Traps smell. There is a scent to them. The hair on the back of your neck goes up. Dscan says things that almost make sense but they don't mesh with everything else. You know it is a trap but you can't prove it because the trap has not yet been sprung.
A trap is not inherently bad. Knowing that you are stepping into one and planning can create a fantastic situation due to the removal of the element of surprise. Awareness is a potent tool. I find there to be no shame in hiding and avoiding situations. I live in low sec and with that comes a constant decision making process about the situations that I put myself in.
I was running a little carebear fleet in the home system with some of the new members. I'm a sucker for being asked to tank things now that I can tank things. I'll drag them out to PvE with me for some ISKies and the simple exercise of working together and practicing survival skills. I tossed a fleet together and undocked the sleipbear. I had a few hours before I was checking out of my room and heading home from Eve Vegas. Some laid back PvE in the home system with my new peeps sounded like a good way to burn some time.
I like and dislike anomalies. I like that they are easy to find and go and make isk at. I dislike that they are easy to find. When people popped up in local I went 'hmm' for each one. When a member of one of the Russian pirate corps appeared and then a second and stayed, I directed everyone to bail to a safe and regroup and regather.
"It's a drake and a rupture, we can take that!"
I sighed. I love the eagerness of our new members. One reason I don't often take them out is because I do not share that eagerness to throw myself into everything. "Aye, it is a drake and a rupture. However, they are also the group that runs around 20-30 blob strong at this time of day."
"We're not going to fight them?"
"You are welcome to it. I can almost bet that they are sitting on the gate. Ruppy and drake scream tanky as hell. They just have to hold us for a little bit." We were a sleipbear, myrm, cane, and ruppy with me. If the fleet comp had been different maybe, but as the oldest person on the field, the only one with T2 guns while duel boxing our logistics ship... it wasn't going to happen. I won't stop anyone but I won't lead into it.
The they left, then they came back with three. Drake, Rupture, and a covops. Then out, then in, then out, then three different people. I broke down the fleet and docked everyone as I counted 6 or 7 different people running in and out of the system back and forth. A drake hung around forever. Tempting but not temping enough.
So, am I a pussy? Yes. I made it clear in fleet that I was not prepared to turn the bearfleet into a PvP fleet. That is not where I am as of yet. If its disliked, they can drop fleet. But it was a trap. Everything about it said it was a trap. They know we undock in our home system and they know our hours. I'm the better safe then story type and everything screamed, smelled and tasted of trap.
My own personal cowardice when on my own or in charge of anything is an ongoing issue. I use issue because it is something that I wish to overcome in a more aggressive manner vs my current habit of removing myself from the situation. I find it amusing that I publicly admit to it. The same corp member from above told me that he has become to doubt my desire to PvP. I suggested that he avoids my carebear fleets in the future then.
But its only a game, who cares if you lose your ship? I think about this question a lot. The first thing is that I don't have a problem with losing my ship. The issue at hand has nothing to do with ship loss and everything to do with situational decisions. I often hear it from those that "Had fun exploding". I've oft answered it by saying that I am the serious and boring type. I am not going to qualify that a bit. My game is to make the best strategic decisions that I can. That is were my pleasure comes from. As tackling anything and seeing what happens thrills some, situation analysis and decision making are a 'thing' for me. I'm not unhappy that I can remove myself from bad situations. I am unhappy that I can not yet comfortably approach them in a more aggressive manner.
About an hour later I was linked to a kill mail where that group dropped triage carriers down to blap some folk. Triage carriers. What delicious information to store away. I have the feeling they are peeking around the loop to see who is awake and when the other pirate corps are asleep, they are doing some reckless things.
And then today, as I finished up this entry those same reckless things got them dropped while bashing a POS. Whoops.
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