Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“The tugboat… For its size, is the most powerful craft to float. And, the Star Tugs, are the power behind the docks and water waves that make up the Bigg CIty Port.

This… Is TUGS”

While I was, of course, operating a fleet of tugboats, I had great relations with Bigg City’s Dock Railway. Top Hat was the only railway tug in the port, making him the only one capable of towing Car Floats full of the railway’s wagons across the harbor. I remember a time when Top Hat was becoming conceited because of this, but then again, when isn’t he conceited?

“Evening crew!” said Top Hat one evening, “How were you all without me today?”

“ Hanging around with Little Ditcher and dredging at Mittsville…” groaned Sunshine.

“Just like everyday, eh my dear Sunshine?” said Top Hat, cheekily.

“Much like how everyday you’re waltzing around the harbor with the railway wagons?” asked Ten Cents, feeling rather offended. 

“Are you suggesting that that’s a bad thing? I’m the only tug that can do it.” bragged Top Hat, “You’re too small for a job like that, Ten Cents”

“Better a switcher than a long-necked giraffe!”

“What cheek!!”

“Alright, alright! Settle down!” I interrupted, “We’ve got a busy day tomorrow. I’ve received word that the Duchess is returning to Bigg City tomorrow afternoon, and I will need all of you to help out in towing her in. And yes, Top Hat, that includes you.”

“Me?” complained Top Hat, “But the railway’s been very busy recently! Who’s going to look after the Car Floats if I have to help?”

“You’ve helped us out in bringing Ocean Liners into port before Top Hat, why do you have a problem with it now?” asked Ten Cents, confused.

“I’m just concerned for the railway!” objected Top Hat, “If the Car Floats don’t get delivered, there will be severe delays for them.”

But what Top Hat didn’t realize was that while we were focused on the contract with the Duchess, that Captain Zero had made a new purchase… Her name was Zoey, the sixth member of the Z-Stack crew, and I’m sorry to say… Her arrival meant that Top Hat was no longer the only Railway Tug in Bigg City Port.

“Aha! There she is, lads! Our new recruit!” said Captain Zero as she approached the dock, “Everyone, meet Zoey! My new Railway Tug. I purchased her from New York… Real cheap, too. I’m so glad you could make it, Zoeeeyyy”

“My pleasure... Captain Zero, is it?” greeted Zoey.

“Correct! And these are your new acquaintances, please make yourself at home, Zoey.”

“Welcome to the crew, my dear, I promise we'll treat you with the finest hospitality…” flirted Zorran, “You can call me Zorran!”

“He isn’t actually… You know, with her, is he?” whispered Zebedee to Zak.

“Yes he is…” said Zak, rather disgusted. “He thinks he’s such a gentleman.”

“What was that?” asked Zorran suspiciously.

“Oh, nothing, Zorran! Welcome to the fleet, Zoey! I’m Zak.”

“Zebedee.”

“And these two you’ll know as Zip and Zug.” said Zorran at last, as all the other Z-Stacks began chuckling.

Zoey chuckled back, “Well it’s a pleasure to meet you all! What kind of work do you have in mind for me, so to speak?”

“Tomorrow the Star Fleet will be too busy with that damned Ocean Liner’s contract! But this time, I actually am happy…” said Captain Zero.

“Why’s that, Captain?” asked Zorran, remembering the last time the Duchess came to the port.

“Because this means that the long-necked Top Hat won’t be working at the railway…” explained Captain Zero, “With Zoey here we finally have a chance to take the Car Float contract from them! I want you Zoey, tomorrow, to take the Car Floats at the Transfer Dock and take them to their respective destinations… Do your best and we’ll finally have a bonus to our business!”

“Great! What a lark…” laughed Zorran, “It’s about time we take that Top Hat down a few pegs…”

“Anything for you, sir…” smirked Zoey, eager to please. “I’d be delighted to get acquainted with this new railway and its engines…”

The next day, all of the Star Tugs were very busy. The Duchess arrived at 1:00 that day, and they all did their best to help dock her. Top Hat was still worried about the Car Floats.

“How much farther do we have to go?” asked Top Hat.

“Several yards Top Hat! Come on, concentrate!” snapped Ten Cents.

“I have to get back to the railway soon!” he complained.

Ignore the railway, Top Hat!” said O.J., “If we don’t work together, the Duchess isn’t gonna get docked properly!”

Top Hat stayed silent and concentrated after that. But when they were almost at the port, Top Hat’s eyes drifted off into the distance… He noticed something. It was Zoey, towing two familiar Car Floats across the bay. Top Hat couldn’t believe his eyes!

“Who’s that?” he asked, “They’ve got my Car Floats! O.J., they’ve got my Car Floats!”

“TOP HAT LOOK OUT!” screeched O.J., but it was too late. At that moment, the Duchess bumped into Top Hat’s hull.

“OH-OH alright alright!” he whinged.

Soon, the Duchess was docked and the Star Tugs could go about their separate ways. The first thing Top Hat did when he cut his line was race across the harbor to look for the tug that had taken his Car Floats. He soon found her.

“YOU!” shrieked Top Hat, “Who are you, and what’s the big idea, taking my car floats?”

“Can’t you read a nameplate, smart guy?” snarled Zoey, “And your car floats? These are the Dock Railway’s car floats, and I’m taking them to the Terminal.”

“What?! That’s my job!” objected Top Hat.

“Then where were you this morning? Some Railway Tug you are if you neglect your car floats.”

“It wasn’t my fault, I had to help my mates!”

“Oohhh, hello Top Hat!” teased Frank, “I think it’s time we hang around with a new long-necked lassie, isn’t it Eddie?”

“At least this one doesn’t wear an old, beat-up Top Hat and a lousy monocle!” said Eddie, and both car floats laughed out loud, as Zoey continued into the distance.

“What?! My monocle looks great on me, let me tell you! You low-lives get back here at once!” shouted Top Hat, but Zoey and the floats had already headed off into the distance. All Top Hat could do was sulk back to the Star Dock, where I was waiting to confront him about what had happened earlier.

“Top Hat, what’s this I heard about you losing focus on the Duchess today? I’ve received complaints from her and O.J. here.” I asked.

“Sir, I can explain.” said Top Hat, “Those Z-Stacks have got a new recruit, and she’s stolen my car floats! They can’t do that sir, it’s my job and my job only!”

“Weren’t you just the other day bragging about how you were the only tug in the port that could do the job?” asked Ten Cents.

“I had no idea there were other tugs like you, Top Hat!” exclaimed Sunshine.

“Well there’s one now, and she’s stolen my job!”

“Alright Top Hat, alright! Settle down!” I said at last, “I will have to take a look into this later, but you can’t deny that this new tug of Captain Zero’s did do you a favor when you were busy with the Duchess.”

“But… But…”

“Relax, Top Hat, it’ll be alright.” sighed O.J., “You can still do odd jobs with us while this is being sorted out.”

“Ohhh I was afraid you’d say that…” groaned Top Hat, “Well, I suppose as long as it doesn’t involve towing smelly garbage barges with Warrior…”

Meanwhile at the Zero Dock, Captain Zero was very pleased with Zoey’s performance.

“Well done, my dear Zoey. I heard you were right on time today!”

“I was actually early, Captain!” explained Zoey.

“Even better… I’ll talk to the railway about the contract first thing tomorrow.” said Captain Zero deviously, “This’ll be great for my business.”

“Well done, Zoey!” laughed Zorran, “You taught that Top Hat a lesson.”

“Top Hat? Was he that other railway tug that followed me earlier today?” asked Zoey.

“Yes… And you certainly put him in his place.”

“I suppose I did…” she thought, “Somebody’s gotta do it if he’s going to waltz off and choose to dock Ocean Liners over doing what he was designed for.”

“Exactly… You’ve for sure made the railway very satisfied, be proud of yourself!” laughed Zorran.

Little did Captain Zero know, however, was that the Dock Railway’s engines weren’t that pleased to find out that a Z-Stack was trying to tow their rolling stock across the bay. Our friend Puffa tried to remain optimistic but his sister, Little Owl, was having none of it.

“Now now, they do get their work done fairly efficiently!” argued Puffa.

“Yeah, while TRYING TO SINK ME IN THE PROCESS! ” shrieked Little Owl.

Now, Little Owl was a hard worker, but difficult to please. Ever since they destroyed one of the railway’s bridges with the steel rig, Little Owl never trusted the Z-Stacks.

“If those Z-Stacks are going to take over the car floats from now on, then I refuse to shunt a single car onto Frank and Eddie. If you want to trust those crooks, fine by me. But you wouldn’t catch me scrapped working with them.”

It was at that moment that the two shunting engines saw Top Hat slowly crawling towards the dock.

“Ayyy, hello Top Hat!” greeted Puffa, “Why the long face?”

“Why do you think?” said the Railway Tug, “Those Z-Stacks have stolen my place here at the Railway Dock. What am I supposed to do now if they’re taking over?”

“I won’t let that happen… Not if I have a bone to pick with those Zed’s…” said Little Owl, in a rather threatening matter.

“Well if I can’t do anything about it, what can you do?” asked Top Hat.

“I’ve got a plan… Now, is anyone else besides us three listening?”

Top Hat and Puffa looked, no one to be seen. So Little Owl whispered her plan to her friends. Top Hat grinned.

“If I didn’t know any better… I’d say that idea came from one of those Zed’s!” he said.

They waited until the strength of the waves increased further. Zoey came in to pick up the Car Floats just as Little Owl was shunting some log cars aboard Eddie… They had come derailed, however, but Zoey couldn’t see that from the direction she was facing.

“Are these heading Up River?” asked Zoey.

“Yes, indeed. Get them there quickly, we’ve got a tight schedule today!” lied Little Owl,
“More log cars will be coming in soon.”

“Then there’s no time to lose…” said Zoey, determined.

Zoey revved her engine and set off quickly. Little Owl snickered as she lost sight of the Z-Stack. Zoey was speeding, she had fallen for Little Owl’s trick and the current wasn’t going to take it easy on her.

“Gotta get there on time… If I make enough trips I bet the railway will be begging to use me instead of Top Hat!”

As she sped through the port, the current kept hitting the car floats and caused the derailed log cars to shift. One final wave was enough, and the cars tipped over and fell into the sea!

“Stop, Zoey!” shrieked Eddie, “Log cars overboard!”

“What?! How?!” she screamed, caught off-guard.

Zoey, not thinking straight, quickly tried to turn around to go back for the log cars, which had already sunk into the bay. Instead, she lost control, and found herself veering towards the old docks. On Frank’s side, she crashed into the dock, causing the cars on Frank to also fall off and sink into the bay, with the docks completely destroyed.

“Help! Help!” called Frank.

“I can’t!!!” wailed Zoey. Then, to her horror, the impact had caused her ropes attached to Eddie to snap. Now, Eddie was drifting away from the wreckage.

“No-no-no-no! Eddie, come back!”

Then… Top Hat came in, to catch Eddie and prevent him from drifting any further.

“Good heavens, what a mess! Are you alright, Zoey?” he asked, now a little concerned.

“Of course not!” cried Zoey, “Get a crane, fast!”

“Right away!” said Top Hat, as he took off.

Top Hat thought that Little Owl’s plan would only delay Zoey, he didn’t think it would cause a severe accident. Nevertheless, he alerted the salvage crew, and soon they were clearing up the wreckage. Luckily, all of the wagons were recovered, but were heavily damaged. Captain Zero wasn’t too pleased when he found out what had happened.

“You clumsy bimbo!” he shouted at her, “What were you thinking, speeding across the port during a strong current?”

“Please, captain! I can explain!” protested Zoey, “The shunting engine told me-”

“I’m not here to listen to your rubbish excuses! Now the Dock Railway doesn’t trust us and have refused to give us the contract! And it’s all your fault…”

“No, sir! It isn’t, please, if you’d just listen-”

“Absolutely not! If this is how stupid you are, you have no place in my fleet. Get out of my sight this instant!”

Zoey had no choice. “… As you wish, sir…” she sighed sadly, and began backing out of the dock.

“Well done, captain… She makes Warrior look smart” said Zak, mockingly.

Zoey then stopped at the Star Dock for a moment, and looked at Top Hat.

“Well, Top Hat… You can have your car floats back, I hope you’re happy…”  she sighed.

Zoey sadly chuffed away, never intending to return to Bigg City again. Top Hat now felt bad for Zoey, it technically wasn’t her fault… And there was only one thing he could do to redeem himself.

“Captain Star, sir, can I please let you in on something?” he asked to me.

“Yes Top Hat?” I replied.

“What happened today wasn’t entirely Zoey’s doing… You see, earlier I was let in on a scheme Little Owl had been plotting. She lied to Zoey and told her there was an extra shipment of logs and that Zoey had to do her job faster, and…”

“… Aaannndd?”

“She also deliberately derailed the log cars so that they’d more than likely go overboard for Zoey. I didn’t think it would cause an accident like it did, sir, but…”

“But that was still despicable, Top Hat. What have you got to say for yourself?” asked Ten Cents, rather shocked that Top Hat took part in that.

“… Nothing… You’re right Ten Cents, it was horrid of me to allow her to ruin Zoey’s chances of staying in the Zero Fleet. What should I do now?”

“I think you’ve done enough, Top Hat.” advised O.J., “Thank you for owning up. We’d better let the Dock Railway know about this tomorrow morning.”

And that’s exactly what happened. I contacted the Dock Railway’s manager the next day and told them about Top Hat and Little Owl’s scheme. They weren’t too pleased with Little Owl’s actions and as punishment, they put her on shunting duties, and only shunting duties, for a whole week as punishment for her actions, and I put Top Hat on garbage duty for the same amount of time as well for his own contributions. But what about Zoey? Well, a few weeks later, Top Hat and OJ were working Up River, and were very surprised to find…

“Zoey?! Is that really you?” asked Top Hat.

“Yes, it is me!” said Zoey, in a completely new coat of paint! “I was bought by the salvage company and now I work here Up River! It’s much nicer here, I gotta say.”

“Don’t you miss working with Captain Zero?” asked O.J.

“After how Captain Zero refused to let me explain my side of the story? Not a chance, those Z-Stacks will only dig their own graves with their despicable behavior. Top Hat, I’m sorry for how I put you down while I was working with them.”

“And I’m sorry for looking for different ways to get my job back. Can we let bygones be bygones?”

“Of course! I’m much happier here, and that accident turned out to be beneficial for me!”

In the end, getting rid of Zoey was Captain Zero’s loss, but her gain. She wasn’t such a bad tug after all, and making a friend of a former Z-Stack is never a bad thing!

Chapter Text

It was that time of the year again when the Star Tugs and Z-Stacks were helping each other out in bringing lumber from the sawmills Up River. The best time of the year was always in spring. Zoey, the Railway Tug and former Z-Stack was enjoying her life Up River. She had just salvaged a fishing boat and was bringing it to Mittsville when she saw Zip and Zebedee towing a few timber barges, but she wasn’t very pleased to see them again.

“Ahoy!” called Zip, “Is that you, Zoey?! Good to see you again! Lovely weather, eh?”

“It was… But you Zero’s had to ruin it for me.” said Zoey, glaring crossly at them.

“What are you getting at?” asked Zebedee, “You were once one of us too, remember?”

“I’m not a Zero now, am I?... And I’d rather stay that way. Now get out of my sight, you creeps!”

“I was just trying to say hello…” said Zip, who was rather upset.

“Oh ignore her, Zip. She’s just jealous Captain Zero trusts us more.” sneered Zebedee.

Zoey soon made it to Mittsville, and there she saw Ten Cents and Big Mac.

“G’daye Zoey! I see you’ve claimed salvage!” chuckled Big Mac.

“Oh! Hello, Stars!” greeted Zoey, “Yes, this fishing boat went adrift and I’m taking it back to be repaired. How are you two doing?”

“We’re doing great! Just dropping off some timber here at Mittsville before we make our way back to the Port. This is a tough job.” said Ten Cents

“I bet…” said Zoey, “But I’m sure you can handle it much better than those crummy Z-Stacks.”

“We do, I’ll admit…” said Ten Cents, “But they’re still a great help! Zebedee’s quite a strong tug and knows his way around.”

“Really?...” asked Zoey.

“Yeah!”

“I don’t believe it…” scoffed Zoey, “Any tug who works for Captain Zero can’t be trusted.”

Zoey chuffed off before Ten Cents could reply.

“Big Mac, do you think Zoey hates the Z-Stacks?” asked Ten Cents.

“Any sane tug would keep their distance from them…” groaned Big Mac.

“But Zoey’s more spiteful towards them than most… She won’t even look at them!”

“Well can you blame her? That crook Captain Zero just casted her aside after one accident. And we both know he’s a crook.”

Meanwhile, Zebedee and Zip had stalled down the river, as Zip had broken down.

“Seriously, Zip?! When was the last time you had your engine repaired?” asked Zebedee, annoyed.

“Captain Zero has been putting it off!” complained Zip, “He didn’t get much money back from getting rid of Zoey-”

“Hey-hey-hey don’t mention that name in front of me, you know we can’t speak of her around Captain Zero.”

“But… The captain’s not here.” said Zip, and at that moment they heard Sunshine’s whistle

“Sunshine?! Is that you?”

“Hello, Zip!” said Sunshine, “What seems to be the trouble?”

“I’ve broken down. I was wondering if you could help give us get back to Bigg City-”

“-Don’t bother with him, Zip!” interrupted Zebedee, “I can manage!”

“Are you sure? But I thought-”

“-I’m not weak, Zip. Watch me.” said Zebedee, and then he revved up his engine, towing Zip and the barges forward.

“Once we get back to Bigg City, I’m taking you to Lucky’s Yard right away, do I make myself clear?” ordered Zebedee.

“Crystal clear…” said Zip.

“… Well that was interesting.” said Sunshine, bewildered.

Back at Mittsville, Zoey had just brought the fishing boat home. 

“You’re welcome! Thank you for the payment, too!” said Zoey, then she saw Top Hat and O.J. coming down river. “You guys gotta hear this story.” she said.

“Make it quick please, Zoey!” said Top Hat, “We gotta get down river on time.”

“The fishing boat I just salvaged told me the silliest story on how they ran aground.” started Zoey, “I thought they weren’t keeping a good lookout, but they claimed there was some landslide that came out of nowhere that got in their way and they couldn’t swerve in time! What a way to cover up their clumsy story, amiright?”

“What makes you so sure that they made it up?” asked O.J., “Mother nature can do some strange things.”

“But the ground here is pretty firm…” protested Zoey.

“The area was flooded not too long ago.” explained O.J., “I’m pretty sure the ground was crumbling from the dampness. Erosion can catch you off guard like that. I imagine you’ll be having similar incidents in the near future.”

“Geez… The only boats I thought were telling me crazy stories were those Z-Stacks.” said Zoey, still a little skeptical. “Well, see you fellas, and make sure those Zero’s don’t go anywhere near me!”

“Anything you say!” said Top Hat.

Zebedee had made it back to Bigg City Port, and had dropped Zip off at Lucky’s Yard.

“Now listen to me very closely… Once your engine’s fixed, you get back Up River first thing, do you understand? And make sure Captain Zero doesn’t find out!” barked Zebedee.

“Okay, okay! Sheesh, you don’t have to be so hard on me.” complained Zip.

“And I thought Zak couldn’t keep up with his engine… Well, see you later.” said Zebedee, then he headed back Up River

“Sheesh... ‘We Zero’s had to ruin it for her’ indeed…” said Zebedee to himself.

Meanwhile, back Up River, Sunshine had run into a familiar face.

“Billy! Good to see you man!” said Sunshine, “Eyyy, what’s happened here?”

“Sunshine!!! Oh, nothing I can’t handle.” said Billy Shoepack, “There was a landslide earlier today and I was called in to take care of it. Nothing a little bit of dynamite can’t help!-”

“Oh-hey-hey-hey… Let’s go easy on the dynamite for once, Billy…” said Sunshine, “I think Little Ditcher’s up at Mittsville, I’ll go get him.”

Sunshine headed back Up River to find Little Ditcher, but not too far away was Zebedee, carrying two empty barges behind him.

“Woah-woah-woah what’s going on here?!” exclaimed Zebedee, as he came to a quick stop.

“Hiya, bearded one!” said Billy, “Sorry for the inconvenience, there was a landslide and Sunshine’s going to get a crane to dredge it.”

“Oh, great… My barge load is too wide to squeeze around the open area.” sighed Zebedee.

“Well, it can’t be too long before Sunshine gets back! Maybe he can help you!” said Billy.

