Hard Lessons: Look before you Leap

Seems just when I think I know what the frack I'm doing in a pod, I pull a rookie maneuver just to keep myself humble.

Two cases in point, both with the same lesson: Never go charging into a sitch without knowing all factors. And also, Concord sentry guns don't care if the guy you're shooting is a pirate, or if you don't shoot at all...

In the first hard lesson, we spot three pilots in a new privateer corp that's been trying to establish itself in Molden Heath in Half system. But instead of grouping up, we dribble into Half one at a time. First pilot to buy it is Dohl, often braver than wise, but a great mate with way more kills to his credit than most in Huang. He flushes these guys out but get's gang banged by these three punks. He yells for help... and Ma comes flying in. And gets ganked. And you know who's 3rd in line for the gank fest? Your's truly... hard not to jump in when your CEO's yelling "Engage engage engage!" into the com. But I knew we had no backup, so I should have held off. Instead, ended up climbing out of the tank again, minus one Stiletto-class inty. At least we whacked 'em later, and I was in on it, though the crew of my Stabber-class cruiser (at least, those that made it into escape pods) aren't too thrilled to have been spaced by the Concord automated sentry guns at Isto stargate.

In the second lesson, I'm tooling around in a new toy, a Thrasher-class destroyer that's basically nothing but big guns and engines. Could be made out of paper for all its durability.

We're hunting Awox and his henchman Odareon, and also that big pink monkey Jungle Jim in Atlar system. But com chatter lists another target, which I flag as KOS. That, my friends, is a mistake. Just 'cause some flyboy lists a target doesn't make it legit. When I see him undock from the station I'm camping, I lock him and engage my sensor damper. Turns out, he's civvie, and the sentry guns around the station recognize that too. Only four crew with me, at least. All of us made it out this time. The crying shame is as I'm sitting in my pod making sure my crew are OK, the real target comes warping in, and all I can do is watch.

Next thing, I'm on the com, yelling for the XO to verify my "target." Comes back neg. Then the guy himself pipes in, yelling at me for targetting him... hey, at least I never took a shot at him. I apologize and offer compensation for the insult and "injury..." A Namtz officer comes on the com next and pays off the guy to the tune of 5 million ISK for his troubles. Now he's happy and shuts up, at least, but I'm still in the frackin' dog house, less one ship, with a pissed off crew to pay extra hazard to as well.

So kiddies, the lessons are, look before you leap. Verify all "targets." And when that Concord warning pops up in your com, you'd better frackin' pay attention to it... they don't care if what your aiming isn't a gun.