YC109.10.01
The second week of Operation Just Redress has seen slightly higher activity by opposition forces, most likely due to the withdrawl of KIA Alliance forces from battle against Electus Matari. However, Electus Matari remains unable to seriously challenge Reserve forces in the Minmatar core systems and they have received surprisingly little support from their allies, possibly due to internal disputes.
There have only been a pair of large-scale engagements between the Reserve and Electus Matari and their allies this week, the first of which occurred on Wednesday. A Electus Matari force of cruisers with a small number of heavier and more advanced ships numbering around 15 moved into Vullat, location of the Reserve's base of operations. CDRE Ladel Teravada, who had been leading a Reserve patrol at the time, returned and rallied a counterstrike force on short notice as Reserve scouts tracked down the enemy fleet in space. In short order, the Minmatar fleet was located and the Reserve fleet prepared to strike.
Unfortunately, as the fleet moved in to strike, one of the Reserve battlecruisers lost its navigational control, and another of the fleet's cruisers warped in out of range of battle, giving the Minmatar fleet nearly a two-to-one numerical advantage. With the rest of the fleet at close range, CDRE Teravada ordered Reserve forces to engage despite Electus Matari's numerical superiority. The Reserve vessels tore apart six enemy cruisers and a battlecruiser and forced the enemy to flee the system, though at the price of the Reserve's heaviest losses of the operation so far. The Reserve lost an Eos-class command ship, two advanced cruisers, and another cruiser; though nearly half the Reserve's total losses during the entire operation so far, they were still less expensive than the single Rapier-class reconnaissance cruiser piloted by CDR Char that was shot down last week.
The second major engagement occurred on Sunday, when 11 Electus Matari ships again tried to besiege the Reserve operations base. Though outnumbered at first, Reserve pilots responded quickly to a general alert, and within minutes a fleet had been raised under CAPT Svetlana Scarlet. Thanks to quick work by Reserve scouts, the enemy fleet was located and followed as it moved, until Reserve forces were able to pounce on the enemy at an asteroid belt. As the Minmatar forces scattered, one lone cruiser was left behind as his compatriots ran, and he was quickly dispatched.
The Reserve force then split to cover the stargates leading out of the system to cut off an enemy escape; Electus Matari forces attempted to slip out through the Magiko system and suffered another loss as the Harbinger serving as the center of the enemy force was nabbed by Reserve forces covering the gate. The rest of the Minmatar ships fled back to Pator, where they remained encamped for the rest of the day.
The remainder of combat between Reserve and Electus Matari forces during this week have consisted of small engagements; the Reserve inflicted over 15 kills against enemy combat forces, including two battleships and a pair of recon cruisers, while suffering a dozen of their own. However, the number only show an incomplete picture, as the Reserve continues to hold space superiority. The largest contributor to many of the Reserve's combat losses has been pilot fatigue, with Reserve forces flying almost constant patrols with little action, with Electus Matari forces unwilling or unable to challenge Reserve dominance.
At the moment, barring a significant change in tactics from Electus Matari or the involvement of third parties, the situation seems unlikely to change, and the Minmatar alliance appears unwilling to make any sort of diplomatic compromise. With the operational window specified in the command staff's original operation order coming to a close at the end of this week, it seems that the most likely conclusion to Operation Just Redress will be an unresolved conflict, leaving the possibility of future combat operations against Electus Matari.
