Scorpion Empire

Scorpion Empire
State Profile
Founding Year	3141
Capital world:	Braunschweig (Since 3148) ; Valencia (formerly)
Controlled system(s):	45
Government
Head of State	zarKhan (3151+); Khan (3141 - 3151)
Military
Army	Imperio Militar del Escorpión
Military Intelligence	Clan Goliath Scorpion Watch

The Scorpion Empire is a Deep Periphery military power that was created in the mid-thirty-second century after the Escorpión Imperio conquered the Hanseatic League before unified the Hansa with the peoples of Clan Goliath Scorpion, Nueva Castile, and the Umayyad Caliphate.

History

After Clan Goliath Scorpion was Abjured from Clan Space in December 3078, it evacuated most of its assets to Waypoint 531 in the Deep Periphery. A Galaxy of solahma, Watch personnel, police subcaste, and malcontents commanded by Khan Ariel Suvorov remained in rearguard, and were ultimately overrun and destroyed by Clans Star Adder and Cloud Cobra as they protected their Clan's exodus. Under Khan Colin Yeh, the surviving Scorpions invaded and conquered Nueva Castile and the Umayyad Caliphate before establishing the Escorpión Imperio in 3080. The Scorpions chose to integrate the Castilians and Umayyads into their Clan and its caste system using the Ghost Bear-Rasalhague model and to rule as partners rather than as conquerors. The Scorpions modified it somewhat from Clan norms, adding two new castes, the Support and Garrison castes, to augment the customary Warrior, Technician, Scientist, Merchant, and Laborer castes.

The integration did not go smoothly over the next five years though, as the Scorpions struggled to break decades of mistrust between the formerly hostile Umayyads and Castilians while imposing the Clan doctrine of "might makes right" for conflict resolution. With a more developed and refined feudal society governed by ranked nobility, the Castilians adapted more easily to the system of Clan honor. But the Umayyads despised their general placement within the lower castes, and fostered an underground resistance movement that engaged in rioting and terrorism against the Imperio. Tensions rose to the point of murdering Merchant Factor Hector on Córdoba in broad daylight. Additionally, in spite of early rhetoric on integrating their subjects into their new nation, early relations between the Clan and their newfound subjects were still distant with the Clan acting as aloof overlords who punished any infractions and failures with ruthless finality.

Meanwhile, the reintegration of the feral survivors from Clan Ice Hellion into the Imperio ran into problems as their shattered pride and broken moral compass made it difficult for them to readjust to Clan culture. The fact that many former Hellions adopted aggressive acts against disagreements beyond the Trials’ Circle of Equals while possessing many freeborn children who were disdained by trueborn warriors also made things more complicated. To make matters worse, Clan Watch agents from the Cloud Cobras, Coyotes, and Stone Lions infiltrated the Escorpión Imperio to gather intelligence and spread rumors about the Umayyad's alleged ancestry to the Not-Named-Clan. In order to alleviate the problems and promote unity, the Scorpions decided to accelerate planning for the invasion and conquest of the Umayyads' and Castilians' mutually hated foe, the Hanseatic League.

Shaping the Imperio

Over the next sixty years, the Scorpions carefully developed and shaped the Imperio into a powerful Periphery nation by fusing the Castilians and Umayyads together into the ruling Goliath Scorpion caste and honor systems. They also succeeded in crushing Umayyad dissent, rioting, and terrorism as well as killing or expelling enemy Clan Watch agents back to the Homeworlds. To further secure the Castilians' and Umayyads' investment and cooperation within the Imperio, the Goliath Scorpions also created new Bloodnames from their best warriors for the Clan's breeding program as a gesture of goodwill. Under Khan Connor Rood, efforts were continued to find many Warriors that were lost in the Ice Hellion's retreat from the Inner Sphere and added to the Imperio's touman while replenishing the touman’s eugenics program with fresh genetic material. Efforts were also made to rebuild their pride in Hellion Galaxy with the establishment of Hellion Keshik as the saKhan's honor guard.

