THE CATCH
The loss came quickly, at the same moment the fight began in 5OJ-G2. With only four participants recorded, this was not a sprawling fleet action but a sharp, contained skirmish in which every volley mattered. The destroyed ship was a Machariel flown by million Pants of SONS of BANE’s Bald Faced Gentlemen, a hull expensive enough to make any sudden engagement feel dangerous before the first shot lands.
FRIENDLY FIRE, OR SOMETHING CLOSE TO IT
What makes the exchange stand out is that the final blow came from million Hat, also of SONS of BANE and also in a Machariel. Another pilot from the same alliance, Billion hats, contributed heavy damage as well. The data suggests an internal or closely intertwined clash rather than a clean outside interception, though the presence of an unaligned Gist Cherubim means the fight was not entirely confined to one side. Whatever the exact trigger, the encounter turned lethal fast.
THE PRIZE BROKEN OPEN
The wreck left behind a mixed result: about 1.5 billion ISK destroyed and 1.5 billion ISK dropped. Among the surviving fittings were a Large Micro Jump Drive, a Republic Fleet Large Cap Battery, a Republic Fleet Large Proton Smartbomb, and a High-grade Savior Omega Blueprint. One Large Capacitor Control Circuit I was destroyed, adding to the sense that this was a costly loss rather than a clean handover of assets.
THE COST OF A SHORT FIGHT
For a battle that lasted only an instant on the record, the consequences were outsized. Losing a Machariel in a four-ship engagement is expensive by any standard, and the involvement of multiple SONS of BANE pilots on both the attacking and victim sides suggests a messy, intimate sort of violence rather than a conventional hunt. In New Eden, those are often the fights that leave the sharpest scars.
