So here's a little story about some fighting I did today in Elite.

tldr: thought I had the big guns, got blown to pieces instead.

First a little back story. I recently came back from the black after a couple years sitting waaay outside the bubble halfway to Sag A*. Stashed my AspX in the garage and outfitted my dust covered python to mine in Borann. After getting a billion or so credits I get the founders world permit and my first elite (yay). Naturally I make a new home on Jameson Memorial and start logging in to open.

After all this time, I kind of forgot how the meta goes for fighting in the game and kinda wanna give back some fire to all the pirates that have been trying to interdict me after my mining sessions. Naturally I put on some big guns on this mining python and just go out looking for trouble.

The first NPC that pulls me out of super cruise is flying in an adder (edit: not likely an adder. Just something a little lower tier than a python) and is about to do short work of my Armour. That is, right until I pull out those big guns from before. Two large multi cannons on top, one large blaster in the middle, and turreted lasers in everything else.

As I get the guy to 6% hull strength he boosts out. Unsatisfying but my confidence is high.

Some repairs later and I'm out again, looking for trouble. I submit to an interdiction because I'm on some mission to deliver some cargo to a prison colony and decide he's probably a light weight. Nope... Before I even whip out my guns, he's already stripping my hull and suddenly I'm ejaculating or whatever. Fine, it stings a little because it costs something like 100 million to rebuy and I even get a fine for my failed mission.

In outfitting Ⅰ decide this was a hardware problem which needs to be solved by... More hardware. Hull reinforcements, military grade armour (mining python.. It had a lightweight lol..), some hull reinforcement, more pointy teeth here and there. Third time is the lucky number, right?

I decide to do some easy practice and head out to the nav beacon in the system. Those are not too dangerous, and usually have some local authority vessels to bail me out if I go in too deep. Good.

On my way there I get interdicted again. Already looking for a fight, my instinct is to submit and pull out the guns immediately. I have more hardware now, I can do it!

Not so much... The guy basically loops around me 10 times as I barely get his shields down even a bit. I get some licks in but he's already ahead of me by a light year.

For some reason the rebuy is much cheaper this time. As I sit in the hangar bay of Jameson Memorial I ponder my life choices and how they got me to this low point. I get a friend request. It's the commander who just killed me! I accept the request and send a polite message to be a good sport.

Anyway, sorry for wasting your time with this space soap. Anyone got any good tips for me for how to git gud?