastard pirate again to see if my new fitting would work better. I had opted for not one but two ECM modules to see if I could perma-jam him whilst destroying his ship. I did not rig the ship as I actually had to purchase the modules this time.
We agreed to fight under the standard 1 vs 1 rules and again we met up at a planet in Evati. I warped in on him with 20 kilometres of space between us. Before I fired a single rocket I activated the first ECM module. The gap between us closed rapidly and with about 12 kilometres to go I started firing both sets of launchers. The ECM module had by now reached the half way point of its first cycle and I hastily activated the second. My head was pounding, and I felt a little stressed hoping that now my setup would work. His shield parted with the rest of his ship and his armour was laid bare. Tunnel vision set in as I tried to remain at some distance from his clearly faster frigate. His armour reached the halfway mark and I overheated all my racks to push that little bit harder at this crucial stage. My red hot launchers briefly stopped firing as there where no rockets for ten seconds to feed them. I stopped overloading as I feared I may lose the modules before the fight had been decided.

What? I started to receive damage! And not a little either, the two active ECM’s failed to get a lock for 2 cycles each and Mon Palaes auto-cannons shredded through my unprotected ship like as if it wasn’t even there. The fight had swung in his favour in the space of 10 seconds and dramatically altered the outcome.



My ship lay in tatters. My pod gently bobbed up and down in the vacuum of space.

‘Back to the drawing board’, I said, a little disappointed in the fights result. I had started so well. Mon Palae kindly traded me back my dropped ammo and modules after repairing them. We talked a bit more about Frigate battles and his help has been appreciated. Again, if you read this; thanks for your time.

I am obviously aware at this point that Venom Orchid will have read the killmails produced by her fellow pirate and knows my intended fitting style. I ponder the rest of the afternoon on what to do and whether I should change the ECM’s to weapon disrupters and lose the mwd for an afterburner. I gave up in the end and decided on the setup I was to fly into battle. Appropriately I named it ‘Sorry Venom ;-)’ for I was sure it would annoy the hell out of her.

About 5 hrs later and I spotted Venom logged off, I presumed to make her way home from work. When I looked next to me in the Evati station not long after, she was there. I didn’t waste any time and convo’d her immediately, as by now it was 2 am on my side of the planet.

She didn’t take long in getting a ship ready and we agreed the by now standard rules of 1 vs 1; no eggs to be broken, no warping off and thus to the death! Venoms Rifter screamed from the undock point and jetted to a safe spot. As soon as she arrived and got in position I got the green light to warp to her. I did so straight away. My sleepy eyes opened a bit further as soon as my warp drive activated and my heart sped up. I tried to remain focused on the fight about to ensue. The fight I had prepared and waited for all day, knowing it could be over very quickly.

With both sets of rocket launchers and the first of 3 ECM’s primed I anticipated the warp bubbles collapse… Lock! Rockets didn’t need any further encouragement and propelled themselves at speed to her spacecraft. Half her shield crumbled by the time the first ECM reached about a third of its first cycle and I activated the second. Her shield now gone, I remained calm and activated the third ECM. Initially I intended to keep some distance but her faster and more agile ship was hugging me closely. Her armour nearly broke and I overheated everything I could. Knowing now I was to win this fight with not having received any damage I zoomed out the view and prepared a screen shot.

As I did so my rockets started to fall short and exploded before they even came close, as she had by now created a gap between us. My weapons unlocked and deactivated. The fight would normally have been over at this stage as in a pvp scenario she would have warped to safety. I quickly turned around my ship to create an even bigger gap, big enough to make a 150 k fleet warp to her, but it was not necessary. She had already turned back and so did I. Like a lamb to the slaughter I believe she accepted her fate. Honouring the ‘fight to the death’ she granted me the killmail.


We discussed my fitting briefly and both chuckled. Three ECM modules just for her. The victory was mine but I felt like a coward. This is not how I wanted to win. I had her perma-jammed from the start. We agreed it was an interesting experience and we should tango again sometime.

I offered to trade back her dropped items however she offered for me to keep them and I will. A trophy one might say.

It has been a long day and with some losses in the afternoon and a late night, but again it has been worth the buzz! Thanks again to Venom Orchid and I hope to share space with you again someday…



Related links/posts;
Venom Orchids version of events; http://www.venomsbite.com/2009/08/18/binary-duel-ship-log-8-17-09/
Hellcats Kilboard; http://hellcats.eve-kill.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=4015896

Bastards Killboard #1 Mon Palae; http://www.the-bastards.com/kb/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=11941

Bastards Killboard #2 Mon Palae; http://www.the-bastards.com/kb/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=11942

Celebrity Death Match Killboard; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=10

Sunday 16 August 2009

Weekly Update #1

Weekly Update #1 (10th August-16th August)

Well well, it has been a good week for me. I have been off on holiday and thus had plenty of time on Eve and side projects.

