Hawke's War
Chapter One: Betrayed
Mandalore, 18 Years Before the Battle of Yavin


With the rise of the Galactic Empire and the rapid expansion of Palpatine's brutal military forces further and further into the Outer Rim Territories, the Emperor's eyes were set upon Mandalore for its resources, specifically the Beskar, or Mandalorian Iron, found on the planet. Several years ago during the Clone Wars, Mandalore had attempted, for a short amount of time, to stay neutral and peaceful. In the end, Mandalore was unable to remain neutral and a power shift resulted in Mandalore's alignment with the Confederacy of Independent Systems.

With the New Mandalorian faction slowly losing power, the Mandalorian Protectors led by the supposed heir to Jango Fett took power, with said heir inheriting the title of Mand'alor, which signified him as the leader of the Mandalorians. Unfortunately, the Mandalorian Protectors were devastated during the war, with only three surviving members returning from battle.

Mandalore was granted amnesty by the Empire at first, forgiving their alliance with the Separatists, and even purchased land in hopes of mining Mandalorian Iron. Many of the Mandalorian clans opposed this, but most of the clans simply wished to be left alone.

The Trakyr Clan was one of the clans that wished to be left alone by the Empire. The twenty one Mandalorian strong clan had no quarrel with the Empire, except that they had begun a mining operation on the edge of their land. Clan leader of the Trakyr Clan, a fifty three year old human named Ori Trakyr, intended to speak with the Imperials at the dig-site in hopes of negotiating the Imperials' departure from Trakyr Land, bringing along two other clan members in case things went wrong.

While most of the larger Mandalorian clans would have come out, ready to fight the Imperials from their land, Ori knew that his seventeen member clan would not last against an Imperial retaliation in open combat. Instead, Ori had simply brought along his two sons clad in their traditional Beskar Mandalorian armor and armed with their personal weaponry.

Mandalorian armor, or Beskar'gam, was a fundamental part of the Resol'nare, or six actions that the Mandalorian culture revolved around. The Trakyr Clan had a tradition surrounding their armor, with each member of the clan required to craft their own set in order to complete their transition from child to adult and fully fledged member of the clan.

While Beskar was a rare and expensive resource, the Trakyr Clan had access to their own vein on their rather spacious plot of land, resulting in their more frequent use of armor utilizing the near impenetrable material. Trakyr's were respected armor-smiths, with the longstanding tradition going back as far as the Mandalorian Wars, when the Trakyr Clan was much more powerful and influential.

Unlike most other clans, the Trakyr Clan members were each taught the art of armor-smithing from an early age, with every member having the ability to pass on the tradition. While they did have a dedicated armor and weapon-smith, each Trakyr was required to learn the skill and craft their first set of armor from materials of their choice.

Ori, unlike many others of his clan, utilized no Beskar in the making of his armor, instead relying on lightweight, but less durable durasteel armor plates that only partially covered his body. The green colored plates with gray trim covered his chest, back, and legs, with small shoulder pauldrons and a standard Mandalorian helmet, with the exception of the Trakyr Clan sigil painted onto both sides of the helmet. The sigil was a razor sharp tooth of a Corellian Slice Hound, which the Trakyr Clan encountered during the Galactic War, more precisely, the Battle of Corellia back when Mandalorians were allied with the Sith Empire. The green and gray colors on Ori's armor traditionally signified duty and the mourning of a lost loved one, which was, in this case, his deceased wife. The lightweight armor complimented Ori's agile fighting style. Ori utilized a Proton Carbine in combat.

Thirty one year old Leonidas's armor was built with only a small amount of Beskar, with most of the armor being infused with durasteel. The armor was built around the longer range combat that Leonidas preferred, with his shoulders and arms protected the most. His chest and back both had a thin plate of armor, while his legs had a single plate covering either calf muscle. His armor was colored mostly red, which signified the honoring of a parent. Leonidas's spiked helmet was built in the style of the Mandalorian Crusader's of old. He used a two handed LD-1 Target Blaster Rifle when acting as a marksman, with a DH-17 Blaster Pistol in a holster on his waist for close range fights.

