"Always expect reinforcements" was a lesson I learned early on as a capsuleer. It's a lesson that has stayed with me as long as I've been a combat pilot and I expect to lose my ship in almost every fight. As early as YC112 out in the fringes of Pure Blind I became aware of "hot-drops". Those times have since changed due to rapidly changing technologies, but nevertheless it is still a valuable lesson to cling to.
Enter the Amarr-Minmatar Warzone - particularly Floseswin, a fairly large system with several stargates connecting to other areas. I'm fond of large systems as directional scan is less valuable. You can warp to an engagement from outside of directional and utilize the tunnel-vision experienced by enemy combatants already engaged to surprise them. There is no more invigorating sensation than landing on an acceleration gate leading into a warzone facility and taking the gate, knowing that on the other side the opposing force is likely too focused to notice your arrival.
When pilot Elsebeth Rhiannon reported that she was engaged by a hostile Kestrel with the Amarr Empire, I was approximately 27AU away and aligned to the gate in my Incursus. I entered warp immediately and took the gate on landing with a rush of adrenaline, but by the time I landed Elsebeth had already dispatched the Kestrel with volley after volley of artillery fire.
I don't readily know if pilot Brynjar Eldr was
already on the field upon my arrival, but I know they were there when I
checked directional and noticed a Nergal - one of the newer hybrid
vessels. The Nergal is a strange ship. A hybridization of the Triglavian
Damavik and the Gallente Enyo, one would expect that I would be
familiar with such a thing considering my history flying Federation-made
classes. Still, the mechanics of the ship largely elude me. I was
flying an Incursus, after all; I was flying the precursor to Enyo.
However, with such a focus on utility, Triglavian ships are a mixed
bag. I didn't have much time to consider the engagement when the Nergal landed on grid with us.
The typical tactic of the Incursus is akin to the Enyo in many ways: Get close, and apply all of your wrath in the form of antimatter. The Nergal was plate-fitted and had the holy trinity of tackle: Scram, Web, Microwarp Drive. The propulsion module is largely useless however when a counter-scrambler is applied. Even more so when a webifier is used in tandem. The ban of any ship against antimatter charges is being a sitting duck.
The Nergal was a mere five kilometers away.
At that distance, it's near impossible to avoid the application of propulsion dampening. Being plate-fitted didn't benefit the Nergal at all in this regard. Within a moment I had it pinned down and its only option was to engage me, leaving Brynjar, flying a Thrasher destroyer, all the luxury of movement and application of artillery cannons.
I lost the Incursus, and Elsebeth would lose her Rifter (I am not sure the details as to how), but the Nergal may have forgotten this golden rule previously mentioned. Pilot Miyoshi Hai arrived not long after in another Thrasher - this one autocannon fit. No amount of plates on a Frigate-class vessel can survive that sort of onslaught.
And so the war moves on: One more pirate having lost an expensive, experimental ship, and unity prevails as the victor.
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