View source for Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster

{{Disambig|OS=Battle of the Rainbow Star Group|2199=Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster}}{{Top series|remake=s}}{{Infobox battles yamato 2199a
|name=Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster
|theme=wide|prev=[[Planet Balun Breakthrough Operation]]
|conc=
|next=[[Uprising on Prison Camp 17]]
|image=[[image:Yamato divebomber 1280.jpg|325px]]
|conflict=[[Great Garmillas War]]
|date=June 11, 2199<ref>Day count at the end of "[[Over the Black Light]]"</ref>
|place=[[Rainbow Star Cluster]]<ref name=":0" />
|result='''[[United Nations]] victory''' 
*''[[Yamato (2199)|Yamato]]'' survives attack<ref name=":0" />
*Princess [[Yurisha Iscandar]] returns to her body<ref name=":0" />
*Lt. [[Yuki Mori]] captured<ref name=":0" />
*[[UX-01]] escapes<ref name=":0" />
|side1=United Nations<ref name=":0" />
|side2=[[Greater Garmillan Empire]]<ref name=":0" />
|commanders1=Admiral [[Juzo Okita (2199)|Juzo Okita]]<ref name=":0" />
|commanders2=*General Admiral [[Erich Domel]] †<ref name=":0" />
*Commander [[Volf Fleurken]]<ref name=":0" />
*Second Lieutenant [[Gelt Berger]] †<ref name=":0" />
|units1=*[[United Nations Cosmo Navy]]<ref name=":0" />
**[[Far East Front Aerospace Battlegroup]]<ref name=":0" />|units2=*[[Imperial Garmillas Defense Force]]<ref name=":0" />
**[[Domel Task Force]]<ref name=":0" />
**[[Subspace Combat Experimental Group]]<ref name=":0" /><ref>''[[ Space Battleship Yamato 2199 Complete Works]]'' Vol.2 p.143</ref>|forces1=*[[Yamato-class|''Yamato''-class]]<ref name=":0"/>
**''Yamato'' BBY-01<ref name=":0" />
***At least 24 [[Type-99 Cosmo Falcon|Cosmo Falcons]]<ref>Twenty-four planes are shown [http://yamato.wikia.com/wiki/File:Cosmo_Falcons_Rainbow_Star_Cluster.png flying in formation at the beginning of "Under a Rainbow Sun"] just before they engage the Garmillas fighters launched from Balgray.  </ref> 
***2 [[Type-0 Cosmo Zero|Cosmo Zeros]]<ref name=":0" />
|forces2=*1 [[Zoellugut-class 1st Class Astro Combat Vessel|''Zoellugut''-class 1st Class Astro Combat Vessel]]<ref name=":0" />
**''[[Domelaze III]]''<ref name=":0" />
*1 [[Gelvades Class Astro Battleship-carrier|''Gelvades''-class Battleship-carrier]]<ref name=":0" />
**''[[Darold]]''<ref name=":0" />
***1 [[DBG.88 Garont Heavy Bomber]], equipped with explosive [[Special Rock Drill Missile|drill missile]]<ref name=":0" />
*3 [[Guipellon Class Multiple Flight Deck Astro Carrier|''Guipellon''-class Carriers]]<ref name=":0" />
**''[[Balgray]]''<ref name=":0" />
***at least 30-40 [[DWG109 Debake fighter|Debake fighters]]<ref name=":1" />  
**''[[Schderg]]''<ref name=":0" />
***at least 32 [[FWG.97 Doshira torpedo bomber|Doshira torpedo bombers]]<ref name=":0" />
**''[[Lamvea]]''<ref name=":0" />
***at least 14 [[DMB87 Snuka dive bomber|Snuka dive bombers]]<ref name=":1" />  
*[[Dimensional Submarine (2199)|Dimensional submarine]] [[UX-01]]<ref name=":0" />
*[[442nd Special Platoon]]<ref name=":0" />
|casual1=*Significant number of deaths and injuries<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />  
*12 Cosmo Falcons destroyed<ref name=":1" />  
*Heavy damage to ''Yamato''<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />  
|casual2=*All hands lost except for UX-01 crew members and ''Lamvea'' survivors<ref name=":1" />  
**Erich Domel<ref name=":1" />
**[[Vem Heidern]]<ref name=":1" /> 
**[[Lyle Ghetto]]<ref name=":1" /> 
**[[Charis Kreize]]<ref name=":1" /> 
**3 442nd Special Platoon members killed<ref name=":1" />  
***Gelt Berger<ref name=":1" />
***[[Barsch Meck]]<ref name=":1" /> 
***[[Beris Reitse]]<ref name=":1" />
*Multiple deaths among ''Lambea'' crew<ref name=":1" />  
*All ships destroyed except for ''Lambea'' and UX-01<ref name=":1" />  
*''Lamvea'' heavily damaged<ref name=":1" />  
*Heavy bomber damaged beyond repair<ref name=":1" />  
}}
The '''Battle of the Rainbow Star Cluster<ref>First named in the [https://yamato2199.net/about/character_a.html Odyssey of the celestial ark character data] </ref>''' was an ambush of the [[Earth (2199)|Earth]] battleship ''[[Yamato (2199)|Yamato]]'' by forces of the [[Greater Garmillan Empire]] late in the [[Great Garmillas War]].  Occurring after a [[Planet Balun Breakthrough Operation|crushing defeat at Balun]], the battle became one of the empire's few remaining chances to prevent ''Yamato'' from completing its journey to the planet [[Iscandar (2199)|Iscandar]].  It also became an opportunity for the legendary [[Garmillas (ethnicity)|Garmillas]] admiral [[Erich Domel]] to restore his own and his family's damaged reputations, and for the empire's ruler, [[Abelt Desler]], to make a decisive political maneuver against Iscandar.

