Tuskers v Stone Circle & Back to Yarr (part 1)

 

The hunt:

It all started when I popped a cyno ship. That's what really kicked it off.

The cyno went up in Hev, and looked just like every other cyno that goes up in Hev. We all saw it, but I got their first, which isn't surprising; station guns deter most frigate pilots, and my little Vengeance warps much faster than the larger predators that roam the space lanes.

What none of us realised, until I landed on the cyno ship, was that this ship wasn't at a station. Instead, I found myself gazing into the angry eye of a wormhole. That didn't stop me opening fire, of course.

2011.08.29 21:00:00

Victim: XBLazeLX
Corp: Stone Circle
Alliance: W-Space
Faction: NONE
Destroyed: Probe
System: Hevrice
Security: 0.4
Damage Taken: 611

Involved parties:

Name: Taurean Eltanin (laid the final blow)
Security: -10.0
Corp: The Tuskers
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Vengeance
Weapon: Foxfire Rage Rocket
Damage Done: 611

Destroyed items:

Cynosural Field Generator I
Expanded Cargohold II, Qty: 2
Liquid Ozone, Qty: 1110 (Cargo)
Bookmark, Qty: 3 (Cargo)

Dropped items:

Bookmark, Qty: 3 (Cargo)

Look closely at that killmail. Look closely at the "Dropped items." That's right. Bookmarks. Or, to a pirate, a treasure map!

Adding the bookmarks to my own log, I saw that they were all bookmarks from W-space. Hoping against hope, I jumped through the wormhole.

The first bookmark corresponded to my new position just inside the wormhole. The next bookmark took me to a second wormhole that led deeper into W-space. Jumping through that, I found myself on the third bookmark. And there, on Dscan, was their POS.

X marks the spot.

Immediately letting my corp mates know what I had found, I started heading back to K-space while the Tuskers began forming an expeditionary fleet. On my return to Hevrice I passed several cloaked probing ships, presumably the scouts for Stone Circle.

I tried to engage them, but my lock time was too slow. As soon as I reached K-space again I reshipped to my Malediction; I had sensor boosting rigs installed which might give me the edge I needed to lock the probing ships.

Once reshipped, I jumped back to the wormhole entrance, both to keep an eye on it and to try and snag some scouts while the fleet formed up. I was still too slow to lock them before they jumped, but they were not the only traffic. Perhaps in an effort to secure the wormhole, a Cynabal jumped in, followed by a Tengu.

Pointing the Cynabal - he had jumped in first - I called for backup. I was taking a pounding from the Tengu's missiles, and I was not certain I would be able to hold point. However, we managed to get a few Hurricanes to warp in, but Stone Circle managed to slip back into the wormhole; we did not yet have enough dps to burn them down fast.

To ensure no further breakout attempts (and since secrecy was no longer a valid approach) the fleet formed up on the wormhole. When Stone Circle tried again, we were ready, and the Tengu did not escape.

2011.08.29 21:53:00

Victim: Latuuray
Corp: Stone Circle
Alliance: W-Space
Faction: NONE
Destroyed: Tengu
System: Hevrice
Security: 0.4
Damage Taken: 15809

Involved parties:

Name: Tsubutai (laid the final blow)
Security: -9.8
Corp: The Tuskers
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Hurricane
Weapon: 425mm AutoCannon II
Damage Done: 11707

Name: Khronoin
Security: -9.8
Corp: The Tuskers
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Hurricane
Weapon: Hurricane
Damage Done: 3125

Name: Nupe
Security: -9.9
Corp: The Tuskers
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Hurricane
Weapon: Hurricane
Damage Done: 977

Name: Taurean Eltanin
Security: -10.0
Corp: The Tuskers
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Malediction
Weapon: Warp Disruptor II
Damage Done: 0

Destroyed items:

Y-S8 Hydrocarbon I Afterburners
Tengu Offensive - Accelerated Ejection Bay
Tengu Defensive - Supplemental Screening
Medium Core Defence Field Extender I, Qty: 3
Tengu Electronics - Dissolution Sequencer
Tengu Propulsion - Fuel Catalyst
Ballistic Control System II, Qty: 2
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Qty: 2
Scourge Fury Heavy Missile, Qty: 63
Tengu Engineering - Augmented Capacitor Reservoir
Nanite Repair Paste, Qty: 458 (Cargo)
Caldari Navy Scourge Heavy Missile, Qty: 1000 (Cargo)
Ballistic Control System II (Cargo)
Thunderbolt Fury Heavy Missile, Qty: 2064 (Cargo)

Dropped items:

Invulnerability Field II, Qty: 2
Damage Control II
Large F-S9 Regolith Shield Induction
Photon Scattering Field II
Warp Scrambler II
Ballistic Control System II
Heavy Missile Launcher II, Qty: 4
Scourge Fury Heavy Missile, Qty: 63
Scourge Fury Heavy Missile, Qty: 4085 (Cargo)
Caldari Navy Thunderbolt Heavy Missile, Qty: 1000 (Cargo)

The Tengu did not jump in alone, however, and I believe we also managed to down a Dramiel, though I was not on the killmail. Instead, I (and most of the fleet) had been focusing on the larger ships, but they were rescued by a Falcon, fleeing back into the wormhole.

Now at fighting strength, the Tusker fleet followed them into W-space. I followed one jump behind to try and point scouts and anyone trying to slip around the fleet. This meant that I was not present at the next engagement, where we again forced Stone Circle back, this time to their home system.

Assembling on the inner wormhole, we prepared for a final assault. At the last minute, however, the fleet was recalled; trouble was brewing in Hevrice.

To be continued.