The Scorpions also prioritized the education of Umayyad and Castilian students by opening new schools and academies to instruct and train its citizens and warriors the Clan way. Higher education was sponsored via use of Trials of Worth to place the winners in universities run by the Scientist Caste. This benefited the Imperio with the knowledge to construct modern Clan production facilities so that they could rebuild their touman, build new infrastructure such as hyperpulse generators, and improve manufacturing capacity to raise the Imperio's technology level to the 32nd century standards. Khan Enrico Kirov succeeded Khan Connor Rood in 3108, and also shifted the Scorpions' capital to Valencia; sparking a technological and cultural revolution there. He continued the previous Khan's policy of establishing new colonies on seven worlds closer to the Hanseatic worlds for the purposes of expanding their staging areas to Hansa space, obtain resources, and support population growth.

Knowing that the Hansa would inevitably clash with the Imperio in a massive crusade, Kirov increased the size and frequency of trueborn sibko propagations while opening up facilities for freeborn sibkos recruited from youth deemed worthy during annual testing. With this, he was able to bolster the touman's size with Galaxies given an extra cluster's worth of troops with their minimum size increased from three clusters to four. Kirov also preserved the wisdom and experience of his older Scorpion warriors, particularly Galaxy Commanders, by creating the reKhan position and reassigning them there as they reached middle age rather than consigning them to solahma units. Likewise, he relaxed many of the traditional Clan customs and restrictions among the castes to further ease the integration of the Castilians and Umayyads into Imperio society. Although it took much time, Kirov's rebuilding and reform program paid off greatly as the Imperio regained the Scorpion's capability to produce Clan technology, including OmniMechs. By 3140, the Goliath Scorpions had recovered much of their pre-Abjuration strength and were ready to finally fall upon the Hanseatic League.

Campaign against the League

While the Escorpión Imperio spent decades preparing for the inevitable invasion, the 29-world Hanseatic League recognized this rising new threat and improved its own Hanseatic Defense Force (HDF). They investing heavily in reforming its military at the expense of its economy and the traditional political power of their merchants. Among its preparations were the hiring of experienced officers and mercenaries from the Lyran Commonwealth as military instructors in new military academies, construction of manufacturing facilities in orbit and planetary surfaces, and the expansion of the HDF to include three additional Regional Defense Forces (RDFs) and three new Convoy Defense Forces (CDFs).

Upon the destruction of a group of Seekers detected by the Hansa on Bergen, Khan Magon Scott determined that retaliation could not be kept at the level of mere raiding but required total conquest. The Escorpión Imperio's invasion finally came in January 3141 when six fully integrated Galaxies of Goliath Scorpion, Umayyad, and Castilian troops, led by Khan Magon Scott, stormed into the League to take on its nine RDFs and its three CDFs, under the overall command of Captain-Marshal Rudolf Schmidt. The ensuing campaign was brutal with heavy losses on both sides. In July, the Imperio forces reached the League capital of Bremen; sparking the most savage fighting of the Hanseatic Crusade which lasted three grinding months.

On 12 October, known as "Red Saturday," Goliath Scorpion Elementals finally penetrated the capitol in Freie Hansestadt and captured the governing Council of Merchants. When the Scorpions demanded a general surrender, the council members committed suicide instead by detonating "failsafe" explosives lining the tunnels beneath the city. The resulting explosion leveled the capitol building and much of the city; killing the council members, their Elemental captors, and countless civilians. Much of the Imperio's Tau Galaxy and the League's RDF 3 were also destroyed.

Stunned by the devastation and unaware of the Council’s final decision, the League's last remaining authority, Captain-Marshal Schmidt ordered all Hansa forces to immediately cease fire and to lay down their arms. But the enraged survivors of RDF 3, believing the Scorpions to be responsible for the mass destruction, ignored him and instead launched vicious suicidal attacks against the survivors of Tau Galaxy as well as Hellion Galaxy; then conducting a flank maneuver outside the blast area and bringing about the final Battle for Freie Hansestadt. The Scorpions, equally outraged by the senseless waste, counterattacked and destroyed the RDF 3-remnant to the last soldier. The League's capital city thus fell and resistance quickly collapsed on Bremen; leaving the planet firmly in Imperio control.

