Corporal Jack Hawke

Corporal Jack Hawke, Service Number 09219-12174-JH, is a young Corporal in the UNSC Marine Corps. He is a remarkable sharpshooter as well as a cocky risk-taker. He is a survivor of the highly-secretive OPERATION: Conquistador and has been an influential soldier in the Battle of Installation 05.

= Background = Jack Hawke was born December 17, 2526 in Phoenix, Arizona – only a year into the brewing Human-Covenant War. His parents were high in the rankings of a UNSC-allied supply company. The company, Darlington Industries, were soon rewarded two docking ships of their own. The Hawke family moved into one called the Servant's Bliss. The ships often made deliveries to Jericho VII and Reach, among other colonies. The Bliss was present at the destruction of Eridanus II in 2530 and was nearly destroyed by the Covenant forces.

In 2531, on the way to the Outer Colonies for a routine pick-up, the Bliss came into contact with a Covenant Frigate. While trying to flee, the Frigate sent a boarding party consisting of three Elites, four Jackals, and seven Grunts. The 49 members of the crew of the Bliss armed themselves with whatever weaponry they had – HMG-38 rifles and M6A Handguns, mostly. While the Grunts did not wound many crewmembers, the Jackals killed several before being overwhelmed. However, the three Elites slaughtered most of the crew before all three of them were killed. The remaining dozen members of the Bliss were miraculously able to escape from the Frigate. Among those killed included Jack’s parents – his father had revealed his position to the invaders strategically to kill one of the Elites, although sacrificing himself in the process.

When the Bliss returned to Earth, Hawke was brought back to Phoenix and left in the care of an orphanage. He was constantly striving for a way to forget his troubled past, leading to his daredevil-like personality. Throughout his childhood, he paid attention to stories of the Human-Covenant War, including the fall of several Inner Colonies and the infamous Battle of New Constantinople.

In 2544, soon after the Battle of Miridem, Hawke turned 18 years of age. Determined to aid in humanity’s conflict with the Covenant, was finally old enough to leave the orphanage and enlist in the Marine Corps. He completed his Basic Training by April 2545 and quickly excelled in sniping. For a few years, he took many optional (though extremely fatiguing) training courses and increased his sharpshooting abilities to a new high. He also learned many tricks of stealth and close-quarters combat.

Paris IV was attacked by the Covenant in 2549. Private First Class Jack Hawke was sent to fight in this battle alongside hundreds of other soldiers. This was Hawke’s first real chance of seeing action. His first few hours of combat were nerve-wracking as he saw many fellow soldiers fall. However, after scoring a few kills and being commended by a Sergeant who he had seen aiding in the escape of evacuation ships, Hawke’s confidence grew tremendously and he distinguished himself with over two dozen kills before the UNSC retreated from the lost planet. Upon his return to Earth in early 2550, Hawke was promoted to the rank of Corporal.

Corporal Hawke saw combat again in 2552 during the Battle of Sigma Octanus IV. He was part of the 400 reinforcement Marines brought in by General Kits at about 0520 Hours at Côte d’Azur. He fought valiantly once again, saving the lives of several individuals in the UNSC’s greatest victory since the Battle of Harvest in 2531.

However, the sense of victory did not last long. Only a month later, Reach, the UNSC’s greatest military stronghold, was assaulted by Covenant forces. Hawke took part in this battle and barely escaped with his life before the planet was glassed. He escaped on the Argonaut, which only got away because the Covenant deemed the glassing of the planet more important than the escape of one more ship.

The Argonaut made it to Earth about a week later. The UNSC, realizing that they have been obliterated, looked for a new planet to colonize in case Earth was to fall. Two weeks later, they sent three ships (including the Argonaut) to a planet they code-named Pi Alpha IV, or PA4. Several squadrons of Marines, including Hawke, were sent along with a large group of ONI Scientists to this planet. They dubbed this mission OPERATION: Conquistador. The operation went along smoothly until Covenant forces were discovered on PA4. Combat ensued and many of the UNSC forces were killed. The Argonaut, Nelson, and Lee were all destroyed easily in orbit. After about a week and a half of running, the UNSC were able to send in five ships, each one carrying a fleet of Longswords to fend off the ground forces. Eventually, the 17 survivors of OPERATION: Conquistador were extracted and the ships fled back to Earth, losing PA4 in the process.

= Trivia =
 * Although being one of the original characters (created in the summer of 2005), Hawke's backstory has hardly changed.
 * Hawke's middle name, Alexander, is a reference to Alexander the Great.
 * His name was half-inspired by Hollywood actor Ethan Hawke.
 * Hawke was featured in the original HRPGU Trailer created by James McClau, although he was never seen.