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: 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.

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.

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.

News: Ostingele - The Battle of the Five Fleets

Ostingele system, Placid region. On the 22nd of November, 19:00 EVE Standard Time, five fleets clashed in the system, in a brawl that saw the destruction of three Carriers, alongside countless other ships.

The fight started, when an RvB Ganked fleet of mixed Absolution Command ships and Harbinger\Harbinger Navy Issue Battlecruiser, numbering up to a hundred and forty pilots, was roaming the area. Since the Phoebe patch the regions of Placid and Black Rise which borders it have become a battle ground between several prominent Low Security Alliances. 

However, during its roam, the RvB Ganked fleet encountered little resistance, in the form of an Ivy League [IVY] sixty pilots Thorax Cruiser fleet and a Providence Bloc thirty pilots Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet. Both forces were engaged in combat, but at the sight of the RvB Ganked force quickly disengaged, declining to fight.

After reaching the Ostingele system and unable to find a worthy opponent to engage, the fleet was prepared to move towards the Agoze system when a cynosural beacon lit off the Agoze gate, signaling the entrance of a forty pilots fleet comprised mainly of Overload Everything [8URNT] and Psychotic Tendencies [TISHU]. The combined fleet fielded mainly Apocalypse Navy Issue Battleships, with two Archon Carriers for Logistics support.

The RvB Ganked force warped immediately on top of the newly arrived fleet, while opening communication channels with the fleet commanders of both Providence Bloc and [IVY]. Soon, an agreement to coordinate between the three fleets was reached, and they all set to work on the [TISHU]\[8URNT] fleet. At first they were able to destroy a few of the Apocalypse Navy Issue ships, but a third Archon called to the field was able to contain the damage.

 The intense fighting on the Agoze gate between the four fleets

A decision was quickly reached to focus fire on the Archons, one by one, the mighty Carriers succumbed to the torrents of fire. Losing their Logistics backbone, the [TISHU]\[8URNT] fleet quickly bailed, knowing it could not tank the damage. Its escape was helped by a Snuffed Out [B B C] Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet, some forty pilots strong. [B B C] had been at odds with both [TISHU] and [8URNT] over control of Black Rise and Placid, and learning of its rivals' engagement were probably hoping to help in their destruction.

It was their bad luck to arrive too late to the fight. With the new [B B C] fleet on grid, the three fleets decided to lengthen their cooperation, targeting the Guardian Logistics ships that formed the Proteus' fleet's logistical backbone. This was mainly due to a warp in error on [B B C]'s part, who warped too close to the RvB Ganked fleet, bringing their Logistic ships in range of the RvB Ganked stasis webifiers, holding them down and allowing the combined strength of the three fleets to annihilate them.

In an impressive feat of cooperation, all three fleets managed to coordinate their fire, downing Guardian after Guardian. With almost their entire logistics wing decimated, [B B C] were forced to withdraw from the field. 

As all the three remaining fleets sustained losses during the fighting, the Providence Bloc fleet decided to withdraw immediately. The [IVY] fleet though, decided to stay and fight the RvB Ganked fleet, leading to a very one sided battle leading to its utter defeat.

Battle report for the Ostingele system can be found here.

All told, the fight saw a hundred and seventy-eight ships lost, including three Carriers, for nineteen billion ISK of damages, with [TISHU]\[8URNT] suffering a large portion of the damages. At the peak of the battle, the system hosted three hundred and fifty pilots, with Time Dilation being noticeable.

Just another Saturday night in Low Security space.

Special thanks to Douglas Aurelius, of Sanctuary of Shadows, Overload Everything for granting an interview.

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. 

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.

Providence Fight Club: 9-F0B2 20.11.2014

9-F0B2 system, Providence region. On the 20th of November, Providence Bloc clashed head on with Spectre Fleet in a fight that saw more than a hundred ships destroyed, including an Archon Carrier.

The fight began when Providence Bloc and Spectre Fleet each formed for their respective scheduled operations. Providence Bloc had an eighty pilots Phantasm Cruiser fleet, while Spectre Fleet gathered a seventy pilots Gnosis Battlecruiser gang, with a triage Archon on standby.

Spectre Fleet was the first to be ready, and as its habit, traveled down to Providence to pick a fight. Coming from the Mendori system, it entered the Providence region through the Assah system.

WAFFLES(dot) [N0MAD] had information on the fleet's movements and decided to shadow it, forming a twenty pilots Vexor Cruiser gang in turn. [N0MAD]'s fleet maintained a distance of a system between it and Spectre Fleet, attempting to keep up and waiting for a possible clash between it and another fleet.

