He spent the next hour repairing the helmet, munching on ration bars and reading the data pad connected to the 3D printer. As the AI said, there were a lot of modules unlocked, from simple scout droids to walls and solar panels, even high caliber weapons and rail guns. However, since the machine itself was a meter tall square box, building something big would be challenging. Because the pod had limited space, it couldn’t hold a lot of materials.
<3D Scanner module: Plasteel (5u) / Microelectronics (1u)>
---------------------------------------- <9mm ammunition magazine (x12 bullets): Steel (1u) / Propellant (6cc)> <5.56x45mm ammunition magazine (x30 bullets): Steel (5u) / Propellant (15cc)> --- --- --- He could build a lot of the stuff on the list, which was good news. And if there was anything he needed that was not on the list, there would be no problem designing something. The bad news was that he had to cannibalize his pod to do anything. He had nowhere near enough plasteel to make something worthwhile, and his stocks of everything else were pitiful. He didn’t even know how to get raw iron by himself. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. It was both a blessing and curse that Clarice’s pod crashed so close to his. He could take it apart and use it to fuel some of the more expensive projects. But just a cursory glance inside told him that there were not a lot of fragile materials not reduced to molten slurry. He would be lucky to get any propellant or synthread out of the thing. Another problem was the first 2 items on his ‘agenda.’ He had enough rations to last for a couple of weeks, but he was not delusional enough to think that they would last him until he built the satellite and waited for rescue. Scouting with drones for water would be the simple part in his opinion…retrieving it was the issue. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get there, I guess… AI, do you have any scans of the surrounding wildlife? I need to make the drones blend in.” < ‘3D scanner’ module not installed> “Great…just great…” He queued the construction on the printer, wincing after seeing his dwindling resources lower even more. The ‘3D scanner’ was a small white dome barely bigger than his palm. Hooking it to the AI wasn’t a problem, just some commands and lines of code, and the thing would function day and night. The complicated part was putting it on the top of the capsule. That would involve going out of safety and risk getting his face eaten. He briefly looked outside the pod, towards the great unknown that laid beyond the trees. His skin prickled as he stared at the dark patches of jungle and his eyes twitched at any hint of movement. The overcast sky hiding the sun under the clouds made the problem even worse. “Theres…nothing there…” He tried telling himself but couldn’t help but feel his heart rate quicken. Visions of the feline monster jumping out of the darkness and ripping him apart flashed in his mind. The image of the thing’s mouth, enclosing around his head and crushing him like a grape, seared into his brain. Pain flared in his newly stitched wounds, reminding him what made them. When he finally forced himself to look away, his body slowly relaxed. He looked at the personal defense module with apprehension. Building guns was a slippery slope. If he was not careful enough with the ammo, there would not be enough resources to do anything else. Still, having something to defend himself with was much better than thoughts and prayers. With a last, nervous look outside, he selected the 9mm gun and 2 magazines. He edited part of the design on the datapad to require synthread instead of wood, since he had his chair available for that. 3 minutes of sawing a piece of the furniture later with a survival knife, he queued the construction. It was a retro design, one that still used internal propulsion and cartridges. Some would call it outdated, but it was reliable. It wouldn’t shut down with an EMP or require obscene amounts of energy to work long term, just care and enough ammunition. There was a reason it was still in use by exploration fleets. Five minutes later, the 3D printer opened, revealing the completely assembled gun. Its design was utilitarian to the extreme. Dull gray color and no decorations. It had an ‘iron scope,’ synthread grips, and a small ridge where he could attach a flashlight. He loaded up one magazine and examined the gun, looking for imperfections. “No manufacturing defects… scope aligns pretty well… not too heavy…” Isaah muttered to himself, pointing the gun down and keeping his finger away from the trigger. “Could use some color, but It’ll do the job…” With a satisfied nod, he then created the staple tool for any technician: The multi-tool. There was a basic model already inside the