There’s some corner of a foreign field

Posted on Wed Mar 2nd, 2022 @ 5:16pm by Captain Stenn & Captain Bethsabée Leroux & Lieutenant Samantha Leyton & Commander William Gerhard & Lieutenant Avira zh'Kenarh M.D. & Ensign Michael Sloan

Mission: Mission 5 - Babel
Location: Atlantis & Babel Planet
Timeline: 278 & 279
2340 words - 4.7 OF Standard Post Measure

As the former MACO Executive Officer and now Officer Commanding Stenn had the duty of collecting King's personal effects and clearing his cabin. He found the man's Will in his drawer. King had an ex-wife, three children, parents, a brother and sister. There were sealed letters for each of those which would be retained. He gathered personnel effects that would be held until such time as they could be returned to King's family and secured them in the Major's foot-locker, along with his badges of rank and cap. The remaining items, uniform, clothing and so forth would be shared amongst the MACO and crew.

Reviewing King's will he found a request that the man be cremated, then some of his ashes to be scattered upon whichever field I have fallen and the remainder to be returned to his family cemetery in London to lie with his ancestors.

Stenn went to see the Captain, in her quarters and brought the matter to LeRoux's attention. He found Leyton was there too.

Beth had just been going through the event on the planet with Samantha properly after a night on the surface when the door had chimed. "Rain check a moment. Come in." She called and the door was opened from the outside to reveal Stenn. "Captain... Come in." Beth said indicating the chair she was sat on as she moved to her bed to sit so there would be enough space.

Samantha nodded at the recovering MACO XO, now CO. "Greetings, Captain."

"Lieutenant Leyton" Stenn nodded and showed the pair King's Will. "It was the Major's wish to be cremated and to have some of his remains placed at the place where he fell"

Beth looked at the man and nodded remembering she had known as much from a random conversation. "I know." She murmured thinking of the drunken words the Marine had told her. It only seemed like yesterday they had tested out the moonshine.

"I take it you want to do the cremation on the surface?" Leyton asked. There wasn't any feasible place for cremation aboard the ship.

“That would appear to be the only suitable place" Stenn nodded

Beth pursed her lips together thoughtfully as she tried to think on an objection or something, but it was impossible to deny a man’s will even if he did not mean for it to be carried out this far from home and never get remains back to earth for 150 years. “It will be the only suitable place.” Beth said thoughtfully as she thought on a few things.

Stenn nodded, allowing the Humans time to work through their emotional responses to the end of life.

“Maybe it is time to put some others at peace?” Beth said finally aloud as the silence for deafening from what point of view. There were several bodies in the morgue that could do with the same final resting place. It did not do to keep them on the ship for how long they had but there had been no planets nor way to honour them until now.

Samantha nodded slowly in agreement. "I agree. I think the planet would be perfect."

It would mark a huge change on the ship as they had been clinging to the fact they might get home to hand over the bodies to family but it was looking less and less likely. "Let us do it then," Beth said firmly.

"With your permission Captain, MACO can take care of the arrangements" Stenn offered

Beth nodded. She did not have the headspace to deal with it all if she was honest. It would do her no good to think on it. "Please. It is all yours." She said simply giving him what he requested. "Just keep me in the loop Captain." She instructed.

"Understood" Stenn nodded to the pair "Goodnight Captain, Lieutenant" and stepped out.

Returning to the Barracks and confirming the Captain's decision that King and the others would be cremated on the planet Stenn asked of volunteers for a burial party. Every single member of the detachment stepped forward as did a number of the crew. He had Staff Sergeant Magnusson draw up a roster so that all could be involved. It started with a group to prepare funeral pyres. He led this party down himself.

They had located an open area of land, not too far from the Tower, a wide grassy area, dotted with clumps of wildflowers, a stream ran through it down to a small lake with woods nearby. The MACO's and crew set to, cutting timber and logs. They all opted not to use the chain saw but instead went to work with axes and hand saws, the physical labor a part of the grieving process for many.

Samantha had decided to pitch in and help the MACO Troops with the tools made in the Atlantis' fabrication shop. It somehow felt good to do something constructive and physical. A far cry different than sitting behind the helm station or command chair majority of her days.

The doctor had helped the MACOs in their combat first aid training, working closely with King to get them up to speed on these things, the Captain had insisted that she stopped accompanying the MACOs on expeditions because her skill set was too valuable to lose. Avira didn't like it one bit, but she had to follow orders. She had immediately volunteered to help with the arrangements for King's ceremony and was currently in the process of dragging dead and dry wood to the selected spot.

They set out four pyres, carrying the heavy logs from the wood and stacking them carefully in alternate layers, until the piles were some four feet high, smaller branches and foliage were laid on the top.

Megan was fascinated by the funeral rites, not having ever seen a funeral when she lived in Scotland. Her mother had shielded her from things like death and mourning, not realizing that on Megan's many walks in the woods, she'd seen death all around her. Wolves and rabbits, owls and mice, always predator and prey circling around each other, trying to survive. But she'd seen life there too, and would try to focus on always looking for the positive.

Looking at the funeral pyres, Michael walked among them taking stock of the logs and kindling. He added a few pieces to one of the pyres to help ensure that the fires would reach the proper temperature to fully incinerate the bodies. It was something his Romulan penchant for cold calculations could do to occupy his Human side.

