Tribble 63
In 3049, a sudden surge of refugees from the Periphery reaches the Inner Sphere's borders of the Draconis Combine, Free Rasalhague Republic, and the Lyran half of the Federated Commonwealth. These refugees tell the tales of mysterious invaders weilding weapons and battlemechs that were far more advanced than anything they or the Inner Sphere ever had. When news of these refugees and their stories reach the ears of Comstar, Primus Myndo Waterly sends Anastasius Focht to get a better picture of what has happened in the Periphery. The news also reaches Jamie Wolfe, who immidiately recalls all the Dragoons from all operations to discuss the one thing they had feared would come true...the Clans have come. But instead of the first four Clans at the start of the invasion, only ONE clan is leading the invasion, much to even Natasha Kerensky's shock. The Clan in question, is Clan Smoke Jaguar alone.
Back in the Clan Homeworlds, when the Comstar Jumpship Outbound Light arrived in orbit of Huntress the Smoke Jaguars captured and interrogated the crew before executing them and destroying their vessel. With the information provided to them from the crew and from the ship's computers, the Smoke Jaguars believe that the time has come to invade the Inner Sphere by themselves instead of involving the other Clans. After the initial bids for the invasion corridors, the Jaguars gathered their entire touman in secret, withdrawing much from worlds shared with other Clans and preparing themselves for the long journey to the Inner Sphere. When news of the invasion reaches the Grand Council, they are outraged that the Smoke Jaguars did not inform them of this. In response to this, Clan Star Adder declares a Trial of Absorption of the Smoke Jaguars remaining worlds, including Huntress. These worlds fall quickly under the onslaught of the Star Adder forces and what remaining defenders become part of the Clan. Leo Showers ignores this news, gloating that the other Clans were cowards in not choosing to follow their example.
The moment the Jaguars reach the Inner Sphere, Federated Commonwealth, Rasalhague, and Draconis Combine forces are almost powerless to stop the Jaguars' blitzkrieg. When Anastasius Focht meets with the invaders, his jumpship is immediately destroyed. They also destroy HPG stations and ComStar defenders sending ripples of anger and shock to the Primus at the audacity these new invaders were showing. After months of fighting, the leaders of the three Successor States being invaded by the Jaguars agree to meet in a neutral location to discuss the possibility of an alliance against the Smoke Jaguars. To their surprise, Primus Myndo Waterly also sends a representative of ComStar to discuss the fact that the invaders have attacked ComStar forces as well as destroyed HPG stations. ComStar agrees to lend a hand in defending these worlds from the invaders. Over Radstadt, Tyra Miraborg rams her Shilone into the Smoke Jaguars flagship, killing both the Khan and SaKhan of the Smoke Jaguars as well as their Loremaster, forcing the Clan to halt their invasion so that they may choose who will lead them.
Taking advantage of this sudden halt, the Inner Sphere forces begin to launch offensive after offensive against the Smoke Jaguar defenders, driving many off of the worlds they have captured or wiping them out. The Smoke Jaguars were now in disarray and with no supply lines from the homeworlds and no solid leadership, they quickly fall to the Inner Sphere's counterattack. From what few prisoners the IS forces have managed to capture as well as the sudden revelation Jamie Wolfe provides them, they learn that not only the fact that the Smoke Jaguars were but one of several other Clans, but were also descendants of Kerensky's Star League Army. But after learning what the Clans were capable of, as well as learning their tactics and technology, the forces of the Inner Sphere prepare themselves for another possible invasion from the other Clans.
