So, after getting a little greedy around Sol and taking too many assassination missions, then forgetting to log in for a couple days and failing them all... Much of my faction rep there went to unfriendly.
Feeling like I was no longer really wanted there by anyone but the Federal Congress, who I've been running errands for for awhile, I decided to take a trip and head back to the beta worlds. The trip planner sure does make it easier to get from Sol to Eranin, especially when you're in a Viper that only has about a 10ly range, empty!
So, I end up in Dahan at some point, and I see a couple players in Super Cruise. Being a Bounty Hunter by trade, I scan them, like I do most ships I come across. The first ship, a Viper, comes up clean. The second ship, a Cobra, is unfortunate enough to have a bounty on his head. Immediately the hairs on the back of my neck raise, and I check my Comms panel to see what sort of numbers he's racked up. If it's just a tiny amount, a couple thousand or less, it's generally not worth it to me, and he probably just missed a fine or something. No, this one has racked up 24,000 in local bounties. The hunt is on!
I immediate switch weapon groups to get my Frame Shift Drive Interdictor spooled up, at which point I notice he's flying a very strange pattern, swooping high over the orbital plane, and then back down again. At first I think maybe he's noticed me and is trying to avoid, but as I close in on him, I realize he's in pursuit of innocent Viper pilot I scanned first!
I close in on them, but by the time I get within range, he has already tethered onto the Viper and they are in a tug-of-war. My Interdictor fails to latch on to him, but at this point it no longer matters. Once he has committed to tethering someone, he's also committed to dropping out of supercruise, regardless of how the struggle ends. I match speed with the persuit and chase the two of them around, the three of us tumbling through through space in a hairball at near the speed of light.
Finally, the tether 'snaps,' and the Viper pilot succeeds and evading his attempt. I see the Viper pilot streak away, and as the Cobra is ripped from supercruise, he drops from my scanner, leaving a bright white signature on my sensors. Low Intensity FSD Wake. I lock on, match speed, and drop out.
The Cobra is already in my sensor range. I send a courteous "Greetings!" in the chat, just in case he decides to plead his case before we make this official. No response; hardpoints deploy on both sides. This is not a friendly encounter. We are head-to-head and closing fast
Energy to weapons and shields: Check
Correct fire group for lowering shields: Check
Shield cell booster ready: Check
Fire!
Immediately I see a couple white signatures on the sensors. He's deploying heat sinks! This bodes well for me. He expects most players rely on gimballed weapons, and has allocated one of his equipment mounts, and part of his mental focus, on mainting low heat to avoid gimbal and turret fire. I, however, am not one of those players. Only one of my four weapons is gimballed. I let my class 2 fixed beam laser fly, fire chaff, and a shield cell booster to make sure I come out of this first pass at 100%.
We pass, and both of us come about. At first, I'm a bit clumsy. I don't fly against other Commanders often, and the adrenaline has me focusing a bit too much on aiming, and not enough at managing my energy and speed so that I can force him into a turning battle, which would be to my advantage. Instead, we line up again for another head on pass. Then another. My resevoir of shield cells is dwindling, but I can see that his are as well, as he's no longer able to maintain full shields. At this point, it's not easy to tell is winning the battle, but I have something up my sleeve. Two things, actually.
It seems I catch him off-guard, and suddenly I'm in an advantageous position. From above, firing at the Cobra is like firing at the broad side of a barn. My beam laser begins tearing through his shields. I move in behind him. I'm not sure if he's had a malfunction, or a lapse of focus, or a connection problem. Either way, it gives me the opening I need.
I switch weapon groups. My pair of Class 1 Missile Launchers come online. A barrage of 6 dumfire missiles directly into his tailpipe ends the battle.
Feeling like I was no longer really wanted there by anyone but the Federal Congress, who I've been running errands for for awhile, I decided to take a trip and head back to the beta worlds. The trip planner sure does make it easier to get from Sol to Eranin, especially when you're in a Viper that only has about a 10ly range, empty!
So, I end up in Dahan at some point, and I see a couple players in Super Cruise. Being a Bounty Hunter by trade, I scan them, like I do most ships I come across. The first ship, a Viper, comes up clean. The second ship, a Cobra, is unfortunate enough to have a bounty on his head. Immediately the hairs on the back of my neck raise, and I check my Comms panel to see what sort of numbers he's racked up. If it's just a tiny amount, a couple thousand or less, it's generally not worth it to me, and he probably just missed a fine or something. No, this one has racked up 24,000 in local bounties. The hunt is on!
I immediate switch weapon groups to get my Frame Shift Drive Interdictor spooled up, at which point I notice he's flying a very strange pattern, swooping high over the orbital plane, and then back down again. At first I think maybe he's noticed me and is trying to avoid, but as I close in on him, I realize he's in pursuit of innocent Viper pilot I scanned first!
I close in on them, but by the time I get within range, he has already tethered onto the Viper and they are in a tug-of-war. My Interdictor fails to latch on to him, but at this point it no longer matters. Once he has committed to tethering someone, he's also committed to dropping out of supercruise, regardless of how the struggle ends. I match speed with the persuit and chase the two of them around, the three of us tumbling through through space in a hairball at near the speed of light.
Finally, the tether 'snaps,' and the Viper pilot succeeds and evading his attempt. I see the Viper pilot streak away, and as the Cobra is ripped from supercruise, he drops from my scanner, leaving a bright white signature on my sensors. Low Intensity FSD Wake. I lock on, match speed, and drop out.
The Cobra is already in my sensor range. I send a courteous "Greetings!" in the chat, just in case he decides to plead his case before we make this official. No response; hardpoints deploy on both sides. This is not a friendly encounter. We are head-to-head and closing fast
Energy to weapons and shields: Check
Correct fire group for lowering shields: Check
Shield cell booster ready: Check
Fire!
Immediately I see a couple white signatures on the sensors. He's deploying heat sinks! This bodes well for me. He expects most players rely on gimballed weapons, and has allocated one of his equipment mounts, and part of his mental focus, on mainting low heat to avoid gimbal and turret fire. I, however, am not one of those players. Only one of my four weapons is gimballed. I let my class 2 fixed beam laser fly, fire chaff, and a shield cell booster to make sure I come out of this first pass at 100%.
We pass, and both of us come about. At first, I'm a bit clumsy. I don't fly against other Commanders often, and the adrenaline has me focusing a bit too much on aiming, and not enough at managing my energy and speed so that I can force him into a turning battle, which would be to my advantage. Instead, we line up again for another head on pass. Then another. My resevoir of shield cells is dwindling, but I can see that his are as well, as he's no longer able to maintain full shields. At this point, it's not easy to tell is winning the battle, but I have something up my sleeve. Two things, actually.
It seems I catch him off-guard, and suddenly I'm in an advantageous position. From above, firing at the Cobra is like firing at the broad side of a barn. My beam laser begins tearing through his shields. I move in behind him. I'm not sure if he's had a malfunction, or a lapse of focus, or a connection problem. Either way, it gives me the opening I need.
I switch weapon groups. My pair of Class 1 Missile Launchers come online. A barrage of 6 dumfire missiles directly into his tailpipe ends the battle.