==Prelude==
Following the destruction of thousands of Garmillas ships at [[Balun]] and thousands more stranded far from home,<ref>"[[Over the Black Light]]"  </ref> Desler concluded that ''Yamato'' had become the most serious threat facing his empire.  However, the one commander he most trusted to defeat the Earth ship had been arrested on the false charge of scheming to assassinate Desler.  He released General Admiral Domel from prison, dismissed his conviction, and granted him his request to resume the campaign against ''Yamato'' that he had [[First Battle against Domel|almost completed once before]]--but asked him to first recover a special passenger from ''Yamato'', the princess [[Yurisha Iscandar]].  In exchange for victory, Desler offered to reduce the [[Out of the Forest of Memory|sentence handed down to Domel's wife]], [[Elisa Domel]], for [[Point of No Return|collaborating with opponents of the regime]].  
[[File:Gaiperon Carriers Docked.png|left|thumb|233x233px|The three carriers:  ''Lamvea'', ''Schderg'' and ''Balgray'']]
In preparation for the battle, the [[Imperial Guard]] returned to Domel the trusted commanders of his [[6th Armored Space Division]] and his [[Zoellugut-class 1st Class Astro Combat Vessel|super dreadnought]] flagship ''[[Domelaze III]]'', and placed the subspace submarine [[UX-01]] at his disposal.  The empire's military resources were constrained, and the Imperial Guard provided him with only four older carriers  crewed by "children and old men," as Colonel [[Vem Heidern]] described them.  Despite the limitations imposed upon him, the admiral was able to call upon Minister of Defense [[Welte Talan]] for added support and secured a prototype [[Instantaneous Material Transporter|instant matter transporter]] and an [[Special Rock Drill Missile|asteroid mining missile]], and ultimately   devised a strategy that he was confident would succeed.  The final step was anticipating his opponent's next move, and he predicted that ''Yamato'' would take a dangerous shortcut through the [[Rainbow Star Cluster]].  Once Domel's task force arrived at the cluster, the carrier ''[[Balgray]]'' moved ahead and launched its fighters toward ''Yamato''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> likely location.   

Meanwhile, the ''Yamato'' had entered the [[Large Magellanic Cloud (2199)|Large Magellanic Cloud]] and was poised near the [[Tarantula Nebula]] as the crew considered how to proceed.  Admiral [[Juzo Okita (2199)|Juzo Okita]] was convinced that navigating around the massive nebula would rob them of precious time, and would allow the Garmillas military to organize more effective attacks.  He decided to take the shortest approach, directly through the Rainbow Star Cluster at the heart of the nebula.  Immediately upon [[Warp (2199)|warping]] into the cluster, ''Yamato'' was buffeted by intense ion turbulence and lost the ability to use radar.  Chief navigator [[Daisuke Shima (2199)|Daisuke Shima]] stabilized the ship and set course for a relatively calmer region of the Rainbow Cluster.<ref name=":0">"[[They're Coming!]]"</ref>

==The Battle==

===Opening Phase===
''Yamato''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> optical sensors soon detected the Garmillas advance fighter wing approaching, and Okita ordered the ship's [[Type-99 Cosmo Falcon|Cosmo Falcon]] fighter squadron to intercept.<ref name=":0" />  Led by Lt. Commander [[Lyle Ghetto]], the Garmillas [[DWG109 Debake fighter|Debake fighters]] engaged the Falcons, drawing them away from the battleship as a diversionary tactic. With the [[Earthlings|Earthlings]] now distracted, a squadron of [[DMB87 Snuka dive bomber|Snuka dive bombers]] launched from ''[[Lamvea]]'' under the command of Lieutenant Commander[[Fomt Berger]] and was instantly teleported by the prototype matter transporter to ''Yamato''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> position.  Surprised by their sudden appearance, ''Yamato'' suffered damage to its [[positron shock cannon|shock cannons]], anti-aircraft guns, [[wave motion shield|wave motion shield]], and sensors until Ensign [[Akira Yamamoto (2199)|Akira Yamamoto]] took off in a [[Type-0 Cosmo Zero|Cosmo Zero]] fighter and beat back the Snukas.  By the time Berger called for the squadron to retreat, they had already succeeded in rendering ''Yamato'' blind and vulnerable to the next wave.