The first biggy is of course this blog. I have intended to start writing and drawing again a little while ago, getting out the creative side of me and all that jazz. It just hasn’t materialised until this week. There are still some things I want to change and add but that will come. My first 3 Celebrity Death Matches have been posted and back dated and CrazyKinux has kindly posted a reference in his last blog. I am gonna keep pestering him to add me to the blog pack as that is my goal but until then I will keep blogging away.

Also a quick note to thank Mynxee, Venomorchid, Shae Tiann, CrazyKinux and Kirith for adding themselves as followers of this blog. I am truly honoured.

I have also posted the first of four chapters of a fiction story I wrote last month. So far no comments but; no news is sometimes good news. I have finished the complete story but am unsure if I should post all of them straight away or spread it over the next two weeks or so. They are incomplete in my mind too as I intended to include some drawings but I haven’t got around to that yet. I had also intended to have someone proof read them as well before I posted them but I can’t find any volunteers. Instead I am using the freedom of speech act and just doing it. I hope not to offend anyone as I have included various characters out of Eve but if I do offend anyone I can only apologize and refer to the freedom of speech thingy again. Also I need to stress the fact that it is a fictive story. None of the events actually happened and all of it is lies. Apart from the stuff about Mynxee :-)

Today particularly has been busy as I am managed to squeeze in 2 Celebrity Death Matches; my favourite blogger Kirith Kodachi and the infamous Colonel (and top of the wish list) Mr Roc Wieler.

Finally a quick thank you to Caldarla of WWC for helping me get setup.

Celebrity Death Match #5 Kirith Kodachi

Kirith Kodachi- Author of the inner sanctum of the Ninveah (16th August 2009)

First off I want to say Kirith is one off my favourite bloggers. I like his writing style and a lot of the experiences he writes about are relevant to what I do myself. Also he is one of the most active bloggers in the blog pack and I always smile when I get another update from him on the capsuleer app on my i-pod.

So who better to fight in a Celebrtiy Death Match than him? Exactly.

Kirith had been added to my address book a little while ago but I haven managed to pin him down until earlier this week. I had already briefly discussed a duel with him on his blog posts and he seemed really keen. I convo’d him earlier Saturday morning and he promptly replied. He explained he was a little busy at the moment but if we both had time later to do it then. We briefly discussed ship class and location. A Battlecruiser fight it was to be! Yay! My favourite! The location worked out really well for me too as I already parked up a Drake in Emolgranlan in preparation for my fight with Kane Rizzel. I hope he doesn’t read this.

I have actually been stuck in a wormhole for most of the day Saturday and it gave me time to find out more about what I was getting into. I found Kiriths skills listed in his blog and spent some time assessing what ship he would bring and what weapons he would fit. My conclusion was that he himself would be quite likely to fly a Drake and I expected him to fit it with assault launchers. I cursed the tiny drone bay as I couldn’t decide between ECM drones or combat drones. In my fight with Wensley he had shown how effective they can be and I figured that even if I manage to jam him 2 cycles it would probably turn the fight in my favour. A lot of our missile and shield skills are comparable and both of us have Battlecruisers trained to level 5. It was sure to be a close fight. He was likely to fit a microwarpdrive even if he would not come in a Drake so I decided not to fit one myself initially as his navigation skills are higher then mine anyway and he would catch up with me in the end. Instead I took the mwd off and slapped on another large shield extender, hoping to outlast him.

The actual fight took place on Sunday when I had renewed opinions about Frigate class vessels after my scrap with Roc Wieler. I had returned to Emolgranlan to wait for Kirith or Kane Rizzel. But after some time waiting and no replys from Kane I decided to go to my main base just outside Amamake to setup a few Frigates for future fights. I had only just arrived there and sods law; I get a private convo from Kirith. Bingo!

Kirith had limited time however and I sped the 11 jumps back as quick as my pod would take me. On route back we both agreed the rules; no warping off, no pod kills, a fight to the death. We decided to stay in the 0.5 security system, meet at planet 1 and for me to take from his jetted can to get aggro. I would then warp to planet 2 and wait for his arrival.

On arrival I docked and strapped myself into one of the two Drakes parked up there. Aptly named ‘Super Fast Barn Door’ it was not the ship I intended to take in the first instance but I had changed my mind. I chose for a mwd over the extra shield and fitted ECM drones.

I undocked the ‘Super Fast Barn Door’ and warped to planet 1. To my surprise, as by now I had convinced myself he would fly a Drake, he sat there waiting next to a can in a Myrmidon. Interesting. I proceeded with the illegal act of thievery, tut tut, and warped to planet 2.

The long distance warp drive shut down and the microwarpdrive activated giving me about 5 k distance when Kirith landed just behind me. His ships name ‘pistols at dawn’ made me laugh as we locked horns. As I would have expected from a blaster fit Myrmidon he made his way in my direction at a steady pace and I struggled to keep him at any distance. My targeting system seemed to take forever getting a lock on the foes ship but when they did my trusted Scourge Fury Missiles didn’t hesitate and did what they do best. His shields shattered within a few volleys, I remained calm knowing that that doesn’t mean anything. His armour immediately felt harder as only fractions of the indicators turned red with every volley.

