Munitions

Written by David Mitton

Adapted by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer

It was that time of year again – the annual naval maneuvers. Big Mickey and his crane had temporarily been transferred to the old dock to help with the loading of the munitions. Although Zeus didn't try to sabotage it this time (not least because he was at another harbour at the time), sadly, these maneuvers were not spared from disaster. On that day, I remember Hercules had towed the Naval Tramper "Kraka-Toa" in from the base up the coast. Usually, a familiar and safe routine, but it had been a real rough journey. As if that wasn't enough, he had to suffer Bluenose, the officious naval tug. And I'm sorry to say he was more obnoxious than ever following the previous year's maneuvers.

"Attention! Attention!" barked Bluenose. "You, Hercules!"

"'Attention' nothing," replied Hercules. "I'm finished here, old darling, and moving out."

"Oh no, you don't!" argued Bluenose. "Not until I check things out!"

"Check all you like, sweetheart," Hercules said. "I'm needed elsewhere."

"You're under Navy jurisdiction!" Bluenose ordered. "Obey orders, and wait until I've made my inspection!"

"I am under jurisdiction, Captain Star's," Hercules said curtly. "A little wake-washer like you doesn't tell me what to do."

"Wake-washer, am I?! We'll see about that!" Bluenose shouted before seeing that Hercules was leaving. "Hercules, here! Wait! Stay right where you are. That is an order!"

"Toodle-oo," Hercules called.

"Upstart civilian!" growled Bluenose. "I'll get you in a Naval convoy one day, and I'll teach you a lesson or two. And then you'll know what orders are all about!"


Hercules was relieved to get away from Bluenose and pulled up next to O.J., who was laying out marker buoys.

"Yuck, that Bluenose," groaned Hercules. "He's mad with his orders! Orders come before common sense in Naval terms."

"I've had a barney with him too, Hercules," sighed O.J.. "'Keep those buoys in line!' he shouts, as if I haven't done this job every Naval exercise. 'Report to me when you are finished!' he says. Thinks that I'm too old for this work, he does."

"I swear he and Zeus are cut from the same metal," said Hercules with a sly grin. "Which might explain why neither are liked by us Stars or the rest of the Z-Stacks."

"Heh, heh, heh!" chuckled O.J.. "You're right there, Hercules. Mind you, I'd doubt Zeus or Bluenose would get on either. In fact, if Zeus was here, he and Bluenose would be squabbling like five year olds."

"That's a good one, m'dear," chuckled Hercules. "They're both very childish when you stop to think about it."

Then, O.J. looked up to see Big Mickey's crane loading the munitions into Kraka-Toa. "Hey, do you know what they're doing?" O.J. said. "They're loading munitions and taking fuel aboard the same ship. Dangerous seamanship, that is."

"Indeed," Hercules replied before leaving. "Well, O.J, m'dear, I'm going to have a little bit of a rest at the coal depot. It's been a hard tow and I'm feeling a bit low. I'll meet you and Sea Rogue at the Munitions factory."

"Alright, Hercules," smiled O.J.. "I'll see you up there." As the ocean-going tug left, Bluenose came up behind and blew his hooter. "Oh dear," O.J. groaned, bracing himself for more orders.

"Keep them in line!" Bluenose barked as he passed by. "As straight as a row of marines! I'll check them after I've done my inspection!"

"We should work together, not fight each other," O.J. said to himself. "Never fought when I was a young tug."


The next victim of Bluenose's torment was Finbar.

"Ahoy there. Ahoy there!" barked Bluenose. "You! Oi, you! Red thing. Collect some fire barges and proceed to the fire practice area now!"

"I'm standing by, waiting for orders to proceed to the old dock," said Finbar calmly.

"And those orders are canceled!" snapped Bluenose. "And I'm in charge, fire practice, now! And then don't leave until I tell you. Do I make myself clear? Now move. Fast as a flame! Fast as a flame!"

"Aye-aye, Sir," muttered Finbar.


At the Star Dock, I was briefing Ten Cents, Sunshine, Top Hat, Warrior and Big Mac on the munitions.

"Right, Star Fleet," I said. "We're on servicing Naval maneuvers again. O.J.'s laying marker buoys in the old dock area. Remember, no shortcuts. Use the official entry. You all know the Navy!"

The Star Tugs grumbled about this.

"Don't grumble, it's a good, regular contract," I said. "Just get on with it. Your loads are munitions. O.J. and Hercules will be helping Sea Rogue to bring the first load of our lot down. You're lucky. Z-Stacks have got the explosives. Heh, heh, so give them a wide berth. Make myself clear, Warrior? No high wakes."

"I don't make high wakes, Captain Star, no Sir," replied Warrior. The other tugs murmured in disagreement.

"Not much," I said with a laugh. "Daily garbage detail for you."

"Oh, this means that we'll have Bluenose faffing around us," groaned Top Hat. "I can't stand that tug. What a terrible bore he is with his orders, isn't he?"

"You do the garbage detail then," said Warrior cheekily as he left. Everyone laughed except for Top Hat.

"Me?!" Top Hat swung his wheelhouse so quickly, his monocle fell off. "How can you suggest such a thing?" Although he secretly had deep respect for Lord Stinker, he wasn't one to admit it.

