Difference between revisions of "Operation SCORPION"

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'''Operation Scorpion''' (May 1st, [[3052]] - ?? May 3052) was a failed attempt to put the entire [[Inner Sphere]], including [[Clans|Clan]] [[Clan Occupation Zones|occupied territory]], under [[ComStar]] control.  The plan was designed by [[Primus (ComStar)|Primus]] [[Myndo Waterly]] and called for insurrections on all Clan occupied worlds administered by ComStar, to tie down all garrisons, as well as complete [[HPG]] interdiction of the [[Successor States]].
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'''Operation Scorpion''' (May 1st, [[3052]] - ?? May 3052) was a failed attempt during the [[Clan Invasion]] to put the entire [[Inner Sphere]], including [[Clans|Clan]] [[Clan Occupation Zones|occupied territory]], under [[ComStar]] control.  The plan was designed by [[Primus (ComStar)|Primus]] [[Myndo Waterly]] and called for insurrections on all Clan occupied worlds administered by ComStar, to tie down all garrisons, as well as complete [[HPG]] Interdiction of the [[Successor States]], to be conducted concurrently with the [[Battle of Tukayyid]].  The failure of the plan tarnished ComStar's public reputation and led directly to the death of Primus Waterly and the [[ComStar Schism]].
  
 
==Operation Brief==
 
==Operation Brief==
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The operation was conducted without the knowledge of the [[Precentor Martial]] [[Anastasius Focht]] or the [[First Circuit]], save [[Sharilar Mori]], [[Precentor]] [[Dieron]], whom Waterly had hand-picked as her successor twenty years prior.  The operation’s name was chosen from an old folk tale that Focht had recently recalled during a conversation with Waterly.
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Primus Waterly planned Operation Scorpion in secret, meeting with handpicked supporters and [[ROM]] operatives at a hotel outside [[w:Hilton Head Island, South Carolina|Hilton Head Island]].  It was conducted without the knowledge of the [[Precentor Martial]] [[Anastasius Focht]] or the [[First Circuit]], save [[Sharilar Mori]], [[Precentor]] of [[Dieron]], whom Waterly had hand-picked as her successor.<ref name=CS68>''ComStar (sourcebook)'', p. 68</ref> The operation’s name was chosen from an [[w:The Scorpion and the Frog|old folk tale]] that Focht had recently recalled during a conversation with Waterly.<ref>''Lost Destiny'', Ch. 24</ref>
  
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The attempt was foiled when it was leaked (by Sharilar Mori, who also leaked information about the [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] and [[Clan Nova Cat]] [[Battle of Luthien (Clan Invasion)|attack]] on [[Luthien]]) to [[Theodore Kurita]], who passed on the information to [[Hanse Davion]].  Jumping at the chance to pay ComStar back for its [[Fourth Succession War#ComStar|treacherous acts]] during the Fourth Succession War (the incident at the Sarna HPG station and subsequent [[interdiction]] of the [[Federated Suns]], as well as the false [[Death Commando]] raid on the [[New Avalon Institute of Science]]), Davion planned assaults on the HPG stations on several worlds of the [[Federated Commonwealth]].  
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The first phase of the plan was for all ComStar forces administering planets in the Clan Occupation Zones to rise up and take control of their respective worlds.  The second was a complete halt to all HPG traffic across the Inner Sphere, to be maintained until the Great Houses agreed to Waterly's concessions and allow ComStar become the administrative arm of their governments.<ref name=CS68/> In effect the Successor States would become protectorates of ComStar, and possibly have their leaders outright replaced: Primus Waterly planned on making Focht the [[Archon]] of the [[Lyran Commonwealth]], partly as thanks for his service in defeating the Clans.<ref name=LD45>''Lost Destiny'', Ch. 45</ref>  However, Sharilar Mori was a double-agent for the [[Draconis Combine]] and informed [[Theodore Kurita (31st c.)|Theodore Kurita]], who in turned informed [[Hanse Davion]] of the plot as repayment for his help during the [[Battle of Luthien (3052)|Battle of Luthien]].<ref name=CS68/><ref name=LD45/>
  
