The EKC Butcher

Stardate, 2010-11-14
Spent the day in Becanin hunting with Zanoni. It was a profitable afternoon for me, albeit a tad bit quiet since most of the action had shifted to the Pardus Empire Contingent (PEC). I destroyed two traders (Tryton and Kvalion), but we failed to take down two neutrals (Silvercrest and Gool Duck).

As the day came to a close, Zan returned to the planet to re-load his missiles and grab some much needed Rec time. Truth be told, I suspected that Zanoni needed some strong libations. There is no certainty on whose number will be called first when ambushing in a stack, but mine seemed to supersede Zan’s all day. Hence, I got the kills and he got bills. Not a good outing for him in a rather long string of bad outings..

I was tempted to follow him and help drown out the drudgery, but I had a full tank of fuel and wanted to put the latest incarnation of The Refuge of Audacity through the paces. It was a recent replacement. Although the insurance companies provide a solid substitute for the high rates they charge pilots in my profession, I never completely trust a new ship until it has been strenuously tested. Even if the war between the Empire and Union was not in full effect, it just is not safe for a pilot with my reputation to encounter a systems failure or some other malfunction. Bad luck always follows bad preparation.

With that in mind, I headed to the wormhole and jumped to Tilalia in search of critters. I targeted a few ice beasts, two space worms and a blood amoeba. None of them offered much trouble for my ship. I wanted to locate the dread scorp (a much more worthy target), yet it seemed to elude my scanners. Although there were several ways into the sector, I decided to jump to AN 2-956 to see if there were any Imperial traders servicing the nooked starbase.

Instead of Imperials, I found the wormhole in the hands of the Union. With the Union’s war effort focused on PEC, I was more than a little surprised to see several Union fighters heading in and out of the nook. Recognizing a member of the Union Nuke Squad I knew, I contacted Ded Spot to find out what was going on and offer my services. Sadly I missed the destruction of the military outposts blocking the entrance to the Empire SB, and the Nuke Squad was actively eliminating the remaining buildings inside the nook but lacked squads to engage the SB defenses.

Since there was little I could do in AN, I asked Ded Spot if his group controlled Imperial access to the sector. As I expected, the Nuke Squad took control of the choke point to Pass Empire-4 just before the operation went into full swing. Recognizing an opportunity was at hand, I notified the Union defenders that I would be passing through their ambush formation and headed into the Empire Keldon Core.

Although I had used PE-4 to enter Imperial territory several times during the war, I was a little surprised that the military outposts once again granted me access. I recognize that it was at best difficult for the factions to control access to their territories, with eight to ten passes, but the Empire seems to have given up entirely during the recent war. It is a sad situation to see a faction give up on protecting its members, but their failure is my opportunity to wreak havoc once again behind the lines of the Empire. Although my actions might result in the destruction of a few traders, every act of aggression I engage in disrupts the Imperial war effort and brings a slew of emotions to Imperial subjects: terror, uncertainty, disillusionment, and

Assuming there would be Imperial defenders heading out to AN 2 soon to evict the Union Nuke Squad, I was a little uncertain how far to entire the EKC. My instincts said that most of the Empire was focused on trying to protect what little remained of the PEC, so there would not be many defenders left. Short on numbers, the Imperial defense forces would try to secure the choke point before clearing out raiders with search grids. If I was right, then I was open to ambush wherever I wanted for at least a short while. I decided to set an ambush on the plastics facility at the coordinates [8, 16]. Since food is more essential to an SB, I expected any defenders passing through the sector would miss me en route to the choke. It was a risk to stay in the Pass, and if I was wrong I would know soon enough when my escape pod fired into the black.

I did not wait in ambush for very long. Within a few minutes of setting up, my combat scanners caught sight of a ship sending off an Empire signal. I locked my targeting systems on the Venom, and open fired. My cannons and missiles ripped into its hull, igniting it into a fireball. The Venom pilot must have had an e-pod, since I received a foe listing from Duglas before the fire cloud subsisted.

