Nothing to Declare

Based on the Buzz Story of the same name

Adapted by Jonathan Downs, Rachel Ravens and Zack Wanzer

Warning: This story contains mentions of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime.

In March 1939, Nazi Germany launched an invasion of Czechoslovakia, which added to the worrying situation going on in Europe as Hitler had annexed Austria the previous year. This was a major red flag that another war was all but inevitable.

The tugs did their best to carry on with their work, but were extremely vigilant for any signs of trouble.


On the day I remember, the Star Tugs were getting ready for the daily briefing, but were surprised to see the Z-Stacks coming to their dock.

"I take it that the captains have something important to discuss with us?" inquired Ten Cents.

"You're right there, Ten Cents," replied Zob. "Captain Zero told us to come here first thing in the morning before he went home."

"Do you think it's something to do with Europe?" Warrior asked worriedly.

"If it's not, I'll be surprised," Zorran said glumly.

Presently, both Captain Zero and I took our megaphones.

"Good morning, Star Fleet and Z-Stacks," I said. "Apologies for the unusual gathering this morning, but Captain Zero and I have something important to discuss with you. Captain Zero?"

"Yesterday, Captain Star and I had each received a phone call from Admiral Cardona," said Captain Zero.

The tugs' faces fell, although Zak and Zeus had neutral expressions.

"Rest assured that war has not been declared… yet," said Captain Zero. "Two top secret naval vessels are going to be docked in Bigg City Port for a few days."

"Ah," said O.J., "so I presume the Navy and the Coast Guard team are going to perform checks to make sure that nobody is going to spy on them."

"Precisely," I replied. "Well done, O.J.. As we speak, the Salvage Team are having their security check done so they're not compromised for any emergencies that come through. The engines of the Dock Railway will be having theirs at 9:00. Jimbo and Admiral Cardona will be coming with the Coast Guard team to do our checks at midday. So, you must all get your jobs done by 11:00 so you can get yourselves spic and span ready for the inspection."


Soon, the tugs were out at work. Warrior was working with Lord Stinker cleaning up rubbish.

"Do you think that… war is coming soon?" Lord Stinker whispered.

"I hope not," Warrior sighed. "The last war was devastating enough! Why can't countries resolve conflicts peacefully?"

"Tis a mystery, Warrior," Big Mac called; he was getting ready to tow Delta Queen out to sea. "If ah hud tae choose atween that 'n' us becoming rivals wi' th' Z-Stacks again… it's na contest."

"I think both fleets being united together is more important than ever," said Delta Queen. "Hold on to those you hold dear, my friends…"

"We'll keep that in mind," said Warrior.


Meanwhile, out in the estuary, Cappy was on patrol when he saw a rusty old tramper coming towards him. He looked at the name on the tramper's name – "Nantucket".

This must be that tramper who attempted to escape quarantine, Cappy thought to himself. Peeper Pipes warned me about him. For all we know, he could be a smuggler like Johnny Cuba was. I'd better be careful.

So, the Customs Launch carefully approached Nantucket.

"Ahoy there, Nantucket!" called Cappy. "Hove to! Customs inspection. I am coming aboard for a routine search."

Nantucket stopped to lower his anchor.

"Go ahead," he growled. "I think you'll find I have nothing to declare."

"From what Peeper Pipes told me, you once tried to break quarantine rules," said Cappy. Despite his suspicions, he couldn't find anything wrong.

"So, tell your friends I can have a tow right now and make it snappy!" snapped Nantucket. "I get fed up waiting here for hours!"

"Alright! Be patient!" replied Cappy. He then noticed Sunshine going back to port after delivering fuel to Lillie.

"Sunshine!" Cappy called. "Can you give Nantucket a tow in port?"

"That should be tricky now," replied Sunshine. "We're preparing for the Navy's inspection before those two navy vessels arrive."

"Yes, yes!" Cappy said crossly. "That was supposed to be a secret. You spoiled it, Sunshine!"

