Second Combine-Dominion War

Cleanup tagged articles without a reason field The Second Combine-Dominion War was a late 31st Century/Early 32nd Century conflict between Clan Ghost Bear and the Draconis Combine and its allies Clan Nova Cat, from September 14th, 3098 to November 10th, 3101.

Overview

The war stemmed from building emotional and political tensions that had ramped up over the years. The conflict's spark came from the Draconis Combine's conservative splinter group (known as the Black Dragons Society), who had wished to cleanse the Combine of all outsiders and return the nation its traditional past. The conflict was originally focused between Clan Nova Cat and Clan Ghost Bear, however the conflict expanded to involve the Draconis Combine.

Combatants

Clan Nova Cat / Draconis Combine

• Second Arkab Legion
• Seventeenth Benjamin Regulars
• The Cat's Eye Cluster
• Dragonsclaw Cluster
• Dragonscales Cluster
• First Ghost
• Eleventh Ghost
• Kouki no Otakeni (Mercenary Command)
• Second Legion of Vega
• Nova Cat Dragoons
• Nova Cat Hussars
• Nova Cat Rangers
• Nova Cat Legers
• Nova Cat Legionaries
• Nova Cat Renegades
• Nekoryu Keshik Supernova Trinary
• Otomo
• Third Pesht Regulars
• 13th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre
• Fifth Sword of Light

Clan Ghost Bear

• 332nd Assault Cluster
• First Bear Guards
• Third Bear Guards
• First Rasalhague Bears
• Second Rasalhague Bears
• Fourth Bear Regulars
• Eighth Bear Cuirassiers
• Beta Galaxy's Trinary Galaxy Command (aka Beta TGC)
• Seventy-Third Battle Cluster
• Fourteenth Battle Cluster
• Eighteenth Battle Cluster
• 243rd Battle Cluster
• 300th Battle Cluster
• First Drakøns Cluster
• Second Drakøns Cluster
• First Freemen Cluster
• Third Freemen Cluster
• Third Hussars Cluster
• First Kavalleri Cluster
• Second Kavalleri Cluster
• Third Kavalleri Cluster
• Fourth Kavalleri Cluster
• Fourteenth Provisional Garrison Cluster
• Fifty-Fifth Provisional Garrison Cluster
• Rho Galaxy's Trinary Galaxy Command (aka Rho TGC)
• 140th Striker Cluster
• Sixth Valkyrie Cluster (All-Aerospace Unit)

Precursors to War

The Hidden War

The Black Dragon Society had tried to unseat Coordinator Hohiro Kurita's government in 3089 by triggering a border war between the Combine and the Republic of the Sphere. Simply known as the "First Hidden War", the conflict would rage until 3093 when the two factions realized they were duped and unified to crush the Society.

Halesowen Raid of 3096

Clan Nova Cat's military and industrial complexes were depleted after the Jihad, as much of it was lost during the immigration of the Clan's touman while joining the newly formed Republic of the Sphere. Khan Santin West deployed his surviving units to conduct raids into the Ghost Bear Dominion as means of blooding warriors and rebuilding his Prefecture's industrial base. Due to the lack of a formal relationship between the two Clans, this would escalate tensions between further as the Rasalhague Dominion's civilian population was also restless with Ghost Bear's rule as well.

A raid in November 3096 by the Nova Cat Rangers on the Dominion world of Halesowen was a glaring example of the state of affairs between the two Clans. Garrisoning the planet was the Third Bear Guards, where raid would turn ugly for Ghost Bear forces. In their final encounter with the Guards, the Rangers had whittled the Ghost Bear Cluster down to two Stars. To maximize salvage, the Ranger's commander, Star Captain Eli Rosse, refused to give the Guards hegira. This lack of honor in battle between the Clans would set both clans down a brutal, merciless path.

Surviving members of the Black Dragon Society learned of the situation between the two factions, and sought to take advantage of it. By using their remaining members inside the ISF, they began feeding each faction censored intelligence to help start a war.

Yamarovka Raid of 3098 and a Death of a Khan

The surviving members of the Black Dragon Society would learn of the situation between the two Clans and they would use their remaining members inside the ISF to begin feeding each faction intelligences filter through Black Dragon Society to help bring the Clans to war against one another. Khan West's planned visit to Yamarovka is revealed to the Ghost Bears. As predicted by the Black Dragons, Khan Aletha Kabrinski temped by this information goes and orders a raid to exterminate Nova Cat Khan and all warriors present. Black Dragon agents posing as friendly ISF agents would delivered information they "learned" to Nova Cat Khan West. Reporting to him of the threat of a targeted raid against him while he conducted a tour a Sibko on planet. West would heed this warning and prepare for battle during his visit.

The Black Dragons would use this to strike as a blow against the Nova Cats and kill the Khan during the battle.

