Fourth District Fleet Rescues Gallente Freighter

YC110.03.24

A joint Fourth District-Gemeinschaft interstellarer Soeldner-Duty. antipirate patrol operating in the low security border zone between the Federation and the State on 23 March 110 engaged a pirate fleet near the Rancer gate in Crielere, destroying one of the pirate vessels before the fleet could escape. An Obelisk-class freighter flying the flag of the Gallente Scope news agency had been in the process of being ransomed by the pirate fleet belonging to the infamous "Sex Panthers" pirate alliance; the quick and decisive action of the antipirate force saved both the freighter and its estimated four billion ISK cargo.

According to the report filed by fleet commander CDR Terry "Mookuh" Hijakosji, the antipirate patrol, after engaging and destroying a number of pirate vessels along the Hysera-Tama section of the Caldari-Gallente border, proceeded towards the Rancer and Crielere systems shortly before 2200 on Sunday following reports of pirate activity. The two systems are well-known for their high level of crime, and Sunday was no exception. Scouts spotted a fleet belonging to the Sex Panthers on the Rancer gate, as well as a pinned Gallente freighter.

The allied force wasted no time in dispatching the pirate force, though most were able to escape through the nearby gate before they could be destroyed. An Onyx-class heavy interdictor was not so lucky however, and was eliminated before it could make its getaway. CDR Hijakosji opened communications with the freighter pilot, who thanked the Caldari pilots for their assistance and told them that she had been stalling for time for several minutes, hoping to find some way of escape.

Following the actions of the antipirate fleet, the freighter continued through the Crielere system and left safely. Though appropriate communications were made with the Federation Navy informing them of the foiled ransom attempt, at this time the Fourth District has not received any response from them regarding the incident.

Fourth District Reaches Elimination Round in 5th Alliance Tournament

YC110.03.10
(Reprinted from the Caldari Navy Times Newsfax)

(ISAZIWA) - Caldari paramilitary alliance The Fourth District was eliminated in the first round of Sunday's elimination competition of the 5th Alliance Tournament, a strong run coming to an end in battle against eventual tournament champions Ev0ke. However, the team's captain, CDRE Ladel Teravada, has promised that the alliance will return in the next tournament stronger and wiser, vowing to improve on the alliance's already impressive showing.

The Fourth District began its tournament run this time with a powerful win over the team from Exa Nation, eliminating the entire enemy force with the loss of only five Griffin-class frigates, the only hitch being an instance where CDR Terry "Mookuh" Hijakosji drifted slightly out of range of his wingmates' remote shield repairers. Though this allowed the Exa Nation team to beat his shields slightly below half strength, he was able to return to the formation and quickly brought back to full strength.

The second battle, against eventual tournament finalists Triumvirate., was the Fourth District's only loss during the group stages. Though the battle could have gone either way in the first few minutes, with the Fourth District dropping one of the enemy logistics cruisers into low armor, the Triumvirate. team was able to eliminate the Fourth District electronic warfare support and use their own jammers to great effect. They were able to keep CDRE Teravada's Abbadon-class battleship from firing near through the whole match, leading to the loss of the entire Fourth District team.

The next weekend saw the Fourth District going up against United Corporations Against Macros, with a Caldari-heavy Fourth District team eliminating a grab-bag of assault frigates, interdictors, heavy assault cruisers, and a command ship from UCAM. The Fourth District team was never really in danger from the enemy fleet, its heavy shields and ECM drones keeping the enemy force at bay, while the cruise and heavy missiles from the Fourth District ships picked them apart. The victory put the Fourth District in second place going into the last fight of the group stages, with their next match to determine whether they would hold their place.

