Day 689

Entry: six hundred eighty-nine.
 
Today is day two of trying to flip the W-IX station to Cascade control. Black Legion have come back yet again to mess with us while we handle our business in subcapitals. We know better than to light a cyno and take the easy way out with Dreads: we do that, and Raiden or Pandemic Legion or anyone else itching for capital kills will come knocking down the house to save the couch.
 
As Black Legion attacked the TCU, the main FC, who was overly tired, asked for bombers. I took command as no one else was going about organizing any sort of bombing run. His fatigue and frustration are egging me on.
 
I ask bombers to "x up" with bomb types. Four scorches with mine, one shrapnel, one concussion. I create a group chat with the scorch bombers and a prober, simultaneously setting up a pounce at the TCU while Black Legion takes a brief break in K7D-. Just as I make my pounce, Black Legion warps in on the TCU and starts attacking it. Bubbles go up at zero on the TCU: I hoped I wasn't wrong in my next judgement.
 
I ordered the scorch bombers only to warp to me at ten and to "x up" when they landed. No one is being vocal and the fleet FC is getting frustrated in part because his fatigue is so intense. The only bombers talking are the ones I don't want around for the bombing run.
 
Finally, my scorch bombers "x up". Warpin is fifty behind them towards the P4- gate. I order a warp up to the warpin at ten, we end up twenty from the nearest. FC is infringing on me, and I make a bad call to get thirty from the nearest, turn around, bomb, warpout. 
 
First scorch bomber decloaks and launches, and I call a stop because I read shrapnel. I see it as scorch a moment later and call the resume action. Too late, first bomber down, second going down, random shrapnel bomb from the damn shrapnel bomber, my bomb goes out. I lag, try to warp out, but I'm not in my bombing fit because I was shooting the station, and I die.
 
No bombs hit. Not a single one was set up for a proper bombing run, mostly because of alignment, partially because of fit, and partially for the mixed bomb that blew up bombs immediately behind it. What a cluster****.
 
"Computer: playback forum post."
 
Computer: "Confirmed."
 

*****

While working on the W-IX station BL came in with Gilas and started knocking on the TCU. I asked for bombers to x up with types. 5 scorch including me, 1 shrap, 1 concussion.

I had a pounce on the TCU and had the scorch bombers warp to me at 10. None of them decloaked. We got a warp in behind them and began bombing. Our target was the drones, but 5 bombs should have done a substantial amount of damage to them as well.

Problems:
1) Bombers that died lagged out or got insta locked and killed.
2) Mixed bomb types were launched despite only scorch bombers only being told to make the run.
3) Our warp in position had no aligned warp-out. We did have time to do it, but I felt rushed and made a bad call
4) Main fleet chatter was pretty active despite our setting up to bomb. It's very hard to coordinate when non combatants are talking about anything.
5) Squad members did not speak on comms. Do not know why.

How I'll be looking to fix this:
1) I will not execute any bombing run when "lone bombers" with bombs not part of the main group are present. They get impatient and disobey orders because no one can see them. If a TCU falls, so be it.
2) Bombing runs will be aligned with a warp out if time permits. Ambushes will be set up ahead of time, defensive bombs have a short time before the enemy target is destroyed.
3) Even though I lagged, I still took a few hits before dying due to the Invuln I had active. If I had had an MSE fitted and online, I could have survived long enough to warp out despite the damage. Instead, my bomb never hit because I died. Will bring an offline MSE from now on. Cannot use this bomber on thorn fleets period since I can't switch between the MWD and AB. Can still fit torps for structure shoots by toggling off the MSE and MWD as necessary.
4) Will use separate comms channel instead of staying in main fleet channel.
5) Will tell squad members in this separate comms channel to reply over voice comms instead of holding silence.

Are there any suggestions on other improvements that could be made? Any bomber FC can learn from this, so I encourage constructive criticism.

*****

 
Computer: "Playback terminated."
 
Such a humbling experience.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 688

Entry: six hundred eighty-eight.

I'm painfully reminded of Suleiman's comment yesterday. "lol sov". Indeed. I've been scouting for the main fleet for quite some time, perhaps six plus hours, I'm not real sure. Raiden and Evoke went around taking sovereignty away from us in three major systems today: A2-V2, 9CG6, and W-IX. We've only been able to manage a smallish fleet of forty to fifty for this mission of taking back space.

I'm sure Raiden are laughing at us for how long it's taking us. First, we had to destroy the TCUs in those systems, and then we had to flip the stations. So far, we've destroyed the TCUs with torpedo spam, and then reshipped into Battleships to flip the stations, of which only 9CG6 has been flipped back to us from Raiden. 

Currently the W-IX station is in structure being flipped from Raiden to us. A2-V2, but the Neocom network is going down for upgrades in a few hours, and I doubt we'll flip A2-V2 in time for that.

Raiden attempted to get a super fleet up against us for the 9CG6 and then the W-IX stations, but failed and formed up a small bomber squad. While forming up, Black Legion rolled past us into 9CG6 in their Gila fleet, then came back to W-IX and killed a few of our battleships. After Black Legion left, Raiden managed to drop some bombs on our kitchen sink battleship fleet and we lost a few more.
 
Setbacks sure slow station flipping down.

"lol sov". No kidding. But it's this or gate and station guns, and I'd rather deal with this, especially since the flipping process usually results in combat, just not when your opponent would have to fight you out of their timezone.

On the upside, it looks like I'm going to win the first place prize this month for combat. I haven't necessarily been the most active, but two major strikes with bombs put me over the top for the month. I'm looking forward to perfecting my bombing tactics, solo and in groups, to win these sorts of prizes more often.

Computer: terminate recording.

Day 687

Entry: six hundred eighty-seven.

About six hours ago, while I was setting up tactical bookmarks in NOL- for a large scale conflict I anticipate in the future, I saw Suleimain Shouaa in local. What a rare chance to speak with someone whose public logs I follow! But it was a curious situation: The Tuskers were several hours late for the party with nothing left but preparation for the next conflict. Computer: play back private chat stream with Suleiman Shouaa.

Computer: "Confirmed."

*****

 

Suleiman Shouaa > o/
Truen1ght > nol should be dead for quite a while 
                > good luck huntin
Suleiman Shouaa > ah cheers
                           > we saw many kills on dotlan
                           > ::(
Truen1ght > 1300 in sys about 5 hours ago
                > station timer
Suleiman Shouaa > ah lol sov war
Truen1ght > evoke ddos'ed goons comms
                > and goon's backup comms
                > so, that didn't work out
Suleiman Shouaa > lolsov
                           > ty for heads up
Truen1ght > yup
                > lol sov
                > was there a wh to here from gallente low-sec?
Suleiman Shouaa > nope
                           > just roamed from hev
Truen1ght > ah
Suleiman Shouaa > hoping for :thunderdome:
Truen1ght > 1dh is probably best bet
                > black legion should be aroudn 1-smeb
                > my delve intel channel is dark though, so I don't think much is going on right now
                > KFIE is where you'd have the best chance of finding evoke
Suleiman Shouaa > we're heading back soon
                           > and in a "dram is OP fleet
Truen1ght > you were the only one i saw in a dram lol
                > saw a flicker of scimis and some other stuff, wasn't really paying attention
                > oh, derp, I think 1dh has a gatecamp
                > probably on the pr-gate
                > but, have a good trip back, gl on the kills
Suleiman Shouaa > nope
Truen1ght > weird
Suleiman Shouaa > on other gate
Truen1ght > a-e?
Suleiman Shouaa > y
Truen1ght > alright, i'll let you be
                > o7
 

*****

Quite strange to see pirates from Gallente low-sec all the way down in Delve, but interesting. Black Legion are the resident pirates in nearby low-sec. I didn't think anyone else would bother.

