Battle of Presidia Alenarith

Battle of Presidia Alenarith
Cortesian and Novan fleets exchange fire underneath Presidia Alenarith
Date 26 April 2025 Location Presidia Alenarith Result Minor Cortesia Del Mar Victory The destruction of 2 Battlecruisers: NIF Absolution - Imperial Nova CDMN Rainier - Cortesia Del Mar
Participants
Imperial Nova Vask Authority Separatist Alliance	Cortesia Del Mar Orovika
Strength
16 Ships (88,550 Blocks) 20k Battlecruiser (2) NIF Absolution ☠ (NovaManGood2110) CALAMITY (z4nityy) 12k Destroyer (3) 2x _Longy (1 ☠) NovaManGood2110 ☠ 6.5k Attack Frigate (1) Juuliett 2k Gunship (7) Thrawn31 ☠ 500 Tackle Gunship (6) 3x henryberto (3 ☠) 2x Gabrielhulk10 (2 ☠) TheGamingBananaV ☠ 350 Starfighter (3) 2x _Longy (2 ☠) NovaManGood2110 ☠	14 Ships (132,800 Blocks) 20k Battlecruiser (4) CDMN ​Rainier ☠ CDMN Windswept (Astralchroma) CDMN Centradia (yodabird19) CDMN Aldenfult (Equiila) 20k Barge (1) CDMS Westeria (yodabird19) 9.7k Attack Destroyer (2) yodabird19 ☠ DoctorDiamond1 ☠ 8k Frigate (1) yodabird19 2k Gunship (2) Kingsheep3 ☠ Peregri 350 Starfighter (3) 2x Chewywooki09 (2 ☠) Kingsheep3 ☠ 350 Interceptor (1) yodabird19 ☠
Casualties and losses
13 Ships (50,050 blocks) 1x Battlecruiser 2x Destroyer 1x Gunship 6x Tackle Gunship 3x Starfighter	8 Ships (42,800 blocks) 1x Battlecruiser 2x Attack Destroyer 1x Gunship 3x Starfighter 1x Interceptor

The Battle of Presidia Alenarith was a major military engagement between Imperial Nova and Cortesia Del Mar and their respective allies, and is to date the largest battle (by block count) and the only battle involving the loss of two Supercapital class ships.

Context

TODO: Section about the earlier fight against Separatist Alliance

Summary of Events

Times are listed in 24-hour BST / UTC+1 (British Summer Time) unless specified otherwise.

Start of the Battle

At 23:30 while mining for Uranium in the Barge CDMS Blobfox, Astralchroma was alerted by Yodabird19 to a potential incoming attack from Longy (piloting a Destroyer) and begun to return to Presidia Alenarith (PA); Cortesia Del Mar's primary base of operations. While Astralchroma was en route to PA, Yodabird19 piloted the Battlecruiser CDM Centradia in order to defend the incoming fleeing Barge. Upon returning to PA, Astralchroma piloted the Battlecruiser CDMN Rainier, with Longy jumping to PA shortly after, and thus the fight began.

Astralchroma piloting the CDMN Rainier

The Battle

Shortly after the fight began, NovaManGood2110 joined the fight in the Battlecruiser NIF Absolution, and came under immediate attack by Astralchroma piloting the CDMN Rainier, with assistance from Yodabird19. At 23:52 the NIF Absolution was destroyed in the area immediately below Presidia Alenarith, dealing significant damage to the CDMN Rainier (which remained in the fight) in the process.

The NIF Absolution shortly before being sunk, with the CDMN Rainier below

With the CDMN Rainier's shields significantly drained and having sustained block damage following its direct engagement with the NIF Absolution, the ship was effectively crippled. As it was within the bounds of Presidia Alenarith, unpiloting the ship and switching to an alternate ship was considered; this was decided against, and was ultimately a tactical error which lead to the later death of the ship.

The CDMN Rainier continued to be attacked by various ships, primarily Separatist Alliance Gunships, preventing it from regenerating.

Sink message of the CDMN Rainier

At 00:07, potentially seeing an opportunity to score a Battlecruiser kill, Z4nityy joined the fight in the Vask Authority Battlecruiser CALAMITY, and targeted the CDMN Rainier, ultimately sinking it at 00:13, causing the 2nd Battlecruiser sink of the fight, killing Astralchroma, who respawned at Presidia Alenarith, and piloted the CDMN Windswept to continue the fight. The Battlecruiser CALAMITY left the fight shortly after.

Towards the end of the fight, two Separatist Alliance members, having lost their ships (Gabrielhulk10 and TheGamingBananaV) took refuge in a nearby asteroid. Some CDM members, being unwilling to engage in ground combat, set personal defense turrets, and began firing on the asteroid. At around 01:07, realizing the inefficiency of this, Yodabird19 switched to the Barge CDMN Westeria, and began to mine the asteroid. This is possibly the only case of a Barge intentionally being used an in offensive capacity.

Legacy

The Battle of Presidia Alenarith is one of the largest in the server's history, being compared the historic Battle of Asteri. It is notable for being in which the 3rd and 4th destruction of a Supercapital; and the 4th and 5th loss of a Supercapital. Additionally it is potentially the largest fleet battle by block count and possibly ship count.

Victory Dispute

Some people involved in the fight dispute the Minor Cortesia Del Mar Victory, arguing that the number of blocks destroyed (which is traditionally used as an indicator of victory) while in CDM's favor, is not significant; making this fight merely a draw. Those who oppose this state that Nova's likely goal was to simply cause damage, a goal which which only partially succeeded, while suffering more losses in the process. CDM on the other hand aimed to simply defend the station, a task which succeeded when the attacking forces, having lost most of their fleet, fled the station. CDM does concede that this was not a Major / Decisive victory.

State of War

Cortesia Del Mar subsequently declared that this constituted an act of war on the part of Imperial Nova, Vask Authority, and The Separatist Alliance, and that the nations were now at war.

The president of CDM declares that Nova's attack marks the beginning of the Nova-Cortesia War