Carebear in disguise

I’ve been spending more and more time planetside, recently. The never ending fight against serpentis is becoming a real drag. Don’t get me wrong, it is lucrative and every now and then it becomes interesting, but those interesting moments get fewer and further apart.

I note with interest that the Scope has reported that the wormholes used by Sansha Nation in their recent “recruiting drives” turn out to be linked to Jovian space! Wow! What could possibly link those two disparate factions? I may have a dig around with my favourite Helios later.

Currently I am waiting for my application to Ushra’Khan to be processed, but now that they have achieved their goals of retaking Unity station and providence from the slavers, there is a large exodus of combat oriented capsuleers from their ranks – including many of their recruiters and diplomats! Maybe joining them is a risky option? Are they on a burnout cascade, or is it just time for a long vacation from the war against slavery? I guess I should try to work this out, but I’m already on my fifth Jovian MaiTai cocktail and it is barely lunchtime.

Concord allowed capsuleer’s rights to ravage planets for basic materials, but frankly the point is lost on me as the planets were always where I liked to escape the life of being a pod pilot. Building extraction plants and hiring locals on multiple planets just isn’t a fun idea. It won’t help when the extraction plants start to devastate the local ecologies and economies, too! But then, what else have I got?

Another (related) depressing news item has been the apparent ineffectiveness of the Council of Stellar Management in correcting many of the capsuleer technologies. Apparently, almost all resources are being used to enhance the planet ravaging features recently allowed. I am quite disappointed that the CSM have not got the power I originally hoped they’d have, but I am more disappointed in how the corporations dealing in capsuleer technology see their technology used in the future. It will come to a point where the capsuleer will be associated with planet and station life instead of the much more powerful ships they now use. Why would I want to exert myself by running about a station or terrain, trying to achieve an objective that would probably involve killing several people, when I could just wipe them out with pinpoint accuracy from orbit?

Well, despite all this depression and disappointment, I do have a few nice things to note (other than these great MaiTais!). Rixx Javix has created an excellent banner advertising this blog of mine. I think it looks great, and is well worth the ISK I happily paid for it.

Also, my cousin will be taking his final exams in the Open University of Celestial Hardship next month, and I am hoping to finally have a wingman to help me through my planned nullsec habitation plans. Good luck to you, mate, and don’t worry, I won’t name you here so that you are forever tainted by association with a carebear!

/save and exit

Firstly, let me assure you that a moon-stationed tower, commonly called a POS, is a pain to destroy even when the forcefield is disabled. It is doubly so when you can not muster enough force to destroy it quickly!

I had been contracted to find a good spot and place a POS tower for some associates who do not have the cordial relationship with the Gallente Federation that I do. I scouted out a few candidates (in the client’s favoured system) where the resident POS tower was disabled. There were no unoccupied moons in this system, which is why the client contracted me for the job I suspect. A disabled POS has no forcefield, and usually no facilities and weapons, due to a lack of fuel, and I was careful to make sure that these towers were not likely to ever be refueled before the time came to setup my client’s little piece of paradise. I gathered a force of laser-wielding friends and we descended on the tower.

I say “a force”, but really it was “a trio” which is more like a kid with a popgun than a battalion of soldiers – sadly it was the best I could do at the time with the expenses I was allowed (the client did not want to get involved due to possible legal ramifications if the resident tower’s owner should return.) We targetted the POS tower and set our guns and drones to firing and I suspected it would take a long time, but I never would have bothered if I had known it would take about 48 hours! If anyone should get into the situation where they want to destroy a POS tower, I heartily recommend finding a force of mercenaries to do the hard work for you. The cost is definitely worth it!

The 48 hour destruction of the POS was completely uneventful, although I managed to recruit some friends in battlecruisers to come and help. I am sure we would have done the job with just three battleships, but the extra firepower was welcome.

That was just the beginning! I also had to create a brand new corporation according to the client’s specification and file registration papers with the Federation Administration which, due to the nature of bureaucrats everywhere, took over a week to complete! Only then could I place the large POS tower in the required spot. Let me tell you, POS tower destruction is only slightly more boring than POS tower construction. It took an hour to anchor and power up the POS tower, but it felt like another week of filling in forms for a soul-less, vapid, evil gallente corporations administration officer!

However, that also passed uneventfully and I spent the next week hauling facilities and weapons to the POS and then anchoring and onlining them. The client was very pleased with the result, and after some requisite training in the tower’s maintenance procedures, and a small period of waiting for the corporation training required by the client to actually use the facility, I was able to pick up my gear and find somewhere else to live.

But, to be honest, I am exhausted after that ordeal! I will never contract myself out for that kind of job again!! I need a few weeks rest, then I am off to nullsec regions to begin my career as a soldier of fortune (and I will flatly refuse to place any POS towers while I am there! )

/save and exit

Well, the corporation known as TransMiners is about to bite the dust. As CEO of that corporation, I have been very disappointed by the lack of interest most of my members have shown in any venture I put forward. Is it a lack of interest in capsuleer life, in general, or just a lack of interest in following me? I’m not a tyrant, so I couldn’t force them to do anything, but this means I have done next to nothing for this whole month too! Except help the Sisters of Eve as an off-the-books mercenary. (Perhaps I shouldn’t mention that here? No matter, my agent has plenty of room for plausible deniability.)

Only three TransMiners pilots have actually boarded their ships in the past month, so the costs of running a corporation’s hangar now outweighs the tax payments coming in. TransMiners has a very light tax policy to help the young pilots and to encourage the older pilots to stay, but I either need to put a draconian tax policy in now and penalise the pilots currently flying or leave the corporation and head out in a new direction to start again.

The wormhole operation has already been ended (for now) and I have arranged to help someone setup a POS tower in high security empire space in return for them looking after the R&D needs of my ship production line, but once that POS is up I think I will head out to providence and aid the Ushra’Khan in their fight against the slavers. If they’ll take me, of course. If not, I am sure someone out there could use a pilot of my skill level to bolster their sub-capital fleet. All I require in return would be a place to setup the manufacturing part of my ship production line.

In other matters, the fifth CSM elections have finished and the renowned capsuleer pirate and (more recently) mercenary, Mynxee, has been awarded with the chair of the council. Much of the council are highly qualified capsuleers, covering the spectrum of legal and fiscal outlook. Congratulations to all the members and I hope that they manage to bring the capsuleer’s latest concerns to the power blocks of New Eden, as well as guiding the capsuleer technology further forward to greater profits.

/save and exit

We’re no longer at war, wormholes have lost their appeal, my ship inventions are on a long unlucky streak (8 successful out of 43 attempts!) and mining is just dull Dull DULL. The space between planets has become tedious.

Aura had an upgrade recently, which has added a few features that I like, but no great shakes for us empire pilots.

It is time to create a new disguise for this bear. I’ve no interest in piracy or other criminal activities but there must be a way to increase the excitement level a little without bullying or stealing. Mercenary work or pirate hunting might be fun.

Any suggestions from either of my readers? I’ll try to summarize everything I get in my next post, unless it is just spam.

save and exit