Editing Legend-Killer

'''''Legend-Killer''''' (sometimes spelled without the dash) was a nickname given to [[Gray Noton]] during and after his career as a [[Solaris Games]] champion in the early [[thirty-first century]], and by extension to his famous ''[[Rifleman]]'' [[BattleMech]]. It was used interchangeably for the 'Mech and its pilot.

What is not generally known in the [[BattleTech]] universe is that Noton possessed and piloted at least two different 'Mechs and that the famous ''Legend-Killer'' may not have been one single individual 'Mech after all. The general impression is that an inconspicuous regular RFL-3N ''Rifleman'' version of ''Legend-Killer'' existed while Noton would in truth use a second, visually similar yet technologically superior and possibly much heavier 'Mech in his arena fights, passing it off as the same regular ''Rifleman'' (see ''Configuration'' below).

==History==
Gray Noton had already established himself as a successful arena fighter on Solaris VII when he disappeared into the [[periphery]] in [[3010]] to work as a [[mercenary]]. He returned in [[3015]], bringing with him a brand-new ''Rifleman'' and announcing his intention to compete in the Class Five arenas that he had previously avoided. He would reign supreme in the arena, becoming champion for an unprecedented seven years running before retiring in [[3022]], unbeaten.

The appellation ''Legend-Killer'' was coined for Noton and his 'Mech after his first championship win.<ref>''Warrior: En Garde'', p. 63</ref> After being named "''Legend-Killer''", Noton devised and used a crest of a cartoon ghost with a shocked expression covered by glowing red crosshairs.<ref>''Assumption of Risk'', ch. 16; also ''BattleTechnology'', Issue #0203, p. 28</ref>

In retirement, Noton maintained a modest import/export business but continued to work as a mercenary and secretly also dealt in espionage and assassinations. On 27 November [[3026]] Noton, piloting a ''Rifleman'' that may or may not have been ''Legend-Killer'', joined a [[company]] of ''[[Cicada]]''s from the [[Capellan Confederation]] in an ambush on a training cadre on [[Kittery]]. He defeated [[Justin Xiang Allard]]'s ''[[Valkyrie]]'' through the unexpected maneuver of flipping back both arms of his ''Rifleman'', and crippled Allard in the process.<ref name=EG>''Warrior: En Garde''</ref>

After having personally killed Noton on Solaris VII, [[Justin Xiang Allard]] appropriated ''Legend-Killer'' for his scheduled grudge match against [[Philip Capet]] in May [[3027]]. (Apocryphally, it was mentioned that Noton had willed Xiang his business and his 'Mech.<ref>''BattleTechnology'' #0203, p. 28</ref>) Xiang was abducted from Solaris VII by the Capellan Confederation immediately after the match and entered the service of [[House Liao]] with his personal 'Mech, ''[[Yen-Lo-Wang]]''. The fate of ''Legend-Killer'' was not mentioned.<ref name=EG/>

As of [[3067]], [[Sara Heart-Rose]] of the [[Black Heart Roses]] had a ''Rifleman'' that was identified as Gray Noton's ''Legend-Killer'' in her collection of special BattleMechs.<ref>''Mercenaries Supplemental II'', p. 23</ref> While employed by the [[Niops Association]], Heart-Rose would be interviewed by an obscure Niops news journal about her collection and specifically the infamous ''Legend-Killer'', discussing that she acquired the 'Mech during the 3060s having "fallen off the back of a truck" into her hands. While not able to confirm its exact providence, the 'Mech she claimed was ''Legend-Killer'' would ultimately be lost along with Sara Heart-Rose during a [[3076]] [[DropShip]] accident.<ref name=BTLp59>''BattleTech: Legends'', p. 59: "RFL-3N Rifleman[Modified?] ''Legend-Killer''"</ref>

==Configuration==
The exact configuration of ''Legend-Killer'' is an enduring mystery even as of [[3064]].<ref>''Record Sheets: 3055 Upgrade'', p. 115</ref>

The standard ''Rifleman'' is a specialized anti-air platform and widely considered a subpar BattleMech outside of its specialized role both within the BattleTech universe and among boardgame players. It seems very hard to believe that Gray Noton entered the Solaris Games Class 5 Circuit tournaments and enjoyed the success he had in an obviously outmatched machine, defeating opponents piloting much larger or much better 'Mechs (including [[BattleMech#Assault|assault]] 'Mechs such as ''[[BattleMaster]]''s, ''[[Victor]]''s, and ''[[Stalker]]''s) for seven years running before retiring.<ref name=S7>''Solaris VII: The Game World – Player's Handbook'', p. 17</ref> It was thus speculated that ''Legend-Killer'' must have been modified in some way, presumably with [[Star League era]] technology that Noton was rumored to have found in the periphery.<ref name=S7/>

There was evidence that ''Legend-Killer'' weighed considerably more than 65 tons,<ref>''Solaris VII: The Game World – Player's Handbook'', p. 17: erroneously describes the standard ''Rifleman'' to mass 65 tons instead of 60 in Gray Noton's write-up. This mistake apparently carried through when it is mentioned later on that Noton's 'Mech allegedly weighed more than 65 tons</ref> and had been upgraded to 80 or 90 tons instead, with extra armor to its arms and legs.<ref name=S7/> This, combined with the similarity of the lower torso and leg assembly between the ([[Unseen]]) ''Rifleman'', ''[[Warhammer]]'' and ''[[Longbow]]'', has given rise to the speculation that ''Legend-Killer'' may have been a [[FrankenMech]] that took a 70- or 85-ton frame from a ''Warhammer'' or ''Longbow'' and combined it with the upper torso, arms and head of a ''Rifleman''.
<gallery>
Image:3025 Rifleman.jpg|Unseen ''Rifleman''
Image:3025_warhammer.jpg|Unseen ''Warhammer''
Image:Longbow_LGB-0W_SLSB.jpg|Unseen ''Longbow''
</gallery>
One rumor specifically claims that the 'Mech Noton brought back from the periphery was an 80-ton, assault-class [[Star League Defense Force Royal Divisions|royal]] RFL-3N-2 ''[[Rifleman II]]''.<ref>''Technical Readout: 3075'', p. 169</ref>

