Structol is a multipurpose non-organic living and self-modifying nano-structure created by the Sourcian. It can be found in almost all Sourcian technology and trace levels are almost always found within a given Sourcian.
Recently, Structol has entered the nano-material market in local space. Though it is easy to breed and multiply, making changes to an existing colony to make it useful to a specific application is not. As such, it is nearly impossible to split one product into two unless the original program (created by a Sourcian) demands such.
In appearance, structol resembles a lumpy black liquid, slime or gel which moves and re-organizes itself. Having variable hardness, the distribution of its specularity and reflection changes enormously, as does its roughness which means at times it can appear waxy with secondary subsurface scattering like flesh which is polychromatic.
Generally, structol becomes more specific in its shape, color and geometry as it forms complex machines and elements – and more generalized when it returns to a neutral state ready to assume another role.
Objects with structol in their construction often seem to trickle along their exterior with it, like raindrops upon a car window over solid hulls though these are often rippled pockets of differing density over laminate - having more in common with keloids associated with skin trauma - a geometric lesion which moves over the surface of the exterior like marching ants.
The exact details are not known and the background itself is not public knowledge, Structol being a black-box product. It is exceptionally difficult to engineer and originates as a form of self-organizing material which is able to recrystalize - a form of self-metastasising inorganic biologics
Structol is thought to originate in Sourcian oceans, with some very primative wild forms found. Common forms within structol include weaved carbon, nano-meshes and nano-tubing. Structol itself is a self-organizing colony of crystalline structure with behavior akin to that of high speed micillium. It is able to create complex machines such as logic gates, motors, transistors, resistors and field control systems.
There are for obvious reasons careful security precautions to prevent runaway scenarios - such as the emulation of telomere-like behavior giving the majority of structol a limited lifespan - though it is able to enter a form of stasis..
The full extent of what structol is capable of remains widely unknown – though it is universally recognised as a programmable material.
Within known space, forms of structol can be found which are repeating their last instructions and have been made specifically not to accept new instructions until their task has been completed. With self-replication for survival on some level almost certainly being part of the program, “wild” structol is classified into “strains” based on the forms it makes and the specific instruction-sets it follows.
Almost all wild forms of structol are incredibly dangerous. Absoloutely no contact should be made with it under any circumstances. Further research reveals wild-strains commonly do not consider humanoid organisms as a life-form and instead treat people as they would any other object, as viable raw material.
Any and all objects contaminated should be spaced and destroyed immediately.
Contaminating the Mok'ro prior to its disappearance and then the attempted salvage operation of the Akahar, AEX-001 (codename 'Stryctol') is a self-replicating strain seemingly designed to supplement an organic life-form, to augment and fortify. Its primary task is to bond with individuals (originally Sourcians) for use as a cybernetic system.
In practice, AEX-001 was “unable to understand the neural patterns of complex carbon-based machines (people) and as such attempted to better understand that which it encountered using non-destructive means with no intent to cause harm” – though while these means would be non-destructive and non-harmful for a natural Sourcian, they would be disastrously lethal to humanoid life.
Further information pending at this time.