MN5N-X system, Fountain region. On the 27th of November at 16:28 EVE Standard Time, The-Culture [-T C-] forces destroyed a joint Fountain Core (Fcore)\Red Menace Coalition (RMC) fleet in the system.
The fight started after The-Culture scouts spotted the fleet reinforcing a The-Culture tower in the MN5N-X system. The fleet, an 80 pilot Rattlesnake battleship force with a capital squadron which included several dreadnoughts, had set up on the tower and opened fire on it. Dreadnoughts entered siege cycles and fired at the structure, bombarding its shields with an assortment of capital munitions.
The tower immediately broadcasted the event through alliance channels, prompting The-Culture scouts to investigate, thus locating the hostile fleet. Within moments, communication channels came to life as The-Culture flash formed a Rattlesnake fleet of its own and prepared to engage the hostiles. Interdictors were sent ahead of The-Culture fleet while its mainline ships scrambled to reach a titan in range of the system.
The interdictors arrived to the system and warped to the tower. Upon landing within its shields, the destroyers burnt out and launched warp disruption probes, effectively trapping much of the enemy fleet on the grid. By then though, the Fcore\RMC fleet managed to reinforce the tower. With the tower entering its invulnerability phase, the Fcore\RMC force attempted to extract its capitals. The dreadnoughts exited their siege cycles and started slowly flying away from the tower and the many warp disruption probes deployed around its shields. The Rattlesnakes themselves attempted to contribute to the process, trying to tackle and destroy any interdcitor too slow in returning to the cover of tower.
The-Culture fleet had finished forming, managing to raise 100 pilots including 3 dreadnought squadrons. The force secured a cynosural beacon above the grid, lighting it up and allowing its titan to lock on the signal. The titan quickly activated its jump bridge, creating a portal which allowed The-Culture Rattlesnake fleet to materialize above the tower with its support. The fleet quickly aligned towards the trapped Fcore\RMC fleet and warped down, starting the fight.
At that point, Fcore\RMC managed to extract a part of its force, including several capitals. The-Culture interdictors did their best to keep as many of the capitals tackled, but with the hostile fleet present were unable to hold all of them on grid. Those that made it out of the cover of warp disruption probes warped off the grid, docking up in the neutral station present in the system.
However those that remained found themselves swarmed over by The-Culture’s fleet, which wasted no time in lighting another cynosural beacon, this time near its enemies and usher in its capital wing. Dozens of dreadnoughts hit the grid, entered their siege cycles and started blasting the remaining Fcore\RMC capitals. The Fcore\RMC sub capital fleet quickly reacted, focusing its fire on the enemy dreadnoughts. Salvos of missiles and drone fire hit the behemoths, managing to take down a Moros dreadnought in the exchange.
At the same time, The-Culture Rattlesnake fleet zeroed in on its hostile counterpart. Fcore\RMC Rattlesnakes evaporated in a blaze of fire as hundreds of missiles detonated against their shields, overcoming them. Missiles crossed the void between the two fleets as the fight progressed, with the Fcore\RMC fleet taking the brunt of the losses. Fcore\RMC fleet commanders had realized that they could not win the fight and attempted to withdraw their forces, the battleships trying to burn outside the renewing cover of warp disruption probes The-Culture interdictors continued to deploy.
The-Culture had also deployed alongside its dreadnoughts several force auxiliaries, ensuring its fleet could easily soak the incoming damage. Unable to inflict further losses on The-Culture and hounded by its tackle wing, all the Fcore\RMC battleships could do was attempt to extract individually. As the Fcore\RMC battleships burnt away from The-Culture force, they focused on the tackle wing which burnt alongside them, applying warp scramblers and forcing more and more Rattlesnakes to remain on grid.
The Fcore\RMC fleet was able to clear a few of the tacklers and extract two thirds of its fleet. However those caught were soon dispatched by The-Culture, Rattlesnakes working together with the many dreadnoughts who at this point were free firing at the retreating battleships. With the last of its enemies dispatched, leaving the grid clear, The-Culture fleet extracted its capitals before withdrawing its sub capital fleet, thus ending the fight.
Battle report for the MN5N-X system can be found here.
All told the battle lasted 16 minutes with Time Dilation not present and the system hosting an estimated 200 pilots.
Fcore\RMC lost 28 ships including 4 dreadnoughts and 21 battleships for a total of 29.28 billion ISK damage.
The-Culture lost 11 ships including 1 dreadnought and 2 battleships for a total of 3.97 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of V0LTA, WE FORM V0LTA, and covers battles across New Eden
