Volume XXI: Collision Course—A Tale of Two Peoples

Fortune and fate are a fickle combination. They can take an ordinary man, raised in a harsh world, and hone him to the edge needed to found a mighty empire, or they can place a virtual terrorist forever in the annals of history as the founder of a legacy of crafty survivors. But for every tale of aspirations rising from a humble background, there are hundreds—if not thousands—where fate and fortune took a very different path.

One need only look into the early days of space travel for an example of these tales, when colonists—eager to escape overcrowding or the excesses of a corrupt Terran Alliance—sought new lives on far-flung, alien worlds. Many of these colonists would die from a host of dangers, some of which even defy the imagination today. Others would find their own paradise, only to have a powerful neighbor come and sweep it away just a short time later. Stranger still, some would form an interstellar alliance that would not rise to its true prominence until after being dominated by a conquering army not once, but twice in its centuries-long history.

If this last example sounds familiar, it very well should. It is the checkered history of the nation today known to all as the Rasalhague Dominion.

[The Rasalhaguian colonists] hailed mostly from Terra’s Scandinavian states, which had suffered severe economic hardships as a result of the Second Soviet Civil War [in the early twenty-first century] and its aftermath. By the mid-twenty-third century, things had become so bad that many of these citizens jumped at the chance to begin anew somewhere far, far beyond the grip of the Terran government. And, at the time, the farthest known inhabitable world was a tiny dot called Rasalhague. What’s interesting to note is that Rasalhague and its neighboring systems would quickly unite under nothing so elaborate—and yet nothing so basic—as these people’s unifying cultural heritage, and their deep desire for personal and economic freedom. There were no big neighbors to fear at the time, but space was new, and these explorers were among the first wave of colonists to leave the homeworld en masse. Still, the rule of an oppressive government had forced them to leave Mother Earth behind with no few regrets, and they wanted nothing more than to live out a quiet and peaceful life. Only mutual defense against the unknown drove them to form an alliance. Thus, these virgin worlds were settled and ruled by a very loose governing structure, based on clan-oriented families, with a planetary ruler—or valdherre—elected on an annual basis. Then, an Elected Prince, chosen once a decade, in turn ruled the entire “Principality of Rasalhague” (originally known as the Rasalhague Consortium). The actual authority of this prince, however, was limited solely to maintaining the confederation’s overall defense, which was done through an already-established set of mutual defense pacts. Thus, the Principality itself had very little to do, and a recurring phrase in reference to the interstellar government was, “The Principality of Rasalhague was generally conspicuous by its absence.” It was a simple, almost anarchic, state, and the people were content and free. Unfortunately, the “conspicuous absence” of the Principality’s central government during the Draconis Combine invasion in 2330—barely a century after the formation of this tiny nation—would lead to centuries of brutal repression. —Dr. Anne Oskar, The Fallen Rise: A Tale of Rasalhague, ComStar Press, 3120

Occupied by Combine forces in 2330, the Principality of Rasalhague would become the Draconis Combine’s Rasalhague Military District a full century and a half later. There, its freedom-loving people would find their rulers replaced by warlords styled along the lines of feudal Japan, and would undergo many bloody purges aimed at bending their culture to conform with the Dragon’s Will. Through it all, an ongoing resistance, the Tyr Movement, would continue to fight for a free and independent Rasalahgue, but victory was centuries away.

And yet, even through the darkness of the Succession Wars, another undeniably powerful force, fated to one day entwine with that of the conquered nation, was growing into its own. . . .

Drawing strength from each other, they survived; Tseng and Jorgensson emerged from the snow. And forged a Clan in the ghost bear’s mold; Unity of purpose and strength of spirit, No task undertaken lightly or left half-done. To these ideals we hold true until we all shall fall. —The Remembrance (Clan Ghost Bear), Passage 45, 6:13–18

Clan Ghost Bear, formed alongside the other twenty of Nicholas Kerensky’s Clans, was the only one to be founded by a married couple—and for that very reason, it almost did not happen. Hans Jorgensson and Sandra Tseng, two of Kerensky’s most trusted advisors, actually fled to the frozen wastes of Strana Mechty upon learning they were to be assigned to different Clans. Legend has it that they survived their ordeal only by the grace of a family of native ghost bears, fearsome predators known for their own sense of family unity, and it was this ordeal that led them to return and forge a Clan in that same family spirit. Nicholas Kerensky relented in his decision to separate these brave warriors, who did indeed mold their Clan along the principles of unity, strength, and compassion for one another.

The Ghost Bear Clan also became known as conservative hunters, cautious in all matters, but adopting a terrible resolve when threatened. This mindset led them to be the last to adapt to the changes in technology and society over the centuries to come, but lent them a very distinct “all or none” philosophy as well. The Bears became a Clan of extremes, be it extreme strength, extreme power, or extreme speed. Indeed, they rarely stood out during the Golden Century, until their frequent clashes with the neighboring Hell’s Horses Clan provoked the start of the greatest feud since the Jade Falcon/Wolf Clan rift formed early in Clan history.

Wait and see. All or none. These two concepts define everything one needs to learn about the Ghost Bear Clan. They were the last to adopt the advanced technologies that became available in the Clan homeworlds once Nicholas Kerensky died, fearing any new development would be a departure from the tried and the true. Valuing personal strength as the basis of all things Clan, they honed their warriors’ combat prowess, devoted substantial energies to mining and production, and generally worked on building themselves to the exclusion of all other concerns. Sure, they clashed from time to time with their neighbors, but it was all in the Way of the Clans. That is, until they saw the benefits of other ways. Once the powerful infantry phenotype was proven in battle—by their hostile neighbors in Clan Hell’s Horses—they were quick to stage Trials for the breeding protocols and mesh them with the same powerful Elemental armor as their fellow Clans. This, of course, eventually created a massive feud with the Horses when they staged a trial for that Clan’s most advanced BattleMech factory on Tokasha. Once again, like so many times before, the duel became one of epic proportions, as both Clans threw unprecedented numbers of troops into that fight, but it would be the death of a beloved Ghost Bear Khan, Kilbourne Jorgensson, that would spark over a century of bitter rivalry. But, of course, it was how the Bears addressed the invasion of the Inner Sphere that really proved these twin concepts of caution and overwhelmingly decisive action. Historically moderate, they became hardened Crusaders quickly, before the eve of the invasion’s “go” vote, motivated by the rhetoric of such passionate pro-invasion leaders as Jade Falcon Khan Vandervahn Chistu and Smoke Jaguar Khan Franklin Osis. The rest, as they say, is history. —Dr. Anne Oskar, The Fallen Rise: A Tale of Rasalhague, ComStar Press, 3120

In the Inner Sphere, the Free Rasalhague Republic formed in 3034, with then-Gunji-no-kanrei Theodore Kurita’s official recognition of the rebellious district as an independent realm. The political decision created a buffer zone between the Draconis Combine and the Lyran half of the united FedCom, and realized the dreams of a people who had spent centuries fighting for freedom.

But the Rasalhaguians would have only a generation to enjoy their newfound liberty as the pendulum of fortune swung once more, for in 3050, the Clans came to Rasalhague.

In part two of the Rasalhague Dominion saga, we’ll look deeper into the nature of this first true integration of Clan and Inner Sphere cultures, and the forces that forged them into one. I’m Bertram Habeas.