Fteigar Alloys
Although apocryphal stories within the field of material science attribute the ‘Fteigar’ title of these alloys to a mythical Dr. Fteiger, the name is actually a pronounciation of the acronym FTAGR. FTAGR stands for ‘Fourier Tempered Annealing, Growth and Repositioning.’ Although a detailed review of the procedure is beyond the scope of this article, a brief explanation is warranted.
The Fteigar process is a process through which holographic interference patterns are used to manipulate laser light. That light is then used to manipulate the atoms of the materials being used to create the object. Since the holopatterns are artificially created, this can and often does give the designing engineer the ability to control the deposition and bonding of individual atoms and layers of atoms onto the surface of the target object. Initially used only to coat objects with alloys, the process was eventually improved to the point where it could create first micro-devices, then nano-devices, and finally large devices.
Fteigar alloys first appeared during the early empire. It’s unclear from the literature available where the actual first use might have been recorded. While many sources attribute them to various forces including the Bafiktuy Intelligence Directive, the Cathian Navy, and even the Alaerian Cult, these sources tend to “thin out” and vanish as the date of the source approaches the actual events. Hence, these references must be considered “post hoc” or embellishment. What is apparent, however, is that during this period, the process was expensive and hard to manage.
Whatever their origins, technical advances made Fteigar items much more commonplace during the Dabrian Dynasty. Their appearance helped turn the fashion of conflict from detached missiles and beams to personal brutal melee. During this period, many “impossible” items became commonplace:
- non-dulling monomolecular edges
- frictionless surfaces (very important for ball-bearings and gears)
- superfriction surfaces (very important for tires and gears)
- superconducting surfaces, and chips
- “unbendable” objects, most especially impenetrable armor
- “smart” or “perfect” camoflage
Of course, scientists and engineers will preface their remarks on these materials by saying “not really, see…” However, the near-perfection of these technologies lead to many bizarre events during this period as clever designers made use of a new technique to solve one or another of the Creator’s tests.
One final note, some scholars will make reference to this technique possibly existing into antiquity, perhaps even in the days of Old Terra. While this may explain the difficulty in determining the source of the technique, there’s little hard evidence to support this conclusion. The most famous argument for this idea, and for most other fringe or pseudo-scientific beliefs, can be found in the now-famous Mysteries Of The Diaspora.