TARP: Operation TLC is Over, who's next?

TARP: Operation TLC is Over

TLDR: Overall happy with outcome. Disavowed merger made things difficult. I’m out of TLC’s hole.

Friday 6/6:

For whatever reason call it the force of Bob compelling me, call it luck, call it whatever you will, I had a feeling that I should head home 30 minutes early on Friday.

I have been leaving my characters logged in all day and night to confuse my targets on my play schedule. This time, it seems to have worked out for me. I get home and run upstairs to check on my targets. Sure enough, wrecks on scan!

I warp my bomber to the site. 6 moros, 2 rev, 2 nag, 2 archon, 5 Loki, 2 Proteus finishing up a site. I’m not sure if they did this on purpose or if was entirely accidental, but the main fleet was about 100k above the sites “At 0 Warp in”. What this effectively did was made it impossible for me to align to a celestial and warp out after dropping a bomb. I had to slow boat all the way up to get a good align on a celestial. Since these guys were doing the site so fast, the time crunch to get up above the wrecks  let them pull in more loot without any kind of pressure.

Not only that, but they were looting as they were killing, with a proteus of all things. I was really hoping to get my hands on a Noctus and try my luck at another triple box bombing run.

http://gyazo.com/1c4fbd2992f6f7a8d45c8cfba0f9660e

http://gyazo.com/4e1332dc3bcdcd97120b6f8714dfc37f

O well, time to adjust my tactics.

Once I got a good align out, I warped in my remaining bombers to the ship that slow boated into position. The proteus was creating a steady stream of wrecks from the top to the center of the fleet. So I aligned, uncloaked and bombed the midpoint between the proteus and the wrecks. This caused the incoming wrecks to be tractored through the bombs explosion radius. At worse, I would hit the unsalvaged wrecks covering the proteus.

Bomb released… warp.. boom wrecks vaporized. 30 seconds later, bomb released, warp… explosion, more wrecks vaporized. I warped the first bomber back to the 3^rd… 3^rd bomber uncloaks, bombs and warps.  Each one about 20 to 30 seconds apart. Creating a nearly steady stream of bombs and explosions directly in between the proteus and the wrecks.  A ‘bomb explosion wall” for lack of a better term.I think I'll call this "A Wall of NOPE!"

It worked well. I’m not sure how many wrecks I destroyed because I was really trying to focus on not getting my ships exploded at the align celestials, but I could assume it was more than 1. And if it was more than 1, it paid for all the bombs I launched. EASY.

No losses, so that’s an improvement. YAY!

I also got a bill to renew my merc’s war dec.  Yep, I hired high sec mercs to harass TLC in K-Space, and I’ll point out, they did one hell of a job.

The mercs Vendetta Mercenary Group I hired in the in game merc channel. Spoke to a guy/girl? named “Diequietly STFU”. Very professional and clear to the point.

Here is that conversation. 

[ 2014.06.02 04:50:01 ] Longinius Spear > Looking to wage war on a well known wormhole group, looking for prices.  Merchants Trade Consortium
[ 2014.06.02 04:50:24 ] Diequietly STFU > one sec
[ 2014.06.02 04:51:14 ] Diequietly STFU > is there anything in particular you are looking for
[ 2014.06.02 04:51:20 ] Diequietly STFU > We are not a WH merc
[ 2014.06.02 04:51:29 ] Diequietly STFU > However if they come to high sec they will die
[ 2014.06.02 04:52:06 ] Longinius Spear > Mainly trade route harassment, trade hub harassment.. I have 5 accounts in their hole, looking to apply pressure on the outside
[ 2014.06.02 04:52:55 ] Longinius Spear > not asking you to go into a hole unless you want to, mainly looking to pressure their bears
[ 2014.06.02 04:53:19 ] Diequietly STFU > ok well figuring in cost of the war dec it self pric would be 650mil a week
[ 2014.06.02 04:53:41 ] Longinius Spear > sent to you?
[ 2014.06.02 04:53:42 ] Diequietly STFU > And we actual hunt so if any are off hiding or on an island We will go and say hello
[ 2014.06.02 04:54:18 ] Diequietly STFU > yes
[ 2014.06.02 04:54:53 ] Diequietly STFU > sorry was killing a target
[ 2014.06.02 04:55:08 ] Diequietly STFU > Rgr
[ 2014.06.02 04:55:15 ] Longinius Spear > money sent, good hunting. If you see me online, you coulld check with me to see if I have a K-space connection to their hole
[ 2014.06.02 04:55:25 ] Diequietly STFU > war will be put first thing in the morning
[ 2014.06.02 04:55:35 ] Longinius Spear > rgr.
[ 2014.06.02 04:55:40 ] Diequietly STFU > RGR I will send you a mail as reciept of transaction
[ 2014.06.02 04:56:04 ] Diequietly STFU > if you see my self or  Khromius online and have any questions just ask for us
[ 2014.06.02 04:57:28 ] Longinius Spear > Thank you, Have a good one, i need to get some ships back in their home. got pushed out today doing some attacks on their site running fleet
[ 2014.06.02 04:58:48 ] Diequietly STFU > lol very nice
[ 2014.06.02 04:59:11 ] Diequietly STFU > mail sent if you have any questions just shoot my self or khrom a mail.
[ 2014.06.02 04:59:17 ] Longinius Spear > you got it
[ 2014.06.02 04:59:23 ] Longinius Spear > o/

After less than a week of the war, they had done a little over 3.5 billion in damages to TLC in High sec. Out fucking standing!!

