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Background[]

Marika is the daughter of Ririka Kato (famous among pirates as "Blaster Ririka") and the late captain Gonzaemon Kato. Her home planet is the Sea of the Morning Star in the Tau Ceti system. She attends Hakuoh Academy's high school division, and is a part of the Snow Class.

Before becoming captain of the Bentenmaru, Marika had never considered becoming a pirate. However, for reasons unknown to her, she had always felt confined to the ground and deeply wished to traverse the vastness of space.

Plot[]

Recruitment Arc[]

Marika ~ Dinghy

Marika exits the simulator.

Marika first appeared during a dinghy flight simulation in one of the Yacht Club's flight simulators. In the simulation, Kane and Misa, who were observing her at the time, noted that she performed feats way beyond her years. After exiting the simulator, she skipped the checks and briefing, and left early to go to her part-time job.

At Lamp House where Marika worked, Kane and Misa came into the cafe. Misa called her by name and after saying that she knew her mother, asked if she had been in space. Marika replied that she had been up to the relay station with the yacht club, after which Misa asked if she had considered viewing the planet from somewhere further away.

Marika cycled back home a while after her brief moment with Misa and Kane. At home, while Ririka was cooking pot-au-feu, Marika told her that she had met someone who knew her and what they had told her, causing Ririka to drop a plate in surprise. Shortly after she'd swept it up, Kane and Misa arrived at the house in black, mourning attire. Marika changed into her school uniform and came down as Misa told Ririka that Captain Gonzaemon had passed away.

Later the four were assembled at the dining table. Marika nervously ate her dinner while the others talked. When she finished her bowl, she realised the others were all looking her way and Misa said they were here to see her. Marika then asked who the Gonzaemon they were talking about was, surprising Misa and Kane who had expected Ririka to have told her. Ririka then explained Gonzaemon was her husband, Marika's father. Misa then asked if Marika would like to captain the pirate ship Bentenmaru, surprising her.

Misa then explained that only the direct descendant of the previous captain can become the next captain and as Gonzaemon's only daughter, she was the only one who could take his place. Confused, Marika interrupted her asking about what they meant about pirates, which she thought were something from ancient history and not the present. Misa explained that real pirates still existed and gave hers and Kane's positions on the ship. Marika asked if the three were playing a prank on her, prompting Misa to ask Ririka if she really never said anything about it. Ririka said she was waiting for the right time. Misa then said that Marika wanted to go into space and if she became captain, the Bentenmaru would take her wherever she wanted. Marika refused to do something that would make her a criminal, but Misa explained that they had a Letter of Marque, an official pirating license, and were therefore legal pirates.

Later, after Kane and Misa had left, Marika was lying in bed, thinking about

Ririka ~ Pirate

Blaster Ririka. And crew.

what she had heard. After thinking who has heard of a legal pirate, she performed an online search for 'Letter of Marque' and found the notice about the death of the Bentenmaru's captain and the ship's license being in a grace period. She performed a search for 'Bentenmaru' and found a picture of her mother as a pirate.

The next day, Marika asked Mami whether she had heard of space pirates, which she thought was a history question. Mami told Marika about the replacement teacher that had been found for their class. Marika was slightly surprised when it turned out to be Kane. As Kane introduced Chiaki Kurihara as a transfer student, Marika thought that Chiaki looked cute. She was confused by the look Chiaki gave her when she passed her on the way to her seat.

Later at Lamp House, Marika and Mami were confused and a little intimidated by the customers that were coming in, with Mami wondering if they were fans since they appeared to have their eyes on Marika. They then greeted Chiaki as she came in. After Chiaki asked if she was showing off or simply didn't understand, Marika was called away to serve coffee to the guests outside. When she came back to Chiaki, she encouraged her to eat her parfait before it melted. After Chiaki enjoyed a bite, she asked about her joining the yacht club, saying it was a shame they were off today. Chiaki asked why she was working there and if she failed to understand her position.

Marika, Chiaki ~ Elopement

Chiaki drags Marika away.

Just then a man came in claiming to be from New Okuhama Airport security, saying that there had been some trouble at the relay station and that her mother had requested protection for her. However Chiaki asked why airport security was providing protection and not the police, and told the man he needn't continue his farce. As the man prepared a hidden weapon, Chiaki yelled at Marika to cover her eyes before firing off a signal round, igniting a gunfight. Marika stayed close to the floor before Chiaki grabbed her hand and ran outside, taking her away from the cafe.[1]

After running some distance away, Marika looked back at the cafe and asked Chiaki what she did. Chiaki, still eating her parfait, told Marika what she did and said she wished to talk to her somewhere further away. At the side of a canal, Chiaki explained that the man had intended to kidnap her and that the people at the cafe, from various police and military factions, were sent there to keep an eye on her because she might become captain of the Bentenmaru. Finishing her parfait, Chiaki left, saying that though Marika had a lot of questions, there were already people she could ask. Kane then arrived to pick Marika up.

Marika contacted Misa who was at Lamp House and learned everyone there was OK. She said she'd return right away, despite being told it was OK for her to go home since they knew she was safe, as she had left her stuff there and had one customer to ring up. After changing, she left Lamp House and got ready to cycle home, but was greeted by Ririka.

Marika talked with Ririka as they drove home. Ririka asked if she was mad about not being told about her father and the pirates, having intended to tell her after graduation. Marika replied she was more surprised, about the pirates and also that her dad was alive and only died recently. It didn't feel real and she was surprised at herself for not feeling anything. Marika then asked Ririka about her being a pirate on the Bentenmaru and why. Ririka told her she was born in space, the first thing she knew was being on a spaceship and that was why. She then hugged her daughter and said it was probably impossible for her to imagine but people like that existed, people who had found their place in space, sailors.

After dropping off Marika's bike and picking a container up, Ririka then drove Marika to a deserted area with many wrecked ship hulls sticking out of the ground. She then opened the container to reveal a load of guns, surprising Marika who asked why she had them as she could get arrested. Ririka told her they were for self-defence and the police and military let it slide, to which Marika said to herself those were some big things they were letting slide. Ririka then took a large gun out and gave Marika protective glasses, before firing it through several of the hulls. She then asked if Marika wanted a try, but said she wouldn't start her off with something that large.

Marika ~ Blaster

Blaster Marika.

Marika was given a smaller gun (though to her it was plenty big), an ArmaLite armour-penetrating beam gun, something Ririka used to have for work. After adjusting Marika's posture so she wouldn't be blown back by the recoil, Ririka asked her why she thought pirates carried guns when boarding ships. Marika asked whether it was to fight, but was told it was to impress. Ririka told her that 90% of the time, a fight is decided before the first trigger is pulled, but if you set the gun to full power and pulled the trigger, someone else may die or it might be her who dies. She said that if someone is in the police or military so long as they followed orders, they needn't consider such things, but pirates must decide for themselves — that being the power of a pirate.

Marika took aim at a tank and fired, burning a hole straight through it. While Marika stood back in shock, Ririka told her that what she held in her hands was power and if she became captain, she would hold the trigger of an even greater power. Marika protested that she hadn't decided what to do about that yet. Ririka told her she didn't have to decide right now, but she already had the heart and resolve to decide. She said that Marika's power is hers alone.

Marika was present in the yacht club's room, playing a block tower game with Maki on the yellow couch, when Kane entered introducing himself as the club's new advisor, surprising her and causing the tower to fall. During the long weekend, she went with the rest of the yacht club to perform pre-flight checks on the Odette II, ready for the practice cruise. She and the other first-years opened the ship's hatch, with Marika and Lilly dealing with the electronic lock. After that, she went to her designated inspection point.

She was on the bridge when Kane came in and after deactivating the alarms which were going off, asked him what he was planning, becoming their advisor and arranging this practice cruise. Kane replied that her upperclassmen were the ones who suggested the cruise and that it was a lucky coincidence that he became the yacht club's advisor and she happened to be there, which Marika certainly didn't believe. When Jenny ordered the rebooting of the bridge and checked that everyone had finished, Marika replied that she had and counted down with the other yacht club members to the reboot. She looked slightly annoyed when Kane waved goodbye to her on his way out to see a visitor.

Later, Marika was on duty with Chiaki on the Odette II's bridge. She asked herself aloud what Kane was thinking and was startled when Chiaki replied. She thanked Chiaki for saving her earlier, though Chiaki denied it being saving. She then asked what Chiaki was doing and expressed concern on hearing that the ship was under electronic attack, but relaxed when told it was just ordinary spam viruses and bots. When Chiaki said that she felt as though someone else was trying to break in, Marika moved to the electronic warfare console, saying she might try her hand at electronic warfare, before accidentally moving the seat too far forward.

Marika and Chiaki then noticed a pulse on one of the ship's consoles and found that it was synchronised to the external communications. The two soon realised that it was from a direct cable and that the electronic attack was coming from inside the relay station. They set to work on finding the source, with Marika checking through the ships docked at the station and Chiaki narrowing down the filters. They found the attack was coming from Port 117 where the Lightning 11 was moored. Marika then decided to give electronic warfare a try, despite not knowing anything about it. She objected to Chiaki's recommendation that they pull the cable out, saying that they need to fight back against the attackers and teach them a lesson, otherwise they will just try again later.[2]

She then thought about whether they needed a phrase to begin the operation with, to which Chiaki replied that electronic warfare probably wasn't what she thought it was. As Chiaki told her about what it should be like, Marika made adjustments to her seat, before saying that Chiaki hadn't done it before either, addressing her as 'Chiaki-chan'. She then booted up the electronic warfare systems. When Chiaki reminded her that they should pull the plug if they are outmatched, Marika asked whether that would damage the system, to which Chiaki replied that she shouldn't engage in electronic warfare if she were that hesitant, however before she could continue, both of them noticed the system communicating on its own.

As Chiaki tried to find out what it was doing, Marika watched the various

Odette II ~ Hacked

Electronic warfare.

screens popping up in front of her. They soon learned that these were automatic defences that engaged when the system was booted up. As Marika continued to watch, Chiaki went to check the power usage. Marika cheered the automatic defences on as they retook control of the ship's systems, ignoring Chiaki's request for help.

Just as the system was almost fully retaken, power went off in the ship as the dock's power breaker tripped, to Marika's disappointment as they'd almost won.

The two safely reactivated power externally and after confirming power in the ship was back on, she mentioned that they should have them increase power to the ship next time. Chiaki then pointed out to her some miffed yacht club members who come to see what was going on, and left her in charge of their excuse.

