Volume XXIV: Symbiosis—The Rasalhague Dominion Today

Fact Sheet: Rasalhague Dominion
Founding Year: 3060
Capital (City, World): Asgard, Rasalhague
National Symbol: A white, roaring bear’s head, set against a dark blue triangle
Location (Terra relative): Coreward, between the Wolf Clan Occupation Zone and the Draconis Combine
Total (Inhabited) Systems: 71
Estimated Population (3130): 280,000,000,000
Government: Republic (with Clan warrior-caste stylings)
Ruler: Prince Hjalmer Miraborg (Khan Dalia Bekker)
Dominant Language(s): English and Swedish (official), Swedenese, Japanese, German
Dominant Religion(s): Christian (Lutheran, semi-official), Shinto, Atheism, Neo-Norse
Unit of Currency: Bear-krona (1 bear-krona = 2.83 C-Bills)

Silverdale, capital city of Alshain, is a metropolis of towering high-rises, apartment flats, commercial centers, and even strip malls that surround the massive Alshain Interstellar Spaceport. By day, a warm, yellow-white sun lights the immaculate streets of this city, muted somewhat by the haze that gives the sky a purple cast. At night, fluorescent bulbs and neon lights enliven the inner city as it grows only slightly less congested than during normal daytime traffic. And yet, for all the hustle and bustle, Silverdale is one of the Rasalhague Dominion’s cleanest and quietest cities. Crime is almost unheard of, the monorails run on time, a harmony of order characterizes even the morning rush hours—but, then, can anything less be expected of the administrative capital of the Dominion’s Clan population? The spaceport grounds host a full Cluster of some 150 aerospace fighters, backed up by two Ghost Bear DropShips always in dock for a defense force that can cut down incoming attack forces before they have a chance to land. In addition, a regular patrol of infantry (both Elemental armored and standard foot soldiers), armored vehicles, and even the occasional BattleMech, assures all is peaceful and orderly. At the heart of this city, a massive hall, adorned with the Rasalhague Dominion standard, identifies the center of government on Alshain, and is home of the Dominion Council, guarded day in and day out by elite armored troopers who assure the safety of the leaders and lawmakers within.

Once the capital for the Rasalhague Dominion, the presence of the Dominion Council Hall harkens back to the days when the Ghost Bear Clan ruled its conquered territory from this world. Beginning with the recapture of Rasalhague and the absorption of the remainder of the Rasalhague Republic worlds in the 3060s, however, the seat of executive power has moved, reflecting the integration of the native people with the new Clan population. But with Alshain’s dual significance as the home of many of the Ghost Bear Clan’s genetic repositories and as the former regional capital of the Combine’s fallen Alshain Military District, equal respect had to be shown to this world as well. Thus, when the final form of the integrated government was established after the Second Combine-Dominion War, few were shocked to see the new Dominion Council open on this world.

The Ghost Bear Dominion formally became the Rasalhague Dominion—an equal blend of Clan and Inner Sphere—with the election of its first Prince, saKhan Ragnar Magnusson, in 3103. The first and only Prince to ever hold the dual titles of Ghost Bear saKhan and supreme ruler of the Dominion, Magnusson relinquished his Clan title to help clarify the chain of command. Khan Aletha Kabrinski, his former commander and leader of the half-integrated Clan Ghost Bear, at once became his subordinate, a second-in-command and commander-in-chief of the Dominion defense forces under the new order. A new Council opened on Alshain that very year, consisting of a mandated equal mix of civilians, trueborn warriors, and freeborn warriors, who together formed a voting bloc and check against both the Khan and the Prince. The compromise government gave the Bears and their Spheroid companions equal voice, solidifying the bond forged between them over forty years. . . .

For the Bears, it was a leap of faith. Though the trueborn warriors and their militarized subcastes maintained the ways of the Clan—including their hallowed breeding program, now maintained by warrior-techs and warrior-scientists, to prevent their loss to the restriction-free civilian sector—they actually bargained away their ultimate authority over the people they once governed. The Clan would rule all military affairs as before, but could no longer handle matters on its own initiative. As a concession to Clan sensibilities, of course, even the elected Prince has to have military experience—possible for civilians, since the Clan added the institution of retirement for its warrior class shortly after the influx of native-born warriors who passed the Trials to become Clan swelled its ranks. This assured that whoever ruled knew both the Ghost Bear way of thinking and represented the needs of the civilian classes. The Clan’s civilians already enjoyed the sweeping freedoms of Inner Sphere life, having been freed over time from their caste restrictions, which is probably one reason the Bears found letting go of their authority somewhat easier. But to assure these civilians had a voice, they also gained seats on the Clan’s Council, a stunning move for a Clan long known for its inability to adapt. To assure that the Council would be able to reach consensus, rather than be bogged down in civilian versus military debates, a third power bloc—the freeborn warriors—was added, and the numbers of all three are balanced by mandate, to assure no one bloc ever gains overwhelming voting clout. Interestingly enough, though the Clan Council had now become “diluted” with civilians, certain Clan customs were adopted eagerly by both sides of the civilian- and military-rule debate, including the Trial of Refusal. Even the native Rasalhaguians, apparently, discovered that the threat of military action in response to poor policy decisions made for an excellent deterrent to bad politics. With clauses allowing civilian Council voters to choose a champion or risk personal defeat in a “bloodless Trial,” the Clan custom managed to survive its translation under the integrated government. With their ability to remove a Khan or a Prince, and even to overrule the decisions of either leader, the Dominion Council may well have been a masterstroke for these two peoples, meshing the beliefs of the Rasalhaguians with those of their one-time conquerors, creating a workable political and social structure that continues to prosper even today. Sure, they have their problems from time to time, but the greatest hurdle was finally overcome on that wintry day on Rasalhague in 3103. All it took was a little faith. —Dr. Anne Oskar, The Fallen Rise: A Tale of Rasalhague, ComStar Press, 3120

And so, unity, the ideal that all Clans promise, the Ghost Bears finally delivered with the birth of the Rasalhague Dominion. Politically ruled by a unique blend of Rasalhaguian democracy and Clan warrior ambition, its people—regardless of heritage—can rest assured that their voices will be heard. Meanwhile, the warriors still train and wage their Trials, honing the edge of the Dominion defense forces. It is a society where there are no castes, save among the trueborns, where reverence for Kerensky’s vision stands alongside that of the devout Lutherans whose practices had been long denied under a nearly forgotten era when the Dragon’s banner waved over all. It’s a bold experiment, but one that seems to have worked so far, and while the culture may seem alien to their Inner Sphere and Clan neighbors alike, there is no denying the strength of the Rasalhague Dominion’s devotion to unity, and to freedom. Twin goals, from two peoples, brought together in a common destiny.

“Friends, comrades, fellow Rasalhaguians, today we have ushered in a new age of peace, trust, and prosperity, for ourselves and those who shall follow us. We stand together, Clan and Sphere, as a testament to two unstoppable spirits, forged into one with the fires of Trials well fought, and bargains well bid. “Together, let what we have built today stand until we all shall fall. The Rasalhague Dominion is born this day; look upon your neighbor and see conquerors and subjects no more. Today, we are both free. “Seyla!” —Prince Ragnar Magnusson, inaugural address to the newly formed Dominion Council, 3103

In our next four-part series, our tour through the history and cultures of the Inner Sphere will take us to the Lyran Commonwealth of House Steiner, the economic and industrial powerhouse of the Inner Sphere. I’m Bertram Habeas.