pod, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Its shape was like a rectangle with a handle and 2 triggers on the end, one on top of the other. “Engage.” He whispered and flicked his hand. He heard a small ‘ding’ and the thing unfolded, separating it into two. The upper part remained in place. A cylinder ran under it and extended slightly forward, like a barrel. A small, translucent screen popped up from the top and a tiny crosshair lit up in its center. He opened and checked a small chamber on the side where he could load nails and screws. And finally, he flicked the trigger to switch between different configurations for the nutrunner. “Octagonal…triangular… security…” The space inside the barrel would fill with small ridges to adjust to different types of screws. Isaah made mental notes of all of them. After them, screwdriver heads popped from inside the tool. “Cross… flat… pentagon… drill…” The bottom half inclined at a 24° angle. It housed a vibroblade, a 20 cm long, dual edged blade. He pressed the bottom trigger, and it began to buzz and shine in cyan light. He let the trigger go, and it stopped, returning to its previous inert state. Flicking a switch on its side revealed a long, thin plasteel cable. He stretched it as long as he could, letting it pool on the floor. “That’s…” He read the number appearing on the screen on top. “20 meters...” Flicking the switch again made the cable slowly return. Having something like that being quick was a recipe for missing limbs and lawsuits. He finally fell into his element again, briefly forgetting the horrors of the outside world. Numbers, tools, designs… his mind felt logical and sharp for the first time in several hours. With a quick nod, he pocketed the other magazine and holstered the gun on his hip. “Come on Isaah… In and out… Just… do it…” He glanced at his holoprojector one last time, seeing his crew again. He took it off and left it on top of the 3D printer, fearing something might happen to it. With a click, he put on his helmet and secured it. After the round of diagnostics and waving away the welcome message, he stared at the door. With a gulp, he reached towards the handle again. Immediately, his heart rate quickened and gasped for air. Darkness lurked at the edges of his vision, slowly clouding it. When his hand grasped the metal, it felt like an electric shock coursing through his entire body, briefly freezing him in place. “Do it for them… they don’t deserve to be forgotten…” With a final huff, and fearing he would just lock himself again, he pushed open the door and got outside the pod. The outside world received him with rain. His boots squelched when they collided with the muddy floor, while his helmet briefly clouded because of the water. With his sight restored, he was briefly stunned by the…vibrancy of the jungle. The greens looking ever so brighter thanks to the droplets. Flowers with vivid colors, blooming in small corners of the trees. Small amphibians basking in the rain, sometimes digging tiny insects or worms to eat. The VR training they had to complete was never quite like this. Even if the colors were the same, there was a plastic feeling to the digital landscapes. However, the sight of Clarice’s torn suit dampened his mood. There were only rags, and her helmet left. He could imagine wild animals wouldn’t let such an easy meal pass. He couldn’t blame them, but it still made his heart clench. “Can’t even give you a proper funeral now…” He left with a heavy sigh, briefly abandoning his objective to pick up her discarded helmet. It was completely dead, probably because of an animal. He felt tears well up in his eyes again, but crying inside the suit would just make everything worse. Swallowing up his feelings, he briefly returned to the pod and left her helmet inside. With a somber mood, he closed it back down. Using the outside panel, which was normally hidden to prevent it from melting away, he made the pod release steps on its side. He looked around one last time before going up. It was a relatively quick job: Find the appropriate indentation on top of the capsule. Screw the scanner with four triangle screws. Connect the Scanner to his suit and the capsule itself. And voilá, a functioning scanner that would tell him what was going on around him, compare samples with the database- His blood ran cold when he read the message from the AI. He gulped, trying to hold back the panic attack that reared its head. His legs trembled, suddenly losing strength. With stiff movements, he panned around, looking for whatever tripped the automatic detection. Until he saw it. Peering from the undergrowth, a single red eye stared back at him. The AI’s job only making the thing downright demonic in his eyes. The feline was completely still, observing him.