Sunshine soon made it to Mittsville.

“Hello, Sunshine!” said Zoey, “How’s the logging coming along?”

“Hello, Zoey! Hey, can I borrow Little Ditcher? There’s been a landslide down river and we need to do some dredging.”

“Sure, Little Ditcher’s down that way.”

“Ahh, thanks! Hopefully I can get there before Zebedee and Zip get stuck.”

“That’d actually be hilarious in my opinion.” smirked Zoey.

Sunshine soon returned to the site, finding Zebedee trapped on the other side.

“Ohh, hey Zebedee! You alright?” asked Sunshine.

“Yes, Star, I’m fine, nothing I can’t manage.”

“Little Ditcher will be clearing this lot up very shortly. Think you can hold out for a while?”

Zebedee pondered for a second, “Eyya, actually… Can you help get me through the opening? My barges are too wide to go through that spot together, just hold onto one of them for me, is that do-able?”

“Oh, not a problem! Just let me get Little Ditcher secure so that he can put his posts down and get to work.”

“Oh, thanks… But don’t tell Captain Zero I asked for your help, okay?”

“Have it your way!”

Later that evening, Zoey was on patrol, waiting for a possible distress call to come out. She was then alerted that another fishing boat was in trouble further up river, so she set off, but not without bumping into Zebedee first.

Zoey shrieked, “Hey, watch where you’re going!-”

“Watch where you’re going?! It’s my right of way!” protested Zebedee.

“I have to answer to an emergency! Something you Zero’s know nothing about!”

“Emergency?... Oh-eh, sorry… I’ll move aside… Take care and claim salvage.”

“Thank you…” sighed Zoey, as she raced off into the distance.

The tugs had all finished their logging deliveries for the day. The Stars were now back at Mittsville, waiting for everyone to gather so they could make it home together. But they were soon greeted by Zip, with his engine finally repaired.

“Hey, have any of you seen Zebedee?” asked Zip.

“‘Fraid not, he’s probably still at the logging camp.” thought O.J.

“Uhmmm… Can I stay with you lot until he comes back? I don’t like going out alone, really.”

“You mean to ask us to stay in the company of a Zero? ” sneered Top Hat, “You seemed to get here just fine by yourself…”

“Please?...” begged Zip, “I promise I won’t cause any trouble while we’re here. Just until Zebedee gets back, that’s all I ask.”

“I see no problem with it.” said O.J.

They were both suddenly interrupted by two whistles. One coming from Zebedee, the other from Billy Shoepack.

“ THERE you are, Zip! I thought you’d be at Lucky’s Yard all day!” complained Zebedee.

“I came as fast as I could!”

“Heya Billy! What are you doing here at this time?” asked Sunshine.

“Have any of you fellas seen Zoey? She hasn’t returned from her distress call from earlier.” explained Billy.

“I’m afraid not Billy... I haven’t seen her since I fetched Little Ditcher at Mittsville earlier.”

“She might still be busy.” suggested O.J., “You never know what happens out there at this time of night.”

“There’s no way… Zoey always gets her salvage jobs done on time…” explained Billy, “I think she got lost.”

“You sure?”

“Believe me, I’ve looked everywhere I could. I thought one of you might have seen her.”

“Right then… We might have to form a search party, do you know where she was supposed to be?”

“All I know is another fishing boat was in trouble and she responded to the distress call.”

“Alright. Everyone! Let’s work together, and find Zoey! That means you two as well, Zip and Zebedee!”

“Why should we?!” protested Zebedee, “She hates us!”

“But it’s the right thing to do, Zeb!” argued Zip.

“I know, I know…” sighed Zebedee, “But last time I did the right thing I almost got in trouble with Captain Zero.”

“Well this time, I’m throwing myself under the bus as well. Come on!”

Zebedee and Zip paired together to find the missing tug. While the other Z-Stack’s didn’t care for Zoey, they always knew deep down she meant well, and wanted to make sure they could help her in any way they could. My Star’s unfortunately were having no luck in finding her. The two Z-Stack’s, however… Were very surprised to find her half-buried in a landslide.

“Zoey! Is that you?!” called Zip.

“Oh, not you two again…” groaned the railway tug.

“You alright? Must have had a pretty nasty accident here.”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine… Just get out of here and alert the Star Tugs!”

“We can’t just leave you here stranded!” explained Zebedee, “But you’re right… Zip, get back to Mittsville and alert the others. I’ll see what I can do to get her out of this mess.”

“Hah! What can you do?” laughed Zoey.

“More than you think…” smirked Zebedee.

Zebedee was able to get a line on Zoey as Zip made his way back to Mittsville. Zebedee tried his hardest to tug at Zoey… 

“Rrrrgh! You’re a heavy tug!” groaned Zebedee, “This isn’t going to be easy!”

“So manly… Just get me out!” complained Zoey.

“Be patient! This is gonna take time!”

Zebedee took a quick breath, then got another line on Zoey. This time he revved up his engine even higher, he was determined to do something to help the railway tug out of the bank. Finally, Zoey was beginning to budge.

“Hey… Hey you’re doing it! That’s it, keep that up!” encouraged Zoey.

But being such a heavy tug, the attempts to pull her free were only straining Zebedee’s engine. 

“OHHH… Oh, come on! Almost there! Come on!” groaned Zebedee. But then, it happened. Zebedee’s engine overheated and smoke bellowed all around. He had failed to pull her out of the bank.

“Ah sheesh… I should have known this would happen…” sighed Zebedee, now buried in smoke.

“At least you tried…”

They ended up waiting until Zip and the other tugs came back with cranes.

“Zebedee… What happened to your engine?” asked Zip.

“He tried to pull me out by himself and he ended up overheating!” explained Zoey.

“Don’t worry about me…” sighed Zebedee, “Just get her out of the bank.”

“And you were ripping into me earlier for having engine troubles!”

“ Don’t be too hard on him,” said O.J., “that’s true dedication! Only the bravest tugs would be willing to sacrifice their engines to help another.”

“Yeah… But Zero’s gonna be flipping mad when he finds out about this.” groaned Zebedee.

Clearing away the bank took all night, but by early morning, Zoey was finally free, and was making her way back home with Billy Shoepack. But Zebedee was very apologetic.

“Hey-hey-heya before you go… I just wanted to apologize for making a fool of myself by ruining my engine.”

“Don’t worry about it… In fact, I forgot to thank you for trying to save me.” said Zoey, now grateful.

“Ahh… It was nothing.”

“I’d put in a good word with you for Captain Zero if it wasn’t for the fact that he never wanted to see me again!”

“Maybe I’ll tell him about your dedication up here. You are a good tug, really. My boss can be abrasive at times.”

“You must have a lot of patience with him… Thanks, Zebedee. Hope to see you again soon.”

“You probably will.”

“Zebedee! Hey, Zebedee! We need to get back to port!” called Ten Cents, “You coming?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll catch up!” called Zebedee.

For Zoey, it was back to working with the salvage fleet, and for Zebedee, it was back to working with Captain Zero. But Zoey had forgiven the Z-Stacks that night. After all, as we’ve seen before, every tug is willing to look out for each other.

Chapter Text

This is a story I remember being told by the Salvage Crew and the Dock Railway. While Railways could go many places boats couldn’t, the Bigg City’s Dock Railway didn’t go very far. At Toptown, it would connect to a mainline railway, and none of the shunters owned by the Dock Railway were able to go any further. To give a little bit of history on this railway, there were five engines owned by the railway. You already know Puffa and Little Owl, two of the most reliable engines on the railway. There were also three other saddle tanks, there was Luna, the smallest of the roster, Goliath, the biggest of the roster, and finally Sentinel, just in the middle if you take my meaning. They were all great friends with my Star Tugs, and even made friends with a few of the tugs Up River. Even Zoey, if you’d believe it.

“Hello, Zoey… We meet again.” greeted Little Owl.

“You don’t still hate me, do you?” asked Zoey.

“No of course not… You’re not a part of the Zero Fleet anymore.”

“Don’t remind me… I’d still like to give Captain Zero a piece of my mind one of these days.”

“Huh? I thought you had forgiven them?” asked Luna.

“Zebedee and Zip I’ve forgiven, they’re actually really sweet once you get to know them. I don’t know about the others though… Zorran gives me the creeps.”

“But I kinda like Zorran…” said Luna, obliviously. “Got that nice mustache, and all.”

“Do you know anything about Zorran, Luna?”

“I just like his appearance, that’s all. The Zero Fleet’s got a nice livery, you have to admit.”

“Trust me, girl. He’s not worth it.”

Down at the Transfer Dock, Puffa and Goliath were shunting onto the Car Floats and were having a chat with each other.

“How was your run down here, Goliath?” greeted Puffa.

“Kinda lousy and boring…”

“Why?”

“Well one of the mainline engines was making fun of me while I was at Toptown! Says we’re just a bunch of mini-trains, taking joy rides to the port. Then he proceeds to say we should work like “Real” engines in his words, as in go on the mainline.”

“You can’t let those country boys get to you man! They don’t know how hard we work. At least we have all of the Star Tugs as friends, wouldn’t you say Top Hat?”

“Mmmm… Well, I do have to agree, sometimes I wish for a change of scenery as well.” said Top Hat, thoughtfully. “Imagine if, say… I could be an Ocean Liner like SS Vienna! That would be impressive, wouldn’t it?”

“Bad timing, Top Hat…”

“No no, he’s right Puffa… Wouldn’t it be nice if we had tenders, and could see the world? Meet more engines, pull long goods trains? I mean, I’ll be honest… Once in a while it gets stale and boring here. I mean, Sentinel never says a word to us.

“I see he lives up to his name, like an actual sentinel guard!” interrupted Top Hat.

“Ummm, Top Hat, Sentinel’s a-”

“Sorry can’t wait here long. I’ve got to get these two low-lifes delivered, especially since Captain Star wants me to be back at the dock in a few hours.” And then Top Hat left with Frank and Eddie.

“Come on Goliath, like I said… There’s more than enough work for you here. Besides, in the end we don’t have tenders…” said Puffa, sympathetically.

“Maybe Top Hat could let me ride on the Car Floats and I could see the ocean better?”

“Now that’s just dangerous… Besides, engines can’t float, just ask Little Owl.”

But no matter what Puffa could say, Goliath would still daydream about what he didn’t have. Eventually, the other engines were overhearing his complaints as well, and Little Owl gave him an earful.

“Well, Goliath, I’d rather keep my wheels here on our territory. Our rails take us to all the places we could possibly ever want to observe!”

Before she could say anything else, they heard Zoey’s horn and she came in with a message for Goliath.

“Goliath! Thank goodness you’re here, I’ve received a message. You’re to report to Toptown right away and pick up Luna’s goods. She’s broken down and needs your help.”

“I’ll head up right away!” said Goliath, and he set right off.

Goliath made it to Toptown as fast as he could. The engines were faster than the tugs so it was no issue. There he consulted Luna.

“What’s happened to you?”

“My siderods broke trying to tow these heavy cars.” sighed Luna.

“Right… I was due to pick up some cars as well to take to the dock anyway, might as well take them and yours on the same journey.” decided Goliath.

The shunters were good enough for their normal work, but they were not very strong either. Goliath had forgotten that combining his train and Luna’s would be far too heavy for what he could handle. The railway had a rather long grade between Top Town and Bigg City. As Goliath made his way Down River, the weight of the train finally took its toll on him.

“Ohhhh… Maybe I should have left a few cars behind…” he wailed.

But it was too late, the weight of the train soon started pushing him down the line. Goliath tried to apply his brakes but there was no way they could overpower the weight of his train! All he could do is whistle for help. Zoey was heading Up River when she saw the heavy train thunder by.

“What’s going on with Goliath?!”

She was surprised to see Goliath speeding down river, but had the sense to realize that he was whistling for help.

“I’d better alert the port! A runaway train is bound to cause a disaster.”

She wasn’t equipped with a radio yet so she couldn’t radio in, but she was able to find the nearest building to alert them of the runaway, and they were able to communicate via telephone what was going on. Puffa was down at the port, and was panicking when he was alerted about the runaway.

“How are we going to stop it?!” he said, worried.

“We could let them slide off of one of us and let the train fall into the sea!” laughed Frank.

“Are you crazy?! Then Goliath will sink at the bottom of the bay!” objected Top Hat.

“All I can think of is… Wait, I’ve got an idea!” said Puffa.

“You do?”

“Yes, we have a roundhouse not too far from here. If we divert the train into there, the wall might be able to stop the train from crashing into the sea!”, then Puffa ran off.

“But that would damage your shed!” objected Top Hat.

“I’ll take that over my friend sinking!” called the tank engine.

“And I thought Warrior had some brash ideas…”

“What’s that Top Hat?!” asked Warrior, who happened to be passing by at that very moment.

“OH-OH-OH!!! Warrior, what are you doing here?!”

“Just passing by with His Lordship here. What’s up with you?”

“Mmmm… Well, Warrior, can you do me a huge favor?”

“Of course! What do you need, Top Hat?”

“Take Stinker over by the railway’s roundhouse… Get behind him and make sure he’s right behind the sheds. Do you think you can do that for me?”

“Well I suppose… But what’s going on?”

“I’ll explain later, just go!”

“Alright… Come on, Lordship!”

“Must be another problem with the railway… Hehehe…” laughed Lord Stinker.

Warrior pushed Lord Stinker right behind the sheds, still wondering what was going on. It didn’t take long for him to find out.

“Right!” said Puffa, “All the switches are positioned for the train to go into the roundhouse… Now retreat! Here he comes!”

Goliath tore down the tracks, with the dock coming nearer and nearer. He swerved towards the roundhouse… And braced for maximum impact…

“This is it… I’m gonna sink!!!”

Goliath SMASHED into the back of the shed, and was now dangling dangerously over the water! All that could catch him now was Lord Stinker.

“Ohhh, so that’s what was going on!” laughed Warrior.

Goliath was saved by the wall breaking his speed, but he was still very scared. 

“Warrior!!! Warrior, are you alright?!” called Sunshine.

“Don’t worry about me, worry about Goliath, if we wait to rescue him, he could fall into the sea! Go get Mighty Moe at once!”

“Right away!”

Sunshine brought Ten Cents, Might Moe, and supplies to help clean up the mess.

“Alright, Goliath! Stay calm, and you’ll be okay!” assured Ten Cents.

“That really isn’t helping right now!”

“You just gotta trust Mighty Moe, he’ll keep you informed of our plan!”

“Steady now, Goliath!” boomed Mighty Moe, “Little Owl and Sentinel are at the back of your train, keeping you anchored. I’m going to carefully lift you up in the air to keep you stabilized, and they will pull you back onto firm rails.”

“Alright… I think I get the jist…”

It was lucky for Goliath that he didn’t go any further. Otherwise, it would have taken much longer to clean up the mess, or worse still… He might have sunk into the bay. But with Mighty Moe carefully securing him, and the other shunting engines pulling him backwards carefully, it didn’t take long for him to get back onto the track.

“Well done, Mighty Moe! You’re safe now, Goliath!” said Warrior.

“Not over yet… There’s still that big hole in the wall, that’ll surely leave a draft for the next few days!” explained Moe.

“That should be an easy fix though!” said Sunshine.

Meanwhile, Zorran and Zebedee were passing by the wreck site, both a little surprised.

“Did you and Zak have something to do with this?!” confronted Zorran.

“No, Zorran! Honest! We’d never mess with the railway again.” whimpered Zebedee.

“You’d better not… Or I’ll make sure Captain Zero sinks you both.”

It can’t go without saying that I was able to get the contract in helping repair the sheds, and I assigned Sunshine to help deliver the materials needed to repair the broken wall. It didn’t take long for the shed to be fixed, but it took longer for Goliath and Luna to be repaired. But Puffa, Little Owl, and Sentinel were able to handle the work by themselves.

“What a day for surprises, eh Puffa?” asked Ten Cents one evening.

“It sure is! Though I’m hoping there will be no more of Goliath complaining about a new change of scenery.”

“Indeed…” said Sentinel suddenly, “Next thing you know, he’ll want to run off onto the mainline!”

Sunshine and Ten Cents both jumped.

“Hold up… You’re… A girl?” asked Sunshine, oblivious.

“Yeah, didn't you know?”

“No offense, Sentinel, but you hardly ever say a word…” explained Ten Cents.

“Work's more important than idle chatter.”

“I suppose that is true… And you three have been greatly overworked this whole time. Hopefully Luna’s doing alright as well.”

Luna meanwhile was Up River, and she saw Zorran passing by.

“Yo-hoo! Are you the Zorran of the Zero fleet?” she greeted.

“Why yes I am miss, can I be of service to you?” asked Zorran.

“I just wanted to say that I think you’re very handsome… With that nice mustache, your nice livery and all… I really dig it!”

Zorran was flattered, “Oh-ho! Why thank you… Ehm, what’s your name again?”

“You can call me Luna! Hope to see you again sometime-”

“ LUNA?! What are you doing?!” asked Little Owl, who had just pulled up with Goliath.

“I just wanted to say hello to Zorran!”

“Oh-ho-ho, not on my watch you won’t, scram you creep! Get away from her!”

“As you wish, you little…” Zorran then left in a huff.

“How many times do I have to tell you that Zorran is no good?” asked Little Owl.

“Please?... I really like him.”

“Not a chance, I’m gonna keep an eye on you… And make sure you don’t go anywhere near him.”

“Awww…”

“Oh lighten up Luna, there's plenty more fish in the sea.” laughed Goliath.

“But… We can’t go to the sea… Engines can’t float.”

“Oh yeah… Sorry I was so selfish earlier.” said Goliath to Little Owl, “I think you all were right, engines are happiest when their wheels are firmly on the rails.”

“It’s alright, you just wanted something new, that’s all. But be thankful you didn’t end up in Lord Stinker’s hull like I did! I was smelly for weeks!”

“Note taken…"

“You know something, Sentinel…” said Sunshine, “I wonder if there is something we can do to give ol’ Goliath a change of scenery.”

“What’s that?” asked Sentinel.

She soon found out. Later, Top Hat found Sunshine with a line attached to Eddie… With Goliath sitting aboard! 

“SUNSHINE! What are you doing?! Engines can’t go on the car floats!” shrieked Top Hat.

“Well Goliath requested it!” explained Sunshine, “And it seems he’s not too much of a burden on Eddie here to truly fall off.”

“I’m going to see the ocean, Top Hat!” said Goliath happily.

“Oh-ho-ho, no you won’t! Get back to the dock at once!”

“Too late, Top Hat! We’re already going out to the estuary!”

“Guh… Give me strength! You can’t just take one of the Car Floats without my permission!”

After that day, there was no more talk of the engines wanting to see a new change of scenery. Goliath got his wish, and now had no more complaints about where he went!

Chapter Text

It was not too long ago when a certain hasty Naval Tug had caused a huge fire at the old dock and destroyed everything in sight. Unfortunately, the fire had taken many lives with it… Including Big Mickey. Life was soon back to normal, however, and a new crane, by the name of Little Hammond, had now taken his place. I remember a time when we were on the Munitions contract again, and all of the tugs, both Star’s and Zed Stack’s, weren’t sure how to feel about this new crane on the dock.

“I can’t bring myself to look at him, Sunshine… Big Mickey was our friend.” admitted Ten Cents.

“Let it be, man.” soothed Sunshine, “Big Mickey’s resting in peace now, maybe this new crane will be just as friendly as him.”

“I’m not sure… Something about him doesn’t sit well with me.”

Ten Cents was right. As they made it to his dock and started unloading fuel, the two switchers found that Hammond was very rude.

“Ha! What’s this?” boomed the crane, “Two puny little switchers? Whatever is this harbor coming to?”

“I beg your pardon?!” asked Sunshine, offended.

“Switchers are the most useless tugs of all…” went on Hammond, “And you two only prove it! If you were to move those barges closer to me, I wouldn’t have to swing my arm as often!”

“Are you nuts?” exclaimed Ten Cents, “We’ve always moored our barges in these spots, and Big Mickey never complained about it at all!”

“Well I’m not ‘Big Mickey’,” retorted Hammond, “So you’ll have to get used to my standards!”

And at that moment… Little Hammond bumped Ten Cents’ stack with his load, on purpose!

“Ouch! Hey, what was that for?” complained Ten Cents.

“Maybe you should consider that could happen when you position your barges!” laughed Hammond.

As if the new crane’s attitude wasn’t enough, my switchers later had to deal with the Z-Stacks, and as usual, they weren’t any help at all.

