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| There is no end game |
Today's post is an After Action Report written by Soro Harbon regarding a very interesting and lucrative discovery in the hole chain. Seems someone was out partying on NYE and forgot to fuel their POS. When I heard about what happened, I asked for a write up so I could share it with you. Enjoy!
When I get on Phoenix is showing 3 connections, 2 C2’s and a C3. Trey (and his mighty army of alts) are already on the way down one of the C2 chains so I go down the C3 chain and start the usual: looking for ships, towers and pilots, and if there are none of the above dropping probes and looking for more connections to search further systems or find connections to known space.
All this normal activity comes to a swift end when Trey finds an interesting POS. It has a bubble trap, which Trey can see on scan and knows that if he gets caught he risk losing his cloaky. Bubble traps are common around POS with a fixed bubble filled with cargo containers usually in line with the planet or the sun as the most likely approach of a cloaky. You warp in, land too close to one, decloaked, webbed, scrammed, pointed, killed by the tower’s guns - ugh. Trey uses his experience to estimate distance off, best angle and I wish him good luck as he warps into the tower. He lands just outside the bubble which is indeed seeded with cargo containers. He is so relieved that he is more concerned at this point about setting up a safe “perch” for following pilots and its only after a few minutes he says “This tower has no forcefield!”
“On my way, in warp!” is my reply.
As I make my way over Trey is telling me what he can see, 8 ventures, two carriers, an orca, corporate hangar array, ship maintenance array, some other ship arrays. I am anxious to know that this is not a bugzapper pos, which I was caught out by a couple of weeks before. A bugzapper tower is fully powered with working guns and batteries but no forcefield as no forcefield password has been entered. It is designed to make you decloak thinking you have found the jackpot only to be killed. Truly wormholers have found many ways to make life interesting for their fellows! Praise Bob.
This is a genuine unfueled pos with everything offline. We are going to need some help. I shout in corp and alliance. This scares up Aren Arsten and Sheza Kewtee, who also pings on google and Kaz comes a running from Stay Frosty doing 16 jumps in a pod to get over to us. Thanks mates!
I weigh in and kill the ship maintenance array:
As you can see plenty drops but plenty also gets killed J
Trey can fly the Thanatos and has a toon for the orca so he moves those off to safes so we can ferry stuff to them in relative safety and even if the pos is online we will keep those ships and whatever we can stuff into them. Quickly decide we can’t do anything with the chimera so it must die!
Nice to use their own carrier to kill their other one. We also take out a load of arrays.
In the meantime we are all working feverishly to get stuff out, grabbing ships, stuffing them full of whatever we can grab and heading back to P or filling up the Orca. We are very conscious that the owners of the tower will be getting notifications up the wazoo not only about running out of fuel but also about our attack.
Sure enough a member of the corp owning the tower “Inside Out” logs in in a cov ops and seems to sit stunned in his ship as his tower is pillaged around him.
Majortick obviously doesn’t realize that we view him as a security risk and he is given a free trip back to HS.
More feverish activity ferrying ships and other booty out. Around this time Kaz appears on site gets in a Taranis that is lying about and immediately hero tackles a Phantasm that has been warping about. This turns out to be a toon called Weed3, who has been sent to negotiate with us. Kaz holds him long enough killing his drones for us to get some dps on field and Weed3 also gets the pod express treatment:
Nice work Kaz and also props to Selena who as one of Crow’s toons is now on field with us providing cover.
Its around this point we face the reality that we can’t get the Thanatos out of the wh, all the connections are too small so it is marooned here. Our only chance is to ransom it for some cash. Gharnix contacted Weed3 and took up the negotiations. Turns out Weed3 is the pos manager and has been too drunk to log in and fuel the pos. His subs are paid for by his real life boss who is the CEO of Inside Out. Shit this lad is in some trouble!
[11:37:37] weed3 > well done our bad on holiday
[11:38:53] Gharnix > We noticed. Sorry mate :P
[11:39:15] weed3 > hy i would have done the same lol
[11:40:22] Gharnix > 2B for hole, 1b for thanatos, 1b for drones/fighters in carrier
[11:41:13] weed3 > i only saw one carrier wreck did you nuke both or is that going to be some fun later
[11:41:21] Gharnix > We took the thanatos.
