Athos Torindol had just started his return trip to null sec during a routine supply run to Jita when Kid People’s Tornado cut his trip short. Athos’s Tayra, with its fit consisting only of four warp core stabilizers, was unable to escape or withstand the furious alpha strike of a Tornado.
Athos Torindol comments on the ganking in good spirits:
 Athos Torindol | “It was a supply run from null mostly, was picking up stuff for the corp and a WH had just shown up. So I figured I’d go for it. I don’t usually risk that much, but I was missing a lot of equipment Anyways I guess it was a shame, I had just left Jita, I think I was 2 jumps out when BAM, as soon as I decloaked and began aligning, BAM one-shotted by a Tornado. Honestly as suicide ganks go that was well-done. Like it hurt the wallet a lot, but that’s Eve. You gotta be prepared for that kind of loss.” |
Losses of this nature are indeed very common in EVE, and not everyone takes heavy losses very well. We all know the policy of “Don’t fly what you can’t afford to lose” but how often do we find ourselves contemplating how truly hard a loss would hit us? The time consuming method of“many trips in smaller ships” is rarely appealing, so we take the risk. Risk is part of the game, and there is a thrill in flying more than we can afford to lose.
When asked if he felt adding more tank to his ship would have saved him he replied:
Athos Torindol | “Maaaaybe? I mean their volley hit me for just 70-shy of my EHP. If I went full tank it might’ve lasted until like half a volley later, but it would’ve been a toss-up. And then it’d just sinking more money in an already fat whale. I would’ve been scrammed if I hadn’t fit so many core stabilizers lol” |
If his unoccupied mid-slots had contained 3 Medium Shield Extender IIs, and 2 Adaptive Invulnerability IIs, his approximate 3,900 EHP would have increased to around 16,000 EHP. A change from one of his warp core stabilizers to a Damage Control Unit II would have given him close to 20,000 EHP. A basic tank with nearly five times his unfit EHP would have cost him only a few million ISK.
At this point however, speculation on the fit is purely academic. There may have been more than one attacker at the ready or other unknown factors in play. Athos believes the ganker knew what they were getting into ahead of time, and he was right:
 Kid People | “I had been scanning the ships coming out of Jita for a few hours, and was just about to call it a night and go to bed when one last scan showed me what a solo ganker waits many months to see, a massive value cargo with no tank whatsoever fit to the hauler, a guaranteed kill. He warped to the Perimeter gate and I had plenty of time to get my Tornado in place to intercept him in Urlen. I dont think he saw it coming, he simply went to align to his next gate, and poof, it was a wreck. Scooped the loot, and did a few Ace Ventura style pelvic thrusts as I flew back to station and realized I didnt get completely burnt by the loot fairy for once.. As for spending the loot, it goes on the pile with the rest to fund the next batch of Tornados. :)” |
Athos Torindol lost an estimated 10.1 Billion ISK, with around six billion ISK of loot going to Kid People. TMC wishes both players the best of luck with their future endeavours in New Eden.
This article originally appeared on TheMittani.com, written by Wolf Merrik.
