Gideon Hask

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Gideon Hask

Gideon Hask, nicknamed "Gid," was ahumanmalenative of theplanetKuat. During theGalactic Civil War, Hask served as asoldier andstarfighterpilot before joining the ranks ofInferno Squad—anelitecommandounit of theGalactic Empire. After witnessing the destruction of thesecond Death Star at theBattle of Endor in4 ABY, Hask and his team were reassigned toOperation: Cinder, aplan devised byEmperorSheev Palpatine todevastate several worlds in the event of hisdeath. His support for the late Emperor's plan brought Hask into directconflict with his teammates,CommanderIden Versio andDel Meeko, both of whomdefected to theNew Republic as a result of the execution of Operation: Cinder onVardos—a planet noted for its loyalty to the Empire. Promoted to therank of Commander byAdmiralGarrick Versio, Iden'sfather, Hask supported the Imperial forces led byCounselorGallius Rax against theforces of the Republic at theBattle of Jakku in5 ABY. Although Hask survived an encounter with his former commandingofficer, the Empire was ultimately defeated and compelled tocapitulate to the Republic, ending the war as well as thereign of the Empire.

In theyears that followed theconclusion of theGalactic Civil War, Hask went on to become anofficer of theFirst Order, amilitary junta founded in theUnknown Regions by a select group of former Imperials who rejected the war's outcome and the subsequentrise of the New Republic. In addition to serving asCommander of theResurgent-class Star DestroyerRetribution by34 ABY, he was also a participant inProject Resurrection—a clandestine operation which aimed to conscriptchildren for the purpose of training them to becomestormtroopers. In the same year, the Republiccapital world ofHosnian Prime wasdestroyed by the First Order'sStarkillersuperweapon, although Hask was killed shortly afterward during a finalconfrontation between himself and Iden Versio.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Gideon Hask wasborn around27 BBY.^[2] Anative of theplanetKuat, Hask was orphaned atten years old when arebel infiltratordetonated a bomb within theKuat shipyards, leaving him as the sole living member of a proud family of high-rankingImperial officers. Hask's newlegal guardian, who felt school was an acceptable substitute forparents, subsequently enrolled him at theFuture Imperial Leaders Military Preparatory School on the planetVardos in theJinata system. Hask eventually learnt to appreciate that the school forced him to mature and taught him various invaluable skills. Whilst there, he encountered theVersio family and connected withIden Versio. Despite her being several years behind him, Hask was tasked with monitoring her and grew to respect her greatly. Hask later studied with Versio at theCoruscant Imperial University, and the pair developed a healthy sense of competition. She consistently bested him, but he used her excellence to spur himself on as they regularly sparred for recognition. Despite their closeness, the school's headmaster,Gleb, instilled in them a sense that they were allies as opposed to friends. By the time of his graduation, Hask had risen to the top of his class.^[1]

Imperial service[]

Early Service and Post-Yavin[]

After leaving the Imperial Academy, Hask eventually came to serve aboard theMandate, earning theCrimson Star for exceptional performances against his enemies along with a promotion and gaining the rank ofLieutenant Junior Grade. He later served on theAdvance as a pilot in its TIE starfighter squadron whilst Iden secured a coveted appointment to theDeath Star which had left Hask feeling aggrieved.^[1]

Three days after the destruction of the Death Star, he was summoned by Admiral Garrick Versio to theFederal District of Coruscant'sImperial City. He was informed that Iden, serving as a TIE Fighter pilot during theBattle of Yavin, had survived the battle station's destruction. Hask's usually professional demeanor betrayed him at hearing the positive news and he caught himself from falling on the corner of the Admiral's desk. He had believed that everyone aboard the Death Star had been killed and had grieved for Iden privately, though the Admiral informed him that a handful of pilots survived.

Hask had been unable and unwilling to share his grief with anyone, as nearly everyone he knew had lost someone in the destruction and he tussled with the enormity of the hole Iden's apparent passing had left. He stated that her survival was one thing to be grateful for in the midst of the tragedy, though when he enquired as to whether her mother,Zeehay Versio, had been informed, Versio shut him down immediately. Hask knew he had been summoned for reasons other than the news of Iden's survival and he was requested to attend a meeting in Versio's office the next morning along with Iden and two others who would be joining them. Hask requested that he speak with Iden that same day, and Versio acquiesced to his request after a few moments.^[1]

Hask arrived at theDiplomat Hotel via VIP shuttle and was pleasantly surprised by the high standards of the suite he was assigned. Using the room’sholoprojector, he contacted Iden via assigned coordinates. The pair greeted each other with genuine happiness, and Hask told her he was glad that she had survived and that he knew she would make sure her survival meant something. She then described how she escaped her crash onYavin and wound up onHosnian Prime. Hask informed her that anImperial scientist had built a weakness in the battle station and that the schematics had beenstolen fromScarif which led the Rebels to find the flaw. They both vowed that the Empire would make the Rebels pay and Hask had a feeling they would both have a big part to play in doing so.^[1]

Birth of Inferno Squad[]