[11:41:34] weed3 > kk thats good
[11:41:47] Gharnix > We'll take 2b for an entrance hole, 1b for thanatos, 1b for the drones and fighters in thanatos
[11:42:53] weed3 > kk one step at a time 2b for hole
[11:43:20] Gharnix > KK, but you won't get the hole until our deal is done.
[11:43:35] Gharnix > But yes, 2b for the hole.
[11:43:42] weed3 > ok
[11:44:32] weed3 > just buying fuel and a hauler so just a mo
[11:44:45] Gharnix > KK. 2B gets you in and lets you fuel. Safe passage.
[11:45:03] Gharnix > Thanatos. Yes or no.
[11:45:07] weed3 > kk who do i pay
[11:45:20] Gharnix > Me.
[11:45:48] Gharnix > Thanatos is next. 1b for hull, 1b for drones and fighters, 2b total for hull
[11:45:53] Gharnix > hull and drone/fighters
[11:47:22] weed3 > ok done
[11:47:52] Gharnix > Okay. We'll let you in after we're done negotiating. So what's the deal for the thanatos? Take or leave
[11:47:58] Gharnix > 2b for hull
[11:48:11] Gharnix > *2b for hull and drones/fighters
[11:48:17] weed3 > take
[11:48:22] Gharnix > 2B then.
[11:48:22] weed3 > :-)
[11:48:27] Gharnix > :P
[11:48:42] weed3 > when i am in
[11:49:02] weed3 > coming in a hauler so not going to up to much
[11:49:23] weed3 > be
[11:49:42] Gharnix > Okay. That's fine.
[11:50:02] Gharnix > We'll trade for Thanny after you're in, 2b agreed.
[11:50:18] weed3 > agreed
[12:25:53] Gharnix > Can you fly it yourself.
[12:26:49] weed3 > i have to sit next to the pos fpr 30 min in a hauler so no prob ,,,,,,no i am pos manager i am the one in the shit when everyone gets back from holidays lol
[12:27:15] Gharnix Badivefi VIII - Moon 10 - Royal Khanid Navy Logistic Support
[12:27:21] Gharnix > Meet there. Bookmark trade off there.
[12:27:27] Gharnix > Oooh...
[12:27:55] weed3 > 20 jumps on my way
NB edited for brevity
So the deal is 2 billion isk for the entrance and free passage to fuel the pos. They then pay 2 billion more for the thanatos and fighters on board. Trey is currently stripping it of everything else ::)
This last bit takes quite a while as Weed3 jumps over in his hauler, we complete stripping what we can get. Some more bodies are now online, I remember Crow and Loki being there and providing cover for the hauler to come in. We have some third party scanners come into the hole. They are carefully monitored by our cloaky boats and we are ready to provide protection and fight if necessary. A falcon and interdictor are moved up from P in support so we are ready for what comes. Nothing actually materializes, sorry Loki!
Money is transferred to Gharnix, who forwards it on to a corp wallet for safekeeping and Weed3 moves in and gets his forcefield up. He is a little upset to find his POS is not quite what it was and there is some prevarication regarding paying for the Thanny which Gharnix swiftly stomps on and the deal is completed.
So what did we get in addition to the ransom:
Rattlesnake
Crane
Raven
Iteron
Widow
Astero
Raven Navy issue
Taranis
Bustard
Orca with 625 mil in cargo
Viator
Loot in Phoenix:
BPO’s 4.88 bil
Estimated total value of everything is ships 4.7 bil, Orca 0.5 bil, Viator 0.2 bil, Orca cargo 0.625 bil, Leo loot 3.52 bil, BPO’s 4.88bil, for a total of 14.5 bil.
(Thanks for the estimate Trey)
There were also around 40 Bill of kills added that morning.
Major props to Trey for finding this loot piñata and then working swiftly to maximize our return on the find.
Also props to Gharnix who proved himself a capable diplomat, keeping the conversation going in a friendly manner while not being mucked about. He also dealt well with all the “helpful” advice he got from the Supreme Math team, listening to our concerns and demands while getting the job done.
Praise BOB, and pass the scorch!
Remember the old wormhole saying applies:” we didn’t steal it, we found it.”
NB above is a very quick rundown of 4 hours of the best fun I have had in new eden in ages. Apologies to all I have missed and feel free to add some thoughts below.
PS. This is the third unfueled POS we have found in the last 6 months. Approach your local Supreme Mathematic poacher for more information on finding your own wormhole adventures!
To talk to a Supreme Mathematics recruiter please join the in-game channels EVEOGANDA and/or The Frosty Hammer