Toolmaker

In the adjacent hallway you spotted the panel for the MatGen and signaled MPAD-24 to enable the console. Once it was active, you began navigating through the interface which was surprisingly intuitive. Based on the available menu selections, it showed you had access to patterns for a variety of simple items ranging from garments and basic tools to even larger items like containers or furniture. There were also various ways to customize the selections as well as ways to combine or merge parts of various patterns.

Tawny watched curiously over your shoulder while you navigated through the menus and eventually asked, "Why Sky help Tawny?"

"I was rescued by the Starpoint. I want to pay back that aid, but I have few skills to offer. However, I'm going to try my best to help this ship, its crew and passengers in whatever ways I can. Furthermore, I don't really know anyone here. Among my species, helping someone is usually a good way to make new friends."

"Sky want to be Tawny's friend?" she asked, as if the offer was quite unexpected.

"Yes, I'd like to be your friend, if that's OK," you replied.

You suddenly felt two arms wrap around you tightly, as Tawny unexpectedly gave you an enormous hug. "Yes, Tawny like," she squealed giddily like one of your former high school friends.

"You may want to curb your enthusiasm a bit until we see if I can actually make something useful," you suggested. She loosened her grip, and then shifted into a position standing beside you with one arm still wrapped around your waist. It seemed rather forward of her to place her arm like that around someone she'd just met, but maybe Cunis tended to be that way. It felt nice, so you didn't protest. Instead, you began to explain the basic design. "I'll try to make a mop first. I found a basic pole-shaped tool that should work for the handle, and there appears to be an absorbent cord-like material that can be used for the mop's head. There are also some binding materials that should be able to hold it together."

After making various adjustments, it looked like something from an old picture you'd seen with an antique mop once used on Earth centuries ago. With the pattern updated, you finalized the selection and activated the MatGen control. Several seconds later, a nearby panel slid open revealing the new item. After pulling out the mop, you inspected it, and decided it seemed suitable for the task. "Here you go - one brand new mop."

Tawny grasped it hesitantly and looked it over. She tugged at the cords and squeezed them, and then tried shaking and spinning the handle in a variety of ways. Eventually she even began stroking the end of the handle as if it were a giant penis. "How do I use it?" she asked.

With the way she was eyeing the end of the handle, you were worried she might even try inserting it into one of her orifices next. To prevent that possibility, you suggested, "You can set it down for now. I'll show you how to use it soon, but first I'm going to try to make a few more items."

Next you designed a new bucket for the mop based on what you could remember from the old photo. It used a simple lever-operated squeeze plate to wring water from the mop head. You also added a set of small wheels below the bucket so that it could easily be moved. After that you found an absorbent cube-shaped material that you resized into a cuboid to serve as a sponge. After all the items were made, you took them and led Tawny back to the hallway to give her a demonstration. With just a few wipes of the mop and subsequent uses of the lever in the new bucket to wring out the mop, most of the spill was cleaned up. You then finished off the final wet spots with the sponge.

Tawny was visibly shocked. "So fast! Sky sure this allowed?"

"None of these are powered or automated, so they should be," you replied. "What's the verdict, MPAD-24?"

"These tools are allowed," confirmed the floating robot.