7:30. Most everyone had gone home by know. Except for me. A taller but very thin man, working at my desk. This was hardly unusual for me. It wasn’t like I had to work late, but I enjoyed it. I worked for Johnson-Miller, a military spacecraft manufacturer for the Galactic Federation and any others that had friendly ties with it. Though I had graduated top of my class at Nelson (an equivalent school to Harvard or MIT by our standards) the primary reason I was in the position I was in was the long hours I worked. I’d never understood the concept of partying or even alchool, probably part of why I graduated top of my class. Though I wasn’t the boss, and was still just an engineer, my boss had me do some of the lower stakes sales, usually just to individual bounty hunters but sometimes larger groups if I was more familiar with the ship. Today, I was making one of those sales. It was just to one person, and I had personally designed nearly the entire ship, this would be pretty easy.

8:30. I had scheduled the sale for now because she said she wouldn’t be able to make it till late tonight, and since I would be working late anyway, I offered to have the sale now.

I could hear a ship docking in the personal area for our office. When I got out there to meet the customer, I noticed her ship looked pretty beat up, no wonder she wanted a new one. I doubted it make it up to ten C.

She got out of the ship, dressed in a very tight fitting blue jumpsuit. I made a mental note to conduct the sale at a table, where she couldn’t see below my waist. She waved at me and said

“So, you the guy selling me a ship?

“Yes, I’ve got a whole presentation layed out for you in here.“ I already told you, I am the guy who stays up all night doing this, just cause.

“I just have four questions, how fast is it, how tough is it, what’s the fire rate, and when can you get it to me.“ She said this as though she was already bored with the proceedings, like she’d done this a hundred times before. Not wanting to annoy her anymore than she already was, I figured I’d just answer them all and be done with it. I did know just about everything about this ship.

“Well,“ she looked very annoyed at this, like she expected me to say “that’s very complex“ or something to that effect. “it can go at 93 C, a 21 C increase over what you have now even when it was new. It fires 12,000 rounds per minute, which is only a thousand increase over your model, but it is 25% less likely to jam. I know you know how important that is. And, I can get it to you tonight, if you have the money on you.”

”I’ve got the money, 2,345,000 seguro correct?“

“Dead on.“

“Well someone’s looking forward to making this sale, do you get a commision or are you just a good boy?“

“3.45%“

“Nice, so that would be 80,000 a month?“

“170 with my salary.“

“How’d you like to make 200 keeping my new ship in order, of course you’d have to travel with me. Still, big raise.“

“I could start in two weeks, not saying I’ve made up my mind though.“

“I’m not going to say it will be fun, I’m not exactly a party animal.“

“Neither am I, why do you think I agreed to do this at 8:30?“

“So, you in.“

“Sure. I’ll see you in two weeks.“

After I had sorted through all of the paperwork, I watched as the sexiest women I had yet met, walked into a ship, knowing in two weeks I would be living with her. Not in a sexual way. Unless she feels that way.