On September 14th, 3098 the Ghost Bear Khan would dispatch the Eighth Bear Cuirassiers against Nova Cats to Yamarovka with orders to wipe out all Nova Cats warriors on planet, especially the Khan. The Eighth would quickly deploy from their DropShips and encircle Nova Cat Enclave located in the small city of Chita. As the Ghost Bear cluster surrounded the Khan and his elemental star of body guards, hidden Nova Cat forces laying behind the Eighth would spring their trap and attack. Nova Cat forces consisting of the Nekoryu Keshik Supernova and the Cat’s Eye Cluster would begin what would become a two hour battle between Clans. However, as Black Dragons had planned, Khan would end up being killed when two Stars of the Eighth would breach the Enclave's fortress like walls. Khan West had not anticipated the Ghost Bears' tactics, which lead to his death.

The shock of Khan West's death would buy enough time for the Eighth's surviving warriors to retreat to their DropShips and depart the planet. Among the surviving Nova Cats, a new saKhan was chosen from senior officers on hand. saKhan Ajax Drummond who had been commanding the Nekoryu Keshik would be elected as new senior Khan of the Nova Cats.

Preparations for War

Newly elected, Khan Drummond ordered the consolidation of Nova Cat assets across Irece Prefecture. To ready his Clan for further fighting, Drummond had felt that Nova Cats needed to tie themselves more to the Draconis Combine. He then meet with Coordinator Hohiro Kurita to offer half of the Nova Cat's industrial output for exchange of logistic and industrial supported. He needed these resources so to repair damage to Prefecture and Nova Cat's touman continued Ghost Bear assaults. The Coordinator would quickly agree, allowing the Clan's industry to recover by October, 3098. New production facilities would end up being built across the Prefecture, with two additional Draconis Combine regiments assigned to defend them; Eleventh Ghost regiment on Irece factory on New Barcella and Second Arkab Legion on Wolcott.

While Nova Cats and Combine bolstered their industry and shuffled their defenses, Khan Kabrinski would order the redeployment of Ghost Bear forces from Hell's Horses border area to Combine frontier. These forces would be used to bolster their depleted forces who had been dealing with Nova Cat raids. The Secondline Freeborn forces of KungsArmé Clusters would be redeployed for frontline duty, as part of the preparations for the invasion of the Irece Prefection.

War Erupts

The Soverzene Raid

Nova Cat Khan Ajax Drummond receives intelligence of Ghost Bear troops being positioned on Soverzene. Khan Drummond wanted to make a "statement" in the form of a military strike against the Bears as result of the death of Khan West at Ghost Bear hands.

On November 29th, 3098, the Nova Cat Hussars was dispatched to assault inexperienced 3rd Hussars in trial by combat. Arriving by pirate point, Nova Cat Hussar's commanding officer, Star Colonel Adriana Deleportas issued a batchall to 3rd Hussar's commander Star Colonel Frida Johansson.

During the planetfall, the Nova Cat's DropShips exchanged fire with 3rd Hussar's DropShips in low atmosphere. After dropping troops, the Nova Cats engaged 3rd Hussars at the spaceport. In a quick and furious engagement, the Third's command binary is wiped out, leaving the Ghost Bear cluster in disarray without their commander. The inexperienced troops were nearly wiped out by next day, with single Star of Mechs and two Stars of Battle Armor left to their roster of troops. The survivors would elude the Ghost Bears into the Belluno Badlands wilderness. The Nova Cat Hussars would salvage battlefield, claiming more than enough to make up for their loses and leave Sorverzen by the 10th of December.

Operation NIGHTFALL

Enraged of the destruction of the Third Hussars, the Khan Kabrinski orders to begin operations against the Nova Cats sooner than expected. Operation NIGHTFALL was designated three prong attack into the Irece Prefecture, targeting Nova Cat held worlds on December 29th, 3098.

Wave 1 - Mualang

Assigned to Ghost Bear's Eight Bear Cuirassiers and Rho Trinary Galaxy Command, the two command arrived via a Pirate Point in the Mualang system. The two commands discovered that the Nova Cat Hussars who normally had garrisoned the planet, was absent giving the Ghost Bear units easier time. On world, Ghost Bears destroyed the Nova Cat militias, training Sikbios, had captured supplies and the Mualang Battle Armor manufacturing facility.

The Hussars would finally arrive on the 31st, have to fight Dominion forces from orbit to try confront Eighth the Rho Galaxy Command Trinary. The Eight not wasting time, would attack the landing zone devastating the Hussars. Few of the Hussars would survive the slaughter including Star Colonel Deleportas. The leaderless command resort to hit-and-run tactics to try buy time for Nova Cat reinforcements to arrive. After month of fighting, the Nekoryu Keshik on 31st of January, 3099 attempt to aid the stricken Nova Cat Hussar survivors. However, they too would be forced with withdraw along with few survivors of the Hussars.

Wave 1 - Labrea

Arriving on the 18th of January, 3099, the First Drakøns and Fourth Bear Regulars would make planet fall on Labrea. This deployment by the Ghost Bears would mark for the first time in the Dominion's history that a Freeborn command would have seniority of trueborn Ghost Bear Command.

