News: Continued Fighting Over Y-MPWL System

Y-MPWL system, Providence region. On the 13th of May, at 21:00 EVE Standard Time, Providence Bloc and Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] clashed once more over an Infrastructure Hub timer in the system.

Providence Bloc brought a 160 pilot Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, intending to take down the Sovereignty Blockade Units deployed in the system.

[NC] brought a 70 pilot Tempest Fleet Issue Battleship fleet, hoping to engage the Providence Bloc force in the system.

WAFFLES(dot) [N0MAD] were also present in the system, in a small Stealth Bomber wing.

The three sides met on the Kari gate in the system, as Providence Bloc forces attempted to take down the Sovereignty Blockade Unit deployed on it. This was done in order to secure the Infrastructure Hub, as its first reinforcement timer was running out.

However, [NC] forces attempted to engage the Providence Bloc force, who kept a distance away, though losing some ships who got tackled or were lagging behind. Added to it was constant harassment from the [N0MAD] bombers, who attempted to bomb the fleet several times, even getting a few kills.

[NC] did not like the lack of commitment from Providence Bloc and brought in their Super Capital fleet to reinforce the Infrastructure Hub, pushing it into its second timer. Unable to fight the Tempest Fleet Issue Battleships, being bombed and unable to achieve the strategical objective, Providence Bloc forces retreated, attempting to minimize their losses.

With the Infrastructure Hub reinforced and Providence Bloc standing down, [NC] extracted its fleet as well, putting an end to the fighting.

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

All told, the system hosted close to 300 pilots at the peak of the fighting, with Time Dilation not reported as an issue. The fighting itself was brief and lasted around 15 minutes.

Providence Bloc suffered the brunt of the losses, 54 ships for 6.5 Bil ISK of damages. [NC] lost mostly light tackle, 4 ships only for nearly 200 Mil ISK of damages.

As fighting continues in Y-MPWL, it seems [NC] decided to show the seriousness of its intentions and seems poised to take the system, as both the Station and Infrastructure Hub are reinforced.

Evacuation has already started but has been made extremely difficult due to both [NC] and other third parties being present in the system at all times. The jump bridge in the system has also been taken down.

The EVE Scribe will continue to update you on the situation.

Providence Fight Club: HED-GP 28.4.2015

HED-GP system, Catch region. On the 28th of April, at 21:00 EVE Standard Time, Pandemic Legion and Providence Bloc clashed in a minor skirmish in the system, leading to no less than a 120 ship losses.

The battle began when Providence Bloc forces, divided to an Augoror Navy Issue Cruiser fleet, approximately 70 pilots strong, a Cerberus Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, 40 pilots large and a Stealth Bomber wing, came to the HED-GP system with the intent of provoking a response from Pandemic Horde.

Seeing their system camped and their enemies fielding an overwhelming force that they could not help to contend with, Pandemic Horde called their parent alliance, Pandemic Legion, for help. Pandemic Legion answered the call with a 60 pilot Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, which raced to the besieged system.

Entering through the SV5-8N system, the Pandemic Legion fleet waited on their in-gate, when the Providence Bloc fleets landed near them. Quickly, Pandemic Legion’s forces anchored up, dropped drones and started the fight.

One by one, the Providence Bloc ships melted under the drone damage, while unable to return fire, as the Ishtars kitted out of their range. The Cerberus fleet made attempts to close in on the Ishtars only to sustain losses and be driven away.

The exchange continued with Pandemic Horde and WAFFLES(dot) bringing in reinforcements in the form of tackle and e-war Frigates as well as Interdictors.

As the battle raged on Providence Bloc’s bomber wing started to make its presence felt, forcing the Ishtars a couple of times off the field and destroying their drones.

However, re-stocked with drones in the station, the Ishtars returned once more to the grid and continued fighting. Finally, Providence Bloc’s forces were shattered, beating a hasty retreat to the Keberz gate and into the relative safety of High Security Space, ending the fight.

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

Battle report for the HED-GP system can be found here.

