Sigma
Inactive Member
Forward Missile Bay, NSS Dauntless, 1800 Hours
The Dauntless, like all Blackjack ships, possessed three forward firing tubes. With all of the casualties, it was necessary to use those tubes on a continuous firing sequence to ensure that all of the coffins were fired towards the system's sun. The crew of the Dauntless had suffered twenty dead. Of those, all but two would be joining the remains of Corporal Ran Rui and a coffin containing something from each member of the Silvers. The two sailors had, in their wills, requested burial as part of their religious beliefs.
With no earthly remains of Corporal Hawkins or his squad members, the empty coffin with a possession was more symbolic than anything else. This was not a funeral service, it was merely a farewell. The fallen would still be in their presence, one way or another, since they would forever be part of this system.
Sailors and Marines crowded into the missile bay, not designed for so many in attendance. Things were a little tight. Grand Admiral Valken stood at the front. It was his duty and responsibility to lead them. It had been on his orders that these lives had been extinguished forever.
Valken had done it many times and he hated each and every one. While he rarely chose to become involved with the affairs of his enlisted personnel, he did make it a habit to learn of each one. Petty Officer Owen Trimble, in charge of one of Dauntless' repair teams, had died when shrapnel from an explosion slashed his jugular. He had wanted to be a farmer when the war ended. Cadet Amy Doran had just gotten married before the Fleet had launched the offensive. The galaxy would never know what might have been from the broken couple.
But with so many dead, a campaign to prosecute and so few time, Dominic Valken could not spare a thought to the dead. The living were his concern. Since most of the ship's crew could not squeeze into one section of the ship, his message would be broadcast across the ship.
"All hands, this is the Admiral speaking. We remember the fallen. We will feel their loss, and the holes in our ranks, in the coming days, months and years. We will always remember them because it is thanks to them that we are alive. They given everything so that we might end the fight. I expect the fullest from you, to give your all if necessary to see that this war ends. But they. They will expect you to fight your hardest, not Nepleslia, not for me, not for some sense of patriotism. They will expect you to fight to live the lives they could not. Remember the honored dead and make sure that it is the NMX bastards in the coffins, not you!"
There was a moment of silence and then the gears of the loading mechanisms started to load coffins into the missile tubes before sealing them to the vacuum. As each one was catapulted out, towards the star, Valken stepped down. It mattered not who was in each coffin. This was only a parting of comrades in arms who had separate paths to take. Nonetheless, Drei read out the names and ranks of each coffin.
Their passing would be mourned at a later date, when the list would inevitably be longer. Most of the crew in the bay stayed so Valken had push his way through the crowd. They would be able to endure this better without him.
The Dauntless, like all Blackjack ships, possessed three forward firing tubes. With all of the casualties, it was necessary to use those tubes on a continuous firing sequence to ensure that all of the coffins were fired towards the system's sun. The crew of the Dauntless had suffered twenty dead. Of those, all but two would be joining the remains of Corporal Ran Rui and a coffin containing something from each member of the Silvers. The two sailors had, in their wills, requested burial as part of their religious beliefs.
With no earthly remains of Corporal Hawkins or his squad members, the empty coffin with a possession was more symbolic than anything else. This was not a funeral service, it was merely a farewell. The fallen would still be in their presence, one way or another, since they would forever be part of this system.
Sailors and Marines crowded into the missile bay, not designed for so many in attendance. Things were a little tight. Grand Admiral Valken stood at the front. It was his duty and responsibility to lead them. It had been on his orders that these lives had been extinguished forever.
Valken had done it many times and he hated each and every one. While he rarely chose to become involved with the affairs of his enlisted personnel, he did make it a habit to learn of each one. Petty Officer Owen Trimble, in charge of one of Dauntless' repair teams, had died when shrapnel from an explosion slashed his jugular. He had wanted to be a farmer when the war ended. Cadet Amy Doran had just gotten married before the Fleet had launched the offensive. The galaxy would never know what might have been from the broken couple.
But with so many dead, a campaign to prosecute and so few time, Dominic Valken could not spare a thought to the dead. The living were his concern. Since most of the ship's crew could not squeeze into one section of the ship, his message would be broadcast across the ship.
"All hands, this is the Admiral speaking. We remember the fallen. We will feel their loss, and the holes in our ranks, in the coming days, months and years. We will always remember them because it is thanks to them that we are alive. They given everything so that we might end the fight. I expect the fullest from you, to give your all if necessary to see that this war ends. But they. They will expect you to fight your hardest, not Nepleslia, not for me, not for some sense of patriotism. They will expect you to fight to live the lives they could not. Remember the honored dead and make sure that it is the NMX bastards in the coffins, not you!"
There was a moment of silence and then the gears of the loading mechanisms started to load coffins into the missile tubes before sealing them to the vacuum. As each one was catapulted out, towards the star, Valken stepped down. It mattered not who was in each coffin. This was only a parting of comrades in arms who had separate paths to take. Nonetheless, Drei read out the names and ranks of each coffin.
Their passing would be mourned at a later date, when the list would inevitably be longer. Most of the crew in the bay stayed so Valken had push his way through the crowd. They would be able to endure this better without him.