On the 13th of January, Imperium forces attempting to continue their campaign against the residents of low security space faced stiff resistance from local forces, resulting in a string of defeats throughout the day.
The first battle occurred in the Pynekastoh system of the Black Rise region. A tower belonging to Snuffed Out [B B C] was exiting reinforced mode in the Reitsato system and the Imperium organized a small force in order to remove it. However, problems finding enough pilots and forming in time resulted in considerable delays which were used by Snuffed Out forces to repair and refuel the Strontium bay of the tower, securing the objective.
Regardless, the Imperium fleet of 30 pilots, mainly in armor cruisers, set off from its staging system and made its way to the destination, intending to reinforce the structure again. For this task the fleet had 3 dreadnoughts and a single carrier brought along. As the fleet slowly moved through the Black Rise region, the server’s scheduled maintenance occurred, forcing it to log off in the Nennamaila system.
With the servers up and running again, the Imperium fleet quickly reformed and continued on its way, jumping into the Pynekastoh system from Hikkoken. However as the force was aligning towards its exit gate, Arazu force recon cruisers belonging to Snuffed Out quickly pointed the capital ships and lit cynosural beacons. Into the grid bridged a Snuffed Out Machariel battleship fleet, numbering 15 pilots.
Snuffed Out had been following the movements of the fleet and prepared a trap, correctly mapping the route Imperium forces would traverse in order to reach the Reitsato system. With Pynekastoh serving as a bottleneck for the Imperium forces, the Arazu cruisers were quickly stationed there in anticipation while a small Machariel fleet was organized.
While outnumbered by the Imperium sub-capital fleet, the Snuffed Out Machariels were more than a match to the cruiser force and managed to scatter it, securing additional points on the capitals. With no real present danger for the Snuffed Out super capitals, 5 supercarriers jumped to the still active beacons and released their swarm of fighter bombers. In rapid succession the Imperium capitals melted as the super capitals and battleships focused their fire on them.
With the last Imperium capital destroyed, the force safely extracted, having secured both the strategic and tactical objective.
Battle report for the Pynekastoh system can be found here.
The second battle occurred in the Hikkoken system of the Black Rise region. This time a tower belonging to the Imperium was exiting reinforced mode and a coalition of low security and Syndicate region alliances was busy removing it. In addition to Snuffed Out the assembled coalition included alliances such as The OSS [OSS], Suddenly Spaceships. [CYN0] and Project.Mayhem. [16-13]. In total the coalition force had 60 pilots in a joint Proteus strategic cruiser fleet.
The fleet then made its way to the Hikkoken system where it quickly set up on the tower and started the process of removing it, bringing in a few dreadnoughts alongside a triage Archon carrier. While the force was busy destroying the tower, Imperium forces organized a Hurricane battlecruiser fleet estimated at 120 pilots, and made way to the system. Once it entered the system the force warped at close range of the Proteus fleet, opening fire and starting the fight.
A close range exchange ensued as the fleets engaged. The Hurricanes quickly focused their fire on the logistics wing of the coalition fleet, annihilating many of the Guardian logistics cruisers. However this was done at the cost of mainline ships as the strategic cruisers retaliated, destroying battlecruisers at an alarming rate. Regardless, with their triage Archon on the field, even with their logistics cruisers destroyed, the strategic cruisers could continue fighting on with relative ease.
As this was going on the dreadnoughts finished clearing the tower, destroying it and prepared to extract. At the same time both sides continued to clash, the Hurricanes losing ships at an increasing rate while the mainline ships of the coalition fleet were still holding well. The Imperium fleet then concentrated its fire on the triage Archon. It attempted to tank the incoming artillery barrages but unsurprisingly caved in and exploded. Yet, before the Imperium force could take advantage of the triage removal, the coalition fleet quickly lit another cynosural beacon and jumped in a replacement carrier.
With the coalition fleet not backing down and managing for the most part to tank the incoming fire, the Imperium fleet had no other choice but to retreat. Sustaining heavy casualties and unable to break for the most part the tank of the strategic cruisers, especially with the replacement triage carrier on the field, it was in danger of total annihilation. Those who were able fled the field, allowing the Proteus fleet to clear all remaining hostiles before extracting safely, ending hostilities in the system.
