Couldn't sleep and marauder send me something for the Rasalhague Dominion (which hasn't been on the cards for months honest)
Coordinator’s Planning Room
Imperial Palace, New Samarkand
Military District of Midway, Draconis Combine
4th June 3110“What is with this insane drive towards Benjamin?” Coordinator Akira Kurita demanded looking at the starmap a recent drive by the Federated Suns had seen them seize Marduk, Galtor III, Reisling’s Planet, Hagiwawa, Umijiri and Kitalpha all between the Federated Suns and the District capital of Benjamin.
“Unknown Coordinator” Gunji-no-Kanrei Hirohito Kurita admitted “but their focus has seen us finally secure Fellanin II and we have retaken McComb and Lima.
“That’s not good enough!” He snapped looking back at Warlord “and this Warrior House Sortek are they a Capellan unit working for the Federated Suns?”
“We do not believe so, they appear to be a homegrown unit from House Sortek a strong supporting family of the Davion’s.”
“But the naming Warrior House?” Akira said pacing across the room “it’s almost like they want to spark a conflict with the Capellans” he pondered.
“The Capellan border has been quiet”
“I know!” He shouted again angrily putting down the older man “we wouldn’t be in this position if the Capellans could keep the Federated Suns busy without losing the rest of their realm.”
“We need to move more troops and naval support to the Benjamin District and reinforce Midway’s defences.”
“I agree.”
“Dieron has also requested aid the situation in the Vega Prefecture they say is getting out of hand they cannot funnel enough supplies into Vega to support the worlds. Akira Tormark has again asked to dissolve the Vega Prefecture and allow other regional leaders take over.”
“And give those regional leaders more power? No, tell Tormark to deal with the situation in Vega with the resources he has.”
“He is also trying to stop pirates that appear from nowhere and further Isle of Skye attacks!” Hirohito Kurita said raising his own voice bringing an angry glance from the Coordinator.
“Vega is an internal matter which the Duke should be able to deal with he is a Warlord of the Draconis Combine the Rasalhague Dominion has done him a favour by taking those systems from the Lyrans the Isle will be distracted. All Tormark has to do is reroute JumpShips into the region and have his troops crack down on dissidents.” He explained briefly touching on the recent Dominion annexation of Eaglesham and Phalan from the Lyrans after an Isle of Skye JumpShip bound for the Vega Prefecture took a short-cut through Dominion space.
“That will lead to casualties.” Hirohito cautioned
“They speak out against their Coordinator and their nation” Akira Kurita said coldly “have the troops use non-lethal weapons where they can Dieron needs to deal with this situation by their selves for now we need to cut off the Davions.”
“We have a plan to use McComb and Lima as a launching point, to drive through New Ivaarsen and to launch attacks on Robinson but the plan will not be ready until next month.” He said the Coordinator shot him another look “ships only travel so fast.”
“We need to do more” he said looking at the Combine/Suns/Raven border “like here” he said pointing at the backwater border world of Capra it should be important a meeting point between three nations but all three tended to ignore it. “This area of the Draconis March is under defended. We strike and drive towards the Crucis March. We threaten the Davion’s heartland and they will pull back.”
“The years have been good to the Federated Suns they have reserves we have faced the Ravens, Bears and Lyrans. We cannot launch a twin offensive it is one plan or the other.”
“Then we drive through Capra ignore the meat grinder that will be Robinson and aim for the Crucis March.” He said “redeploy our Robinson offensive troops to Capra.”
“Yes Coordinator” Hirohito replied looking at the map the Combine were half a dozen worlds from striking at Robinson but they were more than a dozen from the Crucis March. He knew that they needed to increase recruitment and raise more Regular units, they also needed to move their focus from the Ravens and onto the bigger threats of the Federated Suns and Rasalhague Dominion.
