Laser Transceiver (PL 6)

This system uses a beam of coherent light to transmit messages. The laser is unidirectional; the signal cannot be intercepted or jammed unless it’s beamed directly at a hostile ship or station. However, if the comm officer doesn’t know exactly where the receiving station is, the laser transceiver is a waste of effort. This has some hidden drawbacks; a character cannot use the laser transceiver for a general distress call to all stations in the area, for example. A ship can’t receive laser communications unless it is equipped with the transceiver.

Lasers are limited to the speed of light (8 AU/hour), meaning it can take hours or days to get a response within a system, or even weeks to get a response at interstellar distances.

Purchase DC: 23.