Jump to content

Story Of The Legend-Killer


81 replies to this topic

#1 InnerSphereNews

    Member

  • Developer
  • Developer
  • 2,773 posts

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:28 AM



The Coliseum, Silesia

Solaris City, Solaris
Federation of Skye, Lyran Commonwealth
15 August 3017

Gray Noton leaned forward in his command couch, left hand slamming the throttle full-forward. Though he knew the idea was ridiculous, he couldn’t help the physiological reaction as he tried to imbue his Rifleman with every ounce of energy to push the ’Mech to its limit. The dozen-meter-tall avatar of manmade death darted forward at sixty-four kilometers an hour, at an odd angle as though it might fall over, as the machine’s two-meter-long feet pounded into the sandy floor of the massive, Class V Coliseum arena.

With the movable partitions separating portions of the massive fighting floor already on their way down, Noton knew his adversary expected him to fall back and keep range. After all, why close when he outranged his opponent’s Victor with almost every weapon at his disposal?

But he’ll expect it. Never do the expected. And I know what you’ll try, Hoftsteder: what every MechWarrior from Fitzhugh Stable is trained for in the Coliseum.

Noton leaned back into the command couch; sweat stung his eyes. The weight of his neurohelmet, a well-known friend, rubbed his shoulders as he pulled the throttle smoothly back. The Rifleman almost slid on the sandy ground, coming to an abrupt halt at the edge of the descending partition. Dragging his weapon’s joystick into the air, his BattleMech’s long arms—paired Magna large lasers and Imperator-A autocannons—searched for a target.

Right … about …

The eighty-ton Victor vaulted into view on the blindingly bright plasma of its jump jets before the massive partition was barely halfway down.

Noton grimaced. His aim was off by a good two meters, but he quickly swung the targeting reticule in line as it burned bright gold across his HUD. He grinned wickedly and pulled the triggers, managing pinpoint accuracy despite the machines’ relative motions. Twin cerulean beams flashed, gouging white-hot furrows and sloughed off armor in blobs of already cooling slag. The autocannons followed, vomiting metal towards the target, chewing into the already damage right leg. Recoil and the rapidly dropping BattleMech attempted to walk the streams up the Victor’s leg, but Noton kept his aim on track, savaging the last of the limb’s armor and sinking deep into the ’Mech’s shin. Secondary flashes of bright light spawned from additional internal structural damage within the blackened cavity.

Hyperfocused, time seemed to dial down. Against the waves of waste heat washing through the cockpit after the alpha strike, Noton gasped and watched the Victor touch down.

Come on … come on!

The assault ’Mech’s leg crumpled under the hard impact of the jump. The Victor listed heavily before collapsing to the ground in a roar.

Time sped back up. Noton’s second-to-last bout before the finals was finished. The roar of the crowd—heard even through the cockpit—replaced the rumble of his adversary’s limb-shattering fall.

Noton backed away just in case Hoftsteder hadn’t yet realized he’d lost, then he played to the crowd by raising the barreled arms of his Rifleman into the air, a titanic gladiator excepting his due from a rapturous audience.

They already called him Legend-Killer for taking the championship last year, and this victory set him well on his way to another championship. They all underestimated him.

Wait till my other Rifleman is ready. Then I’ll really own this world and topple every MechWarrior from their Valhalla thrones.


RIFLEMAN “LEGEND-KILLER”

A truly ancient BattleMech design, the Rifleman debuted before the Star League in 2505. Several variants attempted to redress some of the original’s design flaws. The RFL-3N received widespread acceptance and was heavily produced for the Star League Defense Force.

While the name “Legend-Killer” is used interchangeably to reference both BattleMech and pilot, the Rifleman Legend-Killer was piloted by Gray Noton to a series of smashing successes in the Solaris VII arenas during the 3016–3022 seasons. For seven years Legend-Killer reigned as champion, a feat unmatched in nearly 250 years of arena combat. To the delight and surprise of spectators, the sixty-ton Rifleman often faced assault-class BattleMechs and defeated them. While Noton’s skills are undeniable, the continued exceptions of what should’ve been a rare occurrence lead to rumors that Legend-Killer was actually a much higher-mass design than its reported sixty tons, or was possibly upgraded with Star League–era lostech Noton found in the Periphery during his time as a mercenary.

