He Works for Who?

YC113.09.28

Ah, popping rats was just what I needed!

The system’s quiet right now, and still no wormhole back in.  I may have done something stupid though.  I used the quiet time to go digging into Kyber, and I’m not at all sure about what I’ve found...

It looks like I can’t avoid politics any more.

Dammit.

Am I working for the enemy?

Am I gonna end up stuck back at the bottom of some gravity well?

I think I’m gonna go waste some more ammo - life’s a bit too complicated right now.

Something’s Not Right

YC113.09.27

Well, I’m stuck in K-Space without my barges...  I guess I’ll be popping over to Arraron and seeing if there’s any work Astral needs doing.

In the meantime, this gave me a chance to get on the comms with the boss.  I asked him about the other guy that got popped by the tower crew and his visits.  Turns out his name is Kyber, and the boss says he’s a good guy, recommends I get to know him better.  Boss had no trouble answering questions about him, but the answers didn’t seem to contain that much actual information, ya know?

Apparently Kyber just drops in to visit, looks like he has his own tower in the system - and that’s news to me!  I though it was just us and the alliance out here; no clue who Kyber’s with, it seems real expensive to me to maintain a tower all by yourself...

Good, at least Astral has some work for me.  I think I’ll go take care of some trouble makers that have been hanging around - sometime’s it’s good to turn off the brain and just shoot stuff.

Wait, Where’d It Go?

YC113.09.27

WOW!  This hole mining is great!  So far we’ve pulled about 130 million ISK outta these belts.  I’ve even got some “raiding” experience now - the grav sites are pretty rare right now at home, but the alliance got lucky out scanning.  

That belt one system over they found was perfect - high value stuff and no one at home in the local tower.  And let me get some stick time on the Covetor; leveler heads prevailed and I left the Hulk at home.  It’d be kinda embarrassing to lose two in such short time - even if one WASN’T MY FAULT!

Ahem...

In an example of lucky timing, just as we were finishing up with that belt, a high-sec exit popped up.  After a short rest break, it was time to strap into Nice II and haul all that pretty pretty ore to the refinery.  (And man that took a while.  I hope James can save up and get that freighter soon!)

And of course, I just had to get over-confident.  Things were going so well, I figured it would be the perfect time to hop in a shuttle and get Bruge in-system.  Out I go to start the 20+ jumps, already thinking about how nice it would be to have a fighter on hand for those times I need to clear out some Sleepers before I can make money.

Back I arrive at the high-sec with the way home, all set to dock up hit the bunk and... um, where’s the entrance?  Whaddya mean the wormhole collapsed?!?  Now what do I do?

And more importantly, how do I make any money?

Chasing Rumors

YC113.09.26

There hasn’t been much ISK to catch lately, but I’ve been making good use of the downtime getting to know the tower staff.  The guy at the top may not always know what’s going on, but the guys actually responsible for getting it done almost always do!

So like I said, getting to know people - and I’m starting to hear things.  Sounds like that chap that got popped a few weeks ago has been visiting more - and is also no longer showing red on the scanners...

I still don’t know just what’s he’s doing here, or why he was showing red in the first place.  Apparently he spends most of his time here in the boss’s quarters.  All I can say is: boss better not be holding out any ISK on us.  The last thing I need is to be cut off from the markets out here, with downtime like this, and have a boss that’s skimming off the books.

Speaking of downtime - the alliance has just found a belt one system over!  Time to make some money; now, Covetor or risk the Hulk...

Pattern Recognition?

YC113.09.25

I think that may have been a mistake.  Of course, I’m not sure what that is:  going snooping, or joining up in the first place...

Turns out I’m not the first guy to get friendly’d out here: some of the guys manning the defences tell me they got royally chewed out over popping someone a few weeks back.  So some cowboy drops outta warp right on top of us, showing red on every scanner in orbit.  What the hell else were they supposed to do?

Only after they’ve done their job, looks like the boss man forgot to let anyone know he was expecting company.  Who this yahoo was, or why the boss was getting a visit from someone squawking red...

But yeah, an alliance with itchy trigger fingers; tower defence chewed out and jumpy; strange company in-system.  

I mean, I’m not above a little dealing with the shadier elements of life - their money’s just as good.  Hell it’s often better - what the tax man don’t know, the tax man can’t take!