Providence Bloc, it seems, decided to oblige [N0MAD]'s espectations, as it was given information of the Spectre Fleet's existence when it entered the G-5EN2 system. Quickly, Providence Bloc moved its fleet in order to intercept the incoming hostiles. 

However, the three fleets became aware of each other as Spectre Fleet arrived to the 4B-NQN gate in the 9-F0B2 system, learning of the awaiting Providence Bloc fleet in front of it, and the [N0MAD] gang sitting at its back.

For a while, all three fleets stood immobile, Spectre Fleet pulling range off the 4B-NQN gate, Providence Bloc doing the same for the 9-F0B2 Gate in the 4B-NQN system, and [N0MAD] waiting on the 9-F0B2 gate in the G-5EN2 system.

In the end, Spectre Fleet broke the stalemate first by warping to the top belt in the 9-F0B2 system, being Planet II Belt 1, at range, with Providence Bloc jumping in and immediately giving pursuit, warping to it and landing twenty kilometers from the Spectre Fleet force. With both parties on grid, an all out battle quickly erupted, as the two fleets slugged it out in close range.

A view from one of the Spectre Fleet members, showing the savagery of the battle

At this point, the [N0MAD] fleet jumped into the system and skirted around the battlefield, picking targets of opportunity. The two major forces meanwhile kept volleying Phantasms and Gnosis' alike, exchanging ship for ship. As mainline ships were destroyed, Providence Bloc's Logistics wing, which was far better equipped, managed to finally withstand the assault and stabilize the fleet's ships. This left Spectre Fleet's forces at a huge disadvantage, as they kept hemorrhaging ships, unable to sustain the damage.

A call was quickly made to lit a Cynosural beacon and land the triage Archon on field. With the Archon joining the decimated Logistics wing of Spectre Fleet, the loss of mainline ships finally stopped. Yet by now, most of Spectre Fleet's force was in tatters, lacking the necessary damage output to break the tank of the Providence Bloc fleet. Furthermore, Providence Bloc had a continuous string of re-ships and reinforcements, which did not help the Spectre Fleet situation at all.

Saved by the Nick of Time: The difference created by the triage Archon for the Spectre Fleet

The only choices left for Spectre Fleet at this point, were to either attempt a withdrawal, or stay and be destroyed to the last. Choosing the former, an attempt was made to allow the Carrier to escape, destroying the tackle and Interdictors that were present near it on the field. However, a lone Providence Bloc Sabre Interdictor managed to get on top of the Archon and launch its interdiction probes, sealing its fate. 

With his fleet decimated and Providence Bloc's reinforcements continuing to arrive on field, the Spectre Fleet commander had no choice but to withdraw and leave the Carrier behind, extracting what remained of his fleet.

With the Carrier stranded in system, Providence Bloc managed to slowly but surely overcome its tank, and finally destroy it. At this point, [N0MAD]'s fleet decided to disengage as well, fearing that the Providence Bloc fleet would turn its attention to it now, as it was severely outnumbered and outgunned, choosing to retreat from the system while it still could.

The event ended with Providence Bloc claiming the field, as Spectre Fleet's remaining forces limped out of the system, and [N0MAD]'s gang hastily returning to its staging system, after sustaining only light damage.

In the end, Providence Bloc lost fifty ships, for a total of five billion ISK in damages, while Spectre Fleet's losses stand at sixty-three ships, and six billion ISK damages respectively. [N0MAD] lost only two ships, for approximately fifty million ISK in damages.

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

All told the system hosted almost two hundred pilots at its peak, with Providence Bloc continuously re-shipping, and Time Dilation being a non-issue. 

All Fleet Commanders agreed that 9-F0B2 was an enjoyable event, and hoped to see many more of its caliber in the future, as Providence Bloc continues to prove its importance as a major content generator in EVE Online

Special Thanks to Apex Aubaris, of Hoover Inc(dot), Pandemic Legion and Jin'taan, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult for granting interviews.

News: Two The Kadeshi Motherships Destroyed in Delve

7-K6UE system, Delve region. On the morning of the 19th of November, two The Kadeshi [THOR] Motherships were destroyed by a combined Pandemic Legion [-10.0] and Lazerhawks [LZHX] fleet.

