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Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
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Posted - 2011.10.15 10:15:00 -
[1] - Quote
Introduction
I am a Caldari pilot. I joined the Caldari Militia in July 2010 and had the opportunity to fly under some of the best Caldari faction warfare corporations of my time.
Seeing the amount of memories I had in the Gallente/Caldari war between July 2010 and July 2011 I always had it in the back of my mind to have them written down somewhere; might as well let it be here.
Please bear in mind much of what I will be writing will be what I saw and completely from my perspective which may be (and I am sure is) wrong in certain aspects so please before you tear into what I write keep in mind it is the view I had at the time that I am writing down.
While I do mention a few names any names I miss are by no means meant to downgrade anyoneGÇÖs importance in this history but the sheer number of pilots I flew with and against are just too many for me to mention. I have the utmost admiration for all that flew against me and with me on the field of battle.
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Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.15 10:18:00 -
[2] - Quote
Chapter One
The State of the State
Prior to my joining the Caldari FW the State of Caldari Fw was in decline. The ERA of great Caldari PVP corporations such as the 22nd Blackrise, NOD, COW, Space Pervs and others was over. The days the Caldari owned all of the Gallente / Caldari warzone were long gone and most of the great FCGÇÖs that period were known for had long left to other conflicts in EVE.
When I joined the Caldari Militia (July 2010) the State PVP corps were trying hard to deal with a much superior Gallente fighting machine that had not only superior numbers but superior pilots. While this by no means implies Caldari had no good pilots it is just to say the Gallente had many more good pilots to bring to the table. Couple this with superior numbers and few of CaldariGÇÖs finest had incentive to risk any good ships in PVP as the risk of being GÇÿblobbedGÇÖ was just to high.
The Gallente had a stranglehold on the main highsec entry point to the conflict zone Tama.
With the Caldari losing its senior pilots many a new pilot for the State was put off by the fact that the act of jumping into lowsec without a proper fleet was near suicide. In Tama the main threat was a Gallente Corporation by the name of Bi-Polar Bears that was the forward most base of operations for the Gallente, Essentially right on the Caldari doorstep. Bi Polar was beaming with high SP pilots that made it a hobby to farm the Nourvakieken gate (Caldari highsec Entrance) for killmails. The leadership of the Bi Polar Bears was sound in the hands of a pilot named Eddie Valentino. When word got out that Tama had easy ganks and was a great place to boost killboard stats pirates as well as Gallente flocked to it in droves. This made Tama one of the most dangerous systems in EVE for a very long time.
On the Caldari side of the pond a great void was left by the lack of the great Fleet Commanders of the glory days of the Caldari and internal fighting was a normal occurrence while the many egoGÇÖs bumped into each other each with his or her take on how things should be amended and who should have the final say.
Another factor that led to this downturn was in fact a much superior intelligence and counter intelligence network the Gallente had set up. Spies were rampant as well as people seeded into the Caldari Militia to sow infighting and the hiring of mercenaries against any Caldari corporation that started to get on its feet was commonplace.
Something drastic needed to be done the problem was who would assume the leadership role within the Caldari and set the groundwork for a leaner meaner war machine to counter the Gallente superiority on almost every level of the war at this time?
The answer was simple, no-one in particular. This was the middle ground needed. A confederate of Caldari corporations each with an equal say was the answer and as such the Caldari Defense Initiative (CDI) was born.
The CDI was the brainchild of a charismatic pilot named Hidden Snake. Hidden Snake was one of those people you either loved or hated. He founded a corporation known as the Inglorious Bastards that at the time of my entry into Caldari FW was the top killing corporation of the Caldari. Along with the remaining members of the CDI a more solid body within the Caldari Militia was forming. Intelligence was being organized and shared, external and eternal enemies of the Caldari FW corporation were faced with this confederation of pilots.
To me a pilot new to the world of EVE pvp and faction warfare; Hidden Snake and the Inglorious Bastards were larger than life. After being on a few general militia fleet operations I was shown glimpses of a world beyond what I saw in general militia chat and random gangs with no rhyme or reason. There was a private world within the Caldari that was secretive and organized, they had the keys to all the intelligence channels and the best of the best pilots flew in their fleets. I was hellbent on becoming a part of this upper echelon of Caldari PVP as running around in general milita fleets lacked anything looking like cohesion or strategy, the bare minimum needed to conduct a war. Let alone a war against a much superior Gallente fighting force.
To me Hidden Snake had all the keys and winning his favor was my number one priority if I was to experience Caldari faction warfare to itGÇÖs fullest.
To Be Continued.
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Mekhana
Spiritus Draconis
194
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Posted - 2011.10.15 10:39:00 -
[3] - Quote
Interesting read. Looking forward to the rest. |
Ramingo
Verplante Juenger Hamburgs
Space Wombats on Acid
3
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Posted - 2011.10.15 11:54:00 -
[4] - Quote
Decent read.
Not to be a nit-pick, but "The CDI was the brainchild of a charismatic pilot named Hidden Snake."
Wrong. I created the CDI, with the further help of Pillow Fighters Inc. Hidden Snake did not join until we got a majority of the prominent corporations to join. |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.15 14:08:00 -
[5] - Quote
Ramingo wrote:Decent read.
Not to be a nit-pick, but "The CDI was the brainchild of a charismatic pilot named Hidden Snake."
Wrong. I created the CDI, with the further help of Pillow Fighters Inc. Hidden Snake did not join until we got a majority of the prominent corporations to join.
If that is the case I stand corrected. By the time I joined CDI was in full swing by I.BS., PINK, COLDWING,Space-Marines among others so please feel free to correct me if I make a mistake and give credit where credit is not due.
I am fully aware that some of the things I will mention might need correction but again I am only writing from my limited perspective and too many a pilot has helped shape the history the modern history of the Caldari let us hope I am fare to all.