In command of Nova Cat defense of Labrea was Star Colonel Jose Watson, commander of the Nova Cat Legers. Watson waste no time and deploy his Aerospace forces to harass numerically superior Ghost Bear's Landing zone. Uncertain, their target, he would continue to try keep two clusters at bay with all his assets had available including conventional aircraft. By the 27th, with fighter assets dwindling, Star Colonel Watson lead the Legers to strike the First Drakøns landing zone. Drakøns ' commander, Galaxy Commander Marius Storland, order his forces to charge parallel line of engagement in hopes buy time for Forth Bears to arrived to reinforce them. Fueled by the loss of Third Hussars, Storland forces attack oncoming Legers with all his forces. Regulars arrival on the scene spelled doom for the Legers causing the survivors to retreat from the engagement. The Ghost Bears forces now having cleared remaining defenders of the planet, would raze Nova Cat's enclave near the planet's capital of Las Cabreas. Wiping out sikbo and taking over the city's genetic repositories. Survivors of the First Battle of Labrea would pass warnings throughout the Prefecture from the battle, Ghost Bear objected was the destruction of the Nova Cats.

Wave 1 - Yamarovka

On Yamarovka, word of invasion would reach them after two months of the invasion. Nova Cat forces on world, The Cat's Eye Cluster and the Nekoryu Keshik, to prepare for Ghost Bear's arrival. The Bears would arrive on Yamarovka the 13th February consisting of the Seventy-third and 243rd Battle Clusters. Weather would prove to ally for the Nova Cats as Solar Storms interferred with electronics for orbital assets. Ghost bear forces would choose target city of Yama, but the storms would slow down the advance. In a break of the weather, saKhan Paul Leroux, lead attack of AeroSpace Fighters against elements of the Seventy-Third outside of the coastal city of Severk. The strike targeting command units, would prove successful as Nekoryu Keshik ground elements jump from hidden weather shelters and assist of the targeted strike. A marginal victory, further engagements would help buy time for Nova Cat civilians and sibkos retreat on dropships from onslaught of the Ghost Bears. Two Ghost Bear Clusters would secure the planet by the 28th of February, with very little Nova Cats structures standing in their wake.

The Second Wave Crashes into Itabaiana

On Itabaiana during 3098, the Black Dragons Society had conducted a series of terrorist attacks against Clan Diamond Shark's facilities which inflicted considerable casualties against the Clans civilian and military personal. Unhappy with Draconis Combine taking more control of the planet from the Nova Cats, the Shark's garrison forces would declare their neutrality and would not offer assistance should the planet be attacked.

During the early part of 3099, the Draconis Combine would redeploy regional forces to guard productions facilities near the Irece prefecture that were producing Clan Technology, including a Logistic hub designed as LAW-8i.

Wave 2 - Itabaiana

On April 9th, Ghost Bears of Beta Galaxy would make their planet fall. Assigned to garrison the planet's newly built logistic hub was the Third Pesht Regulars. Various locations used to support manufacturing on continent of Tesouras were used part of the Third's layered defense of LAW-8i. Unknown to Pesht's commanding officer, Tai-sa Nanami Ueno, Ghost Bears were given orders to avoid action with any Draconis Combine forces and only focus on Nova Cats. Tai-sa Ueno would adopt a strategy of using her Nova Cat produced units to conduct probing attacks against Beta Galaxy's defensive lines in the hopes to fool the attacks into thinking that there was Nova Cat garrison on world.

The attacks would escalate the battle for the planet, with Galaxy Commander Vigo Hall ordering Beta to move through the layer defenses regardless of mines and defense turrets. The Third was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of Beta Galaxy, causing withdraw back to LAW-8i facility. However, Galaxy Commander Hall deciding take advantage of situation and ordered his artillery to shell the facilities killing the civilian Nova Cats and nearly wiping out the Third Pesht Regulars.

Video Footage of the Regulars defeat would get aired nation wide within hours of the battle end, with outcry to some kind of response. By April 19th, Coordinator Hoihio Kurita and Khan Drummond would had finalized plans for jointed operations against the Ghost Bear invasion, with Combine taking operational control worlds jointly garrisoned by both factions.

Operation BLUEPETER

As per their laid out plans by both Coordinator and the Nova Cat Khan to coordinate efforts against the Ghost Bears, the Pesht defeat on Itabaiana would signal counter offensive against the Dominion. Code name Operation BLUEPETER, this would be a mufti-front military operation. Due to Clan Snow Raven's and Federated Suns taking advantage of the Combine's predicament, Combine would have coordinate it's combat forces to deal with their aggressions. DCMS forces on Raven's and Suns borders would be restricted to defensive actions only while the Dragon and the Nova Cats would take war to the Dominion itself to try hamper the Bear's offensive.

Wave 3 - Orestes

Intended as a heavy raid, the Second Legion of Vega was assigned to strike the manufacturing complexes on Orestes. Prior to their arrival in April 3099, the defending First Kavalleri had been ordered to prepare defense bulwarks to reinforce protection military factories.

