Author's Note-So if you have read any of my other stories, you probably notice that I really enjoy writing for Cabbie. Part of it is because I have always adored C-119's, the other part is I have hung out with way too many transport pilots. The inspiration for this story actually came from an evening around the campfire with one of them when the base was completely socked in with fog. After a few stories were swapped he shared the story about when he was the jump pilot on a fire that had 8 tankers and 0 lead planes or Air Bosses. Because of the on spoken rules of the air, he had gotten stuck over the fire for hours guiding and deconflicting traffic. It was apparently the most exhausting day of his life. Which of course met I had to find a way for Cabbie to one-up him. Hope you enjoy! :)

J is for Jump Ship

Like with any organization, Air Attack teams had a host hierarchy and unspoken rules that were completely invisible to the uninitiated. Unfortunately for Cabbie, these unofficial rules tended him far responsibility and clout that he was particularly interested in. Today, those responsibilities were biting him in the aft.

The National Interagency Fire Center had gone to Preparedness Level 5 over two weeks ago, every resource available was mobilized and sent to battle the worst of the fires including the members of Piston Peak Air Attack Team. Cabbie had been sent south with Dynamite, Avalanche, and Drip to provide additional support for a Cal-fire team near Santa Barbara.

Even though this part of the line was pretty understaffed, the jumpers were able to complete their mission of knocking back spot fires caused by flying embers. While the dirt darts were busy, Cabbie and his fellow jump planes (a pair of shorts out of Montana) flew cargo and did supply drops to the deployed hotshot and smokejumper teams.

The old C-119 would have been content to continue flying cargo, but on day four of the fire the Air Boss had gone down with a bird strike. With every single lead plane in a hundred mile radius tasked spot and track the fires and only one legacy jump ship working this fire, command and control of the airspace was immediately transferred to Cabbie.

Once again, the former warplane was reminded why he would never, ever volunteer to become a full-time Air Boss. It was hard enough to keep the various tankers and SEATs from running into each other, but the stress of having to constantly circle the fire making sure that civilian aircraft were staying well away from the flight paths was giving him a pounding headache. Not that he had time to give it any attention. Cabbie had barely been able to squeeze in a couple of refuelings throughout the day.

It was well into twilight by the time that Cabbie's tires were finally able to kiss the tarmac, the last plane back to the rural airstrip that had been claimed as their temporary base. His paint job was soot-covered, and there were pockmarks on his belly from where hot ash had hit his skin. Maru was going to have a hissy fit about that when he finally got back to Piston Peak, but at the moment the only thing on the C-119's mind was getting some fuel in his empty tanks and racking out for the night.

Cabbie pulled off the runway and turned on to the crowded apron, when one of the military C-130 tankers flagged him down. "Your kids are causing trouble again."

"What mess have they gotten into this time?" The plane sighed, settled lower on his tires. He really was exhausted, but the jumpers were his responsibility, and he would do his best make sure that they stayed safe.

"Defending your honor again." The tanker admitted somewhat sheepishly. Cabbie let a full groan out with that piece of news. It looked like dinner wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"I will take care of it." The old plane said with resignation, as he turned to the hanger that the various smokejumper teams had claimed as their operations hut.

Cabbie heard his team long before he saw them, which was impressive because Avalanche was in charge of the jumper team manning the park. Though, on the other wing, Cabbie shouldn't have been too surprised. To say that smokejumper teams were competitive would be like saying that Dusty was fast. While they would like their all into keeping a fire contained, the moment they were off the line the different crews constantly jostling to prove who were the top dogs…and currently, there were teams on base to cause trouble.

"Your jump ship is so old it is practically a rust bucket. I am surprised he can even fly, let alone carry your heavy afts." One of the Cal Fire tugs stated.

"Well our 'rust bucket' a hundred times the plane that your ride will ever be." Dynamite shot back.

By the sounds of it, it seemed like the argument between the jump teams was just starting to heat up, which meant it was a perfect time to quash it. The pair of jump planes gave him a look as Cabbie passed by. The two of them had tried to break up these arguments the last couple of evenings with various levels of success, but neither of them had quite the same weight as Jump 51.

"Go to bed." Cabbie announced firmly as he poked his head inside the hanger. All of the gravel munchers froze. They were still covered in dirt and ash from the day's, but tired as they must have been, most of the jumpers had enough survival instinct to keep their mouths shut and head to their sleeping mats.

"Unc…" Drip tried to start, but the withering look from Cabbie caused the jumper's mouth to snap shut. After a few piston beats he finally stammered out a more appropriate response. "Going to bed now, Sir."

"Good." The plane purred dangerously. Sweeping the hanger with his eyes one last time, the C-119 retreated back onto the apron.

That taken care of Cabbie went to go grab some supper, knowing full well he would have to swing by the jumper hanger at least four more times that evening to make sure that one of the 'friendly' arguments didn't end a competition of strength. (He really didn't want to deal with the paperwork of explaining why one or more of the jumpers had gotten injured when they were technically off duty.) But for a few moments he was going to pretend that he wasn't a jump ship, and just enjoy the freedom of only being a cargo plane.

Term- Jump Ship- When a smokejumper needs to get to work they take their Jump Ship. Jump Ships can either refer to a helicopter or an aircraft. Also, I briefly mentioned the concept of a Legacy Jump Plane. The number assigned to a particular firefighting aircraft is assigned at the beginning of the fire season and can change from year to year. Aircraft that have legacy status have enough of a storied history that their number is permanently assigned. A great example of this would be Jump 15. That particular plane actually flew missions in the D-Day invasion and other battles in WWII before moving into becoming a smokejumper transport. Jump 15, which was officially named 'Band of Brothers' formally retired from firefighting in 2015 and work is currently being done to help turn it into a flying museum so hopefully, we will be able to see it up close and personal at a future air show.