(Found) Short story read in the 90's, hyperspace beacon used as a temple.

[Bramandin]

It was in a collection of sci-fi stories but I don't know the theme.

The story is about a hyperspace beacon repair guy and he has to spend months getting to the beacon that's down because it's causing a gap in the "safe to navigate" section of space around it. When he gets there, he discovers that the natives of the planet have somehow gotten on the same continent as the beacon and turned it into their religious temple. He disguises himself as one of them, has to blind himself in order to get into the inner sanctum, but it's okay because he just burns out the eyes of his costume while his real eyes are covered with a heatproof shield. He repairs the beacon and then uses his drone disguised as a pterodactyl to fly away.

 

[Ravensquawk]

Found it!
Because, er, it was driving me nutz, ah, "Oh NOOO, I KNOW this story! WTH *was* it?"

"The Repairman" by Harry Harrison

The natives would have blinded him by burning his eyes, too, and did the deed, but the repairman moved a steel shield over his face inside his plastiskin.
Then he did escape with the drone pterodactyl.

 

[Bramandin]

Found it!
Because, er, it was driving me nutz, ah, "Oh NOOO, I KNOW this story! WTH *was* it?"

"The Repairman" by Harry Harrison

The natives would have blinded him by burning his eyes, too, and did the deed, but the repairman moved a steel shield over his face inside his plastiskin.
Then he did escape with the drone pterodactyl.

Thanks