Simple tools

You left the medical bay and headed down the hallway toward the elevator, but as you rounded the corner, you almost collided with a brown-haired Cuni who was washing the walls with a rag. Although you managed to avoid hitting the bunny girl, her bucket was less fortunate. With one off-balance step, your foot kicked it over, sending the murky contents spilling over a large section of the floor in the hallway.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" you apologized.

The Cuni briefly looked at the mess and then turned back toward you. "It Tawny's fault. Bucket should be closer to wall." She promptly tipped up the bucket and began the tedious process of soaking up the liquid with her rag and then repeatedly wringing it out into the bucket. As you watched, her skimpy attire and simplistic approach made you wonder if this is how a caveman on earth might appear if they were suddenly thrust into a modern setting. Her rag-wringing method worked, but at the rate she was going, it would take a very long time to collect all the spillage.

"You can call me Sky," you added, but she merely nodded and continued her work. "Don't you have a mop or maybe a sponge?" you asked.

"Tawny not allowed to use cleaning machines or automated systems," she replied.

"Are you not familiar with mops or sponges?" you countered. "Those are still manual tools similar to your rag and bucket, but they are much better at handling larger amounts of liquid."

"Tawny only have rags and buckets," she admitted.

It seemed cruel to **** someone to clean this advanced ship using such primitive tools. Was she being punished? "MPAD-24, why is Tawny only allowed to use rags and buckets for cleaning?"

The floating robot replied, "Tawny is currently enrolled in the Advanced Cuni Training Program on the Starpoint. Her current training is for Facility Cleaning where Cuni are taught to use basic cleaning tools instead of relying upon advanced machines and automated systems. Based on prior results, this method has been determined to be the most effective approach."

"If she is allowed to use basic cleaning tools, would that include a mop or sponge?"

"During the training, any cleaning tools may be used that do utilize an additional power source or provide any automated functions," explained MPAD-24. "If such tools are available, Tawny may use them."

That was the catch. You couldn't just head to the nearest Galactic-Giga-Mart to buy them, and it was doubtful that the Starpoint would stock such primitive Earth-like tools. On the other hand, her current items had to come from somewhere. "MPAD-24, where did Tawny's rag and bucket come from?"

"They were produced using the MatGen using patterns found in the Starpoint's database."

Of course. The MatGen was probably able to produce nearly anything the crew or passengers might need, ranging from clothing to simple tools to who knows what else. However, there might not be a pattern to produce the desired items. On the other hand, the doctor had managed to modify some of the clothing designs you were wearing, so it was possible that you might be able to combine or modify existing patterns to serve a new purpose. "Is there a local MatGen we can access?"

"The nearest MatGen console is located in the adjacent hallway. Cunis are not permitted to use the MatGen. Sky is permitted to use the MatGen, but access is restricted to using basic materials."

You wondered why the Cunis weren't allowed to use the MatGen, but you could ask about that later. "Tawny, let's see if we can make you some new cleaning equipment."