I remember the first time I got attacked by a pirate and podkilled.
I had just finished the tutorial and went on a mission. I didn't know the dangers of lowsec space then, and when I received the warning telling me I was entering dangerous territory, I ignored it. How dangerous could it be, right? I mean, it was only a jump or two from the 'beginners area'...
So when that rain of death fell upon my rookie frigate, I sat there, stunned. I didn't even know what was happening! There was a lot of noise, bright lights, and then... silence. My ship had changed shape, and looked like an egg. I didn't know what it was, so I sat there pondering it, trying to work out what had happened, and what was going on. Then there was more noise, another flash, and I reappeared back in the station.
I never saw who attacked me. I sent them a message though, after getting the killmail, and thanked them for the experience of dying. I didn't see the point of yelling abuse at them. Everything is a learning experience, even death, so I thanked them for helping me learn. To my great surprise, they apologised, saying they were testing their weapons. They even sent me 250,000 ISK to cover my losses!
I realised that not all bad guys were that bad.
It's an understanding I've kept hold of ever since, treating them as pilots just like me, making their way through life the best way they know how. Many of them have no morals, however, and so they're the ones who deserve no mercy. Others have become friends, or at least well-respected enemies.
My first corp was discovered by accident. I met someone in the middle of space and helped them destroy some mission drones. In conversation I asked them if they knew of any covert ops corps, as that was what I aspired to. Turned out that he was a member of one! So I joined them and things were going great... for a week.
Their CEO disappeared. Their members started leaving in droves. Their director didn't know what he wanted to do with the corp. So, feeling like a rat hurriedly leaving a sinking ship, I left too.
I did some research for a while, looking for a corp that seemed organised, that had been around for a while, that looked like its CEO wouldn't leave in a hurry.
I found Purify, a roleplaying anti-pirate corp. The website was excellent, and had all kinds of information on it which grabbed me. I wanted to join the good fight!
So I did, and quickly became friends with the CEO, an Amarrian by the name of Praetor Sarum. My enthusiasm was such that he encouraged me, taught me, and led me to grow and believe I was capable of so much more. Thanks to his mentoring, I created the philosophy:
Your destiny is not determined by the skills you have, but by what you choose to do.I guess that's partly led me to the path I'm on today....
- Black Claw
But on with the story...
I rose through the ranks of the trusted within Purify in a very short time. My enthusiasm led me to be promoted to Recruitment Officer. Praetor Sarum and I often discussed grand strategies, which is one of my favourite subjects. We joked that he would be the 'Emperor' and I would be the quiet voice whispering to him from behind his chair, advising him on what was best to do.
Everyone has a path to follow, however, and Praetor's path was to leave as CEO of Purify. Inside myself, while I was disappointed that I had joined another corp whose CEO decided to leave, I understood his reasons. Those left behind were left to scramble after the pieces, and being the ambitious sort, I tried to become CEO of Purify. But my attempt was unsuccessful.
Praetor was the reason I was in Purify, and without him, I felt the reason was gone. He and I tossed around the idea of starting a new corp together, but he ended up going on some kind of pilgrimage to find himself. So I started a corp by myself.
And thus Black Scorpion Ltd was formed.
From the very beginning of my career, I've been on the receiving end of pirates. My own morals prevent me from turning to the 'dark side' and joining them (I'm too strong-willed to take the easy path), and so the culmination of experiences led me to make an anti-pirate corp.
That was 3 months ago. The corp consisted of just me, until a friend joined two weeks later. By the end of the first month I had only 4 members, despite a vigorous recruitment drive. I knew I was a good recruiter from the success I'd had with Purify, so I suspected the lack of interest was due to the fact I was new, the corp was new, and there were no members in it. Understandable! So I was patient.
In the past 2 months, however, recruitment sky-rocketed! I went from 4 members to having 48 members today. And as I talk to 2 more potential members today, who will bring the membership to 50, I am preparing to set out on my journey of a lifetime.
It's my history and the things that I've done which has led me to doing this. The constant pursuit of pirates has inspired me to head out into the wild, dark wilderness of the stars, to seek pirates wherever they might be. Not just in Molden Heath, but everywhere. The entire galaxy!
Safety. It's an illusion. Right next door to my HQ, even surrounded by corp mates who are far more powerful than I, safety has been an illusion. Death is always just around the corner, the next asteroid belt, or the next gate....
And so I give up the illusion of safety and head out into that wilderness, to do what I can to help spread the word:
Pirates are not wanted!
My corp can look after itself now. I've created a structure for them to work with, that provides leadership and direction. I have a Director who, thankfully, knows what he's doing and has the leadership abilities and enthusiasm that I need in a Director. The corp will grow, expand, develop a reputation and do what it can to 'fight the good fight' against pirates. I created that, and I'm so very proud of its members, and their enthusiasm, their excitement, and their abilities.
But now I move on. Not giving up leadership of the corp, but travelling. The history of my life continues into the future, and I go gladly where it takes me.
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