TPARty

Well, it appears to be over bar the shouting. TPAR sovereignty will switch to Tortugan hands as of downtime today (barring a bug/ act of God/ whatever).

Last night (GMT night), a major support fleet of mainly BSs, and a cap fleet was assembled to finish off the remaining BoB POSs in TPAR that had been put into reinforced the previous night.

The cap fleet was a combined effort of the following:

Tortuga (providing about half the numbers)
IRON
RZR
TCF
IAC

Total numbers at peak:

116 Dreads
50 Carriers
13 MS
2 Titans

I was in a Tempest, and me and my BS buddies were sat off the heavily bubbled MGO gate, while the lighter support zipped around as the FC directed. Everyone was wondering if BoB would show, but it soon became clear that they probably wouldn't. This was confirmed to us when we got word that RA had somehow got a BoB POS password, warped in a Titan and BOOM HEADSHOT. Reports were 50-60 BSs died. I am not sure if this is down to the initial blast or any follow up pewpew? I know that KIA fleet setups for BS, on the whole, can take a Titan blast. Anyway, I digress.

Some screenshots of the cap fleet (BMP format, apologies, I didn't take them):

Cluster
POS shooty
Purty

We were getting word of POSs as they were coming out of reinforced, then getting popped 5 minutes later. Not many of us BS pilots had seen the whole Cap fleet, so when we heard they were popping POSs in 3-5 minutes, we got some idea of just how many Caps there were. Some kind soul had set up a news thread on EveO so we could keep up with what was going on.

The final POS fell, and I think you could almost hear the sighs of relief.

PB had been expected to fall quickly, but not by me. I know hindsight etc., but when it was first announced we'd form Tortuga I thought it wasn't going to be quick. There's no way on earth BoB would let us steamroller PB. Maybe if the forums didn't exist and there wasn't chest-beating smacktacular flamefests, they'd have defended TPAR long enough to get their kit out and then concentrated on Delve defence. But they had a point to prove, and I think they did a brilliant job to be honest. It's a real credit to their leadership and pilots that they held us off as long as they did.

And now the dust is settling, the fat lady is walking onto the stage, who knows what will happen. The spotlight has now shifted to Delve. Whether BoB will pull an 'RA' and go down to one system, hanging in there at all costs, we shall see. Personally, I think once an entity is down to one system, defence is made easier, you just need numbers. And BoB sure as hell has those. And Caps. Any victory over BoB in such a circumstance could turn out to be pyrrhic.

I am reasonably sure we won't be joining in the attack on Delve, that wasn't what we set out to do, but I'm not involved with any command decisions. With any luck, we can go back to contract work, but I'm not naive enough to think it's a situation that can last. As mercs before Tortuga, we weren't bound to territory. After Tortuga, we very much are, as are MC. As such, we'll have to come defend when attacked.

What effect this will have on KIA Alliance's future as mercs remains to be seen. But for now, we will enjoy the honeymoon period...

Eve Tribune War Reports

As I have just discovered, the rather excellent Eve Tribune is covering the Tortuga war, and is doing a great job of reporting the facts while remaining neutral. As such, here are the last 2 weeks reports, copied from here and here:

"The war for Period Basis now continues into its third week with continuing server issues. No major offensive actions have occurred with either side in the meanwhile, with BoB’s last attack on Tortugan space being the failed Assault Frigate horde.

On Wednesday, the BoB Cynochain in L-Y, MG0 and TPAR were all attacked by Tortugan forces, knocking between four to six POS into reinforced. The jump bridges were disabled in these neighboring systems for another wave of pushes towards BoB’s remaining foothold in the region. Roughly 70 Battleships and 130 ships of other classes were destroyed with an equal number of losses for both Tortugans and BoB.