At this stage I had not received any damage just yet and found a comfortable 10 k orbit of my rival. To obsessed with working out if I could win this I forgot to check on my drones and surprise surprise; the reason I hadn’t received any damage yet was because the ECM drones had been taking the flack for me. There were only 2 of them remaining so I decided to leave them out in the hope they would at least get a lock on him before they too bought it. On my head up display Kiriths ship had been blinking yellow and I finally noticed his ECM drones but too late. Jammed! Mental note; change overview settings to include Ewar drones. I had been wondering why he didn’t launch any drones and why I wasn’t receiving any damage back.

Twenty seconds lapsed before my slow targeting restarted and missiles returned to their duty. Whenever (6 times) I lost control of my targeting system, and thus also the orbit around Kiriths vessel, I manually directed my ship away from his rapidly approaching Battlecruiser. The 2 small ECM drones that I had remaining in space finally got a lock on their target not once but twice in a row. His armour eventually melted, however slowly. His duel armour rep setup did wonders in repairing the tough shell surrounding the fragile hull.

By now however I was sure it would break, I overheated my launchers and it did. The hull was paper thin and split quietly then erupted in a large plume of smoke and rubble. His pod had ejected and sat among the wreckage, lit up by the explosions orange glow.

For the duration of the fight, and it took some time, both of us remained silent. Kirith had written in our private chat window; ‘you are going to win, I'm out of cap boosters’. Maybe if I would have seen it in time I would have stopped and offered a rematch, then again maybe not. I was happy to take the killmail and we both knew what we where getting into. Lessons where learned for both of us in this fight I think and no hard feelings I hope. Maybe we can battle it out again someday…in frigates.

This now makes celebs 3 –me 4!

Related links/posts;
Kirith version of events; LINK PENDING
M3 Killboard link; http://www.darthninjabadger.com/m3CorpKills/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=2994
Celebrity Death Match Killboard; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=9

Celebrity Death Match #4 Roc Wieler

Roc Wieler – The Colonel, Capsuleer App Creator, Blog Master (16th August 2009)

After being stuck in a wormhole for hours yesterday, freedom came at last very early this morning. Thankful to be out I moved a Drake to Emolgranlan today where I am due to have a Celebrity Death Match with Kane Rizzel and Kirith Kodachi, but more on that later. Having arrived at my destination I tweaked the two Battlecruisers I have stationed there to suit my needs in the upcoming fights. And then I spotted him. No shit. The colonel himself! seeing him online is rarer than Morphite. I didn’t hesitate and invited him to a conversation. He promptly answered and was courteous from the beginning. I explained my reasons for disturbing him and tried to get to the point as quickly as possible, briefly interrupted by my laptop crashing. ‘Equipment deficiency?’ he asked when I returned. Slightly embarrassed for clearly a bad start I continued my request for a duel. I am a keen reader of Roc Wielers blogs and he is also the creator of the i-pod capsuleer application (my favourite) and will be publishing his novel soon so keep your eyes peeled!

Roc has by this point clearly read my details and is aware of the opposite sides of the war we stand. However this is a personal obligation and nothing to do with the war, besides my corporation has temporarily retracted its involvement in preparation of the alliance tournament.

The colonel agreed to the fight and I immediately undocked in one of my Drakes ready to make my way to Dal where he was plexing. My ships systems notified me that the warp drive was engaged, butterflies already in my stomach. ‘I don’t really fly them’ he lets me know in our private conversation window. Crap, stop ship, return to station. We briefly discuss ship types; he owns some Battlecruisers and even bigger however he rarely flies them. Frigates it will be then. By this point I already knew I was to lose as Rocs Rifter skills are first-class. Roc kindly offered to fly his famous Firetail into battle however I had to decline as I have nothing that even compares to the quality of that ship. I had resigned to the fact I would have to pick up a Kestrel about 10 jumps out.

Mental note I need to be prepared for frigate class battles if this blog has any future. Most duels are fought in frigates not in my beloved Battlecruisers. I made him aware of the delay it would take for me to get a ship ready but he was very patient and waited for me.

Ten jumps to my main base and 13 still packed in bubble wrap Kestrels awaited me. Delivered more than a month ago by a business associate, they haven’t even felt the cold dark vacuum of space yet. I quickly started fitting the best I had available, even slapping on an EM-shield resist rig to give myself a chance against the EM-ammunition the colonel would surely be fitting. Rats! No microwarpdrive! Damnit! By this point I was getting anxious for making him wait and I didn’t want to miss this opportunity. I undocked and made a swift detour to the Amarr trade hub where I also swapped my regular ammo for faction ammo. Debating whether I should take out the damage control and go for another damage modifier. Sod it I thought, knowing that the fight was not likely to last long. Only a handful of jumps to Dal and we formed up a fleet. We have already agreed not to kill pods by this point so my clone goes to war with nine implants in his head. On route I kept telling myself to rename my ship to something witty. I forgot.