It was after this conversation that I realized that I haven't done much to explain the way things are around here much, however, and that perhaps I should do that. It would be best to explain why The Tuskers bothered to take a roam down to Delve in the first place though.

The Tuskers were four hours late for the major conflict in NOL-. Goons on one side, the DRF on the other, both vying for control of that system. Sovereignty Blockade units had been deployed by Goons, the station about to become vulnerable once the reinforcement timer expired, and the IHUB in line for reinforcement immediately after the station. Evoke was facing a serious threat of losing NOL-, a system that Goons seem to desire above all others at the present time.

It wasn't long after I logged in, activating my ship in the depths of space, that a bomber fleet was posted. It was difficult to understand the situation, as comms were constantly active. "Polaris fleet" was the keyword of the hour, and the only fleet I could think of to match that description is one similar in vein to the one destroyed in Tama not long ago.

This was not that type of fleet.

After joining fleet, I made best speed for NOL-, managing to stay one very small step ahead of the Evoke tackle wing in 1DH-, PR-, and NOL-. They were diligent about trying to catch anything making its way towards NOL-. I only managed to get in because of the rush they were in to get into position.

After escaping the clutches of the tackle wing, I notified my fleet of the local population: thirteen hundred. A population that size in null sec is all but unheard of except in the largest battles in null, such as one in Teneferis a few months back and a battle in Uemon nearly a year ago. The hell camp of 6VDT-H was only six hundred, and the major battles at HED-GP and GE-8JV never crested nine hundred.

The scope of the conflict to be had was quite clear to me immediately. "Epic" is only the frosting on the cake for what I expected to happen. I was sadly disappointed, however.

My fleet came into NOL- through a detour via HM-. Once in system, we all set up at the edge of the station grid, where we expected the fight to take place via our communication with Goons. Evoke had several triage carriers repairing the station, and it didn't take too much longer before the Goon fleet warped in to the station at zero and started attacking.

And almost as soon as they arrived, they left. Reports came through that Goon comms, both primary and backup, had been DDOSed by the enemy, preventing any sort of coordinated attack. The Evoke carriers were free to repair the station as local dropped from thirteen hundred to eight hundred and the Evoke subcapital fleet, consisting of a ridiculous number of Drakes and Scimitars, destroyed all four Sovereignty Blockade units within twenty minutes of starting the task. That feat is equal to using several Motherships in conjunction with a Battleship fleet of size seventy, per SBU.

The Initiative stopped by to try and ninja a few kills, but ended up being sent home with their tails between their legs.

My biggest issue with this entire conflict is simply that I was unable to participate. Our FC was someone I had never heard of, and while he knew the concepts and understood patience, did not have the brass balls to make an attack happen. I saw several opportunities to simply warp in and launch bombs, bombs which would have destroyed the large majority of the clumped up Evoke Drake-Scimitar fleet, both at the station and at SBUs. Our FC was overly concerned with not losing bombers and not concerned enough about destroying billions worth of ISK in ships and modules in thirty seconds of kinetic hell. Fourteen bombers, totaling approximately four hundred million ISK in trade for billions of ISK? It's a no brainer.

Pilots were chomping at the bit so fiercely that they began engaging Interceptors at the PR- gate once the fight was over with torpedoes and bombs. I logged out, frustrated, unwilling to give in and become a mindless idiot and lose my bomber needlessly.

After that break and cooling my emotions, I logged back in and set up tactical points all around stargates and the station for a future conflict in NOL-, one which I am certain will happen. It was during this time that I saw the Tuskers.

It's hard to blame them for not knowing the area, it's not like they live here after all. I didn't want to leave them with the bad taste of fruitless searching, however, so I offered some of my knowledge of the area, but perhaps not as much as I should have.
 
Goons live near JP4- right now, more accurately at and next door to Y-2ANO. Evoke in the area populate NOL-, Z3V-, and KFIE- for the most part, and roams from deeper regions of their space in Delve enter into upper Delve from those systems more often than not. 

Cascade Imminent makes its home in 1DH- with easy access to its controlled systems in Querious via F20Y-, but also patrols within a few systems of 1DH- in addition to roams towards Raiden in L-6BE1 or its former home of CZK-, which is currently occupied by DRF pets. Occasionally, White Noise, Against All Authorities, or Nulli Secunda will travel down to 1DH- when they are really bored, but those are only rare occurrences. 

Nulli Secunda lives not far from 1DH- in the region called Period Basis, and while easy to reach, are often out of the way for forces hostile to them. As for the final major player in Delve, Black Legion makes its home somewhere in nearby low-sec. I suspect Kaira personally, as they usually come into Delve via 1-SMEB. 


With the Goon freeporting mission in Delve nearly complete, I wonder what they will do once they are done with that, and how diligently they'll need to defend their assets in Delve from Evoke and Ewoks.
 
More importantly, I wonder if the pirates had much fun beyond wasting a Cynabal whilst in Delve.
  
Computer terminate recording.

Day 683-1

Entry: six hundred eighty-three, supplemental one.

It's been a pretty slow day, and I spent the majority of my time awake actually active today. It was a rare and welcome change, right up until the end, where I warped down to the PR- gate in a Hurricane during a gatecamp fleet with bad intel.

Prior to my demise at the PR- gate, goons had brought yet another Rifter fleet down. While I wasn't wildly successful, I soon learned the reason why: apparently I'd become a main feature point of these frigate fleets into 1DH-, whether by name or not. To quote my contact: "Only newbs die to your bombs."
  
Apparently, after those first five or so bomb runs, people started to catch on when and where and under what circumstances I'd launch a bomb. It seems I'll need to expand my engagement envelope. I'll still be able to bomb on the undock and catch the newbs, but for the big hits I'll have to engage elsewhere, preferably on a gate that has a drag bubble.

A few hours after that I got to experience another death of fiery decompression.

DaBigRedBoat had been commanding an Alpha Fleet in the area. We'd seen him come to 1DH- once before and very few kills were to be had. They went to NOL-, did something in terms of grinding towers, and after being taunted, came back into 1DH- via the PR- gate.

This is where it went south. The scout in PR- failed to mention that an Alpha Fleet was on the way behind the few frigates that were being engaged. I had at first suspected this, but as the seconds passed, I began to wonder, and warped down. Mere seconds later the Alpha Fleet jumped in. My Hurricane crumpled, my pod soon after.

They don't make medicine strong enough for these headaches. Literally. The Med Bay faculty load me up with what they can, but the pain still knocks me out. I put in the order today for my sensory nerves to be destroyed throughout the bodies of all my current and future clones.

I got in the Purifier and taunted Goons a different way. I launched bombs at them at will. There was little chance to kill anything, but it was less about destroying them than pissing them off.

I warped to {station 231 -x}, then {10 undock bomb -x-y-z}. Aim, decloak, bomb, activate DCU and Invuln, warp off. Minimal shield damage. I warped to {station 231 -x}, then {10 undock bomb +x-y-z}. Aim, decloak, bomb, activate DCU and Invuln, warp off. Minimal shield damage. I warped to {station 210 +x+y}, then to {10 undock bomb +x++y-z}. Aim, decloak, bomb, activate DCU and invuln, warp off. Minimal shield damage. Goons were reported warping PR-. I warped to {pr- 280 -x}, then {40 pr-}. Fix alignment with A-E stargate, align A-E stargate, at thirty decloak, bomb, warp off, no shield damage.

