Mistake Costs Pilot Billions

Hedion, Domain, The Amarr Empire - Two weeks ago, a moment's forgetfulness cost Kaos Erebus an Obelisk and several billion ISK worth of cargo. The Sniggwaffe pilot, flagged as a -2.0 security risk in the global CONCORD database, entered the 1.0-rated Hedion system, triggering the stargate's automatic warning alarm. Within minutes, Sarum Family forces detained and destroyed his ship. He was forced to flee Hedion in his pod, leaving behind the remains of his personal goods in the wreck of the freighter.

Schultze, a pilot for the 0rigins corporation, arrived in Hedion moments after the Obelisk's destruction, and found its wreck floating unmolested in space. "My heart started pumping," he said later. "I had to think fast, if I wanted a piece of the loot." He hurriedly acquired a transport ship in the neighboring Amarr system, and returned to the wreck, where he encountered an associate of Erebus' engaged in salvage operations.

Schultze did not let this deter him from looting the wreck. By then-current market estimate, he acquired 1.05 billion ISK worth of goods, including several control towers and construction and defense arrays, before he was contacted by the associate. He was offered 100 mil ISK for his help in removing additional material from the wreck. "Sure," he said. "[I agreed] ...knowing damn well that he was never going to see any of [his] ISK ever again."

Although he helped Erebus' associate haul away the remainder of the cargo in return for the offered 100 mil, he did not return any of the items he'd already looted. This decision received support from several other pilots, including Karille of Cold Templars, who advised "NEVER EVER give it [loot] back." When questioned about her views, Pilot Karille commented: "Returning the ... lost cargo would only serve to dilute what is certainly a harsh but necessary lesson about what happens when a pilot lets his attention wander from the task at hand."

Not that lessons learned were the only thing on Schultze's mind at the time. "Sniggwaffe is an evil corporation," he told this reporter. "They might not be official PL [Pandemic Legion] anymore - but Sniggwaffe is responsible for large losses for me and my friends. Had the Obelisk been piloted by a BoB pilot, I would have helped him out and given all the items back without blinking ... you pick a side, even if you are not in the Big War."

For his part, Erebus is sanguine about the loss. "Even though I don't like finders keepers in situations like this, I can understand [why] someone seeing quite a treasure in space [would] try and take as much as they could." He does not intend to take any action against Schultze or his corporation.