Draconis Combine

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Crest of the Draconis Combine
Draconis Combine
Faction Profile
Time period: 2319 - present
Classification: Successor State
Controlled systems: approx. 350
Capital world: Luthien
Ruler title: Coordinator
Military: Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS) and Draconis Combine Admiralty (DCA)
Secret Service: Internal Security Force (ISF) - Order of Five Pillars (O5P)

The Draconis Combine is one of the Successor States, located in the "north-east" quadrant of the Inner Sphere. The Combine is ruled by the Coordinator, the head of House Kurita. His court is located on Luthien. The Draconis Combine has been ruled by House Kurita since its founding in 2319 by Shiro Kurita, perhaps a descendant of Takeo Kurita, a Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II on Terra.[1]

The Coordinator is a hereditary dictator, who rules over his domain armed with a well-equipped, fanatical military and an ever-pervasive, all-seeing civilian bureaucracy. Two rival intelligence agencies, the ISF (Internal Security Force) and the O5P (Order of Five Pillars) keep watch against any potential internal threat from commoners, ambitious nobles, and members of the Coordinator's own family. (However, the physical protection of the Coordinator falls to his own personal cohort, who are recruited from the military, not the intelligence services).

The idée fixe of the Combine and the Coordinator is conquest. The Combine employs a large, skilled military, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery, that has often been used to expand the realm at the expense of its neighbors.

History

The roots of the Draconis Combine lie with the Alliance of Galedon between the worlds Galedon V and New Samarkand. Under the leadership of Shiro Kurita, the Alliance, rechristened the Draconis Combine in 2319, used threats, intimidation, deceit, and outright military conquest to expand. Shiro established House Kurita as the ruling dynasty of the Combine, whose reign was interrupted only by the rule of the Von Rohrs family from 2421 until they were wiped out in 2510. The First Coordinator was responsible for integrating many neigboring realms into the Combine, with two exceptions: an assault on the Principality of Rasalhague in 2330 was largely successful, though the integration of the Rasalhagians into Draconian culture was heavily resisted and it remained a vassal state for some time. The Combine also attempted to conquer the Azami worlds in 2497 with limited success.[2]

The Combine was the last Inner Sphere nation to join the Star League. Following the League's collapse, Coordinator Minoru Kurita was the first Council Lord to declare himself First Lord, leading to the First Succession War. The Succession Wars were unkind to humanity and created a backslide in technology. The unofficial end of the Third Succession War is considered to be 3025.

Following the Fourth Succession War and facing the prospect of a super-state, the Federated Commonwealth, on its border, the Combine recognized the independence of the Free Rasalhague Republic to create a buffer state and secure higher-technology weapons through ComStar. These proved useful when the Commonwealth did invade in the War of 3039.

The Clan Invasion resulted in a huge loss of territory for the Combine, as even the capital Luthien saw one of the largest battles of the war, though many worlds were regained in Operation Bulldog. Coordinator Theodore Kurita was also responsible for relaxing some of the rigid traditionalism within the military, allowing more women into higher ranks and lessening the impact of bushido on his troops so that they would be more willing to accept flexible tactics that would be useful against the Clans. The reactionary kokuryu-kai or Black Dragon Society opposed his reforms and launched a full-scale rebellion at the same time as the Word of Blake started their Jihad.

The Combine emerged from the Jihad weakened, though still powerful compared to their neighbors. After the blackout in 3132, the Combine launched an invasion of the Republic of the Sphere. A series of assassinations placed Yori Kurita, the illegitimate descendant of Theodore, on the throne.

The Five Pillars

The Draconis Combine is said to be supported by five pillars, each symbolizing an aspect of Draconian society: the Pillar of Gold, representing the government; the Pillar of Steel, representing the military; the Pillar of Teak, representing the people and culture; the Pillar of Ivory, representing philosophy and religion; and the Pillar of Jade, representing the economy. All five pillars work together to support the manifest destiny of House Kurita to conquer all of known space.

