Zachary Hawkins
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Zachary Miles Hawkins | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal | |
| Also known as | "Hawk" |
| Affiliation | House Hawkins |
| Profile | |
| Rank | Captain[1] |
| Profession | MechWarrior |
Zachary Miles "Hawk" Hawkins was best known as a member of the famous First Somerset Strikers.
History
Born on Ryde to a family of well-to-do vintners, rather than join the family wine business Zachary Miles Hawkins opted to join the Lyran Commonwealth Armed Forces instead. Starting as a grunt soldier, Hawkins experienced a slow and gradual rise through the ranks thanks to dedication and sheer hard work, caring more about getting the job done rather than earning prestiage as socially mobile officers were. Hawkins was a member of the Fourth Skye Rangers during the War of 3039, undertaking some twenty-seven missions and earning four field commendations. Hawkins apparently received one of the captured examples of the Draconis Combine's Daboku assault BattleMechs - Federated Commonwealth reporting name Mauler - which he would pilot afterwards.[1]
By 3049, "Hawk" Hawkins took on special assignments for the Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth and the Federated Commonwealth's Intelligence Secretariat, assignements that took him all over the Inner Sphere. During the opening shots of the Clan Invasion he held the rank of Captain and was stationed on Tharkad, taking part in the smuggling investigation and boarding of Isesaki Shipping JumpShip Katana and DropShip Kwaidan. His involvement in that investigation would result in Hawkins finding himself drafted into Major Adam Steiner's ad-hoc First Somerset Strikers and their recon mission to Clan Jade Falcon-held Somerset.[1]
As a soldier's soldier, "Hawk" Hawkins had learned from experience to often trust his own judgement ahead of the lackluster Social Generals endemic to the Lyran military, thus he had a large degree of scepticism for the untried "schoolboy" Major Steiner, but soon discovered this was not the case and became among Steiner's most loyal supporters. The gruff but good natured Hawkins took it upon himself to maintain order among the Strikers as he did in his other units, his efforts sorely tested by the multi-national composition of the Strikers.[1] Inheriting a WLF-1 Wolfhound dubbed Grit during his service with the First Somerset Strikers, following the disbandment of the Strikers Hawkins returned to his normal duties and sent the 'Mech to a family facility on Ryde. [2]
By the Word of Blake Jihad, "Hawk" Hawkins was acting as the Lyran Intelligence Corps's liaison to the mysterious Star Seeds mercenary unit. While retaining his MechWarrior status, Grit remained in storage on Ryde, though Hawkins reportedly called in several favors to get some top-of-the-line technology pulled aside for him. Nobody, not even his surviving relatives, knew if this indicated he'd be upgrading Grit or if he had done so for some other purpose.[2]
BattleMechs
During the initial Clan Invasion, "Hawk" Hawkins was piloting a Mauler. He would inherit a WLF-1 Wolfhound dubbed Grit during his service with the First Somerset Strikers, though Hawkins would not use the following the initial Clan Invasion, instead stored on Ryde.[2]
Notes
- An apocryphal version of the "Hawk" Hawkins' Mauler, dubbed Knockout, is one of the Hero 'Mechs in the MechWarrior Online video game[3] and somewhat anachronistically MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries.