News: G-5EN2 Infrastructure Hub Saved, Northern Coalition(dot) Absents from the Fight

G-5EN2 system, Providence region. On the 5th of May, 19:00 EVE Standard Time, Providence Bloc rallied to save the system’s Infrastructure Hub, resulting in a huge show of force.

Providence Bloc brought no less than 500 pilots to the system, divided into 4 fleets: A full Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet (256 pilots), a secondary Ishtar fleet, some 60 pilots strong. A 150 pilot Goku Bomber fleet and a regular Stealth Bomber wing.

These forces were further bolstered by Spectre Fleet and the Curse Russians, who brought more Ishtars into the mix.

Local peaked at 700 pilots in the G-5EN2 system, all on Providence Bloc’s side, prompting Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] to absent from the fight, as they could not hope to contend with such a huge force, short of dropping their Super Capital fleet. This allowed Providence Bloc and their allies to quickly dismantle the Sovereignty Blockade Units stationed at the gates, effectively securing the system once more.

After repairing the Infrastructure Hub, Providence Bloc and their allies returned to their staging systems, having accomplished their main goal.

The only incidents registered were:

A [NC] Stealth Bomber wing which harassed the Providence Bloc fleet as they were removing Sovereignty Blockade Units. The bombing run cost Providence 33 Ishtars and 47 Stealth Bombers, as well as assorted Frigates, for a total for 10 Bil ISK of damages.

Battle report can be found here.

An attempt to pipe bomb the Providence Bloc fleet as it made its way back to staging, which ultimately failed twice, with Providence Bloc sustaining minor losses only and dispatching a few of the Battleships before continuing on.

Battle report for the first attempt can be found here.
Battle report for the second attempt can be found here.

All told not much action was had, but instead a message sent, that Providence Bloc can and will field large numbers to defend its sovereignty. So long as the conflict was limited to deploying Sovereignty Blockade Units, Providence Bloc was happy to oblige [NC] and provide limited engagements. However, when it came to its own sovereignty, Providence Bloc made it very clear it will not tolerate any threat.

One interesting fact is the show of force made by the Curse Russians in aid of Providence Bloc. The Curse Russians have a long score to settle with [NC], and in coming to reinforce Providence Bloc, are sending a message to [NC] that old grudges have not been forgotten. This can potentioally prove detrimental to [NC]’s continued deployment in the region, especially if the Curse Russians decide to pursue their grudge even further.

Providence Bloc made its move, now its up to [NC] to answer it. Will it escalate the conflict further, or will it attempt a return to the previous dynamic? Only time will tell.

Special thanks to Yulai Federation Networks for the screenshot.

News: Providence Bloc Suffers Defeat in G-5EN2, Station Reinforced

G-5EN2 system, Providence region. On the 3rd of May, at 19:00 EVE Standard Time, Providence Bloc and Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] clashed once more in the system, in a bloody fight that continued the escalation in the conflict fought between the two.

As what has become a routine, [NC] forces deployed Sovereignty Blockade Units in the G-5EN2 system, prompting Providence Bloc to form up and take them down.

Providence Bloc brought 170 pilots in 2 fleets, a Proteus\Legion Strategic Cruiser fleet, estimated at a 100 pilots, and a Goku bomber fleet, around 50 ships strong. Added to that was a regular Stealth Bomber wing.

The fleet raced its way to the G-5EN2 system, where forces belonging to [NC] were already situated on the station, reinforcing it. [NC] brought a 100 pilot fleet, of Tempest Fleet Issue Battleships, with 5 Triage Archon Carriers.

Providence Bloc’s forces decided not to engage the [NC] fleet at its own terms, and instead focused their attention on the Sovereignty Blockade Unit deployed on the 9-F0B2 gate. This prompted the [NC] fleet to warp to the gate, getting caught in the interdiction field deployed by Providence Bloc and starting the fight.