"Oops… sorry," Sunshine said meekly.

Nantucket smirked. "I suppose you thought you'd find spies on board me, eh?" he sneered.

Cappy just frowned at Sunshine and then herded back to port.

"Now if you want to keep your stack on tight," Nantucket said menacingly, "I'd say you tell your friends about giving me a tow."

Sunshine was a little tug, but she wasn't afraid of Nantucket.

"You'll get your tow when one of us is free and not before then," she said sternly. With that, Sunshine headed back to port.


Big Mac was just returning to port after towing Delta Queen out to sea.

"You took your time! Get me towed in right now!" Nantucket snapped.

"A'm oan anither jab," replied Big Mac, "Bit someone else wull be 'ere soon ."


Later, O.J. came puffing and wheezing up the estuary. After all the hard work, he was tired and hot.

"Come on, old timer," joked Nantucket. "Or would you like me to give you a tow?"

"I haven't got time for your stupid jokes," O.J. retorted.


Then Ten Cents came by. "Sunshine told me you needed a tow," he called. "I'll come back for you once the inspection is complete."

"Take all the time you need," replied Nantucket. "I'm just watching myself getting rust spots."

"Goody goody Star Tugs," grumbled Nantucket. "Maybe the Z-Stacks will have something for me."


So when Zip and Zug appeared, Nantucket yelled out, "Hey, you two! Give me a tow, eh?"

Zip and Zug were terrified. "S-sorry, we're m-much too b-busy," said Zip.

"Y-yeah," agreed Zug. "A-ask Zorran!"

With that, the two Zero switchers sped away.


Zeus then came by and was less thrilled to see Nantucket.

"You again!" he snapped.

"Yeah, it's me!" retorted Nantucket. "So give me a tow!"

"Why should I give you a tow into port?" exclaimed Zeus angrily. "You humiliated me on my first day here!" With that, Zeus stormed off.


Stormy was out on distress calls when she came across Nantucket.

"Hey, you!" shouted Nantucket. "Give me a tow, eh?"

"Do I look like a civilian tug to you?" snapped Stormy. "I'm only used for rescue and clean-up operations!" With that, Stormy growled away.

"Oh, I give up!" groaned Nantucket. "No one seems to be giving me a tow. Might as well get some sleep if I'm going to be here for a while."


As he dozed in the sun, a long grey watercraft appeared on the surface of the water. It appeared to be heading for Bigg City Port. The sudden noise woke Nantucket up.

"I suppose that's Jimbo," he said. "Wait, what's that?"

The submarine, realising he'd been caught, said something in a foreign language before disappearing into the water, leaving only bubbles on the surface.

"That looked like a submarine," Nantucket said to himself. "But what was he doing? Perhaps his job's to let everyone know that the navy vessels were on their way, but why did it disappear so fast? Wait a minute! He had a German accent… and the swastika was painted on the tailfin! He's a spy! The Nazis must want to know what these new ships are like. With the Coast Guard team, Admiral Cardona and Jimbo at the inspection, that means I'm the only one who can stop him!"

In those days, only large liners like the Duchess were fitted with radios, so Nantucket couldn't call anyone. It was up to him to stop the spy. He waited patiently.


Stormy was still grumbling to herself as she continued on her distress calls.

"Ugh! That Nantucket!" she muttered, before spotting an unfamiliar tug.

"Ahoy there!" she called. "You there! State your business!"

There was no answer. Stormy tried to get closer. Then, she gasped in shock when she saw the tug's flag. It had the swastika!

"HEY, YOU!" she shouted. She quickly gained chase. The tug tried to get away, but had to dodge some rocks. This gave Stormy the chance to catch him. The salvage tug threw a towline and…

"GOTCHA!"

Heh, I'm willing to bet whatever the German tug said after being captured wasn't very pleasant.


