News: Massive Fleet Fight in G-5EN2 System

Disclaimer: Due to the chaotic nature of the fight, and the technical
difficulties experienced, many of the figures written in this article
are approximations only. The article was written using first hand
knowledge, interviews and video footage from multiple sources. Some
inaccuracies may still occur.

G-5EN2 system, Providence region. On the 25th of April, at 20:00 EVE Standard Time, no less than 6 fleets clashed in the system, in what would become one of the most infamous battles in the region’s history.

The fight began when Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] forces removed the defensive Sovereignty Blockade Units in the system, replacing them with their own, as well as reinforcing key infrastructure in the system.

This led Providence Bloc to field 3 fleets, a 150 pilot Nightmare Battleship fleet, a Goku Bomber fleet, 70 pilots strong and a Zealot Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, 50 pilots large.

Against this force [NC] brought a Loki Strategic Cruiser fleet, 150 pilots strong, which settled on the 9-F0B2 gate in the system, Providence Bloc’s only means of entry.

The two forces collided head on, on the 9-F0B2 gate, as Providence Bloc jumped into the Loki fleet. In the first exchange of fire the Loki fleet suffered losses while the mainline ships of the Nightmare fleet managed to tank relatively easy. With their Logistic ships breaking, [NC] lit a cynosural beacon and brought forth 2 Triage Archons as well as 10 tracking Dreadnoughts, in order to counter the battleships.

At this point a CFC Harpy fleet entered the fray, some 80 pilots large, warping straight into the middle of the fight and engaging the [NC] Lokis. Providence Bloc decided to retaliate and bring their own Triage support, in the form of 2 Chimera Carriers, and the battle continued in earnest. Providence Bloc showing the power of its Nightmare fleet, as the first Triage Archon for [NC] was nearly destroyed, the second already in armor and the tracking Dreadnoughts next on the list.

As local continued to rise, with such entities as The Gorgon Empire [-GE-] and RvB Ganked entering the system, and the unexpected power and tanking ability of the Providence Bloc Nightmare fleet, the [NC] fleet commanders decided to drop in their Super Capital fleet. Onto the field were brought no less than 80 Titans and Motherships, who promptly destroyed the Providence Bloc’s Chimeras, and turned their attention to the Nightmares themselves.

At this point [-GE-] Machariel Battleship fleet showed up on grid, some 60 pilots big, choosing to perch above the gate and not committing to the fight while an RvB Ganked Dominix Battleship fleet, around 170 pilots strong, warped straight into the Super Capital blob, coming to the aid of Providence Bloc and starting to brawl with the [NC] forces.

Providence Bloc continued to fight, realizing the hopelessness of their situation, deciding to attempt and take down as many enemy Capitals as possible, thus focusing their attention on the remaining Archon and tracking Dreadnoughts, who one by one succumbed to the dwindling damage.

As the fight continued, Pandemic Legion came into the system as well, bridging behind the lines, and coming from the 9-F0B2 system, jumping straight into the raging battle on the gate. Pandemic Legion brought a 100 pilot strong Protues\Legion Strategic Cruiser fleet, and set its sights on the Nightmare fleet.

By this point, the Providence Bloc fleet was in tatters. Though it managed to snag a few more Dreadoughts and a second Archon, it could not sustain the incoming damage, especially with the addition of the Pandemic Legion fleet on top of it. An attempt was made to de-aggress on the 9-F0B2 gate and extract the remaining Battleships from the system.

The Fight from the viewpoint of Providence Bloc forces, courtesy of Mangraa Dementia

With Providence Bloc forces out of the system, [NC] and Pandemic Legion’s attention now turned to the RvB Ganked and [-GE-] fleets which were still in the system. The two forces were hounded across the system, with a couple of bruising skirmishes taking place in safe spots and around the Assah gate. However it became clear the [-GE-] and RvB Ganked forces were not willing to fight, choosing to extract to Low Security space instead.

A chase attempt was made by Pandemic Legion after the retreating RvB Ganked fleet down to the Nakah system in Derelik region. Yet, only a few stragglers were caught, as the RvB Ganked fleet docked in the system’s stations, refusing to fight Pandemic Legion. [-GE-] and the CFC fleets both managed to extract as well, leaving [NC] to hold the field.

