Blog Banter 55: Famous to me

In response the the recent blog banter:

Last Blog Banter we talked about heroes in EVE Online. The followup to that topic has been provided by Wilhelm aka The Ancient Gaming Noob:

Write about somebody who is "space famous" and why you hate/admire them, somebody who isn't space famous but you think should be or will be, or discuss space fame in general, what it means, and how people end up so famous.
I'd like to add another take on the subject, is there a cost of being famous in EVE and if so, is it worth the price?

*****

This started out as a response to the previous blog banter. I didn't really like it though. Everyone had already said much of want I wanted to say. But this idea did form out of it, and it neatly lines up with the current banter.

Rather than focus on who's famous to everyone else in New Eden, I'll instead look at who's famous to me. All of them are bloggers, which perhaps says more about me than I'd care to admit. But these are the people I've come to respect and admire in New Eden.

Roc Weiler
A blogger, former Matari colonel, body builder and generally a nice guy.

Whilst I served in the Crusade I considered him my Minmatar opposite. Just as I sought to exemplify the teachings of a Khanid, he sought to express the spirit of the Brutor.

He recently joined Stay Frosty, casting aside his old military harness in favour of struggling for freedom from the Empires. I wish him well, and hope he finds whatever cause he's looking for among those surprising pirates.

What I admire most about the man is his sheer optimism. He genuinely believes that others can gain the discipline and success he has. His posts on physical fitness are a testament to his faith that people only need to be shown how to help themselves to make their lives better.

I hope he realizes others believe in Roc Weiler, and I consider it a tragedy I never crossed turrets with him when I was with the Crusade.

Sugar Kyle
A blogger, a pirate industrialist, and budding politician.

Sugar was actually the first blogger I met in space, although I doubt she remembers the encounter! Needless to say I didn't realize it was her at the time either, but we did chat about trading a little.

I admire how she balances her life between piracy and industry. Rather than simply use low-sec space as an arena, she truly lives there. It's not enough for her to use it to fight in. She develops it, and I'm grateful that her Cougar Store has had such a positive effect on Molden Heath (my youth's stomping grounds).

This woman embodies the low sec resident ideal.If you haven't voted for her for CSM 9, and you live in low-sec, I implore you to stop reading now, and change that.

Azual Skoll
A skilled pilot who has left fame and infamy.
I can't think of any solo-pilot who hasn't benefited from his teachings. His 'Know your enemy' posts were some of the first lessons I had in capsuleer combat. I'm continually amazed at how little I know about piloting in comparison, and how topics he wrote about years ago are still relevant today.

Mord Fiddle
I know nothing of null-sec politics, and yet Mord Fiddle's writings lay all so clear that even a fool like me can understand.
The enjoyment I find from his discussions of the state of the sovereignty alliances cannot be over stated. I only hope that my own feeble writings on the state of Faction Warfare come to but a tenth of the quality of his.

And now a word from my market partner, Benh Thanh...

The Three Wise Men

Yeah these are mine: croda, Gevlon Goblin and MoxNix.

Croda and the boss both started blogging at around the same time. I've stolen a lot of good ideas of that guy, and he was the first to link Behnid's blog. Nice Guy, and very market savvy. You only need to look at his wallet to see that.

Gevlon is a bit of a controversial character. He has a strong opinion about pretty much anything, but the way he attacks his projects shows more love for New Eden than most of the more popular personalities show. Stolen some good ideas off him too.

MoxNix showed me how to trade without all the effort of the other two. That's not to say he's lazy, but when it comes to making the easy ISK, without the data banks full of spreadsheets, he's true trade royalty.

All right, I've got work to do. Whilst Behnid wastes time writing about his idols, guess who's gotta keep the ISK flowing in. Don't know why I still work for the bast...*static*

Yes, thank you Benh.

You'll note that names such as The Mittani, or Ripard Teg aren't on my list. The reason is simple. I don't know them. I've read hundreds of articles on Jester's Trek, and I've heard many tales of the Mittani's nefarious actions. But they aren't famous to me. If they dropped out of the game tomorrow, I doubt I'd bat an eye.

People don't become famous in isolation. We make them. By the simple act of celebrating who they and their accomplishments, we turn them into celebrities. The people I've listed, to me at least, are worth celebrating. If any of them read this, I just hope they know what a positive impact they've had on my New Eden career.

