An idealist and a specialist in Naval warfare, CT is the CEO of The I-A Corporation. He is a well travelled pilot and during his journey across New Eden he has made many friendships and enemies as he demands the respect of any pilot whom crosses his path. Notoriously hard to please but with a head for tactical thinking, he is the back bone of I-A and commands the pilots under his banner firmly but fairly.
On occasion he's displayed a darker side to his personality. He has secret aspirations to murder for the sake of murder, but his military training is in a constant struggle with the darker recesses of his mind. Not to be taken as a fool as a swift death will follow anyone who dares to challenge his authority.
CT
EiD
A highly intelligent being and Mr NOXx's mentor for many years. Once a high admiral in the Amarr Navy he befriended Mr NOXx and helped him escape his execution on Sarum Prime.
Over the years he's become a champion of research and development within The I-A Corporation. His latest project is to reverse engineer the artifacts obtained from the many dangerous excursions into wormhole space by Mr NOXx and B13.
He's an individual with great resolve and dedication to his work and displays a knowledge of science and industry which is second to none.
A Pirates Life For Me!
This video has been around a while. I've posted it because to listen to this poor guy cry about his ship loss is to understand why a pirate kills...because they can and it's so damn funny when the victim rants. This sort of thing makes the career worth while.
We're in the Army now, Whoah!
...and so it happened. Fearing reprisals against my mother corporation for piracy I finally succumbed to the administration nightmare of becoming my own boss. I am now officially the CEO of a fledgling pirate corporation, The Imperial Furies.
The new corporations mandate was to transfer the best pilots from The I-A, a research and development corporation and baptise them in the fires of piracy and gang warfare if they so desired. We intended to kill with impunity using covert operations to maximise our effectiveness but as most best intentions go, after a couple of weeks it became clear that the logistics involved in running a corporation with everyone online at the same to run guerrilla gangs behind enemy lines became a real problem. In addition the corporation as a whole became a little demoralised after a few expensive setbacks. This was to be expected but not desired.
So after much discussion with the members a decision was made to enroll our new corporation into a Militia and take advantage of their war to maximise ours. Now before this decision was taken we knew very little about Factional Warfare. We had seen the control bunkers littered around low security Empire but had never given them much credence. Upon researching the concept we found that it was almost perfect for our needs and so we joined unanimously.
The corporations moral was lifted again with this new purpose and a new base was established on the front line between the Amarr and the Minmatar factions. Since then our kill rate as a whole has seen a significant increase, with the added bonus of being immune to war declarations despite frequently pirating in the area. There are more opportunities to kill than ever before in this Militia and there are always missions to do, fleets to join or gate camps to smash. This has made our pilots content with their move and should ensure a steady rate of pilots available online.
I had never before considered that Factional Warfare could be so rewarding and, as you may have noticed from the dates of my last post that I have been very busy enjoying a target rich environment. The Amarr Militia is home to some 80 corporations in constant conflict with the Minmatar Militia and, unlike alliance fleets, our ships are mainly Amarr, and the enemies Minmatar. This makes for some great photos and my camera drones have been working overtime to capture the drama of a Minmatar fleet in combat with an Amarr fleet.
Amarrian Empire space is no longer as 'safe' as it used to be now we are at war. The enemy is consistently infiltrating deeper into Empire despite retaliation from the local Amarr Militia. They are occasionally bold enough to camp the pipe leading into Empire which means that clone jumps are preferable. The deeper into Amarr space one travels the less their presence is felt, but I have been shot at on a couple of occasions within missions. My Sarum Agent is already missing me as my complex Nightmare has been retired indefinitely. This is a real shame as I used to enjoy a spot of mission gank or cosmoss spank but I may still shove in a sneaky mission here and there.
I already have a couple of tall tales of interest which I will post in due course. In the mean time, if you are finding the constant scanning for targets tiresome and the camping of gates boring (I know I do - how can killing haulers all day be fun?) then give factional warfare a look. The pilots found within the militia are willing to throw themselves into the fray and are always up to something interesting or dangerous, or both. You won't be disappointed.