The following morning, Hask, clad in his gray-greengaberwool officer's uniform with his cap tucked under his arm, arrived at the admiral's private conference room. There he, along with Iden, was introduced toLieutenant Commander Del Meeko,chief engineer aboard a Star Destroyer, and LieutenantSeyn Marana ofImperial Navy Intelligence. Admiral Versio arrived and immediately showed them detailed footage of the destruction of the Death Star, which caused Hask to turn pale upon viewing. Versio commented on those present and praised Hask's exemplary Imperial record. He then informed them why they were there - they were to combine their skills into a newly formedSpecial Forces unit whose primary focus was to recover everything and everyone who may have posed a threat to the Empire. When they were dismissed to complete a mission outline to determine the squad leader, which Iden was eventually selected for, Hask questioned Versio on the name of the unit, to which Versio replied it was calledInferno Squad.^[1]

The new unit traveled back to the Diplomat where Hask was the only member to acknowledge Meeko's attempts to lighten the mood. Upon entering the suite, Hask pointed out the art on the walls and asked Iden if her mother was the artist, which she dismissively replied that she was. To help bond the unit, Versio left a bottle ofToniraywine for them to consume, and Hask remarked that he did not think the Admiral had it in him to be so generous. After commenting on the value of the drink, Hask then announced that Inferno Squad should be toasted with a bottle of rebel tears. Following Marana toasting in theAhak Maharr langauge, Hask declared it the best toast he had ever heard and requested that she taught it to him. Knowing that was a hard act to follow, Hask kept his toast simple, stating. “Here's to Inferno Squad. May we live up to our name.”^[1]

The morning after, Hask ribbed Meeko for his mission plan, stating that while droids were handy, they were not a substitute for humans when life-and-death decisions needed to be made. He then asked who he should thank for making thecaf, when it was revealed Meeko had made the beverage, Hask smiled and repeated life and death decisions were important. Hask's plan had involved masquerading as bounty hunters, a plan that Versio praised for its simple and effective straightforwardness.^[1]

First Missions[]

With Iden installed as the squad leader, Inferno Squad headed toArvaka Prime for their first mission. They were tasked with recovering Imperial information thatMoffJaccun Pereez was prepared to sell to clear his debts, with the location being the moff'smansion mansion and the wedding of his daughter,Famma. Hask and Marana were to infiltrate the wedding as guests and recover the information. Hask was dressed in an elegant black tunic and using the pseudonym of Brixx Gavan. With earpieces inserted into their ears, the pair entered the event smoothly as Hask made note of his surroundings, using the small cam embedded in the Imperial symbol on his chest to provide information to Meeko, who was monitoring progress on the squad's ship.^[1]

The pair entered the VIP area of the mansion and headed to the library where Meeko, having been accepted onto the event's decorating staff, had earlier hidden a smallsecurity code descrambler behind a copy ofAncient Keltrian Poets: Masters of Alliteration, which greatly amused Hask. He told Meeko they should always remain friends so that he would not have to worry about his squadmate hiding things he would never uncover. The plan to recover the information involved Pereez drinking thesunfruit liquor they had brought as a wedding gift, the drink having been laced with ten milligrams ofderaformine, which Marana confirmed would cause a reaction from the moff that mimicked death. Hask did not want to entertain the idea of failure so the pair headed to the moff's office and gained access to his safe where he expected to find the information they had come for. Instead, and to Hask's anger, a holorecording of Pereez with Famma as a baby was present. On Meeko's advice, Hask scanned the nearby area and located adatachip stored behind a painting that had covered the safe.^[1]

When the moff consumed enough liquor for the effects to kick in, the pair made their escape from the venue. A guard in the area attempted to stop them from leaving due to the medical emergency that had occurred, but Marana subdued the guard with an uppercut that Hask described as the best he had ever seen. They eventually arrived at the transport where Hask congratulated Iden saying Inferno Squad had successfully completed its first mission. Admiral Versio granted the squad promotions, with Hask becoming anagent.^[1]

Hask was later requested by Versio to meet with Inferno Squad at their new ship, theCorvus. Hask immediately headed to the cockpit and was immensely satisfied by the controls and capabilities of the ship. He would pilot the ship whenever he had the opportunity to, whether alone or with Iden. The squad flew theCorvus on numerous smaller missions which only furthered Hask's desire to strike back at the rebels. He was relishing being part of Inferno Squad and the potential of missions falling into danger and violence at any given moment.^[1]

Mission to infiltrate the Dreamers[]

Extracting a defector[]

Inferno Squad's first major mission was to infiltrate and destroy theDreamers, a partisan group that had arisen to fill the void left bySaw Gerrera's death. Hask scoffed at the title, calling it a pretty name for a terrorist group. The Dreamers had obtained highly sensitive Imperial information and theSullustanBokk Naarg was willing to provide everything he knew about the group and their intel - Naarg himself was a defector from a smaller, less organized group. Hask was initially skeptical about the mission and why Inferno had been tasked with it rather than any number of Naarg's trusted Imperial contacts and was bemused by Marana's condescending reply regarding his appreciation of espionage. Nevertheless, he felt pride that the mission would rest on his shoulders more than any of his comrades as it would be he who would be meeting Naarg and attempting to gain his trust.^[1]

