Rule 1 is a motherfucker
26 Jul 2016AzraelDirge
Everybody here knows Rule 1, right? No, not the one about not talking about CQC. The one about not flying what you can't afford to pay for. See, Rule 1 is a stone cold bitch. It's what has a pilot red faced while he yells into the comm panel of his escape pod at his insurance company, begging them to front him that last half million, he swears the his next haul will more than pay it off. Rule 1 is what sears through his brain as he presses his thumb against the reader, accepting his baby as a total loss, and it's why he stumbles off to the nearest cantina to drink until he can't stand up straight. It's what keeps him awake in a rented room in a coffin hotel stationside, unable to sleep without the comforting sounds of his ship's drives lulling him into slumber.
It's what has that same pilot sitting on the wrong side of his banker's desk the next day, hung over and wearing the nicest suit he could borrow, explaining why he needs a small business loan to get him into a replacement ship, and trying not to loose it when the stuffed shirt behind the desk disinterestedly explains that his credit rating will only allow him enough for a basic Sidewinder, and not even one with leather seats or the nice sound system.
Rule 1 is why that pilot is looking hard at his credit balance while he haggles with the used ship dealer, deciding how much he can spend on his next ship after the Sidewinder, and how much he needs to save for outfitting. "You buy this ship, treat her proper, she'll be with you the rest of your life" is a mantra every pilot's heard, usually while looking at a piece of shit that will obviously strand you in the black when you try your first jump.
Some pilots have to learn Rule 1 the hard way. Some don't, and I envy them. Some, like me, know the rule but think they can cheat fate just this one time. When you've got a shiny new Fer-de-Lance, and enough cash to go crazy at the outfitters, it's easy to think "I can afford that power plant. I mean, sure, it'll take my credit balance just a hair below my buyback, but one quick jump to turn in these missions and I'll be flush again." Fast forward through one badly botched station approach, and I'm sitting in the pilot's seat of a Sidewinder that smells like the last owner exclusively hauled biowaste from Sothis, and bitterly cursing myself for getting stupid and impatient.
So take heed, newbies, and experienced CMDRs alike. Remember Rule 1.
Because she won't forget you.