“Look, Zip!” teased Zug, “It’s the two goody-goody Star Switchers!”

“Shut up Zug, I’ve had a rough morning.” said Ten Cents. 

“Oh, have you now?”

“Probably struggled…” suggested Zip, “With only a few fuel barges, Zug!”

“No, that new crane, Little Hammond.” explained Ten Cents, “He bossed us around just because we’re switchers!”

“Maybe he just doesn’t like your bright colors!” suggested Zug, “Must hurt his eyes. Maybe what he needs is a nice dark color… Ooo, much like we Zero’s, what do you think Zip?”

“We do love our appearance, don’t we?” laughed Zip.

“Have a heart…” sighed Sunshine, “He’ll probably behave the same way towards you two as well.”

“Ha! Yeah right, Zip and I will manage just fine.” laughed Zug.

“Now we must be off, we need to fetch some Munitions barges Up River.”

Zip and Zug soon chugged off, and Ten Cents and Sunshine, still upset, retreated to the Star Dock to find Hercules there taking a rest.

“Ten Cents! Sunshine! What’s up m’dears? You look rather glum.” he greeted.

“It’s the new crane, Hercules.” explained Ten Cents, “He’s been very rude to us.”

“Really? I met him yesterday and he seemed rather quaint. Why? Did you two say something to him?”

“Nothing of the sort, Hercules! I think he views us as beneath him-”

“Technically we’re all beneath him!” interrupted Sunshine, chuckling.

“Hey you know what I mean! But he called us useless switchers… I think that has something to do with it.”

“Hmmm…” thought Hercules, “I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him in the future. I’ll let Captain Star know soon as well, m’dears.”

“Oh thanks, that should be enough for now.” said Ten Cents, relieved.

Meanwhile, Zip and Zug were at the Munitions Factory, and were still laughing at Ten Cents and Sunshine’s misfortune!

“Do you suppose that the new crane got tired of Ten Cents’ ‘Work before play’ antics?” laughed Zug. 

Whatever it is… I’m sure he’ll give a ‘Dime’!” teased Zip.

“… What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Ten Cents?... Dime?...”

“You really need to work on your insults, Zip.” groaned Zug, but before he could say anything else, Zug suddenly bumped into a very old tug… But it wasn’t just any old tug, it was Sea Rogue’s Uncle.

“Oh! Oh dear, who’s there?” cried the old tug.

“Oh! Heh-heh, sorry old man… I didn’t see you-”

“OI! Are you two trying to harass my uncle?” accused Sea Rogue.

“YIPES!” screamed Zip, “Sea Rogue! Uh-uh, what are you doing here?”

“Didn’t you know? I work here.”

“What? You work here? ” asked Zug, cluelessly.

“Yeah! You see the logo on my funnel?”

“Yeah?”

“Now look at the logo on that warehouse over there…”

“Ohhhh…”

“Anyway… You alright, old man? They didn’t hurt you, did they?” asked Sea Rogue to his uncle.

“No no, I’m fine… Not like I do anything here anyway!” sighed the old tug.

“What do you mean?” asked Zip.

“Not your business…” snapped Sea Rogue, “Can you just get your barges and be on your way?”

“Oh, uh… Whatever you say” said Zug. Soon, the two Zero Switchers fetched their barges, and were on their way back to the port.

“I’m sure we’ll find work for you, old man…” said Sea Rogue with reassurance, “You might be old but you’re still useful.”

“Easy for you to say…” sighed the old tug.

Zip and Zug were consulting to themselves as they made their way back down river.

“You know something Zip?” said Zug.

“Yeah?” asked Zip.

“Once he’s in daylight, that Pirate tug isn’t so scary after all-” but then Zug bumped into Top Hat before he could finish his sentence.

“OH! PLEASE MR. PIRATE! I DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT YOU! I-I-”

“What?! What are you talking about?! I’m not a Pirate!” objected Top Hat.

“Oh-oh! It’s you, Top Hat!”

“And don’t you two forget it, now keep those explosives away from me!”

“As you wish, sir!” obliged Zip, and the two switchers scampered away.

As Zip and Zug made it back to the old dock with their munitions barges, they finally met Little Hammond for themselves.

“Excuse me!” called Zug, “We’re looking for a crane called ‘Little Hammond’!”

“Really? Because you’re talking to him!”

“OH MY!” exclaimed Zip, “You’re Little Hammond? But you’re humongous!”

“Shut it, Zip!”

“What cheek!” Little Hammond was offended, “Typical talk from a puny switcher like you!”

“Excuse me?” said Zug.

“Now do me a favor, and moor that barge closer to me!”

“Oh-oh! As you wish!” obliged Zip.

Zip was so taken aback by Hammond’s attitude that he moved the barge too far! This caused Little Hammond to drop his hook on Zip.

“Ow! Watch where you’re throwing that hook!” cried the switcher.

“It’s not my fault you moored the barge too close!” laughed Little Hammond, and at that moment, Big Mac came in with another fuel barge. He didn’t realize what Hammond was doing and took the situation the wrong way.

“Hello, Little Hammond!” greeted Big Mac, “I hope these Z-Stack’s aren’t bothering you, are they?”

“Oh, Big Mac! Just in time!” Hammond almost completely changed his mood in a flash,
“These switchers are bothering me and not cooperating with my work!”

“NO WE WEREN’T!” Protested Zug, “We moored our barges close to you, like you asked!”

“Rubbish! My arm has to stretch a bit!”

“You literally just told Zip to do so you little-”

“Stow it!” snapped Big Mac, thinking he was putting things right. “I knew you two were up to no good, push off and leave him alone!”

“But we're innocent! Honest!...” pleaded Zip… But it was too late, they were now leaving and could say no more.

The rest of the day, Little Hammond kept bugging the four switcher tugs. He’d tell them to move their barges into ridiculous spots to waste their time, threw out insults at them, and many other things just to give the four a miserable time. I’m sorry to say that Captain Zero and myself were misinformed on the situation, and we scolded our respective switchers.

“YOU IDIOTS!!!” he shouted, “We’re on a VERY important munitions contract, and you two had the audacity to provoke the cranes?!”

“We did no such thing, captain!” protested Zug.

“Yes, honest! What Zug said!” said Zip.

“That’s not what I’ve been told, both of you are on dredger detail for a month!”

Meanwhile, I was having a word with Ten Cents and Sunshine as well, I too had been told a different side of the story.

“Ten Cents, Sunshine, what’s this I’ve been told about you two being very unhelpful towards the new crane today?” I asked, “You know this is an important job, correct?”

“We were doing our best sir, honest!” protested Sunshine.

“But it’s the crane, sir! It’s his fault for the delays!” objected Ten Cents.

“No excuses, you two! I’ll give you one last chance, but if you don’t improve your performance tomorrow, I might just put you two on dredger detail as well!” I said firmly.

“Aye aye, sir…” sighed Ten Cents, as he and Sunshine left.

“How could they do that?... That doesn’t sound like Ten Cents at all.” said Warrior, thoughtfully.

“I agree… Something’s fishy here.” said Big Mac, and he soon turned to me. “Captain, are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”

I’m only doing this based on the facts I’ve been given so far.” I explained.

The four switchers, for once, actually had a rational conversation with each other about their dilemma.

“Well you two were right… That new crane is awful!” complained Zug.

“We’re, uhhh… We’re sorry for doubting you earlier.” said Zip sadly.

“Nevermind that… How are we going to deal with him?” asked Ten Cents.

“We should sink him!” suggested Zug, “He harasses us, we give him a piece of our mind!”

“I… I think we should be more civil about it, lads.” quivered Sunshine.

“Well what else can we do to stop him from messing with us?...” thought Ten Cents.

Their chance came sooner than expected. That night, the other tugs were almost done unloading their cargo at the old dock. Hercules would soon be towing in a tramp steamer, by the name of Birkenhead, into the dock where the cargo would all be loaded the following morning. Big Mac, Warrior, and O.J. were all at the old dock, waiting for their barges to be fully unloaded.

“They’re not going to load the munitions and the fuel on the same ship like they did last time, are they?” asked O.J., worried.

“I haven’t a clue, O.J.” said Warrior.

“Well I hope so! I’m sure that was one of the contributors to what happened last time. Now where’s Hercules? He should have been here by now.”

“Must be having a difficult time with the current.” said Big Mac. What the three Harbor tugs didn’t know was that… While they were talking, a torpedo from an unknown source was racing right towards the dock! “It is pretty windy tonight-”

**BOOM!!!**

“What on earth?!” said Warrior, spooked.

“Quick, evacuate the area! It’s another fire!” shrieked O.J. He and Big Mac quickly scurried away from the dock as the munitions started exploding, but Warrior chose to stay put instead.

“Warrior! Get out of there now!” pleaded Big Mac.

“No, Big Mac! I gotta do my best to hose it down!” said Warrior, determined to fight the fire.

“Come on, Warrior! It’s suicide!”

As the munitions began blowing up one by one, Little Hammond could do no more than just sit there helplessly. Warrior did his best to douse the flames, but some munitions began exploding underneath Hammond’s legs. All he could do was helplessly fall over.

“ AAAAUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!!! ” screamed Little Hammond, as he crashed into several buildings, destroying them in the process.

The fire was soon put out thanks to Warrior and the Fire Tug, but the old docks were once again in a huge mess. Little Hammond was alright, but laid dazed and surprised.

“Stay calm, Hammond!” said Big Mac, “We’ll get Ten Cents and Sunshine, and any other tugs, to help you back up!”

“Be quick as you can, please!...” shrieked Little Hammond, “And tell them and the two Zero Switchers that I’m sorry I was so horrible to them!”

“You were what?! ” Big Mac now knew the truth, “ Hmmm, I knew there was something fishy about earlier. Come on Warrior, O.J., we’d better tell Captain Star as soon as possible.”

“Yeah… We’ve done ‘em wrong!” said Warrior, who now felt sorry for Ten Cents and Sunshine.

“Let’s make sure to let Captain Zero know as well.” suggested O.J., “Zip and Zug have had it just as bad as Ten Cents and Sunshine!”

The four switchers rushed to the scene of disaster. As the rest of the dock was being cleaned up, they managed to tow Little Hammond back upright, and he was able to help clear up the mess too.

“Now that’s what I call teamwork! Bravo, everyone!” said Big Mac proudly.

“Yes, though I had to be rescued before I could help out!” commented Little Hammond, “But I never thought it would be p-... p-...”

“Oh good grief…” groaned Ten Cents.

“Uhhh, smaller tugs I’ll say. Thank all four of you for helping me, I’ll never be rude again. But you’re still in my way right now, so move over!”

Zug was offended, “Oh come on, ‘Never be rude again’?! Come on Zip, let’s get back to the dock!” and Zug soon started to go in reverse.

“ZUG! DON’T MOVE!!!” shouted Ten Cents.

“YOU’RE STILL ATTACHED TO LITTLE HAMMOND!” cried Zip. 

But it was too late! Zug accidentally pulled Little Hammond… And caused him to tip over once again.

But it wasn’t long before he was hoisted back up again, and the rest of the dock was soon being rebuilt. All of the tugs had returned to the docks by morning and were recounting the accident.

“That was very brave of you to start putting out the fire right away, Warrior!” complimented Big Mac.

“Yes indeed,” said O.J., “If it hadn’t been for your quick thinking, things could have been just as bad as when Bluenose budged in last summer!”

“Heh-heh! Thanks everyone, I couldn’t have let it happen again.” laughed Warrior.

“Not that I’m ungrateful for your actions Warrior, but has anyone seen Hercules?” asked Ten Cents, “He hasn’t returned to the dock yet.”

“Oooo you’re right Ten Cents,” observed O.J., “I thought he was supposed to be delivering that tramp steamer Birkenhead to the dock.”

We soon got our answer… When the Fire Tug towed him in, and he seemed to be slightly singed. Worse still, they were soon followed by Bluenose, the pompous naval tug, and the coast guard.

“Ahoy, ahoy! You, Star tugs! Ahoy!” he called.

“What are you doing here?” asked Big Mac, “In case you’re wondering, we weren’t responsible for the fire last night.”

“And neither were the Z-Stacks!” added Ten Cents.

“Please, Ten Cents.” said the Coast Guard, “We know neither of you had anything to do with it. In fact, we’re here to warn you about what did cause the fire.”

“Huh?”

“Hercules and our tramper Birkenhead were attacked by an unknown submarine last night as well, and they sunk Birkenhead!” explained Bluenose.

“Wait what?! Hercules, are you okay?!” asked Ten Cents, worried.

“I’m fine m’dears, just a bit shaken up, that’s all.” sighed Hercules.

“But we want to ask you civilians a few questions! Did you see any suspicious activity last night?” asked Bluenose.

“No sarge, nothing at all.” explained Warrior.

“We thought the new crane, Little Hammond, had accidentally dropped one of the crates of explosives, we didn’t see any sort of submarine.” added O.J.

“Well we have reason to believe that the old dock was attacked by the same submarine last night! So I suggest you civilians watch your backs. Hercules, can you describe what the submarine looked like?”

“I couldn’t see very well in the dark…” explained Hercules, “But with the amount of force that struck Birkenhead to make her sink… It reminded me of a U-Boat.”

“A U-Boat?! How can that be? The Great War ended seven years ago!” objected Ten Cents.

“We don’t know for sure, Ten Cents.” assured the Coast Guard, “My bet is it’s a spy wanting to interfere with the navy’s operations. So I would like all of you to keep your eyes open for the next few days. If you see anything suspicious, let us know right away. Deal?”

“Deal… But I still find that hard to believe.” said Big Mac thoughtfully.

“Well old man, when you’ve been in the Navy for as long as I have, you’d realize that there could be enemies anywhere! Thank you Star tugs for your time, we must be off now.” said Bluenose, and then he and the Coast Guard left.

“A U-Boat attacking the navy?...” said O.J. thoughtfully, “I’m not sure if I can believe that.”

“Nor I…” admitted Big Mac, “But I don’t think Little Hammond’s a clumsy crane, just a bit rude to Ten Cents and Sunshine, that’s all.”

“Well lads… If Hercules is right, we’d better stay alert for a while. I don’t want any of you to be blown up.” said O.J.

“Nor me… This is scary news…” said Sunshine…

My Star Tugs were worried… The rumors were going to result in all of them being more cautious while out in the estuary. But as for Little Hammond, he became a much kinder crane. He still has his slip-ups from time to time, but ever since that night, he never puts down any tug. For he knows that they’re all capable of bringing him off his high horse!

Chapter Text

All of the tugs in Bigg City Port were on guard. After recent news of an enemy U-Boat lurking in the area, they were all scared to find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time, especially at night. Eventually, my Star Tugs were so scared that they refused to continue with the Munitions contract. I fully understood their feelings, and it was arranged for Sea Rogue and his Uncle to help out with the Munitions.

“Sea Rogue! Good to see you again!” greeted Ten Cents one day.

“You too, Ten Cents!” said Sea Rogue happily, “I never thought I’d be allowed back into Bigg City Port after all the trouble I caused last time I was here.”

“Nonsense, you were just a pawn.” said Ten Cents, “You just wanted to protect your old man, that just goes to show how much you care for him. Hello again, old man.”

“Actually Ten Cents… You can call me Churchill.” the old tug explained.

“That’s your name?”

“That it is. Good to see you again.” said Churchill.

“Right then… We’d better get to the old dock, this cargo’s not gonna unload itself.” said Sea Rogue, and the two tugs soon left.

“Also, be on the lookout for any suspicious submarines!” called Ten Cents as he left too.

Sea Rogue and Churchill were getting close to the old dock… But little did they know that something low in the water was stalking them. The vessel launched a torpedo… At their barges, and Churchill’s barge then blew into bits!

“OH MY!!!” screamed Churchill.

“UNCLE! CUT YOUR ROPES AND RUN! IT’S GONNA BLOW!!!” cried Sea Rogue, and quickly cut his ropes. The two tugs quickly got away from the barges… But they were unable to save them. They looked back and watched them sink into the bay.

“Blimey!... How could this have happened?” said Sea Rogue, still shocked.

“Don’t look at me… I was being as careful as possible.” explained Churchill. But at that moment… He looked, and could see something below the surface swimming away from them. 

Word quickly spread of the accident, and at that point, all of the tugs were having a meeting at a Star Dock. They were now in a state of panic.

“That sounds an awful lot like what happened with me and Birkenhead!” said Hercules.

“That thing’s gonna attack us next!” said Sunshine, panicking.

“This is ridiculous! I think the pirate’s just up to no good again!” accused Top Hat.

“Cut that out about Sea Rogue!” scolded Big Mac.

“Yeah, Top Hat, he’s innocent!” added Warrior.

“SILENCE!” I shouted, and quickly put my foot down. “If we’re to solve this problem, we need to be rational with each other! Frequent exploding munitions is a serious matter. Now Sea Rogue, can you describe to me what happened?”

“It came out of nowhere, Mr. Star!” explained Sea Rogue, “One moment, uncle and I were towing our barges to the dock, the next, they blew into smithereens!”

“Allow me to speak, nephew, please!” budged in Churchill, “After our barges sunk, I saw something… Huge, underwater floating away from us. I think we were attacked.”

“See, Top Hat? That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you!” said Ten Cents.

“That definitely confirms there’s something fishy going on here…” said O.J. thoughtfully.

“What are we gonna do O.J.?!”

“Sunshine, I really don’t know!”

Then at that moment, the blast of Bluenose’s whistle came in the air, silencing them all… All of the tugs turned to find him coming in to add in his two cents.

“Ahoy! Ahoy everyone… It would seem that I’ve come in at the right time.”

“Push off Bluenos-”

“Stow it, Ten Cents!” I snapped, “Let him speak. What’s on your mind, Bluenose?”

“It would seem, Captain, that we really do have some sort of Submarine attacking us. And since we the navy are aware that it’s scaring all of you civilians… We’re going to stop it. But we’re gonna need some volunteers to help fight with us.”

“What?!” exclaimed Sunshine, “Why can’t you deal with it yourself?” 

“Yeah, we want no part in this!” added Ten Cents.

“ SILENCE! ” I shouted, “Bluenose is right, we can’t huddle up like sitting ducks… The only way we can stop this madness is to get rid of it, understand?”

Hercules soon spoke, “I’d like to help, sir.”

“What?! Hercules, you can’t!” said Ten Cents.

“Yes I can, Ten Cents… I was part of the navy during The Great War. I’ve plenty of experience with fighting enemy vessels.”

“You’re doing a brave thing, Hercules…” admitted O.J.

“Yes indeed. Now, for the rest of you… I’ve decided to mandate a curfew. The rest of you must all be back here before 10PM every night until further notice. Nevermind the delays, what matters right now is everyone’s safety.”

The tugs soon followed my order, and Hercules was preparing to head out to the estuary. Sally Seaplane and Grampus were called in as well to help out. In case the worst case scenario were to happen… They all gave “The talk” to those they cared about most.

Hercules was talking to Lillie Lightship, “Hey Lillie, I have to be going soon…”

“Hercules, please dear… You don’t have to do this.” she said, worried about his safety.

“Yes sweetheart… I do.” said Hercules firmly, “If we don’t do something, this enemy submarine, for all I know, could blow you up!”

Lillie laughed, “What good would they want with a little old lightship like me?”

“More than I’m willing to risk by not doing something about it… Listen m’dear… Should I not make it back in one piece, all I ask is of you to keep smiling. I’ll always love you, and I’ll do anything to make sure you’re safe.” said Hercules finally, and he headed out.

“But I don’t want to lose you myself, Hercules…” sighed Lillie as he left her sight.

Hercules soon caught up with the other recruits and Bluenose. They were ready to face this vessel.

“Are we all geared up and ready to head out?” asked Hercules.

“Yes we are, Hercules!” said Grampus enthusiastically, “I’ll stay underwater and keep sight of it. Good thing you have me on the team.”

“Yes, good to see you again Grampus…” said Bluenose thoughtfully, “We’ve got our weapons equipped, correct?”

“Correct!” said Sally and Hercules together.

“Good… You’ll be great for an air attack Sally, and with all that in mind, we should definitely outnumber this sneaky vessel. Let’s go soldiers! We can’t let that submarine get away!” said Bluenose. With that, the four all headed out into the open sea.

They only had one mission. Get rid of the mysterious submarine, and they would not rest until it was taken care of. All the same, it would be a while before there was any activity. Hercules, Sally, and Grampus all found themselves chatting with each other while they waited.

“What was it like for you during the Great War, Hercules?” asked Grampus.

