LOVE & ANIME

Prologue: Excerpt from The Renegade by Darren Roberts

"Greetings, Captain Thomas Younger. It's so nice to finally meet you."

Moments earlier, The Renegade had been attacked by a ship after it had decloaked and took them by surprise. The ship managed to knock out their weapons before they had a chance to react. Next thing Thomas knew one armed man had transported onto the bridge of The Renegade and had abducted him at gunpoint. Now he found himself on the bridge of the other ship and found himself staring at a woman with flaming red hair and a voluptuous physique. But Thomas couldn't allow himself to get distracted by his appearance. He had to figure out why this woman's ship had attacked his ship. And why she had him abducted.

"And you are?" he asked the strange woman.

"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Tolaria. I'm the Captain of this vessel."

"You mean a pirate vessel, don't you?"

"I take it this isn't your first time encountering a pirate vessel, as you call it."

"Oh, I've dealt with a few pirates in my time, though they've all been male."

"Do you have a problem with a female pirate, Captain?"

Thomas shook his head. "Not at all. It's been my experience assholes know no gender."

"Oh, there's that legendary wit of yours I've heard so much about, Captain."

"Glad I could amuse you. But now would you mind telling me why you attacked my ship and why you've kidnapped me?"

"All in good time, Captain." She looked at the man who had brought him onboard. "Did he have anything on him?"

"Yes, Captain." He handed her what he took off Thomas. "He had these."

"Let's see," she said, taking the items from him. "Ah yes. A laser pistol. A transporter band. And a communicator. All standard issue for an Alliance officer."

"So what now?" Thomas asked her.

"Now I want you to take your communicator and contact your ship and tell them to back off."

"Why don't you contact them with your viewscreen and tell them yourself?"

"Because, my dear Captain, I don't want you giving them some signal for them to try something foolish like trying to mount a rescue."

"And if I don't contact my ship?"

She offered him a cold smile. "Then I shall blow your ship out of the sky." She handed him his communicator. "Captain, if you please."

Thomas eyed his communicator she was holding out to him for a moment. Then, believing it would be better to go along with what she said at least for now, he reached over and took it. He flipped the communicator open and said, "Commander Stevens, this is Captain Younger."

"Captain," Lana said to him on her communicator, "are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Commander." He stared right at Tolaria as he spoke and she at him. "Lana, I want you to take The Renegade to the nearest starbase and apprise them of the situation."

"We're not going to leave you, Captain."

"That's an order, Commander."

She paused before answering, "Aye, aye, sir."

With that, Thomas closed his communicator and handed it back to Tolaria. "Satisfied?"

"Helmsman," Tolaria said to the man sitting at the panel across from her, "has The Renegade backed away yet?"

"Yes, Captain," the helmsman responded. "She's just left orbit."

"Good." She looked back at Thomas."Your commander listens well."