Hercules

Written by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer

It was the evening before the annual Naval Manoeuvres. Jimbo was staying the night at the Star Dock.

"I must say, it's good of you to give me such hospitality," the diesel tug said.

"Think nothing of it, old darling," smiled Hercules.

"Let's hope we don't have a repeat of last year's disaster," said Ten Cents as he and the other Stars shuddered at the painful memories of the Munitions fire.

"Or that Zeus doesn't sabotage the coal again," muttered Warrior.

"Oh yes," chuckled Jimbo. "Captain Zero keeps having to tell him off for his mess-ups. It's no wonder the Navy were glad to get rid of him."

"Yes, Captain Zero bought him and Zilly cheaply from the Navy," said O.J.. "In Zilly's case, his scared and jumpy nature was causing them trouble. Zob came from the Pennsylvania Railroad."

"Zorran, Zebedee, Zak and Zip worked for the Moran Towing Company in New York until they were sacked for underhanded behaviour," said Ten Cents. "This was around the same time that Captain Zero set up Zero Marine Bigg City after he himself was fired by Captain Star's father for trying to do shady deals behind his back. Zip was meant to be number four but she miscounted and ended up with the number five instead."

"Oh, is that why Zug is number four?" asked Sunshine.

"Yeah, Zug used to work in Estonia until the Russian Revolution," said Ten Cents, "and it was after which he fled to the United States. He was taken in by a conman who then sold him to the first desperate buyer – Captain Zero. He had intended to buy another harbour tug but was swindled and Zug was purchased instead. Naturally, Captain Zero was furious and had one of his 'angry tears' moments. 'I wanted another harbour tug!' he would fume between angry sobs. 'But that so-and-so sent me that little runt!'" There were a few chuckles upon hearing Ten Cents' impression of the Z-Stacks' leader before he continued. "What was worse for him was that the conman disappeared after the sale, which meant that Captain Zero was stuck with Zug."

"Did Captain Zero really call that conman a 'so-and-so'?" asked Jimbo.

"No, that was just a placeholder for what he actually said," said Ten Cents. "It was far more vulgar."

"I see," said Jimbo. "What about you lot? How did Captain Star come to purchase you?"

"Well, when Captain Star and his father first set up Star Tug and Marine Company," explained Ten Cents, "I was bought cheaply from an auction, hence my name."

"Ah used tae wirk in Bonnie Scotland fur a friend o' Captain Star's father," said Big Mac. "Whin th' Star Fleet wis set up, his friend gifted me tae him."

"I used to work for another tug fleet, which consisted entirely of paddle steamers," said O.J., "and Captain Lucky – our current one – was a friend of ours when she was little. Sadly, the other paddlers were scrapped after more modern tugs took over our work and Captain Lucky was devastated. She and her father asked Captain Star's father to buy me, hence why I'm here now."

"I was purchased from a railroad in New Hampshire which was struggling financially," explained Top Hat.

"I was built for the Fire Department, hence the fire hose," said Warrior. "But I was discharged for being too clumsy. My future was uncertain but Big Mac had faith in me and asked Captain Star's father to buy me, which he did."

"Ah used to work Up River for a private owner named Mr. Mitton," said Sunshine, "until he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Ah had been chartered to the Star Fleet, and after an incident where Zak shoved me into the Duchess, Captain Star bought me from Mr. Mitton so Ah wouldn't be scrapped."

"Like Zeus and Zilly, I'm ex-Navy," said Grampus. "But the Navy saw me as outdated and were going to blow me up for target practice. The Stars didn't want that to happen so they saved me and Top Hat got Captain Star to ask the Navy if they could spare me. The Navy sold me to Captain Star as their eighth member. Mind you, I'm not the only ex-Navy member in this fleet."

"Hold on," said Jimbo. "You mean that Hercules…"

"That is correct, old chap," replied Hercules. "I served in the same regiment as Captain Star during the Great War."

"And it was during that time that he ended up saving the captain's life," said Ten Cents. "That was how he joined the Star Fleet."

"My word!" said Jimbo, "Perhaps you should tell me your story and how you met the rest of the Stars."

"It will be my pleasure, Jimbo, m'dear..."


Past

I was built at Eagle Works in New Hampshire in 1907 to a similar design to a John A. Dialogue tug, which was also called "Hercules". The other "Hercules" is based in San Francisco. As for me, I was sent to work for the Navy and would be stationed at various ports.

