Days after the Winter Coalition held a State of the Coalition address, Ranger Regiment (RR) has announced its departure from the largely Chinese coalition. RR, itself a predominantly Chinese alliance, will be joining the Guardians of the Galaxy. The split is ostensibly amicable, and Ranger Regiment will continue to maintain blue status with Fraternity (FRT) and the other remaining alliances in the Winter Coalition. Sovereignty and some stations will be transferred between the two groups over the next few days. Nevertheless, this is a substantial blow to Winter Coalition and to FRT.
The news comes only a few days after the May 12 State of the Coalition address, in which Fraternity leadership announced that Winter Coalition would be ending its month-long war with Test Alliance Please Ignore (TEST) and the Legacy Coalition. Fraternity, Ranger Regiment, and the rest of the Winter Coalition had been at war with Legacy since March 30, when in an impassioned call to arms, FRT leadership announced that it would no longer stand idly by while TEST disrupted mining operations or anchored structures in FRT space in Immensea. In the May SOTC, however, FRT effectively surrendered, blaming TEST’s deployment of its supercapital umbrella on all meaningful conflicts, effectively denying Fraternity opportunities for victories in the conflict. In addition, TEST pilots were having a substantial impact on Winter mining and ratting operations.
Eager to show a dedication to PvP, FRT declared it would instead be redeploying to invade Insmother, joining a number of alliances and coalitions picking over territory that once belonged to Triumvirate until Drone Region Federation (DRF) evicted them. DRF then proceeded to move into the area, a potentially existential miscalculation that we are still seeing unfold. DRF is already on the back foot as it recently announced it will be withdrawing and reconsolidating in Insmother.
In addition to a redeployment, however, the State of the Coalition address indicated significant changes to administration and services within the coalition. FRT leadership cited inexperience in some of the organizational troubles they had been having, and looked to adopt systems of management that more closely resemble other successful Tranquility coalitions. In particular, it announced an update to services, the establishment of a standing fleet, an emphasis on training capital pilots, and the adoption of special interest groups to focus its players.
Winter Coalition also entered into a non-cloaky camping agreement with the Imperium.
It is unclear at this time if Ranger Regiment’s departure from the Winter Coalition is related to FRT’s new agenda and policies announced in the address, or simply a long time coming as deep divides have fallen between many of the alliances originally established by Serenity players over time. Whether this reflects the beginning of the end for Winter Coalition, or simply growing pains as Winter finds its feet is yet to be seen.
What is known is that Guardians of the Galaxy’s new member will afford them new territories on the border of TEST space in Esoteria and Catch. GotG will also gain a significant contingent in the Australian Time Zone. While GotG has often claimed to be a strong in the AUTZ, it has not demonstrated this. Gaining a Serenity-refugee alliance will, however, ensure they can get numbers. At the same time, Fraternity and Ranger Regiment remain pledged to mutual assistance, leaving a potentially more powerful bloc on the border with TEST.
