David Vining

(Redirected from David C. Vining)
David Courtney Vining
Character Profile
Position CEO of Vining Engineering and Salvage Team
Profession Technician

Dr. David Courtney Vining was the founder and lead designer for the Solaris VII-based Vining Engineering and Salvage Team.

History[edit]

Noted as rather eccentric, David Vining would attend and graduate from the New Avalon Institute of Science, attracting a reputation as an engineering genius. In 3047, Vining would gather four other technicians to found Vining Engineering and Salvage Team, salvaging and repairing BattleMechs on the Game World of Solaris VII. Unlike the myriad of other 'Mech Garage outfits, Vining's company would actively design entirely new BattleMech designs from scratch, rather than merely extensively remodeled and redesigned versions of existing chassis.[1][2][3]

Many observers credit VEST's success to David Vining and his partners decision to travel to the front-lines during the initial Clan Invasion, observing both Clan tactics and technology on worlds like Carse and Nox, along with reputedly securing some Clan salvage. Upon their return to Solaris, Vining and his team would develop increasing powerful and innovative designs which they were able to sell to larger manufacturing firms, most notable the Jackal and Grand Titan (of which he was cited as the chief designer) produced by Earthwerks Incorporated and the Scarabus built by Coventry Metal Works.[1][4][5][6]

In 3054, Vining and his company were in the midst of completing a brand-new prototype assault 'Mech they'd dubbed the Sasquatch when a recently hired technician Robby France turned out to be a Ghost, stealing the prototype for the Vampires Stables. Arriving at the VEST factory in Xolara in the wake of the theft, after leaping through the hole in the factory wall Vining confronting his chief engineer Wallace Scott for what had occurred. Though Scott pushed to simply hire some muscle and steal the 'Mech back, Vining instead opted for a more flashy means to recover the Sasquatch, enlisting his chief engineer to organize a grudge match with the Vampires to humiliate both them and France. Leading his other workers to build another Sasquatch with changes intended to overcome the original prototype, after Scott dealt with France, and organized the match at the King of the Mountain, he visited The Pool to hire Lorri Bent to pilot the new 'Mech. Once it was completed, Vining would oversee Bent's first test run in the Sasquatch against Chameleons masquerading as a Copperhead, Werewolf, and finally the original prototype. Bent would defeat Vampire stablemaster and best pilot Dick Benson thanks to Vining secretly including a command imprinted within Bent's commlink that would order Benson's 'Mech to power down, giving her long enough to defeat him in humiliating fashion.[7][8] Impressed with her victory, Vining would offer Bent a permanent position as a test pilot for his company.[9]

During the Word of Blake occupation of Solaris VII during the Jihad, Vining and VEST would pledge their support and prototypes of designs like the Hyena SalvageMech to the Solaris Home Defense League.[10] Though their facilities took extensive damage during the fighting and were in much better shape than every other manufacturer on Solaris, Vining and his team would refuse to sell off their designs from a position of weakness, focusing instead on issuing an IPO on the Lyran Alliance Stock Exchange in 3079 to raise 600,000,000 kroner to rebuild and recruit new staff members.[11][12][13][2]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Solaris: The Reaches, p. 24: "'Mech Tech - VEST (X-22)"
  2. 2.0 2.1 Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 32: "Upcoming Projects - New Issue: Vining Engineering and Salvage Teams"
  3. Handbook: House Steiner, p. 148: "VEST Profile"
  4. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 22: "JA-KL-1532 Jackal"
  5. Technical Readout: 3055, p. 24: "SCB-9A Scarabus"
  6. Technical Readout: 3055, p. 90: "T-IT-N10M Grand Titan"
  7. "Solaris: The Reaches", pp. 11, 23, 27, 43, 45, 53–54, 67: "A Matter of Respect"
  8. "A Matter of Respect"
  9. Technical Readout: 3055 Upgrade, p. 146: "VKH-1 Volkh"
  10. Technical Readout: 3075, p. 96: ""HYN-4A Hyena SalvageMech"
  11. Jihad Secrets: The Blake Documents, p. 26: "Solaris VII Corporate Profiles"
  12. Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 4
  13. Objectives: Lyran Alliance, p. 29

Bibliography[edit]