On Thursday, a large Tortugan Capital force of roughly 120 Capital and Super-Capital ships escorted by 80 support prepared to launch an attack on the MG0 system as the bridge pos dropped out of reinforced. BoB responded with a force of 80 Capitals and 150 Support. The node was being shaky as before, and a new cynojammer was anchored and onlined before Tortugan forces could deploy into the system. The attack was called off given the presence of the jammer preventing capital deployment and the fortified BoB position and the capital fleet ordered to stand down. BoB moved an hour later with the possibility of attacking MC’s 1-N system, but they too stood down given the fortified position of the defenders in the system. A suicide operation of T2 Frigates was conducted by the Tortugans, with massive losses, as they moved into the TPAR system, most destroyed trying to enter the system.

By Friday, BoB’s attempt on an MC POS in L-Y was deflected, with the POS successfully repaired before BoB forces could destroy it. An MC medium tower was taken down in BoB’s MG0 and the repaired MC POS in L-Y was put back into reinforced.

On Saturday, the Shrike Titan incident occurred. Tortugans jump bridged a fleet of Dictors and support to assist in the attack upon the BoB Titan. Most were unable to enter the system with support before the mass-disconnects, ending the operation.

At the end of the week, there has been no advancement by either side on the Period Basis front. All of the Tortugan offensive operations have been defended against, and BoB has made no move aside from trying to hold onto their last remaining outpost and jump chain, having apparently decided to hold at all costs TPAR, the Y-2 system in Fountain, and ‘Fortress Delve’.

In the fourth week of the Period Basis campaign between BoB and the Tortuga group, no major engagements occurred in terms of direct confrontation. While no Tortugan systems have been seriously attacked by BoB forces, the BoB held the system of TPAR against multiple incursions. A few small and medium TPAR towers were unanchored early this week, with reports of possible freighter movements to evacuate some assets in case of the worst.

The stalemate remained largely as in the previous weeks until an advance was made early Tuesday night, when a Tortugan support group put the BoB Cynojammer in MGO offline, as well as reinforcing the TCAG and MGO POS in preparation of eliminating BoB’s remaining logistical infrastructure for the push on the TPAR system.

Thursday night, the TCAG Sov-holding jammer POS was eliminated in TCAG, and the MGO Jump Bridge POS was destroyed as well. BoB’s Sov3 in TCAG was broken, the first shift in sovereignty since beginning of the Tortuga announcement. A Tortugan staging pos in MGO was destroyed as well.

Early Friday morning, the Tortugans reinforced all seven remaining BoB large towers in TPAR. BoB moved back to successfully repair their last cynojammer remaining tower in MGO, repelling attacks by Tortugan Battleships using a pair of Aeon-class Motherships. In the process, a Tortugan Thanatos-class carrier piloted by the well known Mynas Atoch was destroyed in the retreat.

Saturday saw the repairing and subsequent destruction of a Tortugan staging POS in the TPAR system. Producing 200+ ships and 2 Titans, BoB repaired their reinforced towers in the cynojammed TPAR system before dispersing. The Tortugan fleet conducted a roaming interference operation in the meanwhile.

As a summary for week 4: Two BoB POS were destroyed in their systems, and the Tortugan offensive on TPAR was foiled again by Sov3 Cynojamming and a large titan-centric defense force. However, BoB has not launched any offensive action of its own this week, being quite busy with the defense of Delve against RSF invasion.

The war for Period Basis now continues into its third week with continuing server issues. No major offensive actions have occurred with either side in the meanwhile, with BoB’s last attack on Tortugan space being the failed Assault Frigate horde.

On Wednesday, the BoB Cynochain in L-Y, MG0 and TPAR were all attacked by Tortugan forces, knocking between four to six POS into reinforced. The jump bridges were disabled in these neighboring systems for another wave of pushes towards BoB’s remaining foothold in the region. Roughly 70 Battleships and 130 ships of other classes were destroyed with an equal number of losses for both Tortugans and BoB.

