Clan Steel Viper presents something of a paradox. They follow more fiercely the Clan way and the code of the warrior than any other Clan, and at the same time believe in a unique vision that may ultimately temper the aggression of the Clans. This seeming paradox rises from the Vipers' deeply held conviction that they alone understand that Nicholas Kerensky's true vision called for the Clans to conquer the former worlds of the Terran Hegemony and then to restore the Star League, not by coercing the people of the Inner Sphere to accept Clan leadership, but by cooperating with the existing Great Houses to reestablish one proper government. Because they alone understand this vision, the Viper also believe that their destiny is to lead the restoration of the Star League as ilKlan.

Though the results of the trials on Strana Mechty to determine the invading Clans restricted Clan Steel Viper to reserve status during the initial stages of the Inner Sphere campaign, the Vipers went on to achieve notable successes in the fifth wave and even after the Battle of Tukayyid. They took a number of worlds from Clan Jade Falcon, whose invasion corridor they share, and now stand as the Clan closest to Terra. The Clan's leaders have displayed remarkable aplomb in negotiating the recent political and military storms swirling around them, and many observers expect Clan Steel Viper to emerge as a dominant force when the Clans next move against the Inner Sphere.

The Tukayyid battle plan called for the Vipers to take Kozice Ranch Station and Kelly Springs. Learning from Clan Smoke Jaguar's mistake of dropping too near to its target cities on Tukayyid, the Vipers opted for a conservative strategy, dropping far from their objectives. Khan Breen sent her main forces marching toward the city of Kozice Ranch Station. Despite continuous artillery and aerospace barrages, the Viper 'Mechs proceeded steadily toward their primary objective, unaware of the hazards awaiting them in the intervening land known as Devil's Bath. A horrific 18-kilometer stretch of geysers, boiling mud and massive granite columns, the Bath would prove the Viper's undoing.

As the Vipers reached the fringes of the Bath, they encountered the ComGuards' Sixth Division, which appeared to break after an initial exchange of fire. Thirsting for a quick victory, Breen led her warriors in pursuit of the following 'Mechs. Within minutes, she realized her headlong rush had led her troops into a trap. Entire Stars began to sink in the mud, their long-range weapons made useless by the surrounding forest of granite pillars. As Breen hesitated, unsure whether to retreat from the treacherous terrain or pursue the enemy, the ComGuard command broadcast an insulting public challenge to her via a satellite link established in his 'Mech. Enraged by the challenge and eager to save face before the other Clans, Breen resumed the attack.

The Vipers inflicted heavy losses on the ComGuard troops, but took heavy losses themselves and has expended most of their ammunition when they finally reached the end of the Devil's Bath. There, they faced fresh ComGuard units which broke through the Viper lines and occupied the Clan machines while ComGuard reinforcements massed at Kozice Ranch Station and Kelly Springs. By that point, one of every four Viper units had been destroyed and both Khan Breen and saKhan Zalman had been wounded. Only kilometers away from her Clan's objectives, Breen nonetheless ordered her troops to retreat to their DropShips and lift from the planet. Humiliated by the total rout of her troops on Tukayyid and still laboring to dispel the cloud of her Clan's poor performance in the combat trials to win a position as a primary invading Clan, Khan Breen resigned her position.

Though the Steel Vipers met defeat at the hands of their Inner Sphere opponents on Tukayyid, their position nearest Terra on the front line of the invasion allows them to continue to believe that they will someday lead the Inner Sphere to accept the rebirth of the Star League. The Steel Viper warriors have found a tangible reason to respect their Inner Sphere foes as Khan Mercer prophesied they should, and this respect - along with the Vipers' current position as a front-line Clan an even more deadly opponent when the invasion resumes.

The waning power of the Wolves and the Jade Falcons has created a power vacuum among the invading Clans, leading to further instability as other Clans in the invasion force jockey for power. At present, the Ghost Bears seem the most likely to lead a renewed invasion. The Bears have bolstered their troops with reinforcements from the Clan homeworlds, a development that poses a grave threat to the Draconis Combine worlds that lie above the truce line.

Kurita raiders have staged near-constant raids against Clan Smoke Jaguar in recent years, which have prevented that Clan from effectively recovering from the heavy casualties it suffered on Tukayyid. Nova Cat raiders have begun harassing Smoke Jaguar forces recently as well, further hampering the Clan's attempts to rebuild. As a result, the Smoke Jaguars seem unlikely to challenge the Ghost Bears for leadership of the Clans. Clan Smoke Jaguar's weakness has filled its warriors with frustration and a fierce desire to prove they are still a force to be reckoned with - which makes the Jaguars a potentially dangerous enemy for their Clan brethren and Inner Sphere powers.

Neither the Steel Vipers nor the Nova Cats have the strength to challenge the Ghost Bears, but both Clans are far from harmless. The Viper Khan, Perigard Zalman, has shown remarkable restraint while patiently rebuilding his Clan, which marks him as a canny and dangerous leader. Meanwhile, the Nova Cats continue to rebuild following their losses on Luthien and Tukayyid. Their weakened condition, however, has not prevented them from raiding worlds located above the truce line.