Picking up a cheap Guardian
2nd December 2009 – 5.44 pmA new ship arrives at the tower, a Guardian logistics ship, heralding the return of Kename Fin to w-space. The Guardian is designed to stay close to but out of combat, providing support to other ships as they need it. The logistic ship bonuses to remote armour repairs and energy transfer are huge, but are far from making the Guardian self-sustainable. What is needed is a second Guardian so that the pair can leech off each other's bonuses and become more powerful than the individual. The high-sec exit to k-space is still available, and my training towards the Damnation provides me with all the basic skills required to pilot a Guardian, so I take my bare pod to market.
The exit wormhole may be in to a high-sec system but, judging by the state of the market, it is in the middle of nowhere. I almost get more sensible information from the market interface when I am in w-space. I set a destination towards Lonetrek, where Guardians have been spotted cheaply, and start warping and jumping, keen to get the Guardian and return to the tower before the wormhole decays behind me. A few jumps crosses me over a regional boundary, and finally there are some Guardians for sale. One of the ships on the market looks to be rather cheap, a good five million ISK cheaper than elswhere. It could be said to be suspiciously cheap, but I only see the bargain and buy it quickly before anyone else does.
It is only when I set the destination in to my navigational computer that I realise why the price of the Guardian I buy is cheap, and I start wondering how I will get two systems in and out of low-sec safely. Entering low-sec in my pod is risky, although its agility makes it an unlikely target overall. However, getting the Tech II Guardian back out is a concern. First I consider putting the Guardian back on the market and buying a more conveniently placed ship, but my recent excursions through low-sec in my fabulous Crane have inured me a little towards the dangers of low-sec travel. But I would still rather have a measure of safety.
I buy a shuttle cheaply, and two warp core stabilisers to fit on to the Guardian. I only need to warp away from danger, not stand up to it. The shuttle remains agile and quick, and lets me carry the stabilisers to the low-sec station. The first jump in to low-sec is easy enough, but the second gate has two wrecks on the other side, in the system where my Guardian waits for me. There is no gate camp, though, or any sign of further combat, and I am able to dock in the station easily enough. And there in my hangar is my new ship, ready to be assembled for my pod's insertion. I fit the two warp core stabilisers, but the shuttle is too big for the Guardian's hold. Rather than continue to fill my assets tab, I repackage and put the shuttle back on the market, marked up for a profit of course.
Heading back out in my brand new logistics ship is interesting. The Guardian is entirely unfitted except for the warp core stabilisers, and I am rather hoping not to have to test their reliability. I fly out the way I came, where it looks as if the gate with the two wrecks is about to have more debris scattered around it. Some big ships are having a quarrel on the stargate, settling arguments with guns. According to my sensors, one of the ships, lovingly highlighted by my overview with a red skull, is trying to warp scramble the other. It is probably good that they find each other to fight, as it lets me drop out of warp and jump before they have much time to register my appearance. The rest of the route is clear, thankfully.
Once back in high-sec, I only need to worry about the wormhole remaining open, which it is, and I am back at the tower in w-space in good time. Now I need to fit my Guardian, so it's good that Fin has an example waiting for me to crib from.
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