A/N: Anybody wanna beta read this stuff?

Original A/N: Finally. I got this chapter over with. Now I can get to the fun stuff? :3?

Taejong could hardly believe his luck when he heard the broadcast saying that they would conduct a rescue and destroy operation. A great weight was just lifted off his multiple hearts. He was currently in the hanger and in the middle of hand picking his best men for the job. They were ordered to hit hard and fast, dropping into the station and rescuing as many Tianxia delegates as they can before detonating the station and warping out. Oh and was he determined to hit hard indeed.

The line of men and women before him suddenly snapped to attention. Unusual for a rowdy group like them, which meant the man coming up behind him was either someone of significant rank or this was a collaborated prank. Snapping to attention, Taejong turned about face to encounter…

Taejong: "Admiral Hongxi!"

Hongxi simply dipped his head in acknowledgement and continued towards him, stopping less than half a meter away. Taejong could feel the Admiral's gaze, penetrating right through the reflective faceplate of his suit and staring right into his eyes. Despite towering over the admiral by two full heads, the admiral's presence still unnerved him. He instinctively flinched when he saw the admiral's hand raising out of the corner of his eye, as if expecting some kind of blow. However nothing of the sort happened and instead all he heard was three light knocks on his shoulder armor piece.

Hongxi: "Squad commander. Do you happen to have…? An extra one of these lying around?"

Taejong: "Yes sir! Taisun! Escort the good Admiral to the engineering bay!"

Taisun: "Sir yes sir!"

Hongxi: "Make room for me in your squad. I'll be counting on you."

Hongxi walked on over to Taisun with his hands behind his back, the only sounds the squad hearing being his footsteps. The giant, clunky marine saluted and lead him down to one corner of the hanger the marines referred to as the Mechanic's Cave. The Engineering Bay looked like the assembly line of a factory, multiple robotic arms would either piece together or disassemble power suits around marines that were transported down a conveyer belt. The weaponry and power suits assigned were usually based around one's rank and profession. Being that this was the admiral, Taejong was slightly curious as to what kind of suit Hongxi would wear. But before that, he had to address the issue that was on everybody's mind.

Taejong: "Alright, listen up marines! We've got a little change in plans! Your mission is now to prioritize the safety and sanity of Admiral Hongxi, do you get me?!"

Everyone: "Yes sir!"

Taejong: "This isn't the walk in the park anymore men! We have with us the Admiral, Supreme Commander of the Tianxia Space Force! I expect perfect DISCIPLINE out of you apes, DO YOU GET ME?!"

Everyone: "SIR YES SIR!"

Taejong: "I DON'T THINK YOU GET IT! THIS IS ADMIRAL HONGXI! IF WE SO MUCH AS PISS HIM OFF, HE'LL BURY US IN A HOLE SO DEEP THAT IT'LL TAKE LIGHT A YEAR TO GET TO US! AND WHILE WE'RE ROTTING AWAY IN HEAVEN KNOWS WHERE, HE'LL BE MAKING ALL THREE GENERATIONS OF OUR FAMILES DRINK NUCLEAR PISS! DO YOU GET ME?!"

Everyone: "WE GET YOU SIR!"

Taejong: "Good! Now, Joowon, Ha-eun, Seo-yeon, Tanikashi, Tsubaki…"

One by one, the marines he called out would step forward. With his mission priorities completely changed he had to rethink his tactics however that didn't stop him from thinking in the back of his head, just why was the admiral joining them?

Thracia, Thracia Prison Barge

The Yamato dropped out of warp in high orbit, shaking the very foundations of space-time around it. The Macross Drive's warp rings powered down and energy was redirected to the main thrusters, propelling the massive ship forward. The thrusters were shut off barely a minute later switching the ship to inertial cruise. The shadow casted by the vessel slowly engulfed the prison barge, plunging it into darkness.

Chaff was launched towards the station's FTL comms and all radio frequencies were jammed by the Yamato's powerful radio emitters. Radio signals traveled at the speed of light, was broadcasted in all directions, and could only be picked up and decoded on the right channels and frequencies. Thus it has remained as the most popular and secure form of communication ever since its discovery, shadowing laser relays in terms of range and versatility.

