H is for Helicopter

Sometimes, when the Base was quiet and the wind whistled softly through the pines, Maru would reflect on what his life was like in the past. He would remember the exhilaration of working in the movie industry and the thrill of the challenge when he was Piston Peak's only mechanic. He reflected on the precious years that he had spent with Blade in retirement before the helicopter's engine had seized.

Letting Blade go had been the most difficult act of Maru's life. To sit there, simply holding him as his life slipped away…as he shuttered and took his last breath. Every fiber of Maru's being as screamed for him to ignore Blade's final wish and to fight, but the mechanic had swallowed his pride and stayed in the moment, letting his best friend know that he was not alone…that he was loved, right up to the end.

It was only after Blade's eyes had closed for the last time and his body was cold and forever still that Maru had called police nonemergency number to call for a coroner. The next days had been a lonely whirlwind arranging for Blade's cremation…his funeral service…his burial. He ended up burying Blade in LA in the plot right next to Nick's. It had felt right to leave him there, and based photos he had seen on Bumperbook, his grave had been fully adopted by the Lopez family who decorated and cared for it at every holiday. Maru was incredibly grateful for that, because he hadn't been back since the day that Blade's headstone had been placed…he just didn't have the mental strength to make the trip.

With his tether to Blade permanently severed, Maru had gravitated back to the place where he had felt most at home. He successfully got a job as one of the mechanics at the Piston Peak Air Attack Base. It felt weird to be part of a team and share tools again, but Maru had eventually grown into the position. He found joy in watching as different firefighters flowed in and out of his life.

There had been some constants…he was now working with the third generation of Windlifters…and as well as some surprises. They had lost some more good people over the years including their first smokejumper, for whom they had bent the rules of burial in National Parks just a bit and let him rest forever under the protective watch of Cabbie's fire tower.

Through it all, Maru had done his best to live a life worthy of paying tribute to those on the wall…but not everything he cared about wasn't in that simple memorial. Blade hadn't died in the service, so his picture was nowhere to be found, and Nick's photo had been removed long ago to make room for those who had received their Last Call while serving at Piston Peak. Because of this, Maru had another place on base to remember those of his family, both by steel and by choice, who had gone before him.

"Well Blade." Maru said one of the photos he kept on a special shelf on the corner of his personal room. "I was thinking about you today." Maru placed a mug of coffee in front of the photo…as well as a package of powder donuts for the photo sitting next to it, because it wouldn't do for Nick to get jealous. "I hope that wherever you are, you are happy."

Maru lit a small amount of incense and muttered a prayer under his breath. He didn't really believe in an afterlife, but he believed in the importance of ritual. Once the moment of reflection was over, the tug let himself return to the rhythm of his day. Rolling back out into the sunshine, Maru smiled. He didn't know where he would wander from here, but if living with helicopters had taught him nothing else it was that when you learned to love something it was also important to learn let it fly free.

Term – Helicopter – A type of rotor aircraft gains its lift and thrust from at least one large, horizontal rotors. While models were constructed earlier, the commercially viable helicopter came to market in 1942, just in time to help with search and rescue missions during WWII. Helicopters are far slower than most types of aircraft but are highly valued for their ability to take off/land vertically, as well as the ability to hover. These flight characteristics make helicopters excellent tools for search and rescue, air med, movie production, and hoist operations.