This is my work relating how I would have seen the funeral service of Colm Corbec. It was never told in great detail in cannon, much to my dissapointment. This scene actually came to me partially in a dream, it meant so much to me at the time I thought I should write about it. I hope you all like it and I hope you will read my other stories.

Author's note: I do not own Gaunt's Ghosts, Black Library, Games Workshop or anything displayed or reffered to in this work, they are all the properties of their respective owners.

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The wail was loud and long...

It permeated evrey part of the broken city...

Like the keening howl of a great wounded beast, it traveled the city over, alighting on the ears of civillians, soldiers, and Ghosts alike. Any Tanith born who heard it knew what it meant, all others might not have known what it was but they understood what it meant: the Ghosts were mourning the ghosts...

In a wide, pock-marked field outside the holy city of Civitas Beati on Heredor, they stood as erect and emotionless as statues. All clad in the black fatigues and armor of the Tanith First and Only, all had their camo cloaks draped over one shoulder, each man and woman stood at attention, weapon held muzzle up to the sky at their hips with the stock sitting of the ground. It was a sign of respect, a small nod to the ones who would not be attending this service because they were the reasons for it...

Already this field was stained with blood, it had been the object of heavy fighting in this sector, the Imperial soldiers turned it into a killing ground as the insidious Blood Pact tried to cross it into the holy city. Craters had been dug into the loamy soil, some the size of a man, some the size of a fist, many varying in between the two...

Here and there could be found a namesake of the battle; a battered helment, a fallen weapon, a hand, a head. The Ghosts paid them no mind, all their attentions were solemnly fixed on the center of the field were the real ghosts lay in their final resting places. Each face along the rank and file of the famous Ghost regiment was staring straight ahead, each showed no emotion, each wore a black field beret with either the Tanith First skull dagger badge or the Verghast axe-rake emblem pinned to it. Only the Scouts wore different headgear, the dark grey forage caps worn by the scout elite of the regiment. Most of these were obviously Tanith, so had the Tanith first skull and dagger emblazoned on them but a couple notable exceptions were the two Verghast scouts standing in order, as erect as the others; Heqta Jajjo, an exceptional scout, and Sehra Muril, the first female scout.

Mktayl thought this as he advanced int the center of the procession, he would have smiled, had it been for the completely solemn occasion he was in. Sehra and him had become good friends ever since he had gotten to know her on Aexe Cardianale during the siege at the forest Manse. Now she would share his pain, as well as his warmer feelings, in this ceremony. As he walked forward, immaculate in his dress uniform and forage cap, he gazed at the outstretched field, evrey few meters, a white cross and a pair of dogtags signified the end of another soldier's long journey.

He was dressed the same as the other scouts except for one blaring difference. Instead of his black fatigue pants he was wearing a dark plaided skirt-like garment, it was tradition for Tanith highlanders to wear these garments to ocassions such as these, the militias of the highlands got the nickname "Blackwatch" for their dark plaided kilts and the fact that they were supposed to "watch" the highlands of Tanith where lawlessness was common. A few other Ghosts wore the garment but none other than Mktayl wore the forage cap and kilt, it filled Mktayl with pride that a highlander had made it into the scouts.

Before all the Tanith present was a single hole, one and a half meters wide, two and a half meters long, it seemed like such a insignificant thing. Yet every one of the more than four thousand Ghosts had come to see it filled.

Mktayl wasnt alone in joining the procession, he was in the middle of a contingent of Ghosts chosen especially for the sperate but equal parts of this ceremony. Ahead of him stood the color guard, the green, gold and black banner of the Tanith first, with its shimmering, grinning Skull and Dagger emblem emblazoned on the center, was carried forward on a large aluminum pole by none other than Sergeant Varl.

His face showed nothing even resembling any feeling as he marched forward with the Tanith trooper Mkhef beside him, holding his lasgun by his side. to the right of Varl stood another well known Ghost, Sergeant Gol Kolea, carrying the red, khaki, and silver of the Verghast Axe-Rake banner. It was held high in concert with the Tanith banner, each marching at the same pace, each held at the same angle, each marching together toward their final destination.

'Just like this regiment should and has done' Mktayl thought darkly.

To Kolea's right stood the Verghast trooper Vadim, also carrying his rifle and marching in perfect symphony with the color guard. As The color guard reached the clearing, it split, each flag bearer turning to his own subdivision; the Tanith banner hung over the Tanith side, the Verghast banner was held over the Verghast's.

Next in the procession was none other than the famous Colonel-Commissar Gaunt. Immaculate in his dress uniform and storm coat, he marched forward, peaked cap in the crook of his arm. His back was wrapped in bandages, and he limped slightly, his face was pale and he looked like he was in pain.