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Though [[Melissa Steiner-Davion|Melissa]] initially feared an interdiction of the whole Federated Commonwealth, Hanse did not, citing the estimates of capturing 80% of the facilities his forces targeted and the [[black box]] fax machines that he had successfully used during both the [[Fourth Succession War]] and the [[War of 3039]] to pass orders to his commanders without the knowledge of ComStar.
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When Operation Scorpion began on the first of May, it was already doomed to failure.  With most of the [[Com Guards]] fighting on Tukayyid, there were few ComStar troops available to seize control of the Clan worlds, and they would prove no match for the more numerous [[Provisional Garrison Cluster|garrison troops]] the Clans had left behind.  Furthermore the Clans had their own portable HPGs and did not need to rely on the ComStar network. By the eight of May, those Clan worlds which had been cut off from the leadership by the initial uprising were again in contact with the [[Khan]]s in orbit above Tukayyid, and by the battle's end every Clan occupied world was once again under their complete control.<ref name=CS74>''ComStar (sourcebook)'', p. 72-74</ref>  The ComStar uprising did have the unintended side effect of helping [[Victor Steiner-Davion]]'s mission to rescue [[Hohiro Kurita (31st c.)|Hohiro Kurita]] and his forces trapped on [[Teniente]], as the local Com Guard forces allowed his [[DropShip]]s (which were disguised as ComStar ships) to land unopposed.<ref>''Lost Destiny'', Ch 32</ref>
  
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After the assault on the HPG station in Avalon City, [[New Avalon]], which ironically employed a truck transporting insecticide to breach the outer wall of Comstar's facility, Hanse Davion triumphantly stated "Operation Scorpion indeed!" <ref>''Lost Destiny'', p.??{{cn}}</ref>
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When they became aware of the planned Interdiction, several members of the First Circuit ordered their loyal followers to disobey the Interdiction order, resulting in some facilities disobeying the order.  On others, Acolytes and Adepts refused to follow them of their own volition, or did not receive it due to mechanical or maintenance reason. Thanks to advanced warning from their spy, both the Combine and [[Federated Commonwealth]] were able to preempt the planned interdiction and seize control of many HPGs before the order could be received.<ref name=CS74/>  On [[New Avalon]] itself, the HPG station was seized thanks to an "accident" involving a truck carrying toxic petrochemicals that forced it to be evacuated for the Acolyte's own safety.<ref name=LD30>''Lost Destiny'', Ch 30</ref>
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The [[Capellan Confederation]] and [[Free Worlds League]] however did not receive warnings from their First Circuit members in time to head it off as effectively.  [[Chancellor]] [[Sun-Tzu Liao]] nevertheless ordered ComStar facilities surrounded and on many key worlds his forces succeeded in capturing the HPGs intact.  [[Captain-General]] [[Thomas Marik]], who had been himself a member of the First Circuit, believed the Interdiction would not be ordered without good reason and so made no movement against it.  As for the general public, the Interdiction was a public relations disaster since it had come with no justifiable reason as with previous communication blackouts; on several worlds angry mobs of civilians even succeeded in storming their HPG facilities.<ref name=CS74/>
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In the end, ComStar maintained lost control of over 80% of their HPG stations in the Federated Commonwealth and Draconis Combine, a significant blow to their network.  The order only lost control of 30% of their stations in the Confederation, but many were effectively under siege.  Only in the [[Free Worlds League]] and the rump [[Free Rasalhague Republic]] was ComStar still in complete control of their facilities.<ref name=CS74/> 
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Precentor Martial Focht confronted Primus Waterly on the sixth of June at the Hall of History on [[Terra]], with only Sharliar in attendance.  Here the Primus showed off dioramas celebrating the victory on Tukayyid and of Operation Scorpion, not knowing the latter had been a complete failure thanks to Sharilar's misinformation.<ref name=LD45/>  In the official ComStar history, Focht and Sharilar convinced the Primus to step down that day, with Waterly suffering a brain hemorrhage and dying four days after.<ref name=CS74/> In truth, when confronted by Focht as to the failure of Operation Scorpion and his rejection of her scheme, Waterly stormed off to have him replaced with replace him with a more loyal Precentor Martial, to be shot in the back of the head by his hidden [[needle pistol]].  Focht then confronted Sharilar with the knowledge of her true nature, but rather than execute her as well offered her a chance to help him reform ComStar.<ref name=LD45/> 
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{{Quote|''What better than a tanker truck hauling insecticide to get rid of a load of pests?  Operation Scoption, indeed!''|First Prince Hanse Davion, New Avalon, 1 May 3052<ref name=LD30/>}}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
 
==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
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*''[[ComStar (sourcebook)]]''
 
*''[[Lost Destiny]]'' (Novel)
 
*''[[Lost Destiny]]'' (Novel)
  

Revision as of 16:14, 19 May 2018


Operation Scorpion (May 1st, 3052 - ?? May 3052) was a failed attempt during the Clan Invasion to put the entire Inner Sphere, including Clan occupied territory, under ComStar control. The plan was designed by Primus Myndo Waterly and called for insurrections on all Clan occupied worlds administered by ComStar, to tie down all garrisons, as well as complete HPG Interdiction of the Successor States, to be conducted concurrently with the Battle of Tukayyid. The failure of the plan tarnished ComStar's public reputation and led directly to the death of Primus Waterly and the ComStar Schism.