The Legion arrival would cut short preparations for the Odin's primary manufacturing plant,forcing the First Kavalleri take defensive positions to defend less protected Odin plant from attack. Tai-sa Youta Nakahara, the commander of the Second Legion of Vega determined that this was unique opportunity to cause trouble for the Dominion by cutting off the complex from the planet's main Spaceport. Nakahara would order his attached regiment, 241st Vegan Regulars to destroy surrounding main roadways and maglev rail lines linking to Mech production complex.

On 25th of April the Legion's armor unit, 53rd Vegan Lancers surrounding the complex. The First Kavalleri held up in the behind the Complex's military fortification discouraged the Lancers from making frontal assault without risking heavy loses to the unit. For next six days, the Lancer's utilized it's artillery assets to bombard the Kavalleri and complex. The lancers made multiple attempts between the bombardments to try to penetrate Kavalleri's frontlines. These pushes failed at every attempt with Clan's Cluster using a mobile defense to stop the Legion's forces entry.

By 31st the Legion would withdraw the planet in fear of Clan reinforcements arriving. They had failed in mission to completely destroy the Orestes' production facilities. Despite the factory in ruins and extensive damage done to the Kavalleri, both would recover with production lines becoming operational again by October.

Wave 3 - Jarrett

First two planetary assaults thrust into the Dominion, Jarrett invasion force consisted of the First Ghost Regiment. Arriving in May 21st, the Combine's dropships would appear in Jarrett's L4 Lagrange point. This distance from the planet allowed the planet's garrison force, Fifty-Fifth Provisional Garrison force to prepare planet's defense against the invasion.

The Combine Dropships make a high-speed insertion to the planet, by passing the Ghost Bear Dropships. The Ghost's lose a Condor Trooper carrier in high risk insertion when it bounced off the atmosphere and was destroyed attempting meet with rest of the invasion forces.

After breaking through battlelines of the 55th PGC, the Ghosts managed take war to the Bears and destroys most of their command control network. By Mid-June the Bears would lose most of their ammunition reserves and would hear other worlds being captured by the Draconis Combine. Star Colonel Enya Gurdel would order her forces to withdraw from the planet and regroup with the rest of Kappa Galaxy.

Wave 3 - Thule

Second planned Combine planetary invasion was conduced by the 13th Sun Zhang Academy Cadre, which would split their two battalions and support elements in two separate forces; Task Force Richmond and Idlewind. The Richmond Task consisting of the regiment's AeroSpace Company and regiment's Second Battalion would arrive 23rd of May. Acting as lure, the force would behave as green troops with slow insertion to the planet and uncoding communications feinting problems with some of the DropShips of the task force. Thule's Fourteenth Provisional Cluster's commander would fall for the ruse and deploy his AeroSpace Forces to intercept the enemy. By the 27th, the Idlewind Task Force considering of the First Battalion and other supporting elements of the Regiment would arrive at a Pirate Point and make relevantly short insertion to Thule. Once Idlewind force had arrive, the Richmond Task Force would powerup and conduct high-speed insertion to the planet.

On the ground, the battle would inflict heavy casualties on the Cadre's Idlewind Task Force, however their domination of the skies would help their forces inflict more damage against the Cluster's tank and BattleMech forces. After ten days of high-g return to Thule, the Garrison's Aerospace pilots would be exhausted from the flight and would find 50 percent of it's Fourteenth's ground forces knocked out of the fight. Star Colonel Offa would order his Aerospace forces to cover withdraw from the planet on June 10th as rest of the Cadre regimental force made their land fall.

Wave 3 - Asgard

Based on intelligence filtered unknowingly the Black Dragon Society, Khan Kabrinski would dispatch Joint Task Force between Alpha and Rho Galaxies to Asgard as next phase of the Dominion's war plans.

Arriving on June 14th, the Ghost Bears Task Force mission orders was to destroy the largest concentration of Clan Nova Cat forces in the Prefecture consisting of Nekoryu Keshik, Cat's Eye Cluster, and the Nova Cat Fusiliers. The Ghost Bear's first assault would be at the planetary capital of Vernan, where the Bears attacked any large vehicles capable of transporting possible Nova Cats out of the city. These attacks would kill thousands of civilians who were fleeing the city. The Bear's 243rd Battle Cluster, First, and Third Bear Guards pushed into the city's center with to target the Nova Cat's facilities. As the Bears fired what would turn out to be empty buildings, the Cat's Eye and Nova Cat Fusiliers would power up from hidden location. The Nova Cats would launch an ambush the Bears, taking advantage of narrow streets of the metropolis for cover. After week of fighting in the wreckage of the capital, Nova Cat's Aerospace forces would attack withdrawing Ghost Bears returning for refit and supply while Ghost Bear fighters from orbit would inflict heavy casualties o the Nova Cat AeroSpace Fighter forces.

By July 1st, saKhan Leroux would order a general withdrawal from the planet. However, planned individual DropShip departures turn into disaster for the Nova Cats and Bear would force through the defensive lines. With their aerospace cover greatly depleted, majority of the fleeing Nova Cat forces would be destroyed. They would be only of military survivors of the battle for Asgard as thanks to saKhan giving his life covering their Dropships. The Fusiliers would be only Nova Cat command to survive, absorbing survivors of the Cat's Eye Cluster as they headed to Avon.

