Disclaimer: The following article was submitted by Coelomate, who is a member of Phoebe Freeport Republic. Please bare in mind that statements made in the following article are his and do not reflect EN24’s.
When last we spoke, Phoebe Freeport Republic – with help from The 99 Alliance, Spectre Fleet, and a few other friends – had beaten the odds and repelled a massive assault on Freeport 1 in CT8K-0 in Etherium Reach. Just two days later and having barely caught our breath, opportunity knocked, and forces were marshaled to liberate more space from absentee landlords in the southeast.
After coming together for a State of the Republic and Q&A, a crusading fleet of nearly 100 PFR bombers made its way to our target for Freeport 2: 4-CM8I in Scalding Pass. More isolated than Freeport 1 but surrounded by like-minded folks (there are a number of other freeports already springing up!), unlikely to be defended – if not largely abandoned – and in a pocket with respectable security status, 4-CM8I was a prime target.
When the crusading bombers arrived, they were greeted by a system already SBU’d and with a POS prepared for the assault by a PFR vanguard force (Walter Cohen is a wizard). The choice of target came as a complete surprise to friends and enemies alike – it had been decided quietly just the day before, with the destination not announced until the fleet undocked. Hostiles in Etherium Reach had actually shored up defenses in a few systems near CT8K-0, thinking we were forming to expand our holdings in the neighborhood.
As with many PFR endeavors, content followed us into the void where once there had been none. Scalding Pass locals provided no resistance, but our Molden Heath/Etherium Reach enemies were formed and ready to counter our move thinking our ambitions were local, and followed us the entire way down. But the inexhaustible PFR fleet dug in its heels, waiting out hostiles in the POS while outnumbered and continuing the slow grind of sov warfare timers.
Not a group for half measures, the call was made for PFR’s first major capital operation: inserting a fleet into Scalding Pass to assist with the siege. Claiming a station system takes nearly a week under ideal conditions and involves at least 3 major battles separated by several days each – doing it in subcaps and deep in enemy territory makes a painful process significantly worse. Caps would be a huge help, but moving them down was especially dangerous, even leaving aside our pilots’ inexperience: the trip would require either multiple jumps into stationless systems and several gates. And if anything went wrong, extraction would prove every bit as difficult as insertion.
Eager for content and either undeterred by or ignorant of the danger, a number of PFR pilots joined for their first capital operation together, lumbering from staging in Molden Heath down to the warzone in Scalding Pass. After a few tense jumps and some… learning (“should we start a cap chain when we land?” “yes” “uh… were we supposed to fit remote capacitor modules?” “FC I don’t have skills for those” “Is it O.K. if we don’t have JDC 5?” “FC I’m pointed!”), the PFR cap fleet landed in its destination. Jump fatigued but otherwise whole, the fleet caught its breath and readied itself for the next timer.
Unfortunately, the cap movement attracted huge amounts of attention in the target system – yet again from Etherium Reach natives who I suppose had nothing better to do with their time? So our caps idled in POS as a distraction, and the Scalding Pass campaign was put on hold for some housekeeping in Etherium Reach, where we formed a subcap fleet formed to knock down a remaining hostile SBU from an earlier campaign. By the time that SBU was down, Scalding Pass hostiles grew bored and had cleared out, so PFR subcaps began the long journey south to assist in the timer.
Things started smoothly, but a new hostile force showed and chased off the subcap fleet. The hostiles had unfortunately also fit a Remote Internet Connection Burst module, and a carrier disconnected while positioning itself outside of the POS shields. The enemy was quick to spring on the vulnerable capital ship, and efforts to bump or rep the carrier proved fruitless, dealing us our first capital loss of the Scalding Pass campaign (and, uh, destroying nearly 20% of our MIGHTY CAPTIAL FLEET in the process…)
Undeterred by the setback, a new subcap fleet was formed once things quieted down, and with support from whoever could spare the time, two more timers were won across nearly 12 hours of fighting.
Somehow, after inserting and pushing the system into its final station timer, we even picked up a friend – a TEST dread pilot reached out to see if he could help. Before anyone could answer or disclaim the risks, he announced he had already moved, was one jump away, and needed a cyno into the target system. Of course, once the cyno was lit, it turned out he had Dotlan’d wrong (making him a great fit for PFR, who has never been great with maps), and then accidentally named his ship the POS password instead of entering it. The POS responded as a POS is want to do: by denying him access and opening fire. Eventually POS mechanics and passwords were sorted, and the vessels of the mighty PFR capital fleet curled up into balls on the floor of the POS to nap and cuddle before the next great battle.