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Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.15 15:16:00 -
[6] - Quote
Chapter Two
To Charm the Snake
As many a FW pilot has found out rising to the ranks of GÇÿtrustedGÇÖ pilot is not something that is done overnight. This leaves many a pilot with a sour taste in their mouth and supports the theory that FW is very GÇÿcliqueGÇÖ ish.
Never was this truer than in the case of the Caldari that are by default a paranoid race. Many a time the CDI was branded as a tool for alienating newer pilots that were not able to get into the GÇÿcool kidsGÇÖ club and in the beginning my task was made harder and harder by random accusations of being a GÇÿspyGÇÖ. While painful and disheartening I stayed the course and hoped my actions would disprove any random accusations as I racked up as many Gallente killmails as I could with what limited GÇÿgoodGÇÖ fleet access I had.
I took the GÇÿthe less I knew the betterGÇÖ approach as I knew deep down that the newer pilots are easily looked at in scrutiny when something dreadfully wrong happens or information relating to a particular fleet or operation leaked out. After racking up a decent amount of Gallente killmails and rolling with as many fleets as were available to me over a period of two months I took it upon myself to evemail Hidden Snake to ask to join the Inglorious Bastards. As previously mentioned as a new pilot flying around in Condors and Merlins I did not expect to be even given the time of the day but I knew that being in I.BS. was going to be my way into the best fights this side of the struggle so it was a long shot but I shot I decided to take.
To my surprise I was given the nod by Hidden Snake to apply to I.BS. and while some of you may think it is funny I still see that day as one of the best days I had in eve and recall fist pumping silently on my PC as I knew I was on the right track to fulfill my goals of being a factor of the Caldari war machine and not just another GÇÿnoobGÇÖ in the meat shield.
The Caldari being outnumbered and out gunned at the time adapted to Guerilla warfare Tactics and never was this more the case than in the Inglorious Bastards. Hidden Snake. Much to the dismay of the Gallente hit and run was the name of the game and Hidden Snake and his bastards were called every name in the book for not Standing toe to toe to the Gallente Armada and providing the Gallente with killmails. Indeed the notorious GÇÿcloak on a hurricaneGÇÖ tactic worked in not only surprising the hell out of the random soft side of the Gallente armada unintentionally revealed but provided for some hilarious taunting in any system local an I.BS. pilot entered into.
As my time in the Inglorious Bastards moved on the GÇÿAWEGÇÖ I had held for Hidden Snake began to fade as I saw another normal person and not the GÇÿlarger than lifeGÇÖ rockstar picture I had painted for him as a general militia pilot. He was by no means the best Fleet Commander to fly under but took the concept of fast hitting hard hitting GÇÿwolf packsGÇÖ to new heights giving the guerrilla GÇÿhit and runGÇÖ school a run for its money. That being said he had a certain aspect of genius to him as he knew exactly how to adapt tactics to ensure the majority of his fleet made it out alive and by god he knew exactly just how to **** off the Gallente be it in space or on the forums. The persona he portrays on the forum is nothing like the real Hidden Snake but I was not complaining I enjoyed someone sticking sticking his knife into the Gallente colossus foot each and every time he could.
At the time the best Fleet Commanders of the Caldari flew under the Bastards flag and where would I be mentioning the history of the Inglrious Bastards without mentioning Gunny, Superchair and Aurora Nyx.
Gunny was an off and on Fleet Commander for the Caldari that knew the inGÇÖs and outGÇÖs of where and how to strike the Gallente and that remains to the day of writing this one of the brightest stars in the Caldari constellation. His only problem in my opinion was he demanded a lot from his fleet members and poorly fitted ships in his fleets had a way of raising his blood pressure to the point of just raising his hands in dismay and leaving EVE for days or weeks at a time. But deep down he is true blue Caldari that the Inglorious Bastards were lucky to have and if I am not mistaken the spacelanes of Blackrise still witness him flying around and leading random gangs to this day.
Superchair was another GÇÿgo-toGÇÖ fleet commander and was a pillar of Caldari fleet operations although he did suffer the same fault Gunny did in expecting only the best fittings and tactics from his fleet members. This gave him a GÇÿfitting ****GÇÖ reputation and many a fleet he ran was half an hour late because he wanted to make sure each and everyone of his pilots was GÇÿperfectGÇÖ. When thing went his way wow you were promised a great fleet fight but god help you if things wnet south in a Superchair fleet as his fits of rage stuck the title of GÇÿemo-chairGÇÖ to him. While I do stick this title on to him affectionately I hope he knows I mean no harm in mentioning it here. Another star in the Caldari constellation I do believe he still roams the Caldari/Gallente warzone running fleets when he feels like it.
Aurora Nyx was the unknown soldier of the Inglorious Bastards. Hidden Snake was terrible at running day to day tasks for the Bastards and handed his trust and the keys to his corporation to Aurora Nyx. Hard not to give Aurora Nyx a Nod here as he was always behind the scenes making things happen as a diplomat and day to day administrator to the powerhouse of pilots that became the Inglorious Bastards.
Last but not least the Inglorious Bastards at the pinnacle of their existence set the bar high for kill racked up and would not be far from the top three if not the top of the Caldari corporations when taking into consideration the shot one year timespane of their GÇÿtrueGÇÖ existence. |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.15 15:17:00 -
[7] - Quote
This pilot feels blessed to have flown under their wings and love him or hate him, I will always feel a sense of gratitude to Hidden Snake for not only giving me the chance but truly being one of the movers and shakers of Modern Caldari history and one that has set his thumb print firmly into the Caldari Militia legacy.
But all good things come to an end and the end of the Inglorious Bastards brought me back down to earth from the high I was on flying with them. As to how they fellGǪGǪGǪ..
To Be Continued
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Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.15 16:13:00 -
[8] - Quote
I do want to take a break here and mention that I am trying hard not to turn this into a masked autobiography as it would take away from the original intent of the thread to reflect the short history of Caldari prior to, during and after Wolfsbrigade.