Wave 3 - Caripare

Targeting the strategic logistic hub of the Nova Cats, the Fourth Bear Regulars and the 73rd Battle Custer was tasked take the planet and annihilate the Nova Cat Rangers. Their tasks were to capture the Nova Cat's munitions and genetic archives in two different locations on planet. The two Clusters split their assault on two facilities, with Rangers having make tough decisions to safe guard the Clan's civilians and supplies. At Fort Felis 31st of July, a Trinary of tanks manned by volunteers from other castes would join with Binary of Mechs from the Rangers to engage Fourth Bears Regulars from taking the Fort. The Nova Cats would pay with their lives so the evacuations could succeed.

While at the city of Dabuteshire, the 73rd Battle would launch their attack while the majority of Rangers was covering the Nova Cat civilian's evacuation. The Bear's commander would attempt overrun the Ranger's positions to prevent them from escaping. Determined to ensure the Nova Cat civilians evacuation, Rangers would engage the 73rd in a brutal battle where each combatant would exhausted their ammunition reserves and turn to physical combat with their machines. By the 7th of August, Nova Cat Rangers were destroyed and nearly destroyed the 73rd Battle Cluster. However, the civilian Nova Cat civilians had managed evacuated the planet with Clan's genetic repositories, sibkos, and crèche.

Wave 3 - Meilen

As part of Ghost Bear's attacks during the Third Wave, Khan Kabrinski dispatches the Fourth Kavalleri Cluster to take Meilen. On their arrival on September 17th, the KungsArmé Cluster force would find the world's defense apparently unmanned. The Draconis Combine had hired the mercenary command the Kouki no Otakeni to garrison the planet. Only signs of the command would their DropShips and JumpShips fleeing at the arrival of Kavalleri's ships. With public fleeing, the Ghost Bear Command would end up setting up a garrisons in planetary capital of Lakeside and at the planet's Spaceport. However, soon after establishing their forces, the Kouki no Otakeni began wage guerrilla style conflict with the Kavalleri, trying careful not take heavy loses due to small size of their force in comparison to the Bears. The command would undertake a risky concentrated attack against Kavalleri's spaceport garrison on the 30th. However, the counterassault to the attack would prove to much for the mercenaries they would be overwhelmed by the Bears. The command would surrender, with their officers executed by the Fourth Kavalleri.

Wave 3 - Labrea

In what would be known as the Second Battle for Labrea, Nova Cat Khan Ajax Drummond order attack to reclaim Labrea from the bears. The attack was to try recapture the momentum of the war for the Cats' and their allies. Lead by newly elected saKhan Heather Winters, the would take her forces to flank the center of the Ghost Bear held world from two different worlds. saKhan Winters lead task force consisting of her Purity Keshik, Nova Cat Dragoons, 189 Strike Cluster and heavily damaged Nova Cat Legers. They would under take their planetary assault on October 12th, where they meet with heavy Dominion aerospace resistance, loosing Nova Cat Legers' ships in the process making it to the planet. Ghost Bear forces on planet, Fourth Bear Regulars, First Drakøns, and Second Drakøns would put up heavy resistance in what would turn out to be a month long campaign.

With the loss of Legers and their assets, saKhan Winters would have use all her aerospace assets (including DropShips) as air support. Dropping from orbit it, the Nova Cat DropShips would drop from orbit, strike, boost out of the combat for their runs. However, on 4th of November, the Broadsword-Class DropShip, Infrared Dream, would be rendered too much damage to return to orbit. With no options left, the captain ram his vessel into center of Second Drakøns spectacular explosion taking out nearly a Binary of Mecha and Trinary of Battle Armor.

By the 19th, the Drakøn clusters had lost considerable much of their combat effectiveness in comparison to the Regulars. Galaxy Commander Storland would decide withdraw the Ghost Bear forces from the planet, rather see them destroyed. Giving the hard press victory to the Nova Cats.

Wave 3 - Sternwerde

Ordered by the Coordinator to enter the war, the Fifth Sword of Light enters the fray by launching raid against Dominion held world of Sternwerde. Garrisoned by the understaffed 300th Battle Cluster, who had been expecting supplies to rebuild their force. On November 2nd, Combine's Fifth Swords would arrive via a pirate point only two days away from the planet. The Cluster would quickly withdraw to their former DCMS military base, Camp Mützenich. Behind reinforced walls, the Fifth Swords' attack would be infective to 300th's reinforced positions. They would to using their limited artillery support to breach the fortress's walls so the small. Once the breach was made, the regiment dispatch small groups of combatants into the base including covert ISF team. The ISF would bomb the Clan's ammunition dumps and the base's main fusion reactor to try cripple the Bears. However, the battle would continue and wear down the Fifth Swords to point of quitting the planet. As they departed the Sword's DropShips would do a passing attacks, trying inflict as much damage as possible as they withdrew. The Coordinator would declared the raid successful action, which left the beleaguered 300th Battle Cluster too damage to be used in further fights in the war.

