Ostingele system, Placid region. On the 31st of October at 20:00 EVE standard Time, Spectre Fleet forces fought multiple fleets in the system in a battle that resulted in the destruction of no less than 268 ships and causing 105.11 Bil ISK of damage.
The battle began after Spectre Fleet assembled a 240 pilot fleet with Nightmare Battleships as its core doctrine. The force made its way to the Ostingele system as the Placid region is known as the home of several high profile PvP Alliances.
The Spectre Fleet force was making its way to the Agoze system, warping to the gate as a cynosural beacon was lit on top of it. Into the system entered a 90 pilot Snuffed Out [B B C] and Psychotic Tendencies. [TISHU] Machariel Battleship fleet. The fleet was still bridging in as the Spectre Fleet force landed on the gate at zero. Both fleets quickly attempted to anchor up, signaling the start of the battle.
Spectre Fleet lit a cynosural beacon of its own and jumped in 5 Triage Carriers for support as its ships started engaging the Snuffed Out Machariels. Snuffed Out forces were caught flat footed, unable to gain enough range from the Nightmares. With no Triage support of its own, the Snuffed Out fleet was quickly overwhelmed by the Nightmares, who could soak the artillery barrages of the Machariels quite easily, especially as the close range worked against them. Whats more, with their energy neutralizers and the close proximity, many Machariels had their capacitor drained out, shutting off both their MicroWarpDrives and armor hardeners, making them an easy target for the Spectre Fleet force.
With mounting losses and the inability to tank the incoming damage, Snuffed Out had to concede the field, warping to a station in the system and docking up. However Spectre Fleet had little time to celebrate its victory, as Pandemic Legion [-10.0] forces entered the system in a 150 pilot Sleipnir Command ship fleet.
The Fight with Snuffed Out Forces from the PoV of the Spectre Fleet Nightmare Fleet
As the Pandemic Legion force landed on the Agoze gate, Spectre Fleet Commanders had little wish to engage it, aware of the high resistance profile Minmatar vessels present against laser weapons as well as the range their artillery cannons possess. Thus, a decision was reached to jump out to the Agoze system and leave. Pandemic Legion suspected such a maneuver and quickly had Heavy Interdictors tackle the Triage Carriers of Spectre Fleet while the rest of its fleet jumped ahead.
Alas, this turned to be a mistake. Spectre Fleet members soon discovered most of them still had aggression timers, thus unable to use the gate. Instead the Spectre Fleet Commanders had the fleet align towards one of the stations present in the system while applying heavy neutralizers to the Pandemic Legion Heavy Interdictors. This allowed most of the Triage Carriers to escape, as Pandemic Legion forces quickly doubled back into Ostingele, realizing their mistake.
By the time most of the fleet entered the system, 4 of the 5 Triage Carriers managed to escape and the Spectre Fleet force warped off, later docking up in the system. This left Pandemic Legion with a Nidhoggur Carrier it quickly dispatched as well as a few stragglers which were also destroyed.
The Spectre Fleet Nidhoggur Caught and Put Under Neutralizer Pressure by Pandemic Legion Forces
After loitering around the system, Pandemic Legion Fleet Commanders established communication with the Spectre Fleet Fleet Commanders and an agreement was reached for both forces to engage each other in an asteroid belt in the system. The two fleets warped to the belt, Spectre Fleet choosing to go at zero while Pandemic Legion warped at range. Once the two fleets landed, the fight resumed in earnest.
Here Pandemic Legion made two mistakes, warping at medium range of the Spectre Fleet force and burning into it. This allowed the Nightmares to once again put heavy neutralizer pressure on the Pandemic Legion Sleipnirs. Several of them were simply volleyed before the Logistics wing could even lock them, let alone apply remote shield transfers. After taking a few losses, including their main Fleet Commander, Pandemic Legion forces quickly retreated, warping to a celestial and bouncing off to a gate, leaving the system to re-organize.
Spectre Fleet and Pandemic Legion Fighting in the Ostingele Asteroid Belt
At this point a Gallente Militia Tempest Fleet Issue fleet, estimated at 80 pilots, warped on the fight grid at 100 kilometers away from the Spectre Fleet force. Spectre Fleet Fleet Commanders did not wish to take the fight there, especially after their fleet had spread all over, preferring instead to warp to the Agoze gate to re-organize.