Three speculative configurations (as of ca. 3064 or later) were offered in ''Record Sheets: 3055 Upgrade''. These included two variants of an RFL-3N ''Rifleman'' and a modified ''Rifleman II''; notably all of these designs feature [[jump jet]]s, unlike the regular ''Rifleman''.<ref>''Record Sheets: 3055 Upgrade'', pp. 117–119</ref>

In his internal monologue<ref name=SotLK>''Story of the Legend-Killer''</ref> during a [[3017]] championship match against a ''[[Victor]]'' Noton muses about his "other ''Rifleman''" that would allow him to "really own this world and topple every MechWarrior from their [[Valhalla (place)|Valhalla thrones]]", confirming that Noton owned and used at least two different ''Rifleman'' 'Mechs and strongly implying that at least one of them was somehow an inherently superior machine. At the same time, it seems to suggest that he really won the 3017 championship in a regular ''Rifleman''.

Justin Xiang Allard as the point-of-view character apparently noted nothing unusual about ''Legend-Killer'' when he piloted the 'Mech in the novel ''Warrior: En Garde''.<ref name=EG/> This seems to indicate that this specific 'Mech was a regular RFL-3N model.

While not able to fully prove the origin of the 'Mech she claimed was ''Legend-Killer'', Sara Heart-Rose would claim during the Niops news journal interview that an extensive teardown revealed at a basic level the 'Mech was a stock-standard RFL-3N model but with extensive and subtle modifications, that the [[Targeting-Tracking System|targeting system]] had been replaced by a nightmarish amalgam of a [[Tru-Track]] and a [[Spar 3c]] and the [[actuator]]s and [[myomer]] bundling had been tweaked and modified to boost performance. While such unstable customizations are not uncommon on Solaris as they never need to face the stress of a long-term campaign, Heart-Rose also claimed that the manufacturer stamps on them pointed to an obscure [[Star League era]] "skunkworks" facility known to have created customized gear for the [[Star League Defense Force]] [[Gunslinger Program|Gunslingers]], Special Forces, and [[Martial Olympiad]] participants and that the seemingly stock [[neurohelmet]] concealed the internals of a much superior Star League Defense Force model.<ref name=BTLp59/>

===MechWarrior Online===
{{ApocryphalContentStart}}
[[MechWarrior Online]] features ''Legend-Killer'' as one of its [[Hero 'Mech]]s. Their ([[apocryphal]]) version, designated RFL-LK ''"Legend-Killer"'', plays to the rumors that it used [[LosTech]] and portrays the 'Mech as outfitted with an 240-rated [[XL engine]] and built on an [[Endo Steel]] frame, armed with [[LB-X Autocannon/10]]s fed with three tons of ammunition. With the RFL-3N's [[Large Laser|Large]] and [[medium laser]]s retained, the remaining weight saved after the LB-X autocannons goes towards an extra half ton of armor while a swap to [[double heat sink]]s gives the 'Mech unexpected endurance in the arenas.<ref name=SotLK/>

While [[Randall Bills]]' accompanying fiction piece, ''[[Story of the Legend-Killer]]'', and the MWO write-up have been declared fully canonical, the MWO 'Mech per se and its configuration are not; the write-up and story leave the exact configuration vague.
{{ApocryphalContentEnd}}

==Notes==
* Although the ''Rifleman'' is a mediocre design and a strange choice for an arena 'Mech, Noton's 'Mech had to be a ''Rifleman'' because it was the only BattleMech design from the original [[BattleTech (board game)]] boxed set that could conceivably flip its arms, a maneuver that is an important plot point in the novel introducing Gray Noton. The design underscored Noton's elite skills and also added some mystery to the character to the point where the exact configuration of the ''Legend-Killer'' has become one of BattleTech's longest-running [[canon rumor]]s that players have been discussing, with hints dropped in various sourcebooks but no definite answer given.

* Solaris VII was a technologically advanced world with a high concentration of experienced techs and experts on the subject of BattleMech technology, and arena 'Mechs typically even featured telemetry upgrades during matches so that the audience and betting agencies could better gauge their condition and performance. All of this would make it harder to conceal modifications or upgrades of any sort. At the same time, Noton was well-connected and apt in shady dealings, and may conceivably have been in a position to mask the exact configuration of his 'Mech in the arena either through technical means or through bribery. It is also possible that he was simply not legally required to divulge such information.

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Rifleman (Legend-Killer) BTLegends.jpg|''Legend Killer'' from ''[[BattleTech: Legends|BT:Legends]]''
MWO Legend Killer.png|Concept art of ''Legend Killer'' from [[MechWarrior Online|MWO]]
</gallery>

==References==
<references/>

==Bibliography==
* ''[[Assumption of Risk]]''
* ''[[BattleTech: Legends]]''
* [[BattleTechnology#Issue 0203|''BattleTechnology'', Issue #0203]]
* ''[[Mercenaries Supplemental 2]]''
* ''[[Record Sheets: 3055 Upgrade]]''
* ''[[Solaris VII: The Game World]]'' boxed set, ''Player's Handbook''
* ''[[Story of the Legend-Killer]]''
* ''[[Technical Readout: 3075]]''
* ''[[Warrior: En Garde]]''


[[Category:Individual 'Mechs]]
[[Category:Hero 'Mechs]]