Here are some highlights

https://zkillboard.com/kill/39334284/  and pod https://zkillboard.com/kill/39334286/

https://zkillboard.com/kill/39391321/ and pod https://zkillboard.com/kill/39391329/

https://zkillboard.com/kill/39300164/  and pod https://zkillboard.com/kill/39300170/

https://zkillboard.com/kill/39301617/

 I don’t think I have ever done that much damage in high sec my entire EVE career. Great fucking work guys.

What impressed me about the kills was they were not just in trade hubs, in fact none of them were in trade hubs. These mercs actually did work to find the targets. These guys earned their keep, which is way better than others I have hired in the past.

10/10 would hire again.

Later on Friday night:  I had some random conversations with people in the “DTP Podcast” channel about some of the things I  had been doing, and Lotor pointed out, that TLC and Disavowed were somehow together. He linked a new kill board for Disavowed. It had TLC as one of the cards.

Disavowed in my opinion have always been some ‘bad ombres” I have a huge respect of them. Now Disavowed and TLC are teamed up??! Uggg this might be a bit more than I bargained for. Even with the added targets I think I could still apply pressure inside of the wormhole. But that’s not really what I planned for outside of the wormhole.

With an entirely different group of people joining the fray outside, my K-space merc costs effectively double. I would have to hire mercs from the merc channel to fight mercs in the merc channel. I’m not sure how that would work out honestly. There is a kind of professional code of conduct that I experienced from my time in DUCKS. Its essentially more than I really wanted for this mission.

Not only the TLC part, but now Disavowed, I’m taking on about 600+ pilots. That’s just crazy. 5 vs 300 that’s one thing, but double that, and targets of opportunity are going to be even fewer. Fk this I’m out.

I did send a ransom letter, which I’m very proud of. I thought it would be more impressive if I forwarded the war dec bill along with my message.

Though I never got a response. I was planning on leaving  anyway, so no harm asking for some cash before I go.  It was my wives idea btw!! (She is ruthless, I'm doomed if she divorces me)

FW: War
From: Longinius Spear
Sent: 2014.06.07 02:23
To: XXXXX

Hello,

About a year ago, you ransomed my POS and my 30 man corp. It was for taking your wrecks. I paid that ransom because I knew what your group was capable of.

You know what I'm capable of.

The words you used when you ransomed me were, "I’m going to make this 1st offer, my following offer will not be as good as my first"

This is my 1st offer.

1 Billion Isk and I leave, never to come back.

2 Billion Isk and I leave and do what I have done to you, to a target corp/alliance of your choosing.. and never come back.

Those are my terms.

I can't tell you what will happen if you don't pay or if you ignore this offering. My goal in all this is my own, just know that I have 40 billion isk, patience and a sense of humor that many find, "subjective".

I hope we can do business.

-- Spear. Co-Host of Down the pipe podcast and writer for www.invadingyourhole.blogspot.com



--------------------------------
War
From: Diequietly STFU
Sent: 2014.06.06 20:03
To: Longinius Spear,

The Last Chancers.

Hello,
I was just writing you to see if you wished to have the war against these guys extended.

This is how the war has gone thus far.
War: Vendetta Mercenary Group vs. The Last Chancers.

TLC called my bluff and ignored the ransom or simply didn’t care. O well. On to greener pastures.

Sunday Night:  I left their hole.

I would like to point something out real fast.

When someone is trying to leave your hole after a weeklong of them skull fucking your wrecks, you might want to just let them go.  Some fucking tard from TLC bubbled the Null exit when I was pulling out of the hole. He bubbled the INSIDE of the hole. I could see doing it on outside, but it was like he wanted me to stay in there.

I opened a convo with him.

[ 2014.06.08 05:39:09 ] Longinius Spear > drop the bubble and get off that hole and i'm out of your hole for good
[ 2014.06.08 05:39:31 ] Longinius Spear > you have my word
[ 2014.06.08 05:40:55 ] Longinius Spear > you couldn't stop me from getting back in if you wanted to
[ 2014.06.08 05:40:58 ] Longinius Spear > I'm trying to exit

He just sat there. I mean these guys have made little to no effort to get me out of their home other than a few interceptors flying around from time to time. NOW he wants to prevent my access??! Are you kidding me!?!

It’s like I break into your house, rape your family, eat your food, and shit all over the place. Then when I TELL YOU (because I told this idiot I was leaving in a convo) that I’m going to leave you alone now… and you then hide my car keys.  Seriously?!? God, what an idiot.

I just logged off and watched the exit with an alt not on their watch list. Sure enough 10 minutes later, but bubble goes down. I then log in my characters and blitz the exit. So long! Thanks for all the fish.

Now I'm off to find the next group of guys with fish.