Not My Best Day

Last night I logged in and found myself alone in corp (probably had something to do with this...) and I pondered what to do. Cruise in a rifter, hunt in my new experimental ship? Logistics? Then I noticed something very rare, a fleet up in fleet finder. A militia fleet, 7 pilots strong, one jump away. I decided to dive in and joined the fleet and got on their comms. They said they needed an inty so I grabbed my little Malediction and joined up with them on the Osogger gate in Amamake.

The fleet was all from a corp recently joining the militia and the composition seemed reasonable with a few battlecruisers (2 x Hurricanes, Harbinger), a Rifter, and a Griffin. And now me in my fast Malediction for quick tackle.

There was a Caldari Navy Hookbill buzzing around the fleet and my job was to try and catch it, but he stayed away. Then the FC asked one of the battlecruisers to scout out the belts.

A tingling went up in the back of my skull... but I ignored it.

Well, the battlecruiser in the top belt found a Rifter and Dramiel messing around and after some garbled comms and confusion, the order was given to warp in on our pilot, the primary was the Rifter. "OK", I thought, revving up the engines as I entered warp, "tackle time."

I landed and immediately burned at the Rifter and put the 28.8 km point on ready. Grabbed him, called point on comms, settled into orbit with rockets and web and waited for the fleet to reduce him to pieces.

Um... Ok, shields taking a beating... Rifter just entering armour... what's going on?

I look and the fleet is 90km away or more.

WTF?

The FC says on comms, "Someone should go help him."

*FURIOUS RAGE*

I hit structure as I burn away and enter warp, Rifter still alive (and probably laughing his head off). While I'm in station getting repaired the Hookbill warps in on our fleet again and I hear on comms, no word of a lie, this:

FC to our Rifter pilot: "You got tackle on that thing?"

Rifter Pilot: "Yeah, I got a web."

FC: "No point?"

Rifter: "No... should I get one?"

Needless to say the Hookbill danced away from them once more.

I rejoined the fleet at the belt. The Hookbill, emboldened by our fail so far, warped in again and was 50km from us. I asked the FC if he wanted me to try and make a tackle. At this point warning bells and sirens were going off in my head but I figured we should at least be able to kill this single frig and his Rifter wingman. The FC said "go for it" so I lit the MWD, flew at the hookbill, and slapped the point on him. Griffin is gonna ECM his ass, right? A battlecruiser will melt his face, right? I'M NOT ALONE OUT HERE, RIGHT!?!?!?!


WRONG.

I got my pod out and went back to Dal. I picked up another inty, a Caldari Raptor this time. While I was reshipping I hear that the fleet tried to warp back to gate but one of them got tackled and was being beat up by the Hookbill, Rifter, and a Dramiel. I warped to the Amamake gate and the FC tells the fleet to warp back to the belt to help the caught pilot.

At this point I should have cut my losses and left fleet but I felt some responsibility to help. I jumped the gate and warped to the belt.

And no one else did.

Well, the hostiles probably had a good laugh while they tackled me and slaughtered me, I was so incoherent with rage and amazement that they got the pod too.

* * * * *

At this point I knew I was in a fleet not experienced enough for the sharks around Amamake, so I took my leave and decided to decompress with a solo roam in one of my Rifters. I set course for Evati and took off, casually scanning for targets.

I jumped into Egmar and saw a neutral Buzzard and Huginn sitting there. I hesitated and foolishly decided to approach the Buzzard instead of burning back to gate. I totally forgot that I'm a big red flashy and they could engage me without repercussions. I blame the high blood pressure from that terribad fleet experience I just had.

Well, the Huginn tackled me and I decided to late to burn to gate. I was easily dispatched (but got my pod out) and I docked up and decided to go play tanks as I was obviously not meant to succeed tonight.

Sigh.