The tally stands at 63 losses to Pandemic Legion, mostly Pandemic Horde and WAFFLES(dot) tackle and e-war Frigates, as well as a few Ishtars who were either not anchoring or fell victim to bombing runs. Providence Bloc lost 66 ships, mostly Augoror Navy Issue Cruisers. Total ISK lost is estimated at around 8 Bil ISK for both sides.

Local did not exceed 300 pilots at the peak of the fighting, with Time Dilation being non-existent

Special thanks to Mangraa Dementia of Blue Tridents, Sev3rance for providing 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: HERO Coalition Saves HED-GP

HED-GP system, Catch region. In the early hours of the 9th of December, HERO Coalition and Pandemic Legion [-10.0] clashed for a third time in the system, to determine its sovereignty.

Pandemic Legion forces brought a hundred pilots strong Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by forty WAFFLES. [N0MAD] bombers. The Pandemic Legion fleet lacked Logistics, using an Interdiction Nullified variation of the Tengu, nicknamed “Slippery Pete”. As usual, Pandemic Legion forces were first in the system, ready for HERO Coalition’s arrival.

HERO Coalition for its part, brought a full Eagle Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, with a robust electronic warfare wing in the form of Maulus Frigates, anti bomber support wing of Harpy Assault Frigates and a Test Alliance Please Ignore [TEST] Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet. All told, HERO Coalition’s forces numbered around seven hundred pilots in sub capital ships.

The two forces met in HED-GP on the station, both positioning themselves on the station grid, exchanging short bursts of fire and then warping off. HERO Coalition’s forces decided after a while to dock up in the station, while Carriers were brought in to start repairs.

Early fighting on the station grid

This proved to be a mistake by HERO Coalition as attempts to leave the station were countered by WAFFLE. bombers who promptly forced the fleets to dock up time and again. By the third attempt, HERO Coalition’s fleets finally managed to get out and engaged Pandemic Legion’s fleet head on, who for its part continued a pattern of hit and run attacks, warping in and out of the grid and not lingering too long.

WAFFLE. bombing run on the undocking HERO Coalition forces

As the battle continued, news of HERO Coalition Dreadnoughts located on the Keberz gate filtered in. A force containing nearly twenty Dreadnoughts was in the process of removing the Sovereignty Blockade Unit on that gate, while Pandemic Legion’s fleet was occupied on the station grid. With the Capital ships confirmed on the gate, Pandemic Legion’s Interceptors and Interdictors burned in for the tackle.

The trapped HERO Coalition Capitals

Managing to trap a small group. Pandemic Legion’s fleet arrived on grid alongside WAFFLE. bombers and engaged the Capital ships. The combined force made short work of several of the trapped Capitals, however, due to lack of Interdictors, the majority of Dreadnought managed to escape. This left only five Dreadnoughts to be destroyed by Pandemic Legion forces: Three Naglfars, a Moros and a Pheonix, resulting in fourteen billion ISK damages.

HERO Coalition halfheartedly attempted to free the Dreadnoughts, who were probably written as a loss from the start, but was quickly forced back by both Pandemic Legion’s fleet and WAFFLE. bombing runs, deciding instead to re-group at the station.

With the Sovereignty Blockade Unit destroyed, the station was saved from Pandemic Legion’s aggression, and a large Carrier task force was set to repairing the armor and shields of the station. And yet, the battle between the sub-Capital fleets continued to rage in the system unabated. The fight moved from the station and Keberz gate to the SV5-8N gate where the last Sovereignty Blockade Unit was removed by HERO Coalition. A few attempts to harass the force at work were made, but nonetheless the Sovereignty Blockade Unit was destroyed.

Fighting on the SV5-8N gate

The fight then rolled back and forth between the different celestials in the system, as HERO Coalition attempted to destroy a Pandemic Legion tower which was suspected as a WAFFLE. bomber staging base, managing to reinforce it, while being continuously harassed by the Pandemic Legion Tengus and WAFFLE. bombers.

