In doing my revisions to Clan Goliath Scorpions, I began working on a story (The Seeker). That story made me question a number of topics about exactly what my Clan would be doing back in the homeworlds during the late 3050s and early 3060s. And I came to one answer--they would following the lead of the Ghost Bears in preparing to return to the Inner Sphere. Throughout the '60s, the Scorps prepared for the move, renovating jumpships and dropships mothballed for ages and assembling a list of civilian caste members that would be vital for the proposed Scorpion Expanses to survive. Then came the 2nd Star League and the annihilation of Clan Smoke Jaguar.
In addition to being defeated by SL2, the Clans witnessed the death of one of their most ardent Crusader Clans, and it was revealed that the Ghost Bears were leaving the Homeworlds wholesale. As the other Clans began to take advantage of this (and launched attacks against the abjured Nova Cats), the Scorpions made their move. Recalling their entire toumen to Roche, Khan Ariel Survorov kept just one Galaxy (newly formed by volunteers, with the ranks of the other Galaxies refilled by recalled Seekers) and the PGCs behind to defend Roche, Dagda, and their enclave on Strana Mechty. The remainder of the Clan's military arm, along with more 1.1 million civilians and their ENTIRE fleet (both civilian and military) quietly departed for the Inner Sphere.
When the other Clans discovered what the Scorpions had done, the Clan was abjured and Dagda and Roche were both attacked by Clan Coyote and Steel Viper, who were determined to drive the abjured Clan from the Homeworlds. But the Scorpion defenders had literally burnt their bridges--and there would be no futile attempt at escape. In many respects, this was first action in the War of Reaving, because there was no quarter asked, nor any offered. In the end, augmented by the Hellions, the Scorpion forces on Dagda were eliminated, but the Temple of the Nine Muses still held out on Roche. In 3073, three Galaxies (one of Coyotes, Hellions, and Vipers) assaulted the fortress and forced their way within. Only the dead greeted them, for the few remaining defenders took their own lives as the assault started.
The little isorla that the attackers managed to claim for themselves did not make up for their losses of the past four years of combat--especially in the naval department. For Khan Suvorov had activated the Roche and Dagda SDS systems and did not grant her foes safcom. Six warships and dozens of dropships were destroyed outright--another score were damaged severely enough to require years of reconstruction in the Raven shipyards.
Under the command of newly elected Khan Jason Scott, the Scorpion Fleet travelled for nearly two years before reaching their destination: the Circinus Federation. Holding to the letter of the Clans agreement with Victor Steiner-Davion, the Scorpions did not attack the Inner Sphere, instead on 4 February 3071, six Galaxies of Mechs, Elementals, and Aerospace Fighters, supported by a dozen WarShips, assaulted all ten Circinus worlds simultaneously. A single Cluster hit every world but Circinus, and a tenth landed on New St. Andrews--the remainder of the Clan (twenty Clusters strong) targeted Circinus itself.
Pre-invasion intelligence gathered by Naval Star Gamma (comprised of four Jenna Scott-class surveillance vessels) had indicated that the Word of Blake was present in large numbers on Circinus, but their exact composistion was unknown. Preparing for the worst, Khan Scott ordered the bulk of his Clan close at hand, supported by all twelve of his WarShips.
The ten outlying worlds (including the neutral New St. Andrews) were taken with only minimal combat, especially when the local defenders realized they were under assault by Clan forces! Many surrendered without firing a shot, but some did fight back and were taken as the first Circinus bondsmen. It would be a different story on Circinus itself.