But it if means I’m gonna be getting my ass shot at every other week.  Oh shit, did I remember to insure Nimes II before coming out here...

I’m Bored

YC113.09.25

Nimes II is all set to go, finally!  Only one problem, there’s nothing for me to mine.  Turns out the home system’s getting played out - it’s tougher to find anything worth even undocking the ship to go after.

Sure, there’s other systems to hit; if there’s a wormhole up and stable, if there’s a fleet to scan and secure the other system, if there’s not already people in there, if it’s not already played out itself.

I can’t complain too much I guess.  Even with the downtime, the ISK we’re pulling in during uptime more than makes up for hauling Veldspar halfway across a bloody region just to make a lousy half-percent profit.

Well, I may as well make use of this time while I’ve got it - I think I’ll go snooping around the tower, see what and who I can find.  After all, this is home now, I should start treating it like it...

Huh...

YC113.09.25

That was a strange conversation, to say the least.  Not sure what it means.

The crew and I were busy swapping out some burnt parts on the lasers - all set to Tech II those rocks! - so I wasn’t exactly paying attention to the private corp comms channel.  But something’s... I dunno...

All I really caught was James and the boss getting into it over something.  Another tower in the system I think?

I asked James about it once we were done getting greasy - boss was signed off by then so I couldn’t ask him.  May have been a mistake asking James though...  he didn’t answer much straight, but man that can guy dig and dig at a person.  If I could aim that energy at the rocks instead of me, I’d have my holds filled in no time!

He said something about Sansha, but I couldn’t follow much of what he was talking about.  All politics to me - I don’t care who’s paying as long as they’re paying.  He seemed real worked up though.  Money’s money, ain’t it?

And just... yeah... I dunno...

I Don’t Got It!

or

(Send in the Clowns)

YC113.09.24

Well, the wait’s finally over.  Not only have we found an opening to high-sec, but it’s Jufvitte - only 5 jumps from my beloved Nimes!  We just need to jump through a C2 system, no sweat with the chaps from Wormhole Engineers to help out.  There’s not gonna be a better time to get that Hulk in-system and hitting those belts.

A nice shuttle-jump out - ah, nice to be back in familiar space, I’ve missed those constellations - and before I know it the pod’s onlining systems and the sweet sweet feeling of a ship built solely to generate wealth is surrounding me again.

Only a skeleton crew on board, of course - all my top folks are already in-system figure out the new Tech II systems we’ll be fitting as soon as we’re back.  Most important thing to do now, of course - make sure the IFF is configured properly.  Last thing I want is to get popped by a friendly cause I’ve forgotten to broadcast the fleet and alliance signatures!

As I’m leaving the station, more welcome information - James has managed to get a transport in-system and is hauling out the ore.  It’s a great place to find the rocks, but not exactly a lot of customers in there...

Five easy jumps, and I’m staring at the wormhole entrance back in Jufvitte (those things are still awe-inspiring!)  Quick squawk over the fleet comms, confirm it’s safe to jump, and in I go.  Pop out, systems online - quick check and no threats showing, only nice friendly blues on the scopes.

Little hop across the system and there’s the hole back home.  (And yup, still weird calling the middle-of-nowhere home.)  Fleet’s got the system locked down, so a nice secure jump...

What the hell?!?  

Why am I in my pod?  Where’d my ship go?  What just happened?

Near as I’ve been able to piece together, the chap guarding the hole on our side had an IFF failure.  He’s claiming he set it up right and I must have been showing the wrong signal - he saw foe instead of friend, and fired away.

I just got one problem with that - everyone else in that C2 saw me clearly showing friendly; so unless that hole-jump scrambled my systems, something just ain’t right here.

Boss man’s covered my losses; I’ve already popped back out, picked up a new Hulk - Nimes II - and gotten this one safely back in-system.  He’s told me to drop it, considered it a closed issue.  But I dunno...  I get the feeling we’re the very junior partners in this alliance.

(And it was damned hard hiring a transit crew on short-notice - especially when they found out what happened to their predecessors.)

At least I finally got to meet James in the flesh...

Man, These are Some Slick Cats!

YC113.09.23

Whoo!  All moved in!

Boss man has one nice operation set up in here.  Although I’m getting ahead of myself...

