Intaki briefly under siege

Around 0150 eve time, 5/14 another Sansha attack launched, this time on the heavily populated Intaki Home-system.  Julianus Soter, member of Rote Kapelle alliance corporation Moira., confirmed the attack when he spotted a single Archon class Carrier deployed by True Power above Intaki planet IV, with a Sansha Wormhole also in close attendance.  The call went out through both our alliance as well as the hastily organized intel channels to scramble a response.

I headed the 9 jumps from TXW in a Vagabond heavily laden with EMP and Barrage Ammo for use engaging the Carrier as well as any Sansha reinforcements planning to move through the wormhole to support the attack.  8 other RK members departed TXW at roughly the same time all headed for Intaki.

I arrived around 0201, joining a already increasing presence in the system of 30+ pilots, and landed approximately 50km off the engaged Sansha Archon piloted by Slave 32152.  Julianus and another RK member were already present, engaging the Archon and fighter drones.  I ducked into better range, loading EMP to help plow through the shields of the Archon.  At approximately the same time BI-PO and other pilots engaged a red-flashy tempest also engaging the Archon, the Tempest as well as a Pilgrim were removed from the field by the now hostile BI-PO fleet.  Julianus requested a cease fire from all sides, but the warning/request was not heeded, infact BI-PO pilots engaged and destroyed both a Muninn piloted by Julianus as well as a Navy Comet piloted by Nemofides also of RK, in light of their strict NBSI policy I would not think it mattered who fired first, we only held fire prior at the request of Soter.

Now that they were decidedly hostile to RK forces, again I might add, we engaged the BI-PO fleet in a skirmishing battle, killing first 3 interceptors flying with them and then at a later warp in 2 HAC kills to even the score for this fight, though they have killed a Loki piloted by Julianus in a previous fight also "against" the Sansha.  Of course I took pleasure in primarying and removing the verbose eddie valvetino's Zealot in the process of the fighting.  Though he managed to take me down from mid shields to low shields before popping to the combined firepower.

The hostile BI-PO pilots left the field or were forced off, the RK fleet rejoined the defense fleet, later engaging a Negative Ten Alliance skirmish fleet, removing 2 Hurricane BC, a Jaguar, and a few frigates when they started firing up on the defense fleet as well.  BYDI showed up in limited numbers, but were not given the chance to do much damage, being engaged on sight removing their Maller and frigates from the fight quickly.

Somewhere in the mess, between BI-PO and Neg Ten. engagements, Slave 32152 was joined by a second Archon, piloted by Rallence Ameteves also of True Power.  Attempts were made at communications, supposedly distracting the carriers along with the continued combat from the six ground teams that had been landed on Intaki IV and were being removed by resistance on the ground.

In the end the system local peaked at 103 pilots, a few frigates straying too close to the combat equipped carriers and dying to smart bombs, while other succumbed to BI-PO and pirate interference.  The Sansha Carriers were removed from space, Slave first and then once Rallence had hit structure, he posted this message : [ 2010.05.14 02:36:48 ] Rallence Ameteves > Master. I have failed you. Close the portal.

A link to the frenzied local chat logs can be found here.

The wormhole vanished at that point, sealing Rallence to his fate. He was downed a minute later and podded.  The responding fleet quickly departed and the scramble for loot and salvage was on.  Other than a single Hurricane kill on the way back to TXW, the fleet returned home laden with loot.


AFTERMATH

eddie valventino of BI-PO commented in a subsequent thread on IGS as well as mailing Julianus Soter that RK had been set KOS to BI-PO and a wardec was inbound.  Going so far as saying we would regret engaging BI-PO forces.  In fact engagements with Sansha forces previously reveal BI-PO assisting Sansha forces in said attacks, also eliminating Julianus' Loki for being too shiny.  Not that we mind pirate action, but it seems a touch contradictory that they claim we were the ones to engage them, and get adamant in their innocence.  In the end, RK is NBSI as well, so it doesn't really matter if we engaged first, but as eddie stated, we will see them of the field.  When we do, it should be fun.

REVIEW

In 20/20 hindsight, the NBSI engagements of BI-PO and their previous engagement of Soter had placed them in the crosshairs of an already bloodthirsty RK fleet.  Even if the "who engaged whom first" debate will be long waged, it will likely be similar to the long told story of one of Arthurs knights killing a snake and starting a battle. 

This time we came out on top.  We will see what the future holds.  Until then RK will continue to monitor the Sansha incursions, fighting them when we can despite threats made by BI-PO to engage us on sight and the looming Wardec.

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Images From Sephray Industries member Shaalira D'arc