Quantum Transport Technology

is a rare form of technology used by first the Forerunner, on a grandiose scale, then on a much smaller scale by the Covenant, then on a massive scale by the Necros later.

Description
Quantum Transportation is a heavily adapted variation on slipspace travel, usually used to transport short distances at a near instantaneous rate. Quantum Transportaton works by opening a prototypical Slipspace portal at the sender node, usually the powered node then creating a microscopic quantum singularity inside slipspace on axis with the destitation, creating a warp in slipspace and literally sowng the two points together, in temporarily. The exit portal is opened and maintained by a powered station on the opposite side, while the home station powers the quantum singularity. This creates two linked portals, which at short range, a single person could step through, unharmed, as if walking through a doorway. Such examples allow a waystaton on the ground to transport in troops, armour and aircraft with ease, allowing the ground forces to avoid getting out of their carrier and to the surface.

The second use of them was on a much larger scale, using massive amounts of power to link two coordinates in space to create portals big enough for ships to travel through. Such portals were used to quickly facilitate movement of ships from one end of an empire to the other, though the Covenant never cracked such technology.

Forerunner
At the height of the Forerunner civil war, the Home World faction had mastered the use of Quantum Transportation, using large relay stations posted at major colonies to transport fleets to the outer edges of the colonies to protected waypoints, allowing them to get anywhere within the empire near instantly. Many Forerunner Carriers held construction material in order to create smaller waystations on the ground, allowing them to construct waypoints between a ship and the ground, allowing forerunner carriers to flood the ground with dropships, even from a distance.

However, when the Forerunner-Flood war began, and the first Forerunner ships were seized, they learned that the transport network was insecure, both from ship to ground, and from waystation to waystation, bringing about an immediate change in policy, shutting down and dismantling nearly the entire waystation network, as well as dismantling portable waystations on ships, many being reused as slipspace bombs.

Not all Quantum Transport technology disappeared however. The Librarian used this technology to link the Ark with many planets, mostly those that they had protected, while laying a station down on the Forerunner homeworld and the shield worlds, should they return. A incomplete station was built on the then unfinished Haven 1.

Covenant
The Covenant, and their later factions, had little clue as to the true nature and potential of Quantum Transport, instead using it in its short ranged form, as an ability to transport troops safely a short distance from a orbiting carrier to ground positions. To this effect, the Covenant often built Transport Spires on the surface, allowing dropships to get ferry troops and supplies easily.

Necros
The Necros network of Quantum Transportation systems was more grandiose and insidious than any Forerunner might of envisaged, and many times more horrifying. The Necros used a gargantuan network, consisting of several Nexus stations stationed near important planets or stations, of which could interlink to each other, or to the Assembly. In turn, these could link to any number of Way Stations across the galaxy. These were often rings built in controlled systems, allowing massive transport of forces. However, these were often vulnerable and difficult to defend, so during a planetary invasion, the Necros would often build Way Towers, often up to a dozen, allowing them to teleport ships straight into orbit. This network was considered impenetrable, but both The Enclave and The Awakened both piggypack and hijack their way through the network, having closed portals they can utilise themselves.

The smaller sized network of portals is probably one of their most fantastic. On any given Necros ship, their exists at least one Cullis Gate. This gate can be connected to any matching Cullis Gate, allowing near instanteous transport between ships, or between ships and ground facilities, with the Necros using two sizes of Cullis Gates. Small ones are used for the transport of infantry in small groups, while larger ones are used to mass transport infantry, armour and air vehicles off any given ship. Cullis gates often ships with frontline super walkers, allowing transportation between the crew on the ship and the crew on the ground.

The last, and perhaps most horrific use of this technology, is in harvesting worlds. Necros Harvest ships use medium sized quantum portals to link themselves to a processing facility, usually a factory world, and an intense anti-gravity beam to literally suck up the surface of a planet in a small area, allowing them to devourer cities or mountains, given enough time. On a smaller scale, smaller scale Reaper used adapted Forerunner Teleporters to generate a beam that could transport atoms along its axis then 'throw' them into a portal into a waiting factory or processing centre, allowing it to send organic tissue or materials, allowing it to act as a miner and a 'snatcher', while the much larger Cabal Walker uses these to a similar effect. The Armageddon class Harvesters could use this technology to harvest on a planetary scale, acting as both a mobile battle station, waystation and mobile gun.

Precursor
Recovered Precursor slipspace drives, such as The Cypher and The Matrix indicate Precursor slipspace drives could create both and entry and exit portal without need for waystations, and create them along independent axis, or hijack existing networks.