"And less talk from you, Top Hat," I warned, "or you will find yourself on garbage." Once again, laughter erupted from everyone else.

"That is not funny," snapped Top Hat as his monocle was refitted. "It would ruin my image." The Stars were still in hysterics.

"Okay, crew, stow it!" I said. "Top Hat…"

"Yes!" the railway tug replied.

"Car floats for you, and don't argue," I ordered. "Just go."

"Do I have to earn a living with this motley crew?" muttered Top Hat as he left.

"Captain Star, we've just about had enough of Top Hat's insults," said Ten Cents.

"Aye," agreed Big Mac.

"He's more trouble than he's worth," continued Ten Cents.

"Aye," said Sunshine. "And you said that wasn't very much, didn't you, Ten Cents?"

"I said, stow it," I continued. "Ten Cents, go to Lucky's. Pick up the brand-new Star Line oil barge, get it filled, and take it to the naval yard."

"Right, sir," said Ten Cents as he left.

"Well said, Ten Cents," said Sunshine. "He's a pain in the funnel."

"The way that he moves his head about, I'd say he's a pain in the neck!" said Ten Cents.

"That's richt!" agreed Big Mac.

"Sunshine, Big Mac, an urgent delivery of machinery is needed at Mittsville," I said. "After that, Sunshine, you are to collect water from the waterworks and take them to the fire station. With these munitions and explosives, we need to be ready in case of fire. Big Mac, you're on shipping duties. Izzy Gomez should be arriving later today. Make sure he pays you the full price."

"Dinna fash yirsel, captain," said Big Mac as he left. "Efter whit happened months ago, Ah think he'd sooner pay th' full price than sink."

"Yeah," agreed Sunshine. "But Ah don't think he's fully learned his lesson."


O.J. and Hercules met Sea Rogue at the Up River Munitions Factory and explained about their encounters with Bluenose.

"I'm sorry for what you two went through," sighed Sea Rogue. "How we're both related is beyond me."

"It's a mystery," sighed O.J.. "Right then; Hercules will move off first and he can supervise the operations at the Old Dock. Sea Rogue will follow, minutes later. I'll follow last."

"That sounds like a good plan, ol' darling," replied Hercules.

"Indeed," agreed Sea Rogue. "Especially since Hercules is an ex-Navy tug. It's a good thing my uncle is undergoing maintenance today. If anything should happen to him, I shudder to think."

"Well, don't worry about it, Sea Rogue," assured O.J.. "Flotsam and Jetsam have gone to Davy Jones' Locker. They'll never harm either of you again."

"You're right, O.J.," said Sea Rogue, as Hercules moved off with his barge. Minutes later, Sea Rogue set off too, and then O.J. followed suit. All three tugs took it slow and flew their danger flags to warn all other vessels to stay away.


Big Mac and Sunshine had made their deliveries to Mittsville when they saw Sea Rogue pass by.

"Hi, Sea Rogue," called Sunshine.

"Hello, Sunshine, Big Mac," replied Sea Rogue.

"Guid day tae ye, Sea Rogue," said Big Mac. "Ah hawp Bluenose doesn't cause ye trouble."

"Don't worry, Big Mac," said Sea Rogue. "If he tries to give me orders, I'll ignore and refer them to my manager."

"That's the spirit!" Sunshine replied.

"Richt," said Big Mac. "Wance O.J. passes, we'll lea fur oor neist joabs."


Mr. Lloyd had instructed Puffa to bring coal deliveries to Kraka-Toa. Puffa was chosen specifically because of his spark arrestor, which meant there would be less risk of sparks from his chimney setting off the explosives than Little Owl.

"Hey, Puffa," called Little Owl, who was covering the mail train. "Any word on any new engines coming yet?"

"I've heard Mr. Lloyd say that he's in negotiations to the Brooklyn Eastern District Terminal in New York about getting three of its engines to help," replied Puffa.

"That's great!" said Little Owl happily; she had come from New York herself and worked on the Dock Railway there. "Any idea when they'll come?"

"No," replied Puffa. "But if I have to make a guess, it should be sometime next year. These negotiations do take time after all."

"Yeah, you're right," said Little Owl as her conductor blew his whistle. "Well, see you later."


Ever since the Boomer incident, Zip and Zug were reluctant to help with the explosives, so when a job came up at Toptown, the Zero switchers volunteered without a moment's pause. As for Zob, well, Captain Zero had put him on car floats as well and with Zeus out of port, this just left Zorran, Zebedee and Zak to collect the explosives at the Navy. A couple of hours after O.J. had left, the three Zero harbour tugs were at the Munitions factory, collecting their loads. It was a very dangerous operation, but worth a great deal of money to Captain Zero, who had put Zorran in charge. You see, whilst Zorran was well-known for being devious, he was also sensible enough to handle explosives with the utmost care.

"Now listen, you two," he said firmly. "Towing this lot's the tricky bit. Zak, move off first."

"Right," replied Zak.

"Go slow and don't take any nonsense from the Star Mob," continued Zorran. "Show them explosives don't scare us. If they come too close, just…"

"Blow them up?!" asked Zak excitedly.

"Yeah, but with your hooter, dummy," retorted Zorran. "No silly games, okay? You don't have to be that brave."

"Ok, Zorran, sir…" said Zak, sounding quite disappointed as he set off.