Honourable mentions:

Kirith Kodachi. His simple posts linking my Rifter thought experiment gave me a wider audience than I ever thought possible. I couldn't thank him enough.

Rixx Javix. My former CEO is a man who hardly needs help tooting his horn. He is one of New Eden's true Characters, and his antics are always an enjoyment to watch.

Jack Dancer. A man kind enough to link my blog on his site after a chance encounter in space. I still owe him a Rifter duel in my Breacher!

Lessons learned

As the letter yesterday said, I'm leaving Stay Frosty, and joining the Republic.

My reasoning is simple. I'm simply not a pirate. I have tried, repeatedly, to target civilians. Once I even got a mining barge into structure. But, I let them go. No ransom. I just can't put in that final blow.

So, I'll sell myself as a mercenary. The Tribal Liberation Force (TLF) pays well, and freeing slaves sits much better with me than subjugating them. I've been officially branded a traitor in the eyes of Amarr and Khanid alike, to be shot on sight in their space. A traitor to God, the Emperor, the King, Empire and Kingdom.

I doubt I live up to the vilification the popular press has on me.

But what I do is hardly as interesting as what has been learned and what will be learned.

First: What did I learn as a 'pirate'?

In a word: attack.

One of the key strategic actions of the militias is short range patrol of vulnerable outposts. Or, orbiting plexes. This nets you loyalty points to spend at the militia quartermasters, as well as defensive fights. Other ships can and will attack you as you patrol.

Pirates, on the other hand, do not have this luxury. Orbiting a plex will get you a fight, but most likely just waste your time. Pirates need to attack.

I learnt how to assault a complex. To hunt and track down a ship using nothing but the directional scanner and knowledge of star systems. If you're looking to learn similar tactics, I highly recommend a stint in a pirate corporation.

As a small point, the majority of my kills as a pirate were brawling ships on the complex entry point. If you are capturing plex, I also recommend a kiting vessel. If you are assaulting, I recommend a tougher brawling vessel. There are, of course, exceptions, but if you are relying more on planning and strategy than flight skill (as my poor pilot-skilled self must do), this will make your life a lot easier.

Moving forward, I want to properly up-ship into cruiser capsuleer combat. The TLF will provide me with access to some higher grade cruisers, and ease the funding for this. Once I've got my cruiser eye in (and stop exploding with regularity) I may make go back to the freedom of piracy.

For now, I'm going to break my own advice, and use a brawling Rifter to go and capture some plexes. See you in space!

A letter to Rixx Javix

A letter to Rixx Javix, CEO of Stay Frosty, and Notorious Gentlemen of Impeccable Character

Dear Mr. Javix,

I am a formal man, and despite the informal and open way your organisation deals with recruitment, I wanted to give you the courtesy of an official resignation notice. I will be leaving Stay Frosty, to work for the Republic.

This is not a criticism of your corporation. For a group of capsuleers on the darker side of the law, I have found you to be the most welcoming, and most deserving allies in all of New Eden. Although I was one of your quieter pilots, corporation communications always warmed the void of space. I thank you and all Frosties for this.

I am, however, simply not a pirate. Despite flying your colors, and battling militia on both sides of the conflict, I cannot pull the trigger on civilians. For me, that seems to be a fairly glaring flaw in a pirate. I will sign a contract with the Tribal Liberation Force. Mercenary and vagabond are titles that suit me better for now.

I want to thank you for this glimpse of freedom in the stars. Your corporation showed me that we needn't be dogs to the Empires, or to other capsuleers. I wish you, Stay Frosty, and A Band Apart all the best fortune in the world. I may yet return home to Hevrice.

In the mean time, may your targets be stabless, and your targeting computer ECM free. If you're ever in Metropolis, I look forward to crossing fire with you.

Best regards,

Behnid Arcani

War Record: Pulling the trigger

A few days ago, I was cruising through Metropolis low security systems in a Stabber, looking for organised non-capusleer pirates to kill (an activity knwn as belt ratting, or more accurately in this case, tag ratting).

I've written why, and will post soon, but the result is this: I landed in a belt with a Venture mining frigate.

I locked, and with a moments pause, pulled the trigger. His shields dropped in a instant, and his drones started to tickle my shields.

I hammered off the guns, and for a few tense seconds, just orbited locked in indecision.

It was a civilian.

It was an unprovoked attack.

It was a non-combatant.

The loss of ship wouldn't gain me any profit. I'd be lucky to get some ore.

