[TC] A Pirate's Revenge [Book One Complete]

[Triaxx2]

Chapter 94: Scouting Reports

I've made a decision. It's not a particularly important one, but it is one that had to be made.

When I capture the Pythons, the operation will be called 'Snake Charmer'. There's not really another good name for it, and as a 1,2,3 snatch and grab, it should be a piece of cake.

I hope it will be anyway. I'm noticing a slightly odd dearth of capital ships of all kinds. Even the Split who are normally very militarily inclined, don't seem to be too active of late. The Paranid do, since I caught wind of a Deimos running west through Barren Shores, and while I did consider engaging, I reconsidered after several factors became apparent. First, it was just passing through, which I guess is a kind of terrible thought for a Pirate, but the other reasons are that all the necessary assets were scattered in places around the universe that were both remote from the situation, and widely separated from one another. After all, Rapscallion is in Patriarch's Conclusion, Unsuspected is in Depths of Silence, and I was all the way up in UW534.

Playing with my Tractor Beam. So, heading to the Heavy Dragon, I don't feel too bad about missing a chance at the convoy. It'll come again, or another one will. For now I'm willing to allow some lee to my enemies. Destruction is always enjoyable, but being able to slam my enemies must take a backseat to surviving my onslaught. It's no good to plot revenge if I won't survive to see it through. So for now I give them a pass. But there will be a reckoning. I will see to it.

But for now, scouting...

So, the scouting report is in. There's a shipyard, two Pythons and a Raptor. And a Tiger. I'm not truly interested in the Tiger, though I suppose if I have some pods and missiles left over, I might steal it as well. Python A is the one patrolling near the gate. It's got AFS and HPD, and a small escort, consisting of a Dragon and a few fighters. Done right, a single Firestorm would deal with both Dragon and Escort and piss off the Python all at the same time.

Python B patrols the northern area of the sector, about 20km off the shipyard. Nothing fancier than the average unpleasant Split crew members that I can detect on scanners, though there's no Bioscanner aboard the Heavy Dragon. It's defended by a few fighters, but no Corvettes.

The Raptor on the other hand, patrols some 50km north of the Shipyard, and has 6 fighters, but no other escort. It's got HPD, but it's almost like they're asking me to steal it.

The Tiger patrols near the Shipyard and EQD, which frankly is kind of scary since if I blow it up, there's the chance of stray Hammers or Tomahawks busting a move all over the Shipyard and EQD, and turning them hostile. I'd rather that not happen, but there's also the chance of it interfering as I steal the other three ships. Yes, I have decided to steal the two Pythons and the Raptor.

Insane? Probably. But, I also want to take the Heavy Dragon that's Escorting the Tiger. Why? Because I'm liking the one I'm flying enough that I don't necessarily want to let it go to the job of Escorting Great Trunk, which was the original intent.

Instead, I'm going to see if I can snatch another one, and keep this for me. So, the operation is:

Operation: Grab three or four capitals, a corvette, and try very hard NOT to die.

Right, well, with a minimum combat speed of 54m/s, on Python B, I'm sure as all hells not doing this job in Gunboat Diplomacy. Not only because I don't enjoy getting shot up by Enormous capital class weapons, but also because I'm not interested in getting vaporized by fast moving fighters. Of course, I will use it for snagging the Heavy Dragon, just setting it off and firing a couple pods in to snag it. Yeah, technically it's over kill but it's easier than trying to chunk the jarheads out the airlock. Of course, I have heard of some sort of transporter technology designed for beaming marines aboard but so far all attempts to put my hands on it have proven it to be rumor.

Hang on. It seems that there might be some movement on the IZ Albatross. I might find myself with a new TL shortly. If the report is accurate, I'm going to initiate operation:

Operation: A bird in the hand is worth an IBL forge.

Of course, I'm going to have to be sure to use only the best of the best to make sure I don't lose the forge, but so far they've proven capable of keeping large chunks of cargo intact. Even so, there's always the chance they'll get trigger happy and shoot some unique part. Okay, it's more a matter of random chance that something gets hit, because really, trigger happy is what they do. And I'm glad of it.

So all I have to do is get them onto the target. Naturally that's the hard part. And entirely my job. Shouldn't be too hard. 4 hammers is enough to flatten the shields. Of course, it only works when the target doesn't shoot them down. They'll be running straight on into the nose of it, so that'll work. The only thing I can think is the general annoyance of the missile tube placement on the Gunboat. Being able to time the launches.

Well, it seems the Albatross in IZ was just moving out of the path of some traders, so I'm docked in Legend's Home, spending a large pile of money to have the Venomous Cobra fixed completely. Then I'll jump south to New Income, pick up the marines and boarding pods, and missiles, and then I'll be jumping up to Rhonkar's Might to begin snatching capitals.

