I just had this battle in the game - lasting 20 Minutes!!! - and it inspired me to do a small write-up.
I was flying my non-engineered Cobra mk3, and was interdicted by a Fer de Lance with a Pilot rated Master (I'm Novice on my PC account).
I have tried to keep the write up as close to what actually happened as I can, although hopefully it won't take 20 minutes to read!
I was flying my non-engineered Cobra mk3, and was interdicted by a Fer de Lance with a Pilot rated Master (I'm Novice on my PC account).
I have tried to keep the write up as close to what actually happened as I can, although hopefully it won't take 20 minutes to read!
I feel like I've just done the impossible! I should be dead, or at least floating through space with my Remlok in Extreme Survival mode. Running a large shipment from Stillman Hub to Sterling station - it's only one jump away but it's four journeys with my mkIII to get it all delivered. The first run was uneventful - pick up, jump, drop off. The second run, I noticed an FDL hanging around. Third run was when it all kicked off - and by hell did it kick off! I think my brand new 4A shield (to replace the Bi-weave) was my saviour!
I started slowing to drop my Supercruise and dock when he hit me - no warning, no nothing! It was the same FDL I had seen on the last run - this time he was coming for me! I spun and twisted, trying to escape his ship pulling me in - no use, losing! I dropped the throttle and submitted to the interdiction - what other choice was there? Activate Hardpoints, spin, lock, fire - I got the first hit in. His shields were hardly blemished. I fired again, just as I was hit with his first cascade of laser fire - his shields went pink on the first ring - my Cannons were holding up! I rolled right, avoiding a stream of laser fire, before rolling back over and slotting in behind him - I got three successive hits with all four Cannons, his shields dropping the first ring completely! He was fast through - very fast! I had never known just how manouvreable an FDL actually was, managing to lose me off his tail.
More laser fire crashed down onto my shields - 10% - they were failing! I rolled away, warning buzzers flashing all around me. I flipped the ship over as quickly as I could and unleashed another couple rounds from the Cannons before having to roll away again - he had Missiles! I came around for a new attack - this time finger on the ECM button - and got a few solid hits, dropping his shields completely, before hearing my ships warnings Missiles Incoming! I hit the ECM and nothing happened - my Shields were charging up and had emptied the power distributor! I avoided most of them but took one solid hit - hull damage!
I couldn't carry on like this - I was definitely coming off worse than he was. Time for a new method of attack. Dropping in right onto his engines, several successive hits brought his Hull all the way down to 36% - this was definitely working! I lost him again before getting hit with a barage of fire - killing my Shields completely and scoring a good few hits. I heard glass cracking and pulled away as fast as I could. There was no way I was being sucked into the void - not today. Hull damage critical. Lights flashed around me, warning buzzers sounded everywhere - it was me or him, I would die trying to escape.
Shields online. A quick glance at the holo display told me his were still only 50% charged - it was now of never! I spun over for a final attack, immediately being hit with laser fire. My Shields were failing already. I pulled the trigger. Hit! Hit! Hit! The fire stopped, he tried to pull away, managing only to change direction before his thrusters failed, small explosions rippling across the underside of his FDL. There was a flash and it was all over. No remains, no Escape Pod, no survivors.
I assessed the damage on my ship before collecting the dropped materials and turning back towards Sterling Station. Apart from the obvious cracked - and slightly leaky - Canopy, the intermittent FSD drive and the holes through 90% of the Hull, she wasn't holding up too bad - hopefully enough life to get me back to dock.....