Mktayl felt his anger rise as he remembered the dastardly suprise attack by the traitor Lijah Cuu that had caused Gaunt such discomfort and had given all the Ghosts a reason for being here today. Along side him the priest Zweil trudged forward as well. Hunched over, wearing deep blue robes and golden tassels, and carrying a long golden staff with an aquila crest on the top of it, the priest's face was also solemn. In his other hand, he held a swinging censer, spewing incense as the party trudged along to take its place at the head of the procession. After them came marching along the same path, the honour guard. They were led by the infamous Major Rawne. His face was set in unfeeling subtletly as always.

'A snake in the grass.' Mktayl thought.

After Rawne came six other troopers in the honour guard including, Tona Criid, Murtan Feygor, Dermon Caffran, Jessi Banda, Haller, and Dohan Domor. All followed their Major without so much as a flinch from the set path. Like a well oiled machine each strode through the gathering of Soldiers and took their place one one side of the hole in the ground which was the center of the entire ceremony. With one barked command the honour guard stopped and turned to face the hole, each Ghost held his or her lasgun across their chest ready for the salute they had been chosen for. Mktayl and his group came next. Mktayl was at the head of a group of Tanith and Verghast Ghosts five men wide and eight long.

Forty men, in all for the regimental band. The front twenty were all Tanith born, each man carried under his arm the pride of Tanith, the pipes of their homeworld. Each man, Mktayl knew, had been in Tanith's militias before the agglomeration of forces before leaving Tanith. The Tanith First had no "official" regimental band at founding, the militias, older and more traditional, did and the Tanith were fortunate to have some of the musically gifted men join the regiment before it left the planet. Mktayl led the group of forty men, and so marched at the head of the group, he was the songleader, the one who set the pace for the band, the one who controlled which songs they played, the one who would make sure that this ceremony was heard by the damn Emperor himself. The last twenty men were all Verghast troops. They carried drums of all sizes, some booming some tapping along as the band marched.

The band finally took its final position at the rear of the procession totally blocking in the hole which would soon be filled. After what seemed like minutes the back of the procession parted as a group of six men marched through carrying something along. Each man marched slowly through the procession which parted ways like a sea broken for some angry god.

The six men carried on their shoulders a large box. The coffin became the fixture of attention for every eye that appeared there. It had been draped with the Banner of the Aquila. As it passed, a tear came to a few Tanith eyes as they realised...

the coffin was not made out of just any wood...

it was nalwood.

The six men selected for this almost holy task were Captain Daur, Sergeant Mkoll, Hlaine Larkin, Tolin Dorden, Nessa Bourah, and Captain Mkarth. Mktayl smiled softly as he remembered the riot that had very nearly broken out over who was going to carry this last vessel to its resting place. Every man and woman in the Tanith had wanted to do it. The matter was resolved finally, and the most worthy candidates were given the glory, the duty, the privelege of carrying the last remains of Colonel Colm Corbec to his grave.

The symbolism of the chosen few was not lost on Mktayl...

all were either close friends of the late Colonel or had followed him on what was now called 'the Colonel's Pilgramage' to the Saint's temple on Hagia...

Now they would follow him again, this time to rest...

The Coffin bearers finally broke their way through the blockade of Ghosts and both sets of three on each side took their respective places and faced each other, holding the coffin just above the hole.

All was silent and timed seemed to have stopped. Finally, Gaunt walked forward, all the way up to the head of the coffin. He put his peaked cap on his head, brim first, and looked out to all of the Ghosts present who continued to stand silently as a company of statues, unmoving.

"Colonel Colm Corbec..." Gaunt started, the statues didnt budge. "Friend, Brother, Ghost...His drinking mates will tell you that he was a loving, fatherly man to his troops, the soldiers under his command will tell you he was a daemon in combat, I will tell you that Colm was a gifted leader, charasmatic, stubborn, stalwart in his beliefs..." Gaunt paused, all that was audible was the flapping of the banners in the gentle wind. "His memory lives on in every Ghost that knew him, as long as you keep this in mind, Colm Corbec can never truly die!" Gaunt paused once more. " Though the pain of his loss will haunt us all until we all join him one day, do not mourn for him, instead, celebrate him, he has gone to the Emperor's side, he has died in glorious combat against the Archenemy, no servant of the Emperor can ask for a more worthy death...Celebrate his life, celebrate his death, celebrate the man that were were lucky to have counted among us as a brother and a soldier!"

With this last remark Gaunt stepped back from the coffin, Zweil stepped up. Softly, he chanted the last rites of an Imperial soldier over the coffin and blessed the burial in the Emperor's name.

"Holy Emperor who sits upon the Golden Throne and Beloved Saint Sabbat who serves in his name, I now commend to your side the soul of this humble man..."