Weeks later, Hask and the squad traveled toTellik Four Station to complete the mission. To provide the impression that he was a civilian pilot, Hask had stopped trimming his hair and shaving since the mission was provided. He made his way into theSingularity club withDio, anID10 seeker droid that Meeko had revamped for the team. He settled into a table near the back of the club and ordered aBespin Breeze while he waited for Naarg. When Naarg arrived, he did so with a pair ofMirialans, twoPantorans, and aTogruta, which had not been part of the plan. Dio noted the jewelry Naarg's companions wore were explosives. Hask lifted his glass to Naarg, who arrived at the table with one of the Pantorans,Sharima. The Sullustan used the agreed code phrase and the mission began. Naarg whispered to Hask - and Dio - that Sharima wanted out as well, and that whilst he held information in his head, she too had information on a datachip in the clasp of her bracelet. Marana wanted to abort the mission due to the changing plan, but Hask continued. Whilst monitoring comms from theCorvus, she identified that Hask had been made an Imperial by the other Pantoran in Naarg's group, and Iden gave the order to abort the mission, but again, Hask continued. Iden arrived at the club disguised as a stormtrooper which distracted Naarg and Sharima long enough for Dio to steal the datachip and remove the explosive jewellery from the Pantoran. Hask instructed the droid to return to the ship as he collected the bomb-gems and raced towards the exit, throwing the explosives behind him as he left. He met Iden in the corridor where the pair hurried back to theCorvus and the safety ofhyperspace.^[1]

Upon reaching hyperspace, Iden turned on Hask and scolded him for disobeying a direct order, with Marana also disagreeing with the execution of the mission which left Naarg and many more dead. Hask hit back that five partisans were dead because of their own violence meaning that it was highly likely that the Dreamers were the only group left. When Meeko confirmed that Dio had retrieved the datachip, Hask waited for an apology from Iden, who retorted she would not provide one, but eventually conceded that Hask's actions had led to the retrieval of potentially crucial information - something that Hask appreciated.^[1]

Beginning the infiltration[]

Whilst the datachip provided valuable information, it did not provide everything Admiral Versio required. Versio informed the team that they would need to infiltrate the Dreamers' operation to find out how they were receiving the Imperial intel. Hask and Meeko were to pose as brothers and rely on their much-desired skills as a pilot and engineer respectively to infiltrate the group. They were instructed to spend a week together bonding before their first mission which would see them gaining access to PantoranpirateLassa Rhayme's ship,Opportunity, and herBlood Bone Order who were responsible for delivering food and weapons to the Dreamers.^[1]

Following their bonding, Hask and Meeko took refuge in a force-field-protected container aboard theFast Friend, owned by theDevaroniansmugglerKurjak. The expectation was that the ship would be intercepted en route toEriadu by Rhayme and the pair would then surrender themselves to her and be transported to theDreamers secret base. Now assuming the name 'Gid Farren', inside the container, Hask and Meeko swapped stories of previous battles, their childhoods, and reminisced on girls they had briefly known. They also played games ofdejarik and watched holovids Meeko had loaded onto Dio. Hask enquired as to whether Meeko was ready to retire and settle down and also informed his colleague that he had his eye on a command position. Hask eagerly listened to Meeko's stories of his family but was evasive when it came to telling his own stories due to his tumultuous upbringing.^[1]

After four days, Rhayme finally attacked, though the pair were nearly sucked into the vacuum of space by the assault, only being saved by Dio and the stabilizing of the cabin's pressure. They made their way to the ship's bridge, blasting any of Kurjak's crew whom they encountered, and hid as they awaited Rhayme to take the ship. Before the Pantoran arrived, Hask and Meeko eliminated more of the crew and trussed Kurjak. When Rhayme boarded theFast Friend, Meeko informed her that the 'brothers' were partisans who had escaped the Tellik Four Station bombing and were attempting to join the Dreamers. Rhayme studied the footage of the bombing via Dio, footage that Admiral Versio had heavily edited, and concluded Meeko's story to be true. In her cabin, the pair and the pirate drankTevraki whiskey and spoke ill of the Empire. Hask told Rhayme of his confusion that she had let the surviving smugglers and Kurjak escape and was surprised when she told him the tall tales of her reputation were slightly exaggerated. He complimented the whiskey before quickly assuring her that, whilst a pair of partisan brothers did not know about fine alcohol, they could tell when a drink was not swill. Following their conversation, Rhayme agreed to take the pair toJeosyn and the location of the Dreamers base but told the brothers they would have to perform work tasks as payment.^[1]

Acceptance by the Dreamers[]

Having been warily accepted byStaven, the group's leader, Hask quickly adapted to life at the Dreamers base and adopted an unshaven appearance. After a few weeks of being in the base, eventually, Marana and Iden arrived and joined the pair alongsideNadrine,Kaev,Dahna,Azen Novaren,Piikow, theKage warrior familyRu Vushan,Halia Vushan, andSadori Vushan and the mysteriousMentor, who comprised the remaining Dreamers. In the early weeks, Hask flew with members of the group, participated in smaller missions, and spoke with Staven regularly about piloting. He also attempted to gain information on other partisan cells, but information was not forthcoming. He was able to elicit from the Mentor that Staven once loved his goddaughter, who perished during theClone Wars.^[1]

