Late last night, as sensible people were heading to their slumber, I logged into the game for one last combat sweep of the Isaziwa belts.
Only one AC-ME pilot in system, and he was nowhere to be seen in public. But what’s going on the belt at Isaz 13, Belt 1?
Looks like a typical newbie mining operation, one cormorant mining destroyer and one Badger. They are doing it right, the Badger means there won’t be a jet can worth salvaging, time to go home… wait!
Why are there six cargo cans (not jetcans) on my overview? I don’t show secure cans when I’m sweeping the belts, there are too many.
By Jove, it’s the classic newbie mistake. Somebody said “you need to get cans and mine into them so nobody can steal your ore.” So they got cans. Large standard containers. Six of them. No, wait, five larges and a medium.
Bedamned to three year old Gorack in whatever cloaked ship of nightmare he could potentially be hunting me in. Most likely he’s docked up and snoozing. And besides, if this be bait, it’s very well set.
Time to swap into a Badger II, the Iron Extricator will do nicely. Warp to zero on the first can.
Doh! Of all the stupid mistakes to make while flying a bacon-wrapped snack during wartime! The Iron Extricator’s hold is stuffed clear full of scordite, from some earlier, similar venture.
Dock, unload, undock, return. Let’s double the risk after alerting the miners, shall we?
The badger has gone home, pilot has returned in a Caracal. Hmm, that suggests a desire to shoot at me. Is this lesson in game mechanics going to be punctuated by Concord?
Scoop. Scoop. Scoop.
“Captain, sensors report that we’re being targeted.”
“At ease, sensors, at ease. We’re giving them no excuses, scooping unanchored cans is no crime. Concord will protect us.”
Scoop. Scoop. Scoop. Begin the slow process of aligning for departure.
By now the mining destroyer has dropped into my wake and is bumping me from behind. No effect on my trajectory. The cruiser is hanging off about 15 km. Note that the mining destroyer still has one mining laser active:
I give them about 90 seconds to say or do something, then decide the day’s fun is over.
Warp out, dock, and “Take the loot out of the cargo hold this time you dockside morons!”
Despite the hitches, that’s salvage the way it’s supposed to go.
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