RIP Punisher VII

I lost it attempting The Blockade. Should have known a mission worth that many loyalty points was too tough for my Tier 1 frigate. Ah well. Definitely the best Punisher so far. I'll have to Upgrade the VIII. It's still in the V's condition, and my skills have far surpassed that state.

The really annoying part is that I was like 5 waves into the mission, and I believe I might have been on the last or second to last wave. I very nearly broke the villain's blockade. Now I've failed, and days will pass before I return to my piloting duties to try again.

To my fellow mission runners

There's a lot of confusion as to what to do when you are attacked by an enemy capsuleer. It's really pretty simple.

#1: While missioning in low security systems, remain if possible aligned to a warpable target.

#2: Work your scanner. If a shady capsuleer appears, jump to safety.

#3: If you are snagged by a predatory capsuleer, don't lose your cool. Shoot at them if it looks like it'll do any good, but typically you are doomed. Regard the ship as a loss and focus on getting your pod out.

#4: Don't talk to your assailant, or into the local channel. They are hungry for interaction, lonely souls. If they weren't, they'd be like us. It's far more profitable to shoot mission targets than mission runners, they do it in order to get challenge or interaction. Give them neither. Behave as much as you can like a mission target.

#5: Don't seek revenge, don't respond to taunting mails. Bide and return to your activities after they depart, or go elsewhere if they seem minded to stay. Don't hire mercenaries, don't go and fetch what you think is a capsuleer fighting ship, don't put a bounty on them, don't do anything to encourage them. Return to your chosen style of flying as soon as possible.

Kindness of Strangers

I was panhandling, and an older capsuleer in the Militia sent me One hundred Million Isk. This is far more isk than I've ever had before, save for the startup funds I used for my hundred punishers. I'm going to wildly expand my present fleet.

In addition to that, I've mastered hull improvements. I'm going to move up to EANM II's, and I've already moved up to Damage Control II's. Big improvement to the resistance of all my vessels from that effort.

Going away from New Eden

I'll be gone for 10 days. When I get back, I'll have Hull Upgrades V complete, which should let me used Damage Control II and EANM II's. I can't wait! The Punisher VII will get yet another upgrade.

I'm also 5/6 of the way to the Slicer. Can't wait!

Getting the Hang of this

I was able to finish that mission chain, without asking for help. Just took a bit of thought. I flew away from the enemy's warp in point (they are quite predictable) and as they followed me their transverse velocity fell to naught. I used a webifier to counter their webifier, and was able to hold them long enough to get my lasers well aimed.

In a straight up firefight, the noncapsuleer foes in missions from this particular agent don't last long against the Punisher VII. I'm getting quite fond of this ship.

Truthfully, I'm considering putting rigs on it. The capacitor increasing rigs don't seem to have any downside, other than their considerable expense. The only thing that gives me pause is that I'm saving all my isk to equip the Slicer (Soooo Close!) so I might as well wait and rig that. I intend that to be the ship I use to tackle level 3 missions, though in a more well policed sector than the low security one I presently hang my hat in.

Whither next?

I'm at a bit of a junction, in terms of my pursuit of ever more advanced skills. The incremental increases in Punisher flying ability that I've pursued have more or less reached the limit of plausible sustainability. I'm at IV in terms of my rank in most everything that can aid me in completing missions in my beloved frigate.

Grinding to V would once again moderately improve my capabilities, but take roughly as long as I've been in New Eden to start with. It seems like there has to be a better way. I've searched the online records of my contemporaries, those who deign to make them public anyway. (And on another note, why are so many of these capsuleers pirates and Minmatar? Where are the logs of my fellow dutiful servants of Empire! I know that we are a humble folk, but education and bragging are different concepts). I've got more or less 3 choices:

#1: Learn more about flying Cruisers and Destroyers. This would ultimately allow me to fly another Maller (I've long since earned the cash again) or Arbitrator, or a Destroyer. It would be the stepping stone to putting me at the helm of a slave crewed Harbinger or Apocalypse.