The Fight from the perspective of [NC], courtesy of SoarXIII

After [NC] withdrew its forces, Providence Bloc took down the Sovereignty Blockade Units and replaced it with their own, allowing them to keep the system.

Battle report for the G-5EN2 system can be found here (Still missing killmails).

The fight proved to be one of the costliest and largest battles fought in recent EVE history. No less than 900 pilots occupied the system at the peak of the fighting, with Time Dilation been an ever present factor, influencing the outcome of the battle greatly as it peaked to 10% and swung wildly as the battle ebbed and flowed.

It is estimated that no less than 400 ships were lost, at an estimated cost of 70 – 100 Bil ISK in damages. However the true figures may be higher, as the killboards have not finished synchronizing at the time of writing.

Regardless, it is plain to see that Providence Bloc suffered a devastating defeat, though gained a moral victory by forcing [NC] to deploy its Super Capital fleet in order to win the fight. With these ever escalating skirmishes over the G-5EN2 system, one may wonder if a peak was reached, or is a second B-R5RB waiting around the corner? Time will tell.

Special thanks to Jin’taan of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance for granting an interview, as well as, Mangraa Dementia of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance and SoarXIII of Militaris Industries, Northern Coalition(dot) for supplying the video footage.

News: Pandemic Legion Re-Caputres F4R2-Q

F4R2-Q system, Catch region. On the night of the 8th of March, at 23:40 EVE Standard Time, Pandemic Legion forces engaged HERO Coalition over the control of the system, in a battle that proved to be short and one sided.

Pandemic Legion organized a Tempest Fleet Issue Battleship fleet, with Triage Carrier support, some 130 pilots strong, with a WAFFLES(dot) support wing of Svipul Strategic Destroyers, 40 pilots large.

Against them, HERO Coalition assembled a Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, of equal size, with Harpy Assault Frigate wing and an Electronic Warfare wing comprised of Crucifier Frigates. All told, HERO Coalition’s force was estimated at around 250 pilots number.

CFC forces were also present in the system, in a Harpy and Claw Interceptor fleets, 120 pilots combined.

Pandemic Legion’s Fleet en-route to the F4R2-Q System

The fighting began when Pandemic Legion’s fleet entered the F4R2-Q system through the ZXIC-7 gate. HERO Coalition was already in position, with its Tengu fleet perched more than 120 km away from the gate, and its E-war wing spread around the gate at a similar distance. The Pandemic Legion force de-cloaked at once and anchored, volleying off HERO ships. At the same time, WAFFLES(dot) set to the task of clearing the E-war wing. CFC and HERO Harpy fleets, in the meanwhile, were occupied in low level skirmishing around the grid.

After a few minutes, HERO Coalition started to pull range, unable to break any of the mainline ships’ tank nor do anything about the Triage Carriers present on field. Losing much of their E-war wing, and being constantly harassed by the CFC Harpies, who changed targets from the HERO Harpy fleet to the Logistics wing of the Tengu fleet. Pandemic Legion took this opportunity and warped its fleet to the station, as it was coming out of reinforce mode.

With the reinforcement timer ticking its last few minutes, and HERO Coalition seemingly unable or not wanting to further engage the Pandemic Legion force, a cynosural beacon was lit by the Pandemic Legion, allowing a Mothership wing to jump into the system.

Pandemic Legion’s Mothership Wing Present on the Station Grid

With the Mothership reinforcements, Pandemic Legion quickly took ownership of the station, as well as destroying the Territorial Claim Unit of HERO Coalition. By this point, HERO Coalition’s morale seem to have been broken, and their fleet evacuated the system.

With the station safely in its hands, and a Territorial Claim Unit of its own in the process of activating, Pandemic Legion quickly extracted its Motherships, and then its sub-capital fleet from the system without further incident.

At 8:33 EVE Standard Time, the system of F4R2-Q was officially claimed by Pandemic Legion.

Battle report for the F4R2-Q system can be found here.

The F4R2-Q system housed at the peak of the fighting 630 players, with Time Dilation being unnoticeable. The fighting itself proved to be short, lasting only 36 minutes from start to the loss of the HERO Coalition Territorial Claim Unit, which signaled the end of fighting.

HERO Coalition lost the majority of ships, 139 in total, for almost 2.5 Bil ISK of damages. On Pandemic Legion’s side, almost no ships were lost, except for some support and the WAFFLES(dot) wing, which tangled with the CFC forces, losing 13 ships for 1.7 Bil ISK damages. As for the CFC, who came as a third party to the battle, it lost 32 ships, for nearly 1.5 Bil ISK of damages.