Thirty-seventh Star League Games, Star League Stadium
Solaris City, Solaris VII
Independent World
14th June 3110 As fighting envelops the Succession States and several of the Clans the Star League Games continue on Solaris with the Thirty-seventh Star League Games at the Star League Stadium. As with every year competitors from across the Inner Sphere representing nations, Clans and independents entered desiring to become the newest Star League champion. From nearly the beginning to the end of the fighting there was only one real competitor in the battle. As others fought grudge matches representing nations Star Colonel Lesley Helmer a ristar of Clan Jade Falcon piloting a Gryfalcon BattleMech fought for one thing, victory, despite receiving several warnings from the competitions judges for targeting enemy BattleMech’s cockpits there was no other that could match the speed or ferocity of the Jade Falcon warrior and a Thirty-fifth champion of the Star League Games was crowned (the eighteenth and twentieth games both lacked champions due to external forces).
Macy’s Bar, Kopara
Badlands, Twin Sons
District of Lesnovo, Free Worlds League
20th June 3110After months being laid up following the fighting on Twin Sons Petra Furey was ready to return to duty and serve the Twin Sons and the Free Worlds League but she didn’t know exactly what she wanted after being injured on her own homeworld. Instead she found herself at Macy’s Bar in the town of Kopara in an area of the Badlands her parents had always advised her to avoid and an area that if her CO knew she was in he’d probably drum her out of service.
Sitting at what looked like an ancient table she sat staring at the drained drink tankard thinking about getting another when a good looking male patron sat down opposite her placing down another two drinks. “I’m not interested.”
“How is that a way to greet a visitor bringing drinks?” He asked from his accent and tone she realized he was another descendant of the small dark caste population based on Twin Suns.
“I am now interested” she repeated
“You do not even know what I was going to say.” He said as a young female sat down at the table “good evening Jessica” he said she nodded and looked at Petra.
“Is she in?”
“I am not interested” Petra said for a third time as a third member of the party sat at the table he was older and very obviously of Elemental stock “really guys what is this?” She demanded getting annoyed at the interruption but at the same time a little concerned. She moved to pick up the offered drink with one hand and undid the safety on her sidearm with her other hand.
“You think we will hurt you Petra Furey?” The first male asked obviously picking up on her movement she almost cursed but remained silent. “I would have thought you would have found us kindred spirits” he said “we want the same thing as you.”
“Which is?”
“Protection for our people, peace on Twin Sons and a strong District of Lesnovo” he said immediately.
“Our people?”
“The Smoke Jaguars” he said the other two nodded “dark caste isn’t exactly something people can rally behind.”
“Keep your voice down” Petra said looking around the bar the Smoke Jaguar tag was hardly a popular one on Twin Sons beyond the Port Arthur settlement and hated within the Inner Sphere. Instead of being intimidated by the potential problems it might cause he stood up wiping his brown hair to one side.
“Ladies and Gentlemen of Macy’s Bar I am Flintoff Weaver and I am a Smoke Jaguar!” He said loudly so everyone in the bar could hear him.
“HAIL!” The bar responded once before going back to there own business as Flintoff sat down.
“We are all Jaguars here, or at least our parents were, not many trueborns left other and Massa here” he said indicating to his Elemental companion. Looking around the bar Petra saw similar bodylines and behaviour from most of the patrons not all of them were of Jaguar blood but they obviously had nothing against those who did she didn’t know why they were not all at Port Arthur but she guessed she’d get an answer here.
“What do you want with me?” She asked looking back at them.
“Join us” Flintoff said “embrace your inner Smoke Jaguar and help us fix the wrongs on Twin Suns and beyond.” He said finally making his plans clear a plan which would ultimately lead to the rebirth of Clan Smoke Jaguar.
Rasalhague Dominion Raid
Vega, Vega Prefecture
Miliary District of Dieron, Draconis Combine
24th June 3110After the bombing of the Rasalhauge Bloodchapel that had killed the Khan and many of the Bloodnamed, with no obvious culprit, the tensions on the Dominion and Combine border were high. To keep their troops from striking out on their own, the newly promoted and minted Commanders hurriedly put in place to replace those killed had their troops carrying out large numbers of exercises. In well documented and broadcast events, Exercise POLAR STAR involved several WarShips and one full Galaxy’s worth of troops simulating an attack against a world as the Bears attempted to keep their population's confidence in their military. There was also a spate of tit for tat Trials with the Coyotes. Although no worlds changed hands, it kept the Warriors of both Clan’s sharp and netted both sides some valuable salvage.
