Resource Slug

Resource Slugs are large, sphere-cone objects that are made entirely out of purified, rare metals. After being harvested from asteroids by the Maw, metals are printed into large sphere-cones, known as resource slugs. These resource slugs are a solid iron core surrounded by multiple layers of various metals and elements, depending on the order from the colony and availability. Resource slugs compensate for the difference in density of its components by varying layer thickness and printing some metals as infill, ensuring that the slugs remain stable and predictable during transit.

Once completed, the slugs are then electromagnetically fired towards Eridanius II, taking between several months to over a year to travel to its destination. When the slug is close enough, position and trajectory is influenced by various high-powered laser satellites in orbit capable of burning off material to provide ablative thrust. The slug then enters the atmosphere at Mach 20, subjecting it to enormous g-forces before slamming into a large and deep body of water. The impact provides enough energy to vaporize thousands of tons of water, and produce seismic readings thousands of kilometers away. The now-congealed mass of metals sink to the bottom of the now-depleted water basin, from which it will be recovered and reprocessed into various materials and goods.

Despite the enormous infrastructure cost, resource slugs are made of almost entirely of precious metals which are able to completely offset their cost. Ranging between 30-70 tonnes, a single slug containing 50t of platinum (of which the Maw would be able to make multiple deliveries per year) represents over one-tenth the entire planetary production on Earth in the early 21st century. The large abundance of precious metals such as these have allowed for widespread use of otherwise costly strong and lightweight alloys.

Slug deliveries are highly accurate, managing only a .09% error rate even with dozens of slugs delivered each year, and thousands delivered in total. However, when a slug fails to impact a body of water, it does so spectacularly; exploding and scattering its molten contents over dozens of kilometers and devastating the local environment. The debris were usually not considered worth the recovery, and so dozens of slug deposits have survived into the modern era.

Resource slugs are also a significant contributing factor of the longevity and survivability of old tech into the New Age. Traditionally, most machinery had been constructed out of iron, steel and aluminum due to their abundance, with more advanced and complex alloys and composites relegated to extreme use cases. However, resource slugs which are able to deliver a constant and significant stream of metals such as platinum, chromium, and iridium have enabled the widespread use of lightweight high-strength and environmentally resistive materials for common everyday use. The difficulty in replicating these materials is a contributing factor to the problems of` restoring a pre-Fall society.

Resource Slugs are large, sphere-cone objects that are made entirely out of purified, rare metals. After being harvested from asteroids by the Maw, metals are printed into large sphere-cones, known as resource slugs. These resource slugs are a solid iron core surrounded by multiple layers of various metals and elements, depending on the order from the colony and availability. Resource slugs compensate for the difference in density of it's components by varying layer thickness and printing some metals as infill, ensuring that the slugs remain stable and predictable during transit.