I think the plan is going to be Python A, Python B, Raptor, Tiger, Heavy Dragon. Jump Boa is out collecting Jumpdrives, since I doubt I'll be able to capture them intact. It's possible, and would be helpful, but it's not likely. Sadly, one of the downsides of the Cobra is the lack of cargo space. And the big advantage of the Gannet-class is the overwhelming cargo space.

Finding myself with a distinct lack of Boarding Pods, I jump first to Eighteen Billion, and then to BHS, and Hila's Joy. 14 Pods, 34 Hammers and a 160 Flails, I should be good for this spree of capturing. I do admit being sorely tempted by an idiot Thresher in Hila's Joy with 1.4GJ of shielding.

The first Python goes well, succeeding with 88% hull, and ALL the shields. And a jump drive. Some days it's great to be wrong. Of course I did decelerate a bit too much at the end there, and almost got blasted in a last ditch effort from the crew to annoy me seriously. Because nothing is more annoying than sucking vacuum. Swinging around, I head towards the next Python.

This one will be trickier, since A) They're now on alert, and B) it's got a massive escort, as opposed to the minor one that the last had. I'm unsure if I should go after this one, or head after the Raptor instead. No... I'm going to take this Snake, and fund some fun with it. I hope.

Well then... Being down to a mere 68 Flails and entirely out of Hammers, the Raptor is going to get a pass. But that's okay. For now I'm happy with two Pythons, one at 88% and one at 87%. Technically a few points of damage on each one are my fault, after getting just a tad heavy on the flails, though the latter one was mostly expended on the escort. Two Hammerheads from the Heavy Dragon do a remarkable job of quickly thinning the herd of escorts.

And a few flails expended against a Kha'ak Cluster for goodwill never hurt anyone.

The Second Python came with nothing more exciting than a dozen PBE's. I'll transfer them to the one I'm keeping and then sell this one. It also came with a jump drive. And I I picked up one of the Chimera's that bailed, after they tried to BBQ me. So that docks with Jump Boa and I'll move the jump drive to it before I sell the Python. Great Wyrm now joins my fleet, and will be ready when the time comes to attack the Paranid a new. First, I'm going to check in with Knight's Lance and see what the word is if my IBL harvesting operation in Weaver's is turning any purpose, or if I should stop bothering.

Of course it would be a moot point if the lazy bums in Loomanckstrat's would get off their asses and pay for the replacement of the IBL forge there so I could steal it. Until then though, I'm going to calculate the resources I need to add some sorely needed Hammer and Tomahawk production to Weaver's.

And the answer is that it's going to be expensive. Heck, even at 47 million a capture, it's not an easily funded enterprise. Fortunately the Weed/Booze plexes in Avarice are turning an easy profit. In fact, I think I might consider expanding them to another pair of Fuel/Weed Combo's to pump the production.

With operations suspended until I find some more Hammers, (Gunboat has enough if the IZ Albatross makes it's move.) I'm heading back to UW534. Safely tucked into Commodore's Yacht, I go back to the infinite fun of towing mines. I never knew piracy could be SO BORING.

[Nathancros]

piracy only becomes boring after u have ur own m2 ..

i still prefer stalking the trade lanes in a M6 XD

[Triaxx2]

As do I, but I don't recall most pirates being quite as obsessed about mine towing as I am.

I do get back to the real pirating soon, but I really wanted to get the mining in place, and the game crashing every time I hit F3 for the all important external view of the Mines, really put a damper on getting it done. Not to mention studying for Algebra. Even towing asteroids is more fun.

[Nathancros]

[Triaxx2]

Lining them all up into a screen around the gate one by one? 22 Roids? Obsessed.

[Nathancros]

[Triaxx2]

That too, to obsessive levels.

[Nathancros]

[Triaxx2]

No, though it is on the far side of Xenon 534, so it's not likely anything but a very determined task force will reach it.

I'll have to take a cruise through 534, and see what's currently defending it.

[Nathancros]

[Triaxx2]

Ooh, good thought, though I don't think I have nearly enough marines to try that. I might need another few dozen.

[Nathancros]

[Triaxx2]

Yeah, and I'm not really that good at boarding, so I think I'll just let them range free.

[Nathancros]

[Triaxx2]

I also hate spacewalk. I modded my Iguana Vanguards to be able to use boarding pods instead. ()

Learning to do it Nuklear Slug's way, which is to waggle your rear in their face so they chase you, and learning how many flails to use is the real secret. Once you've got that, it's only a matter of that initial Hammer Strike.