The last fight of the tournament for the Fourth District was against the pirate alliance known as The Church. This fight was a bit of a grudge match, as some Caldari Independent Navy Reserve's first combat actions were against many of the pirates that went on to form The Church., so expectations were high among the Fourth District's supporters. The pirate alliance brought the setup that had proven successful before for them, focusing on heavy damage and electronic warfare. However, according to ADM Derrys Otireya, the Fourth District's chief strategist, this was something the Fourth District's fleet was designed to counteract exactly, focusing on heavy logistics and drone usage. Though the Guardian of CDRE Teravada suffered heavy damage at the start of the fight, he was able to recover, and while the Ishkur of CDR Ayari made mincemeat of the pirates' EW support, the drones of the Fourth District Dominix-class battleships slowly dismantled the Deimos-class heavy assault cruisers. In the end, the field was completely cleared of pirate vessels and the Fourth District had taken no losses.

The victory over The Church. put the Fourth District into the elimination round, up against Ev0ke, the former members of the Tortuga mercenary coalition and defunct Dusk and Dawnalliance. Unfortunately, the Fourth District team, expecting the dual logistics setup that had been extremely successful in the tournament so far, was caught off guard by Ev0ke's high damage three Megathron fleet. Though they were able to eliminate a number of Ev0ke's support frigates, their Raven and four Drakes were eventually overwhelmed by the enemy force, knocking them out of the tournament in the first elimination round.

However, Fourth District supporters were quick to point out that the alliance's only losses were against the two tournament finalists, making their elimination not quite as disappointing a showing as many commentators were saying during tournament broadcasts. Supporters also pointed out that this was only the second tournament the pilots of the Fourth District had participated in (with Reserve pilots having flown under the flag of the Aunni Ti Tsun Consortium during the 4th Alliance Tournament), and they still managed to place within the top 16 teams.

Caldari Naval Forces Trideo will be replaying all of the past two weeks' tournament coverage over the next two weeks, courtesy of the Lai Dai Corporation and CONCORD's Interstellar Services Division. Be sure to tune in and watch any of the matches you might have missed, as this tournament has been acclaimed by Splinterz fans the cluster over as one of the most exciting combat sporting events in the last five years.


ADM Dev Larren Returns to Service

YC110.03.08

Admiral Dev Larren, who founded the Caldari Independent Navy Reserve over three years ago, returned to active service this week after spending two years in retirement on New Caldari. While his return has been greeted with a great deal of excitement among the Reserve's rank and file, he made it clear that he thought the Reserve had made great strides during his absence. "Under me, it was a small-bit private club, but under FADM Van Cleef it seems to have truly become a formidable military organisation. I hope I can meet the standard."

Admiral Larren formed the Reserve in early 107 with a small group of former Caldari Navy pod pilots, and during the first year of its existence, the Reserve clashed with a number of enemies, including the Star Fraction and the Ushra'Khan, most notably when the Reserve hunted down renegade Zainou Biotech scientist Dr. Ullia Hnolku in fall of that year and prevented him from falling into Ushra'Khan hands. It wasn't long after that that Admiral Larren was forced to begin a leave of absence, which left many of the Reserve's oldest members at a loss for his guidance.

However, despite a rocky period in early 108 filled with wars against a number of pilots who would later on establish the pirate syndicate known as The Church, the corporation managed to recover from the loss of the admiral's leadership, with current Fleet Admiral Van Cleef taking the helm of the corporation in April 108, shortly after the Reserve joined the now-defunct Kimotoro Directive. Admiral Larren has still be a constant source of inspiration for Reserve pilots however, with two Reserve space platforms bearing his name over the course of the last two years.

Though, as Admiral Larren claims, he knows "more at the moment about raising lifestock than flying an Eagle," his return has been a strong morale booster for the Reserve and the Fourth District, especially coming on the heels of the District's strong showing in the group stages of the Fifth Alliance Tournament. With Admiral Larren joining the Reserve's officers, both new recruits and veterans, in cheering on ADM Derrys Otireya and CDRE Ladel Teravada's tournament team, spirits are riding high both at Reserve bases in the State and at the Reserve's Pure Blind operations base as the spring of 110 dawns on New Caldari.