Still there was a series of Trials and reprisal raids against the Combine. The Dominion’s military was angry, and the lack of any lead about who had caused the bombing, along with the flow of refugees over the border from the Vega Prefecture was just making things worse.
Elements of the Fifth Bear Guards launched a raid on Outer Volta, not to claim it but just to attack the Combine defenders. Despite heavy losses the Bear’s left half of the Fifteenth Ghost Regiment in terrible shape with entire Companies wrecked.
On Luzerne the Combine retaliated when two Battalions of the Fourteenth Ghost Regiment launched a reprisal raid, aiming at taking supplies and Clan equipment. They were resisted by forces from the Thirtieth Provisional Garrison Cluster as well as large numbers of volunteers who helped dig trenches and supply extra infantry, freeing up the Thirtieth to fully counter the Combine attackers. Here honours were roughly even but the Combine unit did not get as much salvage as they were after.
There were a few short but sharp skirmishes in space as well on the border of the Vega Province. A Combine Tramp-class JumpShip jumped in above Port Moseby as a civilian registered vessel it launched three DropShips full of refugees whom burned towards the planet declaring their surrender and requesting humanitarian aid. Behind them a Combine Achillies detached from the JumpShip demanding that the refugees return to the JumpShip and broadcasting an apology to the Rasalhague defenders for their error in jumping into the system.
At the Rasalhague Dominion jump point picket the commander and crew of the Vanir-class DropShip Thunder at Night had a split second decision to make allow the Achilles to track down the civilians and possibly end up shooting them down or stop the DCMS vessel. Their choice made the Thunder of Night acted interposing herself between the Combine Achillies and the civilian DropShips demanding the Achilles immediate and unconditional surrender.
Refusing the Thunder of Night's orders to stand down the Achilles opened fire, initiating a duel between the two that saw the Thunder at Night badly damaged but the Achilles was crippled and boarded. Several days later the three civilian vessels landed on Port Moseby and were surrounded by the elite troops of the First Polar Bear Assault Cluster who didn't completely trust that the civilian ships were what they said they were. As the ships doors opened the Bears found a wave of civilians crammed into the vessel and in need of immediate medical attention.
Above the operational mess diplomatically the Combine and Dominion were barely talking with one another. Demands to return refugees were met with cold silence as were demands to stop them coming.
So the tit for tat raids had gone on for months. At some of the refugee camps the Workers and Merchants trying to organise the camps were overwhelmed and when a food shipment was delayed due to a technical problem with a JumpShip’s drive, there was a riot by hungry, tired and just exhausted Combine civilians who had run to the Dominion for help and found a situation developing which was as bad as the Combine.
The additional strain the re-routing of JumpShips and DropShips was slowing the Rasalhague Dominion economy and this was not helped by the redeployment of so many JumpShips to help with military manoeuvres.
The elevation of Michael Hawkins to Khan didn’t help matters either. Something of a traditionalist, he resented the power that people he viewed as Civilians had amongst the Dominion and his relationship with the Royal Family and Council were cold but cordial at best. The elevation of Delta Galaxy’s Angela Bekker to the post of saKhan was seen as a move to balance the leadership of the Clan by many. But his attitude towards the situation on the Combine border was that of a Clan Warrior, he met force with force.
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Upon receiving the simple signal ‘Maul’ that, was broadcast via HPG, Vega fell. Not the world, but the entire Prefecture thirteen Combine worlds targeted by the Bears in one move.
A Dominion task group centred around the Rasalhague as well as the Conqueror Tseng and their escorting destroyers the Bergen and Norge made the jump into the Vega system, appearing at the Pirate Point near Vega herself, DropShips detaching minutes after appearing.
