Fighting Broke

MC's True Spirit

2008-05-01T12:49:00.003-07:00

“A warrior’s true spirit is only determined the moment before his defeat.” – Old Amarrian saying

The last month has been a busy time for Band of Brothers. What started as a minor invasion of Querious turned into a full on route of Coalition forces. In fact, at this point in time I believe the “Coalition” has ceased to exist in any sort of military capacity. All the northern alliances have retreated back to their home systems and are now dealing with their own local threats. The number of moon installations captured and destroyed by GBC forces is staggering…including several outpost stations.

Querious is now firmly in GBC control.

Like I previously thought…this was a near death blow to the Mercenary Coalition, completely cutting off their access to the logistical train in Empire space. While all intel reports stated that we would next go for the MC controlled C3N sector and outpost located there, we instead drove deep inside the MC core systems. 1-N sector is where we ended up and started our assault. As of this writing we are currently in siege and dismantling their sovereignty 4 claims. This will take another week to complete, but the damaging effect on the MC membership is already evident.

What I have witnessed from MC is nothing sort of disappointing. Insurance fraud, suicide operations, and general lack of military fortitude have severely diminished my once high opinion of our foe. How could MC fold this easily is an entire mystery to me and my fellow grunts on the front lines. As always, it seems to be a lack (or complete failure) of leadership from first impressions…but if things continue, MC will be known for folding faster than ASCN. A title I am sure they do not wish upon their resumes.

Regardless, MC has now ceased being an effective combat unit. They will never carry another contract of any note if they finish this way in Period Basis. This is the moment of defeat for a once proud lion of the south…it is almost a shame that it is by our hand, but a necessary task due to the nature of their betrayal.

I often marvel on how I can predict the strategic moves having no access to command level intel...and I fail to see why MC did not plan for this coming storm.

Operationally…my activities have been light this month. The battle for QY6 several weeks ago exhausted my crews, so I pulled back for a much needed break. The EVOL Blackguard is getting refit with a larger defensive array that should help it survive the battles once we push out of Period Basis. I have been in talks with the logistics unit in the GBC to coordinate command bonuses to our armor repair fleet. I hope we meet unbridled success.

Currently I am fighting in a Harbinger class BC…which most crews lovingly refer to as a “Glass Cannon” due to its high damage output, but weak defensive measures. Still, it helped destroy a Tortuga carrier just a few days ago, but we will see how long it lasts.

All in all…the last 45 days have been nothing more than one cleanup job, with the exception of taking QY6…which was a bloody affair. Maybe sometime soon I can recount those times, but not too soon.

After the Party

2008-03-26T14:41:00.003-07:00

The conquest of Delve has ended.

While I am sure many will disagree within the Coalition...their objectives have failed. There will be no invasion of NOL, at least in the foreseeable future. BoB forces are now busy cleaning up all the remnants of the invasion and retaking formerly controlled sectors. It has been hasty retreat, and we are finding a majority of the POS installations unguarded...easily looted and destroyed. I could not tell you how many POS module installations we have acquired over the past two weeks...but it is significant. Currently the Coalition has a stronghold in QY6, and there are additional enemy forces basing in the OK-FEM area. These will be the final battles of Delve for this campaign.

A minor offensive has been launched into Querious, mainly just to give a "one - two" punch while we clear our home sectors. While I wonder what our end goals will be, I assume that retribution for MC is not far down the pipe. Cutting off Querious would be a worrisome development to MC...making their logistic train back to Empire space much harder. Querious is so full of disjointed alliance adventures, there is no real cohesive defense in place. While BoB has been getting into big fleet fights...they are generally one sided at best (complete domination at worst).

Still, not all news is good news. Red Alliance 'hot dropped' part of their capital fleet on top of a small BoB capital fleet taking out an undefended POS. Lesson learned with 10 capital losses...and I suppose fair play. There have been so many RA capital losses to BoB over the last year it was almost fitting they finally succeeded in some small fashion. It also teaches the lesson of tactical moderation...losses will occur, so plan for it.

My crews have witnessed some spectacular fighting (and numerous victories) over the last few weeks. CONCORD (in junction with DED) initiated massive improvements to the Pod Pilot HUD on pod-captained ships that allows the disabling of Brackets. This was a huge burden on the communication systems of any pod-captained ship, but now with the firmware fix the effectiveness of my crews has jumped at least 150%. Staying on fleet targets, and maximizing defensive maneuvers has never been easier. Pod Captains that fail to switch over to these systems are really doing themselves, and their crews a huge disservice.

Update on the EVOL Blackguard...she has seen extreme fire and lived.

What a ship and excellent crew. During a POS removal operation, I took the Blackguard forward 2 sectors as advanced scout. We were close to PR- sector and enemy harassment fleets are still quite common there, basing out of the Blood Raider station found there (most likely at a higher bribe rate than BoB). Sure enough after several minutes a forward Vagabond Heavy Assault scout jumps in...I tell the crew to activate all defensive measures and wait for the ship to open fire. Sure enough, he warp scrambles me and begins to open up with his Autocannons. I get on fleet comms and explain the situation....

"2 jumps away (sector), Vagabond aggressed, expecting more hostiles. " I think the FC just took me for dead since I did not get a reply at first. "Damnation class Command Ship here. It will take them 2 weeks to break my 'tank...advise you clean up these clowns." I continued...

There was a bit of a laughter on fleet comms, and the FC sent the support component to my 'aid'. By the time they showed up in the inbound gate (I was on the outbound unfortunately), I had 6 Heavy Recon and Heavy Assault ships all pounding away at the Blackguard's armor. The ship was scrambled, webbed, jammed, and being slowly drained of capacitor...for well over 1.5 minutes (an eternity in nullsec combat).

Once the cavalry arrived, the enemy disengaged and got away....all except the initial Vagabond, who thought he could dance around without getting shot down. Lesson learned for one Vagabond pilot. I asked the FC to rep my armor back up in his Guardian class Logistics ship as I had no Armor Repair system installed...and he noticed I had close to 88% rating left.

"2 weeks is about right I reckon"...I could see him grinning as only one cycle brought me back up to full armor strength. 326k Effective Armor is no joke...except on the enemy ships that find themselves shooting at such a beast.

Of Tactical Retreats

2008-03-12T10:42:00.002-07:00

Warfare has always been like the tides back on Penirgman's Vashreon Coast...advancing, and retracting in predictable fashions. Geo politics within the Eve Cluster moderates the warfare in the nullsec systems quite effectively...and often with much foresight. Several months ago, GBC Alliance members held many cluster regions...but now that is all lost to the predictable reaction when a group expands too quickly with too much success.

Today, Band of Brothers is in control of only its home region of Delve, and many of its allies are broken and shattered across the cluster. From what I can tell, the leadership has purposely retracted its military footing over the last few months in the form of a Tactical Retreat...something hardly ever lectured upon in Amarr War Colleges. While I may not be formally trained in such strategy, I can tell it is being executed with deadly precision. The basic maneuver is to fight a series of skirmish battles across several sectors while pulling your most valuable assets back to the home regions...allowing the enemy to become flush with victories. These victories are key in exploiting their belief that they are invincible...which leads to serious errors in strategy.

Once back in Delve it was clear the hammer was coming down...with BoB leadership authorizing the formation of the largest capital fleets I have ever seen...including Empire Navy Fleets. The Coalition was allowed to gain a toe-hold in Delve so they could easily bring forth new reinforcements, and they were utterly crushed by superior tactics and advanced ships during any major battles. It is remarkable to see the ignorance of the enemy as they continue throwing vast fleets to "Grinder Alley"...the route from QY6 to PR- sectors. BoB leadership is obviously banking on continuously destroying Coalition fleets until their stockpiles have run out. Nothing I have seen has led me to believe the leadership present in the Coalition realizes that it cannot defeat BoB in Delve, but that is really what BoB is counting on.

It reminds me of the guerrilla actions of Matari slave revolts on Amarr Prime...but instead of tunnels and secret caches of weapons, the Alliance uses cynojammers and jump bridges. The extension of planetary warfare on a macro scale to fleet operations of this magnitude is surprising. I suppose in essence...the term "war is war...nothing else" is very apt.

Already a Red Alliance Titan was destroyed...with another trapped in NOL (I suspect). Well over 70 enemy tower installations have been destroyed and looted. Only one can guess the level of ship destruction that is still going on as I write this. The conventional wisdom in Eve is that you cannot fight a defensive war and survive, but once again the Alliance is proving the 'CW' wrong.

Fractures are starting to show now within the ranks of the more informed enemies. Mercenary Coalition has taken a 'fake contract' to attack a weak northern alliance that I suspect will allow them to distance themselves from Delve. Several northern alliances have already pulled back seeing how many ships they have lost. Red Alliance has moved into offensive operations within the eastern drone regions. I will not even go into the recruiting that BoB is doing from these alliances...but it is 'robust' after proving who had the sharper fangs. When you are heavily outnumbered but still come out victorious...that has a lasting effect on your legacy.

On a personal note...my combat crews have never seen so much action. In particular, my flagship the EVOL Blackguard, a Damnation class Command Ship has scored numerous victories recently....including 21 in a patrol operation to Fountain. To say I miss the Fountain region is and understatement...as I believe it is my true home within the Eve Cluster. Having a patrol there was a great morale boost to my crews and me personally. Ever since the retreat, BoB has given up control of Fountain to focus on operations in Delve. On that one patrol, we came away with 60 victories and only 9 losses...fighting 2:1 odds. Lions indeed.

I hope to keep this journal more up to date in the future. The tactics and scale of warfare in the south is truly an event worth documenting for future use...history is being made here, where a few stood against the many, and came out with unbridled glory.

Lions of the South

2007-12-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

Mercenaries in the Eve Cluster have always served a vital function to Empires and Corporations throughout the years. It can be argued that none were more successful than the collection of corporations known as the Mercenary Coalition (MC). When I was running my own mercenary outfit, I looked up to the MC and their accomplishments, their daring, and their honesty with the general public. It was always something to emulate, which is always an honor into itself.

Knowing the logistics needed to run an effective mercenary venture (although on a much smaller scale), I know the effort it took to bring the MC to the forefront of the merc business. The LSD was successful in its opportunities…but we were never large enough to hold our own nullsec constellation or region. Holding such territory is the only way to build supercapitals and take the largest of contracts.

MC has lived in BoB controlled space for much of its existence…often to the cries of its contract victims and the seemingly large ability to always work for BoB when the alliance needed to go from push to shove. Although I do not know the details of whatever arrangement that was in place, I am sure there had to be some free work involved to stay in Period Basis for off contract time.

Mercenaries are infamously known to do whatever is in their best interests at all times…and it seems MC is no different. Several weeks ago, they signed a new accord with 3 other known mercenary organizations and declared themselves the sole owners of Period Basis. Of course this did not sit well with Band of Brothers, and we got our marching papers in short order. A capital fleet of over 170 ships were assembled to wrest control over TPAR sector and start our Period Basis campaign to retake the space. Our initial assault was highly successful, culminating in the destruction of a MC Hel class supercapital near the theater of operations.

