Trexlers - The Federated Nanotechnological Republic of Trexler
Nanotech enthusiasts, nanarchists, hackers and fetishists settled Trexler during the early to mid Diaspora. They established their colony, with the capital city of McCarthy, with the stated intent of exploring the limits of nanotechnology, particularly utility fogs, bush robots and microbot swarms (as well as the related technology robot swarms).
Nanarchists: Individualistic anarchists and anarcho-capitalists that believe the technologies of the era (replicators, nanotech, wormholes, inversion power sources, etc.) free them from dependence on their fellow man. The term originates from around the Nanotech War.
While they haven’t reached their grail yet – miracle fogs (utility fogs that can work at the nano levels to create and destroy actual materials instead of just simulate them) – they have made substantial progress and pushed the limits of the technology. They have created effective bush robots, utility sand (a fall out from their investigations of both microbot swarms and utility fogs) and a host of new nanotech derived materials. They’ve also created a society uniquely dependent on nanotechnology.
Originally the Trexlers were a very loose organization of nanarchists and other nanotech enthusiasts, cooperating on research efforts and large scale projects. This resulted in some very odd and tense situations over the years, as the extremely individualist nanarchists bumped heads with less individualistic researchers. Over time, there was less and less cooperation between the nanarchists and the others, and even among the nanarchists themselves.
The lack of cooperation and understanding between the groups did lead to conflict and the widespread use of nanotech weapons in terrorist actions, ultimately leading to the destruction of the capital of McCarthy during Founding Day ceremonies, and the destruction of many of the nanarchist factions by everyone that was appalled by the action. Since then, their government changed from a confederacy to a strong federated form of government with an eye to providing a legal system, common defense and planetary protection and restoration.
The government has three branches - legislative, judicial and executive. Since the majority of the Trexlers were from North America, the branches are known as the Congress, Judiciary and President. Unlike the various North American governments, the Congress has only one branch without any proportional representation by population and is elected by geographic representation (which lead to some wrangling over how to represent airborne arcologies). Otherwise, it resembles the various federal democratic governments of North America in the early twenty-first century.
Today, they have restored and improved Trexler, with the exception of McCarthy - maintained as a monument to the Founding Day attack. The climate was moderated, the ecosystems restored and diversity improved. The government also used its resources to build the beanstalks and their accompanying orbital stations. Another was to build the globe girdling solar power networks that cover the deserts (especially the phage deserts). A more recent project was the construction of a global rail network. Each continent has a network of underground magnetic rail tunnels containing a vacuum connecting the major settlements (currently the threshold is a population of 25,000 – there is talk of lowering this, which some attribute this to the government looking for something to do).
The World of Trexler
Trexler is a beautifully terraformed world designed to have larger semitropical and Mediterranean climatic zones. Because of this it has numerous small seas and gulfs, with the continents crowding around the equator and above the tropics. There are subcontinents at the poles. The planet is obviously inhabited, because the desert areas are covered with pseudo-material solar power cells and two equatorial beanstalks.
Visitors to Drexler will find it foggy. Not because of the climate, but because of the ubiquitous utility fogs and microbots. While invisible to the unassisted human eye (Nanotech 5+), the sheer numbers of them cause water to condense, forming fogs.
Feynman
Feynman is the capital city of Drexler and small by galactic standards. It sprawls along roads radiating out from the vacuum mag rail line linking it to other cities on the continent. One unique thing about Drexler cities and towns is that the only things that stay the same are the roads – everything else changes on a regular basis – color, appearance and shape.
Common Name: Trexlers, Trexlies
Epithets: Fog witches, nanosmiths, foggies, nanomancers
Emblem: Silver silhouette of a C60 molecule on a black background.
Inspector Status: Equivalent to FBI, Secret Service, Customs Service or RCMP.
Benefit: Neural mesh (regardless of Cognitech score), dermal microbots and one of the following:
- Bush robot
- Utility fog
- Microbot fabrication unit
- Polypede swarm
Core Values: Innovation and Nanotech
Innovation means that Trexlers are always looking for a new way to solve a problem. This means the CV can be added to attempts to do something new. It also subtracts from attempts to try to use tried and true methods.
Nanotech means that the Trexlers are convinced that nanotechnology is the superior technology of the age. It also means they are convinced that their approach to nanotech is superior to others. They will try to use a nanotechnology based solution owhere others may be more appropriate.
Other common values include Pride, Identity, Individualism, Freedom, Nanarchy, the Hacker Ethic and Privacy.
| Civilization | Bio | Cog | Meta | Nano | String |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trexlers | 3-6 | 2-8 | 2-5 | 6-10 | 2-8 |
Bush robots
Originally conceived in the late 20th century, they have arms that branch in a fractal manner down to nanoscale level manipulators. This makes them the ultimate in dexterity and manipulation. Combine this with the ability to extend the manipulators a short distance and the bush robot is very versatile tool, especially for tasks involving fine manipulation.
The standard bush robot consists of two sets of three 'arms' that do double duty as arms and legs (which means the Bush Robot can climb up walls and ceilings easily). Sensors are excellent, especially at the microscopic scale. Security and military grade bush robots can reproduce themselves from other materials.
By law, Trexlers keep only Servile AI familiars on Bush Robots. They are terrified of the idea of a Scout or Bonsai getting on a Bush Robot and overriding the safeties on a civilian model, or worse, getting possession of a military/security model. Oddly, there is a blackmarket among Bonsai AI's for the Bush Robot as a remote, not a host for their essential software. Another group fond of Bush robots as remotes are the Stored.
Tech Level: Nanotech 5+, Cognitech 4+
Cost: Low to Moderate. Moderate for military models.
Descriptors: Auxon for military/security models.
Utility Fog
Microbot fabrication unit
Sufficiently Advanced p 143
Polypede 'swarm'
Robot swarms are another old concept that the Trexlers worked to develop, implement and refine. The polypepe 'swarm' is one of them. Each 'swarm' consists of a small independent unit that can interlock with other polypede units and assume a variety of configurations. The default is a X 2 meters across (6'7" to those that use English), which walks on all fours, with the 'legs' also doubling as arms and manipulators. Each polypede unit can function as a sensor (usually audio, video, haptic, IR and laser) and as a set of fine manipulators equivalent to human fingers. By reconfiguring itself, the polypede 'swarm' can become a rolling hoop, a single very strong 'arm' crane or a burrowing 'snake.'
Most Trexlers keep Servile AI Familiars on these as 'pets', typicall Cognietch 3 or 4. Some have upgraded their pets to Bonsai AI status. Some of these polypede swarms are 'guard dogs' and have significant skills in Athletics and Soldier.
Tech Level: Stringtech 4+, Cognitech 4+
Cost: Low.
