Clan Cloud Cobra Totem

Named for the species of snake that developed from the Terran cobras and released onto Arcadia where it risides in the planet's misty jungles, Clan Cloud Cobra is a study in contrasts. They are the most religious of the Clans, paying homage to a concept they call The Way that enshrines aspects of all religions. And yet they are also one of the most devious and political of Clans, equation The Way with the Warden cause, while seeking to further their own agenda.

Possessions

Worlds: 6 (All Shared)

The Cloud Cobras appear to have extensive possessions, but only three of their six worlds fall inside the accepted bounds of "Clan Space." The other three, the so-called Tanite Worlds, form a distinct body outside the Kerensky Cluster or the Pentagon. Discovered in 2965, these worlds a former Star League colony, were forcibly absorbed. This stretched the Cobra Touman to its limit, prompting the Cobras to contract with Burrock (and later Star Adder) forces to help garrison them in exchange for mineral rights

In the wake of the Great Refusal, the Cobras have moved to consolidate their position. They gained numerous assets from Clan Nova Cat, though in many cases what the Nova Cats expected to be Cobra support for their withdrawal became an occupying force instead. The Cobras justify their actions, the most significant of which took place on Brim, as necessary to forestall an attack *

Allies and Enemies

The Cloud Cobras have few real enemies. Their belief in The Way makes them natural allies of the Warden faction, but also allows individual Cloisters the freedom to espouse Crusader view. The Cobras regard even die-hard Crusaders such as the Jade Falcons as simply "misguided." Only the Coyotes are their enemies.

However, this also means the Clan has few staunch allies. They worked with Clan Burrock for many years, sharing mutual interests such as the Tanite worlds, and this relationship has transferred to Clan Star Adder. While many in the Clan regard the partnership with Clan Star Adder to be a new move for the Clan, there are suggestions of decades-old deals between the two.

Clans Diamond Shark and Snow Raven are also peripheral allies of the Cobras. The former provides useful mercantile contracts, allowing the Cobras to prosper. Clan Snow Raven espouses similar military principals and the two share information and technology.

Least know are the Cobra's tacit alliances with the Nova Cats and Wolves (in Exile). The Cobras applaud their willingness to do what conscience and visions dictate. To them the true mark of The Way is firm belief in a cause.

Military

The Cloud Cobras have a relatively small Touman, a result of a series of catastrophic event in their history. They emphasize aerospace, as a result of the major losses suffered on Babylon, leading to their focusing on what assets remained.

This aerospace bias has colored their tactics, with aircraft used to "soften up" targets in advance of a ground assault. However, their small ground force means that the Cobras are prepared to be very patient, allowing the air arm to complete their task rather than ground forces being goaded into action.

The number of places in front-line units is strictly limited, and only the best go straight to such units. Most new graduates join one of a series of reserve units attached to each Galaxy. These serve as a trained pool of troops ready to make up losses in the principal units.

The Clan follows a combined-arms doctrine, making use of conventional infantry and vehicles. However, many units are not well rounded, being dominated by BattleMechs or aerospace fighters. Cobra Elemental forces are surprisingly weak.

Society

Cloud Cobra society centers around the Cloisters and the religions of The Way. Their warriors serve also as priests and teachers, requiring a higher degree of philosophical and theological awareness than is found in other Clans. While the Cloisters are divided in their interpretations of The Way, their common devotion to it also serves to limit their divisiveness. The result is greater internal cohesion than is found in other splintered Clans such as the Fire Mandrills.

The Cloud Cobras accept bondsmen, but those taken by the Clan often have difficulty adapting to the theological debates that are part of everyday life. Cloud Cobras taken as isorla by other Clans rarely abandon their faith, therefore enclaves of belief in The Way exist in many other Clans.

Cobra civilians, through the Cloisters, have a limited say in the governance of the Clan. In addition to the warriors, each Cloister contains ordained ministers of the civilian castes, who (in theory) advocate the interests of the people. And yet the Cloisters are elitist institutions, with menial work beneath their members, which reinforces the caste divisions. In fact, many regard the Cloisters as political rather than spiritual organizations, used by opportunists to further their own goals.