That is easier said than done though as everything I am writing I am writing from my own perspective.
Please feel free to correct me if I get any information wrong I really wish this history to be as accurate as possible.
It is the least I can do for a corporation that meant, means and will always remain to be so close to my heart.
Wolfsbrigade. |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.15 17:39:00 -
[9] - Quote
Chapter Three
The Gallente Armada
As mentioned in chapter one the days of Caldari Glory were over. Gone were the days of complete control of both Caldari and Gallente space in the conflict zone. It is said that the pendulum of power within the Caldari Gallente conflict is always swinging one way or the other.
When I joined the Caldari the pendulum was fully tilted towards the Gallente creating an Armada of power that was born from the battle hardened veterans of the Glory Days of the Caldari. No other faction has accomplished the feat of complete control of the conflict zone aside from the Caldari. If you look closely through the medals of the most senior Caldari pilots you will see a medal given out by the Caldari State Itself to those that were Caldari soldiers at the time of this amazing feat. But those days sadly were long gone.
After months of being on the receiving end of the Caldari surge a new breed of Gallente was born. Meaner, Smarter, More Bloodthirsty and Vengeful Gallente pilots now made up what I can best describe as the Gallente Armada.
To understand the nature of the beast one must understand that in the period from June/July 2010 (when I joined) The Gallente have exerted complete control of the main space-lanes used by both combatants.
Villore was the main staging point for new Gallente pilots. Just a few jumps out of Dodixie it provided the main base of operations for fleets leaving into the conflict zone through Old Man Star (the closest conflict zone entrance to Dodixie). Unlike the Caldari version of Old Man Star (Tama) any Caldari force projection to the Old Man Star choke point was short lived as it would usually be in the form of a fleet that would fly out of Nourv and could not hold up a camp on the Villore side for long before the fleet was either disbanded or had to run from an overwhelming Gallente response. The main reason for this is the fact that After the Cult Of War corporation left Enaluri and the conflict no Caldari corporations have set up forward Caldari bases so essentially most if not all of the Caldari Fleets had to either be short lived fights in Tama (under the iron fist control of both Gallente and Pirates) or had to take the long route into Blackrise Low Sec through Ichoriya providing a little element of surprise every now and then but seriously cutting down on response time if that route was taken.
Further down the conflict zones pipes two Gallente corporations set up the the core of the GallenteGÇÖs forward base of operations in Heydieles, percussive diplomacy (AKA SLAPD) and the Quantum Cats Syndicate (QCATS). Gallente pilots easily set up shop and an advanced base in this low security space with easy Access to Tama from the two pipes that led to Tama. Specifically the Deven pipe and the Abune pipe.
Another base was set up in a State Protectorate station of all things in Nisuwa by Shadows of the Federation, a famous Gallente corporation that was the main powerhouse of the Gallente Armada. The Nisuwa Base (essentially deep into Caldari Space). From a tactical standpoint this was yet closer to Tama (only two jumps away) and provided rapid reshipping options for Gallente Fleets patrolling and responding to any Caldari Force being prepared from Nourv to go through the Tama Choke point. It was also a slap in the face to any Caldari by the Gallente and served as a constant reminder of exactly who was in control at this point and time in the conflict.
The forward most Gallente Base was set up in Tama (as previously mentioned) by the Bi-Polar Bears. This base provided constant pressure on the Tama chokehold for any Caldari pilots entering the conflict zone and an easy forward scout post for the Gallente to report any Caldari Fleet composition to the remaining Gallente pilots based out of Heydieles, Nisuwa and on the rare occasion of need Villore.
From an outsiders point of view the Gallente seemed much more in harmony than the Caldari with much less internal bickering on who was in charge each Gallente corporation was contempt with having a base of operation and a flight of pilots that can easily rely on reinforcements from other corporations. As well as a relatively safe passage route to Gallente highsec all the Gallente Corporations had easy access to the pool of new Gallente pilots if they chose to recruit as well as a reliable logistics chain.
I was always perplexed by this as from inside the Caldari it always seemed a struggle between Caldari CEOGÇÖs and corporations as to exactly who was in charge was going on at one time or another. To me the Gallente seemed much more in sync than the Caldari.
To add to the Caldari woes at the time very few caldari pilots were willing to set up base outside of nourv as any attempt to move in the conflict zone by Caldari pilots was quickly dismissed when faced with the Gallente Armada in firm control.
Again I point to Hidden Snake for pushing the Inglorious Bastards hard to set up a base in low security space to get beyond the Tama choke point as he fully understood that repositioning his fleets to have a launch point that could come into Tama from another gate, any gate, other than the Nourv gate which as previously mentioned has turned into a harvesting ground for not only the superior Gallente Armada but the droves of Pirates looking for easy ganks from the much younger and less experienced Caldari Pilots. The Space Marines (another Caldari Corp) set up shop in Ichoriya if I am not mistaken as well as Dark Pangolin and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse setting up shop in Enaluri. The only hindrance to those lonely Caldari outposts was the lack of pilots willing to move out there from nourv.
As it stood, something drastic needed to happen in the general Caldari pilots mentality of hording together like sheep in Nourv and change was on the way.
To Be Continued
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CrossedSwords
Spiritus Draconis
1
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Posted - 2011.10.15 18:52:00 -
[10] - Quote
more please |
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Mystical Might
The Imperial Fedaykin
9
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Posted - 2011.10.15 19:17:00 -
[11] - Quote
CrossedSwords wrote:more please
I second This. |
Gallactica
Shadows Of The Federation
12
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Posted - 2011.10.15 20:46:00 -
[12] - Quote
Really really good read so far mate.
/emote keeps pressing the refresh button waiting for more. |
mental maverick
Percussive Diplomacy
1
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Posted - 2011.10.15 21:45:00 -
[13] - Quote
Very good read so far.
