The events, devices, and other changes listed here are Big Things
which have an impact on the entire setting of our game.
Gate Closing Technology
Recovered from a xeno installation on Cancri-4 and reverse-engineered by Firewall, this tech allows users on one side of a Pandora Gate to shut it down, preventing all use for a certain amount of time. It is being carefully released by Firewall through academic proxies to mask its origins.
As of AF 12, this technology is now ubiquitous in all gate control units. It requires one or more operators to be actively manipulating the control panel at all times to maintain the lock, but unplanned tests proved that it does work to stop other gates from dialing the blocked gate.
NeurSCo Communication
Created with help from the Factors, the Neo-Synergists on Venus use a variant of this to maintain their shared brain state. Based on QE comms, it is a very efficient and secure way to transmit information, but was responsible for creating the emergent ego Chrysalis. With the rights to the NeurSCo tech now owned by the Neo-Synergists themselves, further research has been fairly secretive. It seems that few groups outside the brain-linked collective want to dabble in similar technologies.
EM-Absorbant Nanomachines
First seen when they impacted Savitr Station, these experimental nanomachines have a semi-organic layer that allows them absorb nearby EM radiation for power. As a side effect, they are extremely difficult to detect with most active sensors unless the power output is turned way up.
The secret to manufacturing this coating remains proprietary for now. When the technology is released, it will have a huge impact on nanomachine longevity and operating ability.