Vining Engineering and Salvage Team

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Vining Engineering and Salvage Team
VEST.png
Corporation Profile
Founding Year3047[1]
HeadquartersXolara
(Solaris VII)[2]
LeadershipCEO
Product(s)

Located on Solaris VII, the Vining Engineering and Salvage Team, or VEST, was one of the most innovative BattleMech design firms in the Inner Sphere.

Overview[edit]

VEST began as a five-person BattleMech salvage operation on Solaris VII led by engineering genius and ex-NAIS graduate Dr. David Courtney Vining, producing refitted Solaris designs for the Games. During the initial Clan Invasion, Vining took the unusual step of leading his design team to the front lines to see firsthand the amazing technology of the invaders. While rumor held they brought back captured Clan-tech, the only thing certain was that VEST designs showed vast improvements when they returned, slowly gaining the firm a reputation as one of innovative design groups for battlefield technology in the Inner Sphere.[3]

While continuing to hand build 'Mechs for the arenas, unlike many of the other niche cottage industry Solaris manufacturers, VEST have had great success in selling their designs to larger manufacturing firms, most notable the Jackal and Grand Titan produced by Earthwerks Incorporated.[2]

The Jihad was particularly brutal on Solaris VII, and VEST was heavily damaged, suffering heavy capital and personnel losses of 92%, and the operating capacity of the factory is down to only 4% of their full production volume in 3072.[4] By 3079 they lost 95% of their staff and production plants, and in 3079 they were only able to operate at 15% of their pre-Jihad production.[5] This still put them ahead of every other Solaris based manufacturer, all of whom lost the ability to produce BattleMechs.[6] To rebuild and recruit new staff members, they issued an IPO in 3079 to raise 600,000,000 kroner.[1] In 3079, they had shut down every production line except those for the Heliopolis and Valiant.[6]

This low point did not last. Post-Jihad, the Republic of the Sphere supported the revival and recovery of VEST. The successful sale of the AQS-5 MAM Aquagladius to the Republic Armed Forces in 3090 led VEST to aim development towards the RAF contract market.[7][8]

Slogans[edit]

"If we don't have it, you don't need it!"
  — Marketing slogan used in 3132[9]

Manufacturing[edit]

VEST has a manufacturing center on the following planet:

Solaris VII[edit]

Components produced on Solaris VII:[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
Component Type
Mechs
HYN-4A Hyena SalvageMech[10] IndustrialMech
JA-KL-55 Jackal[16] Light BattleMech
V4-LNT-K7 Valiant[6] Light BattleMech
VKH-1 Volkh[11] Medium BattleMech
VKH-68 Volkh[18] Medium BattleMech
VKH-7 Volkh[11] Medium BattleMech
AQS-3 Aquagladius[12] Medium BattleMech
AQS-5 MAM Aquagladius[8] Medium BattleMech
BL-X-KNT Black Knight "Red Reaper"[13] Heavy BattleMech
HEP-4H Helepolis[19][6] Heavy BattleMech
GTR-1 Great Turtle[14] Assault BattleMech
GTR-2 Great Turtle[14] Assault BattleMech
SQS-TH-001 Sasquatch[15] Assault BattleMech
SQS-TH-002 Sasquatch[15] Assault BattleMech
Aerospace fighter
Thrush "Nanook"[17] light aerospace fighter
Chassis
Hollis Mark 2b Aquagladius[12]
Hollis Mk. VI-Alpha Endo Steel Jackal[16]
VKH Endo Steel Volkh[11]
VEST 201 Charlie Sasquatch[15]
Corean Model 202BLP Endo Steel Great Turtle[14]
Technicron-1a Hyena[10]
Fusion Engine
Core Tek 275 Hyena[10]
Vlar 300 Aquagladius[12] & Great Turtle[14]
Extralight Fusion Engine
GM 210 XL Jackal[16]
EXP 425 XXL Sasquatch[15]
Jump Jets
HildCo Model 13 Great Turtle[14]
Improved Jump Jets
Exp Sasquatch[15]
Industrial Armor
Corning 84 Hyena[10]
Armor (BattleMechs & Combat Vehicles)
Durallex Hardened Volkh[11]
York Series CTC-0 Jackal[16]
StarSlab Standart Sasquatch[15]
StarSlab Hardened Mk III Great Turtle[14]
Ferro-fibrous Armor
York Series CTC-0 ferro-fibrous Aquagladius[12]
Communications System
Sipher Security Plus Aquagladius[12]
Sipher WideCom Hyena[10]
Hartford JEA-1 Great Turtle[14]
Wilson Silicon Siren (modified) Volkh[11]
Targeting-Tracking System
Hartford S2000A Jackal & Aquagladius[16]
Hartford T1000M Hyena[10]
O/P FiberFeed 201 Great Turtle[14]
Winston Corall Snake (modified) Volkh[11]
ER PPC
Aberdovy Mk.XXX Jackal[16]
Streak SRM-2
Holly Mk.II Streak SRM-2 - Jackal[16]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 32: "New Issue: Vining Engineering and Salvage Teams"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Handbook: House Steiner, p. 148: "Vining Engineering and Salvage Teams (Not Trading)"
  3. Solaris: The Reaches, p. 24: "'Mech Tech" - VEST fluff
  4. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 26: "Solaris VII Corporate Profiles"
  5. Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 3: "State of the Industry at a Glance (Dec 3079)"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 29
  7. Experimental Technical Readout: Caveat Emptor, p. 2
  8. 8.0 8.1 Experimental Technical Readout: Caveat Emptor, p. 14
  9. Dark Age: 3132-3134 INN, p. 282: "3132 Solaris VII Championships Season Review (Part 1)"
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 Mercenaries Supplemental Update, p. 150: "Produced Hyena Components"
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 146: "Produced Volkh Components"
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 148: "Produced Aquagladius Components"
  13. 13.0 13.1 Experimental Technical Readout: Most Wanted, p. 5
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 14.7 14.8 Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 174: "Produced Great Turtle Components"
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 168: "Produced Sasquatch Components"
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 16.7 Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 20: "Note of produced variant and components"
  17. 17.0 17.1 Experimental Technical Readout: Boondocks, p. 13: "Produced Thrush Fighter variant"
  18. Experimental Technical Readout: Caveat Emptor, p. 13
  19. Technical Readout: 3075, p. 182: "Variants Note"

Bibliography[edit]