By this point the station was fully repaired and the Carrier force extracted safely from the system. Sporadic fighting continued, but as the fight reached its third hour, it became apparent that both sides were exhausted. Both forces extracted in the end without further incident, with Pandemic Legion deploying new Sovereignty Blockade Units and reinforcing the station once more.

During the peak of the fighting, the system hosted more than one thousand pilots, with Time Dilation playing a significant factor as it fluctuated, reaching up to thirteen percents at times. All in all three hundred and eighty-three ships were destroyed during the fight, for thirty-five billion ISK of damages.

Both Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition managed to suffer only minor losses to their respective main battle fleets, but losing a great deal of support ships.

Pandemic Legion lost only four Tengus as well as ten tackle ships, with the rest of the losses being WAFFLE. bombers, representing forty-four ships destroyed for five billion ISK in dmages.

HERO Coalition lost only ten percent of its main battle fleet, but also a great deal of tackle, electronic warfare and anti bomber support, as well as a quarter of the [TEST] Ishtar fleet. All told, HERO Coalition lost three hundred and thirty-eight ships, for sixteen billion ISK in damages (Excluding the Dreadnoughts losses).

Bomber activity was moderate, with WAFFLE. bombers dominating the battle and inflicting the majority of the losses.

Fixed Battle Report for the HED-GP system can be found here.

It is important to note that Pandemic Legion did not choose to escalate further during the fighting, unlike in previous engagements. One may speculate as for the reason for this.

All told, the battle of HED-GP is still far from over, with this being only another skirmish in a long series over the system. History has shown that the loss of HED-GP was the death blow for any entity that lived in the Catch region. Should HERO Coalition fail in keeping the defense of this system, one could easily imagine that it would spell its doom. Only the coming days will tell.

News: Pandemic Legion Conquers F4R2-Q

F4R2-Q system, Catch region. On the 23rd of November, 22:00 EVE Standard time, HERO Coalition and Pandemic Legion [-10.0] clashed for the third and final time over the control of the system.

Pandemic Legion fielded a hundred and fifty pilots Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by a WAFFLES. [N0MAD] bomber wing of thirty pilots. As in previous fights, Pandemic Legion were first in the system, setting, as before, on the ZXIC-7 gate, the main entry way for HERO Coalition forces.

HERO Coalition, for its side, brought three hundred pilots divided into several fleets, in a mix of Harpy Assault Frigates and Merlin Frigates, supported by a robust Electronic Warfare wing of Maulus and Crucifier Frigates.

The WAFFLE. bombers for their part attempted to land a bombing run on the ZXIC-7 jump bridge, as HERO Coalition forces jumped into the system, netting only a few kills, before retreating to the F4R2-Q system, with HERO Coalition’s forces right behind them.

Both sides were quickly poised on the gates, and held there for a few minutes, as the tension was building, while the WAFFLES. bombers were scrambling to get into positions around the ZXIC-7 gate. Then, HERO Coalition’s fleets jumped into the system.

As HERO Coalition’s ships uncloaked and started to anchor, WAFFLES. bombers delivered a devastating bombing run. Four squadrons’ worth of bombs landed on the unsuspecting HERO Coalition force, decimating almost half of it within a single moment. Badly bruised from the start, HERO Coalition, regardless, attempted to rally back and fight Pandemic Legion’s fleet, bringing more reinforcements and continuing the engagement on the ZXIC-7 gate.

Pandemic Legion forces holding positions around the ZXIC-7 Gate

However, as the battle unfolded, WAFFLES. bombers went in for a second bombing run, managing to score another crippling hit. Though losing by this time almost half of their bomber wing, this blow proved fatal enough for HERO Coalition’s side, forcing it to concede the fight.

Pandemic Legion’s fleet, which remained mostly idle during these exchanges, except for its Interdictors, warped off field and towards the station. There, it safeguarded the Mothership squadron which was hard at work in flipping the station. With the station under Pandemic Legion’s control, the Spaceship Samurai [HONOR] Territorial Claim Unit was destroyed, and a new one was anchored and later activated by Pandemic Legion at a safe tower.

