The young woman blinked as the alarm went off. Glancing to the side she hit the snooze button. It was only six in the morning, not that it meant much out here in the depths of space. The sun didn’t rise in the morning or greet her with its piercing rays to the eyes. Something she was quite grateful for, she used to hate mornings. Too bad the Cathamari had to bomb the planet to solve that issue for her. Surely something less drastic could have happened for a nice morning without that issue, she thought as she rolled over to go back to sleep. It was far too early.
A moment later someone was shaking her, “Come on Jan, time to get up.”
She groaned, “It’s far too early.”
“You say that every day. Come on, you don’t want to be late.”
Groaning, she got up and glared at the other woman she had the misfortune of sharing quarters with. Not that she could do much about that. Getting a child might help her get better quarters, but she would be stuck with the child. A lot of girls she knew were expecting kids, but she just didn’t feel ready about that herself.
As if to remind her that others weren’t hung up on it like she was her other roommate shuffled out of bed careful of her own swollen belly. She looked at the woman and then turned back to the roommate who wouldn’t let her sleep. Letting out a breath, she acquiesced. Pulling herself off her bed and standing up in the room she shared with two other girls. It used to be four actually, but Eve moved out last month after she gave birth to a pair of healthy baby girls. Eve had been ecstatic when she learned she was having twins and beyond joyful to move into a family unit with her daughters. Never did tell her who the man was.
Jan looked around the small room, it had two modest bunks with space for four people, a single shared closet and a desk in the corner. It really wasn’t much of a place, but it was hers. Stripping out of her nightclothes, she tossed them into a hamper in the closet and then grabbed an outfit for the day. Holding it up in the mirror, she commented, “So, since you are being a pain today. I take it something is up?”
The other girl huffed. “Yeah, something is up. Evelyn yelled at me because you were three hours late yesterday, and four the day before.”
She glared at the girl, “and I told her not to schedule me in the mornings.”
“You know that isn’t how things work. Now get dressed, or I will drag your naked ass...”
“YOU WOULDN’T!”
“I will, now get dressed.”
Begrudgingly she got dressed and trudged after her annoying roommate and coworker. The corridor was rather crowded this time of day so she had to stick close, as men and women flooded the dark, dimly lit corridors. Something she barely thought about these days, but today she was struck by how normal that was becoming to her. Everything was dark around here, space was dark, the ship was dark, the market was dark, even her quarters. The only place you got any real light on this ship was either the observation decks or the gardens. She preferred the gardens, the recreational gardens were nice. Sadly they were also a popular dating spot, so there were plenty of couples around there.
Before she knew it they were out of the corridors. The market was where she worked, these days it was filled with nice shops where people would trade for goods they needed. It used to be a Requisition and Supply center, directly connected to several cargo bays and filled with offices. The area naturally evolved into the Market, office spaces became shops, and some bays were restructured into trading areas. If she hadn’t been here since the start it would have been hard to say it was ever different. With her coworker close to her, the pair navigated the maze of shops, passing several establishments that offered forms of entertainment, including a theater, before arriving at their destination. Evelyn’s Shop was a two-level establishment focusing on the sale of women’s garments. They supplied everything from panties to dresses.
Stepping inside she was greeted with racks displaying various dresses. All of them made from synthetic fabrics, the Enterprise was lacking in natural sources. If she glanced at the tags she would have noted the expensive prices. Clothing wasn’t cheap these days, it was hard to manufacture and supply was limited. Jan only had a few outfits herself, nothing like the closet she used to maintain. Not that she could help that anymore. A good meal wasn’t that costly, only about a credit. If she wanted something fancier, she could visit a restaurant and pay three credits for a decent meal. Some of the more exotic stuff could cost more, but most people spent about two credits a day on food.
In the shop however, you could blow through a month's budget in the blink of an eye, and end up with only an outfit or two. A pair of panties would typically run about 15 credits, a bra around eighteen, a dress around 25. It added up really fast, honestly. Too fast, but that didn't mean people couldn’t afford an outfit or two every once in a while. With all the demand, they usually sold a couple hundred outfits a day, more at the end of the month, since that is when people just spend as their credits are about to expire.
Evelyn spotted her the moment she walked in the door, and with an evil-looking grin she said, “Ah Jan! Glad you could make it in time. Now get your butt to the cashier’s desk. We have a line forming.”
She groaned and made her way to the desk in question. It wasn’t far from the entrance, just a bit to the left, and right in front of the exit. Moving behind the desk she settled into the chair Evelyn kept there. Something she was grateful for. Her old boss on Luna didn’t believe in giving employees chairs.