On arrival in Dal Roc had put himself into a safe spot ready for me to warp to. I intended to stay at about 10 k range so it seemed a good warp in distance. The distance became shorter and shorter before the warp bubble collapsed around me. Without further ado and my senses sharp I locked, having already primed the 2 groups of rocket launchers…. What? I pause momentarily, confused about the CONCORD warning message displayed in front of me. His targeting system has now locked on to me too and he is closing in fast. It must be wrong surely, and choose to ignore the warning, knowing full well that CONCORD police may land on me and take me out quicker than even the colonel could. My rockets spew from their bays and sink deep into his shield. ‘Whoa!’ Roc starts, ‘wait a minute’.

I knew exactly what he referred to. He had received the same warning message as I did but made the wiser choice of not firing. We briefly discuss the options, both confused why the message had come up in the first place. My decision to fire gave me an immediate deduction of 1 whole point in CONCORD standings. A bit harsh. I warped off in the meantime until a decision had been made and to give the fight a clean start. Mid warp I wanted to kick myself as in my excitement I had forgotten the Global Criminal Countdown and landing at a gate was not going to do me any favours. On landing at the gate I immediately commanded my ship to warp back to Roc, taking a full hit from a gate gun nearly destroying me.

On route back to the ‘Ripsack’ named Rifter, its pilot noted my DPS was surprisingly high. And I agree, the damage my tiny ship put out was astonishing. Full of confidence we danced the dance of death again.

My warp in wasn’t as clean this time but good enough. I quickly managed to get into a 10 k orbit of his ship with the rockets pouring pain on his shields. The air tensed and I felt confident, his ammo had missed nearly every shot so far and my capacitor remained stable after a quick burst of the shield booster. My newly acquired overheating skill was put to use for the very first time, slightly worrying me as I didn’t know what to expect. Caldari Navy Thorn Rockets already hurtling at his ship appeared to come out even faster and angrier than before. Not just finishing of his shield but now taking big chunks out of his armour. I was certain to win this fight, my shields still at full strength and his ship now….leaving?

My heart sank. I had been denied the killmail of killmails. The Roc agreed however that I had won the fight. He appeared somewhat distressed about the fact that he did little to no damage to my ship and requested to pick up some different ammo to have another go. I quickly agreed but made him aware of the state of my ship, the launchers were half burned out and I was running low on ammo. He had some in his hangars at a local station and kindly dropped some more ammo off for me. So, we where to dance again. I felt confident in my ship and fitting choice and was keen to try again.

Colonel Wieler landed right on top of me and his ‘Ripsack’ let rip. I’ll be honest and admit that the fight lasted a mere 15 seconds or so. I clutsed around trying to get at range and messed about trying to get the microwarpdrive off then on, then in a desperate attempt to make something of it I think I may have tried to overheat everything not really sure what I was doing. I noticed my capacitor (with already minimal capacity) was as dry as the Sahara in summer and I stood no chance. I zoomed out ever so slightly to at least get a nice explosion pictured to add to this blog post, but even that failed me. The explosion was nice. Violent and slow, it briefly resembled a grey fluffy spider.

Kudos to the colonel who kindly emailed me the killmail headed 'you dead'. He brought a good fight and the pleasure was all mine. We have agreed that the fight was to be a draw and we should try again sometime.

So until then colonel Wieler…

That makes; celebritys 3- me 3


Related links/posts;
Roc Wielers version of events; http://everamblings.wordpress.com/2009/08/16/celebrity-death-match-4-the-other-side-of-the-story/
Celebrity Death Match Kill Board; http://818-k.eve-tools.net/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=4

Saturday 15 August 2009

Fiction #1 "You win some, you learn some" Chapter 1/4; ‘Pirates!’

Chapter 1/4; ‘Pirates!’

Nashh rubbed the scar on his face; it itches him when he gets angry. 'You want to what?!' Vic the trader said bemused. 'You heard me' Nashh said. 'Let me get this right, you want to sell your Charon freighter for 550 million and an interceptor?'...

A few years earlier...

'Put those books away boy' captain Kadavr said. 'There is no money to be made in frigate class ships Nashh' he continued. Nashh sighed, expecting his dads "honest-hard work speech" again. Mr Kadavr had been a freighter pilot all his working life and was determent for his son to follow in his foot steps. Nashh had different ideas however. Although he was a fully skilled freighter pilot himself and ready to start an honest job whenever he felt like it, his dreams where of the darker sort.'Pirates! Pirates!' Midshipman Clarke shouted at the top of his lungs. 'They have us scrambled!'. 'Calm down Clarke' captain Kadavr instructed his second in command. 'Let them board' he continued, checking the warp core gages himself, 'let's see what they want, notify concord'. Captain Kadavr knew that running was not an option and he was not risking the loss of his ship. The freighter was insured but his son did not yet own a clone and thus would be lost forever if the pirates would choose the kill mail over a ransom. 'There are only three of them!' Clarke sputtered 'maybe we can take them!'. 'No heroics!' captain Kadavr hissed, 'you'll get us all killed, there are always more'.All the while Nashh had been looking out into space, watching the glorious acrobatics the pirates performed in their Interceptors. 'A Jaguar has docked captain; he is making his way up!'. 'Thank you Clarke'. 'Please stay calm and unlock the control room'. 'Nashh?'. 'Yes dad?' Nashh replied somewhat distracted. 'I need you to hide; there is no reason for you to be involved in this'. 'But I want to'. At that moment the control room door opened...

