Vengeance and Judgement - Imperial Issue Armageddon stolen
A few days ago, I was invited to witness the exchange of an Imperial Issue Armageddon, owned by Icarus Starkiller for a Nightmare battleship and 2.5 billion isk, both belonging to Hamish, CEO of the Tribal Trust of Pator, taking place in the system Pator, in orbit above Matar.
Meeting before the exchange in a quiet restaurant, I interviewed Mr. Starkiller about the Imperial Armageddon, which he had won in an amazing stroke of luck in the BIG Lottery.
“I read an article on the BIG Lotto and thought... heck, I had an extra mill in my accounts and nothing of any immediate financial need, so I added my bounty to the till, and then thought nothing of it. Until a couple of weeks later when my Galnet InBox was suddenly and quite surprisingly flooded with 'congratulatory' posts, and some quite amazing offers of ISK for something I had no idea what I had won... until contacted by BIG Lotto..”
"Being mostly interested in studying the vessel to aid the cause of the Minmatar, Icarus decided to transfer it to the Tribal Trust of Pator, having heard of Hamish when Icarus was still in the XETIC Federation. The reason to agree to the transfer was the TToP having more resources then he himself had:
"For me, this vessel is very magnificent, but it is a White Elephant. I will never have the ability to truly command it as it should be helmed, I will never attain the skills. And the Amarr will stop at nothing to retrieve or destroy it, so with each War Declaration I am faced with the prospect of any large force discovering where I had hidden it and making a bid to do just that. Hamish has the facilities to make a complete examination of the design, and the withal to protect it from a force that I could not.”
After the interview, we boarded our ships and undocked. The Nightmare battleship, the Imperial Issue Armageddon and my Polaris Inspector warped into orbit of Matar.
However, the instant of the transfer brought an unpleasant surprise. As soon as Icarus ejected his pod and Hamish did the same, Arenis Xemdal, famous for the UQS Heist perpetrated by the Guiding Hand Social Club, appeared on the scene and boarded the Imperial Issue Armageddon, stealing it from both Hamish and Mr. Starkiller. Icarus had boarded the Nightmare moments before, leaving Hamish’s forced to enter the crucifier left behing by Arenis.
Sharing a common chat channel, Mr. Starkiller and Hamish both blamed the other for the theft. Icarus drew attention to Hamish’ involvement with the Guiding Hand Social club, and Hamish in turn accused Icarus of having orchestrated the event to steal the Armageddon, so he could have both it, the Nightmare and the 2.5 billion isks.
A short excerpt from the conversation in the common channel follows, taken after Mr. Starkiller asked for the 2.5 billion isks:
Amir Tsuy: Allright, allright, wait a second, Did someone just flew off with the armageddon?
Icarus Starkiller: Yes, someone just did.
Icarus Starkiller: And that someone was not the esteemed agent Hamish.
Hamish: Obviously they were working together
Hamish: to [expletive deleted] me over
Hamish: I should've known when you were saying how you'd like to scam istvaan
Icarus Starkiller: You and they have ever worked together, Hamish. I knew this treachery was in the offing, I was aware of Hand members in Local. That was why I refused your 10km approach.
Hamish: Of course you knew about your treachery beforehand
Icarus Starkiller: I knew of your treachery beforehand, I have watched you, and your Master.
Hamish: I have no master you fool
Hamish: Think what you like, I'll see you suffer for this theft
Icarus Starkiller: Amir, you should be aware that Hamish has worked for Istvaan Shogatsu and the Guiding Hand for a long time. I was ever aware of their connection.
Icarus Starkiller: Me?
Icarus Starkiller: ME? That is laughable.
After this, Hamish promised to repay the isks Icarus asked for in the form of ammunition, delivered fresh to the hull of whatever ship he would be flying.
At the same time, though, I forced a conversation with Arenis Xemdal, asking him how he learned of the exchange:
“The Pet [Hamish] has been funneling funds for quite some time. Obtaining loans from various sources, some of which report back to me. In this case, he should have sought guidance on keeping such blasphemous trade dealings hidden from my sight.”
After asking what Mr. Xemdal would do next, he replied:
“Vengeance and Judgement, Amir Tsuy. Those responsible for these crimes will face both, by one means or another.”
It appears that Hamish is more intricately linked with the Guiding Hand Social Club then he would have us believe. Alhough it’s too soon to truly tell who scammed who in this deal, it is my belief that this is not the last we will hear of this. Icarus Starkiller will try to make the Nightmare work to his advantage, perhaps in the process raising the 2.5 billion he asked for.