Many nations broadcasted on common, pre-determined frequencies while military broadcasted on classified channels and often in encrypted form. To intercept broadcasts, one would have to tune in on the right frequency and be able to decode its message. To jam, one simply had to overrun it with noise while maintaining one's own secure channel The Yamato's jamming technique worked by blasting noise into every frequency, washing away any and all signals and ensuring no one would be able to communicate through radio. Chaff on the other hand worked as a physical jammer, disrupting any radar or radio signals that passed through it. It also assisted greatly in disrupting FTL communications if fired directly into the emitter's and receiver's "line of sight". Targets showing up on radar would turn into incomprehensible streaks, radio signals received through the chaff would end up as static, while FTL communications simply never make it.

These methods were dropped by galactic standards due to them essentially cutting off all forms of communication and inability to distinguish between hostile and friendly signals, a luxury the Yamato could afford to lose. The use of laser relays was still common within the Tianxia Defense Force, a technology that was considered revolutionary at one time but fell into disuses across the galaxy when met with no demand. Thus was the reason for the Yamato's secrecy and efforts to cover up the aftermath of its operations. The Yamato's reputation of being an information black hole was common amongst the intelligence of Alliance and PACT. Wherever it showed up, the region went dark. Even long after it has left, the chaff they used would leave a long lasting disruption field, a problem ground armies did not have to face back in the days of planetary warfare where gravity would simply cause all the chaff to settle.

The rear launch bays slid open and out came the Yamato's complement of Ryders, speeding towards the station below in formation. The Qiang swerved around in place so it could look directly at the others behind her.

Meifeng: "Uh, hello? Testing, testing. Can anybody hear me?"

Xue: "This is Pae, don't worry. I have a clear sight on you, I'll relay everyone's signals even if you don't have a clear LOS with each other."

Meifeng: "That's reassuring to hear."

Pae: "We are coming up beside the station, the Yamato is launching its marine detachment. Let's make sure those pods land, designating priority targets. Take them out!"

Everyone; "Yes ma'am!"

Qiang and Katana both blasted their thrusters to full, achieving maximum speed before shutting them off.

Meifeng: "Heeeeeeree IIiii gooooooo! Haaaaaaa!"

The Qiang crashed into one of the flak turrets, plunging her spear into the turret's base before using it as a lever and ripping the turret out of its socket.

Meifeng: "Whew, go get them marines! We got things out here!"

The Qiang saluted one of the incoming Heavy Boarding Pod. These ones were built for breaking through armor that was too thick for the normal ones to puncture. She watched the thing smash into the hull, stabbing it with its anchor claws before drilling through the armor. Upon breaking through the armor, the drill would open up and deploy the squad of marines inside the pod.

Tsukiko: "One cut, one kill."

The Katana sped past one of the turrets and sliced the flak gun in half in the process, the thermal vibration blade leaving behind a red hot line on the two halves of the turret. Elsewhere, the Tanegashima and Pyeonjeon were sniping flak turrets from afar. The bolts of tungsten and plasma, being armor piercing weapons, punctured the armor plating and ripped apart the internal workings of the turrets and either caused them to shut down or blow up upon impacting its ammunition feeder.

Yamato, Northern Hanger Bay

Taejong was calm. He was unnervingly calm. Sitting right beside him was the Admiral of the Fleet who had unexpectedly showed up at the last second. Under normal circumstances, this would be an awe inspiring yet nerve racking moment to have the highest ranking man in the fleet sitting right next to you. However this was no ordinary mission, today he was fighting for something beside the duties indoctrinated into him. He was embarking on a mission to personally save someone he cared about.

Taejong mentally laughed to himself. What was this, some kind of B-grade Zebben drama? The ronin warrior descends upon the evil fortress and rescues the princess in distress before running away together to live happily ever after. No, he was no hero. The fact that the admiral himself was personally joining him on this mission probably meant the rumors were true. Taejong closed his eyes and began recounting his oath to the state, this was no time for doubts in his heart. That all he was is a lowly foot soldier escorting his lord in an assault on the enemy's stronghold.