It was not a fighting vessel.

The Venture just sat there, as confused as me.

Why couldn't I finish it off?

Eventually it remembered it had overpowered warp coils, and flew off to the relative safety of Hi-security space. I tried to open communications, but after a quick inquiry, asking if it was his first time in low sec, I received the brief reply of 'nope'. And then he cut communication.

He had only been a capsuleer for a week or two, and made the brave decision to mine in low security space.

I began to write him a message, complimenting him on leaving the shelter of CONCORD space, and was about to write some advice, but... I couldn't.

I still can't believe what I have done.

I wish I had the excuse that I didn't know it was a rookie capsuleer. But I did. He still had his ships name set to default, i.e. the pilot's name. I tracked him down using my superior knowledge of the Directional scanner. It wasn't even that hard. There was no challenge or value in the combat, and I sought it anyway.

I remember back in the early days of my career... almost like another life. I took a Stabber to low sec to hunt the belt pirates there. I lost that Stabber to a capsuleer pilot. It was even in the Metropolis region.

Before, I wrote about things coming full circle. I didn't realize how wide a circle that was.

I'm not sure I'm cut out for this kind of life...

No kill mail or official review. Now is a time for reflection.

On reputation

I am a terrible capsuleer combat pilot.

Really, go look at my November kill board. 7 losses to only 3 kills, and one of those was a completely unfit Executioner.

However, since I started flying the Stay Frosty banner, I have seen something unexpected. Pilots, in the militias and other pirates, are running away from me.

I'm now wearing the reputation of others, from incredible pilots such as Rixx Javix, and the superb skills of Joffy Aulx-Gao. This reputation precedes me, and some pilots look at my colours, and simply flee.

There is a lesson in this.

Do not be afraid of corporations or alliances.

The value of a badge is the paint used to put it on your hull. It is not a shield, nor armour. It is not a damage multiplier, nor a range extender. You may have heard of other pilots talking about how they went up against a specific corporation, as though that is an excuse for their defeat, or somehow makes their victory more poignant. It is simple bravado, and unwillingness to see the real reasons for a loss.

Simply being in Stay Frosty doesn't make me a better pilot. Simply being a part of Goonswarm does not make you an expert on the intricacies of 0.0 sovereignty. It is tempting to apply reputations to people wearing labels before they are earned, but resist that temptation, and deal only with what you see in front of you.

Never assume that some people are naturally better.

They might have been more lucky, or more studious when it comes to their particular trade. However, that same luck will come to you eventually, and knowledge is free to all who look for it. Training your reactions to situations takes time, and the speed at which you learn is only limited by your investment in learning.

Assume perfect conditions, but act on probability

Today, I earned myself a Coercer destroyer kill. Coercers are very highly damaging ships, able to vaporize a frigate from the field, sometimes even before the frigate pilot can lock up a target. However, I took the chance to attack, balancing the odds of a perfectly set up destroyer, against the shock of a surprise attack.

As luck would have it, the pilot was new to Faction Warfare, and I was able to slip under his turrets into a tight orbit, setting myself up for victory. 

As a quick aside, the new pilot, sreimm, then acted in a manner true to the spirit of the thinking warrior. He asked for help. He did not wail at the loss of his vessel, but sought to discover the reasons behind its loss. If you are reading, this attitude will serve you well in the future, and I fully expect you to surrounding yourself in flaming wrecks in the future!

The fight would not have happened if I did not take the chance.

Do not be afraid of space

In the past two weeks, I have flown industrial vessels throughout low sec, setting up planetary industry to supplement my traders income. As you can see, I have not lost a single industrial.

I went through gate camps, and sat in space assessing planets and customs offices. No one came after me, or even had a chance to get a lock on me.

The myth of dangerous space is just that: a myth. Fly intelligently, and low security space is as safe as high security. 

More to come on my Planetary Industry efforts...

Enjoying space again

Usually, I fly around the faction war zones.

There are a great many pilots to duel, and engagements can be, to a degree, forced into terms you desire. For example, novice complexes are secured to only frigate sized vessels.

However, since I joined Stay Frosty, and have no reason to spend my down time defending complexes, safe-guarding or capturing systems for the greater good of the Empire.This means that I have more time to simply enjoy being in low-security space.

And it is rather enjoyable.

In the last week, in among my hunts in the FW zones, I spent a lot of time exploring low-sec. That's not Exploring, meaning tracking down various relics and unguarded telecommunication hubs, but just, well, looking around.

