28 Jul 2011

Conscience Killer

I'd been roaming unsuccessfully around Syndicate in a Sabre, nothing too fancy just a quick burn around an old loop I used to roam in my Jaguar, nothing was out and the whole place was dead apart from the odd scout so I set my navigation systems back to Reblier and docked the Sabre up in the station.

A short while later I noticed the local communication systems flashing up in my quarters.


Roman TheWise > I think fk me there is a -8 sec dude in local, I presume he's the sort of dude who'd gank people?


traccat > he will kill u on sight


Roman TheWise > yeah no crap


traccat > so it would be nice to see outside the station b4 undocking lol



I saw this as a good opportunity to poke my nose around the system in my Hurricane that had been running some repairs down in one of the hangars. Nothing was on scan as I prowled the system hoping for something to let my Hurricane's autocannons feast on.



A short while later ......



traccat > he's outside somewhere according to star map stats




I had been checking all the stations looking for where the locals who seemed so afraid were hiding. Upon undocking from one of the stations I was joined by a Myrmidon right next to me, and so, for the glory of the broadside I opened fire immediately on my target. Flashes of cannon fire lit up the dark murky space outside the station, the sentry fire from the station's guns trying to halt me in my tracks and further adding to the light show. The Myrmidon was having nothing of it though and immediately requested docking permission, in half armor he disappeared from space back into the safety of the hangar. I warped off to a safe spot to regenerate some shields.





Later whilst sat near the high-sec gate I noticed a Manticore land nearby. Being a neutral pilot I assumed he would be going about his business and be jumping back into high-sec. Wrong. He began burning towards me, locking me up in the process, plucky little fellow hey? I returned the favour fully expecting him to jump on into high-sec, but to my surprise he let off a salvo of torpedos in my direction! Aggression, now this is something I live for and this was akin to prodding a tired and hungry sleeping killer-dog with a broom handle. Right about the same time I began unleashing death from my cannons the Myrmidon from previous landed right next to us.

He too locked me up and began shooting me with his tech 1 guns. The kill-switch was well and truly flicked now, the rush of bloodlust flowed, the red rag to the bull was flapping in a violent storm. The Hurricane made short work of the stealth bomber and began to bring about the demise of the Myrmidon. The end was near, the Hurricane blitzed through the hapless Gallente battlecruiser with ease. As is always proven to be the case in combat, a cap stable ship fitted in the way of the bear usually makes for a dead bear.

I scooped the loot from the two wrecks and was just about to initiate my warp engines when an autopiloting pod landed on the gate. Poor timing young fellow.





----


In other news.


During a recent Rebel roam around the Verge Vendor and Essence regions I broke formation from the fleet in Hevrice and stopped off at the shrine to the great Tusker pirate Mr Snypes, which is situated high above the Hevrice 5 Station. I dropped some cans full of ammo from the Black Rebel Rifter Club honouring the former capsuleer, who recently handed in his pilot's licence, no doubt he'll be on some tropical planet somewhere right now in the South sunning his fresh clone and kicking up some surf whilst telling stories of low-sec to some local beach dwelling punk kids. A million miles away from the black space lanes. Good luck Mr Snypes!

The Snypes Shrine in Hevrice.



MB.

27 Jul 2011

Nicotine, Valium, Vicodin, Marijuana, Ecstasy and Alcohol .....

Lh-lh-lh-lh-Lhorenzho.




Just another ordinary day with the Rebels then?


Unnamed system.
Gallente Federation.



Girls, Girls, Rebels.



The dimly-lit establishment was in full swing, trashy pop music filled the shabby little bar area along with toxic smoke and the smell of stale beer and synthetic cheap spirits. This seedy outpost in the deepest corner of Gallente space was kept off the main track for a reason; dark dealings and shady goings on were the norm, always a loaded pistol at hand, always a junkie slumped over in the corner, his last fix perhaps? Away from the distractions the stage show was mesmerizing, eyes transfixed to the girls at the front.
 Miura sat at the table with his band of Rebels around him, six of them in total all dressed in black like some kind of narcissistic army of scumbags. Duke, Gul', Joe, Grernandez and The Judge - a nice group of guys until you accidentally knocked one of their drinks over.
 Whilst the Rebels took in the delights of their surroundings and enjoyed the intoxication that was running through their blood and muddling their minds, Miura sat back in his chair slowly smoking a cigarette, an untouched glass of weak beer in front of him, oblivious to his surroundings as he browsed the document before him.


The document in question, regarding the current mental state of Rebel member Lhorenzho made for a fascinating read. The mindset of somebody with so much history intrigued the leader of the Rebels so much that he only hoped the other members had this kind of hidden backstory, some dark calling in life, something troubling them, a ticking timebomb waiting to go off, whether that be in some beat-up bar or in the throes of combat. A life on the run was what the Rebels were all about and for Miura, the more twisted and perverted these issues were then the better he felt, a volatile mixture of guys at his disposal would only keep him on his toes.


It was now getting late and Miura was expecting a delivery of frigates in a nearby system. Boot heels clipped the metal chequer plate flooring as he left the rowdiness of the bar behind him and made his way down the narrow corridors of the outpost towards the ship bays where his Rifter awaited him.


MB.

23 Jul 2011

Campaign Review - Black Jackets on Tour

Everyshore 101

(kill summary)


This is a short review of the Black Rebels' recent campaign that would encompass the mainly Gallente populated regions of Everyshore, Sinq Laison, Essence and Verge Vendor. It would also include a memorable visit to Caldari space too, but more on that later.

The campaign would run for 36 days and was intended as a group bonding session, (I said bonding, Lhorenzho) with all the new recruits and some pilots not accustomed to pvp, it was also something of a training exercise. Looking at the final total kill count of 300 to 257 losses we can look back on the whole and say that the campaign was a success.

Here are the memorable moments (and some not so) from our vacation ....




Red v Blue and the Pool Party Kid Incident.

We would kick off the campaign with a war dec against Blue Republic over in the Everyshore region, Bille solar system would be our base and we had nearly 200 all tech 1 fitted Rifters and Thrashers ready to roll. Unfortunately it wasn't to be an easy ride for the Rebels, after the first day of 'fighting' - I use the term fighting very loosely as we were always blobbed - we stood at something like 6 kills for 56 losses. Not great statistics!
But this wasn't about efficiency and elite combat, we were here in the cheapest, dirtiest looking tricked out Rifters that you could imagine. One of our guys even had a modified autocannon heatshield that he welded onto his meta 1 guns. Always complaining about the rattle during recoil making his teeth chatter he ripped one of the bins out of the ship bay in Bille, stuck it on and it did the trick. The Thrashers that we had purchased were also dodgy to say the least, I got chatting one night to an old scrapyard dealer who had a cargohold full of wrecked Thrashers to deliver for reprocessing, we got him drunk in the bar that night on Thukker Fire Whiskey and he sold us them dirt cheap. Result.

