AX to PvP and back to AX
08 May 2022Da9mrd
Here I am fighting the Thargoids again in an AX conflict zone, still having trouble with interceptors, especially when there's two and no other human commanders in sight, NPC commanders just don't seem to help, well I'm heading back to my carrier for repairs as I had taken a beating (again), hull at around 19% and not much in the way of shield's. Then I'm pulled by another commander, he instantly engages me, I do the usual, submit and boost etc, seconds later I'm looking at the rebuy screen. Happened so fast I didn't get chance to see what had hit me. I was a little peeved as I had no bounty on me, no cargo and flying a damaged AX rigged Krait, no match for another ship rigged for combat, but such is life.When I launch from the station in my brand new squeaky clean ship, I see the other commander again (a Krait), we danced around, him trying to get behind me and me trying to stop him, I knew in a fight he'd win again so I decided to jump to another system and my Carrier. Once there I swapped to my Corvette (the only ship I have rigged for combat, though for PvE), I then jumped back, saw him for a few seconds but then he was gone, I stayed around for an an hour or so before going back to the carrier and swap back to my AX Krait.
A couple of days later I'm on the way to the AX conflict zone again and hay presto, pulled again, same commander, this time in a Viper, I wasn't paying attention, you'd think I'd have learnt from my last encounter. I manage to boost and jump without to much damage but there was no way I could fight back, decided that enough was enough, straight back to the carrier and into my Corvette again, back to the Conflict Zone, waited for about 10 mins and then 'yes', there he is, locked on and had a look at his ship, had to stop and think, he didn't seem to be bothering with me and a Corvette against a Viper?????? - then I thought my Corvette is PvE, he's most likely PvP and he has interdicted me a couple of times and destroyed me once with the odds heavily in his favour.
I lock on and interdict him, to my surprise he submits, doubt go's through my mind, have I made a mistake, my first ever PvP combat where I intended to engage. He opens up and I return fire, he's all around me hitting me but with little if any drop in my shield's, I'm beginning to feel a bit more confident and fire back making some progress, after a couple of passes I swap fire groups from MC's to what I thought were two huge beam's and MC's, I fire, WTF......., my first mistake, not checking what I had on the ship before departing, I forgot I had Pack Hounds on, not a weapon I like and the last time I'd used my Corvette was in an attempt to get to know these weapons. Lost sight of him through all the missile trails and smoke but when I found him again his shield's were significantly reduced so I hit him again, his shield's appeared to go down but he was fast and I kept loosing lock, I decided to deploy my fighter as a distraction and hopefully finish him off, this turned out to be my second mistake of this encounter.
As I launched the fighter the screen went black, I got the impression I was in the fighter instead of my pilot? no mater what I did the screen remained black and I could hear the fighters engines, I thought I'd be destroyed by my opponent while I was incapacitated but I didn't hear any incoming fire, I wanted to get back into the fight and began to panic but still nothing, no incoming fire. After what seemed like an eternity but more like a minute or so, I had to drop and reloaded again but only to find myself on my Corvette with my fighter in front of me, no one else was around, I tried to recall the fighter but the option was greyed out, it was almost as if the fighter had no one in it, it was then that I realised I had left the carrier without my pilot aboard (again) she was probably still propping up the bar. I decided to jump to super cruise and sacrifice the fighter, I looked for my opponent again but couldn't find him, I stayed for about an hour or so before giving up and going back to the carrier and my AX Krait, I kept an eye out but didn't see him again.
I was really gutted, firstly it was my first real PvP combat, second it all seemed to be going well and it appeared to be in my favour then someone on high decided 'No, he's having to much fun'.
I have since tried to launch the fighter with no pilot on board and once again as the fighter deployed the screen went black, really must remember to take her along, what else do I pay her for and in future I need to remember, don't rush into a fight, make sure your ready and the ship is rigged for the task in hand.
There was a silver lining to the day though, prior to my PVP encounter, I had been hitting the Thargoid scouts hard but getting beat up by the Cyclops, after my disastrous attempt at PvP, I went after a lone Cyclops and to my great joy prevailed, my first solo Cyclops kill and after so many failed attempts, heavily damaged at 17% hull but very happy, I limped back to the station to claim my bounty and repair, high on my success I went after a second Cyclops and low and behold I won again, very happy now.