Low-sec is peaceful.

The FW areas might be afire with the deaths of capsuleers, but just a few jumps off the beaten tracks, and you'll find areas of space almost forgotten. There are sights to see, and, maybe a little more significantly, sites to exploit.

There are a number of untapped combat anomalies floating around low security space. Serpentis criminals are in abundance in these not so well patrolled space lanes, and the peace-loving CONCORD are more than willing to pay money for their blood.

I spent a few days bombing around in a Talwar destroyer, attacking targets in both belts and curious scan sites.

The money I got was negligible compared to what my market slave brings in (I really must look into that.. I'm not sure my current lifestyle suits slave ownership), but it was most relaxing. Probably just what I needed after moving from Amarr space to throw in my lot with pirates.

That's not to say it was all hum drum, by the numbers patrolling. There are, as always, other pirates to fight!

The destroyer was lost to a Kestrel. A close fight, and one I probably should have won, if I went with the suggested fitting for the Talwar, which called for an armor plate. Put simply, his frigate was built more sturdily than my destroyer, and the difference in firepower not enough to overcome the difference in defense.

The way the fight came about is the subject of a later post, one that about hunting technique and use of the Directional scanner. There are hundreds of written works and videos about this topic already, but I'm not convinced I have to concept clearly in my head yet. I've always held that you learn best by teaching others, so, I will attempt a guide to help with my own professional development.

There is also now a raised question of income. During bust cycles of my slaves profit growth, I would supplement his investment capital with goods from the Crusade Quartermaster. This is no longer an option. I will need to think of a new supplementary income source.

Stay Frosty

So, I joined Stay Frosty.

Run by the infamous Rixx Javix, this corporation is a motley collection of skilled pirates and rookies looking to escape the drudgery of High security space.

I'm not sure how well I will fit in here. I led a more disciplined life in the Crusade, and my targets were usually Republic Militia types, or aggressive pirates. I never shot first against those not flying the Tribal Liberation Force flag.

Pulling the trigger against any combat vessel is something I will have to learn.

Pulling the trigger against a civilian, or non-combat ship... well, that will be the source of some inner debate.

It's not technically against my Family's oath, and now I've left the Khanid Navy, I certainly won't face court marshal for it. I might have trouble if I ever wanted to go home again, but once you undergo the capsuleer process, you tend to sever ties to grounded life anyway. But, I feel it violates the spirit of my Oath. Destroying a ship which cannot fight back is hardly bringing the light (well, except for the obvious laser blasts and consequent explosions).

However, piracy is what I'm here to learn.

I'm here to learn how to fight like an outlaw. A lifetime of military service has me wrapped up in so many rules and regulations that I'm consistently confounded by electronic warfare, and unorthodox tactics. I hope for these unorthodox ladies and gentlemen to teach me their ways.

The first thing I shall change: My patrol hunting pattern.

From now on, I will no longer orbit complexes. There is no value. I do no one any favours by hovering outside a station, and in fact can only cause panic to the people on board. Now:

• Aggressively enter complexes known to have capsuleers.
• Spend no more than 4-5 mins in each system looking for a capsuleer.
• All combat vessels are to be engaged.
• Other pirate faction vessels to be engaged as targets of opportunity and profit.

This is something I could have done in the Crusade, but the lack of trust between militia mates means that entering a complex with a militia member inside might result in friendly fire.

I have brought a stack of 5 Kontarion Breachers near to Hevrice, the home land of Stay Frosty. I shall have to get used to the Gallente and Caldari low security systems, but at least I lessen the risk of awkward encounters against Crusaders.

I hope the honourable Mr. Javix doesn't mind the slight edits I did to his corporations emblem. I'd like to keep a small link to my past.

Many pilots are talking about crossing the Rubicon, a reference to a truly ancient history. I believe that today, I have crossed my own personal Rubicon.

I haven't received any word from my family about my actions.

To dark places

I sit here now, thinking deep thoughts about my career.

When I first started, I was proud to follow my King's decree. I believed in my objectives. I believed in having a reason to fight.

The desire to do a duty, even to a figure I had never met, gave me the impetus to strike out beyond safer places of space. The Crusade forced me into danger. It forced me into combat with other capsuleers. Under my King's orders, I was prepared to carve a bloody swathe through the stars, leaving a rail of my own cloned corpses and wrecked ships.