Due to a clerical mix up by one of our recruitment advisers we ended up accepting an application on the eve of the war going live to a member of Blue Republic. Needless to say when the war did go live they knew everything about us. Not to worry. In hindsight we should have kicked the guy but he did seem a nice guy so we gave him the benefit, bizarrely. But just as we were about to roll out in our first tech 1 Rifter gang with our resident spy master in fleet we heard the announcement that he had to leave to go to a pool party. Just after he logged we got blobbed by one well put together fleet with ECM support, good timing? I think not. From that day the guy was named 'The Pool Party Kid', much to the hilarity of the rest of the Rebels. Not long after the wardec ended a note was left in our offices explaining that 'The Pool Party Kid' had to leave the area to take care of some business. Needless to say he was booted from the roster in his absence and nothing has been seen or heard of him since.


Moving on .....

The Xenophab and the Dominix Navy Issue.

We then decided to have a few days to regroup, during this time I did a bit of research on some corporations that I thought might give us a chance to get our autocannons hot on a regular basis. Some random wardecs later and we were causing grief and doing what we do best.

One of the corporations - The Xenophabai - seemed to take the war to heart, the pilots bio's revealing some pretty threatening spiel towards the Rebels. This was great, just what we wanted! They even started rolling out small fleets looking for us, much cat and mouse ensued and we would snag the odd guy undocking in his mining cruiser. Then one day I randomly warped to a top belt and uncloaked an Ashimmu and a Brutix in my Rifter that were sat cloaked at zero. How odd I thought, knowing that these two ships could cause some pain to my Rifter I warped off and sent out the message to the rest of the Rebels that a fleet was needed.

A fleet was assembled and on a stargate in Vay solar system a great light show ensued as Rifters danced towards the enemy Ashimmu, Harbinger and Brutix. The result was that the Rebels had announced their arrival in the area, even though the Brutix managed to escape the field and the fits were somewhat questionable we felt good about our work. We retired to the bar that night to celebrate and not long after we received a ransom payment that ended hostilities.


Another corporation that we declared war against happened to turn out to be some really nice guys who in the end actually joined the Rebel roster. But first we had the Dominix Navy Issue moment to contend with.
Our scout had reported a war-target Dominix that was loitering in the system and the whole story can be found here in an earlier blog post regarding the event.


The next week or so was generally quiet, we had some wardecs that fizzled out and nothing much would be happening other than the usual Rebel behaviour of loot thieving and general skulduggery. One of the alliances that we had decced, Caveo Lupus, had been spotted running their operations over in Caldari space, away from the reach of the Rebels and their rusty killing machines. The Rebels loaded up some gear, some women, drugs and some booze and made their way over for a party. What followed was to become known as the Battle of Poinen, an event that will go down in folklore for the Rebels.

Battle of Poinen



The Infiltration of World Forge Industries.

Our final wardec was against another alliance - Limitless Inc. - which included the corporations World Forge Industries and Dark Fusion Industries, amongst other names I forget now and had little interest in actually. Weeks before this went live we had made use of our infiltration experts who had successfully entered one of the corps and were now filtering back a wealth of knowledge for our impending decalration. Most of it was pure comedy gold.

Most of the actual fighting during the war revolved around 1v1 combat situations and ganking miners and haulers and podding everything we could catch, no forgiveness. Actual fleet combat was few and far between, but the Rebels enjoyed this style of guerilla warfare and they excelled at it. Zodiac Black was making a name for himself and becoming quite a pain for the enemy to handle in his Rifter, he was loving the attention too and came away with a plethora of killmails from this part of the campaign.

After a while it was clear that World Forge Industries could not operate with the menace that was the Black Rebels stalking them, their chief exec sent out an urgent mail to all members.

_ _ _ 


WARNING: THIS MESSAGE IS ONLY FOR WORLD FORGE INDUSTRIES; IT IS BEING SHOWN TO LIMITLESS INC, SO THEY KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING.

Gentlemen of World Forge Industries,


So here's the war plan; it's fairly simple really:


-All pilots are required to join a channel that will be made after 24 hours of this mail.


-All pilots will be asked to leave the corp; this is not a question of if you decide to do it or not, you are being ORDERED to leave the corp. Exception: Pilots who are going to FIGHT.


-All pilots will communicate among each other within the channel, while also being in NPC corporations; NPC corps cannot be war dec'd, which is important because it means the enemy needs to use conventional means.


-All pilots will continue to sell materials to the corp to continue the war effort; I will build, en mass, products to keep the corporate wallet functional.


-All pilots will help the war effort through "safer supply lines," that is you will run courier missions to help us.


-All pilots will then rejoin the corp after the war is over; all pilots who rejoin immediately gain the ensign rank as a sign of their loyalty. Pilots who do not rejoin were never loyal to begin with, and I will not be sad to see them go; I may even be happier.


-BY DOING ALL THIS, YOU ARE DENYING THE ENEMY TARGETS, AND THUS MAKING THIS WAR USELESS TO THEM. THIS IS NOW OUR OFFICIAL RESPONSE TO ALL WAR DECS TO THIS CORP. I WILL NOT ALLOW PILOTS TO STAY DUE TO SOME DESIRE TO PROVE SOMETHING; YOU FIGHT OR YOU LEAVE AND BE SAFE.


Gentlemen, I have the utmost confidence in your ability to be part of a system so strong, not even the guns of our enemies can shatter it. Nothing can break us, nothing will.


Regards,
Vhankar
Chief Executive Officer of the World Forge Industries system and proud to have you as members.

PS: Let the spies see this, for there is nothing the enemy can do to stop us, short of suicide ganking their wallets to oblivion; and even then.


So that was it, the campaign was coming to an end and our target corporation's pilots were all in NPC corps and their own private chat channel..... Which all the Rebels who were online one fine evening gatecrashed and turned into our very own corp channel. We literally took it over with a Jita style fast flowing flicker of Memes, GIF's, Photos and other unsavoury items flashing before their eyes. I remember one of the first responses to our abrupt entry was

****> Oh God who let the spies in again.


The following day all Black Rebel members were flushed from the channel and our campaign was about to end. It was a great experience and one of the most fun times in my eve career to date, getting to know each of my new corp members and building on what I hope will be around for a long time to come I think we all had a blast. Here's to more campaigns of adventure, fun and bloodshed in the future!


Final statistics and prizes.


