Death on the Shipping Lanes
25 Nov 2017Nightsta1ker
Well, I am done with mining. And I hope it's not something I ever have to go back to. I got my 500 tons of refined ore, got the invite I was waiting for along with a demand for 10 tons of Painite. Not an easy commodity to acquire, but during my little foray into mining, I figured out a few things, and I knew how to get it quickly. I suppose it could be a lucrative trade, but it's too mind numbingly boring for me to really consider doing as anything more than a means to an end. And that end was worth it, since I left Prospector's Rest this morning with Class 5 Hull and Armour upgrades. I was pretty much banking on needing to gather some more materials, but the fine engineers and apprentices at the Rest were able to do a fantastic job with what I had on hand. I was impressed. Hopefully I never have to test the effectiveness of these upgrades, but there are dark days ahead, and I want every advantage. Doing a little trading now, and while I found some lucrative contracts, it put me back in the shipping lanes and into the sights of pirates. Not that I am worried. My days of being terrified and dropping my cargo after getting interdicted by an Elite patch-eye with a 'Conda are over. I've got the firepower to crack an Anaconda's hull in about 30 seconds flat. The bounty claims are a nice little supplement to the contract payout when I get to my destination. Not that I need the money...
What I do need, is some company. So I hired a young pilot as crew, and I am hoping to mentor her and help her become an Elite combateer. It opens a lot of doors and honestly I think I might be needing the help soon. There seems to be a dearth of good pilots in the bubble, as the Aegis initiatives in the Pleiades have attracted some of the better pilots out that way to fight Thargoids. So the shipping lanes are filling up with pirates, and war is brewing in many of the core worlds. I have gotten a pretty good feel for the pulse of politics, and I feel something bad is coming, and it isn't Thargoids.
Back in the day, when I was just young fighter jock in the Federal Navy, there were a group of Elite pilots that everyone called the 'Ceepers'. Officially, they were known as the Circle of Elite Pilots (aka The Circle), and they were the stuff of legend, lore, and fame. They charged around fighting piracy all over the bubble in their old Saker fighters, painted flat black. And while the Circle seemed to disband overnight among rumours of a battle on their secret world called Soontill, many believe that they simply reformatted themselves after becoming too popular, and thus, too difficult to remain secretive. I've heard the rumours, but never paid them much heed. Some believe that the organization known as the Elite Pilot's Federation is really The Circle. Black paint schemes used to be reserved for the Ceeper's ships. While black can now be worn by anybody, it's still pretty rare. Well... I have been doing some contracts for the Elite Pilot's Federation, who seem to be a shadowy sub-unit of the Pilots Federation and hang out around the Founder's World. They told me to paint my fleet black, and to expect some "work fitting of your rank" soon. Was I just conscripted by The Circle?
I took the Roci into the paint shop immediately. She looks good in black...