I fooled myself into believing that King Khanid's ideals and goals aligned with my own. Independence from the Amarr Empire. Freedom from tradition. Defying God's law, as told by theocrats. These attributes made me proud to bear the Khanid badge, proud to declare myself a Khanid Kataphract.

But it is illusion.

King Khanid is simply another Empire ruler. He serves his own interests, and is willing to do anything to get what he wants. This makes him admirable. To not be constrained by tradition or others' laws is freedom for him.

But without guidance, without someone else's goal, you must have one of your own. The ship does not sail without a destination in mind. Even those ships have something to look for.

What is my purpose?

In the Crusade, I was a simple soldier. Learning how to fight was my goal. A simple life: follow orders, do as well as you can, and get rewarded.

So what now?

I have my oath, but an open ended 'Learn to fight' goal doesn't have any real conclusion to it. My current plan of arbitrary 'Get x kills' is hardly compelling. But what else is there for me to do? There's no great war for me to fight. The current Empire Wars are only the bizarre outcome of controlled self-interest, regulated to the point of irrelevance.

There is nothing to really fight over in the Crusade. There is a lot of money to be made, but my market slave is nearly producing a fully fitted cruiser a day for me, at no real effort on my part. So why fight at all?

And after a week of wrestling with the concept, I still have no definitive answer for what I want to do in the end. All I really know is that I want to get better. To what end, I don't know. Perhaps that will be my goal. A romanticized drift through New Eden searching for a new objective.

My family's oath is to walk in dark places. I think I have found a dark place to walk. There are shadows there, shadows with skill and experience beyond what any in the Crusade can teach me. I'd like to walk with them for a while.

I hope they accept my application.

I hope my family will understand.

War Record: My weak spots

Some things confound me more than anything else. My weak spots, whilst obvious, is no less frustrating for being so. In fact, it's much more irritating because of it.

On a recent patrol, I took my Kataphract Slicer into a Medium complex. The Republic Fleet cruiser gurading it was relatively easy to take down... a close orbit of less than 5km meant it's slow guns couldn't track the agile Slicer.

This was the first time I had entered a Medium Complex, and I was looking forward to finding what targets I would face. A cruiser? A destroyer? What ship would seek to end my Kataphract's survival streak?

A pirate frigate appeared on scanners.

Disappointing, but I readied my weapons, and quickly exained what type of vessel it was.

A Maulus. An Electronic warfare ship, specializing in Sensor Dampening. It also fields drones, making it an excellent kiter.

Sensor Dampeners do exactly as the name suggests. They reduce your locking distance, or increase your locking time. For a kiting ship, this is effectively a combat nullifier... if you can't lock a target at range, your strategy is useless.

But, foolish and cocky from my recent good luck, I attempted to close to short range against the frigate, loading Multi-frequency crystals, determined to brawl the target down.

The Maulus entered, and sure enough, the Sensor Damp hit, bringing me down to a limited lock range. What followed was the most tragic display of piloting on my part, and an excellent display on his. He was similarly fit with a MWD, and could kept out of range of Kataphract, sling-shotting around me with ease, his drones pummeling my ship.

I believe I got off one salvo on him.

Seeing my armour slowly whittled away, I decided disgression was the better part of valour. I overheated my MWD and burned away, putting enough distance between him and myself to escape.

After a quick compliment on his skill, I left the system, soundly defeated, my tail between my legs.

Review

This patrol highlighted all of my weak spots, and lays them bare for me to think upon.

First of all, over confidence will get you killed. I underestimated my opponents advantage, and did not act cautiously enough when attacking a new threat. Lesson learned: act with caution against EWar frigates.

That said, I do not know the weakness of the Maulus. I assumed paper thin defenses, but that's not something you can count on when you can't even lock. Does it have low speed? If I destroy his drones, is he out of options? These things I must know.

Second, my piloting skills are terrible. The Kontos Exectuioner largely removed this problem for me, the equipped Webifier allowing me to make mistakes and maintain distance at the same time. I've come this far by working around my problem. I must tackle my failings head on.

Third, I have not considered defenses against EWar. I was unprepared to counter Sensor Damps, despte having lost a ship to one before. I lost a Coercer to a Hookbill wielding a Sensor Damp (I can't find the kill mail... I do however have an odd capsule loss I don't remember). I must find a defense against Sensor damps...

All in all, a reminder that I have much to learn from these shadows.