"And watch out for the Naval twerp Bluenose," continued Zorran. "Your job is to transfer those explosives directly to Naval Tramper Kraka-Toa. If Bluenose gives you different orders, ignore him and refer him to me. Just keep it steady. Keep flying that danger flag!" Zak did so.

"Zebedee, next," Zorran said, minutes later.

"That Bluenose told me he was in charge, and that I must obey orders," said Zebedee.

"You are – mine," said Zorran. "Remember that."

"I'll remember that, Zorran, sir…" replied Zebedee, setting off with his danger flag flying.

Minutes later, it was Zorran's turn.

"Eat your heart out, Star Stacks," he said to himself. "This trip's worth twenty garbage barges, ferry trips or girder tows. Heh. If we don't get blown up. Right, easy does it…" With that, Zorran set off slowly and remembered to fly the danger flag.


Bluenose was pulling a gasoline barge when he saw Ten Cents with the oil barge.

"Ahoy!" barked Bluenose. "Ahoy there! Ahoy! You, with the oil barge! You're in my way and you're idle, and I don't like idle tugs, so move and move fast! That is an order!" With that, Bluenose scraped the oil barge.

"Oi! Oi!" snapped Ten Cents. "You Naval twit! You scraped a brand-new barge deliberately!"

"I gave an order to move out of my way," retorted Bluenose. "And this harbour is the most undisciplined I've ever worked in! If I order you to jump, you jump! And that barge is conscripted for a Naval purpose, and if I want to scrape it, I will. I'll scrape you too if you don't get to your post on time!"

"I'm always on time, and you know it!" argued Ten Cents.

"Ah, you'd better be," snarked Bluenose. "Or I'll have you clapped in dry dock! It's about time you fancy Stars started living up to your name. Now, get some steam in your boiler and start turning your screw. Mobilization, that is what I want, mobilization!"

With that, Bluenose left and scraped the oil barge again.

"Oi! Oi!" shouted Ten Cents. "Oi, you! Come back here. Oi! You just scraped it again. Oi! Augh, Z-Stacks are bad enough, but Bluenose? Oh, he's something else."


Night came down fast. Dock lights helped Big Mickey transfer explosives to Kraka-Toa. O.J., Hercules, Sea Rogue and the Z-Stacks were moored off. All were cleared of their dangerous loads, except Zorran, now being unloaded. One last-minute slip-up could mean disaster.

"I'll be glad to get rid of this lot," said Zorran, anxiously.

"Attention! Attention!" barked Bluenose, who was just arriving.

"Oh no, here we go…" sighed Zorran.

"I'm coming alongside, so move aside!" barked Bluenose. "You, with the circle on your funnel, move!"

"Eh, what? You mean me, Mister, do you?" retorted Zorran.

"Yeah, you, Mister!" said Bluenose. "Move that barge! My load's first!"

"I think you'll find that our loads are first and Ten Cents is next after Zorran," Hercules said firmly.

"And you shouldn't move a barge that's being unloaded!" O.J. interjected.

"Get pensioned off, old timer!" snapped Bluenose. "This is my pool; I say what goes."

"Bah," scoffed O.J.

"The only one who says what goes is your commanding officer, Admiral Cardona," said Sea Rogue. "He's the one who set out the instructions and we're obeying them."

"Maybe you should go and draw your pension, O.J.," sneered Zak. "You're past it!"

"Shut it!" snapped Zorran. "The paddler's right. We're not moving that barge, Mister."

"I want this fuel unloaded now!" shouted Bluenose. "Oi, you! Corky! Drop your hook into this barge and leave the explosives right now!"

"You will wait your turn, Bluenose!" boomed Big Mickey through his megaphone.

"Ah, he's a brave tug, ordering the operator of a shore crane around," said Zebedee.

"Yeah, nobody tells Big Mickey what to do," agreed Zorran.

"Well, I do!" barked Bluenose. "And I'm in charge. So, obey orders!"

"For the last time, Bluenose," said Zorran, standing his ground, "I'm not moving my barge until it's been unloaded!"

"WELL, STOP UNLOADING IT!" roared Bluenose. "BIG MICKEY, DROP YOUR HOOK INTO MY BARGE! MY PRIORITY, RIGHT NOW!"

"DON'T BE RIDICULOUS, YOU GIANT HIPPOPOTAMUS!" bellowed Big Mickey. "YOU JUST STAY PUT!"

Bluenose just seethed at the insult whilst O.J., Hercules, Sea Rogue, Zorran, Zebedee and Zak tried hard not to laugh. Then, they heard the sound of a hooter as Ten Cents drew up alongside Bluenose.

"Hey, what's going on?" he asked. "The schedule says I'm next!"

"Now, don't you start, laddie!" barked Bluenose. "Wait your turn!"

"Watch him…" said O.J..

"Look, I'm coming alongside," argued Ten Cents. "This barge has to be unloaded; I've got orders too."

"Whose orders?!" barked Bluenose.

"Captain Star's orders!" snapped Ten Cents. "I'm coming alongside!"

"Ha ha, we'll see about that!" retorted Bluenose, moving forward. "Now just move aside and let me though!"

"What does he think he's doing?" asked Zebedee.

"Something stupid, that's what," said Sea Rogue with a frown.

