First engineer visit
22 Aug 2024Ayebawl
Ive made my first trip to Deciat for my first engineer visit. I've been a pilot for only a couple of weeks now and I think I nearly have a grasp of the basics, thanks to some handy NPI guides and a lot of youtube videos. Ive been flying in Open exclusively and in that time Ive seen exactly 3 other pilots, who just went about their own business. I thought visiting Deciat might increase that number, and maybe even put me in the line of fire of one of those unfriendly gankers Ive been hearing so much about. So in the days before the expedition I've been putting in a bit of prep work in the event of an unfriendly encounter. I used an NPI guide to build a PVE Vulture and have been using it around Meliae to collect a few bounties. I thought it would be a reasonable enough choice to make the trip to Deciat. I knew it wouldn't last in a proper PVP fight, but hopefully it would be enough to survive a couple of hits before I could high wake out of a gank attempt...That was my first mistake. The Vulture really has a pretty miserable jump range, so I jumped through every little tinpot system on the way to Deciat. It also doesnt have a fuel scoop...
I haven't learnt how to plot a course through only inhabited systems (or even if its possible). Gotta read up on that next.
Anyway, I didn't end up having to call in the Fuel Rats, but it was definitely close - ended up scraping into a station on fuel fumes a couple of times. Lesson learnt and I bought a fuel scoop and made it the rest of the way there. One stop before Deciat I made sure I called into a station, refuelled and prepped. Watched allll the videos on how to escape an interdiction.
When I left the station and jumped to Deciat I felt like I was about to jump into the ring with Tyson. This is going to hurt. I exit witch space, the sun is in my eyes and I'm high on adrenaline. I then realise I'd forgotten to pre-program in Farseer Inc's base - fuck! I turn away from the star and frantically open up the nav panel to lock onto the base (Filters! How good are they - Ive only just learnt how to use these the other day, and had previously been scrolling through miles of signal sources, fleet carriers and other bullshit to find the thing I actually wanted to fly to...)
I'm wearing a VR headset by the way. Panel focus is a great thing when it works - I turn my head in the direction of the panel and it opens up - nice! However, when you're nervous and you're also trying to keep an eye on the radar for any pointy looking shapes it can be a bit shit when the panel opens and closes because of my fat jittery head. I'm absolutely certain I'm going to be interdicted and blown to smithereens at any moment...
But I'm good. I get the base locked in, no signals on the radar, and I line up the signal to the planet. My eyes are glued to the radar... any minute now a ganker is going to show up and do what they do. Nothing on the radar. I start to relax a little. Even to the point I quickly open up the nav panel and choose a system to high wake to in case of emergency. Back to the radar. I think I'm good! No loop of shame. 75% throttle at the 6 second mark works a treat and I'm on target. Enter orbit with the base in sight and I start my descent to the surface. Still nothing on the radar...
I'm about 85km from Felicity's base and I've got everything into engines to boost the rest of the way there. Like, I've just flown a few light years in a matter of seconds from a sun to a planet and now this box of a spaceship feels like it's standing still. Goooo faaaaaster!
And then....
I made it!
I do a little whoop of victory, land and disembark to meet Felicity. So long shitty jump range, I'm going to be one of the big boys now! Oh, right she needs something before I can upgrade, meta alloys or something. Better find out where I can get some of those - over to Inara. Maia. Alright, better program in a route to Maia then and get trucking... Oh, what the fuck...