Victor

Description
The Victor was built in Introduction Year::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.

Standing at 14 meters tall, 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.

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 the St. Ives Compact and funding the construction of Styk's Tao MechWorks.

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 fallen 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.

Weapons and Equipment
The Victor's primary weapon is a Pontiac 100 Autocannon/20 in its right arm; though some models reported problems with the ammunition feed, this was not a common issue. The left arm contained the 'Mech's close-range backup of two Sorenstein V Medium Lasers with a Holly SRM-4 located in the left torso. The autocannon alone is capable of downing most light 'Mechs in a single shot and stripping off the armor of any location on most heavier 'Mechs, leaving its other weapons to take advantage of any weak points in the enemy's armor. These weapons were originally aimed by a Standus 20 Targeting and Tracking System, but its tendency to project "ghost" targets saw the Standus replaced with the MaLandry 34.

Variants

 * VTR-9A : An early variant of the Victor the 9A carries an additional Machine Gun and two additional Flamers. To add these three tons of armor was removed from the 'Mech. The additional weapons give the Victor very capable anti-infantry capabilities but with the thinner armor the Victor is more susceptible to being critically damaged by another 'Mech. BV (1.0) = 971, BV (2.0) = 1,236


 * VTR-9A1 : A modification of the 9A model, the 9A1 adds only two Machine Guns to the 'Mech for anti-infantry use. The 'Mech has ten tons of armor, making it better protected then the 9A Model and the two Machine Guns allow the 'Mech to have excellent anti-infantry combat capabilities. BV (1.0) = 1,110, BV (2.0) = 1,302


 * VTR-9B (C) : A Clan-tech retrofit of SLDF VTR-9B Victors intended for second-line and solahma troops, this variant swaps the large bore autocannon for a Gauss Rifle, the SRM rack for an advanced Streak SRM-4 and standard Medium Lasers for paired ER Medium Lasers. Unlike the similarly armed 9D and 9K variants, lighter Clan weaponry allows this swap without the need to utilize an Endo Steel chassis and still leaves the refit two ton under weight.  BV (2.0) = 1,925


 * VTR-9D : An upgrade using Star League technology, the 9D replaces the Autocannon/20 with a Gauss Rifle which can do serious damage at much greater ranges. The 'Mech also carries two Medium Pulse Lasers and a SRM-4 launcher for close combat. In order to make these changes possible, the 9D is built on an Endo Steel chassis. With the weight saved the 'Mech also carries an additional ton of armor . BV (1.0) = 1,634, BV (2.0) = 1,717


 * VTR-9K : Identical to the VTR-9D upgrade for all intents and purposes; only difference is that the components are sourced from different manufacturers.


 * VTR-9Ka : This Victor variant emerged during the Jihad. Equipped with five Improved Jump Jets, it can rapidly close with enemy forces to bring its Autocannon/20 into play. Six tons of ammunition allow the pilot to choose from many types of special ammunition. The only drawback to this model is that it only has a single Medium Laser for backup. BV (2.0) = 1,594


 * VTR-9S : The 9S Victor removes a ton of armor from 9B the and uses the saved weight to upgrade the SRM-4 launcher to an SRM-6 launcher. This simple upgrade makes the Victor more effective at close ranges. BV (1.0) = 1,140, BV (2.0) = 1,360


 * VTR-10D : A more recent variant of the Victor produced on New Valencia, the 10D is an excellent close combat 'Mech. The 10D variant has a powerful Ultra Autocannon/20 as its primary weapon. This is supported by two ER Medium Lasers and a Streak SRM-4 to finish off a damaged target. The 10D is also capable of jumping up to one hundered and twenty meters, making it an excellent urban combat machine. BV (1.0) = 1,723, BV (2.0) = 1,894


 * VTR-10L : The 10L is armed with a Gauss Rifle as its primary long ranged weapon. This is backed up by three ER Medium Lasers and a Streak SRM-6 launcher for close combat. The 'Mech carries an ECM Suite as part of its Stealth Armor system, which allows it to reduce its radar signature and makes the 'Mech harder to target, especially at long range, and also four jump jets that allow the 'Mech to seize the high ground, making this variant of the Victor an excellent sniper. BV (1.0) = 1,943, BV (2.0) = 2,320


 * VTR-10S : The 10S is armed with a mammoth Heavy Gauss Rifle, split between the right and center torsos, supported by a standard Gauss Rifle in the right arm, SRM-4 in the left torso and twin ER Medium Lasers in the left arm. Carrying the usual Victor weapons load-out in addition to the Heavy Gauss Rifle is made possible through the use of an Endo-Steel frame and fragile 320-rated Extralight engine. Lacking the jump jets most Victors are renowned for, the 10S mounts an Anti-Missile System and is clad in thirteen tons of standard plating. The 10S carries three tons of Heavy Gauss reloads, two of standard Gauss rounds and a single ton of SRM and AMS ammo each., BV (2.0) = 2,034


