So. Good news. I completed the new PI setup to my satisfaction, and I can now turn out twice the number of Recursive Computing Modules and a P3 on one production planet, so everything’s centralised. Using mainly P2s as the inputs, a Mammoth can happily dump the vast majority of P2s needed into the production planet in one visit, and away it goes. Shiny. This is a hi-sec production point, which has turned out to be a very fortunate thing, because…
Bad news. Some of my main’s planets were in a lo-sec system. Historically, apart from a few annoying individuals, this wasn’t a problem and my faithful Prowler aka Roadrunner had carried out many, many uneventful collection and delivery runs into the system. Unfortunately, my main’s corp has had its POCOs in the system wiped out and replaced by ones under new ownership, which I knew was a possibility from recent events.
As it turned out, the new owners aren’t so keen on outsiders using their POCOs (odd, given they would make more money from them, but I don’t think they’re really an industrial Alliance). So whilst I thought I’d spotted a ship as I came up to one of the new POCOs, I sort of shrugged as I was under cloak. My mistake. I took a second too long getting my cargo aboard – proximity to the structure meant I had inevitably decloaked. Two stealth bombers decloaked and locked me up pretty rapidly, and they had a Dominix and Oracle on fire support. Scratch one Prowler. Good news was, I got my pod out in one piece – so no new medical clone required, and no new implants required. Could have been worse, and I could have sworn my MWD had gotten me far enough out of range to go to warp. But anyway. Could have been lag, my rather old laptop struggling, whatever.
Long story short, having looked at the system’s kills for the past few days it’s immediately apparent that these guys are not letting anyone come to play in “their” system. They’ve locked it down. So that’s put paid to my lo-sec PI planets. However, it’s also an opportunity for me to consolidate my PI in hi-sec, which is far less exciting, but far safer, of course. Fine. It means I will gather a little less, certainly, but it won’t be too difficult to replicate my original plan, touch wood.
Lessons learned? Just because you thought a lo-sec system seemed quiet last time you were in it, don’t assume it will be next time, no matter how many visits you’ve made in the past. Stay cloaked if you can, assess local, think about your best course of action. Habit probably killed my ship yesterday as much as anything else. Still, not to worry. Life goes on. Some payback would be nice, but I’m not a PvPer and these guys are clearly very good at what they do, so… Fly safe. Safer than me, at least!