Touring the Stars with Bertram Habeas
stars, touching worlds as far from our home as Clan space, more than two thousand
answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we tour the stars!
Volume II: Unstoppable Force “The Combine and the Star League"
Imperial City, capital city of the Draconis Combine, sits under a hazy blue sky that
shimmers even at night with an almost pearlescent glow. The skies over planet
Luthien, tainted by centuries of rampant industrialization "even before the fires of the
Jihad" earned this once-sleepy world its nickname "Black Pearl". But while the air and
water may seem poisonous to those taking in the world as a whole, Imperial City itself
is a city of unmatched beauty, an almost fairy-tale image the Draconis Combine as a
whole.
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.
answers to these and many other fascinating questions together, as we tour the stars!
Volume II: Unstoppable Force “The Combine and the Star League"
Imperial City, capital city of the Draconis Combine, sits under a hazy blue sky that
shimmers even at night with an almost pearlescent glow. The skies over planet
Luthien, tainted by centuries of rampant industrialization "even before the fires of the
Jihad" earned this once-sleepy world its nickname "Black Pearl". But while the air and
water may seem poisonous to those taking in the world as a whole, Imperial City itself
is a city of unmatched beauty, an almost fairy-tale image the Draconis Combine as a
whole.
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.