While the Imperio's Grunt Galaxy took over the administration of Bremen, Alpha and Hellion Galaxies moved to secure the League's remaining worlds that were yet to be pacified. Despite Schmidt's surrender order that was broadcast throughout the rest of the League by Hansa courier JumpShips, diehard HDF remnants, stateless mercenaries, corporate security troops, as well as partisan and militia forces choose instead to fight to the bitter end. On Antwerp, the defenders successfully employed mines, artillery, and fortifications to stymie the Scorpions for two months. These tactics were also used by the other holdout worlds as the Scorpions subdued them one by one while causing considerable destruction in the process. Lacking leadership, the Hansa diehards' efforts only delayed the inevitable though and the final surrender took place on Thorn in March 3142. So after fifteen months of heroic defense, the Hanseatic League was no more.

Birth of an Empire

Following the conquest in 3142, Khan Scott declared the end of the Escorpión Imperio and the creation of the Scorpion Empire, comprising the territories of both the former Imperio and the League while bringing the Hansa's vast military industries and merchant trading networks under Scorpion control. With Scott's victory secured, Clan Goliath Scorpion cemented itself, its influence, and reputation as an undisputed power in the Deep Periphery.

Politics

The Scorpion Empire is a Clan-based nation and generally follows the usual Clan approach to governance; albeit with several alterations introduced over time in order to facilitate integration of its newfound and diverse populations while improving efficiency of governance of such a massive territory.

The highest levels of political power lay in the hands of Bloodnamed members of the warrior caste who make up the Clan Council though the each of the civilian castes are granted at least one representative and voting powers for national decision-making such as the declaration of war. Access to the Warrior caste is open to all citizens of the Empire who graduate from either trueborn or freeborn sibkos and pass the required Trials as per traditional Clan laws and customs. Meanwhile, many former nobles from the nations conquered by Clan Goliath Scorpion have applied themselves eagerly to civilian governance as members of the Merchant caste while their offspring are typically enrolled into freeborn sibkos in attempts to join the Clan touman.

The Khan is the supreme commander of the military and is elected by the Clan Council from among its members. Likewise, the SaKhan is nominated by the Khan and, like the Loremaster, is elected by the Clan Council. Later, a new position, the zarKhan, was introduced in 3151 once it became clear that a single person could no longer efficiently command both military and civilian components of a nation with such large territory and population. With the risk of unrest from all incorporated subjects of the Empire if they aren't appeased, this concern is exceptionally pressing as the population of the historical planetary capitals of the Imperio and Empire each dwarves the Clan's original population in Clan Homeworlds. The zarKhan commands the Empire in all matters other than military ones. A zarKhan candidate is either reelected for a term of 5 years (if an incumbent) or selected by the Khan from among the reKhans, with the Clan Council voting on the person the Khan puts forward. Older and senior warriors who have gained recognition, primarily Galaxy Commanders, are granted the position of reKhan and usually act as planetary governors. Meanwhile, honorable retirement of warriors to the civilian positions of their choice or to the Garrison caste is not unheard of.

With their society structure based off the lessons learned during the initial formation of the early Imperio, members of all castes are able to exercise limited democracy in the form of their respective caste councils. Meanwhile, peaceful but vocally persistent dissent (noticeably against the Empire's de jure preference of Star League Standard English for official business) is no longer a capital crime like terrorism nor punished with collective reprisals such as razing villages to the ground. Instead, diehard dissidents will find themselves with the dubious honor of being transferred to the Empire’s colony worlds on the harsh frontier. Such acts make them continue their contribution to the Empire, avoids deaths that may turn them in to martyrs for dissidents to rally behind, prevents their ideas from taking root in their localities, and provides a warning for others to think twice about voicing divergent ideals publicly.

That is not to say that political discontent is not present within the Empire. A minority of Castilian and Umayyad nobility privately complain about the bureaucratic dominance of Star League Standard English while longing for the days when they were the chief rulers in their nations. Many also revert to using their old titles in place of proper Clan terminology if they believe the Warrior caste is not present. In a repeat of the Umayyads’ early rioting in the Imperio, the early years of the unified Empire suffered terrorist insurgencies from seditionists with support by sympathizers among Hansa merchants. Meanwhile, some traditional-minded trueborn warriors glanced askance at the divergence the Empire’s reforms created compared to the stricter hierarchy in the Homeworlds. These multi-factional tensions was also one of the major reasons for the creation of the governmental position of zarKhan. While early tensions from the Hansa insurgency did ignite tense politicking within the Clan touman in the form of the freeborn-skeptic Preservers (who favored answering dissent with violence), the reformist Imperials (who favored peaceful assimilation of all conquered nationalities) gained primacy. As a gesture of goodwill, the latter appointed a former Galaxy Commander of freeborn Hanseatic descent as the first zarKhan shortly before news of Clan Wolf’s invasion of Terra was made public.