Most Cloud Cobras are pragmatic, realizing that many of their goals (largely unknown to the rest of the Clans) cannot be easily achieved and they are willing to take the long-term view. This may be one of the strengths of the Cloisters. While most Clansmen plan for now, or at best a few years into the future, the Cobras appear to plan generations in advance, Each Cloister, headed by an ecKhan, takes a proactive role toward attaining its goals, building or breaking alliances as needed.

Cobra technological expertise is among the best in the Clans, Although Clan Diamond Shark claims the credit for developing the current Iron Womb technology, much of the expertise in genetic engineering stems from the Cobras. Their military technology is similarly well developed, although much of their work is refinement of existing systems rather than new developments.

Brief History

Shrouded in mysticism, parable and dogma, the history of Clan Cloud Cobra reflects the Clan's founding by Windham Katib, an SLDF chaplain. Together with his saKhan, Vice Admiral Rafe Kardaan, Katib forged the Clan into a solid unit. Although ostensibly putting cultural differences aside, Katib fostered a number of debates to encourage understanding among his troops of different religions and ethnic backgrounds. Together the Cobras forged a new philosophy, comparable to the Inner Sphere "Unfinished Book" movement, which sought the common ground between all religions. Katib called this non-denominational system "The Way," and it would form a fundamental part of the Clan's existence.

Though badly bloodied on Babylon, the Clan fulfilled its objectives during the liberation of the Pentagon. However, an ambush by rebel forces cost the Clan almost half its number, leaving aerospace forces in the ascendant. The Clan sustained further damage in the internal strife that followed Operation Klondike. The Cloud Cobras avoided the fate of the Wolverines, but their internal fighting further weakened them. This prompted many raids against them for their most valuable commodity: technological expertise. The most prominent raiders were Clan Coyote, and counter-raids and captured Coyotes eventually netted OmniMech technology for the Cobras.

When a large number of civilians and warriors belonging to Clan Burrock defected to the Bandit Cast, the Cobras accompanied the loyal Burrocks on a mission to return their wayward kin to the Clan fold. The Burrocks claimed to have punished the transgressors, a story accepted until Clan Star Adder proved it a lie in 3058.

In 2935 the Cobras were honored when their Khan, Tobias Katib, was selected as ilKhan. He ruled for more than a decade, doing much to advance the cause of the Cloud Cobras. However, Katib's indictment in 2947 tarnished the gains. Katib was found guilty of murdering his predecessor, and the Grand Council stripped him of his office and executed him. Suspicions of a wider conspiracy were never proven.

As the Clans chose sides in what would become the Crusader-Warden debate, other divisions within the Cobras came to the fore. Predominantly religious in nature, these divisions lead to a factionalization of Cobra society akin to that which consumed the Fire Mandrills. The Cobras divided into groups known as Cloisters, some of which supported the Wardens and others the Crusaders. However, The Way ensured thatc as a whole the Clan supported the protectionist policies of the Wardens. When the Outbound Light triggered a call for invasion, the Cloud Cobra Khans voted to attack, but lacking the strength to prosecute the war, the Cobras withdrew from the bidding, angering several pro-crusader Cloisters and triggering dissention.

When Clan Star Adder uncovered details of Burrock deception regarding their lost members and ongoing dealings with the Dark Caste, the Cloud Cobras were among the most vociferous in calling for the Burrocks' absorption. The venom of their call lead many to suspect a hidden cause for their actions, perhaps associated with the Burrocks' crime, but possibly the Cobra's revulsion at the treachery of their former allies.

Beginnings

Where the Nova Cats were the mystics of the Clans, the Cloud Cobras are its clergy. The Cobra's first Khan, Windham Khatib, was often referred to as the "Pope-in-Exile" for his deeply spiritual beliefs. It is through his efforts, both during and after his tenure as Khan, that the Cloud Cobra's built a society that is unique amongst the war-like Clans.

