And the Loot Gods Smiled

The advanced cruiser shifted through hyperspace quicker than most ships its size, on the faint but discernible trail of Gurista pirates operating in sovereign space. It’s functionality tailored specifically to hunt and kill, sensor systems and advanced electronics to locate and engage with any contact, irrespective of dead or alive and hostile. In this case, very hostile indeed.

The Guristas were aggressive and usually swarmed in large numbers, surprising given their propensity to operate in unusual and out of the way locations. Not so surprising if one considered the might of the Caldari Navy waiting just a few AU away, she supposed. But even the CN didn’t have eyes and ears everywhere. Which was exactly where the capsuleer came in, and exactly what the Guristas did not want.

She had been a pilot for four years now and had worked for a majority of the larger corporations operating in Caldari space. In good standing with a number of them, she had begun to find working in highly populated systems wearing. Good pay admittedly, but definitely wearing. It wasn’t just the nature of the occasionally dubious contract. It was the noise. Too many people. Too much electronic chaff. Too much crap spewed into local channels.

For the moment she lived a nomadic life shifting from system to system, hugging the edges of space where people were fewer and life much simpler. All the while dropping probes and scanning. Hunting the telltale signatures and frequencies that the Guritas are wont to use.

This was the fifth system she had jumped to, triangulation of the Gurista communications network on an overlay of known star systems providing a destination each time. As the exotic mathematics driving the warp engines resolved the unresolvable and dropped the ship back into normal space, the ships standard sensor suite came on line and identified numerous hostiles within close proximity.

She quickly compared the signatures of all hostiles against their known configurations and electronic footprints and sighed. There he was. The “Dread” Gurista. The pilot never did understand their need to broadcast who they were. It just made them an easier target. All in all about a dozen destroyers and frigates closed like rabid wolves on a choice piece of meat.

The only trouble was, their chosen target was well armed and very well armored. The pilot locked the Gurista boss and launched her drones. The fight was short and very one sided.

As she tractored the wrecks in for salvaging, she came across an extremely high grade shielding system one that improved the parameters of  an entire shield. On a bigger ship, it might have made a difference. Against her skills and this ship? Not one bit. She sighed again and checked the markets. Then she checked them again and  brightened up considerably. Her ship had just paid for itself. Entirely.

Refocusing on the task at hand and even humming to herself a little bit, the pilot launched sensor probes and recommenced the search. she did not doubt there would be another Dread Gurista out there. She did not doubt he would scream who he was on an inbound and terminal trajectory.

If this was the payment for hunting pirates, then let them…

 

FS

 

H

 

Life is sometimes like a box of dread guristas. Mostly pith shield transporters and hardeners. But once in a very long time you find something spesh… 🙂