Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
- Intent: To update an older sub for more modern use
- Image Source: here
- Canon Link: N/A
- Permissions: N/A
- Primary Source: Oracle Communications Package
- Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
- Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi Concord, Lucerne Labs Customers
- Market Status: Closed-Market
- Model: Oracle II-series Communications Package
- Modularity: various software and AI can be added to its memory banks; can easily be integrated with other software and vessel systems; common computer mods (additional memory units, microprocessors, etc)
- Production: Mass-Produced
- Material: Agrinium casing, Subspace Transceivers, Hyperwave Transceiver, Hyperwave Signal interceptor, comm-lasers, comm laser receivers, Calor-series Bio-computers, Biolux Organoform Circuitry, Bia series Portable Fusion Generators, software code & various electronics
- Overclocked Processing: Oracle II takes full advantage of Calor-series Bio-Computers ability to internally reconfigure itself, allowing some functions to be placed in a lower priority to allow for significantly faster processing by parallel computing. This allows Oracle to prioritize running different functions based on the circumstances, whether its finding and optimizing the frequency needed to get a message out through substantial jamming interference or decoding an intercepted message. Conversely, it can also spread out its processing power to accomplish many small tasks, such as handling the multitude of small signals that may come from a command ship coordinating dozens of starfighters.
- Jammers: Like the original Oracle, all communication devices on the Oracle can also be used as jamming devices against similar communications devices. Subspace radios can broadcast static or randomly selected noise to jam frequencies, laser comms can also focus on target laser communications receptors, etc.
- Smart Assistance: Oracle II can act in assistive matter, providing on the fly translation of many languages and attempting to break through many basic encryptions, largely through brute force cracking. Most commonly, Oracle II automatically attempts to connect and sync its communication devices with friendly vessels and neutral vessels. This allows Oracle and Oracle II-equipped vessels to quickly link up and coordinate their actions. Part of this process also includes automatically translating different languages and data formats between these different vessels.
- Power Computer: Oracle II's bio-computers provide it with excellent and flexible processing, better enabling it to burn through communications jamming, translate foreign broadcasts, decrypt intercepted signals, or handle coordinating a multitude of small signals.
- Jamming Suite: All communication devices in the Oracle package can be reconfigured to jam their counterparts, usually at the cost of their ability to communicate.
- Single Function: A device that is functioning as a jammer cannot be used as a communication's device at the same time, with the sometimes exception to the subspace transceiver (explained below).
- Easy to Access: Oracle II's automatic syncing ability also provides easy access point for enemy slicers. The ship's subspace transceiver's jamming ability also can actually transmit friendly communications straight to the opposition, provided they have a means to decrypt the signal (Explained in detail below)
Oracle II is a relatively minor update to Lucerne Lab's original communications system, the Oracle Communications Package. It owes much of its basic design concepts to that system, linking a subspace transceiver, hyperwave transceiver, and multiple communication lasers and receivers into a single suite. These individual communications devices in the Oracle are almost indistinguishable from any number of other basic, off the shelf devices commonly found across the galaxy. What distinguishes Oracle II from most commercial competitors is that these devices are connected via organoform circuitry to a series of Calor biocomputers which act as a nerve center. These biocomputers integrate the communications devices together and to the rest of the ship's systems. These computers host encryption, decryption, translation, and communications signals protocol and optimization software. Most of this programming is fairly innocuous.
But it does have an electronic warfare program that converts these communication devices into communication jammers that work against devices of the same communication type. This programming uses the hyperwave and subspace transmitters to broadcast "noise" or "static" on the same frequencies used by jammed device to disrupt information flow. Because none of Oracle II's communication devices are exceptionally powerful, this is not an effective general spectrum jammer: the devices must be specifically focused on the same frequencies as to have any effect on similarly sized vessels, and frequently these effects are not as strong as from dedicated communication jammers. Because of this, if multiple ships equipped with Oracle II packages will often sync their jamming efforts to increase their power and effectiveness. Similarly, the communications lasers can be employed to pulse modulated light into enemy comm laser receivers, adding additional signals that can corrupt or block data transmitted by other lasers. This is often more difficult to implement than the other kinds of jamming because it necessitates a closer range for the light to travel without diffracting too much, as well as maintaining line of sight with the receiver. Because all of these devices are using their own transmitters to generate noise, they generally cannot be used to communicate while they are jamming. The exception is with the subspace transceiver, which can jam enemy broadcasts by transmitting its information on the same frequency used by the opposing force.
This only is effective when there is notable transmission power difference between the Oracle or a group of synced Oracles and its opponent (a more powerful signal will override a weaker signal). The obvious downside to this is that the enemy will be receiving the same signals being sent to friendly ships. This jamming technique almost always necessitates using encryption in order to prevent the enemy from immediately using the transmitted information to their advantage.
Oracle also comes with its own programmed countermeasures to enemy jamming attempts, most often using predetermined frequency hopping among synced Oracle ships to overcome jamming attempts. Likewise, the communication lasers can use a similar technique, albeit with less effectiveness, by rapidly altering what light spectrum(Infrared, ultraviolet, etc) they are using at any given moment.
