A Close Shave

Metropolis region - Tiat cluster - Star: Auner

Experimental fits are always a risky business, especially when flying solo. Doubly so when one is flying a ship which cost nearly a hundred million credits and has only been out of the docking bay for long enough to make sure all of its weapon linkage systems are functioning properly.

Having just refitted the Nightgaunt, a Rapier-class cruiser, for a sortie in the low security frontiers of Metropolis, I crossed into Auner with apprehension...

To my surprise (and luck) there was a fresh signal on my overview which indicated a cynosural field had just been opened in the system. Running a 14 AU directional scan came up with three potential targets, each corresponding to the three names listed in the local roster: An Iteron V (apparently at a safe spot), a probe (presumably with the cynosural field generator) and a Nomad (obviously the ship entering via the cyno field). Without hesitation, I launched forward to drop in to within ten kilometers of the probe. Reasonably I could have come in farther away, considering that there may be a carrier or some other escort following the Nomad, but I was equipped with only short-range guns and didn't want to miss the chance to test them out.

After a few moments the Nomad docked at the nearby station, and as I saw no new ships entering from the wormhole I took my initiative and decloaked, speeding towards the probe left to consume the rest of the liquid plasma fuel from the recent cynosural field maintenance. "This shouldn't take but a moment," I thought to myself, "and I'll be able to test this tank against the station guns without too much risk..."

"Without too much risk" was a very subjective assessment, as I was soon to learn.

"Weapons primed?" -check-
"Decloak. Lock target. Initiate orbitting sequence."

Should have been like clockwork.

It was then that I noticed something was amiss... my weapons were amiss. Why wasn't I causing any damage? Well, something must have been working 'cos I had incoming fire from the sentry turrets and was beginning to see red creeping into my shields. "Gaahh," I just realized that I hadn't switched off my microwarpdrive and was orbitting too widely to effectively hit my target... and now my capacitor was running a little lean as well. Dive in, kill MWD, let's give it all we've got...

I see a few volleys strike home on the defenseless probe, but realize that this is cutting it too close for my liking. The station sentries had me nearly down to armor by this point and I would hate to lose my ship in such an ignoble manner. I Decide to warp out.

Umm... warp?

Warp... warp... warp...

WARP, DAMN YOU!

[Overwatch commentary: This is a very critical situation. Your humble narrator has just realized that he is about to lose connection with the main server, and his ship is under heavy fire from station sentries.]

Fuck it. [ESC]>[Log Off]... wait... wait... wait...

Type in password>[Submit]... wait... wait... wait...

[Enter Game]

...

Ship intact. Three red bars - 45% structure left. Warp spam. Cloak.

Holy Whore of Babalon, that was close.