The tugboat, for it's size, is the most powerful craft afloat and the Star Tugs are the power behind the docks and waterways that make up the Bigg City Port, located on the eastern border of the United States. This is the story of TUGS: Beyond the Port.
In November 18, 1922, people read the funnies, held large lavish parties and decked themselves out in the latest of cars such as the Stutz Bearcat. But the backbone of the city's economy was held in the largest port of the entire planet: Bigg City Port, during a time of change and great opportunity. Nobody knew it better than the hard-working tugs, whose strength and big hearts made them popular with everybody from tramp steamers to ocean liners, even humans. The tugs were able to operate by themselves, although sometimes they would need a human crew or a single sailor to keep them under control. Important jobs in the port kept them working from sunup to sundown.
An old paddle boat named O.J., short for "Otis Jameson", brought visitors to see the historic sights of the city for photographic opportunities. Warrior and Big Mack helped with heavier loads. A railroad tug named Top Hat, provided such aforementioned services with his helpers Frank and Eddie. Hercules, whose name honored the Greek mythological figure to evoke his stature and charming personality was an ocean-going tug and last there were two switchers named Ten Cents and Sunshine who treated themselves like siblings. They were a good crew, striving to be the best in the port, but they did not always succeed, no matter how proud they were of their work, even giving credit to the sailors who accompanied them.
One of the younger, more aspiring sailors, Robert St. Tabitha, was not the brightest 15-year-old in Bigg City, but he had a heart of gold and he loved his kid brother more than anything in the world. His name was Mason, after his grandfather, and their father was an officer who served onboard many of the old liners where he met his future wife, their mother. They were born in the same hospital three years, two months and one day apart in the season of summer and enjoyed the greatest of activities like chasing each other on the beach, swimming and racing in the water and under the wooden boards of the port, spinning tops and playing fetch with their pet Airedale Terrier, Lucky.
Days in the life of the St. Tabitha brothers were eventful and never too dull and one of those days involved joining the Star Tugs for a race against their rivals, the Z-Stacks. The Z-Stacks, mockingly called "the Zero Fleet" for their lackluster quality and cunning efforts to sabotage the Star Fleet at any time that seemed to disagree with the opinion of their master Captain Zero. The malignant leader of the Z-Stacks was Zorran, a ruthless and cunning boat who had his eye on keeping his helpers, Zebedee, Zip, Zug and Zak in order, in spite of certain occurrences of incompetence from all four of them. At other times, they acted as frenemies to the Star Tugs, like that one time Zebedee proved his valor when he unwillingly assisted Ten Cents by hooking his line to three barges full of munitions…or so he says.
The race would begin at 5:15, starting at the Star Fleet dock, which had a white building with the name in red right in front of where the Star Tugs where berthed and would receive their briefings from Captain Star. The captain, a rugged man who tried to look as handsome as he could, often spoke to them through his megaphone on the second floor in his office. In the morning prior to the race, he gave a list to those who would be racing with the tugs as their crew.
Robert and Mason signed up to race with Ten Cents, although Mason got Sunshine after the prior applicant fell ill, which left the boy in capable hands of learning the easy controls of the small switcher. The race began at the precise moment Captain Star blew his whistle and gave his cheers to the crowd who looked on with excited faces, among them Robert and Mason's parents Katie and Louis. The rules of the race specified that the tugs would only go once around the course and the winner of the race would be the one to receive the first lunch: a blue-plate special of fish and chips. Top Hat found the idea of a race as something of a rush job when he found out that he was to compete while Ten Cents was certain that there was still cargo to be loaded in the early evening, for they were to prepare for the arrival of the SS Vienna on the beginning of her second year of service.
As they had done so in practice, Robert and Mason used hand-signals to instruct both Ten Cents and Sunshine on turns, maneuvers and the velocity of speed. Midway through the race, they were cutting past Hercules and Warrior, on their way back to the finish line where the starting line was. Lillie Lightship, who volunteered to be turning point for the racers, could not stop bobbling with excitement as they made the turn and disappeared from her view just about twenty seconds earlier, giving the Star Tugs a good view of her painted face. Big Mac was steaming by Zorran, who tried much too hard to take the lead. Grampus, the navy submarine, watched the race and followed the tugs to assure that none of the crew members who participated fell overboard among other precautions.