A tall man entered slowly, scanning the room briefly he said calmly 'no slaver dogs?'. 'We can't aff...' Clarke started but before he finished his sentence the pirate shot him in his right leg, flooring the midshipman instantly. 'You speak only when I request you do' the villain said. The atmosphere tensed. 'What's your name captain?'. 'Kadavr' captain Kadavr said. 'I am...' Nashh started but again the pirate silenced the interruption quickly, smashing the back of his rifle into Nashhs face. 'Enough!' the pirate said now annoyed.

"You are kindly requested to pay ransom in return for your precious ship and pod, if you do not pay up in ten seconds you shall surely perish...’My name is Ronindata, remember it"

Those words still echoing in his mind after all these years. What followed is hazy at best in Nashhs memory; the butt of the ion rifle had hit him hard, splitting his face across the left eye. Blood streamed heavily from its socket but there was no pain. He was sure now what he wanted. The feeling of admiration overwhelmed him before he finally passed out...

A few years later...

Nashh rubbed the scar on his face; it itches him when he gets angry. 'You want to what?!' Vic the trader said bemused. 'You heard me' Nashh said. 'Let me get this right, you want to sell your Charon freighter for 550 million and an interceptor?'...

'Why'? Vic asked, 'you can get 750 for it a mere 6 jumps from here'. 'It isn't stolen is it?' Not that Vic would have cared any less. 'No', Nashh said firmly. The truth was that he simply couldn’t make another jump in that slow boat. 'I am in a hurry though' urging Vic on to close the deal. It was probably the worst thing to say to a guy like Vic who didn't waste any time to strike up an even better deal, 'mmm, I only have 450 in my name at the moment and..' '525' Nashh cut him off, not interested in some bullshit story. Vic's grin now widening 'deal!', stuck out his hand eager to have it shaken. Nashh reciprocated in the manner expected and shook Vic's hand. It wasn't about the isk, it was about the freedom. It was his late father's ship he just flogged for the worst deal of the century but he didn't care. It felt like a weight lifted of his shoulders.

Ships were swapped and isk transferred. Nashh checked his new bank balance and the access code of the crow. He was a 750 million isk freighter poorer but he felt considerably richer.

Vic looked at the dark, solemn figure and felt an emotion he had not felt before, guild. 'Er..' He started, 'wait, I knew your father, let me help you get on the way a little'. 'I'll tell you what' as a token of my good nature I will help you fit out that speed demon of yours with a module of your choice; any you see in my shop for free, nada, zip! On the house!'. ‘Ok’, Nashh said, immediately pointing at the Gisti-b type microwarpdrive in the corner of Vic’s hangar, ‘I'll have that one’.Vic's alligator smile diminished a little but said 'ok' feeling a little better about the fantastic deal he just struck with a clearly desperate man.

Trader Vic watched Nashh step into his pod and plug himself in to the Crows onboard systems. He shook his head but wished him well. The pod closed and filled with bio fluid. A quick system check later and Nashh felt strangely at ease in his new vessel. The Crow gently lifted of the landing pad and proceeded to the undock point. There was no delay as this part of day was quiet at this station.

The tiny frigate got spat out into the black vacuum.

'Access map' Nashh commanded the onboard computers, 'set destination Pain, station 4, Bastards recruitment office…’

Friday 14 August 2009

Celebrity Death Match #3 Mynxee

Mynxee - Infamous Hellcats CEO (19th July 2009)

During a fruitless 2 hour roam with some militia pilots I noticed her name. Lit up in bright green, her picture stared at me, then vanished. I hear the fleet commander mumbling in the background warp so and so… but I was no longer listening. The fleet around me split up and warped in different directions whilst I debated what to say to her. A minute passed before I realised I was alone hanging in enemy held space and decided to drop from fleet and park up my Raven Battleship.

‘Hello Mynxee’ I said after she had answered my communications request. ‘Hi how are you?’ she replied. I felt strangely comfortable, strange as I hold the legendary Mynxee in high regard; clearly a very skilled pilot and doing great work for the Eve community through her blogs, I could be a fan. No nerves this time though as I asked the question I convo’d her for; a fight. She accepted straight away by asking what ship type I would like to fly, I explained that I prefer to fly larger ships but am aware she most likely flies the smaller faster ships. Mynxee was willing to fight in Battlecruisers but her suitable ships were too far out to safely bring through the space now full of roaming militia fleets. Neither was I interested to make the same journey the other direction as activity in the area was bustling and I probably wouldn’t make it the full 17 jumps. Mynxee offered to clone jump herself to my direction if we could tussle it out in Cruisers, a most generous offer from her, to waste the 24 hour wait before she would be able to use the clone jump facilities again, so I gladly accepted.

