Morale is at an all time high !
For two weeks the warriors of Ushra’Khan have successfully defended the tower we originally took from SSI. Many enemies have died within the reach of its turrets. In some wierd twist of events SSI have become their own undoing.
To begin with they were savagely assaulted due to their affiliation with the slavers of CVA and Sylph. Over time their arrogance turned the operation of disrupting their supplylines into a bitter struggle of wills where U’K warriors would simply move in and live in their home system of KW-. I know, as I have spend no less than 3 weeks no further than 2 jumps from KW-.
SSI have had increasingly problems fueling their SOV holding towers in their constellation as U’K stealth bombers have been deployed at each tower as well as multiple small gangs roaming their space. That has caused some of their towers to go offline and it seem the result is that they have started taking them down.
When you unanchor a tower it takes a certain time for it to complete the operation where it is extremely vulnurable as all defences are turned off and only a fleet can protect the industrial assigned with scooping the tower.
The result has been that a number of towers has been ninja hijacked by U’K gangs. Always having a cloaked hauler at the ready running ammo and picking up loot, the opportunity has offered itself for U’K to steal no less than two large Amarr towers and a number of smaller ones.
SSI as a consequence has retreated to their outpost and refuse to commit to battle of any scale and only come out to fuel whatever towers they have left. In order to draw them out we would have to be bold and expose our fleet to the large fleets of CVA and Sylph. The solution was to put up one of the stolen large towers of SSI and challenge their SOV.
In short order U’K erected a deathstar under the fire of CVA and Sylph fleets. For some reason SSI did not contribute to these fleets that set out to help them defend their space.
The onslaught has been great and today we were informed we would face another of same proportions.
The roaring engines of the Megathron came to life as the fleet set out from the system of Utopia and this is where one of the most exciting weeks for me in a long time started.
We all arrived well at the large tower and set up perimeter and got our warp in and warp out spots set up.
Anticipation was high as we expected to be heavily outnumbered but would be fighting with POS gunners on our side near the large tower. Thus the odds might even be slightly in our favor if we performed well and on spot.
The minutes dragged into hours as we came to realise that the fleet reported by our intel was not going to materialize near our small part of space.
A quick survey of opinions resulted in the general attitude that if they would not come to us, we would have to come to them. However our fleet were in no position to fight a much larger fleet in their own backyard and on their terms. So we would have to settle for some general harassment of the station services in KW-
we set out and arrived at the almost too common sight of the KW- station with a drag bubble that would catch traffic to and from both gates and the station. I am at a loss as to the placement of that outpost once again.
We quickly set to work and took down the repair-service like we have done so many times before. It has become second nature that if you are in the KW- system for whatever reason you set your drones on the station services. Its ot like SSI will come out and attack you anyway. They have become quite paranoid in regards to traps.
After the repair-service came the cloning service and while we were at it we might as well take one more service.
Tedious work and it did not draw the response we hoped for. SSI stay docked while their space was violated and their station molested.
After almost two hours of hammering on the station services it looked like nothing more then a heap of metal, not fit for habitation. Of course the inner structures were intact and protected by the station shields but the damages to the services showed everywhere. Flames and gasses vented into the cold space.
I powered down the ship in the next door system of W9- and drifted off while the crew went about their duties of maintaining the huge 425mm Railguns mounted on the sides of the Megathron.
I slowly came to the next day as a signal was coming through. A lone hunter was chasing a sole Megathron through some systems. Apparently it was stabbed with warp core stabilizers and giving the chaser a hard time. He called for damage dealers as more joined the hunt and it became apparent that it was not just a mere Megathron. It was the Navy version. What in EvE was it doing so far from regulated empire space ?
Never mind that, I told myself and informed the crew we would need the 425′s loaded with close-range antimatter slugs and the Ogre II drones ready to deploy for maximum damage.
The hunt was on !
[OOC]This started an over 8 hours long combat cycle so forgive me if I have missed anything or even mix up some events, to the best of my knowledge this is what took place[OOC]
The little bastard was bold enough to come blasting through right under my very nose as he escaped another risky jump with a point being called but for some reason webs had been deployed on him as well so he aligned quickly and warped out.
Two jumps later we corrected that mistake and he got no less than 4 points called on him before the webs ht him with full force. He called out in the local system channel for mercy. “No quarter is asked and none given, sorry” was the harsh reply he got from the pilot simply named as Forty Three.
In short order his magnificent ship was redued to a smoldering wreck.
We devided the loot and I was not really interested in the stuff but for some time I will use the more expensive Federation Navy Antimatter 
.
