WOR стр 38 писал(а):The Scorpion and the Star League
The question asked by many of our Clan’s allies: where have the Goliath Scorpion been during all of the Trials and accusations, power plays and dealings?
Simple. We have always been here.
Khan Ariel Suvorov was adamant the Clan remain aloof from the petty political maneuver-ings that unfolded so quickly after the first failed attempt to overturn the Great Refusal. The Scorpion cared little for the machinations of its fellow Clans; we instead focused inward on the opportunities that presented themselves under everyone’s noses.
As the Second Star League collapsed, it was apparent that the Star League embassy on Huntress had suddenly become irrelevant. Before us was a relic sitting on top of the sands; weathered
and worn, but still shining in the desert sun.
The Eridani Light Horse.
With increasing alarm, the embassy staff and the attendant Light Horse warriors became
aware that they had been cut off from the Inner Sphere, cast adrift among their former enemies.
We approached them as befitted an honorable and ancient Star League regiment, examining
their history, inquiring about their traditions and testing them in mock battle.
After the Sharks could no longer give them access to communications, and with no other
Clan showing any interest in this tie to our common past, Khan Suvorov authorized our merchants
to begin Trials with the Light Horse. We slowly inculcated the Inner Sphere mercenaries into the
ways of the Clans, giving them honor and respect, often preparing batch transmissions and mes-sages home for them while making sure they were given basic provisions to survive.
The embassy personnel departed on a Diamond Shark JumpShip, the only transport the
merchant Clan could spare. Colonel Sandra Barclay, the Light Horse commander, opted to remain
here and offered us a proposition: a Trial of Possession for our enclave on Huntress. They would
bring everything they had remaining to the field of battle; we would honor them with proper
combat and, if we won, would absorb them into the Clan.
The Light Horse fought valiantly, but ultimately failed against the superiority of the Goliath
Scorpion. The light battalion that remained was taken as isorla and, with great fanfare, Khan Suvo-rov conducted an honorable bondsref ceremony, accepting these Inner Sphere abtakha into our
Clan. Our new warriors were tested in accordance to our traditions and filtered into the touman,
where they bring the honor of the ancient Star League to those Clusters they are assigned.
So the Clan decrees, so it is done. Seyla.
—Clan Goliath Scorpion Loremaster Kyrie Ben-Shimon, Notations, 13083070
The Scorpion Wanders
Content to sit in their enclaves and watch their fellow Clans wheedle and bargain around
them, the Goliath Scorpions continued to do as they always did: explore. While most of the Seeker
expeditions yielded little in the way of artifacts and discovery, one key operation ended up boost-ing the Clan’s strength.
The Eighth Scorpion Grenadiers and First Eridani Lancers worked their way down to the far
side of the Jade Falcon OZ in early 3071, initially looking for remnants of the Rim Worlds Republic.
The Scorpions instead made two key discoveries: a heavily defended system six jumps from Ere-whon, and a small Ice Hellion flotilla.
The system, designated T-892 on the Scorpion’s ancient star charts, was unremarkable at first
glance. When the Clans ‘small force of three JumpShips was suddenly accosted by an unidentified
Peregrine-class WarShip. Fortunately, the Scorpions were able to jump back out of the system,
though it was the JumpShip Whisper’s last. Lancers Star Colonel Sandra abandoned the JumpShip
and its cargo, as the cracked K-F drive could not be repaired.
Overloaded and in need of minor repairs, the two remaining JumpShips limped towards the
nearest inhabited system, the Jade Falcon-held world Cambridge. Shortly after their arrival, the
Scorpions were surprised again when a substantial Ice Hellion fleet arrived nearby. Star Colonel
Sandra, struck by inspiration, trialed for one of the Hellion JumpShips and won handily. She dis-covered, upon communicating with the crew, that the fleet was the vanguard of the Hellions’
invasion, destined for the Jade Falcon OZ.
Knowing the Scorpions could leverage the information, Sandra ordered the newly acquired
Frost Giant to Erewhon. As fortune dictated, Star Colonel Brian Pryde was in the system, coordi-nating a Watch operation. After the usual Clan wrangling, the Scorpions shared their information
with Pryde and then departed—with another JumpShip containing a Star of Falcon Watch war-riors and three Stars of newly-built Jupiters.
Curiously, when the Scorpions returned to the location of the abandoned Whisper in 3077,
it was missing.
