Destination Molden Heath

It felt good to be out of the Dramiel hull at last and into something different. I left Placid in a hurry, and plotting a high-sec dash to shorten the journey time decided on the Crow as a suitable ship choice.



A word on jump clones; I am in a strange old position at the moment where I have maxed out my jump clones but I never make use of them because the clones I do have are either, A. too expensive for kamikaze operations (that Slave set seemed like a good idea at the time), or B. also too expensive but locked in a high-sec system somewhere random that I have no intention of ever trying to bust out of. So all things considered, my only method of traversing from one corner of space to the other is to do it 'old skool' and jump in a ship and fly there. Crazy talk. Suicide jumping isn't really an option because I usually stick an half decent wire set in the one clone I do use. I will probably fix this one day by just trashing the expensive sets, or have someone else 'unplug' them for me in a glorious fireball. Yes I will do that but I feel strangely attached to them somewhat. They're like an ornament I have boxed away in the attic or something. Or alternatively, I feel like Bilbo Baggins and I am not quite ready yet to give them up. Oh I don't know.

Rambling. Sorry.

Destination Molden Heath.

On the way I had to divert into lowsec for a short rest break. I found this high-slot heavy Punisher chilling in the top asteroid belt of Sharuveil. It would have been rude not to, right? I found my rest break extended further after his pod was evicted from space. It felt like the old days of waiting out GCC. Oh how we miss you GCC. Ahem. Other than that it was an uneventful journey through high-sec. I felt like a Wolf with a muzzle on as I jinked my way through the heavy traffic and bustle.

The next day I decided to dip into Great Wildlands. I found a Rifter autopiloting through null-sec! The horror. I swiftly removed him from space.

Back in the Heath and I found the holy grail of the solo hunter's feast, a couple of decent 1v1's. First a Jaguar fell to the blaster power of the Enyo and then a tank-lite Harpy also met its maker.

It felt good to be back and I rounded off the day by snagging an autopiloting Venture on a high-sec outgate. Close but no cigar buddy.

Cruisers are a very popular choice of ship class in Molden Heath. Having spotted a Vagabond in Egbinger I decide to ditch my Incursus and jump into an old Stabber Fleet Issue I have close by and I give chase. I follow the Vaga into B-VIP9 and warp to the outgate, landing in his bubble I am immediately engaged by the Vaga and the fight is on.

Gate flash.

A Griffin appears on the overview and before I even have time to lock him up and divert my drones I am locked out of the game and taking heavy damage. Reluctantly switching propulsion from the Afterburner to the MWD I point my Stabber and pulse in the direction of the Griffin, all the while spamming for lock, desperately hoping for a bit of luck.

My twin armour reppers now working overtime and chewing through cap boosters.

I briefly manage to lock up the Griffin but he warps off as I send my drones his way. The Vagabond is dancing around.

Back to the Vaga.

The Griffin is back.

I am locked out again. The Griffin keeping range nicely.

I am now bleeding into structure and things aren't looking too good for the plucky Stabber Fleet. I have to get that Griffin off of my back. The Vaga is now starting to take out my drones.

I have so many things happening right now. Overheat management on the reppers. Heat level is critical at about 85%, almost cooked. I switch off the heat to the reppers as I bleed a little deeper into structure. Drone management. Trying to carefully balance how to keep these damned drones alive. Cap boosters. Stock levels low. Mid-slots almost fried.

Again I grab a lock on the Griffin and again he warps out.

Back to the Vaga and there isn't much life left in this Stabber, flames licking at the hull. I begin the chase aiming to close distance on the Vagabond. The wounded Stabber limping across the field. The Vaga must now smell blood.

The Griffin returns again but this time he has misjudged his reentry distance and I grab lock, he is right on top of me and going nowhere. Time stands still as I frantically divert my autocannon fire his way and I see the annoying little frigate taken out at last by one of my drones just as I lose lock once again!

The Vaga is now up close and personal. Stabber at about 50% hull I give one last very careful overheated blast of the reppers, not careful enough though as one shuts down completely under heavy load. With guns blazing, down to a single armour repper and everything else about to shut off completely, the Vagabond finally succumbs to the onslaught, and with no ECM to hide behind he explodes in a glorious twisted wreckage of fire and debris.

Stabber Fleet leaves the field resembling a flying barbecue.

Good fight and fuck ECM!

I end the day by docking up the cruiser and jumping into an Incursus where I then proceed to delve deeper into Great Wildlands where I find a Sabre greeting me on gate. Funnily enough, after the fight with the Sabre I then spend five minutes chasing a Dramiel around, he eventually manages to slip away with no fight.


A refreshing change of pace from chasing faction warfare runners and fights against linked frigate hulls.


MB.