Hasateem system, Derelik region. On the 4th of October at 19:00 EVE Standard Time, Providence Bloc and Triumvirate. [TRI], supported by IT’S ONLY PIXELS [PIXEL] clashed in a full capital fleet brawl.
The battle was initiated by Providence Bloc forces who attempted to illicit a response from Triumvirate., after the latter did not form for several timers, including a jump bridge tower they reinforced earlier this week in the 49GC-R system. In order to draw Triumvirate.’s forces to a confrontation, Providence Bloc formed no less than a 120 pilot Nightmare battleship fleet supported by a 30 pilot stealth bomber fleet (Goku bombers) and a capital wing which was held in reserve. The Nightmare fleet with its stealth bomber support made it to the Hasateem system, where Triumvirate. is currently deployed and set up on its super capital staging tower. With Triumvirate. seemingly ignoring Providence Bloc forces, the latter proceeded to light a cynosural beacon on top of the tower, bringing forth a squadron of dreadnoughts.
With the dreadnoughts in place Providence Bloc started reinforcing the tower, the capital ships entering their siege cycles and pummelling the tower’s shields. By now however, Triumvirate. was fully alert and aware of Providence bloc’s ploy. Realising the dreadnoughts were probably bait, Triumvirate. sent interdictors to Providence Bloc’s capital staging system while organizing its own forces. Hastily, a 70 pilot fleet was assembled, mainly of Chimera carriers with a dreadnought squadron of its own ready to deploy. Pilots were placed in nearby systems with cynosural generators to act as emergency beacons should things turn for the worst.
With its fleet formed, Triumvirate. undocked its dreadnoughts, which were located not in its deployment system but rather in range of it, while its Chimera fleet did the same and began aligning towards the tower in system and waiting. Providence Bloc had eyes on both forces and prepared, the tension rising in both fleets. Finally a cynosural beacon blazed up on the Providence Bloc dreadnoughts, as the Chimeras entered warp, landing below the tower itself as the Triumvirate. dreadnoughts entered the field themselves. Quickly, siege modules were engaged and fighter squadrons unleashed as both sides opened fire on each other, starting the battle.
The dreadnought engagement was nothing short of a brutal slug. Close range, both sides exchanged terrible barrages as enormous auto cannons, laser arrays and missile batteries fired their munitions. Explosive payloads detonated against shields, laser beams cutting through as the generators overloaded and failed, and into the thick armor plates. Gigantic cruise missiles slammed into injured hulls, unleashing untold fury into the fragile structure below. On both sides, dreadnoughts faltered, guns falling ominously silent before hulls erupted in bursts of flame, followed by showers of debris as reactors failed and exploded in devastating chain reactions.
At the same time, the Nightmare fleet was engaging the Chimeras, tachyon laser batteries firing at the incoming swarm of fighters which retaliated with their own munitions. The fighters engulfed the sub capitals, attempting to chew through battleships and logistics ships, managing to destroy a few as the battleships returned fire, focused light showers incinerating many of the nimbler fighters, leaving nothing to mark their passing.
While the Nightmare fleet was able to hold its ground, its dreadnought squadron was by now in peril. The capital exchange was going decidedly in favor of Triumvirate., as many of the twisted wrecks that now littered the tower’s surroundings belonged to Providence Bloc dreadnoughts. Providence Bloc’s reinforcements were stuck, Triumvirate. interdictors managed to locate the reserve capital fleet and keep it from jumping thanks to a blanket of warp interdiction probes. Yet, as Triumvirate. was preparing to extract its remaining dreadnoughts, waiting for their siege cycles to wind down, the Triumvirate. interdictors were destroyed, freeing the Providence Bloc capital wing. A cynosural beacon suddenly went up on top of the Triumvirate. carriers and into the field landed no less than 40 Providence Bloc capital ships, including 2 full squadrons of dreadnoughts.
These new arrivals took no time in entering siege cycle and fire at the Triumvirate. dreadnoughts, with carriers assisting them with squadrons of fighters. The Triumvirate. dreadnoughts were no match to these fresh reinforcements, having just ended a grueling battle with some of them still nursing wounds and recovering from the ordeal. One by one, the Providence Bloc barrages tore the victors to shreds, only a few dreadnoughts managing to jump out and be spared of the fury. By now Triumvirate.’s exit beacons were burning bright, with the Chimeras either jumping out to avoid what would surely be a slaughter or trying to burn into the protection of the tower’s shields.
Providence Bloc was not about to let the Chimeras escape unscathed. With the remaining dreadnoughts dispatched or having escaped, battleships and dreadnoughts turned their attention on the fleeing carriers. A few of the carriers were caught in a murderous cross fire as laser beams stripped shields, super heated plasma crashed through armor plates and artillery shells detonated within the hulls. Finally, the last stragglers of the Triumvirate. fleet were dispatched, leaving Providence Bloc in control of the grid.
Providence Bloc for its part, started to loot the field, salvaging what it could from the wreckage of its fallen while clearing off anything of use from its foes’. During that time, Triumvirate. forces lost another carrier which accidentally drifted out of the cover of the tower’s shields, adding to the tally of victims of the fight. Finally with the grid stripped of all resources, Providence Bloc forces extracted their capitals, their sub capital fleet following shortly, bringing an end to the fight.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Providence Bloc Capital Wing
Battle report for the Hasateem system can be found here.
All told the battle lasted 45 minutes with the system hosting approximately 320 pilots at the peak of the fighting and Time Dilation not reported by any of the combatants.
Triumvirate. and its allies lost 25 ships in the battle, including 11 dreadnoughts, 3 force auxiliary and 5 carriers for a total of 61.01 billion ISK damage.
Providence Bloc lost 23 ships, including 11 dreadnoughts and 5 battleships for a total of 40.75 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of V0LTA, WE FORM V0LTA, and covers battles across New Eden