She remembered my name from a kill mail registered by her Hellcats associate Shae Tiann. ‘Yeah’ I grinned ‘that was a good fight’. Knowing she had seen the kill mail and thus my fitting, I expected she would think I would fly the same or similar setup, therefore making the decision to fit Capacitor Neutralisers or comparable devices to her Stabber. This was the reason for me to break out my fitting tool to come up with an alternative setup, a passive one. I explained to Mynxee I required a little time to gather the modules for my Caracal but our communications channel stayed quiet. As quick as I could muster I continued setting up the ship I thought would give me a chance of winning, including rigs that my business partner had built for me.

An annoyed Mynxee returned in the communications channel explaining she had been caught at a gate and the blob that took her ship also took her pod. ‘O’ I muttered, thinking the fight would not happen now, ‘are you ok?’, ‘yeah’ she replied ‘it’s not an issue I had a clone stored nearby’. (For anyone lucky enough to ever kill Mynxee remember her corpse sells for around 100 million isk in Jita). As Mynxee had no other ships but her Wolf in the area we both agreed to continue the fight with the ships we had strapped ourselves into.

By now I had my ship fitted, rigged and ready to roll, naming it ‘The Mynxee Killer’ for good luck. To my annoyance I did not have any T2 ammo for my launchers and had to make do with faction ammo, I didn’t want to keep her waiting any longer so I set off and made the 4 jumps to the agreed system. On my way there she invited me to join the Hellcats Ventrillo channel, I gladly accepted and did so immediately…

She spoke softly, clear and strangely soothing. Until now I had not understood the big deal other pilots had made about Mynxee’s voice. Yes she does sound seductive and sexy without meaning to, but her voice also exudes confidence and venomous danger. Imagine Kaa the snake in a space ship with lots of guns.

Shaking my head to clear it, I stayed the course and upon arrival in Amamake we formed up a fleet. Unfortunately I had to close voice communications as I had by now received visitors in real life and I did not expect them to appreciate a conversation about space ships. I still had one ear for my headset and hoped secretly she wouldn’t stop speaking.

‘Ready?’ she asked, ‘yes, warping to you now’ I replied. There she was, the infamous Mynxee on my head up display, waiting… As my engines slowed from the warp, I prepared myself… ‘Target locked’ my systems confirmed to me just after I had activated my launchers. My 2 tiny drones left their bay and zoomed straight to the Wolf already making good speed in my direction. Missiles leaving the T2 launchers at great speed crashed into her Attack Frigate. Steadily they started eating away at her shield and then halfway through her armour when I feel blood rushing to my head… I desperately try to hold my excitement as I begin to think I have the upper hand… her armour disappears and hull begins to show when my shields finally give in, her hull begins to crumble but my armour is non existent as her overheating autocannons cut through me, like a hot laser through butter… with a large vicious explosion my Caracal erupts into smoke and fragments…

Damn! So close! ‘12% hull remaining’ she confirms to me. I sigh and warp to the closest station. We talked briefly about overheating, a skill I have not trained, but she assures me that that was the deciding factor in this fight. I make a mental note to buy the book as soon as possible and study it well.

It was a very enjoyable scrap, however expensive the loss. The rush I got from the entire experience is what makes me fly pixelated space ships in the first place. I clearly would have felt even better if I’d won but perhaps this opportunity comes along again sometime…

Mynxee left me to get back to work as she was scheduled to be a banker for EOH poker. Another brilliant EVE side game I have been spending too much isk on since she has got me addicted to it… damn you Mynxee!

Related links/posts;
(still no luck with linking stuff in the text)
Mynxees version of events; http://lifeinlowsec.blogspot.com/2009/07/that-was-hot.html
Hellcats Kill board; http://hellcats.griefwatch.net/?p=details&kill=1225
EOH Poker; http://www.eohpoker.com/

Celebrity Death Match #2 Wensley

Wensley - Rifter Drifter author and pirate extraordinaire (13th july 2009)

I logged on for some space adventure but ended up being a docked for about 2 hours, unable to leave due to mixed war target and star-fraction fleets camping the station I was docked in.

Having added Wensley the pirate to my address book the previous week and spotting him online I hesitated for a moment but then convo’d him, uncertain if he would be as welcoming and friendly as the hellcat had been last week, nervously clicked through and almost instantly the convo screen came up; ‘hi’. I complemented him on his blogs briefly but didn’t waste his time longer than necessary and requested the duel I wanted.