The Boarding Shuttle buckled and rocked from glancing enemy fire. The pilot said nothing through the intercom, which probably meant they were still okay. The trips in-between was the one thing all marines feared most, the one place where they were the most vulnerable and powerless. Their lives were either in the hands of the pilot or in the luck of the pod to not be hit by hostile fire. Being that this shuttle was carrying precious cargo, they probably grabbed the best pilot in the fleet but even then… The marine corp's inherent distrust of Fleet was too much.

The shuttle buckled one last time before settling down. The lights turned red and their straps snaped open. The shuttles rear doors flung open and out marched his marines, guns raised and ready to go. Taejong ran out and beckoned Hongxi to stick behind him.

Taejong: "This way sir, we'll escort you to the prison cells. Oni Squad has already locked down the control room is and clearing us a way."

Hongxi: "Hm, worry about yourself more than me. My suit is more advanced than yours, soldier."

Taejong: "Understood sir, this wa-"

Hun'guk: "Incoming!"

Taejong was suddenly shoved out of the way by Hongxi, a rocket zipping past the spot where he was just at. A pair of armored hunter killer walkers thudded into the hanger and lit up their machine guns.

Taejong: "Guh! Take cover, take cover!"

The marines who were returning fire one by one stopped and dove behind the nearby crates. Each one made sure to provide cover fire for the ones who weren't. Multiple puncture holes appeared all along the walker's body, but it refused to go down and simply returned fire in the earnest.

Hongxi: "Cover me."

Taejong: "Wha-?"

He was not used to this. Someone in his squad acting independently. He knew full well that this was the admiral and his authority far exceeded him, but habit of disciplining those who acted out of line still jarred him. The admiral's orders were orders, peeking over the side he went full auto on the hunter killer. Conservation of ammunition didn't matter when the admiral's life was at stake and they were this close to a shuttle full of ammunition crates.

Taejong: "All units, provide cover fire for the admiral!"

One of the hunter killer's legs sparked and finally snapped from all the puncture holes. The hunter killer fell forward and laid in a smoking heap, its chassis filled with more holes than they could count. Meanwhile the second one released another barrage of rockets, forcing the marines to dive out of cover and seek new places. Suddenly the tip of a thermal vibroblade erupted from the center of its chassis. Hongxi had managed to sneak under the walker and stabbed straight through it. No one knew what he stabbed through, but it had to be pretty important if the hunter killer suddenly stopped working. Taejong blinked in surprise, was this really the arm chair admiral he had heard so much about? Even if his suit was faster and stronger than his own, to have the guts to plunge directly into the enemy was shocking.

Hongxi: "Fall in men, Takakuze take point. Hiroto, Hun'guk, secure the hanger. Taejong, you're with me. Your waypoints have been updated, if we get separated stick to them. From here on out, you're all my children and I expect each and every one of you to be back before dinner you get me? Now, move out!"

Everyone: "Sir yes sir!"

Taejong could hardly believe what he just heard. Even his way of speech and mannerisms was different too… It was as if the man in that suit was different, that someone else had replaced him entirely and was merely speaking through Hongxi's voice.

Hongxi: "What's the matter Taejong, thinking too hard? You're falling behind, catch up!"

Taejong: "Sorry sir! It won't happen again!"

Hongxi: "Hm, good. That's what I expect to hear!"

The operation continued, smoothly. Smoothly, not perfectly, but smoothly. And eerily so too. Hongxi's quick reactions and orders to every threat they faced, situations with injured and fallen marines, when to fall back and when to advance. He handled the operation with the experience and level headedness of someone who had long been in the field, something that did not quite fit Hongxi's bio.

Hongxi: "Looks like we lost them for now, but we're still surrounded. Reinforcements from Tangzhong is on their way to our position. Wind down Taejong, I'll keep a look out."

