Jack of Harts

Jesse James has no known relation to the famous historical figure, but he did prove to be an amazingly good Cowboy when the time came. He had literally bought the farm in his native Kansas during the decades of peace that followed Contact. He lived near the ancient Fort Hays where he grew winter wheat, grazed buffalo, and scratched a living out of the near desert that dominated Western Kansas. The burning wreckage of Yosemite Yards started a prairie fire that raged for weeks and devastated that part of the state. His farm did not survive. He had lost the investment of lifetimes of his family into the land, and he himself was penniless. He volunteered to serve because he needed money to rebuild the family farm. It was one of the more refreshingly honest reasons for serving that I ever heard. He impressed me.

High rez version available for free on Patreon