A funny thing happened on the way back from the bathroom

I'm going to tell this story while it is still fresh in my mind. I've been all over New Eden in the last three years and never once have I been caught while AFK from my ship. Been caught a lot of other ways, goodness knows, but never once without me being "there". Well I was just caught.


I was out roaming alone in my Vengeance, hadn't found anything and suddenly had to use the bathroom. I was in Heverice and no one was on scan, in a safe spot and burning towards something or other. I've done this a hundred times, even though I don't recommend it, so why not? When I come back to my desk my poor little ship is pointed and under attack by a Tusker Vagabond.  Oops.


About 30% into shields already. So now what? My first thought was kill the Vaga, or at least see if I could kill the Vaga. One Vaga against my Vengeance? Might work, depends on how he is fit and whatnot. So I go into battle mode and start overheating everything. It quickly becomes apparent that my AB fit AF is not going to close range on the Vaga, came close once when he changed direction - about 1k outside my web range - but not close enough. So plan b, Burn Away Baby!!


Just then a Drake landed and also started shooting me. My rep is overheated, heck my whole ship is overheated and aligned towards something in the other direction!  I'm actually gaining range, 12k then 20k, before you know it I hit the magic 25k line. I'm spamming the warp button, in case the ship is lost I might be able to get my pod out. But lo and behold I enter warp with 10% structure left!!


I land on the far gate and immediately turn around to go the other way. (Tactical hint two: They saw you warp in that direction, so go the other way!) Sadly they ain't that dumb and the Vaga and Drake are waiting for me on the out gate. Seems they know which direction home is in as much as I do. But I'm not worried, a Vaga and a Drake can't catch me. So I jump. Right into a Tusker Stilletto waiting on the other side.


Hmm. I'm pointed by the Ceptor, I could kill him and escape... but then the Drake jumps in. Expected. They left the Vaga on the other side and are waiting to see if I aggress before he jumps in as well. Instead I burn to the Gate. They don't kill me and I jump thru into the Vaga. At this point I'd home free, the Vaga isn't going to catch me. I warp off to another safe spot, a different one than before!  And start repairing my mods. Yes, I always keep a pile of Nanite Paste in my cargo hold.


Blah Blah I get away.


First of all, kudos to the Tusker pilots that caught me. Well done. Many have tried and no one else has ever managed to do what you just did. Well done. As for the rest, well I should be dead. And I'm not. Whatever happened, if you dropped point to catch my pod or I did manage to burn out of range and warp, you missed me.


You guys should all know I have nothing but respect for the Tuskers, we fly together more often than we fight. So lesson learned on both sides.


Secondly, my days of leaving my ship alone in space are over. I don't do that very often anyway, don't get the wrong idea. When I left there were only three people in local and no one on scan. But I'll have to stop doing that.


Thirdly, even though this ended without anyone getting a kill, it was awesome. This is why I continue to play Eve and why this crazy game isn't like anything else. I love it.