The UX-01 surfaced from subspace to release a [[FS-Class Astro Torpedo Boat|"suckerfish"]] craft that attached itself to the aft section of the battleship without being detected.  A four-member [[Zaltzi]] strike team accessed an airlock and quietly boarded ''Yamato''.<ref name=":1">"[[Under a Rainbow Sun]]"</ref>

===Attacking from Within===
[[File:Drill missile penetrates Yamato.png|thumb|233x233px|Driving deeper into ''Yamato''.|left]]As the ''Yamato'' crew waited and surmised that the Garmillas task force was using a form of warp-based technology to deploy the dive bombers so rapidly, a single [[DBG.88 Garont Heavy Bomber|heavy bomber]] took off from the carrier ''[[Darold]]'' and was teleported to a point directly ahead of the Earth ship.  They were again caught unprepared when the heavy bomber fired its single payload, the massive asteroid drill missile.  Yamamoto chased after the bomber and damaged it, sending it hurtling out of control into a nearby ion storm, but the drill missile firmly lodged itself inside the muzzle of the battleship's [[wave motion gun (2199)|wave motion gun]].  It began to turn and force its way deeper into ''Yamato'', penetrating the wave motion gun control room and sending crew members fleeing.<ref name=":1" />  

Having changed into human uniforms, three of the Zaltzi team made their way through the ship as they commenced the search for Princess Yurisha, leaving Corporal [[Norren Oshetto]] to guard the airlock.  They remained unnoticed until security officer [[Toru Hoshina]] encounterd them while escorting another officer, [[Yuria Misaki]], who was, ironically, under the psychic control of the very person the Zaltzi were hunting.  Hoshina realized that the three were strangers and requested that they identified themselves.  One of the Zaltzi drew a gun and shot him.  Misaki fainted at the sight, but internal sensors detected the weapons fire and Okita dispatched Lieutenant [[Susumu Kodai]] and a security squad to stop the intruders.  Before the squad could arrive, Lieutenant [[Yuki Mori]] came upon the unconscious bodies of Misaki and Hoshina.  The strike team mistook Mori for Yurisha and drugged her before she could use her own weapon.<ref name=":1" />  

[[File:ZaltziBoarders.jpg|thumb|left|250px|The Zaltzi strike team aboard ''Yamato'']]A heavy firefight erupted near the airlock and pinned the team down, and two of the Zaltzi were killed.  After their [[Gelt Berger|commanding officer]] was wounded, he sealed the airlock between him and Oshetto, who was carrying Mori, and then activated a grenade clutched to his body.  The explosion ripped through the entire section, activating an emergency bulkhead that blocked the security squad and allowed Oshetto to escape with Mori.  Kodai flied off in the ship's second Cosmo Zero to try to stop the suckerfish, but the UX-01 retrieved it safely and disappeard beneath the dimensional line.

Working to make repairs on the third bridge, chief science officer [[Shiro Sanada]] hypothesized that the unexploded drill missile was operating on a delayed timer, and recommended sending Lieutenant [[Kaoru Niimi]] and the robot [[Analyzer (2199)|Analyzer]] to disarm it.  The two entered the decompressed control room, accessed the missile's computer controls from inside the drilling component, and stopped its countdown with seconds left before detonation.<ref name=":1" />

===The Battle Turns===
Despite ''Yamato''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> recall order, the Cosmo Falcon squadron remained locked in combat with Ghetto's fighter wing.  As they eventually made their way back, Ensigns [[Takuya Kobashi]] and [[Sho Sawamura]] found the ''Balgray''.  Kobashi was killed in a reckless run on the carrier but his missiles hit their target and inflicted significant damage.  Sawamura followed with his own missile and gun salvo, and the lightly defended ''Balgray'' was obliterated.  Ghetto came close to taking out Sawamura, but squadron leader [[Saburo Kato]] intercepted and shot him down.<ref name=":1" />