I also got an escort back to the F4R station that fall under the domain of Against All Authorities (AAA or -A-).
Overseeing the docking procedures I got to the conclusion that more interdictors were needed. All to often prey got away due to having a huge number of warp core stabilizers. I talked to the rest of the warriors and there was general agreement that we could use a Sabre. The Sabre I once was very familiar with and flew it often into combat alongside the fleet of KIA. Interdictors have one of the highest death rates as their armor and shield are frail and they have the most dangerous job of all. To rush over the entire length of a battlefield dodging the space filled with ammunition being shot at insane speeds from both sides of the engagement and then put up a bubble on the hostile fleet, getting out of said bubble and align back. Rinse and repeat as necessary. A dangerous job to be sure, but one I feel the KHAI is suited for.
It took me almost and hour to get the Sabre from empire and back to utopia.
Landing in Sendaya, a scout reports a Sylph tower is being unanchored in the system of A-VILQ with 14 minutes to go.
A quick check on the navigation told me 15+ jumps. I was going to be late almost for sure even if the road was clear all the way. A fleet invitation went out over the alliance coms asking to sync the ships up. I reported in and was scouted into Doril where I set off in a frantic chase towards the A-VILQ system.
Click here for large size map.
In order to understand the following movements I advise to keep the map open and refer to it.
The star charts bloomed and showed the number of active pilots, but were inaccurate as they keep records for 30 minutes. That results in that the number of ships in each system is way too high but it still makes for an amazing sight when a dispersed fleet in on the move to a location.
Over the alliance coms I could hear battle starting when I was still 10 jumps out and the FC called for an interdictor. I reported that I was still 9 jumps out but en route. In GE- system I was greeted by the chippering of ny navigational warning signal as multiple reds were jumping in, but they were not organised yet and I slipped through together with a covert hauler.
We made it as far as the CB4- gate in EX- where we had to pause as a hostile taranis and 2 other ships held the gate and more reported on the other side.
We waited for 3 maybe 4 minutes but it seemed an eternity. Especially with the war sounds booming over the NeoCom. Its a heightened state of mind where the heart races and all you think about is to enter the struggle next to your comrades in arms, but the smallest remains of logic tells you to hold back so you can join the fight and do some good instead of dying 2 jumps from the actual battle.
The Taranis and his mates left into CB4- and only 15 seconds later the gate was called clear and I warped in. Fighting and skirmishes had broken out in multiple systems now.
Sylph is jumping in reinforcement by their jumpbridge system and U’K pilots drip in one at a time to enter the fray.
19:50 sees the first blood drawn in struggle that will end many hours later.
Sylph looses the following ships in A-VILQ to a 12 man gang that snatch the unanchored tower
Dominix, Battleship
Prorator, Transport
Myrmidon, Battlecruiser
Megathron, Battleship
Falcon, Recon ship
At the same time as the last hostile dies I jump in to system and take up position on the N-8BZ6 gate in A-VILQ with 4 other ships. Managing to keep Sylph locked out Meera has for unknown reasons jumped into X3FQ-W where I am unsure if there also is a jumpbridge of Sylphs. None the less she reports a Rorqual on scan and drop a probe.
I headed for the gate of X3FQ-W and is shortly joined by the rest as we scoop the tower.
30 seconds later Meeras frantic voice sounds over the FleetCom. “Point, point, I got him, his drones will tear me apart, jump and warp to me now.” We all jumped and initiate warp. My ship being one of the faster ones to align come out of warp and landed me a mere 3 km of the huge industrial ship.
Quickly I launched a warp disrupting probe that shuts down the warp cores of the large ship and render it motionless. For some odd reason this huge bulk of metal is in a PLEX, a deadspace where Sanshas pirates are happily attacking away on it and don’t mind that we also start to pick on their prey.
While we signed the death sentence of the beast a KIA gang were reported around Utopia/F4R as well as a Paxton Federation gang that had landed in GE-94X. The Rorqual resulted in a 2 billion isk epic firework !
As we wrapped up the dead Rorqual and moved out we decided to split our relative small gang. Some wanted to cause more mayhem and others to head for the bars of F4R.
We decided to call in reinforcements to break the GE-94X camp that now consist of Sylph ships and some auxiliary troops. We bait them with U’K ships while AAA jump them from the other side of the gate.
A U’K HAC had to bite the dust but the result is a win with 10 kills, as the much heavier fleet supported by frigates take one in the teeth.
While this takes place our small contingent of ships move further into Sylph space while there is general joking of where we shall deploy the tower we just stole.