Hask was present when a dying stormtrooper was brought to the base as a test for Iden, and was able to prevent any issues between the group leader and his squad leader by offering to take Staven out for a flight if he returned the favor by showing him how to drink. To his surprise, Staven accepted. The pair, along with Dio, headed to the group's scrapyard of ships, and Hask was taken aback with emotion as he came across a stolen TIE Fighter. He declared that he had not seen one up close, and suggested Meeko should fix it up. Eventually, Staven told Hask that he would be piloting a beat-up-lookingA-wing, and, if he could put it through its paces, he would have passed the test. Hask was not sure about the ship's condition but decided he had no choice and took the ship out. He raced the ship across the terrain and through the skies, looping and soaring as Staven grew more excited. Following further moves and target practice, Staven declared he had never seen flying like it before in his life, which caused immense pride to surge through Hask. From then on, Staven and Hask remained close within the group.^[1]

Seeds of distrust[]

During the Dreamers'Mission to Affadar, Hask remained aboard theJinata Security fighter the Dreamers had commandeered with Azen, whom Marana had since identified as an Imperial Security Bureau agent called Lar Kantayan. He watched Iden as she recorded a holovid stating that she was now a part of the Dreamers and denouncing the Empire as part of her father's plan. Whilst Azen was fixated on the holovid recording, Hask activated a homing beacon on Dio that Meeko had built in and headed to the restroom to ensure Azen was unsupervised in the cockpit. When Imperial forces arrived via ground and air, Hask maneuvered the ship and was successful in destroying incoming TIE Fighters, something which left him with mixed feelings. Before extracting the surviving Dreamers, Kaev and Nadrine having died during the attack, Hask destroyed an oncomingLambda-class T-4a shuttle that was preparing to attack the partisans.^[1]

Aboard the ship, Hask feigned rage when it was revealed by Dio that a homing beacon was found on the ship and immediately attacked Azen, blaming him for planting it whilst he was in the restroom. Staven, riddled with grief over Nadrine's death, demanded that Hask, Iden, and Azen be put instuncuffs as he believed one of them was responsible for the beacon. Arriving back at the base on Jeosyn, the cuffed Hask waited in front of the ship on his knees with his hands behind his head as an enraged Staven demanded Meeko and Piikow examine the ship. After a tense few minutes, Piikow returned and informed Staven he had found recorded conversations between Azen and someone inImperial Intelligence - recordings that had been created and doctored by Meeko, alongside images and intel that had also been manipulated. Hask was freed from his cuffs following the revelations and Azen was later tortured and killed for information. Following this, Hask saw Staven in a moment of vulnerability, crying over the loss of Nadrine.^[1]

That night, Inferno Squad were able to meet away from the base to discuss the next steps in the plan. Hask was tasked with becoming closer with Staven and planting further seeds of distrust in his head regarding the group, and especially the Mentor.^[1]

Following theMission to Anukara, which claimed the life of Sadori following Marana secretly changing the plan, Hask drank with Staven in his quarters. Staven stated he wanted to send the Mentor into space on a wildcaranak chase, something Hask encouraged him to see through. Staven intimated that the Mentor had been someone of note at one point and would be recognized, and Hask remarked that the Mentor did not earn his keep and participate like the rest of the team. When Staven told Hask he also did not trust Iden, Hask agreed with him and also questioned where Meeko and Piikow had been going in their spare time. The pair had been investigating the caverns under the base, though Staven was not aware of this. Hask knew he was succeeding in creating division within the group.^[1]

A week later, Hask witnessed the death of Marana in the Dreamers base. Marana had accidentally conversed with Piikow and Dahna in Piikow's nativeChadra-Fan language, which went against her initial claims of only speakingGalactic Basic Standard andHuttese, and was killed by Iden with avibroblade after the youngest member of the team willingly impaled herself to save the team. Hask accompanied the remaining partisans as they disposed of Marana's corpse in a ditch away from the base, and was later informed by Iden that the time had come to finally complete the mission.^[1]

Destroying the Dreamers[]

Hask saw to it that Staven was away from the base with the other Dreamers as Inferno Squad began their preparations to end the mission. He waited in the base with a handheld blaster as Iden worked on uncovering the Mentor's identity and intel, and Meeko worked on preparing a ship to escape in. After a heated argument between the Mentor and Staven, the group leader summoned Hask to walk with him to discuss changes that the group was facing. Staven asked Hask to kill the Mentor, stating he did not need him around anymore, and confirmed he had been the one to provide Staven with targets. Hask left with Staven's blaster and contacted Iden, who was en route to the Mentor's location to confront him. She informed Hask she would deal with the Mentor and that he and Meeko needed to head to the escape ship. Though Hask had hoped to kill the Mentor himself, he obliged with the order.^[1]

Whilst Iden was retrieving the Mentor's datachip, Hask murdered the remaining Dreamers at the base by blaster fire. He then laid their corpses at the base of the ship as a surprise for Iden when she returned. He was smiling when his captain returned and told her killing the group was shockingly easy and that they should have done it much earlier. However, Hask's actions infuriated Iden who told him they were cleaners and not assassins, and accused him of disobeying orders. Hask shot back that they should not bury the bodies as they had not afforded Marana the same treatment. The argument was interrupted by severalhumanoid statues moving toward the bodies, the strangers being the planet's native species and the subject of Meeko and Piikow's research. Hask fired on one of the statues, destroying it before Meeko prevented him from continuing. He watched on, looking serious and thoughtful, as the statues each collected a corpse and returned to the cavern from which they came.^[1]