[[File:RainbowStarClusterUnderTorpedoFire.png|thumb|250px|Garmillon torpedoes hitting the ''Yamato''.]]Aboard ''Domelaze III'', Admiral Domel waited for the drill missile to detonate, but to avoid any uncertainty, he granted Lt. Commander [[Charis Kreuz]] permission to lead his [[FWG.97 Doshira torpedo bomber|torpedo bombers]] in a full assault.  The bombers were teleported to ''Yamato'' and deployed their torpedoes, tearing into the battleship but meeting heavy resistance from anti-aircraft fire, the returning Cosmo Falcons, and the two Cosmo Zeroes now patrolling the sky.  Kreize's panicked plea for reinforcements was unanswered before he and all of his bomber wing were wiped out.  Domel was overcome by a growing sense of concern and took the entire task force ahead to confront ''Yamato'' directly.<ref name=":1" />

Okita formulated a plan as he awaited the inevitable appearance of the Garmillas main force.  As ''Darold'' entered the edge of weapons range and began firing, Niimi and Analyzer reprogrammed the drill missile to operate in reverse, extract itself from ''Yamato'' and fly on a direct course toward the enemy ships.  ''Darold''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> [[Dora Barek|captain]] yelled out for evasive action, but a single shock cannon shot striked the missile as it neared the carrier.  The explosion consumed ''Darold'' and ''[[Shuderg|Schderg]]'' with it as swerved to avoid the blast.  ''Yamato'' took advantage of the disarray among the Garmillas and opened fire, sending the wounded ''Lamvea'' plunging into a nearby ion storm, leaving only Domel's flagship.  ''Domelaze III'' and ''Yamato'' exchanged salvos until the super dreadnought suddenly lost control.  The admiral realized too late that he has been lured by Okita into an ion turbulence.  ''Yamato'' continued to attack, firing away at its now helpless opponent.<ref name=":1" />

===The Fall of Domel===
[[File:Domel's end.jpg|thumb|left|231x231px|Domel's flagship self-destructs.]]Stunned and blaming no one but himself, Domel acknowledged his defeat.  He readied ''Domelaze III''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> self-destruct mechanism, and with Colonel Heidern and the loyal bridge crew staying at his side, detached the ship's autonomous bridge section from the main hull before it blew.  The bridge module cought up to ''Yamato'' and secured itself to the battleship's third bridge.  Domel hailed ''Yamato'' and offered his genuine congratulations to Admiral Okita and praise for his tactical brilliance.  He turned down Okita's proposal to allow ''Yamato'' to peacefully pass.  Communications were cut, and Domel activated the self-destruct, unaware that Sanada and a maintenance team had repaired the ship's wave motion shield a moment earlier.  The explosion vaporized ''Domelaze III'', but inflicted only minor damage on its target.<ref name=":1" />

==Aftermath==
[[File:Yamato after rainbow.jpg|thumb|250px|The memorial service for those killed in battle.]]As the badly damaged ''Yamato'' departed the Rainbow Star Cluster, Kodai was greeted by a stranger with a familiar face:  Princess Yurisha Iscandar, awakened from a coma by Misaki's trauma and walking the halls of the ship for the very first time.  Until she introduced herself, he almost believes that she was Mori.<ref name=":1" />

The crew held a service for those whose lives were lost in the battle, launching into space the bodies of those who could be recovered, including two members of the Zaltzi boarding party.  During the ceremony, [[Shinya Itou|two]] [[Sukeji Yabu|detained]] [[Mutiny on Beemela 4|mutineers]] who were able to escape the ship's brig following the torpedo assault found food and weapons, and looked for an opportunity to leave ''Yamato''.  Their chance arrived when Kodai and Yurisha took off on a scouting mission for resources that could be used to repair the ship.  Unknown to Kodai and Yurisha, the planet they investigated was a [[Leptapoda|Garmillas prison world]].  The mutineers set in motion a chain of events that brought ''Yamato'' into contact with the still imprisoned Elisa Domel and other members of the [[Ditz faction]].<ref>"[[Prison Planet 17]]"</ref>

Under the command of Lt. Commander Berger, ''Lamvea'' survived the battle, located and retrieved the downed heavy bomber and its crew, and limped away from the cluster into open space.  More than two months later, ''Lamvea'' was rescued by a [[8th Security Fleet|task force]] led by another carrier, ''[[Mirangal]]''.<ref>''[[Space Battleship Yamato 2199: Odyssey of the Celestial Ark]]''</ref>

When Lt. Mori returned to consciousness, she found herself in a holding cell aboard the UX-01, bound for the Garmillas prison planet and ultimately Garmillas itself.  Believing that he now had control over the third princess of Iscandar, Leader Desler used her in a ploy to convince his own subjects and the ruler of Iscandar, Queen [[Stasha Iscandar]], that the leadership of Iscandar hadgiven final approval to a plan to merge their empires.<ref>"[[The Planet That We Head For]]"</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
==Japanese language information==
七色星団海戦 ''Nanairo seidan kaisen''
{{Template:Garmillas-Earth War Battles}}
[[Category:Great Garmillas War]]
[[Category:Events (2199)]]
[[Category:Battles (2199)]]