Top Killer with 52 kills Zodiac Black

The Snarling Dog - Zodiac Black


Zodiac is a ruthless killing machine it seems and for a top place finish he receives x2 Republic Fleet Firetail hulls a Dramiel and 100m ISK. Well done, I'm sure everybody would agree it is refreshing to see a pilot so young show so much disregard for the safety of themselves and their spaceships in combat.

:)

Runner up with 25 kills - Anxiir

Cool Hand Anx


Some great kills during this campaign, really enjoy looking out for your killmails. A Caldari Navy Hookbill and an Imperial Navy Slicer are your reward along with a token 25m ISk.

3rd place with 23 kills - Saftsuze 


The man with the Golden Moustache - Saftsuze



Doing what you do on a consistent basis has enabled you to climb the campaign killboard to 3rd place. Your prize (or punishment - read Saft's Jaguar curse) ;p is x2 Jaguar hulls. Congrats, mate.


Top scorer with 2803 points - Zodiac Black

Well, it had to be really didn't it? Well done again mate. Your prize is a pack of Assault Frigates x2 Jaguar and x2 Wolf hulls. Enjoy.


Best solo kill - Tomba

Popular Black Rebel - Tomba


This was a difficult one to choose as there were so many good solo kills out there. This one has been chosen because of the persistence of Tomba to master the Arty-Rifter hull and then go out and look for some of the games top pilots and test his mettle against them on a regular basis. Well done Tomba, your prize is x3 Taranis hulls and 25m ISK.




Next up .....



Our next campaign will roll out in September. We are now recruiting new pilots for this, join us today!


MB.

21 Jul 2011

Where Did All The Heroes Go? (Musings on Quitting EVE)

The first time in space and the sudden realization of the endless adventure that lies before you is forgotten in that moment of despair as you walk away from the game. I'm sure everybody can relate to those first steps out into the harsh world that we know and love. Stumbling into low-security space for the first time in that toon that you rolled a few months before your 'main', when you didn't have a clue what you was doing and fitting up a ship was like dipping into the lucky dip bag of some corporation's junk hangar.

Frustrating, for sure, but back then the game grabbed you and hit you hard like a drug, you craved more, you wanted to learn and understand how the professionals did their business in such a mesmerizing fashion. I remember those days with fond memories. I hope some of you out there can relate to being the total noob and wandering around all starry-eyed, losing embarrassingly and trying to work out just exactly how that flashy guy in a frigate just destroyed your cruiser that had every type of gun and ammo type loaded. How was this possible you pondered. But still you came back and learned from the actions and experiences as the game continued to infest your inner being.

Those who quit the game through tiredness and boredom need to find that feeling again, that excitement that can flow, the adrenalin that can kick in and that rush of blood where your heart pumps so loudly that it feels like it is going to pop out of your chest right in front of you. If you've played EVE and haven't yet experienced the feelings above then you haven't really played EVE.

There are ways to grab that feeling back and to fight the burnout and come back stronger. A break from EVE can do the world of good, starting afresh can also reignite your passion, cutting loose from old friends (or enemies) and coming back as the new guy has been a proven formula in the past. Coming back to the game and doing something totally different to what you did previously can also boost your desires.

How and indeed if people go about getting the excitement back is their call and open to debate. There's a few famous names that need no mention in here, whether some of them return remains to be seen. Some have been gone that long the answer is probably already out there. Personally speaking, some names occasionally crop up and get me thinking about what they are up to now, some were close friends, some were enemies, some I didn't even know that well but we'd always cross paths, some maybe even still play but are far removed from my current in-game lifestyle that we have perhaps drifted apart.

Some were heroes, but where did they all go?

Biggerguns.

Biggerguns was the founder of Pyrotechnics Inc. A piracy corporation that accepted newbies and took them all the way down to -10. This guy was a really good pilot, a bad-ass mean looking Brutor guy with shades and a shaved head .... he'd just sit out in Amamake and take on everybody in his Rifter, he was, to me like a fucking daddy in that frigate and inspired me that much that I stole his bio tag-line of 'Mess with the bull, you get the horns'. That line just summed the guy up perfectly.
Then one day he bio-massed his toon, just like that. Nursultan who was a new director at the time took over the reigns and he is still running the corp to this day. I have fond memories of Pyro, living in Amamake and the fun that followed. Sadly I'll always remember the day that 'guns left the game.
I'd also add that I knew of a new character that he had rolled previously, however that character blocked all attempts at contact and although I occasionally looked out for his killmails and the corporations he was in, time lapsed and I stopped wondering. Out of respect I won't reveal his character name here.


Kaoticar.

Another of the original Pyro director crew. I was good friends with Kao and I remember him fondly, his deep Irish accent still rings in my ear from time to time haunting me. In real life he was a crazy looking tattooist, I can see him now on his website in the pictures he used to always link of his ink skills. Then one day he left Pyro to run an alt corp with one of my alts, and then never logged in again.
Spookily there is a guy who hangs around in Molden Heath, I heard him on vent and thought he sounded so much like Kao that it must be him! I never did ask if it was, it probably wasn't, but still.


Sadinshadow.

Sadin was again a member of Pyro. He was one of the newbs, and my god he was a newb. I remember one time he shouted on vent that he had pointed one of those Heretic guys in his Rifter ..... so in I warped to find his frozen corpse and a flashy Zealot awaiting me. Good times.
However, Sadin went away from the game for a few months and then returned a new man. He had learnt the ropes and he now knew what he was doing and he did it well. I encouraged him to join The Tuskers, and he did, he got accepted but real life issues cropped up and he kept saying he'd be back but he never did make it back properly. The last I heard he was fixing up his pc on vent and complaining that storms were in his area and his connection was poor. He got abruptly disconnected mid-sentence and that was it. Gone. Hope he's ok, lol.

In memory I have copy/pasted his bio as it always used to make me smile.

you cant see me, you cant see me, neither can he, no one can see me... O_O


Romeo Blakstorm.

Sold his soul to the devil to pay for a new life of crime. Makes me shudder looking at him now, he's not the old Romeo I remember. The dirty Amarrian that he was. Another ex-Tusker and Pyro guy.


Geaux Tiger.

This guy was a cool Tusker. I remember his old photograph, his ginger beard and grizzled appearance struck me in a weird kind of way. He just looked like a boss. This is real life not in-game. But in-game he also was someone I looked up to. I loved his blog and remember reading about his Tengu he purchased when they first rolled out and how he nearly lost it in an instant to Sleepers.
He doesn't have a bio picture now so I will assume he has left the game for good.


Andy Derbyshire.

