Dour system, Placid region. On the 25th of November just past midnight, an Aeon super carrier and its rescue fleet were destroyed in the system at the hands of Snuffed Out [B B C] and The Initiative. [INIT.].
The Aeon, belonging to black crack of Tri-gun corporation, a member of the Escalating Entropy [CHAOS] alliance, was baited in to the engagement alongside a Hel super carrier and a few capital and black ops ships by Snuffed Out. Snuffed Out used a neutral carrier pilot to roam around the system, making it seem like he was a mission runner pushing his luck. Since the area is known for its level 5 agents, the sight of moving carriers is not uncommon.
Escalating Entropy, seeing what looked like a juicy target, decided to drop on the carrier. A gang was quickly assembled which included the 2 aforementioned super carriers, a couple of combat carriers and a few black ops battleships. This small force secured a cynosural beacon and waited for the carrier to jump into Dour from Pelille. Once the carrier jumped through the gate, a cynosural beacon lit up near its in-gate and the Escalating Entropy fleet entered the grid, scrambling to tackle the carrier.
This turned to be a mistake, as Snuffed Out forces waited in range of the system. Snuffed Out had organized a 40 pilot capital force which included a squadron of heavy interdictors, combat carriers and dreadnoughts. While the capitals remained docked, the heavy interdictors assembled on a titan, ready for the go ahead. As the Escalating Entropy gang hit the grid, another neutral ship landed near them and lit up a cynosural beacon of its own. Within moments the Snuffed Out heavy interdictor squadron materialized on grid.
The heavy interdictors went to work, focusing their warp disruption fields into narrow beams to snag the Aeon, which proved to be the slowest and least agile super carrier of the two. One of the heavy interdictors lit a cynosural beacon of its own and ushered in the rest of the Snuffed Out force. Dreadnoughts, combat carriers and black ops battleships jumped in.
By then, the Hel super carrier had managed to warp out, leaving the Aeon and its escorts to fend for themselves. The Snuffed Out force concentrated first on clearing the grid of the Aeon’s support, dispatching the few capitals and sub capitals present. Once the grid was relatively clear, the force focused on the Aeon.
Capital munitions, squadrons of fighters and sub capital armaments hit the armor of the Aeon. Slowly, the thick layers of armor plating were stripped away by the hostile fleet. As the Aeon’s armor dwindled, reaching the half way mark, a Legion strategic cruiser suddenly landed on the grid. The strategic cruiser landed near the Snuffed Out capitals and lit another cynosural beacon, ushering in more Escalating Entropy combatants.
Escalating Entropy fleet commanders, learning of the botched attempt and the Aeon’s predicament, hastily organized a relief force. Apostle force auxiliaries, dreadnoughts and Machariel battleships were assembled and jumped into the Legion’s burning cynosural beacon. The force materialized on grid and wasted no time in targeting the hostile Snuffed Out dreadnoughts. The two fleets exchanged blows at close range as the Escalating Entropy force auxiliaries raced to lock up the Aeon and apply their remote armor repairers.
Yet, as the two forces collided, Snuffed Out reinforcements kept streaming in, increasing their numbers to 70 pilots. More and more capitals jumped into the still lit cynosural beacon and joined the fray. Dreadnoughts on both sides were overwhelmed by the savage blows, caving in to the onslaught and finally exploding in bright flashes of light which risked blinding the sensors of the battling ships.
As the battle went back and forth, a new player entered the system. The Initiative. had knowledge of the fight and decided to join the fray, on Snuffed Out’s side. The alliance bridged a 70 pilot Machariel fleet to a safe spot in the system before warping in on the grid, on top of the Escalating Entropy capitals. Without warning, the battleships opened fire, tearing into the Escalating Entropy fleet.
Realizing they were outnumbered and outgunned, Escalating Entropy fleet commanders gave the order to retreat. Those capitals and sub capitals not tackled or in siege cycles warped off the field, leaving their comrades at the mercy of their enemies. The Initiative. wasted no time and brought its own dreadnought force into the field to speed up the process of clearing the grid. In rapid succession all those tackled were overwhelmed by the massive The Initiative. capital wing.
With the gate under their control, Snuffed Out and The Initiative. turned their attention to the still-tackled Aeon. The Snuffed Out heavy interdictors have kept the ship trapped on grid throughout the fight. With no rescue fleet in sight and the smoldering remains of the relief force littering the space around the Pelille gate, the Aeon was doomed. Dozens of dreadnoughts bombarded its still damaged armor, aided by swarms of fighters and multiple battleship turrets spitting munitions at it.
The besieged super carrier could do little to withstand the torrent of fire poured on it. Armor plates were ripped apart, shattered completely. The firestorm continued to eat at the ship, gouging the super structure and tearing chunks off it. Finally it collapsed, the critical damage resulting in a series of explosions which fed themselves, traversing the huge hull and gushing out in angry pillars of fire. Finally the flames consumed the entire structure, rupturing it in an enormous explosion which could be seen for thousands of kilometers.
All that was left of the super carrier was a series of twisted wrecks, pieces as large as carriers drifting forlornly in space. For Snuffed Out and The Initiative. the time came to loot the field and extract their forces. Having salvaged all they could from the fallen, the two fleets departed, bringing an end to the fight.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Snuffed Out Fleet
Battle report for the Dour system can be found here.
All told the battle lasted 13 minutes with Time Dilation not reported and the system hosting an estimated 240 pilots at the peak of the fighting.
Snuffed Out and The Initiative. lost 3 dreadnoughts in the fighting for a total sum of 7.91 billion ISK damage.
Escalating Entropy lost 1 super carrier, 9 dreadnoughts, 4 force auxiliary, 4 carriers, 1 black ops and 1 battleship for a total of 78.46 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of V0LTA, WE FORM V0LTA, and covers battles across New Eden
