Lieutenant Piper Kelly
Lieutenant Piper "Swan" Kelly was having a word with the four railway controllers of Sodor to discuss the reason why she had been selected to be the acting controller of the other railway while Jen the Pink Controller was away in Texas for a year to join Walker's kick drugs out of America Program. The program was to give her the confidence she needed to face the wrath of Arcanon and his organization and stand by the choices she made.
Swan: Let's get straight to the point because we don't have time. As you can see I've already shut up several diesels for bad behavior and brought in several steam engines with mainline certification permits to run the trains. I've suspended the drivers of the diesels I've shut up in the sheds without pay for their failures to keep said diesels in check and I've got the nice diesels on mineral and menial duties. Basically, I prefer steam to diesel and not only am I not afraid to say it I'm gonna stand by my decisions and I'm not afraid of that coward Arcanon, his equally cowardly crew or their cowardly allies and clients. Sir Richard I'm sorry but I've recalled Kayla back from her banishment.
Sir Richard Hatt the current Fat Controller decided to give his thoughts on the matter.
The Fat Controller: Don't apologize Swan. Kayla was never really my engine to begin with she was a visitor but I made sure to treat her as one of my own. She had been banished to Sodor by Jen due to circumstances which were beyond her control. Now that Shantul Payne is about to get the boot I can send Kayla back to the other railway.
Mr. Percival the Thin Controller decided to continue for the Fat Controller.
The Thin Controller: Richard is right Swan. You shouldn't blame yourself. My Father in Law Rodger Sam had a lot on his plate and even more so during the reign of the Crows. Their leader may have been defeated but their leader's boss has been growing stronger and so has his organization. Arcanon is much older and wiser in the ways of the criminal underworld.
Alexander Duncan the current Small Controller and nephew of Fergus Duncan decided to add his own two cents in the conversation.
The Small Controller: Mr. Percival is correct Swan. My Uncle Fergus Duncan mentioned that Arcanon is unlike anything Law Enforcement has ever faced before. Now that he's back our problems are sure to grow worse than before. We must stay on our toes and do everything in our power to help law enforcement defeat Arcanon and his Organization.
Henry George Barrane the great-great-grandson of Lord Harry Barrane and the owner and current manager of the Culdee Fell Railway had to say something.
Mr. Barrane: Alexander Duncan is correct. As long as we stand up on our feet to the gangs, the dark forces, and those that team up with them then we will prevail. But we cannot do it alone. We have to work together or all will be lost.
Sir Richard Hatt: You have a point but we need to talk about our fleets and the Kalos railway fleet. We also need to discuss the Johto Railway fleet.
Mr. Percival: I think I see what you mean. The Johto Railway fleet has some interesting locomotives and I've got a South African Locomotive in my fleet but the issue is how the Johto Fleet has been treating one of their own. Namely their Class C10.
Sir Richard Hatt: My wife Katherine says that her nieces or nephew are due to take over as the new Johto Railway Controller from her brother William Shiba someday and he does not want to pass the torch without resolving these issues first. He doesn't want his successor to inherit his burdens.
Mr. Barrane: I can see where he's coming from. The Class C10 is becoming something of an outcast. I've written a letter to the crew and from what I can make out based upon what the crew wrote to me, the issues center around a little girl, Rutger's daughter to be precise. I have reason to believe that the fleet is divided on the subject.
Sir Richard Hatt: This could be a problem. we have no idea who this little girl could be and if we do intervene then that could cause more problems as it is. Considering I have enough problems on my hands at the moment.
Mr. Percival, Mr. Alexander Duncan, and Mr. Barrane knew what Sir Richard Hatt meant considering the task his number two had taken on and the threat from House Fox which meant that the Duchess of Eastleigh would return soon enough for vengeance upon those who had crossed her and caused her terrible accident years ago which almost caused her to lose her shot at her mainline certification permit. Duchess Corrinne however didn't really need a mainline certification permit as she had been overhauled and built to run over British Railway Metals considering she was leader of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Locomotives and as such she already had clearance to travel across the Mainline Network of Great Britain.
Swan was also aware of what the Fat Controller meant for Duchess Corrinne was one of four steam locomotives she could borrow from the Kalos Controller if the situation called for it but for now she was sure she could handle things well enough on her own as Swan herself was currently a member of the Gold Dragons and a member of the British Armed forces and had been given military training which she applied to the tasks she had been given.