Ori's youngest son, twenty five year old Hawke, was more fond of brute force in combat. His armor was built with roughly three quarters of Beskar and one quarter of durasteel, easily making it the toughest and bulkiest armor set of the clan. The thick armor covered close to the entirety of Hawke's body, with exposed sections around the neck, elbows, midsection, codpiece and knees. These exposed spots were covered in underlying armorweave, which was essentially small linked plates of carbon infused durasteel. His armor was a darker shade of blue, with black markings. Blue traditionally showed reliability, while the black was to signify justice. Hawke's helmet was a standard Mandalorian helmet, with his T-shaped visor being a light blue HUD. He also had the Trakyr Clan's sigil on the sides of his helmet, like his father.

Hawke utilized, in close range combat, an Adostic Arms designed 8-Gauge scattergun, which was a large bore, slug-throwing shotgun. When the short ranged shotgun was unsuitable, he dual wielded two highly modified, medium ranged Defender Sporting Blaster Pistols, designed by the Drearian Defense Conglomerate. His DDC Defenders had a higher range, suitable for a maximum range of two hundred and ninety feet. The two blasters were lightweight, possessed a high accuracy, and had a large magazine capacity, making them suitable for combat.

Hawke held his two DDC Defenders in custom made bantha hide holsters, which sat on a utility belt strapped around his waist, while his scattergun was strapped to his back. The twenty five year old also wore a brown kama which hung freely from his waist, and had part of his armor covered in the cloth material. A piece of the ripped, brown fabric hung between his thighs and he had a long strip wrapped around his neck like a protective scarf to prevent annoying particles from squeezing into his armor.

The three were heavily armed, but they did not seek a fight from the Imperial forces at the dig-site. They were simply prepared in case they were forced into a confrontation by the sketchy Stormtroopers guarding the camp. The three Mandalorians utilized a MandalMotors designed BAX-7 Landspeeder to reach the camp from their easily deconstructable hut, known as a vheh'yaim in Mando'a.

When they arrived at the camp, they were greeted by several white plastoid armored soldiers, with DC-15A Blaster Rifles and DC-15S Blaster Carbines aimed at the approaching Mandalorians. Though on edge, Hawke followed his calm father's lead, approaching the Stormtroopers slowly. "That's close enough." The lead Stormtrooper stated, bring the three to a halt.

Ori paused, slowly moving to taking his helmet off, indicating that he was not hostile. "Greetings, troopers. I wish to speak to the commanding officer." The graying fifty three year old stated to the six Imperial soldiers.

"State your business."

"This operation you've setup is on my land and I wish to speak to your boss regarding the removal of your, shall we say, unwanted presence. We do not want trouble." Ori stated, with his hands calmly grasping his helmet.

The expression on the soldiers faces went unseen, but, to Hawke, their actions spoke of confusion. It seemed they didn't know how exactly to proceed. "Sir, this is an Imperial installation, I will ask you once to remove yourselves from the area." The Stormtrooper spoke, confident in his odds against the heavily armed Mandalorian clan members.

Ori's brows furrowed in annoyance, muttering a curse in Mando'a. "That we won't do, aruetii. You are trespassing on the rightful and ancestral lands of the Trakyr Clan. We tolerate your presence and you are welcome to camp on the outskirts of our boundaries, but I cannot allow your presence on my land. I would like to see your superior." Ori explained in defiance, beginning to pace several steps at a time.

The Stormtroopers visibly became tensed and it appeared as if this minor standoff was about to become a full fledged firefight, before a booming voice suddenly echoed towards the group. "Stand down, Sergeant!" A man clad in an immaculate black jumpsuit, with the rank insignia of a Captain on his chest, shouted at the Stormtroopers, causing the six to immediately lower their weapons in compliance.

The young officer was clean shaven, with a head of dark brown hair slicked back, and had a holstered SE-14r Light Repeating Blaster on his waist. He immediately approached the group, ordering away the soldiers. He turned to the three Mandalorians, clearing his throat to speak. "Terribly sorry for the instigation, citizens. I am Captain Oscar Raine, Imperial Navy, at your service." Raine introduced himself, offering his hand to Ori for a handshake.

Hawke was suspicious of the young Captain, but stayed quiet as his father accepted Raine's hand. "No harm done. My name is Ori Trakyr. I am simply here to request that this camp be disbanded, as it lies upon the land of my clan." Ori explained the situation to the young Captain.

Raine was silent, taking a moment to think of a proper, well-worded response. "This camp is a temporary Imperial survey post for a future mining operation and I was unaware of the boundaries of your clan's land. I apologize immensely for this mistake. Would you be so kind as to show me the boundary of your land, so I can begin moving my facility at once?" Raine requested, oddly polite towards the Mandalorian.

