Playtime for Poniez !!

Went back to my guv'mint agent (word has he was paying well) and got 2 combat missions one after the other. Fat ones. Put it this way -- the poniez and I (all expcent Snoball, who is In Trouble, after they noticed he'd eaten three of the station's staff -- I *did* tell them not to go in after dark, but he's very good at whinneying in a plaintive manner) will have a good break on what we made.

The first one ended up worth 2.5 million with all the bounties, and the second one 1.25, and I had to keep breaking off, during the salvaging, to drop hold-loads of stuff at stations. Ran out of missiles, but that's sort of inevitable when you fire them off like fireworks.

And got some good sales on the market. Some stuff just isn't worth selling, so I've started reprocessing, in the hope of getting rarer minerals for some building I have in mind.

But that's all in the future. Once the poniez are all aboard, I'm flying off to one of the leisure stations, and Ursus and White Carnation are coming, and we're going to "hav a partay".

See you on the flip-flop, whatever one of those is.

Celebration #2

My agent offered me a slaver-hunting mission, which I took because I hate slavers. Anyway, I found and rescued the slaves and then I get told that she (the agent) had another mission for me immediately. It turned out that now she wanted a whole bunch of slavers killing.

So I checked on what was entailed, and set off. Half way through, I ended up in an asteroid belt, and as there was plenty of time left to still get my bonus, and as I had my new mining cruiser a warp away, I put the "killing slavers" bit on hold and fetched the miner. Then it occurred to me that there was a *lot* of ore. So I commed Dr.Ursus and asked him if his Hulk was free. He came down and we tore into a field of ombar. Mind you, the Hulk chews 'roids at a pace my cruiser couldn't match, so a lot of the time, I was doing hauling.

After about 90 minutes we'd both had enough, but I was able to point him to where he could sell a hold-full of veld he'd happened to have, and I've promised him a skillbook or two from Mal's bequest.

Then I went back to slaver-killing. Now, the warning I'd had was that the second pocket aggressed automatically, and were *heavy*. So I looked round to set a book mark. But then I noticed that I was only partway into armour, and had taken out 2 frigates, so I repped, and kept my head down, and let the drones carry the fight, since all the slavers were locked on my ship. And we blew them all away. Good bounties as well, even if the salvage was a bit on the superficial side.

And when I added everything up, I had *2* million ISK, for the first time ever. Which is good because I spent 10 on getting a skillbook from the LPshop.

Now I *need* sleep

Short Note just to celebrate ...

... achieving both my short term goals in 2 days.

The Gallente drone skill book came courtesy of a storyline courier mission which paid ISK rather than implants (I think I got a rise in standings, but it's harder to tell when you aren't so sure which faction to look at), and the new mining cruiser because my agent wants me to mine some, and because, when I looked in my main stash, I had almost all the fittings. So I just had to buy the hull and insure it, and then fit it "from stock". Just need the T2 expanded cargo modules, but I'll buy those as the oppportunity comes up and I earn the ISK.

Gave Spotted Julian his birthday party -- not that I'm sure when he was born, but this week's as good as any. I enjoyed the Put the Saddle on the Ponie game, but the poniez preferred playing Guess Which Nosebag has the Apples In.

7 Facts Meme (OOC)

Courtesy of Sara Conna

And, due to the fact that everyone I can think of has already done this, I see no point in nominating anyone else (though if I knew where Chribba blogged ... )

1. I was once going to be a lawyer, till Cruel Fate (and a distrustworthy "friend") sabotaged that.

2. Arising from #1, I have actually been inside the cells of the Central Criminal Court in London, and come out alive.

3. I am intensely height-phobic: anything over one storey and I start to feel insecure (So now ask how I can fly a Minmatar ship with only a pod between me and infinity)

4. Inherited from my father, I have a deep-and-abiding love for the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan

5. I've visited (nominally) 4 of the 5 continents: I live in Europe, went to Florida once, did a day-trip stop in Cairo, and have been to China, Brunei and Thailand. Australasia/Oceania will have to wait till I'm retired and can go round the world, as I couldn't cope with the time it would take (Again, go figure: from someone who does 72 AU jumps)

6. I'm a heraldry maven in an English medieval-recreation group called the Far Isles, and over the last year have managed to acquire 2 library-standard texts regarding English heraldry, reading the which properly I *must* get around to, probably the next time EvE has a 3-day downtime.

7. I'm fatter and older than I'd like to be, but the one I blame on excellent food, and the other doesn't seem to reverse whatever I do.


And as a comment to someone else's meme-reply :: Yes, you kissed a girl; yes, you liked it; but ... did she kiss you back ?

So ...

I tucked the poniez up with feedbags, and went out to try some L3s again. Except that the 2nd one I was offered was anti-drone mining and I forgot I got good slavage and I turned it down, and went to do some L2s. In and among I ratted, though, and made a small profit there.

Now have 2 goals -- earn enough to use T2 Gallente drones (since I have some); and earn enough to buy another mining cruiser, so I don't have to keep going fetching the same one. Which will end up needing a Mammoth to haul for it, but Mal's hangar has a couple of them, so as soon as I can fly his freighter (dot dot dot)

What he doesn't have is a duplicate of my mining cruiser. Mind you, it's just occurred to me that he had have an equivalent, and since I'm going to need to learn most races' Cruisers to fly what he's left me ...

This is going to take months, but at the end I'll have ships enough to spread round space so that I don't have to go far to get one. Plus he has enough BPs for me to build some more as and when I need them.

As to which, if anyone has minerals and needs some building doing, I have a limited set of BPs ...

I also have an appointment with the strawberry skin-care pool again, and then a couple of lambmint chops, I think.

Later
J

's Done !!

Not that I'm saying farewell forever to the Sisters, but I'll take a week or two off away from them (and that plainsong!).

But I did my time, worked my way, earned my LPs, and then cashed them in for a Probe Launcher. Now I just need to find out how to use it.

With that, and a Cloak, I took my Cheetah (which needs a name, better than 'Denture Cleaner') and went to collect Mal's BPs (since I heard that you should travel BPs in something that can get away from attacks). Picked most of them up, as well as a share of his salvage, and brought it all home.

Then went out again in the Cheetah, and tried out the Cloak, by sneaking up on Bear and Chiana while they were mining. Somehow they spotted me (DNK how, but possibly because I shouted out to warn them of a rat).

Was going to do some ratting of my own in the Jaguar, but found I haven't fitted it with a salvager and don't have a spare salvage ship in the system. Suspect I'm going to be converting one or two of Mal's old ship for that job, when I get them freighted back. Which means when I have learned the skills to fly the freighter he has. Which will take a week or two. But then the poniez will have a new and bigger home (and some people to look after them -- I rescued some slaves from the Amari, and they seem willing to ponie-mind, for food.

Short and Shweet -- A good investment

[Dictated on the way to the spa]

I may have said that I was grinding for a probe launcher from the Sisters. And that I was trying to do it 500 Lp at a go.

Well, went to see agent, who mentions a merchant gate being blockaded, and offers me 600Lp to clear it. And when I looked things up, it seemed that these guys might be susceptible to explosive damage. So I nipped out and invested in a medium drone with explosive damage, and booted out the one with Thermal or some such (not *out* altogether, just into the hangar for now).

And went, and played with the NME, and blew them away, and got 700K in mission pay and bonus and another 700K in bounties.

So I'm taking downtime off to lounge in a strawberry skin-care pool, and drink Pie-Eyed Warthogs.

See y'all later
Jenni
(who may already have had a couple of Warthogs, but never mind who's counting ?)

Beyond the Game :: GrandChild of Threadnaught (OOC)

Okay -- Neither I (RL) or Jenni had anything to do with it :: we don't *do* lo-sec, and we don't do moon mining. Fact is, short of reading up on it, I wouldn't know how to moon-mine.

What irks me is less that the markets were flooded with insta-made whatever-the-h*ll-it-was, and more that people were able to use this mechanism to avoid paying for EvE.

The original poster makes much of this -- hadn't paid for his game in 4 years. And if he hadn't, what makes anyone think any of the other corp execs had ? So, people who in-game were making themselves immensely rich, were also, in RL, getting a free ride. And in the course of this they amassed large amounts of "ill-gotten" gains.
And now "all that has been taken from them" -- true. But the rest of us will actually be the ones who suffer because prices for materials will rise, which means that prices for gear will rise, and we will have to "work" harder to stay where we were. Meanwhile, the guilty ones simply rebook in under another name and IP address and are instantly back where they would have been, because their alt-accounts (Don't tell me, if you had the power to play free, you wouldn't set up more than one account) will be there, loaded with bear, to hand out the skillbooks and gear. Fine, they will have to relearn their skills, but they will also know which skills *not* to hurry learning.

In due course, of course, the panic will die down, and things will re-establish some kind of order. And then, doubtless, the next exploit will come along.

Cynically yours
JC

Not doing too badly

My aim, all along this grind, has been to record 500 LP per shift. Which, given I'm working with Level 2 agents, giving me from 60 points a time up, means 5 to 10 missions in quick succession (before they forget who I am and how bad my pounded gundark sarnies smell if they keep me sitting round waiting for work).

And in general it works out well. This last shift, I'd just about done my quota when my agent calls me up (rather then me having to go ask for work). Turns out there's a suspicion of smuggling and will I go deal with it.

Well, the combat missions pay better, and I was feeling confident, so I said 'yes', and took off.

In the event it was a bunch of Amarr slave traders, with frigate escorts. I remember when all I flew was a frigate. The baling wire was thin and the girders were fragile. Now I have my artillery .... Let's just say that a number popped with one shot. It took nearly an hour to get all of them and salvage the wrecks (memo to self: convert one of Mal's ships into another dedicated salvager and earn enough to afford an Orca to take stuff round in) and at the end I found some viral DNA stuff which the Sisters had asked me to look out for, as well as several cans of Vitoc. Imagine my pleasure when, as well as paying me for the mission, the Sisters offered to buy the Vitoc from me for 6 figures.
I haven't added it all up, but I reckon that probably makes it a 7-figure mission even before I sort the salvage (which Dappled Barney may have strewn around the cargo hold last night -- he was a bit .... frisky yesterday).

All for now

Been Busy

Mostly still grinding for the Sisters.

