I don´t get robbed. An Elite story

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Well, i was in my trusted old Cobra Mk. III, the Deathperado, on my way to Liz Ryder, the cargo racks loaded with the last 5 tons of landmines i had to deliver to fulfill the initial contract for her engineering services. Then, almost on final approach, i spotted a USS, designated threat level 0 and decided to investigate. The drop went not as expected, as i looked into the deployed hardpoints of an Imperial Eagle and an Imperial Courier. "Give us your cargo" was their demand, but i wasn´t in the mood to give away my precious haul. Hardpoints deployed, i targeted the Eagle and engaged those bloody pirates.

The Eagle stood no chance against the highly modified weaponry of the Deathperado, but as i was about to deliver the final few blows, the ship computers voice came to life... "Incoming hatch breaker limpet"... and another, and another... my precious cargo... As the Eagle vaporized into a fiery cloud of gas, the Courier had stolen 3 tons of landmines and was already 3 kilometers away. I was only able to deliver a few blows to its shields, before it high waked out... My luck i brought a wake scanner, so i targeted the energy signature, scanned and initiated the jump.

Next system... target panel... there he was... I had no FSD interdictor installed, but he had to drop somewhere, so i floored the throttle and started the pursuit. After 1.200 ls it was clear, that he was aiming to drop somewhere near that rocky moon, that moved into vicinity... and then the drop. The scanner pinpointed the location and my Cobra dropped into normal space. There he was, instantly turning around and deploying hardpoints. The battle was short and brutal. The Couriers shields dropped and a volley of modified missiles ripped through its hull. "That can´t be", the pirate shouted over the comms... and with a little smile, i noticed, that he started to drop cargo... 1 ton of landmines, 2 tons of landmines and the third ton... and a handful of limpets.

He tried to run, but not this time. The final volley of missiles ripped the Imperial Courier apart. 36.000 credits were added to my account. Not bad.
After collecting my 3 tons of landmines, i jumped back to the designated system, landed at Liz Ryders base and completed the contract. Later i cashed in the bounties. Those pirates did quite well, but they should have known better... because in the end, i don´t get robbed.

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This chain of events just happend to me and i have to say, i was pretty amazed. That is exactly the type of gameplay, that makes a good game. Leaving the game session with a story to tell.
Some NPC voice comms would have intensified the encounter, but overall this was an incredible experience. If you pay attention to all the details in the game, it really pays out. Elite: Dangerous has a lot to offer.

Thank you for making this game, Frontier! Keep up the good work.

Fly safe and don´t get robbed ;)

o7
 
I'm impressed that after the jump you got the landmines back from him. I would have feared clunky software resetting his cargo to zero on jumping. Brilliant story!
 
I'm impressed that after the jump you got the landmines back from him. I would have feared clunky software resetting his cargo to zero on jumping. Brilliant story!

Honestly, i wasnt expecting anything, just couldn´t let em go without a fight. In the end, it was a great little encounter. Frontier is definitely on the right way.
 
Good story, CMDR. First time it happened to me I was like 'wait a minute, I'm the only one here breaking hatches!' Well, apparently not. Felt strange to be on the receiving end...
 
Deathperado sounds like what Daffy Duck would call his ship.

Or a thlightly effiminate thpaniard. But I don’t mean to pick fun Op, it was a cool story and it being read in a funny voice in my head did not detract from it in the thlightest.

I am in deadly earnest here... if i could, i would have named my homeworld "Sinisterion" and made it a frozen black core of an extinguished sun... of course there would be a throne made of black bones and such things... what else would you expect from a CMDR named Francis G. Blackly? Oh man, i really should have denied, when a friend asked me to design covers for his third class metal band...


I am Commander Indigo and I approve of this handling of pirates.

I'd also suggest a Point Defense system - they help keep those limpets off your hatch.

Yeah, pirate scum... they should keep their lousy fingers to their own illegal cargo.
The point defense system was exchanged with a Xeno Scanner. I was just returning from the Pleiades to the bubble... I´ll blame it all on the Thargoids. Without them the situation would have turned out quite differently.


Well done dispensing justice to the pirates! very well written account also!!
+rep

Thank you, especially because i am not a native english speaker (i am from Germany). But hey... i was smuggling illegal landmines... so justice might have prevailed in the end, but it wasn´t part of the plan. But as long, as someone manages to stay under the radar, who actually cares?... ;)

Thank you all and fly dangerous CMDRs

o7
 
Moral of the story: Always bring Liz Ryder 203 landmines, Just In Case :D

But seriously, cool encounter! You're right - Elite is getting more and more adept at producing really compelling stories and adventures, but they can only really develop when we resist the urge to stick to a grind refusing to deviate, and instead be open to changing plans when the curveballs appear. Firefly, Starwars etc would be a whole lot less interesting if the ship captains steadfastly ignored everything unusual. I try to keep my horizons open, but sometimes I'm my own worst enemy. :D
 
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+1 [up] for the story.

Did the thief eject the cargo, or lose his cargo hatch? The one thing that could make the AI behaviour better in this story is a "contrite thief" archetype, begging you to let them go and jettisoning the cargo they'd just stolen.
 
The pirate was actually ejecting it and was telling the usual things over the comms, but the situation made that feel very much alive.
 
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