Author's note: Hello everyone; apologies for the long delay, but here is the next chapter of Thomas and the Tugs. Don't forget to favorite and leave a review!

On starry nights, when the moon is full, and the air is still,
you can hear the sounds of faraway ships and distant laughter,
they echo over the hills, and through the valley,
down calm canals, and sleepy inlets,
every engine knows these are the sounds that say the harbor is hard at work at the big station by the sea.

During the early years, the Flying Kipper was a simple train that took local fish to the more populated areas of the island. However, due to a huge amount of over-fishing along Sodor's coasts, the fishing industry took a heavy blow, causing the decrease of operations. This led to the retirement of the Flying Kipper itself, and the importing of fish happened through goods trains from the Mainland. But in recent years, the fish population received a sudden boom, causing fishing to become a rather successful business, so the Flying Kipper returned, but on a much grander scale. Now Arthur, a tank engine who works along the Norramby Branchline, takes a perhaps "Mini Kipper", from Norramby to other areas along Sodor's East coast, before meeting up with the real Flying Kipper at Brendam Docks. There the man train of ocean fish, the regular Flying Kipper, joins up with the coastal fish, the Mini Kipper, to be pulled by Henry to be taken along the West coast of Sodor, and it all has to be done by morning. Luckily for Henry and Arthur, they have Salty and Porter to help, along with the new addition Puffa, which helping shunt the Flying Kipper is his first big job. Now since the Harbormaster recently acquired the Star Tugs, they now help move the fishing vessels in and out of the docks quickly so more fish can be unloaded along the limited dockside space. Three of these tugs, Big Mac, Warrior, and Sunshine, have been tasked with doing this duty for the time being.

"Ah Warrior, watch out when you're moving those ships, you don't want to an open spaces blocked", said Big Mac cautiously.

"Sorry Big Mac, all these big fishing trawlers are nothing like the ships we're used to work with in the past", replied Warrior.

"Aye, I agree Warrior, it's more like working with logs then barges", responded Big Mac, "Sunshine could you make sure to directing the smaller crafts from getting trapped by the bigger crafts".

"Aye Big Mac, it's just I'm having a hard time moving around with these big ships, I feel I'll get stuck instead of the ships I'm supposed to direct. Why I'm I helping gain", Sunshine asked

"Because Sunshine your small size could be useful in an emergency, plus Ten Cents, OJ, and Top Hat are working on the night shift for the canal project and Hercules is waiting to guide the Roxstar into port. But anyways, be careful, I don't want you to end up stuck like the time you were trapped in that log jam", Big Mac replied concerned.

"Alright I'll be careful and try my hardest, by the way where's Warrior?", Sunshine said worried.

"Oh no, Warrior!", shouted Big Mac as he looked over to see caught in between a standstill with a departing trawlers.

"Tugboat tell this idiot to get outta the way!", one trawler shouted.

"No way, tell this imbecile I was leaving first", shouted the other.

"I think one of you should just get going and the first be in front should leave first", replied Warrior as the two trawlers raced against each other and rammed into the other while trying to pull ahead.

"Ouch!", they both yelled.

"Eh... Oops".

Meanwhile Salty and Porter were teaching Puffa how to shunt the Flying Kipper.

"Now the Flying Kipper is a very important train Puffa; it delivers fish all over the island, and sometimes goes to the mainland. It departs at 5:00 on the dot every night, so make sure all the trucks are in line on that track by then" Salty was indicating a section of track that was empty at the moment.

"Got it Salty" and Puffa went to back down onto some regular trucks.

"No Puffa! The Kipper does not use regular trucks, that's a health hazard. The fish are transported in refrigerated boxcars, like these" Salty said as he backed a brakevan and the first 4 boxcars down onto the track.

"Oops, sorry about that"

"Arrg matey, nothing to worry about, it's your first night after all" Salty assured.

"Oh, so are those boxcars over there refrigerated?" Puffa asked, indicating some boxcars in a siding.

"Good job Puffa, you're learning already" Porter said, who was bringing another 4 boxcars down onto the train. Workmen were beginning to prepare boxes for the fish that were due in shortly.

"Better get a move on Puffa; we need at least one track cleared for Arthur." Porter said.

"Who's Arthur?" a confused Puffa asked.

"Well he runs the Norramby Branch and brings coastal fish to be attached to the train of ocean fish. There's so much fish to be delivered now, he drops off some of it himself along the way.", said Salty

"Yeah we joke and call his train the Mini-Kipper", Porter replied as he and Salty let out a chuckle. As Puffa was clearing a line for Arthur, he wasn't watching where he was shunting and left part of the brakevan on one of the points connecting Arthur's line to his. Now Arthur couldn't really see in the dark with his limited light from his front lantern and as he steamed into the docks at a high speed, he rammed into the brakevan and caused it to be knocked off the line.

"Oh no mates!", Salty shouted, the brakevan Arthur had hit backside was derailed.