Went down to [LOCATION DELETED] to see over Mal's ships again, and settle which I want to move and when. Checked with the School and they say I'll need a third of a year and about a quarter of a billion ISK to learn all the skills I'm going to need.

Got some new poniez -- they were in a storage container that the Sansha had, which I sort of blew apart to discourage them (the Sancha, not the poniez) from trying to muscle in on Sisters' territory.

Saw my first Orca -- nifty looking ship. Would be nice to own one, but I think I'll wait till the price falls a little. I gather they're being used for suicide gank ops, but I'd really see mine more as a mobile base station to put a few ships in and some ammo and go and Have Fun.

Need to sleep.
J

Apologies for Harsh Language

... but F* F* F*ity F*

Still grinding; still (therefore) getting periodical storyline missions. And they ask me to look into some Sansha activity, which I do, and then to find out what's going on, by attacking some transports, which my drones see to while I mop up crumpled wrecks. And then they want some stuff moved to another station. Which, of itself, I don't mind doing. But this was 600 m3 (so far too big for my BC), and 2 jumps into lo-sec space.

What the ****'s wrong with somewhere in Empire ? Somewhere calm and tranquil -- a Leisure Corp station, where I could get a facial and perhaps a pool boy. No -- it has to be 0.3 space.

I took the Hathi to truck the stuff (stripped down, just in case, so no poniez and no comfort gear -- not even my MP84 player), and then switched to a Reaper for the 0.3 jumps (which also wouldn't have had room for ponie). Which meant looking like a needle, ducking in and out of gates. So, my thanks go to the (about 6) guys who didn't gank me on my trips.

Did get some standings increases, but I don't know if that will translate into extra LPs for the missions I'm doing.

And I'm finding there are too many things that I want to be training, and buying, and not enough time or ISK.

'Nuff 's 'nuff

If I see one more cattle ...

Mind you, I'll probably have to, so let's say another today.

All my agents want fresh beef -- and I have to transport it. Not to mention the t*rkeys. The cargo hold looks like a MidWestern farm. And the smell's beyond bad. Three poniez have had to go planetside to recover -- which isn't easy to manaeg when the planet your current main station orbits is a mineral extraction and refining centre. Have you ever tried (of course they haven't, jenni) finding fresh grass in the middle of slag-heaps, or places for poniez to gambol among rendering ovens. Gambling's different -- once you've loaded the ovens, there's not much to do till they've cooled and you can empty them :: Spotted Julian came back with 600 ISK he's won at Find the Oat Biscuit.

In other news, with things a little quiet at times, I got to play several rounds of Presidents and Interns and got my best character to Level 24. And LadyAngel got a new autopilot for her VoidAncer, which we test flew.

And now I'm going to check that the maintenace crew haave got all the cattle residue out of the hold, and then I'm going to do serious sleeping, before the poniez need feeding again.

Hai! I greet you from temporary [quarters]. My last missions did not [go] very-well, [wherefor] I have taken up residence here for the moment.

My agent, who up until now had been calm and [rational] (and generous), asked me to seek out a research assistant of hers. Being [desiring] of advancing in scientific field I viewed this as an unequalled opportunity to make my [mark]. In the [event], however, this proved the beginning of a very precipitous descent. First the assistant ran away; then I had to test a data-gathering device, finally doing the gathering that the assistant should have done, both of data and of [samples], and then my agent suddenly announces that she wants a scientific conference blown up, using a tub of high explosives she had fortuitously happened to have anchored just off the space station at which they were meeting.

So I am taking [shelter] here, to watch the news for a few days and see if there are any [repercussions]. If anyone reading this, could kindly be sending me study texts suitable to my needs

... [TRANSMISSION LOST DUE TO STATIC INTERFERENCE]

The Grind continues

But in an interesting way.

[Although for some reason, I'm getting *no* standings rises no matter how hard I mission]

It's agonising but I'm not getting the bonus missions, because I have to keep turning down missions into lo-sec (unless I have a throwaway Reaper available, and even then I'm risking all my implants). SO I'm rotating round a series of 60 LP courier missions, with the occasional combat -- but this time it was a 400 LP one, which got me well over target for the day, and (at last, and even though it was only L2) a seven-figure one once I'd added in the bounties. And I don't believe I ever went below 50% shield.

The "nerf" on missiles doesn't seem too bad yet -- I'm still using artillery first, and then the missiles, and they still seem to kill things. Finally choked off the 2nd chattergun, and switched in another arty, and I'm relying on one gun and the rocket launcher for close-up, along with drones, when they're not straying all over the back-field, attacking thigs 40K away when I could do with them Here And Now.

If only the drones were as good as my poniez at staying close -- mind you, I feed my poniez, so maybe that's where I'm going wrong. What do drones eat ? Does anybody know ?

J

Grind day#2

Same mission 3 times -- once into lo-sec. A fetch-and-carry so I used a throwaway ship, and made it out without seeing another ship (Just 2 guys in local exchanging "gf"s).

Add to those a couple more run-and-get jobs, a quick fight with the Angel Cartel (who by now *hate* my inner organs with a vengeance), and a mining job. None of them hi-ISK, but made my LP quota for the night.

And I've nearly used up another learning tape -- BCs to #5.
May cross-train next, to try to be able to fly some of Mal's old ships.
Or could try for Animal Husbandry: Large Mammal to Level #4, but that takes ages, because of all the prereqs you have to get an extra level in.
Something Pator Tech doesn't advertise about its "non-standard" courses.

CU

Left the Building

Mal has quit. he said he was thinking seriously about it, and patched me a bundle of ISK to show how serious. And 2 days back he EvE_mailed me to say "Come get it". And since he wasn't going to be talked out of it ...

So (temporarily) I have custody of a hangar full of mixed ships (motsly BS/BC if I read the names right), and a pile of GSCs and Station Containers, including more BPs than I've ever seen before, and bits of tech that I don't think has been seen on the open market since Ghu knows when.

And I miss him.. When I came out of School, he gave me a Dramiel as a graduation present (and held my hand while I learned to fly it), and he gave me my first Mammoth, and he was always there for advice. He even flew 20 jumps to help me out on a mission, in his no#1 ship, a Machariel (which is why, since having seen his, I want one myself).


In other news, I've decided (for now) that my soul belongs to the Sisters. Apparently they engineer a probe launcher to die for (and which, according to Chiana, goes for 40mill on the market). And since I've learned CovOps and bought a CovOp, and now find that you're apparently supposed to fit CovOps with probe launchers, I have to get one. And grinding for 2 months to get one on LPs seems the best way. Still, the agents are in a good ratting area, so I can chill when I like. It's also got a couple of "bitching" deadpsaces which seem to be infested with BC/BS-level rats. So I may try a little salvaging, if I can put together a Rifter.

And one of Mal's ships (when I can learn the skills to fly it) is big enough to hold all my poniez at once, with room to run up and down, so, if my elite slaves aren't bought free in the next week, that's where they're going to be living.

And now I need to sleep.
J.

Lately

I've mostly been ratting, while I rounded up some skills. And, to my disappointment, neither any good loot nor salvage -- perhaps 6 trit bars for 18 or 20 fights, and nothing in the loot that I thought "Hey: must put that to one side".
And the one mission I thought I'd take, turned out to be a run into 0.3 space, which this girl doesn't do (especially as it was dumping off surplus miners in a system with minimal belts).

So, I'm thinking of going back and getting my Jaguar and trying her out. Except that the 2 dungeons I've found look like they have BSs in, which I fear would fray my ship and my nerves. Of course, I could try CovOps -- if I had a cloak, which I don't. So my expensive CovOp sits still in its plastic bubble-wrap.

Mal probably has a Cloak. Mal's planning on Giving Up and living planet-side -- this from the man whose name (or his ship's -- the Archbold) put fear in the heart of small furry creatures from Alpha Centauri -- and he says I kan haz hiz stuf. But I'd rather have Mal, who gave me my first Mammoth, Mal's Hathi, and my beloved Dramiel (another ship that hasn't had its fair share of flying lately).

So tonight it'll probably be roast frigate with a side order of salvaged nanite juice again.

What do you think ?

So -- the new gates --

Managed to arrange to meet up with DDD and White Carnation -- they're only 2 systems apart most of the time, and it was only a ten-jump to get there -- and we had a long chat and a number of beverages.

And we were talking about the new gates and DDD said that it was to do with the coherent focussing of the jump beams, and how the Scientists had finally worked out a way to do more with less -- which is why the *big* gates are now for the region rumps, and the system and local jumps can be handled by these smaller gates, because they don't need the full wrap-round to generate a coherent beam. And White said as how there was a design stream going to evolve new micro-jumps, that might mean you'd jump shorter distances to anchored deep-space locations -- a bit like safe-spots only out between the stars -- and so these could act like junctions that would connect nearby systems even if they weren't able to generate a stable jump from star to star.
I though that would just be a recipe for gankers, hovering round these anchor-points, picking off whover went through, but she said that the micro-gates would be controlled through tags that CONCORD would only give to people with good reputations -- so as soon as you gank someone, you can't use them any more, which would be like leaving people 1M AU from any star with just an AFB to push them along.

I don't know.

It does explain why everything was shut down last week -- it must have been one hell of a job moving all those new gates into position in one day, and calibrating them and everything. So props to Them (whoever They were) who organised it all.

Then we tried playing Presidents and Interns for a while, because I was hoping, if they liked it, they'd join in, and I could recruit them to my election committee, but they didn't understand all the game mechanics, so we decided to call it a night. DDD said he had to get home, when I offered him my psare bunk, and then Baihua said she was allergic to ponie hair so ...


I'd have flown some missions yesterday, when I got back, but Dappled Barney was pining, so we snuck back down to the service levels on the station and did 4K before the security droids spotted us, and another 2K galloping home before they could cut us off. A pity about the giant cake, but they oughtn't to have left it there, all smelling of sugar and madiera wine.

And now I have to nap, before I go and see the man about the cleaning-up bill.

Baby Steps in QR

Went out, did some non-combat missions, to get used to the new systems.

Like the dinky new gates -- as far as I can see, you can now work out how far you're jumping by what sort of gate you get. Of course, I've only seen the 'matar ones so far.

