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Episode 23 -	Pursuit
	tsuiseki
First aired -	4th September 2002

Thanks to Seina and the crew of the Kamidake II, the galaxy is no longer under threat from the Da Ruma Guild or Seiryo's ship the Unko. However, this means that the Galaxy Police Decoy Squad has been disbanded, and the Galaxy Army, the military wing of the Galaxy Police, has set their sights on the Kamidake II. A high-ranking officer of the GA meets with Airi to discuss the transfer of the ship. On hearing the officer's request to transfer the Kamidake, Airi retorts by suggesting he is trying to start a war. However, she knows as well as anyone it was inevitable that the military would get involved sooner or later.

Seina, meanwhile, returns to normal cadet duties, stamping parcels for the GP delivery service. Without any pirates to attract, Seina's bad luck manifests itself in more painful ways, getting sucked into a parcel conveyer, trapped in a cage with a huge and dangerous pet dinosaur, and fawned over by an overly-affectionate nurse!

News of the transfer soon reaches Kiriko, Amane, Ryoko and Neiju, who are none too pleased to hear of their craft being taken from them. Kiriko protests that the royal tree Mizuki, which was integrated into the Kamidake (see episode 21), is hers, but Lady Seto assures her that the core module will be separated from the ship before it is transferred. The Kamidake, Airi reminds them, is technically Galaxy Police property, so they cannot stop the transfer to the GA. Ryoko suggests getting Washu to transfer the ship to them, and Amane suggests leaving the Mizuki core in place to prevent the GA taking it, but Seto will have none of it; trying to keep the Kamidake is likely to get them all arrested for theft of public property. The realisation that Fuku will have to be transferred along with the ship brings the situation to a head. Kiriko storms out swearing she will not allow Fuku to be taken away, and Ryoko and Amane soon follow. Neiju turns to leave as well, but pauses to tell Seto that despite working for her in the past, she wants to do something for herself this time.

Later, the Mizuki core module is removed from the Kamidake. While this is occurring, Kiriko and Ryoko (temporarily back in her Elma guise) attempt to hack into the Academy computer systems to acquire the information they need to cripple the Kamidake and prevent the GA from taking it. Provided they can keep the ship grounded for four days, they should have enough time to transfer its registration to themselves. Seto has been expecting just such a reaction from the crew, and as she waits for the trouble to begin, she muses that the Galaxy Army will have to act fast to catch them out.

The crew's plan continues apace. While Neiju has taken Fuku back to Amane's place, Amane herself comes to the bridge to report she has been unable to find Seina (who is otherwise occupied with the ravenous pet dinosaur). Just then, a group of Galaxy Army officers charge onto the bridge and order the crew to return to the Academy; they are taking command of the Kamidake now. Later, at Amane's house, another group of soldiers seize Fuku by baiting a trap with a basket of carrots. Neiju berates the men, telling them what they are doing is tantamount to robbery. Just then, Seina returns home and Neiju tries to use the distraction to free Fuku, but one of the soldiers knocks her out with a stun baton. Seina rushes to her aid only to find he is too late, and the army have taken Fuku away.

Back at the Academy, the girls can only watch helplessly as the Kamidake is escorted away by a GP cargo ship. Seina, who has borrowed the cruiser Airi loaned Kiriko (last seen in episode 7) arrives on the scene and hails the Kamidake. He makes an impassioned plea to the GA officer to return Fuku and the ship, but the officer tells him he is only following orders. He then ends the transmission and performs a hyperspace jump, disappearing from view. Seina thinks all is lost; on a ship without hyperspace jump capabilities, he cannot follow them. However, NB has a surprise for him, revealing that the ship does indeed have a hyperdrive, and he has the ability to track and follow the Kamidake. They waste no time and jump into hyperspace to pursue them. As they emerge from hyperspace, the onboard computer warns them they are entering a dangerous area of space. However, Seina is not about to give up the chase, and flies after them at full throttle.