Sometime afterwards, she went to her part-time job at Lamp House following a simulator session. Mami mentioned that her 'fans' hadn't come back to which Marika asked if she wanted them back. The two greeted Chiaki, who told them not to use '-chan'. Chiaki then told her about the non-aggression pact concerning her in New Okuhama City. When Chiaki said that this extends up to the Letter of Marque's renewal date and that after she became an official pirate she'd be included in discussions, Marika said that she hadn't decided yet. Chiaki asked what she, the girl who was thrilled at the prospect of electronic warfare, was talking about, to which Marika asked if that seemed so. Chiaki told her not to run away, mentioning the fact that her teacher was a pirate and shady people were after her, and that the practice cruise would likely be full of danger. Marika also added the matter of the mysterious transfer student, and assured her it would be OK as it would be a great chance to go into space and not everyone out there would be an enemy.

While walking her bike home with Mami, Mami asked what Chiaki was doing there. Marika said it might be because she likes their parfaits. Mami said that Marika appeared to have a fair amount of problems but seemed to be having fun. She also mentioned that sometimes she wondered if it was OK to be her friend, to which Marika replied she was her friend and that she was more level-headed than her other friends which helps an airhead like herself. When Mami asked if she could expect a present, Marika said she'd consider it. At home, Marika was eating dinner with Ririka and told her about when the exams were and that she'd saved up plenty of cash so she could mess around for the rest of the summer. Ririka said her job was fine but inquired about 'that other thing'. Marika then started to ask Ririka about the non-aggression pact, but didn't continue as Ririka didn't appear to know about it.

After the exams and the closing ceremonies were over, Marika joined the assembled yacht club on the lawn outside, ready for the trip into space. During the launch, she was stationed on the navigational console to the left of the captain's seat. On Jenny's orders, she took the Odette II steadily forward out of the docking bay. Once they were clear of the relay station's control space, Marika increased the ship's speed to space speed 3 and switched the coordinates from the Sea of the Morning Star to Tau Ceti.

After one of the yards became stuck during mast deployment, she was mildly surprised when Kane proposed a spacewalk for the first-year students to fix the problem. She changed into her spacesuit and assembled with the others at the airlock. As Kane noticed the decorated suits (which he suspected was Hyakume's doing), Marika asked him if there was something wrong with their suits. After they had confirmed the suits and communications were OK, Kane depressurised the airlock and the group then proceeded to go outside the ship. As they reached the top of the ship, Marika and the others took in the impressive view of space, after which they proceeded to the mast section and Marika pointed out the stuck yard to Kane.

Marika ~ Outside

An overwhelmed Marika savors the vastness of space.

When Kane asked her what she thought, Marika suggested that they could change the bracing angle on the stuck yard then slip it past before deploying the mast. As that would take less time than retracting and redeploying the mast, Jenny approved the plan and Kane told the others to follow Marika. The group then assumed positions on the yard to carry out the plan. On Marika's word, the yard was moved and the mast raised, this time successfully. Afterwards Marika looked out into space. She said to Kane that the Sea of the Morning Star was pretty but small, adding that everyone was just a dot in space. He asked if she was afraid, to which she replied she was, but was looking forward to it. After performing a full inspection, the group returned inside.[3]

Marika was on the bridge as the Odette II turned and made its way towards the inner planets of the Tau system. That night, she was once again on duty on the bridge with Chiaki. She remarked how deliberate the pairing felt. After Chiaki asked her about how the radar scan looked, Marika recalled out loud the laws regarding transponders before reporting fifteen vessels on radar; two solar energy plants, one unmanned supply ship and twelve other ships with flight plans and IDs that checked out, if everyone was abiding the law. On hearing that transmissions from the control bureau and the relay station were cutting out regularly, she recognised how unlikely that both would cut at the same time, and after joking about alien invaders, figured that it was jamming, possibly the Lightning 11. Chiaki replied that they were likely hiding somewhere so Marika suggested that they check all ships on radar individually.

Marika asked what the point of jamming their communications were, and when asked what she thought, reckoned that if they ended up in trouble they wouldn't be able to send an SOS, which would likely be replaced with an all-clear. She also reckoned that, as the Odette II's course circling around Tau Ceti was no secret to anyone with access to the relay station, if someone wanted to try something, they would try it round the other side of the star, as they approach the Sand of the Red Star. Chiaki agreed with this, but told her that she was forgetting something important; whether she wanted to fight alone on a ship with everyone on board. She said that Marika was amazing on the dinghy simulation and had good instincts, but if she acted on them, she would get everyone else involved. Marika considered this and continued her work on the radar console as Chiaki asked her if anyone would believe her if she told them she was thinking about becoming captain of a pirate ship.

She then moved to the electronic warfare console, cancelled the

Odette II ~ Scan

The Odette II's omni-directional scan.

database update and switched it to manual before returning to the radar. When Chiaki asked her what she was planning, Marika said that at this distance, if they scan with the high-frequency radar, they won't assume they are the target.

When Chiaki expressed concern that any nearby battleships would think they were readying an attack, Marika told her that she had checked and found no battleships, saying that it would be their fault for hiding. After following Chiaki's recommendation for a close-range and high-detail setting, Marika initiated an omni-directional radar scan.

The scan picked up a ship 500,000 km behind them. When the ship was identified as the battleship Alcyon, Marika asked if they were faking their transponder and was told that there was no transponder, only a radar result. Marika performed another scan, however this time nothing showed up. She asked if they had got away but learned that there were no energy, gravity or infrared readings on the other sensors. Marika scanned again but again found nothing. She then heard from Chiaki that the ship in question had been lost with all hands 120 years ago. Both of them realised the possibility of a ghost ship.

In the morning, Marika and Chiaki reported the ghost ship to Kane, which Kane remarked was rare to which Marika replied it was more than rare. After Kane asked what made them think it was a ghost ship, Marika explained the circumstances surrounding their use of the radar and the ship. Kane assured them not to worry, saying that in the past hundred years, noone had been downed by a ghost ship and sent them away to have breakfast.

Later on the bridge, Marika stood next to Chiaki as she listened in on Kane's conversation with the Bentenmaru on the communications console. She was mildly surprised that a pirate ship was listed in the phonebook. As Chiaki told her that he was informing them of the ghost ship and asking them to investigate, Marika checked the distance between the two ships, noting that it was far away and probably not the culprit. She was slightly startled when Jenny approached them after they had finished, but informed her that she wished to speak with everyone.

Once everyone was assembled, Marika told them about the ghost ship and the enemy that was after them which were likely responsible for the electronic attack at the relay station. When Jenny asked who they were, Marika replied that they didn't know, but she knew why they were after them; because she was on the ship. To her surprise, Jenny revealed that she knew about Marika's position as a potential captain of the Bentenmaru. As her legs left the guard rail and she drifted back, Jenny said she looked forward to seeing some space piracy, to which Marika replied she was just a candidate at the moment. Jenny then revealed her situation to the other yacht club members, who were surprised to learn space pirates still existed.

Jenny asked Marika what she reckoned they should do as she'd already considered it. Marika then suggested that they should fight off the enemy themselves, to keep the adults from trying anything should the Odette II go on another practice cruise, saying that it was not for her sake as a potential pirate captain, but for the sake of the yacht club. When asked if they could do it, Marika said they could with the Odette II and its crew, delighting the rest of the yacht club. Jenny understood, and sent her away for breakfast and sleep, saying they would take care of the rest when she woke up.

Instead of sleeping, Marika spent her time drawing up a

Marika ~ Bedhead

Sleep-deprived Marika.

counterattack plan for an enemy attack. Later that day, she arrived on the bridge rather drowsily. Kane informed her that there had been no ghost ship sightings yet then left for dinner, telling them to call him if there was an emergency. Marika then talked to Jenny about the plan and how the enemy would likely attack them from behind after hiding in the Sand of the Red Star's shadow. She mentioned that a fair amount of the plan relied on convincing the enemy that their own plan was going well. She also talked about the plan to create a dummy system in an isolated area and reroute the electronic attack through there. As Jenny described two elements as strategy and tactics, Marika remarked that she didn't quite get the difference and was told that it was good enough to think of them as separate things. After Lynn confirmed that the plan could work if they prepared and made the right choices, Jenny told Marika to consider every potential outcome and a plan for if things got messier.

Marika was present on the bridge, on a console next to the electronic warfare console, when Lynn found a small stealth unit 700,000 km away on the side facing the sun, which was faking the Alcyon's radar signature when scanned with a high-frequency radar. When asked what they should do, Marika said they should pretend they hadn't figured it out, but mentioned that the fake ghost ship would likely act as an antenna for the enemy's electronic attack and that she'd like to use it against the enemy ship if possible. As Lynn set to work on it, Marika informed Jenny that she wanted to change the flight plan slightly.[4]

Marika went over their original course and suggested that they perform the turn sooner and go inside the Sand of the Red Star's orbit, shaving some time off the flight plan and get them back to the relay station sooner. When Jenny asked for her reasons, Marika said it was to limit the enemy's actions. Moving to the holographic display, she explained that the area around the planet was in radar range, so if an enemy was after them, they were likely hiding somewhere. She pointed out the only two places that the radar couldn't reach, inside Tau Ceti or behind the far side of the planet — the latter of which everyone agreed was the more likely. Jenny agreed with the change as there weren't any ships nearby likely to cause trouble and it was within the error margin of the submitted flight plan.

Marika explained that the change meant they would not be closest to the Sand of the Red Star on the morning of the 4th day of the cruise but at midnight on the 3rd day. When asked what if the enemy waited until morning, Marika said that if that were so, they would be able to make some distance between themselves and the planet as the extra sunlight would give them much more speed, and in the worst case if nothing happened, she apologise saying it was all in her mind, causing the others to laugh a little. Jenny acknowledged this and announced to everyone that the battle would be that night.

Near to midnight, Marika, making sure no one was watching, slipped into the hallway and made her way towards the bridge, giving an OK to Flora who was also heading that way. When she got there, she asked if anything had happened yet, but was told nothing had yet. As they were going to be closest to the Sand of the Red Star after their next check-in (which happened once an hour), Marika expected that the battle would begin after they sent their check-in.

Sure enough, shortly afterwards, the radar was flooded by jamming waves. Marika moved to one of the electronic warfare sub-consoles, mentioning how it didn't matter if their eyes were knocked out then as there was nothing to hit and they could use direction of sunlight and gravity to fly without radar. When Jenny asked whether they should send an FTL message to control informing them of the situation, Marika told her not to as the enemy wanted them to open an FTL line and if they did manage to hijack a no time lag FTL line they wouldn't be able to do anything. As the enemy began hacking their normal communication lines, Lynn observed that their actions were by-the-book, to which Marika replied that they would be easier to fight that way. She told the others to follow the plan and pretend they were fiddling with the radar, telling them to do it slowly as though only two people were on watch.

