A/N: well here it is, the last chapter before college starts for me, that may either increase or decrease the time it takes for me to update. Also I'd like to thank all of you reviewers out there reading my story, it's great to know that people are actually reading this and the constructive criticism really helps.

The vote: so far we have 3(or was it 4) for the Kira/Lacus pairing as well as one vote for all the regular pairings and one that could either be a Kira/Lacus or Kira/Athrun vote so for now the Kira/Lacus pairing is in the lead.

As for the uniforms I'm going to leave them the same for now as I think he kind of deserves a white uniform and all anyway. Also I made a HUGE HUGE error in the last chapter, I have both Siegel Clyne and Patrick Zala as chairman at the same time, that SHOULD have said councilman Clyne managed to convince the council to give the team to the Yamato team instead. This has been fixed for those who read and noticed it.

Moments of Insanity: I can't believe I missed that, I've watched subbed Gundam seed through like twice and I actually forgot! So thank you for pointing that out! Now I just have to go back and edit all the chapters where his name crops up…groans

Edit: bold problem should now be fixed, i have no clue why it did that as when i wrote the story it wasnt in bold like that, must of been something website side.

Chapter 4: Rakurai reborn

Kira Yamato stood in front of his locker in the changing room deep in thought, he had never thought more about being in ZAFT other than a reason to stay close to one of his only friends left. He had never been that much of a sociable person, living on earth for most of his life as a coordinator amongst naturals even in Orb had left him with few friends because of prejudices against genetic manipulation. Now those days were gone, he had known a day like this would come and had prepared accordingly.

He opened the door to his locker and looked at the white commanders' flight suit before brushing it aside to reveal another flight suit behind it. He pulled it out and held it up inspecting it. It was a pure onyx color with thick neon yellow lines in the shape of a lightning bolt on the top of the arms and sides of the legs as well as continuing up his sides and going down the bottom of his sleeves as well with a pure black helmet and darkly tinted visor on it.

He slowly donned the specially designed suit making sure all the seals were working properly protecting him from the cold chill of space before picking up the helmet and placing it on his head and triggering the visor hiding his face. He headed for the door to the hangar opening it and pushing heading towards his slate grey machine.

Triggering the hatch on the weapon of war he entered it the hatch closing after him as the hangar was vacated and depressurized preparing for his departure. He moved the massive machine to the central catapult causing the hangar to reverberate with its echoing foot steps. The massive gate closed behind him swiftly as the linear catapult deployed replacing the Nazca class's older catapults. He contacted the bridge and a picture appeared on one of the smaller monitors surrounding the main screen showing his communications officer, a red headed girl.

"This is the Rakurai awaiting the go ahead for launch." He said his emotionless facade in place replacing Kira Yamato with the thunderbolt.

"Uh, roger commander, you're good to go, I'd say good luck but knowing you you won't need it." Kira smiled slightly thought it went unseen, his crew was more of one big family, delinquents and arrogant brats included from the pilots. The smile faded, now was not the time for such thoughts, he had a job to do.

"Roger, this is the Rakurai, launching in Kumori-Sutoraiku!" He called out before the linear catapult accelerated him into space as he made his way towards the colony which loomed ominously in the distance silhouetted against the sun.

Pressing down on the foot pedal for the thrusters he left behind the sound of echoing thunder as he accelerated towards one of the walls of the colony. Just as he prepared to make a hole in the colony wall Nicol launched from the Vigilance as well.

"Nicol, you enter from the main shaft after I distract them when I enter." Kira ordered before bringing the rail guns to bear.

"Roger that." Nicol acknowledged before changing course and heading off towards the main shaft.

Kira turned his attention back to the colony wall as he targeted a spot on it before pressing down on one of the triggers on the left control bar sending a salvo of three shits from each railgun for a total of six as they blasted into the resilient colony wall before breaking through creating a small explosion and drawing the attention of the enemy ship.

As he approached the ship it came to life as the CIWS system activated and started spewing concentrated fire at him. He opened up with his rifle firing as he dodged or deflected the incoming fire with his shield. Not long after the Gottfrieds' came to life sending emerald fire chasing after him.

Dodging the first salvo of the dangerous dual 225 cm high-energy beam cannons he noticed Nicol come in through the main shaft drawing the fire of the Valiants as they deployed themselves. Kira let loose with all the beam emitters on his sub flight lifter and cursed as they were absorbed by the ceramic armor of the ship.

Athrun and Yzac arrived by way of the hole he had made in the wall just in time to witness the launch of the orange Earth forces mobile suit his machine identified as the Sturm Jaeger(A/N: Sturm Jaeger stands for storm hunter in German).

"Athrun, Nicol, Yzak keep after the ship, I'll engage the mobile suit.

A duo of rogers and an hmph from Yzak greeted his order as he swept down to engage the enemy suit as it approached his position. He let loose with his rifle again as well as the railguns. His shots were evaded effortlessly by the enemy suit before it replied with both its beam carbines which dissipated harmlessly off Kiras' shield. The starboard catapult on the Archangel opened up yet again.

"Careful guys they're sending out another unit."

"Yeah, I see it." Athrun answered.

"They'll need more than another unit to keep us from destroying them." Yzak said by way of reply.

"Roger." Was Nicols' one word reply.

As he turned so that he kept the other suit in front of him he noticed that the empty shoulders now bore a large green piece of artillery his suit identified as a "Agni" 320mm hyper impulse cannon as well as a shoulder mounted pack consisting of a Vulcan and two gun launchers.