The incident started when a Lazerhawks gang found a wormhole exit in the N8D9-Z system. Roaming around for targets, they noticed an Aeon Mothership near a tower in the 7-K6UE system warping to the UEXO-Z gate and jumping out. An attempt was made to de-cloak the ship, but had no success.

Disheartened, the Lazerhawks fleet made its way back towards their wormhole when a straggler reported sighting three Archon Carriers on the same gate as before. At this point the Lazerhawks fleet suspected a trap, as several Motherships and a Titan were spotted in a tower in [THOR] staging system. Another problem was the low number of pilots Lazerhawks had online at the time, only twenty-six in total.

Thus it was decided to call for reinforcements. A Pandemic Legion Fleet Commander, Apothne, was reached through mutual channels and given the information. After a short discussion within the Pandemic Legion, the decision was made to burn towards the system. An Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet was hastily formed, initially thirty pilots large, and burned towards the target system.

Lazerhawks for their part kept the Archons engaged while Pandemic Legion's fleet made its way, unable to break the tank of the Carriers but keeping them tackled. Several times the Archons jumped back and forth between the 7-K6UE and UEXO-Z systems, only to find themselves held down by the Lazerhawks' Interdictors. Finally, one of the Archons lit a Cynosural beacon in the UEXO-Z system on the 7-K6UE gate, and onto the field jumped ten Motherships, accompanied by an escort fleet of assorted ships bridged in alongside them. 

By this point though, Pandemic Legion's forces had arrived to the system and warped to grid, quickly joining Lazerhawks in clearing away the [THOR] escort ships before switching damage to the Archons, who were by now sitting alongside the Motherships on the 7-K6UE gate. 

With the increased damage, the Archons began to break. As the first Archon was destroyed, the rest of the fleet quickly jumped through the gate with the Motherships in tow in order to escape. However, they were caught once more by the interdiction probes deployed by Lazerhawks, who anticipated this attempt at flight.

Both Pandemic Legion and Lazerhawks forces pursued the fleeing [THOR] fleet into the 7-K6UE system, disposing of what had remained of the initial escort fleet before changing targets and returning once more to the Archons. The two remaining Archons were continuously bumped away from each other, to prevent their usage of Remote Repairers, thus severely reducing their ability to tank the incoming damage. All the while the Motherships were kept under a thick blanket of interdiction probes, in order to prevent any attempt to escape.

With the two Archons dispatched, the fleet turned its full attention to the Motherships, however, [THOR] reinforcements finally arrived to the system in the form of a thirty pilot Tengu Strategic Cruiser fleet. By this point Pandemic Legion's numbers were swelling, as news of the tackled Motherships made way and the Tengu fleet was quickly de-fanged, losing half of its force in the first few minutes. Then, a decision was made to switch damage to the tackled Motherships and their Fighter Bomber wings, who were chewing through the Interdictors and Heavy Interdictors that were brought to the field in order to escape.

The Aeon was targeted first and quickly succumbed to the Pandemic Legion\Lazerhawks volleys. With the destruction of the rescue fleet and the Aeon, it seems that panic spread amongst the [THOR] Mothership pilots, who quickly tried to burn away from the interdiction probes and re-fit their ships to boost their energy in order to jump out of the system. The result though, was reduced tank, which made them extremely easy to destroy, as the Nyx Mothership which followed can attest to.

All the while [THOR] and Pandemic Legion reinforcements continued to pour into the system, increasing the death toll significantly. By now, Northern Coalition(dot) [NC] managed to organize a relief force. As the Pandemic Legion\Lazerhawks fleet put a second Nyx into deep armor, ten [NC] Archons jumped to a perch above the UEXO-Z gate. They then proceeded to warp down and quickly remove the Cynosural Inhibitors deployed by Pandemic Legion and Lazerhawks, which then allowed them to jump in an even larger Archon fleet to the middle of the battlefield.

Faced with these overwhelming odds, both Pandemic Legion and Lazerhawks chose to withdraw from the system, conceding the field to [NC] as they cleared tackle and burnt home. This allowed the remaining eight [THOR] Motherships to extract safely.

Battle report for the UEXO-Z system can be found here.

Battle report for the 7-K6UE system can be found here.

The butcher's bill stands at a hundred and thirteen ships destroyed for ninety-four billion ISK in damages. [THOR] lost seventy-five ships, represented in ninety billion ISK damages. Pandemic Legion and Lazerhawks lost thirty-three ships altogether, mostly Interdictors and Heavy Interdictors, for only four billion ISK in comparison.

