• It was blazing outside, as summer days tended to be in the middle of July. The guests, clad entirely in black, felt the sting of the sun in more than one way. Not only was it extremely uncomfortable to be dressed in all black - it was almost as though the sunlight was laughing at the pain and the misery that all assembled were suffering.

    "Let us remember the heroic deeds with which our fallen hero touched so many lives." the priest began the final prayer as the coffin was carried to the grave.

    Jenna Hawk stood shaking, eyes full of tears unshed, as she clutched her 5 year old daughter's hand.

    Little Raina Marie Hawk did not understand what was happening. She knew that something was wrong with her mother, and she knew that her daddy was nowhere to be found.

    "Let us pray that his soul finds safe passage, and that his sacrifice will not be in vain."

    The coffin finally reached the freshly turned earth, and the lowering began.

    The assembled soldiers saluted, stone-faced and trying to hide their sadness. Today, they buried one of their own, the one man who believed in humanity no matter the horrors he saw within it.

    Jonas "Johnny" Hawk had been a god among men. He was kind, funny, ever the non-chalant partyman who just happened to be a Major and a Squad Leader, the best fighter pilot the corps had ever known. His nickname was BlackWing 9, after his near-legendary plane model and his squad number. After his marriage and the birth of his child, everyone expected him to retire early - after all, he had more than served his time in two wars and one rebellion. But the Ansgrove Rebellion had ignited just after his daughter's birth, and Johnny was not one to sit around when people were dying.

    So he remained in his post until one mission changed everything. With his plane dying on him, and no hope of survival, he flew directly into the Rebel base, ending the fight and losing his life in the process. The men of his squadron saw to it that his mangled and burned body was recovered so that he could at least be laid to rest. He was a hero of yet another rebellion, and was truly one of their finest.

    "In nomine patris et filii et spiritus sancti. Amen."

    Raina tugged on the sleeve of her mother's dress. "Where's papa, mommy?" She asked, worried by all the sad faces around her. Her daddy always made her feel better.

    Jenna tried not to cry at her daughter's innocent query. "Papa is in a better place now, baby. He's in heaven, looking down on us."

    "But mommy, when is papa coming home? I miss him." Raina did not yet understand what death was.

    "He isn't coming home, sweetie." Jenna could no longer contain herself; her voice cracked with emotion as she saw her child trying to figure out what exactly that meant.

    "Is daddy in that box, mommy?" Raina's voice was now very quiet.

    "Yes darling." Jenna tried to keep her composure, but was losing it fast.

    Raina began to cry, bright blue eyes glittering behind tears as she rushed forward to her father's almost buried coffin. "No! Take papa out of the box you guys! He doesn't like the dark and I want him back! I want my daddy!" She flung herself to the ground, sending her bright blonde pigtails into the dirt as she began to claw at the earth in an effort to bring back her father.

    It was here that Jenna broke down, sobbing fully and unable to stand. A few of her late husband's squadmates helped her, holding her up from the ground and comforting her.

    Only one man, in his mid 40s, stepped forward, and stooped down to grab the grieving child.

    "Raina; your daddy was a hero, honey. He did the right thing, and he wouldn't want you to be sad." Brigadier General Maxwell Hayes looked the little girl in the eyes, holding back tears of his own.

    Raina recognized the man as a friend of her father's, and stopped crying for a moment. "Mr. Hayes, sir... Are you sure my daddy wants me to stop being sad?"

    "Yes honey. I know he's looking down from heaven, just waiting to see your big old smile. He misses you too, but if you smile, he'll feel better." Max picked the little girl up and carried her back to her mother.

    Raina finished wiping away her tears and brushed the dirt off her dress as she looked to the sky.

    "Is daddy still flying his planes in the sky?" she asked in a whisper.

    Max nodded. "Probably. He loved to fly."

    The child looked as though she were deciding something as Max set her down by her mother. Finally, she smiled and nodded her head. "Mr. Hayes. I want to fly like my daddy one day. Can I be a pilot too?"

    At this, Max smiled broadly. There had never been a female pilot, but he believed any child of Johnny Hawk could damn well be one. "Sure honey. I'll look after you and make sure it happens."

    Raina hugged Max's leg, and began to comfort her mother.
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