It took a crew to fly a spaceship. Sure, a shuttle could be manned by one, or, if you had the know-how or the money to man it with AI, then there was always that option. Sadly, it wasn't an option that Caiden could afford. Not by a long shot. The amount of credits it took was far beyond his wage. It certainly didn't help he had lost his one steady source of income. 

Even though it had been months, there was no denying that Caiden was still bitter about his severance from the force. He had loved the job. It was in his blood. It was in his genes, goddamnit. All stripped away from him over a stupid indiscretion. How was he supposed to know the woman he had met in a club, had been a wanted criminal? Was he supposed to background-check every woman he was considering to screw?

It certainly had been overkill to force his resignation. Certainly some disciplinary action, a little tap on the wrist, would have been sufficient. Instead, his whole career at the force had been destroyed. He was told he had been lucky he had been given the choice of resignation, for a dishonourable discharge would've ruined his career in virtually any field, too. Not that it would've mattered much. Caiden's heart had been in the army. There was no other carreer he wanted to pursue. Nor were there many he was qualified for.

When it came down to it, he was a man of action, not thoughts. He had no real diplomas, no real academic achievements to write down on his CV.  For over twenty years, the army had been his life. He had grown up in it, trained in it, worked in it. And now,  he had been spat out by it as well. Left  to the side like yesterday's leftovers. Penniless and prospect-less.

And he really would've loved the pennies right now to afford an AI crew.

“Seriously, Micraea, if you don't drop it now, I will drop you at the nearest space station.” Caiden groaned, indexfinger and thumb rubbing his temples. 

“I'm just saying, Caiden. I don't think it's healthy to be chasing after your ex.” The stone-faced woman spoke, shaking her head slightly. 

“Scrap that. I'll throw you straight out of the airlock.” The man grumbled, sending the Kayrhad woman a slight glare. Of course, the threat seemed rather idle. At an imposing 8 feet height and with an almost frighting amount of muscle, Micraea was anything but microscopic. Yet, her appearance was deceiving. As rough and intimidating as she appeared, it did not stop her from trying to mother him on occasion. And Caiden did not want to hear it.

“I'm concerned, Caiden. It;s too personal. The woman broke your heart” Micraea spoke.

“She didn't break my heart. She ruined my career. There's a huge difference.” 

“You cared for her.”

“I did not. She was just a screw. And not even a particularly good one.” Caiden shot back.

The look the woman gave him made it clear she did not believe.

“Whatever.” Caiden grumped. “That's not what this is about any way. This is about the bounty. There's a huge bounty upon that perky little arse, and I'm going to cash it. This is business. Nothing more, nothing less. And if anything, she has this coming to her.”

“If you say so.” Micraea merely shrugged. Shaking her head slightly, the tall alien turned her attention back to the console before her, large body cramped in the somewhat small space. For a few minutes, a slightly heavy silence lingered between them.

“So, we stick to the plan.” Caiden spoke. The Kayrhad nodded.