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Blood Fire and Death. Into the Darkness of Death they go

Quite a battle but the Blakist are unprepared for the Scorpions. Perhaps they might expect Marian raiders or even an assault but a Clan invasion.

First Skirmishes

The first action of the engagement occurred before the main Scorpion forces arrived in system.  On November 5th, the surveillance ship GSS Jenna Scott jumped into the Circinus system at the Zenith point, and contacted the Olympus-class recharge station there.  Claiming a seal failure on the liquid helium tanks for the K/F, they requested permission to detach their ‘cargo’ ships to dock at the station and the use of the repair bays.  Although the Jenna Scott (masquerading under the transponder beacon SS Beacon Hill) had not been seen in Circinus space for two years, her captain explained that his ship had managed to obtain a supply contract in the Free Worlds League until just recently, and only just now had they been able to resume their irregular service to Circinus.

Receiving authorization for a hard dock with the station, the Circinian crew were shocked when the ‘Merchant-class’ JumpShip swung away at the last second, opening gun-ports on her broadside, and blasted the communications array into scrap metal.  Simultaneously, the two ‘Mule-class’ cargo ships that had just docked opened their hatches to reveal one hundred Clan Elementals in full battle armor—despite the best efforts of station security personnel, the Scorpions won control in just twenty-two minutes of running gun-fights through the passageways and compartments.  Star Captain Gregor Ben-Shimon reported via HPG to the main Scorpion force that the Zenith point had been secured, but within two hours he transmitted an urgent update to that initial broadcast.

The speed of the Scorpion assault on the Circinus Olympus had prevented the crew from purging their computer logs, and it was quickly revealed just how extensive the Word of Blake presence in the system was.  Ben-Shimon’s sober assessment of the situation revealed that the Scorpions did not possess overwhelming numbers—and instead of older technology common to the Periphery, the defenders were outfitted with tech specifically designed to fight the Clans.  Plus, the logs revealed that the Word had a Baron-class Destroyer (WBS Guiding Light) in orbit above the planet.  Perhaps worse, the logs revealed that the SLDF base that the Scorpions had come so far to claim was already in the hands of the Blakist forces on planet.

Khan Jason Scott received the reports even as his toumen prepared to assault the planet from their way-station twenty-two light-years distant.  Instead of postponing the operation, he leaped ahead and ordered the combat elements of his Clan to make an immediate jump into the Circinian pirate point.  Seven clusters—each with their own Eta-class transport—escorted by five of the six Scorpion WarShips (the battleship Lei Kung, the frigate Garlon, and the destroyers Aurora, Borealis, and Corona, with the corvette Deathstalker left behind to keep an eye on the civilian vessels) translated directly into the Circinian system and began accelerating towards the planet at the formations best speed.

Questioned as to his sudden decision to launch the attack in the face of the unexpected appearance of the Word, Khan Scott replied, “Though they are now no longer our brothers, we must take here the example of the Ice Hellion—speed is our ally in this moment.  While time is our foe.  Our Warriors are Scorpions, and today no Scorpion can do wrong by taking the enemy under fire.  Let us see if this Word of Blake is as impressive as the Com Guard was at Tukayyid.”

Taken aback they sudden appearance of a dozen compact core ships, the commander of the Guiding Light froze before he finally ordered his ship to take evasive maneuvers, but it was already too late.  Swamped under twenty-one Death Dancer-class assault DropShips, the ancient Baron took hit after hit that shattered armor, weapons, and drives into useless junk.  Without managing to get a single shot off in reply, the Blake vessel was disabled, and shuttles filled with Elemental Marines launched from the Scorpion fleet to take the vessel for themselves.

Even as the fleet screamed into towards the planet at two and a half gravities of acceleration, Khan Scott was broadcasting a batchall to President McIntyre.  He received no reply, but then he had expected none.  Warning his Scorpions to expect treachery and dezgra attacks upon them, he glanced at the time readout in the cockpit of his 70-ton Goliath Scorpion-class BattleMech.  It was three minutes after midnight (local time), on the 6th of November, 3066.

“Though they are now no longer our brothers, we must take here the example of the Ice Hellion—speed is our ally in this moment.  While time is our foe.  Our Warriors are Scorpions, and today no Scorpion can do wrong by taking the enemy under fire.  Let us see if this Word of Blake is as impressive as the Com Guard was at Tukayyid.”

