Editing Rifkin Amaris

{{InfoBoxCharacter
| image               = 
| caption             = 
| name                = Rifkin Amaris
| birthdate           = 
| died                = [[2782]]
| othernames          = 
| affiliation         = [[House Amaris]]
| rank                = [[General|Senior General]]
| title               = 
| position            = 
| profession          = Engineer
| parents             = [[Petter Amaris]] (father)<ref name=HLOTv2p113>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 113</ref>
| siblings            = 
| spouse              = 
| children            = 
}}
One of [[Stefan Amaris]]'s closest cousins, Senior General '''Rifkin Amaris''' is best known as the project lead on the ''[[Matar (BattleMech)|Matar]]'' [[BattleMech#Superheavy|superheavy]] [[BattleMech]].<ref name=XTROB-7>''Experimental Technical Readout: Boondoggles'', p. 7: "SAM-RS2 Matar"</ref>

==History==
Son of [[Petter Amaris]], younger brother of [[Cynthia Amaris]], Rifkin grew to prominence as a [[Rim Worlds Republic]] BattleMech designer in the wake of [[Operation APOTHEOSIS]] thanks to his ardant support for his cousin Stefan.<ref name=HLOTv2p113/>

===The Matar - Amaris' Folly===
As the [[Star League Defense Force]] advanced further and further into the [[Terran Hegemony]] during [[Operation CHIEFTAIN]], a paranoid Emperor Stefan Amaris instigated increasingly desperate weapon development programs frantically searching for a "miracle weapon" to turn the tide of the war. Among the most well-known of these was the ''Matar'', a last-gasp attempt to create a superheavy static defense BattleMech capable of defeating an entire [[company]] of normal 'Mechs on its own. Rifkin was selected by his cousin to spearhead the development of the 110-ton ''Matar'', though Emperor Amaris would also frequently intercede as well. Both Amarises focused on immense firepower and defenses over speed, Rifkin including a [[Guardian ECM]] suite for fear of [[NARC Missile Beacon]] pods making the expected to be slow-moving ''Matar'' easy prey for SLDF [[LRM]]s, neither considering if the technology to produce leg [[actuator]]s strong enough to support such a heavy BattleMech could be developed at all.<ref name=HLOTv2p113/><ref name=XTROB-7/>

As [[Aleksandr Kerensky|Kerensky's troops]] drew ever closer to [[Terra]] and three separate teams of engineers were unable to make the ''Matar'' walk, Rifkin joined Emperor Amaris in accusing and executing the hapless engineers of "treasonous incompetence" for their inability to do the impossible. The flawed project scrapped as Kerensky's noose around the [[Amaris Empire]] tightened, Rifkin Amaris adopted an assumed name and attempted to flee Terra with the specifications for the ''Matar'', however the SLDF discovered the deception and were able to apprehend and arrest him.<ref name=HLOTv2p113/><ref name=XTROB-7/>

===Death and Legacy===
As one of Stefan Amaris' closest confidants, Rifkin Amaris was among the thirty-seven "Major Criminals" sought for prosecution at the [[Geneva War Trials]] in the summer of [[2781]], charged with genocide, war crimes, crimes against the Star League, and crimes against humanity. Due to his relatively minor role in the fighting, Rifkin was found guilty of only some of these charges and was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment rather than execution by hanging. This lenient sentence was at best a postponement, as Amaris served only eleven months before he was lynched by his fellow prisoners.<ref name=HLOTv2p113/><ref name=HLoTV2-110>''Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2'', p. 110</ref>

However, Rifkin Amaris' failed design would live on. The SLDF retained the specifications for the monstrosity, with their descendants the [[Clans]] eventually taking another look at the ''Matar''. Ultimately [[Clan Smoke Jaguar]] would rework the design to become the 100-ton [[Stone Rhino (Behemoth)|Stone Rhino]].<ref name=XTROB-7/>

==References==
<references />

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Experimental Technical Readout: Boondoggles]]''
* ''[[Historical: Liberation of Terra Volume 2]]''


[[Category: Rim Worlds Republic Characters|Amaris, Rifkin]]
[[Category: Amaris Empire Characters|Amaris, Rifkin]]