The Marines worked rapidly, digging a hole in the ground that would make a suitable grave.  Marcus wanted to argue, wanted to point out that they could take her bones home, but he knew it would be futile.  For all they knew, the aliens had left the body behind as a deliberate trap, although he privately considered it unlikely.  The insurgents the civilised world fought regularly had a nasty habit of doing just that, but would the aliens understand the human urge to take care of dead bodies?  It was quite possible that the aliens left their dead bodies to rot where they fell ... or that they ate their own flesh and blood.  There were so many fictional aliens invented by humans that he liked to think that they were ready for anything.

There was a pause when the body was placed into the makeshift grave.  “Do you know what to say over her body?”  One of the Marines asked.  “She would be Catholic, wouldn't she?”

“Perhaps,” Parnell said.  He stepped forward, composing himself.  “My father was Isolated Catholic, but  he never taught me prayers for the dead.”

He hesitated.  “We do not know this girl’s name, our lord, and we do not know why or how she died,” he added.  “But we ask that you take her in your loving arms and lead her to a better world than the one that killed her.  Amen.”

The words sounded vaguely silly, Marcus thought, but there was a sincerity around them that outshone the prayers offered in Westminster Abbey.  He made a mental note to ensure that the video of the brief ceremony was accidentally deleted.  Someone would be bound to complain that the service hadn't been right, forcing the Royal Navy to waste time on rebuttals – at best.  At worst, Major Parnell and his men might be punished, despite meaning well.  No, it was better that the recording be destroyed forever.

“We’ll leave another message here,” Major Parnell said, as they headed back towards the shuttle.  “But I’m not hopeful.”

Marcus couldn’t disagree.  The aliens had systematically captured or killed every human on the planet – and they’d either taken or destroyed the bodies.  Either way, he decided, it didn't bode well.

***

“No survivors,” Ted said, looking down at the images from Vera Cruz.  “None at all.”

“There might be a handful hidden in the countryside,” Major Parnell offered.  The Marine didn't look tired, but there was a weariness around him that made Ted want to send him straight to bed.  “We have no idea just how capable the aliens are on the ground or what sort of surveillance systems they will deploy.”

Ted nodded.  Human surveillance was good, but it could be jammed or disrupted by a well-prepared enemy.  There was no way to know what the aliens might deploy on the ground, yet it was unlikely anything they had was far inferior to humanity’s systems.  They certainly didn't dare assume otherwise.