Remember me mentioning that toon that we all experimented with? Well Andy Derbyshire was a good friend of my original toon, we set up this really bad corporation together, and I mean really bad. We would have our own security wing which when I look back now is everything that sums up a noob corp in this game, badly fitted bc's in week old toons and bad, bad fits. We got smoked mostly, well all the time but Andy was a cool guy.
He emailed me some corp details once and I was very surprised to notice that his email address was from the school down the road from mine, we went to 'enemy' schools in the same town, for the want of a better description. I never did mention that we lived in the same town. I should have done really but didn't want a situation where this crazy dude might turn up at my house one day to talk about spaceships and I guess he might have felt the same way. He was another who never logged into the game after going on a break.


Sinferis.

Back in the early days with that toon again. Sinferis was the veteran player who joined our nooby corp along with his friend who never ever spoke. Looking back now I think it was his alt. How funny that the noob doesn't pick up on these little things at the time.
Sinferis was this really cool French dude who would fly around in Navy Megathron's and he would just give off this aura of being a really good player, he talked the talk. Then one day I looked at his battleclinic record and it read 10 kills to 11 losses. It was a sad realization and I kind of felt duped somewhat. I also remember he was in the French Army and I always had to resist from cracking the obvious jokes to him.
Another pilot who has no portrait and hasn't logged in for months, perhaps years.




There are perhaps more out there, I can't think too hard about it as it would turn into an epic journal of sorts. All I'd say is to those who get that feeling that they might want to walk away, don't become another name lost in the murky waters of bio-massed toons and blank faces. Stick with it and become the hero and stay in that place.

That place is logged-in.







MB.

18 Jul 2011

Black Rebel pvp Video Plug

Black Rebel pilot Anxiir has recently been busy getting into all kinds of mischief in his Tristan and Raptor. It has been bad news for the Rifters that he has laid waste to but good news for the masses as he has produced an excellent video that I'm sure you will all agree is top notch crystal clear quality with great audio a welcome bonus.

Head on over to his blog on the link below and check it out!


Highly Addictive 2 - Rifter Genocide Edition


MB. 

-2.19

Having spent the last few months carefully keeping an eye on my security status and living the life of what seemed like a high-sec pvp mormon, it was now time to cast away the chains and set fire to the low-sec spacelanes and anything that I should come across.


Whilst at times I found can-flipping and ore/loot thefts fun I always hungered for the low-sec style of 'all guns blazing no holding back' style of combat - engineering kills in high-sec and finding war targets could at times be tedious. I sold up all my high-sec stock and rolled out into low-sec.
My first bite into my sec status happened soon after undocking in Parts, I spotted a Vexor at an asteroid belt and my Jaguar was soon pouncing for an easy kill - whilst not much of a challenge by any stretch of the imagination it was just what I had craved and the adrenaline kicked in and I could feel my heart pumping.


Later that same evening I went on an uneventful roam up through Black Rise and on towards Ishomilken where I lost some more sec-status after engaging two Punishers at the sun. Both put up a good fight, landing on them at zero I was surprised to see both of them web me. They were tanking my damage quite nicely and dishing out a bit of pain of their own but I was confident that once I sent one packing the other would soon follow. However, in a moment of fail I burnt out all my guns and was left to scamper out of web range and burn away with my tail between my legs. Drat.

Next up I managed to actually get aggressed so no sec loss this fight. A Sentinel followed me to an asteroid belt and the fight was on. I was quickly neuted and struggling to manage my capacitor with my cap booster injections not timed very well. Drones were hurting my shields and I decided to make a run for it as the Sentinel was keeping range from me quite well. I managed to get off a quick double boost of the cap booster and I overheated my afterburner and aligned to the sun, the Sentinel gave chase, the ground I had made quickly turned from 12k to 15k to 21k .... the Sentinel's microwarpdrive spun into life and as he began to gain on me I slammed on the brakes and turned to face the oncoming Electronic Attack Frigate. Landing the scram on him just as we crossed paths was a great feeling, I fired up my Nosferatu module to gain a little more capacitor and overloaded my guns. The Sentinel exploded in a glorious fashion and I escaped with 15% structure remaining. I scooped loot and docked a few systems out for repairs.

clicky to make biggy


Not long after this I watched as a novice Thorax I had crossed on the stargate entered warp towards a belt, following as fast I could I landed smack bang on top of him and unleashed the pain as the cruiser crumpled into a wreck.

My next adventure involved fitting up a dual-rep Republic Fleet Firetail and heading down towards Amamake to see what was on offer. After noticing a huge fight taking place in the top belt I warped on in to what I thought was a pounce point to survey the scene. Sadly I had warped directly into the fight and was soon sent packing by an angry looking Loki.

Not to be put off I returned in a trusty Rifter and this time warped to my pounce. I noticed an Archon taking heavy damage so I warped down and fired off a salvo of autocannons before warping back out to watch its demise. Sadly the pilot initiated self-destruct and we missed the killmail. However, a Naglfar Minmatar Dreadnought was now taking heavy fire so I warped on down to the belt again and fired off a few shots. In the safety of my pounce spot I watched as the huge ship shattered the sky with a thousand shards of high-end space rust.

Welcome to Amamake!


Later on I headed over to Egghelende where a Thorax landed on me in the top belt, we started an intense dogfight but my mistake in not concentrating on the cruiser's drones backfired and my Rifter was no more. Again, I was in the mood for destruction so jumped into a Jaguar I had in system and undocked under sentry fire to race back towards the belt, sure enough the Thorax was still there and this time I overloaded everything, ignored the drones again and laid siege on the cruiser. With no damage control fitted to my Jag it was a relief to see the Thorax pop as I hit half armor.

So that was the first stage on my quest back towards my -10 badge. I purposefully didn't engage in any poddings, to prolong the wait and obtain more fights before I go flashy.

Watch this space!

MB.

17 Jul 2011

The Solo Combat Pilot's Guide to Good Roaming #6

Hek to Eifer

This 14 jump roam starts in the high-security space system of Hek, a quality trade hub and also a can-flipping and 1v1 haunt, for those of a more darker security status you should start this roam in low-sec Resbroko.

Setting our auto-pilots to prefer less secure and an initial waypoint of Hadozeko and then our final waypoint of Eifer we undock into the bright lights and busy traffic lanes of Hek.

Hek 0.5

Hek is a fantastic system to base out of, the market is excellent and always chocked full of goodies, the local services are all exemplary in standard and it even has the added appeal of being a good system to flip cans and arrange 1v1 combat.
The more time you spend in Hek the more you will begin to get a feel of who the genuine 'good guys' looking for a gf are and who the 'bad guys' are - the dudes and dudettes who never leave the perimeter of the station undock and who never fight without back-up or remote reps and other nasty little surprises.

Leaving behind the station huggers with their lack of talent trailing in the wake of their overheating remote reps the best place to engineer fights in Hek is the 12 asteroid belts, all of which should at any given time be bustling with miners, ratters and genuine dogfighters looking for a duel. During quiet periods, drop some cans, rat a little and leave the wrecks, patrol the belts and watch out for those who take the aggression.

