Jack of Harts

The F-2 Star Furies that the Rangers flew to War’s End were far different than those they first pulled out of mothballs in the Pre-War decades. The footage of Ranger Star Furies exploding out of hyperspace to fire upgraded missile launchers, greatly enhanced ring-array lasers, powerful gravitic cannons, and hard points carrying the most dangerous of heavy weapons was broadcast throughout the Republic of Texas and beyond. The highest rated footage depicted entire Ranger squadrons focusing all of their gravitic and laser fire on a single target as they accelerated towards the enemy at maximum burn. Though highly unrealistic due to Hollywood-style special effects, they became the way an entire generation saw the Texas Rangers. Peacekeepers in time of peace, deadly and relentless warriors in time of War.

The Republic of Texas Rangers felt a need to increase the combat capabilities of their F-2 Star Furies when The War came upon us all, so they upgraded their fighters with a pair of external hard points similar to those being added to other Texas starfighters. These could be used to carry heavy anti-ship weapons, though in practice the Rangers most often did so only when taking part in a major fleet engagement. They’ve found far more inventive uses for the hard points over the decades, from expanded fuel tanks to ground attack weapons. Some have even deployed entire ground attack teams or vehicles, while others carried powerful scanners for deep space exploration missions or ECM systems that can fool even enemy capital ships. There is an entire industry devoted to providing every possible wish a Ranger might have when it comes to using those hard points, and many fortunes have been made and lost doing so.