Jack of Harts

Barksdale and Luke Air Force Bases remained loyal to the American federal government during the worst parts of the Second Great Depression. Even if they could not follow the orders of the American President. The Convention of States would change that of course, and they eagerly swore to follow the new federal government formed by that convention. They were in fact the source of many of the reinforcements America eventually sent to Australia to help them stop the Chinese advance through Indonesia. Their B-52s and F-35s proved instrumental in that mission until the unofficial ceasefire ended that conflict, and then joined the final joint campaign of the Cybernetic Wars that pitted the combined resources of every major government against the Singapore Collective. The B-52s proved invaluable in that campaign due to their near-immunity from cybernetic attacks. Extreme age had its advantages for them. They returned home to heroes’ welcomes soon thereafter and both Barksdale and Luke became core components of the United States Space Force as America once again clawed itself into space.

Barksdale and Luke Air Force Bases lost at least half of their personnel to desertion in the early months of the Second Great Depression. They were some of the highest flying and farthest reaching of the Air Forces bases at the time, but without the money to fly, most of the airmen simply lost the willingness to come in to work and moved off in search of home. Enough remained that they were able to secure the bases and rebuild in time, but the early years of the Second Great Depression found them largely without a mission. Their remaining personnel were unwilling to “turn traitor” and join Texas, but found themselves unable to follow the orders of the increasingly-erratic new President. That left them holding station in the middle of the chaos flowing through America at the time.