“It was quite a time Grampus… I fought off many German vessels, had mates that looked quite like myself, and I gotta say… Certain situations weren’t too far off from how they are now.”

“Hey Hercules, how did you and Lillie end up together?” asked Sally.

“Oh! I can’t quite say how, it was like as we got to know each other more and more… It just kinda blossomed. I think Lillie really liked my personality and such, why do you ask dear?”

“Well I think there’s something about me that Sunshine likes. Do you think he has any interest in me?”

“Possibly, that isn’t something Sunshine shares with me…”

“Hold that thought, you two…” Interrupted Grampus, “I see something bubbling in the distance…” At that moment, the submarine dived underwater to take a look.

“Better get yourself in the air soon to get ready for attack, darling…” Hercules said to Sally.

“I’m on it, Hercules…” said Sally. She then revved her propellers… And took off into the air.

Grampus soon resurfaced. “Just checked, it was just a whale… But we should keep our eyes open all the same…”

“I’m not risking it…” said Bluenose, “Prepare our weapons Hercules, that U-Boat is here somewhere, and I’ll be sure to blow that thing to smithereens once I lay my eyes on it.”

But what neither tug knew was that as Bluenose was talking… Another submarine was emerging behind them.

“We’d better keep our eyes out…” decided Hercules, “And don’t fire unless we-”

Before Hercules could say anything else, Grampus turned around and saw the submarine charging towards them.

“HERCULES! BLUENOSE! BEHIND YOU! MOVE FAST!” he shouted.

Hercules quickly dodged the vessel, but it then advanced on Bluenose… It rammed into Bluenose’s hull and dragged him several yards. The impact had ripped Bluenose’s hull open, and now he was bobbing about in the water as the vessel disappeared under water again. Hercules had to act fast.

“Bluenose! Hold on tight, I’ll try to get a line on you!” called Hercules.

“No, Hercules!” said Grampus, “He’s sinking, and you’ll go under with him!”

“Help! Help!!!” cried the Naval Tug.

“Don’t worry Bluenose, I got you!” said Hercules, as he got his line on Bluenose. But the Naval tug was already going down fast… The hole the submarine left in his hull was quite huge and he was taking in water rapidly.

“It’s too late!” pleaded Bluenose, “I’m already sinking! Let me go, Hercules! And finish the mission!”

“No!” cried Hercules, “A good tug never leaves another behind, and I-”

But at that moment… Hercules’ line snapped, and there was nothing more he could do. All he and Grampus could do was watch in horror as Bluenose sank into the bottom of the ocean…

Hercules then called Sally, “Sally! Prepare to fire! We’ve been attacked, and Bluenose is down!”

“Copy that!” said Sally. So she steered down, attempting to shoot at the U-Boat based on her eyesight. 

Sally was not resisting to destroy the U-Boat at all, and was prepared to drop a bomb on the vessel… But the vessel soon submerged, and fired back at her. It wasn’t long before it hit one of her wings.

“Hercules! Grampus! I’ve been hit! I have to go back down to the water!” she shouted.

“What?! Are you alright?!” said Hercules, shocked.

“I’ll do my best to fly down safely with my other wing! I’ll see you at the end of this!” cried Sally. Soon, she dove down into the distance.

“Alright Hercules… It’s just you and me now…” decided Grampus, “We gotta destroy that U-Boat before it destroys us…”

“Got any ideas?” asked Hercules.

“I’ll keep an eye on it by diving underwater… You get your weapons ready, I’ll let you know when to fire.” said the submarine.

“Right!”

Grampus dived down to get a good look at the vessel, and quickly rose back up to help Hercules direct the cannon.

“It’s over on my left! Fire!”

Hercules fired once, but missed. Things were getting very tense indeed.

“Reload it, quick! And fire again!” called Grampus.

Hercules fired the cannon again, “Come on… Hit it…”

The U-Boat was now trying to retreat!

“This is for Bluenose…” said Hercules, as he fired again. 

At long last, a direct hit! The U-Boat blew into smithereens

“YES! I got it this time!”

“That bad boy’s not going anywhere now!” laughed Grampus, as they watched the U-Boat sink into the ocean.

Hercules and Grampus went out further into the sea to find Sally… Sure enough she was alright, but drifting with her broken wing.

“You alright Sally?” asked Grampus.

“I’ve been better… But I’m glad to see you two.” said Sally, relieved.

“Sally… We got him, we can finally go home.” sighed Hercules.

“I never doubted either of you!”

Sally couldn’t get back on her own, so Grampus got a line on her so that he could tow her back to the port.

“Hey, what’s that?” asked Sally, as they saw something floating in the water.

“It’s Bluenose’s hat…” observed Hercules, “We should take it back.”

“Right you are…” agreed Grampus.

Hercules put the hat on his deck, and they set off once more. The trio soon made it back to Bigg City Port… With a hero’s welcome from all of the other tugs.

“You made it back! I knew you could do it, Hercules!” cheered Ten Cents.

“Thank, Ten Cents!”

“Are you alright, Sally?” asked Sunshine.

“I’m okay, Sunshine! Just got a damaged wing that’s all, nothing a trip to Lucky’s Yard can’t fix!”

“Wait a minute… Where’s Bluenose?” asked Big Mac.

“… Well, you see… He didn’t make it. The U-Boat sunk him…” admitted Grampus mournfully.

“We managed to retrieve his hat, but that’s all that’s left of him now…” explained Hercules.

Everyone went silent for a moment… All that it is, except Zorran, who couldn’t help but laugh. “HAHA! Good riddance, looks like that U-Boat did something good for once!”

“Cut that out, Zorran!” snapped Big Mac.

“What?! It’s what everyone’s thinking!”

“Well this really isn’t the time, Zorran! Shut your trap!” said Warrior.

“Hmmmmph…” pouted Zorran.

Later, the Z-Stacks went out to salvage whatever was left of the U-Boat, in hopes that we could get some answers on where the mysterious vessel came from and why they attacked us. They soon made it back to the port.

“Well lads, all we could find were some floating debris.” explained Zak.

“Can we take a look at them?” asked the Coast Guard.

“Sure thing officer, they’re on this barge right here.” said Zorran, as he presented what was left.

The Coast Guard inspected the parts from the destroyed vessel… And was shocked.

“I think I know where that U-Boat came from…” he explained, “A few months ago, Johnny Cuba stopped a similar looking submarine from spying on Bluenose and the Navy’s new ships, and the livery on this one looks identical!”

“Are you for real?” said Zorran, aghast. 

“I certainly am…” said the Coast Guard, “Looks like wherever that spy came from had unfinished business with the Navy… And this time, they took Bluenose with them…”

“Well one thing’s for sure… Whoever takes Bluenose’s place hopefully won’t order us around nearly as often as he did!” laughed Zak.

“Knowing the Navy… I can’t promise anything.” said the Coast Guard.

But a big surprise was waiting for them… Sea Rogue and Churchill were informed of what had happened shortly afterwards when they revisited the port.

“Is everyone alright?” asked Sea Rogue.

“Don’t worry old darling we’re alright…” said Hercules, “Just a bit shaken up though… But the Navy lost one of their tugs.”

“Who?”

“Bluenose. He was quite arrogant, but… It was quite a way to go.” admitted Ten Cents.

“Are they looking for any new tugs to take his place?” asked Churchill.

“I’d imagine so, but I’m not sure who it will be.” said Ten Cents.

What happened next took everyone by surprise, especially Sea Rogue.

“I’d like to volunteer!” said Churchill, “I don’t have much work to do Up River, and this would make a nice change for me.”

“What?” asked Ten Cents surprised, “Sorry Churchill, but I don’t think they’d take in a tug as old as you.”

“Nonsense! I’m not that old!” laughed Churchill.

“Please reconsider, uncle!” said Sea Rogue, worried. “I don’t want to leave you in danger!”

“Nephew, I appreciate your care, but I can take care of myself. Besides, we’ll still see each other when I visit the port. I’d like to at least offer my support.”

“It’s your decision, old man.” encouraged Hercules.

A few days later, Churchill came back to showcase his new uniform.

“Here it is, everyone! The navy gladly took my offer, and now they gave me a new coat of paint!”

“I’m so happy for you uncle… Please be safe out there though.” said Sea Rogue.

“I will, nephew!” said Churchill happily.

“Congratulations, Churchill!” said Ten Cents.

“Enjoy your new job!” said Sunshine.

I don’t think we’ll ever find out what the spy submarine wanted with the navy, nor where they truly came from, but at that point, it didn’t matter. The navy was now more on guard than ever to make sure it wouldn’t happen again. But I’d like to close it off with this; The best thing to do when something dangerous is in your area, is to stay safe, for if you don’t, your life could be in serious jeopardy.

Chapter Text

Little Owl, the heavy duty goods engine of the Dock Railway, was very protective of Luna. Luna was much younger than Owl, and obviously much more naive, so she could often get into trouble. On this day, I remember Warrior had just towed the sleepy tramper Izzy Gomez into the port, and moored him not too far away from the yard.

“There you go Izzy, now remember to pay Captain Star that $100 like you promised!” said Warrior, ready to get back to the dock.

“Aye aye aye Warrior, I like to pay upfront…” complained Izzy, “Besides, I can’t get much sleep here, not with those two locomotoras arguing.”

Warrior didn’t understand Spanish, “Locomotoras?...” he asked.

“Si, look over there!” said Izzy, nodding towards the Transfer Dock.

Warrior looked over towards where Izzy was nodding, and saw Little Owl and Luna arguing… Much like a mother and a daughter, I’d say.

“How many times do I have to say this, Luna?” said Little Owl, “You stay away from Zorran. I know you have some… Admiration for him but I can’t understand why! He and the other Z-Stack’s tried to drown me, remember?”

“Zorran tells me Zebedee and Zak didn’t do it on purpose…” argued Luna, “You’re being too brash on them, what makes them any less essential than the Star Tugs?”

“At least the Star’s are actually competent! ” blurted Little Owl when at that moment Warrior barged in, hastily trying to break up the argument.

“Hey, Little Owl! Break it up, Luna’s only a young engine, after all!” said Warrior.

“You heard Warrior, mooommm…” said Luna smugly.

“Warrior, stow it!” Little Owl was cross with Warrior for intervening, “You don’t know what this is about, I’m trying to teach her discipline.”

“Discipline?! Warrior, she’s trying to keep me away from all of the tugs I admire!” said Luna innocently.

“ Z-Stack’s, Luna, Z-Stack’s, because they’re all creeps and-”

“I’m confused…” admitted Warrior, “Soooo Luna has an admiration for the Z-Stack’s, or is it all of us tugboats she has an admiration for?...”

“Yes”

“What?! No, Warrior, she’s got a-”

“Why should I listen to you anymore?!” cried Luna to Little Owl, “I’m out of here!” she said as she started to puff away.

“LUNA! YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!” shouted Little Owl, but Luna didn’t listen. She just ran off down the line instead, leaving Little Owl and Warrior by themselves.

“Well, Warrior… I hope you’re happy.”

“I was just trying to help, Little Owl… Do you think we should go and look for her?”

“Nah, don’t bother… She always comes crawling home after these kinds of things happen.”

Next morning however, Little Owl woke up at the roundhouse to find that Luna was nowhere to be found. This shocked her, and she quickly asked the other shunters about the matter.

“Sentinel! Sentinel, wake up, quick!”

“Oohh, oohh… What time is it?” asked the tired switcher.

“Have you seen Luna? She’s not here, and I haven’t seen her since last night.”

“Really? That is strange… No, I haven’t seen her either since yesterday. I thought she was with you.”

“No!- Well, she was , but… Oh good grief, maybe I should ask the tugs if they’ve seen her.” sighed Owl, so she decided to leave the sheds, and soon found Ten Cents and Warrior at the coal dock.

“Ten Cents! Warrior! I need to talk to you two!”

“G’morning Owl, what’s up?” greeted Ten Cents.

“Have either of you seen Luna?” asked the tank engine, “When I woke up this morning she wasn’t at our roundhouse, now I’m not sure if she even came home last night.”

“Maybe we should have looked for her last night after all…” pondered Warrior.

“I hate to say this to you of all tugs Warrior, but you’re right…”

“Wait… What happened last night anyway?” asked Ten Cents.

“Owl and Luna were having an argument and Luna ran off, she seemed rather upset.”

“Really?...” said Ten Cents, he turned to Little Owl. “What were you two arguing about?”

“ Well…” sighed Little Owl, “You see, Luna’s recently had this strange admiration for Zorran, and I, knowing how untrustworthy the Z-Stacks are, was trying to convince her that she should drop it and stay away from them, but I just made her angry.”

“Well… I can’t say I blame you, but do you suppose…”

“Suppose what?”

“You don’t suppose she tried to get in touch with Zorran…”

Now Little Owl was angry, “… O-o-oh-ohhh… If Zorran does something to her, I’ll stop at NOTHING to make sure he sinks all the way to the bottom of the ocean!” she stormed off, still one the search for Luna’s whereabouts.

“Well then…” said Ten Cents, “Well Warrior, can you handle these barges on your own for a little while? I think I should let the others know, they might be able to help.”

“Not a problem!” said Warrior, “Poor Luna too… She could be in trouble!”

“That’s what I’m afraid of…” muttered Ten Cents as he was leaving, “I’ll catch up with you later!”

Ten Cents soon made it back to the Star Dock, and explained to the other tugs what was going on.

“Bother that Luna…” grumbled Top Hat, “I had a feeling she’d get herself into trouble one day with that sassiness of hers.”

“What’ll we do?” asked Sunshine.

“I suggest that you all keep your eyes open while we’re working today…” explained Ten Cents, “She could be anywhere! You especially Top Hat, you’re around the trains the most.”

“No need to remind me…”

“If you see anything, be sure to tell Little Owl, she’s worried sick, alright?”

“Got it, Ten Cents!”

“Thanks Sunshine… Now I must be off” said Ten Cents as he left the pier.

“Where are you going, by the way?” asked Sunshine.

“To see if the Z-Stack’s know anything about her whereabouts…”

Ten Cents dropped by the Zero Pier, and as he anticipated… Zorran and the other Z-Stack’s were there gossiping with each other.

“What are you doing here?!” said Zorran as he saw Ten Cents approaching, “This is Zero property, no Star’s allowed!”

“Just give me a few minutes, Zorran! I need to talk to you.” replied Ten Cents.

“You need our help docking Princess Alice later today?”

“What?! No, nothing of the sort. Luna’s missing, Zorran.”

“Who’s Luna?” asked Zip.

“She’s one of the tank engines on the Dock Railway, idiot!” said Zorran, “Anyway, how long has she been missing, Ten Cents, if I care to ask?”

“Since last night, but Little Owl tells me that she has a certain… Admiration for you?”

Zorran almost jumped, he didn’t think Ten Cents would ever find out about that, “Oye! Don’t say that in front of my mates!”

“So you’ve been keeping that quiet from them, eh?” asked Ten Cents accusingly.

“Not now!”

“Well anyways, what did you do to her?”

“Nothing! What makes you think I had anything to do with her disappearance?”

“Knowing how you lot are always up to no good… I’m sure you came up with something.”

“Well I wasn’t anywhere near the railway last night. In fact, I was Up River, and discovered an old abandoned tramp steamer.”

“You’d better have been… I’ll be keeping an eye on you today, Zorran.” said Ten Cents suspiciously, and then left the pier.

“Wait a minute, Zorran… W-What did Ten Cents mean by ‘Admiration’?” asked Zip.

“She’s fond of us, Zip.” explained Zorran, “In fact… Heh, she actually called I was good looking not too long ago.”

“Ooohhh… You’ve got an admirer, do you Zorran?” teased Zak.

Zug joined in, “Do you and she go out-”

“What?! You get that thought out of your head right this instant! I would do no such thing with a steam locomotive.”

“That’s what he wants us to think, fellas…” continued Zak.

“Ugghhh… What did I do to deserve such clowns to work with?” groaned Zorran, “Come on Zug, let’s go and get that rusty tramper Up River.”

“Aye aye, Zorran.” said Zug, as they left their pier.

The day before, Zorran had discovered an old, rusty tramp steamer in Top Town, and was able to discover that its owner was planning to sell it to Burke and Blair. They were able to arrange for him and Zug to tow it to Burke and Blair’s yard, and now they were on their way to collect it. They had just made it there and were now getting a line on the old hulk.

“Do you think we should quickly check and see if Luna’s here?” asked Zug, “There’s a railyard over there.”

“We don’t have much time, Zug… Burke and Blair want this lot before noon.” replied Zorran, “Besides, do you really think she’s anywhere in that yard? She might have gone onto the mainline for all I care.”

“You never know…” admitted Zug.

“You and your eavesdropping… Alright, come on, come on!” snorted Zorran as they sailed off.

While Zorran and Zug were towing the old tramper down river, Little Owl was still searching high and low for Luna, and kept checking in on the Star Tugs to see if they had found anything.

“Sunshine! Warrior! Have you found her yet?” she asked.

“No, we were about to go out and see if any trampers needed a tow out at sea.” said Warrior.

“What about you? Any luck yet?” asked Sunshine.

“No… I’ve looked almost everywhere, it’s like she… Completely vanished…” admitted Owl.

“Don’t worry too much Owl, I’m sure she’s alright.” assured Sunshine, “Couldn’t have gotten too far away from here. At least you know she didn’t get lost at sea!”

“Yeah… But do you think I might have been too hard on her, Warrior?” asked Owl, feebly.

“Uhhh, yes. I-I-I mean, no, you just… Uhhh…”

“I think Warrior means that it’s nice that you want to make sure Luna’s safe, but you’re almost… Ehhhh, too protective of her, in a sense?” explained Sunshine, “I mean she is pretty independent, isn’t she?”

“Tough call…” sighed Owl, “She’s the youngest of all five of us and I just want to make sure she stays… Well, you know.”

“… You’d better keep looking, she’s bound to show herself eventually.” decided Sunshine.

“Yeah, I suppose…”

Soon, Zorran and Zug had made it to the scrap yard with the old tramper, and were being thanked by Burke and Blair.

“Thank you, Zorran! The metal from this old hulk will be quite lucrative, wouldn’t you agree, Mr. Burke?”

“Absolutely Mr. Blair! We could easily make around $750 with this one.”

“You’re welcome, so heh, where should we moor it? We must be off soon.” asked Zorran.

“Put it in the back of our yard,” said Blair, “We have some other machines to break up before we can start with that lot.”

“As you wish.” said Zorran, and he and Zug quickly moved the old tramper into the back of the scrapyard.

“Let’s hurry, Zug… Those two give me the creeps.”

Zug pushed the back of the tramper faster than he should, “Alright Zorran, I just gotta-”

“Hey hey, steady steady steady!” cried Zorran, but it was too late. Zug accidentally bashed the old tramper into the dock, which shook the ground a bit.

“ What did I just say, fool?! ” bellowed Zorran, but he stopped when they heard an unknown voice coming from the tramper.

“Oooohhh… Ohhh, my head…” it wailed, which caused both Zorran and Zug to get spooked.

“I-I-Is that a ghost?!” quivered Zug.

“Don’t be stupid…” said Zorran, “Ahoy? Who’s there, and what are you doing on this rustbucket?”

“Zorran?! Is that you? Great! Please get me out!”

Zorran now recognized the voice as… “Wait a minute… Luna? How did you get in there?”

“Well last night I decided to hide on a siding at the dock in Top Town…” explained Luna, “But then a mainline engine shunted some cars into the siding, unaware that I was there… And they accidentally pushed me off the dock, and I landed in here…”

“Well… Looks like we’ve found her, eh Zorran?” said Zug.

“Wait… Where are we?” asked Luna.

“Uhhh…”

“We’re in a scrapyard, this tramper was due to be broken up by Burke and Blair.” explained Zug.

“What?!” said Luna, who was now frightened, “Get me out of here, then!”

“Luna, sh-sh-sh-sh calm down! They might hear us!” bellowed Zorran, he turned to Zug. “Zug, we gotta do something! We can’t just leave her here to be scrapped!”

“Why not? Little Owl won’t find out if there’s no traces of Luna!” suggested Zug.

“WHAT?!” shrieked Zorran, “What is wrong with you?! We’re getting her out of here no matter what, otherwise Little Owl will sink me!”

“Well how are we going to get her out of here without… Them noticing?” asked Zug, nodding to Burke and Blair.

“Create a distraction.” explained Zorran, “If they leave for whatever reason, they won’t notice me towing the tramper elsewhere… I’ll get it to one of the cranes and they’ll lift Luna out.”