Speed can be your best ally when you know what and where to strike or when you want to strike your target by surprise.

Laredo

Tasked with the elimination of the Word forces on the continent of Laredo and the seizure of the Star League facilities located there, saKhan Amanda Djerassi was worried only that the Blakist forces might break and flee into the underground fortifications.  At her disposal for this theatre of the Circinus campaign was her own 20th Scorpion Cuirassier Cluster, the 8th Scorpion Dragoon Cluster, the Scorpion Solahma Cluster, and a provisional Cluster formed from the ranks of the Marine Elementals of the Scorpion Fleet.

Pre-invasion planning had included contingency plans in the event that the Laredo site was defended, and now those operations orders were hurriedly issued as the Eta-class transport ships burned for orbit.  The 20th Cuirassier and 8th Dragoon would conduct a normal landing operation three kilometers from excavation site to minimize casualties from surface fire as the vulnerable DropShips descended.  This force, the main component of the Laredo Operation, would then use their superior speed to quickly reinforce the assault component.

Star Colonel Hiram Naidu, the commanding officer of the Scorpion Solahma Cluster volunteered to drop directly atop of the Blakist defenses with his command to buy time for the saKhan’s remaining elements to reach the site.  To the last warrior, the Scorpions assigned to the ranks of the Solahma stepped forward to follow their commander’s lead.  Accompanying the Grey Scorpions would be the provisional Fleet Cluster, but their job would be to seize the entrances to the underground facilities and prevent the Word units from retreating into the depths of the complex.

Word of the Invasion reached the commander of the Word of Blake’s 137th Militia Division at seven minutes past midnight—scant seconds before Star Colonel Naidu and his troopers hit dirt in the center of her encampment.  Despite being outnumbered three-to-one by the armored vehicles and ‘Mechs of the 137th (and nearly seven-to-one in infantry and battle armor assets), the Grey Scorpions sudden drop in their very midst created unimaginable chaos among the Word personnel.  The peaceful night was torn apart by autocannon bursts, laser fire, PPC bolts, and gauss slugs, while explosions of fuel and munitions storage dumps lit the sky for kilometers around.

Having seized the advantage, Star Colonel Naidu pressed it mercilessly—but the 137th was not comprised of green troops unaccustomed to the madness of battle.  Within minutes, their superior numbers had begun to take a toll on the Grey Scorpions, whose ‘Mechs were not the same cutting edge machines used by the remainder of the Clan.  Meanwhile, the Scorpion Marines had managed to secure the unearthed doors to the compound below, and Star Colonel Robert Tazegul left two Trinarys behind to hold the entrance, while he came to the defense of the Solahma with more than two hundred almost fresh Elemental warriors.

A Star of the Marines stumbled atop of the 137th’s command bunker, and in a fierce firefight eliminated the command elements of the division, at the cost of twenty-three Scorpion Warriors.  But even without their divisional command, the veteran Word troopers had nearly regained the upper hand when the 20th Cuirassier and 8th Dragoons arrived, their approach unnoticed in the chaos of the midnight firefight.

Within fifteen minutes of her arrival, saKhan Djerassi broke the 137th and routed it from the field of battle.  Dispatching the 20th and the 8th to pursue the shattered division, she and her command star attempted to bring some order from the chaos in the former Blakist encampment.  Ordering two PGCs kept in reserve in orbit to immediately land and set up a defensive perimeter, she called for a hurried conference with Star Colonels Naidu and Tazegul.  But only Robert Tazegul answered her broadcast, for Star Colonel Hiram Naidu had found the death that he had long sought out in the midst of the battle.  Two thirds of the Solahma joined him as casualties, either dead or gravely wounded, but the old and unlucky Scorpion warriors had assured their Clan a victory.

Over the next twenty-four hours, the remnants of the 137th were driven to ground and forced to surrender, along with the horde of engineers, techs, and support personnel sent to reactivate the complex.

Meanwhile, the situation on High Plains, the main inhabited continent of Circinus, was taking a turn for the worse.

Humph.  Forgot all about this.  And its your fault!  Oh, and a quibble - I think you missed 'minutes'.