The destruction of the [HONOR] TCU

By this point, Pandemic Legion’s forces had safely extracted from the system, with HERO Coalition forces retreating as well, suffering continued harassment from WAFFLES. bombers. The only incident to be registered afterwards was HERO Coalition managing to steal a Sovereignty Blockade Unit on the ZXIC-7 gate, which was offlined and un-anchored by a Pandemic Legion Ragnarok Titan making rounds around the system to retrieve said equipment.

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

The battle proved short and one sided, and can even be described as a massacre, with HERO Coalition losing two hundred and nineteen ships, the vast majority of them to WAFFLES. bombers, for a total of four billion ISK of damages. However, it must be said that this was the cheapest exchange so far compared to the costs of previous battles.

For their part, HERO Coalition managed to destroy fifteen enemy ships, most of which belonged to the WAFFLES. bomber wing and equaling to six hundred million ISK in damages.

At the height of the fighting the F4R2-Q system hosted close to five hundred pilots, with Time Dilation being noticeable and effecting the fight.

Unlike the previous battle of F4R2-Q which showed HERO Coalition’s ability to fight toe to toe with Pandemic Legion, and even grasp a strategic victory over its better equipped and more experienced foe, this battle proved to be a far cry from a serious attempt to protect the system, and could only be interpreted as HERO Coalition throwing in the towel. One can only speculate if this will be the continued trend of the current conflict.

Breaking News: Care Factor Loses Five Carriers in G-B22J

G-B22J system, Providence region. On the night of the 22nd of November, Care Factor [C.F] lost five Carriers to the combined forces of WAFFLES(dot) [N0MAD] and Pandemic Legion [-10.0] in what is undoubtedly one of the costlier mistakes to be made by the Alliance in recent memory.

The chain of events that led to the tragic loss of the Carriers started with a [N0MAD] Cruiser gang roaming the Providence region. Since their deployment to the Sendaya system, it has become the custom of [N0MAD] to send fleets to the region in search of fights, with the night in question being no different.

The Cruiser gang, numbering twenty pilots with very light Logistics, came to the G-B22J system on its long journey, encountering very little resistance on the way. It lingered around the station undock for a while, catching a careless Caracal Navy Issue, but finding little prey besides. Preparing to leave the system, the gang gave chase to a Cerberus Heavy Assault Cruiser, while michael chasseur, who was a member of the fleet, kept watch on the station.

His vigilance was soon rewarded as he saw a Thanatos Carrier undock from the station. he then quickly sent the Carrier pilot an invitation to the fleet, a known trick that he used in the past to net quite a few kills. To his surprise, the pilot accepted the invitation. Not wasting a moment, michael chasseur quickly warped his squad, which now included the Carrier, to the second planet in the system, while reporting all of it to the Fleet Commander.

With the news of the Carrier in warp, the [N0MAD] gang quickly warped to the same planet, and deployed interdiction probes, trapping the Carrier as it landed. The [N0MAD] gang then started to quickly apply damage to the Carrier, while an Interdictor was ordered to set up interdiction probes towards the station. This was done in order to make sure reinforcements could not warp on top of the gang, and give aid to the tackled Carrier. This would later prove instrumental in not only separating the Carrier from any possible help, but also catching four more Carriers that warped to their fellow’s help.

Those four Carriers were caught by the interdiction probes, too far to lend help, as the Thanatos dipped into low armor. With the Thanatos destroyed, an attempt was made to tackle the other Carriers, catching two Archons, but allowing a Nidhoggur and a Thanatos to escape. Realizing the lack of damage on his side, as well as his dwindling number of Interdictors, the [N0MAD] Fleet Commander quickly pinged for reinforcements, alerting Pandemic Legion as well to the situation.

