#Phreeze Hypnotoad#
"An update from the IRON CHEF:
The last month and a half have been a roller coaster for the members of the Dinner Coalition, with none hanging onto their chair more than yours truly. If you've never had the truly horrifying experience of trying to run an alliance via cell phone, please pray for my now quite damaged sanity. After my sojourn in the desert (which included such delights as 130 degree temperatures, running out of water, and pooping into trash bags), I was updated on the progress of our war versus the Neo-Southern Coalition (-DD-, COVEN, AAA, LEGIO, DARKNESS).
At the start of last month, ED was shuttered as an active alliance and most of ED's sov was hoovered up piece by piece by -DD- and friends. This culminated in the capture of their first station, a significant achievement in their war to reclaim the south. More recently, they also captured TR07 in Feythabolis (1 jump from Esoteria) after I fucked up a sov transfer and then whelped two fleets into them during RU TZ.
During the beginning of June, moral was quite low in TDS. We had taken a huge financial hit from saving my titan (losing roughly 20 carriers and 200 subcaps) and we had lost a significant portion of our R64s as a coalition. Nerves amongst the leadership were frayed, and every day was filled with rumors about who would be the first to leave the coalition. People were losing hope.
Despite the general consensus among EVE players that TDS is simply HBC reloaded (meaning a fetid shithole of an entity that cannot possibly react to adversity), we rallied. Trading land (sov) for time, our FCs began forcing -DD- to grind out systems while we began an offensive to recapture R64s across Stain, Feyth, Esoteria, and Paragon Soul. This was wildly successful, and we were able to claw back a significant amount of income and stabilize ourselves.
Furthermore, we experienced a two week winning streak towards the end of June where almost every single strat op ended in victory (victory being defined as achieving the strategic objective since -DD- would often have a better K/D in these fights). Despite several recent setbacks (the failed sov transfer, getting bombed to fuck last friday), morale is high. There are no longer talks of who is leaving among coalition leadership, and some of the smaller alliances have stepped up in a big way. Bloodline and Flying Dangerous are proving to be excellent additions to the coalition, WALLT continue to be the sexy spanish bastards that we :swoon: for, and even Here Be Dragons is on the rise after merging with ENTRO and taking on some additional corps as well.
As for my own small alliance, Insidious Empire, we are now fielding as many pilots in fleet as the Initiative (though INIT-M guys add 40-50 more than that. WTB Insidious Mercenaries), and we have executed some mergers with some of our brethren who were experiencing alliance decline (ED) or moving on to other endeavors (TROLL). Overall I'm quite pleased with EMP. We didn't failcascade while I was gone. That's all that I could have asked for.
For now, -DD- continues to advance (they are claiming the last two ED systems right now as we speak) and continues to be a most formidable opponent. They and their allies are active from 0600 - 2100, and are always game to bring the fight to us. TDS continues to be slightly on the back foot, but we are attempting to give as good as we get.
Unless a major member of the coalition failcascades suddenly or a massive mistake is made with sovereignty, I can see this war continuing till at least the end of the year. The only thing that could change that is if something happens elsewhere in EVE that adds new combatants to either side and swings the balance of power. I hope that doesn't happen though because I've been having a great time fighting an evenly matched opponent (we have more numbers, they have more skill, in my mind it balances out).
For now, the war rages on. GL HF to all sides and participants.
(If anyone has any questions about TDS, the current political situation, or the troublesome medical issues I'm experiencing with my anus, I'm more than happy to answer them here)."