All told, this engagement can certainly be viewed as a bait attempt gone horribly wrong, with [THOR] leaving the fight with a noticeable black eye, while Pandemic Legion and Lazerhawks walked home maybe with bruised knuckled, but a lot of satisfaction as well. 

Special thanks to Taylor Swiift, of Taylor Swift Inc(dot), Taylor Swift Empire, Michael1995 of Lazerhawks and Apothne, of Sniggerdly, Pandemic Legion

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: 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.

Providence Fight Club: Blade Squad Tangles in K-Space

J213642 system, Wormhole space. On the 11th of November, Providence Bloc fought a battle with United System's Commonwealth [USYSC], resulting in the destruction of two Capital ships, as well as a few Strategic Cruisers.

The engagement began after Blade Squad, a small group within Providence Bloc which mainly specializes in small gang warfare and expensive asset usage, was hunting a wormhole group that had been moving several Orca Industrial Command Ships through the region, and even an Archon Carrier.

Sadly, lack of reliable information allowed that group to slip by. However, Providence Bloc confused a different wormhole group which was roaming the region at the same time with their initial targets, and proceeded to track them down. They managed to find the entrance to their wormhole in the U-HYMT system, and brought a gang of twenty Proteus Strategic Cruisers into the wormhole system, hoping to catch their prey unawares,

This was not the case though, as the wormhole Corporation had eyes both outside the system and within, and was quite aware of Providence Bloc's gang and its relative size. Though outnumbered, USYSC decided to engage the Providence Bloc fleet regardless, and a fight soon broke out on the entrance to the wormhole system, as Providence Bloc and USYSC fleets engaged each other.

The first round of fighting went well for USYSC's side. Outnumbered, they brought a triage Archon to provide remote repairs, as well as Legion Strategic Cruisers to put pressure on the Providence Bloc Guardians with their energy neutralizers, forcing them off the field. 

Yet, with the appearance of the Archon on field, Providence Bloc quickly pinged for reinforcements, and a steady stream of pilots arrived to the system, swelling Providence Bloc's ranks. Whats worse, USYSC's fleet quickly became split between the U-HYMT system and their home system, as they were persuing fleeing Providence Bloc ships.

Though Providence Bloc experienced difficulties at the start, especially with its Logistics, with swelling numbers and a Nidhoggur Carrier brought into the wormhole, it could tank the incoming damage and focus its own on the Archon, which was starting to give way. USYSC at this time was scrambling for a Dreadnaught in order to eliminate the new threat, and was too late in bringing a second Archon to support the first, which finally gave in to the relentless fire of Providence Bloc. Without the Carrier, it became impossible for USYSC's fleet to sustain fighting, and losses start mounting.

However, the entrance of the Nidhoggur caused the wormhole to collapse, trapping Providence Bloc within the system and cutting all reinforcements. Whats worse, USYSC were not done, and quickly reinforced their fleet. Two Archons were brought unto the field, along with a Naglfar Dreadnaught. and a Bhaalgorn Battleship. With the Bhaalgorn heavy energy neutralizers and the Dreadnaught's damage output, the Providence Bloc's Nidhoggur could do little to resist the combined onslaught and was subsequently destroyed.

Without their Carrier, Providence Bloc ships could do little to tank the reinvigorated assault of USYSC's fleet. After sustaining a few bruising losses, Providence Bloc conceded the field, bouncing between celestials in the system to keep safe. USYSC were gracious enough to offer Providence Bloc an exit wormhole for their capsules, which Providence Bloc accepted. However, the main fleet extracted under its own power, finding an exit to the Fountain region.

Now in Fountain, Providence Bloc forces made the long jounrey home, cutting through Low Security space and the Catch region, before reaching the safety of their staging system.

Battle report for the J213642 system can be found here.

Providence Bloc fielded by the end of the fight a forty-seven pilot fleet, inititally in Proteus Strategic Cruisers but later with an assortment of ships as reinforcements poured in. Losing ninteen ships, for a total of five billion ISK in damages.

USYSC for its part fielded at the peak of the battle fifteen pilots, mostly in Strategic Cruisers and Capital ships. Losing nine ships, for a total of eight billion ISK in damages.

All told, both sides agreed that it was a close and entertaining fight, with the flow of battle going back and forth. Another fight out of many to be had in busiest region in Null Security Space.

Special thanks to Jin'taan, of Volition Cult, The Volition Cult and Jay Joringer, of United System's Commonwealth, for granting interviews