While Interceptors burned their way from [N0MAD]’s staging system to the fleet’s location, Pandemic Legion, which was fighting at the time a Providence Bloc Battlecruiser fleet nearby, quickly disengaged and set its destination to the G-B22J system, bringing a sixty pilots Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, mostly unscathed from the previous fight.

Down to their last Interdictor, [N0MAD]’s newly arrived Interceptors were sent to tackle individual carriers, holding them in place for the Pandemic Legion forces which were on route. The rest of the [N0MAD] fleet focused its attention on the trickling of hostile ships that kept warping to the aid of the tackled Carriers, to no avail. At this point, the two Carriers which previously escaped came back to help their friends, only to be tackled this time by the [N0MAD] Interceptors.

By the time the remnants of the Providence Bloc Battlecruiser fleet arrived to help, it was too late, as Pandemic Legion’s fleet was hot on its heels, arriving only a few seconds behind. Bolstered by Pandemic Legion’s numbers, [N0MAD] was able to clear the field of all the hostile support fleet, allowing both forces to finally turn their full attention to the tackled Carriers. One by one, the helpless Capitals succumbed to the onslaught.

With Providence Bloc soundly beaten and the Capitals destroyed, Pandemic Legion and [N0MAD] held the field, looting the wrecks before heading home, a little bruised but nonetheless victorious.

Full battle report for the G-B22J system can be found here.

The butcher’s bill saw one hundred and twenty-two ships destroyed, including five Carriers, for eighteen billion ISK in damages, the majority of which Providence Bloc’s.

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/_Osomp1wig8&source=uds

video of the fighting, warning, explicit language

Apparently, the tackled Care Factor Carriers did not at any point communicate with Providence Bloc and reported what was happening. Only the disengagement of Pandemic Legion and an incidental reporting tipped Providence Bloc to what was occurring in its very own backyard, too late to organize an effective relief force. This was not the first time either, that Care Factor had undocked ships in a display of force, only to end up losing them badly.

Care Factor’s leadership was reached for a comment through mutual channels, but so far has declined to give a response.

Special thanks to m4ster112, michael chausser and Yngstorm Felix, of SinggWaffe, WAFFLES(dot) for granting interviews.

News: HERO Coalition Saves F4R2-Q Station

F4R2-Q system, Catch region. On the 16th of November, Pandemic Legion [-10.0] and HERO Coalition clashed for a second time over the system, at the final reinforcement timer of the station, which would determine who would control it.

Pandemic Legion brought a hundred and seventy pilot Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by a thirty pilot WAFFLES(dot) [N0MAD] bomber wing. Being the first into the system again, Pandemic Legion set up on the ZXIC-7 gate at optimal with its Tengus, the same route HERO Coalition used before to enter the system. Meanwhile the [N0MAD] bombers spread around the gate, ready to deliver their payload at a moment’s notice.

HERO Coalition for its part, fielded a two hundred pilot strong Dominix Battleship fleet, with a robust Electronic Warfare wing, mainly Maulus Frigates. It was supported by a Test Alliance Please Ignore [TEST] Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, fifty pilot large. The two fleets then made their way to the F4R2-Q system, entering ZXIC-7 system and warping to the F4R2-Q gate.

At 23:05 EVE Standard Time, HERO Coalition forces jumped into the F4R2-Q system, and the two sides collided violently once more.

At first, the fight seemed to be merely a re-tread of the previous engagement, with minor variations. [N0MAD]’s bomber wing launched a bombing run as the HERO Coalition’s fleet uncloaked and anchored on the gate with the ensuing explosion destroying much of HERO Coalition’s Electronic Warfare wing.

Pandemic Legion’s fleet kept kiting and engaging the Dominix fleet at ease, while the HERO Coalition Battleships struggled in vain to break the Tengus’ tank. The [TEST] Ishtars attempted to engage the Pandemic Legion Scimitars with little success, while fresh reinforcements for HERO Coalition kept trickling in, with a Caracal Cruiser and a Harpy Assault Frigate gang entering the field, attempting to put more pressure on the Logistics wing of Pandemic Legion, as more Electronic Warfare Frigates and Cruisers were brought to the field.

