Part 1: 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.

Part 2: Two Peoples, One Destiny

Asgard, Rasalhague. Like many Inner Sphere capitals, this city boasts one of its realm�s largest populations, over three million inhabitants whose roots can be traced either directly to the ancient history of the Principality of Rasalhague or to the former Star League Defense Force that fled to form the Clans. The architecture of this city is a curious blend of classical Scandinavian motifs and spartan�almost bland�Clan utilitarianism. In the marketplace, uniformed Clan merchants barter with natives dressed in more expressive fashions consistent with the latest trends, exchanging Bear-krona for luxuries that would make civilian castemen in the neighboring Clan Wolf green with envy. At night, these people may even take in the latest holodrama out of the Draconis Combine, or catch the latest arena duels from Solaris VII on locally produced ClearSite X20 Tri-Vids. The sacred hunting grounds in the northern lands are stocked with a carefully controlled population of ghost bears, transplanted from far-off Strana Mechty. Provided for hardened warriors undertaking the Ghost Bear�s Clawing rite, local custom insists that no one venture into these lands armed with any weapon more potent than a simple pistol. A small and incredibly illegal black market exists in which non-Warriors are smuggled onto those lands and attempt Clawing rites of their own�none, so far, have returned. It is a land of contrasts, where strict order and discipline clash with an expressive, freedom-loving people, and where a traveler�s unintended offense is as likely to provoke a Trial of Grievance as a simple rebuke. And yet, nothing less can be expected from the heart of the Rasalhague Dominion�the first true fusion of the Clan Way with the abundance and freedom of the Inner Sphere.

Though plans were underway to make it the new seat of government for the Free Rasalhague Republic, Asgard was a small city in July of 3050, when the blue skies over Rasalhague were darkened by the approach of Clan DropShips bent on conquering this key Inner Sphere capital. Clan Wolf, having won a fierce bidding war against the Ghost Bears for the right to claim Rasalhague, nonetheless chose this city to be its staging area during the assault. Fighting for the heart of the new Republic ranked among the fiercest of the war to date, with three full front-line Clusters of Clan troops facing close to three and a half Inner Sphere regiments plus hordes of supporting troops. The natives sold themselves dearly, fighting even in the streets of the old capital city of Reykjavik, making the Wolves pay for every meter they captured, but in the end they could not stand up to the skill and firepower of the Clan forces.

Bloody as the fighting for Rasalhague was, Clan Wolf�s rule in the aftermath was almost benign, at least until the Refusal War of 3058, when the Crusader Wolves inherited full control over the Wolf Clan Occupation Zone. Less devoted to engendering goodwill among the conquered peoples of the Inner Sphere than pressing for a renewed invasion, the Crusader Wolves turned more and more to the harsher tactics of Clan rule. The natives of the Rasalhaguian worlds they had claimed, true to their history, thus turned more and more toward armed resistance.

Yet, even as a simmering war of rebellion played itself out on the Wolf-occupied worlds of the shattered Rasalhague Republic, the worlds claimed by the Ghost Bears actually grew more peaceful. Though they, too, suffered from the sporadic fighting of rebel terrorists and resistance cells, the Bears gradually shifted from their previous Crusader stance, and turned their attention toward stabilizing their newly captured worlds.

Many historians attribute the sudden change of the Bears� attitude from brutal oppressor�one that even needed the brief aid of the Steel Viper Clan to support its rule�to kind partner, as another example of the �all or none� philosophy. Yet, while it certainly does fit into that mode of thought, the Bears� change of heart also stemmed from a very practical reasoning that came to light after Tukayyid. Simply put, the Bears suddenly realized they were going to be in the Inner Sphere for a very, very long time. As they came to terms with this realization, it also became clear that they would need to win over the hearts and minds of their new citizens, and doing so at gunpoint really would not be conducive to a lasting peace. With that realization came a newfound sense of compassion, an almost religious awakening, and the Bears suddenly concluded they were not among enemies but the very people the SLDF stood for. In the final analysis, they suddenly realized that they�d already come home. The more mystically minded among them even pointed to the fact that one of the Clans� founders, Hans Jorgensson, himself boasted the same Scandinavian origins as this realm as a sign of their inevitable union. Whether or not it was preordained, however, thus was born the Great Plan, as some have called it. Easily the most ambitious undertaking ever conceived by a Clan, the Great Plan was cautious and methodical, and took years to accomplish in virtual secrecy. �Dr. Anne Oskar, The Fallen Rise: A Tale of Rasalhague, ComStar Press, 3120

Over the years that followed the Battle for Tukayyid, the Ghost Bears began�slowly at first, but then in greater numbers as time and resources became available�to move entire segments of their homeworld populations into the Inner Sphere. With the aid of volunteers from the various castes, and allied Clans such as the Snow Ravens and the Diamond Sharks (now Clan Sea Fox), DropShips, JumpShips, and even specialized ArcShips loaded with civilians and equipment moved to the Ghost Bear Occupation Zone.