Every bomb hit. One blew up a Rifter. At best I was completely annoying, at worst barely a consideration. My revenge was most assuredly not sated. I needed more bombers, but no one else has the patience to be part of a real bomber squad.

Maybe the majority of my alliance isn't interested in covert warfare, in subterfuge, in mind games, or most importantly, the big score. Nothing does things for your ego like taking out a swath of enemies with a single strike.

The one desire excellent bombing doesn't fulfill is instant gratification. That damn plague affects countless trillions, mortal and capsuleer alike. The unfortunate side effect of instant gratification is mediocrity, and mediocrity is a terrible fate.

I have to admit though, so is impotence. I'll not stand for it, and I WILL correct it.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 683

Entry: six hundred eighty-three.

The suggested scheme I laid out for bookmarks hasn't quite worked out. I realized this once I saw how bookmarks are catalogued by the computer: alphabetically. With that in mind, the new scheme is {?L ?R ?X?Y?Z}.

 

For those who follow my logs, the investment I've put into 1DH-SX is clear. I've become pretty attached, and somewhat spoiled for choices with all the bookmarks I've created at and as tactical points. I'll wrap this up with the view from my favorite perch outside of 1DH- station.

 

Computer: terminate recording.

Day 681

Entry: six hundred eighty-one, supplemental one.

Introduction: 
     Everyone knows bookmarks are necessary. The problem is defining a system of handling coordinates to label bookmarks in an understandable fashion. I feel dense for only recently realizing the most obvious, and perhaps best, coordinate system for bookmarking.
     There are only two constants in all solar systems: the star, and the orientation of Z-axis in space. When multiple bookmarks describing multiple locations on the same grid are defined, the best way to label the bookmarks is by setting the center of grid as an origin unto itself, but treating the star as the origin for the total map.

Example: 
     I have many bookmarks around 1DH- station. Simple descriptions of range and locations won't suffice, eg. 231 station.
 
Problem:
     Lack of clear X and Y orientation about the origin.

Explanation: 
     Warpable spots are difficult to determine, paths that cause decloaking are difficult to avoid. Requires initiation and halt of warp to check alignments, actions which are attention intensive and possibly fatal.
 
Solution: 
     The positive X axis is opposite the star 2 the origin of the grid. With Z and X now clearly defined for any grid, Y is easy to understand, and any bookmark on grid can have a clear RLXYZ definition, where R is radius from grid origin, L is object, XYZ are directions. Double +/- indicate a heavier bias towards an axis as opposed to another. With bookmarks clearly defined in this fashion, bouncing between bookmarks without decloaking is much simpler.

Solution Examples: 
     231 station is now 231 station -x-y. 10 undock bomb is now 10 undock bomb -x-y-z.

Note:
     Future bookmarks should be labeled {?X?Y?Z ?Radius ?Location} in the future, as orientations and locations will be easier to read for evasive warping and covert observation. ? denotes variability for use in general naming conventions. 

Note: 
     Old locations should be updated to match the new scheme.

Note: 
     Z width of an undock ring is large on some stations, twenty kilometers for 1DH- centered on the terminus. Boomarks do not reflect this knowledge directly, only through actual locations.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 593

Entry: five hundred ninety-three.

Turns out there's been a discrepancy in my logging. Some clerical errors were made, they'll be resolved. Today is my five hundred nintieth day as a capsuleer.

I've not been as active as I would like, but circumstance at current forbid me from being so. To top it off, it seems the galaxy has been quieter these days. I find myself if many other capsuleers are in the same boat as me in terms of time management, or if they're planetside on vacation. I'm doing what I can to sort out some of these issues to give more time for killing and less for admiring my ass in the mirror.

We had a small op today, nothing serious. We dropped some SBUs in GE-8JV, recently taken over by the DRF, then proceed to push the IHUB and Station into reinforce. It was a small CTA, maybe seventy members in total with a little under half being supers. Total operation timer was about thirty minutes before we burned back to GE-8JV.

Hopefully, once I get things in order and my ships moved, I can get back to killing on top of CTA fleets.

Computer: terminate recording.

Day 591

Entry: five hundred ninety-one.

Today was the final timer for GE-8JV, a station timer. The -A- team was set as the defensive force, the DRF the attacking force.

Archie formed us up an hour early in a bomber fleet. Against All Authorities didn't show. FAIL and FAILP were the only alliances that even bothered to defend GE-. That said, we were seventy strong, and seventy weak at the same time.

After setting up bookmarks and pounce points, and having been told to fit scorch bombs, the DRF came for GE-. Our cover was blown, as the DRF quickly figured out that seventy uncloaked bombers meant a bomber defense. This is to say it wasn't meant to be a defense, but a killing spree if we could get one.

While the DRF handled the station, we warped to the TCU and cloaked. Having seen us, they had bubbled themselves at the station hoping to drag a a few foolish bombers. We didn't entertain them that way. Once done with the station, they warped to the TCU, and I had the privilege of seeing at least six supers and titans taking it out. They again bubbled their fleet, hoping for drags, but none came.

Archie ordered us to warp to a belt, and we all got decloaked. The DRF came after us, and a few bombers were destroyed while most got away.

Some time later, Archie got a warp-in on the DRF fleet, and told us to bomb the rather obvious target. He called out warp-ins by squad.

That didn't go well.

The warp-in may or may not have been good, but the calls for squads to warp in were too clustered together, and after the first squad's bombing run, the rest of the squads got caught in bubbles by the DRF fleet. Being in squad seven, I was literally half a second from warp when a bubble caught me, keeping me from warp, resulting in my Hound's destruction and my exposure to vacuum.

The headache I woke up with in FV- left me unable to think for a few minutes. Shock and pain were my world. 
 
Just before that last bombing run, I remember seeing a DRF TCU onlining.
 
Computer: terminate entry.

Day 589

Entry: five hundred eighty-nine.
 
Last night Maka called for a pre-timer op at the GE-8JV station. Basically the job was to repair the station before the DRF showed up. The op started thirty minutes before the station was to come out of reinforced mode.

Not long into the repair operation, the DRF dropped fifteen caps, consisting of titans and supers. The repair operation was obviously cancelled. At some point, the cap fleet jumped out.

An hour later, the full CTA fleet of about one hundred sixty for the -A- team had formed up on the titan and bridged into GE-.  Our immediate target was the DRF SBU, but when someone called out that there was a neutral hound at the station lighting a cyno, Maka ordered us to that cyno at zero and to open up on the NCdot forces that had bridged in.

It seemed that NCdot actually wanted a fight. No capitals of theirs had bridged in, just their subcapital fleet.

With our at zero warp-in on the enemy fleet, our Hellgeddon fleet seemed to be destroying the enemy arty Abaddon fleet. As a Logistics, I got the sense that we were doing ok in keeping the Geddons alive.

With that, Raiden dropped supers, and according to Maka, NCdot was not happy. Maka ordered us to withdraw. Those in fleet foolish and greedy enough to fit sensor boosters instead of cap boosters and microwarpdrives were destroyed as the fleet burned out of the bubbles.

Unable to fight supers, the -A- team withdrew from the field, the DRF putting the station in GE-8JV into reinforcement. I'm not clear if it was shield reinforce or armor reinforce, but I've been hearing that the next timer in GE-8JV for the station is the final one in two days.