“Sounds like a plan… But how am I gonna lure them out?” asked Zug.

“Think of something because I don’t want Little Owl to hear us!”

“Okay Zorran…”

Zug quickly scampered over to Burke and Blair, and thought of a plan.

“Burke! Blair! Before we go, I wanted to tell you something else!”

“Ehhh? What might you have to share with us, Zug?” asked Burke.

“I heard that there’s another old tramper drifting in the estuary…” Lied Zug, “I reckon it’s abandoned, do you think you two could go out there and investigate?”

“We’re always on the lookout for who’s next to go…” admitted Blair, “Isn’t that right Mr. Burke?

“It is indeed Mr. Blair… Where in the estuary is this tramper, Zug?”

“Ohh… Heheh, I believe it’s on the verge of sinking near Dem Der Rocks.”

“Right then… Thank you for letting us know, Zug! We’ll go out and investigate!” said Blair, and the two scrap dealers left, out on the search for the non-existent tramper.

“Great job, Zug…” said Zorran, Now, let’s find a crane near the railway before they come back!”

They were soon on the run, “Where should we start?!” asked Zug.

“I’m going to the old dock, now stop slacking, we can’t let them see us!”

Zorran was going so fast towards the dock that he didn’t check where he was going, and bumped into a wreck buoy!

“HEY! WATCH IT, YOU!” bellowed the buoy.

“Shut it, dinky!” shouted Zorran.

Zug freaked out at the buoy’s face, “Z-Z-Zorran?! What’s wrong with him?!”

“Nevermind him, find a bloomin’ crane!”

At the old dock, Big Mac was unloading a barge by Little Hammond when they heard the horns of the two Z-Stack’s blaring into the yard.

“What are you doing here, Zorran?!” asked Big Mac, “Get that hulk back to where it belongs!”

“Move! Move, Big Mac! Hammond, it’s an emergency! We need you right away!” shouted Zorran.

“Oye! I’m still unloading Big Mac’s barge! What’s the big idea?” asked Hammond.

“That can wait! Now hurry, get Luna out before Burke and Blair come back!”

“Luna?!” said Big Mac, “What’s she doing here?!”

“I’ll explain later, just do as I say and she’ll be okay!”

“This had better be good…” grumbled Big Mac, as he moved his barge out of the way.

Little Hammond soon attached some chains around Luna and lifted her out of the old tramper… And set her onto firm rails.

“Whew....” said Zorran relieved, “Thank you Hammond, I owe you one.”

“You’re welcome…” said Hammond, “But I have so many questions…”

“I’ll quickly explain, Zug, can you get that tramper back to the yard?”

“Don’t you need me here, Zorran?”

“Zug… Go… ”

Luna was quick to explain everything that had happened, as she was finished, Little Owl showed up, and was relieved to see Luna wasn’t hurt.

“LUNA!” cried Owl, nearly in tears. “Oh sweetie, I was so worried! But where did you go? Please tell me you didn’t run off with Zorran.”

“Of course not, in fact, you can thank Zorran for saving me!” said Luna.

“What are you?…”

“Oh, it’s nothing really…” smiled Zorran, “She just happened to land in an old tramper that Zug and I were taking to Burke and Blair’s scrapyard, and I knew you wouldn’t be happy if they scrapped her, so… We had to come up with a plan to rescue her.”

“Fancy… A Zero saving one of us engines?” said Owl, who almost couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"It does sound silly on paper, doesn’t it Owl?” admitted Big Mac.

“What?! I’m being serious! You saw me and Zug-”

Big Mac laughed, “No no Zorran, I’m just giving you a hard time!”

“Very funny…” muttered Zorran.

“But, I gotta hand it to you…” said Big Mac, “We were looking for Luna all day and thought we’d never find her.”

“Yeah… I never thought I’d say this, but… Thank you, Zorran.” said Little Owl, “Maybe you Zero’s aren’t so bad after all…”

“My pleasure, Owl.” said Zorran, and at that moment, they heard Ten Cents’ hooter as he was approached.

“Oi! Big Mac! Princess Alice is approaching, are you almost finished here?” he asked.

“Just wrapping things up, Ten Cents! Zorran, can you help move this barge back to the pier?” offered Big Mac, “We’ll be sure to give you a little penny for helping us.”

“Oh, uh… Sure, thanks Big Mac…” said Zorran, surprised.

Cya, Zorran! Glad to see you’re safe, Luna!” said Ten Cents.

Things went back to usual for the rest of that day, but something changed for Little Owl, Luna, and even Zorran… For Little Owl, she realized that there was a good streak in the Z-Stack’s, Luna now understood that Owl cared about her and wanted to look after her, and Zorran… Well, he finally realized that he can benefit from doing the right thing!

Chapter Text

It was winter once again… And much like last season, the hardships were just as bad, if not worse. But luckily, many industries in Bigg City Port were closed for the season so it was easy to assign my tugs Up River where not only they could provide more service, but there wasn’t nearly as much ice as down in the city. On this day, I remember Big Mac and Warrior were on their way to rejoin the rest of the Star Tugs.

“Right…” sighed Big Mac, “That should be the last of the logs for today Warrior, hopefully we can get some rest before our last job of the day.”

“Yeah, rough day, eh?”

“Yes indeed… Well, we’d better catch up with the others” 

Moments later though, they heard O.J.’s hooter.

“Ah, Big Mac! Warrior!” called the Paddle Steamer, “Just in time, there’s been a change in plan.”

“What sort of change?” asked Warrior.

“Zoey has broken down,” explained O.J., “Her engine overheated from taking too many barges and now needs help. There’s another load of essentials meant to go to Fairwater and you’ll have to cover for her. Ten Cents and Sunshine can cover for you.”

“What?! No we can’t!” protested Ten Cents.

“We’ve gotta deliver fuel to Lillie Lightship tonight!” added Sunshine.

“Don’t worry about that m’dears, I can cover for you.” offered Hercules, “Besides, I gotta escort an Ocean Liner tonight as well.”

“Oh you’d really do that for us Hercules?” asked Ten Cents, feeling relieved.

“Yes indeed Ten Cents, it’s the least I can do. Besides, it means I can see Lillie as well!” said Hercules, he winked, and then set off.

“Oh you sly dog!” laughed Ten Cents.

“Thank you so much, Hercules! That’ll be a great help!” said Sunshine.

“Fairwater? Where’s Fairwater?” asked Big Mac.

“Shoot, I forgot to ask…” admitted O.J., “You may have to ask Zoey for that, she’s at the repairyard in Mittsville.”

“Right then… Well Warrior, duty calls! We should fuel up and then set off”

“Yeah, sounds good brother! I’ve never been to Fairwater…”

“Me neither…” admitted Big Mac.

They picked up the barges later that day and stopped at Mittsville to ask Zoey for directions.

“Oh, you’ve never been there?” she said, “Fairwater is a little logging town, it’s about 10 miles west of Toptown. You know the… (Ahem) Area that’s full of rusty boats?”

“Oh no…” shuddered Big Mac, “Not that place, it gives me the creeps.”

“Yeah, but at least you’ve got Warrior to keep you company.” said Zoey, “Whenever I go there I’m usually alone, you have to take a left there in order to get to Fairwater.”

“We’ll be fine Big Mac, it’s only a bunch of old hulks after all.” said Warrior, confidently.

“Yeah, but can you imagine going there at night, Warrior?” asked Big Mac, still a little spooked.

“Oh yeah, one more thing…” added Zoey, “When you get there you’ll meet a tug named ‘Eleanor Rigby’ who works on the lakeside. She’s friendly but she can… (Ahem) Talk too much at times, I have to admit.”

“Thanks for letting us know, Zoey…” said Big Mac, “She can’t be worse than Zorran though. Right, we must be off!” They then departed for their journey. “Get well soon!”

“Good luck with your journey!” called Zoey.

Big Mac and Warrior soon made their way to Toptown, ready to sail in the direction of Fairwater. The ship’s graveyard could be seen… And all the rotting old vessels made for a rather melancholy setting.

“Let’s get through here quick, Warrior…” said Big Mac, shuddering. “I don’t like it here.”

“Sounds good to me, Big Mac!” said Warrior, and he suddenly sped up.

“W-Wait, Warrior! I didn’t mean it like that!”

But it was too late, Warrior went so fast that he didn’t watch where he was going, and smashed into one of the old vessels.

“Oh, whoops! Didn’t mean to do that.” he said, embarrassed.

“Be careful next time, Warrior!” advised Big Mac, “Let’s show some respect for these ships…”

“Yeah… Sorry, uhhhh…”

“What’s the matter, Warrior?” asked Big Mac.

“Just trying to read the name on this one that I just hit… Sorry, uhhh…” Warrior tried his best to read out the name painted on the stern... “Camacha, yeah, sorry Camacha.”

“Right… Come on, let’s get out of here.” said Big Mac, and they quickly sailed off again.

The graveyard was soon out of sight, but Big Mac still felt uneasy as they traveled along…

“… Warrior?...”

“Yeah, Big Mac?”

“… Do you get the feeling that we’re being… Watched?...”

“Not really, why?...”

“Weird… Maybe it’s just me…”

They soon made it to their destination, with Big Mac starting to settle down from his earlier anxiety.

“Alright, we made it…” he said with confidence, “We might as well refuel, maybe say hello to that Eleanor lass, and then head on home, what do you say Warrior?”

“Yeah, as long as the fog doesn’t block our vision.” admitted Warrior.

“We’ll have to see.” said Big Mac… Then, up ahead in the distance, he could see a reddish-brown tugboat with a white smokestack. Naturally, Big Mac decided to greet the tug. “Ahoy there!”

“Yes? Who am I speaking to?” asked the tug.

“We are Big Mac and Warrior of the Star Tug and Marine company! We are looking for a tugboat named Eleanor Rigby! You know her?”

“Well, of course I know her!” laughed the tug, “That’s me.”

“Oh!” said Big Mac, he had finally found the tug they were looking for. “Well it’s nice to meet you. We’re covering for Salvage Fleet tug Zoey, in case you were wondering.”

“Yeah, poor lass broke down earlier today!” added Warrior.

“Oh that’s quite alright, hope she gets well soon…” sighed Eleanor, “Besides, I love meeting some new faces!”

“Oh! Heheheh, well, nice to meet you, miss! Where can we leave these barges?” asked Warrior.

“Moor ‘em by the second pier.” instructed Eleanor, “I’ll tend to them tomorrow morning.”

“Right then… Thank you miss, we’ll do that right away.” said Big Mac, happily.

As Big Mac and Warrior were tying their barges to the pier, the weather began to change. It became much foggier and harder to see, and the two tugs became worried.

“Good grief…” sighed Big Mac, “I can barely see in this fog, I don’t think I want to get back with the others tonight with this weather.”

“Smart move…” said Eleanor, “I’m more than happy to keep you two company in the meantime though.”

“You sure?” asked Big Mac, “W-We appreciate your hospitality, but we don’t want to be a burden at the same time… Are you sure we’re not gonna take up too much space at the dock?”

“Oh of course not… I mean, I’m the only tugboat around these parts.”

“Wait… Really?” asked Warrior, surprised.

“Well yeah… While the Salvage fleet sometimes delivers supplies here once in a while, I’m the only tug on the Crosby fleet. I mean I get it, we don’t get a lot of marine contracts out here, but at the same time… It does get lonely once in a while.”

“I’d feel the same way if it were me…” admitted Big Mac, “Maybe it was a good thing we covered for Zoey, eh Warrior?”

“Yeah, we can talk and share stories while we’re here tonight!”

“I’d love that!” said Eleanor, quite excited. “I’m sure you boys have tons of tales to tell.”

The three tugs enjoyed sharing stories with each other that night. Big Mac and Warrior told Eleanor many stories about the Z-Stacks and Eleanor had a few tales of her own as well.

But they weren’t the only ones enjoying each other’s company that evening, Hercules had just delivered the fuel to Lillie out at sea.

“Here’s your fuel m’dear…” said Hercules, “Sorry for the surprise, but Ten Cents and Sunshine were called for a different task, so I covered for them.”

“Oh I’m not complaining at all, my dear Hercules!” chuckled Lillie, “It’s great to see you, especially on such a chilly night.”

“And foggy too… It’s a good thing I reached you in time-” Hercules stopped when he noticed something out at sea. “Wait… Hold that thought…”

“What is it Hercules?”

“There’s a tug a few miles where I’m looking at… Can’t you see him?”

“Silly, how can I look? Unless I’d be a corkscrew.”

“Stay here, I’d better go over there and check in on them… Whoever that is might be in trouble…” said Hercules, as he sailed in the direction of the tug.

“Your call, but be careful!”

Hercules made his presence known, “Ahoy there! This is Hercules of the Star Tug and Marine company speaking, do you need any help? We can give you a discount on salvage! Hello? Hello-”

“Oh, yes Hercules… Maybe you can give me my life back?”

“B-Bluenose?! How?! It can’t be… I must be seeing things…”

“Oh no, it’s me alright… You call yourself a soldier? You failed to save me from that crazy U-Boat… And look at me now… I’ll never forgive you…”

“Bluenose, I didn’t mean to! I tried, I-” Hercules then blinked… And the ghostly imageo f Bluenose disappeared right then and there. “Bluenose?... Bluenose?...” There was no reply… Hercules stayed silent as he moved back to where Lillie was.

“Who was that, Hercules?” asked Lillie.

“If I told you… You wouldn’t believe me…” said Hercules, who was now shaken up.

Back Up River, the fog was beginning to clear out. Big Mac and Warrior were beginning to have a change of plans.

“Huh… It seems like the fog’s beginning to lift,” observed Big Mac, “Do you mind if we head home Eleanor? We’ve enjoyed your company but we miss our mates.”

“Oh not at all, I’ve enjoyed your company too, thanks for the stay!”

“Our pleasure,” said Big Mac, then he turned to Warrior. “Now Warrior, remember… Don’t bump into the ships at the old graveyard again like you did earlier, got it?”

“Got it…” chuckled Warrior, “I’m sure Camacha can forgive me for earlier.”

As soon as Warrior said “Camacha”, Eleanor’s expression suddenly changed… She looked rather spooked.

“… What did you say the ship you bumped into was called?” she asked.

“Camacha, why?” answered Warrior.

“That old schooner barge…” she mumbled, “You shouldn’t have bumped into him, Warrior… I can only imagine how his spirit would feel…”

“His spirit?!-” asked Big Mac, startled. “W-What are you talking about, Eleanor?”

“I knew Camacha when he was alive…” she explained, “He was a schooner barge, and was used in the area to transport grain to the harbors and cities. I and a few other steamships in other parts up river would have the duty of towing him, that is, until almost 20 years ago when he lost his life…”

“Lost his life?... What happened?”

“20 years ago, he was caught in a fierce storm with high winds and thick fog, much like tonight in fact… The wind would blow snow onto his deck, and the steamship, although it tried to hang on, cut their ropes, and he surged helplessly towards a shoreline of rocks, crashed, and sank… The following day I was sent in to help salvage what little was left of the now destroyed Camacha, there was nothing we could do at that point… But every anniversary, I swear… I can still see him, trying his hardest to steer clear of the rocks. I hope for your sake, Warrior… That you bumping into his remains at that old site of abandoned ships didn’t possibly anger his spirit, so take care on your way home, please…”

Warrior and Big Mac were speechless… They didn’t know what to say.

“Well uh…” stumbled Big Mac, “Thanks for the warning Eleanor, we… W-We must be on our way now… Come on Warrior…” then Big Mac set off for home, with Warrior following.

As soon as they were out of her earshot, Warrior spoke up.

“She’s crazy Big Mac, there’s no such thing as ghosts.”

“Careful, Warrior… She sounded pretty serious…”

“Come off it Big Mac, remember last time when silly old Scuttlebutt told us about those ghost tugs? Turned out to all be make believe… She probably just saw a similar looking steamship.”

“Aye maybe… But I’m keeping an eye out until we get back.”

A few minutes later… Things weren’t looking good, the fog was beginning to come back, which worried Big Mac.

“Oh no… We’ve made a huge mistake, Warrior… Stay close, I don’t want you to get lost in this fog.”

“I’ll be okay Big Mac-Say… Say, look!”

“What?”

“Out there, in the lake! There’s a steamship, they must be stranded, maybe I should offer them a tow.”

“No-no-no Warrior, let’s stick together… It’s too risky with this fog.”

“But they might be lost too… Surely we could at least ask them if they need help, poor thing could be in trouble!”

“Can’t argue with that… Just be careful.”

“I’m always careful! Who do you take me for, Big Mac?” laughed Warrior as he got closer. “Hello there, steamship! What’s your name? Do you need a tow?”

The steamship didn’t answer, so Warrior tried calling again. “Can you hear me? Do you need any help? I’m happy to offer!”

The “Steamship” seemed to turn in the direction of Warrior… Big Mac didn’t notice this until all of a sudden, it began to get closer, and was running fast.

“Warrior! WARRIOR! MOVE, QUICK!” he shouted, but it was too late. The steamship slammed into Warrior, pushing him rapidly towards the land. Warrior was now close enough to read the “Steamship”’s name… And then he realized it wasn’t a steamship at all.

“C-CAMACHA?! But how?!”

But Warrior didn’t have time to think, he and Camacha slammed into the shore, Warrior gliding onto land, damaging his hull… And Camacha violently crashed into the rocks next to him. All Warrior could do was watch as it sunk into the bottom of the lake.

“WARRIOR!” cried Big Mac, “Warrior!!! Can you hear me?! Are you alright?!”

“No…” wailed the tug, “The barge pushed me onto the shore! And it sank”

“Oh no… I’ll get help, j-just hang in there, okay?!” said Big Mac worried, and he rushed off to find a crane.

“But how could that be Camacha…” thought Warrior to himself, “Unless…”

It was a while before Big Mac came back with the salvage crew, and by then the fog had lifted once more and the sun had come out. But none of the salvage crew could find the schooner barge Big Mac had described sinking.

“Are you sure there was a sunken schooner barge last night?” asked Zoey who was now repaired, “The cranes aren’t finding anything.”

Grampus emerged from the water, “I can’t find anything either, are you sure you weren’t just seeing things, Big Mac?” he asked.

“I’m telling you both…” said Big Mac concerned, “There was a giant schooner barge that rammed Warrior onto the surface, then sank afterwards… Look harder, Grampus.”

“No can do, my air’s getting low.” 

“Giant schooner barge ramming tugs… Or just Warrior being clumsy as usual?” asked Zoey accusingly.

“Hey, Warrior would never go this far!” snapped Big Mac, “I know what I saw!”

“Maybe you don’t know everything about your brother, Big Mac.” said Zoey, who still didn’t believe him.

As they were lifting Warrior onto a raft, no one noticed Eleanor quietly floating towards the wreckage sight, until Big Mac turned around.

“Eleanor?!” he exclaimed, “What are you doing here?”

“I heard the commotion, and figured I’d check in on you boys…” she explained, “How’s Warrior doing?”

“I’m okay…” said Warrior, “Just a damaged hull, nothing a trip to Lucky’s Yard can’t fix.”

“Uh-huh…” observed Eleanor, then she quickly looked around to check her surroundings. “Well Warrior… Before I go back to my dock, I just wanted to say, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you two saw him last night…” said Eleanor grimly, then she turned around and left.

“Don’t listen to her you two, she tells some wild stories sometimes.” groaned Zoey.

But Warrior and Big Mac stayed silent… For they knew she was right about everything. The Salvage crew took Warrior back to the repair yards, with Big Mac following. While they were there, Hercules stopped by, observing the situation.

“Rough night?” he asked.

“You bet…” said Big Mac, “The strangest thing happened, this ship seemed to almost ram Warrior onto the shore… But then it sank, and disappeared… The salvage crew couldn’t find it anywhere.”

“What a coincidence…” murmured Hercules

“Eh?”

“Oh… Well, you see… I thought I saw Bluenose last night… I thought I was just seeing things, but… Maybe not I suppose…”

“Maybe not… I can’t find an answer for that…”

“Me neither… I’m not sure if any of us can…”

It was a while before the two tugs went anywhere near the ship’s graveyard, but they, along with Hercules, learned a valuable lesson the hard way… Which is that there are some things on earth that cannot be explained.

Chapter Text

A fair share of people, knowing that this was the 1920’s, have asked me if me or my Star Fleet have ever had any run-ins with Prohibition. Well, I think it’s time I tell you this story. I remember it like it was yesterday. During that winter, I had assigned Sunshine to deliver a sand barge.