The finish line was decorated with red, white and blue banners. Hooting proudly, Sunshine and Mason crossed it with Ten Cents and Robert coming in second. Hercules came third, while Zorran and Big Mac tied in fourth.
"We won!" the boy cried to his tug companion.
Sunshine brought Mason to the dock as Robert followed on Ten Cents. Captain Star presented a golden trophy to the boy which looked to be about half his size and had four pillars.
"There's more than one way to win a race," Big Mac told them later on.
"How?" asked the young Mason.
"Well, there's shortcuts, on the route at least, teamwork, effort and courage."
"Sort of like what we did to prepare for this race," smiled Robert.
And he gave Mason a playful hug.
As they celebrated, Ten Cents was talking the events over with Top Hat.
"Wasn't it exciting?" he asked.
The snooty tug blew off a cloud of dark smoke from his stack.
"It is, but the best part about it is that it stops."
Ten Cents gave Top Hat a face that told the older tug that he was a boring old windbag and snooted off to find Sunshine.
Warrior and Hercules were nearby gossiping over the race.
"Did you see Zorran struggling when I came in third?" asked Hercules.
"Positively pathetic," chucked Warrior. "Zorran should take himself out of service…then again, I'll bet he can't take care of himself."
"Oh really?"
The two tugs turned around to notice Zorran, who was flanked by Zebedee.
"Next thing you know, you'll be thinking that I am too decrepit and too useless to work," he continued looking sulky and bad-tempered. "You Star Tugs are not even that good, it's just because you have luck…luck for having won the race."
He moved upriver and turned his anger over to Top Hat.
"And you think you're so smart, so refined, so aristocratic…but you are nothing more than a patronizing bastard!"
Top Hat's feelings were beyond words as his monocle fell from his eye. He did little to stop the nasty tug from approaching the St. Tabitha brothers. Robert and Mason straightened up and found themselves face to face with Zorran, with an evil sneer.
"I assume you loved that, didn't you, young man? You can't even go around helping us less fortunate tugs now that you're famous."
"Leave us alone!" cried Mason. "We have good reasons for that. Need I explain why?"
"No, but I think your small stature is no match for me."
Zorran sailed away, not noticing the glare coming from Big Mac. O.J., watching from close-by, chose careful words to stop the Z-Stack in his wake.
"We have a very different idea of what tugs do to deserve our current state, Zorran. If the St. Tabitha family doesn't want your help, then you should understand better."
"I do understand. But there will come a time where I will be rid of you and your stupid comrades in arms and the Z-Stacks will reign supreme over this port. In layman's terms, you'll be nothing but useless junk."
"And I thought you could sink no lower," O.J. said in a voice he hoped Zorran wouldn't hear.
There was an air of silence as the sun went down and Robert and Mason wanted to watch it with Ten Cents and Sunshine, telling them again and again about how they won the race. Mason, watching the sun slip below the waves, asked his brother.
"Robert, do you think we'll go around the world with all our winnings?"
"Maybe someday when we have more money. Right now, we should save it all up."
"I wouldn't mind leaving myself unless if Captain Star permits me," said Ten Cents.
"Me too," added Sunshine. "I often wonder what's beyond the port."
"Maybe something magical," Mason said. "Like pirates, creatures from the deep, mermaids and Moby Dick—"
Mason cut his little brother off with a laugh and hugged him gently.
"I think you've been reading too many adventure stories."
Life in the St. Tabitha household was just as pleasant as any other American house in the early 20s. Louis and Katie liked everything neat and ordered, so Robert and Mason played outside; in the street, on the water-font and even with Ten Cents and Sunshine. It had been two days since the race had passed and today was a day that Hercules had been anticipating for months. November 20th was the day that the Hamburg-Amerika Line's latest leviathan, S.S. Vienna was arriving in Bigg City Port from Liverpool on her maiden voyage. Captain Starr had personally assigned Hercules to escort her to Pier 44 where she would be docked at around 9:19 p.m., the largest berth that the port had constructed for ocean liners who were no longer than 900 feet. Her passengers consisted of wealthy nobles and titles who had made their place in both history and society, including Kaiser Wilhelm and his wife, hoping to escape the people that blamed him for Germany's loss during the First World War. Others such as the French poet Jean Cocteau, German author Franz Kafka, Russian art critic Sergei Diaghilev, F. Scott Fitzgerald and even a young (and then little known) Vivien Leigh with her parents were either returning home from vacation or making a vacation of their own, whether it be business or pleasure.