When he finished, he too backed away from the nalwood box and the final ceremony began in earnest. The Coffin bearers, on a que from the honour guard leader Rawne, began to slowly lower the box into its grave. As they did this, Mktayl qued the band to begin playing. First the drums began to tap rythmically...

the large drums began to whumpf in time with this tapping until it blended seamlessly into the music.

Evrey one of the Tanith pipers began to blow into their mouthpieces and the bellows bags of the choir suddenly sprang to life making a low shrilling note across the expanse.

This very quickly turned into a higher pitcheed wailing note that began to eminate from evrey pipe present.

The wails began to vary in highs and lows until the song became one beautiful symphony of sounds that resontaed across the beleaugered city...

Every right hand in the Tanith regiment came up slowly in a sharp salute, as the music played...

and stayed there.

Major Rawne barked several commands in order to the honour guard who turned, aimed , and fired their lasrifles above the heads of the gathered crowd in total synchronicity. The salute was a beautiful and well oraganized site to behold. By this point the coffin was halfway down and the first song the band began to play was almost over. The famous Tanith anthem " Flower of Tanith" played out across the hills.

'How apt', Mktayl thought as he played, 'A song triumphing an army's march home after a great victory.'

The drums stopped playing all of a sudden and the pipes were left to play the final few keening notes by themselves, many a tear welled int Tanith's and Verghast's eyes at such a beautiful sound.

In the commotion Mktayl saw something that he swore he would keep until his dying day:

The sight of his Sergeant, Mkoll, finish lowering the casket into the hole, stand back as rigid as the other Ghosts and salute the lowered cakset, with tears streaming down his face and eyes red and wet. He had never, never, seen Mkoll show any emotion, even when he rarely talked of his dead wife.

Mktayl looked around to see many others like this, unsuprisngly Major Rawne was not one of them.

The next song was called "Amazing Grace" and was a more generic song, but was still beautiful played on the Tanith pipes. Beside him, Mktayl heard the loud call of Brin Milo, playing as long and as loud as he could on his set of pipes. Mktayl smiled as he turned to face his band, still playing, seeing many of them also teary eyed, but dutiful in their play. Truth be told it was the most beautiful thing Mktayl had ever heard.

Suddenly, on que, all of the bagpipe players stopped except for Milo, who continued to play the final notes of the song until it was done.

The final song to be played "Tanith the Brave" came next and was a parade ground favorite. Mktayl and the band played their hearts out as the congregation continued to salute and stand still. The sound of the pipes seemed much more sad than they usuallly were. It was as if the instruments themselves were also devasted by the death of the beloved Colonel. The band continued to play until the supposed end of the song...

Then something happened.

Something not planned and definitely not sanctioned by whoever had planned this funeral...

All the Tanith knew there was a final bridge to the song "Tanith the Brave" a quicker, more spritely end to the song that was usually not played at events like these because of their solemn nature. However, when all the others pipers and drumers stopped at the end of the approved part of the song, one piper continued to play through to the songs climactic end...

Brin Milo's fingers danced across his pipe as he continued to play the quick bridge of the song.

Mktayl looked at him as if he were angry at the apparent stunt that Brin was pulling. The statues continued to stand still as the music played. Some of the band began to look around at what the small infraction was. Brin Milo continued to play as if he were the only person present and Mktayl just glared at him, he was about to chew Brin out for the breach in conduct when it hit him just like it had hit Brin a minute before...

He was following orders...

Gaunt had siad to "Celebrate the life and death of Corbec". Milo looked into Mktayl's eyes, an almost playful but serious expression waded across them, a moment of recognition passed between them as he continued to finish the song. Mktayl knew what had been said at that moment...

"Lets give Corbec a celebration he'd be proud of!"

Mktayl picked up the last few notes of the song with his pipes, the two pipers playing in congress, the band members started looking around in confusion. Mktayl and Milo finished the song and Mktayl barked something that no Ghost before or since has forgotten...

"Come on Lads! Like he would have wanted us to! For Tanith! For the Regiment! for Colm Corbec!"

A roar of adultation came from the band of forty men. At this point the congregation was no longer a mass of statues, they all began to look at the band as if some sacrilege had just been committed.

Gaunt's eyes met Mktrayl's and Gaunt's hard face broadened into a grin...

Mktayl began to play the anthem of County Pryze, Corbec's home; "The Nalwood Laddie and the Black Wolf" A quick paced marching tune that many Tanith ears were pleased by. Single file, the band advanced, Forty men playing the tune of the Tanith marched, around the grave of Colm Corbec, they began to spontatneously march in a circle around the grave,

the drums pounding...

the pipes wailing...

Every eye was now beholden to the scene before them, men, who had just a second before been the band of a military funeral were now jumping around the grave like it was a bonfire at some tribal ceremony.