“Ho-ho-ho-ho…” he shivered, “It sure is cold today, let’s just get this over with.”

“Well at least you can actually move!” called Zorran from a distance, “Get me out!”

“ Ho-ho-ho, not a chance!” came the reply, “Gotta deliver some barges first, besides, maybe it’ll teach you not to be a troublemaker for once.”

Sunshine laughed as poor Zorran had been frozen in. Many barges had been covered with tarps, this was simply to prevent the loads from getting covered with snow or frost, but because of this… The tugs wouldn’t be able to see what was actually in the barges, and little did poor Sunshine know that he would have quite a different experience on this day.

“Ahhh, here it is… Captain Star did tell me this is where I should find the barge…” he said to himself, but suddenly, he could hear a bump near the back of the dock, followed by what sounded like another tug nearby. 

“Wh-What? Who’s there?” asked Sunshine. No one replied, “Hmmm, maybe my mind’s playing tricks on me…”

Sunshine quickly brushed it off and puffed away with his barge. But as he was taking his barge across the port, he was suddenly stopped by the Port Authority.

“Stop!” shouted the officer, “Sunshine, we’ve been getting reports of alcohol being smuggled into the city port in tarped barges. Since yours matches the description, we’d like to take a look inside it and see what it contains.”

“You’ll have no luck with me, this one’s loaded with sand.” said Sunshine.

“I’d still like to take a look, just in case.”

“Fine… Go right ahead.” sighed Sunshine, he thought the officer was wasting his time. The tarp was quickly lifted off… And what the Port Authority found, took both of them by surprise.

“Barrels… Filled to the brim with Whiskey?!” he shrieked, “How do you explain this, Sunshine?”

Sunshine was so shocked, “I-I-I-I don’t know what to say… I must have grabbed the wrong barge or something, I swear, I didn’t know there was alcohol in here.”

The officer wasn’t having it, “Likely story… I’m gonna have to take you in for questioning Sunshine, this is a serious matter.”

“Please officer, I-I thought it was filled with sand, Captain Star-”

“Sunshine… Come with me now , or you’re under arrest…” said the officer sternly. Later, he had to come to question me as well.

“I can assure you officer, I have no such involvement with smuggling alcohol, and I doubt Sunshine would know anything about it either.”

“Then how do you explain Sunshine towing a barge filled with barrels of whiskey?” asked the officer.

“He might have accidentally taken the wrong barge. You did go to the third pier like I instructed, right Sunshine?”

“Yes sir, but the barge they caught was the only one I found.”

“Excuse me?” asked the officer.

“Just telling you what I saw…”

“I see… Well, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to charge you Sunshine. Based on what I’ve witnessed, it would appear that you were intending to smuggle alcohol.”

Ten Cents was shocked, “What?!” he exclaimed, “Officer, he stated quite clearly that he-”

“Don’t interfere Ten Cents or I’ll charge you too! Now, I hope we can leave it at that. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you for the next few days Sunshine… Good day!” And without another word, the Port Authority left! 

“Good grief…” sighed Ten Cents, “I’m sorry you had to go through that Sunshine, he was acting like you had sunken a tug!”

“Or kidnapped the mayor too.” murmured Top Hat.

“Settle down you lot,” interrupted O.J., “The Port Authority does take the law very seriously so it’s no surprise… Still Sunshine, you went to the correct pier, yes?”

“Yes, O.J., I did…”

“And there was one barge you found… And that one happened to be filled with the whiskey? If that’s the case… Then where did the sand barge go?”

“That’s what I want to know… But I’m not a smuggler O.J., honest!”

“We know, Sunshine… Still, it is peculiar.” admitted Ten Cents.

“And it’s not like this is the first time one of us was framed too… Hah!”

“Shut up, Top Hat…” grumbled Ten Cents.

Next day, I sent Sunshine upriver to work with Big Mac and Warrior on the logging duties. Sunshine couldn’t help but feel responsible for what had happened.

“Alright, lads…” sighed the switcher, “Let’s just get this over with, then you can just forget that I was ever here.”

“What? Why would we do that, Sunshine?” asked Warrior, confused.

“If this is about your run-in with the Port Authority yesterday, don’t let it get to you.” comforted Big Mac, “Everyone makes mistakes.”

“But you’d think I’d pick the right barge… If I had bothered to check…”

“Cheer up, buddy!” said Warrior, “It’s not like Captain Star’s gonna get rid of you! Look at me, the clumsy one!”

“Well you’re still in the red, Warrior, so don’t get any ideas.” teased Big Mac.

“Hey I was just trying to help!”

“I’m pulling your hull brother. Come on, let’s get this lot delivered, then we can catch up with the rest of the crew.”

As the cavalcade made it back downriver, Big Mac decided to check his surroundings… He couldn’t help but wonder if someone else in the harbor was up to no good.

I advise that you two keep an eye out…” he said to Sunshine and Warrior, “Something tells me there’s more to what happened to you yesterday than what the Port Authority found.”

“Yeah, it just proves more and more how silly of a tug I am…”

“Stop beating yourself up, Sunshine! Remember, you may have picked up that barge by accident, but… How did it get in the port in the first place?”

Their answer was sitting right underneath their noses. Neither of them noticed the Z-Stacks talking to each other as they passed by.

“Right…” said Zak to Zip and Zug, “I’m still trying to look for the best way to free Zorran from the ice, now you two… You know what to do tonight, more of our… (Ahem) ‘Deliveries’ will be available out at the estuary, at 2300 hours.”

“Why do we have to pick up the ‘Deliveries’?” asked Zip nervously, “I don’t feel comfortable going there… Besides, you’re stronger than the two of us!”

“Yeah, and that’s why I’m more suited for getting Zorran out of the ice trap…” replied Zak.

“Don’t be a coward, Zip…” encouraged Zug, “I was able to do this task alone last time. It’s not that scary at all, honestly.”

“Okay, pal… But can you just stay close tonight? I don’t want to be alone in that area…”

“Very well, besides… I will need your help tonight, anyways.”

That night, the tugs were preparing to set off for their night work. Ten Cents and Sunshine were preparing to take a fuel barge out to Lillie Lightship.

“Good luck tonight you two, it’s gonna be chilly…” said Big Mac, “And keep your eyes open as well, smugglers are usually more active at night after all.”

“Smart thinking Big Mac…” said Ten Cents.

“Eh, doesn’t matter really… I’ll just get in more trouble like usual…” moaned Sunshine.

“Don’t be so pessimistic Sunshine, we’ve got a job to do.”

“You weren’t the reason that barge ended up here in the first place…” reminded Big Mac, “So remember, be on your guard.”

“Duly noted, Big Mac. Come on Sunshine, let’s get ready.”

“Alright, alright… I’m only doing this for Lillie though.” Sunshine was still doubtful about himself. Meanwhile, Zak had attempted to use Scuttlebutt Pete to break the ice Zorran was trapped in.

“Alright, Scuttlebutt…” groaned Zak, “Surely you can use your shovel to break your ice.”

“Sheesh, Zero! I’m a dredger, not an icebreaker. Just be patient.” grumbled Scuttlebutt.

“Yeah, though if you can knock down some buildings surely cracking up some thin ice shouldn’t be rocket science, hmmm?”

“I suppose… What do you need to do this for, anyway?”

“To free Zorran of course, that’s an easy one!”

“Zorran? HAH! What a lark, and I was just thinking that he might be behind that smuggling the other day.”

“Smuggling?” Zak tried to keep his composure, “Where’d you get such an idea?”

“ Someone must have brought that barge filled with alcohol in somehow.”

“Yeah, it was that switcher Sunshine, so why don’t you keep your mouth shut for once? Oh wait I forgot, you don’t know what that even means.”

Back at the fuel depot, Ten Cents and Sunshine were almost ready to go.

“Alright Sunshine, I think we’re due to depart soon. You almost ready?”

“Yeah, just getting my last line fixed to my barge.”

“Be quick, I-.... Hang on.”

“What’s up?”

“Look! Over there… It’s Zip and Zug.”

“So? We see them all the time.”

“No-no-no, listen…”

Zip was nervous, “Please Zug… Are you sure we can’t turn back now? I don’t want to get caught…”

“Who would be out at this time, Zip? Get a hold of yourself, let’s go… And besides, if we keep quiet, no one will notice.”

“They must be up to something…” observed Ten Cents, “Come on, let’s keep an eye on them…”

“If you say so…”

Ten Cents and Sunshine watched carefully as the two Zero Switchers crept out to sea. They had to follow them anyway, as Lillie was in the direction they were heading.

“What could Zip and Zug even be doing at this time of night?...”

“Just wait and see…” said Ten Cents, but just then they could hear a foghorn in the distance.

“That’s Lillie! Ten Cents, why don’t we just go deliver the fuel to her first?... I really don’t want to get involved in any trouble.”

Ten Cents finally gave in, “Alright then… I was only trying to get you out of trouble…”

Zug soon directed Zip towards where they were due to pick up their cargo.

“Where even is this ‘Delivery boy’, Zug? I can’t see anyone in sight!”

“Quiet! You’ll know when we get there!”

“Thanks for the fuel, boys.” said Lillie. The star switchers had finally reached her, “You know how to treat a lady like myself.”

“Heh, we’re just doing our job, Lillie.” chuckled Ten Cents.

“By the way… Did you two know that Nantucket was back? I just saw him coast through the sea last night.”

“Old dirt bucket?...” Sunshine perked up, “What’s he doing out here?”

“I don’t know… All I saw was a rusty old ship coasting through the harbor and was able to recognize it as him when I looked closer. I didn’t think he’d ever want to come back after the Coast Guard nicked him during that plague.”

“Wait a minute…” said Ten Cents thoughtfully, “I think I might have figured out this mystery.”

“What mystery?...”

“Sunshine, once we’re done here, let’s catch up to those Z-Stacks… I think I know what I’ll find if we run into ‘em.”

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sea, Zip soon discovered their “Delivery boy” himself.

“DIRTBUCKET?!” squeaked Zip.

“ Quiet, Zip!” said Zug, “What have I told you about being discreet?!”

“Huh… I see you brought your dumbbell with you tonight, Zero.” said Nantucket, observingly.

“Shut it! Have you got the cargo?”

“Yeah yeah yeah… Hold your horses, I’ll get it loaded on your barge.”

Zip was confused, “Wouldn’t it be easier to tow you into port, Mr… Nan-”

“I ain’t ever going into Bigg City again after those goody two screws of ;Coast guards; arrested me for asking for a tow…” interrupted Nantucket.

“Besides, Zip… If we do it this way, we’re less likely to be caught.” added Zip.

“I guess…” sighed Zip, and soon their barge was loaded, and the Zero Switchers headed back out to port.

Even though this wasn’t the first time the Z-Stacks had committed a crime… Something about this case felt… Different, for Zip. I can’t really tell you what came over him, maybe he didn’t like alcohol, maybe he thought smuggling illegal cargo was going too far, maybe he didn’t trust Nantucket. What I can tell you was that as they crept back towards the port, Zip felt a lot more tense… Zug noticed this and grew concerned.

“Zip? Zip? What’s wrong?”

“I-I let’s get this cargo delivered fast.”

“Zip, that doesn’t answer my-”

“There’s nothing wrong,- I’m fine!”

“Okay, okay… “

That was soon to change when Ten Cents and Sunshine spotted them.

“Ahoy, Zip! Zug! What are you two doing out here at this time of night, huh?” he asked, observing the barge.

“None of your business, Star…” grunted Zug.

Ten Cents was taken aback, “No need to be snappy, I was just asking.”

“We were just on our way home after delivering fuel to Lillie…” said Sunshine, then he noticed how tense Zip was. “Zip? Zip? Are you okay?”

“Don’t bother Sunshine, I’ve already tried asking him and he won’t let it out.” explained Zug, “We were just… Uhhh, delivering a dredged barge, yes, we were dredging out in the estuary.”

“Where’s your crane then?” asked Ten Cents.

“Oh, they asked to stay out there for the night, they just wanted to continue working so that they could clean up the sea.”

“ But that’s dangerous… Why don’t we go out and help take them back into port? This is our last job for the night anyways.”

“Nothing like dredging!” said Sunshine, but this was too much for Zip.

“ VILLIANS!!! ” he screamed!

“Zip?!” exclaimed Sunshine, he was shocked!

Zip couldn’t keep their load a secret any longer, “Yes, I’m guilty! I did it, I took the booze! Take off our barge’s cover, here, HERE! It was the sloshing of the hideous jugs! ” At that moment, Zip moved back, and used a line to pull off the barge’s tarp.  

“ZIP!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” shrieked Zug.

“ I knew it!” bellowed Ten Cents. They had been caught by an unlikely hero.

In the morning, the authorities soon came in to charge the two Z-Stacks, and Zip proceeded to sing like a canary and confessed to Zak and Nantucket’s participation as well.

“Way to go, Zip…” grumbled Zak, “All those times you caused chaos with your ignorance, and now you snitch on us? I don’t know why Captain Zero still bothers with you…”

“Don’t blame him, dummy!” said Zorran. He had finally been freed, but was very angry to learn what the three of them had done, “It was stupid of all of you to get involved with Dirtbucket and smuggle alcohol in the first place!”

“Oh… So this is the thanks I get for freeing you from that ice trap?”

“I can handle myself, dinghy-brain! And to stoop to something like THIS?! That's criminal, even for us!”

“Whatever… You’re the boss…”

Zak and Zug were reprimanded, but Zip… Well, got a lighter punishment for being the one to expose their actions. Sunshine, meanwhile, finally felt a little bit better about himself.

“We’re sorry for reprimanding you before, Sunshine.” said the Coast Guard, “We should have known that you wouldn’t pull a stunt like that.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it… I just want to relax after all this nonsense.”

“You deserve it, Sunshine!” smiled Ten Cents, “I knew things would get better for you.”

“Really? I didn’t think I…”

“Of course. Remember the old saying, don’t jump to conclusions until you have all the facts.”

Sunshine knew just what Ten Cents meant. It was a lesson both switchers knew well, and they both felt proud to have finally been able to put what they had learned into practice.

Chapter Text

The snow had finally melted, and the tugs were back at work doing busy odd jobs around the port. The Z-Stacks were still in disgrace for their smuggling operations earlier that year, and Captain Zero had put Zip and Zug on dredging duty.

“Alright…” Sighed Zug to himself, “Let me just try this one more time, let’s get to work Lil’ Ditcher.”

“Don’t sit too close to his claw, Zug!” squealed Zip.

“Shut it, I know what I’m doing Zip! What would you know about dredging anyway?”

“Alright lads, I’ve caught something!” said Little Ditcher as he reeled his claw back up. But as he did so, he accidentally bumped Zug’s hull.

“Ow! Hey! What’d you do that for?!”

“Told you you were sitting too close to his claw.”

Sunshine usually enjoyed dredging and wouldn’t be happy to give up his job to a Z-Stack, but since there was a lot of other work to do elsewhere, he wouldn’t have to worry about his assignment.

“Right, Star fleet!” I announced, “You will all be very busy today. Top Hat, usual car float jobs for you.”

“Oh boy…” murmured Top Hat as usual.

“Hercules, you’ll be out at sea to answer any possible distress calls. We’ll be having bad weather today.”

“Roger, sir.” said Hercules.

“O.J., you’re on garbage duty. Big Mac, Warrior, there’s a new delivery of coal waiting at the docks. I’ll be tasking you two to take care of the barges, Ten Cents, Sunshine, I’d like you two to deliver fuel to Mittsville. There’s going to be a regatta up there today and the boats will likely want extra fuel.”

“Don’t you mean the regatta for that new mayor elected at Mittsville, sir?” asked Ten Cents.

“Yes, that one. Don’t ask, I’m not the type to get involved with politics, but it does make a quick buck, on your way now.”

“Right, sir… Alright, let’s go Sunshine.”

“What’s this about a new mayor?” asked Sunshine curiously.

“Oh it’s just some sort of ceremony, and inauguration I think.”

“And they’re holding a regatta? All over a new person in power?”

“Trust me Sunshine, you don’t know the half of it…”

As they were talking, Grampus emerged from the water to pitch in his two cents. “And it’ll likely be worse than before, I just got back from there.” he explained.

“Grampus! What did you see?” asked Ten Cents.

“The speedboats are being terrors! They’ve been making massive waves. Doesn’t help that the wind’s really strong today.”

“I’ll say… What did the radar say? 10 miles an hour?”

“Something like that… Take care, you two, I hope you don’t run into any trouble up there.”

“We’ll be okay, Grampus. Thank you for the warning.” said Sunshine, as he and Ten Cents headed out.

“I’m heading back to alert Captain Star!” called Grampus.

Once the switchers made it to Mittsville, they soon understood Grampus’s warning; a speedboat whizzed past and splashed water all over their faces.

“P-Pah! Ptoo! Oi! Watch where you’re going, Speedy!” shouted Ten Cents, but the speedboat was already too far into the distance to hear him. “Oi, come back here!”

“Ah forget it Ten Cents, these terrors don’t wanna bother showing us any respect. Let’s just get on with our work.” said Sunshine, disappointed.

Ten Cents and Sunshine soon delivered the fuel and picked up barges of supplies to bring back down to port. As they hitched ropes onto the barges and departed the dock, they suddenly heard a loud gunshot.

“Yipes! What was that?!” said Sunshine, startled.

“It must be a starting pistol, but wait…” thought Ten Cents, “If that’s the case, then that means…”

Then, everything seemed to happen in an instant. Multiple speedboats came surging through the water, kicking up massive waves! Sunshine managed to get out of the way in time.

“Ten Cents, LOOK OUT!”

“Oh no!” Ten Cents couldn’t move in time, all the speedboats kicked up big waves all over him and his hull. “Hey! P-Peh! Hey! Oi! What’s the big idea, huh?!”

“Hahaha, get soaked steamies! Have some water to cool y’er boilers!” laughed one of the speedboat drivers, as they splashed on the two Star switchers again. 

“Ugggh!!”

The speedboats were soon out of sight. Ten Cents and Sunshine were soaked all over, but there was worse to come.

“Oh no!” cried Ten Cents.

“What’s wrong?!” asked Sunshine.

“I’m taking on water! Those twits in their launches have produced such high waves that my deck’s taking on water! Sunshine, help!”

“Oh-oh right away, I’ll get a line on you!” Sunshine quickly got a line on Ten Cents and held on tight.

“Yeah, there you go!”

“Oof… You’re heavier than I reckoned!”

“You can do it! Just keep it steady!”

“I’m trying! I’m trying!”

But at that moment… When they both thought Ten Cents would go under, there was a loud thump, and Ten Cents stopped going down.

“Huh… I didn’t realize the water here was that shallow.”

“I don’t think I’ve hit the bottom… Look, forget the line, find some cranes and get me out!”

“Aye aye!” said Sunshine, as he rushed off for help.

Ten Cents had sunk quite a bit, the water was barely touching his wheelhouse. But he knew it would be best to stay calm, and pray that no other speedboats would splash him. Sunshine had a few difficulties in getting help.

“Zip! Zug! Lil’ Ditcher! Leave your barge, I’ve an emergency and I need your help!”

“Is it enough of an emergency to stop us from cleaning up this harbor?” accused Zip.

“Ten Cents is sinking! Some mad speed boats Up River have kicked so many waves that he’s taken on water!”

“Well well well, good for them! Saves us some competition, eh Zip?” giggled Zug.

“No-I I mean yes! Yes!” stuttered Zip.

“You wouldn’t actually let him drown, would you?” asked Sunshine.

“I wouldn’t, would you Zug?...”

Zug sighed. “Alright, Zip… But only if we get something out of the salvage.”

“A deal’s a deal… Come on you two, we’ve got a fellow switcher to save.” said Sunshine as he lead the cavalcade back up river.

Ten Cents was still miraculously above water level when they arrived. Sunshine was the first to check in on him.

“How are you feeling?”

“Not any better than I was before you left me to sink.”

“I had to get help somehow…”

As they were quarreling, Zip noticed something bubbling from the surface.

“Wh-Wh-What’s that Zug?! Is it a sea monster?” he shrieked.

“Sea monster?! But we’re in the middle of a lake!” protested Zug.

“B-But look at it, it’s huge, bubbly and-” Zip was interrupted by Grampus emerging from the surface.

“Oh, it’s only Grampus… I-I knew that.”

“I know what saved you, Ten Cents.” explained Grampus, “You happened to land right on top of an old Paddle Steamer!”

“A whaaattt?”

“T’hell’s a Paddle Steamer doing in the middle of a lake in Mittsville?” asked Zug, who was most puzzled.