With Pandemic Legion continuing its operations in Catch, one can only guess which system will be targeted next, and whether HERO Coalition can muster enough force and resolve to re-create some of the victories it was able to pull in the previous clash between the two entities.

News: Battle of Y-2ANO – CFC and N3 Clash Head On

Y-2ANO system, Fountain region. On the 25th of November, N3 and CFC forces butted heads over the first Infrastructure Hub reinforcement timer, resulting in a massive hour long slugfest.

The battle started with N3 forces arrayed around the LBGI-2 gate in the system, with Northern Coalition. [NC] in a full Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, staying ten kilometers from the gate itself, and forces of The Kadeshi [THOR] and DARKNESS. [DARK.] in a Legion Strategic Cruiser fleet, stationed seventy kilometers away. Altogether N3 forces had around four hundred pilots on grid, including three Chimera Carriers for triage support.

CFC forces were split between two full Tengu fleets and a large support wing of Celestis Cruisers. One of the Tengu fleets bridged into the system in a safe, and warped to the LGBI-2 gate at close range while the other jumped into system a few minutes after. All told, at the thick of the fighting, the CFC had six hundred pilots on grid.

The usual picture of Tengu fleets keeping range and exchanging fire from afar did not emerge in Y-2ANO as the battle erupted. Instead, a close range, brutal brawl ensued, as one of the CFC Tengu fleets found itself between the Northern Coalition. Tengu fleet and N3 Legion fleet, and being hammered from both sides. Reinforcements quickly jumped in and started to anchor, but it was too late, the first CFC Tengu fleet was losing ships fast.

Both sides focused on Logistics ships at first, and while the first CFC fleet attempted to pull range, Northern Coalition. forces did not allow it, spreading interdiction probes all around and keeping up with it in speed. At the same time, to make up for their lower numbers, Northern Coalition. had sixty Motherships at a safe tower in the system assign their fighter wings to their main fleet, spreading damage across multiple ships in order to inflict further casualties, or at least add to the pressure on the Logistics wing.

As the battle wore on, the first CFC Tengu fleet was in tatters, a decision was made to switch to the second fleet which was pursuing the Northern Coalition. Tengu fleet, while the N3 Legion fleet kept damage on the first CFC Tengu fleet. At the same time, CFC bombers cleared a few of the fighter drones and attempted to disrupt the tank of the Northern Coalition.’s Tengus with void bomb runs, with mixed success. All the while the CFC Celestis wing kept maximum range of the fight and spread their damps on the Northern Coalition. Tengus, with no apparent success.

With the first CFC Tengu fleet decimated, and the second CFC Tengu fleet being targeted now, it seems an attempt by CFC forces was made to stop an N3 Dreadnaught squadron which was working during the fight on pushing the Infrastructure Hub into its second reinforcement timer. The CFC Tengu fleets warped in range of the Infrastructure Hub, only to find they were to late, and being pursued by the N3 fleets.

Bloodied and having lost the strategic objective, the CFC fleets decided to quickly extract from the system, jumping into the LBGI-2 system. N3 forces attempted to give chase, jumping into the system as well, only to find CFC reinforcements ready for them. Instead of fighting further, N3 forces quickly crashed to gate and jumped back to Y-2ANO system.

At this point, both sides decided to stand down.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/oKV4ggDrsVY&source=uds

Footage of the fight from Northern Coalition.’s point of view

Battle report for the Y-2ANO system can be found here.

At the height of the battle, the Y-2ANO system hosted more than one thousand and one hundred players. Time Dilation was fixed at ten percent throughout the fight, and clearly effected the battle.

The system saw four hundred ships destroyed in a period of ninety minutes, for a total of seventy-two billion ISK. CFC forces lost a third of their pilots, and received two thirds of the damage, while N3 lost only a quarter of their forces, for a third of the ISK damages.

With this and the battle of LBGI-2, it seems the current Fountain war started with a big opening act. The only question is, whether it will have a grad final climax, or will it show a marked decline as the sovereignty grind takes its toll on both sides.

Special thanks to Minas93, of 0utLaw., Northern Coalition. for granting an interview and Sparith Jeda, of HAX., Northern Coalition. for supplying footage of the fight.

Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 3.8.2014

UL-7I8 system, Catch region. On the 3rd of August, the system saw a large battle between forces of the CFC, HERO Coalition, The Unthinkables Alliance and Providence Bloc, without a clear decisive winner.

The battle flared up when a Providence Bloc fleet, a hundred and ten pilot strong in Vexor class Cruisers entered the UL-7I8 system after reports of Sovereignty Blockade Units anchored by Brave Collective Alliance were received. Upon discovering the Sovereignty Blockade Units, the Providence Bloc force attempt to remove them, but was interrupted when a cynosural beacon was spotted in the system, allowing a HERO Coalition Harpy class Assault Frigate force, a hundred pilot strong, to bridge into the system.

Providence Bloc forces decided to retreat to a safe tower within the system, in order to assess the situation. Doing so allowed them to observe The Unthinkables Alliance Tengu class Strategic Cruiser fleet, around eighty pilots, enter the field. Both hostile fleets did not engage each other for the duration of the battle. Instead, they turned their attention to a CFC force, two hundred pilot big, in Harpy class Assault Frigates as well, which entered the system afterwards. At that point the system housed more than four hundred pilots.

With the entry of CFC forces, the battle flared on the ERVK-P gate, with both HERO Coalition and Providence Bloc performing bombing runs, albeit on different targets. After the bombs were dropped, the CFC and HERO Coalition, along with The Unthinkables started a sortie, with Providence Bloc forces entering the fray as well, and engaging The Unthinkables fleet, which they deemed the most dangerous of the three.

However, as the battle progressed, CFC forces decided to disengage, probably unhappy with the progress of the fighting, as The Unthinkables fleet did not seem to break, although the HERO Coalition fleet did lose most of its support. With the CFC opting out of the battle, Providence Bloc forces would not stand a chance against the combined might of the HERO Coalition and The Unthinkables fleet, and thus chose to retreat back to the safety of their tower instead.

Due to the nature of the fight, it appears that little losses were incurred to either side, as is evident in the battle reports.

This marked the end of large scale hostilities in the system, though several attempts later were made by Providence Bloc to dislodge the Sovereignty Blockade Units, with little success, due to the presence of HERO Coalition bombers. Thus the Infrastructure Hub in the system was made vulnerable, and later pushed into reinforced mode.

Original battle report can be found here.
Fixed battle report can be found here.

special thanks to Ristlin Wakefield, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance, for supplying the AAR

Providence Fight Club: T-RPFU 22.7.2014

T-RPFU system, Providence region. On the 22nd of July, Providence Bloc forces suffered defeat by CFC forces in a protracted battle on the D-GTMI gate.

Providence Bloc forces were organized in an eighty-two strong Rupture class Cruiser fleet, and were preparing to move towards the V-3YG7 system in Catch, when information of two Harpy Assault Frigate fleets in the Providence region was received. As it turns out, both fleets were allied, with the first, smaller force, some eighty ships in total, headed by Circle-of-Two Alliance, a member of the CFC, and the other force, at least a hundred and twenty ships strong belonging to the greater CFC and including alliances such as Ev0ke, Tactical Narcotics Team and GoonSwarm Federation. All in all, the number of hostiles was estimated at more than two hundred ships.

However, since both fleets seemed to act independently, it was decided to attempt and engage them one at a time, in which case Providence Bloc forces stood a fair chance, with it being clear that taking both fleets at the same time would be impossible with the current fleet numbers. As Providence Bloc forces made their way to intercept the first of the two fleets, headed by Circle-of-Two, they were disheartened to learn that two fleets have combined in the D-GTMI system.

Deciding to stand their ground, Providence bloc forces retreated from the D-GTMI system, and instead set themselves in the T-RPFU system, on the D-GTMI gate, in order to inflict some losses on the enemy fleet, while hoping for two separate engagements rather than a one combined assault.

This seemed to be the case at first, with the Circle-of-Two fleet committing to the attack and the CFC fleet remaining behind in the D-GTMI system and maintaining its position on the T-RPFU gate. Only having to contend with one fleet, Providence Bloc forces were able to effectively engage the enemy, and were on the verge of winning the battle and breaking the enemy’s force, though suffering casualties of their own, when the CFC fleet jumped into the system.

