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Truthfully, <span class="mu-s">nobody</span> made the Reassembler. It was a joint effort, and a natural progression of technology. You don't intend to be a glory hog, so you say it as such in a broadcast introducing the device to billions of your citizens. Due to not praising anyone, and no awards being granted, you find the reception very positive but also indirect. As such, your vague speech on togetherness and mutual prestige for the good of your society is seen as little more as high effort morale boosting, and that it does. Beyond smoothing over the stranded colonists incident a few decades back, nothing special comes of it, and life quickly transitions to adopting the new technology.
The <span class="mu-s">Reassembler</span> is two machines in one; the Disassembler which allows you to break down almost any matter, trash or otherwise, into useful raw materials, and the Assembler portion, which can take raw materials and rapidly produce valuable goods. It's a recycling process. While you quickly find that atomic and molecular level reassembly to be far too slow and fine of a construction mechanism except for highly specialized scientific laboratories; turning down the resolution to neighboring substances works wonders in standard manufacturing. Instead of needing to find a specific alloy of iron, you can just break down several metallic ores, the rest conveniently shredded and packaged into cubes for easy storage. Instead of needing rare earth minerals, a large amount of basic sand could be inserted and trace minerals extracted. With exception to the strategic resources of Azuirum, BAG, and Celestial Blood, which are more forms of strange matter, as well as their resulting products like Antimatter, this simplifies multiple steps in your manufacturing process.
Over the next few years, you begin to learn the full limitations and uses of the Reassembler technology. All over the Hegemony, specialized and general machines are invented and put into place in varying places, most commonly in small workshops or homes.
“It isn't good with organic compounds; especially trying to imitate living things or tissues of organs. They have to be grown. It can produce certain medications or mineral supplements, maybe a slightly better tasting food slurry then a Biocube, but real food won't be replaced any time soon. And of course, complex living organisms are out of the question.”
<span class="mu-b">”So the life machine won't be replaced any time soon.”</span>
“Exactly.”
Of course, the Hegemony has always dealt with automation and increased productivity in great stride. AI and space technology already had replaced art and craft industries centuries ago; these are protected by law, and are a part of Hegemony culture. Though a few specialist laborers and machining shop workers grumble about this technology replacing them, they shut up quickly when reminded that the increase to your nation's overall wealth and power is worth far more then their fragile egos...
