The Inner Sphere: Clan Steel Viper

[STEEL VIPER LOGO]

Background

A truly fearsome beast, the great viper of Arcadia possesses strength and tenacity unmatched by any other predator on that world. It coils around its prey in a crushing embrace, then finishes its kill with a deadly poison. The warriors of the Clan I name Steel Viper show remarkable tenacity in battle and in their service to our great mission. May they continue to serve with unshakable faith, and may their opponents learn to fear the fangs of the Steel Vipers.
-- From Birth of a New Society: The Collected Writings of Nicholas Kerensky, Strana Mechty Press, 3025
Clan Steel Viper presents something of a paradox. They follow more fiercely the Clan way and the code of the warrior than any other Clan, and at the same time believe in a unique vision that may ultimately temper the aggression of the Clans. This seeming paradox rises from the Vipers' deeply held conviction that they alone understand that Nicholas Kerensky's true vision called for the Clans to conquer the former worlds of the Terran Hegemony and then to restore the Star League, not by coercing the people of the Inner Sphere to accept Clan leadership, but by cooperating with the existing Great Houses to reestablish one proper government. Because they alone understand this vision, the Viper also believe that their destiny is to lead the restoration of the Star League as ilClan.

Though the results of the trials on Strana Mechty to determine the invading Clans restricted Clan Steel Viper to reserve status during the initial stages of the Inner Sphere campaign, the Vipers went on to achieve notable successes in the fifth wave and even after the Battle of Tukayyid. They took a number of worlds from Clan Jade Falcon, whose invasion corridor they share, and now stand as the Clan closest to Terra. The Clan's leaders have displayed remarkable aplomb in negotiating the recent political and military storms swirling around them, and many observers expect Clan Steel Viper to emerge as a dominant force when the Clans next move against the Inner Sphere.

Tukayyid

The Tukayyid battle plan called for the Vipers to take Kozice Ranch Station and Kelly Springs. Learning from Clan Smoke Jaguar's mistake of dropping too near to its target cities on Tukayyid, the Vipers opted for a conservative strategy, dropping far from their objectives. Khan Breen sent her main forces marching toward the city of Kozice Ranch Station. Despite continuous artillery and aerospace barrages, the Viper 'Mechs proceeded steadily toward their primary objective, unaware of the hazards awaiting them in the intervening land known as Devil's Bath. A horrific 18-kilometer stretch of geysers, boiling mud and massive granite columns, the Bath would prove the Viper's undoing.

As the Vipers reached the fringes of the Bath, they encountered the ComGuards' Sixth Division, which appeared to break after an initial exchange of fire. Thirsting for a quick victory, Breen led her warriors in pursuit of the following 'Mechs. Within minutes, she realized her headlong rush had led her troops into a trap. Entire Stars began to sink in the mud, their long-range weapons made useless by the surrounding forest of granite pillars. As Breen hesitated, unsure whether to retreat from the treacherous terrain or pursue the enemy, the ComGuard command broadcast an insulting public challenge to her via a satellite link established in his 'Mech. Enraged by the challenge and eager to save face before the other Clans, Breen resumed the attack.

The Vipers inflicted heavy losses on the ComGuard troops, but took heavy losses themselves and has expended most of their ammunition when they finally reached the end of the Devil's Bath. There, they faced fresh ComGuard units which broke through the Viper lines and occupied the Clan machines while ComGuard reinforcements massed at Kozice Ranch Station and Kelly Springs. By that point, one of every four Viper units had been destroyed and both Khan Breen and saKhan Zalman had been wounded. Only kilometers away from her Clan's objectives, Breen nonetheless ordered her troops to retreat to their DropShips and lift from the planet. Humiliated by the total rout of her troops on Tukayyid and still laboring to dispel the cloud of her Clan's poor performance in the combat trials to win a position as a primary invading Clan, Khan Breen resigned her position.

The Remembrance

The Remembrance is an ongoing heroic saga detailing Clan history from the time of the Exodus from the Inner Sphere to the present day. The Remembrance is continually expanded to include contemporary events. Each Clan has a slightly different version reflecting their own opinions and experiences. All Clan warriors can quote whole verses of this marvelous epic from memory, and it is common to see passages from the book lovingly painted on the sides of OmniMechs, fighters, and even battle armor.

From the ranks of many she rose,
Pre-eminent among all others.
Foe after foe fell before the young warrior
For destiny guided her sword.
When our Leader called, she rose
And became the head of the mighty Serpent.
She guided the Viper alongside the Wolf,
Along the path of the True Vision.
Let us forever honor the First Khan, who showed the way.
Let us remain faithful to the True Path she marked for the Viper.

-- The Remembrance (Clan Steel Viper), Passage 3, Verse 5, Lines 6-15

Clan Steel Viper Unit Explanation

Clan Steel Viper uses certain nonstandard unit designations and often creates special-purpose Stars, as described in the below table.

Type
Explanation
Krait
Assault Star (heavy to assault weight 'Mechs)
Boa
Battle Star (medium to heavy weight 'Mechs)
Mamba
Striker Star (light to medium weight 'Mechs)
Rattler
Reinforced Star of five OmniMechs and five Elementals
Cobra
Elemental Star
Adder
AeroSpace fighter Star
Molt
Combined forces Star
Head
Command Star

Front-line Unit Summary

Triasch Keshik
CO: Khan Perigard Zalman
Aide de Camp: Star Colonel Henri Mercer

Steel Viper Naval Reserve
CO: Star Commodore Terence Moffat

Steel Viper Galaxy (Alpha Galaxy)
CO: Star Colonel Christopher Ahmad
Aide: Star Captain Federico Varga

Galaxy Command Star

1st Viper Guards (The Viper's Fury)
Star Colonel Elias Andrews
2nd Viper Guards (The Sidewinders)
Star Colonel Geoff Mercer
4th Viper Guards (The Deadly Venom)
Star Colonel Brett Andrews

400th Assault Cluster (The Diamondbacks)
Star Colonel Kimberly Hoskins

Steel Fangs Galaxy (Beta Galaxy)
CO: Star Colonel Jonathan Mercer
Aide: Star Captain Angelica Zalman

Galaxy Command Star

Viper Fusiliers
Star Colonel Allen Dumont
126th Striker Cluster (The Copperheads)
Star Colonel Julian Bukannon
195th Striker Cluster (The Black Mambas)
Star Colonel Paul Thibaudeau

Striking Serpent Galaxy (Gamma Galaxy)
CO: Star Colonel Jim Andrews
Aide: Star Captain Lawrence Patrick

Galaxy Command Star

423rd Assault Cluster (Gamma's Pride)
Star Colonel Ulrica Stoklas
428th Assault Cluster (The Striking Serpents)
Star Colonel Timothy Gerard
51st Battle Cluster (The Silent Strikers)
Star Colonel Greg Mathews
94th Battle Cluster (The Cottonmouths)
Star Colonel Ivan Sinclair
57th Striker Cluster (The Fangs of Death)
Star Colonel Robert Grimani

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Will Day < wd@firstcircuit.net >
John Dutka < jdutka@pcnet.com >
Sep 23, 1996