Now would you please stop being so ******* lazy and start typing the rest!  |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 00:01:00 -
[14] - Quote
Chapter Four
ChoooGǪ.ChoooGǪ.Chugga Chugga Chugga Chugga
Caldari Battlecruiser: Drake
Of the meticulous craftsmanship the Caldari are renowned for, the Drake was born. It was found beneath such a ship to rely on anything other than the time-honored combat tradition of missile fire, while the inclusion of sufficient CPU capabilities for decent electronic warfare goes without saying.
Yes the mighty Drake. A spaceship worth its weight in gold that has no problem standing toe to toe with practically any other ship in EVE. It urges the pilot to push further, be bolder and launch himself headfirst into battle confident his ship is true.
While the use of drakes in combat in EVE was gaining momentum far and wide throughout new eden I would say the pendulum began to tilt slowly in favor of the Caldari when a corporation named Draketrain exploded onto the Caldari scene.
The leadership of Draketrain was mostly a band of tight knit friends from the space perverts and forum warriors. The later corporation was renowned for outstanding tactics and innovations that pushed the edge of combat to the very edge of EVE game mechanics if not in some cases slightly over that edge. Mostly remembered for the Lowsec Doomsday Video (one of the first applications of the disco fleets in eve) on youtube, the Leadership of Draketrain knew how to fight, when to fight and most amazingly seemed to bend the reality of EVE to their favor time and time again.
The battle doctrine of Draketrain was simple if not obvious from the Corp name. DRAKES.LOTS OF DRAKES. So many drakes that when they undocked they formed a silver train of pure Caldari might that came out of the station like a giant snake. If you ever seen a Draketrain up close you know exactly what I am talking about.
Looking back on the overview of the conflict zone I wrote in chapter three a release was needed to ease the strangle hold the Gallente had on the Caldari to allow the Caldari some breathing room to get back on its feet. While the Caldari CEOGÇÖs fought and debated for ages on where the best option to set up forward bases to ease the chokehold on Nourv, some even setting up shop as far away from the other as possible to somehow assert himself as the big Caldari Cheese, Draketrain was having none of it and achieved something never before done and never attempted again in Faction Warfare.
Caldari innovation? Draketrain leadership brilliance? An answered prayer? Or just sheer dumb luck? My guess is as good as yours but what they did next was the equivalent of a person on the ground being beaten to death by someone else and landing a square kick to the throat of the attacker.
Draketrain set up their base of operation in Villore. Yes you read that correctly Villore the Gallente Highsec route leading to the conflict zone. Sheer military Genius? Your guess is as good as mine but one thing is for sure. They cut off the Gallante ArmadaGÇÖs supply line to Dodixie making moving to and from Gallente highsec a logistical nightmare for the Gallente pilots. They showed no mercy what-so-ever to the newer Gallente pilots gathering themselves and their combat experience enough to hopefully one day be able to live in low security space under one of the Elite Gallente Corporations Flag.
To the astonishment of all involved in the conflict Draketrain came up with a secret formula to not only shrug off the Gallente NPC Navy but add to that the potent combinations of logistics and recon ships wraped in a ball of OMG SOOOO MANY DRAKES made only the most well organized Gallente fleet stand a chance of even standing toe to toe with Draketrain. The secret formula Draketrain used to be able to operate in Gallente highsec with near immunity? That remains to this day one of the most guarded secrets of the Caldari State. I even recall being in a Caldari Faction Warfare Fleet in Gallente high security space being part of a POS bash, of a POS, in Gallente Highsec Space. Iet that sink in for a minute people.
The Gallente Armada was not pleased to say the least. The mighty Gallente Armada threw everything they had to remove Draketrain from Villore but no matter what happened Draketrains presence in Villore was there to stay.
Another leg up Draketrain had over other Caldari corporations was that they had such a command structure that they cared not about any potential Gallente agent infiltration into their corporation. In fact they flaunted it to all and begged the gallente to send their spies to join Draketrain. In the times of deep background security checks, constant pilot behavior monitoring and Caldari paranoia exercised by the CDI through solid intelligence sharing among the few that needed to know Draketrains in your face method was unheard of. Anyone could join draketrain. No API checks, screening or interviews needed just click GÇÿapplyGÇÖ to the Draketrain corporation tab and you were in. Provided of course you could fly a drake.
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Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 00:03:00 -
[15] - Quote
Draketrain had little time for infighting and egoGÇÖs in their corporation (something that long plagued the Caldari Corporations, said Corporation Officers and CEOGÇÖs). They simply had a strict military code. This is how you fly a drake! This is where you will be at whatever time we say and if you donGÇÖt like it tough luck youGÇÖre out...NEXTGǪGǪ.as simple as that.
By setting up base in Villore Draketrain did the impossible. They cut off the Gallente Armada in lowsec, any pilot that was part of that Armada had better get used to being in low security space for a long time as the days of easy resupply trips to Dodixie for both pilots and gallente corporations was over. On multiple instances Draketrain would flaunt themselves so much they would camp the main Dodixie Market Stations Undock point turning both Dodixie and Villore local chat in to some of the most hilarious reads I ever had in EVE.
Did I mention Draketrain rolled in the low security space of the conflict zone?
When Draketrain rolled through a system anywhere in placid, blackrise or even Tama. People docked up VERY FAST. I was in Tama the first time Draketrain rolled through Tama. For the First Time in Months I saw Tama completely and firmly under Caldari Control for a few hours while draketrain flaunted themselves. They were leading by example in a time where the Caldari were fighting about what kind of fleet to run and who would FC, Draketrain was showing one and all that the mighty Gallente Armada is not invicible. Something that many a Caldari pilot (especially the new ones) was absolutely convinced of prior to Draketrain. They showed that the boogieman known as Gallente spies was nothing to be afraid of.
