View source for 357th Assault (Rasalhague Dominion)

{{infoBoxMilitaryCommand
| image          = [[File:Galaxy Omega (Clan Ghost Bear) logo.png|Insignia of Omega Galaxy]]
| Designation    = 357th Assault Cluster
| Formed         = Between [[3055]] and [[3057]]
| Disbanded      = 
| Previous Designation = 
| Nickname       = The Cave Bears
| Affiliation    = [[Rasalhague Dominion]]<br>[[Clan Ghost Bear]] (previous)
| Parent Command = [[Omega Galaxy (Rasalhague Dominion)|Omega Galaxy]]
| Sub-Command    = 
}}

==History==
=== First Draconis Combine/Ghost Bear War===
As a part of [[Omega Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Omega Galaxy]] the '''357th Assault Cluster''' were directly involved in the [[1st Combine-Dominion War|First Draconis Combine / Ghost Bear War]], which began in [[3062]] with a suicidal attack by three [[regiment]]s of the [[Alshain Avengers]] against [[Alshain]]. The units of Omega Galaxy fought [[Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery]] troops on [[Schuyler]] and [[Meilen]] and then faced off against [[Clan Nova Cat]] forces on [[Yamarovka]], location of the last of the surviving Alshain Avengers. Before Omega could engage the Avengers the rogue [[DCMS]] unit was destroyed by the Nova Cat's [[Zeta Provisional Galaxy (Clan Nova Cat)|Zeta Galaxy]], which then retreated offworld before offering even token resistance to the Ghost Bears.<ref name="FM:Up61">''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 61, "Omega Galaxy (The Raging Bears)"</ref>

=== The Jihad ===
==== Luthien ====
Having been formed and trained specifically to fight Inner Sphere opponents, Omega was ideally suited for fighting the [[Word of Blake]]. As a consequence the 357th Assault Cluster and the other [[Cluster]]s within Omega Galaxy saw some of the heaviest fighting of the [[Jihad]], working alongside the Ghost Bear [[Alpha Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Alpha Galaxy]] throughout the conflict. The first campaign Omega was involved in was the assault on [[Luthien]];<ref name="FR:Cp9">''Field Report: Clans'', p. 9, "Omega Galaxy"</ref> in December [[3074]], the Alpha, Omega and [[Rho Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Rho Galaxies]] of [[Clan Ghost Bear]] swept onto Luthien, intent on wiping out all Blakist forces.<ref name=JTPL7-Alpha>''Jihad Turning Points: Luthien'', p. 7, "Alpha Galaxy [Clan Ghost Bear]"</ref><ref name=JTPL7-Omega>''Jihad Turning Points: Luthien'', p. 7, "Omega Galaxy [Clan Ghost Bear]"</ref><ref name=JTPL7-Rho>''Jihad Turning Points: Luthien'', p. 7, "Rho Galaxy [Clan Ghost Bear]"</ref><ref name=JTPL-11>''Jihad Turning Points: Luthien'', p. 11, "Damnation"</ref><ref name="FR:Cp9R">''Field Report: Clans'', p. 9, "Rho Galaxy"</ref> Omega expected to face Blakist forces but instead found itself attacked by the [[6th Benjamin Regulars|Sixth Benjamin]] and [[40th Dieron Regulars|Fortieth Dieron Regulars]], [[regiment]]s loyal to the ''[[Kokuryu-kai]]'' or [[Black Dragon Society]]. Although Omega Galaxy devastated both rebel formations, Galaxy Commander Ortiz had to compensate for her malcontent warriors, who wanted to concentrate on the Blakist forces.<ref name=JTPL_7_OG>''Jihad Turning Points: Luthien'', p. 7, "Omega Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)"</ref>

