D-GTMI system, Providence region. On the 11th of February at 22:09 EVE Standard Time, a battle unfolded in the system between Providence Bloc forces and Fidelas Constans [FCON].
2 corporations in Fidelas Constans had decided to try and drop on Providence Bloc capitals and assembled a small force of combat carriers which amounted to nearly 2 squadrons. The force waited in range of Providence looking for targets. However due to other roaming gangs roaming the area, it was unable to find any as most residents had docked to wait for hostiles to clear. Instead, the force jumped to F9E-KX system in Catch, deciding to roam with its carrier force and perhaps score a few kills.
Providence Bloc caught wind of the fleet and prepared to drop on it. Providence Bloc already had a 100 pilot Nightmare battleship fleet formed for another timer but decided to divert it. The fleet assembled on a titan and had a cynosural beacon in place on the F9E-KX gate, ready to light up once the carriers jumped in. After patiently waiting for a few minutes, the Fidelas Constans carrier force jumped into the system only to be greeted by the cynosural beacon.
Into the system bridged the entire Providence Bloc fleet, the Nightmares emerging from the jump tunnel and anchoring up. The Fidelas Constans combat carriers uncloaked and aligned out while launching fighter squadrons and targeting the newly arrived battleships. The fighter squadrons quickly descended upon the force which started burning away from the gate and the combat carriers, losing a couple of battleships in the process.
However, once it achieved optimal distance of 80 kilometers from the carriers, the force began to burn through the combat carriers which lacked any logistical backbone. Carrier after carrier was taken down by concentrated beams of light fired from hundreds of tachyon laser batteries. The combat carriers attempted to retaliate but were unable to break through the robust shields of the Nightmares supported by their logistics wing.
With the Nightmares proving too tough to crack, the carriers focused on clearing tackle, targeting interceptors and interdictors which kept the force under a cover of warp disruption probes, thus pinning it to the gate grid. The fighters chased the fast ships, destroying a few but for the most part failing to catch them as they promptly warped out. Providence Bloc in the meantime kept the pressure, targeting any carrier which broke off alignment and started moving towards the gate. A few did manage to reach the gate, but were denied salvation as a heavy interdictor kept them trapped in the system using its focused warp disruption field, thus ensuring their demise.
As the battle reached the halfway mark, a Rorqual industrial capital ship joined the ranks of the Fidelas Constans fleet. The ship had been caught by Providence Bloc interdictors on the other side of the gate and forced to jump in. Finding itself in the same situation on the other side, albeit worse with the Nightmare fleet on field, the ship activated its pulse activated nexus invulnerability core (PANIC) module, resulting in the ship becoming invulnerable for a few minutes. Providence Bloc mostly ignored the ship, preferring to concentrate on dispatching the remaining combat carriers.
As the number of combat carriers dwindled to just a few, Providence Bloc felt confident in bringing a titan to the field. The behemoth landed at long range of the fight just as the last couple of combat carriers were destroyed. With only the Rorqual left, Providence Bloc forces waited patiently for the PANIC module to burn out. Finally, the Rorqual exited its invulnerability period only to be bombarded by Providence Bloc.
The ship resisted for as long as it could, managing to soak up damage for quite a while before being laid down by the titan’s doomsday device. With the Rorqual destroyed, the capital group had been vanquished, leaving the field to be looted and stripped by Providence Bloc forces. Once the field had been properly salvaged, Providence Bloc extracted its forces, ending the fight.
The Battle from the Perspective of the Providence Bloc Nightmare Fleet
Battle report for the D-GTMI system can be found here.
All told, the battle lasted 19 minutes with Time Dilation not reported and the system hosting 170 pilots at the peak of fighting.
Providence Bloc lost 6 ships in the fight, including 2 battleships for a total of 0.94 billion ISK damage.
Fidelas Constans lost 15 carriers and a Rorqual, resulting in 40.78 billion ISK damage.
Salivan Harddin is a member of V0LTA, WE FORM V0LTA, and covers battles across New Eden