However, the coalition force did not bother deploying a new tower, allowing the Imperium to reclaim the moon.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Coalition Proteus Fleet
Battle report for the Hikkoken system can be found here.
The third and last fight fought between the two sides occurred in the Nennamaila system of the Black Rise region. Once again, a Snuffed Out tower was exiting reinforced mode and the two sides geared up to fight over it.
Imperium forces brought this time 2 fleets, a Rattlesnake and Tempest battleship fleets. The Rattlesnake fleet was also accompanied by a couple of triage Chimera carriers. This combined force was estimated at around 220 pilots, though no official figures were given, and made its way to the system, setting up on the tower and quickly dispatching it without resistance.
Once again, the coalition fleet assembled, with Hax. [HAX.] joining in as well. Together it mustered 120 pilots in a Machariel fleet with triage carrier support. The fleet then quickly bridged to the system, landing near the Aldranette gate. However the fleet arrived too late to save the tower, setting up instead near the gate.
It didn’t take long for the Imperium fleets to warp to the force, the Tempest fleet landing on top of the Machariels while the Rattlesnake fleet warping at medium range. Both forces quickly engaged, starting the fight proper.
The fire exchanged proved brutal with the Tempest fleet quickly shredded by the Machariels’ auto repeating cannons, overwhelming its logistics as the two fleets tangled up and fought at close range. The Rattlesnakes did their best to contribute, focusing on the triage carriers but unable to break them by themselves. Quickly, Imperium commanders had no choice but to escalate, bringing a few tracking dreadnoughts to the field.
With the addition of the tracking dreadnoughts, one of the triage carriers was quickly overwhelmed and before long the two Imperium fleets concentrated on removing the coalition fleet’s main fleet commander from the field. Though succeeding, the fleet quickly pulled some distance from the optimal tracking range of the dreadnoughts, making their presence on the field useless while continuing to fight, other members stepping in to fill the void.
By this point other allies entered the field. Pandemic Legion [-10.0] was notified of the timer and formed a 90 pilot Tengu strategic cruiser fleet. The force remained hidden, sitting on a wormhole entrance and waiting for the signal. With Imperium forces committing, it quickly used its wormhole entrance to enter the system and warped at range of the gate. The Tengus then quickly engaged the two Imperium fleets, rendering aid to the coalition fleet.
With the Tempest fleet hammered and sustaining heavy casualties by the coalition and Tengu fleets, and with their dreadnoughts proving ineffective, the Rattlesnake fleet quickly abandoned the field, allowing the hostile forces to tackle the capitals while engaging the Tempests. By this point Northern Coalition. [NC] also arrived to the field with a 85 pilot mixed Sleipnir command ship\Hurricane fleet which included Northern Army [NARM] pilots.
With these combined allied fleets, the remnants of the Tempest fleet were swiftly dispatched, survivors quickly fleeing before attention was shifted to the tackled capitals. In a short time the three fleets swiftly destroyed the ships, holding the field before safely extracting back to their respective staging systems and putting an end to the fighting.
While the coalition did manage to win the fight, the moon itself was left undefended, yet Imperium forces did not try and claim it, leaving its fate unclear.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Coalition Machariel Fleet
Battle report for the Nennamaila system can be found here.
Though Imperium forces managed to secure one objective and destroy another, they were unable to win any of their engagements and were driven back across the board by forces belonging to the low and NPC null security space alliances, who banded together to fight them.
In total, Imperium forces lost 149 ships throughout the day including 9 dreadnoughts, 3 carriers, 29 battleships and 52 battlecruisers for a total of 55.98 billion ISK damage.
In contrast, the coalition and its allies lost only 29 ships throughout the day including 2 carriers, 2 battleships and 2 strategic cruisers for a total of 13.54 billion ISK damage.
Whether or not Imperium forces can manage to pull another victory such as at Ikoskio or whether this makeshift coalition will be able to stem the tide is up to anyone’s guess. However rumors of alliances withdrawing support from the campaign coupled with continued losses at home by Thera and Venal residents such as Out of Sight. [OOS] and WE FORM V0LTA [GLHF] may see the Imperium bring its campaign to an abrupt end.
Regardless, EVE News 24 will continue updating you on the war.
Salivan Harddin is a member of Reikoku, Pandemic Legion, and covers battles across New Eden