Meanwhile at the Star Dock, the Stars and Z-Stacks had been cleaned and polished and were ready for the admiral's arrival. Captain Zero and I were standing on the dockside and stood to attention as Jimbo, Peeper Pipes, Cappy, Davy Jones and Snowy arrived with Admiral Cardona who was riding on Jimbo's deck.

"At ease!" Admiral Cardona said. "Now, as you already know, two new Navy ships are coming into port. Security is vital, especially with the threat Hitler poses in Europe. The way things are going, war could break out any day now. This is why we have to do these checks – to ensure nobody is caught off guard. So far, we have not found any threats and you are the last ones to be inspected."

With that, Jimbo, Admiral Cardona, his men and the Coast Guard team made a thorough inspection. The admiral and his men looked inside both the announcing houses whilst Jimbo and the Coast Guard vessels checked the tugs and submarines.

"What cheek!" snapped Zak, but a glare from Zob shut him up.

At last, the inspection was completed.

"Well, Captain Star and Captain Zero," said the admiral, "I am pleased to announce that you've passed the inspection with flying colours."

"I'm glad to hear it, Admiral," I said.

"Same here," added Captain Zero.

"Now, Hercules and Zob, if you two would like to accompany us to escort the vessels into port," said Jimbo.

"Certainly, m'dear," said Hercules.

"Of course," replied Zob.

"I'd better be off too," said Ten Cents. "I promised Nantucket a tow."

With that, Ten Cents, Hercules and Zob followed Jimbo and the Coast Guard team back to the estuary.


Meanwhile, the German submarine appeared again.

Now's my chance, Nantucket thought to himself. He revved his engine and rammed the submarine as hard as he could into a nearby mudbank.

"Gott in Himmel!" the submarine exclaimed.

Ten Cents, Hercules, Zob, Jimbo and the Coast Guard came over, having overheard the commotion.

"Ahoy there!" called Nantucket. "Come take a look here. This submarine is a long way from home and I reckon he's very interested in your ships, Admiral."

Snowy looked at the swastika on the tailfin.

"He's right!" she exclaimed. "Someone must have caught wind of the ships and sent in a spy."

"Well done, Nantucket," praised Jimbo. "Your quick thinking saved us precious minutes."

"Just a minute," said Zob. "Haven't we seen this submarine somewhere before, Hercules?"

"You're right, Zob!" replied Hercules. "This is the same submarine that tried to destroy the SS Clearwater back in the Great War."

"And I might have his partner in crime right here," called a voice. It was Stormy with the German naval tug in tow.

"Ah, yes, that's him, alright," said Hercules, recognising the tug. "Well done, Stormy, m'dear."

"That's right, Stormy," said Admiral Cardona. "Keep those ne'er do wells under control. A bit of discipline; that's what they need. Make him tow the line."

They couldn't help but laugh at the Admiral's joke.

"I never thought I'd say this, but thank you, Nantucket," said Peeper Pipes. "I doubt anyone else would believe us even if we told him."

"No problem," replied Nantucket. "There's only room for one scoundrel around here – me!" He turned to Ten Cents. "Now, how about that tow?"

"Before you go," said Peeper Pipes, "I'm going to need a statement from you and Stormy."

Stormy and Nantucket were only too glad to each give a Coast Guard a statement, after which Hans and Otto were placed under arrest for espionage.

Ten Cents then towed Nantucket into port whilst Stormy kept an eye on Hans and Otto until Jimbo and the Coast Guard team finished inspecting the naval ships.


Once that was done, Jimbo, Hercules and Zob led the ships to the Naval base whilst Stormy and the Coast Guard vessels took Hans and Otto to dry dock.

Admiral Cardona wasted no time in launching an investigation and discovered that one of his men was a Nazi sympathizer. Said sympathizer was promptly arrested and a date for court martial was arranged.


News of Nantucket's heroic actions spread across Bigg City and everyone was surprised by what they'd heard.

"That's impossible!" snapped Zeus. "How can a villain like him do something so noble?"

