Cycles

Nine and a half years ago, I sat in my Merlin with all my EVE possessions in the cargo hold on a gate in a 0.5 high sec system, I don't remember which one, and nervous as hell. I had only ever been in Kisogo, Jita, and Perimeter running missions(1) and I was terrified that the lower sec status meant death around every corner.

I was barely a two weeks old and had done nothing but try to run missions... badly. I had been close to quitting when my friend Adam from the warhammer group who's stories about EVE got me to download the game contacted me and offered to bring me into his corporation. I was waiting for him to escort me to the home base in low sec. I didn't know what I was doing.

He arrived and we went off, avoiding some pirates along the way while my heart pounded in my chest. Eventually we arrived at Pelille in the Placid region. "Welcome to your new home!" Adam said to me.

* * * * *

Last night, I was sitting in my Incursus, a small fraction of my total net worth, in low sec on an acceleration gate where three Caldari Militia enemies were waiting. They had a Hookbill, Firetail, and a Merlin and with me was another Incursus.

"Ready?" I asked. "I haven't PvP'd in 4 or 5 years before tonight," he responded. "S'ok, like riding a bike. Activate gate."(2)

We warped into the plex and engaged launching drones and firing blasters. Before it was over I was in structure but we killed the Hookbill and most of the Merlin before the rest of my fleet arrived and finished off the Firetail. 

"Good work, Adam," I told my wingman.

1 - Back in the day, there used to be a jump from the starter system of Kisogo to Jita which was removed to lower Jita traffic of newbies running missions.

2 - Not an exact retelling, modified for dramatic purposes.