MC has struck at the opportune time indeed. While BoB forces continue to fight raging battles in several regions…MC has chosen to consolidate with ‘friends’ in an attempt to outlast the BoB counterattack. I think most grunts believe we will soon be fighting for Delve and Period Basis only.

As a result, we have lost FAT as far as I can tell…with the entirety of the Cluster now at war with BoB, I will be interested to see how the command structure deals with all these new threats. MC leaving the sphere of influence in the GBC has only given our enemies new lungs…and they will continue to swarm every sector crashing HUD displays with mind numbing warp interference (ooc read: lag).

Overall, I have seen nothing but high morale. The retaking of Period Basis will but a huge undertaking…and with the odds against us, striking out offensively sends notice to all alliance fighting BoB. We will not be fearful of anyone, anywhere, at anytime. I would rather fight beside lions than cower with a massive herd of sheep.

At least two Lions of the Cluster are now at each other's throats in Period Basis...a worthy battle between worthy foes. The campaign will be the defining moment in either the life or death of Band of Brothers, and I am honored to be among the participants.

Solving Small Problems

2007-12-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

After several days of futile searching for RAZOR transports in empire space, I decided to load up the EVOL Blackguard for a move to the Delve Region. Having recently completed max certification in its unique fleet warfare systems, I thought it might be good to have on upcoming capital operations. Giving capital fleets maximum bonuses to defensive armor systems is a vital function in large scale engagements I have found.

I ordered the crew to reconfigure the Blackguard to a warpcore hardened travel specification, and then we started off on our 40+ jump. It was quite uneventful except for the lone RAZOR pilot spotted on scanner 20 jumps into the trip. A wise philosopher once said “You only find what you are looking for by trying not to find it.” I suppose that is true this regards. Not having full combat systems online, we decided to bypass and stick to the mission of moving the ship down.

4 jumps away from my destination I ran into a strange site: a lone GoonFleet Drake class battlecruiser, lazily circling the outbound gate at 13km range. There were no scouts in the previous systems, and I highly doubted they were closer to our regional HQ. Sure enough he targeted my Damnation and let a few heavy missiles fly…stripping the shields of the Blackguard. While wanting to fight, I know it would have been a stalemate. Both ships are known for their massive defensive capabilities, but with little firepower. We would have traded blows for an hour before he ran out of heavy scourge type missiles.

I jumped and signaled ahead to the HQ station to prep the EVOL Vitae, the sister ship to the Blackguard but an Absolution class vessel known for its heavy firepower. Once arriving I boarded quickly and formed a fleet with two Evolution members, one in a Damnation command ship and the other in a Brutix battlecruiser. Once we had our systems loaded we started our hunt.

Sure enough, 5 systems away was the GS Drake still looking for easy targets. This time, with the Absolution I quickly engaged. Once I saw the Drake deploy both a warp disruptor and propulsion webifier, I knew he was in serious trouble. To fit both systems to any Caldari hull ship was trading off a lot of defensive power just to hold its prey in place. Unfortunately for him…I was not the prey this time. The Damnation jumped in once I had my own disruptor and webifier engaged on the target, and let loose with a barrage of heavy assault missiles at close range. The Drake, sensing what had happened, quickly shut down its offensive systems to use the Jumpgate as a retreat. We ordered the Brutix in the fleet to standby on the other side of the gate if he made it through…but luckily for us, he did not. The Drake’s shields buckled under the massive firepower brought to bear, giving a swift kill to the crews involved.

Later we had learned this was a solo GS Drake hitting BoB shipping deep in our territory. A sweet kill indeed as he was finally dispatched. It was only a small problem for our alliance shipping, but it was still satisfying in solving it in an efficient manner.

Having seen over 2 years worth of intelligence reports on the entity known as “GoonSwarm”, I have come to the personal conclusion that the entire pod alliance has been infected with some sort of mutated strain of the Sansha’s virus. Although it has never been proven that the virus affects pod pilots, I believe it has mutated to a point of creating chaos within the alliance it affects, while giving the pilots some retention of humanity. The tactical options that are always chosen by GS have always been bad ones…but their incredible number of pilots flying under their banner makes up for any deficiencies found in their command structure. Needing at least 4 to 1 odds to achieve anything really meaningful in a strategic sense, they simply ‘Swarm’ to their stated objectives.

The GS Drake pilot we destroyed could have been a straggler from some roaming operation, or cut off from his way home and just decided to suicide in Delve by taking some unsuspecting ships with him…but more likely than not, he was simply driven mad I believe.

Although destroyed many years ago, Sansha (and his Empire) may actually have the last laugh yet in the Eve Cluster.

Command Reflections

2007-12-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

(OOC Note: Sorry for the lack of updates, I was recently married so I haven’t had time to attend to this blog like I should.)

While it has been some time since my last entry, no shortage of fighting has occurred during that absence. The “Great War” has taken a short breather as both sides recoup their losses from the previous 5 months of warfare. The Alliance has lost ground to superior numbers (but not skill) in the south, losing all space gained from the old ASCN war last year. GBC Alliance corporations have been resettled (as far as I can tell) in the Fountain Region, which I still view as my true home in the Eve Cluster. The campaign by our enemies resembles classic Amarr Navy doctrine of throwing the largest numbers into a fight. That worked for the Empire for eons, but times have changed....I suspect this war will change as well.

Since giving up frontline command of the OEC and Legionnaire Alliance, a strange disconnect has taken place. To say I feel out of the loop is an understatement, but that is maybe a good thing as I need to get the ‘grunt’s perspective’ I once had 10 years ago serving on the AMN Octavian. Being in charge for too long I have found lessens your ability to see the small picture. My military school tacticians will probably disagree as they always emphasized the ‘large picture’ and the goalposts for any military endevour.

But I have found that just focusing on the larger issues makes getting there all the harder. Commands coming down from HC with little guidance on how to get the job done are certain to run into problems. One of the strong points I have found in Evolution, and BoB in general, is the almost religious thinking of “keeping it simple”. Yes, the KISS principle is alive and well in the south. All complex decisions, strategy, and politics are kept far away from the grunt’s as possible…letting them focus at the task at hand, and making them more proficient at being the tip of the spear.

My time in the OEC and LSD could have benefited from this. It is a lesson that I will always put to use in my future leadership endeavors, whatever they may be.

As for my personal activities…they have mainly been regulated in defensive patrols in and around Delve, but I have recently JumpCloned to the Beke system, using it as a base of operations to patrol for RAZOR transports. I feel more useful this way in our efforts, but I do not know how long I can maintain my solo efforts. So far, its just my Coercer, its crew, and my willingness to put them on the line of fire. Already we have provoked an enemy Brutix class battlecruiser into attacking us near a concord patrol. Our hopes are to catch some light shipping that would normally evade larger ships.

It is a diversion that I will probably need…war is coming in a big way after this relative calm in the South. As epic of scope the battles tend to be, I recognize my calling in smaller skirmish type warfare. Still…there is plenty of time to hone those skills after the war has concluded.

The Fall of FAT

2007-10-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

Since joining Evolution, and the Band of Brothers Alliance...the pace has been hectic. Gone are the days moving logistics for personal means, they are replaced with long and arduous operations. I have focused my operations near the system of FAT-6P in supporting efforts of our assault on that system against IAC Alliance. The fighting has been fierce over the last few weeks, but we have finally broken their back in the system and claimed the outpost there.

FAT was a great first battle for me…as I am used to small skirmish warfare, having the full brunt of large scale battles play out before my eyes is definitely interesting.

The macro-tactics involved at this scale of warfare is hard to comprehend. Capital fleets pushing 100 ships, supporting freighter operations, POS assaulting and defenses...all are epic in scope, and just to be supporting these types of engagements is an honor for any combat captain. I am sure many Amarrian Sages would relish the opportunity to witness what actually happens out in the rim sectors...oh the stories they would tell...but the secrecy of command is what is most impressive.

In every operation I have been part of, I have had no idea what our end goal was. Spies and espionage play heavily in this new realm...something that tactical fleet commanders do not take chances with. Information is always the most valuable resource in warfare...how it is used, and acquired is of the utmost importance for any leader. One minute you are simply escorting freighters from Empire regions to the outer rim…then it turns into a full system assault 14 jumps later upon IAC Alliance.

I am learning a lot about this type of warfare, but for the meantime I am content on just being a ‘grunt’. Hopefully I can earn the respect of my corpmates as my journey continues in the outer rim.

Releasing the Mantle of Leadership

2007-09-28T10:49:00.000-07:00

"In some ways...you must release what you wish to control, to learn what you cannot." - Laranitus Digitus, 4th Circuit Sage

The OEC and to a lesser extent, the LSD have fallen victim to the biggest threat to all mercenary organizations in the Eve Cluster: Lack of Contracts. The combat pilots, not having any way to prove their worth, have moved on...and in many ways, my stewardship of the group has failed. While it was my ultimate responsibility to keep forging ahead, I did not have the personnel to effectively build a large scale combat outfit. We hit our wall, and it killed us.

Still…life goes on for all pod pilots. Sometimes the curse of the pod, but this time I think its mearly a blessing in disguise. I have taken Evolution’s long standing offer for me to join their ranks in a hope that I might learn some larger warfare tactics and common problems associated with conquering vast regions. Even if LSD succeeded, I had no large scale or capital tactical experience. If anything, this will provide me with that in spades.

While I am not fully set up yet, and have a long way to earn my way as an effective member within the group, I believe in the communistic approach to how things operate. While most communistic endeavors fail, often quite notably in spectacular fashion…Evolution is the corporation that pulls it off effortlessly. I think it has to do with all members buying into the meme that your assets are nothing…but your collective legend is everything. It is an honor to be in their presence, and I hope to only add to their glory.

I still keep tabs on the mercenary business…it is in my blood, there is no denying it. Maybe one day I will form a new venture…but at the present, I am focused on helping my new corpmates achieve their goals. I should have more time to reflect here on my experiences in the Cluster.

So for now, I am the ex-merc captain…but fittingly enough…I am still fighting broke.

Highspeed Life and Piracy

2007-08-02T14:02:00.000-07:00

The Eve Cluster has a funny sense of time. Everything between the 4 Empires has been hyper-accelerated over the last 10 or 15 years, from trade to war. Trade orders generally get filled in one ‘day’ cycle in what took at least a month before hand. Wars quickly flare up between corporations and alliances and die right back down. Even the biggest alliances waging their wars take only months now…in what used to take decades to resolve.

Successful alliances and corporations can vanish in a blink of an eye…something most have just come to accept as life in the Cluster.

The pod pilot charter is the reason for this hyper-activeness that has changed the course of even common civilians planetside. As pod pilots are often treated as demi-gods, you would think the Empires would reign in their power…but the economic benefits of this accelerated time we live in far outweigh any perceived threat in the future.

It also lends itself to pod pilot burnout at rapidly increasing rates…especially among combat pilots.