Debriefing[]

Following the completion of the mission, Hask was grilled by Admiral Versio who showed great disappointment that Marana had been lost during the mission. Iden told her father separately that Hask's activity in dividing the Dreamers was significant. She also stated that whilst he eliminated the Dreamers of his own volition, Hask did so believing that he was completing the objective of eliminating the entire partisan resistance movement. Versio believed that information could have been gained from taking the partisans alive and included his thoughts in Hask's mission report. Nevertheless, Hask received a commendation for his part in the mission. Private lodgings were arranged for Hask and Inferno Squad that night and their orders were to report to Versio's office the following morning to receive their next mission.^[1]

Their next mission was to locate and neutralize individuals who had blackmailed a moff and to recover all evidence of the moff's indiscretions. When Hask boarded theCorvus, Iden and Meeko were already present. His mood was cheerful, but he paused at the sight of Marana's now-empty bunk. The squad shared a toast of Tevraki whiskey to their success and to honor Marana's sacrifice. Hask laughed at Meeko's attempt to recreate Marana's toast in the Ahak Maharr language, and the team enjoyed the moment together and proclaimed themselves the best team the Empire had ever assembled.^[1]

Pursuing Crimson Dawn[]

Between3 ABY and4 ABY, under orders given byEmperor Palpatine, Hask and Inferno Squad were specifically chosen and tasked with identifying and eliminating allCrimson Dawn agents known to be present within Imperial ranks.^[6]

Hunting bounty hunters[]

Owing to their reputation within the Empire, at some point between 3 ABY and 4 ABY, Hask and Inferno Squad were summoned to locate and subdue the bounty hunterBeilert Valance.^[8] By order ofDarth Vader, they were to wipe his memory wetware to prevent the Rebellion from obtaining classified information and deliver him to LieutenantJyala Haydenn.^[9]

Deep in theOuter Rim Territories, theCorvus tracked Valance and his crew aboard theEdgehawk. After Meeko disabled the ship's hyperdrive, Hask urged Iden to finish their enemies off swiftly. Iden refused stating they needed to verify Valance was onboard so they could wipe his memory. TheEdgehawk then escaped into theLost Souls asteroid field, and Hask was annoyed that theCorvus would not pursue the ship. Instead, knowing theEdgehawk needed repairs, theCorvus travelled to the nearest spaceport atDepatar and lay in wait.^[7]

When theEdgehawk arrived, Hask questioned Iden as to why they were not attacking whilst they held the element of surprise, to which she told him the crew of bounty hunters they were tracking were not to be underestimated and that stealth was the best option. The squad was staked out opposite the closest supply depot to the spaceport when4-LOM andT'onga arrived to collect a new hyperdrive. Hask intervened in a fistfight between Iden and T’onga by slamming the butt of his blaster against the back of the bounty hunter's skull, reckoning that Iden was taking too long.^[10]

Hask returned to the spaceport and positioned himself behind nearby containers with Meeko as Iden approached theEdgehawk, disguised as T'onga, with the new hyperdrive. Hask and Meeko incapacitatedZuckuss whilst Iden stunnedLosha Tarkon, though the bounty hunter unwittingly confirmed that Valance was on board the ship. Hask and Inferno Squad boarded the ship and attempted to arrest Valance, however, he andBossk engaged them in a vicious fight. During the skirmish, Hask shouted that their blaster stun settings were not effective and they would need to use lethal force instead. Before he could continue, Valance grabbed Hask and flung him across the room, knocking his helmet off in the process. He continued to attack Hask before Iden stunned Bossk and threatened to kill him. Hask told Valance that his processor had recorded something he should not have seen which made him a liability. Valance quickly surrendered to Inferno Squad to save his crew and Meeko activated the memory wetware wipe.^[11]

Fall of the Empire[]

The Battle of Endor[]

Before theBattle of Endor in 4 ABY, Hask aided inextracting Iden from theMon Calamari Security CruiserInvincible Faith, where she had purged intercepted Imperial intelligence relating to the upcoming battle. During her escape, Hask mused to Iden that they were acting outside of protocol with the mission and should have simply blown up the ship. He found it amusing that the Rebels believed the Empire did not know about their fleet massing over Sullust, and proudly declared they had no idea what was waiting for them atEndor. When Iden was safely aboard theCorvus, Hask joked that he would be patient in waiting to succeed her as commander. He then contacted Admiral Versio to inform him that the fleet's location was still safe.^[4]

During the climactic battle on and over the sanctuary moon, Hask and Inferno Squad were deployed to the moon's surface to apprehend the saboteurs of thesecond Death Star'sshield generator. However, when they reached the generator, it had already been destroyed. They were then tasked to eliminate the rebels in the area and return to theCorvus. Hask followed Iden in pressing forward and destroying any rebels they encountered. Once they had secured the area, Inferno Squad regrouped, though Hask did not believe all of the rebels had been eliminated.

