The Republic of Texas Marine Corps began acquiring hypercapable small craft immediately after The War began. The F-12 Avenger was the first, followed quickly by the B-17 Valkyrie, and later by the A-10 Righteous Vigilante. They also forced through a rapid program to upgrade their older Savages and Vigilantes with Peloran-supplied hyperdrives. The new small craft lacked the range to be true interstellar craft, but the Hyades Campaign was a different matter. The stars of the Hyades Cluster core were far closer to each other than in the outside galaxy, allowing the Marines to send entire wings out ahead of the Alliance fleets on lightning campaigns to harass enemy bases and fleets. They sowed chaos and scattered confusion in their wakes, leaving star after star easy targets once the fleets arrived. The Marines embraced their new role as independent movers and shakers in the years and decades to follow.