Renarelle system, Placid region. On the 12th of December at 2:00 EVE Standard Time, Imperium forces clashed with local residents over a tower in the system.
Another round of fighting between Imperium forces and low security space residents unfolded in the Renarelle system as an Imperium Proteus strategic cruiser fleet, estimated at approximately 150 pilots with a moderate electronic warfare wing attacked a tower exiting reinforced mode. Snuffed Out [B B C] and Psychotic Tendencies. [TISHU] who have been spearheading the resistance to the Imperium decided to form for the timer, organizing a 100 pilot Machariel battleship fleet with triage carriers in reserve.
While Imperium forces were busy shooting the tower, the Machariel fleet bridged to the system on top of a station before attempting to secure a good warp in on the grid. However, none was available, forcing the fleet to warp to a perch. By the time it managed to get a decent warp in close to the Proteus fleet the tower itself was destroyed and the Proteus fleet disengaged, warping out.
The Machariel fleet gave chase only to see the Proteus fleet jump out of the system. With no hostiles around, the Machariel fleet took the time to bring in and deploy a new tower. As this was going on, a SpaceMonkey’s Alliance [SMA] Drake battlecruiser fleet, estimated at around 100-120 pilots, was spotted traveling towards the system.
With the new tower deployed and active, the Machariel fleet made motions of withdrawing. This time, reinforced by the Drake fleet, the Imperium’s Proteus fleet felt emboldened and decided to try and engage the Machariels, warping close to the tower itself. The Machariel fleet was situated at the time further away from the tower, forcing it to burn towards the Proteus fleet and start the engagement.
Artillery cannons spat round after round into the ranks of the Proteus fleet as the Machariels burnt closer, hitting Proteus after Proteus, explosive shells detonating against the thick armor plates. However the Imperium’s logistics wing managed to easily cope with the damage as remote repairers restored damaged plates with relative ease. The Proteus fleet returned fire as the Machariels veered into range, rail guns and beam lasers discharging heated plasma and streams of laser fire into the enemy’s formation.
The Machariel fleet continued to probe the hostile fleet for weaknesses, targeting logistics and strategic cruisers as it closed the distance and switched to auto-cannons in order to shred the Proteus fleet’s defenses with a hail of shells. Switching fire rapidly, the Proteus fleet started hemorrhaging ships as logistics and mainline ships were simply torn apart by the auto cannon fire that stripped the armor and penetrated the undefended hull beneath.
At the same time, the Proteus fleet was concentrating its fire on the Guardian logistics cruisers of the Machariel fleet, hoping to break its logistics wing. Guardian after Guardian was subjected to a continues stream of super heated plasma and laser which smashed through melted armor plates and tore holes in the hulls segments themselves. Slowly, the Machariel fleet’s Guardian wing caved in to the unrelenting assault.
Both sides were quickly reinforced, the Drake fleet arriving at range of the two fleets. The battlecruisers quickly anchored up and maintained their range, their missile launchers locking in on the Machariel fleet and letting loose flight after flight of missiles, carrying their deadly payload into the Guardian wing. As missiles slammed with great force and detonated on the armor plates of the Guardians, losses began to mount for the Machariel fleet, forcing it to bring triage carriers to the field.
Besides the triage carriers, Shadow Cartel [SHDWC] also arrived to the fight in an estimated 20 pilot Tengu strategic cruiser fleet. Though Shadow Cartel and Snuffed Out are considered bitter rivals, the Tengu fleet seems to have come to lend help to the Machariel fleet. Perching high above the fight, the Tengus utilized their rail guns, discharging round after round of super heated plasma into the support wings of the Proteus fleet. Crucifier frigates, Celestis cruisers and even Oneiros logistics cruisers were all felled by this small force which hovered above the fray raining fire below.
The fighting continued in earnest as both sides fought tooth and nail against each other, the Proteus and Drake fleets targeting the newly arrived triage carriers while the Machariels continued to hammer the strategic cruisers. One of the triage carriers caved in to the combined assault, apparently not fitted properly against the damage output that missile barrages and hybrid charges presented. Thus the hardened armor plates proved surprisingly weak against the incoming damage, stripped with relative ease as the behemoth’s fragile hull was uncovered. As laser fire cut through the internal structure and missiles detonated inside, the carrier languished while the damage reached critical levels, resulting in its imminent destruction.
And yet, the price paid by the Imperium for this small victory would prove too dear as its logistics wing kept getting hammered by the Tengus. By the time the carrier was destroyed the Machariel fleet managed to break the through the repair cycles of the Proteus fleet. Switching back to artillery cannons the Machariels simply volleyed the strategic cruisers, every artillery barrage tearing apart another Proteus. The attempts of the Imperium to return fire mainly resulted in the loss of a few more Guardians for the Machariel fleet, but at the cost of five, sometimes ten strategic cruisers for each Guardian destroyed.
With victory no longer attainable, Imperium fleet commanders attempted to extricate their forces, using a command destroyer to teleport the hostile fleet away. Once the enemy force was scattered, both the Proteus and Drake fleets warped off, retreating from the system. Shadow Cartel forces also used the opportunity to withdraw, leaving the Machariel fleet to loot the field before extracting home, having managed to secure both the tactical and the strategic objective.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Machariel Fleet
Battle report for the Renarelle system can be found here.
All told the battle lasted 30 minutes with Time Dilation being a constant factor, swaying between 70% to 50% during the fight. At the peak of the fighting the system is believed to have held 450 pilots.
Snuffed Out and Psychotic Tendencies. lost 10 ships including 1 carrier for a total of 5.73 billion ISK damage. Imperium forces lost 54 ships including 24 strategic cruisers and 4 battlecruisers for a total of 17.39 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of Reikoku, Pandemic Legion, and covers battles across New Eden
