I fitted a Rifter, and left our HQ. My plan was to go up and down to Red HQ via the Akonoinen-Hagaken-Uosusuokko pipe, and see what I could find. As soon as I jumped through to Akonoinen, I briefly saw a red flash on my overview. I assumed someone had just jumped into Autaris, the Blue HQ. It's not very good form to let the enemy roam in your backyard, so I burned back to the gate, and jumped through.
The bogey wasn't on the gate, so I decided to head back to the HQ. It was the likeliest place to find a war target. Sure enough, there was a Rupture about 200 km from the station. I figured it wasn't a good idea for me to jump a cruiser in my little frigate, so I held back at 200km from the station. The Rupture warped closer to the station, and at about the same time, two Blues undocked and engaged. I warped to the station, and burned like hell to get into range. At 9km, I engaged my scrambler and web, and opened fire. The Rupture was going down pretty quick, thanks to our Hurricane and our own friendly Rupture.
Just a few seconds later, a Red Rifter also joined the fight. The two enemy ships both opened up on me, either because the Rupture pilot didn't like being webbed, or more likely they figured I'd be an easy kill (which is probably true). I decided to get out of dodge and save my Rifter. I stopped orbiting, and tried to warp out, but I was scrambled myself. Just as I turned back to keep pressure on the Rupture, it died:
I immediately locked the enemy Rifter, engaged my scrambler so it would get away, and almost as quickly, it died too:
I guess the teammates of the two we had just dispatched wanted some payback. It wasn't too long before a Dramiel showed up on my overview. I calmly evaluated the situation:
- My Rifter vs a Dramiel
- I'm an inexperienced PVP pilot
- I lack skills to fully fit a Rifter correctly
- I have 0% remaining shields, 60% remaining armor and my capacitor is low
- Two additional Reds just showed up grid
This is where I made a noob mistake. As soon as I dropped out of warp, I just held there for a few seconds so I could figure out what to do next. That was more than enough time for the Dramiel to land on grid, right on top of me, scramble me, and start firing. Another Dramiel showed up, as well as a Federation Navy Slicer. I lasted a few more seconds, then my Rifter blew up:
Lessons Learned
- Don't mess around with Dramiels. Their reputation is deserved
- A skilled pilot can lock and scram you almost instantly
- When being chased, don't stop bouncing
- Have secure safe spots in a system, away from celestials. Warping to a Planet or Asteroid belt may be convenient, but you can easily be followed.
Required Actions
- Research how to correctly bookmark a system
- Research the "safe" way to engage an enemy alone, while you're waiting for reinforcements
- Prepare a plan to improve Rifter skills
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