Two Dozen Doomsdays Fired in Querious
June 26th, 2009Querious has been the scene of heavy fighting since GoonSwarm launched their invasion of the region hot on the heels of their agent disbanding the official alliance registration of Band of Brothers. BoB (as they were known) reformed as KenZoku and managed to recapture some of their former space, but recently GoonSwarm and their allies have driven them back again. Presently, KenZoku hold sovereignty in five systems, with 49-U6U housing their only outpost.
Yesterday, a heavy fleet from GoonSwarm and their allies finished putting the last of the sovereignty-claiming control towers in 49-U6U into reinforced mode and managed to destroy 4 towers and set up their own. Shadoo, a Pandemic Legion fleet commander, talked a little about their methodology:
"Without control towers it is difficult to maintain control during an assault in a [Province-sovereignty] cyno-jammed system such as 49-U6U for a long period of time. The staging towers also allowed us to bring in titans to reinforce our grip on the system."
With a firm grip on the system and no KenZoku forces currently offering opposition, the allies deployed a force composed solely of titans around the bubbled outpost. "The camp was a show of force, a show of strength if you will" Viper ShizzIe of Pandemic Legion explained. "Sitting 27 titans in a hostile [sovereignty 3] system 100km off of a station has no strategic value other than simply [saying] 'we can do this and you can't stop it.'"
Prior to this current conflict, more than a few titans deployed in a single battle was a rarity. With coalitions forming between long-standing and wealthy alliances, however, it has become possible to deploy gangs of the multi-billion isk vessels. To emphasise the potential power of such a fleet, Viper ShizzIe sacrificed a Thanatos-class carrier in a demonstration.
The titan fleet activated their doomsday devices in waves: Avatars followed by Erebuses, Leviathans then Ragnaroks. The Thanatos took over 400,000 damage before it exploded, and only 16 of the 27 doomsdays managed to register on it before it succumbed. It seems there is a playful rivalry in Pandemic Legion as Shadoo quipped about the destruction of Viper ShizzIe's Thanatos: "This is a personal achievement I will cherish."
The titans themselves were unharmed, despite inflicting over a million damage to each other. Shadoo credited this at least in part to the careful structuring of the gang - placing experienced commanders equipped with appropriate warfare links at every level in the fleet - but nonetheless, it made a powerful statement about the ability of such a gang to defend and destroy in the right circumstances.
The Interstellar Correspondents will continue to follow developments in what some are speculating may be the last days of the Delve-Querious conflict, with further commentary from both sides in forthcoming updates.
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Failed Coup Within Red Alliance Leads To Loss of Home System
Insmother, C-J6MT- Red Alliance's [RA] home system has fallen into Atlas hands as internal strife comes to a head.
The capture came after a failed coup inside [RA]'s leadership caused a sovereignty loss in several capital constellations around Insmother. Aware of their opponent's difficulties, Atlas and allied forces exploited the confusion by launching a suprise attack deep inside Red Alliance's core systems.
During the last several days, Red Alliance has lost at least five outposts in Insmother and two in Etherium Reach with more to follow. Cattie'Brie of [RA], paints a bleak picture: "[It] is very difficult. We are surrounded and outnumbered and outgunned".
Red Alliance blames a coup attempt by ERROR [404] leadership for the difficulties they now face. According to Bapp R.U.S.H., CEO roles were stolen by ERROR and OMNYX members in a bid to achieve Red Alliance's executorship. However failing the revolt, renegade leaders were ultimately able to expel a key corporation from Red Alliance, resulting in half of its systems in Insmother losing the 'level 3' sovereignty status and the subsequent disruption of jump bridge operations.
Presently, Red Alliance's former capitol station is controlled by Atlas and several Red Alliance ships may have been trapped within.
GoonSwarm fleet members allegedly sent to help [RA]'s evacuation operations have been intercepted by Cult Of War [COW] capsuleers and subsequently obliterated using a doomsday device. Dah'Kanid describes the engagement: "Unaware of the Titan threat from [COW], Goons jumped into the system [that had been] set up for [the ambush] and every single one [was killed]".
Cult Of War Capsuleers have been helping Atlas and Allied forces by applying pressure on Red Alliance's western Flank. Endag Tanon, of [COW] explains that they have been engaging Red Alliance's fleet mostly in Scalding Pass. NeoNeTiC better clarifies his alliance's standings: "Cult of War is what the name says - an alliance that wages war just because it appeals to its nature… We are here to lay waste to anything that moves and the current war … [is] a nice moment to increase the scale of battle".
