Being Bahama

An 8 Million Credit Shirt

 When I first came back to the galaxy I found that technology had advanced while I was away.  The reverse engineering tool had been invented and tailors were using them to deconstruct enhanced clothing items to make new and better clothing.

Joy.  One of the main reasons I’d chosen tailoring as my career in the first place was because there was no experimentation involved.  None.  Experimentation involves luck and skill, neither of which I have.  I was approached a few times about making enhanced items early on, prompting me to obtain a tool and make an attempt at figuring out how the whole process works.  I took a few notes and played around a bit. But I soon found that although it was less profitable, there was still a market for non-enhanced items.  I packed away my reverse engineering tool having only ever made one enhanced item. A shirt, for my son.

Today I was approached by a gentleman looking for an enhanced shirt.  He had everything I needed, just wanted me to put it together for him.  That didn’t seem too difficult so I agreed.  Upon opening the pack he handed me I immediately froze.  He had given me three 35 power bits.  These are rare.  These were nothing I could ever create in my wildest dreams. Not even surrounded by an army of buffing musicians and a yacht full of lucky trinkets.

While trying not to sound too impressed, I casually asked him how much he estimated the pack he had handed me was worth.  He replied about 8 million credits.

I tried to look cool as I re-read my notes and carefully proceeded. I checked and re-checked every step.  With two of the steps complete I checked the status of the attachment I’d created.  It wasn’t what I’d expected. 

“Uh oh.  Please tell me I did NOT screw this up.”, I said to myself.  What had gone wrong.  I looked back over my notes.  I’d followed the steps why didn’t this look right at all?!

I began calculating the cost of my mistake.  I could clean out my whole bank account and still not have enough to reimburse this gentleman for my mistake.  How would I even tell him?

I swallowed hard and told him, “Uh, I think there might be a problem.”  At that point I’m not sure which of us was more concerned.  I told him it looked as if the power had been reduced in the process.  “Impossible”, he said.  Yet I was staring at the numbers.  Only +11 on the first modification and only +7 on the second. 

I was prepared for all hell to break loose at this point, hoping only that he wouldn’t insist that I sell my house to cover what my bank account could not.

He sort of laughed at me.  Then informed me that indeed, that’s what the finished product should look like.   Phew.  Never been so shaken, or relieved, in my whole life.  I finished the process and handed him back his pack, complete with a perfectly constructed 8 million credit shirt.

I’m just hoping no one else asks me to construct enhanced items for them.  It’s emotionally exhausting!