Marika then asked about the communications line and learned that the enemy had found the dummy system and were trying to take control. She remarked that they were OK this time as they had taken precautions, but if they hadn't noticed they would have lost control before they knew it. She wondered if it would have worked if they sent the electronic warfare systems to automatic, but Lynn pointed out that if this was the enemy that attacked them at the relay station then they would have seen their automatic defences before and have prepared something to deal with it.

Odette II ~ Dummy System

Dummy Systems: 50% hijacked.

When the dummy system was 50% hacked, Syoko and Jenny expressed mild concern regarding the radar. Marika suggested that they just shut down the emitter; that way the enemy would think they thought it was broken and were rebooting it, and if they did that, they could quickly bring the emitter back online. After the emitter was shut down, Jenny then asked if there were any other precautions. Marika told her to stop the ship and asked if the Odette II's systems were functioning normally. She then remembered that they needed to seal the bulkheads. After they were sealed, Chiaki reported that the dummy system was fully hacked. Marika asked if everyone was ready, then announced the beginning of combat operations.

After the electronic warfare systems were activated, Marika said that the enemy would think they had control and reveal themselves, and told Syoko to restore the radar before they confirmed it. The radar scan picked up a ship behind them, near the Sand of the Red Star, with its transponder on. Marika identified it as the Lightning 11. After the Lightning 11 sent a message demanding their surrender, Marika told Jenny not to respond just yet as it hadn't been long since they jammed their radar and it was supposed to be night on the ship so it would be unnatural for the captain to respond that quickly if they had been caught unaware. After Lynn linked into the enemy's main systems, Marika asked Jenny for her answer to the message and was surprised by it. She told Lynn to begin her attack once the message was sent.

Marika assisted Lynn and Chiaki during the ensuing electronic battle. Once Lynn had control, Marika told her to shut down their engines while leaving them just enough power to communicate. However, shortly after Lynn did so, the systems suddenly disappeared from her screen. Marika was concerned when she learned that the enemy had likely turned off their computers. Shortly afterwards, alarms went off on the bridge as an energy wave was detected.

As Chiaki explained to the others that the Lightning 11 was firing on them using optical targetting systems, Marika listened worried and thought about their situation, while more beams passed by the ship, getting closer each time. She then realised that there was a way for them to fight back. Chiaki suggested that they switch to normal propulsion and run, but Marika told her not to as the enemy would be able to use infrared sensors and know their exact location. When Chiaki replied that they couldn't return fire, Marika said that they could and told her to calculate the Lightning 11's position as accurately as possible, saying that she was going to use a 'secret weapon'.

Marika moved to the lower level and took control of one of the mast and sail system consoles. After receiving the coordinates from the high-frequency radar, putting the Lightning 11 at 400,000 km behind them and 30 m wide, Marika made adjustments on the console, as more beams barely missed the ship. After she finished, the ship shook, however Marika explained to the others that the masts were moving to match her adjustments. She further explained that if their permeability was set to zero the solar sails would reflect all the sunlight that fell on them and that they could all be focused on a single spot behind them.

The light reflected by the Odette II's sails blinded the Lightning 11, which fired

Odette II ~ Solar Sails

The Odette II unleashes the power of the sun.

no more shots at them. As the ship's infrared went up, Marika said that they didn't have to burn them up and that they just had to keep them from using their optical targetting systems. At that moment, two more ships appeared on radar. Marika was relieved to learn that one of the ships was the Bentenmaru, but was briefly confused about the other ship, the Barbaroosa, until Chiaki identified it as her ship. After saying that she was glad she came to find out who would be the next captain, Chiaki reintroduced herself to the group as the daughter of the Barbaroosa's captain.

After the Odette II returned to the Sea of the Morning Star, Marika found Ririka waiting for her in the airport terminal. Filled with conviction, she called Ririka 'Mom' and then told her of her decision to become the Bentenmaru's captain.[5]

During the summer break, Marika decided to meet up with Mami for

Marika ~ No Vacations

No fun time for Marika.

some fun at the sea. While they talked about Marika's recent status as a pirate captain, Misa and Kane (and a group of suited men) suddenly appeared and abducted Marika so that she may perform her duties as captain. What followed were a series of variable paperwork and numerous affairs at different government offices meant to solidify Marika's new position.

After running with Misa which seemed to be everywhere — getting around became questionable at one point — Marika finally received an approved Letter of Marque. Instructions regarding a captain's duties were then explained to Marika, and eventually concluded with Misa and Kane essentially abducting her once again.

Marika ~ Game Over

Pirate Captain level: Annihilated.

Right on board the ship, Marika was

Marika ~ Electronic Excitement

Electronic Warfare level: Frantic.

immediately driven to go through a training regime to strengthen her abilities as captain. From simulated battle conditions to electronic warfare to hand-to-hand combat to learning about ship tech, Marika waded through them all and found herself utterly exhausted by time she was allowed to rest.


The next day(?), Marika was completely caught by surprise at the sudden arrival of Chiaki. Unable to contain her delight, Marika literally leapt at Chiaki and consequently forgot all about her fatigue. The two friends then carried out their joint training under the guidance of the Bentenmaru crew. During the session with Misa, Marika and Chiaki learned more about the war for independence and why the pirates of their time were not exactly pirates any longer.

Outside of the Bentenmaru and into a small strewnfield, Marika and Chiaki conducted a data-retrieval exercise during which Chiaki warned Marika about her minor faults. Back inside, Misa informed Marika of the things that she won't be able to learn through training alone and so prepared a pirating job for Marika to serve as a test of courage pirate captains were expected to possess.

Princess Apricot

Marika ~ Beginner Swordsman

Sword-fighting level: Acting.

was the luxury liner Misa set up for Marika's first pirating job. Once the preparations were made, Marika publicly — and merrily — announced over the Princess Apricot's systems that the takeover by the Bentenmaru had been finalized, and was then followed by pseudo-maniacal cackling that Marika enjoyed a little too much. Afterwards, Marika and crew advanced to the main hall of the luxury liner where they demanded the passengers to hand over any and all valuable possessions. To make things more interesting for the passengers, Kane previously boarded the Princess Apricot for the sake of staging a duel with Marika when she arrived.

When Marika "won," she had her crew carry out their pirating duties and afterwards returned to the Bentenmaru and into the captain's room to unwind.

Golden Ghost Ship Arc[]

Time passed, and Marika was in the middle of training once again. Under the supervision of Hyakume and Coorie, Marika proceeded towards her objective but found herself in the middle of an enemy formation. Instantly aware of her presence, the enemy ships began launching waves of attacks at Marika's dinghy. Marika desperately tried to outmaneuver her pursuers, but ended up getting shot down.

Marika ~ Dinghy Disaster

Marika finds herself in apparent danger.

All of a sudden, Marika awakened from her nightmare and breathed a sigh of relief after she realized that everything prior was but a dream. Mami reprimanded her for sleeping and informed her that the teacher — Kane — wanted her at the nurse's office. There, Marika received further censure from both Kane and Misa, who suggested that she drop out of school in favor of pirating. Upon understanding their intent, Marika jumped up and sharply told them that she planned to graduate and would try harder in making it possible.

Fortunately, Marika was given a short reprieve from pirate jobs, which allowed her to focus more on her daily life. Unfortunately, the time to focus on herself was rudely terminated by an unexpected job offer that could not be rejected. Once aboard the Bentenmaru, Marika frantically readied herself and scrambled to the bridge. After she was briefed on their objective, Marika ralllied her crew to prepare for engagement with their target.

Marika ~ Scramble

Captain Marika "Tardy" Kato.

Knowing that their client staged a battle beforehand relieved Marika immensely. However, when the "attackers" deviated from the original attack pattern, Marika was forced to adapt and ended up succumbing to hesitation while Misa and the other crew members dealt with the situation. Eventually, the job was successfully concluded with the sudden surrender of both the military escorts and the Symphony Angel, their target of piracy during the job. Marika retreated to her quarters to relax and shortly after motivated herself to study for her classes. Her leisure time was rudely interrupted, though, by a summons from the bridge, which caused Marika to frantically ready herself once again. Upon reaching the bridge, Marika was told that someone had stealthily stowed away within the Bentenmaru and that the questionable individual was apparently a child who adamantly demanded to speak with the captain. The child introduced herself as Princess Gruier Serenity, the seventh

Gruier ~ Introductions

Marika acquaints Gruier with the crew.

princess of the royal Serenity family. After hearing her proclamation, Marika was both shocked and confused, but she ultimately gave Gruier a warm welcome aboard the Bentenmaru. The initial introductions from Marika and the rest of the crew were followed by Gruier's revelation for stowing away: she came to hire them to search for the golden ghost ship that wandered the vast universe.[6]

As they conversed, news from the Serenity Royal Government announced that Gruier had gone missing. Furious because of the false announcement, Gruier could do nothing save vent out her anger through words.

It was then that Marika decided to calm her down and accordingly accept her offer to search for the golden ghost ship. However, since the ship's occurrences were extremely sporadic, Marika had Gruier attend Hakuoh Academy until they were summoned by the crew with regards to any new developments about the golden ghost ship.

Back at the academy, Marika, while spending time with Mami, saw from a distance that Gruier was getting along well with her schoolmates and was glad for it. As the two girls descended the stairs to get some lunch, Marika was suddenly summoned to the nurse's office. At the office, Marika and Misa shared some tea while they talked about their current situation with the Serenity government, and how their quick response to Gruier's induction in Hakuoh Academy was suspicious.

Marika ~ Embarrassed

An embarrassed Marika.

The next day, Marika and Gruier were to board the Bentenmaru due to an unexpected pirating job (it was actually supposed to only be Marika, but Gruier invited herself): it entailed investigating an unknown ship that was about to materialize at the edge of the Tau system. Upon arriving, Gruier explained that she had communicated with the Serenity royal palace and requested any and all information regarding the golden ghost ship. Gruier's focus then deviated to Marika's captain outfit, which caused her to blush as she gazed at Marika. She commented on how wonderful it looked on Marika, and even expressed her own desire to try it on.

Upon reaching the edge of Tau space, Marika ordered the crew to prepare for engagement with the enemy. Just then, a damaged Corback exited subspace in front of them, followed by multiple military-class ships that comprised of four Corbacks and a Talbot battleship. Bewildered, Marika and Gruier both expressed their distress after they realized that a Serenity ship was attacked by Serenity forces.