Faced with overwhelming odds, Providence Bloc forces attempted to fight on, but after a while, and with their logistics wing obliterated, it was obvious that the battle was lost. The signal to retreat was sounded, and the remnants of the Providence Bloc retreated, making their way back to their staging system in order to re-form.

Though not the first defeat suffered by Providence Bloc forces, it seems to have sparked quite a few condemnations from members of the Providence Bloc, mainly due to what some have considered cowardice on the part of alphastarpilot, of THORN Syndicate, Circle-of-Two Alliance, the Fleet Commander of the first Harpy fleet, who they believe called the CFC reinforcements once the battle’s tide turned against him. Whether this is true or not, it is certain that many will not view this battle as a “Good Fight”.

Original battle report can be found here.
Fixed battle report can be found here.
Summary of the battle can be found here.

Report: Northern Coalition(dot) Loses Four Nyx Class Motherships in the RLDS-R system

RLDS-R system, Stain region. On the 15th of July, 20:33 EVE Standard Time, four Nyx class Motherships belonging to Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance were destroyed by a combined Stain-Wagon and CFC force.

According to alphastarpilot, of THORN Syndicate, Circle-Of-Two Alliance, who was the CFC Fleet Commander for the operation, Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance had been operating Titan and Mothership class Capital ships in the Stain region for quite some time unopposed. Thus, Stain-Wagon Coalition made a decision to lay a trap for Northern Coalition(dot) forces, in the form of an Archon class Carrier in the RLDS-R system, with cooperation of CFC forces.

As expected, a Northern Coalition(dot) fleet, belonging to BURN EDEN Corporation, comprised of an Erebus class Titan and four Nyx class Mothership escorts jumped into the system in an attempt to destroy the carrier, only to find itself tackled and under attack from a large Dreadnaught class Capital fleet, numbering forty pilots and supported by a large sub-capital contingent some two hundred and sixty pilot strong.

In a few short minutes, the combined forces of the Stain-Wagon Coalition and the CFC were able to destroy the four escorting Nyx class Motherships and bring the Erebus down to twenty-five percent armor before reinforcements could enter the system and assist the fleet. From this moment onward, the tide of the battle changed, as Stain-Wagon Dreadnaughts were destroyed in an alarming rate, reaching a thirty-six loss tally before the two parties disengaged.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/vMwPS9MRxHw&source=uds

video depicting the battle from the perspective of CFC forces

Original battle report can be found here.
Fixed battle report can be found here.

Part of the reason for the delay in the arrival of the Northern Coalition(dot) rescue fleet was the fact that their staging system of KFIE-Z, in the Delve region was heavily bubbled by CFC forces, thus making it impossible for their ships to jump out of the system and necessitating the removal of said bubbles, which took time – Time that was proven costly later on.

Though both sides have claimed victory, with Stain-Wagon able to lay a trap and destroy no less than four Nyx class Motherships, and Northern Coalition(dot) decimating Stain-Wagon’s Dreadnaught fleet in return, it is hard to decide whether or not there were any winners in this engagement, considering the huge losses experienced by them.

Summary of the battle can be found here.

Regardless, this probably won’t be the last fight between Stain-Wagon Coalition and the Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance, as internal Stain-Wagon Coalition leadership memos would imply.

Special thanks to vyshnegradsky, of Love Squad, Pasta Syndicate Alliance for giving a third party account and alphastarpilot, of THORN Syndicate, Circle-Of-Two Alliance for granting an interview. zKillboard link courtesy of TheMittani(dot)Com.

Providence Fight Club: 13.7.2014

On the 13th of July, Providence Bloc forces saw no less than five separate engagements in the span of four hours in the Catch and Providence regions, resulting in a total of one hundred and eighty-three kills and one hundred and six losses as well as twelve billion ISKs in damages.

The first engagement took place in the 9KOE-A system, Catch region, between Providence Bloc and the THE UNTHINKABLES Alliance. Providence Bloc forces, commanded by corebloodbrothers of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult Alliance, were making their way towards the V-3YG7 system in the Catch region, which serves as Brave Collective Alliance‘s main staging system. They were mainly in Battlecruiser and Cruiser class ships with armor Logistic ship support, some eighty-five pilots in total.

However, their route was blocked in the U-QVWD system, by a THE UNTHINKABLES Alliance fleet of an equal size, mostly in Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruisers . Since THE UNTHINKABLES had the better position, jumping into them was deemed unwise, and a decision was made to retreat, hoping for the enemy force to be lured and jump into the Providence Bloc fleet, thus allowing for a decent brawl.