While Scorpion Empire has been living in relative isolation from greater mankind for a very long time and values its self-sufficiency, they do not advocate isolationism and are willing to establish cooperative relations with any faction which is not hostile to them. Some activities are economic in nature such as establishing an enclave for trade deals and joint anti-piracy patrols with Clan Sea Fox in the Chainelane Isles in 3151 and the Deep Periphery. Other forms of contact with other factions are exploratory as seen with Seeker expeditions retrieving the cockpit of Aleksandr Kerensky’s Orion from Solaris VII within the Wolf Empire in 3145 or seeking to map out the locations of lost human settlements in the Deep Periphery such as the Khwarazm Empire. Like their forerunners in the Clan Homeworlds, Goliath Scorpions and their Empire adhere to the Warden ideology. They view themselves as separate from other Clans and unrestricted by the system that cast them aside. The follies of the Crusader Clans and tragedies of the Wars of Reaving are seen as cautionary tales. They believe that in order to achieve General Aleksandr Kerensky's dream of a peaceful people, they need to maintain their own independent course. With the rise of the ilClan on Terra, it is unknown what the Scorpion Empire’s policy is towards the reestablished ilKhan outside asserting their unique way of life would not be dictated by outsiders.

Military

Main article: Imperio Militar del Escorpión

The Empire fields a large and powerful military officially called Imperio Militar del Escorpión which consists of two components:

• Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman - Main military arm comprised of troops from the Warrior caste

• Provisional Garrison Clusters (PGCs) - Units from the Garrison caste which are tasked with law enforcement and assisting with protection of the planets they are stationed on

The Empire's Military is unique among the Clans due to its practice of maintaining both trueborn and freeborn sibkos while recruiting and treating both forms of warriors as equals. This provided the Empire with continuous access to large number of competent and loyal troops. Additionally, any Warrior candidates who fail their first Trial of Position can retest for slots in the Garrison Caste. Meanwhile, bondsmen and other candidates who are too old to be trained in freeborn sibkos are still granted the chance to train and become abtakha at dedicated training facilities such as those found on Gateway.

The Clan touman operates all manners of advanced land and aerospace assets of all types and weight classes while garrison troops mostly focus on none-battle armored infantry, combat vehicles, Militia 'Mechs as well as light and medium BattleMechs.

The Scorpion Empire, unlike many other Clans, has moved away from usual Clan dogmas regarding use of certain weapon types. Regardless of their equipment’s age and whether of Clan or Spheroid origin, the Touman are now comfortable with building and fielding any weapon they deem satisfactory for a required role: Classical OmniMechs, Clan-upgraded Inner Sphere 'Mechs, standard Inner Sphere BattleMechs, Militia 'Mechs, redesigned Word of Blake 'Mechs, Quad 'Mechs, OmniVehicles, conventional Combat Vehicles, Battle Armor, and many different types of Aerospace Craft are all routinely used by the Empire's Military. Notably, while Clan Sea Fox’s Watch agents remark how the use of Blakist designs would trigger instinctive wariness amongst the Inner Sphere's factions, their report commentary confirms that the Goliath Scorpions are pragmatic about the use of available resources to prepare for any existential conflict against the Homeworld Clans.

One weapon type which has been discontinued from production and use are ProtoMechs. During the early years of the old Imperio, it was deemed wasteful to allocate such considerable resources for narrowly specialized platforms designed for sub-par pilots; especially with easy access to more accessible Militia 'Mechs. As a result, ProtoMechs were retired from service. The Empire's last ProtoMech pilot died heroically defending then newly established colony on planet Graystone and has been honored with memorials in the Empire’s capital.

