The Honour of TEST, Part 2

Previously, on MinerBumping... Agent KrazyTaco bore witness to the destruction of two highly decadent pods owned by Rayn Audeles and his alt. Rayn negotiated the purchase of a "TEST Dyno-Mite™ Mining Permit", which involved ejecting from his Mackinaw. Unexpectedly, the Mackinaw was taken by a shadowy figure.

Rayn Audeles > and somebody already stole the ship...
Impunitus Umbra > Someone stole your ship? I'm so sorry about that!
Rayn Audeles > yeah right...
Impunitus Umbra > Who stole it?
Rayn Audeles > considering it was just nicked while i was on the way to get it, i'm assuming it's one of your people...

Rayn became wary of the TEST members he was negotiating with; he suspected them of being involved in the Mackinaw theft. In fact, Agent Kalorned took possession of the ship and discovered contraband inside: The allegedly poor miner had roughly a billion isk worth of Harvester drones stashed away.

Rayn Audeles > i'll make sure everyone in these 3-4 systems knows you guys are running a racket here
Rayn Audeles > nobody random did it, you're group did it
Rayn Audeles > same stuff as the "code" they linked to
Impunitus Umbra > I will also send you 500m out of my own pocket due to the massive amount of problems you've been dealing with tonight
Rayn Audeles > well that's a start at least, but still leaves me around 8 plex in the hole at this point

The TEST representative promised to reimburse the miner. All he had to do was follow a few simple instructions.

Rayn Audeles > I'll believe it's legitimate once i'm repaid in full
Impunitus Umbra > Thats ok, you're going to get roughly 6b in cash from pod insurance, a new ship as well as 500m from my personal wallet
Rayn Audeles > i'll believe it when the cash hits
Rayn Audeles > i'm going to be a lawyer ... shit doesn't mean anything until it happens

About two weeks later, Rayn would tell Agent Lawrence Lawton he was a lawyer already. Lawyer or not, the miner was growing increasingly skeptical. He only believed in the assets sitting inside his hangar. He had zero faith.

Impunitus Umbra > The 500m will be deposited once Kristi From Accounting has the contracts up to her
Rayn Audeles > the only reason you wanted the APIs was to see what else you could bilk me out of
Rayn Audeles > just be mindful having an IT background if i really wanted you i'd already have you

As part of the process, Rayn produced an API key so the TEST group could determine his actual wealth. They learned he had another expensive mining drone and a Leopard-class shuttle.

Rayn Audeles > probably explains why nobody flies in this sector eh?
Impunitus Umbra > What do you mean by that?
Rayn Audeles > I mean, this system is usually empty
Rayn Audeles > and now i know why
Impunitus Umbra > If you want you could just contract the drone and I'll use that as collateral
Rayn Audeles > or, you'll just end up taking the drone and walking off with it

Now the TEST reimbursement officer wanted Rayn's drone and Leopard, to be transferred via contract for less-than-market prices.

Impunitus Umbra > I have offered to take money out of my own wallet for you, has anyone else?
Rayn Audeles > but you are taking something else, and won't actually pay the money
Rayn Audeles > in essence a contract without consideration
Impunitus Umbra > It is simply just a hold. Once Kristi From Accounting has the contract up I will press ok on my deposit
Rayn Audeles > just know that if i don't get every dime of that back, i'll make sure everyone in the next 5 or so systems knows who you are and what racket your group does

Impunitus pointed out that Rayn would receive real isk in exchange for the items. The miner wasn't persuaded.

Rayn Audeles > well considering your group has already bilked me for over 300m in addition to all the stuff they blew up or took, that's plenty enough
Impunitus Umbra > Which is why I'm giving you 500m in cash out of my pocket because of their wrong-doing
Rayn Audeles > except that the drone is worth enough you'd still come out way ahead
Rayn Audeles > i'm familiar with the uniform commercial code as it is, and frankly there should have been a reimbursement and paperwork in connection with the permits and everything else if this was done correctly

The parties reached an impasse. Rayn wanted 500 million isk for the items; Impunitus was willing to offer less than 100 million.

