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{{Update Needed|[[BattleTech: Somerset Strikers ForcePack]]}}
{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image = Zachary Hawkins.jpg
| caption =
| name = Zachary Miles Hawkins<ref name=SSFP>''Somerset Strikers ForcePack'', "Zachary Hawkins" pilot card</ref>
| birthdate =
| died =
| othernames = "Hawk"<ref name=SSFP/>
| affiliation = [[House Hawkins]]
| rank = [[Hauptmann (rank)|Hauptmann]]<ref name=SSFP/>
| title =
| position =
| profession = [[MechWarrior (pilot)|MechWarrior]]
| parents =
| siblings =
| spouse =
| children =
}}
'''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 prestige 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 [[BattleMech]]s - Federated Commonwealth reporting name ''[[Mauler]]'' - which he would pilot afterwards.<ref name=FSS-49>''1st Somerset Strikers'', p. 49: "Cast of Characters - Zachary Miles Hawkins"</ref>

By [[3049]], "Hawk" Hawkins took on special assignments for the [[Armed Forces of the Federated Commonwealth]] and the [[Federated Commonwealth]]'s [[Intelligence Secretariat]], assignments 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 (Individual Invader-class 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]].<ref name=FSS-49/>

As a soldier's soldier, "Hawk" Hawkins had learned from experience to often trust his own judgment ahead of the lackluster [[Social General]]s endemic to the Lyran military, thus he had a large high of skepticism 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 multinational composition of the Strikers.<ref name=FSS-49/>

The exploits of the First Somerset Strikers became the basis for a factually inaccurate but nevertheless hugely popular [[BattleTech: The Animated Series|holo series]] that prominently featured Hawkins with his ''Mauler'' in an embellished role and cemented the fame of the ''Mauler''.<ref name=S15>''Shrapnel'' magazine, issue #15, p. 185</ref> It also established Hawkins as one of the best known ''Mauler'' pilots, despite the fact that his 'Mech was actually lost during the recapture of Somerset in [[3050]].

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.<ref name=TRO3050U-32>''Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade'', p. 32: "WLF-2 Wolfhound"</ref>

By the time of 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.<ref name=TRO3050U-32/>

==BattleMechs==
During the initial [[Clan Invasion]], "Hawk" Hawkins piloted a ''Mauler'' that was however lost in the 3050 recapture of [[Somerset]].<ref name=S15/>

He would inherit a WLF-1 ''Wolfhound'' dubbed ''Grit'' during his service with the First Somerset Strikers, though Hawkins would initially store it on Ryde.<ref name=TRO3050U-32/> He piloted a ''Wolfhound'' - implicitly, this one - in the [[3052]] strike on [[Barcelona]].<ref name=S15/>

==Notes==
* An [[apocryphal]] version of the "Hawk" Hawkins' ''Mauler'', dubbed ''[[Knockout]]'', is one of the [[Hero 'Mechs]] in the ''[[MechWarrior Online]]'' video game<ref name=MWO-RH->''MechWarrior Online'': "Resistance Heroes"</ref> and somewhat anachronistically ''[[MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries]]''.

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[1st Somerset Strikers (sourcebook)|1st Somerset Strikers]]''
* ''[[Bushwacker Lore and Blueprint]]''
* [https://mwomercs.com/resistance-heroes ''MechWarrior Online'' "Resistance Heroes" Sale Page]
* ''[[Shrapnel Issue 15]]''
* ''[[Somerset Strikers ForcePack]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3050 Upgrade]]''

[[Category:Lyran Commonwealth Characters|Hawkins, Zachary]]
[[Category:Notable Mauler Pilots|Hawkins, Zachary]]

Zachary Hawkins - Revision history

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