I was tasked with bringing the naval trampers into port or answering distress calls. Once, I had to rescue three damaged ocean liners during heavy winds.

Through my time in port, I would meet various female tugs and unintentionally charm them. This was before I'd met Lillie Lightship, who is now the woman of my dreams.

For example, one time in Massachusetts, I met a harbour tug named Ariel.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, m'dear," I greeted warmly.

"Oh…" giggled Ariel. "Likewise, Hercules. You must have had a long journey here. Would you like to go first at the coal depot?"

"I would appreciate that, Ariel," I replied. "I'll meet you at the dock later."

"Of course," she smiled. "Just watch out for some of those other tugs. They are wake-washers."

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied.

"Honestly!" snarked a switcher who was Zip's brother. "What you see in that ocean-going tug, I'll never know."

"Oh, Zion," chuckled Ariel. "Hercules is a gentleman."

"If you say so," grunted Zion as he left. "The last ocean-going we met was something of a narcissist."

"What was that about a narcissist?" I asked.

"Two months ago, we had another harbour tug named Zeus," explained Ariel. "We think his great strength and being named after the king of the Gods in Greek mythology made him conceited. He would often belittle switchers, seeing them as little more but rowing boats."

"I see," I replied. "I'll keep that in mind when I see him."


Years went by, but then, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo, the Great War began in Europe in 1914. Our President at the time, Woodrow Wilson, tried to keep the United States out of the war. However, he was delaying the inevitable, and the United States would enter the Great War after German submarines attacked passenger and merchant ships. I was assigned to the 89th Flotilla. They seemed a friendly bunch, but we never saw them that often. On my way to France, I stopped at Southampton where I saw two tank engines, both from the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway who were on loan to the London and South Western Railway at the time. One of them was a Billinton E2 with the number 107, whilst the other was an E4 with the number 471 and a very nasty look on his face.

"Hey, 107!" snapped the E4. "Where are my coaches?!"

"I had to get the munitions sorted first, Charleston!" replied No. 107. "This is wartime, you know!"

"I wasn't built yesterday!" retorted Charleston. "I have to get my passengers on time so the controller can see how useful I am."

"What about me, Charleston?" asked No. 107. "I can be useful too."

"No, 107," replied Charleston. "He meant an E4 engine. You E2s will never be that!"

"Like you've ever been useful, Charleston!" snapped a nearby Adams Radial tank. "You've caused so many mess-ups, you could write a book about it."

"Not to mention you never learn from your mistakes," agreed an LSWR O2 tank engine. "At least 107 tries to be useful."

"And what would you two know?" snapped Charleston. "You don't have to suffer the problems that the E2s caused."

"That the E2s cause or that you cause?" retorted the O2.

"Excuse me, old darlings," I called. "What seems to be the problem here?"

"Only that this idiot, Charleston, is trying to say that 107 is useless," said the Adams tank.

"He is useless!" snapped Charleston. "These E2s have been useless since the day they were built! I could pull far longer loads than those pieces of scrap, no problem."

Then, I had an idea to bring Charleston down a peg or two.

"Then prove it!" I said. "You and I will have a tug of war along this dock."

"Alright!" said Charleston. "You're on."


A towline was fastened between us.

"On your marks, get set, go!" said a dock worker.

Much to Charleston's dismay, I was able to pull him effortlessly. No. 107, the O2 and the Adams tank burst out laughing. Luckily for him, I stopped before he could land in the water. Though I must say, it was tempting to pull him in.

"Maybe you should get more practice, Charleston," said No. 107. "You're losing your touch."

Charleston was furious. "I want a rematch!" he demanded. "My controller will hear about this!"

"No, you don't," said his driver. "You've caused enough trouble today, so you will get your train now!"

Without a word, Charleston sulked away.

"Thank you for that, Hercules," said No. 107 gratefully.

"Think nothing of it, old darling," I said. "You strike me as a hard worker."

"Well, I do try," said No. 107 sadly. "But my class is riddled with faults such as our low coal capacity and the first E2s had low water capacity as well, hence my extended side tanks. We don't even have names. I guess we're not really useful after all."

"Nonsense," I said kindly. "You, 107, can be really useful if you put your mind to it. Just keep working hard and someday, if you're lucky, someone will come along and see your worth."

