The Eve Online 0.0 Experiment - Post 026 - Staying On The Wagon

Staying On The Wagon

In my journey so far, I had met a vast variety of unique characters, each with differing lives, and I was beginning to truly appreciate the wondrous depth and beauty of this stunning universe.

Nine jumps later, the beauty of the universe was reinforced as I was bitterly attacked by a battleship who was sitting 190km away from the gate I was heading towards. I was astonished by this because I had been led to believe that 120km was maximum range. Nonetheless, he was able to target me and fire at me from this shocking distance.

A large dose of adrenalin pulsed through me and I felt like a panther, swiftly speeding through the night, unflinching, untouchable and absolutely uncatchable, as the shrapnel splintered past my face, and I hurtled towards an uncertain future in the vast jungle of the great beyond.

I certainly felt like one cool cat as I cunningly evaded the battleship (this may have had something to do with the fact that all three hits "barely scratched me") and I joyfully jumped through the gate to live another day.

I arrived at the great market of Curse and docked:



As I browsed the vendors and inspected the vast variety of merchandise on sale, I wondered if there were great profits to be had, supplying one of the many shops here with stock. There were an amazing 7 stations in this system and they sold a large amount of goodies that were essential to most adventurers.

I had been told that it was possible to purchase a blueprint and to use it to manufacture strange and wondrous items. Apparently, many players made a good living from such activities. Perhaps I would look into this idea once I had found a safe place to base myself.

I recorded a note in my journal as a reminder of the location of this mighty bazaar and I decided that I would head further south, to see what great adventures awaited me.

A jump later, I shockingly discovered what had happened after the final Harry Potter film. I wondered if JK Rowling was aware of this surprise twist:



Perhaps he had travelled to the great market of the south, in search of some excellent new magical books, and had been heartlessly podded by muggle pirates along the way. If he had, he certainly wouldn't be the first....

Two jumps later, I docked in a station in XX9-WV and began a conversation with a pilot called Lord Jakara.

I tried not to laugh as I read his bio and discovered that he had been attending very supportive meetings where recovering pirates form a strong social network of positive reinforcement, as they desperately try not to fall off the wagon again:



I couldn't resist the opportunity and began laughing uncontrollably as I thought about his poor and tragic condition, so I asked him how the undoubtedly difficult recovery was coming along:



I genuinely felt sorry for this ex-swashbuckler. I knew it must be difficult to resist the temptation, every time a new name appeared in Local. I only wished there was something I could do to help ease his pain.

I could have sworn I heard the faint rumblings of an almighty YARRRRRRRR building in his lungs, as he desperately tried to stop his finger hovering over the missile launcher buttons in his ship. I was very tempted to fly up and down in front of him in my little shuttle, wiggling my inertial stabilisers to see if he would give in and fire.

However, I decided that if his resolve broke and he fell off the wagon, it would probably end in my podding and I could inadvertantly be the cause of a broken man.

I concluded it would be best to offer my support in this difficult time:




(to be continued..)