Taejong leaned against the wall, letting his arm dangle at his side for the moment. He stared hard at Hongxi's golden reflective faceplate and saw his own battered reflection.

Taejong: "… Sir, permission to ask a personal question."

Hongxi: "Permission granted soldier."

Taejong: "Why are you really on this mission, admiral?"

There was an implausible silence, Hongxi seemed to have froze in place. The next time his voice came through the comm, it was as if the old admiral was back. A much more calm and laidback voice, devoid of the sternness from earlier.

Hongxi: "To rescue somebody's beloved XO."

Taejong: "Belo-"

Hongxi: "It's written all over your face Taejong."

Taejong? That was the first time Hongxi had used his name during this entire operation. He was only ever referred to as squad commander or soldier…

Taejong: "The rumors sir, between you and the XO-"

Hongxi: "All false. Though I do seem to have taken a liking to her. Hm? Wipe that look off your face, don't worry. I won't steal your precious XO from you."

Taejong: "…Steal? Sir, you misunder-"

Something began bubbling up within Taejong, he didn't like the way this was going.

Hongxi: "It's not my policy to interfere with my subordinate's love life. But since you two younglings make such a good couple, I could make an exception. You're brave, you readily step into hails of fire. But can y-"

Taejong: "Admiral! Forgive me way of speech but, I must ask! Do you love Yayoi?"

The comm link remained silent for quite a while. A click, indicating Hongxi had activated the channel and was about to speak but nothing came until finally…

Hongxi: "… They probably should have incorporated interpersonal relationship classes into the Orphanage. Yes. But like I said Taejong, I won't be-"

Taejong: "Admiral! We marines do NOT take handouts! If you really do love her then you won't be giving her up like you are now!"

Hongxi: "I-"

Taejong took a step forward, shoving his faceplate right into Hongxi's who was almost an entire head taller than him.

Taejong: "I don't want to hear it! I can deal with not procreating above my social status but I can't and will NOT tolerate someone of your stature treating this as if it were some kind of game! I will not let you trample on the pride of the lower classes admiral-, no, Hongxi!"

Hongxi: "…. You understand what this means soldier?"

Taejong could feel his heart take a plunge. Fear, realization of what he had just done and the possible repercussions. The audacity of his behavior. But it was too late to back down now, his pride would not allow it. He did not know what expression his face was making, and he was ever so grateful for the faceplate being reflective. Mentally swallowing, he nodded.

Taejong: "Yes admiral."

Hongxi: "Hm. I like you, very well my rival! Let us compete then for a place in Yayoi's heart! But first."

Taejong heard a beep come from the comm link and almost instantly a searing hot pain flashed through his body. High voltage electricity surged through his flesh and bone, causing him to fall to his knees. The pain was intense, it was as if his blood was on fire and was boiling him alive. At last the pain stopped when he was nothing but an exhausted mess on the ground, his senses begrudgingly coming back to him. He could feel strength returning to his limbs as the suit injected whatever cocktail of drugs designed by Tianxia researchers.

Hongxi: "Stand up marine, something like that wouldn't kill you. Remember your oath to the state, you must kill ten soldiers to repay your debt to your country. But I'll make it easy for you, you must save five lives before you can even think about retiring."

Taejong groaned and pushed himself up. Hongxi's mechanical hand extended out to him and he grabbed it. Pulled to his feet, Taejong stumbled backwards a bit before finally shaking his head clear of the disorientation.

Hongxi: "Don't die on me marine, your punishment isn't over yet."

Taejong: "Y-you don'.. Agghhh… You don't hold back with the punishments do you sir?"

Hongxi: "I have a reputation to maintain Taejong. You're lucky I'm not making you drink nuclear piss. Now come on, reinforcements have arrived. This is our chance to break through, let's go."

Taejong: "Sir yes sir!"

It would not be long until they finally reached Yayoi's holding cell. Until the fateful event that would lead to the galaxy finally seeing the true horrors of a no-holds-barred war with Tianxia. Of the kinds of war fought within the isolated system in the galactic core. A place any historian would remark how much of a miracle it was for the civilization there to still exist. Of the monsters and demons of its past that was sealed away, sworn never to be unleashed ever again on one another.
Hongxi's radio exploded with Sun-Sin's panicked voice.