The 357th and the other Ghost Bear forces fighting on Luthien never once offered ''[[zellbrigen]]'' to any of the Word units and effectively eradicated the Word forces on Luthien by the 20th of December. Very few survivors from the Word of Blake managed to flee or become captives, and the Ghost Bear forces destroyed any DCMS forces that attempted to interfere in the Ghost Bear campaign against the Word.<ref name="JHS3076p55">''Jihad Hot Spots: 3076'', p. 55, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp53">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 53, "The Jihad In Review"</ref> As suddenly as they had arrived, the Ghost Bear forces left Luthien at the end of January, leaving the DCMS to frantically redeploy forces to fortify the world; the relief units began arriving two weeks later on the 14th of February, only to find no sign of any Blakist troops in the wake of the Ghost Bear withdrawal.<ref name="J:FRp53"/><ref name="JHS:Tp14">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 14, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref> The destruction of the [[42nd Shadow Division|Forty-second Shadow Division]] on Luthien at the hands of the three galaxies of Ghost Bear troops represented the first instance of a [[Shadow Division]] being destroyed completely.<ref name="J:FRp125">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 125, "Shadow Divisions"</ref>

==== Kaus Borealis ====
After Luthien Omega Galaxy formed a part of the Ghost Bear campaign designated as Alpha Wave, continuing to operate alongside Alpha Galaxy.<ref name="FR:Cp9"/> In late August [[3075]] Alpha Wave launched a campaign to liberate [[Kaus Borealis]], again ignoring all hails from Draconis Combine forces. In mid-September the allied coalition leader [[Devlin Stone]] traveled to Kaus Borealis with a small diplomatic party to meet with Clan Ghost Bear and attempt to enlist their support for the coalition. On the 21st of September, the Ghost Bears agreed to assist the coalition, and soon launched another wave of attacks against nearby worlds occupied by the Blakists.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 18, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp54">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 54, "The Jihad In Review"</ref> 

==== Dyev ====
After landing on [[Dyev]] alongside Alpha and [[Pi Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Pi Galaxies]]<ref name="FR:Cp10">''Field Report: Clans'', p. 10, "Pi Galaxy"</ref> during a wave of attacks against worlds in the Word of Blake Protectorate in July [[3076]],<ref name="JHS:Tp22">''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 22, "Timeline of the Jihad"</ref><ref name="J:FRp56">''Jihad: Final Reckoning'', p. 56, "The Jihad In Review"</ref> Omega Galaxy found itself facing a Blakist counteroffensive in December when a task force breached the blockade of Ghost Bear and [[Clan Snow Raven|Snow Raven]] ships in orbit and landed six Divisions of troops on the surface of Dyev. The Blakists landed around Trogport and the planetary capital, Novaya Mensk, before deploying outwards. Omega Galaxy found itself fighting alongside Alpha Galaxy against the [[28th Division (Word of Blake)|Twenty-eighth Militia Division]] and the [[3rd Byrant Protectorate Militia Division|Third Bryant]] and [[1st Lipton Protectorate Militia Division|First Lipton Protectorate Militia Divisions]]; the Blakists used the Tupik Chasm and various mining tunnel complexes that connected to the chasm as fortifications to try and resist the Ghost Bear attack.<ref>''Jihad Hot Spots: Terra'', p. 18, "A Time Of Cleansing"</ref>

==== Dieron ====
In [[3077]], Alpha,<ref name="FR:Cp9A">''Field Report: Clans'', p. 9, "Alpha Galaxy"</ref> [[Beta Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Beta]],<ref name="FR:Cp9B">''Field Report: Clans'', p. 9, "Beta Galaxy"</ref> Rho<ref name="FR:Cp9R"/> and Omega Galaxies launched an attack on [[Dieron]].<ref name="FR:Cp9">''Field Report: Clans'', p. 9, "Omega Galaxy"</ref> Dieron was a bloodbath for all the Ghost Bear Galaxies involved; when they landed on Dieron Omega had already been reduced to approximately half strength from fighting on Dyev and Khan Kabrinski initially held them back as a reserve unit, but Omega was involved in a horrific firefight around the Ghost Bear's main drop zone; Omega managed to hold off multiple Protectorate Militia units for a week despite their lack of numbers. Once Alpha reinforced Omega the Protectorate forces were destroyed. The campaign devastated Omega Galaxy, and both the [[10th Bear Cuirassiers (Clan Ghost Bear)|Tenth Bear Cuirassiers]] and the [[139th Striker (Clan Ghost Bear)|139th Striker Cluster]]s were destroyed. The surviving personnel from Omega Galaxy were reassigned to Beta Galaxy.<ref name=JTPD_7_OG>''Jihad Turning Points: Dieron'', p. 7, "Omega Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)"</ref>

