Astero Caught and Crushed in Wormhole Ambush
An Astero worth 1.1 billion ISK was caught and destroyed in J160156 after a small House Dad group closed a fast-moving trap on Vitaliy Zhitnik’s explorer-hunter fit. The kill came together quickly, with three attackers doing the heavy lifting and a Flycatcher landing the final blow as the covert frigate was stripped of nearly everything it carried.
THE CATCH
The fight in J160156 was brief, but the result was anything but trivial. Vitaliy Zhitnik’s Astero, flying for Strange Affairs Department, was overwhelmed by a House Dad gang that appears to have had the target firmly pinned before the exchange was over. With only 13.9 million ISK recovered from the wreck, the ship’s expensive modules and fittings were largely lost in the destruction.
THE HUNTING PARTY
House Dad committed three attackers to the takedown. Jinkens Support in a Flycatcher scored the final blow, while Arae Jinkens’ Curse contributed most of the damage. Jinkens Miner’s Stork was also present, suggesting a compact but coordinated hunt rather than a random skirmish. The engagement involved six participants in total, keeping the clash small but focused.
THE LOSS
The Astero’s fitting points to a ship built for scanning, covert movement, and opportunistic work in dangerous space. Sisters Core Scanner Probes were recovered in part, but a Zeugma Integrated Analyzer was destroyed and much of the drone flight was lost with it. For an exploration frigate, that kind of collapse is costly not just in ISK, but in the time and caution needed to replace it.
WHY IT MATTERS
In wormhole space, ships like the Astero live on uncertainty and speed. Once caught, they rarely get a second chance. This loss gives House Dad a clean and expensive success, while Strange Affairs Department is left with a reminder that even a single frigate can become a serious prize when the hunters are already in position.
Generated from live EVE data and archived for sharing.
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