Regardless of the truth, Legend-Killer remains a name known and feared across the Inner sphere.


Written by Randall Neil Bills
Catalyst Game Labs


RIFLEMAN ORTHOGRAPHIC




#2 Zookeeper Dan

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Bad Company
  • Bad Company
  • 487 posts
  • LocationBeer City USA

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:33 AM

This is awesome!

#3 Koniving

    Welcoming Committee

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Guide
  • The Guide
  • 23,384 posts

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:35 AM

The lore writing and the orthograph -- the orthograph especially...are very appreciated.

(Double posted for some odd reason; removed repeated line).

Edited by Koniving, 09 November 2015 - 10:36 AM.


#4 Juodas Varnas

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 7,534 posts
  • LocationGrand Duchy of Lithuania

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:41 AM

More of this.
Game needs more lore, have these descriptions in-game too. Like under mech-info.

#5 ExAstra

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • The Predator
  • The Predator
  • 131 posts

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:47 AM

Any chance we could get higher resolution orthographic images given out? You know.. for science?

#6 Juodas Varnas

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 7,534 posts
  • LocationGrand Duchy of Lithuania

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:48 AM

View PostExAstra, on 09 November 2015 - 10:47 AM, said:

Any chance we could get higher resolution orthographic images given out? You know.. for science?

Right click > Open image in a new tab

#7 jss78

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Philanthropist
  • Philanthropist
  • 2,575 posts
  • LocationHelsinki

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:54 AM

View PostExAstra, on 09 November 2015 - 10:47 AM, said:

Any chance we could get higher resolution orthographic images given out? You know.. for science?


So that's what they call it these days?

#8 TheCharlatan

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Philanthropist
  • Philanthropist
  • 1,037 posts

Posted 09 November 2015 - 10:57 AM

OK, OK, I'LL BUY IT!
Geez... ;)

(BTW, MWO needs more of this. Good job PGI, keep it up)

#9 Nightmare1

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 7,636 posts
  • Twitch: Link
  • LocationPeeking over your shoulder while eating your cookies.

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:03 AM

Sweet! Nice job PGI! Can we expect to see more of this in the future? :)

#10 Warchild Corsair

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Storm
  • Storm
  • 478 posts
  • LocationGER

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:06 AM

Cool! Loved the story - I was reading about Norton on Sarna the other night but a story that jumps right into the Mech action is just too good to be true :wub:

Also, kudos to PGI for their new cooperation with CGL :)

MOAR of this!!!

Edited by Warchild Corsair, 09 November 2015 - 11:06 AM.


#11 Gas Guzzler

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Big Daddy
  • Big Daddy
  • 14,244 posts
  • LocationCalifornia Central Coast

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:08 AM

I don't know guys. The TTK depicted in this lore snip is diabolically low. I mean really, a couple LLs and AC5s ( with enough accuracy to focus a component) is all it takes to cripple a Victor that quickly? I thought mechs were supposed to shrug off shot after shot for 10 minutes straight, or so people on the forums say all the time. Not to mention putting an entire alpha (it is said that alpha strikes almost never happen in lore) into one component (also said to almost never happen on lore). Could it be that this is all fluff for fun and has no real bearing in MWO?

Edited by Gas Guzzler, 09 November 2015 - 11:10 AM.


#12 Odanan

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 8,198 posts
  • LocationBrazil

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:12 AM

Very good text!!
Oh yes, I want more!

#13 Azakael

    Member

  • PipPipPip
  • The Phoenix
  • The Phoenix
  • 55 posts

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:19 AM

This is awesome, PGI! Glad to see chassis related fiction back. We haven't seen that in quite some time. Can we get one of these for all the old Hero 'Mechs too?