"Bluenose, stay back!" called O.J.. "That barge is unsafe."

"Do not give me orders!" barked Bluenose. "If I want to move, I move!"

"Don't be an idiot, Bluenose!" shouted Hercules. "Get back to your post RIGHT NOW!" But it was too late. Bluenose's barge hit the explosives barge, which knocked over an oil drum and sparks from his funnel set the barge ablaze.

"I told you to move it!" snapped Bluenose. "Now look what's happened!"

"It's your own fault, you dummy!" snapped Zorran.

"Oh no!" cried Ten Cents.

"Emergency evacuation!" Hercules shouted.

"Start engines, quick!" O.J. called urgently.

"Zorran, get your barge untied!" called Sea Rogue. Zorran didn't need to be told twice.

"I'm in charge!" said Bluenose. "Stay where you are!"

"No way! I know what's on that barge!" snapped Zorran, reversing away. "Get clear, the whole thing's going to blow!"

"Stay where you are!" snapped Bluenose

"Emergency! Emergency!" Big Mickey shouted through his megaphone. "Clear the area immediately!"

"Stay still and obey orders!" shouted Bluenose.

"Move out! Move out! Save yourselves!" called O.J. as he reserved to safety.

"Ten Cents!" called Hercules. "Cut your barge rope and pull free!"

"My barge is clear, but Bluenose is blocking the way!" called Ten Cents.

"I know what to do!" said Bluenose. "Stay still and don't panic!"

"Oh, come on, Bluenose!" argued Ten Cents. "Cast off, let's get out of here!"

"I can't! I can't! I can't!" cried Bluenose.

"Try harder, go on!" urged Ten Cents.

"My engine's cut out!" replied Bluenose.

"O.J.! Hercules!" called Ten Cents. "His engine's out. I'm going in to help!"

"Don't be a fool, Ten Cents!" called Zorran. "Get out of there!"

"He's right! Move!" called O.J..

"Yeah, come on, Ten Cents!" urged Zebedee and Sea Rogue.

"Bluenose got himself into this!" snapped Zak. "Just leave him to burn!"

"It's too dangerous, Ten Cents!" urged Hercules. "Please get out of there!"

"I'll be fine!" called Ten Cents. "You're coming with me, Bluenose!"

"Keep going, Ten Cents!" shouted Big Mickey. "Keep going! The tramper's on fire! It'll blow any second!"

"Don't you move me!" shouted Bluenose as Ten Cents pulled him to safety. "I've got my– my orders, and my orders says I am loading fuel there!"

"You can load all you want after I get you out of here!" retorted Ten Cents. "Hey O.J.! What should I do with him?!"

"Put him at the back, out the way," replied the paddle-driven tug. "We don't want any more of his orders!"

"Oi! This is a mutiny!" snapped Bluenose. "Take me back immediately! Obey orders! Obey orders! Orders are orders!"

"You had me worried, little brother," Hercules said with relief. But their troubles were far from over. The dock sirens sounded off, and explosives set off around the base of Big Mickey's crane.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Zorran. "Big Mickey's dock is going up!"

"Move out, everyone!" urged O.J.. "The crane's going over!"

"Stay where you are!" boomed Big Mickey as he moved his crane's head. "I'll jib clear!"

"Just hope Mickey gets it right; otherwise, he'll sink us all!" said Zorran.

Then, an explosive went off next to Big Mickey's crane.

"BIG MICKEY!" called Ten Cents as the crane's dock fell into the water, taking the crane with it. Big Mickey himself fell over and injured his leg, thus preventing his escape. But he wasn't afraid. He bravely accepted his fate, with the hope he had saved his friends from a much worse explosion.

"Ah, he's done it," said Zorran as the crane fell over. "His crane's falling sideways!"

"HELP!" Bluenose cried in horror as Big Mickey's crane sank into the water and disappeared into the waves.

"Ah, that was too close for comfort…" sighed Ten Cents.

"It took real skill to make that move," agreed O.J..

"He saved us all for sure," said Ten Cents. "But the fire's getting out of control!"

"They'll have heard the siren, for sure," said O.J.. "Finbar will reach us any minute. Just wish he were here now."

"I doubt Finbar will be much good," said Sea Rogue. "Look at that tramper!"

Indeed, Kraka-Toa's load was on fire and exploding. The intense heat caused Ten Cents to shut his eyes.

"I haven't seen anything this bad since the munitions explosion of the Great War…" Hercules said quietly.


Top Hat, Zob, Frank and Eddie were at the Railhead looking at the fire from a distance.

"That's strange," remarked Zob. "I could have sworn the sun went ages ago. I just hope it's not what I think it is."

"Maybe someone's having a dockside celebration!" suggested Eddie.

"No, no," insisted Top Hat. "If there was a party, I would have been invited."

"Perhaps they don't need a long-necked highbrow," said Frank; he and Eddie laughed heartily.

"Very droll," snarked Top Hat. "Certainly wouldn't want lowlifes like you there." Then, they heard Finbar's siren.

"What? What's that?" asked Top Hat.

"Emergency! Emergency!" called Finbar, passing by. "Get them tied off and follow on, Top Hat and Zob! We might need all hands on deck!"

"Yeah, follow on, Top Hat and Zob!" called Sunshine. "There's a fire at the old dock!"

