Northern allies G and IRON withdraw from the south

Last week saw the organised withdrawal of G & IRON forces from the ASCN territories of Impass and Feythabolis, following several weeks of fierce fighting in the southern fringe regions.

The conflict, which has in recent weeks seen much coverage and interest on the GalNet communications network, has sparked considerable speculation regarding the reasons for the unexpected move. A number of observers have suggested that the recent capture of an IRON outpost in their home region of Deklein by BOB forces may have proven to be sufficient impetus for their abandonment of the southern campaign.

Speaking in an interview on Monday, Buddrow, leader of IRON, was quick to dispel the rumours, stating that: “We deemed our objectives complete with ASCN and we accomplished far more than we set out to do, this war was merely to prove a point.” He later went on to add that with the arrival of BOB forces in Deklein it was “only logical to not only fight the better of the opponents but to fight closer to home” saying that he hoped for a larger and more intense war than the southern campaign.

When asked about the recent loss of their refinery outpost in the JU-OWQ solar system, Buddrow explained that it was a loss which had been anticipated in their absence and was deemed a necessary sacrifice. Explaining that IRON had not become what it was because of its stations, he stated G is a brotherhood that “lives for war” and understands the risks associated with it. He later added that the outpost’s retrieval would not necessarily be a primary objective in the coming conflict with BOB.

The IRON leader went on to explain that recent upgrades to capsule interface software, deployed last Thursday, were posing logistical problems for the IRON fleet's withdrawal. He remarked that whole convoys were constantly becoming ‘stuck’ as a result of the software changes and stargate malfunctions that have posed similar problems to capsuleer pilots across the EVE cluster over the weekend.

Commenting on the withdrawal, Liquidism, a pilot for the G Alliance, stated that G’s main reason for the departure was because “IRON and G are brothers in arms, and defending our allies’ space is of greater importance for us right now.” When asked if she viewed the conflict as over, she stated that although she felt the southern campaign was very successful, “some of our squads will remain in ASCN space.”

Goberth Ludwig, ASCN pilot, refuted Liquidism’s sentiments, saying: “I don’t think the war is ending, it’s just moving away from our home,” adding that he felt his leaders would pursue G and IRON north to continue the conflict. When asked to give his opinion on the conflict, Ludwig went on to say: “I think it’s the first huge war ASCN sustained considering the perseverance and ability of our enemies.” He went on to explain that despite heavy losses the alliance had survived, and he was in no doubt that the “conflict strengthened the unity of ASCN as a whole.”

For now, the war between G Alliance, IRON and ASCN seems to be at an end. With a new war in the northern fringes between BOB and IRON looming, it remains to be seen whether ASCN will pursue their enemies north.