The boarders had rounded up the crew and passengers of the Dancing Nova and brought them to the main dining room of the star liner . There was no real day or night in space, but this was during what was considered the late evening for the crew and passengers. Therefore many had been roused from their sleep and were now standing blurry eyed in their sleep wear and bath robes. They were quietly muttering back and forth with each other.

Their subdued discussions were suddenly cut short by the appearance of bare-chested, long hair, young, male, reddish coyote who leaped onto one of the dining room table. Brandishing a sword he looked at them. His roguish features enhanced by the eye patch on right side of his face. The coyote looked at this assembled audience for moment before addressing them.

"Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention please!" He paused and confirmed he had their undivided attention before continuing. "I am very proud to announce that tonight you are about to be part of history! Yes history! Because on this evening you and crew of the Dancing Nova have been boarded by none other than the crew of the Grinning Moon!"

A voice called out in the back. "The who?"

The coyote looked their way. " The Grinning Moon! And allow me this moment to introduce myself. I am Red Dair, and it's my pleasure this evening to have captured your vessel!"

One passenger looked another. "Have you heard of them?" The other passenger shook their head.

Red Dair pressed on with his speech. "Now! We have no ill intent for you or the crew of this fine vessel, but you must understand this is a business transaction. So, before we depart we will require you to surrender your valuables to us. Then we'll be on our way, and you may resume your journey to you final destination. Understood?"

There was several seconds of silence before one of the passengers spoke up. "Are you guys actors?"

"What?" The coyote asked.

"Yeah actors!" Another passenger spoke up. "The sales brochure said there would be interactive theater during the journey. Where we and the crew would have adventures with performers provided by the cruise line!"

"Um...." The pirate captain was trying to parse this when different passenger stepped forward. "Excuse me. But only First Class passengers were suppose to be able partake in the interactive theater. I'm Second Class, so may I return to quarters?"

"No you can't leave!" Dair said with a slightly flustered expression on his face. "Now! As I was saying I will need you all to–"

"Mr. Pirate Captain." A very attractive red fox vixen in a bath robe stepped forward. "Will you be taking any hostages?"

"Hostages?"

"Yes." The vixen said. "To get the rest of the passengers and crew to comply with your wishes. Also to act as living shields against any pursuing naval vessels when you flee the scene of your looting?"

She looked back at the passengers then returned her gaze to the pirate captain. "Several are very young, and many are rather elderly. I fear that if you were take them hostage the results could be very traumatic for them. Therefore of my own free will I am offering myself as a hostage."

Dair raised his right hand with his palm raised. "Uh, no. No that won't be necessary. However I thank you for your selfless–"

"I assure you I will not attempt to impend or efforts." Said the vixen. With her back to the rest of the passengers and crew she slowly opened her bath robe and smiled. She wasn't wearing much more than that smile under the robe. "As you can see I am unarmed."

The coyote eyes went wide. This boarding was definitely not going according to plan.

A Patreon reward VMink. The coyote is his character and this is the story that popped into my head as I worked on the drawing.

I hope you like what you see. Please help make more art like this possible by supporting me at Patreon