This was what exactly happened, when THE UNTHINKABLES force gave chase after some time, and caught up to the Providence Bloc forces in the 9KOE-A system, on the 36N-HZ gate. What unfolded was a chaotic brawl, with Providence Bloc losing seventy-five ships, but managing to inflict twenty-eight losses on THE UNTHINKABLES.

Original battle report can be found here
Fixed battle report can be found here

With the bulk of the fleet destroyed, it was presumed that this would be the end of Providence Bloc operations for the day, yet reports of an Affirmative(dot) Alliance Ferox class Battlecruiser gang in the F-YH5B system, Providence region, spurred members of the fleet to re-ship to Rupture class Cruisers. What followed was a one sided engagement between the thirty-five strong Ferox gang and the seventy-two pilot Rupture fleet on the 8P9-BM gate, which was won by Providence Bloc with only minor losses.

Original battle report can be found here
Fixed battle report can be found here

Emboldened by this engagement, Providence Bloc forces made their way back to the V-3YG7 system for a second round. Only this time, a CFC Frigate fleet, a hundred and ten strong mainly in Interceptors and Harpy class Assault ships was encountered in the B-3QPD system, Catch region. The CFC force was jumping into the system from the V-3YG7 system and was caught by the Providence Bloc forces. A brutal engagement quickly happened, with Providence Bloc forces decimating half the CFC fleet, but taking some significant losses themselves.

Original battle report can be found here

In the end, Providence Bloc forces prevailed and entered the V-3YG7 system, however, it seems that remnants of the CFC force decided to give chase, as a second engagement flared on the B-3QPD gate and the station in the system, resulting in more losses to the CFC forces, as well as an Almost Awesome(dot) Alliance Cormorant class Destroyer gang which got caught in the crossfire. This time Providence Bloc losses were minimal.

Original battle report can be found here

What should have marked the last engagement, with Providence Bloc forces happily returning to their staging system, was proven wrong, as a Cult of War Alliance Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser gang, with intentions to prey upon the remnants of the Providence Bloc fleet, was sadly mistaken in their estimates, and instead encountered a still formidable fleet compared to their forces. The fighting was carried on the gates linking the U-QVWD and B-3QPD systems, with Cult of War suffering quite a few losses before abondening the field completely.

Original battle report can be found here

This marked the last major engagement before Providence Bloc forces returned to the staging system, reaching five engagements, with four clear victories and one defeat early on.

After a turbulent start for the summer, will this mark a return to normality for the Providence Bloc?

Special thanks are in order for corebloodbrothers and Botia Macracantha, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult Alliance for granting interviews and supplying details.

Summary: Large Fleet Battle in HJ-BCH 30.3.2014

In the early hours of the thirtieth of March, a large fleet fight erupted in the HJ-BCH system, Scalding Pass region, between CFC and N3 Coalition forces over a tackled Titan on a station.

Almost Awesome(dot) Alliance is a small, unaffiliated organization in New Eden, who has taken possession of the HJ-BCH system and outpost in order to illicit a fight from any of the sides involved in the Halloween War.

However, on two previous sovereignty timers, Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance opted to field a small, unsupported Capital fleet to quickly burn through the reinforcement process, leaving Almost Awesome(dot) unable to respond. During the second timer, though, qicia, of Mercurialis Inc, Razor Alliance, one of the Fleet Commander of Razor Alliance, was present and witnessed the Northern Coalition(dot) Capital deployment in the system.

Contacting the locals, an agreement was reached to set a trap for the Northern Coalition(dot) Capital force in the next timer, with Almost Awesome(dot) supplying initial tackle and cynosural beacon, and Razor Alliance bringing the damage to the field.

However, when the timer was reached, Northern Coalition(dot) forces did not seem to commit. A decision was made to use a bait to lure them, an Archon class Carrier to sit on the un-dock and enter Triage mode, repairing the station. qicia hypothesized that once seeing that, Northern Coalition(dot) will jump a Titan in, but he had no illusions that his fleet was even capable of destroying the Titan itself.

