News: Providence Bloc Re-Takes 7MD-S1 System

7MD-S1 system, Catch region. On the 17th of October, Providence Bloc forces captured the system, which was conquered by HERO Coalition at the beginning of the conflict, continuing their streak of victories from S25C-K.

At 19:00 EVE Standard time, Providence Bloc formed an Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet and reinforced HERO Coalition infrastructure throughout the Northern Catch region. At 21:30 the fleet re-shipped, to a Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, around a hundred and seventy pilot strong. The plan was to attempt and pin down HERO Coalition forces in the T-RPFU system in Providence, who were en-route to defend the Infrastructure Hub in the 7MD-S1 system, which was coming out of its final reinforcement timer.

HERO Coalition on its part, had a hundred and twenty pilot Eagle Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, and managed to enter the 7MD-S1 system seconds before Providence Bloc forces could intercept it. A chase was on, as the HERO Coalition forces declined to engage the numerically superior Providence Bloc fleet. However, jumping into the ERVK-P system, they found Pandemic Legion forces awaiting them, in a sixty-six pilot mixed Proteus\Legion Strategic Cruiser fleet.

Forced between a rock and a hard place, HERO Coalition chose to engage the Providence Bloc force in 7MD-S1. They managed to warp to a perch on the T-RPFU gate, then to a sniping position on the Providence Bloc force. However, the Tengus were able to cope with the distance and HERO Coalition started losing Logistics ships at a rate of four a minute. With much of their Logistics wing annihilated, and Pandemic Legion entering the system, HERO Coalition chose to disengage, freeing Providence Bloc to attend to the Infrastructure Hub.

While shooting the Infrastructure Hub, reports came of HERO Coalition attempts to leave the system. Providence Bloc decided to chase them, and warped to the ERVK-P gate, at the same time Pandemic Legion did. A few tense seconds passed before the two forces decided to jump and tackle the HERO Coalition fleet. An intense fight ensued on the 7MD-S1 gate as both fleets focused fire on the HERO Coalition Eagles, who died one after the other before the remnants could clear the warp interdiction probe fields and flee.

Fixed Battle Report for the ERVK-P system can be found here.

While this was going on, a Cynosural beacon went up in 7MD-S1 and a Pandemic Legion Mothership squadron jumped into the system. It quickly destroyed both the Infrastructure Hub and the Territorial Claim Unit before leaving as abruptly as it came.

With Pandemic Legion forces extracting, Providence Bloc was free to take possession of the system, yet another intrusion came, in the form of a CFC Hawk Assault Frigate fleet, some sixty pilot large. The fleet curiously decided to engage Providence Bloc on their Tower. A quick one sided battle developed, with the Hawk fleet being obliterated by the Providence Bloc Tengu fleet, with only one Griffin Frigate kill as their sole consolation prize.

After this last disturbance, Providence Bloc forces managed to take down their Sovereignty Blockade Units and online their own Territorial Claim Unit, under the flag of Evictus.

Fixed Battle Report for the 7MD-S1 system can be found here.

In total, one hundred and twenty-four ships were destroyed in both engagements, with HERO Coalition suffering the brunt of the losses, followed closely by CFC. Nearly ten billion ISK in damages was incurred.

This marks the second system to be re-captured by Providence Bloc, as S25C-K was re-taken only a week before, though mostly due to HERO Coalition’s reluctance to form up and defend it, due to continued third party intervention.

In a message to HERO Coalition, corebloodbrothers, one of the lead fleet commanders for Providence Bloc, promises that the war will not end before ERVK-P system returns to Providence Bloc’s hand.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/b0KPsvaQOGs&source=uds

corebloodbrothers’ message to HERO Coalition

With this, the tide of the war is certainly in favor of Providence Bloc, the question is, will it stay this way, or will it once again change?

Special thanks to corebloodbrothers, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult and vyshnegradsky, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance for supplying interviews, as well as Tristan Enkura, of Terra Nanotech, Yulai Federation for the youtube video.

News: HERO Coalition Repels Providence Bloc's Attempt to Re-Capture 7MD-S1

7MD-S1 system, Catch region. On the 28th of September, 23:00 EVE Standard Time, HERO Coalition and Providence Bloc clashed over the last Infrastructure Hub timer for the system, in order to decide its fate.

Providence Bloc brought a sentry Prophecy Battlecruiser fleet, sixty-two pilot strong, though light on Logistics ships. HERO Coalition had their signature Eagle Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, with an equal number of Moa Cruisers, a hundred and fifty pilot big. The two forces clashed on the T-RPFU gate in the system.

The first round of fighting went badly for Providence Bloc, unable to break the tank of the Eagle fleet’s Logistics, and losing ships fast, the Providence Bloc fleet was forced to warp off grid, followed by HERO Coalition giving chase. Providence Bloc attempted to engage once more on the T-RPFU gate with little success, as Northern Coalition(dot) forces jumped into the system and joined the fighting, in a forty pilot Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet.

However, as Providence Bloc forces were conceding the field, Northern Coalition(dot) forces turned on HERO Coalition forces, engaging them on the gate. They were soon joined by a Pandemic Legion fleet, numbering seventy pilots, in their usual mix of Legion and Proteus Strategic Cruisers. A short battle flared up, ending when HERO Coalition commenced a bombing run on the two Strategic Cruiser fleets, managing to destroy only a Nestor Battleship.