=== Rebuilding ===
The two Clusters from Omega Galaxy that survived the Dieron campaign, the [[5th Bear Guards (Clan Ghost Bear)|Fifth Bear Guards]] and the 357th, were separated back out from Beta Galaxy when Beta returned to the [[Ghost Bear Dominion|Dominion]] and used to re-form Omega, with each contributing units to form the new Galaxy Command Trinary, although that left each Cluster severely understrength.<ref name="FR:Cp9"/>

=== The Dark Age ===
In the years between [[3079]] and [[3085]], Omega Galaxy underwent further rebuilding efforts with mixed results. Whereas Omega had been regarded with suspicion by the rest of the [[Clan Ghost Bear Touman|Ghost Bear ''touman'']] after it had originally been formed - despite having been formed from the best warriors available - the bulk of the replacement personnel assigned to Omega as it rebuilt were Rasalhagian recruits who lacked a firm grounding in the Way of Clans. Where Omega had always walked a tightrope in the past between the ways of honor and the dishonorable excesses of the Inner Sphere, the balance was considered to have firmly shifted towards the latter, with many Ghost Bears coming to shun Omega for what was considered to be a descent into ''[[dezgra]]''.<ref name="FM:3085p120">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 120, "Omega Galaxy"</ref>

The Dominion attempted to check this downward slide; after the Jihad the Dominion disbanded three Galaxies - [[Omicron Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Omicron]], Pi and [[Sigma Galaxy (Clan Ghost Bear)|Sigma Galaxies]], and the surviving personnel from one of the Clusters within Pi Galaxy, the [[23rd Provisional Garrison (Clan Ghost Bear)|Twenty-third Provisional Garrison Cluster]], were assigned to units across Omega including the 357th, while the [[3rd Bear Regulars (Rasalhague Dominion)|Third Bear Regulars]] were transferred in as a discrete unit from [[Theta Galaxy (Rasalhague Dominion)|Theta Galaxy]]. It was hoped that the combination of these [[Clan]] warriors plus those originally assigned to Omega Galaxy would provide a good example for the Galaxy. Unfortunately, both the Third and Twenty-third had been primarily defensive Clusters, and the transition into a front-line formation was difficult for them; as a result, Omega was moved to locations where the nearest significant enemy force was unlikely to launch an attack - the nearest enemy force being [[Kappa Galaxy (Clan Wolf)|Kappa Galaxy]] of [[Clan Wolf]] - while also placing Omega under the watchful eye of the Dominion's [[Tau Galaxy (Rasalhague Dominion)|Tau Galaxy]].<ref name="FM:3085p120"/>

As a part of Omega Galaxy the 357th was directly involved in the formation of the [[Vega Protectorate]] during the widespread invasions of the [[Republic of the Sphere]]. While the Vega Protectorate was independent Omega was starved of supplies by the Rasalhague Dominion, and the little new equipment it was able to obtain consisted largely of salvage or equipment purchased from [[Clan Sea Fox]]. When the [[1st Vega Regulars (Rasalhague Dominion)|First Vega Regulars]] successfully fought off an invasion by the [[12th Falcon Jaegers (Clan Jade Falcon)|Twelfth Falcon Jaegers]] in [[3142]] they not only achieved a notable victory - they also secured valuable salvage.<ref name="FM:3145p164">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 164, "Omega Galaxy"</ref>

Whilst Omega lacked equipment, it had no problem attracting recruits from among the Vegan population, particularly after the Dominion began shipping Freeminders into the Protectorate. Omega's supply lines improved after the Vega Protectorate was absorbed into the Dominion and became a semi-autonomous province; access to the Dominion brought access to cast-off equipment from other Dominion forces. By [[3145]] the 357th resembled front-line Clan forces once more.<ref name="FM:3145p164"/>