At the same time, every effort was made to relax the restrictions of the native populations without compromising Ghost Bear authority. Local Rasalhagians and former citizens of the Draconis Combine gained increasing rights to self-determination, and were able to travel and communicate freely between worlds so long as they did not interfere with the Clan warriors who claimed to rule them. Though rebellion remained a problem, instances of domestic terrorism gradually declined, even as Clan civilians began to appear in droves. Factories and cities were rebuilt, enhanced, and a limited, internalized free trade spurred economic growth almost on par with the freer markets of the Successor States.

But what truly united the Rasalhagian people with the invading Clans? What turned a conquering army of invaders as reviled as those of the despotic House Kurita into the treasured allies of the fallen Free Rasalhague Republic? Ironically, the catalyst for this unlikely union was nothing short of the death of one Clan, and an ill-timed invasion by another.

3060 saw the end of one destructive Path, and the start of another, hopefully more promising, one. Before that year, we�like so many of our brothers�saw the Inner Sphere as a den of corruption, worthy of nothing less than our conquest and rule. But with the fall of the most corrupt and feral among us, our eyes were opened to the reality that perhaps we are not always right. The universe, clearly, does not work in absolutes. Then, just three short years later, we faced the dual threats of an aggressive Draconis Combine and the foolhardy Hell�s Horses. On the field of battle, we learned of the honor of the Spheroids, and the lack of it in those we once knew as �our kind.� When we returned home in victory, we thus sought the highest of honors for those once thought of as our isorla, our spoils of war. With honor in our hearts, and hope for the future, we won back Rasalhague for its people, and gave it to those who deserved that which they called home. May we work together to defend that which we can now both call home. �Khan Bjorn Jorensson, 3065, excerpted from his personal journals.

The reclamation of Rasalhague after the Combine/Ghost Bear War and the Hell�s Horses� First Incursion initiated the final phase of a Clan�Inner Sphere fusion and saw the first Clan-held worlds to be ruled by native-born inhabitants under a Rasalhaguian standard. Though the Clan remained the sole military power, supported by its own citizens and lesser castes, the culture, economy, and even political might of the short-lived Rasalhague Republic were once more on the rise.

Part 3: Standing Together

3067: The Year of Darkness. It was the year the FedCom Civil War finally drew to a close. The year the gathered leaders of the new Star League admitted to themselves that their noble experiment had failed. It was the year the Word of Blake, like a jilted lover, unleashed a hell arguably more horrendous than any seen during the days of Stefan Amaris.

History teaches that the Jihad began with simultaneous assaults on Tharkad, Luthien, New Avalon, and Outreach, with other major worlds and capitals falling a short time later. Whether by nuclear strike, orbital bombardment, or under waves of stampeding BattleMechs, the Blakists� so-called holy war doused the worlds of the Inner Sphere with the blood of millions.

For the people of the seven-star alliance that was all that remained of the Free Rasalhague Republic, the Jihad was not truly felt, however, until 3068, when the Word of Blake hit Tukayyid. Though the strike was meant as much to shatter the remaining ComStar forces stationed there as it was to throw off another potential power that could act against the Blakists, the strike drove home the fact that the fanatics were a force that endangered all nations�great and small. Amazingly, among the captured population of the Ghost Bear Dominion, the strike on Rasalhague prompted outrage and a plea to the Clan leadership to somehow safeguard their free brethren.

There is, of course, a lot of speculation these days as to what finally led to the Bears� entering into the Jihad in force, much of it based on the disjointed news of that era, which was still plagued by the mass manipulation of the HPGs initiated by the Blakists soon after their first strikes. Many historians thus point to their move to absorb the remnants of the Free Rasalhague Republic (FRR) by 3070. But that really can�t be considered jumping into the greater conflict, as I see it. The absorption of the Republic�s remnants, to the Bears and their own subjects��conquered people� ceased to apply sometime around 3060, when the Bears and these people became neighbors�seemed a natural next step after reclaiming Rasalhague itself. Of course, it took close to a full year of negotiations for the Republic�s remnant worlds to accept their own absorption, though, without Ragnar Magnusson, it�s likely such a thing would never have occurred at all. Then it took another year to hash out what was to become of the surviving forces of the Kungsarme under Ghost Bear rule. This, of course, was partially solved by Trials, and partially by the new Dominion government. But protecting the remaining Free Rasalhaguians from the Word of Blake was a pretext, an incidental fringe benefit, rather than a cause. The Bear leadership, I think, didn�t really comprehend the threat of the zealots until the scouring of Tamar. Even then, of course, it took the Bears three years to get moving. . . . �Dr. Anne Oskar, The Fallen Rise: A Tale of Rasalhague, ComStar Press, 3120