"That sounds like good advice," smiled No. 107. "Thank you, Hercules."

"My pleasure," I said, before turning to the O2 and Adams Radial. "What might your names be?"

"My name is Lily," said the O2.

"And I'm Adam," said the Adams Radial.

"Pleasure to meet you as well," I said. "Well, I'd better go and meet the other tugs in my regiment."

"Okay, Hercules," said No. 107. "We'd better get back to work as well. Say hello to Colin for me, Lily and Adam."

"We will, 107," replied the two LSWR engines. With that, the three engines got back to work.

Then, a harbour tug came up with an empty barge in front. She was painted yellow with a blue sailor's cap.

"Hello there," said the tug. "You must be one of the tugs heading for the war effort. I'm Meridian."

"Pleasure to meet you, Meridian, m'dear," I said. "I'm Hercules."

Meridian just giggled. This was the first time someone called her "m'dear". Then, another harbour tug came up. He looked rather smug.

"Well, I'm glad the Navy decided to bring a fellow ocean-going tug," he boasted. "We'll bring plenty to the Navy, not those useless little switchers. They're nothing more than a bunch of rowin… OW!"

"THOSE SWITCHERS ARE FAR MORE USEFUL THAN YOU'LL EVER BE, ZEUS!" roared Meridian, having hit him with her barge. "NOW, GET LOST!"

So, this must be that Zeus character Ariel warned me about, I thought to myself. Something tells me he's not going to be one to be recalled fondly.

Wisely, Zeus decided to back away. Then, another ocean-going tug came up alongside. I was smitten by her beautiful looks.

"Hello there, handsome," said the other ocean-going tug. "I'm Venus."

"A pleasure to meet you, m'dear," I said. "I'm Hercules. I take it you'll be on the front as well."

"Indeed," said Venus. "It's nice to meet such a gentleman. You've met Zeus, I see."

"Yes," I chuckled. "That was pretty nifty using a barge to hit him, Meridian."

"Oh, I have my ways of dealing with jerks like him," Meridian said with a smirk.


Soon enough, Venus, Zeus and I arrived at Normandy. There were a few other tugs including USS Pennsylvania Railroad No. 9, which was being used as a mine-sweeping tug. He seemed a friendly sort, but I never saw much of him.

There were some engines from the Railway Operating Division of the United Kingdom (or ROD) and a fleet of narrow gauge engines built in America for the war effort. I recall a Baldwin Class 10-12-D named Stanley, who was shown to be a rough rider and would often come off the rails. There also was a ROD 2-8-0 named Herbert, who was just as reckless. I didn't know much about how railways operated, but I warned them both to be careful. Of course, neither of them took notice.

"Listen here, you!" snapped Herbert. "I didn't come all the way from the Great Central Railway just to be ordered about by some oversized bath toy."

"Yeah, and besides, in the States, we don't care a dime for a few spills!" retorted Stanley.

"Well, the army and navy do here," I said firmly. "One of these days, your reckless behaviours will land you both in trouble."

Then there was another ROD 2-8-0, pulling in with some passenger cars – or coaches, as they called them.

"Are you alright, m'dear?" I asked, seeing him badly shaken.

"Soldiers… injured on battlelines…" he gulped. "Y-you don't want to know the details."

I winced. "I understand. I… I pray they recover."

"Me too," sighed the engine. "Oh… I'm Geoffery."

"Hercules," I said. "It doesn't get any easier."

"No…" Geoffery said quietly. "But… thanks for your kindness."


As for Venus and I, we got on really well together, and often worked together on operations.

"Come now, sweetie," said Venus one day. "Let's get that ship and bring it in."

"I'm delighted to be working with you, m'dear," I smiled.

"Heh," chuckled a little switcher named Penny. "If anyone is going to get with Hercules, it's Venus. The lucky duck."

"I seriously doubt that," scoffed Zeus. "My buddy Hercules is nice, but he wouldn't stick to one girl."

"Yes, he would!" Penny argued. "I guarantee he would!"

Much as I hated to disappoint everyone, as evidenced with me and Lillie, me and Venus getting together wasn't the case. I'll explain why later.

As for Zeus, well, I don't know why he saw me as his "buddy". I never did and, quite frankly, never will. Especially after that coal incident. Ugh…


It was also there that I would meet Captain Star, who was my commanding officer. He commanded a lot of respect from his fleet as he was just as much of a compassionate father figure as he is now.

