Death comes to all things. The End has proven that well enough. But some things survive… at least, they survive better than others. Food rots, wood decays, people die. Metal, though. Metal is different. It too rusts and withers, yes, but far, far slower. Plus, unlike most things, it can bend and shift and warp and change without breaking. The perfect material with which to build, develop, and protect a civilisation, as history has shown.
You're familiar with it, of course. You've made your living by familiarising yourself with the strength and certainty of steel, and you've gained an appreciation for it. People look at your guns and see instruments of murder or the Bastion's last defence, but for you, each one is a work of art. Every bolt, every barrel, every grip has the collective experience of generations woven into its design. It's a work of art. It better be, otherwise… well, then why did you get to stay here while they didn't?
Of course, the designs are all well and good in theory, but the praxis is quite a bit harder. While steel is strong, not all steel is equal, and the End has made it so that getting that good steel is quite a bit harder than it used to be. Fortunately, you've got friends. Vice Captain Mars knows as well as you how important those guns are, so getting steel from them takes as much as a question. Gunpowder, however, is a different issue. That's chemistry. AKA not your area of expertise. You think the medics might know something, but you go to Medic Guneir, since they seem to be under a bit less pressure than Naomi. He grumbles, but lets you take a little bit of the chemicals that you need to make some gunpowder.
All that's left now is the forging. Your design has proven reliable time and time again in the harsh and austere conditions of the Bastion. The steel melts while you create clay moulds for the large, smooth parts. The smaller ones you just need to carve out yourself, remelting the scraps and shavings so as not to waste precious metal. While they cool, you give the existing guns some tender cleaning as well. Finally, when all is said and done, the Bastion becomes the proud owner of a few more Juno-trademark weapons.
{[]}