May 4, 1927: Getting the help Captain Star desired was not easy at all. For several months there was little luck. He managed to get some jobs back for his fleet, but the ones he had by May were barely enough to keep the Stars afloat. Zak was cheating more than ever, as he was bringing in the X-Aces more often than usual. He only said he would bring them in certain circumstances, but it all turned to the gang coming in almost every day.
However, the announcement of a fish contract would change everything. Captain Star and his fleet were very confident in the contract, considering that it was to help Bigg City's seafood restaurants since the increase in demand for fish was extremely high.
"Yeeeesh!" Top Hat sighed in disgust. "I do not like fish work at all. Nope. I do not know which is worse. This or garbage?"
"No arguments, Top Hat!" Captain Star bellowed. "This is our big chance to get back afloat after all the wreckage and cheating the Z-Stacks have been doing! Winning this contract is important for us, and even though you are proud of being Stars, no overconfidence and slipups!"
"Aye, aye, captain!" the Stars said in unison as they made their way out of the Star Fleet dock. For Captain Star, having all eight of his members involved with the competition would increase his chances of getting the victory.
The Stars and Z-Stacks had been working and competing for two hours when they saw the X-Aces return to Bigg City. This angered the Stars as they started to speed up in order to get their cargos of fish from everywhere they could find them. Suddenly, British harbor tug Salvatore snuck up behind Big Mac and threw a rope to try stealing his barges of fish.
Salvatore originated from London, England, United Kingdom and was built there in 1904. He experienced great enthusiasm in entertainment as a young tug since his owners were entertainment attractions themselves, being known to perform tricks and comedy. Because of his love for attractions, Salvatore was distracted from tug work most of the time. By the time he was seven, the duo saw his addiction was taken too far, and they started to limit their entertainment and use of an amphitheater they built for Salvatore to watch attractions nearby. Salvatore did learn his duties quickly, but he started to rebel against his owners by slacking off with the entertainment rather than working. By age ten, the owners got rid of him and sent him to a strict tugboat fleet called the Austere Fleet where they attempted to put him in his place, but three years later he got over worn from the work and rebelled the captain. He also tried to get the other tugs against him as well, leading to expulsion from the fleet. He then returned to his obsession with London's entertainment but grew out of it since to him, they lacked the charm that the 1910s attractions had. He spent three more years with a local gang, committing illegal work that lasted until the overpopulation with London's ships grew to the point some tugs volunteered to leave the UK. Salvatore then left and got out of arrest in that manner and went to New York. Salvatore had a tan fedora, blonde hair and mustache, and a light umber livery. He spoke with a London accent. He resembled tug Asher J. Hudson.
"Augh! What is going on back there?!" Big Mac shouted, trying to turn his wheelhouse towards the back to see Salvatore behind him. "Oh it is one of you cheating tugs of Zak's, huh?"
"Cheating? Oh, you asshole. We have been putting your poor fleet back in the gutter for months now, and you want to accuse me I am cheating on you? You cheated against those Zeroes for years; now it is their turn!" Salvatore then tried to take the second barge, but Big Mac revved his engine quickly and escaped just in time. "DAMN IT!"
Meanwhile, Zorran was trying to find shortcuts to the docks where the fish were going to be delivered when he managed to find a narrow path between some large rocks. He was hoping the four barges he was towing could also go through the path. He then started to take the shortcut.
It would not be until several minutes later when he realized that his barge load was struggling to get through the path, so he revved his engine and pulled as hard as he could. "Come on, you fatty barges!" he growled. Suddenly, the ropes started to break, and the barges tipped over, which caused the fish to fall back into the water. "Shit! My name will be mud!"
All Zorran could do was wait until help coming from his allies arrived. He believed he would get help and assistance from Zak's friends as some of them were free, but getting Zorran out of his mess was the last thing they had in mind.
Behind the tugs was Zebedee. He was covered with mud on his hull from landing on a mud bank, but not only was his hull dirty but also damaged. Zebedee was damaged in other areas as well, and they were not from the mud bank! Zorran only suspected that there was something up with the visitors.
"Why the fuck is Zebedee dirtier than he already is?" he shouted. "Better yet, why does he look beat up? I want answers, you idiots!"
The tug towing Zebedee was Italian-American harbor tug, Giovani. "Can I tell you something? First of all, we are not idiots. Second, YOU are the idiot for causing such wreckage and you will be damn lucky if we still win this for your fleet! And lastly, you do not seem as devious and confident the way you think you are, and if that is the scenario, you are fucked!"
