Circle of Life

Within New Eden there is a food chain.  There are capsules that occupy the bottom and those that stand on top.  This food chain is influenced by the N + 1, player aptitude, ability, skill, planning and just dumb lock.  To better define the N + 1, and outside an individual capsuleer skill set, the larger fleets or player groups will generally prevail over smaller ones.  Even if the smaller is of greater skill.  Not always, but in general.

As a solo nomad living the cloaky lifestyle I am resolved to the fact I will fall victim to larger groups or better players.  I am within the food chain.  But, thanks to my cloak, I am not the bottom rung.

A while back I was trying different Stealth Bomber hulls.  I had completed a number of circuits throughout Pochven in the Hound and was ready to trial the Purifier.  I made a trip to Jita and set myself up with a shiny new Purifier, the Blaster/Rocket combo.  New ammo, cargo, the works.  Not even a scratch on the paint.

I filamented back into Pochven and began to roam the circuit.  At some point, a lucky mining Prospect was found.  Lucky really only for me.  Following my well established process I evaporated the Prospect into oblivion.  But then...

A Rapier was also on grid cloaked along with me.  Likely this Rapier had also seen the Prospect and had the same plans as I.  Well, the Rapier turned my new Purifier into scrap.  Well played.  Later as I reviewed the Prospect and Purifier I pieced together a funny chain of events.  The hunter had become the hunted, and then repeated, and repeated.  The Rapier pilot was caught shortly by a Loki.

The Loki not just satisfied with the Rapier also caught a Venture.  But likely to his surprise was then eliminated minutes later by a Vedmak and Ferox combo.

The Vedmak was eliminated about 14 hours later to a small gang.

The Circle of Life playing out in real time.  And I was just a small cog in that wheel.  A cog near the beginning, but a cog nonetheless.

Likely this happens frequently.  Maybe not within minutes of each event.  We help our targets to remember that they and we are all part of this circle.  Our targets make our hunt fulfilling and necessary.  The eliminations make this universe what it is, risky and costly, but also gratifying.  Pretty deep.  

For now,

Be Well New Eden