While elsewhere in Eve, clashes rage for the fate of sovereignty, Catch has settled down for the first time in almost four months (or being as “settled” as any anarchic, warring society could be). Pandemic Legion, the long time adversary of HERO Coalition, who has threatened and menaced their sovereignty, their assets, and more as well, have recently conducted a giant move operation out of Curse, heading to more verdant pastures. Provibloc and the Stain Russians, the latter of which vowed to retake Catch in the leadup to Phoebe, have both gone quiet, resting after a long holiday break filled with goodfights. The coalition itself undergoes a period of relaxation, but as a temporary peace settles over Catch, many seek fun and goodfights without sovereignty strings attached.
It was such a thing that led to well-known HERO fleet commander, Blue Ice, to form a fleet in preparation for a small arranged fight in WD-VTV, a border system in Catch with RvB Ganked. Ganked, which typically runs on Sundays, chose Saturday to go out and have some fun with the HERO fleet, forming up a force of almost two hundred Caracals with support Scythes backing them. HERO themselves chose to ship into relatively cheap and inexpensive Moas with about a half a dozen firewall Drakes, designed to counter the missile spam that the Caracal fleet was slated to bring; after a half hour of formup, and with word that RvB was already passing through Providence, HERO took the jump bridge out of GE-8JV, and set themselves up into the safe POS in WD-VTV, waiting for their fight.
Unknown to them, a Providence fleet of almost one hundred and eighty pilots had formed up, and were also pursuing the RvB fleet, closely following them. The fleet, consisting of armor Phantasms, Zealots, and Oneiors logistics, shadowed the RvB fleet as they wound their way from 9UY4-H in Providence, down along the northern Catch pipe towards WD-VTV. Also choosing to crash the party was a group of Gorgon Empire Macharials, armor fit and primed to obliterate anything they caught. They were already in WD-VTV, watching the HERO pilots inside of their tower, sniping at the unwary to stick their noses out of the protective POS bubble.
RvB entered the system, warping off immediately from the SV5 gate in order to regroup and catch a break from the Providence fleet following them; HERO forces, already warping to the gate, landed at a ping far above the gate, and watched as Providence Phantasms, Zealots, and logistics poured into system. A temporary truce was struck between HERO and the RvB Ganked fleet, leading the HERO Moas down on top of the Phantasms and Zealots to engage while the RvB fleet warped back onto field as well. Both parties sandwiched the Providence fleet and tore into them, as the Gorgon Empire Macharials warped onto field.
With the system already above 600 pilots, time dilation was at a solid 20%, while module lag was at best, atrocious. While the HERO Moa fleet sustained relatively few losses, the RvB Ganked fleet was bombarded and peppered with frequent bombing runs by CFC and Provi pilots, wiping them out despite their constant volleying of Provi Phantasms and Zealots off of field. Despite RvB getting large swathes of their fleet destroyed by constant bombing runs on their paper tanked Caracals, and harassment from Gorgon Empire Macharials, RvB continued to eradicate Provi ships at a precipitous rate.
Almost twenty minutes into the fight, however, a new contender entered the field; a large group of Dominixes, Armageddons, and Lokis from a variety of wormhole groups like No Holes Barred, Sleeper Social Club, Arctic Light and others jumped through the SV5 gate, engaging the tattered remnants of the Provi fleet. The wormholers brought three three triage Archons and three Naglfars fit for blapping, two of them Justice Edition. The Provi fleet, ripped to shreds and failing rapidly, detached from field, signaling the end of the fight. Almost five hundred ships were destroyed in WD-VTV during the harsh fighting, the majority of them Provi and RvB related. HERO forces, regrouping, were hounded by Gorgon Empire Macharials, popping one or two before finally retreating to the Jump Bridge and heading back to GE-8JV.
In GE-8JV, HERO reshipped into a 160 man Tengu/Eagle fleet with Scimitar support, as NoHo and co. wound their way around the pipe towards GE-8JV, determined to fight them. Setting themselves up on station, a large contingent of Heavy Interdictors sat on station, determined to destroy the HERO forces if they undocked. Despite this, the call to undock came, and the fleet poured out of the station, slicing through Heavy Interdictors and webbing Lokis as they cut their way to freedom.
Bizarrely, however, people began to notice that blues were redboxing them on the undock. This wasn’t your friendly redboxing either, but full on webbing Loki murder, as they caught and held down Tengus and Eagles for the large wormhole fleet to obliterate them. Sustaining heavier and heavier losses, Blue Ice warped the Tengu and Eagle fleet off of field, with NoHo leaving shortly afterwards.
The awoxing blues turned out to be from Noir. Academy, a former feeder corporation for Noir. when they was in Noir Mercenary Group. Earlier last year, Noir. had chosen to collapse their alliance and merge into Suddenly Spaceships, a lowsec mercenary and pvp organization. Needless to say, the response to such a move was harsh and extreme:
Noir. Academy (a member corp of SOUND) pilots may be killed on sight in Catch (aside from 4-07MU) due to a friendly fire incident until I verify that appropriate reimbursement has been made and I rescind this order.
#### SENT BY June Ting to All online test/allies @ 2015-01-10 23:14:09 EVE Time ####
Despite this, much fun was had by all parties involved. Over 35 billion isk of ships were destroyed in WD-VTV in a span of only 30 minutes, despite the 10% TiDi and the module lag. A full battle report can be found here.
