M-MD31 system, Geminate region. On the 21st of January at 21:52 EVE Standard Time, a battle unfolded in the system between Drone Regions Federation (DRF) and Project.Mayhem. [16-13].
Continuing their campaign in the region, Project.Mayhem. and its allies reinforced a tower belonging to DRF forces in the system. With the tower coming out of reinforced mode, both sides formed up for another major confrontation in a long line of battles raging the past several weeks.
DRF gathered a 220 pilot Machariel battleship fleet which arrived at the system first and set up on the tower in question and waited for Project.Mayhem. and its allies to show up. The attackers did oblige, forming a 150 pilot Nightmare battleship fleet with Snuffed Out [B B C] and WAFFLES. [N0MAD]. The force bridged to the neighboring system of FDZ4-A and warped to the connecting gate, ready to jump in.
DRF quickly had the fleet scouted and decided to welcome it to the system, warped to the FDZ4-A gate at 70 kilometers and anchored up, prepared for a fight. As the Nightmare fleet jumped in, it was greeted by the Machariel battleships already in position and ready to start the fight. The Nightmare fleet quickly uncloaked, anchored up and the two fleets start exchanging fire.
The two fleets elected to keep their distance, turning the fight to a long distance slug as artillery cannons and tachyon beam laser batteries hammered at the opposing sides. Artillery cannons bombarded the Nightmare fleet, hurtling hundreds of shells at the nimble battleships, overwhelming their shields and obliterating the hulls beneath them. The Nightmare fleet retaliated, focusing hundreds of light beams at the Machariels, slicing through thick armor plates and vaporizing the ships themselves with the intense heat.
Back and forth the two sides traded, the Nightmare fleet seemingly possessing the upper hand as it managed to destroy several Machariels for each Nightmare lost. Yet as the battle continued, the DRF was able to slowly even the trade, reaching to a point where each side exchanged mainline ship for a mainline ship.
Logistics wings proved useless for most of the fight, ignored by the warring fleets as each side possessed enough firepower to volley mainline ships with little difficulty. Yet as the battle progressed and the damage on the field lessened, the logistics wings started contributing to the fight, catching ships in low armor or shields and saving them from annihilation.
At that point, the Nightmare fleet found itself at a disadvantage. While able to destroy a good of chunk of the Machariel fleet, the DRF still enjoyed a numerical advantage over the Nightmares themselves. Each loss the nightmare fleet suffered had a far greater impact to the overall fleet effectiveness in comparison to the Machariel fleet. As casualties mounted, the Nightmare fleet finally found itself unable to break through the thick armor of the Machariels, having lost its critical mass of ships.
Unable to break through the armor of the Machariels and receiving reports of a Proteus strategic cruiser fleet belonging to Northern Coalition. [NC] on route to reinforce the DRF, the Nightmare fleet chose to concede the field. The Nightmares aligned to a deep safe they had in the system and warped off, leaving the DRF in control of the field.
Having won the field and secured the tower, the DRF extracted its forces, soon followed by the Nightmare fleet which retreated to its staging in low security space. Thus the battle came to an end.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Nightmare Fleet
Battle report for the M-MD31 system can be found here.
The battle lasted 18 minutes, with Time Dilation not reported and the system hosting 441 players at the height of the fighting.
Project.Mayhem. and allies lost 56 ships in the fighting, including 36 battleships for a total of 22.72 billion ISK damage.
DRF forces lost 58 ships in the fighting, including 38 battleships for a total of 23.85 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of V0LTA, WE FORM V0LTA, and covers battles across New Eden
