Hero tackle

The fight

This is what I'm flying around null sec solo these days.

[Kestrel, Kestrel - RL]
Damage Control II
Ballistic Control System II

5MN Y-T8 Compact Microwarpdrive
Warp Scrambler II
Fleeting Compact Stasis Webifier
Medium Shield Extender II

Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rage Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rage Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rage Rocket
Rocket Launcher II, Mjolnir Rage Rocket

Small Bay Loading Accelerator I
Small Processor Overclocking Unit I
Small Anti-EM Screen Reinforcer I

It's based on Suitonia's very excellent null sec fit, but I swaped out one damage rig for an EM rig and a CPU rig. This allows me to upgrade some of the mods, giving me an extra 1k ehp (and closing the EM resist hole), at the cost of about 13 dps.

I had been roaming, but without success. I'd tackled an interceptor, but he counter scram/webbed, and was able to disengage in structure. I'd jumped a seemingly afk Merlin sitting on a gate, but he got back to his keyboard in time to jump out. He later tried to engage me a second time on that gate, but obvious bait is obvious. Unsurprisingly, there were three Cynabals waiting on the other side.

Disappointed by the lack of a good fight, I had just returned to Chaos when our internal coms reported a Orthus in our hole, kiting around some of our ship. I immediately warped into the fight.

Now, I had no idea of the direction, or the distance, but I knew that warping to zero on someone being kited was not going to be very helpful. Instead, I warped in at 40km, and fortune favoured me. I landed within 10 km of the Orthus, with him headed straight past me. Overheat everything and... gotcha!

The Orthus knew that he was in trouble, and that he had to clear my tackle fast. This was the first time that I had been on the receiving end of overheated Rapid Light Missile Launchers, and let me tell you, it's not that much fun. My shields were melting, and I was not going to last long.

And I didn't. But right before I went, Ymenoa, a potential recruit who has moved into Chaos to see if he is a good fit for the corp, managed to land point in his Ares. He held on long enough that our own Orthus reached the fight, and put the interloper down.

Afterthoughts

I dislike losing ships, but if I'm going to lose one, hero tackle is a pretty glorious way to go. Hurrah!

That said, I think there was some room for improvement here. After landing tackle, I forgot to turn my prop mod off. Years of low sec fighting, where you just leave the afterburner running, mean that I've not developed the reflex of turning off my mwd in brawling range. I don't think it made a difference here - the Kestrel already has a massive signature, and RLMLs are designed to dps frigates, so he was probably going to do maximum damage either way - but it easily could have, against cruiser sized weapons.

The trade-off I made in the fitting room - extra ehp in exchange for a slight dps reduction - was clearly golden here. That extra 1k ehp kept me on the field long enough for backup tackle to arrive, and thus secure the kill. I still need to test the fit in solo combat, though.

I was given the two faction shield extenders as compensation for my lost ship. After selling them, and cashing in on the PI income that is starting to trickle in, I have a little bit of breathing room again.

Perspective is an interesting thing. One of my corp mates was worried that his ISK levels have dipped below 3 billion, and that he might need to do something about that. Meanwhile, I have just over 100k ISK for the first time in a week, and I feel like the king of New Eden.