Gutted
Our position was deep into lawless space, 33 jumps from Empire. B13 and I were faced with a long voyage back into the core systems after an excursion which took us through several hostile zones looking for 'opportunities.'
We'd chosen to fly stealth bombers, granting us the ability to pass unseen through enemy territory and take advantage of the incredible damage spike afforded by the 6 cruise missile launchers available between us. The Caldari engineers had worked all day and night to build me a brand new bomber for the operation as my previous ship had been lost to a blockade some months ago. I preyed that a different fate awaited this bird.
After several hours and our ships cargo holds bursting with loot we declared the mission a success. Next we needed to get back home with our spoils. However the route back into Empire became a simple choice.
1. We'd return via the route we had arrived or,
2. We'd take a shortcut through a nearby system, which would cut our journey time and distance down considerably.
We decided that the wisest move would be to take the same old route back. But it would take another hour or so to return home. In addition to this, some local pirates had become aware of our passing, in particular an Interceptor pilot whom had been right on our tail at one point. We had managed to lose him, but only for the moment.
The other route, the shortcut was a bottle neck which lead straight into Empire space. Upon checking the galaxy map statistics we discovered that 9 ships had been destroyed in the system over the last 24 hours. Although the route had fewer systems to traverse, the likelyhood of a blockade was much higher. My gut told me to go back the same old route we'd entered, but after a short discussion about the long arduous journey ahead the second route was chosen to take us home. With the new course set we headed off towards what would be our final destination. En-route my gut began to churn, prompting me to voice my reservations and, duly noted we continued anyway.
Upon jumping into the system we noticed the Interceptor pilot we had seen earlier within the local beacon. Again, my gut attempted to persuade me to reconsider with a twist and a pop , but the decision to proceed was reinforced by logic and reason, and besides we were now very close to Empire.
Upon warping to the final stargate which would take us into protected Empire space we were un-surprised to fly straight into a warp disruption sphere 30 Kilometres from the stargate.
Unable to immediatley jump or cloak we were targeted by small hostile fleet waiting at the stargate. We had only seconds to react and our only chance for survival was to make it to the stargate and jump into Empire. However our ships would not last long under heavy fire. Our only other options available to us were retreating or ejecting, and I am not a fan of either.
We headed for the stargate as quick as our ships would carry us, all the while under attack. The Interceptor we'd seen earlier quicly approached us and B13's tiny vessel dropped back from me as it became webified and warp scrambled. Without any defences on-board, the bomber was blown apart very quickly in a plume of yellow gas and twisted metal.
I retruned the favour by targeting the Interceptor and attempted to jam his targeting systems as he now had B13's POD warp scrambled and was attacking the fragile hull. I ordered my ships systems to into overload as I started flinging cruise missiles at the Interceptor, hoping to distract the pilot. It was no use, B13's POD decompressed as the POD walls collapsed under the barrage of enemy fire and his lifeless corpse froze instantly in the vacuum of space.
Now it was my turn. The Interceptor locked me down as the enemy fleet tore into my ship with a mixed volley of laser fire, missiles and projectiles. My paper thin craft was no match for the ferocity of the barrage and became shredded almost instantly. My escape POD swiftly followed my ships fate. There was a moment of excrutiating pain as my life was taken and I too became a lifeless statue endlessly floating within the infinate blackness of deep space.
Upon jumping into the system we noticed the Interceptor pilot we had seen earlier within the local beacon. Again, my gut attempted to persuade me to reconsider with a twist and a pop , but the decision to proceed was reinforced by logic and reason, and besides we were now very close to Empire.
Upon warping to the final stargate which would take us into protected Empire space we were un-surprised to fly straight into a warp disruption sphere 30 Kilometres from the stargate.
Unable to immediatley jump or cloak we were targeted by small hostile fleet waiting at the stargate. We had only seconds to react and our only chance for survival was to make it to the stargate and jump into Empire. However our ships would not last long under heavy fire. Our only other options available to us were retreating or ejecting, and I am not a fan of either.