Katie had come into the dining room with her green morocco slippers (which Louis had bought for her as a wedding present) and put out the plates of ham sandwiches on the table. Then she called the men of the house, both inside and out, to let them know that lunch was ready. As they were halfway through their meal, Mason reminded Robert.
"Do you know that Vienna's coming in today?"
"The country?" Robert joked. "It'd be too big for this port."
"I mean the ship," declared Mason before turning to his parents. "Can we take the boat out and see it before anyone else? Can we?"
"I suppose," said Robert, drinking water out of his glass. "But I heard from Captain Star that a rainstorm might be on the way, and we should stay put instead."
Sure enough, the clouds outside were starting to gather, overcast at first, then puffy balls of grey.
"A rainstorm never hurt us," said the adventurous Katie. "We've participated in recusing a dozen ships that had gotten into trouble with storms and we made it out in one piece. Besides, I think it might be exciting."
Robert considered this little trek. But then he remembered something from the back of his cerebrum.
"I wish I could come, but I think it would be best if I watched Vienna arriving with Mavis at the port."
Mason knew better than to tease Robert about his love life with his classmate, but he felt disappointed.
"Don't you want to come with us?"
"You heard what Dad said. There might be a rainstorm and I don't want to risk my life. Besides, it's a school day, and somebody needs to watch the house while you three are gone."
"You do make a good point son," his father complimented. "But wouldn't that contradict what you just said about seeing the ship with Mavis?"
"At least until she gets here. I heard her father got her a new car."
"A Buick?" asked Katie.
"It's more like a Leach Power Plus Six. I heard Gloria Swanson has one."
So while Robert and Mason were attending school, Ten Cents was having a chat with Puffa, the engine who would be pulling a special boat train for Vienna's passengers. They were over by the canal, where the Dock Railway traveled over the water.
"What sort of coaches do you think Vienna's passengers will like?" asked Ten Cents.
"Pullmans, I expect. The dock engines tell me that the wealthy passengers enjoy these types of carriages. But with the number of passengers she is carrying, I might have to make fifty trips!"
Ten Cents laughed.
"I think you're trying too hard to please Vienna when she gets here. If you work too hard you might burst your boiler."
Little did they notice Zebedee lurking nearby.
"Wouldn't that be wonderful?" he muttered, hoping the Star Tug and the engine wouldn't hear him. "Working to death would be just the sort of pain I like. Personally, if anyone should be greeting Vienna, it ought to be me."
He motored away towards the open sea. There, at the port limits, he met Hercules.
"Don't you think I should do the honors in greeting Vienna?"
"That depends, Zebedee. Are you going to make a start?"
"No, I just think I could do a better job at pulling her into port than you."
"Maybe on her second voyage you can."
"And how long will that be until then?"
Hercules motioned his eyes left and right, trying to count the factors in his head.
"December," was his guess.
"Maybe I can wait a whole month," thought Zebedee.
Back at the port, Warrior was dim-witted enough to ask Top Hat.
"Who do you think's on Vienna? I'll bet it's a lot of king and queens."
"Do I look like a cable ship to you?"
"I was just asking. You could make a good cable ship if you wanted to."
"No, you're the one who could take that position. You could send out a wireless to Vienna if you wanted to and ask her all the details."
"Including what loads she has? I'd love to be able to give her some loads of my own."
"Speaking of loads, I think Izzy Gomez asked for a tow earlier this afternoon. You should go and fetch him and then you can come with us to see Vienna's arrival."
And so Warrior went off to fetch Izzy. By the time he had brought the Mexican into port, the St. Tabithas' were getting ready to see Vienna pulling into the limits via their own sailboat. It had a red hull that was the size of two lifeboats and a large white sail in the middle on a long buff-colored mast. It was also equipped with a propeller and a small motor engine in the event of dead winds. Katie, Mason and Louis were already dressed in lifejackets, but not Robert, he was casting off the line and rolling up the rope as his little brother innocently asked him.
"Are you sure you don't want to come Robert?"
"No thanks, I already promised Mavis. She'll be here in about an hour or two. The three of you will be fine without me."
