C-J6MT system, Insmother region. Drone Regions Federation (DRF) forces have been stepping up their attempts to capture the system, which serves as Red Menace Coalition (RMC)’s main staging in the Insmother region. While previous attempts have failed, this time DRF seems to be fully committed, prompting a series of long and bloody battles that are not expected to end before the end of the week.
DRF forces had once again reinforced all of the system’s strategic infrastructure in their attempt to capture it. With both the station and infrastructure hub timers so close to each other and set to exit at the Russian prime time, the two sides expected a large turnover and a huge fight.
The DRF assembled a huge force estimated at 500 pilots with 2 Machariel battleship fleets and a Cerberus heavy assault cruiser fleet. It also had allies such as Pandemic Legion [-10.0] in a 50 pilot Tengu strategic cruiser fleet and several stealth bomber squadrons.
Against this, RMC had mustered an estimated 400 pilots to defend the system divided into a Tengu fleet and a Bhargest battleship fleet flown by Stain-Wagon (SW) coalition which deployed to the system to help with its defense. The force also enjoyed backing of several stealth bomber squadrons supplied by The Gorgon Empire [-GE-] and Out of Sight. [OOS].
At 14:30 EVE Standard Time the two sides met on the YPW-M4 gate, where RMC forces and their allies had set up. DRF forces bridged into the YPW-M4 system before warping into the C-J6MT gate and jumping in, starting the fight.
DRF Forces Engaging on the YPW-4M Gate in the C-J6MT System
The battle was chaotic from the start. While most DRF forces jumped in and anchored up, one of the Machariel fleets bridged to a different system, allowing it to get in the system and warp at optimal range of the gate. Pandemic Legion also arrived through a different gate and showed on grid at a perch before warping into the fight.
RMC forces found themselves quickly bombarded from all directions, with the grid breaking and making things even worse as ships phased between grids and were annihilated by different fleets, cut off from logistics wings or appearing in dangerous close proximity to hostiles.
After a few minutes of brutal exchanges as both sides volleyed mainline ships, the station command nodes had de-cloaked. However with DRF forces distracted by the fighting on the YPW-M4 gate, RMC forces managed to quickly capture the nodes and save the station. With their first objective secured and the battle turning quickly against them, RMC forces retreated to staging towers and the station.
Stain-Wagon Coalition Forces Waiting in a Tower for the Infrastructure Hub Command Nodes to De-cloak in the C-J6MT System
DRF forces quickly set up camp on the station while auxiliary forces engaged each other in the system. With so many alliances and fleets on the field several instances of friendly fire were registered as confusion settled in the system while all participants waited for the infrastructure hub to exit reinforced mode.
Finally, the infrastructure nodes de-cloaked and the two sides engaged each other once more, this time on the 78-0R6 gate in the system. Another bloody fight unfolded as the fleets exchanged fire at range, with several fleets alternating between the gate and the command nodes. Whats more, the fighting spread to the entire QA-P7J constellation as smaller gangs for both sides attempted to capture command nodes, prompting many small skirmishes which only added to the death toll.
RMC and DRF forces soon found themselves locked in a brutal fire exchange on the 78-0R6 gate, with RMC forces managing to destroy many Machariels with their devastating missile barrages. However as time went by, RMC forces continued to sustain losses, though at a lower rate than DRF. This in the end forced RMC forces to retreat, as the DRF’s numerical advantage allowed them to keep on fighting. This also meant DRF forces were able to pursue capturing command nodes while fighting the RMC fleets.
The Fighting Resumes on the 78-0R6 Gate in the C-J6MT System
Realizing they were in danger of losing the infrastructure hub, RMC forces withdrew, focusing instead on destroying Entosis link ships. While small gang warfare raged across the constellation the majority of DRF and RMC forces remained occupied in the C-J6MT system. DRF forces though learned from their previous failures. They brought once again triage carriers to capture the command nodes, but having tweaked their fittings and deployed their fleets alongside them, interdictor attempting to lock the grid as best as possible.
For the next few hours RMC forces attempted repeatedly to eliminate the triage carriers with not much success as DRF forces kept chasing them off. Making no headway and slowly losing control of the infrastructure hub, RMC forces tried one last desperate gambit. Combining their fleet with SW, they re-shipped into Typhoon battleships, hoping their combined numbers would allow them to volley off a carrier.
Quickly a routine was established of RMC forces warping in range, unleashing a devastating missile barrage before quickly warping off, losing a few ships to DRF forces in the process. At first this tactic seemed to be working, as one of the DRF carriers wasn’t able to tank the incoming damage and was destroyed. However this initial success was not reproduced, with DRF forces often chasing the RMC Typhoons before they could deal enough damage to the carriers.
The Only Carrier to be Volleyed by the Red Menace Coalition Typhoon Battleship Fleet
All this time the skirmishes throughout the constellation continued in earnest, with the DRF managing to control most of the systems and destroy RMC auxiliaries, further eroding RMC’s fighting capability.
Finally RMC’s Typhoon fleet was caught and destroyed. The fleet had attempted to destroy another triage carrier at a command node but had a bad warp in which resulted in it successfully bombed by the DRF stealth bomber wing, annihilating a large portion of the ships. Devastated by the attack and having lost the battle over the constellation, RMC forces quickly conceded the field, docking up in their station and allowing DRF forces to finish the capture of the infrastructure hub.
Once the RMC infrastructure hub was destroyed, DRF forces dropped their own while clearing the tower safeguarding the Territorial Claim Unit (TCU) in the system as preparation for the next stage of fighting. Once done, DRF forces safely extracted, leaving RMC forces to take stock of its losses.
Battle report for the first day of the C-J6MT assault can be found here.
The first day of fighting saw the two sides battle for 6 long hours with Time Dilation registered at times but quickly subsiding. 1100 pilots were registered in the system at the start of the fighting but as the battle plodded on and small engagements flared up in neighboring systems dropped to a stable 700 until the end.
The destruction caused by this battle is truly awe-inspiring, with 817 ships destroyed for a total of 177.02 billion ISK of damage.
DRF forces suffered only 306 losses including 1 carrier, 68 battleships, 13 strategic cruisers and 11 heavy assault cruisers for a total of 69.45 billion ISK damage.
RMC forces suffered 492 losses including 113 battleships, 36 strategic cruisers and 56 heavy assault cruisers for a 106.91 billion ISK damage.
The fighting is expected to continue for at least a week. Should DRF forces manage to win the assault, it will be a terrible blow to RMC as well as the first time a staging system had been captured under the new Aegis sovereignty system. Regardless, EVE News 24 will continue to report on the assault on C-J6MT.
Salivan Harddin is a member of Reikoku, Pandemic Legion, and covers battles across New Eden