The beginning of the battle saw a savage exchange, as Tempest Fleet Issues and Strategic Cruisers were volleyed off one by one. After a while though, things started to go badly for Providence Bloc. A bad call caused both the Goku and the Strategic Cruiser fleet to enter the thick of the [NC] fleet. Though this made tracking hard for the Tempest Fleet Issues, it also made things considerably worse for Providence Bloc, as they were hit by their own bomber wing.

Receiving a full hit from Void bombs, many of the Strategic Cruisers lost their capacitor entirely. Unable to turn on modules or tank, they were mercilessly cut down by the Tempest Fleet Issues, who could still cycle guns as they were not dependent on energy.

Smartbombing Tempest Fleet Issues, specifically fitted to counter Providence Bloc’s usage of Stealth Bombers, did a great job of clearing many of Providence Bloc’s Goku bombers, effectively cutting down Providence E-war and damage output, as well as removing a serious threat to the [NC] fleet.

Faced with heavy losses and inability to sustain further fighting, Providence Bloc retreated back to their staging, allowing [NC] to continue and reinforce the station, signaling another escalation in the war between the two entities.

Once done, [NC] extracted from the system without further incident.

Video of the Fight from Providence Bloc’s Perspective, Courtesy of Mangraa Dementia.

Battle report for the G-5EN2 system can be found here.

Local peaked at 320 pilots at the thick of the fighting, with Time Dilation making an appearance, spiking to 60% at one point, but otherwise having no large noticeable effect. The fight lasted 17 minutes.

Providence Bloc forces suffered the brunt of the losses in this battle, losing 85 ships, for a total damage of 13.6 Bil ISK. [NC] fared much better compared to previous fights, losing 18 ships only, for a total of 5.8 Bil ISK in damages.

Up until this point, Providence Bloc have been handling the conflict quite well, able to stand up against [NC] when it came to sub-capital fleet engagements. Though possibly a temporary setback, the fight did show that [NC] were willing to escalate further, considering what an expensive and powerful doctrine Tempest Fleet Issue is.

The question is, what can Providence Bloc do to counter this new threat, considering the Super Capital umbrella [NC] enjoys and their willingness to use it. I guess once the station exits reinforced mode we shall see their answer.

Special thanks to Mangraa Dementia, of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance, for supplying the video footage.

News: Conlict Pours Into The 9-F0B2 System

9-F0B2 system, Providence region. On 2nd of May, 21:00 EVE Standard Time, Providence Bloc and Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] clashed again over Sovereignty Blockade Units in the system, in a continuation of hostilities between the two factions.

[NC] brought 80 pilots in a Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, who promptly sat on the 9-F0B2 gate in the neighboring G-5EN2 system, waiting for Providence Bloc to form and engage them.

Providence Bloc, for its part, brought more than 200 pilots, divided into a main Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, around a 130 pilots strong, supported by a Goku wing and a regular Stealth Bomber wing.

Providence Bloc forces bridged into the 9-F0B2 system, in order to avoid possible confrontation with [NC] on route, and situated themselves on the G-5EN2 gate, deploying a Mobile Cyno Inhibitor and targeting the [NC] Sovereignty Blockade Unit. Once [NC] saw Providence Bloc had no intention of jumping into them, they took the imitative and jumped into the system, thus starting the fight.

A short battle ensued, with Providence Bloc and [NC] exchanging blows, [NC] targeting the Goku bombers, while Providence Bloc went straight for the Tengus. As the battle raged, Providence Bloc bombers made their impact, dropping round after round of Void bombs, effectively destroying the capacitor of the Tengus and their Logistics, enabling Providence Bloc to easily overpower the [NC] fleet.

This forced [NC] to retreat temporarily, allowing Providence Bloc to once again focus on the Sovereignty Blockade Unit. However, after a while [NC] returned to the field, and the battle resumed in earnest.

Just as before, the fight saw an exchange of bombers for Tengus, as more waves of Void bombs kept the [NC] disorganized, unable to maintain their tank or activate shield transfers in time. Once more, [NC] was forced off the field.