Tears streamed down Mktayl's face as he played the tune.

He was happy...

he was exultant, he felt free...

All around, the Ghosts at first didnt know what to make of this...

It began with one voice singing the lyrcis to the song...

and then another

and another, until evrey Tanith born son was bellowing the great lyrics to the anthem.

Even Major Rawne and his adjutant Feygor began to sing out. The Verghast, not knowing the words, but feeling the tune, clapped and stomepd to the beat until the entire valley became an orchestra for the Tanith first.

In the habs surrounding the field, many citizens were drawn to the edges of the flat and watched the scene before them with awe. The band finished the song and immediately plowed their pipes into the tune "The Drunken Piper" one of Corbec's favorite drinking songs.

This time the song wasnt just sung to, each Tanith born began to dance, in their own special way.

Mktayl saw people like Varl, and Kolea, shouting at the top of their lungs, up to the sky, broad grins and streaming tears falling down to kiss the dry ground.

The Verghast joined in until each Ghost had at least one other ghost in his or her embrace. The massed soldiery swayed back and forth to the tune and together as one they all sung to the heavens so loud it shook the earth.

Mktayl let his emotions spill out through his pipes, his heart thumped in his chest as he felt the emotion of the occasion threatening to over take him.

Every single Ghost was in exhilaration as they sang out.

Some began to throw their caps in the air, evreyone acted as if the greatest victory in human history had just been achieved. They were all in the throes of their exuberation, the celebration had overtaken the solemnity of a few minutes ago in a crashing wave of shouting voices.

With their souls screaming, they remembered their heritage...

their fight...

their friends, their lost...

Each Ghost blazed with the righteous fire of evreything they had seen and evreything they had done.

Mktayl saw Mkoll, arm in arm with Mkvenner, and Bonin, and Larkin, all smiles, all shouting, all sobbing for the joy and the pain they felt. Mktayl saw Major Rawne, a shadow on the edge of the crowd. Singing the lyrics to himself, he was standing next to Feygor and both of them were arm in arm, holding each other up as brothers singing, tears running down their faces.

Mktayl saw them all, Criid, Domor, Muril, Caffran, Jajjo, Lubba, Nessa, Dremmond, Bonin, Brostin, Arcuda, Raglon, Vivvo, Merrt, Baen, Leyr, Lesp, all of the Ghosts in celebration of a man they all knew, of a man they all loved.

Gaunt and Zweil had back off and were standing near the swaying Major Rawne, Gaunt wasnt singing but Mktayl could see the man's tears over the shadow of his bowed head, and that was enough. The pipes continued to wail as Mktayl, Milo, and the rest continued to play through as many songs as they could think of; "The Pipes of War", "The Highland Jig", and "The March of Cambreadth" were each sung and played in turn by the Tanith and Verghast alike.

This last one was met with uproarious appluase from the Tanith; it was the same song they had heard around every campfire the night before Chaos had attacked their world.

The band finished another song and started the famous tune "My Love Waits in the Nalwood's Green" at this point all involved began to swing their hands in the air and continued to hold each other and sing to the loved and the lost. The Verghast began to sing the lyrics better now, they had all heard the Tanith pipers play it at the Siege of Vervunhive.

Mktayl noticed that no animosity could be seen within either ranks of the Ghosts now, Verghast held Tanith and Tanith held Verghast, all differences had been forgotten in the face of the shared pain and the shared joy they all felt.

Despite the music, Mktayl swore someone had whispered in his ear, he turned toward the city...

There, on a balcony of an obscure temple in the distance stood the glimmering gold supremacy of the reincarnated beati...The Saint Sabbat stood there on the balcony, her hair blowing gently in the wind across her face. Still clad in her armor and clutching her bloody sabre, she was a sight to behold.

Mktayl stopped playing and just held her gaze as the commotion continued around him. Finally, she just smiled, closed her eyes and nodded. Suddenly, as if she had never been there, she faded from sight. Perplexed, Mktayl tilted his head until he heard the whisper again, this time he caught what it had said.

"Well done, thy good and faithful servant..."

He turned toward where he heard the whisper and gazed into the grave of Colm Corbec, still open. As the celebration continued. Mktayl gazed at the glinting sabre reverently layed on the coffin top, engraved along the blade were the words "Sabbat Martyr" in High Gothic.

Mktayl knew what she had meant when she whispered to him...

that message wasn't just for him...

Mktayl continued to play as the celebration and thrashing of the four thousand plus Ghosts continued.

She had been talking to Corbec too...

End

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Dreams and visions play a big part in Gaunt's Ghosts if you didnt already know, so does that mean my dream was a coincidence? I'd like to think not...

Well, there you have my vision in a nutshell, leave a comment if you liked it, leave a suggestion if you think it could have been better!