Matter Compilers

The technological innovation that gave sapient life the big push into the stars was the advancement of matter compilers. Once 3D printing technology has advanced sufficiently enough, scientific progress advanced at a rapid, exponential rate, as being able to construct things on a molecular level ("minifacturing") allowed for the construction of more advanced, efficient printers, which in turn allowed for the construction of more advanced, efficient printers, etc. Now, matter compilers are cheap, easy to manufacture, and for used in just about every facet of daily life. Air filters on earth and Venus drew in carbon dioxide, where scrubbers plucked the carbon molecule off of each one, releasing O2 and using the carbon to make diamond. Within a span of a few years, air pollution was a distant memory.

Hunger was the next thing to go as the MatFeed became a public utility, being able to replicate enough food to feed the planet. Several utility corporations have various different schematics for a solid, fibrous block of essential vitamins and minerals, which is universally purported to taste bland and slightly metallic, but the solar system has an near-infinite number of recipes and ways to prepare it to make it less so. The other type is an energy bar of solid calories, fats, starches, sugars, and electrolytes, which is sweet, sugary, and comes in a wide variety of artificial flavors. Sewage plants decompile the waste produced, recycling all the material for future use as food. These schematics are free and in the public domain, as per legal regulation, but that is not to say that delicacies don't exist. The vast majority of all schematics are legally classified as "luxuries" and charge a licensing fee per use.

Everything is recycled. Pollution and garbage are seen as a waste of resources. Clothing, dishes, and other everyday items are cleaned by placing it in the compiler, which decompiles ("deeks") all matter that is not part of the original schematic it was printed from, leaving it clean, sterile, and for all intents and purposes, brand-new. Cleaning and repairs usually come with another licensing fee for use of the schematic. Clothing is cheap and affordable to clean or mend, but technologically advanced protective clothing and biosuits can get quite costly. Similarly, when something is to be disposed of, the compiler deeks it entirely, recycling every atom for future use. Colonies and living spaces have MatFeeds as a public utility, but ships and smaller outposts have a MatVat for personal use. Corporations often have a coverall and some basic shirts, pants, shoes, and jackets with the company logo prominently emblazoned on it in the public domain, and it's not uncommon to see poorer communities dressed entirely in these matching, branded outfits. Luxury clothing is still widely available, and varyingly affordable.

Licenses for schematics are sold at vendors everywhere, and Digital Rights Management makes shopping for schematics largely the same as it was before matter compilation. Vendors and websites sell licences that allow for a single printing of an item. Some sales include a warranty license that allows unfettered cleaning and repairing of an item, but most things have a "consumption" license that charges a flat rate per cleaning/repair. Still, piracy is just as prevalent as it always was, and unlicensed, stolen, or otherwise off-brand schematics are a hot commodity in colonies throughout the system.

Matter compilation has many applications in medical science as well, with compilers able to print blood, bone, tissue, and organs, and being able to seamlessly suture up a wound with no scar tissue. Normally, compilers have parameters installed by legal regulation that prevent them from deeking organic matter on a non-microbial level to thwart criminal activity. Compilers with specially-issued medical licenses are the one exception to this, and are designed to work with organic matter. With the collapse of most civil structure after the war, the only healthcare professionals left are privatized, and more than half of all medical licenses in the system are pirated, for better or worse.