7th Fleet Appear Blindsided by Defiants

Sosala - For the past several weeks The Bleak Lands has been the victim of numerous raids which have targeted and disrupted trade routes and ambushed Amarr Navy patrols throughout the region. The Navy themselves have to date been quick to downplay the effectiveness of the attacks, and to assure the public that the re-appearance of the Defiants was contained and of minimal concern. A few days ago Lieutenant Joshua Epaphras, Capsuleer liason for the 7th Fleet, had this to say:

"The situation in The Bleak Lands is stabilizing and our infrastructure construction is keeping to schedule despite the recent efforts of antagonists. Thanks to Admiral Saracen's leadership we are once more making this region a place where we can confidently raise our families in order and purpose."

The Navy seems to have underestimated the resources and the capabilities of the Defiants however, as it now appears that these attacks were just a precursor to a much larger attack, personified in the strike against the Saracen central defense cortex located in Sosala. The details of this attack are still being confirmed, and the number of casualties and ships lost is unknown. Initial reports however appear to indicate that the 7th Fleet may have been blindsided by this attack but were doubtless quick to respond and the toll on the attackers seems to have been high. This could be a significant blow for the Empire's plans for the region, particularly as without a central defense cortex in place to co-ordinate signal scrambling across the region, many more of the Navy's facilities in the area may now risk becoming compromised and vulnerable to attack.

Captain Anath Shoshana, a local salvager, was drawn to the unusual Cynosural activity nearby and found herself an eye-witness to the attack.

"I was searching the area for useful wrecks when I detected three cyno fields activate less than 6AU from my position, all in close proximity. Curiosity got the better of me so I went in. What I found was some sort of Naval base under attack and surrounded by Minmatar ships, I figure they might have been these 'Defiants' I keep hearing about, you know, terrorists! I saw a wing of Nidhoggur’s taking a pounding by a string of Revelations, there were fires breaking out all over the place and Amarr Navy ships swarming around like flies! It looked like at least half the dreadnoughts were going down when yet more Minnies swarming in to engage the Rev's and turning their guns from the station's defenses onto the garrison ships. I don't know what happened after that, the terrorists noticed me and I just ran for it!"