Founding

As Nicholas Kerensky formed the basis of the Clans, he selected Captain Windham Khatib, formerly of the 335th BattleMech Division, to be Khan of the newly formed Clan Cloud Cobra. Khatib, despite his best efforts, was not a warrior born and bred, so Nicholas assigned Vice Admiral Rafe Kardaan to be saKhan for the nascent Clan. Together, the two men forged thirty-eight others into a fighting force that was one in form and spirit. When Operation Klondike began, the Cloud Cobra's were assigned the planet Babylon.

The Clan's initial victories gave way to several near-defeats, one of which cost the Clan half its members. Only the aerospace forces, led by saKhan Kardaan, prevented the destruction of the Clan. Assisted by Clans Ice Hellion, Coyote and Sea Fox, the Cobra's were able to crush the rebels and begin building a new order. From the city of Hope, Cloud Cobra Khans strove tirelessly to integrate the people of Babylon into their new lives as Clansmen and to build up their Touman.

The Cobra's were beset, however, by rebels within the lower caste who espoused ideas that spread discontent amongst the entire Clan. The movement spread to the warrior caste, as well, and the Khans were forced to execute many hundreds of people to save the Clan from self-destructing.

Golden Century

After several years, Khan Khatib stepped down from his post to see to the spiritual well-being of the Clans. His efforts led to the founding of the Great Cloisters that grew to several million worshippers from all the Clans' lower castes. Meanwhile, Khan Kardaan led the Cloud Cobra's to numerous developments, including perfecting the iron womb technology and improved laser weapons.

The Cloud Cobra's refinements on the iron womb led to numerous Trials against the other Clans, who strove to gain the technology. The Trials against the Coyotes proved the most brutal and set the stage for a feud which has lasted over two centuries.

It was also during this time that Clans Cloud Cobra and Burrock were sent to stop a group of Burrock warriors and civilians from defecting to the bandit caste. The mission lasted two years and, for the Cloud Cobras at least, resulted in the destruction of many dark caste bandits. The Burrocks also reported the destruction of their targets. Two centuries later, this false claim would come back to haunt the Burrocks.

By the mid 2800's, the Cloud Cobras fielded several Trinaries of OmniMech's and, shortly, the first Elementals emerged from the iron wombs. The Clan also gained a number of Mongoose Bloodrights after the Smoke Jaguars Absorbed the Clan. The Smoke Jaguars were furious over the loss of over seventies legacies, but could do nothing to stop the Cloud Cobras from adding the legacies to eleven Bloodhouses. The Cloud Cobra Touman would triple in size, while the Smoke Jaguars allowed the Mongoose Bloodlines to fall into disuse.

During the 2900's, the various Cloisters began their rise to power within the Clan. Every warrior soon belonged to one of the Cloister as did the bulk of the Cobra's lower castes. The influence of the Way is such that many lower caste members from other Clans soon joined the Cloisters. At present, there are millions of followers of the Way scattered throughout the nineteen Cloisters.

The Cloisters spread their influence another way that directly affected the Clan. As the power of each Cloister built up, they began to form their own sibkos. The warriors of these Cloisters soon took up the Crusader and Warden causes, effectively splitting the Clan. The Cloud Cobra's are rated as Warden, even though almost half the warrior caste belongs to Cloisters with Crusader beliefs.

Also, in the 2900's, the Cloud Cobra's stumbled upon three inhabited worlds founded by Star League colonists. The Tanites refused the Clan's initial offer to join the Way. What the Cloud Cobra's could not do with debate, they did with force. The Tanite worlds eventually became part of Clan Cloud Cobra, but would require that the Clan initiate a defense contract with Clan Burrock. The Tanite's rebellions forced Khan Taran Kon-Dakar to cede resource rights to the Burrocks in return for their help in securing the worlds.

Crusade

As Ghost Bear Khan Nadia Winson began the Great Debate to return to the Inner Sphere, the Cloud Cobra Cloisters, now firmly in control of the Clan, were even more divided than the other Clans. The Ka'an and Josian Cloisters, two of the largest, were in favor of invasion, but the Tongo Cloister was too powerful politically to vote in favor of the invasion. The Cloud Cobra's quickly embraced Khan Kherlin Ward's Dragoon Compromise. The various Cloisters all agreed that intelligence regarding the current state of the Inner Sphere was sadly lacking. When the Dragoons departed for the Successor States, they left with the support of the Cloud Cobra's.