"I must say, commander," I said, "you know how much to speak to tugs."

"It all comes from experience," Captain Star replied. "I come from Bigg City in New Jersey where my father, Johnathan Allen Star, operates a fleet of civilian tugboats known as the Star Fleet. They're like a family to us. We own three harbour tugs, one of them being a paddle steamer tug named Otis Jones, or O.J. for short. He used to work for a fleet of paddle-driven tugs, which were sadly scrapped, but my friend Captain Lucky and her father asked me and my father to buy him, which we did. He is the grandfather figure and our number three. Number two is Big Mac, a Scottish tug gifted to us by a friend from Scotland. Big Mac asked us to buy his brother Warrior, our number five, after he failed his trials as a fire tug. All three are hard-workers. Then, there's Top Hat, my railway tug who came from New Hampshire. He's our number four and very snobbish, but has a heart of gold deep down. But the prize for the heart of the Star Fleet has to go to our switcher, Ten Cents, our number one tug. He is a plucky and loyal switcher, whom my father and I bought off auction, and whilst he can be cheeky and pull a few wisecracks, he will come through for you, no matter what."

"That sounds wonderful," I smiled.

"And here's something else," Captain Star replied. "Ten Cents is an Eagle Works tug, just like you."

"Well, it looks like I have a little brother," I chuckled.

"Indeed," said Captain Star. "If you ever visit Bigg City, I'll ask my father to organize a meeting between you two."

Little did we know I would end up meeting Ten Cents in a different way.


A few weeks after my arrival at Normandy, Captain Star was to undertake a shakedown cruise for a battlecruiser which had been overhauled – the USS Clearwater.

Venus and I were on patrol and were exchanging pleasantries with each other when we overheard some voices speaking in German. Fortunately, Venus was fluent in German, so she could understand what they were saying.

"Ich wurde von unserem Mitarbeiter informiert die USS Clearwater soll um 1400 Uhr in der Bucht liegen," said a German submarine. "Wir müssen darauf vorbereitet sein, das Schiff abzufangen." [I received word from our informant that the USS Clearwater is due in the bay at 1400 hours. We must be prepared to intercept the ship.]

"In der Tat, Hans," said a German naval tug. "Beladen sie sich und seien sie bereit bei 1400 Stunden bereit." [Indeed, Hans. Load up and be ready at 1400 hours.]

"Fürchte dich nicht, Otto. Ich werde bereit sein und warten," Hans said confidently. [Don't worry, Otto. I'll be ready and waiting]

"Hercules," whispered Venus, "I think they're planning to destroy the Clearwater, and Captain Star is commandeering the vessel."

"Then we must take action!" I whispered. "We must intercept the submarine before it reaches the Clearwater. Now listen, I have a plan..."


Hans was loaded and was on his way to intercept the Clearwater, which had been signaled through. Then he saw a huge shape looming above the surface. Hans got ready to fire but the shape started darting about and Hans had trouble aiming. The more it kept moving, the more frustrated he got.

"Du dummes Schiff!" he growled. "Bleib still, damit ich dich töten kann!" [You stupid ship! Stay still so I can kill you!]

Little did Hans know that the ship was really Venus. She had distracted him long enough, allowing the Clearwater to sail through.

Otto watched in disbelief as the Clearwater sailed by.

"Was macht dieser Narr?!" he snapped. [What is that fool doing?!]

He quickly went to find Hans.


Losing patience, Hans submerged. That was a big mistake as I pounced on him and rammed him into some rocks. This caused a torpedo to accidentally fire but Venus swerved just in time and the torpedo struck Otto, who began sinking.

"Gott in Himmel!" exclaimed Otto as Venus threw a towline onto him. "Was passiert?!" [Oh my God! What's happening?!]

"You two are under arrest!" I said sternly as I threw my own towline onto Hans. "Come, Venus, m'dear. Let's take these two in."

"Copy that, sweetie," Venus replied.


After we returned to base, Otto and Hans were taken away. Venus and I were hailed as heroes for our brave actions and were rewarded for our bravery by President Wilson himself. After the ceremony, Captain Star came to see us both.

"I am proud of you two," he said. "Your quick thinking and actions saved countless lives, myself included. My many thanks. And to show my appreciation, I would like to offer you both a place in the Star Fleet after the war is over."