"Okay, but don't come crying to us, when you say you missed it," his mother teased.
Louis started the engine and waved his older son goodbye. Robert waved back to the three family members until their arms tired. Smug and certain that they would be back before 10:00, he walked merrily back into the house.
Robert sat on the velvet sofa in the living room, alone with Lucky the dog and wondering for almost a quarter of an hour. Could he have made a mistake not going to see Vienna arriving with his parents? No way! He was old enough to look after himself, the house and, of course, Lucky. The dog in question was licking his face, hoping to cheer up his master.
After what seemed like an hour, the doorbell rang. Robert bolted toward the door. Sure enough, Mavis was there, her dark hair and silky complexion beautifying her ocean blue dress made of crêpe de chine. Her sapphire slippers were covered in sequins and her earrings were made of sodalite, surrounded by a ring of tiny diamonds from Tiffany's. Behind her, was her equally colored Buick roadster, convertible roof and all. She asked her beau while dangling the car keys.
"Ready to see Vienna?"
"Sure."
"Good, I'm looking forward to seeing the interior."
"Why the interior?"
"I hear it's as grand as the Kaiser's palace."
"Mavis, I would say yes, but unless you're planning on taking a trip to Europe, I don't think they'll let you on."
"Oh, who cares! Let's just go see it!"
And she dragged her stunned beau into the car. Reluctantly, Robert climbed into the front seat and they drove off. As they reached the piers, they could a long line of automobiles waiting to see this glorious liner finish her first crossing. Pier 44 was packed with Puffa's boat train, photographers, the immigration board, cameramen from Pathe News and policemen forming a cordon to prevent the crowd of people from getting too excited. One man actually slipped under before one of the officers pulled him back into the mob. A different kind of ordeal was about to begin and it began with the first shower of rain. Those who were fortunate to bring umbrellas, propped them up while others went inside to nearby hotels and taverns, hoping to get a good view of Vienna from the safety of the warmly lit windows illuminated by Edison lightbulbs. The photographers sheeted themselves under canvases to protect even the most singular drop of water from damaging their equipment and Mavis was instantly raising the roof of her car at the moment she felt a drop. Now that they were alone, Robert asked her.
"Do you still want to see it, even in this weather?"
"No, the rain might spoil my dress."
"Typical," he sighed. "Always concerned about your appearances."
"It's good if you want to live a long life."
"So is eating fruits and vegetables."
"You think I don't eat those?"
"I have seen you eat more sweets than fruits before…in person I mean."
"Anything else?"
She crossed her arms and hoped for a more satisfying answer.
"I love you but can be pretty vain sometimes."
"Vain" was a nasty word in Mavis' dictionary. It was so insulting to be given such a description that she had slap Robert's cheek…hard.
"I feelings too you know. But you don't understand my personality fully…because you're a bastard!"
She stormed out of the car, into the rain and into one of the nearby taverns. Robert sat in the car in tot silence, thinking over his choice of words.
Meanwhile, Hercules was floating nearby Lilly Lightship, waiting to escort Vienna. The Star Tugs were about ten miles away, a bit closer to the port.
"I hope this storm subsides, if not Vienna better have all her lights on."
"Not to worry, Hercules, my light can shine any storm. What other functions do you think I have as a lightship?"
To prove her point, Lilly's light shone. It circled in a clockwise direction as the waves rocked her back and forth, creating a rather interesting display.
"What does Lilly think she's doing?" asked Sunshine from ten miles away.
"She can't help it!" shouted Ten Cents as the wind's volume increased. "It's the storm!"
"Well, in this weather," Warrior almost chuckled. "It looks like she's putting on quite a show!"
"Simply spectacular!" agreed Top Hat.
"Show?! Spectacular?!" O.J. sounded outraged. "This is dangerous weather! Who said anything about putting on a show?!"