I could not stop myself from grinning at Duglas’ misery, but I had decisions to attend to: Do I stay in the EKC, or do I go? I decided to stay, but I had to leave PE-4. I jumped into Duralia, reloaded my ship with missiles at the planet and cloaked in the nebula nearby to plan my next step. There were two main directions I could take to head deeper into the EKC. Normally, I would want to place a few sectors between myself and an ambush point, but my scanners detected no Empire defenders passing through the sector en-route to PE-4. I tapped the screen and ran a test simulation to make sure the scanners were working properly. They were.

“What the hell?” I wondered to myself aloud. The Empire had the most responsive defense forces I have ever encountered, usually searching an ambush spot within minutes of an attack. It was quite annoying to be honest. Yet, I could find no traces of any defensive response to PE-4. In fact, my scanners detected no Empire pilots in the sector at all. Either Duglas had not sent out warnings, or the Empire was even shorter handed than I thought.

More decisions… Go deeper in the EKC, or set another ambush just one sector from my last. It was foolish to take the chance, but the lack of an Imperial presence gave me confidence. I set an ambush under a space farm along one of the travel routes through Duralia. It took me a bit longer to trigger, but once again my scanners detected a trader piloted by Souldsinger coming within range. Since the Behemouth was giving off an Empire signature, I opened fire with my cannon and launched four NN550 Fleet Missiles. BBBs are hard to miss due to their size, but they have an extraordinary amount of amour. My arsenal cleaved through the traders shield, armor and hull; leaving little more than parts and gases in the aftermath

Still expecting defensive forces to arrive with immediacy, I went to the planet to reload missiles and headed out of Duralia sector. I passed through PI 4-669 and into Eta Cassiopeia to find a spot to cloak for a few hours.


Stardate, 2010-11-15
No one seemed to notice my hiding spot. I will not divulge the location in case I need to use it in the future, but there are always locations to hide if one has need. I always set to attack any ship that passed nearby when I am hiding, so the Empire’s defense forces either were not looking or not present in the sector. I broke from my hiding spot and set an ambush in the sector along a trade route to SZ 4-419. Four hours passed while I twiddle my pads with no activity. War slows traffic within a sector, and my frequent raids into the EKC may have limited the number of sightseers and tourists. I decided to move to a new location.

In any cluster there is at least one sector with an e-matter source and it is usually the most frequented sector in the cluster because so many buildings (both legal and illegal) depend on it. I decided to move to Regulus, knowing there should be enough traffic to find a target. Traders actively frequent e-mater sectors, so I took up a position close to the source and waited from a target. It took only a few minutes for John Deer’s Hercules came into my scanners. I prepped the targeting computers and waited for an opportunity to attack. He was dawdling just outside of my range. Since there were no other ships visible in the sector, I was considering the possibility of breaking ambush and attacking the target while he was harvesting the e-matter. To my surprise, he came straight to my location. I dispatched him in a few rounds of combat. Since he was geared for trade, I did not even bother to shoot missiles. The target was a member of the Imperial Legion. I knew from prior experience in the EKC that defensive forces would be arriving quickly this deep into the cluster, so it was time to move.

Rather than running a long distance, I decided to take out as many traders as I could before the defenders arrived. I left Regulus for Greandin and immediately set an ambush along the main trade route. Within eleven minutes an unarmed Boa came into sight. I poured four 550 missiles and full salvos from my guns into Hidden Hmong’s ship, but failed to take him out. The amour on a Boa makes it a difficult target to take out with just one attacker. I went to the planet to reload and found Hmong in orbit. Empire officials let me load, but I could not dock and was not safe. Since Hmong was a member of Conglomo, I knew defensive forces would be coming and that he would probably load missiles to retaliate. There was no point staying in the sector, but I still was not ready to run to far away.

