A High North Blitz
My return to lowsec was not a happy homecoming really. I had a couple of unfortunate frigate fights, some fairly unfruitful moneymaking endeavors and my Fleet Stabber got tackled by a Stiletto, scrammed by an Orthrus and then blobbed to embers in Costolle.
So when I found a wormhole to Branch in the extreme north I jumped my replacement 'Flabber' inside to look for some high stake pew pew.
The area was quite active and I explored some systems trying to single out an Ishtar shooting Guristas. My skills in combining the directional scanner and the star system minimap needs some improvement - but as most people out here hunt anormalies it is absolutely doable to catch ratters this way. An Ishtar fight would have been a real nice catch and a though fight.
Looking round in the pocket I found a Rupture on a gate. He wouldn't fight but ran back to the gate and fled to docking range of the station where he stayed undocked. Rupture was a nice bite for me - a bit too perfect to be anything but bait. I warped to my outgate that I knew to be unbubbled. I was pleased my scanner reviled the Rupture followed; this ment a fight was likely somehow. Someone jumped before I did and a Proteus decloaked. I was then certain something would be waiting on the far side of this jump.
It was only a lone Taranis. I aligned out and started running to get some distance from the gate. Managed to get a MWD cycle off before he scrammed me. No idea what he expected but I was happy to counterscram and fire up my afterburner to gain complete range control even in my fat ass cruiser. His ancillary repper and extraordinary hardy hull held him up for some breathtaking long seconds while Proteus uncloaked and the grid started to count more hostiles. I aligned out while Proteus closed up and I began taking significant damage. The ceptor finally popped and I started accelerating for my escape warp. In the last half second the Proteus landed his scram. 3500 meters distance to a Proteus would be acceptable if I could have him alone and orbit fast to avoid his tracking. But he had not less that five Tengus with him for added destructive powers so I had to think of an exit strategy fast. Quite obviously there was only one thing to do - once more counterscram, heat and fire up afterburner, run like hell, spam warp - pray the tank lasts. I do not know why he would fit a Proteus without a web but it sure made things a lot more manageable. In spite of the incoming damage I actually managed to warp out with Proteus in hot pursuit.
I think I really pissed them off because they vigorously probed me down and Proteus almost caught me on a steaming fresh safespot. My outgate scanned to be all clear but as I landed the Tengus appeared out of nowhere and they had called in Phantasm to assist Proteus on the far side. I reapproached and ran from the Tengus.
I felt it was getting really hot and they had pulled a couple of surprise moves so I decided I had enough. The access to Branch was cut off but I still had a trump up my sleeve: I could go deeper into the pocket and return safely to Verge Vendor with my single ceptor kill stuck under my belt.
Not efficient in terms of killboard stats but I had had loads of fun and excitement in this short outing.