Wave 3 - Naval Battle of Bikini Atoll

In December of 3099, Clan Ghost Bear would dispatch a naval task force headed up by their WarShip the Rasalhague to hunt down suspected Draconis Combine Warships. The Draconis Reach, a region near the Dominion contained a unnamed star system where intelligence reports project the DCS Amber Lotus was operating as escort for the Factory Ships Yamato and Ryū. The System code named Bikini Atoll, was a former SLDF testing grounds. The Draconis Combine commonly used the planetless star system for its vast raw materials in asteroid belt around a white star. In April, the Ghost Bear Naval Task force which had assembled was given orders to destroy the WarShip and the Factory vessels. By 18th of December, the Rasalhague and flotilla of JumpShips and Pocket WarShips would arrive and begin their attack against the Combine vessels. The Ghost Bears would split their forces Stars of Vanir-class Pocket WarShips in two Star groups. A pair of Pocket-WarShip stars would accompany the Rasalhague who would engage the Inazuma-Class Corvette flotilla and the Yamato, while the remaining ships would concentrate on Ryū.

The initial engagement would be one sided, the Amber Lotus and it's three Okinawa-class DropShips would be wiped out, while the two Factory Ships would fling themselves into the Star to avoid capture. The loss would trigger a scramble by the Combine's ISF Director Shakir Jerrar to track down what he saw as intelligence leaks which were spurring the war on.

Wave 3 - Trondheim

Targeted by the DCMS's High Command, Trondheim Star System was a Clan Diamond Shark administrated world which was being used to refit Ghost Bear clusters participating in the war. It's logistic importance to the Dominion's War effort, the Gunji no Kanrei Kiyomori Minamoto convinced the Coordinator to allow him to send a task force to assault the planet using two regiments and a WarShip.

In Mid-March of 3100, two regimental task force consisting of the Fifth Sword of Light and the Eleventh Ghost would arrived escorted by the DCS Draconis Drift in system. The Combine group would push it's way through Dominion aerospaces forces to enter orbit. The initial insertions would have the Eleventh Ghosts dropping from the Draconis Drift onto Second Rasalhague Bear's position, while the Fifth Sword of Light conducted high-speed drop onto the Fifty-Fifth Provisional Garrison Cluster. Both Dominion clusters would be destroyed before on planet reinforcement could reach them. Two surviving clusters on planet, Second Kavalleri and First Tyr would end holding off the invaders long enough for a HPG distress call be answered by rest of the Polar Galaxy. The arrival via a pirate point would save the Second Kavalleri from charge from their in the city of Misby Flats. With the Galaxy's appearance, the Combine regiments would be forced to quit the planet. Though two regiments had failed to capture the planet, the assault postponed the Dominion's efforts to mount a counter Combine's invasion of the Dominion.

Wave 3 - The Hunt for the Ursa Major

Original intended as the Draconis Combine's invasion of the Rasalhague Star System, intelligence reports showed that system was under defended with only First Rasalhague Bears Cluster in system with Battleship Ursa Major in orbit. Taking advantage of the situation, the Combine's entire fleet of four WarShips had been assembled for the invasion originally to cover. The Coordinator ordered that Battleship was to be captured or destroyed with entire Combine's WarShip fleet, while ground forces would wait out the battle outcome outer points of the system.

On the 29th April, 3100 the DCS Draconis Rift arrive in system conducted a high-speed approach via gravity sling shots with destination being the Rasalhague's moon. Detecting the Frigate's arrival, the Ursa Major powered up and began move to intercept it. However as the Ursa Major suddenly detected jump of the rest of the Combine's WarShip fleet jumping in midway point in front of the ship. The Battleship flip itself began to do a acceleration to try enter low orbit around Rasalhague to rendezvous with Aerospace Fighters of the Sixth Valkyrie Cluster launching from the planet.

The Draconis Combine fleet would move to intercept and engage the Warship as it was decelerating to the planet. DSC Winds of Heaven would be first to engage the ship, following DCS Lair of Mighty Wyrms and Dieron Star. The corvette trade fire and nearly be destroyed as it bought time for the other ships to render with the Battleship. The excessive damage from this ten minute engagement, would break off the Ursa Major and would barely survive to jump out system. While the two Combine Ships would trade blows with Ursa Major, the Dieron Star would be succumbed the chain reaction of naval ammunition exploding. While the now crippled Lair of Mighty Wyrms would manage to knock out the Ursa Major's drive system before maneuvering itself away from the Battleship. While still operation, the Ursa Major began spin out of control towards the planet. Conducting a high-speed pass across the bow of the Battleship, the Draconis Rift would take out the ship's bridge and life support systems. The Ursa Major spin would cause tremendous stress to the ship's internal structure causing series of explosion rending into sizable debris field in system. Of the four ships of Combine's Warship fleet, only two would survive.

