Close, but no Cigar!

So I forgot to grab my armor reppers again, and I just didnt feel like jumping all over the place. I saw Aeth in local, and I wanted to fight him again. Yet you cant continue going to each fight with the same fit every time and expect to win. You gotta toss in that curve ball once in awhile. So thats what I did, by fitting a Ladar Jammer. I left the reppers out, dropped my web and added the jammer + an extra plate. This worked out well for me, as when Aeth warped in on me, I was already moving at full speed, ready to get orbiting.

Starting out with scorch, our range was extended for a few seconds making them worthwhile. Quickly enough though, he got closer. For the first time, I was paying more attention to my speed and his transversal in my overview, noticing he was close to my cap at .34. So I slowed myself down and tighted the orbit, hoping his tracking wouldnt be as good. Well, with missiles and autocannons, thats nigh impossible.

As the fight chugged on, my jammer was making a very signifcant difference in the fight. It would jam every other cycle, with it getting lucky and jamming two cycles in a row one time. I beat down his shields quickly, and as I started into his armor, he was getting into mine also. Slow and steady wins the battle, unless your opponent is a Rifter and he flies out of point range. Even overheating my guns and the scram didnt make enough of a difference as I saw our range number expanding. And poof, he was gone.

Now I didnt get the kill this time, but I also did not lose my ship. Go me! Baby steps and small improvements right? Well, I need a web or an AB to keep up so that this doesnt happen again. Which means I need that 3rd mid slot. Vengence is lookin pretty damn good at this point in time, once I have the skills to fly it that is. GF'ing Aeth, he claimed to be training for a wolf or jaguar in the next week-ish. Works out well, as I should be able to fly a Vengence by then also, so we agreed we should fight then again to see how my ecm fit will work out.

Afterwards, another Hatchery player had wanted to fight me. This guy wanted to use his Thrasher, a T1 destroyer. Well, ok, I need some above class fights even though the idea of losing a ship wasnt sitting too well with me. I didnt change fits, just docked and repaired, warping out to meet him. I broke through his shields, but I was already low in armor by that time. Scroch crystals came in handy with their range, but the dessie was able to set range at about 10km, slightly outside my optimal, affecting damage. I should have stayed out at the 10km instead of trying to get closer, because as I got lower in ehp, I got close enough to get in scram range. Which of course, caused me not to be able to get back out of range before my ship blew up and I got out with my pod in tact.

Take Away Things
So I just had two very good fights, imo. I learned that if you dont have a repper handy, an ecm is almost as good. I was cap stable throughout the rifter fight and I even broke his armor tanking. He only got away due to my punisher being a brick in space and his higher speed. As he warped out, I think he was at half structure. Lucky, cuz one more volley woulda got him.

As for the Thrasher fight, well, not much to say that I learned other than stay out of scram range. I had broke his shield tanking with my scorch at 10km-ish. I think if I would have had my repper, I may have gotten him at least into structure. Also, he had been in fleet as Aeth and I were talking about my ecm fit, so he had planned accordingly with an ECCM, causing my jammer to be useless. That in itself is something to take away; pre-emptive knowledge of the fight is extremely useful and can definately be used to your advantage.

http://wialliance.killmail.org/?a=kill_detail&kll_id=9914751

2011.06.12 04:47:00
Victim: AxaziaCorp: Hysterically Unforgiving
Alliance: Wildly Inappropriate.
Faction: Unknown
Destroyed: Punisher
System: Oddelulf
Security: 0.4
Damage Taken: 4019

Involved parties:
Name: Michael Harari (laid the final blow)
Security: -9.9
Corp: The Hatchery
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Thrasher
Weapon: 200mm AutoCannon II
Damage Done: 2443

Name: Aeth GemulusSecurity: -10.0
Corp: The Hatchery
Alliance: NONE
Faction: NONE
Ship: Rifter
Weapon: Rifter
Damage Done: 1576

Destroyed items:
Damage Control II
Small Energy Collision Accelerator I
Enfeebling Phase Inversion ECM I
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Imperial Navy Multifrequency S, Qty: 2 (Cargo)
Small Trimark Armor Pump I
Small Energy Metastasis Adjuster I
Fleeting Progressive Warp Scrambler I

Dropped items:
Gatling Pulse Laser II, Qty: 3
Small Diminishing Power System Drain I
200mm Reinforced Rolled Tungsten Plates I
Adaptive Nano Plating II
Imperial Navy Multifrequency S (Cargo)
Scorch S, Qty: 3