On Thursday, a large Tortugan Capital force of roughly 120 Capital and Super-Capital ships escorted by 80 support prepared to launch an attack on the MG0 system as the bridge pos dropped out of reinforced. BoB responded with a force of 80 Capitals and 150 Support. The node was being shaky as before, and a new cynojammer was anchored and onlined before Tortugan forces could deploy into the system. The attack was called off given the presence of the jammer preventing capital deployment and the fortified BoB position and the capital fleet ordered to stand down. BoB moved an hour later with the possibility of attacking MC’s 1-N system, but they too stood down given the fortified position of the defenders in the system. A suicide operation of T2 Frigates was conducted by the Tortugans, with massive losses, as they moved into the TPAR system, most destroyed trying to enter the system.

By Friday, BoB’s attempt on an MC POS in L-Y was deflected, with the POS successfully repaired before BoB forces could destroy it. An MC medium tower was taken down in BoB’s MG0 and the repaired MC POS in L-Y was put back into reinforced.

On Saturday, the Shrike Titan incident occurred. Tortugans jump bridged a fleet of Dictors and support to assist in the attack upon the BoB Titan. Most were unable to enter the system with support before the mass-disconnects, ending the operation.

At the end of the week, there has been no advancement by either side on the Period Basis front. All of the Tortugan offensive operations have been defended against, and BoB has made no move aside from trying to hold onto their last remaining outpost and jump chain, having apparently decided to hold at all costs TPAR, the Y-2 system in Fountain, and ‘Fortress Delve’.

In the fourth week of the Period Basis campaign between BoB and the Tortuga group, no major engagements occurred in terms of direct confrontation. While no Tortugan systems have been seriously attacked by BoB forces, the BoB held the system of TPAR against multiple incursions. A few small and medium TPAR towers were unanchored early this week, with reports of possible freighter movements to evacuate some assets in case of the worst.

The stalemate remained largely as in the previous weeks until an advance was made early Tuesday night, when a Tortugan support group put the BoB Cynojammer in MGO offline, as well as reinforcing the TCAG and MGO POS in preparation of eliminating BoB’s remaining logistical infrastructure for the push on the TPAR system.

Thursday night, the TCAG Sov-holding jammer POS was eliminated in TCAG, and the MGO Jump Bridge POS was destroyed as well. BoB’s Sov3 in TCAG was broken, the first shift in sovereignty since beginning of the Tortuga announcement. A Tortugan staging pos in MGO was destroyed as well.

Early Friday morning, the Tortugans reinforced all seven remaining BoB large towers in TPAR. BoB moved back to successfully repair their last cynojammer remaining tower in MGO, repelling attacks by Tortugan Battleships using a pair of Aeon-class Motherships. In the process, a Tortugan Thanatos-class carrier piloted by the well known Mynas Atoch was destroyed in the retreat.

Saturday saw the repairing and subsequent destruction of a Tortugan staging POS in the TPAR system. Producing 200+ ships and 2 Titans, BoB repaired their reinforced towers in the cynojammed TPAR system before dispersing. The Tortugan fleet conducted a roaming interference operation in the meanwhile.

As a summary for week 4: Two BoB POS were destroyed in their systems, and the Tortugan offensive on TPAR was foiled again by Sov3 Cynojamming and a large titan-centric defense force. However, BoB has not launched any offensive action of its own this week, being quite busy with the defense of Delve against RSF invasion.

-Aries Acheron "

TPAR ping-pong

Not much more to report on the Period Basis front. The situation has been steady for over a week- the Tortugans (us) control most of the systems bar maybe one or two. The one last major BoB system is TPAR, which is like a game of ping-pong. We blob the system, reinforce their POSs, take down Cyno Jammers, pop up some POSs of our own. Next day, they blob the system, repair the POSs and Cyno Jammers and reinforce our POSs.

However, BoB is being stretched between Period Basis and Delve, where the Russians and the Goons are assaulting their home systems, and that can't be good. Having said that, they are very good at this sort of fighting, it's in their blood, and shouldn't be underestimated.

It does make for a boring blog, so I'll update this every now and again until we resume more normal activities.

Been a while

Been a while since my last post, but things will get back on track soon. Been a busy few weeks, what with Xmas and all, and the POS war to'ing and fro'ing which, while very important, isn't exactly riveting (rivetting?) reading.