It was a major risk. Defensive forces in the EKC were quick to respond to any attack, and Conglomo was a large enough alliance that news of my attacks would travel fast. Yet I had so much luck so far, I thought it was worth the risk to stay close on the main trade route for the cluster. I jumped to Aeg and began looking for a good spot for another ambush. Since I was still looking for a trader, I decided to go to the trade outpost in the sector. I was not sure if it would allow me to dock and trade, but I thought I could at least check to see if I could brace up my supplies. To my surprise, I encountered a Behemoth sitting in open space near the TO. Since he was not docked and clearly asleep at the helm, I dispatched him. Kasros was clearly a well skilled pilot, and probably better skilled than myself, so it took a number of rounds from my guns to destroy him. Since he was a member of Conglomo as well, I knew I had to leave the sector as quick as possible. I docked quickly at the TO, loaded up on some stimulants, then moved to the planet and reloaded my missile racks.

As I exited the docking station of the planet, I saw a Moon Crusher passing through the sector. It seemed to be heading toward Greandin, so I hovered near a building. As long as he did not come close to my position, I knew that the mass of the structure would keep his scanners from picking up my ship signature. Once he passed I fluttered from building to building, slowly passing from the sector to the worm hole to Besoex.

I jumped through Cassand and moved to Besoex without difficulty, seeing neither targets nor pursuers. I knew that the Empire defensive forces liked to set up under buildings next to planets rather than ambush elsewhere in a sector, hoping to catch malcontents like myself when they tried to reload armaments rather than chase them down. As long as I avoided the area surrounding the planet, I figured that I could set up one more time and take down another trader. Since traders are essential to the success of any faction’s war effort, it was far more important to kill another one (and thus disrupt his support of the Empire while spreading terror among the rest of his ilk within the cluster). I avoided a confrontation with defenders, sought out a new ambush point.

I set up in Besoex under a building along the trade route to Cassand. With some distance between my last attacks, I knew the traders in the sector probably were unaware of my presence. I set up on the trade route. I waited only ten minutes before a familiar Empire signature come on screen. Viscount Hondo Doon, a member of Conglomo and a frequent victim to my attacks, came into range.

I honestly hate attacking the same pilot multiple times unless given fair reason. Unfortunately, war has brought me into contact with Hondo Doon on too many occasions. I wished that I could let him pass, but once our scanners acknowledged each other and we each had a role to play. His would require him to notify Empire defenses of my location, mine to give him yet another pod ride. Hopefully, I could do so before he could send off a communique.

I unloaded on him, destroying his ship. After ward, I went to the planet to reload missiles. I ran into some hostility from the Empire technicians .They could not prove my guilt in the attack on Hondo since it happened just beyond their scanners, but they correctly assumed my guilt. I greased some palms to get the work completed, then quickly lifted off and shifted my SD into hyper drive to get out of the sector as fast as possible.

Having destroyed several traders and raided a handful of structures, I knew my recent depredations would be well known within the EKC by this point. I needed to put as much space between me and Besoex as possible and find a place to hide. I flew threw several sectors, avoiding military outposts and patrols in search of a safe hiding spot. While passing though Laanex, I noticed A Boa making his way to the planet. Taking a chance, I decided to set up on the trade route in the sector that headed back the way he had come. In less than ten minutes, I caught him. Stealth Assassin was well aware of my presence, but knew his duty required him to continue his trade run. Hoping he could destroy me or at least distract me from a kill if he caused heavy damage to my ship, he loaded his ship with an Imperial Elite Mk.II before filling up with cargo and setting off. A true patriot. The missile ripped into my armor, doing major damage, but he did not escape.

Unfortunately, Stealth Assassin was a member of Ruby Legion. While I have no problem dispatching any member of the Empire, I knew the heavy hitters would be looking for me now. I had a few safe docking spots in the cluster, but it was imperative for me to find a safe location to hide without bringing undue trouble upon a friend. I traveled through the cluster: KU, Laanex, Tianbe, Fomalhaut, Ackandso, and even PE 3. In every sector I encountered military vessels and outposts. I intentionally avoided Keldon, although I genuinely love the planet and its lovely ladies, my past exploits in the sector meantd the Empire had completely locked down the home world. There were ambushes and security forces everywhere, so it was too dangerous to risk. Perhaps next time we shall get together ladies…

