Pilot Error Strikes Again

Starwalker was contacted by Tawa Suyo for a Rifter duel and the challenge was accepted. Starwalker considered his options and how to fit the Rifter, he decided on an artillery fit and undocked. 

Arriving at a random moon Starwalker accepted the fleet request and headed off in a random direction. The ship looked good as it burnt along at around 1300m/s and Starwalker wondered what had happened to Tawa as he still hadn't arrived.

The artillery fit Rifter had little tank but good range control, if it could start at range. Suddenly, Starwalker noticed the fleet icon moving on the right of his display and then he was target locked with the enemy Rifter only 8km away and closing fast. Worse, the damage started coming in and the shield was disappearing.

Starwalker had the overview set to "combat" so the Rifter had arrived and closed in without being seen, in short, the overview should have been reset to "fleet". Worse his camera had been pointed in the wrong direction and zoomed in - so Tawa Suyo had arrived and closed in fast, unseen until too late.

Starwalker hit, web, scramble, guns and then overheated the afterburner. It was simply too late, the Rifter was in armour even before the guns had fired their first shot, and in retrospect the afterburner should have been overheated first rather than the last. The Rifter was soon a ball of fire and Starwalker warped his pod away, very disappointed that the fight was over even before it had started.

Starwalker was getting lots of lessons but it was a lot less clear how much he was learning. He was rather hoping that this period was coming to a close and he would be making fewer basic mistakes going forward.