ZLO3-V system, Detorid region. In the early hours of the 21st of January, forces belonging to the Vanguard Coalition (VC) led by Triumvirate. [TRI] clashed with Test Alliance Please Ignore [TEST] forces over a tower in the system.
With the Red Menace Coalition (RMC] forces in retreat, having suffered a string of defeats by the hands of the Drone Regions Federation (DRF) forces, the Detorid region has been up for grabs. This has led several parties including Triumvirate., Test Alliance Please Ignore and DARKNESS. [DARK] to clash repeatedly over the region’s moons and systems, leading to several notable battles.
This time the DRF had reinforced a Test Alliance Please Ignore tower in the ZLO3-V system, stationed over a valuable moon. With the timer set to expire in the early hours of the 21st of January, VC forces, which are allied with the DRF, decided to attempt and take the moon.
Test Alliance Please Ignore formed a Maelstrom battleship fleet, estimated at 60 pilots to defend the tower. The force made it to the system first along with 5 triage Chimera carriers. The fleet quickly set up on the tower and worked on restoring its shields when a cynosural beacon quickly flared up in the system, heralding the arrival of VC forces.
Triumvirate. and their allies formed an approximately 90 pilot Machariel battleship fleet. The force had scouted the Maelstrom fleet, and bridged into the system, attempting to engage it. However, Test Alliance Please Ignore preferred to retreat, withdrawing into the tower’s shields, later on warping to a different safe tower in the system while extracting their carriers.
The Machariel fleet in the meantime kept eyes on the Maelstrom fleet while shooting the tower. When reports came that the force was warping to the JFV-ID gate in the system, VC forces quickly ceased fire and warped to the gate as well, hoping to catch the fleet as it attempted to escape. Thus, both fleets arrived to the gate and quickly jumped out one after the other.
This turned out to be a mistake by VC fleet commanders, as Test Alliance Please Ignore used the time in the tower to ping for reinforcements. Into the JFV-ID system poured more Maelstroms and support ships, swelling the ranks of the fleet to approximately 110 pilots. The reinforcements quickly merged into the main fleet as it jumped into the system and set up on the gate as the Machariel fleet gave chase.
As the Machariel fleet’s ships de-cloaked, the Maelstroms opened fire, starting the battle proper.
The fight soon became a murderous exchange as the two sides traded artillery fire. Mainline ships on both sides were simply overwhelmed by the immense firepower each fleet possessed, and the fight quickly became a brutal race. As Machariels and Maelstroms were simply obliterated in great volleys, the two sides maneuvered on the gate grid, the Machariels attempting to pull range while the Maelstroms closing distance or warping to perches on the grid before warping down again on top of the Machariels.
During the exchange, the main VC fleet commander was knocked out, forcing his backup to step up, however the Machariel fleet continued to fight regardless. Finally after the Maelstrom fleet attempted to land once more on the Machariels, after warping off the grid and back again, the Machariel fleet jumped back to the ZLO3-V system with the Maelstrom fleet giving chase.
The two sides fought again over the tower itself, the Machariel fleet re-gaining its fleet commander while the Maelstrom fleet received more reinforcements. Once more artillery cannons roared with fire as the two sides maneuvered around the tower grid, the Maelstrom fleet using the tower’s shields at times to rally its forces before warping out again to meet the Machariel fleet head on.
As for the Machariel fleet, it used these short breaks to shoot at the tower, damaging it severely as it started bleeding large chunks of structure. However the Maelstrom fleet kept engaging the Machariels, thus interrupting them time after time. Finally, having suffered heavy losses and with most of its tackle wing spent, the Machariel fleet decided to withdraw rather than risk total annihilation.
Test Alliance Please Ignore forces gave chase, managing to intercept the Machariels in the TYB-69 system and snag a few more kills before the VC fleet scattered. Though a few stragglers were caught, the reminder of the VC fleet managed to escape back to its staging.
Thus, Test Alliance Please Ignore returned to the ZLO3-V system to repair its tower, having managed to secure both the field and defend their objective.
With that, hostilities in the system ended.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Maelstrom Fleet
Battle report for the entire engagement can be found here.
All told the battle lasted 80 minutes, with Time Dilation not reported and the systems peaking with 200 pilots at the height of the fighting.
VC forces lost 47 ships including 33 battleships for a total of 21.74 billion ISK damage.
Test Alliance Please Ignore lost 40 ships including 23 battleships for a total of 7.83 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of Reikoku, Pandemic Legion, and covers battles across New Eden