This breathed more life into the Caldari than anything in recent memory as more and more pilots flocked to Draketrains GÇÿall are welcome to joinGÇÖ bosom. Finaly the newer Caldari pilots did not have to jump through hoops to prove that they are worthy to fly with the CaldariGÇÖs elite. With one click of the GÇÿapply to corpGÇÖ button they were instantly granted membership to what was by now the De Facto Eilte of the Caldari, they were part of the Draketrain.
Draketrains assertion of themselves as the leaders of the Caldari did not sit well with many of the Caldari Old Guard. Mainly the CDI officers and CEOGÇÖs would sneer in internal intelligence and communication channels at Draketrain if for nothing else but for the simple fact that they (Draketrain) was swinging the tide of the war, and sadly they were achieving what the CDI was never able to, that being to go on the offensive and knock the Gallente Armada back a step or two. The CDI was a reaction, A Defense against an overwhelming enemy. Draketrain was the Offensive Line.
The Caldari, long being broken into a million factions and cliques, was now in the post Draketrain era firmly split into two camps. The GÇÿcool onesGÇÖ that were made of the old CDI guard guided by the ever so daft hand of Hidden Snake, Gunny, Dark Pangolin and company and the GÇÿlol RPGÇÖersGÇÖ of Draketrain guided by the hand of Lacco, Bad Messenger and Damar. This was not a two party political structure. This was an outright political struggle for the leadership of the Caldari.
Someone had to go......
To Be Continued
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Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 02:38:00 -
[16] - Quote
Chapter Five
Where wolves fear to prey
My love of the Inglorious Bastards was not born of blind obedience to Hidden Snake. In fact I clearly remember being taunted in local by someone that Stalking Mantis probably sleeps in Blue Pajamas with the Caldari insignia splattered all over them.
Other times I was called a mouthpiece for hidden snake. Understand my love for Hidden Snake and his bastards was based purely on one simple concept:
A United Caldari Front to Face a Beast Called the Gallente.
Who has time to fight with his neighbor when both he and his neighbor are being pounded into the ground by a bigger more muscular neighbor?
The recent resurgence of Caldari pilots showing up to fight the Gallente after Draketrain showed up did not go unnoticed by the old guard of the Caldari (CDI). While many a Caldari corporation and pilot belonged to this GÇÿold guardGÇÖ, again Hidden Snake held the most Aces in the card deck.
While draketrain clearly ruled any engagement by sheer strength, a very good number of very experienced Caldari pilots remained in the fold of the Bastards, of course with exceptions here and there.
Having enough of the GÇÿflock of sheepGÇÖ mentality spread out among the majority of the Caldari Militia members based in Nourv; Hidden Snake made it clear he wanted to move his Aces to lowsec.
Low sec was good, low sec meant less carebear distractions than highsec, but mainly low sec meant not being forced to tunnel fleets through one solar system (Tama).
Orders were issued to move the headquarters of the Inglorious Bastards to Hysera. The advantages Hysera had over Nourv were numerous:
1-It was NOT nourv
2-It was the end system of a lowsec pipe that branched out into both Heydieles to the North and Tama to the South
3-It was 3 jumps to Tama that meant Caldari fleets that were formed there by the allstar cast of active GÇÿFCGÇÖs and the best of the best Caldari pilots could swing by Tama to pick up reinforcements from Nourv. Remember not everyone was willing to let go of Nourv quite yet
4-Hysera had two Gates leading to Caldari Highsec. This significantly reduced the chances of the Gallente shutting out reinforcments from Highsec
5-Hysera had a GÇÿpipeGÇÖ entrance from its lowsec side which meant incoming Gallente fleets could be easily spotted. Unlike Tama with possible entrances from both Nisuwa (shadows of the federation) and Heydieles (SLAPD & QCATS)
6-It reduced the ability of rapid Gallente reshipping in Nisuwa and made it hard for the the Shadows of the Federation (The most organized of the GallenteGÇÖs forces) to become a factor as any movement by them would have to be a concentrated effort of jumping through at least 7 or 8 lowsec systems before reaching it.
7-It had three stations (unlike Tama with only one) that was a plus.
Efforts were focused now on getting as many quality fleets to form up from Hysera as possible. With a new found ease of movement and the availability of many more options than the past the sight of multiple fleets leaving Hysera to engage the Gallente was getting more and more common.
With every passing day the sheep of Nourv were slowly shedding their sheeps clothes and getting a taste for Gallente blood.
I believe both the Caldari and Gallente pilots enjoyed this new found resurgence in PVP and many skirmishes were had in one day instead of the Gallente bored to tears hoping someone in Nourv would set up a fleet for them to fight. Engagements were no longer blood baths and smaller and smaller patrol gangs of sometimes two or five pilots were becoming common place throughout the conflict zone.
In essence there were far less sheep in the Caldari folds as more and more Gallente blood was being tasted.
Meanwhile; in a highsec system you probably never heard of called GÇÿYriaGÇÖ (two jumps away from Hysera) two wolves quietly began burrowing a new den.
To Be Continued |
Herping yourDerp
Federal Navy Academy
Gallente Federation
163
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 03:14:00 -
[17] - Quote
i was thinking about joining caladari FW, hope to fight by your sides one day, depends if CCP makes it better or keeps it the same. |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 04:50:00 -
[18] - Quote
Chapter Six
The Fox of Yria
You all know who I am talking about.
Where do I begin describing this man?
There comes a moment when you do fleet PVP. It is right after your ship explodes and you either are in warp in your tiny pod or suddenly in a station miles away. The moment when you think to yourself GÇÿthings can be so much better if we were more organizedGÇÖ.
But still, where do I begin describing this man?
From my perspective he came out of nowhere and personified every wish I ever had for the Caldari even the wishes I never knew I had. He was simply the answer the Caldari needed. But before I get carried away praising FIRST GENERAL let me start by saying that in the beginning of his arrival he never claimed to be a leader nor did he ever make his intentions of becoming a leader in the Caldari war clear.
