All the tugs in the Star Fleet were having a good time. There were no jobs to do at the moment so each tug was engaging in some sort of horseplay. Except for Hercules.
Ten Cents was the first to notice it. The old tug was off by himself, away from the rest of the fleet. His bow was facing the sea and every now and then, a sigh would escape him, as though he was sad about something.
"What's wrong with Hercules?" Ten Cents asked. The fleet instantly went quiet at the question.
Grampus and Warrior exchanged glances before the former navy submarine spoke up. "That's not for us to say. Perhaps you should ask him yourself." He answered. As play resumed, Ten Cents wondered in Hercules' direction.
Distracted as he was, the old tug didn't notice his younger fleetmate coming up to him. "Oh, hello m'dear." He greeted but his voice lacked its usual charm.
"What's the matter Hercules? We're all having a great time over here." Ten Cents asked.
"Did Grampus say I should tell you?" Hercules wondered.
"Well, he said that if I wanted to know what was wrong I'd have to ask you." Ten Cents replied.
Hercules sighed, thinking to himself for a long moment. "After all these years, it can't hurt." He said to himself, then nodded. "What I'm about to tell you happened many years ago. Long before you were born." He said.
"Was it before the war?" Ten Cents asked.
"A few years prior, yes." Hercules answered. "I was a bit older than you are now at the time. And just as eager to perform my duty. I had no shortage of work to do either. Newer and newer ships were arriving all the time. Each one bigger than the last. It was a time of great competition between the shipping lines. Who had the fastest? The largest? The most beautiful? Well, one day I met one who was all three. The most beautiful ship I'd ever seen, before or since." Hercules' eyes grew soft as he remembered.
"What did she look like?" Ten Cents asked.
"Oh, she had this sleek black hull and a perfectly flared prow for slicing through the North Atlantic waves. Her superstructure was magnificently blended, not at all cluttered like ships you see today. And she had four balanced smokestacks, raked in such a way to make her form appear even more graceful. She had eyes greener than the Irish moors from which she hailed. And a voice so light and beautiful it had to come from Aphrodite herself." Hercules replied.
"She sounds amazing!" Ten Cents said. Then he paused as he remembered that Hercules was sad and realized that something awful must've happened. "What happened to her?" He asked quietly.
Hercules gathered himself, the memory causing him pain even now. "She only visited the Bigg City once. I was one of the tugs to help her from her berth. She was to travel to New York on her maiden voyage. She was so kind, even when that other ship broke her lines and nearly rammed her side. She was ever so grateful to us tugs for stopping that little incident from occurring. I remember the last thing she said to me as she set sail: 'farewell Hercules, I shall see you in a fortnight'. But it was not to be. Just a few days later, she hit and iceberg and sank."
"Hercules, I'm sorry." Ten Cents didn't know what to say.
"She was too good for this world, m'dear. Too perfect. But oh so young. Too young." Hercules sighed.
Ten Cents could say nothing, he just pressed closer to his friend in comfort.
