Jack of Harts

The Republic of Texas Army was started in Fort Hood, which was the home of the armored cavalry in those days. Tank country. They had infantry, jeeps, helicopters, and even mechs, but it was the tanks that they swore by. It was the tanks that earned them spurs and a cowboy hat. It was the tanks that killed anything that moved, it was the tanks that won wars, and it was the tanks that received all of the glory. And Texas was all about making certain all of that stuck when it came time to deal death to their enemies. The Republic of Texas armored cavalry regiments are still the bar that all other tank commands are measured against. In training, organization, and numbers, they simply outmatch the competition. Texas tanks truly believe they are the best of the best of the best. They live up to that belief enough that others respect them, even as they dislike the arrogance that can accompany it.

The Republic of Texas Marine Corps accepted the first new-build F-23 Super Sabre nearly a decade after Wars’ End. The manufacturer spent that time negotiating all of the design changes required to meet the demands of all the services that would purchase them in a Post-War environment. The Marines had been refitting their older Sabres to the new standard for years, though. Expanded fuel tanks, small living quarters with an integrated armory behind the cockpit, and more numerous laser arrays made them far more capable of extended deployments than older fighters. They were even capable of true interstellar travel on their own. This made the Super Sabre the preferred Marine starfighter of the Post-War era, and the Marines slowly retired almost all other craft in their service. Wherever the Texas Marines patrolled, it was almost always their capable Super Sabres that would deliver them rested and ready for any fight, on ground or in space.

The Republic of Texas Marine Corps passed on the F-15 Sabre early on as the Hyades Campaign heated up. The new F-12 Avengers and A-10 Righteous Vigilantes did what they needed, and famous units like the Cowboys made them household names. The Sabre’s manufacturers wanted a piece of that action, and so they went through the work of adding a pair of external hard points to the fighter before initiating the second production run. The Marines accepted that version of the fighter, and soon deployed Sabres next to their Avengers and Vigilantes. It performed well, and the citizens of Texas quickly received footage of it excelling in battle. That increased demand in both the public and military sectors, and the Marines continued buying the Sabre throughout The War. It was the most numerous single craft in the Texas Marine Corps by Wars’ End, and would continue to serve in the years that followed.