Unless things change, GE-8JV is gone.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 586

Entry: five hundred eighty-six. Continuous recording mode.
 

*****

System: 9CG6-H
Region: Querious
Time: 01:00

nut custard: "I'm taking out an assault frigate and interceptor roam. We'll leave at half past the hour."
???: "Where're we going?"
nut custard: "I'm thinking about going down into Delve."
???: "There's going to be a chance to kill DRF supers in LGK- in about forty-five minutes, you could go do that..."
nut custard: "Ehhh, you know, I'd rather not. It's not fun getting blobbed to hell all the time. I'm perfectly happy going down to Delve and doing some small gang stuff.
*I totally agree.*

*****

System: 9CG6-H
Region: Querious
Time: 01:30

nut custard: "Destination is in fleet, we're burning to four out."
Computer: "Programming route to 1DH-SX."

*****

System: A-ELE2
Region: Delve
Time: 01:49

nut custard: "Everyone warp to 1DH- at...ten. I got us a fight, but it won't be one for long."
???: "In warp."
nut custard: "Gotta hurry guys..."
???: "Oh man, he's already like eighty off."
nut custard: "I knew I should have fit a microwarpdrive to this instead of AB."
???: "Well, they know we're here now..."

*****

System: A-ELE2
Region: Delve
Time: 01:50

Scout: "There's a Harbinger and a Malediction here at the gate. Coming back."
nut custard: "Alright, I need two suicidal guys to go into 1DH- for me."
Me: "I'll go in, anti amarr here."
Grim Starwind: "I'll go in."
Scout: "Harbinger warped out."
nut custard: "Grim and Truen1ght, jump in and get that Malediction."

*****

System: 1DH-SX
Region: Delve
Time: 01:51

01:51:44 ] Approaching Shit Nailer . Grim Starwind has started trying to warp scramble "EEPLURIBUS".
??? : "Hurricane just landed."
01:52:21 ] 150mm Light AutoCannon II deactivates as Shit Nailer begins to explode.
Grim Starwind: "Malediction is down!"
nut custard: "Get that Hurricane!"
01:52:32 ] Xelea Yauntyrr has started trying to warp scramble "Liberal Swan"
nut custard: "He's webbed!"
Legasti: "He's neuting me out."
nut custard: "Keep all DPS on the cane!"
???: "He's going down!"
01:53:21 ] 150mm Light AutoCannon II deactivates as K|||3R begins to explode.
nut custard: "Nice kill guys!"

*****

System: 1DH-SX
Region: Delve
Time: 02:03

nut custard: "Alright guys, we're take the long way around. I like coming down here for the truly awesome kills you can get, but I hate how Brick has to throw a hundred guys at a small gang like us. Destination is in fleet."
Computer: "Programming Route."
Me: "Display route."
Computer: "F2OY-X, 4-2UXV, RKM-GE, DG-L75, K4-RFZ, 8-YNBE, E-VKJV, 3-DMQT, N-8YET, 1DQ1-A, T5ZI-S, D-W7F0, 4K-TRB, QX-LIJ, O-IOAI, NOL-M9."

*****

System: QX-LIJ
Region: Delve
Time: 02:17

???: "He's gone."
???: "He was afk at a gate!"

*****

System: NOL-M9
Region: Delve
Time: 02:20

nut custard: "Everybody warp PR- and jump on contact."

*****

System: PR-8CA
Region: Delve
Time: 02:22

???: "The Rapier just warped to you, his gang is on the other side."
nut custard: "Everyone reapproach gate."
???: "Rapier landing."
nut custard: "Everyone jump and reapproach."

*****

System: NOL-M9
Region: Delve
Time: 02:25

nut custard: "Get that Rapier!"
02:25:46 ] "Approaching TACKLE ONE"
02:25:53 ] nut custard has started trying to warp scramble Appius. You have started trying to warp scramble Appius.
???: "He's jumping."
nut custard: "Yep..."
Scout: "His fleet is on the other side, drones out."
nut custard: "Yeah, they want to us to fight them on their terms, and we're not going to give that to them. For now, everyone reapproach and hold."
Scout: "They're approaching gate and pulling drones."
nut custard: "Everyone take the warp, everyone take the warp!"
???: "I didn't get a warp."
nut custard: "Everyone warp O-I, sorry about that, could have swore I got the warp...jump on contact. We're gonna head home for the night."

*****

System: O-IOAI
Region: Delve
Time: 02:29

nut custard: "Shit. Ok guys, calm down. Hold your cloaks. When I say, approach the gate and jump, no, not now...everyone approach!"
02:29:38 ] ...has started trying to warp scramble Xelea Yauntyrr.
02:29:53 ] SharkStomp3005 places an excellent hit on you, inflicting 822.7 damage.
02:29:55 ] ...has started trying to warp scramble suun Leeh.
02:30:00 ] Jumping to Stargate (O-IOAI) in NOL-M9 solar system.
02:30:00 ] Unorthodox Snake has started trying to warp scramble Legasti.
02:30:01 ] Fredrick Pirkibo has started trying to warp scramble nut custard.
02:30:02 ] Ajax33 has started trying to warp scramble Dadbbad.

*****

System: NOL-M9
Region: Delve
Time: 02:32

nut custard: "I'm dead guys, you'll have to make your way back home without me now. x up with who survived."
Me: "Survived."
Jessba: "x Sabre alive."
Neok1337: "survived."
Me: "Computer, set destination P-ZMVZ, take the back route."
Computer: "Route Programmed."
Me: "Display route."
Computer: "HM-XR2, AJI-MA, Q-HESZ, 1-SMEB, 6Q-R50, A-ELE2, Z3V-1W, ... P-ZMVZ."
Computer: "Warning, TEST fleet is in pursuit."

*****

System: P-ZMVZ
Region: Querious
Time: 02:52

Computer: "Destination reached." 
Me: "Computer, terminate recording."

Day 585

Entry: five hundred eighty-five.

I was in a Hound at the time. I had joined a fleet to go bomb some DRF subcaps, fighters, and fighter bombers, ie cost them a great deal of ISK. After the formup, I found out that the op was cancelled because the DRF wasn't coming. There was a glitch in something invulnerable being destroyed, and CCP ie CONCORD somehow intervened.

I know, I don't get it either.

Op cancelled, I was returning to P-Z in Querious to find out that Kil2 was in a Drake and had entered 5V- from 49-U. I and several others gave hot pursuit.

We chased him through 5V- and into 3-JCJT and found him setting up a drag bubble forty off the L3-I3K gate. A friendly Eris and a Nemesis engaged Kil2 on the gate with me. I set up the target painter and sensor dampener while aligning out, microwarpdrive active. I got off four volleys of torpedoes before his first and last volley of missiles hit me, taking me into high armor. I warped out immediately. The Eris and Nemesis were not so lucky.

More reinforcements incoming, Kil2 jumped into L3- and then into the next system, K-L I think. After a few minutes, Kil2 jumped back into L3- and was engaged by a Cynabal, Armageddon, Drake, and two Hounds, of which I was one of. Kil2 appeared to be fit into a nano Drake, as he was outpacing the other nano Drake that had accompanied us.

I aligned at an asteroid belt behind him, microwarpdrive on, and activated everything. Target painter, sensor damp, torps, all on Kil2's nano Drake. It didn't take long for him to target me yet again, apparently having given up on taking out the nano Drake, Cynabal, or Armageddon. Another volley of missiles slammed into me as his Warrior II's rushed at me and then strangely returned to him.

The armor alarm went off. I warped out, twenty-seven percent armor remaining. Once at the belt, I cloaked up and burned straight down. After a few moments, I considered warping back in to engage yet again when Rumless reported Kil2's drake was destroyed.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 584

Entry: five hundred eighty-four.

Shortly after the DRF receeded from GE-8JV, redeployment orders were given. Against All Authorities and Cascade Imminent were to redeploy to LGK-, five jumps from GE-8JV. LGK- is Sansha controlled space in Stain. Shortly after that, Cascade was given new redeployment orders to P-Z, two jumps from 9CG6-H.

From the standpoint of a grunt sub-capital pilot, this move by Against All Authorities is signalling the end of real resistance against the DRF. At the same time, the move by Cascade is signalling the end of aiding -A-, changing strategies to support Morsus, RAZOR, and Brick.

As I lack leadership roles, or the ability to use capitals, I can't provide those standpoints.

-A- claims that it will keep up the pressure, that it will continue the war, but I myself find this a little skeptical since the staging system chosen by -A- leadership has no cloning services. On the other hand, I find this believable, as Morsus and RAZOR continue to exist, and will soon be fighting the DRF the way things are going. To further support my belief that they will continue the fight, if -A- doesn't get it's space back, they'll have no renters to fund the combat they want to engage in.

It's a confusing situation, time will tell the truth of the matter soon enough I suppose. I just wonder what is in store for Cascade at this point however, as it's been discussed that we ourselves might need to pull back to Stain to reclaim our space.

Computer: terminate recording.

Day 582

Entry: five hundred eighty-two.

HED-GP fell today to the DRF. It was a no-contest takeover. GE- is also currently under siege. It seems that the whole of the DRF have turned their ire towards us, as opposed to only NCdot and White Noise.

Honestly, I didn't see it coming, even though I should have. Ever since taking their first timer, they steamrolled the remaining timers by simply outblobbing us. After taking the timer, they began bringing six hundred and eight hundred man fleets. Simply put, we do not have the manpower to deal with it.

This could change, if the entire south bands together. Right now, Against All Authorities and Cascade are the most of the allied forces. Remaining forces that could be deployed are Atlas, Red Overlord, and Nulli. With Evoke and Ewoks attacking Morsus, RAZOR, and Brick, they are not really able to leave their space to help push back the DRF.

GE- has been sieged for four hours now, the station in GE- just being put into shield reinforcement a few minutes ago. While six hundred of their pilots sieged GE-, the DRF took HED.

So much for conservative estimates about holding off the DRF for another month. They're already in GE-. We'll just have to see if we can hold the line at GE-, but firesale spikes in the market seem to indicate a loss of faith by residents. Given that, I'd say it'll be a short wait before the DRF sieges CZK-.
  
I think we'll still be trying to retake HED and hold the line at GE- despite these rather major setbacks.
  
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 581

Entry: five hundred eighty-one.

Today was interesting, to say the least.

Hakawu broadcast a call for an AHAC fleet. Twelve Guardians were required to take the fleet out. Formup was CZK-. 

After approximately an hour, we'd reached the requisite number for an AHAC fleet, ie twelve Guardians, a Blackbird, and the rest in Armored Heavy Assault Cruisers. We moved locations to 8QT-, and ended up being bridged by a Morsus Mihi titan to 1DH-, territory technically owned by the Blood Raider Covenant though truly controlled by Morsus, Brick, and RAZOR.

After the way we had denied the former Northern Coalition space so steadfastly, I had thought the day would never come that we would end up going so far as to use their titans for bridges.

The fight itself was Cascade, Brick, and Morsus against Evoke and Ewoks with a dash of NCdot at the station in 1DH-. Having been piloting a Guardian, I wasn't able to watch the fight play out or pay close attention to orders over comms, but my sense was that we'd lost a good warp-in when our Cov Ops got decloaked, and despite this, the AHAC portion of the fleet burned towards the enemy logistics line composed of Guardians and essentially destroyed it.

At one point, about five minutes into the fight, the Cascade logistics were unable to keep up with incoming damage. It was determined after the fight that this was due to standings issues between Brick and Morsus with Cascade Probable and Cascade Associates. 
 
Cascade Imminent is the main alliance, Probable is just as it sounds, and Associates are renters.

Because of this standings issue, our fleet was being fired upon by Evoke, Ewoks, Brick, and Morsus. Our logistics line encountered heavy jamming along with occasional alpha striking while the AHAC portion largely encountered raw alpha strikes. To top it off, Evoke and Ewoks jumped in their super capitals, capitals, and Titans.
 
To say Cascade was wiped out is a severe understatement. I was one of two surviving Guardians, and only five AHACs of fifty-two were spared from destruction.

During and after Cascade's annihilation, a protracted fight took place between the two opposing coalitions. Not having a fleet to repair, I locked random Brick and Morsus vessels and repaired them as needed. As this happened, Morsus and Brick activated their super-capital, capital, and titan pilots. Having intelligence of who these pilots are, Evoke and Ewoks surrendered the field, departing as quickly as they could for a dead end system two or three jumps away, Z3X-, where they promptly docked up. Stragglers were eliminated as per the usual while Brick and Morsus looted the field.

After the fight, and the looting nearly complete, Trader John of Morsus Mihi bridged what few members of our fleet were still in 1DH-. He made clear, while waiting for a cyno in 49-U, that he and his would much rather have us around to fight than the Drone Russian Federation.

To top off this strange day, it seems that the CTA that had been called off the other day was the DRF's second timer win. My figures on time spent by the DRF to take the first timer were corrected over comms as three weeks instead of two, and they were given the second timer as we didn't have the forces to fight them. 

Tomorrow is the final station timer for HED-GP. The DRF is sure to show, no matter what time it is, and so must we. I'd heard that the HED Infrastructure Hub was already destroyed, so it seems like this it.

Tomorrow, the fate of HED-GP may well decided for the rest of the war.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 579

Entry: five hundred seventy-nine.

Yesterday was one of the rare instances where, in an alliance operation, I've been on the run and caged. Prior to that operation, I'd only been involved in a small number that ended the way this one did: with us cowering in a POS forcefield. 

It was the smart tactical decision. With the enemy overwhelming us, and the escape routes cut off, the POS forcefield is the right decision. The only problem is that it instills a sense of cowardice, of being beaten bloody and black when you are forced to retreat and hole up.

Yesterday, there was an alliance operation. Main fleet was the Hellgeddon and Guardian combination, Support fleet was everything else. After about an hour long formup, we bridged into HED-GP via titan in GE-8JV. After both fleets were bridged in, the allied blob warped to some sovereignty structure near some planet...the details escape me.

Upon landing, the blob engaged the enemy subcap fleet, primarily artillery abaddons, known to Cascade Imminent as FailDongs. Guardians orbited on their logistics anchor and got to about fifty kilometers away from the main fleet. Perhaps two to three minutes after the engagement began, the DRF jumped in their capital fleet.

By capital fleet, I refer to thirty titans and forty plus super carriers, with some small number of carriers.
 
Once the enemy capital fleet joined the fray, our fleet was being decimated. Our side simply did not have the capital fleet to deal with this. Titans were destroying battleships left and right with their guns, Supers were destroying our ships every which way with fighters and fighter bombers. To say we were blobbed is a bit of an understatement. To be fair though, if we'd had that option, we would have blobbed them.

