Fabricators

The Fabricators or Fabricator Engines were machines developed in the late 21st century on Earth. Considered a miracle of science, the Fabricator was able (with a negligible input of electrical energy) to convert large quantities of any given element into any other. A hardware update to the initial model allowed the input elements to be split and generate a functionally-infinite and stable fission reaction, essentially providing free and limitless energy.

The Fabricator Engine was quickly replicated and there were eventually a total of 12. The late models were so large they had to be built and operated in outer space.

A Fabricator Engine resembles a large metal ring, with a diameter ranging from 100 ft. to several kilometers on the largest (spacefaring) models. The Engine is operated by a simple keyboard input or remotely from a personal computer or datapad. The desired component elements are placed at the very center of the ring, where they are scanned by an onboard sensor suite, which determines their elemental composure. The operator then inputs the desired product element and activates the conversion sequence. A typical sequence consists of space debris, inert gas or asteroids- any essentially useless matter that can be found in abundance- being converted into a more useful elemental form, for example large quantities of titanium for construction, gold to secure currency value, or methane for spacecraft fuel.

A targeted application of Fabricator technology was used, in effect, as a Co2 scrubber to undo much of the harmful effect of excess greenhouse gas in the Earth's atmosphere. Before long, they had rendered most Earth currency obsolete as precious metals suddenly became an infinitely renewable resource. Before long, large models of the Fabricator were being used to terraform entire worlds, as breathable atmospheres could be quickly formed from a planet's inert rock and soil.