Rifter Drifter

On Friday night I decided it was time to continue my exploration of Syndicate and have a go at some more nullsec combat. Inspired by D’Fenexius’ Sweet Little Frigates video I grabbed myself a small bubble, fitted up a Rifter, and headed out in search of adventure.

Once out in Syndicate I made my way to Poitot (it’s the only named system in Syndicate, you know). In system I began making myself a serious of bookmarks so that I could scan the gates in safety and move around the system without being caught. With the system mapped out it was time to set up my bubble. Poitot is on a pipe between MHC-R3 and FD-MLJ and only has two gates. I chose the F67E-Q gate and set up my bubble behind it in line with the X-BV98 gate. Anything warping between the two would be caught and I had enough time to get away should a large gang enter the system.

I patiently sat on the edge of my bubble and waited for my first bite. It didn’t take too long before a Malediction landed in my bubble. I locked, scrammed, webbed, and opened fire. Unluckily for me the interceptor was fit with an afterburner and was able to make it back to the gate. A couple of targets that I had no chance of engaging followed and I moved away to allow them safe passage. The next thing to come into my system was a Crow. I burnt towards the gate on an intercept course but I was unable to get the lock. I chased him around for a while before giving up and jumping to safety. The Crow pilot attempted to taunt me but I kept quite and went off to get myself a microwarp drive. With the MWD installed I went hunting for the Crow again but he jumped out of system without engaging again. Never mind. A few minutes later he came back in a Drake and again I ignored him.

So far I had been sat around for quite a while and not got any kills. I was chatting away in various channels and keeping an eye on the local count. Ess Erbe, my Goon friend sent me a link to poitot.com. While taking a look at this a Deimos landed in my bubble. I paid the price for sitting in my own bubble not paying attention to local and my Rifter was destroyed as I fled back to the gate.

Not the type to be easily put off I went back to Hevrice to grab another Rifter and another bubble. I returned to Poitot in my new ship and dropped the bubble off in station. Back in my fishing position I got lucky this time. A pair of Goons jumped in flying a Rifter and Punisher. They began to burn towards me and I grinned to myself. Poor Goons. They thought they’d found an unsuspecting idiot. Little did they know… First up was the Rifter. Lock, scram, fire. His ship didn’t last long with my overloaded guns on him and it was time to deal with his friend in the Punisher. I swapped over to EMP ammunition and tucked into a tight orbit. His scorch ammo hurt my shields but was no problem for my armour. The Punisher’s armour and structure failed and the night sky was lit up by the explosion. This bubble camping business was all right.

A couple more heavier ships came through and I ducked away to the safety of a safespot while they passed through the system. The next thing to land in my bubble was an Executioner that didn’t stand a chance.

Things were quite for a while. Null sec can be like that. Sometimes its unpleasantly busy. Sometimes deathly quiet. The peace didn’t last, though. The gate flashed. And again. And again. Local shot up. Shit. This was no time for hanging around. I warped away as the local chat channel went berserk. Oh great. Goons. Lots of Goons.

[ 2009.06.20 01:13:19 ] Eustratius > ALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUALIEALIEUA
[ 2009.06.20 01:13:26 ] Mathias Skillius > NIGGA YOU DEAd
[ 2009.06.20 01:13:31 ] Eustratius > GOD IS GREAT
[ 2009.06.20 01:13:46 ] Uriq > INFIDEL
[ 2009.06.20 01:13:58 ] JohnHoe > COME BACK DUDE
[ 2009.06.20 01:14:03 ] JohnHoe > WE JUST WANT TO TALK
[ 2009.06.20 01:14:27 ] Eustratius > ALLAHU ACKBAR, ALLAHU ACKBAR! THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH AND MOHAMMED IS HIS PROPHET!
[ 2009.06.20 01:14:34 ] digi > WE KILL YOUR INFIDEL BUBBLE

Time to dock up in station for me, then. This was a storm I was just going to have to sit out. All of a sudden they realised quite what I was doing.

