The
eel rarely seeks the same prey as the goldfish. The eagle flies not
with the pigeon. The tiger needs no friendship with the goat. Such
are the paths of the Draconis Combine and the Terran Hegemony.
--Shiro Kurita, in response to Director-General James
McKenna’s offer of alliance, 2325
Upon its founder’s death in 2348, the Draconis Combine, barely 30
years old and composed of over 60 worlds, was already a force to be
reckoned with. Shiro Kurita, its founder and first Coordinator,
infused the realm with his determination and martial ruthlessness.
Bred to embrace the severe, honor-driven mindset of the ancient
samurai, his legacy set the tone for the Kuritas who followed. It
comes as no surprise then that the Combine, driven by the Kuritas’
dream of one day ruling all humankind, refused to ever ally itself
with any of its neighbors, preferring instead its own path, the way
of the sword. For over two centuries, as its dominion slowly
absorbed the entire quadrant, including near-total control of the
neighboring Principality of Rasalhague, the Dragon walked alone.
But despite Shiro’s reluctance to ally with McKenna’s Hegemony,
the Dragon would eventually become part of the Star League the
Hegemony would one day forge. Signing the Treaty of Vega,
Coordinator Hehiro Kurita, son of the diplomatic and visionary
Coordinator Siriwan McAllister-Kurita, opened the Dragon to the
League.
Under the Star League, the Combine prospered as never before.
Trade with other nations combined with an explosion of technological
advancements to produce a more powerful nation, though it was one
that would eventually be weakened by cultural contamination and
softened by a lack of warfare and struggle. At least this was the
view taken by Coordinators Sanethia and Urizen II.
Sanethia initiated the move of the Combine capital from New
Samarkand to Luthien for one reason and one reason only, really. Far
from simply relocating the command center for her troops to a more
logistically effective region in the event of war on any front, the
relocation was actually a test of – and reminder to – the people of
the Combine itself. Her hope was that, by presenting the people with
a common focus, a difficult task on behalf of the state, she could
unify them behind a spirit of national unity, reminding them that
they were citizens of the Combine first, and the Star League second.
Urizen II took this effort one step further, however, when he
ascended to the throne after her. His own sweeping reforms, intent
on imposing the widespread adaptation of the feudal Japanese culture
at all levels of Combine society, included the so-called Kokugaku
(“national learning”) Policy, which taught the Shinto religion, the
cultural mores of the Dictum Honorium, and the Japanese language.
All other cultures were effectively forbidden as the state turned
inward. Using his authority, and the power of the ISF that was
always a Kurita family prerogative, Urizen probably did more than
any other Coordinator since Shiro himself to shape the Draconis
Combine we all know and love today . . .
--Dr. Lanz Rettig,
PhD., Professor of Inner Sphere History, University of Academia,
Kessel
The rise of a new sense of cultural identity, in the form of a
stratified and structured way of life reminiscent of feudal Japan,
was brutally enforced by the dreaded internal security force, though
their role in enforcing culture would one day fall to the less
severe, but no less dedicated Order of the Five Pillars. By the end
of Urizen II’s reign in 2691 – when he was 101 years old – the
diverse cultural mix that existed under the rule of the
bushido-obsessed Kuritas was virtually erased, aside from the
tenacious Azami and some Rasalhaguian holdouts. A rigid new
hierarchy established roles for citizens in every walk of life,
assuring a clear chain of command from the Coordinator himself down
to the lowliest Unproductives.
Additional efforts to attain technological self-sufficiency and
sharpen their trading skills helped assure the Dragon would indeed
bow to no other power, and schools taught that the Kuritas joined
the Star League only through a sense of pity and personal honor.
Though brutally imposed in some cases, this new sense of identity
and self-sufficiency would leave the Combine well-equipped in the
years ahead, when the actions of Stefan the Usurper would bring
about the death of the Star League and the end of humanity’s Golden
Age.
At the time of the Amaris Crisis, I think many who have
vilified the Combine for its inaction would be shocked to realize
just how ideal a position they were in to destroy the League.
[Coordinator] Takiro Kurita did not have to stop at simply denying
the SLDF passage through his realm to keep his captive cousins alive
under Amaris’ “protection.” Indeed, he could have seized the moment
and assaulted the League troops himself, hastening their demise
while allowing Amaris’ Rim Worlds troops to bear the blame. He was
trapped, pure and simple, but willing to help any way he could. The
fact that he did little more than deny the SLDF use of Combine space
– rather than seizing the chance for personal conquests – should
attest to that.
The SLDF’s victories on Combine worlds near the Hegemony borders
would prove that fact just as easily. Here, the SLDF faced Combine
troops that retreated with only token resistance. Surely anyone
familiar with the high value attached to personal honor by the
precepts of bushido would know that Combine warriors simply did not
retreat from a fight.
As it happened, though, doing nothing helped save the Kuritans’
strength for the wars to come, when the League collapsed after the
Liberation. Their highly polished, well-trained, and well-equipped
military, suddenly free to act when the SLDF survivors launched
their Exodus, served them well enough that they nearly overwhelmed
House Davion in the First Succession War. Only the fallout from the
Kentares Massacre, in fact, prevented the Dragon from delivering a
crushing blow that would have claimed half of the populated galaxy
in just over ten years of warfare.
--Cedric St. Marcus,
The Dragon We Never Knew, Republic Press, Terra, 3106
As fate would have it – or, rather, karma, by the Kuritan
way of approaching things – the Draconis Combine would remain locked
in almost continuous conflict with its neighbors for another three
centuries before its next great upheaval. Amazingly, throughout
these so-called Succession Wars, little would shake the sturdy
foundations of the Kurita dynasty, or the faith and fanaticism of
those who served it. None could overcome the truly unstoppable force
that was the Draconis Combine.
Join us next week for part three of our four-part exploration
into the Draconis Combine, our fascinating coreward neighbor, as we
continue our tour of the galaxy! I’m Bertram Habeas.