Under the impression that the Bentenmaru was also in the line of fire, Marika ordered the crew to notify the Serenity forces of their presence, since they should be aware that Gruier was on board. However, Marika took extra precautions by appointing Gruier as the acting captain of the Bentenmaru, and had her personally address the Serenity ships. Gruier realized Marika's plan, and after she put on Marika's clothes, she contacted the Serenity forces and ordered them to stand down.[7]

What immediately followed the ceasefire of the Serenity ships were messages sent to the Bentenmaru: one was from the Talbot's captain, the other from Yotof Sif Sideux of the damaged Corback. As the Bentenmaru crew handled the preparations for initiating contact with both ships, Marika and Gruier conversed about the lack of formalities between them, and their decision to continue to be casual towards each other. Just then, Yotof arrived with Catherine, who was holding a package for Gruier. After receiving the present from Yotof, the crew headed back to the bridge, where Gruier handed Marika a console chip that contained the necessary data on the golden ghost ship. Hearing Gruier mention the ship caused Marika to adopt a pensive demeanor.

With her return to Hakuoh Academy, Marika was both surprised

Chiaki ~ Attacked

Chiaki finds herself in Marika's arms.

and elated to find Chiaki within the Yacht Club clubroom. The shy Chiaki displayed an annoyed look towards Marika, but Marika simply ignored it and started complaining about how Chiaki left Marika without a word and how she even got acquainted with Mami without letting Marika know. Chiaki then explained to Marika that she knew about Marika's situation with the Serenity government. She also revealed that she and the Barbaroosa crew were hired to locate the golden ghost ship as well, although they did not know who their client was. Additionally, their job entailed the elimination of anyone who stood in their way — i.e., anyone who sought the golden ghost ship.

Moments later, Gruier arrived and exchanged introductions with Chiaki. Soon after, the rest of the Yacht Club arrived as well, and also exchanged introductions with Gruier. Following the pleasantries, Gruier confessed that she required the Yacht Club's aid in fabricating her attendance at Hakuoh Academy while she journeyed with Marika during her pirating job. The Yacht Club ultimately accepted, while Marika was on the verge of giving up on everything due to her exponentially increasing duties: studying, club activities, and piracy.

At Marika's home, she was greeted by Ririka absent the presence of dinner. Ririka then told her that they were going out to eat that evening, and eventually led Marika to a remote restaurant beneath the airport. The two were ushered in by the chef, and they found themselves gathered along with Gruier and most of the Bentenmaru crew. Their convention then began with a discussion about the golden ghost ship and ended with their indulgement of fine cuisine.

Some time after, Marika had asked Chiaki for aid in order to deceive those who pursued both her and Gruier. Her plan was to have Chiaki pretend to be the Bentenmaru's captain while Marika and Gruier secretly searched for the golden ghost ship. Chiaki ultimately agreed, and even appeared delighted as she assumed Marika's role as captain, going so far as to laugh bombastically while she robbed luxury liners.

Chiaki ~ Captain

Captain "Marika Kato" descends!

While Chiaki performed her pirating duties under the guise of Marika, Marika constantly worried about her, even though she had other pressing matters to attend to. As the Bentenmaru plodded through a malevolent spatial storm, Marika and the rest of the crew frantically attended to the gradually increasing crises that befell them. Gruier constantly apologized for causing the Bentenmaru to use up its various appliances and even promised to compensate for them when their mission was over, but she merely got waved off and was told to worry about it later. Just then, both Marika and Gruier were expelled by Misa from the bridge.

Apparently having no choice in the matter, Marika and Gruier accepted their situation. They went back to their respective rooms after dining in the cafeteria.

After dinner, Marika disregarded sleep and instead immersed herself in plotting ship courses and battle strategies for the Bentenmaru. The next day — if it can even be referred to as such while in space — Marika went to the bridge only to find it empty aside from Coorie who was surrounded by food. Marika then inquired Coorie regarding their current situation. Coorie revealed that they have infiltrated the observation network of Serenity search teams and were gathering data on the golden ghost ship. Suddenly, Gruier appeared and asked if Coorie used the Serenity authorization code, which Coorie coolly denied. Coorie went on to explain that since the network was established before Gruier was born, her code shouldn't have worked, but to her surprise, the network accepted Gruier's name and biometrics, hinting that there is something unique among members of the Serenity royal family.

Sensing Gruier's discomfort, Marika once again asked Coorie about their present position. She then discovered a group of anomalies on their star map that Coorie defined to be a fleet of battleships. Realizing that they couldn't do anything considering their current location, Marika decided to leave things to Coorie. However, they are interrupted by mutliple warnings from a few of the Bentenmaru's observation buoys which noted that spatial irregularities had been discovered. Pressed for time, Marika issued the crew to prepare for battle — just in case — and afterwards ordered an FTL jump towards the irregularites in hopes of finding the golden ghost ship.

En route towards the spatial anomalies, the Bentenmaru is

Bentenmaru ~ Cross-field Scanned

Cross-field scanned by the enemy.

bombarded by fusion blasts while flying through a nebulous storm. Apparenlty arriving from having been woken up with all the commotion, Misa asked what their situation was. Marika replies that the anti-matter missiles they previously fired to disperse with the stardust got misaligned and missed altogether. As if they didn't have enough problems, Marika and crew suddenly found themselves dangerously close in proximity to the flotilla of battleships. Marika tried to order the crew to slip past the potential enemies, but was met with disappointment after being told that it would

Bentenmaru ~ Withdrawal

The Bentenmaru's hit-and-run tactic.

be impossible since they had just been radio-scanned. Finally pushed into a corner, Marika centered her focus on the Bentenmaru's current position in their star map and decided to engage the two ships that had nimbly found their way behind the Bentenmaru. Marika then ordered the crew to close in on the ships (revealed to be Corbacks from Serenity) and to prepare a fully-charged dispersal shot. As they quickly approached the two ships, the Bentenmaru dodged the discharged beams from their emitters and consequently fired its own dispersal shots, as commanded by Marika. Upon succeeding, Marika immediately ordered the Bentenmaru to withdraw.[8]

Momentarily safe from attacks, Marika and crew breathed a short sigh of relief. Afterwards, Gruier implored Marika to contact the Serenity forces to let them know that she was on board the Bentenmaru. Marika explained that it would be problematic to do so since Gruier and Marika were supposed to be on the Yacht Club cruise. Gruier then remembered that the only reason she and Marika could search for the golden ghost ship in the first place was because they fabricated their attendance. Seeing Gruier with a dejected expression, Marika encouraged her to be strong. After appeasing Gruier, Marika determined that their plan right then was to pursue the remaining Serenity ships and possibly overtake them in reaching the golden ghost ship.

Every single member of the Bentenmaru crew was commanded to prepare for battle prior to their arrival on the golden ghost ship. Back at the bridge, Marika verified the types of ships they were about to encounter: a single Maracot-class ship accompanied by six Corbacks. Gruier attested that the Maracot was Queen Serendipity — the flagship of Serenity's Defense Forces — and expressed her worries. Marika ruminated on the matter and concluded that Gruier was to clothe herself with a spacesuit so that she could "fulfill her duties". Gruier adopted a baffled look, but ultimately resigned herself to Marika's course of action.

Marika then made some last-minute verifications towards what she could — the position of the Serenity fleet, their awareness of the Bentenmaru's presence, the advent of the golden ghost ship — and determined that she had to make decisions to protect the Bentenmaru and its crew. She confided that she worried about Gruier, but admitted that the safety of the Bentenmaru is her top priority. Hardened with resolve, Marika firmly ordered an FTL jump towards the golden ghost ship.

Marika ~ Panic

Marika and crew are buffeted by the storm.

Greeting them as they exited subspace was a significantly more violent spatial storm. With no time to worry, Marika demanded information regarding the respective positions of the battleship/s and the golden ghost ship, and was told that both were at the other side of the storm. More disconcerting news came from Luca, however, when she notified the crew of multiple, intense, gravitational collapses (in the shape of a ring) that were apparently headed towards their general direction. Marika asked what it was, but Luca had no answer. Unexpectedly, the gravity ring passed by them, confusing everyone on the bridge.

Coorie discovered that the ring actually originated from a rip in space and was a shockwave residue of the aforementioned rip. The Bentenmaru could do nothing else but accelerate and try to dodge any further shockwaves while heading for its center. After surviving a few more shockwave impacts, the crew finally saw the golden ghost ship coming out of the spatial rip.

It was during that time that the Bentenmaru finally exited the vehement space storm. It was far from being safe, however, since at that moment Coorier cautioned everyone on board of the Serenity fleet's impending assault. She also informed them that they were being hailed by Grunhilde Serenity, whom the recently arrived Gruier confirmed as her younger sister. Understanding the situation, Marika then surrendered the captain's chair to Gruier so that she may converse with her sister. Following their 'conversation', the Bentenmaru headed for the golden ghost ship, but was instead captured by it. Inside, Gruier insisted that she head out on her own. Marika rejected her notion, though, and resolutely told her that it is a captain's duty to protect everyone aboard.[9]

Marika ~ Gruier

Gruier takes Marika's hand.

Stepping outside the Bentenmaru, Marika and Gruier officially boarded the golden ghost ship. Within the ship, Marika and Gruier led everyone else along its grand corridors and eventually arrived at a ruined storeroom meant for treasures. As they continued along the following rooms, Marika and crew conversed about a part of the history concerning the golden ghost ship (forms of art, city structure, the ship's structure) and ultimately found themselves in the sleeper room, where various lifeforms were preserved for the purpose of repopulation.

Further ahead, Marika and company happened upon the entrance to the final room — where an artificial womb of the Serenity royal family was kept. Reaching the womb and shutting it down were apparently Gruier's objectives, even though it was not explicitly stated. Moments later, Marika was notified by Coorie that a few signals were headed for their position. Greeted by Grunhilde and her party, which included Yotof and Catherine, Marika waited as Gruier and Grunhilde argued about matters that concerned the artificial womb and the royal family.

Marika ~ Flashbang

Marika propels a flash grenade.

While the princesses bickered, Marika was making eye contact with Yotof and Catherine the whole time, and after she saw that the girls would not stop arguing anytime soon, she threw a flashbang at Grunhilde's side which Yotof destroyed. The resulting flash blinded both parties, prompted Hyakume to discharge a smoke bomb and with the smoke cloud's expansion, both sides commenced with firing upon one another. The ensuing chaos aided Marika in nimbly inserting small cylinders of tranquilizer gas inside Gruier's and Grunhilde's oxygen tanks, which effectively rendered the two girls unconscious.

