I was disappointed to learn that there will not be a Tribes:Vengeance version for linux.
I have a windows gaming machine so it doesn't really impact me, but I like to see big name games (UT2004, DOOM3, ...) offer a linux version. I was hoping that since Tribes:Vengeance is based on the Unreal engine, it would be ported to linux too.
There is a Tribes-like open source game called "Legends" that is very similar to Tribes, jetpacks and disk launchers included!
You can download Legends from the main site here: http://hosted.tribalwar.com/legends/ (there is also a windows version byt the way)
Servers can be pretty empty except for the weekly Wednesday night meets (US time) but if you join an empty server and play around for a few minutes, you will generally see someone join you.
Give it a try!
(the game is still in the beta stage though, so don't expect it to be perfect)