"The Few, The Brave"

By Kpmh2001

Menagerie

Kuo Kuana, Cemetery of Heroes

In Richard's opinion, there was never a good day for a burial. A death meant a life was permanently snuffed out, with only their soul left, forced to find the answer to the age old question, "what happens next?". He had never given religion or the afterlife any serious thought, although ONI had ensured he would likely see damnation in the eyes of any reasonable deity, but he would pay for that when he was dead, not before.

Still, despite the circumstances, the sun shined brightly, and the only clouds that dotted the sky did so in gentle wispy patterns. The Cemetery of Heroes was also a very nice place, well maintained by a team of groundskeepers, a clear sign of respect given to the names of those Huntsman and Huntresses that marked the urns and tombstones. Richard noticed that the Menagerie Guardsmen also were buried here, and that their names were far more numerous than those of the well-trained Huntsmen.

Not a bad place to spend eternity. Richard thought, taking one last read of his brief speech, before returning it to the pocket of his dress uniform. Well, let's get this over with, while I've still got some nerve.

There was a small podium that allowed Richard a place to stand and address the people listening. It was a small crowd, only around fifty people, with only two camera crews, at his own request. A burial was meant to be a quiet, solemn affair, and he intended to show his respect to those that they honored today. Behind him were a series of five coffins, along with an urn, each one holding one of the six fallen UNSC servicemen who hadn't requested their bodies to be returned home.

Richard tapped the microphone to confirm it was working before speaking. "Before we begin, I would like to thank Chieftain Belladonna for allowing us to lay our fallen soldiers to be laid to rest here. Although I do hope that one day we may return them to their relatives back home, they shall remain here, until that day comes."

The cameras were rolling, and the crowd, mainly UNSC personnel who had wished to attend the service, remained silent. Richard cleared his throat, before continuing.

"During my time in the UNSC, I have seen valor and courage displayed regularly by those brave men and women who sought to keep humanity safe from the horrors that seek to destroy us." he said, succeeding in keeping his voice sufficiently stoic, as he remembered that this was not the first funeral he had spoken at. "But the men and women resting behind me were unique, not just in their courage, but in their actions."

He paused to allow himself a deep breath, he was about to say something that would be very difficult for him to admit.

"We were not prepared for a conflict, not in the slightest. Nor were we prepared for the brutal and unnatural enemies that awaited us when we first set foot upon Remnant. There is nobody who I can blame for these failures, except myself." He said, choking on his final words despite the effort he put into them. "I only hope that wherever their souls are now, these Heroes know that their efforts were not in vain, and that they helped save many lives from the hellish conditions they were stuck in."

After all, that's our duty, isn't it? We die so that others can live, it's as simple as that. Richard thought, a hint of doubt momentarily clouding his mind. But he knew that despite the intricacies and finer details, he and his men had done the right thing.

"Our enemy fought with a bitter hatred and ferocity that we did not expect, with techniques and methods that we found difficult to adapt to." Richard admitted, he hoped the softly-concealed venom in his voice overpowered any kind of praise that could be drawn from his words.

The camera crews looked somewhat startled by the cold hatred that he let slip in his voice, but those men and women in uniform did not bat an eye. He knew that despite how they might have felt at the start of this war, the SDC had now earned their place of hatred in the heart of any self-respecting UNSC servicemen. Although they would never rival the justified and righteous fury they held against the Covenant, the SDC had certainly had an impact on his crew.

He cleared his throat as he returned to a more calm tone of voice. "But nonetheless, we stood against the challenges posed against us. We fought to save people who we barely knew, against an enemy that we understood even less."

There was doubt in the eyes of his men, and Richard felt it too. It was an odd sort of reflection, wondering if things really had to be this way, if those lives lost could have been saved. If there was a way that they could have freed all of those people without firing a shot. It was this doubt that he intended to address and eliminate, regardless of whatever the answer may have been.

What's done is done, we have to live with it now. Richard thought.

"There is no complex governmental authority that we can claim to have enforced, nor a judicial one. We believed that our enemy was wrong, what they were doing was wrong, and that our duties extended to protect those whom they sought to abuse and butcher." Richard said. "And even when we encountered dangerous opposition, we held to our beliefs, and we beat the enemy back."

The camera crews seemed a little more reassured now, as did his servicemen. The visors of two Spartans in the crowd didn't shift, not displaying a hint of emotion throughout the whole affair.

"Our duty, as soldiers, is to protect humanity... whatever the cost." Richard said, his voice straining again, although the microphone seemed to thankfully nullify it somewhat. "But that does not mean that we cannot mourn, and that we will ever forget the valiant deeds of those who made the ultimate sacrifice."

He bowed his head slightly, a brief moment of silence, which was echoed by the crowd.

"And like their forefathers before them, we lay the fallen to rest within the soil of a human world." Richard said, making some minor alterations to the exact wording of the traditional phrase, as to address Remnant's unique circumstances. "...Lieutenant, you may proceed."

"Present, arms!" Jorge instructed, his voice booming over the silence of the graveyard.

Seven designated marksman rifles raised their muzzles skywards, aimed over the flag-draped urn and coffins, before Jorge gave the gesture to fire. Three volleys of gunfire sounded out, as Richard took another deep breath, helping him keep his emotions under control.

With the volleys complete, the ceremony officially ended, and the first UNSC casualties on Remnant were finally laid to rest. Although he hated to admit it, Richard was well aware that there would be many more.

But we don't give up. No matter the odds, no matter our losses, we will fight until the last dying breath of the last human on this wretched ball of rock. Richard thought. No matter what stands in our way, we will not waver.