This proved to be the last attempt at a fight, as shortly after, [NC] forces attempted to leave the system back to Low Security space, with Providence Bloc hot on their heels. Once [NC] had left the system, Providence Bloc finished removing the hostile Sovereignty Blockade Units, thus securing the system once more before returning to their staging system.

The Battle from Providence Bloc’s Perspective, Courtesy of Mangraa Dementia (Warning; Strong Language)

Battle report for the 9-F0B2 system can be found here.

The system saw more than 340 pilots at the peak of the fighting, with Time Dilation being a constant factor, reaching around 60% and slowly going down as time went by. The fight itself lasted only 15 minutes.

Providence Bloc lost 30 ships, the vast majority Stealth Bombers, for 1.5 Bil ISK damages. [NC] lost 19 ships, for a total of 6 Bil ISK of damages.

Rumors abound over [NC] Fleet Commander’s response over the usage of Stealth Bombers, threatening to use Carrier fleets in the future. However, while [NC] views this war as a fun excursion, for Providence Bloc, its a fight for their home, and all means are legitimate when protecting it.

As one Providence Bloc Fleet Commander commented “Let him bring his Carriers, I will bring 200 bombers in response”.

Clearly, things are heating up in the Providence region, for better and for worse.

Special thanks to Jin’taan, of Pentag Blade, Curatores Veritatis Alliance for granting an interview and Mangraa Dementia, of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance, for supplying the video footage.

News: Northern Coalition(dot) Reinforces Towers in Providence, Pays a Toll for Its Actions

N-RMSH system, Providence region. On the 1st of May, 20:30 EVE Standard Time, Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] reinforced towers in the system. However, when extracting, an Aeon Mothership and an Archon Carrier were left behind and immediately got tackled, resulting in a fight.

[NC] had deployed a large Super Capital fleet to the N-RMSH system, reinforcing towers belonging to Yulai Federation [YF]. The force included no less than 15 Aeon, 11 Nyx and 1 Hel Motherships, 7 Naglfar and 3 Moros Dreadnoughts and 12 Archon Carriers. After finishing their show of unstoppable force, the [NC] Super Capital fleet extracted from the system, save for a single Aeon and a single Archon who were caught by an interdiction probe deployed by a Providence Bloc pilot, just as the fleet was jumping out of the system.

Quickly, Providence Bloc pilots used the opportunity to keep the Carrier and Mothership tackled in one of the asteroid belts in the system. In the meantime, pings were sent, fleets diverted and reinforcements started pouring into the system. While the Aeon did manage to break itself free, clearing the interdiction probes around it and jumping out to safety, the Archon wasn’t so lucky.

[NC], realizing the gravity of the situation, attempted to mount a rescue. Due to the Phoebe changes to jump drives, most of its Super Capital fleet was fatigued, unable to jump back to the rescue of the tackled ships. Instead, a makeshift gang of shield Battlecruisers and Cruisers was assembled and bridged into the system, intending to clear tackle and allow the Archon to jump out.

However, by this time Providence Bloc bridged in reinforcements, and more were pouring through the gates. A brief skirmish was fought over the Carrier, in which Providence Bloc completely and utterly annihilated the [NC] rescue fleet. With no hope left and an overwhelming enemy force pouring its fury at it, the Archon had little to do but to surrender to the onslaught.

With the Archon destroyed, Providence Bloc secured the system, content in making the giant bleed for its efforts.

The Last Moments of the Archon from Providence Bloc’s Perspective, Courtesy of Mangraa Dementia

Battle report for the N-RMSH system can be found here.

At the peak of the battle, local reached 200 pilots, with no Time Dilation reported.

Providence Bloc lost 28 ships, for a total of 2.5 Bil ISK. [NC] lost an equal number of ships, but triple the cost, receiving nearly 8 Bil ISK in damages.

As the two entities continue to battle each other, and now towers reinforced, it seems a new level of hostility has been reached. With timers slowly ticking down, the next engagement may prove to be far more brutal than those before it, raising concerns of the direction this “Limited War” is taking.