#2: Learn more about Learning, itself. Training my skills in training would ultimately increase the rewards for all of my efforts, and would be a one time expense.

#3: Train the skills necessary to do battle with other capsuleers. They are subtly different from mission fulfilling skills, and require due diligence in research and training.

It's an interesting quandary. I'll pray for guidance.

Lingering Mission...

I have a mission, wherein the foe have small vessels armed with webifiers. I can't hit them once they web me, for their transversal is too high. I need either a drone ship or a partner to complete the mission. Hmph.

Or, perhaps, I could train webifiers for myself, then web them right back, which should lower their speed enough to hit. It'd mess with my current queue, but would be worth it if it let me get back to missioning with my favorite agent.

Live and Learn

I was captured by a pirate today, one Zenk Zarr. He stripped away my vessel's (Bestower I) armor and shields and threatened to destroy me unless I paid an appropriate ransom. The lives of my crew paramount in my mind, I paid the brigand, whereupon he destroyed me anyway, looted my ship and salvaged my vessel.

Lesson learned, pirate filth. I'll never make that mistake again.

My first Battleship kill

I popped a Minmatar Battleship as part of "Drive a Wedge" part 2. A comrade and I were doing the mission in a Punisher and an Eagle. It took approximately 25 minutes to break his tank. Difficult, but rewarding.

Just Solo'd Level 2 Gone Berserk

In my Punisher. Not such a milestone for the more experienced crowd, but fulfilling the agent's request with calm and professionalism is to my mind very satisfying. It's a good mission, paying approximately 300 k isk and 330 LP, and takes about half an hour.

You face off with successive pairs of pirate vessels. They begin as Succubus class, then are pairs of Succubus and Daemon, and finally are pairs of Daemons. There are 3 such pairs of frigates active at any time, for a total of 6 frigates up against you. Destroying each full pair causes their brethren to send another pair to reinforce.

Ultimately, their final reinforcements are Priest class Destroyers, which thankfully they send solo, rather than in pairs. One of these is their leader, and when his vessel falls the mission is complete.

My Punisher is stoutly loaded and able to bear fire from 6 at once, but not indefinitely, as my capacitor isn't quite stable. Once I get my Electronics V trained I'll be able to fit another Cap Recharger II, which will likely make me stable. Till then I must remain somewhat vigilant while going about these missions.

I'm 15k LP into the 30k LP Slicer.

It's been upgraded too...really the ship of my dreams. Can't wait!

An Eventful Night

First off, due to my own negligence I lost the Maller I in battle with Guerristas. The souls of its slave crew are in the hands of God now, and my own hands are sullied with their blood.

It was a loss of carelessness, a preventable loss. I simply got the foe's attention, instead of the Eagle I was working with, and didn't warp out swiftly enough. An elementary mistake...with a high price tag in Isk, and in the lives of my property.

Truthfully, I'd like to claim that my subsequent self destruction (of my pod) was an act of contrition, but the fact of the matter is that it was the fastest way back to Gyerzen, and the Punisher VII.

Does this make me a monster? The blood of the late Chamberlain flows in my veins. If the allegations concerning him are true...perhaps I'm predisposed towards this sort of thing? A worry for another time.

Later on I chanced across Onesimus, of the revered House of Theodoulos, and sent him a message expressing my appreciation for such a hero of the militia. He responded swiftly, and invited me to accompany him on a mission for the Amarr Navy. I joined him and his brother Jonathan, as well as some like minded souls, and provided what contribution I could.

We parted warmly, and I plan to ask of this dynasty a schooling in the ways of the militia. Truthfully, their exploits inspired me to my own endeavors, I could have no more fitting teachers.

The meaning of the hood

I've been asked as to why so many of the Amarr wear concealing hoods. There's a simple enough answer. We wear them for the same reason that executioners do, or inquisitors. When we enter our capsules we are the instruments of a divine State, it's hands and eves. Our individual visages and identities are unnecessary, and would indeed dilute our purpose.

We are one in the hood, resolute through it's uniformity. It reinforces our conviction and strengthens our morale to go, into battle or mission, dressed in our ancestral attire.