Otherwise (so far) much like before.

Except that, according to the Bear, I need to boost my missile skills, because apparently the changes have meant that even with Missiles V, her missiles just don't damage things. Apparently we need now to learn the Advanced skills to have any chance of doing damage. Which, since I'd started to rely on missiles for mid-range. is a worry.

And the certificates still look like something designed to "reward" the weapon-happy but leave the carebears looking like n00bs. Where are the certificates for "Knows how to run away when Big Rats arrive" or "Has 90% resistances against ISK sellers" ?

More another day

Do I like it ?

(QR that is)

I'm not sure.
I ventured out yesterday (hi ! to the AKFT who were romping round like there was no tomorrow) and tried out some things.

The certificates make me look a dunce. Certainly no respectable corp would take me on with those sort of quals -- it makes me look like I'm in the kiddy-pool with water-wings on. So semi-fail there.

The module-clock, on the other hand, will be useful, not least to know what my salvagers are doing. DDD will also find it useful on his Hulk :: now he'll be better able to gauge when to switch off the Strip Miners.

Didn't *see* any new gates, but, then, I didn't go near any gates, just in case of a crash. Found 4 wrecks -- 1 fat, 3 skeletal -- so my hopes that the loot tables had been upped didn't come through.

Probably look at the Market tonight -- see if my sells have gone through. And might take a ponie planetside. Maria's started quivering, and I think she misses the g-force. They say it's 1-G on station, but I think they're trimming the generators a bit :: 0.9 and people feel lighter and happier. Plus I think Maria may be a tiny bit ... you know ... and you need G for that, elsewise ...

Overheard a good misprunt too, when someone referring to "weapon module groping". No rest for the doubly entendred.

Bless you all
J

Translation Protocol Four -- execute!

Hai! I greet you all once more, in spirit of joyous [activeness]. Have now settled into new quarters in Minmatar Government station. Am now seriously considering moving my possessions out of previous station as it is 16 jumps away, in next region. Studies not going too well, as short of the ISKs to buy advanced study texts. But am finding missioning very hard without Honble Jenni to back up my meagre efforts.

Am also disappointed in new certificate system -- my efforts [will?] go unrecognised :: all [of the] certificates appear directed towards skills in killing people and not being killed -- [there is] no professional route to recognise scientists (although [I] have seen reference to "researchers").

But am hopeful that I may be able to sell some of my salvage and make small money that way. May I repeat my thanks to all the pirates who have not shot down my humble and insignificant ship, and to my agent who has given me missions when asked, but otherwsie has left me alone.

May the [cherry]-blossom [avalanche] down upon you all.

Baihua, daughter of Heng, [commonly calling] herself White Carnation.

Quiet day(s)

Not much to do -- all the agents have closed shop for the day, and most of the station services are in lo-mode. It must be some obscure holiday (someone said it's in memory of those who died in the two Great Wars -- I wasn't born then, so I can't comment).

Did mean that most of the corridors were empty, so I took the poniez out for a run. We did the whole of Level Nine, stopped for water at the Temple Bar, and came back along the service duct that usually holds the mag-lev shuttle. Dappled Barney got a bit frightened by the mag-lev, but a few sugar lumps and a shovel solved that.

Won three games of 4-dimensional reversi on the station web, and then switched to an RPG called Presidents and Interns :: they're announcing an expansion in the New Year that supposed to wipe out some of the Bad Stuff that people have complained about, so I'm trying to get to a level break in case the rejig means I'd lose unbanked skill points, or unattached aides.

May go out tonight, but probably only in a Reaper, in case the stations are still in lo-mode.

CU
J

n00b notes on ... mining missions

Good opportunity to do nothing.

No, seriously.

It seems like, at present, a lot of the missions I'm being offered are mining rare minerals for one or another corp, all to do with the "war effort". And I know mining missions have a bad press among "older and more experienced" capsuleers. They're supposed to be boring, and inadequately paid. And, then again, they're also supposed to be very hazardous 1% of the time. Which is probably true.


So, there you are, in your agent's office, and you're offered one. What do you do ?

My advice is, first look at the volume they want, against the capacity of 1) your mining ship, and 2) any big-*ssed industrial or the like you happen to own. What you want is either a ship that can transport all the ore in one lump (or at most 2), or else a ship that can cope with shuttling back and forth every time you get full. Then look at the time allowed for the bonus payment. In that time, you have to excavate the ore, and get it to your agent's station. (If you're not going to be able to get the bonus, then I'd suggest not even thinking about the mission). So, shuttling back and forth will eat into that time, like a rust monster on unprotected plating.

Then look at the basic pay, at where the ore is, as against where you have to deliver it, and at any clue your agent offers as to possible hazards (like rats, drones, or anything else that doesn't sound like a walk in the park).


If you think you'll take the job on, get organised first. Your agent will hold the job offer open :: you'll have time. So, get your mining ship into the same system as the ore, and your hauler, if you're using one, similarly. Park them at a station. Then get a gun-ship, loaded for lion (not bear -- carebears hate being shooted at), and go and accept the mission. That will give you the bookmark to where the ore is expected to be, and that's where you go to. Your default mining scan (your UI has one already set up) will let even a combat ship see where the ore is, even if not how much in each asteroid. If you're lucky, it will all be in one; if not, try to head for somewhere where as many 'roids will be in range of your lasers at once.
At the same time, watch for local inhabitants -- generally, if there is going to be more than belt rats, they'll show up as you head for the ore. What do you do when you see them ? That's why you're in a gun-ship: you blow them away.

Bookmark a suitable 'roid, so that you've something to jump back to, then warp to station and power up the miner. You should then be able to jump back to the roids and start mining. A scanner will tell you whcih 'roid has mosty of what you want, and I'd recommend keeping an eye on them as they empty, and switch your lasers round to minimise wasted cycles -- the last thing you want is to be sitting mining fresh lack-of-air when you could be pulling in the Good Stuff.

At some point you'll get a full hold. If you're doing the shuttle dance, you then fly back to your agent and deposit the first installment. Rinse and repeat.
If you're going to use a hauler, you jet-can the first load and carry on. This is the risk: that someone will can-flip you. But many of these missions end up in deadspace corners with nothing else to attract pirates, and so long as you're in High-Sec, the danger of you being suicide ganked ... Besides, you can always jump out if you reckon you're being oevr-matched.
Soon as you've mined enough, you swap to the hauler, and haul it away.


In the meantime, watch for "visitors" -- my miner can generally handle belt-rats, and since you have your bookmark, if anything comes along that looks too heavy, you just swap back to the gun-ship.

The other thing to do is to equip at least one ship with a salvager: gut and salvage anything you shoot, and that is your bonus on your bonus. Sometimes I can round up a quarter-million between the pay, the bonus, and the bounties, before I've added in selling the salvage.


Or, if you prefer the pew-pew life, just ignore mining missions, and stick with agents that only offer kill missions. It's your life, live it like you'd like to.

Clear Skies
J

Spent the day

... kicking back with 3D. I think one of his doctorates may be in recreational substances.
I was interested in finding out what industrial mining was like, so he slipped my pod into the back-up slot on his Hulk and we went out to dig the fields.
Apparently where he is used to be mine-intensive, with fields stripped down in hours, but we found good fields of dense veld, and the occasional Gold Ombar (my favourite -- it polishes up nicely, and in an emergency it refines for lots of lovely things).
We got the occasional rat, but nothing that his drone-pak couldn't handle (Apparently ORE don't fit weapon mounts on their ships, so we couldn't fire back -- I almost wished I'd brought a Reaper, just for the exercise) and he has a BadgerBadgerBadger (Sorry -- got overhwelmed there !!) to collect up the salvage.
Have no idea how much we hauled in -- it was just go out, fire up the lasers, listen to the whine and collect the stuff into a can.
Today, once I'm awake again, I'll fly back home and review my training schedule.

Change of Subject

I was going to blog about what seems to be a major issue (although not so much for me) -- the starter corps. "People" seem to want people out of these and into "proper" (i.e. player-run) corps as soon as possible. I was going (partly tongue in cheek) to suggest the radical solution of moving graduates of starter corps into the FW corps.

But then I fitted out my new Jag and took it for a spin. No T2 stuff (yet) -- just basic T1.

Early on in my career I found (it didn't take long) a L1 "dungeon" round the corner from where I was based, and I used to grind it to keep my l33ting skills up. It gives a small ISK sink, some salvage, and a chance to test yourself against known opponents. So that's where I went. Blew away the usual 1 rat within short range, and waited to be attacked. No-one did (out of the remaining 22 of them), so I pointed the Jag at a group and tried "Approach". About thirty seconds in, someone else agressed me, and I got ready for the fight. And somehow, from there, I scythed through 18 of them without really needing to look for fights. Lock on, set "Orbit at 1000", then look for anyone else within 3K, shoot everything I can, find another target and lock on again.
Nothing special in the loot, but ooooh the feeling!!!
So, I redocked, salvaged, and then put her to bed again, ready for the next time I want the adrenalin.


Then I set off to drop in on White Carnation and split some bottles of trop I happen to have found.
Later. J.

Passengers

I'm not sure whether I like passengers or not.

Context: Trying still to maintain a low profile (but needing the ISKies for ponie-maintenance), I've been doing odd jobs for various agents, many of which have involved moving passengers. Which has led to some ... contre-temps.

Most of them over the quality of the quarters they're being given. "Filthy dirty" and "Not fit for a pig" were a couple of the most pointed. Also "Nowhere to hang our weapons" (though, in reply to that, I'd just like to say that most Marines I've come across don't list dancing girls among their weapon proficiencies.

Anyway ...
Since there have also been a couple of cargo runs, I've been using Ourenaris. Ourenaris is a battle-cruiser. It can take out frigates and dessies, and it can tank cruisers (even 4 at once so long as I can Run Away!(TM) ). It's like that to protect you. Accordingly it isn't spiffy clean, because it has to fight. If you want to travel in style, make sure your agent gets someone with a girly-ship that doesn't go into combat, and therefore has room for special passenger modules.

Plus I have the poniez to think about -- so I don't really have space for passenger modules when I've a ponie-stable in my main cargo-hold.

