As Brave Newbies (Brave) move ops are getting hazed and with Pandemic Legion (PL) deploying its supercapitals to the South, attentions have turned recently to Immensea. Last week, Test Alliance Please Ignore (TEST) failed to bring down a fortizar belonging to the Winter Coalition – a largely Chinese speaking coalition which has been in an off and on state of war. TEST is invading Immensea in part as a continuation of hostilities that began in March after Fraternitydot (FRT) declared war on Legacy, and in part to find a new home for its recently displaced new “it’s complicated” ally Legion of xXDeathXx (XIX). Like most conflicts in Eve, however, the war is a result of a complex chain of events that can be traced back, with some effort, to the beginning of New Eden. Rather than all that, however, we can start to look at the history of this conflict somewhat more recently.
The Triumvirate Keepstar
In January of this year, just one week after time dilation defeated the Imperium in 9-4RP2, Triumviratedot (TRI) lost a keepstar to the Drone Region Federation (DRF), led by Legion of xXDeathXx. The lost was a tremendous rebuke to the idea that keepstar losses were impossible, and it marked the beginning of the end of Triumvirate’s sovereignty in Insmother. Shortly thereafter, XIX and the Drone Region Federation committed to a complete existential campaign against TRI, aiming to relocate into the system and expand their empire. In turn, Pandemic Horde (Horde) relocated to formerly DRF-controlled Geminate, presumably with an understanding that Horde would support DRF.
Triumvirate folded their hand in Insmother just a month later, promising a sustained campaign of guerrilla warfare against the primarily Russian DRF. This campaign would ultimately be successful. A combination of poor diplomatic plays with the mercenaries of the Holy Rental Empire (HRE) that once protected it and economic pressure from an inability to sustain income from ratting and mining led to XIX’s slow but steady collapse. In April, in a somber State of the Alliance address, DRF stated it was engaged in an existential war, that it would be abandoning all other holdings and collapsing into its newly captured Insmother. Horde neighbors in Geminate offered no help.
A short few weeks later, on the eve of losing its final keepstar, an XIX move operation went horribly wrong. Unsupported by a Legacy fleet, the majority of XIX’s capital fleet was destroyed, many while carrying pilots’ entire hangars of belongings. It was now incumbent on Legacy to find them a new home.
The Chinese Connection
Meanwhile, closer to home, the Winter Coalition, comprised mainly of Chinese players joining the Tranquility server from Serenity, was going through its own strife. Following weeks of border tensions and with krabs facing constant harassment from bored Legacy coalition roaming fleets, Fraternity, Winter’s primary alliance, declared war on the Legacy Coalition in an impassioned call to arms.
The war was not ultimately successful for FRT. Despite FRT’s well-earned reputation for taking all fights and trying to punch above its class, Legacy largely ignored the Asian-timezone FRT. Where FRT brought enough pilots to properly pose a threat, Legacy deployed their supercapital umbrella. When Legacy was forced to contest an objective, they brought overwhelming numbers. In the end, Winter Coalition abandoned its war with Legacy, announcing the end of hostilities in a May 12 SOTA that also declared their intentions to join in the invasion of Insmother.
Days later, Ranger Regiment (RR), a major stakeholder in the Winter Coalition, declared they were leaving WC and joining Guardians of the Galaxy (GOTG). This move, however, was seemingly amicable, and RR maintains holdings in Winter Coalition controlled space, including the now embattled Immensea. It remains unclear to what degree Ranger Regiment’s new affiliations will influence its role in the coming wars, as the Imperium recently mobilized against its new coalition, GOTG, even as Legacy has begun its invasion of Immensea.
A Matter of Providence
In January, as Triumvirate was being dismantled by the Drone Region Federation and continued pressure from the Imperium was driving Horde to relocate, Pandemic Legion was busy in Providence. Less than two months after the PL invasion, Provi-Bloc imploded. While Curatores Veritas Alliance (CVA) nobly attempted to resist the occupation, they would not be a match for the once-legendary PvP alliance. Motivated by the opportunity to collect a large number of unique faction fortizars, PL held sovereignty in the region and hoped to announce a move to renting the space after the fortizars were collected.
These hopes would not last, however, as shortly before the faction fortizar changeover, Legacy invaded the region, arrogantly gating a supercapital fleet around while PL hastily withdrew its own fleet. Ultimately, Legacy would hold the field, reaping the majority of the faction fortizar rewards.
Looking for Revenge
Today, Pandemic Legion and Legacy Coalition both look to meet again. With Providence secured and having not found a fight there, Legacy refocused its attentions towards Immensea. With XIX collapsed, Fraternity space was now split by the now-restored Triumvirate in Insmother and surrounded the League of Unaligned Master Pilots (LUMPY). These two parties formed the obnoxiously named TRUMPY Coalition. With Insmother on one border on friendly terms, Fraternity once again looked poised to turn its guns towards Legacy, and Legacy in turn looked to repay Winter Coalition the deferred war from April.
All the while, with new friendships in the form of TRUMPY and the Winter Coalition, the Holy Rental Empire, comprised of skill urself (INGME) and WE FORM V0LTA (V0LTA), found itself in the center of a great blue waffle. With PanFam to its West and TRUMPY to its South, it was a natural choice for HRE to join with TRUMPY and Winter Coalition.
Meanwhile, PL, evidently still sore about its unceremonious withdrawal from Providence, was also looking for revenge. In a move that upset the galactic balance of supercapital umbrellas, PL moved its supercapital fleet to Immensea in support of Winter Coalition.
As it stands, the lines seem drawn with Legacy, now boasting one of the largest fleets in the game as well as some of the healthiest growth, facing down several coalitions including PanFam, TRUMPY, the HRE, and Winter Coalition in contested Immensea.