However, Pandemic Legion continued to persevere, inflicting casualties upon the HERO Coalition forces while its [N0MAD] bomber wing dove for a second bombing run, this time on the [TEST] Ishtars who lost several support ships and drones, forcing them to warp off.

However, during the commotion, the Sovereignty Blockade Unit situated on the WLAR-J gate was destroyed by a HERO Coalition Capital squadron. As information from scouts was recieved, it soon became apparent that the HERO Coalition Dominix fleet was merely a distraction meant to occupy the Pandemic Legion force while the Capital fleet removed the Sovereignty Blockade Units in the system, thus removing the threat to HERO Coalition’s sovereignty.

Yet, it seems the mounting losses of the HERO Coalition Dominix fleet reached a critical point, as the Battleships used their Micro Jump Drives to clear away from the remaining interdiction probes deployed around the ZXIC-7 gate and warp off the field. This freed the Pandemic Legion fleet to pursue the Capital ships, who were in the process of removing another Sovereignty Blockade Unit on the VA6-DR gate.

The tackled HERO Coalition Aeon with its now dead escort fleet

The HERO Coalition Capital fleet was quickly tackled on the VA6-DR gate, with interdiction probes making sure none of the Capital ships could warp out, including an Aeon Mothership which accompanied the Capital fleet. Pandemic Legion quickly lit a cynosural beacon to allow its Titans to jump in, followed by supporting Motherships, while the Tengu fleet kept watch. One after the other, the newly brought Titans focused their Doomsday devices on the tackled Capitals and volleyed them. The Motherships, at the same time, let loose their Fighter Bomber wings on the tackled Aeon.

HERO Coalition’s Archon Carrier hit by a Doomsday device during the initial fighting on the VA6-DR gate

At this point, HERO Coalition managed to remove the Sovereignty Blockade Unit on the VA6-DR gate, effectively securing the system for their side, yet the tackled Aeon presented a problem. Deciding to sacrifice their Dominix fleet to apply pressure on the Pandemic Legion forces, they warped it on top of the Pandemic Legion Titan fleet and started engaging. At the same time, they lit a cynosural beacon of their own, jumping in more Dreadnaughts.

HERO Coalition’s Dominix fleet warping in to save the tackled Aeon

The HERO Coalition Dreadnaught fleet turned its entire attention to the nearest Ragnarok titan, managing to bring it down to half armor before the Motherships’ Remote Repairer cycles caught up. At the same time, the Pandemic Legion Titans cycled their Doomsday devices again on the newly arrived Capitals, adding to the slaughter.

It seems in all the commotion the Aeon managed to clear the interdiction probes around it, as Pandemic Legion tackle was pre-occupied with the Dominix and Dreadnaught fleets, and able to warp out to the station. From there it safely extract from the system. The remaining Capitals though, did not share its luck, and were destroyed to the last, alongside many Dominix Battleships.

Pandemic Legion’s fleet close to the end of the battle

With the Aeon safely out of system, and the system itself secured, HERO Coalition forces disengaged, leaving Pandemic Legion forces to loot the field and clear the wrecks.

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

During the height of the battle the system hosted almost a thousand pilots, with Time Dilation being a noticeble factor, peaking to twenty-two percent during most of the fighting. Bomber activity was strong at the start of the battle, with [N0MAD] bombers in particular, but dropped severely as the fight moved to the VA6-DR gate. More than one hundred and forty-five billion ISK of damages were incurred during the fighting, with three hundred and forty-eight ships destroyed. The fight was over in ninety minutes from its start.

Pandemic Legion lost the strategic objective, but won the field, suffering twenty-three losses for two billion ISK in damages, most of them either tackle or bombers, with one Tengu destroyed due to the pilot disconnecting.