Since the DNA pattern cloning was instituted, it has changed the basic human culture among pod pilots. With no fear of death, our exploits and decisions go from daring to suicidal…at least for our unlucky crew that could not make it to the escape pods. Keeping combat pilots in a professional mercenary organization becomes a huge issue as well…as when there is downtime between contracts, the most audacious of pilots continually want to engage targets. This leads many ‘mercenaries’ down the path of piracy in short order.

While we have in our charter a no piracy clause, the ability to retain good combat pilots is almost always the cost. LSD is no different than any other organization in this regards, as it can be quite profitable to blow up random trade shipping going through low security space.

I turn away at least 90% of applications to my corporation the OEC as most pilots looking to join automatically assume we pirate during off contract times. At this rate, I could have built two MC class organizations, but stubbornness is said to be one of my character flaws.

Still, we will not change our policies in this area…and I will keep encouraging my guys during off contract times to in fact hunt down pod pirates instead of joining them. This is the true ‘Big Game’ of the Eve Cluster and can be very rewarding in terms of combat experience and valuable salvage. Most pilots that just want to shoot at stuff cannot be saved from a life of piracy no matter how many accommodations are made, and if they find piracy unsuccessful they generally retire their charters.

Eve is definitely a brutal and unforgiving world…with a pace that only seems to get faster as time rolls on.

Results

2007-07-12T15:07:00.000-07:00

Operation "Atlas' Bane" closed 2 days ago with smashing success, and admitted defeats. The wreckage of EARTH Federation forces are no doubt still being cleared from the Amarr area sectors. It was a very successful contract…one that could have been even more successful if not for the counter-mercenary contract against us by EARTH.

In retrospect, it was nothing but pure symphony from a commander's point of view. While we were busy killing EARTH Federation...Maelstrom Crew (MCREW) was busy killing us. There is nothing sweeter than watching two professional mercenary organizations going about their business with the attitude that yells "business is business". To be fair, we were far outmatched by MCREW in most engagements we found ourselves in. Staying true to form, the LSD was fighting outnumbered and outgunned during most of the contract period. With MCREW entering the fray however, we were fighting a much more skilled opponent, and we sustained moderate losses as a result.

Since this is a Postmortem about the contract, I believe it was a good thing we got our butts kicked by MCREW. Over the last 6 months I had been advocating the use of "Phalanx" fleets to the LSD pilots...but it seemed as if everyone had better things to train for. A Phalanx Fleet is one that has a deep logistical component to it (in MCREW's case, heavy armor repair drones). The few close to even odds fights we engaged in clearly showed the power of such defensive cover a concentrated fleet could hold. In our last engagement we tried to break their tactical edge by getting an 8 large smartbomb Abaddon close to the primary target. Unfortunately, it was destroyed a mere 2000m from its target. As a result, we lost yet another battle.

Still...the LSD pilots are fierce warriors...even against incredible odds. We took our licks, and still dished it out to EARTH Federation for an 80% efficiency rating (average). While numbers mean nothing to our group...we also got the job done. United Earth (UEI) corporation shortly left the EARTH Federation alliance as the client wanted, and had considerable losses beforehand. While we had agreed with our client to war declare them if this situation happened, our client was satisfied with the level of destruction inflicted upon UEI. We called the contract complete, and we are still sorting the destroyed equipment we could salvage from their wreckage. It would seem that UEI is a much hated corporation as I had been contacted by pilots unrelated in the conflict with eve-mails of support.

The other noted development was the loss of a member corporation within the LSD. It had seemed my previous concerns were validated about Time Cube Syndicate (TCSYN). While I had assurances from their CEO that the contract action was fine with them, I had no idea of the internal problems that were going on inside the corporation. With a CEO that had been MIA for 2 weeks, the directors issued a mini-coup and left the alliance unannounced. A surprise for sure, but in the end Erfnam still controls the corporation...and they have a lot of rebuilding to do. While LSD itself did not cause them to leave, I am sure the contract opened their eyes to where their corporation position should be. We wish them luck in the future.

As for personal notes, the baptism by fire the OEC Blackguard received was noted. While Damnation class hulls are not overly known for their combat prowess, I threw the Blackguard into the frontlines regardless. With its crew more experienced now I have ordered the refit to a pure Fleet Command fitting complete with all 3 Armored Warfare electronics. I only lack CS 5 certification before we get the maximum benefit from such a configuration.

In the meantime, the Absolution Class OEC Vitae has entered service. My hope is that it will die a glorious death...but not before handing out mass destruction in its wake. Now...on to that CS 5 certification...

Expected & Unexpected Results

2007-07-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

The first 48 hours of "Operation: Atlas' Bane" has been going well...almost too well. We have racked up a 500+m isk loss on EARTH Federation, while only losing a bait Battlecruiser last night. We have performed two large fleet battles while not losing a single ship...unheard of in our previous contracts within the OEC (before LSD was formed). We have interdicted numerous other vessels and I expect our Client to be most pleased after reading our battle reports. The reason I suggest it is going too well is the fact that EARTH is now opening its wallet to hire some mercenaries of their own.

Maelstrom Crew has began operations in the vicinity of Beke and gearing up with a war declaration contract of their own against the LSD. While this is not totally unexpected, we had hoped our business would not be cramped in such a fashion. Still, that is the rules of the Cluster, and I know several LSD pilots are looking forward to grappling with a more competent combat force. If I remember right, MCREW used to be part of a larger alliance, but now they seem independent. I once had a lot of pride keeping up with all the mercenary news going on in the Eve Cluster...but tragically I am out of the loop these days running this alliance.

We still have a contract to perform, and our focus will be on EARTH as that is what we were hired to do. Maybe MCREW Fleet Commanders can give EARTH more success. Our inside intelligence operation suggests the conflict could dynamically alter in the next 48 hours...changing the scope of the contract on preset conditions. Once that triggers (if it does), EARTH may actually find out why someone took a contract on them, and we would move to a second phase away from them.

Expectations are always hard to manage, but with the dedicated cadre in the LSD it is easier to manage the chaos of a full fledged war contract.

Back to Merc'in

2007-07-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

The LSD moves into is first real contract of its existence in less than 12 hours. Our client has purchased our “Targeted Alliance Asset Reduction” services for a period of time, and we have filed the proper charter with CONCORD to get our declaration of intent legalized. Mobilizing an alliance is far less paperwork than when running a corporation, so instead of 48 hours it is only 24 hours until we go ‘weapons free’.

Our target is the E.A.R.T.H. Federation, a fairly large alliance of just about 400 pilots that should provide us with plenty of targets throughout Empire space. While we will never underestimate a target, our intelligence department labels them as a ‘soft’ contract. I have my doubts however, but hope to be proven wrong.

For Time Cube Syndicate, a new brother in arms, it will be a combat test to see if they like the style of fighting we do in LSD, as well as if they like the mercenary contracts we pursue. I hope they latch on to the alliance concept, but I recognize that they form the logistical aspect of our venture. Still, it is good to see pilots outfitting ships for the coming battles…I have no doubts about their will to achieve.

I will report more once the contract is under way. I have quite a few valuable fitted ships on the line, and my hope is that they will be severely tested in battle. It is the Amarr way…and the way of the LSD.

Contego LSD!

A Serving of Revenge

2007-06-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

Revenge was often taught as an accredited class in some Amarrian educational circles before the rapid expansion of the Empire. Over time, it fell out of favor as Holders gradually came to the conclusion that the Serfs didn’t need any bright ideas about their situation. Still, a true act of revenge is something sweet to savor, and I am glad we could dish out some last night.

A few weeks ago, an OEC pilot was attacked during a routine belt patrol in Beke, Genesis and was unfortunately defeated by a superior Vulture Command Ship and Maelstrom Battleship. Operating in low security space has its own set of situational awareness issues compared to zero security in that you really never know what intentions a ‘neutral’ pod pilot has until the battle is upon you. In zero security space you just shoot and ask questions later…but not being a pirate organization, we must hold fire until intentions are known in low security. Blitza Ling’s Hyperion went down in a blaze of glory, but that did not stop us from seeking retribution.

Exactly 18 days later, one of the two pirates was spotted yet again in Beke. The Vulture seemed to be running missions around the Leran sector, and coming into Beke quite often. We quickly scrambled what ships we had with the pilots active during that time…and luckily caught the Vulture in Beke as it jumped into the system. Although we knew it had a superior passive shield defense system, we had no idea what we were in store for.

My Abbadon quickly locked the enemy Vulture down, and drained its capacitor…on the off chance it had a shield booster installed. A LSD Hurricane was on the scene also locking down the ship….and the gate sentries responded in kind stripping our shields. This was not a problem as I could permantly stay ‘in the sentry pocket’ as my defenses were geared towards soaking damage. Sariene’s Hurricane needed remote repairs and armor maintenance drones (which the sentry operators targeted and destroyed in short order). We had trapped our prey, so we brought in what we thought would be our kill group: A Hyperion Battleship, Pilgram Recon, and a Sacrilege HAC.

The Vulture’s shield buckled to 75%, and we thought we experienced a graphical HUD anomaly as the damage indicator never moved again. Blitza’s Hyperion was ripping into the Vulture’s shields furiously, but nothing was getting past its defenses. While able to operate on zero capacitor, it calmly inched back towards the gate to jump out of the system and inside high security space, where we would not be able to follow. More webifiers were deployed to slow the ship down, but we could not budge the shield at all. Blitza’s 120 rounds per Blaster turret sent out the call they were reloading…an amazing transmission as most targets would have been dead by then.

I opened up the communication link to the Alliance to see if we could get some help. Quickly pilots from MK and TCSYN responded. Another LSD Hyperion Battleship entered the system along with a Thorax Cruiser and Megathron Battleship. The OEC brought in an Archon Carrier just to draw sentry fire as my Logistics Abbadon got dangerously low on capacitor charges.

It had been 5 minutes since the start of the battle.

The Vulture was still at 75% shields when we renewed our attack with additional firepower. Slowly the shields dropped…and she was no closer to the gate than before. At 25% shields she initiated a self destruct sequence, but it was too late in coming and once the armor started getting pocketed by numerous blaster rounds, the Vulture quickly succumbed to the volley of fire. With the sentry operators still dutifully targeting our ships we exited, but not before recovering a wealth of ship equipment from the wreckage. While the Vulture did not fit ultra rare ‘officer’ or ‘deadspace’ class modules, it was fully upgraded to Tech2 standards. Nothing but the finest shield recharge equipment and large shield boosters…we were fighting a brick wall, but finally knocked it down.

Of course, once I realized she had no resistance modules fitted I cringed…two Amarrian battleships would have made short work of her with EM damage, but that’s the lessons learned in battle. The equipment will be sold off and be used to re-purchase some Tech2 drones. While we admire sentry operators, we wish their target selection was a bit more logical.

In the end, revenge was served. Now we just need that Maelstrom for dessert.

All is Quiet...