As mentioned previously, all services are catered for in the system's 5 stations - Hek VIII - Moon 12 - Boundless Creation Factory is the main market station. Although there is no medical facility in this station it is noted that three of the four other stations do have cloning services available with new clones produced on a regular basis for those with the correct insurance bonds.


Hror 0.5

This system has no stations or outposts. Perhaps you might be able to find a lone miner to harass or some local Angel pirates to shoot in one of the 7 asteroid belts but for the purpose of this exercise we skip through Hror on our way to our first low-sec system.


Resbroko 0.4

Checking our ship insurance is valid and our clones updated we make the jump into low-sec.
Resbroko is an odd system, one station, 4 asteroid belts and a massive cross-warp of nearly 150AU from our in-gate to our out-gate. Exploring this system can take a good while.

150 AU warp? Warp sickness tablets at the ready!


It can be bountiful though as opportunistic ratters seek the higher bounties of low-sec rats and brave miners try to grab some higher end ores before being spotted by hunters like us.

The Republic Fleet Assembly Plant offers the basic services of repair and refinery but little else. The market is mixed, it usually has a good mix of ships available but fittings and ammo can be hard to source.


Hadozeko 0.4

Hadozeko is an important traffic system on the Heimatar-Metropolis low-sec route. Those continuing further afield and those branching off through Resbroko towards Hek and the safety of high-sec all have to pass through Hadozeko, for this is sees a lot of traffic flow.
Some of this traffic can be attracted to the 26 asteroid belts on offer, a quick D-scan check from our in-gate reveals all of the XI cluster. Moving on to the star will reveal all of the other asteroid belts in the system, apart from the X cluster. Three warps around the system and you get a good picture of what, if anything is on offer.

Hadozeko also sees its fair share of faction warfare traffic, often camping the gates in large gangs of battlecruisers but nimble frigates shouldn't have too much of a problem in the area avoiding these camps. Another worthy note is these systems are often a favourite haunt for roaming EVE University gangs. Engaging a solo EVE University pilot will often result in a cascade effect of opening up a sewage pipe full of .... you get the picture. Engage at your own risk.

The system has 4 stations with a mix of services from medical to repairs. The top station - Hadozeko II - Tribal Liberation Force Logistic Support is where the clone vats are harvested and this station also offers a good repair facility.
The market is just above average with a good mix of ships and fittings available, although it does not contain all the mod cons for fitting up a ship from scratch it certainly has fittings to help put part of a ship together. Moderate supplies of ammunitions and drones can be sourced in some of the stations too.


Klogori 0.3

4 asteroid belts that are all on scan from the entry gate should determine whether or not you will get a fight in here from the off.
Klogori is a system that contains no fewer than 9 stations, all services are therefore available but the market is usually poor, as we stray deeper into low-sec and away from the supply lines.


Orfrold 0.2

Orfrold was an old cloning system for the Minmatar Republic, both its stations still serve this purpose. The market is poor, traders have been put off by the low-security rating of the system and the spacelane robbers who await passing caravans hoping for rich pickings.
Orfrold has an abandoned feel to it, haunted by the ghosts of those who perished here in the past, its 5 asteroid belts usually swarming with local Angel patrols.


Egmar 0.3

Thermals recommended.


The harsh environment of Egmar with its 15 asteroid belts, one of which is the Egmar Ice Drift can be a system where those foolish enough to wander into its belts often become another statistic.
Another system that is an important traffic flow system, on the elbow of the Anglis constellation, its fair share of traffic usually pass the system unnoticed with the occasional stop-off for weary travellers in one of the 4 stations. The Republic Justice Department Law School at planet XII - Moon 10 offering clone bays with the other 3 stations offering ship repair services. The market is poor.


Arnher 0.2

This system has no stations or outposts but it does have 19 asteroid belts. A fairly large system with the belts spread over the entire system, if somebody is active in here it might mean an opportunity for a fight - or on the downside, could mean they are nestled under the protective shields of one of the system's many POS's that are present.


Evati 0.2



The system of Evati with its multicultural mix of Caldari and Minmatar stations and even the presence of CONCORD has for time been known as an infamous haunt for pirates and those who seek the bounties on offer.

Yarr!

Long time home to The Bastards pirate corporation it often sees gangs and solo pilots passing through or loitering looking for fights, a quick warp around the 7 asteroid belts and the gates should determine what is on offer, just remember to keep a close eye on the D-scanner. An abandoned battlefield also adding to the mystique of the system.

The market in Evati is good, a steady stock of ships and a good selection of goods and ammunitions mean plenty of options should you need a quick refit and the 9 stations offer all the expected services that a busy low-sec system should offer to its dwellers.


Todifrauan 0.1

7 asteroid belts including an ice field mixed in with a low security rating can make for a system where those who venture into the depths are blinded by the bounties on offer and the Glare Crust and Dark Glitter that lights up the murky-brown backdrop.

Planet VII - Moon 19 - Pator Tech School offers all the facilities including a medical suite but the market is stagnant, unless of course you are after a new skillbook.


Arnstur 0.1

Another bleak system, no stations makes for little signs of life. It does however have a strong industrial element and the system is often littered with industrial ships of various sorts, unfortunately in most cases they are hidden behind a POS shield.
The 8 asteroid belts are always worth a quick warp around.


Gultratren 0.3

Entering the dark-blue skies of Heimatar we reach the system of Gultratren. 17 asteroid belts to explore and a high-sec entry point can mean the few quiet systems before us might now entertain us with the delights that the high-sec gate can bring.
Patience is required, you will need to sort out what is POS junk and what is a genuine target. Ratters can often go unnoticed within the clutter, once you spot something, don't waste time, I've found all sorts of oddly fit targets in this system in the past. The key factor is the clutter that hides them on the D-scan also hides the hunter.

The 4 stations offer all the usual services, 3 of which offer medical bays. The market is pretty average and I wouldn't expect to fit up a complete ship from the offerings.


Ingunn 0.3

A fairly large system consisting of two stations (all services offered, market poor) and 6 asteroid belts spread out over the entire system. It is usually quiet in here, but there is always the chance of a stray ratter to hone your cross-hairs at.


Gusandall 0.4

A system of pvp opportunity. The Angel Creo-Corp Mining, Minmatar Contracted Bio-Farm and Ruined Minmatar Outpost sites are all magnets for small ship pvp. Spend long enough lingering around them and you're sure to grab the attention of a passing ship.

The only station in system offers cloning and repair facilities and the market is good for ammunition supplies.