SS Vienna was about 60,000 tons displacement, about 700-800 feet long, with four quadruple screw propellers and could carry about 3,000 people. She also had four funnels, 40 lifeboats and her livery was snow white. Her cargo included a priceless treasury of Rudyard Kipling's books, which were to be donated to Bigg City's public library and animal furs worth 15 million dollars. Her interior looked like a grand Austrian palace; the grand staircase spanned seven decks of black and gold wrought iron under a beautiful glass dome, complete with carpeted surfaces. It had an elevator in the middle for those who chose to ride. The first-class cabins were elegantly appointed in both plain and different styles, which each suite having a private bathroom. There were dining rooms and lounges for all, including a play area for children. Those of second class were less regal while the third class had fewer options, but they were given better privacy and comfort compared to those of a lesser ship. Her passengers in the Louis XVI styled dining saloon were enjoying a marvelous dinner of rare roast beef, French pudding, corn and soup du'jour, undaunted by the storm outside. Her master was Captain Heinz Kandidat, who had served as a navy commander during the First World War. The ship's third officer Albert Bremen, stood by his side as the rain drops pelted at the bridge windows.
"I have a wager that we'll be getting into Bigg City by midnight by the looks of this."
"A wager? With the other officers? You know I have little tolerance for gambling."
"It wasn't monetary, sir. I was making a guess Rugan yesterday about our arrival."
Third Officer Bremen heard the sound of the lookout's bell and walked out of the bridge into the storm. He scanned the horizon with a pair of watch glasses. Soon, he could pick out what looked like the illuminated lantern of Lilly Lightship, half-a-point off the port bow. Her beam circled around in a welcoming glow. Immediately, he reported to Captain Kandidat, asking if they should send up a company flare. Kandidat agreed and Bremen went to fetch the flares from the wheelhouse.
"Have Heinrik radio Lilly Lightship and tell her to keep a lookout for company rockets," said the captain to Second Officer Dieter Rugan.
Little did they know that below them, the St. Tabitha family's boat worst of it. It rocked and tossed in the wild waves.
"Can we go home now?!" Mason asked his parents in alarm.
"We still haven't seen the ship yet!" called Katie.
"But where is it?" called Louis.
At the same time, about half a point away, Lilly's master, Captain Edouard Cardoza stood on her bridge wearing a raincoat. He noticed the lights of Vienna, racing up from Lilly's starboard side.
"She's here!" he called to Hercules.
Hercules heard little of Captain Cardoza's words through the storm. But what he saw next was a blaze of deck lights, confirming to him that his moment of opportunity had arrived.
"Hello, Vienna!" he cried and zoomed off to meet her.
Had Hercules arrived sooner, he would have the saved the lives of three souls, whose fate was about to be sealed by an ocean liner's pow. Louis was the first to see the navigation lights of Vienna as he and his wife were trying to keep the sail from being torn away from the ship. Mason stayed on the bow, trying to keep balance, the storm was scaring him to death. Then, when Vienna's horn blew a greeting toot, followed the flash of a company rocket, so it happened: her sharp prow rammed into the hull of the St. Tabitha trio's boat and ran through it, dividing it into two sections. Katie and Louis on the stern and Mason on the bow. The force of the blow was so strong, that it blew the two sections and its occupants away from the ship's hull, throwing the three into the sea with a scream that was drowned out by the winds.
The passengers and the rest of the crew felt a bump, but Vienna's First Officer Henrik Sessemann feared the worst. Immediately, he rushed into the wheelhouse to close the watertight doors. As the doors closed, the stokers took notice of the warning bell going off and looked around in confusion before noticing the doors that were halfway closed. Some stayed behind while others rushed under. In the event of a soul being trapped below in the boiler rooms, a ladder was used for to escape. This ladder went into a small shaft, accessible by a revolving circular door that was operated by a hand wheel. The door would have to be shut after said soul made it to safety, otherwise Vienna would sink in a half-hour, if not longer.
When Vienna's Carpenter Hammenmeir went to check her bow below decks for any damage, he found only a slight bump in the very front of the bow where the St. Tabitha's boat had been bifurcated. Later he informed the stokers and the bridge crew that there was nothing to worry about. Captain Kandidat saw no need to inform the passengers either. Having crashed into something was the last thing he wanted to tell them.
"Enter it in the log," he ordered Second Officer Rugan. "We may expect an investigation if anyone finds out."
"Yes, sir."
Captain Kandidat also ordered his quartermaster to slow the engines down and Hercules, veering sharply to Vienna's port side, waited for a signal from the crew. As soon as the ship reached 4 knots, two sailors rushed over to the bow and threw a mooring rope down to Hercules. With the rope immediately attached to his stern, Hercules gently pulled Vienna towards the port, trying with all his might to fight the storm, which was slowly starting to slack up a bit.
