To Honour the Fallen

Posted on 20 Sep 2026 @ 5:28pm by Captain Alexandria Somers

476 words; about a 2 minute read

Mission: General Sim Postings
Location: Arlington Cemetery - Earth
Timeline: A Few Decades before current events

[ON]

Stardate: 237211.25

It had been some days since the assault team had returned home, and a modest funeral procession was taking place. The Graves family still didn't understand how their daughter had been granted a resting place in an old Cemetery like Arlington. But like others there, they waited at the grave as the funeral procession advanced; some ceremonial tune was playing, and the Fleet Officers were dressed in standard dress uniform, while the Marines were in dress uniforms reminiscent of the old US Marine dress blue uniforms, only theirs were green, but that was all that was different about them. Alex was one of the pallbearers; she wore the female version of the Marine caps, skirt, and parade shoes, a truly traditional uniform.

Those assembled looked like a sea of white hats carrying a coffin draped with the Federation flag and her ceremonial sword; it was blunt but was only for ceremonies, as the pallbearers stopped alongside the apparatus that would lower the coffin into the hole.

The Commander in Chief of Starfleet took the lead; he quoted some lines, then a rare vision appeared: it was a Marine Padre, a holy man, so to speak; he was versed in old religion and did the necessaries. Then, as the Last Post was played, the Federation Flag was folded into a triangle, and a Marine Officer approached the Graves family and handed the mother the folded flag and stood back and saluted, turned around smartly and walked away.

Now it was Alex’s turn. She picked up the dress hat and ceremonial sword off the coffin before the flag was removed. Then, when the mother accepted the flag, Alex handed the sword and hat to the father and did the same as the officer.

Alex took the Hat and sword and stood before Wayne and Mary Graves “You daughter Corporal Annabelle Graves, served with distinction and proved herself a hero in the recent mission, it is my honour to hand her hat and sword to you in memory of the life she gave for all our freedoms” Somers said as Wayne nodded and took the items, Alex stepped back saluted smartly tears welling up in her eyes, lowered her arm did a full turn and marched off back to the assembled where she picked up her TR-116 rifle she was the 12th man in the twelve gun salute.

By this time the last note of the Last Post was done, and the coffin was lowered into the ground; as it descended, four marines fired three shots apiece from their TR-116 rifles; Annabelle Graves got a twelve-shot salute. The wake was a sombre affair where Wayne Graves cornered Alex to find out why the old-style funeral, as it was unheard of for a Non-commissioned officer to have one like it.

[OFF]

Corporal Alexandria Somers
SFMC
Earth Sector

 

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