One of the passengers also complained about one of my poniez. I told him that it was his fault, but he didn't believe me. Miss Elizabeth has a thing about carrots -- especially she has a thing about people who have carrots and hide them from her. And his pants were a little tight and she got the wrong idea. I offered him bruise ointment, but he wasn't impressed.
Nor, frankly, was Miss Elizabeth -- no carrot and several smacks on the muzzle. I've let her off at a station, for a few days' down-time. Which makes for more complications, because she likes to be In Charge of the others. I may have to rotate a couple of the others out ahead of when she gets back, so that she doesn't feel threatened.


In other news, the agents are certainly gearing up for war -- every day I get offered at least one mission to go and mine rare and officially-worthless minerals ... which makes me think that these minerals actually have a military use.

And I'm still looking over my shoulder, before I take any more major Kill missions. But I did sell a Cargo Optim mod, so I can afford a day or two more off, and perhaps even replace my dead Jag.

Naptime for Jenni -- see you all later

n00b notes on the Defensive Triumvirate

Shields/Armor/Structure. They're what keep you alive. Deep Space is cold and lacks the amenities of the average spa or cafe/bar. So the canny capsuleer does all s/he can to fly through it, not in it.

[These notes are meant for the PvE field, -- in PvP, if you're a n00b, you have to face the fact that you'll be blown away, and probably podded too :: it's what PvPers do, and it's what I gather that a sub-class of them live for :: killing n00bs asap, because they aren't allowed to taunt n00bs anymore in the starter systems]


Shields are your active defence: they are the first thing that gets hit usually (unless your opponent is using something that cuts through them), and they regenerate slowly. You can boost regeneration, either by repairing them by converting cap power, or with a passive unit that raises the regen rate. They also have the peculiarity that they regenerate best when they're halfway down -- high shield and you only get a trickle back, low shield and unless you're already getting o-u-t they're, frankly, not going to survive.
Which means that one tactic is to let your shields drop to around 50% and save the cap, and then just use the shield repper to keep them in the 50-70% range. Other people argue that, if you have the cap to rep, you should use it because, as you know, cap also recharges (and can be boosted if you go that way) .


When your shields are gone, it's your armor that takes the punishment. You can buy thicker armor, you can fit an armor repper, but it's going to go and, short of repping it, it won't come back. That said, it's tough stuff (and if you don't mind having the manoeuvering of a hippo in a bath chair, you can fit as thick as you can take within reason). Some people rely on tanking armor. To them shields are the freebie throwaway you get anyway, and armor is what it is really about. They have a point (one point) in that, if they can avoid a round of damage by some means, their shields will regenerate a point or two, and any hostile attack has to grind that away before it can get to their armor again. Armor repping is a straight n units per cycle thing -- no advantage here, then, in letting damage mount up, and my preference is to start the rep cycle when shields are at 2% and switch the shield repper off till I'm sure I can tank the armor damage.


After armor, all you have left is structure. You don't want damage to that -- there are hull reppers, but frankly they're meant for using at a station to save on repair bills. I recommend that as soon as you get into structure, if not before, you warp the hell out. Even if there's only one enemy left and he's also in structure.
Why ? Because you might miss him, and he might critical you, and because the pirate who's been lurking 100km off, waiting to loot your wrecks is also just waiting for you to finish, so that he can kill off the winner and get that wreck as well.
Jump out, get repped, and come back, in another ship if you're in a hurry.

Especially if you have a heavier ship on stand-by. There's nothing like the feeling you get when you've flown a mission in a destroyer, got away in the nick of time, and are then able to go back in a cruiser, knowing what's there, and ready to blow chunks off your NME.

Other defences:
Speed -- which they're about to nerf: basically you go so fast that the missiles can't catch you, or so that you get out of range of your enemies' guns, whilst staying in range with yours. or (Minmatar secret here) you get close in, and orbit very very fast, so that their turrets can't track where you are. You also get cross eyed and somewhat dizzy unless you break off every now and again.
Speed #2 -- Go in, stay as long as you can, and then warp out. To speed up the "warp out" phase, you can align to an object (stargate or station) first, while you're still fighting, and then you go to warp nearly straight away. This tactic also requires that you're ready for a quick turnround, otherwise the rats will have regenerated all their damage. But even so, you know what you're facing and you can make Plans.
Priorities -- There'll come a day when you suddenly find you're flying in treacle, with a wibbly effect round your ship. Welcome to the world of webbers. One of your enemy ships is using a device to slow you down. Unless you like being the number-one target for every ship in range (and the ones coming into range at top speed), make that ship your priority.
Similarly work out whether you want to attack Big Ships, who will be capable of doing more damage to you, ahead of the fast and nimble frigates who will swarm you and be more capable of keeping up if you run. Either way, pick a target and concentrate on it. Till a ship's blown away it can still fire on you, even if it's at 2% structure. And if you use drones, make sure they follow your priorities: mine have a habit of sneaking off to shoot ships they fancy, rather than concentrating on the ones I want dead.

I've probably said things you don't agree with in this, and if you survive and I don't, you're probably right. But two cents is two cents, and buys two penny chews, so there you have it. Or them. Or not.
Clear Skies.

Edited 27-4-09 for mis-spellings (but there are probably some left)

And Then

(or then again)

Mining Mission
Took on another of these, on the grounds that, if they're looking for the perosn who killed a few of their ships, they mightn't look too closely at a 'umble miner. of course, they might blow me away on principle, but so might any pirate with a suicide fetish.
Met more of those sentent drones. Got a look at a couple, while my drones were with them. Nasty b*ggers, with guns on the end of extendable limbs. Somewhat worrying, what with the rumours that some idiot's been looking into how to blend a human brain and nerve-stem into a cybernetic body. Fine for the bloke who gets quadrapleged in an accident, but what about if it's your local psycho ... ?
Anyway, it netted me another 7-figure fee, because I beat the agent's time estimate, so the poniez can eat tonite.

Also been thinking about tanks -- which I will put in another entry, so that folks don't get confused.

And I built another Cargo Optimiser, now that prices seem to have settled again. So I put one on the market and we'll see if anyone buys it. Might also put out a "buy" offer for Trit bars and see if anyone bites on that.

The new vanilla pod-goo seems to be working out, and the cabin scent is giving me good nights' sleep, now I don't have Welung.
I considered hiring him on as a body-servant, but he's happier at the resort, and he says he's allergic to poniez anyway.
And it wouldn't work too well if I go back to a new Jaguar -- there isn't really room for 2 on one of those, not after I've fitted all the T2 stuff. They say it's new-and-improved, but I can't help noticing that it always takes up more space that the T1 versions (especially the named-and-branded).

Talking of branded, I can hear a beefie-burger calling my name.
J

Ambulation -- some Metagaming thoughts for the EvE Blog Banter

Ambulation -- walking about on/in a station.

Three thoughts:
1. I'm looking forward to seeing myself, and to being able to be seen, especially if we can buy outfits. I already have an idea of the four I want: a Jet O'Conor ship suit (one or two piece comfortable thing for on-board), a set of tough overalls, for going to buy Stuff, and for repairing the ship when I don't think the station crew will do it well enough (or for bolting on slightly illegal gear, like the Rogue Ponie Scanner), a smart business suit for going to see agents, and a party outfit. Really, I have no preconceptions as to what I'd like to do -- that will depend on what the programming allows. Looking out at deep space (or at stellar phenomena) would be nice. So would a bar/restaurant, and a holo-cinema, to watch Star Trek #149 (the one with the ambiguous scene involving the Ferengi harem and the pangolin).

2. PvPers won't like it. Unless there's combat involved. In which case the carebears will never use it. Which means that, sooner or later, there's going to be combat -- probably planetside. It makes sense -- you spend hours learning to fly a spaceship (or several), you become very good at it, so good you can shoot down enemy battleships, so next thing you want to do is go ground-side and take on someone whose entire back-life has been playing 1-on-1 shooters. I'll pass on that bit, thank you.

3. It'll be optional. They're hardly going to disassemble all the market they've spent years (and an economist) building up. We'll still be able to buy and sell and use station services, but now we'll be able to do some of it avatar-to-avatar if we want. Which, in counterpoint, will mean that those people who didn't really want to fly spaceships, but did want to do research or build things, or {so forth} can spend most of their time in-station, in ambulation mode, interacting, and will only need to go out to fly to another station (which in high-sec isn't that bad a grind), or to spend a while mining, or fetching stuff, or going to see specific agents. So, we could well see a rise in overall population, as well as some of those jaded by being blown away (yes, I'm looking at you, Mal Garamite) deciding to come back and try the New Experience.

And there are all sorts of other possibilities :: one forum thread talked about three-D strategy sessions for gangs and alliances, to plan engagements in detail. If it happens, more power to their elbows.
And to what extent will the stations fit their billing ? Will we see beautiful Promenades, with scintillating light shows outside the casinos ? Will we actually *see* the workshops where NPCs glue our ships back together (or in the case of mine, add 3/4 of a mile of new baling wire) ? What will waking up in a clone mean ?

Three things are certain :: it's coming (CCP are being paid to develop the tech for another game, and Eve will act as the test-bed), it won't (we are assured) cause lag (now, where have I heard that before ?), and someone somewhere will find a way to exploit it.

Looking forward,
Jenni C

Postcard from .... well, never mind

Hi -- having a wonderful time and wish that you were here.

Actualy, I don't. Not that I begrudge any of you as wonderful a time as I'm having, but I'd rather not share mine.

And my pleasure is tinged with regret :: I've had to sell two of my poniez. Miss Genevieve was getting old, and the vet said that the last hip implant hadn't really taken, and that the artificial gravity on the station wasn't helping. So she's gone to the Sunshine Sanctuary for Sick Poniez, who have devoted their entire lives to looking after our four-legged friendz when they get older. Coincidentally it's next to the glue factory, but I'm sure there's nothing sinister in that.
And Mattie I've had to let go because he's taken to Leaking in Inappropriate Places. He always did prefer the planetside life and he used to shiver so before we went into combat. So he's joined a null-g polo club and all being well, if he passes their training regime, he'll be on the team and on holovision this fall. The Naberri Knights, if you follow the games.