Despite Atlas and allies gaining the upper edge in Insmother, the war is far from over. NeoNeTiC offers his view on a possible future scenario: "Politics are backstab-sensitive right now. This big anti-[RA] rush is unlikely to stand forever… people will begin to fight over the territory - amonst themselves if needed". He also believes Goonswarm are not going to offer full scale help to Red Alliance as they currently have to recover from their efforts in Delve.
Cattie'Brie of [RA] believes his alliance could keep fighting, with Goonswarm or Northern Coalition help. However, he also admits: "If there is no help we will fight until last [starbase]… then regroup somewhere in a safer [area]."
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Internal Strife Divides Imperial Republic of the North
PURE BLIND - Over half of Imperial Republic of the North's [IRON] membership has abandoned the alliance over the past week. Additionally, [IRON] sovereignty in Pure Blind continues to fall leaving large numbers of lucrative moons open for the taking as a power vacuum develops in the region.
While rumors have swirled for the past week on capsuleer discussion boards, [IRON] and fellow NC members continued to state that the leadership was simply trimming the fat. It was not until early this morning that new facts began to emerge indicating [IRON] was in the midst of an internal crisis.
The problems arose several weeks ago after alliance leaders FotoFlame and PMX decided to take a break from the demanding business of alliance leadership and appointed Tyrol, Riley Kendrik, and NathanMoore as the new executive team.
Initially all was well according to PMX, but as time progressed the new team attempted to make several major changes "unpopular with the old iron pilots," according to Aoi Hane, CEO of former [IRON] corp Arkons of Myth [RCON].
These changes included the addition of a NBSI policy in low-sec - a course reversal that challenged [IRON]'s historical NRDS low-sec policy that PMX believes was at the "core of our identity and our believes."
Despite apparent requests by PMX to reconsider, the new executives forged ahead "after which discussion broke loose to a point where multiple corps wanted to leave," PMX stated.
FotoFlame then posted a letter "urging the new team to reconsider and revert their decision," noted PMX. "However he never set an ultimatum and would have never done so."
MeltD0wn [MELT.] CEO Larania Hypax described the letter as "a open phrased 'serious suggestion' to stop what they were doing and that Foto would sit back while they led IRON to destruction." Hypax also stated that Tyrol lost access to his directorship abilities and his corp's forum at this time.
A second issue concerning inactive founding corps also presented a problem according to both parties. "The new leadership wanted to remove certain founding corps due to poor participation and due to lack of numbers," explained industrial team member and former high command pilot Mirauder. "PMX and Foto asked for the decision to be delayed 24 hours to allow it to be discussed in more depth."
At this point, in an alleged attempt to gain leverage over FotoFlame and PMX, the new executive team took large amounts of liquid ISK, starbase components, and dreadnoughts according to a statement released by [MELT.] - a corp that joined [IRON] in January of this year. The [MELT.]statement and PMX confirm that he nor FotoFlame took any action to escalate the situation at this point.
Despite extensive inquiries to departing CEO's and members, none indicated or were able to produce evidence that PMX or Fotoflame delivered threats or ultimatums - something that several pilots claimed was the basis for the "safeguarding" of alliance assets by the new leadership.
Justifying their next action by indicating that the corps choosing to stay in [IRON] "showed a statistically significant overlap with the corporations that were asked to leave or merge just two weeks prior because of their bad defense fleet participation", the [MELT.] statement claimed the "safeguarded" assets would be distributed to the exiting corps (eight have left since May 31st) and that [IRON] would be left with a "a very very solid base for restructuring [the full list is available for viewing in the 'sources' section.]"
In the end, Tyrol and Riley Kendrik returned the ISK and starbase components to [IRON] however [MELT.] has chosen to retain the 35 dreadnoughts according to their statement. According to PMX, all exiting corps have so far refused to accept any of these ships from [MELT.].
Other corps have ended their term with [IRON] on more amicable terms. Aoi Hane (whose corp is now courting ATLAS Alliance) believes, "None of the corps that left wished any harm to [IRON], nor did they plan to leave together or go to the same alliances afterwards."
PMX had this to say in regards to the last week:
"What breaks my heart is the fact that they simply gave up… I know in my time as executor I have made similar decisions that earned me more than enough flames by the members and corps, but these are decisions a leader grows with. We all make mistakes but it is crucial we learn from them and do not repeat the same mistakes."
He noted he will be returning to his post as executor to ensure [IRON] does not "lose its path."
Sources
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