Wensley explained he has had a slow day and fancied a break and agreed to meet me for a 1vs 1 fight. He had no ships in the area and was not keen on spending large amounts of isk for a Battle Cruiser duel I requested, because of my late good fortune I had no second thought about buying him a ship knowing full well that that very ship would be likely be my own death.
After making his way to Kamela he fitted his Hurricane as best he could with the modules available in the system and spend a mere 50 mil which I gladly transferred to him.
I made my way back with one of the Drake Battle Cruisers I have parked in the local vicinity and set off to meet him. On route (slightly worried about war targets killing me on the way) the rules were briefly discussed; no warping off, no pod-killing. No problem.
Wensley was parked at his safe spot and fleeted me, on arrival in system I initiated warp to him at 20 k… ready steady … As soon as the warp bubble collapsed around me I started targeting his ship (noticing my overview was not setup right and had to find him in space) and let rip, my T2 short-range-high-damage-missiles pounding into his shields not long after. Ok; set orbit at 20 and release drones… his shields melted quicker than expected and he hadn’t got close to his optimal yet. Wensley mentioned in the fleet-channel he should have fitted a microwarpdrive instead of afterburner, kicking himself… I tried to keep him at some distance but this barn door did not have any propulsion assist at all, as I went for full shield setup only. His T1 ammo tickled my shields just a little while his shield had now vanished. I started to feel some comfort in that and had some hope that I may even win this fight when;…crap, ECM-drones? I did think of them myself but didn’t bring them in the end…o man, half shields, still 10 seconds for this ECM disruption to end…ok ok, stay calm it’ll be ok, relock, fire, check drones, ok its back on. His armour now half gone, my shield about a quarter of their initial strength and his drones get another lock wiping out my targeting system…’o dear’… I spill into fleet chat, ‘I thought I was winning this’... my shield now exhausted I wont stand a chance surely... 10 seconds later; re-lock, fire, check drones, trying desperately to get some distance between us but his speed is much higher and I have no chance of getting away...my armour half gone but Wensley is now deep in hull and requests a rematch before the fight was even over. I think about it for a split second but decline, ‘I’d rather have the Wensley mail’ I say, feeling like an asshole when I read it back... his hull collapses on itself in a rather small inverted explosion... I can’t believe I won!

I quickly check the kill-mail and my heart sinks a little, for he clearly didn’t fit what he is able to fit and I have been handed this victory on a silver platter…
I presumed he insured the ship and clearly hasn’t lost any isk, as the ship had been paid for by me… and before I can ask he offers to fight again in Cruiser Class hulls, I immediately accept, park up the Drake (in haste leaving my drones behind) and pod my way home to pick up a Caracal. On route I remember my encounter with Shae Tian and how I lost that fight with a similar setup, I consider changing to a passive tank but my impatience got the better of me and I fly straight back in an active-tanked caracal.

Again on arrival in system I warp straight to him at 20k and as the warp bubble slowly fades I switch on the T2 invulnerability fields, shield hardeners and damage control. As soon as my onboard targeting system lets me, I lock and commence fire, launch drones and orbit. His Rupture, fitted with a microwarpdrive, speeds towards me and opens fire, shields go down for both of us rather fast and I switch on the T2 shield booster. Knowing my capacitor will only hold for 1 minute 48 seconds I was hoping his armour would break quickly. My shields start to regenerate slowly as his armour slowly dissolves. ‘Lock drones! lock’ he angrily mutters in our fleet-channel, me finding some confidence in his frustration... then as my shield finally give way and don’t recharge as quick as he takes them away from me his ECM-drones finally get a lock on me... ‘he is already in hull, come on!’ I tell myself… but I do no damage for twenty seconds and receive several well placed bursts from his Republic Fleet EMP ammo loaded autocannons pulling me deep into my structure, ‘o crap this is over’ I say over the communications channel… As my lock resolves and my launchers have just reactivated... he lets me know with some frustration he has run out of ammo... BOOM! His hull buckles and shrieks as it gets torn apart in a bright, swift flash of light, leaving little but debris. I quickly check my hull, 16% left. Close, very close.

He offers kindly to trade me back the gear he bought with my isk but I offer for him to keep it, as a ‘thank you’ for making my day and slip him an extra 10 million for his time.

I still have mixed emotions about the 2 fights, I think I may still have won the first even if he would have fitted a microwarpdrive and T2 guns, however the second I would have lost big time if he would have had a little more ammo and T2 guns. Maybe we can do this again some day. ..

Later that day I was camping a gate in a Manticore Stealth Bomber and Wensley jumped through! He uncloaked one of his famous Rifter Frigates and paused for a good few seconds…I considered uncloaking and taking a shot but knew, Wensley in one of his 50 Rifters, would certainly rip me apart. Before I could make the decision myself, Wensley warped to his next gate of destination. Half kicking myself for not trying just for a laugh, half glad as the outcome would have been in his favour. I should just take the two Wensley kill-mails and be satisfied….

