Unguided, 18: Twenty Five Minutes
09 Jul 2021Meowers
( 09.07.3307 )
( Andceeth )
Ah, damn it. I think I should write it down while it's 'hot'.
So, I'm in Andceeth now, Morris Station. Independent system, independent orbital outpost, and... What may happen, to bring me here? You know it well, I know it well. The Imperial corpos of Andceeth Inc happened. And they're trying to 'convince' one little local militarised party to 'give' them one of the ground installations. Because their management said that, management wants more profits and influence, and their private army of hired flying goons had to be occupied with something to prevent unwanted behaviour, perhaps. And it's an independent system, and that means they probably aren't expecting any serious resistance. So, I'm in to put an end to that, at least to try.
I came here right after the Azaladshu incident. It was so loud that even GalNet has been talking about it the whole week it lasted: Azaladshu and three more systems started the uprising to leave the Federation because of, well, spying on people. Feds call it 'civilian surveillance' pointed against 'terrorism', it was introduced into the already not-so-happy Fed society after NMLA bombings, etc. so, that spit on human dignity and privacy just couldn't go unnoticed and without a reaction. So, I was there, assisting the separatists, had a solid place in the 'top 10%' of three and a half thousand pilots that helped them, judging by the combat records. And all that operation ended with surprisingly awesome humiliation of the Feds done by a small backwater faction that got an immense support when that conflict became covered by the broadcast. Well, you probably know it if you read the news.
Really, I wanted to write a few words about Azaladshu and how amazing all that was after the cease-fire (because it was obvious that separatists are going to win even during the 'middle' phase of the conflict), but... Ummm... Wasn't in the right state to do it. To cut things short, I can't remember well how I got to Andceeth. You know, if you fly much and all that jumps and routes are starting to look alike, you aren't paying attention to the details if everything goes smooth, just running from A to B, thinking about some stuff along the way or texting with somebody via the comms, etc... So. It's different here. It seemed like a part of my mind plotted that route and guided me through it, while the rest of me was too busy fighting the... well... not the best thoughts that you may have. Imagine your own mind convincing you that everything you do is utterly pointless, have no meaning, no impact, you have no future and should go dive into a star, etc... And it refuses any logic, like, you know that some people are grateful, you know the facts, but it's... It just doesn't listen to you, tracking every your thought, turning every your word against you. And it's loud. You can't think about anything else. And you can't control it, like, just a few days ago I was mighty awesome, shining like a plasma charge, I was ready to turn mountains inside out, I was content and confident, and now this. Thought I left that crap behind with all the past, but... Argh. It's here.
Ah, ummm, okay. So, when I got to Andceeth, I had to do something, to shift my attention, to concentrate myself on something dumb and familiar enough that would be completely safe to do, and I started running ship routine checks and some basic maintenance operations alone, without any help from the station crew. You know, it's a long stuff to do on your own, so I spent hours tinkering here and there like a robot. And then this message on the comms... Thank you. Really, really needed that. So then I grabbed a little contract from the Mission Board to see how it's going now, but had to check everything that I can check on a station prior to taking off... Yeah, consistency is my second name, hah...
And here we go. I was so exhausted with this crap that I just switched off to sleep right in the pilot seat after landing. Ah. Thanks to the station crew, they just towed Marshmallow into a hangar without any fuss on the comms and other kinds of scandals. And then COVAS alarm clock woke me up, and I saw that I still have this contract unfinished. Crap. Slept for 15 hours. Double crap. Ah, damn, why... Why did I even start that mess? Ah, nevermind. So, I had to put myself together... With this thing still present, but not that loud thankfully... Ugh.
Okay, I had twenty five minutes left. To get into the action zone and finish this one. Because I don't want to let people down... again. Yeah. Already have some red lines in my contract history. Same reason. Haven't talked about that, hah. I'm no ideal.
(Contract info: 25 minutes to finish)
So I had to prioritise my targets, to make them go down as quickly as possible. There are different types of ships used in combat zones and all of them have their weak spots, but the main idea is about targeting the power plant. You probably know that if you damage the power plant hard enough, any next successful shot can cause an explosion, obliterating the ship no matter the hull status, and it's really a helpful knowledge that can give you some advantage in combat.