With us Logistics unable to keep up with the damage hitting the main fleet, Makalu ordered both fleets to withdraw. After a few minutes of burning out of the bubbles, the fleet warped into a POS and hid under the forcefield. Perhaps five minutes later, the enemy subcap fleet and a few capitals warped in on the POS and began incapacitating every module anchored on it. About an hour later, they managed to reinforce the POS.

Their immediate objectives complete, not just with winning their first timer on the sovereignty structure, but also pushing back our fleets and reinforcing our tower, they initiated their secondary objective: boosting their morale while hurting ours.

After figuring out the POS password with the help of spies, they began attempting to bump pilots out from under the forcefield. It was, unfortunately, somewhat successful, as quite a few pilots had decided to take naps in cabin quarters while waiting out the siege. Their ships were bumped out and destroyed.

While the DRF engaged in this psychological warfare, RAZOR and Morsus Mihi attempted a bombing run on the DRF FailDong fleet, getting surprisingly few kills. I remember having a spark of happiness at seeing it, and then realizing how bad the situation was that RAZOR and Morsus Mihi trying to help us, even indirectly, was a high point.

Shortly after this point, I followed the suit of quite a few others, and warped off to a deep safe spot to log out for a break. My choices were that or bear with another hour or two of the DRF trying to bump me out of the forcefield, and possibly succeeding.

Exiting warp, I set my comms to passive receive only, and disconnected from the Neocom network. My ship went silent except for basic life support functions, basic lighting, and passive systems.

Roughly two hours later, the DRF was announced as leaving system. I waited a few minutes longer, in case it was a trap, then logged back in, reconnecting to the Neocom and warping back to the POS.

I waited for another ten minutes, to find out what was going on, if the routes back to GE- were clear. The route through Efa was pretty clear, but it was also twenty plus jumps, and my pride wouldn't let me run through hi-sec.
 
Someone with me in the POS asked if we could get cyno'd out. The FC, Makalu, who promised such a thing when we had to hide under the forcefield, said, "Yea I guess."

Ten minutes later, nothing was happening on that front. After some discussion with the pilots with me, I threw up a fleet advert for a burn to GE-8JV with what was in system. After another fifteen minutes of waiting, and still no news on the bridge home, I made the call to burn to GE-8JV. We had approximately twelve in fleet, a few with us that were out of out fleet, consisting of mostly Armageddons and two Guardians. We had one Rifter in fleet, and I asked him to scout us. I was surprised that so many still in the POS were away, because I saw at least twenty other ships still orbiting the tower that weren't coming with us.
 
The trip was uneventful, but I didn't let down my guard on the trip. I made sure everyone aligned before warping, so that the fleet would warp together and we wouldn't leave the odd straggler behind to die to small roaming bands of enemies. The trip home took maybe ten minutes.

After the fact, I found myself wondering how it all went wrong. Aside from being outgunned at every angle, there was, apparently, no backup FC after Makalu. It's my thought that for large-scale conflicts such as yesterdays, backup FCsMakalu promising a bridge home, but coming across as though he couldn't give a damn about it. It's not inspiring to pilots.

On a bright note, it's apparently taken the DRF two weeks to win this first timer, and while it's unclear if they need to win two or three more timers to take HED-GP and start the assault on GE-8JV, taking the first timer as an example, it'll take the DRF another month at minimum to take HED-GP.

I think we need to stop simply defending, and make raids into enemy territory more often. I haven't seen many of those since the start of the war, and I think those raids are largely what allowed us to keep HED-GP ours. I have this feeling that if we don't sortie more against the enemy instead of simply scrambling defenses, we're going to lose HED-GP.

But it's not over yet. Things can still change.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 577-1

Entry: five hundred seventy-seven, supplemental one.

The following killmail shows fifteen ships against one Tengu in some system that really doesn't matter. The first reaction of anyone not involved in that kill is probably, "He got blobbed." If you dig a little deeper into the battle report, and you're again on the outside of that fight, your first reaction is mostly, "They got blobbed."

The killmails and battle reports really only show a sliver of the story. It's like compressing the entire battle down into one snapshot instant where everything is jumbled in together.

Of course we won, there were twenty-two of us versus five. Of course they lost, they met real resistance. But it does a really awful job of describing what happened. This isn't to say that I can give a full account, but I can lay out what happened far better than "x friendly ships were destroyed and y enemy ships escaped."
 
So what did happen, you might ask.

*****

System: GE-8JV
Region: Catch
 
[23:06:16] ACF Cadelanne > need help YHN gate

I debated for a moment if I would have time to change ships, but I realized I didn't. I had just docked in one of my Shield rifters and found myself undocking to go help ACF. I've seen him around quite a bit, he's a pretty active pilot and fairly decent from what little I know of him.

I dropped out of warp and found ACF in a Drake, engaged on the gate by a Cynabal and Vigilant. I didn't question why he hadn't deaggressed and jumped; my guess was that some of the fleet was waiting on the other side for him in the attempted gank.

I was practically on top of the Cynabal, so I opened up on him, scrambler and one twenty-fives. The Vigilant took exception to this and wiped the stargate with me. I found myself redocking for the nano-arty Hurricane I'd been setting up, telling ACF that I was sorry, and that I didn't think it was gonna work out. I got a smile in local in return.

After docking, boarding, undocking, warping, and finally landing on the YHN- gate, I found the field cleared of reds, yellows, and neutrals. It seemed there were another few wrecks, but I didn't know what they were or whose they were.

At this point, my memory fails me. I seriously don't remember anything until I was undocking and warping to the V-3 gate in my arty Hurricane. Someone had called for help at that gate, and when I landed I found a neutral Tengu and Cynabal about one hundred off the gate.

They did a lot of kiting, aggressing, pulling away. We did a lot of holding position, aggressing, and chasing them off. A hero in a Crow got himself killed in the process. I had to warp away just thirty to forty seconds before the final engagement, the Tengu having whittled my shields down sufficiently at that point while I myself had done little in the way of damage to the Tengu. I was warping back from the station when I heard the news of the Tengu and Cynabal having been destroyed. Sometimes you get a raw deal, but at least I only lost a Rifter in the process. 

Killmails and battle report mails simply don't tell enough of the story to be worthwhile. Everything gets lost in translation. 
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 577

Entry: five hundred seventy-seven.

I'm a junior recruiter for my corporation, ie I conduct interviews but not much else. After the interview, I give the main recruiter, who handles the background checks and application approvals and denials, my feeling on the applicant. If I give a bad outlook, the main recruiter stops there, and that's fine. If I give a good outlook, he performs the background check, and assuming the applicant passes that, he gets accepted.

The problem with recruiting right now are the circumstances. With the war with the DRF moving into high gear at this point, this seems like a perfect opportunity for spies to attempt infiltration, what with my coalition attempting to field larger and larger number to combat the DRF. Before this, it was the war against the evicted NC attempting to take space in Delve. The concerns were largely the same then as now.

When we're not auto-rejecting former members of current enemies, we seem to get people who want to join not for the combat, but for the carebearing. These are the people I don't understand: you want to move into the most violent sector of null sec so that you can grind ISK?

I've lately taken to asking people what sort of null-sec lifestyle they are expecting upon acceptance. I was surprised at how well this question began weeding out people. I had honestly expected more bloodthirsty people to be coming around, but apparently this wasn't the case, as most were telling me they wanted to rat and not do CTAs.