We headed for the stargate as quick as our ships would carry us, all the while under attack. The Interceptor we'd seen earlier quicly approached us and B13's tiny vessel dropped back from me as it became webified and warp scrambled. Without any defences on-board, the bomber was blown apart very quickly in a plume of yellow gas and twisted metal.
I retruned the favour by targeting the Interceptor and attempted to jam his targeting systems as he now had B13's POD warp scrambled and was attacking the fragile hull. I ordered my ships systems to into overload as I started flinging cruise missiles at the Interceptor, hoping to distract the pilot. It was no use, B13's POD decompressed as the POD walls collapsed under the barrage of enemy fire and his lifeless corpse froze instantly in the vacuum of space.
Now it was my turn. The Interceptor locked me down as the enemy fleet tore into my ship with a mixed volley of laser fire, missiles and projectiles. My paper thin craft was no match for the ferocity of the barrage and became shredded almost instantly. My escape POD swiftly followed my ships fate. There was a moment of excrutiating pain as my life was taken and I too became a lifeless statue endlessly floating within the infinate blackness of deep space.
Moments later my confused and naked body was rudely ejected from the suspension fluid within my clones holding tank at the Imperial cloning facilites on Sarum Prime. My second damned clone this year. This was becoming expensive. My gut suddenly let me know just how incredibly hungry it was with a bubbling and a boiling which made me feel quite nauseous.
I thought that it was my duty to trust my gut this time and get something to eat.
Wormhole Exploration and Survival Guide
If you are thinking of exploring wormholes there are a few things you must get right first to minimise any chance of becoming trapped or killed. Before reading this guide you should already know how to use scan probes and your on-board scanner to locate the 'door' (wormhole) into w-space. You can review this video guide by clicking this link: Apocrypha Scanning Tutorial.
Clones
Do not take your best clone. Wormhole space is lawless, even more so than 0.0. No-one owns this space and to make matters worse there is no criminal flagging. Any hostile activity committed there is not reprimanded. So take an expendable clone and be prepared to lose it.
Ships
Only take what you are prepared to lose. Try not to take faction fitted ships or unnecessary items in your cargo hold. Chances are you may lose everything. Pirates prey very successfully in wormhole space on pilots eager to explore the 'unknown.'
Try to use a ship which requires no ammunition or take plenty of it. Bear in mind that you may want to salvage and/or loot when you get there so on-board cargo space will be at a premium. Most Amarr faction and some Gallente ships are best suited to explore this space as they require no ammunition at all and can run indefinitely.
Fittings
You will need a scan probe launcher with plenty of probes; 10 at least. This is the most important part of your fitting, if you have no scanning capability then you may become trapped inside the wormhole.
The Sleepers, the enemy NPCs found in wormhole space, attack your tanks lowest resistance. If you're shield tanking, an omni passive tank is your best choice if you can achieve around 1k DPS resistance this way. The sleepers like to Energy Drain(NOS) extensively so your capacitor may become drained very quickly so active tanks will be harder to manage effectively, but they too should be considered, but you'd be on a time limit depending on energy(cap booster/remote rep) supplies.
If you are armour tanking then make sure you have enough of an armour buffer to absorb the attacks if your capacitor is battered too low and you need to escape. Again, an omni tank is your best choice, get your resists as high as possible using passive armour modules. This will help preserve your capacitor should you need to warp out.
I also recommend an After-Burner(AB). They are very useful if you need speed and distance to get out of disruptor range as some Sleepers will Disrupt and Webify you. If Disrupted by more than a single enemy ship and you don't have WCS fitted, primary the Webifiers and destroy them quickly, then AB out of Disruptor range(20km) and warp to a safe-spot if needed.
Remember speed is life, as the Sleepers tracking is not great so orbit close and they will miss you enough, enabling you to tank them more effectively. I wouldn't recommend an exclusive speed tank, if you want to speed tank then fit a modest shield or armour tank at least, just in case you get Webified.
Always fit a Damage Control(DC) unit. This works with your AB by allowing you enough of a hull buffer to escape Disruptor range should your tank fail. If your tank fails in wormhole space it does so spectacularly.