Sun-Sin: "Captain! Watch out, incoming sh-"

The holding cells exploded. Outside, a ship had warped in. A massive one, red, black, and most of all big. Bigger than even the Yamato. Shells was already being exchanged between the two superships, both armed to the teeth and armored to the bone.

Yamato, First Bridge

Tact: "I-is that the Legion?!"

Sun-Sin: "No, it's too small to be the Legion. It's PACT's Legionnaire program, to think they've already completed the first one… It must have been waiting in a nearby system for this system to go dark. Captain, are you alright? Pl-"

Hongxi: "Send a medical shuttle now!"

Sun-Sin: "Yes sir!"

Of the twelve diplomatic prisoners: nine were instantly killed in the blast, two suffered severe injuries, and one was in critical condition. More than that, they were now submitted to the vacuum of space. A nearby medical shuttle arrived and began beaming down nanomachines, putting the survivors into intensive life support before taking them onboard. The other squads received orders and began falling back too, dozens of tiny landing shuttles lifted off the station and returned to the mothership.

The door to the bridge seemed to slam open as if emphasizing Hongxi's fury and rage. He took up his usual position and stared at the main screen.

Hongxi: "Status report!"

Sun-Sin: "Quantum missile set, marines are safely back aboard. The newcomer, it's a Legionnaire captain. We are currently engaged in combat with it. We have penetration in the Eastern side armor, Eastern Broadsiders 1 through 14, 26 through 30, 48, and 63 have been taken out. Northeastern Slant Armor looks like it'll need a new paint job!"

Hongxi: "If that thing warped in here then reinforcements must not be far behind. Our Ryders back on board?"

Sun-Sin: "Yes sir!"

Hongxi: "Detonate the station. Emergency warp, get us out of here."

Sun-Sin: "Understood, detonating, emergency warp in 3. 2. 1. Warp!"

Space contorted around the Yamato just as a massive explosion engulfed the station from within. The dozens of shells being exchanged from the two massive ships became distorted as they passed through the field until finally nothing but an afterimage of the Yamato was left.

A visible sigh could be heard from the bridge crew upon exiting warp.

Hongxi: "Damage report."

Sun-Sin: "Northeastern Slant Armor is damaged but has not been penetrated. Eastern Side Armor seeing multiple impact sites. A few glancing shots struck the Northeastern Jiushisi but they are still operational. Thirty-six marine pod launchers have been destroyed, of the 14 marine squads lau-"

Coco: "New warp signature directly above us, it's the Legionnaire!"

The Legionnaire warped in above the Yamato, the red glow in its barrel representing the impending doom feared by all Alliance. And the Yamato was drifting straight into its path...

Coco: "Det-"

Hongxi: "Emergency reverse thrusters!"

The Yamato lurched when the reverse thrusters were fired, dramatically slowing down its speed. A red beam of light dispensed from the barrel of the 2 kilometer long Legionnaire, burning a hole straight through the central fore section of the Yamato. The bridge rumbled, throwing everyone off their feet.

Hongxi: "Status report!"

Sun-Sin: "That blast burned a hole straight through the ship, anymore and it would have hit the Macross Drive! The Macross Stabilizing Pylons are destroyed captain, we can't fire the Macross Cannon!"

Hongxi: "Doesn't matter, warp us to these coordinates now! Full power to the Macross Drive, divert water from the reservoir as coolant!"

Hongxi rapidly typed into the holographic command screen in front of him.

Sun-Sin: "Aye captain! Wait, these coordinates, isn't thi-"

Hongxi: "Computer, warp!"

The massive supership once again disappeared, warping off into a region of space. Due to its size and nature of the Macross Drive, the trail it left behind was clear as day to those with the right gravitational sensors. It did not rely on stealth, rather on time for the various folds of space-time to flatten out to cover their tracks. However with an enemy hot on their tail, there was no time to be spared.

