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I see the contestants are making their way out onto the starting grid. This article was originally created as an entry for a Tenth Great Jedi War competition and is not official DJB canon content. It is preserved here for historical purposes only.
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Hand of Ordo
Gaan be Ordo
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Clan Ordo
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- Special Operations
- Soldiers of Fortune
- Escort & Personal Protection
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- Estimated: Unknown
- Confirmed: Army (Mixed)
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Undisclosed
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Cuy'val Dar
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Classified
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Taakur
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Hraawwn (deceased)
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- "Ib'tuur jatne tuur ash'ad kyr'amur."
- ―The Hand's Standard Operational Proceedure
The Hand of Ordo, or Gaan be Ordo in Mando'a, is a notorious armed forces branch established in the memory of the ancient Mandalorian Clan Ordo. While only spoken of in hushed whispers and rumours, the Hand is a highly specialized mercenary organisation utilized primarily through various brokers as soliders of fortune. This band of hardened mercenaries have effectively been operational in one form or another ever since Mandalore the Resurrector rebuilt the Mandalorian Protectors and hold no greater allegiance to the Jedi and the memory of the Republic than they do the Sith; however, even this information is hard to confirm as the unit has most often served in clandestine missions or black operations. Recently they have been in discussion with the rogue Jedi Master Michael Halcyon, deployed to assist the overwhelmed Jedi of House Odan-Urr for what is speculated to be quite a hefty sum.
Unit History
Rise of a new Te Taylir
Hraawwn, founder of the Hand of Ordo
At nearly a hundred years old, during his life the Wookiee Hraawwn saw more than his fair share of conflict. Born in the capital city of Sundari on Manda'yaim to a ship mechanic, Hraawwn grew up during a time of relative peace and stability, back when New Mandalore, as the planet was then known, was ruled by the peaceful New Mandalorians who had turned their backs on their people's nomadic past. This all changed with the Clone Wars. With the galaxy having been thrown into turmoil, and Mandalore itself the center of much of the fighting, Hraawwn began to lose faith in the Galactic Republic, specifically the ability of the Jedi to protect them after one of his brothers was killed during the conflict between the Jedi and Death Watch. In his grief, Hraawwn consequently joined up with the new Mandalorian Protectors, or Mando Cabure, believing that the Resol'nare were the heart of what it meant to be a true Mandalorian, and that it was time to remind the galaxy of this, because the Six Actions had been all but forgotten by the Jedi, the Separatists and Death Watch alike.
Hraawwn fought alongside the Mandalorian Protectors for several years, but like many others, he began to question his loyalties after the unit was nearly wiped out when they were betrayed by the man who would soon declare himself the new Emperor of a new Galactic Empire. Fortunately for Hraawwn, he had not been one of the doomed team who had been massacred on on Norval II; however, this changed little, for Hraawwn had now experienced first hand the failure of both the Jedi and the Sith to protect his brothers. Hraawwn's shift in allegiance, however, was sealed when the new empire all but invaded Mandalore to effectively enslave the Mandalorians and strip mine the planet's resources, specifically its beskar, or Mandalorian Iron. No longer seeing a future for the Mandalorians in what were now little more than Fenn Shysa's private band of mercenaries, Hraawwn split off to form his own clan, adopting the name Ordo in memory of Mandalore the Preserver, who had himself restored the Mandalorians' honour thousands of years earlier following the Jedi Civil War.
Preservation and ba'slan shev'la
Hraawwn originally joined the Mandalorian ProtectorsWhile now a splinter group, Hraawwn's Ordos in no way saw themselves as opposed to the other Mandalorians; indeed, having adopted the old principle of ba'slan shev'la, or strategic disappearance, the Hand of Ordo, as Hraawwn had called his people, largely kept out of Shysa and the other Mandalorians' way. Though it was sometimes tense, for example when Shysa sided openly with Leia Organa during the Nagai invasion, the different clans relationship remained workable throughout the Galactic Civil War. In the end, far from seeing him as an enemy, Hrawwn simply saw Shysa's on-off relationship with the Empire as questionable, believing Shysa had forgotten the Canons of Honor that had formed the reason behind Mandalore the Resurrector reorganising the Mandalorians in the first place.
While few in number, the Hand of Ordo spent the next few decades building up a solid reputation among the underworld, where they established discrete contacts in places such as Nar Shaddaa and the less law-abiding worlds of the Corporate Sector. Three decades after Hraawwn went independent, when Boba Fett later assumed the role Mand'alore in 23 ABY, Hraawwn hoped the former bounty hunter would take after his father and, in contrast to Shysa, devote himself to the restoration of the True Mandalorians. However, Fett seemed to want little to do with the Mandalorians as a whole, and had little interest in restoring their people's honour. Indeed, early in the Yuuzhan Vong invasion, the new Mand'alor sided with the invaders, seemingly valuing credits above his people's welfare. Hraawwn still nonetheless did what he could, with the Hand of Ordo working alongside Fett as much as they found possible, believing that all Mandalorians needed to stick together. The Wookiee even thought he saw a glimmer of hope in Fett when he led his Ori'ramikade, or supercommandos, to Mandalore's rescue after the New Republic failed to come to Manda'yaim's aid, with two hundred Mando'ade proving themselves the equal of an entire army.