In these craft were Mechs from Epsilon Galaxy including several Watch Detachments and their ‘Special Service’ Mech’s drawn from the Dominions Strategic reserves. By far Epsilon Galaxy was the strongest in all of the Rasalhague Dominion’s forces commanded by the newly minted saKhan Angela Bekker and supplemented by the saKhan’s own cluster the Eighth Bear Cuirassiers the unit moved swiftly and hit with an unprecedented force.
As the lead elements of Epsilon hit Vega, other Clusters were hitting Aubisson, Shinoha, Alnasl and Tsukude. On all five worlds with a lacked of military control from Dieron and the coordination needed from Vega following the bombings there months before, fighting had broken out over who was in command, with some officers refusing commands from those of senior rank but junior service or in one case over a matter of one Officer being promoted a mere two weeks ahead of a rival who refused to accept his seniority.
On Vega though Chu-sa Naomi Tiberias still commanded the loyalty of her units after some rather brutal displays of discipline enacted upon units and civilians who, in her view, were disloyal to the Draconis Combine and counter-productive to the solution on the world.
And it was onto his HQ complex that Epson's Eighth Bear Cuirassiers and the Second Polar Bear Assault Cluster dropped whilst fighters from the clusters and WarShips bombed and strafed any target of opportunity.
The Dominion broadcast to the worlds that they were bringing order to the chaos, that they would bring food, water and protection to civilians from those who would abuse them. With the new Coordinator distracted by fighting with the Ravens, Federated Suns and Lyrans and unable, or unwilling, to respond to the troubles on Vega what little organised military forces that were not fighting amongst themselves fell quickly. Head hunter strikes and heavy air and artillery attacks preceded Epsilon’s assaults and many of the local 'warlords' who claimed overall command over the Prefecture, in the Coordinators name of course, were killed at the onset of the Dominions assault.
Despite the chaos that had consumed the Prefecture, some units fought exceptionally hard. The Third Dieron Regulars Regiment was reduced to 10% operational Mech’s by the time its Commander, a young Sho’sa accepted an offer of Surrender, in doing so his forces had gutted the as well as elements of the First Polar Bear Battle Cluster with his defiance. Granted Safcon the survivors were allowed to board dropships and depart the Prefecture with honour intact but the fighting for Vega was over and the world, along with several others were already secured by the Rasalhague Dominion troops.
The Ares Might was scuttled by her crew during the initial attack on New Wassen. Part of the orbital defences included a pair of Nekohono’o Assault DropShips and although both DropShips were destroyed, both had launched a swarm of assault shuttles loaded with Raiden clad Battle armour. With the primary magazines lost to them the Captain of the Ares Might ordered the reactor’s safeties to be disabled even as the Combine assault forces stormed the bridge. The massive explosion as the fusion reaction consumed the ship was visible from the surface, but it was just part of the backdrop for many as Dominion and Combine forces fought tooth and nail over the world’s Space Ports and communication centres as New Wassen also joined the Rasalhague Dominion.
Road to New Egypt
Forsair, Vega
Military District of Dieron, Draconis Combine
24th June 3110Convoy escort had not been where Major Morgan Christofori had wanted to be during the Invasion of Vega by Rasalhague Dominion forces but that was where he was and the people of New Egypt were relying on his unit to get the supplies to their destination. It had been part of a bigger plan to gain the trust of the locals and possibly find out who started the mess on the planet that was until the Bears had arrived.
Hit from multiple directions his company had lost three BattleMechs in less than two minutes four of their convoy vehicles destroyed. Morgan closed his eyes for a moment and remembered turning on a charging Karhu blasting it with his Clan made lasers but the sixty-five ton OmniMech would not be stopped and moments later it slammed into him with its retractable blade slicing away the right arm. Morgan had povited and fired his Medium Pulse Lasers burning the Karhu at point blank range but the OmniMech would not be stopped a particle projection cannon blast burned his right torso destroying two of the pulse lasers while another attack with the blade had smashed armour. He’d tried to move away using his Penetrator’s jump jets but the Karhu hadn’t stopped its attack with another particle cannon blast bursting through his Pentrator’s rear armour smashing directly into the fusion engine. Knocked off balance by the strike and falling forward Morgan had no choice but to punch out of the BattleMech his ejection seat throwing him across the battlefield before the parachutes deployed slowing his descent. As he fell towards the ground he saw what was left of his company be overrun the Bears he hoped the other elements of the Ninety-fifth Special Operations Battalion had done better. Landing hard in the undergrowth he’d tried to wriggle from the command chair and grab his sidearm but before he could an Elemental stepped up to him and swung its Battle Claw down disarming him and probably breaking his right hand. As he was dragged along the ground Morgan remembered seeing his shattered command couch remembering that it was his father’s seat, his father’s BattleMech, and he’d let him down as he drifted into unconsciousness.