You may or may not want to bring a cloak. Again this depends on your intentions. Fitting both a cloak and WCS will seriously compromise your ability to target quickly so decide early on what your mission is and stick to it. You can always come back again fitted differently. Use of a Covert Opeartiuons cruiser or battleship removes the damage to the sensors, but these are expensive, bear that in mind.
Work together and assist fleet members with Armour, Shields or Capacitor. Make sure you bring either Maintenance Bots or Transfer Arrays to achieve a spider tank.
Do not use Electronic Counter Measures(ECM) modules on the Sleepers as the enemy AI will primary you. Save your jamming equipment for other 'encounters.'
Gas clouds and most of the rarer asteroids can be found within these virginal 'unkown' systems so you may want to bring Mining Lasers, Mining Drones and/or Gas Cloud Harvesters. Keep close to protect your mining drones as enemy spawns are likely.
Fleet
Bring a Covert Operations frigate to aid with the exploration and exploitation of this new frontier. This may not always be possible, but it should be first choice for any fleet. If you don't have this option then you will need your own scan probe launcher. This cannot be stressed enough. You will need scan probes to return to normal space if the wormhole collapses. And there is little indication as to when that could be, only a vague warning from the infromation gathered from the wormholes icon. If you don't bring any probes then you could end up becoming trapped indefinitely.
Once your fleet is ready; you are at the wormhole and you are about to embark on an adventure unlike any you have seen before...
It is useful to know exactly what to expect within the unknown space as you enter. Using the locust signature code; found as the name of the system in the top left corner of the main view screen, it is possible to recon the space upon entering. Follow this link for the Wormhole Database and enter the code to discover what lies within.
Entering
Upon entering wormhole space immediately bookmark the wormhole, then set about marking a few bookmarks as safe spots. Try to make at least 3. Scan the system for other ships as soon as you can. Then scan the system regularly, ideally at 60 second intervals.
A Probe scan is also necessary to locate possible exploration sites and a scan using combat scanner probes is also useful - it is possible to field both types of probes in space at the same time. It's important to note that even if you do not read any other ships in the system, this does not mean that it is empty. Cloaked ships will not show on your scans so always be vigilant and ready to take the appropriate action if required. Try to remain aligned at 75% thrust to a safe spot (make an emergency safespot as close to the central star as possible - giving a point-of-reference to align to quickly) and never leave your ship unattended, unless you have a cloak fitted, and even then it isn't condoned.
If a POS tower is picked up on your scans it may be better abandoning the wormhole altogether as there are plenty of corporations whom make their homes in w-space and will attack to protect themselves and their installed assets.
Engaging the Sleepers
The sleepers will attack you in force and will Webify, Disrupt and NOS you so be prepared to become locked down. In addition to this they posses smart AI, priority target acquisition. This means that, unlike during missions or when ratting, they will change their primary targets depending on certain threat factors. No-one is safe while engaging them so all ships and pilots should be prepared to assist each other. Stick together and use spider tanking to aid fleet members when required.
Battleship sized targets should be engaged at close range, this will be under their weapons optimal and will help tank the spawns. In addition, if the DED has turrets, such as found in missions or guarding stations and jumpgates you must destroy them first as the Damage Per Second (DPS) output is large enough to obliterate targets smaller than a cruiser and will seriously dent the tank on most ships.
De-clutter your overview so you can identify hostiles quicker and keep aligned and moving as much as possible.Leave all but one enemy ship alive and clear the area of wrecks, loot and salvage before destroying the final target. Upon destruction of the final target, a re-spawn is likely so clear the battlefield of valuables before moving onto the next spawn.
Escaping
Before warping to the wormhole scan ahead and take the appropriate action depending on what you find there. It's difficult to judge other ships intentions, but under no circumstances talk in the local channel as this will give you away to anyone else present and may invite hostiles to your position.
If the wormhole has collapsed there are only a few options available to you:
1. Suicide. You should be prepared for this eventuality. It's important to weigh up your options first as this should be treated as a last resort. Without any loot or salvage the mission is a failure as the Sleepers do not provide bounties.