2007-05-30T12:52:00.000-07:00

Its been pretty quiet lately. LSD forces are still continuing their logistics work in building a sizable capital fleet, with decent support ship available for our next contract…but that is definitely taking time. Dyn’ Astron is heading up the efforts and displaying a fierce sense of cunning. I once thought such cunning was only shown in battle, but I admit I know little about the industrial side of how the Eve Cluster works.

Our mining in pirate infested low security sectors has not gone unnoticed…but we keep a strong military presence when possible during off times. Either we are gaining a reputation as competent anti-pirate operators or everyone we encounter has their HUDs set to “AFK” mode. Of course it was never our intention of being anti-pirate operators, we definitely recognize the need to ‘cull the herd’ of weaker pod pilots. We just need available targets without pissing off future customers. A few offers of employment even came from pirate corporations…but none of which were to our benefit. I suspect most pirates are as broke as I am.

However, last night’s patrol was interesting in the fact that we did not bag a single pirate, but saw first hand a spreading epidemic among pod pilots in the Cluster. While chasing down some members of Veto we had hopelessly outnumbered near Sinq Laison, it was evident that our baits and traps would not work. Pulling up the map, a lone sector in Essence seemed to have a huge amount of pod kills for the area…10 in the last hour. Our new target region was quickly uploaded to the fleet and we set out to find out what was amiss. About 3 sectors out, it was clear to me what was going on. A fleet member piped in with the obvious observation…

“What are all these Bestower class industrials doing out here in 0.2 space? They are all State War Academy ships…” He voiced.

“Sansha’s disease” I replied. “Looks like they got some agents inside State War, and the groupthink made a bad decision for their efforts…”

At least 30 Bestowers were on their way to the slaughter 3 systems away…all oblivious to the upcoming gate camp. Pirates use the slang “Macro Pilots”…Sansha infected pod pilots that have no will of their own…simply slaves to whatever master is pulling their strings in return for rumored immortality (past that of cloning). Although no such technology exists, the lure of it is so great that vast numbers of pod pilots are swept up into becoming slaves….never leaving their pods, interact with crews, or have any sort of life worth having in the Cluster. They make logical decisions, but have lost all wisdom to go beyond the simplest of operations.

Pirates love when their decisions go through low security space, and I was sure they were getting fat and happy enjoying the free cargo.

When we arrived at the system, we only saw fleeting signatures of pirate vessels as they quickly vacated the area. I suspect they were in the process of withdrawing anyhow as we were spotted a 2 systems away. Sure enough, the carnage was evident at one of the gates…well over 20 Bestower wrecks, all picked clean by the pirates…with a steady stream of new haulers arriving on autopilot 15km from the gate.

Sometimes hitting a pirate jackpot like this is hard to pass up….but we have our standards, and seeing as we view ourselves as professional mercenaries, we can’t dabble into piracy on a whim. I am sure some of my guys were chomping at the bit, but they proved to be soldiers that day and not brigands. For that I am proud.

We returned empty handed that operation, but it was good training never the less. Hopefully we can get off this training cycle and sink our teeth into an Empire contract if we can find one.

Fools

2007-05-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

“Fools are the providence of Fate” was once a common saying in the old tongue, long before the expansion of the empire. It was said that “all destiny is fueled by the schemes of foolish men”…and I cannot help but ponder that in regards to the current state of politics within the Eve Cluster. Eve War I is what they are calling it, but no Empire forces have yet entered the fray. It is a war in the far reaches of space, south of the Amarr Empire…and deep into Blood Raider territory.

Many pod pilot alliances have waged war over the last 6 months here, but I have a feeling that a true titan of change is about to happen. The Band of Brothers has (by far) taken the best punch to the chin that anyone has ever given them, but they stand firm and resolute. It must be disheartening to those that have promised the destruction of the southern alliances and corporations only to have failed up to this point. Like stabbing a raging Bullnok but missing his heart...a real war is definitely coming, but it will be bloody and bold with many alliances falling.

The epic scale of it all is still something I try not to participate in. HUD problems (ie lag) are notorious for non-fleet issued warships operating in such large fleets. The DED is rumored to press aggressively to keep this in place as pod pilot alliance could then threaten one of the 4 empires. No, I am content in running my small patrol operations in the southern sectors of Genesis looking for pirates and brigands to keep my men sharp. The hunting has been very good this last few weeks, and we have been obtaining some great wreckage from the ships…including Corpum class armor repairs. I can see why the allure of piracy is so promising.

Of late, it seems we have been put on notice. While we are just simply doing patrol operations to keep sharp combat wise, we find we are engaged less and less. Even when we were outnumbered 4 to 1, we did not see any action on last night’s patrol. My guys are a bit disheartened, but we will find targets closer to home I think as some old ‘friends’ seem to be moving back into Beke. I know the OEC are looking forward to the combat, but I hope it does not devolve into the typical station/gate games that were seen in the past.

But of course, that is all up to the Fools…for which the course of much past history has already been written.

Fighting Bordem and CNRs

2007-04-25T11:23:00.000-07:00

There has always been a strange cyclical effect with all pod pilots in the Eve Cluster. Often times a pilot has periods of hyper activity, then sudden inactivity. I have just come back from my latest bout with inactivity…fully refreshed, and looking to put more work into our Legionnaire project with MK. While experts insist that frequent vacations are a must for pod pilots (to counter-act the process of becoming chartered for the profession), I would like some regularity in the regime…but that is a discussion for another day.

We have had some personnel attrition within the OEC, but have joined in our alliance with MK to have new brothers in arms. We have formed a new Mercenary Alliance named “Legionnaire Services Ltd.” with tags of . Everyone that is left seems to be pretty upbeat about our future, but we have some grueling work ahead, and everyone’s eyes are open to that.

First and foremost we must find our synergy between corporations. While largely independent in operations up until now, the two corps must find ways to actively work together…both in combat patrols and in industrial operations. I will work with Lord Dynastron in getting some common short term goals up and going. My hope is that things will come naturally and not forced.

Being back in the pod feels good after a hiatus, and I am ready to get into the thick of things once more. LSD already concluded one war declaration that was issued to us by Privateers Alliance. They rescinded it a few days later as CONCORD is issuing new war charter rules to all pod pilot alliances that will make it too expensive for PA to operate. We still enjoyed the ‘tune up’ against them, and I think we are almost ready for a moderate Empire contract soon.

And then there was the pirate CNR fight.

On a routine patrol through the south of Genesis, OEC pilot Blitza Ling and I were looking to bust pirate gate camps. I had my an Abaddon bait ship, while Blitza ran his Megathron. In Antem we spotted a active local pirate and when my crew completed the system scan a blinking red “Caldari Navy Raven” was up on the HUD. Now I have never personally tangled with a CNR before…such ships are generally the luxury of very rich pilots and brigands (and this communiqué is named “fighting broke” for a reason). We decided to conduct our anti-pirate operation regardless and I warped to the first belt to set the trap.

While there were other pilots in the system, they all looked to be part of a industrial corporation with high concord standings. I was still suspicious however on why they would be in the same system as the CNR pirate. I was even more alarmed when two of the industrial ships warped in at 100km from my ship in an obvious scouting trip. It was not long before the CNR warped in 3km off starboard and the scrap ensued.

I quickly locked down the CNR with a warp disruptor, webifier and heavy nuetralizers…so he responded in kind with a broadside of advanced torpedoes…quickly stripping me of my shields. I ordered Blitza into the system and ordered the execution of our plan. Blitza’s Megathron dropped out of warp 4km from the CNR just as the last bit of my shields were vaporized. My tank was activated and I am sure the CNR pilot realized the gravity of the situation at this point. Sure enough, the ‘industrial’ corporation that had been watching suddenly jumped into the fight with a few battlecruisers and one frigate. However, there seemed to be no coordination (or lack of experience) between them as they targeted my Abaddon and not the Megathron. The CNR quickly switched targets to Blitza, but launched drones against me to keep me busy. Two quick pulses of my large smartbombs cleared that nuisance and I launched my own maintenance drones to help Blitza’s quickly dropping defenses.

Blitza had no real active defenses in the Megathron’s setup…typically slang for “pure gank” configuration. He was absolutely ripping the CNR, but the defenses on the pirate ship were so impressive it was scary. We quickly figured it was a 50/50 dice roll on who was going to win this little engagement. The Megathron was down to 25% armor when the CNR’s tank finally broke (unscrambling me in the process) and we got him to armor. While the CNR’s armor was dropping at a good rate, if he had a Damage Control system installed we would still lose the fight I figured.

A second pirate CNR then warped into our battle, so that made our decision farily easy and we prepared to withdraw (these guys had seriously deep pockets it seemed). Facing 2 Caldari Navy Ravens along with 3 support ships was not going to go down well for us…luckily either they forgot to turn on their disruptors or I had capacitor drained the only one with such electronic warfare equipped. We both warped out…with Blitza nearing structure damage and the first CNR at 50% armor.

I think it was a lesson learned on both sides of that engagement. The CNR is a much tougher ship than expected, but don’t get to cocky in it.

We made up for it breaking a pirate gate camp in Gondista, killing a Hurricane while its pilot was pleading to pay us a bounty. “Son, this isn’t one of those types of operations.” I stated right before he lost his ship and crew. Sometimes you have to pay for crime, however rare that really is in the Eve Cluster.

Forks in the Road

2007-03-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

In my travels, I have come to many forks in the road. Decisions that must be implemented and they effect several months of operations. Additionally, I have to rely on my cadre of leadership within the corporation to get whatever goal or mission we have assigned done. I have a commendable corps of veterans that seem harder than the rocks off Skargi Cove back home.

It is in typical fashion that one week ago the OEC entered into the age of alliances by forming the “Legionnaire Services Ltd.” mercenary alliance. We have partnered with a powerful industrial entity that should leverage us into the capital ship operations that we need to grow into. This is to compete for better contracts, and station removal, which is a very lucrative business. The business of war is increasingly dominated by the capital space, and it would be unwise for us to not travel down this road for some time. But it will take a considerable amount of time as we are pilots that are skilled at small skirmish warfare.

While doing these things, we have seen a number of members move on to other corporations. This is of course a direct reflection on me and my leadership. I must do better in the future to retain our talent, and although it is difficult leading such independent people, it is essential for our corporation’s survival. Our attrition rate has historically been high in comparison with other corporations, but not many mercenary organizations have been around as long as we have. Maybe it is because we have less flare and glamour than others…just a slow steady pace towards achievement.

Our operations are still consolidating. We have repositioned our main assets to protect our new alliance industrial base. While we have some fleet assets in the Fountain region, it is extremely difficult to operate there as it is an unmitigated warzone of the likes I have never seen personally before. While our path is destined to base our operations in Fountain, maybe that is one fork in the road for the future, instead of the present.

Tit for Tat

2007-03-01T09:53:00.001-07:00

“Retribution is the ultimate form of flattery…” – Anonymous Amarr Holder

It has been a busy time for the OEC. We instituted a new command communication structure to facilitate some honest and frank discussion about the direction of the corporation and what our short term goals should be (the long term goals are progressing quite well). We identified that we were spread too thin across the cluster, and that is my fault in reality. Fighting in Fountain Core, Aridia, and Genesis has our fleet assets often with no escorts or cover and it’s a situation that had to change. Priorities were made, and we have decided to abandon our Aridia operations, including taking down our station and converting that to corporate cash for further expansion in Fountain. We will use jumpclones to be able to quickly move from region to region.