Not do CTAs. Just take a moment to consider the insanity of that statement concerning null-sec. CTAs are where most of the action is, where most of the news is, where most of the kills are...and they want to avoid that. Suffice to say that anyone that says that they won't do or can't handle CTAs gets a big red rubber "REJECT" stamp.

In addition to these measures to weed out the inactive, we're instituting probationary periods. We're not asking for much, just that applicants attend CTAs when possible, that they remain active on the killboards. We'll give them a month, and if their activity is low enough, they're gone. To be honest though, everyone, including myself, is in a constant probationary period. It's only probation if you really don't enjoy combat. It's a competition if you do enjoy combat, and a fun one at that.

I wonder if and when we'll get a real wave of recruits. One thing is for sure though, these new recruitment methods seem to help quite a bit.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 575

Entry: five hundred seventy-five.

System: GE-8JV
Region: Catch
Time: 23:00
Location: Station

FC: "Anyone know where that frig gang went?" 

Me: "They're here in GE."

FC: "Whoa. Ok, everyone, if you aren't docked, dock up."

*****

Time: 23:03 
 
FC: "Anti-frigate cruisers and battlecruisers, get ready to undock in three, two, one.

I undocked to find the swarm of frigates on the undock. Per FC orders, I and the other ship that undocked went about laying into the frigates. Things didn't go well, however. We both lost our ships. I managed to destroy a Crow before getting the order to deaggress. I hadn't realized how quickly I would go once the pack opened up on me.

I died well before my aggression timer wore out. I should have just opened up on as many frigates as possible, killing as many as possible. At least that Hurricane managed to destroy a few hundred million in ships before going under itself.

*****

Time: 23:15

After wondering how to deal with the frigate-gang, the FC was planning to take out destroyers. This would have been a great idea if there were enough destroyers and fittings on the market. I suggested smartbombing battleships, and the FC went for it. Five or six of the fleet members fitted up EMP smartbomb Geddons with EMP resists and undocked.

The strategy was simple: burn five kilometers off of the station, the activate the bombs as the frigates swarmed. However, the frigates backed off at the last second, and the Geddons didn't take many frigates with them.

*****

Time: 23:30

A bunch of cat and mouse games with the frigs and the Geddons have ensued. Not much has been accomplished except for losing the odd Geddon or two. It turns out we had a spy in our comms. The FC thinks he knows who it is, as it's likely the same person who bubbled the Geddon fleet.

*****

Time: 03:56

Today wasn't very interesting aside from the frigate gang problem earlier. Many lessons are to be learned from this experience though. First, when you undock and the FC gives you orders you don't think you'll survive, or least come out on top in the ISK war in, disobey. Second, spies suck. Third, smartbomb battleships are great at dealing with frigates until the frigates start shooting from beyond five kilometers. Better anti-frigate gangs consist of Drakes with Assault Missiles Launchers or Sniper Hacs. Typically, a Sniper Hac gang is best, but when you're camped in at the undock, it doesn't work because Snipers don't deal with well close-ranges. 

Computer: terminate recording.

Day 572

Entry: five hundred seventy-two.

System: T-RPFU
Region: Providence
Sovereignty: White Noise

I'm in the middle of a Coalition operation, so I'll keep this quick. For the last few hours, we've been destroying White Noise and NCdot assets. After a major battle that started in HED-GP, bounced to SV5, and then finished in HED with NCdot and White Noise running for the protection of CONCORD's skirts in hi-sec space, we've been on a rampage.

We went to towers and incapped every mod as well as reinforcing those towers. We went to stations and completely disabled all services. If the enemy wants a foothold, they'll be grinding their lives for it. They get to repair services and modules every day. They don't get to refit, update clones, repair, anything until they've done so, and only then do the get the chance to fight us. Even if they win, we'll go back and repeat the process if we get a chance. Every time they fail to wipe us out, they'll suffer for it.
 

This is a war of attrition.
 

Computer: terminate recording.

Day 570

Entry: five hundred seventy.

System: CZK-
Region: Catch
Time: 02:20

Hakawu spoke up in the Bar and Grill in CZK- proper; "I wanna go kill something...if I were to lead a roam who would want to come?" Silence followed for a good ten seconds before someone, me, replied. "Sure, I'll go with ya."

After my agreement, several more murmurs of agreement came out. Leaders need followers that will lead as well I guess. Sheep to lead sheep as it were.

One of the others asked what sort of gang we would roll out in.
 
"Nano, two Scimitars," replied Hak.

*****

System: CZK-
Region: Catch
Time: 02:40

"Seriously, does no one want to go out and kill shit today?" asked Hakawu to no one in particular.

*****

System: CZK-
Region: Catch
Time: 02:50
FC: Hakawu 
 
"Alright guys, I guess we're not going to get more. Let's undock and see what we got."

We undocked. I was in a Hurricane, we had two Vagabonds, a Rapier, a Drake, and Hak in a Zealot. "Well, at least least we don't have to worry about logi!" laughed Hak.

"Gimme a minute Hak, I need to repair some heat damage I forgot about," I called.

"Sure thing, no problem," he replied. "We'll leave in five minutes guys."

*****

System: T-RPFU
Region: Providence
Time: 03:30
FC: Hakawu

"Everybody get on the D-G gate at zero," was Hakawu's order.

"I've got a Heretic on scan," someone said. Hakawu said that was that ok, that once the Heretic landed, if he bubbled we would simply jump through. "Heretic landing!" someone, possibly the same person, called out. I haven't learned everyone's voice yet. 

Understandably this is hard to do in an alliance of two thousand or more pilots.

"Nobody aggress," Hakawu reassured us. "Just stay on the gate and when he bubbles us what the fuck just happened!" he laughed. "You guys just NUKED it! Oh my God hahahaha! Everyone align out," he gave the order, just before hostiles appeared on grid, warping in on the D-G gate at zero. "Warp out warp out warp out!"

A few moments passed, then he asked if anyone had been tackled. Silence rung out for a few moments, long enough for me to decide that everyone got away, and I vocalized a "Yep" over comms.

"Alright, everyone warp to Hakawu," Hakawu commanded.

*****

System: T-RPFU
Region: Providence
Time: 03:45
FC: Hakawu

Our lone interceptor had died in a failed gatecrash upon jumping from D-G. Apparently he sets destination for the system he's crashing, burns for the gate, and activates the autopilot. In this case it failed horribly, as autopilot takes several seconds to set in after activation, and he bounced off the gate. Explosive decompression ensued. 

"Everyone warp to D-G at one hundred. Everybody warp, everybody warp. Once you land, pick your favorite celestial and align, microwarpdrives on," came the FC's commands. "We'll just pick off their tackle, when they come to get us."
 
As we landed, I aligned to the first safe spot I had made that night in mid warp. Nothing happened at first, and then, "Here comes the Malediction," someone chuckled. I made multiple attempts to target him, as he kept his transversal high and his range dropped from over hundred clicks to sixty-five. Right around sixty-five clicks away from me, he turned around and headed back to the gate, then warped away towards the station.

"He's going to get a warp-in for them. Guys, take the warp." I was the last to leave, the Hurricane turning like a brick because of the active microwarpdrive.

"Who's still there at the gate? I know I saw someone there when I warped out," called Hak.

"Truenight," I replied. "My mwd was active when you gave warp, so it took a little longer."

*****

System: T-RPFU / MH9C-S
Region: Providence
Time: 03:47
FC: Hakawu

"Warp MH at zero! Everybody warp everybody warp!"