Below the roaring waves, Mason saw Vienna's underbelly turn into darkness until all he could see were the four propellers churning the water, the size of the massive liner disappearing into a black curtain. Then Vienna was gone, camouflaged by the darkness as he entered the mesopelagic zone. He could not see anything, not even his own parents. The water filling his lungs slowly began to dull his senses, of smell, of taste, of speech and soon his hearing and sight would be the next follow. Sinking further, he cried internally for his brother or someone to rescue him…
…and then, a miracle. From the darkness came a green light in the shape of a tall, thin and gigantic figure. The figure had revealed itself to be a young woman with chlorophyll colored skin. Her eyes and lips bore the color of aloe and her hair was long and wavy, resembling seaweed. Mason, young and frightened as he was, nearly drew his body back when her long fingers caressed his cheeks, but the cold temperature of the water urged him not to, since it had made sure that the hypothermia was pumping into his bloodstream.
The figure's hands left Mason's cheeks and drew two pockets of air that expanded, creating a bubble that was nice and warm, also allowing Mason to breathe. He felt relaxed at first as he floated, but then his mood turned to confusion when the arms reached into the bubble and unfastened the top button of his shirt, then the second, then the third and all the rest and the hands grabbed onto his shirt, pulling it off with ease. Mason wanted to protest when the hands tugged at his trousers and his underwear, but the bubble felt so comfortable, he could not resist. When the lower garments left his body, his shoes and socks were next. The fingers loosened the laces, took them off and grabbed the topmost part of the socks, gently slipping them off his toes. Now that he was nude, he felt even more comfortable as the lighter parts of his clothes floated back up the surface to be scattered and lost with the winds. In this air of little gravity, he smiled romantically and thankfully at this mysterious woman of nature who had saved his life. Perhaps as a favor, she leaned in through the bubble and kissed his chest.
Mason would have been grossed out by this gesture like any other boy, but instead, he felt another sensation: a glowing, swirling light that began to cover his toes, his feet, his knees, his exposed privates and finally it ended at his waist. A shot of pain coursed through this area as his legs merged and his rear end and genitals disappeared along with them. The pain ended in a flat second and when Mason looked down to see the light disappearing, he could see that his legs had been replaced by a lower half of scales that were as blue as the Atlantic Ocean and light blue fins of the sunlight zone color where he feet were supposed to be. In short, he was now bearing the tail of a merman.
The bubble disappeared from top to bottom, leaving Mason back in the open depths of the ocean. He looked up, again at the divine spirit of the sea, who was floating above her in the posture and circumstance of a loving mother.
"No young soul should die before his prime, that's why I turned you into a merman."
"Who are you?" Mason's recent "change" getting too much for him to bear.
"I am Serenity, and I am a sea with, a very good sea witch. Merfolk, or human-sea creature hybrids have become rare in these recent times due to the war of eight years prior and it is my belief that by turning shipwrecked humans into merfolk, we can start anew."
"What about my parents?"
Serenity shook her head sadly.
"I'm afraid it's too late for them, they have already drowned. But mostly, I prefer children as my subjects, because their hearts are innocent and pure while adults have little imagination and are corrupted by the loss of their innocence."
Sadness crept into Mason's innocent eyes.
"Can I at least see my brother again?"
"You may…as long as he is trustworthy to keep the secret of our world. There is a reason why merfolk need to avoid contact with humans…or at least the bad ones. But if any human were to risk the exposure of our world, it is very likely that they will exploit us for personal gain…or worse. Perhaps the knowledge of our world will help you to understand better…and save me from answering a lot of questions."
So while Serenity instilled the wisdom of the seas with her magic, the Star Tugs were overseeing Vienna's arrival at Pier 44. By the time it was moored onto the dock, the rain and wind had grown gentle and the first-class passengers, most of them still dressed in their dinner gowns, were leaving the ship, photographed by the press photographers and greeted by city officials. Vienna blew her horn to the tune of her very own song and the rest of the Star Tugs joined in.
Dearest I love you, always think of you
First thing each morning and last thing at night
You're in my sight, guiding me right
Believe me dearest, I'm learning, why I've been yearning
I'm only hoping that we'll never part
Dearest you're the nearest to my heart
As the song lifted across the port, Robert, still sitting in Mavis' Buick, was looking out toward the dark ocean, thinking about his family. When he walked home (Mavis was still upset), he saw that they had not returned yet.
