Aurora News: First year anniversary of the Caldari Prime battle was a success!

The gathering before the anniversary kickoff

Thanks to the mainstream media reporting on it (Capsuleers to commemorate on the Battle for Caldari Prime), many capsuleers caught wind of this anniversary & joined in the participation!
The gathering at Luminaire for the Battle of Caldari Prime Anniversary went smooth and people were excited to participate. Capsuleer Oddsodz did broadcast a reminder to all on why we were here, to remember the fallen on both sides, in space and on the surface; The Battle for Caldari Prime by Oddsodz.
During the gathering, people could observe the 'Missing Man' formations training and see the effort put in to properly honor the fallen at this battle a year ago.
The arrival of capsuleer Diana Kim did cause some disruption, as she is a dedicated Provist supporter. But it speaks volumes to the attendants that they didn't drag themselves down to her hatespeech but stayed respectful in their responses during the gathering.

As more and more capsuleers gathered, people marvelled at the rare ships who flew amongst them. The Nestor battleship caught everyone's attention, but other rare ships flew among the crowd, like the Apotheosis, Gnosis, a Nugoeihuvi Rokh, even a shimmering black Kador Abaddon and several Police Comets!

The Nestor Battleship 'Great White' piloted by capsuleer Kusk62

And then the event kicked off as DJ Daggaroth of New Eden Radio broadcasted 'We Are Eve' across the channels, reminding us that in the end, we all live together in this universe.

And the Anniversary Celebration starts!

And so it starts! Gathered at the Highlander Beacon, people cheered and shot firework into space, a truly spectacular sight to behold! The deployment of light emitting drones and partylasers just added to the festive mood.
After all, over the course of the year, thanks to the outcome of the Caldari Prime battle, two old arch-enemies, the State and Federation have grown closer than ever before! Thanks to those who gave their live in space, Gallente Prime was safe once more from a Titan Doomsday. But don't forget, thanks to the sacrifice brought by Caldari Forces, Caldari Prime was held against all odds, allowing Caldari today to visit Home freely.
During the celebration, a lively discussion emerged about the Caldari Prime battle between Diana Kim and several attendants who defended both the Caldari & Gallente right to be here and celebrate together.

The 'Rokh & Roll' engulfed in fireworks & showdrones!

The organizer of the event, Commander A9 assured that the celebration of the Caldari Prime Battle was a large & filled event, as the schedule shows!
The New Eden Radio took care of the music, taking requests, but also choose music fitting when required as during the Missing Man formation & the Flypast maneuvers. Their DJ's also alerted folks when the next show or event would occur, making sure all attendees were informed & the celebration ran smooth.

Tentative Schedule

*1700: Event Starts
*1800: Missing Man Formation
*1900: First Lightshow
*2000: Flypasts
*2100: Second Lightshow
*2200: Third Lightshow
*2215: Second Flypast
*2300: Fourth Lightshow
*2315: Third Flypast
*0000: DJ Daggaroth's Show Continues
*0015: Last Flypast

The Hyperion of Commander A9 lighted up with fireworks!

During the event, the Gallente Navy was also present, providing security against Provist aggression. They successfully thwarted several attempts by Diana Kim by gunning down her ship before any harm could befall any of the guests.

The Missing Man Formation

Close to 18:00 hours, the music fell silent, and DJ Daggaroth reminded us why we all gathered here in a touching remembrance speech. As he spoke, lasers faded into darkness, launchers fell silent and showdrones docked up.

As he reminded us of the sacrifice the fallen had brought, so we could be here today, celebrating this together, people listened respectfully. In this strangely silent but respectful atmosphere the Missing Man formation flew by on the tones of music specially selected by DJ Daggaroth and Commander A9 for this moment.

As one ship broke formation and flew away, to symbolize the fallen and the gap they leave behind for us to remember the sacrifices of war, all present saluted.

Remember the fallen, for they gave their lives so we could live on....

For a full 5 minutes, there was nothing but the quiet music and capsuleers saluting for the fallen on both sides as the Missing Man Formation flew by. This powerful moment was only broken briefly by a shouting Diana Kim, but the continued salutes and the deafening silence on this provocation speaks volumes for all those who attended.
While this happening was among the shortest of the event, it was also among the most powerful.