Later, back at Amane's house, Neiju tells the girls about the GA abducting Fuku and Seina giving chase. Amane worries that Seina might get involved in a battle with the Galaxy Army. Shortly, Airi arrives with news that the situation has become more complicated; they have lost contact with the Kamidake and its escort ship, along with the cruiser Seina took. Moments later a group of GA soldiers storm in. Their commanding officer, Misao Kuramitsu (Mihoshi's younger brother), tells the girls that they are to be arrested under suspicion of collaborating with Seina in hijacking the Kamidake and destroying its escort. Misao, who is an old acquaintance of Amane's, apologises for doing this, but he points out that he is only following orders. He casts Airi a knowing glance; clearly, he has plans of his own...

Meanwhile, Seina is still hot on the trail of the Kamidake. As the ship and its escort approach a blue-green Earth-like planet, Seina wonders where he is following them to. Out of nowhere, a trio of pirate ships appear and open fire on him. The cruiser has no weapons to retaliate, and its meagre shields soon give out. One blast hits the ship's engine and it plummets towards the planet below.

True to his orders, Misao takes the girls into custody, but chooses to hold them in one of his family's castles. They will, of course, remain under guard, but Misao tells them they may make use of everything in the room. Once the guards leave them, they discover that "everything" includes an advanced computer workstation — just the thing for investigating the case.

On the strange planet, Seina walks away unharmed from the wreckage of the cruiser where it has crashed in a desert. He hears a scream and rushes to see two pirates threatening a young Wau boy. The pirates are trying to find out where Seina's ship crashed, and they also accuse the boy of stealing water from their base. However, Seina comes to his rescue. Standing heroically atop a cliff, he draws his laser sword... and tumbles down the cliff face when the ground underneath him gives way! The pirates are crushed by the falling rubble, but Seina and the Wau child are unhurt. The Wau leads Seina back to his village, where the other villagers make him welcome. The village elder tells Seina he must be the hero of an old legend, destined to protect the village, but the Wau kid assures Seina that the elder tells every visitor the same thing! Nevertheless, in thanks for his act of heroism, the villagers throw a party to honour him that evening.

Meanwhile, several pirates scour the desert for signs of Seina. They soon come across the wreckage of his spacecraft. There are no footprints to follow, but they have found one clue — NB, who was still lying amongst the wreckage.

At the Wau village, the celebration is in full swing. Seina, ever the one to inadvertently attract women, finds himself doted upon by three Wau women. Seina asks why space pirates have settled on this planet, and the Wau boy recounts how they appeared shortly after their old leader died. The pirates destroyed farms and homes and cut off their water supplies. The village elder goes on to tell Seina that the pirates proclaim to be of the Shunk Guild - their leader must be Seina's mortal enemy, Tarant Shunk! Seina recalls how the army deliberately entered Shunk's territory, meaning that there must be some alliance between them. He realises that the pirates will want to research the Kamidake's technology, and Fuku may be in danger...

At his base, Tarant Shunk oversees the research. The scientists have already cut the link between Fuku and the Kamidake, and are holding the helpless cabbit in an energy field. The research, however, has been halted. Dissection has been ruled out as too risky, and although several clones of her have been produced, the duplicates lack any of Fuku's powers. Just then, news that Seina has been located reaches the base. Tarant prepares to go on the offensive.

Seina is desperate to go to Fuku's aid, but the young Wau tries to persuade him against charging into the pirates' base alone. Suddenly, the village comes under attack from Tarant's pirates piloting crab-like tanks. The terrified villagers flee into their temple, a huge cave cut into a mountain. Since the pirates do not know the whereabouts of the entrance, the villagers think they are safe. Seina asks them why they call this cave their "temple", and the elder points to the idol they worship as a god. Seina is stunned; their idol is quite clearly a huge and ancient robot.

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Episode 24 - Parallel!? >>

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