Swan: Here's an idea, why don't we simply go find Edward and tell him to back off and forget the task he was given?
Mr. Percival: Edward is not the type of engine to back of from a task he's given nor is he the type to back out on a promise he made. That's not who he is.
Swan: Does he have any idea of the tasks he's taken? He does know that this is Coi we're talking about. The leader fo the most dangerous criminal organization in the United Kingdom and the most feared crime lord the United Kingdom has ever faced right? In fact the only crime lord worse than her is Arcanon and nobody's been able to bring his organization down.
Mr. Barrane: We are well aware of that. However, we have to have hope and faith. A this point hope and faith is all we have to keep us going.
Swan: I understand. Let's hope and pray that you're right Mr. Barrane because if you're not and this blows up in our faces then we're in for a huge fight.
Richard Hatt: Then our only chance is for Edward to complete his task.
Swan: Needless to say, that does not inspire confidence at all. Even from your fleet sir and they're the ones who know him and worked with him for years and even the well-mannered diesels of the Other Railway are questioning whether or not Edward can complete this task.
On the Other Railway Swan wasn't the only one who was questioning Edward's ability to complete his task. Adam, Nick, and Kayla were all talking about all that had happened.
Kayla: Adam, Nick, long time no see. How long has it been since we were all together? A year or two? Anyway what's been going on while I was gone?
Nick a Class 59 Diesel and Adam a Class 60 Diesel broke the news to Kayla the resident Class 56 about all that had happened on the other railway during her absence which included the staff change and Arcanon's crew growing stronger and some of the other factions in the criminal underworld.
Adam: And that's basically all that's been happening since your banishment. Shauntal Payne's been threatening anybody who supports Duchess Corrinne with hostile takeovers and firing anyone who dared to defend you or Duchess Corrinne and she's even taken over businesses that refused to submit by handing the products to be shipped by road. Jen's hands were tired so she was at the mercy of the Railway Board who in turn were all terrified of facing the wrath of Payne.
Kayla: Are you serious? All this because the Duchess of Eastleigh decides to bring some justice to this joint?
Nick: That's not even the half of it. Arcanon's organization has been busy as of late and the gangs are terrorizing the land. Arcanon's crew even has weaved their webs and many of the threads are linked to factions in the Criminal Underworld. The Crows have gotten stronger not only on the streets but in the schools and it's not just them. Another street gang has recently popped up over the years.
Kayla: This is much worse than I feared. How are the well mannered diesels holding up? Last I checked some shunting diesels are still around so how many of them are left and the nice ones among them were the ones that missed me the most. I treated them like they were my friends and family.
Adam: You'll be happy to know that among the Class 08s Jacob, Luke and Melody are still here and we've treated them as family. Jennifer also got rid of their rude relatives on the spot and she brought in some new shunting diesels to replace them. The rude mainline diesels have been giving Jen a headache and to make matters worse Payne Industries has been using them for their contracts exclusively.
Kayla: Are you serious? Is that really what's been happening or is this just a really bad nightmare? Len would never have bowed his knee to such pressure.
Nick: It's actually a bit of both. Fortunately the Fox family stepped into action when they found out Adam and I protected Corrinne while she was here.
Kayla: Well there's some good news at least. I believe Duchess Corrinne was right to do what she did and give the advice she gave to the sorority standards by telling them to cancel a sorority's formal because said sorority was dirty rushing.
Adam: We know and so does Jen's father Len. He was a strong leader who led with power, wisdom, and courage as did his father. The older diesels all say they remember it like it was yesterday. Well the nice older diesels considering they're the only ones who will talk to us.
Kayla: I'm aware of that. Alana was among the older diesels who told me this. In fact Alana says that she was practically raised by steam engines and considers them family.
Nick: At least Alana never bought into the whole steam engines are inferior and diesels are superior bullshit considering she worked in a scrapyard.
Adam: But unfortunately that's landed her in hot water with Payne Industries and on more than one occasion she's been imprisoned at the Steelworks and made to work overtime. Alana says her driver suffered too at the hands of Payne's tactics by threatening to have him kicked out of his apartment.
Kayla: That's just plane messed up. Fortunately, Cedric is going to take over but Duchess Corrinne wanted a full background check done on him.
Nick: Good move on her part and what did background check reveal?