Hawke's mistrust grew further and further as this Captain spoke. Ori glanced over towards his sons, subtly indicating that he believed this was some sort of deceit. "Of course, Captain. I would be glad to show you." Ori stated, before turning to their speeder, motioning for Raine to enter. The young Captain smiled and nodded, following Ori who entered the landspeeder as the pilot.

Hawke and Leonidas clambered into the backseats, while Raine took the front passenger seat of the exposed BAX-7 Landspeeder. Ori and the Captain held a small, meaningless conversation during the three mile trip, while both Hawke and Leonidas examined the sparse, desert-like woodlands in which their land was located for any signs of ambush.

The uneventful trip was quickly complete, with Ori stopping the speeder in a defilade that the three Mandalorians knew well, as it was a place they had hunted Shatual bucks in hunting trips prior to this. There was a closeby stream that consisted of snow and rain runoff from a smaller mountain range miles away from where they currently were.

Ori powered down the landspeeder and motioned towards the defilade, speaking to Raine as he did so. "This is an advantageous spot for a camp, Captain, and well away from the borders of our land, as to prevent further mistakes." Ori explained.

Hawke, however, knew better. It was more advantageous for the Mandalorians as an ambush spot against the Imperials who would be camped in the defilade. Though he knew conflict was unwanted and that the Trakyr Clan would not last long against the planetary garrisons the Empire had stationed across Mandalore, the death toll would be stupendous if it did come to combat against the Mandalorians and Imperials.

"This will do well enough. You don't happen to have survey data of the surrounding area, perchance?" Raine questioned the older Mandalorian, who simply shook his head.

"No. We have what we require and have no need to search for more." Was all Ori said in explanation.

The Captain nodded his head in understanding, clambering out of the BAX-7. "You'll excuse me if I don't accompany you further. I will begin preparations to move my camp at once." Raine explained as Hawke climbed into the front passenger seat, with Leonidas remaining in the backseat, quietly observing.

Ori nodded, powering the speeder up once more, leaving the Captain where he stood. "Buir, that aruetyc alor'ad does not sit well with me." Leonidas spoke first, putting into words both his and Hawke's general idea about Captain Raine.

"I know, ad. I don't trust him anymore than you, but there is nothing we can do now. We will remain vigilant tonight and for the foreseeable future. Leonidas, Hawke, I expect you both to stand aran tonight." Ori explained, ending the discussion with that simple statement. Hawke and Leonidas would stand at the ready, in case the Imperials attempted to attack their home.

Once they arrived back at the clan's vheh'yaim, both Hawke and Leonidas immediately took up post as sentries, with Hawke guarding the main entrance and Leonidas standing ready atop the makeshift longhouse, in a marksman's perch. They would watch vigilantly through most of the night, until relieved by other members of the clan.

Hawke was kept company by the clan's armor and weapon-smith, an elder red-skinned male Devaronian with a chipped left horn by the name of Teosta. Adopted by the clan after his family's starship crashed when he was a child, Teosta proved to be one of the most skilled craftsman the clan had ever sired, becoming the main armor and weapon-smith of the Trakyr Clan.

"The deal with the Imperials went smoothly?" Teosta questioned, speaking with Hawke. Teosta was technically an adopted Uncle of Hawke's, though anyone adopted by a Mandalorian clan was treated as if they were born family.

"Suspiciously so, ba'vodu. I believe that the lead aruetii will betray us and sick his Imperial dogs on us." Hawke explained, his eyes never pausing as he scanned the landscape surrounding the clan's home. Dusk had long since fallen and was slowly turning into dark and though he had night-vision built into his helmet's HUD, it was becoming more and more difficult to observe the surrounding area.

Teosta scoffed. "He wouldn't dare. We would fight to the last Mando and he should know it." The Devaronian stated, patting his holstered carbine as he spoke to the younger Mandalorian. Nevertheless, something didn't sit well with Hawke and he suspected that the night would not fare well for the Trakyr Clan.

As if on cue, rapid blaster fire suddenly emerged from a forested area nearby, hitting the side of the stone vheh'yaim. Both Hawke and Teosta dove to cover behind a nearby concrete wall. The older Devaronian quickly drew his carbine, returning fire, as Hawke unholstered his dual wielded blasters and began suppressing the area the fire was coming from.