But not before putting a parting shot at those that think they can simply muscle small organizations around.

OEC intelligence posted that the Space Fyad station in Aridia had run through its fuel stores and gone offline. Multiple guns, shield hardeners, and other station arrays sat unprotected…like a herd of lamb before a pack of rockwall wolves. An OEC field commander quickly asked permission to attack, and it was granted. The result was the total destruction of the station and all of its arrays…with no resistance. While not quite equal to the carrier lost in action near the same station a few weeks ago, it was satisfying to hit Space Fyad in the wallet like this, especially since it was a large Matari tower with full defensive setup. A bit of Tit for Tat…and we will call ourselves even.

We had reports that CONIN was deep in the south fighting for its core home worlds during the huge war raging Delve and the surrounding regions. Our station was safe for the time being…as they would not be able to effectively attack us until that was resolved. But we have left Aridia at any rate, and refocusing our attention to what matters most: new found friends that we will soon call brothers.

The logistics are still moving…but they should be completed sometime next week. We should be able to fight more effectively as a result, and secure our future industrial backbone we will need to grow.

Of Victory and Defeat

2007-02-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

"Glory is not obtained with the sacrifice of your brothers...it is only harnessed by their collective will and achievement. One who believes in 'Glory for the One', has no understanding of the world or himself." - Zor Fermathus, Kor-Azor Court Librarian

Some say that blood is the price of victory…but for me, it is the price of glory. Victory and Glory do not always go hand in hand…but often share the same road in life’s travels. I am reminded by the Amarr ‘victory’ of San Dumas against that awful Matari uprising 142 years ago. Although the field of battle was owned by the 52nd Royal Regiment…the cost in blood was incredibly high.

The Space Fyad control tower that we had sieged finally used up its strontium core, and OEC forces decided to press the attack…even though we had no Dreadnought support of our own. Folly most would assume…and in some sense they would be right. The fight raged in sector for quite awhile, with the OEC pinning a CONIN carrier within the seiged station. We were killing the cyno generating ships as fast as we could, but ultimately the MC cavalry did arrive and we found ourselves vastly outgunned once again. The OEC lost quite a few warships with no real tactical goals achieved. The end of the battle culminated with a carrier vs. carrier action near the SF station. Although we believe we destroyed well over 400m worth of CONIN fighters, we ultimately lost our own carrier in the action.

OEC took it on the chin. But from that we secured our own victory of showing we would not be idly pushed around…no matter the size of the fight. At the very least I got my answer to the question of CONIN hiring themselves to attack our station. I had expected more from a professional mercenary group…they had no reason to state they were on official contract. I would rather them just simply show up and start shooting while saying “we want your station”. Maybe they wanted to keep up appearances since technically we share the same intelligence channels, and a lot of the same friends.

Our ships will be replaced, along with the carrier. Such is the commitment of the OEC command to its members.

With the battle in Aridia resolved with neither station being destroyed, we believed we had secured the field of battle for the time being. CONIN is obviously very busy up north on a large (real) contract so we moved back to our Beke garrison operation as we had reports that large amounts of Pirate forces were entering the sector. Our client was not happy with this at all, and notified us that something had to be done (we are still on retainer for Beke Garrison Duty). I sent Gamma Command up as a forward force as we moved our freighter full of ships and supplies back up to Genesis. By the end of our 48 hour action we had regained control of the sector and neutral shipping was restored.

And then there was the NosDomi fight that I simply must write about. As people may well know my utter distain for Nosferatu spec’d Dominix class battleships, I feel like I must share my simple combat story.

We got reports that NIE pirates had been using NosDomi’s to attack local neutral shipping in asteroid belts. I ordered the station dock workers to refit the Amarr Apocalypse class OEC Westwall for specific anti-Dominix warfare: 6 heavy NOS with 2 Large Smartbomb modules. The rest of the ship construction is classified for obvious reasons, but most analysts could probably figure out the fitting and role. Then I got an interesting comment from a newer OEC member:

“Sir, that NosDomi won’t engage you unless you are in a cruiser…it just runs away from a fair fight,” He opined over voice communications.

“Well, that maybe all that you saw recently…but from my experience, a Pirate NosDomi simply cannot resist an un-escorted battleship sitting in a belt,” I replied wryly. I noted we had a few Battlecruiser losses in the area, so I understood where he was coming from.

With that I set the ship from dock and proceeded to the first belt in the ship’s overview. I had my battlecruiser escort wait at station or outside the sector waiting to jump in on my mark…making sure they did not break cover until I notified them. Positioning myself near the center of the belt…I told the crew we were “fishing” and for them to get comfortable. It did not take very long when the target NosDomi pilot warped into 3,000m range off port…the trap had been sprung.

I let her lock my ship down and begin her energy capacitor assault. Soon the expensive T2 drones were let loose upon my ever decreasing shields. Finally, I told the crew to “sink the hook”. With my own NOS batteries now fully hitting the large Gallente hull broadside, I scrambled and webified the ship in place. A deadly locking of horns had taken place…one of our ships were going to die that day no matter what.

My large smartbombs cleared the enemy drones off my hull after two pulses. At that moment my prey knew it was a trap…an Apocalypse Battleship set up specifically to kill a NosDomi. My Battlecrusier escort was ordered into the fray, but a sudden rash of technical difficulties ensued to where only one showed up. This was getting interesting…as I had no way to kill the Dominix myself.

Sensing this, the pirate ship quickly changed its focus to the sole OEC Drake class Battlecruiser that had started to pound its hull with heavy missile. Additionally, she called in support of its own, with a new enemy Ferox class Battlecruiser warping in 5,000m from my ship. Now the fight was getting extremely dicey. My escort screen had fixed its problems and started to warp in, locking down the Ferox as well. We switched focus fire on the Ferox as I had the Dominix in submission, but while doing so I made the mistake of letting some of its drones get through to the Drake. A new enemy Caracal showed up at long range and started to hit the Drake as well…it was only a matter of time I knew.

The OEC Drake finally had hull failure, but in turn the Ferox and ultimately the Dominix were dispatched with one pod kill between them. While I now think we could have come away with no loss, that is the price of an ever changing battle. NIE Corp quickly left the sector to lick its wounds and we once again controlled Beke for the time being.

We 'fished' for another few hours…and destroyed two more Drakes from a passing anti-pirate operation that mistook us for pirates. After the end of the day's operations some wondered why the 'fishing' tactic is so successful. I simply replied "That's one of the oldest pirate tricks in the book...but these days, the new pirates just don't recognize it." Beers were had all around.

All in all, an interesting 72 hours of operations…proving once again the resilience of the OEC cadre. They are true professionals of their field, and I am honored to fly with them.

High Stakes Poker

2007-02-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

While I normally do not comment about ongoing events here, I feel that I must put some ‘pen to paper’ on recent happenings. We have been playing a game of poker CONIN it seems, and their unaligned sister corporation Space Fyad (SF). After reinforcing our own moon with a large POS, and capital sized weapon arrays (the large projectile station is larger than my Maller), we decided to wait a week and see what would happen. As I predicted, the MC are extremely busy up north on a very large contract, so CONIN did not show up to re-engage our POS operations. Not wanting to stand idly by and move into a garrison stance, we decided to attack the Space Fyad POS in the same system.

We arrived to a large Minmatar station with no active weaponry or defensive structures…just the shield. While 45 million hp rating shields are extremely difficult to bring down with no dreadnaughts, the OEC completed this task. As of this writing the POS has come out of reinforced mode, and a CONIN carrier has jumped into system and positioned itself at the enemy POS.

This confirms the bogus contract status in my eyes…but again I hope to be proven wrong in the future.

I have never disputed the fact that the OEC cannot possibly ‘win’ against a full CONIN attack in the system. We simply do not have the manpower, experience, and equipment to make an effective defense (this blog is named 'fighting broke' for a reason). That stated however, I think it would be extremely unwise for this situation to get out of hand…seeing as we still view the entirety of MC as friendly. I have given orders to the OEC membership not to engage MC outside of our operations in Aridia.

What will happen over the next 72 hours no one fully knows…but our plans are in place. My hope is that the OEC is calling a bluff and not an ace high flush.

Unforeseen Circumstances

2007-02-02T13:30:00.001-07:00

Our campaign in Fountain has raged for a good full 3 weeks now. The membership is glad to be home, as well as having access to our old hunting grounds. Serpendis has beefed up their pirate patrols, and CONCORD has responded in kind with larger bounties.

We have been fighting alongside Coreli and Aftermath for the most part. Xelas typically stays up north in their stronghold of PNQY. Fountain Core is a complete warzone, but the ‘friendlies’ seem to control the tempo and traffic at most times during a 24 hour cycle. Last night we trapped an enemy Vindicator in a nearby system…but he was able to elude probes with the help of his escort pilot flying a Falcon.

And I suppose I should address the attack on our POS operation in Aridia by the Mercenary Coalition.

A week and a half ago, our only POS in Aridia was put in reinforced mode by 6 dreadnoughts from the Mercenary Coalition. MC forces stated it was just business, and a valid contract…and we took them at their (CONIN) word. We decided to take down the POS and was given an extension to do so. In the meantime as we were waiting for the Strontium core to run out…we did our usual intelligence gathering.

What we found was in a word…disappointing. OEC High Command now believes that CONIN (MC) just hired ‘itself’ through a shell corporation as an excuse to attack our station. While this maybe common in the Eve Cluster…I had held the MC corporations to a higher regard as this is also my profession. I suppose that is what I am most disappointed about…the lack of professionalism. If CONIN wanted our station, they should have just stated outright they were taking it….not giving the appearance they weren’t hired by their alt corporation (verified via employment histories, forum postings, etc).

I am sure they will disagree with our conclusions, which is fine. We do not have solid 100% proof…but none is needed in my book if the gut says one thing, and the eyes back it up. So in turn, we simply reinforced the station with a larger tower, large guns, and more shield resistance arrays you could shake a Matari whore at. Disrespect begets disrespect…and even though this is a side issue for us and the MC, I doubt it will wash away any time soon.

The time has been kept us away from defending Fountain Core, but we are slowly back in business there. While I fully expect the MC to come back and finish their job, they have since held off doing so. My only hope is they rethink their plans for our station…as we surely cannot defend it against a full MC attack being such a small organization that we are.

Fountain Core

2007-01-24T08:37:00.000-07:00

Fountain is a warzone…plain and simple. While the BoB alliance claims control over this region, the core constellation of Phoenix is heavily contested. There are many corps and alliances per side, and my men are being tested under fire. Some of the newer recruits I may have to send back up to our bases in Aridia until they learn more situational awareness…but we also have a need to patrol our space up that way as well. Overall, the OEC has performed admirably…especially since we have skirmished heavily outnumbered most times (but not all).