Yeah, I'll just let you know what I found out, crawling all the way up to the Elite combat rank in those CZs... Hope it will be useful. And yeah, don't be angry at me if you read a description about your favourite ship and you don't like it: it's about combat zone opponents, and their ship equipment is bog standard and squishy, their skills... ummm... They have almost no skills. I hope you have.
Eagles. Both original and Imperial versions. They're so small and fragile that you don't even have to bother with sub-targeting, even the FSD if they want to escape. However, I advise using gimballed weapons, as they can be hard to hit on the move, especially with Plasma, which I start to use only at 500-700m to them.
Viper Mk.III. Personally, I don't like dealing with them. Really. They're too small to pose any substantial danger, but their usual 'boom-zoom' tactics (especially with a chaff) can lead you to a massive waste of time while you can attack other targets and cause more impact on the battle. And their miniscule railguns are worthless, but hells irritating.
Viper Mk.IV. This one is different. While it may be fast enough, it lacks the manoeuvrability of Mk.III, which makes it an easier target even if the hull is more durable. And yeah, target the power plant.
Cobra Mk.III. Ah. It's flat like my arse after ten hours of piloting. Really an annoying opponent, as you can have trouble hitting it when it goes face to face with you, and its power plant is located on the side, which can make gimballed weapons miss the target. So you better open fire when it shows you its broad side.
Asps. Both Scout and Explorer. What the... Why do they even use Asps in combat? It's food. They may be good exploration ships, but combat... Too big and too slow for their shields and hull durability, weapons are too weak... Just shoot and enjoy. And their power plants are neatly placed near the middle.
Vulture. It may be a nasty opponent, but with one really weak spot. The arse. You can damage either engines or powerplant (or both) just by hanging behind them and firing whatever you have even if you don't target any specific module.
Imperial Courier. It can surprise you with the amount of shields for a ship of this small size, but just know that it's only a small and somewhat fragile ship behind those shields.
Python. It's big, it's hard, it may have lots of shields, lots of guns, its power plant is well hidden... But it's easy to hit from above or below and it's a big target. So, keep out of its front side and shoot.
Fed Ships. Dropship, Gunship, Assault Ship. They're similar to each other and they're quite worthy opponents with enough armour and firepower. So try to get behind and lower, as their power plants are placed there. Shooting them in the face can be a long story.
Alliance Combat Ships. Chieftain, Crusader, Challenger. Hardest opponents, as I see. They have massive armour and they're manoeuvrable as hell. You may want to hit those engines in the side nacelles, only to see how it's turning around and making you miss. Power plant is in the middle of the hull, but they tend to go face to face, and you have to deal with armour. So, somewhat hard.
T-9 / T-10. Bricks of war. They may look intimidating, but the lack of manoeuvrability... Just punch through the shields and aim the power plant which is easily hit from above or below the target, as it's placed close to the middle. And hanging there and firing at it isn't a difficult task.
Imperial Clipper. Depends. May put up a fight, may not. May be loaded with tons of shield batteries, may be not. But overall it's an opponent of pretty moderate difficulty, and its power is easy to cut off.
Anaconda. Let's say... It's a Python on steroids. Use the same tactics, but prepare for a longer fight.
Cutter / Corvette. Yeah. I put rivals together here. Sorry. Because they're similar, hard-hitting and long-living opponents and they can be dangerous if you don't know how to deal with them. So, keep out of their front and give 'em all you got to punch through shields, and then aim at the power plant. It's placed behind the cockpit on both ships, just positions of the cockpits are different. You may try to fight the hull, yeah, but I'm managing to score power plant kills with hull status still above 90%, just with well-placed Plasma shot and some multicannon 'background' damage over time.
Yup. That's all. That tips can be useful if you fly something quite manoeuvrable like my Fer-de-Lance, of course there's other tactics for bigger ships, ship-launched fighters, etc., and I'm not pretending to be one who knows everything. And there are some 'special' opponents which are harder, like Captains or Spec Ops. And why the heck they aren't using Mambas and Kraits, but using Asps? I don't know...
What about the contract? Completed in time. Hunted Asps, Eagles and Vultures as they're easiest. Yeah, that's not too pretty, but... Was the fastest way. They look at the quantity anyway, it's their problem, not mine. Even had two minutes more to celebrate, hah. Or, to be honest, to get the heck out of there, return to the station, call it a day and have some rest and relax.
And I'm getting closer and closer to what I want...
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Next part: #19: Decay
Next part: #19: Decay