Gruier and Grunhilde were later found surrounded by their respective guardians. As Gruier was in the midst of regaining consciousness, Marika requested for her authorization code. When Gruier became aware of the people that were around her, she crossly asked Marika why she did what she did. Marika explained that it was all for the result of a peaceful solution and revealed that the interests of both parties were aligned at the time, in that they did not wish to harm either princess. After she pacified herself, Gruier asked Marika what her plans were, to which Marika replied that she and the rest will be returning the golden ghost ship to its home. The nonchalant response fueled Gruier's anger, but Marika managed to calm her down by explaining that the artificial womb has been exhausted, so Gruier didn't need to worry. She further explained that the womb actually reached the depleted state after birthing one final lifeform.[10]

Marika ~ Explaining

Marika explains the events that occurred.

Later, Marika elucidated that the conflict between Marika's crew and Yotof's party was premeditated; apparently, Marika made her plans with Yotof when she sent Gruier off the bridge. Learning that she was deceived — Marika said that they simply didn't tell her — Gruier burst into a giggle and tells Marika that her deviousness is much like her father's. The two girls then laughed and conversed as they returned to Serenity space, where Gruier and Grunhilde formally announced the arrival of the golden ghost ship back to its proper home. It was the time of spring break back at the Sea of the Morning Star, and

Marika ~ Immediate Action

Marika orders the immediate return to Serenity.

Marika expressed her desires to enjoy her vacation with Mami and her part-time job at the Lamp House. Before her goals were realized, though, an urgent missive sent by Gruier made its way to the Bentenmaru and informed Marika and crew of the dangers the Serenity family was abruptly faced with. To Marika's complete surprise, Gruier merely summoned her back to Serenity space so that she could lavish Marika with a prestigious medal for assisting her during the Golden Ghost ship event.

Back at the Kato household, Marika and Gruier were fiddling with Marika's captain uniform while Ririka watched the telecast of Marika's award ceremony at the Serenity system. After putting on her recently enhanced uniform, Marika spent the rest of her day with Mami and ended it in the company of her mother, who then told her that she planned on changing jobs.

Marika ~ Mystified

"Wh- what's going on, Gruier?"

The following morning, Marika hysterically pedaled her bicycle after she realized that she was going to be late for school. Along the way, she approached a black limousine that lowered its windows and revealed Gruier and Grunhilde. Upon arriving at the academy, Marika continued her agitated advance as she ran past her schoolmates that were transfixed with referring to her as "Marika-sama" — possibly influenced by Marika's appearance on television. When Marika entered the Yacht clubroom, she was greeted by her comrades in the same fashion as her fans, which she bluntly rejected, and asked Gruier why she and Grunhilde were at the academy.

Gruier smoothly replied that she and her sister began attending Hakuoh Academy as middle school students and joined the Yacht Club since her status as a visiting student had been extended. Lost for words, Marika could only sigh and accept the situation.

After school and at the Lamp House, Marika and Mami engaged in conversation about the current lack of applicants for the Yacht Club. Without warning, the door to the cafe opened and in came Gruier.

Marika ~ Bentenmaru Ring

Marika receives the captiain's ID ring.

Following the indulgence in chocolate parfait, Marika and Gruier decided to head home. The two girls talked about their current positions and the lives they led before they met as they walked along the river. Before they parted ways, Gruier granted Marika the captain's ID ring that she previously used to simultaneously bypass the security systems and board the Bentenmaru.

Marika then decided to invite Gruier and Grunhilde over to her house. Once there, they all enjoyed the Kato-style pot-au-feu — albeit with some mishaps, particularly with Grunhilde — and later on, Marika taught Grunhilde the majesty of fireworks.

When she returned to the Bentenmaru, Marika became the target of slight harrassment because of what happened with Grunhilde the night prior. Somewhat filled with shame, Marika was saved from further embarrassment after Misa articulated her interest in becoming a nurse at Hakuoh Academy once more. Afterwards, Marika went through the job listings presented to her by Misa, when she it suddenly dawned on her that she could take Gruier and Grunhilde for a trip to the zoo. Impressed by her own idea, Marika verbalized her excitement.

Hakuoh Pirates Arc[]

Marika ~ Quality Time

Marika spends some much deserved time with her best friend.

Marika found herself temporarily free of her captain duties after being informed by her crew that the jobs they enlisted for didn't necessarily require her presence. Finally having some time for herself, Marika did not hesitate to return to Hakuoh Academy to spend some time with Mami and the members of the Yacht Club, where Mami handed her a box of ribbons to accessorize her captain's outfit with. As the two girls enjoyed their time together, Marika remembered that she had to check-in with the Bentenmaru crew. However, she discovered that they made no contact with her whatsoever, which she found suspicious.

Back at her home, Marika informed Ririka of what happened (rather, what didn't happen). Ririka also deemed the matter strange, since she knew that her former crew would not be so irresponsible. Just then, from what seemed like divine intervention, Ririka received a call from Misa, and she in turn promptly handed the phone to Marika. Misa then told Marika that the entire Bentenmaru had gotten ill and were all transferred to an isolation facility in a hospital ship. Misa went on to explain the predicament that befell them, and finally informed Marika that she needed to contact their insurance company, since they will be out of commission for at least two weeks.

What Marika discovered when she got in touch with their insurance company — the Harold Lloyd Insurance Union — was that the person who was supposed to deal with her had been replaced by another agent named Show. As the two shared details about the circumstances that surrounded both the Bentenmaru and its crew, Show revealed that the crew would actually be held in isolation for at least one month. Additionally, he warned Marika that if a pirate ship undergoes a state of inactivity for at least a month, its pirate license will be revoked. Considerably shocked by the news, Marika worried about what she could do by herself. Ultimately, Marika concluded that recruiting would be her best option, since hoping that her crew be released or liberating them herself were both highly unlikely to happen.

Determined to succeed, Marika decided to go to the relay station as suggested by her mother to try and recruit new pirates. On the way, she was ambushed by Gruier, who explained that she realized Marika's dilemma and wished to assist her as a friend.

Marika ~ Recruiting

Marika and Gruier "evaluate" the candidates.

At the relay station, Gruier suggested that Marika can attract less attention if she walked around in disguise, since Marika's fame rose after the events concerning the golden ghost ship. Gruier's plan gave her and Marika a chance to shop around, but the experience only served to embarrass Marika because of the outfit Gruier chose for her. With the shopping out of the way, the two girls headed towards the Sailor's Office databank to finally search for new crew members. When their efforts failed, however, Marika and Gruier decided to wander the area to personally evaluate the residents and see who among them were worthy to be recruited.

Later, Marika and Gruier seemingly gave up after not being able to find a single suitable candidate. In order to unwind, the two girls found themselves at a tavern and ordered a couple of drinks. Just then, a sailor came up to Marika to take on the job, but he was ultimately exposed to be Kenjo Kurihara — captain of the Barbaroosa — by his own daughter, Chiaki.

Aboard the space port and right outside the Barbaroosa, Chiaki and Kenjo unveiled their knowledge of Marika's plight. Chiaki also scolded Marika for not taking pirate-recruitment seriously and for resorting to hiring random pirates. Marika attempted to defend herself, but only met further reprimand. Kenjo then asked Marika what she really looked for in a crew, to which Marika responded with whether or not she could trust them. Chiaki then gave Marika an idea as to where she could find such trustworthy crew members, and the answer Marika arrived upon conspicuously astounded her: the Hakuoh Academy Yacht Club.[11]

Gruier-Grunhilde ~ Stowaways

Marika gives up on persuading the princesses.

Plans to enlist the aid of the Yacht Club and perform piracy duties were subsequently made by Marika. Aboard the Odette II, they were accompanied by Chiaki, and later on — to their complete surprise — by Gruier and Grunhilde, who esconced themselves until the Yacht Club headed for the Bentenmaru. Marika despaired in a tired manner and afterwards discovered that Chiaki helped the two princesses stow away. The stowaway situation was later disregarded on account of more important matters — namely, getting on board the Bentenmaru and going pirating. Shortly after, Marika received a phone call from Misa without warning. Marika tried to deceive Misa by confirming that she was on her Yacht Club cruise, but

Bentenmaru ~ Fire!

"I couldn't resist."

Misa and the rest of the crew were already aware that Marika intended to take on a pirating job on their behalf. Marika and the Yacht Club then boarded the Bentenmaru, where the Yacht Club made no attempt to suppress their amazement. As they fiddled with the controls, Haramaki couldn't restrain herself any longer and pressed a button that activated the Bentenmaru's three frontal beam emitters. Marika eventually quelled her new crew members, and addressed the problem of operating the Bentenmaru.

Unfortunately for those aboard, Marika did not recall the launch procedure required to maneuver it. That did not slow her down, though, and determined that worrying would do nothing. She then proceeded to issue various commands to her crew members, but their initial launch ended in complete failure. Meanwhile, the original Bentenmaru crew members were watching them through hidden cameras and were all frantically composing multiple manuals of the different functions of the ship to digitally deliver to the Yacht Club. Marika and crew later indulged in desserts (gratuitously acquired from the Lamp House) after they realized that there was nothing else they could momentarily accomplish. However, their time of bliss was cut short as Marika received a call from Show. He was apparently in possession of the Bentenmaru's manual and asked if Marika wanted it. Marika immediately agreed, and earnestly thanked Show for the information.

After thoroughly absorbing all they could from the vast amounts of information, Marika and crew finally managed to launch their ship flawlessly. Seeing that their ship had been kept intact, the indisposed Bentenmaru crew breathed a huge sigh of relief, but their peace was not to last as Marika announced that she wished to perform an FTL jump. Additionally, Marika was informed that their previous firing of the beam emitter alerted the Stellar Alliance, but since there was no manual provided for the FTL jump, she and her crew found themselves without an escape route. Marika then resolved to initiate the FTL jump, attempted to recall the method of actualizing a jump — derived from witnessing her original crew do it many times — and immediately gave numerous commands to her crew which ultimately resulted in a successful jump. With their biggest worry out of the way, Marika and crew decided to take a break and chose to leave for the cafeteria.[12]

The day after their hectic launch was when Marika formally presented herself as the captain of the Bentenmaru. After she greeted her crew members, she progressed with her plan to ambush the Princess Apricot, their target of piracy at the time. She then assigned specific jobs for the people that needed directing, and trusted others that didn't need it to do what they should do. Unfortunately, her crew displayed signs of discomfort, since they were

Yacht Club ~ Gentlemen Pirates

Marika's new crew performs... splendidly.

novices in piracy, but Marika swiftly steeled them and later expressed her gratitude towards them for being with her.

Pirating with the Yacht Club proved to be as much of a challenge as the first time Marika went pirating. Mistakes aside, the unusual yet comedic performance of Marika and her crew was still wholly enjoyed by their victims. After their atypical exhibition, the newly established Hakuoh Pirates engaged in lavish celebration for their successful undertaking.