Aftermath Alliance and Coreli have been the utmost of professionals…especially Coreli. It has been a pleasure sharing fleets and operations with such dedicated pod pilots. Joshua Foiritain runs a very tight ship with very experienced pilots. Aftermath is a new alliance formed from various Fountain corporations in the area from what I can tell.

Our known enemies in the area are fighting uphill now I believe. Still….Celestial Apocalypse proves a more than worthy adversary. We would not win the area of battle if it were simply a dual between our corps. Our efficiency in the campaign is hovering around 60%, with more battleship kills but also more battlecruiser losses.

Overall, this has been the right move for the OEC. We needed to get back to our original base of operations…and start gearing up for larger things. I have suspended my training of leadership curriculum to instead train from some more CEO functions….most notably Empire Control. In the future when we form the alliance planned, I will have this ready to go. Already a very strong and powerful industrial corporation has expressed interest in partnering in an alliance. If so, they would form the required industrial backbone of such an enterprise.

With the OEC securing some 0.0 space, this has a hint of destiny…but I suppose it is a pity I believe in self determination.

Operation Phoenix Nest

2007-01-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

“Behold the flame of the Phoenix…and fear its wrath of sadness. Go forth my brothers, for you are the wings of the Phoenix…burn the heretics, and cleanse the soul of this Empire!” – Joma Yurk, Prophet and Historian (Kor-Azor).

Operation Phoenix Nest is now upon the OEC. While we have prepared dutifully during the previous off time…no plan really survives ‘first contact’ with the enemy. Our move into the Fountain Core region has not gone unnoticed by the local corporations and alliances that lay claim here. Celestial Apocalypse and Foundation have been the main targets. While we are not looking for any sovereignty, we are looking to enforce the peace for those that actually lay claim to the region. Evolution Corporation has been a long time friend of the OEC since before CONCORD authorized pod pilots to the heavens. In fact, we have many former OEC pilots in the ranks of Evolution this very day.

Band of Brothers alliance has laid claim to this area of the Cluster, and by our opinion…we shall help them enforce this claim in return for us being allowed to re-base in the area. Almost 4 years ago, Evolution, Xanadu, and OEC started the first military operations in the area that eventually formed the Fountain Alliance. While we went our separate ways afterwards, the friendship was always there…even when we traded laser fire across the Eve Cluster due to area of operations and contracts.

We hope to rebuild our once powerful industrial base to eventually support a decent Capital Ship fleet. We cannot do this anywhere other than the safety of zero security space. Being a Mercenary Corporation does not mean total neutrality, unlike some would like to believe…it deals with way more than just combat. We must put ourselves in position to grow stronger to obtain larger contracts. With the Eve Cluster moving rapidly towards capital fleet warfare, our small tactic focus must also change.

We are actively engaging a NBSI policy in the Region at this time….and will not be doing any Mercenary work until Q2 of this year.

The fighting is only going to intensify…and if the storm growing in the North decides to blow this way…we shall be in the fight for our lives.

Preparations Complete

2007-01-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

“Concerning military matters, the commanders best prepared are not always the victors. They only are able to react to the fast changing pace of battle. Those with innate tactical abilities often pass for being prepared…only to flunk the mid-term as the first Tachyon beams hit their hulls…” – Instructor Ralsa Dumas, Imperial Navy

It has been a ‘tough’ month for me personally. I never much liked the logistics part of running a corporation…and thank god I have a competent quartermaster that handles most of the load. However, it still is my responsibility to prepare the OEC for the coming months. Whether or not I ‘flunk’ the mid-term we shall see in short order. As I write this, I take a break from outlining our operational orders and watching OEC crews prep our ships for combat in the dry docks.

We have had a good run as of late. While I consider ourselves still “fighting broke”, we have had an excellent retainer contract to keep gas in the tank. Our operations in Beke shall continue, but at a much lower frequency now. Several members have installed jump clones to the system to do patrols a few times a week. Speaking of patrols, we bagged a few more brigands in the system this week…including a Megathron class battleship. I have also learned that CONCORD has arrested a well known pirate in the system finally (read: permaban). Not sure why they finally decided to act…probably something about illegal isk wire transfers. To be honest, the best pirates are the smart ones…the ones you don’t hear about often. They just ply their trade in the shadows. Pirates out to make a name for themselves usually end up broken in the end. Overall, Beke is looking far more secure than it was 3 months ago…and I am glad we helped to that end.

Still, a mercenary corporation cannot sit still for long. Boredom is the enemy of all professional mercs everywhere…and we shall have a great deal on our plate. More on that in future communiqués that I will save for later…as I cannot discuss pending operations.

The OEC has welcomed some new recruits recently. I am sure they are about to experience a baptism by fire. We have some excellent raw talent, and my hope is that they latch onto what the OEC is about, our professionalism, and our goals. My corp members do not have to be the most skilled, but they have to be dedicated to the team and our accomplishments.

On another note, the fitting of the OEC Blackguard is still progressing. I must say, the Khanid paint covering a prophecy hull fills the soul with much imagination. While my aim is not to get too close in combat with the ship…it will definitely inspire fear among our enemies when viewed up close. We are still running capacitor simulations trying to figure out what a good fit will be with full Armored Warfare capabilities…good thing I am a patient man.

Looking across the drydock at the OEC ships, I wonder how many will make it into next year...much less next month.

Musings of the Epic

2006-12-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

In this "off month", I have been constantly watching the cluster Gal-Net trying to catch up on all the political and military debates going on. When you are so focused on the contract or mission at hand, you sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture around you. As a leader of a corporation, you simply must not allow this to happen or you lose out many opportunities that pass your way.

The level and scale of warfare currently in the cluster has never been bigger to my memory. Capsuleer alliances and corporations are almost fighting wars as large as any Empire war in recent memory…certainly larger than the Caldari / Gallente war. Right now in the south there are huge capital fleets of the Mercenary Coalition and its retainers against the Red Alliance supported by the Goonfleet armada. The recon intel HUD captures are amazing…reminding me of my old service upon the AMN Octavian when I was a fighter pilot near the Matar boarder. ISS alliance seems to be funding the current conflict against primarily IAC alliance…and all the neighbors are getting involved. BoB finally destroyed ASCN's Titan in combat...a feat that is historic and will prove to be very rare. Things are really shaking down in a big way in the South.

As grand an adventure that may be…the logistics, command and control, operations, and conquest of such ambitious plans I can not comprehend. The sheer size of the MC is something of an achievement considering most mercenary chartered corporations dissolve within a year. As a professional in the field I salute them and hope they do well in the coming months. I have no doubt they will be successful.

While contemplating what epic wars must be happening in the South regions of the cluster, my thoughts turn inevitably to the OEC. While our long term strategic plan calls for the OEC to join or create a new mercenary alliance in the same vein as the MC, do we really have the commitment it takes to achieve such greatness? I know the guys hearts are motivated and ambitious…maybe I doubt my own abilities on something that grand of scale.

I was approached in the last 48 hours about forming such an alliance, but with our plans of operation over the course of the next few months locked in, I highly doubt we can join. Still, I told the contact I was interested in advising the creation and hammering out a charter. It may take well over 3 months to come to a solid foundation of policy for such an enterprise. It is something that will eventually have to be done for the OEC to remain competitive and increase our contract sizes; at least we will not be getting bored any time soon.

ASCN is melting finally under BoB pressure in the south. I like to think we had a small part in that…and maybe we did. We definitely harassed ASCN shipping in the trade hubs. I suspect it will take BoB another 2 months before they can fully ‘cleanse’ the regions of ASCN military assets.

Nothing much to report as far as daily OEC operations go. We continue to have successful escort missions for our retainer client…and earning some fat bonuses in the process. Everything is still set to kick off after the new year…and we happily march towards that date getting our logistic goals completed. We also brought in some new recruits that should give us some new blood in the ranks.

Overall a very successful, if uneventful, month.

Of Logistics and the Coming Storm

2006-12-14T11:14:00.000-07:00

Our ‘off contract’ duties have now picked up the pace, and we are completing a few tasks that have been in the works for quite a long time. Moving corporate gear…the process of logistics…is never a fun thing for a group that has a military bent. But my guys know that the backbone of any successful military venture is its supply. More wars have been won and lost due solely to supply issues. Hopefully this month we can ‘reload’ after fighting for months on end to take on our biggest challenge yet, even more challenging than hunting ASCN supply lines.

Hoshoun office has been stripped clean finally; it was like a savings account plan. Some good ship equipment was located there, but we never got around to moving it back to HQ sector. I was reunited with my old supply moving ship, a Coercer class destroyer named OEC Commitment. With the DED changes, it has become vastly more useful…but in need of a good refit. I know the ship crew has gotten lax is my absence. With the gear moved out, we will keep an office there for the short term. We are still on friendly terms with CVA…but I do not know how long that will last.

While we are off an active duty war contract, we still have a retainer contract. Our guys performed some much needed guard duty for a mining operation last night. We hope to plan more this month as the guard duty bonuses are actually quite good, and worthwhile. I remember back when pod pilots first started in the cluster…a true mercenary charter was never successful. Now it seems the fruits of all that dedication are paying off.

Still, it’s fairly easy to get ‘soft’ in this off time. But the guys need this break for what is about to come.

Over the course of the next year, the OEC will finally get tested to the breaking point. All the wars have led up to this point in our history. We will be fighting among the heaviest of combat against fleets that will outnumber our size at least 2:1…sometimes 3:1. Our focus and discipline will be severely put to test…and it could well break us. I have no illusions of destiny…we either win or lose in the coming months. Overall, the OEC is ready I believe…and our guys will be baptized under fire for a new kind of warfare they have not tasted in a very long time. We will have friends and allies, but our success is solely determined by us and our ability to impact the theater of war we will be entering.

While musing about future, it is often hard to think what might happen. But regardless of what does…I will be among brothers. Contego OEC!

Hurry up and Wait

2006-12-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Some days are like glide-riding on sandpaper…its suppose to be fun, if it wasn’t for all the mess it creates.

With the CONCORD and DED approved ship changes fully implemented (but being tweaked by the hour it seems) by OEC fleet command…I must say, that the ugly CTD firmware bug has reared its head yet again. As of this writing I am unable to undock with any reasonable chance to perform military duties. The changes are exciting to any professional military pod pilot. The amount of armor and new classes of ships are great on paper…and it should be exciting to see how they perform in real world combat. I am still working with engineers to see if I can get my pod HUD to stop crashing mid-routine…but it may be awhile before I am back in the think of the action.

The OEC Blackguard is continually being worked on. I imagine its about halfway finished with all the fittings. Right now I have mainly retainer gear where other expensive equipment will be in the future, but its going to be awhile before its in full war mode.

Promotions and command assignments were handed out last week. We are finally getting some membership to fill out the ranks some. All the guys deserve a great credit for the success we have been having lately in our ASCN contract. It has been our longest to date, and most profitable in terms of actual reward. While I cannot discuss payment specifics, we should be well on our way to getting back to what we do best (historically)…and that is operate in 0.0. It is the last piece of the puzzle, but there are some bumps in the road that will need to be overcome.