The Gallente Militia fleet followed suit, landing again at 100 kilometers from the Spectre Fleet force. This time Spectre Fleet decided to take it on, gambling that its force had the edge in speed. Orders were given to overheat AfterBurners and the entire fleet rushed towards the Gallente Militia fleet.
The two forces quickly exchanged fire, and while the Gallente Militia was able to destroy a few ships, the Nightmares soon reached close range and started cutting down the Gallente Militia ships with their lasers, melting ship after ship.
As this was going on though, more fleets converged on the system. Northern Coalition. [NC] had a 120 pilot Proteus Strategic Cruiser fleet which arrived to the system, jumping in from the Agoze system. The fleet was in communication with the Pandemic Legion fleet which had finished sorting itself, replacing its Fleet Commander and jumping back to Ostingele. Shadow Cartel [SHDWC] also arrived on the field, bringing 60 pilot Machariel Battleship fleet and maintaining range from the other fleets.
Seeing so many hostiles converge on the Agoze gate, Spectre Fleet Commanders decided to attempt to re-group at the 7th planet in the system. However, this warp in was soon known to all the fleets. Northern Coalition. forces managed to warp on top of the Spectre Fleet force, while Pandemic Legion warped at 100 kilometers from it.
At this point with Northern Coalition. Proteus holding them down and Pandemic Legion Sleipnirs hitting them from a distance, the Spectre Fleet forces started to break. The process was slow with both sides taking losses. Spectre Fleet had only 2 Triage Carriers remaining, one of which was caught and shortly dispatched by Shadow Cartel forces on the Agoze gate while the other managed to warp with the fleet. To get rid of it, Northern Coalition. forces lit a cynosural beacon for Psychotic Tendencies. who brought in 2 Dreadnoughts and 2 Carriers to help.
Psychotic Tendencies. Capitals Jumping into the Fight on the 7th Planet of Ostingele
The Capitals quickly took down the lone Triage Chimera Carrier but soon became the target of the Spectre Fleet force, which applied once again its fearsome heavy neutralizers. One by one the Dreadnoughts and Carrier were destroyed, only one Archon Carrier managing to hold out thanks in part to Northern Coalition’s Logistics wing.
Shadow Cartel also appeared at this point, warping in range of the Pandemic Legion Sleipnir fleet, its Machariels volleying a few ships, forcing Pandemic Legion to increase the distance between the two fleets. By this point both Northern Coalition. and Pandemic Legion managed to grind down the Spectre Fleet force, destroying much of its mainline ships. With no way to combat the two fleets, Spectre Fleet sounded the signal to retreat. Northern Coalition. and Pandemic Legion attempted to catch as many ships as possible, clearing the field before turning their attention to the Shadow Cartel fleet.
Shadow Cartel, seeing as the Spectre Fleet force was gone and not wishing to contend with the combined might of Pandemic Legion and Northern Coalition. decided to dock instead. Both fleets were certain Shadow Cartel forces were attempting to leave the system and warped to one of the gates in the system only to realize Shadow Cartel forces had actually warped to a station in the same celestial alignment. With no more hostile fleets active in the system, both Pandemic Legion and Northern Coalition. departed, allowing others to extract later, though fighting was still registered in the system among the many scavengers who descended upon the wreckage of the battles.
The Engagement on the 7th Planet of Ostingele from the PoV of Northern Coalition.’s Proteus Fleet
Battle report for the Ostingele system can be found here.
All told the battle lasted 2 hours with local peaking at 620 pilots at the height of the battle and Time Dilation being a constant factor, often at 10%.
Pandemic Legion lost 22 ships, including 8 Command ships for a total of 10.54 Bil ISK damage. Northern Coalition. lost 8 ships, including 3 Strategic Cruisers for a total of 2.03 Bil ISK. Spectre Fleet forces lost 180 ships including but not limited to; 3 Carriers and 72 Battleships for 52.67 Bil ISK damage. Snuffed Out and allies lost 41 ships including but not limited to; 2 Dreadnoughts, 1 Carrier and 27 Battleships for a total of 35.67 Bil ISK damage. The Gallente Militia lost 14 ships including 2 Battleships for a total of 5.6 Bil ISK damage
Salivan Harddin is a member of Reikoku, Pandemic Legion, and covers battles across New Eden
