Austin Barrett 7/20/2012
"…And now, we commend this honorable soldier, to the embrace of the earth and unto the dawn of heaven."
The words rang out in Sergeant O'Connell's head. His head hung low, sadness filled his heart. The man who had trained him, trained others, and by god, the best damned soldier in the UNSC, was dead.
There were hundreds in attendance of the funeral. They were all standing around the newly dug hole in the earth, which his elite trainees had dug out at the funeral for him. It was one of his requests, to allow anyone to honor him in any way. That was what they chose to do.
They all stared at his coffin. The hundred ODSTs there where all lined up in the back, except for O'Connell and the rest of the sergeants. All others were going to have one of the largest twenty-one gun salutes in history.
Then, the pastor announced the last words they wanted to hear.
"And now we shall lower the coffin."
The first shot rang out. Ninety ODST troopers had there MA5B rifles raised, and then they fired a second. The shots rang out every time the coffin lowered more. The remaining group watched in sorrow as the ornate coffin was lowered, the helljumper banner covering it on its decent. On the 7th shot fired, the coffin made its halt at the bottom.
Person by person, everyone threw in a single rose. His coffin was completely covered by roses, except for the center, for they allowed the insignia of the 105th to show. A flaming skull against a drop pod, all in black and red.
Finally, all that remained with something to give where the sergeants, which all had one piece of gear. One by one, they all jumped in, and laid a piece of armor down, making the appropriate figure of an armor clad ODST. Once all the body armor was in, it was O'Connell's turn.
He was last in line, for he carried the most important parts. Everyone took him in hand, and in unison, lowered him into the grave. Once he was let go, he leaned over, and placed his helmet at the top, and his MA5B assault rifle at its side. He was lifted out of the grave, and a single tear fell. He stood with the sergeants, and they all cringed as the twenty-first shot rang out.
Almost just as the shot rang out, a cloaked carrier overhead let out a gut-wrenching howl, and its excavation beam fired. It rained down on the land, vaporizing everything in its path. It was dead center of the grave site, and the entire place everyone was stood was hit, the dirt was turned to glass.
All that was spared from the Covenant's beam was the ODSTs grave.