Running the Gatecamp Gauntlet

One of the things I'm doing is teaching TOURING members how to survive the perils of travelling around New Eden. It's a great feeling to know that some of the guides I've written for the members to study actually work at keeping them alive - if they read and remember them, of course.

So one of the TOURING members had their very first encounter with a gate camp today, and after  getting all excited about how he survived, and thanking the guides that were available to TOURING members, I asked him if he'd write up a report of his adventure. Here it is for your enjoyment.

So it's Sunday evening and I, Jester Borecat Preldent, am bouncing from system to system, not even a month into this new gig as a spaceship man. After joining my new corporation, TOURING NEW EDEN, I have listened and wondered at my corpmates' tales of low- and nullsec adventure. Our CEO, Alexia Morgan, has given us the tools to sneak about: warp to planets, the good old Cloak + MWD move, safe spots, you name it. With just enough knowledge to get into trouble, I set a destination deep into the Syndicate region and hope for the best... 

... and expect the worst. For each solar system on the journey, I consult the star map for: average pilots in space, number of pilots currently docked and active, jumps in the last hour, and ships and pods destroyed. The veteran pilots of TOURING reassured newcomers like me that null was virtually empty compared to Empire space. 

"Sure enough," I think "the systems here are virtually empty. But, I notice that one system has had almost a dozen kills in the last hour. Weird. Surely, with my cloak and microwarpdrive I will make it through just fine."  I dive into 0.0 and make it a few jumps with zero threats to my spaceship. Cloak plus MWD equals shadow tourist.
I watch my star map anxiously; here I am before the Deathsystem, with its menacingly large yellow "ships destroyed" blip. I'm an official Hippy Space Ninja, though, so through the gate it is ("Hmm, a touch of lag. Wonder what that is about?") and YEEHAW, WHAT IS THIS GIANT BLUE SPACEBUBBLE I SEEM TO BE SWIMMING IN? 

My "ships & drones" overview tab is predicting my rapid disassembly, with a NUMBER of box-shaped threats and EVEN MORE X-shaped monsters bouncing up and down. I assume without checking that I am still gatecloaked, so I peak around my "escape" tab for any planets/moons that are nearby and probably not swarming with TWO WHOLE PIRATES! I probably (occidentally) align or something because I hear the sweet sounds of targeting and see a notice of warp disrupt attempts, or some such rubbish. 

The lessons learned through TOURING helped me focus and at least run a quick mental checklist: Can I cloak and burn out of the bubble? Do MWDs work in bubbles? Where is the nearest celestial? Where are those piles of "ISK" everyone keeps talking about? 

Then, I remember: I'm really new and inexperienced! It would be great to save this ship, so I can economically continue making TERRIFYING excursions into low- and nullsec. I turn around and head back to the gate, only 8-9 km away (I think).
By this point, 30-40 seconds into the BATTLE, I'm pretty sure at least one ship has targeted me. Evidence of this includes a fuzzy blue icon in the middle of the screen, which I am pretty sure is a warp disruptor. However, I have not taken any damage, so I figure they're having trouble hitting my tiny little Imicus. Thus, to cover the few kilometers back to safety(?), I decide to keep my signature small and slowboat it! (Also, I assumed that I could not use my MWD in the bubble, so I didn't try. I like my after-the-fact explanation better.) 

Miraculously, I make it to gate and warp in one piece. At the time, I did not know how I got there, and--looking back--I still don't know. As soon as I land back in the "safe" system, I warp to my mere-seconds-ago-placed safe spot. I hit cloak just like the shaky, scared newbro that I am. In fact, I'm still sitting here cloaked as I write this, almost an hour after the greatest escape in New Eden history unfolded. I think one of my assailants is also waiting in here for me, but I can't be sure. When one is flailing about in a bubble, one cannot be expected to catch everyone's names. 

When I am done writing this account, my trusty d-scan will tell me whether another gatecamp is waiting for me at the exit. I might get the chance to escape back to highsec! I still don't know which type of ship(s) were in that gatecamp, but I am glad they were there. This was my first real taste of the wild, and it was delicious. I'll keep bouncing around, more and more into null, and I hope to see you there. Fly safe!