Tomad’s Burrow
Baxter, Vega Prefecture
Military District of Dieron, Draconis Combine
28th June 3110 2247 local time“Chu-sa, a message from Tai-I Genda, he’s got the ammunition convoy moving, he had to commandeer a Kiso to clear a route and is requesting that we send forces to help escort him in.”
“Tell Genda we’ve none to spare, those Bear bastards are hitting us hard, the Akagi river has been breached and there’s at least two Supernova’s moving out from Zeon Starport.”
Chu-sa Sayami looked at his perimeter. The holo-display gave cold, hard numbers and force dispositions but it wasn’t a match for eyes on the ground. The Epsilon Galaxy forces had been fighting very un-Clanlike but then again their attacks had been very effective.
“Damn it…we need that ammo, get Sho-ko Nordh’s armour to support Genda, and tell Gunsho Shin to deploy her battle armour with them and provide close support for the tanks.
“Hai Chu-sa!” The Lieutenant, one of Sayami’s original cadre before this mess had started saluted before running out of the command bunker that was buried under what had been a shopping centre. The Dominion were bombing and strafing command posts and with their warships overhead they were looking for command posts and strong EM signatures so his command post was in a shopping centre’s basement and all messages were delivered by runners or by wired telephones, crude as all hell but effective and it had kept him alive when the Bears dropped on his world and neighbouring units had gone off the air.
His surviving troops were a mixture of his forces from the Sixteenth Legion of Vega as well as stragglers from the local Baxter militia that had snapped back to reason and stopped fighting one another. With the world at risk there was more at stake than personal honour.
“Sir, the Black Bear’s have been sighted at grid 14 by 29, moving north east.”
“Understood, raise Chu-i Matsuda and order her out of that area, they could be hunting or they could be on patrol, we can’t lose her lances in the confines of the Industrial district.”
“Hai!”
The Colonel bit back a curse before taking a swig from his water bottle, the so called ‘Black Bears’ were a group of five Mech’s, all some type of Kodiak and they’d been instrumental in gutting several positions in the battle for the Starport before going on a rampage through an assault lance belonging to the Sixteenth. They’d even broadcast them pulling an Atlas apart before Tai-i Morgen’s Battlemaster fell at their hands as well.
No, these troops were not like normal Clanners at all like Vega before it Baxter quickly succumb to the Bear onslaught as the Rasalhague Dominion extended its control over the Combine Prefecture.
Defence Lines
Gram, Military District of Dieron
Draconis Combine
28th June 3110 1742 local timeThe air was alive with gunfire, heavy roars of autocannons, the buzz saw snarl of HAGs and scream of missiles contested with the electronic ripping sound of lasers and the thunderous pulse of particle cannons and all Hojuhei Tanna wanted to do was dig her way deeper into her trench, cradling her Type 2001 rifle as close as she could, teeth clenched tight in terror.
Like the rest of her unit she was a ‘volunteer’ that had been drafted up at gun point to fight but now she couldn’t even run. The military Police had set up behind the volunteer’s trench lines and the bastards had made it clear that their first targets were not any attacker, but them. Cursing the injustice of everything, she managed to pick herself up as the firestorm swept overhead, managing to peek over the lip of the trench.