In the late afternoon, an hour before sunset, King's body, and that of Ash Davis, Leah Morgan, and Min Seong were brought down from the ship. King was in his dress uniform. A team of MACO's carried the body to one of the pyres and laid it gently on the foliage and branches.

The MACO's then formed an honor guard to one side, standing quietly, each in silent reflection.

The bodies were placed silently of the former flight chief, Captain and chief medical officer with no formalities or pageant, this was about wiping the slate clean to allow everyone to move on and to finally mourn if they had not like Beth had not properly. That would come later to the Captain when she was alone.

Looking at the bodies laid out before then my, Michael began to understand the reason why Fabius had banned funerals in Ancient Rome during Hannibal’s invasion. Leah had been his Captain and had been the first person to believe in him. This was all just a reminder of everything that had been lost. All of it just made him want to be quiet and remember the loss.

It was weird seeing the body of her former boss on top of one of the pyres. Avira tried to remember how long it had been since she had been on her own. She was just supposed to be the surgical specialist, she was supposed to do all the day to day medical stuff. Seeing her lay there somehow made it all suddenly very real. She had nobody to fall back on. The crew depended on her to keep them healthy.

Beth stepped away from where she had been stood by herself trying to find some words or something to do but she had nothing. There was nothing more to give in her mind, body or spirit at that moment other than to light the torch that she had and to set each of the pyres alike. The flames hit her every time but it did nothing to warm her. She felt colder than she had ever felt since the moment she had buried her husband. She stood there for a long moment before she stepped back into the group fitting in beside Samantha and Michael. Beth was not sure how she felt about all of this. She had been considering more and more the impact of having the bodies on board. It had not been a discussion that anyone had wanted to venture down until now but it was the time to let go of the people they had lost. "Are you okay?" Beth asked Samantha under her breath.

Samantha kept her gaze on the pyre for a moment, the heat from the fire was warming, even at their distance. "Yeah," she breathed. "But if we keep this up, there won't be anyone left to get home."

As the flames caught hold Stenn nodded to Magnusson. The Sergeant called forward five Troopers, they came to attention, raised their weapons and fired a three volley salute. Pausing between each round until the echo had faded.

During his MACO training Stenn had learned that it was a Human military custom going back many hundreds of years to their more barbaric past. During battles there had been an agreed cease fire to enable the removal of their dead and wounded from the field. The firing of three shots had then been a signal that the fighting could recommence.
Now it was a salute and signal of respect to fallen comrades.

As the last echo faded Corporal Singh stepped to one side, came to attention, brought a small electronic instrument to her lips and played a series of notes, the long haunting sounds called Taps

Like the shots the sounds echoed back from the surrounding trees and landscape until softly carried off on the gentle breeze that lifted the smoke from the priers high into the evening sky.

To someone like Avira the whole thing seemed so foreign. Andorians would always take something back to the ice caves if a soldier fell on foreign soil. Her first aid pack had room for half a dozen vials that could easily extract blood from a recently fallen comrade. It had been something she had gotten so used to doing during her time in the Imperial Guard it was almost second nature. It almost didn't feel right to have the bodies completely burnt to ash and left on an alien planet. She did appreciate the sense of closure and the giving back to the environment though.

Beth jumped as every shot sounded and she gripped her hands hards trying to not react, trying to be the strong one but the bodies burning were a stark reminder that Leah Morgan was fully gone and this was her ship now. The shots took her back to the military funeral she had attended on earth and even then she had reacted to the shots, it was ingrained in her to duck when shots went off.

Having come from a military family, Samantha was used to the gunshots, however it still didn't lessen the weight of the moment as she watched the fire consume the bodies stacked on the pyre. She knew they were going to have to be a lot smarter and possibly bend the rules in order to get home.

Once the proceedings had concluded a group of volunteer MACO and crew remained to monitor the pyrers overnight, adding more wood if needed, to ensure the cremations were complete, waiting until morning to gather the ashes.

Stenn found a small patch of ground and sat crosslegged in the gathering night, watching the flickering flames. Death was the logical conclusion of life, not to be feared or despised. It was inevitable and therefore something to be faced with calm and logic, but as he sat quietly he wondered how many more times they would have to face this moment before they reached their home systems.

In the cold early dawn, the pyres were reduced to four piles of gray ash,. Carefully and reverently the ashes were gathered and placed within four small metal chests, each marked with the name of its contents. The chests were sealed and placed aboard the shuttle for return to the ship.

A portion of King's pyre had been set aside, each of the MACO team took a small handful of the ash and walked off, alone or in small groups to find a suitable place to scatter their former commander's remains per his last wishes.

Stenn took his down to the stream where it entered the lake, letting the ash trail though his fingers into the water, it was caught and carried off by the current. He dipped his hand in to the cold water, letting it take the last of the ash.

He spoke a few lines from a Vulcan Funeral dirge. What part of King remained would join with this planet, through the water, his moleculesbecoming a part of its future life.

He returned to the landing point, the other MACO's coming back as they completed their own farewells to the departed. Once all were ready, they began the return to the ship.

As the last shuttle lifted off it swung over the pyre site, four gray marks on the open grassland, on a planet far from the homes of those who had passed on.