ACT YC110 October:Capital and Battleship Engagements in A-CJGE

In an apparent effort to wrest back control of the valuable A-CJGE system, Stain Empire and allies ATLAS Alliance and Systematic Chaos attacked in force on 110.10.13, and again on 110.10.16 and 110.10.17. The attack on 110.10.13 did not go entirely smoothly for the assaulting forces, with 15 allied dreadnoughts lost as against only 2 lost by GoonSwarm on the defending side. That said, the attackers were able to destroy a GoonSwarm starbase, although most analysts would regard that as a somewhat Pyrrhic achievement given the capital losses taken. The followup engagement three days later involved Stain, ATLAS and Systematic Chaos again but joined by a large contingent of COVEN forces. GoonSwarm, in their turn, were bolstered by Red Alliance and United Legion fleets. Stain Empire had adopted a strategy of erecting starbases in A-CJGE to contest sovereignty and these came under attack from GoonSwarm forces. With reinforcement timers lifting, the GS/RED/UNL forces attacked the control towers and successfully destroyed 2 Stain Empire starbases. Substantial support from carriers and the firepower of dreadnoughts enabled the defending coalition to achieve its objective of destroying hostile starbases while absorbing losses in excess of 200 ships and capsules. The attacking allies suffered marginally lower losses of almost 180 ships and capsules destroyed. A successive engagement on 110.10.17 resulted in a further 4 starbases registered to Stain Empire being destroyed. Again, losses on each side were broadly at parity, with approximately 145 vessels accounted destroyed among GoonSwarm and its allies, for approximately 155 lost by Stain and allies. With the defending forces having demonstrated their ability to sustain their losses, while inflicting broadly similar damage in return, and destroy the contesting starbases, the impetus of the Stain Empire bid for the system was lost.