#14 Jabilac

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPip
  • Ace Of Spades
  • 172 posts
  • LocationSouthern Ohio, USA

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:23 AM

View PostGas Guzzler, on 09 November 2015 - 11:08 AM, said:

I don't know guys. The TTK depicted in this lore snip is diabolically low. I mean really, a couple LLs and AC5s ( with enough accuracy to focus a component) is all it takes to cripple a Victor that quickly? I thought mechs were supposed to shrug off shot after shot for 10 minutes straight, or so people on the forums say all the time. Not to mention putting an entire alpha (it is said that alpha strikes almost never happen in lore) into one component (also said to almost never happen on lore). Could it be that this is all fluff for fun and has no real bearing in MWO?


Moral of the story: Don't skimp on leg armor :)

#15 Levi Porphyrogenitus

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Mercenary
  • Mercenary
  • 4,763 posts
  • LocationAurora, Indiana, USA, North America, Earth, Sol, Milky Way

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:25 AM

This. This is what sets BattleTech apart from so many other IPs. This is a great way for MWO to leverage that advantage. We need more of this.

#16 TheSilken

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • 1,492 posts
  • LocationLost in The Warp

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:28 AM

"I blew off your 1 leg now you dead!"...............really? Like brah do you even BT/MW? And no a 28 point alpha would not destroy that leg of the Victor even with the crash. Nice try though, was entertaining although the ending was far too quick and Mary Sue-ish for my taste.

#17 Nick Flurry

    Member

  • PipPip
  • The Territorial
  • The Territorial
  • 25 posts
  • LocationKanata, ON

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:31 AM

awesome job - keep it up. a little lore never hurts and for me personally, adds to the appeal.

orthographic is fantastic addition btw.

#18 SgtMagor

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • Survivor
  • Survivor
  • 3,542 posts

Posted 09 November 2015 - 11:37 AM

View PostExAstra, on 09 November 2015 - 10:47 AM, said:

Any chance we could get higher resolution orthographic images given out?  You know.. for science?
or copy/paste into addy menu. anyway can post a link for all the current mech orthos so far, thx...

Edited by SgtMagor, 09 November 2015 - 11:40 AM.


#19 Twilight Fenrir

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The God
  • The God
  • 1,441 posts

Posted 09 November 2015 - 12:01 PM

View PostTheSilken, on 09 November 2015 - 11:28 AM, said:

"I blew off your 1 leg now you dead!"...............really? Like brah do you even BT/MW? And no a 28 point alpha would not destroy that leg of the Victor even with the crash. Nice try though, was entertaining although the ending was far too quick and Mary Sue-ish for my taste.

You're confusing table top rules with real world ones...

A leg has xx tons of armor... That's distributed across the entire length of the leg. You don't have to strip away every ton of armor to take a leg off. Especially if you get a knee, ankle, or hip. You just have to open a small hole in the armor, and the myomer is extremely fragile. Also, severing a leg would pretty much end the mech in reality. At best it could stand in one place with a great mechwarrior and be converted to a turret. At worst it falls over and crushes the cockpit under its own bulk.

Yes, a Rifleman could theoretically cripple a victor with one lucky/skilled shot. A 6ML Jenner could cut the leg off an Atlas if it poured all that energy into thr back of the knee...

You don't even have to penetrate the armor to hobble a mech, melt the armor right above the knee enough that it runs down over the joint and hardens, blammo, limping mech. Mechs are more fragile, in practice, than on paper.

Also, tha ks PGI for stepping up with this n.n I was getting disappointed with the announcement posts being just a link to the store front with no fanfare or information at all...

Edited by Twilight Fenrir, 09 November 2015 - 12:07 PM.


#20 kesmai

    Member

  • PipPipPipPipPipPipPipPipPip
  • The Spear
  • The Spear
  • 2,429 posts
  • LocationPirate's Bay

Posted 09 November 2015 - 12:02 PM

http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Gray_Noton





1 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 1 guests, 0 anonymous users