His hypothesis was confirmed when a cynosural beacon went up in the system, and an Erebus class Titan, with fifteen assorted Mothership escorts jumped into the system. The Titan immediately fired its doomsday device, destroying the Archon class Carrier. However, the Northern Coalition(dot) fleet was severely lacking in support, and was quickly bubbled down by the Almost Awesome(dot) Interdictor class Destroyers, effectively preventing it from jumping out. Almost Awesome(dot) lit their own cynosural beacon and allowed the Razor Alliance Tempest class Battleship fleet to bridge in.

At this point, both forces were pinging their allies for reinforcements. Northern Coalition(dot) itself quickly formed a Tempest Fleet Issue class Battleship fleet and bridged it into system thanks to one of the tackled Motherships refitting cynosural generator. The fight seems at this point to have gone Razor Alliance’s way, however, with reinforcements entering the field from both coalitions, reaching over six hundred pilots in the system, and Time Dilation kicking in, the tide of the battle was uncertain to stay this way.

qicia, believing he didn’t have enough support to deploy a Capital fleet, and with mounting reinforcements coming from the N3 Coalition side, decided to withdraw. At this point in time there were seven fleets in the system fighting. For the most part the CFC forces managed to extract with minimal losses, with only a Harpy class Assault Frigate fleet lost to the last pilot, with opinions divided for the reason, as some claim it remained on the field to cover the other CFC entities’ retreat, or that it may have not realized the other fleets were withdrawing.

The N3 Coalition itself managed to save the tackled Titan and its Mothership class escorts, who safely jumped out of the system.

The fixed Battle Report.

Both sides have since claimed victory in this battle, with Almost Awesome(dot) achieving the fight they have been looking for, the CFC causing more damage in ISK to the N3 Coalition, and the N3 Coalition holding the field and taking over the system.

Alexander Jabez, of Burning Napalm, Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance, who was the Fleet Commander in charge on N3 Coalition’s side, has admitted that lack of resistance from the locals, coupled with confidence in the US Time Zone of the Alliance, has led to the use of Capitals and Super Capital ships unsupported.

qicia, of Mercurialis Inc, Razor Alliance, has only lamented the lack of numbers from the CFC side, and the miscommunication with the Harpy class Assault Frigate fleet. However, for the most part, he is satisfied with the result and wished to commend the N3 Coalition for committing to it.

Roweena Azur, of Hit Squad 420, Almost Awesome(dot) Alliance, wished to express his gratitude to qicia for organizing the trap, and claims that Almost Awesome(dot) will continue to cause mayhem, however in a different region of New Eden.

SpiritOne, of Burning Napalm, Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance, wished to commend his Corporation’s members for fielding the Archon class Carrier force, which he believes was instrumental in securing the victory for the N3 Coalition.

Special thanks to SpiritOne and Alexander Jabez, of Burning Napalm, Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance, qicia, of Mercurialis Inc, Razor Alliance and Roweena Azur, of Hit Squad 420, Almost Awesome(dot) Alliance for granting the interviews.

Breaking News: H.E.R.O Coalition Capital Fleet Lost in N-8BZ6

With the shock waves of Darkness of Despair’s disband still subsiding, H.E.R.O Coalition continued its assault on Catch. However, it seems over confidence led H.E.R.O Coalition to deploy a small capital fleet in N-8BZ6 system in order to reinforce an AAA Citizens station, a renter Alliance of Against ALL Authorities. Their mistake was aggravated by the lack a substantial sub-capital fleet to escort said capitals. This resulted in thirteen dreadnaughts and four carriers destroyed, along with an assortment of sub-capitals who tried to rescue the tackled capitals.

The fight started by coincidence, when republicov, a Providence Block Fleet Commander belonging to the Silent Infinity Alliance, led an interceptor gang through Catch, hoping to snag a few kills. Moving through the N-8BZ6 system, one of the fleet members, Myster0816 of Curatores Veritatis Alliance, checked his directional scanner and was noticed that capital ships were showing up near the system’s station. Without a second thought, republicov ordered his fleet to warp to the station and tackle the besieging capitals, while pinging Providence for reinforcements.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/oEc9a_UIIic&source=uds

The battle through republicov’s fleet’s perspective

Luckily enough, corebloodbrothers of The Volition Cult Alliance, was assembling his daily fleet. Getting reports from republicov, corebloodbrothers ordered his fleet to re-ship to heavy neutralizing battleships and assemble on a titan to bridge. PIXSE, another pilot of The Volition Cult, was told to fit a cynosural generator on an interceptor and burn to the site in order to allow the force to drop on top of the tackled capitals.

