Quantix Comm

"The advent of Quantix Chips and the Omega Array has revolutionized interplanetary communication, but it's also bred a dangerous complacency. With instant connectivity, we've grown accustomed to real-time intelligence and rapid response. However, this has created vast blind spots. We're so focused on the speed of information that we've neglected the shadows where terrorists and pirates operate. The illusion of omniscience has made us lazy, reliant on technology rather than human intuition and boots-on-the-ground intel. We're losing the art of patience, of waiting for whispers in the dark, of anticipating the unexpected. And that's exactly where our enemies are hiding – in the silence between the signals."   ~Agent Mikkel "M-761" King, Terran Homestar Intelligence  

Instant Communications

Quantix Chips, a product originally by Omega Systems, consist of particulates suspended in a piezoelectric nanogel. The particulates of one chip are quantum-entangled with another. Using a Quantix Comm Console (QCC), one chip can push about 1000 GB of data/second; enough for file transfers and audio/visual communications, but not enough for complex data streams. More mundane radio carrier waves are preferred for that.

A Shrinking Galaxy

Omega Systems operates planetary relay centers that communicate with each other and connect to chips on the market. This allows starships and planets to tap into the Omega Array and keep in contact with each other even across vast gulfs of space. Parents on Venus can ask about their student attending classes on Titania and receive an naswer before the light passing by Venus could be seen by the student.

Blind Spots

No method has yet been found to track or block quantum communication. This means that sophisticated enough cryptography encoding communications can essentially allow full freedom for criminal elements to do as they please without worry of law enforcement or intelligence agencies listening in. There are rumors that Terran Homestar Intelligence has broken this conundrum, but academicians are quite insistent that this is an impossibility.  

Quantix Comm Options

Quantix Console: A non-portable console with several chips in it meant for installation into a vehicle or building. Nearly all of them have a full array of radio and communications arrays for more mundane and generalized communication. The counterparts of the chips are in Omega Systems' array. More chips can be installed in the console for direct communication. LC 3, $15,000   Quantix Chip: A chip that can be slotted anywhere an RI can, meant for use as a cybernetic or to slot into a smaller vehicle, such as a starfighter or cataphract, or as part of a portable device like a datapad or ID scanner. The counterparts of the chip is in Omega Systems' array. LC 3, $8,000.   Gemini Chip: A specialized Quantix Chip that is sold in pairs. The chips allow one to one communication. LC 2, $10,000.   Hive Array: A central Console with a series of Gemini Chips, with or without a regular chip. This is meant for team communications, and is used in everything from carrier ships and their fighters to commando squads and their minder. LC 1, $18,000 + $10,000 per chip.