The WhiteSun Ritual

What is the WhiteSun Ritual? 

The WhiteSun Ritual is a ceremonial practice conducted primarily by the RedSun Unit, a faction of zealot soldiers found amongst the ranks of WhiteStar Militech. The ceremony is designed to honour a comrade who has fallen in battle — it signifies a rebirth of the fallen soldier's spirit within their comrades so that they can continue fighting on even though their physical form has passed. The name derives from a White Dwarf Star, which is a sun that has used up all of its nuclear fuel but still holds an immense density, and residual thermal heat and light — with the significance being that the person's physical "fuel" may be spent but their presence will still be felt regardless.
The comrade's body, or a stand-in if their body was not retrieved, is burned to ash mixed with potent alcohol and then this mixture is both consumed by and smeared on the bodies of the remaining members of the ReDSun Unit. The ritual represents the taking on of the soul/spirit of their fallen comrade so that they may continue to fight amongst their brothers and sisters. 
It is considered an extreme honour to have this done and is not viewed as odd or strange by any in the ReDSun Unit. It's been a popular ritual amongst the ReDSun since their inception, especially amongst their CECO Tiber Kalix. He makes sure to join in on all WhiteSun Rituals of ReDSun Unit members who have perished, as he wishes to carry the spirits of all those who fought for his cause.

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Stages of the Ritual

When a fellow soldier passes on the ritual must be conducted within two solar cycles of whichever system they fell within. This is important because the ReDSun Unit believes that if they do not capture their comrade's spirit within the ritual preparation and enactment then it will disperse and be doomed to wander without purpose for eternity. While the below may simplify the technical process of the WhiteSun Ritual, it does not fully encapsulate what the ritual means spiritually for those who participate in it.

Stage 1

The body of the fallen soldier must be retrieved if it still exists in physical form, even if the body resides somewhere dangerous or in hostile territory.
The risk of retrieving the body is important as it signifies the surviving comrade's commitment to the ritual at to its purpose of being a continuation of the deceased's spirit involvement in the ReDSun's mission.
If the body has been damaged, as much of the remains must be collected as possible. If there are no remains whatsoever, then an item of extreme importance from the deceased can be used as a stand-in. This latter option is a last resort. 

Stage 2

Once the body has been retrieved, it is transported to the site of the ritual.
While the body will be wrapped in a simple cloth, usually one made of a similar material as to their uniform, it is not cleaned.
The body must be burned during the ritual in the state in which the deceased perished.
The ReDSun worships violence, chaos, and disruption, so if the body represents those things, especially in death then that is much more preferred than a clean, calm, and "peaceful" body.

Stage 3

The site of the ritual is selected and prepared. Another important step is the conduct the ritual as close to the site of the deceased death. Even if this is in an active war zone, the effort is made to complete the ritual here. Though preparation is light, simple a large pyre is built and lit.
The more complicated part is getting unit members to the location if some are far away or the location is in a dangerous or difficult-to-reach location. The leader of the ReDSun Unit, Tiber Kalix, tries to attend all of these rituals when he can, so his travel to the location is also taken into consideration.

Stage 4

The body of the deceased is burned, heavy accelerants are typically used during the burning process to expedite the burning of the body. It takes several hours for the fire to do its grisly work, regardless of the amount of accelerants used.
So, while the body burns, the unit members on hand will drink, tell stories about the deceased, and challenge each other to friendly competitions of will and strength. In a perfect scenario, the unit members would be able to fight nearby enemies while the burning is taking place.

Stage 5

Once the body has been fully incinerated the ashes are collected and mixed with strong alcohol. Whatever is available is fine, but if the solider was of well-renown their favourite alcohol would be used as an additional gesture of respect.
This mixture is then either consumed by or spread on the bodies of each member of the unit present. Signify that the soul of the deceased now partial resides within each of those unit members present.

Stage 6

Once this has been done the pyre is left to burn out, if able the ReDSun Unit members will stay to watch the fire die.
Once the fire has completed burnt out the ReDSun Unit members remaining will depart towards their next mission.

Summary

The WhiteSun Ritual, conducted by the ReDSun Unit of WhiteStar Militech, honours fallen comrades by signifying their spirit's rebirth within surviving soldiers. Named after a white dwarf star, the ritual involves burning the fallen comrade's body, or a stand-in, to ash mixed with potent alcohol.
This mixture is consumed and smeared on the remaining members, symbolizing the fallen soldier's continued presence. This ritual, considered a high honour, has been a tradition since the ReDSun Unit's inception, with CECO Tiber Kalix actively participating to carry the spirits of his fallen fighters.

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Enactment by any means

The WhiteSun Ritual is a requirement any time a member of the ReDSun Unit perishes. That means retrieval of the body under any means. This often puts other members of the unit in danger and has led to further deaths. But because of this ritual's importance, it isn't even a question for the ReDSun Unit, and they all gladly risk their lives to retrieve the corpse of their fellow soldiers. This has meant braving enemy territory, plunging into the depths of oceans, and braving the vacuum of space.
The same goes for enacting the ritual in a location near the spot of the soldier's death, which not only presents danger if in enemy territory but also technical issues. A fire cannot be started if the body dies while under water, or while in the void of space. So the WhiteSun Ritual has been conducted on temporary floating devices at sea, in fireproofed rooms on spaceships, and under all sorts of duress including gunfire in enemy territory.

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Further Reading on WhiteStar Militech

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