In the meanwhile, Chee Sao of Apocalypse Now. Alliance, who was part of republicov’s fleet, kept the tackled capitals bubbled with his sabre, giving corebloodbrothers the time needed to organize and bridge his fleet. In less than twenty minutes the first wave of battleship was on the field, applying heavy neutralizers and DPS on the bubbled capitals.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/f759RBScOPs&source=uds

A recording of the early stages of the battle, just as CFC forces enter the system

The fight’s outcome, was not, by any definition of the word, clear at the time. The first wave of battleships was having a tough time breaking the capitals’ tank, and losing many of its ships. corebloodbrothers hastily organized reinforcements, only to find that his titan had run out of Strontium Clathrates to open the bridge. This led to a rather comical moment in which fuel had to be brought up and dragged to the titan. After they were done with their shenanigans, Provi-Block reinforcements bridged into the system and kept piling in, reaching one-hundred and eighty pilots, mostly in sentry ships.

At the same time, a CFC Tengu fleet have heard of the tackled capitals and burned to the system. corebloodbrothers quickly opened communications with the CFC’s FC, reaching an agreement of a temporary ceasefire in order for both fleets to focus on the tackled capitals. With the CFC reinforcements, the H.E.R.O Coalition capitals melted away, and were destroyed to the last one. A token H.E.R.O cruiser gang numbering more than fifty pilots tried to free the tackled capitals, only to end up destroyed alongside them.

Once all the capitals were destroyed, the CFC Tengu fleet extracted itself from the system, without incident, allowing Provi-Block to loot the field and return home safely. In just over an hour H.E.R.O Coalition lost five Moros, three Naglfar, two Phoenix and three Revelation class dreadnaughts, as well as three Chimera and one Archon class carriers. The damage done is valued at fifty billion ISK.

Battle Report

While Test Alliance Please Ignore has not given me any official response, Brave Collective’s PR officer, Markonius
Porkbutte, directed me to his subreddit post, where it was claimed that poor coordination, lack of consolidated communication lines, absence of a backup fleet and operational oversight caused the losses.

However, it has been claimed that a H.E.R.O Coalition reinforcement fleet was assembled and ready to bridge on a titan, only to find out the titan pilot in question was AFK. This may explain why several Provi-Block pilots saw a second H.E.R.O Coalition cynosural beacon go up, without anyone entering the system. This has not been confirmed by either side, though corebloodbrothers confessed that there were multiple cynosural beacons on the field, and he could have overlooked it.

Regardless of the outcome, many people in Providence are looking forward to H.E.R.O Coalition’s continued deployment in the region and hope for many more good fights in the future.

Special thanks are in order to JedsZero, Dragoshi Drambuie and Exclevori of Apocalypse Now. Alliance and Judiciary Pag of Curatores Veritatis Alliance for their contributions to the article, as well as corebloodbrothers, of The Volition Cult Alliance for the interview.

Update: ERVK-P Station Captured by H.E.R.O Coalition

Following the dissolution of Darkness of Despair Alliance, ERVK-P system in Catch lost sovereignty, allowing Brave Collective to claim their first system, and later station, in Catch. F9E-KX system followed shortly, and Nexus Fleet took over E-YJ8G system and station. All in all, H.E.R.O Coalition gained a foothold into Catch, with ERVK-P serving as their new staging system.

The only interruption to H.E.R.O Coalition’s take over of the ERVK-P system came in the form of a token CFC force comprised of a Zealot gang operated by Razor Alliance, and a Tengu fleet of assorted CFC entities, which Squared off against H.E.R.O’s Megathron fleet. Providence Block acted as an honorable third party and engaged both parties equally.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/E2ef7_SQ99E&source=uds

A clip of the battle from Provi-Block’s perspective

After a short engagement, and with mounting losses, Provi-Block’s Fleet Commander, corebloodbrothers, decided to extract the force and disengaged, rather than risk losing the whole fleet, and left the two coalition to continue fighting.

Summary of the battle

Regardless, H.E.R.O Coalition managed to get a solid foothold in Catch, whether they manage to keep it, widen it, or lose it entirely, time will tell.

The EVE Scribe will keep you posted.

Clip and battle summary provided by William Husker Adama of The Volition Cult Alliance.