"My many thanks," I said with a smile. "And I gracefully accept the offer."

"It is very kind of you," replied Venus. "However, if it's alright with you, I would like to remain with the Navy for the time being. Perhaps in the future, I might consider it."

"I understand, Venus," said Captain Star, "and I respect your wishes. Hercules, I'll inform my father that you wish to join the Star Fleet. Now, get some rest, you two." With that, he turned on his heels and walked away.

Then I turned to Venus.

"Now, don't get me wrong, Venus," I said seriously. "You're a friendly tug and all, but I fear that if we start a relationship, it would get in the way of the war effort."

"As much as I hate to admit it," sighed Venus, "you're absolutely right. We can't let our personal feelings affect our judgment during this war. We were lucky to have prevented a potential disaster. Next time though…"

Nothing more needed to be said. As for the informant, we never found out who it was. Although, given that Zeus had been transferred elsewhere and left Normandy shortly afterwards, we suspected he might have had something to do with it, but we could never prove it.


Shortly after the incident, I was on shore leave for a while and decided to return to Southampton. Captain Star, who was also on shore leave, joined me for that. 107 was still there with Lily, Adam and Meridian.

"Oh, hello, Hercules," said Adam. "Did you hear about Charleston? He's been sent back to Brighton for causing an accident. The controller said he was a really useless engine."

I just had to chuckle at that, before introducing them to Captain Star.

"You know, 107," said Captain Star, "you remind me of my son, Thomas Allen Star. How would you like to be named after him?"

"That would be a nice idea," smiled Thomas. "But perhaps just Thomas for short."

"Very well," Captain Star said with a smile. "I hereby christen you 'Thomas the Tank Engine'."

We erupted into a chorus of cheers and whistles for the newly christened Thomas.

"Oh, and by the way," said Lily, "congratulations to you and Venus for saving everyone on board the USS Clearwater, and your new position in the Star Fleet. You deserved it."

"Thank you, m'dear," I said with a smile.


On November 11, 1918, the fighting in the trenches stopped and after the Treaty of Versailles was signed, which marked the official end of the Great War. Sadly, shortly after I was purchased by the Star Fleet, Johnathan Star died from a sudden heart attack. My arrival to the Star Fleet was delayed until after the funeral. Captain Star then took over the Star Fleet and promised to keep the fleet together, no matter what. A few weeks after the funeral, I was honorably discharged from the Navy and headed up to Bigg City Port. It was near the harbour estuary that I met someone very special – a certain lightship.

"Well, hello there," she said with a smile. "You must be the new ocean-going tug Captain Star bought from the Navy. I'm Lillie Lightship. I help to warn ships passing by Dem Der Rocks."

"A pleasure to meet you, Lillie, m'dear," I said. "My name is Hercules."

"After the Greek mythology figure?" smiled Lillie. "A very fitting name for someone so strong and handsome."

"Why, thank you," said Hercules. "And you are a beautiful sight to behold."

"Oh, thank you, Hercules," said Lillie happily. It was at that point I knew I had met the woman of my dreams.


After arriving at Bigg City, I was sent to Lucky's Yard to be repainted in the corporate Star Fleet livery and given the number six.

"Okay, dearie," said Captain Lucky. "You've passed your final inspections. I'll let Captain Star know that you're on your way. And good luck, Hercules."

"Thank you, Captain Lucky, m'dear," I said as I set off for the Star Dock. "Toodle-loo!"


"Good morning, Star Fleet," Captain Star said through his megaphone. "Before you all set off to work, I would like to introduce you to our newest recruit. He is an ex-Navy tug I met during the war."

"Oh no! Not another Bluenose!" groaned Top Hat.

"This is a' we need…" grunted Big Mac.

"I'm going to get boiler ache…" moaned Warrior.

"More orders, I swear…" grumbled O.J.

"Ugh, this isn't our day…" growled Ten Cents.

"Settle down!" said Captain Star sternly. "Contrary to what you may think, this tug is an absolute gentleman and he saved my life, so I invited him to join us. He's just finished his inspection at Lucky's and, as we speak, is on our way here." Then he heard my whistle. "Ah, here he comes now!"

It was at that moment I steamed into the Star Dock. Big Mac, O.J., Top Hat and Warrior were amazed and secretly impressed with my size but Ten Cents was stunned to see one particular feature.