Getting closer to Sylph main systems we encounter a Megathron that is bubbled and promptly killed. This sparks a 5 hour roam into Sylph territory where we almost unencountered pick of the ratters and prey on their weaker pilots.
After the initial 2 hours they do however get the idea and start putting up some sort of organized opposition.
We set up camp in the BR- system on the IS- gate and deploy bubbles between the gates and the station. Like spiders we wait and strike without mercy at the Sylph ships.
A Raven is reported in IS- and I go through and bubble him but he has smartbombs that destroy my probe and he then warps off unharmed to my annoyance. I was so sure I had him.
We go back and sit on the IS- gate. This Raven is bound to comeback and show his arrogance and next time we will not be some forgiving and I will not deploy the probe so close to him. He is going to go down.
After 10minutes a Drake is reported tackled in IS- and we race there once more. The poor sod thought it safe to hunt pirates in the asteroid belts with a 12 man gang next door and a red in local.
We soon taught him the error of his way as he meekly called for help over the local channels. We were gone as fast as we had killed the poor soul.
Back in BR- I took time to take in the view of this very pretty system. The sky has such a great color composition and I wondered to myself when it was the last time I had beheld the beauty of the universe. I knew the answer was right before I joined U’K and was underway of leaving Ore Mongers.
I wonder if anyone else but me stop every once in a while and just sit and take it all in ?
I toyed with my camera drones to make time go and got some great shots of our small camp at the gate.
Reports tickled in that our tower in GMLH-K was under attack from something as odd as a frigate gang.
We smiled as the first losses of their fleet tickled in and it was not long before the enemy gave up their half hearted attempt to attack the deathstar.
We got a few more kills as the night drew on and a new day dawned but Sylph had had enough.
Something had to be done to these defiant freedom fighters and a fleet was being assembled in ERVK-P.
We were 20 U’K pilots in BR- with 12-14 active pilots at any given time. The Sylph fleet was composed of roughly 10 battleships 20 assorted BC to cruiser sized ships with heavy interdictor support. They also had some 20 pilots in BR- and 25 more in IS-. We cant only assume that most of them were docked and inactive.
The odds did not look good. But U’K is known for fighting against the odds and 2:1 is considered ok odds. But we needed a plan.
We would not jump into the camp they had set up in ERVK-P on the BR- gate, and after a while Sylph seemed to realise that as well. They, being the numerical superior, would have to come to us. Clearly a proposition that frustrated them to no end.
We came up with a 3 bubble solution that would cover their gates as well as their jumpbridges and I was put roughly 200 km above the station in order to warp in on anyone landing in any of the 3 bubbles.
Together with the interceptors I was also one of the few not able to cloak up.
We did not have to wait long before the local system number swelled and I could feel that this did indeed look like bleak odds.
I open up my directional scanner and saw nothing. I periodically scanned every 10-20 sec and all of a sudden it exploded in a festivity of ships.
“Incoming, Incoming” I called.
"Get ready, draw them out, keep your transversal up and don’t get killed" the FC called.
They landed in the top right bubble and I activated my microwarpdrive homing in like a missile on their position.
Alarms started chirping as I was lit up by multiple hostiles but they did not open fire and focused on the Vagabonds instead and I launched my bubble on top of half their fleet which caused them some panic as no one likes to find themselves in a bubble. Coming out clean I turned around and got back on top of the station. A lone Crow had seen me and headed in my direction. The gang disengaged and pulled back, getting ready for a second onslaught.
We had killed a Hugging and a Rupture at the expense of a Taranis. So far so good.
We had also managed to get their fleet spread out over the entire space but so was our own forces.
We went in for a second round, screaming defiance over the FleetComs and engaging the enemy fleet.
"NEUT" was all Xennith could yell before the Vagabond exploded, everything from there on went horribly wrong.
My bubble deployed but our forces was chased off and the bubble hung there in space to no use at all. We took losses of two more Vagabonds and I called that we were not focused and should retreat.
FC agreed and called the rest off. I barely made it out as I was down low and running with two ceptors in hot pursuit. They had me locked at were spewing slugs at me but I was free to warp out.
Lord Makk in his Cerberus was down to 30% hull and we decided enough was enough and limped off.
I was still high from the fighting when I powered down the ship in BR- at a safe location some 20 minutes later when my electronics no longer emitted combat signals.
All in all this concluded one of the most exiting roams ever. These small organized gangs are not afraid to take on fleets 3 times their size and dont shrink in the face of danger. Not even in KIA, in large fleet battles has I felt anything so intense. Ive only dipped my toes and cant wait to have more of it.