He ran a few pickup fleets (nothing extraordinary) from the general militia crowd and as paranoid as most of the old guard were the first impressions in our internal chatter was GÇÿwho the hell is this guy?GÇÖ
One quick roam under his command was enough to make anyone a believer though. I mean no disrespect to any Caldari or Gallente pilot or fleet commander when I say this but he truly was a natural, one in a million Fleet Commander.
In his early days I never remember him asking pilots to bring a certain type of ship, He would never ask pilots generally paranoid about newcomers to bring anything. He would simply undock in a Tengu, Sliepnir, Claymore, Legion, Proteus, Damnation, Macharial or anything GÇÿblingGÇÖ you can think of and ask for xGÇÖs to join his fleet. Any hesitation by any paranoid pilot was soon vanished when he saw that this fleet commander was basically putting his faith in whoever xGÇÖd up with whatever they could bring to protect his ship from the mighty Gallente Armada waiting but a few jumps out to eat such bling skin and bone.
Not only did he lead larger and larger fleets into battle. He teamed up with a friend of his named Tommyboy (that toon has since been sold) and started running open classes to any and everyone from the Caldari militia that wanted to learn everything from the basics of tackling to the mechanics of fleet management. These classes ran out from Yria where a lone office set under the name of a corporation called Wolfsbrigade. I would call Tommyboy and FIRST GENERAL the true founders of Wolfsbrigade.
FIRST GENERAL, This guy was the real deal.
Always the sly diplomatic fox FIRST GENERAL never allowed enemies from within the state to form. He dealt with each and every other CEO and Senior Caldari Officer with a feather and a glass of wine. This made him easily approachable and easy to get along with and soon employment offers were coming from every single corporation of the CDI, each of the Caldari CEOGÇÖs saw that this was the long lost ace of spades they needed to complete their royal flush of budding FCGÇÖs and pilots. As large as some of the Caldari Egos were I was simply astonished that he was able to decline each and every single invitation to join a corp and yet avoid injuring the pride of the inviting CEO.
I even recall Shadows of the Federation among other Gallente corporations flirting with him in local about joining them. Yes he was that good that even his opponents wanted to have him under their own flag.
Although not apparent from the beginning this fox clearly had a plan he was not sharing with anyone and was slowly setting the chess pieces up for his move. Perhaps I was not the only one with these suspicions but any discussions or apprehensions with FIRST GENERAL about his long term plans were stroked aside while in conversation with him.
On the other side of the Wolfsbrigades founding equation was Tommyboy a man with plans to take young uneducated pilots and teach them to pvp. He was a beast with the Wolf class ship. His methods of teaching were brutal and training was no holds barred as trainees where expected to lose their ships and die as part of their training regimine. Slowly but surely Caldari pilots from everywhere were welcoming this new attitude with open arms. Gone were the days of spy accusations to anyone unfamiliar and in came the days where the small Wolfsbrigade corporation would take new pilots and start teaching them to PVP instead of constantly complain about the lack of skilled pilots the Wolfsbrigade had a GÇÿIf they are not available we will forge themGÇÖ mentality. The term spy was not thrown around as lightly by either Tommyboy or FIRST GENERAL and rest assured if they ever pointed the spy finger at someone you better believe they were right and not just tossing the word around.
Two common factors were shared by both Tommyboy and FIRST GENERAL and I have seen both do it with my own eyes.
When things were going south in one their fleets they made it clear that they will try their best to get the remaining fleet members out alive by sacrificing themselves and their bling ships to the Gallente that relished nothing more than to pound the opposing FC into the ground. The Gallente were fighting a war of attrition and killing the morale of the opposing Caldari Fleet Commander was a common tactic among them.
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Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 04:52:00 -
[19] - Quote
I specifically recall a fleet on the Deven gate led by FIRST GENERAL in his Tengu. The fleet was made up of assorted General Milita pilots in drakes/canes cruisers and frigates. The caldari Militia pulled range from the Deven gate and the gallente sat on the gate waiting. Someone in fleet yelled on comms GÇÿsister combat probes on scanGÇÖ and in a flash the gallente horde was perfectly within 10K of our fleet. We all knew we were screwed and unlike anything I was accustomed to FIRST GENERAL did not call primaries but gave instructions for everyone to GÇÿGET OUT GET OUT GET OUTGÇÖ knowing full well that he was sacrificing his Tengu for the rest of the fleet to get out as the Gallente fire would be drawn to him right off the bat.
Any other FC would have tried his best to save his ship by calling primaries in a desperate attempt to save his bling. This was not any other FC. Kind of hard not to respect him after that. I was sold on him being the real deal.
Two problems were in the way of the Fox of YriaGÇÖs plan to rise to the top. Draketrain and Hidden Snake.
To Be Continued
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Damar Rocarion
Nasranite Watch
2
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 11:31:00 -
[20] - Quote
Stalking Mantis wrote:GÇÿlol RPGÇÖersGÇÖ of Draketrain guided by the hand of Lacco, Bad Messenger and Damar. This was not a two party political structure. This was an outright political struggle for the leadership of the Caldari.
Draketrain are completely serious Roleplayers. Says so in corp history.
draketrain was formed by noobs so they could roleplay caldari militia warriors.
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Party Lips
Blackened Skies
0
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 13:27:00 -
[21] - Quote
finally a good forum post worth reading while i drink my coffee in the morning. |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
2
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 16:08:00 -
[22] - Quote
Damar Rocarion wrote:Stalking Mantis wrote:GÇÿlol RPGÇÖersGÇÖ of Draketrain guided by the hand of Lacco, Bad Messenger and Damar. This was not a two party political structure. This was an outright political struggle for the leadership of the Caldari. Draketrain are completely serious Roleplayers. Says so in corp history. draketrain was formed by noobs so they could roleplay caldari militia warriors.