As for me, I'm still looking over my shoulder for people I don't know trying to find things out about me. Though at present, all they'd find is how many mango smoothies I'm eating, and when I'm due for my next BaiDo session. But I'm still in positive balance, and I don't plan on going back until I know it's safe.

Meanwhile, I'm making one or two impulse purchases: they do a vanilla-essenced pod-goo here, with integrated dermal-regeneratives, so I've bought two big barrels of that and they threw in a sample size of their lime and leomongrass cabin scent -- supposed to promote peaceful sleep and harmonious thought-waves when you're out of pod.
And a girl in the atrium yesterday works for one of the Minmatar drone works, so she's done me a deal on some T2 Warriors, so I'll try flying one of those for a week or two.

The nice thing is, the service they give you here. A room bigger than the postage stamp size they give you in the stations; meals tailored to the capsuleer, rather than the dock-side cargo-humper; twenty-seven hour spa, and a pool the size of Barbados (wherever that is).
And pool-boys. Mine's very attentive: sees that anything I want is brought at once, and keeps checking up that I'm happy and relaxed.

And here he comes now :: nine o'clock BaiDo; today I try to get to level 3.

All right, I'll be coming, Welung !!

See you all soon. Keep the skies clear for me !!

'nother note for n00bs.

A lot of the missions that you will get sent on follow sort-of patterns. They look like one another and tend to run similarly.

So, to help each other, pilots tend to take notes of points that occur to them, and share the information. It's all stored at a site called (quite sensibly) Eve Survival, which you can reach on the InterWeb, and also on your IGB (In Game Browser -- you can get to it from a button on your Head-Up Display.

So, when you need to know if a mission is safe, or has exploding ferrets in it, or anything, go there and look it up.

I'm going to be away

... for a few days.

I think it's safest.

My gov'mint agent (the one I don't visit too often) called me in and said I had to go do something for him. It would have been more accurate to ask me to go do someone. Or several someones.

Not the Angels, though. Not this time. Some other lot of bloodthirsty b*t*rds, who had apparently started to colonise a deadspace pocket. And word on the street (well, in the bar, down on level 12, by the gasket storage) was that these guys were ... seriously heavy.

SO I looked them up, on Eve Survival, and it said they had Cruisers, in numbers, as well as Interceptors with web. I don't like Web. I'm Minmatar. I like to fly free ... and be able to Run Away(!!TM).

But they were offering medium six figures for the mission and another medium six for doing it fast, so I thought I'd go look-see.


Took the Ourenaris, which is my ship with Big Guns (and some smaller ones for close-in), and jumped to the first deadspace pocket. That wasn't too bad -- they were in groups of two frigs and a cruiser, so I could agress one and deal with it and then come back (they don't seem to have high esprit de corps -- whatever frequency they use ('cause it's not Local) and whatever calls for help they make, they only seem to get back-up if I actually get stroppy with their mates). Except for one group where tow lots came after me, I cleaend their clocks, and then set about salvaging. Had to go back to empty my hold, but I got it done. Quite a few co-Processors, and some weird Shield Rechargers. Then I headed for the gate to the second pocket, aware that that was where the webbers were.

For once my strategy paid off. No-one agressed me when I arrived, and I targeted both Interceptors, and ran close orbits emptying everything, including drones, into them. By then I had around ten Cruisers and as many frigs opening up on me, but I still manasegd to get the drones back, and warp out, and do some serious repping at a station.

The plan was to go back, agress one or two, and lead them off. It didn't work. They must have had an alarm on the gate because every time I warped in, they were waiting. Thankfully the frigs were quite crumply, and I tanked the cruiser fire, while I pulled the frigs off. But when I went back planning on drawing one or two cruisers, I found they were ganging me. All I could do was hammer one at a time, and talk the others, and then warp out and repair.

Killed them all eventually, and got the "Mission Accomplished" signal. So I salvaged them (more Co-Pros, and some odd bits of heavy missilery), and went home.


And then I got the bounties figure -- which was 7 figures in itself. So, overall, the one run netted me over 2 mill.

It also seems to have netted me too much attention -- I'd barely got back, and the Landing Crew chief is tipping me the wink that people have asked him for a list of my salvage ... with serial numbers.

So, if you're looking for me for the next couple of days, I'll be ponie-riding.
Not hiding, ponie-riding.

Bless
J

Out and In

I didn't have much time to fly today -- the poniez were restive (I think they wanted to go back planetside and play in the long grass) and I had to get them settled and make sure they weren't getting hoof-rot or any such.

So I only had time to do 2 runs -- first one delivering some reports (I get the feeling the guv'mint has some undercover people in some of the corps), and then, when I got there, I was "asked" if I'd mind doing a favour. It seemed the Angels were causing trouble (again) and would I go deal with it? I would have said no, but the base fee was six figures and the bonus as much, and then there were the bounties to think of.

I really ought to find out if there's a Widows and Orphans' Fund for the Angel Cartel :: I certainly seem to be contributing towards the numbers of widows and orphans.

One bunch round a gate, who all turned on me at once, but who then obligingly queued up in my Minmatar wake to be blown up one by one (or two by two, if you count the drones). Then through that gate to find another lot camping out round a radar station. They were heavier, and I had to bleed one group off and go back for some more, and then the last three suddenly triple-teamed me and I was taking damage despite my shield reppers, which had been coping up to then. Grabbed the drones, and issued the order to warp, and then had to wait forever till the ship-puter found somewhere to warp *to*.

Anyway, there was a station in-system, so I docked and hooked the cap to the station power supply for a recharge, then got out again, before the Customs man came to ask about the loot I might have been carrying.

Warped back, through the gates, and found that my three enemy had split up, obviously thinking I'd warp back direct and one of them would get me and call the others in. So I crept up and took them out one by one -- in fact I left the last and biggest alone and went salvaging until he noticed me. The odd thing was, once he did, he hardly got a shot off: we had artillery, missiles, the dawgs ... he died.

Loot wasn't too bad: even a couple of named doofrieys. But when I got back and saw the totals I realised that, with the bounties added to the fees, this was over 1.5M, which will pay for the sweetest sparkly nosebands I've seen for my poniez. Just need one or two more days like this, and I can have another holiday -- or buy a new Jag. One or the other.

J

Short note addressed to other n00bs like me

Salvage salvage salvage.

Mining op -- not even a mission, just an "oh, look -- dense Veldspar".
30 minutes in, 3 rats appear. Pull in mining drones; put out the dogs.
Woof bite; woof bite; woof bite -- three wrecks.

Then see 4th red cross. Ask doggies to investigate. After three tries they lock on and eat it. Turns out to have been a Harvester.

Eventually pack up mining; go get hauler.
Empty jet-can; start salvaging wrecks. Come to the Harvester (which I'd forgotten what it was) and find Tritanium -- quite a lot. However (and this is the point) also find Mining Laser Upgrade. Something which, till now, I'd always had to buy.

Moral: unless you're so rich it doesn't matter, always salvage your wrecks.
Of course, someone else may salvage them for you -- but then, you'll never know what was in there, just waiting.


Need to go feed poniez. Wonder if there's a Ponie Upgrade ....

Is this working? Unit: translate from Yuen-Ho to Standard. Output as [text-by-four]. Acknowledge.

Oh -- text. [Vocalisation] is operative.




Hai! Honorable Capsuleer Jenni have allowed me to introduce myself: I am Baihua, daughter of Heng; [commonly calling] myself White Carnation. I am graduate of School of Applied Knowledge, but by the kindness of Honble Jenni and DrDrDr Ursus I have relocated myself away from the bustle of Jita-sector, to the peace and quiet of Minmatar Metropolis, here to pursue a career in Science and Technology.
But at present I am dependent upon the charity and kindness of my friends, as none of the noble academies within my reach will speak to me, as they know nothing of me. So I am running missions for the Minmatar State to evidence my [willingness to serve].

So far I have worked for three agents,who give me missions to do. My first agent was a big man, and often asked me to fetch things for him, and do other things several of which were [borderline honest] but then Jenni introduced me to one of her old agents (I am living in the area where she first started off) who offers me things that I feel capable of (heretofore Honble Jenni have kindly flown wing with me on combat missions and without her I could not have survived). But with what I have earned, I have now bought a slightly-used Caldari Cormorant on the market, so that I can fight and then salvage. Now I am learning to fly an Industrial so that I no longer need to depend on others for transportation.
Then I must "get my head down" (a lovely expression Jenni have taught me) and start to learn my advanced science courses so that I can look up agents with whom to work.

May I thank all those who has helped me in my voyage so far, not least the various [pirates] who have not shot down my weak and unimpressive ships. Long may it continue.

And may the [Great bird of the Galaxy] nest on your [rooftop]

Mood: Intrigued/Fwightened

I just woke up and my commchannel is full of
http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=875949
which appears to be about Genetically Enhanced, Tech-2, cows.

Also sheep.

No poniez. Yet.


One thing is certain: when the Tech-2 cow is revealed, I don't want to be the one behind it.
Just in case.


J

And now also
http://myeve.eve-online.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=897974

"Eroticleatherwear" !!
"The Cows are cyborgs"!
All from the B.S. Radioactive Sheep Farm. Yes, it says "B.S."

Any takers ?

J

The answer

to the query at the end of my last post
appears to have been mining.

They're obviously gearing up for war :: every time I logged in, they smiled and said things like "You're the one with the mining ship, aren't you ?" and then "I know a deadspace you're just going to love."

In fact I secure myself by running three ships (fortunately I own three ships, at the same time, and have the skills to fly them all) --
first there's the gun-ship I use to check the site out and clear off the initial bandits (mostly drones this time, for some strange reason :: are they about to declare war on us?);
then there's my miner, which has 2 Miner IIs and some other gouging laser (I took the spitball gun off a month ago, and can't find it again) for digging, a drone (Tech I -- I keep meaning to upgrade, but you know how things are) and a missile launcher thing that goes Whoosh if you ask it nicely;
finally there's a hauler (which at the moment is the DigBunny, 'cause of its shields, and the fact that I don't need above 9K of m3. And in case of incursions all three of them have salvage modules fitted, which means those kind gentlemen who go round cleaning space up by salvaging Other People's wrecks aren't needed on a Jenni Concarnadine site.


