I return! With finals out of the way, I should have more time to write up and post some chapters (before the start of a new semester).
Enjoy!
The next morning, Sunshine was sailing past Lucky's Yard when he overheard an argument. He came over and spotted Zip and a yacht, and it was clear the latter was unhappy.
"Morning Sunshine." Zip said, smiling sheepishly. He wasn't feeling his best, but he wanted to be nice. Especially after the prank going so horribly wrong.
"What happened?" Sunshine asked, alarmed to see what he was seeing. "I know it got very foggy around here last night, but I wasn't expecting it to be this bad."
"I didn't look where I was going and hit this guy." Zip explained, looking at the yacht. "My light was useless since the fog was so thick."
"Says the guy with no sense of direction!" The yacht snapped. "I was heading back too, but I saw a big tug who was sailing past me. Then this guy came over and smashed me!"
"You ran into me!" Zip snapped, having had enough of the yacht's bantering. "I don't like yachts, they're mean." He whined, turning to Sunshine.
"Big tug? Are you sure it wasn't Zip?" Sunshine asked the yacht, raising an eyebrow. The fact that the yacht saw something off was giving him chills. "What did it look like?"
"He was big, I'm pretty sure he was yellow too, I don't remember. I know you guys have much better equipment than I do, but he was able to navigate without getting hurt." The yacht explained, trying to remember what had happened.
Sunshine realized he was going to be late and thanked the yacht before hurrying to his destination. However, he wanted to know what had happened. He soon arrived at The rail dock, where a certain railway tug was waiting for him.
"You are late." Top Hat said, looking down at the smaller switcher. "What took you so long to get here anyway?"
"I'm sorry Top Hat, it's that I saw Zip at Lucky's Yard." Sunshine explained, hoping the larger tug would believe him and not scrutinize him. "He got into a collision with a yacht last night!"
"What was Zip doing last night anyway that he hit a yacht? Especially in fog that thick?" The railway tug inquired, raising an eyebrow. "He wasn't doing anything illegal, was he?"
"Nothing as far as I know." Sunshine replied, looking at his reflection in the water. "The yacht said something about seeing a large tug wandering around."
Top Hat rolled his eyes and said, "I was already at the Star Dock when the fog rolled in. Maybe ask the others if they were out and about at the time the fog rolled in?"
Sunshine nodded, and the two got to work straightaway. However, he had lots of things going through his mind. Not only was the collision weighing down on him, Ten Cents was also a major concern. Hopefully his friend would be safe and not sick…
Meanwhile, at the quarantine bay, an inspector had been called in. Geir's condition had worsened over the course of the week, and they decided to place the vessel in palliative care as they figured he would not last much longer.
On the other hand, Ten Cents was doing rather well, which surprised everyone. He had exhibited no symptoms of the plague, and looked a lot better than what he was when he started his quarantine. Now, an all clear from the inspector was needed.
"Are you sure this switcher should go home?" The inspector asked one of the workers at the quarantine bay, carrying a small clipboard. "Especially since he has been here almost a week?"
"Yes sir. He exhibited homesickness, but nothing else." The worker explained, gesturing to Ten Cents. "He's far better off than that one harbor tug who got sent here a few months back. And a lot more cooperative too."
"I see. I'll speak to your manager and ask for his approval." The inspector said, walking out of the shed and towards the office.
It was early evening, and Sunshine was returning to the Star Dock after a long day of work. He was near Sally's hangar when he caught hold of a nasty smell. He cringed at the smell, and he turned to see that it was-
"Well if it isn't Sunshine!" Zorran called, glaring at Sunshine. "Because of you, Captain Zero had me do the crap contract!"
The crap contract was the nickname given to Zero and Marine's sewage contract. It involved the tug having to haul a barge full of sludge and whatever else that had gotten in the sewer system to a treatment facility in Mittsville. The work was slow and incredibly smelly, and if one wasn't careful, they would get splashed with sludge. Because none of the Z Stacks wanted to do this work willingly, Captain Zero used this contract as punishment.