Special thanks to corebloodbrothers, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult, for granting an interview, and for Yulai Federation Networks and Mangraa Dementia of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance, for supplying the screenshots and video footage.

News: Skirmishes Continue in G-5EN2

G-5EN2 system, Providence region. On the 30th of April, at 20:30 EVE Standard Time, another battle was fought over the system between forces of Providence Bloc and Northern Coalition(dot) [NC], becoming another link in a long line of engagements between the two entities.

Sovereignty Blockade Units were once more deployed by [NC] in the system of G-5EN2, forcing Providence Bloc to hastily form up in order to take them down. 4 fleets were formed, with the main being a 130 pilot Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by a Naga Battlecruiser wing, 40 pilots big, a Goku\E-war Frigate fleet and a regular Stealth Bomber wing. All told Providence Bloc had around 220 pilots, who promptly made their way to the besieged system.

[NC] for its part had a 90 Loki Strategic Cruiser fleet waiting in the system. As Providence Bloc forces entered through the 9-F0B2 system, the Loki fleet warped at its optimal range from their in-gate, starting the fight.

At first, Providence Bloc took a beating, as their fleets were scrambling to anchor up and position themselves. But after the first few minutes, the exchange started to look more equal, with [NC] losing Logistics ships and Lokis to the combined firepower of Providence Bloc.

As the Providence Bloc fleets continued to rain fire on the [NC] fleet, several attempts were made to take the Naga fleet out of commission. But after failed warp ins and losing more Lokis who got tackled by the main Proteus fleet, as well as suffering harassment from the Providence Bloc bombers, [NC] had no choice but to concede the field. Thus the Loki fleet disengaged, retreating back to Low Security space.

This allowed Providence Bloc the opportunity to take down the hostile Sovereignty Blockade Units. Having secured the system once more, Providence Bloc forces returned to their staging system without further incident.

The Battle from Providence Bloc’s Perspective, Courtesy of Mangraa Dementia

Battle report for the G-5EN2 system can be found here.

All told the engagement was quite quick and low key compared to previous battles. Lasting less than 20 minutes, with local never exceeding 330 pilots at the peak of fighting. Time Dilation was not reported.

Providence Bloc lost 31 ships in the fighting, mostly support ships, for a total of 3 Bil ISK of damages. [NC] lost 20 ships, for a total of 7 Bil ISK.

Providence Bloc Propaganda Video Regarding G-5EN2, Courtesy of Yulai Federation Networks

As [NC] continues to adjust and re-build its strength after the Fountain-Delve war, many more engagements are expected to be fought in the Providence region, as it proves to still be the most popular place for large fleet action.

Special thanks for corebloodbrothers, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult for granting an interview and Yulai Federation Networks and Mangraa Dementia, of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance, for supplying the screenshots and video footage.

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.

Providence Fight Club: G-5EN2 23.4.2015

G-5EN2 system, Providence region. On the 23rd of April, at 20:00 EVE Standard Time, Providence Bloc forces clashed with Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] in a bloody battle that left 7 Archon Carriers dead on the field.

Since their defeat in the Fountain-Delve war, [NC] has withdrawn from Null Security space to the Hasateem system in the Derelik region. From there it has been harassing Providence Bloc, in particular contesting the G-5EN2 system, which serves as one of the major gateways into the region.

This marked the third time in the week that [NC] has deployed Sovereignty Blockade Units in the system. and while previous engagements proved to be small to medium in scale, this time the ante was raised.

An [NC] fleet, comprised of around 114 pilots, mostly in Loki Strategic Cruisers and with no less than 7 Triage Carriers entered the G-5EN2 system through the 9-F0B2 gate as the Sovereignty Blockade Units came online.

Providence Bloc answered the provocation with an overwhelming show of force, bringing almost 500 pilots to the system divided into 5 fleets: The main fleet was a 205 pilots strong Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by 2 Ishtar Assault Cruiser fleets (one of which fielded by Providence Bloc’s long time enemy, Spectre Fleet), a Goku (Uncloaked Stealth Bombers who remain on grid) wing and an ordinary Stealth Bomber wing.