“I don’t know, but I may ask around. Let’s focus on freeing Ten Cents first!”

And so they did. Work took a while, but since there was no damage done to Ten Cents’ hull, he was able to float back to the surface once all the water was flushed out of his deck.

“Ahhh, thanks fellas. Those speed boats had me worried when I saw ‘em kicking up all those waves.”

“Right, now we gotta salvage that old Paddle steamer.” suggested Grampus.

“Why? Shouldn’t we leave it alone?” asked Ten Cents thoughtfully, “It’s not our property after all.”

“Don’t be so neglective, Ten Cents! Poor thing looks like she’s been submerged for years! We gotta help her! Wouldn’t you agree, Sunshine?”

“Oh yeah, and we’ve got the equipment too. Get ready, Mighty Moe!” called Sunshine.

“Roger that, just let me get my hose fastened to the vessel and I’ll get right to work. Lil’ Ditcher, I’ll need your help too!”

“No trouble, Moe.”

“Ready?... HEAVE!!!”

As the cranes were getting ready to lift out the paddle steamer, a few of the other tugs came up to see what all the commotion was about.

“Ahhh, you alright, Ten Cents? Feeling better?” asked O.J.

“Yeah, just a bit shaken up, no real damage done.” 

“And what’s this here?” O.J. was most surprised, “Wait… Is that… Is that old Marincay?”

“Marin... What?” asked Sunshine.

“That’s right, y’all don’t remember. This paddle steamer along with her sisters used to transfer people and cars across the Bigg City Port in the 1900’s and 1910’s.”

“Oh yeah, much like the Fulton Ferry now!” commented Ten Cents.

“Aye, the Fulton Ferry… Actually replaced the steamers like Marincay here earlier this decade I remember, before most of you came along. Most of them were broken up by Burke and Blair, but we never knew what happened to Marincay here… Until now, at least.”

There were a few moments of silence, until Sunshine had a suggestion.

“Is there any way we can get this old lady back up and running? She doesn’t look in that bad of shape.”

“Stupid suggestion!” argued Zug, “Who’s gonna want this old timer? If you ask me we should send her to Burke and Blair-”

“Hey, show some respect Zug!” objected Zip, “No vessel is too old to be useful, imagine how many crowds she’d draw today!”

“Zip being the one to talk down to Zug? Now I’ve seen everything!” laughed Ten Cents.

When the cavalcade brought the “Marincay” back to Bigg City, I had a few words to say regarding the discovery.

“Where did you find that old muddy vessel?” I asked.

“In the bottom of the harbor at Mittsville,” explained O.J., “You remember her and her sisters, don’t you captain?”

“Yes, O.J., I do. But do we have any use for it now?”

“Can’t we keep it safe somewhere, Captain?” peeped Ten Cents, “She really is a beautiful ship, and I wouldn’t want to lose her to the breakers.”

“Hmmm… Well there isn’t much room on my fleet for her, see if there’s any room at Lucky’s for her and maybe they can fix her up, if not then I think you’ll have to consider letting her go. On your way now.”

“Aye aye, sir..” sighed O.J., and with that, the cavalcade made their way towards Lucky’s. 

Once the tugs made it to Lucky’s Yard to drop off their payload, they spoke to the manager about the situation.

“Well there’s a dock near the back that we could store her at, but I can’t promise she’ll be restored right away.” he explained, “We’ve been trying to focus more on one of our newer projects that we’ve been putting off for too long.”

“Thanks sir, but what sort of project?” asked Ten Cents.

“Well once you put this old paddle steamer’ in the back, you can take a look. The project’s in the front.”

The tugs finally moored old Marincay in the back, and it would be difficult to spot her from a normal passerby.

“Well old girl, you’re safe here.” Comforted O.J., “We’re glad to have saved you and please, make yourself comfortable while you’re here.”

Although Marincay couldn’t speak, O.J. seemed to nod like the vessel had said “Thank you” in response.

“Well, we’d better head out then lads. Back to work.”

“Actually, I still want to see what that ‘Project’ Mr. Lucky mentioned… Can we take a peak on the way out?” asked Ten Cents.

“If you want, I’m heading back to the Star Dock.” said O.J. as he headed away.

“As am I, I’d rather wait until the full reveal, y’know?” said Sunshine as he left too.

“Oh well… Your losses.” sighed Ten Cents, as he headed over to the front.

“Mr. Lucky? Sir?”

“Yes Ten Cents?”

“Where’s that project you mentioned earlier? I’d like to have a sneak peak at it if that’s okay with you.”

“Oh for sure! It’s right on your right, in the green tarps.”

“Interesting… Thanks sir” said Ten Cents as he made his way over.

“No problem, hope you like what you see!” called Mr. Lucky.

Ten Cents could tell that whatever was under the tarp was something big… But was shocked as to how big it would be when he took his peak.

“Dear lord… This is going to change the industry in more ways than one.” he pondered, but then he looked around to make sure nobody heard him.

“Well… I’d better get back to my post.” he said as he made his way back to the Star Dock.

“Ahhh, you’re back Ten Cents! What was that mystery project Mr. Lucky was talking about?” asked O.J., “Did you get a good look at it?”

“I’m.. Actually not allowed to talk about it to others.” explained Ten Cents.

“Whatever do you mean chap? It can’t be that confidential.” said Hercules.

“I think you all will just get the bigger picture when the project is done.”

“Are you sure? I was quite curious when O.J. and Sunshine told me…”

“That’s enough!” I interrupted, “Ten Cents, the port authority wants to speak with you.”

“Why? What did I do?”

“No no, they just want to ask you a few questions about what happened earlier at the regatta.”

“Oh, alright… I don’t really know how much help I’ll be though.”

“Just answer it as best as you can… By the way, I’m proud of you for persevering after what happened earlier.”

It wasn’t too difficult for Ten Cents. It was mostly a few questions regarding what he saw and what the speedboats looked like, and soon the Port Authority was on their way. All the drivers at the speedboat rally were all laughing at the fun they had that day.

“Wasn’t this a great party today, lads?” said one, “I’d say I was kicking up waves of over ten feet back there!”

“Yeah, you should have seen the look on those yellow tugs’s faces, ‘hey didn’t know what hit ‘em!”

Just then, the coast guard showed up. “Ahoy, ahoy there! Can I ask you boys some questions?”

“Oh crumbs…”

“From what I heard, you boys not only came close to sinking one of the Star Tug and Marine Company’s switcher tugs, but completely submerged at least four other speedboats! What do you all have to say about that, hmmm?”

“We did what?!”

“You heard right… We’re bringing out salvage cranes as we speak to rescue them. And from the looks on your faces and what I just heard you saying before I came in, I’d say there’s no denying it, eh?”

“What do we even say?”

“Tell him we didn’t mean any harm!”

“Well it’s a little late for that, isn’t it, boys? You’re all under arrest, please come with me quietly so we won’t have to do any harm to you all.” “I give in…”

“That’s what I thought. Let’s go, boys.”

All of the reckless speedboat drivers were all sentenced to 2 months of community service. Regardless of how excited you are over a special occasion, you should always put safety over your own entertainment. As for what became of Marincay, well, that’s another story.

Chapter Text

No team is able to pull itself together without a leader. I may have been in charge of my tugs, but I always thought of myself as a leader instead. I wasn’t always perfect, but I did my best to listen to their thoughts, hear them out, and plan out each day critically, not emotionally. The Z-Stack’s had a leader too, well… Relatively speaking. Zorran was always the one who tried to get the other tugs’ heads together and provided all the planning. I remember a time when he was nearly taken off the throne. It all started when he started having issues with his propellor.

“Come on lads, we gotta get this lot delivered before the end of the hour” ordered Zorran, and at that moment, his propellor seized for a moment, which caused him to jerk a bit. “Arrgh-Stupid thing!” he croaked.

“You’ve been having issues with your propeller since you got stuck in the ice last winter, Zorran.” said Zak, observingly. “Maybe it’s time you get it checked.”

“Not now!” Barked Zorran, “We gotta finish our work or Captain Zero will give us all a tongue lashing. Besides, who are you to talk about taking care of your system?”

Although this was true, Zak was quite offended.

“… Are you... Scared of something, Zorran?...” He asked accusingly.

“No, what makes you think that?”

“Maybe you’re scared that you’re not ‘As fit’ as you used to be-”

“-You’re wasting time distracting me, shut up and get back to work!”

They finished their job just fine, but as they made their way back to the Zero Dock, it happened. Zorran’s propeller seized again.

“Ahh no, not again!” he groaned.

“What did I tell you?” reminded Zak.

“Shut it Zak! It’ll kick back in after a few minutes.”

But Zak made his way all the way back to the dock… And Zorran was still drifting, it was clear that Zorran’s propeller was officially shot.

“Alright then… Any of you lads want to help me tow Zorran over here?” asked Zak to the other tugs.

“What’s wrong with him? Why can’t he move?” asked Zip.

“He didn’t bother to take care of his stupid propeller, come on!” answered Zak.

Zorran could see all four of the other Z-Stack’s approaching him as he tried to get his propellor activated again. “What are you all doing?” he asked.

“Getting you into the dock, what else?” said Zebedee as he got a rope attached.

“Clear off, will you? My propeller will-”

“No it won’t you idiot!” Snapped Zak, “We’re trying to help you! This is what you get for not getting it repaired earlier!”

“Fine, whatever…”

As they towed Zorran to the dock and got him settled for the night, there was worse to come.

“What’s happened to him?!” asked Captain Zero.

“His darn propellor is shot, captain.” Explained Zak, “He’s gonna have to go to Lucky’s for a new one!”

“Broken propeller, huh?... What have you got to say for yourself, Zorran?”

“I was just trying to push myself and set an example as the fleet’s leader-”

“Fleet’s leader?! I knew you were all idiots, but this takes the cake! Zorran, you’re not fit to work, let alone lead the team, so it’s straight to Lucky’s for you for a few weeks,-”

“A few weeks?! But I only need to replace a propeller!”

“Firstly, I need to get some money to buy the propeller, and second, I’m gonna have them look over your entire system. Who on earth knows what else is wrong with your system after you didn’t bother to take care of yourself…”

“Can I take the role of the leader while he’s gone, sir?” asked Zak, “I promise I’ll keep the fleet in order.”

“That’s a great idea, Zak! Thank you for being so willing to help out.”

“My pleasure~”

“W-What?!” Spluttered Zorran, “But he’s in worse mechanical shape than I am!”

“Honestly, Zorran’s got a point there-” Muttered Zip quietly.

“Shush, not out loud Zip!” Silenced Zug.

“Zak will be taking your place as the leader while you’re gone, and that’s final. I’m sorry, Zorran.”

“… No you’re not, Captain… You’re not fooling me…”

Zorran was soon sent to Lucky’s Yard for repairs, and was miserable. The process didn’t go by that quick either. Captain Zero hadn’t demanded for Zorran to be a top priority and Lucky’s had other projects they were working on. It seemed, in Zorran’s mind, that Captain Zero had forgotten all about him. That would change, however, when one day Ten Cents and Big Mac towed Warrior in for repairs.

“Hello-hello-hello Stars, I see Warrior’s in trouble again. What’s that, the third time this week?”

“Watch your mouth, Zorran.” Glared Big Mac, “It wasn’t Warrior’s fault.”

“Yeah, he took on the recent coal shipment and it bloated his boiler.” explained Ten Cents.

“Bloated?... What do you mean?” asked Zorran.

“Well uh, I don’t know how to describe it really…” said Warrior, “I figured taking on the fresh batch would be the healthiest but eh, I just… Felt so much pain as we were working. My boiler felt so pained and bloated… And I was making a lot more sparks too, it just isn’t good for my system.”

“Not good for any of us…” sighed Ten Cents, “Top Hat was having some trouble too, just hope your friends won’t have any trouble too if they take it, Zorran.”

“Wait… You mean my-”

“Yeah, Zak and Zebedee took on some of the coal and headed up river for one of your contracts.” explained Big Mac, “We tried to warn them on what happened to Warrior but they just blamed it on him, like you did.”

“You mean Zak-Oh no…”

“What’s ‘Oh no’?” asked Ten Cents

“Ten Cents, listen to me very closely.” ordered Zorran, “I’ve been noticing since… Long before I broke down at least, that Zak’s been having some engine troubles. If his bad engine is combined with bad coal, I know what kind of effect that would have on him. Leave Warrior here, both of you go up river and stop him, fast as you can, you understand?”

“R-Right away!” cried Ten Cents.

“Wait Ten Cents, do you really think we can trus-”

“No, Zorran’s right Big Mac, considering what happened to Warrior we can’t let anything worse happen to another tug, Z-Stack or not! Come on!” then, Ten Cents and Big Mac raced off up river to find Zak and Zebedee.

Warrior and Zorran were left alone, so Warrior decided to try starting a conversation. “… There sure are a lot of geese out today, aren’t there Zorran?”

“Shut up.”

Ten Cents and Big Mac were pounding it up river, using every ounce of steam they had. Lucky for them they hadn’t taken on any of the bad coal yet so there was little issue with their engines. Meanwhile, Up River, Zebedee too was growing concerned. He and Zak were picking up timber barges from a sawmill.

“I don’t feel well, Zak…” groaned Zebedee, “My boiler’s cramping so badly… I think there was something wrong with that coal we took, you don’t look so hot either.”

“Nonsense Zeb, I’m fine. We gotta get back to the port anyway with all this timber, Captain Zero will be pleased with our work today!” said Zak, but then at that moment, they heard Big Mac and Ten Cents’ whistles in the distance. “Oh no… It’s the Star’s.”

“Zak! Zebedee!” cried Ten Cents, “Oh good, just in time… Listen, that new shipment of coal we got earlier today, it’s no good. Warrior broke down because if it-”

“Oh, what a shock there!” said Zak, mockingly.

“Shut it, it looks like you two aren’t looking so good either.” Observed Big Mac, “Listen, we don’t want anything bad to happen, if you’d be so kind to let us have those barges, we can take some weight off your hull so that you can get your boilers cleaned.”

“You mean you want to steal our profits?! Not a chance, Star’s-”

Zebedee was more kind, “Zak, come on, be rational. They’ve got a point, look at us!”

“But if we let them have our barges, we’ll make no money at all today, and Captain Zero will be angry with us!” argued Zak.

“Not as angry as he would be if you two get into an accident,” retorted Ten Cents, “Come on, we’ll give you half of the money, that would make it fair.”

“No deal. Now shove off, we’ve got work to do” said Zak, then he began to pull forward. 

“Zak, what are you doing?!” cried Zebedee.

“ My job, are you coming or what?”

“B-But what about the coal?”

“We’ll be fine, I can move even when I’m burning dirt! Now… Let’s…”

But then… It happened. Before Zak could say anymore, a huge cloud of cinders blasted from his funnel.

“Woah… Was that me?” said Zak, almost shocked.

“Ahhh, you’re beginning to understand, and we’ll just-”

“Get away from me! I was just flushing out my system!” 

Zak revved his engine again, much to the concern of the other three Tugs.

“Zak, seriously, listen to them! Cut your engine before your boiler bursts!”

“Silence! Watch me!”

Things were getting bad quickly. Zak was starting to shoot sparks out of his funnel. If any more shot out and landed on the timber, a fire could start.

“We’d better clear the area before anything happens, Zebedee, want us to tow you?” offered Ten Cents.

“Yeah, that’d be great...”

Ten Cents and Big Mac both got a line on Zebedee, and pulled him as far away from the sawmill as possible… It was a good thing too. At that moment, Zak’s barge caught on fire!

“Zak, your barge!” cried Big Mac.

“What?!” said Zak, then he looked back and gasped in horror. “Oh, oh no!”

“Get clear!”

Zak cut his line and tried to pull clear, but it was too late at that point. The coal had messed up his system, and he was coughing violently.

“Hh-Help me! I can’t (Coughs) move!”

“You fool! ” Screeched Zebedee in fury, “What did we all tell you?!”

"Come on, everyone! All hands on deck, we gotta get him outta there!” shouted Ten Cents.

“Are you crazy?! He brought it upon himself!” objected Zebedee.

“What would Captain Zero say about losing one of his tugs?!” said Ten Cents, as he got a line on Zak. “Come on, Big Mac! Zebedee! Help me out here!”

“Alright fine, but if we burn out here for him, I’ll sink you!”

The three tugs all got their lines on Zak, and pulled him to safety. Zebedee did the least amount of work, not wanting his boiler to be damaged any further.

“Whew… Consider yourself lucky, Zak.” murmured Big Mac.

“Shut up…”

“What are we gonna do now?” asked Zebedee, “The fire’s spreading!”

“We’ve got to evacuate the town! I’ll go out and warn everyone!” said Ten Cents, and he scurried off into the distance. 

As Ten Cents made his way towards Uptown, Zoey came… With the Fire Chief!

“Z-Zoey! How did you two know there was a fire going on up here?!” asked Zebedee, surprised to see her.

“I could see the smoke from the distance and alerted the Chief!” she explained.

“How did this happen?” asked the Fire Chief.

“Zak the idiot here, wouldn’t listen to Ten Cents and I when we tried to warn him about the bad coal!”

“P-P-Please don’t tell Captain Zero, he’s gonna be so mad at me…” quivered Zak in fear.

“Little late for that, Zak…” Muttered Zebedee, “Come on, we gotta put the fire out!”

“Zebedee, help me get this second fire barge positioned so that we can try and put the fire in that building out!” ordered the Fire Chief.

“I really shouldn’t sir, I took on the bad coal too, so-”

“I’ll do it chief, come on!” said Big Mac, and he instantly took on one of the barges.

The main building at the sawmill had been set ablaze at this point, the Fire Tug and Big Mac were trying to position the fire barge toward it in hopes of putting the fire out before the building collapsed.

“There we go Big Mac, now let ‘er rip! The more water doused on that building, the less likely it is to collapse! I’ll try and put out the barges, good luck!”

“You got it, sir!”

Big Mac and the Fire Chief did their best, but the structures and the barges, made of flammable wood, proved very difficult to stabilize. The Fire Chief could only watch as Zak’s barge split in half, and sank at the blink of an eye.

“I gotta say...” Muttered Big Mac to himself, “I’m sure glad Zoey didn’t get Billy Shoepack to help us”

“Dang it… Couldn’t save that barge, Big Mac, how are things holding up for you?”

“Not sure if I can save the paneling, but the structure seems to still be intact!”

“You’re doing your best! I’ll try to make sure the fire doesn’t spread to the forest!”

Zoey cheered them on, “Keep going, Big Mac! I-” Then she noticed that the dock that Big Mac was sitting near was on fire too, “Big Mac! Watch out for the dock, if it keeps burning, it’ll tip over!”

“Aye aye!” called Big Mac, but didn’t move away yet.

There was soon enough water doused on the building to make sure it wouldn’t collapse. Big Mac tried to aim the fire barge at the dock, holding a big crane… But as he did, it was too late. The dock was starting to give way.

“Oh no!” he cried, but not before Zoey came charging towards him.

“Big Mac!!! I’ve got you!” she screamed.

Zoey was able to push Big Mac out of the way in time, but not for herself… The crane landed right on top of her.

“ARRGH!!!”

“Zoey!” Cried Big Mac, “Hang on, I-I’ll get you out of there!”

Zoey wasn’t having it, “D-Don’t worry about me! Save yourself, make sure the other buildings are extinguished!”

“I-I whatever you say!”

Big Mac didn’t want to leave Zoey, but he knew he had to help the Fire Chief. Zoey began to regret telling Big Mac not to rescue her. The flames at the dock hadn’t been extinguished, and were coming dangerously close to her hull.

“If this is how I go, at least I went out saving a Star…”

Zebedee was worried too, “Zoey! Why isn’t anyone helping her?...”

“She’s not worth it… Who needs a tug as clumsy as Warrior?” snarled Zak.

“I’ve had enough of your insults Zak!” shouted Zebedee, “Well, I’m going in, even if it means breaking my boiler!” then he charged in Zoey’s direction.

“Zebedee, NO!” cried Zak.

“Zoey! Hold on girl, I’ll get you out of there!”

“Zebedee?! What are you doing?!”

 “The right thing…” he declared, and revved his engine. Zebedee tried with all his might to push Zoey out of the way.

“Zebedee, please! You’ll hurt yourself too, just get clear!”

“ NEVER!!!”

