Kill of the Week: Thank You CCP

Last week I went on a roam with some Cartel pilots and we ended up getting our battlecruisers trashed at a gate near Minmatar space by a Tempest / Megathron / Hurricane group (but we got the Tempest) and since it was near the end of my night and I had one Thorax left in Dal which was only 7 jumps I decided to log off. This week I ran over to Dal, jumped into the Thorax, and headed back to base in Gallente low sec.

Along the way I wasn't looking for trouble but I was ready in case trouble found me. A Hurricane at one gate, a Helios at another, a gate camp that engaged a battleship that jumped through with me so I could fly off, the usual non-events.

Only three jumps from home and I'm warping to the out gate in Vitrauze. Neutrals in local. I come out of warp on the out gate and see a pod of one of the neutrals. At first I think its just a case of us passing each other but I noticed that a) the pod is at least several klicks off the gate and b) its velocity is zero.

I auto-jump before I can react and I decide to burn back to gate and have a closer look. Surely the pod would be gone but I was not in a rush and the Thorax was cheap if I got into trouble.

I jumped back into Vitrauze and the pod is still there. I noticed that one other neutral in system has a similar name and similar profile picture so I figure someone left an alt on a gate and forgot about it as they were busy with their main. I hit approach and start the target. It takes a long time for a non-boosted cruiser to lock a pod and surely, surely, the pod would warp away before I got a lock.

Nope.

I have a little chuckle and warp off to a safe spot to wait out the global criminal counter. Don't go afk in low sec on a gate kids, even especially in your pod. I brought up the killmail to post to the killboard and ... HOLY SHIT!

When did mining foreman mindlinks get so expensive?

Beyond the insanely expensive minlink, we have two +5 implants, one implant for refining improvements, and one implant for 5% turret damage. Plus a cheap 3% tracking implant and 3% power grid implant (cheap being 18 million ISK each).

Zainou 'Beancounter' Refining RX-804 - A neural Interface upgrade that boosts the pilots manufacturing skills. 4% reduction in refinery waste.

 

 

 

Eifyr and Co. 'Gunslinger' Surgical Strike SS-905 - A Eifyr and Co. gunnery hardwiring designed to enhance skill with all turrets. Grants a 5% bonus to all turret Damages. 

Thank you, CCP, for putting implants on podmails. That fortuitous encounter made my week.