The poniez are well, though the stabling bill was a bit higher than I'd expected -- something about Snoball eating a stableboy for lunch. I've smacked her and told that eating people is bad, but she's cute and she has a pink mane (courtesy of some gene-splicing ... which I suppose might have made her the tiniest bit carniverous).
I wonder if that Circus is still on tour in Metropolis -- maybe they'd like a part-pink ponie ....
Does anyone have their number ?

Laying back and ...

I think "my work here is done" -- WhiteC seems to be set up nicely. Bought her own destroyer, whjich I've helped her rig (tho' not by much since she wants it rigged Caldari-style (naturally) and I don't exactly hoard Cald-rig gear).

I hung around in case she needed some more help, while she ran some missions, and did some mining. Now a guy by the name of Dense Valdspar synchronistically (I know: must be hanging around the sci-geek this last few days) posted on his (or her) blog about mining [here] saying how valuable it is getting th'ore and so on, and taking 'bout the diff'rent ships you can use.

I may have mentioned Babylon Bear, who built me the DigBunny -- it's a Mammoth with a mining laser and she says she tested it down to 0.6 rats, so I thought I'd try a prolonged run in her. Turns out she's right :: one rat and shield never falls below 96point; even with three all I need's the small booster now and again. And all the time I'm packing ore into the hold, and from there into 2 GSCs I have aboard,and so back, eventually, to base. Plus I've a Salvager on top, so when WhiteC went past and fragged the rats, on her way somewhere else, I could salvage spare parts from them.

But now I feel th'urge to get back to my poniez -- so I'm going to get some food, take a sleep, and then load up, bid WhiteC a fond adieu, and go back down the slope to business.
Wonder what my agent has lined up ?

Show Time

I'm getting proud of White Carnation. She turned down a mission from the agent because she'd decided it wasn't fair to ask me to run it effectively solo for her, and when he happened to start his next conversation the same way, she also told him where to stuff *that* job. So we flew two jumps to another Government station (one I now remember I used myself many months ago), and she took a hauling job for an agent there, and obviously impressed her.

Next thing is "Go down to [CENSORED] and pick yourself up a pilot's ticket for the Air Show". So I laid back and waited (in the bar) and she went off, got the ticket, jumped into the Gallente shuttle that she was loaned (bear in mind: she's Caldari -- she'd never seen a Gallente control board before, and yes, I know shuttles are easy-peasy, but even so ... ) and took off to do her bit.

She called me in at one point, when she had some drones to handle, but apparently she only had to take out one lot. Even so, there was salvaging to do, and her in a ship not rigged for it. Other than that, most of it was display flying -- ducking in and out of an asteroid at one point.

Several people sent her drinks creds in appreciation, so when she'd done we called it an evening, and sank a few. Even got her nose out of the Science books for an hour or two.

Don't know if she's flying tonight, and I'm starting to wonder whether I oughtn't to get back to my own agents, before they forget who I am.

The Next Leap Forward (OOC)

Metagaming is using out-of-game knowledge in-game. In this regard, if you’re playing a game which develops, it could be seen as metagaming if you try to predict those developments based on forces and influences which don’t exist within the game.

Every so often, CCP announce their plans for future “expansions” of the EVE universe. Every so often (and in fact frequently), players of the game offer, vociferously and with energy, their suggestions as to what the next expansion should include. Simply glancing at the forum thread for “Commonly Proposed Ideas” brings up a plethora of golden standards (Salvaging Drones, Player-made Ship Skins, Skill Queues (I say “queues” because there is an entire sub-culture devoted to different “flavors” of queueing), Yachts, dedicated Command Ships), and the Features and Ideas board throws up the issues of the moment (not least tweaks – or total workovers – to the UI, distinctions between BPOs and BPCs, or ways and means to rescue Ghost Training).

But EVE is a game, and it will, naturally, tend towards mirroring other games with which it competes, on the basis that all the best ideas ought not to be concentrated on the one game. Thus the FPS-ishness of Ambulation, the possibility of planet-side warfare, the Factional Warfare to allow P-v-P for carebears.

What, then, can be (vaguely) prognosticated for the farther future ? If a stealth-hound’s entrails are read, to what will the Pontifex Maximus point as the way forward ?


Three areas (from my viewpoint) cry out.

Warfare
At some point, bigger and flashier ships are going to be wanted (”much bigger” -- Wormhole X-treme). This could be by way of (and probably would be a mixture of) new big ships, new better weapons, and new specialist ships. Big ships have the problems of game balance (Were Titans meant to be quite so common ?), and of the time needed to skill up in them. New weapons have the problem that people mount them on ships they weren’t meant for (Battle-Badger, anyone ?) and, for a while, cause major confusions. New specialist ships imply a further descent/retreat/concentration into niche developments: this again throws up issues regarding skills needed, as well as the tendency for fleets to need to be bigger to accommodate the specialisms. And big fleets mean big lag.
On the other hand, new big ships would distract the ardent PvPers into skilling for them (and paying for them, and for the bps for when they get bl*wn up), which would give some breathing time for those who prefer the Old School appraoch; and new weapopns and specialist ships would afford the opportunity for the development of new tactics, and would simulate the tendency of science to leap ahead (usually propelled by a good kick from the rear) in times of military conflict.

RP
PvPers see no reason why they should be anything other than people-who-kill-people. Perhaps they’re all postal workers – I don’t know (sorry – unfair typecasting there).
Other people (again, it's typecasting, but I've heard the females of the species mentioned in this regard) want increased non-violent interaction. Which is probably one reason for Ambulation, the Great New Hope under development. If what we've seen, put together with what's talked about, comes to pass ...
Strategy meetings in stations, where three-D maps could be used to plan attacks; face to face contract negotiations; real-time shops, and bars to meet the lonely spacer's needs (at last there's a reason for the dancing girls we keep shipping round for our agents' bachelor nights).
This is also where the desire to personalise one's ship comes in -- the Hello Kitty Kessie is a well-known icon in this field :: the more individual it is, the more people associate with their ship, and the more people associate a pilot with a partcilar ship or ships. Liveries on freighter/haulers would also help people know which ships are and aren't worth fragging.

Tech
Sooner or later, Tech-3 is going to come along. In my opinion, very quietly, with someone idly trying, for the thousandth time (or a N00b, for the first), to run research on a T-2 bp, and suddenly finding that it works. From that, of course, would arise the issue of the new components needed, from among the "rubbish" that pilots have gathered (and, in most cases, recycled) over previous months. All the station's research lines suddenly get swamped with people trying for T-3 things and what was yesterday's rubbish becomes today's HOT commodity, with people desperately trying to remember which ship it was that carried that particular piece of cargo, and where that otherwsie useless bit of salvage came from.
More than that -- imagine some T-3 frigates that address the issues of the existing ones -- basically replacement ships for some of what we have, but refined that way the devs now think they always ought to have been. This would allow players the option to stay with the old, established model (cheaper and BPO-able) or upgrade to the T-3 version, with the extra features but probbaly dearer, only available in BPCs, and possibly not insurable at the outset (until Pend work out the fair return formula).

The Jovians will be behind it all, but I don't think they'll emerge from their sanctuary yet. Some of the T-3 will be better versions of what we have (though, once again, there will probably need to be skills learned to use them -- Advanced Rigging, race-specific tech knowledge); others will open up new fields (perhaps even new careers, given that careers in EVE are what people make of them :: there are "healers", but that is because they chose to train those skills and buy and install those modules; in theory the ship that heals today could pod you tomorrow and you wouldn't spot the difference without a ship scan that you won't have time to make).
But even without the Jovians, there should be nothing to prevent the coding in of additional stations, expanding some corps and perhaps establishing new ones, with agents who would offer "different" missions (i.e. missions which previously had been limited to certain areas). If the "price" were right, how many people would be willing to fly 20 or 25 jumps for an agent? Especially if you factor in the existence of new agents at the other end.
The other "There should be nothing to prevent", which would allow in-game refinements, is the existance of the "Worthless" ores. Currently they get used for mining missions where there is no point in doing anything but taking the ore back to the agent. Suppose, however, the T-3 stuff required new refined product available from those ores -- which would obviusly, require specialist refining (new skill, limited station refineries that would be able to) :: suddenly these ores would have a second reason to exist (as well as there being a reason why agents want these ores).

None of this will appear this year, but metagaming isn't about so much the reality of the game, but of how it might be if this force or that motive were to influence it.

Jenni Concarnadine
161008

Oopsie -- I forgot

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and see all (or most 'f) the other EVE-bloggers listed together in one place, at one time !!!

Another day; Another dolly (it seems)

I think I remember why I gave up on this agent. Frankly, he's borderline-revolting. And he's out here on the edge of nothing, so you have to go 6 jumps to get anywhere interesting. On the other hand,that's why he's (sort of) ideal for White Carnation to run up some standings, without people messing with her.

She was up before me (hasn't yet learned the virtue of resting while you have chance) and did a couple of courier runs while I was getting breakfast and getting my pod organised. I'm trying lime-jello ooze this week -- someone said it smells better, but I think I'll go back to the aloe: it's definitely better for my skin. I also need to go get some missions run: the man mailed to say that my rental for planet-side ponie stables is nearly up and will I please arrange to take them back.


So we met up in the lounge and WhiteC showed me the new catalog she'd got :: apparently the Caldari scientific instrument manufacturers won't guarantee delivery to Minmater space, so she's going to have to build her labs with home-grown stuff. I would have thought that one retort is very like another (let alone solid-state thingamabob) but she assures me that ....


Getting back to the Real Stuff, she went to see the agent, who spun her some tale about losing a bet and would she go collect a package for a station a jump away. She went off, bravely, on her own, (while I watched pool-boys) and it turned out to be a dolly. Looked a bit like one of those Andorandy dolls they push at Hogmastide but a bit ... weirder ... on the face.

So, she brings it back, and he asks her to step out of the office for a second and when she's called back in, a minute later, he's got a slip of paper and some co-ordinates. For a drop off in deep space.

I wanted to go wth, in case it was a trap, but she insisted, promising me that she'd have an align out live at all times. From what she said when she got back, some doofus in a pirate-type ship kept appearing and disappearing (I must start training for an Invisibility Cloak), and finally chucked a jet-can to her. Needless to say: another dolly.