Fett's growing relationship with the new Galactic Alliance, however, led Hraawwn to question the Mandalore's judgement. Hraawwn had seen what agreeing to work with the galactic government of the day led to in the past: first when the Jedi failed to protect Mandalore, then when the Empire used the Mandalorians like their own private slave army. Hraawwn had no wish to see his brothers betrayed again, so decided against reunifying his Ordos with Fett's people and subsequently cut all ties with Fett. It was not because Hraawwn disliked the Jedi as such, but because he had seen the galactic government go through so many transformations during his life that he saw nothing to be gained by tying the Mandalorians to one particular faction. Like Canderous Ordo, Hrawwn knew the Jedi and the Sith would always be at each other's throats, so believed the best thing the Mando'ade could do was keep out of it and remain on the sidelines - after all, that was why the Mandalorians had been soldiers of fortune and willing to work for either side if the terms were right for the Mando'ade and not just the government in question. Many of Fett's commandos agreed, being uneasy at the Mand'alor's willingness to work alongside Skywalker's New Jedi Order, and so summarily split off, joining Hraawwn as his Ordos once again disappeared into the shadows of the underworld at the close of the Yuuzhan Vong War.
To have family is to live forever
Supercommandos from team Shuk'orok in battle on New TythonEventually even the greatest warrior's time must one day come, and for Hraawwn this was during the tensions out in the Gyuel system at the start of 35 ABY, when a team of Ordos' supercommandos stood their ground against the Killik swarms, helping to single handedly evacuate twelve thousand Chiss before their position was overrun. Nevertheless, in his death, Hraawwn showed exactly the kind of courage and determination that had come to embody the core beliefs that drove his vision of what it meant to be Mandalorian. As it said in the Supercommando Codex, a true Mandalorian could be any creature, gender, or species, so long as they followed the Resol'nare and dedicated their lives to the protection of their family's honour. Throughout history, time and time again the Mando'ade proved why they were the best of the best, ready to fight the battles that neither ordinary armies nor even Force-users would consider. Like the lone Wookiee who refounded it, Gaan be Ordo may have always been few in number in comparison to regular forces, but their Ori'ramikade repeatedly showed themselves capable of what ten thousand New Republic marines were not, for its warriors all proved themselves worthy of the name Ordo not because of their race or midi-chlorian count, but because of their skill in combat. Although Hraawwn may now have been gone, his legacy lived on, for Mandalorians are not born by blood, but on the field of battle, and teams such as Shuk'orok and the Orar Kom’rk continue to uphold the traditions of the Hand of Ordo.
Notable Members
Taakur
- "Kiss my sssshebs, chakaar!"
- ―Taakur
Taakur, leader of the Hand of Ordo
The de-facto leader of the Hand of Ordo due to his commanding presence and ferocious melee combat skills, Taakur is a fearsome warrior. Brought up on a prison colony, his youth was hard and brutal, with the Trandoshan forced to fight for every scrap of food and to establish his place in the hierarchy. The result was to breed in him a ferocious warrior instinct and a deep, burning anger for his captors. However, a way out of his harsh life came from an unexpected source- Mandalorian mercenaries from Clan Ordo, who attacked the colony in order to free one of their brothers, held within. The young Trandoshan took advantage of the confusion to escape and stole onto the Mandalorian ship.
He was soon found, but the Mandalorians were amused by the young Trandoshan and offered to drop him off at the nearest habitable planet. Encouraged by the first signs of compassion that he'd received since birth, he quickly tried to make himself useful to the Mandalorians, seeking to learn their language and customs and begging them to let him stay on the ship. Over time, the Mandalorians came to see him as one of their own, and the Trandoshan was granted a full suit of armour and formally recognised as a Mandalorian of Clan Ordo, taking the name Taakur.
Taakur's fierce fighting instinct served him well, and he was soon assigned to the Hand of Ordo under the command of a Mandalorian named Hraawwn Ordo. During a recent mission to the Gyuel, their squad was overrun by Killiks and Hraawwn lost his life, holding off the endless swarm. Taakur took charge of the unit and led them out of the ambush- for his success, the rest of the unit marked him as their new leader.
Medic
- "Touch my patient and see how fast I burn you down Chwaratta-Head..."
