Though the Steel Vipers met defeat at the hands of their Inner Sphere opponents on Tukayyid, their position nearest Terra on the front line of the invasion allows them to continue to believe that they will someday lead the Inner Sphere to accept the rebirth of the Star League. The Steel Viper warriors have found a tangible reason to respect their Inner Sphere foes as Khan Mercer prophesied they should, and this respect - along with the Vipers' current position as a front-line Clan an even more deadly opponent when the invasion resumes.
The waning power of the Wolves and the Jade Falcons has created a power vacuum among the invading Clans, leading to further instability as other Clans in the invasion force jockey for power. At present, the Ghost Bears seem the most likely to lead a renewed invasion. The Bears have bolstered their troops with reinforcents from the Clan homeworlds, a development that poses a grave threat to the Draconis Combine worlds that lie above the truce line.
Kurita raiders have staged near-constant raids against Clan Smoke Jaguar in recent years, which have prevented that Clan from effectively recovering from the heavy casualties it suffered on Tukayyid. Nova Cat raiders have begun harassing Smoke Jaguar forces recently as well, further hampering the Clan's attempts to rebuild. As a result, the Smoke Jaguars seem unlikely to challenge the Ghost Bears for leadership of the Clans. Clan Smoke Jaguar's weakness has filled its warriors with frustration and a fierce desire to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with - which makes the Jaguars a potentially dangerous enemy for their Clan brethren and Inner Sphere powers.
Neither the Steel Vipers nor the Nova Cats have the strength to challenge the Ghost Bears, but both Clans are far from harmless. The Viper Khan, Perigard Zalman, has shown remarkable restraint while patiently rebuilding his Clan, which marks him as a canny and dangerous leader. Meanwhile, the Nova Cats continue to rebuild following their losses on Luthien and Tukayyid. Their weakened condition, however, has not prevented them from raiding worlds located above the truce line.
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Will Day < wd