The Clan Goliath Scorpion Touman is comprised of the following Galaxies:

• Alpha Galaxy: The premiere command in Clan Goliath Scorpion, this Galaxy is staffed with the best warriors in the touman and under direct command of the Khan.

• Hellion Galaxy: Commanded by the saKhan, the Hellion Galaxy is home of Clan Ice Hellion’s survivors and follows its doctrine and traditions. They specializes in use of fast light and medium 'Mechs although they will readily use heavy and assault 'Mechs if the situation requires it.

• Tau Galaxy: This unit routinely deploys its Clusters independently, who are trusted to achieve their objectives without oversight of a Galaxy Commander. It's also home to the majority of surviving Eridani Light Horse personnel who were absorbed by the Clan as well as their freeborn and trueborn descendants.

• Mu Galaxy: A formidable unit of reconnaissance specialists, they pay great attention to camouflaging their units instead of using impractical camo specs.

• Seeker Galaxy: A home to the Seeker movement and commanded by Clan's Loremaster, they are known for their preference for piloting vintage Star League BattleMechs instead of OmniMechs.

• Omega Galaxy: Originally formed as a home for absorbed Castilian and Umayyad warriors, this Galaxy grew over time into large and competent unit. Approximately half of the warriors in this Galaxy are freeborn.

• Eta Galaxy: The newest Galaxy in the Empire, it is currently comprised of freeborn troops raised up from around the former Hanseatic League portions of the Empire and placed alongside veteran trueborn warriors.

• Grunt Galaxy: Ad-hoc unit formed from the best troops among the PGCs of the Garrison caste, this Galaxy was considered to be mostly inexperienced but have proven their competence during Hanseatic Crusade. They operate light and medium 'Mechs supported by small number of heaviest assault 'Mechs that are available.

While the percentage of trueborn and freeborn warriors varies from Galaxy to Galaxy, none of them use one type of warriors exclusively and all can be described as mixed units to modest extent. Recruits from sibkos raised from the frontier colonies are particularly favored as the harsh rigors on said worlds produce strong and hardy sibcadets (particularly sibcadets raised from Umayyad youth) that pass their trials with a higher than average frequency.

The Scorpion Empire's preferred method of raising new Galaxies is to raise various freeborn troops led by seasoned trueborn veterans or the most capable candidates from the Garrison caste; warriors which would be declared solahma by other Clans. Doing so instantly forms a full size Galaxy with a mix of experience and vitality. Over time, efforts are made to gradually staff these new Galaxies with regular sibko graduates. Grunt, Omega, and Eta Galaxies have been formed using this particular method.

Navy

The Imperial Navy currently consists of three warships:

• McKenna-class Lei Kung (flagship)

• Aegis-class Corona Austrina

• Congress-class Bernlad

Military doctrine

With the exception of Hellion Galaxy’s practice of flurry attacks (in accordance to their Ice Hellion ancestry) under strict circumstances, Clan Goliath Scorpion’s warriors are strict adherents of concept of zellbrigen but only when dealing with other Clans. Conflicts with honorable non-Clan enemies are treated as regular warfare and enemy combatants are granted treatment in accordance with accepted laws and customs of war. The Empire's troops are expected and ordered to limit civilian casualties whenever possible. Meanwhile, the capture of bondsmen from officially recognized combatants (such as renegade Hanseatic Defense Force remnants, Hansa Corporate Security, or other honorable combatants that fought valiantly before surrendering) and from formal Clan Trials remains an established practice.

The Warrior and Garrison castes work in tandem when invading planets. Warrior caste units attack and neutralize any major enemy armed resistance on the planet after which troops from the Garrison caste, who can be raised up quickly from neighboring planets, arrive and take over occupation and policing duties. Thus warriors are freed up to immediately depart and move on towards their next objective. This approach allows rapid and efficient military conquest and eases integration of conquered populations since members of the Garrison caste, who may be locals, are much better qualified and have more practical experience in dealing with civilian issues than Clan warriors do.

