Providence Bloc Suffers Defeat in S25C-K

S25C-K system, Catch region. Following the fall of 7MD-S1 and UL-7I8 systems, Providence Bloc and HERO Coalition forces clashed over the control of the S25C-K system on the first of the two Infrastructure Hub timers at the 26th of August.

The system saw one of the largest sub capital engagements recently, with more than six hundred pilots in the system at the height of the fighting. Providence Bloc forces were organized in a hundred and eighty Battleship class fleet and set up on the BR-N97 gate in S25C-K system, expecting HERO Coalition forces to jump into them.

Instead, HERO Coalition forces opted to bridge into the system in three fleets: A hundred and forty Brave Collective mixed Moa class Cruisers and Eagle class Heavy Assault Cruisers with Ferox class Battlecruiser support, a hundred and ten The Unthinkables Tengu class Strategic Cruisers and a Test Alliance Please Ignore forty Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruisers. All told, HERO Coalition forces had two hundred and ninety pilots on the field.

HERO Coalition forces decided to warp to the BR-N97 gate in order to engage Providence Bloc forces, but the Brave Collective fleet was caught by the mobile field disruptors set by Providence Bloc, while The Unthinkables' Tengus managed to land at range. With both forces on the grid fighting quickly broke out.

While Brave Collective and Test Alliance Please Ignore exchanged losses with Providence Bloc, partly due to their bad positioning, The Unthinkables managed to tank the incoming damage, and with their help, Providence Bloc forces were soon being overwhelmed, losing ships at an alarming pace.

A fleet of sixty Pandemic Legion Proteus class Strategic Cruisers attempted to intervene on Providence Bloc's behalf at the height of the battle (Though sources within Providence Bloc claim Pandemic Legion shot a few Providence Bloc ships as well) but was quickly brushed aside when its logistics wing was annihilated by the combined Unthinkables and HERO Coalition fleets. Thus Pandemic Legion was forced to retreat from the thick of the fighting, though it did continue and attempt to harass the combatants until the end.

However, the outcome was predictable, Providence Bloc forces were completely decimated by the superior numbers and doctrine fielded by HERO Coalition. Though struggling for almost an entire hour, Providence Bloc was forced to finally concede the field, after most of its fleet was destroyed, with many of the Fleet Commanders and logistics taken off the field during the fighting itself. This loss continues the chain of defeats experienced by Providence Bloc ever since the fall of 7MD-S1 on the 14th earlier this month.

The butcher's bill saw more than three hundred ships destroyed during the fighting, representing a forty-eight billion ISK loss by all parties. Time Dilation was a factor in the fighting, reaching upwards of more than sixty percent. Bomber activity was high as well, with both sides targeting each others' logistics wings, though HERO Coalition saw much less success than usual with its bombing runs.

Fixed Battle Report can be found here.

Brave Collective's Fleet Commander, Blue Ice, commented that The Unthinkables were present mainly in order to deal with any interference made by Stain Wagon forces, which intel indicated were suppose to show for the timer, but did not appear for the fight. Stain Wagon has been an active participant in the fighting since the beginning of the campaign, often aiding Providence Bloc against HERO Coalition.

Though Providence Bloc forces claimed it was overall a good fight, much resentment has been expressed by individuals in the coalition, mainly at the tactics continuously employed by HERO Coalition Fleet Commanders, specifically Blue Ice, such as decapitating Fleet Commanders and eavesdropping coms. These, they claim, run anathema to everything Brave Collective claims to hold dear, such as "Classiness" and "Fun-per-Hour".

Regardless, since 7MD-S1 the tide of war seems to have shifted strongly in HERO Coalition's favor, with two systems already captured and another one on the way. One must ask whether HERO Coalition is able to maintain this momentum or will Providence Bloc be able to stem the tide?

a clip of the fighting from The Unthinkables perspective

News: TEST Loses Sovereignty in Catch, Providence Bloc Takes Advantage of the Ensuing Chaos

Catch region. On the 13th of August, Test Alliance Please Ignore lost sovereignty over two systems in the region, which prompted a fight between HERO Coalition and Stain Wagon Coalition over the control of the YHN-3K system.

According to reports, the loss of sovereignty was caused by a rogue director within the Alliance, which resulted in the systems of AOK-WQ and YHN-3K being vulnerable to attack. While HERO Coalition forces scrambled in order to secure these systems, forces belonging to Stain Wagon Coalition quickly organized in order to exploit the situation. Thus, a fight broke out in the YHN-3K system between the two parties.