Next mission there's four of them, dotted over space. She found all but one, but by backtracking she found that one, too. Devious people, these dolly manufacturers.
All the time I'm expecting the boom to drop and half a dozen pirates to pop up, but, no -- all peachy. (Peach jello -- now there's a thought)


At some point he went ger-bonk, frothy at the mouth -- the agent, I mean :: the dollys just lay there, all plasticky and grinning -- and announced that no-one was to know about any of this, and would she go kill a man. To be fair, he was offering a large reward. So we did. Never found out the whole story -- just blew him away, collected the corpse and brung it back.


Would have been the end of it, but someone eve-mailed WhiteC offering her one of those signiificant missions. So we flew over to look into it and it was supposed just to be a simple kidnap -- go get the victims back. I insisted and flew wing for her and we went after.
And I never want to do that again: the shooting of the rogue ships wasn't too bad -- once you got used to the fact that as soon as one lot died, the next ones turned up (and sometimes during), but the salvage was immense. At one point, I was dead in space while she made two trips back to drop stuff off.

So, after that, I was definitely for my bunk, even if WhiteC did say she was going to look at some tech stuff in the station's labs. Anyway, they had the new episodes of CSI -- Rens on, and I wanted to know if they'd moved on with the "Android Assassin" plotline.


And tomorrow -- who knows ?

First Flowerings

SO, White Carnation (my Cald boffin-friend) managed to work her way out to our portion of [####### -- CENSORED] and found the station (or one of them) that 3D uses. Except that, when they tried to team up, local control wouldn't allow it.

I'd foreseen the possibility, and so I saddled up my Big Guns and went to meet them. It's in the back of beyond, but that's good because there aren't as many pirates there. And the station is Min Gov'mint, so she'd be building up status with the Right People for the Republic.

She'd apparently tried a couple of missions (mostly fags and booze runs) and then had been asked to get a POS book. Apparently the agent fancies running his own station on the side. She'd brought that, and some other stuff, but her guns had zeroed out against a transport (which he'd assured her she could attack and he'd keep CONCORDE away).
So we fleeted and up I gave the transport some TLC with my drones and artillery, and she did the same with some missiles and it died. Mind you, we didn't find the cargo we were told would be there, nor any salvage (wise girl: she had a salvager ready to fit dockside). But the agent seemed happy enough.

Then his half-built POS came under attack and when we went to defend it, the vorschict gate wouldn't let me through. So I left her to guard the gate while I went and got my Dramiel. It's a good ship, and I misuse her badly: next to no guns and major salvage/tractor rig. But she was good enough for what was there, and between us we cleared the field of rats --- but not before Mr.POS, he go ka-bloom !!
Not that the agent seeemd too troubled -- he blamed some old geezer for it, gave us the co-ords of where he was (a pleasure yacht -- in a system best known for asteroids) and sent us to square the account. Which we did, in a way, and reported back.

Then I took a nap while WhiteC ran some errands for him. But soon enough he had bad/worse news -- we had an Amarr spy in the area. I don't know if I will ever *like* Amar -- slavery and I don't get on. I was glad to saddle up and do the necessary and since the b*ard undoubtedly had friends, I organised that I would go through any gates ahead of WhiteC, and clean up, and she could follow and do the tidying with her salvage mod. Which worked well, right up to when we also bagged a snotty little sympathiser, cuddled in to an escape pod in Mr.Spy's cruiser. (I was actually quite proud that we took down a Cruiser in 2 frigs, but in retrospect I don't think he was firing on all cylinders: it was too easy, and I suspect this was a decoy and the Real Spy is still in place).

And after that it was nap-time. We were both worn out and 3D was off mining, so we split a bottle of Ol'Junx Spirit and hit the bunks.
More later
Jenni

And we're back (for now)

The poniez and I have had a little falling-out (a matter of stains on the deck-plates), so they're having a Quiet Moment in the stables, and I'm flying again.

Still got some of my lovely ISKies left but ...

It seems to be dig-it-up season. Apart from a couple of "nip out and fetch me smokes/oil / dump these reports/layabouts" missions, all I'm getting seems to be mining related. I do have a digging machine (2, actually, but one of them is a Mammoth that Babylon Bear rigged for me, that has a miner strapped on top, so that I cna mine without jet-canning -- slow but *safe*) and the pod now smells of Jenni again. One job involved large gentlemen of the pew-pew persuasion and I'm sorry to say that, since I couldn't get my BC in there to play with them, I just mined and ran. But the other one was a bit more complicated, involving mining some ore I'd never heard of, while being "observed" by drones. This time the BC was allowed, so basically I scoped the space out and BC'd in, played with the drones (none of whom seemed exactly bright, even if they were advertising that they were "sentient" or some such) and then put the Lesser Goronwy in for the digs. In the end, because the ore was so bulky and the drones didn't seem to be respawning, I even jet-canned the end of the mission.

And why, you'll ask, did Jenni put up with this tedium ? Simple: they woz offering ISKies in a lump -- 2mill, in all (since I always try for the time bonus). SO, I'm flush again for a day or two.
There was also some interesting salavge from these "sentient" drones. As soon as White Carnation is settled in, I'm going to pass them on to her, for analysis.

And that was going to be it, except that I had an EVE-Mail :: "Call on me urgently: your kin need you". Turned out my kin didn't need me as much as ombar. Which is a pleasant enough ore, but I wasn't in an ombar-rich zone.
But my miner buddy 3D is, so I phoned him and did a deal -- he mined the ombar, and I paid him some now and some later. An hour later his Badger was delivering ore to the mission site and all I had to do was go over, accept the mission, turn round and say "Oh, look what I just found down the back of the sofa" (Joke TM to John Rourke -- borrowed and now returned), and take the ISK reward. Which didn't cover what I'd paid 3D (or will in the future), but saved me hunting for the omb, and then digging it out while being ratted. 3D has drones for rats; the Goronwy has one small one and really needs her 3rd laser replacing by a turret gun (which I can find a nice one).

And now it's nap time for Jenni. and I'll see you all on the flip-side.

Napping

in a station while thinking over my inadvertent mislaying of a Jag.

I know where it *is*, but I'm disinclined to let Mr.Flashy-Red kill me again.

My fault for going lo-sec, but that's where the bps were. Still, they weren't on-board at the time, and Mr.Flashy-Red has to go to sleep sometime. Then I'll head back up to hi-sec and find something with Artillery cannon.

Best wishes to all poniez everywhere. I'm curiously tired -- perhaps that third PanGalactic was a mistake ... or were they Panther Sweats ?

Be Vevvy vevvy quiet

... I don't want my agent to know I'm back.

The vacation was all very well – and the poniez and I got plenty of exercise — but I still had the research, and I knew it was due to finish.

So eventually I warped home, to find another memo on my PersCom -- I was due to collect some stuff right down in Forge for a new friend. She's Cald, like the 3-doctorates, but she's a sweet little girl, and she's willing to team with me to do Hard Science, if I do a little bankrolling till she's going.

So, instead of fetching bps in lo-sec (the only place that had research labs available in under a month), I had to haul ass (or a donkey at least) in Mal's Hathi, which was a gift from Mal Garamite, fully fitted, and is my primary hauler. It took a while, but I met White Carnation just over the border in Lonetrek, and we packed up her ships, and gear (and then unpacked enough so that she can keep basic gear down there), and set off back.

We maybe should have done some research of the strategic sort, because I'm not sure she can find an agent now she's here, so we dropped her off in Sinq Liason and I'll go back in a week or so and see how she's doing.



So, now, I just have to go get those bps, and then see about what I can build with them.

Didn't Mean To ...

I only came back to see if some Research was over (it wasn't, yet) and my agent asked me to take some electrical parts to a reactor engineer five jumps away. So, since I didn't really want a cloud of radioactive gas replacing a small planet, I took the job, and by the time I got back (after a bit ratting in a system that's far too occupied) I docked at home base and dropped in on another agent I sometimes work for.

He said that there'd been a kidnapping, with some sort of Diplomatic Consequences, and could I please look into it ?

Flew eight jumps, dropped into a system, followed the bookmark, and found a Caldari mini-fleet. Now Calds I normally get on well with -- my miner buddy 3D (he *says* he has 3 doctorates --- and I believe him ?) is one, and he's a good friend -- but these guys get stroppy as soon as I warp in, and start for me.
SO I returned some fire and blew one away, which seems to enrage the others, and I'm watching my shield repper just so *not cope*, and find I'm another drone down (Lou-Ella -- the one with the assymetric microwarp cowling), and then we're heading towards armor, and I'm thinking Time to align out of here.

Jumped out, to a station, pulled a drone out of the hold and told him he'd get a name if he came back alive, checked my shield was up again, and warped back (remembering to reload as I did). Turned up on top of 3 "escort" ships, with a fourth barrelling in. He was the tricksy one -- near as I could tell, he was getting remote repped, so I left him be, and took the other three first. Hey, they can't remote-rep you if they're in their pods and m-warping home.

Finally found the kidnappees -- dead and floating in space -- and also found a deal of heavy-weight salvage -- I think those "escorts" may have been full-strength cruisers -- and some Caldari tags. So, come the next Collectors' Market, I might have to talk to Dai the Dip, and see if he knows anyone who wants "Genuine Souvenirs" of the Caldari Faction Force ... well, they're not going to know the difference, are they ?

Drone came back, so I've called him Emo.

One of THOSE days

Don't quite understand it, but I ended up with another one of those cloak-and-dagger "Do this and the guv'mint will love you" missions. Some idiot or other was running some pirates -- please go and blow him up.

So I take the job and notice that I can arrive at a range from the co-ordinates they gave me. And since my Big Guns work well at 30K, I decide on that. Imagine My Surprise, when I de-warp 2K from a cruiser. Poor b*gger never had a chance: I saw that the closest other ships were over 30K away and I opened up on him with everything, including drones, and blew him away before he'd even really noticed me. Then I Big-Gunned a batch of frigs, and took out a second cruiser. During which Mr.SlimeBall tried webbing me, or something. I let my drones chew on him while I salvaged from wrecks, and then blew him away too.


Whether someone was watching me I don't know :: I get home and my regular agent suggests I might like to do a mission for her that involves pirates. So I said I'd give it a try, reloaded everything, repaired a slightly wounded drone, and went off.