A few kilometres away, as Hill 203 flattened out into plains she could see Combine Mech’s engaging the Dominion attackers, but it was a forlorn hope, a few dozen against scores. Still she, like everyone else cheered when a Dominion Vulture vanished in a fireball as its ammo cooked off but that was only at that part of the line. A group of Clan Mech’s was making its ascent, stomping up the muddy hill that had once been a park, but now the only ‘flowers’ there were of the anti-personnel and anti-vehicle type and the only ‘bushes’ were tangles of barbed wire.
There was a loud BOOM as a dug in Tokugawa opened fire. The tank had been dug in and half buried under rubble to camouflage it and now its autocannon opened fire, sending streams of shot down the hill. It was an old vehicle, powered by an unreliable ICE engine and had been discovered in some old war stocks and hurriedly refuelled and re-armed to take part in the fighting.
It got three shots out before a volley of laser light smashed into its turret, boiling away the mud that had been thrown over it to hide it before punching into the armour. Engine revving the tank started to move back to another fire position but a particle bolt ripped through the turret and ended the tank and its crews service to the Combine in a massive explosion.
Tanna cursed ‘Warlord’ Mayamoto for refusing to move his command post; she cursed the wet mud sucking at her boots, and the Dominion for attacking her world.
“Stand up and fight! Ignore the Mechs, target the battle armour!”
There were a few cracks and then more as the platoon let rip with their bolt action rifles, fear of the dark armoured shapes running up the muddy hill, fear of the men behind them with machine guns should they break adding to their ‘encouragement’ as they fired round after round at their attackers.
The Dominion Rogue Bear’s returned fire, snarling machine guns sending plumes of mud and water into the air as they tore up the ground around the trenches trying to suppress the Combine defenders. The leading elements of the Second Tyr Assault Cluster were moving behind them, ignoring the infantry fight at their feet, their guns flattening bunkers or heat sources that indicated a tank or gun position. The five Kingfishers chosen for their durability were working their way up the hill whilst the rest of the Cluster slowly dismantled the Combine position.
Hojuhei Tanna snapped off a shot at a blue and white painted battle suit, the round sparking harmlessly off its thick plate and she could only watch in horror as it jumped into the Trench ahead of hers, its brutal vibro-claws making quick and messy work of the four troops in the firing pit. The machine guns were firing now, fortunately not at her or he squad, pouring lead into the Bear Elementals and one collapsed on its face, its pilot either injured or dead but there was a LOT more coming up behind it.
Tanna screamed as one of the Dominion suits thundered towards her, emptying her magazine before scrambling down the trench as its booted feet thudded down behind her. Her rifle didn’t have a bayonetted and she had no more ammo and as the suit turned towards her she knew that this was her time to die, but she was determined to die on her feet, brandishing her rifle like a club. The Bear suit raised its arm, its clawed hand opening before Tanna’s world went white as she fell into the mud of the trenches.
She awoke two hours later, her ears still ringing from the effects of the stunner. Woozy and dazed she was with other prisoners taken during the assault. Up on the top of Hill 203 the flag of the Dominion had replaced the Combine one that flew there and the ‘Warlords’ Hatomoto-Chi was a smoking wreck, its gold and blue armour blackened and rent by gun fire.
Dominion Elementals kept a sharp eye on their prisoners whilst medics from both sides moved amongst the wounded, helping those who they could, giving comfort to those they could not.
“Hey, drink this, the ringing will stop eventually, give it an hour or so.”
The speakers voice was rather heavily accented and his Japanese was atrocious but his meaning clear as the somewhat vague shape swimming before Tanna’s eyes came into focus as he bent down and passed her a water bottle. High in the sky there was a ball of fire and smoke falling towards the ground, shedding parts of itself as it burned up in the atmosphere. Tanna Nagai didn’t know that it was the Ursa Minor, rammed by a Combine DropShip, finally giving up her battle with the gravity well of the planet, her engines dead. Her crew had managed to evacuate and the largest chunks of her hull were predicted to come down in the Southern Ocean.
“Did…did we win?”
“No, but you did win your freedom from your oppressors."
It had cost the Rasalhague Dominion more than they had expected but Gram like Baxter, New Wassen, Eltanin and the rest of the Vega Prefecture had fallen.