"They should have been here by now. Maybe they got lost."
By dawn, Robert, after finding the beds empty, called the harbor police to search for his family. By morning, the broken halves of the family boat were found on a beach southeast of the port. It was identified by the St. Tabitha name being written on stern, which was then confirmed by Robert. His fears took a turn for the worst as he immediately assumed that his family had been killed by the storm or even a ship. Remembering that they were going to see Vienna, Robert went to the hotel where Captain Kandidat was staying, asking him in the dining room if their ship had hit a small boat. Sitting next to the captain was First Officer Sessemann, who remembered the insignificant damage done to Vienna's bow and replied with a simple: "If it was your family that we hit, I am sorry."
Hercules had just learned of Mason, Katie and Louis' fates via Robert, who had told Ten Cents and Sunshine who had told the former tug. When Hercules told Captain Starr about it, he had the courts at City hall declare all three members as legally dead until other traces could be found. Moving through ten miles of water, Hercules found a shirt and a pair of trousers lapping against the hull of Lilly Lightship. They retrieved the items and brought them to Captain Starr, whom Robert identified as his little brother's clothing. Seeing the clothes last worn by his little brother broke his heart and he left Starr's office with tears running down his cheeks. Never before he felt this sort of sadness in his life, but it was twisting his heart and mind with two spiritual knifes which were sharp enough to emotionally traumatize a person.
Returning to the house, his legs were not in any condition to walk anymore and instead of walking straight to the door, he collapsed on the boards just in front of the water, praying.
"Please, let me see my little brother again, please."
Sure enough, his prayers were answered. Robert could not believe any of it, but out from the water came a wet head of dark hair followed by a forehead, eyes and a familiar face to go with it. It was…
"Mason…you're alive. And look at you, you're all better."
Mason frowned.
"Yeah, being turned into a merman has done wonders for me."
And his tailfin surfaced behind him. Robert could not believe what he was seeing.
"How did you end up like this?"
"A sea witch named Serenity saved my life. She's a nice lady and she's offered me to bring the merfolk back into existence."
"Are there more of these merpeople?"
"Not enough to go around."
"Where's Mom and Dad?"
"They're dead I guess."
"Do you know how the boat crashed?"
"We ran into Vienna, I think."
"That officer was right," Robert muttered to himself.
To Mason he added.
"Do you think you'll be happy living as a merman?"
"Maybe," Mason shrugged. "But I still want to be with you. If I changed back, it would hurt Serenity's feelings. Is there any way we can still meet…everyday?"
"Sunset seems like a perfect time," said Robert. "And of course, when I'm off from school and work, we'll have mornings and nights."
"Promise?"
"I'm promise, Mason."
And he gave his merman brother a warm hug, whispering "I love you" again and again.
The next morning, was the morning before the St. Tabitha Memorial. The pilot boats were still searching for Katie, Louis and Mason's bodies while the Star Tugs were having a meeting over by Captain Starr's office, discussing heatedly.
"What on earth were they thinking?" O.J. was the first to say.
"O.J., we know what they were thinking," said Ten Cents. "That's why they wanted to see Vienna."
"Do you even realize that my special day had just turned into tragedy because of those three?" fussed Hercules. "The fact that Robert has just become an orphan is depressing me. Whose idea was it for them to go out into a storm anyway?"
"Like you gotta ask, Hercules," fumed Warrior. "It was the father."
"Please," countered Big Mac. "Robert St. Tabitha knew better, I'm sure his wife had something to do with it."
"Katie would never be that adventurous…or so I know," mumbled Grampus. "Maybe the son had the foolish idea."
"I know you're not talking about Mason!" defended Sunshine. "He was my best friend and he would never do anything reckless!"
"Except that one time he stuffed confetti down my stack," said Top Hat in a voice of rising rage. "If you ask me, he was nothing but trouble."
Sunshine was angry.
"You haven't seen trouble yet! Those are fighting words!"
And he rammed into Top Hat. This sent Top Hat flying into Warrior, who bumped him back and pretty soon, the tranquil scene of controversy had turned into a fight of bumper boats. The Z-Stacks, watching nearby, could only snicker at this. Seeing the Star Tugs fighting each other seemed to be a new form on entertainment for them.