The Unified Forces don’t bother trying to eavesdrop on the artificially intelligent Battle-Bots. It’s a laugh to think that they could. With quantum mechanics driving the Bots’ encryption algorithms, decrypting the COMMS is impossible. Conversely, the Bots can easily break into UF COMMS, so TTPs either call for transmitting in the clear or using a line-of-sight communications method roughly based on LiFI principles.
Tight beams of sub-visible electromagnetic radiation (aka light waves) are sent between transceivers. This has the benefit of overcoming any jamming the enemy is want to do as well as giving the UF a way to keep their communications from being easily exploited.
Listening in on the Bots isn’t going to happen, period. Even with quantum computing of our own, we couldn’t crack their encryption algorithm. The damn bots have come up with some way of randomly alternating encryption keys like the military used to jump frequencies over a broad spectrum of RF. They don’t bother with freq-hopping, instead they alternate encryption protocols. At least, that’s what we think. We really don’t know.
So instead of trying to hack their COMMS, we figured out a way to watch their COMMS. The tech is classified, and only a small group in the Unified Forces knows the details. They call themselves IndiaAlpahOne, and from time to time, you will hear them on the radio giving intelligence reports. They use words like observed and distinguished and spotted when they send their so-called traffic.
Someone once said they got a glimpse of a big TV monitor during the chaos of a battle. He was next to IndiaAlphaOne’s shack when the door to it burst open, and one of the intel-weenies rushed out. Before the door closed, the ground-pounder saw a huge flat screen on the wall. It was a camera feed of the battle raging outside the base. What wasn’t obvious were the layers of alternating colors varying in intensity and slowly moving on the screen.
From that and other observations we figured out that IndiaAlphaOne could see radio waves. They still won’t tell us how, but it’s good to know that they are on our side. Except that is when the MPs show up unannounced to confiscated mobiles. We’re not allowed to have civilian portables of any kind on the front lines for COMMSEC reasons. Some of the guys still try and get away with it, but they always get caught. It’s IndiaAlphaOne. They see them. If you turn on a mobile, it tries to connect with a tower, whether land-based or one in low earth orbit. Regardless, the mobile lights up like a Christmas tree on IndiaAlphaOne’s screen and not long after, the portable is taken.
Why call them IndiaAlphaOne? That’s actually not too difficult to figure out. It’s based on the old usage of calling 911 for help. It’s a bit cliche and retro especially considering no one even dials phone numbers anymore. It’s all IP based nowadays. In any event, India is the ninth letter in the alphabet. Yes, we still use the alphabet. Alpha is the first letter of the alphabet. And, One is, well, one. Put it together, 911.
So why aren’t they called DeltaAlphaOne you ask? Because we call them in emergencies and they save us with intelligence. Like the shit-show that went down at West Tower not too long ago. Without IndiaAlphaOne’s intel, East Tower would have been destroyed like the West Tower was, and we would have lost the base. Hundreds of UF Soldiers would have been killed, and we would have given the enemy strategically important terrain.