"Well, he did do something heroic," said Zob. "A lot more than you and Zak have ever done, and quite frankly, ever will!"

Zeus just scoffed and stormed off.

Hmm, Zob thought to himself. I wonder… could Hercules' assumption about Zeus being their operative be correct? I'd better keep an eye on him and Zak just in case.


Hans and Otto were still in dry dock. The Coast Guard team was out on patrol and the two villains were left unguarded. This meant that they had an unexpected visitor.

"Good evening," said the woman. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ursula Zero, wife of Captain Sean Zero, owner of Zero Marine Bigg City."

"Vot has zat got to do with us?" asked Hans.

"I've got a proposition for you two, if you're interested," came the reply.

"We're listening," said Otto.

"Well… it turns out my husband has been going very soft in the head," said Ursula. "He used to be a criminal and even had a contract with the speakeasy where I worked. Most of the Z-Stacks were as bad as him. Until that Zob and Zilly came along! Hmph, even Zebedee was willing to do dirty work until his 'conscience' got the best of him. Now they, with the exception of Zak and Zeus, have become friends with the Star Tugs!"

"Whoa, talk about ze 'turn around' of ze century," snarked Hans.

"Indeed," agreed Ursula. "So, I've come up with a plan to overthrow my husband and I've got Zak, Zeus and four other tugs recruited as well as some help with a friend of mine and his own tugs. Would you two be interested in assisting?"

"Funny you said zat," replied Otto. "We have a history of ze tugs you mentioned."

"Oh, really?" said Ursula, "Who might that be?"

"Hercules!" replied Hans. "He was ze one who ruined our plans to sabotage the SS Clearwater!"

"Well then, this is your chance for revenge," Ursula said evilly.

"Did you say one of ze Z-Stacks was called Zeus?" asked Otto.

"Yes," replied Ursula. "Do you know him?"

The response the two gave surprised Ursula, but I mustn't say anymore, or I'll spoil a very future story.


Stormy told the other Salvage tugs all about it.

"Wow!" gasped Moonlight. "That was a close call!"

"And who would have thought that the two villains were the same ones that Hercules and Venus stopped back in the Great War?" agreed Hail.

"Perhaps they were trying to make up for their failure from last time," Stormy mused.

"Mmm-hmm, that would make sense," agreed Moonlight.

"Well, I'm glad you and Nantucket were able to stop those two before they got to Bigg City Port, Stormy," said Ember. "I dread to think what might have happened."

"Don't we all," said Misty. "Guys… d-do you think we'll be entering…"

"There's still time for things to turn around," Scorpio said firmly. "However small a window that may be…"

"Then we must prepare for the worst so it doesn't catch us off guard," replied Pisces. Everyone else agreed.


That evening at the Star Dock, that was all they could talk about.

"Fancy Nantucket proving to be a hero!" chuckled Top Hat.

"Indeed," agreed Hercules. "Both Jimbo and Admiral Cardona have recommended him for a medal."

"Just goes to show that even villainous trampers have some good in them," said Grampus.

"That's true, Grampus," I said. "Get some rest, my tugs. We'll need all the energy we can get."

"Good night, Captain Star," the Stars called. They fell asleep as I left for the night, unaware that quite soon, the world was about to enter its darkest period yet.

Before I go on with my next few stories, I need to stress just when this particular story took place – August 29, 1939. If you know your history, you will know what happened… exactly. Three. Days. Later.

The End


Arthur's notes: This is the last Buzz Book adaption, so originals and Salty's Lighthouse adaptions from here on out. This particular story was placed here for the reason of the submarine spy being from Germany. Also, Nantucket replaces Johnny Cuba and Jimbo replaces Bluenose because they're both dead. This is also the last story before the deadliest conflict known in history... WW2.

However, America was spared from the first few years of said conflict. And they can thank their Lucky Stars for that. Tune in next time, where a young couple ties the knot.