The Yamato came out of warp and arrived in a dark region of space. Too dark, as if the light from the stars had vanished. And indeed they have, for in from of them was a stellar black hole.

Hongxi: "Thrusters to full! Plot a course to the right, slingshot us out using the black hole's gravitational field. Load Eastern mine bays and drop gravity mines on my mark!"

Tact: "Yes sir, loading gravity mines!"

Coco: "Sir, warp signature detected. The Legionnaire is right behind us!"

Hongxi: "Persistent sons of bitches aren't they?"

The ship rumbled as it took more direct hits. Hongxi stared at the screen in front of him, his eyes tracking the speed and acceleration of the Yamato. As soon as it reached its maximum velocity…

Sun-Sin: "Sir, they took out the Eastern main engine as well as the Southeastern quadrant of auxiliary thrusters!"

The acceleration gauge finally reached maximum speed.

Hongxi: "Cut main thrusters, full power to Eastern Fore Thruster and Western Aft Thrusters!"

Sun-Sin: "Aye captain!"

The Yamato's engines were shut off and the ship drifted forward while making a full 180 degree turn until the frontal section of the ship was once again facing the Legionnaire. The firefight between the two ships resumed, the two seemingly oblivious to the black hole right next to them. Their ships groaned from the intense gravitational pull this close to the event horizon and many questioned the sanity of their commanders.

Sun-Sin: "Captain, Artillery crews are asking for permission to fire the main guns since they're directly facing the Legionnaire!"

Hongxi: "Deny that, we won't be here long enough for them to load even the first shot. Adjust Western side thrusters accordingly so we follow the original slingshot path!"

Sun-Sin: "Yes sir!"

The Yamato was now facing the Legionnaire where its frontal armor provided nigh invulnerable protection. The various shells fired from the Legionnaire would bounce harmlessly off the extremely low slope, only those few stray shots that impact the flat frontal armor penetrated, further rendering the already destroyed Macross Cannon even more unrecognizable. The Yamato was doing little in return however for it had no forward facing guns capable of penetrating the Legionnaire's thick armor except for the dormant main guns.

Some of the bridge crew sneaked a peak at the right main screen amidst the chaos and gulped. They were so very near now to the edge of the black hole's event horizon. Perhaps just a few more kilometers and the Eastern section of the ship would cross the point of no return. Meanwhile Hongxi's attention was elsewhere, he stared intently at the ship's slingshot course and trajectory. As soon as the ship reached the halfway arc point, he gave his command.

Hongxi: "Launch Eastern gravity mines! Detonate on my mark!"

Tact: "Launching Eastern gravity mines!"

A small port on the Northeastern and Southeastern Slant Armors of the Yamato opened up and out dropped two gravity mines. On screen, two blips representing the gravity mines appeared in front of the Yamato as it made the latter arc around the black hole. The blips stayed in place as the Yamato got farther and farther away while the pursuing Legionnaire got closer and closer…

Hongxi: "Detonate!"

The mines detonated just as the nose of the Legionnaire reached past them, sending out a massive and extreme wave through the already extremely curved space-time. This "wave" was what most referred to as gravitational pull (In Newtonian Physics), and the extreme curvatures of this wave was strong enough to even force ships out of warp. Likewise for a ship traveling at sublight speeds, the effect was tremendous and caused the Legionnaire's path to lurch towards the left and straight through the event horizon…

For the bridge crew on the Yamato, it was as if time had stopped for their advisory. The Legionnaire was frozen in space, unmoving and its image would remain like that until it redshifted out of the visible spectrum. They knew it was simply a side effect of the extreme space-time curvatures and they could only imagine what was happening to the Legionnaire at that very moment. Or perhaps they should say lack of moment, for no events occurred within black holes. No time flowed, all possible directions pointing only inward into an infinitely small singularity. The entity known as the Legionnaire was no more.

The damaged Yamato finished its slingshot maneuver around the black hole and cleared its gravitational field. On the 19th hour of the 2nd day of the 4th month in the Tianxia calendar, the Yamato wasted no time in warping to its next point, home.