[NC] brought a Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet, 130 pilots strong with Triage Archon Carrier support.
Pandemic Legion brought a Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet as well, 160 pilots strong, with Pandemic Horde [REKTD] also being present in a Maller Cruiser fleet, 60 pilots big, but operating autonomously from its parent alliance.
In a running theme of the battle, Providence Bloc fielded a Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet of their own, 160 pilots strong, with a Goku Bomber fleet, 70 pilots large, and a support Naga Battlecruiser fleet, 30 pilots in total. All in all, Providence Bloc fielded close to 270 pilots.
Last but not least was Spectre Fleet, who brought a full Battleship fleet, nearly 250 pilots, most notably in Tempest Fleet Issue. It also had Triage Archon Carriers and Dreadnoughts on standby, for future escalation.
Providence Bloc formed to protect the Infrastructure Hub in the G-5EN2 system and repair it. However, they soon found out that [NC] bridged their fleet behind them, hoping to cut Providence Bloc's route of retreat, sitting in the 9UY4-H system, which serves as the major crossroad of the region.
Help came in the form of Spectre Fleet and [REKTD], who promised to aid Providence Bloc against [NC]. This was important for Providence Bloc as reports of a large Pandemic Legion Ishtar Heavy Assault Cruiser fleet spotted in the Catch region were received at the same time.
Thus, Spectre Fleet and [REKTD] engaged the [NC] fleet on the 4B-NQN gate, where Providence Bloc were waiting on the other side. As the two sides tangled, bringing Triage Archons and exchanging blows, Providence Bloc jumped in and started brawling with the [NC] fleet.
At this point, Pandemic Legion, who returned from their escapades in Wormhole space, re-shipped into their Proteus Strategic Cruisers and bridged to a perch above the gate. Once they loaded grid, Pandemic Legion's forces warped on top of the Providence Bloc fleet, choosing to focus on them.
Ships were volleyed off, as Time Dilation kicked into high gear, and even noticeable lag was felt. As Providence Bloc were losing ships at an alarming rate, they attempted to de-aggress and jump back to the 4B-NQN system.
However, they soon discovered Pandemic Legion's Interdictors were waiting for them, launching interdiction probes and trapping most of the fleet on the 9UY4-H gate, as the Pandemic Legion fleet waited its aggression timers and jumped in after them, continuing the fight between the two.
Providence Bloc attempted to fight as best as it could, but it soon became clear that they were losing. To minimize their losses, the fleet warped to the station and docked up, leaving behind many Proteus and Legions who were tackled by Pandemic Legion and promptly destroyed.
Battle report for 4B-NQN can be found here.
With Providence Bloc dealt with, Pandemic Legion came back to the 9UY4-H system in order to tackle the Spectre Fleet head on. However, while Providence Bloc and Pandemic Legion were having their own engagement in 4B-NQN, Spectre Fleet and [NC] disengaged, Spectre Fleet retreating to the D61A-G system, on the Y-MPWL gate, while [NC] seemed to have extracted form the region.
Battle report for 9UY4-H can be found here.
Pandemic Legion entered the D61A-G system and decided to commit to the fight, warping to the gate and hitting the edge of the deployed Interdiction field. Thus, the fight started in earnest, with Pandemic Legion anchoring up and going into the thick of the Battleships.
The fight was not a one sided affair but a bloody struggle, with both sides volleying ships off. Spectre Fleet had no less than 4 Triage Archons present, while Pandemic Legion had to be content with their Tech II Logistics.
As the battle dragged on, Pandemic Legion lit a cynosural beacon and ushered in its own Triage Archon. In retaliation, Spectre Fleet brought in 4 Dreadnoughts, who promptly targeted the lone Triage Archon, but by the time they brought it down, many of the Battleships were destroyed, making it impossible for the Spectre Fleet to break the Strategic Cruisers' tank.
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Realizing their situation, the Spectre Fleet made a dash for the safety of Empire, jumping into the Y-MPWL system and running to the kari gate, with Pandemic Legion in hot pursuit. Several more Battleships and 2 Dreadnoughts were caught, while the remainder managed to escape.
Battle report for the D61A-G system can be found here.
Pandemic Legion continued to camp the D61A-G gate for a while, before extracting from the region, with no resistance whatsoever and managing to score a few easy ganks on the way home.
Battle report for the Y-MPWL system can be found here.
This marked the end of hostilities for the region.
Footage of the Fighting from Pandemic Legion's POV
The main battle saw 1,000 pilots in the 9UY4-H system, with Time Dilation peaking at 10% and lag reported by many pilots. The other engagements saw less than 400 pilots in local, with Time Dilation at more manageable levels. From the start of the fight to the end of hostilities, nearly an hour elapsed.
The butcher's bill is on a grand scale, considering everything. Spectre Fleet bore the brunt of the losses, 128 ships lost, including 2 Dreadnoughts, for a total of 39 Bil ISK of damages. Close second is Providence Bloc, who lost approximately 117 ships, for a total of 24 Bil ISK in damages. Third place was Pandemic Legion, with 27 ships lost, including 1 Triage Carrier, totaling at 14 Bil ISK damages. [NC] for their part, only lost 9 ships, mounting to 3.5 Bil ISK damages.
All told, this battle is further proof that regardless of Phoebe restrictions, huge scale battles are still fought throughout New Eden, and the devastation they leave in their wake, is still something to be awed by.
Special thanks to Fin1712, of Hoover Inc. Pandemic Legion for supplying footage of the fighting.
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