The enemy fleet, NCdot, had scanned us down and warped to our safe spot. We were pre-aligned, waiting to get away. It was going to be close though; NCdot had a few interceptors with them, and it was a long warp to the MH gate.

"Guys, when you land, jump through and annihilate the bubbler that will be waiting for us. Align to the star and pulse your mwd's," Hak commanded.

A few seconds, and the warp tunnel dissipated, dropping me at the MH9C-S gate. I jumped through as the enemy Heretic did.

I arrived on the other side in a fury of reassembled atoms. I immediately aligned for the sun, activating the microwarp. The Heretic dropped a warp bubble as I began targeting him, and in a matter of seconds the frail destroyer class hull crumpled.

I initiated warp.

*****

System: MH9C-S
Region: Providence
Time: 03:48
FC: Hakawu

"Here they come guys," called Hakawu. An interdictor was landing on us, at the sun at zero. "Pop him guys!"

"Here comes more!"

"Burn out of the bubble and warp out! Nail that dictor!" commanded Hakawu.

*****

System: F9E-KX
Region: Catch

FC: Hakawu

'Damn gate lag, I can't jump. The NCdot fleet is right on my heels, and I'm cooling mine at the SV5 gate in F9E...come on come on come on goddammit stiletto jump jump jump...' 

*****

System: SV5-8N
Region: Catch
Time: 03:53
FC: Hakawu

"Align sun align sun mwd's on! Is anyone scrammed?" asked Hak.

"Truenight," I replied.

"Shit align sun primary the stiletto kill the stiletto. Primary the Arazu kill it guys keep burning warp off when you can warp off when you can."

I was the last to leave the field, mwd overheated, and I managed to slowly outpace the Arazu, the lone tackler with a fifty kilometer point. I warped off, NCdot just fractions of a second behind me. I landed at the sun, finding a two NCdot Hurricanes already there and having just tackled the Drake in our fleet, Biskuit. I aligned planet five customs and initiated warp, managing a cycle of my two neutralizers on an enemy Hurricane before entering warp. Biskuit didn't make it out, the NCdot fleet warping in on top of him as I warped out.

"Safe up guys!"

*****

System: SV5-8N / HED-GP
Region: Catch
Time: 04:08
FC: Hakawu

"Align HED."

It took some time, but the combat scanner probes finally tracked us down sixteen au from the HED-GP gate towards the F9E- gate.
 
"Here they come!" Perhaps three seconds passed before the NCdot fleet started landing on grid. "Warp HED and jump go go go warp and jump! When you land align out and pulse your microwarps!"

We slammed into warp, ten seconds later slamming out, and crashed the gate.

An instant of nothing, and I landed. I aligned to to a deep safe, overheating the microwarp, and targeted the Arazu that came in.

"Anyone tackled?" asked Hakawu.

"I'm scrammed," replied Rhianna. "I'm dead Hak, get outta here!"

"Fleet warp fleet warp," commanded Hak.

I warped out, the Vagabond exploding behind me.

*****

System: HED-GP
Region: Catch
Time: 04:15
FC: Hakawu

I had been sitting in my super deep-safe spot, apparently a remnant of an old incursion site. Thirty clicks from the nearest celestial, damn near no one would ever find it. Were I scanning, I sure wouldn't bother with a scan great than eight au out of pure need for speed.

"Warp to the x's for the jumpbridge to GE-."

I warped. The roam was done, and even though we lost half of our fleet, we all had fun being the chased instead of the chasers.

Surviving ships: Me in a Hurricane, Hakawu in a Zealot, CreCre in a Harbinger.

Destroyed ships: Crow, Ishkur, Vagabond.
 
Possibly destroyed ships: Vagabond. killmail and pilot missing from all battles on Cascade Imminent Killboard.
 
Computer: terminate recording.

Day 569

Entry: five hundred sixty-nine.

System: 49-U6U
Region: Catch
Sovereignty: Cascade Imminent.
 

There doesn't seem to be much going on today. We're still redeploying to GE-8, because people always procrastinate. Seems people don't really change in the basic respects: once a procrastinator, always a procrastinator. 

Reschef came through for me today, netting me another fifty million ISK. This mixed in with some sell orders I put out brought me to just over three hundred million. Now just to go rat some more in 49-U...

Archiebald Hornby: "EVERYONE, GET IN FLEET NOW! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY OP! YOU'D BETTER GET IN FLEET, BECAUSE IF I DON'T SEE YOU IN IT I'LL BE COMING AFTER YOU! AHACS, GET FROM CZK TO THE 4-07 JUMPBRIDGE!"

So much for that. Computer, redock and eject from from vessel.

*****

Thirty seconds is a pretty fast trip for 4-07 to CZK-. Clonejumping is pretty useful. Computer, board Claw.

Computer: "Command verified."

Archiebald Hornby: "How far do they have you down?"

???: "Ninety percent armor."
 

*****

Five minutes is about as fast as I've seen for a seventy-five man fleet. Really, it's quite phenomenal. Normal form up time for a fleet this size is at least double that, if not triple.

Archiebald Hornby: "Guys, get through into 4-07. Take the jumpbridge from CZK to 4-07. Seraph, what do they got you at?"

Seraph: "Fifty-six percent armor."

Archiebald Hornby: "How bubbled are you?"
 
Seraph: "I'm pretty bubbled."
 
Archiebald Hornby: "How many we got in fleet? Seventy, alright, we might be able to do this. Guys, get into RR-dos on the 25S gate and HOLD. DO NOT JUMP. Hak, you in a Dram?"

Hakawu: "Yeah."

Archiebald Hornby: "Fleet, jump in. X's are in fleet."

Seraph: "Looks like your best bet will be from...planet seven..."

Archiebald Hornby: "Hak, warp to planet seven and get a warp in, fleet jump in and warp to planet seven. Fleet, warp to planet seven.

*****

Hakawu: "Warp to me warp to me!"

Archiebald Hornby: "FLEET WARP TO HAKAWU, FLEET WARP! Did everyone get warp?"

???: "Someone warped the fleet."

Archiebald Hornby: "Good good..."

*****

We landed at the edge of a bubble. Being a tackler, I did a sensible thing and microwarped straight down, skirting the edge of the bubbles. Halfway around, I noticed a few Scimitars holding at the bottom edge, and I started to burn towards them. A second look showed me a Dramiel on fast approach.

I made the right decision to burn away. That right decision didn't work out quite as planned, as I soon found myself sucked dry of capacitor. No capacitor, I knew I was doomed. It still took them thirty seconds to kill me between the five ships that blew me up.

The Claw crumpled. I was, however, outside of the bubble when I was destroyed, and I made a few jumps back to CZK-, where I reshipped to a Wolf and made the trip back through 4-07 via the jumpbridge. When I finally made it back to 25S-, I entered warp just as Archie called for the fleet to warp out. The supers had exited the field, and the field was hot on their heels. I thought for sure I was going to bite it on landing.

And then Archie called for "good fight in local guys". My plans for the future changed suddenly, from dying in a second fire in the space of five minutes to looting the field. My cargohold was small, but I knew I could get some good stuff. Seraph was grateful for the rescue operation, which he caused by ratting in a Sanctum with a super. He was so grateful in fact, that he promised to reimburse any ships lost on the operation. When you think about it, it makes sense. The few ships we lost are a paltry sum to the super he almost lost.

Computer: link battle report and terminate recording.