New Year's EVE Online

Last night was a good night for Cosmology. Unfortunately some of our less-determined and sleep-deprived pilots missed out on the opportunity. Nevertheless, good fun was had by all (targets not included).

I logged in after putting the kids to bed to find that we had two active neighboring systems. Scouts from both systems had scanned down our system, Abyss, which has a static hi-sec exit. While they were scanning our system we had scouts in both of their systems and everyone was cloaked up, so while we were highly active it looked like calm waters.

Basically, you can't ask for better ambush conditions. Our only problem was that the system our hi-sec connected to was 23 jumps from Jita and the visitors were apparently unwilling to make that many jumps. Honestly, I don't blame them. I wouldn't have gone for that either.

To make matters worse these guys had nothing better to do than scanning down our hi-sec and both scouts soon returned to their home systems afterwards and logged off. I had been hoping that at least one of the two scouts would decide the long haul to Jita was worth the time and begin running out haulers or something, but as it happened Cosmology's fleet was left empty-handed.

The sudden drop in potential pew put a damper on our motivation and our EU pilots who were thoroughly deprived of sleep by that point logged off, followed closely thereafter by our resident yankee, leaving us with only a trio, though some of our best.

One of our number pushed forward in his covops, determined to find something to kill, while the rest of us remained in our cloaky T3s and followed close behind in the event our scout found anything worth engaging right on the spot.

We backtracked through one of the K162s and found that it had an incoming hi-sec connection so we followed that and discovered a wormhole in the hi-sec leading to a class 2 system. Once inside we found several more wormholes and a few towers, but there didn't seem to be much activity.

One of the connecting wormholes in the class 2, being at the end of its natural lifetime, was shaking like Michael J. Fox on crack and the other two connecting systems were dead quiet. It was looking very much like we were going to be in for a silent night for New Year's Eve.

Just as my own resolve was beginning to waver Bob, the almighty lord and god of w-space, smiled down on us with favor. New targets - we would soon figure out that they were locals - begin pouring in from the hi-sec system. First it was a Hurricane, then an Anathema and a Nemesis and they were followed shortly by some Drakes and later on a Talos.

With new things to shoot at our lust for violence and space-murder was given new life, but we soon found that we were outnumbered 2-to-1 and these guys were locals so they would have the home-field advantage if engaged. Our scout shipped one of his alts into an Arazu and cloaked up on the wormhole to the class 2 in the hi-sec system.

For a long time we struggled to keep tabs on what they were all doing and where they were at. With only three of us we weren't able to keep track of their six pilots hopping between as many POSs and eventually we simply lost them.

They must've gone into one of the connecting wormholes so our scout began going from one to the other and soon we found them running sites in a class 1 system. Their fleet consisted of 3 Drakes, 1 Talos, 1 Tengu, 1 Navy Drake and a Noctis.

Our Arazu pilot went and reshipped to a gank Proteus for the extra DPS. Having utterly obliterated a larger force by maximizing on our home-field advantage in the past I was concerned about engaging a numerically superior force so close to their own system. While our scout was getting close enough to provide a warp-in for our small group I was considering whether we should engage on the wormhole when they returned to their system or attack while they were still at the site.

Ultimately I decided on taking the initiative and attacking them in the site rather than waiting for them to come to us. Point targets were assigned to each of our three pilots and the first three targets were established. Our scout said he was in position so I gave the word to jump through the wormhole and hold cloak.

Luckily I made one last inquiry of the scout before engaging:

"Mav, what's your range from the target?"

"About 18k."

That was at the very edge of my point range and although we had one ship with a long point I wanted to be closer. Close proximity would also allow our Proteuses to begin applying damage immediately.

"Everyone hold cloak. We still have time. Mav, get closer. We need to be no farther than 5k from them when we land."

As our decloak timer ticked steadily down our scout closed the range with the group and gave us the go ahead. Everyone warped in and I found myself sitting right at optimal range on the Tengu, which was primary.

Points were spread and the enemy fleet's superior numbers gave most of them enough security that some of those who weren't pointed stayed to see the fight to its conclusion. The Tengu had a good tank, but couldn't sustain itself under the combined deeps of our overheated blasters and missilez.

We liberated the pod from the restrictive confines of the Tengu's innards and moved on to the Talos, which melted under the assault. At that point one of the initial Drakes that had warped off returned to assist his friends. I tackled him and we moved on to the Navy Drake, which put up a respectable defense, but suffered the same fate as the others. The drake followed in like fashion and we also killed their Noctis which had come to the field to honor Bob's glory with its sacrifice.