HERO Coalition won both a strategic and a moral victory, but at a great cost. Managing to save the system and the Aeon, HERO Coalition sacrificed no less than twenty-seven Dreadnaughts and ten Carriers and fifty-one Battleships. Including all the losses incurred during the fighting, HERO Coalition lost two hundred and ninety-seven ships, for a total of one hundred and thirty-six billion ISK.

According to sources within HERO Coalition, the second Dreadnaught fleet was supposed to jump on top an Erebus titan that was bumped away from the main Pandemic Legion fleet, allowing HERO Coalition to snag a Titan kill to offset their losses. It is however, unclear as to what exactly went wrong.

Further more, the Aeon was apparently a bait for the Pandemic Legion fleet, with the plan to jump the Dreadnaughts on top the Motherships and Titans brought to the field. However, Pandemic Legion’s Titan fleet exceeded expectations (Reaching to almost a hundred Titans and Motherships).

With the F4R2-Q secured once again by HERO Coalition, one must wonder whether by winning the system, HERO Coalition lost the war, or whether this will represent a turning point in its struggle against Pandemic Legion.

News: Pandemic Legion and HERO Coalition Clash in F4R2-Q

F4R2-Q system, Catch region. In the early hours of the 14th of November, HERO Coalition and Pandemic Legion [-10.0] clashed in the system, as HERO Coalition attempted to defend its sovereignty from Pandemic Legion’s continued aggression.

Pandemic Legion brought to the system a hundred and ten pilot Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet, supported by a WAFFLES(dot) [NOMAD] Harpy Assault Frigate fleet, numbering up to thirty pilots.

HERO Coalition, for its part, brought a full fleet, two hundred and forty pilots strong, mainly in Dominix Battleships, with a robust Electronic Warfare wing comprised of Celestis and Maulus ships.

Pandemic Legion had the advantage of arriving to the system before HERO Coalition forces, and thus were given time to set up on the ZXIC-7 gate at optimal range for its Tengus, the most likely entry point of HERO Coalition.

Pandemic Legion forces didn’t have to wait long before news of the HERO Coalition fleet making its way arrived. At 0:41 EVE Standard Time, the HERO Coalition fleet jumped into the F4R2-Q system, and the two forces collided.

For their part, HERO Coalition remained anchored around the gate, with its Battleships deploying sentry drones and its Maulus and Celestis ships attempting to spread their Sensor Dampeners across the Pandemic Legion fleet. Pandemic Legion fleet, in return continued to kite at optimal range from the gate, focusing fire mainly on the Electronic Warfare ships and the HERO Coalition Logistics wing.

The WAFFLES(dot) fleet mainly darted around the fight, clearing tackle, Electronic Warfare and Logistics ships for the Pandemic Legion fleet. However, it was forced off the field at the height of the battle due to a bad warp in on the HERO Coalition Logistics wing, which put it in the firing range of their entire fleet, thus inflicting several casualties.

As both the Electronic Warfare and Logistics ships were annihilated, and their sentry drones unable to break the tank of the Pandemic Legion Tengus, it became apparent for HERO Coalition that they could not win the fight. With no interdiction probes deployed on the field, the HERO Coalition fleet quickly warped to the station and docked, effectively withdrawing from the fight.

With HERO Coalition conceding defeat, Pandemic Legion forces focused their attention on the Infrastructure Hub, jumping in Titans and Motherships to quickly dispatch it, then proceeding to incapacitate F4R2-Q’s station services.

Pandemic Legion’s fleet incapacitating the station services in F4R2-Q

With their work done, Pandemic Legion forces extracted safely from the system.

Battle Report of the F4R2-Q system can be found here.

At the height of the battle, the system hosted four hundred pilots, with Time Dilation unnoticeble at all. A total of one hundred and forty ships were lost during the fighting, for a sum of nine billion ISK in damages, the majority of it HERO Coalition’s.

With the F4R2-Q station coming out of its final reinforcement timer on the 16th of November, 22:00 EVE Standard Time, the question remains whether HERO Coalition will be able to save the station, and the system, or whether Pandemic Legion will gain another foothold into the Catch region.

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.