Related links/posts;
(I havent figured HTML out yet)
Wensleys version of events; http://www.rifterdrifter.com/2009/07/day-one-in-the-project-rifter-house/
Tusker Kill board #1; http://tuskers.killmail.org/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=3733432
Tusker Kill board #2; http://tuskers.killmail.org/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=3733434

Celebrity Death Match #1 Shae Tiann

Shae Tiann - Famous Hellcats Pirate (23rd June 2009 – 24th June 2009)

Going around restocking some of my ships around the Amamake Solar system I saw some heckling and cheering of a pilot in local. On closer investigation I realised what the fuss was all about, it were fans cheering and wolf-whistling for Shae Tian an EVE celebrity pod pilot from the epic Hellcats. Without to much thought I clicked ‘start conversation’ and to my surprise she immediately returned the convo. ‘Hi’ I stuttered… ‘hi, you ok?’ she replied in a friendly tone of typing… ‘yeah’ I managed and politely asked if she was busy or maybe had time to fight me in a 1 vs 1. Again startling me she replied that regrettable she was very busy, catching up on all the Hellcats Corporations paperwork and was station bound for the rest of the day. However she said she would certainly make time for me another day and for me not to hesitate to convo her again. I thanked her and closed comms, saving her details in my address book immediately…

The very next day, my birthday in earth life, I logged on to move some more gear around when in the bottom of my display her name came up in bright poison green. I stopped for a minute, heart pounding. Should I? Why not I thought, she said herself I can contact her anytime…

Again she was extremely pleasant to speak to and that calmed me down. We quickly agreed to meet in Kourmonen and fight in Cruiser Class vessels after I made her aware I don’t really fly Frigate sized ships and only fly Caldari (not great for pvp). Not having a Cruiser in that system I let her know I had to make a few jumps to collect a Caracal and she patiently set herself up in a safe spot. The only Caracal I had fitted was an old PVE fit with rigs however I did not care much for losing it, aptly naming it ‘Fodder’. On route back to Kourmonen I felt the need to ask my CEO for permission to fight a 1 vs 1 however the disappointing answer came back that the Caldari Independent Navy Reserve does not allow pre-arranged fights. My heart sank. I continued my course however and the 4 jump trek gave me enough time to explain to Shae Tian that his was to remain a little secret as my CEO Ladel Teravada is ruthless and would surely kick me from the Corp for insubordination if he’d find out. I was dead set on having this fight so I continued my course when over the communications channel the rules were set out; no warping off and we fight to the death, however no pod-killing was allowed…

Still buzzing from excitement I arrived in the agreed Solar system and after a fleet was made up I warped straight to her… my heart now pounding and blood rushing to my head I couldn’t wait to exit warp...there she was…quickly I adjusted my view as light from a nearby sun gleamed of her Thorax hull… ‘Ready?’ she asked but in my excitement I had already instructed my targeting system to lock her... ‘oops, yes’ I muttered, feeling my cheeks go red from embarrassment... never mind I thought, press on… My weapon systems and invulnerability fields already activated…Faction missiles spewing rapidly from their assault launchers (many weeks of missile skills seem to finally be paying off)… one after the other hitting her Thorax Cruiser before she had even fired a shot… launch drones! I commanded myself… 2 small Caldari T2 drones buzzed out of their hold making their way to the target ship quickly, locking it and doing their best in adding to my damage per second output… the great feeling of a possible victory came over me as her shield melted faster than I expected. With my shields now at half strength I was forced to initiate the Shield Booster knowing that they would only last a limited time… meanwhile I tried desperately to keep Shae at some distance as she was hurting me badly at this close range. Her armour was certainly not as fragile as her shields had been and only small amounts of damage came through the tough plates. Moments later, with both our shields gone and our armour in smithereens it was going to be a close battle. ‘O dear’ I managed to splutter in our fleet channel, just before my screen slowed down and for a second I was not sure who had won…until the plumes of smoke from a small but violent explosion clearly came from the remnants of my ship and not hers. ‘Close’ I said, ‘very close’ she replied. ‘For a second I thought I could win’ I sheepishly uttered, ‘so did I’ was her reply, putting a big smile on my face. Checking out her ship it proved how close it was indeed; 4% hull remaining and thick plumes of smoke bellowing from the warp drive…

We agreed to meet up in a nearby station where she kindly returned my dropped gear and drones. We talked briefly after the fight about flying rigged Caracals and I explained I would have rigged any Cruiser to fight her anyway, just to give myself a better chance. Yes it was an expensive loss but worth every penny. Shae Tian generously presented me with an exotic dancer and some spiced wine for my birthday. Laughing out loud and having had a great time I thanked her for coming out and fighting me.

Although the fight was supposed to be kept under wraps she kindly wrote about me in her next blog and of course my CEO has been notified by CONCORD over the loss of my ship, however to date I have not been reprimanded for my actions.

Still on a high from the excitement I quickly grabbed my I-pod touch and accessed the Capsuleer application, my favourite. Scanning through the blogs picking out some names of Eve celebrities to add to my address book and fight in a 1 vs 1 if they’d let me…

Related links/posts;
(until I figure out how HTML works)
Shae Tianns version of events; http://sweetlilbadgirl.blogspot.com/2009/06/overload.html
Hellcats Kill board; http://hellcats.griefwatch.net/?p=details&kill=1069