The Cloisters worked to build up their touman for the eventual invasion. They lacked sufficient quantities of OmniMechs and other war materiels and worked tirelessly to gain them from other Clans. The Clan was able to build another Galaxy, but it still left them short of their desired strength.

The arrival of the Outbound Light in 3048 changed everything for all the Clans. Smoke Jaguar Khan Leo Showers used the opportunity to raise the question of invasion again, this time adding damning evidence that convinced the other Clans that the Inner Sphere would soon arrive to invade the Pentagon worlds. The cry for invasion soon overwhelmed the Warden faction despite their best efforts.

Khan Steiner spoke eloquently in favor of invasion during the Grand Kurultai, forcing many of the remaining Khans who were doubtful about the enterprise to vote in favor of invasion. The Cloud Cobra's desire to participate in the invasion was abruptly shattered when Khan Din Steiner removed the Clan from the early bidding process. This provoked a great deal of anger and numerous Trials of Greivance, but the Khans stood firm in the stance. Once again, the Way proved them right.

The early advances made by the invasion force seemed to prove that the Crusaders were right about the Inner Sphere. However, several setbacks, notably the death of ilKhan Leo Showers at Radstadt, forced the Clan to reconsider its initial fervor. The Inner Sphere was rapidly adjusting to Clan tactics and the early technological gap was beginning to show signs of closing. The battle of Tukayyid and its encumbent fifteen-year truce gives the Clans time to renew themselves and ready for the next invasion.

Death of a Clan

The setback at Tukayyid did not affect the invading Clan's desire for power. The Refusal War which devastated Clans Wolf and Jade Falcon and the Absorption of Clan Burrock by Clan Star Adder were early signs of what was to come for the remaining Clans.

The Inner Sphere operation, Operation Bulldog, was more proof that the Inner Sphere was no longer standing idly by waiting for the resumption of hostilities. The battle of Coventry in 3058 led the Great House leaders to the conclusion that the only way to stop the Clan invasion was to destroy a Clan. To do this, they agreed to reform the Star League. This show of force would make the Clans reconsider their position.

The invasion of the Smoke Jaguar Occupation Zone was led by the Draconis Combine's forces and was backed by elite regiments from all across the Inner Sphere. For the first time in over two hundred years, the Star League banner flew across the worlds of the Inner Sphere. The collusion of Clan Nova Cat was shocking but not entirely expected considering their mystical tendings.

The invasion of the Smoke Jaguar homeworld of Huntress showed the Clans the reality of their method of warfare. Insulated from the harshness of total warfare by a system that minimized losses, the Clans were totally unprepared for the "total warfare" concept that the Star League unleashed on the Smoke Jaguars. With the total destruction of the Jaguar's warrior caste, the remaining Clans quickly vied for that Clans remaining holdings. The Goliath Scorpions won the continent of Abysmal and, with it, Proto-Mech technology. Only Clans Star Adder and Coyote now have samples of this new technology.

In late 3060, the Cloud Cobra scientist caste also revealed the new Sylph battle armor. This design fits in with the Cobra's strong aerospace leanings. The new armor, which is not yet deployed in significant numbers, increases mobility at the cost of armor and firepower. The Sylph is unique in that it is capable of VTOL flight capabilities and carries a single round bomb rack.

The Cloud Cobra Touman is not as strong mechwise as other Clans, but with its strong aerospace forces and the new Sylph battle armor, it will be a force to be reckoned with for many years to come.

Anasaz

Taking their name from an ancient Terran civilization that died out twenty centuries ago, these warriors revere their greatest fallen forebears as gods or divine messengers. Their Supreme Being is a triumvirate, with Aleksandr Kerensky as the first, Nicholas as the second and the Way as the third component. The Anasaz are strident Wardens and isolationists. Their insignia is a cloud cobra coiled around a yellow-orange disk that represents a sun.

