Cut-Throat Competition

name=Cut-Throat Competition, Level 3

Level	3
Type	Encounter
Faction	Mercenaries (Caldari-type ships, dropping Caldari Navy tags, but no Caldari standings penalty)
Best damage to deal	kin
Damage to resist	kin/therm
Warp disruption	none
Ship suggestion	Caracal
Extra	Jamming

Space Type: Gated Deadspace, Single Room
Enemy cruisers stay at 35km range

Warp In

5x Cruisers (Blackbird class)
All jam, though not for long

Room 1

First Wave:
9x Cruisers (8x Blackbird class, 1x Moa class)

Either the Moa or the last ship is the trigger for the second wave.
The Moa has been observed to not spawn.
When you first warp in, if there is no Moa, the trigger will be one of the two ships that are a different type from the rest. Usually it is the two that are the first to aggro.

Subsequent Waves:
There are at least 3 subsequent waves, but they vary in composition and order. Consider the following as examples of what you might encounter.

Example Spawn 1:
2x Elite Cruisers (Rook class) - heavy jamming
5x Cruisers (Caracal class)
The recon ships jam, a lot. The last Caracal triggers the third wave.

Kill the recon ships before triggering the third wave, or, if you use a t1 cruiser like I did, you may need to call for help.

Example Spawn 2:
2x HAC's (Cerberus class)
5x Battle Cruisers (Ferox class)

The last BC or the last ship triggers the next wave.

Example Spawn 3:
5x Battle Cruisers (Ferox class)

Loot:

Loot = ~6,600,000 isk
Salvage = ~2,000,000 isk
Total = ~8,600,000 isk

Tips:
Use two Sensor Boosters with ECCM scripts to reduce chances of being jamed. (Only if needed, sometimes jammers never spawn.)
Kill the Recon Ships (Jammers) before triggering the third wave.

Blitz:
Destroy ships in first wave (Blackbirds only, not the Moa) and destroy the repair outpost.
If second wave is triggered, continue to focus on Blackbirds until mission complete.