War Record: Return of the Kataphract and Anti-Piracy

My return to the Crusade, and the first flight of my Kataphract Slicer, could not have had a more fitting story.

My first patrol point put me on course for Taff. I have a strange fascination for this system. It presents a unique opportunity within the Crusades fighting zone... that of a civilian refuge. Some pilots on the Minmatar side who live there, the corporation Taff as Nails, recognize this too, calling it Fortress Taff. It is a cul-de-sac  collection of systems, easily defended, allowing exploitation of the resources.

But enough of that. My first stop proved to be in Gulmorogod. A minor Minmatar complex's cloak failed, and I quickly took the initiative to claim it for the Crusade. As I was overseeing the handover, a rookie pilot warped in.

If you are a new Crusader, be warned: this can lead to your destruction.

Typically, the more psychotic militia pilots will shoot you on site, for two main reasons.

1. They believe you to be a spy
2. They believe you to be a thief of Loyalty Points, the currency used to curry favour with the Crusade quartermasters.

Happily, I am not as paranoid or greedy as the common mercenary. My slave provides me with ample funds, and the Crusades armoury merely provides the occasional bonus. I gave the pilot some advice, and offered him the credit for the capture. He was greateful.

Unfortunately, as we were speaking, two pirates attacked! A Punisher and a Rifter, exploded into the station!

To my shame, I lost contact with the rookie pilot, and set myself to the task of destroying the Rifter. It went down surprisingly quickly, no doubt in thanks to the Kataphract's boosted lasers. I turned my attention to the Punisher, and stripped it's shields, before it escaped. An error on my part... I must pay closer attention to my Warp Disruptor.

I messaged the rookie pilot, and thankfully he had escaped unharmed. I think that seeing his companion fall so quickly had him rattled, and he lost concentration. The rookie pilot came back, and he took the complex, planting a Ni-Kunni marked Amarr flag on the station.

Good for him. New pilots should be shown leniency by their militia mates, and more importantly, shown how to survive. I wish him luck in his future patrols.

Continuing with my journey...

In Taff, another complex presented itself for capture. I leapt to the attack, sweeping away the lonely Minmatar regular fleet frigate, again, overseeing the removal of Matari personnel. As soon as it was captured, another pirate attacked!

This time, a Dramiel, one of the most powerful frigates in New Eden. I stuck to my plan, blazing away at range. it launched drones which hammered away at my shields. A quick ammunition switch to Multi-Frequency allowed me to damage his drones enough to force him to disengage.

I was migtily relieved, and cngratulated him on a battle well fought. He invited me to another duel, which I politely declined. If you think me a coward, then I can only excuse myself by saying my objective was complete in that system. Taff was brought to a vulnerable state from my capture, and I had other appointments to keep.

On the return home...

My flight home proved very eventful.

After a few hours stay in a Crusade held station, I took to capturing another minor complex, this time in Kourmonen. This system is usually a hive of Republic capsuleers, but I was looking to test the limits of the Kataphract Slicer.

Again, as I was capturing, a pirate attacked!

This time a Firetail. This time, the pirate had equipped a Micro-Warpdrive, and caught me with a Scrambler and two Webifiers. I was clearly a dead man, reduced to under 100m/s of speed.

But let it never be said that a Khanid goes down without a fight!

With a lion's roar I pushed my modules to their limits. I would not allow this rat to sully the maiden voyage of Kataphract! I would not allow this predator of the weak to dishonour the Khanid way of combat!

My armour repairer worked furiously as plasma bullets and EM rockets hammered away at my armour. My pulse lasers burned brightly, sending pure white rage into his hull!

The Kataphract was brought into structure, unable to keep the barrage of damage away.

Suddenly, the deadly percussion stopped. The Firetail detonated into a ball of flame!

The Kataphract Slicer had survived a duel with it's natural predator. The pirate flippantly broadcast I was lucky. I agreed, and congratulated him on the battle. He didn't take it well, devolving into a vulgar display of bravado and threats. I simply smiled in my still intact ship, and left for Kamela.

Pirates beware. The Khanid Kataphract has returned!

Review

The Kataphract Slicer flew exactly as intended. I will say, however, it's important to overheat the repairer as well. Keep an eye on it. Deactivating the module turns off the overheating, and you should remember to re-heat before using again.

Sadly, I only killed pirates today. I must find more Republic targets. Not that I'm ashamed to show these criminals the courage of the Khanid!