Sometimes you have to go backward to go forwards. That may happen around here too.
Recently I decided to go back to the basic frigate for my combat ship of choice, and like so may others, I chose the Rifter. A mean little ship. A fun little ship. Before making that leap backwards I flew a mixture of cruisers and tech 2 frigs with reasonable, but not with stunning success, and i generally skipped the low tech frigate hulls all together getting into pvp as the first thing I flew in anger was a Nemesis stealth bomber. That didn’t last long. And was expensive.
This week marks a milestone of sorts. Two nights ago I was able to (with the assistance of some gate guns) go 1 on 1 with a full T2 fit Harbinger and win. The Amarr battle cruiser was an outlaw, sitting on a gate. I guess those Amarr don’t like being closely orbited by Minmitar frigates as settled into a nice orbit he tragetted me and started opening fire. Big mistake.
He couldn’t hit me.
As he had been the one to agress, on the gate no less, the sentry guns where taking big chunks out of him. I locked, scrammed, and webbed, then activated my weapons systems. now it was just a matter of waiting. He ever so slowly made his way back to the gate as his armor is being stripped away by the guns. He didn’t make it out.
Today I saw an Exequeror and another Harbinger on scan who appeared to be ratting. After a short while I had them scanned down at a belt in Arzad. They were fairly new pilots, and most likely ratting fit so I had no qualms about engaging. I warped in at zero and saw the Harbinger still engaged with a rat and the cruiser tractoring in a rat wreck.
I locked and scrammed the Exequeror first and started eating into his shields. By the time I started in on his armor I was being mobbed by tech 1 light drones… so like any good Rifter pilot, I switched targets and dispatched them, a few cycles of my repper was all it took to maintain 100% armor integrity… back to the Exequeror and I had to start fresh on his armor again, but to no avail as his ship exploded.
The Harbinger? It conveniently stayed loyally by the side of his wingman… and was the next to be scrammed. I guess the fact that he wasn’t able to hit me and the only things that had (the drones) being space dust didn’t seem to bother him. Really a t1 frig vs a two-class above battle cruiser? I’ve been in that position and learned that lesson. Now it was his turn.
The harbinger had a slightly better tank, but my EMP rounds were eating through his shields and chipping away at his armor. He did do one smart thing, as he had turned his ship towards the belt. As I found myself closely orbiting a ship slipping between great big lumps of space rock, I had difficulty maintaining my orbit allowing him to land the only volley he got on me…. but still 60% shields I’m not exactly worried.
It seemed all but over at this point when a Harpy (or was it a Hawk?) warped in and started targeting me. A quick check of the NeoCom shows the assault frig pilot is a member of a different corp. It doesn’t mean they’re not friends. No joy. The harbinger was not quite into structure so I made the call to get out.
I wish I had stayed, but I’m still flying the same ship. This may become profitable yet.
edurardo