Kayla: Cedric may be Chantal's Nephew but he's nothing like her at all. He's clean, well respected and he's been educated in New York and spent some time on the Unova Railway learning blue collar trades.
Adam: Let's hope that'll help him stand up to the Crows, and Arcanon's Organization. Not to mention the other gang that's been attacking our lands.
Nick: Adam's right. Ever since Swan declared that the punishments she handed down to the rude diesels were open ended until further notice she's been attacked by street thugs left and right. She's survived the first wave but those were just local wannabes. The second wave is going to be much worse.
Kayla: We may have to warn Swan and have all the Mainline Certified Steam Locomotives take the lead from here on out. At this point Swan's Zero Tolerance plans are the only chance we have of stopping Arcanon's crew once and for all.
Adam: We should also consider asking Duchess Corrinne for help. She is the only one brave enough to stand up to Payne Industries and she is the one who selects the new CEO for that company. She's also the closest to Sheena Fox, daughter of Foxteca's CEO Lucius Fox the Second.
Nick: True but Duchess Corrinne alone isn't enough to take on Arcanon's crew. We'll need more help to take them down for good.
Kayla: Indeed but for now let's do what I suggested and warn Swan while keeping this information to ourselves. We may have to rope in Corrinne's sisters and cousins for help. For now, we should return to work. That's what Swan expects from us.
Adam and Nick understood and they and Kayla returned to work. Little did they know that the Crows had heard every word they said and reported it back to their bosses and to Arcanon's organization.
In the office Piper Kelly better known as Swan had finished the paperwork after making her statement that she was adopting a zero-tolerance regime since she was in charge which meant that the other railway was only doing business with Foxteca and the companies that only did business with Foxteca.
Swan was having a word with Lucius Fox II the current CEO and Chairman of the Board of Foxteca.
Swan: So what's the word on Foxteca? I'm prepared to send Adam to pick up the next shipment.
Lucius Fox II: We'll have it ready by tomorrow. You can send him to pick it up then Swan. I have to say things are finally getting better now that Shauntal Payne's gone for good. She fired me from my position as Vice President of Payne Industries when she took over the company. Fortunately I took this as a chance to set up my own company Foxteca and now it's Payne Industries' biggest opponent. But Shauntal's wrath was unlike anything we've faced before.
Swan: I know what you mean. She's made life hell for anybody who didn't bow down to her and her children took advantage by pushing around anybody they didn't like. Duchess Corrinne stepped up to the plate to put them in their place and my buddies in the Special Air Services put Payne's daughter through intense boot camp when the standards committee ended up canceling their formal. Unfortunately that's where our problems began. We didn't know that Shauntal Payne had Camille as her Junior Assistant and she spied upon Payne's enemies and told her what happened.
Lucius Fox II: I know what you mean and after that we've seen an increase in attacks upon steam engines, those who like steam engines and anyone and everyone who crossed Payne's Junior assistant or Arcanon's organization or anybody who called upon Arcanon's Organization from the school yard all the way to the corporate world. My company suffered hard but Jen the Pink Controller suffered the hardest. She and her family have been attacked by Arcanon multiple times and wound up in the hospital. That is if she hasn't bowed her knee to Shauntal's threats. And it's not just them who suffered. Arcanon's been making life hell for anybody who dared to oppose his organization.
Swan: We need Duchess Corrinne now more than ever. She's the only one who can stop him and his crew and she's also the reason why Cedric Payne, Shauntal's nephew is now CEO and Chairman of the Board.
Lucius Fox II: I remember. Before I was fired by Shauntal I got a copy of the Payne Industries Bylaws which state that Duchess Corrinne is the one who decides who the CEO and Chair of the Board of Payne Industries are. If the CEO is not somebody of Corrinne's choice then their decisions are not legitimate but if Duchess Corrinne is eliminated and a descendant of Corrinne's intended candidate fails to show up then the company goes to the current CEO. It was in the bylaws that Shauntal's father in law put into the company. Turns out Shauntal was never Duchess Corrinne's choice to take over for the previous CEO of Payne Industries which means that Corrinne could boot her out.
Swan: And I can only guess that because Corrinne didn't know about Cedric until now. That was probably why Shauntal Payne tried so many times to scrap her and when that didn't work she forced Jen to overwork Duchess Corrinne. But now that Shauntal's out of the picture and I'm in charge until Jen comes back from Walker's program the Steam Engines and the Well Mannered diesels can rest easier.
