Cost

March 10, 2008

I was frozen from shock, my arm saluting. Row upon row of soldiers, in blue and white receptive uniform and beret stood saluting at attention. One word, how could one word hold so much happiness in it, yet cut my heart to the core? I looked forward, straight forward to avoid looking at what I dreaded most, John’s coffin. Snare drums played in the background as the soldiers stood at attention. I thought back, when we were in boot camp together, when the Thrax soldier came from behind me and he shot it, he saved my life. We had been so innocent then, just like all raw recruits.

We hadn't seen what the Bane did to people, that was, until Crater Lake. It had changed them, made them closer. Across the battlefields we had marched, doing what they could. We were met with victory after victory, one area at a time, we had taken back Areki. The final battlefield was a secret location in the Valderve Marshes, a Bane corrupting unit, spewing destruction across the landscape, our squad was pinned down, the Crusties were closing in, the core needed to be destroyed, but we couldn't fight our way down there. There was a long shaft that led directly to the core, John strapped the bombs to himself, and jumped. He had…

The snare drums brought me out of my reverie General British himself, had walked up to the casket. John Cordenon, gave his life in the service of humanity, he sacrificed himself so that others could live. For unselfish service to his fellow men, John Cordenon has been awarded with the Valorous Tabula. General British took out a medal like the one emblazoned on my beret, a circle with three blades inside it flanked by wings. He put it on the casket gently.

Now it was my turn, I walked up to the casket. I began “A wise man, who had been courageous in war once, said “I am not the true hero. The true heroes are the ones who never come back from the battlefield.” John is a true hero. General British stepped back up with me to the coffin. Both Rhianna Knightess and John Cordenon have exhibited courage and devotion beyond the call of duty which is why I am pleased to award them both, the AFS Medal of Honor. He pinned it to my shirt, and laid another one on John’s coffin. The snare drums started up again as I reminisced of the last secret hours I had shared with John. They beat out their final overture as the sun set for the first time, on a new world.

— Rhianna Knightess
Based off the song, Hymn to the Fallen