Apparently, Stain Wagon forces, organized in a seventy pilot Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet, managed to arrive into the YHN-3K system before HERO Coalition as well as anchor and online a Tower in it. They were mostly engaged in clearing Territorial Claim Units while anchoring their own in order to draw a fight from HERO Coalition.

HERO Coalition itself did not shy away from the fight, and brought their signature Moa class Cruiser fleet into the system, numbering at a hundred and thirty pilots. The fight occurred on the GE-8JV gate in the system between the two opponents, as HERO Coalition forces jumped into the system only to find themselves heavily bubbled, with the Stain Wagon Ishtars at a perch, kitting and pouring damage on the HERO Coalition Moas, decimating many of them.

An attempt to retreat was made by HERO Coalition at this point, which proved unsuccessful due to the loss of sovereignty which disabled the Jump Bridge in the system. HERO Coalition forces instead rallied in their Tower and tried to get warp ins on the Stain Wagon fleet's logistics, but only successfully caught a couple of the vessels, while most of their own logistics wing was annihilated. An attempt to bomb the drones belonging to the Ishtars was taken during the fighting but failed, managing only to destroy Stain Wagon's main tackle.

Realizing quickly that the fight will not go their way, HERO Coalition forces decided to extract from the system, thus allowing Stain Wagon forces to destroy the last remaining Test Alliance Please Ignore Territorial Claim Unit. Afterwards, Stain Wagon forces safely extracted from the system.

Providence Bloc took advantage of the situation in Catch in order to destroy the defensive Sovereignty Blockade Units deployed by HERO Coalition in the ERVK-P system and replace them with their own, then proceeded to reinforce both the Infrastructure Hub and the Station in the system. A similar treatment was given to the G-AOTH system.

By the end of the day Test Alliance Please Ignore managed to regain sovereignty in the two systems.

This continues the trend of the Northern Catch pocket war, of a back and forth trade, with little gains made by either side. One must wonder what will take in order to break the stalemate achieved so far between the two coalitions.

The fixed battle report can be found here.

Special thanks to Elazar Keon, of Ugandan Hit Squad, Southern Federation Alliance for the battle report, and TheMittani(dot)com for details behind the sovereignty loss event.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Summary of the battle can be found here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Breaking News: Providence Bloc Deploys Sovereignty Blockade Units in ERVK-P

ERVK-P System, Catch region. On the 9th of August Providence Bloc forces deployed Sovereignty Blockade Units in the system, effectively besieging it.

This development occurred after the scheduled downtime of the EVE Online server for maintenance. The Sovereignty Blockade Units were placed over all the gates in the system, and managed to online with little problem. Though HERO Coalition attempted to remove the Sovereignty Blockade Units using bombers, they found Providence Bloc's own bomber wing to be an effective deterrent for their efforts.

Once the Sovereignty Blockade Units were online, Providence Bloc bridged into the system in a hundred and ten assorted Battleship class fleet on top of the Infrastructure Hub, which quickly went to work on reinforcing the Infrastructure Hub, and after it was achieved, turned its eyes on the station in the system. 

The station itself had its services incapacitated the earlier night, with Providence Bloc members keeping them in that state and interfering with any attempts to repair them. After a while, the station was put into reinforced mode with Providence Bloc forces being uncontested by HERO Coalition for the entire duration. 

Besides the Infrastructure Hub and the Station, a staging Tower was also put into reinforce mode, further showing Providence Bloc's resolve concerning the system.

This development comes on the heels of the successful defense of the UL-7I8 system by Providence Bloc forces, and seems to resonate with the feelings of many residents of the Providence region, who were enraged by what was seen as an act of ruthless aggression on the part of HERO Coalition and demanded retribution.

With this retaliation committed by Providence Bloc there is a strong possibility that the situation will continue to spiral out of control and the the two entities may soon find themselves thrust into a prolonged sovereignty war, though both coalitions' Executors have refrained from declaring an open state of warfare still.

While many people in Providence may relish the opportunity to reclaim the ERVK-P system and put HERO Coalition in its place, one must wonder what will be the N3 Coalition's response over this development, especially considering Stain-Wagon Coalition's involvement in the fighting. One may also wonder at the silence exhibited by the CFC over the entire situation.

Is the Northern Catch pocket dispute the match that will ignite the next galactic war? Only time will tell.

Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 7.8.2014

UL-7I8 System, Catch region. On the 7th of August Providence Bloc and HERO Coalition clashed for a second time over the control of the system, with entities such as N3, Stain-Wagon Coalition and Pandemic Legion getting involved as well in the fighting.

The first engagement saw an eighty pilot strong Harbinger class Battlecruiser fleet fielded by Providence Bloc, engage a similar sized HERO Coalition force in Moa class Cruisers, on the G-AOTH gate in the UL-7I8 system. The fight did not go well for Providence Bloc, as the loss of Fleet Commanders and logistics ships quickly forced them off the field, leaving the system in order to re-ship and re-group.

At the same time, Stain-Wagon Coalition entered the system, in a fifty pilot Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet. As with the previous battle in the system, Stain Coalition and Providence Bloc forces agreed to hold a mutual ceasefire so long as HERO Coalition forces were present in the system. This force effectively cut off HERO Coalition reinforcements in the form of a mixed Fraternity(dot) and The Unthinkables allainces gang, some thirty strong and mainly consisting of Ishtar and Cerberus class Heavy Assault Cruisers. As the two forces ran head first into each other on the ERVK-P gate in the UL-7I8 system.

While Providence Bloc forces were regrouping, scouts reported a sharp hostile spike in the D-GTMI system in the Providence region, which is under the control of Northern Coalition(dot) Alliance. With Pandemic Legion Alliance Fleet Commanders logging into the game it became clear that a hot drop was only a matter of time, as an Erebus class Titan was reported showing on the directional scan in the system. Within moments a cynosural beacon was reported in the UL-7I8 system, and a force of around sixty pilots, in assorted Strategic Cruisers, bridged into the system.

The force, comprising of both Northern Coalition(dot) and Pandemic Legion pilots, proceeded to brawl with the HERO Coalition force, quickly decimating a good chunk of their ships before they managed to disengage. After a short stay in the system, the Strategic Cruiser force departed. Providence Bloc took the opportunity and entered the system, focusing on the Sovereignty Blockade Unit located on the G-AOTH gate and erecting defensive bubbles around it. HERO Coalition attempted to brawl with the fleet a couple of times, but found themselves lacking in fire power, with each engagement ending with a few losses, while Providence Bloc forces took almost little to no damage.

A couple attempts were made to corner the HERO Coalition force, but with little tackle and almost no Interdictor class Destroyers, it was impossible for the heavier, slower Harbinger fleet to catch up to the nimbler and faster Moa fleet. Thus, it was decided to focus on the strategic objective, and trust Stain Wagon with keeping watch over the Infrastructure Hub. 

After a while HERO Coalition received reinforcements from ERVK-P system, swelling its numbers to almost a hundred pilots. Emboldened by their new numbers, they attempted to engage Providence Bloc forces several times, however, Providence Bloc ships held under the fire, and instead it was the HERO Coalition ships who broke, with Moas and Scythes volleyed left and right. As the engagements lengthened, Stain Wagon forces joined in as well, trapping HERO Coalition on both sides and forcing it to disengage.

This ritual continued a few times, with HERO Coalition at one point attempting to to land on top of the Providence Bloc logistics wing, in order to re-create the scenario from the previous battle. However, this time the logistics ships were kept much closer to the fleet, and the Moas found themselves in the unenviable position of fighting close range with the Harbingers. Taking another bruising, the HERO Coalition fleet attempted at this point to harass the Stain Wagon forces, who kept on the field, helping Providence Bloc forces. Though they managed to destroy several of the Stain Wagon ships, the grid was strewn with wrecks, allowing Providence Bloc to warp on top of the HERO Coalition fleet and once more apply damage. Again, Moas and Scythes were destroyed in increasing numbers, slowly decimating HERO Coalition's effective damage and logistics.

After a continuation of this cycle, HERO Coalition forces seemed to have been spent, allowing Providence Bloc to safely remove the Sovereignty Blockade Unit and effectively making the Infrastructure Hub invulnerable again. This meant the system's sovereignty was safe, remaining firmly in Providence Bloc's hands. The HERO Coalition fleet, failing its goal and suffering heavy casualties, chose to retreat. Without much tackle, Providence Bloc forces declined to chase, instead turning their attention to the Sovereignty Blockade Unit on the ERVK-P gate.