Eifer 0.4

Our journey ends in the system of Eifer. Whilst there are no stations in Eifer it is often found to be a system of opportunity for some bloodshed - the 10 asteroid belts are your hunting zone.
Two jumps from the starter system of Pator it is often the first taste of low-sec for budding pilots fresh from graduation. Because of this you might sometimes find the gates camped, especially the high-sec ones. On more quiet days you might be the only pilot in here. But as the stories of those who have been slain will prove, Eifer is never a place free from horror.

Eifer welcomes careful miners!


___

Happy Hunting!

MB.

16 Jul 2011

Meet the Rebels - Lhorenzho

The Autocannon is not just the name of the public channel in which the Rebels hang out and talk dirty over spaceships with anybody and everybody who is plugged in, it is also the name of a bar that some of their members frequent on a regular basis.
 Lhorenzho had asked me to keep the actual location of the bar private, he didn't want riff raff invading his local when he and the Rebels were kicking back and letting off steam, whatever that would entail.

As I entered the bar I was immediately searched and frisked by two large security guards of Caldari origin. As this was happening, Lhorenzho, himself a man of Deteis birth, signalled with a nod to the two guards that I was good.

"Drink, sir?" .....

Lhorenzho



Tell us a little bit about your background in New Eden?

I would like to tell you I was a sad-eyed orphan in tattered clothes who never knew his father and was raised by a woman who worked as a downtrodden hooker in some seedy joint on the wrong side of the station but I would be lying. The truth is I was born into a life of opulence to a well-known family of wealth and influence in the richest enclave of the Caldari state. My crib, I have been told, was inlaid with gold and diamonds, real diamonds not those synthetics sold on the streets by gallente transients. To say I had a leg up in life would be an understatement. Incidentally, I am forbidden by court order to divulge the family name so please don’t ask.
My future as a corporate ladder climber, financier and enterprise mogul was all but assured and I had only to follow the blueprint laid down by my father to bring my pre-destined life of privilege to fruition. To my father’s deep shame it was soon apparent that there was something terribly different about me. There was a screw loose somewhere (to use the vernacular of the street) that always made me take the wrong turn when presented with a choice. I guess I was a loser and I was certainly operating with a dysfunctional moral compass. I also impregnated the youngest daughter of my father’s business partner, a comely young lass who I hear turned out to be a fine mother. I don’t know my son’s name.
My “studies” at the Elite Caldari business University also ended as I had channeled the tuition money sent to me into more interesting venues (A pyramid scheme involving clone vats for one), plus I preferred watching the co-eds on the dormcams over participation in my study groups.
It wasn’t long before I was summarily pruned from the family tree and found myself homeless, iskless, and strung out on an assortment of illegal substances. With no help from my blood relations on the horizon (we are a proud family you see and they wanted the blight gone), I joined a mining concern who mistakenly believed my bold assertions that my one university course in inventory management theory would help them increase profit margin. When it didn’t happen and after they noted bookkeeping irregularities they dumped me and left me stranded on some hellish outpost whose name I can’t even remember. At this outpost, I met a distinguished cadre member, a Master Zeuth from the famed Waffles (Sniggwaffe) warrior group who took a shine to me and encouraged me to apply as a pilot.
I did subsequently apply and due to some smooth talking on my part and despite my lack of PvP experience was able to convince them to accept me.
A week later I was ignominiously purged. The waffles, a group known for making vicious anti-social behavior a lifestyle found me unpalatable.
My life continued to spiral downward. In and out of drug abuse facilities, station brigs, and mental health hospices, I finally ended up working as a backroom cleanup man at a social club called the Popped Pod, a seedy joint of some repute known to occasionally welcome infamous patrons. It was here that I got to know the great Flashfresh, who like others in my life caught a glimpse of the remnants of an earlier potential and mistook it for more than what it was. Perhaps in a moment of weakness he asked me to apply to the training arm of the Bastards called the Meatshields. The application was rejected. No reason was given.
Where is our fucking waitress?






How did you become a Black Rebel?

While spending some time housed in a “facility” operated by the rehabilitation arm of the Minmitar Republic, I became acquainted with an ominous, brooding young fellow who exhibited the most chilling singularity of purpose I had ever known. He possessed, I was told by those who had the misfortune of crossing paths with him, an almost superhuman desire and ability to foment death and destruction and the prospect of not being able to wreak havoc while confined literally sent him into a deep funk. He was only happy when he was on the hunt. Mayhem was his mistress. Needless to say, the confinement was devastatingly unbearable to him and in turn made me uneasy as he often looked at me with a devilish grin that I was certain meant I would be found dead in the morning. Since I had plenty of time on my hands I listened to the lad and was thus able to get into his good graces and became the closest thing a chap of his malicious disposition could have to being a friend.
The young guy had just joined a corporation whose sole purpose was to literally unleash the dogs of war on our already battle weary sector of space. No rules, no discipline, no structure, and no control. He talked excitedly of being able to join his comrades as soon as possible. Of course, hearing the scary young lion talk of his new life piqued my interest and I was able to convince him to provide the name of the architect behind this organization. After my unauthorized “early release”, I contacted the CEO, a congenial but menacing looking rogue with a reputation for blowing up spacecraft named Miura Bull, and after undergoing a screening process was accepted into the Black Rebels. Incidentally, I won’t mention any names but the killing virtuoso I refer to above can be found at the top of the Black Rebels Kill board.






What were you doing before you joined the Black Rebels?

I was in my own way, although I did not know it at the time, laying the foundation needed to forge a successful career as a Pirate in this universe of ours. I was achieving what one would call a critical mass of embarrassing ineptitude and failure in my earlier life in New Eden as I have already alluded to above. I was undergoing my own version of the Trial by fire.
The brutal Eve universe is a harrowing crucible that can forge an amazing array of dangerous and unstable personality types. They are a natural byproduct of life in New Eden.
I think you will find that many of the Rebels can relate similar tales to you of a badly misguided youth littered with bad decisions and inappropriate behavior. There is certainly a big dose of angst, anger, brutality, resentment, sadism, and pain in the mix of ingredients that go into forming what we know as a Rebel. Since I had been unsuccessful in having a corporation accept me, I went ahead and formed my own one man corp. I may have been diagnosed at one time as a social misfit, but I was never a loner. I craved the camaraderie of like minded people. Given that fact, you can see how I might have been unhappy in a one man outfit. It was providential that the opportunity to join the Rebels occurred when it did. I am not a religious man, but I still thank my lucky stars that I stumbled into this bunch of maniacs.
How much do they charge for a lap dance in here?


What is a Black Rebel?