"Go away Zorran." Sunshine snapped, not budging the slightest. He was in no mood to be bothered and teased like this. "Besides, you wanted to do this for fun! And you're probably going to do it right now!"
"I'm not going to tease ya or anything like that." The harbor tug explained, wanting to be friendly. The latest encounter with Hercules was still on his mind, and he did not want to incur the ocean tug's wrath. "I wanted to know what happened to Zip, that's all. And I'm not making any of this up, I swear."
"Zip? Well he was at Lucky's for repairs. He collided with a yacht last night." Sunshine answered, realizing that Zorran was being honest and not looking to pick a fight with him. "Why do you ask?"
"Captain Zero wanted to have a word with him since he has to pay repair fees and all that." Zorran replied. "He was pretty cross about the whole thing too."
"I spoke to them earlier today, and he looked fine." The switcher replied. "I can take you over there if you would like me to."
Zorran nodded, and the two set off for Lucky's Yard. When they arrived, they spotted Captain Zero talking (or rather arguing) with one of the workers. And he was not happy at all.
"My tugs are not exactly the murderous type, I can assure you." Captain Zero told the worker, shooing some crows away from him. "I'll have a word with Zip. Maybe drive common sense into him."
"You still have to pay the repair fee Captain Zero. And compensate the owner of the yacht for the damage your tug did to him." The worker replied, folding his arms and glaring at the Captain. "Especially since the yacht stopped breathing earlier this afternoon."
Stopped breathing? The exact phrase was very troubling. Sunshine looked at the yard and noticed that it was covered in crows. Many were perched on the yacht, and cawed at anyone who dared tried to step aboard. While Captain Zero and the worker were arguing, the switcher slipped away.
As Sunshine was heading back to the Star Dock, he spotted Hercules. He looked a lot more cheerful than what he had been the past few days, so a quick chat was in order. "Oh hello Hercules!" He greeted, blowing his whistle to catch the other's attention. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm getting something from the fueling depot, that's all." Hercules smiled and answered. "What brings you here my little sunbeam?"
"I had to take Zorran to Lucky's Yard. Zip got into a collision with a yacht last night, and a worker said the yacht stopped breathing." Sunshine replied, sighing heavily. "The whole thing is confusing to say the least."
Hercules became serious and said, "Zip and the yacht are both at fault then. They shouldn't have even been out at all, considering how thick the fog was." With a sigh, he said, "I should get going, I cannot afford to be late. There is something waiting for you at the Star Dock."
"Something?" Sunshine asked, now curious.
"Mhm! I'll see you later on this evening." The ocean tug smiled and said. "Cheers!" With that, Hercules left.
Sunshine was now heading to the Star Dock, and was wondering what was there. His thoughts stopped when he heard a loud bellowing noise, and turned to see a massive flock of crows flap away from Lucky's. As he watched, a troubling thought came to him. Did Hercules have something to do with the collision between Zip and the yacht? That would explain why he was in a hurry, but something wasn't adding up.
When Sunshine arrived, he was still trying to process his thoughts. However, his attention turned to something that made his face go from concern to shock and then joy. "Ten Cents! You're back!" He exclaimed, steaming up to his friend.
"I am! It feels good to be back, especially after being quarantined!" Ten Cents chuckled, watching Sunshine steam up to him. "How have you been?"
"Doing good. However, I was very worried for you while you were gone." Sunshine replied, tears of joy rolling down his face.
"Worried is an understatement!" O.J. chuckled, steaming up to the switchers. "Don't mind me, I'm celebrating with you!"
Big Mac, Warrior, and Top Hat soon came in, making the reunion worth it.
Notes and headcanons:
The sewage contract was originally something a bit more unpleasant, but I changed it after speaking to Nef (NefariousScalin).
Hercules has personalized nicknames for each of the Star Tugs. "My little sunbeam" is his nickname for Sunshine