2. Ask for help in local. This is not recommended as more than likely, as there is no criminal flagging, you will become the victim of opportunists and may be killed anyway. You can ask for help from fellow Corporation members, but the likely hood of them being able to find you are nigh on impossible.
3. Scan down a new wormhole exit. Persistence is the key here. Keep scanning and your fingers crossed. If you find another wormhole, check where it goes first using the Wormhole Database.
4. If you have no scan probes, see options 1 and 2.
This concludes this guide to wormhole exploration and survival. There is much more to learn from w-space but that is in your capable hands. Fly safe...
Related Links
Local Villain
System: Classified
Security: 0.4
Whilst sitting within my cloaked Recon watching the endless rolling of several asteroids accross the sky and trying to hunt Cosmic Anomolies without much luck, the local beacon sprung into life after a period of silence that seemed to last for a lifetime. It jarred my senses and forced me from my lazy thoughtlessness causing my ships systems to hum and whistle into life again. It was receiving a garbled and pannicked voice urgently requesting assistance.
Unknown Pilot> Help! Can anyone help me? I am being attacked by rogue drones! My location is the asteroid field nearest the fifth moon of the second planet.
The local beacon was not reporting any Corporation groups within the system but one still needs to be careful, intelligence is one of the greatest assets you can gain within New Eden, and I was collating.
Narrowing my scan to the coordinates specified by the message I found a large ORE mining ship called a Hulk in a local asteroid belt, and another ship, a Vexor one belt above his position. The Vexor appeared to be responding to this fellows request for assistance, but intentions in low security space are never clear.
Salivating over a quick kill I ushered my Force Recon into warp and navigated to a safe position within the belt to observe. Upon my arrival, the Hulk was indeed under attack from three Sansha frigate spawns and a cruiser. My trusty Recon coasted to a stop 20 kilometres below the plane of the asteroid field, safely away from the decloakiing boulders. There I sat in silence, watching, waiting.
Moments later the Vexor warped onto the grid and immediately set a trajectory to intercept the grand mining ship. With the Vexors' targeting of the Hulk, his intentions bacame clear. A cloud of attack drones burst from the Vexor and proceeded to eat into the shields of the mining vessel. Upon aggression, the Hulk released its own army of attack drones and retaliated.
With both pilots engaged and distracted, I crept into range, uncloaked my Force Recon cruiser and locked down the Vexor, launching my own fleet of deadly specialised attack drones. Applying my Warp Disruptor on the Vexor combined with twin Stasis Webification(WEB), he was quickly subdued and taken into his ships armour layer. With the Vexors' armour repairer online I applied an Energy Disruptor to ruin his capacitor. Within seconds his armour had failed under the barrage of both my Recons drones and the Hulks as they punched huge holes into his helpless cruiser and caused plombs of fire and debris to spew from within.
A little late he realised what was going on and redirected his drones towards my ship, but a few moments later the Vexor exploded with a flash of blue gas and engine plasma. Pieces of his ship struck my shields and span out into the asteroid field.
Quickly finding his emergency POD entwined within the wreck of his ship I scrambled his warp field and opened up a communications channel.
Mr NOXx> Greetingz...
Vexor Pilot> Yes?
Mr NOXx> You are under my control. To bargain for your life I demand 20 million isk, you have 30 seconds to comply...
Vexor Pilot> 20 million? I dont' have that much isk, and that was my only ship.
Mr NOXx> Then you will feel very bad in 20 seconds...
Vexor Pilot> Okay, hold on. I may have something.
Mr NOXx> 10 seconds remaining...
Vexor Pilot> Please, give me a moment, I beg of you?
Begging is one of those things men do that I cannot condone. This Gallente was going to die in the name of Amarr along with his pathetic crew before him.
Mr NOXx> You have had 30...time is up. Farewell.
I ordered a single attack drone upon his defenceless POD.
Vexor Pilot> Wait! Please! Stop!
The hostile drone chewed through the delicate skin of his POD slowly as he continued to beg for his life. Then, I heard again that familiar sound of a mortal body exploding into the frozen void as his POD finally decompressed and his frozen corpse joined his charred crew members entwined amongst his wrecked hull.
