FDZ4-A system, Geminate region. On the 6th of March at 21:30 EVE Standard Time, Pandemic Legion [-10.0] forces with the aid of Northern Coalition. [NC] managed to annihilate three hostile fleets in the system.
The battle was prompted by a 110 pilot Pandemic Legion Proteus strategic cruiser fleet which was making its way back to its staging system after reinforcing towers in the Vale of the Silent region. The fleet had extracted its dreadnoughts when scouts reported on Imperium and Drone Regions Federation (DRF) movements.
With a chance for an actual fight, the Pandemic Legion fleet commander decided to linger in the region, the fleet stopping in the FH-TTC system and waiting there for the hostiles to form while holding position on the H-5GUI gate. However, as information of the number of fleets and their pilots filtered in, the Pandemic Legion fleet commander decided to move the fleet to the nearby system of FDZ4-A system, where the fleet had an option to dock up in case the hostiles brought an overwhelming force to the field.
The Pandemic Legion Proteus Fleet Waiting on the Station Grid in the FDZ4-A System
As reports came in of the DRF forming a 110 Drake battlecruiser fleet while the Imperium had assembled both a Hurricane battlecruiser fleet and an Eagle heavy assault cruiser fleet, the Pandemic Legion fleet prepared to engage them, setting up on the FDZ4-A IX Moon 6 Society of Conscious Thought School station while calling for reinforcements.
Contact was also established with Northern Coalition. which quickly formed a 75 pilot Proteus fleet of its own and using the wormhole network arrived in range of the system, holding on a titan supplied by Pandemic Legion and waiting for the signal.
At the same time, Pandemic Legion bridged in its own reinforcements while preparing triage carriers, swelling its fleet to nearly 150 pilots. This force continued to sit on the station grid, as reports came in of the hostile fleets moving in and converging on the system.
The first to arrive to the system was the Drake fleet, which attempted to warp on top of the Pandemic Legion fleet only to see it warp off to a ping on the grid. The Drake fleet quickly dropped defensive bubbles, signaling it was not interested in chasing the Proteus fleet. Pandemic Legion then maneuvered on the grid before warping near the Drakes, both sides opening fire and starting the battle proper.
The Drone Regions Federation Drake Fleet Anchoring in Its Defensive Bubbles
The first exchanges were brutal as both sides fought at close range, the Proteus fleet anchoring up and quickly burning towards the Drakes. One after the other, the battlecruisers simply melted by the strategic cruiser volleys as they attempted to return fire.
As the two sides continued to brawl on the station, the Drake fleet losing mainline ships in rapid succession, a cynosural beacon was lit close to the two fleets and into the system bridged the Imperium Hurricane fleet.
The Hurricane fleet quickly anchored up and opened fire on the Proteus fleet, hammering the strategic cruisers with artillery barrages. The added pressure of the Hurricanes was enough to break the strategic cruisers, with several ships lost during these early fire exchanges.
The Three Fleets Fight at Close Range on the Society of Conscious Thought School Station
However, with both sides committing, the Pandemic Legion fleet commander gave the order and a counter cynosural beacon was lit, bringing in triage support as well as the Northern Coalition. reinforcements. The Northern Coalition. fleet quickly rallied and targeted the Hurricanes while Pandemic Legion continued to focus on the Drakes, the battlecruisers at this point simply exploding faster than the Pandemic Legion pilots could lock them.
With the addition of the triage carriers as well, the Pandemic Legion fleet was able to tank most of the incoming damage, whats more the damage output on the field greatly lessened as battlecruiser numbers diminished rapidly due to the work of the two Proteus fleets.
At the same time, Pandemic Legion’s bomber wing made its presence felt on the field. The stealth bombers descended upon the two battlecruiser fleets, which had crowded around the Pandemic Legion fleet, and unleashed their deadly payload. Instantly, dozens of battlecruisers were simply vaporized by the explosion, removing a large chunk of the hostile force.
A Bomb Wave Hitting the Remnants of the Battlecruiser Fleets
By this point, the two battlecruiser fleets were utterly spent, having lost most if not all of their pilots in the melee. Those that could simply ran away as Pandemic Legion and Northern Coalition. busied themselves with clearing the field and tackling whatever they could.
The battle should have ended there, but as the allied Proteus fleets were still in the process of eliminating stragglers, the Imperium Eagle fleet finally arrived on grid. The fleet had perched up, coming too late to aid its allies. With the prospect of tackling two Proteus fleets head on before it, the Eagle fleet decided to attempt and withdraw.
However, before it could safely extract from the system, Pandemic Legion and Northern Coalition. sprang into action and gave chase, quickly camping the two exits from the system. As the main Pandemic Legion fleet landed on the MR4-MY gate, so too did the Eagle fleet, which found itself now bubbled.
With the only recourse available to it was to take its chance and jump into the MR4-MY system and attempt to escape, it did just so, followed closely behind by the Pandemic Legion fleet. The Eagles quickly found themselves bubbled on the other side, the Proteus strategic cruisers de-cloaking with them and burning after them, spreading their warp scramblers across the fleet.
Outnumbered and outgunned, the Eagle fleet tried to burn away from the strategic cruisers and warp off. However a large chunk of the fleet was tackled by this point, with Northern Coalition. jumping in as well and joining the fray. Unable to offer even a token resistance, the Eagles were simply destroyed at a increased pace as the two Proteus fleets focused their fire.
Remnants of the fleet managed to warp off, leaving the rest of the fleet to be massacred by the allied fleets. An halfhearted attempt was made by the two Proteus fleets to chase the survivors which managed to rally together, but ultimately the allied fleets decided to extract, returning to their respective staging systems safe and sound.
Thus hostilities between the two sides came to an end.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Pandemic Legion Fleet
Battle report for the FDZ4-A and MR4-MY systems can be found here.
All told the battle lasted 40 minutes with Time Dilation spiking in the middle of the fight, reaching 70% before quickly subsiding. The system at the height of the battle hosted approximately 650 pilots.
DRF forces lost 62 ships, including 44 battlecruisers for a total of 6.95 billion ISK damage.
Imperium forces lost 162 ships, including 112 battlecruisers and 22 heavy assault cruisers for a total of 25.65 billion ISK damage.
Pandemic Legion and Northern Coalition. lost only 19 ships, including 4 strategic cruisers for a total of 4.31 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of Reikoku, Pandemic Legion, and covers battles across New Eden