A Rebel is a suspicious, cagey, cunning, devious, intelligent, focused, and clever creature, born with a natural affinity for frigate combat, who will keep you at arm’s length until you prove yourself trustworthy at which point he or she will become your most loyal friend. I have been all over this big universe of ours and I don’t trust anyone but my Rebel mates. Well, I still lock up my good booze and hide my collection of ancient earth slide rules, and I may make it a point to sleep on my back especially when we are on long roams, but you know what I mean.


Is it true you need a tattoo to be considered for entry?

Yeah. You can ask your old lady about where they put mine.


The Rifter, tell me more?

She is the “pimp’s fave HO”. No more. No less. The only bitch I trust.
I have a trust fund with billions of ISK that I can now access due to the legal maneuverings of a drug addled lawyer with an unhealthy appetite for nubile young girls. Let’s just say I had at my disposal some photographs that helped me convince him to successfully undertake the process of breaking what my parents thought were ironclad agreements whose sole intent was to lock me out of my rightful inheritance. My point is that I can purchase just about any ship available in New Eden, but I invariably always return to my Rifter. It is the only ship where I truly feel complete while at the helm. The damn thing is like an extension of my being. She fits the Rebels and their combat philosophy like a glove. She is front and center when we go looking for trouble. She is our go to girl. The one who is always there when you need a Saturday date.
Do I need to say any more dude?



Are all Black Rebels unwashed scumbags whose only goal in life is to terrorize those they tag as the enemy?

Your question has a disapproving tone to it. You got a problem with unwashed scumbags? We terrorize our enemies both before and after we have washed our asses, what is your point? You want another drink man? Oh by the way, do you think I am a pretentious prick?


Tell me about your corpmates?

Well, I have already described one of them earlier. They are a rare breed. They are unconventional and uniquely non-conformist and resistant to authority. The Black Rebels are a collection of square pegs in a universe of round holes. They are a mass of conflicting impulses to be sure. They will fly into certain death to help you during a brutal combat engagement one moment and then take your last ISK from your wallet when you pass out on your bunk after a binge. They will screw your woman but will at least give you the courtesy of using protection so she won’t get the Sansha clap and pass it on to you. You will find them chaotic and unpredictable during downtime in station, but almost indescribably focused and driven when piloting a ship in combat and they are loyal to a fault. They will slap you silly if you are a fool. Never a dull moment with those fuckers. Yeah, you have to stay on your toes around them but I would not want to fly with any other bunch. Did I mention they are mean fuckers? Jesus are we ever gonna get served in here?


Describe a typical day in the life of a Rebel.

Another glorious day in the Rebels! A day in the Rebels is like a day on the farm. Every Meal is a banquet, every paycheck a fortune, every formation a parade. I love the REBELS!
Ok, I pulled that quote from my memory. A line I heard somewhere once. But really, your question is inane dude. What do you want to hear, that me and the corpies sit around and discuss Heidegger or that existentialism shit. The template for our lifestyle is simple man.
It’s basically, wake, undock, scan, lock, scram, web, fire, pop, pod, ransom, rinse and repeat.
Ok, the above is a gross oversimplification. In between the rinse and repeat there is eat, drink, fight, kill, puke, piss, screw, slap da bitch, and sleep…..maybe.
Did I mention screw?

Where is our f@*&$#g waitress?


End of transcript////

15 Jul 2011

Point the Proteus, Point the Proteus !

Last week I rolled out with the now famed Penis Fleet. Altotheix, a former alliance mate of mine who has fingers in every pie and some sinister connections to boot sent the invite, and I was soon heading down to Assah in the deepest depths of Derelik in a new autocannon Thorax to join the form-up.

Having plugged into the Heretic comms channel we waited for the late-comers to arrive before our journey into Providence. Fleet was hovering around the 19 mark and the call was made that anybody wishing to join now would have to play catch-up.

We undocked in phallic glory .... Thorax, Stabbers and, erm, a Tristan. Our scout flying a cyno-Kestrel.



The first few jumps were uneventful, we cross-jumped a couple of ships on a few occasions, most notably a Drake, but the general theme for the roam was 'hard, fast and a quick death'. At this point we were being tailed by a nosey interceptor, always landing some distance from the angry looking fleet. We kept burning .....

Then we got the call from the scout that a Harbinger was about to jump through to us. We waited as the gate flashed ..... And then unleashed all hell on the poor bastard. True Sansha Web in the hold too, that guy well and truly got a slap across the face from the Penis Fleet.

Moving on ......

We were now quite deep into Providence, or at least we were further in than some had expected, a bet had been placed on our final destruction system pre-roam with the winner taking everybody else's insurance money. I had lost as we had gone further than the amount of jumps I had put my money on.

Then our scout reported multiple ships in the next system. Some were dicking around on the station and some appeared to be running anomalies or other tedious activities. One ship in particular caught the eye, a Proteus appeared to be in one of the belts. The call was made for one of the guys to jump in and try and snag him in the belt, unfortunately mid-warp he seemed to move away, had we lost our prey?

Waiting on the other side of the gate for what seemed like an eternity, at first thinking that the Proteus was spooked and had gone safe, we were alerted that he was showing up at another belt. At this point the fleet commander gave the call for everyone to jump in and go rush the belt in question and that is what we did, only .....

We all landed nearly 40 clicks off of the faction cruiser. Microwarpdrives burning, fully expecting the Proteus to warp off into the distance, however, he did not. Was he going to hold firm and slay the invaders or was he just stupid? Stupid would be the best guess - a well executed over-heated point from Vj Gunter and the Proteus turned into a feast for the hungry fleet.

Sadly it was to be the last kill of the evening, just out of HED-GP we ran into a Darkside gang. All the power of the Penis was pointed towards the enemy Lachesis but as Scimitar's, Command Ships, Tech 3 cruisers, Battlecruisers and Heavy Interdictors started to show up on grid we overheated everything and waited for the black-out.


Boom!


I warped off in my pod quickly towards the sun and then on to a safe. After the Darkside gang had left I made my way back to the gate in my pod where I was then chased into HED-GP by three locals in two inties and an Electronic Attack Frigate. As they gave chase I warped to a pounce point I had just off the high-sec out-gate, as I landed at my safe on grid I watched with a smile on my face as the chasing threesome became tangled in their own alliance's catch bubble. I warped down to the gate and waved as I left local.


A great roam and definitely one I will take part in again. Watch out for the next one and come join in the fun!


MB.

Durzo Smith Looting/Flipping

Engineering fights in high-sec can be an art form well worth mastering for the up and coming pvp'er.

19:57


Black Rebel pilot Durzo Smith has penned a great guide, head on over to his blog and find out more by clicking the link below.


LINKY


MB.