Of course, while the PFR capital fleet was resting in Scalding Pass, Legion of Death and Total Absolution/Absolution Alliance again formed hundreds of subcaps with dreadnought support, drove to Freeport 1 in Etherium Reach, and burned everything to the ground.
Again.
Sigh.
A Saturday night shield timer was on the board, leaving PFR with an incredibly stacked day of content: a defensive station shield timer and a defensive ihub armor timer in Etherium Reach quickly followed by the offensive station final armor timer in Scalding Pass. The decision was made to contest all three, but focus our efforts on claiming Freeport 2 in Scalding Pass – losing the ihub would sting, but even if we couldn’t save Freeport 1 at the shield timer, the armor timer would still be an option. And besides – the last time this story had played out, the aggressors didn’t even form for the station shield timer.
Nearly 100 PFR folks once again formed for the defense, but over 300 better equipped hostiles were in local by the time the station came out of reinforcement. Undeterred, the PFR T1 cruiser gang engaged to do what damage we could and buy time for friends who were trying to muster strength, but our Caracal fleet simply couldn’t stand against the assembled hostile Ishtars (SURPRISE!) and ANIs.
Check out Zact_Katelo’s photo essay here to see how well that didn’t go.
The bad guys won the first two timers – but the night wasn’t over.
Stinging from defeat and shaking their fists at the 23/7 nature of sov warfare, exhausted PFR pilots responded to pings for yet another major battle – the final armor timer for Freeport 2 in Scalding. Even before arriving, however, a hostile Hashashin Cartel Ishtar fleet (SURPRISE AGAIN!) placed itself between our fleet and Freeport 2. As we paused to asses our options, the hostiles moved to begin assaulting the station itself – in an effort to ninja it for themselves.
As is so often the case, PFR launched a desperate plan based on sov mechanics rather than raw military strength: once hostiles had chewed through a significant portion of the station’s remaining 25% armor, pods emerged from our pos and quietly cycled two SBUs off, then back online – rendering the station invulnerable for 3 hours. If the hostile forces were truly committed, they could attack the SBUs and online their own – but doing so would dramatically prolong the engagement, forcing the enemy to fully commit or disengage.
Then, in a scene straight out of the movies, unexpected help arrived the moment the station clicked to invulnerable and the hostiles were forced to respond. Love squad/pizza/pasta/10,000 wheniaminspace alts/whatever poured into local and began raining bombs on the hostile forces. Their efforts to extract weren’t enough, and soon the station and surrounding systems were littered with Ishtar and Scimitar wrecks. After profound thanks were given for the unreasonably well timed pizza delivery, PFR set to work burning perches and scouting the route to trickle forces from Etherium Reach into Scalding Pass for the final push on the station. Most of the fleet dug in for the entire 3 hour timer before the station would become vulnerable again.
Once it did, PFR resolve finally saw us through to victory after a long night of defeats and setbacks. With only one or two scares along the way, the station was flipped, and the PFR capital fleet (together with the tireless subcaps) claimed its first major kill – 4-C8MI’s TCU. Shortly thereafter the PFR TCU was humming online, and weary pilots from the U.S. and Europe handed the baton to PFR’s lunatic Australian industrialist wing.
After an excruciating 8 hours of onlining deep in hostile territory, the TCU came to life – raising the flag of PFR and securing our claim over Freeport 2.
Freeport 2 is less than 24 hours old, but Freeport 1’s fragile existence hangs in the balance – the CT8K-0 final armor timer comes out at 03:58 Tuesday (late Monday night U.S. time).
Will 10,000 Russians show up to cancel fun and cement their grasp on a sprawling but abandoned rental empire?
Will PFR and friends have what it takes to keep Freeport 1 free?
What hilarious friends, enemies, and frenemies await in Scalding Pass?
Stay tuned for more…
Want to know more? Check out our terribly named subreddit: /r/PhoebeCrusadeWarRoom. Or be a cool kid, and head to /r/pfr instead!
Want to create stories with us? Our subreddit’s sidebar has info on joining up. Come fly with us! Join our public channel (listed in the sidebar and my in-game bio), talk to a recruiter, send an application to the corporation. Recruitment is open – if you’re not a shithead and want to stir things up, you’re in. You won’t get rich, at least not soon, but you’ll be part of something truly unique and exciting.
Begging is unbecoming: But fuck, sov remains tragicomically expensive. Generous donations kept the lights on even though all of our timers are for sov and not delicious money moons. If you want to fund more misadventure and after action reports, please send isk to the corporation Dutch East Querious Company or character Coelomate.
Affectionately and exhaustedly yours,
~Coelomate