Operation Brief

Primus Waterly planned Operation Scorpion in secret, meeting with handpicked supporters and ROM operatives at a hotel outside Hilton Head Island. It was conducted without the knowledge of the Precentor Martial Anastasius Focht or the First Circuit, save Sharilar Mori, Precentor of Dieron, whom Waterly had hand-picked as her successor.[1] The operation’s name was chosen from an old folk tale that Focht had recently recalled during a conversation with Waterly.[2]

The first phase of the plan was for all ComStar forces administering planets in the Clan Occupation Zones to rise up and take control of their respective worlds. The second was a complete halt to all HPG traffic across the Inner Sphere, to be maintained until the Great Houses agreed to Waterly's concessions and allow ComStar become the administrative arm of their governments.[1] In effect the Successor States would become protectorates of ComStar, and possibly have their leaders outright replaced: Primus Waterly planned on making Focht the Archon of the Lyran Commonwealth, partly as thanks for his service in defeating the Clans.[3] However, Sharilar Mori was a double-agent for the Draconis Combine and informed Theodore Kurita, who in turned informed Hanse Davion of the plot as repayment for his help during the Battle of Luthien.[1][3]

When Operation Scorpion began on the first of May, it was already doomed to failure. With most of the Com Guards fighting on Tukayyid, there were few ComStar troops available to seize control of the Clan worlds, and they would prove no match for the more numerous garrison troops the Clans had left behind. Furthermore the Clans had their own portable HPGs and did not need to rely on the ComStar network. By the eight of May, those Clan worlds which had been cut off from the leadership by the initial uprising were again in contact with the Khans in orbit above Tukayyid, and by the battle's end every Clan occupied world was once again under their complete control.[4] The ComStar uprising did have the unintended side effect of helping Victor Steiner-Davion's mission to rescue Hohiro Kurita and his forces trapped on Teniente, as the local Com Guard forces allowed his DropShips (which were disguised as ComStar ships) to land unopposed.[5]

When they became aware of the planned Interdiction, several members of the First Circuit ordered their loyal followers to disobey the Interdiction order, resulting in some facilities disobeying the order. On others, Acolytes and Adepts refused to follow them of their own volition, or did not receive it due to mechanical or maintenance reason. Thanks to advanced warning from their spy, both the Combine and Federated Commonwealth were able to preempt the planned interdiction and seize control of many HPGs before the order could be received.[4] On New Avalon itself, the HPG station was seized thanks to an "accident" involving a truck carrying toxic petrochemicals that forced it to be evacuated for the Acolyte's own safety.[6]

The Capellan Confederation and Free Worlds League however did not receive warnings from their First Circuit members in time to head it off as effectively. Chancellor Sun-Tzu Liao nevertheless ordered ComStar facilities surrounded and on many key worlds his forces succeeded in capturing the HPGs intact. Captain-General Thomas Marik, who had been himself a member of the First Circuit, believed the Interdiction would not be ordered without good reason and so made no movement against it. As for the general public, the Interdiction was a public relations disaster since it had come with no justifiable reason as with previous communication blackouts; on several worlds angry mobs of civilians even succeeded in storming their HPG facilities.[4]

In the end, ComStar maintained lost control of over 80% of their HPG stations in the Federated Commonwealth and Draconis Combine, a significant blow to their network. The order only lost control of 30% of their stations in the Confederation, but many were effectively under siege. Only in the Free Worlds League and the rump Free Rasalhague Republic was ComStar still in complete control of their facilities.[4]

Precentor Martial Focht confronted Primus Waterly on the sixth of June at the Hall of History on Terra, with only Sharliar in attendance. Here the Primus showed off dioramas celebrating the victory on Tukayyid and of Operation Scorpion, not knowing the latter had been a complete failure thanks to Sharilar's misinformation.[3] In the official ComStar history, Focht and Sharilar convinced the Primus to step down that day, with Waterly suffering a brain hemorrhage and dying four days after.[4] In truth, when confronted by Focht as to the failure of Operation Scorpion and his rejection of her scheme, Waterly stormed off to have him replaced with replace him with a more loyal Precentor Martial, to be shot in the back of the head by his hidden needle pistol. Focht then confronted Sharilar with the knowledge of her true nature, but rather than execute her as well offered her a chance to help him reform ComStar.[3]

“ What better than a tanker truck hauling insecticide to get rid of a load of pests? Operation Scoption, indeed! ”
  — First Prince Hanse Davion, New Avalon, 1 May 3052[6]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 ComStar (sourcebook), p. 68
  2. ↑ Lost Destiny, Ch. 24
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Lost Destiny, Ch. 45
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 ComStar (sourcebook), p. 72-74
  5. ↑ Lost Destiny, Ch 32
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lost Destiny, Ch 30

Bibliography

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