A Mandalorian that Hawke couldn't identify at first emerged from the entrance, before being mowed down by a quick, but efficient burst of blaster fire. It was obvious that they were dealing with an emplacement of some sort. "Stay!" Teosta shouted into the stone longhouse, ordering his fellow clan members to stay within the relative safety of the vheh'yaim.

That turned out to be a mistake. The unmistakable sound of two missile launchers suddenly filled the air, with on soaring straight over the house, while the other hit its mark. It most have been an armor piercing shell, as it punched a hole right through the wall before exploding in a fiery fury, literally igniting the air. It was enough to blast Teosta away from their cover, while Hawke was thrown off his feet.

The resulting blast also caused Hawke's helmet-covered head to smash into the wall, resulting in a small crack near the bottom of the T-shaped visor. Hawke felt as if he had suddenly been thrown into the hull of an Imperial cruiser, somewhat dizzy from the hit. He attempted to stand, but failed, falling to his feet. Unable to move, Hawke simply watched as blaster fire flew over head and another explosion rang out, causing a ringing in his ears.

It wasn't long until the blaster fire died down and a familiar figure was standing over his seemingly lifeless body. "These fools thought they could order me around as if I was a simple stooge. Such a shame. Such a waste." The voice of Captain Raine stated with a noticeable lack of remorse, somewhat dull to Hawke's currently half deaf ears. Hawke watched as Raine pulled his sidearm free and aimed it at the defenseless Hawke. A single bolt was enough to send Hawke into a state of blissful, yet pained unconsciousness.


The first thing Hawke noticed when his eyes fluttered open was that snow was lightly falling to the ground, partially covering his visor. The second, and more pressing, thing that Hawke noticed was a severe pain on the left side of his abdominal region. Slowly, the twenty five year old managed to raise his head to look at what caused his pain.

A scorch mark on the exposed part of his Beskar'gam indicated that he had taken a blaster bolt from... "Raine." He managed to rasp out, practically leaping to his feet with rage. He looked around, seeing nothing but smoke columns pluming from the Trakyr Clan's vheh'yaim. Several armor clad bodies lay, littered about around the burning stone longhouse. He recognized them as the family members he had grown up with, including women and children.

The Mandalore sun was slowly rising, indicating that Hawke had been unconscious throughout the entirety of the night. It was unlikely any survivors were to be found, but he searched nevertheless. Trakyr Clan members had been brutally and efficiently executed, with Hawke's survival being a pure fluke on the cocky Imperial Captain's part.

Hawke groaned in pain, clutching his wound tightly as he looked around at the devastation of Clan Trakyr. None of the bodies so much as stirred when he approached them, but he checked the vitals of each no matter what he thought. He searched and searched, but could not find the body of his buir, though he knew Ori had been inside the vheh'yaim when the missiles had struck.

It appeared as if the Imperials had utilized more missiles after Hawke had fallen unconscious from the first impact, as the Trakyr vheh'yaim was now nothing more than a collapsed ruin of cobblestone rubble. Rage and sadness rose steadily through Hawke, along with pain and adrenaline from his wound. The combination was almost enough to send him over the edge, though he remained as steady as he could manage.

Several of his kin were unaccounted for and Hawke knew his buir had a fallback for the clan, which consisted of a single starship and a small cache of supplies in case a disaster struck the clan, as it had now. It was nearby, several miles away from the burning remnants of the Trakyr Clan homestead, hidden in an abandoned mining shaft concealed by overgrown foliage.

Hawke managed to retrieve his two discarded DDC Blasters, while his scattergun had remained strapped to his back during the chaos of last night's brief, yet brutal firefight. As he begin limping away, he nearly tripped and lost his footing over something that had been concealed by the snowfall.

The twenty five year old reached down, grasping the object that he had fallen over. Hawke nearly dropped the item in shock when he saw what it was. It was his brother's LD-1 Blaster Rifle, somewhat scarred from the firefight, but seemingly operational. Hawke knew Leonidas would not have willingly discarded his weapon under any circumstance, causing Hawke to fear the worse.

Nevertheless, Hawke strapped the rifle to his back in hopes of finding his brother alive and continued limping away from the burning ruins of what had been his clan's home, clutching his wound along the way. He knew the only hope for his clan was to make it to that mine-shaft, though he didn't know how long he would make it with his wound...