Giovani was from Boston, Massachusetts and was built in 1899. He always witnessed fights from his manufacturers that went against Italian immigrants who were hired to help raise him until launch. He was then taken by the daughter of the owner who saved him from the fights passed away from a terminal illness in 1906. After she married a man who was thought to be an admired churchgoer, he quickly suspected that he was not Christian and had troubled teenagers attack him. Since then, he took an obsession with finding any deceiving involved with others. After twelve more deceiving attacks, he was arrested and spent four years in prison, being only convicted of an attack on an unexperienced nurse who was thought to be a sewer. After release, Giovani headed to New York where he befriended Salvatore and always worked as a pair. Giovani had a golden livery and light gray smokestack, a black fedora, and a thick mustache just as wide as his face. He spoke with a mixture of Italian and Bronx accents. His design was identical to naval tug, Luckenbach.
"My fleet has the reputation of being untrustworthy and devious, and you are trying to tell me we do not cut for it? What are you going to do about it? I wonder if Zip and Zug are screwing up too as well. I order you to go check on them now!"
"Oh, some of the others have got them under control. And no, we are not going to check on them! We are not checking on Zak either. All that shit is not any of your business and-!"
"Zorran!" Zebedee called out. "The fish deliveries are done for both sides! Tell me we won or Zero will be pissed with us! He will not like the sound of loss. And the worst part is if we get the shit from Zak as well. Believe me, we lost-!"
"WHAT?!" Giovani then turned back towards Zebedee. "Are you saying that…We LOST?" Zebedee was indeed right. In the distance, Earl Cardew, the owner of one of the seafood restaurants, was seen handing a contract to Captain Star. Suddenly, all of the Zeroes and visitors then regrouped. "How the fuck did they win? Where did they come from all of a sudden? Z-Stacks. I mean…Z-SHITS! YOU TWO ZEROES ARE ALL AT FAULT FOR THIS MESS!"
"Well, because of this loss you two caused," spoke out American double stack tug Corleone. "AND also because of your so-called devious and confident behavior, we are no longer on your side! You think we just came to help you fucks? We are not a band of international tugs in need of a fleet or any of that shit!" He then lowered his voice, so no witnesses could hear him. "We are actually a diverse tugboat mafia called the X-Aces. Get it through your wheelhouses."
Corleone was built in 1905 at Anastasia Port, New York. Prior to being finished, his company was nearly bankrupt when his design and kind personality gave them riches. Despite being somewhat famous, Corleone did not act spoiled, but always wondered why he was getting the attention that he never expected. He took his younger days like normal. Corleone was subject to bullying by trampers when he started to work with them in 1909. He approached to the first one he met in a timid manner, causing the tramper to mock him along with another tramper who also arrived. He started to believe his company was hurting him and tried to assign his own work to get out of tramper work where he would not be scared. After several more dealings, the company started to think he was acting spoiled, which caused Corleone to run away in 1912. He started to get anger issues and mocked other vessels' fears and did it ever since. Corleone had a wooden blue livery and two gray smokestacks with black on the top half of them. He wore a black fedora and had a ginger mustache, beard, and also had freckles. He spoke with a Brooklyn accent. He resembled double stack tug Pocahontas.
"You little fucks," Corleone continued. "Have some of this!" He then ganged up on Zorran while Darby aided in to attack Zebedee. The harbor tug X-Aces then went and helped out, leaving the switchers to go find Zak, Zug, and Zip. Eventually, the three younger Z-Stacks arrived, also angry at Zorran and Zebedee for losing the contract for them.
"I am NOT staying with the Z-Stacks anymore," Zak snapped. "The X-Aces are willing to give me more than what Captain Zero ever gave us!" With that, he had left with the X-Aces, but not without forcing bribed policemen into stealing back most of Captain Zero's riches.
Zorran and Zebedee were then found beat up and unable to sail by Lucky, the Coast Guard, the Zero switchers, and Captain Zero. They started to tow the two tugs into Lucky's Yard where they were told that they would be there for several days.
May 10, 1927: Captain Zero was working and eating lunch at his office as Zorran and Zebedee had just been repaired and were at work. Suddenly, it had been twenty-four hours since Zip and Zug were out of Bigg City Port. He jumped out of his seat and grabbed his megaphone. He was furious enough he lost most of his cash to the X-Aces, but he was already about to rage.