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.
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