This time there were plenty of cruisers (and perhaps a BC in there) -- they seemed to agress in groups (and I was careful, as soon as one group did, to pull away and take them with me, so that the others didn't catch on). They took longer to kill, but I managed to stay in-shield all the way (though one drone -- Luigi, a blue one with swirly designs on his hull -- did succumb, due to going too close to a frigate and not coming back when I told him to) and one lot never even got a shot onto my hull -- I think my Big Gun had more range than theirs.

At the end, I breathed a sight of relief, and went to get paid. The mission pay was about 700K (with bonus), but the bounties for killing them were phenomenal -- I ended up with 2.7M total, so Jenni is going to have a holiday for a day or two, and Ride Poniez !!!

Trip in Jag delayed

... I found out that my research is still running, and anyway the portmaster was warning about bad weather in the warp dimentions, and shut the station down for a while.

So when that was over, I ran some stuff down to Rens, to sell it, bought some shells and went out ratting. Nothing special, but another multi-belt system with not many residents.

Query to self: should we stock up on medium projective BPOs or won't we be able to get the minerals ?

Good Dayz

So, I got one of those strange missions where you do things for people in Dark Glasses in order to boost your Faction Standings. It turned out to be a multi-part one as well, and in a system I don't often go to (because it's a dead end).

So, I thought about it, and hired someone to look after the poniez for a day or two, and went and did it. Which, in the end, and including the long-and-boring "Would you take this data to a Man in a System -- but don't ask him his name, or his dog's name, or the parrot's name, or anything that is his ?" sub-mission, took most of a day. I ended up at my base camp, and slept there. Then I went back to my mission hub (it's a system away), and found, to my joy, that the yummy +quality agent who'd been turning me away (so I had to use her -quality cousin) would give me an interview.

She also gave me a combat mission (which since she's supposed, like her cousin, to do mostly courier work, was a little ... unsettling). Thinking about it, I decided to take my biggest ship, which meant I had room for a ponie, so I took Legolam. And we set off -- it was fun (even if Legolam did get *too* excited again -- memo to self: next time, buy Industrial Strength air-freshners) and I same back to find that, with the rat bounties, I'd made seven figures.

Then she gave me a courier run to the back of beyond (all right -- 8 jumps, though!), and when I got there, I found an agent with my favourite corp (the guvvinment -- I'm working on getting my taxes down) and so I did some missions for her -- and one was another combat one, and it took the age of a duck (and meant Legolam missed feed-time, becoz I was shooting things), but at the end, when I added in bounties, I had another seven figure paycheck.

Which is two in two days. So Legolam is going to have a holiday, on a planet with Real Grass, and I'm going to fly home tomorrow, and then I gather (from a reminder message on my personaComp) that I'll have some researched blueprints to collect. In an 0.4 system. That has a deadspace in it (or did last time I was there). I think I feel a trip in my sleek and lovely Jag coming on. The question is, do I invest in T2 guns for it ? Decisions, decisions, and me (temporarily) without a ponie to ask for advice.

If anyone ever reads this

I know that, technically, a cargo pod, or the cargo in a wreck, belong to people (usually wheover jetted the pod, or wrecked the ship), and that the wreck itself, and the salvage therefrom, are (at present, and Certain People to the contrary) free for collection.

But what is the etiquette ?
Presumably if no-one is about, it's all right to salvage.
Equally, if it's *your* wreck, you should be allowed to salvage from it (whether it was your ship, or belonged to an NPC you gutted)
But how far away from a wreck (in space and time) can you be and still have that moral right ?

Take an NPC wreck in a belt, and let's say that "PDQ Carebear" wrecked it.
If PDQ is in the belt, salvaging other wrecks, can he claim it's just waiting its turn, and I shouldn't snaffle it ?
How about if he's in the belt, but mining (and therefore not going to salvage for the short-term future) ?
How about if he's in the belt, emptying wrecks, but hasn't the tech to salvage them ?
How about if he's in another belt ? Are they still, morally, his ?
How about if he's in Local but not visible (docked or in a mission space) ?

I'm going to go wild and assume that, when you leave the solar system, your moral rights lapse.

But it seems a shame to have these wrecks floating about unsalvaged.


PS Anyone who'd like to hire me to clean up after them .....

Bad News; Good News

I haven't seen my uncle in years, and now it doesn't look like I will, from what I heard last night.

He joined the Minmatar Militia some years ago, and eventually got taken into the Regular Army. He was always a believer in the adage that in every private soldier's knapsack there can be a field-marshal's baton.

The trouble was, when the Provost-Sgt checked, Uncle Ned had 27 of them.


In other news
I'm still not sure about this agent, but last night I got a call from someone a system away, offering me a Special Mission -- they seem to pop up for time to times :: always offer you boosts with one or another of the government factions, and nothing material ever comes of it. Anyway, I didn't have anything except time to lose, so I went to see what she wanted. I'm not allowed to talk about the mission itself, but the reward was in seven digits. First time I've ever been offered that sort of iskies.

SO I'm taking a couple of days off, while all my poniez get their hoofs seen to -- sparkly pink for the gurlz and sparkly blue for the boyz.

LOL Jenni

She Did It to me Again

I may have to move on to a new agent (which would be a pity -- I'm trying to butter her up to get to a far higher quality one in the same corp, who's said to offer extremely nice rates of reward).

I turn up, and do a quick run for oil for her hovercraft -- the sort of thing I used to do when I was just Starting Out (and didn't even have a single ponie to talk to). Then she says she has a little job for me.

Too fiddly for her regular pilots, which ought to have warned me. It turned out that there were drones guarding some 'roids, that she wanted mining. I almost turned the job down, but that would have meant going out to find some other work, and she was offering sparkly cash. So I knuckled down, and started planning.

In the end I had to get my own little fleet-let. And fly all of it myself. A mining ship to dig the stuff and a hauler to carry it. Then go back for my gunship, and shoot the drones. Then get the miner and mine (taking care of a local pirate and another couple of drones, so maybe the miner could have taken the original ones, but I wasn't taking chances). And finally tidy up the deadspace, and rush back to get the hauler before someone probed out my jet-can and took all the ore for themselves. Turned it in, took the miner home, and was too tired to shift the hauler for now. So that will be for doing another day, because I *so* need it *not* where it is.

I'm not saying that I didn't appreciate the 200K in ISK (my poniez will feed tonite) but I signed up to fly one ship at a time, not to have to assemble (and disassemble) little fleets. And what if I hadn't had the miner and the hauler ? Was I meant to buy them ? And sell them later, at a loss ?

Nap time for Jenni -- see what tomorro brings.

I sometimes wonder

if I know what I'm doing.

On the other hand, she was an agent who'd promised me that all she did was offer cargo courier runs. So when she said someone had run off with some documents ... and her lunch ... and would I get them back, I didn't think it was going to involve more than a frigate and maybe a couple of pet drones. I mean, how big is a lunchbox ?

I get to the co-ordinates and there he is. And there are six Very Big Ships (prob'ly cruisers) with him. Does "Get Out of Dodge" mean anything ?
And I didn't. I stayed and fought and loosed drones, up to where I was 50% armour, which snuck up on me (one second I'm shield repping, the next I'm halfway to dead), and then warped out before the baling wire took damage (my ship lacks the convenient "wingy bit" on the top). So I armour repped, docked to pick up new drones (having, in my haste, left all mine behind when I did the exit sprint), and then went back.

This time they lined up, and I could take one on at a time, while tanking the dps from the others. And I have to say, the salvage was worth it, and I found my old drones were huddling together in a corner, keeping their little cyber heads down, so I rescued them too.


After that I had a stiff drink, and went out again, to see if I could get any real cargo runs. I'm on my way, carrying ciggies, I think, when I note that there's chat on the Corp channel (which, since I'm still in starter Corp., I usually ignore). So, for the company, I listen in, and it's a n00b asking if anyone can give him a hand.
And I'm thinking "How many friends do you have, just waiting for an idiot to warp in, and get blown away ?" and "Is this a Faction Warfare ploy ?" But, for the company, I answer him, and ask what he wants moving, how big it is, and from where to where (since if it's half the galaxy away, it's no real use me responding, and these are things a girl wants to know and so forth).

And he comms me off Corp channel (which worries me slghtly) and for the next ten minutes we fence round the subjects, with things coming out in dribs and drabs -- he's 3 jumps away, it's a one jump job, but he says his hold can't hold it all. And all the time I'm watching for the catch -- but there isn't one obvious: his bio says he's been flying for only 3 days, there's no lo-sec anywhere along the routes, and I'm in a ship that just went through 6 cruiser-type things (okay, NPCs, but ... )
Long and the short is, I refuse to help till I've seen him, he turns up in a Rifter; then we head for his base of operations because he then admits it's a mining mission, and he hasn't done the mining yet. And I can't help noticing the three pods that draft through system, one of them with a 1.5M bounty on him (but do I really want someone that hard having a grudge against me ?).

He docks and rigs with a laser (and I panic in case he comes out in an uber-pwn machine and blows me to hellandgone) and we set off in-fleet. At first, the fact we aren't heading for a belt worries me, and I'm "Oh, shit ! This is where the real Pyrates leap out and I'm a kill-board stat !", but then I twig that it's a mission deadspace. We get there -- and in seconds 2 rats pop up, which is sort of expectable -- it's a mission :: if there weren't rats, the agent would have flown it themself. So I drone them to death (losing the comm channel in and among). Then three more pop up.
So I do them in too, and collect a jet can (the poor lamb has to be told how to jettison), salvage them, get a 2nd can; then we says his hold can take the 3rd lump, so I reason that that will reassure him, because I can't nip off with all his ore.

We fleet to the delivery station, and I demonstrate the "trade" bit, in handing over the ore and some salvage, and then, as a farewell, I decide to drop him the cash for a proper mining ship, just in case he wants to do some more. It's what good friends did for me when I started out, and he didn't ask for anything.

And then I went and laid down and thought virtuous thoughts till I fell asleep.
My best wishes go out to him, in his Rifter in Metropolis, and I hope he finds good fortune Rifting the stars.

Tales of a Carebear Chapter whatever