“I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve.” – Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, architect of the Pearl Harbor attack

After the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, those were the words reportedly written in the diary of Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of that plan. There may be some in PAPI’s blue donut looking at the last few weeks and wondering the same.

Following the death of the fourth PAPI Keepstar in NPC Delve, Reddit was ablaze with posts about the power of Delve manufacturing – the sound of hammers against anvils ringing out across the region. Those good with numbers have crunched what’s required to fuel the manufacturing needed to supply the conflict, and asked themselves, “How can they maintain this?” The answer? They can. The giant is awake.

Code of Bushido

At Pearl Harbor, the Japanese missed the US Carriers. In EVE war, the blue donut missed the Imperium titan/super fleet. The spin/propaganda fed to the blue donut echoed over Reddit with each exploding Keepstar. “They have lost everything! We have won the ISK war!” Was it simply a need for their people to see success in such an obvious series of losses, or is the Kool-Aid really that delicious?

Is the blue donut now in a position where they cannot admit that defeat is even possible? Does their leadership think they are on the moral high ground, when in fact they are mired in spin – masters of the “Code of Bullshido,” not to be confused with the Japanese Code of Bushido?

Nitobe’s Eight Virtues (the ‘Way of the Warrior’, or the Bushido Code): Justice, Courage, Benevolence, Courtesy, Honesty, Honor, Loyalty, Self-Control

For the first few months of the war the blue donut advanced, and they did so without much opposition. Much like Japan marching across through South East Asia, they took Fountain and thought it was because they were powerful. They clung to a narrative that they defeated “Fortress Fountain” despite that not being the case, so there was no other way for them to see the outcome other than their absolute ‘domination’ of the Imperium. But it’s hard to maintain that narrative considering Fountain is again sov’d by The Initiative, and let’s not forget that the donut decided against attacking on multiple fronts despite the numbers advantage, and instead settled for Querious.

What’s Next?

So where are we now? We’re knee-deep in the mud, slugging it out. Maybe Australia’s Kokoda Track, where Japanese forces were pushed back from what looked to them like an easy assault in World War II. The “within jump range of 1DQ” line that makes it sound like a slam dunk is more like a ‘let’s see what happens’.

Nor can we forget what is going on in Esoteria, where The Bastion is today’s Doolittle Raiders, letting TEST know that their home isn’t safe. Squad roams are striking at ratting and mining fleets in PAPI space all over New Eden.

The Bastion’s Delta Squad has harassed sov and infrastructure in Esoteria — regularly pulling TEST forces back home from the war front. The Doolittle Raid, was a U.S. air raid in April 1942 on the Japanese capital .. the first air operation to strike the Japanese homeland. Image courtesy DOTLAN

What is known is that there will be an EVE version of the Battle of Midway, which turned the tide of World War II and established the United States as the predominant power in the Pacific Ocean. It wasn’t the YZ9 anchoring of a Keepstar, after four failed attempts, unless that translates into some substantial progress for the attackers. Aside from giving PAPI another reason for a move op, and saving Brisc Rubal and the INN stream team from another 10+ hour marathon, the anchoring hasn’t had a significant impact on the landscape.

When the blue donut experiences the losses associated with an attack on a Keepstar in Delve, then we’ll know the long-term impact. Until then we’ll wait to see whether YZ9 was the start of something greater, or the high-water mark that led to their own Battle of Midway, and eventual demise.

Japanese cruiser Mikuma, after being hit by U.S. bombers. As a result of the U.S. victory in the Battle of Midway, Japan would remain on the defensive for the remainder of World War II. Image courtesy Getty Images and History.com