New Arc Reactors
The New Arc Reactors begin with a premise that sounds reasonable and arrive at a conclusion that is anything but. The outside world is a massive technical device in disrepair. Master medical science, engineering, and physical science, and the means exist to improve the world as a whole. On the surface, this is a reformist philosophy that most people in the wasteland would endorse. Fixing the planet is a goal that transcends doctrinal boundaries.
The problem emerges when the philosophy follows its own logic to the end. History through the lens of Savannah teaches that the planet's inhabitants caused the world to become tainted and destroyed. If the Strains are the ones repairing the damage, the next question is inevitable: what happens after the repair is complete? Some members of the New Arc Reactors have arrived at an answer that the rest of the Church finds deeply unsettling. The entire point of the Strains' existence, they argue, is to repair the planet and then politely remove all Strains from existence so that the world has a new chance at a naturally evolving order.
The tension between altruistic planetary repair and nihilistic self-removal defines the sub-sect. Most members focus on the practical work of science and engineering, content to leave the philosophical endpoint as a theoretical exercise. But the extremists among them have begun to treat self-annihilation not as a distant abstraction but as a moral obligation. The question that no one outside the sub-sect wants to ask is whether a faith that might logically conclude its members should cease to exist can remain stable indefinitely.
The problem emerges when the philosophy follows its own logic to the end. History through the lens of Savannah teaches that the planet's inhabitants caused the world to become tainted and destroyed. If the Strains are the ones repairing the damage, the next question is inevitable: what happens after the repair is complete? Some members of the New Arc Reactors have arrived at an answer that the rest of the Church finds deeply unsettling. The entire point of the Strains' existence, they argue, is to repair the planet and then politely remove all Strains from existence so that the world has a new chance at a naturally evolving order.
The tension between altruistic planetary repair and nihilistic self-removal defines the sub-sect. Most members focus on the practical work of science and engineering, content to leave the philosophical endpoint as a theoretical exercise. But the extremists among them have begun to treat self-annihilation not as a distant abstraction but as a moral obligation. The question that no one outside the sub-sect wants to ask is whether a faith that might logically conclude its members should cease to exist can remain stable indefinitely.
Structure
The internal structure and leadership of the New Arc Reactors are not described in available sources. The sub-sect operates within the Church of Darwin as a reformist philosophical group rather than a rigidly organized institution. Members are united by a shared commitment to mastering medical science, engineering, and physical science as tools for repairing the world, though the group contains a spectrum of positions ranging from moderate planetary restoration to the extreme view that all Strains should remove themselves from existence after the repair is complete.
Public Agenda
The New Arc Reactors seek to master medical science, engineering, and physical science to repair and improve the world. Their stated mission is planetary restoration: treat the broken world as a machine that can be fixed through knowledge and effort. The tension within the group lies in what comes after. For some, fixing the world is the goal. For others, the logical conclusion is that the people who broke it should step aside once the work is done, raising the question of whether the ultimate act of Darwinist devotion is engineering your own extinction.
History
The New Arc Reactors emerged within the Church of Darwin as a reformist group that viewed the outside world as a massive technical device in a state of disrepair. Their founding philosophy, informed by history through the lens of Savannah, holds that the planet's inhabitants caused the world to become tainted and destroyed. Rather than simply celebrating survival of the fittest, the New Arc Reactors concluded that the purpose of the surviving Strains is to repair what was broken.
This philosophy carried an unsettling logical endpoint that has divided the group internally. Some members pursue planetary restoration as a broadly constructive goal, mastering science and engineering to improve conditions for everyone. Others have followed the reasoning to its extreme conclusion: if the Strains caused the damage, then after the repair is complete, the Strains should politely remove themselves from existence so the world has a chance at a naturally evolving order free from the species that destroyed it the first time.
This philosophy carried an unsettling logical endpoint that has divided the group internally. Some members pursue planetary restoration as a broadly constructive goal, mastering science and engineering to improve conditions for everyone. Others have followed the reasoning to its extreme conclusion: if the Strains caused the damage, then after the repair is complete, the Strains should politely remove themselves from existence so the world has a chance at a naturally evolving order free from the species that destroyed it the first time.
Reformist Darwinists repairing the world, with an unsettling endpoint philosophy
