J is for Jet Lag

The first hint for Maru that something was up on base was when Maru tasted the coffee. Normally at this time of year the first pot of coffee should be one of Blade's somewhat bland brew, but instead it was Cabbie's rather distinct, burnt as slag military version. The fact that Cabbie came in for a landing a few minutes later only added to Maru's suspicious that something was afoot. Blade was rather found of his morning patrols and only gave them up he was feeling ill…or something else managed to distract him.

The mechanic was wondering if he needed to go and check up on the big bird when a new piece of information clicked pieces together. This piece was the startled cry of a civilian being startled by a smokejumper sneaking up behind them. When Maru got a good look at the 'park visitor' it was instantly clear that they were a member of the paparazzi…which could only mean one thing, Dusty Crophopper was currently parked somewhere on base.

Cabbie, of course, chose that moment to join Maru on the tarmac with a fresh cup of coffee. With a yawn he nodded towards their 'visitor' who was quickly being escorted back down to the main road. "It never ceases to amaze me just how quickly those vultures know when Dusty is on base."

"At least, it keeps smokejumpers happy." Maru said, which caused the big plane to snort into his coffee. "What time did he get in this time?"

"O'dark thirty." Cabbie yawned again. "He only radioed that he was inbound at 11:30 pm, and he was lucky that Blade was up doing paperwork or there wouldn't have been anyone on base awake to answer him."

"What time did you hit the hay?" Maru eyed his teammate.

"I didn't." This time Cabbie gave a big enough yawn that it shook his entire frame. "It was past 3 when Blade and I finally got Dusty feed and stuffed in the guest hanger. I volunteered to stay up and take care of the morning duties so Blade could actually get some sleep, because you know how he is when he is sleep deprived."

Maru gave some affirmative noises. He had worked with Blade long enough to know that he grumpy as slag when he didn't get enough sleep. Given the fact that whenever Dusty showed up, either for his annual firefighting certification tests or as a quick stop over when he was heading from one race to another one, the paparazzi usually were quick to follow a well-rested Blade was must.

"Before you ask, baring any fires, I am planning on getting a proper nap in this afternoon."

"Good." Maru stated flatly. He really preferred to keep his team well rested, but sometimes the universe didn't allow for that and out of any of the flight crew, Maru trusted Cabbie to know his own limits. After all, the old warplane would have been dead by now if he hadn't.

The rest of the day flowed past about how you would expect. There were no fires, so the smokejumper got to enjoy their mission of seek and scare. Blade slept in until noon and tapped Cabbie out so that he could snooze the afternoon away. Then, as the sky started to turn from blue to the dusty purple of sunset Dusty finally dragged himself from the spare hanger.

"Morning…evening…whatever it is…" The racer muttered to Maru as he made a beeline to the coffee.

"So where were you this time?"

"Thailand."

"Did you win?"

"Of course." Dusty actually was awake enough to smirk back. "Do you think there would be much competition?"

"A broken clock is still correct at least twice a day." Maru laughed.

"That is true, but I am still on top of my game." Dusty grinned then gave his wings a shake. "But I still have a long way to go so I better tank up and get on my way."

Maru obliged and once he was fueled the members of the Piston Peaks Air Attack Team saw the little plane off. As Dusty took to the sky heading east, Maru got back to his evening routine, because even as the plane disappeared over the horizon, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he made his way back. Dusty had become an odd third wheel to the Air Attack team, but like any other long-distance flyer he had good homing instincts for places he considered to be home. Still, as much as Maru had grown to like the plane, outside of an emergency he wasn't worth messing up the mechanic's sleep schedule and getting jet lag over.

Term- Jet Lag- Jet lag is a condition caused by rapid travel long distant travel from east to west or from west to east. This travel causes the person's circadian rhythms to be stuck in their original time zone while they are living in a completely different time zone. The farther the distance and the faster the aircraft the more severe the symptoms tend to be. For long haul pilots, jet lag is a fact of life and local time zones are often completely ignored. Instead, they sleep and eat when their work allows it.