Pillar of Gold

Gold is precious not only for the value humanity has given it since the beginning of history, but for its practical applications: a natural electrical conductor, gold is malleable and resistant to corrosion or combining with other elements. Such is the way of the government of the Combine, acting as a golden veneer which adds beauty and utility, inspiring the people to work towards a common goal while avoiding becoming a burden against which they might rebel.[3][4]

The Coordinator

At the center of the government is the Coordinator, embodying all that is the Combine; when a person references "the Dragon", it is often with little distinction being made between the Coordinator as a person or of the Combine as a whole, and while not technically worshiped as divine their commands are acted upon as such. Some Coordinators have taken an active approach in governing the Combine, but the most successful have tended to act less and observe more, enforcing their will indirectly. When the Coordinator speaks, it might come in the form of suggestions to others, or delivered in the manner of a parable or haiku. Thus, if a problem occurs, blame does not fall on the Coordinator directly but on the one who failed to carry out their wishes correctly.[3][4]

Carrying out the will of the Coodinator are the Kuritan nobility, the most important of whom after the Coordinator are the Warlords. These are followed by the heads of the five Ministries, the District and Prefecture civilian leaders, and those with noble titles by dint of their landholdings or corporate ownership. The least regarded yet most highly placed nobles are those who work only at the Royal Court; since mere mortals cannot come into contact with the Coordinator, even the sanitation workers must have titles of nobility. Such kuri or leeches may sometimes be useful as a means of getting the attention of a person of higher position or even the Coordinator themselves.[5][4]

The Ministries

The day-to-day working of the Combine is carried out by five Ministries each lead by a minister head, with the ministers of individual bureaus or subministers reporting to them, who in turn are reported to by the heads of bureau subdivisions or committeemen. Head ministers and subministers are all members of the nobility, as are most committeemen. Ostensibly, each ministry has clear-cut responsibilities, but the Byzantine-like nature of the Draconian bureaucracy often means even a simple request might require the fingerprints of multiple agencies, and even lifetime civil servants might not be completely sure of whose authorizations or which forms may be required. Since many bureaucrats are notorious for erring on the side of caution, the best local administrators (besides having the right connections) are adept at Rensikuro-bu (the Dance of Waiting and Smiling) and Rurdu-Koba-tsö (Finding the Cheese in the Maze).[6][7]

The formal names of the ministries, and many of their bureaus, can seem purposely designed to obscure their actual function:[6][7]

  • The Ministry of the Expansion of the Glories of the Draconis Combine: The Ministry of War or Hyöbushö is in charge of all aspects of the military, making it the most important of the five.
  • The Ministry of Wealth and the Disbursing of Assets: The Ministry of the Treasure or Ökurashö governs the Draconian economy - setting trade policy, workers' rights, and minting Ryu - as well as allocating funds to other ministries. It is also one of the more convoluted ministries, containing bureaus which seemingly belong elsewhere (such as the Bureau of Nourishment responsible for food allocation).
  • The Ministry of the Well-Being of the Land and the Peoples: The Ministry of Interior or Minbushö is responsible for everything not covered by another ministry, including living conditions, the environment, and settlement of new planets. This includes the Bureau of General Indoctrination (education), Bureau of Health and Happiness (medical care), Bureau of Domesticated Plants and Animals (agriculture), and Bureau of Bureaucracy (paperwork). After the integration of Clan Nova Cat into Draconian society after Operation Bulldog and increasing restlessness of the Azami, the Bureau of Friendly Interior Comfort and Concerns was created to bring about inter-cultural harmony.
  • The Ministry of Peaceful Order and Honor: The Ministry of Justice or Kakun handles law and order within the Combine; while citizens are allowed civil liberties, close cooperation between the courts and police ensures justice is dispensed to those who deserve it. Among the different bureaus are the Halls of Swift Justice (criminal court), Guaranteed Honor for Kurita’s Servants (noble court), and the Civilian Guidance Corps (civilian police and Friendly Persuaders.
  • The Ministry of the Servants of the Draconis Combine: The Ministry of the Court or Kazoku handles a variety of different functions, most associated with the nobility and court functions. For example, the Watchers of the Household run the Imperial Palace on Luthien while the Committee of Special Events plans all court ceremonies, including the presenting of military honors, the Cleansing of the Spirit ceremony and the Celebration of the Coordinator's Birthday. Others with less clear-cut connections include the Bureau of Hospitality Toward New Lands, which assigns governors to newly-liberated planets. The most powerful section of the Kazoku is the Order of the Five Pillars, which is not governed by anyone other than the Keeper of the Family Honor but is technically part of the ministry so that it may call upon the services of the government through official channels.
A Kuritan Prefect
Political Subdivisions

