Farewell to the Fallen...
08 Apr 2021Aeryn Airstryder
The air on the hangar deck was sorrowful, and sombre.Most of the surviving 62 crewmen and women of the Yamato - II and all off duty and non-essential personnel of the Carrier, and ships it was carrying, stood at ease, full formal dress over their remlock suits.
Before them on the vacant docking pad lay 58 boxes, each the size of a man, covered over with a midnight blue flag adorned with the BWSF shield above the Yamato-II's registration number and name, and the rank and name of each person within, they stood illuminated by the running lights of the Yamato II on the pad behind..
The hangar had been divided into thee sections, the parade formation, the coffins and the docking pan;
At the mid section stood a small podium with a microphone between the formation and the coffins.
Ao, his cap pulled low to hide his watery, bloodshot eyes in shadow, stepped up to the podium.
At the front right of the formation, the officer there snapped to attention and announced:
"SQUADRON! ATTENTION!"
"At ease", Ao ordered, speaking quietly into the microphone
"We are gathered here today, to say a final farewell to the brave men and women of this crew, who gave their lives to protect this ship and her crew, during the 'Huntsmen Mutiny', I had the honour of being their commanding officer for many years. It takes a great deal of courage, to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more, to stand up to people who just hours before, were your brothers and sisters in arms.
And they did so valiantly!" Ao's voice began to crack towards the end, he took a deep breath to compose himself....and had to place his hand over his mouth to keep from sobbing, as the little boy he had seen on that stormy night, when he and Rose had visited the familiy of the comm's officer who raised the alarm called out loudly;
"Daddy! It's not funny now...DADDY! DADDY! DADDY WAKE UP! Mummy...Why won't Daddy wake up? It's playtime?!" His unanswered questions trailing off into tears
Ao continued;
"These brave men and women, were truly the embodiment of everything the Black Wolves stand for, to stand up to those that would do others harm, and to defend our friends and family.
They shone more brilliantly than the brightest star! We will now return their bodies, to the stars from whence all life comes, but before they go, I make this vow! I cannot promise them, they will be the last, nor are they the first...but I vow to each and every one of you, we WILL take the fight to the Empire Pact, and we WILL find the person responsible for their deaths, and THEY WILL BE AVENGED!."
Once more the officer spoke up:
"SQUADRON, SALUTE"
Ao, leaning heavily on his walking stick, and the crew of the Yamato all as one, stood to attention, facing the coffins, arms raised in salute.
"DETAIL, TAKE POSITION!"
men and women dropped their salute, and stepped forward, magnetic boots clicking on the deckplates, six to a coffin they lifted the boxes with care and respect to their shoulders.
7 more men and women stepped up, in slow, long strides, single shot bolt action rifles loaded with blanks held vertically before them, three to a side of the pan, and one at the head of the arrangement of coffins beyond the docking pan.
Behind the formation, a the opening bars of 'Amazing Grace' began to play from bagpipes and drums.
At the start of the music, the coffin bearers moved forward, one step at a time, some sobbed, other's mouths and eyes twitched as they forced back tears.
The Coffins were laid gently upon the docking pan, and overhead the carrier's landing shutter retracted, the blue haze of air shield just visible against the stars, once the coffins were settled, they ceremoniously folded the flags on their respective coffin and the highest ranking member of each group then presented the flag to the fallen's family in attendance, the bearers then returned to the main formation, and joined the salute.
"DETAIL! TAKE AIM!"
The seven shouldered the rifles, aiming up at a 45 degree angle over the coffins.
"READY!"
Each of the seven cycled the bolt of their rifle, cambering a cartridge, the sound of the bolt mechanism the only sound aside from the gentle hiss of the hydraulic lifters below the docking pan, that had been specially adjusted for the funeral, as they began to slowly raise the pan towards the stars.
"FIRE!"
Seven shots in unison
"FIRE!"
Seven shots more
"FIRE!"
And a third and final volley of 7 shots, the sound dying down just the pan hissed into place, and the faint clunk of the magnets holding the coffins to the pan died away
"CLEAR WEAPONS!"
The riflemen cleared the chambers of their weapons.
"PRESENT ARMS!"
The riflemen once more held their rifles before them.
Softly, Ao spoke;
"This concludes the service, I thank you all for attending, dismissed"....