 * VTR-11D : Production began on the 11D on New Valencia during the FedCom Civil War. Powered by a Light Engine, the 11D adds an additional ton and a half of armor over that on the 10D. Two ER Large Lasers provide long-range firepower and the Streak SRM-4 is retained. The autocannon is replaced with a Rotary Autocannon/5 and three tons of ammunition in a CASE-protected bin. A C3 Slave allows integration with a C3 unit. Fifteen double heat sinks are able to effectively manage the heat levels. BV (2.0) = 2,021


 * VTR-C : Based on the 9K variant, the VTR-C was built to incorporate a C3 slave unit, allowing the 'Mech to work as part of a C3 lance. In order to do this, a heat sink was removed. Otherwise, this variant of the Victor is identical to the 9K model. BV (1.0) = 1,601, BV (2.0) = 1,925


 * VTR-Cr : A 3069 field refit, this version uses an then experimental C3 Boosted Slave to cut through the electronic interference common on Jihad battlefields. In addition it replaces the AC/20 with a Hypervelocity AC/10. A Streak SRM-4 and pair of Medium Lasers round out the armament. CASE systems protect the ammunition. BV (2.0) = 1,465

Custom Variants

 * VTR-9B Victor Li : The custom Victor used by Tai-sho Li Dok To in the Fourth Succession War, this variant removed all the standard weapons and replaced them with a single LRM-15 mounted in the left torso and ten Medium Lasers carried in the 'Mech's right arm. Armor and movement profiles remained unchanged, but it carried a total of nineteen heat sinks. BV (2.0) = 1,625


 * VTR-9B Victor Shoji : Used by the 5th Benjamin Regulars commander on Royal during the War of Davion Succession, this Victor-9B variant removes the AC/20 and replaces it with an AC/10 and two more tons of ammo. The Medium Lasers have been removed and replaced with three Medium Pulse Lasers. The Victor variant is equipped with ten Double Heat sinks, and the remaining tonnage has been devoted to additional armor.


 * VTR-9K2 Victor St. James : After his son was killed in the Taurian Concordat invasion of the Federated Suns, Benedict St. James had his VTR-9K refitted with experimental weapons and equipment to allow him to take his revenge. Replacing the standard weapons with a Long Tom Cannon and two Medium X-Pulse Lasers, St. James' Victor can inflict massive amounts of damage on his prey. The 'Mech's jump jets had to be removed to make way for the weapons load, and technicians equipped it with a patchwork of Ferro-Fibrous and Standard Armor as another weight saving measure. A Supercharger mounted on the engine provides the Victor with unexpected bursts of speed. BV (2.0) = 2,006

Apocryphal Variants
These variants were introduced in various apocryphal sources, and thus far have not appeared in any canonical media.

From MechWarrior Online:
 * VTR-DS "Dragon Slayer" : The "Dragon Slayer" mounts a 330 rated XL Engine, Endo Steel and Double Heat Sinks to support a weapons array consisting of a Gauss Rifle and PPC in its right and left arms respectively and twin Medium Pulse Lasers in the right torso and SRM-6 in the left. (This variant was created as a Hero 'Mech for MechWarrior Online and is thus considered apocryphal.)

Design Quirks
The Victor has the following Design Quirk:
 * Rugged (1)

Notable Pilots
Famous individuals in the BattleTech universe who piloted Victors include:
 * Grayson Carlyle piloted a Victor-9K in the late 3050s. After his retirement, Carlyle's wife, Lori Kalmar, began piloting her husband's old machine..
 * Patrick Kell fought his last battle on Styx in a Victor-9B in May 3027 against the Genyosha; the 'Mech, on loan from Ardan Sortek, was destroyed.
 * Ardan Sortek had a regular (-9B) Victor which he lost on Stein's Folly in 3025 at the beginning of Operation DOPPELGANGER. He later received a new one from the AFFS. During his visit to Pacifica he assisted the Kell Hounds in defeating a Draconis Combine invasion force, engaging a Combine Awesome. Due to damage this mech was left behind with the Kell Hounds for repairs, and would later be used by Patrick Kell during his final battle. During the War of 3039 Sortek again piloted a Victor.
 * Belle Lee, a commander in Stone's Lament and close confidant of Devlin Stone during the Jihad, piloted a Victor of unspecified configuration.