The Invasion of Irece and The Last Phases of the War

With the destruction of the Ursa Major in the Rasalhague System, this would be the event to push Dominion leadership and it's Ghost Bear Khan into push to end the fight. Civilian unrest had grown since the initial invasion of the Dominion, which would be spurred on by resistance-terrorist organizations such as Motstånd. Khan Kabrinski assign the Omega and Beta Galaxies to invade Irece, with Galaxy Commander Vigo Hall in overall command, they would be original tasked to destroy Nova Cat's production facilities and kill Nova Cat Khan Ajax Drummond. Vigo Hall was notorious for his "by any means" tactics which brutally slaughter number Nova Cats in his invasion of Itabaiana. Hall would order the Omega Galaxy to achieve it's goal by any means necessary.

Meanwhile on Irece, half of Nova Cat's surviving touman were in system. Remains of Lambda and Xi Galaxies had taking up garrisoning of the planet.

Wave 4 - Irece

The two Galaxy Task force would arrive on June 30th, meeting little aerospace resistance from Nova Cats due to the depletion of their ranks of pilots. Landing outside the planetary capital of New Barcella on the 7th of July, the two Galaxies would split off to their objects, Omega targeting the city's center where primary genetic repositories were housed with sibiko of young cadet troops were housed, while the Beta would attack Barcella Battle Armor and Barcella-LAW factories outside of the city.

Battle at the Factories

The Nova Cat Fusiliers with Nova Cat Legionaries would spread out try defend both factories. Automated turrets were hastily installed try slow down the Ghost Bear's advance after their landing on the 7th. Leading the attack on the Barcella Battle Armor was the Beta Galaxy's Trinary Galaxy Command with the Eighteenth Battle and 140th Strike Clusters. The untested automated defense would ultimately failed and shutdown due to it being overloaded with so many targets to shoot. Galaxy Commander Hall leading the way would be first breech the walls of the fortified factory and his warriors would use inner works of the factory as cover as they destroyed it.

While at the Barcella-LAW facility, the Ghost Bear's 332nd Assault and Fourteenth Battle Clusters rampaged into the factory with the Nova Cat Fusiliers barely holding on. Odd slightly changed as company of Draconis Combine troops emerged from hidding and ambushed Ghost Bear's taking some 'Mechs out of action before being completely destroyed. By night's end the Fusiliers would be barely functional and holding on as their ammunition exhausted.

Fighting in New Barcella City and the Battle's End

While battle for the factories raged through the night, the Omega Galaxy would make it's move on the 8th to pentreate the city's defenses and destroy the heart of the Nova Cat Enclave. Khan Drummond fought with his Rossei Keshik as they and Nova Cat Renegades and the Dragonclaws Clusters fought successfully Omega's attempts to penetrate deeply into the city. Having not gained any ground in the city, the Omega Galaxy's commander would opt use his grounded Polaris-Class DropShips' artillery to devastate the city's defenders. The ships would send two waves of Type 50 Cruise missiles roar down on the defenders knocking down buildings. The bombardment made it seem that artillery attacks had kill Khan Drummond and destroyed genetic depositories of the Nova Cats.

With city/Enclave in ruins, the DropShips fired another wave cruise missiles into the factories to finish off the defenders and make certain the factories were utterly destroyed. The Dominion force then comb the city for Nova Cat survivors killing them as well as civilians who had not evacuated the city. With their objectives achieved the Ghost Bears would depart the system on the 9th.

The Nova Cat's military and factories on the planet would be found completed destroyed in aftermath of the battle. However, the Nova Cat Khan was found alive in his Nova Cat heavily injured, while Nova Cat's genetic materials were mostly intact in the bunker. With all it's factories destroyed, most of it's sibikos ravaged across the Prefecture, the Nova Cat's touman at this point could not be rebuilt.

Final Battles of the War

The aftermath of the Irece raid would trigger more unrest in both the Draconis Combine and Ghost Bear Dominion. During the battle of Irece, unknown/unidentified DCMS units had appeared and were destroyed. Protests of the sacrifice of loyal warriors to the Dragon in defense of the Nova Cats would help begin to seed descent. It would be much later these mysterious wrecked units found at the battlesites would link to missing Mechs that had disappeared during the Jihad. It would be suspected that the Black Dragon Society was involved.

While in the Ghost Bear Dominion, civilians were outraged by loss life on Irece which was caused by Ghost Bear troops. Motstånd terror group would use these protests as cover for to resume there efforts to inflict harm on Ghost Bears by bombing their facilities. The bombings would stall Ghost Bear's continued expeditions into the Combine, forcing recall the Taiga and Polar Galaxies back to the Dominion to assist in the hunt for the terrorist near Rasalhague.

Muatang - August 3100

Based on faulty intelligence, the Seventeenth Benjamin Regulars and the Dragonscales Cluster try retake Muatang for it's Battle Armor factories lost to the Ghost Bears. The invasion force would arrive in first of August when they discovered that the Rho Trinary Galaxy Command was also present on world with the garrisoning Eighth Bear Cuirassiers. After two attempts to grab the Battle Armor factory, the Eleven day battle proved to be a loss for the Combine. The Ghost Bears had focus their efforts on the less experienced Dragonscales Cluster, while during the second push for the factory surprising Seventeenth by aggressively pushing them out of position. The Rho TGC end up chasing them to their DropShip with only a Star of Dragonscales 'Mech would survive the Cuirassiers attacks to retreat with them off world.