"Blast!" groaned Zob. "I wasn't wrong."

"I'd love to join you, but these two are in a right state!" said Top Hat. In truth, he was afraid of being blown up and was trying to make an excuse not to go. Heh, and he once boasted to Sunshine that he would help to fight a fire quicker than you could say "New York Central Railroad!"

"Always our fault, eh, Frank?" snarked Eddie.

"Never his, eh, Eddie?" agreed Frank.

"He could take us along," said Eddie. "I'd like to see a fire."

"The only fire you're going to see," threatened Top Hat with frustration, "and I can tell you this for a fact, is the one I will set under your tracks, if you don't get a move on! So there!"

"Ooohhh!" said Frank and Eddie sarcastically.

"Well, regardless of whether you come or not," snapped Zob, "I'm going to help! It's the right thing to do! If you wish to be a coward and not help, it's not my problem!"

Top Hat was left speechless as his rival went to help.


Big Mac had just left the San Juan dock and had succeeded in making sure Izzy paid him the full price when he saw Zob.

"Whit's up, Zob?" he called.

"There's a fire at the dock!" replied the Z-Stacks' railway tug. "Top Hat's being a coward and not assisting but I'm going to help!"

"Ah'm comin' wi' ye!" replied Big Mac. Ah'll deal wi' ye later, Top Hat, he thought to himself.


The situation with Kraka-Toa was going from bad to worse.

"The aft hull is blown, now the fire will really spread!" sighed Sea Rogue.

"I feel so helpless!" said Ten Cents, worriedly.

"Don't worry, Ten Cents, I've got your back," assured Hercules.

"We're far enough away," said O.J.. "We should be fine."

"Cor! There were really big explosions!" exclaimed Zebedee.

"There's more to come yet, heh, just you wait," snarked Zorran. "She was nearly fully loaded before that Naval twit arrived. What's onboard will rip her apart!"

The tugs could only watch helplessly as fire and explosions in the tramper spread to dangerous chemicals on the dockside.

"Isn't there anything we can do?!" asked Ten Cents.

"Like what?" sneered Zak. "Anyway, you've done your bit. Just sit back and watch."

"But it's spreading!" insisted Ten Cents. "And that means that Puffa and the dockside will go up!"

"You're right, Ten Cents!" exclaimed O.J.. "Come on everyone! Shout and warn Puffa!"

Everyone shouted a warning to Puffa, who was asleep at the time and when he woke up, he realised the danger he was in.

"Oh, Great Railway Above!" he gasped. "I've got to get out of here!"

Quickly, his engineer released the brakes and opened up the regulator. Then, with a loud whistle, Puffa raced out of danger, just in the nick of time as the explosions blew up the dockside.

"Oh, look over there!" gasped Ten Cents as a dockside shed blew up and…

"That's all we needed…" groaned O.J.. "The oil's caught fire!"

"And that tank's fully loaded!" exclaimed Ten Cents, moving forward. "I must try to get it out to sea!"

"WHAT?!" Hercules cried in alarm.

"Don't do it!" called O.J.. "Stay back! If that blows, it could take you with it!"


Warrior was docking Lord Stinker at the Municipal Garbage Corporation when Lord Stinker spotted the fire in the distance.

"What's that?" asked Lord Stinker.

"What's what?" asked Warrior.

"That!" said Lord Stinker. Warrior got distracted and bumped Lord Stinker into the pier.

"Check the skies, be careful!" exclaimed Lord Stinker. "It's a red sky. 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight.'"

"But the sun went down ages ago," said Warrior. "And that's north, not west…" Then came the horrifying realisation.

"Fire!" Warrior and Lord Stinker exclaimed. Thanks to his time as a fire tug, Warrior knew what to do. He quickly tied up Lord Stinker and raced away.


Ten Cents was next to the burning fuel barge and Finbar's siren was heard in the distance.

"Boy, it's really hot," groaned Ten Cents. "There's no chance of getting a line on it!"

"What does he think he's doing?" asked Zebedee.

"Dunno, but rather him than me," sneered Zak. "Heh heh." Zorran just glared at him; he knew Ten Cents was trying to prevent a much worse catastrophe.

"I'd better push it," said Ten Cents. "I gotta get it out to sea!"

It was at the moment Finbar and Sunshine arrived with fire barges.

"Oh! Ha ha!" exclaimed O.J.. "It's about time you turned up! Give Ten Cents a hand; he's burning up!"

"Get that thing out of here! Quick!" ordered Finbar.

"What did you think I was doing?" replied Ten Cents. "I'm not here to keep warm, ya know!"

"You lot! Stay back!" ordered Finbar.

"Heh, I wasn't thinking of moving anyway, Mister," replied Zorran.

"Who's responsible for this, then?" asked Finbar.

"Him! Behind me! Bluenose!" said O.J., motioning towards the Navy tug who was now struck with terror and twitching his wheelhouse uncontrollably.

"Oh, him," snarked Finbar. "Him who gives all the orders. Well, he won't be giving any more now. He's in shock!"

Then, they heard two more whistles as Big Mac and Zob came in.

"Hercules!" called Big Mac. "Ah've juist seen Ten Cents wi' a flaming oil barge!"

