Jack of Harts

The Republic of Texas Marine Corps’ military campaign in the Hyades Cluster was unlike any seen since we left Earth. They embraced the old slogan “improvise, adapt, and overcome” and came out with many new and old tactics to throw at the enemy. Hard points had been a staple a century before, often used to carry heavy missiles that could threaten warships into battle. A century of miniaturization had allowed fighters to carry far more powerful weapons with greater endurance on internal mounts, to the point that most new designs did not even incorporate the old hard points anymore. But enterprising individuals had designed powerful sensors, jammers, point defense mounts, and many other systems for hard points over the years. The Marines wanted access to those systems and fitted hard points onto all of their frontline designs for the Hyades Campaign. It is impossible to overestimate how much that flexibility affected Marine tactics in the years and decades to follow.

The Republic of Texas Marine Corps’ aerospace elements used a mixture of various small short-ranged spacecraft in the past. They flew bombers, fighters, attack craft, and even armed transports in their missions, but none of them could move between planets. Gravtech and the immense increase in range its full implementation provided made them truly interplanetary craft, but the Marine’s twin aerospace missions remained the same. Support the ground pounders in short-term combat missions flying over targets, and protect Navy starships from enemies that meant them harm. The War brought a new range of hypercapable small craft, and the Cowboys adopted the first prototypes of the F-12 Avenger. It quickly proved that they could move independently of large of Navy warships and engage the enemy at far greater ranges than any previous mission had envisioned. That would change everything for the Marine Corps.

The Republic of Texas Marine Corps has two primary components. The ground combat arm, and the ground-support combat arm. Or so those in ground combat would describe them. Those who fly starfighters disagree with that characterization of their arm. Ground pounder Marines come in many flavors. When the President flies, he flies on Marine aerospace craft, which are guarded by Marines. Marines guard the various embassies scattered all over known space. Marines guard every Navy starship in service, and stand ready to jump out of those perfectly good starships when their services are needed on a planetary surface. Many Marines serve on Marine bases in Texas or the various colonies, acting as a fast combat reserve on a system level. It is ironic that the Marines stationed on these fixed bases are the most transient of Marines, as other commands are always seeking to acquire the best and brightest of them for more challenging duties.