While in Tianbe, I saw several PASCs so intense on their search and destroy patrol patterns that they did not notice me. Since I could not find a safe location when I left the sector, I assumed it was safe to go back and hide in an area already cleared by search. I picked a spot in the energy a fair distance from the planet and surrounded by nebula gas. It was no where near the normal travel routes, and there were no space critters nearby. It was the perfect location. Just far enough away but within scanner range was a Sarracenia. It offered the perfect unofficial alarm. Sarracenia were heavily hunted by most fighters, since they were easy targets, so I knew that any fighter ship that passed through the nebula gas but did not engage was in the midst of a search pattern. It took less than an hour. A PASC raced by the Sarracenia without stopping. He obviously was not hunting critters, systematically checking every spot in the sector. I knew he would find me, so I had a choice: run or hit em and then run. I figured all the main routes were now under ambush, so I might as well go out in a blaze of glory then get a pod ride from triggering an ambush.

With that in mind, I waited for the hunter to come to my ambush. It took another ten minutes, but he did finally find me. My ambush computer unleashed fire and brimstone upon him. I did some damage, but took even more. Next came the flash as my ambush teleporter hurled me to the other side of the sector and my computer immediately cloaked. Quickly checking that my engines and hull were sound, I raced to the nearest worm hole and ran as cautiously as possible. I did not kill Melstadt, so I had to get as far away as possible and then hide yet again. He could easily repair his damages. I could not.

My quick strike and retreat seemed to work. Melstadt failed to see me leave the sector. I located a safe spot, and then set into a hiding once again. It is amazing how wars can influence interaction. There are some pilots you engage with in war and, after several interactions with them, you come to realize that you are glad to be on opposites sides. Then every once in a while you encounter a pilot you like, and quickly develop a respect for them and come to wish you were not on opposite sides. Melstadt is one of those pilots. Even though he was seeking to dispatch me from the EKC with extreme prejudice, we passed several hours worth of communications between us. Nice fella. I would hate to have to pod him, but obviously I would if the situation forced my hand.

Stardate 2010-11-17
I remained undetected for the past twenty-four hours. Knowing the tenacity of the Empire, they are probably still hunting me. I would prefer to keep a low profile, but making jumps from sector to sector has its dangers. Wormhole anomalies caused severe damage to my hull. I needed repairs, but can not get any of the Empire repair stations to do the work. I am persona non grata in the EKC now. Even bribes can not push one of the small out of the way repair stations into taking the chance at repairs. I really can’t blame them. No telling what the Empire does to punish subjects knowingly giving comfort to the enemy (especially a piratical one like me). Worse, I am certain every technician I report contacts the security forces and gives away my position. Damn bounties.

With no place to repair, my options are limited. Flee the cluster, which is impossible since I am so deep into the EKC and damaged, or find a safe spot to put up a small structure and repair the ship myself. I chose the later, putting up a mock energy well in Fomalhaut. I gathered materials for the structure and my repairs, and then set to work. Eight hours later, the work was finished but I was drained of energy. Four days without sleep, heavily drugged and under the constant threat of destruction had taken its toll. The sector seemed to be quiet, with few travelers passing through. Although it was risky, I decided to stay docked and get some rest.

It was a mistake. Bad luck always follows poor decisions. The Empire’s defense forces located me three hours later. Prince Felkron in a moon crusher. He ripped through the shell structure and tore up my armor with four 40 MW Plasma Lasers before I could even get my bearings after being shocked into consciousness. Several salvos later, I was taking the long pod ride back to the insurance agency ship depot. My latest adventure as the EKC Butcher was over.

Before my escape pod left the sector, I engaged its basic communication console and sent Felkron congratulations for a job well done. He was polite and gracious, commending me for my abilities to escape detection, and even laughing a bit when I promised to return to the EKC again soon. The interactions of war can be so interesting. In the midst of bloodletting and clouds of destruction, courtesy and good humor reigns.