"We know," sighed Hercules. "O.J. told him to stay back but he wouldn't listen."

"Well, I'm glad you two have come to help," said Finbar, before noticing another dock building exploding and that a nearby one had begun to smoke.

"Sunshine!" ordered Finbar. "Get the fire barge and start dousing that building! It's going to blow any second!"

"On my way, sir!" called Sunshine.

"We've got to try and stop the fire from spreading!" urged Finbar.

"I'm taking this out to sea, Sunshine!" called Ten Cents, pushing the barge away from the dock. "Take care! Watch those flames back there!"

"Hey, what you've got there looks far more dangerous than me!" said Sunshine. "Th-that's a bomb, lad! Just leave it, will you?!"

"I'll be okay!" insisted Ten Cents

"Cut the chat!" called Finbar. "Sunshine, get that barge working, steer it between the flames and swing it 'round!"

"Yes, sir!" called Sunshine.

"Fire! Fire!" cried Warrior, who had just arrived.

"Just in time, Warrior!" called Finbar. "Use your fire hose on that barge and the oil yard! Quick!"

"Yes, sir! Right away, sir! I'll do my best, sir!" called Warrior.

"Heh, and there's two things wrong with that order, Finbar," snarked Zorran. "Warrior doesn't move fast. His lights may be on, but there's no one there!"

"At least he's in there, Zorran," replied Finbar sternly. "Hercules, O.J., Sea Rogue, Zebedee, Zak and Zob, take some of these fire barges and try to douse those chemicals! Quickly, now!"

"What's the point?" huffed Zak. "I would rather just sit back and watch!"

"Oh no, you wouldn't!" snapped Zob. "If those chemicals go up, the entire port is doomed! Now, come over and help or we'll all get sunk!"

"Alright, fine!" snapped Zak. "I'll help!"

"Here, Zorran," called Finbar. "Give me a hand with this fire barge. We gotta try and save that tramper!"

"Heh," scoffed Zorran. "I can't see this barge doing much good, Finbar. But you're in charge."

"Go on, Zorran," said Zebedee. "Show them who's a real hero."


All the tugs present (except for Bluenose) were now working hard to stop the fire from reaching Bigg City. Sunshine was pumping the fire barge to try to contain the fire.

"Hey, the building's on fire now!" she cried. "Oh, Ah can't seem to stop it! It's– oh!" Another dock building blew up in an explosion.

"Just keep throwing water on it, Sunshine! Stop the spread!" urged Finbar. "Warrior! Get outta there! It's gonna blow!"

"I can control it, Finbar, don't worry!" insisted Warrior. Just then, the fuel tanks blew up right in front of Warrior. "Wow!" the harbour tug said in astonishment. Then, an explosion sent a piece of debris directly into Warrior's wheelhouse. "Ooh! That bit hit me!" he exclaimed.

"Move back, Warrior! Move back!" urged Finbar.

"No, sir," said Warrior, now spraying water onto Puffa. "I gotta look after Puffa. He's a mighty valuable and good friend! Gotta look after your friends, you know."

"Th-thank you, Warrior," Puffa smiled weakly.

"Okay, Warrior," replied Finbar. "How's the fire looking on your end, Hercules?"

"We're managing to contain the spread, Chief!" called Hercules.

"Well done, everyone, keep it up!" urged Finbar.

"I just hope Ten Cents is alright," sighed Hercules.


Ten Cents was out with the burning fuel barge in the open sea, and the fire was getting worse.

"This is getting too dangerous!" said Ten Cents, letting out a cough. "The tank's blistering badly! Oh no, it's starting to smoke! It's gonna go any second! I've gotta get outta here!"

But as Ten Cents started reserving, the barge ignited.


Hercules and Sunshine spotted the glare.

"Oh, dear Neptune, no!" Hercules exclaimed in horror. "Little brother!"

"Ten Cents!" gasped Sunshine. "It's Ten Cents! The oil barge… Ah must…"

"Stay put, Sunshine!" called O.J.. "You're needed here."

"But he might need help!" cried Sunshine.

"Just stay where you are!" ordered O.J.. "That goes for you too, Hercules!"

Hercules, fighting back tears, continued to assist with putting out the fire.

"Move off, Zorran!" ordered Finbar. "She's gonna keel over any moment now, there's nothing more we can do! Stand clear, everyone! Stand clear! She's going!"

Finbar and Zorran backed off to a safe distance and everyone stayed put as Kraka-Toa started to sink and capsized in the dock. The tugs could only watch in horror as the final explosion tore the Naval tramper apart, but to Bluenose, it seemed a nightmare! Then one last spark flew out of Kraka-Toa's stack as she sank deeper into the water.

Moments later, the remaining fires were put out, but the damage was done.

"Phew!" exclaimed O.J.. "Just look at the state of the dockside!"

"Yeah, but that's nothing compared with what could have happened," replied Finbar. "If you lot hadn't contained the fire, it could have easily spread to the city. Well done, all of you!"

"And if Ten Cents hadn't moved the oil…" Hercules bit his lip. The rest of the present Stars, Sea Rogue, Finbar, Zebedee, Zob and even Zorran glanced sympathetically at Hercules. It was at that moment Top Hat arrived.

"Oh dear!" he snarked. "Seems I'm too late to save the day! What a pity!"

