Corsairs

When I see the delicate human female collared and enslaved by the smuggler I'm about to swindle, I do what any male would do. I take her from him. It's what I do best, after all. Now Fran's mine, and I'm never giving her up. On board my spaceship, she'll be safe. She'll wear my clothes, eat my food, and sleep in my bed. I'll keep her safe from a galaxy that wishes her harm. But my sweet Fran wants nothing more than to return to Earth. How can I take her home when she holds my heart in her dainty, five-fingered hands?

As a pirate, I tend to hang out with unsavory outcasts at the edges of the known universe. I'm used to running into thieves, assassins, and fugitives. It shouldn't surprise me to see a forbidden human female for sale in the tunnels of the space station, but I hate it. When I see she's near death, I have to act. I buy her. She spits in my face. It's love at first sight. At least, it's love at first sight on my end. I know it can never be, though, because I'm an ugly beast of an alien to her. The enemy.

When I'm rescued by space pirates, they tell me I'm safe. I'm told I can be myself again, get as angry as I want, laugh and cry and scream all I need. I don't believe them, of course. I certainly don't believe Alyvos, the "muscle" of the pirate ship. Everyone says he likes nothing more than a good fight, but to me, he's kind and protective. How can I fear someone who holds me tenderly through the night and has fuzzy skin? But my pirate wants more from me than I'm ready to give. He wants my fiery spirit...and I'm not sure it's there anymore.

The crew of the pirate ship, the Lovesick Fool, are worried about their navigator, Sentorr. He's obsessed with working, spending all his time on the bridge. It's not work the big blue alien is truly obsessed with, though. It's a female. Sentorr's convinced that Zoey, a female navigator on another pirate ship, is his mate. She won't show him her face, though, or agree to meet him. She's happy to have steamy, late-night conversations with him over comm channels, though.