Time to get going then I thought, scooping up the pilots' biomass to keep as a trophy. Perhaps one more kill before I head back, lets see if I can find that Hulk. My Force Recon ship followed my minds desire precisely as she slowly dissolved back into the darkness surrounding her golden hull and vanished.
Security: 0.4
Whilst sitting within my cloaked Recon watching the endless rolling of several asteroids accross the sky and trying to hunt Cosmic Anomolies without much luck, the local beacon sprung into life after a period of silence that seemed to last for a lifetime. It jarred my senses and forced me from my lazy thoughtlessness causing my ships systems to hum and whistle into life again. It was receiving a garbled and pannicked voice urgently requesting assistance.
Unknown Pilot> Help! Can anyone help me? I am being attacked by rogue drones! My location is the asteroid field nearest the fifth moon of the second planet.
The local beacon was not reporting any Corporation groups within the system but one still needs to be careful, intelligence is one of the greatest assets you can gain within New Eden, and I was collating.
Narrowing my scan to the coordinates specified by the message I found a large ORE mining ship called a Hulk in a local asteroid belt, and another ship, a Vexor one belt above his position. The Vexor appeared to be responding to this fellows request for assistance, but intentions in low security space are never clear.
Salivating over a quick kill I ushered my Force Recon into warp and navigated to a safe position within the belt to observe. Upon my arrival, the Hulk was indeed under attack from three Sansha frigate spawns and a cruiser. My trusty Recon coasted to a stop 20 kilometres below the plane of the asteroid field, safely away from the decloakiing boulders. There I sat in silence, watching, waiting.
Moments later the Vexor warped onto the grid and immediately set a trajectory to intercept the grand mining ship. With the Vexors' targeting of the Hulk, his intentions bacame clear. A cloud of attack drones burst from the Vexor and proceeded to eat into the shields of the mining vessel. Upon aggression, the Hulk released its own army of attack drones and retaliated.
With both pilots engaged and distracted, I crept into range, uncloaked my Force Recon cruiser and locked down the Vexor, launching my own fleet of deadly specialised attack drones. Applying my Warp Disruptor on the Vexor combined with twin Stasis Webification(WEB), he was quickly subdued and taken into his ships armour layer. With the Vexors' armour repairer online I applied an Energy Disruptor to ruin his capacitor. Within seconds his armour had failed under the barrage of both my Recons drones and the Hulks as they punched huge holes into his helpless cruiser and caused plombs of fire and debris to spew from within.
A little late he realised what was going on and redirected his drones towards my ship, but a few moments later the Vexor exploded with a flash of blue gas and engine plasma. Pieces of his ship struck my shields and span out into the asteroid field.
Quickly finding his emergency POD entwined within the wreck of his ship I scrambled his warp field and opened up a communications channel.
Mr NOXx> Greetingz...
Vexor Pilot> Yes?
Mr NOXx> You are under my control. To bargain for your life I demand 20 million isk, you have 30 seconds to comply...
Vexor Pilot> 20 million? I dont' have that much isk, and that was my only ship.
Mr NOXx> Then you will feel very bad in 20 seconds...
Vexor Pilot> Okay, hold on. I may have something.
Mr NOXx> 10 seconds remaining...
Vexor Pilot> Please, give me a moment, I beg of you?
Begging is one of those things men do that I cannot condone. This Gallente was going to die in the name of Amarr along with his pathetic crew before him.
Mr NOXx> You have had 30...time is up. Farewell.
I ordered a single attack drone upon his defenceless POD.
Vexor Pilot> Wait! Please! Stop!
The hostile drone chewed through the delicate skin of his POD slowly as he continued to beg for his life. Then, I heard again that familiar sound of a mortal body exploding into the frozen void as his POD finally decompressed and his frozen corpse joined his charred crew members entwined amongst his wrecked hull.
Time to get going then I thought, scooping up the pilots' biomass to keep as a trophy. Perhaps one more kill before I head back, lets see if I can find that Hulk. My Force Recon ship followed my minds desire precisely as she slowly dissolved back into the darkness surrounding her golden hull and vanished.
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