Depending on the point in history, the Combine is divided into anywhere between three and five Districts. There exist both Military Districts and Government Districts, and while the names are the same and the areas they control are nearly identical, there are occasional territorial differences between the two. Each military district commander, or Warlord, has the final say over any decisions within their area of operation, but largely leave day-to-day operations in the hands of the district governors or Shogun.[6][7]

Each district in turn is divided into prefectures, which mimic the form of districts by having a military and civilian leader. Prefecture heads or Prefects handle the civil administration of their regions, and are (unfortunately) the ones most responsible for dealing with requests for the Ministries.[6][7] In theory, military prefecture commanders also have final say over any governmental decisions within their area, though as is often the case their district commanders maintain a tight control over them and issue orders directly to units within their area, preventing any possible challenge to their power or the will of the Dragon.[8]

Lastly, each planet is governed by a Planetary Chairman, who is able to set laws and rule the planet as he (or she) sees fit...with the Coordinator's approval. This level of autonomy allows individual planets the flexibility to tackle problems unique to their situation. Chairmen may also exert authority over their planetary militia, though the units remain ultimately under the command of the DCMS High Command. If however a Planetary Chairman is believed to be operating against the wishes of the Coordinator, they will quickly find themselves removed from a position of authority.[6][7][9]

Each district and prefecture also sends a representative, chosen by the Shogun, to serve on the Committee of Planetary Unity, which nominally sets policy for the entire Combine. Very little power is granted to the Committee though; they may, for example, discuss minor issues between individual planets, but cannot enact laws. Their true purpose is to act as messengers, reporting the Coordinator's wishes back to the district governors and prefects, leaving representatives time to trade favors or engage in petty political gamesmanship.[6][7]

his structure continues down to the prefecture level, each of which has a military and a civilian leader. The civilian leader (a duke) generally deals with the actual minutiae of administration, while the military leader (a Tai-shu or Tai-sho) makes the executive decisions.

Pillar of Steel

The military of the Combine, the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery (DCMS) has traditionally been one of the strongest in the Inner Sphere. The Combine was founded upon the principles of bushido, the way of the warrior. Thanks to this, the military has a large pool of skilled individuals to draw from. Enlistment in the DCMS is seen as the fastest way to get ahead in the world, as every person in the military, even a lowly rifleman, is respected. The DCMS is also referred to as the Arm of the Dragon.

Pillar of Ivory

Asian religions such as Shinto and Buddhism are heavily favored in the Combine. Christianity is tolerated due to the influence of Rasalhague. Judaism is actively repressed, while Islam is only tolerated in the worlds of the Azami.

Pillar of Teak


Pillar of Jade

Manufacturing Centers

A detailed list of some DCMS manufacturer and company centers.

3067

Heavy Aerospace Industry[10]

Major Defense Industries[11]

Era-Specific Data

3130

  • Total (Inhabited) Systems: 243[12]
  • Estimated Population (3130): 729,000,000,000
  • Dominant Language(s): Japanese (official), Arabic, English
  • Dominant Religion(s): Shinto (official), Buddhism, Islam
  • Unit of Currency: Ryu (1 ryu = 0.94 C-Bills / 2.30 C-Bills (3145)[13])


Maps

Historical Maps

See Also

References

  1. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), pp 8-9
  2. Technical Readout: 3075, p. 202, "Sabaku Kaze Heavy Scout Hover Tank"
  3. 3.0 3.1 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 90-91
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Handbook: House Kurita, p. 113-114
  5. House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 91-92
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 House Kurita (The Draconis Combine), p. 95-96
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 Handbook: House Kurita, p. 120-122
  8. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 143
  9. Handbook: House Kurita, p. 145
  10. Strategic Operations, p. 15
  11. Tactical Operations, p. 15
  12. Touring the Stars, p. 7
  13. Era Report: 3145, p.194, "Currency Conversion Table"

Bibliography