Accessing her terminal she logged in and was soon swamped with customers. Sometimes she wondered why people still found credits for clothes when they were so expensive. Then again, it might be a little absurd to just walk down the corridors naked. Jan often checked the prices herself hoping for something more affordable. Not that her income was that bad, she actually made more than what was needed for comfortable living. Being in group quarters also helped with her costs. So she was in the group that could afford an outfit every month. She just wished she could get more, but expiring currency meant scraping and saving didn’t work.
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Pushing her thoughts aside, she started taking care of her customers. Running their purchases through the system and noting items as they left inventory. Panties were quite popular these days, they sold more of those than anything else.
A customer came up to her with a basket containing several pairs. A bit more than the usual. The young lady smiled and placed her basket on the counter, “Hello again Jan. Don’t see you often around this time. How are you holding up these days?”
She smiled at her former roommate, she was a regular. “Well enough. How are the twins?”
“Great! They are with a babysitter right now but let me tell you that half the things you need are expensive. At least some of them are part of the child supplement program. I don’t know what I would do if I actually had to buy two shock-proof cribs.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you need a special crib for your kids, but the council supplies a good one. It’s padded, and comes with its own grav generator and inertial damper, along with an airtight lid and internal life support. I’m kinda jealous actually, my own babies have a better bed than I do. I mean seriously, its way better.”
She giggled, “Oh, Poor Amy.”
Amy gave her a mock glare. “Still got no luck with the boys?”
She gave Amy a mock glare of her own. “I’ll tell you I went on a nice date last week.”
They both laughed and then Jan took the basket and started ringing her up. “So no bras? Not even a dress?”
“I just need a few new pairs of panties. My old ones are getting a little worn. A new outfit would be nice, but I need the panties more.”
She nodded, “I get that. Well that will be 67 credits.”
Amy pulled out her ration card and a second later the transaction was complete. They chatted a bit more and then Amy left. Leaving Jan to her job of selling clothes. Following her was a smaller girl in a torn lab coat who bought a pair of panties, two lab coats and a blouse. No skirt or pants though, making the outfit seem a little incomplete. She figured the girl would be back next month for some pants.
As she was leaving her coworker came up and commented. “Let me guess, she bought a lab coat, a blouse and maybe some panties, but nothing else.”
Jan nodded, “Why, do you know her?”
“She often comes in the mornings, and always buys a lab coat, but never pants or a skirt.”
“Not one?”
“None.”
Jan looked at the clock. “I see, well I better get going. It’s time for my break.”
“Be back soon.”
She nodded, left her seat and made her way out of the shop. Stopping along the way to use the bathroom, she soon arrived at one of her favorite places in the market. A lovely restaurant that had a small lamp at each table to help set the mood. They served mostly seafood and pasta, but they also had a few rice dishes.
As soon as she walked in the door a familiar face greeted her, “Hey Jan, you want your usual right?”
She smiled, she often ordered combo #3 which cost 1.5 credits. A bit pricier than a standard meal from the ship’s mess, but it was worth it in her opinion. She got three pieces of fried fish, with a side of pasta in a red sauce and some greens. There was actually a bit of choice involved with her vegetable and she had her choice of drink.
After being led to the table, her usual waitress smiled. “Oh, we also have some bread fresh from the oven, would you like some?”
“Sure, it’s only half a credit right?”
“Yep, still half a credit.”
Jan knew it was just a side and she would get a couple of slices for that. It was a good deal, especially if it was fresh. Her meal arrived soon after, and she got to relax for a bit as she enjoyed a nice lunch. When she was finished, she paid the two credits she owed before giving the waitress a farewell. Heading back to the shop she worked at. Jan didn’t bother to tip, that used to be common back when currency didn’t expire but these days it was better to leave your impressions via a service survey. It was practically the same thing since how much the waitress got was determined by their performance reviews and what the customers said about them. As usual, she rated the experience highly.
Reaching the shop, she headed on in. Approaching the desk, she was surprised to see a man there. An older one, purchasing a lab coat of all things, along with a pair of pants. Obviously sized for a small girl. When he turned around she was surprised to recognize the captain.
After he left, she approached her coworker, “That was the captain wasn’t it?”
She smiled, “He comes in every once in a while. He’s late today.”
“The captain? Buying women’s clothes?”
“Well he ain’t wearing them. Those were a few sizes too small for him.”
Jan said, “He’s a lot smaller in person than I thought.”
“Yeah, larger than life figures when you meet them turn out to not be so much larger than life.”
“I never would have called him that, but I get what you mean.”
The rest of the day passed like it always did and before she knew it, she was free for the rest of the day. She considered shopping but instead decided to take a nice walk to the recreational gardens.