"AND WHERE IN NEPTUNE'S NAME HAVE YOU BEEN?!" roared Hercules, startling the Star Fleet's railway tug.

"W-well, you see…" stuttered Top Hat, "Frank and Eddie were being uncooperative and I was having a hard time with them!"

"Were they, now?" snarked Hercules. "Well, tell me this, Top Hat – if Frank and Eddie were being uncooperative, why didn't it stop Zob from coming to help?! Oh, wait, don't answer – Zob wasn't a coward! And neither was Ten Cents, because he was pushing a flaming oil barge out to sea, which has exploded and might have taken him with it!"

"W-what?!" cried Top Hat in alarm.

"It's true, Top Hat," Zob sneered. "Whilst you were cowering in fear in your corner, Ten Cents was risking his life to prevent a much worse catastrophe!"

"What's worse is that the rest of your shipmates were working tirelessly to prevent the fire from spreading," added Sea Rogue. "Especially since Warrior rushed to the scene of the disaster without a moment's pause!"

"Sea Rogue's richt, Top Hat!" snapped Big Mac. "Warrior micht be clumsy, bit he's git mair courage than ye!"

"I'll bet that if you and I had switched positions on the day of the Nantucket incident," interjected O.J., "you would have let Ten Cents get quarantined, just you could save your engine from blowing out completely."

"But I…" Top Hat began. "You see… One thing I should…"

"You once said you'd be here quicker than 'New York Central Railroad'!" Sunshine said through angry tears. "Well, you proved something tonight! You proved you were nothing but a coward! When it came to the fire, you never once helped us."

"Yeah, Top Hat," agreed Warrior. "I can't believe how selfish you are."

"Come on, Star Fleet," said Sunshine. "Let's go and look for Ten Cents."

"I'll come with you," said Sea Rogue.

"Thank you, Sea Rogue," said O.J..

"Don't bother trying to help, Top Hat," Hercules said coldly. Top Hat said nothing; clearly, he had a lot to think about.

"Heh heh," laughed Zak. "Well, well, well. Get a drift of that, will you, lads? Top Hat, all dressed up, but nowhere to go!"

"Shut it, Zak!" snapped Zorran. He, Zebedee and Zob glanced respectfully at the Star Tugs.

"Maybe we should go and help with the search," suggested Zebedee.

"Indeed, it's the least we can do," agreed Zob.

"Alright, but don't tell Captain Zero," said Zorran.

"Yeah, cause that will really get us into trouble–"

"Come, Zak!" roared Zorran. "And shut up!"


Zip and Zug had been delayed at Toptown and had only just gotten back when the fire had been put out. They, along with Grampus, Zilly and Peeper Pipes came to help too whilst Finbar, Zak and O'Malley set to work clearing up the mess. Big Mickey's crane was recovered with only minor damage. Lying in shallow water had saved it from both fire and explosion. Unfortunately, Big Mickey was unable to swim to safety due to his uninjured leg and he had drowned whilst still inside his crane.

The search party began to regroup at dawn.

"Did anyone find anything?" asked Warrior.

"Not so much as a ripple," sighed Zebedee. "Sorry, Stars…"

Just then, Big Mac pulled in with a mortified expression.

"Big Mac, what's… oh! Oh, Moonlight Oceans Above…!" gasped O.J.. The Scottish harbour tug had towed in what was left of the oil barge.

"Ah can't believe it!" sobbed Sunshine. "Oh, Ten Cents!"

"Oh, little brother," sobbed Hercules. "What are we going to tell Captain Star?"

"We must all salute a very brave tug," began O.J., "who saved us from…"

The moment of silence was pierced by a whistle.

"Hey, Ah know that whistle!" said Sunshine.

"So do I!" said Hercules.

"It's… it's Ten Cents!" They both cried with happy tears. And sure enough, Ten Cents appeared with soot and burn marks all over him. Grampus appeared as well.

"Ten Cents, what a mess! What happened?!" asked Sunshine.

"Well, just after I started reversing, it blew to smithereens!" explained Ten Cents. "Nearly took me with it! Lights went out, water in the engine! I didn't know if I could make it back. But thanks to Grampus, I did!"

"Hey, you're the luckiest tug around!" said Sunshine.

"And probably the bravest too!" agreed O.J..

"I'm so proud of you, little brother," said Hercules. "And I've no doubt that Captain Star will be as well." He looked over at Grampus. "Thank you… thank you so much, m'dear."

"Ah, you Stars saved me from being blown up for target practice," he said modestly. "It's the least I could do."


When the cavalcade returned to Bigg City, Finbar, Peeper Pipes and Hercules had some stern words for Bluenose.

"You obviously didn't consider the safety of others, did you?" Peeper Pipes said sternly. "Orders may be orders, but they never supersede common sense!"

"Well said, Peeper Pipes," said Finbar. "The Stars, the Z-Stacks and Sea Rogue were doing the right thing in not listening to you, Bluenose, but common sense from you would most definitely have prevented this fire from starting!"

"My little brother was almost killed because of your arrogance and stupidity!" said Hercules angrily. "Just think what might have happened to him just because you didn't!"

"W-what would you know about being in the Navy?" retorted Bluenose, still in shock.

"Because… I served in the United States Navy on the front lines during the Great War!" replied Hercules.