The entire time we were slaughtering them I was watching d-scan, waiting for the pods that had escaped to reship in their home system and return with either Logistics or ECM, either of which would've utterly shut us down. Combined with tackle we would've all burned in Bob's glorious fire.

Luckily for us, that's not how it went down. We looted the wrecks and departed the system through its static hi-sec, setting course for home. e-High fives were given between the Cosmology space-bros, the loot was divided and we called it a night on a high note.

Violence of Action

On the 11th of December we had a run-in with some guys from a connecting system. I can't recall their names, but for the same of simplicity I'm just going to refer to them as the HomoSexDoucheBags (HSDBs for short).

It started as I was out scouting the chain when Merc notified me that we had visitors back in Abyss. I was already heading back home when he first saw them so it didn't take long for me to get there. Menacher was also in Abyss helping keep and eye on wormholes and trying to figure out what our visitors were up to.

The HSBDs were quickly moving ships through our system to hi-sec and we thought that perhaps they were moving out, but couldn't get into a good intercept position before things cooled down. I reshipped into a covert Proteus and sat on the connecting wormhole they were using, but saw only pods and small ships I wouldn't be able to lock.

By this time Bjornsen had joined us in a covert Proteus, Merc was flying a covert Tengu, but didn't have a point fitted and Menacher was acting as primary scout in his covops frigate inside the HSDB home system. Merc and I held position and waited for a couple of haulers to come back in that we'd missed earlier on their way out. Luckily they didn't disappoint. Merc gave the heads up that they were inbound. I decloaked on the connecting wormhole and engaged them when they landed.

Both haulers jumped through to their system. I followed. On the other side I engaged one of the haulers. Merc called out that an HSDB Armageddon, Proteus and Scorpion were en route to support the haulers' return and they were landing as I had the hauler well into shields.

Bjornsen jumped into system while Merc waited in Abyss on the other side of the wormhole in his Tengu. The HSDB Proteus jumped through the wormhole into Abyss and I followed while Bjorn stayed in their system and bore the weight of the Geddon DPS. Merc and I engaged the Proteus on the wormhole in Abyss, but it jumped back through into the hostile's home system. Bjornsen jumped back into Abyss at the same time.

Menacher, still scouting in the HSDB system, passed word that all ships were leaving the wormhole and going back to their POS. The ambush had been a failure, but we didn't lose any ships to their superior numbers (at some point we'd counted about 6 different pilots from HSDB).

FC: Malception

Sustain: While our numbers were pretty feeble we had 100% participation from those online, even if some didn't intend to get pulled into a fight. Nice work and I most definitely appreciate the dedication to committing as many acts of space-murder as possible.

Improve: Sadly there are a lot of things that need improvement.

• Fleet Comms - If you're not the FC don't talk unless it's to pass critical information or ask for clarification on the FC's instructions.
• Fleet Composition - We need to get everyone skilled up on armor-tanked boats. They don't need to be covert T3s, but they do need to be armor. We also need to make sure that everyone has a point (even scouts should have point for hero tackle purposes).
• Scouting: I should've sent the scout into the HSDB system earlier in the engagement.
• FC Aggression - HSDB had enough visibility of our forces to know that they would have to pass through a gauntlet on their way back home. I should have acted with more aggression initially before they had enough time to scope us out. The other option would've been to sacrifice some of our DPS in exchange for Logi support, but would only provide possibilities not guaranteed outcomes.

Summary: Good participation. Discipline our fleet comms. Train up armor skills. More aggression at the front end of engagements.

In a perfect world Menacher would've been sent into the HSDB system as soon as we saw activity from them. Merc would have an armor HAC or T3 at his disposal and I would've provided Logi support for him and Bjorn. We would've all jumped into the HSDB system. The Proteus's would warp right on top of the HSDB battleships - a move made possible by Menacher providing the warp-in with his covops scout - and they would burn both the Geddon and Scorpion with Logi support from Malception.

Like I've said in my Scouting Like A Pro series: scouting can be the defining factor in an engagement and we saw it first hand with this fight.

Empty Space

It's been a lean few months for me in my new home. The hi-sec static doesn't lend itself very well to the wide open expanses of w-space PvP to which I'd grown accustomed. The accute lack of wholesale violence has made me weak but desperately hungry for space-murder.

Nevertheless, I continue to push forward, searching for the fleets of carebears in their site-running drakes and prodding my corpies into more and more of a pvp-focused role. I have high hopes for our future and look forward to divulging all the details of victories and defeats.

I'm sure they'll be coming soon. With any luck we'll be invaded by Christmas.