Dasun’s a pretty smooth operator.  I haven’t flown fleet since those piddly training exercises in school, but the training kicked in nicely.  He’d scout out the system first, flash the all-clear, and in I go.

And WOW!!!!!

Wormholes!  What can I say that the poets haven’t already - and trust me, their words don’t do justice...

Now, Dasun’s good, but not sure about the staff we got around here.  It’s not like they didn’t have full notice that I was coming in-system, and bringing a full load of supplies with me.  But do they have my accounts and permissions set up?  Pfft, what d’you think!

All that’s settled now though, and I’ve even had a chance to get Nantes reassembled and out to a belt we found.  A very nice welcome gift indeed from my new home system.

This is the first chance I’ve had to get my lasers locked on Arkonor and Bistot.  These are some tricky bastards to mine, but man my wallet’s gonna love it!  I’m glad I planned ahead - already got the tech manuals to switch over the ship to handle these big rocks.  Just need a few more days to get things configured and I’ll be loading up those Tech II crystals and pulling some real groovy volumes.

Hopefully the rest of the corp members make it in here soon, it’ll be nice to actually meet them in the flesh.

Rocks in the Hole

YC113.09.23

This has been a week of huge news: a new job, a new Hulk, and now Advent’s scouted up an opening into the wormhole system!  The only problem is, there’s a few jumps through low-sec space, so there’s a limit to what’s safe to bring in.

I’ve got an Itty V packed full and ready to go: Covetor for the rocks, Vexor just in case, and plenty of ammo, mining crystals and tower fuel.

It’s just me and the boss moving stuff in.  He’s got a good ship for scouting, so he’s leading the way.

Only a few jumps between me and the ISK baby!

I Got It!  I Got It!

YC113.09.22

Introducing Nimes!

Now to get it safely to the wormhole so we can start making money!

Be It Ever So Humble, There’s No Place Like Corp

YC113.09.21

Woo hoo!  I got hired!  Advent Ltd., I’m gonna make you (and me) rich!

Yup, it was finally time for every one's favourite lone wolf miner and business man extraordinaire to bring my massive talents to the poor wayward souls at Advent...

Ok, I guess that’s a bit over the top.  Actually:

1. I got sick of paying CAS 11% taxes.  Seriously?  11%?  And just what the hell are you giving back for that?  No answer for me?  Just what I thought.
2. I have no problem making ISK, but there is only one of me.  (No, jump clones don’t count!)  I can mine, or I can refine, or I can haul to market.  But no matter how hard I try, I can’t do all three at once.  That’s the great thing about a corp, built-in help - best way to be three places at once is to find two other people to do the work instead.
3. I’m lonely.  (There, I said it.  You happy now?)  Lone-wolfing means I keep all my ISKies, but it also means no one to talk with, share a drink and a story, or help out in a pinch.

So just what am I going to be doing?  Well, looks like Advent has found themselves a nice, out-of-the-way wormhole to set up shop.  This means I’m gonna have a nice steady supply of high-end ores - no more of this high-volume, low-margin scraping to make a living.  And not only that, but corpies and alliance mates to watch my back while I’m out there.  No more worrying some bastard’s going to blow up the can or steal all my beautiful rocks!

I should be getting moved out there soon - we just need to scan up a safe way in.  In the meantime, I need to keep working towards the finish line...  Buying that Hulk!

ISK: Either You’re Chasing It, or It’s Chasing You

or

(How to Make ISK With Dirt Beneath Your Nails)

or

(How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Asteroids)

YC113.09.20

I’m a generous, benevolent capsuleer who helps little old ladies use jump gates and gladly donates to the Crew Widows and Orphans Fund.  Really, trust me.

No?

Fine.  CAS served one purpose for me: show me how to get rich - and let’s just say they were very good at getting me started!  Mining, refining, and business foundations have served me very well.  Since graduating I’ve put these to excellent use.

(That I should have paid a bit more attention to ship defence - or more correctly destroying other’s ship defence - is neither here nor there.)

The miner’s best friend though?  The good folks at Astral Mining Inc!  That’s right folks - for all your needs in mining refining, be sure to visit your local Astral Mining outpost.  Tell ‘em Kat Robspierre sent ya!

But, I digress...

