An Old Duel, but a good read?

Not strictly an act of piracy, so I'm not sure whether some of you will be interested, but heres my first ever space lane tale.

After leaving Ushra'khan (Long story, not enough time to tell it here) I joined a Merc corp of some friends and decided I'd try to get some combat experience and have a laugh will doing. So I geared up in my favourite Rifter and set off to low sec to see what there was to see.

I find a nice 0.3 system, lots of belts, few planets, couple of stations, and it seemed that the traffic was quiet high, so surely I'd find something that could interest me here.

I warp to a planet at a middlish distance and decide I'd start scanning to see what was sat around is. Now less than 30 seconds later, a Tristan warps in around 30 km away from me.

I look at the character, around the same age, I look at the corp, pretty undescriptive and I look at the ship itself and I can see 2 blasters. What then caught my attention was that it was picking up speed and closing range, I think to myself "Hmmm, surely he isnt going to..." So I fire up the AB and begin my approach.

We get within 10km from each other and he hasnt ran away, so me, being me, I preemptivly lock on and begin my attack. Webber on, close some more, Warp Scrambler humming away against his hull, closer still and the orange glow of the Nosferatu links me with the Tristan, I whack all 3 autocannons into fire simultaneously and the fight is on.

He activates a scarmbler, anti matter fire from the blasters beginsmto hit the shields, I winced, but it seemed that this was not neccesary, he wasn;t doing the damage I'd come to associate with blasters, and was doing 20 damage top a hit. A little wasp drone is released and begins a a lock.

My Autocannons had quiet rapidly devoured the Tristans shields, where as my shield at this point was less than half way gone, and with the wasp doing around 5 damage a time, I deem it unworthy of my guns attention, so I keep pressing the attack. As I've blasted away around 1/4 of his armour he lands a few nice hits on me, and the fight suddenly becomes a lot more even. By now the adrenaline is begining to rush through my system and the rush htis my senses.

He activates a shield repper, but to little effect, each boost is quickly removed with another chucnk of armour, where as I've managed to crawl back up to shields thanks to the NOS keeping my cap in check. Then after a succession of nice hits on my part, he's into structure, next second later his exploded, cargo can and pod sitting there with the drone now just sitting there idolly.

I ignore the pod, he'd given me a suprisingly good fight considering it was a Tristan, he remains a moment, before warping off into the distance, I hurridly grab the loot and create an impromptu SS incase he had friends en route or he decided to scream in local. Not a word.

I then recieve a private conversation request from the defeated Tristan pilot, so I accept. I tell him it was a good fight almost the same time he tells me the same, seems he's a sporting fellow. We have a good natter about the fight, I say maybe if he'd been in an Incursus the fight would have gone a different way, he says it was his skills, although he was glad I engaged him, he'd come looking for a fight but didnt fancy the security hit. After a pleasent conversation he says that he'll train up a little more and seek me out one day for a rematch, I tell him i can't wait.

I warp to the Star to wait of my Criminal Tag and by moving here if I was found i could retreat to the SS, this would allow me to maintain the SS and not risk it getting broken out of the blue.

About 5 seconds after my Tag has worn off, a Catalyst warps in around 50km from me, armed to the Teeth with blasters, now I beieve I'm the only one who makes a habit of flying to STars now and then, so I warp to a planet at 100km.

He warps in shortly after me at the 15km distance spot. So I warp away to another planet, this time I warp in to see a Thorax sitting 30km away, had the hunter become the hunted I thought? I warp away again, this time I'm not followed.

I keep my eey on local and noticed 2 -10 sec status pirates with sizable bountys and years of experience between them entering theb system, I decide that it'd be best to hide from the bigger fish, and make my way to a station.

The catalyst pilot on local jests Aww come on Pliskkenn, your Rifter vs my Catalyst, what do you say? Having notice it was equipped to the teeh with blasters, I politely decline.

About a minute later the Catalyst Pilot says to the Thorax Pilot, hey you owe me 28k. The Rax pilot replied, no I don't this is low sec, and I like Medium Blasters. The catalsyt pilot complains that it was oevrkill, then me and the rax pilot call him a hypocrit.

He then challenges me to a duel in his Atron, now at first I don't believe him, but exit the station anyway, and he was indeed, sat in an Atron. So he says "Planet 3, we'll fight now" And warps off. I decide not to follow him, I'm not an idiot. I gang him and he declines, I tell him I refuse to duel if he doesnt, he reluctantly joins and its just me and him in gang, which he was pleased about. We Say in local, to planet 3 then, and I gang warp us to an SS around 40000km from Planet 3 I made a few SS's working of my tag....I was bored ok?

One of the Pirates I mentioned earlier goes Hehe, see you at planet 3. I sighed a deep sigh then.

So at the SS we warp in and we begin battle, almost as soon as were there he leaves gang, I knew it, he was trying to pull a fast one and get a gank "Although its a Rifter, come on. And if he did it in fear of BEING ganked, its an Atron, its not as if I want to over power you drastically" Luckily you can;t join another gang for 20 seconds, so I set about my usualy combat procedures and take him out in less than 10. He got my shields to maybe 3%, he was eaten alive. I grab the loot and head to another SS.

He compliments me on a good set up and I just grin, he didnt deserve a returned compiment in my eye, but I thanked him for the fight.

And so, ended my dueling spree. Not much in the way of loot. 3 Small Ion Blasters, some shield equipment, but that wasnt why I came here, I came for the thrill of battle, and I must say, I was sated...for now.

Cleared for publication by: Ander