Carebear goes to Null Sec

Finally after weeks of talking and little of anything else I made it to 0.0 space.

This was my first visit to null sec so I may be romanticizing it a little.

The system I chose to visit was 0-HDC8. Well at least that was my destination. It is a -.7 so I figured I should have some good ratting. I decided to take my Retribution for its speed.

The first 0.0 I came across on my travel route was only preceded by one .4 system after leaving high sec. Anxiously I jumped into the .4 expecting an ambush....Nothing. So I approach the gate to 0.0 thinking this isn't going to be so bad.

With my finger shaking I click the jump button to get into the 0.0. I jump and what do I see? About 15 ships and and a warp bubble. Thankfully I materialized on other side of gate but I didn't waste any time getting out. Looking at local I see the party is here so I head straight to the next gate. There are a lot of jumps before I get to 0-HDC8.

I get to the next gate and nothing on this side so I jump. The next system was pretty busy but there was no one at the gate so I moved along. Then the next, and the next. After a few jumps I jump into a system with no one else. Finally I was able to take a breadth. Seizing the moment I run to a roid belt to see what the rats look like.

Ahh they were beautiful. A battleship surrounded by 3 frigates. Being adventurous I charged the first frig and in a couple volleys he was dead. Then I went ahead and charged the battleship with my little Retribution. This being the first battleship I ever took on in the assault frigate I was amazed at the fact that I was beating it.

I checked local and saw a ship jump in the system then leave again. I held my breath but after seeing it go I was able to relax.

I finished off the battleship and collected the loot but in that same second I realized I had taken my eyes off local for too long and hadn't acknowledged the growing number of people. 1....2....3…..4…..5.....6 ships in a matter of seconds popped in including the guy that had visited for a second earlier.

So I thought to myself that this wasn't the best place to hang out and I warpped to the next gate. There is one guy chilling by the gate. No biggie I think as I jump through and immediately take off for the next gate. I get to the other side and there is a ship waiting there to say "Hi" and he starts to lock me. Of course I check these guys out and so far everyone in local are from the same corp with only one exception.

Then it dawned on me. I look in my upper left corner of the screen and see that I am in Band of Brothers space and apparently I am famous cause I now have a dedicated group of fans following me from system to system.

After waving back to my "friend" at this gate I notice that local is pretty busy so I just go ahead and jump to a planet else fear getting stopped by an interdiction sphere or warp bubble (yes I have done a lot of reading about low sec, but reading doesn’t replace experience and I had none). This planet must have been a local hang out because my buddy at the gate met me there only seconds after I arrived. I had already set a new course to another planet so I had barely enough time to say HI again.

After talking with a few of my corp mates in corp chat I was advised that perhaps it was time to get out. Seeing that I am recognizing a lot of names in each system I go to I agreed and the cat and mouse game officially begins. Being cautious I decided to jump in a system and would immediately jump to a planet. Each gate is being guarded by someone and each of them was trying to lock me. I didn't know how effective a strategy this was as I figured they knew where I was going seeing that my 5.0 security status may have well been a brand across my forehead that said “Carebear”.

My entourage was never more then a couple seconds behind me so I knew that eventually my luck would run out.

The last thing I needed was for reinforcements to show up at the warp bubble or a new one set up. So I turned to a different gate altogether and headed away from high sec. Took a few jumps and finally some peace. No one there. Was only a matter of time before my pursuers started to show up so I turned around and started to back track.

After a couple jumps I didn't recognize anyone in local so I start going straight to gates trying to get back to high sec. I was trying to go fast enough so that I could split the force of ships up behind me as now I figured I was a couple jumps ahead of them and hoped that they would have to split up to find me. What can I say I was being chased, I really didn’t think about the fact that other people in local were reporting my location but at the very least I had a little breathing room.

4 jumps away from safety....3 jumps, then 2 jumps. I now only had one pursuer left that was matching me jump for jump. I was coming up to my last gate before I hit that .4 system then the .5 on the other side. This was also the gate with the warp bubble.

Once I got in the system I jump to my first planet and my pursuer meets me there with a full set of drones and starts to lock me. I take off as fast as I can to another planet then start jumping from planet to planet in the system so as not to stay in one place too long. I really hadn’t planned on such a party and neglected to fit the ever important cloaking device so while I was in warp was the only piece I had at this time. My heart felt like it was going to break out of the rib cage and my hands were shaking as I knew that if I got stopped there was pretty much no way I would survive.

Let’s keep in mind, I entered null sec with full knowledge that I was probably not going to get out in this clone. But I was also not all that excited about getting shot down.

I finally was able to clear my head and realized I was at a planet almost to the side of the gate I came in on. This was my best shot to miss the warp bubble so I activated my warp drive. There are about 18 people in local and half of them have been on tour with me.

After seemingly ages I start dropping out of warp right above the warp bubble. I was thinking about how lucky I was that the warp bubble was only a small. Amazing the thoughts that go through your head as the ship slows down out of warp and there are over a dozen ships surrounding the gate. I had already programmed a route to high sec so as I approached the gate I activated my autopilot so as to jump at the very first opportunity.

I get to the .4 and head off to the .5 system. I get to the .5 with no trouble. On the other side I just sit at the gate hoping I wasn't having a heart attack. One of my pursuers pop in and I nod my head in his direction.

I minute later the other guy that I saw earlier that wasn't in the same corp as the guys I just spent the last hour with comes through the gate in his pod. I couldn't help but smile as I set my autopilot back home and I take a nice long sigh of relief as I sit back in my chair.

I figured there were a few lessons to be learned besides....FIT A CLOAK NEXT TIME A-HOLE. Yes I didn't have a cloak on and after this I realize that perhaps next time I go to 0.0 that may be the most important module on my ship.

So with this I was able to get to Null sec and finally check that off my list.