Bodacious Space Pirates (モーレツ宇宙海賊)

The interstellar, multi-generational colony ship

which once carried the people of Serenity.

Though lacking an FTL drive,

it boasted a cyclical regeneration system

to keep most of its passengers in cold sleep

during its search for a habitable planet.

This colony vessel is the true identity of the golden ghost ship.

Who will find it first:

Kato Marika's Bentenmaru

or the mysterious Serenity fleet?

And what is the golden ghost ship's secret?

Let's go, Bentenmaru!

Even at the furthest fringes of the universe I think of you

Countless shooting stars surround me and I make my wishes

So close, yet so far,

and every day my eyes fill with tears

Whom can I blame? Fate? Destiny?

I'll devote all I have,

and explode, combust, blow up, detonate, erupt

Rage!

Even if I should turn into cold stardust

I would continue to love you

My feelings burn

like the scorching flame of Antares

I don't care how many lightyears I have to cross

because I love you

My wishes won't falter

The star children will continue to protect you

Rage!

Slight clearing, 2 minutes off the bow.

Elevation, 2 degrees and 1 minute.

Roger.

Our output's falling, but we can do it!

With pleasure.

There may be fighting aboard the ghost ship.

This time it'll be for real.

Be sure you're prepared to see combat.

Right!

One Maracot-class battleship

with six Corback-class escorts.

The Queen Serendipity,

flagship of the Serenity Defense Forces.

I don't know how much of this is a bluff

and how much is real equipment.

But it has a command transmitter able to broadcast to the entire fleet.

It's a strategic battleship designed for interstellar war.

Um, do the Serenity Defense Forces

have that many ships to spare?

They sent their flagship all the way out here.

I dunno.

With such a big fleet elsewhere, I'd worry about my own borders.

I see.

So they're really serious?

It's gonna be hard to win this one...

Marika?

But we don't need to win an actual fight, right?

Misa!

Would you show Gruier how to put on a spacesuit?

Sure.

A kid's spacesuit, huh?

Oh, there's that one...

Let's go.

Um...

We may not be able to dock directly,

so there's no harm in learning.

You're going to fulfill your responsibilities, right?

Understood.

So, where do we start, Captain?

What's that fleet been up to?

They've divided their escort squadron into

a triangular prism around a single location.

Meaning that they have a good idea of

the location of the next space-time quake.

Any indication that they're concerned with us?

Nothing obvious.

What do you think?

What'll the fleet do now?

If each escort uses its FTL drive

on the source of the space-time quake,

the odds are favorable that they can drag the golden ghost ship here.

So it's time.

Which means the Bentenmaru's gotta

head straight into the midst of the waiting fleet.

Yup.

That's it.

What do you think, Captain?

What?

Oh, I was just wondering what you were planning

since you had the princess leave.

I'm Captain of the Bentenmaru.

I have to make decisions that will protect this ship.

Thus, the ship's safety is my first priority.

Even if it's a job from the Serenity royal family's princess,

if things get bad, we run.

There's nothing we can do if we're dead.

Still...

The way a smart girl like Gruier

seems so troubled...

She must have something bad on her mind.

Bad, huh?

I don't know what she's worried about,

and the Bentenmaru's safety is my top priority.

But I'd like to do what I can for her.

So I'd like you to do something for me.

What is it?

A jump?

Attention crew, this is your captain, Marika.

Anyway,

let's continue.

The Bentenmaru is now preparing for an FTL jump.

We'll jump once we've compiled the data.

Upon landing, we may be engaged in a firefight with a battleship.

Everyone, be ready.

She should take these announcements more seriously.

Maybe she found a way to catch the ghost ship.

What does she mean by "a firefight with a battleship"?

Should I return to the bridge?

Now that she's decided on her course,

you won't be able to change anything even if you do go back.

More importantly...

Your first job is to master wearing a spacesuit.

Aren't you boarding the ghost ship?

That's right.

Bentenmaru, jump!

Output high and steady.

Bentenmaru, FTL jump!

Watch out for heavy turbulence.

We're heading into a space-time quake.

I'll do what I can.

Touching down momentarily.

This is worse than last time...

What are you doing?!

Stop whining.

This was all crazy from the start.

You can handle a few warning sirens.

As long as the Bentenmaru's safe, everything's fine.

Where's the battleship?

Just where we figured. Other side of the quake.

Have they seen us?

Probably.

I'm showing two recon pods just based on sensor readings.

There are probably more...

They're in active observation mode.

Ignore the recon pods.

Where's the ghost ship?

This space-time quake is different from the others.

I'm seeing space-time vibrations and energy concentrations,

but I can't be sure.

I can say one thing...

What?

We'd be safer farther away from the quake.

I'm seeing multiple, intense gravity sources.

No... A single, ring-shaped one!

What is it?

Hell if I know.

What are these numbers?

Is a neutron star going to jump out at us?

Hurry!

I'm hurrying!

We won't make it.

Huh?

What happened?

The expanded gravity ring passed by us.

A gravity source with no accompanying matter,

passing through us at half the speed of light...

What's going on?

There's a spatial rip where the gravity ring originated!

A spatial rip?

Get us out of here!

I don't know what's going on,

but that could tear the ship in half!

San-Daime!

No holding back.

Remove all our limiters.

Doing it now.

You can't just flip off every limiter at once...

Okay, go!

Bentenmaru, full speed ahead!

Shock wave incoming!

A shock wave in space?

Space is being torn apart.

That'll cause a shock wave.

It's gonna shake the hull pretty hard.

Prepare ship for impact!

Okay...

We're a good distance from the epicenter.

Instead of running, get the ship stabilized!

The auto-stabilizers are running at full power.

How are we supposed to handle this thing?