The Freemen of the North and allies from across New Eden repelled an attempt by Fraternity to flip their staging i-Hub in D7-ZAC in Tribute. Outnumbered and outgunned by Winter Coalition, Toilet Paper won the ISK war and saved the objective in an important system. The battle also saw contributions by The Initiative, VOLTA, Rekking Crew, and others.
David vs Goliath
Many viewers have been drawn to the heroic plight of The Freemen. The loose coalition of alliances number less than one fifth the population of Fraternity (not including the other Winter Co “kneelers” – as they have been humorously called) and have become a serious thorn in the side of the north’s major power.
| Alliance | Systems | Members |
| Toilet Paper. | 28 | 735 |
| Rote Kapelle | 9 | 697 |
| Brotherhood of Spacers | 13 | 493 |
| Rote Works | 1 | 412 |
| Quote. | 13 | 221 |
| Arkhos Core | 1 | 139 |
| Total Freemen | 65 | 2697 |
| Fraternity. | 197 | 15642 |
The battle for the system of D7-ZAC followed a series of advances by FRT into Tribute, and although they have had some successes their losses have been disproportionately heavy. In an attempt to destroy The Freemen’s staging, FRT anchored a Fortizar in the system and reinforced the iHub.
Reinforcements
Winter Coalition pinged for huge numbers for this fight and at the start of the battle it looked ominous for the French led coalition. Fielding multiple fleets of Cerberus, Muninns, Jackdaws, with dread support, they set to work on ‘toasting’ the iHubs across the 52-JKU constellation. Yet, from across the galaxy fleets and pilots from more than 20 alliances and corps arrived; INIT, RC and VOLTA, among others.
The mix of pilots and multiple smaller fleets, including a group of Tengus from Rekking Crew, spread throughout the surrounding systems supporting the defensive efforts of Toilet Paper. Having the advantage of being able to reship at home, TP flipped between doctrines to counter the threat, including a highly effective black ops drop on a Lords of the World dreadnought which they quickly destroyed in a hail of torpedoes.
Hold the Line!
With so many different groups warping throughout the constellation the battle became chaotic yet, despite the confusion, a critical engagement decided the outcome of the battle. Multiple fleets converged on a gate in WH-JCA with The Freemen trapping and destroying a proportion of the FRT Cerb and Muninn fleets, including a Monitor. Subsequent mopping up operations and an attempted counter by FRT proved inconclusive and soon the iHub was held and victory for The Freemen assured.
The tales from Tribute and Vale have endeared EVE players to the heroic plight of the underdog. Mixed with some excellent anti-botting propaganda, it paints a captivating story that is now drawing military support to their cause. Winter Coalition may be concerned with the growing popularity of their adversaries, which can only bring more backing to their side.
