LOKI Mech

The LOKI Mech was a bipedal humanoid security robot manufactured by Hahne-Kedar, designed for guard duty and security detail in places where stationing organic personnel for around the clock shifts was unfeasible or impossible. Cheap, simple, and easily produced, it became one of the most common automatons in the galaxy, fielded by colonial authorities, corporations, and criminal organizations alike. After the Battle of the Citadel thinned the ranks of countless security forces, the LOKI spread from limited colonial use into service across both civilian and military sectors.

Design and deployment#

Mechs of the LOKI's class had long seen use wherever raw manpower was needed without the cost or risk of living personnel. The Systems Alliance employed them for colony guard duty, but the type came into far broader use following the Battle of the Citadel, when the losses inflicted by the Reaper Sovereign and the campaign of the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius left many security forces badly depleted. Beyond legitimate operators, the LOKI was a favorite of organizations operating outside the law: the Eclipse mercenaries made extensive use of them as expendable assault units, the Blue Suns private security company fielded them, and the Cerberus organization deployed them for added security when needed.

A LOKI carried a basic personality suite and was easily programmed for a range of security tasks. It could be equipped with various weapon systems, both lethal and non-lethal, as circumstances demanded, and could be set to speak pre-recorded phrases, calmly advising intruders to leave an area even while firing on them. A unit that switched to its security protocols was easily recognized, as the dual eye on its head turned from white to red. The mechs were also built to endure rough conditions, remaining functional in rain and other wet environments without shorting out.

Limitations#

For all that it was inexpensive and serviceable, the LOKI's simplicity carried serious drawbacks. The mechs were incapable of any complex tactics, never sought cover during a firefight, and advanced relentlessly toward their targets. Their firewalls could not withstand high-level hacking techniques, leaving their programming vulnerable to being overridden and turned against their own owners. In no sense was a LOKI the equal of a trained soldier in combat, and as a result it was almost always deployed in overpowering numbers or as a supplement to another force rather than relied upon alone. During the occupation of Omega, Cerberus fielded heavily modified LOKI units known as Rampart Mechs to help control the station's population.