Skipper Riley

Chapter 2. "Echo and Bravo", or "The Star Plane"

Dusty had been trying to fall asleep for several hours now, but he just couldn't. He decided not to torture himself with attempts to drift off and wanted to find something to do to take his mind off the bad thoughts. The TV with air shows, the books, the racing trophies — everything reminded him of Skipper, all tightly bound to memories. Dusty rolled out of his hangar. His wings and fuselage were brushed by the cold night breeze; there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, the darkness was studded with stars. The plane drove wherever his eyes led him, passing hangars, including Dottie's workshop, where the light was still on. He pulled up to the cornfield and stared at the sky, whispering the names of the constellations he knew.

---

The sound of an engine and the rustle of wheels were heard. The last thing Dusty wanted right now was for someone to come up to him with condolences. His old friend Chug pulled up beside the firefighter.

"Can't sleep either?" his friend asked, also looking up at the stars.

"Yeah..."

"You know, he can see you," Chug said in a mesmerized voice. "Those who have left this world watch us. He's watching you from the stars and is proud of his student."

As cliché as it sounded, at that moment Dusty wanted to believe in every good fairy tale. He looked at the night sky. Whether his imagination was running wild, or the insomnia and stress were taking their toll, but the firefighter saw a silhouette of a "Corsair" in the stars — its fuselage and wings made of nebulae, the emblems slightly brighter, the eyes — two of the largest stars — looking straight into his soul with a certain warmth. Dusty heard Chug driving away and was left alone with his visions. The plane felt strangely cozy, all the anxiety left his soul, and his mechanical heart beat calmer. The huge silhouette flew across the sky, showing its grandeur, its wings cutting through the night canvas. Dusty watched this, feeling completely safe, as if under his father's wing. After flying around for a while, the star plane detached from the sky and headed toward the student. Without even landing, it silently approached the small red-and-white plane, only the wind whistling as it swept around its wings. The crop duster stood mesmerized in place. Being very close to Dusty, the fighter examined him, saying nothing. The firefighter felt Skipper place a wing on his fuselage, as if hugging him; a living warmth emanated from his entire frame. Dusty now only wanted this moment to last as long as possible. He didn't think about what was happening, he just enjoyed the moment — the mentor's wing shielding the plane from the cold night wind.

"Hey, Dusty!" came Dottie's voice from behind. "Have you been out here all night!? It's +9 degrees, do you want to get sick!?"

The firefighter opened his eyes heavily, coming out of his doze. So it was a dream... His wings and fuselage were buzzing from the cold, a shiver ran through his frame. The visions of Skipper were slowly dissolving from his consciousness.

"Come to my workshop, you'll warm up," the mechanic called softly and headed to her place. Dusty gave in to her warmth and followed Dottie.

Rolling into the hangar, the firefighter saw a depressing sight: the fighter plane covered with a sheet still stood in the middle of the workshop, with a dented wing and part of a broken vertical stabilizer sticking out from under the fabric; Chloe stood next to Skipper, staring at the white fabric with an empty gaze that showed not a single emotion, her whole appearance betraying exhaustion and emotional depletion.

"She's been here all night," Dottie sighed. "Cried for a long time. Only when I gave her sleeping pills did she manage to sleep for a couple of hours."

Dusty approached his mentor and briefly ducked under his wing, but felt nothing except the lifeless cold of metal. Chloe's sobs darkened his already bad mood even more.

---

A day passed.

A loud rumble of several engines came from the runway. Dusty rolled out of his hangar and saw one cargo plane and two jet fighters. Chug and Dottie rolled out to greet them, while Sparky was already helping the forklifts sent from the aircraft carrier to move some crates from the plane into the hangar. Dusty recognized Echo and Bravo and approached them. Noticing him, the fighters turned around.

"Hello, Crophopper," Bravo said with calmness in his voice.

"Howdy," Echo echoed.

"Hello, guys," the firefighter sighed, examining them closely. "Have you already been told about what happened?"

"That's why we're here. Every plane in the squadron is connected to it throughout its life and after death; therefore, the fate of the 'bodies' of deceased planes should be decided by the squadron itself: whether to send them for scrap, to a museum, etc. And since we became good friends after the incident during the around-the-world race, we have every right to say goodbye to Skipper."

Echo and Bravo headed to the large hangar where the "Corsair" had been kept since that day. The white fabric had been removed from it, so all the damage was clearly visible. Echo, due to his emotional nature, was a bit downcast, but Bravo's voice roused him:

Leitmotif in You Had Us Worried (Planes 2 OST)

performed by Mark Mancina

They fill the void in each other’s hearts

Beautiful Boy (Instrumental)