The Funeral

A/N: I listened to "Vigil" by Jack Wall while writing this piece. Give it a listen if you guys want to fully immerse in this one! ^.^

On Xandar, at the Nova Corps Headquarters…

After dressing up in their formal attire, the team disembarked off the Benatar and followed Rocket and Groot through the majestic headquarters of the Nova Corps, which resembled more of a silvery palace than anything else. Inside the massive entrance hall were tall golden statues of warriors that had fought for the Nova Corps from long ago, each one resembling a different Nova, with their names etched on a plaque below them.

Finally, they reached a great hall, where thousands of Novas of all ranks sat, all facing towards the front of the hall, whispering amongst themselves. At the end, a giant gold engraving of the Nova Corps star insignia was etched onto the three-story wall, with the sun beaming through the centerpiece.

Below it was a gold open-casket.

Peter's heart dropped when he saw Sam's lifeless body carefully resting inside of it.

"Come on," Rocket solemnly beckoned the team, "We've got seats at the front."

The Novas all turned to stare at them as they walked through the center aisle towards the front. Peter was relieved to see that they weren't casting nasty expressions, but rather concerned ones. A few of them had tears in their eyes, while others simply kept staring forward, without a care to their presence.

When they finally reached the end, mere feet away from Sam's casket, they all took a moment to look at him.

He was wearing a beautifully designed version of his armor, with a gold engraving of the cosmos etched into his chest-plate. Held in his hands was his black helmet.

"He is at peace," Danny lamented, speaking what was on everybody's minds.

"Yeah, kid," Rocket sighed, "He is."

They all took their seats and watched as the ceremony commenced. The Nova Corps anthem played over virtual speakers, with projections of Sam Alexander when he was younger, switching images as he grew older in life.

Nova Centurions standing on the far right then raised their energy rifles in the air and shot off a string of gold-blasts that dissipated before making contact with the opposite walls.

Finally, the hall was silenced, and a tall figure approached the podium next to the casket.

He wore a very elegant darkish-blue armor piece much like Sam's, with a golden helmet and a red cape that draped down his back. He rested his golden-gauntleted hands on the podium and spoke. His deep voice magnified across the great hall.

"Greetings, my fellow guardians of Xandar, my fellow soldiers of the Nova Corps. It brings me great pain and sorrow that we must lay to rest one of our most beloved guardians, Sam Alexander, our Nova."

"Who's that, Rocket?" Luke curiously whispered.

"That's Tanak Valt. Nova Prime. The leader of the Nova Corps."

"…I remember a young Sam from many cycles ago who came to us without a purpose. He was rebellious, fearful, and insensitive of the living universe around us. For a time, I could scarcely believe that he was capable of caring for anything outside of himself. He always lusted for more, and often it was never enough.

"But, as he began to grow into a young adult, learning more and more of what it meant to be a Nova, I began to see the seedlings of our teachings begin to sprout into something greater: heroism. All the while, he still had much to learn.

"When we were decimated by the Mad Titan's Insurrection, Sam found refuge on Terra, amongst another team of heroes who are fortunate to be here today. There, Nova learned everything the Nova Corps wasn't able to teach him. Leadership. Loyalty. Commitment. Courage. These became the traits that exemplified him.

"He returned to the stars to bring the Nova Corps back to life and lead the galaxy to a new era of peace. All of us here are indebted to him. However, as a result of his death...the galaxy is a colder place without him."

Above the hall, a large second-floor balcony overlooked the ceremony, with several higher-ranking members of the Nova Corps watching on as Nova Prime addressed them all with his tenderhearted eulogy.

Gamora was amongst them, her eyes fixated on Sam's casket. She couldn't escape the guilty feeling that she shouldered the moment Sam died in her arms. A tear slid down her eye, desperately trying to shake the memories of when he was just a child trying to become one of the Nova Corps, in an attempt to find his father.

They listened to Nova Prime tell stories about how Nova fought off scores of alien invaders in different skirmishes across the galaxy, about how he helped save whole planets from imminent doom from threats such as the Kree or the Klyntar, and about how he helped rebuild whole civilizations that were still affected from the Mad Titan's Insurrection.

Peter was amazed to hear about Nova after he had left Earth. He always knew he'd do great things. But, from the sound of it, he achieved something greater than what even he thought Nova was capable of.

In the end, Nova Prime finished his eulogy by calling on the leaders of Nova's old teams to say a few words at the podium. Rocket reluctantly got up and walked over, waiting impatiently with gritted teeth for someone to lower the podium. Once they did, he cleared his throat before speaking.

"Sam… He was… He was a good kid, you know? He always did right by us and…"

The little raccoon's voice choked up.

"…he was a good kid."

He then trudged back to his seat without another word. Stuffing his face into his little hands.

Ava then nudged Peter.

"What?" he whispered.

"You were Sam's other leader, Parker!"

Quickly realizing this, he got up from his seat and nervously walked over to the podium, lifting it back up and staring out into the silent masses that had gathered in the great hall.

"Um… Hey, everyone. What… What a day, am I right?"

A cough was heard somewhere in the sitting crowd.

"I… I remember meeting Sam for the first time and…"

He glanced over at the casket, imagining Sam laughing his ass off at his nervousness up at the podium.

"Stop making a fool of yourself, webhead!" The vision of Nova cackled.

He briefly smiled at his old friend, before looking back.

"Sam was… he was probably the funniest guy I've ever met in my life. When I first met him, he was so high on himself. He always acted like the world revolved around him. But, he always lived life with a bit of humor. He had the funniest jokes. It made him charismatic to those that didn't know him. In the end… I miss that the most about him."

He glanced at his team, who expressed confidence in his words.

That was before an alarm sounded off in the great hall.

"Invasion force detected in-orbit. All troops, to your battle stations. This is not a drill. Xandar is under attack."

Peter stepped back from the podium, allowing Nova Prime to take charge.

"I want starfighters in orbit, immediately," he calmly ordered.

Suddenly, the entire building shook.

"What was that?!" Luke shouted.

"Bombardment!" Rocket answered, "We need to get out of here!"

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Please read and review, everyone! ^^ Thanks! - Evie