He declared to his comrades that they would wipe out the rebels once and for all before the day was done. As he finished his sentence, Hask looked up in shock and horror as the Death Star exploded above them. Through his shock, he stated what they were seeing was impossible.^[4]

Meeko scouted ahead toPlatform 4 to secure TIE Fighters for the squad, and Hask contacted Admiral Versio aboard theEviscerator. As they headed to theCorvus to receive rendezvous coordinates, Hask asked how the destruction of the battle station had happened as the trap had been perfect and the rebels were outnumbered and outgunned. When Iden replied that the Emperor had underestimated the rebels, Hask called her words treasonous. His anger began boiling over upon seeing a rebel patrol at a weapons cache, and Iden reminded him to follow her lead before dispatching them.^[4]

The squad was able to secure Platform 4 and escape the moon in TIE Fighters, with Hask securing the first TIE and readying theCorvus for retreat. When he reached the ship, he found it had been damaged in the Death Star explosion and ordered the crew to hurriedly repair the engines and shields as Iden and Meeko protected the ship from advancing rebel starfighters.^[4]

Mission to Fondor[]

When the repairs were completed, Inferno Squad were ordered to theFondor Shipyards where Hask aided in overseeing security and retrieving experimental satellites for MoffDerrek Raythe's Star DestroyerDauntless. Following the satellites being secured forOperation: Cinder, rebel fighters and transports attacked the shipyard andDauntless and Hask participated in fighting them off in his TIE Fighter. During the assault, he recommended Raythe attack the rebelMon Calamari star cruiser, but the moff shot back that his ship was disabled rendering Hask's suggestion futile.^[4]

Hask later joined Iden in the weapons bay of the rebel cruiser as they disabled the ship'sion cannons and dispatched several rebel soldiers in the process. Upon disabling the final ion cannon, the resulting explosion incapacitated a nearbyCR90 corvette causing it to crash into theDauntless and nearly send Iden and Hask hurtling into the vacuum of space, before Dio was able to close the cruiser gate and pressurize the cabin. Upon reentering the space battle, Hask, under orders from Raythe, attacked the Imperial facility to free theDauntless from the shipyard's jammed clamps. Iden believed that if they secured the rebel cruiser they could learn more about their enemy, but Hask remarked that the rebels had nothing to teach them and adopting their ways would lead to failure, an assessment echoed by Raythe. Eventually, Hask and Iden freed theDauntless and returned to theCorvus.^[4]

Betrayal on Vardos[]

Sometime after theattack on Fondor, Hask and Inferno Squad were dispatched to Iden's homeworld of Vardos to extract the Imperial ally and headmaster of theFuture Imperial Leaders Military Preparatory School,ProtectorateGleb, who was once Hask's mentor. When they arrived above the planet, theDauntless was stationed in orbit along with multipleclimate disruption array satellites that Inferno helped liberate fromFondor. Hask noted that Raythe said the satellites were needed for Operation: Cinder but that he did not tell them the target. Following the activation of the satellites, theCorvus landed on the planet and made their way toKestro City where they believed Gleb would be in theArchive. Before landing, Admiral Versio secretly made contact with Hask due to his growing suspicions regarding Iden's behavior.^[4]

En route to the Archive, Hask snidely asked Iden if she remembered her way, and told Meeko that the chaos on Vardos was just the beginning and that terror would spread throughout the galaxy when people saw what had happened there. He remarked that the civilians of the planet were expendable and Imperial colleagues would and should be evacuated first. He also commended the stormtroopers who were stationed on the planet, saying they showed true discipline and fearlessness in the face of the apocalyptic storms caused by the satellites. Before entering the Archive, Hask told his teammates that Operation: Cinder was for the good of the galaxy, and that it was a test to see if he and his comrades were worthy of what the Empire would become.^[4]

Upon entering the Archive and finding Gleb, Hask became angered when his former mentor attempted to bring aRodian with her for extraction. Iden gave the order to evacuate the injured civilians in the room, but Hask hit one with his blaster and held them all at blaster point. Enforcing the chain of command, Iden told the civilians to leave and head to the Corvus.

Hask shouted to her that the Admiral's orders were clear and that they were to recover Gleb alone. He warned Meeko not to follow his line of thinking when his comrade questioned the Empire and stated they were now part of the new Empire. Meeko replied he wanted no part of the Empire based on its action on Vardos. Hask trained his blaster on his squadmate and friend, saying if Iden gave the order to leave, they would be committing treason. When Iden confirmed the order, Hask told her he had his own orders and that defiance would be the death of her. Before he could shoot his commanding officer, Iden blasted him in the upper leg and escaped with Meeko. Hask contacted Admiral Versio to inform him that Iden and Meeko had abandoned the mission and committed treason. He was then ordered to return to Gleb to him.^[4]

Hask was able to return Gleb to Versio aboard theEviscerator, where the Admiral congratulated him and bestowed upon him the title of commander.^[4]

Operations on Bespin[]

Six months after the events on Vardos, Hask was stationed atChinook Station onBespin overseeing the refueling of the Imperial fleet. Spending his time in theOverseer's Tower, he ran a disciplined operation with stormtroopers ensuring security was tight and commenting that they did not want anything slipping through the cracks whilst he was there.^[4]