Our next contract is already lined up. But we will wait until the beginning of the new year to start its prosecution. It is often hard to reign in the wild stallion in pursuit of glory and money…but it is my job to do such a thing. My guys need some R&R this month, and I am determined to give it to them.

Of course, that does not mean we will not be hard at work with logistics. Ah…the life of a mercenary.

How mighty those winds of change...

2006-11-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

As I write this, I must admit to sipping on the sweetest of Matari Rum. While pod pilots do get to experience the whole of the Eve cluster…my Amarrian friends would not like to hear how good a slave culture can make a sugar based liquor. Maybe that is the inspiration for this communiqué…The only constant in the galaxy is change.

While good Rum and Amarrian Folk music pour over my quarters…we live in a dramatic time of change for all pod pilots in the cluster. DED and CONCORD have forced all empires to more stringent ship specifications that should boost the defensive capabilities on most ships upward of 50%. On capital class ships…try 400%. This has a profound impact upon small combat corporations like the OEC…which will only become fully known once we begin operations again. We have chosen to comply with the directives, and have hired a small firm named Prime-Armor Inc, to carry out the modifications on our fleet ships. We should be complete in 24 hours time. It is amazing how nano-production methods have advanced taking a job that was once a 3 year process and made it into 3 months. The OEC was simply rotating ships that survived combat back into the dry docks for their armor upgrades.

But the changes do not stop there. Interbus has released its proprietary contract system for all pod pilot corporations to use. DED has declassified its system scanning technology, which allows CONCORD to react so quickly in secure sectors. The Amarr Empire has de-criminalized combat booster drugs for pod pilots (other empires will follow suit), and a breakthrough in combat logistical retrieval (slang of ‘salvaging’ comes to mind). It really is too much to write about…but the consequences should become fully known soon.

The OEC has been reviewing a lot of its combat tactical doctrine in light of the coming changes. Overall, we should be in fine shape…but we will need to make a few big changes on how we operate in fleets and the roles each member is assigned. Capital ships will become almost invulnerable to us. But we will continue to fight for our niche in Eve. Preparations for our move home have begun…but that will be a long journey both militarily and physically.

ASCN contract is nearing completion. I must say they drop a lot of good cargo from their Empire fleet assets. A Raven was stocked full of BPC and BPO of assorted Tech 1 ships and modules, and we finally hit an industrial carrying POS fuel outbound to ASCN space. Finishing strong would not even be a phrase I could use…finishing like true professionals is.

Contract Update

2006-11-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

We march to the final weeks operations with measured success…something I am proud of not only for the OEC, but for the individuals leading the charge in destroying ASCN shipping. Last week, we located an ASCN transport hauling two ships within its cavernous shipping bay: A Hulk which exploded during the attack and a Phantasm…which survived. Since we did not have a pilot on hand to fly the Sansha ship…we elected to destroy it as well so it would be unrecoverable. Add to that the number of Local Hull cargo expanders fitted, it was in excess of 800m Isk loss to our target. Within the next 48 hours, we destroyed an ASCN Damnation that seemed to be fitted by a rookie straight out of the Academy. Not sure what standards ASCN high command are using to let in member corporations, but it is clear they are lacking combat skills in Empire space (although I am sure they run competent fleets down in ASCN space). Domain region in Empire space has been totally ravaged by our combat patrols. It is a wonder we still see any targets...I can only surmise they lack effective communication between their member corporations in their alliance.

Still, all work and no rest will get to anyone. I believe the guys need a break after this contract. We plan on retaining our Beke policing duty contract…as well as finishing our first strategic plan initiative goal. Once that is completed it is a time for us to return home…and I do not mean where our current HQ is located.

The Phoenix constellation is calling us…rife with war, blood, and of course untold riches...it is a place where we have longed to return. We were born in the ashes of the phoenix’s fire…and we shall return to that nest by year’s end.

The Coming Fall

2006-11-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

“As the summer sets…so does life of this land. Replaced with the dark and mysterious death…that at times acts out a life of its own.” - Olarg Vyxian, 4th Circuit Sage

True to form, the OEC has ‘bounced back’ in the second phase of our contract. Although we are never kill heavy due to our lower numbers and small gang tactics, we are building quite an impressive ratio. I am proud of the guys for their hard work, and hope our fortune continues. Additionally, I have extended the contract as a bonus to our client. While this was not in the original contract, I felt it necessary due to the poor performance of the first half. Overall, my guys are getting more and more experience…which is something that isk cannot buy.

Our highest quality kill thus far was an ASCN transport ship with its pilot sporting 100+ million isk of implants jacked into his clone. Needless to say, he was quite unhappy about the situation in Empire space. I wonder if our clients have issued other mercenary contracts against them for the Empire trade lanes.

In other news, I have finally finished my learning regimen of logistics training, and have pre-ordered a Damnation class heavy command ship. This was step one in making our gang warfare more effective, especially with the upcoming fleet control changes that CONCORD is issuing soon. The new fleet doctrine will be vastly different than the current mass gang system, and I think everyone here is looking forward to it. But gang effects only are applied from the FC of the fleet (or relative of the FC in the command structure). The Damnation is in preparations for that.

And the quote above? It is from the “Prophecies of Barmai”…in a passage where they describe a coming fall and winter campaign with the old empire of Rytia. The Amarr elite warriors at the time were labeled “Blackguards” for their black armor meant to intimidate their foes. As the Damnation leaves drydock…I believe I will christen it the OEC Blackguard as a tribute. May it live long...or die in a furious fire.

ASCN Thoughts

2006-10-24T14:38:00.000-07:00

It has been a full week now at war with ASCN…and the results are mixed at best. While we have more numbers of kills…we have lost some quality ships in the process running into huge fleets of ASCN. Obviously, when a small skirmish patrol of 3 ships runs into 12…bad things are bound to happen. We will continue to prosecute our contract however, and the target knows that their transports are not safe in the major trade-lanes.

War in Eve is always evolving…and from my perspective, is moving towards larger and larger fleet operations. While the OEC has always specialized in small roaming kill fleets…those days maybe numbered. Group tactics have focused increasingly on numbers rather than tactics…much like the Asarihi did against Amarr Prime back during the bloodwars of 5 generations ago. Amarr adopted those tactics all the way up to the disaster against the Jove Empire…now they are rethinking strategy.

CONCORD has alerted the Empires to this…and all Empires are now refitting their fleets with higher grade armor and shields. This increase should be well over 50% in defensive capability…which adds to the frustration of small skirmish fleet tactics. Still…war, as in life, always forces you to adapt to your environment. The OEC will hopefully be no different.

We are still not fully rolling in my eyes…we have a lot of room for improvement. At this point, I honestly am at a loss in how to improve our situational awareness. Some of the new guys will just have to learn as they are baptized by enemy fire as I cannot restate common tactical advice for the 20th time.

If current operational results last for the duration of this contract…our client will be receiving a payback of 25% to 50% of the contract cost. How many ‘Merc’ corporations would do that?

Blood in the Water

2006-10-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

“The business of war is often unpredictable…but the risk vs. reward is pretty constant.” – Anonymous Caldari weapons trader.

Unpredictable events set in motion are probably the specialty of any true Mercenary organization, but the ability to leverage political gain out of such events is the real value to clients. Large scale conflict is like blood in the water…many corporations are drawn to the scent of destruction and mayhem…something I think most large alliances are finding out this year.

Acendancy Frontier (ASCN) completed its first Titan class warship a few weeks ago…in fact, probably the first privately held Titan outside the major governmental navies of Eve. A huge accomplishment sure…but the lack of foresight in having one of the most aggressive alliances next door, the Band of Brothers (BoB) and what their response would be is a colossal failure. Less than 72 hours later the two alliances were in full war footing…and those of us in Empire space started reading of massive battles on a scale not seen since the Minmatar uprising.

Little did I know, the OEC would be pulled into the conflict…an event both fortunate and foreboding.

A new client buzzed me in regards to the situation in the south. He wanted to leverage this, which happens to be our specialty…but he was also looking for quality without the huge “MC” price tag. Since we are a small outfit, our prices are small. Looks like the sharks are in the water now...and I confirmed with a few other small mercenary commanders that they too are getting offers for one side or the other. After negotiations…the OEC stands to gain a lot from a contract in this war, but I would be dishonest to say it will be a walk in the park. We will fight hard and with honor.

And so the dice are sometimes thrown at fate’s grinning bust…Good luck to the Hunters…and Glory to the Bold.

The OEC war declares ASCN in contractual agreement with one unnamed client.

Of ISK and Experience

2006-10-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

When I started this Blog, I named it “Fighting Broke”. The reason I did was that it always seemed like I was fighting against pirates and contract targets while my wallet icon was always blinking away signifying my last expensive purchase. While the experience and skill I have gained can never truly be measured by Isk…pure credits are often a benchmark of success in many Mercenary corporations. Still…to this day, I am fighting broke. Whether or not this makes me a bad mercenary commander is for others to decide when writing history…but I personally do not believe so.

I have been involved in the trade lanes of Eve for well over 5 years now…in fact one of the first commissioned pod pilots. Our class of pod captain charters was labeled “Alpha Test” for some odd reason…and we could only warp back and forth between two Caldari stations. While I have taken my share of time off from commanding duties, I generally have been very active in my corporation and the world of Eve. But, even to this day, there are things I learn…proving that no one can master this epic adventure that lay before us.

I also make ghastly mistakes…hence again, the title of this blog.

My last mistake was quite a large one. While patrolling in Beke for belt pod pirates (there were two in sector), I happened upon a fairly in-experienced pirate that had already shot some prey in the area. While concord flagged his ship as “weapons free” for 15 minutes, I proceeded to hunt him…finally locking him down just outside of webifier range in asteroid belt Beke II – 1. His Thorax class cruiser was no match for my Sacrilege HAC, and I soon stripped him of shields and armor. However, he did use his superior speed to finally break my warp disruptor system past 20km.

He warped away to the Amarr Logistics compound station…and I smirked, knowing he would instantly be destroyed by the sentries for his criminal flag. My smirk quickly faded as I realized I was not warping to said station…but the moon it orbited.

One rookie mistake….and one veteran mistake. Rookies make inexpensive mistakes…while veterans loose vast chunks of Isk for theirs. Needless to say, my incredible tank setup of my Sacrilege only lasted 3 salvos from the POS deployed on the moon. One slip of a control mistake…and you are left with a shiny pod.

The pirate had no idea what happened….I gritted my teeth and politely explained to him why he had died to the sentries as I opened the market and proceeded to acquire a new Sacrilege. Maybe it is my destiny to always fight broke…but I look forward to the day I can rename this Blog to “Fighting Strapped with Credits”.

Beke remains fairly clear of pirate activity...and the corp is making a pretty penny in the process (say that 3 times fast). In the end, the mission is paramount...not the losses or kills.