Back at Marika's bedroom, Marika and Chiaki had a brief conversation regarding Chiaki's motherly instincts when they were suddenly interrupted by Gruier and Grunhilde. The two princesses notified Marika of Lynn's suspicious actions — mainly her correspondence with unknown persons — which consequently prompted Chiaki to assume that Lynn was some sort of spy. Marika, unwilling to believe in Chiaki's supposition, summoned Lynn to her quarters and bluntly asked her who she was communicating with. Instead of replying with a name, Lynn responded with a job offer for the Bentenmaru: to kidnap the Yacht Club's former president, Jenny Dolittle.[13]

An air of amazement suffused the room. Nevertheless, Lynn proceeded to disclose a vital piece of information regarding her plans: Jenny is actually the one who wanted to hire Marika. According to Lynn, their target at that time was the Ultimate Fairy, a Central Lanes liner that Jenny was on board. Marika eventually agreed to Lynn's terms after a thorough discussion of the job even with Chiaki's disapproval, since the whole ordeal sounded fun.

Marika ~ Shocking Truth

Marika and crew arrive upon an unexpected development.

Without warning, a small ship was bolting towards the Bentenmaru and requested assistance from it. Lynn immediately surmised the pilot of the ship to be Jenny, which greatly surprised Marika because Jenny's presence deviated from their plan. The ship Jenny piloted was a Liosen Gelyune Silent Whisper, a powerful vessel used for electronic reconnaissance. Following the crew's acquisition of the ship, Chiaki hailed Marika for a private meeting and expressed her worries regarding their situation, but Marika nonchalantly pacified her. Marika later arrived on the bridge and bore witness (along with the crew) to the true nature of Lynn's and Jenny's relationship.

Jenny then explained the circumstances of her unanticipated arrival after the initial shock she and Lynn caused had diminished. Moments later, Marika received contact from Show asking if she had Jenny on board. Marika was bewildered as to how Show knew about Jenny's current status, but Show merely reciprocated with his own shocked expression. It was at that time that Jenny intervened and gave details to the discord present between her and her uncle, Robert Dolittle, followed up by declaring that she hired the Bentenmaru to escort her. Show then clarified that Marika should have talked with him first before performing the job, with Marika apologizing for not doing so. Marika then revealed that she hadn't exactly entered negotiations with Jenny yet, and implored Show to give her some time.

Following their successful business arrangement, Marika decided that their next plan of action would be to eliminate Jenny's uncle from the equation, which would ultimately end in removing Jenny from her plight. She then set a course for the Space University, but was met with opposition by the forces of Jenny's uncle. Marika simply bid her time and instructed Ai to keep on evading their pursuers, while she had the rest of the crew prepare for an FTL jump. Eventually, she saw an opportunity issue the jump and escaped the Dolittle fleet as a result.[14]

Marika ~ Planning Stages

Marika and the girls orchestrate a counterattack.

However, the Dolittle fleet proved itself resilient, as numerous ships from said fleet materialized moments after the Bentenmaru exited subspace. At that moment, Jenny's uncle decided to enter the stage with the Maracot-class battle ship, Jabberwocky. Marika and crew were then swiftly bombarded with large beam blasts causing the crew to take action, but Chiaki placated her alarmed crewmates by revealing the small probability of the ship being shot down. As the Bentenmaru continued to evade its pursuers, Marika, Chiaki, the Serenity sisters and Jenny addressed several possible options to defeat Jenny's uncle. They finally brought about the idea to initiate an offensive towards Jenny's would-be fiancée, Junigh Coolph.

With their plan established, Marika and crew set a course for the Totemstet galaxy and towards The Glorious Coolph — the ship that belonged to Junigh Coolph. On the way, Marika was contacted by Show, who then handed her the accounting records of the Hugh and Dolittle company provided by her confined crew back at the hospital ship.

Aboard The Glorious Coolph, Marika and crew exposed and

Marika ~ Fearless

Marika stands before her adversary and safeguards her friend.

broadcasted the clandestine gathering that was held within the ship, and afterwards held Coolph and his assemblage captive. While Chiaki and Jenny further humiliated Junigh before viewers everywhere, they were suddenly interrupted by the entrance of Robert Dolittle. He demanded that Jenny return to him, but Marika decided to step in and protect Jenny. She then used the collection of data she received from her original crew to decidedly destroy Dolittle's desires to use Jenny for his political negotiations. Additionally, Marika's usage of the data ended the pursuit of the Dolittle forces, thus allowing Jenny safe passage along the way to the Space University.

Drinks with Chiaki and the Serenity sisters were later enjoyed by the Yacht Club whereas Marika received thanks from both Jenny and Lynn. When she later returned to her home planet, Marika expressed her own gratitude towards Mami and then Misa for all that they did for her.[15]

Nebula Cup Arc (Anime-Only)[]

Marika found herself completely drained of energy after her pirate adventure with the Yacht Club. Because of that, she took any opportunity she came across to relax and get plenty of rest. Contrary to her wishes, however, she had more work to do for both the Yacht Club and the Bentenmaru.

Marika ~ Happy Zombie

Sleepy Marika, part 2.

From the academy all the way to the Odette II, Marika displayed a comically exhausted disposition inappropraite for a pirate captain yet undoubtedly befitting a hardworking student. When the cleaning and management aboard the Odette II finished, the weary Marika notified Lynn of the cleaning she still needed to do on the Bentenmaru. Once there, Marika initiated the sterilization droids and began to tirelessly tidy up all of the rooms that were used during the Yacht Club's stay. In a stroke of genius, Marika realized that she could lower the settings of the artificial gravity in the Bentenmaru to dispose of the garbage more efficiently, and did so with newfound strength. However, she did not take into account the other trash that were scattered by the Yacht Club and painfully uncovered that fact.

While Marika was still the middle of cleaning, her alarm signaled her that it was time to go home. Marika boarded the last transport ship in a panic and drowsily talked to herself on the way home. The next day, Marika continued to put the Odette II in order alongside the Yacht Club and afterwards headed to the Bentenmaru to do the same. The pattern continued for a number of days with the only differences being the constant reduction of Marika's energy reserves and her sudden loss of the Bentenmaru captain's ID ring.

Marika ~ Lost Ring

Marika searches for Gruier's token.

With regretful assistance from the Bentenmaru crew, Marika realized that her ID ring was nowhere to be found. After painstakingly searching the entirety of the ship, Marika received some unexpected reinforcements from the Serenity sisters and the Yacht Club. Before initializing the ship, Grunhilde revealed that she obtained Marika's ring when it fell from her jacket. Gruier and the Yacht Club then proceeded to reboot the Bentenmaru's systems and resigned the captain's chair unto Marika.

Marika ~ Pot-au-feu Master

Pot-au-feu: +10 Cooking.


Later, within the captain's quarters, Marika kept in mind Gruier's words about the ID ring being the bond between her, Gruier, Grunhilde, and Gonzaemon. As Marika set the ring at the center of her console, a multitude of data files emerged all at once. What immediately caught Marika's notice was a folder dedicated to the Kato family. Upon selecting the file, Marika was dumbstruck to find that the opening page was the recipe to the Kato-style pot-au-feu. She happily prepared and cooked lunch back at home using the knowledge she recently gained.

With their pirating days over, the members of the Yacht Club greeted Marika with an invitation to the 19th Nebula Cup — a prestigious dinghy-racing competition annually conducted on the Calmwind planet. As one who virtually had a limitless amount of energy, Marika consented to the Yacht Club's proposition to enter the competition, only to be left disappointed since the only one among the members to ever pilot a real dinghy was Ai.

Marika ~ Dinghy Training

The Yacht Club takes an evaluation test.

In order to compensate for the Yacht Club's lack of experience in dinghy-piloting, Kane appeared and informed them that he was going to be their coach. Marika and the rest of the girls were then compelled to operate the dinghy simulation systems under various simulated weather conditions. After their training, Marika decided to complain directly to Kane, but he was nowhere to be found. That afternoon, Marika happened upon Ai tinkering with one of the dingies. Marika playfully approached her with a cold beverage upon her cheek, and the two were eventually engaged in pleasant conversation.

Marika recalled her reason for joining the Yacht Club on her way back home. She let out a gentle laugh when she realized that she joined because she wanted to go to space. Her time for reminiscing was short-lived, however, as she was contacted by Misa who informed her that someone wanted to hire them. After being told that their client was the Nebula Cup Administration Committee, Marika was initially surprised, but was ultimately conviced to accept the offer since the Yacht Club was involved.

Marika ~ Versus Ai

Marika and Ai fight for 3rd place.

To prepare for the upcoming competition, Marika and the Yacht Club were ordered by Kane to have a race using windsurfers, to see which ones among them would qualify to participate in the Nebula Cup. After the premeditated disturbance made by the Bentenmaru during the race — an energy wave emission aimed at the sea that caused multiple tidal waves and violent winds meant to vex the participants — the results were as follows: Natalia in first place, closely followed by Grunhilde, with Ai taking third place after a head-to-head clash with Marika. Marika ended the day with her and the Bentenmaru crew's departure for Calmwind.[16]

A mixture of intense fear and caution permeated the entrance hall of the Nebula Cup station upon the Yacht Club's arrival. While the club members suffered from dirty looks and stabbing whispers, Marika attempted to communicate with the Nebula Cup chairwoman — Jacqueline Stramp — regarding the security job, but simply got ignored. She then decided to borrow one of the spare dinghies, since she did not want to disturb the chairwoman any further.

Marika ~ Dinghy Desperation

Marika frantically tries to evade the Bisque Company's gunship.

Dinghies cascaded from the space station at the start of the racing competition. In order to better survey the race, Marika piloted a dinghy right behind the competitors. Moments later, she found herself relentlessly harassed by the chairwoman on account of belonging to Hakuoh Academy's Yacht Club. While Marika tried to shake off her tormentor, they were shocked to discover the sudden apperance of the Bisque Company — one of the many groups that were after Marika's life and pirating license. After her crew reported that the Bisque company was striving to eliminate her, Marika decided to leave the security of the race to Chiaki — who also participated in the competition — and skillfully lured her pursuers away from the contestants.

When she realized that Hakuoh Academy's Yacht Club was, in truth, not behind the sudden attack, the chairwoman expressed her desire to assist Marika in distracting the Bisque Company. However, moments after her declaration, her dinghy was shot down by the Bisque Company's gunship, which caused her to plummet towards the ocean below. Without any time to worry, Marika dextrously weaved through the gunfire. Shoftly after, she was greeted by the Bentenmaru, whose descent prompted her to anchor inside.

