Experience (or lack of)

So last night Athas, Aria, Lysette and myself went for a little roam around Derelik... And I was Fleet Commander for the second time ever.

It wasn't a complete disaster, although Lysette did end up losing her Sigil to a Vagabond who decided to take potshots at her on a gate. We headed up to Futzchag, but the locals wheren't interested in being pirated so we headed back to Hasateem. Shortly after, we headed in the other direction at which point Lysette (now flying an Auguror to provide some support) was attacked by a Caracal in a belt. We came acheingly close to having him, but since neither Lysette or myself had fitted our ships with warp scramblers - and Athas and Aria where on the scene just seconds too late - the Caracal warped off to a safe spot.

What ensued was a very amusing game of cat and mouse in which Aria attempted to scan him down using probes.. But somehow he was always able to warp away just before we could catch him. Eventually his GCC ran out and he left the system, much to our dismay.

So no kills (apart from a couple of drones left behind by the Caracal pilot) and one very minor loss. It could have been worse I suppose... I was flying a brand new Omen with a special fleet warfare loadout I designed, but unfortunately I didn't get a chance to truely test it's abilities. Maybe next time...

On the plus side, this second attempt at Fleet Commanding went much more smoothly than the first and I feel a bit more confident about it now. Hopefully I'll get another chance to do so again soon.

In other news, my training towards flying a Pilgrim is going well.. Probably another two weeks or so before I can fly one, and a little bit longer before I can fly one with any degree of proficiency. After that, I'll be studying to fly a Sacrilege...

In honesty i'm a little nerveous about flying such an expensive ship. Up until now the most expensive ship i've flown in combat was a Harbinger, and that's not exactly horrendously expensive to begin with. I have the money to replace a Pilgrim or Sacrilege should the worst happen, but it's definately a big leap from flying the cheap low-tech ships i've been using until now. I will have to adapt my tactics accordingly...

A New Era

This weekend I became an outlaw... My citizenship has been revoked, and i'm now listed as 'Kill On Sight' to anyone who cares. I figured since this is something of a milestone, I might as well start this log which I have been putting off now for a while.

My thoughts on finally becoming an outlaw are... Kind of jaded, really. I've spent the last several weeks getting myself into the mindset required by someone of my security status - warping off the very second I undock, trying not to hang around Stargates for too long, treating every single neutral ship I see with suspicion - so it's had little actual effect on my flying style.

Ultimately, allowing my security status to drop to such a level feels like having a line drawn under my past life. I never want to go back to the Navy, which is fortunate because even if I tried to now they would probably put a bullet through my head and be done with it.

I've committed so many crimes that I've lost count. Deserting the Imperial Navy. Stealing a Retribution-class assault frigate - along with a contingent of slaves that had been assigned to me. Murdering countless thousands of innocent crewmen - and three less than innocent Minmatar rapists. Aiding agents of the Angel Cartel in various illegal activities.

Yes, I've committed many crimes. Despite all that though, the only thing I regret is waiting as long as I did before joining Ghost Festival. These people are my family now... I no longer need the Empire or it's bigoted self-righteousness. The Cartel provides everything I need... Even some things which would have been denied to me as a pilot in the Imperial Navy.