—Clan Diamond Shark Scientist (Historian) Malachi, Report addendum 081778
The Scorpions, with their absorption of the false Star League embassy on Huntress, will find themselves facing a decision point. Those who fought the Eridani
Light Horse will need to suffer a Reaving Call, as will all of the Clans who participated in the False
Refusal.
—ilKhan Brett Andrews, Musings, 17123071
The 144th Phalanx did well holding the line against the
Twenty-second Scorpion Uhlans. As the Trial concluded,
a Scorpion MechWarrior placed its Timber Wolf ‘s barrels
against the cockpit of Star Colonel Ollos’ Crimson Langur
and incinerated the Steel Viper officer. [Interestingly, it was
discovered later that the warrior in question was a former
Inner Sphere warrior from the Eridani Light Horse and had,
against the reported advice of her superior, ingested necrosia
during the battle. Apparently it did not agree well with her
and she acted without honor. The incident was, unfortunately
for the Scorpions, well documented by the Vipers and became
that Clan’s latest catalyst in its orgy of purging their declared
“Taint.” –SK] Enraged by the lack of respect and honor for
their commander, the Vipers declared the Scorpions dezgra
and overwhelmed the Uhlans, crushing them completely.
Khan Suvorov, caught off guard by the Viper’s sudden
assault, ordered the First Cateran Cluster and the remains
of the Third Scorpion Cuirassiers to attack Firebase Nu as
the Atropos and Bernlad moved into support positions.
[Khan Suvorov later admitted she was unaware of what
exactly had occurred at the end of the Trial except that the
Uhlans had admitted defeat. The actions of the 144th were
completely unacceptable from her viewpoint, hence her
equating them to bandits and authorizing orbital support
as necessary to defeat them. –SK]
My Khans:
We have located the requested battleROM footage from Foster. Merchant Factor Turhan rec-ognized its value and managed to secure it from the salvage near Adele. Loremaster Stoklas has
analyzed the footage and the codices of the warriors involved. He has determined that the Scor-pion warrior Linda did purposely place her weapon pods on Star Colonel Ollos’ cockpit assembly
and fired with malice. This action occurred two minutes after the formal declaration of the end of
the Trial initiated by the Scorpions.
The fact that said warrior was under the influence of the poisonous concoction used by the
Scorpions is of no excuse for the dishonorable action. What has been noted—and should be of
interest to you both—is that MechWarrior Linda was an abtakha from the Inner Sphere mercenary
unit, the Eridani Light Horse.
That such an action occurred is disappointing from a Clan of Kerensky. That it was done by a
Spheroid—from a mercenary unit, no less—is egregious. There had been rumors and speculation
that the Scorpions had absorbed the remnants of the mercenaries on Huntress, though many of
us had simply hoped they had simply been destroyed.
All of the relevant information has been attached for your perusal.
—Clan Steel Viper Watch Star Captain Emile; After Action Report: Foster—addendum 29073073
SaKhan Grimani:
It is apparent from this report that the Scorpions have been irredeemably tainted. I have
noted that Khan Suvorov had been present at the battle on Foster and did nothing to stop the
dishonorable actions of her warriors, despite her claims that she was unaware of the incident in
question at the time. That the Scorpions have even allowed such Spheroid lowlifes into their war-rior caste is reprehensible; their excessive use of orbital bombardment is inexcusable. Therefore,
we will begin Reaving the Scorpions as they cross our paths. Once we have strengthened our
holdings and removed the remains of the Inner Sphere Clans from the Homeworlds, we will deal
with those Clans still among us that have tainted themselves with Inner Sphere isorla and so-called abtakha.
—ilKhan Brett Andrews, Private Addendum, 30073073
Upon claiming their isorla, the Cobras discovered why
the Scorpions had put up a spirited defense. Scorpion sci-entists had begun experimenting with the integration of
Eridani Light Horse genes into the Clan’s legacies. While
not using them as formal genetic partners, the Scorpions
were testing the combinations of various sequences with
Scorpion Bloodnames in an effort to infuse the bloodlines
of the ancient Star League into the Clan’s own. What was
worse was that the Scorpion’s leadership and most of the
Clan Council were unaware of the testing.
Disgusted with their discovery, the Cobras brought
the matter before the Grand Council and demanded that
the Scorpions at the very least be Abjured for their tinkering.