Testing the Tengu
21st July 2010 – 5.10 pmRoaming in my Manticore's the only way to hunt because cloaky bombs are best, of course; I'm roaming in my Manticore. But I don't get far when I realise the only bookmark I have for our neighbouring class 4 w-space system is the one leading home again. I go back to the tower and get the missing bookmark copied between ship systems before heading out again, this time being able to warp to the wormhole connecting to a C5. Roaming for targets to shoot doesn't work too well in an unoccupied system, so I move on to the system's static connection to a class 3 system and jump through.
The C3 is occupied, at least. But finding the tower also finds it empty, there being no ships in the system. There is another connection to check and I warp to the wormhole leading in to a C2. Jumping to the C2 finds the system unscanned, the K162 I'm floating next to not even bookmarked. I make sure I record its position before warping away, hoping to find an easy target. Although finding a tower in this system reveals the presence of a Viator transport ship elsewhere I am ill-equipped to locate it unless the ship is lurking at a celestial object.
I return my probeless stealth bomber the way it came, swapping it for my Cormorant salvaging destroyer back at the tower. My colleagues have again gone out in their strategic cruisers to engage Sleepers, offering me more opportunity to salvage. I sweep up all the wrecks in the first cleared anomaly and the profit is looking good. The second anomaly is clear of Sleepers just as I finish salvaging the first and I warp in to continue my efforts. The battle for the third anomaly is still being fought when I finish clearing the second site of wrecks and I head back to our tower to drop off the loot in the meantime. I could loiter in the system, as I have done before, but delivering the currently accumulated profit minimises our losses should my Cormorant get ambushed in a later site.
Whilst at the tower, reason pays me a visit and slaps me in the face. You may have sub-optimal subsystem skills for your Pengu, begins reason, quite resonably, but flying in a fleet of three other strategic cruisers seems to be a much better opportunity in which to test the Tengu's capability than in a smaller fleet, or solo. That's a good point, reason. I tell the fleet my intention to bring Pengu to the fight and launch my Tengu from the hangar. I still need a flux coil to keep my capacitor stable and my shield and missiles aren't quite as effective as they could be, but Pengu still looks good on a theoretical level.
What reason forgot to remind me was that today's neighbouring class 4 system holds a black hole phenomenon. The reduction in missile velocity makes the range of my heavy assault missiles even shorter than normal but I suppose the increase in ship speed should get me within that shorter range a bit more quickly. It doesn't really matter, I just want to be out here in the Tengu shooting Sleepers, making use of my half-billion ISK ship. I warp in to the anomaly where my colleagues are busy and begin targeting and shooting Sleepers.
Whee, what fun! I'm flying a Tech III ship and firing missiles! It makes quite a change from my normal fleet role of piloting the Guardian logistics ship. As engaging as it can be to ensure the fleet remains repaired under heavy fire it can get rather monotonous after almost a year. Now I am speeding between Sleepers and orbiting them whilst my missiles slam in to their armour with impressive rapidity. The return fire from the Sleepers, when they choose to target me, doesn't bother my shield tank at all. Much of the damage is mitigated by my speed and what actually hits me is almost immediately repaired by my continuously running shield booster. This is a successful test flight of Pengu.
The anomaly is cleared of Sleepers. Now I go back to salvage. The wrecks are looted and salvaged, and all the profit returned to the tower and counted. Each of us receives seventy-six million ISK in profit for this evening's cleared anomalies, after the corporation's cut. I go to sleep, happy to have more ISK and feeling more confident about Pengu.
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