Disclaimer: I do not own Planes, but because of field work I have done in the past I do have a Will and Testament. Also, just because I am posting here doesn't mean that I am ignoring 'That Others Might Live.' Theolaterose99 has very kindly taken on the task of betaing these stories and I want to make sure to give her enough lead time so you guys get a short story instead of a chapter this week.

Final Will and Testament

Dusty Crophopper had passed his certification tests and had just been just given his new coat of paint in his brand new livery. This meant that it was now time for Maru to sit down and have the forklifts least favorite conversation. But, to be honest, the mechanic realized he probably should have had the conversation ages ago.

"Dusty, do you have a moment?" Maru called their newest member into the main hanger when the Air Attack team had a rare moment of calm.

"Yes…" Dusty stuffed a yawn and rolled over. "What do you need Maru?"

"We need to talk wills, testaments, and directives." The mechanic admitted quietly as he shut the hanger door. This type of conversation was private and thus not something that all of the Smokejumpers and Dipper needed to overhear.

"What in the world do we need to do that for?" Dusty spun around looking a bit hurt and trapped.

"Ford, Dusty." Maru sighed heavily. "You are a world famous racer, and you would think that the past few weeks would have taught you something about your mortality."

"Well I am still pretty young. Just look at Skipper. He is still doing pretty well and he is over 50 years my senior."

"And he is a plane who didn't fly for decades after being pulled out of the sea." Maru countered, unimpressed with the argument.

"Skipper is…" Dusty revved up ready for a fight.

"Dusty." Maru's voice was quiet, but as unyielding as a brick wall. "I ain't going having this argument. We both know that the more a plane flies the more risks for catastrophic failure then a grounded one and you have proven that you are perfectly willing to fly into harm's way even if you should be keepin' your wheels on the tarmac."

"So, you are telling me that you had the same discussion with Dipper? With Cabbie?" The acid in former cropduster's voice was palpable. "And how about with Blade? Or am I just being put on the spot because you just had to rebuild my engine and you don't want to go through the bother again if you don't have to."

"Yes and no."

"Yes and no, what?"Dusty spat.

"Yes, I have had the conversation with everyone on base other than you and it was a two way street, in fact." Maru shrugged. "The Chief and Patch sat down and make sure that they knew what my wishes were if the worst happened to me two weeks after I became head mechanic. And no, the reason I am having this conversation with you has nothing to do with your engine rebuild. It has more to do with the paint job you just got. You are now officially part of the team and as a member of the team we need to know what to do with you if you royally mung yourself up again. For example when Cabbie finally hits a solid core cloud he would prefer to receive palliative care but not a rebuild…"

"Cabbie wants to just die!" Dusty practically shrieked and Maru instantly regretted his choice of example.

"Cabbie's not suicidal, he is quite the opposite. He just knows that he is reaching the end of his operational life and when faced with the choice of a relatively quick death in a blaze of glory in the place he has called home for most of his post-military life, or being sent away to slowly fall apart forever trapped on the ground at Air Force boneyard in Arizona, he would prefer to stay here."

"That seems so…" The small plane paused searching for the right word.

"Cruel?" Maru gave a mirthless laugh remembering how shocked and worried he had been when he had first read the cargo plane's emergency repair directives. Then how much the mechanic's tune had change after he had done a little research about what Flying Boxcar's retirement looked like. "It is anything but. Cabbie has watched what has happened too many of his fellow C-119s when they could no longer take to the skies and got sent to the boneyards. It isn't pretty. Those of the model who can still fly call them ground ghosts and the lot of them are dark and miserable creatures."

"But it is Cabbie…"

"And Cabbie wants to live and die as Cabbie instead of becoming a shell of himself." Maru shrugged. "It is not like we are going to be cruel about it when the time comes, and yes with him it is a when not an if. Piston Peak National Park is probably the last home he will ever have and when the day comes when he has managed to scatter himself across the cliffs. We will be there to make sure that his pain is managed and he isn't alone when he takes his last breaths. Blade and I have even made special arrangements, though Cabbie has no clue that we managed it, to have his metal recycled and returned to the park. He will make a very handsome overlook and fire tower someday."

"Are all the other wills like…you know…" Dusty voice trailed off as he gulped nervously.

"Oh, goodness sakes no." Maru gave a deep chuckle. "They vary from person to person depending on where they are in their life. And sometimes we alter them based on life experience. Dipper and most of the Smokejumper kids are continue to repair until it is clear that there is no hope, then retrieve and send home for last rights. Dynamite wants to go through at least three transmissions before she kicks the bucket. Blade has a 'try to get me back no matter what' clause, though I think it might be time to reevaluate that one now that I am not as worried about him taking a nose dive off a building. Which brings me to you and what your end of life choices are?"

Based on where their earlier conversation had meandered, Maru expected that Dusty would behave like Dipper, who had instantly blurt out that she wanted to fight until there was no more fight left in either her or the mechanic. But to the cropduster's credit, he didn't. Dusty instead paused, a whole host of emotions racing across his face.

"Can I have some time?" Dusty asked, shifting his weight on his pontoons and not making eye contact. "I mean to think about it, maybe call home?"

"Of course, take the time that you need."

Aerospace Note: Aircraft Boneyard are places where planes and helicopters are parked after retirement. These planes are often slowly picked apart, removing all their useful parts, and then they are scrapped for the metal. The Air Force currently owns and the largest of these boneyards. It is just over 2,600 acres and is the final home for nearly 4,400. That particular boneyard is located in Arizona, but there are many other scattered across the Southwest US because the desert is an ideal place to store a downed aircraft long term. While it seems like in the Cars' World some aircraft who have been accepted as members of communities even if they can't fly, the bigger aircraft would have to have someplace to retire that could actually accommodate their size when they were grounded.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading. I hope that if you have enjoyed it that you will leave me a review or shoot me a pm with suggestions for future stories that you would like to see and suggestions about how to make your reading experience better.