P-ZWKH system, Oasa region. On the 31st of May, at 18:30 EVE Standard Time, forces belonging to Alternate Allegiance [ALTS] and their allies clashed with SOLAR FLEET [SOLAR] over the system, in a bloody battle that saw the loss of many Capital ships.
The battle occurred over the P-ZWKH system, which has been heavily contested between [ALTS] and [SOLAR] ever since the latter managed to capture it during a sovereignty transfer. [ALTS] did not take this quietly and have been attempting to recover the system in the last month.
The fighting between the two sides have become so regular, that this allowed [ALTS] in the past to set traps for [SOLAR], such as the ambush that resulted in no less the 3 dead [SOLAR] Super Carriers. This battle would prove no different.
Since [SOLAR] had been known to bring hard counters to any doctrine that [ALTS] and their local allies brought previously, it allowed [ALTS] to accurately predict what sort of force [SOLAR] would bring, and inform their allies of it.
Since it was a final station and Infrastructure Hub timer for the system, it was expected for [SOLAR] to bring an overwhelming force. [ALTS] needed allies, and sent calls all around the cluster, managing to call forth Shadow of xXDEATHXx [X.W.X], Mercenary Coalition [MC] and many others.
In order to allow reinforcements to reach the battle from throughout New Eden, [ALTS] Used their knowledge of wormhole connections, and managed to find a system in jump bridge range of P-ZWKH, thanks in part to an unknown third party who alerted them to the connections in a certain system which also linked [SOLAR] systems that could allow it to reinforce its forces.
Another wormhole, though, connected to Northern Coalition. [NC] staging system, and could allow a large fleet to move through it. Thus an [NC] Fleet Commander was contacted and plans were drawn for [NC] to join the offensive on [ALTS] behalf.
At 18:00 EVE Standard Time both sides began forming up. [SOLAR] had a Machariel Battleship fleet as well as a mixed Capital fleet, approximately 100 pilots.
[ALTS] and their allies had a full Dominix Battleship fleet, 222 pilots with a mixed Capital squadron.
[NC] had a 100 pilot Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet, which was making its way from Derelik through wormhole space.
[SOLAR] were the first in the system, sitting on the station with their fleet. There was a need to draw them away from the undock area, in order to take the station and force them out of the system. Thus [ALTS] decided to bridge in their sub-capital fleet first on a staging tower they had prepared, in order to lure the [SOLAR] fleet away.
However, this ended with disaster, as the coms used by the fleet went down and the Capital Fleet Commander also misunderstood the order and had their Capital squadron jump in as well. As confusion settled in, [SOLAR] used the opportunity and warped at close range of the force. Quickly, they took advantage of the apparent lack of co-ordination and started annihilating Battleships and Capitals, with [ALTS] and their allies unable to return fire properly.
As [ALTS] and their allies tried to save as much of their fleet as possible, [NC] forces managed to travel through the wormhole and bridge to the system. They quickly warped on top of the [SOLAR] force from the perch they jumped into, and dropped interdiction probes as well as deployed Mobile Cynosural Field Inhibitors, trapping the [SOLAR] Capitals on the field and stopping them from bringing reinforcements.
With the Proteus on field, scrams and webs quickly shut down the Machariels’ propulsion modules, making them easy prey for the Strategic Cruisers, who quickly annihilated them even though Triage Carrier remote repairs were present for the [SOLAR] side.
With the main danger of the Machariels taken care of, the [SOLAR] Dreadnoughts and Carriers’ turn came. [ALTS] also managed to re-organize their fleet and get it back into the action, helping the [NC] fleet and slowly annihilating the [SOLAR] fleet. A detachment was also sent in order to capture the station, as it came out of reinforcement timer.
With the combined force of [NC], [ALTS] and their allies, [SOLAR]’s Capital wing was annihilated almost to the last, only a few survivors managing to escape the slaughter. With [SOLAR] soundly defeated, [NC] departed from the system, leaving [ALTS] to capture the system and complete their victory. Thus hostilities in the system ended.
The Battle from Northern Coalition.’s PoV
Battle report for the PWKZ-H system can be found here.
All told the system hosted less than 500 pilots, with Time Dilation not reported to be a major factor in the fighting. The battle lasted close to a full hour from start to finish.
[SOLAR] lost the majority of their fleet, including 24 Machariels and 20 Capitals: 16 Carriers and 4 Dreadnoughts. This totals at 63 Bil ISK of damage. [ALTS] and their allies lost 42 Dominix and a fair number of Capitals, including 15 Carriers and 3 Dreadnoughts. This translates to 58 Bil ISK of damage. [NC] lost only 14 ships, for a total of 2 Bil ISK damage.
The predictability of [SOLAR] proved to be its own undoing, as it allowed [ALTS] and their allies to plan and counter them. Yet, for [ALTS] and their growing coalition, the battle proved to be full of bumps. In the end though, [ALTS] managed to bring the system under their control, though at a cost.
As war continues in the Drone Lands between the Vanguard Coalition and the Geminate Coalition, [X.I.X] and local powers, it is certain that much more blood will be shed in the North.
Special thanks to Z air of ROGUE ALTS, Alternate Allegiance and FUUUFA of Burning Napalm, Northern Coalition. for granting interviews.
