If you are a regular reader of r/eve you have no doubt no doubt noticed an uptick in alliance and coalition level propaganda, which is always one of the side effects of a null sec conflict.
FI.RE, a null sec coalition in the southeast of null sec centered on the once mighty Legion of xXDeathXx alliance, is under attack.
Null Sec Coalitions – Jan 21, 2023
If this sounds familiar, it might be because the Imperium took a couple of swings at FI.RE last year. FI.RE had been letting their PAPI allies drop structures on the boarder the Imperium shared with FI.RE to use to harass Imperium space. At first The Initiative and some local residents started on FI.RE, then Imperium SIGs and squads got involved, and then the whole Imperium.
Both sides claimed victory in those fights. The Imperium blew up a bunch of structures and pushed deep into FI.RE space, but eventually fell back when FI.RE’s allies, notably Pandemic Horde, showed up in numbers to help defend their space, tilting the numbers against the Imperium. So FI.RE claimed they drove off the Imperium and were able to retake a bunch of their space, while the Imperium got to point an a number of regions that were essentially burned down where FI.RE had to start from scratch again.
The usual null sec stalemate. It is difficult to kill a corp or an alliance from the outside in EVE Online. It requires an internal failure, demoralization or really poor leadership, for an organization to fall apart. So FI.RE took back its space and carried on.
Then came the current war, and the propaganda line from FI.RE was that they sent the Imperium packing last year so they were ready for a new war.
The only problem is that the new foe is their former PAPI allies Pandemic Horde… that is the group that bailed them out when the Imperium came knocking. And the Imperium isn’t going to take over Pandemic Horde’s role. In fact, The Initiative has deployed some of its forces to take yet another swing at FI.RE as well.
So FI.RE looks like they are in a bit of a bind. Maybe.
The question is how committed either of the attackers are to a goal of really going after FI.RE in any serious way. On the one hand, both of the attackers started out deploying just SIG or squad level forces, which is usually the indication that it is more of a search for content than an actual invasion.
On the other hand, SIG and squad level actions, when they find success, often lead to more forces being deployed. Things might have started small, but the propaganda escalation this week in r/eve seems to indicate that a nerve has been struck somewhere.
Just yesterday Pandemic Horde flooded the zone, inviting lots of people to some and kill a Legion of xXDeathXx Keepstar in Insmother. (RAZOR Alliance, a FI.RE member, also lost a Keepstar, though it got caught in a freighter as they tried to sneak it away.)
This is a fight I am viewing from the sidelines, and r/eve can be a treacherous source of information when two sides are fighting a propaganda was along side their space battles. But eventually zKillboard and DOTLAN will tell the tale.
Related:
The Ancient Gaming Noob 