A Brief History of the KT-88.

The original name of the units used by Farotech to sweep, clear, and rehab, irradiated and chemically contaminated areas, were called “M.E.C.H.’s”.  It stood for, “Multipurpose Emergency Chemical Hazard” unit.

With the upheaval of the Hudson shelf, and the roll back of the East River due to the lunar invasion, New York’s underground infrastructure was decimated.  Toxic gases, radiation, and chemical spills were rampant.

Mass evacuation of NYC followed and specialists were brought in to assess the damage.

Once areas were secured and quarantine barriers were set up, decontamination began.

Patrols of unarmed M.E.C.H.’s kept out all non infected citizens with simple pre-recorded audio warnings and hazard lights.

Soon installations were built inside these areas, only allowing access to authorized Farotech personnel.

At first, they were thought to be processing sites for irradiated soil and other contaminated materials.  Work continued for over 2 years as airborne transports left and returned to the site non-stop.

It was believed that these ships where transporting materials for rehabilitation.

Farotech claimed that despite the warnings from the M.E.C.H. patrols, the contaminated areas were being looted on a regular basis.

Citizens claimed they had a right to return to the areas and claim any property they may have left behind during the evacuation.

Soon the barriers were replaced with high level, steel reinforced, concrete walls.

Not long after, any and all trespassing was considered a criminal offense punishable by detainment at Farotech’s discretion.  Many who attempted infiltration were never seen or heard from again.

Farotech, a world leader in software as well as techno-mechanical innovations, and the largest military supplier, began modifying the M.E.C.H.’s for A.P.U.P. (Automated Patrol & Urban Pacification).

These unarmed M.E.C.H.’s failed to deter many trespassers and were quickly replaced by the much more sinister A.K.T. (Authorized Kill & Termination) series units.  These unit’s required an operator, who was sanctioned to use lethal force in order to maintain area quarantine.

The A.T.K.’s proved to be ineffective due to the many operators who were unable or unwilling, to fire on unarmed citizens.  They were quickly replaced by the fully automated K-T series attack drones.

The first of the series to be deployed, was the KT-66.  As a tri-wheeled vehicle, it was armed with a nine millimeter semi automatic machine pistol.  The 66’s however, proved to be unreliable on the rough terrain surrounding the city due to the Hudson shelf movement.

Many KT-66’s were incapacitated and captured by citizens who disassembled the units, and made use of it’s very respectable machine pistol; often firing at barrier sentries.

Suspicions of Farotech’s motives began to grow rapidly.  Attacks on the quarantine barrier became larger and more common.  Many believed that there was no reason to quarantine the area at all and that Farotech had used misinformation to take control of the entire city.

By this time, citizens had founded several large rebel groups in the surrounding areas.  (Queens Brooklyn, Bronx Staten Island, and New Jersey).

These events led to the advent of the KT-77’s.  The newer, bigger, 77’s were based on a much sturdier platform.  A large six wheeled base inspired by S.W.A.T. armored vehicle designs, offered the KT-77’s optimal movement across the rugged terrain.  The firepower on the 77’s were also upgraded to a large 15mm Gatling gun, capable of firing 22 rounds per second.

Rebel soldiers found ways to trick the KT-77’s targeting sensor mechanism into firing at decoy targets for long bursts resulting in meltdowns.  The rebels were then able to commandeer these drones as well and soon used them as attack and reconnaissance vehicles.

This finally led to the introduction of the KT-88.  A far more advanced design, the KT-88 was built upon the successful Predator Stealth Tank platform.  Modified with immensely powerful dual lasers and a highly sophisticated sensor array, the nearly indestructible killing machine began it’s reign of terror during the Battle for the Lower East Side.