The Flypast Maneuvers

Several times during the celebration, people were asked to participate in a flyby of Caldari Prime in low orbit. Both to see the devastation wrought by the battle, but also to honor all those who gave their lives for Caldari Prime and peace for its citizens.

A moment of silence for the devastation wrought by the Caldari Prime Battle

The first low orbit flypast maneuver coincided with the celebration on the surface after the unveiling of the surface monument to memorialize the Battle of Caldari Prime. As people on the ground looked up, they could see shimmering stars floating across the sky, honoring the memorial alongside them.

These shimmering stars were the battleships, cruisers and frigates who participated in the flyby fleet. During that flypast, for a moment, people in space and on the ground felt connected, as they honored the same battle, celebrated the same outcome, peace for Caldari Prime.The music 'Bad World' that played during this Formation amplified this feeling.

Making sure the low orbit flyby can be seen from the ground!

The next flypast maneuvers later on the day didn't carry the same strong symbolism as the first one, but they still invoked respect and silence for the fallen, and a will to carry on their legacy as we all flew together over the craters of Caldari Prime. These flypast maneuvers did see an escort of Federation Navy ships as they wanted to assure our safety from Provist strikes.

Returning to high orbit after a flyby, a serene group picture

The Lightshows!

There was also plenty of time for fun times and being awed at the marvellous displays put forth by some capsuleers.

With the usage of fireworks, partylasers and showdrones, great lightshows were created that the audience could enjoy! At regular intervals, lightshow competitions were held in a nearby asteroid field. This allowed for some large scale showoffs from skilled capsuleers!

As people enjoyed and cheered for the wonderful firework explosions and lasershows, the jury had the hard task picking winners during each competition.

In total 4 lightshow competitions were held. All showmodules were allowed, as long as they could not harm anyone or trigger a Concord alert.

The list of the Lightshows and their winners!

19:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Cassiel Angelica 2)ODSTSNAKEZZ 3) Jandice Ymladris

21:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Fox Stonecypher 2) Jandice Ymladris 3) Aedna Niwdra

22:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Khaprice 2) Jandice Ymladris 3)Quickswipe Collier

23:00 Lightshow winners: 1) Kazza Raholan 2) Charles Surge 3) Death King -) Louis Hippolyte, Christopher West, QuickSwipe & Collier

As noticed, I usually ranked in the top 3, save for the last, were I didn't participate and only displayed a show without competing. The high ranking can be attributed to experience as I have participated in lightshow showoffs before. However, the winners all earned it, by displaying maneuvers & lightskills that were unmatched by others!

The prices won rank from a package of Damage Control Units, to Rokhs, Navy Vexors and even a Plex! At the last competition, everyone who participate won thousands of snowballs to toss at each other!

Note: I failed to take any good pictures of the Lightshow events, they are better viewed in motion rather then a still image. So if you want to have an idea how it looks like, join the next major event organized by Commander A9! You won't regret it!

Conclusion

All in all, it was a very successful anniversary, enjoyed by all participants. Some rogue elements tried to disrupt this event, but they failed, as hardly anyone reacted on their provocations.

New Eden Radio announcements were great and made sure all involved knew what was coming up and what was going on! Their music selection was also great, assuring fitting music for both the fun celebrations as the respectful honorings.

The joint event planetside that unveiled the Caldari Prime Battle monument added something more to this anniversary, as it is rare that planetside folks celebrate along with capsuleers. To know that at some point Mens Reppola, CEO of Ishukone and President Jacus Roden of the Federation looked up to see our ships cross the sky as glimmering stars fills us with pride and recognition.

A fine group image of many of the larger attending ships!

But in the end, everyone who participated enjoyed themselves but also got a glimpse on why the Caldari Prime battle was a defining moment to many who were involved in this conflict. The Dust Merc Denak Kalamari explains how the Caldari Prime battle was a turning point for him: Discovering Humanity

Addendum: Footage provided by capsuleers