"Greetings, m'dears," I said politely. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Hercules, former Navy ocean-going tug." Any ill-feelings that the others had faded in an instant.

"Hello, Hercules; I'm Top Hat," said the railway tug.

"Th' name's Big Mac," said the Scottish harbour tug.

"I'm Big Mac's brother, Warrior," the Star Fleet's number five said.

"My full name is Otis Jones, but everyone calls me O.J. for short," said the paddle-driven tug.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," I replied, before looking at a certain switcher who had the same Eagle crest as me. "And if I'm not mistaken, you are young Ten Cents. I've heard a lot of great things about you."

"Err… yes," said Ten Cents, motioning to my hat. "Were you built at…"

"Eagle Works, New Hampshire? Yes," I replied.

"I HAVE A BIG BROTHER!" shouted a delighted Ten Cents, hooting his whistle excitedly.

"Oi! Keep it down over there!" snapped a voice. "Some of us are trying to sleep."

Captain Star and his tugs laughed, whilst I looked confused.

"That was one of the Z-Stacks, our business rivals," said O.J.. "It was Zak who had spoken."

"So you saved Captain Star's life?" said Ten Cents. "If that's not worthy of being a Star tug, I don't know what is. Welcome to the Star Fleet, big brother."

"Thank you, little brother," I replied. From that point forward, Ten Cents and I had a strong bond and would always look out for each other.

"Since you and Hercules have bonded well, Ten Cents," said Captain Star, "I feel it's only right you should show him around. Warrior, it's daily garbage for you. Top Hat, car floats as usual. Big Mac, O.J., timber from Up River."

"And I'll tell you about how I saved Captain Star's life this evening," said Hercules.

"That'll be great," smiled Ten Cents.

"Alright then, Star Fleet," said Captain Star. "Let's get to work."

As we moved on to work, I turned to Ten Cents.

"You know, Ten Cents," I said, "you remind me of a tank engine I met in Southampton."

"Really?" asked Ten Cents. "What's his name?"

"He didn't have a name when I met him, but Captain Star decided to name him 'Thomas'," I replied.

"After his son? Aw, that's so sweet," said Ten Cents.

"Indeed, old darling," I said. "I'll explain it all tonight."

"I'm looking forward to it," smiled Ten Cents.


Present Day

"And that is the story you've just heard, Jimbo, old chap," smiled Hercules, finishing his story.

"Well, thank you for telling me that, Hercules," said Jimbo.

"One question though," said Warrior. "Whatever happened to that Thomas? The tank engine, that is."

"Ah, Captain Star has been able to keep in touch with his driver," replied Hercules. "After the war ended, he returned to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and is now stationed at London Victoria. When the Grouping Act came into force, the LB&SCR was absorbed into the Southern Railway, where he is now number 2107."

"Who knows," smirked Ten Cents. "Maybe, one day, he'll become the number one engine of a gentleman with a top hat on an island near the north of England."

Everyone had a good laugh at that, before drifting off to sleep. For Jimbo, his respect for Hercules had grown immensely and was glad that he saw Hercules as a role model to help him become a responsible and hard-working tug.

The End


Arthur's notes: Hercules is one of my favourite characters, and this story was great to do. Really expanding on his character, and fleshing out his backstory. We also inculded quite a few OCs: Ariel (named after a certain mermaid), Venus (keeping the 'god/godess' theme naming for the Ocean-Going TUGS), Meridian, Penny (a cheeky nod to Salty's Lighthouse where Ten Cents and Sunshine are siblings; Penny is the sister of Ten Cents and Hercules but neither know that yet); and Zion (Zip's brother; also a nod to the fact Zip is a boy in the actual show but we genderflipped her). There's also a nod to the Mario movie in a quote that Penny says. We also see that Hercules unintentially has a way with the ladies; and hey, I couldn't argue with that. I'd be charmed by him if I were a tug in the series too. Of course, he is faithful to Lillie Lightship, but pre-Lillie meetup, you never know what could have happened. Zeus on the other hand... well, the female tugs are repulsed by him. Oh, and we also used Adam, Lily and Colin (WNW's OCs) in the flashback to some degree, and have an appearance from Thomas himself. Charleston is also one of Zack's older OCs.

Next time, one of the Stars ends up in trouble due to a case of Mistaken Identity. I've actually written this story before, but this will be a fresh take on it. Keep your eyes open.