Josian

The Josian Cloister traces its origins back to the Clan's first Khan, Windham Khatib. After he relinquished the title of Khan, he focused his energies on rebuilding the Clans' spiritual backbone. An ordained minister in what was once known as the Church of the Crucifix, Windham gathered those of like beliefs around him into a group that evolved into the Josian Cloister. The Josians are the most ardent Crusaders in the Cloud Cobra Touman, espousing a desire to spread their ways among the rest of the Clans in addition to a return in force to the Inner Sphere. The Josian Cloister insignia shows two crossed swords over a Cross of Lorraine.

Ka'an

Another Cloister that can trace its existence back to the early twenty-ninth century, the Ka'an also owe their existence to Windham Khatib. Based on the Judaic tradition, one of humanity's oldest recorded religions, these warriors were the first to take up the Crusader banner in Clan Cloud Cobra, and remain the most vociferous advocates of a larger and stronger Touman. A stylized six-pointed star made of six outward-facing daggers is the Ka'an Cloister's insignia.

Quarani

Often perceived as quiet and unassuming, this largest of the Cloisters plays an important part in their Clan's politics. They take their name from their unifying dogma's most sacred text, the Quran of Islam. Their mild temperament and Warden views apparently also come from that source, though when enraged they become virtually unstoppable. A red-and-orange sunburst is this Cloister's insignia.

Tongo

The most powerful of the Cloisters politically, the Tongo Cloister has dominated Clan Cloud Cobra since Khan Terrell N'Buta took command of the Clan in the waning years of the thirtieth century. The Cloister came into existence fifty years earlier, when Santana N'Buta, a captured Star Adder warrior, began the slow process of converting his comrades to his unique beliefs.

Worshipping the universe as a diety, the Tongo maintain a strict adherence to this viewpoint, which most often leads them to espouse Warden positions. They wish to bring no more war to the universe than necessary, yet will vehemently defend their stand with force. The Cloister's insignia shows an intricately carved Zulu shield flanked by two spears.

Cloud Cobra Unit Types

Battle Clusters: The single Battle Cluster, part of Alpha Galaxy, is composed of 3 Trinaries of mostly heavy OmniMechs, a Trinary of Elementals and an Aerospace Trinary. The Battle Cluster offers maneuverability balanced by withering firepower.

Coil Clusters: The Coil Clusters are the backbone of the Cobra Touman. In most, three Trinaries of Aerospace Fighters furnish the main hitting power while a Binary or Trinary of mixed BattleMechs and Elementals provides ground security and relief for other ground based Clusters.

Dragoon Clusters: Just one Dragoon Cluster exists in the Touman, Zeta Galaxy's. It's three SuperNova Trinaries of medium and heavy OmniMechs, coupled with two Trinaries of medium OmniFighters, make it the Touman's quickest and most versatile Cluster.

Fang Clusters: Fang Clusters are similar to Coil Clusters, with most of their firepower coming from three or four Trinaries of Aerospace Fighters. Those Trinaries are backed by a Trinary of fast, medium and light OmniMechs, a full complement of assault Dropships and a Corvette Class warship.

Grenadiers Clusters: The Grenadiers Cluster is the heaviest of the ground based Clusters, with two heavy to assault OmniMech Trinaries, an Elemental Trinary and one or two Aerospace Trinaries. This Cluster relies on its firepower rather than maneuverability, which is limited.

Gaurds Clusters: Guards Clusters vary widely in composition. On average, they contain two 'Mech Binaries, one or two Stars of Elementals and three Binaries of Aerospace Fighters.

Protege of Khan Din Steiner, Kieran Telinov took office after Leighton Khatib was killed defending his genetic legacy from Clan Burrock in 3051. In many respects Kieran is a foil to his Khan, Bly committed to the Josian Cloister and its Crusader leanings. During the final stages of the Great Debate, as a Cluster Commander in Beta Galaxy Kieran was elected ecKhan of his Cloister, and subsequently led the vocificerous throng that finally convinced Khan Steiner to vote for the invasion. His skill made Kieran a natural choice for saKhan. Many mistake his slight build and short stature as signs of weakness, but none who have fought him have made the same mistake twice.