Rustybot
Rusty Manufacturing Post-Planetfall Production Preparation Post (RMPPPP), Quindlet, Quindol, Andromeda
2171
”C’mon…”
Here I am, the smartest human alive inhabiting the greatest technological achievement in history, kneeling in the dirt rubbing sticks together like a caveman. I suppose I always wanted to try starting a fire manually but I really wish it was under different circumstances.
I regain focus for a moment as thin wisps of smoke start to rise from the base of my wood drill. I quickly take the softly glowing twig and place it into the small pile of tinding I prepared, then begin to fan it with a particularly wide leaf I found.
This process is a component of step one on my tech tree: fuel generation. I’ll bury this flame with some of my wood stockpile under a layer of mud to make charcoal, then I can start burning hotter fires and make a proper kiln for smelting ore.
I have to be extra careful with my finger joints while I work though, since I won’t have access to any repair facilities when they inevitably start to wear down from manipulating all this abrasive dirt and clay. In hindsight, I wish I had brought a microfabricator and some polymers. Rubberized gloves would go a long way in improving my parts’ lifespan.
Thank goodness I decided to aim for a planet with an ample supply of combustible lifeforms. Apparently being plantlike is a good enough strategy that it happened here too. The burgundy tree-ish stalks that emerge from the soil in this area make for excellent firewood.