The two forces met each other on the Assah gate in the G-5EN2 system, as the Loki fleet landed at zero on the Proteus fleet’s Logistics wing. Immediately a brutal exchange took place, as Providence Bloc and [NC] slugged it out in close range. Providence Bloc lost nearly half their Logistics wing in the exchange, but managed to take down a few Lokis for their losses. However, the Triage remote repairs proved to be overwhelming, keeping most of the [NC] fleet alive.

The Two Forces Engaged on the Assah Gate

As the exchange continued, a decision was made to switch to the Triage Archons. This was done in order to get the Lokis to aggress on the fielded Proteus, allowing Providence Bloc to bring in their own Triage Carriers. Yet, the damage output of Providence Bloc proved to be so overwhelming, that the first pair of Triage Archons was destroyed with a couple of minutes, prompting the [NC] force to attempt a retreat, burning back to the Assah gate.

Pandemic Legion forces entered the system around this time, flying a Muninn Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, some 40 pilots strong and an equal sized Maulus Frigate e-war fleet piloted by their newbie friendly alliance, Pandemic Horde.

The force attempted to help the [NC] fleet but was bombed mercilessly by the Providence Bloc bomber wing, and forced off field. At the same time, Providence Bloc managed to destroy another Archon, as well as bubble the rest. Thus the [NC] Loki fleet was forced to jump out to Low Security Space, or risk total annihilation, leaving the rest of the Archons to be destroyed by Providence Bloc, who now had Heavy Interdiction Cruisers to keep them trapped.

Archon Wrecks Drifting Forlornly on the Assah Gate as the Fighting Continues

With the last Archon destroyed and both Pandemic Legion and [NC] on the run, Providence Bloc cleared the field and returned to their staging system.

Battle report for the G-5EN2 system can be found here.

During the peak of the fighting, the G-5EN2 system hosted 700 pilots, with Time Dilation proving to be a factor, as it spiked and subsided throughout the battle.

NCdot and its allies lost 97 ships, totaling 28 Bil ISK in damages, including 7 Triage Carriers. Providence Bloc lost only 81 ships, a total of 8 Bil ISK damage sustained.

As Null Security space adjusts to the recent political upheavals and wait in abated breath to the Sovereignty Warfare changes, the Providence region will probably become ever more busy, as the number one place to get a fight now that BNI had vacated Catch.

Special thanks to ISD for providing the screenshots.

News: D-GTMI System Captured by Providence Bloc

D-GTMI system, Providence region. On the 12th of November, the system fell into Providence Bloc’s hands without any further fighting.

Providence Bloc formed a forty pilot Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet in anticipation of another skirmish over the contested system. However, for an unknown reason, Northern Coalition(dot) [NC], did not form for the timer.

With no opposition, Providence Bloc quickly reinforced their Ishtar fleet with Stealth Bombers, swelling it up to a hundred pilots, and quickly ground the station, and then the Territorial Claim Unit.

With the station in Providence Bloc’s hands, they anchored their own Territorial Claim Units at a safe tower and took down their Sovereignty Blockade Units. On the 13th of November, 3:09 EVE Standard Time, the system was officially claimed under Curatores Veritatis Alliance banner, effectively returning it to the fold of the coalition.

This marks the last system to be returned to Providence Bloc’s control, with the Northern Catch pocket falling under Providence Bloc’s sway just two weeks before.

News: Providence Bloc Loses Another Skirmish Over the D-GTMI System

D-GTMI system, Providence region. On the 9th of November, 22:30 EVE Standard Time, Providence Bloc clashed with Northern Coalition(dot) to decide the fate of the system, which was lost to Providence earlier in May.

Northern Coalition took the D-GTMI system on the 27th of May, in order to create a vast jump bridge network, a highway to allow rapid fleet movement between Northern Associates holdings and the Delve region, which they have planned to conquer. However, with the Phoebe patch introducing jump fatigue mechanics and reduced jump ranges for most Capital ships, the plan had to be abondened.