"What should we do?", Porter asked, "That was the only available brakevan"

The dock manager came up and said, "There's no time to get another, the cranes are to busy unloading the ships, and Henry will be here shortly, I guess one of you engines will have to act as a brakevan for the time being"

"Who then?", asked Salty," Arrg, Porter and I have to stay and finish other duties here at the docks"

"And I can't do it because the collision damaged my front", replied Arthur

"Then the only engine available is Puffa...", Porter responded

"Me?"

Meanwhile the trio of Tugs were making good process on moving the last of the ships

"Alright Lads almost done, let's hurry the sun's almost up and we have more work to do in the morning", replied Big Mac

"Okay Big Mac, I promise I won't cause anymore trouble", replied Warrior

"Right Warrior, less accidents, the more people will be able to get their fish on time"

During this, Sunshine was carefully maneuvering around the big trawlers quickly and skillfully.

He was doing fine until an impatient trawler yelled, Outta my way!", and knocked him into where a large tramper was getting ready to dock.

"Ow!", Sunshine yelled

The tramper couldn't see him, which Big Mac saw and shouted, "Sunshine move, your in his blind spot, get out of the way or you'll be crushed!"

Sunshine tried to move but realized his engine was damaged and wouldn't start. Big Mac noticed this and yelled, "Hold on I'll be right there", but before he could get to sunshine he was blocked in by exiting trawlers. "Warrior do something!", was all Big Mac could say as he frantically panicked for his friend.

Warrior raced towards Sunshine and saw there was little time left as the tramper was closing the gap, so he hit Sunshine with a loud crashed and he himself got crushed against the key by the tramper with a loud scraping noise. Men on the tramper saw this frantically tried to pull away from the key.

They successfully moved away, when Big Mac got to Warrior and said, "Warrior why did you act so rashly?"

Warrior responded, "Because Big Mac I felt responsible for the problem I caused earlier and I was just trying to save my friend"

Big Mac replied, "Warrior no one blames you for the incident before, you just didn't make the right decision, everyone does that from time to time, even me, so lets get you out of here, I'll tow the two of you to a open dock for the time being, and morning i'll take you to dry dock once the port is cleared up. Sounds good?"

Sunshine and Warrior replied, "Good for us!"

So the two were left tied to an old dock, and Big Mac left to get back to work. Sunshine then said to Warrior, "Thanks Warrior, I would be in much worse condition if you hadn't saved me"

"It's alright Sunshine, we're friends here, and friends look out for one another, right"

"Right!"

Meanwhile on the key-side, Henry had just arrived to see the dockside in a strange predicament.

"What is going on here? Arthur! Are you ok?"

"I'm alright Henry, just a bit battered is all" The tank engine assured.

"I missed my chance to meet you when I was given my initial tour of the island; I never imagined our first meeting would be like this though" Puffa observed.

"You and me both... Puffa, right?" Arthur said.

"Indeed" the Bigg City engine replied.

"Um, it is 4:45, what about the Kipper?" Henry asked.

"Henry, the boxcars are fine, but the brake-van was derailed. Puffa is going to act as your back engine in lieu of a brake-van" Porter explained.

"Are you up to it Puffa?"

"All right, I will do what I can" the Bigg City engine agreed.

The boxcars were loaded, and Henry and Puffa were in position, waiting for the whistle and flag.

"5:00, right Henry?"

"You got it Puffa; any minute now."

The whistle blew, and the two engines took off. "You know Puffa, it is because of the Flying Kipper that I have this shape" Henry told Puffa.

"Really?" Puffa asked, and as they went down the line Henry told Puffa the story of his time as a bad steamer.

Henry and Puffa made good time once they left the docks. They might have cut it close but by the time the sun was rising Henry was dropping off the last of the Flying Kipper's fish. At the last station Puffa was uncoupled and departed back towards Edward's Branch line while Henry returned home to Tidmouth Sheds for a rest. Salty and Porter had the brakevan rescued once a crane was available, and proceeded with their morning shunting while Arthur returned to the Norramby Branch line before the morning's fishermen departed to open waters. As for the Tugs, both Warrior and Sunshine were sent to Dry Dock to be repaired, but now the Harbormaster was shorthanded due to the construction of the canal keeping the Star Tugs occupied, in addition to regular harbor work. What was he going to do, well that's another story. But now comes the end of another perilous story of the train barely anyone takes notice of while they dream of their tomorrow. Yes, this is a story, one of many, of what occurs to make what the railwaymen call the Flying Kipper happen.

The afternoon after the accident, a man walked into the Harbormaster's office.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"Yes, I am from the Bigg City Historical Society, and we were hoping that one of your drydocks could be used for a project we have in mind."

"Project?"

"Yes; once we have the money, we would like to restore the ocean liner here to her former glory."

"What do you mean?"

"The Roxstar was originally called the S.S. Vienna, and she was quite beautiful, as you can see in these pictures. She's quite legendary, actually."

The harbormaster was indeed impressed "quite lovely indeed. You'll need to talk to Miss Allcroft though; she owns the liner after all" The harbormaster pointed out. "Other than that, I am in on this project" he added.

"Thank you" and the man left the office.