Fabricated Core

In a half-collapsed cavern deep underground, a strange being poked through the rubble, looking for any stones small enough for it to carry. This being was rather simple in design: a white metal prism oriented point-side down, supported by six orange tentacles, three to either side of the prism’s point. On one of its triangular faces it had a single triangular blue eye, set within a larger orange triangular indentation, and its tentacles, composed of countless orange fibers, were tipped with white metal spikes. Finding a decently sized stone, the being, a worker, hoisted it onto its flat back and hauled it to the center of the cavern, where a similarly strange structure was waiting.

This structure, much like the worker, consisted of a white metal prism, though this prism was oriented triangle-face-side down and happened to be divided horizontally in half, the top half floating a short distance above the other. A spherical pool of molten orange metal was suspended between the two halves, and it was into that pool that the worker chucked its rock. As the rock slowly melted away in the molten pool, the worker returned to the rubble, making way for another worker carrying another rock to the structure. There were five workers all together, toiling tirelessly to clear away the rubble and feed the molten pool.

[Maha] Alright workers, break time. Come back to the foundry and recharge.

Having been given permission by their boss, the workers set down their rocks and clustered around the structure, the foundry, and bathed in the light cast by the molten pool.

[Maha] How long do you think it’ll take to clear out the rubble?
[Worker] As we do not know the size of the collapse, we cannot estimate the time required.
[Maha] That’s what you said last time!
[Worker] We did not know the size of the collapse at that time as well.

The workers’ boss, Maha, sighed, or would have done so had she had a physical form. As a machine intelligence stored within the foundry, all she could actually do was grumble to her fellow intelligences.

[Maha] Ugh, this is taking forever. How long until we can get some more workers to help out?
[Vita] As I told you last time, we are waiting to stockpile more nanomaterial before fabricating new workers.
[Vita] This emergency foundry cannot smelt nanomaterial and fabricate at the same time.
[Maha] Haaa. Can’t we at least make new workers as we get the nanomaterial for them? Wouldn’t that be faster in the long run?
[Vita] It would be, if it didn’t take time to change modes. As it is, smelting enough nanomaterial to fabricate a batch of workers is quicker.
[Maha] I wish we had a proper foundry...
[Vita] Please believe me, I wish for one as strongly as you do, if not more so.
[Vita] I am, after all, the one who does most of the fabrication around here.
[Maha] Yeah, that’s true... Alright workers, breaktime’s over. Haul more stone so Vita can make you some helpers.