[ 2009.06.20 01:14:47 ] JohnHoe > hes all alone
[ 2009.06.20 01:14:51 ] JohnHoe > with a bubble and rifter
[ 2009.06.20 01:14:52 ] Wensley > awwww, i was romantically attached to that bubble
[ 2009.06.20 01:14:53 ] JohnHoe > wtf
[ 2009.06.20 01:14:54 ] digi > CLEANSE THE SYSTEM OF THE INFIDEL BUBBLE
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:04 ] JohnHoe > why are you gate camping with a rifter
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:10 ] Wensley > why not?
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:18 ] digi > YOU FAIL
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:22 ] Effects > what the hell
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:24 ] JohnHoe > uhmm… are you really asking me that?
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:25 ] digi > WEDNESDAY YOU FAIL
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:29 ] RobTheRad > WE HAVE COME FOR THE HOLY LAND
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:30 ] Effects > gate camping in a rifter makes him awesome
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:39 ] May Zonday > fuck
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:42 ] May Zonday > Fleet Invitation (Alliance)
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:50 ] Eustratius > wensley, you wanna join goonfleet?
[ 2009.06.20 01:15:51 ] JohnHoe > lol rifters are cool and all but… alone
[ 2009.06.20 01:16:03 ] Proplus > ASS-2-ASS
[ 2009.06.20 01:16:32 ] Vadinho > rifters are great wensley, keep livin the dream
[ 2009.06.20 01:16:36 ] Vadinho > from all of us here in goonfleet
[ 2009.06.20 01:16:41 ] Wensley > i always do mate, i always do
[ 2009.06.20 01:16:59 ] Uriq > drink
[ 2009.06.20 01:17:04 ] Uriq > for the dream
[ 2009.06.20 01:17:07 ] JohnHoe > this is a slosh op btw
[ 2009.06.20 01:17:09 ] JohnHoe > you should come
[ 2009.06.20 01:17:26 ] Wensley > mummy told me never to trust a goon

The upshot of all this was that I eventually took them up on their offer. I was going to lose this Rifter anyway so what was the worst that could happen? I joined the fleet and tagged along for the ride. Fleet chat was, erm, entertaining. Goons are funny. Drunk Goons are hilarious.

The roam itself was pretty uneventful. We headed down to S-U8A4 with just a single Rifter kill on the way. S-U8A4 is home to our old friends The Dead Parrot Shoppe (FOOM) and we sat outside the station for a while. Nothing was happening, though, and the Goons inevitably got bored. I was lit up by several ships’ targeting systems and then suddenly dropped fleet. I was ready for this, though, and quickly ducked into the safety of station.

[ 2009.06.20 02:01:49 ] Wensley > /emote cries emo tears
[ 2009.06.20 02:01:53 ] JohnHoe > wensley
[ 2009.06.20 02:01:54 ] Maezer Ludd > Bye Wensley we love you
[ 2009.06.20 02:01:59 ] JohnHoe > we kicked him
[ 2009.06.20 02:01:59 ] Mathias Skillius > miss you
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:00 ] Eustratius > wensley…
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:03 ] Julian Kirov > o7
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:08 ] FreeOJ > guys come out of ht e pos
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:11 ] FreeOJ > please
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:15 ] Wensley > o7
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:17 ] Uriq > baby come back
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:18 ] Wensley > t’was fun boys
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:20 ] Krilgor > WEEOOOO AS YOU WERE CITIZENS
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:20 ] Eustratius > o7
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:23 ] JohnHoe > why did you leacve fleet?>’
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:35 ] Maezer Ludd > o7
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:36 ] Wensley > je suis le kicked
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:44 ] JohnHoe > i dont speak commie
[ 2009.06.20 02:02:45 ] Eustratius > some fag called wens primary
[ 2009.06.20 02:03:12 ] JohnHoe > fag is right
[ 2009.06.20 02:03:30 ] Wensley > FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
[ 2009.06.20 02:03:46 ] Wensley > now i is just going to listen to ur muzac
[ 2009.06.20 02:04:06 ] Wensley > /emote wants MOAR ISK
[ 2009.06.20 02:06:05 ] Wensley > BYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE GOON FRIENDZ!!!

It was a fun ride while it lasted and my new Goon friends filled my pockets with some ISK donations. Once the Goons had gone I decided it was time to head back to Poitot. I had the money for another bubble so I could go back and camp my gate some more. FOOM had other ideas and I had to dodge a couple of camps in order to get back to my little corner of Syndicate. By now it was late and I’d had a bit too much to drink while roaming with my new friends. I attempted to kill a Nemesis in Poitot despite the fact that I knew he had a gang in support. The gang came to his aid and I died. Time to call it a night for me, then.

The next day I logged on to sort out my stuff and JohnHoe, the FC from the previous night, opened a communications channel with me. They were inviting me to join in their Thunderdome friate battle. Unfortunately I couldn’t go along. It seems that I am now a bit of a Goon hero. Maybe one day I’ll have to go down to Delve and shoot some of my new friends…

Related posts:

1. Divine Intervention
2. Angry Bees!
3. Heimatar Is Where The Heart Is
4. Its Oh So Quiet
5. Up To My Old Tricks Again