Providence Bloc used the patch to finally take the initiative and deployed Sovereignty Blockade Units on the night of the 4th of November, reinforcing both the Infrastructure Hub and the Station, in order to reclaim the lost system. While sources within Northern Coalition(dot) claimed the system held no strategic importance anymore, they did say that the Alliance would form for convenient timers.

One such timer was on the 8th of November, 14:00 EVE Standard Time, when Providence Bloc’s Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, seventy pilot strong, engaged an Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet belonging to Northern Coalition(dot), at sixty pilot large. The fight, mostly carried on the T-RPFU Gate, saw Providence Bloc lose decisively to Northern Coalition.

Battle Report for the 8th of November can be found here.

However, on the night of the 9th, the roles were reversed, as Providence Bloc brought a hundred and seventy pilot Ishtar fleet. Northern Coalition(dot) for its part brought a hundred and fifty Tengu fleet. Northern Coalition(dot)’s fleet was the first to arrive to the system, and positioned itself on the T-RPFU gate, the expected entry point of Providence Bloc.

Providence Bloc for its part, did not oblige and chose not to jump to the awaiting Tengus, positioning itself on the D-GTMI gate in the T-RPFU system and deploying sentry drones. Northern Coalition(dot) decided instead of waiting, to jump into the system and engage Providence Bloc on the gate.

What followed was a short and brutal skirmish on the D-GTMI gate. Providence Bloc managed to score a few early kills as the Tengus and Scimitars uncloaked and were volleyed, but as the Northern Coalition(dot) fleet anchored up, it was able to tank the incoming damage, and started focusing fire. One after the other, Ishtars and Navy Issue Vexors were removed from the field.

Providence Bloc continued to fight for a few minutes, but once Pandemic Legion jumped into the system, in an eighty pilot Tengu fleet of their own, accompanied by a WAFFLES(dot) bomber wing, it was time to concede defeat. The fleet beat a hasty retreat, just as Pandemic Legion forces arrived on the grid. An attempt was made to chase the fleeing Providence Bloc forces, with little success.

With Providence Bloc soundly defeated, Northern Coalition(dot) turned its attention to the Sovereignty Blockade Units deployed in the D-GTMI system and removed them, extracting safely.

Battle Report for the 9th of November can be found here.

The T-RPFU system hosted at the height of the battle four hundred and sixty pilots, with Time Dilation peaking at 72% but playing no major role in the fighting. Providence Bloc lost a quarter of its fleet, forty ships, for five billion ISK in damages, compared to Northern Coalition(dot)’s thirteen and two point six billion respectively.

Though the Infrastructure Hub was destroyed the day after, the fight over the sovereignty of the system is far from over. With the reputation of Providence Bloc and their recent success in the Northern Catch war, it is not so much a question of whether or not the system will be re-claimed, but what the price will be for its eventual return.

News: HERO Coalition Loses and Re-Captures CNC-4V System

CNC-4V system, Catch region. On the 13th of October the system became vulnerable due to human error, prompting Stain Wagon Coalition to attempt its seizure, to the detriment of HERO Coalition and Northern Coalition(dot).

The system was managed by Spaceship Samurai, but in the process of being transferred to Brave Collective. Thus, both the station and the Territorial Claim Unit were put under an alt corporation. However, the pilot managing the transfer was called away from the game for a long period of time, and as the days passed and sovereignty bills slowly ticked away, the corporate ISK reserves dwindled down to nothing, resulting in the loss of sovereignty on the 13th of October, 2:15 EVE Standard Time.

Test Alliance Please Ignore attempted to re-gain the system for HERO Coalition, taking the station and putting their own Territorial Claim Unit up, however, the sovereignty drop did not go unnoticed by other entities, such as Stain Wagon Coalition, who still views itself the rightful owner of the region. A small Stain Wagon Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet was quickly dispatched in order to destroy any Territorial Claim Units in the system and put their own instead.

