Part 1
This is a story of how this corporation was founded.
Auvergne, Sinq Laison. 0230 hours.
It has been two days since the game launched.
After spending hours doing encounters in my T4 Algos trainer I have finally received my first storyline mission. Not knowing what to expect, I read through the mission details. Job: retrieve cargo from lowsec. Twice. Recommended ship: T6 battlecruiser or cruiser. I won’t stand a chance!
Then I see the mission reward. 25 000 000 InterStellar Kredits. 25 million!? Most missions that I was living on paid out like nine thousand credits! I knew in my heart that even though the task is impossible I have to try. Starting my own corporation has always been my dream, but it also requires more isk than I have ever had.
I need a plan.
Egghelende, 0330 hours.
It is no good giving up without even trying. After all, the mission description was to retrieve cargo from a container in space. What if the container is not even guarded? There was no mention of any guards.
So, I decided to investigate the site and outfitted my fastest ship, a T2 Atron. When I land on the mission site I immediately realize that I am surrounded by a large group of hostile T6 vessels. I also see the cargo container: it is about 50 km from the landing spot. When the enemies lock onto me, I warp to the nearest station before I am blown to bits.
Time for a new plan. During my ten long years in the Eve universe I have seen great many things. One of them is a mission which many people think is too hard… until someone tells them that they do not actually have to kill any ships to complete it. They only have to fly through the area.
Undock. Warp drive active. The grid loads. Adrenaline is filling my veins. I see the container in space and hit approach. Commencing burn.
It takes the enemy fleet about ten seconds to even start locking onto me. Distance to container: 30 kilometers. I am moving at my maximum speed, about 700 meters/second. It does not help me to avoid enemy fire, though. Since I am moving in a straight line away from the enemy ships, my angular velocity is almost zero. As far as turrets are concerned, I am standing still. Shield alarm goes off.
Shields are gone. Armor is taking damage. However, I start slipping out of their optimal range and my vessel is only taking the occasional hit now. Almost there.
I attempt to open the container. Container opens. Looting all. Looting successful! Armor is gone and the hull is taking light enemy fire. Warping out.
At the station I realize I have been holding my breath. The ship is almost wrecked, but I have the loot! The only thing left is to go back to the agent.
Part 2
The next part of the mission series involves me doing the same thing again, this time with an even larger group of enemies. This is problematic. Last time I almost died, so what I did before was unlikely to work. If I try to do it and have to warp out, the next time will be more difficult since the hostile fleet will have chased me halfway to the container. In that case I have to fly through the swarm.
Wait. Chase. Chasing. Hostiles chase.
Do you get me?
I land on the mission site and star my burn, but not towards the container. Instead, I go straight forward pushing 700 m/s. I spiral around the huge swarm of T6 cruisers and frigates and fly to the direction opposite from the can.
The hostiles chase and I burn away from the landing beacon. The ship is taking light damage. First go the shields, then the armor. I warp to the station, but I then make a U-turn and warp back to the mission site.
The enemy fleet had chased me almost 50 kilometers to the wrong direction and are out of weapons range. I burn to the container. Loot and warp.
Lirsautton, 0447 hours.
What can we learn from chairman FasterThanLight?
-
Take calculated risks. The cost of a frigate was insignificant next to the chance to earn 25 million.
-
Make no assumptions. If FasterThanLight had assumed that the canister is locked or the task is impossible, he would never had got the reward.
-
FasterThanLight is clearly a very intelligent, experienced and cunning son-of-a-bitch who deserves everyone’s great respect.
