Down the Rabbit Hole...

Being a beginner at something is always difficult. You are unsure of every step you make, not because you are afraid, but simply because you don't want to make a rookie mistake. But making rookie mistakes is an unavoidable aspect of learning. Learning to pirate was no different.


I began in a system called Endenrailen. I had settled here for locational reasons, it was low-sec giving me a decent jumping ground for basic PVP, and it was close to high-security areas, allowing me to perform "griefing" tactics such as "can flipping" on "carebears".


I was still getting used to this pirate lingo, I had frequented many dingy space bars, hazy with smoke I would sit and have a quiet drink. Around me gruff pirates drunk and played holo-poker, generally ignoring my presence. The more they talked, I sensed that they had a seething hatred for people they labelled as "carebears". Once I realised what these carebears were, and what they represented, I found myself sharing this hatred.


I learnt the following and recorded it hastily into my electronic database:-

• Carebear: One who avoids combat with another player at all costs, by doing this they stay in high security space, protected by the Caldari government that I despise. They toil away for government corporations, mining, mission running. I decided I would begin my pirating giving them as much grief as possible, hopefully allowing them to see the light. Or as some may call it, the dark.



• Griefing: Fairly self explanatory, to cause somebody "grief"in what they are doing, it may sound harsh and mean, but at least it gives them something to feel. The alternative for them is the dull, numb feeling of regimented corporation "orders" coming from above. That is not living.



• Can Flipping: This is done in high security space, protected by CONCORD. Often carebear miners will place ore into a cargo container, so that they can mine a lot more, and then pick up all the ore at once with a hauler. Pirates take advantage of this carebear laziness by flying up to the can [cargo container], jettisoning a can of their own, and moving all the ore from the miners can into their own can. Essentially all the ore becomes yours, and if the miner attempts to take the ore back, it gives you kill rights on them as they are "stealing" your ore. It goes without saying the miner also has kill rights on you after you "flip" the can. It also goes without saying carebear miners don't usually carry guns.

Endenrailen was a good starting point for me, I learnt many new things, like how to use my onboard directional scanner. As I had learned from my visits to the bar, solid use of your directional scanner is key to better pirating. I trawled through low-sec for many days, I didn't get one kill, and I was new to the scene, and under-estimated my targets. I attempted to take on 2 caracals with my Incursus. I warped out with my ship at structure. Lesson learnt. Endenrailen was too quiet, and not full of feasible targets. I needed a change.

While thinking about where I wanted to head, I tried my hand at can-flipping. I had performed a few flips before, but the carebears generally remained passive and ignored me. Apart from a few frustrated chat invites things remained very uneventful. My first bit of excitement occurred not from a can-flip itself, but someone elses' wreck that I looted. His name was Warren Strife, and he gets the credit for stripping me of my PVP virginity.

Warren Strife was flying a Destroyer Cormorant. I was eager for trouble, with days of nothing happening I was frustrated. I was looting wrecks that weren't mine and can flipping with abandon. Out of the blue Warren Strife engages me with his railguns, after my initial 0.5 second shock, I lock into gear. I set to orbit him at 500m and engage my warp disruptor and my 3 Light Electron Blaster I's. My guns were blasting his shield to shreds, and it appeared that he couldn't even lock me with his railguns. I remained mostly undamaged while I pelted around at a close orbit. I had him at structure, and showed no mercy. There would be no ship ransom for my first kill. He was going down.

His ship went 'pop' and I enjoyed the adrenaline rush of doing something that didn't include "warp to 0m of location". He seemed to take it well, I received no smack, no EVEMail declaring his undying hatred. In that respects I was a bit disappointed. But I declared it the most fun I had experienced to date, and endeavoured to carry on with my personal regime against high security-brainwashed-corporation-minions!