A Tower was anchored and more Territorial Claim Units brought in by Stain Wagon entities, as well as a far larger Ishtar fleet that quickly secured the station for them. At the same time, mobile warp disruptors and mobile cynosural jammers were brought and anchored around the Territorial Claim Units, in order to slow down any attempt to interfere with them, as information indicated that Northern Coalition(dot) were planning to come to HERO Coalition’s aid.

The TCU Tower set up by Stain Wagon forces in order to slow down Northern Coalition(dot)

Once done with their preparations, Stain Wagon retreated from the system, in order to re-ship. HERO Coalition on its part broadcasted a ping to all its pilots to form a fleet in order to re-take the system. Northern Coalition(dot) also had a fleet announced for the system. All parties were gearing up to meet in CNC-4V at 16:15 EVE Standard Time.

First in were Stain Wagon forces, who bridged into the system in a hundred pilot Cerberus Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet. While they were flying around the grid where Territorial Claim Unit Tower was located, a Cynosural Beacon was lit at a ping above them, and into the grid jumped Northern Coalition(dot) with a full Mothership wing, supported by another wing of Archon Carriers, reaching a hundred pilots.

Northern Coalition(dot) fleet bubbled and held down by Stain Wagon forces

The Stain Wagon fleet attempted to keep range from the Northern Coalition(dot) force as well as keep it under a blanket of warp disruption probes. However, it was losing quite a few Scimitars, Scythes, Sabres and Cerberus who got tackled by the Archons, who were fitted just for that purpose. Losing ships, the Stain Wagon force nevertheless remained on field, hoping to at least inflict some damages on the Northern Coalition(dot) force, even if it was only in ISK, and buy some time for their Territorial Claim Units to online.

At this point, HERO Coalition entered the system in a hundred pilot Eagle Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, and warped at optimal range of the Stain Wagon Cerberus fleet. A brief fire fight ensued, with HERO Coalition suffering quite a few losses, before warping off. By then, the Stain Wagon fleet had lost most of its Interdictors, freeing the Northern Coalition(dot) fleet from the blanket of warp disruption probes it was in, and warping as close as it could to the Territorial Claim Units. One by one, the units were destroyed by the cloud of drones, ensuring the system would not fall to Stain Wagon’s hands.

With the hope of securing the system dashed, Stain Wagon forces attempted to fight HERO Coalition a few times. Short estrangements took place with both sides exchanging a few losses, however, no decisive battle took place, and Stain Wagon forces quickly extracted from the system, allowing HERO Coalition to re-take the station unmolested. With their Territorial Claim Unit anchored and online, HERO Coalition managed to secure the system once again.

Fixed Battle Report for the CNC-4V system can be found here.

At one point in the fighting, a Stain Wagon Avatar Titan jumped into the system. It is unclear whether this was pilot error or an attempt to activate its Doomsday module and pick off a few of the Archons on field. Regardless, the Titan quickly extracted from the system without performing any action, prompting much speculation on the part.

The Titan present on field during the fighting

In total, seventy three ships were destroyed in the fighting, and eight billion ISK in damages incurred. The majority of the losses and cost being on Stain Wagon’s part. At the peak of the fighting, three hundred and forty-three pilots were in system, with Time Dilation peaking at 80% at the start and subsiding rather quickly.

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

Video of the fighting from Stain Wagon’s perspective

With the intervention of Northern Coalition(dot) in the fighting, the question of whether HERO Coalition could have saved the system or not remains unanswered. Though the events of CNC-4V are a fruit of coincidence, they illustrate once more the interest Stain Wagon Coalition holds for the Catch region. At this rate, HERO Coalition may find itself fighting a two front war, and with the changes to jump ranges and mechanics in the upcoming Phoebe patch, fighting it alone.

Special thanks to Elazar Keon, of Ugandan Hit Squad, Against ALL Authorities Alliance for supplying an interview as well as screenshots and videos, and Xeron Vann of Concordiat, Spaceship Samurai Alliance for giving an official response.