At this point Northern Coalition(dot) retreated, leaving Pandemic Legion to pursue HERO Coalition on its own. The two fleets finally met again on the Infrastructure Hub, where a prolonged battle took place. The fighting itself was intense, with much interference from HERO Coalition Stealth Bombers, who continued to pepper the Pandemic Legion fleet with bombing runs throughout the fight. However, while Pandemic Legion’s fleet was able to volley the Tech I cruisers in the HERO Coalition’s battle group, it was unable to break the tank of the Eagles. For HERO Coalition’s part, they could not break the tank of the Strategic Cruisers.

As the two fleets maneuvered around each other, Pandemic Legion was able to pick off stragglers in the form of Eagles who seemed to drift out of formation or stop mid flight for no apparent reason. Several mistakes by the HERO Coalition Logistics anchor also cost the fleet a few ships, as several time the Logistics wing came to close proximity to the Pandemic Legion fleet, who quickly switched targets to the now exposed Logistics ships.

As the battle dragged on, HERO Coalition’s Stealth Bombers made their presence on the field more pronounced, directing bombing run after bombing run at the Pandemic Legion ships. It seems the added pressure on the Pandemic Legion Logistics Wing did the trick, as HERO Coalition managed to break the tank of a few Strategic Cruisers, finally inflicting losses on Pandemic Legion.

As losses mounted on either side, the two fleets finally disengaged, with HERO Coalition conceding the field to Pandemic Legion, who chose to ignore the vulnerable Infrastructure Hub and instead extract from system. This allowed HERO Coalition to safely remove the hostile Sovereignty Blockade Units deployed by Providence Bloc and replace them with their own.

Fixed Battle Report for the 7MD-S1 system can be found here.

The system peaked at four hundred pilots at the height of the fighting, with Time Dilation being unnoticeable. In total more than one hundred and twenty-one ships were lost, the lion share of them belonging to HERO Coalition. The total cost of the fighting is estimated at fifteen billion ISK.

With this outcome, it seems the stalemate in the Northern Catch pocket continues, as Providence Bloc is heavily entrenched in its station systems, while HERO Coalition is able to continue and dominate the US Time Zone, where most of its timers are set. Without any radical intervention as in last week, we may be facing a long and arduous attrition war before us, where the winner will be decided by sheer willpower.

Special thanks to Draken Forlorn, of Kongsberg Vaapenfabrikk Amarr branch(dot) Corporation, Sev3rance Alliance for supplying an After Action Report.

News: Providence Bloc Defeated in 7MD-S1, Infrastructure Hub Enters Second Reinforcement Timer

7MD-S1 system, Catch region. On the 12th of August, Providence Bloc forces attempted to defend the system’s sovereignty against the invasion of HERO Coalition forces.

Providence Bloc forces were organized in a hundred and twenty-six Harbinger class Battlecruiser fleet, with a supporting bomber wing. They entered the system from the T-RPFU gate only to be greeted by two waves of HERO Coalition bombers. Though no major losses were incurred, many of the ships in the fleet were in deep armor at this stage.

Before Providence Bloc forces could recover from the bombing run and repair, HERO Coalition’s main fleet of two hundred pilots, mainly in Eagle class Heavy Assault Cruiser warped in and engaged them. Providence Bloc forces attempted to fight HERO Coalition’s fleet on the gate, but were quickly decimated by it, only able to inflict light damages in return.

With the destruction of the Providence Bloc’s fleet secured, HERO Coalition forces turned their attention to the Infrastructure Hub itself, which they quickly reinforced again. Several attempts were made by Providence Bloc’s bomber wing to harass HERO Coalition forces during this, but to little effect.

This marked the second time the Infrastructure Hub entered its reinforcement mode, meaning that once it exits said mode, it can be destroyed if not successfully defended, allowing the system’s Territorial Claim Unit to be destroyed as well, thus causing Providence Bloc to lose sovereignty over the system.

With this, the question now is whether Providence Bloc can repeat its successful defense of the UL-7I8 system, or will the 7MD-S1 system be the first to fall into HERO Coalition’s hands?

Summary of the battle can be found here.

News: HERO Coalition Repels Attack on ERVK-P, Deploys Sovereignty Blockade Units in 7MD-S1

ERVK-P system, Catch region. On the 10th of August, HERO Coalition mustered its forces and in an impressive display of force proceeded to defend the sovereignty of the system, to the chagrin of Providence Bloc.

Providence Bloc forces were en-route to the system in a one hundred pilot Harbinger class Battlecruiser fleet when reports came of not one, but three HERO Coalition fleets. One was the much talked about Eagle class Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, comprising of around eighty of the coveted ships, as well as that number in Moa class Cruisers and a robust logistics wing, numbering a full fleet, two hundred and fifty-six pilots. Added to that was a support fleet of Ferox class Battlecruisers, numbering at more than forty, as well as a Test Alliance Please Ignore Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet of a hundred and seventy-five pilots. All totaled, the ERVK-P system hosted more than five hundred and seventy pilots, with Time Dilation effecting several systems away as well.

With the odds against them, Providence Bloc forces chose to stand down rather than face an assured defeat. This allowed HERO Coalition forces to clear the system of hostile Sovereignty Blockade Units, as well as anchor their own defensive Sovereignty Blockade Units instead, assuring that the system can be made invulnerable at a moment’s notice, thus further complicating any further attempts of assaulting the system.

Not content with only saving the system, HERO Coalition forces went on to incapacitate several of the Jump Bridges in the neighboring systems that serve Providence Bloc, deploy Sovereignty Blockade Units of their own in the 7MD-S1 system, and reinforce the Infrastructure Hub before finally departing.

With this turn of events, it seems the initiative is firmly back in HERO Coalition’s hands. The question remains though, how long a war are we looking at, and what will the price paid by both parties at its end?