And like that… Zebedee’s engine ROARED into life, he was in a lot of pain from the coal, but he didn’t care. He pushed Zoey clear of the flames, just in time… They both looked back to see one of the other buildings collapse in seconds. When Ten Cents came back, the fire was finally put out… But the sawmill had been destroyed. Big Mac did manage to save the structure of one of the buildings, yes, but now it was no more than a skeleton of its former self.

“How are we going to explain this to the owner of this sawmill?” asked Big Mac.

“Best we can do is explain to them that it could have been a lot worse…” said the Fire Chief. “Thank you for helping me, Big Mac. You did a great job.”

“No sweat… Zoey, Zebedee? Are you two alright?”

“The crane hit me when I got you clear… I’m gonna need repairs.” sighed Zoey.

“Me too…” admitted Zebedee, “My boiler’s killing me…”

“Yeah… But thank you for saving me Zebedee, I owe you one.”

“Well…” said Ten Cents, to no one in particular, “On the bright side, maybe this’ll encourage Captain Zero to finish the repairs on Zorran now.”

“Oh boy, then we’ll go back to the way things were before, amiright?” chuckled Big Mac, and he, Ten Cents, and Zoey all laughed.

They may have been able to crack some humor, but Zak knew he was in… Let’s say “Hot water”. Captain Zero had quite a few words from him when they returned to the port.

“AND YOU CALL YOURSELF A COMPETENT LEADER?! SOME ‘REPLACEMENT!’”

“But Captain, I-”

“I DON’T WANT TO HEAR YOUR EXCUSES! YOU NEARLY SENT THE SAWMILL UP IN FLAMES TODAY, ALL THANKS TO YOUR INEPTITUDE!”

“… Sorry… Sir…”

”Don’t you DARE say that word! “SORRY” won’t rebuild the sawmill’s facilities, but barges with resources will… So I’m sending you up river to help them rebuild, and while you’re doing that, Zorran will be taking over your jobs in the port. I’m sure he won’t mind being back to work after all this time!”

“You really are a horrible leader…” Added Zorran, who was now repaired, “I may not be the poster child of credibility, but at least I make an effort…” Then, he backed out of the dock. “Heading out for work, sir!”

“Thank you, Zorran! That’s my number one!”

Ten Cents and Big Mac had told the other Stars all about what had happened, and were now taking a rest at the coal depot when Zorran came in to talk to them.

“Hey Ten Cents, Big Mac…” He said, “Don’t tell Captain Zero I said this, but I wanted to thank you for at least trying to help me today… Too bad Zak made all those efforts futile.”

“Yeah, anytime Zorran.” said Ten Cents, “Don’t worry about the coal either, Top Hat and Hercules helped get rid of the bad stuff.”

“Yeah… Though what will we do if something like that happens again?”

“Well… Maybe… You did get a sneak peek at that project at Lucky’s while you were waiting for repairs, didn’t you?”

“Oh yes… Yes I did..”

Coal has clearly had a lot of major flaws, and when there’s a bad batch, it leads to all sorts of trouble. This is why Lucky’s Yard had been working on a project that could help eliminate the need for coal in the first place, and Ten Cents and Zorran both were eager to see it completed… But that’s another story.

Chapter Text

Over the last few months, Lucky’s Yard had been working on a secret project. A few tugs, like Ten Cents and Zorran, were able to get a sneak peak during their visits, but whenever anyone else would ask them what the project was, they never broke. I remember the day that we finally found out what the project was… It all started when Captain Zero and I had gathered up our fleets at our respective tugs.

“Good morning Star Fleet!” I announced, “I would like to announce to you all this morning that we’re going to be getting an extra hand for a little while. I’ve been asked by Lucky’s Yard to put a new ‘Tug’ on trial to see how she performs. Captain Zero and his crew will be getting another ‘Tug’ of the same design. They say these tugs are unlike any other.”

“At long last…” sighed Ten Cents.

“Hold on, you knew about this Ten Cents?” asked Top Hat.

“Yes, this is the secret project I got a peek at a while ago. You guys are in for a surprise.”

“How are these tugs ‘Unlike any other’?” asked Big Mac.

“See for yourself.” I said.

My tugs watched as two tugs with wooden framing approached the dock. One went towards the Zero Dock, and the other came to ours. They were surprised. On her hull read “Hestia”, she was, in a manner of speaking, very stunning. But what was really surprising was that there was no smoke coming out of her stack at all.

“Welcome to the Star Fleet!” Greeted O.J., “Uhh… Hestia is it?”

“Yes, my builders told me I was something special, so they named me after a goddess. Pleasure to meet you all at last!”

“I hate her already…” Muttered Top Hat in the back.

“Top Hat, be nice!” Snapped Ten Cents, “We gotta make her feel welcome.”

“Aye, I think she might be the most recent ‘Apart G-’ eh, what is it?” asked Sunshine.

“I think you mean ‘Avant Garde’, Sunshine!” Laughed O.J.

“What does that mean?” asked Warrior.

“It means she’s new! And you’re certainly that.” said Big Mac.

“For real?”

“Yes!” said O.J., “Pardon us, it’s just we’ve never seen a tug like you before… How do you make no smoke at all?”

“Oh that! I think it’s my engine! I’m what they call a ‘Diesel’, and my engine is powered by internal combustion… Not unlike… You all have boilers, right?”

“Yeah… Are you saying you don’t have one?” Asked Ten Cents.

“Nope! No need for one, you sound surprised, that’s the way diesels function!”

“Amazing…” remarked Sunshine.

“Alright, alright!” I said,  “I think that’s enough gawking for now. Today’s going to be a very busy day today. SS Vienna is coming in later, and we’ll need all hands on deck. OJ, Big Mac, Warrior, Hercules, Ten Cents, I’d like the five of you to handle that. Top Hat, the usual car floats for you, Sunshine, I’d like you to help train Hestia. You two will have to handle the oddjobs since everyone else will be busy.”

“Aye aye, alright Hestia, want me to show you ‘Our ways’?”

“It would be my pleasure!”

“Right, I think we’ll have to start with garbage duty.” said Sunshine, and they left.

We were very busy indeed. Lots of barges needed to be towed, and the return of SS Vienna meant that the arrival of Hestia was a great help. Izzy Gomez had delivered some bananas, but was having trouble getting a tow.

“Eyyy, Warrior! I need a tow out to sea.”

“Sorry Izzy, I haven’t got time today. I need to deliver as many barges as I can so that I can have time to help the others dock in Vienna later.”

“But Warrior, I promise I’ll pay you a good price! I gotta get back home and fetch more bananas too, this is a big business you know!”

“I can tow you tomorrow if you can wait.”

“I can’t! Warrior, please!”

“No Izzy, it's the Captain's orders. Maybe one of the Z-Stack’s can help you.” Warrior then had to go. “See you later!”

“Aye aye aye, the one day I really need a tow the gringos complain about being too busy… How am I gonna get out of here?”

Top Hat was still very skeptical about the two new tugs. As he made his way to the railway dock, Goliath was there, ready to go to work.

“G’Morning Top Hat!” He greeted, “How’s life today?”

“Oh, morning Goliath…”

“You look upset, is something the matter? Did Captain chew you out again?”

“What?! No, nothing of the sort! It’s just… He’s trialing this new tug that was built very recently, and I can’t help but feel that something’s off…”

“Trialing? What’s this Tug’s name?”

“Hestia, and she’s a diesel, the newest thing apparently.”

Goliath went as pale as a ghost upon hearing this.

“Top Hat… That’s… Not good, I’ve heard of diesels before.”

“Really?”

“Yes! I’ve been hearing about diesel-powered engines from some of the engines on the mainlines we connect to. They describe them as ‘Boxcabs’, and apparently they’re… Much more maintenance and fuel friendly than us steam engines, so the railroads have a long term plan to acquire more. This could be the beginning of the end for us… You’re right to think that something’s off.”

“Oh my… Yes… What should I do, Goliath?”

“Make sure your mates know about this, because if they’re starting to make diesel tugs too, then… I don’t know what that means for you guys.”

“You got it… I still have to make my deliveries though.” sighed Top Hat as he made his departure.

“Of course, just don’t forget.”

“How can I, now that you’ve told me this?” 

Izzy was still trying to look for anyone that was available, and soon spotted Zorran and Hades in the distance.

“Eyyy, the Z-Stacks… Well, better than no tow I guess. Eyyy, hello Zorran! Need some money? I gotta get a tow!”

“Get lost, beaner! I’m showing Hades around!”

“Not you too! I need to get home!”

“I’m sure your Sombrero will help guide you!” Mocked Hades.

“What was that?! What did you just say about my Sombrero? Get back here!” Too late for Izzy though, as the two tugs disappeared. “...Fine” he muttered, “I’ll do it myself…”

Meanwhile, Sunshine was showing Hestia how garbage runs are handled.

“G’day Sunshine, who’s your new girlfriend?” Greeted Jack, the grappler.

“Wh-She’s-She’s not my girlfriend, Jack!”

“Jus’ askin’, that’s all. Never seen her around before after all.”

“Jack, this is Hestia. Hestia, Jack. She’s a new diesel tug that Captain Star’s putting on trial, so she’ll be working with you today.”

“Phew… That’s a… Pretty nasty smell, I must say.” remaked Hestia in surprise.

“Got a problem with garbage, miss?”

“I’m not used to it okay? How can you handle… Whatever you do-d-o you pick this stuff up with your mouth?”

The garbage master woke up at that moment, “Oh! Good morning Sunshine, that is you right?”

“Yes, morning sir! I’m just teaching Captain’s new tug Hestia how to handle garbage barges! Hestia, this is the master!”

“G-Good morning sir, just helping out with your garbage, I… Guess…”

“Good morning to you too, Hestia! Hope you’re finding the Star Fleet fun, we’ve got quite a bit of garbage for you to handle today too!”

“Yeah… What’s there to know about this anyway?”

“Well, for starters,” began Sunshine, “You will need to stay here while Jack loads up the Stinker. Then you’ll…”

He trailed off, as he noticed something in the distance. “Hang on, what’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“Is… Is that Izzy?!” Sunshine blew his whistle in alarm! “Izzy! What are you doing?!”

“Eyyy, g’morning Sunshine! Just heading out to sea!”

“Without a tug?! Izzy, stop! STOP!”

“Not a chance! Gotta get more bananas!”

But then… It happened. Izzy suddenly came to a crawling speed, and just like that, he stopped.

“I knew this would happen…. Izzy, you’ve run aground again! That area’s too shallow for a tramper of your size!”

“Ay caramba… What am I gonna do?!”

“Don’t move… I’ll try and get you unstuck, oh Hestia? Hestia?! Can you please help me push Izzy free?”

“I don’t know Sunshine… You did tell me to stay put here while this barge loads!”

“Aye-Look, you can tie it up to the dock! I could use a hand, freeing a tramper isn’t easy to do!”

“I thought taking care of garbage was important though, Sunshine!”

“Hestia, please!” But there was no reply after that, “Alright, sorry Izzy, I’ll have to do my best to get you out, here we go.” said Sunshine, as he began revving his boiler. “HHHHRRRRGGGHHH!!!”

I cared deeply about Sunshine, but being the smallest tug on my fleet, it would be near impossible for him to help release a big tramper like Izzy on his own, especially one that was stuck in the mud.

“Gosh dang it Izzy, you’ve been through this before! Are you ever gonna change your ways?!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry Sunshine.. But I really needed to get home!”

“Yeah, just wait until the Coast Guard finds out about this… Hestia! Are you done yet?! I really need your help!”

“Still loading here!” She said, almost mockingly. “You’ve got this, Sunshine!”

Sunshine was running out of patience, finally… He decided to give it one last big push.

“HHHRRRGGGGHHH, almost there Izzy! I’ll get you out soon!”

But he didn’t. At that moment, Sunshine’s boiler burst and there was smoke everywhere.

“Oh no!” he coughed, “I was afraid of this!”

“Done!” Called Hestia, “Alright Sunshine, I’ll get you out of there!”

Hestia soon got a line on Sunshine and pulled him clear. She was just about to push Izzy clear herself when Warrior, who had just finished delivering his barges and was on his way to help dock Vienna, saw the accident.

“Sufferin’ stacks! Sunshine, Hestia, what happened here?” He asked.

“Oh Warrior! Thank goodness you’re here! Izzy ran aground and Sunshine broke down. I pleaded to help him, but Sunshine insisted that he was strong enough to push Izzy out of the mud!”

“What?!” Coughed Sunshine, “No I didn-”

“-I was about to take over,” Interrupted Hestia, “But do you think you could help?”

“Of course! Shame on you, Izzy… Too impatient, weren’t you? Listen, I’ll get you out to sea. Hestia, could you cover for me in docking Vienna? O.J. and Hercules can guide you on how to do it.”

“Of course! Thanks, Warrior. Can you take the garbage barge too?”

“Of course!”

“Next time, give me a tow…” Complained Izzy.

“Quiet, Izzy!”

Big Mac and O.J. were at the end of the harbor. They were waiting for Hercules to bring Vienna in so that they could help with the docking when Top Hat turned up to talk to them.

“O.J! Big Mac!” He called, “I need to talk to you quickly!”

“Oh, good to see you Top Hat! What’s up?” Asked O.J.

“Listen! We can’t trust Hestia! I was talking to Goliath earlier, and he told me that she’s not here to help us… She’s here to replace us!”

“What gave him such an idea?!” Accused Big Mac, “And how can you believe an engine on that?”

“Be-Because they’ve been getting diesels too, they’ve replaced some engines on the mainline!” Top Hat explained, hastily. “God forbid what happened to the engines they replaced-”

Just then Hestia pulled up, “Hello boys! What’s shaking?”

“Hestia? What are you doing here?” Asked O.J., “I thought you were on garbage duty.”

“I was, but the Mexican tramper…”

“Sleepy Izzy you mean?”

“Yes, Izzy! He ran aground, and Sunshine tried to push him clear but he broke down in the process, so Warrior’s taking him out to sea!”

“Sunshine broke down? Didn’t you try to help him?”

“I offered, but Sunshine insisted that he was stronger than he looked, so… Y’know.”

“... Wait a minute.” Said Big Mac quietly, “That doesn’t sound like Sunshine…”

“So Warrior offered to take care of Izzy and the garbage, so I thought I’d help with the liner!”

“Very well, but please follow my lead!” Ordered O.J., “This isn’t as easy as it looks, Hestia.”

“Right, right, right… Hey, is that them in the distance?”

“Why yes, it is!” said Top Hat, looking up.

“Hello, m’dears!” called Hercules, “Are you all ready to help me dock Vienna?”

“Yes, though we’ve got a change of plan, Hestia will be helping us!” Explained O.J.

“No issue. Hestia, my dear, you’re up for one of the biggest tasks a Tug can take! Are you ready?”

“Ready when you are!”

Their plan was good. Hercules took the lead, Top Hat and Big Mac took the left side and Hesita and O.J. took the right. O.J. did his best to guide Hestia as the cavalcade made their way into the port.

“Steady as she goes, Hestia! Just take it easy.”

“I got it, O.J.! I got it…”

But it was beginning to get bad. As the crew approached the docks, Hestia shouted at Big Mac and Top Hat to ease back.

“What?! We can’t do that! We’d lose control!” Protested Big Mac.

“Trust me on this, Big Mac! I can handle it!”

“No you can’t!” Cried Hercules, “Big Mac, Top Hat! Don’t listen to her!”

“Just watch me, Hercules!” bragged Hestia, as she revved her engine and pushed harder. “Now take a break, old man! This’ll be easy for me!”

“What did you just call me?!” Accused Big Mac.

“Just don’t give yourself so much strain!”

Big Mac didn’t want to, but Hestia kept ragging him on, so he eased back a little bit… That was when what they were afraid of happened. Vienna started to tilt towards the right, which is not what they wanted.

“I knew I shouldn’t have done that…” He muttered out of guilt, “HESTIA! I’M TAKING CONTROL AGAIN! HOLD ON TIGHT!”

“No need, Big Mac! I’ve got it!” shouted Hestia, pushing even harder now. “Steady now… Steady! Steady!” Suddenly, her stack blew high into the air. “What’s that?!”

Hestia had put too much strain on herself! Her engine had gone bust, and now they were down one tug.

“OH NO! Everyone, hang on tight! Hestia’s broken down!” Cried O.J.

“WHAT?!” Shrieked Hercules.

“I was afraid of that, alright! I’ve got it!” Shouted Big Mac.

But it was too late at that point.

“She’s not responding!” Shouted Top Hat, “The current’s pushing her to the right!”

“Hestia!” Cried Hercules, “Come on, get your engine going again! We can’t stabilize her without all five of us!”

“I can’t!” She coughed, “I can’t breathe, there’s smoke everywhere!”

“Please try! Otherwise, we’re gonna crash into the coal dock!”

“We’re doing our best Hercules!” shouted O.J., but it was no good. They were approaching the coal dock at a dangerously high speed.

“It’s too late now!” shouted Big mac, “Everyone! Cut your lines and get clear! She’s gonna crash!”

Although they wanted to save everyone, they knew Big Mac was right. They all got clear just in time… Except for Hestia.

“ OH NO!!!...” Shrieked Hesita, she knew the inevitable was approaching. She and Vienna smashed into the coal dock, and coal flew everywhere. Some hopper cars were even knocked off the tracks from the impact.

“I’d expect something like this from the Z-Stack’s, but not you Stars!” Complained Little Owl, “What’s the big idea?! You’ve ruined the new shipment of our coal!”

“I’m… Sorry…” Coughed Hestia in agony.

There was worse to come... Hestia then realized that the piers from the dock had torn her hull open. Before she could say anything more, she began to sink rapidly.

“Oh no… Someone! Someone help me! H-Hercules, please! I’m sinking!”

“Frankly, m’dear… I don’t give a toot.” said Hercules, he had had enough of her.

“No! NO!” Cried Hestia as she took on more water, “I’m too young to go! Help! Anyone!”

It was lucky for Hestia that they were in a more shallow part of the water, so she didn’t fully submerge. But she was still most uncomfortable. Worse still, it took hours for the salvage crew to help free Vienna. They had no time to bother with Hestia. While this was going on, I had to gather up several of my tugs at the dock so that we could discuss how to handle the situation.

Big Mac was very apologetic, “Sir, it’s really my fault… Hestia kept telling me to ease back and I… Shouldn’t have given in to her.”

“No Big Mac, don’t blame yourself, it’s not entirely your fault. I’ve been talking with Sunshine, Warrior, and Izzy, and I’ve decided that Hestia cannot be trusted.”

“What do you mean, sir?” asked O.J.

“Go on, Sunshine.”

“When Izzy ran aground, I tried to push him clear, and I begged Hestia to help me, but she refused. She kept insisting that she had to keep an eye on the garbage barge but I told her she could tie it to the dock and help me clear Izzy… But she stayed put until my engine broke down.”

“So she lied to us… She told us that you refused to ask for help.” said O.J., who now felt betrayed.

“Talk about a cruel irony, considering she wanted to make it seem like she could handle Vienna on her own..” Grumbled Big Mac.

“With that in mind, I must ask…” I said calmly, “How do you all feel about her? Should she stay, or should she go?”

“Get rid of her at once!” Bellowed Top Hat, “I think she’s already caused us enough trouble for one day. What’s Vienna’s crew gonna say to us?”

“I’ll be having a talk with them tomorrow, obviously Vienna needs repairs.”

“What a joke… Some ‘Tug unlike any other’ she is…” said Big Mac, “She’s like a Z-Stack in Star’s paint…”

“Cuh… I’m sorry that this had to happen, when I saw the project at Lucky’s Yard I thought this was gonna be a big hit.” sighed Ten Cents.

“Not for us… But from what I’ve heard so far, the Z-Stack’s have been very pleased with Hades.” explained Big Mac.

“Not surprising… I certainly don’t want her on our fleet anymore.”

“Nor I. Captain Zero will probably take her in anyways.”

The next day, Vienna was finally freed and taken for repairs, and soon Hestia was lifted out of the water too and onto a raft. The tugs gave her boos and jeers as she was towed back to Lucky’s Yard.

“You really are a ‘Tug unlike any other!’” jeered Ten Cents.

“Yes, one of the most unworthy tugs ever!” added Top Hat.

“The diesel tug project is not off to a good start if they’re all as nasty as you!” Finished Warrior.

In the end, Lucky’s Yard had to take responsibility for all the repairs, once it was learned that Hestia was their tug, not mine. Hestia’s repairs however, would take a very long time, for Lucky’s was quite busy with Vienna’s repairs and other projects. What are my thoughts on the diesel tug, you may ask? Let’s just say I was praying that the next example would be better than her.