On 6 July, the Caldari Independent Navy Reserve began active interdiction of Acheron's humanitarian supply convoys to the Brothers of Freedom and the affected populace on rioting worlds in Caldari space. The following ten days have seen undeniably significant losses on our side, but the continued meeting of our wider objectives through the distribution of aid has ensured high morale, which bodes well for the results in space once tactical and strategic changes the situation has been shown to warrant are fully implemented.

Our prior conflicts with CAIN had left us with a healthy respect for their ability, and the first major combats of the war showed that this respect is well-earned. Opening attacks on CAIN forward operations HQ in Hatakani, and subsequebtly on patrolling CAIN fleets in the Grinacanne and Botane systems, ended uniformly in the violent dispersal of Acheron fleets in the face of battleship-heavy, largely ranged firepower evidently chosen to counter standard Gallente close combat doctrines.

Due to damaged communications aboard Thuul'Khalat's ship, the initial attack on Hatakani was led by VADM Tyr Cloudstone and Strix commander Gervais Zhang. Post-combat analyses indicate that the combination of the enemy fleet's superior pre-combat manuevering and knowledge of their home system, and the destruction of a scout ship before he could fully relay information to the arriving Acheron fleet, resulted in a confused and chaotic situation that CAIN took full advantage of, to the tune of the destruction of five battleships and a Lachesis recon cruiser in exchange for two Drake battlecruisers.

The further battle that day in the Grinacanne system underscored the tune of the war. An Acheron group under VADM Jack Malus had aimed to intercept and ambush a CAIN battleship fleet, but were detected in transit by a CAIN scout near a gate into the system. Choosing to engage and pursue CAPT Scarlet, they were dispersed out of formation by the stargate jump into Grinacanne, and found the enemy battleships already waiting and well placed. A bad situation presented itself, but the fleet acquitted itself well, executing orders responsively even in their doom. Subsequently, the engagement saw a more even result of five battleships plus four support lost for two battleships killed.

It was in the aftermath of these battles that the APEX Conglomerate entered the war as had been expected, deploying in force into the Tierjev system, and launching battle groups, tending towards small skirmish forces but ranging up to 15-20 pilot fleets, into the operations area. On 8 July, an Acheron group attempted but was unable to force a decisive engagement with an APEX force, but on its return to base encountered a larger CAIN force and decided to engage, only to be struck by a massive communications failure that resulted in the total loss of the fleet at CAIN's hands.

In view of the results against CAIN, large scale action against them slowed to a crawl while tactics were re-evaluated and co-ordination protocols in the alliance were reviewed. While smaller skirmishes continued to take place, the main thrust of the action shifted towards APEX, in pursuit of a defeat in detail while the forces arrayed against us seemed loath to act in tandem.

The following day saw a pair of larger battles against APEX forces in Dodixie stand out among the skirmishes. The first centered around the Rattlesnake battleship of APEX's SpartanAnton and a besieging force led by VADM Zowie, at first consisting of a battleship, a HAC, and a cruiser, but as the siege went on, reinforced to 2 battleships, 3 cruisers, and the HAC. SpartanAnton's three attempts to escape from the Navy station, with varying numbers of his wingmates ranging up to four (two more battleships and two support), resulted in three dead APEX battleships (none of them, unfortunately, the Rattlesnake), at the cost of an Acheron Thorax, and the Rattlesnake held in station for the day.

The second battle later in the day has had fewer details emerge, but saw a slightly outnumbered (8 to 11) but slightly heavier (five battleships to 4) Acheron gang engage APEX, resulting in an exchange of three enemy battleships for one friendly, with roughly equal support losses.

Engagements against APEX have generally met with more success, with highlights including Strix pilot Xan Wu's maiden flight in a Nemesis stealth bomber, ambushing and shooting down APEX bomber pilot Recusor as he lined up a cruise missile volley on Wu's compatriot Darune DeLeon in Eglennaert. However, on several recent occasions CAIN have spotted and engaged our gangs to break sieges of APEX's base in Tierjev, either through direct action or by causing withdrawal in the face of an uncontestable numerical disparity, and it grows clear that the well-known differences between the two groups are not quite enough to prevent them working together should the strategic situation warrant it.

An issue has arisen regarding a recent Raven loss by APEX pilot General Wilhelm, which he claims came from a broken duel agreement between him and FADM Thuul'Khalat in his Dominix. While comm logs supplied to me by APEX executor Vendrin Latanis (available upon request to me via EVEmail or at our own Galnet site) indicate a distinct lack of clarity in Wilhelm's request for a duel, a more interesting piece of the evidence indicates an attack, during the portion of the engagement that Wilhelm contends was a duel, by the Raven's drones on a Thorax cruiser escorting the Admiral, piloted by Phoenix Wing's qantua gnartians. If a 1v1 had even been agreed, it seems clear that Wilhelm made it a 1v2 before we made it a 3v1. In my considered opinion, this is a war with broader goals, not a sporting contest in front of the cheering masses, but let it not be said that we of Acheron break our word.

Relating to these broader goals, further notable event saw CAIN intelligence uncover a Strix-affiliated research and logistics starbase in Federation space, and present an ultimatum against it. Working against the deadline of a war declaration on the affiliated corporation, Acheron's logistics arm funded and emplaced vastly increased defenses at the installation, leaving CAIN understandably unwilling to press the ultimatum. In a further success for our supply pilots, using frigates and light industrials we have continued to run the blockade of Caldari capsuleer corporations in State space to supply the following goods to our contacts, losing only three industrials (two on the empty return leg) in the process:

• 1200 units of Electronic Parts
• 4100 units of Frozen Food
• 800 units of Hydrogen Batteries
• 2280 units of Antibiotics
• 500 units of Frozen Plant Seeds
• 50 Livestock
• 10 units of Long-Limb Roes
• 450 units of Oxygen
• 1000 units of Spirits
• 1250 units of Synthetic Oil
• 35,760 units of Water
• 1000 units of Tobacoo
• 2000 units of Quafe
• 1,000 units of Wheat
• 180 units of Dairy Products

Commendations go to pilots Trent Valtine, Darune DeLeon, and Darius Antares among others, for continuing to make the difficult and dangerous supply runs to Kisogo and other drop points in Caldari space. Your actions inspire us to continue as much as any combat victory, and, with our tactical and strategic redeployment largely complete, augur well for our further prosecution of the war.