Jarrett and Thule - September 3100

As part of the effort to reclaim worlds lost to the Combine, the Polar Galaxy was dispatch. Arriving at Jarrett on the 18th of September, where the Ghost Bears out numbered the defending First Ghosts. The Ghost would give the Bears a good fight, but judge situation as hopeless and not worth being destroyed over food producing world. They used mobile battle tactics to make their way to their DropShips to withdraw from the planet eight days later.

While on Thule in 22nd, the Taiga Galaxy would arrive to reclaim the planet for the Dominion. With no organic transportation, the Thirteenth Sun Zhang Cadre would resort stalling tactics in hopes for reinforcements would arrive help them evacuate the planet. However, by the 30th, they would destroyed before help could be dispatched. Survivors of the unit were suspected to have been made prisoners, but even after decade the Dominion would refuse acknowledge of their imprisonment.

The Fall of Richmond and Idlewind - November 3100

As payback for the destruction of the Battleship Ursa Major, Khan Kabrinski would order Taiga Galaxy and Polar Galaxies to continue their efforts into the Draconis combine, claiming worlds as retribution. On 15th of November, Taige Galaxy's First and Third Freeman Clusters would swiftly take Richmond in a bloodless conquest.

While on the 18th, the Polar Galaxy would arrive at Idlewind, where it would drop First, Third, and Fourth Kavalleri Clusters. Only defended by recently arrived First Ghosts, options of withdraw was remote with their DropShip being capture upon the Ghost Bear's landings. The Kavalleris would swiftly capture the city of Leeward Cove, two days after the Planetary Militia's would begin to probing attacks with their foot and motorized infantry units against the Clusters. Eventually the Planetary Militia and Ghost conceived a plan to try recapture the regiment lost DropShips. In daring plan, two companies of the Ghosts would engage the Second Kavalleri while, planetary militia's infantry would free the DropShip crews and reclaim their DropShips to escape. On the December 2nd, the plan was executed, Second Kavalleri were pulled away from the Spaceport. However, after freeing their dropship crews, they found that Ghost's Dropships were protected by large Battle Armor force. In need act quickly, the Ghost and the militia would resort to using Civilian Mule Class Dropships which were unguarded. They would be forced to abandon two companies of their fellow Ghosts who were soon wiped out by the Second.

Ceasefire and Aftermath

In the Dominion, The Leader of the Unity Council Jukka Heikkinen goes to meet with Khan Kabrinski in early December after viewing BattleROMs of atrocities done in the name on the Dominion on Irece. He demanded that the Dominion's expedition to the Irece Prefecture would be ended in the light of human costs done in the Dominion's name. The Khan would refuse and stated it would be finished when the Nova Cats were all dead. However, Heikkinen notes that KungsArmé Galaxies would likely not want to be known for being wanted for war crimes. With feeling these units battle harden units would turn on the Dominion, Khan Kabrinski and others military leaders would agree to halt to expedition's activities. Heikkinen would quickly announce to peace demonstration that the Clan had agreed to a halt to their military campaign. Soon after Coordinator of the Draconis Combine would agree to a temporary ceasefire so investigation into war crimes could be undertaken.

The Republic of the Sphere would join the investigation with Dominion and Combine investigators into the allegations. The Republic would dispatch a special force to assist in the investigation, which included a fleet consisting of Castrum-Class Pocket WarShips that would be sent to Labrea and Irece maintain the ceasefire between the waring sides.

The investigation would uncover that the Black Dragons Society was the primary driver behind the war. The Combine would soon find out that there were mass graves of civilian castes of the Nova Cats on Port Arthur and that the Society was involved in killing large numbers of Nova Cat civilians during the conflict. Hohiro Kurita ordered the Ryuken-go to hunt down the society's terror cells. A number of Black Society member would be captured, claiming they were trying liberate worlds for the grip of the Clans. Soon it would be discovered that despite large numbers of civilians the Ghost Bears had killed during the conflict, it was the Society's and ultimately the Draconis Combine's fault this conflict had happened. A armistice would be reached after year of negations, which included the exchange of prisoners and ultimately relocation of civilians who did not wish to be living on occupied world. A number of Nova Cats would leave Combine for Republic of the Sphere where they would find refuge from the growing dislike for them in the Combine.

The War would be officially declared over, once the treaty had been accepted by Unity Council Leader Heikkinen on November 10th, 3102.

Notes

It should be noted that the Second Combine-Dominion War is noted sometimes with different names; 2nd Combine-Ghost Bear War 2nd Combine/Ghost Bear War, so forth. This alternate naming stems from the original Combine-Dominion War, which name in official publications varied using Combine/Ghost Bear War The name war would changed to Combine-Dominion War in Era Report: 3062.

Bibliography

• 25 Years of Art & Fiction
• Experimental Technical Readout: Republic, Volume 1
• Field Manual: Updates
• Historical: Wars of the Republic Era