This article is posted in syndication with the author’s permission. We are happy at EN24 to publish information for the Faction Warfare community. The author is DegnarOskold
The Federal Defence Union is proud to announce the liberation of the Eha star system from its occupation by the terrorist forces of the Caldari State Protectorate. Eha was a forward operating base of the FDU, chiefly the capsuleer corporation Justified Chaos, and widely considered to be the gateway to the strategic system of Vlillirier, the home of Justified Chaos and Villore Accords.
5 months ago, during the surprise attacked by State Protectorate forces that led to the brief Caldari occupation of Vlillirier, the Caldari-aligned capsuleer alliance Mjolnir Bloc took advantage of the situation to seize control of Eha on behalf of the State Protectorate.
Fortunately Justified Chaos had prepared for this possibility through the anchoring of an Astrahus class citadel in deep space, and many ships were successfully evacuated to there when it became clear that Eha could not be held. For many months that followed, Justified Chaos ran a guerilla campaign from their Astrahus against the Caldari occupation, but Mjolnir Bloc counterinsurgency efforts generally ensured the system was classified as uncontested on a regular basis.
The Federal Defence Union considered that the recent crushing defeat of the Caldari attempt to seize the Old Man Star system with the help of the Soul Takers pirate corporation meant that the opportunity was at hand for a Gallente counterattack. FDU strategists began planning Operation IRON FORGE to this end. To enable this, Justified Chaos had positioned a second Astrahus citadel close to the system infrastructure hub to enable easy assaults of system control complexes.
In addition, Justified Chaos’s leadership commissioned a local industrial concern to construct a Bowhead-class freighter at a secret location within the Eha system. This enabled Justified Chaos to liberate nearly 1000 fitted ships from the space station at Eha III, which the Caldari control of the system had locked them out of. The Bowhead spirited these ships away to the safety of the Gallente citadels in system. Meanwhile, many other Gallente loyalist alliances and corporations began shipping in countless additional vessels via jump freighter, including Smile N Wave, Black Fox Marauders, and Guardians of the Gate. Other Gallente capsuleer alliances including Pen Is Out, Federation Uprising, and Villore Accords directed their capsuleers and fleets to join combat in Eha once RON FORGE commenced.
Operation IRON FORGE was formally launched 96 hours ago and combat continued without cessation for 72 hours across all time zones. Approximately 200 pilots from each faction, and 50 third party pilots, battled for supremacy across all time zones, with the pendulum swinging back and forth throughout the course of every day. Fleet Commanders on both sides led doctrines that changed within the span of minutes as plexes opened and closed, so that pilots would begin an hour in frigates, but have fought in cruisers and battlecruisers before the hour was over. As the dust settled each day, however, the Gallente militia held an increasingly stronger upper hand. Ultimately FDU forces lost 12 billion ISK across 954 ships, while the State Protectorate lost 16 billion ISK across 1051 ships. Third party preyed on both militias throughout the battle but lost over 50 ships worth a combined 3 billion ISK in return.
Operation IRON FORGE achieved an additional, unplanned for benefit. With all remaining Caldari militia corporations focused on defending Eha, Gallente freedom fighters were able to run system plexes throughout the warzone with relative ease, reducing the Caldari militia warzone control even further. The Federal Defence Union expects to be able to liberate many additional systems within the week ahead.
After a brutal 3 days,. Gallente interdiction efforts exposed the system infrastructure hub to attack and a small force of capital ships swiftly jumped in to terminate the Caldari system overseers therein, returning Eha to Gallente control. The FDU is currently evaluating the status of remaining Gallente military infrastructure after damage inflicted by months of occupation, and friendly militia forces are expected to continue operating out of citadels for now. Federal Intelligence Office agents are deploying to all planets within the Eha system, to formally arrest Caldari collaborators who were apprehended by Gallente loyalist resistance movements operating on each world.