Within fifteen of her arrival, saKhan Djerassi broke the 137th and routed it from the field of battle.  Dispatching the 20th and the 8th to pursue the shattered division, she and her command star attempted to bring some order from the chaos in the former Blakist encampment.  Ordering two PGCs kept in reserve in orbit to immediately land and set up a defensive perimeter, she called for a hurried conference with Star Colonels Naidu and Tazegul.  But only Robert Tazegul answered her broadcast, for Star Colonel Hiram Naidu had found the death that he had long sought out in the midst of the battle.  Two thirds of the Solahma joined him as casualties, either dead or gravely wounded, but the old and unlucky Scorpion warriors had assured their Clan a victory.

I Have Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds

Khan Jason Scott commanded the other theatre of operations on the continent of High Plains.  Here, the Scorpion forces included the Knife Dance Keshik, the 24th Scorpion Cuirassiers (The Khan’s Own), the 1st Scorpion Dragoon s (Heartvenom), and the 71st Scorpion Light Horse (The Scorpion Lancers).  Forewarned of the presence of the Word on Circinus and not facing the possibility of having the Blakist forces entrenched inside a Star League fortification, Khan Scott decided to land en masse almost a hundred kilometers north of the Circinian capital of Claybourne Remembered.  Each Cluster landed with their auxiliary Trinary (two Stars of Elementals and one Star of Aerospace Fighters), boosting their TO&E strength by a full 20% over what the Word would normally expect, while the landing zones were covered by aerospace fighters from the Fleet.  Furthermore, the Scorpion Artillery Reserve also made landfall on High Plains, consisting of three Trinary formations of Dark Hunter mobile artillery BattleMechs.

Finally, Khan Scott had prepared a surprise for the Circinians, should they attempt to cross the normally placid and fairly shallow Red River (almost a mile in width at this point of its course through the heartland of Circinus.  The unique 121st Nautical Provisional Garrison Cluster landed alongside the front-line units.  Comprised of thirty Sea Fox hydrofoils and three hundred Elementals outfitted with advanced Undine nautical battle armor, the 121st NPGC covered the right flank (the western flank) of the Scorpion force as they advanced towards the capital, downstream.

The first attacks against the Scorpion landing zone came almost immediately from the Black Warriors and the Word of Blake, as wave after wave of aerospace and conventional fighters swarmed in laden with bombs.  However, the overhead Combat Air Patrol provided by the Fleet proved sufficient in preventing the majority of these fighters from reaching the landing zone—and the overwhelming firepower of the grounded DropShips and four elite clusters of Scorpion front-line ‘Mechs decimated those that leaked through.

The presence of several previously unknown and highly advanced aerospace fighters in the Word inventory, however, gave the first indications that this opponent was something more than the 137th Division that saKhan Djerassi was in the process in the process of routing on Laredo.

Even as the Fleet ASF contingent sparred with Word and Black Warrior fighters over the landing zones, fifteen DropShips lifted off from the spaceport just outside of Claybourne Remembered.  In response, Star Admiral Isaiah Ben-Shimon vectored his Death Dancer class assault DropShips and the handful of ASF assets retained by the Fleet to intercept.   The Fleet concentrated on the combat vessels that had launched (two Avengers, six Unions, and four Leopards), ignoring the three Mule class cargo ships.

Until the Mules suddenly changed vector directly towards the Fleet and unleashed a salvo of capital missiles armed with nuclear warheads!

Luckily for the Scorpions, and despite the fact that the converted Mules showed an impressive capacity for launching multiple capital missiles, their salvoes proved too weak to successfully penetrate the heavy point-defense installations aboard the Scorpion WarShips and Transports, causing the nuclear weapons to detonate prematurely, without inflicting damage to his vessels.  At this point, a furious Star Admiral Ben-Shimon ordered his own DropShips and ASF to disengage, and his WarShips took the hostile Droppers under direct fire with their own capital batteries.  In seconds, the threat was eliminated.

But sensors had detected yet another Avenger heading towards the landing zone, just as the covering CAP was withdrawing to refuel.

Ignoring their own fuel status warnings, two points of Scorpion 55-ton Zulu-class Aerospace Fighters merged with the Avenger and took it under heavy fire.  The fighters managed to bring down the DropShip seventeen kilometers short of the landing zone, where the two armed thermo-nuclear weapons it carried detonated; the explosion bringing down all four of the fighters and their pilots that had placed themselves between their Khan and nuclear annihilation.

The rules of engagement had just changed.