Problems were still present, though, as the Bentenmaru was ill-equipped to engage in combat while under the effects of a planet's atmosphere. Marika attempted to order a counterattack with the Bentenmaru's cannons, but she was reproached by her crew since firing the cannons at their present location was too hazardous. It was at that moment that Marika remembered the wave emission previously utilized to launch tidal waves and figured that employing the apparatus would be adequate enough to rid themselves of their assailants. To further ensure their success, Ai suddenly contacted the Bentenmaru and notified them of an oncoming wind. The powerful gusts of wind compelled the Bisque Company's gunship to fly right in front of the Bentenmaru, and presented Marika and crew the position they needed to be in to blast the gunship out of the sky.

Marika ~ Out of Danger

A relieved Marika.

The Nebula Cup ended with Marika expressing her deep gratitude towards Ai for helping her and her crew. Finally able to relax, Marika heavily sighed as she acknowledged that she was more comfortable in the captain's chair than in a dinghy. She then commanded her crew to return them to space, where they belonged.[17]

Pirate Hunter Arc (Anime-Only)[]

At the conclusion of the Nebula Cup, Marika returned to her life at

Marika ~ Crew Conference

Marika and crew discuss recent events.

the Sea of the Morning Star. There, Marika was informed by her crew of the existence of pirate hunters. As Marika and crew delved deeper into the subject of the fallen victims, Marika asked Misa if there were even enough pirates to hunt, because the only other pirate fleet she knew of belonged to Chiaki's father. Misa then replied that there were over two hundred pirate fleets in existence, though that number was only true during the War of Independence.

Misa added that since after the war, the number of registered pirates amounted to about a third of the original count, which was around fifty to sixty according to Marika's calculations.

Shortly afterwards, the crew questioned Marika towards her plan of action. After she considered her situation, the pirating license situation, and the pirate hunter situation, Marika revealed her intention to trick the pirate hunters (details undisclosed at this time) that managed to surprise even Misa. The next day, Marika contacted Show about matters that concerned the Bentenmaru. Lynn soon appeared before Marika after the conversation with Show to confirm Marika's promotion to the position of the Yacht Club's president. Later during the day, Marika was notified by Show that the preparations for her deceptions were in order, which prompted her to reveal an excited expression followed by an announcement about some "great piracy".

Marika left for the Bentenmaru following her time at the academy. She was accompanied by Kane along the way and the friendship between them developed further as they conversed. Aboard the Bentenmaru, the circumstances that surrounded Marika's premeditated loophole were revealed: the Bentenmaru crew were to handle an escort mission of a pirate ship, the Big Catch, and while doing so, renew their pirating license. To put her plan into motion, Marika rendezvoused with the commander of the Big Catch, captain Stone. Stone openly communicated his displeasure towards being escorted, but Marika nonchalantly disregarded it with her unwavering confidence.

Marika ~ Taking Precautions

Marika and crew prepare for battle.

Soon enough, a portal to subspace materialized before the pirates and out of it exited a majestic battleship that was speculated as the pirate hunter. As Marika and crew made preparations for engagement, Marika witnessed that Stone's fleet had suddenly gone ahead of the Bentenmaru to attack the unknown ship. Stone's forces were vigorously assailed by a multitude of energy beams, however, which resulted in the complete annihilation of the Big Catch fleet. While Marika and crew stared at the display of pure power in amazement, Marika was notified that another ship was going to arrive at their location.[18]

The newly-arrived mobile fortress was revealed to be the Parabellum — a grand pirate ship registered with the Galactic Empire. Faced with this potential adversary, Marika and crew ruminated on their possible doom, until they see the Parabellum unleash a hail of artillery fire upon the pirate hunter. After driving it away, the captain of the Parabellum announced his identity to the Bentenmaru crew: Ironbeard. He proceeded to disclose the name of the pirate hunter — the Grand Cross — and subsequently directed his ship for departure, leaving the Bentenmaru crew confounded. Back at Hakuoh Academy, Chiaki confronted Marika about a request from her father. According to him, he wanted Marika to aid in forming an alliance between pirates to combat the pirate hunter.

Right after school, Marika, Chiaki, and Gruier went to the Lamp House and

Marika ~ Parfait With Friends

The girls discuss current affairs over parfaits.

indulged themselves in chocolate parfaits. While they did so, they deliberated various subjects that were relevant to the activities of the Galactic Empire, particularly the types of activities that concerned pirates. Marika then asked Chiaki what their next course of action should be, to which Chiaki replied that they need to seek out the legendary chef, the key individual responsible for rallying the pirates who were present during the war of independence. Back at the Kato household, the three girls continued to enjoy each others' company along with libations and supplemented by tales of the legendary chef's achievements during the war for independence. 

Marika ~ Oyaji-san

Marika greets the legendary chef.

Following their modest festivities (Mami and Grunhilde made an appearance during), Marika guided Chiaki to the whereabouts of the legendary chef: the airport's underground restaurant. As Marika greeted "Oyaji-san", she revealed that she became aware of his identity as the legendary chef when she recalled events from her past. Contrary to her conclusion, however, "Oyaji-san" pointed out that the legendary chef was not him, but his father. After convincing the humble chef to coordinate a pirate gathering, Marika and Chiaki settled their business and went back to the Bentenmaru to make preparations.

On board, Marika and crew beheld the system used to contact any and all active pirates: a seasoned communications unit pirate captains equipped their ships with. As the pirates' anthem reverberated from the comm unit of all those who had one, data was extracted from the message within detailing the site of the pirates' conference. Marika then commanded the Bentenmaru to immediately head for the pirate's nest, but was interrupted by the sudden arrival of the Grand Cross.

Marika ~ Playful Gloating

Marika appeals to Chiaki for compliments.

Enduring the consecutive discharge of cannon fire from the Grand Cross increasingly became a grim endeavor. Amidst the one-sided onslaught, Marika calmly assessed the situation and determined that the most profitable option for her and the crew would be to put some distance between the Bentenmaru and the Grand Cross in order to successfully achieve an FTL jump. She further expanded on her aim by declaring that the Bentenmaru was to turn around and flee, so that when the Grand Cross closed in, the Bentenmaru would execute another reversal and maneuver past the enemy ship for an FTL jump.[19]

Arriving at the pirate's nest indicated that Marika's efforts were fortuitous. However, the Bentenmaru did not escape unscathed and quickly took refuge in one of the ports at the nest. Marika later attended a meeting between her, Chiaki, and Kenjo Kurihara and it was at that casual conference that Kenjo familiarized Marika with a few of the other pirate captains present alongside them. It was also there that Marika learned that "Oyaji-san" had brothers who were also chefs. The three enjoyed fine cuisine at the meeting's end.

Marika ~ Confrontation

Marika comes face-to-face with Captain Quartz Christie.

Descending from the mobile staircase after parting ways with Chiaki, Marika found herself face-to-face with an enigmatic woman. She subsequently discovered that the woman was a pirate and even deduced that she was the pirate hunter. The woman haughtily introduced herself as Captain Quartz Christie — the captain of the Mobile Battleship Grand Cross. When asked for the reason of her attacks, the proud captain coolly replied that she did what she did merely because she could, and countered Marika with a question of her own pertaining to Marika's thoughts about what pirates are. The discourse between the two female captains was abruptly discontinued however, when the Bentenmaru crew arrived for support.[20]

Together with Misa and Kane, Marika assembled with Chiaki and Kenjo to deliberate the threat of Quartz. Their meeting was short-lived, though, as a member from Kenjo's crew notified them of Quartz's second arrival at the main conference hall. By the time Marika and company entered the hall, they happened upon Quartz, who was sitting audaciously at the meeting table surrounded by pirates. It was at that moment that the chef appeared and revealed to everyone present that Quartz is a pirate that hailed from the Galactic Empire, and so had the liberty to be among them. Despite the initial surprise, Marika continued to head towards the conference table and met some of the other captains along the way.

Marika ~ Direct Challenge

Marika returns the challenge to Quartz.

Before all the pirates, Marika reiterated Quartz's challenge for a fight, which was accepted. Even so, a lone captain renounced the proceedings and opted to end Quartz right then and there, but found himself impeded by the ascension of another Galactic Empire pirate — Ironbeard. As Ironbeard communicated his intention to "retrieve" the willful Quartz, he was suddenly caught unaware by Marika's rude question concerning his identity. Upon seeing Marika's determined eyes, Ironbeard vaguely replied that he was the end of space and proceeded with a dramatic monologue.

Dinner was served following the encounter with the Galactic pirates. Much later, Marika confirmed the status of the Bentenmaru's repairs with Coorie and subsequently broadcasted the new pirate anthem she previously recorded with Chiaki. She then ordered the message of challenge within the anthem delivered to Quartz and in turn received a reply from her that supposedly foretold the doom of the pirates. Fueled with determination, Marika led her fellow pirates into battle.[21]

Pirate legions flooded the field of combat. While the pirates carried out their assigned duties, Marika received a call from Chiaki who placed her confidence and trust upon her, which caused Marika to break into a smile. At that point she vowed to Chiaki that she will take full responsibility as three Grand Cross battleships exited subspace and revealed themselves.

Marika ~ Taking Glory

Marika leaves the Bentenmaru in Misa's hands.

Faced with two additional foes, Marika encouraged Coorie to commence the electronic warfare. While Coorie orchestrated the digital clash alongside the technicians of the allied pirate ships, Marika concurrently directed the Bentenmaru to engage the enemy. As Marika neared the Grand Cross, Quartz made preparations of her own and immediately released a barrage of beam blasts towards the Bentenmaru. Marika thereupon commanded the Bentenmaru to meet one of the Grand Cross ships while the other pirates did battle with the other two, and that ultimately resulted in the destruction of one

Marika ~ Grand Cross Assault

Marika and crew conquer the Grand Cross.

of the Grand Cross.

Without any indication of reinforcements for Quartz, Marika triggered the next stage of her plan. She specifically enlisted Coorie, Hyakume, and Schnitzer to accompany her aboard the Shangri-La after leaving the command of the Bentenmaru to Misa. The Barbaroosa simultaneously managed to nullify the second Grand Cross, which left Quartz with her final ship.

Marika ~ There Go The Pirates

Marika sets a course back to her home.