During the Hanseatic Crusade, mercenaries were derided in line with Clan attitudes and any mercenary unit found fighting against Goliath Scorpions was exterminated without exception. However, Empire's treatment of mercenaries in peacetime has not yet been clarified. Likewise, pirates are dealt with without mercy. Unless there is a need to capture pirates and their ships for interrogation or database extraction of information, any pirate encountered by Goliath Scorpions in combat will be dispatched with the levels of brutality that give even other Clans pause. Clan Sea Fox observers have noted how such aggressive action has driven many Deep Periphery pirates towards the Inner Sphere away from the space adjacent to the Empire.

Economy

The Scorpion Empire has managed to gradually develop a stable and efficient economy since the days of the Clan's arrival in the Castilian cluster. Long term planning, abundance of resources, investment in construction of developed infrastructure, a large and well integrated local population, provided access to quality education in primary schools from ages five to twelve, provision of free or subsidized health care in universal clinics, usage of advanced Clan technology, and wealth of scientific knowledge brought by the Clan have all contributed to economic progress.

Distribution of cheap farming vehicles, introduction to basic hygiene practices in schooling, and instructing the local farmers in advanced agricultural methods (such as countour plowing and crop rotation) have resulted in a rapid increase in food production which quickly led to significant population growth as infant mortality decreased. Over the span of multiple generations, this also led to massive urbanization as hundreds of millions of peasants and serfs in the Laborer caste were freed up from subsistence farming to seek employment in factories within the industrializing cities across multiple planets. Initially, the Warrior caste was unable to provide reliable civil governance or urban planning in the face of mass urban migration or the development of resultant slums and improvised apartment blocks in the cities. After all, the population of some of the Empire's historical capital planets each dwarfed the Clan’s collective population in their former territory in Clan space.

However, the ex-nobles of the Empire's incorporated nationalities (now in the Merchant caste) used their energy and old ingrained habits in ruling to organize new administrative districts (fiefs) to house the burgeoning laborer population (peasants) on behalf of the Warrior caste (dons). Additionally, the adoption of administrative management degrees in local universities, library access to Terran Hegemony urban management documents, and outsourcing of management planning to the civilian castes enabled quality of life improvements for their newfound citizens. Within several decades after their arrival, Goliath Scorpions managed to cultivate large and loyal castes of scientists, merchants, technicians, support administrators, and laborers which enabled the Empire to sustain Clan levels of military technology and raise its overall technological level to that of 32nd century.

Meanwhile, the usage of academic Trials of Worth sponsored by the Scientist caste has enabled modest social mobility for the offspring of the civilians into the higher rungs of civil society while enhancing the collective know-how of the Empire’s citizenry in scientific and social matters. Such university education serves to provide business, management, scientific, and technical degrees to accredit the upper levels of the civilian castes’ leadership. On the other hand, the Goliath Scorpions’ new education system retains some of the Castilian nobility’s anti-intellectual suspicions against the benefits of philosophical education on social sciences or governmental theory (such as the potentially radicalizing theories of Karl Marx, Thomas Jefferson, and Elias Liao) while preferring technical and utilitarian curricula with more useful applications.

Some un-Clanlike reforms were also instituted as well such as a consumer goods industry which created a motivated and hard-working urban population. Legalization of private sub-caste organizations such as banks, companies, and guilds have produced spin-off industries as a novel concept for the Clan. While the trueborn members of the Warrior caste remain skeptical of the utility of civilian innovations starting to emerge from Merchant and Technician castes (the Scientist caste remaining busy in government-owned businesses), those industries are profitable and are stimulating both economic growth and worker motivation.

For a long time, the Merchant caste was the smallest one due to region's isolation and limited contacts with potential trading partners other than Clan Sea Fox. This however has changed gradually over time as Castilian and Umayyad nobles who didn’t enter the Warrior caste channeled their energies into governing civilian affairs as well as factory management by entering the Merchant caste. The number of merchants also increased significantly after Hanseatic Crusade when Empire absorbed large numbers of Hanseatic merchants and took control of their massive trade fleet. The now greatly enlarged Merchant caste began to pursue new trade opportunities in the Inner Sphere and the Deep Periphery.

The Empire boasts a developed and functional HPG network, components for which are designed and built on planet Valencia. Whether because they are newly built or because of local improvisations in the HPG design, the Empire's HPGs have been unaffected by the Blackout. The Goliath Scorpions have also started expanding this network outside the Empire itself with the first new HPG being built in Clan's holding in the Chainelane Isles while linked back to the Empire by repeater stations and HPG relays on its Warships.

