Empires-led capsuleer assault on pirates ends in failure
Yulai – Two capsuleer strike forces, part of "Operation Spectre", led by admirals from the empire navies ended in failure on the 7th after the general destruction of both fleets. The strike forces were targeting covert research facilities manned by the Angel Cartel and Serpentis. The pirate organizations were able to evacuate the facilities before scuttling them, making off with the majority of the technology they were studying.
Nearly two thousand capsuleers gathered in Sarum Prime and Meves in an effort to provide assistance to the empires. In this respect, the call to action was a major success. However, the operations were plagued with difficulties beyond that.
Observers noted that the large numbers of capsuleers clogged stargates, slowing travel and preventing the force from moving in an organized fashion. Coupled with the distances between the staging systems to the targets, this resulted in the fleets becoming broken up.
Additionally, both fleets ran into large forces of other capsuleers – either aligning themselves with the pirate or neutral parties making opportunistic attacks – which ambushed and destroyed large portions of the fleets before either was able to make it to their final destinations in the systems of RMOC-W in Curse and 8V-SJJ in Syndicate.
Reports indicate a 500-capsuleer strong camp with multiple mobile warp disrupt bubbles interdicted one of the fleets in Doril. Only a battered fleet, much smaller than the original size, was able to make it to RMOC-W. While both Admirals Ren Karetta of the Amarr Navy and Sami Okuuda of the Caldari Navy made it, they were swiftly destroyed by capsuleers aligning themselves with the Angel Cartel.
The force moving on 8V-SJJ fared little better. Though it reached its target largely intact, the fleet was incapable of defeating the Serpentis and their allies. Admirals Heder Elislar of the Republic Fleet and Auvier Bauvon of the Federation Navy were both podded, leaving their force to proceed without clear instruction.
Forces of Vindicators and Machariels manned by Serpentis and Cartel pirates were protecting the facilities, along with sizable fleets of capsuleers who arrived to assist the pirates. After establishing that the empire assaults had failed, the pirates ordered the abandonment of their facilities, reasoning that as they had been discovered, they would become targets once again.
The pirates then evacuated the facilities, using Daredevils and Dramiels to quickly escape. While some of the frigates were caught by capsuleers, the majority escaped, making off with much of the valuable information, technology, and people. Those that were destroyed reportedly were carrying blue boxes. With the facilities safely evacuated, they self-destructed and the pirate forces scattered.