It was at that time that Marika revealed her intended tour de force: to board the Grand Cross by way of collision with the Shangri-La. Upon landing, Marika led her cohorts further into the heart of the ship, combating security automatons along the way. As soon as they reached Quartz, Marika and company prepared to take her in only to give enough time for Quartz to escape. Quartz then bade her farewell to Marika and invited her to "come to a vaster sea". Words of their victory over the Grand Cross were later announced throughout the pirate alliance. Following the celebrations, Kane inquired Marika of her future plans. Feeling accomplished and happy, Marika proclaimed her wish to stay in Hakuoh Academy and subsequently set a course back to her home, the Sea of the Morning Star, to prepare for exams.[22]

Abyss of Hyperspace[]

During the spring break before her third year, Marika's days were busy with pirating work, her part-time job at Lamp House and preparations for the yacht club's recruitment drive [23][24]. Around this time a number of the Bentenmaru's jobs were cancelled, due to circumstances arising from a recent series of subspace accidents. After one such instance, Marika took on a job request from Jenny Dolittle to raid one of Fairy Jane's liners. While looking at the passenger list, she noticed a certain person's name and requested a little addition to the performance [23][25].

Abyss of Hyperspace - Marika meets Kanata

Marika meets Kanata

When the Bentenmaru carried out the raid on the Begin The Begin, Marika and her crew made their entrance as that certain person, Kanata Mugen, was being cornered by a group of pursuers. During her performance, Marika directed a certain phrase in Kanata's direction; "What colour lies at the end of subspace?". Understanding the meaning of this phrase, Kanata demanded that the pirates take him hostage rather than harm the passengers and using it as a cover, Marika brought him onboard the Bentenmaru. Once onboard, Marika told the boy that his father had entrusted them with a task [23][25].

This begins a series of events which has them set out in search of Professor Mugen's legacy [23].

As Marika and Kanata arrived on the bridge, a trio of warships touched down behind the Bentenmaru. When they demanded that the pirates surrender their hostage, Marika spoke to a man who claimed to be Gilbert Necker, captain of the Hughroque. Marika soon exposed the man's lack of knowledge about space pirates, something a stellar navy captain should be aware of, and after Coorie revealed that Gilbert Necker, told him that they wouldn't be listening to someone they didn't know, bidding him farewell as the Bentenmaru escaped via FTL jump [23][26].

Kanata Mugen - Collapse

Kanata collapses into Marika's arms

Shortly afterwards, the Bentenmaru ran into abnormal turbulence in the subspace route. In response, Marika had the Bentenmaru dive to another subspace route. After they successfully transferred to the alternative route, Marika noticed Kanata's state and asked him if he was OK. As her work-time came to an end, Marika told Kanata that her last job for the day was to get Kanata to bed. Kanata started to get angry, thinking they merely saw him as a child, but as he stood up he fainted from accumulated fatigue and fell into Marika's arms [23][26].

Abyss of Hyperspace - Guest House Talk

Marika talks with Kanata at the guest house

When they returned to the Sea of the Morning Star, Marika took the still-sleeping Kanata to the Serenity guest house and spent the night there, sleeping in the same bed. The next morning, Marika was woken by Flint shortly after Kanata was startled out of bed by finding her sleeping next to him. She then had breakfast together with Kanata and the princesses, whom she introduced to him. On being questioned by Kanata, she explained how the one who accepted Professor Mugen's request was her father, whose promise she had inherited [23][27].

Afterwards, Marika went into Hakuoh with Gruier and met with Misa in the nurse's office, also communicating with Jenny. She then went to the clubroom and found the yacht club already assembled, having been gathered by Lynn, who revealed that there had been a mass data theft in New Okuhama City. As Lynn and the others tried to track down the culprit, Marika called on the Bentenmaru crew to help them, linking them to the ship's private line. Together they identified that the worm had been created by the security software provider [23][28].

Leaving the Bentenmaru crew to track down their enemy, Marika and the yacht club turned their attention to Kanata's problems, helping him get past his issues with his father and solve the puzzle he left behind, revealing the whereabouts of the professor's legacy on the comet Hrbek Oda. Marika then learned from Misa that the Bentenmaru crew had identified the enemy as the Yggdrasil Group [23][29].

Marika then dropped by Lamp House, together with Kanata, in order to pick up her new captain's uniform from Mami. During their visit, they encountered Chiaki, who had come on behalf of the Barbaroosa to tell them about the Yggdrasil Group, running into a large amount of trouble on the way, and was quite dismayed to find that Marika already knew. They then had a brief encounter with Scarlett Cypher, whom Marika identified as an agent of the Yggdrasil Group [23][30].

Marika and Kanata

Marika talks to Kanata

Following Kanata's decision to see what his father had left for his future, the two returned to the Bentenmaru and the ship set a course for Hrbek Oda. Marika later dropped by to have a drink and a chat with Kanata, who was working as an apprentice during the trip [23][30].

Abyss of Hyperspace - Boarding Party

Marika among the boarding party

When the Bentenmaru arrived at Hrbek Oda, Marika was part of the boarding party that ventured into the professor's ship. After a confrontation with the Yggdrasil Group's forces, during which Ririka came to their aid, Marika and the others were forced to retreat to the airlock as the ship was destabilized by the Advaseele being released from its moorings [23][31]. Marika watched the Advaseele dive into subspace with Kanata aboard.

On returning to the Bentenmaru, Marika had the ship dive once more in order to save the Advaseele from the Flawens pursuing it [23][32]. Speaking to Kanata, Marika confirmed that he had made his decision, telling him what was beyond was his future. After the Bentenmaru returned to the surface, Marika watched as the Advaseele descended to the X-Point and used the Flint system to release the energy trapped within, creating new paths through subspace. Shortly afterwards, Marika contacted Kanata as the Bentenmaru, Odette II and Barbaroosa moved to recover the submersible from the depths of subspace [23][33].

Sometime after the conclusion of the events concerning Professor Mugen's legacy, Marika remarked on how Yggdrasil made such a fuss but ended up retreating quite quickly, as well as her becoming a third-year in the meantime. After receiving a request from Show, Marika and the crew declare it is time for piracy as the Bentenmaru departs for another job [23][33].

Sometime later, after Kanata disappeared, reportedly fed up with all the awards and commendations he was receiving due to his achievement, Marika sent him a letter asking him how he was, saying she'd hold on to his awards until he returned [23].

Three Ships Arc (Novel-Only)[]

Marika was present when the Odette II received a distress signal from the Kokuchou [34]. She was in command on the Bentenmaru as it went with the Barbaroosa and Odette II to investigate the Garnet A system [35], as well as when the Bentenmaru went after the Odette II after it was transported to the frontier, fighting off the Chimaera of Skylla in the Mesaiya system and participating in a battle against the Pirate Guild's forces together with several other Letter of Marque pirate ships to protect the Odette II [36].

Skull Star Arc (Novel-Only)[]

Following a training exercise with the imperial fleet, Marika and other pirates were requested by the Galactic Empire's intelligence section to help infiltrate the Skull Star. Marika went to Skull Star along with Coorie, intelligence officer Nash and a stowaway in the Silent Whisper. After earning the trust of Muller Grant and Mira Grant, the mission was a success [37].

Bounty Arc (Novel-Only)[]

After travelling back from Skull Star, Marika met the bounty hunter Noel Blue, and together they searched the underground of Hakuoh Academy for Jackie Kelvin, who was searching for a document from the time of the War of Independence. During the incident, Marika learnt of the secret history of her school and planet [38].

Wanted Arc (Novel-Only)[]

Marika was contacted about the disappearance of the Karyoubinga, shortly before receiving a distress call from Maria Forte 85. The Bentenmaru went to aid the transport ship but was forced to retreat. Shortly after returning home, the Bentenmaru was framed and wanted for the attack. With Gruier and Grunhilde's help, Marika and the rest of the Bentenmaru crew were able to stay on Serenity while they sought information on their enemy, eventually revealed to be Rakion. Visiting Port Seruna, they 'abducted' an imperial officer and brought him to where Rakion were conducting their activities in order to expose them and exonerate the Bentenmaru [39]

Timeslip Arc (Novel-Only)[]

Marika was onboard Odette II when it went back in time. She was the first mate before the timeslip, but Lynn passed the rights of the captain to her when they were back in time, since her experience as a pirate captain would be more suitable in emergencies.

Under the request of Jenny and a volunteer found in contact with Gruier, Marika reluctantly accepts the captain outfit made from savaged items on Odette II, which was actually a fishnet stockings bunny suit with a captain jacket and hat. There were bunny ears attached to the hat, and the skull sign indicating pirates clipped on a bunny ear with a hairclip, which made it a "necessary" item for the pirate captain outfit. According to Gruier, the volunteer group was developing other captain outfits.  A few days later, a new outfit was made, mainly with parts of medical staff suit, which is white, and when Odette II got back to the present, Marika was still wearing that and Hyakume asked if it will be the new Captain outfit Marika wear. Marika said it was limited to Odette II.

Marika had to write different communication messages to the fleet command centre in the older grammar. When they were back in the present time, Marika sent a message to the Odette II that had yet to undergo the timeslip, telling them the minimal information they needed to know [40].

War of Independence Arc (Novel-Only)[]

Shortly after the Odette II's return, the Bentenmaru was hired to investigate the space-time anomaly. However while Marika was away from the ship, it disappeared. With the help of the yacht club and the Barbaroosa, Marika found a time capsule with a message from her future self, the trail ultimately leading to another space-time anomaly. Taking the Odette II back in time once again to the last days before the end of the War of Independence, they eventually found the present-day Bentenmaru and also found that events were differing from recorded history, with the Galactic Empire showing no signs of intervening in the war [41][42].

References[]

  1. Sailing 01
  2. Sailing 02
  3. Sailing 03
  4. Sailing 04
  5. Sailing 05
  6. Sailing 08
  7. Sailing 09
  8. Sailing 10
  9. Sailing 11
  10. Sailing 12
  11. Sailing 14
  12. Sailing 15
  13. Sailing 16
  14. Sailing 17
  15. Sailing 18
  16. Sailing 20
  17. Sailing 21
  18. Sailing 22
  19. Sailing 23
  20. Sailing 24
  21. Sailing 25
  22. Sailing 26
  23. 23.00 23.01 23.02 23.03 23.04 23.05 23.06 23.07 23.08 23.09 23.10 23.11 23.12 23.13 23.14 23.15 Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace
  24. Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 1
  25. 25.0 25.1 Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 2
  26. 26.0 26.1 Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 3
  27. Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 4
  28. Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 5
  29. Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 6
  30. 30.0 30.1 Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 7
  31. Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 8
  32. Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 9
  33. 33.0 33.1 Mouretsu Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace Chapter 10
  34. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 4
  35. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 5
  36. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 6
  37. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 7
  38. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 8
  39. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 9
  40. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 10
  41. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 11
  42. Miniskirt Pirates Volume 12
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