Fractal radio

A fractal radio was a specialized communications device that allowed for highly-encrypted communications. The simple device was easy to use but hard to trace.^[2] The rebel leader Luthen Rael used a fractal radio in his shop, the Galactic Antiquities and Objects of Interest, to communicate with various rebel contacts. Rael's assistant Kleya Marki frequently monitored the radio.^[1] In addition to receiving transmissions from operatives, the radio could be used to monitor listening devices.^[3]

History

In 4 BBY,^[4] Marki return to the gallery from Chandrila to use the fractal radio to listen for any communication from either Cassian Jeron Andor or Porko on the status of the TIE Avenger.^[1] Two days later, the fractal radio was hailed by Andor, who furiously stated that his rendezvous with Porko was botched nor could he fly the ship, and demanded a new drop-off location. Subsequently, he announced his intention to call home, but Marki forbade him, admitting that Mina-Rau was under a signal blockade, prompting Andor to cut contact to go and investigate.^[5]

In 3 BBY,^[6] Marki connected the radio to a listening device hidden in the Tinian Codex in Davo Sculdun's gallery and overheard a conversation between Sculdun and Mishko, who had discovered the Coryio Chalice was a forgery, prompting a furious Sculdun to order a re-appraisal of his entire collection. Marki quickly disconnected the radio upon noticing a pair of customers outside the antiquities shop.^[7]

In 1 BBY,^[8] as ISB Supervisor Dedra Meero was about to expose him as Axis, Rael resorted to pouring acid over the fractal radio, effectively destroying any links to his contacts. Meero eventually noticed smoke coming from the back room, she called in her ISB Tactical team to save the potential evidence.^[9] Later, an ISB technician examined what remained of the radio and commented on how it was piggybacking on Imperial signals for years. Upon confirming that the transmitter was still functional, Supervisor Heert used it to trace Marki's location while she was communicating with Andor.^[10]