EVE PANDORA | News Article: Guristas Pirates strike against Caldari Navy convoy.

Guristas Pirates strike against Caldari Navy convoy.

New Eden News - Fri, 03 Nov 2006 - 00:00

OTITOH. Recent unrest in the State shows little sign of letting up, as the Guristas Pirates continue to look for ways to attack Caldari Navy interests. The most recent of attacks centered around a shipment contracted by the Navy, which was subsequently lost and used for bait in what came to be an unsuccessful trap.

On the 25th of November, a large convoy owned by the Taladigi Transport & Trading Corporation set out from the New Caldari system bearing a classified shipment for the Caldari Navy. It never arrived at its destination, said to be somewhere along the northern Caldari border. Officials were baffled as to how as many as 7 Badger-class industrials and around 15 combat craft managed to vanish without a trace.

The CEO of TT&T;, Mogal Taladigi immediately opened up an internal investigation in an effort to discover the fate of the convoy. In what has come to be a testing time for many in the State, Mogal promised answers and retribution, assigning his head of Security Kilroy Eckheart to the matter.

Three days after the convoy had vanished, Mr Eckheart began his investigation in the New Caldari system, where he and a handful of his personnel sought assistance from the local capsuleers. Following initial intelligence, he began retracing the path the convoy had taken, where after additional questioning of local residents along the way, his team ended up in the Otitoh system. Further investigations in system revealed that somehow the convoy had been lured to Otitoh VII.

Assisted by around 15 capsuleers, Mr Eckheart and his team arrived at the planet shortly after and began to scout the surrounding area for any signs of the convoy. Not long after the search had begun, Kra Martel of Eve University reported a visual on the seven Badger Mk II’s – stating that they were adrift at Moon 18. Moving in to investigate the matter, Eckheart and his team found all seven industrials without pilots, their cargo holds emptied. Before he could issue any further orders however, scouts on site reported hostilities from Guristas operatives in the system.

“Intel told us those badgers were empty, we were instructed to destroy them,” commented CEO of Dragonian Freelancers, Frogzuk, whose corporation was involved in the recovery operation. “On locating the badgers at a moon, the small gang split to check for hostiles…and encountered several Guristas near the location and engaged”.

Gulwort Hilack is thought to have been the leader of the small strike force, comprised of operatives from both the Guristas Corporation and Guristas Production. Their smaller force; consisting of only Gila-class cruisers and support, was quickly brushed aside by the investigative team and their capsuleer supporters, despite a few losses on TT&T;’s side. Hilack has claimed responsibility for the convoy’s abduction and the subsequent use of the emptied vessels as a trap. It is now being seen as part of a larger, ongoing retaliatory strike against the Caldari Navy for its continued interference in Guristas affairs.

Despite the defeat of the Guristas forces and the foiling of their trap, Caldari State officials are still concerned with the loss of property as well as the increasing boldness of Guristas commanders within State borders. Far from perturbed by the defeat of his operatives on the battlefield, Hilack vowed from his fleeing pod, that he would continue to fight Mr Eckheart and all of Taladigi Transport & Trading, and make them pay for assisting the enemies of the Guristas.