West-Tek

Founded decades earlier than the other major corporations of the pre-War era, West-Tek competed for market share in the advanced weapons and biomedical sciences industries. They were immensely successful in both fields, relying primarily on massive government and military contracts to drive their business. Advanced weapons projects ranged from simple firearms, to the X277 “Viper” portable rail cannon. However, by far their most successful project was the T-51 Power Armor. This infantry enhancer drove profits starting in 2062 until seeing widespread and successful deployment across the battlespace of the Sino-American War. Early models, especially the earlier T-45 line, suffered from mediocre mobility and protection, but later developments produced a truly formidable weapon. As the war continued and choked resources, other, lighter, less expensive variants emerged.
In the early 2070s, with the legacy of the New Plague and the threat of Chinese bioweapons looming, West-Tek landed a contract to develop a wide-spectrum immunization to protect American citizens. Under the leadership of Division Director Nick Davis, this Pan-Immunity Virion Project met with strong initial success. Early doses produced effective immunity to a wide variety of infectious agents. Some side effects, especially increased muscle mass, spawned the research that would ultimately become the Forced Evolutionary Virus (see sidebar).
Escaping mutants from ongoing FEV testing combined with the nuclear strikes to turn most West-Tek facilities into nightmare death traps during the first hours and days of the post-war era. Ravaged by threats from within and without, the company as an entity became one more casualty of the nuclear exchange.
AFTER THE WAR
By far the largest shadow cast by West-Tek into the post-War era is the T-51 Power Armor and its variant models. They were produced in such quantities during conventional warfare prior to the nuclear exchange, they remain relatively common. They continue to empower any factions with access to them, often providing a decisive advantage in any armed conflict.
Legacies of their other projects also linger, ranging from advanced weapons in the hands of survivors, to any number of humanoid and animal mutations from FEV that roam and ravage the landscape.

Type

Corporation, Research & Development