"WHAT?!" Bluenose exclaimed in shock.

"They're indeed correct," said a voice that filled Bluenose with fear. There, standing on the bow of Davy Jones, was Admiral Cardona and he was apoplectic. Captain Zero, Sea Rogue's manager and I were with him and I was just as cross with Bluenose, given I'd almost lost one of my tugs to the fire.

"This, Bluenose, is the final straw!" Admiral Cardona rapped. "An entire dockside has been destroyed by your incompetence and immaturity! One of the harbour's finest crane operators is dead! And one of our finest ships is now a total write-off!"

"If I could just…" began Bluenose.

"SILENCE!" snapped the admiral. "You are hereby dishonorably discharged! Grampus, tow him to dry dock where he will await court martial!"

"Well, I've been used for a few strange jobs before," said Grampus as he attached himself to Bluenose. "But never have I brought in a switcher and taken away a twitcher!" And with a good laugh, Grampus towed away a shocked Bluenose.

Finbar turned his attention to Ten Cents, Big Mac, O.J., Warrior, Hercules, Sunshine, Zorran, Zebedee, Zob and Sea Rogue.

"For helping to put out the fire," Finbar said proudly, "I'll see to it that you all are awarded fire service medals, especially you, Ten Cents, for not only rescuing Bluenose, but risking your own life to push that oil barge away from the harbour."

"Thanks, Chief," said Ten Cents. "I think I speak for all of us that we're just grateful that Bigg City Port is safe." Everyone else agreed.

"Ten Cents, Big Mac, O.J., Warrior, Hercules and Sunshine," I said to them, "words cannot describe how proud I am of all of you. You all fought like heroes."

"Thank you, sir," they all said.

"And Ten Cents, you'll be taken to Lucky's yard right now," I added. "I've paid for your repairs already." I'm so relieved you're still with us, I thought to myself.

"I'll take you there, m'dear," Hercules said, getting a line onto his little brother.

"Thanks, sir, and thank you, big brother."

"As for you, Top Hat, I am very disappointed with you," I said as Ten Cents and Hercules departed. "You are one of my tugs. We are loyal, brave and always looking out for others. But, last night, you chose not to assist with the fire, which was extremely cowardly of you."

Top Hat wanted to say something, but he knew he couldn't make excuses.

"Captain Star," he said, "you and the rest of the Star Fleet are right to be disappointed with me. My behaviour last night was inexcusable and I cannot apologise enough for letting you all down. If you wish to send me away, I will accept my fate without any argument whatsoever."

There was a long pause.

"Well, Top Hat," I said, "I appreciate your apology and I won't send you away. However, you're going to have to work hard to rebuild my trust in you. For the rest of the month, I'm putting you on dredger duty with Scuttlebutt Pete."

"As you wish, sir," Top Hat said, sadly and without a single argument. He deserved this punishment and he set off to collect Scuttlebutt Pete. Big Mac, O.J., Warrior and Sunshine departed without another word.

"Zorran, Zebedee and Zob… you three did a decent job with that incident last night," Captain Zero said, his voice trying to sound stoic, "even if you did help the Stars out".

"Er… thank you, sir," Zebedee said quietly. Zorran and Zob managed small smiles of respect.

"As for you, Zak, you are a disgrace!" snapped Captain Zero. "I heard you only helped because Zob demanded it of you! You are on minimal jobs for a few months, understand?!"

"Er… yes, sir…" replied Zak.

"Sea Rogue," said O'Malley, "well done last night. I couldn't be more proud of you."

"You did a wonderful job," added his manager.

Sea Rogue could only smile modestly.


Bluenose was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to death via Final Firing. Once that was done, his remains were towed to sea and were used for target practice. Needless to say, everyone was relieved to hear this as this meant they'd never have to worry about his orders again. After the fire, Admiral Cardona gave strict instructions to never again carry fuel and munitions on board the same ship so that another disaster never happened again.

That all happened because of a few hasty words and bad tempers. Orders may be orders, but they blinded Bluenose from using simple common sense, and from keeping level headed. So a tiny incident grew into a big disaster, and the old dock was left in ruins. We should always have the greatest respect for fire. If we don't, it will destroy us, our surroundings, and our friends.

Of course, the fire left a massive impact on all of us and this would lead to a peculiar incident a couple of months later, but that's a story for another day.

The End


Arthur's notes: Holy banana cakes! This story was such fun to edit, and it's the longest story yet. A few expanded, new and changed scenes here: Hercules and O.J. getting into some jokes about Zeus and Bluenose (one of my favourite additions); Sea Rogue, Hercules and O.J. taking munitions to the ship; Big Mac and Sunshine given different jobs for the day (the High Tide references have been pushed back to Quarantine); Hercules and Big Mac helping with the fire (as well as Zob of the Z-Stacks), a few dialogue switches here and there (mostly with Zak); and Top Hat getting comeuppance for not going to fight the fire. To add insult to this injury the whole Star Fleet helped with fighting the fire except for him. And possibly my favourite addition, more Hercules/Ten Cents brotherly love. We seriously needed more of a dose of that in the series, and if they were humans, I could see Ten Cents and Hercules hugging each other. Aww.

Tune in next time where the Tugs have to face the Ghosts and aftermath of the catastrophe...