As befitting a Clan nation that gained the massive resources from the incorporated Hansa, advanced knowledge on technology alongside effective resource extraction, and with the mass influx of urbanized laborers freed up from farms to work in the cities, the military industry is highly developed with several arms manufacturing corporations and their numerous productions centres spread across the Empire. These corporations are capable of manufacturing all types of advanced Clan weaponry, aerospace craft, battle armor, and combat vehicles in addition to Militia 'Mechs, BattleMechs and OmniMechs. They also manufacture advanced components like endo-composite 'Mech chassis and reflective armor. Part of the reason for this was the Clan’s introduction of modernized mining and mineral processing techniques; which optimized the extraction of abundant but poorly exploited mineral wealth on planets such as Granada. Besides terrestrial mining, the Goliath Scorpions also brought with them centuries of experience with underwater mineral resource extraction and construction manifested in design and use of Water Elemental Mining Suits and underwater construction 'Mechs.

Manufacturing centers

Using the orbital and planetary manufacturing facilities and transportation infrastructure that the Clan secured from their conquered subjects before upgrading, the Scorpion Empire currently owns the following manufacturing corporations which have their production zones distributed across many planets in it's territory (this list might be incomplete given the presence of historical manufacturing corporations in Castilian, Umayyad, and Hansa space incorporated into the Empire):

• Quixote Industries

• Prosoma War Works

• Imperial BattleMechs

The Empire also operates at least one Hughes-class station of the Hephaestus-model which, among other things, is used for manufacturing initial batches of new ClanTech equipment before full scale production begins in any newly established planetary production sites that are either retooled factories or freshly constructed facilities. Being one of the few orbital facilities capable of creating and maintaining endo-steel and ClanTech in the Imperio's early days, tight security measures and strict need-to-know policies are implemented as it is disassembled, moved, and reassembled at different planetary locations within the Empire for maintenance and material production.

Society & Culture

As a Clan society, the Scorpion Empire adheres to usual Clan societal hierarchy but on a much larger scale. In addition to traditional five Clan castes (Warrior, Scientist, Technician, Merchant, and Laborer) two additional castes were added:

• The Support caste who handle supply, procurement, administration, and emergency services

• The Garrison caste (colloquially called the Grunt caste) who assist with planetary defences and are in charge of security and law enforcement

Unlike other Clans, Goliath Scorpions opted to fully integrate entire populations of planets they conquered into their Clan as equals, a gargantuan task which required a measure of flexibility and decades of time in order to fully complete. This is in stark contrast to other non-homeworld Clans who all maintain varying levels of separation between Clan and local populations. Over time, the usual caste restrictions were relaxed in order to accommodate integration of such large numbers of people to ensure loyalty which led to noticeable societal and economic improvements. While hardly comparable to key worlds of the Inner Sphere or the Clan Homeworlds, quality of life on the Empire's planets have improved dramatically compared to their status prior to the Goliath Scorpions’ Abjuration from Clan space. In contrast to the region’s old rulers neglecting to fund public budgets for citizens’ schooling, health, or infrastructure due to apathetic greed, the Clan took its peoples’ general welfare seriously. Decrepit and haphazard transportation infrastructure (in some extreme cases, hand-powered rail carts in predator-infested jungle) has been upgraded to Clan standards for cargo hauling and passenger use. Healthcare services offered by clinics are available to every citizen of the Empire, with their provision being one of the duties of the Scientist caste.

Besides opening higher education to the general public with Trials of Worth (in contrast to the stratified class restrictions on education imposed by the Castilian, Umayyad, and Hansa leadership), intensive primary school education is offered to all from ages five through twelve and ran in parallel with mass media provided by state-owned radios and communal trid. The latter has advanced to the point of a live, HPG-backed broadcast of the first zarKhan’s inauguration and proclamation of the Empire’s stance to the IlClan being aired across the entire span of entire Empire while coverage gaps in frontier colonies are filled in with recordings on courier JumpShips.