We all know that when someone cannot deal with someone else on the battlefield they resort name calling
And by the way Damar I am getting to you. It would be impossible to mention Caldari history without mentioning you. You deserve a full book if not only a chapter.
In the Meantime I appreciate you providing the perfect soundtrack to this thread. Enjoying it as I type away to be honest. |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
2
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 17:53:00 -
[23] - Quote
Chapter Seven
The Pendulum Swings
All the previous chapters were leading up to this point. The point where the Inglorious Bastards (by now the leader of the Caldari Old Guard) began to crack.
Unlike other power struggles The Fox and Snake power struggle was not on the battlefield. It was in true Caldari fashion. It was in the backrooms and board meetings of the Caldari corporations Old Guard. While Hidden Snake tried everything he could to swoon FIRST GENERAL to join the ranks of the Inglorious Bastards, the General always maintained a soft spoken philosophy (at least at the time). His philosophy was he did not want to get involved in the petty political struggles of the Caldari Old Guard. He always stated we had plenty of targets to focus our aggression on in the field of battle and if anyone wanted to find FIRST GENERAL that is where he will be.
The Wolfsbrigade did not actively recruit at the time. This was a sly move by FIRST GENERAL as it made him look like less and less of a threat to any of the Caldari corporations biggest assets; pilots and fleet commanders.
General Militia chat was being spammed by the two lone wolfs for two things every Caldari pilot desperately wanted. Free training and fleets. Wolfsbrigade training GÇÿat firstGÇÖ was open to all no strings attached. Wolfsbrigade led fleets GÇÿat firstGÇÖ were adapted to the ships the fleet members brought.
FIRST GENERAL could lead any type of gang it seemed. From nano BC to ECM backed cruisers and frigates all the way up to Armour Battleships. He had no preference, no strings, any and all were welcome (unless obvious spies of course). The brilliance of his fleet commanding skills came in his divine skill to multi task. FIRST GENERAL would have separate comms for scouts, separate comms for ECM, separate comms for logistic ships, and general comms for the main body of the fleet. He would time and again broadcast a destination and have the fleet moving in towards it only to double back and start heading to his real destination. Not only did he execute these GÇÿCrazy IvanGÇÖ maneuvers with his fleets but more than once he would breakdown even the main body of the fleet into colors and had these colors moving in different directions. Most fleets in EVE are a solid body moving together with the exception of scouts. FIRST GENERAL fleets where broken down spliced up and brought back together with a stroke of mastery I have never seen. The Gallente Scouts were utterly confused by his fleet movments. This seriously reduced the ability of Gallente agents that might have infiltrated the fleet to report back to their Gallente spy masters. He would have a full map of the region in front of him and made mental notes of each of every scout report. To FIRST GENERAL leading a fleet was akin to one of those GÇÿwar roomGÇÖ scenes in a movie with him standing over a backlit table with separate grids and miniature spaces ships in different colors being moved with each scouting report. And not to forget my personal favorite quality; no matter what was happening, no matter how stressful the situation was getting in combat. He maintained a voice and a persona as cool as the other side of the pillow. The only times he was liable to raise his voice in fleets was when someone was talking over incoming scout reports, scout reports the main fleet never heard. FIRST GENERAL fleets where marked by long bouts of silence while he digested incoming information, slowly moved the pieces and finally brought it all together in a symphony of destruction and focused aggression.
The Gallente Armada was swinging and stumbling to blow after blow from Draketrain to the north of the conflict zone (between Dodixie, Villore and Old Man Star) and FIRST GENERAL fleets to the south of the conflict zone (Tama, Kedama, Deven and Abune). What was once a mighty Armada was now in effect being pinched from both sides and forced to huddle together in the midpoint of their bases of operations Heydieles.
Not to be beaten the Gallente drew a line in the sand on each of Heydieles outbound gates. This line clearly read GÇÿonly this farGÇÖ as the Gallente were disorganized by the recent changes the remaining gallente bases of operations did nothing for them but split them up in a time where they needed to band together. Heydieles is to this day the nerve system of the Gallente Armada and no matter how hard any Caldari pressure was exerted the line in the sand drawn by the Gallente was clear.
The balance of power has shifted now both sides saw themselves as more a less equals. As the space lanes from Tama to Villore were scattered with wrecks and patrols from both sides the conflict was now in full swing and PVP was on tap for both sides. It was beautiful. It was savage. It was this pilots training grounds.
Yet the Caldari still had a broken house that needed to be fixed.
To Be Continued
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Aldan Romar
Imperial Academy
22
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Posted - 2011.10.16 18:43:00 -
[24] - Quote
I'm saluting one of the best reads I had on these forums.
I'm planning to join the State Protectorate in the near future, and I'm drinking this in...
There's nothing worse than leaving a bad looking corpse |
FIRST GENERAL
Wolfsbrigade
0
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 18:48:00 -
[25] - Quote
/emote blushes
Too much praise =) . I am just a run of the mil pod pilot really.
Looking forward to more story posts Mantis - proud to have flown with you for a year o7 |
Gallactica
Shadows Of The Federation
12
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Posted - 2011.10.16 19:00:00 -
[26] - Quote
FIRST GENERAL wrote:/emote blushes
Too much praise =) . I am just a run of the mil pod pilot really.
Looking forward to more story posts Mantis - proud to have flown with you for a year o7
+1 for the FG manlove fest |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
2
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 19:25:00 -
[27] - Quote
FIRST GENERAL wrote:/emote blushes
Too much praise =) . I am just a run of the mil pod pilot really.
Looking forward to more story posts Mantis - proud to have flown with you for a year o7
Best Time I had in EVE
07 |
Damar Rocarion
Nasranite Watch
3
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 20:35:00 -
[28] - Quote
Stalking Mantis wrote:And by the way Damar I am getting to you. It would be impossible to mention Caldari history without mentioning you. You deserve a full book if not only a chapter..