Getting in good with Astral is one of the best moves I’ve made - in particular with Aisnellina Alottins over in Arraron.  It’s true that I could have paid more attention to the more martial of arts, but that doesn’t mean I ignored them completely.  There’s more than a few little problems I’ve made go away for Alottins, and in return he’s taken care of my refining needs rather nicely.

And this has led me to an amazing discovery - people can’t do basic math!  Ok, ok, I know, not an amazing discovery; more importantly, I’ll never go broke underestimating how stupid my fellow capsuleers can be.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying: getting your hands - or at least your cargo hold and crew’s hands - dirty can earn you a very nice balance indeed.  Get in good with the refinery, and you’d be amazed what you can make simply buying the raw ore from those who have difficulty counting past ten without a second pair of hands, refining it, and selling the minerals to those to lazy to count to ten on their own set of hands.

And, should miracles happen and the supply on the markets dry up I can always hop out myself in Nantes and go straight to the source.

Stupid CAS

YC113.09.19

It’s been almost a year since I graduated from the Centre for Advanced Studies.  Things are certainly different own my own, away from the sheltering confines of school...

So far, I’ve kept my head above water - or rather, air my lungs.  But what is it about school never teaching you the things you actually need to know to survive?  Just what lessons do they think we’re going to absorb, when all they talk about is all the ISK you can get?

(Or I suppose, for those with more muscles than brains - all those ships you can vent when CONCORD isn’t looking...)

I’ve made a few ISK, bought a few ships, promptly lost some of those ships, and am starting to get a feel for this new life.  Sure, I know how to get the most out of a mining laser or how to best use those sub-par refineries in the more “colourful” regions, but the real lessons I could have used:

Lesson 1: check what system you’re buying from!

I had a line on some broken drone transceivers dirt cheap, and a buyer ready and willing.  Man, did I have plans for the ISK I’d be getting outta this deal - which near as I can figure is why I forgot the first rule: if it’s cheap, there’s a reason.  Now, these transceivers were waiting for me in Reblier, a couple of hundred ripe for the picking.  And here’s me with a week-old Itty Mark III just begging to be taken on a trading run.

I get in-system just fine, notice there’s not exactly an abundance of traffic around.  But hey, the early bird catches the worm.  (Which really just shows the worm should have slept in...)  Of course, these things are spread over three stations.  The first pick-up goes just fine, not a soul to be seen.  Flying into station 2 I finally spot someone else, just flying patrol next to the station.  I dock no problem, get the goods loaded on, and without even pausing for a coffee off I go for the next station.

Only I barely get squeezed out the docking bay, and whammo! Shields gone in less than a second, armour right behind it.  Not even 10 seconds in space, and there goes my Itty III in a puff of vapour - along with those stupid transceivers!

That’s the last time I’ll forget to check security before buying.  

Lesson 2:  Going to the source is a great shortcut (just don’t ask what it’s a shortcut to)

How I lost my two-day old cruiser, that’s a different story.  Just as stupid a reason though.  I got a fairly sweet thing going for me here in Aidart.  Plenty of rocks to mine, not many neighbours, and just the occasional rat or two to clean up.  So I get it in my head that hey, let’s be proactive and clean out some of these rats at the source, see if I can make a difference in the universe.  

(Those bounties CONCORD’s paying - they never entered into my mind at all.  Nope, not one bit...)

And lo and behold, what have I got sitting in my hanger but this shiny Vexor, just loaded right up with guns.  I’d been hearing some rumours of a nest not far from an old beacon anchored on the system’s edge.  What better way to break in my ship?  Without further thought (or any thought at all, for that matter) I warp out to that beacon, fire up the scanner, and bingo!  One rats’ nest, coming up.

Warping in, no problem at all.  In fact, why not warp to 0 from the sig, save some time boosting closer?  (See where this is going yet...?)  I come out of warp, and sure enough, lots of rats just waiting for me to lock on.

Um, they’re locking on to me already.  Why aren’t they waiting for me to be ready?  What happened to fair fights and good guys always winning?  Hey, what the hell was that?  And where’d my shields go?

What’s that buzzer mean?  I haven’t heard that before...  Shut up computer, what do you mean there’s no armour left?

All I can say, thank goodness the auto-eject on the pod worked fine - cause nothing else did that day!