Posted 04 July 2013 - 09:10 AM
for those who despute the history of the victor with the combine.
The Victor was built in 2508 under contract to the Terran Hegemony as a support 'Mech with jump capabilities. With the creation of the Star League, the Victor would go on to serve in the SLDF during the Reunification War, after which it was made available to the League's member states. Because it only ever served in line regiments, the Victor was never outfitted with the advanced technology reserved for Royal units, a fact which would increase its survivability in the years ahead. [5][6][4]
The Victor approaches the concept of support in an unorthodox way for a 'Mech of its weight class. While only possessing a ground speed of 64.8 km/h, the Victor achieves a high degree of mobility instead through the use of four jump jets, allowing it to jump up to one hundred and twenty meters. A Victor can therefore "support" friendly units by jumping directly into the fray and bringing its deadly close range arsenal to bear, an ability which can surprise inexperienced Mechwarriors and prove advantageous in mountainous terrain. One sacrifice made for this superb mobility is the 'Mech's relatively light armor of only eleven and a half tons, while the lack of proper anti-infantry capabilities is a minor problem.[5][4]
An estimated one thousand Victors had been produced by the time the Star League fell. Many of these left with Aleksandr Kerensky during the Exodus, and when HildCo Interplanetary's three Victor factories were destroyed during the First Succession War, the 'Mech became a prized target with all sides scrambling to salvage serviceable units. Only Independence Weaponry retained the ability to build new Victors, and with their capture by the Federated Suns during the Second Succession War it became the AFFS' primary assault 'Mech and a favorite command model for battalion and regimental commanders. Though the Draconis Combine would eventually retake the company following the War of 3039, most Kurita samurai were too proud to adopt a 'Mech now associated with their enemy, while the Davions made do with purchasing new models from the rebuilt HildCo factory in St. Ives Compact and funding the construction of Styk's Tao MechWorks.[5][4]
By the time of the Clan Invasion new models of Victors were being produced which incorporated new-found lostech into their design. The formation of the Second Star League and destruction of Clan Smoke Jaguar would finally win the design acceptance by Combine warriors, while the conquest of Styk and St. Ives by the Capellan Confederation forced the Federated Commonwealth to contract General Motors to build more Victors. Though it had officially fell out of favor, during the FedCom Civil War the Victor remained the favorite of Allied forces, with newer variants seeing use in the years afterwards.[5][7]
here is also a quick synopsis if Independence weaponry who produces the Victor in the time period of question.
In 3023 Wolf's Dragoons and elements of the 1st Sword of Lights(serving as an honor-guard to Coordinator Takashi Kuritta) attacked Quentin in an objective raid with the goal of looting the IW facilities. The Kuritan troops spear-headed the final push to secure the Independence Weaponry factory, though they lost some warriors during their charge. [2]
Benefiting from the respite after the Fourth Succession War. Independence was finally able to repair and reopen its battered assembly lines and House Davion made plans for advanced lostech upgrades. This hard work became bittersweet when Quentin fell to the DCMS's Operation Orochi in the War of 3039. the capture of the plant greatly benefiting the Combine's efforts to rebuild and modernize its military. The 40th Dieron Regulars seized the plant, despite the defending garrison forces and the presence of five companies of Independence employees who piloted JagerMechs, Atlases, Marauders, and Victors.[3] Reportedly, top Independence executives and technicians evacuated Quentin once it was clear the planet would fall,[4] but this did not hamper the Combine. Located far from the fighting of the Clan Invasion and with increasingly good relations between the Combine and the Federated Commonwealth, Independence became a production powerhouse, increasing to levels not seen since the original Star League.
As of 3068, the company was headquartered on New Samarkand, and possessed manufacturing centers on Luthien, Donegal, Markab, Victoria, and Stewart in addition to their flagship factory on Quentin.[5] The company operates more like a conglomerate of separate weapons manufacturers rather than one single corporate entity. This allows it to maintain a neutral stance regarding potential clients, but does lead to some unique manufacturing issues. Plants located in the Combine cannot ship weaponry, parts, or manufacturing equipment to their sister facilities in the Federated Suns, for example.
Their policy of neutrality has made them the target for several industrial espionage projects, as their competitors try to steal their trade secrets. A case involving Diverse Optics was the most noticeable, but there have been several other attempts to disrupt their operations.[6] This neutral stance and the diversified nature of the companies that made up Independence Weaponry protected the firm from the early effects of the Jihad and even allowed Independence Weaponry to post record profits at one point, with major defense companies across the Inner Sphere placing orders to support their war efforts.[7]
Thus even though the Combine has access to the victor it doesn't truely produce the Victor, as Independence Weaponry isn't directly under Kuritan rule.