Using the newly reactivated warp gateway, fighter pilot Hiroki Shinohara scouts the intended shortcut to the halfway point at planet Balun. Once there he discovers a vast fleet of over 10,000 Garmilas ships. That fleet is actually assembled for an astro-naval review, which General Herm Zoellick called for. He took the chance to announce that Desler has been assassinated and tried to take leadership of Garmilas. Meanwhile, the Yamato is ready to take an alternate route as a result of Hiroki's discovery, but Captain Okita declares that the Yamato must fight its way through the enemy's massive armada if they want to reach the Large Magellanic Cloud in time...