Indeed, the Bears and the new civilian population seemed completely uninterested in taking steps against the Word of Blake until later in the war, and with good reason. The absorption of the leftover FRR worlds required delicate political maneuvering, and the question of absorbing an Inner Sphere military force proved a thorny issue to tackle. The FRR armed forces numbered some five BattleMech regiments�four, after Tukayyid�and the proud Rasalhaguian warriors weren�t likely to surrender their only source of national pride. Eventually, the Bears relented, after a fashion, by allowing the KungsArm� troops to fight Trials for Position for a place in their warrior class. This at once boosted the Ghost Bear Dominion�s armed forces and assured the Clan�s continued exclusive control over its entire defense force. By further giving the Rasalhaguians full rights to rule over their own civilian affairs�so long as they acknowledged Ghost Bear supremacy�the absorption created years of political confusion.

The arrival of the Bears� historic enemy, Clan Hell�s Horses, created another problem. Despite calls for normalization after the fall of Khan Malavai Fletcher�architect of a brief and foolhardy invasion of Dominion space in the early 3060s�rank-and-file troops on both sides continued to cling to the old grudge. However, when the Horses cut into the Wolf Clan territory instead of the Bears, it became clear that their new Khan, James Cobb, stood by his pledge to end the feud. Though clashes still occurred, the ferocity of the old Bear/Horses clashes was gone; the Clan forces met on the field of battle as equals�if not truly friends.

Then, in the mid-3070s, the Bears emerged from their hibernation. With the rear lines secure, and their new �separate-but-equal� government installed and running, the Clan jumped into the Jihad with both feet, true to their history. Pledging their arms to the defense of the Combine, they secured Hohiro Kurita�s permission to jump through Combine space, assisting Combine and coalition forces in the liberation of key worlds, their blood spilling with that of their former enemies to beat back the zealots on Luthien, Pesht, and Dieron.

Wait and see. All or none. Caution before overwhelming action. In the Jihad, as never before, the Bears proved their fierce dedication to the ideals of their Clan by fighting with a fervor never before seen among their kind. With every bombed city they witnessed, every mass grave uncovered, every hospital filled with the dead and dying civilians exposed to nerve agents and nuclear radiation, the Bears seemed to grow only more furious. A Trial of Annihilation was declared on the Word of Blake, and Bear troops bulled their way into every entrenched position the zealots claimed in the Combine, expecting and giving no quarter. Bear troops took no prisoners and only invoked Clan honor when facing enemy mercenaries�a curious departure from the Clan�s anti-mercenary bent. The fighting cost them dearly, however. Within the first three years, the Clan WarShip fleet, once again, was devastated, while two whole Galaxies of front-line troops were simply gone. By 3081, half the Clan Touman was dead; a quarter of the remainder was swearing fealty to Devlin Stone. Meanwhile, the strain of maintaining homeland defense and fighting a war of annihilation against a fanatical enemy had caused cracks in the Dominion government, forcing another reform that further integrated civilian and military leadership. . . . �Dr. Anne Oskar, The Fallen Rise: A Tale of Rasalhague, ComStar Press, 3120

What Bears returned home from the final victory returned to a Dominion in distress, their forces battered, and an uncertain future lay ahead. Random suicide bombings using weapons of mass destruction had hit every nation and lent a bittersweet taste to the final peace. Though, in the Dominion, the lines had held, the government was still shaky and the military was a shadow of its former self. Yet, through that crucible, the Rasalhaguian/Ghost Bear relationship was forever changed. Within the Dominion, Spheroid natives and invading Clansmen could look upon valiant heroes like the First Rasalhague Bears and the First Ghost Tyr Clusters with equal pride, recounting the glorious last stand of integrated Battle Clusters that placed trueborn Ghost Bear MechWarriors shoulder to shoulder with warriors raised from the captured Rasalhaguian and Combine planets. Freeborn, trueborn, Spheroid or Clan�all had proven their willingness to combat evil together. War had fused the Dominion together more solidly than any negotiations ever could, infusing civilians and warriors alike with a sense of purpose.

The Ghost Bear Dominion had entered into a new era.

�The road ahead is filled with an evil that can only be cleansed with the fires of Annihilation. The road behind us is littered with the bodies of our fallen, given to that cause. As you fight today, know that each of us who dies this day will have spent our lives in the name of honor, in the name of Kerensky, in the names of Sandra Tseng and Hans Jorgensson! But above all this, know that we shall forever purge these nameless monsters in the name of that which is above what makes us trueborn or freeborn, Clan or Sphere. Follow me�for Rasalhague!� �saKhan Ragnar Magnusson, to his troops at the Battle of Dieron, 3077

Part 4: 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

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