- ―Sorlatte Ordo
Sorlatte, unlike most Combat Medics, is not a man trained in first aid. He was at one point a fully licensed trauma surgeon from Corellia, but that was another lifetime ago. (more soon)
Galt Harlan, Lead Engineer
- "I'm only half as old as I used to be."
- ―Galt Harlan
Galt Harlan's extensive cybernetic reconstructionPractically a piece of equipment himself, Galt Harlan serves as the Hand's chief engineer and mechanic. Galt rarely talks about his past, and while he refuses to give his age, he often jokes that at least he's only half as old as he used to be, in reference to his extensive reconstructive surgery. Something of an old fashioned womaniser, some members of the team have speculated whether he lost the right half of his body during a row with an ex-wife, however Galt has refused to comment.
His past aside, Galt is devoted to his Mandalorian brothers, who he now regards as his family for unintentionally helping him out after he got into an argument with the port authorities on Nar Shaddaa. The local Hutt official, Blozog the Magnificent, had accused Galt of certain indiscretions with one of his Bothan dancers, but fortunately for Galt, Taakur, the Trandoshan who was to become his commander, was on a assassination job to take out Blozog for a rival official.
On the battlefield, Galt is the man - or some would argue droid - with the Big Karking Gun. While the rest of the Hand is busy setting up a perimeter or going after the small targets, Galt is the one keeping back and setting up the manned artillery. Never short of a spanner or a screwdriver, if he's not on his back underneath something trying to get it running again, then he's on his feet, bludgeoning someone to death with his socket wrench. While not a pilot himself, Galt is the shipmaster who's more at home down in the engineering deck, and if he's not working on himself to improve his own body functions, then he's trying to find a way to overclock the ship's hyperdrive and beat his own time on the Sisar Run.
Shorty, Lead Slicer/Pilot
- "Short? Who're you callin' short? I'll show you short! "
- ―Shorty
The Sullustan known only as Shorty was a pilot once. He met a group of the Mandalorians in a cantina. One insulted his height and the next thing they knew he was face down with a blaster in the back of his head. Rather than kill Shorty outright, the Mandalorians offered him a spot on their team. He agreed, and in celebration surprised them all by holding down more alcohol than anyone else could.
Since then, Shorty has served as the team's slicer and pilot. He can get into tight spaces when necessary. He's also ferocious in close-quarters combat, especially if someone mentions his height. Though he allows his comrades to call him 'Shorty', if anyone else does so he will usually go into a rage and try to kill them. He has a tendency to hack his enemy's legs off at the knee with a large knife, drawing surprised stares from even his own allies.
Shortly after joining, he hacked into the Hand's computer systems and changed everyone's height to half of his own. The discrepancy was not noticed for several weeks, until an order for leggings showed up to those specifications. After the initial bar fight - which Shorty was winning before Taakur broke it up - the other members of the Hand added the miniature leggings to their personal collection. Shorty took great pride in this, but when he offered to order more equipment sized as such, the commanders calmly turned him down. Since then they've spoiled him about his height, and so far the computer systems haven't been edited - at least not in obvious ways.
Jaina, Recon Operative
- "When you think someone is following you, it's already too late."
- ―Jaina
Jaina standing inside one of the many estates she stoleJaina, as only a few know her as, is one of the best recon operatives for the Hand of Ordo. Like most epicanthix, Jaina is stronger than most females and stands 1.9 meters tall. Born and raised in the Coruscant Underworld, Jaina had a rough childhood. Her father was an imperial spy killed by the very people he worked for a few years after she was born. Her mother was forced to raised Jaina by herself teaching her daughter how to survive in the crime-ridden underworld. By the time Jaina was thirteen years old she had killed at least three people and stolen countless things. Her mother would died when she was seventeen.
A Mandalorian bounty hunter found her one day and took her from her life on Coruscant. Although she helped the Mandalorian from time to time she felt more like his slave or his tool for pleasure than anything else. After years of being this Mando's toy, Jaina killed the bounty hunter and took his armor, weapons, and ship. From that day on Jaina became a mercenary servicing any organization that need information or someone killed, as long as they paid the right price. She would eventually run into a Trandoshan by the name of Taakur, who offered her a spot in his family. She was hesitant at first due to her first encounter with a Mandalorian. But he seemed to appreciate her skills and she thought how it'd be nice to have a family again. Jaina's allies used to think that Taakur recruited her just to improve the Hand’s moral as she was the first female inducted into the family, but that assumption is far gone after years of seeing just how heartless and deadly she is.
Jaina is very good at sneaking around and persuading people. While she has no official training as a scout sniper or a spy she can do them better than anyone her allies know. Her weapon of choice is a custom version of the DC-15x sniper rifle.
Trivia