"Heavy artillery in a colony! What are they thinking!"

"Guess the naturals don't care that much about their colony." Was the reply from Yzak while the others stayed quiet.

A beeping from one of his screens alerted him to a report from the ship stating that one of the catapults had jammed and Dearkas' launch would be delayed. As he was reading the two suits approached him before the Strike veered off chasing after Athrun who was dancing around the ships Gottfrieds which had taken a liking to him.

Pressing down harder on the thruster pedal he created the sound of rolling thunder only amplified to a greater volume causing a pause on the battlefield as everybody was deafened by it. The strike was the first to recover and restarted the battle by firing the Agni missing the Aegis by a hair and creating a giant hole in the side of the colony.

Turning his attention back to his own predicament Kira continued to dodge the shots from the orange suit while returning fire with his own beam rifle. He triggered the flight pack mounted emitters causing the suit to bring up its small oval shaped shield before transforming into a sleek avian looking fighter with the beam carbines mounted under the wings while the shield protected most of the back and it took off increasing its speed while barraging Kira with fire forcing him to hide behind his shield and snapping off the occasional shot.

As Kira continued to fight the suit he noticed something about the pilots movements, a smoothness and flexibility he had seen on only one man. A man he knew all too well, it was possible that there were other people that moved just like him but he didn't think there were any that could transfer that fluidity of movement over to a mobile suit. He had seen him once before on a simple simulator using his OS he had spent hours developing as he had become disgusted with the unrealistic game play of his favorite games.

It could be only one man, one man he did not want it to be. He cursed, repeatedly. Why did it have to be him, why couldn't he have just stayed safely in Orb. Why… Why did you have to join the special forces father! Now I have to fight you, something I don't want to do, it's already hard enough knowing my friends are on the Earth forces ship but now you as well? I must protect the PLANTs, but if you are in the way I'm not sure I can make myself destroy you. Putting his radio on a general broadcast channel he tried to contact the enemy suit

"This is the Rakurai to Earth forces mobile suit Sturm Jaeger, what's a Orb national doing fighting with the earth forces, finally get tired of sitting around doing nothing? If you leave now I won't be forced to kill you."

Archangel Bridge

The message stunned the crew who were paralyzed. Murrue stared at the forward view screen which was focused on the onyx enemy suit with its lines of lightning. Forgotten memories stirred in the new members of the crew that manned the CIC. Tolle, Miriallia, Sai and Kuzzey froze. They knew that voice, true it had matured some and was slightly deeper but they still knew it. There were nuances in it only one boy had ever spoken with.

Out in the Sturm Jaeger Centurion froze as well, how had the enemy pilot known who he was? There was no way someone could have known who he was. He doubted highly there was a leak so it meant it had to be someone who knew him personally.

"Well Ken, what is going to be your explanation for fighting in a Earth Forces mobile suit hmm? What happened to loyalty to Orb?" Ken was paralyzed again as he heard his true name this time.

"Why did you do it Ken? You had a great life. Why did you have to join the Special Forces? Why couldn't you have just stayed safely in your home back in Orb!" A voice interrupted the ZAFT pilots' questioning of the Sturm Jaegers' Pilot.

"How would you know anyway! Last time I checked he didn't know anybody in ZAFT!" The arrogant voice of a girl called out and Ken winced knowing what was to come, when they had still all lived in Orb the two had often played together when their fathers had business, they had never gotten along that well though but he was sure Kira could identify that voice.

"So that's why you're here, going after the rebellious runaway princess are you? She still can't accept the facts of life and stop living in her fairy tale world? Still spoiled by everybody you see just because you're royalty hmm? I suggest you shut up you spoiled good for nothing blonde bimbo of a princess before you forget you're out here to fight not gossip!" A gasp could be heard from the Strike as the suits pilot realized who it was talking to. Kens' rage surfaced as he replied to the ZAFT pilot.

"Let me ask the same question, why did you go and join ZAFT? Why didn't you just stay on Heliopolis like you were supposed to? Tell me, Kira, what possessed you to go and join them!"

Back on the bridge the young teens in the CIC had frozen Staring fixedly at the battle that was going on between father and son on the main view screen. Their musings were interrupted by a howl of rage from the pilot of the Strike as she leveled her Agni at the offending suit before opening up forcing the Kumori-Sutoraiku to break off its battle with the Sturm Jaeger to dodge allowing it to hit the main shaft of the colony breaking it in half while various stray missiles from the archangel that were evaded also detonated around the colony. As the colony started to collapse around them the ZAFT forces all turned and retreated at the same time but not before one last barbed insult was transmitted from the Rakurai.

"Have fun explaining to your father why he lost his only colony, Princess." He said before the ZAFT suits were all sucked out of one of the quickly forming crevices in the wall of the colony as the Earth forces suits struggled not to lose control of their own suits and follow them out into the debris field forming from the colony.

Pilots on both sides were too stunned even if they put up the front of being perfectly fine to fight again any time soon. As they turned and headed for their respective ships they contemplated how this changed their mission and what was to come next in this unending chain of bad luck.

A/N: and there you have it, not my longest chapter but there's a bit of development so hopefully that makes up for the lack of length, just to let you all know Kisaka will still be in the story although I don't think Flay will because the only purpose she served in the original Gundam seed was to confuse Kira and deliver the N-Jammer Canceller Data to Azrael which I can find someone else for I think so Flay will most likely not be in the story, she might if I get enough protests that you DO want her in otherwise she won't be as she has no reason to be.