During the Dominion's assault upon the Draconis Combine in [[3150]], the 357th left its base on [[Moore]] to invade [[Dyev]]. [[Battle of Dyev (3150)|The battle]] was easily won by the Dominion warriors, who destroyed the local militia when they refused to surrender.<ref>''Shattered Fortress'', p. 83, "Dominion dominates Combine"</ref>

==Officers==
{| class="wikitable"
|- 
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Rank
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Name
! scope="col" width="220" style="background: #dedede;" | Command
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the 357th Assault (Clan Ghost Bear)'''
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the 357th Assault (Ghost Bear Dominion)'''
|-
| [[Star Colonel]]||[[Naiad Ortiz]]||[[3061]] - [[3067]]<ref name=FMWC93/><ref name="FM:Up77"/>
|-
| [[Star Colonel]]||[[Linda Hall]]||[[3085]]<ref name="FM:3085p127"/>
|-
| colspan="4" style="background: #efefef;" | '''Commanding Officers of the 357th Assault (Rasalhague Dominion)'''
|-
| [[Star Colonel]]||[[Troy Hall]]||[[3145]]<ref name="FM:3145p173">''Field Manual: 3145'', p. 173, "Vega Protectorate"</ref>
|-
|}

==Tactics==
Uses tactics based on the [[Lyran]] "Wall of Metal". The cluster was created with one goal in mind: to beat the IS armies with their own tactics. This included tactical retreat, massed fire and others.<ref name=FMWC93>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 93, "357th Assault Cluster Profile"</ref>

==Composition==
===3061===
'''357th Assault Cluster''' (Regular/Fanatical)<ref name=FMWC163>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 163</ref>
:CO: Star Colonel Naiad Ortiz <ref name=FMWCp92>''Field Manual: Warden Clans'', p. 92</ref>
:* 4 [[Trinary|Trinaries]] (mostly Assault class machines)
: Note: At this time the unit was stationed on [[Radlje]].<ref name=FMWC163/>

=== 3067 ===
'''357th Assault Cluster''' (Regular/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:Up77">''Field Manual: Updates'', p. 77, "Omega Galaxy (The Raging Bears)"</ref>
:- Stationed on [[Radlje]] at this point in time, the 357th was at full strength with all bar five percent of the Cluster equipped with [[OmniMech]]s or equivalent technology.<ref name="FM:Up77"/>

=== 3079 ===
'''357th Assault Cluster''' (Regular/Fanatical)<ref name="FR:Cp11">''Field Report: Clans'', p. 11, "Deployment Status"</ref>
: Note:  Stationed on [[Endagin]] in [[3079]], the 357th were at just thirty percent of full strength, although all bar ten percent of the Cluster were equipped with OmniMechs or equivalent technology.<ref name="FR:Cp11"/>

=== 3085 ===
'''357th Assault Cluster''' (Regular/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3085p127">''Field Manual: 3085'', p. 127, "Omega Galaxy (The Raging Bears)"</ref>
:- At this point in time the 357th was stationed on [[Altenmarkt]] and was just below two-thirds of full strength; close to ninety percent of the Cluster were equipped with OmniMechs or equivalent advanced technology.<ref name="FM:3085p127"/>

=== 3145 ===
'''357th Assault Cluster''' (Elite/Fanatical)<ref name="FM:3145p173"/>
:- At this point in time the 357th was stationed on both [[Kaus Media]] and [[Moore]], and was at five percent above full strength, but only a third of the Cluster had access to OmniMechs or similar advanced technology.<ref name="FM:3145p173"/>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Field Manual: 3085]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: 3145]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Updates]]''
* ''[[Field Manual: Warden Clans]]''
* ''[[Field Report: Clans]]''
* ''[[Jihad: Final Reckoning]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: 3076]]''
* ''[[Jihad Hot Spots: Terra]]
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Dieron]]''
* ''[[Jihad Turning Points: Luthien]]''
* ''[[Shattered Fortress]]''
[[Category: Rasalhague Dominion Commands|Assault, 357th]]