Impunitus Umbra > As it stands. Once that contract is changed to under 100m in cost you will recieve 7b in pod insurance, a replacement ship for the one that was stollen from you due to the fact that it was insured as well as 500m from my personal wallet
Rayn Audeles > except that those drones are worth a lot more than 100 million anyway
Rayn Audeles > they are selling for around 500m
Impunitus Umbra > Hey I need to go soon. The sooner we wrap this up the better it is for you
Rayn Audeles > one sec
Rayn Audeles > it's up

Nothing like a deadline to help people come to an agreement.

Impunitus Umbra > You seem to have forgotten the one Lepoard. Could you also put that up, either in the same contract or in a new one with no cost?
Rayn Audeles > well i've already paid your group over 200 mllion from penalties and the permits
Rayn Audeles > and if you guys don't honor the permits our ceo will have to reach out to your leader about not honoring the permits
Rayn Audeles > and it will be the CEO's call whether to hire someone to push you guys out for doing this damage

Impunitus was no dummy. He quickly noticed that the Leopard was missing from the contract. Was Rayn trying to scam him, or was he just greedy?

Impunitus Umbra > You CEO will never even have to think about making that kind of decesion. Have faith in the process and you will recieve
Rayn Audeles > and i have nothing to show for it
Rayn Audeles > well then your organization has
Rayn Audeles > by extension
Rayn Audeles > whether guardians of the veil or TEST or whoever you are

The miner's skepticism and bitterness only grew as he realized all of the material things he'd lost that day. Now he even doubted whether TEST's sovereignty in nullsec was legitimate.

Rayn Audeles > but this deal you have brokered through this Kristi person is a sham
Rayn Audeles > thus far your group walked off with my ship without permission and blew me up while i was under a valid contract
Rayn Audeles > you do realize, within around another couple months i'll be making enough money to just pay somebody from null sec to nuke you over and over as a personal job for awhile if they don't square this up

As a fail-safe, Rayn had a plan to get revenge on TEST if they didn't reimburse him: He'd hire mercs with an endless stream of PLEX. Rayn would have no problem getting money for PLEX, because he expected to get hired for a high-paying job in a few months. But as Rayn himself once said, "shit doesn't mean anything until it happens."

Impunitus Umbra > You need to put it up for 50m now or its going to be dropped even further. There is one thing that doesn't stand in TEST and that is shennagins like this
Rayn Audeles > TEST already had breached a contract with us
Rayn Audeles > i had a permit and you shot me out anyway
Rayn Audeles > TEST itself sounds like a scam

Impunitus was losing his patience. Rayn still owed him a Leopard, and the miner's sullying of TEST's good name wasn't helping.

Rayn Audeles > you aren't helping anything, you are trying to talk me into setting up a contract worth less than 25% of the goods
Rayn Audeles > in hopes that you will pay back what i was already screwed out of because your group didn't honor a permit
Rayn Audeles > that's breach of contract here in america

Rayn cautioned Impunitus. He might not be a real lawyer yet, but he was certainly a space lawyer.

Impunitus Umbra > I have a 500m payment destined for your wallet now
Rayn Audeles > and but for the fact this is a game i'd ahve sued you into oblivion for it
Rayn Audeles > and that mackinaw would have been considered unjust enrichment too
Impunitus Umbra > Dreddit is Recruiting!
Rayn Audeles > i'm sure they are

In the end, Rayn chose to walk away. It was an expensive decision; the miner lost out on a whole pile of reimbursement isk. The butcher's bill for Rayn and his alt totaled over 10.5 billion isk for the day. In spite of everything, he consoled himself with the belief that his Dreddit/TEST permits protected him against future ganks. That assumption would be put to the test only a few weeks later. Rayn had an abundance of confidence in himself and his interpretation of space law, but he had little regard for the Code. And EVE can be a very difficult game for those who lack the Code.