This turned to be a mistake, as this gate was not the site of much fighting, and lacked much in wrecks. Worse off, Providence Bloc was light on tackle, and had no more anchor-able bubbles to put a defensive perimeter against bombers. Within minutes, a bomber wing belonging to HERO Coalition performed a bombing run which was easily tanked by the Harbingers. However, after that another bombing run was performed, managing to destroy at least five Harbingers. Before Providence Bloc forces could rally or warp off, a third bombing run, this time carried by Northern Coalition(dot) was performed. This third run basically obliterated a large percentage of the Harbingers, forcing Providence Bloc to retreat in order to muster more ships and pilots.

Returning after a quick reform, Providence Bloc forces found the system mostly empty, with only a few opportunistic hostiles remaining in the system. Stain Wagon forces having left the system after the bombing run, when it was made clear that HERO Coalition forces were not going to re-group, choosing instead to schedule a low priority fleet later that night. Providence Bloc took the opportunity to lock down the system, eliminating many of the pirates around the system and quickly taking the other Sovereignty Blockade Unit down. This marked the end of large scale hostilities in the system, as well as insured it remained in Providence Bloc's hands.

Though the second battle of UL-7I8 was both a strategic and tactical success for Providence Bloc, it is still too early in the campaign to say whether or not HERO Coalition's expansion to Northern Catch is doomed to failure, or whether Providence Bloc will falter in its defense. What is certain though, is that the Northern Catch pocket is going to see a lot of action in the coming weeks.

The original battle report can be found here.
The fixed battle report can be found here.

Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 5.8.2014

UL-7I8 System, Catch region. On the 5th of August, forces belonging to Providence Bloc and HERO Coalition clashed in the system for four hours, over the Infrastructure Hub's reinforcement timer.

Providence Bloc forces formed early for the timer, in a sixty pilot fleet comprised mainly of Rupture and Caracal class Cruisers. They were met by a ninety pilot Moa class Cruiser fleet fielded by HERO Coalition. As both forces entered the system, a battle developed on the OXIY-V gate. However, with the strong logistics backing of HERO Coalition's fleet, and the clear lack of damage from Providence Bloc's side, Providence Bloc decided to concede the field and re-ship.

The second attempt was made with a seventy pilot Prophecy class Battlecruiser fleet. As it entered the system, it was accompanied by a thirty Ishtar class Heavy Assault Cruiser gang belonging to the Stain-Wagon Coalition. Contact with the Stain-Wagon Fleet Commander was established earlier when they caught wind of HERO Coalition's movement. A decision was made to hold a mutual truce, so long as HERO Coalition forces were in the system, however, both fleets acted independently of each other during the rest of the battle.

With the entry of the two fleets, HERO Coalition opted to engage once more. Yet, with the better tank of the Battlecruisers and the Ishtars kiting and applying pressure as well, HERO Coalition was forced to retreat, especially after Providence Bloc forces called two Triage Archon class Carriers into the field to bolster their logistics capability. Emboldened by their victory on the OXIY-V gate, Providence Bloc forces warped to the Sovereignty Blockade Unit anchored by the G-AOTH gate, and attempted to remove it.

However, HERO Coalition forces were not giving up, and warped on top of the Providence Bloc logistics. At the same time, a HERO Coalition bomber wing executed a bombing run of its own. With these events occurring, Providence Bloc found itself in a bad position, and it was soon evident that the fire exchange will only go HERO Coalition's way. Thus the order to retreat was given, with the core of the Providence Bloc fleet managing to extract out of the system.

A third attempt was made, with Providence Bloc re-shipping to an eighty pilot Zealot class Heavy Assault Cruisers. However, a quick sortie on the OXIY-V gate convinced Providence Bloc it lacked the logistics backing to sustain a prolonged engagement, and once more was forced to retreat.

Though another attempt was under way to dislodge HERO Coalition from the system, scouts reported that the Infrastructure Hub was pushed to its final reinforcement mode, and thus the the fleet was disbanded. Stain-Wagon Coalition itself remained in the system for a time, harassing HERO Coalition forces and re-shipping once more, but overly did not fare much better than Providence Bloc.

Though Providence Bloc took a heavy beating, losing more than a hundred ships in the engagement, HERO Coalition itself came out bloodied, losing approximately seventy ships, half of the ships they fielded during the battle. It is certain though, that on the tactical and strategic levels, Providence Bloc did lose, even if it did manage to postpone the reinforcement of the Infrastructure Hub by four hours.

The fixed battle report can be found here.

Providence Fight Club: UL-7I8 3.8.2014

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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