Following intel gained byHan Solo from Imperial defectorRalsius Paldora, Iden and Meeko arrived at the Tower with the intention of capturing Hask. When they reached the top floor of the tower, Hask greeted them via hologram and was amused that they thought it would be so easy to capture him. He told his ex-comrades that he had marked theCorvus the moment it slipped through the planet's blockade. Hask stated his new responsibilities prevented him from dealing with the pair himself as they were no longer one of his priorities. He bid them farewell and escaped aboard hisStar Destroyer, triggering security alarms across the station though Iden and Meeko were able to escape and sabotage the fueling operation.^[4]

The Battle of Jakku[]

In5 ABY, the entire Imperial fleet and army amassed atJakku for alast stand against the growingNew Republic. Hask was stationed aboard theEviscerator during the battle before he was dispatched in a modifiedTIE/IN interceptor to attack Iden, who was flying an X-wing in the battle. He told his former commander that she and Meeko were the least of his concerns as there was more going on at Jakku than they could understand. The pair engaged in a vicious dogfight as the battle ensued around them, and Hask was eventually shot down by Iden, crashing into a Republic frigate and assumed dead. However, Hask survived the crash, suffering facial burns and scarring as a result, and continued to serve theImperial Remnant that would retreat into theUnknown Regions.^[4]

The First Order[]

In the decades following the fall of the Empire, Hask became anofficer in theFirst Order, a military junta that had risen in opposition to the New Republic, reaching the rank ofCommander.^[4]

Retribution on Pillio[]

In34 ABY, on theCore Worlds planetPillio, Meeko had been captured by Jinata Security and interrogated byKylo Ren as to the whereabouts of a map that led toLuke Skywalker. When Ren had finished with Meeko, he turned him over to Hask to deal with.^[4]

Hask angrily told his former squadmate that he was not allowed to be brave because he was not a soldier anymore, instead, he referred to him as a coward who traded in his weapon for fatherhood and hauling cargo on theCorvus. He told Meeko that, whilst Iden had betrayed him on Vardos decades before, Meeko had let him down. Meeko told him that everyone had changed and that Hask used to be dead, to which Hask replied that Iden could do just about anything except kill him. Meeko pleaded with Hask not to pursue Iden, telling him that it would not end well for him if he did. Hask contemplated Meeko’s words before striding back towards him and shooting his former friend four times, killing him.^[4]

Hask left theCorvus where he confronted Gleb on her failures surroundingProject Resurrection. He lambasted her efforts, saying he sought her out because she was useful to him once and in return, the First Order rebuilt her home and allowed Jinata Security to maintain control of the system. He criticized her for falling behind schedule and allowing Meeko and his crew to discover the plan. She told him it had been an honest mistake and that the operation would be relocated with efforts tripled, to which Hask told her that he would leave behind a few of his men to ensure that happened. Before he left, he instructed Gleb to bury Meeko and his crew but to leave theCorvus alone as it would lead Iden to the planet.^[4]

Pursuing Iden[]

With the trap having been set, Iden, accompanied byShriv Suurgav and her daughterZay, eventually ended up on Vardos to locate Gleb. Unbeknownst to them,Starkiller Base had just obliterated Hosnian Prime and the New Republic. Before they arrived, Hask murdered Gleb in the Archive and left her body. When Iden and Suurgav arrived at the Archive, they found Gleb's corpse and were greeted by Hask, who instructed them to drop their weapons and told them the Protectorate had outlived her usefulness to Project Resurrection and the First Order - Hask believing Project Resurrection rescued children and forged them into an army the likes of which the galaxy had never seen before. When Suurgav shot back that theSenate would not stand for the project's activity, Hask coldly replied that the Senate and the rest of theHosnian system were nothing but ashes.

He called the situation beautiful saying the New Republic spent decades doing nothing, whilst all along the First Order had been preparing for that day. He told Iden he hoped she appreciated that he chose to be there with her on that day, in the place where she took everything for him, including their squad and his family, because he had waited a long time to return the favor. At that point, he told Iden that he had killed Meeko and would do the same to her daughter, who was aboard theCorvus. He watched on as hisResurgent-class Star Destroyer,Retribution, opened fire and destroyed theCorvus. As the ship crashed into the city below, Hask positioned himself to see Iden's reaction. He instructed his stormtroopers to find out everything Iden and Suurgav knew about theResistance and burn the city afterward. Before leaving he snarled at Iden that he had to live in her galaxy, and it was her turn to live in his.^[4]

Death[]

Iden, Zay, and Suurgav stole three TIE fighters from Vardos' surface and were able to board theRetribution before it made its jump to hyperspace. Hask deployed several troopers to locate and destroy the trespassers, but they failed to prevent Iden and Zay from planting ion detonators on the ship's hyperdrive generators.^[4]

Hask took matters into his own hands and made his way to the generators where he held Zay at blasterpoint on a platform. When Iden drew her blaster on him, he told her that was the Iden he remembered, the one who was bold and unpredictable. He goaded her to use her weapon on him, but instead, she threw it into the gaping shaft below. He taunted her that motherhood had made her weak and aimed his blaster at his former commander.