*shrug*, as far as things go Gallente version is what everyone believes due to constant propaganda they have practiced in forums over the past years. to sum it up, in their opinion I fly cloaked and stabbed t1 frigates and never do pvp. I am also unemployed pedophile and live in a hole in the ground with the corpses of my victims.
And yet for some reason "we are all cool dudes in for good fites and not at all into drama-lama" people from that side of the border wonder why I consider them to be somewhere below the earthworm in evolutionary ladder.
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CrossedSwords
Spiritus Draconis
1
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 20:41:00 -
[29] - Quote
Damar Rocarion wrote:Stalking Mantis wrote:And by the way Damar I am getting to you. It would be impossible to mention Caldari history without mentioning you. You deserve a full book if not only a chapter.. *shrug*, as far as things go Gallente version is what everyone believes due to constant propaganda they have practiced in forums over the past years. to sum it up, in their opinion I fly cloaked and stabbed t1 frigates and never do pvp. I am also unemployed pedophile and live in a hole in the ground with the corpses of my victims. And yet for some reason "we are all cool dudes in for good fites and not at all into drama-lama" people from that side of the border wonder why I consider them to be somewhere below the earthworm in evolutionary ladder.
that pretty much sums it up yeah |
Stalking Mantis
Agony Unleashed
Agony Empire
11
|
Posted - 2011.10.16 21:22:00 -
[30] - Quote
Chapter Eight
Bishop Takes Rook
The game changed. The war changed. You see the thing about EVE is with every passing day your skills increase. The options of ships and tactics available to a pilot are ever-increasing. This golden rule must have slipped by the Old Guards of the Caldari Corporations that made up what remained of the CDI. This was the fatal flaw.
No longer did the Caldari have to use Guerrilla hit and run tactics against a much larger Gallente opponent. The playing field was being leveled and active PVPGÇÖers of months past could field much more sophisticated fleets. Everything from high-tech Recon Ships, Mighty Battleships, Fleet Command ships to Fleet Logistics were now available to the Caldari pilots that in the past where stuck in frigates and cruisers, a new breed of Caldari warriors (no longer in constant fear of being ganked by the mighty Gallente), were fielding more and more of them much to the delight of fleet commanders on both sides of the struggle.
As an officer of the Inglorious Bastards at the time it was becoming more and more apparent that my corporationGÇÖs frigate and cruiser guerilla tactics and fleet doctrine where becoming less and less needed as the Caldari Pilots began to experiment with new toys and tactics they wanted a fleet commander that knew how to wield them in battle and win on a consistent basis.
While charismatic and politically adept; Hidden Snake and his tactics where being consumed by the never stopping wheel of evolution. All the while he and Aurora Nyx knew what the Bastards needed to survive as a corporation and voiced these needs loudly in corp chat. They needed Fleet Commanders; not any fleet commanders but fleet commanders that were fluent in the tactics of advanced warfare, the types of fleets that were the equivalent of standing armies instead of the equivalent of special operations forces.
Hidden Snakes Aces as it seemed where all looking around corp chat at each other then across the table to the most obvious answer. That answer was sitting back arms folded behind his head staring at them with a sly smile. It was the Fox of Yria. Why hold onto the past and the tactics of the past when the future was now sitting across from them in a small and obviously welcoming corporation named Wolfsbrigade.
The most amusing aspect of this struggle to me was the fact that FIRST GENERAL never really seemed to exert any effort into letting the pieces fall into place. He would run fleets and run fleets well and as the saying goes, if you build it they will come.
GÇ£For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. GÇ£
Sun Tzu
Hidden Snake had one last chance at redeeming the Inglorious Bastards and the rest of what remained of the Caldari Old Guard. It was a risk but he was never a man shy of taking risks. His solution? Drop out of the Caldari Militia and form a Caldari loyalist band of Privateers that would actively seek out the Elite Gallente corporations such as QCATS and SOTF. His vision was that the Inglorious Bastards would swoop down mid engagement with Active War decks against the Elite Gallente Pilots and Pick them off mid combat fairly immune to any other incoming fire from the bulk of the federations forces the Federal Defense Union or any other Gallente Corporation the Inglorious Bastard chose not to hunt by not war decking.
Unconventional? Check. Crazy? Check. Brilliant? Check. That was the beauty of Hidden Snakes mind. If only it worked.
The Inglorious Bastards were in an Uproar. This is madness in its purest form many argued. Hidden Snake worked feverishly behind the scenes with the Officers and CEOGÇÖs of whar remained of the CDI.
Coldwing (one of the CDI member corporations) Led by Dan Pyre and JT133 gave snakes idea the cold shoulder.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse (another CDI member) Led by Dark Pangolin and XerxestheGreat promised to think it over but were not that excited about changing the way they conducted war.
Spacetime Enterprises (Another CDI) Led by Thor Gambino and Crew promised support but in the end they had to many fixed assets in space to just up and go.
Pillow Fighters Incorporated-PINK- (another CDI) had just gone through a massive corp theft and where in no position to do anything but recover anything they could if in fact it was not the deathblow of that corporation.
It was all falling apart for Hidden Snake and I felt obligated to stand by him in these darkest of times, I could not turn my back on my mentor. Maybe I had too much of the CDI punch to drink and was intoxicated with the Old Caldari propaganda. Maybe I felt sympathy for a great caldari leader that could do little but sit helplessly on his desk amongst a pile of pilot resignation papers. Even the unseen soldier Aurora Nyx just stopped logging in. The Inglorious Bastards corp chat once full of the best of the best the State had to offer was becoming more and more of a ghost town
.
At some point in time Snake might have contemplated approaching Draketrain with his idea and asked for some support but I assure you if that happened it would look something like this with me being the guy holding the cocunuts.
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