Lucius Fox II: I'd like to believe that considering Cedric plans to merge with my company of Foxteca and become my business partner. The merger is about to go through and this may be our one chance to keep our enemies from getting hold of Payne Industries and using it to threaten anybody ever again. Namely using it to threaten the heritage railways.
Swan: Indeed but it seems I'll be borrowing steam engines from the North Western Railway and the Heritage Railways since I had all the rude diesels shut up in the sheds as their punishment and it's an open ended punishment. They'll be staying locked up as long as I'm in charge which means it'll be at least a year and I've already advised Jen not to let them out until Arcanon, his organization and those they've allied with are defeated and knowing Arcanon that's gonna take years at most.
Lucius Fox II: Perhaps but the only good news is that the Railway Controllers of Sodor are standing up to the gangs and Duchess Corrinne is making progress with her plans.
Swan: Indeed, but I've still got paperwork to do. Not to mention that something tells me that Edward may interfere with Duchess Corrinne's plans.
Lucius Fox II: Way ahead of you. I've already got the companies that the North Western Railway's board of directors work for under Foxteca's control and I've got a branch on Sodor which means that the North Western is safe from outside interference from their enemies. For the moment.
Swan: Good to know but for now we've got to stay alert.
Swan ended the conversation on that note.
Sir Richard Topham Hatt was having a word with Edward about the recent events and all that had happened.
Edward: So Lieutenant Piper Kelly is filling in for your apprentice while she gets the confidence she needs?
The Fat Controller: That is correct Edward. The other Railway's board of directors voted her into the job while Jen is away.
Edward: Do you even know the first thing about her?
The Fat Controller: She gave Henry Barrane, Alexander Duncan, Peregrine Percival, and myself her file and it says that she's a decorated Lieutenant in the British Navy. She's done two tours of duty and she's well respected in the ranks. However she's also due for a promotion in the process considering her leadership skills.
Edward: Well that explains what's in her file but the important stuff isn't in the file. Either way, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean once Coi's old boss Arcanon finds out he's going to try and kill her and kill her entire squad and all of their relatives not to mention what he'll do to us.
The Fat Controller: I'm well aware of that Edward. However, the board of directors have run out of both time and patience and at this point Lieutenant Piper Kelly is our best chance and that means that I must help her any way that I can. Now go, you've got work to do.
Edward: Very well sir.
Edward left to do his job but knew that while Lieutenant Piper Kelly meant well things were going to get much tougher for him and for the fleet once Arcanon found out.
At Tidmoth Sheds the fleet were already talking about Lieutenant Piper Kelly with the Big Engines leading the discussion.
James: Lieutenant Piper Kelly being selected as the substitute Controller of the Other Railway is the best thing that's happened since the invention of the Steam Locomotive.
Gordon: Piper Kelly's already proven she's a strong leader and she's obviously not going to take lip from the likes of jackass diesels like Bowler, Spamcan and the Old Stuck Up. If she had been around then those three would've been scrapped on the spot.
Henry: Speaking of which Piper Kelly already punished all the rude diesels and their drivers severely and she's putting the steam engines with mainline permits in charge of the trains until further notice with the Well Mannered diesels as support. She's even invited us steam engines from the North Western and Kalos Railways to back her up if needed.
Rebecca: Sounds like Lieutenant Piper Kelly is everything that Duchess Corrinne is looking for in a leader.
James: She is all that and more. At this rate the Crows and all who do business with them will learn what pain and suffering really is and this will be the first step to disposing of Arcanon once and for all.
Bear: Not that I'm complaining but isn't relying on Lieutenant Piper Kelly a bit much?
Belle: Bear you do realize that at this point Lieutenant Piper Kelly is our only hope of stopping the Crows. She, the current Manager of the Culdee Fell Railway, and Thin Controller at this point are the best chance we've got.
Bear: I know that but if we are to have a true chance then we all need to be on the same page and plan this carefully. There's no telling what could happen next.
Barry: You might be right but understand this Bear. If we do nothing then things will only get much worse than you could ever imagine.
Bear sighed knowing that at this point there was no other way to settle the debate and that the BR Standard Class 2 Mickey Mouse was right.
The rest of the fleet dozed off unaware that things were about to take a turn for the worse.
Author's Note: Once again sorry for the late reply but things have been hectic as of late. Either way enjoy the new update.