Not allowing him to fire, Zay struck him off balance and he fired wildly before he threw Iden's daughter off the platform. Iden was able to catch her before she fell, and, taking her daughter's blaster, fired three shots at Hask sending him plummeting into the pit of the hyperdrive core and to his death. Before he fell, Hask fired one shot which struck Iden, critically wounding her and eventually leading to her demise shortly after.^[4]

Personality and traits[]

Hask had a poised and cool demeanor. He was never sudden in his movements or behaviors unless swift, decisive action was called for. He believed his well-modulated and resonant voice was made for giving orders.^[1]

Unlike the rest of his comrades in Inferno Squad, because of the tragic events that happened to his family when he was still but a small boy, Gideon Hask was completely devoted to the Galactic Empire and later the First Order, thinking of the Rebels as traitors to the Empire and never once questioning the intentions of both factions. He enjoyed killing rebels, as shown on multiple occasions where he disobeyed orders to do so. He admired stormtroopers and said that they had discipline and fearlessness. However, he had no problem with the Empire attacking the loyal world of Vardos. Following Iden and Del's "betrayal" and defection to the Rebellion, he did not hesitate to hunt and attempt to kill either of them.

However, as an Imperial, he was not remorseless and was saddened when he thought Iden had died on the Death Star and later worried on Fondor when Iden was almost sucked into space.^[4] He also had an edge to his humor, a coldness that Meeko supposed came with the tragedy that had struck him so young. Meeko also believed Hask was someone who was eager to connect with others yet pushed them away simultaneously.^[1]

As a First Order officer, he did not have any problem kidnapping children. When he discovered Del three decades later, he had been disillusioned by Del and his wife's weakness after the Galactic Civil War and was willing to make sure that they both paid the price for betraying the Empire at all costs. He willingly murdered Gleb for falling behind with Project Resurrection. He even joked about it later and enjoyed watching the destruction of the New Republic capital. He enjoyed making Iden watch her daughter seemingly die on theCorvus. He taunted Iden to shoot him in their final confrontation and insulted her for not shooting him as he was holding her daughter.^[4]

Equipment[]

During his time in Inferno Squad, Hask wore a blackflight suit with red stripes on the right side and the squad’s emblem on both shoulders. He wore blackgloves, blackboots, a blackholster, and a blackbelt adorned with a silver buckle.^[4]

His blackarmor covered his chest and back with a chest pad attached, and he carried abandolier over his shoulder. Hask’s Inferno Squad helmet was black with red designs and carried the squad and Imperial emblem. He also wore breather tubes which connected to the helmet from his chest pad. His weapons included anE-11 medium blaster rifle andT-21 light repeating blaster.^[4]

Hask later wore a black First Order uniform, with a blackhat, gloves, holster, belt and boots. He carried fourcode cylinders in loops fastened on either side of hisbreastbone. He was issued with anRK-3 blaster.^[4]

Behind the scenes[]

Gideon Hask was portrayed byPaul Blackthorne inStar Wars Battlefront II.^[4]

Appearances[]

Explore all of Wookieepedia's media for this article subject:
Audio · Images

• Star Wars: Starfighter Missions
• Star Wars Battlefront II
• Battlefront II: Inferno Squad(andaudiobook)(First appearance)
• Hidden Empire 1(In flashback(s))
• Revelations (2022) 1(Vision to Anakin Skywalker)
• Bounty Hunters 31
• Bounty Hunters 32
• Bounty Hunters 33
• Bounty Hunters 34
• Bounty Hunters 35(Indirectly mentioned only; in the opening crawl)
• Star Wars: Squadrons(Appears in hologram)

Non-canon appearances[]

• LEGO Star Wars Battle Story:Let Vader Handle It on the officialLEGOYouTube channel(backup link)

Sources[]

• "Heading into Battle" —Star Wars Insider 177
• "Fist of the Empire" —Star Wars Insider 177(reprinted in Special Edition 2019)
• Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition —TIE/ln Fighter Expansion PackCard:Gideon Hask — Inferno Two — TIE/ln FighterReissued inGalactic Empire Conversion Kit

• Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
• Star Wars: Build Your Own X-Wing 61Creating a Starship Fleet:Battlefront II — Playing the TIE Fighter Pilots
• Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition —Xi-class Light Shuttle Expansion PackCard:Gideon Hask —Xi-class Light Shuttle
• Star Wars: X-Wing Second Edition —Skystrike Academy Squadron PackCard:Gideon Hask — TIE/in Interceptor
• Inferno Squad Strikes Back in Marvel's April 2023Star Wars Comics – Exclusive Preview onStarWars.com(backup link)
• Star Wars: Timelines
• Iden Versio Finds Her Target in Marvel'sStar Wars: Bounty Hunters #34 — Exclusive Preview onStarWars.com(backup link)
• "After Endor" —Star Wars Insider 222
• "Sacks Appeal" —Star Wars Insider 224
• Star Wars: The Rise and Fall of the Galactic Empire(Indirect mention only)
• Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
• WhichStar Wars Video Game Should You Play Right Now? - Updated onStarWars.com(backup link)(Picture only)
• Agent Gideon Hask in theDatabank(backup link)

Notes and references[]