New Contract...Same Client

2006-09-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

The OEC has moved into its first ever "Retainer" contract. This comes from our former client during the Beke job, and we happily accepted the generous offer. With the dramatic drop in pirate activity in the sector, it made more sense to end the war upon CVTEC and go after any -5 pirate in the area. Even gate campers with better than average security rating can still be locked...letting them know they cannot tank both the sentries and OEC ships at the same time. Already a handful just simply moved on...leaving the gates clear for trade ships.

The contract against CVTEC was a good one. My guys learned quite a few things...including the superiority of the Dominix in small scale battles. We adapted well, and always pushed the fight when even numbers were on.

We have now the resources to concentrate on our rapid deployment strategic plan. Already the logistics are coming into our main area of operations in preparations for some industry we are setting up. Once this is done, I think we will work on acquiring a capital fleet. There is a lot of isk to be made in POS removal.

Living Bravely

2006-09-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

“It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity.” – Rear Adm. Gersia Bormallin, Cadet Graduation Speech, Amarr Prime

As the fighting rages in Beke, it is with great amusement that I see our enemy commenting here how unfortunate tactics have left them with concerned hearts. While the OEC (and any true professional military corporation) has taken its losses as part of the job…and continues pursuing it’s contract target, that target seems to just want to banter and throw bravado to any that will listen. Amusing, but in the end does not change any outcome militarily.

As most people know of myself, I strictly forbid the tradition of “trash talk” in local communication channels and elsewhere within my ranks. While the targets of our contracts banter…we pursue. While they give insult…we pursue. And in the end, they will eventually get the point that our will and mission cannot be broken. However, the “trash talk” is highly amusing for sure.

This is not to say I will not give credit where it is due to my adversaries, probably a character flaw of mine that no one else shares. CVTEC has had an excellent 48 hours against us, and we are moving in more logistics to deal with a ramp up of activity. We have also ran into our share of CONCORD noted firmware bugs in our ship systems…particularly cloaking and an effect known as CTD. We have isolated a workaround for the corporation using CPU affinity set to 1 processor instead of 2. We hope this will fix some of our operational issues.

Our client seems to be satisfied with our progress so far. This contract is getting lengthy however, so I foresee a termination on the horizon. It has been a great contract thus far however…as courage is always levied by experience.

The Clearing of Beke

2006-09-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Our contract against Crest Tech (now Pirate Coalition proper) has reached its 3rd week now. Overall I am very pleased by the performance of the OEC and its active members. We are finally losing some ships in combat due to taking more risks, but our adversaries refuse to fight anywhere but hugged to a station or Jumpgate. I guess I really cannot blame them as it affords the safety blanket of escape. We have improved our tactics to combat this, but in the process lost far more ships than expected (and one to a CONCORD cloaking firmware bug). The contract client is extremely pleased by the performance. The jumpgates are clear when we go on patrol, and none of the client’s members has lost a ship since entering into the contract. We hope to keep it that way.

As for combat bonuses…we are doing very well in that department. Hopefully we can continue to perform well to increase our contract payouts…but the guys know that tough times will be ahead of us if Crest Tech actually wants a straight up fight. I do find it odd however that they refuse to engage us in fleet to fleet combat…instead just hitting us here and there. Maybe they are not as coordinated as I planned? They seem to use a lot of retainer pilots (read: alts) in the systems we operate in, and we have done the same in return.

As I am about to post this, a OEC report comes across stating another Crest Tech battleship loss. Another Raven goes down…finally warp scrammed into submission. While no "big deal" to larger corporations, getting battleship kills is a great accomplishment to smaller merc corps going up against well known pirates. Nice work guys.

Beke

2006-08-31T15:10:00.000-07:00

While I doubt anyone reads this communique, I do try to build into my writing generalities on our location or contract target. However, anyone that is spying on us will surely know that we are in Beke, Genesis and have war declared Crest Tech corp. Our client seems to be very happy with our performance thus far, and while we are on, the gates are clear for any industrial traffic.

Crest Tech sounds like a familiar name...I wonder if they were part of the Fountain Alliance like us? Not sure on that one, but must try to find out at a later date. Regardless, the fighting has been sporadic, but overall fun...mainly because we are shooting ships down, but also being hired to fight someone that will roll the dice and fight back once in awhile. The first night of the contract nothing happened as we were just probing each other to see what sort of ships were in the area. However, over the next 48 to 72 hours we have engaged and destroyed over 5 warships, and even a few pods. Crest Tech seems mainly Caldari...and while I generally fear their combat technology, nothing is better than good old fashion Amarr Armor.

Beke itself is a very interesting system. Only 2 stations, 2 gates, and countless corp station installations around every moon. The general rule in Beke is, if you warp to a Moon you die. We plan to scout it regardless just to see what is going on here...but my bet is that Beke is a large T2 component manufacturing area. It is flanked by high security space...sort of a POS oasis in "green" area. I am sure the local pirates here are very rich due to the traffic that comes through the sector.

Crest Tech joined the Pirate Coalition Alliance after we had war declared them. I am sure we did not cause this...it was probably already in the works. Regardless, our client has very deep pockets as he is paying the upgraded war declaration fees .

Sometimes its good to be a Merc..."fighting broke" seems to have taken on new meaning.

Domino Jobs

2006-08-24T08:59:00.000-07:00

With our successful conclusion of our last contract, we quickly got another offer for mercenary services in a different region. These "Domino Jobs" are sometimes unavoidable, as you really cannot refuse good isk and a chance to further build your reputation. Luckly, the guys seem up for another challenge...and it looks like our next targets will be challenging. Maybe we will lose some ships in fleet fights this go around.

We still need to do some rebuilding, and get back on our strategic plan. I dont think anyone is in a huge rush though as it deals with the mining and production side of the business. Still, everyone knows its over the horizon.

Our target region is one I haven't been to a very long time. I might get some sightseeing in while on this job, lord knows I need some more screen captures for the database.

New Contract

2006-08-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

The OEC has accepted a new contract...which is a good thing, as I think my guys were getting itchy. Although the contract was for less money than we normally take, its a good thing to go stretch the legs. Our target corp is "The Eleventh Commandment", which seems to be a shadow corp of an industrial corporation that we cannot identify. It seems they are looking for a bit of mischief with stolen IDs (read: carebears with alts). We see this all the time, and in fact its a good source of mercenary work.

We have no bad feelings to [-11-]...but this is business. Last night we drew first blood on a routine patrol that ended up in Jita. Zipp0ny's Crow crew must have been surprised to find itself scrambled and drained fairly quickly...and it could not escape like so many interceptor ships do these days. We hope the battles go this easy in the future...lord knows we have been fighting some hard ones this year.

Rebuilding

2006-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

Supremacy Corporation has recinded their war declaration against us. We haven't been really fun targets of late, and the loss of 2 dreadnoughts are still fresh in their mind. However, it looks like they have bigger fish to fry up north with Omega...so we wish them luck on their hunting. Never figured out if they were a Merc corp, but they sure act like one.

I have returned to recruiting. Still having a small inactivity problem...but when I went to go clean out the membership roles, noticed that most of our members have logged in recently. Maybe everyone's schedules are out of whack. Still, having some luck on recruitment...going to hopefully sign up 3 more members this week.

We will be rebuilding while at our home system for awhile. Our hope is to be operationally ready by this fall for some more mid-sized contracts.

Winds of War

2006-07-17T16:47:00.000-07:00

It seems that even when we try to take a break, the winds of war follow us. Due to our POS in Aridia, it seems that our friend list grows shorter by the month. As a merc, I can certainly understand the lure of the isk and what it does to professional relationships...but never the less, we will continue operations, even with a whole region shooting at us. Word is that the Imperium is trying to muscle all the nuetrals out of the region.

A week ago, Supremacy Corp declared war on the O.E.C. While not unexpected, as we noted their movement into our constellation, we grow tired of meaningless combat (especially when we are not getting paid to do it). Our month or two of R&R is definately not turning out as planned.

As predicted, Supremacy Corp launched an attack on our POS and put it in reinforced mode. However, what they did not expect was our welcoming party 18 hours later. With the essential help from RKK, and old friends in various alliances, the destruction of 2 Dreadnaughts and over a billion isk of battleships commenced. O.E.C. forces lost a Zealot, and a few scout frigates...but our ambush was a complete success. Supremacy has learned the first lesson in POS warfare...when attacking a POS out of reinforced mode, your enemy knows where your dreads are. Very predictable, and the end result was catastrophic for them.

Still...there was no smacktalk on the local freqs, and I salute them for that. My sincere hope, however, is that they end this petty war.

We are also recruiting again. Having some inactivity problems, and that needs fixing in a big way.

Peace for the Home System

2006-06-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

After a night of negotiations, we have come to an understanding with H&BJ. We have always thought they were stand-up guys, and would hope they think of us in the same. Being close neighbors and fighting over trival things is pretty detremental to one's bottom line.

Last night we had a good training session on fleet tactics and voice communication commands. My hope is the guys get a bit more responsive and decisive in battles. We will be doing anti-pirate patrols while training this month.

Although we are not hired currently, I do not forsee us taking any more contracts over the next month.

R&R...or is it?

2006-06-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

We have completed our last contract and have returned back to one of our favorite backwater systems for some much needed RnR and money making. We were surprised to find that it is not so backwater anymore...with all sorts of trade ships running in and out of the constellation as well as many moon bases up. While a slight cause for concern, the bigger concern was the corporation Hookers and Blackjacks seem to shoot us on sight. Not a great way to start some RnR for the guys.

While we have sparred with them over the last week, being in empire space and they being in an alliance makes decisive battles much harder. We will have to bring in more hardware to properly protect our operations here while still looking for opportunities in the region. While we never showed hostilities towards them, they seem to have a "shoot first" policy in place.

Maybe in the future we can reconcile our differences and share the resources in the area of dispute.

Possible Contract

2006-04-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have been contacted by some old friends in regards to a fairly large, but limited contract. If we accept, it would be more for name recognition than money, but one has to build a reputation before the real money starts flowing. It would be against an alliance...and it would be our first against such a large entity.

The guys seem spoiling for a fight as well, so this may be a good thing. Still...as with all risk and reward, there are many variables to consider. I will post more when I get a chance.

War = Profit?

2006-04-27T11:15:00.000-07:00

Conventional wisdom states that War is good for Business. At least that is what my Caldari agents say...and since war is my business, you would think profits would be through the roof. Sadly that is not come to pass yet.

I lead a band of pilots that have sworn their services to the Mercenary way of life. Not converted pirates and brigands, but true professional mercenaries. It is something of an anamoly in the world of Eve. Most 'mercs' are simply bored pirates and other misfits that are just looking to start wars to keep them entertained. The group I lead...the O.E.C. strives to be different.

Being small time mercs is definately a tough job. Since we don't have the billion dollar contracts that larger mercenary alliances have, we have to suppliment our income doing mundane things. This leads to turnover and inactivity...but generally a group of hardcore pilots stays with it, and reaps whatever unexpected opportunities come about.

This blog is mainly just to record life as a mercenary...and all the trials and tribulations that associate with it.