9 Jul 2011

Meet the Rebels - Grernandez

The Ingot over in Hek was my next port of call in my quest to get the scoop on the Black Rebels. In what I could only describe as a 'dive' and a not very welcoming place to be, I ordered a drink and made my way over to Grernandez, a Rebel who looked every bit the stereotype I had these guys down as. Scary.

"Hey, Grernandez here, nice tie" ....

Grernandez




Mate I hope you know for the duration of this interview all drinks are on you.

*waves down a waiter*

another whiskey on the rocks thanks.


Tell us a little bit about your background in New Eden / What you were doing before you joined the Black Rebels?

Well I suppose unsurprisingly I started off in the military. Got my training from them and eventually they offered me a commission as a podder. I jumped at the chance. That’s when I really got my taste for combat. I served out my commission then left.

Headed out to null sec after that, better pay out there and either way you’re fighting another man’s war. But eventually all the ridiculous times ops were scheduled at got the better of me, not to mention I got tired of dealing with the politics that go on in a coalition of that size. So decided to work for myself let the others do the hard work for me...

How did you become a Black Rebel / How did you hear about the Black Rebels?

When I hit low sec I hooked up with another group of like minded fellows, flew with them for a while, but see I had heard of Miura before and when I noticed the headlines on the news feed about the Rebels I thought I’d look them up, a short while later I was chucking on a black jacket.

What is a Black Rebel?

Suppose a rebel is whatever they want to be. We are regarded as criminals but it’s a life of freedom. Loyalty to your wing mates and slight bit of honour on the field is something we all share though.

Is it true you need a tattoo to be considered for entry?

Ahahahahhaha, no it isn’t a hard and fast rule but, take a look at my face I think you can tell I like ink.

The Rifter, tell me more?

In my opinion by far one of the best ships out there. A joy to fly handles brilliantly and combines survivability speed and the brute force of a custom autocannon. I do all the work on mine myself modified engine housing, adjusted thruster jets, remade gun mounts and ammo feed and I add a bit of special boom to my ammo but that’s not something I’m going to tell you about.

Are all Black Rebels unwashed scumbags whose only goal in life is to terrorize those they tag as 'the enemy'?

Terrorize whoever is tagged as their enemy, yes for sure, its rather amusing really and can be very profitable. But nah most of us take a shower daily. Except for Miura that is...

Tell me about your corpmates?

Aaah the guys they are a good bunch for sure. There was this one time, two thorax class cruisers in a belt and me in my rifter. Well suffice to say that is a mighty uneven fight, basically suicide. But I engaged anyway to make sure they couldn’t escape, then I gave Meatbix and Haerod a yell and they came to my rescue and we even bagged one of the thorax's.


Describe a typical day in the life of a Rebel.

Get up, get in a ship and start flying towards the nearest fight in a sea of stars.


End of transcript ////

7 Jul 2011

Black Gloves

Deep inside the belly of the Minmatar Mining Mineral Reserve in Hek solar system lies a club frequented by some of New Eden's most rotten individuals and cast-offs. Drunken workers waiting for the next shift in alcoholic stupor, the same clothes stuck to their backs from weeks long gone. Right through to missing crew members, nutcases, thieves, drug pushers, skinheads, punks, whores, fetishists and other lost souls - all drawn to the golden-brown liquids and what spawns from the demonic aftershocks of the devil's cup.

Cold rusted steel is the décor, the only heat present coming from the bodies of those inside and the low-slung orange lamps that glow hesitantly from above. The place has a sinister feel to it and those who stray into the darkness by accident always perform a sharp turn and head straight back for the exit, no doubt with that feeling of fear creeping down their spine. No music is played in the bar either, chatter fills the air as many tales are told and dirty deals struck.

The Ingot is not your typical station-side bar and club. Over by the far side of the room a dark-grey curtain hides away the extension room. Behind the curtain a narrow corridor leads to an old boiler room where some hundred or so people have gathered in what has become known to Hek's residents as the Black Gloves Club, an exclusive makeshift arena where those who wish to let off some steam meet up and do just that - 1v1. A mechanical terror of a small modified gatling autocannon looks down on those who are trying to gain entry from the corridor into the ring area, occasionally spooling up as if ready to kick into life at the first sign of any real trouble.

This evening a group of about thirty or so outlaws all clad in black are calling the shots, bodies jostle as money is exchanged, pistols and even spaceships offered as payments pending for the upcoming fight. Cutmen and wannabe coaches mingle with the crowd as words of knowledge are shared. The challengers are expectant, excitement fills the air as the carnival is about to begin.

A giant of a man, an Amarrian slugger with a cold look about him and a chiselled jaw stoops under the ropes and stands gamely in the ring as a flurry of activity around ringside begins to take shape. The man is a known journeyman fighter in the circuit. One of the outlaws tosses in a pair of gloves and the man is helped into his weapons by one of the 'coaches'. The other outlaws give a nod to the back of the room and from the shadows of the crowd steps one bad looking and angry Brutor, his lip pierced by a spike of metal and sporting a scar clearly visible on the side of his face like a slash from a slaver hound.

More money is being bandied around as more and more people from the main bar area begin filtering through as word of the next fight spreads. The Brutor, black gloved and bare chested, torn combat trousers and sports boots steps into the ring as the outlaws cheer on their gang mate. He stands much smaller than his opponent but what he lacks in height he makes up for in width, 5 foot 11 high and seemingly five-eleven wide, a back built from bricks and arms the size of jackhammers.

The referee, decked out in what looks like an old faded CONCORD officer's uniform with the badges torn away tosses a can into the ring and this signals the start of the fight.

Let the thunder and lightning sing, the Amarrian swings wildly at the Brutor in the middle, hoping to land a lucky shot. The man of Minmatar blood counters this with an in close barrage of intense flurries, an uppercut lands firmly, quickly followed by a smashing right hook, as the slaver reels back another blow is landed, a sharp jab to the side of the head strikes a glancing blow. The Amarrian comes back as he takes a shot low to the ribs, the crowd cheer as he wobbles slightly before planting his own jab, but the outlaw strikes back with another quick fusion combo that shakes the Amarrian to the core as another punch lands sweetly.

The aggression is clear and a fight scheduled for 10 rounds is about to end not long after it started as a sweet big bomb lands and the hulking challenger bounces off the ropes as the crack of his nose depleting like a spent uranium rod echoes about the hall. The big man wobbles, he's hit by blow, after blow, and the last blow, another uppercut, is too much. The referee stops the fight and Miura Bull is victorious, his early career in the low-security boxing circuit certainly helping him on this occasion.

As the outlaws head to the bar counting their winnings and the crowds begin to follow suit, a lone janitor begins the task of mopping up the devout blood that has spattered the canvas.

GFGF.


Miura Bull wears Brutor Tribe Issue Black Boxing Gloves (Rebel Edition)


MB.