Thrasher FTW

I logged on later than I wanted to and decided that the time was too short to get together a good force to go after that last escalation complex. Besides I had a Wolf to replace - that was going to eat into the isk I made from the previous stage but no wipe it out luckily.

So off I go to Rens. Meanwhile I get a whole bunch of stuff contracted to my hauling alt. While the previous escalations had been happening I had been looting and dropping stuff in stations. So while I was busy getting the new wolf (same as the old wolf - I like that fit) my alt was busy hauling things to my main high sec base for eventual sale and melting. Wow have wolves appreciated in price. I did a check to see about the skills for inventing and manufacturing one since paying the "popularity tax" does not particularly interest me in the long run. I've got all the skills to invent and just need to get frigate construction to level 5 (ooo only rank 2, not too bad) to be able to manufacture the Wolf. I'll need to get those 3 science skills to 4 though.

Once I get some of the skills up to be able to fly battleships without embarrassing myself I think I'll take a bit of a side trip to invention land and run up those skills so I'm able to invent and build any T2 ship I can fly. That would be nice. The idea is to take a bit of a break and go mission solidly for a while before going to 0.0 to learn about PvP down there. Build up the Iskies.

Anyways so after some purchases in Rens and some heading over to my high sec base to check out the rig situation (sweet - if I get that stuff out of low sec I'll only need to buy fried interface circuits for the two rigs I want). While this was going on, my CEO asked if I could move some Barrage M for the corp. I said no problem. So he contracted me the ammo. I must teach this guy about courier contracts and how to make multiple of them when cargo space is an issue. Look I'm a fairly trustworthy guy, but not all New Eden residence are quite so honest. Learning how to setup and use courier contracts should be part and parcel of any CEO's lexicon of skills. 10k isk is cheap insurance that things are kept above board (the broker price of making most contracts).

So down I go to low sec to pick up my blockade runner and more loot (including the last salvage I need) in my Shiny new Wolf. Once there I jump into the Prowler and head off to get the salvage baked into rigs. That done, and the ammo moved to a low sec jump off spot (thank you hauling alt) I move the Ammo to the corp office. Then its on my way into Asghed with my shiny new rigs.

As I get into station I notice that there is an open minor FW plex. So I ask the other militia pilots in system if anyone is running it or if they want me to take it. I get no initial answer so after popping the rigs in the Wolf, I grab Killit, my trusty and lethal Thrasher. So I charge the plex and once I'm in there sure enough there's an Amarr Thrasher sitting on the button, having just chased off the fellow militia member in his Rifter.

So in I go and after two gun passes the Amarr thrasher flees with barely enough structure left to hold his ship together. I then clean up the last few rats and go sit on the button. So eventually, a 2nd Matari Militia Thrasher pilot and the Rifter pilot re-shiped into a Griffin arrive and come help run down the plex (we're offensive plexing in an Amarr system). While we are running things down the local count slowly goes up with Amarr pilots. Total enemy count ends up being 5 Amarr pilots. Consisting of 2 Thrashers, a Coercer and two Punishers. But they are slow to get organized and we run down the plex while that is going on.

Just after the plex finishes in they come and the fight is on. During the initial phases we manage to get a kill on the Destroyer pilot that I had initial put into structure (obviously got some repairs done at station while he was busy calling for help). This turns out to be the best fit of the 3 Amarr destroyers although only tech 1. So although I didn't know it I actually got rid of the worst threat to my force early (sorry Jodie but an autocannon fit Thrasher just isn't much of a threat to a artillery equipped Thrasher in the hands of a pilot who knows how to use it). However my Griffin pilot has to warp out and I give the order for the other Thrasher pilot to warp out.

By this point I'm alone with 1 Punisher, 1 Thrasher and 1 Coercer. A bit of jousting ensues and I learn that Jodie's Thrasher has a heck of a tank on it, but just doesn't have the range and Jodie warps out. Then the Griffin gets back in and manages to lockup the Coercer and the Punisher, I go in and start pounding on the Punisher. Jodie warps back in rather close to that fight and the poor Griffin can't get away in time (I'll mention that in lessons learned). Unable to switch locks to Jodie in time the Griffin goes down just as I finish killing the Punisher. BTW the other Punisher either never came in or warped off rather early - I've lost track of it and it never shows up on any of the kill mails so this was actually a 3 v 4 fight.

The poor Griffin pilot got podded (lag or Jodie just being on the ball - hard to tell). Then some jousting between myself and the Thrasher and the Coercer. It is soon apparent though that neither sides remaining pilots are stupid so that is inconsequential and the Thrasher loots two wrecks and they both warp off. Here is the killboard summary of the figh.

Lessons learned:

1. MWD on a Griffin even at the expense of an ECM slot. Look, if the Griffin pilot had managed to maintain his distance he probably never would have lost his ship. Maybe not for fleet fights but for plex fights mobility is crucial.
   
2. Point and Web on an artillery equiped Thrasher = bad. I'll say it again: This is one of those cases where the mantra "All PvP ships should have a point" is plain wrong. If you are fighting an arty Thrasher in web and point range you've already lost.
3. Close range destroyers are fairly good against most frigates since most of those are also fit for close range, but are useless against long range boats.
4. Get on voice coms even if you don't have a mike.

All in all I liked that fight (course I got 2 kills in it). Has to be chocked up as a loss for the Matari side due to the fact we should have gotten out of there with no losses and we did loose the pod but on the flip side we did get the Plex and I did salvage and loot everything there (gave all of it to the pilot that lost his ship and pod).