To ensure genetic stability in the Warrior eugenics program and to accommodate their subjects after the Wars of Reaving and the Clan’s abjuration, the Clan touman readily permits both trueborn and freeborn warriors to compete for Bloodnames in their respective Bloodhouses if they can prove their genetic kinship. The latter demographic of warriors face notably fewer obstacles competing in comparison to other traditional-minded Clans. Additionally, securing giftakes from endangered genetic legacies was prioritized to keep the Clan’s genepool from thinning out. As a result of this and the reactivation of some dormant genetic legacies, the number of Bloodhouses and genetic legacies for some Bloodnames have increased with the influx of available Bloodcounts for warriors of different birth such as freeborns or phenotypes such as Elemental legacies. Meanwhile, freeborn warriors of indigenous descent who distinguish themselves are rewarded by having their genes added to the Warrior caste's breeding program and their family surnames may become new Clan Bloodnames.

One important distinction from usual Clan society is the fact that access to Warrior caste (and to highest levels of political power via obtaining or founding a Bloodname) has been opened to both trueborn and freeborn candidates regardless of their societal, ethnic, or family origins. Any warrior, regardless of background, is able to progress to the very top of the Clan hierarchy based solely on their own skill and prowess with one example being the composition of Hellion Keshik. Being the personal unit of the SaKhan in Hellion Galaxy, its roster has seen a continuous stream of MechWarriors and Battle-Armored Infantry of Hansa, Castilian, Umayyad, Eridani, Ice Hellion, and Goliath Scorpion descent alike serving amongst its ranks. There are no restrictions on entry beyond martial competence; regardless of candidates being trueborn or freeborn, Bloodnamed or not, native Clansmen or abtakha.

This reform to opening the access to the upper echelons of power of Clan leadership to all was the final piece needed to complete integration of all different groups within the Empire. Simultaneous operation of both trueborn and freeborn sibkos also had the positive side effect of removing usual stigma from those candidates who wash out or fail to achieve rank. All of this, along with the relative peace, prosperity, and modest degree of civil liberties for the population amidst Imperial rule in place of internecine Castilian-Umayyad assassination intrigue, heavy-handed crackdowns on serf riots under the Hansa, or the old Clan approach of answering social unrest with brutal martial law, means that the vast majority of the population are generally supportive of the Empire's government.

Overall, the Scorpion Empire is a melting pot of different Deep Periphery cultures and ethnicities. The most prevalent ethnicities living in the Empire are the original clansmen (descended predominantly from both Goliath Scorpions and Ice Hellions), descendants of the absorbed Eridani Light Horse mercenaries, the Nueva Castilians, the Umayyads, and the Hansa. Additionally, local language usage and religious practices have been left alone; noticeably after the Imperio’s early attempts at imposing Star League Standard English as the only official language ran into significant obstacles. Only then did the Empire’s early rulers grudgingly permit the usage of local languages in an unofficial capacity alongside the Clan variant of Star League Standard English (which retains primacy in official business). As a result, one can find anything from Star League Standard English, Hanseatic German, Castilian Spanish, and Umayyad Portuguese alongside Arabic or Russian in civilian use for media and schooling.

Meanwhile, people are free to practice any religion they choose; with local denominations ranging from Castilian Catholicism to Umayyad Islam. In a strange and somewhat humorous twist of irony, the Goliath Scorpions themselves accidentally introduced social upheaval in the religious sphere of the Empire. By introducing the concept of freedom of religion to their new Empire while bringing with them vast library archives of historic records (including many religious and theological texts) that are accessible to the public, they inadvertently motivated some of the native population (which previously only attended the established religious sects for lack of alternatives) to start interpreting their religion in different ways. This has culminated in the formation of rival sects which has led to occasional outbursts of religious riots, a problem which local police forces under the Garrison caste still haven't been able to properly address.

Bibliography

• Interstellar Expeditions: Interstellar Players 3
• Moving Forward
• Operational Turning Points: Hanseatic Crusade
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 11
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 20
• Recognition Guide: ilClan, vol. 23
• Spotlight On: Hellion Keshik
• Technical Readout: Golden Century
• Touring the Stars: Granada
• Touring the Stars: Valencia
• The Wars of Reaving
• The Wars of Reaving Supplemental